NHL Articles - Page 35

The New York Rangers came into the 2024-25 season as one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. They would fall well short of expectations, missing the playoffs altogether. New head coach Mike Sullivan believes the team has the talent to compete this year. There is a difference between remarks made at an introductory […]

The Colorado Avalanche are keeping Joel Kiviranta around for at least another year after the forward enjoyed a breakout 2024-25 season. The Avs and the 29-year-old agreed to a one-year contract extension worth $1.25 million, the team announced on Friday. “Joel is a hard-working, responsible player who has demonstrated he can be a key contributor […]

The Ottawa Senators finally made the playoffs for the first time since 2017 last season. They lost in six games to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it was a step forward for the organization. Through it all, the Senators still have to deal with Brady Tkachuk trade rumors. After rumors swirled about the Rangers’ interest […]

The Dallas Stars have become accustomed to success. They have made it to the Western Conference Final in each of the last three seasons and in four of the last six years. Further, they advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020. Still, the ultimate goal of lifting the Cup has eluded them since 1999. […]

The Florida Panthers have won two consecutive Stanley Cups and are vying for a third. Shortly after lifting the trophy in 2025, they got to work, keeping Brad Marchand, Aaron Ekblad, and Sam Bennett in free agency. That sets them up for the first threepeat in the sport in over 40 years. Panthers forward Carter […]

The Calgary Flames improved in 2024-25, but still missed the playoffs. There was an expectation that GM Craig Conroy could be aggressive this offseason to improve the team and make the playoffs in 2025-26. Instead, they chose to stay the course in NHL Free Agency, and the Flames did not make any major moves. They […]

The Utah Mammoth had an active offseason. Firstly, they have a name now, dumping Utah Hockey Club in favor of the new moniker. And then, they made a trade for former Sabres forward JJ Peterka and signed him to an extension. But the Mammoth should have done more to improve their offense through a trade […]

The San Jose Sharks are not trying to be a competitive NHL team next season. There is no way around that fact. They have $19.7 million in cap space, according to Puckpedia, that they could have used to improve their team. The future is on the roster with a lot of great young forwards on […]

The Seattle Kraken weren’t overly busy this offseason in free agency, though general manager Jason Botterill did acquire a handful of players via trade. They acquired forward Mason Marchment in a deal with the Dallas Stars, while also landing former Detroit Red Wings first-round draft selection Joe Veleno in a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. […]

Considering the Calgary Flames have slept through most of NHL free agency, fans want to at least see general manager Craig Conroy lock up the team’s young players and solidify a promising future. Kevin Bahl, Martin Pospisil, Morgan Frost and Adam Klapka have all inked new deals, but the team has yet to cross off […]

While the New Jersey Devils and defenseman Luke Hughes have yet to finalize a deal, they are aligned on one front: contract length. As Hughes is eligible for an extension this offseason, the talks have consistently revolved around the idea of a long-term deal, and all signs strongly indicate that the main objective for both […]

The Winnipeg Jets were the top team in the NHL in 2024-25, winning the Presidents’ Trophy. They fell to the Dallas Stars in the second round of the playoffs. As the club looks to progress from their last campaign, they are working through a lot of turnover. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff had to make plenty […]

The Ottawa Senators broke a seven-year playoff drought in 2024-25. While they would be eliminated in the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs, it was still a solid improvement of a season for the franchise. Now, GM Steve Staios is looking to keep improving the roster. The team was not expected to make many […]

The Florida Panthers are bumping up against the salary cap ceiling. They are two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions, so they are happy to pay up for their core. But, like any salary cap sport, spending on free agents could mean the departure of important depth. The Panthers were rumored to have Evan Rodrigues on the […]

Kyle Clifford, a two-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Los Angeles Kings, has announced his retirement. While he had not played in the league since 2022, he was holding out hope for another contract. But his enforcer play style is of a woebegone era, and he never got the chance. Even with the Kings beefing […]

The Anaheim Ducks made a lot of changes this offseason. After hiring Joel Quenneville as the head coach, they traded for Chris Kreider and traded away Trevor Zegras. GM Pat Verbeek has put playoff expectations on this roster, but could be trading away another big piece. James Murphy of RG.org reported that the Ducks could […]

The Vancouver Canucks missed the postseason in 2024-25 for a myriad of reasons. Quinn Hughes and Thatcher Demko missed time with injury, they traded JT Miller amid locker room drama, and a key center was dreadful. The Canucks got just 45 points out of center Elias Pettersson in the first year of his massive contract. […]

When you have one of the best players in the world, competing for titles becomes part of the expectations. Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche do have one Stanley Cup victory in their time together, but they have fallen short each of the past three seasons. There has been one major need in each of […]

For a fourth straight season, the Los Angeles Kings fell in the first round of the playoffs to the Edmonton Oilers. The franchise did not bring back Rob Blake as the general manager, bringing in Ken Holland to attempt to solve the Oilers conundrum. He made some solid offseason moves to help the Kings move […]

The Minnesota Wild had a quiet offseason despite losing in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They traded for Vladimir Tarasenko, traded away Frederick Gaudreau, and re-signed Marcus Johansson. With the Western Conference beefing up, Minnesota should have made more moves. The biggest move the Wild should have made this offseason was giving […]

