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Blackhawks Prospect AJ Spellacy Has Inside Track To Make World Junior Team

The Chicago Blackhawks are loaded with great prospects. Some of them are the “stars” you know, like Anton Frondell, Sam Rinzel, and Artyom Levshunov, but there are others who hope to be depth NHL pieces one day.

One of those is AJ Spellacy, an American-born forward who Chicago selected in the third round (72nd overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft. He is currently slated to resume his OHL career with the Windsor Spitfires this fall.

This week, Spellacy has been attending the World Junior Summer Showcase as a member of Team USA. They brought enough players to dress two teams (Team White & Team Blue), which shows how deep this country is in terms of hockey development. 

On Wednesday, however, they combined the two teams with their best players to go up against Team Sweden. AJ Spellacy earned an opportunity to play with the big boys in the lineup. 

Spellacy played as the fourth line center. Will Horcoff of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Shane Vansaghi of the Philadelphia Flyers were his wingers. It was a big-bodied line that was hard to play against. 

USA Hockey (@usahockey) on XUSA Hockey (@usahockey) on XPeep those lines 👀 #WJSS

AJ Spellacy didn’t record a point in the Team USA loss, but his physicality was noticeable. He isn’t a guy who will always impress with his puck handling or goal scoring, but he is hard to play against, which could make him a typical fourth-line forward at the highest level. Spellacy never avoids contact with opponents, and he doesn't let anyone get away with getting too close to him.

It seems, based on his role at this camp, that Spellacy has a shot to make the World Juniors squad when the time comes during the winter. USA Hockey will see much turnover this year as a lot of players who won back-to-back Gold Medals have moved on to pro hockey, which opens the door for guys like Spellacy. 

It isn’t only USA Hockey that has confidence in Spellacy at this time. He was outstanding with the Blackhawks in the preseason last year, and they eventually signed him in the middle of the season. It’s unlikely that he plays in the NHL before 2026-27, but the Blackhawks saw him as worthy of a deal. Now, everyone is catching on to how impactful he can be. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

Golden Knights: Community Ties Beyond The Ice

The community has always been at the forefront of everything the Golden Knights organization does, and while it may be the off-season, that doesn’t mean there can’t still be pucks in play. 

The Knights organization spent mid-July on their annual road trip with a series of free youth on-ice hockey clinics. 

Northern Nevada was the first stop for the Knights' staff. The first round of 100 kids ages 5 to 13 took part in two on-ice hockey clinics. Led by Sheri Hudspeth, Director of Youth Hockey Programs, and her devoted team of coaches, the sessions were packed with energy. Golden Knights broadcaster Shane Hnidy and Tahoe Knight Monsters forward Anthony Collins joined in, offering their guidance to all of the young participants.

The young players learned new skills, met mascots Chance and Tessie, and most importantly made new hockey memories. Families traveled from all over to be part of the experience. There was one family that stood out, Marco and Cici, who brought their son, Michael all the way from London to grow as an athlete under the Knights' guidance.

“The UK hockey training is so limited," Marco said. "Resources are so limited, so we have to wake up at five in the morning. As a parent, we have to drop him off at the ice rink, and we’ve been doing this for four years.”

Michael’s passion for the sport began when his school's headmaster introduced him to the game. Since then, he’s built confidence, made friends, and immersed himself in the world of hockey. Marco would often catch Michael watching NHL highlights on YouTube.

"He really enjoys the training and has built the confidence while playing on a team which really changed his life," Marco said. "We enjoy watching it.”

After the visit to South Tahoe the VGK crew headed to Reno Ice for another round of sold-out clinics, including an NHL Learn to Play session. The second batch of 150 kids laced up their skates to train with Hudspeth, Hnidy, Chance, Tessie, and Archie, the mascot of the Reno Aces. With support from local coaches, the young athletes participated in drills and scrimmages. The team also donated hockey equipment to support the growth of girls’ hockey in Northern Nevada.

Following the Northern Nevada run the Knights regrouped to head over to Arizona, and although it was a different place the mission remained the same. 

Former Vegas alternate captain Deryk Engelland joined the team to skate with over 150 young players. With drills and games underway on the ice, off the ice families enjoyed giveaways like trading cards, sunglasses, bracelets, and the 2024–25 VGK Yearbook.

The Knights Foundation also hosted a ball hockey clinic at Sunnyslope Community Center, where Engelland, D’Uva, and Hudspeth led kids through skills training and answered questions from young fans eager to learn more about the game.

