The Buffalo Sabres are following in the footsteps of other NHL clubs in using social media in an irreverent and even trollish manner. On Tuesday in advance of the NHL regular season schedule release, the club revealed references of the 31 other clubs they will be facing as chicken wings. 

A few of them were quite humorous, such as the Winnipeg Jets showing the fuselage of a jet with two flats as the plane’s wings, the Boston Bruins with a drumstick sticking out of a bowl of New England Clam Chowder, or the Florida Panthers wing with a tail of BBQ sauce with the title “Rat” attached. 

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A few of the photos have a painful yet poignant reference to Sabres history, as the Dallas Stars entry was titled “No Wing” with wing sauce just inside the crease as an homage to Brett Hull’s Cup-winner in 1999 that should not have counted, but there are a few that seem to be not-so-subtle jabs.

Our schedule drops tomorrow...so here are our opponents as wings. 🧵

See all teams in the gallery → https://t.co/DWhjzTy44n#LetsGoBuffalo | @Ticketmasterpic.twitter.com/mewwI3BMFN

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) July 15, 2025

The Vancouver Canucks “Brother, Where Art Thou” has one wing painted in Canucks blue on the left side of the plate,  in reference to Canucks captain Quinn Hughes on the West Coast, and two wings representing New Jersey ‘s Luke and Jack Hughes on the right side of the plate. The archrival Toronto Maple Leafs were represented by a drumstick doused with maple syrup and it was titled “Choking Hazard”. The Leafs have not advanced past the second round since 2002, but that is ironic coming from the Sabres, who have not made the playoffs since 2011.

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Former Chicago Blackhawks forward Joe Veleno has found his new home, as he has signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Montreal Canadiens. 

Veleno, 25, was traded by the Chicago Blackhawks to the Seattle Kraken last month in exchange for forward Andrei Burakovsky. However, Veleno ended up not being a part of the Kraken's plans, as they bought him out shortly after. Now, after spending over two weeks on the market as an unrestricted free agent (UFA), he has found his new team with the Canadiens.

Pen to paper! The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a one-year, one-way contract with forward Joe Veleno.

News release ↓ #GoHabsGo | Montblanc Boutique Montréalhttps://t.co/CUE2zccT15

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 16, 2025

Veleno's time with the Blackhawks was short, as he was acquired by Chicago at the 2025 NHL trade deadline in exchange for Craig Smith and Petr Mrazek from the Detroit Red Wings. Veleno appeared in 18 games with the Blackhawks following the move, posting three goals, seven points, 46 hits, and a minus-9 rating in 18 games. This was after he had five goals and five assists in 56 games with Detroit before the trade. 

With the Blackhawks having plenty of centers, it is understandable that they moved on from Veleno this off-season. Now, he will look to make an impact and take that next step in his development with the Canadiens after signing this one-year deal. 

Blackhawks Made Great Move With Important ForwardThe Chicago Blackhawks have been less active this off-season than they were last summer. While this is the case, they have made some solid moves during their off-season, and one involved an important player on their roster.

Photo Credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The San Jose Sharks announced their schedule for the 2025-26 season on Wednesday morning. There will be quite a few interesting games to keep an eye on this season, whether it’s due to storylines surrounding the game or one of the Sharks’ many promotional nights.

First off, the Sharks announced a total of 11 promotional nights.

While the NHL will host regular season games starting on October 7, Sharks fans will have to wait a couple of more days. Opening night will be against the Vegas Golden Knights, and their newest addition Mitch Marner, on October 9. Then they’ll have a WWE-themed collaboration against the Anaheim Ducks on October 11, and the annual Los Tiburones Night will take place against Erik Karlsson and the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 18. 

Next, the Sharks will have three promotional nights within a week in late November. Against the Senators on the 22nd, they’ll have Sharkpop x Anime Night. Next Gen Night will be against the Boston Bruins three days later. Lastly, on the 28th, Youth Hockey Appreciation Night will see the revival of Ryan Reaves’ rivalry with Evander Kane as the Sharks host the Vancouver Canucks. 

After a month without any promotions in December, the Sharks have three in January. They’ll start with the San Jose Earthquakes Bay Area Unite on the 5th against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Then it’ll be First Responders Appreciation Night on the 10th against the Dallas Stars, and lastly, the 49ers Bay Area Unite game will be against the New York Rangers on the 25th. 

The final two promotions will be Educators Appreciation Night on February 28 against the Edmonton Oilers, and the annual Fan Appreciation Night on April 11, the final home game of the season, against the Canucks once again.

Now that we’ve gotten the promotional nights out of the way, let’s take a look at some games that will be surrounded by some important storylines.

First, if Michael Misa makes the Sharks roster, there could be the first battle of the top picks in the 2025 NHL Draft on October 21 as the team in teal will visit Matthew Schaefer and the New York Islanders at UBS Arena. The rival Los Angeles Kings will then make their first appearance in the Bay Area a week later on October 28.

