One of, or maybe even the most intriguing, players in the 2026 NHL draft is Swedish center Viggo Bjorck.
The skilled right-handed shooter put up an impressive six goals and 15 points in 42 games in the SHL, regarded by most as the second-best hockey league in the world. Outside of the SHL, he posted eight goals and 20 points in nine J-20 playoff games in Sweden.
Bjorck also won gold with Team Sweden at the World Junior Championship, scoring three goals and nine points in seven games. He then earned a spot on Sweden’s World Championship roster, becoming the youngest Swedish player to ever participate in the event. In eight games, he scored one goal and six points, but made a noticeable impact in Sweden’s top six.
Bjorck is a feisty player who loves to have the puck on his stick. He excels at zone exits and entries, routinely doing so with possession. He’s also stellar at finding pockets of space in the slot to fire shots on goal, very similar to players like Brayden Point and Logan Stankoven.
Those are two players he’s been compared to in the past, largely due to play style, but also physically.
Bjorck, alongside fellow 2026 NHL draft prospects, recently completed the Scouting Combine, where he was listed at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds. While his game is polished on both ends, his skating is high-end, and he competes hard, his size as a center is undersized, which is holding him back from being a top-five or top-three pick in the draft.
If Bjorck were six feet, he’d compete for the first overall pick.
But if other teams ahead of the Blues are afraid of his size holding him back, that could be the best thing for the Blues. They could snatch a top-five talent in the draft at pick No. 11.
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What - Game 3 (1-1) When - 8 p.m., Saturday, June 6 Where - T-Mobile Arena; Las Vegas, NV How to Watch - ABC, CBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports
The Carolina Hurricanes will look to steal a road win tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The Hurricanes evened up the series on Thursday with a 4-3 overtime comeback victory in Raleigh and they'll be hoping to keep up that momentum.
Carolina was a lot better defensively in Game 2 and if they can keep playing well on the forecheck as well, that might help give them an edge, especially if the power play can build off of the momentum from Thursday.
However, back in Vegas, the Golden Knights will control the matchups, so everyone is going to have to give that much more if they want to take control of the series.
Streaks
Shayne Gostisbehere (3g, 4a) has points in five straight games.
Jordan Staal (2g) has goals in back-to-back games.
Game Notes
Carolina and Vegas have never met in the postseason before.
This is both team's third trip to the Stanley Cup Final in franchise history (CAR - 2002, 2006, 2026; VGK - 2018, 2023, 2026).
William Carrier played for the Golden Knights from 2017-2024, winning the Cup with them in 2023.
Noah Hanifin (2015-2018) and Dylan Coghlan (2022-2024) both played for Carolina.
The Hurricanes went 0-2 against the Golden Knights in the regular season, with both games taking place in October.
All-time, the Canes have a 9-7 record against Vegas.
Key Matchups
Projected Starting Goalies
Frederik Andersen: 13-2; 0.917 Sv%; 1.72 GAA
Carter Hart: 13-5; 0.917 Sv%; 2.41 GAA
Leading Scorers
Goals - Logan Stankoven (10) / Brett Howden (13)
Points - Taylor Hall (16) / Mitch Marner (24)
Power Play
Carolina - 14.5% (9/62)
Vegas - 20.8% (11/53)
Penalty Kill
Carolina - 93.3% (56/60)
Vegas - 85.2% (46/54)
Hurricanes Projected Lineup
Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - Seth Jarvis Taylor Hall - Logan Stankoven - Jackson Blake Nikolaj Ehlers - Jordan Staal - Jordan Martinook William Carrier - Mark Jankowski - Eric Robinson
Jaccob Slavin - Jalen Chatfield K'Andre Miller - Sean Walker Shayne Gostisbehere - Alexander Nikishin
Frederik Andersen Brandon Bussi
Injuries and Scratches: Mike Reilly, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Nicolas Deslauriers, Pyotr Kochetkov
Golden Knights Projected Lineup
Ivan Barbashev - Jack Eichel - Pavel Dorofeyev Brett Howden - William Karlsson - Mitch Marner Tomas Hertl - Colton Sissons - Mark Stone Cole Smith - Nic Dowd - Keegan Kolesar
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RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 04: Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes shoots on Carter Hart #79 of the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period in Game Two of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center on June 04, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It appeared that the Vegas Golden Knights were going to cruise to a victory in Game 2 but the Carolina Hurricanes had other plans as they staged a comeback, though Vegas forced the contest into overtime. Still, it was Carolina who netted the overtime goal from Seth Jarvis to even the series as it heads to Vegas for the next two games.
