He is getting difficult usage and struggling mightily, with shot attempts being 70-25 in favor of the Carolina Hurricanes during his minutes. That is a good thing.
He is spending a lot of his time in the defensive zone and bleeding shots as a result, which creates plenty of block opportunities.
Hanifin has made the most of them, stepping in the way of at least four pucks in both games thus far.
With these outputs, I’d easily play to -200.
Game 3 Prop #2: Jackson Blake Over 0.5 points (-115)
John Tortorella uses Shea Theodore against elite competition at home while the Hanifin pairing primarily sees second lines.
That means Carolina’s second unit is the one I want to target in Game 3.
Enter Jackson Blake. He leads the entire playoffs in scoring chances during 5-on-5 play and has played almost 10 more minutes than any other Hurricanes forward in that game state.
He does a lot of the facilitating for his line and should have plenty of the puck in this matchup, giving him a great chance of finding the scoresheet.
Playable to -135.
Game 3 Prop #3: Pavel Dorofeyev Over 0.5 points (-125)
Pavel Dorofeyev has yet to record a point but all the numbers under the hood are encouraging.
The Golden Knights have won the chance battle during his minutes and he’s been plenty involved in the offensive zone.
Dorofeyev ranks second on the team with six chances through two games. Of the seven Golden Knights with at least four opportunities, he is the only guy who hasn’t picked up a point.
He’s skating on the top line, he’s skating on the top power play, he’s generating looks, and Frederik Andersen is struggling.
I like him to break through in Game 3. Bet to -135.
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In the midst of a lot of off-season drama is the Stanley Cup Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights.
The series enters Saturday's Game 3 with a 1-1 tie. Each team had a multi-goal comeback through the first two games, which is the first time that's happened in the 108-year history of the Stanley Cup Final.
Through all that madness are a lot of other great storylines that don't get the attention they deserve. One of them, according to ESPN's number one play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough, is former New Jersey Devils superstar and MVP Taylor Hall.
Hall has made a handful of stops since departing the Devils organization, but he is finally in the perfect spot with the Carolina Hurricanes. He has been one of their best forwards during the Stanley Cup Playoffs and is in the mix for the Conn Smythe Trophy.
A strong finish to the series for Hall and a Hurricanes win would give him a chance to take home that hardware.
McDonough has the opinion that Hall is the top story that doesn't get enough attention, mostly because of what he's gone through in his up-and-down NHL career.
"Here's a guy who's 34, No. 1 overall pick, he's been on seven different teams, has kind of had a lot of ups and downs in recent years," McDonough said on Hall when asked about the most underrated storyline. "He was a fourth-line player at the start of this year as a former league MVP, Hart Trophy winner, accepted it gracefully, and worked his way up to now being on the line that's been the best in the playoffs. He's their leading point scorer, and he's third in all the playoffs in points.
So I think his story to me would be the one that hasn't been told. The hard part for us, we talked about this before on the broadcast, there's no time for almost any storytelling.
There’s no adequate amount of time in hockey to tell those stories. Taylor Hall was a first round pick, league MVP, seventh team, fourth line, blah, blah, blah. The puck's in the net while you're in the middle of that sentence.
That's one of my frustrations, a little bit with hockey play-by-play. I love the pace of it. That's part of what makes it as fun as it is, but there's very little time, unfortunately, to tell stories like that one."
There are Taylor Hall fans still remaining in New Jersey. He is the only Hart Trophy winner in the history of the franchise after all. A team that had Martin Brodeur, Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Patrik Elias, amongst others, over the years, doesn't have another MVP.
There is no denying McDonough's claim about Hall being a top underrated story. If he wins the Cup and the Conn Smythe, that would give him a borderline Hall of Fame resume, which shouldn't be ignored.
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Cliff Fletcher was the first general manager of the Atlanta, now Calgary Flames, assuming the duties ahead of their inaugural season in 1972. In Georgia, the Flames qualified for the playoffs in six out of eight seasons, with the exceptions occurring in 1972-73 and 1974-75.
He continued to run operations when the franchise relocated to Calgary, Alberta, in 1980. The Flames advanced to the playoffs for 11 consecutive seasons under his watch, with two Stanley Cup Final appearances in 1986 and 1989.
Thanks to impressive trades and brilliant drafting, Fletcher constructed rosters that won more than 40 games a year from 1984 to 1991. Moreover, when the Flames hoisted the Stanley Cup for the only time in the spring of 1989, they featured a lineup built around several future Hall of Famers.
