OTTAWA, CANADA - APRIL 15: Max Domi #11 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the Ottawa Senators on April 15, 2026 at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by André Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)
NHLI via Getty Images
TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs say forward Max Domi will be out indefinitely after offseason surgery for an undisclosed issue.
The team said Monday the 31-year-old experienced complications following the procedure after playing through the injury during the 2025-26 season.
Toronto said Domi will continue working with the club’s medical staff and will be reevaluated at the start of training camp.
The Winnipeg-born forward had 36 points (12 goals, 24 assists) and 95 penalty minutes in 80 regular-season games last season.
Domi signed a four-year, $15 million contract extension with Toronto in June 2024.
Selected 12th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2013 NHL draft, Domi has 486 points (150 goals, 336 assists) in 815 career regular-season games with Arizona, Montreal, Columbus, Carolina, Chicago, Dallas and Toronto.
The Kings had their share of positives and negatives throughout the season. While the positives are easier to bring into the offseason and next season, the negatives make it much more challenging. For the Kings to continue their success in making the playoffs, they may need to adapt their Offensive game, special teams, and Overtime Play.
Offense
This was the most apparent issue for the Kings this season, and it was the opposite of how the defence played for the Kings this season. The Kings' goals per game ranked 4th-lowest in the NHL, averaging 2.68. The Kings also scored the 4th-fewest goals in the entire season, with 225. At the same time, the Kings did make changes to help their offence, such as acquiring Artemi Panarin, who became a point-per-game player for the Kings in the short time he spent with them in the regular season.
While this aspect is not the easiest to fix, it is definitely the Kings' priority to improve their offensive game.
Special Teams
The second aspect the Kings could improve on is both the penalty kill and the power play. The power play fits into the offence aspect for the Kings, but it did not generate any additional offence most of the time. The Kings were ranked 28th on the power play and 30th on the penalty kill.
The Kings' power-play percentage was 17%, and the penalty kill was 74%; both need to improve next season. Both of the Kings' special teams need to improve next season, as being near the bottom of the NHL does not allow them to succeed.
Overtime
The Kings set an NHL record for the most overtime losses in a single season with 19 and tied an NHL record for most overtime games played in a single season with 31. While the Kings did end up making the playoffs due to the points they earned for reaching overtime, if they had won half of those games, their first-round matchup could have been very different, and this is an aspect they need to improve on.
The Kings need to be better in 3-on-3, and they also shouldn't be going to overtime 31 times in an 82-game season. This factor can be altered by the improvements to their offence, which, if they can produce more offence, can lead to more regulation wins.
Overall, the Kings' biggest area for improvement is their offence, and with the addition of Artemi Panarin, they are heading in the right direction. Still, it does not solve the entire problem, and heading into next season, the Kings' biggest focal point for improvement has to be their offensive game, as improvement there can help their play on special teams and in overtime.
TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Maple Leafs say forward Max Domi will be out indefinitely after offseason surgery for an undisclosed issue.
The team said Monday the 31-year-old experienced complications following the procedure after playing through the injury during the 2025-26 season.
Toronto said Domi will continue working with the club’s medical staff and will be reevaluated at the start of training camp.
The Winnipeg-born forward had 36 points (12 goals, 24 assists) and 95 penalty minutes in 80 regular-season games last season.
Domi signed a four-year, $15 million contract extension with Toronto in June 2024.
Selected 12th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2013 NHL draft, Domi has 486 points (150 goals, 336 assists) in 815 career regular-season games with Arizona, Montreal, Columbus, Carolina, Chicago, Dallas and Toronto.
The Colorado Avalanche will look to stave off elimination with a road win over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, May 26.
My top Avalanche vs. Golden Knights predictions and NHL picks call for just the opposite with Vegas goalie Carter Hart doing the heavy lifting to sweep Colorado with a low-scoring win in Game 4.
Avalanche vs Golden Knights Game 4 prediction
Avalanche vs Golden Knights best bet: Under 6.5 (-125)
Avalanche vs Golden Knights Game 4 same-game parlay
Hart’s highlighted excellent play alongside the highlighted postseason-best defense from Vegas pave the way for the Golden Knights pulling off the sweep.
Turning to star center Jack Eichel, he’s recorded three or more shots in eight of 15 postseason games for a rock-solid 7.35 shots per 60 minutes, in addition to a 51.8% shot share at 5-on-5. He’s also ripe for statistical correction in the shots column after converting just three of his 11 attempts into shots (27.3%) the past two games.
Eichel converted 54.3% of his attempts into shots through the first 13 games of the postseason, after all.
