On Wednesday night, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that they have agreed to a contract extension with defenseman Wyatt Kaiser. 

Kaiser was an RFA with the hopes of getting a deal done before training camp began, and the two sides were able to come together successfully. The deal is a two-year contract with an average annual value of $1.7 million. 

Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on Xhi Wyatt!👋 📰 ➡︎ https://t.co/UDrC9Plahj

Kaiser set career highs in goals with four, points with 8, and games played with 57 during the 2024-25 season. He also managed to be a contributor in blocked shots and hits, which is part of what makes him a solid young defensive defenseman. 

Despite the Blackhawks starting to build some nice depth on the back-end, they are mostly young players, so a good rotation will be necessary in 2025-26. Kaiser will be a part of the mix on the left side. 

When the rosters came out for training camp, Kaiser's name did appear on it with the designation that he was without a contract. Now, he will be able to report to camp with no issues. 

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

After taking a major step in the right direction in 2024-25, the Montreal Canadiens followed that up with a busy off-season. They notably brought in star defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders in a big trade. They also acquired a young forward in Zack Bolduc from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenseman Logan Mailloux.

While Dobson and Bolduc are the Canadiens' newcomers that are being talked about most, the Habs also brought in an interesting veteran forward who should not be ignored: Sammy Blais. 

The Canadiens quietly signed Blais to a one-year, $775,000 contract back in July. This was after the 6-foot-2 forward spent all of the 2024-25 season in the AHL with the Abbotsford Canucks, where he recorded 14 goals and 40 points in 51 regular-season games. He also made a big impact during Abbotsford's championship run this spring, recording six goals, 19 points, and 77 penalty minutes in 23 playoff games.

Now, after a successful season in the AHL, Blais will be looking to get back to the NHL level with the Canadiens. When looking at the Habs' group, it is fair to wonder if the 2014 sixth-round pick could make the Habs' roster as an extra forward with a strong training camp. His hard-nosed style of play and versatility could get him some consideration for their fourth line. 

Blais last played at the NHL level with the St. Louis Blues in 2023-24, where he recorded one goal, seven points, and 194 hits in 53 games. It will now be interesting to see if he can claw his way back to the NHL with the Canadiens from here. 

Media days have kicked off for the Vegas Golden Knights, and while the main focus is what’s to come on the ice this season, that doesn’t mean that the Knights can’t have a little fun. 

The series The Summer I Turned Pretty has taken the world by storm, and the ongoing question all summer has been: “Are you team Jeremiah or Conrad?” Based on Jenny Han’s bestselling trilogy, the show follows Belly Conklin as she returns to Cousins Beach stirring up many emotions, and forces her to choose between two brothers. 

While it may not be so obvious, a few unexpected fans of the show are some of the Golden Knights themselves. The video includes fan favorites, defenseman Noah Hanifin, center Cole Schwindt, right-winger Mitch Marner, and center William Karlsson. 

Turns out, even pro hockey players couldn’t avoid the appeal of the show. All episodes are now streaming on Prime Video. 

Personally, I’m happy to hear that the Knights and I are on the same page. 

We’re almost at the start of the NHL’s 2025-26 regular season, and on THN.com’s Buffalo Sabres site, we’re nearing the conclusion of our exclusive player-by-player series in which we break down the expectations for each Sabres player this coming season.

We’ve already made our way through Buffalo’s goaltenders, blueliners, and the grand majority of the Sabres’ top-four lines of forwards. And in today’s file, we’re analyzing the expectations for right winger Beck Malenstyn, a player who is firmly entrenched on Buffalo’s fourth line. Malenstyn may even be in danger of losing his job as an everyday NHL player.

But let’s get down to all the notable information about Malenstyn, then harbor an educated guess about what’s most likely to be ahead for the 27-year-old in ‘25-26:

Player Name: Beck Malenstyn

Position: Left Winger

Age: 27

2024-25 Key Statistics: 76 games, four goals, 10 points, 10:32 average time on ice

2025-26 Salary:$1.35 million

2025-26 Expectations: As you can see by Malenstyn’s individual numbers, he’s not a threat to go on a point-producing spree anytime soon. Malenstyn is almost the dictionary definition of what NHL management members want out of a fourth-line forward: he’s physical – he led all Sabres forwards with 191 hits last year – and he’s big at 6-foot-3 and can give you some decent minutes on defense. Other than that, you’re likely to come away disappointed with Malenstyn, who barely got to double-digits in points in his first year as a Sabre.

