Ben Shelley Articles - Page 4

The Seattle Kraken struggled in their inaugural season. While they weren’t likely to replicate the Vegas Golden Knights’ run to the Stanley Cup Finals back in 2017-18, the Kraken won just 27 games and finished dead last in the Pacific Division. This season, however, Seattle has found its footing. Through 25 games, the Kraken hold […]

The Colorado Avalanche locked up forward Nathan MacKinnon to an eight-year contract extension just before the start of the season. The deal carries a $12.6 million cap hit, which will make him the league’s highest-paid player. He’s currently in the final season of a deal which carries a $6.3 million cap hit, with the new […]

Following a breakout season, forward Robert Thomas signed an eight-year contract extension with the St. Louis Blues this summer. Thomas is 23 years old and this past season, he scored 20 goals and had 77 points in 72 games. His extension carries a $8.13 million cap hit. Below, we take a look at how Thomas’ […]

The New York Rangers signed forward Vincent Trocheck this offseason, following their run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Trocheck is 29 years old and spent the last two and a half years with the Carolina Hurricanes. This past season, the center scored 21 goals and 51 points in 81 games. The contract is for seven […]

The Ottawa Senators were possibly the most active team in the NHL this offseason. With several notable additions via trade and free agency, the Senators look competitive for the first time in half a decade. One of their biggest moves of the summer was adding Philadelphia Flyers’ longtime captain Claude Giroux. Giroux signed a three-year […]

Following their Stanley Cup win, the Colorado Avalanche re-signed defenseman Josh Manson to a four-year contract. Manson is 30 years old and was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks at the trade deadline. He had spent his entire career with the Ducks to that point, playing 453 total games with the team. Upon joining the Avalanche, […]

The Edmonton Oilers made a major upgrade in net last month, signing free agent Jack Campbell to a lengthy contract. Campbell is 30 years old and had spent the last two and a half years with the Toronto Maple Leafs. This past season, Campbell managed a .914 save percentage in 49 games with Toronto. His […]

The Edmonton Oilers re-signed forward Evander Kane to a four-year contract ahead of free agency last month. Kane joined the Oilers part way through the season, after his contract was terminated by the San Jose Sharks. He posted great numbers in his time with Edmonton, with 22 goals and 39 points in 43 regular season […]

The Minnesota Wild and Ottawa Senators completed a notable goalie-for-goalie trade last month. In the deal, the Wild sent veteran Cam Talbot to the Senators, in exchange for Filip Gustavsson. Below, we take a look at how the trade breaks down for each team. Minnesota Wild After the Wild re-signed goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, it seemed […]

In a somewhat surprising twist, the Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed Evgeni Malkin ahead of free agency earlier this month. There was an interesting series of events leading up to Malkin signing an extension with the Penguins. Heading into the offseason, it seemed like the two sides were going their separate ways. There seemed to be quite […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins locked up forward Rickard Rakell to a six-year, $30 million contract ahead of free agency during the 2022 NHL offseason. Rakell is 29 years old and was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks at the trade deadline. In exchange, the Penguins dealt Zach Aston-Reese, Dominik Simon, and a future second-round pick to the […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs added to their goaltending group by acquiring Matt Murray from the Ottawa Senators via trade. Along with Murray, the Leafs received a 2023 third-round pick and a 2024 seventh-round pick. The Senators also retained 25 percent of the netminder’s salary and received nothing in return (future considerations). Let’s take a look at […]

Following their Stanley Cup win, the Colorado Avalanche locked up forward Valeri Nichushkin ahead of free agency last week. Nichushkin’s extension is for eight years and carries a $6.13 million cap hit. The forward is coming off a breakout year offensively, scoring 25 goals and 52 points in 62 games. Below, we take a look […]

The Nashville Predators signed Filip Forsberg to an eight-year contract extension worth $8.5 million per year last week. The winger is 27 years old and has played all of his 566 career NHL games with the Predators. This past season, Forsberg set career highs in both goals and points, with 42 goals and 84 points […]

With the Washington Capitals completely revamping their goaltending situation this offseason, the team traded Vitek Vanecek to the New Jersey Devils last week. Along with Vanecek, the Capitals sent the 46th pick in the draft to the Devils, receiving the 37th and 70th picks in exchange. Below, we take a look at how the trade […]

In an effort to clear cap space, the Edmonton Oilers traded Zack Kassian to the Arizona Coyotes last week. Along with Kassian, the Coyotes received the 29th pick in the 2022 draft, in exchange for the 32nd pick. The Coyotes also got Edmonton’s second-round pick in 2025 and third-round pick in 2024. Kassian is 31 […]

Kris Letang’s contract status was a major question mark for the Pittsburgh Penguins heading into the NHL offseason. Between Letang and teammate Evgeni Malkin, it seemed like a strong bet the Penguins would part ways with one of their longtime veterans, if not both. However, the Penguins locked up Kris Letang last week, signing the […]

Entering an uncertain offseason, the Vancouver Canucks re-signed forward Brock Boeser earlier this month. The contract extension is for three years and carries a $6.65 million cap hit. Boeser is 25 years old and is coming off a disappointing season with the Canucks. He still scored 23 goals and 46 points in 71 games, a […]

The Tampa Bay Lightning locked up forward Nick Paul to a seven-year contract extension earlier this month. Paul was originally acquired from the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline for Mathieu Joseph and a draft pick. His contract carries a $3.15 million cap hit and comes with a no-trade clause, which becomes a 16-team no-trade […]

