Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb was hit by the puck during Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday in Raleigh, N.C. (Karl B DeBlaker / Associated Press)
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb was forced to leave Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday after taking a puck to his face on a slap shot midway through the first period.
The 14-year veteran, who played for the Kings from 2014-2017, did not return to the game. ESPN is reporting that McNabb was taken from Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., to a hospital for evaluation.
Vegas coach John Tortorella did not have an update on McNabb’s status after his team’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Carolina Huricanes, and the Golden Knights had not provided one as of early Friday morning.
McNabb was defending in front of the net with 9:08 remaining in the first period when a blistering shot by Carolina winger Nikolaj Ehlers hit him in the facial area. Slow-motion replays show the puck may have struck the protective visor on McNabb’s helmet near his eyes.
After crumpling to the ice, McNabb immediately climbed to his feet, skated off the playing area and headed down the tunnel while holding a hand over his nose and mouth.
“It’s a scary play,” Vegas forward Brett Howden said after the game. ”You never want to see that. Just hope he’s doing all right. We haven’t seen him yet but hope he’s doing OK.”
Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin said: “Any time you see that happen to a teammate, especially to a guy like Nabber who is a huge part of this team, a leader, it’s tough. It’s hard to see that happen to any guy on the ice. We’re just hoping for the best for him.”
Born in Davidson, Canada, McNabb was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the third round of the 2009 entry draft. He played in 37 games for the Sabres and was acquired by the Kings on March 5, 2014. Los Angeles also received Jonathan Parker and a pair of draft picks in exchange for Hudson Fasching and Nic Deslauriers.
McNabb had six goals and 36 assists in three seasons with the Kings before being selected by Vegas in the 2017 expansion draft. This is his third Stanley Cup Final with the Golden Knights, who won the championship in 2023.
In Vegas’ 5-4 Game 1 victory against Carolina on Tuesday, McNabb had three assists for the first time in his career. Ben Hutton and Kaedan Korczak are possible options to take McNabb’s spot if he can’t play in Saturday’s Game 3 in Las Vegas.
Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK
If ever an NHL team could be sitting on top of the world after losing a Stanley Cup Final Game Seven in double overtime the 1949-50 Rangers were IT.
Although the Blueshirts finished under the .500 mark (28-31-11) they still qualified for a playoff berth. They faced the strong Montreal Canadiens – led by Maurice (The Rocket) Richard – in the first round and were given little chance to advance past the semi-final round.
"Our coach Lynn Patrick decided to assign defensive forward Pentti Lund to check The Rocket," said center Don (Bones) Raleigh and it was a series-turning move. The Rocket was shut down and Lund even scored a bitl"
What also helped was that future Hall of Famer, Rangers goalie Chuck (Bonnie Prince Charlie) Rayner was playing the best hockey of his career. By contrast, the Canadiens netminders, Bill Durnan and Gerry McNeil were not nearly as good.
The Rangers won the series four wins to one and then faced the league-leading Detroit Red Wings in the 1950 Stanley Cup Final. The Winged Wheelers were overwhelming favorites to sweep the New Yorkers.
It wasn't enough that the first place Red Wings finished 21 points ahead of New York but there was an even more reason to knock off the Blueshirts - the Ringlang Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus had taken over the Garden and there was no ice for the Blueshirts.
"In those days," recalled Rangers manager Frank Boucher, "Once the circus took off we had to leave. In this case the league had us playing all playoff games on the road."
Warren, 25, made his NHL debut this past season. Warren played eight games total, posting three assists in eight NHL games.
The defenseman played 56 games for the Bridgeport Islanders this season, posting six goals and 32 points, career highs for his young career. He added one assist in two playoff games, his first ever professional playoff appearances.
Islanders GM Mathieu Darche inked Warren to this deal well ahead of the RFA qualifying offer deadline, and thereby avoided any potential arbitration, as Warren would've held arbitration rights had no deal materialized before that July deadline.
Warren will push for an NHL roster spot next year, maybe as the seventh defenseman, or even greater, depending on how the Islanders' summer goes.
The Hamilton Hammers would greatly benefit from Warren's continued presence if he does not make the NHL roster, as he proved a massive part of what the AHL team is trying to build.