Avalanche vs Golden Knights SGP
Golden Knights moneyline
Carter Hart Over 28.5 saves
Jack Eichel Over 2.5 shots
Avalanche vs Golden Knights odds for Game 4
Moneyline: Avalanche -115 | Golden Knights -105
Puck Line: Avalanche -1.5 (+210) | Golden Knights +1.5 (-270)
Over/Under: Over 6.5 (+105) | Under 6.5 (-125)
Avalanche vs Golden Knights trend
The Avalanche have hit the Under in 15 of their last 25 away games (+6.70 Units / 25% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Avalanche vs. Golden Knights.
How to watch Avalanche vs Golden Knights Game 4
Location
T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, NV
Date
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Puck drop
9:00 p.m. ET
TV
CBC, ESPN
Avalanche vs Golden Knights latest injuries
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It’s hard to believe that a city that proudly bills itself as “Hockeytown” hasn’t seen NHL playoff hockey in 10 straight years. With the Buffalo Sabres finally ending their drought this spring, the Detroit Red Wings now stand alone as the team with the NHL’s longest active playoff drought.
With a stretch like that, changes are inevitable.
Veteran reporter Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now posted on social media this week that the only unrestricted free agent the Red Wings are probably interested in re-signing is Patrick Kane.
If that’s the case, it could mean the end of the line in Detroit for a crowded 35-and-over group that includes former Ottawa Senators David Perron, Cam Talbot, and Travis Hamonic.
When Perron signed with Ottawa in 2024, he was coming off a strong season in Detroit that saw him post 47 points in 76 games. But after two fairly average seasons with the Senators, both impacted by injuries and family matters, Ottawa dealt him back to the Red Wings at the trade deadline for a fourth-round pick.
According to most Detroit observers, Perron wasn't quite the same player who left the Wings in 2024. In his 16 games after the trade, he managed just three goals and no assists. Perron turns 38 on Thursday, and it will be interesting to see whether another NHL opportunity comes about or if the sun has set on an excellent career.
Talbot’s Ottawa tenure lasted just one season in 2022–23. Former Senators GM Pierre Dorion acquired the veteran goalie from Minnesota in exchange for Filip Gustavsson in an effort to add experience between the pipes. Talbot was one and done in Ottawa and the Sens allowed him to walk into free agency.
After leaving the Sens, Talbot signed with the Los Angeles Kings and posted respectable numbers there, including a .913 save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against average. But in 34 games with Detroit this season, his numbers slipped to an .883 save percentage and a 3.10 goals-against average.
Talbot is currently representing Canada's men's national ice hockey team at the IIHF World Championship in Switzerland, likely hoping to showcase himself for one more NHL opportunity. He’ll turn 39 this fall.
Finally, it will come as no surprise to most Senators fans that Detroit appears ready to move on from Travis Hamonic. It looked like he'd reached the end last summer before the Wings made a late call and signed him to a one-year deal in mid-August. He played in just 26 games this season.
In all, Perron played 1239 NHL games, Hamonic played 926, and Talbot played 567. So whenever these three former Senators hang up their blades, whether it's now or later, all three will be able to look back on long NHL careers they can be extremely proud of.
The Edmonton Oilers signed another European free agent on Monday, bringing in Finnish forward Aku Raty on a one-year, two-way deal worth an AVV of $850,000. Low risk. Maybe something, maybe nothing.
But the Oilers keep doing this now, because well, they have to.
Raty joins a growing list of European free-agent swings by Edmonton. This is a strategy that’s become one of the organization’s primary methods of adding young talent. And the reason is pretty straightforward: they don’t really have draft picks anymore.
That’s the cost of claiming they're only concerned about right now, not five years from now. Picks get moved out for immediate help, prospects get dealt because the window is open now, and nobody in Edmonton is interested in hearing about patience.
But there’s a difference between sacrificing the future and eventually running out of ways to replenish the present.
That’s where these European signings are coming from.
Raty is a 24-year-old, right-shot, coming off a strong season with Kärpät in Finland’s Liiga, where he led the club with 57 points in the 2025-26 season and tied him for seventh in the entire league.
Before returning to Finland, he also spent two years in the AHL, putting up 69 points across 120 games between Tucson and Rockford. There’s enough skill there to justify the bet, especially on a contract with almost no downside.
And to be fair, Edmonton isn’t alone here. Teams across the league are mining Europe more aggressively because mature players in pro leagues can sometimes step into NHL depth roles faster than draft picks. You’re getting older prospects, who are more developed physically, often with pro experience already built in.
