Former Calgary Flames players have been represented in the Stanley Cup Finals every year since 2018.

While some have played more notable roles than others, each of these players suited up for the Flames before finding success after their tenure in Calgary was complete. With multiple former Flames having competed in the 2026 Finals, here’s a list of players who made the Finals shortly after leaving Calgary.

Mark Jankowski (CAR 2026) - Selected 21st overall by the Flames in 2012, Jankowski played four seasons in Calgary before moving to the Pittsburgh Penguins. After additional stints in Buffalo and Nashville, he landed in Carolina in 2024 and won the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2026.

Rasmus Andersson (VGK 2026) - Drafted and developed by the Flames (53rd overall in 2015), Andersson played parts of ten seasons in Calgary before being traded to the Vegas Golden Knights this year. He reached the Finals in his first season with Vegas, contributing significantly to their blue line.

Noah Hanifin (VGK 2026) - Acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2018 trade that sent Adam Fox the other way, Hanifin played six seasons for the Flames. He was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2024, where he has become a core piece of their defensive rotation. He appeared in the Finals in 2026 against the Hurricanes.

Matthew Tkachuk (FLA 23/24/25) - In a pivotal moment in franchise history, Tkachuk informed the Flames in 2022 that he would not re-sign. Drafted 6th overall in 2016, he played six seasons in Calgary before being traded to the Florida Panthers for Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar (and Cole Schwindt). Tkachuk went on to appear in three straight Stanley Cup Finals, winning the Cup in 2024 and 2025.

Sam Bennett (FLA 23/24/25) - Often cited as a player the Flames moved on from too soon, Bennett was the franchise's highest draft pick at 4th overall in 2014. Despite his potential, he struggled to find an offensive role in Calgary and was traded to Florida in 2021. He appeared in three consecutive Finals, winning twice, and earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2025 after a dominant 15-goal postseason.

AJ Greer (FLA 2025) - Greer had a brief stint in Calgary after being claimed off waivers, playing 59 games during the 2023-24 season. He signed with the Panthers as a free agent on July 1, 2024, and captured a Stanley Cup later that season.

Ryan Lomberg (FLA 23/24) - Lomberg spent seven seasons in the organization after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He played primarily for their AHL affiliate before joining Florida in 2020, where he reached two Finals and won the Cup in 2024. Lomberg returned to Calgary as a free agent in 2024 and has been a fan favourite in Calgary ever since.

Brett Kulak (EDM 24/25) - Drafted by Calgary 105th overall in 2012, Kulak played parts of four seasons in Calgary before being traded to Montreal. He eventually joined the Edmonton Oilers in 2022, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals with the Flames’ provincial rivals in 2024 and 2025.

Troy Stecher (EDM 24/25) - Stecher suited up for 20 games with the Flames at the end of the 2022-23 season. After signing back with Arizona, he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in 2024, appearing in back-to-back Finals.

Derek Ryan (EDM 24/25) - After beginning his NHL career in Carolina, Ryan signed with the Flames in 2018. He spent three seasons in Calgary before joining the Oilers in 2021. He reached two Finals in Edmonton before retiring in 2025.

Brian Elliott (TBL 2022) - Elliott spent one season as the Flames' starter after being acquired from St. Louis for a 2nd-round pick. While his tenure in Calgary ended with a difficult playoff performance, he later signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning and reached the Finals in 2022.

Curtis McElhinney (TBL 2020 & 2021) - A 2002 draft pick of the Flames, McElhinney played parts of three seasons in Calgary. After a long journey through the league, he joined the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019, where he helped the team secure back-to-back Stanley Cups as a reliable backup.

Jay Bouwmeester (STL 2019) - Bouwmeester joined the Flames in 2009 and was an ironman on the blue line for four seasons. He was traded to the St. Louis Blues in 2013, where he eventually captured the Stanley Cup in 2019 before retiring in 2020.

Chris Butler (STL 2019) - Acquired from Buffalo in 2011, Butler played three seasons in Calgary. He signed with St. Louis in 2014 and was part of the Blues' 2019 championship run as a veteran member of the extended playoff roster.

Deryk Engelland (VGK 2018) - Engelland spent three seasons in Calgary before being selected by Vegas in the 2017 Expansion Draft. He helped lead the Golden Knights to the Finals in their inaugural season and received the Mark Messier Leadership Award for his efforts.