According to NHL Trade Tracker, Fletcher made 59 trades with Atlanta and 67 with Calgary, giving him 126 trades over 19 seasons with the organization. After news of his passing on Friday, June 5, 2026, we wanted to revisit his biggest deals as general manager of the Flames.
5. Trading Brett Hull (Mar. 7, 1988)
Flames acquire Rob Ramage and Rick Wamsley
Blues acquire Brett Hull and Steve Bozek
Brett Hull made his NHL debut during the 1986-87 season, the same year he debuted with the Moncton Golden Flames, netting 50 goals and 92 points in only 67 games. As a regular in Calgary's lineup for the 1986-87 season, Hull would score 26 goals and 50 points in 52 games.
Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Fletcher dealt the future Hart Trophy winner and 741-goal scorer on Mar. 7, 1988, along with Steve Bozek, to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Rob Ramage and netminder Rick Wamsley. Within three seasons of the deal, Hull would score 86 goals, the third-highest total ever recorded in a single season, before winning a few Stanley Cups in the back half of his career with Dallas and Detroit.
4. Acquiring Doug Gilmour (Sept. 6, 1988)
Flames acquire Doug Gilmour, Steve Bozek, Michael Dark, and Mark Hunter
Blues acquire Tim Corkery, Mike Bullard, and Craig Coxe
Doug Gilmour was a seventh-round pick (134th overall) of the Blues in 1982 and was a routine 20-goal scorer early in his career, reaching a career-high 42 in 1986-87. Fletcher acquired him for the first time, in a pre-season blockbuster on Sept. 6, 1988, involving seven players.
During the Flames' run to the Stanley Cup in 1989, Gilmour tallied the third-most playoff points (22) and had the second-most goals (11), earning the only championship of his career. After three and a half seasons, with 69 goals and 252 points in 266 games, Fletcher, then general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, acquired Gilmour in a ten-player deal in 1992.
3. Acquiring Joe Mullen (Feb. 1, 1986)
Flames acquire Joe Mullen, Terry Johnson, and Rik Wilson
Blues acquire Eddy Beers, Charlie Bourgeois, and Gino Cavallini
Ahead of the 1986 NHL trade deadline, Fletcher acquired future 500-goal scorer and three-time Stanley Cup winner Joe Mullen in another deal with the Blues. At the time of his acquisition, Mullen already scored 30 or more in three consecutive seasons, reaching 40 in his first full season in Calgary.
When the Flames won the Stanley Cup, Mullen not only led the team with 16 goals, but he also led all playoff scorers. Over parts of five seasons with the club, he scored 157 goals and won two Lady Byng Trophies en route to a future Hall of Fame induction.
2. Trading Kent Nilsson (June 15, 1985)
Flames acquire Minnesota's second round pick in 1985 and second round pick in 1987
North Stars acquire Kent Nilsson and a third round pick in 1986
There's an argument that Kent Nilsson was one of, if not the best player, in the Flames' first few seasons in Southern Alberta. In one season with Atlanta in 1979-80, he scored 40 goals and 93 points in 80 games before shattering his own record the following campaign with 49 goals and 131 points. As of 2026, Nilsson's single-season points record remains unchallenged.
After six seasons, where he produced an eye-popping 562 points in only 425 games, Fletcher dealt his star to the Minnesota North Stars with a third-round draft pick.
Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Interestingly, the Flames received two second-round picks from the North Stars, which turned into Joe Nieuwendyk (1985) and Stéphane Matteau (1987). Once Nieuwendyk became a regular in the Calgary lineup in 1987-88, he scored 51 goals in consecutive seasons and was a key player in the team's 1989 title run.
As the Flames captain in 1994-95, Nieuwendyk held out for a better contract offer before a trade to the Dallas Stars. Of course, everyone remembers this deal because it brought Jarome Iginla to Stampede City.
1. Acquiring Lanny McDonald (Nov. 25, 1981)
Flames acquire Lanny McDonald and a fourth round draft pick in 1983
Rockies acquire Don Lever and Bob MacMillan
Despite the long list of superstars to skate at the Saddledome, many with Hall of Fame-worthy resumes, there will only be one Lanny McDonald. Debuting at 20 with the Maple Leafs, he was a multi-time 40-goal scorer before moving to the Colorado Rockies when Fletcher came calling.
During his first full campaign in Calgary, McDonald would set a franchise record with 66 goals in 80 games, remaining the only skater in team history to surpass 60 goals in a single season.
