In the Ottawa Senators' lucrative Erik Karlsson trade from 2018, Rudolfs Balcers is one of the names from that deal that's often overlooked. Balcers played parts of two seasons in Ottawa, playing in a total of 51 games, and putting up 17 points (six goals, 11 assists).
But in January of 2021, when the Sens tried to send him to Belleville, he was claimed off waivers by the Sharks. He knew the way to San Jose, the team that drafted him, but by that point, with Tim Stutzle and Josh Norris playing so well in Ottawa, it was already clear the Sharks had lost the Karlsson trade quite badly.
It was almost as if Sharks GM Doug Wilson was vainly trying to mitigate the damage.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss whether free agent Viktor Arvidsson would be good free agent target for the Senators.
Balcers' NHL days are now behind him. For the past three years, he's played for Zurich SC in Switzerland, but at the well-scouted 2026 World Hockey Championships, which wrap up on Sunday, it's possible the 29-year-old may find himself back on NHL radars.
Balcers finished the tournament with a Latvian record 7 goals in the tournament, and heading into the gold medal game, no one in the tournament had more. He's tied with Noah Steen, who was Norway's overtime hero in the bronze medal game against Canada.
Balcers was named captain of Latvia for the first time, replacing Kaspars Daugavins, another former Senator who held that role for a long time, including the 2026 Olympics in Milan.
When Rangers defenseman Adam Fox's 99-year-old grandfather visited The Maven last Tuesday in Israel with other family members, Mel Fox said something meaningful that I had forgotten to mention in previous stories.
Naturally, our conversation had drifted to the subject of his grandson Adam, the Norris Trophy-winning Blueshirt blueliner.
Adam learned his hockey on Long Island rinks and has had a meaningful influence on young kids who want to play an "Adam Fox Kind Of Hockey."
With that in mind, Grandpa Fox offered this thought: "Adam should be a role model for Jewish kids playing hockey."
In fact there were two previous Jewish defensemen who manned the New York blue line and were, in fact, role models but of a different kind and distant era.
The first was Alex "Kingfish" Levinsky, who Rangers boss Lester Patrick obtained from Toronto in 1934. Levinsky played only one season for the Blueshirts and then was traded to Chicago where Kingfish completed a successful ten-year NHL career.
The genuine Jewish role model for a defenseman was Hy Buller. Born in Montreal but raised in Saskatoon, Buller was discovered by a Ranger scout in 1950 as a raw teenager.
By the fall of 1952 the Rangers figured that their Eastern Amateur Hockey League farm team, the New York Rovers, could use Hy as well as his two Saskatoon teammates, Vic Lynn and Dave Livingstone.
Playing for the Rovers at the old Madison Square Garden on Eighth Avenue between West 49th and West 50th Streets, Buller, Lynn and Livingstone excelled.
As a regular at Rover games, I watched the three Saskatoon prospects develop into solid pros. Lynn wound up skating for three Toronto Maple Leaf Cup-winners while Buller was signed by the Detroit Red Wings but failed in the Motor City.
Hy had two cups of coffee with the Wings in 1943-44 and 1944-45 before his demotion to the Hershey (AHL) Bears.
"The NHL was a six-team league at the time," said Rangers press agent Herb Goren. "And Buller wasn't considered quite good enough at the time. He eventually wound up with the
AHL Cleveland Barons where he was considered the best defenseman not in the NHL."
The Rangers signed Buller in 1951 and he became an instant hit. A huge BULLER banner -- adorned with the Jewish Star of David was hung over the end balcony.
"In no time at all," added Goren. "He became one of the best offensive defensemen in the league; but he also was good in his own end of the rink."
Buller played three seasons with the Blueshirts, through the 1953-54 season before being traded to the Montreal Canadiens. But Hy nixed the deal and retired from hockey then and there. Stricken with cancer, Buller died in 1968.
Not until the arrival of Adam Fox had the Rangers carried another Jewish defenseman. His grand-day remembers when Adam and Boston Bruins ace blueliner Charlie McAvoy teamed up on young Long Island teams.
"Adam and Charlie were inseparable," said Grandpa Mel. "I was hoping that they both would wind up on the Rangers, but it didn't work out."
Mel Fox, all 99 years of him, will celebrate his 100th birthday in August. Date, time and place are still undecided but it would be neat if Adam and Charlie McAvoy showed up. Grandpa Mel would love that – two excellent role models if ever there was a pair.
Mel's birthday wishes: 1. Another Blueshirt Stanley Cup in his lifetime and 2. Another Jewish Ranger like grandson Adam.
Wheeling is out of the Kelly Cup playoffs. Pittsburgh’s ECHL affiliate bowed out in five games to the Florida Everblades. The Nailers had two players in this playoff run on NHL contracts, Emil Pieniniemi played first pair minutes and produced eight points (1G+7A) in the 15 games, goalie Taylor Gauthier ran out of gas this round but acquitted himself well with a 9-6-2 record, .922 save percentage and 2.23 GAA. Gauthier was signed late in the year to an NHL contract, he’s scheduled to be a free agent again after playing parts of the last four seasons in the Wheel. The Penguins might have some upward mobility next year for an AHL goalie spot if one of those goalies goes up and Maxim Pavelenko becomes a free agent. Rookie Gabriel D’Aigle is in the picture too, with his entry level contract starting next season that will likely see him get a heavy workload in the ECHL.