Canadian broadcaster Ron MacLean issued an on-air apology for making a comment about roofies during the pregame show for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

With the Vegas Golden Knights' game against the Carolina Hurricanes taking place in Las Vegas, Sportsnet did a spoof of "The Hangover" movie and showed Keeper of the Cup Phil Pritchard asleep on a couch next to the trophy.

As the skit ended, MacLean said, "The roofies, they'll get you every time."

MacLean later apologized on air for the comment, which he called "a bad mistake by me."

"I referenced a scene in the movie in which the tiger is put to sleep, Mike Tyson's tiger. The Keepers of the Cup, of course, are asleep in the skit and I used the term, the slang term for the drug which has far more serious connotations in reality.

Ron Maclean apologizes for this comment #NHLplayoffs#StanleyCuphttps://t.co/QvldmCKbHkpic.twitter.com/1NqXYu6ZgG

— bnpeki 🇨🇦 Matthew Knies Enjoyer (@bnpeki) June 15, 2026

"I should have made that connection. I did not. .. I know I triggered some people I know I offended some people with that remark and I feel very badly for that and I want to thank you for bringing it to my attention, to our attention. Very sorry."

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ron MacLean apologizes for roofies comment in Stanley Cup Final

The Carolina Hurricanes winning the Stanley Cup was about a lot more than hoisting the toughest prize in sports; it was proof of concept. For years the Canes had played bridesmaid, having unprecedented regular-season and playoff success under head coach Rod Brind-Amour, only to see it vanish when it mattered the most in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Carolina became a meme. They were the choke job, the organization destined to catch the flowers, but never make it to the altar. It raised questions about the Canes’ roster construction, the organizational approach, and made people wonder if Brind-Amour’s team-based, “no stars” hockey philosophy was too outdated for a modern league that put a premium on individual excellence. That all changed on Sunday night.

The Hurricanes bet on themselves in so many ways, but none more profoundly than how GM Eric Tulsky believed in the potential of his young players to such an extent that he signed them ALL to long-term extensions without needing to see the production to back it up. This is the backbone of the Canes’ organization, and why the winners of the Stanley Cup are going to be a long-term problem for the NHL for YEARS to come.

Typically when a team wins the Cup you can look over the roster and find the obvious pain points. There will be a star or two ready to hit free agency, a handful of trade-deadline acquisitions coming off contract, and young players waiting in the wings to get a massive payday. This is the roster turnover we’re accustomed to seeing in order to knock elite teams down a peg and restore the competitive parity in the league. When it comes to Carolina this simply doesn’t exist.

As we approach NHL free agency the Canes only have one starting player set to hit UFA, and that’s goaltender Freddie Andersen who was replaced in the Stanley Cup Finals by Brandon Bussi. That’s it. Other than Andersen the team will likely lose Nicolas Deslauriers and Mike Reilly, who were veteran defensemen largely signed to act as tutors to the younger talent, without playing a huge role themselves.

It’s tempting to say “but that’s just one year,” but it’s not. Look ahead to 2027 and there’s definitely more turnover in Jordan Staal, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Jalen Chatfield — but Staal is likely facing retirement, while the two defensemen are both hitting their mid-30s and probably due for roster turnover anyway. Look at 2028, 2029, 2030 — it keeps being the same story. The Hurricanes aren’t slated to potentially lose a top-tier skating forward until 2029 when Andrei Svechnikov is poised to be a UFA, and that assumes he won’t re-up with the organization he clearly loves being a part of.

So, where the hell are all the Canes players? Tulsky locked them up. He locked them ALL up. Every single player who showed a glimmer of promise inside Brind-Amour’s system was signed ahead of the curve, and rather than give them three or four-year “prove-it” deals, Tulsky went full analytics nerd on the process to secure their services into the next decade.

• Sebastian Aho: Until contract until 2031 for $9.75M AAV
• Nikolaj Ehlers: Under contract until 2031 for $8.5M AAV
• Seth Jarvis: Until contract until 2031 for $7.9M AAV
• K’Andre Miller: Under contract until 2032 for $7.5M AAV
• Jaccob Slavin: Under contract until 2032 for $6.4M AAV
• Logan Stankoven: Under contract until 2033 for $6M AAV
• Jackson Blake: Under contract until 2033 for $5.1M AAV

Not only do the Hurricanes have their entire core locked down for the foreseeable future, but they haven’t broken the $10M AAV mark for any player. Cap all this off with the fact that Carolina’s two most important young forwards in Stankoven and Blake are locked in on discount long-term deals, and it spells a horror story for the rest of the league. This is not the future a Stanley Cup winning team should have, and to add to the nightmare we have an organization that already has over $11M in open cap space, will open up more when they waive Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and a rising salary cap that not only means Carolina has their whole core locked in, but can be SERIOUS players in free agency to lure stars to Raleigh, now with the proof that they have an organization that can win the cup. It might just be enough to break the Vegas/Dallas/Florida stranglehold as tax shelters in the league.

