Replacing someone isn’t easy.

For the Colorado Avalanche to replace Mikko Rantanen is even harder.

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There are several reasons why this is the case. For starter’s, 100-point players don’t grow on trees. You want your team to have as much firepower as possible. So, having players that can put the puck in the net or create the plays that make that possible are extremely vital.

Trading for a superstar is even more difficult (unless you are the Carolina Hurricanes or the Dallas Stars).

However, with free agency around the corner, there is one potential free agent who might be able to replace Rantanen. His name is Mitch Marner.

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What Does Mitch Marner Bring To The Table?

Marner is an elite playmaker who can provide a solid volume of secondary scoring. Over the past four seasons he has scored 35, 30, 26, and 27 goals. 

Playmaking is really the highlight of his game, shown by his penchant for racking up assists. Marner has collected 62, 69, 59, and 75 assists in the last four years.

In the 2024-25 regular season he led the Toronto Maple Leafs in points (102), assists (75), even-strength points (67), and powerplay points (33). Marner was first among Maple Leafs forwards with total time on ice per game (21:19) and shorthanded time on ice per game (2:09).

Toronto goal!

Scored by Auston Matthews with 13:40 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Mitch Marner.

Florida: 0
Toronto: 1#TORvsFLA#TimeToHunt#LeafsForeverpic.twitter.com/47B9bApp8E

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) May 17, 2025

The One Thing With Mitch Marner

The one knock against Marner right now is that he doesn’t have the same level of production in the playoffs as he does in the regular season. 

In my opinion, this is an unfair assessment of Marner. He has collected 13 points in 12 playoff games this season, and recorded 14 points in 11 games two postseasons ago.

It’s easy to argue that over his career he hasn’t been as successful as Rantanen in the playoffs. Rantanen has 120 points in 93 career playoff games to Marner’s 63 points in 69 games. 

But, you can always change your narrative.

One former Leafs forward, Zach Hyman, changed his narrative when he signed with the Edmonton Oilers. In 32 playoff games with the Leafs, he recorded 13 points. He’s played 64 postseason games with the Oilers and has put up 57 points.

Sometimes a change of scenery does a player wonders. Could Marner replace Rantanen? In the regular season, he probably could. The playoffs would offer him an opportunity to change the narrative surrounding him.

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Like a lot of us, NHL players are proud people. Their on-ice careers are their life’s work, and their ability to control what happens on the ice tends to carry over to their lives off the ice. 

That means, whenever possible, NHL players want to be the author of their exit from hockey’s best league in the world.

Of course, for the grand majority of NHLers, the end of their playing days comes too soon. A major injury, a series of minor injuries or a drop-off in overall skill level eventually catches up with them, and they’re forced to call it quits. Only for a precious few does this reality differ from the rest. And this is why we occasionally see NHL stars attempting to defy the odds and stage their own departure from the sporting scene.

Longtime Chicago Blackhawks star center Jonathan Toews seems to want to defy the odds. The 37-year-old former Hawks captain last played in the 2022-23 season, before taking time off to deal with his own significant health challenges. But rumors are beginning to swirl that he intends to return to action, with a Sportsnet report suggesting that Toews may be targeting a return to the NHL next season. And while the Sportsnet speculation has the Anaheim Ducks – and Toews’ former Blackhawks coach and new Ducks bench boss Joel Quenneville – being a possible destination for Toews, there may be a different market that could prove to be a better fit for him.

For instance, would Toews’ hometown team, the Winnipeg Jets, want to extend an opportunity to him? The Jets are surely going to be a better team than Anaheim will be next season, and the chance to perhaps finish his NHL career in front of friends and family may be exceedingly attractive to him.

Winnipeg’s excellent depth also means Toews could come in and serve as the Jets’ third-or-fourth-line center, and the ensuing lack of pressure to play big minutes right away and start putting up major points may also be a determinant in his decision on where to resume playing. And the chance to play perhaps one final season with a team that has a solid shot at winning a Stanley Cup for the three-time Cup-winner might be its best selling point for him.

In that 2022-23 campaign with Chicago, Toews generated 15 goals and 31 points in 53 games, so teams need to adjust their expectations accordingly for him if he does stage a comeback next year. And maybe Toews doesn’t want the glare of a harsh spotlight and a heavy media contingent to deal with in a potential return, so a market like Anaheim could be a better fit for him.

In any case, Toews has earned the right to call his own shot when it comes to saying goodbye to the game. He may ultimately choose to stay retired and have a guaranteed induction in the Hockey Hall of Fame come sooner than later. But if he does give it one more try as a player, no one could fault him for it. Toews has nothing to prove to anyone, but taking one last stab at being an NHL player might be the one challenge he has left as an elite athlete. 

Countless veterans before him have had their NHL exit authored for them, and Toews now has the opportunity to seize the moment and stage his own exit his own way. And no one should blame him for doing his utmost to stick around the world’s biggest hockey stage, even if only for the short term. Toews wouldn’t be the first top NHL performer to want to end things for himself, and getting the chance to play a handful more games may be too alluring to turn down.

