NEWARK, NJ - JULY 02: New Jersey Devils Chase Cheslock (62) reacts after scoring a shootout goal during the New Jersey Devils 2025 Development Camp at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House at Prudential Center on July 2, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In this this post we look at five Devils prospects who rose their stocks the most this past season.
David Rozsival
A late birthday when drafted in the 5th round of last year’s NHL entry draft, David Rozsival is still only 18-years-old. That did not stop the 6’1 right winger from turning heads this season for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. After a slow start, Rozsival exploded with ten goals in ten games during the height of his growth, finishing his rookie USHL campaign with 23 goals and 37 points in 57 games.
Rozsival has the skill set to be a useful bottom six forward someday and is known for his knack for cycling, forechecking, and applying pressure in all three zones. While Rozsival’s road to the NHL is still long and full of potential speed bumps and pratfalls, his D+1 season was a large step in the right direction.
Daniil Orlov
Daniil Orlov has been on my personal radar as a potential mid-draft steal for awhile and this season has turned many more observers into believers. The 22-year-old KHL defenseman’s point production has nearly doubled each KHL season from seven points in 2023-24 to 15 points in 2024-2025 to 10 goals and 28 points this past year. Orlov has always been known for his skating and defensive play, but the rise in production has raised his projection to a PNHLe of 54 in Dobber’s model, projecting him as a potential second pairing defender in his prime. The Devils will have to wait a little while longer to bring Orlov over as his contract with Spartak expires at the end of the 2027-28 season.
Veeti Louhivaara
Louhivaara jumped around quite a bit this past season starting the season for the JYP U20 team, flashing a 2.52 GAA and .917 SV% in nine games. After an eight game stint in the Mestis, Louhivaara came over to North America to backstop the Chicago Steel of the USHL under the tutelage of Scott Gomez.
The move paid off. Louhivaara quickly earned a name for himself in the high-scoring USHL, finishing the season with a 12-6-4 record, 2.86 GAA, and .905 SV%, even earning goaltender of the week honors shortly after his arrival. Louhivaara’s play was good enough to earn a brief tryout with the Utica Comets at the end of the season to get a taste for the professional hockey life before his commitment to UCONN next year.
Louhivaara still has a long road to the NHL and remains behind Mikhail Yegorov and Jakub Malek on the Devils goaltender prospect depth chart, but a strong season in UCONN could change the conversation quickly. For those wanting to read more on Louhivaara, the Devils published this piece last month about the goalie’s decision to come over to North America early. It’s worth a look.
Topias Vilen
A fifth round pick in the 2021 NHL entry draft, Topias Vilen earned a North American contract after a nine goal, seventeen point tear in the Liiga in 2022-23. Since then Vilen has been steadily showing progress, earning the Utica Comet’s team award for most-improved player last season and the award for best defender this year. Vilen’s production is not going to wow anybody, but it is steady, and the Finnish defenseman is capable of playing in all situations, even earning power play time after Seamus Casey’s season-ending injury. Vilen’s 27 points this year was his AHL high, and second on the Comets blueline only to veteran former NHLer Calen Addison.
Vilen did not look out of place during his brief call-up at the end of the season and at 23, will likely be heading into camp as part of the conversation for the potential seventh defender spot on the Devils roster.
Chase Cheslock
Chase Cheslock broke out in a big way this season for St. Thomas of the NCAA. When the 6’3 right-handed defender was drafted in the 5th round by the Devils in 2023, Elite Prospects noted his “scary” defensive presence around the crease. This season, Cheslock added some offense to his mix, pocketing 24 points in 38 games. A former captain of his Rogers high school team and the Omaha Lancers of the USHL, Cheslock is a favorite to earn the honors again should he play his senior year for St. Thomas.
Personally, I hope the Devils sign Cheslock this summer. A team cannot have too many large, defensive, right-handed defensemen with capable puck-moving skills in their system and Cheslock seems like a guy destined for a pro career. Whether that pro career includes a niche role in the NHL one day remains to be seen.
Your Take
What do you think? Did I miss someone you think should be on this list? Post your comments below.
According to Frank Seravalli, the Edmonton Oilers have reached out to the Vegas Golden Knights to for permission to speak with Bruce Cassidy about his interest in coaching the Oilers. Interestingly, Vegas has reportedly denied their request.
Seravalli posted on Tuesday morning, "
League sources say #Oilers have sought permission to interview Bruce Cassidy as they contemplate significant coaching staff changes.
To this point, sources say @GoldenKnights have withheld permission from division rival.
Gamesmanship? Perhaps. Mostly unprecedented for role. "
The reaction from the yet unconfirmed news is fascinating.
"Let's see how this plays out. Personally I think they should grant permission. VGK has moved on from Cassidy, let him get back into the game on his terms. Wherever that may be," says one analyst.
Writer and content creator Rachel Kryshak writes, "This shouldn’t be allowed. It’s one thing if the person is still employed by the organization. You fired him, deemed him not good enough — you don’t get to decide who employs him next. Cassidy should be able to walk away from VGK contract so they have no say."
One fan wrote, "Questionable strategy by Vegas. You'd have to think, if you were another coach, exec, even player, would this make you feel a little less comfortable signing there? Maybe no one cares cuz Vegas."
Are the Oilers trying to hire Bruce Cassidy as the team's next head coach? Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
It's an interesting stance from the Golden Knights, who are known as a ruthless organization when it comes to players, personelle, and making changes. They will do anything to win, and now it appears almost anything to avoid helping a rival win. This, despite the fact they relieved Cassidy of his duties near the end of the season and brought in John Tortorella.
Eric Macramella writes, "Bruce Cassidy has 1 year left on his deal at $4.5M. If Vegas lets the Oilers speak to him and Edmonton hires him, Vegas would typically only owe the difference in salary under standard NHL mitigation/offset rules and not the full remaining $4.5M."
As for Knoblauch, this can't be a good feeling. He had to know that his time in Edmonton could be cut short based on the way this past season unfolded and when both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl spoke publicly about their concerns. However, to hear that the Oilers are actively pursuing interviews with other coaches while still being employed as the coach has to tell him the writing is on the wall.
The Athletic's Corey Pronman recently released his latest 2026 NHL Mock Draft, where he made picks for the first round. When it came to the Buffalo Sabres, Pronman predicted that they would end up selecting defenseman William Hakansson.
