The Canucks made an addition late into this offseason yesterday, with winger Vitali Kravtsov signing a one-year, two-way contract valued at $775k. This is his second tenure with Vancouver, as he last played 16 games with the team after being acquired just ahead of the 2022-23 trade deadline, in a move that sent Will Lockwood and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick to the New York Rangers.

International experience

Kravtsov, hailing from the Russian city of Vladivostok on the eastern Pacific coast, spent the last two seasons playing with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL. He scored 34 points (18 goals, 16 assists) in 55 games in the 2023-24 season, his first back in Russia, and was sixth in league scoring in the regular season, with 58 points (27 goals, 31 assists) in 66 games. Through 33 playoff games played over the two seasons, Kravtsov had 12 points (nine goals, three assists) and helped Traktor to the Gagarin Cup Finals last season, where they lost to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in five games.

The 25-year-old winger has spent much of his career outside of North America within the Chelyabinsk system, having played parts of multiple seasons with Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk and Chelmet Chelyabinsk, the junior and minor affiliates of Traktor Chelyabinsk, respectively. Kravtsov also spent multiple stints with Traktor Chelyabinsk prior to his latest move back, having spent much of his early career with the major team, and was loaned to the team for the 2021-22 season by the New York Rangers. In 2018, he set the record for most points by an 18-year-old in the KHL postseason, with 11 (six goals, five assists) through 16 games, as well as being named the league’s Best Rookie with the Aleksei Cherepanov Award. Overall, Kravtsov has 160 points (81 goals, 79 assists) in 288 KHL regular-season games across eight seasons, and 40 points (25 goals, 15 assists) in 79 playoff games across seven appearances.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Vitali Kravtsov To A One-Year ContractThe Vancouver Canucks are bringing back winger Vitali Kravtsov. Vancouver has announced that they have signed the 25-year-old to a one-year, two way contract. Now 25, Kravtsov has spent the last two seasons in the KHL, playing for Traktor Chelyabinsk. 

Kravtsov was drafted ninth overall during the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, just two picks after Canucks captain Quinn Hughes. Later that year, he played in the 2019 World Junior Championships, hosted in Vancouver, where he won a bronze medal with Russia, scoring two goals and earning four assists. He played 39 games in the 2019-20 season for the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the Rangers, scoring 15 points (six goals, nine assists) with his first experience of North American professional hockey. 

New NHL beginnings

He made his NHL debut for the Rangers on April 3, 2021, in a shootout loss against the Buffalo Sabres — his first of 20 games in the 2020-21 season for the Original Six team. Kravtsov earned his first NHL point on April 11, 2021, with an assist on a goal from Brendan Smith in an overtime loss to the New York Islanders, and netted his first NHL goal a week later on April 18, during a 5–3 Rangers win against the New Jersey Devils. He would score another goal and assist each before the season ended, and he would head back to Russia the following year after tensions with the Rangers' front office surfaced. 

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Kravtsov returned to the NHL for the 2022-23 season, where he had six points (three goals, three assists) in 28 games with the Rangers before being traded to the Canucks, where he scored one goal and one assist. As a restricted free agent, he was extended a qualifying offer at the conclusion of the season by the Canucks, but opted to head back to Chelyabinsk, though the Canucks maintained his NHL signing rights. 

Familiar faces

The Russian winger now returns to a Canucks team that looks vastly different from the one he originally played with. Gone are big names like Rick Tocchet behind the bench and JT Miller on it alongside him, and he is reunited with his former Rangers linemate in Filip Chytil. The two spent 123 minutes together on the ice across 44 games in two separate seasons, mostly on the third line. Chytil and Kravtsov on ice together combined for a Corsi For Percentage of 57.80%, a goals for of 75% against an expected goals for of 59.09%, a shooting percentage of 8.11%, and a PDO of 1.085, above the league average of 1.00, and the 2023-24 league-leading Canucks PDO of 1.025. The last time the two played extended minutes together was on January 16, 2023, where Chytil assisted on Kravtsov’s final goal as a Blueshirt in a 3–1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

In his first tenure with the Canucks, Kravtsov spent the majority of his time on the fourth line, with 12 of his 16 games spent there. He made two appearances on the third line and two late-season appearances on the first line with Elias Pettersson as his center. On the current Canucks lineup, his highest ceiling is likely the middle six, though I would not be surprised if he spends most of his time in the bottom six, or if he is sent to Abbotsford to start the season, despite being eligible for waivers.