Oh, but it gets worse. The Hurricanes’ prospect system was ranked No. 11 in the NHL by The Hockey Writers, with Kurban Limatov, Bradly Nadeau, Dominik Badinka, Felix Unger-Sörum, and Nikita Artamonov all poised to make their debuts in the next few years. Teams that consistently go so deep in the playoffs and routinely pick in the late-20s or early 30s simply shouldn’t have a prospect pool with the depth of Carolina’s.

The Carolina Hurricanes were built through disruption. Brind-Amour and Tulsky had specific visions on how they were going to build a team based on strength at every position, a de-emphasis on individual play, and a premium on team over stars. It hasn’t managed to lure top players, but it has now created a champion. That is an undeniable allure, and there’s no stopping this team for a long time.

Here’s the final kicker: Brandon Bussi, the free agent goalie turned Stanley Cup superstar? Yeah, Tulsky signed him to a three-year extension before the playoffs that will keep him in Carolina until 2029 for just $1.9M AAV.

Like it or not, the Canes are here to stay.

The Carolina Hurricanes have hoisted the Stanley Cup, and now we hit the point where everyone is looking ahead to the 2026 NHL Draft in June. A forward-thinking, prospect-based draft — we’re going to be waiting four or five years to see some of these guys hit the ice in the pros, unless they’re taken in the Top 5 and can make the jump immediately.

The best teams are looking far into the future, projecting their core needs down the road, looking at veterans who might retire, as well as free agent markets to try and piece together as a vision for what their team could be down the line. It’s what makes the NHL Draft so fascinating, especially when you see which teams invest heavily in their European scouts to look at Sweden, Finland, and Russia to find diamonds where nobody else is looking.

Here’s the full first round mock, then we’ll discuss some of the picks.

Pick	Team	Player	Position	Current Team	League
1	Toronto Maple Leafs	Gavin McKenna	LW	Penn State	NCAA
2	San Jose Sharks	Chase Reid	D	Soo Greyhounds	OHL
3	Vancouver Canucks	Ivar Stenberg	LW/RW	Frölunda HC	SHL
4	Chicago Blackhawks	Caleb Malhotra	C	Brantford Bulldogs	OHL
5	New York Rangers	Keaton Verhoff	D	North Dakota	NCAA
6	Calgary Flames	Tynan Lawrence	C	Boston University	NCAA
7	Seattle Kraken	Carson Carels	D	Prince George Cougars	WHL
8	Winnipeg Jets	Viggo Björck	C/RW	Djurgårdens IF	SHL
9	Florida Panthers	Albert Smits	D	Jukurit	Liiga
10	Nashville Predators	Daxon Rudolph	D	Prince Albert Raiders	WHL
11	St. Louis Blues	Adam Novotny	LW/RW	Petersborough Petes	OHL
12	New Jersey Devils	Ryan Lin	D	Vancouver Giants	WHL
13	New York Islanders	Mathis Preston	C	Spokane Chiefs	WHL
14	Columbus Blue Jackets	Oliver Suvanto	C	Tappara	Liiga
15	St. Louis Blues (via Red Wings)	Malte Gustafsson	D	HV71 U20	U20 Nationell
16	Washington Capitals	Xavier Villeneuve	D	Blainville-Boisbriand Armada	QMHL
17	Los Angeles Kings	Wyatt Cullen	C	USNTDP	USHL
18	Washington Capitals (via Ducks)	Ethan Belchetz	LW	Windsor Spitfires	OHL
19	Utah Mammoth	Oscar Hemming	F	Boston College	NCAA
20	San Jose Sharks (via Oilers)	J.P. Hurlbert	F	Kamloops Blazers	WHL
21	Philadelphia Flyers	Ilia Morozov	C	Miami University (Ohio)	NCAA
22	Pittsburgh Penguins	Juho Piiparinen	D	Tappara	Liiga
23	Boston Bruins	Elton Hermansson	RW/LW	MoDo Hockey	HockeyAllsvenskan
24	Vancouver Canucks (via Wild)	Nikita Klepov	F	Saginaw Spirit	OHL
25	Seattle Kraken (via Lightning)	Yegor Shilov	C	Victoriaville Tigers	QMJHL
26	New York Rangers (via Stars)	Alexander Command	C	Örebro HK U20	U20 Nationell
27	Buffalo Sabres	Brooks Rogowski	C	Oshawa Generals	OHL
28	Montreal Canadiens	Maddon Dagenais	C	Québec Ramparts	QMJHL
29	St. Louis Blues (via Avalanche)	Liam Ruck	F	Medicine Hat Tigers	WHL
30	Calgary Flames (via Golden Knights)	Marcus Nordmark	LW	Djurgårdens IF U20	U20 Nationell
31	Carolina Hurricanes	Jack Hextall	C	Youngstown Phantoms	USHL
32	Ottawa Senators	William Håkansson	D	Luleå HF	SHL