Incredibly, every Game 2 Carolina has participated in this postseason went to overtime and they won each of them. This series saw the only difference in score.
Carolina Hurricanes Game 2's during these playoffs
April 20: Carolina 3, Ottawa 2 (2OT) May 4: Carolina 3, Philadelphia 2 (OT) May 23: Carolina 3, Montreal 2 (OT) June 4: Carolina 3, Vegas 3 heading to OT
Vegas forward Brett Howden continued his hot streak with two goals in Game 2 to bring his tally to 13 and Mark Stone scored with under two minutes left to send the game to overtime but it wasn’t enough as the series is now tied 1-1.
The biggest question for Vegas is the availability of defenseman Brayden McNabb after he took a puck to the and had to leave the building in Game 2 to get checked out at the hospital. As expected, the team has provided no clues if he’s able to return tonight. Kaedan Korczak will draw back in his place if McNabb can’t go tonight.
"[McNabb is] gonna do everything in his power to be in the lineup tonight."@6ErikJohnson on the impact of Brayden McNabb's injury ahead of Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final 🏆 pic.twitter.com/wY8U7Nvd41
The Hurricanes looked sleepy for the first two periods of Game 2 but found their mojo in the third period and almost won in regulation. Alas, overtime was needed but Seth Jarvis was the hero to take the 4-3 victory even this entertaining series. There aren’t any anticipated lineup changes ahead of Game 3.
Last September, the Buffalo Sabres signed goalie Alexandar Georgiev to a one-year contract for the 2025-26 season. Yet, due to the Sabres' goalie depth, Georgiev never played in a game for Buffalo and was assigned to the Rochester Americans ahead of the campaign.
Georgiev played in just two games for the Amerks this season, where he had a 0-2-0 record, an .896 save percentage, and a 3.57 goals-against average. He then terminated his contract with the Sabres in November and signed a two-year deal with Spartak Moskva of the KHL.
The move to the KHL certainly benefited Georgiev this season, as he had a 12-10-2 record, a .918 save percentage, a 2.37 goals-against average, and two shutouts in 24 games.
Now, after his strong KHL season, Georgiev has terminated his contract with Spartak Moskva. In addition, his agent Stanislav Romanov shared with Hockey News Hub that Georgiev's goal is to return to the NHL.
When looking at the season Georgiev had in the KHL, it makes sense that he wants to see what NHL offers could be out there for him.
With Georgiev being a former All-Star, the possibility of him getting some interest this off-season from NHL clubs should not be ruled out. He could be a decent backup for a team looking to add some depth between the pipes.
In 303 games over eight NHL season, Georgiev has a 151-108-26 record, a .903 save percentage, and a 2.99 goals-against average. He last played at the NHL level during the 2024-25, where he had a 15-26-4 record, an .875 save percentage, and a 3.71 goals-against average in 49 games split between the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks.
However, there was one player who made himself stand out quite well — and one who will always have a connection with the Penguins in some capacity, regardless of where he ends up after the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Jun. 26.
Wyatt Cullen is one of the many players who turned some heads at the Combine using his strength in skating and in puck skills. But something else well-known by now is that he is the 17-year-old son of former Penguins' forward Matt Cullen, who won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the team in 2016 and 2017.
At the time of that first Cup, Wyatt was only seven years old. But he had the unique privilege of being exposed to that championship locker room and culture day-in and day-out, picking the brains of guys like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin during some of the prime years of their NHL careers.
Wyatt said he learned so much from his experience in Pittsburgh, where he went to school for a few years and took the ice with some all-time great players.
"I learned so much being around them those years," Wyatt said. "We went to school there for a couple years and got to be around the locker room and stuff like that. Just being out there on the ice, we got to skate with them and [do] skill skates and stuff like that. And just being around them in the locker room, you kinda see what they do, their habits, just the little things that they do to be so good at the NHL level.
"So, I think I took so much away from those years."
Of course, Wyatt learned a great deal from the Crosbys, the Malkins, the Kessels, and more on that team, but he also learned a whole lot from his father. During Matt's first two seasons in Pittsburgh, he joined a locker room already chock-full of experienced veterans with a Stanley Cup already under his belt - he also won one in 2005-06 with the Carolina Hurricanes - and meshed well with the team as its fourth-line center, registering 19 goals and 63 points in 154 games across those two seasons.
He did return to Pittsburgh in 2018-19, too, and ended up retiring a Penguin. Cullen Sr. was a winner with the Penguins and in general, and a lot of those work habits and that mindset rubbed off on Wyatt.
Locker room legends weren't the only mentors for him during that time, as he had a household member to learn directly from in those days.
And, well, he's learned a lot from his dad, especially in the sense of achieving balance mentally and from game-to-game, year-to-year.
"So much. He's taught me so much, especially just hockey-wise," Wyatt said. "And I think, just this draft year, kind of, you know there's going to be ups and downs in the draft year. He's been through it, and he's given me so many tips.
"I think it's just being level-headed. You're gonna have a good game, you're gonna have a bad game, and I think he's helped me so much, for sure."
HIs father has also helped out on the everyday life side of things, too.
"Just life-wise, I think for me, being a smaller kid my whole life, pretty much, it's kind of been a day-by-day mentality," he said. "For me, I'm just working to be the best player I can be each day, and I think it's really helped me out for these past few years, just working day-by-day and not too far ahead."
Wyatt did meet with the Penguins during this Combine, and like many others echoed, Pittsburgh was pretty direct in its approach to their player meetings. Instead of having a cognitive test or a bland conversation, they began their meetings with each player by showing a video compilation of their "lowlights" and learning moments.
Naturally, players had a mixed response to that approach, with some finding it peculiar and others finding it extremely helpful. Wyatt grouped himself in with the latter, and he understands and appreciates the raw honesty coming from Pittsburgh in terms of what needs worked on the most.
"It went really well," Wyatt said. "They showed some bad clips of you, but I think it's really good. They kind of helped me out a bit and gave me some good tips, so I think it went really well."
Things should go well for Wyatt in this year's draft, too, with some projecting him as a top-10 pick. The left winger believes his skill, speed, and hands will be valuable assets to whatever team decides to take chance on him, and he believes in his potential as a top-six NHL player in the future.
"I think my skill is, kind of, top-four, five, three in the draft," he said. "I have really high-end skill, and I think that's what separates me. I see the ice and have really high-IQ, and I feel like my IQ and skillset is what separates me from other guys."
The start of NHL free agency is getting closer, as it is now less than one month away. Between now and then, the Chicago Blackhawks will have some decisions to make when it comes to their pending free agents.
When looking at Chicago's roster, they have three pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) who could not be back on the team next season. Let's go over each of them now.
Ilya Mikheyev, RW
Last month, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the Blackhawks have made Ilya Mikheyev's signing rights available for trade. With this, there is certainly a real chance that he won't be back with Chicago next season.
However, when noting that Mikheyev is a key part of the Blackhawks' forward group and penalty kill, it would also be understandable if they continue to try to extend, even with his signing rights being available. In 77 games this season with the Blackhawks, he had 18 goals, 36 points, and a plus-2 rating.
Matt Grzelcyk, D
With the Blackhawks having many young and promising defensemen in their pipeline, it would not be particularly surprising if they let Matt Grzelcyk walk into free agency. The Massachusetts native was a decent veteran defenseman for Chicago this season, posting 12 assists in 69 games. Yet, the Blackhawks should be looking for an upgrade on their blueline this summer.
Sam Lafferty, C/RW
Sam Lafferty's return to the Blackhawks was uneventful this season. He was scratched often by Chicago and had just two points in 29 games. With this, it would not be surprising in the slightest if the Blackhawks don't bring back Lafferty this summer.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Gerry Meehan, one of the Buffalo Sabres' first players who went on to an influential role as the team’s general manager, has died. He was 79.
The Sabres announced Meehan’s death on Saturday after being informed by a member of his family. The team said he died Friday. The cause of death and where Meehan died were not immediately available.
Meehan was from Toronto but essentially adopted Buffalo as his hometown as a player and eventual executive. As GM, he was responsible for acquiring eventual hall of famers Dominik Hasek, Pat LaFontaine, Alexander Mogilny and Dale Hawerchuk spanning the late 1980s and early 1990s.
His introduction to Buffalo came after splitting his rookie NHL season between Toronto and Philadelphia in being selected by the Sabres in the 1970 expansion draft.
The center went on to set up the franchise’s first goal in a two-assist outing in Buffalo’s first game. Meehan later became the team’s captain before being traded to Vancouver in October 1974.
Upon completing his 10-year NHL career and two games with Cincinnati of the World Hockey Association in 1978-79, Meehan returned to Buffalo to earn a law degree before joining the Sabres' front office in 1984 under general manager Scotty Bowman.
In replacing Bowman as GM during the 1986-87 season, Meehan oversaw numerous franchise-changing moves, including Mogilny’s defection from the Soviet Union in 1989. Meehan and Sabres player development director Don Luce traveled to Sweden, where Mogilny was competing in a tournament, and covertly ushered him back to North America.
In a statement released by the league, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman referred to Meehan as a “pillar of the franchise.”
“As shrewd and successful as he was on the ice and in the front office, Meehan had a significant impact on countless players and executives in recent years as a generous mentor and advisor,” Bettman added.
With Mogilny, Meehan rebuilt the Sabres by acquiring Hawerchuk in a trade with Winnipeg in 1990. A year later, Buffalo sent Pierre Turgeon to the New York Islanders to acquire LaFontaine, who would post a 148-point season playing alongside 76 goal-scorer Mogilny in 1992-93.
Meehan then oversaw what is considered among the NHL’s most one-sided trades, acquiring Hasek from Chicago in 1992. Buffalo gave up Stephane Beauregard and a fourth-round draft pick to land a player who would go on to become a two-time Hart Trophy-winner as NHL MVP and win six Vezina Trophy’s as the league’s top goalie.
Meehan’s tenure as GM ended following the 1995-96 season and he remained an active member of the Sabres Alumni Association.
As a player, he had 180 goals and 423 points in 670 career games, rounded out by stops in Washington and with the Atlanta Flames.
He is survived by his wife, Mirella, their children Dan, Adam and Kate, and grandchildren Christian, Alexander, Nathan and Juniper. Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.
The Philadelphia Flyers will have to wait a little longer to see one of their top goalie prospects, with a new opportunity in the KHL on the horizon.
On Saturday, it was announced that Flyers goalie prospect Egor Zavragin had officially been traded by SKA St. Petersburg, alongside defenseman Yegor Zelenov, to Metallurg Magnitogorsk in exchange for defenseman Alexei Maklyukov.
Zavragin, 20, had fallen out of favor with new SKA head coach Igor Larionov in the latter's first season with the team, resulting in Artemi Pleshkov and Sergei Ivanov dominating the share of KHL playing time.
As a result, the Flyers' 2023 third-round pick spent much of his season playing in the MHL and VHL, Russia's second-tier men's league and top junior league, respectively.
Now that Colorado Avalanche goalie prospect Ilya Nabokov will be moving over to North America full-time, Zavragin will have the opportunity to play regular KHL games going forward.
Zavragin's new counterpart, Alexander Smolin, played 35 games for Metallurg last season, going 23-8-2 with a 2.33 GAA, .915 save percentage, and one shutout.
Zavragin, while being younger than Smolin and playing on a worse team, went 5-7-0 with a 2.63 GAA, .919 save percentage, and one shutout in his 12 games of limited action.
On the heels of Zavragin getting a fresh start in an environment more conducive to his development, Hockey News Hub reports on X that the 20-year-old will extend his contract in the KHL another year, lasting until May 31, 2028.
The Flyers could have gotten their young goalie to come over to North America as soon as this time next year, but with a contract extension in the cards, that is now unlikely.
Truthfully, the Flyers aren't likely to be upset with this development, either, as it gives Zavragin a chance to make up for what is effectively a lost year of development that he spent playing against lower tiers of competition instead of the KHL.
Flyers general manager Danny Briere recently told NHL.com's Adam Kimelman at the NHL Scouting Combine that the Flyers "feel our prospect goalies need a little bit more time still," in regards to extending Dan Vladar.
We can deduce that, with a Vladar extension looming and further potential additions to the goalie group, the Flyers are in no rush to have Zavragin, Aleksei Kolosov, Carson Bjarnason, and anyone else they may draft this year turn into NHL goalies on the hop.
On paper, Zavragin's new move should benefit both him and the Flyers long-term.
More than a month after the Senators were eliminated from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, owner Michael Andlauer still finds himself thinking about what might have been.
He's still not fully over the first-round loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
"It's never over, because you look at it and they're still playing," Andlauer said Friday at the Senators' alumni golf tournament at the Canadia Golf and Country Club . "You look at it and think 'what if?' (Game 2 of the Cup Final) went into overtime. In our Game 2, how many posts, crossbars or open chances did we have? 'What if,' right?"
But those lingering thoughts haven't changed his big picture outlook. If anything, Andlauer sounds more convinced than ever that the Senators are doing things the right way and headed in the right direction.
"I think as a fan, I'm happy where we're going," he said.
Looking back on this season, Andlauer believes his club was stronger than last year's squad. While the Senators' playoff run was even shorter this year, Andlauer admired how his group rallied to earn a wild-card while pushing through so many battles.
"We went through a lot of adversity this season, including in the playoffs, with how many injuries we had on the D-core, and we persevered."
That resilience is something Andlauer clearly values, along with the positive culture that's been created by GM Steve Staios and head coach Travis Green.
Asked what the team needs to do to take the next step, Andlauer didn't talk about adding a specific kind of player or making a splashy move.
"I think continue to stay focused," he said. "I think Steve and his staff are doing a fantastic job of continuously improving. It's a very competitive league. (We need to) stay on track and continue to believe, make sure that the culture is right, that we care, and that we're willing to work harder than our competition."
Staios and his amateur staff have been in Buffalo at the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine over the past week. The combine allows GMs to get a closer look at most of the best young prospects eligible for the NHL Draft later this month.
Until recently, the 2026 combine was an event that the Sens could easily have skipped because they didn't have a first-round pick. It was the NHL's punishment for their role in the 2021 Evgenii Dadonov trade controversy. But in March, after all this time, the league decided to let Ottawa pick in round one after all, though it will be 32nd overall.
"It's good for us. It's good for our organization. It's good for our fans," Andlauer said. "I think we had to show the league what kind of organization we are, a new owner and everything, just to make sure that (the league knows) we're good corporate citizens. And I think maybe a little persistence went a long way."
The league's condition was that the pick could not be traded. When asked if they could make the pick and immediately trade the selected player to another team, Andlauer wasn't sure but felt like they probably could.
Meanwhile, with the salary cap set to spike over each of the next few seasons, Andlauer fielded questions about player payroll, and his answer should be encouraging for Senators fans.
"This is a passion of mine," he said. "Whatever it's going to take to bring a Cup to Ottawa."
That doesn't necessarily mean he'll be throwing money around in free agency. In fact, Andlauer thinks the market may not offer many attractive options that make sense.
"Because there's not enough free agents, I think people are going to want to do trades. And the fact that the cap is going up, I think there's going to be people who are going to look at that as an opportunity."
Andlauer emphasized that there's no urgency to change the game plan that has brought the Senators back to the playoffs the past two years, but he doesn't rule out offseason improvements either.
"I think there are areas that (Staios) wants to improve on," Andlauer said. "And he's focused on those things."
So, to summarize Andlauer's hockey views on Friday: He believes the Senators are stronger than they were a year ago, offseason changes are possible, he's prepared to spend what's required, he's happy to have his first-round pick back, and management has his full support.
One suspects that if the Senators fail to emerge as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender in the next couple of years, it won't be because the owner failed to do his part.
The Stanley Cup Final shifts to Sin City tonight as the Vegas Golden Knights play host to the Carolina Hurricanes at T-Mobile Arena for Game 3.
Carter Hart and the Golden Knights will look to rebound after blowing a late 2-0 lead in Game 2, while the Hurricanes aim to seize their first series lead of the SCF.
Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET as our Covers experts break down their top NHL picks and predictions for tonight's matchup.
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The Carolina Hurricanes have also dominated 5-on-5 possession with a 63.3 Corsi For percentage through the first two games of the series.
I am anticipating tidier work from Hart in the Vegas crease in Game 3.
He’s dipped to an .855 SV% with -2.49 GSAx to start the Stanley Cup Final, after all, so I’m fully expecting the statistical pendulum to swing back in Hart’s favor Saturday.
This prop has my attention at a -130 price, and I’d also play it at Over 27.5 saves to -120.
Todd Cordell's expert pick: Pavel Dorofeyev Over 0.5 points
Price: -125 at BET99
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 and power-play unit, creating plenty of looks, and Frederik Andersen is struggling.
I like him to break through in Game 3. Bet to -135.
Chris Faria's expert pick: Logan Stankoven anytime goal scorer
Price: +240 at BET99
Logan Stankoven has been one of the Hurricanes’ biggest breakout stars this postseason with a team-leading 10 tallies.
Eight of his goals have come at even strength, where he leads all players this postseason in shots (43). His 18 high-danger chances at even strength are tied for sixth among all skaters, and he’s had one in each game of the Final so far.
Stankoven is part of Carolina’s dangerous second line, which has been the best trio in the series. They controlled 74% of expected goals in Game 2 and 63% in Game 1.
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 2026 NHL draft scouting combine is underway in Buffalo, where 80 of this year’s top prospects will undergo medical and physical tests and speak with GMs and media members from around the league.
The Florida Panthers own the ninth overall pick in the draft, and while their NHL roster features few holes, their prospect pool has been thinned by trades for stars like Seth Jones, Brad Marchand, and others.
The Panthers haven’t made a first-round selection since 2021, when they selected Mackie Samoskevich with the 24th overall pick.
At the combine, these players complete medical tests, participate in competitions, and speak to the media; teams are taking players out to dinner to better get to know the players they could be selecting.
On Saturday, prospects Viggo Bjorck and Daxon Rudolph confirmed that the Florida Panthers had invited and taken them out for dinner.
Bjorck is a highly skilled, undersized center hailing from Sweden. He has dominated junior hockey in Sweden and internationally, while also performing at a high level in the SHL, arguably the second strongest hockey league in the world.
Bjorck measured at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds. Bjorck has the skill of a top-five pick, but his frame has scared teams away.
As for Rudolph, he is a 6-foot-3, right-handed defenseman who posted a phenomenal offensive season with the WHL. Rudolph’s stats and defensive game are among the best in the draft, but his skating speed has held him back. His size and skill would instantly make him the top prospect in the Panthers pool.
The Panthers are likely looking at far more players than just Bjorck and Rudolph, but if either of those players is available at pick No. 9, the Panthers can feel confident that they are selecting the best player available.
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He's in the same situation that Matthew Schaefer found himself in last draft year, before the New York Islanders selected him first overall.
McKenna knows Schaefer quite well and had glowing things to say about the Islanders' superstar.
"We've played many tournaments together," McKenna said at the 2026 NHL Draft Combine. "He's a character. He's someone who's fun to be around. He brings a lot of energy, and it's no surprise to see how good he's doing. He's a hard worker and very talented, and very skilled. So, I think for everyone who's played with him, and who's got to know him, we are not surprised to see how well he's doing."
Schaefer was the first unanimous Calder Trophy winner since Teemu Selanee back in 1993.
"It's pretty ridiculous to see what he's doing at such a young age," McKenna said. "To be a unanimous Calder Trophy winner, that's pretty special. What he's been through as a person and the energy he brings...he's someone who's always making people laugh, and just brings that good energy. So, I've got to give so much credit to him."
"I think he's obviously going to be an amazing player, and he's shown that."
McKenna is expected to be drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs with the first selection.
With the Avalanche’s front office reshuffling bringing Joe Sakic back into full control, Colorado suddenly finds itself steady at the top—but staring down a series of decisions that will quietly define whether its championship window stays wide open or starts to narrow.
Chris MacFarland’s departure has shifted day-to-day authority back to Sakic, even if his fingerprints were already all over the organization’s recent direction. The core remains elite, but maintaining that status in a rising Western Conference will require precision work across contracts, roster balance, and internal stability.
Cale Makar
Cale Makar is arguably the Avalanche’s most impactful player, but Colorado isn’t built around any single name—it’s built around a group that all feeds into what they’re trying to accomplish as a team.
Cale Makar takes the ice against the Vegas Golden Knights on May 24. Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie
Still, it’s impossible to ignore how central he is to everything they do.
Eligible for an extension beginning July 1, Makar is in position to reset the market entirely for defensemen, with projections climbing into the $20 million range annually. He will be 27 at the start of the 2026-27 season, still squarely in his prime years, with the kind of runway that makes long-term investment less a question of “if” than “how much.”
Colorado’s cap outlook suggests they can make it work, with roughly $37.7 million projected for 2027-28 when a new deal would likely kick in. But the challenge isn’t just fitting Makar in—it’s building everything around him while also planning for future extensions for key pieces like Artturi Lehkonen and Nicolas Roy.
This isn’t just a contract negotiation. It’s the framework for the next era of Avalanche hockey.
Fixing The Back End With A Left-Handed Defenseman
If Makar is the centerpiece, then the real question for Colorado is what the blue line looks like around him—and right now, that’s where they still have some work to do.
One of the most obvious needs is a dependable left-handed defenseman. Not a flashy swing-for-the-fences pickup, but someone who can settle things down in the second and third pairings, take some pressure off the top guys, and survive the long grind of an 82-game season before things get even heavier in April.
Around the league, that kind of addition usually isn’t about headlines—it’s about trust. It’s the type of defenseman who can handle tough minutes, move the puck cleanly, and not get exposed when the game tightens up in the playoffs. In a win-now window, those quieter pieces often matter more than people realize.
If I were Colorado, Ryan Shea is exactly the kind of player I’d be looking at.
He’s simple in the best way. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder, stays in the right spots, closes quickly, and uses an active stick to take away plays before they really develop. A lot of what he does doesn’t jump off the screen, but you notice it in the flow of the game—broken-up passes, plays killed early, pressure diffused before it turns into chaos.
Shea before taking on the New York Islanders on April 9. Credit: Luther Schlaifer
He’s also got enough size and strength to hold his own in a bottom-four role over an NHL schedule. Add in penalty-kill ability, and you’re already checking off an important box for a contender. And when he’s moving the puck well, he’s not just throwing it away—he can make a clean first pass and help Colorado get out of their zone with control, which is something they’ve had lapses with at times.
It’s not a glamorous move, but it’s the kind of one that helps good teams stay stable when everything tightens up.
Center Depth Behind Nathan MacKinnon
No matter how strong the top of the lineup looks, depth down the middle remains the Avalanche’s most persistent concern.
Nathan MacKinnon continues to drive everything offensively, but the group behind him has yet to fully settle into reliable, consistent roles. Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri, Nic Roy, and Jack Drury have all flashed usefulness in different situations, but the overall structure still leans heavily on MacKinnon carrying the hardest matchups and most demanding minutes.
That imbalance becomes more pronounced in the playoffs, where depth centers aren’t asked to be stars—but are expected to avoid being liabilities. Even modest improvements in that area would give Jared Bednar more flexibility in managing matchups, distributing minutes, and protecting his top players over long stretches.
For a team built to contend, it’s less about finding another headline scorer and more about closing the gaps that opponents inevitably try to expose.
Stability Behind The Bench And The Bednar Question
Beyond roster decisions, there’s another piece of stability Colorado can’t really afford to overlook—what’s happening behind the bench.
Jared Bednar has been a constant through everything the Avalanche have built, and his system is a big reason they’ve stayed in the contender conversation year after year. That’s why an extension feels less like a formality and more like something that would settle things down. It’s not about rewriting his resume—it’s about removing a question that can quietly linger as a season moves along.
Keeping Jared Bednar should be a priority to eliminate a distraction with the Cup window still open. Credit: Winslow Townson
Because even when everything is going well, you don’t want unnecessary uncertainty creeping in. Once a coach is heading into the final stretch of a contract, it can become a talking point whether the team wants it to or not. Locking Bednar in longer would simply take that off the board and let the focus stay on the ice.
It also helps keep things steady at a time when Colorado is already adjusting parts of the roster around a core that knows exactly what winning hockey looks like. The less distraction around the edges, the easier it is to stay locked in on the bigger goal.
With Sakic back in full control, the real question is whether that stability turns into another real push at a championship—or just another strong season that falls a little short when it matters most.
The Pittsburgh Penguins should not be afraid to add to their roster this off-season. This is especially so if an addition would have the potential to benefit them in the long-term.
When looking at trade candidates around the NHL, New York Islanders star Mathew Barzal stands out as an interesting potential option for the Penguins to target.
The Ottawa Citizen's Bruce Garrioch recently reported that the Islanders are exploring Barzal's market. With Barzal being a top-six forward who is right in his prime and locked up until the end of the 2030-31 season, it would make a lot of sense for the Penguins to at least kick tires on him.
If the Penguins signed Barzal, he could slot nicely as their second-line center behind Sidney Crosby. Barzal centering a line with Egor Chinakhov and Evgeni Malkin would undoubtedly give Pittsburgh's forward group a real boost.
Furthermore, with Sidney Crosby and Malkin both being in their last 30s, bringing in a star center like Barzal would make a lot of sense for the Penguins.
In 81 games this season with the Islanders, Barzal posted 19 goals, 53 assists, and 72 points. With numbers like these, he would be a major pickup for the Penguins' top six and power play if brought in. Let's see if they target him from here because of it.
St. Louis Blues 2026 NHL Draft Targets At Pick No. 11: Daxon RudolphThe next player we’ll take a look at in our 2026 NHL draft targets for the St. Louis Blues at pick No. 11 is 6-foot-3, right-handed defenseman Daxon Rudolph. 
Carter Hart o26.5 saves
Logan Stankoven anytime goal scorer