Later, the team headed to Ice Den Scottsdale, where 140 kids took part in three more on-ice clinics. Goucher and D’Uva hosted a Q&A with fans, offering a behind-the-scenes look at life as VGK broadcasters. One lucky attendee even won four tickets to a home game for the upcoming season.

Amongst all the action a Spanish-language ball hockey clinic at the Chicanos Por La Causa Community Center, was hosted by LosVGK. The final stop on the trip brought the team to Mullett Arena, where they were joined by men’s and women’s hockey players from Arizona State University.

This year marked the first time Arizona was included in the VGK Road Trip, and it proved successful. During the duration of the 2,127-mile trip more than 700 kids participated, further strengthening the future of hockey.

PHOTO COURTESY: Vegas Golden Knights

Isaac Howard Offers Serious Value in NHL Rookie Props on Loaded Oilers Line

Rookie winger Isaac Howard could be the value play bettors are searching for if he sticks on Edmonton’s top line with Connor McDavid.

As the NHL season approaches, bettors looking for value in player props should keep an eye on a potential breakout rookie flying under the radar: Isaac Howard of the Edmonton Oilers. While Calder Trophy futures are being dominated by names like Montreal’s Ivan Demidov, Howard could be a dark horse worth monitoring at +1500 in several betting markets.

Originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the 21-year-old Wisconsin native was traded to Edmonton, where his path to NHL ice time has become much clearer. The Oilers, fresh off consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances, appear ready to give Howard a real shot and the early depth charts are proof.

Oilers' Howard, Blues' Snuggerud Present Closest Competition to Demidov For CalderOilers' Howard, Blues' Snuggerud Present Closest Competition to Demidov For CalderRookies Isaac Howard and Jimmy Snuggerud appear to be best cases behind Montreal's Ivan Demidov for 2026 Calder trophy

According to early reports, Howard is slotted on Edmonton’s top line alongside Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman, two of the most productive forwards in the league. That alone makes him intriguing in goal and point prop markets.

Howard is also reportedly set to skate on the second power-play unit, increasing his high-danger chances. With McDavid commanding so much defensive attention, Howard could benefit with clean looks and tap-in chances which could be an ideal scenario for goal scorer props.

Howard showed clear development over his three collegiate seasons. After a modest freshman year at Minnesota-Duluth (17 points in 35 games), he transferred to Michigan State, where his offensive game exploded. Last season, he posted 26 goals and 26 assists in 37 games, earning a nod with Team USA at the IIHF World Championships.

If you're looking to model Howard’s rookie year performance, think along the lines of Frank Vatrano or Elias Lindholm from last season in terms of production floor. But if everything clicks, especially with McDavid as a linemate, he could reach 50–60 points, much like Dylan Guenther’s breakout year in Utah. Howard will look to be a solid best bet to get a point through the season for the Oilers as his odds most games will likely hover anywhere from -125 to -190 as a decent syphon off of McDavid's point production.

NHL Division Odds Breakdown: Panthers, Hurricanes, and Golden Knights Lead the PackNHL Division Odds Breakdown: Panthers, Hurricanes, and Golden Knights Lead the PackSportsbooks release betting odds for NHL divisional races for 2025-26 season. 

Canadiens: Newhook’s Golf Tournament Q & A

For a second year in a row, Alex Newhook held a golf tournament in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and the event included a Q&A with a few special guests. On the stage alongside Newhook were his sister Abby Newhook, who the Boston Fleet of the PWHL recently drafted, Montreal Canadiens teammates Arber Xhekaj, Jakub Dobes, and Jayden Struble, and former Habs Michael Pezzetta and Chris Nilan.

David Amber played the role of master of ceremonies and asked many questions to the players, a few of which are worth reporting. The panel was asked which rule change they would like to see in the league, and Dobes had a surprising answer. The netminder would like to see more goalie fights and laments that the linesmen step in too early to stop them. He refused to say which masked man he would like to fight, however. As for Xhekaj, he explained that he would eliminate the shootout; instead, he prefers continuous overtime. He even mentioned that a shootout, while flashy, ruins the game. Meanwhile, Newhook would do away with the delay-of-game penalty when the puck is thrown over the glass. As for Pezzetta, he would uniformize the high-sticking penalty, doing away with the four-minute infraction when one draws blood.