The Long Island native making his debut with the Islanders was one of the best moments of this past Islanders' season, with Stefen Rosner interviewing his mother about the journey to his NHL debut:
In honor of Marshall Warren's deal, I've unlocked my interview with his mom, Lisa Warren, that I did ahead of his #NHL debut.@TheElmontershttps://t.co/18nN3rAelP
For just over 100 minutes of hockey starting in Game 3, the New York Islanders could not solve Tuukka Rask and the Boston Bruins' stingy defense.
The only Islanders' goal in Game 3 came courtesy of Mathew Barzal stuffing one that barely squeaked past Rask with just over five minutes to go. Brad Marchand then won it in overtime, with Rask making 28 saves in the overtime victory.
Game 4 appeared to be on a similar path.
The Bruins jumped out to the lead on a second-period power play thanks to David Krejci.
Then came Barzal's burst of brilliance, just 2:41 after Krejci's breakthrough.
Barzal danced around the Boston zone with Curtis Lazar draped all over him, taking a clear hook that drew a delayed penalty.
The Islanders' skilled forward kept pushing on, eventually dipping below the goal line, and fired a pass onto Kyle Palmieri's tape. Palmieri made no mistake, tying the game at 1.
Then the game settled back into the stingy defense you'd expect from teams coached by Barry Trotz and Bruce Cassidy.
With seven minutes to play, the Bruins held a slight shots advantage, 28-27. In a goaltender's duel for a second straight game, people would back Rask slightly over Semyon Varlamov, giving Boston a presumed edge.
But Barzal stole the show again.
With 6:57 to go in the game, Scott Mayfield fired one from the blue line, but Charlie Coyle deflected and blocked it into the air.
Nobody could track the puck as it spun off to the left, except Barzal. Barzal swung at it like a golf club, knocking the puck from just above the ice, into a line drive through Leo Komarov's screen, and behind Rask for the go-ahead goal.
It's the type of flair and brilliance the Islanders missed against the Penguins, and early in this series. In round one against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Barzal had three assists in six games, with all three coming in Games 3 and 4.
Of the first eight Islanders' playoff games, Barzal went goalless in all of them, and pointless in five of the games. This breakthrough came at a perfect time.
Casey Cizikas and Jean-Gabriel Pageau put the game away with late empty-netters
Thanks to Barzal's breakthrough, the Islanders headed up to Boston tied at 2, where Barzal added another goal and assist, helping lead the Islanders to a 5-4 win, setting up the Game 6 close out in Nassau Coliseum.
The Flyers agreed to terms Friday on a one-year, two-way contract with depth forward Jacob Gaucher.
The deal is worth $850,000, according to PuckPedia.com. Gaucher was a restricted free agent; he’ll remain an RFA when his new contract expires next offseason.
The 25-year-old center has given the Flyers eight games over the last two seasons. In 8:05 minutes per game, he has gone scoreless with seven shots and a 54.1 faceoff win percentage.
Gaucher has made an impressive climb in the Flyers’ organization. He started his professional career with the team’s ECHL affiliate Reading in 2022-23.
With AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley, he has put up back-to-back 20-goal seasons.
Gaucher has some good bottom-six qualities with his 6-foot-4 frame and ability to win faceoffs. He can also play on the wing. He’ll once again be a call-up option for the Flyers next season if he doesn’t crack the opening roster.
Among the Flyers’ other restricted free agents this offseason, Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale are the most notable that need to be re-signed. The club also needs to decide if it’ll bring back Samuel Ersson as its backup goaltender.
There are hockey legends in professional hockey, and then there's Jaromir Jagr.
As the NHL's second all-time leading scorer with 1,921 points, his career totals could have been higher if he had not lived through several NHL lockouts and had not spent a few seasons in the KHL.
Despite not skating in the league since the 2017-18 season, Jagr, who continues to play professionally in his native Czechia at 54, remains connected to the Stanley Cup Final through one of hockey's most bizarre streaks.
A former teammate of Jagr's has appeared in every Stanley Cup Final since 1980.
For those unaware of this wild statistic, Jagr played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers, and Calgary Flames. After 36 seasons of professional hockey, Jagr laced his skates with hundreds of teammates.
