The Calgary Flames hired current head coach Ryan Huska on June 12, 2023, replacing the former Jack Adams Award winner and Alberta native, Darryl Sutter.
Despite not qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs through his first three seasons as an NHL bench boss, Huska has guided the Flames to a 113-105-28 record through 246 games. With a combined 254 points, Calgary has amassed the 25th-highest point total in the past three seasons.
Interestingly, as news breaks that the Los Angeles Kings have hired Peter Laviolette and the Edmonton Oilers are interested in bringing Mike Babcock back to the NHL, the Flames are the only team in the Pacific Division not to have changed coaches at any point in the past three seasons.
Let's take a look at each team and how much the coaching carousel has spun since the Flames hired Huska, ranked by seniority.
Edmonton Oilers
Current Head Coach: Vacant
Despite reaching the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back seasons in 2024 and 2025, with Kris Knoblauch, the Oilers are looking for their third head coach since 2022.
Los Angeles Kings
Current Head Coach: Peter Laviolette (June 9, 2026)
The Kings have qualified for the playoffs for the past five seasons, all first-round losses. Now, they are searching for their fourth head coach since 2020 after relieving D.J. Smith of his interim duties and naming Laviolette as their new head coach.
Vancouver Canucks
Current Head Coach: Manny Malhorta (June 1, 2026)
After plummeting to the bottom of the NHL standings in 2025-26, the Vancouver Canucks cleaned house, replacing their President, General Manager, and, most recently, hiring Manny Malhorta as their bench boss. This upcoming season will mark the third consecutive year with a new coach.
Vegas Golden Knights
Current Head Coach: John Tortorella (March 29, 2026)
The Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup with former bench boss Bruce Cassidy, who the team relieved of his duties with only eight games left in the 2025-26 season. The organization brought in John Tortorella, who has guided the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final.
Anaheim Ducks
Current Head Coach: Joel Quenneville (May 8, 2025)
After several losing campaigns under Dallas Eakins and Greg Cronin, the Anaheim Ducks made a controversial move by bringing in Joel Quenneville last summer. Surprisingly, the Ducks contended for the Pacific Division title for most of the year and advanced to the second round of this year's playoffs.
Seattle Kraken
Current Head Coach: Lane Lambert (May 29, 2025)
Lane Lambert became the third head coach in the Seattle Kraken's five-year history, guiding them to a sixth-place finish in the Pacific Division during his first year.
San Jose Sharks
Current Head Coach: Ryan Warsofsky (June 13, 2024)
Ryan Warsofky is the second-longest tenured coach in the Pacific Division, having guided the San Jose Sharks since the start of the 2024-25 season. Despite a 59-85-20 record over two seasons, Warsofky has Macklin Celebrini in his lineup, giving him a bona fide superstar. If he stays the course, the Sharks will be a playoff team in no time.
Calgary Flames
Current Head Coach: Ryan Huska (June 13, 2023)
Barring any further coaching changes, Huska will enter the 2026-27 season as the eighth-longest-tenured coach in the NHL. The seven coaches ahead of him, Jon Cooper (2013), Jared Bednar (2016), Rod Brind'Amour (2018), Martin St. Louis (2022), Paul Maurice (2022), Spencer Carbery (2023), and Andrew Brunette (2023), have all guided their clubs to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Huska is now the lone exception, making 2026-27 a potentially pivotal season for both the coach and the Flames organization.
Considering Calgary inked Huska to a two-year extension in October 2025, he's set to guide the club through its rebuild, while pushing core players like Dustin Wolf, Matt Coronato, and Zayne Parekh for career-defining performances for a shot at qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Steve Ott is sticking around for at least a couple more years.
The 43-year-old former assistant/associate coach of the St. Louis Blues who was sent to Springfield of the American Hockey League to become head coach of the Thunderbirds last season, has signed a two-year contract to remain in that position, the Blues announced on Wednesday morning.
The contract will run through the 2027-28 season.
Ott became the fifth coach in Thunderbirds history when he replaced Steve Konowalchuk on Jan. 19 when the Thunderbirds were 13-18-6 and helped them go 19-14-2 down the stretch to reach the playoffs, where they made it as the sixth seed from the Atlantic Division and upset third-seeded Charlotte in three games of a best-of-3 series, then taking down top overall seed Providence in four games of a best-of-5 to reach the division final, ultimately losing to No. 2-seed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a fifth and deciding game.
