The Buffalo Sabres, as with many clubs looking to gain entry to the playoffs or advance further in the postseason, face a number of options depending how the dominoes fall leading up to the start of free agency. Some of those potential options were mentioned by The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta on a Thursday podcast.
Along with the revealed trade requests of Detroit’s Dylan Larkin and Edmonton’s Darnell Nurse, Pagnotta reports of unconfirmed reports that multiple Vezina Trophy winner and Olympic gold medal winner Connor Hellebuyck may be looking to play elsewhere. The 33-year-old has five years remaining on an eight-year deal at $8.5 million.
Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen said at his season-ending media availability that he was content with the three-headed monster of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Colten Ellis and Alex Lyon, but the inconsistency of UPL and Lyon in the playoffs was a big factor in Buffalo’s second round loss to Montreal. The cost for Hellebuyck would likely be prohibitive, which may prevent the Sabres from being serious challengers, but Kekalainen could be willing to investigate other possibilities on the goalie market.
What possible options do the Sabres have if Alex Tuch leaves
Pagnotta reiterated reports from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman earlier in the week that the is a gap between what the Sabres are willing to offer and what winger Alex Tuch is looking for. He went further to say that if the two sides were close, the deal would get done.
The 30-year-old is expected to draw the most attention on July 1 and is reportedly looking for more than $10 million per season on a long-term deal. The Sabres have only $12.9 million in available cap space this summer, and might have to make other moves to clear cap room if they wanted to re-sign Tuch. If Kekalainen does not trade his negotiating rights or do a sign-and-trade at or around the NHL Draft later this month, the Sabres could lose one of their top forwards without any kind of return.
Coming off an impressive showing in the playoffs, the speculation regarding a trade involving defenseman Owen Power has quieted, but if the Sabres lose Tuch in free agency, some clubs reportedly have kicked tires on the 2021 top overall pick to see what it would take to acquire him.
Joining Schaefer is Montreal Canadien's Ivan Demidov, Anaheim Ducks' Beckett Sennecek, St. Louis Blues' Jimmy Snuggerud, Carolina Hurricanes' Alexander Nikishin and Montreal Canadiens' Jakob Dobes:
Schaefer, the first unanimous Calder Memorial Trophywinner since 1992-93, rewrote the League’s record book for production by an 18-year-old defenseman with 23-36—59 across 82 games. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, Schaefer became the youngest blueliner in NHL history to register a point in his League debut, the youngest player (at any position) in NHL history to score an overtime goal and the first defenseman in more than 90 years to lead rookies (outright or tied) in goals. His 23 goals matched the single-season NHL record for a rookie blueliner (of any age), while his goal and point totals surpassed Phil Housley (17-40—57 in 1982-83 w/ BUF) for the most by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history. Schaefer, who placed fifth among rookies in plus/minus (+13), achieved these feats while topping New York and all NHL rookies with 2,023:59 of total time on ice – more than 500 minutes ahead of the next-closest rookie in 2025-26 and the second-highest figure by any rookie since the statistic began being tracked in 1997-98. Schaefer is the third defenseman in Islanders history who has been selected to the All-Rookie Team, following fellow Calder Trophy winner Bryan Berard (1996-97) as well as Vladimir Malakhov (1992-93).
While they didn’t quite make this list, two Vancouver Canucks rookies received votes for this season’s All-Rookie NHL Team.
For forwards, Linus Karlsson came ninth in voting throughout the NHL with one point, finishing behind Montréal Canadiens forward Oliver Kapanen. Zeev Buium finished third among defencemen with nine points total, with Cole Hutson (Washington Capitals), Yan Kuznetsov (Calgary Flames), and Axel Sandin-Pellikka (Detroit Red Wings) all finishing in fourth behind him.
Despite this not being his first stint in the NHL, Karlsson experienced a breakout during the 2025–26 season — the first in which he played more than 25 games. He scored a career-high of 15 goals and 20 assists in 79 games, finishing the season tied with Marco Rossi for fifth on the team in points. At the beginning of January, he signed a two-year deal worth $2.25M AAV.
Buium’s journey with the Canucks began when he was traded to Vancouver in the Quinn Hughes deal conducted with the Minnesota Wild. In his first game as a Canuck, he scored both the game-winning goal and an assist to defeat the New Jersey Devils by a score of 2–1. He finished the 2025–26 season with three goals and nine assists in 45 games with Vancouver and a grand total of six goals and 20 assists on the season.
The 2026 NHL All-Rookie Team features Ivan Demidov (Montréal), Beckett Sennecke (Anaheim Ducks), and Jimmy Snuggerud (St. Louis Blues), defencemen Matthew Schaefer (New York Islanders) and Alexander Nikishin (Carolina Hurricanes), and goaltender Jakub Dobeš (Montréal).
Dec 16, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Vancouver Canucks center Linus Karlsson (94) and defenseman Zeev Buium (24) fight for the puck against New York Rangers defenseman Matthew Robertson (29) and left wing Will Cuylle (50) during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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Matthew Schaefer continues to rack up accolades from his spectacular rookie season.
Schaefer already took home the Calder Trophy unanimously a few weeks ago, and now he’s become the first defenseman in Islanders history to crack the NHL All-Rookie Team.
The youngster is one of six skaters to earn the honors, as voted on by the PHWA.
He’s also the sixth player in franchise history to crack the team -- joining David Volek (1989), John Tavares (2010), Michael Grabner (2011) and Mathew Barzal (2018).
Schaefer completely took the league by storm, sliding in seamlessly on the backend for New York after being selected with the top pick in last year’s NHL draft.
He set the franchise record for average time on ice by an 18-year-old (24:41).
Schaefer also broke the Islanders' record for the most goals (23), points (59), power-play goals (8), overtime goals (4), and game-winning goals (4) by a rookie defenseman.
The summer hasn't really even begun, but the Edmonton Oilers have made a mockery of what dates have passed by in this NHL offseason. From their coaching search, to their coaching changes, and now a very public trade narrative unfolding with Darnell Nurse, this is a summer that will go down as one of the most embarrassing in franchise history.
Understanding that there is plenty of time for the Oilers to course correct, or frankly, make things a whole lot worse, let's rank what's happened to date.
At the end of a disappointing season, general manager Stan Bowman said that the Oilers would reevaluate everything. From top to bottom, it was time to look inward and figure out what went wrong. Why did this Oilers team take a step back?