But this is a method to compensate for the loss of drafting, not a way of replacing it.
First-round picks aren’t distant futures anymore. Not in today’s NHL. More and more often, players are NHL-ready within a year or two, especially if they’re taken high enough. The Oilers have spent years moving those opportunities away.
And that’s where the criticism around general manager Stan Bowman and the organization starts to set in. Edmonton isn’t just thin on long-term assets five years from now. They’re thin on young, cheap impact players right now.
A first-rounder from two drafts ago might already be pushing for NHL minutes. A pick from last year could already be developing in Bakersfield. Instead, Edmonton keeps searching for value externally because internally, there aren’t enough prospects coming.
Now, to be fair again, this is also the reality of competing for a Cup in the McDavid era. Nobody complains about traded picks when a team is making deep playoff runs. Fans wanted aggressive management, and aggressive management usually means futures leaving town.
But there’s a balancing act every contender eventually faces. You can’t just keep spending future picks without finding alternative ways to replace them. That’s why these European signings matter more than they normally would.
The Oilers need them to work.
Not necessarily as stars, but as contributors. Third-line forwards. Penalty killers. Cheap middle-six options. Guys who can outperform their contracts because Edmonton desperately needs value around its expensive core.
That’s the gamble with Raty. At 24, he’s old enough that you probably know what kind of player he is physically, but young enough that there may still be another level offensively. Maybe he becomes NHL depth. Maybe he turns into a useful bottom-six forward with some secondary scoring. Maybe he’s just organizational depth.
But the Oilers are taking these swings because they have fewer traditional ways to find players now.
And that’s the larger conversation here. Is this smart adaptation by a team fully committed to winning now? Or is it the consequence of pushing too many chips into the middle for too long?
The Oilers aren’t rebuilding. They shouldn’t be rebuilding. As long as McDavid and Draisaitl are here, the priority should be maximizing the chance to win. But eventually, those aggressive moves create holes elsewhere in the organization, and those holes need to be filled somehow.
In an interview with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Montreal Canadiens’ veteran defenseman Mike Matheson lifted the curtain on the happenings in the Habs’ dressing room during Game 7 against the Buffalo Sabres. There’s a reason the 32-year-old blueliner has a letter on his jersey; it’s not just about what he does on the ice, but also about what he does off it.
During the intermission between the third frame and the start of overtime, Matheson spoke up in the Canadiens’ room:
The thing that I wanted to get across was just to look back at your eight-year-old self and ask him how he’d be feeling. Just kind of remind yourself that this is exactly what, whether you’re on the outdoor rink growing up or playing ball hockey, you’d be pretending you’re in this situation: Game 7, going into overtime. I feel like putting that into perspective sometimes takes the pressure off a little bit and just lets you go play, and I feel like we did that in overtime.
Matheson may not have gotten a point on Alex Newhook’s series-winning goal, but he was on the ice and watched it unfold in front of his eyes. He played 31:28 on that night. The rearguard might not have put up a lot of points in these playoffs; he only has a goal and two assists in 16 games, but he is still contributing in other ways, and that’s a perfect example of it.
Friedman also revealed that the Mathesons welcomed their third child the morning after that Game 7 win. You have to hand it to the Canadiens’ kids; they know not to show up during games. Both Matheson and Suzuki welcomed new arrivals in these playoffs, and neither had to miss any action. The defenseman did admit that he has thought about putting his newborn on the Stanley Cup, smiling.
There are other news arrivals on the way, as Noah Dobson, Alexandre Carrier, Samuel Montembeault and Brendan Gallagher will all be welcoming new family members soon. Hopefully, they’ve all got the memo about showing up when the Canadiens aren’t playing.
Now that the St. Louis Blues and their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, have finished their seasons, the focus turns to the NHL draft and the off-season.
Heading into the 2026 off-season, new GM Alexander Steen will have seven restricted free agents he must make decisions on. Those RFAs are Jonatan Berggren, Matthew Kessel, Dylan Peterson, Zach Dean, Thomas Bordeleau, Leo Loof, and Will Cranley.
Of those seven players, only two played in NHL games with the Blues: Berggren and Kessel. Berggren was a waiver-wire pickup from the Detroit Red Wings, and he turned out to be a serviceable NHLer.
Originally drafted by the Red Wings in the second round of the 2018 NHL draft, Berggren posted six goals and 16 points in 36 games with the Blues this season. While finding a spot in a healthy lineup might prove to be challenging, having a player of Berggren’s level as the 13th forward would go a long way in keeping the Blues competitive.