The idea of Hakansson joining the Sabres' prospect pool is a fascinating one. The first thing that stands out about him is that he is a big, 6-foot-4 left-shot defenseman. With this, he would give the Sabres another defenseman with size in their prospect pool, which would not be a bad thing in the slightest.
Hakansson has the potential to become a solid defensive defenseman in the NHL, so it would be understandable if the Sabres considered selecting him at this year's draft. The potential for him to emerge as a top-four shutdown defenseman is there.
Hakansson played in 22 games this season with Lulea HF of the SHL, where he recorded two assists and a plus-1 rating. He also recorded two goals and four points in 16 games with Almtuna IS in HockeyAllsvenskan.
Ultimately, with the Sabres needing more defensive depth, it would make sense if they picked Hakansson if he is still available once they are on the clock. It will be interesting to see if they do just that.
The Western Conference Semifinals shift back to Sin City tonight as the Anaheim Ducks visit the Vegas Golden Knights, with the series tied at two games apiece.
My Golden Knights vs. Ducks player props are targeting Mitch Marner to keep dominating, while Jack Eichel and Beckett Sennecke will also do their part.
Mitch Marner has been an absolute monster in these playoffs. The veteran has compiled 16 points already, and he has a mind-boggling seven points across the last two games. While the Vegas Golden Knights did lose Game 4, he finished with three helpers. Marner also netted a natural hat-trick in Game 3 while grabbing an assist.
In the postseason, he's had four multi-point outings, and the Canadian is playing with so much confidence. His ice time has also skyrocketed across these last two games, playing over 23 minutes per contest after barely playing 18 minutes in the first two games of this series. John Tortorella is putting Marner out there a lot, and it's paying off.
Game 5 Prop #2: Jack Eichel Over 0.5 assists
-170 at BET99
Jack Eichel sits right behind Marner with 13 playoff points. The majority of his production has come as a playmaker, notching 12 assists. Eichel was one of the Golden Knights' top suppliers during the regular season as well, picking 63 apples, ranking 11th in the NHL.
He's hit the Over in helpers in three straight, finishing with four assists during that span. Eichel had two in the Game-4 defeat. He's also grabbed five assists on home ice in the playoffs, and his presence on the top line and PP1 strengthens his case for another.
Game 5 Prop #3: Beckett Sennecke anytime goal
+320 at BET99
He may be just 20 years of age, but Beckett Sennecke is proving the playoff stage isn't too big for him. The youngster had 23 regular-season goals, and he's added another four in the postseason. After a quiet Round 1, Sennecke has found his best against Vegas, scoring three times, finding the back of the net in three consecutive contests.
While he's only notched six SOG across those games, Sennecke is making the most of his chances. His PP2 line also scored both goals for the Anaheim Ducks on the man advantage in Game 3, including his PP goal, assisted by Alex Killorn and Cutter Gauthier, who notched three helpers. Heavy PP usage and solid playmakers getting him the puck make this one a valuable bet.
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Since Matvei Michkov ended the season a healthy scratch, he'll be all the talk this offseason, and that is going to open up some sore wounds for Philadelphia Flyers fans.
This conversation has, of course, resurfaced again, even after things went mostly well under John Tortorella, and later Brad Shaw, last season.
The Flyers fanbase has been divided into two splinter cells: one that thinks head coach Rick Tocchet is right to bench an underperforming, out-of-shape Michkov, and one that thinks the Flyers botched this whole operation and gave the player little opportunity to perform in a meaningful role.
In reality, both sides are, to an extent, right in both cases.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, who has no skin in this game, took to his "32 Thoughts" podcast to dish on Michkov and the Flyers, expertly playing both sides and making sense of it all.
He also indirectly cautioned the Flyers against trading Michkov, even invoking the despised Cutter Gauthier as an example of why it just can't happen again.
"Look what happened with Cutter Gauthier. . . just look at Gauthier's natural gifts. It's really hard to let two players walk like that in a short period of time," Friedman said.
"Gauthier was a really good pick by Philadelphia that didn't work out. And Michkov, I still say, was a really good pick by the Flyers. I just don't think you can give up that easily. If I'm [Danny Briere], I'm saying 'We have to find a way to make this better.' . . . You would have to show me a trade that really made sense for me to do this."
The Flyers obviously need a good center, and a young one, at that, but no team with a good center at Michkov's age is going to pony one up for him after this debacle.
And for the Flyers, taking a draft pick and/or other futures for Michkov from a team like the San Jose Sharks or Chicago Blackhawks doesn't make sense.
They just made the playoffs, and using a pick on a player who could be three years away from being a contributor at the expense of a back-to-back 20-goal, 50-point player strays from that progress.
"I would say to Tocchet, 'You can't find guys like this.' If we're going to move on from him, we better be sure. Better be sure, that there is absolutely no chance it works out here for him," Friedman continued.
"I would also say to Michkov, 'I am not going to trade you.' So, your best answer, whatever you're not delivering, you have to change that, too."
Some things we can safely assume Michkov has not delivered, at least for Tocchet, is a consistent forechecking presence and more frequent skating. It's not Michkov's style, especially offensively, but that is what the coach wants.
At the same time, this is now two seasons and counting of the Flyers trying to pivot Michkov off the things that made him the seventh pick three years ago. The creativity, the risk-taking, opportunism, offensive puck touches.
Friedman and co-host Kyle Bukauskas went on to discuss the training camp out-of-shape stuff that has been beaten like a dead horse, and yeah, the player has to work on that. Everyone can benefit from improved conditioning and added speed.
We saw what Bobby Brink did over the last few seasons, and it turned him from a bubble player to an important one.
Michkov is already important, so the next step is... elite?
At the end of the day, there are a lot of moving parts here, and there doesn't appear to be any motivation from either side for a Michkov trade.
Like Friedman says, get everyone together and figure it out, because nobody's going anywhere after the success the Flyers had as a team this season.
And Friedman's opinion matters. He's plugged in with front offices, agents, and all kinds of staffers, so he knows how the league works, why it works, and how the situation is viewed.
The Flyers have taken a beating from the public all season long over the Michkov stuff, and the perpetuated noise around them is asking them to quash it for good.
