HI!

Hope everyone had a lovely fake Spring and now real Spring so far. Not sure if you are all watching the playoffs, but there have been some fun games and fun young teams. I did not have Vegas beating Colorado in my bracket, let alone sweeping, so definitely pretty shocking. Although I had Ottawa beating Carolina so what do I know.

As annoyed as I am that we are on the outside looking in, stress free playoff hockey can be the next best thing. Ok, I’m lying, it sucks, I cannot believe we are back here again – I’d much rather be a pasty ball of anxiety, ignoring my family and friends, work, life etc. Some of these young fun teams (Utah, Anaheim, Philly etc) got invaluable experience we should’ve gotten the past 2 seasons.

Back to the Devils. There have been a few major themes plaguing this team the past few years: scoring, injuries, and goaltending. Our scoring woes and injuries are interconnected; when your good players get hurt and you have worse players on the ice, those worse players are going to score less. Jack has obviously been the main problem here, but don’t discount how much other injuries affect scoring (Pesce playing playing half a season, Glass and Grits missing time). Goal scoring is the biggest issue this summer and I plan to get more in depth about scoring like I did here once the marketplace for players becomes a little more apparent.

So, that leaves goaltending which I do think can be talked about now to see if there are any viable paths to fix the goaltending. And by “fix the goaltending” I am talking exclusively about Markstrom as Allen is on a great contract and was mostly good in contained deployment. Daws will also be in the mix as an RFA with arb rights, and with his contract status I would be surprised if he isn’t in Utica again next season.

Quick Look at the Future

First, It is instructive to consider how our future goalie pipeline looks, with Yegorov and Malek projected to be good NHLers with Daws as a serviceable backup/1B. Now, obviously you can take “future looks bright in goal” with a grain of salt since Goalies are strange magical creatures and always very difficult to project.

Every goalie drafted in the first two rounds in the 2010s visualized by the primary place they played in each season of their careers so far: pic.twitter.com/Km5i701PTX

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) May 7, 2026

Often it takes highly drafted/rated goalies until their D+5 or D+6 year year to pan out as NHL goalies, with the best coming up and staying around the D+4 year: Oettinger, Knight, Vasilevskiy, Gibson. On the other hand you can see the sheer volume of guys that never set foot in the NHL (blue/red) that were high picks and/or never really established themselves in the NHL.

So if I were to guess if there was some sort of plan, it was to run Markstrom/Allen until Yegorov and/or Malek were ready. Or knowing Fitz, he was just going to extend Markstrom until the end of days, who knows if anything was an actual plan. In 2026-27, Jakub Malek will be entering his D+5 year and Mikhail Yegorov will be entering his D+3 year and will be returning to BU for his 3rd season, so we are close or at the “ready” portion of their careers if they are going to pan out. One thing I agree with Jared on, is that that both Daws and Malek should at minimum be qualified, and I would be surprised if either went anywhere.

Also, Environment Matters

I promise at some point I will get to what we could potentially do with goalies. But first, I think it’s also important to understand the environment in front of them. For the most part, goalies are a product of their defensive environment, and how good or bad the structure in front of them will have an outsize effect on the goaltending results.

Below is the 2025-26 season of xGA vs GA per/60 at 5v5 via JFresh’s hockeystats.com. xGA is a great proxy for “how good is this team defensively” since it accumulates and weights all of the chances given up, regardless of goalie. There is a linear correlation between xGA and GA – which is why defensive environment is so important. If your defense can’t prevent chances, you’re gonna get scored on a lot unless you have an all-world goalie (Washington Boston, Islanders) or you can get scored on a lot despite a stingy defense (Ottawa and Vegas).

2025-26 Devils Goaltending: A Retrospective

All of Tim’s fun math aside, we had two very differently performing goalies (I’m not including Daws for this exercise). Of Goalies with 30 or more games played, Markstrom was the 6th worst in terms of GSAA at -11.4 for a full season and -.27 per/60. Jake Allen, on the other hand, was 33rd at +9.8 and +.27 per 60.

Below is how those numbers accumulated by game as visualized by hockeystats.com. I’m including because this site is awesome and I highly recommend playing around in it ($$). I’m also including it to note that a massive chunk of Markstrom’s cumulative -11.4 GSAA came in 2 games: Colorado in October (first game back from his early injury) and the infamous 9-0 Islanders game. Otherwise he was basically break even over the course of the season.

Now before I get dangerously into “defending Markstrom” territory by pointing that out, let’s take a deeper stroll into these numbers. In only 18 of his 44 starts was he positive for GSAA, so basically 60% of his games he was below league average. Further, he gave up 3 or more goals in 28 of those 44 games, and in ONLY 4 of those was he positive for GSAA. If he gets one more save in each of those 24 games (28 minus 4), we are having a different conversation (or no conversation).

Piling on a bit here – when your goalie gives up bad goals at bad times and you’re chasing the game it can be defeating. I am so tired of hearing “he battled” – I don’t want my goalie to battle, I want him to stop pucks. Batting implies it was a struggle, which it often seemed like it was. He gave up the first goal of the game in 24 of his starts, more than half his games, and the devils were 9-14-1 in those games. You can see this in his below goalie card under “quality starts” which is when he had a GSAA above 0. Also, don’t be fooled by the excellent start percentile, he had 2 in total (above 2.0 GSAA). He notoriously overcommits and often is flat out swimming out there – I can’t remember the last time I got so nervous so often for a wrister from the point. Maybe our TBD new goalie coach can have that conversation with him: “hey, you’re too old to rely on athleticism, so use your size more. You’re a giant Viking.”

