Arseny Gritsyuk signed with the New Jersey Devils at the end of last season and is expected to make his NHL debut this fall. However, in a recent interview with Russian outlet Sports-Express, the 24-year-old forward clarified the timeline of his move and his expectations.

Gritsyuk has spent the last two seasons with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), where he posted impressive numbers. In 2023–24, he recorded 38 points in 50 games. Last season, he improved to 44 points in 49 games.

SKA announced on social media that both Gritsyuk and teammate Zakhar Bardakov would be leaving the club to head to North America.

Both Zakhar Bardakov and Arseniy Gritsyuk are leaving SKA.

The pair will continue their respective careers in North America.

We would like to thank them for their efforts with our club in Saint Petersburg! Good luck!#hcSKApic.twitter.com/uSpwtlOD1O

— SKA Ice Hockey Club (@hcSKA_News) June 11, 2025

In his interview with Sports-Express, Gritsyuk revealed this move was always part of the plan:

"We had it set: two years with SKA, then off to the NHL," he said.

Off the ice, Gritsyuk has also been preparing for the transition, particularly when it comes to the language barrier.

"I took lessons twice weekly before, but I've slacked off lately," he admitted. "Basic talk is fine: I know lots of words. Those small connecting words give me trouble, though."

Gritsyuk officially signed his entry-level contract with the Devils on May 7, 2025.

Grits are now a New Jersey delicacy. We don’t make the rules.

📰: https://t.co/GC5AMmirz9pic.twitter.com/x6tVaXNuLM

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) May 6, 2025

The following day, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald addressed the media:“He’s going to get an opportunity to show what he can do… He’s highly skilled. He’s going to get an opportunity to play for our team.”

Fitzgerald on Arseniy Gritsyuk: “He’s going to get an opportunity to show what he can do…He’s highly skilled. He’s going to get an opportunity to play for our team.”

— Bill Spaulding (@BillSpaulding) May 8, 2025

Gritsyuk is expected to compete for a roster spot in training camp. But if he doesn't make the NHL lineup, he made it clear he has a backup plan—and potentially a deadline for how long he’d stay in North America without securing an NHL role.

That might sound concerning, but it’s important context: a demotion to the AHL’s Utica Comets would come with a steep pay cut under his entry-level deal. Still, Gritsyuk is motivated to make the leap this fall and fulfill the NHL dream he’s been building toward for years.

Photo Credit: © George Walker IV-Imagn Images

New York Islanders prospect Daniil Prokhorov is attending Dynamo Moscow's training camp on a PTO, per Hockey News Hub. 

Prokhorov, 18, was drafted in the second round (No. 45) of the 2025 NHL Draft and was in attendance for development camp, where he was a standout, especially in the Blue & White Scrimmage. 

Islanders Select Hard-Hitting Forward Daniil Prokhorov With Their Second-Round SelectionAfter a successful first day at the 2025 NHL Draft, the New York Islanders used the 42nd overall pick to select forward Daniil Prokhorov of the MHL.

The 6'5, 209-lb right-winger's PTO with Dynamo lasts until Aug. 29, before the club has to make a decision. 

Prokhorov has played the last two seasons for St. Petersburg Dynamo Jr, in the MHL, a third-tier league in Russia, two behind the KHL. Making the KHL will be a challenge, as he'd have to jump two leagues to secure a spot.

In 2024-25, Prokhorov recorded 27 points (20 goals, seven assists) in 43 games.

#Isles fans will love Daniil Prokhorov pic.twitter.com/aMVCxzfCpw

— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) June 28, 2025

If Prokhorov does not make the KHL squad, he does have options. 

He can return to the MHL for a third season, as the age cut-off is 20. He could play for a VHL team, which is like the AHL version of the KHL, signing a two-way deal with a KHL squad.

But Prohkorov can also decide to come to North America, since he was selected 42nd overall in the CHL Import Draft by the Sarnia Sting.

Islanders prospect Jesse Nurmi elected to come over to North America for the 2024-25 season, playing for the London Knights in an effort to get acclimated to the game on this side of the pond and the way of life. He did win the Memorial Cup. 

Prokhorov's goal is to make Dynamo Moscow, and if he does, that will be huge for his development to become a potential NHL player for the Islanders in the near future. 

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If the Montreal Canadiens struggled against the Boston Bruins last season, the same cannot be said about the Buffalo Sabres. The Habs faced the Sabres four times last season and swept the season series with three regulation wins and an overtime one. In the four games, Montreal outscored Buffalo 21-11.

