Ben Shelley Articles - Page 2

The Utah Mammoth is one of the most interesting teams to watch in the Western Conference heading into the 2025-26 season. The organization took steps in the right direction last year, in its first season since relocating from Arizona. Utah finished 11th in the Western Conference, posting a 38-31-13 record and 89 points. The team […]

Coming off a successful 2023-24 season that saw the Vancouver Canucks finish first in the Pacific Division, there were high hopes for the team this past year. However, the season turned out very different than expected. The Canucks struggled, finishing the year with a 38-30-14 record, and missed the playoffs. As a result, it seemed […]

Coming off another Eastern Conference Final loss to the Florida Panthers, the Carolina Hurricanes were active this offseason. The team signed free agent winger Nikolaj Ehlers to a six-year contract worth $8.5 million per year. They also paid a big price in a trade with the New York Rangers in order to acquire defenseman K’Andre […]

The Winnipeg Jets signed defenseman Dylan Samberg to a three-year contract extension, which carries a $5.75 million cap hit. Samberg is 26 years old and played 60 games with the Jets in 2024-25. While he did miss some time with an injury, Samberg still managed 20 points and a plus-34 rating. He also averaged over […]

In July 2022, the Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers shocked the hockey world with a blockbuster deal. In the trade, the Flames sent forward Matthew Tkachuk and a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Panthers. Going back the other way, Calgary received forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Cole Schwindt, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, and a 2025 first-round pick. […]

Coming off three straight years of missing the playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins have entered a new era. Gone are the days of the Penguins being a perennial contender, and instead, the team has been in the midst of a rebuild. As a result, there weren’t any expectations of the team making any major additions this […]

The Buffalo Sabres signed defenseman Conor Timmins to a two-year contract on Sunday, which carries a $2.2 million cap hit. Timmins was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in June, as part of a trade that sent Connor Clifton the other way. The defenseman posted 15 points in 68 games split between the Penguins and Toronto […]

The Ottawa Senators have had a relatively quiet NHL offseason to this point. They didn’t make any huge splashes to add to their group in NHL Free Agency, but also didn’t lose any key pieces. We did see one notable trade, with the team acquiring Jordan Spence from the Los Angeles Kings. Meanwhile, the Senators […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs traded Ryan Reaves to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, in exchange for Henry Thrun. Reaves is 38 years old, and has played over 900 NHL games across 15 years. The forward has spent the last two seasons with the Maple Leafs, and has one year remaining on his contract, at […]

While the 2025-26 NHL season is still a few months away, expectations for the Chicago Blackhawks should be tempered. The team is currently riding a five-year playoff drought, and have missed the postseason in seven of the last eight years. Last season, the team finished 15th place in the Western Conference, managing an abysmal 25-46-11 […]

The Buffalo Sabres signed forward Ryan McLeod to a four-year contract extension on July 1, which carries a $5 million cap hit. McLeod will turn 26 years old in September and was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers last offseason. In his first season with the Sabres, McLeod scored 20 goals and 53 points in 79 […]

The Seattle Kraken signed defenseman Ryan Lindgren to a four-year contract in free agency, which carries a $4.5 million cap hit. Beginning his career with the New York Rangers, Lindgren spent parts of six seasons with the organization. But as the Rangers made changes this past season amidst a disappointing year, the defender was dealt […]

The New York Rangers signed defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to a seven-year contract as free agency opened on Tuesday. Gavrikov is turning 30 years old in November, and his contract carries a $7 million cap hit. This past season, Gavrikov managed 30 points while playing 23 minutes per game with the Los Angeles Kings. The deal […]

The Vancouver Canucks re-signed multiple players this week, as 2026 pending free agents became eligible to sign extensions as of July 1. Conor Garland signed a six-year extension with the team, carrying a $6 million cap hit annually. Meanwhile, the team also locked up goaltender Thatcher Demko on a three-year deal at $8.5 million per […]

The Ottawa Senators signed forward Fabian Zetterlund to a three-year contract extension last week, carrying a $4.28M AAV. Zetterlund is turning 26 years old in August, and was acquired by the Senators at the trade deadline. Splitting his season between the Senators and San Jose Sharks, Zetterlund scored 19 goals and 41 points across 84 […]

After seven straight seasons of missing the playoffs, the Anaheim Ducks are poised to be active this offseason. However, one name that could be moved off the roster ahead of the 2025-26 season is goaltender John Gibson. Selected 39th overall in 2011, Gibson has spent his entire NHL career with the Ducks to this point. […]

The Philadelphia Flyers signed forward Noah Cates to a four-year contract extension last week, worth $16 million. Cates is 26 years old and scored 16 goals and 37 points in 78 games in 2024-25. The deal carries a $4 million cap hit, and will kick in for the 2025-26 season. Below, we examine how the […]

The Detroit Red Wings missed the postseason once again this season, marking nine years since their last playoff berth. The team finished the season with a 39-35-8 record, sitting 10th in the Eastern Conference. Their 86 points also marked a decline from the 2023-24 season, where they missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker, with 91 […]

The New York Islanders were officially eliminated from playoff contention over the weekend following a shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. It’s a disappointing result for the Islanders, with the team still struggling to really find a direction. While they were undoubtedly looking for a third straight playoff berth, they’ve managed just a 35-33-12 record. […]

