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Hall Of Fame Journalist Larry Brooks Passes Away At 75

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Longtime New York Post columnist and Hockey Hall Of Fame writer Larry Brooks has passed away at the age of 75 after a battle with cancer. Brooks spent 38 years with the Post, across two tenures, split by his work as the Senior Vice President Of Communications with the New Jersey Devils from 1982 to 1992.

Commonly refered to as “Brooksie”, Brooks’ time with The Post began in 1976. He originally covered the Ne wYork Islanders and the MLB’s New York Yankees, who he followed on a run to the World Series Championship in 1977. He took on covering the Rangers in the following year, and continued on for five years before taking on coverage of the Devils following their relocation from Colorado. That role blossomed into an executive role in New Jersey’s front office, giving Brooks a rare mix of experience on both sides of the mic. He became The Post’s primary Rangers beat writer and principal hockey columnist for their paper soon after his return to journalism in 1992.

Brooks covered the Rangers with great intimacy and consistency, modeling beat coverage for many up-and-coming journalists. That exemplary performance was recognized in 2001, when Brooks was named president of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. He carried the title for three years, supporting the group that oversees voting for seven annual awards handed out by the NHL. The PHWA also votes for the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award, presented by the Hockey Hall of Fame to recognize those who have brought honor to journalism and to hockey.

Fittingly, Brooks won the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award himself in 2018. The Hockey Hall of Fame honored Brooks alongside longtime Toronto Maple Leafs broadcaster Joe Bowen.

Brooks was impossible to miss over his time covering the Rangers. Not only did his columns often headline The Post, but his words often found their way into the New York fandom zietgeist. He is often credited as being the one to award Henrik Lundqvist with his popular nickname, “The King”. Brooks was also a vocal challenger to longtime Rangers head coach John Tortorella, with the two butting heads more than a few times during Tortorella’s tenure from 2008 to 2013. The Post shares that Tortorella had reached out to check-in on Brooks over the last week, something that Brooks’ son, Jordan, says meant a lot to his father.

Brooks will be rememebered as a titan of hockey journalism, with the demeanor to stand up to hard-headed head coaches and unfair labor disputes. He was vocal and proud in both the small and the big moments. He watched over a 9-8-7 record to start New York’s season – a nice step forward from a dismal season last year. His final column was an analysis of why defender Braden Schneider deserves loftier minutes.

Brooks leaves behind a son, a daughter-in-law, Joanna, and two grandchildren. His work with The Post will be continued by longtime colleague Mollie Walker. Pro Hockey Rumors sends our condolences to Brooks’ family, friends, and the entire New York sports fanbase.

Blackhawks Recall Landon Slaggert, Jason Dickinson Remains Out

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The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled forward Landon Slaggert just over one week after his latest assignment. He will help the Blackhawks address injuries to centerman Jason Dickinson and winger Andre Burakovsky. Dickinson will miss Wednesday night’s game versus the New Jersey Devils, while Burakovsky is a gametime decision with an undisclosed injury, per NHL.com’s Tracey Myers.

The Blackhawks sent Dickinson home early from their recent six-game road-trip after placing him on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The 30-year-old has not played since leaving Chicago’s October 30th loss to the Winnipeg Jets after just eight minutes of ice time. He returned to Chicago’s practice donning a no-contact jersey on Wednesday morning.

Burakovsky played through Chicago’s road-trip, including scoring two points in Sunday’s win over the Detroit Red Wings. That scoring boosted Burakovsky up to seven points in five games through the month of November. He’s earned a fringe top-line role with that momentum, including playing over 21 minutes of ice time last Monday. He is averaging a career-high 17:28 in ice time, to go along with seven goals and 14 points, in 15 games this season.

