NHL Articles - Page 18

The Montreal Canadiens made massive strides in 2024-25. After three straight last-place finishes in the Atlantic Division, the Canadiens would finish in fifth and secure the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Now, Canadiens GM Kent Hughes wants to see them take the next step and compete for a Cup. It was […]

Despite finishing fourth in the Central Division last season, the Minnesota Wild still squeaked out a Wild Card berth in the playoffs. Their season was ended in six games by the Vegas Golden Knights. Yet, 2025-26 offers plenty of optimism for the Wild. After resigning the up-and-coming Marco Rossi to a new contract, the focus […]

The Washington Capitals were one of the more surprising teams in 2024-25. While Alex Ovechkin missed 16 games with a broken leg, the team did not crumble, but instead had the best record in the Eastern Conference. They return much of their roster from the prior campaign, and it is time to make some bold […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs secured young goaltender Dennis Hildeby with a new deal that will keep him in the organization for the next three seasons. The team announced that Hildeby signed a three-year contract extension, ending his restricted free agent status and ensuring his place with the club through the 2027-28 campaign. The contract will […]

Losing to your most hated rivals in the playoffs isn’t the best way to make your postseason return, but the Ottawa Senators know that contention is a marathon, not a sprint. The Senators made the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17 last season, but a first-round elimination to the Toronto Maple Leafs left them […]

The Dallas Stars have reason to be hopeful in 2025-26. They have been to the conference finals three straight years, and look to make it four in a row during this campaign. The Stars also had a successful summer in NHL Free Agency. As they attempt to get over the hump in the playoffs, it […]

The Carolina Hurricanes made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2025. More than this, they finally broke their losing streak in the East Final. Unfortunately, this did not mean they won the series. Carolina avoided a sweep, but they lost to the Florida Panthers in five games. The Hurricanes have done well to make the East […]

Winning the Pacific Division and notching 110 points wasn’t enough for the Vegas Golden Knights. Even though the Edmonton Oilers finished nine points behind the Golden Knights in the Pacific’s third-place spot, they overcame Vegas in five games during the second round of last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. It was a loss that certainly stung […]

The bad news for the Winnipeg Jets is that, during their Game 6 series-ending loss to the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Semifinal, they lost defenseman Josh Morrissey to a leg injury, something that he also experienced two years prior in the postseason against the Vegas Golden Knights. The good news is that Morrissey […]

The Utah Mammoth is one of the most interesting teams to watch in the Western Conference heading into the 2025-26 season. The organization took steps in the right direction last year, in its first season since relocating from Arizona. Utah finished 11th in the Western Conference, posting a 38-31-13 record and 89 points. The team […]

For a second straight season, the Colorado Avalanche were eliminated by the Dallas Stars in the playoffs. While the club has talent, it also needs improvement to make it further in the playoffs. They made some of those moves in NHL Free Agency, but the major step is going to come from players on the […]

After helping the Vancouver Canucks come within one victory of a trip to the Western Conference Final in 2023-24, Elias Lindholm joined the Boston Bruins as a free agent last summer. But it was a difficult first campaign in Beantown for the Swede, who managed his lowest point total in a full season since 2017-18. […]

The Los Angeles Kings made some major moves in the offseason to improve and take a step towards advancing in the playoffs. They opened up the offseason by hiring Ken Holland to be the new GM after the departure of Rob Blake. The team now needs to hope they made the right moves, and players […]

Time is getting short for NHL free agents to find a home for the 2025-26 season. While most of the top free agents have found a place, some players who struggled last season are still mulling their options. One of those players is Klim Kostin, who has NHL experience with the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton […]

The Washington Capitals were one of the best teams in the NHL this past season. In fact, they finished second in the NHL in terms of standings points in 2024-25. Only the Winnipeg Jets had more than Washington. And their season ended exactly the same. Neither team won the Stanley Cup in 2025. In fact, […]

The Ottawa Senators made the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in eight seasons this year. Ottawa fought hard to finish as the top Wild Card team in the Eastern Conference. And they put in a rather impressive showing late in their postseason run. Unfortunately, that run lasted just six games, as they were […]

The version of the Toronto Maple Leafs that hits the ice for the 2025-26 NHL season will look different than the team that skated off the ice at Scotiabank Arena in dejection following their latest Game 7 postseason loss to the Florida Panthers. The most notable change for the Maple Leafs was the sign-and-trade of […]

The Philadelphia Flyers have missed the playoffs in five consecutive seasons and are in a rebuild. They fired John Tortorella and hired Rick Tocchet as the head coach this offseason, and also brought in Trevor Zegras. While their playoff chances are slim, there are a few breakout candidates that could put them in the postseason. […]

Michigan football kicked off the 2025 season with a strong 34-17 victory over New Mexico at the Big House on Saturday night. Fans got a glimpse of the Wolverines’ new-look offense led by freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood and an impressive running game by Justice Haynes. But off the gridiron, another sports star caught some attention. […]

The Florida Panthers defended their Stanley Cup title this summer. And now, they get to go and try to do it all again. Florida is looking to achieve a feat not seen since the 1980s. They are looking for their third consecutive Stanley Cup championship. The Panthers are one of the best postseason teams we’ve […]