By the next season, McDonald earned a promotion to team captain, sharing the honors with teammates over the final six seasons of his career. In his final year, 1988-89, his final goal was his 500th, and when the season came to an end, he held the Stanley Cup over his head, one of hockey's most memorable moments.
In the almost 40 years since retiring, McDonald has been a lovable ambassador for the game and the Flames, endearing himself to Southern Alberta through charity work.
Honorable Mentions
Fletcher was known for making big trades and was never afraid to trade his captain. When looking back at the history of players who wore the "C" in Calgary during his tenure as general manager, he traded five of them.
Tom Lysiak - traded to the Chicago Blackhawks on Mar. 13, 1979
Jean Pronovost - traded to the Washington Capitals on July 1, 1980
Brad Marsh - traded to the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 11, 1981
Phil Russel - traded to the New Jersey Devils on June 20, 1983
Brad McCrimmon - traded to the Detroit Red Wings on June 15, 1990
On top of all these blockbuster deals involving some of the biggest names of the 1980s and 1990s, there's one trade that meant almost nothing in 1990 but would go on to alter NHL history.
On June 16, 1990, Fletcher dealt away three draft picks to the New Jersey Devils: a first-round pick (20th overall) and two second-round picks (24th and 29th overall). In the exchange, the Flames acquired the 11th overall pick, which they used to select Trevor Kidd, and the 32nd overall pick in the second round, which they used to select Vesa Vittakoski.
Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
The Devils used their two second-round picks to select David Harlock and Chris Gotziaman, but used that first-round pick to select the NHL's all-time winner, Martin Brodeur.
Could anyone imagine the alternate histories of both the Flames and Devils if Brodeur had ended up in Calgary instead of New Jersey?
Do you have a favorite Fletcher trade? What about a trade you didn't agree with? Let us know in the comments.
BUFFALO, NY -- On May 29, the New York Islanders announced that they had hired Jay McKee to be the first-ever head coach of the Hamilton Hammers, the club's newest AHL affiliate.
McKee, who played 802 NHL games, has spent the last three seasons coaching the OHL's Brantford Bulldogs.
Top draft prospect Caleb Malhotra, the son of former NHLer and recently named Vancouver Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra, played this past season for McKee and had glowing things to say about the newest member of the Islanders organization.
"I learned a lot," Malhotra said at the 2026 NHL Combine. "He's extremely composed as a coach, very intelligent, and very detail-oriented. So, I mean, he expected so much from us. We had a very good team there, and we had to prove it night in and night out that we were detail-oriented. So, learning from him on how to approach the game and what to take out of video work and how to apply it to your game...that was a big thing this year."
The Bridgeport Islanders, under the tutelage of Rocky Thompson, took massive strides after years of seeing prospects take steps back.
Thompson was a player's coach through and through but knew what he had to do to get players to play to the best of their abilities at a consistent rate and also keep themselves level-headed through adversity.
Because of his great work, Rocky was elevated to Pete DeBoer's NHL coaching staff.
When the Islanders were looking for Rocky's replacement, they needed to bring in someone who could build on the groundwork Rocky had just laid.
From all accounts, it sounds like McKee, who was a finalist for the Bellville Senators head coaching gig, is a slam-dunk hire at a critical time for the Islanders' growing prospect pool.
Throughout the first 40 minutes of Game 5 between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins and the Toronto Marlies, the Penguins were generating their fair share of scoring chances and giving themselves a good opportunity to win the hockey game.
Unfortunately, the last 20 minutes did them in.
The WBS Penguins were defeated by the Toronto Marlies, 5-1, in Game 5 to go down in the best-of-seven AHL Eastern Conference Final series, 3-2. They head back home Sunday for Game 6, and Game 7 will also take place in WBS should the game be necessary.
“I thought, in the first two, we were getting a lot of looks," said forward Tanner Howe. "We were shooting the puck, we were getting a lot of second chances. In the third, they just outplayed us, and that’s it.”
The first period was a tightly contested one, perhaps with the very slight edge going to Toronto. However, WBS came alive in the second period. They were the first to get on the board with their lone goal that came courtesy of Mikhail Ilyin on the power play, and it was a snipe from the top of the left circle off a feed from Emil Pieniniemi - playing in his first career Calder Cup Playoff game - to give WBS the 1-0 lead.
However, Landon Sim tied things up for the Marlies less than a minute later, and Benoit-Olivier Groulx added one on later in the period to put Toronto on top, 2-1.
Then, the third is when things got dicey.
