It was a special 2025-26 season for the Buffalo Sabres. This is because they not only made the playoffs for the first time since 2011 but also won the Atlantic Division. Now, the Sabres will be looking to build off their big year by putting together a strong off-season.
If the Sabres want to remain one of the NHL's top teams next season, they are going to need to make some upgrades to their roster this summer. One of their biggest needs is another top-six center.
When looking at trade candidates around the league, New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal stands out as a prime potential fit for the Sabres.
If the Sabres brought in Barzal, he could slot perfectly as their first-line center on a line with Tage Thompson and Zach Benson. Barzal's strong playmaking ability could make him a perfect linemate for a high-impact sniper like Thompson. Barzal would also give the Sabres another star to work with on their power play, which would be huge.
With the Sabres becoming contenders, they should not be afraid to make a bold move for a star center like Barzal if the Islanders make him available. He would be a great fit on their roster and could the addition that helps Buffalo take another big step forward in 2026-27.
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 31: Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins in action during the game against the Detroit Red Wings at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 31, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Vitals
Player: Evgeni Malkin Born: July 31, 1986 (Age 39 season) Height: 6’ 5” Weight: 213 pounds Hometown: Magnitogorsk, Russia Shoots: Left Draft: 2004 first round (2nd overall) by the Pittsburgh Penguins 2025-26 Statistics: 56 games played, 19 goals, 42 assists = 61 points ; 6 games played, 2 goals, 1 assist in playoffs. Contract Status: Malkin signed a one-year deal on May 26th to return to the Penguins in 2026-27 for his 21st NHL season after completing a four-year contract that wrapped up with the 2025-26 season.
Story of the Season
At 39 years old, Evgeni Malkin entered the 2025-26 season as the fifth oldest player in the NHL, preparing to play in his 20th NHL campaign in what will be a Hall of Fame career. While he may no longer be the player he was at his peak, Malkin proved to everyone that he still has something left to give, posting over a point per game season as he approaches his 40th birthday.
Malkin wasted no time getting his season rolling with a red hot right out of the gate that helped propel the Penguins up the standings and had people raising their eyebrows after preseason predictions had them as basement dwellers rather than playoff contenders.
Through the first month of play in 2025-26, Malkin paced the Penguins in scoring, producing 17 points in the month of October. There was a short period of time where he was leading the league in points courtesy of his hot start. That pace eventually cooled off, but Malkin made it clear he still had gas in the tank and could produce at a high level for the Penguins.
Coming off a 2024-25 season where he played 68 games, injuries (and a bad decision on his part) limited Malkin to just 56 games this past season. In December, the Penguins played 14 games, but Malkin appears in just two of those games, missing the rest due to injury. Malkin’s absence from the lineup coincided with one of the Penguins worst stretch of the season, surely not a coincidence given the level Malkin was playing at before going down.
In total, Malkin missed 15 games between early December and when he returned on January 8th but he wasted no time getting back on the scoresheet, recording a goal in his return to action and racking up 13 points across 12 games played in the month of January.
Of course not all of Malkin’s time out of the lineup was injury related. In an early March game against the Buffalo Sabres, Malkin slashed Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin across the neck and was handed a five game suspension for his actions.
Much like his return from injury in January, Malkin returned to the lineup on March 16th in Denver and did so with a bang against the Avalanche, recording a pair of goals and an assists in a shock 7-2 Penguins victory over the eventual President’s Trophy winners.
In the playoffs, Malkin found the back of the net twice to tie the team lead for goals scored in the Penguins six game loss to the Flyers in the first round.
October and January are the big months here that really stand out for Malkin this season. It should be noted those two months are when his legs were the most fresh, at the beginning of the season and coming off a long injury layoff that saw him miss 15 games. December and February were low volume in terms of games played because of injury and the Olympic break, but Malkin was still clicking at above a point per game pace even in those small sample sizes.
Regular season 5v5 advanced stats
Data via Natural Stat Trick. Ranking is out of 18 forwards on the team who qualified by playing a minimum of 150 minutes.
Perhaps not the driver of play that he was at his peak, but Malkin’s scoring rates still remain among the highest on the team at 39 years old. His goal total improved slightly from last year, but it’s dishing the assists where he earned his money this season. Maybe Malkin does need to focus on shooting the puck more in 2026-27 with his GF% being that high and his shooting percentage being in the top half of qualified skaters.
2025-26 proved to be a major bounce back season for Malkin following his career-worst worst performance in 2024-25. The offensive impact this year was back in a major way and WAR rankings shine favorably on his game.