The back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers will make their only appearance in San Jose on November 8. Looking ahead to December, Alexander Ovechkin will be at SAP Center for the first time since breaking Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring record last season when the Washington Capitals visit on December 3.

Dmitry Orlov will return to Raleigh, North Carolina, for the first time since leaving the Carolina Hurricanes organization, on December 7. Meanwhile, there will be two more revenge games when Ryan Reaves returns to Toronto on December 11 before Alex Nedeljkovic returns to Pittsburgh for the first time two days later on the 13th. 

Jeff Skinner and John Klingberg will head to their former stomping grounds, Rogers Place in Edmonton, for the first time on January 29, just a few days before Philipp Kurashev faces off against his old linemate Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on February 2.

The Sharks and the rest of the NHL will take a break from February 11-22 as the league sends its players to the Olympic Games for the first time in over a decade. Action at the SAP Center will resume on February 26 as the Sharks host the Calgary Flames. 

The aforementioned Schaefer will make his first-ever trip to the Bay on March 7, when Patrick Roy and the Islanders come to town.

Adam Gaudette and Nick Leddy will have to wait quite a while to visit their old homes, as the Sharks will head to Canada’s capital in a matinee affair on March 15. Then, nearly two weeks later, Leddy will visit the team that placed him on waivers, the St. Louis Blues, on the 26th. Henry Thrun will return to the SAP Center for the first time since being traded to the Maple Leafs on April 2. 

The Sharks will finish the regular season with a three-game road trip as they head to Nashville, Chicago, and Winnipeg, with the final game set to be played on April 16. 

There will certainly be a lot to keep an eye on this coming season, and more storylines will certainly come up as the season progresses. Over the course of the seven-month season, we’ll undoubtedly see players make their NHL debuts, unexpected homecoming games as players are traded away and acquired, and of course, once we know how good, or bad, this Sharks team will be, there will be games with major implications in the standings and for the draft lottery.

Although it seems as though hockey is far away, Sharks fans have less than three months until regular season hockey starts up again.

Photo Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Sharks Face Interesting Dilemma With Dickinson's DevelopmentSam Dickinson is one of the most interesting prospects to follow this coming season for the San Jose Sharks.  Sharks Announce Changes To Hockey Operations StaffThe San Jose Sharks have made some changes to their hockey operations department. Former Sharks Tough Guy Signs With The LightningFormer San Jose Sharks enforcer Scott Sabourin has signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning on a one-year, two-way deal. Jeff Skinner Discusses Joining the Sharks, What He Brings To The TableJeff Skinner met with the San Jose media for the first time since joining the San Jose Sharks as a free agent last Friday. Skinner, who had a down season by his standard with the Edmonton Oilers in 2024-25, is excited to join a young Sharks team who are looking to take a step forward this fall. “I know there's a lot of young talent there, and I'm looking forward to getting to know the guys and helping contribute, as much as I can, to taking that next step.”

After releasing his Top 100 drafted prospects, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler has not released his top 20 drafted goaltender prospects list. The last time Wheeler released his bi-annual list in February, the Montreal Canadiens had two netminders on it: Jacob Fowler, who was ranked at number two, and Jakub Dobes, who stood at number 13.

Five months later, Fowler remains in second place, while Dobes has dropped to number 19. It was never in doubt that Fowler would be able to at least hang on to the second place, since his sophomore season at Boston College in the NCAA was even better than his rookie season, which is no small feat. His goals-against average dropped from 2.14 to 1.63, and his save percentage improved from .926 to .940. He also posted seven shutouts, compared to three as a rookie.

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A third-round pick in 2023, Fowler is the most exciting goaltending prospect the Canadiens have had since Carey Price, even though the face of the franchise was the fifth overall pick at the 2005 draft. There’s another Montreal goaltender who did just fine after being drafted in the third round. You may remember him; Patrick Roy was drafted 51st overall at the 1984 draft.

As things stand, many are hoping Fowler will be the Canadiens' goaltender when their window of opportunity opens, and from what we’ve seen so far, there’s a real possibility that it comes to be.

As for Dobes, Wheeler now believes he’ll have a promising career as a second or third goaltender or, in a base case scenario, a 1-B netminder. He had a convincing rise from the NSHL to the AHL and was elevated to the NHL last season following Cayden Primeau’s collapse.

While he had a fantastic start in the big leagues with five consecutive wins, he came back down to earth and struggled a bit, losing seven of his next 11 games. Nevertheless, he ended the season with a 7-4-3 record, a 2.74 GAA, and a .909 SV%. When Samuel Montembeault went down with an injury in the playoffs, he was able to claim one win for the Canadiens and performed well, especially considering the circumstances.

While Fowler will hold the top job in the AHL with the Laval Rocket, Dobes may have to compete for the backup role in the AHL, as newly signed Kaapo Kakko has been clear about his intentions to return to the NHL.

Photo credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

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