In 2024-25, the Flames took a big step forward. After missing last year's postseason, they came up short of the playoffs by a lowly tiebreaker. Instead, the St. Louis Blues entered the playoffs and lost to the Winnipeg Jets.
Regardless of the step forward this past year, the expectation for next year should be a similar, or better, result. In order to achieve that, every player on the team should be pulling their own weight.
Here are three players the Flames should not bring back, in order to make room for better players.
Kevin Rooney
Kevin Rooney is on an expiring deal paying him $1.3 million. While that doesn’t feel like a lot of money, this is one player the Flames need to let ride off into the sunset.
The 6-foot-2, 31-year-old forward collected 10 points and averaged 9:25 of ice time in his 70 games. The Flames could find someone with their AHL club who could provide similar numbers, with similar ice time, at less than half the cost.
Tyson Barrie (CAL), Dennis Cholowski (NYI) on waivers
Tyson Barrie and the Flames were not a fit. He found himself on the short end of the stick when he was placed on waivers on February 20th, 2025. He never returned to the NHL.
The former Edmonton Oilers defender has been on a downward trajectory since his former team traded him to the Nashville Predators for Mattias Ekholm. Unless the Flames want to bring him back at a league minimum two-way deal, they are better off sticking to other players available in free agency.
Anthony Mantha
The Flames should move on from Anthony Mantha mainly because of his injury history. The 10-year NHL veteran has one 80-game season to his credit. However, he remained healthy for the 56-game 2020-21 season.
With the rising salary cap and better offensive options on the table in free agency, Mantha should not return in a Flames uniform for 2025-26.
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Hallander, 24, was selected by the Penguins in the second round (58th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft. As a prospect, he was actually dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a trade that brought forward Kasperi Kapanen back to Pittsburgh, and he returned to Pittsburgh when Jared McCann was shipped to Toronto prior to the 2021 expansion draft for the Seattle Kraken.
After that, he spent a few years in the Penguins' organization - mostly with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS), Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate - and put up decent numbers. In parts of two seasons with WBS, he registered 25 goals and 61 points in 104 games, and he saw three NHL games in those two years.
After signing a five-year deal with Timra IK in 2023, he was non-tendered as a restricted free agent by the Penguins and spent the last two years in the SHL building back up his game. His offense really took off during the 2024-25 season, but his two-way play has always been a trademark for him.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound center has the toolset to become an effective power forward at the NHL level, and he somewhat modeled his game after former Penguin and two-time Stanley Cup champion Patric Hornqvist. His combination of offensive talent, defensive details, and physicality should bode well for the Penguins looking ahead.
Given the Penguins' current trajectory, they are prioritizing young talent, and Hallander could very well figure into the middle-six next year for Pittsburgh.
His two-year contract carries an average annual value of $775,000 and will run through the end of the 2026-27 season.
The lights couldn’t be brighter, and the noise couldn’t be any louder after the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t just lose Game 5, they were humiliated.
On home ice at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday, the Leafs delivered one of their worst performances of the season in front of their fans, falling 6-1 to the Florida Panthers. They now trail the second-round series 3-2, with Game 6 set for Friday in Sunrise.
It was the kind of night Toronto fans have come to dread, boos raining down as the team headed to the dressing room trailing 4-0 after two, jerseys tossed onto the ice, and fans heading for the exits with half of the third period still left to be played.
Outside the building, the criticism and noise have understandably gotten louder. Social media can be a double-edged sword, and after Wednesday’s performance, it’s been overwhelmingly negative. Fans have voiced their frustrations – fed up with another no-show in the Stanley Cup Playoffs – basically declaring the series over.
That noise, both inside and outside the city, is nothing new to anyone in the Leafs dressing room. But with the team still alive and fighting to force a Game 7 on home ice Sunday, head coach Craig Berube is urging his players to take a step back and block it all out.
“I always tell them that,” Berube said Thursday when asked about players staying off social media. “Whether they do it or not, that's their choice. If you want to look at things, you look at things. I mean, I can't control what they do, but yeah, what we need to do is they need to stick together tonight as a team and take a breath and stop thinking about the game tonight.”
“Relax, we'll get thinking about the game the next day. When it matters. It boils down to a few things that we need to make sure that we have in the game. Aggressive, compete, puck battles. Enjoying the moment. This is what guys play for, and you have to enjoy it. Don't overthink the game,” he added.
