Doug Cifu, a minority owner of the NHL’s Florida Panthers whose name is engraved on the Stanley Cup, remains in the league’s penalty box.
Cifu was suspended by the NHL over his social media activity after Game 4 of the Panthers’ second-round playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs on May 11. When asked via email by Sportico Thursday if he’ll be able to attend the Stanley Cup Finals games against the Edmonton Oilers, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly wrote, “He is not currently permitted to attend games as a function of his suspension. So I guess the answer is no.”
Cifu responded to a Leafs fan on the social media platform X who, noticing Israeli flags in the owner’s bio, wrote that Israel was “using starvation as a weapon to win a war” in Gaza. In a subsequent back-and-forth, Cifu used explicit language and called the fan a “51st state anti semite loser”—the last part of the message an apparent reference to President Donald Trump suggesting Canada join the U.S.
The NHL suspended Cifu indefinitely from having any involvement with the club or the league. In addition to his minority share, Cifu serves as the Panthers’ vice chairman and is its alternate governor for league matters.
“Two days ago, I posted regrettable and inflammatory comments on social media,” Cifu told Florida Hockey Now in a statement after his suspension was first announced. “My behavior does not reflect the standards of the Florida Panthers organization and the Viola family. I sincerely apologize to all those affected by my comments. I am committed to working with the NHL to amend my actions.”
The Panthers did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
Cifu is the CEO of Virtu Financial, a high-frequency trading company that he co-founded with Vincent Viola in 2008. He purchased a minority share in the Panthers when Viola bought the franchise in 2013.
The Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, advancing to the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight year where they’ll face the Edmonton Oilers in a rematch of last year’s final. With the Oilers having home-ice advantage, Games 3, 4 and 6 (if necessary) would be played in Sunrise, Fl.
The Stanley Cup Final begins on June 4 in Edmonton.
And now, he’s heading towards his first Stanley Cup Final appearance.
Walman’s puck-moving skills, physicality, and dedication to putting everything on the line to win have made him a match made in hockey heaven for the Oilers.
Walman is excellent at breakout passes. This has served the Oilers well because he can dish the puck to the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and others. Oilers fans caught a glimpse of this in his first game with the Oilers, where he made two incredible stretch passes.
One connected with Zach Hyman, who then scored. The other lead to a great scoring opportunity. This trend has continued during the playoffs.
Brought Physical Game To The Playoffs
Walman has been throwing hits and clearing the net after whistles like his life depended on it. In 16 games, he’s recorded 24 hits.
However, it’s his ability to clear the net that’s been very evident. Walman has not been afraid to muck it up after whistles, ensuring that no opposing player is taking liberties with his new teammates.
The Oilers are different this year, and Walman has joined that group, eager to win himself.
So eager, that he is putting his body on the line every single night. Walman has blocked 43 shots during the playoffs. He’s ranked first on the Oilers in this stat and second in the NHL, behind the Dallas Stars defender Esa Lindell (44 blocks).
Effective breakout passes, clearing the net on the defensive side of the puck, and sacrificing his body have made Walman the ideal addition for the Oilers during this playoff run.
With the Stanley Cup Final beginning on Wednesday, June 4th, look for more of the same from Walman in the days and weeks to come.
This shoe appears taylor made for the Oilers.
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The San Jose Sharks have signed defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin to a one-year, $1 million contract extension, it was announced Thursday.
Mukhamadullin, who joined the Sharks in the deal that saw Timo Meier head to the New Jersey Devils, split this season between the NHL and AHL. In 21 games with the San Jose Barracuda, Mukhamadullin collected nine assists while scoring two goals and adding seven assists for nine points in 30 games with the Sharks.
Drafted by the Devils in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft, Mukhamadullin has played in 33 career NHL games, putting up two goals and eight assists for 10 points. Prior to making his way to North America full time, Mukhamadullin spent parts of four seasons in the KHL with Salavat Yulaev Ufa.
With Mukhamadullin signing an extension, he has clearly played himself into the Sharks future plans. An effective defender who uses his long reach to shut down scoring chances as well as contribute offensively, Mukhamdullin will be an important piece for San Jose as they look to continue building on the road back to contention.
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving was candid during his end-of-season media availability on Thursday, offering an honest assessment of the team’s shortcomings – including his own moves from the past year.
Specifically, he was open about the team’s performance and the risks that didn’t pay off, including the swing-and-miss that was defenseman Jani Hakanpaa.
