NHL Articles - Page 121

The Vancouver Canucks were a surprising team in 2023-24. They had a roster full of elite talent, but Vancouver hadn’t been able to put it all together in the past. They exploded onto the scene early in the year and maintained their spot near the top of the Western Conference, leading to a second-round playoff […]

The Montreal Canadiens were one of the first teams in contention for Patrik Laine after he requested a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets. At times, it looked like the trade would never come to fruition, but on a quiet Monday afternoon, one of the biggest news pieces of the offseason broke. The Canadiens acquired […]

The Montreal Canadiens are determined to improve after their underwhelming showing during the 2023-24 NHL season. The Canadiens took a big step on Monday by engaging in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets for winger Patrik Laine. Montreal has acquired Laine and a 2026 second-round pick from the Blue Jackets in exchange for Jordan […]

The San Jose Sharks made a couple of nice moves this summer in the quest to come out of the Western Conference basement in 2024-25. The obvious one was drafting Macklin Celebrini first overall back in June; he will quickly become the face of this franchise as it eventually comes out of the rebuild. He’ll […]

The Florida Panthers won their first Stanley Cup in 2024. The title was the first in Panthers history and ended a long, arduous rebuild that started in 2014 when they selected Aaron Ekblad first overall. The defenseman won the Calder Trophy for top rookie and immediately became the top defender on the team. Now, with […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to reckon with back-to-back missed postseasons — the first time that’s happened in Sidney Crosby’s career — and the captain is still without a new contract after his 12-year pact expires next summer. The Pens have one of the oldest rosters in the National Hockey League, and there are a few […]

The Detroit Red Wings were oh-so-close to breaking their long playoff drought in April, needing just one more point to vault past the Washington Capitals and secure the final wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference. Instead, it’s now been eight campaigns without postseason hockey in Motown. The Wings will undoubtedly be knocking on the door […]

The Dallas Stars looked like a team destined for a date with the Florida Panthers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. They held a 2-1 lead on the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final and took an early lead in Game 4. The early deficit triggered something in the Oilers and sent them on […]

The never-ending worry for the Edmonton Oilers was that they didn’t have enough offensive depth to win a championship. Everyone knew it would’ve taken a miraculous effort from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to win a Stanley Cup. McDavid held up his end of the bargain last spring, breaking Wayne Gretzky’s single-postseason assists record. Edmonton […]

With Juuse Saros locked up on a massive eight-year deal that will keep the star goaltender with the Nashville Predators until at least 2033, it makes sense that former first-round pick Yaroslav Askarov’s days in Tennessee could be numbered. And it looks like a decision will be coming on the Russian netminder’s future sooner rather […]

The New York Islanders have a rich history including a great dynasty in the 1980s. From the championship teams with Mike Bossy to a great run in recent Islanders history, playoff teams are found up and down this list. The four championship teams take the first four spots on this top ten list. The Islanders […]

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 […]

The Jon Cooper era has been one of immense success for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Four Stanley Cup Final appearances, plus back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 2020 and 2021, have made the Lightning one of the top teams of the NHL since Cooper took over in March 2013. The upcoming 2024/25 season will be one […]

The Nashville Predators responded to a disappointing 2023-24 season with a big off-season. The additions of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei combined with the Juuse Saros extension have put the playoffs in sight. To get to the playoffs last season, the Predators needed career years out of multiple players, including Gustav Nyquist and […]

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 […]

The Buffalo Sabres have not made the playoffs in 13 seasons, tied for the longest active streak in American sports. They missed the playoffs by eight points last season, fired their coach, and re-hired Linday Ruff to be the bench boss. The Sabres are a very young team but do have veterans like Jason Zucker, […]

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 York Islanders lost in the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season in 2023-24. They would not have made it there without great seasons from depth players like Semyon Varlamov and Kyle Palmieri. Young defenseman Noah Dobson appeared to take a step up throughout the season. While the Islanders are […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs cannot afford players to experience any regression in 2024-25. The Maple Leafs looked like they may finally be turning a corner in 2022-23 when they advanced to the second round of the playoffs. However, it was the same old situation in 2023-24 when the Boston Bruins defeated them in Game 7 […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been an enigmatic NHL team during the last eight seasons. They have built a dependable — some say explosive — offensive team and they have made the playoffs each of those seasons. However, they have won just one playoff series and they have been a source of postseason frustration to […]

The New York Rangers have a near-century of history and four Stanley Cup championships. They have great players like Mark Messier and teams like the 1994 Rangers who will top the list. From the pre-Original Six era to a powerhouse in recent years, the Rangers are an integral part of NHL history. Which teams, champions […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t been the most successful team in this generation. Their last Stanley Cup victory came in 1967, which is surprising considering they are the second-most winningest NHL team in history. The Maple Leafs have 13 Stanley Cups, second to the Montreal Canadiens with 23. However, it’s important for Maple Leafs fans […]

The Chicago Blackhawks were one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League in 2023-24; not even Connor Bedard could help this roster escape the basement of the Central Division. Although the reigning Calder Trophy winner was electric, scoring 61 points in his first 68 games as a professional, it was a miserable campaign […]

The Tampa Bay Lightning have followed up back-to-back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances — and two championships — with consecutive first-round exits. Gone are face of the franchise Steven Stamkos and top-pairing defensemen Mikhail Sergachev as general manager Julien BriseBois looks to create a team that can compete for a couple more National Hockey League rings. […]

The Boston Bruins have a history of players stepping up unexpectedly to help them reach the next level. Brad Marchand did it in 2011 to help the Bruins win the Stanley Cup, while players like Torey Krug and Charlie McAvoy were catalysts to their 2013 and 2019 Stanley Cup Final runs. The worry for the […]

The Edmonton Oilers are coming off a deep run in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. After advancing to the Finals, the Oilers have had some tough decisions to make amid rumors that are putting pressure on the front office. Edmonton faces the dilemma of matching contract offer sheets to Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. The […]

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, […]

The Boston Bruins are getting ready to take up the charge once again. Two years after setting records for wins and points in the regular season, the Bruins would like to show they can dominate again in 2024-25. Of course, that team in 2022-23 was not able to turn regular-season success into a Stanley Cup. […]

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 Boston Bruins have turned over their primary goaltending duties to Jeremy Swayman. During the past two seasons Swayman teamed with Linus Ullmark to give the Bruins an outstanding goaltending duo that ended each victory with a celebratory hug. That won’t happen any longer as the Bruins traded the senior member of the pair to […]

The Utah Hockey Club is ready to rumble as the first season of professional hockey in Salt Lake City approaches. After moving from Arizona earlier this offseason, new owner Ryan Smith gave general manager Bill Armstrong the green light to tweak the roster in the hopes of making a triumphant return to the postseason. It’s […]