Nate Duffett Articles - Page 3

Team Finland’s Olympic roster reveal didn’t have the same hype, considering their best player, Aleksander Barkov, will miss the tournament while recovering from a knee injury. The Finnish squads always show up at International tournaments, but depth is a concern. With their top center and likely captain missing, things get even more concerning for the […]

It’s hard to justify what a “snub” is when it comes to Team Canada’s Olympic roster. The definition of a snub is when someone doesn’t see a player as an option in favor of a lesser talent. There is no shortage of talent in Canada’s player pool, and all 25 players on the team’s roster […]

One of the most surprising omissions from Team Canada’s Olympics roster was Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett. Bennett played a key role in last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off victory, won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Florida Panthers, and was last season’s Conn Smythe Trophy winner. It’s hard to find a forward more worthy of a […]

There was no shortage of storylines heading into the Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars matchup on Tuesday night. The teams will always have a storyline built in now, after the Mikko Rantanen drama last season, and they are also two of the top Stanley Cup contenders this season. To make the night even better for […]

It has been a bit of a rough road for Anthony Duclair in the New York Islanders organization. He reunited with former junior head coach Patrick Roy, and many felt it’d be a great fit, but Tuesday night marked his first game since December 30 after a bunch of healthy scratches. However, Duclair made sure […]

Colorado Avalanche fans expected the worst when they saw captain Gabriel Landeskog carried off the ice by trainers and teammates with an injury. After missing nearly three full seasons with a knee injury, the last thing anyone wanted to see was another injury. However, there were sighs of relief when it turned out to be […]

The Philadelphia Flyers are surprisingly in win-now mode in Rick Tocchet’s first year as head coach. The expectation was that it’d still be another year of rebuilding before they really competed. However, after the successful acquisition of Trevor Zegras in the offseason, the Flyers are already knocking on the door. While the Flyers aren’t in […]

Justin Sourdif is quickly becoming a fan favorite for the Washington Capitals. It took a while for the former third-round pick of the Florida Panthers to find a place in the NHL, but now that he has, it doesn’t look like he plans to give it up. While Alex Ovechkin is still stealing headlines with […]

The Utah Mammoth knew that it was time for a fresh start for one of their struggling defensemen. Juuso Valimaki was a former first-round pick in 2016 by the Calgary Flames, but his NHL career never fully flourished, which made him a perfect option for the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina’s front office thoroughly enjoys buying low […]

It isn’t time for the Ottawa Senators and head coach Travis Green to start panicking just yet. Green’s team sits last in the Atlantic Division standings, but just two points stand between them and the fourth-place team in the division. They are also just four points back of the last wild-card spot, but seasons tend […]

The Winnipeg Jets’ struggles this season are difficult to understand. The group fell short in last year’s playoffs, but they took home the President’s Trophy for the NHL’s best regular season team, and also had the league’s MVP in net with Connor Hellebuyck. Despite some playoff shortcomings, the future looked bright for the small-market team. […]

The New York Rangers have plenty of teams to pass if they want to get back in the playoff race. New York currently sits second-last in the Metropolitan Division, and an unfortunate incident on Monday night won’t make it any easier. The Rangers’ superstar goaltender, Igor Shesterkin, had to get taken off the ice by […]

Boston Bruins legend Zdeno Chara has been a busy individual since retiring from the NHL. He is still in elite shape, as shown by his marathon participation, and he is also still in the organization. In the same year he entered the Hockey Hall of Fame, Chara took on an advisory role with the Bruins’ front […]

The good news for the Winnipeg Jets after Mark Scheifele’s Olympics snub is that they’ll be getting an inspired scorer. It already worked for the Jets, as their star had two goals and an assist on New Year’s Day after learning he hadn’t made the team. Scheifele joins a long list of players who should’ve […]

It’s challenging to label exactly what a “snub” means when it comes to Team Canada’s Olympics roster. Team Canada’s roster for best-on-best hockey is one of the toughest in sports, and Connor Bedard is no exception. It’s no slight to any player, whether it’s Bedard, Seth Jarvis, Mark Scheifele, or Sam Bennett, not to make […]

The Chicago Blackhawks still have some growing pains to navigate before they are one of the Western Conference’s top teams. The young roster is six points back of the playoffs, but there are some positives to build on. They also have a built-in excuse for their recent 2-7-1 stretch because of the injury to Connor […]

Make no mistake about it, the Montreal Canadiens are ready to make some noise in the 2025-26 season. The young roster made a surprising run to the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season and is building on it this season. While some questions remain about their goaltending, the Canadiens are accomplishing some historic feats while sitting […]

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will be one of the central figures for Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics. NHLers will play in the event for the first time since 2014, when Canada won their second consecutive gold medal. While Canada dominated that tournament in Sochi, the 2010 tournament featured more drama, as it […]

The Minnesota Wild have proven since acquiring Quinn Hughes that they are now a contender in the Central Division. While the roster has skill top to bottom, there are still some holes that general manager Bill Guerin would like to fix. The Wild could find that fix in a trade with a fellow Central Division […]

The Vancouver Canucks are likely nowhere near done in the trade market after dealing Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild. The early returns on the Hughes trade have been good with the success of Zeev Buium, and general manager Patrik Allvin is looking to add even more depth in the prospect pool. One player whose […]

