Less than two months ago, the Vegas Golden Knights were in danger of falling out of the playoff picture. Now, they’re four wins away from competing for a Stanley Cup.
“It’s been quite a year,” said Jack Eichel. “At times, it’s been trying. There’s also been a lot of highs; there’s been a lot of really great moments. I think that’s the beauty of our game.
“That’s the beauty of the playoffs and this time of year,” Eichel continued. “You can be just okay for a while. But if you find something and grab onto a little bit of belief, and the room starts to see confidence, you can start piecing your game together, and good things can happen.
“When you get in, anything can happen,” finished Eichel. “Down the stretch in the regular season, we won some games and started to feel a bit better about ourselves, and we were able to take a little bit of that into the playoffs. It’s been great. And so much credit to the guys in the room– I feel like we’ve just stuck it out and tried to play good hockey as much as we can. We stuck together as a group, and I think those things go a long way.”
Despite not being in Vegas for the whole year, the trade deadline acquisitions experienced enough of the roller coaster that was the 2025-26 season to appreciate just how far this team has come.
“You hear about the things they went through this year,” said forward Cole Smith. “Personally, too, just being on a different team, the highs and lows there, the highs and lows of being traded and coming to a great spot, and now I have the chance of my career to play for something here. It’s been a great opportunity, and the excitement level is as high as it can get.
“[The excitement level] should be as high as it can be, because there are only four teams left at this time. It’s an honor to be here– we’re one series away from playing for a Stanley Cup,” finished Smith. “There are only so many chances in your career you get to go after a championship. I want to make the most of it and play my best.”
The Colorado Avalanche will be the Golden Knights’ most challenging opponent to date. It’s not often that the Golden Knights enter a series as a heavy underdog, but they’re not fazed.
“It doesn’t really matter to me,” said Jack Eichel. “They had a really good regular season, and they’ve been playing good hockey; we feel like we’ve been playing good hockey. What it comes down to is, the team that plays better and executes better is probably going to win. We just want to go out there and play our best.”
The Avalanche won the President’s Trophy as the team with the best regular season, finishing with a record of 55-16-11. They went 1-1-1 against the Golden Knights during the regular season.
“They’re a great team, so it’ll be a great challenge,” said Cole Smith. “But we’re also a great team, so it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
“We’re looking forward to a great series, and we’re going to be ready to play,” agreed Pavel Dorofeyev.
Tonight the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres will write the final chapter in what has been an exciting, back-and-forth series.
Let's take a look at three strong Canadiens vs. Sabres goal scorer prediction candidates with my NHL picks for Monday, May 18, highlighted by Cole Caufield.
Canadiens vs Sabres goal scorer predictions for Game 7
Player to score a goal
Odds
Juraj Slafkovsky
+215
Alex Tuch
+215
Cole Caufield
+150
💲Goal scorer parlay: Juraj Slafkovsky, Alex Tuch, Cole Caufield
+1300
Goal scorer pick: Juraj Slafkovsky (+215)
Juraj Skafkovsky ranks second on the Montreal Canadiens with 3.13 expected goals, and nobody on the team has generated more high-danger opportunities.
Of the six Canadiens with 1.7 xG or more, Slafkovsky is the only one without multiple goals.
He proved this season how efficient he can be at finishing plays off around the net, scoring 30 times while converting at a very healthy 16.8% clip.
Compare that to this series, where he has converted on just 5.26% of his shots. That is the lowest rate among Montreal's Top 9 forwards in shots on goal in the second round.
The Buffalo Sabres have the worst team SV% of any side still playing, and Slafkovsky remains a likely candidate to take advantage.
Goal scorer pick: Alex Tuch (+215)
Alex Tuch has been everywhere in this series. He leads the Sabres in shot attempts, shots on goal, scoring chances, and has played more than any other forward on the roster.
He's generated breakaways, slot chances, rebound opportunities, and absolutely nothing has gone in for him. To say that is abnormal is an understatement.
Tuch converted on 16.92% of his shots during the regular season and has posted a 16.50 SH% or better in three of the past four years. He is an excellent and opportunistic finisher.
Jack Quinn was going through a similar dry spell for the Sabres and broke out in a big way, scoring two goals in a blowout Game 6 victory.
Tuch will have chances to do the same against Jakub Dobes, who has allowed 12 goals over his last three games and has started to look human.
Goal scorer pick: Cole Caufield (+150)
Remember when Cole Caufield couldn't buy a goal? He flipped that script in a hurry and is suddenly red-hot.
The NHL's second-leading goal scorer has found the back of the net in three of the past four games, and leads all Canadiens in scoring chances this series with 22 through six games.
He's averaged 6.2 shot attempts over his past five games after recording five or fewer four times in the five-game segment prior.
The uptick in volume makes him very dangerous, especially given Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen's leaky play. He ranks last among remaining goaltenders in Goals Saved Above Expected during the playoffs and has found himself in and out of the net as a result.