The Montreal Canadiens have outscored the Buffalo Sabres 11-3 in the last two games and taken a 2-1 series lead. While that will have given Martin St-Louis’ men plenty of confidence, they must be careful not to be overly confident, as this series is far from over. If Tage Thompson and co. can get a win in Game 4, they will be right back in this series and will regain home-ice advantage. If the Habs get the win, though, they will have the all-important 3-1 commanding win and push the Sabres to the brink of elimination. Given the fact that the Carolina Hurricanes are already through to the Conference Final, both teams should want to win as quickly as possible.
In league history, the team with a 2-1 lead has won the series 69% of the time (399-180). What’s even more interesting for Habs’ fans, though, is the fact that when the Sabres are trailing 2-1 in a series, they have a 0-14 record and a 0-3 record when the series started at home. Meanwhile, when the Canadiens lead a series 2-1, they have a 40-11 record, meaning they’ve won over 78% of the time. When the series started on the road, though, that record goes down to 11-6, which is still a .647 winning percentage.
The Canadiens had an optional skate on Tuesday, and only a few players opted to take to the ice: Brendan Gallagher, Oliver Kapanen, Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook, Joe Veleno, Lane Hutson, Jayden Struble, Jacob Fowler, and Samuel Montembeault. In other words, only three players who are in the active lineup joined the reserves on the ice: Newhook (who has five goals in the last four games), Veleno, and Hutson.
As for the Sabres, they were supposed to hold a full practice, but they canceled it. Speaking to the media, Lindy Ruff explained that they didn’t practice in between games at all during the series against the Boston Bruins and that they had already made one exception in the Montreal series, so they decided to revert to the original plan: rest in between games and just have a simple morning skate.
Asked about the possibility of changing his goaltender to provide a spark in his team, the experienced bench boss stuck with what he had said on Sunday night, praising Alex Lyon, but he did say that he would have liked to change a couple of blueliners and forwards on Sunday, but that he didn’t have that option.
Sounds like we’ll have another Lyon vs. Jakub Dobes duel in Game 4. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM at the Bell Centre, and you can catch it on CBC, TVAS, SN, and ESPN. Kelly Sutherland and TJ Luxmore will be officiating, while Julien Fournier and Matt MacPherson will be the linemen. Expect another electric night at the Bell Center, as fans will no doubt have read about the Sabres being unable to communicate in Game 3 due to the noise.
PITTSBURGH - MAY 12: The Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins get set for a faceoff late in the third period of what was the final game played in the Mellon Arena in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Mellon Arena on May 12, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Canadiens defeated the Penguins 5-2 to win the series 4-3 and advance to the Conference Finals. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Sixteen years ago today, the Pittsburgh Penguins were blown out in a Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens, losing the final game in the storied history of the Mellon Arena.
The Penguins were the defending Stanley Cup champions and made their way to the second round of the playoffs after beating the Ottawa Senators in six games.
Pittsburgh jumped out to a 1-0 series lead against Montreal and quickly learned the Canadiens would not be going quietly with P.K. Subban making national headlines and Jaroslav Halak being a brick wall in the net.
The Penguins and Canadiens traded wins through six games as Mellon Arena would host the deciding game of the series.
With all the excitement in the air of the building, it was just as quickly let out as Brian Gionta scored a power play goal for Montreal just 32 seconds into the game.
Dominic Moore doubled the Canadiens’ lead in the first period, but the second period was when the wheels fell off.
Noted Penguins killer Mike Cammalleri scored his 12th goal of the playoffs and then Travis Moen scored a backbreaking shorthanded goal to make it 4-0 a short time later.
The Penguins would get on the board with two goals and a sign of life, but it was too little, too late.
Just like that, Penguins fans had to say goodbye to the Mellon Arena.
Minnesota Wild (46-24-12, in the Central Division) vs. Colorado Avalanche (55-16-11, in the Central Division)
Denver; Wednesday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Avalanche -205, Wild +169; over/under is 6.5
NHL PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND: Avalanche lead series 3-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Avalanche host the Minnesota Wild in the second round of the NHL Playoffs with a 3-1 lead in the series. The teams meet Monday for the ninth time this season. The Avalanche won the last meeting 5-2.
Colorado has a 55-16-11 record overall and a 19-6-5 record in Central Division games. The Avalanche rank first in the league with 298 total goals (averaging 3.6 per game).
Minnesota is 18-14-4 against the Central Division and 46-24-12 overall. The Wild have scored 268 total goals (3.3 per game) to rank 10th in NHL play.
TOP PERFORMERS: Martin Necas has 38 goals and 61 assists for the Avalanche. Nathan MacKinnon has seven goals and six assists over the past 10 games.
Kirill Kaprizov has 45 goals and 44 assists for the Wild. Matthew Boldy has scored seven goals and added four assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Avalanche: 9-1-0, averaging 3.8 goals, six assists, four penalties and 8.2 penalty minutes while giving up two goals per game.
Wild: 5-4-1, averaging 3.8 goals, six assists, 4.8 penalties and 9.6 penalty minutes while giving up three goals per game.
INJURIES: Avalanche: Artturi Lehkonen: day to day (upper-body), Sam Malinski: day to day (upper-body).
Wild: Jonas Brodin: day to day (lower body), Joel Eriksson Ek: day to day (lower-body).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
One of the most inconvenient truths across all of sports is that the vast majority of franchises need to experience a period of darkness in order to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Rebuilding - for better or for worse - is part of the fabric of sports. High draft selections and clever asset management go a long way in determining which teams are going to be able to sustain long-term success and which teams will continue to fall short, stuck in a perpetual state of mediocrity until they are forced to start from scratch all over again.
Given the low-cap nature of the league in comparison to other major professional sports - at least, historically - this is especially true in the National Hockey League. Teams like the Colorado Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes, and Edmonton Oilers have all found a certain degree of success with their full, longer-term teardowns, while teams like the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, and Buffalo Sabres (that is, until this season and after two decades of losing) have or had endured long, long stretches of losing with little to gain and a whole lot of lost talent over that time.
The truth is that rebuilding is a tricky, risky business no matter how you slice it, but more shots at the draft lottery invite more opportunities to find the young talent necessary to sustain winning.
But, occasionally - and, quite frankly, rarely - a franchise comes along that turns all of that on its head. And here enters Kyle Dubas's Pittsburgh Penguins.
When Dubas took over the Penguins as president of hockey operations in the summer of 2023 - and, later, as general manager - Pittsburgh had just missed the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. After 16 consecutive postseason berths, four Stanley Cup Final appearances, and three Stanley Cups, nobody in the NHL had known sustained success quite like the Penguins, and nobody was more unfamiliar with losing than the Penguins.
