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Saudi Arabia finally has a deal with American golf under an agreement announced Wednesday for the LPGA Tour to co-sanction a PIF Global Series event at prestigious Shadow Creek in Las Vegas next spring.

The Aramco Championship will be held from April 2-5 at Shadow Creek with 120 players from the LPGA and the Ladies European Tour. The $4 million purse rates among the highest outside the majors.

It’s the first big announcement for Craig Kessler, who took over as LPGA commissioner in July. He said the Aramco Championship “reflects exactly where we’re headed in building the global schedule for our tour.”

“We often talk about routing, courses and purses, and this event checks every box,” Kessler said. “We also recognize that partnerships like this — built on LET’s longstanding collaboration with Golf Saudi and PIF — can help strengthen the women’s game on a global scale and elevate opportunities for our athletes.”

The Aramco Championship is one of five tournaments that make up the series, which the Public Investment Fund rebranded this year while raising the prize money.

It dates to a team concept in 2020. What started as the Saudi Ladies Team International was renamed the Aramco Team Series and has been a regular part of the LET schedule.

The Aramco series has been held in the U.S. each year, starting with Glen Oaks in New York in 2021 and twice on courses owned by President Donald Trump in New York and Florida.

Nelly Korda and Alison Lee are two-time winners of Aramco events, and several LPGA players have competed in them. Charley Hull of England, who has membership on both tours, has won Aramco events twice and was runner-up five times.

“We’ve had a strong relationship with Golf Saudi since 2020, and this next chapter — welcoming the LPGA to join us at Shadow Creek — highlights how far we’ve come in strengthening the global platform for women’s golf,” said Marta Figueras-Dotti, chair of the LET’s board of directors.

PIF is the financial muscle behind LIV Golf, which launched in 2022 by luring away top names like Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka with signing bonuses reported to top $100 million in some cases.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the PIF governor, signed a framework agreement with the PGA Tour and European Tour in June 2023 that ended their lawsuits and positioned PIF as an investor.

But that agreement was never finalized, the PGA Tour found a private equity investor in Strategic Sports Group and negotiations with PIF broke down after Trump brought together both sides shortly after he returned to office for a second term.

The PIF Global Series was different as Golf Saudi invested in the Ladies European Tour with a series of events that had the largest purses on the LET, though still well short of the majors.

“Women’s golf continues to go from strength-to-strength and PIF has a strong track record of backing that growth and investing in the future of the women’s game,” Al-Rumayyan said in a statement provided by the LPGA.

“Today’s announcement marks another significant milestone as we work closely with great partners at the LPGA and LET to introduce a co-sanctioned event as part of next year’s PIF Global Series. The future of women’s golf has never been brighter, on and off the course.”

Kessler said while he expects some negative reaction, “I’ve been blown away by the support from the LPGA and LET boards.” He said he has spoken to dozens of players about the Las Vegas event. “The overwhelming sentiment was, ‘What took so long?'”

The Aramco Championship is one of five tournaments in the PIF Global Series for 2026. The others are the PIF Saudi Ladies International on Feb. 11-14; PIF London Championship at Centurion Club outside London on Aug. 6-9; Aramco Korea Championship in South Korea on Oct. 8-11; and Aramco China Championship at Mission Hills on Nov. 5-8.

The Aramco series previously has played in Spain, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Only the co-sanctioned event at Shadow Creek — which has hosted the Match Play on the LPGA since 2021 — will count toward the LPGA’s official money and its Race to CME Globe.

This will be the fourth co-sanctioned event between the LPGA and LET, joining two majors (Women’s British Open and Evian Championship in France) and the Women’s Scottish Open.

Bottom of the league in goals scored and goal differential, the Calgary Flames are now the NHLâ€s last-place team.

They canâ€t score, they canâ€t defend.

Thereâ€s no sugar-coating where this beleaguered bunch sits a mere half-dozen games into the season, losing five in a row to sit 1-5.

And the road ahead doesnâ€t get any easier, facing Winnipeg in two of their next three games.

A 6-1 beating in Vegas on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday added to the frustration of an already-challenging start, especially since the effort of several players was called into question.

Coach Ryan Huska, whose players rarely shortchange him on heart, said half his forwards didnâ€t give the sort of effort expected.

Captain Mikael Backlund agreed the group didnâ€t show near enough fight after an evenly played first period saw the Flames down 3-1.

“The battle has pretty much been there from the boys, but tonight I donâ€t think it was up to our standards,†said Backlund.

The harshest criticism came from HNICâ€s Kevin Bieksa, who blasted Yegor Sharangovich for failing to finish a check on William Karlsson late in the game.

“I would absolutely lose my mind if I saw that on the bench,†said Bieksa.

“Thatâ€s a culture thing for me. I would show that clip in practice and say, ‘where are my guys that care?†Play the guys that care. If youâ€re going to get an effort like that, get rid of him. Youâ€re disgracing the NHL with an effort like that. Be a little mad. Hate to lose. That guy doesnâ€t hate to lose.

“You have so many good young players … you have a young nucleus and you canâ€t have them poisoned by that type of behaviour.â€

More takeaways from (another) nightmare in Vegas:

After missing the first five games of the season due to a pre-season injury, Jonathan Huberdeau returned to the lineup and made an immediate impact with a power-play goal three minutes in. Banging in a rebound on the power-play to tie the game 1-1, it kickstarted an evening in which the teamâ€s best playmaker did well to inject some energy into the top line with Nazem Kadri and Joel Farabee. Â

“You need your best players to be your best players every night and I thought the Kadri, Huberdeau, Farabee line was excellent for us tonight, consistently,†said Huska.

“They had the puck a lot and were dangerous. The challenge becomes, itâ€s everybody. You canâ€t rely on the one group of guys. I donâ€t think we had enough other players that were as engaged as that line.â€

Huberdeau said his club isnâ€t playing as a unit, trying too hard to do things individually.

“Right now itâ€s just too easy against us,†said Huberdeau, whose club allowed Mark Stone and Jack Eichel to pile up four points apiece.

“Weâ€re leaving the best player on the other team wide open. Weâ€ve got to be harder on these guys.â€

Go ahead and try to blame Dustin Wolf on any of the five goals he was beaten on, but youâ€d be wrong to do so.

Still, after being beaten five times on 19 shots, Wolf gave way to Devin Cooley for the third period.

It was a salient move given the rigorous schedule ahead this week, with Winnipeg in town Monday, Montreal visiting Wednesday and a return trip to Winnipeg on Friday.

Cooley was spectacular in his season debut Wednesday in Utah, and was solid again Saturday, victimized only once by a Vegas power play that finished three-for-three on the night. He stopped eight of nine shots.

Having taken note of a high hit Colton Sissons made on Zayne Parekh when these two teams met four nights earlier, Ryan Lomberg took the opportunity to let the Vegas forward know it didnâ€t sit well with the Flames.

Two minutes in, to the surprise of no one, the two decided to settle the score.

Six minutes later, the Golden Knights took exception to a heavy Adam Klapka hit on Zach Whitecloud when Jeremy Lauzon dropped the gloves with the big Flames winger.

“The (Connor) Zary line, with Lomberg and Klapka, I thought gave us a great effort tonight – two good fights from the two guys on that line but we didnâ€t have much from the other two lines tonight,†said Huska.