After two goals within a minute and 15 seconds by Easton Cowan and Logan Shaw - the former of which featured a ridiculous toe-drag move - WBS started to lose their cool a bit. A little more than 11 minutes into the final frame, Avery Hayes earned himself a roughing penalty and a 10-minute misconduct, and the PIMs just piled on from there.
In fact, the WBS Penguins had a combined total of 50 penalty minutes in the third period alone, and they all came before Marshall Rifai's empty-net goal to put the nail in the coffin.
Despite the loss - and the messy way it ended - Howe was optimistic about the overall result of the three-game swing in Toronto, of which the Penguins won two.
“We knew coming here, we needed to get two. We did that, and that’s why we’ve got home ice advantage. We’re going back home, and there’s nowhere else we’d want to play these last two games. So, we’re excited.”
That said, he didn't have his best stuff on Friday.
WBS head coach Kirk MacDonald said that he thinks Murashov would probably want the Cowan goal back, and I think he would want Shaw's goal back, too, as it trickled underneath him after a nice save initially.
Honestly, it's fair to wonder whether or not fatigue might be setting in a bit for the 21-year-old Murashov, who has played in every Calder Cup Playoff game - which includes 14 of them - and has managed to post a .930 save percentage. He needs to find a way to bounce back in Game 6, though, as he has done throughout the playoffs.
It's pretty apparent that WBS completely lost control of the game in the third period, and they did resort to trying to get under the skins of a veteran-heavy Toronto team.
There is a balance that needs to be struck between letting emotions run in playoff atmospheres and not allowing that emotion to dictate the highs and lows of the game. MacDonald acknowledged that the emotional component is sometimes unavoidable in the playoffs - especially when the opposing team's defense is frustrating players - but he is confident his team will find their way back from the way the game ended.
"I mean, obviously, the game got out of hand," MacDonald said. "It's an intense series. It's emotional. You know, we'll move forward. You can tell the momentum doesn't really roll from game to game, in the playoffs."
He added: "It got a bit sideways, but we'll regroup."
This team has shown that it can and will regroup throughout the course of these playoffs. I would expect to see that again on Sunday.
After the game, I asked MacDonald about the play of the blue line in this series, especially given the injury situation. Alexander Alexeyev is out. Sebastian Aho is out. So is Phil Kemp. And Finn Harding. Owen Pickering missed some time, too, even if he slotted back in the lineup and was on the top pairing next to Harrison Brunicke, who has been logging very heavy minutes.
It's safe to say MacDonald is happy with the play of his backend, and he lauded their ability to limit opposing scoring chances.
“I think they’ve done a damn good job under the circumstances," MacDonald said. "We basically played four ‘D’ for the last two periods in Game 4, and they did an outstanding job. Guys are battling. Like, you go back and look, both ways, there’s not a ton of scoring chances, when you actually go back and watch the video. It’s this time of year where you’ve got to battle. It’s the next-man-up mentality. We’ve been like that the whole year. And I think the guys are doing an outstanding job.
"There’s mistakes that happen, but at the end of the day, look at, especially, the first two goals. I wouldn’t blame the ‘D’ by any means. I think we’ve done a really good job defending, and I don’t doubt that we’ll continue to do so on Sunday night.”
It's hard for any team to play four defensemen down. What this unit is doing in the absence of four regulars is commendable, and that's especially true for Pickering and Brunicke, who are shouldering a heavy load.
David Breazale - in addition to Pieniniemi - also made his Calder Cup Playoff debut, and he was rock solid in this one. They're going to need all of these guys to continue to outperform if they're going to take the last two games of this series.
Because they won't be picking at the top of the NHL draft order this year, the Philadelphia Flyers must select the best player possible with the 21st overall pick.
Any other outcome, assuming the pick isn't traded, is a mistake.
The Flyers, too, have been under fire for their draft choices in recent seasons, spending a total of three first-round picks to acquire centers Jack Nesbitt and Jett Luchanko, players with offensive upsides that seem to be average at best.
And the idea of going all-in on a center in the 2024 and 2025 drafts were fine, too. Options like Konsta Helenius and Cole Reschny were on the board, but the Flyers ultimately bypassed both.
To that end, the Flyers could have secured themselves a blue-chip prospect for the left side of their defense, which is barren in the prospect pool. Zeev Buium and Jackson Smith were available--the former was and still is a sore subject--but the Flyers had their minds made up.
Now that they have stocked up at the center position with Luchanko, Nesbitt, Matthew Gard, Heikki Ruohonen, and Jack Berglund, the Flyers have no reason to reach for a center again, but that is exactly what they do in Corey Pronman's latest NHL mock draft for The Athletic.
