NHL Network has made it an annual tradition to rank the top players in the league at each position — top 20 for centers, wingers and defensemen and top 10 for goalies. As is the case with virtually everything on social media, the lists are very much up for debate.
Utah Mammoth fans will notice the absence of Mikhail Sergachev from the top defensemen list, which was published Sunday evening.
Sergachev placed No. 18 in 2025, so this year's rankings beg the question: Did Sergachev get worse, or did others simply get better?
Here are some factors to consider — some affirming the league's ranking and others refuting it. The conclusion is up to the individual reader to determine.
Sergachev isn't a 75-plus-point guy like the names at the top of the list, but he is consistently just outside the top 10 in points among NHL defensemen.

#network #mammoth #mikhail

It's getting to the point in the summer where teams don't have many open roster spots. Teams have pretty much filled out their lineups, with only some depth roles potentially available. For three former Toronto Maple Leafs netminders, finding an opportunity this upcoming season could be highly challenging.
So, let's take a closer look at the former Leafs goalies still looking for work this summer.
James Reimer had a resurgent season with the Ottawa Senators last season. After the Maple Leafs cut him from a Professional Tryout Contract (PTO) in training camp last fall, the Senators came calling. And the move worked out pretty well for both sides.
The team desperately needed support in the crease. Reimer didn't just come in and play a backup role. He started 14 games and carried the club during a stretch where it lost starter Linus Ullmark. Reimer played very well, but looks to be on the outside looking in.
This season, the Senators have Ullmark back with Samuel Ersson earmarked as the backup. There may still be a shot out there for Reimer, especially if a team faces an unexpected injury at some point in the season.

#season #senators #maple

Last season, several goalies proved they belong in the discussion for top-five netminders in the NHL. Logan Thompson emerged as a standout, showcasing elite skills even as the Capitals missed the playoffs. Meanwhile, Igor Shesterkin delivered impressive performances despite facing a struggling New York defense. Here are the top five goalies in the NHL as we approach the 2026-27 season.
MORE: NHL players facing the most pressure entering 2026-2027 season
Apr 8, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson (48) follows the play against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
If it weren't for these other top goalies, Thompson has a really good case to be in the top three. Thompson led the NHL in goals saved above expected. He was dominant, but his team in front could not do enough to get into the playoffs.
Ilya Sorokin has established himself as one of the premier goalies in the league, and what truly distinguishes him is his remarkable achievement of 26 shutouts in 286 games over the past five seasons, the highest total in the NHL during that period.

#thompson #goalies #five

While the kickoff of the 2026 high school soccer season is still a month away, The Enquirer is getting preseason coverage rolling with looks at the top returning players across each position group.
The defensive anchors of every unit and the first group to feature are the goalies. Here are some key keepers to watch in 2026.
Be sure to vote for your favorite using the ballot at the end of the story. You can vote once an hour until 4 p.m. Friday.
Brennan stepped up in her sophomore campaign, securing 11 shutouts and 98 saves in 2025. She allowed just 15 goals all season, earning a spot on the all-city first team. The incoming junior will look to improve on Taylor's 12-7 finish alongside over a dozen Yellowjacket upperclassmen.
An incoming junior already with two years of experience in goal, Bruce led the Eastern Cincinnati Conference with nine shutouts in 2025. She made 78% of stops and allowed just 23 goals, earning Enquirer first-team all-city honors in Division I.

While the kickoff of the 2026 high school soccer season is still a month away, The Enquirer is getting preseason coverage rolling with looks at the top returning players across each position group.
The defensive anchors of every unit and the first group to feature are the goalies. Here are some key keepers to watch in 2026.
Be sure to vote for your favorite using the ballot at the end of the story. You can vote once an hour until 4 p.m. Friday.
Brennan stepped up in her sophomore campaign, securing 11 shutouts and 98 saves in 2025. She allowed just 15 goals all season, earning a spot on the all-city first team. The incoming junior will look to improve on Taylor's 12-7 finish alongside over a dozen Yellowjacket upperclassmen.
An incoming junior already with two years of experience in goal, Bruce led the Eastern Cincinnati Conference with nine shutouts in 2025. She made 78% of stops and allowed just 23 goals, earning Enquirer first-team all-city honors in Division I.