So, when Dubas initially came into the fold, the plan was to give Pittsburgh's "big three" of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang one last shot at the dance, especially since the Penguins believed they were still a contender. He made the largest-volume trade in franchise history to land three-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson from the San Jose Sharks. He made a savvy move to snag forward Reilly Smith from the Vegas Golden Knights, too.
Well, plans shifted a bit once the Penguins appeared to be fading even more despite the big offseason moves, and Dubas made the difficult decision that same season to send pending unrestricted free agent winger Jake Guentzel - Crosby's longtime partner in crime - to the Hurricanes for a package of prospects and picks. It was the first of many moves that set the inevitable, long-time-coming rebuild into motion, and the Penguins would go on to miss the playoffs for three consecutive seasons.
Nov 22, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas arrives at the arena before the Penguins host the Seattle Kraken at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
It all began when Dubas made the difficult decision to mutually part ways with longtime head coach Mike Sullivan - who was hired by the New York Rangers in pretty short order afterward - and move on to an almost entirely new coaching staff. The man for the job was Dan Muse, who had a very development-focused approach. After his hire, one of Muse's sticking points was that he would take that approach to every single player, whether a 15-year veteran, an organizational newcomer, or a rookie.
And, as it turns out, he and the rest of the staff ended up with a good mix of all those things.
In addition to already having talented, mostly reliable veterans in Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Karlsson, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell on the roster, Dubas sought out a bit of everything last summer. In the draft, he made some savvy moves to end up with three first-round picks, the first of which was center Ben Kindel at 11th overall and followed by Bill Zonnon at 22 and Will Horcoff at 24. He also acquired defenseman Connor Clifton and a second-round pick on a draft day trade involving defenseman Conor Timmins.
In the trade market, he snagged Arturs Silovs from the Vancouver Canucks for a fourth-round pick and forward prospect Chase Stillman, and he also acquired defenseman Matt Dumba - a salary dump - and a second-round pick from the Dallas Stars in exchange for blueliner Vladislav Kolyachonok.
Then, there was free agency. Winger Anthony Mantha came in on a one-year, $2.5 million deal. Justin Brazeau signed for two years, $3 million. Defenseman Parker Wotherspoon - formerly a fringe bottom-pairing blueliner for the Boston Bruins - signed for two years, $2 million.
Dubas put together all of these pieces during the offseason, and on the surface, the moves appeared to set the stage for the Penguins to be able to flip some value at the 2026 trade deadline, just as they had in the previous two campaigns. He took fliers on guys who, perhaps, had more to give than the role they were playing with their team or who needed another chance - like Mantha, who was coming off ACL surgery.
But, whether it was intentional or not, nearly every one of those moves - Dumba aside - panned out.
Mantha scored more than 30 goals for the first time in his NHL career. Clifton became a reliable, physical defenseman in a bottom-pairing role. Silovs played well enough during some crucial stretches of the season to help the Penguins win hockey games. Brazeau had a blazing start that helped the Penguins go 8-2-2 in the month of October. Kindel made the team as an 18-year-old out of training camp, and he was so advanced that the team kept him around. Parker Wotherspoon emerged as a shutdown, top-pairing defenseman alongside Karlsson, giving the Penguins a more formidable defensive unit.
He later flipped Kulak for yet another second-round pick and younger defenseman Sam Girard from the Avalanche - who found his game down the stretch for the Penguins - and acquired forward Elmer Soderblom from the Red Wings at the trade deadline, who scored six goals with the Penguins in the final month-plus.
Somehow, some way, Dubas managed to make the Penguins a playoff contender in 2025-26 while getting younger, accruing even more assets, and spending a minimum in terms of both the cap and assets to land legitimate talent. Which, well, almost never happens.
And, yes, while the NHL, AHL, and ECHL teams within the organization are all competitive and have or had playoff runs - Pittsburgh was eliminated in the first round by the Phildelphia Flyers, while the other two are still going strong - the Penguins' farm system just keeps collecting more and more talent. And their prospect pool might not yet be the cream of the NHL's crop, but it's making pretty drastic improvements.
Where the Penguins are now... short- and long-term
Again, it would be one thing if Dubas was selling out on his assets and the farm system in order to make the NHL squad a formidable playoff team.
But that hasn't been the case at all.
In the aftermath of the Guentzel trade, the Penguins' best prospects in the system - at the time - were defenseman Owen Pickering, forward Ville Koivunen (acquired in the trade), forward Sam Poulin, and goaltender Joel Blomqvist. Forward Brayden Yager - drafted in the first round during Dubas's first summer - was also in the system at the time but was later dealt in the summer of 2024 to the Winnipeg Jets for 2022 14th overall pick Rutger McGroarty. And they drafted defenseman Harrison Brunicke with that second-round pick from the Guentzel trade.
In just two years time, there is - all of a sudden - a fair amount of promise in their system.
Instead of Koivunen and Poulin headlining the forward prospect pool, Kindel has already graduated to the NHL and played a full season as an 18-year-old, and they have the likes of Zonnon, Horcoff, Koivunen, McGroarty, Avery Hayes, Tanner Howe, and Mikhail Ilyin, most of whom will be primed to make the jump to the NHL sooner than later. There is also a deeper pool with upside names such as Ryan Miller, Kale Dach, Zam Plante, and Aidan McDonough, which gives them organizational depth.
As far as the goaltending, most of the netminders in their system were part of the organization before Dubas came to Pittsburgh. Sergei Murashov, 22, was a 2022 pick (118th overall) who has separated himself and emerged as the system's top goaltending prospect, posting a 1.99 goals-against average and .937 save percentage in this year's Calder Cup Playoffs. Blomqvist, 24, is still a solid piece, too, and tandemed with Murashov at the AHL level this season with a .9`13 save percentage in the regular season (to Murashov's .919).
Even deeper, the undrafted Taylor Gauthier is dominating the ECHL and has for three consecutive seasons, as the 25-year-old had a .929 save percentage during the regular season and had a whopping .963 save percentage with three shutouts in seven Kelly Cup Playoff games with the Wheeling Nailers heading into Monday's action. Then, there's Gabriel D'Aigle, drafted in the third round (84th overall) by Dubas in 2025, who still managed to put up a .908 save percentage for the lowly Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL despite getting peppered on a nightly basis and facing more shots than all but three netminders in the QMJHL last season - only one of whom had a better save percentage.