The Chicago Blackhawks made several trades at the 2022 NHL Draft, moving out some big names for future assets. They also weren’t afraid to take on a bad contract for assets, as a way of rebuilding. Below, we’ll analyze each of the team’s three major trades on Friday. *Watch the NHL on fuboTV (click here)* […]

The Tampa Bay Lightning have already shifted to making sure they can remain competitive in the future following their loss to the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Finals. Last week, the Lightning dealt defenseman Ryan McDonagh to the Nashville Predators. In exchange, they landed defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Grant Mismash. So, let’s grade […]

The Edmonton Oilers are coming off their best playoff performance in the Connor McDavid era, following a run to the Western Conference Finals. It’s a major step for the team, after struggling to find a lot of success over the last few years. That said, they were still swept by the Colorado Avalanche and while […]

Coming off a second-round playoff exit after falling to the Colorado Avalanche in six games, the St. Louis Blues face a dilemma with their goaltending situation this offseason. From the time Jordan Binnington led the St. Louis Blues to a Stanley Cup in 2019, he’s been the go-to guy in net. So as the team’s […]

The Florida Panthers went all-in at this year’s trade deadline, moving multiple first-round picks to bet heavily on postseason success in 2022. The Panthers did finally win a playoff round this season, but things still didn’t quite go as planned. After beating the Washington Capitols in six games, Florida was swept out of the second […]

For nearly a decade, Sean Monahan has been a key contributor for the Calgary Flames. Taken sixth overall back in 2013, the center has typically been counted on for around 30 goals and 60 points per year. He has also been an assistant captain with the team since 2015. Unfortunately, the last few years haven’t […]

The New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning open their third round series on Wednesday with Game 1 in New York. While big names like Nikita Kucherov, Artemi Panarin, Victor Hedman and Adam Fox all headline the series, one of the most interesting aspects of the matchup will undoubtedly be the goaltending battle. For the […]

The Minnesota Wild are coming off their most successful regular season in franchise history. Despite another first round exit in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the team is poised to compete in the coming years. Their core is strong, with enough young talent to see sustained success going forward. However, one key piece of the puzzle […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ season came to an end a little over a week ago. They lost Game 7 to the New York Rangers, blowing a 3-1 series lead. The elimination marked the fourth year in a row in which the Penguins have failed to win a playoff series. The reality is the Penguins may be […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs recently re-signed defenseman Mark Giordano to a two-year contract, which carries a cap hit of just  $800,oo0. Giordano is 38 years old and was acquired by the Leafs from the Seattle Kraken at this year’s trade deadline. He scored two goals and 12 points in 20 regular-season games after joining the […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins have locked up one of their most notable pending free agents, signing forward Bryan Rust to a six-year contract extension, which carries a $5.125 million cap hit. Rust is 30 years old and has spent his entire NHL career with the Penguins, playing 424 regular-season games with the team over eight seasons. […]

The Nashville Predators’ season came to an end about a week ago, following a first round sweep at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche. The Predators were outscored by a 21-9 margin in the opening round and had a hard time keeping up with the Avalanche. While being without Juuse Saros for the series was […]

After reaching the second round of the playoffs in 2021, the Winnipeg Jets’ 2021-22 season didn’t go as planned. With a record of just 39-32-11, the Jets fell short of the postseason, finishing sixth in the Central Division and 11th in the Western Conference overall. The Jets’ .543 points percentage marked their worst season in […]

The Florida Panthers kick off their first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, following their first Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s best team in the regular season. It marks the team’s second straight playoff appearance, following a first-round exit against the Tampa Bay Lightning last year. However, despite taking top spot in the […]

With the goal of avoiding another early playoff exit and going after a Stanley Cup, the Colorado Avalanche acquired forward Artturi Lehkonen from the Montreal Canadiens ahead of the NHL trade deadline. In exchange for Lehkonen, the Canadiens received prospect Justin Barron and a second-round pick in 2024. Below, we take a look at how […]

As part of a busy trade deadline for the Florida Panthers, Claude Giroux was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers. In exchange for Giroux, the Flyers received a 2024 first-round pick, a 2023 third-round pick and forward Owen Tippett, with the first-round pick being top-10 protected. The Panthers also received forwards Connor Bunnaman, German Rubstov and […]

The Tampa Bay Lightning loaded up for another Stanley Cup run ahead of this year’s NHL trade deadline, acquiring forward Brandon Hagel from the Chicago Blackhawks. In exchange for Hagel, the Blackhawks received first-round picks in both 2023 and 2024, along with forwards Boris Katchouk and Taylor Raddysh, while the Lightning also acquired fourth-round picks […]

In one of the larger trades ahead of the 2022 NHL trade deadline, the Montreal Canadiens shipped defenseman Ben Chiarot to the Florida Panthers. In exchange for Chiarot, the Canadiens received a 2023 first-round pick, a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft and prospect Ty Smilanic, who the Panthers selected in the third-round of the […]

In what was a busy week for the Seattle Kraken, the team’s first major move ahead of the trade deadline came when they shipped forward Calle Jarnkrok to the Calgary Flames. In exchange for Jarnkrok, the Kraken received a 2022 second-round pick, a 2023 third-round pick and a 2024 seventh-round pick. Let’s take a look […]

The Minnesota Wild acquired goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a conditional second-round pick in this year’s NHL Draft. Should the Wild reach the third round of the NHL playoffs and Fleury has had at least four wins in the first two rounds, the return will be upgraded to a first-round […]