LAS VEGAS — The Carolina-Vegas series largely was expected to be a Stanley Cup Final in which goals were at a premium and each shift felt like a march up a well-defended hill.
Yeah, that isn’t this.
Another two-goal lead went the way of the landline in Game 4, the go-ahead shot came from a 37-year-old on his stomach on one of the great runs in Cup final history, and the winning goalie made his first start in two months and doesn’t know if that will be his last one this postseason.
None of it makes sense and yet it all somehow does in this series that is now even after four games — probably aptly so — because of Jordan Staal’s second goal at 6:32 of the third period that came while sprawled on the ice in what became a 5-3 Hurricanes victory over for the Golden Knights.
“It’s a wild ride, isn’t it?” Staal said. “There’s a lot of emotion, lots of ups and downs.”
Now the series heads back to Carolina for Game 5. The Hurricanes potentially will have two games on home ice to win their first Cup in two decades. Coach Rod Brind’Amour captained that 2006 team, and though he’s not ready to look at the big picture, he recognizes this is a unique final.
“I know I need to (appreciate it) because this doesn’t come across very often,” Brind’Amour said. “But it is pretty stressful.”
The same applies at the other end, where the 9-year-old Golden Knights chase their second championship in four years. Their position isn’t all that different from when the day started — two more wins and they’re there — but now they need to win at least once more on the road.
“We need to flush it and get ready for our next game,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “I don’t think we should be looking any farther than just the next game.”
Whichever team winds up losing can point to a number of moments that could have changed the outcome.
Each game until this one was decided by one goal. It appeared this one would as well until Nikolaj Ehlers deposited an empty-net goal from 187 feet.
A two-goal lead has disappeared in all four games in what has been a remarkable series in which momentum often changes at a moment’s notice. Each team has led by at least that many twice.
The 33 combined goals are tied for the third highest in a Cup final with the Islanders-Flyers series in 1980.
Staal became the first player in 44 years to score at least one goal in each of the first four games of the final and the ninth overall. Mike Bossy in 1982 with the New York Islanders against the Vancouver Canucks was the last player to score in the first four games of a final.
Ehlers’ goal was part of a three-point night for him, Jackson Blake had a goal and an assist and Logan Stankoven scored a goal.
Brandon Bussi started in place of Frederik Andersen in goal and made 18 saves, and including his work in relief in Game 2, Bussi has 36 saves on 40 shots. Brind’Amour said Andersen, who did not dress, needed the rest. Pyotr Kochetkov was the backup goalie with Andersen serving as the emergency goaltender.
“If you’re going to give him a break, you need to give him a break,” Brind’Amour said. “So to me, him dressing and going through all that does not really give him a night off.”
Mark Stone, William Karlsson and Brett Howden scored goals for the Golden Knights, and Carter Hart made 23 saves. Karlsson also had an assist.
The Hurricanes came out blazing, taking a 3-1 lead in the first period. Vegas nearly cut it to one, but Brayden McNabb’s goal came right after the period ended and didn’t count.
Vegas scored twice in the second to tie the game, and the Golden Knights now have outscored Carolina 9-1 in that period.
But the Golden Knights failed to add to that total, shifting home-ice advantage back to the Hurricanes.
“We knew it was going to be a tight series,” Golden Knights defenseman Rasmus Andersson said. “We’re playing a really good team and 2-2, best out of three and fly out to Carolina and take care of business in Game 5.”
LAS VEGAS — Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal chose the simple approach to Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final with Carolina trailing in the best-of-seven series.
But, the 20-year veteran’s winning goal was anything but simple. Then again, considering how he has played against the Vegas Golden Knights in this series, perhaps it was.
With the game tied at 3 in the third period, Staal’s sprawling backhand shot while in the air with 13:29 left beat Vegas’ Carter Hart and found the back of the net for his second score of the game, and it held up as the winner in the 5-3 victory.
“For a second, I wasn’t sure if it exactly went in, and I heard everyone go quiet,” said Staal, who lay face down on the ice after his acrobatic goal. “I heard some guys yelling. I was in my own world. It was an incredible moment, obviously, and just let a big yell go and then celebrated with the guys.”
It was yet another big moment that Staal found a way to spark his team when it needed it most.
The 37-year-old, who has five goals in the series, said as long as the wild and zany series that has been defined by “no lead is safe,” the Hurricanes have to pounce on every opportunity.
“There are fine lines of making plays, and we have to make big plays, there’s no question,” Staal said. “But it’s a simple game that we can run, and when you know when they maybe call uncle, and you jump on it. And that’s what they’ve done to us very well, as well. It’s just kind of a back-and-forth kind of stress game, and who can do it better.”
In Game 4, that was Carolina.
The Hurricanes came out with a sense of urgency by taking a 2-0 lead early to set the tone, and dominated the shots on goal, 23-12 after two periods, and then withstood Vegas’ late surge before Staal’s heroics.
The series is tied at 2 and returns to Carolina for Game 5.
That’s how long the Golden Knights have to figure out how to stop Staal from adding to his scoring tally.
“He’s killing us in front of the net, Staal,” Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said. “So, we have got to do a better job around the blue.”
Staal became the first player since Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders in 1982 to score a goal in each of the first four games of the final.
Staal also tied the second-longest playoff goal streak in franchise history, behind teammate Logan Stankoven, who set the record at five earlier this postseason.
He said he isn’t concerned with milestones, though, or the fact that he has 11 points in these playoffs, including seven goals.
“I don’t think big picture right now, it’s too hard to think like that,” Staal said. “It’s just like, my goodness, it’s the next shift, next play, next game, next everything. And that’s all that’s running through my brain, is how do we get two more wins.
The Vancouver Canucks have parted ways with Senior Advisor and Pro Scout Dale Tallon, according to Rob Williams of DailyHive.
On Monday, some noticed that Tallon’s name had been taken off the Canucks’ team staff page. Later, the Canucks confirmed to DailyHive that the former Canuck’s contract ends this season and that they would be opting not to renew it.
Tallon’s first stint in the NHL was with the Canucks, with the former defenceman playing for Vancouver for three years including their inaugural season in 1970. He then joined the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1973–74 season, also playing with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1978 to 1980 to round out his playing career.