The absence of Dickinson and Burakovsky would handicap Chicago on both sides of the puck. Slaggert would face an uphill battle in matching either of their impacts, after posting no scoring and a minus-two through five NHL games this season. He has also scored one point in three AHL games. The youngster showed a good amount of drive and physical play through 33 games last season. Even then, he sits with a mere 10 points through 54 career appearances in the NHL. He should step onto Chicago’s fourth-line, while rookie Ryan Greene earns a boost in place of Dickinson. Should Burakovsky also sit out, the Blackhawks would likely run 11 forwards and seven defensemen – bringing in defender Louis Crevier and tasking rookie winger Oliver Moore with a heftier role.

Golden Knights Recall Braeden Bowman

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The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled right-winger Braeden Bowman from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights. This is the first call-up of Bowman’s professional career. He earns it after a hot start to Henderson’s season. Bowman leads the club with seven goals, and is tied for the scoring lead with 12 points, through 12 games so far.

His first call-up to the NHL is a major milestone for the undrafted Bowman. He earned a minor-league contract with Henderson out of Vegas’ training camp in 2024, after four years with the OHL’s Guelph Storm. Bowman scored 14 goals and 36 points in 68 games of his rookie AHL season, enough to work his way onto the Silver Knights’ second-line. Vegas bumped Bowman’s minor-league deal up to a two-year, entry-level contract in March, making him eligible for an NHL call-up.

Bowman’s rookie-year growth gave him plenty of runway headed into this season’s training camp. He was a standout once again – flashing a sharp finishing ability, pro-level physicality, and quick hands. Those attributes continued to headline Bowman’s game through the first month of the season, and will now be recognized by Vegas with one more home game before a two-game road-trip.

Bowman could step into the lineup in place of center William Karlsson, who remained absent from practice on Wednesday, per Danny Webster of the Vegas Review Journal. Karlsson sustained a lower-body injury in Saturday’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks and has been designated as out day-to-day. Should that injury stick around, Bowman could earn his NHL debut in Thursday’s match versus the New York Islanders. He’d likely step onto the fourth-line, while Keegan Kolesar and Brandon Saad move up to fill Karlsson’s absence. Vegas could also deploy Alexander Holtz over Bowman. Holtz has no scoring through seven games this season.

Senators, Shane Pinto To Meet Again On Contract Extension

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The Ottawa Senators will resume one of their most important conversations of the season later this week. High-scoring centerman Shane Pinto is set to become an arbitration-eligible, restricted free agent this summer, after closing out the two-year bridge deal he signed in 2024. The Senators have already started offering new deals to the 24-year-old, including a six-year, $52MM extension offered last month, per Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch. That deal would have set Pinto’s cap hit at $6.5MM each season – though Garrioch points out that Pinto likely wouldn’t have liked the money or term of that deal.

Pinto has certainly garnered the right to ask for a few favors on his next contract. He’s scored eight goals and 14 points through 16 games this season, good for third on the team in scoring behind Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle (16 points each). More than that, Pinto has posted a 57.8 faceoff percentage on 199 draws – ranking him 16th in the league among eligible players (>100 faceoffs). He also ranks among the top-five Senators forwards in blocked shots per game. That performance has cemented Pinto as Ottawa’s second-line center this season – a role the team was desperately looking for, even acquiring Dylan Cozens to fit the bill last season.

Pinto saved his career-year for his contract-year, but his performance doesn’t appear to be a total fluke. He leads the Senators’ offense in total expected-goals with 7.0 – a mark he’s just narrowly outperformed with eight goals on the year. He also leads the bunch in shot attempts per game – averaging 5.8, one full shot more than Stutle’s 4.8 in second-place. Pinto has recorded an 18.6 shooting percentage in total – a mark that sits far above his career-average of 13.2 percent. That could indicate that the young center is set to fall back to Earth in due time, though it could also be elevated by Pinto’s growing lineup role.

In full, Pinto is on pace to score 41 goals and 72 points this season. That would blow his previous best – 21 goals and 37 points scored last year – out of the water. It would also command far more than $6.5MM each season, especially against the growing salary cap.