The Colorado Avalanche extended their win streak to six by beating the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday night. While the Avalanche have been hard to beat this season, teams around the NHL are likely saying they don’t need any more good luck. However, on Tuesday night, a strange quirk in Scott Wedgewood’s goalie equipment paced the […]

The issue some people have with best-on-best international hockey returning to the NHL is that the schedule can get rigorous. While some players hate the schedule, Edmonton Oilers’ superstar Connor McDavid is thriving in it, according to Mark Spector via X, formerly known as Twitter. “I like the schedule,” McDavid commented after Tuesday night’s game. “The […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been leaking oil in their defensive zone. It hasn’t been pretty for Toronto so far this season, and a wrath of injuries to their backend and goaltending haven’t helped. The good news for Craig Berube and the Maple Leafs is that Chris Tanev will finally return from his injury on […]

Marc-Andre Fleury is one player who wouldn’t shock anyone if he made a return to an NHL crease. It has been tough for Fleury to let the game go, whether it be suiting up for Team Canada at the World Championships after his NHL retirement or signing a tryout agreement to play one more game […]

The ongoing saga about NHL teams in income tax-free states could take another twist at this year’s trade deadline. Rasmus Andersson’s name has been in rumors about a potential trade from the Calgary Flames for over a year, but the defenseman continues to flip-flop on his desires to play elsewhere. However, a recent report states […]

The Los Angeles Kings’ front office decided to shake up their reeling team by trading two-way center Phillip Danault to the Montreal Canadiens on Friday evening. The Kings had aspirations of being a contender for the top spot in the Pacific Division this season. After some inconsistent play and now sitting in a wildcard spot, […]

To the disgust of the fans of the other 31 teams, the Florida Panthers are starting to roll again in their quest for a three-peat. It was a slow start to the season for the defending champions, but injuries to a couple of key players were a significant reason. While captain Aleksander Barkov could be […]

The Seattle Kraken and Columbus Blue Jackets swung a trade on Friday night before the Holiday Roster Freeze, sending Mason Marchment to Columbus for two draft picks. The Kraken are heading toward another draft lottery season, and trading away a valuable middle-six forward made more sense to them than waiting around and potentially not accruing […]

Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis had a scary-looking play when he collided with the net off a rush in overtime in Friday night’s game against the Florida Panthers. His teammates and the officials immediately signaled to the training staff to check him out, which didn’t cast an excellent light on the injury for the Team […]

The most significant risk of the Edmonton Oilers acquiring Tristan Jarry was his injury history. Stuart Skinner was a bit more reliable during his tenure with the Oilers. While making a lateral move, Edmonton also risked Jarry getting injured and being stuck with Calvin Pickard as the starting goaltender. The Oilers’ new starting goaltender suffered […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the middle of one of their most challenging stretches of the Auston Matthews era. Something has been off with the team, which is usually near the top of the Atlantic Division standings, and the struggles are starting to take a toll on the Maple Leafs’ fans and attendance, according […]

The Buffalo Sabres are about to undergo a slight overhaul with Jarmo Kekalainen in charge. One of the first things on his to-do list will be sorting out the three-goaltender situation, and it seems like the Edmonton Oilers might do some more adding after their Tristan Jarry acquisition. The Oilers and their fans are eagerly […]

Team Canada’s best-on-best hockey roster for the Olympics is one of the most formidable lineups to crack in all of sports. The leading hockey nation is never short on depth, and there are countless times when superstars are left off the roster in favor of players who fill different roles. Team Canada has also been […]

The Dallas Stars’ offensive depth took a massive hit when Tyler Seguin suffered an ACL injury at the beginning of December. The team needs a deep lineup to compete with the Colorado Avalanche and suddenly stronger Minnesota Wild in their division, which puts figuring out Seguin’s injury timeline at the top of their to-do list. […]

The Minnesota Wild are riding high after the Quinn Hughes acquisition, and head coach John Hynes is reaping the benefits of having a superstar added to his backend. The Wild face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night, who have a familiar face behind the bench in Dean Evason, who Minnesota fired halfway through the […]

Calgary Flames’ defenseman Rasmus Andersson is the next most significant piece on the trade block now that Quinn Hughes joined the Minnesota Wild. Right-hand shot defenseman who can contribute offensively is a hot commodity in the NHL, and the Flames believe they’ll fetch an excellent return for his services. It looks like general manager Craig […]

The San Jose Sharks couldn’t be happier with the man they picked first overall in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. Macklin Celebrini has quickly become one of the top stars in the league, and a stat the Sharks’ forward shares with Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby proves that he could be on his way to […]

It isn’t very often that two starting goaltenders get traded for each other in the NHL. Finding an organization willing to trade a starter is hard enough, but seeing two willing at the same time is even more rare. With the Edmonton Oilers-Pittsburgh Penguins trade last Friday, the teams swapped their starters, Tristan Jarry and […]

The Buffalo Sabres’ ownership finally got sick of watching the same old issues arise in their organization. Kevyn Adams extended the team’s NHL-worst playoff drought to 14 years, and the poor start to this season finally triggered a move. On Monday morning, after the Sabres’ road trip, Terry Pegula fired Adams as general manager and […]