“Weâ€re in a stretch right now where weâ€re not playing poorly – I thought tonightâ€s game got away from us for sure – but itâ€s the consistency our team has to play with for a full 60 minutes. We need to be more committed and more detailed for a full 60 minutes for more than weâ€ve shown this year.â€

There was good news on the farm, where rookie Matvei Gridin scored his first AHL goal in his first AHL game just 37 seconds into the contest Saturday in Tucson, Ariz. Hunter Brzustewicz also scored his first of the season, although the Wranglers fell 5-4 in OT.

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The Vegas Golden Knights absolutely demolished the Calgary Flames 6-1 in Sin City on Saturday night NHL action.

The Flames have now lost five in a row and are dead last in the overall NHL rankings for the season.

Here are the takeaways:

What’s Going on with Dustin Wolf

As of the end of this game, Wolf has given up 15 goals in five games in even-strength hockey and has an Expected Goals Against (xGA) value of 8.33. That is below expected by 6.67, the BIGGEST in the league.

Safe to say he is in a sophomore slump, but it’s still early in the season to pick it up.

Second Period Slump

You could make the argument the Flames just got unlucky in the first period. The first shot of the game ended up being a Mitch Marner goal. After that shot, until the 11:25 mark of the first period, the Flames and Knights were even at 5-5 in shots on goal, including trading PP goals, that put the Knights up 2-1.

Calgary then outshot Vegas 8-1 until the second-last minute. Unfortunately, that lone Knights shot found the back of the Flames net, putting them up 3-1 at the first intermission.

That’s pretty unlucky.

But there was no excuse for the nightmare that was the second period.

Forget about the shot count: The Golden Knights had 15 scoring opportunities while the Flames had two. In terms of high-danger scoring opportunities, Vegas had five, including a shorthanded attempt. Two of those ended up being goals.

Calgary had zero high-danger scoring opportunities. They were no threat for Vegas goalie Adin Hill. The second period was basically a walk in the park for him.

The Flames would stage a comeback in the third period, but could not produce any goals.

Poor Penalty-Kill

The Flames went 0-for-3 on the penalty-kill. You cannot expect to put on a respectable season record if the penalty-kill is zero on the dot.

Bottom Line

As for as what I liked with the Flames, Nazem Kadri was 11-of-15 (73.3%) on the face-off.

That’s about it.

The Flames will now come back home to take on the Winnipeg Jets on Monday.

To know how bad the Calgary offense was going into this game, check out this to see who had the most individual total shots for the team all season.

HINT: It’s a defenceman…

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  Jeff CarlisleOct 13, 2025, 01:35 PM ET

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  Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC.

Nearly four years after being diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, Daouda Peeters is back on the pitch with the USL’s Las Vegas Lights. Las Vegas Lights

In the summer of 2021, Daouda Peeters felt like he was operating near the pinnacle of soccer.

A holding midfielder by trade, he was on the books of Italian powerhouse Juventus, and had previously trained alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo. That season, his teammates included club legend Giorgio Chiellini, eventual FIFA World Cup winner Paulo Dybala and American newcomer Weston McKennie.

Four months later, Peeters was looking at the possible end of his career, paralyzed from the waist down due to a rare neurological condition called Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Peeters has since returned to the field, but the road back has been long and ongoing. He now plays in the USL Championship with the Las Vegas Lights, and he makes a point of letting his less experienced teammates know how fleeting a professional soccer career can be.

“The younger players, I say, ‘Boys, look: everything looks nice, but be really thankful and [enjoy] the maximum of your career because it can be finished like that,'” Peeters told ESPN.

His trouble began a few months into the 2021-22 season. In a bid for steady playing time, Peeters had been loaned to Belgian side Standard Liege. He was happy to be back in the country where he spent the bulk of his childhood. For the first two months of the season, all seemed well, but in late October, Peeters began feeling weakness in his legs. His stamina plummeted.

Peeters recalled running during practice and all of a sudden, he would fall down. The symptoms persisted when he was away from the field. He felt like there were electrical currents running through his legs.

“I wanted to go to the fridge to take something [out]. I fell down,” Peeters said. “So I knew there was something wrong. I was thinking at the beginning, ‘It’ll pass, there is nothing,’ but then on the pitch, it was getting always worse and worse and worse.”

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Standard’s chief medical officer, Dr. Bertrand Vanden Bulck, ordered tests, and the resulting diagnosis of GBS surprised him, with good reason. According to the Mayo Clinic, the incidence rate in the general population ranged between 0.4 and 3.25 cases per 100,000 people. Vanden Bulck said he had never seen a case of GBS before in 20 years working as a doctor in soccer.

“[GBS], it’s not the first disease we think of when the player complains about weakness in his leg,” said Vanden Bulck.

Dr. Michael Wilson, a neurologist and professor at UC-San Francisco, explained that Guillain-Barré is a disorder that attacks the covering around nerves, causing them to stop working properly.

“If you think about an electrical cord, and it has insulation around the wires,” said Wilson, “and so Guillain-Barré, there’s preferential attack on that insulation, but in most cases, the wires inside the insulation are intact.”

After the diagnosis, Peeters’ symptoms intensified. Within days of his last training session, he was in the hospital, paralyzed from the waist down and needing the use of a wheelchair.

“At the beginning, his family, the club, the trainer, everybody ask me, ‘Is it possible that Daouda will again play football?’ And nobody can answer this question,” Vanden Bulck said. “Guillain-Barré, it’s really difficult to make a good prognosis.”

Peeters said he was paralyzed for two months, his days filled with watching Netflix or reading books, but he could feel his body wasting away, his muscles atrophying.

Visa issues and an ankle injury have limited Daouda Peeters to eight appearances with Las Vegas in 2025. Las Vegas Lights

Rehab came in stages. There was electrical stimulation to get the nerves firing properly again as well as to activate his muscles. That was followed by plenty of core work to help stabilize his body, then coordination drills to help the muscles work together.

“In the beginning I had one part work and other part didn’t work, so I had to find the connection between all my muscles,” Peeters said.

The following winter, Peeters returned to Juventus to continue his rehabilitation, but there were still mountains to climb. It wasn’t enough that he was strong enough to play. Peeters needed to regain his soccer sense — the speed of the ball, where he needed to be on the field and when. There was stamina to build up again, too. When he first started playing practice games again at the end of the 2022-23 season, he found after playing for 60 minutes that he would lose sensation in his feet.

In a bid to regain his old level, Peeters was loaned to Sudtirol in Italy’s Serie B for the 2023-24 season. On Oct. 21, 2023 — nearly two years to the day that he was first sidelined — he suited up in his first official game against Cremonese, playing 78 minutes in a 1-0 win. He went on to make 19 league appearances.

“It was really special,” he recalled about that day. “I was like laughing, but really with relief. I was really happy to be back, a football player, to be an athlete, to be back with the team, to be back in the changing room, to be back on the pitch, and all this sensation, the adrenaline, it was something I missed a lot of times.”

But recovering the last 5% to 10% of his previous level proved to be the hardest. The start of the 2024-25 campaign saw him playing for Juventus NextGen, the club’s reserve side. Peeters felt stuck. By January 2025, he needed a change.

