NHL Atlantic Division Auston Matthews Steven Stamkos Patrice Bergeron

Boston Bruins

Bruins Impressed With New Goalie Prospect Zajicek
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An age-old adage in the NHL is that the best teams are built from the net out. Though there are many moving parts and factors to consider when building a successful team in the NHL, there’s no denying that strong goaltending play can be the difference between a good team and a great one. In this respect, the Boston Bruins have been very fortunate to have strong goaltending for the better parts of two decades. A big part of this is the team’s goaltending coach Bob Essensa, who works with all of the goalies in the system, split between the…

Bruins’ Defensive Health Major Key in 2025-26 Season
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For the better part of the last 20 years, the Boston Bruins have thrived on strong defensive play and leadership from the group anchoring down their blue line. This started with Zdeno Chara in the early 2010s and has continued with the likes of Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm in recent years. Related: Bruins’ Swayman Set to Bounce Back in 2025-26 With these players, the Bruins have built an identity as a team that wins with structure and reliability from their defensemen, and that remains true as we head into 2025-26 perhaps more than ever following the struggles and injuries…

3 Bruins Who Must Be Successful in 2025-26
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In 2024-25, the Boston Bruins may not have finished with the team record they wanted, but they did get some contributions up and down the lineup. Some were from players they expected, namely David Pastrnak, and some were from others they didn’t expect, like defenseman Mason Lohrei. Some teams have perennial All-Stars, like the Edmonton Oilers do with Connor McDavid or the Toronto Maple Leafs with Auston Matthews. Sometimes a team will have an All-Star caliber player, but they won’t get the recognition like McDavid or Matthews. These players are individuals like Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres or Jared…

Buffalo Sabres 

Top 3 All-Time Sabres Goalies
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Throughout the history of the Buffalo Sabres, the organization has been fortunate with the goaltending position. They’ve had some of the biggest names that have played the position don the blue and gold, as well as the red and black at one point. Thinking back on the history of goalies that have played for the Sabres, one recalls players like Bob Sauve, Don Edwards, Grant Fuhr, Roger Crozier, Clint Malarchuk and Darren Puppa. As impressive as that list seems, three other goaltenders rise to the top as the best to ever command the crease in Buffalo. Dominik Hasek The first one…

Sabres Sign Georgiev as Luukkonen Battles Nagging Injury
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The Buffalo Sabres signed goaltender Alexandar Georgiev to a one-year contract worth $850,000 on Thursday. With save percentages (SV%) well below .900 and goals-against averages (GAA) above 3.00, Georgiev has struggled the last few years. The Sabres also signed free-agent Alex Lyon to a two-year contract this offseason, and the team still has goaltending prospect Devon Levi. Luukkonen Is Dealing With a Nagging Injury It was reported late Friday morning by Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic that Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is dealing with a nagging injury, as he described it as a “tweak.” As of right now, there is…

Which Sabres Will Face the Most Pressure in Training Camp?
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As fall sets anew, so is the eve of a new hockey season. After three months of dealing with contracts and personnel, teams look to settle down and carve out their rosters out of the group of players they had and the recent acquisitions they managed to land. These players will play it out in two to three weeks, as management and staff evaluate the standing of their team and their players.  Every year’s training camps occur in mid-September, with organizations looking to finalize their squads for the upcoming season. For stars, it’s a warm-up in preparation for the gruelling…

Detroit Red Wings

3 Red Wing PTO Targets Ahead of 2025-26 Season
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With NHL training camps set to open up next week, we are days away from training camp rosters to be announced from all 32 teams. While most excitement centers around seeing prospects as well as free agent and trade acquisitions for the first time, most training camp rosters aren’t complete without a few players on tryout agreements, otherwise known as PTOs. The Detroit Red Wings have had success with PTOs in recent years. The most recent example saw forward Austin Watson join the team on a tryout, and his physicality and experience ultimately earned him a two-way contract to use…

Today in Hockey History: Sept. 14
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Yesterday in Hockey History: Sept. 13 Tomorrow in Hockey History: Sept. 15 Sept. 14 has been a big date for international hockey as the United States pulled off a huge upset and Canada got redemption. In the NHL, a pair of Hall of Fame twins made their debut, a playoff hero in Motown called it a career, and a team advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in two decades. It is time for our daily journey through the years to relive all the best moments this date has to offer. World Cup Takes Center Stage United…

