NHL Articles - Page 208

Toronto Maple Leafs fans have been asking for a trade shake-up for years. The core four of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares have been unable to get the team past the second round of the playoffs despite their high salaries. The salaries also hurt the development of their young stars like […]

The New York Islanders have made improvements to their forward unit this offseason. They added wingers Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov to improve their goal-scoring prowess but there’s no such thing as too many goals in the NHL. While most trades are done, the Islanders can add goals through Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Rutger […]

The Vancouver Canucks finally gave Jake Debrusk his wish and got him away from the Boston Bruins after signing him to a seven-year contract at the beginning of free agency. The Canucks signed him to a $38.5 million contract, which gave him well-needed security. Debrusk revealed recently that he asked for a trade twice during […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a trio of impact signings on the opening day of free agency to bolster their team’s defense. Their first move was trading for the rights to Chris Tanev at the draft, who they feel is the key to decreasing their opponent’s scoring chances. It took longer than expected, but the […]

The Boston Bruins have come up short in two consecutive postseasons. They advanced past the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round this year thanks to Jeremy Swayman, David Pastrnak, and Hampus Lindholm. However, they didn’t have the depth to defeat the Florida Panthers in the second round. They tried to address that depth issue […]

The New York Rangers are holding on to Ryan Lindgren. The defenseman is agreeing to a one-year deal with the team, per Sports Net Canada. The agreement is worth $4.5 million. The two sides were not close to an agreement until early Tuesday. It appeared the contract negotiations were going to head into arbitration, with […]

The Montreal Canadiens had a big decision with their rugged defenseman, but they eventually signed Arber Xhekaj to a two-year contract extension. Xhekaj and his agent were likely looking for more than the $2.6 million the Canadiens gave them, but his recent injuries were concerning. Xhekaj has gone under the knife two times over the […]

After a mostly unsuccessful run as the Arizona Coyotes — the franchise made just one Stanley Cup Playoff appearance in 10 tries after shedding the Phoenix label — professional hockey will now head to Salt Lake City in 2024-25 and beyond. And Utah HC general manager Bill Armstrong got the green light from new owner […]

Defenseman Arber Xhekaj will not be going anywhere. The Montreal Canadiens announced on Tuesday that they have agreed to a two-year deal with the restricted free-agent blueliner. “Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes announced on Tuesday that the team has agreed to terms on a two-year, $2.6 million contract (2024-25 to 2025-26) with defenseman Arber […]

The Los Angeles Kings made an extremely bold trade last summer. The Kings traded for Pierre-Luc Dubois in a deal with the Winnipeg Jets. This trade included an eight-year contract extension, as well. However, that trade blew up in their face. And, ultimately, Los Angeles dumped Dubois onto the Washington Capitals this summer. Making big […]

The Anaheim Ducks had a less-than-ideal season in 2023-24. After a surprisingly good start to the season, the Ducks fell apart. Trevor Zegras dealt with injuries for most of the season. And they sold at the NHL Trade Deadline when they sent Adam Henrique to the Edmonton Oilers. Entering NHL Free Agency, though, Anaheim had […]

The Boston Bruins have been kicking the tires on Elias Lindholm for the past two years. Lindholm opted to test free agency instead of signing back with the Canucks, and his reward was a seven-year, $54.25 million contract. He will make $7.75 million annually until the end of the 2030-31 season, making him a lot […]

The Edmonton Oilers came within a single win of the Stanley Cup. In fact, they came within two goals of winning it all in 2024. Unfortunately, they lost to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. The heartbreaking loss didn’t deter them, though, as they entered NHL Free Agency looking to […]

The Minnesota Wild kept Brock Faber’s heart-warming story going by signing him to an eight-year contract extension. The Maple Grove, Minnesota, native played two seasons with the United States National Team Development Program from 2018 to 2020 after playing Minnesota minor hockey. He returned to his home state to play with the University of Minnesota […]

The San Jose Sharks had a terrible 2023-24 season, but things are starting to look up. The Sharks drafted Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. And he has signed his entry-level contract, foregoing a return to Boston University. He won’t be the only top prospect heading to San Jose […]

The Winnipeg Jets had a very impressive 2023-24 season. After signing Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck to matching contracts, they made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024. They did so with one of the best goaltending and defensive units in the league during the regular season. In the first round, they matched up with the […]

The Minnesota Wild received a huge performance from rookie defenseman Brock Faber in 2023-24. He emerged as a legitimate top-pairing defenseman and received a similar deployment to the league’s elite rearguards. On Monday, the Wild signed Faber to a massive eight-year contract extension that kicks in on July 1, 2025. As a result, the Minnesota […]

Martin Necas’ name popped up wherever you looked in trade rumors this offseason, but the Carolina Hurricanes decided to sign him to a two-year contract extension. The deal will pay Necas $6.5 million per season, which could be seen as an overpay for a player with one breakout season over the last five. The extension […]

In 2021-22, the Calgary Flames were the class of the Pacific Division, winning 50 games for just the third time in franchise history and looking like a juggernaut heading into the playoffs. Although the run was ended by the Edmonton Oilers in Round 2 — who themselves lost to the eventual champion Colorado Avalanche — […]

The Carolina Hurricanes and restricted free agent Martin Necas have agreed on a new contract that is for two years and worth $6.5 million per season, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. There was a lot of drama and trade speculation surrounding Martin Necas and the Hurricanes this offseason, and it was viewed that the winger […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets and restricted free agent winger Kirill Marchenko agreed to a three-year, $11.55 million contract to avoid arbitration, according to NHL.com. Marchenko’s contract is worth $3.85 million per season, and he was headed for arbitration with the Blue Jackets on Wednesday. General manager Don Waddell spoke on the move. “Kirill Marchenko has […]

The Minnesota Wild didn’t find their way to the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but that doesn’t mean the future isn’t looking up for them. There’s a lot of young talent on the rise in Minnesota, with one of their top players being defenseman Brock Faber, who just put together an incredibly impressive rookie campaign with […]

The San Jose Sharks were just terrible in 2023-24 — there’s no sugar coating it. Without a single star player anywhere on the roster, the squad was doomed to mediocrity in the fifth year of the rebuild. The Sharks were one of the best teams of the 2000s to not win a Stanley Cup, and […]

Philadelphia Flyers forward Bobby Brink completed his first season in the NHL in 2023-24. It was an up-and-down experience for the young forward as the Flyers experienced a late-season collapse. Brink scored 11 goals and 23 points in 57 games this past season. The Flyers chased a playoff spot until the end, but ultimately fell […]

The Ottawa Senators are trying to get back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025. They came close in 2023, but ultimately fell short. In 2024, they took a step back and weren’t all that close to the playoff hunt. After moves such as trading for Linus Ullmark and signing David Perron in NHL Free […]

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 […]