Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Mark Letestu has landed an exciting new job. 

The Colorado Avalanche's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, have announced that they have hired Letestu to be their new head coach. 

Ohio ✈️ Colorado

Welcome to #EaglesCountry Mark! pic.twitter.com/aiLFW4fPJI

— Colorado Eagles (@ColoradoEagles) July 5, 2025

Before landing this new job with the Eagles, Letestu spent each of the last four seasons as an assistant coach of the Cleveland Monsters, who are the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Now, after gaining a good amount of coaching experience as an assistant, he will now be the Eagles' bench boss. 

Letestu began his NHL career as a player with the Penguins. In 85 games over three seasons as a Penguin from 2009-10 to 2011-12, he recorded 15 goals, 14 assists, and 29 points. His time with the Penguins ended during the 2011-12 season when he was traded to the Blue Jackets in exchange for a fourth-round pick. 

Following his Penguins tenure, Letestu had stints with the Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, and Winnipeg Jets. In 567 games over 11 NHL seasons, he recorded 93 goals, 117 assists, and 210 points. Now, he will look to thrive as the Eagles' new head coach from here. 

Ex-Penguins Defenseman Is Top Free Agent LeftWith it now being multiple days after July 1, most of this year's top unrestricted free agents (UFAs) have found their new homes. While this is the case, there are still some solid players available who should get signed before the start of the campaign. 

© Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Egor Zamula will be one of multiple Philadelphia Flyers battling for a roster spot come training camp and preseason.

Injuries to other defensemen saw an early season surge from Emil Andrae, who supplanted Zamula in the Flyers' lineup for parts of the season.

Zamula, 25, played 66 games last season and 63 games this past season, coming in and out of John Tortorella's gameday squad due to inconsistencies and, sometimes, struggling with the pace of play.

With new head coach Rick Tocchet coming to town, the 2025-26 season will be a fresh start for Zamula, who now faces competition for a roster spot in the form of Andrae, as well as Helge Grans, Adam Ginning, Hunter McDonald, and newcomers Noah Juulsen and Dennis Gilbert.

Two-time Olympic Gold medalist Igor Kravchuk, a former NHL defenseman and current KHL assistant coach, believes the book is not closed on Zamula in Philadelphia.

Kravchuk noted that Zamula and Alexander Romanov, who just signed a massive eight-year, $50 million contract extension with the New York Islanders, were both standouts on the same Russian U18 and U20 national teams, but their careers have since gone in opposite directions. 

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"By the way, Romanov was a leader of the defense in the Russian youth team, along with Egor Zamula. Unfortunately, Zamula’s career is not going as well as Romanov’s," Kravchuk told Russia-Hockey.ru in a recent interview. "The current Philadelphia is a peculiar team. There are problems with the balance of the roster, with the entertainment. Zamula is a little lost in it, but there is still time to return his career to the right trajectory. Especially since the coach has changed in the club."

Heading into the crucial third full season of his NHL career, Zamula has already played for Alain Vigneault, Mike Yeo, John Tortorella, and Brad Shaw in parts of five seasons.

Next up will be Tocchet, who's previously coaxed career years out of Jakob Chychrun, Filip Hronek, and Quinn Hughes during his time working with those players.

Assistant coach Todd Reirden, tasked by Tocchet with running the penalty kill and defense, has previously worked with John Marino, Marcus Pettersson, Mike Matheson, Alex Goligoski, Kris Letang, Matt Niskanen, Dmitry Orlov, John Carlson, Karl Alzner, and Nate Schmidt when those players were in their early and mid-20s, too.

Whether or not the previously undrafted Russian can follow in their footsteps remain to be seen, but the potential is there.

Zamula, at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, has the size the Flyers need and want on their defense, even if he seldom uses it to his advantage.

The left-shot defender also has a penchant for sneaking shots through traffic, and has a better shot in general than most would give him credit for.

That's something that led to Tortorella and Co. icing him for power play minutes, even though Zamula is not particularly agile and one of the slowest skating defenders in the NHL.

But, for a guy who played even strength minutes almost exclusively this season, Zamula's underlying analytics looked amazing, as noted in the image above.

He cut his penalty minutes from 32 to six from 2023-24 to 2024-25, and those can be a good indicator of whether or not a young, non-physical, non-fighter player is struggling to keep up with his competition.