— xy-Wheeling Nailers (@WheelingNailers) May 31, 2026
Up one rung on the ladder, it wasn’t good news for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL Calder Cup playoffs. The Toronto Marlies took a 2-0 series lead in the best-of-seven with a Friday night Game 2 OT win. The game-winning goal wasn’t without controversy.
It took a post-play review, where AHL officials cannot make goaltender interference determinations, to end up crediting former Penguin Marc Johnstone with the goal. Weird play for Sergei Murashov to lunge for the puck and come up empty. The odd notion was Johnstone was credited with the goal from in front, and how it was determined that he didn’t contact the puck above the crossbar is probably an even bigger question.
The next three games in the series shift to Toronto, putting WBS in a big hole.
ICYMI: #WBSPens HC Kirk MacDonald didn't agree with the game-deciding call in OT last night, but as the old saying goes "nothing we can do about it now".
The Penguins have been dealing with difficulties, Owen Pickering has missed the last few games with injury (and isn’t expected back any time soon) and now Alex Alexeyev was out for Game 2, dropping the two most important left shot defenseman from the lineup.
The offensive output has struggled so far, Wilkes only scored one goal on 34 shots in Game 2 – after scoring only twice on goalie Artur Akhtyamov in Game 1. The Marlies are a veteran team, 28-year olds Alex Nylander and Michael Pezzetta were the goal scorers in Game 2 for Toronto, WBS will have to dig deep starting in Monday’s Game 3 to overcome their biggest challenge so far in the playoffs.
The puck drops in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night in Carolina.
The Carolina Hurricanes are favored to win it all for the first time since 2006, while the Vegas Golden Knights look to win their second Cup in five years.
I agree with the market, and will break down why with my NHL picks for the final series of the season.
The Hurricanes won 14 more games during the regular season, posted better underlying metrics, and have home ice advantage, so it is easy to see why they are considered clear frontrunners in this matchup.
The total is heavily juiced to the Over of 5.5 games, so a competitive series is expected here, which would be refreshing after two lopsided matchups in the Conference Finals.
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes series preview
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes statistical breakdown
The Golden Knights and Hurricanes clashed twice in the regular season, and things didn't go so well for the Stanley Cup favorites.
The Hurricanes dropped both games and were out-scored 10-4 while controlling just over 33% of the expected goals, which is very abnormal.
Context is key. Jaccob Slavin missed both games for Carolina, while K'Andre Miller was also sidelined for one. Those are Carolina's two leaders in playoff ice time, so their absences were certainly noteworthy.
We're also talking about a two-game sample. The Canes graded out better than the Knights in shot share, chance share, expected goal share, and goal share over the course of the entire season.
They were especially dominant at home, where they controlled a league-leading 58.06% of the expected goals and ranked first in points percentage.
Vegas posted strong numbers under the hood — certainly better than you'd expect from a 39-win team — but Carolina is a clear step up.
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes series props
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes correct score odds
Team
Win 4-0
Win 4-1
Win 4-2
Win 4-3
Golden Knights
+1900
+900
+550
+550
Hurricanes
+1000
+450
+450
+425
Pick: Hurricanes win 4-2 (+450 at Bet99)
The Hurricanes have only dropped one game through three rounds, but they played Ottawa and Philadelphia teams that lacked high-end firepower, and a fatigued Montreal side coming off back-to-back grueling seven-game series against divisional opponents.
They deserve full marks for taking advantage, but the table was set about as well as it could have been in the Eastern Conference bracket.
Vegas has a combination of elite talent and a strong underlying process that none of Carolina's previous opponents did, which better equips them to test Carolina.
I think the Hurricanes are the better team, and they have home ice, but this series should be legitimately competitive. Playable to +440.
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes total game odds
Pick: Over 5.5 (-190 at Bet99)
Eight of the last 11 Stanley Cups have gone at least six games, and one of the exceptions came during a COVID-altered season with full division realignment. That was a strange year where Tampa Bay and Montreal — two Atlantic Division foes — faced off in the Final.
We generally don't see short series in the Stanley Cup, which is to be expected in battles between the cream of the crop.
One thing that should help this series is both teams will have full tanks. The Hurricanes are well-rested from having only one series go more than four games, while the Golden Knights are coming off a sweep and get a full week off between games.
Vegas also last played on the road on May 22, meaning they've had next to no travel.
Expect this series to last, and bet the Over to -200.
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes top goalscorer
Pick: Jackson Blake (+1900 at Bet99)
Nobody in the playoffs has recorded more expected goals or high-danger scoring chances than Jackson Blake at 5-on-5, and he's just one back in terms of rebounds created.
He is starting a higher percentage of his shifts in the offensive zone than anybody on the Hurricanes and, clearly, taking advantage of that deployment.
Carter Hart has played well in the playoffs, but Adin Hill was the only goaltender in the NHL with a worse high-danger save percentage in the regular season. If those warts resurface, Blake profiles as a likely candidate to take advantage.
Betable to +1700.
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes series best bet
Pick: Hurricanes to win (-155 at Bet99)
This price implies Carolina has a ~60% chance of winning the series, but I think those odds undersell the Hurricanes a little bit and have a fair price close to -170.
The Hurricanes and Golden Knights have posted similar outputs in high-danger chance generation, but the former has been much better at suppressing them.
