The Buffalo Sabres had a terrible start to the 2025-26 regular season, going 5-8-4 out of the gate. The start cost Sabres GM Kevyn Adams his job, but for the remainder of the season, Buffalo went 45-15-5 to be the best team in the highly–competitive Atlantic Division.
The Sabres beat the Boston Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs before they fell in seven games to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round, so there was a lot of good from Buffalo this past season. And in this year’s batch of TheHockeyNews.com’s grades for Buffalo players, coaching and management is largely going to be positive. But everyone is different, so we’re going to see variance in the grades we hand out.
So, let’s get to it. Today, we’re grading someone who might’ve been fired had Buffalo not rebounded early in the season – head coach Lindy Ruff:
Lindy Ruff
Position: Coach
Grade: A-
The Skinny: It’d be a massive understatement to say Ruff was feeling pressure to produce above-average results in 2025-26. As one of the NHL’s oldest coaches at 66 years old, Ruff was vulnerable when the season began. And the truth is he may have been only a loss or two away from being fired by new Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen. But Buffalo went on to win 13 of their next 14 games, and from that point on, Ruff was pushing all the right buttons to get the most out of his players.
Ruff wound up nominated for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top bench boss in 2025-26 – the fifth time in his career he was a Jack Adams nominee. Ruff won a Jack Adams in 2005-06, and although he hasn’t won the Jack Adams again, the fact he’s still coaching more than two decades later is a testament to his staying power and lasting influence on the game.
If we’re nitpicking, the reason Ruff doesn’t get an ‘A’ or ‘A+’ grade is about a couple of things: the poor start to the season counts against Ruff, even if he eventually figured out how to turn things around. And the Sabres’ power play ranked 21st in the league at 19.5 percent efficiency. It wasn’t a perfect season, and that’s essentially what you need to get an ‘A+’ out of this writer.
Ruff is a Buffalo legend, and if you’re a Sabres fan, you want a Buffalo legend to be a key contributor to a reinvigorated Sabres organization. Ruff got a two-year contract extension out of Kekalainen, and he was completely deserving of having job security – at least, as much job security as any NHL coach can have in the churn-and-burn coaching business.
There’s no guarantee the Sabres will be as strong as they were most of last season. And if things go down the tubes, the end will come swiftly for Ruff. Buffalo can’t afford a step backward next season, so the pressure on Ruff isn’t going to dissipate anytime soon.
The existence of a coach in this day and age is transitory in the extreme. If you’re a coach and your team reels off a dozen great games in a row, you’re going to be lauded. And if your team has a stretch where it can’t beat anybody, you’re going to hear whispers you’re about to be replaced. There’s never really a happy medium for coaches, so you can forgive Ruff if he’s grown tired of worrying about his job security.
You have to live in the moment if you’re a coach, and Ruff has to enjoy the ride – especially the pleasant ride as it stands right now. Father Time eventually shepherds in change, and if Ruff and the Sabres aren’t at least as successful as they were last season, the end could come for him before he’s fully prepared for it. But right now, Ruff deserves the ‘A’ for what he did last year.
Lauer, whom the Islanders selected in the second round (No. 34) of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, played six of his nine NHL seasons on Long Island.
He recorded 98 points (38 goals, 60 assists) in 259 regular-season games for the Islanders, adding eight points (five goals, three assists) in 15 playoff games for the Blue & Orange.
Lauer, who spent time as an assistant coach with the Ottawa Senators, Anahiem Ducks, Tampa Bay Lightning and Winnipeg Jets, last served as head coach of the WHL's Spokane Chiefs.
The Senators have reached an interesting crossroads with Drake Batherson.
For the past three weeks, the 28-year-old winger has been eligible to sign a contract extension with the Sens, and it would seem to make sense for the club to get something done sooner rather than later.
But every month that passes could make Batherson a little more expensive, partly because the guy has built a career on getting better every season.
THN's Steve Warne asked Drake Batherson back in May about whether he'd like to get an extension done this summer
Since arriving in Ottawa, his point totals have climbed modestly in every single season. Last season, he established new career highs with 33 goals and 71 points, and there's every reason to believe he could jack things up again in 2026-27.
If he puts together another career year, he'll head into unrestricted free agency next summer with even more leverage than he has now.
But Batherson's value isn't trending upward just because of his play.
The NHL's financial landscape has changed, big time. The cap is jumping up by $8.5 million this summer to $104 million and is projected to climb again to around $113 million in 2027-28.
As the cap rises, so does the salary bar, particularly for elite offensive talent. Just think about the summer of 2028 when Connor McDavid is a UFA. That will completely reset everything.
But let's focus on the summer of 2026 for now.
Over the weekend, Connor Bedard signed a five-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks worth an average annual value of $15 million.
Earlier this month, Leo Carlsson landed a five-year deal with Anaheim for $18 million per year. That came after the Ducks matched the offer sheet Carlsson signed with the Philadelphia Flyers. It remains to be seen if the uniqueness of Carlsson's signing will affect salaries or be seen as nothing more than an outlier.