The Initial game between the two teams was an entertaining one. Twice, the Canadiens took the lead, but the Sabres pushed back before taking the lead in the second frame. Captain Nick Suzuki took matters into his own hands and scored a pair of goals to tie the game back before giving the Habs the lead once again. Buffalo came out strong in the third, scoring two quick goals to take a 5-4 lead, but Montreal rallied, scoring three goals in the last 10 minutes to win 7-5. This was an important game for the young Canadiens, one in which they learned it wasn’t over until the final buzzer and they had the talent to fight blow for blow on the scoreboard.

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The Canadiens' most dominating performance against their divisional rival came in the second meeting of the season when they scored a 6-1 win on the back of Patrik Laine’s hat trick, with the three goals coming on the power play. While Buffalo’s lack of discipline was costly, since the Habs scored three goals on six opportunities, the Habs' discipline wasn’t much better since they served five penalties, but their penalty kill was flawless.

March saw the two teams battle it out in a home-and-away series, and the Canadiens won both matches, even though they needed overtime to seal the deal in the final meeting of the season. Mike Matheson scored the overtime winner just 1:21 into the extra frame.

The Sabres have undergone significant changes since those four wins; however, the question remains whether these changes were for the better. It’s hard to give a positive answer to that question. Two of their best scorers against the Canadiens, Dylan Cozens (4 points) and J.J. Peterka (5 points), have been traded away.

Cozens was traded to the Ottawa Senators in return for Josh Norris and Jacob Bernard-Docker. The latter signed with the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent this offseason. Meanwhile, Peterka was sent to the Utah Mammoth for Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring. Doan is a former second-round pick with NHL bloodlines, but he remains an unproven commodity in the NHL, having played only 62 games and accumulated 28 points. As for Norris, he is a solid addition who has 239 NHL games and 158 points to his name.

Buffalo hasn’t made the playoffs in 14 years, and it appears to be tough for them to retain their biggest names. They did manage to sign Bowen Byran to a two-year deal and Ryan McLeod to a four-year pact and did bring in veteran netminder Alex Lyon, but that won’t be enough to turn the team’s fortune around.

Unless Kevyn Adams and co. make other moves, it will be another tough season in the state of New York for Sabres fans. If Devon Levi lives up to his potential and has a breakout year, the Sabres may show some signs of progress, but otherwise, we could be in for more of the same from the Sabres. As things stand, they shouldn’t even be part of the playoff race conversation, and, on paper at least, the much-improved Canadiens should dominate the match-up this upcoming season.

Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

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While the National Hockey League career of former Detroit Red Wings forward Austin Czarnik may not have been anything record-breaking, he's proving to be one of the most valuable players of his new club in Switzerland.

Czarnik, who played in 63 combined games for the Red Wings from the 2022-23 through 2023-24 NHL seasons, was recently named the regular season MVP in the Swiss National League, the country's top professional league.

Suiting up for SC Bern, Czarnik tallied 20 goals and 36 assists in 49 games played, good for first overall on his team and first overall among all players in the NL.

 

#SwissIceHockeyNight2025

Next up for MVP Regular Season 🏆
Austin Czarnik @sc_bern_official - Congrats 🥳 pic.twitter.com/KR7tJmWpiT

— National League (@NLch_official) July 31, 2025

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Czarnik is moving on from SC Bern, having signed a contract with Lausanne HC for the upcoming 2025-26 NHL season. 

During his time with the Red Wings organization, he also saw ample time in the American Hockey League with the Grand Rapids Griffins, tallying a total of 24 goals with 41 assists in 81 total games. 

Originally from Washington Township, Michigan (about a 40 minute drive from downtown Detroit), Czarnik played for the Detroit Compuware minor ice hockey team and first began his NHL career with the Boston Bruins in 2015, with whom he signed an entry-level contract after missing out on being drafted. 

He would also see time in the NHL with the Calgary Flames, New York Islanders and Seattle Kraken before joining the Red Wings organization head of the 2022-23 NHL season. 

He managed three goals with two assists with Detroit in the 2022-23 campaign, and would play in 34 games the following season but managed a single assist. 

If Czarnik's career in the NHL is indeed concluded, he finished it by having scored 18 goals with 33 assists in 205 games. 

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Former Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns will embark on a new opportunity at 40 years old. 

After playing three seasons for the Hurricanes, Burns signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Colorado Avalanche. 

Burns still has a desire to play hockey, as retirement is not currently on his mind. 

"I just love it. I love coming to the rink every day and working. It really is the best," Burns said after signing with the Avalanche. "There's a lot of different reasons ... obviously, the biggest one for me is there's still something to chase. I'm still super motivated for that and there's one big goal still."