I don't see the Hurricanes giving up much at 5-on-5, especially when able to control matchups at home, and their penalty kill has been elite for 95 games. Their team defense should be the difference.
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.
The Chicago Blackhawks have one of the best farm systems in the NHL. A lot of their top talent is already in the NHL, but there are great players in other developmental leagues around the world waiting for that chance to play in Chicago.
It is unclear if any of them will step into that “premier pure goal scorer” role that every good team likes to have, but there are a handful of candidates who possess great hockey IQ and the ability to shoot well.
Three of them in particular, Jack Pridham, Nick Lardis, and Marek Vanacker, are past or present OHL stars with the tools to be great NHL goal scorers.
In 2024-25, Lardis led the OHL with 71 goals as a member of the Brantford Bulldogs. He then turned pro in 2025-26 and continued to fill the nets. In 35 games with the Rockford IceHogs, Lardis had 18 goals. The early success earned him an NHL look when Connor Bedard got hurt, and he went on to play 41 games with 10 goals.
A 20-goal pace at the NHL level is no joke, especially for a rookie former third-round pick. Of the three snipers mentioned here, Lardis is the closest to fulfilling his destiny of being an impactful NHL sniper.
As for Vanacker and Pridham, they were the top two goal scorers in the OHL this season. Only time will tell if they follow the same path to success as a rookie pro as Lardis did. There are similar skill sets and mindsets, which allow them to find twine with regularity.
There is a wrinkle to the story concerning Pridham. If he doesn’t either sign his entry-level contract with Chicago or commit to the NCAA by June 1st, he will re-enter the draft in 2026. Chicago doesn’t want to lose him for nothing, but not everyone is going to work out when the farm is that deep.
Pridham is going to play in the Memorial Cup Final with the Kitchener Rangers on Sunday night. He will decide a major detail of his future following that big game, but it must be done in the short window before the aforementioned June 1st deadline.
Connor Bedard was touted as a sniper coming out of the WHL, but his playmaking has been incredible in the NHL as well. He is more of a well-rounded offensive player. It is also unclear what kind of players Anton Frondell and Frank Nazar will be in the offensive zone, but early signs of great playmakers are there.
Having snipers on the wing will be important for the construction of the team if they want to become a legit winner.
If the Blackhawks lose Pridham, they won't be happy about it, but it isn't a make-or-break situation either. They have a farm system filled with players who could develop into high-end snipers, and they have a lot of draft picks to work with as well.
Kyle Davidson has stayed the course throughout this process, and he will do what he can to make sure more goal-scoring talent is inserted into the lineup over the years.
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The 2025-26 season did not end as a major success for the New York Islanders, with the team tumbling out of the playoff picture in April.
However, Bo Horvat had another great season for the Islanders, despite missing 14 games to injuries.
Horvat posted 31 goals and 57 points in 68 games, leading the team in goals. His 57 points were good for third on the team, trailing only Mathew Barzal (80) and rookie superstar, Matthew Schaefer (59).
The next closest Islander to those three was Anders Lee, with 19 goals and 42 points in 82 games.
Horvat also represented Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, playing a key role in Canada's bottom six, penalty kill, and second unit power play.
With all that attention, The Hockey News named Horvat the 87th best player in the NHL this past season, just ahead of fellow Olympians Brock Nelson (89) and Anthony Cirelli (88).
The family of late NHL player Claude Lemieux has released a statement, saying they are donating his brain for study and asking for "compassion" in reporting his death.
Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup winner, died on Thursday, May 28, at age 60. His body was found in a warehouse of a furniture showroom that the family owned in Florida.
"The family recognizes that there has been public reporting about the circumstances of Claude's death," said the family statement, which was shared by his son, Brendan, a 2014 second-round NHL draft pick. "Suicide is complex, and the family asks media and the public to discuss this loss with care, compassion and respect for those who loved him.
"Anyone in crisis or emotional distress in the United States can call or text 988 for confidential support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline."
Here's the latest on the death of Claude Lemieux:
Family donating his brain for CTE study
The statement said the family will donate Lemieux's brain to the UNITE Brain Bank at the Boston University CTE Center for research into the long-term effects of repetitive head impacts and traumatic brain injury.
"The family emphasizes that this decision is a gift to science, to athletes and to future generations of families seeking answers. No conclusion should be drawn at this time regarding any diagnosis," the statement reads.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive neurodegenerative brain disease caused by repeated head trauma. It has been found in posthumous studies of the brains of football and hockey players, most recently in former NHL tough guy Lyndon Byers, who died in July.
Who was Claude Lemieux?
Lemieux played 21 NHL seasons and won Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens (1986), New Jersey Devils (1995 and 2000) and Colorado Avalanche (1996). He was playoff MVP in 1995 after scoring 13 goals with the Devils.
He also was a gritty player and agitator whose hit on Kris Draper in the 1996 playoffs left the Detroit Red Wings player with severe facial injuries and sparked a yearslong rivalry between the Red Wings and Avalanche.
After his retirement, he became a prominent player agent, representing Carolina Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen, Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider and others.
"Claude was a beloved son, husband, father, grandfather, brother, friend and teammate," the family statement said. "To the hockey world, he was one of the game's most unforgettable competitors: a four-time Stanley Cup champion, a Conn Smythe Trophy winner, and one of the great playoff performers of all time. To his family, he was more than a hero: he was loving, loyal, funny, protective, and generous. He was stubborn, and he was completely devoted to the people he loved. He was adored by his family in turn.