Because of their age and potential, Batherson can't be directly compared to either player.
Bedard finished last season with 75 points while Carlsson recorded 67, numbers that are right in the same neighbourhood as Batherson's 33 goals and 71 points. But both players are several years younger than Batherson and they were paid as much for what they're expected to become as for what they are today.
At 28, Batherson probably isn't about to take the kind of massive leap that teams are projecting from Bedard or Carlsson, but every mega contract resets expectations.
Even if Batherson isn't asking for $15 mill, those contracts raise the ceiling for every good offensive player who's got his hand out, waiting on a new deal.
And that's where Ottawa's timing is key. They might have saved a few bucks if they'd signed Batherson before these other deals were signed. But that ship has sailed, and it isn't coming back.
Batherson is finishing the bargain contract he signed five years ago, one that carries a cap hit of less than $5 million annually. It quickly became one of the better-value contracts in the entire NHL, but those days are coming to an end.
If Bedard is getting $15 million and Carlsson checks in at $18 million, is it unreasonable for Batherson's camp to want $10 million? Maybe more?
His importance to the Sens has also grown.
With Brady Tkachuk now in Florida and several veteran voices no longer around the organization, Batherson suddenly finds himself among the team's longest-serving core players, second only to Thomas Chabot.
He also showed during the playoffs that he can produce when the games matter most.
The Senators struggled to score in their first-round sweep at the hands of the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, but Batherson scored three times and added an assist, finishing in on four of Ottawa's five goals in the series.
Perhaps most encouraging for the Senators is that, unlike certain people, Batherson has made it clear he isn't looking for a way out. When I spoke with him in May, following the season, he didn't hesitate when I asked him if he was open to remaining in Ottawa long-term.
"Oh, yeah," Batherson said. "I mean, it's a great spot for me. It's close to home. I've been here for almost a decade now and made so many friends outside of hockey in Ottawa. So, yeah, it feels like home.
"I've lived here pretty much the same amount of time I've lived in my hometown."
Batherson also said there had been no contract discussions at that point.
"This is all new to me. Obviously, it's my first time coming up on being a free agent since I was 23. That was my last one, which has flown by. I can't believe it's been five years. So yeah, we'll see what happens."
Those comments gave Senators fans reason for optimism, but as elite offensive players keep signing mega-deals (and it's only just begun), Batherson's agent might have a different view of the marketplace than he did even a couple of months ago.
At first glance, $10 million seems maybe a bit steep for Batherson. For us old-schoolers who watched Guy Lafleur earn roughly $3.5 million over his entire 17-year NHL career, it's almost impossible to wrap your head around a number like that for one season.
But that's the new NHL.
The only question now is whether the Senators can get Batherson signed before the market and his play push his price tag even higher.
By Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published in The Hockey News. For more Sens coverage at The Hockey News, click on one of the Sens headlines below:
Pavel Datsyuk turns 48 on July 20, and hockey fans everywhere are taking the occasion to celebrate one of the most skilled players to ever lace up skates for the Detroit Red Wings.
Nicknamed the "Magic Man" for his otherworldly puck control, Datsyuk built a career in Detroit defined by jaw-dropping highlights that still circulate among fans today.
Datsyuk was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2024, capping a legacy that includes two Stanley Cup championships in 2002 and 2008, three straight Selke Trophies as the league's top defensive forward from 2008 to 2010, and four consecutive Lady Byng Trophies for sportsmanship from 2006 to 2009.
In honor of his birthday, here's a look back at some of the plays that made him a legend in Hockeytown.
The No-Look Dish to Zetterberg
One of the clearest examples of his chemistry with longtime running mate Henrik Zetterberg came in a game against the Arizona Coyotes. After winger Dan Cleary worked the puck down the wall, Datsyuk collected it and, without so much as a glance, threaded a no-look feed into the slot for Zetterberg to bury. It was a perfect microcosm of a partnership that decided countless games for Detroit over the years.
The Ankle Breaker
Datsyuk also had a knack for pulling off things that felt borrowed from another sport entirely. Against the San Jose Sharks, he found himself with Logan Couture bearing down on him near the bottom of the offensive zone.
Datsyuk sold a move to the outside, then cut back at the last possible second, a crossover-style fake that sent Couture sliding to the ice and left him searching for the puck that was no longer there.
Perhaps the single most remarkable display of his puck skills came during Game 1 of Detroit's first-round series against Boston in the 2014 playoffs. Still nursing a knee injury, Datsyuk somehow reached behind his own body and through a pair of Bruins defenders to come away with the puck, a sequence that stunned the broadcast crew calling the game.
He turned it into the game's only goal, sliding the puck through Dougie Hamilton's legs and past Tuukka Rask for the series-opening win, proof that even at less than full health, Datsyuk was still a cut above nearly everyone else on the ice.
Legendary First NHL Goal
Long before all of that, Datsyuk announced himself with his very first NHL goal, a play that hinted at everything to come. He slipped past a pair of defenders, worked his way around a crowded crease, and slid a quick backhander home, setting the tone for a decade and a half of highlight-reel hockey in Detroit.