Veteran defenceman Morgan Rielly, the longest-tenured Leaf, said tuning out the noise is something each player handles in their own way. The 31-year-old has been through nearly every version of playoff heartbreak in a Leafs jersey, from blown series leads to Game 7 exits, and he knows better than most how loud the outside noise can get when things go sideways in Toronto.
“Everyone's different. For me, I think it's pretty simple,” Rielly said. “But I think ultimately our group just has to do what we have to do to get ready to play. So, again, for me, I think it's pretty straightforward. I think that our guys are just going to stick together today and just get ready for them all. We're still in a position where we're right in the fight. We've got to go down there. We've got to play our best game.”
Berube, who won a Stanley Cup as a head coach of the St. Louis Blues in 2019, is no stranger to blocking out distractions at this time of the year. The now-Leafs coach is leading the charge in putting his best foot forward, confirming the team would meet later Thursday after arriving in Florida to regroup ahead of a must-win Game 6.
And with the season on the line, Berube wants the Leafs to keep it simple.
“You have to skate. You've got to compete. It's going to be physical. We know that. It's tight. And take the thinking out. Go play. Be aggressive. You can't not be aggressive. You have to be aggressive,” Berube said.
“You've got to get numbers in there. And then, like I said, the system and the structure takes care of the thinking. That's what I want them to do. Like, go out and play hockey. Play with structure, but be aggressive,” he added.
After a no-show in Game 5, Leafs fans have seen this movie before – and one too many times, it seems. A promising start was followed by a sudden collapse in a playoff series, raising familiar doubts about the team’s ability to handle pressure when it matters most.
With that in mind, what’s the message to Leafs fans?
“Well, believe like our team believes,” Berube said. “I think that's all you can do.”
At this point, it’s a tall ask for a fan base that’s been let down before, more than once, but the reality is that the Leafs still have life. And in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, that’s all a team needs.
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Missing the playoffs the last five seasons will do that. Ditto the fact the Flyers have won just one playoff series in the last 13 years. Or that they haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1975.
So the news Wednesday that Rick Tocchet, who once starred for Philadelphia as a player, was named the Flyers’ new coach didn’t send people scurrying to buy season tickets.
Instead, the appointment was treated with so-so reviews.
In the first 10 hours of a poll on X that had more than 800 responders, 40 percent said they loved the hire, 41 percent said it was “meh,” and 19 percent said they hated it.
“We will be saying told you so after Rick is fired in three years and Danny (Briere, the GM) and Keith (Jones, the club president) can go with him,” said one fan, explaining that fan favorites “don’t make good coaches.”
Some fans said they were tired of “recycled” former Flyers in key management positions.
That said, “outsiders” like Peter Laviolette, Dave Hakstol, Alain Vigneault and John Tortorella didn’t have a lot of success in Philly, either. Of those coaches, Laviolette had the best record (.586 points percentage), and he got the Flyers to the 2010 Stanley Cup final.
Tocchet, now 61, was one of the Flyers’ most popular players in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
Bleeds Orange And Black
And make no mistake, if a person’s love for the organization is a barometer, Tocchet will also excel as a coach in Philly.
“I’ve always been a Flyer at heart,” Tocchet said in a news release after taking the job.
He has to convince the fans he can turn things around. The Flyers finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference this season.
“I hope he doesn’t come in with a ‘goon it up’ mindset like other past Flyers coaches have,” one fan said on X.
“Love the story, but not sure if he’s actually a good coach,” said someone else.
Some others were excited by Tocchet’s appointment.
“Best Flyers news in years,” tweeted a fan. “Need to get back the mojo and be hard to play against. This if awesome. Love Tocchet!”
Another fan tweeted that Tocchet, owner of a 286-265-87 coaching record with Tampa Bay, Arizona and Vancouver, as going “home” by returning to Philly. “Toughness, athleticism, leadership,” he said. “He embodies what the Flyers used to be and what they can be again!”
What was not to like? He was scrappy and he frequently lit the lamp. As a Flyers analyst on Comcast Sportsnet, Tocchet was applauded for his honesty.
Tocchet, selected in the sixth round of the 1983 NHL draft, excelled with the Flyers.
After managing 14 goals in each of his first two seasons in Philadelphia, he became one of the NHL’s most dependable right wingers, scoring 21, 31, 45, 37 and 40 goals in his next five seasons. All told, he scored 232 goals (tied for 12th in franchise history) in parts of 11 seasons with the Flyers, including three years at the end of his career.