Malkin is always going to live in the Sidney Crosby shadow but has some incredible playmaking chops of his own. At this point he is a much more effective player setting up his teammates than taking the shots himself, and a shift to wing has freed him up to be more involved on the forecheck. Malkin also remained incredibly productive on the power play, leading the team in power play points per 60 minutes played and ending up with 26 PPP in his 56 games.
Malkin was able to increase his amount of shots from mid and high danger zones from last season, despite playing in 12 less games. That might say more about 2024-25 than this current year. Overall, through coaching inputs on zone starts and skill he’s still able to spend lots of time in the offensive end and as little as possible in the defensive part.
Age and a few knee surgeries have put a ceiling on what was once the most explosive skater of his generation back in his heyday. These stats show a real ceiling to how fast Malkin can be these days, right around the 20mph area. He still has the burst to remain worthy of playing in a league that gets a little faster each season, even as he slows, it’s just not quite the same as it once was and missing that high gear.
Evgeni Malkin, are you KIDDING @Joe_Brand1?? Another day, another bank shot. Here's how Geno's goal sounded on our airwaves, presented by S&T Bank. pic.twitter.com/MH4r2XTrMQ
One has to wonder in this coming season will be the last for Evgeni Malkin in his Hall of Fame career. There were whispers last offseason that 2025-26 was going to be the end, at least for his time in Pittsburgh, but an impressive age 39 season left little to doubt that Malkin can still play and it led to a one year deal for 2026-27 and a 21st NHL season where he will be 40 years old.
Malkin was already among the oldest players in the league last season and he could climb even higher this season depending on other retirement decisions from those ahead of him on the list. At some point his NHL career will come to and end, but until that time comes, it’s best to just enjoy having Malkin in a Penguins uniform, the only uniform he should ever wear as an NHL player.
Ideal 2026-27
There were two 40 year old forwards in the NHL in 2025-26, Alexander Ovechkin and Corey Perry. Evgeni Malkin will be 40 when next season begins so they can serve as a good comparable for what to expect from Malkin as he laces up the blades for his 21st NHL season.
Ovechkin posted 32 goals and 32 assists for 64 points while playing all 82 games. Corey Perry recorded 17 goals and 20 assists for 37 points in 72 games played.
Malkin nearly equaled Ovechkin last season in total points despite playing 26 less games and he far surpassed Perry’s numbers in less games as well. Whether or not either of those guys play in 2026-27 remains to be seen, but we know Malkin will be in the league for another year.
Gone of the days of Malkin being a 30 goal scorer and even the 20 goal mark may be a stretch for him anymore, but what we do know is he can still distribute the puck to rack up assists. Given that he will likely still be in the Penguins top six and getting top power play time, a repeat of the season we just saw from Malkin, minus some injuries perhaps, will do just fine for the Penguins.
Bottom line
Evgeni Malkin entered 2025-26 with doubts about his future with the Penguins as he was entering the final season of his contract. As the season played out and it became apparent that Malkin still had much to give and his future in Pittsburgh was secured for another season with a well earned one-year contract that will see him play his 21st NHL season with the Penguins in 2026-27.
Injuries did force Malkin from the lineup more than in past seasons, playing his fewest amount of games since the 2021-22 campaign when he played in only 4q contests. Still though, when Malkin was on the ice he showed the talent that has made him a future Hall of Famer, scoring at over a point per game pace for the first time in four seasons.
There was some angst among the Penguins fan base about bringing Malkin back for 2026-27, but this season showed he can still produce and he’s not blocking anyone in the system. It was an easy call to give him a new deal and if he can put together a similar season at 40 years old, then it’s a win all around.
Final Grade
A-.
At 39 years old and in his 20th NHL season, Malkin posted a point per game and played a key role in helping the Penguins get back to the playoffs. His red hot start had the Penguins off and running and put them in good position to survive the rough patches that were to come. He did go down with injury that cost him a large chunk of games in the middle of the campaign, but he returned and produced straight away.