“In Jani's case, we knew going into the summer and talking to him that there was risk,” Treliving admitted. “We went through that process, and we took a swing, and it didn't work out. But we'll always continue to look at if there's times to take swings, we're going to try to take swings. It didn't work out.”
Treliving on Hakanpaa: "There was always risk. We took a swing and it didn't work out."
The Maple Leafs signed Hakanpaa to a one-year, $1.47 million deal last offseason with the hope that his 6-foot-7, 225-pound frame would bolster a blueline looking to become tougher and more physically imposing.
On paper, the fit was there. But on the ice, Hakanpaa barely had the chance to make an impact.
He played just two games for Toronto, the last coming on November 16 against the Edmonton Oilers. He underwent minor knee surgery in hopes of returning in the second half of the season, but was placed on LTIR on December 2 and never returned to game action.
The 33-year-old also played two conditioning games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies but failed to register a point in any of his four total outings. He was initially named to Finland’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster but had to withdraw due to his recovery timeline.
Concerns about his health were well-documented during the long process it took to finalize his contract.
According to a report from Postmedia's Steve Simmons at the time, Hakanpaa’s knee was essentially “bone-on-bone with not much knee left.”
Now an unrestricted free agent, the Finnish defender’s time in Toronto is almost certainly over – his lone season ultimately amounting to a costly rehab stint.
Forward Depth. Where does it stand?
While Hakanpaa was one of the more obvious examples of a miss, Treliving’s evaluation of the roster extends far past the backend. With the season officially in the books, Toronto’s front office now turns its attention to offseason decisions, many of which lie within the team’s forward group, particularly the bottom six.
The general manager spoke heavily about a change of identity on Thursday, and although likely referring to the ‘Core Four,’ that shake-up could also come in the bottom six with a list of players who are questionable to be back in the blue and white next season.
Three names that Treliving discussed as question marks heading into the summer and their future: Pontus Holmberg, Calle Jarnkrok, and Nick Robertson.
“The future we'll see, right? I'll do a little bit of different things. I like them,” said Treliving.
Starting with Holmberg, the 26-year-old Swede recorded seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points in 68 regular-season games. As a pending restricted free agent and arbitration-eligible, he’s coming off a quietly strong season under head coach Craig Berube.
His ability to play up and down the lineup made him a useful utility option, especially in the playoffs, where Holmberg appeared in 12 of 13 games.
“Pontus sort of bounced around, we've got to determine if he is a center or is he a winger, what that contract looks like. I like the kid. He's got some heaviness. I mean, he doesn't get pushed out of heavy games in the playoffs,” said Treliving.
Holmberg’s qualifying offer sits at $866,250, and while he’s likely due for a raise from his two-year, $1.6 million contract, the Leafs must determine where he fits long-term – both in position and in the budget.
Jarnkrok, meanwhile, is entering the final year of a four-year, $8.4 million contract he signed in 2022. The 33-year-old missed most of the 2024-25 season due to groin and sports hernia issues but returned in early March. He managed just one goal and six assists in 19 regular-season games and a single assist in 12 playoff appearances.
“Calle, When did Calle start playing? The last six weeks of the season, maybe or something like that. It was a tough year for him. He was out all year. So it's a hard one to really evaluate,” said Treliving. “Jarny's a smart player."
He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2025-26 season. There were rumblings last summer that the club might try to move off Jarnkrok’s deal to free up cap space. It’s a possibility that could resurface again, but we’ll see.
Then there’s Robertson, whose situation remains complex.
After requesting a trade in June 2024, he returned to Toronto on a one-year, $875,000 deal and went on to post career highs in games played (69), goals (15), and average ice time (12:00). Yet despite clear growth and improved two-way play, the 23-year-old never quite earned consistent trust under Berube. He was scratched for 10 of Toronto’s 13 playoff games, recording two points (1G, 1A) in the postseason.
“I give Robbie a lot of credit,” Treliving said. “He gets stretches. He can shoot the puck. His challenge is just becoming a regular. You can always debate that. Is it opportunity? And then it comes, or do it more regularly to get more opportunity.”
Robertson is also an arbitration-eligible RFA. His qualifying offer is $918,750, and while a return isn’t off the table, a trade or bridge deal also seem like realistic options. However, it’s unclear whether either side sees a clear future in Toronto.
“Those are all three guys we've got to kind of determine,” Treliving said when asked about all three depth forwards. “All three players, where do we go for it? Again, not to be elusive. I don't know.”
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Although he may not always be one for the prying public eye, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will hit fans' TV screens in a different format than what they're used to this fall.