If he's not at the top of the game, Caufield will take advantage.
Canadiens vs Sabres anytime goal parlay (+1300)
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
A quick update on the Florida Panthers goaltending situation as the Stanley Cup Playoffs move into the conference finals.
We know that as of now, the Panthers do not have any NHL goaltenders under contract for the upcoming season.
Longtime starting netminder Sergei Bobrovsky is an unrestricted free agent now that the seven-year, $70 million contract he signed with Florida back in 2019 has expired.
Bobrovsky, who will be 38 on Opening Night, is reportedly looking for a decent-sized payday on what will likely be his final contract in the NHL.
During his seven seasons in South Florida, Bobrovsky led the Panthers to the playoffs in six of those years, backstopping the Cats to three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances from 2023 to 2025 and back-to-back championships during the two latter trips.
He’s beloved in the locker room, with many of his teammates coming to bat for him during the past several months when the topic of his expiring contract came up, often expressing their feelings about his importance to the team and how crucial he is to their future success.
“We can’t lose him,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said following Florida’s final regular season game last month. “He’s our guy. He’s gonna get us back to where we want to be. The most important piece of our team the last few years, what he’s done. It’s just the character, the work ethic, the drive. He sets the tone, whether it’s off ice or on ice. I don’t care what age he is, he is the backbone of this team. If we’re gonna get back there, we’re probably gonna need him.”
That begs the question that if Bobrovsky is such a team-first guy, wouldn’t he fall in line with what every other Panthers player who signed a term contract has done before him?
Go down the list…every player who has agreed to an extension with the Panthers has signed a team-friendly deal for less than what they likely would’ve been offered on the open market.
Despite his age, Bobrovsky would still likely fetch a pretty penny if he wanted to test the free agent waters and see what kind of bidding war he could start up.
That’s a big if, though.
Bobrovsky enjoys living in South Florida and reportedly wants to stay there. It’s where he and his wife have welcomed their first two children in recent years, becoming more ingrained in the community and enjoying all the perks living in a tropical climate has to offer.
Should it continue to play out that Bobrovsky is seeking a bigger payday than what the Panthers are looking to hand out, it would make sense that Florida General Manager Bill Zito and his staff explore other potential options to backstop the Cup contending Cats.
One of those options could be one of the top goaltenders in the world.
Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck made it clear during his exit interview with the media that he was not pleased, calling his team’s performance last season unacceptable and saying things had to change if they were going to become elite.
Hellebuyck has won quite a few hockey games during his 11 seasons in the NHL, including three Vezina Trophies; in 2020, 2024 and 2025.
He’ll be 33 on opening night (his birthday is Tuesday, actually), and has five years remaining on his current contract that pays an average annual value (AAV) of $8.5 million.
Now if any team is equipped to evaluate an aging goaltender, you would think it’s the Panthers.
So where does that leave us?
Well, the main questions from a Florida perspective are whether Hellebuyck is looking for an exit from Winnipeg and, if so, would the Panthers be interested in exploring a trade.
The Hellebuyck element of that proposition is still yet to be known.
As for the Panthers’ side, THN Florida has learned that the team has had internal discussions regarding acquiring the veteran goaltender, and that should it turn out Hellebuyck is available, interest would be high in obtaining his services.
To be fair, none of that should be Earth-shattering information.
The Panthers currently have a need for goaltending so it makes sense they would be on top of exploring all the best possible options.
It’s called due diligence.
We’ll see how things play out between the Panthers and Bobrovsky’s camp in the coming weeks, and if the temperature cools on the Hellebuyck situation in Winnipeg.
NHL Insider David Pagnotta recently reported that there has been increasing chatter around the league regarding Hellebuyck’s availability.
“There are a lot of people around the league now that are starting to talk, and there is some speculation within the league that there may be an opportunity, there may be a play to make for Connor Hellebuyck,” Pagnotta said Friday on the DFO Rundown Insider Edition with Irfaan Gaffar. “He’s got full control. The Jets have to do nothing. I’m not saying the Jets are trying to trade him, that’s not the case. They love him and they want to keep him there for the duration of his contract; they want to win with him.”
Pagnotta went to say that there are teams around the league who believe there may be an opportunity to explore a possible trade, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the Jets will feel the same way if and when those calls come in.
Winnipeg is one season removed from winning the Presidents’ Trophy and has a roster full of talent, so unless Hellebuyck wants out, it would make sense that they would want to continue pushing for a Stanley Cup while adding to the core that they’ve built, not taking away a massive piece.
So yeah, there are a lot of moving parts, and we’re only discussing two goaltenders.
There is a lot that can happen between now, the NHL Draft at the end of the next month, and free agency which begins a few days later on July 1.