"It's a great opportunity for myself," Ott said after being named to the position, "but not only that, I get to stay in an organization that I truly love. To help develop our young guys with the development side of coaching, it's really exciting for myself. It's a great opportunity.
"... When you get asked to take that opportunity, I look at it as a big honor. It's not an easy lift for everybody. It's a situation I love obviously being a part of the NHL club, but to stay here and be a part of the growing of the future, it's a job I don't take light or easy."
There's been some speculation that Ott could be under consideration for one of the head coaching openings in the NHL but has opted instead to remain in the St. Louis organization to get some more seasoning as a head coach and better prepare himself should an NHL organization come calling for a job in the near future.
Ott joined the Blues as a player in the 2013-14 season and played 122 games with the organization before signing as an assistant coach for the 2017-18 season and was promoted to associate coach in June of 2024, holding that title for nearly two seasons.
The Blues were 350-244-74 (.588 points-percentage) in the regular season with Ott behind the bench and made four appearances in the Stanley Cup playoffs, including winning the Cup in 2018-19, just his second season as a coach.
Ott played in 848 NHL games from 2002-17 and had 288 points (109 goals, 179 assists) and 1,555 penalty minutes.
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Every organization has that one player who lives somewhere between reality and legend—a name that resurfaces every offseason despite never taking a single NHL shift.
For the Buffalo Sabres, that player is Prokhor Poltapov.
Selected 33rd overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, the Russian winger has spent the entirety of his post-draft career with CSKA Moscow, quietly building a respectable body of work while becoming one of Buffalo's longest-running unanswered questions. Four years after hearing his name called, the intrigue remains as strong as ever, but the window for a long-awaited arrival in Western New York is beginning to narrow.
The Sabres, however, haven't stopped believing.
Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic reported this week that Buffalo continues to monitor the 23-year-old winger and hasn't closed the door on eventually bringing him across the Atlantic.
"He plays a hard, heavy game and is willing to get to the tough areas of the ice, so I imagine he'll be a player Jarmo Kekalainen likes," Fairburn wrote. "The Sabres have remained in contact with him and show interest. But it's hard to know what he will decide to do."
Those final eight words may define Poltapov's entire NHL outlook.
Nobody outside his inner circle truly knows whether testing himself in North America is still part of the plan.
Development Has Reached A Crossroads
Unlike many European prospects who make the jump in their early 20s, Poltapov has chosen continuity, signing a two-year extension with CSKA Moscow that keeps him in the KHL through the 2026-27 season. Buffalo will retain his NHL rights indefinitely, but time has a way of reshaping expectations.
There's also an argument that Poltapov has reached a developmental crossroads.
His last two seasons with CSKA Moscow have been virtually interchangeable, as he followed a 40-point campaign in 2024-25 (17 goals, 23 assists) with another 40-point season in 2025-26, this time finishing with 16 goals and 24 assists while again appearing in all 68 games.
The steadiness speaks to the reliability of his game, but it offers little evidence of the offensive leap many expected from a former second-round pick. For a player approaching his mid-20s, maintaining production is respectable; dramatically increasing it would have done far more to strengthen his NHL case.
That doesn't mean Poltapov couldn't discover another level in Buffalo. A skilled, attack-minded Sabres roster could create more offensive opportunities than he's experienced in Moscow. Still, after multiple years of nearly identical production, it's fair to wonder whether his current ceiling is already coming into focus.
That reality is reflected in outside projections.
HockeyStats.com most recently assigned Poltapov just a two percent chance of becoming a full-time NHL player. It's safe to say that's not all that great of a number.
Buffalo Could Soon Get The Answer It's Been Waiting For
Ironically, the Sabres' roster outlook could create the perfect opening if Poltapov ultimately decides it's time.
Buffalo is scheduled to have seven forwards reach free agency next summer, including unrestricted free agents Jason Zucker, Jordan Greenway, Sam Carrick and Justin Danforth, along with restricted free agents Jack Quinn, Noah Ostlund and Jiri Kulich.
That level of turnover almost guarantees legitimate competition for roster spots entering the 2027-28 season.
From a timing perspective, it may be Poltapov's best opportunity yet.
Rather than trying to force his way onto an established roster, he could arrive during a transitional offseason when meaningful NHL jobs are available. The question is whether that's the role he wants.
If the Sabres envision him strictly as organizational depth capable of moving between Buffalo and Rochester, remaining in Russia could be the more appealing option. If management believes he can compete immediately for a middle-six role, the conversation changes entirely.
