Coming out of the NHL Scouting Combine last weekend, the Buffalo Sabres got the lowdown on a number of prospects that could be their with the ninth selection at the 2025 Draft in Los Angeles later this month, but barring a trade up they will have to rely on the player they want slipping through the cracks.  

The NY Islanders are likely to select defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the top overall pick, but there is no accurate read on how the remaining seven picks will break. That seems to be reflected in various mock drafts that have emerged since the combine. After Schaefer, names like Michael Misa, Caleb Desnoyers, and rising star Anton Frondell are likely to go in the top five, but at that point, any of a number of players could be there for the Sabres at #9.  

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Porter Martone of the OHL’s Brampton Steelheads is considered by many draft analysts as the best winger in the 2025 NHL Draft, but with the top end of the first round dominated by centers, he has been projected going as high as third to the Chicago Blackhawks or   slipping into the lower half of the top-10 and perhaps even lower than the Sabres ninth overall pick. 

According to the Hockey News Draft Preview, Martone is considered a power forward with high-end skill. He had 74 penalty minutes last season and uses his 6’3”, 208 lb. frame effectively, using his size and hands to create scoring chances in close.   The 18-year-old led the Steelheads in scoring with 98 points (37 goals, 61 assists) in 57 games last season and has a connection to the Sabres, whose father was a fourth round pick of Buffalo in 1996. 

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The San Jose Sharks are expected to be aggressive this offseason, and while almost nobody expects them to be a playoff contender next season, the expectation is that they start to make some moves that prove they want to start making a push for the playoffs as soon as the 2026-27 season. 

Some big names are available this summer, including Mitchell Marner, Nikolaj Ehlers, Aaron Ekblad, and Brock Boeser, and while the Sharks have the money to make an enticing offer to any of those players, they could turn to another league to see if there is some interest in coming to North America.

The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia has produced some solid hockey players over the years, and that continues to be the case. In this article, we take a look at two potential targets for the Sharks this summer, both of which would be coming over from the KHL.

Vitali Kravtsov - Traktor Chelyabinsk

The first potential target is 25-year-old forward Vitali Kravtsov, who played the last two seasons with Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL. There are rumors that he is open to returning to the NHL next season, and while he would be a solid target for the Sharks, there are some obstacles they face before they would be able to bring him in.

The Vancouver Canucks still own Kravtsov's rights, so if he was open to coming back, he would rejoin the Canucks. However, if he isn't interested in playing with them, he could easily request a trade, and the Sharks could swoop in at that point. 

Over parts of two previous seasons in the NHL, split between the Canucks and the New York Rangers, Kravtsov scored six goals and added six assists for 12 points through 64 games, which comes out to a 0.19 points-per-game average. 

He has exploded offensively over the past two seasons in the KHL. In the 2023-24 campaign, he scored 18 goals and added 16 assists for 34 points through 55 games. This past season, he scored 27 goals and added 31 assists for 58 points through 66 games. 

The Canucks will see the potential that Kravtsov has and may ask for at least a mid-round pick in return, but considering he would be playing a top-six forward role with the Sharks, that's something they should be all over.

Maxim Shabanov - Traktor Chelyabinsk

The second enticing option is another player from Traktor Chelyabinsk, Maxim Shabanov. He is a 24-year-old, left-handed forward who stands 5-foot-8, 157 pounds, and has been in rumors all summer as a potential target for several NHL teams when free agency opens.

Known for his flashy style of play, Shabanov took the KHL by storm offensively and dominated. Last season, he scored 23 goals and added 44 assists for 67 points through 65 games, maintaining just over a point-per-game average.

Over parts of four seasons in the KHL, Shabanov has scored 67 goals and added 83 assists for 150 points through 207 games, which comes out to a 0.72 points-per-game average. During his time in their development league, the MHL, he played 144 games, scoring 50 goals and adding 68 assists for 118 points, which comes out to a 0.82 points-per-game average.

His rights aren't owned by anyone in the NHL, making it free for any team to come in and make him a solid offer to bring him onto their team. There will likely be a slight bidding war for his services, and considering what he may be looking for, whether it be playing time or money, the Sharks should have enough to try and convince him to join their team.

There will be plenty of options for the Sharks this summer as they try to fill out their roster and get themselves out of the bottom of the league standings, but they should consider all options when trying to improve their team. Both Kravtsov and Shabanov have proven their worth as offensive-minded forwards who can dominate with the puck on their stick, but there is always a risk when they try to translate their game to another league on another continent. 

