Nathan Légaré made his NHL debut at Madison Square Garden, arguably the most famous arena in the world, in the winter of 2024. 

Besides the game itself, a 5-1 New Jersey victory, he remembers playing against one of his best buddies, New York Rangers forward Alexis Lafrenière, and a piece of advice his New Jersey Devils teammate Justin Dowling shared before his rookie lap. 

"He told me to not step on the puck on the ice," Légaré said during a phone interview with The Hockey News. "It would have been funny if I did."

The 24-year-old appeared in three games with the Devils before returning to the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League, where he spent the majority of the 2024-25 season. While it was a brief NHL stint, it provided a boost for Légaré. 

"There is more confidence about my game now," he explained. "Especially, now that I have played a couple of games in the NHL. That is a check mark, but the next one is to stay in the NHL and be a full-time NHLer. That is the mindset right now." 

The Devils acquired the versatile forward on March 11, 2024, from the Montreal Canadiens. In his first full season with the Comets, he earned a single-season career high of 25 points. 

In the AHL, Légaré found himself throughout Utica's lineup from top line to fourth, playing both wing and center. In the NHL, he considers himself a bottom-six player who can provide energy and kill penalties. 

For his call-up, he knew what could separate him and make an impression on the coaching staff in New Jersey. 

"For me, it is my physical presence," he shared. "I think in my first NHL game, I had five or six hits. That is part of my game, and when I am physical, that is when I play my best hockey. 

"That was the big thing in Utica," he continued. "I was scoring goals at the end of the year, but I was also playing a physical game. I got in six fights, plus two in preseason. I think that is a good number for me. I am not looking for a fight, but when the situation is there, I think you have to do it. I know this year in the American League, teams are getting bigger, and we are going to need that physical presence. I am willing to do it. I am not going to say I am going to square off every night, but when the situation is there and my team needs me to fight, I am willing to do it."  

Légaré had a total of six hits in his NHL debut, which tied Paul Cotter for the most among Devils skaters that night. In three games, he logged 12 hits. 

New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) on XANOTHA ONE. We have re-signed F Nathan Légaré to a one-year, two-way contract. 📰: https://t.co/h7tNfBiH9n

With so many depth players leaving the Devils in free agency, the Montreal native sees an opportunity in New Jersey, but has a practical perspective.

"Everybody wants to make the New Jersey Devils, but at the same time, I think you have to be realistic," he said. "It is not the end of the world if you go back to Utica. You work hard, and you never know what can happen."

During his time with the Devils organization, Légaré has seen that hard work will lead to positive outcomes. 

"That is what I like the most about the New Jersey Devils," he said, "They call the next guy up who deserves to get the call-up. You never know, it can be a guy on an AHL contract. I think about Samuel Laberge. Two years ago, he was on an AHL deal, signed a new deal, and got the call-up. It is pretty motivating for everybody in the organization. I think that is why all the guys arrive prepared for camp."

Seeing players' efforts being rewarded, coupled with a newfound confidence, Légaré admitted that his mindset has shifted as he prepares for training camp in one month. 

"Last year (at training camp), it was making a good first impression because I was traded (in March)," he said. "This year, they know what I can bring and they saw what I was able to do during the season. For me, it is more of a game-changer now, and hopefully, I can crack the lineup at camp.

"I don't want to look too much at the depth chart," he continued. "I just want to focus on my game. That is what I did last year, and it ended up working for me. That is how I want to go into camp. Like I said, you never know what can happen." 

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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Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has managed to assemble one of the deepest prospect pools in the National Hockey League, which includes two highly regarded goaltenders expected to develop into future starters. 

2023 Round 1 selection Sebastian Cossa and 2023 Round 2 selection Trey Augustine are both considered to have tremendous potential and could form one of the league’s most formidable tandems in the coming seasons.

Sebastian Cossa showed a 21-15-5 record with a 2.45 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage in an AHL career-high 41 regular-season games. The AHL all-star ranked among the league leaders in games played (T8th), minutes played (2,424:37, 7th), wins (T10th), goals-against… pic.twitter.com/QQK7peeYAQ

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) June 20, 2025

While Detroit’s championship window hasn’t realistically opened yet, a team that has lost back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals has reportedly contacted the Red Wings and expressed alleged interest in acquiring one of their goaltending prospects.

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

Appearing on The Sekeres & Price Show, League Insider Cam Robinson - Content Director and Director of Film Scouting for Elite Prospects - revealed that he’s been told the Oilers have reached out to Detroit about potentially acquiring Cossa to present to their fans as their goaltender of the future.

"I've heard that they're looking a little more long term, and their field of vision is a little wider here," Robinson said of the Oilers. "I've been told they've contacted Detroit, I believe the first person they asked about was Trey Augustine and think it was just a non-starter. Steve Yzerman and company really love that kid, and they should."

"But they have a 6'6", 6'7" former first rounder in Sebastian Cossa sitting there, who is slowly been progressing up the way, played a full season in the East Coast League," Robinson continued. "They're not soured on him by any means, but I think they're hoping that he'd be quicker along the path, and the fact that they have Augustine there in the Red Wings system potentially allows him to be an expendable chip." 