Photo captions: Jan 12, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) looks for the puck during the second period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)
Apr 9, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) looks on during the second period against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center. (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)
Nicolas Roy spent six seasons building a life in Las Vegas. A Stanley Cup championship. Deep playoff runs. Friendships that still matter. But when the puck drops Wednesday night at Ball Arena, none of that carries much weight anymore — because the former Golden Knight now stands directly in Vegas’ path to another Final.
The Colorado Avalanche forward will open the Western Conference Final against the franchise where he became a trusted playoff piece, and while the memories remain, the loyalties are temporarily shelved.
“Just how it goes,” Roy said as Colorado prepared for Game 1 against Vegas. “The excitement’s already pretty high.”
From Surprise Trade To Colorado Fit
Roy’s offseason exit from Vegas came suddenly.
The 29-year-old was dealt to Toronto in last summer’s blockbuster trade that sent Mitch Marner to the Golden Knights, a move Roy admitted caught him off guard.
“As a player, you expect (a trade like this) more at the deadline than right there in the middle of the summer,” said Roy, who’s currently renting out his Las Vegas home to a Golden Knights player. “But again, you never know. It’s part of the business. It can happen at any given day. I just got surprised a little by it.”
Marner has delivered exactly what Vegas hoped for, leading the club with 18 playoff points — seven goals and 11 assists — through series victories over Utah and Anaheim.
Roy’s stay in Toronto, meanwhile, didn’t last long.
After recording five goals and 15 assists in 59 games with the Maple Leafs, he was moved again at the March 5 deadline, this time to Colorado in exchange for draft picks.
The transition could have been awkward. Instead, it’s looked seamless.
Roy has quietly become one of Colorado’s most dependable depth forwards during this postseason, contributing three goals and three assists through the opening two rounds while fitting naturally into Jared Bednar’s structure.
“All the other guys here made it so easy from the first day,” Roy said. “The coaches did a good job with me, of letting me know how to play the system. The guys talk to me a lot on the ice as well.”
Bednar said the Avalanche coaching staff revisited plenty of film from Roy’s Vegas tenure — including the Golden Knights’ 2023 Stanley Cup run — to better understand how to maximize his game.
“We tried to figure out how we would deploy him, and could we get him back to playing as well or better than he did in Vegas. Because he was a highly effective player for them,” Bednar said. “The one thing that I’ve been impressed with is his patience with the puck. He never throws the puck away. ... He's got a lot of patience for a guy with the production that he has.”
That patience already produced one massive moment for Colorado.
Roy scored the overtime winner in Game 2 of the Avalanche’s first-round sweep over the Los Angeles Kings, marking the second playoff OT goal of his career.
“I’m in a great situation right now,” said Roy, a 2015 fourth-round pick by Carolina who appeared in just seven games with the Hurricanes before eventually finding his footing in Vegas. “Just trying to keep doing my best.”
Inside Knowledge, No Extra Emotion
If anyone inside Colorado’s locker room understands Vegas’ tendencies, systems, and habits, it’s Roy.
Even with John Tortorella replacing Bruce Cassidy behind the bench, much of the Golden Knights’ identity remains familiar to him. So do the players — from Mark Stone and Jack Eichel to longtime linemate Keegan Kolesar.
“Obviously, I know their system and I know a little bit their player tendencies, as they know mine," Roy said. “I don’t think it’s a big advantage. The game is just so fast, you don’t want to overthink, you just want to play your game.”
Roy remembers all too well what Vegas did to Colorado in 2021, when the Golden Knights stormed back from a 2-0 series deficit in the second round to eliminate the Avalanche in six games.
This time, though, the perspective has changed.
Now he’s wearing burgundy and blue instead of gold.
And standing four wins away from another trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
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The Colorado Avalanche are looking to continue their winning ways.
In the first two rounds of the playoffs, Nathan MacKinnon and co. handily took down the LA Kings and Minnesota Wild, coming out on top in eight of their nine games.
Next up, they’ll face their greatest challenge in the Western Conference Finals when they take on Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner’s Vegas Golden Knights.
If you’d like to be there for this cutthroat series that determines who advances to the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals, tickets are available for all seven potential games.
At the time of publication, the lowest price we could find on seats for any one game at Denver’s Ball Arena was $175 including fees on SeatGeek.
Prices for games at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena start at $160 including fees.
Home ice advantage will be crucial in this series, too.
“In the 2025-26 regular season, Colorado and Vegas faced off three times, with the road team winning each game,” Daily Faceoff reported. “The Avs won 4-2 in Vegas on Halloween Night, before prevailing 6-5 in a shootout two days after Christmas; Vegas won 3-2 in Colorado on April 11 off of an overtime goal by Jack Eichel.”
However, it should be noted that this is a brand-new Golden Knights team.
With eight games remaining before the end of the year, Vegas axed Head Coach Bruce Cassidy and brought in John Tortorella, who led the club to a 7-0-1 record to close the campaign.
Since then, they’ve ousted the resilient Utah Mammoth and competitive Anaheim Ducks behind wizard-like play from Marner.