Andrei Kuzmenko is a perfect example of a player who came over from the KHL after dominating offensively and was able to translate his game to the NHL level. There have been plenty of players who have tried to make the jump and failed, but with how much the Sharks have struggled over the past several campaigns, they should be willing to take a risk.

Time will tell what the Sharks end up doing with their cap space, and they will have their full focus on the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft as they try to select a future superstar at second overall, but once July 1st comes around and free agency opens, they need to get a little aggressive.

Sharks Should Consider Following Ducks' Trade StrategyThe San Jose Sharks are in the middle of a rebuild, and while Mike Grier is taking a slower, more patient approach to set the team up for long-term success, there are still some smart deals he could make to insulate the young core with experienced veterans.

Sharks & Stars Could Be Trade Partners On Draft DayThe San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars have the assets to pull off a big draft day deal.

San Jose Sharks 2025 Draft Target: Bill ZonnonThe 2025 NHL Draft is just 11 days away, and things around the NHL are going to get interesting and fast. As soon as the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals are over, the floodgates will open and there will be a ton of NHL news and rumours.

Panthers rout Oilers in Game 6 to win back-to-back Stanley Cups originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Déjà vu.

The Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 on Tuesday to win the Stanley Cup for the second straight year. Sam Bennett collected the Conn Smythe trophy with 15 goals across Florida’s run.

It’s the same exact outcome as last season, when the Panthers avoided losing a series 3-0 by winning Game 7 versus the Oilers with Sam Reinhart scoring clutch goals. But this time, he scored lots of them.

Reinhart started the scoring within the first five minutes of the opening period, stealing the puck away, splitting two defenders then rounding it home.

Matthew Tkachuk then added the second for Florida with 46 seconds remaining in the period. With Eetu Luostarinen doubled on the right wing, he laid it off for Tkachuk, who faced no defensive reinforcement and drilled it home.

Reinhart then added a second late in the second period, but it came in unusual fashion. Carter Verhaeghe flipped an unexpected shot toward the net before falling to Aleksander Barkov, who shot and saw it deflect off Reinhart and in.

Reinhart’s hat-trick came with 6:34 on the clock in the third period, as Barkov logged another assist thanks to an empty net.

It became the first playoff hat-trick by a Panthers player in franchise history. But he wasn’t done there.

Just moments later on another empty net, Reinhart got a wrist shot off while falling. Of course, no Panthers player has scored four goals in a playoff game.

Reinhart’s fourth tied the Stanley Cup record for most in a final, last done so by Montreal’s Maurice Richard in 1957.

Edmonton didn’t come away empty-handed, however. It responded shortly after through Vasily Podkolzin, who rounded the keeper off a Jake Walman assist, silencing the crowd for a brief moment.

The Panthers became the 11th franchise to repeat as Stanley Cup champions since the expansion era in 1967-68. The last team to do so was the Tampa Bay Lightning, who beat the Dallas Stars in the 2020 final before repeating the following year over the Montreal Canadiens.

This occasion is a bit different, though. While Tampa Bay beat two separate opponents, Florida handed Edmonton consecutive heartbreaks. The last team to suffer such a fate was over 50 years ago, when the Canadiens took down the Boston Bruins twice in 1977 and 1978.

Edmonton still has five Stanley Cups in its trophy cabinet, but it’s been multiple decades since a new addition. The Oilers have won it all in 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88 and 1989–90.

The Oilers are also one of the last Canadian teams to lift the Cup, as Canada’s drought is equally as parched. Montreal is the last Canadian franchise to hoist the silverware, having done so over the Los Angeles Kings in 1993.

Florida is among the franchises capitalizing on the U.S. momentum. This win marks the team’s second ever Stanley Cup, so it’s a team relatively new to the major title scene.

Panthers head coach Paul Maurice also became the first coach in NHL/NFL/NBA/MLB history to win multiple championships after winning none over his first 25 seasons, via Opta Stats. Maurice previously coached the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets before joining Florida in 2022.

The Panthers then reached the final in 2023, but lost to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in five games. Safe to say that experience shaped Florida’s future for the better. If they can retain unrestricted free agents Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand and Bennett, among others, the Panthers may very well be on the hunt for a rare three-peat.

The Vegas Golden Knights have elected to make some moves with their front office, appointing John Penhollow as the team’s new President of Business Operations, and Kerry Bubolz will transition to a new Chief Civic Affairs and Government Relations Officer role. 

NEWS! We have hired John Penhollow as President of Business Operations to oversee our Nevada-based sports and venue properties!

Kerry Bubolz will continue to serve the team & community as Chief Civic Affairs & Government Relations Officer. #VegasBornhttps://t.co/ozPEBTYsrs

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 17, 2025

The organization announced the move on Tuesday, highlighting their excitement with the addition in a press release.

