When the New York Islanders sent defenseman Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens, the two picks coming back the other way, No. 16 and No. 17, were the standouts.

However, a 23-year-old forward named Emil Heineman was included in the deal.

Heineman has played in 68 NHL games, all with Montreal, recording 10 goals and eight assists, which all came last season in 62 games, his rookie campaign. 

The second round pick by the Florida Panthers in 2020 and his rights were sent to the Calgary Flames in the Sam Bennett trade back in April of 2021, before Calgary sent his rights and Tyler Pitlick to Montreal for Tyler Tofolli in February of 2022. 

Following the Islanders' trade with Montreal, general manager Mathieu Darche shared that he made it a necessity for Heineman to be included in the Dobson trade. 

"Emil, we really wanted him to be in the trade. So we push till the end for him to be in the trade, because he's a player the league kind of discovered this year," Darche said during his post-first-round draft press conference. "He had a great start to the year, and people might not remember, but around Christmas, it was going great. Then he got, unfortunately, hit by a car in Utah, and missed two months, which stole his year.'

"But you see, his first year in the NHL, he scored 10 goals playing mostly on the fourth line. So we see potential. He's a strong kid who skates great. He's got a rocket of a shot, like, if you look at his goals, it's a high velocity shot that can score. So we still have potential in this player. The cap, you right now works. It helps us maybe create other opportunities somewhere else, because he's an established NHL player now, and we feel he can only improve in the coming years."

The Islanders signed Heineman, a restricted free agent, to a two-year deal worth $2.2 million annually. 

On Sunday, former Islanders defenseman turned MSG analyst Thomas Hickey joined Hockey Night in New York, discussed his excitement for Heineman. 

"I saw him, I think, five times last season," Hickey, who works on the Prime Monday Night Hockey broadcast, said. "I was doing Habs games at ice level and for the first four games I saw him, his line was the best line on the ice [...] each game I kept coming away, saying, Heineman, he's one of their best players tonight."

On Sunday during “On the Line” brought to you by @TOVIHockeyy, @Thomas_Hickey14 brought up new #Isles addition Emil Heineman’s game! Catch the full interview and show at https://t.co/EgKW82XTNh#NHLpic.twitter.com/APX2dk4PyV

— Hockey Night NY (@hockeynightny) July 22, 2025

The expectation is that Heineman is going to slot in on the Islanders' fourth line, alongside Casey Cizikas and then, maybe, Maxim Tsyplakov, depending on how the depth chart shakes out.

Here's a Heineman highlight reel:

Heineman fits the Darche and Roy mold. While he may not be Cal Clutterbuck, he will be tasked with providing a spark with his physicality and shot. 

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PHOTO: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

During the 2022 NHL off-season, the Chicago Blackhawks elected not to send forward Dylan Strome a qualifying offer. As a result, he became an unrestricted free agent (UFA) and signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Washington Capitals in July of that year. This was after Strome posted 22 goals and 48 points with the Blackhawks during the 2021-22 season. 

The move to Washington immediately benefited Strome, as he posted 23 goals and 65 points in 81 games during the 2022-23 season. This led to him to landing a five-year, $25 million contract extension with the Capitals in February of 2023. He then followed this campaign up by recording then-career highs with 27 goals, 40 assists, and 67 points in 82 contests during the 2023-24 season.

Yet, as well as Strome played in each of his first two seasons with the Capitals, he hit a new level with the Metropolitan Division club during this past season. In 82 games during 2024-25 campaign, the former Blackhawks forward recorded new career highs with 29 goals, 53 assists, and 82 points in 82 regular-season games. He was also a bright spot during the playoffs for the Capitals, posting two goals and 11 points in 10 games. 

Strome only seems to be getting better with each season that passes and produced like a true star in 2024-25. The Blackhawks' decision to let Strome walk for nothing certainly looks more questionable after the campaign he just had, but it is clear that the 2015 third-overall pick has thrived since leaving Chicago. 

It will now be interesting to see what kind of season Strome puts together in 2025-26 after his career year. 

Blackhawks Exciting Forward Is Big Breakout CandidateThe Chicago Blackhawks have one of the strongest prospect pools in the NHL. It is not difficult to understand why, as they have been rebuilding for multiple years now. As a result, they have brought in several exciting youngsters who have the potential to become long-term parts of their future. 

Photo Credit: © Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

The Anaheim Ducks have missed the playoffs every year since 2017-18 and in doing so, have drafted in the top ten for seven consecutive seasons and procured one of the NHL’s deepest and most potent prospect pools.

Despite several young players having graduated and become full-time NHLers, such as Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish, Pavel Mintyukov, and Olen Zellweger, the Ducks still have an impressive pipeline of potential impact and depth prospects yet to make the jump.

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For this exercise, only players who haven’t lost rookie status are eligible for a ranking, and to be clear, these are my (Patrick Present) subjective rankings.