Top 10 Toughest Red Wings
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Motown, The Motor City, Hockeytown. Detroit is a proud, blue-collar, mid-western city that at one time was home to 1.86 million people. It has since fallen from grace but is absolutely on the upswing. Even in the city’s darkest of times, the Red Wings have been a bright spot for many Detroiters, people who have pride and character, defining themselves by their work ethic and resilience. There are players throughout Red Wings’ history who personify these traits and are immediately embraced by the city. The players on this list had heart and grit when they laced up their skates wearing…

Florida Panthers

NHL’s Top 5 Defenses
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*this archive was originally written by Eugene Helfrick Defense wins championships. It’s a saying as old as hockey itself, but there is truth to this wisdom. A stout defense can both limit the opponent’s scoring chances while place additional pressure on them in the offensive zone. When a defense is playing near perfection, it also helps ease some of the burdens on both the goaltender and forwards, which can turn the tide of a game or a playoff series. It’s not easy to build an elite defense, of course. It can take years of drafting and developing defensemen before they…

Panthers That Will Step Up in Tkachuk’s Absence
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The Florida Panthers will start their season on Oct. 7 as defending Stanley Cup Champions for the second season in a row. They look to replicate the early 1980s New York Islanders and win their third straight championship. However, they will have to start that journey without forward Matthew Tkachuk. After receiving surgery for the torn adductor he suffered last postseason, he was placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) and will be out of the lineup for roughly three months. But with the team’s depth, they have a ton of guys who will step up to the plate in his…

6 Least Improved NHL Teams After 2025 Offseason
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It was a unique offseason in the NHL. There wasn’t much movement around the league, making it difficult for many organizations to improve their rosters, but some did worse than others. After looking at which teams improved the most this summer, let’s look at some of the least improved. Anaheim Ducks While I do expect the Anaheim Ducks to take a step forward this season, it’s not because they had a particularly great offseason. Mikael Granlund has been a consistent point producer over the last couple of seasons, but the metrics never align with the counting totals. Perhaps that’s the…

Montreal Canadiens

3 Canadiens’ Prospects to Watch in Russia
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The Montreal Canadiens have been hitting home runs with quite a few draft picks lately. Not only is Lane Hutson the reigning Calder Trophy winner, but they could have another star rookie in Ivan Demidov this season. Demidov is the next big hope for a superstar forward for Montreal, a highly touted prospect out of Russia who is looking to take the NHL by storm. The Habs have been drafting Russians pretty regularly since Kent Hughes became the general manager (GM), and it seems like they may hit pay dirt on more than just Demidov. Bogdan Konyushkov Bogdan Konyushkov is…

Oilers Out on Hart, Canadiens Trade Chips & More NHL Rumors
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In today’s NHL rumor rundown, the Montreal Canadiens have a few names being talked about as trade chips. Elsewhere, the Boston Bruins are receiving calls on center Pavel Zacha, and could move him ahead of the season. Finally, Carter Hart is looking at a two- or three-year deal, and two teams have already been taken out of the equation 3 Canadiens Identified as Trade Chips According to James Murphy of RG.org, the Canadiens have been looking at three players when it comes to trade talks. It has been no secret that the Canadiens are looking for a second-line center, as…

Canadiens Would Be Contenders With Crosby Trade
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The Montreal Canadiens are in a position to move forward with their rebuild to the point that they could soon be Stanley Cup contenders. The team made the playoffs last season earlier than expected and has made moves to improve this season by acquiring Noah Dobson. To make that next step, the Canadiens need to solidify their second-line centre spot, and by trading for Sidney Crosby, they will not only do that but put themselves in a position to contend. Crosby Solidifies the Canadiens’ Top Six If the Canadiens could broker a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins, it would be…

Ottawa Senators

Can the Jets & Senators Navigate the NHL’s Rising Salary Cap?
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The NHL’s salary cap is going up—and that means the league’s financial landscape is shifting fast. For big-market teams, it’s a green light to spend, reload, and take bigger swings in free agency. But for clubs like the Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets, it’s a little more complicated. Related: Ottawa Senators 2025-26 Prospect Pyramid More money floating around the league doesn’t just open doors—it raises the cost of staying in the fight. And in Canada’s smaller markets, where every dollar matters just a bit more, that cost can feel like a weight. The NHL’s Salary Cap Is Rising—But So Are…

4 Young Players the Senators Gave Up on Too Soon
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The Ottawa Senators have developed a reputation as a team that will give struggling players a second chance. Some of that has been out of necessity. As a rebuilding team, the Senators have struggled to attract top free-agent talent, and even if they could, their previous owner had a controversial reputation, to put it nicely. That led to a lot of turnover, and as the rebuild lagged on, Ottawa had to take what it could get, which often came in the form of underperforming players looking for a second chance. Thankfully, it worked out on more than a few occasions….