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It was also interesting to see the answers to the “who should be mic'd up on the ice?” question. Newhook picked Brad Marchand because of the Stanley Cup champion’s antics on the ice, before adding that Cole Caufield would be interesting since he’s loud and all over the place. Struble interjected to say Lane Hutson would be funny, and Xhekaj jumped in to add that the Calder Trophy winner once apologized to a guy who had just received a penalty on him. The gritty defenseman also suggested Juraj Slafkovsky would be interesting since he’s yelling in Slovakian and you can’t even understand what he’s saying half the time.

Another noteworthy question was where the players would like to see expansion teams. Dobes came out of left field with a London, England-based team. Nilan said he wouldn’t want to see Atlanta again before saying Houston is a possibility, and he would like to see Quebec City, but he added that “Mr. Molson wouldn’t like that,” and he’s not sure if they could fill up the building for a whole season.

As always, Nilan found the way to entertain the crowd when he was asked what winning the Stanley Cup in Montreal was like. He explained that winning in that market is special, and given the option to win in Montreal or Anaheim, the choice was obvious. But the big chuckle came when he added, “Even in New Jersey, they had a parade in a parking lot [insert expletive here]”.

That led to him talking about game 3 of the series against the Washington Capitals this season, saying it was the loudest he’d ever seen the building. Asked about that game, which was the first of his career in the playoffs, Dobes mentioned that he was nervous, but it ended up well since they won. While he was talking, you could see something was burning on Arber Xhekaj’s lips, and seconds later, he let it out:

So Dobby stands by the bench, right close to their bench, and he’s looking over and chirping every single guy that comes off the ice, yelling at them, chirping them. Next thing you know, our goalie gets hurt and Dobby has to go in…uh oh.
-

The young netminder admitted that the story was true and added that the Caps were not nice to him in the first five minutes. Xhekaj then explained that’s how the bench brawl started. At the end of the period, Dobes had to skate through the Caps to get back to the Canadiens’ room, but they all decided to stand there and wait to have a word with him. The tough guy added: “And then I got in there and it was madness”. Pleading his case, the rookie netminder added that he didn’t even say anything that bad.

That night really was special at the Bell Centre last season. It will be interesting to see what the building is like this upcoming season if the Canadiens do make the playoffs for a second year in a row.

Photo credit:  Geoff Burke-Imagn Images


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2025 Anaheim Ducks Prospect Rankings: 2. Roger McQueen

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)

7. Tomas Suchanek, 22, G, San Diego Gulls (AHL)

6. Eric Nilson, 18, C, Michigan State University (NCAA)

5. Lucas Pettersson, 19, C, Brynas IF (SHL)

4. Stian Solberg, 19, LHD, San Diego Gulls (AHL)

3. Tristan Luneau, 21, RHD, San Diego Gulls (AHL)

Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Roger McQueen is selected as the tenth overall pick to the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

2. Roger McQueen, 18, C, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

If it were guaranteed that Roger McQueen is currently 100% healthy and will be moving forward, he would have easily sat atop this list of Ducks prospects. However, if that same guarantee could have been made just over a month ago at the NHL Draft, McQueen would have certainly been selected higher than where the Ducks were picking (10th overall in 2025).

“There's certainly power forward written all over him in how he plays the game,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek stated after McQueen’s selection. “He has a little bit of a mean side to him, which I like. There's high compete there with him.

“And so I think that when we went through the injuries that he had, I think that we felt comfortable drafting him. Just all the things that he's gone through to overcome the injury, we felt comfortable drafting him.”

McQueen has the makeup of a dominant, elite top-line center in the NHL. He measured in at 6-foot-5.25 and 198 pounds at the NHL Draft combine in early June, and uses every bit of that frame and reach to control play in all three zones.

As of now, his skating is about NHL average, which, given his size, is a tremendous advantage. He has a long, powerful stride and is as fluid on his edges as it gets. He can cover a huge amount of ice incredibly quickly. The only area for improvement in the skating department could be with adding explosion to his first three steps.

He’s immensely gifted with the puck on his stick: his hands are elite, he can operate in tight spaces, he can operate in open ice, he can protect pucks, he threads needles to open teammates in dangerous areas, and his shot is NHL-ready.

McQueen’s defensive attention to detail is surprisingly advanced for someone who’s missed as much time as he has and for someone who is as offensively gifted as he is. He stays well on the defensive side of the puck in coverage and uses his closing ability and active stick to kill plays in low-danger areas before they can develop.

He has every tool necessary to be one of the best players in the NHL in his prime. However, the question marks surrounding his back injury will remain until he can prove he’s fully recovered and unhampered.

