NHL Articles - Page 46

The Philadelphia Flyers have missed the playoffs in five consecutive seasons and are in a rebuild. They fired John Tortorella and hired Rick Tocchet as the head coach this offseason, and also brought in Trevor Zegras. While their playoff chances are slim, there are a few breakout candidates that could put them in the postseason. […]

Michigan football kicked off the 2025 season with a strong 34-17 victory over New Mexico at the Big House on Saturday night. Fans got a glimpse of the Wolverines’ new-look offense led by freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood and an impressive running game by Justice Haynes. But off the gridiron, another sports star caught some attention. […]

The Florida Panthers defended their Stanley Cup title this summer. And now, they get to go and try to do it all again. Florida is looking to achieve a feat not seen since the 1980s. They are looking for their third consecutive Stanley Cup championship. The Panthers are one of the best postseason teams we’ve […]

The Colorado Avalanche were Stanley Cup contenders entering the postseason in 2025. Many believed they had a legitimate chance to represent the Western Conference at the end of the playoffs. Instead, former Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen haunted them in the first round. And their postseason run ended way earlier than anyone could have imagined. The […]

With training camp just a few days away, the New Jersey Devils are full steam ahead for the 2025-26 season. A third-place finish in the Metropolitan division led to a Wild Card berth and a first-round playoff defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games. One of the Devils’ key players, defenseman Luke Hughes, is […]

The Edmonton Oilers sorely missed Zach Hyman during their second consecutive loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final — and they might not have the star forward for the start of the 2025-26 season. “Have one more meeting with the surgeon to wrap it up,” Hyman told NHL.com’s Dan Rosen at Hockey […]

The Vancouver Canucks enjoyed a team breakout in 2023-24, rectifying three consecutive missed postseasons by winning 50 games and capturing the Pacific Division in the process. They then took the eventual Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers to seven games in Round 2. It was a hugely encouraging campaign for the franchise, and there was hope […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to rebuild a bit at this time. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang are not getting any younger. However, this team is not close to contending for a Stanley Cup. As a result, Pittsburgh is the only team in the NHL willing to sell its veteran players to get […]

The St. Louis Blues are coming off a promising playoff appearance. St. Louis rallied under head coach Jim Montgomery, who joined the team early in the season after being fired by the Boston Bruins. Montgomery aided the likes of Brayden Schenn and goalie Jordan Binnington as they pushed for a spot in the postseason. The […]

The Calgary Flames enjoyed one of the better seasons in franchise history in 2021-22, winning 50 games and capturing the Pacific Division crown in the process. Although it ended in a five-game loss to rival Edmonton in Round 2, there was hope that the team could continue to build on the success from the promising […]

The Winnipeg Jets won the Presidents’ Trophy last year, but fell short of the Western Conference Final. Despite losing Nikolaj Ehlers to the Carolina Hurricanes, there are still high expectations in Manitoba. Connor Hellebuyck could win his fourth Vezina Trophy easily, but that is not a breakout candidate. The Jets could get breakout seasons from […]

Patrick Kane is back with the Detroit Red Wings for the 2025-26 season, looking to get them back to the playoffs. But the American forward has another goal for the season. Kane was at the Team USA Olympic camp this summer. He looks to make the 2026 roster and add a gold medal to his […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets were one of the best stories of the 2024-25 NHL season. After the Johnny Gaudreau tragedy, the expectations were insanely low. But they nearly clinched the final Eastern Conference playoff spot and now have expectations for this season. But if things go awry in Columbus, they will be sellers at the […]

After leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs to join the Vegas Golden Knights, Mitch Marner described his exit from his hometown team as a “bittersweet moment,” but revealed that concerns for his family’s safety played a major role in his decision. Following nine seasons with the Leafs, he admitted that while he loved representing Toronto, certain […]

The Dallas Stars made one of the outstanding moves at last season’s NHL trade deadline when they acquired high-scoring winger Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes. Rantanen carried the Stars on his back in their first-round playoff victory last year over the Colorado Avalanche, and he has become something of a legendary performer as a […]

Filip Chytil has struggled mightily to stay healthy throughout his career — but the Vancouver Canucks forward provided an overwhelmingly positive update at the NHL player media tour in Europe earlier this week. “I feel great, and hopefully it’s gonna be like this for a lot of years,” Chytil told reporters, including The Athletic’s Michael […]

The Buffalo Sabres and New York Jets are in the same boat. That is not a boat you ever want to be in. Neither team has made the playoffs in 14 seasons, a streak that is wearing on Buffalo. At the NHLPA Media Tour, Sabres forward Jiri Kulich set a personal expectation to score a […]

The Boston Bruins missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years in 2024-25. That led them to trade captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers, who won the Stanley Cup. Part of the reason for the Bruins’ second-half struggles was losing Charlie McAvoy to an injury in the 4 Nations Face-Off. The defenseman […]

The Calgary Flames have missed the postseason in three consecutive seasons, but have some hope for the future. Rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf was a revelation in 2024-25, nearly winning the Calder Trophy. They almost snuck into the postseason because of Wolf’s excellent season. But the biggest storyline for the Flames is the Rasmus Andersson trade […]

The New York Islanders made some massive changes this offseason. They fired general manager Lou Lamoriello and hired Mathieu Darche, a first-time GM. Darche proceeded to trade Noah Dobson, draft Matthew Schaefer, and extend Alexander Romanov. The Islanders also signed Simon Holmstrom to a two-year extension. He spoke with The Athletic’s Michael Russo about the […]

EA Sports revealed the top 10 best players in EA NHL 26 in terms of OVR ratings. Overall, these players represent the best of the best within the game, and will be amongst the toughest to play against. Conversely, these players may make for some of the best teammates you’ll play with on the ice. […]

As they prepare for next season’s training camp, the Carolina Hurricanes have signed Oliver Kylington and Givani Smith on professional tryout contracts. The Hurricanes announced Wednesday that the Swedish defenseman, along with forward Givani Smith, will compete for roster spots when camp opens. Both players bring NHL experience, giving the club added depth and competition […]

Coming off two straight losses in the Stanley Cup Final, the Edmonton Oilers hope that 2025-26 will be different. A deep, balanced roster is once again one of the favorites to not only win the Western Conference but to recapture the Cup as well. Two of the NHL’s brightest offensive talents, centers Connor McDavid and […]

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 […]