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Star Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov has only been in the NHL for one season, but he's already tired of all the losing.

As far as Michkov is concerned, it's time to win.

In the 20-year-old's first season in North America, he finished second only to Travis Konecny in scoring and led the Flyers in goals with 26. Michkov, however, would trade individual accolades for team success anytime.

"The most important thing is for the team to reach the playoffs. If I have fewer points, but the team makes the playoffs, I’ll take that over having more points and missing the playoffs," Michkov told RG in a recent interview. "I’m tired of losing. I want to win.”

League-worst goaltending, injuries, and trades doomed the Flyers to a 33-39-10 record and a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference. Head coach John Tortorella was fired on March 27 after some off-ice clashes and a 28-36-9 record through 73 games.

“For my first NHL season, Tortorella was probably the best coach I could’ve had. From day one, he explained everything clearly and was always honest with me,” Michkov said of Tortorella.

With interim head coach Brad Shaw electing to step away from the Flyers entirely, Michkov will technically be playing under his third head coach in two seasons, with Philadelphia hiring franchise icon Rick Tocchet as the 25th head coach in team history.

“A new coach always means a fresh start. I don’t know him personally, so I can’t say much yet,” Michkov told RG of Tocchet.

The Flyers' franchise player did subtly note, however, something he hopes improves during life under Tocchet.

"I just hope I’ll have freedom on the ice. When I feel limited, I start focusing on the wrong things. I just want to have ice time and not feel restricted. That's when I play my best.

“The main thing is that the team improves and makes the playoffs." 

Michkov will be happy to know that Tocchet previously coached stars like Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, and Quinn Hughes to their most productive seasons in the NHL.

That kind of development is exactly what the Flyers want out of Tocchet, and if Michkov is to take the same leap, team success will come in lockstep.

"I think it was a great season," Michkov said of his rookie year. "But I really want to make the playoffs every year and fight for the Stanley Cup."

A new nickname is being dubbed for Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Pacioretty: Mr. Game 6.

After scoring the series-clinching goal in Game 6 against the Ottawa Senators in the first round, the veteran forward provided another massive goal on Friday for the Toronto Maple Leafs in an all-or-nothing Game 6 against the Florida Panthers.

Bobby McMann sprang down the wing in the third period, finding Pacioretty in front of the net. It was already a 1-0 game with captain Auston Matthews scoring his first goal of the series, but another goal would force a Game 7 at home in Toronto.

Pacioretty smacked the puck on the backhand, beating Sergei Bobrovsky for his third goal of the playoffs. After slotting it under the right arm of the Panthers' goaltender, the 36-year-old let out a thunderous, "Yeah baby!"

It was yet another moment where the Pacioretty signing paid off for the Maple Leafs.

"It's big time," McMann, who registered his first point since Game 1 against Ottawa, said on Friday night.

'I Thought I Was Done Playing A Number Of Times': How Maple Leafs' Max Pacioretty Persevered To Score Series-Clinching Goal Against SenatorsIt was 225 days ago, on Sept. 19, when Max Pacioretty, wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs hoodie with the number 67 stamped on, first stepped in front of the camera to explain why he joined the organization.

Pacioretty has been through incredibly tumultuous times in the last two years after rupturing his Achilles tendon twice. Drafted 22nd overall in the 2007 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, he wasn't ready to call it quits.

After playing 47 games with the Washington Capitals last season, Pacioretty joined the Maple Leafs on a professional tryout before signing a one-year, $873,770 contract two days before the season opener against the Canadiens.

Many questioned whether choosing the number 67 would bring a bad omen to the team after, well, their history. Pacioretty even laughed when he fielded questions about it during the opening days of training camp, saying, "I hope to bring the team good luck with that number."

In 10 playoff games with the Maple Leafs, Pacioretty has three goals and five assists for eight points, ranking him fourth in team scoring in the postseason. He's doing plenty of things right, especially with the number sewn on his back.

'This Is Why I'm Here': After A Nearly 3 Month Wait, Max Pacioretty Brings Experience To Maple Leafs Ahead Of Series DebutKANATA, Ont. — Max Pacioretty was visibly dejected when he spoke with reporters ahead of Game 1 of the Toronto Maple Leafs' first-round series against the Ottawa Senators.

As he stood in front of the cameras after Game 6 against the Panthers, though, something unique occurred. 

If you're superstitious or think the stars align for certain moments, you'll appreciate this: The sixth question fielded to Pacioretty on Friday was about his thoughts when he hears the words, "Game 7."

Sixth question, Game 7, see what I mean? Sixty-seven?

With a big smile, Pacioretty said with certainty, “It's a lot of fun. I can't wait. We're going to war.”

Many questioned whether Friday's Game 6 would be the final game of this era of the Maple Leafs. But they live to fight another day, now heading back home with a chance to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2002.

'He Bought Into The Role Of Being A Menace': Max Pacioretty Delivers Everything Maple Leafs Have Needed In The PlayoffsTo say Max Pacioretty has been red-hot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs would be an overstatement.