Taylor Gauthier of the @WheelingNailers opened the @ECHL playoffs with three shutouts in five games.
"Simplifying my mindset of having fun and working hard, it can get you a long way. I think I'm proof of that this year."
Defense is where the system needs the most work. Brunicke is, far and away, the best defensive prospect the Penguins have, and while the 20-year-old is promising, he has to prove his elite skating, puck skills, transition game, and defensive improvements can translate at the NHL level. Behind him is Owen Pickering (the most NHL-ready otherwise), Finn Harding, Peyton Kettles, and Quinn Beauchesne, all of whom need more seasoning.
But, at the end of the day, there is far more talent in the system than there was two years ago. Dubas has done an outstanding job as far as asset management and building out a pool of players who have plenty of upside as NHL regulars.
These are the types of peripheral players that teams need to sustain Stanley Cup contention. Depth wins championships, and it's not hard to envision around half of these players making some degree of impact.
However, the fact remains that the Penguins' current core is still 35-plus. At some point, that has to change in order to build a long-term future of success. But, contrary to some narratives out there, that may arrive sooner than you think.
But, if you've been paying attention, things have probably already started to play out.
For one, the Penguins have been rebuilding since the Guentzel trade in 2024. And, yes, rebuilding - not retooling. As mentioned earlier, it was pretty clear that the initial plan for this season was, likely, to flip rental/short-term overperforming players for more assets and use those assets - as well as an early draft selection in 2026 - to begin setting things into motion this summer.
Well, that part of the plan didn't exactly happen, but that doesn't mean it has set Dubas and the Penguins back from their short- or long-term goals. Yes, the Penguins still need that high-end core talent to add to what is already part of a potential future core in Kindel, Murashov, Brunicke, and possibly Chinakhov.
And, while they'll eventually need to draft high, they don't necessarily need to do that. At least, not yet.
Was looking at how every team in the second round acquired its players. Obviously still waiting to see if it is Tampa Bay or Montreal, but of the seven teams already through.
Recently, Adam Gretz of Pensburgh posted a spreadsheet detailing each second-round team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and how they acquired their talent. For five of the teams, at least one top-five pick (of their own) was in the fold. Only two of those teams - Colorado and the Anaheim Ducks - had three players drafted in the top-five, with all of Colorado's being a core of players aged 27-plus in Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon (30), and Gabriel Landeskog (33). The other three teams in Montreal, Carolina, and Buffalo had two or less.
Beyond that? There were only 18 other homegrown first-round picks out of 175 players, for a grand total of 29 homegrown first-rounders. There were a nice handful of other picks, too, plenty of which Dubas and the Penguins have had.
But the vast majority of players on these teams were acquired via the trade market.
In fact, according to Gretz's numbers, 83 players were acquired via trade, which accounts for 47.4 percent of all players in the second round. In addition, 33 players were either signed in free agency, claimed on waivers, or signed undrafted, so that means outside sourcing accounted for 66.3 percent of players in the 2026 playoffs.
So, for the Penguins, Dubas can and absolutely will build from the draft. First-rounders in Kindel, Zonnon, and Horcoff are a good starting point, and he will need more of those. But teams like the Vegas Golden Knights (to an extent) and Minnesota Wild are proof that drafting top-five isn't entirely necessary for building a sustainable window of contention, as the Wild have only missed the playoffs twice since 2015 and Vegas has only missed once in their nine-year history.
But the lesson here is that teams cannot solely rely on the draft and do, in fact, have to leverage some of their higher-value assets to land the pieces that will help them sustainably contend. After all, many of these trades involve former first-rounders from other organizations, too.
And the more draft capital and prospect talent a team has to leverage, the better-positioned they are to be able to land that talent.
With 15 picks in the first three rounds of the next three drafts - including 10 in the first two rounds - Dubas and the Penguins are in a great spot. Acquiring gamebreaking talent will require leveraging at least a first-round pick, but because of the peripheral talent that the team has already built out - and their selection in the 20s in 2026 - they're in a position to do that.
On the surface, it may seem like the Penguins, lacking any true blue-chip prospects at this juncture (Kindel would have been one, and Zonnon/Horcoff could be), wouldn't have what's necessary to acquire players like Dallas Stars superstar forward Jason Robertson, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, or a true first-line center in St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas. A team like the Stars is win-now mode, and the other two teams are likely on a downward trajectory but still holding onto hopes of playoff contention with their respective cores.
Even good players either with star potential or in need of a change of scenery, such as Stars' defenseman Thomas Harley, Los Angeles Kings' defenseman Brandt Clarke, Seattle Kraken center Shane Wright, or Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson, would cost a lot, especially with the rising cap and contract values.
However, that's where all those picks, all of that $42.7 million in cap space, and all that peripheral talent come into play. And Dubas is in an enviable position to be able to build out a package that could make teams bite.
Sure, a first-round pick plus a veteran like Rickard Rakell alone isn't going to land a star player. However, if Dubas would add on a few second- and third-round picks, a higher-end, near-NHL-ready prospect or two like McGroarty and Horcoff (depending on the coveted player), some salary retention, plus Rakell and that first? Well, then a player like Robertson, Harley, or Pettersson seems more attainable. And his draft capital and wide pool of prospects with upside allows him to keep adding on if necessary, as the Penguins have enough of both to be able to expend some of their valuable capital.
It's tricky business, but acquiring a sure star player who can be around for the short- and the long-term - and who will, overwhelmingly likely, be a better player than any singular player out of the capital they leverage, including that 22nd overall pick - is a key aspect of building for the future.
If they can acquire that game-changing player as early as this summer, they may just be able to contend sustainably - even if there might be two windows with a small gap in between.
Of course, Penguins' defensemen could certainly benefit from improving their gap control.
But the gap we're discussing here is a different kind.
Obviously, Dubas has kept his cards, generally, pretty close to the vest in terms of divulging the mechanics and timeline behind his short- and long-term plans. In fact, he has stressed on multiple occasions that he does not want to put a timeline on the Penguins' rebuild and instead wants to, simply, do what's best in order to get the team back to sustainable Stanley Cup contention as urgently as possible.