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And yes, Zamula scored only three goals, 12 assists, and 15 points in 63 games this season, but he only registered 37 shots on goal. Zamula's 8.1% shooting percentage actually impressively ranked in the 85th percentile amongst his defensemen peers, according to NHL EDGE.

The big flaw, as previously referenced, will be Zamula's skating. His top speed, 22+ MPH bursts, 20-22 MPH bursts, and 18-20 MPH bursts all ranked below the 50th percentile.

The 6-foot-3 defender will now need to shift his focus towards building trust with a new coaching staff with his in-zone defending and play with the puck; managing the puck effectively will be crucial to Zamula's success, given his weaknesses with mobility and turnovers.

Heading into the last year of his contract, Zamula's Flyers future is entirely in his hands.

The NHL's free-agent frenzy has colmed down considerably, with most of the available talent now off the market. And the Buffalo Sabres still have approximately $13.6 million in salary cap space to utilize. So, is there anything left for Buffalo to spend on the open market, or is the only road to improvement via trades?

From this writer's perspective, it's a no-brainer -- there's next-to-nothing left in free agency. Sure, the Sabres can take a run at center Jack Roslovic, who posted 22 goals for the Carolina Hurricanes this past season. Or perhaps Buffalo can offer former Vegas Golden Knights winger Victor Olofsson a second stint with the Sabres; Olofsson had 15 goals and 29 points with Vegas last season, and who knows -- he might get back to the 28-goal form he had with Buffalo in 2022-23. 

Otherwise, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams is looking at a whole lot of slim pickings in free-agency. And that means it's almost certainly going to be trades Adams makes that remodels Buffalo's lineup for next season.

Of course, everyone and their know-it-all neighbor is expecting the Sabres to trade RFA defenseman Bowen Byram. Adams came out after free-agency began and stated plainly that he's going to match any offer sheet a team would present to Byram, but let's remember that GMs are always playing a long game of chicken with their counterparts. We're not suggesting Buffalo won't match a Byram offer sheet, but we are saying Byram is the biggest trade chip Adams is likely to use in the coming days and weeks, and that's not going to change anytime soon.

Personally, it's our opinion that Adams should be prepared to trade other Sabres veterans, but for argument's sake, let's presume that Buffalo trading Byram is the Sabres' biggest move before training camp begins in the fall. You'd better believe that Adams has to hit a home run with a Byram trade -- we're talking an experienced forward who can contribute meaningfully right away next year -- to justify parting ways with Byram.

Olofsson Another Former Sabre Still Unsigned The signings by NHL clubs have ground to a halt five days into free agency, with the most sought-after players locked up on Day 1 and the biggest fish in Nikolai Ehlers finally signing with the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. A pair of former Buffalo Sabres are among the most prominent players still not signed. Jeff Skinner had 16 goals last season with Edmonton, but played sparingly in the playoffs, while Victor Oloffson had a solid injury-shortened season with the Vegas Golden Knights.   

If Adams doesn't come away with a major trade in the coming days and weeks, a sense of despair will wash over Sabres fans. They're not naive enough to imagine that Buffalo's lineup as-is can somehow vault over most teams in the hyper-competitive Atlantic Division and end their 14-year streak without Stanley Cup playoff hockey. They know it's going to be a long season if they're at that point.

Adams can pretend all he wants he's going to retain Byram's services. But if Byram returns, the Sabres are going to be top-heavy with defensemen, and light on the type of high-end forwards Buffalo needs to be a true playoff contender. So it's up to Adams to find a team that is (a) in need of Byram's skills, and (b) prepared and stocked to give the Sabres the high-impact forward they're looking for in return.

That said, nobody is going to be doing the Sabres any favors as they make alterations to their lineup. So Adams has to drive a hard bargain on the trade front. He can't pretend he's happy with the roster as it's currently constructed. He's really only added role players thus far, and that can't be the final result he's looking for.

Are The Sharks Hunting For Byram?Most of the speculation surrounding the Buffalo Sabres continues to be on restricted free agent defenseman Bowen Byram. Earlier this week, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that interested clubs were contemplating an offer sheet and that could still be the case if Byram does not opt for salary arbitration by 5 pm Saturday. The St. Louis Blues according to Jeremy Rutherford of the Athletic are in hot pursuit of the blueliner, but the Blues may have company.

