NHL Articles - Page 19

During Hockey Canada’s Olympic orientation camp on Wednesday, Edmonton Oilers superstar center Connor McDavid didn’t waste any time addressing one of the biggest questions surrounding the team, confirming that he’s in no rush to sign a contract extension. But more importantly for fans, McDavid reaffirmed his desire to win the Stanley Cup in Edmonton, making […]

The San Jose Sharks are in the throes of a rebuild with some young stars expected to take a step forward in 2025-26. With Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and William Eklund, the home crowd should be electrified this year. The Sharks announced Tuesday that they would stay at SAP Center in San Jose for 25 […]

The Philadelphia Flyers have missed the playoffs in five consecutive seasons and are not in a position to end that streak this year. After a 76-point finish in 2024-25, they did add Trevor Zegras in an offseason trade. But they are expected to be sellers at the NHL trade deadline once again. If the Flyers […]

Despite only one Stanley Cup Final appearance to show for it, the San Jose Sharks were one of the most dominant teams of the first two decades of the 21st century. The franchise only missed the playoffs three times between 1999-2000 and 2018-19, won the division six times, and frequently made deep postseason runs in […]

NHL Free Agency opened on July 1, and while many of the best free agents have new contracts, a few quality players remain. One of those players is Craig Smith. He has become a journeyman in recent years, most recently playing for the Detroit Red Wings after being traded from the Chicago Blackhawks. Now he […]

The Winnipeg Jets lost in the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They had the NHL MVP — Connor Hellebuyck — manning the crease. Stars such as Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor provided needed offensive punch. And their defense was led by the likes of Josh Morrissey and Dylan Samberg. This team legitimately […]

The Edmonton Oilers are coming off another loss in the Stanley Cup Final. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Stuart Skinner led Edmonton to a second straight Final against the Florida Panthers. And once again, Edmonton was unable to defeat its South Florida rival. This time, the Oilers lost the Final in six games. Edmonton did […]

The Calgary Flames have not played beyond the 82nd game of the regular season since the 2021-22 NHL season, when they advanced to the Western Conference Semi-Final against the provincial rival Edmonton Oilers. During that postseason, the late Johnny Gaudreau scored what was the biggest goal of his career in overtime of Game 7 in […]

The Montreal Canadiens have high hopes entering the 2025-26 NHL season. The Habs returned to the playoffs in 2025, facing the Washington Capitals in the first round. Patrik Laine, Nick Suzuki, and the rest, unfortunately, could not overcome Washington in the postseason. However, this team did give an incredible account of itself against the Capitals. […]

In an absolutely stacked Western Conference last season, the Calgary Flames just missed out on the playoffs. The team just missed out on their first postseason berth since 2021-22, as the St. Louis Blues made the postseason just ahead of Calgary. Now, as GM Craig Conroy puts the finishing touches on this year’s roster, one […]

The Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid could have a new contract agreed to quickly. Current speculation from Sportsnet hockey insider Elliotte Friedman is that a deal could be done before the start of NHL training camp in September. McDavid will be participating in Canada’s Olympic Camp from August 26 through 28. The Oilers will open […]

Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach continues to recover from knee surgery. The 2024-25 campaign for the 24-year-old ended early, as he underwent knee surgery in February. He just took his next step towards returning to the Canadiens’ lineup. He took to the ice in full pads this morning, participating in an informal skate. Dach is […]

The NHL free agency carousel ended nearly two months ago, with big names like Mitch Marner and Nikolaj Ehlers changing teams. But one defenseman who spent last year with the Pittsburgh Penguins remains without a contract as August winds down. Matt Grzelcyk remains without a contract in NHL free agency, and Josh Cybulski of Pro […]

The Vancouver Canucks were a headline-grabbing team in the 2024-25 season. From a locker room rift forcing a trade of JT Miller, to rumors around Elias Pettersson, to an end-of-year coaching change, Vancouver made plenty of noise. But, they did not make the postseason. New head coach Adam Foote must lead the team to the […]

The Nashville Predators are coming off a disaster of a season. The Preds were seen as a potential sleeper to make a run in the Western Conference. They would stumble to start the year, starting the campaign with five straight losses. The team would never get back on track. They would finish third to last […]

What can the Edmonton Oilers do to get past the massive roadblock that is the Florida Panthers? They’ve fallen to the Panthers two years in a row in the Stanley Cup Final, and the Oilers’ cap situation doesn’t offer a whole lot of room to improve in the 2025-26 season. Edmonton returns with relatively the […]

The New Jersey Devils have not played in a Stanley Cup Final since 2012, and since then have been to the playoffs just three times. Still, this is a team that is growing and becoming a contender. They fell in the first round of the playoffs to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2025, but the future […]

The Boston Bruins are in a state of transition following the 2024-25 season. Boston wanted to contend for the Stanley Cup in 2025. However, the Bruins fell apart early in the season. Jim Montgomery was fired as head coach after a slow start. And while Joe Sacco got some early results, the team ended up […]

The San Jose Sharks have a lot of reasons to be hopeful for the years ahead. Mainly, the Sharks’ young stars are starting to make an impact in the NHL. Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith are two of the brightest young stars in the league. Celebrini, especially, made an impression last season. He was named […]

