The Los Angeles Kings are trying to make it back to the playoffs next season, and this time, make a deep run into the postseason as they push to try and make a deep playoff run. They made some additions this summer, but they were recently listed as a potential destination for superstar forward Jason Robertson.

The Kings were listed alongside the Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Seattle Kraken, and Utah Mammoth as the seven potential trade destinations. 

Robertson, who is 25 years old, is in the final season of his current contract that has a $7,750,000 cap hit. Last season, he scored 35 goals and added 45 assists for 80 points through 82 games, which comes out to a 0.98 points-per-game average. He's also from California, making this fit make sense.

The Kings have $6,768,33 in cap space right now, according to PuckPedia, and don't need to move much out in terms of money to bring him in. However, the asking price is likely quite high. They would have to be willing to part with at least one first-round pick and a prospect, and the Dallas Stars would likely want an NHL-ready player as well.

Time will tell if the Stars end up re-signing Robertson or if they decide to trade him, but if the Kings have a chance to land him and he's interested in extending long-term, they should be all over trying to acquire him.

Debunking Ridiculous Rumor Connecting Kings To Sidney CrosbyThe Los Angeles Kings were recently linked to Sidney Crosby, but it's time to shut any speculation down before it gets out of hand. Report: Kings' Kopitar Believed To Be Entering Final NHL SeasonThe Los Angeles Kings have made some changes to their roster this offseason, and one thing that fans have been waiting for is a potential extension for long-time forward Anze Kopitar. Report: Kings' Adrian Kempe Asking Price On Next Contract RevealedThe Los Angeles Kings will soon have to focus on trying to re-sign forward Adrian Kempe, and while there is no indication he has any interest in leaving the organization, his asking price was revealed in a recent report from The Fourth Period, and the two sides are expected to ramp up contract talks soon.

The Buffalo Sabres are under massive pressure to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 15 years. To do so, they're going to have to make the most of their games with their Atlantic Division rivals. And in this continuing THN.com series, we're analyzing Buffalo's chances against each of their seven Atlantic rivals.

We kicked off the process with an analysis of the Boston Bruins, and on Sunday, we focused on the Detroit Red Wings. In today's file, we're putting the back-to-back Cup-champion Florida Panthers under the spotlight.

BUFFALO SABRES VS. FLORIDA PANTHERS

NEW PANTHERS PLAYERS: Jeff Petry, D; Daniil Tarasov, G

2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 1-2-1, Panthers 3-1-0

2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER:  October 18, at Buffalo; January 12 at Buffalo; February 2 at Florida; February 27 at Florida

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM?  The Panthers weren't the best regular-season team in the Atlantic last year -- that would be the Toronto Maple Leafs -- but Florida dominated the Sabres, winning by a combined seven-goal total in two of their three victories over Buffalo. And had the Sabres beaten the odds and qualified for the 2025 post-season, does anyone really believe Buffalo would've been anything other than roadkill against a Panthers team that ate up every opponent they faced? No, we didn't think so. 

That's why we believe the Sabres aren't going to have much hope against Florida this coming season. The Panthers managed to hold onto all three key UFA veterans they had to address this summer -- center Sam Bennett, winger Brad Marchand and defenseman Aaron Ekblad all re-signed at relative bargains, giving Florida's Atlantic rivals a sobering dose of reality as they all try to envision a year in which the Panthers aren't once again world-beaters.

Now, there are some different small elements that have changed for Florida. With the departure of veteran defenseman Nate Schmidt to Utah, Panthers GM Bill Zito went out and signed veteran Petry away from the Detroit Red Wings. The 37-year-old Petry may not have much left in the tank, but we have to defer to Zito's strengths as an asset-acquisition specialist and predict Petry will fit right in as a third-pair option who can chip in with a bit of offense.

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Edition: Can Buffalo Beat The Playoff-Desperate Detroit Red Wings?The Buffalo Sabres have completed most of their off-season moves this summer. We've examined the most-likely trade partners for Buffalo, and in this file, we're continuing our new THN.com series "Know Your Enemy, Sabres Edition". In this series, we're breaking down the Sabres' seven Atlantic Division rivals, focusing on what changes those seven teams have made, Buffalo's record against them last season, their games against each other this coming year, and our opinion of whether the team is one the Sabres should be beating next year.