Kessel played 29 games with the Blues this season, and zero with the Thunderbirds. Kessel was exclusively used as a seventh defenseman, filling in when the Blues were shorthanded due to injuries. Similar to Beggren, Kessel is a serviceable depth piece.
The remaining five RFAs did not play any games in the NHL this past season.
Peterson, a 24-year-old forward, was drafted in the third round of the 2020 NHL draft, but has yet to make his NHL debut. He’s spent the past two seasons in the AHL, where he most recently scored 12 goals and 24 points in 57 games. Peterson isn’t afraid to mix it up physically, recording 85 penalty minutes this past season.
Dean was a former first-round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2021 NHL draft, but was traded to the Blues as part of the Ivan Barbashev package. Since arriving, Dean has played just nine NHL games, failing to record a point.
Dean missed a large chunk of the AHL season because he was in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program at the start of the season. When he returned, he notched four goals and 14 points in 36 games.
Bordeleau, 24, was acquired by the New Jersey Devils during the 2025-26 season. Upon arriving, Bordeleau scored seven goals and 13 points in 25 games.
Loof, another 24-year-old, was also drafted by the Blues in the third round of the 2020 draft. In his third season with the Thunderbirds, Loof took a step back production-wise, notching just two goals and six points in 47 games, compared to his sophomore season, which saw him record 17 assists in 63 games.
The final RFA is 24-year-old goaltender Will Cranley. Cranley split his time between the AHL and ECHL. In the AHL, he posted a .892 save percentage, and in the ECHL, he posted a .915 SP.
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Once a massive underdog, winger Mitch Marner is dominating Conn Smythe Trophy odds as his Vegas Golden Knights enjoy a 3-0 series lead in the Western Conference Final.
Key Takeaways
Marner leads the entire playoffs in points scored.
Despite being up 3-0 in the conference finals, the Golden Knights aren’t favored to win the Stanley Cup
Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki was the favorite on prediction markets Monday morning.
Marner was a +6,600 candidate to win the Conn Smythe Trophy when the NHL Playoffs began.
The Colorado Avalanche, who now find themselves on the brink of getting swept, rostered the previous favorite in Nathan MacKinnon.
BetMGM insights shared with Covers showed that MacKinnon was a +250 leader in the award market near the end of the conference semifinals. He surged to +170 when the Avs booked their ticket to the next round, leaving Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen as the next-closest candidate (+400).
MacKinnon was also the overwhelming pick for public bettors, boasting 22% of tickets and 27.5% of all money wagered in the market. The second-highest amounts in the respective categories were 5.7% and 17.6%.
Marner, 29, has managed to completely flip the odds. After spending nine years with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the first-year Golden Knights star leads the entire playoffs in points with seven goals and 14 assists, including a trio of helpers in three games against the Avalanche.
Prediction markets largely agree
Prediction market sites, such as Polymarket, have emerged as viable rivals to sportsbooks thanks to their sports event contracts. Users buy and sell yes/no outcomes associated with various events in sports and win or lose money depending on the accuracy of their prediction.
Marner, whose +175 odds at BetMGM carry a 36.4% implied probability, barely leads in likelihood to win the Conn Smythe at Polymarket.
While his 35% probability nearly mirrors BetMGM’s odds, he finds himself entangled with Avalanche center Martin Necas (34%) and Hurricanes center Seth Jarvis (30%).
Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki was favored as of Monday morning, although his probability wasn’t visible as of noon ET.
Polymarket’s top rival in the prediction space, Kalshi, has Marner as a dominant 50% favorite. Andersen is second at 23%, while Golden Knights center Jack Eichel is the only other player with a double-digit probability (11%) at the time of writing. Suzuki is listed at 8% after spiking as high as 67%.
Stanley Cup odds
The Avalanche were the team to beat heading into the conference finals. Not only were their +135 Stanley Cup odds the shortest of the four remaining teams, but they had leading marks with 17.7% of tickets and 23.7% of the pot. The Golden Knights were +575 with 7.3% of wagers and 11% of the handle.
The Knights still aren’t in the lead in odds to win the Stanley Cup, as their +145 value just trails the Hurricanes at +140. The Canadiens are at +425, and the Avs are down at +1,400.
Barstool founder Dave Portnoy is one of many fans who are hoping the Golden Knights defy the odds and win the championship. The well-known celebrity wagered $100,000 at +650 odds, meaning he stands to win $750,000 if Vegas cashes his ticket.
It looks like Senators fans will have another alternate jersey to look forward to next season.