I’d anticipate Kravtsov working on a third or fourth line to start with Nils Åman — who he also played with twice his first time in Vancouver — or Aatu Räty as his center, assuming the team keep Chytil on as the second line center with Conor Garland and Evander Kane as his wingers. Injuries or impressive performance could lift him to the second line at some point this season with Chytil, or an elevation or trade of another center could move Chytil down to the bottom six with his former Rangers linemate. Still, he will be fighting for a spot on the big league wings come training camp against experienced Canucks like Nils Höglander, Max Sasson, Drew O’Connor, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Arshdeep Bains, and Linus Karlsson. Overall, though, the return of Kravtsov carries a low risk, as forward depth can become an issue as the season goes on, and a league minimum deal for one year adds stability and professional experience to the Canucks winger depth chart.

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Michael Pezzetta is still pinching himself after signing a two-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this summer.

The 27-year-old, who's spent his entire NHL career thus far with the Montreal Canadiens, grew up in Toronto and was a Maple Leafs fan. A sixth-round (160th overall) pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Pezzetta recalled sitting in his childhood room and looking at all of the posters on his wall after signing with Toronto.

"I got a big picture of Mats Sundin on my wall and a couple of pictures of CuJo (Curtis Joseph) and some other guys," Pezzetta smiled. "I get to fight for the opportunity to put this sweater on, and it's just something that I've dreamed of my whole life, and I'm just, it feels amazing."

A month after signing his two-year, $1.63 million deal, Pezzetta spoke with the NHLPA about joining his hometown club. He reminisced about a moment from his childhood when he attended an open practice at Scotiabank Arena.

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"One time, when I was a little kid, our team was at Air Canada Centre [now, Scotiabank Arena] to watch the Leafs practice. I was an energetic kid, not really scared of anything, so I found my way down to the locker rooms," Pezzetta said.

"I was running around outside the locker room, and I ended up running into [former NHL defenceman] Wade Redden and one of the goalies from the Ottawa Senators. By that time, my dad realized I had taken off and came looking for me. I was running around, trying to get guys to sign stuff."

He revealed that Sundin was his favorite player growing up. The former Maple Leafs captain holds the franchise record for most points (987) and goals (420) through 981 games with Toronto.

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"I had his pictures in my room, jerseys things like that," said Pezzetta. "I remember his 500th goal, coming across the blue line and blasting a slap shot home, far side, for the overtime winner, and a hat trick. It was a great memory."

Sundin's 500th goal came on October 14th, 2006, and it was a shorthanded overtime-winner against the Calgary Flames. The Bromma, Sweden-born forward also scored 32 goals and 38 assists in 77 playoff games.

Pezzetta is entering his fifth NHL season after tallying 15 goals and 23 assists in 200 games, all with the Canadiens. Although he's likely to be a depth forward for Toronto, there's no doubt Pezzetta will bring more bite to the club's bottom six.

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"It’s the same as Montreal, it is a big market, there is pressure and expectations are high," he said. "But that makes sense and that’s what makes it so great to play in these types of cities. I’m embracing every bit of it."

This article originally appeared on The Hockey News: 'I Found My Way Down To The Locker Rooms': Michael Pezzetta Reminisces On Moments As A Young Maple Leafs Fan

(Top photo of Pezzetta: David Kirouac / Imagn Images)

The cover of EA Sports NHL 26 was revealed to be Florida Panthers’ forward Matthew Tkachuk. In their official reveal trailer on Wednesday (Aug. 6), they also revealed the deluxe edition would include his brother, Brady, and his father, Keith.

With the news in mind and it being that season of video games, where fans either complain or love the cover athlete, let’s talk about three LA Kings who should be considered next year, when NHL 27 comes out. 

Adrian Kempe

This one seems obvious. Adrian Kempe is a solid hockey player and one of the most underrated in the NHL. 

While he may not be the most flashy player in the league, selecting a player who is a bit off the board but still has the skill to deserve it, combined with the ability to reach fans who still play the game, is exactly why Kempe should be in the running.

Anze Kopitar

In what is likely his final season in the NHL, Anze Kopitar deserves a look for NHL 27. It would be a little odd to have someone who isn’t going to play in the 2026-27 season grace the cover of the video game, but why not shake things up a bit?

Kopitar is a legend and could be considered a Hall of Famer when all is said and done. Rewarding him like this is something EA Sports should consider.

Darcy Kuemper

Hear me out here. 

A goaltender gracing the cover of an NHL video game? We haven’t seen that since Martin Brodeur did it with NHL 14. Why not give a goaltender a look? It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to consider him as a cover athlete, but that is a long shot.