Another difference for the Panthers is the addition of goalie Tarasov. The 26-year-old had poor numbers in Columbus last season (including an .881 save percentage and 3.54 goals-against average in 20 appearances), but something funny happens to goalies when they play behind Florida's relentless backcheck and their pressure in all zones -- those goalies almost always get better. And with star Sergei Bobrovsky entering the final year of his contract, we expect Bobrovsky is going to play the bulk of the games yet again.

The Panthers may be without star winger Matthew Tkachuk for a long stretch of the begininng of the regular-season, and the Sabres have one of their first games against Florida when they'll be without Tkachuk. So the Sabres need to make the most of that opportunity -- and brace themselves for the three games they've got against the Panthers from January through the rest of the regular season. By that point, Zito will probably have made his team even stronger, and that could be bad news for the Sabres down the stretch.

Unfortunately for Buffalo fans, not enough has improved on the Sabres end and nothing has declined on the Panthers end to give us an inkling that Buffalo is going to change the head-to-head battles we saw between the two teams this past season. The Panthers weren't the best regular-season team in the league last year, and we suppose that will give the Sabres some motivation to win early against them. But when both teams are at full strength, Buffalo pales in comparison to what Florida has to offer.

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Edition: How Will Buffalo Do Against The Boston Bruins?The Buffalo Sabres have made most, if. not all of their off-season moves. And before we get around to making our pre-season predictions as is custom at THN.com, we're going to take a different approach to our picks this time around. Instead of just giving you all the picks at once, we're going to break things down for the Sabres by looking into who their divisional opponents will be next season -- and why that contributes to them either making, or missing, the Stanley Cup playoffs.

We're not saying the Sabres have zero chance at winning a game or two against the Panthers. The NHL is an any-team-can-win-at-any-point type of league, but on paper, at least, Florida has too much talent and too much veteran knowhow for Buffalo to reliably beat. 

If the Sabres do make the playoffs, they'll have to beat lesser teams than the Panthers. Because the way Florida is contstructed, Buffalo simply doesn't compare to the Panthers.

Hockey Canada has announced its coaching and support staff for the 2026 Winter Olympics and there's some love for Ottawa in the mix.

The Senators will be represented by John Forget, their Head Equipment Manager, and Dom Nicoletta, their Head Athletic Therapist. They'll both join Team Canada in their pursuit of this country's first Olympic men's hockey gold in 11 years.

Forget and Nicoletta are no strangers to international competition. Forget will be on his seventh assignment with Team Canada, including five appearances at the IIHF Men's World Championship. He’s earned two gold medals and one silver during those tournaments.

More Sens Headlines:
NHL Announces Senators 2025–26 Regular Season Schedule
Can The Senators Count On Dylan Cozens To Consistently Produce?
Expectations For The Senators' Mount Rushmore Of Old Guys
Creating The Sens Opening Night Roster Based On Salary

Nicoletta has donned the red leaf on four occasions, including three Worlds. He's the guy who's sometimes known to Sens fans as the bearer of bad news. When a Sens player goes down the tunnel with injury, the TV cameras frequently catch Nicoletta coming out from the room and whispering news about the player's status/diagnosis into the coach's ear.

He and Forget helped Canada claim gold in 2021 and secure a silver medal in 2019. Most recently, the pair were part of the off-ice crew that helped Canada win the 4 Nations Face-Off this past February.

#Sens fans join us in congratulating Head Athletic Therapist Dom Nicoletta and Head Equipment Manager John Forget on winning the #4Nations trophy with @HockeyCanada last night 🙌#GoSensGo 🤝 #4Nationspic.twitter.com/8KBjdzrXJx

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) February 21, 2025

But this will be the first Olympic Games for both Forget and Nicoletta, giving them a shot at not only adding an Olympic medal, but also a chance to enjoy all the things that make the games special – the Olympic Village, the other sports, and of course, the opening and closing ceremonies.

They're not likely to be joined in Italy by any of the Sens' Canadian players, but they will be joined at the Games by Senators forwards Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle, who are set to represent the U.S. and Germany, respectively. All countries unveiled the first six players for their preliminary rosters last month, and both players made the top six. The other players will be named later this year.