Vancouver brought Tallon on as a Senior Advisor and Scout in the 2022–23 season, occupying the role up until the end of this year. Previously, he spent time as Director of Player Personnel (1998 to 2003), Assistant General Manager (2002 to 2005), General Manager (2005 to 2009), and Senior Advisor (2009–10) for the Blackhawks. Later, he moved on to the Florida Panthers organization, where he acted as Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations (2010 to 2016), President of Hockey Operations (2016 to 2019), and General Manager (2010 to 2020).
March 7, 2008; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks former players Eddie Olczyk (left) Doug Wilson (24) and Dale Tallon (19) stand with Kevin Magnuson (3) during a ceremony honoring the careers of legends Bobby Hull (not pictured) and Stan Mikita (not pictured) before a game against the San Jose Sharks at the United Center. The Sharks beat the Blackhawks 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
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Kale Clague’s Manitoba hockey chapter has come to a close.
After returning to the province where he spent the majority of his junior hockey career, the former Brandon Wheat Kings standout and Manitoba Moose defenceman is heading overseas, signing a two-year contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of Russia's KHL.
The move ends Clague’s brief stint in the Winnipeg Jets organization after signing a one-year, two-way contract last summer. Despite bringing NHL experience and offensive upside to the club’s defensive depth chart, the Regina product spent the entire 2025-26 campaign with the Moose.
Photo by Steve Sasaki/Game On Magazine
Clague, 28, remained a steady contributor from the back end, finishing the season with nine goals and 27 points in 67 games with Manitoba.
Although he did not receive a call-up to Winnipeg, Clague’s return to Manitoba represented a familiar stop in his hockey journey.
Before beginning his professional career, Clague spent four seasons with the Wheat Kings, developing into one of the Western Hockey League’s premier offensive defencemen. He was part of Brandon’s 2015-16 WHL championship team and became a major piece of the organization’s blueline before making the jump to the professional ranks.
Originally selected by Los Angeles in the second round (51st overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Clague worked his way through the organization and eventually made his NHL debut with the Kings. He later spent time with the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres, appearing in 94 career NHL games while recording two goals and 21 points.
While consistent NHL minutes proved difficult to secure, Clague became an established AHL defenceman.
Across stops with the Ontario Reign, Rochester Americans and Moose, Clague produced 39 goals and 165 points over 321 career AHL contests, consistently providing offence from the back-end.
His strongest offensive professional season came in 2024-25 with Rochester, where he recorded 10 goals and 39 points before signing with Winnipeg the following offseason.
The move to Avtomobilist provides Clague with a new opportunity and likely a larger role than the one available in North America. The KHL club officially added him from Manitoba on a two-year agreement, giving the puck-moving defender a chance to become an impact player overseas.
For Winnipeg, the departure removes one experienced option from the organization’s defensive depth chart. The Jets still have a number of younger blueliners pushing for bigger roles, but Clague represented a veteran presence capable of playing heavy minutes at the AHL level.
For Clague, the next step will come thousands of kilometres away from Manitoba - the province where he won a WHL title, developed into an NHL draft pick and most recently attempted to earn his way back to hockey’s highest level.
For most of the last two decades, Mike Babcock's résumé has spoken louder than almost anyone else's.
More than 700 wins.
A Stanley Cup.
Two Olympic gold medals.
A World Championship.
A World Junior title.
For years, there wasn't much debate. Babcock was viewed as the gold standard behind the bench, a demanding coach capable of squeezing every ounce out of talented teams and star players, and one whose preparation and attention to detail helped him earn the trust of some of the greatest teams and players the sport has seen.
And, to be fair, the results backed up the reputation.
He took the Ducks to the Stanley Cup Final. He won it all with Detroit in 2008. Team Canada trusted him with Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews. Brendan Shanahan handed him an eight-year contract and the keys to the Maple Leafs' rebuild.
Few coaches in league history have accomplished more.
Which is what makes the other half of the story so fascinating.
Because for almost as long as Babcock has been winning hockey games, there have been stories.
Johan Franzén described him as the worst person he had ever met. Chris Chelios accused him of embarrassing and belittling players. Mike Modano was famously left sitting on 1,499 career games because Babcock wanted to reward younger players, a decision that Modano himself admitted still bothered him years later. Following his dismissal in Toronto, Mitch Marner revealed that as a rookie he had been asked to rank teammates by work ethic, only to have those rankings shared with the group, creating tension before Marner had even established himself in the league.
When Babcock was hired by the Blue Jackets in 2023, he spoke openly about reflection and growth, saying that time away from the game had given him a new perspective and helped him appreciate that today's players require a different approach than the one that worked twenty years ago. Days before training camp, however, allegations surfaced that Babcock had been asking players to show him photographs on their phones as part of a get-to-know-you exercise. Veterans Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau publicly defended those interactions and insisted they had never felt uncomfortable, but concerns raised by younger players led the NHLPA to launch a review. Before Babcock coached a single game, he resigned.
Now, with reports linking him to the Edmonton Oilers' vacancy, the NHLPA has reportedly requested that the league conduct a formal investigation before Edmonton proceeds with a hire, which is a remarkable development considering Babcock hasn't coached an NHL game since 2019 and resigned from Columbus before his tenure even began.
Nobody questions his hockey knowledge. Nobody questions his preparation. Nobody questions his ability to organize a team and hold players accountable.
The question is whether Mike Babcock can stop creating problems that don't need to exist.
Because Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl aren't young stars trying to establish themselves anymore. They are veterans carrying enormous expectations after a shocking first-round exit to Anaheim, and the last thing Edmonton needs is another storyline competing with the pressure that already exists around the organization.
But perhaps the bigger concern isn't Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.
Those two have seen everything. They have security. They have stature. If they dislike something, they have voices powerful enough to make themselves heard.
Matt Savoie and Isaac Howard don't.
Neither does Beau Akey. Neither do the next wave of prospects trying to establish themselves in the NHL.
That's what made the Columbus episode so alarming in the eyes of the NHLPA. The issue was never whether Boone Jenner or Johnny Gaudreau felt comfortable sharing photographs from their phones. Veterans with established careers can navigate those situations differently.