Las Vegas sporting director Gian Neglia first spotted Peeters during his stint as assistant sporting director at Venezia and when the player was with Sudtirol. When it came time to put together a list of possible targets for the Lights in 2025, Peeters’ name came up.

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“In Italy, [Peeters] was very much this guy that had ‘that disease,’ which is unfair, but sometimes that sticks,” said Neglia. “And so I think he was looking for that fresh start coming to America, and we were obviously very enthusiastic about getting him.”

Some European teams inquired about Peeters’ availability, but Juventus NextGen sporting director Claudio Chiellini encouraged him to look to the U.S. given the positive experience that his brother Giorgio had with LAFC. Peeters spoke with his family, as well as former teammate and current Las Vegas midfielder Younes Boudadi, who he knew from his younger days at Club Brugge’s academy.

“Boudadi said only positive words,” said Peeters. “So I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to take this step.'”

His campaign has been stop-start. Issues with his visa and a nagging ankle injury have limited him to eight league appearances, but Neglia has been impressed with what the 26-year-old has provided, especially his long-range passing and ability to work out of tight spaces. With the player under contract for next season, Neglia is eager to see what progress he can make.

The move to Vegas has provided Peeters with a different perspective on the game. And life. For so much of his young career, Peeters was on an upward trajectory that seemed never-ending, only to get sidetracked through no fault of his own.

He knows full well that his current port of call lacks the glamor attached to playing for a massive club like Juventus. He noted playing in the U.S. is “another mindset, another world,” but he’s still able to appreciate the successes, like recovering to the point that he’s playing professional soccer again. Not every victory has a fairytale-like quality to it. Some of the biggest ones — walking again, training again — happen away from the spotlight of adoring crowds and big matches. Some wins happen in solitary moments, along paths he didn’t expect.

“There are other opportunities,” he said. “I was already happy that I could walk again, that I could play football again. Even today, OK, maybe I’m far away from my family, but at the end it’s a great experience for me to be now in America. Also another country, another culture, and I’m feeling healthy also. So that’s really important.”

For Peeters, there are still goals to set and attain. He’ll get there going step by step.

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Tarik Skubal, John Smoltz, David Wright Among 60 Participants Teeing Off for Charity at Exclusive Course

Major League Baseball today introduced the Capital One MLB Open, a new competitive golf tournament featuring current and former MLB stars. The tournament at Shadow Creek, the exclusive course owned by MGM Resorts International, will be a cornerstone of MLB Awards Week Nov. 12-14.

Sixty current and former Major Leaguers representing all 30 Clubs are scheduled to participate in the Capital One MLB Open, including Jimmy Rollins, Tarik Skubal, John Smoltz, Justin Turner and David Wright, while Mookie Betts provides commentary as a correspondent from the links. Tournament coverage airs Tuesday night, Nov. 18 on TNT with additional highlights and coverage on MLB Network Thursday, Nov. 20. The full list of participants will be announced at a later date and many of the participating players will also attend the MLB Awards at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Thursday, Nov. 13.

“For years weâ€ve wanted to create this truly one-of-a-kind offseason golf experience for players and fans, but it took the support of key partners in Capital One, MGM Resorts and TNT Sports to bring everything together,†said Noah Garden, MLB Deputy Commissioner, Business & Media. “Now with this unique and competitive event in an exceptional location, we can showcase more of our players and allow their personalities to shine in a setting where fans havenâ€t seen them before.â€

The three-day event leads off with a pro-am, pairing MLB stars past and present with amateur players for a one-of-a-kind experience. The televised event features a two-day tournament with a competitive field of the current and former MLB players going head-to-head in a team gross best-ball format. A unique scoring system will turn every hole into a chance for players to climb the leaderboard. Using a modified Stableford point-based scoring system, every individual plays their own ball, with the team using the best ball and earning points for their score on each hole. The team with the most points wins the tournament and the top three teams earn monetary donations to the charities of their choice.

“We are excited to partner with Major League Baseball on the inaugural Capital One MLB Open, an exciting extension of our MLB Sponsorship,†said Byron Daub, Vice President of Brand Sponsorships at Capital One. “Our cardholders will have access and VIP packages that include the rare opportunity to play Shadow Creek with MLB current players and legends, as a part of the Pro-Am.â€

In addition to the special TNT recap broadcast, Bleacher Report, MLB Network and @MLB will provide further coverage of the tournament. The television production will be led by PGA Tour Productions, with support from MLB Network. The Tournament Director is Mike Milthorpe of Milthorpe Sports and the Tournament is a Mike Flaskey Entertainment Production.

“We have worked with MLB over the last several years to refine and bring to life our vision for this exciting tournament,†said Corrine Flaskey, CEO, Mike Flaskey Entertainment. “It is a great example of how the game of golf can be fun, competitive and raise notable funds for charity.â€

The Capital One MLB Open takes place during MLB Awards Week, with the annual MLB Awards presented by MGM Rewards airing live on MLB Network from The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Thursday, Nov. 13. Betts, the Dodgers perennial All-Star, for the first time takes the stage this year in front of a live audience to co-host the awards show with renowned comedian, Emmy-nominated producer and baseball fanatic Roy Wood Jr.

During the awards show, the Hank Aaron Award winners, Comeback Players of the Year, Mariano Rivera & Trevor Hoffman Relievers of the Year, Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter of the Year, selections for the All-MLB First and Second Teams and the Capital One Premier Play of the Year award will all be announced. Additionally, fans can expect entertaining performances on the stage and surprise moments unique to MLB. Fans can purchase tickets to the exclusive awards show at MLB.com or Ticketmaster.com and additional ticket information is available here.

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The Vegas Golden Knights will be your 2026 Stanley Cup champions, according to the official season simulation done by EA SPORTS in NHL 26.

The Golden Knights defeated the Canucks and Oilers in seven games before defeating the Avalanche in six to advance to the Finals. They took down the Rangers in seven games with Mitch Marner taking home the Conn Smythe Trophy. Marner led the playoffs in scoring followed by Jack Eichel and Artemi Panarin.

The San Jose Sharks earned a surprise playoff berth on the back of 95 points from Macklin Celebrini while the Avalanche won the Presidents Trophy.

Connor McDavid took home the Art Ross and Hart Trophy after posting 134 points during the regular season.

Auston Matthew won the Rocket Richard with 61 goals, Cale Makar won the Norris, while Connor Hellebuyck repeated as the Vezina winner.

Anthony Cirelli won his first career Selke Trophy, Ivan Demidov won the Calder after notching 75 points while Bruce Cassidy won the Jack Adams.

NHL 25 predicted the New York Rangers to win the Stanley Cup last season, we will see if the simulation jinx continues this year.

For more NHL Gaming news make sure you bookmark The Hockey News Gaming Site or follow our Google News Feed.

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LAS VEGAS — A day before they open the regular season, the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday signed veteran forward Alexander Holtz to a two-year, $1.675 million contract.

Holtz, traded to Vegas last offseason from the New Jersey Devils, was on a professional tryout agreement with the Golden Knights this fall after a topsy-turvy first season.