The Florida Panthers successfully defended their Stanley Cup championship back in June. They are the two-time defending champions and hope to achieve something that hasn’t been seen since the 1980s. The Panthers can become the first team since the dynastic New York Islanders to win three consecutive Stanley Cups. Florida has one of the most […]

With their preseason opener a month out, the Tampa Bay Lightning are continuing their prep for the 2025-26 season. This year’s team is already looking stronger than the roster that lost once again to the Florida Panthers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Panthers’ win catapulted them to a Stanley Cup […]

After a few rough seasons, 2024-25 was a brighter one for the Montreal Canadiens. Under the guidance of head coach Martin St. Louis and his staff, the Canadiens notched a 40-31-11 record, good enough to clinch the Eastern Conference’s final Wild Card spot. Although the top-seeded Washington Capitals beat Montreal in the first round, there’s […]

The Chicago Blackhawks got one of their two young star forwards locked up for the long haul earlier this week, signing Frank Nazar to a seven-year, $46.2 million contract extension. It’s a historic deal for the sophomore, the largest contract ever inked by a player with his level of experience. Nazar has played in just […]

Through his first two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, Connor Bedard hasn’t come close to winning. The Blackhawks have finished with the NHL’s second-worst record in back-to-back years. While the team has stalled, Bedard has shown steady progress amid the expected growing pains. However, questions are now arising in Chicago as their future star has […]

The Florida Panthers have added a depth piece in the wake of the Matthew Tkachuk surgery news, signing forward Luke Kunin to a one-year, league minimum contract worth $775,000, the team announced. “Luke is a physical and highly competitive forward who possesses excellent leadership abilities and strong character,” general manager and president of hockey operations […]

Matthew Tkachuk wasn’t at 100 percent when the Florida Panthers won their second consecutive Stanley Cup. He still made an impact, but it wasn’t quite as significant as the one he made the first time around. The lack of production stemmed from an adductor injury he suffered at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and the Panthers […]

The St. Louis Blues took some massive steps forward in 2024-25 after hiring former Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery. The Blues hit a lull with their offense under Drew Bannister, and Montgomery’s attacking approach was a breath of fresh air. The 2025-26 season looks like it could be another step in the right direction […]

The New York Rangers did not have the best on-ice performance in 2024-25. Through the first 20 or so games, they seemed like Stanley Cup contenders. However, once the season went along, the team crumbled. Drama filled the air on and off the ice on Broadway. And it led to a number of changes to […]

The Minnesota Wild made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025, successfully rebounding from a disappointing campaign. Minnesota was expected to compete for the postseason in 2024. However, they did not have a great season, and missed altogether. This changed in 2025, as players like Marco Rossi and Filip Gustavsson stepped up in a major way. […]

The Chicago Blackhawks had a horrific 2024-25 campaign that left many around the league disappointed. Connor Bedard is expected to be the next leader of a Golden Age of Blackhawks hockey. However, they stumbled hard this past season, and that has thrown the status of their rebuild into some doubt. Chicago has made some intriguing […]

The Nashville Predators took a massive risk last summer. The Predators were eliminated by the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. And in NHL Free Agency, they signed Jonathan Marchessault, Steven Stamkos, and Brady Skjei with the idea of contending for a Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, this expensive gamble did […]

The stalemate is over in Minnesota as the Wild and Marco Rossi have agreed to a three-year, $15 million contract extension. The deal secures a major part of the future for the club, while also being a solid deal for both sides. The summer for Bill Guerin has seen a major back-and-forth between the franchise […]

After a third consecutive loss in the Western Conference Final, the Dallas Stars will again be looking to get over the hump in 2025-26. A healthy Roope Hintz will be a critical component of that, and the 28-year-old shared a positive update on Friday. “I’m feeling good. My foot is fine, and I’ve been able […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost one of the biggest names to move teams this NHL offseason. Mitch Marner is on the Vegas Golden Knights, and Toronto has exited the Core Four era. But three of those players are still with the Leafs, including William Nylander. Nylander spoke with Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com about Marner’s focus […]

The Minnesota Wild just made the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons, but have yet to progress out of the first round. While they have become a consistent postseason contender, the next step for the franchise is to become a legitimate threat in the playoffs. The Wild made some solid moves […]

The Minnesota Wild have had an interesting offseason with a big question looming overhead. Kirill Kaprizov is eligible for an extension, which both sides are committed to getting done. But could they keep the core around him and still give him the big contract? The Wild answered that question in part by signing Marco Rossi […]

While the Seattle Kraken missed the postseason last year, there is reason for optimism moving forward. The Kraken hired former New York Islanders coach Lane Lambert as the full-time replacement for Dan Bylsma, who was dismissed after just one season, while former Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment is now a Kraken forward after being acquired […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets took a major step forward in 2024-25. While they did not make the playoffs for a fifth straight year, they finished fourth in the Metropolitan Division and battled until the end. The Blue Jackets made some great moves in the NHL offseason and look to contend for a postseason slot in […]

The New York Rangers missed the postseason in 2024-25, a disappointing finish after a Presidents’ Trophy win the year before. While the Stanley Cup Final has evaded this core on Broadway, they have talented players to put together another strong regular season. But if things go awry again, Chris Drury should be looking to rebuild […]