Further, the most glaring thing about Markstrom is his clear decline, as evidenced by his JFresh card. Take a look at the top right box which is his overall Wins Above Replacement (WAR) trend. Fitz decided 2 more years with this trend line was totally worth an extension. Extrapolating this through his new contract, he will be at -50% WAR by the end of 27-28:

I could also get into his low danger save percentage (26th percentile and 2nd to last) or his average goal distance against (3rd worst, 22.9 feet) but that would really be beating a dead horse.

There are a few ways to get out of Markstrom, and the second buyout window has been laid out here. We can also flat out waive him to the minors – his extension transitions to a modified NTC and is not an NMC starting in 26-27. Also, and while I highly doubt he is tradeable, but he does have a 20-team no-trade list in 2026-27 and a 5-team no-trade list in 2027-28.

Here’s the problem, though. Finding an alternative upgrade that can start 50ish games this offseason could prove extremely challenging. We would obviously have to dig into the UFA/RFA/Trade market which means utilizing precious trade assets or cap space that we don’t have a lot of.

Also of note, I’m largely going to rely on JFresh cards as a snapshot of each goalie below. The “main number,” Proj WAR, is a three year weighted average, and the top right provides a WAR trendline. All percentiles for each stat are how they compare to the league.

UFA Options

I included a few more prominent UFAs below just for the exercise, but the overall list is pretty bleak.

Stu Skinner – Honestly, not a terrible idea, he is better than Markstrom and only 25 and can handle the workload. He does come with some baggage, and when it goes badly for him it goes BADLY. However, in Edmonton he was largely a product of his environment and “Darnell Nurse” and he was mediocre at best for Pittsburgh.

Connor Ingram – He’s a backup and while he did take the starter job from Jarry in Edmonton, he is not a guy that can be relied on for 50+ games. I do like his age and potential and he’d be cheap.

Danil Tarasov – Career backup, and could be a possibility and was signed in Florida – basically the only reason I highlighted him amongst the UFA goalies. Every time Florida signed someone I always perked up, but they also signed Vanacek, so there’s that. If I were to guess, Florida basically ran the numbers and determined they could just find a warm body behind Bob for 15-20 games.

There are also a few non-NHL options and admittedly, I had to rely on the ole internet machine for the two below and the summaries are cut and pasted. But if you want to think outside the box, there are two KHL goalies that are regularly reported as the best in the league:

1. Timur Bilyalov

Bilyalov is statistically one of the most efficient goaltenders in KHL history. He set the KHL record for the longest modern shutout streak (316 minutes, 9 seconds) and won the league’s Best Goaltender honors. His high-end .927 career SV% comes over a substantial heavy-workload sample size. 

2. Daniil Isayev

Isayev has been the league’s top lockdown technical goaltender over recent seasons. He carried Lokomotiv to the Gagarin Cup finals behind an elite postseason where he averaged a tiny 1.65 GAA.

RFA Options

Similarly, it is slim pickings for RFA Goalies, and we are entering offer sheet territory here. As I will get into below, we are very light on legitimate trade assets, and coughing up assets and picks where our biggest need is scoring punch may be ill advised – and as Jared wrote here, offer sheets are fun in theory but rarely ever happen. However, Yegorov and Malek are no guarantees and finding a viable long term solution here could, in turn, make one of them a very valuable trade chip.

Trade Options

I’m not bringing up Hellebuyck here, even though there was some offhand mentions of him after the Jets brutal season and they are in limbo moving forward. However, I don’t see a world or a mechanism where the Devils can take a run at him. What I did focus on was teams with crowded creases that will likely need to make decisions on their goalie room.

The other consideration here is our limited assets to actually swing multiple trades and I will scream from the rooftops that we need more scoring help first and foremost. Some of these guys might not need major packages, and a good baseline comp is Logan Thompson who was acquired by the Capitals for 2 3rd rounders from Vegas.

Anthony Stolarz – Stolarz is a popular name around the Devils fanbase, probably heavily influenced by sentimentality as he is NJ born and bred. He is an excellent goalie, but he has a hard time staying healthy and hasn’t made it through a full season – he has had 2 knee surgeries, a brutal concussion, a scary incident after taking a puck to the throat, and a groin injury this past season. He has a 4-year, $3.75MM extension kicking in next season and with Woll and Hildeby signed through 27-28, he is the guy that should fall out as Toronto retools. I would definitely take the risk knowing we have Daws and Malek as call-ups.

Alex Lyon – Lyon has 1 more year at $1.5MM and has shown time and again that he can rise to the occasion. He was the main reason Florida even got into the playoffs 2 seasons ago, and he took over for Lukkonen as the primary starter this season (although he lost the crease in the playoffs). With UPL signed long term, Ellis and Levi waiting in the wings, I can see a world where Lyon is the guy who falls out of the mix. He’s also a bit of a psycho which I enjoy.

Filip Gustavsson – Is Minnesota going to trade out a goalie? Rumors were abound that they have floated Wallstead in multiple trade offers, but he wound up taking over the net in the playoffs, so does that leave the Gus Bus on the outs? He has a 4-year $6.8MM extension that kicks in next season, so making this work would be difficult. Do they want to give the keys to Wallstead, and could we actually give Minnesota our own Swedish Goalie veteran mentor in return with a pick or two?

Sebastian Cossa – Cossa has been recently rumored as available according to several insiders, as the “Yzerplan” is going about as well as the “Fitzplan.” They already have Gibson signed as the starter and I have read that they see Augustine as the better prospect. I would absolutely take a look at him if he is really available. He has done nothing but win and stop pucks:

Devin Cooley – For some reason Cooley doesn’t have a JFresh Card, but he is a rising star in this league, put up a .909 sv pct for an atrocious Calgary team and is currently carrying USA’s D team to the knockout stage at Worlds (.930 sv pct). He has 1 more year at $1.5MM and with Dustin Wolf having 4 more years at $7.5MM, and Calgary in full tear down mode, I can see him getting an opportunity elsewhere.

