A year ago, New York Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin was rehabbing after undergoing offseason back surgery. 

He was unable to have a normal summer and wasn't game-ready for the start of the 2024-25 season. 

Islanders Goalie Ilya Sorokin Unveils Best Russian Chirper He's Faced In NHLChirping is an art. Some NHL players have mastered the art, while others should probably just let their game do the talking. Most chirps are directed from one skater to another, but chirping a goalie does happen.

Now, he's able to put in the work and preapre accordingly for the 2025-26 season and that's exactly what he's doing. 

Ilya Sorokin putting in some offseason work!

Remember he wasn’t healthy last offseason so this is great to see. Hopefully Semyon Varlamov is progressing as well.#Isles will need excellent goaltending from their tandem next season. pic.twitter.com/5bNv3FVTv1

— Isles Den (@IslesDen) August 11, 2025

Sorokin posted a 30-24-6 record in 61 games, 60 starts, with a 2.71 GAA (second highest of career) and a .907 SV% (lowest of his career). 

Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Philip Tomasino is heading into another contract year for the 2025-26 season. He had a year left on his contract going into the 2024-25 season before he was dealt to the Penguins by the Nashville Predators last November for a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. 

Tomasino only had one assist in 11 games for the Predators before compiling 11 goals and 23 points in 50 games for the Penguins. He played up and down the lineup during the season and would have some good stretches mixed with some bad ones. 

He burst onto the scene right away with four points in his first five games, three of which were goals, before going pointless for his next six games. This inconsistency would continue for the rest of the season despite Tomasino getting a lot of minutes with second-line center Evgeni Malkin. The two played 250:33 of 5v5 minutes this year, and the numbers were a mixed bag. When they were on the ice together, they had a 48.2% CF%, 48.2% of the expected goals, 50.8% of the scoring chances, and 50.4% of the high-danger chances. 

Tomasino enjoys playing with Malkin, as evidenced by their good moments early in his first season with the Penguins. 

"I think we just complement each other really well," Tomasino said

Head coach Dan Muse may look to give them more minutes together, but Tomasino will have to earn those minutes since the top six looks really strong on paper right now. The Penguins still haven't dealt forwards Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust, and there's no guarantee that they will before the season. 

With them still in the fold, they will take up two of the top-six spots, as will Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The other two spots will be up for grabs and will have a lot of players jockeying for them, including Tomasino, Anthony Mantha, Tommy Novak, Rutger McGroarty, and Ville Koivunen. McGroarty and Koivunen looked great in their short stints to end the 2024-25 season after being called up from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. They got to spend time with Crosby and Malkin and looked ready to be full-time NHLers. 

If Tomasino loses out on a top-six spot to start the season, he could still secure a third-line role with Novak if Muse and Co. are successful. Novak and Tomasino are familiar with each other from their time in Nashville, and they looked solid when they were on the same line together, albeit for a small sample. They only played 67:50 at 5v5 during the 2023-24 season, but they made those minutes count, compiling 54.7% of the expected goals, 62.6% of the scoring chances, 64% of the high-danger chances, and a 55.7% CF% rate. 

Three of Tomasino's goals came on the power play last year, and he'll be a solid contender to be on the second PP unit again next season. His release is good enough to be utilized anywhere in the offensive zone, and he has a knack for scoring goals in big situations. For example, he had six game-winning goals last year, which was good for second on the Penguins. Only Crosby was ahead of Tomasino with 10 game-winning goals, which made sense because Crosby was the Penguins' best player last year. He finished the season with 33 goals and 91 points in 80 games. It was his third-straight 90+-point season despite being well into his 30s. 

Top-20 Penguins' Prospects 2025: Oft-Forgotten Part Of Jake Guentzel Trade Has IntrigueHeading into the 2025-26 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have shifted the focus to youth and development.

The 2025-26 season will be another contract year for Tomasino after the Penguins re-signed him to a one-year, $1.75 million contract on July 1. He was originally a restricted free agent before the Penguins didn't give him a qualifying offer, allowing him to test free agency. Despite becoming an unrestricted free agent, he still decided to return to the Penguins, along with fellow forward Connor Dewar, who also wasn't given a qualifying offer by the Penguins. He signed a one-year, $1.1 million deal with the Penguins on the same day as Tomasino. 