The 23-year-old played in 53 games last season for the Golden Knights, recording just four goals and eight assists. The former first-round selection split his time between Vegas and its AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights.

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Where Holtz settles this season remains to be seen, but he could wind up as one of Bruce Cassidy’s 12 active forwards, a group the coach has been impressed with.

“This could be the best group in terms of player one to 12 that I could ever coach just because of the depth and how it’s lining up for the Vegas Golden Knights,” Cassidy said. “Other teams have ways they access and that’s not disrespect. … Now we’ve got to get it off the paper and onto the rink looking like it’s supposed to.”

For his career, Holtz has garnered 23 goals and 46 points.

Vegas opens up at home Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Kings.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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This past off-season for the Vegas Golden Knights was defined by a major addition, with top free agent Mitch Marner joining from the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, it was also marked by a significant loss, as Alex Pietrangelo announced a step back from hockey due to ongoing injury concerns.

Regardless of these changes, the Golden Knights are once again expected to contend for the Stanley Cup as they head into the 2025-26 campaign, their ninth in the league. Coming off a first-place finish in the Pacific Division — becoming just the second expansion-era team to win at least four division titles in their first eight seasons — and a second-round playoff exit, Vegas is poised to make another run at the trophy theyâ€ve competed for twice and lifted once.

When their post-season run ended in May against the Edmonton Oilers, Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon reflected on the loss at his year-end media availability, calling it “a missed opportunity because I felt our team was good enough to win.†He added that the group “genuinely believed we had what it takes†and that it was “disappointing because we fell short of what we anticipated we would.â€

Since entering the league in 2017-18, the Golden Knights have carried an expectation to win, which has helped build a strong culture and identity along with consistent, tangible success. As Jack Eichel recently told NHL.com, “Our standard is the Stanley Cup. Expectations are super high. I think thatâ€s a great problem.â€

Apart from the Marner trade, in which Nicolas Roy was sent to Toronto, the other noteworthy moves the Golden Knights†front office made this past summer were re-signing Reilly Smith and Brandon Saad to one-year contracts, locking up Kaeden Korczak on a four-year deal, acquiring Colton Sissons and Jeremy Lauzon from the Nashville Predators in exchange for Nicolas Hague and a 2027 conditional third-round pick and letting unrestricted free agents Tanner Pearson, Victor Olofsson and Ilya Samsonov walk. They also drafted four players in June: Jakob Ihs-Wozniak (55th overall), Mateo Nobert (85th), Alex Weiermair (186th) and Gustav Sjoqvist (187th).

With their season and home opener exactly a week away — Oct. 8 against the Los Angeles Kings — our 32-teams-in-32-days preview series now shifts to the entertainment capital of the world.

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• 32 Thoughts: The Podcast

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Newcomer to watch: Mitch Marner

Coming from an intense hockey market like Toronto, Marner is used to having lots of eyes on him. After leaving the only NHL organization heâ€s known — where he played his first nine seasons — the star forward is set to remain in the spotlight as he begins a new chapter in Vegas with an eight-year, $96 million contract in hand. Ample curiosity will follow Marner, not just to see how he fares with his new team, but also how the Maple Leafs adjust now that the Core Four has been disbanded.

Marner, 28, recorded a career-high 102 points in 81 games last season, the most on the Maple Leafs and the fifth-highest total in the NHL. His 75 assists were also a career-best, ranking third league-wide. Joining a Golden Knights team that finished fifth in the league in goals per game in 2024-25 (3.34), the three-time all-starâ€s elite offensive touch should help vault their attack to another level. With nine straight playoff appearances in Toronto and 63 points in 70 games during that stretch, heâ€ll also inject more post-season experience into an already seasoned lineup.

Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy has hinted at trying Marner and Eichel together on the top line, though it remains to be seen how well the two stars will mesh. â€œSometimes on paper you look at chemistry and think itâ€s going to work, and it doesnâ€t,†said Cassidy. “And sometimes other lines just come together naturally. So that, to me, is a little bit unpredictable.†He also pointed out that “those guys both like to hang onto the puck.â€

Heading into a contract year, Dorofeyev is positioned for a notable payday if he can match or build on last seasonâ€s production. The 24-year-old Russian is in the second season of a two-year, $3.67 million deal and is set to become a restricted free agent after 2025-26. Heâ€s coming off a breakout campaign in which he set career highs across the board — playing all 82 games and posting 35 goals, 17 assists and 52 points — while recording a 13.8 shooting percentage and averaging 16:32 of ice time. His goal total led all Golden Knights skaters, and his 13 power-play markers were just one shy of the single-season franchise record Tomas Hertl set with 14.

Currently sidelined with a lower-body injury suffered in Vegas†second pre-season game against the Kings, itâ€s unclear if Dorofeyev will be ready for opening night. His name is being floated as a candidate to join Eichel and Marner on the left side, though Ivan Barbashev has been given the first go. Pairing last seasonâ€s team goals leader with two of the leagueâ€s top playmakers seems like a natural fit. Dorofeyev spent most of last year alongside Hertl and Saad and on the top power-play unit, but if he does get time with Eichel and Marner and the additional opportunities that come with that, another breakout season with even bigger numbers is well within reach.

The Golden Knights donâ€tboast the deepest of prospect pools, hardly surprising considering theyâ€ve made only two first-round picks and two second-round picks over the past four drafts, and just four total selections in each of the last three. But currently at the top of their list is forward Trevor Connelly, taken 19th overall in 2024 from the USHLâ€s Tri-City Storm, the organizationâ€s earliest pick since selecting Peyton Krebs 17th overall five years earlier.

Connelly, 19, spent the 2024-25 season at Providence College, where he posted four goals and nine assists in 23 games as a freshman. Days after his NCAA season ended, Connelly signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Vegas and joined the AHLâ€s Henderson Silver Knights, posting a goal and three assists in six games. He also recorded four points in seven games for the gold medal-winning United States at the most recent World Juniors tournament. As he makes the jump to pro hockey, Connelly is expected to spend the 2025-26 season in Henderson.

1. Will Jack Eichel sign an extension during the season?

Since acquiring Jack Eichel from the Buffalo Sabres in November 2021, the Golden Knights have made him a cornerstone of their roster. Heâ€s coming off a 2024-25 season in which he set career highs in assists (66), points (94), average ice time (20:32), shooting percentage (12.0), power-play points (34), and plus-minus (plus-32) over 77 games. Eligible to sign an extension since July 1, the 28-year-old is entering the final year of his eight-year, $80 million contract.

