The NHL Network released their quarter century team, which has both active and retired players from clubs around the league who made their NHL debuts on or after Jan. 1, 2000.

Surprisingly, the NHL Network's quarter century team did not include longtime Montreal Canadiens star goalie Carey Price. Instead, the NHL Network went with Jonathan Quick and Andrei Vasilevskiy for their goalies. 

Introducing the NHL Network's Quarter Century Team! pic.twitter.com/B9Or6GEJVI

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 15, 2025

There is no question that Quick and Vasilevskiy both have had a ton of success in their careers, but there was also a real case for Price to be included in the NHL Network's quarter century team. Price had a spectacular career with the Canadiens and was one of the best goalies in the NHL during his prime years. 

In 712 games over 15 seasons with the Habs, Price recorded a 361-261-79 record, a .917 save percentage, a 2.51 goals-against average, and 49 shutouts. He also memorably won the Hart Memorial Trophy, Vezina Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, and William M. Jennings Trophy for the 2014-15 season. In addition, he appeared in seven NHL All-Star Games.

While Price did not win the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens, he still put up strong numbers during the playoffs as well. In 92 career playoff games, he had a 2.39 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage. 

However, with the marvelous career Price had, it was not enough for him to make the NHL Network's quarter century team. 

Canadiens Exciting Winger Named Top Breakout CandidateNHL.com is currently doing a series that is focusing on one fantasy hockey breakout candidate for each team. Their pick for the Montreal Canadiens' breakout candidate was announced on August 15, and it is an exciting player who fans are certainly hoping can hit a new level in 2025-26. 

The NHL regular season is an absolute grind. 

An 82-game schedule, extending six months, plus a two-week pause for the Olympics this year, puts every player to the test. 

For the Nashville Predators, the focus is to show that last season was a "fluke" and that they are ready to not only dominate the regular season but also make a push for a deep playoff run. 

It's Smashville versus everyone and The Hockey News Nashville Predators is examining just how well the Predators stack up against every division in the league.

Today we take a look at the Central Division.  

Winnipeg Jets 

22-23 record: 1-1-2 

23-24 record: 2-1-1 

24-25 record: 2-2-0

The Predators have fared well against the Winnipeg Jets, who have qualified for the playoffs three years in a row and won the President's Trophy this past season. 

This season was a matchup of the best power play in the league against one of the best penalty kills in the league. The Predators did allow three power-play goals over the three games, but none came in either of Nashville's wins over Winnipeg. 

It'll be an uphill battle for the Predators against the Jets as two of three games in this series will be on the road. 

25-26 prediction: 1-2-0 

Dallas Stars 

22-23 record: 0-4-0

23-24 record: 2-2-0 

24-25 record: 2-2-0

The needle has moved a bit since the Predators went winless against the Stars two years ago. 

Nashville lost its regular-season opener to the Stars by a goal, then had a three-goal win in Dallas two months later. In the final month of play, the Stars and Predators traded 5-1 wins to close out the regular season series.

In both of the Predators' wins against the Stars, they had one big scoring period. In the 4-1 win, the Predators scored three unanswered goals in the second period. In the 5-1 win, Nashville found the back of the net three times in the first period. 

The third meeting was the final game of the season for Nashville, meaning the Stars could've been resting players. This year, the Predators and Stars will meet three times, twice at home. The third meeting will be the Predators' second game coming out of the Olympic break in Dallas. 

25-26 prediction: 2-1-0 

Colorado Avalanche 

22-23 record: 0-3-1 

23-24 record: 2-1-0 

24-25 record: 2-1-1 

Outside of an overtime loss, the Predators essentially won their regular-season series against the Avalanche. They picked up five of eight possible points in the series. 

Nashville picked up a 5-2 win in early November before the Avalanche responded with a 3-2 win in overtime later that month. Colorado won again at home, 5-2, the next month. In the final meeting of the season, right after the 4 Nations Face-Off break, Nashville picked up a 2-1 win. 

These games have been a bit closer than other divisional series. Even in the Predators' 5-2 loss, it was two empty net goals that put the game away, and Nashville outplayed Colorado. These two keep it close and it's probably going to be similar this year.

There are four games on the docket again. The first, Nov. 22, will be the Predators' first home game since the Global Series in Sweden. Nashville will have the week off between the Global Series game and the Avalanche game at home. 

The second and third will be four days apart, with a home game against St. Louis squeezed in the middle. The January meeting will be the front of a road back-to-back in Denver and Vegas. 

