Tristin McKinstry Articles - Page 31

The Colorado Avalanche came up short in their quest to win the Stanley Cup in 2024. Colorado is not too far removed from winning the Stanley Cup themselves. They defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022 to win their first championship since 2001. However, it’s been tough sledding for the Avalanche since that triumph. In […]

The Boston Bruins, much like the rest of the league, have concluded their business in NHL Free Agency. The Bruins spent big as they look to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs with their current core. Free agency may be over, but adding to the roster isn’t. Professional tryout agreements are going to filter in […]

Veteran forward Patrik Laine wanted a trade away from the Columbus Blue Jackets this summer. He hoped that moving away from Ohio would benefit all parties. On Monday, the Blue Jackets fulfilled his request. Columbus traded Laine to the Montreal Canadiens along with a second-round pick in exchange for defenseman Jordan Harris. Blue Jackets general […]

The Philadelphia Flyers collapsed late in the season in 2023-24. Philadelphia held onto a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for most of the season. In fact, they held a spot through their division as opposed to battling for a wild card spot. Unfortunately, the team could not keep the pace, and missed the playoffs […]

The New York Islanders hired Patrick Roy midway through the 2023-24 NHL season as head coach. Lane Lambert oversaw a slow start to the season and the front office decided a new voice was needed. Roy helped the Islanders make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And though they lost round one, there is optimism around Roy […]

The Edmonton Oilers made a trade with the Vancouver Canucks earlier in the day on Sunday. They acquired former top-10 pick Vasily Podkolzin from Vancouver in exchange for a fourth-round pick. However, they were not done wheeling and dealing. Edmonton has now traded veteran defenseman Cody Ceci to the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks are […]

The San Jose Sharks made Macklin Celebrini the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft back in June. San Jose believes that the Boston University product has all the makings of a legitimate franchise cornerstone. Celebrini has turned pro and is already impressing new Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky, who spoke about his young […]

Chicago Blackhawks forward Taylor Hall missed a lot of time due to injuries in 2023-24. In fact, the former Hart Trophy winner played just 10 games for Chicago this past season. It was a major blow to the Blackhawks, but they are getting their veteran forward back for the 2024-25 season. And Hall is gearing […]

The Edmonton Oilers are working through a major decision in NHL Free Agency. Two of Edmonton’s restricted free agents received offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues earlier in the week. Rumors of what the Oilers will do continue to circulate. Regardless of that, they did make a trade with the Vancouver Canucks to land […]

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog has missed each of the last two seasons. He underwent knee surgery during the 2022-23 season after winning the Stanley Cup earlier in the summer of 2022. Before the 2023-24 campaign, the Avalanche captain again went under the knife, costing him this most recent season. However, he could be close […]

The New Jersey Devils hired Sheldon Keefe as their new head coach this summer. The veteran bench boss joins New Jersey on the back of a highly publicized tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Keefe led Toronto to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in every season he coached. However, the Maple Leafs won just one playoff […]

The New Jersey Devils missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024 despite high expectations. Some of their issues were out of the team’s control. For instance, Jack Hughes struggled with injury at times throughout the year. Other players who dealt with injuries to varying extents include Timo Meier, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Dougie Hamilton. However, some […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins want to maximize the time they have left with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The two Penguins stars are in the final years of their respective playing careers. After missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the last two years, Pittsburgh is hoping to retool their roster rather quickly. They went […]

The Florida Panthers are your defending Stanley Cup champions heading into 2024-25. They are no longer the team on the cusp of the highest glory hockey can offer. Florida is now the team with a target on its back. And it’ll certainly be interesting to see how they respond to this change in perception. The […]

The Washington Capitals are gearing up for an important 2024-25 season. There are a few storylines to watch with this team. Alex Ovechkin continues to chase Wayne Gretzky and the all-time goal-scoring record. A massive NHL Free Agency overhaul saw the team add the likes of Matt Roy, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Logan Thompson this summer, […]

NHL Free Agency is well and truly in the rearview window. As a result, the Detroit Red Wings are turning their full attention to the 2024-25 season. Detroit made some intriguing moves this summer. Patrick Kane returns to Hockeytown on a one-year contract. Additionally, Vladimir Tarasenko joined on a two-year contract after winning the Stanley […]

The Carolina Hurricanes fell short of the Stanley Cup once again in 2024. After that lost, they faced their first major decision of the offseason. Do they keep Rod Brind’Amour as head coach or do they let him walk in free agency? This question was resolved quickly as the Hurricanes signed Brind’Amour to an extension. […]

The Washington Capitals hired Spencer Carbery as head coach last summer. His mission was straightforward: get this team back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Washington missed out for the first time since the 2013-14 season a year ago. And they didn’t want to have a repeat performance in 2024. To their credit, they avoided such […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed goalie Alex Nedeljkovic this offseason. Nedeljkovic had a bounceback season after struggling in two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. Pittsburgh proved to be a good fit, and the former Calder Trophy finalist has very high hopes for the Penguins this upcoming season. Pittsburgh made a run at the Stanley Cup […]