“We are thrilled to welcome John Penhollow to the organization as our new President of Business Operations for the Vegas Golden Knights and our Nevada-based sports properties and venues,” said Vegas Golden Knights Chairman and Owner Bill Foley. “John is a transformative leader whose vision and expertise will advance our business teams to new heights. His experience leading business strategy, revenue strategy and organizational development will be invaluable as we enter this exciting new chapter in our club’s history. His impressive record of success with revenue generation and growth aligns well with our core mission of ‘Always Advance, Never Retreat.’

Prior to joining the Golden Knights, Penhollow most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer of the National Football League’s Minnesota Vikings. With the Golden Knights, Penhollow will oversee all business operations and lead all business strategy for the Vegas Golden Knights and Foley Entertainment Group’s Nevada-based sports and venue properties, which includes the Henderson Silver Knights, Vegas Knight Hawks, City National Arena, America First Center and Lee’s Family Forum.

Penhollow has been a key figure in the NFL for quite some time. With the Vikings, he "oversaw all revenue-generating activities for the club including ticket sales as well as corporate partnerships and strategy. He played a critical role in the Vikings’ efforts to design and open two best-in-class facilities: U.S. Bank Stadium, which opened in 2016 and hosted Super Bowl LII in 2018, and Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center, which opened in 2018. He worked a total of 12 seasons with the Vikings, where he originally started as the team’s Director of New Stadium Partnerships in 2013 before being elevated to Vice President of Corporate and Technology Partnerships in 2015. During his tenure, Penhollow and his revenue teams led the NFL in both performance and innovation while creating a world-class fan experience and championship-caliber culture," according to the Golden Knights' press release. 

Bubolz has done a terrific job with the Golden Knights as well, helping the organization take advantage of the Las Vegas flair and turn the Golden Knights into a strong business. Working together with Penhollow, the Golden Knights are on a fast track to becoming one of the best-run organizations in the NHL if they aren't already.

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The talent-hungry Philadelphia Flyers are open to just about every possibility heading into the 2025 NHL Draft, and trading up for an even higher draft pick remains on the table.

In his annual pre-draft press conference Tuesday, Flyers GM Danny Briere reiterated his long-standing interest in trading up in the draft, but, ever careful to hold his cards close to his chest, acknowledged the possibility of keeping and using all seven picks he holds in the first two rounds of the 2025 draft.

"It's been pretty quiet on that front. It feels like everybody's trying to move up at the moment," Briere said of trading up in the draft. "We've said from the beginning we'd like to try to move up if it's possible. But, right now, there's just not a lot of options there. Teams are all looking to move up, so, we'll have to be patient, and maybe there's an opportunity that comes where we can create value going the other way also."

Recall that, last year, it was reported the Flyers made a significant offer to the Columbus Blue Jackets for the No. 4 overall pick and were ultimately rebuffed. Briere never confirmed that specifically, but did admit to trying to move up and not making any meaningful progress with that discussion.

Had Briere and the Flyers been successful, it is widely believed that they would've selected either Cayden Lindstrom, who was drafted fourth by Columbus, or Ivan Demidov, who went one pick later to the Montreal Canadiens at No. 5.

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In Tuesday's press conference, Briere also remarked that, in the 2025 class, the players from the No. 2 to No. 8 range are "pretty similar," which would seemingly disincentivize such an aggressive trade to move up, at most, four spots.

That is assuming, at least, that centers like Michael Misa, James Hagens, Anton Frondell, Jake O'Brien, and Caleb Desnoyers are rated somewhat equally on their board.

Briere has already publicly entertained the prospect of selecting Desnoyers, whose older brother, Elliot, has played for the Flyers in the NHL in the past and is currently with their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Others, like O'Brien, have connections to the Flyers in other ways. O'Brien's head coach in the OHL is Brantford Bulldogs bench boss Jay McKee, who was linked to the Flyers' head coaching vacancy before Rick Tocchet was hired and who was teammates with Briere at the NHL level during their playing days.

As things stand, assuming the Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 on Tuesday night to win the Stanley Cup, the Flyers will pick sixth, 22nd, 31st, 36th, 40th, 45th, and 48th in the first two rounds of the 2025 draft.

After those picks, Briere and Co. will be back on the clock with the 68th overall pick, the fourth pick in the third round.

It's unclear who the Flyers would trade up for in the 2025 draft and why, but the fact that Briere is considering it means they have or are actively considering certain scenarios where they would feel compelled to do this.