That would include a review of management, the coaching staff, and the roster. What wasn't known until later, was that the Oilers had already started looking into changing out the coach. They inquired about an interview with former Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy while the playoffs were ongoing. The most ruthless team in the NHL said, 'Nope, not right now.'
When it became public, the Oilers decided to fire Kris Knoblauch before his new three-year contract had even kicked in. Bowman wouldn't confirm his specific interest in another coach, but did say that it was time for a different voice. Without coming right out and saying it, the Oilers hinted that talking to other candidates while you still had your coach employed was standard practice, and technically, it is. The problem? Edmonton didn't do a good job of keeping it under wraps.
In fact, we later learned that they were allegedly the ones to leak Vegas' refusal.
#4: Interesting Names Surface During Oilers Coaching Search
Now, without a head coach and with no guarantee the Oilers would get a chance to talk to Cassidy -- who, by the way, was telegraphed as "the guy," which meant a huge contract would have to follow if hired -- the Oilers started speaking to multiple coaching candidates.
Among them, Craig Berube, formerly of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Berube had just been fired by a team who performed much worse than the Oilers, and his numbers were abysmal in 2025-26. He was linked, almost solely because he'd won a Stanley Cup with the Blues and was a local guy who would have loved the opportunity to coach the Oilers. Of course the optics of hiring a Leafs coach with a bad record of not getting along with elite talent was not ideal.
At the same time, word leaked from Elliotte Friedman that John Tortorella might be a name to watch. His contract with Vegas would be done on June 30th and he was the kind of personality the Oilers might be looking to hire (commands respect and pushes players). And wouldn't you know it, around the same time, Tortorella refused to show up for a media obligation and was fined, with the Golden Knights penalized a draft pick by the NHL.
There's even been talk the Oilers spoke with Jim Hiller, and now there's speculation that Darryl Sutter might be in play.
#3: Kelly McCrimmon Blames Oilers For Cassidy Leak
Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon was on TSN OverDrive and said the Bruce Cassidy news wouldn't have been news if Edmonton hadn't leaked it. His allegation was that the Oilers were the ones who made Vegas' refusal to grant an interview public, hinting that the PR linked to that decision might pressure the Golden Knights into changing their minds.
While it's not been confirmed, it seems odd that McCrimmon would allege such a thing without knowing it was true. This was egg on the face of the Oilers. Not only did their plan backfire, but it backed them into a corner with Knoblauch, requiring they let him go and removing a ton of leverage they might have had in any coaching hire, not just with Cassidy.
All the while, Cassidy publicly says he wants to talk to any and all interested teams. He's not just eyeing Edmonton, but he's coming across as desperate to get back into the league as a coach.
Players ask for trades in the NHL. It happens. However, the Oilers got a trade request from defenseman Darnell Nurse because he became well aware they no longer wanted him. He beat Edmonton to the punch by submitting a list of three to five teams he'd go to, preemptively sparking what is going to be a trade the Oilers are unlikely to win.
Not only will the Oilers have to try and find a way to move his long-term $9.25 million contract, but they'll need to do so while he's got control over where he goes. All the while, the leadership group who wanted Nurse to be part of their success if they ever win a Stanley Cup won't experience it, or have to win it elsewhere.
There's no way that Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman and others are happy about how this all went down. Nurse was solid, but overpaid defenseman. It wasn't his fault the Oilers walked themselves into his contract.
#1: Oilers Pursue Mike Babcock, Investigation Begins
Clearly ranking in the top spot for most embarrassing is the Oilers' pursuit of Mike Babcock. After everything with Cassidy, Edmonton turned to one of the most controversial coaching options available, even though the optics of it are terrible.
Seemingly abandoning their interest in Cassidy, it's reported that the Oilers leadership group spoke with the former Blue Jackets coach and grilled him about what happened there. Either they were good with his answers or he didn't tell them everything, because they walked away thinking, "This is our guy."
Almost immediately, reports emerge of additional, previously unknown allegations tied to Babcock—serious enough to involve the NHLPA and the NHL. The NHLPA is not good with just letting Babcock come back, and they want the dropped investigation from 2023 to resume.
Now, the Oilers are waiting on word, with no idea how long it will take for the NHL to conclude its investigation or what it'll find. Again, Edmonton has telegraphed their move and has come across as so desperate to win and be pushed, they're willing to do so by a former coach that was exiled and still has players who can't stand him, many of whom might avoid the Oilers in free agency or via trade if he's hired.
Even NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh has chimed in during an interiew with @SiriusXMNHL, saying "managers and owners hire head coaches, not the players." That puts Edmonton's leadership group in a tough spot with other members of the players' association.
The Buffalo Sabres could be on the hunt for some forward help this summer. This is especially so if they are unable to re-sign top pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) forward Alex Tuch.
When looking at players who can hit the market on July 1, Boston Bruins forward Viktor Arvidsson could be an interesting player for the Sabres to bring in on a short-term deal.
Arvidsson showed this season with the Bruins that he can still make an impact. In 69 games this season with the Bruins, he posted 25 goals, 29 assists, 54 points, and a plus-20 rating. With numbers like these, he would have the potential to be a nice addition to the Sabres' middle six and power play if signed.
Arvidsson's experience also adds to his appeal, as he has played in 91 career playoff games. With the Sabres being a team on the rise looking to contenders, bringing in a veteran who has been on multiple long playoff runs like Arvidsson could interest them.
Ultimately, if Arvidsson hits the market on July 1 and the Sabres are unable to bring back Tuch, the Bruins winger could make sense for them to bring in on a short-term. Yet, even if Tuch stays, Arvidsson could be good to have around in a third-line role for more secondary scoring.
This year, the Montreal Canadiens will have the 28th overall pick in the first round of the NHL draft; had it not been for the Ottawa Senators’ penalty stemming from their Evgenii Dadonov trade, they would have been 29th. What are they likely to do with the pick? History suggests they are likely to move it.
Kent Hughes has said that his team’s run to the Eastern Conference Final won’t change the Canadiens’ course of action; they want to stick to the plan. Ever since the plan started, though, the Habs GM has been active on the draft floor (even when there wasn’t really a draft floor).
Some will tell you that trading picks in a rebuild is not a sound strategy, but it always depends on the return. Draft picks are essentially a gamble; you don’t know if the player you pick will even make it to the NHL, even first-round picks are not guaranteed to make it. When he used a draft pick to acquire Kirby Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks, he did it to get a 21-year-old who had already proven he could play in the league and fit in with his projected core age-wise. He couldn’t know at that stage that the pick he traded to the Hawks would become Frank Nazar and how the young center would pan out. Of course, he still used his own first pick to get Juraj Slafkovsky.