"Claude was a passionate man. He brought that passion to the rink, to his work, to his friendships, and most of all to his family. He was fierce on the ice because he cared so deeply about winning, about his teammates, and about never giving less than everything he had. Away from the game, he was tender, loyal and full of life. He made us laugh, he showed up for us, and he loved his children and grandchildren with his whole heart."
Darren McCarty pays tribute to Claude Lemieux
Darren McCarty had fought Lemieux the season after his hit on Draper. He said he learned of Lemieux's death from Draper.
McCarty, who has done charity appearances with Lemieux, posted a tribute to Lemieux and also spoke about him on Woodward Sports.
"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."
Frederik Andersen clinches Hurricanes series with heavy heart
Andersen, one of Lemieux's first clients as an agent, won Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals to send the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006. He did so with a heavy heart after the death of Lemieux.
"I can't talk enough good things about this team and the way they've supported me," he told TNT. "It's been awesome."
The Philadelphia Flyers have seen a number of their prospects get traded to new teams or commit to colleges recently, and that trend is reportedly likely to extend to the goalie position now, too.
Top Flyers goalie prospect Egor Zavragin had a strange season, playing 12 KHL regular season games for SKA St. Petersburg, 18 VHL regular season games for SKA-VMF St. Petersburg, and one MHL regular season game for SKA-1946 St. Petersburg.
After playing 46 KHL regular season games for SKA and HK Sochi last year and breaking out onto the scene in a major way, Zavragin struggled to earn a consistent spot in the lineup this year and fell out of favor in the eyes of new head coach Igor Larionov.
The Flyers' 2023 third-round pick still posted a respectable 2.63 GAA and .919 save percentage, but those stats paled in comparison to the 2.01 GAA and .939 save percentage of Artemi Pleshkov, and 2.50 GAA and .928 save percentage of Sergei Ivanov.
Pleshkov and Ivanov were first and eighth in the KHL in save percentage, respectively, whereas Zavragin was 15th.
And that isn't a knock on Zavragin. Statistically, he still performed better than established KHL goalies (and some former NHLers) like Timur Bilyalov, Alex Georgiev, Vasili Demchenko, Zach Fucale, Spencer Martin, Louis Domingue, Chris Dreidger, and esteemed Colorado Avalanche prospect Ilya Nabokov, who is about to make the jump to North America.
But, given that Zavragin is clearly also behind Pleshkov and Ivanov, a trade would be beneficial for the Flyers prospect's development, and that is exactly what might happen.
According to KHL insider Hockey News Hub, it would not be a surprise if "Zavragin is traded in the next couple of days," and that Metallurg Magnitogorsk is the "most likely" destination with their need to replace the departing Nabokov.
Zavragin will have to overtake incumbent Alexander Smolin to become the starter with Metallurg, but he at least would have a clear path to rotational minutes on a team just went to the Gagarin Cup Eastern Conference semifinal.
The 20-year-old has only one year remaining on his KHL contract, and from there, he would be free to join the Flyers organization and continue developing here.
Mason McTavish trade rumours to Ottawa are close to becoming an annual summertime tradition.
They were everywhere last year, and they made sense. McTavish was a restricted free agent and, as the summer heated up, so did the trade chatter around the league. By September, McTavish was still home in Ottawa, skating with the 67's, and waiting for a deal, either by contract or trade.
He finally got one, a six-year contract worth $42 million, which seemed to put questions about McTavish's future to rest for the foreseeable future.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss whether free agent forward Viktor Arvidsson might be a good fit in Ottawa.
Well, not so much, as it turns out.
For a second straight summer, from Pierre LeBrun to Bruce Garrioch, McTavish's name is splattered all over the news as a possible trade chip for Anaheim, with the Senators being mentioned as a possible destination.
But does it make sense? Anaheim just signed the guy long-term. Why would they consider moving him eight months later? And is he the right fit in Ottawa?
Let's dig in.
Anaheim's View
As a team, Anaheim had a fine season. McTavish and the Ducks went out and made the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
But with great money comes great expectations, and McTavish didn't meet them this season.
While the Ducks improved by 12 points in the standings, McTavish had 11 fewer points than he did the year before, dropping from 22 goals and 52 points in his contract year to 17 goals and 41 points this year.
He was also healthy-scratched twice in the playoffs, when it matters most, which is a huge red flag.
Another angle is that the Ducks need help on the blue line if they're going to take the next step. They were loaded this season with good young forwards like Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, and Beckett Sennecke, along with veterans like Troy Terry, Mikael Granlund, Chris Kreider and Alex Killorn. But they need D.
Finally, GM Pat Verbeek still has to do some financial tap dancing this summer. Both Carlsson and Gauthier are restricted free agents and will be due massive raises. The 22-year-old Gauthier led the Ducks with 41 goals and 69 points. Carlsson was next with 29 goals and 67 points.
The Ducks also have decisions to make with veteran defencemen John Carlson, Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba, who are all unrestricted free agents this summer.
So while Anaheim still values McTavish as an asset, there will need to be some sacrifice and restructuring one way or another. Maybe there's an opportunity for another team to buy low, but that's doubtful.