Signature Deke on Marty Turco
His signature move, though, may still be the one he used against Dallas Stars netminder Marty Turco, a dizzying reverse forehand-to-backhand toe-drag that left Turco flailing and became one of the most replayed sequences of his career. He pulled off similar wizardry against Tomas Vokoun in a shootout, further cementing his reputation as a goaltender's worst nightmare.
Nearly a decade removed from his playing days, Datsyuk's brand of hockey magic remains unmatched in Red Wings history, and his 48th birthday is as good a reason as any to revisit why he'll always be remembered as one of the game's most captivating players.
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - APRIL 15: Connor Bedard #98 of the Chicago Blackhawks looks on against the San Jose Sharks at the United Center on April 15, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
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CHICAGO — Connor Bedard never wavered. Whenever the young center was asked about his future, he always responded with similar variations of the same message.
All the way to his $75 million, five-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.
“I’ve said (it) so much and it’s not anything fake. Chicago’s really, you know, the only place I want to play,” Bedard said.
Bedard’s new deal was announced on Saturday, a day after his 21st birthday. It provides a level of security for both Bedard and the rebuilding Blackhawks, even if it always seemed as if it was just a matter of the final numbers than any sort of question about the end result.
Some intrigue arrived when Leo Carlsson, another restricted free agent, signed a $90 million, five-year offer sheet with Philadelphia before going back to Anaheim when the Ducks decided to match the offer sheet. But Bedard stayed with his plans all along.
It was always Chicago.
“I’m very happy with the amount of money I’m making. You know, it’s a lot,” a chuckling Bedard said Monday in his first public comments since the deal was announced. “I think just with that, obviously the offer sheet is different as well. You know with a team trying to take a guy, it is going to be a different value. But for me, that didn’t change anything I was thinking.”
The final details were completed after Bedard had surgery on his left shoulder on July 8. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft is expected to miss the start of the season after he got hurt while skating with a group of NHL players in western Canada.
Bedard also missed 12 games last season after he hurt his right shoulder on a draw during a 3-2 loss at St. Louis on Dec. 12.
“You always do everything you can to try to prevent injury and stay healthy,” he said. “It’s a terrible part of the game but it’s something that you know I think for me to have this next little bit and go through that adversity and try to get stronger, you know, mentally in that way. That’s the way I’m trying to look at it and then come back.”
Bedard has been Chicago’s most important player since he made his anticipated NHL debut in October 2023. He continued his steady improvement in his third season, setting career highs with 30 goals and 45 assists in 69 games.
But he hasn’t experienced much winning since arriving in Chicago. The Blackhawks went 29-39-14 last season, an 11-point improvement on the previous season and still nowhere near playoff contention. The team has finished No. 31 in the NHL each of the past three years.
Chicago is looking for its first postseason appearance since the NHL used an expanded playoff format after the 2020 season was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Looking to get the team back in contention, general manager Kyle Davidson swung a trade for defenseman Bowen Byram on June 23. The Blackhawks also signed forward prospect Roman Kantserov in May, and then added forward Cole Smith and defenseman Ian Cole on the first day of free agency.
“I think we’ve had a great summer,” Bedard said.
But Chicago could use another top-six forward, possibly to play alongside Bedard, and, well, Patrick Kane remains on the market as a free agent. The 37-year-old Kane, who helped the Blackhawks win three Stanley Cup championships before he was traded to the New York Rangers in February 2023, is reportedly considering a return to his first NHL team.
“That would be incredible to get to play with him and learn from him,” Bedard said. “So hopefully he decides to come back. ... You talk about kind of the legacy aspect of it, but just as a team, it would make us a way better team. He’s still an amazing player.”
With the contract completed, the next big moment for Bedard could be taking over as the 36th captain in franchise history. He became an alternate captain after the team traded away its entire leadership group in March.
“If I was able to get that honor, it would be so special and something that I know I wouldn’t take for granted for a second,” Bedard said. “But we got so many guys in the room that can lead.”
On Monday, part of his post-contract media availability, Connor Bedard spoke about the possibility of Patrick Kane returning to the Chicago Blackhawks.
According to multiple sources, including Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Chelios, Kane is down to the Blackhawks and his hometown Buffalo Sabres. A decision is likely to be made over the next couple of weeks.
Connor Bedard perked up a little bit when he started to talk about Kane and the potential for him to come back to Chicago.
"I hope so," Bedard said. "I don't know what I can say to persuade his decision, but we'd all obviously be so excited to have a player like that, but also a guy like that. I can't imagine his first game back at the UC, the reaction he'd get, and how much juice that would bring not only to our team but our fans as well. That would be incredible to get to play with him and learn from him. Hopefully he decides to come back. You talk about the legacy aspect of it, but as a team, it would make us a way better team. He's still an amazing player. I don't know if this is the best pitch, but hopefully he comes back, and we can play together, for sure."
Patrick Kane is one of the greatest Blackhawks ever, and Connor Bedard is hoping to create a similar legacy. Like Kane, Bedard is a former first-overall pick, so there is pressure for him to do great things. Kane would be a big help.