A few years ago, fans discovered the streak and have tracked it ever since, checking in every June to see whether another former teammate will keep Jagr's streak alive.
This year, because Jagr skated 22 games with the Flames during the 2017-18 season, he teamed with Rasmus Andersson (Vegas Golden Knights) and Mark Jankowski (Carolina Hurricanes), including setting up the latter's first NHL goal. Today, those two are facing off against one another in the Final, pushing Jagr's impossible streak to 46 seasons.
Here's a look at some of the teammates who played in the Stanley Cup Final since 1980 and played with Jagr at some point in their careers.
* Indicates that Jagr won a Stanley Cup with this teammate.
The 2027 Stanley Cup Final is still a year away, but fans will be scanning rosters on Opening Night to see which of Jagr's former teammates are still active, hoping this strange streak will be extended for another year.
The Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes treated hockey fans to a magnificent Game 2 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night. The Hurricanes emerged victorious in a 4-3 overtime win to even the series.
But that instant classic wasn’t the only notable event to happen in the NHL world on Thursday. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Detroit Red Wings star center and captain Dylan Larkin has requested a trade.
On paper, Larkin looks like a perfect trade target for the Boston Bruins. He’s a legit top-six center in the prime of his career. He played a key role on the United States team that won the gold medal at the 2026 Olympics. He has an impressive two-way skill set. He’s been Red Wings captain for several years.
The Bruins have not had a true top-six center since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci both retired in 2023. Elias Lindholm is paid like a top-six center, but he probably will never produce at that level.
So, should the Bruins pursue a Larkin trade and be willing to give up their best assets to get a deal done?
Not exactly.
Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Larkin has made the playoffs only once (2016) in his NHL career.
Larkin is a very good player. There’s no doubt about that. But there are a few reasons why going all-in to trade for him would be a mistake for the Bruins.
For starters, he’ll be 30 years old on July 30. He’s not old, but he’s also in the second half of his prime. The B’s should not be giving up elite prospects such as James Hagens (2025 first-round pick) or Dean Letourneau (2024 first-round pick) for a 30-year-old veteran, especially when the Bruins are not a Larkin move away from being a real Stanley Cup contender. Hagens and/or Letourneau could be a top-six center one day.
Larkin has been productive offensively on a consistent basis. Five straight seasons scoring 30-plus goals is impressive. But he has never scored 35 goals in a single season and he has surpassed 70 points in a season only once since 2019. Over the last three seasons, Larkin ranks 68th among all players in even-strength points. He ranks 74th in even-strength goals during that same span.
The Red Wings have also not made the playoffs since 2016. Larkin actually played more Olympic games (six) in February than he has playoff games (five) in 11 pro seasons.
Detroit has collapsed in the second half of the season a few times in recent years, and Larkin deserves a share of the blame for those failures. For example, the Red Wings were in first place in the Eastern Conference as late as Jan. 24 this season. They had a 12-point cushion for a playoff spot at that time.
Over his final 22 games of the season from that date, Larkin scored just two even-strength goals. He did not score a single even-strength goal over an 11-game span from Feb. 28 through April 7. Detroit had a 3-7-1 record in those 11 games. The Red Wings ended up missing a playoff spot by seven points. Larkin has not risen to the occasion when the Red Wings have needed him most late in the season when a playoff berth was at stake. That’s a concern.
Larkin would be a No. 1 center on the Bruins because they don’t have any high-end talent at that position. But on a real title contender, he’s best suited as a top-tier second-line center. He’s not the kind of player you win a Stanley Cup with as your best center. If you look at the recent Stanley Cup champions, they’ve all had a center better than Larkin. That list includes Aleksander Barkov, Jack Eichel, Nathan MacKinnon, Steven Stamkos/Brayden Point, etc.
The Bruins absolutely need to be aggressive this summer in adding elite-level talent to the roster so they can take advantage of their veteran core’s window to win, specifically the remainder of David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy’s prime years.
Larkin is a very good player. If the price doesn’t include Hagens or Letourneau, then it makes perfect sense to try to work out a deal. He’s also on a team-friendly contract that carries an $8.7 million salary cap hit and doesn’t expire until after the 2030-31 campaign.