25-26 prediction: 2-2-0

Minnesota Wild 

22-23 record: 2-1-0

23-24 record: 2-1-0 

24-25 record: 1-1-1 

The Minnesota Wild barely won the regular-season series against the Predators last season, picking up a 3-2 overtime win, which was their first meeting of the season. 

Over the last three seasons, it's been one game that has decided this series. In 2023, it was a 4-3 Predators overtime win in the second-to-last game of the season.

In 2024, it was a blowout 6-1 win in the middle of February, but the Wild did get their lick back in a 4-3 overtime victory 11 days later. This series has had at least one overtime game and a blowout victory in the last few years.

This season, the Predators will see the Wild on the road in early November and late December, the day before the Christmas pause. The Wild are in Nashville on Feb. 4 and April 11, which is the third-to-last game before the end of the regular season. 

25-26 prediction: 3-1-0 

St. Louis Blues 

22-23 record: 2-1-1 

23-24 record: 3-0-0 

24-25 record: 0-4-0 

The Blues needed every point they could get to make it into the playoffs and didn't let the Predators pick up a single point in their regular season series. This was also a year after the Predators swept the regular season series. 

There was one close game, a 3-2 loss in Nashville, but the Predators were outscored 18-8 in last season's series. In every game outside of the 3-2 loss, the Predators went down 2-0 early and could not recover.

In the last meeting, the Predators had a 2-0 lead before the Blues scored three unanswered goals. 

If the Predators improve from last season, these two teams could be in the same area in the standings, so these matchups are going to be critical. They will have a home-and-home series four days apart in December and another game at the end of the month in St. Louis. 

The final meeting of the regular season will be Feb. 2 in Nashville. 

25-26 prediction: 1-2-1 

Utah Mammoth (prev. Arizona Coyotes) 

22-23 record: 2-2-0 

23-24 record: 1-3-0 

24-25 record: 2-1-0 

Last season was the first time the Predators had won a regular-season series against the Coyotes since 2022. 

The Predators' first-ever meeting against the Mammoth was a 4-0 shutout win on Nov. 9. They'd meet again on April 10, and Nashville walked away with a narrow 4-3 shutout win. Utah prevented the season sweep as it'd pick up a dominating 7-3 win four days later. 

Similar to St. Louis, Utah made a late-season push to get into the playoffs, and the Predators could be competing with them this coming season to get in, making these games more critical. 

The Predators will meet with the Mammoth four times this season, with their first meeting coming in the second game of the year on Oct. 11 in Nashville. They'll meet again on Dec. 29 in Salt Lake City in the third game of a seven-game road trip. 

Utah is in Nashville on Jan. 24 and the final meeting is on April 9 in Utah. 

The first matchup is during a home stand, the second is the toughest on the road trip, but the third comes after home games against Buffalo and Ottawa. The final is the end of a six-game road trip. It'll be a tight series. 

25-26 prediction: 2-1-1 

Chicago Blackhawks

22-23: 2-1-0 

23-24: 4-0-0 

24-25:  3-1-0

The Predators have not lost a season series to the Blackhawks since the 2016-17 season, funnily enough, the same year that the Predators went to the Stanley Cup Final. 

That will likely not change this season as the Blackhawks are in full rebuild. However, this is a rivalry series and the games were close last season. Three out of the four meetings were decided by a goal, with two of the games needing extra time. 

The exception was a 7-2 Predators loss on Feb. 7 in Chicago. In two of the three Predators wins, they had to come from behind as the Blackhawks got off to hot starts. 

Nashville will face Chicago for the first time on Nov. 28 in Chicago, the day after Thanksgiving. The Blackhawks are in Nashville on Jan. 10 in the middle of a four-game home stand. In their first game out of the Olympic break, the Predators host the Blackhawks on Feb. 26.

Their final showdown of the season will be on March 22 in Chicago, their only road game in a five-game stretch. 

25-26 prediction: 3-1-0 

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Detroit Red Wings - Aug. 8 2025 - Vol. 78 Issue 13 - Bob Duff

IF STEVE YZERMAN WERE a baseball player, you could say he enjoyed a solid summer. The GM’s objective was to add three key pieces to his team: a top-six forward, a top-four defenseman (preferably a right shot) and, finally, a proven No. 1 goalie. Yzerman batted .333, going 1-for-3 at filling his needs. He landed a frontline netminder, acquiring John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks. However, he came up empty in his other pursuits, as top UFAs again turned their back on the Red Wings, and the trade market proved fruitless.

So, unless Gibson stands on his head or the youngsters take further steps forward, the Wings are almost certainly facing a 10th successive season without playoff hockey.