It's the young player sitting in his first training camp, eager to make a good impression and uncertain about where the line exists between a request and an expectation, who occupies the minds of NHLPA officials.
Hockey has changed. The relationship between players and coaches has changed. And while Babcock's résumé remains one of the strongest of his generation, the modern NHL is asking a different question than it did fifteen years ago.
Winning games still matters, but how you treat people matters, too.
Maybe time away from the game has changed Mike Babcock.
People evolve. Coaches evolve. Plenty of successful leaders have learned from mistakes.
But if the Oilers are going to entrust some of the most important years of Connor McDavid's career—and the first years of Matt Savoie and Isaac Howard's careers—to a man whose downfall has repeatedly come not from a lack of hockey knowledge, but from his own inability to recognize where the line is, they need to be absolutely certain that the lessons of Toronto and Columbus have finally sunk in.
Because throughout a coaching career that includes a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold and more than 700 wins, Mike Babcock's toughest opponent has rarely been the team on the other bench.
More often than not, it's been Mike Babcock himself.
It’s no secret that if the Montreal Canadiens can find an upgrade for the second-line center position, they’ll pounce on the occasion. Oliver Kapanen got the role by default last season, but by the end of the season, he struggled with the heavy NHL calendar, and in the playoffs, he made way for Jake Evans. With all due respect to Evans, he’s by no means a second-line center on a contending team. Even if he has a great work ethic and has picked up more than his fair share of points, he lacks the finishing to play with a playmaker like Ivan Demidov.
Last offseason, there was a lot of talk about what the Anaheim Ducks would decide to do regarding their contract negotiations with Mason McTavish; some hoped he would end up in Montreal. Pat Verbeek was patient, and he ended up giving the third overall pick at the 2021 draft a six-year deal at a $7 million cap hit. It all had the makings of a happy ending, but unfortunately for both parties, the centerman struggled this season and was a healthy scratch at times. In 75 games, he could only put up 41 points, compared to 52 in 76 games the previous year. His differential also took a hit, dropping from an even rating in 2024-25 to minus-15 this year.
As things stand, he finds himself on the Ducks' third line, having made way for Leo Carlsson and Mikael Granlund on the first two lines, but when Ryan Poehling is healthy, he also gives him a run for his money, ice time-wise. McTavish isn’t on the first power play unit either; he centers the second unit, and he even missed two of the Ducks’ 12 playoff games this season.
Will Verbeek decide to be patient with the player and give him a chance to bounce back next season, or could he be convinced to move him? If it were an option, it likely wouldn’t be cheap because even though McTavish is on the third line right now, Granlund is already 34 and only has two years left on his contract.
Still, given his offensive potential and the skills he has, McTavish could be the ideal complement to Demidov’s skill set. At just 23 years old, he’s the right age to fit with the Canadiens’ core as well, and his cap hit is very reasonable; he’d earn less than Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield, Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson, and likely less than Demidov as well. In 304 career games, he’s put up 181 points for a 0.6 point-per-game average. He’s got a 48.6% success rate at the faceoff circle and is a left-shot, which is what Montreal needs down the middle.
He would be a great option for the Canadiens, but it would be surprising to see Verbeek throw in the towel after managing to sign McTavish to a team-friendly contract. To even start the conversation, it would take a very attractive package, which would likely have to include one of Michael Hage or Alexander Zharovsky, a couple of picks, and probably a roster player as well, since he’d leave a big hole in the Ducks’ lineup.
The 23-year-old is an established center, not another gamble like Kirby Dach or Alex Newhook, who will likely remain on the wing for the rest of their careers, and he’s signed long-term, which warrants a higher price tag. Furthermore, he’s the kind of player Martin St-Louis likes, with a good hockey IQ and who makes good reads, which would likely make it easier for him to adapt to the Canadiens’ brand of hockey. At 6-foot-1 and 219 pounds, he landed 95 hits this past season, an aspect of his game that has kept improving from one year to the next.
McTavish could definitely improve the Canadiens’ center line, but would the price tag be too hefty for Kent Hughes? That’s quite possible…
When the Nashville Predators signed Jonathan Marchessault to a five-year, $27.5 million contract in the summer of 2024, the expectation was pretty simple. He was coming off a Stanley Cup win with the Vegas Golden Knights, had just scored 42 goals, and looked like the type of player who could help push Nashville into contender territory, playing alongside Steven Stamkos.
That obviously hasn't happened.
The Predators have missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, and now that Chris MacFarland is running the front office, it feels like some difficult conversations are coming. One of them probably has to involve Marchessault.
It's tough to look at the last two years and call the signing anything other than disappointing. This past season was especially rough. Marchessault finished with 12 goals and 31 points in 62 games, dealt with injuries, and never really found the offensive rhythm Nashville brought him in to provide.
At the same time, the Predators are no longer a team built entirely around veterans. There are younger players pushing for bigger opportunities, and that's where things get interesting. Matthew Wood, Joakim Kemell, and Luke Evangelista are part of the future. And, eventually, those players need more ice time and bigger roles if the organization wants to find out exactly what it has.
That's why a trade should happen this season.
Not because Marchessault can't still help a team, but because Nashville may have reached the point where moving forward is more important than trying to make an old plan work. Reports have already suggested that both sides could be open to a fresh start, although his no-movement clause means he will have a significant say in where that might be.
The contract is probably the biggest hurdle. Nashville may need to retain salary, and the return likely isn't going to be anything headline-grabbing. However, sometimes it's just worth moving out a heavier contract even if the return isn't overly impactful.
If MacFarland can clear some cap space, open up a roster spot, and give one of the organization's younger forwards a bigger opportunity. Then it starts with moving on from Marchessault, which could happen as early as the 2026 NHL Draft.
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 30 : Gabe Landeskog, captain of Colorado Avalanche, poses for a portrait at the locker room of Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post) | Denver Post via Getty Images
As we get deeper into summer, more and more NHL award winners have been announced. Colorado Avalanche fans are still waiting to learn the results of several major awards and were pleasantly surprised to hear Gabe Landeskog was announced as the winner of two different awards: the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy and the Mark Messier Leadership Award.