All in all, it’s hard to be too critical of a 39 year old who is still playing and contributing at the level of Evgeni Malkin did in 2025-26. He earned his new contract and here’s to hoping we see this version of Malkin again in the new season.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 14: The Carolina Hurricanes celebrate after Game Six of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on June 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Carolina Hurricanes won 3-0. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
The Hockey Guy provides assessments for where teams stand in their competitive windows, and he saves the Devils for last:
“General manager Sunny Mehta should pursue some of the bigger trade targets available this offseason, such as Jordan Kyrou, but there’s the salary cap to worry about, too. As such, there could be some under-the-radar, though potentially riskier, trade candidates that Mehta could pursue over the coming weeks. Let’s look at who those could be and why some of these trade targets offer buy-low, high-reward potential.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]
“If there’s one commonality between most of the armchair-GM trade proposals, it’s the repeated inclusion of the same Devils’ pieces: the 12th overall pick, Simon Nemec, and Dawson Mercer. A draft pick is what it is, and I’ve certainly laid out the Nemec of it all before, but I feel as though it would be a worthy endeavor to dive into what Mercer actually brings to the table as a player and determine whether or not he deserves to be in these trade conversations. Half of those I’ve spoken to believe him to be a strong, all-situations asset to the team; a player the Devils cannot afford to lose. The other half believes that he is what he is — a 20-goal, 40-point player — and that he’s best used as a trade chip by virtue of his trade value being higher than his on-ice value.” [Devils’ Advocates]
“Twenty years later, the Carolina Hurricanes are Stanley Cup champions again. Brandon Bussi stopped all 22 shots he faced, and the Hurricanes set off a Stanley Cup celebration with a heavy presence of their fans who made the trip here, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday.” [NHL.com]
Jordan Staal is awarded the Conn Smythe:
#SoundTheSiren captain Jordan Staal is the 2026 Conn Smythe Trophy winner for MVP of the #StanleyCup playoffs, as voted by @ThePHWA.
Staal had a Stanley Cup Final for the ages, becoming the first player to score in each of the first five games in 70 years.
The curtain fell on the 2025-26 season on Sunday night when the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 to claim the Stanley Cup in six games. While it’s not much of a consolation, the Montreal Canadiens can at least say that the champions-to-be eliminated them. Carolina was an absolute force in the postseason, going 16-3, and thoroughly deserves the championship.
Jordan Stall was named the Conn Smythe winner even though he only had 12 points in 19 games after scoring six goals in the Cup final alone, including at least one in the first five games of the series against Vegas. As the Canes’ players celebrated and took their lap with Lord Stanley’s Cup, three former Canadiens won their first Cup: Nicolas Deslauriers, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Mike Rielly.
Deslauriers, who spent two seasons in Montreal, is an energy player who has made his name with his fists. The Hurricanes acquired him from the Philadelphia Flyers at the trade deadline, so he hasn’t been a member of the team for long, but he was clearly very appreciated by his new teammates as he got to raise the Cup quite early last night.
However, it’s worth noting that he may not qualify to have his name engraved on the Cup as he didn’t play at least 41 regular-season games with the Canes and didn’t play a single game in the Cup final, being limited to just one game in the first round, against the Ottawa Senators. However, the team can petition the commissioner for a player’s name to be engraved on the Trophy if extenuating circumstances prevented them from being available to play. Deslauriers wasn’t injured; he was a healthy scratch.
As for Mike Reilly, who played parts of three seasons with the Canadiens, he was signed as a free agent by the Canes this past offseason for just one year to a contract with a $1.1 million cap hit. He skated in 42 games with Carolina during the regular season and will therefore qualify to have his name on the Cup, despite not playing a single game in the playoffs.
Finally, former third-overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi, whom the Canes poached from the Habs with an unreasonable offer sheet in the 2021 offseason, also played 42 games in the regular calendar, putting up nine points, meaning he will also have his name on the priceless trophy. It’s probably not how he dreamt of winning Lord Stanley’s mug, as he has fallen out of favour with the Canes’ coach Rod Brind’Amour, but he will still be remembered as a Cup champion.
Back in 2021, he was offered a single-season contract by the Canes with a $6.1 million cap hit in what looked like a retaliatory offer sheet after the Canadiens had tried to poach Sebastian Aho from Carolina with an offer sheet in the 2019 offseason. Well aware that the Finn wasn’t worth $6.1 million per season, the Canes signed him to an eight-year contract extension before the end of the 2022 season, which had a $4.82 cap hit. He even has a 10-team no-trade clause. The centerman never put up more than 43 points in a season, and there have been plenty of rumours about the Canes trying to trade him in the last couple of seasons. Still, they failed to find any takers, which was hardly surprising, given both the term and the money remaining to be paid under his contract.