The St. Louis Blues made some noise in an otherwise quiet period in the NHL. After a trade with the Penguins, the Blues extended offer sheets to Edmonton Oilers restricted free agents Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. The two players signed two-year contracts with St. Louis. Broberg signed for around $4.5 million a season while […]

Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has completed another NHL Free Agency at the helm in Hockeytown. Yzerman returned to the franchise in 2019 after spending years as the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning. And for the longest time, Detroit fans have had a nearly unshakable belief in the former Red Wings […]

Reports emerged on Monday evening that the Toronto Maple Leafs were giving the captaincy to Auston Matthews. Matthews has long been seen as a leader in the locker room. And now, with the full support of former captain John Tavares, they felt this was the right time to give him the “C.” On Wednesday, the […]

Matthew Judon and the New England Patriots have been at a standstill regarding a new contract. Judon is in the final year of his deal and is set to make $6.5 million this upcoming season. The veteran linebacker has made his desire for a new contract known to the public. On Wednesday, the Patriots decided […]

The Chicago Blackhawks added depth in NHL Free Agency this summer. One interesting name they added was veteran forward Pat Maroon. Maroon is an incredibly experienced forward and a proven winner. The St. Louis, Missouri native won three Stanley Cups in three straight years from 2019-2021. These days, Maroon is a depth option who provides […]

Ilya Samsonov and Linus Ullmark are no longer divisional rivals. In fact, they are no longer in the same conference. Samsonov joined the Vegas Golden Knights in NHL Free Agency. Meanwhile, Ullmark joined the Ottawa Senators through a trade with the Boston Bruins. Despite this, it seems as if there is still some bad blood […]

The Vegas Golden Knights could not defend their Stanley Cup championship in 2024. Vegas struggled with injuries throughout the season, especially before the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In the postseason, the Golden Knights lost to the Dallas Stars in seven games in the very first round. It was a crushing loss considering the moves Vegas made […]

The New Jersey Devils have a new head coach heading into the 2024-25 season. Sheldon Keefe left the Toronto Maple Leafs after failing to take them on a deep playoff run. However, he oversaw the ascension of stars such as Auston Matthews and William Nylander. The Devils are hoping Keefe can have a similar effect […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024. Pittsburgh made massive NHL Free Agency moves this time last summer to be more competitive. However, things didn’t work out, and the Penguins were sellers at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. The Penguins traded Jake Guentzel among other moves at the deadline. This […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs fell short of the Stanley Cup once again in 2024. Their loss to the Boston Bruins marked another season in which Toronto failed to make a deep playoff run. This summer, the Maple Leafs hired a new head coach to try and change the culture. However, they have made another massive […]

The Colorado Avalanche fell short of the Stanley Cup in 2024. Colorado is only two years removed from winning the Stanley Cup over the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, it feels as if the Avalanche are struggling to keep themselves in the conversation as legitimate contenders for the Cup. The Avalanche have some of the best […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins are keeping Sidney Crosby contract talks close to the vest. Crosby became eligible for a new contract back on July 1, and the two sides reportedly came close to a new contract. However, the negotiation process between Pittsburgh and Crosby is starting to have effects on the roster. One player affected by […]

The Buffalo Sabres have a lot of young talent that has already made an impact at the NHL level. The Sabres missed the playoffs once again in 2023-24 despite a lot of hype around them in the preseason. With Lindy Ruff back in town as head coach, Buffalo hopes the veteran bench boss can get […]

The Washington Capitals struggled to score goals in 2023-24, but it didn’t matter. The Capitals still made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024, an achievement of historic proportions, though that history is dubious in nature. Washington had the lowest goal differential of any playoff team since 1991. The Capitals did eventually receive a good performance […]

The Detroit Lions are preparing to make a run at the Super Bowl in 2024. Training camp began earlier this month, and the Lions played their first preseason game on Thursday. On Sunday, though, Jared Goff and the Lions received a visit from the Detroit Red Wings and captain Dylan Larkin. Larkin spoke about NHL […]

Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings came within a hair’s breadth of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024. This summer has seen Detroit attempt to fortify their roster for another run at the postseason. The Red Wings extended Patrick Kane before NHL Free Agency while also signing veteran winger Vladimir Tarasenko to a […]

The Dallas Stars are hungry for success heading into the 2024-25 season. They came within two wins of the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year. And they have the talent to finally take that next step. One important piece for their success, Thomas Harley, remains unsigned heading into training camp. However, Stars general […]

The Ottawa Senators fell short of expectations during the 2023-24 season. They were out of the playoff race by the time the NHL Trade Deadline rolled around. And they even did a bit of selling as the Senators traded Vladimir Tarasenko to the Florida Panthers. Tarasenko went on to win the second Stanley Cup of […]

The San Jose Sharks drafted Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick in late June. Accordingly, San Jose is now hoping to start improving on the ice. On the one hand, it won’t take much to achieve that aim. The Sharks finished dead last in the NHL in 2023-24 with just 47 points. However, San […]

The Nashville Predators certainly believe they can contend for a Stanley Cup sometime soon. The Predators had a huge NHL Free Agency Period that saw them sign the three best names on the market. Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei are all wearing Nashville sweaters for the foreseeable future. The Predators certainly have roster […]