It was announced Thursday that Crosby - along with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, Dallas Stars superstar Mikko Rantanen, former Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, and more - will be featured in season two of Amazon Prime's original series titled, "Faceoff: Inside the NHL."
"Faceoff" gives a candid, unfiltered glimpse into the everyday lives of NHL players both on and off the ice, from their training regimens all the way to their personal lives.
So, in a rare opportunity, fans will get the chance to see - firsthand - a day in the life of Crosby, the game's biggest name and biggest star for the better part of the last two decades. It is quite a change of pace for the notoriously private Crosby, as the cameras were following him around for most of the 2024-25 NHL season as well as for the 4 Nations Face-off tournament in February.
Season 2 will also follow Fleury - first overall draft pick by the Penguins in 2003 - during what was his final NHL season.
Pittsburgh's GM and POHO Kyle Dubas is conducting in-person interviews this week, and - according to Josh Yohe of The Athletic - a final decision could come as soon as the end of this week.
The schedule has been set for the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.
Game 1 between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers will be Wednesday, June 4 at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
Florida’s first two home games will be on Monday, June 9 and Thursday, June 12.
Interestingly, the NHL strayed from its usual setup of one day between games in the same city and two days between games that require travel.
That’s likely due to the NBA Finals having a game already scheduled for Wednesday, June 11.
As a result, the NHL apparently decided in lieu of extending the series an extra day, there would only be one day off between Game 4 in Sunrise and Game 5 in Edmonton.
All games will air on TNT in the United States and each has an 8 p.m. puck drop.
Photo caption: Dec 16, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Florida Panthers defensemen Dmitry Kulikov (7) tries to tie up Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) during the third period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
On Thursday, the Oilers chased starting goalie Jake Oettinger after scoring two goals on their first two shots of the game. Then, shortly after, Jeff Skinner scored his first career playoff goal.
As the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Dallas Stars on Thursday in a 6-3 Game 5 victory, they advanced to the Stanley Cup final for the second straight year. This confirms a Cup final rematch from last season between the Oilers and the Florida Panthers.
Last season’s Cup final was one for the ages. After Florida took a 3-0 series lead, Edmonton pushed back and won three games in a row, forcing a winner-take-all Game 7. The Panthers went on to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
However, the Oilers get a shot at redemption this time around, and history suggests they have a pretty good chance at being the first Canadian team to win the Cup since 1993.
The last time the NHL saw a finals rematch was in 2008 and 2009 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings.
The Red Wings got the best of the Penguins in their first matchup, winning the series in six games. In the following season, the Penguins defeated the Wings in seven games, and both teams won their respective Cups on the road.
Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby won his first Cup in their rematch against Detroit, leading the NHL with 15 goals in those playoffs. His 31 points in 24 games were the second-most in the post-season, with only teammate and Conn Smythe winner Evgeni Malkin had more with 36 points.
Wayne Gretzky won his first Stanley Cup in the same fashion as Crosby did, and Connor McDavid could potentially do the same this year.
From 1980 to 1983, the New York Islanders won the Cup four straight times, and the Oilers were the last team they beat during that dynasty. The next season, the Oilers had another crack at the Isles to stop them from winning their fifth straight championship.
The Oilers were successful in the rematch and were awarded the 1984 Stanley Cup. Gretzky scored 13 goals and 22 assists, recording 35 points in 19 playoff games.
It fits the script if McDavid wins his first Cup the same way Crosby and Gretzky did, but we will just have to see what happens when the Oilers and Panthers face off in Game 1 on June 4.
The 2024 Stanley Cup Final, the series so nice we’re playing it twice.
That’s the result of the two conference finals that ended over the past couple evenings.
First, it was Florida punching their ticket to the Final with a 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday night in Raleigh.
Then on Thursday, the Oilers completed their five-game series win over the Dallas Stars with a 6-3 victory at American Airlines Center.
As if last season’s seven-game marathon wasn’t entertaining enough, now we get to do it all again, and it’s very possible that both teams are even better this year than they were in 2024.
During the regular season, the Panthers and Oilers met twice, once in the other’s barn.
Florida won both games, a pair of exciting, one-goal affairs.
The first meeting was in Edmonton back in December, a 6-5 Panthers win, and then again in Sunrise in late February by a final score of 4-3.
In the first game, Florida came back from a 4-2 second period deficit, scoring three goals in the third while breaking a pair of ties to earn the two points.
There was no comeback needed when the two Finalists met in South Florida a couple months later, as Florida scored first and never trailed, again outscoring the Oilers in the third period en route to the win.