Few players have found themselves in Pinto’s shoes – with a productive, top-end role still a few years away from their prime. Many comparable free agents have opted to avoid max-term contracts – including Marco Rossi, who signed a three-year, $15MM deal with the Minnesota Wild, and Connor Zary, who signed a three-year, $11.325MM deal with the Calgary Flames.

Pinto and his agent Lewis Gross could point towards Chicago Blackhawks’ recent extension of Frank Nazar as a baseline. Chicago inked Nazar to a seven-year, $46.2MM contract ahead of his second full season in the NHL. Nazar has gone on to score just below a point-per-game pace – 11 points in 15 games – enough to cement his spot as Chicago’s number-two behind Connor Bedard. Pinto is three years older than Nazar, and likely won’t be able to carve out as much importance on a top-heavy Senators offense. Nonetheless, shooting for roughly $7MM each season could be a sensible mark, especially if Pinto continues his dominant season.

The salary cap is expected to grow by up to $8.5MM between this season and next. That will be more than enough room for Ottawa to afford a player-friendly extension with Pinto – or earn some savings by pulling him closer to their first offer. Either way, it seems the Senators are well on their way towards cementing yet another young, high-potential forward into their future.

Photo courtesy of Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports.

Five Key Stories: 11/3/25 – 11/9/25

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After a flurry of long-term deals were handed out last week, this week was much quieter on the transaction front.  However, there was still some news of note from the past seven days, recapped in our key stories.

Barnes Promoted: Even hockey fans who aren’t entirely familiar with advanced statistics have likely heard of the terms Corsi rating and Fenwick rating.  Those were created by Tim Barnes, under the pseudonym Vic Ferrari.  Barnes joined Washington’s front office more than a decade ago and he now has a new role with the team as he has been promoted to Assistant GM.  He becomes the third AM under Craig Patrick, joining Ross Mahoney and Don Fishman.  The Capitals are no stranger to getting creative with some of their front office moves; late in the spring of 2024, they purchased the former cap-tracking site CapFriendly, adding the staff from their site into the fold as well.

Back To Russia: Vitali Kravtsov’s return to North America didn’t go as well as he had planned.  A so-so preseason saw the 2018 ninth overall pick land on waivers and after passing through unclaimed, the Canucks sent him to AHL Abbotsford.  Things didn’t go better there as he managed just four points in ten games and with several others getting an NHL look before him, he requested and was granted a termination of his contract, making him an unrestricted free agent.  He won’t be unsigned for long as it’s expected that he will sign a three-year deal with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL, returning to the team he spent the last two seasons with, including putting together a 27-goal, 58-point performance in 2024-25.

Dubois Out Long Term: Pierre-Luc Dubois had a strong first season with Washington in 2024-25, posting a career-high 66 points while helping lead them to the Eastern Conference regular season title.  Year two didn’t start strong with no points in six games and it has gotten even worse.  He recently underwent surgery to address injuries to his abdominal and adductor muscles; the estimated timeline for a return is three to four months.  His absence will be a big one for a Washington team that has been slow out of the gate, sitting seventh in the Metropolitan Division heading into tonight’s action.  Dubois will be eligible for regular LTIR which would give them up to $3.82MM in additional spending flexibility.  However, since they have more than that in regular cap room per PuckPedia, it’s unlikely they’ll be dipping into LTIR.

Kampf Suspended By Maple Leafs: After deciding he wanted to step away from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies to ponder his playing future, the Maple Leafs suspended David Kampf without pay, further fueling speculation about a change being on the horizon.  Believed to be a key issue here is the $1.325MM signing bonus paid back in July.  If Kampf requests a contract termination, Toronto could be seeking repayment of that while the NHLPA would argue that it should remain with him.  Kampf has been away from the Marlies for more than a week now so it feels like this should be coming to a conclusion in the near future.