The Philadelphia Flyers collapsed at the end of the 2023-24 campaign. Philadelphia held a postseason spot for much of the season. However, they stumbled hard down the stretch, and missed out entirely. Unfortunately, they did little in NHL Free Agency last summer to improve their fortunes. And they didn’t come close to the postseason this […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets nearly made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025. In fact, they missed out on the postseason by two points. It was a surprising surge for a team many expected to finish near the bottom of the league. They entered NHL Free Agency hoping to make a big splash and improve their […]

The New Jersey Devils once again fell in the playoffs to the Carolina Hurricanes. The team was not looking for a complete overhaul this summer, though. While it was disappointing to exit the playoffs early, the team was also without Jack Hughes, their star player. General manager Tom Fitzgerald has built a roster that can […]

The Anaheim Ducks have had a busy 2025 NHL offseason. They started the 2025 NHL offseason with a bang by trading for Chris Kreider. Once the free agency period started, the team whiffed on several big signings. But the Ducks signed Mikael Granlund to a three-year contract, adding some scoring to their team. Despite these […]

The Seattle Kraken have missed the playoffs in three of their four seasons in the NHL. They have not built around a true superstar, have dealt with subpar goaltending, and are overpaying for a lot of their players. Even though they made additions on the ice like Ryan Lindgren, their best additions of the offseason […]

The Buffalo Sabres have etched themselves into NHL history. With 14 straight seasons and counting of not making the playoffs, they have the longest such streak in NHL history by four seasons. They are also six campaigns away from tying the record for the longest time between postseason playoff series wins, currently sitting at 18 […]

The EA Sports NHL 26 Release Date has been revealed, bringing fans of the series a new gameplay experience and more. Overall, the upcoming title brings NHL EDGE Data to create more authentic player movement. Furthermore, the developers made significant adjustments to Be a Pro and Ultimate Team (HUT). Additionally, there are 28 total X-Factors […]

The 2024-25 NHL season was nothing short of a difficult experience for the Boston Bruins, who are just two seasons removed from resetting the league’s regular season victory record with an astounding 65 wins. Of course, fans would prefer not to talk about how that particular season ended, and they’re feeling the same way about […]

The Minnesota Wild have been a consistent playoff contender, built via strong draft classes and timely trades. This summer would be no different, as they made minimal free agent signings. Instead, they focused on their current talent acquired through the draft and trades, while adding depth via a new addition. The team may not be […]

Patrick Allvin has had a tumultuous ride as the GM of the Vancouver Canucks. After taking over in January 2022, he would make some moves, and the team would make the playoffs in 2023-24. Still, 2024-25 would see a step back, locker room strife, and the trade of JT Miller. He has brought in a […]

The Nashville Predators made the biggest moves of the 2024 NHL offseason under rookie GM Barry Trotz. They shelled out big contracts to Steven Stamkos, Brady Skjei, and Jonathan Marchessault, but missed the playoffs terribly. Without much more cap space to spend, Trotz was much quieter in 2025. But the Predators should have made a […]

The Washington Capitals could be entering the final season of their greatest era in 2025-26. Alex Ovechkin is entering the final season of his contract and could retire at the end of the year. After breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record, The Great Eight has locked in a movie deal. Ovechkin has signed a deal […]

The 2024-25 Washington Capitals were the top team in the Eastern Conference, but would fall in the second round of the playoffs to the Carolina Hurricanes. The team has become accustomed to success, making the playoffs in 16 of the last 18 seasons and winning a Stanley Cup. Still, the window for this franchise is […]

The Dallas Stars have lost in the Western Conference Final in three consecutive seasons. While that cost head coach Pete DeBoer his job this offseason, they are keeping much of the core together. After missing part of the regular season with a knee injury, Stars’ top defenseman Miro Heiskanen did play in the postseason. He […]

The Montreal Canadiens were a surprising playoff team in the Eastern Conference last season. They took that berth and doubled down in the offseason, trading for Noah Dobson. Another improvement the Habs were banking on could be missing the start of the year. Kirby Dach could miss the start of the Canadiens’ training camp with […]

The New York Islanders had a very active offseason. It was the end of Lou Lamoriello’s run, with Mathieu Darche brought in to run hockey operations. Darche made the first overall pick, with Matthew Schaefer coming off the board to improve their defense. He also traded Noah Dobson, picking up two first-round picks, ending a […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets have not seen playoff hockey in five straight seasons, but 2024-25 was a major improvement. They would finish fourth in the Metropolitan Division. The team still had needs to fill in this 2025 NHL offseason, but they did not have a good NHL Free Agency period. General manager Don Waddell was […]

The St. Louis Blues made an impressive run to the playoffs in 2024-25, going on a 12-game winning streak late in the season and securing a playoff spot in their last regular-season game. They had limited cap space heading into the 2025 NHL offseason, but what the team chose not to do may be more […]

The Philadelphia Flyers have not been a competitive franchise in recent seasons. From 2021-22 through 2024-25, their best finish in the Metropolitan Division was sixth place. It was the only time they were over .500 for a campaign as well, going 38-33-11 in 2023-24. After a step in the wrong direction in 2024-25, Philly GM […]