Leading the Panthers in points during the two games against Edmonton was Anton Lundell, with a goal and four assist.
Each of Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart and Aaron Ekblad each logged three points against the Oilers: Verhaeghe scored twice and Reinhart once, while all of Ekblad’s points were assists.
Looking at how each team has done so far during the postseason, it’s no big surprised they are facing each other again.
The Cats and Oilers are the two highest scoring teams in the postseason, with Edmonton averaging 3.93 goals per game and Florida putting up 3.88.
Defensively, Florida has been the stingiest team in the playoffs, allowing just 2.29 goals per game. Edmonton isn’t far behind, giving up 2.80.
The power plays for each team are ranked 1-2, with the Oilers executing at a 29.0% success rate and the Panthers holding a respectable 23.2%.
Florida’s penalty kill is now the top unit in the playoffs, having successfully wiped-out 87.9 percent of their opponents power plays.
Edmonton’s kill hasn’t been nearly as effective, operating at a 66.7% success rate.
We’ll see how all this plays out when the Stanley Cup Final begins next week.
Photo caption: Jun 24, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) defends against Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) during the third period in game seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Former New Jersey Devils forward Adam Henrique will get another chance to capture the Stanley Cup.
Now a member of the Edmonton Oilers, Henrique's team defeated the Dallas Stars on Thursday night by a final score of 6-3 to punch their ticket to their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final.
The 35-year-old picked up a primary assist on the Oilers' third goal in their series-winning game.
In the regular season, Henrique earned 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists). In the playoffs, he earned six points in 16 games.
It marks the second straight season the Oilers find themselves battling the Florida Panthers for the ultimate prize, as Matthew Tkachuk and his teammates defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 on Wednesday night. Game 1 between the Oilers and Panthers is scheduled for Wednesday, June 4, in Edmonton.
Henrique spent the first eight seasons and 455 games of his career with New Jersey. On May 25, 2012, he etched his name in Devils' history with his overtime goal against the New York Rangers to secure New Jersey's spot in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Devils eventually traded him to the Anaheim Ducks with Joe Blandisi and New Jersey's third-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft for Sami Vatanen and a conditional draft pick on Nov. 30, 2017. After spending seven seasons in Southern California, Henrique was dealt to Edmonton by the Tampa Bay Lightning for a fourth-round pick in the 2025 or 2026 NHL Draft in Mar. 2024.
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After 15 Seasons and 1,078 regular-season games, Edmonton Oilers left winger Jeff Skinner has finally scored his first career playoff goal on Thursday.
His goal gave Edmonton a 3-0 lead in the first period of Game 5 of their Western Conference final against the Dallas Stars. It wasn’t the prettiest goal he’s ever scored, but he certainly won’t mind. His tally gets the Oilers one step closer to advancing to the Stanley Cup final for a second-straight year.
It started with a puck battle in the corner of Dallas’ zone, where Skinner came out with the puck and attempted to execute a centring pass to Trent Frederic. The play was broken up and bobbled in front of the crease before it popped out onto Skinner’s stick.
From the slot, the 33-year-old made no mistake, throwing it through Casey DeSmith’s five-hole. DeSmith was subbed in for Jake Oettinger as the Stars’ starting goaltender allowed two quick goals on two shots in the first seven minutes of the opening period.
This is Skinner’s second career playoff game. He was the next forward available for Edmonton after losing two right-wingers in Connor Brown and Zach Hyman. Hyman has been ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs as he requires a season-ending surgery.
Therefore, Skinner is playing on the left wing beside Adam Henrique and Frederic on the fourth line.
Ever since his playoff debut earlier in the post-season, he’s been a healthy scratch for Kris Knoblauch’s team.
His first playoff appearance came in Game 1 of the first round against the Los Angeles Kings. The Oilers lost that game 6-5 and nearly completed an incredible comeback.
Skinner recorded a secondary assist in that game to cut the Kings' lead to 4-2. He played 11:12 of ice time and earned a minus-2 plus-minus rating.
"After conducting an extensive search, we're thrilled to announce Lane as our new head coach," Botterill told NHL.com's Kraken site. "We cast a wide net for suitable candidates. What impressed us throughout the interview process was Lane’s strategy and vision for this team. He was an integral part of the Capitals winning the Cup and the Islanders advancing to two straight Eastern Conference finals. We have full confidence in Lane to lead this team behind the bench."