Kyrou Scratched: One of the bigger stories of the week came from St. Louis.  With the Blues struggling to start the season, head coach Jim Montgomery sent a message to his group by scratching Jordan Kyrou.  The winger has had an okay start to his year with nine points in 15 games but after being in trade speculation over the summer, this could get him back in the rumor mill.  Speaking of that rumor mill, reports are beginning to surface that the Blues could be looking to retool or at least shake up their roster so they could be a team to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.  One of those retooling moves won’t involve veteran winger Milan Lucic, at least for now, as he was released from his PTO and signed a PTO with their AHL affiliate in Springfield where he’ll continue his NHL comeback efforts.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.

Senators Recall Hayden Hodgson

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The Ottawa Senators have recalled forward Hayden Hodgson from the AHL’s Belleville Senators. This is Hodgson’s first call-up of the season. He is in his second year with the Ottawa organization, after signing a one-year, two-way contract on July 2nd.

Hodgson spent roughly a week on Ottawa’s roster last season. He made two appearances in that span, and recorded no scoring and one fight. The rest of his season was spent with Belleville, where he posted a team-leading 156 penalty minutes – and 11 points – in 43 games. Hodgson became known for his bruising, enforcer presence througout four years in the ECHL and five years in the AHL. That presence has earned Hodgson nine games in the NHL in total. He has recorded three points and 16 penalty minutes at the top flight.

Hodgson has returned to his usual role this season, again leading Belleville with 28 PIMs through their first 11 games of the season. Ottawa will now bring in that imposing presence ahead of a match against the Utah Mammoth, who have posted the fourth-fewest hits-per-game this season. This is the second game of a back-to-back for Ottawa, which could push Hodgson into the lineup in relief of Olle Lycksell. Ottawa also has gritty forward Kurtis MacDermid in the press box. MacDermid has posted no scoring and 11 penalty minutes in seven games this season.

NHL Seeking Agreement To Allow 19-Year-Olds Into AHL

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It appears a rumor from the preseason could soon come true. The NHL is seeking an agreement with the CHL that would allow teams to assign one 19-year-old to the AHL each season, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the latest Saturday Headlines. Friedman added that some general managers are seeking even more flexibility, and that negotiations will pull in voices from the NHLPA in addition to each league. A change to the format could be made as soon as next season.

This would represent yet another significant change in what Friedman dubbed “the Wild West of junior hockey in North America”. NHL draft picks make up the majority of top-end players throughout the CHL. They help drive attendance and sales, and losing even a few could be enough to bring noticeable change. At the same time, deciding where to assign CHL prospects who appear to have outgrown their junior league can often be an all-or-nothing choice.

The Calgary Flames are currently in a pickle with defense prospect Zayne Parekh, who sustained a week-to-week injury and could earn a brief AHL conditioning stint, but who could also benefit from prolonged AHL ice time after not yet finding his NHL footing. Parekh is currently ineligible for the AHL, facing the decision of whether to return to the OHL or continue fighting for NHL minutes, as the offensive defenseman recovers from injury.

The Nashville Predators faced a similar decision with reigning fifth-overall pick Brady Martin earlier in the year. Martin showed flashes of dominant play through the first three games of his NHL career. At his peak, he was playing alongside Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg, but the Predators opted to return him early after he scored only one assist. Martin has torn up the OHL since returning, netting 11 points in seven games with the Soo Greyhounds. It’s still early in the season, but Martin is on pace to rival the 100-point mark this season, after posting 72 points in 57 games last year.

In the cases of both Parekh and Martin, as well as numerous other NHL prospects, such as Seattle’s Jake O’Brien and St. Louis’ Justin Carbonneau, the AHL would seem to offer a smooth ramp into the systems and physicality of professional hockey. Instead of pursuing AHL eligibility, many teams have turned their attention to developing their prospects for the NCAA, where they face a significant jump in competition and play against players up to the age of 26. That bridge has led to the unprecedented decision to allow CHL players into the NCAA, which has built up pressure that offering a path to the AHL could relieve.