He finished with 440 career goals for six teams but spent the bulk of his career with the Orange and Black, including a stint as the captain. Tocchet scored 130 of his goals on the power play, and he will be looking to help the Flyers improve dramatically in that area.
Tocchet, who won three Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins – one as a player, two as an assistant coach – will need major help from the front office if the Flyers are going to end their playoff drought.
The Flyers should have a No. 1 center, a dependable goalie and a defenseman on their wish list.
Hockey fans in Toronto are starting to show their frustration as another promising Maple Leafs season appears to be nearing a heartbreaking end.
After winning the first two games of their second-round playoff series against the Florida Panthers, the Leafs have now lost three straight, including an embarrassing 6-1 defeat in Game 5 at home Wednesday night.
One player who is responsible for the Leafs being pushed to the brink of elimination is Brad Marchand. The veteran left wing picked up an assist in his team’s Game 5 win, giving him five points (two goals, three assists) in the series.
As Marchand was exiting the ice toward the end of Wednesday’s victory, a few Leafs fans had some words for the Panthers forward, but he just smiled back.
Marchand is no stranger to tormenting the Leafs and their fans.
If the Panthers close out this series, Marchand will be 5-0 against the Leafs in his playoff career. He helped eliminate the Leafs from the postseason in 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2024 as a member of the Boston Bruins.
Speaking of the Bruins, one more win for the Panthers would send Florida to the Eastern Conference Final. And if that happens, the Panthers would send the Bruins a first-round draft pick to complete the Marchand trade from March 7.
The Bruins’ return in that trade was a conditional 2027 second-round pick that would become a first-rounder if the Panthers won two playoff rounds and Marchand played in at least 50 percent of those games. Marchand has not missed a playoff game for the Panthers so far.
New York Rangers goalie prospect Dylan Garand has an opportunity of a lifetime right now.
Garand is one of the three goalies to represent Canada at the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championship as he is joined by Jordan Binnington and Marc-André Fleury.
When he was asked if he wanted to play for Team Canada, Garand was quick with his response.
“It was kind of a no-brainer to come,” Garand said. “Anytime you get to represent your country, it’s obviously a huge honor. Typically a tournament like this is mostly NHL players and I’m not at that level yet, so for me obviously it was a no-brainer for me to come here and learn. Our roster is pretty insane. It's really cool to be a part of it and be with these guys every day and just learn as much as I can.”
Fleury is playing his last hockey games of his career before officially retiring here in Stockholm, Sweden, and Garand not only gets to be a part of that, but he’s in the same goalie room as a true legend of the sport.
“It’s been pretty surreal,” Garand said about playing alongside Fleury. “I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is how good of a guy he is and how he carries himself off of the ice. Being around him has been great.”
The 22-year-old has started one game for Canada so far and he posted a shutout in their 4-0 victory over Team Latvia to open up the World Championship.
Garand played for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League all season long. While the Wolf Pack didn’t end up making the AHL Playoffs, Garand had an excellent individual season.
He recorded a 20-10-9 record, .913 save percentage, and 2.73 goals against average while also representing the Atlantic Division at the AHL All-Star Game this season.
Throughout the year, Garand felt himself making significant strides in his game.
“I think obviously, as a team we didn't have a great year. We didn't get in the playoffs, which is obviously tough, but individually, I thought I had a really good year,” Garand said. “I think I just gave the guys a chance to win every night. We would have liked to win some more games and get in the playoffs. I think individually,I like where my game is at.”
With Igor Shesterkin running the show in New York and the Rangers giving Jonathan Quick a one-year contract extension, it’s hard to envision Garand getting much of an opportunity in the NHL for the 2025-24 season.
However, you never know what could happen and Garand is confident in his abilities to thrive at an NHL level if he’s called upon.
“I haven't gotten any opportunity in the NHL yet, but obviously I’m ready whenever my opportunity does come,” Garand said.
You need both to be successful in the playoffs, and the Edmonton Oilers got both in their final two games of their second-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights.
As a result, they have vanquished their Pacific Division rival. It only took the Oilers five games to do so, and they won all three of their road games in Vegas to clinch the series.
Many players contributed to the victory. Connor McDavid tied for the most blocked shots on his team (3). Adam Henrique also had three blocked shots while dominating in faceoffs with a whopping 70 percent success rate. Zach Hyman threw 13 hits in the victory.
And Stuart Skinner pitched his second straight shutout. It was a true team effort on Wednesday night.
“I thought everyone dug in really hard,” McDavid said to the reporters present in Vegas after the game. “I thought Stu (Skinner) was great. (He) bailed us out whenever we had a breakdown. The (penalty) kill was great, defensively really, really good.”