• Gavin McKenna goes No. 1: This is as much of a no-brainer as there has been. McKenna is the cause of angst among hockey fans who think the lottery was rigged for the Leafs, because he is that damn good. One of the most gifted passing wing prospects we’ve seen in YEARS, there are some real questions how he can mesh with Auston Matthews in Toronto, but the concern is not nearly enough to assuage taking a guy with his vision from the edge. McKenna will be a superstar, and even at 19-years-old, he’s ready to make the jump now.
• The profound rise of Chase Reid: A fascinating prospect, most scouting services had Reid around the No. 10 pick before this process began, but he has cemented himself as a Top 3 pick in this 2026 class. His ability to push the pace offensively from the blue line has major shades of Cale Makar to his game, and with both his skating ability as well as puck handling, he could bring the same kind of edge to a team wanting to play a hybrid, aggressive system.
• I’m still obsessed with Ivan Stenberg: Reid absolutely warrants the hype, but the more film I keep seeing of Stenberg, the more I’m convinced he’s going to be SPECIAL. There is some hesitancy that his finesse, pretty game might waver when it’s integrated with a physical NHL style, but Stenberg is just so good with the puck on his stick that I think he will find Mitch Marner-esque ways to evade contact.
• Yes, Caleb Malholtra is Manny Malholta’s son: Feel old yet?
• Yes, Wyatt Cullen is Matt Cullen’s son: Oh god, I’m so old.
• What happened to the Senators’ pick? Ottawa should be picking at No. 20, but they elected to delay a punishment from the NHL over the 2021 trade of Evgenii Dadonov, in which the Senators did not forward a list of teams on Dadonov’s no-trade list to teams ahead of making deals with them. The NHL initially told the Sens they would lose their 1st round pick in their choice of 2024, 2025, or 2026 — with Ottawa delaying the penalty to this year. The league later revised their punishment to push the Senators to the back of the first round, rather than forfeit their pick altogether.

The Carolina Hurricanes are the 2026 Stanley Cup Champions, knocking off the Vegas Golden Knights in six games.

It's the second Stanley Cup in franchise history for the Hurricanes, and the first since 2006. 

Within it comes all sorts of history, including former New York Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly winning the first Stanley Cup of his career.

"It's special. I have a lot of people in the stands tonight."

.@TheElmonters partner @DavidKolb73 spoke with former #Isles & now Stanley Cup champion Mike Reilly following Game 6:https://t.co/3hVInHnK2r

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) June 15, 2026

That's not the only Islanders-adjacent feat accomplished last night.

For the first time since 1980, the United States won the Gold Medal, known as the "Miracle on Ice." Later that year, the New York Islanders won their first-ever Stanley Cup.

One player won both that season. Islanders' Hall of Famer and shutdown defenseman, Ken Morrow.

For the past 46 years, Morrow remained the only American to ever win the Stanley Cup and an Olympic Gold Medal in the same season.

Jaccob Slavin became the second-ever player to accomplish the feat, joining Morrow in one of hockey's most exclusive clubs.

Perhaps no one was having more fun than Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour after his Hurricanes won their second Stanley Cup in franchise history on Sunday.

Clips went viral on social media of Brind’Amour celebrating his first Cup win as a head coach, including one of him taking his shirt off in the locker room before lifting the Cup with his players celebrating around him.

ROD THE BOD pic.twitter.com/Ls3wx6MEo6

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) June 15, 2026

Brind’Amour, nicknamed “Rod the Bod,” is no stranger to the Stanley Cup.

The 55-year-old, who spent parts of 10 years playing for the Hurricanes in the 2000s, was named Carolina’s captain prior to the 2005-06 season, and he would lead the team to their first Cup in franchise history. Brind’Amour’s No. 17 jersey is retired by the Hurricanes.

