Devils Recall Zack MacEwen
The Devils announced today that they have recalled forward Zack MacEwen from AHL Utica. He was acquired from the Senators in exchange for fellow enforcer Kurtis MacDermid last week, but was placed on waivers the following day and subsequently cleared. No corresponding transaction is required; the team opened up two spots by reassigning Lenni Hämeenaho and Shane Lachance to Utica last night, and only filled one of them by signing veteran camp invite Luke Glendening.
MacEwen, 29, is now on his fourth team in the last four years. The undrafted 6’4″ forward can play all forward positions and, while he’s enjoyed some offensive success at the AHL level, has been a fourth-line tough guy type through the entirety of his seven-year NHL career to date. He has a 17-17–34 career scoring line in 237 appearances, including 323 PIMs and 523 hits for averages of 112 and 181 per 82 games, respectively.
While Hämeenaho and Lachance are a pair of intriguing youngsters in New Jersey’s pipeline, it’s clear now they were only included on the opening night roster for salary cap purposes as they aimed to maximize the initial relief from placing defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic on long-term injured reserve. Glendening should be in the opening-night lineup – he spent most of camp centering the fourth line between Paul Cotter and rookie Arseny Gritsyuk – while MacEwen should be ticketed for a press-box role to start.
He could end up back on waivers once winger Stefan Noesen is ready to come off injured reserve, which isn’t expected to be anytime soon. If it’s before Nov. 4, though, MacEwen could head straight back to Utica without clearing waivers since he’s already done so in the last 30 days.
Kevin Labanc Signs With KHL’s Shanghai Dragons
Winger Kevin Labanc has signed with the Shanghai Dragons of the Kontinental Hockey League, the team announced. He had attended the Hurricanes’ training camp on a PTO but was released several days ago.
Labanc, 30 in December, was once one of the league’s more intriguing young players, but his peak was early and short-lived. He fell to the Sharks in the sixth round of the 2014 draft but immediately exploded for a pair of 100-point seasons with the OHL’s Barrie Colts before turning pro with San Jose in 2016.
He stuck immediately, barely seeing any minor-league action in his first pro season and quickly emerging as a top-nine threat on a loaded Sharks group that still included all of Logan Couture, Tomáš Hertl, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, and Joe Thornton. By his second year, he was averaging over 14 minutes per game and by Year 3, he played in all 82 games while recording a 17-39–56 scoring line to rank sixth on the team in scoring.
That would be the end of Labanc’s forward progress. He was a restricted free agent after his breakout year and, in hindsight, the Sharks were blessed to be cap-strapped and only sign him to a one-year, $1MM bridge. As the Sharks crumbled the following season, so did Labanc, whose production dropped to 33 points in 70 games along with a team-worst -33 rating. They still chose to reward that with a four-year, $18.9MM contract, betting on his upside. He still averaged 32 points per 82 games over that deal, but availability was an issue – dragged down by the pandemic and a dislocated shoulder that cost him most of the 2021-22 campaign, Labanc only averaged 49 appearances per season. By the end of the contract, he was no longer a regular in San Jose’s lineup and sat as a healthy scratch 32 times in the 2023-24 season.
Unsurprisingly, the Sharks moved on. Labanc even failed to land a guaranteed offer in free agency and settled for a camp tryout with the Devils, who ultimately decided not to sign him. He still ended up landing a one-year, league-minimum contract with the Blue Jackets, though. He was a serviceable bottom-six depth scorer for Columbus, notching a 2-10–12 scoring line in 34 games in just 10:30 per night until another shoulder surgery ended his season in February.
Like the summer before, Labanc didn’t have any offers on July 1. He was receiving KHL interest from CSKA Moscow relatively early in free agency, but declined it in hopes of still landing an NHL deal. After not converting on his PTO with Carolina, though, he’ll head to the KHL’s lone China-based club (although they currently play in St. Petersburg) to play under longtime NHL head coach Gerard Gallant.
Oilers Extend Mattias Ekholm
The Oilers announced that they have agreed to a three-year contract extension with defenseman Mattias Ekholm. It runs from 2026-27 through 2028-29 with a cap hit of $4MM and a total value of $12MM. According to Ryan Rishaug of TSN, he’ll have a $2MM signing bonus with a $2MM salary in 2026-27, followed by a flat $4MM salary in the final two years. He will have a no-movement clause for the life of the contract. Ekholm was previously slated for unrestricted free agency after this season.
Ekholm, 35, has long been a quality top-four piece and one of the league’s better two-way defenders. The 6’5″ lefty was drafted in the fourth round in 2009 by the Predators, with whom he’s spent the vast majority of his career. He first cracked the NHL lineup two years later and was a full-timer by 2013, one of many high-end young defenders Nashville was churning out in that era alongside Ryan Ellis, Seth Jones, and Roman Josi. He was a top-four staple by the time Nashville’s championship contention window opened, culminating in a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2017, and peaked with a 10th-place finish in Norris Trophy voting in the 2018-19 season.
While Ekholm signed a four-year, $25MM extension with Nashville in 2021, he wouldn’t play very much for the Preds under that deal. With the club falling out of the playoff race in 2022-23 and the Oilers in desperate need of a needle-mover on defense, Edmonton surrendered a haul that included Tyson Barrie, recent first-round pick Reid Schaefer, plus their 2023 first-round pick to acquire Ekholm with three full seasons still left on his deal at a $6.25MM cap hit, which Nashville brought down to $6MM for the Oilers with a small amount of retention.
Since the deal, Ekholm has more than held up his end of the bargain. He’s been a staple on Edmonton’s top pair alongside offensive dynamo Evan Bouchard, highlighted by a dominant 2023-24 campaign that saw him record a career-high 11-34–45 scoring line in 79 games along with a dominant +44 rating. He finished 12th in Norris voting that year, controlling a remarkable 62.8% of expected goals on his pairing with Bouchard, according to MoneyPuck.
Last year was more of the same. He had 33 points in 65 games with a +11 rating, averaging north of 22 minutes per game, until a torn adductor effectively ended his regular season in March. He missed the vast majority of Edmonton’s second straight run to the Cup Final as a result, although he did return for the clinching Game 5 of the Western Conference Final and played through the entirety of the Cup Final. He wasn’t fully healthy and had his minutes capped at a slightly more conservative 21:35 per game as a result, but he still managed an even rating and remained involved offensively with a goal and five assists.
He remained stapled to Bouchard, and while they weren’t quite as dominant at controlling play as they were in 2023-24, they still controlled a sparkling 59.5% of expected goals together, finishing second in the league among pairings who logged at least 500 minutes. With his point production yet to see a sharp decline and his under-the-hood numbers remaining some of the best in the league in a system that serves him well, it’s easy to see why the Oilers don’t have a ton of concern about signing him through his age-38 season – particularly at a price as attractive as $4MM per season for a top-pair blue liner, far below his present market value.
Last week, it looked like Edmonton would enter the season with four big-name pending UFAs: Ekholm, Stuart Skinner, Jake Walman, and, in a category of his own, Connor McDavid. Three of those names have signed in the last three days. Walman’s seven-year, $49MM extension means Edmonton’s top four blue-liners, Bouchard and Darnell Nurse included, are now all signed through 2029, when Bouchard and Ekholm will be UFAs. There’s McDavid’s “win-now-or-lose-me” two-year, $25MM extension as well that keeps all of Edmonton’s true core in place through at least 2028, giving them three more legitimate chances at a championship before their window might begin to close.
With Ekholm and McDavid taking significant discounts, things are looking quite comfortable for Edmonton next summer. The club projects to have at least $18.71MM in cap space to fill eight roster spots, a number that could rise by a few million if the cap increases past its projected $104MM limit. While the big names are taken care of, there’s still serviceable depth like Adam Henrique, Kasperi Kapanen, and Brett Kulak on expiring deals, plus their top two goalies in Skinner and Calvin Pickard.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.
Maple Leafs Recall Top Prospect Easton Cowan
The Maple Leafs announced that No. 1 prospect Easton Cowan has been recalled from AHL Toronto. He was expected to be included on the club’s opening night roster but was assigned to the minors on Monday as the team claimed Sammy Blais and Cayden Primeau off waivers and set their LTIR capture with defenseman Marshall Rifai. Forward Jacob Quillan has been assigned to the AHL in a corresponding move.
Whether Cowan makes his NHL debut tonight when the Leafs open their season against the Canadiens remains to be seen. The 20-year-old was a late riser in the 2023 draft, fueled by a strong combine performance, and went 28th overall to Toronto. He’s slotted in as the organization’s top-ranked prospect ever since and still holds the title over 2024 first-rounder Ben Danford, according to NHL.com. The 6’0″ center has enjoyed an offensive surge in juniors in the two years following his selection but also plays an intriguing physical brand.
While Cowan wasn’t technically on Toronto’s initial roster submission, he would have broken camp with the team if not for roster constraints. He was a late cut in each of the last two seasons after signing his entry-level contract back in August 2023 and had a good preseason showing for the Leafs, managing two assists in five games while generating seven individual scoring chances, per Natural Stat Trick. He looked like a sure bet to open the season as Toronto’s fourth-line right wing alongside Steven Lorentz and Scott Laughton, a spot where he spent virtually all of training camp, until Laughton was sidelined late in preseason with a lower-body injury and landed on IR to start the year.
Two years on from draft day, Cowan is still considered a top-100 prospect in the NHL – checking in as high as No. 48 league-wide in preseason rankings by Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff. He’s been the offensive centerpiece of a dominant London Knights team in the OHL over the past two seasons, winning a pair of league championships. He’s led the OHL postseason in scoring in back-to-back years – same with the Memorial Cup – and has won MVP honors once in each tournament. Since draft day, Cowan has amassed 92 goals, 161 assists, 253 points, and a +105 rating in 144 regular-season, playoff, and Memorial Cup games – a rate of 1.76 points per game.
That resume, plus Cowan’s strong camp performance, was enough for the Leafs to risk exposing serviceable depth forwards David Kämpf and Michael Pezzetta to waivers in order to keep maneuverability open to get him a spot. After “making” the team, Cowan’s attention now turns toward staying in the lineup and putting himself ahead of names like Blais, Calle Järnkrok, and Nicholas Robertson on the depth chart.
His $873,500 cap hit is ever so slightly less than Quillan’s $875,000 cap hit, explaining why the latter was included to help them get as close as possible to unlocking the max $775,000 worth of initial relief that placing Rifai on LTIR provides (he had wrist surgery last month). While Quillan’s initial inclusion may have only been for cap purposes, it likely won’t be the last of him on Toronto’s roster this season. An undrafted free agent signed out of Quinnipiac in 2024, Quillan had 37 points in 67 AHL games last season and earned his first NHL call-up, although he was injured early and skated just 5:21 in a January game against the Senators.
Quillan is a pending restricted free agent and has two waiver-exempt seasons remaining, unless he hits 70 career NHL games before the end of the 2026-27 campaign. The 23-year-old will look toward next training camp as a chance to stick around as a depth checking forward.
Jets Sign Kyle Connor To Eight-Year Extension
Oct. 8: 8:37 a.m.: It will indeed be an eight-year, $96MM deal that pays Connor $41MM in signing bonuses over the life of the deal, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. The Jets have now announced the deal.
Oct. 8, 7:00 a.m.: Connor’s deal is expected to come in around the $12MM mark per season when done for a total value of $96MM, Friedman adds Wednesday. That would be the largest contract in franchise history. He’s also set to receive a full no-move clause and significant signing bonuses – something Winnipeg has never given out, not even in their landmark extensions for Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele two years ago.
Oct. 7: The Winnipeg Jets and star forward Kyle Connor have “made progress on a long-term extension,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Tuesday night. Friedman added that both Connor’s camp and the Jets are working to secure an extension before the team’s season opener on Thursday. TSN’s Darren Dreger seconded Friedman’s report, saying both sides “are getting closer to a contract extension.” At the same time, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun added that he expects the upcoming contract extension to carry an eight-year term.
While a complete agreement on a deal has thus far proved elusive, the widespread expectation has long been that Connor would re-sign with the Jets, the only NHL franchise he has ever played for. Last month, owner Mark Chipman expressed confidence that the club would be able to re-sign its star winger, even going so far as to say that he expected that a deal would be completed “sooner rather than later.”
With today’s reports from some of the game’s most connected insiders, it appears Chipman was right. While the full terms of this expected contract extension are still unknown, signing Connor to such a deal would be a significant win for the Jets organization. Despite the Jets’ consistent on-ice success, Winnipeg has long faced an uphill battle in convincing players to commit to playing there.
The Jets are owned by a committed ownership group and are managed by a hockey operations department with a consistent track record of success. They can offer players the opportunity to play in front of a die-hard fan base that is the envy of most of the league. However, despite this, the Jets have had to contend with a perception among players that Winnipeg is not a premier free agent destination, a perception that has proved frustratingly persistent.
Back in 2019, 42% of NHL players polled by ESPN listed Winnipeg as the “road city [they] dread the most.” The team has not been a significant player at the highest levels of unrestricted free agency and is reportedly listed as a standard on players’ trade protection lists.
All of that is to say that the Jets face a different player acquisition landscape compared to other NHL teams. Teams such as the Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars have a favorable climate and tax situation, while others, like the New York Rangers or Los Angeles Kings, can market themselves as unique, destination cities to prospective players. Winnipeg has not been able to employ similar tactics to recruit players, instead building its Stanley Cup-contending team through a diligent draft-and-develop model combined with savvy work on the trade market.
Their model only works, though, if they are able to convince the players they draft and/or develop to remain in Winnipeg for the best years of their career, and in many recent cases, the Jets have had remarkable success doing so.
They’ve been able to re-sign franchise pillars such as Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck, as well key contributors such as Neal Pionk.
With today’s reports, it seems Connor’s name will soon be added to that list of key Jets players to commit to a long-term extension with the franchise. In re-signing Connor, they’ll manage to keep their most lethal scorer, and arguably their most important forward, on their roster for eight years after this one.
Since the Jets returned to Winnipeg, just two forwards have scored more points than Connor, and just one has scored more goals. His 0.95 career points-per-game ranks first in modern Jets franchise history. Connor also owns the two highest-scoring seasons in the modern history of the Jets, including his fantastic 2024-25 when he scored a franchise-record 97 points in 82 games.
He’s one of the game’s elite play-driving wingers, and he’s a threat to score whenever he steps on the ice. He’s a consistent playoff performer as well, and is coming off of the best postseason run of his career – he scored 17 points in 13 games during the Jets’ most recent playoff run.
All of that means Connor is unlikely to come cheap. It’s difficult to project long-term contracts at the top of the market at this point, as two of the most recent big signings were impacted by unique circumstances that are not applicable to other players and situations. Minnesota Wild superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov is in some ways comparable to Connor (both are play-driving true number-one wingers) but Kaprizov was widely seen as far more of a threat to test unrestricted free agency – making the Wild all the more willing to pay whatever it took to get his signature on an extension. That resulted in a $17MM AAV, something Connor, or any other player, for that matter, appears likely to match anytime soon.
And then there is the recent re-signing of Connor McDavid with the Edmonton Oilers. McDavid is the game’s unquestioned best player, but his extension carries a two-year term and just a $12.5MM AAV. Under normal circumstances, it’d be hard for Connor to argue that he deserves to make as much – let alone more – than McDavid, but again, it was a unique circumstance. It was widely reported that McDavid opted to be paid a notable amount less than his market value in order to maximize the Oilers’ ability to field an elite team to support him.
For what it’s worth, AFP Analytics projected Connor’s next contract to be worth just north of $12MM annually, and that would seem to be an appropriate price for Connor given his abilities, the market environment, and the rising salary cap. But at this stage, the only reports are that there is serious momentum to complete a deal on both sides of the negotiation, not that there is a completed deal at this point. So until there is further reporting, all we can do is speculate on what the terms of Connor’s extension will ultimately be.
Photos courtesy of Terrence Lee-USA TODAY Sports
2025-26 NHL Active Roster Tracker
PHR’s Active Roster Tracker is back for the 2025-26 season! Each team’s current list of game-available players, plus injured reserve, non-roster, and suspended players, will be updated here daily throughout the campaign.
You can find this article at any time by using the Flame menu on our mobile website or under Pro Hockey Rumors Features on the right sidebar of our desktop page.
Anaheim Ducks
Roster size: 24
Last updated March 12, 10:28 a.m.
Forwards (14): Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mikael Granlund, Jansen Harkins, Ross Johnston, Alex Killorn, Chris Kreider, Mason McTavish, Ryan Poehling, Beckett Sennecke, Troy Terry, Frank Vatrano, Jeffrey Viel, Tim Washe
Defenseman (8): John Carlson, Radko Gudas, Drew Helleson, Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov, Ian Moore, Jacob Trouba, Olen Zellweger
Goaltenders (2): Lukáš Dostál, Ville Husso
IR: G Petr Mrázek (undisclosed, out for season)
Boston Bruins
Roster size: 24
Last updated Mar. 6, 3:00 p.m.
Forwards (14): Viktor Arvidsson, Michael Eyssimont, Morgan Geekie, Tanner Jeannot, Mark Kastelic, Marat Khusnutdinov, Sean Kuraly, Elias Lindholm, Fraser Minten, Casey Mittelstadt, David Pastrňák, Lukas Reichel, Alex Steeves, Pavel Zacha
Defensemen (8): Jonathan Aspirot, Jordan Harris, Henri Jokiharju, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Charlie McAvoy, Andrew Peeke, Nikita Zadorov
Goaltenders (2): Joonas Korpisalo, Jeremy Swayman
Buffalo Sabres
Roster size: 26
Last updated March 6, 3:00 p.m.
Forwards (15): Zach Benson, Sam Carrick, Josh Doan, Joshua Dunne, Tyson Kozak, Peyton Krebs, Beck Malenstyn, Ryan McLeod, Joshua Norris, Noah Ostlund, Tanner Pearson, Jack Quinn, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Jason Zucker
Defensemen (8): Bowen Byram, Rasmus Dahlin, Michael Kesselring, Zach Metsa, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson, Luke Schenn, Logan Stanley
Goaltenders (3): Colten Ellis, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon
IR: F Justin Danforth (lower body, month-to-month), F Jordan Greenway (sports hernia, indefinite), F Jiri Kulich (blood clot, indefinite), D Conor Timmins (leg, proj. return Feb. 5)
Calgary Flames
Roster size: 24
Last updated March 12, 10:28 a.m.
Forwards (15): Mikael Backlund, John Beecher, Blake Coleman, Matthew Coronato, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Matvei Gridin, Tyson Gross, Adam Klapka, Ryan Lomberg, Brennan Othmann, Martin Pospisil, Yegor Sharangovich, Ryan Strome, Connor Zary
Defensemen (7): Kevin Bahl, Joel Hanley, Yan Kuznetsov, Olli Määttä, Brayden Pachal, Zayne Parekh, Zach Whitecloud
Goaltenders (2): Devin Cooley, Dustin Wolf
IR: D Jake Bean (undisclosed, indefinite), F Samuel Honzek (upper body, out for season), F Jonathan Huberdeau (hip surgery, out for season)
Carolina Hurricanes
Roster size: 22
Last updated Mar. 6, 3:00 p.m.
Forwards (13): Sebastian Aho, Jackson Blake, William Carrier, Nicolas Deslauriers, Nikolaj Ehlers, Taylor Hall, Mark Jankowski, Seth Jarvis, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jordan Martinook, Eric Robinson, Jordan Staal, Logan Stankoven, Andrei Svechnikov
Defensemen (7): Jalen Chatfield, Shayne Gostisbehere, K’Andre Miller, Alexander Nikishin, Mike Reilly, Jaccob Slavin, Sean Walker
Goaltenders (2): Frederik Andersen, Brandon Bussi
IR: G Pyotr Kochetkov (undisclosed, indefinite)
Chicago Blackhawks
Roster size: 22
Last updated March 11, 12:21 p.m.
Forwards (13): Connor Bedard, Tyler Bertuzzi, André Burakovsky, Ryan Donato, Ryan Greene, Sam Lafferty, Nick Lardis, Andrew Mangiapane, Ilya Mikheyev, Oliver Moore, Frank Nazar, Landon Slaggert, Teuvo Teräväinen
Defensemen (7): Louis Crevier, Ethan Del Mastro, Matt Grzelcyk, Artyom Levshunov, Derrick Pouliot, Sam Rinzel, Alex Vlasic
Goaltenders (2): Spencer Knight, Arvid Söderblom
IR: D Ryan Ellis (pelvic tear, retired), D Wyatt Kaiser (lower body, day-to-day), D Shea Weber (ankle, retired)
Colorado Avalanche
Roster size: 24
Last updated March 6, 3:09 p.m.
Forwards (15): Zakhar Bardakov, Gavin Brindley, Ross Colton, Jack Drury, Nazem Kadri, Parker Kelly, Joel Kiviranta, Gabriel Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Brock Nelson, Valeri Nichushkin, Victor Olofsson, Nicolas Roy
Defensemen (7): Nick Blankenburg, Brent Burns, Brett Kulak, Cale Makar, Sam Malinski, Josh Manson, Devon Toews
Goaltenders (2): Mackenzie Blackwood, Scott Wedgewood
LTIR: F Logan O’Connor (hip, proj. return Nov. 6 – Dec. 6)
Columbus Blue Jackets
Roster size: 24
Last updated March 5, 11:11 p.m.
Forwards (14): Charlie Coyle, Adam Fantilli, Conor Garland, Danton Heinen, Boone Jenner, Kent Johnson, Isac Lundeström, Kirill Marchenko, Mason Marchment, Sean Monahan, Mathieu Olivier, Cole Sillinger, Dmitri Voronkov, Miles Wood
Defensemen (8): Jake Christiansen, Dante Fabbro, Erik Gudbranson, Denton Mateychuk, Ivan Provorov, Damon Severson, Zach Werenski, Egor Zamula
Goaltenders (2): Jet Greaves, Elvis Merzļikins
IR: D Brendan Smith (lower leg, week-to-week)
Dallas Stars
Roster size: 25
Last updated March 8, 9:41 a.m.
Forwards (14): Oskar Bäck, Nathan Bastian, Jamie Benn, Colin Blackwell, Mavrik Bourque, Michael Bunting, Matt Duchene, Adam Erne, Roope Hintz, Justin Hryckowian, Arttu Hyry, Wyatt Johnston, Jason Robertson, Sam Steel
Defensemen (9): Lian Bichsel, Kyle Capobianco, Thomas Harley, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, Nils Lundkvist, Ilya Lyubushkin, Tyler Myers, Alexander Petrovic
Goaltenders (2): Casey DeSmith, Jake Oettinger
IR: F Radek Faksa (upper body, day-to-day), F Mikko Rantanen (lower body, week-to-week)
Season-ending LTIR: F Tyler Seguin (ACL, indefinite)
Detroit Red Wings
Roster size: 24
Last updated March 13, 9:46 a.m.
Forwards (14): Mason Appleton, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, J.T. Compher, Andrew Copp, Alex DeBrincat, Sheldon Dries, Emmitt Finnie, Patrick Kane, Marco Kasper, Dylan Larkin, Michael Rasmussen, Lucas Raymond, Dominik Shine, James van Riemsdyk
Defensemen (8): Jacob Bernard-Docker, Ben Chiarot, Simon Edvinsson, Justin Faulk, Travis Hamonic, Albert Johansson, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Moritz Seider
Goaltenders (2): John Gibson, Cam Talbot
IR: F David Perron (sports hernia, proj. return March 14)
Edmonton Oilers
Roster size: 22
Last updated March 13, 9:41 p.m.
Forwards (13): Jason Dickinson, Leon Draisaitl, Trent Frederic, Adam Henrique, Zach Hyman, Kasperi Kapanen, Max Jones, Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Vasily Podkolzin, Jack Roslovic, Josh Samanski, Matthew Savoie
Defensemen (7): Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Ty Emberson, Connor Murphy, Darnell Nurse, Spencer Stastney, Jake Walman
Goaltenders (2): Connor Ingram, Tristan Jarry
LTIR: F Colton Dach (undisclosed), F Mattias Janmark (undisclosed, week-to-week), F Curtis Lazar (undisclosed, proj. return April 2)
Florida Panthers
Roster size: 24
Last updated March 12, 8:37 a.m.
Forwards (15): Sam Bennett, Jesper Boqvist, A.J. Greer, Vinnie Hinostroza, Luke Kunin, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, Brad Marchand, Tomáš Nosek, Cole Reinhardt, Sam Reinhart, Evan Rodrigues, Mackie Samoskevich, Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe
Defensemen (7): Uvis Balinskis, Mike Benning, Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, Dmitry Kulikov, Niko Mikkola, Donovan Sebrango
Goaltenders (2): Sergei Bobrovsky, Daniil Tarasov
IR: F Cole Schwindt (lower body, indefinite)
LTIR: F Aleksander Barkov (right ACL/MCL, proj. return April 26 – June 26), F Jonah Gadjovich (upper body, proj. return Feb. 8), D Seth Jones (upper body, week-to-week)
Los Angeles Kings
Roster size: 22
Last updated March 7, 6:00 p.m.
Forwards (13): Quinton Byfield, Samuel Helenius, Mathieu Joseph, Adrian Kempe, Anže Kopitar, Alex Laferriere, Scott Laughton, Jeff Malott, Trevor Moore, Artemi Panarin, Alex Turcotte, Taylor Ward, Jared Wright
Defensemen (7): Mikey Anderson, Cody Ceci, Brandt Clarke, Drew Doughty, Brian Dumoulin, Joel Edmundson, Jacob Moverare
Goaltenders (2): Anton Forsberg, Darcy Kuemper
IR: F Joel Armia (upper body, day-to-day), F Kevin Fiala (leg fractures, out for season), F Andrei Kuzmenko (meniscus, week-to-week)
Minnesota Wild
Roster size: 24
Last updated March 6, 11:51 a.m.
Forwards (14): Matt Boldy, Bobby Brink, Joel Eriksson Ek, Robby Fabbri, Nick Foligno, Ryan Hartman, Marcus Johansson, Kirill Kaprizov, Michael McCarron, Nico Sturm, Vladimir Tarasenko, Yakov Trenin, Danila Yurov, Mats Zuccarello
Defensemen (8): Zach Bogosian, Jonas Brodin, Brock Faber, Quinn Hughes, Daemon Hunt, Jacob Middleton, Jeff Petry, Jared Spurgeon
Goaltenders (2): Filip Gustavsson, Jesper Wallstedt
IR: F Marcus Foligno (lower body, week-to-week)
Montreal Canadiens
Roster size: 24
Last updated March 11, 9:24 a.m.
Forwards (13): Josh Anderson, Zachary Bolduc, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Phillip Danault, Ivan Demidov, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, Oliver Kapanen, Alex Newhook, Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, Alexandre Texier, Joe Veleno
Defensemen (7): Alexandre Carrier, Noah Dobson, Kaiden Guhle, Lane Hutson, Mike Matheson, Jayden Struble, Arber Xhekaj
Goaltenders (3): Jakub Dobes, Jacob Fowler, Sam Montembeault
IR: F Patrik Laine (abdomen, indefinite)
Nashville Predators
Roster size: 22
Last updated March 6, 12:52 a.m.
Forwards (13): Luke Evangelista, Filip Forsberg, Erik Haula, Tyson Jost, Joakim Kemell, Zachary L’Heureux, Jonathan Marchessault, Ryan O’Reilly, Reid Schaefer, Steven Stamkos, Fedor Svechkov, Ozzy Wiesblatt, Matthew Wood
Defensemen (7): Justin Barron, Nicolas Hague, Roman Josi, Nick Perbix, Brady Skjei, Ryan Ufko, Adam Wilsby
Goaltenders (2): Justus Annunen, Juuse Saros
New Jersey Devils
Roster size: 23
Last updated Mar. 6, 3:00 p.m.
Forwards (13): Nick Bjugstad, Jesper Bratt, Connor Brown, Paul Cotter, Evgenii Dadonov, Cody Glass, Arseny Gritsyuk, Lenni Hameenaho, Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Dawson Mercer, Maxim Tsyplakov
Defensemen (7): Brenden Dillon, Dougie Hamilton, Luke Hughes, Johnathan Kovacevic, Simon Nemec, Brett Pesce, Jonas Siegenthaler
Goaltenders (2): Jake Allen, Jacob Markstrom
LTIR: F Zack MacEwen (lower body, season), F Stefan Noesen (knee, indefinite)
New York Islanders
Roster size: 23
Last updated Mar. 6, 3:00 p.m.
Forwards (15): Mathew Barzal, Casey Cizikas, Jonathan Drouin, Anthony Duclair, Marc Gatcomb, Emil Heineman, Simon Holmström, Bo Horvat, Anders Lee, Kyle MacLean, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Ondřej Palát, Calum Ritchie, Brayden Schenn, Maxim Shabanov
Defensemen (7): Adam Boqvist, Tony DeAngelo, Scott Mayfield, Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, Matthew Schaefer, Carson Soucy
Goaltenders (2): David Rittich, Ilya Sorokin
LTIR: F Pierre Engvall (ankle, out for season), F Kyle Palmieri (ACL, out for season), D Alexander Romanov (upper body, indefinite), G Semyon Varlamov (knee, indefinite)
New York Rangers
Roster size: 21
Last updated March 10, 9:41 p.m.
Forwards (12): Jonny Brodzinski, Jaroslav Chmelar, William Cuylle, Adam Edstrom, Tye Kartye, Noah Laba, Alexis Lafrenière, Juuso Pärssinen, Gabriel Perreault, Conor Sheary, Vincent Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad
Defensemen (7): William Borgen, Adam Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov, Vincent Iorio, Matthew Robertson, Braden Schneider, Urho Vaakanainen
Goaltenders (2): Jonathan Quick, Igor Shesterkin
Non-Roster: F Taylor Raddysh
IR: F J.T. Miller (upper body, day-to-day), F Matt Rempe (thumb surgery, week-to-week)
Ottawa Senators
Roster size: 25
Last updated March 14, 11:35 a.m.
Forwards (14): Michael Amadio, Drake Batherson, Nick Cousins, Dylan Cozens, Lars Eller, Warren Foegele, Claude Giroux, Ridly Greig, Stephen Halliday, Kurtis MacDermid, Shane Pinto, Tim Stützle, Brady Tkachuk, Fabian Zetterlund
Defensemen (9): Thomas Chabot, Dennis Gilbert, Nick Jensen, Tyler Kleven, Nikolas Matinpalo, Jake Sanderson, Jordan Spence, Lassi Thomson, Artem Zub
Goaltenders (2): James Reimer, Linus Ullmark
Philadelphia Flyers
Roster size: 23
Last updated March 14, 10:40 a.m.
Forwards (14): Denver Barkey, Alex Bump, Noah Cates, Sean Couturier, Christian Dvorak, Luke Glendening, Nikita Grebenkin, Carl Grundström, Garnet Hathaway, Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov, Owen Tippett, Garrett Wilson, Trevor Zegras
Defensemen (7): Emil Andrae, Jamie Drysdale, Noah Juulsen, Rasmus Ristolainen, Travis Sanheim, Nick Seeler, Cam York
Goaltenders (2): Samuel Ersson, Daniel Vladař
IR: F Rodrigo Abols (upper body, indefinite), F Tyson Foerster (arm surgery, proj. return May 17)
Pittsburgh Penguins
Roster size: 26
Last updated March 12, 12:27 p.m.
Forwards (15): Noel Acciari, Justin Brazeau, Yegor Chinakhov, Connor Dewar, Avery Hayes, Kevin Hayes, Benjamin Kindel, Ville Koivunen, Blake Lizotte, Evgeni Malkin, Anthony Mantha, Thomas Novak, Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust, Elmer Söderblom
Defensemen (9): Alexander Alexeyev, Connor Clifton, Samuel Girard, Ryan Graves, Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Ryan Shea, Ilya Solovyov, Parker Wotherspoon
Goaltenders (2): Arturs Silovs, Stuart Skinner
IR: F Sidney Crosby (knee, four-to-six weeks), F Filip Hallander (blood clots, proj. return early-mid Feb.), D Caleb Jones (lower body, proj. return Jan. 17), D Jack St. Ivany (hand surgery, eight weeks)
SOIR: F Tanner Howe (ACL, proj. return Jan. 24)
San Jose Sharks
Roster size: 25
Last updated: March 13, 11:21 a.m.
Forwards (15): Macklin Celebrini, Igor Chernyshov, William Eklund, Adam Gaudette, Barclay Goodrow, Collin Graf, Philipp Kurashev, Michael Misa, Zack Ostapchuk, Ryan Reaves, Pavol Regenda, Kiefer Sherwood, Will Smith, Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg
Defensemen (7): Vincent Desharnais, Sam Dickinson, Mario Ferraro, John Klingberg, Nick Leddy, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Dmitry Orlov
Goaltenders (3): Yaroslav Askarov, Laurent Brossoit, Alex Nedeljkovic
IR: F Logan Couture (osteitis pubis, retired), F Ty Dellandrea (lower body, day-to-day)
Season-ending LTIR: G Carey Price (knee)
Seattle Kraken
Roster size: 24
Last updated Mar. 6, 3:00 p.m.
Forwards (14): Matty Beniers, Berkly Catton, Jordan Eberle, Frédérick Gaudreau, Kaapo Kakko, Jared McCann, Bobby McMann, Jacob Melanson, Ben Meyers, Jaden Schwartz, Chandler Stephenson, Eeli Tolvanen, Ryan Winterton, Shane Wright
Defensemen (8): Vince Dunn, Ryker Evans, Cale Fleury, Adam Larsson, Ryan Lindgren, Josh Mahura, Brandon Montour, Jamie Oleksiak
Goaltenders (2): Joey Daccord, Philipp Grubauer
IR: G Matt Murray (lower body, proj. return Dec. 30)
SOIR: F Max McCormick (hip, out for season)
St. Louis Blues
Roster size: 25
Last updated March 9, 2:14 p.m.
Forwards (15): Jonatan Berggren, Pavel Buchnevich, Jonathan Drouin, Dalibor Dvorsky, Jack Finley, Dylan Holloway, Jordan Kyrou, Jake Neighbours, Jimmy Snuggerud, Otto Stenberg, Oskar Sundqvist, Pius Suter, Robert Thomas, Alexey Toropchenko, Nathan Walker
Defensemen (8): Philip Broberg, Cam Fowler, Justin Holl, Matthew Kessel, Theo Lindstein, Logan Mailloux, Colton Parayko, Tyler Tucker
Goaltenders (2): Jordan Binnington, Joel Hofer
Season-ending LTIR: D Torey Krug (ankle, out for season)
Tampa Bay Lightning
Roster size: 24
Last updated March 15, 10:40 a.m.
Forwards (13): Oliver Bjorkstrand, Anthony Cirelli, Zemgus Girgensons, Gage Goncalves, Yanni Gourde, Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel, Pontus Holmberg, Nikita Kucherov, Nick Paul, Corey Perry, Brayden Point, Scott Sabourin
Defensemen (9): Declan Carlile, Erik Černák, Charle-Édouard D’Astous, Victor Hedman, Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, Ryan McDonagh, J.J. Moser, Darren Raddysh, Steven Santini
Goaltenders (2): Jonas Johansson, Andrei Vasilevskiy
LTIR: D Maxwell Crozier (core surgery, done for regular season), F Dominic James (leg, indefinite)
Toronto Maple Leafs
Roster size: 23
Last updated March 12, 9:30 a.m.
Forwards (14): Easton Cowan, Max Domi, Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Calle Järnkrok, Dakota Joshua, Matthew Knies, Steven Lorentz, Matias Maccelli, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Michael Pezzetta, Jacob Quillan, Nicholas Robertson, John Tavares
Defensemen (7): Simon Benoit, Brandon Carlo, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jake McCabe, Philippe Myers, Morgan Rielly, Troy Stecher
Goaltenders (2): Anthony Stolarz, Joseph Woll
LTIR: D Chris Tanev (core muscle surgery, out for season)
Utah Mammoth
Roster size: 23
Last updated March 7, 7:00 p.m.
Forwards (14): Michael Carcone, Logan Cooley, Lawson Crouse, Dylan Guenther, Barrett Hayton, Clayton Keller, Alexander Kerfoot, Jack McBain, Liam O’Brien, JJ Peterka, Nick Schmaltz, Kevin Stenlund, Brandon Tanev, Kailer Yamamoto
Defensemen (7): Ian Cole, Nick DeSimone, Sean Durzi, John Marino, Nate Schmidt, Mikhail Sergachev, MacKenzie Weegar
Goaltenders (2): Vítek Vaněček, Karel Vejmelka
Vancouver Canucks
Roster size: 23
Last updated March 6, 3:00 p.m.
Forwards (14): Brock Boeser, Teddy Blueger, Jake DeBrusk, Curtis Douglas, Nils Höglander, Evander Kane, Linus Karlsson, Ty Mueller, Drew O’Connor, Liam Ohgren, Elias Pettersson, Aatu Räty, Marco Rossi, Max Sasson
Defensemen (7): Zeev Buium, Cole Clayton, Filip Hronek, Victor Mancini, Elias N. Pettersson, Marcus Pettersson, Tom Willander
Goaltenders (2): Kevin Lankinen, Nikita Tolopilo
IR: F Filip Chytil (facial fracture, indefinite), D Pierre-Olivier Joseph (undisclosed, day-to-day)
LTIR: G Thatcher Demko (hip, out for season), D Derek Forbort (undisclosed, indefinite)
Vegas Golden Knights
Roster size: 23
Last updated March 12, 8:07 p.m.
Forwards (14): Ivan Barbashev, Braeden Bowman, Pavel Dorofeyev, Nic Dowd, Jack Eichel, Tomáš Hertl, Brett Howden, Keegan Kolesar, Mitch Marner, Brandon Saad, Colton Sissons, Cole Smith, Reilly Smith, Mark Stone
Defensemen (7): Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin, Ben Hutton, Kaedan Korczak, Jeremy Lauzon, Brayden McNabb, Shea Theodore
Goaltenders (2): Adin Hill, Akira Schmid
IR: F Jonas Rondbjerg (undisclosed, week-to-week)
LTIR: G Carter Hart (lower body, indefinite), F William Karlsson (lower body, indefinite)
Season-ending LTIR: D Alex Pietrangelo (various)
Washington Capitals
Roster size: 23
Last updated March 6, 3:00 p.m.
Forwards (13): Anthony Beauvillier, Brandon Duhaime, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Ethen Frank, David Kämpf, Hendrix Lapierre, Ryan Leonard, Connor McMichael, Alex Ovechkin, Aliaksei Protas, Justin Sourdif, Dylan Strome, Tom Wilson
Defensemen (8): Declan Chisholm, Jakob Chychrun, Martin Fehérváry, Timothy Liljegren, Dylan McIlrath, Matt Roy, Rasmus Sandin, Trevor van Riemsdyk
Goaltenders (2): Charlie Lindgren, Logan Thompson
Winnipeg Jets
Roster size: 2r
Last updated March 6, 4:53 p.m.
Forwards (14): Morgan Barron, Kyle Connor, Walker Duehr, Alex Iafallo, Cole Koepke, Brad Lambert, Adam Lowry, Vladislav Namestnikov, Gustav Nyquist, Cole Perfetti, Isak Rosen, Mark Scheifele, Jonathan Toews, Gabriel Vilardi
Defensemen (8): Jacob Bryson, Dylan DeMelo, Haydn Fleury, Ville Heinola, Josh Morrissey, Isaak Phillips, Elias Salomonsson, Dylan Samberg
Goaltenders (2): Eric Comrie, Connor Hellebuyck
IR: D Colin Miller (lower body, week-to-week), F Nino Niederreiter (undisclosed, week-to-week), D Neal Pionk (lower body, day-to-day)
Snapshots: Devils Reassignments, Sharks Injuries, Lucic
The New Jersey Devils reassigned forwards Lenni Hameenaho and Shane Lachance to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets today. The move corresponded with the team’s signing of veteran Luke Glendening earlier today. Both Hameenaho and Lachance are young forwards who appear relatively close to being NHL-ready, if they have not reached that status already. Lachance in particular had a strong preseason, but it would be surprising if both do not see NHL time at some point this season.
Lachance, 22, was traded to the Devils in March as part of the larger Trent Frederic trade, and signed with the team shortly after at the conclusion of his NCAA career with Boston University. The 22-year-old is a 6’4 winger who scored 30 points in his final 40 games in college and had two points in a two-game cameo late last season with the Comets. Lachance is the son of Scott Lachance, who has been a member of the Devils’ hockey operations department since his retirement as a player (2007-08) and currently serves as the team’s director of amateur scouting. Hameenaho, 20, was the Devils’ top pick at the 2023 draft and had 51 points in 58 games for Liiga’s Assat Pori last season.
Some more notes from around the league:
- A slate of injury updates was reported in San Jose today, with San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng reporting that two veteran defenders, Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg, are dealing with upper-body injuries. Bay Area News Group’s Curtis Pashelka also reported that forward Egor Afanasyev and defenseman Jack Thompson are dealing with lower-body injuries and are both day-to-day. Peng added that both Orlov and Klingberg are expected to be ready to play in the team’s season-opening game on Thursday, but the same cannot be said about Afaneseyev and Thompson, as their availability for Thursday is unclear.
- St. Louis Blues PTO signing Milan Lucic is currently dealing with a lower-body injury, and remains with the team as he works through his recovery, reports NHL.com’s Lou Korac. According to Korac, the Blues will extend Lucic’s PTO in 10-day increments as he works his way back into full health. While Lucic could still be a candidate to earn a full-time contract with the Blues, it is important to note that the 37-year-old winger has not only missed almost two full seasons of hockey, but also was not a particularly effective player even when he last played, nor did he have a notably strong preseason.
Central Notes: Hryckowian, Bäck, Toews
The Dallas Stars announced a trio of roster moves this evening, recalling forward Justin Hryckowian from their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, and sending down forward Harrison Scott and defenseman Trey Taylor. The moves aren’t a huge surprise, as Hryckowian had a very strong training camp and preseason. After such a successful rookie year in the AHL, in which Hryckowian won the AHL Rookie of the Year award with 60 points in 67 regular-season games and 18 points in 14 playoff games, it was expected that he’d find his way onto Dallas’ NHL roster in short order. He was originally reassigned to Texas two days ago, but that move was part of the Stars’ larger maneuvering to prepare a season-opening roster, and not an indication of where Hryckowian would begin his season.
