NHL Articles - Page 186

The Winnipeg Jets are happy to be in the position they are in. The 2023 offseason looked bleak as the Jets expected to lose Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck for nothing in free agency. However, both players signed late in the offseason to signal to fans that they were still a contending team. The Jets […]

The Dallas Stars have made the playoffs in five of the last six seasons and went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020. While they have great young players and veteran leadership, there are concerns when looking at their projected lineup. How will veterans like Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and Matt Dumba hold up this […]

The Colorado Avalanche fell short of the Stanley Cup in 2024. Colorado is only two years removed from winning the Stanley Cup over the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, it feels as if the Avalanche are struggling to keep themselves in the conversation as legitimate contenders for the Cup. The Avalanche have some of the best […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins are keeping Sidney Crosby contract talks close to the vest. Crosby became eligible for a new contract back on July 1, and the two sides reportedly came close to a new contract. However, the negotiation process between Pittsburgh and Crosby is starting to have effects on the roster. One player affected by […]

The Buffalo Sabres have a lot of young talent that has already made an impact at the NHL level. The Sabres missed the playoffs once again in 2023-24 despite a lot of hype around them in the preseason. With Lindy Ruff back in town as head coach, Buffalo hopes the veteran bench boss can get […]

The Washington Capitals struggled to score goals in 2023-24, but it didn’t matter. The Capitals still made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024, an achievement of historic proportions, though that history is dubious in nature. Washington had the lowest goal differential of any playoff team since 1991. The Capitals did eventually receive a good performance […]

The Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference in recent years, but have not been able to get over the hump and get to the Stanley Cup Final. This offseason, there were some significant departures, as well as some savvy additions to try to extend this championship window. This […]

The Detroit Lions are preparing to make a run at the Super Bowl in 2024. Training camp began earlier this month, and the Lions played their first preseason game on Thursday. On Sunday, though, Jared Goff and the Lions received a visit from the Detroit Red Wings and captain Dylan Larkin. Larkin spoke about NHL […]

Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings came within a hair’s breadth of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024. This summer has seen Detroit attempt to fortify their roster for another run at the postseason. The Red Wings extended Patrick Kane before NHL Free Agency while also signing veteran winger Vladimir Tarasenko to a […]

The Dallas Stars are hungry for success heading into the 2024-25 season. They came within two wins of the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year. And they have the talent to finally take that next step. One important piece for their success, Thomas Harley, remains unsigned heading into training camp. However, Stars general […]

The Ottawa Senators fell short of expectations during the 2023-24 season. They were out of the playoff race by the time the NHL Trade Deadline rolled around. And they even did a bit of selling as the Senators traded Vladimir Tarasenko to the Florida Panthers. Tarasenko went on to win the second Stanley Cup of […]

The San Jose Sharks drafted Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick in late June. Accordingly, San Jose is now hoping to start improving on the ice. On the one hand, it won’t take much to achieve that aim. The Sharks finished dead last in the NHL in 2023-24 with just 47 points. However, San […]

The Nashville Predators certainly believe they can contend for a Stanley Cup sometime soon. The Predators had a huge NHL Free Agency Period that saw them sign the three best names on the market. Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei are all wearing Nashville sweaters for the foreseeable future. The Predators certainly have roster […]

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 Vegas Golden Knights failed to defend their 2023 Stanley Cup championship, falling to the Dallas Stars in the first round of the 2024 playoffs and getting sent home early for the summer. To make matters worse, they’ve lost several key players to free agency following their playoff setback. Jonathan Marchessault, the 2023 Conn Smythe […]

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 Los Angeles Kings have lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs in three consecutive seasons. Their 2024 exit was marred by the downfall of big-name acquisition Pierre-Luc Dubois. Now that Dubois has been traded and Darcy Kuemper has arrived, their roster is set for the 2024-25 season. With the […]

The New York Rangers are coming off a disappointing loss to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Despite their great season, the Rangers have holes on their roster that remain after their off-season moves. They tried to trade captain Jacob Trouba but he used his no-trade clause to remain in New York. Kaapo […]

The Utah Hockey Club is set to start its first season with some key offseason acquisitions. Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino will stabilize a young defensive core and set the team up nicely for their first season. Before their sudden departure, the Arizona Coyotes compiled a solid group of young players who can now become […]

The Boston Bruins have long been one of the most consistent and successful teams in the NHL. In recent years, they have been dominant in the regular season and have been to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2019 and were favorites to win the championship in 2023. However, the 2019 championship series ended with the […]

The New York Islanders are heading into their first full season with head coach Patrick Roy. The offseason additions of Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov should add more goals to the Islanders’ attack. Ilya Sorokin leads the Islanders’ goaltending, which should be one of the best units in the league. Last year, those groups struggled […]

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 […]