Fast forward a year later, and on the eve of the draft, he traded one of his first-round picks, a second-round pick, and Gianni Fairbrother for 22-year-old Alex Newhook from the Colorado Avalanche. Another young forward who had proven he could play in the show and fit in age-wise. Even though he traded one pick, he used his own pick to draft right-shot blueliner David Reinbacher.
Then, in 2024, the Canadiens used their own pick to draft Ivan Demidov and then traded the Winnipeg Jets' first-round pick (which they got for Sean Monahan), a second-round pick and a seventh-round pick to move up from the 26th overall pick to the 21st overall pick because they had their heart set on Michael Hage. That was the first draft in which Hughes used more than one first-round pick.
Finally, in 2025, the Canadiens held the 16th and 17th overall picks but used both to acquire Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders. That marked a shift in strategy. After his team made the playoffs, Hughes thought it was time to fix some needs, even if it wasn’t with very young players, not that Dobson was old; he was still just 25 years old, but he was a proven first-pair defenseman. The price tag was hefty: two first-round picks and Emil Heineman, but it was worth it. Dobson had already played through his ELC and a bridge deal, and wanted to sign a long-term deal, but not with the Islanders. He asked to be traded, and, looking at the Canadiens, he decided they were a team worth committing to in the long term. Even if the Habs didn’t pick in the first round, they traded up in the second round to swoop in and select Alexander Zharovsky, who was the man they had their eye on in the first round in any case.
Now, as the league prepares to crown its champions, the Canadiens stopped playing only a couple of weeks ago. They made a deep run in the playoffs, and it's fair to say that the Dobson trade panned out. Hughes and Jeff Gorton didn’t even make it to the combine this season. Montreal still has needs to address: a second-line center and another right-shot defenseman. This time, the Habs only have one first-round pick, and to get what they need, they may need to shell out more than that. Thankfully, they still have their first-round pick for the next three drafts as well and a full cupboard of prospects. The 28th overall pick isn’t guaranteed to make the NHL, and the young Canadiens are maturing. Captain Nick Suzuki will be 27 in a couple of months. The core is getting a little bit older.
You can expect Hughes to work the phones and work them hard. The Canadiens are sticking to the plan, but it's no longer about asset accumulation; it’s about addressing needs and adding players to the core, players that, like Dobson, will be ready to pitch in now, not in two, three or four years. Unless Hughes cannot find a player who fills a particular need, don’t expect the Tricolore to speak in the first round. If everything goes according to plan, you’ll hear Gary Bettman say, “We have a trade to announce,” and if he utters those six words, you’ll know Hughes and Gorton have done it again; they’ve found a way to improve their team immediately.
The New York Islanders continue their hunt to add scoring to their top-six, while not wanting to sacrifice any major prospects close to their NHL debuts.
That hasn't stopped rampant rumors about St. Louis Blues star forward Jordan Kyrou from spreading like wildfire across the Islanders' world.
Kyrou, who holds a full no-trade clause, is reportedly willing to waive it for the Islanders.
.@jprutherford was asked in his latest mailbag where he thought Jordan Kyrou (full NTC) would be willing to go.
The interesting part isn't that he mentioned the #Isles.
Kyrou, 28, is signed through the 2031 season at an annual cap hit of $8.125 million.
That 2031 end date is important. It's the same season that Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat are signed through. Kyrou fits their window perfectly, along with the Islanders' clear intention to remain, at a baseline, heavily competitive as Matthew Schaefer continues to develop.
The conversation around Kyrou often, and justifiably so, revolves around his offensive capabilities.
Kyrou scores 30+ goals annually, doing so in three straight seasons from 2022-23 through 24-25.
This year, as the Blues had a poor showing and were the center of all trade rumors around the deadline, Kyrou struggled.
The usual 30-goal man struggled this season, posting a low 18-goal, 46-point campaign in 72 games.
Those two figures are his lowest since 2020-21, when he played 55 games as a 22-year-old.
What those stats don't show is Kyrou's defensive impacts.
Kyrou is one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL, finishing 26th in Selke Trophy voting this year and earning as high as a second-place vote for the prestigious award.
It's the second straight season Kyrou's received votes for the Selke Trophy.
Kyrou often played with Brayden Schenn in a role where not only would the line produce well, but they'd also be tasked with shutting down the opponent's best lines.
Just like Barzal, that part of his game is often shushed down and wildly underrated across the league.
Kyrou's ability to dominate defensively is just another reason why he's beyond an ideal fit for the Islanders.
The Islanders struggled mightily defensively down the stretch, ultimately costing them their season.
Not only would Kyrou add that needed scoring punch, but he'd also be a phenomenal help defensively for New York.
The Buffalo Sabres have multiple pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) heading into the summer. One of them is defenseman Logan Stanley.
The Sabres acquired Stanley along with Luke Schenn from the Winnipeg Jets ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline to add to their defensive depth. Stanley ended up playing in 17 regular-season games for the Sabres following the trade, where he had five assists, 14 hits, and 29 penalty minutes. He also suited up for eight playoff games for the Sabres, where he had zero points and 19 penalty minutes.
While Stanley had a pretty quiet finish to the season with the Sabres, it is still quite likely that he is going to land a notable raise this off-season with his next deal. That remains the case if he ends up re-signing with the Sabres or testing free agency.
Stanley is coming off a career year, as he posted new career highs with nine goals, 17 assists, and 26 points. This increase in offensive production, even if it was primarily with the Jets, should help Stanley's value if he tests free agency. This is especially so when noting that he is one of the top left-shot defensemen who can hit the market on July 1.
Teams are also always willing to pay big hard-nosed defenseman, and the 6-foot-7 Stanley fits that description. With this, he has the potential to generate a ton of interest this summer if he tests free agency. With the Sabres having more important players to re-sign, it seems more likely than not that Stanley won't be back in Buffalo next season.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 09: Mark Stone #61 of the Vegas Golden Knights shoots on Brandon Bussi #32 of the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period in Game Four of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on June 09, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The NHL is a copycat league, or at least that’s what all the talking heads around the game of hockey tell us. Whoever wins the Stanley Cup instantly becomes the template for every other franchise to use for their own advancement. This is something us Devils fans know all too well, as while it’s never been fully confirmed, it seems pretty safe to say at this point that former general manager Tom Fitzgerald chased grit and physicality after two specific things happened in 2024. First, the Devils had a woefully disappointing 2023-24 season in which they missed the playoffs the season after setting a franchise record in points and winning a playoff round. And second, the Florida Panthers, one year after marching all the way to the Stanley Cup Final but falling short against the Vegas Golden Knights, got over the hump and won a title of their own a couple months after New Jersey wrapped up their miserable campaign.