Pundits favor Colorado in this series — CBS Sports wrote that they’re “expecting the Avs to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in five years” — but anything is possible especially with Marner hoping to win his first trophy.
Don’t miss this one. We smell a blockbuster series.
For more information, our team has everything you need to know and more about the Colorado Avalanche vs. Vegas Golden Knights 2026 NHL Western Conference Finals below.
Colorado Avalanche playoff home game tickets
A complete calendar including all announced Avalanche Western Conference Finals home game dates and the best prices on tickets can be found here:
Colorado Avalanche home game dates
Ticket prices start at
Game 1 Wednesday, May 20
$175(including fees)
Game 2 Friday, May 22
$220(including fees)
Game 5 Thursday, May 28
$261(including fees)
Game 7 Monday, June 1
$471(including fees)
Vegas Golden Knights playoff home game tickets
All Vegas Golden Knights playoff home game dates and the cheapest tickets available at the T-Mobile Arena can be found below.
Vegas Golden Knights home game dates
Ticket prices start at
Game 3 Sunday, May 24
$208(including fees)
Game 4 Tuesday, May 26
$160(including fees)
Game 6 Saturday, May 30
$274(including fees)
How to watch the Avalanche vs. Golden Knights on TV
Fans hoping to catch MacKinnon and Marner throw down on the tube can watch all first-round playoff games on ABC, ESPN and TNT.
Just make sure to review your local listings before tuning in.
If you don’t have cable, your best bet may be DIRECTV.
2026 NHL playoff schedule
Want to keep tabs on how the postseason is shaking out?
This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.
Now a veteran of more than 50 NHL playoff games, Jack Eichel does not think the approach should be any different the deeper he and the Vegas Golden Knights venture into the postseason.
“We know we need to be better, and you want to continue to elevate your game both individually and as a team the further you go,” Eichel said. “That’s our goal.”
Easier said than done. Big boy hockey has arrived in the third round, with three of the top five favorites still playing in the conference finals. Vegas faces league-best Colorado in the West, while unbeaten beast-of-the-East Carolina gets the winner of Game 7 between Buffalo and Montreal.
Western Conference final: Colorado vs. Vegas
Game 1: Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Favorite: Colorado (2-5)
The Avalanche won the Presidents’ Trophy for the best regular season and spent 156 consecutive days atop the NHL standings since Nov. 1, the longest run in four decades. They swept Los Angeles in the first round and beat Minnesota in five games, rallying to put the Wild away in overtime after falling behind 3-0 on the road.
Now, the difficulty level rachets up.
“I would expect Colorado’s stiffest challenge is going to come here in this next series because Vegas has been around the block,” former player and coach-turned-TNT analyst Ed Olczyk said. “They’ve got an experienced coach. They’re getting goaltending that they didn’t get for a lot of the regular season.”
Backstopped by Carter Hart and led by Mitch Marner, the Golden Knights are in the West final for the fourth time in their nine years of existence. It’s their first under coach John Tortorella, who took over in late March and oversaw a 7-0-1 run to finish the season and more success in the playoffs.
“We feel really good about ourselves,” Tortorella said. “In playoffs, it’s not just the X’s and O’s and all. It’s how you feel, and the confidence level you have. I think we’re in a good spot.”
Colorado counterpart Jared Bednar is not worried about how his players will handle the spotlight getting brighter. The Avalanche are four years removed from their 2022 Stanley Cup run, while Vegas won it in ’23.
“We have the exact same expectations as Vegas does,” Bednar said. “We have very similar experience, too: probably close to half the roster winning a Stanley Cup a couple years ago, no success since, and here we are facing each other. So, pressure on us is no different than the pressure on them.”
On the injury front, Vegas captain Mark Stone has been out since leaving Game 3 against Anaheim with an undisclosed injury. Avalanche star Cale Makar has been dealing with an apparent right arm or shoulder injury while fellow defenseman Sam Malinski and forward Artturi Lehkonen missed time late in the Minnesota series.
Eastern Conference final: Carolina vs. Buffalo or Montreal
Game 1: Thursday, 8 p.m. ET (TNT, TruTV)
Favorite: Carolina (4-11)
The Hurricanes are the first team to sweep through the first two rounds since the NHL went to four best-of-seven series in 1987. Their gift is 11 full days off before starting the East final.
“Obviously that’s not great,” Olczyk said. “That’s not ideal, but you’d rather have that than play back-to-back seven-game series and probably having guys being taped up to just get out there.”
Carolina captain Jordan Staal feels the same way, shrugging of the concern about rust and saying, “If anyone in the league was in a playoff series and they had the opportunity to win in four or seven, they would pick four.”
One more victory would tie the 1985 Edmonton Oilers for the longest winning streak to start a playoffs.
With back-to-back champion Florida not making it after injuries derailed the Panthers’ season and other perennial contenders like Toronto and Tampa Bay out of the way, the sea has parted for the Hurricanes to get over the hump. They’ve won at least a round in each of Rod Brind’Amour’s eight years as coach but have not yet reached the Stanley Cup Final.