But if the only way for the Bruins to get Larkin is by giving up their best assets, then it’s not worth it. Those assets should only be used to target better and younger players than Larkin, with Blues center Robert Thomas and Stars left wing Jason Robertson being two examples.
The Vancouver Canucks enter the 2026 NHL Entry Draft with 10 picks. Leading up to the draft, we at The Hockey News will profile a different prospect who the Canucks could take with each of their picks. Today's prospect is London Knights right winger Jaxon Cover, who Vancouver could select 41st overall.
Cover has developed into an intriguing prospect that could be available in the middle of the second round. Listed at 6'1", 183 lbs, the 18-year-old recorded 52 points in 67 games during his rookie OHL season. Cover also already has a connection to the Canucks organization, as he played this season with Alexei Medvedev in London.
As for next season, Cover is set to return to the OHL. He has already committed to Penn State University, but that is for the 2027-28 season. Another year in the CHL should help Cover continue to develop before he faces older and tougher competition in the NCAA.
Cover's game revolves around strong skating and what seems to be a never-ending motor. In the transition game, he often elects to be the puck carrier, as he can attack the blue line with speed and win foot races against defenders. Cover also showed an ability to transition the puck out of his own zone both through carrying and passing to open teammates.
Once in the offensive zone, Cover can create scoring chances both through his shot and playmaking ability. He finished second on the Knights with 160 shots and was able to generate opportunities from both in tight and on the perimeter. Overall, Cover was able to provide some form of offensive on a consistent basis, as there were only four games combined between the regular-season and playoffs that he failed to record on a shot on net.
Cover is the type of prospect that teams should be looking to add to their system. He is a hard worker who, in a short time, has demonstrated he can have an impact at both ends of the ice. Ultimately, he has a lot of potential and is a prospect that Vancouver should consider selecting with their second pick of the second round.
Jaxon Cover of the London Knights (Photo Credit: @LondonKnights on "X")
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have a large responsibility in the upcoming 2026 NHL draft as they own the first overall pick.
The Maple Leafs' staff know how important it is to make no mistake with the first overall pick, as opportunities like this don't come around often, even if Toronto selected Auston Matthews first overall just 10 years ago.
GM John Chayka and director of amateur scouting Mark Leach understand the weight of the situation.
Leach, who has been with the Maple Leafs organization for two years now, was a guest on the NHL Draft Class podcast and discussed how Toronto will tackle the first overall pick.
He was asked if the Maple Leafs will be locked in on who they want to take after the combine wraps up on Saturday.
"It won't be locked in," Leach said. "We will be discussing it. After this week, we'll be rehashing it.
Leach continued about how important it is for the Maple Leafs to really evaluate their options to make sure they get this first overall pick right.
Therefore, the plan for Toronto is not to rush the process or shut any doors too early when it comes to any selection they make in this draft.
"I think in a situation, you want to be able to take the time," Leach said. We have the time, so why not take it to dig back in and keep going over and making sure you're making the right decision for the organization?
"I think anytime you get the No. 1 pick, you have an opportunity to really help change your team," he said. "Those picks don't come along the way every year, obviously. I've been in this business 32 years, first time I ever had the No. 1 pick. ... But it does immediately help your organization take a step."
Leach was eventually asked if it's important to the Maple Leafs to draft a player who can jump right into the lineup for opening night of the 2026-27 season.
"No, it's not imperative," Leach said. "It doesn't have to be, it's not my decision to make, to be frank and honest. It's up to the GM and our coaching staff to make that decision. Our job as amateur scouts is to get the organization the best possible player."
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For a second straight offseason, Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes will be hoping to pick up a second-line center, and yesterday, Elliotte Friedman reported that Detroit Red Wings talented center and captain Dylan Larkin has requested a trade. This story will have to be closely monitored, as Steve Yzerman, Detroit’s GM, doesn’t necessarily like that kind of request. It took Jonathan Drouin some time to get out of Tampa Bay when he demanded a trade. Of course, back then, Drouin was a youngster who didn’t have much clout in the league, but Larkin is anything but that.