If we're still waiting for a Byram trade a month from now, something seriously wrong has taken place in Buffalo. Whether it's trade paralysis on Adams' behalf, a directive from ownership to keep the payroll well below the salary cap limit, or both, there's going to be a clear issue in the front office, and Sabres fans will see right through it.

You can't say Adams is on the clock in terms of making a trade or two in the next day or so. But every day that passes without a major trade only builds pressure on him to do something of consequence.

Adams has to come up with something he can show Sabres fans and give them something to invest in, financially and emotionally. Otherwise, the backlash against Adams will be heavy, prolonged and justified.

For the first time in his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nick Robertson has leverage. The forward filed for salary arbitration on Saturday, which allows a third party to decide his compensation for the upcoming season.

The 23-year-old Robertson scored a career-high 15 goals and added seven assists last season. He played in 69 games with the Leafs last season, a positive sign that the player’s history of injury is indeed in the past. However, the forward was limited to playing in just three of Toronto’s 13 playoff games this past spring, due to decision-making from Leafs head coach Craig Berube.

Robertson has been in the Leafs organization since he was drafted in the second round (53rd overall) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Expectations were high for him to replicate his elite goal-scoring at the Ontario Hockey League level, especially when the player was fast-tracked to an NHL debut by suiting up for the club during the 2020 NHL playoffs. However, a combination of injuries and underperformance, coupled with the back-and-forth he experienced in the 2023-24 season between the Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies (AHL) as the club managed its salary cap, has stunted the player’s growth.

'I Understand It But I'm Not Going To Sit Here And Say That I'm Happy': Maple Leafs' Roster Shuffle Tests Nick Robertson's Patience Upon His Return to the TeamRobertson was called up to the Maple Leafs after being sent down to help the team open up some salary cap space.

Last year, Robertson began the summer by requesting a trade away from Toronto. Instead of getting his wish, however, he signed a one-year, $875,000 deal to remain with the team. This past week, the Leafs tendered a $919,000 qualifying offer to Robertson in order to retain the forward’s rights.

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With the departure of Mitch Marner this offseason, players like Robertson will be counted on to pick up the slack in the scoring department. This makes assessing his fair value an interesting exercise if the team and player are unable to come to an agreement beforehand.

The Maple Leafs and Robertson can continue negotiating up until their scheduled hearing begins. Once that happens, both sides will make their case based on prepared comparables (i.e., other players with similar stats, age, and roles) before a third party rules on final compensation.

'The Puzzle Has Got To Come Into Play': Maple Leafs Not Rushing Contracts Of RFAs Nick Robertson And Pontus HolmbergWhile the talk of the town might be whether the Toronto Maple Leafs can sign John Tavares before July 1 rolls around, you cannot forget about their younger restricted free agents.

The “walkaway” number in the collective bargaining agreement is $4.85 million, according to Puckpedia.com. Any award exceeding that number would allow the Leafs not to be obligated to sign the California-born forward, and he would then become an unrestricted free agent.

Robertson currently has 32 goals and 24 assists in 156 NHL games. Given the history, it's not a surprise at all that the player would exercise his right to leverage for the first time in his NHL career. Finding the right value on the player will be interesting.

An arbitrator can only award a one or two-year contract for Robertson. Hearings for all 11 players announced for arbitration will run from July 20 to August 4. 

(Photo Credit, Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images)

'He Always Wants To Be The Best': Why Tinus Luc Koblar Could Be Maple Leafs' Biggest Steal Of The 2025 NHL DraftA few weeks after being drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tinus Luc Koblar is soaking up his time in the city. Maple Leafs Goaltender Anthony Stolarz Spotted Back On Ice In New Training Video Shared by Offseason Coach George BosakToronto Maple Leafs fans breathed a sigh of relief when Anthony Stolarz unexpectedly took the ice as Joseph Woll’s backup goaltender in their Game 7 defeat against the Florida Panthers in May, especially as the goaltender later confirmed he was fully cleared from the concussion he sustained from an incident with Panthers forward Sam Bennett in Game 1 of their second-round series. A further positive sign was seeing the goaltender take the ice in full gear with his off-season goaltending coach George Bosak, a moment shared on the coach’s Instagram account on Friday. 'What's This Horse About?': Maple Leafs Prospects React To Having Wild Colt At Development CampThe Toronto Maple Leafs prospects didn't know what they were getting themselves into when they rolled into Exhibition Place on Friday morning.