It wouldn’t be a shock if the Canes elected to buy him out this summer, since it was the first time in his tenure with Carolina that he wasn’t used in the playoffs. Should the Champions elect to do that, he would have a $850,000 cap hit until the end of the 2033-34 season. While no one likes to admit they were wrong, it might be time for Carolina to admit the offer sheet backfired and cut its losses.
All things considered, though, the Canes’ front office hasn’t been wrong often, as last night’s Cup win proves. It was the franchise’s second championship win after raising the Cup in 2006; back then, they had eliminated the Canadiens as well.
NHL free agency is rarely a place where teams add franchise players anymore. Superstars no longer get to unrestricted free agency. Those players are so valuable, and teams almost never let them walk for nothing in free agency these days.
Free agency is now a place to add depth at positions of need. This year’s class of unrestricted free agents is pretty underwhelming. There are no first-line caliber players who could hit the market.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has not had a ton of success in free agency during his tenure. Sure, he’s made some nice additions, like getting Morgan Geekie for cheap money in 2023. But there have been plenty of bad deals, including the Elias Lindholm contract (seven years, $54.25 million) signed in 2024. David Backes and Matt Beleskey’s contracts were pretty bad as well.
The best way for the Bruins to make substantial improvements to their roster is the trade market. The B’s have a lot of good trade assets to make deals. But if they strike out on trades, are there any UFAs who the B’s should pursue?
Let’s look at five free agents who would be a good fit for the Bruins.
Alex Tuch
Position: Left wing
2025-26 Stats: 33 G, 33 A in 79 games
Tuch should have plenty of potential suitors because he’s the only legitimate top-six forward in this free agent class. He played a prominent role in helping the Sabres end their 15-year playoff drought by tallying 66 points (33 goals, 33 assists) in 79 games this past season.
The 30-year-old veteran has scored 33 or more goals in three of the last four seasons. He’s effective on the power play, and he plays with a physical edge.
The Bruins need goal scorers, and Tuch would certainly be an offensive upgrade over Viktor Arvidsson. And despite playing in Buffalo for several seasons, Tuch does have 79 games of playoff experience, largely from his time with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Viktor Arvidsson
Position: Left wing
2025-26 Stats: 25 G, 29 A in 69 GP
Trading a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Edmonton Oilers for Arvidsson last July was a tremendous deal for the B’s. Arvidsson enjoyed a bounce-back season with 54 points in 69 games. His 25 goals were 10 more than he scored the previous season.
Bringing back Arvidsson makes a lot of sense for the Bruins. He brought much-needed scoring depth and speed on the wing. But doing so on a long-term deal would be a risk. Arvidsson is 33 years old. He should still be an effective player for a couple more years, but any contract that stretches longer than that could be dicey.
Anthony Mantha
Position: Right wing
2025-26 Stats: 33 G, 31 A in 81 GP
Mantha missed most of the 2024-25 campaign due to an ACL injury, but he had a major bounce-back season with the Penguins in which he set career highs with 33 goals and 64 points. Mantha has scored 20-plus goals four times, including each of his last two healthy seasons.
Mantha has been injury prone for much of his career, but when healthy, he’s a pretty good goal scorer. If the Bruins lose Arvidsson, Mantha would be worth pursuing.
If Andersson hits free agency, he’s worth pursuing because the Bruins badly need a right-shot, top-four defenseman who can play in all situations. Andersson, who’s capable of playing 21 to 24 minutes per game, checks those boxes.
The 29-year-old veteran also would help the Bruins generate more offense from the blue line. He scored a career-high 17 goals this season and has hit the 10-goal mark in three of the past four seasons.
Andersson is the best defenseman who could hit the open market and he won’t be cheap to sign. Overpaying for a defenseman who will soon turn 30 carries some risk. The Bruins paid a lot of money for Elias Lindholm in free agency two years ago at the same age Andersson is now, and that contract has been a disaster so far.
That said, adding Andersson would address a huge roster need for the Bruins and give them more scoring punch on the back end, at least in the short term.
John Carlson
Position: Defenseman
2025-26 Stats: 14 G, 46 A in 71 GP
Carlson is still a very good offensive player at 36 years old. After spending the first 16-plus seasons of his career with the Washington Capitals, Carlson was traded to the Ducks in March. He was a huge help to the Ducks on and off the ice and helped a young Anaheim team get to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Carlson would help the Bruins generate more goals and scoring chances from the blue line. He has scored 10-plus goals in seven of the last nine seasons. He has tallied 44-plus points in eight of the last nine seasons. He’s a very good passer, he’s good in transition, he shoots the puck a lot and he can quarterback a power play at a high level.