The center is a 6-foot-1, 204-pound, left-shot player who has a 52.7% success rate at the faceoff dot and has put up 643 points in 808 career games. This past year, he put up 34 goals and 33 assists for 67 points in 74 games while spending 20:12 on the ice. Of course, that kind of player is sure to generate a lot of interest on the market, and one could think the price tag will be very high, but Larkin is in the driver’s seat here. The player has a no-trade clause and can therefore pick his destination.
Would he like to play in Montreal? There’s been no indication one way or another, but there hadn’t been one that Noah Dobson wanted to before last summer’s trade happened either. For a player who has only played five playoffs in 11 seasons in the NHL, a team that just made it to the third round may sound like a very interesting destination.
If Yzerman decides to grant his captain’s request, he will, of course, want a sizeable return, and the Canadiens are one of the best placed teams to provide that. They have prospects, they have roster players and draft picks, and they’ve also got the cap room needed to take on Larkin’s contract.
The 29-year-old pivot will turn 30 at the end of July and is signed for another five seasons at a reasonable $8.7 M cap hit. While he may be a bit older, that would have been ideal; it’s easy to see a scenario in which Hughes is ready to put an attractive package on the table to acquire him.
The Habs could really use a left shot down the middle, and Larkin is the type of player who could help unlock Ivan Demidov’s full potential. He can play on the power play and the penalty kill; he can do it all. His acquisition would take a lot of pressure off Nick Suzuki’s shoulders and give the Canadiens a center line to be reckoned with and a real top-six.
Larkin may just have made it to the top of Hughes’ shopping list, but there are a few sizeable obstacles in the way. Detroit is a divisional rival, and Yzerman would likely prefer to send him elsewhere rather than within his own division, but never say never, as they say.
With a lack of appealing free agent options at left defense, the Philadelphia Flyers ought to seek out a creative deal on the NHL trade market.
To this point, most defensemen the Flyers have been linked to are right-shot veterans: a short-term stopgap like John Carlson or a late bloomer in Darren Raddysh.
On the left, Mario Ferraro is a fine option, but he is on the smaller side, seeks a long-term contract, and plays a brand of hockey that typically doesn't age well over the years, a la Nick Seeler.
A new name that is about to hit the trade market, however, is none other than Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse. This one was a long time coming.
Now, I know what you're thinking. Nurse is 31, comes at a significant cost of $9.25 million against the cap, and is error-prone, much to the chagrin of Oilers fans.
That's fine, but he is still objectively an upgrade for the Flyers, wherever he fits on the blue line, and he won't cost all that much.
According to Sportsnet's Mark Spector, "Conversations with several current and former employees all lead to the same place: the Oilers are ready and willing to trade Nurse as soon as they are able.
"When he realizes that a trade is imminent, however, two sources have told Sportsnet that the Oilers’ preference would be to move Nurse before the start of next season."
The Oilers, who are running out of time to squeeze a Stanley Cup out of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl--they've already gone the distance with Nurse on the roster in two straight years--are assuredly eager to move Nurse's cap hit elsewhere to spread the wealth for their two superstars.
Edmonton badly suffers from a so-so defensive group, which plays behind a forward group totally devoid of passable depth.
Nurse, as a second- or third-pair defenseman, still has positive value, to be clear. He's 6-foot-4, is an extremely fluid athlete, and can play some offense despite taking a clear backseat to Evan Bouchard on power play duty.
Finances aren't a concern for the Flyers, either.
While Nurse has four seasons remaining on his contract, his base salary is $2 million in the upcoming season, and $1.2 million for the final three seasons, accompanied by a $6 million signing bonus for each of the four seasons.
That doesn't help the salary cap, but for the Flyers and Comcast, it's actually a fairly minimal financial commitment, especially when we assume that the Flyers continue to make the playoffs... with the help of Nurse.
The Flyers won't have anyone else to spend big money on anytime soon, either.
After Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale are re-signed this offseason, the Flyers will need to re-sign Matvei Michkov next summer, Tyson Foerster next summer, and Porter Martone the summer after that.
For what may ultimately cost them a mid-tier draft pick and/or low-tier roster player, the Flyers can get themselves a Stanley Cup-tested veteran with athleticism and puck-moving ability.
Nurse won't struggle with the Canadian media spotlight or being typecast as a No. 1 defenseman with the Flyers, and he'd make for a solid insurance policy in the event something happens to Travis Sanheim.