Eichel has nearly averaged a point per game over his career, with 608 points in 616 contests between Buffalo and Vegas, plus 43 points in 40 playoff appearances. In May, shortly after Vegas was eliminated from the post-season, GM Kelly McCrimmon called re-signing Eichel “an important order of business†and emphasized his value, saying, “Heâ€s one of the top guys in the NHL. Heâ€s got great character and great leadership. You see night in and night out what he does for our team.â€

Following Kirill Kaprizovâ€s record-setting extension with the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, Sportsnetâ€s Elliotte Friedman suggested the eight-year, $136-million deal could raise Eichelâ€s asking price. “And Iâ€m not sure Vegas is comfortable with that,†said Friedman. “I just donâ€t think the two sides are comfortable where theyâ€re at yet, but what I do think is it gives Eichel and the Golden Knights a better idea of what theyâ€re really dealing with.â€

2. How big a hole does Alex Pietrangeloâ€s absence leave?

In a statement released on June 30, Pietrangelo announced that, after consulting with doctors and his family, it had been decided that he would step away from hockey to allow his body to recover from a hip issue that he had played through for most of last season and into the playoffs. At the time, it sounded as though the defencemanâ€s career might effectively be over. But just a few months later, Pietrangelo walked back some of the implied permanence of his decision, telling reporters, “Nothing is really concrete. Iâ€m just going to continue to take it day by day and go throughout my process and see where it goes.â€

The 35-year-old led the Golden Knights in average ice time (22:24) last season across 71 games, and again in the playoffs (23:03). His 7,823 total regular-season minutes over the past six seasons are over 800 ahead of the next closest Golden Knight, Brayden McNabb. He also led the team in shifts during that span with 8,750. Vegas still has a strong blue line, led now by Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin, and McCrimmon has identified 24-year-old Kaedan Korczak as a defenceman poised to take on a bigger role. According to McCrimmon, Pietrangelo himself has voiced confidence that Korczak is “ready to be a really good NHL player for a long time.â€

3. Could they land Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames?

And on the note of filling a hole on defence… with Andersson likely to depart the Flames before the March trade deadline, itâ€s not hard to imagine Vegas taking a swing at him, given their history of bold moves. Entering the final season of a six-year deal with a $4.55 million cap hit, the pending free agent is expected to be a hot commodity. Over the summer, rumours circulated that Andersson was only interested in signing with one team — the Golden Knights — though he denied that, saying it “couldnâ€t be further from the truth†and that he “would never handcuff (GM Craig Conroy) and give him one team.â€

Still, Vegas may very well be at the top of his list in terms of a sign-and-trade scenario, as The Athleticâ€s Pierre LeBrun reported at the end of June. However, according to LeBrun, the Flames werenâ€t excited about what the Golden Knights were offering at the time. While Andersson doesnâ€t need to be extended to be moved, and he only has a six-team no-trade list, sending the right-shot somewhere heâ€d be willing to sign long term would likely bring the best return. Although Vegas is currently well over the cap, Pietrangeloâ€s move to LTIR starts to open the door, and the team has shown it can make the necessary maneuvers and adjustments in these scenarios. Andersson would be a suitable replacement and could slot in next to his former teammate Hanifin.

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  Kristen ShiltonOct 1, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

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  Kristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.

SUMMERLIN, Nevada — Enter the Vegas Golden Knights practice facility and you’re met by a barrage of team logos, mascot drawings and even a faux brick-wall backdrop to the ice sheet reflecting the club’s established — and beloved — “Fortress” theme.

It’s the team store, though, that’s putting the team’s present — and future — on full display. Amid a selection of VGK-branded hoodies and jackets lined up outside, there’s only one player’s jersey in sight: Mitch Marner’s.

Hardly a surprising choice, given that Marner is already the talk of the town.

“You heard of this new guy they got?” the taxi driver asks when he sees that the Golden Knights’ arena is the destination. “Mitch Marner. He’s supposed to be pretty good.”

The winger’s reputation clearly preceded him to the desert. At this point, Marner had yet to even suit up in one of Vegas’ preseason games but there was anticipation to see him in action — or even get a glimpse of him at the rink.

Fans in Marner sweaters crowded the floor to watch one of Vegas’ morning skates and see him flanking new linemates Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev. Afterward, they waited for him on the sidewalk outside — one fan holding a hand-painted picture they hoped he’d see and sign — to show their enthusiasm over the arrival of Vegas’ projected new star.

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The hype is befitting of Marner’s departure from his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs to join the Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade deal culminating with the signing of a massive eight-year, $96 million contract on June 30. At the time, Marner was a pending unrestricted free agent who, as the 2024-25 season wore on, appeared increasingly unlikely to re-sign in Toronto, for reasons that Marner later revealed included increasing harassment toward his family from local fans. So, the Leafs found a suitor in Vegas and received depth forward Nicolas Roy in return for their 102-point contributor.

A tough blow for Toronto? Absolutely. But Marner seemingly has no regrets as he embarks on this next chapter.

“Can’t complain; I’m liking life,” Marner told ESPN in September. “It’s been good. There is nice weather, and no traffic has been a nice little treat [coming from Toronto]. I’ve had a lot of love shown to [my family] so far through our time here, which has been amazing. A lot of excited fans. I want to go out there and do my thing and try to just keep doing what I’ve been doing the past years and contributing to help the team win games.”

Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon bet big on Marner being able to do just that. He’d been eyeing the 28-year-old since the NHL’s trade deadline in March, calling him an “elite playmaker and tremendous passer” who is expected to elevate Vegas’ top-line attack.

That sort of talent doesn’t come cheap, though, and it wasn’t until the Golden Knights put defenseman Alex Pietrangelo on long-term injured reserve with a potentially career-ending leg issue that Vegas had enough cap space to make Marner one of the highest-paid players in the league.

Marner has the regular-season résumé to back up that sort of financial commitment. Since entering the league in 2016-17, Marner has recorded 520 assists (fifth most among all NHL players) and 741 points (eighth most). But translating that success into the postseason has been a different story, at least in Toronto. And that’s only one narrative Marner will have to overcome if he’s to fulfill the lofty expectations in Vegas.

“He was our target; he was the player we wanted,” McCrimmon said. “I think [his addition] will improve our team tremendously.”

IT’S A RARITY in today’s NHL that a marquee player such as Marner actually moves on.

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Toronto drafted him No. 4 in 2015 to actualize his childhood dream of one day being a Maple Leaf. He spent nine seasons as part of the organization’s infamously dubbed “Core Four,” a moniker applied to Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander — all Leafs’ draftees — and John Tavares when he came on board as a free agent in 2018. It was Tavares who, previous to Marner, made arguably the league’s most scrutinized free agent decision in recent years when he left the New York Islanders — as their captain no less — to sign with his hometown Leafs instead.

In time, Toronto would invest over half of its salary cap in those four skaters without getting the returns for which it had hoped. Pressure to perform intensified around that group each year that Toronto floundered in the postseason, having now recorded seven first-round or qualifying-round playoff losses in the nine straight years they claimed a playoff spot.

In particular, Marner and Matthews bore the brunt of criticism for the Leafs’ lack of achievement when it mattered most. Their impact wasn’t high enough. They didn’t mirror the opponent’s top skaters. Too invisible. Too disappointing.

Marner and the “Core Four” Leafs never found much team success in the postseason. Claus Andersen/Getty Images

On the heels of an especially crushing finish to another postseason run last spring — in which the Leafs blew a 2-0 second-round series lead over the Florida Panthers to fall in seven games — Marner was primed for a fresh start, even as the Leafs made their own aggressive pitches to keep him in the fold.

The lure of Las Vegas loomed.

“Once I heard they had interest, we were pretty interested right back,” Marner said. “This team, they’ve got a lot of skill. They got a lot of guys that really know what to do to win and buy into it. All I heard was amazing things about it here.”