OFFENSE

The Red Wings entered 2024-25 minus 75 goals from their lineup. Still, generating offense on the whole wasn’t a major issue. Scoring at even strength, however, was a significant problem. Detroit wound up 27th in the league with 143 5-on-5 goals. Heading into next season, there’s been some addition by subtraction. The Wings replaced Vladimir Tarasenko and his 11 goals with the 16 goals James van Riemsdyk scored last season for Columbus. Lucas Raymond continued his growth into an elite NHLer, scoring 27 goals and a team-leading 80 points. Alex DeBrincat led the Wings with 39 goals, while captain Dylan Larkin hit the 30-goal plateau for the fourth successive season. Patrick Kane counted 21 goals, and six others hit double digits.

DEFENSE

The Red Wings were looking to add a left-shot defenseman to play with Moritz Seider or a right-shot 'D' to slot in alongside Simon Edvinsson on the second pair. Unsuccessful, Detroit is going with the same top four as last season: Seider with Ben Chiarot and Edvinsson with Albert Johansson. Edvinsson kept making strides in his first full NHL season, while Johansson’s reliable play was a revelation when he was given a chance after Todd McLellan took over as coach. The only addition to the blueline was right-shot UFA Jacob Bernard-Docker. He’ll battle with Erik Gustafsson and Justin Holl for third-pair minutes. The Detroit defense accounted for a dismal 27 goals last season.

Red Wings Add Blue Line Depth With Signing of Travis Hamonic Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has already signed defensemen Jacob Bernard-Docker and Ian Mitchell so far this offseason, but another new name has been added to Detroit's blue line. 

GOALTENDING

Gibson’s move to Detroit ended years of speculation that he’d be departing Anaheim. His career .910 save percentage, mostly earned playing for below-average clubs, will bring improvement for a team that was tied for 22nd last season with an .890 SP. Cam Talbot was solid in stints, but he’s 38 and no longer capable of staying healthy enough to carry the load as a No. 1.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Since the NHL began tracking power-play and penalty-kill percentages, no club ever displayed the discrepancy the Red Wings did in 2024-25. Detroit’s power play was fourth in the NHL at 27 percent, while the penalty kill was dead last at 70.1 percent. DeBrincat (13), Larkin (13) and Kane (12) all tallied double figures in power-play goals. Raymond (29) and Seider (20) each dished out 20-plus PP assists. Van Riemsdyk’s net-front presence will further enhance this unit. The hope is that Bernard-Docker and winger Mason Appleton will upgrade the PK group.

INTANGIBLES

Yzerman spoke extensively about the need for the club to play a heavier game following the conclusion of 2024-25. Expectations are that the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Appleton, a solid third-line presence in Winnipeg, and the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Bernard-Docker will bring that element. Yzerman and McLellan each expressed concern about the team’s leadership group. Unless there’s growth from within, this issue wasn’t addressed with off-season moves.

ROOKIES

Several rookies are on the cusp of cracking the roster. Defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka arrives in North America after earning consecutive WJC top-defenseman selections. Norwegian winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygard proved a quick learner in a brief season-ending AHL stint. Sebastian Cossa is now third on the goalie depth chart.

Red Wings Tried to Make Major Splash in Free Agency, NHL Insider RevealsThe Detroit Red Wings were among the more active teams in free agency during the offseason, bringing aboard multiple new players including James van Riemsdyk, Mason Appleton, Ian Mitchell, and Jacob Bernard-Docker. 

X-FACTOR

Latvian winger Eduards Tralmaks is an intriguing addition. The 28-year-old European free agent was top scorer in the Czech Extraliga and was impressive at the World Championship. He has size at 6-foot-4 and 213 pounds and has played plenty in North America, including four NCAA years at the University of Maine. He also posted a 14-goal season for the AHL’s Providence Bruins in 2021-22.

THE BRASS

With Yzerman entering his seventh season as GM, his seat is going to get quite hot should another playoff failure be the result. McLellan could help turn down the heat. The Wings were eighth-best in the East (26-18-4) after he took over. That projects to 96 points over 82 games, which would result in post-season hockey.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Detroit AHL Coach Believes Defence "Could Be Strength"Detroit AHL coach Brian Lashoff believes Red Wings have tools to fix defensive woes from last season.

