NHL Articles - Page 161

Entering the 2023-24 season, the Vancouver Canucks were several years removed from their last appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They had gone through a handful of head coaches as well as notable overhauls of their roster. Not many realistically expected them to be a force in the Pacific Division, but the team had other […]

The Edmonton Oilers were one victory away from their sixth Stanley Cup in franchise history in 2024. The offseason has seen a controversial hire, depth-scoring additions, and a massive goaltending decision for the Oilers. The concerns are not as severe as some other teams, but with the aspirations of winning a Stanley Cup, there are […]

The Calgary Flames looked like they would be one of the top teams in the West for a few years ago. Their battles against the Edmonton Oilers in the early 2020s were appointment television. It blended old-school hockey with new-school talent, and Alberta hockey fans were eating up the reinvigorated rivalry. However, Sam Bennett and […]

The pain of coming one game short of winning a Stanley Cup is fresh for the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers likely believe they were one or two more breakout candidates away from defeating the Florida Panthers. Connor McDavid put the team on his back to make it to Game 7 of the Final, but a […]

The Dallas Stars looked dominant in the playoffs before falling apart in the Western Conference Finals. They held a 2-1 series lead over the Edmonton Oilers but were outscored 10-4 the rest of the way to fall in six games. The Stars thought they had the blueprint to defeat the Oilers. However, injuries to key […]

The Florida Panthers finally accomplished their goal last season by defeating the Edmonton Oilers for the Stanley Cup. It’s been an exciting two years for the team, culminating in the ultimate victory. The Panthers will find it difficult to find negatives heading into 2024-25, as they’ve held on to most of their core. It looks […]

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 Montreal Canadiens have some roster concerns entering the 2024-25 season. However, it’s more of a concern about the future of their franchise than just this season. Montreal doesn’t expect to be contenders this campaign, but their loaded prospect pipeline gives hope for playoff hockey at the Bell Centre very soon. The Canadiens feel secure […]

It’s very possible that Colorado Avalanche star forward Valeri Nichushkin has already played his last game in the National Hockey League. The 29-year-old was placed in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in the middle of the Avs’ second-round series against the Dallas Stars in the middle of May, and his future remains unknown. The power […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs look like they’re running it back again with the core four that has gotten them nowhere. Trade rumors swirled around Mitch Marner and John Tavares this offseason, but nothing materialized. Marner, Tavares, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander will now try to break the curse for the seventh straight season. It hasn’t […]

The Seattle Kraken have the opposite of a long and storied history, breaking into the NHL as an expansion team and the league’s 32nd franchise in 2021-22. After the incredible success of the Vegas Golden Knights in their inaugural campaign — the franchise marched all the way to the Stanley Cup Final back in 2018 […]

The Chicago Blackhawks aren’t accustomed to being a team on the outside looking in. They made the playoffs in nine straight seasons from 2009 to 2017, winning three Stanley Cups and losing in the Conference Finals twice. It’s been rough for them in the past seven years, missing the playoffs six times and losing in […]

The New York Rangers are left searching for answers on their roster after falling short again in the Eastern Conference Finals. They’ve advanced to the East Finals twice in the last three years but lost both in six games. The Rangers have plenty of talent and recently added 2023 Stanley Cup Champion Reilly Smith. It […]

Trade rumors continue to swirl around Columbus Blue Jackets sniper Patrik Laine, who was cleared by the NHL/NHLPA Player’s Assistance Program earlier this summer. The 26-year-old has requested a move out of Ohio, and potential suitors now have the green light to inquire about the former 44-goal scorer. Multiple teams are reportedly interested in the […]

The Colorado Avalanche are shoring up their defense. The club is signing former Calgary Flames defenseman Oliver Kylington to a one-year deal, per NHL.com. Kylington’s financial terms aren’t getting immediately released. Kylington had a somewhat quiet season in 2023-24 for Calgary. The defenseman finished the campaign with eight points, including five assists. He appeared in […]

The Montreal Canadiens have plenty of reasons to get excited about their future. They have one of the best defensive pipelines in the league, a possible stud goaltender waiting to sign his pro contract, and chose two elite offensive players in the first round of this year’s draft. Their defensive group is so loaded that […]

Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said that he has started talks with Leon Draisaitl regarding a new contract as he is scheduled to enter the final season of his eight-year, $68 million contract that he signed in Aug. 2017. “I had a good conversation (with Draisaitl’s agent Mike Liut) and we’re starting things off […]

The Vancouver Canucks were one of the big surprises of the 2023-24 National Hockey League campaign, following up three consecutive playoff-less seasons by winning the Pacific Division and taking the eventual Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers to seven games in Round 2. Although the year ended in crushing disappointment — losing a Game 7 at […]

It was the end of an era for the Tampa Bay Lightning with the departure of longtime captain and icon Steven Stamkos, who departed the only franchise he’s ever played for by signing a four-year contract with the Nashville Predators. Sensing that a split between the two sides was inevitable, Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois acted […]

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. […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been in salary cap troubles since signing their big four forwards to massive deals. The issue with contracts like that is value deals are integral and young players must contribute even more. The Maple Leafs will need some breakout candidates in the (possible) last season of the John Tavares and […]

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 Boston Bruins overachieved by a wide margin in the 2023-24 season. The team aimed to keep the fans happy by signing some aging veterans to compete for a playoff spot. The Bruins had some well-needed cap relief on the horizon and knew they could sign some big fish in the 2024 offseason. The plan […]

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 […]

The New York Islanders are looking to improve on back-to-back first-round playoff exits. With head coach Patrick Roy in the fold for his first full season, there is some hope that they could go deep in the playoffs once again. The Islanders will need breakout performances from forwards to do so. They ranked 22nd in […]

It’s been tough sledding for the Minnesota Wild over the last couple of seasons, which is to be expected as the club has continued to be hindered by the massive buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Mercifully, this is the last year that the two veterans will cost a fortune, with the franchise set […]

The Anaheim Ducks are coming off another brutal season in 2023-24. They finished with the third-worst record in the Western Conference and extended their playoff drought to a franchise-record six seasons. Now, reports are surfacing that their star forward Trevor Zegras could be on the move. NHL Network’s Stu Grimson said that there is a […]

Seth Jarvis broke out in his third full season with the Carolina Hurricanes, fitting like a glove on the top line alongside Sebastian Aho and enjoying career bests across the board. The 22-year-old amassed 33 goals and 67 points over 81 regular-season games, adding another five goals and nine points in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff […]

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 […]