Icethetics, the excellent YouTube channel by Chris Smith, reported on Sunday in its latest Jersey Watch episode that all 32 teams will be adding an extra alternate jersey for the 2026-27 season.
This rollout by Fanatics will apparently be called NHL Hometown Remix Jerseys, and according to Smith, two designs have leaked out already.
Smith says the Florida Panthers will roll with the NHL's first pink jerseys, featuring the team's secondary sunset logo on the front. The New York Islanders will bring back the old sea captain uniforms, the ones with the patch on the front that's often referred to as the Captain Highliner logo.
⚠️ REPORT: Details emerge of rumored NHL “Hometown Remix” jersey program, set to launch in September for 2026-27, via @icethetics.
The collection features #Isles fisherman look + #FlaPanthers **pink** sweater + other jersey color details
There have been no leaks or even hints yet as to what Fanatics has planned for the Senators' version of the Hometown Remix jersey, and frankly, it seems like a pretty quick turnaround. The Sens just rolled out their new red third jerseys last September.
Those were also leaked out in the offseason.
The new reds have a splash of black at the shoulders and waist, with metallic gold striping. They were pretty sharp, but from a distance and on television, the lack of contrast made the numbers very hard to identify.
The Senators also toyed with black helmets to go with their white road jerseys a few times this season. Those seemed to draw mixed reviews among fans.
Icethetics says the remix jerseys are likely to be hockey's answer to City Connect in baseball, produced by Nike. An example of that was the Blue Jays' dark blue jerseys with the city's skyline and CN Tower on the front.
According to NHLUniforms.com, the Senators have tinkered with their uniforms 17 times before, including special event jerseys like the 2014 Heritage Classic and the NHL 100 Classic.
The Anaheim Ducks continued their climb out of their elongated rebuild and ended the NHL’s third-longest playoff drought in 2025-26 (eight years).
They won their first series in nine years to open the playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers, but were ousted by the Vegas Golden Knights in six games in the second round.
The Ducks’ front office, led by general manager Pat Verbeek, will face a catalog of decisions in the 2026 offseason that will shape the future of their contending window, which has just been kicked wide open.
Several of those decisions will pertain to the right side of their blueline, as three key veteran defensemen will all see their contracts with the Ducks expire on July 1.
This spring, Jacob Trouba (32), John Carlson (36), and Radko Gudas (35) made up the Ducks’ right side of their defense corps for the franchise’s very first playoff game since 2018. All three are set to become UFAs on July 1, leaving Drew Helleson (25), Ian Moore (24), and Tristan Luneau (22) as the organization’s only right-shot defensemen with NHL experience under contract for the 2026-27 season.
Corinne Votaw-Imagn Images
Jacob Trouba
Of the three UFA veterans, Trouba seems to have the inside track on a potential extension due to his impact and fit since he was acquired in Dec. 2024, along with his role as the blueline’s top penalty killer and partner to #1 defenseman Jackson LaCombe.
Trouba arrived at his exit interview on May 15 with his hair in a bun and relayed that he intended to let it grow until he signed a contract extension.
“Until I sign. That was the promise at the start of the year,” Trouba said. “It was going ’til I sign an extension, and it’s still going.”
“We’ll see where it goes, I guess,” Trouba continued. “I’ve never been through the free agency situation, so I don’t know if I’ll have a lot of answers right now, and we’ll see where it goes.”
When asked if there had been any extension discussions to that point, Trouba responded by saying, “A little bit at the deadline. Didn’t get very far.”
“That’s something that I’ll always, no matter how this whole thing plays out, be appreciative of Pat and the organization,” Trouba said. “(They) took a chance on me when I was down, and I was certainly down.
“Finishing out that last year (in New York) was tough. Coming back this year, I had a lot to prove to myself, and I thought I did a good job of playing hockey again, and I’m pretty proud of that.”
John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Radko Gudas
Radko Gudas signed a three-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks on July 1, 2023, and was announced as the team’s ninth captain in franchise history on Sept. 19, 2024, ahead of the 2024-25 season. The Ducks had spent the prior two seasons without a captain, following their long run with franchise legend Ryan Getzlaf wearing the “C” in Anaheim.
He provided a physical presence on the ice, leading by example by playing as hard as he could every shift, and he was the first player to answer media questions after difficult losses.
Gudas sustained various injuries during his time in Anaheim, including an ankle sprain that kept him out of all but two of the Ducks’ final ten games of the regular season and all but their first playoff game against the Edmonton Oilers in the first round.