The Colorado Avalanche were Stanley Cup contenders entering the postseason in 2025. Many believed they had a legitimate chance to represent the Western Conference at the end of the playoffs. Instead, former Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen haunted them in the first round. And their postseason run ended way earlier than anyone could have imagined. The […]

With training camp just a few days away, the New Jersey Devils are full steam ahead for the 2025-26 season. A third-place finish in the Metropolitan division led to a Wild Card berth and a first-round playoff defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games. One of the Devils’ key players, defenseman Luke Hughes, is […]

The Edmonton Oilers sorely missed Zach Hyman during their second consecutive loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final — and they might not have the star forward for the start of the 2025-26 season. “Have one more meeting with the surgeon to wrap it up,” Hyman told NHL.com’s Dan Rosen at Hockey […]

The Vancouver Canucks enjoyed a team breakout in 2023-24, rectifying three consecutive missed postseasons by winning 50 games and capturing the Pacific Division in the process. They then took the eventual Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers to seven games in Round 2. It was a hugely encouraging campaign for the franchise, and there was hope […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to rebuild a bit at this time. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang are not getting any younger. However, this team is not close to contending for a Stanley Cup. As a result, Pittsburgh is the only team in the NHL willing to sell its veteran players to get […]

The St. Louis Blues are coming off a promising playoff appearance. St. Louis rallied under head coach Jim Montgomery, who joined the team early in the season after being fired by the Boston Bruins. Montgomery aided the likes of Brayden Schenn and goalie Jordan Binnington as they pushed for a spot in the postseason. The […]

The Calgary Flames enjoyed one of the better seasons in franchise history in 2021-22, winning 50 games and capturing the Pacific Division crown in the process. Although it ended in a five-game loss to rival Edmonton in Round 2, there was hope that the team could continue to build on the success from the promising […]

The Winnipeg Jets won the Presidents’ Trophy last year, but fell short of the Western Conference Final. Despite losing Nikolaj Ehlers to the Carolina Hurricanes, there are still high expectations in Manitoba. Connor Hellebuyck could win his fourth Vezina Trophy easily, but that is not a breakout candidate. The Jets could get breakout seasons from […]

Patrick Kane is back with the Detroit Red Wings for the 2025-26 season, looking to get them back to the playoffs. But the American forward has another goal for the season. Kane was at the Team USA Olympic camp this summer. He looks to make the 2026 roster and add a gold medal to his […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets were one of the best stories of the 2024-25 NHL season. After the Johnny Gaudreau tragedy, the expectations were insanely low. But they nearly clinched the final Eastern Conference playoff spot and now have expectations for this season. But if things go awry in Columbus, they will be sellers at the […]

After leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs to join the Vegas Golden Knights, Mitch Marner described his exit from his hometown team as a “bittersweet moment,” but revealed that concerns for his family’s safety played a major role in his decision. Following nine seasons with the Leafs, he admitted that while he loved representing Toronto, certain […]

The Dallas Stars made one of the outstanding moves at last season’s NHL trade deadline when they acquired high-scoring winger Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes. Rantanen carried the Stars on his back in their first-round playoff victory last year over the Colorado Avalanche, and he has become something of a legendary performer as a […]

Filip Chytil has struggled mightily to stay healthy throughout his career — but the Vancouver Canucks forward provided an overwhelmingly positive update at the NHL player media tour in Europe earlier this week. “I feel great, and hopefully it’s gonna be like this for a lot of years,” Chytil told reporters, including The Athletic’s Michael […]

The Buffalo Sabres and New York Jets are in the same boat. That is not a boat you ever want to be in. Neither team has made the playoffs in 14 seasons, a streak that is wearing on Buffalo. At the NHLPA Media Tour, Sabres forward Jiri Kulich set a personal expectation to score a […]

The Boston Bruins missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years in 2024-25. That led them to trade captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers, who won the Stanley Cup. Part of the reason for the Bruins’ second-half struggles was losing Charlie McAvoy to an injury in the 4 Nations Face-Off. The defenseman […]

The Calgary Flames have missed the postseason in three consecutive seasons, but have some hope for the future. Rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf was a revelation in 2024-25, nearly winning the Calder Trophy. They almost snuck into the postseason because of Wolf’s excellent season. But the biggest storyline for the Flames is the Rasmus Andersson trade […]

The New York Islanders made some massive changes this offseason. They fired general manager Lou Lamoriello and hired Mathieu Darche, a first-time GM. Darche proceeded to trade Noah Dobson, draft Matthew Schaefer, and extend Alexander Romanov. The Islanders also signed Simon Holmstrom to a two-year extension. He spoke with The Athletic’s Michael Russo about the […]

EA Sports revealed the top 10 best players in EA NHL 26 in terms of OVR ratings. Overall, these players represent the best of the best within the game, and will be amongst the toughest to play against. Conversely, these players may make for some of the best teammates you’ll play with on the ice. […]

As they prepare for next season’s training camp, the Carolina Hurricanes have signed Oliver Kylington and Givani Smith on professional tryout contracts. The Hurricanes announced Wednesday that the Swedish defenseman, along with forward Givani Smith, will compete for roster spots when camp opens. Both players bring NHL experience, giving the club added depth and competition […]