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Still, transitioning to another lineup after nearly a decade alongside the same teammates isn’t easy, especially when there’s certain standards to uphold. The Golden Knights are coming off another strong season in which they finished third overall in the league standings — one spot ahead of the Leafs — and had the fifth-best offense (averaging 3.34 goals).

Marner’s task will be finding ways to make Vegas even more fearsome up front. Coach Bruce Cassidy paired Marner with Eichel immediately in training camp and they’ve worked hard to build a rapport along with Barbashev. Eichel went into the partnership with an open mind and some familiarity with Marner from their past as part of the same draft class — Eichel was selected No. 2 that year by Buffalo. He has been impressed by Marner when they’ve battled on the ice in the years since then.

“I always had a really high respect for his game,” Eichel said. “So, nothing has surprised me about him coming in here. I knew the type of player he is. He could make a lot of plays, and he’s got a really creative hockey mind, and he moves so well. There’s a lot to love about his game. But he’s obviously a great guy, too. He’s really easy to get along with. He keeps it pretty light. He’s been a great addition to our locker room.”

Marner is hoping to follow Eichel’s lead there as well. The Golden Knights have a certain character that appeals to Marner, one that’s loud and familial and propelled by some well-placed barbs he’s looking to match.

“Jack’s pretty good at chirping,” Marner said with a laugh. “I’m going to join the group here soon enough doing more of that. I like to hear it too. Lot of loud mouths in here, which is great. I like that. And I like the high energy and the back and forth. If you want to be a part of a team, you want to have guys poking one another. It’s been a lot of fun to be here.”

Jack Eichel (9) and Marner hope that the fist bumps and celebrations this preseason will be followed by many more in the regular season and Stanley Cup playoffs. Zak Krill/NHLI via Getty Images

That’s not to say Marner and Eichel also haven’t been putting in the work. Marner has benefited from playing with Matthews — one the NHL’s elite centers — for all of his career to date. Eichel is a top-tier pivot in his own right, but finding a rhythm with Marner has called for its own adjustments — and patience.

“You’re going to see things differently at times, and it’s just being open with your dialogue,” Eichel said of creating chemistry. “Just listening, reading off each other a bit, and just trying to jell and become closer off the ice as well. I always think that helps.”

Marner acknowleged it’s “a bit of a challenge” to find the right timing with a new center. The two were able to connect when they did finally appear in a preseason game, with Marner notching an assist on Eichel’s goal against Utah last Thursday. Marner had admired how Eichel carried himself even before that exhibition play. Cassidy’s decision to start them on a line was probably inevitable, but Marner could see independently that their skill sets would naturally align.

“He’s got that aura, just got the swagger into him,” Marner said. “He’s got that calmness out there. It looks like he’s not moving so fast, but his speed is outrageous. He gets really going quickly. And for me, it’s just trying to utilize that as much as I can, trying to find him in spots where maybe it’s not a direct pass, it’s laying a puck in the area and trusting his speed to get in. I’ll find areas that he can make plays into because his vision and his ability to make plays is really high-end.”

THERE’S A LIGHTNESS and excitement to Marner’s tone as he talks about his role with the Golden Knights, whether stationed with Eichel at 5-on-5 or quarterbacking Vegas’ top power-play unit. That spot is generally occupied by a defenseman, but Leafs coach Craig Berube eventually made Marner the man up top in Toronto last season, and he excelled.

Vegas wasn’t necessarily looking to upgrade its power play — it ranked No. 2 in 2024-25 at 28.3% — but given Marner’s experience, Cassidy slotted him there again as the club got to work on special teams in camp.

Cassidy leaned on his own instincts and recent past when it came to finding a home for Marner. Cassidy ran the power play for Team Canada at the Nations Face-off in February, doing a deep dive on his players — including Marner — to piece together optimal units. He had also seen the Leafs’ power play frequently — in the regular season and twice during playoffs — while coaching the Boston Bruins from 2017 to 2022, giving him a unique perspective on Marner’s evolution there.

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“Midway through the year [in 2024-25], they used him on the top, as a five-forward look,” Cassidy said. “When I was in Boston, he was on one of the flanks. Was on a lot on his forehand when Mike Babcock was coaching him [in Toronto]. Matthews was a forehand guy. They’ve always had Tavares in the bumper. I probably know way too much about Toronto’s power play [by now] … [but] we had a very good power play last year. We’re mindful of that, so we want to build off that without tearing that down. But obviously we have a new piece that’s very good.”

Cassidy wants the “best fit” for Marner. If the player has any say, that will include being Vegas’ proverbial eye in the sky on the man advantage going forward.

“I find I can walk the line pretty well and make plays,” Marner said. “I’m not really trying to overshoot to score. I’m trying to shoot for sticks and make plays. It’s not like I have the craziest, hardest shot of all time, obviously. But if there’s an opportunity that I could walk in and try to find it and pick a spot, I’m going to try to do that and be tricky.”

Marner’s playmaking ability led to his being used as the power-play quarterback in Toronto — a role he could reprise for Vegas. David Becker/NHLI via Getty Images

Deception might be a hallmark of Marner’s playmaker mentality on the ice. He tried to be straightforward about why he left Toronto behind.

In an interview with TSN at Hockey Canada’s Olympic orientation camp in August, Marner opened up about harassment he and his family — including his wife, Stephanie, and newborn son, Miles — were subjected to over the final years of his Leafs’ tenure. He detailed how fans were posting his address online following the Leafs’ 6-1 loss in Game 7 of their second-round series against Florida last May, and his agent Darren Ferris said on the “100% Hockey Podcast” that they had to hire former NHL security personnel to deal with situations like “people throwing stuff in [Marner’s] yard.”

Leafs’ general manager Brad Treliving responded to Marner’s comments with assurances that the organization is fully committed to protecting its players.

“In our business, your No. 1 priority is looking after your players, and I think we do a really good job of it,” Treliving said. “I don’t have any concerns that we don’t do everything humanly possible to make sure that they’re looked after.”

Marner said being targeted by fans wasn’t the only reason he wanted out of Toronto. But it did make it “tough” to consider staying.

“When your family’s safety comes into question, especially having a new son, I don’t think it’s acceptable,” he told TSN.

THE MARNERS HAVE SINCE received a warm reception in their new community, and found they’ve fit right in. Most of the Golden Knights live in similar neighborhoods near the practice facility, and it has made for easy bonding.

“We are settled in now,” Marner said. “Getting to know the group really well. The family’s obviously settling in too, which is very important. We’re getting there. We’ve unboxed the whole house. We’re feeling at home now. The wives have been really open and accepting and very kind to [Stephanie], inviting her out, getting to know them.

“Our area, there’s about six or eight of us [teammates] around each other, so that’s been nice. She’s been going for nice walks with them, and all the kids, the dogs. So, it’s been good for her. We’re really enjoying it.”

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Another factor for Marner was the chance to capitalize on the Golden Knights’ often relentless pursuit of a championship. Vegas appeared in the Cup Final during its inaugural 2016 season and won the trophy in 2023. The Golden Knights have been to the playoffs in seven of their first eight seasons as a franchise, and advanced to the second round or beyond in five of those appearances.

That pedigree as a perennial contender with a willingness to do whatever it takes was hard to ignore.