Now, chasing elements such as grit and physicality is not inherently a bad thing. But the problem was that Fitzgerald took his team in that direction at the expense of other key traits, such as speed and skill. The Devils got traditionally “tougher to play against”, except the scoreboard often indicated that they were not, in fact, tougher to play against. But Fitzgerald saw the Panthers reach soaring heights playing an extremely physical and aggressive style of hockey with players that were big and strong and mean (and, let’s be honest, dirty), and decided that his own team needed to just copy that. After all, if the champs are doing it, then it must be the correct way, right?
Well the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche played an entirely different style than the Panthers, and they combined to win three straight Cups from 2020-2022. It’s not like those teams completely lacked toughness and physicality, it’s just that those were secondary elements to their more important traits like speed and skill. It seemed as though the Devils started to copy that identity for a bit, culminating in that magical 2022-23 campaign in which New Jersey bludgeoned teams with a high-octane attack, then pulled the plug after Vegas and Florida made grittier hockey sexy again.
The thing is, there are always lessons to be learned from the most successful teams in the league. It’s just that I don’t think “simplistically copy whatever the most recent champion did” is a good lesson. Take this year’s Stanley Cup Final. There are absolutely a lot of things New Jersey can learn from Vegas and Carolina, without resorting to superficial duplication. So what exactly are those lessons? Let’s run through a few of them today and see if we might be able to find a winning formula that new general manager Sunny Mehta can implement.
Commit To An Identity
As alluded to above, there is more than one way to skin a cat. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: You can win a track meet like the Lightning or Avalanche, or a bar fight like the Golden Knights or Panthers, so long as you go all in on whatever identity you want to commit to.
Perhaps an example of the exact opposite would help illustrate the point. Look at a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs. In their “Core Four” era, where they featured genuinely incredible star power in the form of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander (to say nothing of Morgan Reilly on the blueline), the Leafs’ top six and top pair generally played a style of game that emphasized their speed and skill. But after constant playoff failures to the likes of the Bruins and Lightning, Toronto decided that what they needed was, you guessed it, more sandpaper. What they ended up with was a mismatched roster, where the top forwards and defensemen played one way, and the bottom of the lineup played another.
Perhaps you disagree, but I’m convinced that this two-faced identity went a long way toward making the Leafs a worse team. There’s being versatile and well-rounded, and there’s becoming less than the sum of your parts. To me, Toronto fell firmly into the latter camp.
There is perhaps no better example in the NHL of committing to an identity and trusting it than the Carolina Hurricanes. Rod Brind’Amour’s system that emphasizes a heavy forecheck, relentless puck pressure, and shots from all angles, is unique. It’s also highly effective, as they’ve experienced some amazing success since the pandemic. It’s true that they haven’t been able to climb over the Conference Final wall until this season, but I believe that was mostly due to their lack of star power (put a pin in that for now), not their specific system. The front office only brings in players who they believe can fit Brind’Amour’s system, and in turn, those players give their coach complete buy-in up and down the roster. If the Maple Leafs were less than the sum of their parts, the Hurricanes are much greater than the sum of theirs. It doesn’t matter if your identity is speed and skill or grit and toughness. The important thing is to go all-in an whatever it is you choose to do, no half measures like the Maple Leafs. Having a holistic vision for your team can go a long way.
Depth, Specifically Center Depth, Wins
That being said, we can talk all we want about if grit and physicality is better than speed and skill, the value of identity, and so on. But at the end of the day, you know what’s even more important than all of that?
Just having a bunch of really good players.
It really is that simple. If you have a team with a cohesive identity, but all the players stink, you’re not going anywhere. Looking at the Golden Knights and Hurricanes, they just have a bunch of really good players. This is why I wanted you to put a pin in Carolina’s lack of star power over the years. Their commitment to their identity took them pretty far over the years, but adding more talent is what got them over the top. Their free agency signing of Nikolaj Ehlers last summer has paid huge dividends this season. So has their roundabout acquisition of Logan Stankoven. Meanwhile the Golden Knights are the poster children for bringing in more talent (hey look at that, something else I want you to put a pin in for now). From Mark Stone to Mitch Marner, Vegas has a lengthy history of infusing the roster with so much talent. Their identity helps them win, but so does the incredible amount of talent up and down the roster.
And while we’re talking about having depth of talent, I should mention that center depth specifically is probably the most important thing to have. We’ve seen this from every past champion since the pandemic, and it’s true in this Final as well. Vegas has frankly ludicrous center depth in Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl, and William Karlsson. Carolina moved Stankoven to center this season and watched him blossom behind Sebastian Aho and in front of Jordan Staal. Center depth is crucial.
But center depth alone isn’t enough. Vegas has ridiculous depth on the wing. Carolina is absolutely loaded on the blue line. Again, it really is as simple as just have really good players. Be smart about player acquisition, invest in player development, and reap the rewards.
Fortune Favors The Bold
The Vegas Golden Knights have made a complete mockery of the salary cap in their brief history. They acquire every star player that’s anywhere close to available, and they somehow always find a way to fit their roster under the salary cap. They’re ruthless about it too, willing to ship out longtime players and make cruel and, frankly, unethical decisions, all in the name of winning hockey games.
While I certainly don’t endorse the lack of morality that Vegas tends to operate with, especially since I think teams can be bold without being bad people about it, I do admire their willingness to take big time swings. The Lightning and Avalanche rode bold decisions to glory, the Knights took their turn in 2023, the Panthers were next up the last two years, and now Vegas has a chance to do it again. If they win the Cup this year, it will be in large part thanks to their willingness to take risks. How many times over the years did we lament how Tom Fitzgerald was seemingly too scared to make any sort of bold move? The man was scared of his own shadow and stuck in the traditional “Hockey Man” way of thinking, and it cost this franchise prime years of contention.