"The way that we're going will continue to be clear to everybody, which is: We're trying to return the team to being a contender as soon as possible. How are we going to do that? We have to add younger NHL players, we have to add prospects, and we have to add future capital and draft picks to the mix. "So, my view of it is that we should be able to accomplish that and still be able to maintain our spot in the playoff race and push for it. I know that isn't met with the most open understanding at times, and I understand why. People want it to be binary. They want it to be, 'Are you in contention now, or are you rebuilding now?' And the in-between is where it tends to get a little bit ambiguous. I think we kind of like it that way as well because it keeps our cards closer to our chest."
- - Kyle Dubas on the 'GM Show with Josh Getzoff' on Jan. 22, 2025
And the key? Minimizing the gap between as much as possible.
Yes, the Penguins will, likely, still have to draft in or near the lottery zone in order to contend sustainably in the future. But that doesn't necessarily need to happen until after Crosby decides to call it a career, especially with the earlier-than-anticipated emergence of Kindel as an option at top-six center as soon as next season.
And when you add in those other potential "core" pieces - Murashov and Brunicke should compete for a full-time roster spot next season, and Chinakhov, an RFA, will likely return - populating the NHL roster already, it stands to reason that, with a few key additions, the Penguins can be Stanley Cup contenders for a few years in the short-term.
"I just think there are a number of teams in the league that... you know, there are two paths to go down: You can go into the mass teardown rebuild and hope you get lucky with the lottery and hope that all this happens. But you can hope in one hand and s--- in the other and see which one fills up first."
- - Kyle Dubas in his 2024-25 season-ending press conference on Apr. 21, 2025
In addition, the Penguins can - and should - get younger while doing so. Going for some bigger names means phasing out some older veterans along the way, including players like Rakell and, possibly, Malkin and Karlsson, the former having yet to re-sign for next season and the latter entering the final year of his contract. But phasing out a few doesn't mean they need to phase out all, especially since their draft cupboard is already in a good place - and it doesn't mean they'd be committing to any kind of "tank" in the near-term, as the aim in dealing those players would likely be to receive younger talent in return.
But once Crosby retires? Yes, it's realistic to assume that the Penguins might struggle for a few years, especially if a player like Karlsson is out, too. But the purpose of building all of this peripheral talent - the Zonnons, the Horcoffs, the Howes, the Hayeses, the Ilyins, the Hardings, etc. - plus having part of a "core" in place with Kindel Murashov, Brunicke, and Chinakhov would be to help minimize the gap between windows, whether that's using that talent for the team or leveraging some of it in the trade market.
And if a player such as Chinakhov or Brunicke doesn't want to stick around for those few down years? They can, hopefully, flip them for valuable draft capital and assets, which would also help build toward that longer-term, post-Crosby window of contention.
It's worth emphasizng that none of this is a given, and there is inherent risk in every rebuild ever attempted. Long, tear-it-to-the-studs rebuilds risk fostering a culture of perpetual losing, while shortcut retools and rebuilds risk being unsustainable in the long-term.
It appears that Dubas and the Penguins find themselves in a sort of sweet spot in between. If executed correctly, Pittsburgh won't find themselves on the outside looking in for too long at all - and they will be primed to carry on their legacy as a franchise that accepts nothing less than a championship-oriented culture.
Not only that, they would also become the gold standard for a different yet scouting-focused, streamlined approach to rebuilding in the modern-day NHL.
The Minnesota Wild welcomed the Colorado Avalanche to Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul, MN, for game four of the second round.
A good news, bad news sort of situation emerged at puck drop, as surprisingly both Sam Malinski and Artturi Lehkonen would not play.
We also saw the insertion of Jack Ahcan, Josh Manson, and Joel Kiviranta.
This Stanley Cup playoff series was stuck at 2-1 in favor of the Avalanche heading into the night, and a tightly contested showdown would, in the end, result in Parker Kelly’s first career playoff goal and the Avalanche leaving St. Paul with a victory.
Nathan MacKinnon was bloodied from an arrant clearing attempt but showed his toughness and returned to put home the empty netter that put this one out of reach.
“That’s exactly what we were looking for… we were looking for a response,” Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog said postgame.
Let’s review all of the action from game four!
The Game
It didn’t take long for the blood between these two rivals to boil over as Josh Manson took a check from Michael McCarron, who dragged Manson down to the ice.
In the fall and ensuing scuffle, it appeared Josh Manson hit McCarron in the head with the butt of the stick, inciting a review.
#GoAvsGo D Josh Manson is issued a double minor for butt ending #mnwild F Michael McCarron.
NHL Rule 58.5 indicates a double minor is issued for an attempt to butt end, and an actual butt end should be a 5-minute major and a game misconduct. pic.twitter.com/0rq2MsHqqW
The review set up a potential five-minute game misconduct for Josh Manson, but after the review, Manson was assessed a double minor.
The Wild would make the most of the second half of that double-minor as Brock Faber’s point shot was redirected by Danila Yurov, who was parked near the crease.
The Wild would secure the always impactful first tally of the game and take the 1-0 lead at 9:46, and that’s how the first period would end.
The second frame started with a bit of jostling from both sides, and inevitably, the Avalanche would earn a couple of power-play chances of their own.
Nazem Kadri would tie the game at 1-1 six minutes into the period, and on the latter of the power plays I previously mentioned.
Kadri did well to find some open space as the puck left the wall and fired the puck on net. The shot gave Jesper Wallstedt some trouble, and he left the rebound for Kadri to give it another go.
He made no mistake, and we’d end the middle frame in a tie hockey game.
Just before the second period let out, Nathan MacKinnon wore a clearing attempt from Devon Toews that hit him square in the chops. MacKinnon was bloodied and went right to the tunnel.
The Wild would answer quickly and ironically as Nico Sturm hit the same celly we saw from Ross Colton after Quinn Hughes found him alone at a dangerous angle.
We would once again be tied this time at 2-2 with 11:45 left in the game.
Speaking of timely goals, Parker Kelly would score the biggest and first playoff goal of his life to put the Avalanche ahead 3-2 eleven minutes into the final frame.
Parker was alone high in the slot and ripped home a one-timed bomb that beat Wallstedt high and over the shoulders—no luck involved.
Nathan MacKinnon, still dripping blood from his nose, would tally the empty netter on a patient play from Martin Necas and put this one out of reach with just over 30 seconds left.
Brock Nelson lofted an insurance empty netter, and the Avs would win with a final score of 5-2.