The next several months could provide the biggest clue yet.
Poltapov signed his previous extension with CSKA Moscow early in the 2021-22 season. If another long-term agreement materializes this summer or shortly after the new KHL campaign begins, it would be difficult to interpret that as anything other than a commitment to staying overseas.
If negotiations remain quiet, however, anticipation around Buffalo's most fascinating prospect saga will only grow.
For years, Poltapov has occupied a unique place within the Sabres fanbase—a player who has become something of a folk hero without ever wearing the Blue and Gold. Whether he ultimately arrives as a legitimate NHL contributor or remains one of the franchise's great unanswered "what ifs," the next chapter of his story finally appears to be approaching.
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 27 : New Jersey Devils players talk before a face-off during the second period of the NHL regular season game against the Washington Capitals at the Prudential Center on December 27, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Maclean/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
One thing I have always said is that the best ideas for content are stolen, and I am not above going ahead and stealing other people’s ideas and ultimately making them my own.
I admire the work Sean McIndoe, better known on the internet as Down Goes Brown, puts out. One of my favorite recurring themes from him are the “best rosters” you can build under certain parameters. It might be the “best snubs” or “which number yields the best lineup” or “best roster of players who never played together”. He’s really good at finding a specific set of qualifiers, pumping out 3000 words, and letting people in the comments try to come up with their own.
A few weeks ago, he put out an article on each team’s best lineup of players who never won the Stanley Cup with them. For the Devils, it’s an interesting challenge since most of the greatest players in franchise history won at least one championship with the Devils.
Here are the ground rules he established.
• We want a six-man roster featuring three forwards, two defensemen and a goalie. Beyond that, position doesn’t matter. Active players are allowed as long as they’re not still playing in this year’s playoffs (since all those guys could win the Cup in a few weeks).
• For teams that have moved, we’ll count the entire franchise history across different markets, with the obvious exception that the Jets are the Jets.
• A team gets credit for whatever a player did on that team, but not elsewhere. The Blues can’t do the Martin Brodeur/Wayne Gretzky shortcut here. Ideally, we want both a strong peak and some longevity.
• To be clear, “no Cup” means a player was never part of a Cup-winning playoff run. Think rings, not necessarily suiting up in the deciding game. It’s fine if a player won the Cup elsewhere, as long as they didn’t do it on this team.
Sean’s Devils lineup was as follows.
Forwards: Kirk Muller, Jack Hughes, Aaron Broten Defense: Joe Cirella, Andy Greene Goalie: Cory Schneider
I’d agree with those choices. However, there are two things I am that Sean might not be. I am a completionist, and I am sick in the head.
So why stop there with a six man lineup? Let’s build a full 23 man roster, include healthy scratches, as well as a head coach and general manager.
Here is the best Devils team to never win a Stanley Cup with them. Which is not to be mistaken with “the best Devils team to not win the Stanley Cup”, as the 2000-2001 Devils (arguably the greatest Devils team ever assembled) has that title on lockdown.
Unlike Sean, I will at least attempt to consider a player’s handedness and what position he primarily played when coming up with lines and pairings, although I’ll take liberties where I need to since this is my team at the end of the day. I’ll try to make the lines make sense on paper in terms of who could play with who, although that might get tricky the further down the lineup we get. I will also at least attempt to come up with players who can play in all situations, so there will be some players on my fake team who can kill penalties or can play a passable fourth line role.
First Line | Ilya Kovalchuk – Jack Hughes – Jesper Bratt
You knew Hughes and Bratt would appear somewhere on this fake team as they represent the modern era of Devils hockey. Hopefully, they are still around the next time the Devils win the Stanley Cup, if for no other reason than somebody can take this article and call me a big dumb idiot for saying they never won the Cup in New Jersey.
One of the recurring themes of Jack Hughes’s time in New Jersey has been finding the scoring winger who can pump in goals and finish all of those brilliant feeds that either he or Bratt set them up with. We have seen plenty of Ondrej Palat over the last few years not be able to do that, and while Connor Brown has certainly held his own playing with Hughes and Bratt, I feel like we can do better.
Where better to turn to than one of the great goal scorers of his era in Ilya Kovalchuk?