McQueen missed all but 17 regular season games in 2024-25 with a fracture in his vertebrae, needing ample rest to properly heal and recover. He returned for three playoff games, but he sustained a muscle injury, reportedly from overcompensation, which ended his draft season.

"I think being off (the ice for so long) really helped me (develop my skills)," McQueen said during his post-draft availability. "I think the other side of the game, the mental side, really got a lot sharper for me in the sense of just having five months off to take that on myself and work on that. I think just being able to stay positive and stay resilient really helped me out. The other side of the game is watching our team play. You learn a lot (by doing that) too.”

Moving forward, the priority for McQueen’s development is to ensure he’s fully healthy and plays as many games as possible in 2025-26. Signs are currently pointing toward him returning to the WHL to play for Brandon, but with the new CHL/NCAA agreement in place, college hockey remains an option, and there’s always the (very) outside chance he makes the Ducks’ NHL roster following rookie and training camps.

McQueen, along with fellow Ducks prospects Beckett Sennecke and Tarin Smith, was invited to Team Canada’s World Junior Summer Showcase, but both he and Sennecke were listed as “unable to attend.”

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Photo Credit: Anaheim Ducks PR

Canadiens: 20 Years Ago…

On July 30 and 31, 2005, the NHL held its draft. It was initially scheduled for June 25th, but the lockout messed up the schedule. After the draft lottery was held on July 22, the drafting order was known, and the Pittsburgh Penguins won the privilege of drafting Sidney Crosby, a move that would change the fate of the franchise. As for the Montreal Canadiens, they won the fifth pick.

With Crosby, Bobby Ryan, Jack Johnson, and Benoit Pouliot off the board, the Canadiens elected to select Carey Price with the fifth overall pick. The move would turn out to be franchise-altering as well. The goaltender became the face of the team for 15 years and became the winningest netminder in the storied franchise's history with 361 wins.

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The Canadiens made the playoffs in 10 of the 15 years in which Price tended net for them, despite their lack of firepower. While Price was unable to lead them to the ultimate prize, he had the talent and the skills necessary to do it if only he had been given a better supporting cast.

Some blame Price for signing a contract that eats up too much of the cap, but the truth of the matter is, anyone would have done the same. Management offered the 84-million contract for eight years and then proceeded to invest much of its remaining money on the blueline. Marc Bergevin preferred a defense corps with big, punishing defensemen, and he was willing to invest heavily to achieve that.

The ”you just have to make the playoffs and then anything can happen” formula didn’t work, and it shouldn’t have been a shock to anyone. Generally speaking, the Stanley Cup champions don’t just sneak into the playoffs and luck out into a Championship.

It takes careful planning to reach the highest of heights in the NHL, and one has to wonder what would have happened had Price been playing for the current management team, with much more offensive power up front. It could have happened had injuries not ended his career early, but it just wasn’t to be.

Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images


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3 Former Devils Forwards Who Are Still Free Agents

The 2025 calendar will soon switch over to August. For many players around the NHL, it is a month that represents the final weeks with their friends and family before traveling to their respective hockey cities for the 2025-26 season. 

Currently, three former New Jersey Devils forwards are unemployed and seeking their next opportunity in professional hockey. 

Nathan Bastian 

Former Team: New Jersey Devils 

For the first time in his career, Bastian is experiencing free agency. The 27-year-old has appeared in 276 NHL games, and 264 were with the Devils. 

It was clear during his end-of-season media availability that his goal was to remain in New Jersey. 

"It is crazy how quick a place can feel like home, Bastian said. "Not that it's been a short time, but I think since the time I was drafted, I am the longest-standing Devil still here. Being here means a lot to me — the city, the rink, the staff, and you guys. It is something I want to be a part of."

On July 2, The Hockey News confirmed with Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald that the organization would not be interested in bringing back any further unrestricted free agents beyond Jake Allen and Dennis Cholowski. 

Kevin Rooney 

Former Team: Calgary Flames

Beginning his career with the Devils, Rooney additionally played for the New York Rangers and, most recently, the Calgary Flames. 

He is coming off a season where he played a single-season career high of 70 games in the NHL. The 32-year-old earned 10 points (five goals, five assists) with the Flames. 

Jimmy Vesey 

Former Team: Colorado Avalanche 

The 32-year-old began the 2024-25 season with the Rangers before being traded to the Colorado Avalanche with Ryan Lindgren and Hank Kempf for Calvin de Haan, Juuso Parssinen, and conditional second and fourth-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft. 

