Tristin McKinstry Articles - Page 33

The Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup for the very first time back in June. Florida’s loss in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final fueled them toward redemption on hockey’s biggest stage. However, Florida will soon face the toughest task in all of sports: defending their championship crown. In the NHL, successfully defending a Stanley Cup […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers have dealt with a lot injuries this season. However, they are preparing to welcome Mookie Betts back next week. Betts was slated to play shortstop upon his return to the diamond. A recent change from manager Dave Roberts has Betts playing elsewhere, though. Roberts revealed that Betts will go back to […]

The Montreal Canadiens signed Juraj Slafkovsky at the advent of NHL Free Agency this summer. Montreal had been impressed by Slafkovsky given how his season turned out. The Canadiens star struggled early in the season. But by the end, the former first-overall pick was one of the team’s best players. Expectations for Slafkovsky are going […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets splashed the cash in NHL Free Agency. The Blue Jackets spent big on Sean Monahan, signing the former Winnipeg Jets center to a five-year contract. They hope that the added veteran talent can help them make some strides this upcoming season. It wasn’t too long ago that the Blue Jackets competed […]

The Vancouver Canucks experienced heartbreak in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Before that, though, they made a rather interesting decision. The Canucks signed forward Vasily Podkolzin to a two-year contract worth $2 million total. Signing Podkolzin made sense as the young forward had reached the end of his entry-level contract. However, the terms of the deal […]

The Tampa Bay Lightning made a trade for Ryan McDonagh this offseason. The deal with the Nashville Predators brought the veteran defenseman back to Central Florida after two seasons away. Nashville received a second-round pick and a seventh-round pick in return. McDonagh played a major role on the Predators’ blueline in 2023-24. In Tampa, the […]

The Detroit Red Wings had an active NHL Free Agency period. Detroit didn’t spend freely as they did during the summers of 2022 and 2023. But they still made some intriguing moves meant to give them a chance to win this upcoming season. Patrick Kane is back in town after a successful 47-point stint in […]

The Minnesota Wild could not make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024. They struggled out of the gate, resulting in the firing of Dean Evason as head coach. After that move, John Hynes took over behind the bench. However, he could not steer the Wild into the postseason. The Wild have been strapped against the […]

The Detroit Red Wings made some big moves during NHL Free Agency. The Red Wings added Vladimir Tarasenko to the lineup while giving contract extensions to Patrick Kane and young forward Joe Veleno. However, both Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond remain without a contract. In saying that, head coach Derek Lalonde isn’t panicking. Detroit’s top […]

The Seattle Kraken hoped to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024 after the Kraken made the playoffs the year prior. Seattle made the playoffs thanks to their incredible depth. One would be hard-pressed to find a deeper team in the NHL than the Kraken ahead of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, they could […]

The Anaheim Ducks finished near the bottom of the NHL once again in 2023-24. They held the third overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft as a result. However, Anaheim is hoping to take some steps forward sometime soon. And there are a few Ducks breakout candidates that could help them climb the standings. Anaheim […]

The Philadelphia Flyers missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2023-24. It was a shocking run from Philadelphia in the first place. The fact that the Flyers competed for a playoff spot late in the season is something many didn’t expect. That said, it was a crushing loss for Philadelphia, to say the least. The Flyers […]

The Chicago Blackhawks are looking to take a step forward in 2024-25. The Blackhawks watched Connor Bedard win the Calder Trophy as the best rookie in 2023-24. And they saw promising developments from the likes of Alex Vlasic, Kevin Korchinski, and Philipp Kurashev. The Blackhawks finished near the bottom of the league this past season. […]

Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors reached a fever pitch on Monday. Reports indicated that the San Francisco 49ers receiver was more likely to be traded than sign an extension at this point. Aiyuk trade ideas began being floated soon after. However, those ideas may soon become a reality. The 49ers have reportedly agreed to trade frameworks […]

The San Jose Sharks had a horrific 2023-24 season. San Jose had a historically bad start to the year. And while things did improve, the overall tone for the year had been set. San Jose eventually won the NHL Draft Lottery before drafting Macklin Celebrini first overall. Finishing dead last in the NHL benefitted them […]

The Nashville Predators made the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year after a brutal start. The Predators surged through the second half of the regular season to make the playoffs. And while they lost round one to the Vancouver Canucks, Nashville hoped they could build upon their second half form. Accordingly, they attacked NHL Free Agency […]

The Detroit Red Wings have left some roster spots open for young players. Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider are already locked into the lineup. Joe Veleno signed a two-year contract, which should give him a spot on the roster as well. Other young players such as forwards Jonatan Berggren, Carter Mazur, and defenseman Simon Edvinsson […]

General manager Jim Nill and the Dallas Stars have had a lot of success in the last two seasons. The Stars made the Western Conference Finals in 2023, but it didn’t go too well. Dallas lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in six games. In 2024, they returned to the Western Conference Finals only to […]

Entering the 2022 NHL Draft, Shane Wright was expected to go first overall. However, on draft night, things a wild turn. The Montreal Canadiens picked Juraj Slafkovsky with the top pick in the draft. And Wright fell all the way to the Seattle Kraken at fourth overall. Wright struggled during his first season with the […]