The "war" with Florida began on May 5, with Toronto taking the series opener, 5-4. The "war" will conclude on Sunday, with the Carolina Hurricanes waiting after eliminating the Washington Capitals.

"The job's only going to get harder," Mitch Marner said, "so don't be satisfied, got to take care of yourself, take the rest you need, and get ready for a hard game."

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The Toronto Maple Leafs forced Game 7 against the Florida Panthers for a chance to play in the Eastern Conference final.

The Maple Leafs beat the Panthers 2-0 Friday, with goaltender Joseph Woll recording his first playoff shutout. Auston Matthews broke a 0-0 deadlock in the third period with his first-ever goal past Game 4 of a playoff series. Veteran Max Pacioretty also scored to give Toronto a cushion, and the Leafs sealed the deal to play a winner-takes-all contest on Sunday.

During the Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner era since 2016-17, the Maple Leafs have never won a Game 7. They’ve played in five Game 7s, and all were in the first round.

“It’s what you want to play for, and especially when you’re going down 3-2 into an away building, you want to bring your best, and I thought we did,” Marner told reporters post-game. “The job’s only going to get harder, so can’t be satisfied. Got to take care of yourself, take the rest you need, and be ready for a hard game.”

Toronto last played a Game 7 just over a year ago, on May 4, 2024, at TD Garden in Boston. They lost to the Boston Bruins when David Pastrnak scored the overtime-winner. The Bruins sent the Leafs home in Game 7 three times in the Matthews and Marner era.

In the 2021-22 playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning got the best of the Leafs. Nick Paul scored both daggers against them in a 2-1 Bolts win.

One of the most memorable Game 7 defeats was against the Montreal Canadiens in 2021. The Maple Leafs finished first in the all-Canadian division during the shortened season, but they blew a 3-1 series lead to the Canadiens. Montreal went on to advance to the Stanley Cup final.

In 2018 and 2019, the Bruins handled their business against the Maple Leafs in Game 7, with 7-4 and 5-1 victories.

Toronto’s star players have been called upon for the big moments, but they haven’t delivered to their standards. 

In five Game 7s, Matthews has no goals and three assists. He’s recorded at least a point in the team’s last three Game 7s. As for Marner, he also hasn’t scored a Game 7 goal and recorded two assists.

William Nylander has had better numbers when the season is on the line. He’s scored two goals and two assists in the five Game 7s.

As a team, the Maple Leafs have scored just one goal in each of their last four Game 7s.

All eyes will be on their top forwards to produce when the lights are their brightest. Additionally, it could reflect whether Marner re-signs with Toronto in the off-season.

Game 7 between the Maple Leafs and the Panthers will be on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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Well, who doesn’t love a Game 7?

After winning three straight games to send the Toronto Maple Leafs to the brink of elimination, the Florida Panthers faltered on home ice Friday, falling 2-0 to knot the best-of seven at three games apiece.

The two teams combined for only nine shots on goal during the opening frame, with none getting past Sergei Bobrovsky, who made seven saves, and Joseph Woll, who had two.

Despite only registering the two shots, Florida still had eight scoring chances and 17 shot attempts.

When the second period began, the Panthers came out like gangbusters.

While there were still no goals scored, Florida outshot the Leafs 10-0 and had the edge in shot attempts 24-1 during the first 10 minutes of the second.

By the time the period was over, the Panthers had the edge in shots, attempts and scoring chances, but the game remained scoreless heading into the final frame.

A rare giveaway by Gus Forsling led to the game’s opening goal.

Auston Matthews picked up the puck just outside the blue line and carried it into Florida’s zone, snapping a shot that beat Bobrovsky through the legs to give Toronto a 1-0 lead with 13:40 left in the period.

Toronto doubled their lead on a rush play that developed after Nate Schmidt drove into the offensive zone and couldn’t recover.

Max Pacioretty finished off a cross-ice pass from Bobby McMann with 5:43 to go.

That would be more than enough for the Maple Leafs, who will drag the Panthers back to Toronto for a deciding matchup.

On to Game 7.

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Photo caption: May 16, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) covers the puck from Toronto Maple Leafs center Bobby McMann (74) during the first period in game six of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

The Ottawa Charge will advance to the PWHL Finals after a 2-1 win over the Montreal Victoire in Game 4 of the semifinals on Friday night.

Rebecca Leslie — an Ottawa-native — opened the scoring just two minutes into the game, giving the Charge an early lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Maureen Murphy made things interesting late in the third period, cutting the Ottawa lead in half with five minutes remaining. But the Charge — backed by strong goaltending from Gwyneth Philips — were able to secure the win and pull off the upset.

Montreal entered the playoffs as the No. 1 team in the league and got to choose its semifinal opponent, the third-ranked Charge. Montreal was heavily favored to win the series, according to Dom Luszczyszyn’s model, with 63 percent odds. But the Victoire mustered only one win — 3-2 in quadruple overtime — en route to another early exit from the postseason.

