NHL Articles - Page 179

The Pittsburgh Penguins fell short of their ultimate goal of playoff hockey in 2023-24. Moves made in the offseason — such as the Erik Karlsson trade and Tristan Jarry contract extension — failed to move the needle. As a result, Pittsburgh is facing a dilemma of sorts with NHL Free Agency in the rearview mirror. […]

The Washington Capitals returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024 after a rare miss the season before, but it was the team’s worst showing in the postseason during the Alex Ovechkin era. The Great Eight himself didn’t record a single point in a series for the first time in his career, the Caps were […]

Despite signing Oliver Wahlstrom to a one-year contract earlier this week, the New York Islanders are still expected to move on from the former first-round pick ahead of the 2024-25 National Hockey League campaign. There were high hopes for the American when he was selected No. 11 overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, but the […]

The Philadelphia Flyers made a huge move late in NHL Free Agency. The Flyers signed star Travis Konecny to an eight-year contract extension that kicks in during the 2025-26 season. Konecny will make $70 million through the life of this contract. And the Philadelphia star couldn’t be happier to have this deal completed. Konecny spoke […]

The New York Rangers made a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins at the beginning of NHL Free Agency. New York acquired veteran winger Reilly Smith from the Penguins in exchange for two draft picks. Smith brings a lot to the Rangers that could help them win a Stanley Cup. And star winger Chris Kreider is […]

The Nashville Predators have already made a ton of moves. They welcomed Steven Stamkos to town after he signed a big four-year contract. Nashville also brought in Jonathan Marchessault on a five-year contract and Brady Skjei on a seven-year contract. Their summer shopping is largely done. But there could be a move or two to […]

Veteran forward Vladimir Tarasenko signed with the Detroit Red Wings in NHL Free Agency. It represents the fourth team he’ll play for in a little over a year after being traded from the St. Louis Blues. Tarasenko went to the New York Rangers in that deal around the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline. After that, he […]

The Minnesota Wild fell short of playoff expectations in 2023-24. Minnesota did make the 2023 postseason after an incredible regular season. However, they were no match for the Dallas Stars as Dallas defeated them in the first round. In 2023-24, the Wild were well out of the playoff race even after firing head coach Dean […]

The Philadelphia Flyers nearly made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2023-24. Unfortunately, a late-season collapse prevented them from claiming the spot they held for most of the season. Still, there are a lot of positives for the Flyers to take away from this season. One positive is the continued emergence of forward Travis Konecny. Konecny […]

Many never believed that Steven Stamkos would ever leave the Tampa Bay Lightning. Head coach Jon Cooper certainly wanted him to return to Tampa Bay, as did the fans. However, Stamkos signed with the Nashville Predators in NHL Free Agency. This is not the first time a long-time star left the organization. In fact, it […]

Rafael Harvey-Pinard was expected to start the 2024-25 season in a bottom-six role with the Montreal Canadiens, but that will no longer be the case after the 25-year-old broke his leg, the team announced. “Forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard underwent successful surgery on Thursday after suffering a broken leg. The recovery period for the 25-year-old winger is […]

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine was cleared by the NHL/NHLPA player’s assistance program on Friday, as first reported by Sportsnet hockey insider Elliotte Friedman. And with that, the other 31 National Hockey League teams can officially look into acquiring the sniper, who has expressed a desire for a change of scenery. “Good news on […]

The New Jersey Devils entered the 2023-24 season with sky-high expectations after finishing third in the National Hockey League the year before and winning a playoff round for the first time since marching all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012. With an excellent young core and a solid veteran supporting cast, there […]

The Edmonton Oilers got painfully close to a Stanley Cup title last year. They fell one game short to the Florida Panthers in the Cup Final and are looking to get back and finally grab the franchise’s sixth title. Part of the Oilers’ offseason was signing Jeff Skinner to a 1-year contract after he was […]

Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell announced on Thursday that the team will keep exploring trade options for Patrik Laine, though there’s no certainty a deal will happen. Among the speculation, the Washington Capitals are rumored to be considering a trade for Laine, provided his situation with the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program is clarified before […]

The New York Islanders have been relatively quiet this off-season. They signed Anthony Duclair to a four-year deal when free agency opened and otherwise kept their roster intact. On Thursday, they made another big move, signing forward Oliver Wahlstrom to a one-year contract to avoid arbitration. The deal carries a $1 million cap hit, per […]

Along with the San Jose Sharks, the Chicago Blackhawks were absolutely awful in 2023-24. Take Connor Bedard out of the equation — which happened for six weeks when the phenom broke his jaw — and the Hawks were barely worth watching. But general manager Kyle Davidson was one of the busier executives in NHL free […]

Just minutes after Travis Konecny tweeted that he “isn’t going anywhere,” the Philadelphia Flyers locked him up to one of the richest contracts in franchise history. Konecny and the Flyers agreed to a massive eight-year, $70 million extension on Thursday, the team announced. “Travis Konecny is an integral part of the fabric of our team […]

The New York Islanders had a tough season in 2023-24, capped by a quick playoff exit at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes. Head Coach Patrick Roy came on board during the season and provided a spark that got the Islanders to the playoffs. The Islanders’ offseason featured a big addition with Anthony Duclair. Team […]

Matvei Michkov has only been in North America for a matter of days, but the young Russian phenom is already saying all the right things as he prepares for his first National Hockey League campaign in 2024-25. After touching down at JFK airport in New York earlier this week, the 19-year-old was introduced in a […]