While Burns is no longer the Norris Trophy-winning defenseman he once was, he has adapted and knows the kind of role he needs to play.

“The game's changed. I feel like every year, it's a little different," Burns said. "You play with different people; you pick up different things. You're always adapting, on and off the ice. That's part of what I enjoy, just trying to figure that stuff out and always trying to get better and keep playing.” 

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Burns played 246 games for the Hurricanes, recording 34 goals, 99 assists, and 133 points while averaging 21:53 minutes.

Five years ago today, the Vancouver Canucks embarked on their first playoff (plus play-in) run in five years. Granted, this playoff series took place without the help of home-ice advantage and with extensive COVID-19 procedures in place — but it was still a playoff series nonetheless. Let’s take a look back at the 2020 Bubble Playoffs and how the Canucks performed during them. 

The Bubble Playoffs were the first taste of playoff action that the majority of the Canucks’ young core had been exposed to at the time. Former Canucks captain Bo Horvat had only played in six postseason games back in 2015. Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser, and Thatcher Demko had no playoff experience. Prior to this run, J.T. Miller had 61 playoff games under his belt, while veterans and career Canucks (at the time) Chris Tanev and Alex Edler had 16 and 65 respectively (both of which included games played during the 2011 Stanley Cup run). 

Because of the league-wide shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, no NHL teams were able to finish their regular season. As a result, the league introduced a play-in tournament that allowed teams to clinch their spot in the playoffs by beating another competitor in a best-of-five series. The top-four teams in each conference were automatically guaranteed a playoff spot, though they still had to take part in a round-robin tournament that would later determine playoff seeding. Vancouver finished their season seventh in the Western Conference with 78 points in 69 games, placing them in the play-in group. To officially qualify for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, they had to beat the Minnesota Wild in five games. 

Vancouver got off to a poor start to their bubble playoff run, surrendering two power play goals to the Wild in what ultimately resulted in a 3–0 loss. Micheal Ferland and Marcus Foligno kicked the series off with a fight a little over a minute into the game. A little over a minute later, Edler took a tripping penalty that sent the Wild onto the power play, where Kevin Fiala captialized on the opportunity. The Canucks took two more penalties before the end of the first period, one on Tyler Myers for cross-checking, and one on the bench for too many men.  

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The Canucks’ second penalty didn’t come until halfway through the second period, when Tanner Pearson slashed Carson Soucy, sending Minnesota on the power play once again. This time, it was Jared Spurgeon who scored for the Wild. Spurgeon also got an empty-net goal near the end of the game to seal the deal for Minnesota, who left the game with a 1–0 lead in the series. By the end of the game, Vancouver had taken six penalties as well as Ferland’s fighting major and a game misconduct for Antoine Roussel. 

This game’s result was not encouraging for Canucks fans. Minnesota goaltender Alex Stalock had stopped all 28 of Vancouver’s shots on net, with Horvat and Tyler Toffoli being held to none. The Canucks were not alone in their misery, however, as both the Nashville Predators and the Toronto Maple Leafs also lost their series-opening games on the same day. 

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The Buffalo Sabres should be in the market for an impact top-six forward after dealing winger JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth for defenseman Michael Kesselring and winger Josh Doan, but the opening weeks of free agency did not provide GM Kevyn Adams with an opportunity to replace Peterka’s production, and with the two-year deal signed earlier this month with defenseman Bowen Byram, Adams will have to try to acquire a scoring forward with younger players, prospects, and/or draft picks. 

The name of Columbus winger Dmitri Voronkov has continued to circulate in trade chatter in spite of the 25-year-old signing a two-year contract extension last month. The hulking 6’5”, 227 lb. forward was a fourth-round pick of the Blue Jackets in 2019 and spent four seasons in the KHL before breaking out with 18 goals with Ak-Bars Kazan in 2023. After signing a two-year entry-level contract, he posted the same number of goals as an NHL rookie in 2024 and set a career-high with 23 goals last season. 

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There are reasons to be skeptical of Columbus having any interest in trading Voronkov, as he is locked up for two more seasons at a $4.175 million AAV and is retainable for another year as an arbitration-eligible RFA. Unless he is not happy with the Blue Jackets like fellow countryman Yegor Chinakhov is, GM Don Waddell will want to make a hockey deal involving an NHL player. 

What Would It Cost?

The Sabres again would have some insight on Voronkov with Jarmo Kekalainen as a senior advisor, and undoubtedly would be interested in the 24-year-old, since he has size and would be able to plug the hole created by the trade of Peterka to Utah. The cost would likely have to be a young forward with years of control, since the Blue Jackets have four defensemen making over $4 million signed for multiple years. Zach Benson, Jack Quinn or Jiri Kulich would have to be part of the deal.   