So, After All That

The goalie market isn’t great from a UFA and RFA perspective, but there are some intriguing trade options. The question then becomes, do we have enough assets to bring in more scoring help AND a goalie upgrade? If Sunny can pull off a Logan Thompson style robbery, I’m all for it but once we get into the 12th overall/Nemec/Mercer territory, I think I more inclined to stand pat for one more year and offload Markstrom after this upcoming season.

One thing I will also point out is the analytics community views goaltending as a means to an end, and not the lynchpin of a team – the best example of this is Carolina. I alluded to it above when talking about environment, there is a major correlation between how good the team in front of a goalie is, and the results that goalie sees with few outlier exceptions. So maybe just play better defense? Get Keefe on the phone, I cracked the code.

How about you, gang? Do we NEED to get out of Markstrom and find anyone else in your opinion? Do any of the above options intrigue you? Anyone on team “play better and our current guys will be fine”? Or are there any other goalies that are on your radar that I missed?

Let me know in the comments!

LGD

Former Detroit Red Wings forward Darren McCarty continued his tribute to his longtime rival, Claude Lemieux, who died at age 60 on May 28.

Their rivalry goes back to heated playoff battles between the Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche, when, in Game 6 of the 1996 Western Conference Finals, Lemieux checked Red Wings center Kris Draper from behind, driving Draper's face into the boards. It led to the famous "Fight Night at the Joe," the next season, when McCarty got payback by pummeling Lemieux.

"This is extremely sad no matter what feelings from past or present you hold. My thoughts and prayers to his family and friends and people who got to see the person off the ice wasn’t the person on said on social media," McCarty said on social media.

McCarty further paid tribute to his former foe during a television appearance on Woodward Sports.

Darren McCarty talks about burying the hatchet with Claude Lemieux, and the two’s relationship off the ice ❤️

“Claude Lemieux is the one person in life that has proven to me that the guy on the ice wasn’t the guy off the ice… I’m very sad.” https://t.co/f5Gsis2JKBpic.twitter.com/E0toyLp8OD

— Woodward Sports Network (@woodwardsports) May 29, 2026

"I'm a guy who has asked for redemption in a lot of ways in my life, and trying to prove that some of the things I've done in the past aren't who I am today," McCarty said. "Claude Lemieux is the one person in life who has proven to me that the guy on the ice wasn't the guy off the ice. He was loved very much. ...

"The best way for me to describe my feelings and whatever else, is that it's very sad. I'm very sad,"

McCarty and Lemieux would team up in later years and make public events regarding their feud to raise money for charity.

"We were supposed to go golf later in the summer and do all this stuff that will never be done," McCarty added. "Just, any compassion at all, say a prayer for his family and his kids and wife."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Darren McCarty mourns death of Claude Lemieux, longtime hockey rival

The Chicago Blackhawks should be looking to improve their roster this off-season after another tough season. Their biggest need is a proven star winger in their top six. 

Due to this, the Blackhawks have now been recommended to strike a deal for one of the NHL's top off-season trade candidates.

In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Adam Gretz urged the Blackhawks to make a trade for Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Matthew Knies. 

"Toronto might also be looking to move him to get more long-term assets into the organization as John Chayka tries to rebuild it. Could he get the No. 4 overall pick for Knies? Would Chicago do that? It shouldn't be off the table. Especially since they are likely to miss out on the Gavin McKenna/Ivar Stenberg duo at the top. Get some help for Connor Bedard. Get some help that can grow with him," Gretz wrote.

It is not difficult to understand why Knies is being viewed as a prime potential trade target for the Blackhawks. This is because the Phoenix, Arizona native would not only provide the Blackhawks' first line with a major boost but is also still only 23 years old. Due to this, he would be an incredible fit on a young Blackhawks team that is looking to take that next step. 

If the Blackhawks acquire Knies, he would also be guaranteed to be a long-term part of their core. This is because the 6-foot-3 forward is signed until the end of the 2030-31 season, carrying a $7.75 million.

It is also important to note that Knies is a player that the Blackhawks like. The Blackhawks were among the teams very interested in Knies leading up to this year's deadline, so it would not be shocking in the slightest if they kicked tires on him again during this off-season. 

In 79 games this season with the Maple Leafs, Knies recorded 23 goals, 43 assists, 66 points, and 152 hits. 

The Carolina Hurricanes punched their ticket to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final on Friday night, knocking out the Montreal Canadiens in five games.

The Canes have been knocking on the door for some time now, with Conference Final appearances (and losses) in 2019, 2023, and 2025.

2026 became Carolina's breakthrough, and they sit at an astonishing record of 12-1 entering the Stanley Cup Final.

History will be on the line for obvious reasons, but one subtle reason directly involves a New York Islanders legend.

Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin seeks to become the first American to win an Olympic Gold Medal and the Stanley Cup in the same season since Ken Morrow accomplished the feat in 1980.

Jaccob Slavin looking to become the first American since Ken Morrow in 1980 to win Olympic gold and Stanley Cup in the same year.

Feat has been accomplished by Canadians: Yzerman, Shanahan (2002); Keith, Toews (2010), Doughty (2014).

— Rob Del Mundo (@Rob_DelMundo) May 30, 2026

Morrow was part of the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" team that knocked off the Soviet Union en route to a historic gold medal.

Immediately after the Olympics, Morrow signed with the Islanders, playing 18 regular season games, posting three assists.

Morrow then played 20 of the 21 playoff games for the Islanders, adding his first NHL goal and two more assists on the path to the Stanley Cup.

Ever since the Toronto Maple Leafs kicked off their search for a new head coach following Craig Berube's dismissal over two weeks ago, there has been a lack of confirmed names in the running for the position.

However, confirming a report by TheHockeyNews.com about a week ago, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Maple Leafs interviewed multiple interior candidates.

"I know they've interviewed their internal guys," Friedman said on Sportsnet's The Hockey Fan Show. "I think they interviewed (Derek) Lalonde. I think they also interviewed Mike Van Ryn."

Lalonde and Van Ryn served as assistant coaches beside Berube for the Maple Leafs last season.

Last year marked Lalonde's first season as an assistant coach with the Maple Leafs. He was in charge of Toronto's penalty kill, which was one of the team's few bright spots as they ended the year with an 81.2 penalty kill percentage, finishing in the top 10 of the NHL.

It's also worth noting that before Lalonde was hired by the Leafs to be an assistant coach going into the 2025-26 campaign, he was coming off a two-and-a-half-year stint as the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings.

He led the Red Wings behind the bench for the entirety of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, but got fired in December of the 2024-25 campaign.

Before Detroit, Lalonde served as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning and helped the franchise win a pair of Stanley Cups.

As for Van Ryn, he wrapped up his third season as assistant coach for the Maple Leafs. He was brought in by Sheldon Keefe in 2023-24 and stayed on with Berube's staff, having a history with him with the St. Louis Blues from 2018-19 to 2022-23, also as an assistant coach.

Berube, Keefe, Babcock: How The Maple Leafs' Last Three NHL Head Coaches Fared In TorontoHow have the previous three head coaches of the Toronto Maple Leafs - Craig Berube, Sheldon Keefe, and Mike Babcock - fared in their respective tenures?

He was in charge of the defense's general system and operation, which didn't pan out so well for Toronto as they allowed the second-most goals in the NHL last season, with 295 and an average of 3.60 goals-against per game.

Van Ryn has never been an NHL head coach. However, he was a head coach in the AHL with the Tucson Roadrunners in 2017-18, and the OHL's Kitchener Rangers in 2015-16.

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The 2026 Stanley Cup Final will feature two more former Columbus Blue Jackets.

First up is 30-year-old Eric Robinson of Bellmawr, New Jersey. Robinson was undrafted and signed with the Blue Jackets in 2018 after spending four years at Princeton. 

After playing 266 games and recording 82 points for Columbus, he was traded to Buffalo by Columbus for a conditional pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, December 6, 2023. He then signed with Carolina as a free agent on July 1, 2024.

In this year's playoffs, he's played 13 games and has 6 points. In his two seasons with the Hurricanes, he's played in 38 games and has 10 points. 

Former CBJ draft pick in 2011, Mike Reilly will also be on the Canes roster for Cup Final. He has played in 2 games and has 2 points. 

Reilly famously refused to sign with the Blue Jackets in 2015, instead choosing free agency. He signed with Minnesota; the team his father was a minority owner of at the time. 

Reilly has now played for 7 NHL teams since 2015. 

Robinson and Reilly will be going up against Brandon Saad, William Karlsson, Keegan Kolesar, and John Tortorella, who are all ex-Blue Jackets. 

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

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!

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For the first time since 2006, the Carolina Hurricanes will play in the Stanley Cup Finals. 

After three Eastern Conference Finals losses through the past seven post-seasons, Carolina has finally advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, taking down the Montréal Canadiens in five games in order to do so. They have made the post-season in every season since 2019. This year, Carolina will take on the Vegas Golden Knights. 

Former Vancouver Canucks defenceman Jalen Chatfield, who spent 18 games with Vancouver in 2020–21 and four total seasons with the organization, is looking to win his first Stanley Cup and the Hurricanes’ first since their victory against the Edmonton Oilers in 2006. The defenceman won the AHL’s Calder Cup Championship with the Chicago Wolves in his first season with the Hurricanes organization. 

While not often known for his offensive prowess, Chatfield had himself an impressive series against the Canadiens. The defenceman put up two assists in Game 2 against Montréal, also adding one more in Carolina’s Game 4 win. As it stands, Chatfield currently has one goal and four assists in 13 playoff games this year. 

The win for Carolina means that, including Chatfield, a total of four former Canucks — three players, one coach — will take part in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final. For Vegas, Nic Dowd, Ben Hutton, and head coach John Tortorella will compete for this year’s championship. 

2026 Stanley Cup Final Schedule: 

Game 1: June 2, 5:00 pm PT 

Game 2: June 4, 5:00 pm PT 

Game 3: June 6, 5:00 pm PT 

Game 4: June 9, 5:00 pm PT 

*Game 5: June 11, 5:00 pm PT 

*Game 6: June 14, 5:00 pm PT 

*Game 7: June 17, 5:00 pm PT 

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.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:

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For the first time in 20 years, the Carolina Hurricanes are back in the Stanley Cup Final, and they’ll look to bring the Cup back to Raleigh when they face the red-hot Vegas Golden Knights. They head into the 2026 Stanley Cup Final as the -155 betting favorite, and the -145 favorite on home ice for Game 1.

Despite dropping Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final, the Hurricanes hunkered down defensively and won four straight to move one step closer to delivering on their Stanley Cup odds. They won Friday's Game 5 by a 6-1 count on home ice. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights surprisingly swept the once-heavily favored Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final.