McTavish's stock dipped this season, but there would still be plenty of teams interested.
Ottawa's View
On the other hand, it's well documented why the Senators might have an interest in McTavish.
He was an outstanding junior prospect, starring for Team Canada at the 2022 World Juniors and leading the entire tournament with 17 points in seven games. He's 6-foot-1, 219 pounds, entering his fifth NHL season, and so far seems to be settling into a 40-to-50-point range. Though an argument could be made that his drop in production last season had a lot to do with missing training camp.
And of course, he has history with Ottawa and the Senators.
He spent last fall skating with the 67's. He's a Carp native. He played for Michael Andlauer and Steve Staios with the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs, helping them win a championship.
Oh, and his father is Dale McTavish, who works as a pro scout for the Senators.
Sometimes home cooking and the comforts of home can turn a player around.
The Senators would also like to add another top-six forward. But not if he stays in that 40-to-50-point window he's occupied during his first four NHL seasons.
The Senators had six forwards this year who scored more points than McTavish did. He's certainly a player you'd like to add, any team would. But if you're taking on that salary and giving up important assets, you're doing so with the belief that he can produce 70-plus points, something he hasn't yet come close to doing.
Another forward would be nice, but is it Ottawa's biggest priority? The Sens went cold in the playoffs, but they were the league's ninth-highest-scoring team this season.
Meanwhile, they find themselves in the same pickle they were in two summers ago, needing to rebalance their blue line. With Nick Jensen possibly moving on and Jordan Spence emerging, the Senators are back to having a lot of puck movers, and not enough snarly, hard-to-play-against shutdown guys.
Oh, and the Senators may also need a reliable backup goalie who can play a lot of games. Where starter Linus Ullmark is concerned, as Guy Boucher liked to say, rest is a weapon.
There may be too many things working against the notion of bringing the kid from Carp home. But there are enough things that do make sense that it's worth some creative conversation over the summer.
While the Montreal Canadiens had a deeper-than-expected run in the playoffs this season, their success did expose one crying need: a second-line center. At the start of the regular season, rookie Oliver Kapanen inherited the role because of the team’s lack of options, and for most of the season, he did well.
Playing alongside Ivan Demidov, Juraj Slafkovsky or Alex Newhook, the Finn had a good rookie season, even though he slowed down considerably after the Olympics. In the first 57 games of the campaign, he had 18 goals and 31 points. After the Games, he could manage only four goals and six points in 25 matches.
Given his lack of production at the tail end of the season, it wasn’t surprising that he couldn’t assume a top-six role in the playoffs, and given the lack of options, Jake Evans had to assume the role of second center during the postseason.
While the Ontarian is a good player who can help anywhere up and down the lineup, he doesn’t have the offensive instinct needed to assume such an offensive role. His performance of two goals and eight assists for 10 points in 19 games was remarkable, but had a player with more of a finishing touch played alongside a playmaker like Demidov, they likely would have had more than two goals. That would have proven very helpful as Montreal struggled to generate offense, especially in the Eastern Conference Final.
The answer won’t come internally, at least not for the upcoming season. Michael Hage has opted to spend another year in the NCAA, and it’s unlikely he would have been ready for such a high-profile role in any case. As for Owen Beck, if and when he makes it to the NHL, it’s likely to be as a bottom-six center.
As good a GM as Kent Hughes is, even he would be hard-pressed to find a second-line center on the free agent market. The best center of that free agent market class was going to be Evgeny Malkin, but he has already signed an extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins, meaning the top options will be 33-year-old Boone Jenner, who isn’t a top-six player, or Claude Giroux, who can play both wing or center but is already 38 years old.
If the GM wants to help his team down the middle, it looks like he will have to do it with a trade. Last off-season, he addressed a major organizational need by acquiring Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders, but he had two enticing first-round picks to work with at the time. This time around, he only has his own first-round pick, and given the team’s deep playoff run, we’re talking about a late pick.
That being said, the Canadiens do have a lot of interesting prospects on their hands. There’s the aforementioned Hage, Alexander Zharovsky, David Reinbacher, Adam Engstrom and, given Jakub Dobes’ performance in the playoffs, could Hughes explore the idea of trading one of his young goalies? It feels like teams could ask, but I doubt the GM will be ready to entertain the idea.
Was the trade that almost came to fruition before the trade deadline for a second-line center? It’s a possibility since Hughes said it would have been a significant deal. He has also said the idea could be revisited in the off-season, but is the GM he was talking with still in post? Brad Treliving has lost his job in Toronto, just like Patrik Alvin in Vancouver and Tom Fitzgerald in New Jersey. It’s a lot easier to pick up where you left off if your potential trading partner is still around.
Who could be a potential target for Hughes? Mason MacTavish from the Anaheim Ducks could be an interesting option. He signed a six-year contract with a $7 M cap hit last offseason, but he didn’t have the kind of season Anaheim was expecting from him, with 41 points in 75 games. He was even a healthy scratch at times. Robert Thomas’ name has made the rounds for some time now, but St. Louis Blues' GM Doug Armstrong is reportedly quite a demanding trade partner.
The most intriguing name on the market has to be Nico Hischier. The New Jersey Devils’ top center and captain is about to enter the final year of a contract that pays him $7.25 M per year. At the end of the next season, he’ll be a UFA. If he doesn’t intend to re-up in New Jersey, new GM Sunny Mehta could be forced to trade him. Of course, if he wants to get a good return, that would likely be a sign-and-trade deal, just like Dobson last season.