“They’re perfect — no blemishes,” Olczyk said, pointing to the goaltending of Frederik Andersen and strong scoring depth as contributing factors. “I felt that it was them: It was Carolina and everybody else. And could they do it when they were the favorites and when the path was opened, could they take advantage? And they have taken full advantage.”
Whoever comes out on top between the Sabres and Canadiens will have a quick turnaround from Game 7 to playing in Raleigh 72 hours later. Montreal last reached the third round in 2021 when divisional playoffs were in place to get through pandemic border restrictions, while Buffalo has not gotten this far since consecutive trips to the East final in 2006-07.
CARY, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 16: Carolina Hurricanes mascot Stormy is seen prior to the NWSL match between North Carolina Courage and Chicago Stars FC at First Horizon Stadium on May 16, 2026 in Cary, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/NWSL via Getty Images) | NWSL via Getty Images
It’s been a long time since the Carolina Hurricanes played hockey, and they have to wait even longer. The Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres play in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference Semi-Finals on Monday night, with Carolina waiting for the winner to kick off the next series on Thursday.
The winner of that Game 7 will have two days of rest before beginning the Eastern Conference Finals — the Hurricanes will have had 12.
A bizarre, problematic twist to the NHL Playoff schedule has led to the greatest rest disparity in the history of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Nobody has had 12 games of rest before, and it happened because of the bracket’s construction. The NHL has long operated on the idea that nobody should be able to easily sweep a series, let along two back-to-back. What the Canes are doing hasn’t been seen since the 1980s, and it just so happens at the time where the other side of the Eastern conference draw has been a total crapshoot. It took seven games for the Canadiens to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Sabres needed six to beat the Bruins in the opening round — now they have gone to seven against each other in this series. Meanwhile the Hurricanes wen 4-0 against the Senators, then 4-0 against the Flyers to reach this spot.
The result is that Carolina has played nearly half less games as anyone left in the East, and the fewest in the playoffs. It’s a blessing in terms of getting healthy, being rested, and entering the Eastern Conference Finals at 100-percent, but it remains to be seen if the rest could come back to bite the team by interrupting their rhythm. That’s a significant worry, and as dominant as the Canes have seemed, there are also some very real worries.
Thus far the team hasn’t seen a lot of production out of its top line. Svechnikov/Aho/Jarvis have been solid, but once again seem to be falling into that all-too-common Carolina trope of stars disappearing in the playoffs. The Hurricanes’ power play has been atrocious as well, 5-for-27 these playoffs after being 24.9% on the season. They’re won on the back of speed, power, and their forecheck — but have yet to be tested in a multi-goal deficit, and still have significant questions in net with Freddie Andersen playing phenomentally well, but being far from a safe bet after a down season in Raleigh.
That makes this upcoming Eastern Conference Final an each way bet, and a litmus test on the NHL’s scheduling. There’s no good result to what will happen next. If Carolina comes out and dominates then opposing fans will cry foul of the amount of rest the Canes got in the lead up to this series, if Carolina gets bodied early in the series it will be an indictment on them having too much rest to stay hot in the playoffs. Sprinkle in the drama of this destined to be another Southern hockey vs. legacy cold-weather city matchup and there will be plenty of angst in the ECF.
Embrace chaos, because it’s coming on Thursday night.
The Chicago Blackhawks have now had two good seasons of Ilya Mikheyev in their lineup. He played 80 games in 2024-25 and 77 games in 2025-26, meaning he was available for almost every match on the schedule.
In those games, he had a total of 38 goals, 32 assists, and 70 points as a bottom-six forward who was awarded almost no power-play time. 0 of those 70 points came with the man advantage.
With that said, 4 of those goals and 2 of those assists have come shorthanded. As a defensive player, Mikheyev has established himself as one of the best penalty killers in the entire NHL. Chicago's overall PK has been great, and he's a huge part of it. He defends well and creates a decent amount of offense at even strength as well.
Mikheyev is a pending unrestricted free agent. He was the only one that Kyle Davidson didn't trade away at the deadline. There was no can't-miss deal presented to him, and he does like the idea of returning Mikheyev to help the rebuild take the next step. At 31 years old, he has some really good NHL years ahead.
The report around the deadline was that they did try to get an extension, but it never happened.
On Monday, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman had an update on "32 Thoughts: The Podcast". According to Friedman's report, Mikheyev's negotiating rights have been placed on the trade block.
"I guess it was let known across the league that Chicago probably isn't going to be able to sign Ilya Mikheyev," Friedman said. "His rights are available if any team wants to talk to him in advance of free agency."
Once Mikheyev is traded, that team can sign him ahead of him hitting free agency on July 1st, which is the advantage to acquiring him now instead of waiting. He is probably not getting the max amount of years from anyone, but being the only team that can negotiate with him for a few months may be worth it to someone.