Before Game 1 takes place on Tuesday, June 2, let's dive into the opening Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final odds and Conn Smythe odds.

Stanley Cup Final odds 2026: Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes

Odds as of 5-30 via BET99, one of our best hockey betting sites. 

Although the Vegas Golden Knights swept Colorado and have had three more days of rest, sportsbooks are still pegging the Carolina Hurricanes as the series favorites, with a 60.78% win probability.

Home-ice advantage remains a real factor for Carolina, which went 29-10-2 at the Lenovo Center during the regular season, and the Hurricanes have lost only once all postseason.

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(not available in Ontario)

Key matchup to watch: Battle of the Netminders

We're set up for a loaded offense vs. elite defense matchup, with the goaltending duel between Carter Hart and Frederik Andersen potentially proving decisive in who hoists the Cup.

After a two-year hiatus from the NHL, the Golden Knights took a flier on Hart, but the former top prospect struggled in Vegas, recording a .891 save percentage and a 2.71 goals-against average in 18 regular-season starts.

The postseason, however, has been a completely different story, as Hart has reverted to his early days with the Philadelphia Flyers, sporting a .924 SV% as Vegas ran the table against Utah, Anaheim, and Colorado.

Meanwhile, Andersen has stood on his head for Carolina, boasting a .928 SV% along with three playoff shutouts. 

Series leader odds: Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes

Conn Smythe odds 2026: Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes

Odds as of 5-30 via BET99. 

Our very own Josh Inglis called it two weeks ago, as Mitch Marner has shot up the Conn Smythe board after the Golden Knights took advantage of a Colorado Avalanche team that was banged up, with prior Conn Smythe frontrunners Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar both dealing with injuries.

Relative to his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Marner has been an absolute revelation in the postseason with VGK, leading all players in points (21). Now he's the odds-on favorite heading into Game 1 of the SCF. 

If you’re bullish on VGK bringing home the Cup, dark-horse candidates for Conn Smythe would be Pavel Dorofeyev (+5000) or Brett Howden (+10000), who enter the Final tied for the playoff lead with 10 goals apiece, as each continues to benefit from playing alongside Jack Eichel and Marner.

For Carolina, Taylor Hall has enjoyed a second wind at age 34, with the former first-overall pick and Jackson Blake pacing the Hurricanes in playoff points.

Golden Knights vs Hurricanes series prediction

With a superior defense and Andersen holding a longer track record of elite play relative to Hart, it’s going to be hard to overlook a Hurricanes team that has gone 12-1 this postseason.

This is a team that just held Montreal to an average of 17.8 shots per game over five contests, and I expect them to figure out VGK over the course of a seven-game series.

Prediction: Hurricanes to win the Stanley Cup (-155) /  Hurricanes in six (+450)

Golden Knights vs Hurricanes Game 1 prediction

Game 1 winners in the Stanley Cup Final have gone on to lift the Cup 77.2% of the time since the best-of-seven format was introduced, and Carolina will land the first blow on home ice.

Rod Brind’Amour’s club has completely shed the label of being playoff “frauds,” and Tuesday’s Game 1 signals a full week since Vegas last saw game action.

Take the Canes to catch the Golden Knights sleeping a little.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Although they themselves were unable to make it this far, the Philadelphia Flyers will be well represented in this year's Stanley Cup Final.

On one side, we have the Eastern Conference Champion Carolina Hurricanes, who had to get through the Flyers to get here in the first place, and on the other, the Vegas Golden Knights, who improbably swept and made quick work of the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final.

Both sides are spearheaded by men who proudly went to battle for the Flyers for years: John Tortorella, who coaches Vegas and coached the Flyers, and Rod Brind'Amour, who coaches the Hurricanes and played for the Flyers.

With the Golden Knights, Tortorella has reunited with former Flyers goalie Carter Hart, who has enjoyed a blazing playoff run to this point. Hart, 27, is 12-4-0 this postseason with a 2.22 GAA and .924 save percentage.

The Hurricanes are where things get more nostalgic, though.

Led by Brind'Amour, the Hurricanes boast a decently sized contingent of former Flyers, which includes Shayne Gostisbehere, Sean Walker, and Nick Deslauriers, who was traded to Carolina at the NHL trade deadline as a favor to the Flyers' tough guy and locker room favorite.

Can Flyers Pay Blackhawks' Price for No. 4 Pick in 2026 NHL Draft?The Philadelphia Flyers could potentially trade for the Chicago Blackhawks' top draft pick and select Ivar Stenberg in the 2026 NHL Draft.

They also have forward Eric Robinson, a Bellmawr, New Jersey, native who played youth hockey for the Philadelphia Flyers Elite 14UAAA and Virtua Hockey 16 UAAAA, 16U, and 18U teams before moving on to the USHL and NCAA.

No matter the outcome, one recent Flyer will come away with a Stanley Cup triumph added to their resume.

Tortorella, Walker, and Deslauriers were all on the Flyers together just over two calendar years ago, with Walker the first to leave after being sent to Colorado at the trade deadline in March 2024.

Tortorella was next in 2025, and then Deslauriers this past deadline in 2026.

This year's Stanley Cup may sting for some, but it's important to remember that many of these departures were necessary, with the obvious exception of Gostisbehere, whose exile from Philadelphia remains head-scratching to this day.

Well, the Montreal Canadiens had a great run this spring. A run that took the NHL by surprise, but it came to a grinding halt against a superior team, the Carolina Hurricanes. The Habs can at least say that they weren’t swept, but they were still beaten four times in a row, something that hadn’t happened to them since November (that included an overtime loss, but so did this streak).

