NHL Articles - Page 26

The Edmonton Oilers fell in the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers for a second straight year. They had to navigate a difficult offseason. The Oilers had limited salary cap space and still needed to re-sign some major players on the squad. General manager Stan Bowman did a solid job in this NHL free-agency […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets are headed toward a possible and perhaps inevitable split after forward Yegor Chinakhov officially requested a trade earlier this week. The news broke formally after Chinakhov’s agent publicly shared his client’s stance on various social media platforms, highlighting the growing and seemingly unresolved tension between the Russian winger and the franchise. […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs are making moves, as they recently acquired Dakota Joshua in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks for a 2028 fourth-round pick. Joshua has had a solid career, and last season he had seven goals and 14 points in 57 games. He missed the beginning of the season after having surgery for […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets missed the playoffs for a fifth straight season. This year, they were the first team out of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, missing the playoffs by just two points. Being this close to the playoffs, there was the expectation that general manager Don Waddell could be aggressive in NHL Free […]

The Los Angeles Kings hired Ken Holland as their general manager this offseason. That led to big changes on their blueline, bringing in Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin to replace Vladislav Gavrikov and Jordan Spence. But the biggest piece of business Holland could do this summer comes from the forward unit. The Kings and forward […]

The Seattle Kraken enter their fifth season with a new general manager and head coach. Ron Francis is still around, but has turned the GM reins over to Jason Botterill. And Lane Lambert is getting his second shot behind an NHL bench after a strong run as an assistant in Toronto. However, once NHL free […]

The NHL offseason is winding down, and most goaltending rooms are filled up. That means the end of a great run for one of the league’s long-standing backups. Jaroslav Halak announced his retirement on Friday after a 17-year career with seven teams, including the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, and New York Rangers. After 581 NHL […]

The Los Angeles Kings lost in the first round to the Edmonton Oilers for the fourth consecutive year in 2024-25. That forced Rob Blake’s exit as general manager, which brought Ken Holland in as the new head of hockey operations. The Hall-of-Famer made some big moves this summer, bringing in Corey Perry and Cody Ceci, […]

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas has been scouring the trade market this offseason, completing several moves that he obviously believes will benefit the team going forward. Finessing a rebuild without taking a sledgehammer to the foundation is an intricate process, one that few have the skills and ambition to pull off. The Pens are […]

The Nashville Predators are coming off a disappointing season last year. This led to the expectation that the Predators would be aggressive in free agency and potentially use their multiple early draft picks in the 2025 NHL Draft to make moves. Still, Barry Trotz and the Predators made limited moves this offseason and did not […]

The San Jose Sharks were the worst team in the NHL last year. General manager Mike Grier is expecting improvement this year. With a young core of players already in place, led by Macklin Celebrini, William Eklund, and Will Smith, the team was aggressive in this 2025 NHL free-agency period. They brought in plenty of […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs returned to the playoffs for a ninth straight season, but would fall in the second round of the playoffs to the Florida Panthers. This led to the contract of Brendan Shanahan not being renewed by the franchise. Now, general manager Brad Treliving will have more of a say in the operation. […]

The Anaheim Ducks have made some significant changes this summer. After hiring three-time Stanley Cup Champion Joel Quenneville as the head coach, they traded Trevor Zegras and John Gibson. The latter had a massive impact on one particular player, who got paid on Thursday. The Ducks have agreed to a five-year contract with Lukas Dostal, […]

The Edmonton Oilers underwent changes this offseason to surround Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl with more talent. While that could lead to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since 1990, it could also lead to McDavid leaving next summer. The drama has yet to unfold, but 97 is doing everything to keep his mind off of […]

The New York Islanders were the team at the NHL Draft. They traded Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens, drafted Matthew Schaefer first overall, and made two more first-round picks. New general manager Mathieu Darche made his splash, but he did not sit out on July 1. How did the Islanders fare on each of […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins made some moves in NHL Free Agency to add depth to their roster. However, they did not make any moves that would block any of their young prospects from making the Opening Night roster. Defenseman Harrison Brunicke is one player who could travel with Pittsburgh to their opening game of the 2025-26 […]

The Carolina Hurricanes finally won a game in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2025. However, they were limited to just the one win in the penultimate round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Carolina were dominated by the Florida Panthers for most of the series. And they fell in five games as a result. The […]

The Boston Bruins missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025 in rather surprising fashion. Many expected Boston to be a playoff contender, and potentially a contender for the Cup itself. However, they struggled out of the gate, leading to the firing of Jim Montgomery as head coach. In the end, the coaching change was not […]

Veteran center Joe Thornton has officially returned to the San Jose Sharks as their new player development coach and hockey operations advisor. The announcement on Tuesday marks an emotional homecoming for one of the most iconic players in Sharks franchise history. Thornton, a 24-season NHL veteran, spent 15 years in San Jose, where he built […]

Former Chicago Blackhawks team captain Jonathan Toews, who was the leader of the franchise that won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013, and 2015, has officially found the next stop in his professional career. Toews recently agreed to a one-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets, his hometown team. Toews has not played since April 2023, […]