Pronman has the Flyers selecting USHL Youngstown Phantoms center Jack Hextall, a relative of Flyers legend Ron Hextall, with the 21st overall pick.
"Hextall is a highly intelligent, diligent pivot who’s a slick playmaker with excellent offensive sense," Pronman writes.
"Though his skating doesn’t stand out and he hasn’t been a prolific scorer, his strong two-way detail makes him a very safe bet to be a useful pro down the middle for the Flyers."
Some of those word choices are nightmares to read for Flyers fans: skating doesn't stand out, hasn't been a prolific scorer, very safe, and useful.
Hextall, 18, scored 20 goals, 38 assists, and 58 points in the USHL this season, and he's committed to Michigan State University, where he'll team up with Flyers prospect Shane Vansaghi next year.
And, with the very next pick, Pronman has the Flyers' archrival Pittsburgh Penguins taking defenseman Ryan Lin at 22.
"Pittsburgh doesn’t really have a future power-play QB in its prospect pool, and Lin could be one," Pronman said.
The Flyers, with their power play being downright awful for years now, go with the "very safe" pick instead of someone who could be a "future power-play QB." Yeesh.
Of course, this isn't to say that the Flyers will actually do this when the real thing plays out on June 26, but they don't have a strong enough track record for us to sit here and rule that out, either.
I'm a big fan of the undersized Xavier Villeneuve, for example, but he doesn't even make Pronman's top 32 here. That would be someone who checks all the boxes for the Flyers, in terms of both position and talent level.
Other higher-upside players the Flyers pass on in Pronman's latest mock include Adam Novotny, Maddox Dagenais, Brooks Rogowski, Liam Ruck, Tommy Bleyl, and Nikita Klepov.
In order to truly take the next step in their rebuild, the Flyers will need to find the courage to think outside the box and take risks when the stakes are higher.
Jun 4, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Vegas Golden Knights left wing Ivan Barbashev (49) shoots the puck against Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) during the third period in game two of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Before the Carolina Hurricanes made their comeback, before the Vegas Golden Knights needed a goal with 81 seconds left in regulation to tie it and before Seth Jarvis scored in overtime, the sound of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final was silence.
The same crowd that roared at the start of the series was stunned, with their beloved Hurricanes shut out through the first two periods for the first time since mid-January. They were fewer than 15 minutes away from a 2-0 hole that only five of 55 teams have overcome to hoist the Cup.
The topsy-turvy ride that followed ended with Carolina winning in emotional fashion and making this a competitive series between two of the best teams in the NHL. Game 3 is Saturday night in Las Vegas.
If it is anything like the first two, it is best to expect the unexpected the rest of the way.
“It’s obviously a new series, a five-game series now,” said defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who leads the Hurricanes with three points so far in the final. “A lot of emotions throughout the games, too. For almost 50 minutes there it’s kind of low, and then kind of even, then really high, then low again, and then high. It’s a roller coaster for sure.”
This final is shaping up to be more like a seesaw, with wild momentum swings back and forth. This is the first Cup final in league history in which each of the first two games featured a multigoal comeback victory.
Carolina is now the first team in 82 years to win a game in the final when down by more than one goal within the final 10 minutes of regulation. That would also make Vegas — which fell behind by two goals in the opener — the first team since 1944 to blow such a lead.
“The sport of hockey is funny that way,” Golden Knights center William Karlsson said Friday. “I think that’s why we all love it. It can go either way at any times .... But it’s hockey. It’s a game of mistakes, and it’s bound to happen.”
The Hurricanes after cruising through the first three rounds with 12 wins and just one loss met their match in Vegas, and that was evident in Game 1. What also became clear is that neither of team is going to get pushed around for an entire night, even if there are stretches of domination by one side or the other.
“It’s going to be hard to play your best game — that’s the point,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “It would be great if you could do it for the whole 60 minutes. But it’s probably not going to be that way because they’re a very, very good team.”
Counterpart John Tortorella emphasized that again before he and his team flew home, insisting he likes where Vegas is at two games into its biggest challenge yet this postseason. The Golden Knights have stolen home-ice advantage and get to play the next two on The Strip, where Tortorella can better control matchups.
“There’s no difference,” Tortorella said. “We’re going to play. We know how to play. We know how we want to play.”
So do the Hurricanes, and it’s what they displayed at the end of Game 2. Logan Stankoven provided the spark, Mark Jankowski kept it going and Jordan Staal scored on a power play after Tortorella’s failed goaltender interference challenge became a difference-making moment.