Martin St-Louis shocked most pundits by electing not only to stick with the same lineups but also to keep the same lines and pairings. Arber Xhekaj took the warm-up, but in the end, he was once again scratched. It’s strange that in the first round, when he realized that things weren’t going right for his group, St-Louis made the adjustments needed, but in the Eastern Conference Final, for some reason, he refused to do it. It doesn’t send a great message to someone like Brendan Gallagher, who has been biding his time, hoping for another opportunity to give his all for the Sainte-Flanelle.

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Groundhog Day

Straight from the puck drop, the Hurricanes had a two-on-one, and while they didn’t score, it didn’t bode well for the Canadiens. Within 10 minutes, the Hurricanes had taken a 1-0 lead, despite a coach challenge for goalie interference. By the end of the first frame, Rod Brind’Amour’s men were up 3-0 just like they were on Wednesday night. Carolina had 15 shots in those first 20 minutes while the Canadiens could only muster four, despite having two power play opportunities.

Essentially, it made it look like the game was going to be a remix of Montreal’s last three defeats, and that’s exactly what it turned out to be.

Man Down

In Game 4 on Wednesday, it looked like Kaiden Guhle suffered a knee injury, and that’s more than likely why Xhekaj took the warmup on Friday night. Ultimately, Guhle elected to play, and in the second frame, he took a long time to get back up after falling onto the ice. When he got back up, pain was written all over his face.

He’s a hockey player; he was never going to want to miss the game. Knowing how high the stakes were, though, it was up to the coaching staff to tell him they needed players who would be able to perform at their best for this do-or-die game. If they’re able to keep Brendan Gallagher in the press gallery because he doesn’t have the same level of energy as he once did, they should also be able to tell a player he’s not fit to compete.

Back To The Basics

In the final frame, down 5-0, Jake Evans got a puck in space by the net, and instead of taking the shot, he attempted a backhand pass. That right there was the embodiment of what went wrong for the Canadiens in this series. Or at least of the things they could control that went wrong. Because make no mistake, the Canadiens didn’t beat themselves, the Hurricanes beat them fair and square. Still, you need to shoot to score goals, there’s no two-way around that simple fact.

And so ended the Canes' frustrating run of unsuccessful Conference Final appearances, with a 6-1 win in Game 5. Brind’Amour’s team will now face the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final starting on Tuesday. As for the Canadiens, they’ll go back home to Montreal, hold their exit meetings, and then head to their summer destination to heal the bumps, bruises, and ailments they’ve no doubt picked up along the way.

While this wasn’t the ending they had dreamt about, this young team can still be proud of having made it to the third round in what was, after all, just the fourth year of its rebuild. Throughout those six weeks of playoff action, the young Habs will have picked up a wealth of experience that will no doubt help them progress in the coming years, just like their early exit against the Washington Capitals last season did.

The Canadiens and Hurricanes shake hands following Game 5 🤝 pic.twitter.com/ezYHNITvY6

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 30, 2026

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Ten years ago today, Nick Bonino brought the house down at PPG Paints Arena with a late game-winning goal in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final.

The Penguins opened the 2016 Cup Final with a 3-2 win against the San Jose Sharks and it was quite the thrilling contest.

Pittsburgh was back in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2009 and the Penguins didn’t waste any time giving the home fans something to be excited about.

Bryan Rust opened the scoring just over seven minutes into the game and around a minute later, Conor Sheary extended the Penguins’ lead to 2-0.

The second period went more the way of the Sharks with Tomas Hertl and Patrick Marleau leveling the game at 2-2 headed to the final frame.

The third period was tightly played and it almost felt like the air in PPG Paints Arena was starting to reach a boiling point.

Then Nick Bonino blew the roof off with his late game-winner.

May the “Bonino, Bonino, Bonino” moment live on forever.

Scouts, exec assess fair value if Sharks decide to trade 2026 No. 2 overall pick originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.

What’s a fair trade for the Sharks’ No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft?

Of course, odds are, the Sharks aren’t actually going to deal the pick: The last time that a top-five selection moved, post-draft lottery, was in 2008.

That said?

“Mike Grier is absolutely open to moving the No. 2 pick,” insider Pierre LeBrun reported in The Athletic on Wednesday, “depending on the offers.”

So what are fair offers for No. 2 overall?

San Jose Hockey Now spoke with three NHL scouts and an executive to come up with some reasonable deals.

Two trade scenarios seem to make the most sense for the Sharks: Trading back from No. 2 and still coming out with a high pick or dangling No. 2 for an established star.

Trade Back?

The Sharks, as an organization, are deep up front and shallow on defense.

So while there’s much thought that wingers Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg are the top prospects of the draft, there’s also a handful of blueline prospects, Chase Reid, Carson Carels, Keaton Verhoeff and Alberts Smits, who could well be future No. 1 defensemen.

The Sharks must also add to their current blueline, which has just two defensemen signed for next year, veteran Dmitry Orlov and rookie Sam Dickinson.

So trading back can still net the Sharks a high pick, which they can use on a top defensive prospect, and they can acquire some blueline help right now, too.

Could the Sharks trade No. 2 to the Blackhawks for the No. 4 pick, defenseman Kevin Korchinski and Chicago’s 2026 second-rounder — No. 34 overall?

“I think that would be a fair trade,” the executive said.

“I like this trade for San Jose,” Scout No. 1 said.

Korchinski would be an intriguing-but-risky gamble. The 2022 No. 7 pick has bounced between the NHL and AHL for the last two years.

“I’m only 50-50 that he’s a top-four guy [in the future],” the exec said. “He’s sort of erratic. Has trouble slowing the game down.”