You could also consider Drew Doughty, since he is someone else who is still in the running for an Olympic run, has been a legend of the game, and is arguably one of the most popular players in the league off the ice. 

Time will tell, but it would be cool to see anyone from the Kings’ organization on the cover of the next instalment. 

Image Credit: © Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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Following a new report, it would appear the Philadelphia Flyers don't have much of a chance of landing Mason McTavish in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks at all.

The reason isn't why you might think, either. Surprisingly, the reality is the reported asking price from the Ducks for McTavish starts with a player the Flyers simply do not have and cannot offer.

According to an NHL executive via Jimmy Murphy of RG, the Ducks would at least like a long-term, right-shot future top-pairing defenseman.

 "Unless you’re willing to get creative and knock [GM Pat Verbeek's] socks off with a monster offer, I don’t see him getting traded at this point. A right-shot, top-four and future top-pairing defenseman would be the starting point from what I know," the NHL executive told RG. "I don’t see the [Detroit Red Wings] moving Moritz Seider, so you’re likely talking Axel Sandin-Pellikka."

A cabal of Flyers fans have been holding out hope that Flyers GM Danny Briere has one more big move in him this offseason, particularly for McTavish, but based on the above information, there's no way that will happen.

Ironically, the closest thing the Flyers have to offer that would even remotely compare to a player like Moritz Seider or Axel Sandin-Pellikka is Jamie Drysdale, who was traded by the Ducks to the Flyers already last January.

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Prospects like Spencer Gill and Oliver Bonk might make some sense, but neither has the draft pedigree or pro experience that Sandin-Pellikka has.

The 20-year-old Swede has already won the SHL and owns 52 points in 107 regular season games across three seasons in Sweden's top hockey league.

Bonk, on the other hand, will be playing pro for the first time this fall and saw his production drop exponentially with the OHL London Knights this past season.

Plus, Briere and the Flyers already pried forward Trevor Zegras out of Anaheim in an attempt to resolve their issues at center and inject some skill into the top-six.

How many times can these two sides realistically continue to exchange core players and key draft assets?

There is a fit for McTavish in Philadelphia with the Flyers, yes, but it's unlikely the Flyers want to continue to fork over prime assets for more players who may or may not reach their full potential.

Instead, a slow burn towards the finish line of this rebuild is the path of least resistance at this time.

On Monday, Florida Panthers superstar winger Matthew Tkachuk was announced as the EA Sports NHL 26 cover athlete, becoming the first Panther to grace the cover since John Vanbiesbrouck on NHL 97.

Following the announcement, EA Sports revealed that a full preview of the game was to come out today, on Wednesday, Aug. 6. gameplay of the game, which is set to release on Sept. 13, was shown, but it was also revealed the deluxe version of the game would feature a cover of Tkachuk, alongside his brother Brady and his father Keith. 

Brady is the captain of the Ottawa Senators, a division foe of the Panthers. The brothers have been wreaking havoc in the NHL and joined forces on Team USA's 4 Nations Face-Off roster. The 25-year-old Brady scored 29 goals and 55 points last season, but has a career high of 37 goals and 83 points. 

Keith, the father of Matthew and Brady, never won a Stanley Cup, but if his sons want to catch him in all-time goals and points, they'll have a lot of work to do. Keith played 18 seasons in the NHL, scoring 538 goals and 1065 points in 1201 games. Currently, Matthew is trailing his father by 298 goals and 429 points, while playing 559 fewer games. 

Last year's edition of the game featured the Hughes brothers, portraying Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes and New Jersey Devils stars Jack and Luke Hughes. While still following the theme, EA Sports came up with a clever switch in their marketing.

Matthew Tkachuk featured on cover of NHL 26, first Panthers player selected since John VanbiesbrouckIt’s been a long time since a Florida Panthers player graced the cover of a major NHL video game.

One of the most intriguing prospects for the Carolina Hurricanes is defenseman Alexander Nikishin. 

The 2020 third-round pick played multiple seasons in the KHL and served as the captain for SKA Saint Petersburg for two seasons. 

Nikishin signed his entry-level contract with the Hurricanes in April and played in four games through the team’s playoff run to the Eastern Conference Final. 

Now, Nikishin is entering the 2025-26 season with high expectations.

“To be able to have the game slow down as quick as it did for him [in the playoffs] is really something that attributes to just how high of a prospect he can be," Hurricanes assistant general manager Darren Yorke said via NHL.com. "The way he wants to play is exactly how the Carolina Hurricanes play. It really fits with his ability to get up in the play and be aggressive.”