Landeskog was surprised with the Masterton trophy earlier today by his family, in a super sweet video posted by the NHL. Landeskog was being interviewed about winning the Messier award in the video, before watching a video informing him he won the trophy, followed by his family bringing the Masterton trophy out to him.
Gabriel Landeskog is the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winner for the 2025-26 season! 💪
The trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. #NHLAwardspic.twitter.com/hMbgQ8g71B
Obviously, Landeskog’s knee injury and journey to get back to NHL action have been very well-documented up till this point, and he’s shown incredible resiliency and perseverance in his return to the Avs, which is exactly why he’s being recognized with the Masterton Award. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I’ll never not be amazed by Landeskog’s return to the NHL, as no professional athlete has ever really successfully returned to playing their sport from a knee cartilage replacement procedure before him, and yet, here we are.
Full voting table for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, won by Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog. #GoAvsGo#NHLAwards
Landeskog was nominated for the Masterton trophy for a second consecutive year but that did not deter voters as they elected him in recognition of his perseverance. Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was a close second and also a very worthy candidate after his fiancée dealt with incredible health struggles. Many different players were also received votes in what is a very prestigious award. Congratulations, Gabe!
Stokes in talks with agent and advisers over his future
Atkinson also left out with Barker and Archer set to play
Joe Root will captain England in next week’s second Test against New Zealand after Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were left out of the squad for breaking the team curfew as they celebrated victory in the first game of the series on Sunday night.
While the England & Wales Cricket Board continue their investigation into that incident Stokes, the team’s full-time captain, is being given some time to consider his future. He is reported to have spent Wednesday in meetings with his agent and advisers debating whether to permanently stand down as captain, or to end his international career completely. He may still choose to do neither, with the former England captain Michael Vaughan having joined those backing him to stay. “Yes, he broke a curfew,” Vaughan said. “Is that a sacking offence as England’s Test captain? I don’t think so. A short suspension would be fine, but this is not a big enough incident over which to lose the captaincy.”
Steve Ott is sticking around for at least a couple more years.
The 43-year-old former assistant/associate coach of the St. Louis Blues who was sent to Springfield of the American Hockey League to become head coach of the Thunderbirds last season, has signed a two-year contract to remain in that position, the Blues announced on Wednesday morning.
The contract will run through the 2027-28 season.
Ott became the fifth coach in Thunderbirds history when he replaced Steve Konowalchuk on Jan. 19 when the Thunderbirds were 13-18-6 and helped them go 19-14-2 down the stretch to reach the playoffs, where they made it as the sixth seed from the Atlantic Division and upset third-seeded Charlotte in three games of a best-of-3 series, then taking down top overall seed Providence in four games of a best-of-5 to reach the division final, ultimately losing to No. 2-seed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a fifth and deciding game.
"It's a great opportunity for myself," Ott said after being named to the position, "but not only that, I get to stay in an organization that I truly love. To help develop our young guys with the development side of coaching, it's really exciting for myself. It's a great opportunity.
"... When you get asked to take that opportunity, I look at it as a big honor. It's not an easy lift for everybody. It's a situation I love obviously being a part of the NHL club, but to stay here and be a part of the growing of the future, it's a job I don't take light or easy."
There's been some speculation that Ott could be under consideration for one of the head coaching openings in the NHL but has opted instead to remain in the St. Louis organization to get some more seasoning as a head coach and better prepare himself should an NHL organization come calling for a job in the near future.
Ott joined the Blues as a player in the 2013-14 season and played 122 games with the organization before signing as an assistant coach for the 2017-18 season and was promoted to associate coach in June of 2024, holding that title for nearly two seasons.
The Blues were 350-244-74 (.588 points-percentage) in the regular season with Ott behind the bench and made four appearances in the Stanley Cup playoffs, including winning the Cup in 2018-19, just his second season as a coach.
Ott played in 848 NHL games from 2002-17 and had 288 points (109 goals, 179 assists) and 1,555 penalty minutes.
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The Calgary Flames hired current head coach Ryan Huska on June 12, 2023, replacing the former Jack Adams Award winner and Alberta native, Darryl Sutter.
Despite not qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs through his first three seasons as an NHL bench boss, Huska has guided the Flames to a 113-105-28 record through 246 games. With a combined 254 points, Calgary has amassed the 25th-highest point total in the past three seasons.
Interestingly, as news breaks that the Los Angeles Kings have hired Peter Laviolette and the Edmonton Oilers are interested in bringing Mike Babcock back to the NHL, the Flames are the only team in the Pacific Division not to have changed coaches at any point in the past three seasons.
Let's take a look at each team and how much the coaching carousel has spun since the Flames hired Huska, ranked by seniority.
Edmonton Oilers
Current Head Coach: Vacant
Despite reaching the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back seasons in 2024 and 2025, with Kris Knoblauch, the Oilers are looking for their third head coach since 2022.
Los Angeles Kings
Current Head Coach: Peter Laviolette (June 9, 2026)
The Kings have qualified for the playoffs for the past five seasons, all first-round losses. Now, they are searching for their fourth head coach since 2020 after relieving D.J. Smith of his interim duties and naming Laviolette as their new head coach.
Vancouver Canucks
Current Head Coach: Manny Malhorta (June 1, 2026)
After plummeting to the bottom of the NHL standings in 2025-26, the Vancouver Canucks cleaned house, replacing their President, General Manager, and, most recently, hiring Manny Malhorta as their bench boss. This upcoming season will mark the third consecutive year with a new coach.
Vegas Golden Knights
Current Head Coach: John Tortorella (March 29, 2026)
The Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup with former bench boss Bruce Cassidy, who the team relieved of his duties with only eight games left in the 2025-26 season. The organization brought in John Tortorella, who has guided the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final.
Anaheim Ducks
Current Head Coach: Joel Quenneville (May 8, 2025)
After several losing campaigns under Dallas Eakins and Greg Cronin, the Anaheim Ducks made a controversial move by bringing in Joel Quenneville last summer. Surprisingly, the Ducks contended for the Pacific Division title for most of the year and advanced to the second round of this year's playoffs.