He also stated during his exit interview that an injury he sustained a couple of years ago had still been lingering, adding to the reasoning for his absence through the final 11 games of the Ducks’ playoff run.
“Yeah, still dealing with that (the ankle),” Gudas said. “Since the injury I had a couple of years ago, it’s been still lingering throughout the whole time I was here, and we didn’t like the way it looked.”
Gudas has logged 885 games in his NHL career, adding 58 career playoff games. One wouldn’t be blamed for questioning how much he has left in the tank or questioning if he’d prefer to play his last professional games in his native Czechia.
“Yeah, we talked a few times,” Gudas said on whether he’s had contract discussions with the Ducks’ front office. “There’s so many aspects, so many options. I’ve definitely really enjoyed my time here, and I’m open to anything. So, we’re going to have a few of these conversations over the next few weeks. I think we need the season to calm down and see where the whole team’s going to head. So, there’s still lots of time.”
“Wearing the ‘C’ for the Ducks is one of the biggest prides I had in my professional career, being able to represent a club that’s doing this well and striving for greatness and having the opportunity to work with all of these guys here, and being the leader,” Gudas said on seeing his captaincy through.
“It was one of the biggest honors of my career. I have a very soft spot for Anaheim after these few years here, and if there’s a chance for me staying here, I’m open to do that…It would be a shame to say I don’t want to be part of a group that’s getting better every day. So, definitely it’s something that I would like, too.”
Griffin Hooper-Imagn Images
John Carlson
The Ducks put the nail in the coffin of their long rebuild when they acquired veteran rental defenseman John Carlson in exchange for a conditional first-round pick and a third-round pick at the 2026 trade deadline, the type of move rebuilding teams do not make.
Verbeek stated at the time of the trade that he intended to see how Carlson integrated into the roster and potentially pursue an extension following the season.
Carlson took on a massive role immediately on the Ducks’ blueline, down the stretch of the regular season, and into the playoffs, averaging 24:11 TOI per game and featuring on both special teams units.
He played the majority of his minutes alongside young left-shot defenseman Pavel Mintyukov (10th overall in 2022), aiding the talented youngster, whom the organization spent a valuable asset on, toward becoming an impact top-four contributor.
Various speculations on Carlson’s preferences have been made since the Ducks’ season came to an end nearly two weeks ago. Pondering has led some to postulate that his preference would be to return to the East Coast, as he was born in Massachusetts, played his minor hockey in New Jersey, and played the first 16+ seasons of his NHL career in Washington DC.
“That’s the part of it I don’t have answers for right now,” Carlson said during his exit interview. “I certainly loved it here, and there’s a lot of moving parts to that to properly answer the question. But I’ve loved my time. It’s a special place here, for sure, with extraordinary talent and a really bright future. So, that is certainly attractive to anyone, not just myself.
Carlson went on to state that there hadn't been extension talks to that point and that when it comes to potentially re-signing, he’s “open, for sure. There’s no bones about that.”
There’s belief that his immediate production after joining Anaheim, scoring 14 points (4-10=14) in 16 regular season games before adding six (0-6=6) in 12 playoff games, will lead to the AAV on his next contract to remain at his previous $8 million number or even eclipse it.
Building for Continued Success
With young right-shot talent (Moore, Helleson, Luneau) approaching or entering their prime NHL years on the blueline and more on the way in the form of Noah Warren, the Ducks front office is at a point where they have to decide how they want ice time divvied up between them next season, who they’ll want to attempt to bring back, the cost of doing so, and potentially adding via free agency or trade.
Gazing around the league, the majority of top defensemen have a complementary “running mate” opposite them on their team’s respective top pair. Identifying that player for blossoming star Jackson LaCombe could unlock his true potential and afford the Ducks an elite pair on their backend, an aspect necessary for winning Stanley Cups.
Finding LaCombe the Brock Faber to his Quinn Hughes, the Devon Toews to his Cale Makar, Brayden McNabb to his Shea Theodore, etc., may be a priority for the Ducks this offseason.
With the internal options mentioned, the potential of bringing back any number of their three current players on expiring deals, names projected on the UFA market like Rasmus Andersson and Connor Murphy, and names on various speculative “trade boards” like Dougie Hamilton and Colton Parayko, Verbeek has an abundance of puzzle pieces, options, and routes to take in an effort to build a contending blueline for the 2026-27 season.
For a team that struggled greatly to defend in all areas throughout the course of the regular season and playoffs, how Verbeek decides to build the right side of their blueline will be vital towards rounding out the Ducks’ overall game.
