Ben Shelley Articles - Page 4

The Colorado Avalanche won’t be back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions, following a surprising first round loss to the Seattle Kraken. The series wrapped up Sunday night, with the Avalanche falling 2-1 in Game 7 on home ice. It marks the first time in five years the Avalanche didn’t get past the opening round of the playoffs. […]

The Minnesota Wild suffered yet another early playoff exit, this time coming at the hands of the Dallas Stars. The first round series wrapped on Friday, with the Stars defeating the Wild in six games. It marks eight years since the Wild have made it out of the first round of the playoffs and 20 […]

The New York Islanders fell short in their series against the Carolina Hurricanes, suffering a first-round exit in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s a disappointing result, given the Islanders’ efforts just to get to the postseason. They put together a really strong last few months of the season to squeak in and rebounded after […]

The Winnipeg Jets’ season came to an end Thursday night at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights. It started as a promising year for the Jets, hovering around the top of the Central Division for much of the season. By the end of the year though, they were just fighting for a playoff spot. […]

Heading into the 2022-23 NHL season, the Calgary Flames seemed like a pretty sure bet to make the playoffs. The Flames were coming off a first-place finish in the Pacific Division the year prior, and the expectation was they’d be right back in the hunt again. Calgary also ended up having an eventful summer, which […]

To say it was an underwhelming 2022-23 NHL season for the Pittsburgh Penguins would be an understatement. For the first time since Sidney Crosby’s rookie season in 2006, the Penguins missed the playoffs. Technically, they were also knocked out in the qualifying round of the 2020 postseason as well but had at least ranked fifth […]

One of the biggest NHL storylines to track over the next few seasons will be Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s goal record. As of now, Ovechkin stands only 72 goals back of Gretzky’s 894 goals. With another three years remaining on his contract and the forward remaining healthy, there’s no question […]

Prior to the trade deadline, the Detroit Red Wings locked up captain Dylan Larkin to an eight-year contract extension. Larkin has been with the organization since being drafted 15th overall by the team in 2014. This season, he leads the team in both goals and points by a wide margin. Larkin’s managed 26 goals and […]

In the midst of a monster season, David Pastrnak inked a huge extension with the Boston Bruins ahead of this year’s NHL trade deadline. The forward’s contract is for eight years and carries an $11.25 million cap hit, which will kick in next season. Previously set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, the […]

The Edmonton Oilers took a big step towards improving their defense group at the trade deadline, acquiring Mattias Ekholm. In the deal, the Oilers sent a package of players and picks to the Nashville Predators. The Predators acquired defenseman Tyson Barrie, prospect Reid Schaefer, a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick. Nashville also […]

The Nashville Predators ended up as sellers ahead of the NHL’s trade deadline. Currently sitting outside of a playoff spot and unlikely to sneak into the postseason, the focus for the team turned toward the future. The first indication of this came when the team shipped off forward Nino Niederreiter to the Winnipeg Jets. In exchange […]

As the clear top team in the NHL this season, the Boston Bruins are continuing to improve. Approaching the trade deadline, the Bruins managed to acquire defenseman Dmitry Orlov as part of a three-team deal. In addition to Orlov, Boston also acquired forward Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals and Andrei Svetlakov from the Minnesota […]

The Tampa Bay Lightning are gearing up for another deep playoff run, acquiring Tanner Jeannot from the Nashville Predators. In exchange for Jeannot, the Predators received a huge package of draft picks. Going to Nashville will be a top-10 protected first-round pick in 2025, a second-round pick in 2024, as well as the Lightning’s third-, […]

The Buffalo Sabres locked up a key piece of their young core earlier this month, signing forward Dylan Cozens to a long-term contract extension. Cozens’ new deal is for seven years and carries a $7.1 million cap hit, kicking in next season. Below, we take a look at how the deal breaks down for the Sabres. […]

The Washington Capitals locked up forward Sonny Milano last weekend, signing him to a three-year contract extension, per CBS Sports. Milano’s new deal is worth $5.7 million, carrying a $1.9 million cap hit. It will kick in for the 2023-24 season. Below, we look at how the deal works out for the Capitals. Capitals’ Sonny Milano […]

Dylan Strome is staying with the Washington Capitals long-term, after signing a five-year contract extension. Announced on Friday, Strome’s deal is worth $25 million and will carry a $5 million cap hit, kicking in next season. He’s currently in his first year with the Capitals and his fifth year as a full-time NHLer. Below, we […]

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 […]