He did not appear in a postseason game for the Avalanche and hit free agency on July 1, after earning eight points in 43 games last season. Considered a bit of a journeyman, Vesey has played for six organizations since making his NHL Debut in 2016. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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Photo Credit: © John Jones-Imagn Images

Ex-Blackhawks Forward Ranked Among NHL's Best Contracts

In a recent article for The Athletic, Dom Luszczyszyn ranked the 10 best contracts in the NHL. While no current Chicago Blackhawks player appears on the list, a notable former Blackhawk has made the cut. 

Former Blackhawks forward Brandon Hagel has the No. 2 spot on Luszczyszyn's list, with New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes being the only player ranked above him. 

Hagel is currently entering the second season of his eight-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he has a $6.5 million cap hit. With this, Hagel just completed the first year of his long-term deal, and there is no question that it could not have been better. 

In 82 games this past season with the Lightning, Hagel posted new career highs with 35 goals, 55 assists, and 90 points. This was after he had set then career-highs with 49 assists and 75 points in 82 games with the Bolts during the 2023-24 campaign. 

Since signing his contract extension during the 2023 NHL off-season, Hagel has only gotten better. Thus, it is easy to understand why Luszczyszyn has Hagel at the No. 2 spot on his list. Since being traded by the Blackhawks, Hagel has become a fantastic player for the Lightning and is easily a big part of their core because of it. 

In 108 games over three seasons with the Blackhawks, Hagel recorded 30 goals, 31 assists, and 61 points. His time with Chicago ended when he was traded to the Lightning during the 2021-22 season.

Blackhawks Big Defenseman Should Only Get BetterBlackhawks Big Defenseman Should Only Get BetterChicago Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic cemented himself a full-time spot on the Original Six club's NHL roster during the 2023-24 season. In 76 games with the Blackhawks that season, the 6-foot-6 blueliner recorded two goals, 14 assists, 16 points, and 56 hits. Overall, the 2019 second-round pick certainly demonstrated that he has the ability to be a solid defensive defenseman at the NHL level.

Photo Credit: © Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Metropolitan Edition: Are Retooling Islanders A Better Team Than Buffalo?

Ilya Sorokin (left); Tage Thompson (right) -- (Brad Penner, USA TODAY Images)<br>

Welcome back to  THN.com's Buffalo Sabres site. In recent days and weeks, we've been focusing on the teams the Sabres will square off against next season. And in today's file, we're turning our attention to a team Buffalo will be taking on in the latest battl(es) of New York (state) -- the New York Islanders.

After missing out on the Stanley Cup playoffs last season, the Islanders fired GM Lou Lamoriello and replaced him with former NHL player Mathieu Darche. And the Islanders were blessed by the hockey gods when they won this year's draft lottery and selected cornerstone defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the first-overall pick.

But that doesn't mean that there isn't pain ahead for the Isles as they chart a new course. As we'll explore below, the Islanders are in the early stages of a rebuild, and while they have many veterans who'll be pushing for a playoff berth this coming season, earning a playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division will be a tall order indeed for the Islanders. And the Sabres need to beat the Isles to help their cause as a legitimate playoff team in 2025-26.

So for now let's explore Buffalo's recent history with the Islanders, and whether or not the Sabres will and should be beating the Isles next season.

BUFFALO SABRES VS. NEW YORK ISLANDERS

NEW ISLANDERS PLAYERS: Jonathan Drouin, LW; Emil Heineman, LW; Maxim Shabanov, LW; David Rittich, G

2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 1-2-0, Islanders 2-1-0

2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER:  December 20 at Buffalo; January 24 at Long Island; March 31 at Buffalo

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM?  The Sabres and Islanders got all three of their games out of the way before Christmas time last season, with Buffalo dropping the first two games before blowing out the Isles 7-1 two days before Christmas. But this coming season, the first of their three games dosn't come until Dec. 20 -- and their final showdown will be the Sabres' eighth-to-last game of the season on March 31. At that point, the rosters of both Buffalo and the Isles could look significantly different, with the Islanders potentially being a seller at the trade deadline, and the Sabres potentially being a buyer.

New Isles GM Darche has already shown he's unafraid of taking a big swing in the trade department, sending star defenseman Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens in a blockbuster deal that sent a message -- the Islanders are open for business.