Additionally, Skinner did not allow a goal for the final 127 minutes of the Vegas series. This is a tremendous comeback for the Oilers' starting netminder, who Calvin Pickard replaced in Game 3 of the Los Angeles Kings series.
McDavid had this to say about what Skinner's performance means to the team.
“Hopefully, it shuts a lot of people up that were talking about him,” McDavid said. “We’ve always had belief in him. He comes in, pitches two shutouts, can’t say enough good things.”
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The lack of a reliable second-line center was among the reasons behind the Montreal Canadiens' recent elimination from the playoffs.
It's a priority Canadiens management must address during the off-season.
PuckPedia indicates the Canadiens have over $8.66 million in projected cap space for 2025-26 with 18 active roster players under contract. They can garner another $10.5 million in cap flexibility by placing permanently sidelined goaltender Carey Price on LTIR. They could also move Price's contract to a club trying to reach the salary-cap floor next season.
Either way, the Canadiens should have the cap room to add a second-line center. They have two picks in the first round of this year's draft (16th and 17th overall) and could dangle one of them packaged with a quality prospect, but don't expect them to part with a promising youngster, such as Ivan Demidov, David Reinbacher, Jacob Fowler or Michael Hage.
The Hockey News’ Karine Hains observed that some Canadiens followers believe Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby might wish to end his playing career in Montreal because he grew up a Habs fan. However, she reminded readers that Crosby intends to retire as a Penguin and has given no indication he's changed his mind.
Sportsnet's Eric Engels also dismissed the Crosby-to-Montreal conjecture. Still, if the Penguins captain were available, he acknowledged that the Canadiens' cap space and depth in draft picks and prospects could give them an edge over other teams in the trade market.
It's difficult to gauge what the Penguins' asking price would be, but Engels believes it would be expensive, possibly including two first-rounders and two prospects.
Pat Hickey of The Montreal Gazette looked at free-agent options, suggesting they land a 30-something center to hold the fort until youngsters like Hage, Owen Beck or Jared Davidson are ready for prime time.
Brock Nelson of the Colorado Avalanche, John Tavares of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Matt Duchene of the Dallas Stars and Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers are this summer's top potential UFA centers.
It wouldn't be surprising if all four re-sign with their current teams by July 1. Assuming they hit the market, a rebuilding club like the Canadiens might not be their preferred destination at this stage of their careers.
Hickey also proposed going the offer-sheet route by targeting Mason McTavish of the Anaheim Ducks. The 23-year-old center would fit in well among the Canadiens' young core. However, the Ducks have the cap space to match any offer.
Pickings could be slim in the trade market. Marco Rossi of the Minnesota Wild has resurfaced in the rumor mill, but his small stature and style of play might not be suited for the heavy two-way game required for a second-line center. Dawson Mercer of the New Jersey Devils could be another possibility after struggling under coach Sheldon Keefe this season.
The 2025 Draft will take place in June 2025, with the Pittsburgh Penguins selecting 11th overall. This year will be the second time in franchise history that the team will pick 11th, following Bob Smith in the 1967 Draft.
Today, we will expand that list to include all 11th overall picks in history, which consists of 57 players. There was no 11th pick in 2021, which the Arizona Coyotes forfeited.
So, who are the top 11th overall picks in NHL history? Let's find out.
10. Jeff Friesen (1994 - San Jose Sharks)
893 GP - 218 G - 298 A - 516 PTS -- Stanley Cup 2003
Jeff Friesen was the San Jose Sharks' top pick in the 1994 Draft. He played seven seasons with the club, scoring a career high 31 goals and 63 points in 1997-98. Friesen was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 1995 and won the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 2003.
Mike Sillinger is just one of 11 players drafted 11th overall to appear in 1,000 NHL games and is one of ten players to collect over 500 points. A veteran of 17 seasons with 12 teams, his best year came in 2005-06 when he scored 32 goals and 63 points.
8. John Anderson (1977 - Toronto Maple Leafs)
814 GP - 282 G - 349 A - 631 PTS
John Anderson played 12 seasons in the NHL, including eight with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he was a four-time 30-goal scorer in the 1980s. Moreover, Anderson collected another 30-goal campaign with the Hartford Whalers. He scored at least 15 goals every season except his rookie campaign in 1977-78.