And, for further appeal to Flyers fans, Nurse's uncle is Eagles Hall of Famer and six-time Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb.
At the end of the day, Sanheim, Drysdale, Cam York, Nurse, and Rasmus Ristolainen are a solid group of five defensemen with varying skillsets, and after working some magic this past season, assistant coach Todd Reirden could very well do it again with another new face.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - APRIL 11: Dylan Larkin #71 of the Detroit Red Wings skates up ice with the puck against the New Jersey Devils during the first period at Little Caesars Arena on April 11, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
“Arseny Gritsyuk is seeking a multi-year contract extension with the New Jersey Devils, New Jersey Hockey Now has learned. Fresh off a solid rookie NHL campaign in which he recorded 13 goals and 31 points in 66 games, the 25-year-old Russian winger is looking to capitalize on his strong first season in North America.” [New Jersey Hockey Now]
“Unless Hischier’s ask reaches extreme heights – I’m talking second or third highest AAV in the league high – there is no world in which the Devils will even consider a trade. Nor should they.” [Infernal Access ($)]
How might the Devils go about rearranging the bottom end of the lineup? [Devils’ Advocates]
Congrats to Patrik:
Druhý nejproduktivnější český hráč v NHL, legenda New Jersey Devils a trojnásobný bronzový medailista s národním týmem. 👑
Patrik Eliáš se stává novým generálním manažerem české reprezentace. 🇨🇿
Jon Cooper is this year's recipient of the Jack Adams Award, which is presented to the coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success. pic.twitter.com/71BF8CSQdk
“Marcus Foligno walked into the Masonic Cancer Center in Minneapolis with his wife and kids expecting to tour the hospital, and walked out with the King Clancy Memorial Trophy.” [NHL.com]
An offseason offer sheet primer here. Who might get one? Who could offer one? [Sportsnet]
On playing with teammates who speak a different language: “Chemistry, I don’t think that has anything to do with language. Whoever it is, you have different chemistry in a different way, (same) language or not.” [The Athletic ($)]
Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.
PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 16: Stuart Skinner #74 of the Pittsburgh Penguins protects the net against the Edmonton Oilers at PPG PAINTS Arena on December 16, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Vitals
Player: Stuart Skinner Born: Nov 1, 1998 Height: 6-feet 4 inches Weight: 215 pounds Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Catches: Left Draft: Third round pick (78th overall) in 2017 by the Edmonton Oilers 2025-26 Statistics: With Edmonton – 23 games (11-8-4 record, 2.83 GAA, .891 save%, 2 shutouts). With Pittsburgh – 27 games (12-9-5 record, 2.99 GAA, .885 save%) Contract Status: Unrestricted free agent on July 1
Story of the Season
For the first time, a joint player review! It’s more like a ‘Penguin veteran goalie’ review day, which was Tristan Jarry when the season started. Jarry played well for the Pens at the beginning of the year (9-3-1 record, 2.66 GAA, .909 save%) only to see a shocking trade made seemingly out of nowhere on December 12th that sent him to Edmonton for Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak and a 2029 second round pick.
In that moment, the future of the crease in Pittsburgh was changed. Skinner fit into Jarry’s place as part of the goalie rotation with Arturs Silovs, alternating in and out of the lineup almost every other game.
It turned out to be the perfect timing for the Pens to cut ties with Jarry and his onerous contract. The negative patterns of his career – namely injury and second-half decline – ended up repeating once again this season. Within three games of joining the Oilers, Jarry got hurt and was out for nearly a month. Once back, his play steadily regressed and he lost the position of being the Edmonton’s starting goalie by March. Jarry was only called on for one playoff game, where he took an overtime loss in Edmonton’s Game 4 against Anaheim.
On the other side of the equation, Skinner wasn’t tremendous but performed better statistically than Silovs for much of the season. That allowed Skinner to eventually nudge ever-so-slightly to the front of the line to earn being the Pens’ starting goalie at the beginning of the playoffs. Skinner performed fairly well against the Flyers in Games 1 and 2, allowing only five total goals – but his team wasn’t sharp and lost both games. Skinner was shakier in Game 3 where he gave a couple of questionable goals, and four total in another loss. At that point he was benched for the remainder of the series when the team gave Silovs a shot.