Tomasino is slated to be a restricted free agent again after this upcoming season, so the Penguins will control his rights into next summer unless they don't qualify him again. If he's more consistent this year, the Penguins may try to sign him for longer than a year since he's still only 24. The Penguins want young players like him to take the next step at the NHL level. He'll cost a bit more, but that won't be a problem for the Penguins since they will have over $40 million of cap space next summer. They won't spend all of it since they are still rebuilding, but they'll spend enough. It won't be a situation where the Penguins have to worry about barely getting above the cap floor.

With all of that in mind, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas will be keeping a close eye on Tomasino this year. 

---

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab  to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!        

Featured Image Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Hockey News has released its archive to all THN subscribers: 76 years of history, stories, and features.

Subscribe now to view the full THN Archives here

Also, go to thn.com/free to subscribe.

Still The Best After All These Years - November 16, 2009 - Volume 63, Issue 09 - KC 

BEST NOT TELL THE BIG BOSS about this. After all, it might affect Nicklas Lidstrom’s future with the Red Wings.

Sure, Lidstrom has been a standout for 18 seasons now, was an integral contributor to four Stanley Cups and has become one of the greatest defensemen in NHL history.

Little known fact, though: Lidstrom is a rebel. For example, two of his four boys, Adam and Samuel, play minor hockey in the Detroit Compuware AAA organization. In case you weren’t aware, Compuware is owned by Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos and is a huge rival of Wings owner Mike Illitch’s Little Caesars AAA organization.

Just so you know, Illitch and Karmanos aren’t exactly a modern-day version of Amos ’n Andy.

“I don’t even know if (Illitch) knows about it,” said Lidstrom, justifying his insubordination by explaining Compuware’s rink is about 10 minutes from his house.

Chances are, Illitch would probably be willing to overlook Lidstrom’s miscreance in return for a couple more seasons of work. Despite the fact Lidstrom turns 40 in April, there has been almost no drop-off in his performance level, as evidenced by the fact our panel identified him as having the best point shot, best first pass and being the top shut-down defenseman in the NHL, not to mention the best mentor.

There have been precious few players who have played at the elite level Lidstrom has at such an advanced age. Gordie Howe scored 103 points when he was 41 and Jean Beliveau was a point-per-game player while leading the league in playoff assists when he was 40. Doug Harvey won his last Norris Trophy at 37 and Chris Chelios was a runner-up for the Norris when he was 40.

Red Wings GM Ken Holland thinks Lidstrom could play another five seasons and chances are he’ll play at least a couple more in Detroit before hanging them up.

“I don’t think we’re going to wake up one day and say, ‘Holy cripes, what happened to this guy?’ ” Holland said.

Do a YouTube search of “Nicklas Lidstrom’s 1,000th point,” and you’ll see precisely why he’s considered the NHL’s best point man. He takes a half slapshot through a maze of skates, which hits Henrik Zetterberg’s stick and deflects to the top corner.

“THERE IS NO PRESSURE POINT WITH NICKLAS LIDSTROM”

“That really nails it,” Lidstrom said. “I kept my head up and I couldn’t get it on net, so I’m looking for Zetterberg’s stick. That’s the typical play I try to make.”

Lidstrom’s shot from the point isn’t about to blow by anybody. More than anything, it sneaks its way to where it wants to go.

The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the best deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, but the organization’s developmental model has not yielded enough results. 

Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. All are 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 40 NHL games. 

Other Sabres Stories

Projecting Sabres Trade Cost - Bryan Rust

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

#33 - Melvin Novotny - LW (Leksands IF Jr. - Sweden)

The Sabres had a trio of seventh-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft, and with the first pick (195th overall) they selected left winger Melvin Novotny. The 18-year-old had a breakout season in the SHL junior system, scoring 38 points (12 goals, 26 assists) in 41 games for Leksands IF, and also played for Sweden at the World Junior under-18s. 

According to the Elite Prospects Draft Guide, the 6’1”. 187 lb. forward is considered a smart player, who is “a chess player that uses his teammates as his pawns, throwing them pucks to retrieve while himself moving into favourable positions in the offensive zone…..He’s not the most physical player overall, but has a knack of spinning away from checks and using contact as an advantage.”