7. Filip Forsberg (2012 - Washington Capitals)
780 GP - 318 G - 363 A - 681 PTS
Filip Forsberg is only the fourth player drafted 11th overall to score at least 40 goals in a season, achieving the feat in 2021-22 and 2023-24. As a 13-year veteran with the Nashville Predators, Forsberg is the franchise leader in goals, ranking second in assists and points. He was named to the 2015 NHL All-Rookie Team.
6. Scott Young (1986 - Hartford Whalers)
1181 GP - 342 G - 415 A - 757 PTS -- Stanley Cup 1991, 1992
Scott Young played 17 seasons in the NHL, winning the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 1991 and 1992. An eight-time 20-goal scorer, he tallied a career-high 40 in 2000-01 at 33. As of 2025, Young is the sixth-highest scoring 11th overall pick in history.
1256 GP - 342 G - 419 A - 761 PTS -- Stanley Cup 1995
Brian Rolston won the Stanley Cup in his rookie season and would skate over 1,200 games over 17 seasons with five clubs. He was a four-time 30-goal scorer, reaching at least 20 in six campaigns. As of 2025, Rolston is the 24th highest-scoring American-born skater, four points ahead of Young.
4. Ivan Boldirev (1969 - Boston Bruins)
1052 GP - 361 G - 505 A - 866 PTS -- Stanley Cup 1972
Ivan Boldirev was the highest scoring 11th overall pick for decades, amassing 866 points in 1,052 games with six clubs, including three Original Six franchises: Boston, Chicago, and Detroit. He was a five-time 30-goal scorer and tallied at least 20 in ten of his 15 NHL seasons.
3. Jeff Carter (2003 - Philadelphia Flyers)
1321 GP - 442 G - 409 A - 851 PTS -- Stanley Cup 2012, 2014
Jeff Carter was a premier scorer in the late 2000s and early 2010s, tallying a career-high 46 goals in 2008-09. A four-time 30-goal scorer, he also collected 11 campaigns with at least 20 goals and reached double digits in all 17 NHL seasons. As a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Los Angeles Kings, Carter also collected 47 goals and 84 points in 133 career playoff games.
2. Anze Kopitar (2005 - Los Angeles Kings)
1454 GP - 440 G - 838 A - 1278 PTS -- Stanley Cup 2012, 2014
Anze Kopitar will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he retires. Besides winning two Stanley Cups, he's a two-time Selke and Lady Byng Trophy winner, with the Mark Messier Leadership Award on his mantle. The current captain of the Kings is on the verge of becoming the franchise's all-time leading scorer, thanks to 16 seasons with more than 60 points and 14 years with 20 or more goals.
1. Jarome Iginla (1995 - Dallas Stars)
1554 GP - 625 G - 675 A - 1300 PTS
As of 2025, Jarome Iginla is the only 11th overall pick inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Ultimately, he was one of hockey's greatest snipers, scoring over 40 goals four times while collecting 12 seasons with 30 or more. A multi-time award winner, Iginla ranks 38th in scoring with 1,300 points and 17th all-time. He is one of only 21 players all-time to reach 600 goals. Unfortunately, a Stanley Cup win was the only thing missing from his NHL resume.
Cleveland Monsters forward Stefan Matteau has announced his retirement from professional hockey, it was announced earlier this week.
Hailing from Chicago, Ill., Matteau spent this entire season serving as the captain of the Monsters, scoring two goals and adding five assists for seven points in 15 games.
Drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the 2012 NHL Draft, Matteau appeared in 92 career NHL games with the Devils, Montreal Canadiens, Vegas Golden Knights, Columbus Blue Jackets and the Colorado Avalanche. Over that time, he collected six goals and five assists for 11 points.
Throughout his 13-year pro career, Matteau spent the majority of his time in the AHL, playing in 411 regular season games, putting up 76 goals and 93 assists for 169 points. Matteau also spent one year playing overseas, splitting time between the SHL (Linkoping HC) and the DEL (ERC Ingolstadt) in 2022-23.
With Matteau officially having up the skates, he can sit back and reflect on what was a solid playing career. Although he never stuck at the NHL level, Matteau always provided solid depth for the teams he played for.
The Philadelphia Flyers hired Rick Tocchet to be the 25th head coach in franchise history Wednesday, and his appointment will benefit certain players in certain ways.
And for others? Not so much.
The crux of the criticisms sent Tocchet's way lie in the lack of offense his teams typically create. For example, during his time in Arizona, the Coyotes never ranked higher than 22nd in the NHL in goals scored.