The Detroit Red Wings needed to make some major moves in NHL Free Agency this summer. And to some extent, they did make big moves. The Red Wings traded for goaltender John Gibson to kick off their offseason activity. However, more was needed, and there was a bit of anticipation building to see what this […]

The Anaheim Ducks have made some moves during 2025 free agency that they believe will position them for success. Now, as they attempt to extend Mason McTavish and Lukas Dostal, it’s the best time to analyze the Ducks’ offseason and see how they did. While they certainly are not finished, the Ducks’ NHL offseason grades […]

The New Jersey Devils made the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, but were eliminated in the first round by the Carolina Hurricanes. It was injuries that doomed the end of the Devils’ season. With that, it was not expected that general manager Tom Fitzgerald would make major moves. They still have a […]

The Florida Panthers won their second consecutive Stanley Cup, joining a list of elite teams of NHL lore. Now, they look to become one of the few teams to win three consecutive Stanley Cups. Before they could do that, they needed to ensure they had the players. The Panthers’ offseason has agreed to numerous contract […]

The Minnesota Wild returned to the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Still, they would fall in the first round to the Vegas Golden Knights. This was also the fifth time in six years, they failed to advance past the first round. Still, the offseason has not been a productive one […]

The Calgary Flames have missed the playoffs three straight years now. This year, they narrowly missed out on the playoffs, which led to the expectation that they would potentially be aggressive this offseason. That has not come to fruition, though. Still, they kept around some solid pieces while also making some signings in NHL free […]

The Washington Capitals finished as the top team in the Eastern Conference after the regular season. This would give them their tenth playoff berth in their last 11 seasons. Still, they would be eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes. It has been a quiet NHL free agency period for […]

The Edmonton Oilers have lost consecutive Stanley Cup Finals to the Florida Panthers. They made massive changes to their forward depth, with Evander Kane and Viktor Arvidsson out and Isaac Howard and Andrew Mangiapane in. But they made no changes to the goaltending room after a tough season. Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch did make a […]

The Winnipeg Jets have already made waves this offseason by signing veteran player Jonathan Toews to a contract. Winnipeg is now doing even more with their roster, as the club signed a $3.7 million contract extension with forward Morgan Barron. Barron signed a two-year deal that will pay him $1.85 million a year, per NHL.com. […]

Michael Carcone isn’t going anywhere. The veteran forward has officially signed a one-year deal with the Utah Mammoth. At age 29, the winger has spent his entire NHL career with the Arizona/Utah franchise and is returning after a tough 2024-25 season in which he scored seven goals and produced just 19 points in 53 games. […]

The Vegas Golden Knights are trying to hold on to one of their best players. Vegas is still working on a contract extension for forward Jack Eichel, per The Fourth Period. The outlet reports that Eichel is in the final year of an eight-year deal worth $80 million. “According to sources on both sides, there […]

The Buffalo Sabres’ playoff drought extended to a 14th season this past year. This has led to speculation that some players want to leave the franchise. The Sabres did secure a piece of their future plans, though. They have re-signed Bowen Byram to a two-year contract. While Byram could have had a desire to leave […]

The Buffalo Sabres signed Bowen Byram to a two-year, $12.5 million contract extension on Monday — but that doesn’t necessarily mean the 24-year-old will be spending the next couple of seasons in Western New York. As The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported, general manager Kevyn Adams is still willing to trade the offensive defenseman for […]

The Dallas Stars and general manager Jim Nill did not have a pick until the third round of the 2025 NHL Draft. Still, it may have been another stellar draft for the three-time winner of the Jim Gregory Award as the General Manager of the Year. Nill has made a habit of making great draft […]

The 2025 NHL Draft is in the past, and the Columbus Blue Jackets would make six selections. It would be the second draft under general manager Don Waddell for the Jackets. They would also have two first-round picks. In the past, multiple early picks have been great for Columbus. This year, they would have the […]

Henry Thrun’s relaxing afternoon in front of the TV turned into a life-changing moment before he even had time to process it. One minute, he was watching Top Gun; the next, his phone was lighting up with a call from San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier. When he answered, he learned he was heading […]

The San Jose Sharks have made a ton of moves in NHL Free Agency to this point. In fact, they’ve completely changed the foundation of their team. One of the more intriguing signings came Friday when San Jose signed veteran forward Jeff Skinner to a one-year contract. Skinner joins San Jose after spending one season […]

The San Jose Sharks added grit through trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs recently. Toronto acquired defenseman Henry Thrun from the Sharks in exchange for veteran enforcer Ryan Reaves. It was a bit of a surprising deal, to say the least. But it’s one that both San Jose and Reaves are quite happy with. Reaves […]

The Buffalo Sabres have considered trading Bowen Byram for nearly a year at this point. Byram is a restricted free agent, which means he needs a new contract. Though the Sabres have prevented the possibility of an offer sheet, the young defenseman’s long-term future may not be in Buffalo. However, his short-term future is another […]