Connor Bedard isn't the only individual player on the team that Kane's arrival would help, either. Any center he plays with, whether it be Bedard, Anton Frondell, or Frank Nazar, would instantly have more time and space with or without the puck if they were playing with Kane.
Also, the power play would dramatically improve as well. It was somewhat of a sore spot in 2025-26, while Kane had 19 power-play points as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. With a larger role on the man-advantage (and even strength), he'd help them score a lot more goals.
Bedard clearly understands what Kane means to the team, the fanbase, and the city. He is absolutely correct in saying that the United Center would be a fun place to watch a game if Kane came back. If they ever connected on a goal, which they would more than once, the roof would explode.
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The Buffalo Sabres have not done much to replace the 44 goals from last season that departed with the trades of Bowen Byram and Alex Tuch, and there has been a great deal of conjecture that one of GM Jarmo Kekalainen’s possible options is signing Buffalo native and three-time Cup winner Patrick Kane.
Kane remains unsigned after three weeks of free agency. Last week, Hall-of-Fame blueliner and TNT commentator Chris Chelios indicated on a Chicago radio show that a return to the Blackhawks is a possibility.
"I am not gonna lie to you guys, it is down to Buffalo and Chicago. I know that." Chelios said on 104.3 The Score last week, “I spoke to (Patrick), it’s a tough decision for him, whether to go home and make it easy on his parents, his family and his friends and finish like (Jonathan Toews) tried to do, or he comes back (to Chicago). In my opinion, he’s a Blackhawk.”
Over the weekend, the Hawks announced the signing of star center Connor Bedard to a five-year, $75 million contract extension, and during his media availability on Monday, the former Calder Trophy winner indicated that he hopes that Kane will re-sign with the Hawks.
Where will Patrick Kane end up?
"I hope so. I don't know what I can say to persuade his decision, but we'd all obviously be so excited to have a player like that, but also a guy like that.” Bedard said. “I can't imagine his first game back at the (United Center), the reaction he'd get and how much juice that would bring not only to our team but our fans as well. That would be incredible to get to play with him and learn from him. Hopefully he decides to come back. You talk about the legacy aspect of it, but as a team, it would make us a way better team. He's still an amazing player. I don't know if this is the best pitch, but hopefully he comes back, and we can play together, for sure."
Kane has often been rumored to be Buffalo bound, but especially after being traded to the NY Rangers in 2023 and signing with the Detroit Red Wings in 2024. The Sabres snapping their 15-year playoff drought has made them a more attractive landing spot, but there has always been a debate of how much he wants to play for his hometown team, especially with the expectation level raised since their Atlantic Division title last season.
The Hawks will be without Bedard until November recovering from shoulder surgery and are in all likelihood will not be a playoff team, but is the place where Kane won three Cups and played 16 years. The allure of finishing his Hall-of-Fame career there might be the biggest hurdle the Sabres have in bringing him back home.
Jimmy Snuggerud had a phenomenal rookie season, but what if we told you there was another level his game can reach?
In his rookie campaign, Snuggerud scored 21 goals and 51 points in 70 games, finishing fifth in Calder Trophy voting.
But if you asked TheHockeyNews.com, they’d say Snuggerud is the breakout candidate for the St. Louis Blues.
In THN’s 2026 Champions edition, they named Snuggerud as the breakout candidate of the Blues. For a player who eclipsed the 20-goal and 50-point mark in his rookie season, expecting him to break out further is a tall ask, but with his skill set, it’s an achievable goal.
We’re kidding ourselves if we believe JIMMY SNUGGERUD will top out as a 20-goal, 50-point player. Almost from the instant he joined the Blues, Snuggerud had an impact on the attack. The 22-year-old tied for second in points among Blues players this season and generated the highest rate of individual expected goals on the team at all strengths. There will be a lot of roster movement in St. Louis this summer, but Snuggerud becoming the centerpiece of the offense is a certainty. - Jared Clinton
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Snuggerud’s shot is his best asset. He can fire off heavy and accurate one-timers, he can catch and shoot, and he can make space for himself before using his quick release. But ultimately, he has far more traits that make him dangerous.
His playmaking has improved drastically since he was drafted. Down the stretch of the season, he fed passes to Dylan Holloway and Robert Thomas that opened the game for each of them, and it was why they were one of, if not the best lines for the final 20 games of the season.
Snuggerud doesn’t have blistering speed, but he ranks above the 50th percentile in multiple skating statistics according to NHL EDGE, which makes him a threat in transition as well.
If Snuggerud matched his production of 20 goals and 50 points, the Blues would be thrilled, but with his talent, there is a real case for him to be a 30-goal, 70-point scorer very soon.
Players like Dalibor Dvorsky or Logan Mailloux are other candidates on the Blues to have breakout seasons, but Snuggerud, despite past success, is a candidate to take his game to the next level.
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From a Monarch to the Shark Tank, San Jose Sharks forward Tyler Toffoli's career has taken him everywhere imaginable.