Carlson also is a tremendous leader, and he has 149 games of playoff experience, including a Stanley Cup title with the Capitals in 2018.
The Natick, Mass., native would only be a short-term upgrade for the Bruins given his age, but his offensive talent, wealth of experience and his ability to play the right side of the blue line make him a good fit for Boston.
LAS VEGAS, N.V.– There were two vastly different scenes at opposite ends of the ice at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday night.
At one end, the Carolina Hurricanes were the physical embodiments of relief and joy. After Nikolaj Ehler hit the empty net to give them a 3-0 lead, the visiting bench came alive. And after the final horn blared, gloves hit the ice as the players swarmed towards their net to mob their goaltender.
At the other end, the Vegas Golden Knights could only watch as their opponents celebrated the accomplishment of a dream they spent all year chasing. As the final seconds ticked off, the despondent home team made their way towards their own net to console goaltender Carter Hart.
After the final handshake line of the season, the Hurricanes stayed on the ice to lift the Stanley Cup and celebrate with their teammates and families. The Golden Knights saluted their fans before trudging off to their locker room; once inside, the emotional scenes continued.
“It’s not a good feeling right now,” said defenseman Brayden McNabb. “It’s tough to be on this side of it… These chances don’t come around very often. It stings.”
1. Where Did It All Go Wrong?
Looking back, the last time that the Golden Knights were in control of this series was heading into the third period in Game 3. They held a 4-0 lead over the Hurricanes and looked to be firmly in the driver’s seat.
What followed was 12 periods of hockey in which they were outscored 16-6. While they managed to survive blowing that four-goal lead in Game 3 thanks to a flukey game-winner from Shea Theodore in double overtime, they did not manage another win.
There aren’t any statistics to explain why the Golden Knights’ good fortune expired. But for the next three games, everything that went right for them over the course of this Stanley Cup run went wrong. Every ounce of luck disappeared, and every bounce went against them. It was as if the hockey gods stopped smiling down on them.
“We just didn’t capitalize on our chances,” said Mark Stone. “We had a lot.”
2. Goonies Never Say Die
Throughout the trials and tribulations of the season, one thing remained remarkably consistent for the Golden Knights: no matter what the scoreboard read, they were never out of a game.
You can attribute a lot of that ‘Goonies never say die’ attitude to John Tortorella, who preached the importance of having the right mindset and raved about the group’s mental toughness. But Tortorella didn’t take the wheel until March 29th— by that point, the Golden Knights were battle-hardened by the grind of a season where they hadn’t yet lived up to expectations.
“Wild year; crazy year,” said defenseman Brayden McNabb. “[I’ll remember] how we pulled it together and got here. We came together as a group late in the year. Torts came in and did a great job, did a hell of a job. We battled, battled our asses off this whole playoffs, and we came up short. It’s going to sting; it’s going to haunt us. We’re proud of how we got here and how we played; unfortunately, it just wasn’t good enough.”
Tortorella came in and pressed all the right buttons, reinvigorating a tired group and getting them to this point. The fact that they ran out of gas just before reaching the finish line doesn’t take away from the run that they had.
“I don’t think you ever really expect it to be over,” said Mark Stone. “We always believed that we were going to figure things out and get things back in the right direction. And we did that– I’m not so sure many people thought that this team would be here competing at this time of year.”
3. What Comes Next?
There’s no way around it– the Golden Knights players are devastated by tonight’s loss. And, really, after the run they just had, how could they not be?
“This feeling sucks,” agreed Captain Mark Stone. “I never want to have it again. When I look at everything that happened throughout this season, all the ups and the downs, to give ourselves a chance, and to play in the Final is pretty impressive. But it doesn’t make things better right now… It kills me inside that I’m standing here right now.
“I’m thinking about how proud I am of the group with everything we went through this year to get here,” continued Stone. “I’m proud of every single guy who stepped foot in this locker room this season… It’s unfortunate that it came to an end in the wrong way.”
But despite the obvious heartache, this team is far from beaten. They know their window to win is still very much open. Even mere minutes after coming up just short, they’re already thinking about another chance to win the Stanley Cup next season.
“Just getting to this point, you realize what it takes to win and how hard it is,” said defenseman Noah Hanifin. “We’ll regroup, and we’ll get back at it.”
Head coach John Tortorella, whose contract expires this summer, didn’t comment on whether he wanted to return.
“I haven’t even [thought about it],” said Tortorella. “I’ve got to swallow this a little bit.”