Instead of following the usual path toward playing in the SHL, Novotny is heading to North America to play with Muskegon in the USHL and is committed to playing for U.Mass (Amherst) in 2026. 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo

The Carolina Hurricanes made two substantial moves this offseason to bolster their roster in pursuit of a Stanley Cup. 

The most highly coveted unrestricted free agent this offseason was arguably Nikolaj Ehlers. 

After most of the top free agents had already signed with their new respective teams, Ehlers was still pondering his next move. 

Ultimately, the Hurricanes won the sweepstakes for Ehlers as he signed a six-year, $51 million contract.

Carolina also took a big swing at defenseman K’Andre Miller, who has the potential to be a reliable blueliner for years to come, but he’s just yet to fully put all of the tools together. 

The Hurricanes acquired Miller in a sign-and-trade from the New York Rangers, and quickly signed him to an eight-year, $60 million contract.

Rod Brind'Amour feels that these two moves put the Hurricanes over the top. 

“If there's something out there that can make us better, we're going to try to figure out how to get it,” Brind'Amour said. “The additions were the best we could do. We just want to have a chance. I feel like we do.”

There Are Reportedly Over Five Teams Interested In Signing Jack Roslovic, Including The Maple LeafsTraining camps around the NHL are set to begin in just over a month, and Carolina Hurricanes forward Jack Roslovic remains unsigned. 

The Hurricanes have been a top contender in the Eastern Conference for years, but have never seemed to be able to get over the hump. 

We’ll have to see if Ehlers and Miller are able to change that.

The Buffalo Sabres' schedule has been out for a while now, but here at THN.com's Sabres site, we've been breaking down each Sabres opponent next season. And in this file, we're examining one of the NHL's best regular-season teams -- at the end of last season, at least -- the St. Louis Blues.

Last year, Buffalo won both games against St. Louis, but the Sabres avoided the Blues in the second half of the year, when they were an entirely different team. Buffalo and St. Louis will play relatively early this time around -- and will that make a difference in the bottom line between these two teams? Time will tell.

However, in the meantime, you can make your voice heard by leaving a comment below. And feel free to register as a community member on THN.com. Your voice is unique, and we want to hear it.

Former Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki was a guest on the Sens Nation Podcast this week, the official podcast of The Hockey News Ottawa, and shared some candid thoughts about fighting in today’s NHL.

During his NHL career with the Senators and the Nashville Predators, “Boro” never shied away from dropping the gloves, often taking on some of the game’s toughest heavyweights. Borowiecki played 458 regular-season NHL games, recording 15 goals, 56 points, and 848 penalty minutes. Known for his fearless, physical style and a strong work ethic, he was a fan favourite in Ottawa.

In my wide-ranging conversation with him this week, we covered a number of topics, including a recent Predators development camp where a Nashville reporter posted on-ice video of Borowiecki, now a development coach, demonstrating fighting tactics to young prospects.

Borowiecki explained that fighting advice is a very small part of the job, and with three children under five, his perspective on fighting in hockey has changed.

“I look at it from a different lens now, which maybe is wrong of me,” Borowiecki said. “For me, it was a way to survive in the league and make a name for myself. If I was coaching my son, I’d be focused on competing, playing hard, playing with some passion and emotion — and whatever results, results.

"I’m not going to encourage him to go fight. Maybe that’s your answer there. If that’s the way I’m going to approach it with my son, I’m not going to push other kids to. I don’t really have much desire to see 17-year-old kids hitting each other. It doesn’t do it for me in the junior level.

“Again, I want to see guys go out there and compete, play with passion, play with some aggressiveness, embrace the contact, embrace the confrontation — and whatever results, results. From a coaching standpoint, for me, it’s play hard, play extremely hard defensively, play hard offensively. Have that puck, be a pain in the butt to contain, to check, to cover. You know what? Sometimes when you play that relentless, high-energy style, things are (still) going to happen.”

Borowiecki also reflected on his transition to coaching, the evolution of fighting in hockey, and the challenges faced by today’s young players. He shared insights on the Senators’ push to return to the playoffs, praised the leadership of former teammate Brady Tkachuk, and offered thoughts on the coaching styles of Guy Boucher and D.J. Smith.