Former San Jose Sharks star Joe Pavelski retired from the game of hockey recently. He was a star with the Sharks for a long time and even helped them make the Stanley Cup Final. In 2019, the Sharks allowed him to hit NHL Free Agency where he signed with the Dallas Stars. This decision is […]

The Florida Panthers knew they would lose a few players in NHL Free Agency. One player they did not want to lose, though, was forward Sam Reinhart. Reinhart played a vital role in helping the Panthers win their first Stanley Cup this year, and he would have been tough to replace. Florida worked on a […]

The New York Islanders hired Patrick Roy as head coach midway through the 2023-24 season. New York struggled to remain the hunt for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And they hoped Roy — coming off a successful stint with the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts — could steer them in the right direction. In the end, it worked. […]

Auston Matthews is coming off one of the greatest seasons in Maple Leafs history. The former Hart Trophy winner scored 69 goals and 107 points as Matthews chased the 70-goal mark all year. He helped Toronto make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, they eventually lost to the Boston Bruins in the first round. Matthews is […]

The Minnesota Wild signed one of their best players to a huge contract in NHL Free Agency. Brock Faber inked an eight-year contract extension with the Wild ahead of the 2024-25 season. This new contract kicks in before the start of the 2025-26 campaign. Faber called this new deal a “dream” for him, and it’s […]

The New York Rangers tried to trade Jacob Trouba earlier in the offseason. Their much-publicized effort came around the NHL Draft. The Rangers reportedly had a deal in place with the Detroit Red Wings. However, Trouba had no interest in going home to Michigan. One complication involved his contract. Not necessarily the money involved as […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets received an update on Patrik Laine rather recently. Laine entered the NHL’s player assistance program during the 2023-24 campaign. However, he recently cleared the program, allowing interested teams to contact him ahead of a trade away from the Blue Jackets. But a trade involving Laine doesn’t appear close, according to general […]

The Utah Hockey Club is about to make its debut in the NHL. Following the sale of the Arizona Coyotes, the Utah HC officially entered the NHL following the 2023-24 season. Utah made a big splash at the NHL draft, trading for Mikhail Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning to announce their arrival. After NHL […]

The Buffalo Sabres have had quite the offseason. They invested in one of their own as goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen signed a new contract after a promising 2023-24 campaign. However, the Sabres bought out Jeff Skinner and shockingly traded Matt Savoie to the Edmonton Oilers. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind, to say the least. […]

The New Jersey Devils are hoping the 2024-25 season brings a better outcome than the one before. New Jersey had a ton of promise heading into the year. However, they floundered, fired their head coach, and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now armed with Sheldon Keefe behind the bench and an impressive NHL Free Agency […]

The Texas Rangers have struggled as of late. Texas has lost five of their last six games and could be in danger of losing ground in the AL Wild Card Race. On Friday, they received bad news regarding Max Scherzer that could certainly cause even more issues as they try to turn their season around. […]

The Philadelphia Flyers suffered an unfortunate late-season collapse in 2023-24. The Flyers fought for the final wild card spot until the last weeks of the season before ultimately missing the playoffs. Philadelphia had a hold on a Metropolitan Division playoff spot for most of the year. However, they lost that after a brutal run of […]

The Washington Capitals have made some bold moves this offseason. The Capitals traded for Pierre-Luc Dubois in a deal with the Los Angeles Kings. They also picked up Andrew Manigapane and Logan Thompson through trade. Finally, a swap with the Ottawa Senators landed Washington defenseman Jacob Chychrun. The Capitals have gone all out in trying […]

The Seattle Kraken missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2023-24. The ensuing offseason was one of change for the NHL’s second-youngest franchise. Seattle fired head coach Dave Hakstol during the playoffs. And they went all out in NHL Free Agency. The Kraken signed Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson to big contracts this summer. The Kraken […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets are looking to take a step in 2024-25. So far in NHL Free Agency, they have kept their business relatively in-house. The Blue Jackets did sign Sean Monahan to a five-year contract when the market opened on July 1. Since then, though, they’ve signed internal restricted free agents such as Kent […]

The Montreal Canadiens are starting to see their core taking shape. Former first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovksy earned a contract extension after a breakout performance in 2023-24. They did miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024. But Slafkovsky’s emergence alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield gives Montreal a solid foundation as they continue their rebuild. Montreal […]

The Carolina Hurricanes have seen some players leave town over the years. In NHL Free Agency this year, Jake Guentzel signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Brett Pesce joined the New Jersey Devils, for example. However, they will see a former player return to Carolina during the 2024-25 season. The Hurricanes are retiring the […]

The Montreal Canadiens have been active over the last few days as they signed the rest of their restricted free agents. One player who received a new contract was Kaiden Guhle. The Canadiens signed Guhle to a six-year contract extension that takes effect beginning in the 2025-26 campaign. Guhle finished the 2023-24 season ranking second […]

Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals are gearing up for another long season in 2024-25. The Capitals made the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, but lost to the New York Rangers in the first round. This year, though, there is hope for better days ahead on the ice. After the game, though, players like to […]

The Los Angeles Kings made an extremely bold trade last summer. The Kings traded for Pierre-Luc Dubois in a deal with the Winnipeg Jets. This trade included an eight-year contract extension, as well. However, that trade blew up in their face. And, ultimately, Los Angeles dumped Dubois onto the Washington Capitals this summer. Making big […]