We’re not saying Malenstyn isn’t an NHLer, but in an era when every salary cap dollar saved is a dollar you can spend on a difference-maker, you can probably find young players on entry-level contracts making about a half-million less than Malenstyn makes to do the same job. Remember, this is a player who averaged 10-and-a-half minutes per game. We're obviously not talking about someone who is out there in crucial situations.

And given that this is Year 2 of Malenstyn’s two-year contract, we wouldn’t expect an announcement of a contract extension for him anytime soon. Indeed, with younger Sabres pushing up against him in Buffalo’s depth chart – players like first-year Sabres winger Josh Doan, and any one of Buffalo’s small army of young players -- seeking an opportunity to show what they’re made of.

Sabres 2025-26 Player Expectations: Newcomer Winger Danforth A Role Player At Best For Buffalo In '25-26The NHL’s 2025-26 season is about to begin, and on THN.com’s Buffalo Sabres site, we’re approaching the end of our player-by-player series in which we analyze every Sabres player’s expectations for the coming season.

For better or worse, we know what Malenstyn is made of. He’s an honest player, and one who can drop down, block shots and kill penalties for you. But he’s being relatively well-compensated as a fourth-liner, so he’s going to start the year on a line with right winger Justin Danforth and center Peyton Krebs.

Krebs still has some ceiling as an NHLer, and if he can come out of the gate thriving, Malenstyn’s individual numbers could get a boost. But otherwise, we can’t expect Malenstyn to be the catalyst for a surge in the offense generated by Buffalo’s fourth line.

Sabres 2025-26 Player Expectations: Buffalo Hoping Center Krebs Will Emerge As Key CogThe NHL’s 2025-26 season is just about upon is, and here on THN.com’s Buffalo Sabres site, we’re near the end of our player-by-player series in which we break down each Buffalo player’s expectations for the coming year.

Malenstyn may depart the Sabres at the end of this season, or sooner. He could be used as salary cap ballast to make an in-season trade work under Buffalo’s financial picture. But it’s difficult to envision Malenstyn as a long-term piece of the puzzle in Western New York.

The bottom line -- there are many players on Malenstyn’s level, and even if the Sabres appreciate what he does, that means constant change is likely in the cards for him, and a new employer for him at this time next year. But he still has time to ensure he stays in Buffalo beyond this coming year.

Less than 24 hours ahead of the start of training camp, the Nashville Predators have made five additions to their roster. 

Defenseman Scott Harrington and forward Isaac Ratcliffe have been invited to training camp via a professional tryout. Defenseman Hayden Barch and forward Alex Kostov will be at training camp via an amateur tryout. 

Forward Viktor Norringer, who played in Sweden last season and will be with the Muskegon Lumberjacks this fall, will also be at training camp. He was drafted by the Predators in the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft. 

Norringer was also in attendance during Predators rookie camp in July. 

Harrington was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round of the 2011 NHL Draft and has since bounced around the league. He's played with the Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Columbus Blue Jackets, Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks.

His best NHL season came in 2018-19, where he scored 17 points in 73 games with the Blue Jackets and four points in 10 playoff games. During the 2023-24 season, he played in Switzerland with Zurich SC and GCK Lions. 

Harrington returned to North America this year, playing 49 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds, the St. Louis Blues AHL affiliate. He scored five points in 49 games. 

The Philadelphia Flyers drafted Ratcliffe in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft, but he has only played 10 NHL games since then.

He spent three and a half seasons with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms from 2019 to 2023. Ratcliff was called up to Philadelphia for 10 games, scoring four points. In 2023, he was traded to the Nashville Predators and played 13 games with the Milwaukee Admirals. 

As a free agent, he'd sign with the Chicago Wolves for the 2023-24 season, scoring 10 points before returning to Milwaukee for the 2024-25 season, where he played 13 games. Radcliffe has also attended the Blues' training camp on a professional tryout back in 2023. 

Barch is just 18 years old and is coming off his first junior season with the Saginaw Spirit. In 27 games, he scored five points and logged 29 penalty minutes. In the playoffs, he played in five games, recording a point and four penalty minutes. 

Barch also competed for the Predators in the NHL Prospect Tournament this past weekend in Tampa. 

The 19-year-old Kostov is entering his fourth junior season with the Flint Firebirds. He's coming off a strong campaign with Flint during the 2024-25 season, scoring 45 points in 68 games. He Kostov also had three points in five playoff games. 

At 6-feet-4-inches, this is a player that could really jump out at camp for the Predators. He played for the Predators in the NHL Prospect Tournament this past weekend in Tampa. 