Cossa has already begun his professional career in the American Hockey League after having played for the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings and the ECHL's Toledo Walleye. This past season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Cossa amassed a record of 21-15-5 while posting a 2.45 goals-against average. 

But Cossa's numbers weren't as strong down the final stretch of the regular season, and he faltered during the Calder Cup Playoffs, finding himself benched after surrendering nine goals in just two games. 

Meanwhile, Augustine has thrived not only with the Michigan State Spartans but with the United States in international play. 

Trey Augustine now has the most wins by an American goaltender at the #WorldJuniors!@usahockey | @DetroitRedWingspic.twitter.com/nlPGX7EsXp

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) January 5, 2025

"If Edmonton does want to get themselves someone that they can tag as like, 'Here's our goalie of the future that's maybe only a year or two years away', he'd be a great bet to go on," Robinson concluded. 

Unless the Oilers were to present Yzerman with a Godfather-style offer he couldn’t refuse, the chances of Detroit trading Cossa are remote. At the same time, Yzerman did not sound optimistic about Cossa seeing NHL action in the 2025-26 season.

"Today, I’m not prepared to say he’s going to play in the NHL next year," Yzerman said on April 29 of Cossa. "He’s got to do more." 

If the Oilers want to acquire a young goaltender with a high ceiling, they’ll have to find a deal elsewhere, as the Red Wings aren’t going to be parting ways with either Cossa or Augustine. 

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The NHL's off-season rolls on, and every day brings with it more hockey talk. And in this ongoing THN.com series, we here at the Sabres site are focusing on the Buffalo Sabres' 2025-26 regular-season schedule -- and specifically, Sabres opponents who could get in the way of Buffalo's Stanley Cup playoff aspirations.

We started this series looking at the Sabres' Atlantic Division rivals, followed by the Metropolitan Division's teams. In recent days, we've been breaking down Buffalo's Central Division rivals. And today, we're focused on the Utah Mammoth.

BUFFALO SABRES VS. UTAH MAMMOTH

NEW MAMMOTH PLAYERS: J.J. Peterka, LW; Brandon Tanev, LW; Nate Schmidt, D; Vitek Vanecek, G

2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 0-2-0, Utah 2-0-0

2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER:  November 4 at Buffalo; November 12 at Utah 

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM?  For a few reasons, the Sabres/Mammoth rivalry has the potential for some good times, as both teams are connected to each other for different reasons. For starters, Utah's logo is rather similar to one of Buffalo's old logos. More importantly, one of the biggest trades of the summer saw Utah acquire Peterka from Buffalo -- and Peterka is just what the Mammoth need to get to that next competitive level.

If that trade had been all of what Utah GM Bill Armstrong did this summer, you'd still say the Mammoth had a solid off-season. But he also signed former Winnipeg Jets winger Tanev to improve his team's fourth line, and he signed Stanley Cup-winner Schmidt away from the Florida Panthers to bolster Utah's third defense pairing. 

(Armstrong also signed veteran goalie Vanecek, who will begin the year as Utah's third goalie. If he's needed, something has gone horribly awry for the Mammoth.)

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Central Edition: Are Boosted Blues Bound To Beat Buffalo?The Buffalo Sabres are facing enormous pressure to end their 14-year Stanley Cup playoff drought next season, and it's not hyperbole to say that the Sabres can't afford so much as a single off-night if they're going to be a playoff team. Every game really counts, and Buffalo needs to beat many above-average squads if they're going to earn a playoff berth in the highly-competitive Atlantic Division.

All-in-all, the Mammoth have to be considered a better team than they were last season. And that's bad news if Buffalo doesn't have its ducks in a row when the two teams square off against each other twice in little more than a single week in early November.

Indeed, if Utah comes out of the gate and stuns the Sabres in their first game November 4 in Buffalo, the Sabres will have only have eight days to figure out how to fight back for Round 2, as the Mammoth get a home game against Buffalo to finish up the series. That's somewhat of a shame, as it would've been fun to have at least one game between them near the end of the season, when it's likely that both Utah and the Sabres will be fighting for a wild card berth in their respective conferences.

Still, it's going to be intriguing to see how that first game plays out. Last season, Utah won both games handily against the Sabres, beating Buffalo by a 5-2 score in both games. And the second game in the series came March 20, when both teams should've been in hot pursuit of a playoff spot. Instead, the Sabres were well out of playoff contention by then, and Utah wound up missing a playoff berth by eight standings points. So it was more misery for franchises accustomed to it.

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Central Edition: Will Buffalo Sweep Series Vs. Sub-Par Nashville Predators Next Season?The NHL's 2025-26 schedule has been out for a while now, and THN.com's Buffalo Sabres site has been analyzing every team the Sabres will take on next season. We've worked our way through the Eastern Conference teams, and we're currently focusing on the Central Division teams. And in today's file, we're turning our attention to the Nashville Predators.