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The Chicago Blackhawks have plenty of intriguing prospects in their system. One of them is goaltender Drew Commesso, as many feel that the 23-year-old netminder could become a nice part of the Blackhawks' future.

Commesso appeared in his first two NHL games this past season with the Blackhawks, where he sported a 0-1-0 record, a .846 save percentage, and a 3.36 goals-against average. The Norwell, Massachusetts native spent the bulk of the campaign in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs, however. In 39 games with the AHL squad in 2024-25, he had an 18-15-4 record, a .911 save percentage, and a 2.54 goals-against average.

During his first season with the AHL club in 2023-24, Commesso had a .906 save percentage and a 2.65 goals-against average in 38 games. Thus, the 2020 second-round pick took a bit of a step forward in his development this past season with Rockford. Now, his goal from here will be to continue to improve to increase his odds of getting more NHL time in 2025-26. 

When looking at the Blackhawks' current goalie depth, it is likely that Commesso will start the season in the AHL. However, if he continues to trend in the right direction, it certainly should open the door for him to get more chances with the Blackhawks. The potential for him to become a good NHL goaltender is there, and it will be fascinating to see if he can hit a new level next season from here. 

Blackhawks: 3 Teams Who Could Target Connor MurphyChicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy is a player to keep an eye on. The right-shot blueliner is entering the final season of his contract, so he certainly stands out as a potential trade chip for the rebuilding Blackhawks. This is especially so when NHL teams are often willing to pay more for big, right-shot defenseman.

Photo Credit:  © Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Flyers have been connected to a host of different centers in trade rumors this offseason, but there's still one nobody is talking about.

Young centers like Mason McTavish and Marco Rossi are drawing most of the attention these days, but rarely, if ever, does the Florida Panthers' Anton Lundell get brought up in these discussions.

But, why should he after winning the Stanley Cup in back-to-back years?

The answer is simple: the Panthers may not be able to afford to keep him due to their salary cap situation; they're currently $3.725 million over the cap ceiling.

Forward Evan Rodrigues has been floated as a trade candidate due to his $3 million cap hit. The Panthers can then make up the difference by assigning another forward to the AHL if and when necessary.

But, teams know the Panthers need to shed money to become cap compliant. That's where a team like the Flyers, with all their prospects and future draft capital, can strong-arm the Panthers into giving up a higher value asset like Lundell.

Lundell, 23, is signed through 2030 at a $5 million cap hit and doesn't have trade protection at any point in the deal.

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Despite slotting in behind Sam Bennett and captain Sasha Barkov in the Panthers' lineup, Lundell has still impressively managed 44 and 45 points, respectively, in two of his four NHL seasons so far.

Most importantly, at least for the Flyers, is the Finn's playoff performances thus far.

Lundell has already played 77 playoff games, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in each of the last three years and winning the Cup in 2024 and 2025.

In those 77 games, the former No. 12 overall pick has 12 goals, 34 assists, and 46 points, including nine goals, 26 assists, and 35 points in his last 47 games, which culminated in two Stanley Cups.

Between Lundell, Trevor Zegras, Jack Nesbitt, Jett Luchanko, Jack Berglund, and Heikki Ruohonen, the Flyers should be set down the middle for the long haul.

As for a potential Flyers trade package, Philadelphia doesn't have much, at least for the sake of saving cap space, of use to Florida, though a player like Bobby Brink could make some sense, just not on his own.

The 24-year-old winger has one year remaining on his contract at an extraordinarily reasonable $1.5 million cap hit and will be an RFA upon its expiry next summer.

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Brink quietly posted a career-high 41 points last season, even while primarily featuring on a checking line alongside Noah Cates and Tyson Foerster.

That would bode well for the Panthers, given the style they like to play.

So long as Brink continues to develop, or even maintains this level of play, he's as much of a long-term asset as Lundell, just at a different position.

It should be noted that the Flyers have their first three picks in each of the next three drafts, including two first-round picks in 2027.

They more than likely won't be willing to move their 2026 first-round pick, which could land them Gavin McKenna, but the Flyers have plenty of draft capital to pony up for the Panthers.

The Panthers can then, in turn, convert those assets into a player at the trade deadline to aid them in their quest for a three-peat and beyond.

Panthers GM Bill Zito is smarter than to be coerced into giving up a young stud like Lundell, but even Tom Brady had bad games.

Let's see how the next few weeks unfold if the Flyers attempt to stay active.