With the Islanders, Lambert had a combined 61-46-20 record, including a 42-31-9 record in 2022-23 and a 19-15-11 record in 2023-24 before the Islanders replaced him with Patrick Roy. The 60-year-old guided the Isles to the first round of the playoffs in 2023, losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games.
Lambert spent the 2024-25 season as an associate coach on Craig Berube's bench with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Before his time with the Islanders, he was an assistant coach on the Washington Capitals from 2014-15 to 2017-18, winning the Cup in 2018. He's also been an assistant coach for the Nashville Predators and the bench boss of the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals and WHL's Prince George Cougars.
"I'm so excited to become the head coach of the Seattle Kraken," Lambert said in the announcement. "When it came time to writing a new chapter, I couldn't think of a better fit. Seattle is an incredible sports town, and I’ve been impressed by the energy of the fans every time I’ve been there as a visiting coach. This team has a talented group of young players poised to take the next step and a core group of veterans with great leadership qualities."
The Melfort, Sask., resident played 283 career NHL games from 1983 to 1989 for the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques. The right winger had 58 goals and 66 assists for 124 points.
Lambert and Botterill, the latter of whom was promoted to the GM role after Ron Francis was elevated to president of hockey operations, oversee a Kraken squad that finished seventh of eight teams in the Pacific Division with a 35-41-6 record. Despite making the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Kraken missed the following two post-seasons.
Under one season of now-former coach Dan Bylsma, the Kraken finished 16th in the NHL in goals-for with an average of 2.99, 24th in goals-against average at 3.20, 23rd in power-play percentage at 18.9 and 21st in penalty-kill percentage at 77.2.
That said, they have an intriguing mix of talent on the roster, including youngsters Matty Beniers, Shane Wright and Ryker Evans, and veterans Jared McCann, Brandon Montour, Vince Dunn, Chandler Stephenson and Jaden Schwartz.
Botterill said he wanted a coach who can build relationships with those players.
"You have to have constant communication with your players," he told NHL.com. "I think it's important that it doesn't just always come from the head coach. The coach has to delegate, and Lane is deeply familiar with that. The coach has to make sure his assistants are interacting non-stop with the skills coach and strength coach, so you are all on the same page, delivering the same message to the players. You're looking for the head coach to be the CEO of the locker room."
The Buffalo Sabres have their own collection of restricted free agent players to deal with this summer -- most notably, defenseman Bowen Byram and left winger J.J. Peterka -- and although the Sabres have more than enough salary cap space to make a splash ($23.2 million, as per Puck Pedia), one looming RFA who is getting a lot of attention of late is one they should absolutely steer clear of.
We're talking about Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi. The 23-year-old Austrian had a solid season for Minnesota this year, setting new personal bests in goals (24), assists (36) and points (60), but there's a reason why his name has cropped up in media speculation: when the Wild had to put their best lineup together for their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Rossi was relegated to the fourth line, averaging only 11:08 of ice time. Rossi did post two goals and three points in six playoff games, but the prevailing sentiment is that he's going to be parting ways with the Wild either via trade, offer-sheet, or both.
Given that Rossi made a relatively-modest $863,334 this season, he's bound to get a considerable raise on his next deal. But why should the Sabres -- not exactly the most physically-imposing team in the NHL -- want to add a 5-foot-9 forward to the mix? Besides, Buffalo has its share of youngsters, and giving up the type of assets the Wild would want (a first-round draft pick and a decent prospect) does not seem to be a wise move for the Sabres.
No one is saying Rossi isn't talented. He's not close to his prime yet, and a 30-goal year certainly isn't out of the question for him in the future. But considering where the Sabres are in their competitve development, adding a youngster who couldn't be a meaningful part of an up-and-coming Wild team isn't a move that many legitimate playoff teams would make, at least in the short-term.
The Sabres need someone with more experience than Rossi can offer right now. They don't need to surrender picks and prospects when they've got youngsters in-house who should get a longer look at the NHL level. Let some other team take a chance on Rossi, as Buffalo doesn't need to take that risk at the moment.
The Sabres did have success with another Austrian native -- former star winger Thomas Vanek -- but in this case, they should be leaving well enough alone and focusing their efforts on acquiring a more proven commodity than Rossi. He's going to be well-compensated by one team or another this summer, but Rossi almost assuredly won't be coming to Buffalo. The risk/reward of adding someone who, for all we know, could take a backward or lateral step this coming season just doesn't make sense for the Sabres.
So put away those Buffalo jerseys with 'Rossi' on the nameplate. He's not going to be a Sabre, and that's not a bad thing for where Buffalo is in its development.