“We had to grind for every win. That’s a great hockey club over there that gave us a great challenge,” Ottawa captain Brianne Jenner said. “I think we’re playing our best hockey at the right time of year, so it’s exciting.”

As the top remaining seed, Ottawa will have home-ice advantage in the PWHL Finals against the Minnesota Frost. Game 1 will be Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET at TD Place Arena.

Here are some takeaways from Friday’s deciding game.

A quick opening goal

Ottawa had about as good a start as it could have hoped for, scoring just two minutes after puck drop. That it was Leslie, a local product, who started the two-on-one and buried the rebound that kicked out off Ann-Renée Desbiens’ pad was a nice touch.

🚨 Rebecca Leslie (1)
🍎🍏 Anna Meixner pic.twitter.com/PhJ6XtPHQ6

— x – Ottawa Charge (@PWHL_Ottawa) May 16, 2025

The Charge are known for strong starts, with the most games scoring first (21) in the league through the regular season and into the playoffs. At times during the regular season, maintaining leads was perhaps Ottawa’s biggest issue, with a modest 10-1-3-4 record when scoring first.

But in the first round, Ottawa has been able to gain and hold a lead much more effectively, scoring first three times and winning each time, including on Friday night.

Montreal’s top line

One of the reasons to believe Montreal could get the job done against Ottawa was that it has the best forward in the world (Marie-Philip Poulin) and arguably the best top line in the PWHL (Poulin, Laura Stacey and Jennifer Gardiner).

Poulin led the league in scoring this season with 19 goals and has been named a finalist for Forward of the Year. She is sure to be a finalist for MVP when it is announced.

No duo combined for more goals than Poulin and Stacey during the regular season. Gardiner fit in on the top line perfectly, putting together an excellent rookie season bested only in points by Sarah Fillier.

But Ottawa did an excellent job shutting that line down, with its top line of Gabbie Hughes, Emily Clark and Mannon McMahon getting most of the head-to-head minutes. The trio played Poulin tough and did well to stop her from getting the puck, especially in high-danger areas of the ice, keeping Montreal’s captain off the scoresheet in games 2 and 3 and for most of Friday’s game — until Poulin’s secondary assist on Murphy’s late third-period tally.

It’s a credit to Poulin that, despite the stingy defense, she still found pockets of open space and got more shots off in the series than anybody (27), save for Stacey (28).

But she was able to beat Philips only once all series. Similarly, Stacey had only one goal.

It’s the second year in a row that Stacey and Poulin have been completely shut down in the first round of the playoffs.

Friday, Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie made some tweaks to the top line, replacing Gardiner with Lina Ljungblom, last year’s Swedish Women’s Hockey League MVP. In the second period, she moved Dara Greig to that line.

None of those moves could get Montreal’s stars going with the season on the line.

“You want to put the puck in (the net) and I think we came short,” Poulin said after the game. “I came short.”

Clark scores her first

As excellent as Clark’s line is on the defensive side of the puck, it also added a ton of value offensively over the last two games.

In Game 3, it was McMahon who scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win to give Ottawa a 2-1 series lead. Friday, the top line combined again for a massive goal just 31 seconds into the third period to give Ottawa a much more comfortable 2-0 lead.

It was Clark’s first goal of the playoffs, and the 8,011 fans at TD Place Arena erupted with “Clarky” chants for the fan-favorite player.

🚨 Emily Clark (1)
🍎🍏 Unassisted pic.twitter.com/dZaSa0dstP

— x – Ottawa Charge (@PWHL_Ottawa) May 17, 2025

Throughout the semifinals, the Charge have been at their best in the third period, with five of their seven goals scored in the final frame. In Game 1, it was Shiann Darkangelo with the game winner. In Game 2, Aneta Tejralová and Jenner scored two goals in the final five minutes to force overtime — and ultimately quadruple overtime.

It’s been quite the departure from Ottawa’s issues earlier in the season (and last season) with closing out games. And it has come at the right time.

Philips wins the goalie battle

This series was far different from the Toronto Sceptres versus Minnesota semifinal, which featured 32 goals scored between the teams and a league record for goals scored in a single game.

Goaltending was at times optional. That was not the case between Ottawa and Montreal.

All four games were close, decided by one goal. Both teams combined for only 14 goals — only two more than the record-breaking 7-5 Minnesota win Sunday in an entire series. And it’s not because the games were low-event. There were more shots on goal in the Ottawa-Montreal series than in the Toronto-Minnesota series.

The low scores were largely due to excellent goaltending by Desbiens and Philips, who lead the PWHL postseason in shots against, saves, save percentage and goals-against average.

“The whole series has been a battle of the goaltenders,” said Cheverie.

Philips — the rookie goalie who has been thrust into the starter’s crease, with Emerance Maschmeyer on LTIR — has the edge in nearly every category, with a league-leading .956 save percentage and 1.14 goals against average. Desbiens finished the series with the most saves (132). In Philips’ last two games, she has made 45 saves on 46 shots for back-to-back wins to lead Ottawa to the Finals.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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With the 2025 NHL Entry Draft approaching fast, POHO and GM Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins have their work cut out for them. 