Toffoli, who currently wears the number 73 for the Sharks, is only the second player to ever wear that number for the team in teal, as Noah Gregor was the first to break it in half a decade ago.
The 34-year-old winger's professional hockey journey began in 2010, when he was selected 47th overall by the Sharks' arch-rival, the Los Angeles Kings. He broke into the NHL during the 2012-13 season, appearing in 10 games for the Kings. That same season, he was named the American Hockey League's Rookie of the Year after scoring 28 goals and 51 points in 58 games for the Manchester Monarchs.
Then, during the 2013-14 season, Toffoli took a much greater role at the NHL level appearing in 62 regular season and 26 playoff games. At the end of the playoffs, he lifted the Stanley Cup for the first and, to this point, only time in his career.
Toffoli remained with the Kings for another half decade or so, before departing the organization when he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in the middle of the 2019-20 season.
After a total of 17 games in Vancouver, Toffoli made his way across Canada and joined the Montreal Canadiens for the 2020-21 season. He spent roughly a season and a half with the historic franchise, before being traded once again, this time to the Calgary Flames.
After a season and a half in Calgary, Toffoli would be traded once again, this time south of the 49th parallel and he was on his way to New Jersey. After another short stint, this one just over half of a season, he was traded across the border once again, as he joined the Winnipeg Jets to close out the 2023-24 season.
At this point, Toffoli opted to sign with the Sharks as an unrestricted free agent. He ensured that he wouldn't be on the move anytime soon, including a no-trade clause in the first three years of his contract and a modified clause in the final year. In 157 games with the Sharks to this point, the veteran winger has scored 49 goals and 103 points while also serving as a mentor for the young forwards like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith.
While there is certainly a logjam of forwards on the Sharks roster, Toffoli's trade protection makes him one of the few veterans safe from a potential move.
In his annual head coach rankings, The Hockey News' Adam Proteau ranked the San Jose Sharks' bench boss, Ryan Warsofsky, 25th in the league.
Warsofsky, 38, just completed his second season running the bench for the Sharks, his fourth season overall in the organization. Through 164 games, the North Marshfield, MA native has led the team in teal to a 59-85-20 record and nearly helped them reach the postseason for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
With Warsofsky heading into the final year of his contract, it's time for him to show the Sharks' General Manager Mike Grier that he has what it takes to lead the team into the postseason, without sacrificing the development of the organization's young core. While playoffs are certainly the expectation, players like Michael Misa, Sam Dickinson and, to a lesser extent, Will Smith would ideally take major steps forward for the 2026-27 season to truly be considered a success in the long run.
Warsofsky ranking in the bottom third of the NHL's head coaches certainly doesn't inspire much confidence heading into the final year of his contract, but now he'll have the opportunity to prove those who are skeptical of his abilities wrong and attempt to earn himself a contract extension in San Jose.
The 2025-26 season for the Colorado Avalanche was a success in some ways but a failure in others. Outside of a dominant regular season that led them to break franchise records, the playoffs left much to be desired: a Western Conference Finals loss to the Vegas Golden Knights that ended in a collapse was not the best way to see the team eliminated.
Though what if the rules were changed? What if the NHL implemented the 3-2-1 point system from the PWHL? What impact would that have on the NHL and the Avalanche as a whole? Would that change their path to the Stanley Cup?
What Changes Would Be Made If New 3-2-1 System Was Implemented?
In this instance, implementing the 3-2-1 system would mean this:
3 points for a Regulation Win
2 points for an Overtime or Shootout Win
1 point for an Overtime or Shootout Loss
0 points for a Regulation Loss
The Avalanche finished with a record of 55-16-11 for 121 points, consisting of 48 regulation wins, 16 regulation losses, seven overtime/shootout wins, and 11 overtime/shootout losses. Under the new system, if the Avalanche finished with those totals, their record would be 48-7-11-16, for 169 points.
Obviously, seeing that point total would be a lot for someone who watches the NHL or is knowledgeable about it, as the closest total for most points in a season was the Boston Bruins back in the 2022-23 season, when they finished with 135 points with a record of 65-12-5.
If these changes were implemented, they would obviously break many team records for most points in a season, given how inflated the point total would be. Though this system is something that is broadly used, not just the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) but also by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), various European leagues, and was even used for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
It's a system that I think many would like to see implemented in the NHL, as it encourages teams to win in regulation to earn that extra point while still rewarding a team for reaching extra time, regardless of the outcome.
Implications Affecting The Playoffs
Taking into account the new point system, how would the playoffs look, but more specifically, the Western Conference? With the new point system in place, here are the top eight teams from last season that would make the playoffs if the new point system applied, along with their record.
While teams at the bottom didn't change much, the biggest factor we see is that the Los Angeles Kings would not have made it, being overtaken by the St Louis Blues. While the Blues might have more losses on their record, the Kings relied heavily on overtime this past season, with 13 overtime/shootout wins and 18 overtime/shootout losses.