Other Senators who might make their way to the Olympics include Jake Sanderson (USA), Nik Matinpalo and Leevi Merilainen (FIN), Linus Ullmark (SWE) and Lars Eller (DEN).

Basically, Hockey Canada declared on Monday they're sticking with what's working because not a lot has in recent years. They did win at the 4 Nations Face-off in February, so they're running it back with the same coaching and support staff this coming February.

From Hockey Canada:

Assistant coaches Bruce Cassidy (Ottawa, ON / Vegas, NHL), Peter DeBoer (Dunnville, ON) and Rick Tocchet (Scarborough, ON / Philadelphia, NHL), assistant coach and eye-in-the-sky Misha Donskov (London, ON), consultant David Alexander (Moncton, NB / St. Louis, NHL), director of performance analysis James Emery (Calgary, AB) and video coordinator Elliott Mondou (Grand-Mère, QC/St. Louis, NHL) have been named to the coaching staff alongside Jon Cooper (Prince George, BC / Tampa Bay, NHL), who was named head coach for the 2026 Olympics last June.

The coaching staff was selected by Cooper, general manager Doug Armstrong (Sarnia, ON / St. Louis, NHL), assistant general managers Julien BriseBois (Greenfield Park, QC / Tampa Bay, NHL), Jim Nill (Hanna, AB / Dallas, NHL) and Don Sweeney (St. Stephen, NB / Boston, NHL), and director of player personnel Kyle Dubas (Sault Ste. Marie, ON / Pittsburgh, NHL).

There are plenty of Ottawa 67's ties as well. Cassidy starred for the 67's back in the 80's. Donskov is a former 67's associate coach. And the club's current Head of Athlete Performance & Strength and Conditioning, Sean Young, was also named to Canada's staff.

Big news! Sean Young, our Head of Athlete Performance & Strength and Conditioning, has been named to the staff of the 2026 Men’s Olympic Hockey Team! 🇨🇦

Congratulations, Younger - @TeamCanada is lucky to have you! 🏒

🔗 https://t.co/j2Cil0qp4Vpic.twitter.com/iMEckXrL2f

— Ottawa 67’s (@Ottawa67sHockey) July 21, 2025

Here's the full list of Canada's support staff from Hockey Canada:

• Sport physiotherapist Kent Kobelka (Revelstoke, BC/Calgary, NHL)
• Athletic therapist Domenic Nicoletta (Sault Ste. Marie, ON/Ottawa, NHL)
• Massage therapists Marcin Goszczynski (Calgary, AB) and Andy Hüppi (Schmerikon, SUI)
• Team physician Dr. Ian Auld (Victoria, BC/Calgary, NHL)
• Equipment managers John Forget (Oshawa, ON/Ottawa, NHL) and Darren Granger (Brandon, MB/Los Angeles, NHL)
• Strength and conditioning coach Sean Young (Ennismore, ON/Ottawa, OHL)
• Mental performance consultant Dr. Ryan Hamilton (Fredericton, NB/Tampa Bay, NHL)
• Hockey operations managers Mitchell Furlotte (Bathurst, NB) and Kurt Keats (Winnipeg, MB)
• Hockey operations coordinator Miah Armitage (Creston, BC)
• Media relations vice-president Sean Kelso (Vancouver, BC/Calgary, NHL)
• Media relations manager Spencer Sharkey (Hamilton, ON)

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
Image Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

More Sens Headlines:
Senators Re-Sign 2021 First-Round Pick To One-Year Deal
An Early Glance At The Senators’ 2026 Free Agent Class
Why Mason McTavish Isn’t Coming Home To The Senators

Ottawa Senators Captain Brady Tkachuk Celebrates Hard At Matthew's WeddingBrady Tkachuk and his family don't do anything halfway, and that includes weddings.

Jan 16, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Former Nashville Predators players defenseman Shea Weber, goalie Pekka Rivne (35) and General Manager David Poiledo a ceremonial puck drop with Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi (59) and Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones (4) as part of the Gold Jacket presentation , at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Shea Weber spent 11 seasons with the Nashville Predators during his NHL career, and one would be hard-pressed to come up with enough adjectives to describe his accomplishments.