Since the Penguins have a total of 30 picks over the next three drafts, including 11 this year - which could reduce to 10 if the conditional first-round pick from the New York Rangers defers to 2026 - there will be plenty of opportunity for the Penguins to add impact players. Of their 11 picks in 2025, six of them are in the first three rounds.

After the results of the draft lottery on May 5, the Penguins will officially select 11th overall, dropping down two spots from where they originally were at ninth. As such, we have compiled a list of potential draft prospects that should fall around the Penguins' selection. 

We recently profiled center Jake O'Brien, forward Victor Eklund, defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson, and forward Brady Martin. Next up? Center Roger McQueen.

Penguins Drop Two Slots In NHL Draft, Will Pick 11th OverallIn past draft lotteries, the Pittsburgh Penguins have seen their fair share of luck.

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Roger McQueen

DOB: Oct. 2, 2006
Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 197 pounds
Team: Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

There is, perhaps, no 2025 NHL Draft prospect more polarizing than big-bodied centerman Roger McQueen.

A native of Saskatoon, Saskatachuwan, there isn't anyone quite like McQueen in this draft class. Standing at 6-foot-5, 197 pounds, the 18-year-old has a rare mix of size, mobility, and skill that is such a rarity at the NHL level, especially on the forward front. 

But the biggest questions about McQueen is whether or not his skillset will translate to the NHL level - and whether or not he can stay healthy.

McQueen missed nearly all of the 2024-25 season with spondylosis, which is a stress fracture in the spine. He played in only 17 total games and registered 10 goals and 20 points in that span, which seemed to pretty much be a continuation of his 2023-24 campaign that featured 21 goals and 51 points in 53 games.

Wheat Kings' Roger McQueen Re-joins Team, Records Assist In Second Game BackAfter four and a half months away from the team, Roger McQueen has returned to the WHL.  One of the most intriguing prospects of the 2025 NHL Draft, THN's Dawson Petryshen had the opportunity to sit down with McQueen and catch up on how his recovery went and look ahead to the remainder of the regular season.

The big forward is good with the puck on his stick, and he is quite effective down low and at the net-front, especially on the power play, as seven of his 21 goals in 2023-24 came on the man advantage. He can also take the puck end-to-end with a powerful stride and the ability to deke out opponents along the way. 

Any player with size and skill is attractive to NHL teams, and that's not a secret. If McQueen can continue to put up numbers and produce - as well as build on his skating just a bit - the sky is the limit for him becoming an effective power forward at the NHL level.

However, a lot of the details in McQueen's game aren't quite there, and he doesn't always use his frame to his advantage. There is some left to be desired as far as physicality, and, at times, he can be caught either in the wrong areas of the ice or not anticipating up to the level of his skill.

Some of the "hockey-IQ" that is often referred to with regard to prospects isn't necessarily as prominent with McQueen. That isn't to say that he can't develop that more as he starts playing with better talent and players who do possess a strong hockey sense, but it is something to keep in mind, especially since POHO/GM Kyle Dubas and the Penguins have recently been honing in on high-IQ playmakers. 

He also tends to produce in waves, so the consistency in his production has also been a slight area of concern.

Roger McQueen is back in action for the Brandon Wheat Kings, and while there's still some injury rust left to shake off, he's flashing the same toolsy upside that has scouts excited. When he gets going he's a real handful

Here are some clips from his two most recent games (#13): pic.twitter.com/zXu6gks4K8

— Derek Neumeier (@Derek_N_NHL) March 18, 2025

Overall, McQueen is an intriguing prospect, and he has all the tools to be the kind of player that any NHL team would want to deploy every night. However, given the pool of talent that projects to be around the area the Penguins will be picking - and considering their desperate need for more surefire talent at the center position in their system - it's hard to say whether or not the Penguins should take a gamble on a high-upside, low-floor player.

Whether or not Pittsburgh selects him should more so be determined by the players remaining when it's their turn to draft. If a center such as Jake O'Brien or Brady Martin is still available, they may be a bit safer because of the higher level of assurance that they'll at least become effective players at the NHL level. 

As mentioned before, the sky is the limit for McQueen. But the floor is also a pretty low one. So the Penguins should take that into consideration if he is available at 11th overall.

Penguins Draft Prospect Profile: Brady MartinWith the 2025 NHL Entry Draft approaching fast, POHO and GM Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins have their work cut out for them. 

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The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs continue to unfold as more teams head home empty.

But hope springs eternal, and a number of eliminated NHL playoff teams still have serious Cup aspirations in the near future. 

With that in mind, let’s look at three teams that failed in the early stages of this year’s NHL playoffs but could rebound to go further next post-season.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche were one period away from beating the Dallas Stars in the first round. But former Avs star Mikko Rantanen went on a tear in a third-period comeback to eliminate his former team.

Somewhat lost after Colorado’s exit is that this is still an excellent team, and the Avalanche have $8.7 million to spend this summer. Brock Nelson, Jonathan Drouin and Ryan Lindgren are among their pending UFAs.