Nashville Predators development camp came to a close Saturday morning in the Future Stars Game at Ford Ice Center in Bellevue. 

Fans packed the stands to get a glimpse of what the Predators future could look like, and who they could potentially see on the ice this fall. 

It wasn't a traditional game, as there were two 25-minute halves, with 15 minutes of 5-on-5 play, 10 minutes of 4-on-4 play, and a five-man shootout. Goals scored in every segment counted toward the final score. 

Here are the biggest takeaways from this year's Future Stars Game. 

Future Stars Game rosters

Gold

Forwards: Brady Martin, Kalan Lind, Matthew Wood, Viktor Norringer, David Edstrom, Joey Willis, Felix Nilsson, Ryker Lee, Teddy Stiga, Erik Pahlsson.

Defense: Viggo Gustafsson, Tanner Molendyk, Jacob Rombach, Tristan Sarsland, Alex Huang. 

Goalies: Jack Ivankovic, Jakub Milota 

Blue

Forwards: Miguel Marques, Adam Ingram, Cole O'Hara, Aiden Fink, Egor Surin, Ryan Sullivan, Jack Stockfish, Hiroki Gojsic, Austin Roest, Oasiz Wiesblatt. 

Defense: Drew Hockley, Andrew Gibson, Luke Shipley, Cameron Reid, Mac Gadowsky. 

Goalies: Lawton Zacher, T.J. Semptimphelter. 

1. Veterans showed out 

One thing about Matthew Wood... he's going to SHINE ✨ pic.twitter.com/2468hASW3F

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) July 5, 2025

There is a lot of pressure on prospects playing in their first development camp, wanting to make an good early impression. At the same time, there's pressure on veteran players to prove they're ready to contest for a roster spot and show that they are continuing to progress. 

Forward Matthew Wood highlighted that effort with a highlight reel goal and an assist. He tried to deke past Mac Gadowsky while entering the zone but hit Gadowsky's skate while trying to pull the puck.

Luckily, the puck came back to Wood, and he wristed it past Zacher for the goal. Wood played six games with Predators last season after finishing up his final college season at Minnesota. As one of the leaders at the development camp, we could see more of him in Nashville. 

Defenseman Andrew Gibson had two goals, one in 4-on-4 play and the other in the shootout. Mixed with his strong defensive performance, he could be an offensively minded blue-liner that the Predators are looking for. 

The Detroit Red Wings 2023 third-round draft pick, who was traded to the Predators in June 2024, just finished his fourth and final season in the OHL. 

2. Ryker Lee, Cole O'Hara pack an offensive punch 

Cole O'Hara. BETWEEN THE LEGS. TOP SHELF 🤯 pic.twitter.com/UvGNN0AxO5

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) July 5, 2025

The Predators, traditionally, aren't known for having the flashiest players in the world. General manager Barry Trotz's mindset has been focused on size and strength. 

However, Ryker Lee and Cole O'Hara could change that. 

The pair of forwards were extremely active in the game. Lee had a ton of chances and a shootout goal where he essentially threw a change up at TJ Semptimphelter, faking a wrist shot and a leg pump to go bardown on him.

Lee dazzled in the USHL this year, scoring 68 points in 58 games. He's headed to Michigan State this fall, which will only further strengthen his game. Lee's skill set could be even sharper come next year's development camp. 

O'Hara, who's another veteran of the development camp, had a shootout goal, an assist and the most impressive goal of the day. He caught a pass from Egor Surin, who was along the boards, pulled the puck in between his legs and went bar down on Jack Ivankovic. 

The Predators 2022 fourth-round pick played two games in Milwaukee after scoring 51 points with UMass Amherst. A full pro season, whether that be in Milwaukee or Nashville, should say a lot about O'Hara's pro skillset and his overall potential. 

3. TJ Semptimphelter had a shutout in scrimmage 

Considering all the scoring that occurred later in the game and the fact that TJ Semptimphelter started the game, it was notable that he had a shutout before in the 5-on-5 and 4-on-4 segments he played. 

While he ended up letting in two goals in the shootout, with Gold still maintaining a 3-2 lead after that segment, he was the only netminder to not suffice a goal in live action. 