Brind’Amour’s Cup lift in 2006 is often regarded as one of the more iconic in NHL history. Back then, Brind’Amour couldn’t wait for NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to hand him the Cup, and took it off the table himself before hoisting it in the air.

Brind’Amour’s second time with the Cup was memorable too. After Pyotr Kotchetkov handed his coach the Cup, Brind’Amour tossed the trophy in the air before catching it and wrapping it in a bear hug.

“That was just a little bear hug, I don’t know,” Brind’Amour said laughing.

“I wasn’t sure I was going to raise it over my head because that’s more of a player thing, but I had no choice,” Brind’Amour said.

Brind’Amour, who has led Carolina to the playoffs in all eight of his seasons at the helm, is only the fourth person in NHL history to win a Cup with the same franchise as a player and coach, and 14th person to win as a coach and player for any team.

NHL insider and former goalie, Kevin Weekes, tweeted out ahead of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final that he is under the impression that the Philadelphia Flyers have extended goalie Dan Vladar for five seasons.

Weekes' tweet lends credence to many other posts from people who closely follow the Flyers, who have been saying for some time now that the former Calgary Flames netminder was going to stay in Philadelphia.

👀 Per sources, I’m told G Vladar and
the @NHLFlyers are working towards
closing in on a 5 Yr Contract Extension
that’s likely to land in the mid 5M AAV
range. #HockeyXpic.twitter.com/V0ubAjFEx1

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) June 14, 2026

Two weeks ago, another NHL insider, Elliotte Friedman, also went on record to say he had heard that Vladar and the Flyers had already agreed to the extension. Still, the club was waiting until the start of free agency on July 1 to announce it officially. 

Originally drafted by the Boston Bruins in the third round (75th overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft, Vladar played only five games with the organization before a trade to the Flames in July 2021 gave him a chance to land a legit back-up role.

For four seasons, he split time (not evenly) with Jacob Markström and Dustin Wolf, compiling a 47-32-15 record with the Flames in 100 games. Once he became a free agent in July 2025, he found a home with the Flyers. 

Thanks to a 29-14-7 record in 52, Vladar helped the Flyers back into the Stanley Cup playoffs, upsetting the Pittsburgh Penguins in the opening round before a sweep at the hands of the eventual champions, the Carolina Hurricanes. Because of his strong campaign, Vladar finished 6th in Vezina Trophy voting and earned some votes for the Hart Trophy, finishing 18th on the ballot. 

At this time, there is no official word on what his new contract will be worth, but several insiders believe the annual salary will be between $5 and $6 million. For comparison, Wolf will start making $7.5 million this season, while Markström is making $6 million.

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“Here’s Taylor Hall breaking in. Hall scores! Taylor Hall, and it is 1-0, Carolina!”

With his head up, Hall’s wrist shot beat Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart a little over three minutes after the puck dropped, signaling the start of Game 6. It marked the 34-year-old’s seventh goal of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

He, along with his Carolina Hurricanes’ linemates Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake, were one of the Hurricanes’ strongest lines in the postseason, combining for 55 points.

At 10:57 p.m. Eastern Time, the final horn sounded at T-Mobile Arena, and Hall threw his gloves, stick, and helmet in the air as he and his teammates swarmed their goaltender, Brandon Bussi, behind his net.

The Hurricanes defeated the Golden Knights, 3-0, clinching their second Stanley Cup in their history.

And Taylor Hall became a Stanley Cup champion.

“It is incredible,” he told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. “I have been kind of everywhere and got here (to Carolina) and felt really at home within a couple days. I think that is a credit to (Rod Brind'Amour) and the coaching staff, and to the guys who have been here for seven or eight years and have really put in the work to make this a special place to play. I am so happy for them. I am just ecstatic. This is an amazing group to do it with. I couldn't have asked for anything more.”

Drafted first overall in 2010 by the Edmonton Oilers, Hall went on to play for the New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, and Chicago Blackhawks before landing in Carolina.

“You never know what kind of turn your life is going to take,” Hall continued. “I got fortunate coming here. Like I said, special group to do it with, and they allowed me just to come in and have success, and that says a lot.”

During his three and a half season stint with the Devils, Hall captured the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2018, given "to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team."

At 34, Hall played 1,062 games before celebrating his first Cup win. Per NHLPr, he had the second-most contests by a number one pick before his first championship behind Washington Capitals’ captain Alex Ovechkin, with both players clinching their title against the Golden Knights in Vegas.

“I love the game, man,” Hall said. “I will keep doing this as long as I can. The Stanley Cup was the ultimate goal, but just playing hockey and being around my buddies doing it is incredible.”