Of course, the Golden Knights dominating for much of the first two periods and the start of the third showed why they’ve been such a buzzsaw since Tortorella took over in late March. Brind’Amour acknowledged the vibes around his team were better than they could have been if not for the turnaround, but neither team should expect to feel too good about itself for toon long in a series like this.
Players are embracing that as part of the fun.
“This is exciting,” Jarvis said. “This is what playoff hockey’s all about is tight games and momentum swings, and you never really know what’s going to happen next. I don’t think you can ask any more of a playoff series.”
After a season outside of an NHL front office, former San Jose Sharks defenseman and Hockey Hall of Famer Rob Blake has joined the Nashville Predators organization.
Blake, who is mainly remembered for his 28 total years as a player and an executive for the Los Angeles Kings, was announced as the Predators' Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations on Friday. Blake joins the Predators' newly appointed General Manager and President of Hockey Operations, Chris MacFarland who spent the last four season as the General Manager of the Colorado Avalanche under Joe Sakic.
Blake previously served as the VP of Hockey Operations and the General Manger of the Los Angeles Kings after originally joining the organization as a Director of Player Personnel for the 2011-12 season. He parted ways with the Kings following the 2024-25 season and was replaced by Ken Holland.
As a player, Blake was a long-time captain for the Kings, but he ended his career as the captain of the Sharks. He spent two seasons in teal, appearing in 143 games and picking up 75 points. He then retired following the 2009-10 season.
Former San Jose Sharks goaltender Georgii Romanov has earned himself another NHL contract, as he signed a two-year contract extension with the St. Louis Blues on Friday.
Romanov was originally signed by the Sharks as an undrafted free agent in May of 2023. He spent two seasons with the Sharks organization, although the majority of his time was with their American Hockey League affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.
Across two seasons, Romanov took the crease for 50 games with the Barracuda. During that time, he had a record of 20-15-13 while he also recorded a .904 save percentage and a 3.12 goals against average.
Romanov was much less effective at the NHL level as in 10 games for the Sharks, he had a save percentage of .888 and a 3.53 goals against average while going 0-6-0.
Romanov departed the Sharks organization following the 2024-25 season after the team opted not to extend him a qualifying offer to retain his signing rights. As a result, he signed a one-year contract with the Blues that summer.
During the 2025-26 season, Romanov spent his entire campaign with the Blues' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. The 26-year-old netminder played 28 regular season games for the Thunderbirds, recording a 9-12-4 record, a 3.29 goals against average, and a .896 save percentage. He turned his game up a notch in the playoffs though, going 7-4-0 with a 1.84 goals against average and a .939 save percentage.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 04: Logan Stankoven #22 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates after a goal during the third period against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Two of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center on June 04, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Cato Cataldo/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Halfway through the third period in Game 2, the Carolina Hurricanes were teetering on going down 2-0 and dropping both games at home to open the Stanley Cup against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Down 2-0 midway through the third, the Canes hadn’t looked like the dominant team they’d been for the entirety of the regular season and playoffs. There were even talks of a potential Knights sweep at the second intermission.
That’s when Logan Stankoven happened.
After an offensive zone faceoff, Stankoven’s relentless forecheck resulted in him stripping the puck from Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson. Stankoven circled back behind the net and fired a backhander that bounced past Carter Hart to make it a one goal game.
The goal not only helped the Canes back into the game, but it also got the crowd going. Carolina used that momentum and tied the game just over two minutes later when Mark Jankowski went bar down for his first goal of the playoffs.
After both Carolina and Vegas each added another to send the game to overtime, Seth Jarvis scored the power play winner to tie the series 1-1 heading into Game 3.
From talking about there being a potential sweep and the Canes looking as lifeless as they had all year, to tying up the series 1-1 and all the momentum being on Carolina’s side in a matter of half a period, all started by Stankoven’s hustle.
Stankoven now has 10 goals in the postseason to lead the Canes, adding three assists for a total of 13 points in 15 games. Carolina’s second line of Hall-Stankoven-Blake, which has really been their first line during the postseason, was the only group not to be split up by Rod Brind’Amour last night — speaking to their effectiveness. That group, led by Stankoven in the middle, has accounted for 20 goals and 44 points in the playoffs so far.
With the Svechnikov-Aho-Jarvis line continuing to struggle, the second line has been able to maintain Carolina’s offensive production.
In addition to scoring the goal that jump started the Canes’ comeback, Stankoven finished the game with two shots and had a 63.6 faceoff percentage, second to only Jordan Staal’s 70 percent.