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring will be a trade candidate to watch this off-season. With the Sabres having limited cap space and Kesselring struggling to find his fit in Buffalo, it would not be surprising in the slightest if they moved him this summer. This is especially so when noting that he is a pending restricted free agent.
If the Sabres end up making Kesselring available this off-season, keep an eye on these two teams as potential landing spots for the big right-shot defenseman.
Boston Bruins
The Hockey News' Russell Macias recently argued that the Bruins would be a great fit for Kesselring, and it is easy to understand why. The Bruins desperately need to improve the right side of their blueline, and acquiring Kesselring could help them do just that if he bounced back in Boston. When looking at the Bruins' roster, he could slot nicely on their second pairing and their penalty kill.
Edmonton Oilers
Could the Oilers look to reunite with Kesselring, who was once in their prospect pool, this off-season? The possibility should not be ruled out. The right side of the Oilers' blueline could use a boost, and this will be only more of the case if they do not re-sign pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) Connor Murphy. Due to this, the possibility of Edmonton targeting Kesselring should not be ruled out.
If you've been watching the Golden Knights taking a serious run at the 2026 Stanley Cup, you may notice how different this Vegas team is in comparison to the Rangers. To wit:
1. HATE: Unofficially the Knights have been knighted as "The Most Hated Sports Team in America. (How can anyone hate a team as the current bottom feeding Rangers? Pity is more like it.)
2. A GENUINE 'CHARACTER' COACH: After his Vegas guys knocked Anaheim out of their second round playoff series, bench boss John Tortorella ignored a serious league rule and did not show up for the post game media session. This despite the fact that his team WON the series, for crying out loud. (But that's "Us against the world" philosophy that wins for Vegas.)
3. PENALTY: The league fined Torts and added further punishment; had to give up a second-round draft pick. (The way the Knights win-at-all-costs philosophy works, the punishment is small potatoes.)
4. CASTING AWAY CASSIDY: After firing coach Bruce Cassidy late in the season, the Knights' high command has refused to allow Cassidy to apply for another coaching job; elsewhere. (Now you know why Vegas IS the most hated team in hockey. The upright Rangers never would do such a thing.)
5. MAKING IT WITH MITCH MARNER: While 31 out of 32 NHL would have loved to have signed the former Maple Leaf superstar it was Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon who nailed Marner without even exhaling. (The New York offense could use a Marner type.)
"Those Vegas guys love being hated," says The Old Scout, "and I suspect that they take pride in it. This has become their image. In fact the players and management are well aware of it. I guarantee that it helps motivate them into winners."
If you don't think that "Hating Vegas" helps them win more, just check the playoff standings. You have to wonder if the Rangers ever could become a target of such venom.
That’s all it could take for the Vegas Golden Knights to advance to the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals, reaching this benchmark for the third time since dropping the puck on their inaugural season in 2017–18.
Some of Vegas’ players are no strangers to Stanley Cup Finals. Former Vancouver Canucks defenceman Ben Hutton is one of 12 players currently under contract with the Golden Knights who won the Stanley Cup with the team back in 2023. Others, such as head coach John Tortorella, lifted the trophy with other teams before finding their way to Vegas.
All it will take is one more win.
Vegas came out swinging to start this year’s Western Conference Final against a battered Colorado Avalanche team, winning both Games 1 and 2 in Denver before taking an even greater series lead on home-ice with a shocking 5–3 comeback win. Their performance thus far has put them on the verge of sweeping the 2025–26 President’s Trophy winners.
In some ways, it’s felt like Vegas has become a different team since former Canucks head coach Tortorella replaced Bruce Cassidy as the Golden Knights’ bench boss at the end of March. The move seems to have paid off in dividends, however, as the team has lost only five games in both playoffs and the regular season since he’d been brought on-board.
May 24, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) celebrates scoring third period against the Colorado Avalanche in game three of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
One former Canuck has made a big impact for the Golden Knights, particularly in this series. Nic Dowd scored an important empty-net goal in Game 1 to halt Colorado’s oncoming insurgence, beating out two of the Avalanche’s skaters to give his team a bigger lead to work with. In Game 3, he made a point of pestering Avalanche star Cale Makar, who’d made his series debut in this match, to try and negate his effectiveness.
One more win stands between Vegas and the Stanley Cup Final. The Golden Knights could punch their ticket as soon as Game 4 on Tuesday, with puck drop scheduled for 6:00 pm PT.
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The Colorado Avalanche are coming off a disaster of a Game 3 loss, blowing a 3-0 lead they built heading into the second period to lose 5-3, and are now down 3-0 in the Western Conference Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights.