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Barring anything unforeseen, the 23-year-old defenseman should make the Hurricanes’ opening-night roster out of training camp and serve a crucial role moving forward.

Frank Nazar has arrived for the Chicago Blackhawks and will be in the second line center role for the foreseeable future. He broke into the NHL last season after dominating the AHL and isn't going to look back. The Blackhawks' future down the middle looks good with Connor Bedard, Nazar, and Anton Frondell, but either Bedard or Frondell are going to be the one moving over to the wing in the top-6.

Only six players drafted in the first round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft haven't played a game in the NHL and a scattered number of players past the first round have. Amongst the top performers from the draft already is Nazar, despite being the Blackhawks' second first-round pick that year behind Kevin Korchinski.

Nazar is the eighth-highest point producer from the 2022 draft, even though the point totals aren't all that high yet. He has 27 points in the NHL, and that's pretty good for one partial season, whereas others have two to three full seasons under their belts already.

Ahead of Nazar is Juraj Slafkovsky (111), Logan Cooley (109), Lane Hutson (68), Shane Wright (51), Pavel Mintyukov (47), Cutter Gauthier (45), and Marco Kasper (37) with Matthew Poitras (26) and Jiri Kulich (24) right behind Nazar.

Some of these players have a head start on Nazar and will likely have better linemates to play with next season, but things could change pretty quickly for the Blackhawks who will continue to look to add big names in the coming years. It's almost impossible to say who will have the longest career or who will even have the most success from a close 2022 draft, but that's the fun of watching.

Nazar is just kicking off his career and can hang with almost anyone from the draft. 2025-26 will be a telling season with a number of these players already having roles in the NHL.

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

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk had a treat for Senators fans on Wednesday afternoon. He posted on social media the new cover of EA Sports’ NHL 26 Deluxe Edition, which features the NHL-playing members of the Tkachuk family.

The cover shows Brady and his father, Keith Tkachuk, flanking his brother, Matthew, who has won the last two Stanley Cups with the Florida Panthers.

A lifetime of hockey together, now a cover we’ll never forget.
Pre-order #NHL26 to get 7-day early access and check my game: https://t.co/GnVcHVFYOopic.twitter.com/aACQXZ5t86

— brady tkachuk (@BradyTkachuk71) August 6, 2025

Brady’s caption on Twitter read: “A lifetime of hockey together, now a cover we'll never forget. Pre-order 26 to get 7-day early access and check my game.”

The link directs users to EA Sports’ website, where they can watch the official 2-minute reveal trailer, which prominently features the Tkachuks in real and virtual form.

The Tkachuks' popularity went to another level in the past few months with both Brady and Matthew playing so well at the 4 Nations Face-off in February, along with Matthew's second Cup win in as many years.

“Growing up, Matthew and I dreamed of playing just like our dad,” Brady said in an EA Sports press release on Wednesday. “Even now, his influence on how we play and prepare remains huge. It’s an honour to be featured on the cover, and having him standing alongside us makes the whole thing even better.”

Matthew agreed.

“My dad, Brady and I are all unique and play the way we want to. Sharing the cover of NHL 26 is an extension of that,” Matthew said. “I’ve always tried to bring my own style to the ice, and seeing that captured in NHL 26 makes it feel like it is really me out there.”

“I always told the boys to play hard, be smart, and never lose their personality out there,” Ketih said. “What you see now is two players with totally unique styles, and I’m proud to be sharing the cover with them.”

From the EA Sports Press Release:

Electronic Arts Inc. today unveils EA SPORTS™ NHL® 26, launching September 12, 2025, on PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S with a new level of on-ice authenticity and superstar quality.

Back-to-back Stanley Cup champion, Matthew Tkachuk, graces the cover of the deluxe edition alongside his brother, Brady, and their father, Keith, in a dream lineup uniting hockey’s present and past. With real-world NHL EDGE positional data (NHL Puck and Player Tracking) powering gameplay, in partnership with the NHL, and a reimagined Be A Pro mode that immerses players in the stakes and emotions of playing at the highest level, NHL 26 delivers an immersive and intense experience for hockey fans around the world.

This year’s cover athletes challenge traditional notions of NHL superstardom. Matthew Tkachuk, known for his relentless physicality and skill, has captivated fans with a signature style that breaks the conventional playbook. Bringing together two generations of Tkachuks, the cover highlights a family that’s carved its own path with individuality, edge, and an unyielding drive to win.

The Deluxe Edition launches on September 5, with the worldwide release following on September 12.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa