National Hockey League

Ten teams put a combined 18 players on waivers Saturday, the second wave in three days as clubs trim to the 23-man limit ahead of Monday's opening-night deadline. Boston waived forwards Lukas Reichel and Alex Steeves; the Islanders put five players on waivers, headlined by winger Pierre Engvall; Calgary, Columbus, Dallas, Florida, Los Angeles, Nashville, Pittsburgh and Washington each waived at least one player. Detroit claimed defenseman Andreas Englund from Calgary, and Nashville claimed defenseman William Trudeau from the Rangers. The wave follows Friday's larger cut-down, when outlets reported roughly 50 to 60-plus players placed on waivers league-wide.

Vancouver's claim of goaltender Leevi Meriläinen off waivers from Ottawa, plus placing forward Filip Chytil on injured reserve, has intensified the Canucks' goaltending competition ahead of Monday's 2 p.m. PT deadline to trim the roster to 23. Nikita Tolopilo now faces a possible assignment to Abbotsford, and Chris Driedger's roster spot is in question depending on how the goaltending numbers shake out. Vancouver is also carrying five injured skaters (Thompson, MacEachern, Thomas, Chytil, Demko) while it finalizes its forward and defense groups; Aatu Räty and Max Sasson appear to have made the forward group, while Braeden Cootes and Jonathan Lekkerimäki are ticketed for more seasoning in Abbotsford.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday that Red Wings center Dylan Larkin has expanded his list of preferred trade destinations to as many as eight teams, including Dallas, Washington, Colorado and Tampa Bay. Friedman and the Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan also reported Columbus winger Kirill Marchenko is drawing interest from Montreal, the Islanders, Toronto, Winnipeg, Boston, Vegas and Seattle, and that Carolina is permitting restricted free agent defenseman Alexander Nikishin's camp to explore a trade following the club's Stanley Cup run. Separately, Friedman reported Detroit prefers a bridge contract for restricted free agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson over a long-term deal, and that Florida and pending free agent winger Vladimir Tarasenko are weighing a reunion. All of the above is rumour and trade speculation, not confirmed transactions.

San Jose named 20-year-old center Macklin Celebrini team captain, making him the youngest captain in Sharks history and the NHL's youngest active captain. The Sharks had gone without a captain since Logan Couture's retirement in April 2025. General manager Mike Grier said Celebrini earned the role through his character and daily work ethic, and Joe Thornton presented Celebrini with his new jersey at the announcement. Celebrini finished fourth in NHL scoring last season with 115 points, signed a five-year, $94 million contract, and captained Canada at the 2026 World Championship. "There's a responsibility that comes with that," Celebrini said of the honor.

Carolina signed goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov to a two-year extension covering the 2027-28 and 2028-29 seasons, worth a combined $8.9 million and averaging $4.45 million annually. General manager Eric Tulsky called Kochetkov "an incredibly talented goalie whose aggressive style fits our team very well."

Saturday's exhibition slate saw Pittsburgh beat Buffalo 3-1 behind an early Sidney Crosby goal, Carolina blank Nashville 6-0 with Jackson Blake posting a goal and two assists, and Los Angeles beat Anaheim 6-2 as 39-year-old newcomer Mats Zuccarello had a goal and two assists in his Kings debut. Friday's slate had Colorado beat Winnipeg 5-2 on a T.J. Hughes hat trick, and Dallas edge Minnesota 2-1.

Buffalo goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen left Saturday's preseason game with what coach Lindy Ruff called a lower-body "tweak," and his status for the opener is uncertain; fellow Sabres goalie Alex Lyon is also being evaluated after an upper-body injury from Thursday. Pittsburgh's Bryan Rust left Saturday's game and is still being evaluated, per Pens Inside Scoop. Ottawa's Jake Sanderson was pulled from Saturday's game as a precaution. Elsewhere, Dallas' Tyler Seguin has returned to game action after last December's knee injury, Detroit's Dylan Larkin is practicing but not yet on his regular line, Minnesota's Brock Faber underwent a precautionary evaluation after taking a puck to the head, New Jersey's Seamus Casey is expected to miss time per his coach, Buffalo's Olen Zellweger (concussion) and Mattias Samuelsson (lower-body) are considered day-to-day, and Washington's Alex Ovechkin is expected to be ready for the season opener.

Teams thinned their rosters this week ahead of the league's opening-night limit, due by 5 p.m. ET Monday, the day before the Sept. 29 start of the regular season. Reports on Friday's wave varied on the exact total (accounts ranged from roughly 50 to 60-plus players placed on waivers), but veterans among those waived included Utah's Brandon Tanev, San Jose's Eric Comrie, Winnipeg's Noah Gregor and a pair of St. Louis forwards, Oskar Sundqvist and Nathan Walker. Washington also cleared four names off its camp roster. Buffalo and Calgary were among the clubs making the most moves.

Vancouver added goaltending depth Friday, claiming 24-year-old Leevi Meriläinen using top waiver priority after Ottawa waived him behind Linus Ullmark and newly acquired Samuel Ersson. Meriläinen went 8-10-1 with a 3.51 GAA and an .860 save percentage in 20 games last season. Vancouver takes on his contract with no compensation owed to Ottawa; the move adds depth with starter Thatcher Demko having missed the entire preseason with injury. In a related move, forward Matt Stienburg cleared waivers and was assigned to AHL Abbotsford. Vancouver opens its regular season Oct. 1 at Edmonton.

RUMOUR, unconfirmed: Montreal has reportedly explored a trade for Detroit's Dylan Larkin to pair with Nick Suzuki, but Larkin is said to prefer a short list of destinations led by Minnesota and has no interest in a move to Canada. Multiple teams, Montreal among them, have checked in on Winnipeg's Mark Scheifele, who carries a full no-movement clause and has said he wants to stay a Jet long-term. Buffalo, Utah and San Jose are said to be watching Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck's situation, though Jets management is reportedly seeking player returns rather than prospects and has shown no appetite for a rebuild. Other names mentioned in trade speculation include Columbus's Kirill Marchenko, Carolina's Alexander Nikishin, Dallas's Jason Robertson and Toronto's Matthew Knies.

Dallas center Tyler Seguin made his preseason debut Friday against Minnesota, his first game action since a Dec. 16 ACL surgery. "Excited. Nervous. Made sure I had a good sleep last night," Seguin said. Elsewhere, Buffalo's Alex Lyon is being evaluated for an upper-body injury suffered Thursday against Detroit, and Vancouver's Filip Chytil did not return after a first-period collision with the boards in Thursday's game against Edmonton. "It's never good to see a guy leave the game," said Canucks coach Manny Malhotra. New Jersey's Seamus Casey will miss time after a Thursday collision against the Rangers, with the extent of the injury not yet known. Dallas is targeting an Oct. 2 return for Matt Duchene and Colin Blackwell, and Buffalo signed depth defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a one-year, $850,000 contract.

Jordan Kyrou scored 11 seconds into overtime for his first goal since being traded to Washington from St. Louis in June, lifting the Capitals past Boston 3-2. Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson each had a goal and an assist, and Logan Thompson made 20 saves; David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie scored for the Bruins. In the other preseason finale, the Rangers routed the Islanders 6-1 as Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller each had a goal and an assist, Adam Fox added three assists, and Igor Shesterkin made 15 saves. Pierre Engvall had the Islanders' lone goal. Boston opens its regular season at home against the Rangers Tuesday.

Nine teams placed 30 players on waivers Thursday as camps trim toward the roster deadline. Toronto and Minnesota led with eight moves apiece; Carolina, Dallas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Ottawa, Pittsburgh and Vancouver also cleared players, including goaltenders Leevi Merilainen (Ottawa) and Matthew Murray (Nashville).

Chicago signed forward Oliver Moore, the club's 2023 first-round pick, to a five-year contract extension carrying a $4.25 million average annual value, locking in the 21-year-old center through the prime of his career.

Detroit beat Buffalo 3-2 in overtime on Alex DeBrincat's power-play goal, Carolina rallied from a 5-1 deficit to beat Nashville 6-5, Florida topped Tampa Bay 5-3, Philadelphia's Joseph Woll made 28 saves in a 2-0 shutout of Boston, Columbus blanked Pittsburgh 4-0, and the Rangers beat New Jersey 4-3 in a shootout.

Patrick Kane is set for his preseason debut with Chicago on Thursday against St. Louis, targeting an October 6 home debut in his second stint with the club. Toronto's Nick Paul is questionable for the September 29 opener after leaving Wednesday's game early, while Dallas' Tyler Seguin is probable to play Friday in his continued return from ACL surgery.

Fourteen teams waived a combined 34 players Wednesday, the second wave of roster trimming this week as clubs work toward the 23-man opening-night limit. Boston, Colorado, Columbus, Detroit, Nashville, the Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Utah, Vancouver and Vegas were all involved. In Tampa Bay's case, goaltender Jonas Johansson was among those waived after three seasons as Andrei Vasilevskiy's backup, with Dennis Hildeby now ticketed for that role following the Nick Paul trade.

Dallas released three players from professional tryouts and reassigned six forwards and defensemen to AHL affiliate Texas. Winnipeg loaned seven players to the Manitoba Moose and released four more from PTOs, trimming its camp from 46 players down to 34. The Jets still need to make 11 more cuts before the roster limit deadline on September 28.

Toronto split its roster for a pair of preseason wins over Ottawa, 6-1 and 4-2, with John Tavares and Auston Matthews each posting three points in the first game and Ryan Tverberg breaking a late tie in the second. Dallas blanked Minnesota 2-0 behind a 24-save shutout from Remi Poirier. Elsewhere, the Rangers say Adam Sykora will be out four to five months with a lower-body injury, while Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is day-to-day with a lower-body issue and may sit out the final two exhibition games. Coach Spencer Carbery said Ovechkin "didn't quite feel right to practice today... just want to be cautious," with the captain targeting the October 2 season opener.

The 2027 World Junior Championship will run December 26 through January 5, split between Rogers Place in Edmonton and the Marchant Crane Centrium in Red Deer, Alberta. Canada opens against Switzerland and the United States opens against Germany on opening night. Quarterfinals are set for January 2, semifinals for January 4, and the medal games for January 5, all at Rogers Place. Games will air on NHL Network in the U.S. and on TSN and RDS in Canada.

The NHL's Board of Governors took up Houston and Austin as possible expansion markets for the first time since exploration began in June, but made no decision at Tuesday's meeting. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly briefed all 32 governors on businessman Dan Friedkin's Pursuit Sports proposal. Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league expects to know its preferred market by year's end, while Daly said, "I don't think we're putting time limits on things." An expansion would require roughly $3.5 billion and approval from three-quarters of the Board; the next meeting is in December.

Five clubs placed a combined 15 players on waivers Wednesday as camp rosters continue to shrink toward the regular-season limit. Detroit waived the largest group -- Jacob Bryson, Cameron Butler, Sheldon Dries, William Lagesson, John Leonard and Dominik Shine -- while the Rangers waived four, including Urho Vaakanainen, the key piece they received in the Jacob Trouba trade. Dallas, Nashville, the Islanders and Washington also placed one or two players on waivers apiece. Players who clear Wednesday become eligible to join their AHL affiliates.

Five preseason games were played Monday night. Boston routed Philadelphia 5-1 as Michael Eyssimont scored twice and Jeremy Swayman made 20 saves; Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar left in the first period with an upper-body injury. The Islanders rallied past the Rangers 4-3, with Matias Maccelli picking up two goals and an assist and Semyon Varlamov making his first NHL appearance since a November 2024 knee injury. Carolina beat Florida in a shootout, with Panthers coach Paul Maurice calling Brady Tkachuk's early exit precautionary. Detroit beat Pittsburgh 7-4 in a game that included the Penguins debuts of 2026 draft picks Liam and Markus Ruck, and Buffalo beat Columbus 5-1 behind two Noah Ostlund goals.

Clubs made their first significant training-camp roster reductions this week. Washington trimmed from 53 to 44 players, waiving forward Ludwig Persson and loaning eight others, including Alex Suzdalev and Petr Sikora, to Hershey. Los Angeles reassigned 16 players, sending six to AHL Ontario and five more to OHL and WHL clubs. Philadelphia's roster is down to 42 and Nashville's to 40, with more clubs expected to follow before the preseason schedule advances.

Alex Ovechkin sat out practice for a second straight day on Monday with a lower-body injury and is listed day-to-day. Coach Spencer Carbery said the team will monitor his status through the week as Washington continues its preseason schedule.

Dallas signed forward Sam Steel to a four-year contract extension worth $14.8 million, keeping him with the club as it heads into training camp.

Seattle placed forwards John Hayden, Logan Morrison and Jon-Randall Avon and goaltender Victor Ostman on waivers. Chicago placed defenseman Derrick Pouliot on waivers. All five are eligible to be claimed by any of the other 31 clubs.

New Jersey beat the Rangers 3-2 on a Jack Hughes goal with 2:12 remaining, with New York forward Adam Sykora leaving the game with a lower-body injury in the first period. Washington topped Philadelphia 5-2 behind two goals from Jonny Brodzinski. Pittsburgh beat Buffalo 4-1 as Bryan Rust posted a goal and two assists. Columbus edged Detroit 1-0 in a shootout on a Conor Garland winner. In the Kraft Hockeyville game at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Montreal beat Ottawa 3-2 in overtime as Cole Caufield scored twice, including the winner; Ottawa's William Eklund scored in his Senators debut after being acquired from San Jose.

Speaking at the Player Media Tour in Las Vegas on Sept. 14, Daly walked back his own Aug. 22 comments that an end-of-2026 announcement on a 33rd franchise in Houston or Austin was likely. Daly said it is "not a done deal" on either the league's side or that of prospective owner Dan Friedkin, whose group has been discussed in connection with a reported $2 billion expansion fee and a targeted 2029-30 debut. He cited unresolved board-level support and pointed to the league's ongoing six-month Houston/Austin feasibility review, with the next scheduled update expected at the Sept. 22 Board of Governors meeting. The league has also held separate, preliminary talks about a possible 34th team, with Phoenix and Atlanta mentioned as markets of interest.

Two days after St. Louis placed him on waivers, defenseman Marc-Andre Gaudet cleared on Sept. 20 and was assigned to AHL Springfield, trimming the Blues' training camp roster to 39 players. The 22-year-old, a 2022 fifth-round pick, posted five goals and 15 assists in 53 AHL games with Springfield last season.

Anaheim beat San Jose 6-2 at Honda Center behind a Beckett Sennecke hat trick, with Tristan Luneau (goal, two assists) and a goal and an assist apiece from Jackson LaCombe and Leo Carlsson; Laurent Brossoit made 21 saves. In New Jersey, Connor Brown scored a third-period breakaway goal to lift the Devils past the Islanders 2-1, with newly signed goaltender David Rittich turning aside 23 shots against his former team and Cole Eiserman scoring New York's power-play goal.

Colorado captain Cale Makar is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury as training camp opens. Coach Jared Bednar said Makar has been practicing in a non-contact jersey and is expected to miss the first couple of preseason games, with hopes he can begin special-teams work again later in the week.