Kovalchuk didn’t spend a ton of time in New Jersey as he “retired” after the 2012-13 season. But he did put the puck in the back of the net as well as anyone outside of Alexander Ovechkin from his era. His 443 goals in 926 NHL games is a remarkable feat, and one can’t help but wonder “what might have been” if he didn’t leave for the KHL for five seasons while he was still in the middle of his prime. We’d be talking about a guy who is probably a first-ballot Hockey Hall of Famer.
Of the three players, Kovalchuk came the closest to winning the Stanley Cup as a key member of the Devils team in 2011-12 that fell to the Los Angeles Kings in six games in the Cup Final. Kovalchuk was sensational during that run with 8 goals and 11 assists in 23 playoff games. To this day, he still has arguably the most beautiful power play goal in Devils history in Game Six of the 2012 Eastern Conference Final. Unfortunately, a back injury he sustained in the playoffs caught up with him once the Cup Final rolled around and the Devils were unable to finish the job.
Second Line | Kirk Muller – Nico Hischier – Zach Parise
We can go ahead and call this one the captain’s line, as all three men served as Devils captain at some point.
Parise came the closest of the three to winning a Stanley Cup with the Devils as he captained the aforementioned 2012 team before departing in free agency that summer. Meanwhile, Muller is the only one of the three who has actually won the Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, he did it as a member of the 1992-93 Montreal Canadiens and none of these men know what it’s like to celebrate in the parking lot of the Meadowlands or with a parade through downtown Newark or whatever the Devils will wind up doing the next time they win a championship. It’s not exactly clear what their plan would be.
At least Muller was part of the trade that brought Stephane Richer and Tom Chorske to New Jersey. Both of those players wound up being part of the first Devils team that ultimately brought the Stanley Cup to the Garden State in 1995.
Third Line | Taylor Hall – Travis Zajac – Pat Verbeek
Hall stats with NJD: 211 games, 76 goals, 132 assists, 208 points
This third line has a little bit of everything. Speed, skill, defensive prowess, and physicality. Not to mention Verbeek having one of the great nicknames in NHL history with him being “the little ball of hate”
Hall’s time in NJ was short as he only spent 3.5 seasons here. But he authored arguably the greatest season by an individual player in Devils history with his Hart Trophy campaign in 2017-18, almost single-handedly carrying an otherwise mediocre Devils squad to the playoffs. The Devils would fall in five games to a more experienced Tampa Bay Lightning team in the first round. Hall is currently playing in the Stanley Cup Final with the Carolina Hurricanes, so it remains to be seen if he can get his name etched on the Cup this year.
Zajac nearly spent his entire career in New Jersey before a late-career trade that sent him and Kyle Palmieri to the Islanders for one last run at the Stanley Cup. It didn’t work out for Zajac with the Islanders, and having been drafted in 2004, he missed out on being a part of the Devils teams in the late 90s and early 00s that did win. Zajac is another member of the 2012 team that came close but came up short, and while his offensive stats were a bit underwhelming, he carved out a good career as a defensively responsible, two-way forward who can play in all situations.
Meanwhile, Verbeek was a fixture on the 80s Devils teams that introduced the Garden State to the NHL. He, like Muller and a few other names on this list, were members of the 1988 team that made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and ultimately went on a run to the Conference Final before losing in seven games to the Bruins. Verbeek was the Devils franchise leader in goals scored when he was traded in 1989 to the Hartford Whalers, and he ultimately went on to win a Stanley Cup late in his career as a player with the Dallas Stars in 1999.
Fourth Line | Aaron Broten – Adam Henrique – Dainius Zubrus
Aaron Broten, the only forward from this team who also spent time with the Colorado Rockies prior to the move to New Jersey, is still among the franchise leaders in assists and points, sitting at 10th in both categories. His inclusion on the roster is mandatory, and while he never won the Cup in his playing career, at least his brother Neal Broten did as a member of the 1994-95 Devils.
Henrique and Zubrus both came close with the Devils in 2012. Henrique finished third in the Calder voting that season with a still-career high 51 points, and much like Zajac, he carved out a solid career as a defensively responsible center who can play in all situations. Henrique has also come close to winning a Stanley Cup the last few years with the Edmonton Oilers, but those teams ultimately came up short against the eventual champion Florida Panthers.
Zubrus might not be as flashy offensively as many of the other names on this fake roster, but I did want to add a little more size, sandpaper, puck possession and versatility to this roster. After coming over in free agency prior to the 2007-08 season, Zubrus was a fixture in the Devils lineup through the end of the 2014-15 season.