Seattle Kraken
Current Head Coach: Lane Lambert (May 29, 2025)
Lane Lambert became the third head coach in the Seattle Kraken's five-year history, guiding them to a sixth-place finish in the Pacific Division during his first year.
San Jose Sharks
Current Head Coach: Ryan Warsofsky (June 13, 2024)
Ryan Warsofky is the second-longest tenured coach in the Pacific Division, having guided the San Jose Sharks since the start of the 2024-25 season. Despite a 59-85-20 record over two seasons, Warsofky has Macklin Celebrini in his lineup, giving him a bona fide superstar. If he stays the course, the Sharks will be a playoff team in no time.
Calgary Flames
Current Head Coach: Ryan Huska (June 13, 2023)
Barring any further coaching changes, Huska will enter the 2026-27 season as the eighth-longest-tenured coach in the NHL. The seven coaches ahead of him, Jon Cooper (2013), Jared Bednar (2016), Rod Brind'Amour (2018), Martin St. Louis (2022), Paul Maurice (2022), Spencer Carbery (2023), and Andrew Brunette (2023), have all guided their clubs to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Huska is now the lone exception, making 2026-27 a potentially pivotal season for both the coach and the Flames organization.
Considering Calgary inked Huska to a two-year extension in October 2025, he's set to guide the club through its rebuild, while pushing core players like Dustin Wolf, Matt Coronato, and Zayne Parekh for career-defining performances for a shot at qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Every organization has that one player who lives somewhere between reality and legend—a name that resurfaces every offseason despite never taking a single NHL shift.
For the Buffalo Sabres, that player is Prokhor Poltapov.
Selected 33rd overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, the Russian winger has spent the entirety of his post-draft career with CSKA Moscow, quietly building a respectable body of work while becoming one of Buffalo's longest-running unanswered questions. Four years after hearing his name called, the intrigue remains as strong as ever, but the window for a long-awaited arrival in Western New York is beginning to narrow.
The Sabres, however, haven't stopped believing.
Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic reported this week that Buffalo continues to monitor the 23-year-old winger and hasn't closed the door on eventually bringing him across the Atlantic.
"He plays a hard, heavy game and is willing to get to the tough areas of the ice, so I imagine he'll be a player Jarmo Kekalainen likes," Fairburn wrote. "The Sabres have remained in contact with him and show interest. But it's hard to know what he will decide to do."
Those final eight words may define Poltapov's entire NHL outlook.
Nobody outside his inner circle truly knows whether testing himself in North America is still part of the plan.
Development Has Reached A Crossroads
Unlike many European prospects who make the jump in their early 20s, Poltapov has chosen continuity, signing a two-year extension with CSKA Moscow that keeps him in the KHL through the 2026-27 season. Buffalo will retain his NHL rights indefinitely, but time has a way of reshaping expectations.
There's also an argument that Poltapov has reached a developmental crossroads.
His last two seasons with CSKA Moscow have been virtually interchangeable, as he followed a 40-point campaign in 2024-25 (17 goals, 23 assists) with another 40-point season in 2025-26, this time finishing with 16 goals and 24 assists while again appearing in all 68 games.
The steadiness speaks to the reliability of his game, but it offers little evidence of the offensive leap many expected from a former second-round pick. For a player approaching his mid-20s, maintaining production is respectable; dramatically increasing it would have done far more to strengthen his NHL case.
That doesn't mean Poltapov couldn't discover another level in Buffalo. A skilled, attack-minded Sabres roster could create more offensive opportunities than he's experienced in Moscow. Still, after multiple years of nearly identical production, it's fair to wonder whether his current ceiling is already coming into focus.
That reality is reflected in outside projections.
HockeyStats.com most recently assigned Poltapov just a two percent chance of becoming a full-time NHL player. It's safe to say that's not all that great of a number.
Buffalo Could Soon Get The Answer It's Been Waiting For
Ironically, the Sabres' roster outlook could create the perfect opening if Poltapov ultimately decides it's time.
Buffalo is scheduled to have seven forwards reach free agency next summer, including unrestricted free agents Jason Zucker, Jordan Greenway, Sam Carrick and Justin Danforth, along with restricted free agents Jack Quinn, Noah Ostlund and Jiri Kulich.
That level of turnover almost guarantees legitimate competition for roster spots entering the 2027-28 season.
From a timing perspective, it may be Poltapov's best opportunity yet.
Rather than trying to force his way onto an established roster, he could arrive during a transitional offseason when meaningful NHL jobs are available. The question is whether that's the role he wants.
If the Sabres envision him strictly as organizational depth capable of moving between Buffalo and Rochester, remaining in Russia could be the more appealing option. If management believes he can compete immediately for a middle-six role, the conversation changes entirely.
The next several months could provide the biggest clue yet.
Poltapov signed his previous extension with CSKA Moscow early in the 2021-22 season. If another long-term agreement materializes this summer or shortly after the new KHL campaign begins, it would be difficult to interpret that as anything other than a commitment to staying overseas.
If negotiations remain quiet, however, anticipation around Buffalo's most fascinating prospect saga will only grow.
For years, Poltapov has occupied a unique place within the Sabres fanbase—a player who has become something of a folk hero without ever wearing the Blue and Gold. Whether he ultimately arrives as a legitimate NHL contributor or remains one of the franchise's great unanswered "what ifs," the next chapter of his story finally appears to be approaching.
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 27 : New Jersey Devils players talk before a face-off during the second period of the NHL regular season game against the Washington Capitals at the Prudential Center on December 27, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Maclean/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
One thing I have always said is that the best ideas for content are stolen, and I am not above going ahead and stealing other people’s ideas and ultimately making them my own.
I admire the work Sean McIndoe, better known on the internet as Down Goes Brown, puts out. One of my favorite recurring themes from him are the “best rosters” you can build under certain parameters. It might be the “best snubs” or “which number yields the best lineup” or “best roster of players who never played together”. He’s really good at finding a specific set of qualifiers, pumping out 3000 words, and letting people in the comments try to come up with their own.
A few weeks ago, he put out an article on each team’s best lineup of players who never won the Stanley Cup with them. For the Devils, it’s an interesting challenge since most of the greatest players in franchise history won at least one championship with the Devils.