While it would be hard to simulate how the playoffs would look with the new standings, it opens up the possibility of new teams making the playoffs if they can capitalize on regulation while keeping their chances high by securing even two points from pushing it to overtime or the shootouts.
The NHL is the only league that really rewards teams for going to extra time. No matter what other league you watch, if there is extra time, someone is rewarded a win and the other a loss; there is no extra stat or point deduction.
While many fans (including myself) want to see the NHL revert to the 1v8 playoff format, I think the first step is changing how teams get to the playoffs, and the PWHL and its 3-2-1 point system might be the best way to do that.
Ray Shero still has the text message on his cell phone. It came in the night of Feb. 4, less than a month after Sidney Crosby was shut down for God Knows How Long. It was from Evgeni Malkin, who had just left the game against the Buffalo Sabres after falling into the boards awkwardly.
Things looked gruesome, particularly given the fact that just about all of Tyler Myers’ 227 pounds had come down on Malkin’s right knee. Everyone suspected the worst, and it turns out they were right. The message contained only two words: I’m sorry. “I’m sorry?” said the Pittsburgh Penguins GM. “I’m sorry for what? For getting hurt?”
Winston Churchill once said the price of greatness is responsibility. Evgeni Malkin can relate. It turns out the man who, until recently, never talked to the media actually carries the weight of responsibility around with him all the time. So few have seen it because Malkin has not let us into his world, but behind the quiet facade is a man who cares intensely about his craft and his hockey team.
This will become more evident to us all as Malkin’s career unfolds and as he seizes more responsibility for the success of the Penguins. God forbid Crosby should miss the rest of this season or (gulp) find his long-term playing future in jeopardy, but one thing that will come of it is that Malkin will no longer be able to defer to Sid the Kid, on or off the ice.
It’s almost preposterous to say this season has been a coming-out party for a guy who has already won a Stanley Cup along with the Calder, Art Ross and Conn Smythe Trophies, but as Malkin nudged his way into being the top contender for his first Hart Trophy as MVP, the hockey world began to see a different, more committed player. Just watch his work along the walls.
He rarely won battles there in the past, but is now using his size, strength and reach to emerge from corners with the puck on his stick. Case in point, a game in late January against the Washington Capitals. With Pittsburgh trailing 3-2 in the third, Malkin gained the zone and fought off Matt Hendricks and Roman Hamrlik through the slot, with the latter knocking him down. But Malkin immediately sprung back up and beat Hamrlik to the puck in the corner before feeding James Neal for the tying goal. And for good measure, he scored the overtime winner.
There are those who watch Malkin every day who claim that he is playing the best hockey of his career. And that’s saying something. Go back to tapes of the 2009 playoffs and see what we mean. Neal did not have the benefit of playing with Malkin last season, and it showed. Without a center who could get him the puck, Neal scored one goal in 20 games after coming over from the Dallas Stars. Now Neal has a player who can do the heavy lifting in terms of lugging the puck up the ice, and all he has to do is find the open lane.
“I’ve only seen him this way,” Neal said. “I’ve never seen a guy be able to make so many moves at such high speed. He has that ability to drag guys to him and hit the open man.”
It’s reasonable to suggest that when more is asked of an athlete, the natural inclination for most of them is to step up their game. What has always been the Penguins’ strength – Crosby, Malkin and Jordan Staal down the middle – has suddenly become a concern with the long-term absences of Crosby and Staal.
And whether it’s wittingly or not, Malkin has responded by being truly dominant. It must be difficult for a player to assert himself and be the focal point when Crosby is around. That might be a function of nothing more than their birth certificates, but the pressure has never been on Malkin to carry the team or to carry the mantle of being the league’s best player. Now that he’s doing it, he looks more and more comfortable all the time.
And he should. This is his sixth season in the NHL and even though he didn’t have the luxury of coming from a cosmopolitan city the way Alex Ovechkin did, he could only play the part of the quiet Russian for so long. Those who know Malkin well say he has an exuberant personality and might be the most intelligent player on the Penguins. And now we’re beginning to see that shine through. During the all-star weekend in Ottawa, which was minus both Crosby and Ovechkin for the first time since the two broke into the league, Malkin looked far more comfortable being in the spotlight.
He even tweets now and has more than 128,000 followers. One of them is Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers, a player Malkin refers to as “their best defenseman.” Most of the tweets are rather innocuous. They include pictures of his cat, Dixi, of him on a Zamboni or dressed for Halloween with a curly wig, a plume of chest hair coming out of his shirt and a bushy moustache, of him standing behind the cutout of an enormous offensive lineman. When NHL Twitter king Paul Bissonnette of the Phoenix Coyotes tweeted he would see Malkin at the All-Star Game, Malkin fired back, “sorry nasty you are play rookie game.”
Much of Malkin’s renewed vigor has to do with the injury last season, which turned out to be a torn anterior cruciate ligament, a malady that certainly isn’t as devastating as it once was in sports, but one that usually requires six months to heal. Regardless, Malkin insisted that had the Penguins managed to get by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs, he would have somehow willed himself back into the lineup for the rest of the playoff run, a mere three months after the injury. In fact, he wanted desperately to play in Game 7, which the Penguins lost, before being shut down by the organization. It was a preposterous notion, one the Penguins didn’t even begin to entertain, but it did show them how much Malkin wants to win.