At 27, Hischier would fit right in with the Canadiens and bring a wealth of experience. Even if he’s only made the playoffs twice, he has played nine seasons in the NHL. He has never scored more than 80 points in a season and put up 66 points last year, but his production could certainly improve if he played alongside the talented Demidov.
With over four months to work with before the start of the next season, Hughes and Jeff Gorton will have a lot of time to explore various options, and it’s far from out of the question that they could pull the trigger on a deal that none of us saw coming.
In the NHL playoffs, the difference between advancing and going home is often not talent—it’s timing.
If the Colorado Avalanche decide to move on from Jared Bednar, the most obvious replacement may already be sitting in the same conference.
Former Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch stands out as a natural candidate. In many ways, he mirrors Bednar: calm, composed, and analytically driven. But there is one trait where he has separated himself in a way Colorado has increasingly struggled to match—how quickly he adjusts when a series changes.
A surface-level argument would dismiss Knoblauch because he has not yet won a Stanley Cup as a head coach, and default to Bednar as the safer option. But that ignores how often modern playoff series are decided after they reach equilibrium, not before.
When The Game Stops Looking Like Plan A
Knoblauch’s coaching identity was shaped in Edmonton, where he quickly established himself as a steady but responsive bench boss. He took over the Oilers in November 2023 after the organization parted ways with Jay Woodcroft, stabilizing a team that had drifted early and reshaping it into a legitimate contender.
From there, his approach has been consistent: stay with a plan until the game proves it needs to change.
As ESPN’s Ryan S. Clark noted, coaching at this level requires balancing “the macro view -- looking at the totality of a team -- while blending in the micro,” where “those real-time, in-game decisions can be the difference between being a winning franchise or one that wonders what would have been if better choices had been made.”
That philosophy is built around flexibility. As the piece puts it, “It’s about having confidence in Plan A. But it’s about having even more confidence in knowing when to shift away from Plan A in favor of Plan B, Plan C or an entirely different plan altogether at a moment’s notice.”
Players noticed it quickly.
Former Oilers forward Connor Brown described Knoblauch as “a pretty analytical guy and pretty composed,” adding, “I think he sees it clearly in these high-pressure situations. I think his judgement is pretty clear.”
Defenseman Darnell Nurse echoed that same idea more directly: “He has a knack for making adjustments at the right time and not making an adjustment just to make one.”
The emphasis isn’t on constant change—it’s on restraint with purpose.
Control Without Panic
The most noticeable trait behind Knoblauch’s bench is what doesn’t happen: overreaction.
Even when games swing early or momentum shifts quickly, the response is measured rather than emotional.
That steadiness has translated into a team that tends to stabilize games rather than spiral in them. The changes come, but they come with intention.
It’s not about reinventing the system mid-game. It’s about recognizing when the game has already changed. For instance, perhaps Jared Bednar should have started Mackenzie Blackwood in Game 3. And when Brock Nelson struggled at second-line center, maybe the adjustment should have come sooner—shifting Nazem Kadri back into a role he’s far more accustomed to handling.
The Avalanche Question That Never Goes Away
For Colorado, the conversation has never really been about talent. The roster has remained one of the league’s most dangerous for years. The question has been what happens once opponents adjust and the series tightens.
In 2019 against San Jose, Colorado pushed the Sharks to seven games in the second round, but the series swung late as the Sharks found ways to counter and close it out.
In 2021, the Avalanche opened with two wins over Vegas before the Golden Knights adjusted, evened the series at 2–2, and ultimately took control to win in six.
In 2023, Colorado’s first-round series against Seattle became another example of a tightly contested matchup where momentum shifted as it progressed, with the Avalanche ultimately falling in seven.
In 2024, Dallas proved able to counter Colorado’s attack structure over the course of a six-game series, and in 2025, another extended battle with the Stars again highlighted how quickly series can turn once adjustments begin to dictate play.
Early control hasn’t been the issue—sustaining it has. Against top-tier opponents, Colorado has at times been outmaneuvered by coaches such as Peter DeBoer on multiple occasions, and more recently John Tortorella, who stepped in as a late replacement in Vegas following the firing of Bruce Cassidy. A sweep at the hands of the Golden Knights only intensified those concerns and raised further questions about whether a different voice behind the bench is necessary.
That is where Knoblauch’s profile naturally enters the conversation.
His time in Edmonton eventually came to a close after a first-round playoff exit to the Anaheim Ducks in 2026, a disappointing finish to a productive three-year run. But even as the results fell short at the end, the coaching identity that defined his tenure had already been established long before that final series.
One of the clearest examples came in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final against Florida. Edmonton fell behind 3–0 in the series, but didn’t collapse. Instead, the structure shifted—matchups changed, lines were adjusted, and the game gradually tightened.
The Oilers forced a Game 7 before losing 2–1.
The result didn’t change the outcome, but it did reveal something more lasting: the series stayed alive because they didn't stick to the game strategy.
That is the thread running through Knoblauch’s coaching profile—less about dominance, more about adaptation under pressure.
And in the modern NHL, where series often turn once they reach 2–2 and become tactical rather than technical, that trait carries weight.