That means a team that has superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, as well as star right winger Martin Necas and No. 1 goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, will be even more dangerous for all of next season if it re-signs some of its trade deadline acquisitions or finds an equivalent in free agency.

'Definitely Miss Him': Avalanche's MacKinnon Reflects On The Rantanen Trade In SwedenSTOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - Nathan MacKinnon was all smiles as he arrived for the 2025 IIHF men's World Championship.

The Avalanche will be stronger out of the gate than they were this year, and that means home-ice advantage will be well within their reach.

Rantanen burned the Avalanche, but GM Chris MacFarland may have made the right choice for the franchise by dealing the star and giving his team more depth overall. That gamble will play out throughout the 2025-26 campaign, but no one should be surprised if the Avalanche go on a deeper playoff run next spring. They have the elite-level talent to do so, and they could win a Cup next year.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils were some observers’ sexy pick to go far in the past couple of seasons, but 2023-24 was a major letdown for New Jersey, which didn’t make the playoffs that year. This season, the Devils did better in the regular season, but they suffered unfortunate luck when key cog Jack Hughes was hurt late in the year and missed out on any playoff action.

It was no shock, then, that New Jersey didn’t have the firepower to contend with a very deep and skilled Carolina Hurricanes squad in the first round this year. The Hurricanes dominated the Devils, with only one of Carolina’s four wins being a one-goal game. 

But New Jersey fans shouldn’t get too down on their team, even as Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald has said he “won’t be bringing back the same group” next season. New Jersey will almost assuredly have the same core of top-end talent, including Hughes, his brother and Devils defenseman Luke Hughes, blueliner Dougie Hamilton and captain Nico Hischier.

Even if New Jersey’s supporting cast changes notably, there are all kinds of talent there that will make the Devils a surefire playoff team in 2025-26 – and they’ve got $12 million in cap space to play with this summer. If the Devils can lock up home-ice advantage next spring, they have the ability to shake off the disappointment of the past couple of years and get far further in the post-season.

St. Louis Blues

For the last few minutes of Game 7, the Blues looked set to eliminate the Winnipeg Jets and move on to a second-round showdown against Dallas. But then it all fell apart in spectacular fashion, with Winnipeg forcing overtime with 1.6 seconds left in regulation, then knocking off St. Louis in double overtime. 

That had to be crushing to Blues fans, players and management, but it shouldn’t take away from the encouraging fact that St. Louis played and won must-win hockey for weeks at the end of the regular season just to get into the playoffs.

The Blues wisely chose not to break up their team at the NHL trade deadline, and St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong is well known for his aggressive moves to keep his team in playoff contention, year in and year out. 

It doesn’t always pan out for the Blues, but with a few tweaks here and there, St. Louis can once again be a playoff team next year – and with the right bounce, they could get to the second round at least.

The Blues have only $5.9 million in cap space at the moment, but that number could rise by $6.5 million if veteran defenseman Torey Krug can’t return from what could be a career-ending injury. You have to know Armstrong will use that cap space to better his team, and although the Central Division will likely be even more competitive next season, the Blues have the experience and internal drive to get back into the playoffs. From there, it’s about being in control for just a few more minutes than they were against the Jets this time around.

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Fabian Zetterlund has only been an Ottawa Senator for a couple of months, and he’s already asking the club for a raise. That wouldn’t fly in a normal workplace, but that’s how it goes in the NHL when you bring in a pending restricted free agent at the trade deadline.

The Senators acquired Zetterlund, minor league centre Tristen Robins, and a 2025 fourth-round pick from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for winger Noah Gregor, centre Zack Ostapchuk, and a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

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Zetterlund’s current contract expires on July 1st, and he’ll be seeking an upgrade from the $1.45 million he earned over the past two seasons. He has a decent case: he led the Sharks in goals in 2023–24 with 24 tallies and 44 points. He was on a similar pace this season before the trade to Ottawa, where things got… well, a little more fourth-liney.

Coming to a new team can be a little awkward at first, but it sounds like the transition for Zetterlund was relatively easy.

“I would say it's been great,” Zetterlund said. “It felt like I stepped into a big, big family and yeah, it's been great. I mean, the group is so tight and so close with each other, so it was easy for me. Even hockey-wise didn't go that well at the beginning, but I felt comfortable when I learned the system more and more.”

Fans who recall the pesky NHL playing career of Claude Lemieux, who’s now a player agent, would never think of him as a guy who brings people together. But he’s the agent for both Zetterlund and Tim Stützle, so it’s quite likely Lemieux asked Stützle to take the new guy under his wing.

Why 2024-25 Was The Best Season Yet For Senators Centre Tim StützleOttawa Senators centre Tim Stützle just enjoyed the best season of his NHL career.

“Yeah, (Stützle) reached out right away and told me I could live with him,” Zetterlund said. “And yeah, it was an easy, easy choice. And we had a lot of fun together. It just made when I came here so much easier. He showed me around everything, so yeah, it's just great to have a guy like that.”