“In every conversation about our team and his role, it ends up with him thinking we can win a Stanley Cup and thinking how good our team is and where we can go,” said Penguins coach Dan Bylsma. “Last year he wanted to come back because he thought he could help our team win a Stanley Cup, and this summer, his focus was not, ‘I want to be the best player in the league.’ It wasn’t ‘I want to win a scoring title.’ It was, ‘We gotta add more Stanley Cups.’
The Penguins knew Malkin was serious when he hired strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar to come to Russia for two weeks to supervise his dryland and on-ice training. Two workouts a day every day with everything from kettle bells in the gym to flippers in the pool, Malkin displayed a vigilance and level of motivation few had ever seen before from him. He even admitted that early in his career he was a little bit lazy when it came to off-season conditioning, but the injury made him realize he had to put in the work if he wanted to return to his sublime level of play.
“I am hungry because I miss lots of games,” Malkin said. “Not just two or three games, 50 games. Of course I am hungry to play hockey, and to miss all those games is a very hard time for me. But I had a great summer.”
And you simply cannot discount the absence of Crosby and Staal in all of this. Because despite the fact Malkin now faces the other team’s top line, targeted as the player who must be shut down, he is excelling. It’s no coincidence he was averaging 21:21 in ice time per game, which was almost two minutes more than last season.
It’s also no coincidence that Malkin is more productive when Crosby is out of the lineup, and the numbers bear that out. Over the course of his career, Malkin has scored 185 goals and 477 points in 396 games for an average of 1.2 points per game. With Crosby in the lineup, he has posted 137 goals and 366 points for an average of 1.16 points per game. But in the 81 games without Crosby, Malkin has 48 goals and 111 points, for an average of 1.37 points per game.
That, of course, has something to do with the fact Malkin gets better wingers when Crosby (and Staal) aren’t in the lineup. Most of this season, he has been playing with Chris Kunitz on the left and Neal on the right. “This is the best line I’ve ever played with in my career,” Malkin said.
Both Shero and Malkin envision a day when Crosby, Malkin and Staal will be healthy and reunited. But will that day ever come? If it does, it doesn’t appear to be anytime soon. Crosby and the Penguins found themselves in the middle of a controversy during all-star weekend when it was revealed that doctors found an injury in his C1 and C2 vertebrae that Crosby’s agent later confirmed was a crack. Another doctor then said it was a soft tissue injury. All the while Crosby was skating, but nobody seems to know when he’ll return to the Penguins lineup. Staal, meanwhile, has been out of the lineup since early January with a sprained knee.
But they’re getting what they need from Malkin, who has only the Hart Trophy to win to complete his collection. This might be the year he gets it and the one in which he, and not Crosby or anyone else, leads the Penguins through the playoffs.
“We need that or else it would be a tough go for us,” Shero said. “If we don’t have this guy…yikes.”
The Buffalo Sabres have undoubtedly had a busy off-season. They have made multiple changes to their roster and will be looking to take another step in the right direction next season.
Yet, after moving on from Alex Tuch this off-season, it is fair to argue that the Sabres could use another impactful forward in their top six.
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Erik Beaston predicted that the Sabres will end up being the team that signs Kane this off-season.
"While a reunion with the Blackhawks would be apropos, Buffalo has been linked to Kane since he hit the free-agent market, with many believing he will return to his hometown to finish out his career," Beaston wrote. "Prediction: Kane signs a short-term deal with the Sabres."
With the Sabres being in need of another high-impact forward, it would make sense if they brought in a future Hall of Famer like Kane. He could slot nicely on their second line if signed and would also give them a player who has won the Stanley Cup three times.
In 67 games last season with the Detroit Red Wings, Kane posted 16 goals, 41 assists, and 57 points.
With the Sabres taking a step forward last season and losing Tuch this summer, now feels like the right time for the Sabres to sign Kane. It would make for a great story, but time will tell if it does, in fact, come to fruition.
He didn't spend much of his NHL career as a member of the Detroit Red Wings, but he made an indelible mark on one of their divisional rivals.
Former Red Wings goalie Jack Campbell, who spent his successful seasons in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs, has retired.
BREAKING: Jack Campbell has retired from professional hockey at the age of 34.
He went 93-52-18 with a .909 SV% and -3.25 GSAx in his NHL career with the Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs, & Edmonton Oilers from 2014-2024. pic.twitter.com/88RtQnzNwg
Campbell, who was taken in the first round (11th overall pick) of the 2011 NHL Draft by the Dallas Stars, eventually played for the Los Angeles Kings before being acquired by the Maple Leafs in 2020.
Eventually becoming an NHL All-Star, Campbell and the Maple Leafs would be eliminated in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2021 against the Montreal Canadiens and 2022 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
He would later be signed by former Red Wings GM Ken Holland, a five-year pact with the Edmonton Oilers. However, he didn't live up to the expectations that came with the deal.