In parts of three seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, Tocchet's scoring offense ranked 13th, sixth, and 23rd--largely a mixed bag of results with a far superior group of players that was headlined by Quinn Hughes, J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, Filip Hronek, and, for a week, Bo Horvat.
The Flyers don't have names like that in their rolodex... yet. Although Matvei Michkov is on his way towards star status in short order. Maybe we can include Travis Konecny, too, even if the end of his 2024-25 season left much to be desired.
Irregardless, someone will have to fill the shoes of Tocchet's old stars, and the 61-year-old bench boss will be putting notes together on who, if anyone, can achieve this.
Winners: Cam York and Jamie Drysdale
Let's talk numbers for a moment, yes?
Last season, the Canucks were not great. Tocchet's club went 38-30-14 while weathering injuries to Thatcher Demko, Quinn Hughes, and, at times, Elias Pettersson, in addition to the rift between J.T. Miller and Pettersson.
That's a lot for any team to deal with, and Tocchet's role in mediating the feud between the two stars is neither here nor there at this point.
Despite Hughes's injury, the Canucks' defensemen scored a lot. Their 38 goals from defensemen ranked 10th in the NHL last season, trailing only teams like Winnipeg, Minnesota, Carolina, Buffalo, Edmonton, St. Louis, Seattle, Columbus, and Colorado.
Guess what? Six of those teams made the playoffs this year. Directly below the Canucks were Washington, Tampa Bay, and Florida, and each of those three made the playoffs as well.
For comparison, the Flyers had 31 goals scored by defensemen, which ranked 26th in the NHL and below the Chicago Blackhawks. Ouch!
Another stat to consider: 35.3% of the Canucks' goals were assisted by defensemen, which was the fourth-highest rate in the league. The Flyers had just 25.1% of their goals assisted by defensemen, which was 31st in the NHL ahead of only the Dallas Stars.
The Stars, as we know, lost Miro Heiskanen for an extended period of time and were or are actively relying on names such as Ilya Lyubushkin, Matt Dumba, and Cody Ceci to get it done offensively. That's just not going to happen.
Also, Hughes never scored more than eight goals in a season before Tocchet became his head coach on the Canucks. Then he scored 17 goals in 82 games last year before adding 16 in 68 this year.
For a Flyers team that has been perennially abominable on the power play, it would be a massive revelation if guys like Cam York and Jamie Drysdale took steps forward and became even glimpses of the players they were drafted to be.
York scored 10 goals and 30 points last year, but injuries and benchings this year limited him to four goals and 17 points in 66 games.
Drysdale, of course, has battled with injuries himself, but he's also scored just 30 points since the start of 2022-23.
These two are the most talented on the Flyers' blueline, and if they can become regular 40-point players under Tocchet, that would be a win in and of itself.
Losers: Egor Zamula and Emil Andrae
Egor Zamula struggled a lot in the 2024-25 season. He was more disciplined, dropping down to just six PIM in 63 games, but struggled to keep up more often than not.
That led to his scoring dropping by six points (21 to 15) and his offensive involvement plummeting. Zamula recorded just 37 shots on goal in 63 games, and while his shot is above average for a defenseman, his poor mobility and slow processing strongly hamper his fit in a Rick Tocchet team.
It's why Noah Juulsen and Vincent Desharnais, who was traded twice this season, combined for three assists in 69 games between them.
Andrae, on the other hand, is far more mobile than Zamula and boasts surprisingly good puck skills, but might be too similar to an Erik Brannstrom, who was not Tocchet's cup of tea in Vancouver.
This could open the door for a player like Helge Grans, for example, to compete during training camp.
Skating, passing, urgency, and pace of play will be key for these young Flyers defensemen if they want to thrive during life under Tocchet.
Winners: Nikita Grebenkin, Matvei Michkov, and Tyson Foerster
Most of the Flyers' wingers will be eating good if Tocchet deploys a style similar to the one he used in Vancouver.
The Canucks generated the NHL's fewest chances on the rush per game, and they were quite close to the bottom of the league in converting on those chances, too.
And given the Flyers' lack of speed and skill at center, they will have to become a forechecking, cycling team bar the odd individual skill moment from Owen Tippett, Travis Konecny, or Ryan Poehling.
That bodes well for Nikita Grebenkin and Matvei Michkov, who play their best hockey when utilizing their mean streaks, winning wall battles, and making east-west passes from the half wall and other favorable lateral angles.
Tyson Foerster, like the other two, is not a speedster, but he employs a shoot-first mentality, knows how to get open, and knows how to win the puck.