Extra Forwards | Patrik Sundstrom – Dave Andreychuk
Sundstrom, who came over to the Devils in 1987 via trade, authored arguably the greatest single-game performance in Devils history with three goals and five assists in the Devils 10-4 win over the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of the Patrick Division Final in 1988. That feat broke Wayne Gretzky’s playoff record of seven points, which he did three times, and has only been matched once since by Mario Lemieux the following season.
Meanwhile, Andreychuk has the dubious distinction of being on the Devils rosters between their championship runs in 1995 and 2000. At least the Hockey Hall of Famer picked up a championship late in his career as a member of the 2004 Tampa Bay Lightning.
First Defensive Pairing | Andy Greene – Dougie Hamilton
Hamilton stats with NJD: 305 games, 57 goals, 142 assists, 199 points
Andy Greene worked his way from being undrafted and just looking to get a chance in the NHL to becoming a top-pairing defensive defenseman and captain of the Devils. He was a minutes-munching, shot blocking defender who often had the hardest matchups on any given night. He was never much of an offensive defenseman, but he was capable of chipping in the occasional goal here and there. Greene is another member of the 2012 team that came up short.
Meanwhile, Hamilton is the compliment who would generate offensively on this pairing. He sits seventh among Devils defensemen in franchise history in points despite playing by far the fewest games, and with two years remaining on his contract, he has a chance to eventually pass Greene and Damon Severson if he isn’t traded at some point between now and then. Much like the rest of the modern-era Devils, the closest Hamilton has come to a Stanley Cup in New Jersey was their second round defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2023.
Second Defensive Pairing | Paul Martin – Joe Cirella
Martin stats with NJD: 400 games, 26 goals, 137 assists, 163 points
Martin may be the only player on this roster who was technically part of the organization when they won the Stanley Cup. He was drafted in 2000, but didn’t debut with the Devils until the 2003-04 season….after they won their third and final championship.
In a lot of ways, Martin represented the archetype of what most NHL teams want from their blueline these days. He was a smooth skater who made smart decisions with the puck to help his team break out of the defensive zone. He was reliable. He was capable of playing tough minutes. And for the Devils, he was a fixture on their blueline for the late 00s teams before departing in free agency in 2010. Unfortunately for Martin, he also missed out on the Penguins Stanley Cup championship squads as well.
Cirella, a former 5th overall pick by the Colorado Rockies in 1981, came with the team to New Jersey when they relocated in 1982. He played eight seasons in New Jersey and was part of the 1988 roster that reached the conference final. Cirella was traded to the Quebec Nordiques and also played for the Rangers, Panthers, and Senators before retiring in 1996.
Third Defensive Pairing | Bryce Salvador – Damon Severson
Salvador stats with NJD: 339 games, 8 goals, 39 assists, 47 points
Salvador came to the Devils in 2007 via a trade with the Blues that sent Cam Janssen the other way. At his peak, he was a reliable defensive defenseman, and for a brief stretch in 2012 that I still don’t comprehend, he was an offensive force in the 2012 playoff run with 4 goals and 10 assists in 24 playoff games. He was named Devils captain after Zach Parise departed in free agency. Unfortunately, injuries slowed him down in his later years and he retired at the end of the 2014-15 season. He has been a part of the MSG Devils broadcasts ever since.
Severson debuted with the Devils in 2014-15 and was a fixture as their top pairing RHD for most of the nine seasons he played in Newark. He was part of the Devils playoff teams in 2018 and 2023 before ultimately leaving the franchise as part of a sign-and-trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets that summer.
It might feel premature to put Luke Hughes on this roster, as he has only played three full NHL seasons.
That said, he’s already 13th among Devils defensemen in franchise history in terms of career points, and every player in front of him on the list either won a championship with the Devils somewhere along the way or they’re already on this roster, so the inclusion of the youngest Hughes brother is justifiable.
Taking Luke Hughes over players who have played more games like Jonas Siegenthaler, Adam Larsson, Lyle Odelein, or Randy Velischek might be future-proofing the roster a little bit, but Luke is signed for the foreseeable future. Barring injuries, he should be in the Top 10 of games played and Top 5 for points among defensemen by the time his contract is up.