Finding a balance between player value in the CHL, NCAA, and AHL is the task the NHL and its general managers face. They will drive decision-making throughout the process, while also ensuring that each party is satisfied with their share. On the other side of those decisions lies a junior hockey landscape that is likely completely different from what the hockey world has come to know. With more precise, more incremental steps to the top flight laid out, the NHL’s relationship with its partner leagues could even become reminiscent of the MLB.

More information about the topic of 19-year-olds in the AHL is expected to be announced in March, following the next major meeting between the NHL, NHLPA, and general managers.

Morning Notes: McKenna, Karlsson, Laughton

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17-year-old Gavin McKenna is one of the top prospects in hockey and the presumptive No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft. Currently playing NCAA hockey for the Penn State Nittany Lions, he’s gotten off to a productive start, scoring 14 points in 12 games. But even with that production, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler has indicated that McKenna’s performances in college hockey thus far have some left NHL teams wanting more.

Wheeler reported yesterday that after McKenna’s Penn State dropped back-to-back games against Michigan State in East Lansing, “the gathering collection of scouts and hockey folks weren’t kind to” McKenna in their thoughts postgame. Wheeler reported that “multiple NHL scouts” commented to The Athletic on McKenna’s “work rate off the puck, a number of backchecks he appeared to give up on,” and perhaps most distressingly for McKenna’s draft stock, “an ongoing desire for more effort.” Wheeler stopped short of saying that McKenna’s status as 2026’s top prospect was truly under threat; he is still a point-per-game NCAA freshman, after all, and his incredible skill level is still evident. But Wheeler did note that “this college hockey season has revealed” that McKenna is right now “a flawed player” whose flaws were better masked when he was playing in, and dominating, the WHL.

Other notes from around the hockey world:

  • Injury issues have once again surfaced for Vegas Golden Knights veteran William Karlsson, who left last night’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks with an injury. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger relayed word from Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy last night, who guessed that Karlsson would be out on a day-to-day basis, but did also note that they don’t know for sure the extent of his injury. Since Vegas is not on the ice today, the earliest an update on Karlsson’s status is likely to be released is Monday. Karlsson played in just 53 games last season due to injury and has seven points through 14 games in 2025-26.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs veteran forward Scott Laughton left last night’s loss against the Boston Bruins with an upper-body injury after finding himself on the wrong end of a Nikita Zadorov body check. Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube told the media after the game, including The Hockey News’ David Alter, that the severity of Laughton’s injury is currently still being evaluated, but he did note that the player will miss the Maple Leafs’ game Sunday. Per TSN’s Mark Masters, Berube expressed frustration regarding the hit that injured Laughton, saying postgame “I thought it was a head shot.” Injuries have limited Laughton to just two games played this season, his first coming on Nov. 5.

Sharks Activate Ryan Reaves, Place William Eklund On IR

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The San Jose Sharks have placed top winger William Eklund on injured reserve, retroactive to his last game on November 1st, per Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Eklund will be forced to miss Saturday’s matchup against the Florida Panthers, but he could be activated before the team’s next game on Tuesday.

This move opens the roster space needed to activate Ryan Reaves off of IR without having to reassign Zack Ostapchuk. Reaves has missed the last four games with a lower-body injury sustained on October 28th. He returned to the lineup on Saturday.

Reaves has continued his role of fourth-line enforcer through his 16th year in the NHL. He has two goals and two fights, while averaging fewer than seven minutes a night, through 11 games this season. He has been a welcome veteran presence to a young Sharks squad, but also stands as a barrier to the lineup for many top prospects.

Reaves is the fifth-oldest player in the NHL this season. His lack of career scoring glares around company like Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby at the top of the NHL’s age chart. Despite that, Reaves expressed interest in continuing his career through his age-40 season on the latest Spittin’ Chiclets episode. One more year would give Reaves a chance to reach 1,000 games – a mark that would be particularly impressive for the pure enforcer. He is currently 77 games away from the feat.