“Definitely, I think you see it every year, that they are not afraid to go for it and make big moves,” Marner said. “So that’s something that excites you as well, and it’s what you want to be a part of. There’s a lot of guys in this locker room that [won] before a couple years ago, and that energizes you too.”

It’s a good thing Marner feels that way — because Eichel is blunt about where the Golden Knights see themselves now that he has one of the league’s premier wingers on his flank.

“Our expectation,” Eichel said, “is to win the Stanley Cup.”

Many of the Golden Knights who won the Cup in 2023 remain on the roster. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

That journey will begin in earnest when the new NHL season begins for the Golden Knights on Oct. 8 at home against the Los Angeles Kings. It’ll be Marner’s first real taste of playing for some place other than Toronto, with months to go before a meeting against his former teammates on Jan. 23.

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That leaves plenty of time for Marner to emotionally prepare for a return — and whatever reception he receives from a passionate fan base that missed out on seeing him help Toronto end its league-high 57-year Cup drought.

And there are also the Olympics to consider. Marner relished his time helping Team Canada to gold at 4 Nations, and he’s also a strong contender to make the country’s roster for the 2026 Games in Milan.

That possibility isn’t top of mind for Marner right now. He’s just ready to embrace the moment at hand in Vegas: a new opportunity, a clean slate, and the chance to make the most of new memories.

“It’ll be really exciting, I know I’ve got a lot of family coming into town for that one,” Marner said of Vegas’ opener. “I know Miles will be on the glass, which will be a lot of fun to see him for the first time, just his facial expressions and stuff like that will be really cool.

“I’m just excited to see the building rocking. It’s always a loud building, it’s always pretty rowdy and crazy and I’m excited to feel the love on the other side of it.”

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  Sean AllenSep 30, 2025, 09:41 AM ET

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  Sean Allen is a contributing writer for fantasy hockey and betting at ESPN. He was the 2008 and 2009 FSWA Hockey Writer of the Year.

Connor Hellebuyck’s Vezina-and-Hart-Trophy-winning campaign in 2024-25 looked like a throwback to another era. While tandems have largely defined the modern crease, Hellebuyck, along with a handful of others, suggests the classic No. 1 goaltender is far from extinct. We might just have to redefine it.

Let’s look at the last 16 seasons of data — eight seasons before the Vegas expansion, eight seasons since. From 2009-10 to 2016-17, the average crease share of a top-12 fantasy goalie was 74.1%, with an average of 35.2 wins and 215.7 fantasy points. Among all teams, 25% had a goaltender with 75% crease share or higher and 54.2% had at least 65%.

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From 2017-18 to 2024-25, the average crease share of a top-12 fantasy goalie was 65.0%, with an average of 32.6 wins and 181.2 fantasy points. This time, only 7.9% had a goaltender with 75% crease share or higher and 33.3% had at least 65%.

(The 2012-13, 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons have all been prorated to 82 games.)

The average goalie spent a lot less time in the crease since the most recent expansion. Only two goalies had a crease share larger than 75% in 2024-25, and you know exactly who they are, as Hellebuyck and Andrei Vasilevskiy are responsible for 11 of 20 such campaigns. Hellebuyck and Vasilevskiy are a clear concentration of power here. Aside from them, only Juuse Saros and Carey Price have hit 75% twice.

In the 2009-10 to 2016-17 stretch, prior to expansion, there were 17 goalies with multiple individual seasons of at least 75% crease share and only 11 others who managed it just once. It wasn’t a concentration of power then; goaltenders with massive workloads were common.

But if we lower the bar just a little, instead of the classic 75% threshold, we get some growth in single-goalie usage when we make 65% the minimum for a “No. 1.” Whereas we had only eight in 2023-24, there were 15 that took at least 65% of their team’s crease last season.

Tying it all together, 65.0% is a fair threshold for crease share for a top-12 fantasy goalie since 2017-18. It’s a good target for the set-and-forget variety of goaltender, especially in leagues with weekly lineup changes that don’t allow you to shuffle in backups for a night.

No. 1 goaltenders

That’s 15 goalies that received and should continue to receive 65% of their team’s crease. Blackwood and Knight didn’t get 65% on the season as a whole, but cleared it when considering just the time with their new teams.

But we can add a few more to the list. Injuries and veterans in the way played a role in keeping five other goaltenders from clearing the bar last season but we can pencil them in for this season, with no tandem in sight.

Likely No. 1 Workloads

There is still a need to monitor tandems for the coming season. Firstly, just because a goaltender gets the workload, doesn’t mean they get the fantasy results. Just ask Saros and the Predators from last season.

Secondly, there is value, especially in daily lineup leagues, in leaning into tandem deployments because of the cost of acquisition, as they go in drafts much later than the full-time starters.

Thirdly, tandems don’t have to stay tandems forever. Goaltenders, especially young ones still getting their feet wet in the NHL, can emerge from a time-share to become a force in fantasy.

So let’s check on the 12 remaining NHL teams that don’t necessarily have a goaltender projected to get 54 or more starts (65%) for the coming campaign, presented in alphabetical order.

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2024-25 season

• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: 64.8% crease share, 33.2 fantasy points (26.5 years old)

• James Reimer: 33.9% crease share, 32.6 fantasy points (37.5 years old)

• Devon Levi: 9.8% crease share, -13.0 fantasy points (23.7 years old)

2025-26 roster

• Alexandar Georgiev: 54.79% crease share (with COL, SJS), -35.4 fantasy points (29.6 years old)

• Devon Levi

• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

• Alex Lyon: 31.66% crease share (with DET), 40.2 fantasy points (32.8 years old)

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It wouldn’t be a surprise to see all four goaltenders get reps this season, but Luukkonen has the most upside. The bottom line to remember is that unless the Sabres are way more competitive than they are projected to be, there isn’t likely to be much fantasy value. Even the “starter” barely cracked 30 points last year.

2024-25 season

• Pyotr Kochetkov: 57.0% crease share, 84.8 fantasy points (26.2 years old)

• Frederik Andersen: 27.0% crease share, 44.0 fantasy points (36.0 years old)

• Spencer Martin: 8.5% crease share, -8.4 fantasy points (30.3 years old)

• Dustin Tokarski: 7.3% crease share, 16.8 fantasy points (36.0 years old)

• Yaniv Perets: 0.2% crease share, -0.8 fantasy points (25.6 years old)

2025-26 roster

Andersen and Kochetkov are probably destined to split time, as Kochetkov has earned enough trust. If the Canes weren’t in a compete window, we would probably see more of a changing of the guard, but they are, so we should see plenty of the reliable Andersen. This tandem might be one of the rare ones worth drafting into, as both Andersen and Kochetkov should return value.

2024-25 season

• Elvis Merzlikins: 64.3% crease share, 53.6 fantasy points (31.4 years old)

• Daniil Tarasov: 22.3% crease share, -1.0 fantasy points (26.5 years old)

• Jet Greaves: 13.4% crease share, 57.4 fantasy points (24.5 years old)

2025-26 roster

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Fedotov adds some competition, but Greaves posted stellar numbers in just 11 appearances last season, so he certainly has the most shine heading into 2025-26. The Blue Jackets appear poised to win more, meaning whoever emerges from the fray could be a sleeper, but any kind of split puts a cap on non-streaming usage for all. That said, Greaves is someone to stash for keeper leagues if he and the team continue to take strides.