Zetterlund says he would love to return to the Senators this season, but he clammed up when he was asked at the season-end media availability whether there has been any contract talks.

“No. You can talk to Steve (Staios).”

Translation: not touching that one with a ten-foot composite stick.

Staios and Lemieux occasionally butted heads as players, and it’s possible they’ll do so again while trying to agree on Zetterlund’s worth this summer. Lemieux is likely to be after a deal that reflects his client’s stats and performance with the Sharks, the worst team in the NHL the past two years.

In San Jose, Zetterlund played in the top six, frequently making calls on the “Lund Line” with Mikael Granlund and William Eklund. Last season, he played almost 19 minutes a night. This season, almost 17 minutes.

But on a superior team in Ottawa, his path to top-six minutes was often blocked. Zetterlund got some games up there but also frequently played on the fourth line. So, in 20 games with the Sens, he had just 2 goals and 5 points, and his ice time with the Senators was just over 14 minutes a night.

That said, he's quick, has a lethal release, and based on his Instagram workouts, he can deadlift a Zamboni.

A lot will depend on other moves Staios makes this summer, but one thing’s for sure: Staios will be negotiating based on Zetterlund’s value in Ottawa, not in San Jose. And unless Zetterlund breaks into the top six regularly, getting the minutes he needs to repeat those California stats will be a challenge.

With Zetterlund under club control for two more years, Staios has the upper hand. He’d probably like to get a deal done at around $2 million or under, but Lemieux will look at the recent contracts signed by Ridly Greig ($3.25M) and Shane Pinto ($3.75M) and want to be in that salary range, especially since Zetterlund had more points than both of those players last season.

Will The Ottawa Senators Sign Shane Pinto To An Extension This Summer?Shane Pinto is eligible for a contract extension this summer. As with every deal, the Ottawa Senators would like to be sure they're getting what they pay for.

But the difference is this: Staios probably has more of a desire to keep Greig and Pinto happy because they're likely to be part of the long-term solution here, while the jury is still out on Zetterlund, who isn’t a UFA until 2027.

Most likely, both sides split the difference: a short-term deal around $2.5 million. It’s a nice bump for Zetterlund and gives Ottawa flexibility in case he turns into more than just a depth scorer with great quads.

If Zetterlund works his way into core player status, there’s plenty of time to revisit things in a year or two.

Steve Warne, Site Editor
The Hockey News - Ottawa 
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EDMONTON – It’s only a matter of time.

The Edmonton Oilers' hardest (and easiest) part right now is waiting—waiting, waiting, waiting.

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It’s easy for them to wait because of wanting their team to be as healthy as possible before engaging in the second half of their playoff run. To get the best out of Connor McDavid, Corey Perry, Stuart Skinner, Leon Draisaitl, Jake Walman, and Evan Bouchard, being healthy is important.

Not to mention the eventual return of Calvin Pickard and Mattias Ekholm.

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At the time of this writing, the hardest part of waiting is knowing who they will play against next. They know it will be the Winnipeg Jets or Dallas Stars. But they don’t know where or when.

Stars vs Jets Remaining Schedule

However, there is light at the end of this tunnel. The Oilers will know who they are playing very soon. Here is the schedule for Games 6 and 7 of the Jets and Stars’ series.

Game 6: May 17th (Saturday) - Winnipeg at Dallas - 6:00 PM Mountain Time

Game 7: May 19th (Monday) - Dallas at Winnipeg - 5:30 PM Mountain Time

The @NHL announced start times and broadcast information for Game 6 between the @NHLJets and @DallasStars as well as a potential #Game7 between the @MapleLeafs and @FlaPanthers. #StanleyCup

Details: https://t.co/rzIhqbDxAapic.twitter.com/xT3ZJH8ZVQ

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) May 16, 2025

There are a three different potential outcomes from the final games of this series:

Scenario 1: The Stars win Game 6, they go on to play the Oilers.

Scenario 2: The Jets win Game 6 but lose Game 7. Stars go on to play the Oilers.

Scenario 3: The Jets win Game 6 & 7. The Jets go on to play the Oilers.

The Oilers have a higher probability of playing the Stars in the Western Conference Series. However, the Jets could still pull off something miraculous and win the series.

It’s not over, till it’s over. Until then, wait, wait, wait.

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Reilly Smith is coming to the end of a three-year, $5M contract he signed with the Vegas Golden Knights, but maintains he wants to remain a Golden Knight. 

The team held their end-of-season press conferences today, two days after the Edmonton Oilers eliminated the Golden Knights in Game 5 of the second round. The conclusion of the offseason brings new questions and challenges for the players and coaches, but more importantly, the management staff. 

Heading into the offseason, the Golden Knights roster six UFAs and three RFAs. One of those six UFAs includes Smith, a long-time Golden Knight whom they traded in the offseason after winning the Stanley Cup. The move was purely for salary cap reasons, and when the right moment occurred, the franchise reacquired the 34-year-old. Upon returning, Smith fit in like a glove. He and William Karlsson renewed their electric chemistry on the penalty kill and at 5-on-5, and Smith went on to score three goals and 11 points in 21 regular season games.