Here are the ground rules he established.
• We want a six-man roster featuring three forwards, two defensemen and a goalie. Beyond that, position doesn’t matter. Active players are allowed as long as they’re not still playing in this year’s playoffs (since all those guys could win the Cup in a few weeks).
• For teams that have moved, we’ll count the entire franchise history across different markets, with the obvious exception that the Jets are the Jets.
• A team gets credit for whatever a player did on that team, but not elsewhere. The Blues can’t do the Martin Brodeur/Wayne Gretzky shortcut here. Ideally, we want both a strong peak and some longevity.
• To be clear, “no Cup” means a player was never part of a Cup-winning playoff run. Think rings, not necessarily suiting up in the deciding game. It’s fine if a player won the Cup elsewhere, as long as they didn’t do it on this team.
Sean’s Devils lineup was as follows.
Forwards: Kirk Muller, Jack Hughes, Aaron Broten Defense: Joe Cirella, Andy Greene Goalie: Cory Schneider
I’d agree with those choices. However, there are two things I am that Sean might not be. I am a completionist, and I am sick in the head.
So why stop there with a six man lineup? Let’s build a full 23 man roster, include healthy scratches, as well as a head coach and general manager.
Here is the best Devils team to never win a Stanley Cup with them. Which is not to be mistaken with “the best Devils team to not win the Stanley Cup”, as the 2000-2001 Devils (arguably the greatest Devils team ever assembled) has that title on lockdown.
Unlike Sean, I will at least attempt to consider a player’s handedness and what position he primarily played when coming up with lines and pairings, although I’ll take liberties where I need to since this is my team at the end of the day. I’ll try to make the lines make sense on paper in terms of who could play with who, although that might get tricky the further down the lineup we get. I will also at least attempt to come up with players who can play in all situations, so there will be some players on my fake team who can kill penalties or can play a passable fourth line role.
First Line | Ilya Kovalchuk – Jack Hughes – Jesper Bratt
You knew Hughes and Bratt would appear somewhere on this fake team as they represent the modern era of Devils hockey. Hopefully, they are still around the next time the Devils win the Stanley Cup, if for no other reason than somebody can take this article and call me a big dumb idiot for saying they never won the Cup in New Jersey.
One of the recurring themes of Jack Hughes’s time in New Jersey has been finding the scoring winger who can pump in goals and finish all of those brilliant feeds that either he or Bratt set them up with. We have seen plenty of Ondrej Palat over the last few years not be able to do that, and while Connor Brown has certainly held his own playing with Hughes and Bratt, I feel like we can do better.
Where better to turn to than one of the great goal scorers of his era in Ilya Kovalchuk?
Kovalchuk didn’t spend a ton of time in New Jersey as he “retired” after the 2012-13 season. But he did put the puck in the back of the net as well as anyone outside of Alexander Ovechkin from his era. His 443 goals in 926 NHL games is a remarkable feat, and one can’t help but wonder “what might have been” if he didn’t leave for the KHL for five seasons while he was still in the middle of his prime. We’d be talking about a guy who is probably a first-ballot Hockey Hall of Famer.
Of the three players, Kovalchuk came the closest to winning the Stanley Cup as a key member of the Devils team in 2011-12 that fell to the Los Angeles Kings in six games in the Cup Final. Kovalchuk was sensational during that run with 8 goals and 11 assists in 23 playoff games. To this day, he still has arguably the most beautiful power play goal in Devils history in Game Six of the 2012 Eastern Conference Final. Unfortunately, a back injury he sustained in the playoffs caught up with him once the Cup Final rolled around and the Devils were unable to finish the job.
Second Line | Kirk Muller – Nico Hischier – Zach Parise
We can go ahead and call this one the captain’s line, as all three men served as Devils captain at some point.
Parise came the closest of the three to winning a Stanley Cup with the Devils as he captained the aforementioned 2012 team before departing in free agency that summer. Meanwhile, Muller is the only one of the three who has actually won the Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, he did it as a member of the 1992-93 Montreal Canadiens and none of these men know what it’s like to celebrate in the parking lot of the Meadowlands or with a parade through downtown Newark or whatever the Devils will wind up doing the next time they win a championship. It’s not exactly clear what their plan would be.
At least Muller was part of the trade that brought Stephane Richer and Tom Chorske to New Jersey. Both of those players wound up being part of the first Devils team that ultimately brought the Stanley Cup to the Garden State in 1995.
Third Line | Taylor Hall – Travis Zajac – Pat Verbeek
Hall stats with NJD: 211 games, 76 goals, 132 assists, 208 points
This third line has a little bit of everything. Speed, skill, defensive prowess, and physicality. Not to mention Verbeek having one of the great nicknames in NHL history with him being “the little ball of hate”
Hall’s time in NJ was short as he only spent 3.5 seasons here. But he authored arguably the greatest season by an individual player in Devils history with his Hart Trophy campaign in 2017-18, almost single-handedly carrying an otherwise mediocre Devils squad to the playoffs. The Devils would fall in five games to a more experienced Tampa Bay Lightning team in the first round. Hall is currently playing in the Stanley Cup Final with the Carolina Hurricanes, so it remains to be seen if he can get his name etched on the Cup this year.
Zajac nearly spent his entire career in New Jersey before a late-career trade that sent him and Kyle Palmieri to the Islanders for one last run at the Stanley Cup. It didn’t work out for Zajac with the Islanders, and having been drafted in 2004, he missed out on being a part of the Devils teams in the late 90s and early 00s that did win. Zajac is another member of the 2012 team that came close but came up short, and while his offensive stats were a bit underwhelming, he carved out a good career as a defensively responsible, two-way forward who can play in all situations.
Meanwhile, Verbeek was a fixture on the 80s Devils teams that introduced the Garden State to the NHL. He, like Muller and a few other names on this list, were members of the 1988 team that made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and ultimately went on a run to the Conference Final before losing in seven games to the Bruins. Verbeek was the Devils franchise leader in goals scored when he was traded in 1989 to the Hartford Whalers, and he ultimately went on to win a Stanley Cup late in his career as a player with the Dallas Stars in 1999.