2024-25 NUMBERS

RECORD

39-35-8 (.524)

OVERTIME

6-8

SHOOTOUT

3-0

OVERALL

21st

OFFENSE

2.87 GPG (22nd)

DEFENSE

3.16 GAA (21st)

POWER PLAY

27.0% (4th)

PENALTY KILL

70.1% (32nd)

EXPECTED GF/60

2.4 (23rd)

EXPECTED GA/60

2.58 (22nd)

ICE TIME LEAD (F)

D. Larkin (20:04)

ICE TIME LEAD (D)

M. Seider (25:04)

Mattias Ekholm, Cam Talbot Surface in New Red Wings-Oilers Trade RumorsDetroit’s trade discussions with Edmonton are heating up, with big names like Mattias Ekholm and Cam Talbot rumored to be in play.

Fast FACTS

COACH

Todd McLellan

GM

Steve Yzerman

CAPTAIN

Dylan Larkin

ARENA

Little Caesars Arena

CAPACITY

20,000

AHL AFFILIATE

Grand Rapids Griffins

ECHL AFFILIATE

Toledo Walleye

Cup ODDS

46/1

Red Wings Fantasy Hockey Outlook: Kasper and Gibson Potential League WinnersJohn Gibson, Marco Kasper among several Detroit Red Wings poised to outperform their early undervalued Fantasy Hockey rankings.

Future WATCH

TOP 10 PROSPECTS

1. Axel Sandin-Pellikka

Pos D Age 20

2024-25 Skelleftea (Swe.)

Repeated as top WJC defenseman. He’s a one-man breakout and an uber-talented power-play QB.

Expected NHL Arrival ’25-26

2. Carter Bear

Pos LW Age 18

2024-25 Everett (WHL)

His motor never stops, and he wowed in draft year with 40-goal output. Reliable in all situations.

Expected NHL Arrival ’27-28

3. Nate Danielson

Pos C Age 21

2024-25 Grand Rapids (AHL)

Wings will be patient as he develops in AHL. Coach’s dream, as he does all the little things right.

Expected NHL Arrival ’25-26

4. Trey Augustine

Pos G Age 20

2024-25 Michigan State (Big Ten)

Calm, collected keeper is a serial winner. He’s working to add puck-handling skill to deep toolbox.

Expected NHL Arrival ’28-29

5. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard

Pos RW Age 19

2024-25 Skelleftea (Swe)

After a season in Sweden’s top flight, clever scorer put up three points in three AHL playoff games.

Expected NHL Arrival ’27-28

6. Sebastian Cossa

Pos G Age 22

2024-25 Grand Rapids (AHL)

Casts shadow with 6-foot-6 frame. Thrives thanks to positional and mechanical soundness.

Expected NHL Arrival ’26-27

7. Eddie Genborg

Pos RW Age 18

2024-25 Linkoping (Swe.)

Stands 6-foot-1, but he plays like he’s bigger. High floor thanks to two-way game and gritty play.

Expected NHL Arrival ’29-30

8. Carter Mazur

Pos LW Age 23

2024-25 Grand Rapids (AHL)

Fiery winger has great stats when healthy. Played just 20 AHL games plus one in the NHL last season.

Expected NHL Arrival ’26-27

9. Dmitri Buchelnikov

Pos LW Age 22

2024-25 Vityaz Moscow (KHL)

Nearly cracked top 15 in KHL scoring in breakout season. Speedster is always looking to create.

Expected NHL Arrival ’26-27

10. Emmitt Finnie

Pos C Age 20

2024-25 Kamloops (WHL)

Finnie keeps kicking down doors. Has no single star-quality attribute but is total package with high IQ.

Expected NHL Arrival ’27-28

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The Anaheim Ducks have one of the deepest and most potent young defensive cores in the NHL. A fully fleshed out and realized blueline is one of the most important ingredients (maybe the most important ingredient) to building a Stanley Cup championship roster.

A true number one defenseman to lead said blueline is necessary more often than not if a team has ambitions to hoist the greatest trophy in professional sports come June.

The 2023 Vegas Golden Knights had Alex Pietrangelo, the ’22 Colorado Avalanche had Cale Makar, the ’20 and ’21 Tampa Bay Lightning had Victor Hedman, the ‘19 St. Louis Blues also had Pietrangelo, etc. The exception in the last two seasons has been the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, who did it more by committee on their blueline with the trio of Aaron Ekblad-Gustav Forsling-Brandon Montour in 2024 and the trio of Ekblad-Forsling-Seth Jones in 2025.

The definition of what a “number one” defenseman is varies person-to-person, but to me, I define it as the defenseman who plays the most (and that a team often first sends over the boards) in every scenario: 5v5, power play, penalty kill, up a goal late, down a goal, etc.

The Ducks are in a position where they are attempting to put the finishing touches on their elongated rebuild and return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017-18 season, ending the third-longest playoff drought in the NHL.

The core pieces when the team is finally contending are all expected to already be within the organization, as they have potential depth and impact at every position from the crease out.