All over social media, fans of the team are upset, and rightfully so. After the first two rounds, while at times execution wasn't perfect, this team looked ready to take on anyone on their path to the Stanley Cup Final. Now we're seeing a collapse like no other, and the chances of a 3-0 comeback with Cale Makar not fully healthy and Nathan MacKinnon favoring an injured knee have drastically diminished.
If this is a matter if/when the Avalanche lose, where does the team go from here? The roster is as good as it's ever been, scoring from top to bottom, and goaltending at a great price. If there had to be a change, would we look at it from behind the bench?
Next Coach Waiting Just Down The Road?
Here is where the rumors start to speculate. If Joe Sakic and Chris MacFarland were to move on from Jared Bednar and other members of the coaching staff, their first intention would be to talk with University of Denver head coach David Carle. The report comes from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period on theshow, The Sheet, talking with Jeff Marek. This is what he had to say on the topic:
“I think the trajectory is, when Colorado makes that [coaching] change in however many years down the road, that he's their guy - The Sheet (5/22).”
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Carle has been a topic of discussion among many teams looking for a new NHL head coach, given what he has done with the University of Denver team in the NCAA. He has been their head coach since the 2018-19 season, and in his eight seasons with the team, he has won the NCAA Championship four times: once as an assistant coach to Jim Montgomery in 2017, and three times as a head coach (2022, 2024, and 2026).
He’s helped Team USA win back-to-back gold medals in the IIHF World Junior Championships. The systems he implements in teams are fast-paced, offensive-style. He makes coaching adjustments quickly, decisively, and, most importantly, effectively; he makes moves not just for their own sake but for a reason.
Drawing Interest From Across The League
The one “drawback” that Carle has is that his talents are being recognized league-wide; interest has risen in the past couple of seasons in whether he is interested in joining teams as they make coaching decisions.
Just last season, the Chicago Blackhawks were looking for a new head coach before they signed Jeff Blashill, and according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Carle withdrew his consideration from the Blackhawks, who were in an “aggressive pursuit” of him.
Friedman on 32 Thoughts: The Podcastwondered whether Carle would step into a new coaching position and how many teams would make a run at him, but backed it up by noting how well he's doing in Denver.
"The one thing that Carle could do is he could say, look, I could coach at Denver for eleventy billion years. I’ve got a young family. I’ve got a great situation. I can comfortably live for a long time. If I’m coming out of here, somebody’s going to have to make it worth my while," Friedman said on the podcast. "I just don’t understand how after this, somebody isn’t going to make it worth his while because you could say that’s juniors, coaching NHL players is going to be a bit different. The NHL players watch this tournament. They know who can coach. They know who can’t coach. They’re going to look at this guy and they’re going to say this guy can coach.
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The pressure from around the league continues into this season as the Toronto Maple Leafs, who fired Craig Berube, made contact with Carle and his team and will reportedly touch back with him again at a later date.
This does put pressure on the Avalanche: if management likes what he's doing down in the NCAA, they don’t want to lose him to a rival NHL team that can make good use of his talents. Though it raises the question of whether management wants to make a change at the head coach position.
The Right Move Or A Panic Move?
Emotions are running high within the Avalanche community, and rightfully so, for a team that looked as good, if not better, than the 2022 championship team to be down 3-0 in the Western Conference Finals, not because they're being outplayed so heavily, but because they're making so many mistakes that are costing them. Defensive breakdowns, errors in their own zone, limited production from the top guys, it has been a disaster of a series.
For a team that had little to no flaws, a Stanley Cup is expected from this team. Yes, losing Makar to start the series was brutal, and now MacKinnon is probably at 80% because of the puck off the knee. Still, with the way they played in Games 1 and 2, you could make an argument that at worst it should have been 2-1 Knights heading into Game 4, not the worst, but still manageable to fight their way back.
Ever since the 2022 championship, this team has felt heartbreak after heartbreak, and after every playoff series loss, their fingers pointed at player performance, roster construction, and the coaching staff. Past postseason teams were not as well-built as this season's, and I give management full credit. Nazem Kadri, Nicolas Roy, and Brett Kulak made the necessary changes, but did the coaching staff do enough to make the most of them?
I don’t know whether management will give Bednar another “prove it” season. Losing Alex Tanguay now proves vital, as the power play has been a key topic this entire season and hasn't looked any better in the playoffs, considering the amount of talent on both units. Management is in for another interesting offseason and is looking at how they can make an already elite team better, whether that's shaking up some players or making some major decisions to the coaching staff.