Fourth Line | Aaron Broten – Adam Henrique – Dainius Zubrus
Aaron Broten, the only forward from this team who also spent time with the Colorado Rockies prior to the move to New Jersey, is still among the franchise leaders in assists and points, sitting at 10th in both categories. His inclusion on the roster is mandatory, and while he never won the Cup in his playing career, at least his brother Neal Broten did as a member of the 1994-95 Devils.
Henrique and Zubrus both came close with the Devils in 2012. Henrique finished third in the Calder voting that season with a still-career high 51 points, and much like Zajac, he carved out a solid career as a defensively responsible center who can play in all situations. Henrique has also come close to winning a Stanley Cup the last few years with the Edmonton Oilers, but those teams ultimately came up short against the eventual champion Florida Panthers.
Zubrus might not be as flashy offensively as many of the other names on this fake roster, but I did want to add a little more size, sandpaper, puck possession and versatility to this roster. After coming over in free agency prior to the 2007-08 season, Zubrus was a fixture in the Devils lineup through the end of the 2014-15 season.
Extra Forwards | Patrik Sundstrom – Dave Andreychuk
Sundstrom, who came over to the Devils in 1987 via trade, authored arguably the greatest single-game performance in Devils history with three goals and five assists in the Devils 10-4 win over the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of the Patrick Division Final in 1988. That feat broke Wayne Gretzky’s playoff record of seven points, which he did three times, and has only been matched once since by Mario Lemieux the following season.
Meanwhile, Andreychuk has the dubious distinction of being on the Devils rosters between their championship runs in 1995 and 2000. At least the Hockey Hall of Famer picked up a championship late in his career as a member of the 2004 Tampa Bay Lightning.
First Defensive Pairing | Andy Greene – Dougie Hamilton
Hamilton stats with NJD: 305 games, 57 goals, 142 assists, 199 points
Andy Greene worked his way from being undrafted and just looking to get a chance in the NHL to becoming a top-pairing defensive defenseman and captain of the Devils. He was a minutes-munching, shot blocking defender who often had the hardest matchups on any given night. He was never much of an offensive defenseman, but he was capable of chipping in the occasional goal here and there. Greene is another member of the 2012 team that came up short.
Meanwhile, Hamilton is the compliment who would generate offensively on this pairing. He sits seventh among Devils defensemen in franchise history in points despite playing by far the fewest games, and with two years remaining on his contract, he has a chance to eventually pass Greene and Damon Severson if he isn’t traded at some point between now and then. Much like the rest of the modern-era Devils, the closest Hamilton has come to a Stanley Cup in New Jersey was their second round defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2023.
Second Defensive Pairing | Paul Martin – Joe Cirella
Martin stats with NJD: 400 games, 26 goals, 137 assists, 163 points
Martin may be the only player on this roster who was technically part of the organization when they won the Stanley Cup. He was drafted in 2000, but didn’t debut with the Devils until the 2003-04 season….after they won their third and final championship.
In a lot of ways, Martin represented the archetype of what most NHL teams want from their blueline these days. He was a smooth skater who made smart decisions with the puck to help his team break out of the defensive zone. He was reliable. He was capable of playing tough minutes. And for the Devils, he was a fixture on their blueline for the late 00s teams before departing in free agency in 2010. Unfortunately for Martin, he also missed out on the Penguins Stanley Cup championship squads as well.
Cirella, a former 5th overall pick by the Colorado Rockies in 1981, came with the team to New Jersey when they relocated in 1982. He played eight seasons in New Jersey and was part of the 1988 roster that reached the conference final. Cirella was traded to the Quebec Nordiques and also played for the Rangers, Panthers, and Senators before retiring in 1996.
Third Defensive Pairing | Bryce Salvador – Damon Severson
Salvador stats with NJD: 339 games, 8 goals, 39 assists, 47 points
Salvador came to the Devils in 2007 via a trade with the Blues that sent Cam Janssen the other way. At his peak, he was a reliable defensive defenseman, and for a brief stretch in 2012 that I still don’t comprehend, he was an offensive force in the 2012 playoff run with 4 goals and 10 assists in 24 playoff games. He was named Devils captain after Zach Parise departed in free agency. Unfortunately, injuries slowed him down in his later years and he retired at the end of the 2014-15 season. He has been a part of the MSG Devils broadcasts ever since.
Severson debuted with the Devils in 2014-15 and was a fixture as their top pairing RHD for most of the nine seasons he played in Newark. He was part of the Devils playoff teams in 2018 and 2023 before ultimately leaving the franchise as part of a sign-and-trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets that summer.
It might feel premature to put Luke Hughes on this roster, as he has only played three full NHL seasons.
That said, he’s already 13th among Devils defensemen in franchise history in terms of career points, and every player in front of him on the list either won a championship with the Devils somewhere along the way or they’re already on this roster, so the inclusion of the youngest Hughes brother is justifiable.
Taking Luke Hughes over players who have played more games like Jonas Siegenthaler, Adam Larsson, Lyle Odelein, or Randy Velischek might be future-proofing the roster a little bit, but Luke is signed for the foreseeable future. Barring injuries, he should be in the Top 10 of games played and Top 5 for points among defensemen by the time his contract is up.
Schneider stats with NJD: 115-113-50 record, .915 save percentage, 2.50 GAA
Blackwood stats with NJD: 65-57-18 record, .906 save percentage, 2.97 GAA
Cory Schneider, who joined the Devils via trade in 2013, holds both the dubious distinction of trying to replace a legend in Martin Brodeur and being the lone bright spot on some dreadful hockey teams in the mid 2010s. I’ve often said Schneider is the right goaltender for the wrong era, as I wish the Devils had some sort of time machine where they could pluck him out of 2013 and drop him onto the modern day roster.
Schneider is right there with Chris Terreri in either 2nd or 3rd place in every major statistical category behind Brodeur in franchise history, but since Terreri was on the 1995 team, that makes him ineligible for this exercise. Schneider is 3rd in wins, 3rd in losses, 4th in goals against, 2nd in shots against, 2nd in saves, 1st in save percentage, 3rd in goals against average, 2nd in shutouts, and 2nd in minutes. Schneider was a member of the 2018 team that made the playoffs, and the closest he came to winning a Stanley Cup championship was with the Vancouver Canucks in 2011 when they fell in Game 7 to the Boston Bruins.