With just a single game remaining in the 2024-25 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins are closing out another disappointing year. The Penguins currently sit 13th in the Eastern Conference, with just 78 points. The team holds just a 33-36-23 record, with a .481 points percentage. This will also mark the third straight season in which the […]

As Utah HC wraps up its inaugural season, the team was officially eliminated from playoff contention this week. Utah currently holds a 36-30-12 record, sitting 11th in the Western Conference. But despite missing the postseason, there are a lot of reasons for hope with the franchise. The team has done a great job building around […]

The Vancouver Canucks were officially eliminated from playoff contention this week. Coming off a great 2023-24 season, it’s been a hugely disappointing year for the Canucks. The team finished first in the Pacific Division last year, with an impressive 50-23-9 record. They also found themselves a win away from the Western Conference Final, before being […]

The Buffalo Sabres were officially eliminated from playoff contention this week. There was hope that the Sabres would be able to take a step this season, to get back towards the postseason. However, the Sabres currently hold a 35-36-6 record, with a .494 points percentage. This marks the 14th straight season in which the team […]

The Philadelphia Flyers were officially eliminated from playoff contention over the weekend. Philadelphia currently sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and this marks the fifth straight season in which they’ve failed to reach the postseason. The team did sell off key pieces over the last few years but has reached the point where […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins were officially eliminated from playoff contention over the weekend. It marks the third season in a row in which the team has failed to reach the playoffs. The Penguins hold a 31-35-12 record and sit 14th in the Eastern Conference in points percentage. As a result, it seems like the team is […]

In the 2022-23 season, the Boston Bruins put together one of the most impressive regular seasons in NHL history. Their incredible 65 wins ranked as the most in regular season history. So their decline to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings just two years later comes as a bit of a shock. As of […]

The Anaheim Ducks were officially eliminated from playoff contention this week, following a loss to the Calgary Flames. It marks the seventh straight year in which the Ducks have failed to reach the postseason. The Ducks are clearly building long-term, but have struggled to really take a step out of their rebuild. A lot of […]

With the Seattle Kraken being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, their focus will soon shift to the offseason. Seattle has seen one playoff berth in their four years as an organization. But with the team still well outside of playoff contention, questions remain as to where they’ll go from here. Below is a list of […]

After a busy 2024 offseason, the Nashville Predators looked set to be a contender in the Western Conference this year. The Predators made three key additions in free agency, who looked poised to be impact players in Nashville. Notably, the team brought in Steven Stamkos on a four-year contract, while also adding Jonathan Marchessault. The […]

After missing the playoffs in 2023-24, the Seattle Kraken made their intentions of being competitive again clear last summer. The team fired head coach Dake Hakstol, who had spent three years with the team. Seattle then made two major splashes in free agency, signing both Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson. However, the Kraken weren’t able […]

Over the last few seasons, the San Jose Sharks have been firmly in the midst of a rebuild. We’ve seen them sell off the majority of their old core, dealing away the likes of Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl. That continued this year, with San Jose once again selling before the […]

A couple weeks removed from the NHL trade deadline, and the New York Rangers haven’t seen great results. The Rangers were perhaps the most active team this season, trading away the likes of Jacob Trouba and Kaapo Kakko, before acquiring J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks. In the week leading up to the trade deadline, […]

The Montreal Canadiens find themselves in an interesting spot heading towards the NHL trade deadline. Riding a five-game win streak, the Canadiens are seemingly back in the playoff mix. As a result, the organization is faced with a dilemma. They could look to move veterans and stockpile future assets, but it could come at the […]

With the 4 Nations Face-Off now in the rearview mirror, all focus around the NHL turns towards the trade deadline. Less than two weeks away, fans will quickly get confirmation of who’s buying and who’s selling. With that being said, it’s safe to assume that the Philadelphia Flyers will be one of the teams who […]

Sitting at just a .500 points percentage with 28 games remaining, the Anaheim Ducks are likely to be sellers at the NHL trade deadline once again in 2024-25. It follows a similar trend to the past few years, with the Ducks still trying to climb out of their rebuild. In 2022, we saw the team […]

With 25 games remaining in the 2024-25 NHL season, the San Jose Sharks are poised to miss the playoffs yet again. The team has been in a full-scale rebuild since Mike Grier took over as general manager in 2022. The sell-off has seen the team move key pieces, such as Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, Timo […]

In some ways, drafting Trevor Zegras marked the beginning of the Anaheim Ducks’ new era. After reaching the playoffs in six straight years between 2013 and 2018 (and 11 times in the last 13 years), the Ducks found themselves on the outside looking in by the end of the 2018-19 season. The team’s core was […]

With the St. Louis Blues likely to miss the playoffs again this season, fans could see the team sell roster players before the NHL trade deadline. One name that’s emerged as a possible trade candidate recently is Blues captain Brayden Schenn. Schenn has been with St. Louis for eight seasons, winning a Stanley Cup with […]

With the NHL’s trade deadline still nearly a month away, we’ve already seen a few major deals. The Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche swapped stars in Mikko Rantanen and Martin Necas, while the New York Rangers finally acquired J.T. Miller. Meanwhile, the Vancouver Canucks acquired Marcus Pettersson, and the Dallas Stars added pending free agent […]