Hall earned votes for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP for their all-around role in helping the team win the Stanley Cup. He finished second behind Hurricanes’ captain Jordan Staal.

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Jalen Chatfield is a Stanley Cup champion. 

The former Vancouver Canucks defenceman was part of the Carolina Hurricanes squad that rode a dominant performance through the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs to win their first championship since 2006, doing so by taking down the Vegas Golden Knights in six games. 

Carolina capped off their remarkable 16–3 post-season run with a 3–0 win in Vegas, with goaltender Brandon Bussi backstopping them to the victory only three games after he officially took the starting role after Frederik Andersen sustained a knee injury in Game 2 of the series. The 22-save shutout was his first of the post-season and third all-time in the NHL. 

The journey to the Hurricanes franchise’s second Stanley Cup began after suffering three Conference Final losses through the prior seven seasons, during all of which they made the playoffs.

This year’s run began with a quick sweep of the Ottawa Senators in the first-round, during which former Canuck Chatfield recorded one assist in the team’s series-winning Game 4. Carolina went on to also sweep the Philadelphia Flyers, scoring three or more goals in each of their games against Philadelphia. Chatfield scored his first goal of this year’s post-season in Game 3 of this series. 

The Hurricanes met with the Montréal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final — their fourth in the past eight seasons. Despite a dominant Game 1 performance for the Canadiens that saw Montréal put five goals past Andersen, Carolina continued rolling, winning four straight to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since their 2006 championship win. This was the third time the Hurricanes made the Final since relocating. 

Vegas put up a valiant effort, but ultimately, Carolina was able to take the win in this year’s Stanley Cup Final. Both of the Hurricanes’ losses were separated by only one goal, with a thrilling Game 1 ending in a 5–4 score, and Game 3 featuring a shocking 4–0 comeback from Carolina cut short by an overtime goal scored by Shea Theodore. 

Offensively speaking, Chatfield hit another gear during Carolina’s 2025–26 playoff run. The defenceman recorded a career-high of seven assists in a single post-season and doubled his previous points-high by recording eight in 19 games. He was also relied on heavily by his team through this run, recording a career-high average of 22:32 minutes played per game. 

Chatfield’s time with the Canucks was spent mostly in the AHL. The defenceman played in a total of 18 games with Vancouver, recording his first-career NHL point with the team, before he was not extended a qualifying offer and became a free-agent. In his first season with the Hurricanes organization, the defenceman won the 2022 Calder Cup with the Chicago Wolves. He has since powered his way to a full-time NHL role with Carolina. 

Carolina’s Stanley Cup win officially makes Chatfield a champion at the NHL, AHL, and OHL level, as he also won the Memorial Cup in 2017 as a member of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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When Sergei Bobrovsky decided that he didn’t want to play for the Columbus Blue Jackets any longer, fans were gutted. How could the best goalie to ever wear the Union Blue want to leave? He owns just about every organizational record there is for goalies, including games played, wins, goals-against, saves, shutouts, minutes played, and points scored.

Well, we soon got our answer. GM Jarmo Kekalainen came out publicly and stated that Bobrovsky came to the front office and said he was done with the organization. But why? Was it money? Was it Torts? Was it the city itself? Seems to be a combination of all of the above, and some fans were not happy.

And then, after the CBJ swept the Tampa Bay Lightning, that was it; he was gone. But let’s be honest: the time he spent there was historic in terms of team records, and it was fun to watch.

On June 15, 2013, Sergei Bobrovsky won his first and two Vezina Trophy following the 2012-13 season.

Bobrovsky played in 38 games, compiling a record of 21-11-6. He had 4 shutouts, the first of 33 in his CBJ career. His GAA was 2.00 with a save % of .932. The man played stellar.

But he had shown flashes in the previous two seasons with the Flyers. And with the 2012-13 season being shortened due to a labor dispute, he played for SKA St Petersburg of the KHL. He did really well there too, going 18-3-2 with a sub-2.00 GAA. And with all of that, the Jackets missed the playoffs due to a tiebreaker. They finished with 55 points, tied with the Minnesota Wild. They went 24-17-7 and deserved to be in the playoffs that year, in my opinion.

John Davidson revealed that Bobrovsky refused to waive his no-trade clause leading up to the 2019 NHL trade deadline. Davidson made the following comment about Bobrovsky, who left Columbus to sign a 7-year deal with the Florida Panthers.

"I know that with Bobrovsky, he didn't want to waive his no-trade, so we couldn't trade him. And I get that; he had every right in the world. That's nobody's fault. It's just what it is.