Meanwhile the Hurricanes aren’t as ruthless and they’re not quite as bold, but I actually think we have evidence that they learned this lesson as well. After years of being patient and trusting the process, they finally decided to take some big swings last year. Remember, before Mikko Rantanen made his way to the Dallas Stars, it was the Hurricanes who traded for him first, shipping Martin Necas to Colorado. When Rantanen made it clear to Carolina that they were not a desirable destination for him long term, they doubled down on the boldness and sent Rantanen right back out of town for Stankoven. Then last summer, they made their first major free agent signing in years, reeling in the biggest fish on the market in Ehlers. Carolina recognized they had plateaued and needed some more star power. They took bold action to accomplish just that.
Goaltending Really Is Voodoo
Yes, sometimes you need a star like Andrei Vasilevskiy or Sergei Bobrovsky to help you win a Cup. But sometimes all it takes is a goalie like Darcy Kuemper (with a little Pavel Francouz sprinkled in), Adin Hill, Frederik Andersen, Brandon Bussi, or Carter “No means no” Hart getting hot at just the right time.
Take this year for example. Andersen has been an erratic goaltender over the years. During his time in Carolina, he’s experienced magnificent highs and cratering lows. Injuries have played a role in that, which is part of why he’s never reached the level of star goaltender. And in fact, while he was playing lights out prior to the Cup Final, he’s struggled mightily in this series. So much so that the net now belongs to Brandon Bussi, who the Hurricanes essentially picked up off the couch prior to the season.
(As a quick aside, let me just say that it is very possible that the sudden and unexpected passing of Claude Lemieux, Andersen’s agent, has a lot to do with his struggles in the Stanley Cup Final. I certainly don’t mean to be cruel and unreasonable in my criticisms of Andersen, and I absolutely hope he gets whatever love and support and help he might need in such a difficult time.)
On the other side, Vegas was having all sorts of goaltending trouble during their season between Adin Hill and old friend Akira Schmid. So in their desperation, they turned to the recently reinstated Hart to help stabilize things. He actually didn’t really do that in the regular season, putting up a terrible .891 save percentage in 18 games. But in the first three rounds of the postseason, Hart was a big reason why Vegas made it to the final round. Now, it’s true that he’s completely embarrassed himself in this round, becoming the first goalie EVER to concede four or more goals in the first five games of a Stanley Cup Final. But he held it together long enough for Vegas to make it here.
Andersen is an up-and-down veteran. Bussi went from the couch to the crease. Hart went from the courtroom to the crease. None of these players are a star goaltender.
So what’s the lesson here? Part of it is that star goalies are hard to come by, and even some of those stars (looks in the general direction of Winnipeg) are notoriously unreliable in the postseason. And part of it is that sometimes, goalie magic can happen out of nowhere. So while I certainly don’t think it’s a bad idea to try and find upgrades in net, I think the Devils might be better off strengthening the team in front of the net and just try to find goalies who have the potential to put together a few strong weeks.
Final Thoughts And Your Take
These certainly aren’t all the non-copycat lessons the New Jersey Devils can learn from this year’s Cup finalists, but they’re the most prominent ones that come to mind for me as I watch Vegas and Carolina engage in an all-time classic series. You don’t need to emulate a championship team perfectly in order to win. But you do need to take some lessons from the more successful franchises. Who knows if Sunny Mehta will actually implement any of these lessons, but if he does, he’ll have at least one person singing his praises in me.
What do you make of these lessons? What do you agree or disagree with? What other lessons would you add to this list? As always, thanks for reading!
Along with longtime beat reporter Arthur Staple, we discuss Nino Niederreiter’s odd Islanders tenure and the lessons we can take away from it even today.
Nino Niederreiter was one of a string of high first round picks that, at the time, seemed like safe bets by the Islanders. Strong showings at the World Junior Championships and with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks didn’t change anyone’s minds. But after enduring one of the most trying and confusing rookie seasons of all time, and after being kept in the AHL as the 2013 NHL lockout ended, Niederreiter and his agent decided they were tired of waiting. His trade request was eventually granted, which begat yet another few years of debate and disagreement between fans. While Niederreiter went on to have a productive, well-traveled 1,000-game NHL career, his season and change on Long Island still raises many questions.
So, in an effort to get some answers, we turned to an expert who saw the whole saga unfold. Arthur tells us how mistakes made by team management led to sour feelings, how things could have gone differently and how a long-lambasted trade ended up being a boon for the Islanders. We also hear stories about that early rebuild team and the ties between the players, tales of even more draft picks gone awry and the time he almost got killed by a sleepy cab driver in Pittsburgh.
It’s always a pleasure having Art on. Once again, he doesn’t disappoint in this, his first ever single player appearance on Weird Islanders: The Podcast! Be sure to listen to him on Hockey Night New York and on the Tri State Hockey Podcast. This episode has a little Easter Egg hidden in it as well. See if you can find it!
We also have a quick Weird Islanders Extra! bonus episode with Art about a heated (and hilarious) confrontation he had with former Islanders coach Jack Capuano.
WEIRD BONUS MATERIAL
After a great season for Portland of the WHL, the Islanders selected Niederrieter fifth overall in the 2010 NHL draft. The pick was seen as a good one by most because of his size and skill.
Pierre McGuire called the selection, “Awesome.” That was expected but the appearance of Alyssa Milano at the TSN Draft Centre desk with James Duthie was not.
He was quickly signed to an entry level contract a few months later (also, no arena progress? The devil you say…).
Having another Swiss player on the team in captain Mark Streit was (probably) meant to make Nino’s transition to the NHL a little easier.
His NHL first goal was scored in Washington against the Capitals in a game on Versus (!) in the first week of the 2010 season.
Nino had a goal and an assist in a nine-game stint in 2010 before being sent back to junior. His next and final season for the Islanders is the stuff of legend, and not in a good way. Fifty-five games, one goal, zero assists, minus-27. His linemates were Jay Pandolfo and Marty Reasoner. It was a disaster on every level for player and team.
He spent the entire next season in Bridgeport and was good, not great, which is why he wasn’t invited to (post-lockout) training camp in January 2013. This was the final straw for him and, more importantly, his agent, and a trade request was emailed to Islanders GM Garth Snow. Nino’s trade request was kind of a big deal. It was just another day for that unstable version of the franchise.
After six years (and one huge playoff goal) in St. Paul, Niederreiter was traded to Carolina in an even more panned deal for barely useful forward Viktor Rask. That worked out pretty well for the Hurricanes.