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Metropolitan Edition: Will Devils Remain Formidable Metro Team -- And Will New Jersey Once Again Beat Sabres In Season Series?Know Your Enemy, Sabres Metropolitan Edition: Will Devils Remain Formidable Metro Team -- And Will New Jersey Once Again Beat Sabres In Season Series?The Buffalo Sabres are a team that needs to make a playoff appearance this coming season. But in a continuing series, we're examining each of Buffalo's Eastern Conference-rivals that could be in the way of the Sabres making it into the post-season. And in this file, we're examining the rivalry between the Sabres and New Jersey Devils.

That means many Isles veterans could be on the trade block this year -- including (but not limited to) captain Anders Lee, who is entering the final season of his contract; and center J-G Pageau, who also has only one year remaining on his deal. Still, there are Islanders veterans who are extremely unlikely to be dealt anywhere, including star forward Mathew Barzal, center Bo Horvat, winger Kyle Palmieri, newcomer Drouin, defensemen Alexander Romanov, Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech, and star goalie Ilya Sorokin. That doesn't mean any or many of them are guaranteed to not be dealt out of Long Island, but it would take quite the offer to get Darche to part ways with them.

Thus, while most prognosticators won't be picking the Islanders as a playoff team in the Metropolitan Division, there are more than enough veterans on the Isles' roster who won't be rolling over and playing dead because nobody had much faith in them. With coach Patrick Roy setting a high bar for his players, the Islanders are likely to stay competitive all year long, and that almost certainly means the Sabres are going to have to be at their best if they want to win at least two of the three games they'll play against the Isles.

If Buffalo is intent on beating the Islanders next year, they'll need to exploit the Isles' defense (which finished 20th in the league last season at 3.13 goals-against per game) while limiting the Islanders' offense (which finished 27th in the league averaging 2.71 goals-for per game). 

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Metropolitan Edition: Sabres Could Be Battling Up-And-Coming Blue Jackets For Wild Card BerthKnow Your Enemy, Sabres Metropolitan Edition: Sabres Could Be Battling Up-And-Coming Blue Jackets For Wild Card BerthThe Buffalo Sabres are one of the teams most desperate to make the Stanley Cup playoffs next season. And one of the teams the Sabres could be battling for one of the two wild card berths next season is another team desperate to end a prolonged playoff drought -- the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Also important: shaking the confidence of Sorokin. The 29-year-old Russian was not at his best last season, as Sorokin's save percentage dropped for the third consecutive season, falling to a career-worst .907 SP in a whopping 61 appearances. Granted, Sorokin was playing behind a porous Islanders defense corps, but even if Schaefer comes in and thrives as a rookie defenseman, the rest of the Isles' defense isn't renowned for locking down opponents' offensive attack.

In any case, the games between the three teams from New York State always have that little extra edge to them. And that's not going to be any different in the 2025-26 campaign. The Sabres are absolutely desperate to end their 14-year playoff drought, while the Islanders look to be focused on retooling on the fly. So the three tilts between Buffalo and the Isles promise to be must-see TV.

Blues Should Consider Targeting Interesting Sniper

The St. Louis Blues could use another winger in their top nine after trading Zack Bolduc to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Logan Mailloux earlier this off-season. Due to this, one remaining unrestricted free agent (UFA) who they should consider targeting is forward Victor Olofsson. 

If the Blues signed Olofsson, he would offer them another solid option to consider for their third-line right wing spot, as the 30-year-old forward provides solid secondary scoring when playing at his best. Thus, he could be a good player for the Blues to bring in on an affordable one-year contract or even a professional tryout (PTO).

Olofsson is coming off a solid 2024-25 season, as he recorded 15 goals, 14 assists, 29 points, and a plus-17 rating in 56 games with the Vegas Golden Knights. He has also scored at least 20 goals and recorded at least 40 points three times during his career. Had he played all 82 games during the 2024-25 campaign, he would have been on pace to hit the 20-goal and 40-point marks for the fourth time in his career. Thus, there is no question that he is capable of making an impact offensively. 

With all of this, Olofsson could be an interesting player for the Blues to take a chance on. He would have the potential to give their third line and second power-play unit a bit of a boost, so it will be interesting to see if they target him from here. 

Former Blues Forward Still Looking For New HomeFormer Blues Forward Still Looking For New HomeWith August just about here, plenty of this year's unrestricted free agents (UFAs) have been signed. However, a former St. Louis Blues forward is still looking for his new home, as Jakub Vrana remains without a contract and is a UFA. 

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