He chipped in an additional three goals and four points in 11 postseason games, maintaining his attentiveness to the defensive side of the puck. His best seasons have come while wearing the Golden Knights crest, and he isn't all that ready to move on. 

"If there's an opportunity to stay here, that would be great," said Smith. "I think the best hockey I've played in my career has been wearing this jersey."

He went on to mention how much he loves the city and how his family loves it too. The Mimico, On., native has played 919 career games, closing in on 1000, mentioning he'd love to achieve that in Vegas.

"I would like to play 1000 games in my career, and to do it in this jersey would mean a lot."

The Golden Knights fell short of their goal, and Smith knows that, but when he looks around the locker room, the possibility of making another run still exists in his eyes. 

"It was a fun few months, but it obviously wasn’t where we wanted to go. I think you need a lot of things to go right to challenge for the Stanley Cup. We just fell short."

At his age and where his production currently sits, Smith won't earn anywhere close to his current $5M salary, but cutting his salary under $2M will keep him on a cost-efficient contract and allow the Golden Knights to seek upgrades to their roster with the additional cap space. 

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At the beginning of the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, this writer picked the Toronto Maple Leafs to beat the Florida Panthers in seven games. 

While the Maple Leafs still can make that prediction accurate with a win in Game 6 Friday in Florida, the way the Maple Leafs played in Game 5 – or more to the point, the way they did not play in that game – we’re now of the opinion the Leafs will lose in seven games.

Isn’t that exactly what we’ve come to see from this core group of Leafs? We’re probably going to see them win Game 6, just to give their long-suffering fans some hope. But if they can extend the series, it would be just like these Leafs to lose another Game 7.

To be sure, there are things the Maple Leafs can do to win their next two games – things we saw in Games 1 and 2, when they beat the Panthers to establish a 2-0 series lead.

For one thing, the Leafs established their offensive presence early in the games. 

In Game 1, Toronto outshot Florida 14-3 in the first period and had a 2-0 lead 12:51 into the opening frame, eventually winning the contest 5-4. In Game 2, after the Panthers scored the first goal of the game, the Leafs answered back to tie it and built a 3-2 lead in an eventual 4-3 Toronto win.

Those performances gave Leafs fans hope that this year would be different, that the Buds would somehow get to the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 2002. But those hopes have evaporated after Florida roared back to win the next three games, outscoring the Leafs 13-5. 

While there wasn’t always a connection between the number of shots on net the two teams were putting up – Toronto matched Florida in Game 5 with 32 shots apiece in the game that ended with a demoralizing 6-1 drubbing – it was the quality of shots that told the story. 

Indeed, the Panthers were far superior when it came to limiting Toronto shots to the periphery, preventing second and third follow-up scoring opportunities, and allowing Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to build confidence in allowing only one goal in Games 4 and 5 combined.

And now, because of their inability to close out the series, the Maple Leafs are tasked with the near-impossible challenge of winning two games in a row yet again in this series. That’s why we’re seriously skeptical that, even if Toronto does win Game 6, they’ll eliminate the Panthers in a Game 7. Far more likely is the possibility that the Leafs either lose Game 6 or lay an egg in Game 7. 

NHL Rumor Roundup: Latest On The Maple Leafs, Golden Knights And AvalancheA crushing 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of their second-round series has the Toronto Maple Leafs facing elimination on Friday. 

If the Buds do fail to come back and win this series, the anger among Leafs fans will be hellacious and justified, and major roster changes will follow this summer. At the beginning of the season, Leafs players and management knew the stakes that were in play – get out of the second round, or get out of town – so there’s no sense of surprise that the mix of talent could change drastically for Toronto this summer.

It feels that bleak for Leafs fans, and while stranger things have happened than a Leafs comeback in this showdown, the likelihood that an era is coming to an end for the Blue and White is unmistakable.

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It’s been a very busy week in the world of the National Hockey League.

Between the Stanley Cup Playoffs moving toward the conference finals and head coaching and front office vacancies being filled, there was a lot to get to on this week’s episode of The Hockey Show.

Joining hosts Roy Bellamy and David Dwork to talk some playoff puck was friend of the show Adnan Virk from Prime Monday Night Hockey on Amazon.

First and foremost, the Florida Panthers are on the brink of advancing to their third straight conference final.

After falling behind 0-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in their second-round series, Florida has come storming back with three straight wins and can eliminate the Leafs with a Game 6 victory on Friday.

Waiting for the Panthers in round three are the Carolina Hurricanes, the most boring team to ever play hockey. Jokes aside, the Hurricanes are leaning into their identity and hoping for a rematch of the 2023 conference final in which they lost to Florida in four straight.

Among other topics were the Oilers and Hurricanes advancing to their respective conference finals, Ken Holland being hired as the new GM in Los Angeles and a pair of coaching vacancies in Vancouver and Philadelphia being filled.

You can check out the full episode in the video below:

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