NHL Articles - Page 263

The Vancouver Canucks chose defenseman Tom Willander with their first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft in late June. Willander emerged as a fast riser heading into draft night and seemed a safe bet to go in the first round. Given his fast rise up the board, there’s an interesting tidbit you may not know. […]

The Florida Panthers came up just short in their quest for their first Stanley Cup championship this season. Given how close they came, the Panthers are almost certainly entering a Stanley Cup or bust season. And that winning ambition was a major draw for defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson in NHL Free Agency. Ekman-Larsson joined the Panthers […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets had a rather disappointing season in 2022-23. The team fell well short of pre-season expectations, and they are looking to bounce back in a big way in 2023-24. Part of that bounce back for Columbus could include a position change for sniper Patrik Laine. Laine is naturally a winger but played […]

The Ottawa Senators have had an interesting offseason so far. All of their NHL Free Agency activity was essentially held up by their ongoing sale process. A sale process that dragged on further than anyone anticipated. Once that was settled, things became a bit clearer. Of course, the sale created complications beyond just free agency. […]

The Seattle Kraken signed head coach Dave Hakstol to a contract extension through the 2025-2026 season, according to the Associated Press. Dave Hakstol led the Kraken to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the team’s second year in existence. General manager Ron Francis spoke about the extension. “We believe we are heading […]

The San Jose Sharks’ days of being a perennial playoff contender are far back in the rear-view mirror, and the last few seasons have been entirely forgettable. With the team still in the midst of a deep rebuild, it may be a while before the Sharks get back to where they were. San Jose’s offseason […]

It’s been rough sledding for the Montreal Canadiens since their surprising run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. They’ve finished near the bottom of the league each of the last two seasons, and have had some absolutely brutal injury luck along the way. With the current state of the team, Montreal will likely be […]

With many key players rumored to want out, the Winnipeg Jets were in for an eventful offseason. The roster overhaul has already begun, with the Jets shipping off Pierre-Luc Dubois and buying out former captain Blake Wheeler. Before long, Mark Schiefele and Connor Hellebuyck could be on their way out of Winnipeg as well. With […]

After being released by Arizona Coyotes following his arrest, Alex Galchenyuk has publicly apologized for his actions. In a pair of statements shared on his Twitter account, Alex Galchenyuk called his actions “despicable and disrespectful,” announcing that he would be checking into the NHL and NHLPA’s player assistance program. Galchenyuk was signed with the Coyotes […]

For much of the last decade, the Vancouver Canucks have been in a state of turmoil. They’ve made the playoffs just twice in the last 10 seasons, with one of those appearances coming in the expanded 2020 postseason. Along the way, they’ve made some brutal trades and free agency signings, which has largely contributed to […]

No team has gone longer than the Buffalo Sabres without making the Stanley Cup Playoffs — the Western New York based franchise hasn’t qualified for the postseason since losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010-11. But with the Jack Eichel saga behind them and the squad loaded with young talent, it’s only a matter of […]

It’s been a very tough last few seasons for the Washington Capitals, exacerbated by a missed postseason last year for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign. The Capitals will be one year older when training camp gets underway, and the future does not look bright in the nation’s capital. GM Brian MacLellan is in […]

Colorado Avalanche fans have something to cheer for as left wing Andrew Cogliano returns to practice. The 36-year-old Cogliano suffered a scary neck injury on April 28 after a vicious hit from Seattle Kraken Jordan Eberle. The injury, which resulted in a neck fracture during game six of the first round of the Stanley Cup […]

The Vegas Golden Knights entered the offseason without any real need for major upgrades after the team dominated in the postseason and won its first ever Stanley Cup in 2022-23. The Knights are in a great spot heading into next season, with most of the team still intact that helped bring a championship to Las […]

Nike announced on Monday that it would permanently end its sponsor partnership with Hockey Canada after the way the corporation handled a high-profile sexual assault case last year. The sports apparel giant was one of several major partners that decided to pause its sponsorship deal with Canada’s governing body back in 2022 after heavy criticism […]

In late January, the San Jose Sharks acquired forward Martin Kaut in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche. Kaut came to San Jose in search of a fresh opportunity after not receiving a true shot in Colorado. And it wasn’t exactly a terrible move. Kaut scored 14 points in 19 AHL games, and five points […]

The first round of the 2023 NHL Draft did not feature any trades during the event itself. However, there was one notable trade on draft day that went down hours before round one. The Colorado Avalanche acquired forward Ross Colton from the cash-strapped Tampa Bay Lightning. On Monday, Colorado ensured Colton would stick around for […]

As the NHL offseason rolls on, the Carolina Hurricanes still have a few questions to answer. The biggest internal question regards a couple of their defenseman. Both Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce are entering a contract year. It’s hard imagining the Hurricanes letting both of them run down the remaining year on their contracts. It’s […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins had a bitterly disappointing 2022-23 NHL season, as they saw their 16-year playoff streak, the longest in North American sports, come to an abrupt end. While some may call for a full-scale rebuild, that’s likely not what’s going to happen. For one, the Penguins don’t want to rebuild in the twilight of […]