It hasn't been easy for either of these teams to put memorable seasons together, and that's another reason why we see a link between the Mammoth and Sabres. They've languished and labored time and again, but as is custom at this time of year, hope springs eternal, and who knows -- there might be a world in which both Buffalo and Utah are both playing playoff games in the same season.

The Sabres can't afford to lose both games to the Mammoth this year. A split would be acceptable, and anything more than that would be a positive. But if Buffalo plays with an urgency to their game, they have the manpower to answer back for last season's failures and shock the Mammoth into submission.

Defenseman Luke Prokop, who was selected by the Nashville Predators in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft and is the first openly gay player to be contracted by an NHL team, has signed with the Bakersfield Condors, the Edmonton Oilers' AHL affiliate. 

He had reached the end of his 3 year, $2,379,999 contract.  

In his time with the Predators organization, Prokop has not played in Nashville. He played eight games with the Norfolk Admirals (ECHL) during the 2022-23 season, scoring one point in eight games. 

During the 2023-24 season, he split time between the ECHL and AHL. He played 55 games with the Atlanta Gladiators, scoring 28 points, and played nine games with the Admirals, scoring two points.

His AHL debut in Nov. 2023 marked Prokop becoming the first openly gay AHL player. 

This past season, he played 31 games with the Admirals, scoring four points. 

While Prokop has yet to make his NHL debut, his journey and message of confidence have resonated across the hockey world. Not only has he made history just playing professional hockey, but he is also helping create an accepting environment for LGBTQ+ individuals in the sport. 

Prokop got the opportunity to be the Grand Marshall of the 2025 Milwaukee Pride Parade this summer. 

The move into the Oilers' farm system could be a full circle moment as Prokop is from Edmonton and played junior hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings. He could become the first openly Gay NHL player to play in a game in his hometown. 

The Seattle Kraken have signed the third and final RFA on their NHL roster, agreeing to a two-year, $2.05 million contract with defenseman Ryker Evans.

The 23-year-old played his first full season up in the NHL, scoring five goals and 25 points in 73 games. Evans looked comfortable in the NHL, playing as a top-four defenseman while Vince Dunn was out with an injury and on the third pairing when the Kraken defense core was healthy. 

“Ryker took a positive step forward in his first full season in the NHL,” Kraken general manager Jason Botterill said. “Since turning pro, he's shown improvement year over year, and we're confident he'll take his game to another level next season. We're happy to have him under contract."

Evans was a second-round pick (35th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft, now skating in 109 NHL games in his career. Evans is shaping up to be a large part of the Kraken's future as they shift into a new era focusing on youth. 

Evans is a stout defender with solid puck skills that make him a dual threat. He was selected to Team Canada's World Championship roster, where he got to rep the Maple Leaf for the first time in his career. In eight games, Evans recorded two assists and a plus-6. 

With Dunn and Ryan Lindgren seemingly pencilled into the top four, it appears Evans will start the season as a third-pairing defenseman, but he'll be given every opportunity to fight for a larger role.

The Ottawa Senators have taken another big step toward a new arena close to downtown.

On Monday afternoon, the Senators finalized an agreement to buy roughly 11 acres of land at LeBreton Flats to build a new NHL arena and events centre, just 2 kilometres away from Parliament Hill. The proposed building would be located just off Albert Street, and naturally, the Sens would be its main tenant.

That parcel of land is considerably bigger than the six acres that were being offered up by the National Capital Commission early in the discussions. The lack of land was one of the few details that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman expressed mild concern about in his past conversations with the media.

Monday's agreement was reached between the NCC and Capital Sports Development Inc (CSDI), which is run by Sens ownership. Their new deal lays out obligations for both parties on items like decontamination of the LeBreton soil and building of infrastructure elements.

With the deal in place, the project now slides into its next phase, which will involve things like zoning, design, and regulatory approvals.

Senators President and CEO Cyril Leeder says the organization is pleased with today's next step in the process, but reminds fans that it's not the final step.

“There are still many more hurdles to clear and we look forward to working with the NCC and other stakeholders to achieve our shared vision of creating an event centre at LeBreton Flats that can be enjoyed by our Ottawa-Gatineau community,” Leeder said in a team press release on Monday afternoon.

Tobi Nussbaum, the Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, was also quoted in today's press release:

“The promise of a major events centre will provide a lively and convenient attraction for residents and visitors, inject new energy and excitement into the core of the Nation’s Capital and further catalyze the development of LeBreton Flats. This agreement builds on the two previous real estate transactions completed by the NCC since 2022 on the Building LeBreton project that will see over 2000 new housing units along with new retail and commercial spaces built on the site.”

Assuming they reach the finish line, the sites will be, according to the NCC website, within a five-minute walk from two light-rail stations on the O-Train Confederation Line (Pimisi and Bayview stations). It remains to be seen how much parking will be available at the events centre.

The expansion Senators played for a few seasons downtown at the Civic Centre before heading for the suburbs and a new building in Kanata, where they've been since 1996.

By Steve Warne

This article originally appeared on The Hockey News website: Senators Reach Agreement To Buy Land At LeBreton, Move Closer To New Arena

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