2024-25 season

• Cam Talbot: 53.6% crease share, 70.4 fantasy points (38.2 years old)

• Alex Lyon: 31.7% crease share, 40.2 fantasy points (32.8 years old)

• Petr Mrazek: 25.0% crease share, 9.4 fantasy points (33.6 years old)

• Ville Husso: 12.6% crease share, -13.0 fantasy points (30.6 years old)

• Sebastian Cossa: 0.9% crease share, 2.4 fantasy points (22.8 years old)

2025-26 roster

Ideally this isn’t even close to a tandem, as Gibson should be a No. 1 for a club at this stage of his career. But he’s toiled through so many down years with the Ducks that it’s a genuine question as to whether he’s faded overall or just needed this change of scenery. Think back to Darcy Kuemper at this time last season: Usurped in Washington and off the fantasy radar; only to storm in, recapture his magic and finish near the top of the pack for goaltending. Gibson is a solid investment at the draft if you’re willing to wait.

2024-25 season

2025-26 roster

• Calvin Pickard

• Stuart Skinner

Is this a tandem? Ideally for the Oilers, it’s not even close to one. But Skinner keeps leaving the door ajar for Pickard to steal away starts. Even though this is a team destined for 50-plus wins and Skinner is certainly the 1A, it’s just hard to trust recent results. Did you even remember that they both won the same number of games in the playoffs this past summer? Skinner will be given the chance to take the ball and run with it, but he certainly shouldn’t get drafted as if that’s fait accompli.

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2024-25 season

• Samuel Ersson: 52.8% crease share, 32.6 fantasy points (25.9 years old)

• Ivan Fedotov: 29.0% crease share, -12.0 fantasy points (28.8 years old)

• Aleksei Kolosov: 18.3% crease share, -16.6 fantasy points (23.7 years old)

2025-26 roster

Can I get away with just writing “nothing to see here”? I’m going to try. Let’s see if it gets published.

*Editor’s note: Fine

2024-25 season

• Tristan Jarry: 40.9% crease share, 39.4 fantasy points (30.4 years old)

• Alex Nedeljkovic: 43.5% crease share, 28.8 fantasy points (29.7 years old)

• Joel Blomqvist: 15.6% crease share, -5.8 fantasy points (23.7 years old)

2025-26 roster

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We saw some signs of potential from Blomqvist early in the season, some signs of life from Jarry late in the season and Silovs is a wild card. The big picture is that the Pens are likely in the draft lottery competition more than the wins column, so fantasy results in the crease will be limited. But with Sidney Crosby still driving the bus, we can’t completely discount the possibility that the Penguins stumble into a groove and that one of these three benefits from it.

2024-25 season

• Alexandar Georgiev: 56.8% crease share, -35.2 fantasy points (29.6 years old)

• Mackenzie Blackwood: 54.1% crease share, 29.4 fantasy points (28.8 years old)

• Vitek Vanecek: 26.2% crease share, -17.0 fantasy points (29.7 years old)

• Yaroslav Askarov: 14.6% crease share, 8.0 fantasy points (23.3 years old)

• Georgi Romanov: 8.5% crease share, -15.6 fantasy points (25.8 years old)

2025-26 roster

• Yaroslav Askarov

• Alex Nedeljkovic: 43.51% crease share (with PIT), 28.8 fantasy points (29.7 years old)

• Jakub Skarek: 1.55% crease share (with NYI), -3.2 fantasy points (25.9 years old)

Sometime in the next two to three seasons, the Sharks will emerge as a contender. That bodes very well for Askarov as he develops into a full-time starter. With Nedeljkovic likely forming a tandem this season, Askarov is still a season or two from full-time status, but don’t look away if San Jose heats up. In the meantime, Askarov should be stashed in keeper leagues.

2024-25 season

• Anthony Stolarz: 40.5% crease share, 133.6 fantasy points (31.7 years old)

• Joseph Woll: 49.8% crease share, 110.6 fantasy points (27.2 years old)

• Matt Murray (TOR): 2.4% crease share, 0.2 fantasy points (31.3 years old)

• Dennis Hildeby: 7.3% crease share, -0.6 fantasy points (24.1 years old)

2025-26 roster

• Dennis Hildeby

• Anthony Stolarz

• Joseph Woll

This is our gold standard for tandems, with both goaltenders eclipsing 100 fantasy points last season. They finished No. 11 and No. 16 in fantasy points from the crease, despite neither cracking 50% in share. The Leafs return with an equally formidable defensive game under coach Craig Berube, and early ADP trends clearly favor Stolarz (82.3 vs. 207.9), which makes Woll the goaltender to target.

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2024-25 season

• Arturs Silovs: 11.0% crease share, -15.8 fantasy points (24.5 years old)

• Kevin Lankinen: 61.0% crease share, 100.0 fantasy points (30.4 years old)

• Thatcher Demko: 26.3% crease share, 21.2 fantasy points (29.8 years old)

• Nikita Tolopilo: 1.7% crease share, 2.2 fantasy points (25.5 years old)

2025-26 roster

• Thatcher Demko

• Kevin Lankinen

• Nikita Tolopilo

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Demko remains on a team-friendly deal this season, but his salary jumps next year, locking the Canucks into $13 million for the Demko-Lankinen duo through at least 2028-29. Lankinen was a strong fantasy pickup while Demko was injured last season, though both stumbled down the stretch. Demko has top-tier fantasy potential with a heavy workload, but Lankinen’s emergence likely limits him to around 45 starts if both stay healthy. Demko is a solid mid-round pick, though you may want to insure him with Lankinen in the late rounds.

2024-25 season

• Adin Hill: 59.7% crease share, 137.2 fantasy points (29.4 years old)

• Ilya Samsonov: 35.5% crease share, 43.8 fantasy points (28.6 years old)

• Akira Schmid: 4.8% crease share, 16.0 fantasy points (25.4 years old)

2025-26 roster

Hill is the prime age for goaltenders (literally; in the data above, the average age of a top-12 fantasy goaltender is 29). His 59.7% crease share was a career high, and this season his stamina will be tested, with only Schmid backing him up. There’s a strong case for including Hill among the starters mentioned above. His ADP as the eighth goalie off the board is justified — a true tandem seems unlikely in Vegas this season.

2024-25 season

• Charlie Lindgren: 46.3% crease share, 54.8 fantasy points (31.8 years old)

• Logan Thompson: 51.3% crease share, 139.4 fantasy points (28.6 years old)

• Hunter Shepard: 1.2% crease share, -10.2 fantasy points (29.9 years old)

• Clay Stevenson: 1.2% crease share, -3.4 fantasy points (26.6 years old)

2025-26 roster

• Charlie Lindgren

• Logan Thompson

Although last season was nearly a 50-50 tandem, Thompson emerged as the superior goalie. He likely earned a larger share this season, but it may not be enough to crack the fantasy elite at his position. There’s also the question of whether the Capitals will repeat anything close to their surprise President’s Trophy-winning campaign. That said, Thompson’s ADP as the No. 13 goalie is a discount, and Lindgren is worth considering as insurance.

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