Honorable Mentions: Yegor Sidorov, Herman Traff, Tarin Smith, Lasse Boelius, Calle Clang

Top Ten:

10. Nathan Gaucher, 21, C, San Diego Gulls (AHL)

9. Ian Moore, 23, RHD, San Diego Gulls (AHL)

8. Sasha Pastujov, 22, W, San Diego Gulls (AHL)

If one were to look at this list in early November 2024, it would be understandable to feel genuinely surprised to see Pastujov’s name this high in a ranking of Ducks prospects.

Pastujov had a poor camp heading into the 2024-25 season. To the extent that the organization deemed it best for him to begin the year in the ECHL with the Tulsa Oilers. A trip to the ECHL is one few prospects recover from, but Pastujov’s mental fortitude during that time is a significant contributing factor to his ranking on this list.

“Sasha showed lots of character by going to the E,” Ducks assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting Martin Madden told The Hockey News: Anaheim Ducks. “I think he would be the first to say he didn't have a good camp and probably deserved to be in the ECHL to start the year, but he didn't hang his head, and he had put in lots of work in the summer.

“He's a great kid, but he's got character. He worked his butt off all summer to get stronger and to get a little faster because that's what he needs to improve. His speed and skating overall, but his speed in particular, and he put in the work, and for some reason, it didn't come through during training camp. He went back there, got his confidence back, got his legs back going, and didn’t miss a beat by the time he got back to San Diego.”

After a successful career at the junior level, both with the USNTDP leading up to his draft year (66th overall in 2021) and in the OHL in the two years that followed. He averaged well over a point-per-game at both levels, but struggled to find that same production at the AHL level in his rookie 2023-24 campaign, which saw him tally 23 points (10-13=23) in 46 games.

“His capacity to adapt to read the play, to handle the puck, is natural,” Madden continued. “When he was able to come back and play at pace, production followed. I don't think producing is ever going to be a big, difficult thing for Sasha. I think he's got that naturally. His awareness is great, his touch is very good.”

Pastujov’s skating will always be his most substantial drawback. His stride is somewhat clunky and lacks explosion while his edges and four-way mobility are average at best. However, while these aspects aren’t ideal and a difficult hill to climb if one is to build an NHL career, they can be overcome with high levels of skill, IQ, and competitiveness, areas where Pastujov has now proven proficient.

His puck skills and release are above NHL-average, but his separating factor is his vision and hockey sense. He excels at recognizing lanes and involving himself in the building of every offensive play. While his 6-foot, 187-pound frame isn’t an advantage, he manipulates defenders when in possession by inviting pressure and connecting with linemates from small areas of the ice.

After posting 16 points (9-7=16) in 12 ECHL games to start his 2024-25, Pastujov finished the season with 45 points (17-28=45) in 43 games in the AHL with the Gulls. He unfortunately missed six weeks in the latter half of the season due to injury, but picked up where he left off upon return to the lineup.

Among AHL players who played a minimum of 25 games last season, Pastujov ranked eighth in scoring on a per-game basis (1.05 points per game).

His road to the NHL is still a murky one, especially when considering the Ducks, their general manager’s player archetype preferences, their loaded pipeline, and Pastujov’s requirement to assume a scoring role on a depth chart, as he lacks exceptional forechecking or defensive prowess.

Despite the notable work done to improve his 200-foot game and details, nothing about Pastujov or his game screams “Pat Verbeek player.” However, if he can hit the ground running in 2025-26, continue to improve, and produce, he’s not one to bet against carving out an NHL career for himself.

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Photo Credit: Derek Lee-The Hockey News

The Buffalo Sabres seemed quite enthused with the acquisition of Conor Timmins from the Pittsburgh Penguins on NHL Draft weekend, as the 26-year-old appears to be a better fit from a size and salary perspective than Connor Clifton. GM Kevyn Adams indicated after the trade that the 30-year-old former Bruin would have likely not returned to the Sabres after next season, while Timmins has a year to decide on his future.  

The St. Catharines, ON native is an arbitration-eligible RFA and one year away from unrestricted free agency. He will have a hearing at some point over the next two weeks, unless the Sabres and agent Paul Capizzano agree on a deal beforehand. Timmins is coming off a 15-point season with Toronto and the Penguins, and it is expected that he will earn a slight raise from his $1.1 million salary with the cap going up.

That price point fits better with Timmins expected role as a bottom-pairing defender over Clifton, who was slated to earn $3.33 million next season.

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Free agent signings have ground to a halt as the NHL has reached their summer vacation phase. Former Sabre Jeff Skinner found a home, signing a one-year, $3 million contract with the San Jose Sharks, but at this point the two most attractive scoring forwards left unsigned are former Carolina Hurricane Jack Roslovic and former Sabre Victor Oloffson.  

Olofsson scored 20 or more goals three times with the Sabres and had a solid injury-shortened season with the Vegas Golden Knights last season, but will not be brought back by the Golden Knights, who added winger Mitch Marner in a sign-and-trade with Toronto. The 29-year-old is likely to still be in the mix for a guaranteed one-year contract with some NHL club, but if he goes unsigned through August, he may get a look on a professional tryout contract. 

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