Ottawa Senators 2025-26 Prospect Pyramid
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After a long, quiet summer, hockey season is finally back, and the Ottawa Senators’ farm team is in better shape than it’s been in a while. Armed with multiple top-tier prospects and several underrated players who had big breakouts last season, the prospect pool has vastly improved in the two years under Steve Staios’ watchful eye. With the influx of new talent from the 2025 Draft and several intriguing free agent signings, that trend is likely to continue in 2025-26. Of course, most fans won’t be watching the Senators’ farm team. This is a playoff team now, and the players…

Tampa Bay Lightning

Today in Hockey History: Sept. 11
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Yesterday in Hockey History: Sept. 10 Tomorrow in Hockey History: Sept. 12 This date has been very busy over the years in the National Hockey League. There was the addition of two teams. The Hall of Fame officially began, multiple captains were named, a big international game was played, and exhibition contests took place all over the globe. Let’s begin our daily trip back in time to relive all the top moments from Sept. 11. Two New Teams Welcomed In The NHL expanded from 12 teams to 14 on Sept. 11, 1969, announcing that Buffalo and Vancouver were awarded new…

8 NHL Head Coaches on the Hot Seat in 2025-26
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If a head coach was a Jack Adams finalist a few seasons back, then by default, they are on the hot seat this season. At least that’s what the recent trends have indicated. Jim Montgomery won the award in 2023 and was fired in the middle of the 2024-25 season, while Rick Tocchet, who won the award in 2024, is no longer with the Vancouver Canucks. All three finalists from the 2022-23 season have been replaced since then, and the same is true about the 2021-22 finalists. Related: 5 Non-Playoff Teams From 2024-25 That Can Win the 2026 Stanley Cup…

Tampa Bay Lightning Guide to the Prospect Tournament
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The Tampa Bay Lightning will host the 2025 NHL Prospect Tournament, being held from Sept. 12 to 15 at AdventHealth Center Ice. Here is a guide to help you follow the tournament, which will also feature prospect teams from the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators. When and Where Is the Prospect Tournament? How Can I Follow? The tournament begins on Friday, Sept. 12, and will run until Monday, Sept. 15. The arena is in Wesley Chapel, part of the northern Tampa suburbs. Games will be featured on The Spot Tampa Bay 66 and streamed on their website. Both cable…

Toronto Maple Leafs

Revisiting the Nazem Kadri Trade
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When the Toronto Maple Leafs completed their 2018-19 season, they had failed once again to get past the dreaded Boston Bruins during the first playoff series. When the season concluded, general manager Kyle Dubas had some heavy lifting to do. His defense was weak and, as the general manager, he faced salary-cap problems brought on in part by expensive contracts being paid to no-longer-worth-the-money players like Patrick Marleau and Nikita Zaitsev who had been signed by his predecessor Lou Lamoriello. Related: Remembering Borje Salming: “King” of Maple Leafs’ Defensemen It’s also fair to say Dubas had contributed to the salary-cap…

Stolarz Extension Talk, Chinakhov’s Trade Request & More NHL Rumors
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In today’s NHL rumor rundown, Anthony Stolarz of the Toronto Maple Leafs is due for an extension, and both sides have been talking about getting a deal done. Elsewhere, Yegor Chinakhov has not rescinded his trade request, but no deal appears to be imminent. Finally, Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights seem to be on the same page about an extension, and that could wrap up sooner rather than later. Stolarz & Leafs Working on Extension After finishing at the top of the league in save percentage and third in goals against average, Stolarz reportedly only has one goal…

Pacioretty Could Be the Missing Piece for the Maple Leafs
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If you read my previous Maple Leafs News & Rumours article, you probably already know the basics. Last season, Max Pacioretty earned a spot with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he showed up in the playoffs to help shake things up. But there’s more here worth digging into. Related: Today in Hockey History: Sept. 13 What does Pacioretty really bring to this Maple Leafs team? How does he affect the younger guys trying to make their mark? And what might his role look like in the future? Let’s talk about it—how would a one-year deal for Pacioretty help the 2025–26…