I considered going with Chico Resch as the backup, but his stats as a Devil pale in comparison to Blackwood, even considering the different eras both players played in. Blackwood was drafted in 2015, debuted in the 2018-19 season, and played parts of five years in New Jersey. After a strong couple seasons, his stats and performance gradually decreased thanks in part to injuries. He was part of the 2022-23 Devils roster that made the playoffs but his inconsistencies led to him being benched in favor of Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid for that run. He was sent to San Jose via trade and has since landed in Colorado where he is part of the tandem with another former Devils goaltender Scott Wedgewood. Colorado fell short in their quest to hoist the Cup this year, but there’s always next year.
General Manager | Ray Shero
Win LossRecord with NJD: 171-168-38
Your general manager options with the Devils are extremely limited, which is to be expected when Lou Lamoriello held the post for 28 seasons. Bill MacMillan, Max McNab, and the Rockies GMs all predate me, and Sunny Mehta was literally just named to the position, so as far as I’m concerned, it’s between Shero and Tom Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald held the position longer, and technically had more success since his Devils got farther than Shero’s did. But I gave Shero the edge for a few reasons. The Devils typically drafted better under Shero than they did under Fitzgerald. That might be skewed a little bit as the Devils had two #1 overall picks under Shero but other draft successes like Jesper Bratt, Yegor Sharangovich, and Arseny Gritsyuk are on Shero’s record.
But I also generally thought that Shero’s trades were better than Fitzgerald’s. Trading picks for Kyle Palmieri and Marcus Johansson. Trading Adam Larsson for Taylor Hall. Adding Patrick Maroon at the deadline in 2018. Selling high on Lee Stempniak after bringing him in as a PTO. In a vacuum, I liked Shero’s moves more than Fitzgerald’s.
Shero never could figure out how to build a blueline, which ultimately was his undoing in New Jersey. But given the limited options, I think he’s the easy choice here.
Head Coach | Peter DeBoer
Win Loss Record with NJD: 114-93-41
The Devils have had a lot of head coaches in their history. Thirty one to be exact, counting interims and counting the interim coaching cerberus of Lou Lamoriello, Adam Oates, and Scott Stevens in 2015 as one under the label of “NJD Bench”.
Lamoriello had a tendency to have an itchy trigger finger and make a change behind the bench if he didn’t like what he was seeing from his team, which partially explains so many short tenures of one or two seasons. So lets roll with one of the longer tenured head coaches who didn’t win a Cup with the Devils in Pete DeBoer.
Hired in 2012, DeBoer immediately helped lead the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final that season before falling to the LA Kings. Unfortunately for DeBoer, he oversaw a Devils team that was effectively at the end of their competitive cycle afterwards. Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk left in consecutive offseasons with the Devils getting nothing in return for either player. The final links to the dynasty years in Patrik Elias and Martin Brodeur were aging. Years of trading futures combined with poor draft picks left the prospect cupboard bare. DeBoer did what he could to keep the Devils competitive, but the wheels finally fell off in 2015. DeBoer was fired, and the Devils began an inevitable rebuild from scratch.
DeBoer has gone on to a successful coaching career with San Jose, Vegas, and Dallas, and he did reach the Stanley Cup Final once again in 2016, but a Stanley Cup championship has remained elusive for him. The Islanders hired him late last season to replace Patrick Roy, so time will tell if DeBoer once again lead a franchise to the precipice of a title.
Final Thoughts
After writing roughly 3500 words on the matter, my one main takeaway from this exercise is that there’s definitely a bit of a modern slant to this list, but I think that’s also to be expected.
The Devils relocated to New Jersey in 1982 and won their first title in 1995. There was a span of four and two seasons between their three championship runs, and there have been 22 seasons since their last championship. Even if I count the Colorado Rockies/Kansas City Scouts era, there’s more runway on the backend than there is on the frontend in terms of a title drought. And with all due respect to the Rockies/Scouts era teams, I’m ill equipped to talk extensively about dreadful hockey teams and the players on them when they primarily played before I was born.
I don’t know that there’s really any glaring omissions though I’m sure if there are, you’ll let me know in the comments. I considered Kyle Palmieri but I didn’t think it made sense to include him over some of the other players from his era. I considered Brendan Shanahan but he was only here for five years and wasn’t very productive for two of them. I would guess Hall and/or Kovalchuk might be the most controversial selections, but Hall did win an MVP here and Kovalchuk was a key member of a team that came close to winning a championship, so I felt they needed to be included.
The one player that might be considered to be a glaring omission is Slava Fetisov. He did not win a championship with the Devils as a player, as he was traded midway through the 1994-95 season and just missed out on that first Devils championship team. The reason why I omitted him was because he was an assistant coach with the 2000 team, so he technically was a part of a Devils championship team, making him ineligible. And as far as I’m concerned, there’s enough of a difference between that and Paul Martin technically being in the organization but not on the team to include the latter, but not the former.
At the end of the day, it’s my list. Make your own if you feel so inclined in the comments. I’m not going to stop you.
With dancing feet, Lawrence pushes into the offside to reach another fifty – off just 35 balls. He’s averaging an incredible 80.88 at the moment, with four hundreds. And every time he has reached fifty this season, he’s gone on to three figures. Hampshire might just have to grin and bear it.
Sibley and Lawrence are very eager between the wickets now – the 50 partnership comes up in a rapid 53 balls and, with another quick single, there’s another fifty for Sibley – his second of the season, to go with his two centuries.
Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal scored for a fourth straight game on Tuesday night, giving his team a 3-1 lead at 12:48 of the first period on the power play.
With that goal, Staal became the first player to accomplish that feat since New York Islanders legend Mike Bossy scored in four straight Stanley Cup Final games agains the Vancouver Canucks in 1982.
Bossy went on to score seven goals in the 1982 Stanley Cup Finals, tying Montreal Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau's 1956 record for most goals in a final series.
The Islanders swept the Canucks for their third straight Championship, officially being labeled a dynasty.