The Hurricanes were playing in their third Stanley Cup finals, losing in 2002 and winning in 2006 [Getty Images]
The Carolina Hurricanes won the NHL's Stanley Cup for the first time in 20 years after beating the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 on Sunday in Las Vegas.
The Hurricanes wrapped up the best-of-seven series with a game to spare, winning 4-2 to secure their second crown.
Head coach Rod Brind'Amour, who lifted the Stanley Cup as Carolina's captain in 2006, led the Hurricanes into the play-offs as the top seed in the Eastern Conference and only lost three matches as they saw off the Ottawa Senators, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Montreal Canadiens and the Golden Knights en route to the title.
"I think it was just our time. We weren't going to be denied," Brind'Amour said.
"It's different, because as a player, I really wanted it for myself. Now, sitting back behind [the bench] watching, I really wanted it for these guys because there's no harder-working group. It's just like a proud dad watching his kids go to work."
Taylor Hall opened the scoring for the Hurricanes after just three minutes and 47 seconds before Jackson Blake doubled their lead midway through the second period.
Nikolaj Ehlers wrapped up the win with 68 seconds remaining on the clock, scoring into an empty net after the Golden Knights had pulled netminder Carter Hart for an extra skater in the final three minutes as they searched for a route back into the match.
The Hurricanes' rookie goaltender Brandon Bussi made 22 saves in his first career play-off shutout.
Carolina captain Jordan Staal, a two-time Stanley Cup champion after previously winning with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, became the oldest player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the play-offs. The 37-year-old scored eight goals and registered four assists in the Hurricanes' championship run.
"It's something I've been going after ever since I won the first one. You want to win it again and again and again," said Staal, whose 17-year gap between titles in the longest in NHL history.
"It's been such a grind. I just wanted to win so bad."
Jun 14, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) raises the the Stanley Cup after the win against the Vegas Golden Knights in game six of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
The Carolina Hurricanes put on a clinic as they defeated the Las Vegas Golden Knights, 3-0 on Sunday night to win the 2026 Stanley Cup Championship.
The Hurricanes had a dominating playoff season as they finished with a 16-3 record.
Taylor Hall started things off this night much like he did throughout the postseason as he got a step on the defense and rifled in a shot past Vegas goaltender Carter Hart to make it 1-0, just three minutes and change into the game.
In the second period, the Canes started to impose their will and held the Knights to just three shots on goal. The “junkyard dawg” second line of Hall, Stankoven, and Blake went to work and held the puck in the Vegas zone for quite some time until Stankoven found Blake who had a slightly deflected shot go in to make it, 2-0.
Jackson Blake led the team in scoring these playoffs with 20 points, (7G 13A) with Hall right behind him at 19 points, (7G 12A).
The score remained that way as team defense and some timely goaltending by Brandon Bussi held back the Golden Knights until Nikolaj Ehlers scored an empty-netter to seal the deal.
Jordan Staal won the Conn Smythe and the 37 year old was the oldest winner ever of the MVP award. Staal led the group in so many ways but one important stat was that he scored goals in five straight games in the Final, tying an all-time record.
There are countless stories of how different players contributed in their own ways. Jaccob Slavin, K’Andre Miller, Sean Walker, and the rest of the team were all special but we will go into more detail about them later.
There will be endless interviews, pictures, and articles to see and read now from all over. We will try to do our best to do our part here.
It was the first time the Golden Knights were shutout this postseason.
The Victory Parade is scheduled for Saturday in downtown Raleigh. More details about that later.
Here are a few things of interest I found online.
Svech’s mom said before game 6 “today a thousand people in the arena will see an athlete but i see the little boy” and she was right he’s just a little boy making snow angels in the confetti after winning the stanley cup. i am so happy for him pic.twitter.com/SUP2kx7ucW
Aagin, I could do this all night but I need to publish this now.
I want to thank all the Canes Country writers, members, and readers for a great year. A big thank you to the members who would leave news and updates in the comments. It has been a record breaking season as far as comments and page hits. We will try to keep it up through what will be a busy and short offseason!
Rod Brind'Amour got to lift the Stanley Cup in 2006 as the Carolina Hurricanes captain.
Twenty years later, he got to lift it for the first time as a coach.
"I'm so happy for these guys," he told ABC after a series-clinching 3-0 win against the Golden Knights. "I wanted it as a player. I really wanted it, but I wanted it for these guys as a coach. It means so much to see how happy they are."
Brind'Amour's team finally broke through in his eighth year as a Hurricanes head coach and three series losses in the conference final.
