Ben Shelley Articles - Page 5

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 […]

After spending his entire career with the Philadelphia Flyers to this point, it seems as though Claude Giroux’s time with the organization may be coming to an end. With the Flyers in the midst of a terribly disappointing season and Giroux on an expiring contract, all signs point towards a split with their captain. Below, […]

In the first major NHL trade since Jack Eichel was shipped to the Vegas Golden Knights in November, forward Tyler Toffoli was dealt from the Montreal Canadiens to the Calgary Flames last week. Toffoli is 29 years old and spent the last season and a half with the Canadiens. This season, the winger scored nine […]

Since Kirill Kaprizov made the jump to the NHL from Russia ahead of the 2020-21 season, the forward has been a game changer for the Minnesota Wild. Kaprizov’s arrival in North America was highly anticipated, following his KHL dominance in just his early 20s. Before joining the Wild, Kaprizov had already put up higher than […]

From the time the Vegas Golden Knights entered the NHL as the league’s 31st franchise, the team hasn’t been shy about making moves. Their willingness to take risks to improve has led them to the playoffs in each of their first four seasons so far, with three of those being deep playoff runs, and now […]

The New Jersey Devils made more moves during the 2021 offseason than perhaps any other NHL team. After missing the playoffs in eight of the last nine years, the Devils started to add pieces to build around their young core. While the likes of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and others provide a promising […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets currently sit in 10th in the Eastern Conference in points percentage, holding a 17-18-1 record. As the 2022 trade deadline slowly continues to approach, though, the organization will have decisions to make regarding their direction. While the Blue Jackets aren’t all that far outside the playoff picture based on their placement […]

Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg looks to be one of the biggest potential trade candidates ahead of this year’s deadline. Klingberg, who is 29 years old and has spent all eight seasons of his NHL career with the Stars, is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. As a result, his contract status […]

Since Bruce Boudreau took over as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks in early December, the team has managed to turn their season around. After starting the year 8-15-2, the Canucks have put together a string of wins, going 8-0-1 since the coaching change. Vancouver’s special teams have notably been much better, scoring on seven […]

The Seattle Kraken weren’t without their share of mistakes in the 2021 Expansion Draft and ensuing offseason. The team passed up on big names like Max Domi, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jakub Voracek, and others who could’ve helped out this season, in order to preserve cap space. As a result, we expected the Kraken to have a […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins have arguably had more success than any other NHL franchise over the last decade and a half. With three Stanley Cups and numerous deep playoff runs since the beginning of the Sidney Crosby era, you can always count on the Penguins being a force in the Eastern Conference. However, a decline seems […]

One of the biggest storylines of the NHL offseason was forward Vladimir Tarasenko requesting a trade from the St. Louis Blues. Tarasenko had spent his entire career with the team and was a key part of their Stanley Cup win in 2019. The trade request was made back in May and reportedly stemmed from Tarasenko […]

The Chicago Blackhawks made huge moves this summer in an attempt to improve their team, which included acquiring goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury from the Vegas Golden Knights. Fresh off winning the Vezina Trophy, Fleury was added to provide stability for the Blackhawks in net. But while he has done his part, Chicago remains well outside the […]

After missing the playoffs last season, the Philadelphia Flyers didn’t hesitate to make moves over the summer ahead of the 2021-22 campaign. The Flyers were looking for upgrades in a clear effort to compete right now, even if it meant moving key future assets. However, after a disappointing start to a season in which they’re […]

The Ottawa Senators have been in a rough spot as an organization for quite a few years. Since their run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017, they’ve missed the playoffs in each of the last four seasons and look set to be on the outside looking in once again this year. Despite this, there’s […]

The Arizona Coyotes have entered a rebuild since last season came to a close, dealing away key players for future assets. The likes of Christian Dvorak, Conor Garland, Adin Hill, Darcy Kuemper and Oliver Ekman-Larsson were all shipped out in order to acquire draft picks and young prospects. With the NHL trade deadline a few […]

Despite being projected by many as a team that could take a step back this season, the Nashville Predators have managed to regroup and emerge as one of the NHL’s most surprising teams. Through 30 games, the Predators hold a 19-10-1 record and are tied for the most wins in the Central Division. This comes […]

The Detroit Red Wings have faced some tough times since their 25-year playoff streak came to an end in 2017. Naturally, they’ve struggled to be competitive while rebuilding and have now missed the playoffs in five straight seasons. However, with some key, young talent making the jump to the NHL, for the first time in […]

Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin is showing absolutely no signs of decline in his 17th NHL season and in fact, he’s seemingly managed to elevate his game to a new level. In 28 games this season, Ovechkin has 20 goals and 44 points. Those numbers have him sitting second in the league in goals and […]

After months of waiting, forward Jack Eichel was finally traded by the Buffalo Sabres, heading to the Vegas Golden Knights for a package of players and picks. In exchange for Eichel, along with a third-round pick in 2023, the Sabres received forwards Peyton Krebs and Alex Tuch, as well as a first-round pick in next […]

The New York Rangers are off to a surprisingly hot start to the season, with a 6-2-2 record thus far. They’ve also managed to pick up five of those six wins away from home, with a current road record of 5-1-1. While top players like Adam Fox, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad have […]

With the NHL season underway, the Metropolitan Division is solidifying itself as the NHL’s best. So far, every single team in the division holds a winning record, with teams having played between four and seven games. Two of the surprises within the division have been the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins.  With the […]

The Chicago Blackhawks were one of the most active teams during the 2021 NHL offseason. The team made some massive additions, in a clear attempt to compete now. They acquired defenseman Seth Jones from the Columbus Blue Jackets, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury from the Vegas Golden Knights, forward Tyler Johnson from the Tampa Bay Lightning, and […]

It seems like an eternity since Jack Eichel trade rumors first surfaced with the Buffalo Sabres. Despite all the speculation and coverage, however, the actual trade is still yet to come. The situation seemed to escalate in May when Eichel said there was a ‘disconnect’ between himself and the Sabres organization, regarding the handling of […]

The NHL regular season will be starting up soon and many teams will head into the season with a new look.  While some teams made progress towards contending or took steps in their rebuild, others seemed to make some puzzling roster decisions.  Below, we look at the five biggest losers of the 2021 NHL offseason.  […]

After a busy start to the NHL offseason, most teams around the league have been relatively quiet over the last few weeks. As a result, it’s a good time to reflect on the offseason so far and determine which teams have set themselves up for success. Below, we rank the five biggest winners of the […]

The Seattle Kraken built their team through the NHL Expansion Draft a few weeks ago, but some of their decisions left fans with questions.  While the team passed on some big-name players like Carey Price in order to maintain cap flexibility, other decisions seemed to lack any reasoning. On multiple occasions, the Kraken seemingly passed […]