There were questions revolving around how Stankoven’s game would translate to the postseason due to his listed 5-foot-8 stature. But if this playoff run has shown anything, it’s that those worries were for nothing.
Prior to the season and for some of the regular season, there was debate surrounding whether or not Carolina had a good enough 2C to compete for a Stanley Cup. Well, that question has been answered with Stankoven filling the role exceptionally well. Maybe the real question should’ve been if the Canes have a good enough 1C in Sebastian Aho to win the Stanley Cup. Aho has totaled just eight points in 15 games during these playoffs so far.
While last night’s win was needed and momentum swinging, the Canes still need to steal one of the next two on the road to take back home ice advantage.
Game 3 is set for tomorrow at 8 PM, where the Hurricanes look to take a 2-1 series lead and inch closer to bringing home the Stanley Cup.
Cliff Fletcher, who won a Stanley Cup with the Flames and also helped rebuild the Maple Leafs, has died.
Cliff Fletcher, the famed executive who won a Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989 and then turned around a flailing Maple Leafs franchise throughout the 1990s, has died.
He was 90 years old.
To the day of his death, Fletcher was still contributing to the Leafs, working as a senior adviser to the team from his home in Arizona.
Cliff Fletcher is pictured at Maple Leaf Gardens. Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images
Fletcher joined the expansion Atlanta Flames as their general manager in 1972 and remained with the team after a move up north to Calgary in 1980.
Fletcher’s Flames made the Stanley Cup Final in 1986, where they fell in five games to the Canadiens.
Three years later, the Flames were back in the Cup, and this time they prevailed against the Canadiens in six games for their first and thus far only championship in franchise history.
After achieving his goal of making the Flames a contender, Fletcher joined the Leafs as president in 1991 — two years removed from a title — and brought them as close as they’ve been to returning to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1967, the last year of the Original Six era.
Cliff Fletcher, wearing a suit, celebrates after winning a Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989. Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images
Fletcher was known for one of the biggest trades in NHL history, a 10-player deal that reunited Fletcher and ex-Flame Doug Gilmour, the centerpiece of the trade, in Toronto in 1992.
He executed several other deals early in his tenure to help bring the Leafs back to prominence, including bringing in coach Pat Burns from Montreal.
Cliff Fletcher is pictured in 2004. Getty Images
Cliff Fletcher was a Stanley Cup winner, HHOF fame. Classy, smart, fearless. Beloved and respected. Blessed to have worked with him in TO. Taught me to always try to make your deals bigger, so I did! 2 great kids, was lucky to work with Kristy and Chuck. Sad day. RIP, Cliff.
The Leafs were in back-to-back conference finals in 1993 and 1994 and made the playoffs two more times in Fletcher’s tenure.
He acquired Mats Sundin from the Quebec Nordiques in 1994, who remains the franchise’s scoring leader.
Fletcher also spent time with the Coyotes and Lightning.
He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004. Many around the hockey world have shared their memories of Fletcher, including fellow executive Brian Burke, who called Fletcher “classy, smart and fearless.”
He is survived by his partner, Linda, and children, Chuck and Kristy.
TORONTO (AP) — NHL executive Cliff Fletcher, who led the Calgary Flames to a Stanley Cup championship in 1989 and helped turn the Toronto into a contender while earning the nickname “Trader Cliff” for his skillful wheeling and dealing, has died at 90, the Maple Leafs announced Friday.
Fletcher was a senior adviser for the team, which did not provide details of his death.
Among Fletcher's many moves was bringing Lanny McDonald to the recently relocated Flames in 1981, and deals for Doug Gilmour and Mats Sundin in Toronto that helped transform the Maple Leafs into a playoff threat.
“Few men in the history of hockey have had as profound and lasting an impact on the game as Cliff Fletcher,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. “Revered for his keen eye for talent, respected for his management acumen and beloved for his character, Cliff devoted seven decades to hockey in myriad roles and leaves a legacy as remarkable for the many men and women he has mentored as for the franchises he helped established and games his teams won.”
Born in Montreal on Aug. 16, 1935, Fletcher started his career as a scout with his hometown Canadiens under the guidance of legendary executive Sam Pollock before heading to the St. Louis Blues as an assistant general manager in June 1969. He joined the expansion Atlanta Flames as GM in 1972 and remained with the team when it relocated to Calgary in 1980.
While often overshadowed by their provincial rivals, the Edmonton Oilers, Fletcher built a contender in Calgary.