We’re always open to suggestions about other Weird Islanders to discuss. Remember the criteria. Candidates must fulfill one of the two of the following:
Played one (1) season or less for the Islanders or very short stints over multiple seasons.
Be a veteran NHLer who is not generally associated with his time on Islanders.
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RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 11: Members of the Norwegian World Cup team pose together before Game Five of the NHL Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on June 11, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by NHL Images/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The World Cup being in North America allows so many different cultures to experience the vast, diverse offerings that we have here on this side of the world.
For Manchester City mega-star Erling Haaland and his Norway teammates, it meant hitting up game five of the Stanley Cup final, where the Carolina Hurricanes ousted the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Haaland and his mates seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience (maybe more than FC Barcelona star Lamine Yamal like his trip to a Walmart in Georgia):
Haaland looks like he is having an absolute blast in the videos.
While the Hurricanes organization will never recover from the scourge of moving the Hartford Whalers and renaming the team, even I will admit this was pretty cool.
It does not hurt that former Philadelphia Flyers great Rod Brind’Amour is the head coach there, either.
Bonus #1:
Any time this writer thinks about the Hartford Whalers, he thinks about the awesome Whalers logo, their uniforms, the spectacular throwback gear, and this clip from Mallrats:
Bonus #2:
How bad ass are these Norway jerseys? Seriously…best in the tourney:
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
The Dylan Larkin rumor mill shows no signs of slowing down, and with new information surfacing seemingly by the hour, the Detroit Red Wings' offseason has become one of the most compelling storylines heading into the summer.
After Larkin's initial three-team trade list became public knowledge, the Red Wings reportedly asked their captain to expand his options and the ripple effects of that request have now produced a dramatically wider field of contenders.
Larkin, 30, has been vocal about his desire to win, and that priority has shaped his thinking throughout this process. However, the three teams on his original list, the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights, present a significant challenge for Detroit GM Steve Yzerman, as none of those organizations carry the kind of return package that would make a trade palatable for a rebuilding Red Wings club looking to accelerate its timeline.
Larkin's wish list and Detroit's needs have not yet aligned, which is precisely why the ask to broaden his no-trade clause came down. The expanded list of rumored suitors has grown considerably according to reports with Elliotte Friedman reported that the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning may have joined the conversation while others have mentioned the Utah Mammoth, Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets have been linked to Larkin's name.
Most recently, on Thursday, The Fourth Period's Dave Pagnotta reported that the Philadelphia Flyers are now also joining the sweepstakes, making for a crowded and eclectic group of potential landing spots.
Of all the teams now involved, Montreal stands out as arguably the most intriguing fit on paper for what Detroit would want in return. The Canadiens reached the Eastern Conference Final this past season before falling to the Carolina Hurricanes, and they come equipped with future draft capital, NHL-ready forwards and a deep prospect pool that gives them the flexibility to structure a package around whatever Yzerman envisions. Montreal checks the competitive box for Larkin while also having the organizational depth to satisfy Detroit's front office, a rare combination in this field.
Tampa Bay and Utah also have pieces worth targeting with Sam O'Reilly, Tampa Bay's blue-chip prospect who is expected to make his NHL debut next season, is the kind of centerpiece that could make a Lightning offer appealing to Yzerman.
Utah, meanwhile, has Tij Iginla, son of Hockey Hall of Fame forward Jarome Iginla, who is one of the more coveted young players in the pipeline across the league. Neither team made a deep playoff run this past season, which complicates the fit from Larkin's perspective, but the asset value is undeniable.
Perhaps the most fascinating dark horse in this entire conversation is the Jets as Winnipeg missed the playoffs this past season after winning the Presidents' Trophy the year prior. But what Winnipeg does have some draft capital with the eighth overall pick in the upcoming draft, a respectable prospect pool and perhaps most importantly a proven track record of convincing star players to commit long-term in a non-traditional market.
Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor have all signed significant extensions with the Jets, demonstrating that Winnipeg's front office knows how to make its case to elite players. If the Jets lay everything on the table in an offer sheet to Yzerman, the return package could be compelling enough to force Detroit's hand, provided they can also sell Larkin on a bounce-back season in Manitoba.
The remaining teams in the mix with Florida, Minnesota, Vegas, Dallas and Philadelphia are harder to make a case for on multiple fronts. Some lack the asset depth, others the competitive profile Larkin is seeking, and in most cases, both. They remain part of the conversation for now, but as the summer progresses and negotiations intensify, it would be a surprise if any of them ultimately emerged as the destination.
The teams best positioned to actually get a deal done are Montreal, Tampa Bay, Utah and Winnipeg, each for different reasons and with different trade-offs involved. Detroit is not going to move its captain at a discount, and Larkin is not going to waive his no-trade protection to go somewhere he does not believe can compete. Finding the sweet spot between those two realities will define how and whether this trade ultimately happens.
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The Sporting News recently pieced together its Top 20 Greatest NHL Teams of all-time, based on single-season performances, and ranked the 1989 Stanley Cup champion Calgary Flames in 14th place.
One season after capturing the franchise's first Presidents' Trophy in 1988 with 105 points, the Flames only advanced to the second round that year. In under one year, they bounced back with an even stronger campaign in 1989, with 117 points, repeating as Presidents' Trophy winners and winning the Stanley Cup.
Featuring a lineup with several future Hall of Famers, including Lanny McDonald, Joe Nieuwendyk, Al MacInnis, Mike Vernon, Joe Mullen, and Doug Gilmour, the Flames collected 117 points, which ranked 11th all-time at the time, among the best single-season performances by a team.
Only six skaters in the NHL managed to score more than 50 goals, with Mario Lemieux leading the pack with 85, but both Mullen and Nieuwendyk tallied 51, finishing fifth and sixth in that category.
Meanwhile, Mullen was the only Calgary player to surpass 100 points, finishing seventh overall in league scoring with 110 points, behind Paul Coffey (113) and ahead of Jari Kurri (102).
Overall, 14 different skaters reached double digits in goals, with eight collecting more than 20. Moreover, 19 recorded more than ten points, with eight reaching at least 50 points.
Between the pipes, Vernon would finish second in Vezina Trophy voting, thanks to a 37-6-5 record with a .897 SV% and .266 GAA. Outside of winning another Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings, including the Conn Smyth Trophy, Vernon never duplicated the successes he had from the 1988-89 season.