The Blackhawks wouldn't get a significant return for his rights, but anything would be better than losing him for nothing after keeping him at the regular-season trade deadline.
32 Thoughts Monday morning playoff preview, news & interview pod. Not reported in it, but heard this morning: Oilers have permission to talk to Craig Berube.
Today's guest is Henrik Sedin. Great answers to terrible questions.
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The Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres meet in a winner-take-all Game 7 in the second round of the NHL playoffs. The Sabres forced Game 7 with an 8-3 victory in Game 6. The winner will advance to face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals.
How to watch Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres
Romano will join Tomas Poletin, whose ticket was already secured since Kelowna is the host of this year’s four-team tournament. The fun kicks off Friday.
Other Islanders items:
Matthew Schaefer thanked the fans for his incredible Calder-winning season and Long Island love story. [NHL]
And he celebrated by visiting kids at Cohen’s Medical Center, because he’s Matthew Schaefer. [Isles]
Gross: Schaefer loves the Island, and the feeling is mutual. [Newsday]
Islanders Anxiety: On the Calder, surgery for Ryan Pulock, Josh Bailey HOF, and overdue Selke consideration for Brock Nelson. [LHH]
Simon Holmstrom and Emil Heineman discuss their growing bond…for the Islanders and for Team Sweden. [Isles]
Here’s a running list of how those two are doing at the Worlds, as well as Danny “The Next” Nelson. [Isles]
Nelson isn’t signed yet, as he’s returning to Notre Dame for one more year and the chance to play with two brothers. The Isles invited the elder, Henry, to development camp. [THN]
Elsewhere
Monday night playoff action: Game 7 for a pair of upstarts, Canadiens vs. Sabres. Buffalo dominated Montreal while coming back (and switching goalies again) in Game 6. Now the pressure’s on…whomever.
The Canadiens hope they don’t lay an egg again. [NHL]
The Sabres claim to be unphased by the goalie carousel. [Sportsnet]
The Avalanche are healthy and rested as they prepare to meet the Knights Who Say We Don’t Talk To The Press. [NHL]
The Oilers have permission to speak with former Leafs coach Craig Berube. [Sportsnet]
The Leafs have also parted with long time cap guru Brandon Pridham. [Sportsnet]
The NHL got tired of John Tortorella and Vegas skirting media commitments, fined him $100,000 and made them forfeit a second-round pick. [Yahoo]
DENVER, COLORADO - NOVEMBER 27: Devon Toews #7 of the Colorado Avalanche advances the puck against Shea Theodore #27 of the Vegas Golden Knights in overtime at Ball Arena on November 27, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the final four teams set, the matchups become even more magnified. As the Colorado Avalanche are set to take on the Vegas Golden Knights to earn a ticket into the Stanley Cup finals, here is a closer look at whose defense is stout enough to win a championship.
Colorado Avalanche
Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Brett Kulak – Sam Malinski
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Extra: Nick Blankenburg, Jack Ahcan, Alex Gagne?
To end the regular season head coach Jared Bednar experimented with his defense testing out Brett Kulak on the top pair with Cale Makar and then Devon Toews on the second pair. That’s mostly been reversed as the trusty duo of Toews-Makar has played an extraordinary amount of minutes this postseason and have had great success at 61.50% of the expected goals together. Toews leads the Avalanche defense core with eight points and Makar hasn’t been quite as productive with five points, though four are goals.
For the rest of Colorado’s defense pairings it has been pretty mix-and-match especially due to the injuries. First to Josh Manson and then when he returned in Game 4 of the Wild series suddenly Sam Malinski was a surprise scratch with an upper-body injury. Brent Burns and Josh Manson played a lot together in the regular season and Brett Kulak saw the most time with Sam Malinski through the first seven playoff games, which are seemingly the ideal pairings.
With practice resuming ahead of the Vegas series, all eyes have been on the collection of Avalanche defensemen at practice, or lack thereof. Cale Makar only skates in games at this point, as expected. Now Brent Burns is suddenly absent and both Josh Manson and Sam Malinski have been limited in skates. Most, if not all four, should be available for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals according to Bednar. Still, there appears to be plans in case one of the aforementioned defenseman can’t suit up as Jack Ahcan was never sent back to the AHL and Colorado Eagles rookie Alex Gagne was a recent practice participant despite never having played in the NHL. This Avalanche defense core has already been stretched thin with just one absence the dominoes are set to tumble.
Vegas Golden Knights
Brayden McNabb – Shea Theodore
Noah Hanifin – Rasmus Andersson
Ben Hutton – Dylan Coghlan
Extra: Kaedan Korczak; Injured: Jeremy Lauzon
The big story on defense for the Golden Knights was the one-game suspension to Brayden McNabb but he’s expected back in the lineup for round three. Colorado fans know well of McNabb’s physical reputation and ill-advised hits but he’s grown into a large role with Vegas as part of their top pairing. He is also the top penalty killer for Vegas and scored shorthanded in the Anaheim series.