On top of these five additions, Daniel Carr, Kyle Marino, Oasiz Wiesblatt, Zack Hayes, Chad Nychuk and T.J. Semptimphelter are all attending training camp on a tryout agreement. 

Mar 27, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators center Jonathan Marchessault (81) goals is waved off after review from the NHL against the St. Louis Blues during the third period at Bridgestone Arena. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

As the 2025-26 season approaches, we’re previewing each of the Nashville Predators’ Central Division opponents.

This series will feature each team in chronological order and not their predicted order of finish in the division.

Today’s preview focuses on the St. Louis Blues.

2024-25 Season By The Numbers

RECORD

44-30-8 (.585)

OVERTIME

8-6

SHOOTOUT

4-2

OVERALL

14th

OFFENSE

3.05 GPG (13th)

DEFENSE

2.82 GAA (11th)

POWER PLAY

22.1% (16th)

PENALTY KILL

74.2% (28th)

EXPECTED GF/60

2.24 (30th)

EXPECTED GA/60

2.31 (5th)

Season Analysis

After the Blues brought in Jim Montgomery to replace Drew Bannister as head coach last November, things began to look up.

The team went 35-18-7 the rest of the way, and grabbed the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, getting back to the post-season for the first time since 2022.

Their reward: Matching up with the Winnipeg Jets, winners of the President’s Trophy for posting the best regular-season record.

The Blues gave it everything they had, falling in double overtime in Game 7 of the first round.

As he begins his first full year with St. Louis, Montgomery will now have the expectations of getting back to the playoffs again. His other challenge will be to balance a mixture of seasoned veterans with youth.

Offense

After putting up 19 goals and 36 points in 72 games for the Blues last season, Zack Bolduc was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Logan Mailloux. Fourth-line center Radek Faksa, after one season with the Blues, returned to his former team, the Dallas Stars, in free agency.

Otherwise, the Blues’ main offensive core is intact. Robert Thomas, who led the club with 81 points in 2024-25, will once again be the top center. Jordan Kyrou, who led the Blues in goals with 36, dodged off-season trade rumors and is also back.

The Blues are hoping for another great season from Dylan Holloway, who tallied 26 goals and 63 points in his first season. If he hadn’t missed the playoff series against the Jets with a hip injury, who knows what might have been?

Pius Suter (25 goals, 46 points) signed a two-year contract with St. Louis in free agency, and should also give the offense a boost.

Defense

The Blues succeeded in getting younger on the blue line by waiving 34-year-old Nick Leddy and acquiring the 22-year-old Mailloux. Ryan Suter, 40, became a UFA.

After being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks last December, Cam Fowler (40 points in 68 games between the Blues and Ducks), will be counted on for veteran leadership. So willColton Parayko and Justin Faulk.

Philip Broberg showed why the Blues made a smart choice signing him to an offer sheet prior to last season, recording 29 points in 68 games.

Goaltending

Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer made a nice tandem in net last season. Binnington’s 2.69 goals-against average was his best since 2020-21.

Hofer went 16-8-3 with a 2.65 GAA and .904 SP. He’s 25, and signed a two-year, 6.8-million contract in June.

Special Teams

Overall, the Blues’ power play ranked 16th in 2024-25. But they got significantly better after Jan. 1, scoring at a 26.7% clip the remainder of the season, ranking fifth during that span.

Things were not so great with the penalty-kill unit, finishing 28th &74.2%). Adding Pius Suter should be a big help, after he guided the Vancouver Canucks to a third-place ranking in the NHL in that department. Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich will also be back on the top PP and PK units.

Last Season’s Series

The Blues were a thorn in Nashville’s side in 2024-25, going 4-0-0 over the four-game series. Only the final contest, a 3-2 Preds loss on March 27, was close. St. Louis outscored the Predators 18-8 in the series.

2025-26 Season Series

The two teams won’t meet in the regular season until December, when they’ll square off three times: Dec. 11 in Nashville, Dec. 15 in St. Louis, and Dec. 27 also in St. Louis. The final get-together is Feb. 2 in Nashville.

The Bottom Line

The Central will be a tough division again this season with the likes of Dallas, Winnipeg, Colorado, etc. But if the Blues can be more consistent throughout the season and hang around, they’ll be in the playoff conversation.

The Hockey News StoreOnline store to purchase subscriptions, single issues, special issues and products from The Hockey NewsThe Hockey News StoreOnline store to purchase subscriptions, single issues, special issues and products from The Hockey News