While the kickoff of the 2026 high school soccer season is still a month away, the Enquirer is getting preseason coverage rolling with looks at the top returning players across each position group.
The defensive anchors of every unit and the first group to feature are the goalies. Here are some key keepers to watch in 2026.
Be sure to vote for your favorite using the ballot at the end of the story. You can vote once an hour until 4 p.m. Friday.
In his junior campaign, Carter tallied 147 saves with nine shutouts, allowing just 19 goals through 20 games. His three saves in a shootout win over Loveland in the district semifinals were instrumental to the Wildcats claiming a district championship, and he earned a spot on the Enquirer's all-city first team.
As a sophomore, Darling secured 10.5 shutouts in goal for Mason. The Comets allowed just nine goals all season en route to a 14-1-3 record, and Darling's skills will only improve in his junior season.

While the kickoff of the 2026 high school soccer season is still a month away, the Enquirer is getting preseason coverage rolling with looks at the top returning players across each position group.
The defensive anchors of every unit and the first group to feature are the goalies. Here are some key keepers to watch in 2026.
Be sure to vote for your favorite using the ballot at the end of the story. You can vote once an hour until 4 p.m. Friday.
In his junior campaign, Carter tallied 147 saves with nine shutouts, allowing just 19 goals through 20 games. His three saves in a shootout win over Loveland in the district semifinals were instrumental to the Wildcats claiming a district championship, and he earned a spot on the Enquirer's all-city first team.
As a sophomore, Darling secured 10.5 shutouts in goal for Mason. The Comets allowed just nine goals all season en route to a 14-1-3 record, and Darling's skills will only improve in his junior season.

Former Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy went with Adin Hill as his goaltender for the final stretch this past season.
Replacement coach John Tortorella quickly switched to Carter Hart.
And now current coach Ryan Craig, expected to have both goalies at his disposal, could divide their play.
“I feel really good about our goaltending with Adin Hill and Carter Hart," general manager Kelly McCrimmon said.
The Golden Knights last season relied on multiple goalies when Akira Schmid started 29 games, Hill 27 and Hart 18. Other teams, notably Florida, New Jersey and Philadelphia, are expected to take a similar approach into next season, especially with it going from 82 to 84 games.

The Edmonton Oilers continue searching for help in goal, but one potential target appears to be off their list. According to NHL goalie **** yst Kevin Woodley, Michael DiPietro is not viewed as a fit under new head coach Mike Babcock.
Speaking on The Jason Gregor Show, Woodley dismissed the possibility of Edmonton targeting the AHL standout.
"Michael DiPietro is not going to be a pick for the Edmonton Oilers because their new head coach doesn't like small goalies," Woodley said.
He added, "Traditionally, talking to people around it and people who have been around Mike Babcock in other organizations, he just doesn't like small goalies. So DiPietro is not an option."
MORE: Oilers enter 'desperation' phase in Darnell Nurse trade talks

The San Jose Sharks drafted Brady Knowling at No. 127 overall in the fourth round of the NHL Draft on Saturday.
The 6-foot-5 left-handed goaltender wants to be known for his skating ability, not just his size.
“I want my name to be a part of a sentence where it’s like, ‘Wow, his skating is really good for his size,'” Knowling said. “Because a lot of these bigger goalies are stereotypically not as good as skaters as everyone else, and it’s like, yeah, I’m 6-foot-5 but I want to be able to be an unbelievable skater.”
Scott Wedgewood’s skating, for example, has impressed Knowling
Knowling spent his last two seasons with the USNTDP, where he played 52 games across this year. He’ll head to the Saginaw Spirit for a year, before joining Boston University.

After selecting Egor Shilov in the second round, the Colorado Avalanche rounded out their 2026 draft class with a whopping eight more picks before the day was over. All-together collecting three forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders as new prospects to the organization.
In the third round Beckett Hamilton was selected at 74th overall out of Red Deer in the WHL. He’s known as a hard-working well-rounded right shot center, which pairs well with perhaps a riskier upside bet in Shilovs from the previous round. Hamilton stands at 5-foot-11 and was ranked 33rd by NHL Central Scouting after putting up 62 points in 67 games. Hamilton has been a member of Team Canada contributing three goals at the U18 tournament.
A pair of picks by the Avalanche completed the fourth round. There they obtained their first goaltender of the draft in Tobias Tvrznik at 126th overall, He possesses the 6-foot-4 size the organization loves and plays for Wenatchee in the WHL. Altgough he was ranked 8th for North American goalies by Central Scouting, Tvrznik was drafted in his second time through the process. The Czech netminder is committed to Ohio State for the 2027-28 season.
Two picks later at 128th overall the first of several defensemen went off the board to Colorado with the selection of 5-foot-11 right shot Swedish defenseman Axel Elofsson. He scored 41 points in 39 games playing at the U20 level for Örebro and played six games for the organization at the SHL level. Eloffson has been an important player for the Swedish international team winning a gold at the U18, silver at the Hlinka Gretzky and bronze at the WJAC all in the 2025-26 season while also picking up accolades for most points and ***** ists. He was ranked 29th by Central Scouting for European players.
In the fifth round Joe Sakic executed his second ever move up the board utilizing their lowest seventh round pick at 222nd overall to jump nine spots to take right shot defenseman Cole Tuminaro at the 140th pick. He was ranked 96th by Central Scouting for North American skaters. It’s interesting strategy because the 6-foot-4 and 225 pound right hander is a 19-year-old re-entry who scored 16 points to go along with 148 penalty minutes. Every organization wants to add size and grit but these prospects are very difficult to develop. He’s excepted to plat at Cornell next season after leaving the USHL.