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The Ducks have assembled an impressive stable of young blueliners, including players projected to be on the NHL roster like Jackson LaCombe, Olen Zellweger, Pavel Mintyukov, and Drew Helleson, with Tristan Luneau on the bubble. Players like Stian Solberg, Tyson Hinds, Noah Warren, and Ian Moore are expected to have impact roles at the AHL level, while prospects like Lasse Boelius, Tarin Smith, and others wait in the wings.

Since the organization has been selecting near the top of the draft since 2019, they’ve spent most of their top picks on forwards, with Mintyukov representing the only top-ten pick on the blueline.

That leaves the question: when the Ducks are finally contending, who will be their top defenseman?

Jackson LaCombe

LaCombe (24) was the breakout player for the Ducks in 2024-25, after struggling through large portions of his rookie campaign (2023-24). He filled the role of “number-one defenseman” according to my previously stated definition, leading the team in TOI/G (22:18) and TOI on the power play (160:12), while finishing second in 5v5 TOI (1240:07) and TOI on the penalty kill (168:55).

He scored 43 points (14-29=43) in 75 games, and his 14 goals were the most by a Ducks’ defenseman since Lubomir Vishnovsky hit 18 in 2010-11.

In his sophomore NHL season, he was more polished in coverage and more difficult to play against in front of the net. He used his skating to close gaps and join rushes when he saw openings. He was still prone to the odd, dangerous turnover, but ultimately improved his puck management skills.

Pavel Mintyukov

As mentioned, Mintyukov (21) is the only defenseman on the Ducks roster or in the pipeline that the Ducks used a top-ten draft pick on (10th overall in 2022) and was the first draft pick made by Pat Verbeek as the general manager.

After a successful junior career in the OHL, where he won OHL Defenseman of the Year honors in 2023, Mintyukov made an immediate impact in the NHL during his rookie season for the Ducks in 2023-24. Though struggling with occasional coverage lapses, he was a neutral zone play-killer and seemed to have endless creativity and fearlessness in the offensive zone. He scored 28 points (4-24=28) in 63 games.

His capabilities were seemingly muted the following year in 2024-25, as he struggled to remain in the nightly lineup and opted for safer plays in attempts to do so. His impact was diminished as he worked to refine his defensive game, and his power play time was cut from 122:04 TOI in 2023-24 to just 60:52 TOI in 2024-25.

Mintyukov still has the capability and potential to become a dominant two-way force on both sides of the puck in the NHL, as he reads developing plays at a level beyond his years and can turn perfectly-timed defensive engagements into quick-strike offense.

Tristan Luneau

Luneau (21) is coming off an extremely impressive rookie season in the AHL, playing for the San Diego Gulls after battling through more injury adversity than most 21-year-old players.

He has every tool necessary to become a special two-way defenseman in the NHL and is becoming more polished with each passing game. He displays textbook engagement and angling skills defensively and is ever-active on the offensive end.

His most substantial attribute might be his competitive drive. He battled through an offseason knee surgery before his draft year, which caused his stock to slip into the second round (53rd in ’22) only to bounce back and win QMJHL Defenseman of the Year honors in 2022-23.

He barely played hockey in 2023-24 due to an infection in his knee that required surgery just before the 2024 World Junior Championship. He responded by scoring 52 points (9-43) in 59 games in his rookie AHL season, earning a spot on the AHL All-Rookie team.

Others in the Running

Stian Solberg (19) saw his role diminish in his first SHL Season in 2024-25 to the point where the Ducks decided to send him to the AHL to wrap up the season, where he scored five points (2-3=5) in ten games and will look to have an increased role in 2025-26. His trademark is his defensive prowess and physicality, but he may not have the offensive dynamism that others in the Ducks system have. However, he has flashed production at an impressive clip, especially at the 2025 World Championships.

Olen Zellweger (21) was an offensive dynamo in the CHL and was an AHL All-Star in 2023-24, totaling 37 points (12-25=37) in 44 games, before finishing his rookie campaign in the NHL with the Ducks. Like Mintyukov, his impact was diminished in 2024-25, opting for a simpler game to remain in the nightly lineup. His defensive game has come a long way, but he may be limited in that aspect, potentially keeping him from ever becoming a “number one” according to my subjective definition.

There’s always the potential for the Ducks to find their future number one defenseman from outside the organization. Free agency and the trade market aren’t typically places where teams find their top defensemen, but the Golden Knights were able to pluck Pietrangelo as a UFA, and Noah Dobson was recently traded from the New York Islanders to the Montreal Canadiens.

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