It’s been a relatively busy offseason for the Colorado Avalanche, both through free agency and the trade route in the summer of 2023. The Avs didn’t have a ton of cap space to work with, but GM Chris MacFarland managed to complete some tidy business nonetheless. The team acquired Ryan Johansen from the Nashville Predators […]

Just two weeks before his salary arbitration hearing, Morgan Barron agreed to a two-year contract that will pay the forward an average annual value of $1.35 million, the Winnipeg Jets announced on Monday. The 24-year-old forward was a restricted free agent this summer, and avoided an arbitration hearing that was scheduled for the first week […]

The Florida Panthers were the surprise of the 2022-23 NHL season, barely qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs before going on an epic run that ended in a five-game loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final. Still, it was an excellent ending to the season for Matthew Tkachuk’s team, and GM […]

Connor Bedard has secured his first bag as an NHL player. The first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft has reportedly agreed to a contract on Monday with the Blackhawks, per Scott Powers of The Athletic. “The Blackhawks and Bedard celebrated by agreeing to terms on a three-year entry-level deal Monday and will make […]

The Minnesota Wild re-signed forward Brandon Duhaime on Sunday, avoiding salary arbitration with a one-year, $1.1 million contract, general manager Bill Guerin announced. The 26-year-old registered 10 points and 42 penalty minutes over 51 games in the State of Hockey last season. The 6-foot-1, 203-pound Florida Native set career-highs with nine goals and three game-winning […]

Beginning with the 2023-24 season, the NBA is introducing a new in-season tournament. This development comes after years of speculation and discussion on the topic. It could be a huge success for the NBA, and it’s something the NHL should take notes on. The game of hockey is lagging behind the rest of the major […]

Things are beginning to calm down around NHL Free Agency as the summer rolls on. As such, we can begin to take a look back at what each team did in the open market. Today, we’re taking a look at the Nashville Predators, who are now led by new general manager Barry Trotz. The Predators […]

The Arizona Coyotes are gearing up for what could be their final season in the state of Arizona. Regardless of where they play in the future, however, Matias Maccelli looks to be a big part of their future. Maccelli and the Coyotes agreed to a three-year contract extension, Coyotes reporter Craig Morgan reported on Sunday. […]

There’s no aspect of the Chicago Blackhawks franchise that was not impacted by the events of May 8. That was the night of the NHL’s Draft Lottery. The Blackhawks had the third-worst record in the NHL last season, and that meant they had the third-best chance to end up with the No. 1 pick in […]

The Tampa Bay Lightning finished in third place in the Atlantic Division in 2023, falling short of the franchise’s fourth championship and losing in the first round. The team choked away their series to the Maple Leafs which made history in the worst possible way. Tampa Bay has made a series of solid but unremarkable […]

The Seattle Kraken created one of the most successful stories a second-year expansion team could hope to accomplish during the 2022-23 season. While they could not match what the Vegas Golden Knights did in their first NHL season when they made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Kraken became a playoff […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs finally got a monkey off their backs when they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. It was the Maple Leafs’ first triumph in any round of the Stanley Cup playoffs since the 2004 postseason when they defeated the Ottawa Senators in a 7-game […]

The Nashville Predators added to their center depth in a big way in NHL Free Agency. New general manager Barry Trotz locked up Ryan O’Reilly to a four-year contract when the market opened on July 1. And O’Reilly has high hopes for his new team. He believes the Predators can take that next this upcoming […]

The Nashville Predators kicked off NHL Free Agency by making a big splash. Nashville signed former Conn Smythe Trophy winner Ryan O’Reilly to a four-year contract to set the tone for their summer activity. On Thursday, O’Reilly met with reporters at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. He opened up about what he saw in the Predators […]

The Arizona Coyotes terminated the contract of Alex Galchenyuk on Thursday. Initially, it came as a surprise. After all, the team had just signed the veteran forward on July 1. However, it soon came out that Galchenyuk had been arrested on July 9 in Scottsdale. Now, further details regarding that arrest have come to light. […]

The Boston Bruins marauded their way through the NHL during the 2022-23 regular season. After setting league-wide records for points and wins during their first 82 games, they stormed their way into the Stanley Cup playoffs — and promptly lost in the first round. The Bruins appear to be a much different team as they […]

After missing the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the New York Islanders made their return to the dance in 2023. Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t capture the magic of their previous deep runs and lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. This offseason, New York was tasked with improving enough to become legitimate Stanley […]

After failing to find a trade partner for him, the Philadelphia Flyers announced Friday that they placed defenseman Tony DeAngelo on unconditional waivers. The 27-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent if he goes unclaimed, with the Flyers set to buy out the final year of his contract. DeAngelo signed a two-year, $10 million contract […]

By the Pittsburgh Penguins’ standards, the 2022-23 season was an extreme disappointment. The Penguins saw their 16-year playoff streak, the longest active streak in North American sports, come to an end after collapsing at the end of the season. After such a subpar year, the Penguins canned general manager Ron Hextall and other front office […]

The 2022-23 season was a tough one for the Pittsburgh Penguins, as they ended up missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign. Individually, it wasn’t a very good year for goaltender Tristan Jarry, who labored through much of the season while dealing with a myriad of injuries. Jarry was […]