June 14 (UPI) -- Jaccob Slavin and the Carolina Hurricanes vaporized Vegas Golden Knights offensive threats in a Game 6 shutout Sunday to seal the franchise's first Stanley Cup in 20 years.
Slavin provided an ******* ist, but made most of his impact as a spoiler of the Golden Knights' hopes of extending the series, foiling countless chances in Carolina's 3-0 triumph in Las Vegas.
"What a feeling," Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal, the Stanley Cup playoffs MVP, said on the ABC broadcast. "What a battle. The boys were grinding today. So many individual efforts to keep the puck out of the net. It was an amazing ride."
Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi, who took over for benched starter Frederik Andersen in Game 3, made 22 saves in Game 6 to become the first rookie to record a shutout in a Stanley Cup clincher since 1936. The Hurricanes are the first team since the 1984 Edmonton Oilers to win a Stanley Cup while using two starting goalies.
"It's special," Bussi said. "It's been a special year. It's been an honor to do it with this group. Everybody deserves it so much."

LAS VEGAS — By now, it should be clearly evident to anyone watching this Stanley Cup Final that no lead is safe. There’s no room for comfort. And the word panic has been eliminated from the vocabulary of both the Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes.

The chaos that has been the Cup Final continued Tuesday with Game 4 at T-Mobile Arena. By now, we should be used to the twists and turns, the crazy bounces, the near misses and the occasional brilliance that has defined the series.

In the end, it was Carolina that prevailed in yet another wild affair, 5-3, to draw even in the series at 2-2. The always-pivotal Game 5 will be Thursday at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh in what has now become a best-of-3 battle.

“We battled back but we’ll regroup and get ready for the next one,” Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said.

The Knights better figure out a way to slow down if not stop Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal or he may be the one accepting the Cup from commissioner Gary Bettman as well as taking home the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs. He had two goals Tuesday, including the game-winner, scoring while falling down and beating Carter Hart with 6:32 gone in the third period.

“It’s a good thing, no question,” Staal said of his goal-scoring exploits (he has five in the Final through four games, having scored in each game). “The puck’s going in right now so I’ll take it.”

Tortorella said: “Staal is killing us in front of the net. We need to do a better job around the blue.”

Down in the series and needing a spark, Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour changed goalies, replacing Frederik Andersen with Brandon Bussi, who took over to start the third period in Game 3 and played well only to lose in double overtime on a bad bounce off the T-Mobile end boards.

It was working. For a while anyway. This time, the Canes got the fortuitous bounce less than two minutes into Game 4 as the puck caromed off the end boards before Hart could corral it. It wound up on the stick of Logan Stankoven and ultimately in the Vegas net.

“It’s hard to get game reps in practice,” Bussi said, who was the fortunate beneficiary when Brayden McNabb’s apparent goal at the end of the first period was taken off the board after it was determined the puck went in after time had expired. “So I think it helped to have played (in Game 3).”

But if we’ve learned anything in this series, it’s that a two-goal lead is anything but safe. The Canes had leads of 2-0 and 3-1 only to watch the Knights rally, as has been their custom throughout the season.

William Karlsson made it 3-2 early in the second period. Later in the period, Brett Howden tied it 3-3, setting a team record in the process with his 14th playoff goal. Jonathan Marchessault had 13 in 2023, the year Vegas won the Cup.

In each game so far, the Knights have had the better of things during the middle stanza. The Canes have found their second gear in the second part of the third period. This

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