The team made its first Cup final in 1986, losing to Montreal in five games. The Flames beat the Canadiens in six games a few years later for their only title. The powerhouse roster built by Fletcher was captained by McDonald, backstopped by Mike Vernon in goal and included Gilmour, Joe Nieuwendyk, Joe Mullen, Al MacInnis, Gary Suter and a young Theo Fleury.
Fletcher, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004, took over as the Maple Leafs’ chief operating officer, president and GM in 1991. He quickly helped rebuild the team, which had slogged through a dismal decade under former owner Harold Ballard.
In a key move, Fletcher pried Gilmour from his successor in Calgary, and he also hired Pat Burns as coach in 1992.
The trade with the Flames supplemented other previous moves. Fletcher shipped a package including forward Vincent Damphousse to Edmonton for netminder Grant Fuhr, forward Glenn Anderson and others. Fuhr was later sent to Buffalo in a deal that netted 50-goal man Dave Andreychuk from the Sabres.
In another franchise-defining swap, Fletcher dealt popular but oft-injured captain Wendel Clark to the Quebec Nordiques in 1994 as part of a package that included Sundin. A future Hall of Fame center, Sundin went on to become the face of the franchise and is now Toronto’s senior executive adviser of hockey operations.
“Cliff Fletcher inherited a club that had finished last in the NHL’s Norris Division in 1991, transforming them seemingly overnight,” the Maple Leafs said. “Those beloved Maple Leafs teams would come within one win of the Cup final in 1993 and returned to the conference final a year later.”
Fletcher remained with the Leafs until 1997 before front office stints with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Phoenix Coyotes. He returned to Toronto as interim GM in 2008.
His son, Chuck Fletcher, became a successful NHL executive in his own right. Chuck Fletcher served as GM of the Minnesota Wild from 2009 to 2018 and the Philadelphia Flyers from 2018 to 2024.
On Friday afternoon, the hockey world lost another legendary executive when news broke that Cliff Fletcher had passed away at the age of 90. Thanks to a career that spanned almost seven decades, Fletcher was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.
As recent as the 2023-24 season, he was a senior advisor for the Toronto Maple Leafs, his second stint with the Original Six franchise, having served as President and General Manager from 1991 to 1997 before returning in 2007.
Although Fletcher is deeply connected to the Maple Leafs, having spent more than 20 years with the organization, many in the hockey community remember him for his time with the Calgary Flames.
Fletcher was the franchise's first general manager, hired in 1972 when the Atlanta Flames came into existence. He stayed with the club when they relocated to Calgary in 1980.
By that time, he was already piecing together a superstar roster, one loaded with future Hall of Famers like Joe Nieuwendyk, Al MacInnis, Mike Vernon, and Joe Mullen, that would reach the 1986 Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadiens, and would win the rematch in 1989.
Born in 1935 in Montreal, Fletcher became a scout for the Canadiens in 1956, holding that position until 1966 before moving into an assistant general manager role with the expansion St. Louis Blues. After achieving his only Stanley Cup victory with the Flames, he went to Toronto, then to Tampa Bay (1998-2000) and Arizona (2000-27), before returning to the Maple Leafs.
Beloved by many in the hockey community, Fletcher left behind an incredible legacy, one fondly remembered in Calgary as the man responsible for the franchise's only Stanley Cup title.
The Los Angeles Kings have locked up AHL prospect Aatu Jämsen, announcing Friday that he is officially joining the Kings roster on a one-year, two-way contract worth $850,000 at the NHL level through the 2026-27 season.
Jämsen, 23 years old, completed his second season with the Ontario Reign, posting career highs of 16 goals, 12 assists, and 28 points in 59 games. The call-up might seem a little early, but the former seventh-round pick has shown promise, and LA adds another young talent to its roster.
We've signed F Aatu Jämsen to a one-year, two-way contract worth an average annual value (AAV) of $850,000!
The Finnish forward also competed in four Calder Cup Playoff contests, where he collected two points as Ontario battled for postseason success. Originally drafted in the seventh round with the 190th overall pick of the 2020 NHL draft, Jämsen has steadily improved his game.
Over two seasons with the Ontario Reign, Jämsen has totaled 23 goals and 39 points in 95 AHL games, reminding everyone that he can create his own shot and play a physical game.
The signing gives LA additional depth at the forward position, while giving Jämsen an opportunity to push for his NHL debut this upcoming season. With the Kings still expected to make additional moves in the offseason to improve the team, the Finnish prospect will enter training camp looking to make a strong impression and compete for a larger role within the organization.
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