Because at that stage, the question isn’t who has the better roster.
LAS VEGAS — No strangers to controversy, the Golden Knights know the spotlight is going to shine even brighter now that they are back in the Stanley Cup Final with a particular glare on goaltender Carter Hart.
Hart is a major reason Vegas is playing for the Cup for the third time in their nine years and going after their second championship in four seasons. The first three opponents in the NHL playoffs failed to solve him, and now it will be up to Carolina — 12-1 in the playoffs — to take one last whack at finding a way to get pucks past Hart when that series opens Tuesday in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Hart’s very presence in the NHL generated discussions about whether he should even be allowed to suit up. He was one of five 2018 Canada world junior hockey players acquitted of sexual assault last July. The NHL ruled those players were eligible to sign deals beginning Oct. 15 and to play starting Dec. 1. Hart signed a two-year, $4 million contract with Vegas and hasn’t looked back.
Hart has emerged as a credible Conn Smythe Trophy candidate for playoff MVP. His interviews the past couple of months have been limited but he is likely to face questions about the case before Game 1.
Golden Knights fans welcomed him from the beginning, clapping for him when he took the ice for the first time Dec. 2 against Chicago, some even bringing signs expressing their support. Those cheers have only grown during the club’s Cup Final run; he receives among the loudest ovations when the starting lineup is introduced before home games.
“Everybody here has been so awesome,” Hart said after the Golden Knights swept Colorado in the Western Conference Final. “You see it every day with the fans. They show up at the rink and our practices. The support that we get is unbelievable. They’re just so excited about the Vegas Golden Knights, and I’m so blessed to be here.”
Torts in his corner
Vegas might have been the perfect spot for Hart to land.
It’s a franchise that isn’t afraid to aggressively do what it can to win. Vegas also has a veteran locker room, and even more beneficial for Hart is that he is playing for a coach who knows him and strongly defends him as a person and a goalie. John Tortorella coached Hart in Philadelphia and was convinced the Flyers were turning into real contenders in the 2023-24 season when the league suspended the goalie along with the other four players involved in the scandal.
“I think he’s a strong kid mentally,” Tortorella said. “I certainly watched him when he came into the organization and played in his first couple of games, and I watched him play in an overtime game where he played really well. He’s dialed in ... He was growing tremendously in Philly until he had to step out of the league, and he’s right back at it.”
Cassidy had started Adin Hill, who backstopped the Golden Knights’ 2023 Cup championship, down the stretch. One of Tortorella’s first moves was to put Hart in net.
“I loved playing for him in Philly,” Hart said. “Super happy he’s here.”
Future was in doubt
The fact Hart is in Vegas was far from a sure thing last summer.
He was one of the junior players charged in 2024 in connection with an incident in London, Ontario, that occurred six years earlier. The judge overseeing the trial said the prosecution did not meet the burden of proof to convict the players and that the allegations lacked the credibility to justify the charges.
The NHL conducted its own investigation in 2022, and after the players were cleared of legal responsibility, the league announced they would be reinstated. With the league calling the players’ actions “deeply troubling and unacceptable,” there wasn’t a rush by clubs to start signing them.
The Hurricanes considered signing Hart and Michael McLeod, but ultimately decided to pass. Vegas had a different answer for Hart, agreeing to bring him aboard and later issued a statement about being “committed to the core values that have defined our organization from its inception.”
Hart read his own statement to reporters back then, saying he wanted “to show the community my true character and who I am and what I’m about.”
Rocky start with new club
The return to action wasn’t quite what Hart envisioned.
He went 5-3-3 with a 3.23 goals-against average and .874 save percentage, and that wasn’t even the worst of it. Hart suffered a lower-body injury during a Jan. 8 game against Columbus, taking him out of the lineup for nearly three months.
Vegas’ goaltending was, at best, inconsistent with Hill and Akira Schmid more or less sharing duties. Even with Hart expected to come back late in the season, there was little indication the Golden Knights would be able to rely on their goalies.
Tortorella saw something different, starting Hart in six of the final eight games. Hart went 6-0 with a 1.67 GAA and .930 save percentage.
Suddenly, there was no doubt who was the starting goalie.
“He (spends) a long day at the rink with his preparation and making sure he’s dialied (in),” defenseman Shea Theodore said. “It’s just fun to watch.”
Rolling in the playoffs
Hart has carried that strong play into the postseason.
He is 12-4 with a 2.22 GAA and a .924 save percentage. He has won six starts in a row, including a sweep of Colorado against a team that led the league with 3.63 goals per game but was held to 1.75 by Hart and the Golden Knights defense.
“I think he’s just been getting more and more confident each game, each round he’s played,” forward Brett Howden said. “There’s a lot of momentum in these rounds of games. Obviously, it’s going to go back and forth. I feel like he does an unbelievable job of keeping us in the game. He’ll bail us out if we need to be bailed out.”
The challenge doesn’t get any easier, going against a Carolina team that outshot Montreal 139-67 over the final four games in the Eastern Conference Final. Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen has been stellar in the net this postseason, with a 1.41 GAA and .931 save percentage.
Should the Hurricanes win the Cup, Andersen likely will be the one skating off with the Conn Smythe.
Hart understands the challenge.
“I have a lot of work to do,” Hart said. “We’ve just got to prepare for the next game. We’ll be ready for Game 1.”