In addition to Hryckowian’s recall, the Stars sent down Scott and Taylor. Both Scott and Taylor are relatively recent undrafted free agent signings the Stars made out of the NCAA, and both are entering their debut professional campaigns after late-season cameos in 2024-25. Scott, 25, is a 6’0 winger who scored 35 points in 38 games last season for the University of Maine, while Taylor, 23, is a 6’2 left-shot blueliner who had an impressive three-year run with Clarkson University. Taylor was twice named the ECAC’s top defensive defenseman and was a second-team All-American in 2025.
Other notes from the Central Division:
- Part of the reason Hryckowian’s recall was necessary – other than Hryckowian’s own impressive training camp performance – is an injury suffered by incumbent Stars bottom-six forward Oskar Bäck. Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports relayed word from Stars coach Glen Gulutzan today, who said that Bäck would miss at least the club’s first two games and likely “another week or so.” Back scored 16 points in 73 games last season playing fourth-line minutes with second-unit penalty kill deployment. The Stars signed Adam Erne today which could help fill in for Bäck alongside the aforementioned recall of Hryckowian.
- Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel told the media, including the Winnipeg News’ Mike McIntyre, that the team is hopeful center Jonathan Toews will be ready to play in the club’s first game of the season, which is on Thursday. The Jets placed Toews, who is dealing with an undisclosed injury, on IR with a retroactive placement date, meaning he is free to be activated at any point. It’s an important year for Toews and the Jets, as he’s currently pencilled in as the club’s second-line center after two seasons spent away from the game recovering from various health issues.
Metro Notes: Bouchard, Flyers Defense, Capitals Injuries
The Edmonton Oilers signed Evan Bouchard just before the start of the new league year this past summer, locking their star defenseman up for the next four years on a $10.5MM AAV contract. It was a relatively expected outcome for the then-pending RFA, but Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that things were very close to getting a lot more interesting with Bouchard. Friedman wrote in his 32 Thoughts column today that “it’s believed the Hurricanes put together a one-year” offer sheet for Bouchard that would have come in “at a number higher than McDavid just signed for,” with the intent of the Hurricanes was to use that inflated one-year AAV to secure the player, and then “figure out an extension” afterwards.
Had the Oilers failed to re-sign Bouchard and that offer sheet proceeded, it would have been a repeat of sorts for both the Oilers and the Hurricanes. Carolina famously acquired center Jesperi Kotkaniemi using a similar tactic, signing the Finnish center from the Montreal Canadiens via an inflated-value one-year offer sheet. On the Oilers’ side, they have already lost players due to offer sheets in recent years, with Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway poached by the St. Louis Blues in the summer of 2024. But Bouchard, who is one of the league’s top offensive defensemen, would have been without a doubt the most notable offer sheet attempt since the Canadiens’ signing of Sebastian Aho in the summer of 2019, an offer Aho signed but was promptly matched by Carolina.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- In his 32 Thoughts column, Friedman also revealed that the Philadelphia Flyers are “definitely checking what’s out there on defence,” though Friedman did caution that he doesn’t believe we’ll see much early-season trade action. Flyers defenseman Cam York is currently dealing with a day-to-day injury, but it’s possible the Flyers’ attempts to add a blueliner are unrelated to that injury. The team’s third pairing at this point is set to be staffed by Adam Ginning and Noah Juulsen, two players who struggled in the preseason, so it’s possible the lackluster training camps of the two players has motivated the club to seek external reinforcements.
- Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery told the media today, including The Hockey News’ Sammi Silber, that defensemen Matt Roy and Declan Chisholm have been cleared to play in the team’s season opener. The Capitals’ lineup from today’s practice indicates that Roy will resume his role playing next to Rasmus Sandin on the team’s third pairing, while Chisholm will remain a reserve alongside Vincent Iorio.
Devils Sign Luke Glendening From PTO
10/7: One month later, the Devils have signed Glendening to a one-year, one-way, league-minimum contract per James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now.
9/5: The New Jersey Devils have signed four veterans to professional try-out contracts. The list includes former Devil forward Kevin Rooney, longtime center Luke Glendening, minor-league goalie Adam Scheel, and Russian goalie Georgi Romanov. All four players will report to New Jersey’s training camp when it begins on September 17th.
Rooney will be the most familiar name to Devils fans. He began his pro career with the organization, signing with the Albany Devils as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Within three seasons, Rooney had worked his way up to a hardy, fourth-line role in the NHL. He quickly became known for making gritty and hard-earned plays, but never scored more than 10 points in a single season with the Devils. He moved to the New York Rangers for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, and has spent the last three seasons split between the Calgary Flames’ NHL and AHL rosters. Rooney has continued to offer a stout, depth role everywhere he goes – and will now return to New Jersey looking to earn a role at the age of 32. He has totaled 60 points in 330 NHL games.
Glendening will be another familiar name, if only for his longevity in the league. The now-36-year-old centerman also began his career as an undrafted free-agent, signing with the AHL’s Providence Bruins in 2012 after four seasons at the University of Michigan. Glendening returned to Michigan via a move to the Grand Rapids Griffins in his first full season in the AHL, and played a key, middle-six role during the club’s race to the 2013 Calder Cup. He moved to the NHL in the very next season, and has spent the last 12 years filling a confident, bottom-six role for multiple teams. His career spanned seven years with the Detroit Red Wings, before taking two-year pit stops with the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning. He’s proven consistent throughout, and boasts 166 points and 308 penalty minutes in 864 career games. With New Jersey already boasting a full lineup, Glendening could be set to compete with Rooney for the role of veteran depth-forward.
While Glendening and Rooney battle it out, so will depth goaltenders Scheel and Romanov. Scheel spent last season split between the AHL’s Colorado Eagles and the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies. He managed stout numbers in the higher league, recording a 10-2-2 record and .904 save percentage with the Eagles. But on a weak Utah lineup, Scheel fell to a 5-12-2 record and .884 save percentage. Also an undrafted free agent, he has totaled a .905 save percentage through 101 games, and five seasons, in the AHL. Romanov hasn’t been in North American pros for as long, but posted an encouraging .904 save percentage in 29 games of the 2023-24 season, and a .905 in 21 games last season. Those numbers were enough to earn him a handful of NHL games during the San Jose Sharks’ recent goalie drought. He recorded an 0-6-0 record and .888 save percentage in 10 games with the Sharks. Whoever wins the goalie battle at training camp will likely take on the role of third-string minor-leaguer behind Nico Daws and Jakub Malek.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images.