Despite outstanding performances from so many key players in the lineup, only Mullen won an NHL Award, walking away with the Lady Byng Trophy, while finishing fifth in Hart Trophy voting. Meanwhile, Vernon lost the Vezina Trophy to Patrick Roy in an 87-54 vote.
On their march to the Stanley Cup Final, their second appearance in three seasons after 1986, they defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games, featuring a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory in Game 7. Then they swept a Wayne Gretzky-led Los Angeles Kings in the Division Finals before eliminating the Chicago Blackhawks in five games. With a Game 2 win at the Saddledome, the Blackhawks ended the Flames' six-game winning streak.
In the 1989 Stanley Cup Final, a rematch from 1986 against the Montreal Canadiens, the Flames jumped out to a 1-0 series win with a 3-2 win in Game 1. Montreal took Games 2 and 3, including a double overtime win in the latter. Down but not out, the Flames won Game 4 4-2 before a 3-2 win in Game 5. On May 25, 1989, Calgary became the first and only team to celebrate a Stanley Cup victory as a visitor at the Montreal Forum, with a 4-2 win.
MacInnis won the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP with 31 points in 22 games, including four game-winners. Meanwhile, Mullen led all playoff scorers with 16 goals, ten at even strength, on a playoff-leading 91 shots.
As of 2026, the 1988-89 season remains the best in franchise history, not only because it led to the only Stanley Cup title, but because they set records for wins, points, and points percentage. Through 53 seasons, only two other Flames teams have won more than 50 games, including the 2018-19 and 2021-22 squads.
Close to 40 seasons since that magical season, the 111 points the Flames accumulated that year now rank 24th all-time, a confirmation of how special it was to achieve those win and point totals before the mass expansion in the 1990s and 2000s.
15 Jan 1998: General view of a game between the Colorado Avalanche and the San Jose Sharks at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado. The game was a tie, 2-2. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport | Getty Images
The past thirty years of Avalanche hockey have featured incredible highs, and some very, very dismal lows.
As an avid fan of The Simpsons, I’ve witnessed plenty of “best of times” moments, but also been subjected to a smattering of unpleasant “blursts” of times. In this first of an ongoing off-season series, I take a look back through the past thirty years, highlighting one moment that stands among the best, and comparatively, the worst (or blurst, if you will) each season.
Here are the best and blurst moments from the first five years of Colorado Avalanche history.
1995-1996
The Best: Colorado Captures Stanley Cup #1 (June 10, 1996)
If you were on board for the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs, you knew exactly where you were when Colorado Avalanche defenseman Uwe Krupp made history.
At the 4:31 mark of the third overtime in Game Four, Krupp’s blue line shot surprised Florida Panthers goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck, cementing a 1-0 victory to complete the sweep and secure the franchise’s first Stanley Cup. The championship, which was the first major professional championship for the state of Colorado, was a storybook ending for the Avalanche’s first season in Denver after relocating from Quebec.
Joe Sakic was named the Conn Smythe trophy winner as playoff MVP, succeeding the late Claude Lemieux, who won the trophy with the New Jersey Devils the previous year. Both Lemieux and goaltender Patrick Roy, acquired through the year by Avs general manager Pierre Lacroix, won their third Stanley Cup championship. Peter Forsberg had a coming out party during the Stanley Cup Final, scoring a hat trick in Game Two en route to the eventual Stanley Cup summit.
There couldn’t be a better best moment for this team to begin its time in the Mile High City.
The Blurst: Uwe Krupp’s Season-Opening Knee Injury (October 5, 1995)
While Krupp’s Cup-clinching goal that night (or early morning) in June was the signature on his Avs tenure, the fact that he was even on the playoff roster is nothing short of remarkable. During the season opener against Detroit, he took a hard hit from Martin LaPointe in the third period, resulting in ACL, MCL, and lateral meniscus tears. Krupp had already registered two assists—including one on that very sequence which set up Valeri Kamensky’s game-winning goal—up to that point in the game.
Krupp missed 76 regular season games before returning on April 6, 1996, in the Avs 5-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks at the Shark Tank. He registered a single assist in the six regular season games he played before setting career highs in playoff points (16), assists (12), and goals (4) during the 1996 playoff run, culminating in the goal that made Avalanche history.
A happy ending saved what was a blurst of a regular season for Krupp.
1996-1997
The Best: Colorado Captures Its First Presidents Trophy
Out to prove that their Stanley Cup victory the previous year was no fluke, the Avs finished the 1996-1997 regular season with 49 wins, 24 losses, and 9 ties, totaling 107 points to claim their first Presidents Trophy in franchise history. The mark surpassed the previous season’s point total (104) and set a franchise record for wins in a regular season. Adam Deadmarsh led all skaters in goals (33), a career high. Peter Forsberg led all skaters in assists (58) and points (86).
The Avs would enter the 1997 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the top seed, with home ice on their side for another return to the Stanley Cup Final. They defeated the Chicago Blackhawks and the Edmonton Oilers in the first two rounds before falling in the Western Conference Final to the Detroit Red Wings.
The Blurst: Fight Night at the Joe (March 26, 1997)
You had to know this was coming.
While the loss to Detroit in the 1997 Western Conference Final certainly stung, this game has its own unique sting.
Ever since Claude Lemieux’s blind hit on Kris Draper the previous year, he was marked man when Colorado paid its final regular season visit to Detroit. What unfolded was the perfect storm of fury, fisticuffs, and more than a few goals. Detroit got its long-awaited revenge late in the first period, as Darren McCarty lit the fuse and got his pound of flesh against Lemieux, who refused to engage, at the 18:22 mark.
Absolute carnage ensued in the wake of McCarty’s punch on Lemieux. Both teams would amass eighteen fighting majors apiece—including a wild exchange between goaltenders Patrick Roy and Mike Vernon—and two game misconducts in the first forty minutes alone. To that point, Colorado had the better of Detroit on the scoreboard, nursing a two goal lead early in the third period. That lead eventually evaporated, with Detroit scoring twice in 0:56 to tie the game. Adding insult to (avenge) injury, McCarty tallied the game-winner in overtime.
This game became a rallying cry for fans of the Winged Wheel, and served as the watershed moment for the storied rivalry between both clubs. Detroit would succeed Colorado as Stanley Cup champions in June (and again the following year).
The undisputed blurst of the season.
1997-1998
The Best: The Olympic Stage (February 7-22, 1998)
The 1998 Winter Olympic Games was a groundbreaking event for the NHL. For the first time, professional athletes would be allowed to compete, giving a sizeable advantage to member nations featuring premier talents throughout the League.