As the other portion of Vegas’ top pairing, Shea Theodore is also their leader on defense with nine points and four goals. He is the top power play quarterback and has scored a goal and three assists on the man advantage. Together with McNabb expect to see Theodore play a lot against Colorado’s top forwards.
On the second pair for Vegas is a due of defensemen for Vegas both acquired in trades from the Calgary Flames, first Noah Hanifin in 2024 and Rasmus Andersson just recently in January of this year. Hanifin has been the more productive one with six assists but both chip in on occasion. Even as a second pair these two play well over 20 minutes a night and figure to do so in this upcoming series with Colorado.
Veterans Dylan Coghlan and Ben Hutton round out the depth with 25-year-old graduated former prospect Kaedan Korczak filling in as needed. Another depth option, Jeremy Lauzon has been sidelined since early May after taking a puck to the head. All will have their hands full containing Colorado moving forward.
The 2025-26 season came to an end for the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, in Game 6 of the second round, at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Ducks defeated the defending, back-to-back Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers in the first round. It was a series in which the Ducks and their coaching staff baited the Oilers into playing the Ducks’ preferred brand of hockey, and a series where the Ducks’ coaches played the right cards and made the right adjustments at the proper times.
In the first round, Anaheim had a clear and direct game plan against two of the world’s top centermen, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Specifically, against McDavid, the coaching staff hard-matched defense pair, Jackson LaCombe and Jacob Trouba, and as a five-man unit, pressured him the entire 200-foot ice surface, focusing on the backcheck and eliminating his ability to attack laterally.
After dropping Game 1 of the series, a game the Ducks felt was winnable, head coach Joel Quenneville made a sneaky last-minute lineup adjustment, swapping Chris Kreider and Cutter Gauthier on their respective lines just before puck drop. He went on to swap the two again at the last minute, after a Game 5 loss, going on to secure a Game 6 victory.
Every time now-former Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch made an adjustment of his own, Quenneville was there to match and eclipse. As the series progressed, Anaheim became more stingy defensively, doing well to keep Edmonton to the perimeter in the defensive zone and simplifying their breakout approach, electing to high-flip a higher percentage of pucks to the neutral zone, where forwards could win puck battles against retreating Edmonton defensemen.
The Ducks series against the Golden Knights played out nearly identically early on, but it was John Tortorella and the Vegas coaching staff that got the better of the Ducks as the series wore on.
After dropping Game 1, a tight affair where the Ducks could have easily been seen as the better team, both by eye test and underlying numbers, Quenneville made another cheeky surprise lineup change just before Game 2 puck drop, but this time, the adjustment was far more dramatic.
Quenneville scratched young $7 million AAV forward Mason McTavish and rookie defenseman Ian Moore, who had been slotted as a fourth-line forward for Game 2, in favor of energy fourth liners Ross Johnston and Jansen Harkins.
The Ducks won Game 2 handily, but dropped Game 3 decidedly. Quenneville reinserted Moore and McTavish for Game 4, along with Olen Zellweger, who made his NHL Playoff debut. Quenneville stuck with his Game 4 playing roster (minus Ryan Poehling, who exited Game 5 early with an upper-body injury) for Games 5 and 6, both of which the Ducks lost, ending their season.
The Knights saw the return of their long-time, middle-six, two-way center, William Karlsson, for this series against Anaheim. Tortorella tried him on the third line, but quickly found he was better suited for the second, and kept him there for the duration of the series.
Other than Karlsson’s return and fit, the only adjustments Vegas had to make were tinkering with their third defensive pair and navigating top-pair defenseman Brayden McNabb’s Game 5 ejection and Game 6 suspension.
Though Quennville’s lineup adjustments found some success in the second round against Vegas, they didn’t have quite the impact that they did in their opening series against Edmonton.
Tactically, Quenneville and the Ducks’ staff didn’t have an answer for the waves of the Knights’ offensive pressure and sound, stingy zone defensive structure.
Vegas was able to do to Anaheim what Anaheim did to Edmonton: force them to play their brand of hockey. Vegas is a cycle-heavy team on the offensive side of the puck, valuing possession time and using that time to break down opposing defensive structures and open dangerous lanes.
Defensively, Vegas plays contained. They keep opponents to the perimeter, block shots, and force mistakes, to which they aim to capitalize. The Ducks made those mistakes, and the Knights capitalized in abundance.
Anaheim failed to adjust, and their only answer offensively was to funnel more pucks and bodies toward Carter Hart and the Vegas crease. Those pucks were predictably blocked and cleared along with any semblance of traffic in front of Hart.
Hart showed vulnerability during Vegas’ first-round series against the Utah Mammoth when he was forced to defend rushes and when he was forced to move laterally. Anaheim wasn’t able to force him into doing either and made his job infinitely easier.