Takeaways
Many fans and pundits called into question MacKenzie Blackwood getting the nod in game four, but he only allowed two tallies, with just one of those coming at 5-on-5.
What many viewed as ‘a panic move’ from Bednar played out more like the display of another strong option between the pipes.
What many labeled 'a panic move' from Jared Bednar pays off tonight as his decision to start MacKenzie Blackwood displayed another strength of Colorado's. They have two starters. #GoAvsGo
It goes without saying that being hit in the face with a puck hurts really badly, and for Nathan MacKinnon to come out, no bubble, and do what he did tonight is truly remarkable. A testament to that championship resolve I pointed to yesterday.
Colorado got the depth goals they have been pining for with Nicolas Roy assisting Ross Colton and Parker Kelly’s game-winner. A sprinkling of top-six production from Kadri, Nelson, Necas, and MacKinnon, and the Avalanche can produce throughout the lineup; they are a tough team to beat.
Josh Manson is fortunate the refs couldn’t substantiate actual contact from the buttend of his stick, or he’d have gotten a game, and this one likely would have gone down a lot differently. Marcus Foligno pulled him aside as the final horn sounded and had passionate words.
We also got a little spice during ESPN’s intermission report from McCarron.
Wow, Wild forward Michael McCarron calls Josh Manson "a dirty player" during his intermission interview with PK Subban on @ESPN, after Manson hit him with the butt-end of his stick in the first period.
“I mean, you played against Josh. He’s a dirty player. He’s always been. Umm,… pic.twitter.com/byZqc0q0ig
— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) May 12, 2026
Jared Bednar gave no update on Sam Malinski or Artturi Lehkonen in the post-game presser.
Kudos to Jack Ahcan, who wasn’t all that bad in his first NHL playoff game. Pretty cool accomplishment for the young man.
"I think it's just the belief in this room. Confidence in this room. Determination. I mean those three things, and you add in… the skill that we have, the depth that we have, and it's a powerful combination. Guys knew what was at stake tonight."…
May 11, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson (42) and Minnesota Wild center Yakov Trenin (13) compete for the puck during the second period in game four of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Ross Colton and Parker Kelly each scored in the third period for Colorado, an opportune time for their first goals of the postseason as the high-scoring Avalanche snapped back from a mid-series lull and beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2 in Game 4 on Monday night to take a 3-1 lead in the second round of the NHL playoffs.
Mackenzie Blackwood made 19 saves in his first start this postseason after relieving Scott Wedgewood during a 5-1 loss in Game 3 on Saturday, and the Avalanche moved within one win of taking the first spot in the Western Conference finals. Game 5 will be in Denver on Wednesday.
Nazem Kadri scored on a power play in the second period, and Nathan MacKinnon — who had a brief absence to fix a bloody nose from a puck to the face — and Brock Nelson added empty-net goals in the final minute.
Nico Sturm tied the game at 2 for Minnesota with his first goal of the postseason about two minutes after Colton put the Avalanche up by 1. The Wild were outshot 20-5 over roughly the first half of the game by an energized Colorado offense.
After leading the NHL in goals during the regular season while posting the league’s best record, the Avalanche scored 14 times over the first two games before Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt stonewalled them in Game 3.
Colton and Kelly became the 15th and 16th players to score for the Avalanche in just eight postseason games this spring.
Rookie Danila Yurov scored his first career postseason goal on a deflection midway through the first period for the Wild during a four-minute power play prompted by a double minor penalty on defenseman Josh Manson.
Game 3 was the Colorado Avalanche's worst game of the playoffs so far. Too many mistakes on the defensive end of the puck, too many turnovers in the offensive zone, and it was one not to forget but to build off of. It all starts with a goaltending change with MacKenzie Blackwood coming in for Scott Wedgewood.
They also get thrown a curveball as Sam Malinski and Arturri Lehkonen are last-minute scratches. Though Josh Manson does return to the lineup, Jack Achan makes his playoff debut. All in all, the changes, video, and practice worked, as the Avalanche secured a 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild to go up 3-1 in the series, playing arguably their best game of the series.
Period 1:
The attitudes start early as Ross Colton and Danila Yurov get into a little scrum after the whistle, and both are called for roughing minors, resulting in two minutes of 4-on-4. Zach Bogosian is hit hard into the boards, skates off in a bit of pain, and heads down the tunnel, but quickly returns to the bench after evaluation.
Michael McCarron checks Josh Manson hard across the boards, and Manson brings him down with him, then both scuffle on the ground before Manson seems to buttend him in the head with his knob right in the ear.
After a lengthy review by the referees, they assessed it as a four-minute double minor, which caused some confusion about why it wasn't a five-minute penalty. Per the official rule book from the NHL;
It's a four-minute penalty if: "Double-minor Penalty - A double-minor penalty will be imposed on a player who attempts to butt-end an opponent."
The Avalanche manage to almost kill it off, but Yurov tips Brock Faber's shot and it redirects past MacKenzie Blackwood and in to make it 1-0. Despite the power play goal, the Avalanche held the Wild to just four shots on goal, two on 5-on-5 and the other two from the power play.
Period 2:
The Avalanche continue their strong start into the second period, which sees them get a power play as Bogosian is called for interference, but fail to convert on the man advantage. Wallstedt continues to be the best player for the Wild, stopping everything the Avalanche sends his way, including some close shots from Valeri Nuchushkin.
The Avalanche gets another power play when Yakov Trenin is called for closing his hand over the puck. This time, they convert, and it doesn't take long as Martin Necas finds Nazem Kadri’s initial shot and feeds him again to tie the game up 1-1.
Coming to a close of the second period, Parker Kelly is called for cross-checking, but the Avalanche does a good job killing the penalty. A scary moment with less than two minutes to go as Nathan MacKinnon gets hit in the face with the puck and blood spews everywhere. The culprit seems to be Devon Toews as he shot it out of the blue paint.
Period 3:
As the third period starts, MacKinnon is on the bench, all patched up and ready to go. Manson makes a bad turnover behind the net that leads to the Wild getting a flurry of shots on net, but Jack Achan, making his playoff debut, makes some massive blocks to stop Matt Boldy's best opportunity of the night.
Nic Roy does a great job corralling a loose puck rebound and finds Ross Colton on the doorstep with a beautiful pass to help the Avalanche take a 2-1 lead. That's Colton's last goal since March 24th against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a hefty goalless drought broken.