Colorado sent nine players to Nagano: Adam Foote (Canada), Patrick Roy (Canada), Joe Sakic (Canada), Jari Kurri (Finland), Uwe Krupp (Germany), Alexei Gusarov (Russia), Valeri Kamensky (Russia), Peter Forsberg (Sweden), and Adam Deadmarsh (USA).
Despite the infusion of professional talent, Canada, Sweden, and the United States all failed to reach medal contention. The Czech Republic, backstopped by Buffalo’s Domink Hasek, won its first (and so far, only) gold medal over Russia. Gusarov and Kamensky would return to Colorado with silver medals, and Kurri with a bronze medal.
Although he would make his NHL debut the following season, Milan Hejduk—drafted by Quebec in 1994—captured Olympic gold as a member of the Czech Republic roster.
The Blurst: Elimination by Edmonton (May 4, 1998)
After handily dispatching Edmonton in five games the previous year, the expectation was that the Avs would breeze past them again. Extended playoff runs had become the standard for a team as deep as the Avs after two consecutive appearances in the Western Conference Final.
Edmonton, however, had other plans.
The Avs had a 1-0 lead going into the third period in Game Five at McNichols Sports Arena. Edmonton scored three unanswered goals to stave off elimination, then proceeded to shut out the Avs in Game Six (a 2-0 decision) and Game Seven (an embarrassing 4-0 decision on home ice).
It’s absolutely baffling that a team loaded with undisputed Hall of Fame talent would go completely cold in 163:40 of playing time for the balance of the series, but somehow, this version of the Avalanche pulled it off.
This blurst cost head coach Marc Crawford his job, as he was replaced by Bob Hartley during the off-season.
1998-1999
The Best: Florida Falls in Forsberg-Fueled Frenzy (March 3, 1999)
Anyone would (rightly) assume that, if Patrick Roy surrendered five goals—including a natural hat trick to a future Hall of Famer—that it just wasn’t the Avs’ night (at best), or that they laid a pretty large egg (at worst).
This game would be a very rare exception.
After Florida’s Scott Mellanby followed up Pavel Bure’s hat trick, things were looking pretty grim for Colorado. The Avs trailed 5-0 at that point, and they were in desperate need of someone, anyone to provide a spark.
That someone was Peter Forsberg.
His first goal of the night would break the shutout late in the second period, and the Avs would score six more goals on goaltender Sean Burke in the third period to pull off a miraculous comeback to defeat Florida by a 7-5 decision. Nine skaters would combine for sixteen(!) points in the third period alone to secure the victory. Forsberg would have six of those third period points—including finishing off his own hat trick—en route to the win, claiming first star of the game honors.
Craig Billington, who replaced Roy for the third period, stopped all eight shots he faced.
Hands down, easily one of the best of regular season bests throughout Avalanche history.
The Blurst: Game 7 vs. Dallas (June 4, 1999)
Spoiler: This won’t be the only time Dallas appears on this list.
After last season’s playoff run got cut short by Edmonton, the Avs returned to the Western Conference Final upon dispatching the San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings in the first two rounds. A second trip to the Stanley Cup Final was within reach after the Avs took a 3-2 series lead with a 7-5 victory over Dallas in Game Five at Reunion Arena.
Claude Lemieux opened the scoring for the Avs in Game Six with a late first period goal. Unfortunately, they couldn’t crack Dallas’ trademark brand of boring defensive hockey for the balance of the contest, which Dallas would win by a 4-1 decision. Old friend Mike Keane became the hero in Game Seven for Dallas, scoring two of their four goals against Patrick Roy (amid nauseating repeated chants of, “Eddie’s better!” from the stands).
Joe Sakic would score the only goal for Colorado with just over six minutes left in the game, which was too little too late: Colorado would lose by a score of 4-1 at the hands of the eventual Stanley Cup champions*.
(* The asterisk is a blurst of a different kind.)
1999-2000
The Best: The Pepsi Center Era Begins (October 13, 1999)
To this point in Avalanche history, concerns arose whether Ascent Entertainment Group (AEG), owners of the club at the time, could afford to keep the talented roster together. Two years earlier, AEG was hard-pressed to match the front-loaded offer sheet that Joe Sakic had signed with the New York Rangers, but successfully managed to retain his services for the next three seasons. During this time, AEG was also looking to secure an agreement with the City of Denver for a successor to McNichols Sports Arena closer to downtown Denver.
After some tense negotiations—and a timely infusion of cash from the success of Air Force One, which was produced by Beacon Pictures (owned by AEG at the time)—ground finally broke on what would become Pepsi Center. The project was completed at a cost of $197 million dollars, and would secure the revenue needed to keep the nucleus of the roster intact into the new millennium. The arena was completed in time for the 1999-2000 season.
The Avs played their first game in their new home against the Boston Bruins on October 13, 1999. Milan Hejduk scored the first goal in the building’s history during the second period, and Adam Foote provided the game-winning tally late in the third period, securing a 2-1 victory. Patrick Roy stopped 25 of 26 shots, earning first star honors in the contest.
The Blurst: Game 7 vs. Dallas (May 27, 2000)
After losing Game Seven to Dallas the previous season, this year was going to be different, right?
It was, but only different in that the heartbreak was even worse.
Trailing 3-2 in their Western Conference Final series, the Avs seemingly had some momentum after Chris Drury’s game-winner in Game Six sent the series back to Texas. Dallas scored the first three goals of the contest, but third period strikes from Peter Forsberg and Milan Hejduk set up a tense finish. The Avs threw everything they could at goaltender Ed Belfour, but couldn’t come up with the tying goal as time wound down.
With Patrick Roy pulled for the extra attacker with seconds left on the clock, defenseman Raymond Bourque—traded to Colorado from Boston in the hopes of closing out his career with a Stanley Cup ring—collected a loose puck in the Dallas zone and threw a desperation shot on goal…only to have the puck ricochet off Adam Deadmarsh, bounce off the far post, and roll harmlessly away.
For second straight postseason in a Game Seven, Colorado’s playoff dreams were burst by Dallas.
(Or more appropriately, blurst.)
This loss would serve as the third consecutive Game Seven exit for the Avs, but the pendulum would soon swing back in their favor.
Was there a best (or blurst) from the first five years of Avalanche hockey that was overlooked? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