That said, the 6-foot-1 left-hander is just 21, talented, and could benefit from a change of scenery.

Also, the Blackhawks aren’t likely to trade their top young defensemen, think Alex Vlasic and Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel, just to move up two spots in the draft. Meanwhile, the Sharks might still end up with their choice of defenseman in the draft, if the top-three picks are forwards, and they’re adding some quality assets on top of that.

In the same vein, could the Sharks trade No. 2 to the New York Rangers for the No. 5 pick, defenseman Braden Schneider and the Carolina Hurricanes’ 2026 second-rounder? That pick will be in the 60’s.

Schneider, unlike Korchinski, is an established NHL player. He’s 24, big and mobile, and averaged over 20 minutes a night this season.

But there are also questions about what the pending RFA’s ceiling is, if he’s more of a high-end bottom-pairing defender as opposed to a true top-four.

“He didn’t elevate his play last year,” Scout No. 2 said. “But he would be a stabilizer for the Sharks. Not a big numbers guy, [can be] second-pairing and kill penalties.”

Schneider could be a solid replacement for possibly departing UFA Mario Ferraro. Both are stay-at-home defenders.

“I like this trade for both teams,” the executive said.

“This one could be close,” Scout No. 3 said.

This deal might lose the Sharks their top choice of defenseman in this draft, but that could be acceptable, if they like multiple blueliners equally or if their favorite is a less celebrated one like Smits.

Win Now?

Or, the Sharks could get teen superstar Macklin Celebrini some real help right now.

There aren’t a lot of true No. 1 defensemen in the NHL, and even fewer potentially available for the No. 2 pick. So who’s a top blueliner who could be conceivably available?

Keep in mind, this is less likely than a trade back, and simply an exercise in ascertaining fair value.

Could the Sharks trade No. 2 and center prospect Filip Bystedt (or goalie prospect Joshua Ravensbergen) to the Rangers for defenseman Adam Fox?

Fox, 28, is a right-hander with a $9.5 million AAV until 2029. He has a No-Movement Clause next year, which becomes a 16-team No-Trade List after that.

“If I were San Jose, I would be scared to take Fox,” the executive said, remembering that the star defenseman forced his way out of the Calgary Flames, who drafted him, and the Carolina Hurricanes, before landing in the Big Apple. Is he finally ready to go West?

New York was one of the NHL’s worst teams this year, though Rangers general manager Chris Drury hasn’t signaled that the organization is ready to rebuild.

Fox is not considered by most to be in the class of arguable best defenseman in the world, Cale Makar, but he’s still a true No. 1, a point-per-game force who was the 2021 Norris Trophy winner and a four-time top-five Norris finalist. Despite these accolades, Fox’s reputation has taken a hit in recent years, as he struggled for Team USA at Four Nations and was passed over for the 2026 Olympics.

“Value is fair,” the executive said of the No. 2 and Bystedt for Fox.

“I like the Fox scenario [for both sides],” Scout No. 2 said.

If the No. 2 pick and 2022 first-rounder Bystedt, a good-but-not-great third-line center prospect, feels light for Fox, perhaps 2025 first-rounder and top goalie prospect Ravensbergen instead of Bystedt is more appropriate value? The Rangers don’t appear to have an heir apparent for veteran Igor Shesterkin, while the Sharks have 23-year-old Yaroslav Askarov tabbed as their starter of the future.

“I’m sure they’d ask for a higher-end prospect than Bystedt,” Scout No. 3 opined, “or a young player already in the NHL.”

That said, youngsters Michael Misa, Sam Dickinson or Igor Chernyshov, along with the No. 2, would probably tip the scales too much in the Rangers’ favor.

Anyway, remember these trade proposals are just exercises in figuring out fair value.

“I think all have some traction to them,” Scout No. 2 said.

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After the game 4 win over Montreal with a 4-0 score, Carolina Captain Jordan Staal was quoted as saying that his team was “playing like a machine”.

Well, the machine kept on running without so much of a hiccup as they finished off the Eastern Conference Final series with a 6-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night.

After dropping game one, they finished up with four straight wins to close things out in five games. Their postseason record is now an amazing 12-1. Only three other teams in the modern era have accomplished this.

The Canes jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and never looked back. They outshot the Habs 15-4 and outhit them 10-4 in that key period.

Carolina’s second line continued to do the major damage as Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake, and Logan Stankoven contributed. Stankoven and Hall both had a goal and two assists while Blake chipped in with a goal and an assist.

Goalie Frederik Andersen had 23 saves on 24 shots and earned his 12th win of the postseason. It was an emotional night for Andersen, who considered the late Claude Lemieux like “family”. Lemieux also served as his agent.

The home team got things rolling about midway through the first period when Taylor Hall knocked in a puck from in close. The Canadiens challenged the goal for goaltender interference because Stankoven had taken the puck into the net and brushed Dobes. Apparently, the refs didn’t think there was enough contact to overturn the goal so the score stood.

About six minutes later, Stankoven would snipe one off a pass from Hall and it was 2-0.

Just a minute and change after that, Eric Robinson broke in alone and got another one past Dobes and it was 3-0. It was Robinson’s third goal of the playoffs.

At 7:19 into the second period, Jackson Blake knocked in a rebound off a Hall shot and the pressure was off at 4-0. Media members started making plane reservations to Vegas.

Just before the end of the period, Shayne Gostisbehere scored a powerplay goal when he snuck behind the Montreal defense to tap in a Seth Jarvis pass. At the end of the second, it was 5-0.

At this point, the partisan Carolina crowd was serenading the arena by singing “ole’ ole’ ole’ ” as a (tribute) to Montreal fans.