One of the quietly underrated forwards of his NHL generation, Thomas Vanek was announced Sunday as a member of the IIHF Hall of Fame Class of 2026, earning the honor on the strength of an exceptional international career representing his home nation of Austria.
Vanek's induction is a fitting tribute to a player who, despite never quite receiving the mainstream recognition his numbers deserved, proved himself one of the most reliable offensive contributors of his era. Over 14 NHL seasons and 1,029 games, the Austrian winger accumulated 373 goals and 416 assists for 789 points.
Playing for seven franchises including the Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers, Vanek was most closely associated with the Buffalo Sabres, where he established himself as a consistent 60-plus point threat in his prime.
But it is his body of work in international hockey that earned him this particular honor. Vanek is arguably the greatest player Austria has ever produced on the ice, and his international resume backs that up. He appeared in two Winter Olympics for his country and was a standout presence at the IIHF World Championships, logging 17 points across 19 games in three tournament appearances.
Thomas Vanek is widely regarded as Austria’s most accomplished player, with a standout NHL career and major international appearances. 🇦🇹 #IIHFpic.twitter.com/BLxHMuxT3G
As a junior, he announced himself to the hockey world emphatically, posting a remarkable 17 goals and 11 assists for 28 points in just 16 games across three World Junior Championships.
His time in Detroit, though brief, was memorable on both ends as he joined the Red Wings at the start of the 2016-17 season and made an immediate impact, recording 15 goals and 23 assists for 38 points in 48 games before being dealt to Florida as Detroit navigated a difficult rebuild.
He liked the city enough to come back in what would be the final season of his career during the 2018-19 campaign. Vanek returned to the Motor City and put up 36 points in 64 games, still a reliable depth scoring option at the end of his run, and the kind of veteran presence the current Red Wings roster could frankly use.
Since hanging up his skates, Vanek has remained close to the game, working as a Team Consultant with the San Jose Sharks and has also served as an assistant coach for the Stillwater Bantam AA program. Sunday's announcement ensures that his underrated hockey legacy is finally recongized and is now officially enshrined.
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Jackson Blake is having a tremendous postseason, putting him among the Conn Smythe favorites heading into Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
My Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes predictions expect another productive offensive showing from Blake in the series opener.
Let's break down why with my NHL picks for June 2.
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes Game 1 prediction
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes best bet: Jackson Blake Over 0.5 points (-135)
The Noah Hanifin - Rasmus Andersson pairing has lost their 5-on-5 minutes on the scoreboard and controlled just 41.20% of the expected goals share, ranking them 16th out of 17 pairings to log 100+ minutes in the playoffs.
John Tortorella is giving them a lot of defensive zone starts, which doesn’t make life easy, but they’re still struggling to limit chances and keep the puck out.
Jackson Blake leads the Carolina Hurricanes in offensive zone start percentage (89.57%), expected goals, and time on ice at 5-on-5. He is the most likely candidate to take advantage. Play to -150.
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes Game 1 same-game parlay
Taylor Hall is pacing the Hurricanes in points, primary points, and sits tied with Blake for the top spot in high-danger chances.
He is a dual-threat player and has seen the same kind of favorable usage — albeit in less ice time — as Blake. The two play together at 5-on-5 and on a second power play unit that gets plenty of run, giving them a strong correlation.
The Hurricanes have a +67 high-danger chance differential through three rounds, well clear of the +33 differential the Golden Knights possess. They are playing lights out, have home ice, and rust won't be an issue in Game 1 this time around.
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes SGP
Jackson Blake Over 0.5 points
Taylor Hall Over 0.5 points
Carolina Hurricanes moneyline
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes odds for Game 1
Moneyline: Golden Knights -145 | Hurricanes +125
Puck Line: Golden Knights +1.5 (-200) | Hurricanes -1.5 (+165)
Over/Under: Over 5.5 (-115) | Under 5.5 (-105)
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes trend
Carolina has won 20 of its last 25 games (+13.50 units, 32% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes.
How to watch Golden Knights vs Hurricanes Game 1
Location
Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NC
Date
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Puck drop
8 p.m. ET
TV
ABC
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes latest injuries
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.
The IIHF has announced its Hall of Fame class for 2026. Featured in the eight-person class is former Vancouver Canucks winger Thomas Vanek. The IIHF Hall of Fame is located at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto and honours some of the greatest moments in international hockey.
Vanek's time in Vancouver was short but memorable. The Austrian winger played 61 games for the Canucks in 2017-18, during which he recorded 17 goals and 41 points. Close to the trade deadline, Vanek was moved to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Jussi Jokinen and Tyler Motte.
As for the international stage, Vanek is considered the best Austrian player to play in the NHL. He represented his country at multiple World Championships, as well as the 2014 Winter Olympics. During his NHL career, Vanek played in 1029 games while recording 789 points.
Vanek will be joined by Andres Ambühl, Patrice Bergeron, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Niklas Kronwall and Florence Schelling in the player category of this year's class. The other two inductees are Ralph Krueger and Luc Tardif, who will enter in the builders category. Other IIHF Hall of Fame inductees with connections to Vancouver include Pat Quinn, Pavel Bure and current Canucks Assistant General Manager Cammi Granato.
Feb 20, 2018; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Thomas Vanek (26) skates against the Colorado Avalanche during the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
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.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Hurricanes to win series 4-2
+125