The accolades he has received recently certainly speak for themselves. After being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame last November, the former Preds captain was inducted into the inaugural class of the Predators Golden Hall.

Over the weekend, Weber received his third entry into a Hall this past year after being officially inducted as a member of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in Nashville. He was one of 20 members inducted into this year’s class after an official announcement was made back in April.

Mike Maguire, a longtime friend of Weber was in attendance at the ceremony and accepted the honor on Weber’s behalf.

“Shea Weber exemplifies the grit, leadership, and dedication that define a true champion," Brad Willis, Executive Director of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, said in a statement. “From his years as the backbone of the Nashville Predators to his impact on the sport of hockey as a whole, Shea has left a lasting legacy in Tennessee. We are honored to welcome him to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025.”

Weber joins former Predators teammates Pekka Rinne, Mike Fisher and David Legwand as TSHF members, along with former GM David Poile and team broadcaster Terry Crisp.

In 20 NHL seasons, Weber played in 1,038 regular-season games, totaling 589 points (224-365-589). In 97 playoff contests, he recorded 42 points (18-24-42).

Weber spent six of his 11 seasons with the Predators as their captain, and quickly established himself as an elite right-shot two-way defenseman. In 2016, he captured the Mark Messier Leadership Award and finished twice as the runner-up for the Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top blueliner.

Weber’s reputation as a hard shooter was well-earned. He took home NHL Hardest Shot Competition honors four times, including three consecutive years from 2015-17. One topped out at 108.5 miles an hour.

The seven-time NHL All-Star also won gold twice with Team Canada at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.

Weber was taken as the 49th overall pick by the Predators in the 2003 NHL Draft. It was fitting that the draft was held in Nashville that year. After 11 seasons with the Predators, Weber was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in late June of 2016 for P.K. Subban.

The Buffalo Sabres should be in the market for an impact top-six forward after dealing winger JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth for defenseman Michael Kesselring and winger Josh Doan, but the opening weeks of free agency did not provide GM Kevyn Adams with an opportunity to replace Peterka’s production, and with the two-year deal signed last week with defenseman Bowen Byram, Adams will have to try to acquire a scoring forward with younger players, prospects, and/or draft picks. 

Mason Marchment’s name was being floated out in trade rumor land before July 1, as the Dallas Stars were looking to move the big winger to clear cap space and re-sign Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn. The Stars found him a home, sending the veteran forward to the Seattle Kraken for a 2026 third round pick and a 2025 fourth rounder, but his stay in the Pacific Northwest may not be lengthy, since he is in the last year of a four-year contract. 

The 30-year-old was an undrafted free agent signing of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who won a Calder Cup in 2018 in Toronto, but never got a chance to show his talents with the Leafs, as he was traded to Florida just before the league COVID shutdown in 2020. After an 18-goal season with the Panthers in 2022, Marchment signed with Dallas as an unrestricted free agent and has scored 56 goals over three seasons.      

Other Sabres Stories

Byram Situation Leaves Sabres In Limbo

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

Marchment a has 10-team modified no-trade list in the final year of his deal, something that is always a big hurdle for the Sabres, but he is from Uxbridge, ON (NE of Toronto), which could make him more willing to accept a trade to the Sabres. 

What Would It Cost?

The Kraken are in a transitional phase from a team that added veterans in expansion and signed free agents for a playoff pursuit to a group centered around younger core players like Calder Trophy winner Matty Beniers, and center Shane Wright. Former Sabres GM Jason Botterill has four veterans (Marchment, Jordan Eberle, Jaden Schwartz, and Jamie Oleksiak) on expiring contracts, which makes the Kraken a potential big player early in the season or before the trade deadline in the seller’s market if they start slow. 

The Kraken are flush with draft capital and are likely to be looking for young NHL-ready players if they choose to move a forward like Marchment early next season. As it gets closer to the deadline, Botterill may be willing to deal the big winger to at least recoup the draft picks he gave up in June. The Sabres already gave up their 2026 second round pick in the Josh Norris deal, so they would have to be willing to give up picks in 2027 or 2028 if they want to add some offensive punch to their forward group. 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo