The Buffalo Sabres are entering the summer with several pending free agents. Due to this, there is a chance that we could see a few of their players not back on the team next season.
Because of this, let's look at four Sabres pending UFAs who may not be back in Buffalo in 2025-26.
Luke Schenn
The Sabres brought in Luke Schenn at the deadline for more defensive depth. He was not used often by Buffalo, as he played in just four regular-season games and two playoff games for the Sabres. With the Sabres having more notable players due for contracts this summer, there is a good chance that the 36-year-old Schenn won't be back.
Logan Stanley
It would not be surprising if Logan Stanley decided to test the market this summer. The 6-foot-7 defenseman had a career year, posting new career highs with nine goals, 17 assists, and 26 points in 73 games. With this, he will certainly be getting a raise, but it seems likely it won't be from Buffalo.
Tanner Pearson
Tanner Pearson is another Sabres pending UFA who might not be back next season. He had two assists in four games after being acquired by the Sabres ahead of the deadline and did not make a playoff appearance for Buffalo.
Alex Tuch
There is certainly a good chance that Alex Tuch will re-sign with the Sabres. However, until that comes to fruition, questions about his future in Buffalo will continue to come up. Tuch is in a position to ask for a major payday as the NHL's top pending UFA forward. Will the Sabres be willing to pay the price, or will the Syracuse, New York native sign elsewhere?
The Stanley Cup Final continues tonight as the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes meet in Game 2 at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC.
Vegas struck first in the series and now has a chance to take a commanding 2-0 lead before the action shifts back to Nevada. The Hurricanes, meanwhile, will look to defend home ice and avoid falling into a deep hole against a Golden Knights team that has lost just once this postseason.
Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET as our Covers experts break down their top NHL picks and predictions for tonight's showdown.
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Neil Parker's expert pick: Frederik Andersen Over 21.5 saves
He finished with just 18 saves after being nothing short of spectacular throughout the postseason with a high-end .920 save percentage, 1.65 GAA, and .560 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes.
Carolina was also vulnerable for stretches of the series opener, and in particular, the Vegas Golden Knights dominated the second period with a 73.3% overall shot share.
Vegas isn’t going to go prolonged stretches without generating offense, and Andersen isn’t going to post a .783 SV% with -1.73 goals saved above expected again in Game 2, so there is an easy path to this Over.
I’d play this prop confidently to -115.
Todd Cordell's expert pick: Taylor Hall Over 0.5 points
Price: -115 at BET99
Taylor Hall didn’t hit the scoresheet in Game 1, but there were a lot of good signs under the hood.
Carolina won the shot attempt battle 17-7 and out-chanced Vegas 7-4 during his 5-on-5 minutes.
His power play also generated four shot attempts and three chances in the same amount of time Carolina’s No. 1 unit created one. They saw a 50-50 split in usage — not many second units get that kind of run.
On paper, Jack Eichel hasn't scored much in these playoffs, finding the back of the net just twice in 17 games. However, the underlying numbers suggest he's been far more dangerous than that production indicates.
Eichel owns 5.93 individual expected goals, one of the highest marks on the Vegas Golden Knights, and he's recorded eight shots on goal across his last three road games.
The veteran has also generated 67 individual Fenwick attempts during the postseason, trailing only Pavel Dorofeyev on Vegas. Eichel continues to create offense at a high level, and the Golden Knights are producing 15.15 high-danger chances per 60 minutes with him on the ice. If those opportunities continue, he's a strong candidate to break through in Game 2.
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.
As players and coaches continue to move around the NHL carousel, the Philadelphia Flyers keep managing to find a way to be at the center of it all.
This time, with former Flyers head coach Craig Berube getting the boot by the Toronto Maple Leafs, another ex-Flyers bench boss could be stepping in to replace him.
According to TSN NHL insider Darren Dreger, former Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette will be one of the candidates to become the next Maple Leafs head coach, in addition to legendary goalie and, more recently, ex-Islanders head coach Patrick Roy.
Laviolette, 61, last coached in the 2024-25 season for the New York Rangers, guiding the team to a disappointing 39-36-7 record on the heels of a 55-24-4, Presidents' Trophy-winning campaign in 2023-24.
If hired by the Maple Leafs, Laviolette would be kicking off his latest escapade in the NHL Eastern Conference.
The veteran bench boss has previously coached the Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, Flyers, and Rangers to varying degrees of success.
Laviolette led the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup win in 2006 and brought the Flyers to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, but has seen much less success since, reaching the Final just once in the last 15 years.
In five years with the Flyers, Laviolette was 145-98-29 with a 23-22 record in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
In any case, the Maple Leafs coaching search is worth monitoring to the Flyers because they own Toronto's 2027 (or 2028, in a rare event) first-round pick, and you can bet they will be one of the teams in on superstar center Auston Matthews if the ceiling falls out there.
Laviolette is just two years removed from a Presidents' Trophy with the Rangers and has as good a track record of making the playoffs of just about anyone out there, which could very well bring down how high the Flyers' pick from the Maple Leafs ends up being.
That, of course, makes life a little different for the club’s amateur scouting staff leading up to the 2026 NHL draft. Barring a trade, the Flyers will pick at 21st overall. It’s their lowest first-round spot since 2020.
So the Flyers know the draft is still critical to what they want to do, even when they’re lower in the order.
“We’ve said it for a long time, we wanted to build a team that was going to be here for a long time; not just to go for it for a year or two,” general manager Danny Briere said last month. “That’s still the same approach on my end.”
The Flyers have only five picks in this draft, which will be held June 26-27. The first round is Friday at 7 p.m. ET, while Rounds 2-7 are Saturday starting at 11 a.m. ET.
“I’ll tell you how I feel about drafts and I’ll be totally blunt with you,” TSN director of scouting Craig Button said Tuesday in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I think it’s f—ing bulls–t when I hear about, ‘Oh, this draft isn’t as good.’ Here are the numbers. Approximately 45 players from any draft will play 350 games or more in the NHL. It might be 47 one year, 42 another year. That’s the number — you get 45 players that’ll play 350 games or more with varying degrees of success.
“And I know this about the draft. The teams that get good players from the draft say it was a good draft. The teams that don’t get good players from the draft say it wasn’t a good draft. So when people start telling me about a draft ahead of time, I call bulls–t.”
“What you’re trying to do is find a player that you feel has the potential to be an NHL player,” Button said. “That might be a third-line center, that might be a second-line scoring winger. Hey, listen, maybe you get David Pastrnak, who’s a superstar (drafted 25th overall in 2014).
“But the focus has to be on, ‘OK, what type of player do we like, what type of player do we think the guy can be?’ And then get after it and understand what the development path is, and then try to help that player be the best he can be. Put a stake in the ground and celebrate who you’re drafting.”
Before the draft arrives, we’re breaking down first-round targets for the Flyers.
Next up:
Maddox Dagenais
Position: Center Height: 6-foot-4 Weight: 196 Shoots: Left Team: Quebec
Scouting report
Dagenais can really rip the puck.
He possesses an advanced shot to go along with an NHL frame. His release is high end and the accuracy is there. He had two hat tricks and 30 goals over 62 games this season for Quebec in the QMJHL.
“He has got really good shooting hands,” Button, a former NHL GM and scout, said. “He understands how to put goaltenders back on their heels with that shot.”
The 18-year-old was a point-per-game player. He was second on the Remparts with 62 points, behind only Flyers prospect Nathan Quinn, who had 73 in 58 games.
In the second round of the playoffs, Dagenais was shut down by eventual champion Chicoutimi. He went scoreless in four games with a minus-7 rating. He had three goals and three assists in Quebec’s first-round series, which went seven games.
“I think he’s a better winger,” Button said. “I see him as a winger, I see him as a shooter, I see him as somebody that can really shoot the puck. I see him as more of a goal-scoring type of winger; I don’t see him as a center. He has got size, he drives inside, he gets the puck and he has got really good hands.”
“He’s not a great skater,” Button said. “His skating has improved, but skating isn’t the hallmark of his game. He’s smart, he’s competitive, he has got really good hands, goal-scoring hands. But that’s a lot of skating you’ve got to do as a center. I don’t see that in his profile. I see him as a shooting, goal-scoring winger.”
(Dale Preston/Getty Images)
Fit with Flyers
If the Flyers like Dagenais, they probably would love if he could play down the middle at the next level.
Center is a premium position and one of need for the organization. Meanwhile, the Flyers already have a large crop of young wingers, led by Martone and Matvei Michkov. Part of the reason they traded Bobby Brink was because of all the youth on the wing.
The Flyers will draft the best player available at No. 21, but a true center would be ideal if they take a forward.
Dagenais’ size and shooting ability should intrigue the Flyers. They’ve wanted to get bigger and add more goal scoring. Dagenais could help in both aspects.
The 2025-26 hockey season was an adjustment for Calvin de Haan.
After a lengthy NHL career that began as a first-round pick of the New York Islanders, the 35-year-old defenseman played in Sweden's top league this season with Rögle BK Angelholm. They went all the way to the final last month, before falling to the champs, Skellefteå AIK.
Sweden was de Haan's fallback position this season because after 679 NHL games with six teams, the phone stopped ringing. So he opted for a contract to play in Europe for the first time.
Looking back, his very brief time with the New York Rangers last year probably didn't help his cause.
After Colorado traded de Haan last March, the Rangers immediately used him for three games, and he wasn't on the ice for a single goal against. It was a 4-0 win over Nashville, a 4-0 win over the Islanders, and a 3-2 overtime loss to Washington.
It was a fabulous start for de Haan, who had just come from playoff-bound Colorado, where he had played 44 games.
But in reality, his fabulous start was also the end.
For some reason, head coach Peter Laviolette, who was a month away from being fired by the Rangers, made de Haan a healthy scratch for the rest of the season (20 games).
Near the end of that stretch, de Haan finally voiced his displeasure to the media.
According to New York Post writer Mollie Walker, de Haan walked past reporters and commented on how it’s all finally over. "He said something to the effect of, ‘How about the way I’ve been treated here? It’s f****d.’"
The veteran NHL player had every right to be upset, but his comments made headlines and might have served as a red flag to NHL teams who might otherwise have seen him as a depth option for this season.
But that's old news, water under the bridge.
While speaking this week on the Coming in Hot podcast with Brent Wallace and former Senator Jason York, de Haan talked about how he enjoyed his first season of hockey on a different continent. His team made the final, and he had great respect for the level of play.
When Wallace asked if he had ever wanted to play for the Senators, de Haan says he would have been all over that, including this season.
"In the past, I'd probably say even this past summer, probably three or four summers (in all), coming off my deal with Chicago there, I was trying to sign in Ottawa for years, and it just never came to fruition, unfortunately. Would have loved to (play there).
"I was a Sens fan growing up. I grew up watching Yorkie and those early 2000s teams. I think all the way to 2008, there was a pretty solid run of Sens hockey there. And those teams could have won Cups."
So why didn't things come together? It would appear that Pierre Dorion and now Steve Staios simply didn't see it as a fit.
"I think it was just, you know, they were looking for something else. But I would have loved it."
De Haan is also loving his new hockey chapter in Sweden, though, and unlike his last NHL stop, his new team's bosses love him back. He signed a one-year deal with Rögle BK last summer, and it wasn't long before they wanted more.
They signed the Manotick resident to a two-year extension in November.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Only three players have been around for all nine seasons of the Vegas Golden Knights. This is the third trip to the Stanley Cup Final for William Karlsson, Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb, and the thrill still is there.
“It’s the same feeling as Year 1,” Karlsson said.
That one ended in defeat, but it set the perennial expectations at championship or bust, and Vegas hoisted the Cup in Year 6 in 2023. Eager for another parade on the Las Vegas Strip, the original Golden Knights wasted no time making an early impact in Game 1 at Carolina.
Karlsson and Theodore each scored, and McNabb had the first three-assist performance of his NHL career in the 5-4 victory in Game 1. The Golden Knights leaned on their longest-tenured players to erase another multigoal deficit and will keep relying on them.
“They’re calm,” said coach John Tortorella, who only has been in charge since late March. “The foundation of our team, the guts of our team, has been through this before. ... Those guys kind of lead the way by not panicking. They don’t say much, they just play, and I think other people follow behind them. I think that’s so important this time of year.”
William Karlsson returning has changed everything
One reason the Golden Knights did not look this dominant during the regular season was Karlsson’s lengthy absence because of an undisclosed injury. He was out from early November until the start of the second round.
“I learned not to take anything for granted,” Karlsson said. “It wasn’t always just a straight line. Some minor setbacks. But I always have the mind to come back for playoffs, and I’m very happy to be able to be a part of it.”
Karlsson getting back allowed Mitch Marner to shift to his more natural right wing from center. Karlsson has six points and Marner 15 in the 11 games since.
“It’s super fun to play hockey, and I’m happy to be getting a lot of minutes and help the team,” Karlsson said.
Shea Theodore has stepped up when needed
The Golden Knights went into the season with a giant void on their blue line, with No. 1 defenseman Alex Pietrangelo unlikely to play again because of a chronic hip injury. Former coach Bruce Cassidy said during the ’23 title run that he knew Pietrangelo was good but came to appreciate the do-everything, all-around game up close.
Theodore stepped into that role in Pietrangelo’s absence.
“Shea’s game this season has just added a completely different layer than what we were used to because he’s always been a great puck-mover, always been a very good offensive defenseman,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “Shea has become a penalty killer. He never killed penalties prior at all. He’s on the ice when it’s 6 on 5 against, where in the past he would not have been. And I’m really proud of him, to be honest with you. I think he’s really grown into it.”
Tortorella praised Theodore for bouncing back in Game 1 after getting “spanked” on Carolina’s opening goal 25 seconds in.
“It doesn’t bother him, and he probably plays one of the better games,” Tortorella said. “He just played. I think it’s a really good lesson for all of us to see.”
Theodore not only scored Vegas’ first goal after falling behind 2-0 but delivered a textbook shot-pass to Brett Howden for a goal in the third period.
“His vision is unbelievable,” said Howden, whose 11 goals leads the postseason. “He wasn’t even looking at me, but I feel like he knew that I was going there and he made an unbelievable pass there. I just had to chip it in.”
Brayden McNabb flashes unusual offensive touch
McNabb has been a solid defender in the league for more than a decade. Keeping the puck out of the net, while guarding and hitting opponents, is his primary job. He doubled his assist total this postseason in Game 1, after having just three in 15 games over the first three rounds. Theodore cracked, “He’s an offensive guy.”
“My partner did most of the work on all of them, really,” McNabb said, crediting Theodore. “But, yeah, the guys made great plays, and it’s nice to chip in offensively when I can.”
Vegas has brought in plenty of talent since its overachieving inaugural season, including captain Mark Stone, top center Jack Eichel and Marner. But there is still a deep reverence for the original Golden Knights, including Reilly Smith, who was traded and reacquired and had been playing until Karlsson returned.
“They mean everything,” Howden said. “They’re the ones that built this team from the ground up. They built a culture here, starting from the top down. But those guys were here from the start, and they lead the way. They’re unbelievable leaders in the room.”
"I met with his agent, Neil Sheehy, here this week," Darche told NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "I said at the end of the year I'd love for Anders to play his 1,000th game with the Islanders, but it has to work for us and for him. He's earned the right to look at options where he is in his career.
"We're planning ahead, so I still hope we can get a deal done. It's not there yet, and we'll keep working at it till July 1."
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Vegas Golden Knights were up one, down to a frantic 5.6 seconds left to secure Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes won a faceoff in the Vegas zone, with Logan Stankoven passing to Alexander Nikishin up top for a one-timer from a young defenseman known for his hard shot. But Mitch Marner jumped in the path of the blast and blocked the puck with the inside of his left knee, a painful stop that ultimately closed the door on Carolina.
It epitomized the edge, precision and killer instinct that these Golden Knights are playing with as they try to win the Cup for a second time in four years. After winning twice on the road to start a shocking sweep of Colorado in the West final, they now have a chance to do the same against the team that finished second to the Avalanche in the regular season.
“To me that’s common sense,” coach John Tortorella said. “You win one, you want to win the next one. You don’t want to let any momentum slip away.”
When Vegas went into Colorado and won Game 1 last round, Tortorella and his players brushed off stealing home-ice advantage, making it clear they were there for more instead of being content with a split.
The same goes now after a 5-4 win at Carolina, with Tortorella noting afterward, “Momentum swings happen quickly.”
That particularly can be true when playing a team that went 12-1 through three rounds to secure its first shot at the Cup in two decades, coming after years of building in an eight-year playoff run before finally punching through its East final roadblock.
The Hurricanes’ only loss before Game 1 had come with a rusty start in Game 1 of the East final against Montreal after going 11 days between rounds, the longest playoff break in more than a century. And they pounced on Vegas with an opening-minute goal en route to a 2-0 first-period lead.
Yet the Golden Knights — who rallied from a three-goal deficit in Game 3 against the Avalanche — have an opportunity to hand the Hurricanes more losses in a week than they had the rest of the playoffs combined, largely by sticking together and sticking to their game.
“If you start to change and you start to chase the game, usually it doesn’t go so well for you,” captain Mark Stone said. “We have done a really good job of just sticking to the way we play and not taking too much unnecessary risks, and we were able to get ourselves back in the game.”
Game 1 offered another chapter in Vegas’ march that began with a late-season coaching change by firing Bruce Cassidy to hire Tortorella. The Golden Knights have won 20 of 25 games since, and seem to be getting better in every playoff round with a roster featuring tested talent from that 2023 title with players like Jack Eichel, Brett Howden, William Karlsson, Stone, Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb.
They regrouped from a 2-1 deficit in Round 1 by winning a pair of overtime games before closing out Utah in six games. They beat Anaheim in six, winning the last two. Then came the sweep of Colorado, with the high-powered Avalanche managing seven goals in four games after leading the league in scoring (3.63).
Against Carolina, the Golden Knights gave up a goal to Nikolaj Ehlers on the rush just 25 seconds in, then another to Ehlers on a breakaway for the 2-0 lead.
But Vegas pushed back with three unanswered goals to silence a hostile crowd. They also twice responded when the Hurricanes tied the score, the last coming with Tomas Hertl taking a backhand pass from Colton Sissons and beating Frederik Andersen from the slot with 3:24 left.
Then came Marner’s final stop, when he jumped in front of Nikishin’s shot — it registered 89.6 miles per hour, according to NHL EDGE — to knock the puck off its laser-line trajectory toward Carter Hart in the crease.
“I don’t think it’s anything special,” Tortorella said of the block. “I think that’s part of playing defense, especially at this time of year.”
Regardless, the effort had multiple Vegas players going straight to Marner at the horn to hug him with a seventh straight playoff win secured — and the chance for more.
“I think the way they think the game, you can see it,” said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour, who captained Carolina to its lone Cup title in 2006. “They’re not making plays when they don’t have to, and they don’t turn pucks over. It’s out of their end, it’s through the neutral zone. if there’s no space, they’re putting it behind you, and they’re just staying above it, and they’re doing it right.”
RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour expressed no regret over his decision not to challenge the Vegas Golden Knights’ first goal in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final before his team lost 5-4.
Brind’Amour said he never really came close to challenging because he was not confident the on-ice officials and NHL’s situation room would see enough to wave it off for goaltender interference. Vegas forward Keegan Kolesar had a skate in the crease, but replays did not clearly show him impeding goalie Frederik Andersen’s ability to stop the shot by defenseman Shea Theodore, which banked in off the left shin pad of Hurricanes winger Eric Robinson.
“(Kolesar) was in the crease initially, and then he came out of it and then the shot goes off our guy,” Brind’Amour said. “It doesn’t really impact the goal. There’s too many variables there that are saying, ‘Nope, nope, nope.’”
Carolina led 2-0 on goals by Nikolaj Ehlers before Vegas got on the board to make it 2-1 with 6:32 left in the first period. The punishment for a failed challenge is a 2-minute penalty, so the Golden Knights would have gone on the power play after cutting their deficit in half.
Despite having a penalty kill that has allowed just four power play goals on 56 opportunities in the playoffs, a success rate of 92.9%, Brind’Amour and his staff did not want to take the risk.
“I think what I’ve seen — in the playoffs certainly — is if they’re more 50-50, they’re counting the goals now,” Brind’Amour said. “So, that was kind of our decision on that.”
Colton Sissons’ Game 1-winning pass
Tomas Hertl’s go-ahead goal with 3:24 left in regulation had the Golden Knights still talking the day after, largely because of how Colton Sissons assisted on it with a perfect backhander.
“Sick pass,” teammate Rasmus Andersson said. “It’s a nasty pass.”
It looked like a no-look feed, but Sissons insisted he saw Hertl and said confidently, “I knew where he was.” Fourth-liner Nic Dowd was in awe but not surprised.
“Yeah, that was nice: probably one of the nicer passes I’ve seen in a long time,” Dowd said. “It was a high-level play, and then he put it into a puck-sized hole. It was a perfect play.”
Late-bloomer Jalen Chatfield enjoys this chance
Jalen Chatfield went undrafted, spent years in the minors and was 26 by the time he became a full-time NHL player. Now 30, the unheralded Carolina defenseman is in the final for the first time in his career and not taking it for granted.
“It’s just life,” Chatfield said. “It’s been a journey. I just stuck with it. Had a lot of ups and downs in my career, but everything I’ve gone through, I’ve gone through for a reason and I’ve learned a lot. It’s helped me grow as a person and as a player and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Brind’Amour did not know him before they were in the same organization together but now appreciates Chatfield grinding it out to get to this point.
“We had a couple of years watching him in the minors and just kind of just gradually get better and better,” Brind’Amour said. “You root for guys like that. Really, everything they have now, they’ve worked for and I think he’s still getting better. It’s gratifying to watch a kid put in the work and then have it pay off.”
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes goal scorer predictions for Game 2
Player to score a goal
Odds
Jack Eichel
+230
Nikolaj Ehlers
+205
Brett Howden
+310
💲Goal scorer parlay
+2000
Goal scorer pick: Jack Eichel (+230)
On paper, Jack Eichel hasn't scored much in these playoffs, finding the back of the net just twice in 17 games. However, the underlying numbers suggest he's been far more dangerous than that production indicates.
Eichel owns 5.93 individual expected goals, one of the highest marks on the Vegas Golden Knights, and he's recorded eight shots on goal across his last three road games.
The veteran has also generated 67 individual Fenwick attempts during the postseason, trailing only Pavel Dorofeyev on Vegas. Eichel continues to create offense at a high level, and the Golden Knights are producing 15.15 high-danger chances per 60 minutes with him on the ice. If those opportunities continue, he's a strong candidate to break through in Game 2.
I'll play this pick up to +200.
Goal scorer pick: Nikolaj Ehlers (+205)
Nikolaj Ehlers capitalized on his opportunities in Game 1, putting both of his shots on target in the back of the net. The winger now has six goals this postseason, but the underlying numbers suggest the production is no fluke. Ehlers owns 4.02 individual expected goals through 13 playoff appearances while generating 56 individual Fenwick attempts.
He's also consistently finding dangerous areas of the ice, posting 14.21 high-danger chances per 60 minutes during the postseason. Ehlers has been especially clinical at Lenovo Center, where five of his six playoff goals have come. If the Carolina Hurricanes continue generating quality scoring chances, Ehlers should remain a key offensive threat.
I'll play this pick up to +180.
Goal scorer pick: Brett Howden (+310)
Brett Howden continued his strong postseason in Game 1, finding the back of the net for his 11th goal of the playoffs. While the Golden Knights forward has outperformed his 4.82 individual expected goals, the underlying chance generation remains solid.
Howden is second on Vegas with 21 individual high-danger scoring chances and owns a 10.59 HDCF/60 rate during the postseason.
The veteran has consistently found dangerous scoring areas throughout the playoffs, and his Game 1 goal suggests that trend isn't slowing down.
I'd play this pick up to +280.
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes anytime goal parlay
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
The St. Louis Blues have signed forwards Zach Dean and Dylan Peterson to one-year, two-way contracts.
Both Dean and Peterson were pending RFAs, but the Blues made quick work of re-signing them before they had to give them qualifying offers.
Dean was acquired by St. Louis in the trade that sent Ivan Barbashev to the Vegas Golden Knights. Dean was originally a first-round pick (30th overall) by the Golden Knights in the 2021 NHL draft.
Although Dean is a rapid skater with good hands and passing vision, he hasn’t been able to translate it to the professional level. In his final QMJHL season in 2022-23, Dean posted 33 goals and 70 points in 50 games, before adding 10 goals and 26 points in 13 playoff games.
In his first season with the Blues, Dean featured in nine NHL games but failed to record a point. Since then, the 23-year-old hasn’t received a call-up. At the moment, Dean’s greatest flaw is availability. He played just 11 AHL games in 2024-25 and just 36 games this season.
In those 36 games, Dean recorded four goals and 14 points. Dean missed a large chunk of the start of the season after being placed in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. His 2025-26 season did not begin until the start of 2026.
The Blues are hoping for a healthy season from Dean next year, which will hopefully get his game back on track and allow him to begin working his way back to the NHL roster.
Dean’s contract will carry an $850,000 AAV in the NHL, and he’ll be paid $95,000 in the minors. When his one-year contract concludes, Dean will remain a restricted free agent, according to Puckpedia.
As for Peterson, the 24-year-old completed his second season with the Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL, scoring 12 goals and 24 points in 57 games.
Standing 6-foot-4, the 2020 third-round pick (86th overall) of the Blues brings valuable size to the Thunderbirds’ lineup. While it hasn’t really translated to high-end production in the AHL, Peterson is still young, and they hope he continues to trend in the right direction.
With Dean and Peterson re-signed, the Thunderbirds should be a Calder Cup-contending threat once again next season.
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RALEIGH, N.C. — After carrying the Carolina Hurricanes during the season as their top goal scorers, Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov are ice cold in the playoffs.
That was easier to swallow during the first three rounds, when others down the lineup picked up the slack. Now, it is a problem that could cost them the Stanley Cup.
The Hurricanes have met their match in the final against the Vegas Golden Knights, a seasoned opponent with no glaring weaknesses who won the opener 5-4. In Game 2, the pressure squarely is on Carolina’s best players to get it together before it is too late.
“I know we have a better in us, and we’ve got to show it,” Aho said. “It’s on us to figure it out.”
Top-line scoring woes
Through 14 games this postseason, the trio of Jarvis, Aho and Svechnikov has scored just three times against a goaltender at even strength. The success of the second line of Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake made getting past Ottawa, Philadelphia and Montreal a breeze with a single loss in the three series combiend.
Vegas is a different animal, and Game 1 showed the frustration seeping through for the first line.
“This league is weird: You grip your stick a little tight and you get into a weird matchup, and it can look worse than it is,” Hall said. “But things can change on a dime, especially this time of year.”
The Hurricanes have been waiting nearly two months for that change. Coach Rod Brind’Amour for several weeks has exhibited patience and praised Jarvis, Aho and Svechnikov for doing good things away from the puck that contribute to winning, even if they’re not showing up on the scoresheet.
His tone has changed facing a deficit in the final.
“They got to play in the other team’s end,” Brind’Amour said. “They’re too much one and done and not even one (scoring chance), and it’s not a lot of time. So, they got to get a little more offensive zone time. Kind of like that last shift they had. That was one of the shifts you could say: ‘OK, there you go. That’s how it needs to look.’ We need them to get going.”
Glimpse of what could be
That final shift came with the score tied late in the third period of Game 1, hemming the Golden Knights in their own end and generating quality opportunities. Jarvis had one shot blocked, then two more stopped by Carter Hart, including a flashy glove save that set the table for Tomas Hertl to score the winning goal 21 seconds later.
It was a marked improvement from earlier in the game, when Jarvis passed up an open shot looking for a pass and later missing a wide-open net.
“The chances are there,” Jarvis said. “We’ve had our looks. We just have to capitalize now more than ever. We can’t dwell on the past, can’t dwell on the stuff we missed. It’s about the next shift, the next shot.”
Easier said than done because Vegas is going to adjust, too. Coach John Tortorella has preached a consistent approach, and there is a reason the team has won 20 of 25 games since he took over in late March.
“We have thoughts on how to play this team,” Tortorella said. “We need to be patient. In a number of things, how we have to play, I think, requires patience — and when you get a little antsy against that team, they can capitalize. They’re that good. I think we have an understanding of how we have to go.”
What the Hurricanes need
While Jarvis, Aho and Svechnikov have looked off at times, there is little evidence it comes from a lack of caring. Maybe it’s trying too hard.
“It’s not about work ethic or trying harder, but it doesn’t matter at the same time,” Aho said. “There’s also a part that we almost sometimes try to do too much, instead of just letting the game happen and play the game, let the game come to you in a way.”
Teammates are trying to keep those guys’ heads up and focused as best as possible. Defenseman Jalen Chatfield is all about bringing the positivity.
“Everybody’s giving everything out there,” Chatfield said. “That’s not the question. Sometimes it’s bounces. Sometimes things happen in hockey, but I think as a group, (it is about) leaning on each other to help each other play our best.”
Hall, the No. 1 pick in 2010 and MVP in 2017-18 who has found a groove with his sixth NHL organization at age 34, doesn’t feel the need to coach up other players who are struggling. He maintains the belief that Jarvis, Aho and Svechnikov will turn things around.
“Those guys are great players,” Hall said. “They had their chances and their looks (in Game 1). Some of the looks didn’t turn into chances. But we know how good they are, and we know how good they can be and it’s only a matter of time.”
The NHL announced on Wednesday that Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper had won the first Jack Adams Trophy of his career as the NHL’s top coach. In what was the closest race to the trophy ever, Cooper had 226 voting points, just three more than runner-up Buffalo Sabres bench boss Lindy Ruff, who finished with 223. Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Muse was third with 199.
Where does that leave Montreal Canadiens’ coach Martin St-Louis? In fifth place with 50 points, 16 behind Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar, who had 66. The Habs’ coach had four first-place votes, seven second-place votes, and nine third-place votes. Comparatively, Cooper received 36 first-place votes, Ruff 26, and Muse 18.
Given how much the Canadiens improved this season, it is surprising to see St-Louis finish fifth. Montreal went from a 16th-place finish and 91 points to a fifth-place finish with 106 points and being in the running for its division title. Of course, some would also argue that his team had quite a playoff run, but voting is held at the end of the regular season, before the playoffs begin. Still, St-Louis can at least say that he beat the league’s top two coaches on his way to the third round.
From all the stats about this young Canadiens’ team, the most impressive is probably the fact that it went from giving 3.18 goals per game in 2024-25 to just 3.06 in 2025-26. From a team that struggled to play the defensive style its coach was advocating, the Canadiens became a team that has understood the assignment. That wasn’t easy, but St-Louis managed to teach his players how they needed to play on the other side of the puck. Of course, it’s not perfect yet, but it has gotten better.
It wasn’t an easy year for the coach, who had to make some tough decisions as his team had progressed so much that a heart-and-soul veteran like Brendan Gallagher had to be a healthy scratch to make way for younger players better suited to St-Louis’ brand of hockey. As evidenced by the veteran media availability on Monday, he didn’t agree with the call, but given the speed at which the last two rounds were played, it’s hard to argue with the coach’s decision.
Even if the playoffs didn’t count for this year’s vote, the experience St-Louis picked up in those seven weeks of postseason action will be invaluable going forward. In the first round, against Cooper, he showed he was able to juggle his lines with the best of them to help Nick Suzuki evade the matchup with Brandon Hagel. If he didn’t make adjustments in that first round, the Canadiens wouldn’t have overcome the Lightning. Of course, his lack of adjustments against the Carolina Hurricanes was part of why the Habs were eliminated, but he picked up some valuable experience there, too.
When looking at St-Louis’ body of work, it’s hard not to mention just how much players like Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky have evolved under his tutelage. The coach has been in their shoes, and he’s seen it all. The way he can relate to every player and how well he communicates are big reasons he’s such a good pilot.
The 50-year-old might have finished fifth in voting this time around, but if the Canadiens carry on their upwards trajectory, he’ll soon be able to add a Jack Adams Trophy to his already crowded mantelpiece, which already features two Art Ross trophies, one Hart, one Lester B. Pearson, and three Lady Bing.
Boston, MA - May 1: Boston Bruins head coach Marco Sturm and Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff shake hands following the game. The Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres played in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on May 1, 2026. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
With the Stanley Cup Final rolling on, the NHL is beginning to announce the winners of its season-long awards.
We already heard about Matthew Schaefer winning the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year, while Zach Werenski won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman.
Yesterday, the league announce the winner of the Jack Adams Award, given to the coach “adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success,” and it was a bit of a surprise: Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning took home the top spot.
Locally, the news is that Bruins head coach Marco Sturm finished eighth in Jack Adams voting in his first full season behind an NHL bench, which is no small feat.
Per the NHL, the top ten coaches in this year’s voting were:
After a basement finish the year before, Sturm led the Bruins back to the playoffs via a 100-point season and generally had the team performing far above statistical projections/expectations.
Sturm was a longshot to actually win the award, but finishing eighth is a testament to the job Sturm and his staff did in Year 1.
Interestingly enough, of the top eight vote-getters for the award, five are in the Atlantic Division: Cooper (TBL), Ruff (BUF), St. Louis (MTL), Green (OTT), and Sturm.
The main talking point after the announcement was how Ruff should have been the winner, and it’s hard to argue against that.
Many Tampa people point to Cooper’s strong work navigating some injury challenges in Tampa, which is valid, but I’m not sure how that overshadows what Ruff achieved.
In fact, you could make pretty convincing arguments over Cooper for every other Atlantic coach featured, plus throw some weight behind Muse in Pittsburgh (though he still had plenty of superstars) and Tocchet in Philadelphia.
It’s worth noting that voting for these awards was conducted prior to the playoffs, so it’s really only factoring in regular season success.
Members of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association cast the Adams votes.
Anyways, it’ll be fun to argue about this for a few days!
Next up for the Bruins will be the Vezina Trophy, where Jeremy Swayman is a finalist alongside Ilya Sorokin and Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Senators head coach Travis Green may not have been one of the three finalists for the 2026 Jack Adams Award for NHL Coach of the Year, but the voters certainly didn't ignore him.
Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning finally got his due on Wednesday, when the league announced he had won the trophy for the first time. Meanwhile, Green finished up sixth in the voting, even ahead of Rod Brind'Amour, whose team made quick work of the Senators in round one and sits four wins away from a Stanley Cup.
The voting is based exclusively on the regular season, and voters were impressed by Green's steady hand at the wheel, guiding his team to the playoffs through some very rough waters this season.
The Senators had a difficult first half, marred by shaky goaltending, off-ice drama and one injury after another down the stretch, especially on their blue line. But Green was impressive, keeping the Senators focused on the things they can control, and the messaging was consistent.
The Sens finished the season on a furious 21-6-3 run to grab the final playoff spot in the East. Green ended up with four first-place votes, five second-place votes, and eight third-place votes.
Dan Muse of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Lindy Ruff of the Buffalo Sabres were the other men who were up for the award, presented to the head coach “adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success." Along with Cooper, who won by just three points, the three finalists finished way ahead of everyone else.
Only two Senators' head coaches have ever won the award. Paul MacLean in 2012–13, and Jacques Martin in 1998-99. Green won't join them this year, but still deserves a ton of credit for keeping Ottawa's weird season on the rails.
But after two first-round exits and a 2-8 playoff record, next season's playoffs won't have any sort of 'just happy to be here' vibe. Entering year three this fall, Green knows full well that both the bar and the pressure will be raised.
Meanwhile, Cooper was surprised with the award during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the "Coop’s Catch for Kids" Family Lounge at Muma Children's Hospital in Tampa. "Coop’s Catch for Kids" is the name of his foundation that helps raise funds for pediatric cancer research.
He thought he was there exclusively for the ribbon-cutting until they wheeled in the trophy right at the end of the ceremony.
"OK, you got me," Cooper said in the video of the ceremony posted on NHL.com.
"I don't have any words. I never thought this would be a reality."
Frederik Andersen Over 21.5 saves
Jack Eichel anytime goal