The Habs ruined Andersen’s shutout bid with a powerplay goal late in the game by Cole Caulfield, but Seth Jarvis would close out the scoring on an empty-netter.

The Canes will take Saturday off before preparing for the next series against the Las Vegas Golden Knights which starts Tuesday night at the Lenovo Center. We will have much more about that coming up.

After the game during interviews, each player to a man was very business like as they knew they had another tough task before them.

Game Summary – https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20252026/GS030315.HTM

Event Summary – https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20252026/ES030315.HTM

Interviews – https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/0ooz4291rrb3ld5ujaf3d/ACOQahJeYtuujlOBt7OWbRg?rlkey=aa0m2dn4482jqnggu5xbartot&e=1&st=4lsqr73l&dl=0

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen was playing with a heavy heart in Game 5 after the death of his agent, four-time Stanley Cup winner Claude Lemieux.

Andersen came up with one of his better efforts of the Eastern Conference finals, stopping 23 shots in a 6-1 win that sent the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006. It's also Andersen's first trip.

"I can't talk enough good things about this team and the way they've supported me," he told TNT. "It's been awesome."

Lemieux died at 60 on Thursday, three days after he took part in the Canadiens' torch-bearing ceremony before Game 3 at Montreal's Bell Centre.

Though Lemieux identified with the Canadiens as the team that drafted him and where he won his first Stanley Cup as a rookie, he had ties with the Hurricanes. In addition to having Andersen as a client, his son Brendan played for Carolina during the 2023-24 season. The Hurricanes paid tribute to Claude Lemieux before Friday's game.

Asked what Lemieux would say if he were still here, Andersen told TNT that his agent would tell him, "Just go get it."

"He's the ultimate competitor and he's got the biggest heart," the goalie said. "He wanted so much for me and this team."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Frederik Andersen wins clinching Game 5 while mourning Claude Lemieux

It's been covered many times over at this point that Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins seem prepared to mobilize in the trade market this summer.

Between comments about finding more players akin to Egor Chinakhov, saying he wants the Penguins to "take a big step" toward sustainable contention next season, and his sales-like pitch to prospective 20-something difference-makers, it's clear that they're prepared to pull the trigger on some bigger moves. And, yes, much is made about the Penguins' large cupboard of draft capital, their plethora of cap space, and wide pool of near-NHL-ready prospects all around the same age and projected to be, at least, NHL regulars.

However, the fact of the matter is that in order for the Penguins to acquire a game-changer in the trade market this summer t will require them surrendering a lot — including, likely, their 2026 first-round pick. 

Even if the Penguins have a lot of capital for the next three drafts - including 15 picks in the first three rounds - they still only have three total first-round picks. And for a team that hopes to simultaneously build for the long-term and take big steps toward legitimate contention next season, there is a fine line to walk in terms of acquisition cost. 

At the end of the day, better picks equal better players, and vice versa. And with a lot of talent, potentially, on the trade and the offer sheet market this summer, it may very well be the time for Dubas and the Penguins to consider going bigger in the trade market for a game-breaker.

But that probably also means the Penguins will be forced to give up at least one of their veterans, and, potentially, more than that in the process.

4 Prime Offer Sheet Candidates For Penguins To ConsiderAlthough Pittsburgh Penguins' GM and POHO Kyle Dubas isn't known to dabble in the RFA offer sheet market, there may be a few situations for him to consider this offseason.

The Penguins' 2025-26 season was impressive across the board and defied expectations, as they made the playoffs for the first time since 2022. Despite losing in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers, they made tangible progress in comparison to last season, but Dubas knows they still have a long way to go before reaching the contention level of a team like the Carolina Hurricanes, who just made the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006.

And a large part of that process, at some point, has to involve the Penguins' best talent skewing younger. The reality about last season's magical run to the playoffs was that their best players were still the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust, and Anthony Mantha. The common denominator is that they're all above the age of 30. Again, the Penguins need those 20-something impact players who are going to make a difference in the short- and long-term. 

Offloading someone like Rakell or Rust should net the Penguins some pretty handsome compensation. If the trade deadline was any indicator of what returns might look like, they should return a first-round pick, which would give the Penguins flexbility to leverage one of their firsts and use the other one to draft. And this aligns with the short game and the long game for Kyle Dubas. 

What Would It Take For Penguins To Land 3 'Big Fish' In Trade Market?Pittsburgh Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas made it clear that he is ready to activate in the trade market this summer. So, what would it cost for him to go after names like Auston Matthews, Robert Thomas, and Jason Robertson?

It's particularly beneficial to try and execute a deal before the draft, too, because having two first-round picks in any of the three upcoming drafts will both give them leverage they can use currently and give them more flexiblity in terms of moving significant draft capital. Should an impact name become available this summer, Dubas would surely be a lot more comfortable surrendering a first-plus if he already knows he has more picks to offset the loss of drafting a potential future impact piece. 

Simply put, offloading a veteran ahead of the draft will give them more margin for error and more flexibility that they wouldn't have otherwise. And that's no small deal when trying to build out a contender through both the trade and free agent market and the draft.

Of course - depending on the situation - it's very much possible that reliable top-six wingers Rakell or Rust get dealt as part of one of those bigger packages, involving that first-round pick. But the same applies to that line of thinking, too, as the Penguins would be subtracting in order to add sustainable talent to their roster. 

So, if the opportunity is there to dangle guys like Rakell or Rust prior to the NHL Draft at the end of June in order to provide a youthful boost to the short- and long-term of this franchise, Dubas should absolutely be all over it.

Penguins Have Trade Target To Consider In Bruins DefenderShould the Penguins make a push for Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei?

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