-

Fans have always thought that the Jackets just held on to Bobrovsky and Panarin and went "All-In." But it very well could be that since Sergei Bobrovsky refused to waive his no-trade clause, Columbus had no choice but to go for it that year. It worked out, and it didn't. 

Sergei Bobrovsky, still a topic of conversation among Jackets fans. Some good. Some bad. But in the long run, he was one of the greatest players ever to wear a Columbus Blue Jackets jersey.

Bob has also cemented himself as one of the NHL's all-time great goalies by winning playing in three straight Stanley Cup Finals, and winning two straight Cups. 

---

Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft is on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, where the CBJ will own pick #14.     

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Assuming the Pittsburgh Penguins stick with their choice at the 22nd overall pick on June 26th (which would be a decent-sized assumption based on Kyle Dubas’ history of trading down in the first round), which players might be around for them? Overall, the 2026 draft is now considered in some circles somewhat weak and disappointing compared to what it looked like it was shaping into earlier in the process.

Here’s a look at draft rankings and how they average out to set a baseline of what could happen, especially when it comes to prospects like Ryan Lin or Wyatt Cullen. This graphic suggests neither will still be on the board at No. 22.

Rankings are updated with a few new additions, and here is the landscape.

In short, strap in because we might be in for a real show. pic.twitter.com/Tqz9XX1j33

— Will Scouch (@Scouching) June 14, 2026

The NHL draft, it should be said, is nearly impossible to project. Too many players come from too many different countries and leagues to standardize or predict what 32 teams are thinking when they rank their players. Sometimes players get picked way higher than pre-draft expectations – take Ben Kindel going 11th overall last season which was far higher than almost anyone would have predicted going into the event. Kindel’s 2025-26 performance showed that was more about what the scouting/pre-draft community didn’t know in their analysis of his game.

However, the overall listings can show set some expectations.

With that in mind, we can probably starting zeroing in for the following:

• 20: Nikita Klepov
• 21: Ilia Morozov
• 22: J.P. Hulbert
• 23: Xavier Villeneuve
• 24: Juho Piiparinen
• 25: Maddox Dagenais

Klepov, is “is a highly skilled playmaker who flashed his skill level in the USHL last year and led the OHL in scoring this year with 97 points in 67 games,” per The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. Puck skills and scoring ability is the name of his game in scouting reports, with exciting upside as a summer birthday to make him a younger prospect than many in the class. Concerns or limitations look like compete level at his size (6’0, 180) and not being the most dynamic skater for a winger.

Morozov seems to be a player sent to the Penguins in many mock drafts. A natural center with good size (6’3, 205), Morozov (no relation to former Penguin Aleksey) is also on the younger side for players in the draft. He’s cited by Wheeler as being a “pro-built center who has a good feel for timing on both sides of the puck and plays off his linemates well”, with some concerns about his offensive ceiling at the pro level.

Per Wheeler, Hulbert was “fourth in the WHL in scoring with 42 goals and 97 points in 68 games and playing both center and the wing effectively. He also finished second in the league in shots on goal with 294. He wasn’t viewed as a first-rounder coming into the season, but he made a ton of plays (though he has regressed a little down the stretch) to put himself in the mid-to-late first range”. He would seem to fit the Dubas profile in a lot of ways for being a WHL player, versatile in center/wing ability, highly productive with well-rounded game and competitiveness to boot. Hulbert also played on Harrison Brunicke’s junior team, so he certainly will be a player that Pittsburgh has kept tabs on throughout the season.

Villeneuve could be a high-risk, high-reward type of prospect. Wheeler says of the left shot defender, “this season, he continued to make plays at a high rate, was playing above a point per game, and led all D in shots on goal before a hip injury shut him down in early January, after his production had regressed a little following a hot start. He returned in time for the playoffs and was up and down for me in recent viewings. He didn’t meet my expectations this season on the whole, even factoring in the time lost”. Villeneuve is slight at 5’10 and 164 pounds, but everyone is looking for that Cole or Lane Hutson type of slick, offensively gifted defenseman. Villeneuve has some dynamic skill but also some questions to answer about projectability and whether or not he will take off.

Piiparinen could be described as the anti-Villeneuve. From Wheeler, “he’s an August birthday who’s already very polished, is a superb athlete, and has shown more offense at Finland’s junior level; he has played a more reserved/vanilla style at the pro level and at times internationally”. The 6’2, 204 pound left shot defender is known for steady, effective play, thinking the game well and making the little choices around the ice when it comes to playing the puck or taking proper positioning, with questions about his skill and just how high his ceiling might be.