The Oilers later bought out his deal, and he signed a one-year deal in Detroit for the 2024-25 NHL season. He spent the majority of the campaign with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins, with whom he went 5-7-1 with a 2.91 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage.
He leaves the game with a 93-52-18 record at the NHL level with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage, along with 10 shutouts.
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Welcome to the 2025–26 installment ofThe Hockey News - Vancouver Canucks’ Player Report Card Series. Throughout the off-season, THN will conduct a deep dive into how each member of the Canucks performed throughout the 2025–26 season. Today’s article will focus on goaltender Nikita Tolopilo.
Tolopilo's 2025–26 Season Review
Nikita
Tolopilo's season started with the Abbotsford Canucks as he took over the starting role after
Artūrs Šilovs was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins last July. Tolopilo started
one game for Vancouver during the 2024–25 season, making his NHL debut in a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks. He also came on in relief for Kevin Lankinen
in the Canucks' season finale against the Vegas Golden Knights, but those
appearances were his only NHL experience up until this season.
With
Thatcher Demko going down with a lower-body injury in the middle of November,
Tolopilo was called up to the big club with an opportunity to establish himself
as a NHL goaltender. His first NHL action of the season came in a chaotic 5–4 win
over the Anaheim Ducks, in which he made 37 saves on 41 shots. He made three
starts during Demko's fall absence, going 2–1 with a .911 SV% and a 3.00
GAA.
When
Demko later suffered a hip injury that required surgery and caused him to miss
the rest of the season, the Belarusian netminder was called up once again and
was finally given a chance to show what he could do with a full NHL workload.
It
ended up being a tale of two halves for Tolopilo. Heading into the Olympic
break, he posted a 3–3–1 record with a .910 SV%, a 3.12
GAA, and one shutout. The highlights of the first half of his
season included his first career shutout against the Ducks, a
highlight-reel stick save on Oliver Kapanen in the first period against the
Montréal Canadiens, and a penalty-shot save in overtime against Auston
Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Note:
Tolopilo's shutout against the Ducks is not officially recorded as a shutout
because it was a split shutout. Lankinen made one save after Tolopilo had
to leave the game for three minutes due to concussion protocol.)
During
the Olympic break, Tolopilo was sent down to Abbotsford to stay sharp until the
NHL resumed play. He started off playing well, but it all came crumbling down
in a Saturday night tilt against the Seattle Kraken. With the game tied 1–1 and
the first period winding down, the Kraken were on the power play when Bobby
McMann came down the left wing and harmlessly threw the puck on net. It caught
Tolopilo off guard, trickled through his legs, and went in for an ugly goal.
After
that, the wheels fell off Tolopilo's season. Much of the confidence he had
built throughout the year, and the trust the coaching staff had begun to have
in him, appeared to disappear. He
finished that game by allowing three more goals and even took a
delay-of-game penalty. As a result, he lost the net to Lankinen.
Tolopilo
wouldn't start another game for exactly two weeks. In his return against the
Calgary Flames, after spending that time on the bench, he allowed four goals on
11 shots before being pulled early in the second period. He would make five
more starts, going 1–4, with his lone victory coming against Anaheim,
a team he finished 3–0 against during the season. After the Olympic break,
Tolopilo posted a 3–8–1 record with an .856 save percentage and a 3.66
goals-against average.
Tolopilo
finished the season with a 6–11–2 record, an .881 save percentage, a 3.61
goals-against average, a goals saved above expected of -7.5, and one shutout.
Mar 28, 2026; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goaltender Nikita Tolopilo (60) guards his net against the Calgary Flames during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
The
numbers don't tell the whole story of Tolopilo's season. The netminder for the
last-place team in the NHL isn't exactly going to post stellar numbers. It also
didn't help that the Canucks allowed 191.8 expected goals against, which ranked
31st in the NHL, ahead of only the Chicago Blackhawks. There were nights when
the Canucks lost handedly, such as on
March 2 against the Dallas Stars, when he surrendered six goals on 37 shots but was arguably Vancouver's best player that night and on many other nights
similar.
The
Canucks also allowed the fourth-most shots in the league with 2,445, which
isn't going to be kind to any goaltender. Tolopilo is a big goalie at 6-foot-6
and 229 pounds, and he relies heavily on his athleticism and lateral movement
to make saves, such as his stop on Matty Beniers in mid-March and another
outstanding save on Vladimir Tarasenko against the Minnesota Wild on April 2.
However,
Tolopilo’s biggest weakness was dealing with clean straight-on shots. A lot of
the goals he’s given this season are on shots that beat him clean which isn’t
something that should happen if you want to be an everyday NHL goalie. He has also struggled with rebound control at
times throughout the season.
Tolopilo's 2025–26 Letter Grade
The
tools are there for Tolopilo. The size, and athleticism, two facets NHL goalies
need. But improving his consistency,
ability to stop straight-on shots and his rebound control are some things
hindering him becoming an NHL backup. With all of that considered, Tolopilo
earns a C grade for his season.
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