San Jose won’t let that pursuit interfere with Eklund’s return to the lineup once he’s back to full health. The 2021 seventh-overall pick has emerged as a fixture of the Sharks’ top line, and reached 41 assists and 58 points in his first season next to Macklin Celebrini last year. He scored 11 points in 12 games to start this season, before falling to injury. The Sharks offense has taken off while Eklund has been out, and could improve even further with his return. San Jose will have to decide who to scratch between Reaves and Ethan Cardwell when Eklund returns.

Former Flyers Center Mel Bridgman Passes Away At 70

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Former Philadelphia Flyers centerman and general manager of the 1992 Ottawa Senators, Mel Bridgman, has passed away at the age of 70. Bridgman was the first-overall selection in the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft. He played through 14 seasons in the NHL, then returned to school to support a front office career with the Senators.

Philadelphia drafted Bridgman on the heels of the Broad Street Bullies era. Coming off of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, the Flyers managed to acquire the first-overall pick from the Washington Capitals in exchange for Bill Clement, Don McLean, and a later first round pick. Naturally, the Flyers took a player that fit right in with their gritty style. Bridgman was coming off a 157-point season in the WCHL, the predecessor to the modern WHL. He didn’t keep quite that spark in the NHL, but still put together a solid rookie year, with 50 points and 86 penalty minutes in 80 games. That presence helped Bridgman climb into a major role with the Flyers at only 20-years-old, and earned him a fifth-place finish in 1976 Calder Trophy voting.

Bridgman found his groove as a hard-nosed grinder over the next five seasons. He became the seventh Flyer to cross the mark of 200 penalty minutes when he reached 203 PIMs in the 1997-78 season. He continued to rival that mark through 1981, all while routinely rivaling 50-to-60 points. Bridgman reached his scoring peak in the 1981-82 season, though the bulk of his points would come with the Calgary Flames, after a contentious November trade swapped him for Brad Marsh. Bridgman put up 75 points and 94 penalty minutes in 63 games with Calgary, bringing him up to a year-long total of 87 points and 141 penalty minutes after nine games with Philadelphia to start the season.

His scoring fell back to normal in the following year, prompting a move to the New Jersey Devils in 1983. Bridgman, once Philadelphia’s captain for three years, took on the Devils’ captaincy and led the team in scoring (61 points) in the 1984-85 season. He continued to wear the ’C’ until being traded to the Detroit Red Wings at the 1987 Trade Deadline. Bridgman continued his career for two more years, and retired with the Vancouver Canucks in 1989.

Soon after ending his playing days, the well-known Bridgman was named GM of a 1992 expansion team, the revitalized Ottawa Senators. He brought in eight-year pro John Ferguson as his Director of Player Personnel, and built a Senators squad headlined by Peter Sidorkiewicz, Norm Maciver, and Brad Shaw. The team ranked dead-last in scoring in their inagural season, leading to an attempt to spur the offense with Alexei Yashin and Alexandre Daigle, the second-overall pick in 1992 and first-overall pick in 1993 respectively. The duo led the Senators in scoring as rookies, but failed to pull Ottawa from the league’s depths, prompting Bridgman to launch a flurry of roster transactions that would end with his firing at the end of the 1992-93 season.

Bridgman stepped away from the NHL following his ousting in Ottawa. To some, he’s remembered as a great Flyer who led the team through the first years after their dynasty era. To others, he’s among the most imposing players of the NHL’s most physical era, as described by Mike Bossy in his biography and NHL Player’s Tribune letter. Bridgman’s tenure in the NHL often sparked controversy, but was never short of action. He was tapped to lead clubs through dark times, as a player and manager, and did both with breakneck pace. Pro Hockey Rumors sends condolences to Bridgman’s family, friends, and fans.

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