There will be a lot of low-high and high-low passing in the future for this motley crew, but only time will tell whether that translates to quantifiable offense.
Winner: Sean Couturier
Sean Couturier was the first Flyers player to get the phone call from Danny Briere saying Rick Tocchet was the new head coach, and while he may not have sounded overly ecstatic over the phone, it's a big win for the Flyers captain.
The since-dismissed John Tortorella preferred high-energy, pacey centers like Noah Cates and Poehling to Couturier, who is a slower skater by nature and a more calculated player.
Plus, Couturier and Tortorella just never saw eye to eye. That much was apparent when Couturier was benched last season and had no idea why. It was weird and silly.
The 32-year-old, who quietly scored 15 goals and 45 points this season, has a new lease on life under Tocchet, and his style of play will aid Tocchet's cycle game immensely.
After all, Tocchet did just go a full season with Pius Suter as his most effective center with Pettersson playing injured and dealing with other drama.
Health permitting, it would not at all be a surprise to see Couturier flirt with 60 points next season if all goes according to plan.
And tonight, the heroics came from a far more unlikely source.
Ex-Penguin Kasperi Kapanen - claimed by the Edmonton Oilers off waivers on Nov. 19 - played overtime hero for the Oilers in Game 5 against the Vegas Golden Knights, earning the only tally of the game on a second-chance effort at the goal line to send Edmonton to the Western Conference Final.
Kapanen was playing in just his second game of the playoffs for the Oilers, and it was his first postseason game since 2022 with the Penguins.
Pittsburgh selected Kapanen 22nd overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, and since then, he's been quite the journeyman. The 28-year-old forward was initially dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the deal that brought Phil Kessel to Pittsburgh in 2015, and he came back to Pittsburgh via trade in 2020.
Even though his NHL career with the Penguins got off to a good start, he couldn't find consistency in Pittsburgh and was waived on Feb. 24, 2023. In parts of three seasons with the Penguins, Kapanen registered 29 goals and 82 points in 162 games.
He was claimed by the St. Louis Blues, who then waived him less than a year later, which is when he was claimed by the Oilers.
Edmonton - heading to its second consecutive Western Conference Final - will face the winner of the Dallas-Winnipeg series.
Don’t look now, but the Florida Panthers appear to be hitting their stride.
After dropping back-to-back games to open their second-round series with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida has fought back with a few haymakers capped off by Wednesday’s 6-1 victory in Game 5.
Now the Panthers are heading back to South Florida with a chance to knock out the Maple Leafs for the second time in three postseasons.
It won’t be easy, but it appears that over the past week, Florida has started to look more like the team they want to be, physically overpowering their opponent while allowing their skills to shine through.
That was certainly the game on Wednesday night.
Let’s get to Game 5’s takeaways:
BOQVIST'S BIG NIGHT
Jesper Boqvist had been on the ice for each of Florida’s first seven playoff games, skating primarily on the fourth line.
When Florida fell into a 0-2 hole against Toronto, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice made a fairly drastic change to his forward group, swapping out the entire fourth line.
Well, the Cats haven’t lost since, which understandably kept the roster intact, but when Evan Rodrigues was ruled out of Game 5, Maurice turned to Boqvist to take Rodrigues’ spot on Florida’s top line.
The 26-year-old Swede responded with one of his best games in a Panthers jersey, picking up a goal and an assist while logging a plus-3 on-ice rating and adding three shots and eight hits in 15:15 of ice time.
“He’s kind of a guy that scored big goals for us this year,” Maurice said. “He ended up with 12, but they weren't the last goal in a run. Those are the fun stories for a room when (Boqvist) gets one, (Gadjovich) has one, because those guys work hard. They don't get on the magazines, right? They're not the front of it, but it's special on the bench when those guys score.”
BOB KEEPS ROLLING
Sergei Bobrovsky is locked in.
He came 66 seconds away from logging his second straight shutout on Wednesday night, boasting an impressive goalless streak of 147:58.
Despite a tough start to the series in which he allowed 13 goals on just 81 shots, Bobrovsky is showing why he’s earned a reputation as one of the NHL’s absolute best money goalies of his generation.
Over the past two-plus games, because Bob was stellar at the end of Game 3 and during the overtime, we’re seeing exactly Florida’s players and coaching do nothing but exude confidence in their netminder.