Skinner was at his best for the Pens in January, providing some very sturdy play and winning seven of his eight starts. No other month was particularly impressive on paper, but considering the Pens finished three points ahead of ninth placed Washington in the standings an elevated January performance stands out as one of many factors that helped make Pittsburgh into a playoff team. Had Skinner had his fairly usual type of record, say a 4-3-2 January, that would have meant four less points in the standings. There’s no shortage of little variables that all combined to add up to a successful season for the team at large so that period for Skinner could be seen as just as important as anything else an individual contributed along the way (including going back to a 30 save on 31 shot night on 12/30 in a 5-1 win against Carolina that stands out as perhaps Skinner’s finest game as a Penguin).
The tale of the tape regarding GSAA for the two goalies traded for one another was just about the same until the Olympic break. Skinner ended up being pretty strong at +5.35 GSAA overall in 27 games as a Penguin and +9.05 GSAA on his entire season. Jarry, as tends to be his calling card, fell apart over the second half of the season. Jarry ended up with a -3.41 GSAA for his campaign, a tremendous fall from his +10.2 peak in late-January.
In the end, perhaps fittingly, the story ended the same for both goalies – they each watched from the bench as their respective teams lost in the first round of the playoffs.
Skinner’s advanced numbers might give him a little more credit than his reputation suggests. His save percentage wasn’t impressive but was better than the expectation (dashed blue line in the bottom right). Now with the benefit of time passing by, it’s easy to see he was miscast in Edmonton as a 50-60 game No. 1 starter role he filled from 2022-25. Hopefully on his next team he can slot in as a 1B or backup and he will have a chance to shine in the right situation. Some rumors already are out there that Ottawa may or should be interested in him, which might be a good spot. If I were his rep, I’d probably keep an eye out for what teams like Florida, Tampa and Winnipeg might be looking for as clubs that potentially seeking a secondary goalie option this summer.
As for Jarry, well, there’s no nice way to put it, his declining level of play combined with his contract is a massive issue for the Oilers moving forward. He was brought into be the solution and ended up making the situation even worse than it previously was. Whether it was physical, mental or some combination of both, the change of scenery did little to alter what’s become the downward slope of his career.
Skinner was slightly better than Silovs when it came to high danger save percentage (.775% for the Latvian), though neither were particularly good relative to the rest of the NHL goalies at large. All other things fairly equal, that slight advantage is a big reason on what helped to give Skinner the edge in being named the team’s No. 1 goalie at the start of the playoffs. (For his part, Jarry was pretty strong at high danger shots, stopping 82.5% of them. However, his mid-range and long-range numbers were absolutely atrocious and among the worst in the league.)
There’s not a lot to question at this point, GM Kyle Dubas made it clear at the end of the season that his “full expectation” is that Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist will be competing for an NHL roster spot next season. It doesn’t take a lot of reading between the lines to figure out that Skinner isn’t a part of Pittsburgh’s plans moving forward in order to open up that spot for a younger goalie to step into it.
Ideal 2026-27
In this instance, Dubas achieved an ideal outcome as far as juggling the Penguin veteran goalie situation. At the beginning of the season they had Jarry’s inconsistent play and $5.375 million annual cap hit on the books through 2027-28, they were able to drop that with no pain and create a clear runway for the Penguins to elevate Murashov into the NHL next season if he’s ready for it.
By making another move to flip Kulak as part of the Jarry return over to Colorado, Pittsburgh now has mined Sam Girard and two future second round picks for what was once Jarry at the start of the season. It’s difficult to imagine anything better than that coming into the year, considering the Pens had waived Jarry with no takers and had to assign him to the AHL in 2024-25. To turn that impediment into actual assets was an impressive feat.
As for Skinner, he should be alright to receive interest on the free agent makr and get to pick his own spot for next year to continue his career. With Jarry, the buzz seems to be that Edmonton will be bringing him back next year.
Bottom line
Jarry did well enough at the start to make Edmonton want to acquire him, Skinner’s play with the Pens was unremarkable but mostly fine splitting starts for the rest of the season. The Pens turn the page on their goalie situation and are primed for the future with new goalies that could perform better than what Jarry/Skinner have given them over the past couple years.