Dagenais takes us back to the land of good-sized centers at almost 6’4 and 200 pounds. Wheeler writes, “Dagenais is a pro-sized forward who, at his best, stays around and on the puck and shows confidence holding and shooting it. When he’s engaged, going to the net, winning board battles and stacking positive shifts, he looks like a future middle-sixer NHLer who’s going to score 20 goals. He has good skill.” Concerns on him include a concussion history, possible pace and consistency issues.

—

While meant as a little primer for names that could be in the range for the Pens’ pick, the truth is that without knowing their board it would be impossible to see what direction they might go for making the pick. Some-to-all of these players could be available and a perceived ‘reach’ for a different player happens all the time in the NHL draft. This grouping of players provides a good place to start, even if it still very possibly could not be where the Penguins decide to end up going. This range of candidates is out there as some names to read up on in the event they are who Pittsburgh is picking through when it comes time to making their first pick.

Colorado Avalanche News

• Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog was announced as the Bills Masterton Memorial trophy recipient. [NHL]

• General Manager Sakic backs coach Jared Bednar, confident in inking Makar’s impending extension sometime this summer. [Sportsnet]
• Landeskog also was announced as the Marc Messier NHL Leadership award winner. [NHL]

News Around the League

• Carolina Hurricanes clinch the Stanley Cup in a 3-0 shutout win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6. [NHL.com]

• At 37 Jordan Staal is oldest Conn Smythe winner in NHL history. [ESPN]

• Five potential landing spots for Edmonton Oilers’ defenseman Darnell Nurse. [The Score]

• Canucks: Front office gets a ‘Computer Boy’ who almost was. [Edmonton Journal]

• Marie-Philip Poulin brought the Walter Cup home and ate poutine out of it. [Montreal Gazette]

• Joe Pavelski confirms he’s in the running for the Toronto Maple Leafs head coaching job. [Toronto Star]

• The 2026 NHL Draft comparable, best and worst case scenarios. [The Hockey News]

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. 

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.

Monthly Splits

via Yahoo!

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.

Corsi For%: 48.3% (14th)
Goals For%: 59.5% (3rd)
xGF%: 50.6% (13th)
Scoring Chance %: 50.3% (8th)
High Danger Scoring Chance%: 50.4% (16th)
5v5 on-ice shooting%: 12.2% (7th)
On-ice save%: .912% (5th)
Goals/60: 0.96 (8th)
Assist/60: 1.59 (2nd)
Points/60: 2.55 (5th)

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.

Charts n’at

Via Advanced Hockey Stats and NHL Edge

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.

Highlights

EVGENI MALKIN WITH THE CROSBY-STYLE TIP-IN FOR HIS 1,400TH CAREER POINT 🚨🔥 pic.twitter.com/EppfSqvQJh

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 4, 2026

BACK IN THE PLAYOFFS AND BACK ON THE SCOREBOARD 🚨

EVGENI MALKIN TIES IT FOR THE PENS 🐧 pic.twitter.com/sQmQO90MXW

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 19, 2026

HERE COME THE HATS! 🎩

Evgeni Malkin has a hat trick on his special night 🫶 pic.twitter.com/kt61peqTD3

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 4, 2026

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

— Penguins Radio Network (@penguinslive) November 16, 2025

EVGENI MALKIN AGAIN 🤯

He's got two here in the first period!

🇺🇸: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/m0LyTCHYnH
🇨🇦: @SportsOnPrimeCA ➡️ https://t.co/93veFI9jrZpic.twitter.com/gSpfKJ2c39

— NHL (@NHL) March 17, 2026

Evgeni Malkin is on hatty watch … in the FIRST PERIOD 😮

Penguins-Avalanche on ESPN and the ESPN App NOW 👀 pic.twitter.com/jdzsIUP1g7

— ESPN (@espn) March 17, 2026

Questions to ponder

Is 2026-27 Malkin’s last ride?

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.

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:

One can hope:

Per sources, although a deal isn’t imminent , I’m told the @NJDevils are
gauging market interest from clubs on
G Markstrom . #HockeyXpic.twitter.com/spVTY3AWN9

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) June 13, 2026

“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]

Hockey Links

The Hurricanes have won the Stanley Cup:

THE @CANES ARE THE 2026 #STANLEYCUP CHAMPIONS!! 🌪️ pic.twitter.com/l6Iy7gUZCD

— NHL (@NHL) June 15, 2026

“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.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 15, 2026

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.