Semptimphelter was one of the two goalies invited to the development camp but not drafted by the team. 

He just completed his final college season at North Dakota, where he played 31 games, posting an 18-11-2 record, a save percentage of .910, and a goals-against average of 2.64. 

Semptimphelter made his pro debut with the Bridgeport Islanders, which was a little rougher, allowing four goals on 22 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. 

Goalie development takes some time, but Semptimphelter showed the most promise out of the goalies. 

Saturday marked day three of the Pittsburgh Penguins development camp, and there was a lot to like. 

Mikhail Ilyin made his debut after getting into Pittsburgh late Thursday night and arriving at the facility on Friday. He participated in the first group session, and his skill was evident right away. He had an excellent release and used it every time it was his turn during a drill. He was also showcasing his playmaking ability, making some slick passes to his teammates.

Some people have concerns about his skating, but I don't view it as a negative at all. He's very methodical with it, but I would like to see him use his top-end speed a little bit more. Ilyin signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Penguins on May 31, but won't be playing for the organization yet. Penguins assistant general manager Jason Spezza told Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports that Ilyin will stay in the KHL for the 2025-26 season. The hope is that he will come over to North America full-time for the 2026-27 season. 

If you haven't started putting at least some stock into defensive prospect Finn Harding, I suggest you do so. He was all over the ice on Saturday, showcasing his superb skating and his ability to walk the blue line. I know these are only drills, but he looked super calm and composed each time he had the puck. He was one of two players the Penguins selected in the seventh round of the 2024 NHL Draft, and is already looking like a steal. 

Harding has developed his offensive game since being drafted, finishing the 2024-25 season with seven goals and 57 points in 67 games with the OHL's Brampton Steelheads. He will play for either the Wheeling Nailers or the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this year after signing his ELC in March.

Will Horcoff was a little quiet during the first two days of development camp, but that changed on Saturday. The 2025 first-round pick was showcasing his release, specifically his one-timer, during drills, and it's pretty impressive. He roofed one over Justin BriseBois during a drill before going top shelf with two more goals a short time later. 

He's a bit more of a "project" compared to fellow first-rounders Ben Kindel and Bill Zonnon, and Michigan is the perfect place for him to keep developing. He will have the opportunity to play with the Wolverines for a full season this year after appearing in 18 games for them last year, where he compiled four goals and 10 points. 

Development camp will resume on Sunday, concluding with a tournament on Monday.

---

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Featured Image Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images

Most of the speculation surrounding the Buffalo Sabres continues to be on restricted free agent defenseman Bowen Byram. Earlier this week, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that interested clubs were contemplating an offer sheet and that could still be the case if Byram does not opt for salary arbitration by 5 pm Saturday. The St. Louis Blues according to Jeremy Rutherford of the Athletic are in hot pursuit of the blueliner, but the Blues may have company.

According to the Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta, the San Jose Sharks are also interested in the 24-year-old defenseman. Sharks GM Mike Grier has been busy over the last week adding to his blueline and getting over the cap floor with the signings of veterans Dmitri Orlov, John Kingberg, and the waiver claim of Nick Leddy, but Grier is undoubtedly looking for long-term stability on the blueline, as San Jose has five defensemen in the final year of their contracts.  

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Byram is two years away from unrestricted free agency, but if he elects for salary arbitration, he could sign a long-term extension.  

“We believe Bo is an excellent hockey player that can help our team win,” Sabres GM Kevyn Adams said on Wednesday. “I've maintained the same position that if there's a deal out there that makes sense for us that we think is going to improve our roster we're open to it. If there's not, we're not in a situation where we're looking to move him out or looking to move him for futures and stuff like that, for me we want to help our team win hockey games and he helps us do that.”

The issue with the Sharks is that they do not have many players who fit the need of what the Sabres are looking for, which is young NHL players under team control. San Jose will not move core pieces like Macklin Celebrini or Will Smith, and the Sabres are reportedly not interested in picks or top prospects like defenseman Sam Dickinson, who was selected with Buffalo’s pick at the 2024 Draft in Las Vegas. Former first round pick William Eklund is the only player who would seemingly fit GM Kevyn Adams criteria, and the 22-year-old forward just signed a three-year contract extension for $16.8 million.   

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