PensburghGrade: C on player performance, A+ for the managerial maneuvering behind it.
Carolina Hurricanes (53-22-7, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (39-26-17, in the Pacific Division)
Paradise, Nevada; Saturday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Golden Knights -110, Hurricanes -110; over/under is 5.5
STANLEY CUP FINAL: Series tied 1-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights host the Carolina Hurricanes in game three of the Stanley Cup Final with the series tied 1-1. The teams meet Thursday for the fifth time this season. The Hurricanes won the last matchup 4-3 in overtime.
Vegas has gone 26-14-9 in home games and 39-26-17 overall. The Golden Knights are 49-7-12 when scoring three or more goals.
Carolina has a 30-12-5 record on the road and a 53-22-7 record overall. The Hurricanes have a 58-7-6 record when scoring three or more goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mark Stone has 28 goals and 44 assists for the Golden Knights. Brett Howden has eight goals and two assists over the last 10 games.
Andrei Svechnikov has 31 goals and 39 assists for the Hurricanes. Nikolaj Ehlers has six goals and four assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Knights: 8-1-1, averaging 3.9 goals, 6.7 assists, 3.2 penalties and 7.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.
Hurricanes: 8-2-0, averaging 3.6 goals, 6.2 assists, 4.6 penalties and 10.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.3 goals per game.
INJURIES: Golden Knights: None listed.
Hurricanes: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 04: Seth Jarvis #24 of the Carolina Hurricanes reacts after scoring against the Vegas Golden Knights in overtime to win of Game Two of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center on June 04, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The Carolina Hurricanes were losing 2-0 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game and the ESPN crew was talking about a Las Vegas Golden Knights’ sweep, but then something happened.
With less than 10 minutes left, Logan Stankoven went behind the Vegas net, bodied the defender and then took away the puck. He skated to the side of the net and fired the puck on net. Somehow, it found its way past Carter Hart and the Hurricanes as well as their fans, found new life.
After the game when Coach Rod Brind’Amour was asked how such a small player could make a play like that, Brind’Amour patted his chest. “It’s all heart” the coach said.
Stankoven has been Carolina’s top goal scorer all postseason and has now notched 10 goals.
Also, ESPN reported that this is the first time since 1944 that a team has come back to win after trailing by multiple goals with less than 10 minutes left.
Two minutes and change after Stankoven’s goal, William Carrier made another extra effort move to get the puck to Mark Jankowski while laying prone on the ice and Jankowski took the puck and went bar down to tie the score. Of course the crowd was going nuts at this point.
A couple of minutes after that, the Knights came close to scoring to take the lead. It looked to me like the puck got under Fred Andersen and it was blown dead, but it was eventually knocked past the goal line as everyone converged in the crease. It was called no goal on the ice but John Tortorella challenged the play.
After a review, the call on the ice was held and the Canes were awarded what everyone thought would be another meaningless powerplay.
But, the tremendous momentum swing held over and the Hurricanes scored their first powerplay goal of the series when Jordan Staal tipped in a Shayne Gostisbehere shot to give Carolina a 3-2 lead. Staal had been battling in front of the net beforehand and was finally rewarded.
The Knights tied things up with a minute and change left. Mark Stone was credited for the goal which sent the contest to overtime.
In overtime, Vegas was called for tripping and Carolina went back on the powerplay. Seth Jarvis then blasted in a shot from the wing for the game-winner.
In the first period, the Canes outshot the Knights 8-2 but went to the dressing room behind on the scoreboard, 1-0.
Vegas scored again in the second and took over the game for a bit. Things seemed a bit down for the Canes until the Stankoven play which may have saved the playoffs for Carolina.
Brind’Amour said that they were just waiting for someone to make a play. The coach did switch up the lines by moving Jordan Martinook to the first line and Jarvis to the third, and Martinook did his job and was chasing down the puck and created a couple of chances.
The Canes ended up out-hitting the Knights, 46-25. Svechnikov, Staal, and Carrier had seven hits each.
Staal won 70% of his faceoffs while Stankoven won 64%.
Both teams will leave for Las Vegas for their next match on Saturday night.
Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