His hard-forechecking system can be wearing, but Carolina got through the first three rounds in 13 games, so it had plenty of rest. And the coach made adjustments to get the team to rebound from a 2-1 series deficit against the Knights.
Here's video of Brind'Amour celebrating as a captain and as a coach:
It took him 16 seasons to get there, with some ups and downs along the way, but Taylor Hall is a Stanley Cup Champion. A former first-overall pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2010, Hall spent seasons in Edmonton, New Jersey, Boston, Arizona, Buffalo, Chicago, and now Carolina.
Part of the tougher seasons in Edmonton, it was Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who were pegged to be the saviors if and when the Oilers turned things around. It didn't go as planned. When Connor McDavid was finally drafted, Hall was likely going to see his patience pay off, and the winning was coming. He was traded shortly after for defenseman Adam Larsson.
Needless to say, he wasn't happy about being traded.
A bit frustrated that he was dealt just as the ship was likely headed in the right direction, the narrative was that Hall wasn't beloved in the locker room. Stories that likely had little merit circulated. He did admit he had some growing up to do, but it did feel like Hall was getting the short end of the stick.
He had a strong couple of years in New Jersey -- his best in 2017-18 when he scored 93 points. Injuries struck, and while he remained consistent when healthy, he wound up in Arizona and then Buffalo for short stints.
He spent two seasons and change with the Boston Bruins, then went on to Chicago. He became a bit more of a journeyman and depth forward than the superstar many assumed he'd be as a top pick. Moved as part of the off Mikko Rantanen drama, Hall found his second wind in Carolina.
He won a Hart Trophy with the Devils and produced offensively elsewhere, but he said playing in Carolina was the most fun he'd ever had playing hockey. Talking about how tight the group was, it was the way they played hockey that made him appreciate finally winning a Championship even more.
Hall was instrumental in the Hurricanes' playoff run, and again in Game 6 win itself, scoring the game-winning goal. He finished the 2026 playoffs with seven goals and 19 points in 19 games.
"It's an amazing group. I'm really happy for the guys who have been here for so long. They deserve it so much," said Hall after the win.
Congratulations to the former Oilers first-overall pick. He took a windy road to get there, but he wound up winning a Stanley Cup before any of the core group of his early years with the Oilers, or the core that came after.
Andersen didn't play - or dress - in the last three games as Brandon Bussi started and excelled for three consecutive wins. But the Hurricanes would not have reached the final without the play of Andersen, who went 12-1, with a 1.44 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage in the first three rounds.
"He's the reason we're here," Bussi told ABC. "He's a workhouse. I only got 3 1/2 games. He obviously deserves more of the credit. He's worked so hard for this and grinded so long."
Both Andersen and Vegas' Carter Hart had a tougher time in the final than in earlier rounds. Bussi went into the net in Game 3 with the Hurricanes trailing 4-0 in an eventual 5-4 double-overtime loss.
Coach Rod Brind'Amour told ABC on Sunday that Andersen was "a little nicked up" and "not 100 percent."
"I so proud of the team we have here," said Andersen, who has battled injuries in his 13-year NHL career. "It's shown throughout many years, but this year specifically. There's been so many guys stepping up at certain times and it just really shows how good of a team we've been."
One of those stepping up was Bussl.
The Hurricanes also used two goalies in their 2006 run as Cam Ward replaced Martin Gerber in the first round. Bussi's arrival happened later.
His arrival to the league also happened later as he picked up 31 wins at age 27 in 2025-26 when the Hurricanes gave him a chance at his first NHL action.
Bussi, now a household name, hugged Andersen and also Brind'Amour after the clinching shutout win.
"He believed in me," he said of Brind'Amour. "He gave me that shot. I'll always be forever grateful."
The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Taylor Hall alongside Nick Foligno on June 26th, 2023. The point of this trade was to surround Connor Bedard with solid veterans in his rookie year.
In the case of Hall, a former number one pick himself, he had experience being a mentor for high draft picks at previous NHL stops.
The idea was nice, but it didn't go according to plan due to injuries to Hall. In his first year with the Blackhawks, he played just 10 games before going down for the year.
In year two, Hall played in 46 games with Chicago before he was traded away to the Carolina Hurricanes. He was part of a three-team trade that also sent Colorado Avalanche superstar Mikko Rantanen to the Hurricanes.
This deal broke Rantanen's game for a while. He never fit in and made it clear that he didn't want to be there. Before the season was even over, they shipped him to the Dallas Stars in a trade that landed them Logan Stankoven.