“I think Sergei is always available to get into a groove,” Maurice said. “I think his prep doesn't change, he has no idea about his stats, but I think recently, and it was true in the latter half of the Tampa series, the guys in front are playing a game that he understands, that he has history with this year. He's had stretches this year where the shot total wasn't big for him, he never got warmed up in the game, he didn't get a bunch of outside angle shots that let him feel good about his game, (instead he faced) a breakaway, but not a ton of them. So he's kind of trained himself with this style of game that we play, (other than) the breakaways, which is a silly thing to say. He has a fairly consistent expectation of what's going to happen next. I don't know if that makes saving the puck any easier for him, just his anticipation and becomes very good.”
BEFORE THE BLOWOUT
Looking at the final score, one might believe that this was a Panthers-dominating game from start to finish.
That wasn’t quite the case.
While yes, Florida did score the first goal and play a statistically strong opening period, the game was still incredibly tight for basically the entire first half of it.
If not for a couple big saves by Bobrovsky and a couple fortunate goal posts that Toronto hit, the game could have taken a much different turn.
“(Taking an early lead) felt important because that game was really fast and well executed by both teams up and down the ice early,” Maurice said. “There was lots of really good execution in that for both teams, so getting the first one was important. I thought it flat lined a little bit after that for us, and then probably, where the game doesn't break, is Sergei Bobrovsky. He made saves on two or three breakaways tonight night, so I think he was the pivot point in the way that game went.”
The Edmonton Oilers are headed back to the Western Conference final for the third time in four years.
And the goalie the Oilers swapped out early in the first round got two straight shutouts to help the team move on.
Stuart Skinner made 24 saves against the Vegas Golden Knights in Wednesday night's Game 5, which was tied 0-0 after regulation. At the other end of the ice, the Oilers' Kasperi Kapanen found the puck in a scramble and jammed it into the net just over seven minutes into overtime to win the game 1-0 and the series 4-1.
Pickard is 6-0 in this year's playoffs with a 2.84 goals-against average and .888 save percentage. Skinner, meanwhile, had an .810 SP and 6.11 GAA after losing Games 1 and 2 in the first round against the Los Angeles Kings, leading coach Kris Knoblauch to change netminders.
With Game 5's shutout performance out of the way, the 26-year-old Skinner said Wednesday night was the least nerve-wracking of the three matches he's played in the series.
"I had a feeling of peace tonight," Skinner told Sportsnet's Gene Principe post-game. "My job's just to give the team a chance to win. I can't really do too much else, so just trying to do my best out there, and whatever happens happens."
There was a lot of mental and emotional resolve to end the series the way he played compared to being on the bench at the start of it.
"It's hard. It's very difficult, to say the least," Skinner said. "It's definitely been a grind, lot of work – lot of work just to try to stay sane in all of it, too, and obviously a moment where we were able to step up.
"I got so much to thank for my teammates with all their support even through that and then also how they've been playing since I've been in."
The Oilers limited the Golden Knights to 24 shots in Game 3, 23 in Game 4 and 24 in Game 5. That average of 23.67 would be the lowest in the NHL this post-season if they were like this the whole time.
That said, Skinner still had to stand tall, and he did.
He logged 1.98 goals saved above expected, which accounts for the quality of the scoring chances, according to moneypuck.com. In Game 4, he had 2.23 goals saved above expected in a 3-0 Oilers win. His play was a big step up from Game 3, when his minus-1.69 rating may have been the difference-maker in a 4-3 loss.
Skinner's stats improved to a 2-3 record, 3.05 GAA and .884 SP in five playoff games. He and the team now get to rest as they await the winner of the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars series. The Stars lead 3-1 with a chance to eliminate the Jets on Thursday night.
They battled until the end, but the Edmonton Oilers came out on top when the final buzzer sounded. They take their series against the Vegas Golden Knights 4-1 after winning Game 5 by a 1-0 final score.
Stuart Skinner was brilliant for the Oilers, stopping every shot he faced in the overtime victory. Kasperi Kapanen scored the game-winning goal off a great play by Leon Draisaitl.
With the Golden Knights in the rearview mirror, the Oilers now look ahead. They will face the winner of the Dallas Stars vs Winnipeg Jets series.
Oilers fans are familiar with both, considering all three teams reside in the Western Conference. But they will remember the Stars well from last year’s playoff run.
They came face-to-face with the Stars in the Western Conference final. The Oilers would do away with the Stars in six games and book their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.
In the 2021 playoffs, the Oilers found themselves on the wrong end of a sweep at the sticks of the Jets. If these two teams meet again in the postseason, the Oilers will look for retribution for that failure.
Game on.
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