Not too long after, Quinn Hughes does a good job fending off Roy to feed Nico Sturm to tie the game back up, 2-2.
Two minutes later, it's Parker Kelly, who, from a feed from Jack Drury, helps the Avalanche retake the lead with a wrist shot that beats Wallstedt and over his glove. Key play from Drury, who forechecks hard to stop the puck from being cleared and lets the play set up.
Wallstedt is pulled at the 1:40 mark, and both Nathan MacKinnon and Brock Nelson score on the empty net to make it 5-2 and help secure the win to move the Avalanche to a 3-1 lead over the Wild.
Next Game
The Avalanche can look to close out the series on Wednesday, May 13, when they return home to Ball Arena.
He was patched up during the second intermission and was back on the ice for the start of the third period of Game 4 in Minnesota.
Colorado's Parker Kelly broke a 2-2 tie during the third period, then MacKinnon scored the first of two Avalanche empty net goals to put the game away.
MacKinnon into the empty net and this one should be OVAAAAAA 🚨
As the Montreal Canadiens aim to seize a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Buffalo Sabres, the spotlight will be firmly on goaltender Jakub Dobes.
My Sabres vs. Canadiens predictions and NHL picks anticipate Buffalo emptying the tank offensively in a bid to keep the series alive, but Dobes is poised to rise to the challenge and stand tall on Tuesday, May 12.
UPDATE: Added goal scorer pick.
Sabres vs Canadiens Game 4 prediction
Sabres vs Canadiens best bet: Jakub Dobes Over 25.5 saves (-110)
The Montreal Canadiens have received elite goaltending from Jakub Dobes, with a .947 save percentage and 3.94 goals saved above expected over the past two games, and he sports a .918 SV% with 0.591 GSAx per 60 minutes in the postseason.
Buffalo converted at a 49.2% rate during the regular season and 46.6% mark in Round 1. So with an added emphasis on funneling pucks to the net, in addition to a slight statistical correction in converting attempts into shots, Dobes is set to be busy again in Game 4.
Sabres vs Canadiens Game 4 same-game parlay
Canadiens rookie Ivan Demidov collected an assist in Games 1 and 3, and he’s been on the ice for five goals and 4.37 expected goals through three games. He’s a key puck distributor on the No. 1 power-play unit and has averaged 5:04 per night with the man advantage this postseason.
Additionally, while Demidov has been held to just three shots during Round 2, he’s registered 14 attempts (21.4%). I’m anticipating him converting attempts to shots at a higher rate in Game 4 after hitting the net 17 times on 43 attempts in Round 1 (39.5%) and at a 45.0% rate during the regular season.
Turning to the final leg of this same-game parlay, Lane Hutson has recorded two or more shots in six of 10 postseason games while quarterbacking the No. 1 power-play unit and pacing the Habs in offensive zone starts at 5-on-5.
Sabres vs Canadiens SGP
Ivan Demidov Over 0.5 assists
Ivan Demidov Over 1.5 shots
Lane Hutson Over 1.5 shots
Sabres vs Canadiens Game 4 goal scorer pick
Alex Tuch (+225)
Buffalo veteran Alex Tuch has been a force for the Sabres despite looking for his first goal of the series. Tuch has paced the club with 1.63 expected goals and 10 scoring chances, while his five high-danger scoring chances rank second. Plus, the go-to winger continues to skate on the top line and No. 1 power-play unit, and he scored four times across six Round 1 games.
The Montreal Canadiens have won 17 of their last 25 games (+8.45 Units / 27% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Sabres vs. Canadiens.
How to watch Sabres vs Canadiens Game 4
Location
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC
Date
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Puck drop
7:00 p.m. ET
TV
CBC, ESPN
Sabres vs Canadiens 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.
It's been a trying season for Senators goalie Linus Ullmark.
First, from a performance perspective, his season got off to a sluggish start, and that's putting it mildly. Then, shortly after Christmas, after feelings of panic set in during a game in Toronto, Ullmark sought help for his mental health from the NHL player assistance program.
While he was away from the team, he also had to shoot down some ugly social media rumours. But things got better after the Olympics, and Ullmark finished the season strongly.
Steve Warne talks with Drake Batherson about his hopes for a contract extension this summer.
Ironically, after the goaltending position took so much of the blame during the regular season, it was Ullmark who was Ottawa's best player in the playoffs.
After all he'd been through this year, Ullmark was thrilled he was able to be at his best at the most important time of the year.
"That was very nice," Ullmark said his final media availability. "You know, it was the first real time in this whole season where I felt like myself again, and I could do what I thoroughly enjoy to do. It didn't feel like a chore. It didn't feel exhausting. It felt motivational and inspirational.
"And truth be told, it felt weird as well because you've been battling so hard the whole season, trying to find a groove and trying to find a way of performing. And now you do it at the top of your game, and you're still losing. So it was a little bit of a surreal feeling."
Before heading into his offseason, Ullmark also recorded a special message to the fans who supported him through it all this season, the good and the bad. He published it on his Instagram on Monday morning. It featured a montage of big highlight reel saves and fans going wild.
However, the highlights were oddly paired with a rock song called The Enforcer by the Canadian band, Monster Truck. The song is a tribute to NHL enforcers, but more importantly, it was the Toronto Maple Leafs' goal song for two years.
That didn't take away from Ullmark's message to his supporters, though. In a season where he was hit with some nasty social media dialogue, he injected some positivity on Monday.
Dear Ottawa fans,
Thank you so much, merci beaucoup, for all of your support this season. It's been a blessing.
You know, you guys are what drives us to do our best every single day. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the whole wide world playing hockey.
Our fans cheering, screaming at home games in our barn, that's what matters.
We play for each other, but we also play for the city of Ottawa, and for everyone that aspires to be Ottawa Senators in the future.
I love all of you guys. I love the support and the fire and the passion that you guys bring to our rink every night.
I hope you keep doing that. I hope that we can do you guys right and win it all in the near future.
Thank you.
As much as he appreciates the fans' support, Ullmark would probably appreciate a little more goaltending support as well. By his own admission, GM Steve Staios said last month that he didn't feel like he did a good enough job providing backup support behind Ullmark.
It will be interesting to see if the Senators go out and acquire a name-brand goalie to provide that support for Ullmark, who, despite his big contract, seems to be at his best with a medium workload.
By Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:
Mitch Marner
Beckett Sennecke