The Blackhawks retained Rantanen's contract in the three-team deal, which is what allowed Dallas to get him under their salary cap.
As a result of this initial deal, the Hurricanes ended up with Hall and Stankoven in the end, who both played a key role in them winning the Stanley Cup on Sunday night.
These two ended up playing on a line together alongside Jackson Blake, which turned out to be the best trio for any team during the playoffs.
Stankoven had 11 goals and 5 assists for 16 points, Hall had 7 goals and 12 assists for 19 points, and Blake had 7 goals and 13 assists for 20 points. Over the course of the 19 playoff games that the Hurricanes played over 58 days, these three were spectacular.
If the Blackhawks don't facilitate this deal for the Avalance and Hurricanes early in 2025, Carolina may have never won the Stanley Cup in 2026.
For Hall, it was a long time coming. After the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field, a game in which the Blackhawks were blown out on national TV, he was physically disturbed. He needed to get to a winning situation, which is what happened when he went to Carolina a few weeks later.
The Hurricanes play a brand of hockey that is difficult to succeed in. You need to be strong mentally and physically in order to make an impact in that system, and Hall did after an off-season to get used to it. Once the playoffs rolled around, they took it to another level.
As a part of this deal, the Blackhawks ended up with a third-round pick in 2025, which turned out to be Nathan Behm. After a handful of years with the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL, Behm is going to attend Arizona State University with the hopes of eventually becoming a pro hockey player.
It would be nice for the Blackhawks organization if Behm turned into a good NHL player, but they did Hall and the Hurricanes a major favor by being a part of this deal. Kyle Davidson has some built up good will around the league, and this is a reason why.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.
When it's all said and done, nobody can argue that the Philadelphia Flyers don't do right by their players, and especially the veterans who grind away and put their time in.
On March 6, prior to the NHL trade deadline, the Flyers made a somewhat surprising trade, sending veteran tough guy Nick Deslauriers to the Metropolitan Division rival Carolina Hurricanes.
All the Flyers got in return for that trade was a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick, which they won't receive as Deslauriers did not play in half of the Hurricanes' playoff games.
So, the Hurricanes got Deslauriers for free, and three months later, Deslauriers was rewarded with the first Stanley Cup of his NHL career.
Even though they made the playoffs themselves, the Flyers gave Deslauriers, 35, a true chance at a championship, and inadvertently helped him along the journey after getting swept by Carolina in the second round.
At the end of the day, though, this trade worked out perfectly for both sides, even if it appears to be a nothing deal on paper.
The Flyers showed the NHL world and their younger players that, if you are a good teammate and work hard, you will be rewarded in this league.
Of course, not everyone does that, and the NHL is a business, but the Flyers did the right thing.
By extension, by trading Deslauriers, the Flyers opened up a roster spot and lineup spot for those younger players, such as Alex Bump, Nikita Grebenkin before his injury, and Denver Barkey.
The Hurricanes assuredly benefitted from Deslauriers' experience, toughness, and locker room presence down the stretch; even an analytics maven like Eric Tulsky went out of his way to pick up the enforcer for a reason.
Deslauriers, alongside former Flyers teammate Sean Walker and ex-Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, is now a Stanley Cup champion, reaching hockey's pinnacle after a long ride.
It was a magical run for a former Pittsburgh Penguin en route to a second-career Stanley Cup Championship.
Carolina Hurricanes center and captain Jordan Staal - who was drafted second overall by the Penguins in 2006 and helped lead them to the franchise's third Stanley Cup championship in 2009 - celebrated with teammates on the ice Sunday as the Canes hoisted the Cup for the first time in 20 years.
Staal, 37, also became the oldest player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe after recording six goals and seven points in 6 Stanley Cup Final games. He also amassed the second-fewest playoff points, 12, to secure a Conn Smythe in history.
The Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights by a score of 2-0 in Game 6 to win the franchise's second Stanley Cup, with the last being in 2006. They finished their impressive playoff run with only three losses - two of which came at the hands of Vegas in the Stanley Cup Final - with two series sweeps to begin their 2026 run.
Coach Rod Brind'Amour won as a player in 2006 and, now, as a coach in 2026.
This capped off Staal's 14th season with the Hurricanes after being dealt to Carolina from Pittsburgh in the summer of 2012 during his wedding. Carolina missed the playoffs for the first six seasons of Staal's tenure in Raleigh, and they haven't missed the playoffs in the eight seasons since.