Vegas’ puck management negated Anaheim’s rush attack. Ducks’ defensemen were far less active and involved offensively than they had been during the season or their first-round series. Even if their ability to join rushes had been negated, activating defensemen down the halfwalls and having them jump to soft ice could have, in theory, been a factor in chipping away at Vegas’ seemingly impenetrable slot.
The Ducks have, for all intents and purposes, kicked their contention window open and will be aiming to at least return to the second round of the playoffs and contend for Stanley Cups for the foreseeable future.
These playoffs provided some unexpected success, and perhaps more valuable, offered a chance to learn what it takes to battle on a nightly basis and defeat the same opponent four times in seven games.
They also learned that each opponent offers vastly different styles from the previous, and they have to walk the tightrope of being willing to make tweaks to their approach without sacrificing their identity and what brought them to where they are.
The Ducks will have a long offseason of reflection. They will expect their young core pieces to take further leaps in their development and hit the ground running in October in a volatile Pacific Division.
Samuel Ersson had a very rough 2025-26 season. Due to this, it would not necessarily be surprising if the Flyers looked to bring in another goalie this off-season to form a tandem with starter Dan Vladar.
Due to this, let's look at four goalies who the Flyers could consider targeting during the off-season.
Joseph Woll, Toronto Maple Leafs
If the Maple Leafs make Joseph Woll available for trade due to their surplus of NHL-caliber goalies, the Flyers would be wise to target him. The 27-year-old would have the potential to form a strong tandem with Vladar if acquired. In 117 career NHL games, he hasa 63-43-9 record, a .906 save percentage, and a 3.34 goals-against average.
Stuart Skinner, Pittsburgh Penguins
If the Flyers want to go the free agency route, Stuart Skinner stands out as a potential target. The 27-year-old has a ton of playoff experience and has shown in the past that he can make an impact when playing at his best. In 224 career NHL games, the former All-Star has a .902 save percentage and a 2.77 goals-against average.
Connor Ingram, Edmonton Oilers
If the Edmonton Oilers do not re-sign Connor Ingram, he could be an interesting backup option for the Flyers. The 29-year-old goalie had a solid bounce-back year with the Oilers this campaign, posting a 16-10-3 record and an .899 save percentage in 32 games. He also had a .907 save percentage in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, which adds to his appeal.
Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers
Could the Flyers look to make up for a big past mistake and try to bring back Sergei Bobrovsky? The 37-year-old had an ugly 2025-26 season but also led the Florida Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2024 and 2025. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner is a star when playing at his best and would have the potential to be an excellent short-term addition for Philly in a tandem with Vladar.
The Pittsburgh Penguins should be looking to add to their forward group this off-season. It is clear that they could use another skilled winger in their top nine, and this will only be more of the case if Anthony Mantha signs elsewhere this off-season.
When looking at trade candidates around the NHL, Vancouver Canucks winger Jake DeBrusk stands out as a very interesting potential target for the Penguins to consider.
With the Canucks being in a rebuild, DeBrusk's name has been in the rumor mill since leading up to the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. If he is made available by the Canucks this off-season, the Penguins would be wise to kick tires on him.
If the Penguins landed DeBrusk, he would have the potential to slot nicely in their top six. He would also give them another skilled forward on their power play.
DeBrusk would be more than a rental for the Penguins if acquired, too, as he has a $5.5 million cap hit until the end of the 2030-31 season.
In 81 games this season with the Canucks, DeBrusk scored a team-best 23 goals and recorded 42 points. This is after he scored a career-high 28 goals and posted 48 points in 82 games for Vancouver in 2024-25. With numbers like these, he would be a nice pickup for a Penguins club looking to continue to head into the right direction.
The San Jose Sharks' American Hockey League affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda concluded their team award announcements earlier this week when they revealed their Rookies of the Year, Igor Chernyshov and Quentin Musty.
Chernyshov, the Sharks' second round pick during the 2024 NHL Draft, had some previous professional experience, as he spent some time playing in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League with Dynamo Moskva.
Chernyshov split his time between the Sharks and the Barracuda during the 2025-26 season, appearing in 41 games for the Barracuda. During that time, he scored 13 goals and 33 points. Despite having limited time in the AHL, he still finished ninth on the team in points.
Chernyshov also 28 NHL games, where he was just as impressive. He scored nine goals and 19 points.
Musty, on the other hand, was a true first year professional having previously played with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League. The Sharks' 26th overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft, Musty also had an impressive first season at the AHL level. In 61 games, he scored 21 goals and 45 points. He was tied for the third-most goals on the team and had the fourth-most points on the Barracuda.
Of the two, Musty is the most likely to return to the Barracuda for the 2026-27 season as we'll likely see Chernyshov make the jump to the NHL on a full-time basis next season. Regardless, they both made a major impact for the Barracuda during their rookie seasons.
Juraj Slafkovsky
Alex Tuch