He also discussed his post-career health and answered some lighthearted hockey questions, showing the same honesty and personality that made him such a respected player in Ottawa.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

This article originally appeared on The Hockey News website: 
More Sens Articles:

Keith Tkachuk On Brady's Future In Ottawa: 'I Don't Think He's Going Anywhere'
Next NHL Expansion Fee May Be 40 Times More Than The Ottawa Senators Paid
The Ottawa Senators' 2025-26 Lineup Is Probably Already Set
Should Batherson Have Been Considered For Team Canada's Orientation Camp?
Mark Stone Jokes That It Wasn't Always Easy Playing On Brady Tkachuk's Line
2018 World Junior Trial Ends: Former Senator Alex Formenton Found Not Guilty

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.

As such, the Sabres will be worth watching every game, because every game matters. And so we're examining each of Buffalo's opponents next year -- who each team has added, when they'll square off this year, and other relevant info -- and we're now well into the Central Division, witht the St. Louis Blues. The Blues are a strong team that didn't play well against Buffalo last year, but with some notable changes, that could change in the Blues' favor this time around. So let's get down to business, and break down the Sabres/Blues rivalry.

BUFFALO SABRES VS. ST. LOUIS BLUES

NEW BLUES PLAYERS: Pius Suter, C, Nick Bjugstad, C; Logan Mailloux, D

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

2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER:  November 6 at Buffalo; December 29 at St. Louis

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM?  There's a neat sense of deja vu when it comes to the Sabres and Blues playing each other this year and last year. On Dec. 29, 2024, Buffalo played St. Louis in St. Louis for their final game against each other. And on Dec. 29, 2025, the Sabres will be playing the host Blues. for their final game of next season. You don't see that every year.

In any case, the Blues came on strong late in the season last year to earn a Western Conference wild card playoff berth, but when they did get to the post-season, the Blues blew a late lead and lost Game 7 to the Winnipeg Jets, ending St. Louis' season in the first round. For as great a story as they were on that late-season run, the Blues showed their deficiencies in falling to the Jets.

So, armed with as much salary cap space as he could muster, Blues GM Doug Armstrong set out to bolster his lineup this summer. And he did just that, strengthening St. Louis down the middle, and giving an opportunity to a young defenseman he acquired at a fairly high price.

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.

At center, Armstrong added two veterans -- first and foremost, former Vancouver Canuck Pius Suter, and then, journeyman Nick Bjugstad. Both players combined cost Armstrong $5.875-million -- not bad at all, especially given how this year's market for centers was a seller's market.

Elsewhere, Armstrong added 22-year-old defenseman Logan Mailloux in a trade with Montreal that sent 22-year-old winger Zac Bolduc to the Canadiens. Mailloux will start the season on the Blues' third defense pair, but he has the chance to work his way up the depth chart by quickly adapting to the NHL level.

So, the Blues team the Sabres will face this year is going to be much tougher than the one Buffalo faced in December of last year. Indeed, while the Sabres handled their business against St. Louis last year, the Blues were a tale of two teams -- one that was inconsistent early in the year, and the other was a legitimate powerhouse that bulldozed its way into the playoffs. The Sabres managed to avoid that powerhouse Blues team, and this time around, they won't be so fortunate.

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Central Edition: Will Superstar Kaprizov And Minnesota Wild Roll Over Sabres?The NHL's 2025-26 season is nearly here, and here at THN.com's Sabres site, we've been examining every one of the Buffalo Sabres' opponents next year. Earlier, we looked at the Atlantic Division's seven teams, followed by the Metropolitan Division's eight teams, and now, we're four teams deep in the highly-competitive Central Division. 

What we're ultimately saying here is that Buffalo will have a tall task trying to win both games against St. Louis next season. It's not out of the question that the Sabres can beat the Blues twice -- and to be sure, that's exactly what Buffalo should be aiming to do -- but if this St. Louis team is properly motivated, they're a handful for every NHL team, the Sabres included.

The Blues' many veterans won't forget that Buffalo beat them twice last year, and they'll want to avenge their losses to the Sabres. For that reason, St. Louis should expect to bounce back against Buffalo, and the Sabres need to prepare for a much tougher battle against the Blues next season.