The Arizona Coyotes are gone, but it may not be too long for the NHL to return to Phoenix if Suns owner Mat Ishbia is to be believed. Ishbia, a billionaire who purchased the Suns from Robert Sarver in February 2023, said recently that he has an interest in bringing hockey back to the desert […]

The Winnipeg Jets are coming off somewhat of a surprisingly strong 2023-24 campaign. Just one year ago, the organization’s direction seemed to be up in the air, with the futures of two franchise cornerstones in Mark Scheifele  and Connor Hellebuyck unclear. However, not only did the duo ink matching seven-year contracts, but the Jets went […]

The Carolina Hurricanes have seen a lot of roster turnover this offseason. Players such as Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce found new homes in NHL Free Agency. And they brought in names like Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere to replace them. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how this turnover affects Carolina in 2024-25. But […]

The Montreal Canadiens were largely quiet in NHL Free Agency this summer. This isn’t entirely shocking as they are still a little ways away from competing for the Stanley Cup Playoffs again. Additionally, with only $9 million in cap space, there isn’t a ton they could have done. That said, they did make a splash […]

The Chicago Blackhawks had an active NHL Free Agency this summer. Their most notable moves included signing Tyler Bertuzzi to a five-year contract on July 1. Additionally, the Blackhawks reunited with Teuvo Teravainen after trading him to the Carolina Hurricanes nearly 10 years ago. Chicago set out to make their roster deeper and more competitive. […]

Two years ago, Matthew Tkachuk told the Calgary Flames he had no interest in a long-term extension. As a restricted free agent, the Flames could have worked out a bridge contract that allowed him to reach NHL Free Agency. Additionally, they could have allowed the process to reach salary arbitration. Instead, the Flames traded Tkachuk […]

The Nashville Predators made a major statement in NHL Free Agency this summer. One of their major moves was to sign Steven Stamkos to a huge four-year contract once the market opened on July 1. Stamkos spent the last 16 years with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but he was allowed to test the market after […]

The Detroit Red Wings recently signed Joe Veleno to a two-year contract extension. Since this move avoided arbitration, they received a 48-hour buyout window recently. This allows them to clear additional cap space this offseason as they try to sign Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider to contract extensions. However, there are some Red Wings trade […]

The Buffalo Sabres didn’t live up to their lofty expectations during the 2023-24 season. However, goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen emerged as a source of hope despite the down year overall. Buffalo inked an offseason acquisition to a contract on Wednesday. After that, though, they rewarded their young goaltender after his emergence over the last season. The […]

Free agent frenzy was quiet for the Montreal Canadiens in 2024, which makes sense as the most storied franchise in all of hockey continues the rebuild. The Habs won just 30 games in 2023-24, missing the postseason for the third straight year and finishing dead last in the Atlantic Division. The squad was again hit […]

Just weeks after Ken Holland and the Edmonton Oilers parted ways, the franchise found its new general manager and executive vice president of hockey operations on Wednesday. The Oilers will tab former Chicago Blackhawks executive Stan Bowman for the role, who hasn’t been involved in the sport since the Hawks’ 2010 sexual assault scandal came […]

Kevin Hayes experienced the worst season of his National Hockey League career in 2023-24 with the St. Louis Blues, scoring just 13 goals and 29 points over 79 games. But after being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this offseason, the 32-year-old is confident he can bounce back next year. “I still think I can […]

The National Hockey League season is just over two months away and the off-season has entered a lull. With free agency and the NHL draft behind us, it is time to make some way-too-early predictions for the upcoming season. Who will make the playoffs? Who will take home the major awards? And of course, with […]

The city of Chicago is undertaking a massive new infrastructure project, in conjunction with the owners of the Bulls and Blackhawks franchises. The area around the United Center is undergoing a $7 billion renovation project, per the Chicago Sun-Times. The area will soon have a concert hall, housing, parks and other pedestrian-friendly spaces. The plan […]

The Philadelphia Flyers have not really been busy at all this offseason, which was to be expected after general manager Danny Briere said as much after the 2023-24 season. But, despite that, it’s been an exciting one for Philly fans. Matvei Michkov, who was selected No. 7 overall in the 2023 NHL Draft and not […]

Kirill Marchenko was one of the Columbus Blue Jackets’ best players throughout the 2023-24 NHL campaign, but despite a standout year from the Russian winger, he remains without a contract heading into next season. The restricted free agent will be headed for arbitration on July 31 in Toronto if he and the Jackets front office […]

The Buffalo Sabres have made a couple of interesting trades this offseason, including acquiring former fifth-round pick Beck Malenstyn from the Washington Capitals on June 29. And the franchise avoided arbitration with the restricted free agent, signing him to a two-year, $2.70 million contract on Tuesday, the team announced. “This guy is a player who’s […]

Despite winning the President’s Trophy in 2023-24 as the National Hockey League’s premier regular-season team, the New York Rangers were again unable to bring a Stanley Cup to the Big Apple after losing to the eventual champion Florida Panthers in the East Final. It’s now been over 30 years since Mark Messier led the Blueshirts […]

The Nashville Predators spent big in NHL Free Agency this summer. Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault signed with the Predators in free agency, and that alone would have been a big deal. However, they also signed the best defenseman on the market in Brady Skjei. For current Nashville forward Ryan O’Reilly, free agency could not […]