Schneider stats with NJD: 115-113-50 record, .915 save percentage, 2.50 GAA
Blackwood stats with NJD: 65-57-18 record, .906 save percentage, 2.97 GAA
Cory Schneider, who joined the Devils via trade in 2013, holds both the dubious distinction of trying to replace a legend in Martin Brodeur and being the lone bright spot on some dreadful hockey teams in the mid 2010s. I’ve often said Schneider is the right goaltender for the wrong era, as I wish the Devils had some sort of time machine where they could pluck him out of 2013 and drop him onto the modern day roster.
Schneider is right there with Chris Terreri in either 2nd or 3rd place in every major statistical category behind Brodeur in franchise history, but since Terreri was on the 1995 team, that makes him ineligible for this exercise. Schneider is 3rd in wins, 3rd in losses, 4th in goals against, 2nd in shots against, 2nd in saves, 1st in save percentage, 3rd in goals against average, 2nd in shutouts, and 2nd in minutes. Schneider was a member of the 2018 team that made the playoffs, and the closest he came to winning a Stanley Cup championship was with the Vancouver Canucks in 2011 when they fell in Game 7 to the Boston Bruins.
I considered going with Chico Resch as the backup, but his stats as a Devil pale in comparison to Blackwood, even considering the different eras both players played in. Blackwood was drafted in 2015, debuted in the 2018-19 season, and played parts of five years in New Jersey. After a strong couple seasons, his stats and performance gradually decreased thanks in part to injuries. He was part of the 2022-23 Devils roster that made the playoffs but his inconsistencies led to him being benched in favor of Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid for that run. He was sent to San Jose via trade and has since landed in Colorado where he is part of the tandem with another former Devils goaltender Scott Wedgewood. Colorado fell short in their quest to hoist the Cup this year, but there’s always next year.
General Manager | Ray Shero
Win LossRecord with NJD: 171-168-38
Your general manager options with the Devils are extremely limited, which is to be expected when Lou Lamoriello held the post for 28 seasons. Bill MacMillan, Max McNab, and the Rockies GMs all predate me, and Sunny Mehta was literally just named to the position, so as far as I’m concerned, it’s between Shero and Tom Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald held the position longer, and technically had more success since his Devils got farther than Shero’s did. But I gave Shero the edge for a few reasons. The Devils typically drafted better under Shero than they did under Fitzgerald. That might be skewed a little bit as the Devils had two #1 overall picks under Shero but other draft successes like Jesper Bratt, Yegor Sharangovich, and Arseny Gritsyuk are on Shero’s record.
But I also generally thought that Shero’s trades were better than Fitzgerald’s. Trading picks for Kyle Palmieri and Marcus Johansson. Trading Adam Larsson for Taylor Hall. Adding Patrick Maroon at the deadline in 2018. Selling high on Lee Stempniak after bringing him in as a PTO. In a vacuum, I liked Shero’s moves more than Fitzgerald’s.
Shero never could figure out how to build a blueline, which ultimately was his undoing in New Jersey. But given the limited options, I think he’s the easy choice here.
Head Coach | Peter DeBoer
Win Loss Record with NJD: 114-93-41
The Devils have had a lot of head coaches in their history. Thirty one to be exact, counting interims and counting the interim coaching cerberus of Lou Lamoriello, Adam Oates, and Scott Stevens in 2015 as one under the label of “NJD Bench”.
Lamoriello had a tendency to have an itchy trigger finger and make a change behind the bench if he didn’t like what he was seeing from his team, which partially explains so many short tenures of one or two seasons. So lets roll with one of the longer tenured head coaches who didn’t win a Cup with the Devils in Pete DeBoer.
Hired in 2012, DeBoer immediately helped lead the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final that season before falling to the LA Kings. Unfortunately for DeBoer, he oversaw a Devils team that was effectively at the end of their competitive cycle afterwards. Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk left in consecutive offseasons with the Devils getting nothing in return for either player. The final links to the dynasty years in Patrik Elias and Martin Brodeur were aging. Years of trading futures combined with poor draft picks left the prospect cupboard bare. DeBoer did what he could to keep the Devils competitive, but the wheels finally fell off in 2015. DeBoer was fired, and the Devils began an inevitable rebuild from scratch.
DeBoer has gone on to a successful coaching career with San Jose, Vegas, and Dallas, and he did reach the Stanley Cup Final once again in 2016, but a Stanley Cup championship has remained elusive for him. The Islanders hired him late last season to replace Patrick Roy, so time will tell if DeBoer once again lead a franchise to the precipice of a title.
Final Thoughts
After writing roughly 3500 words on the matter, my one main takeaway from this exercise is that there’s definitely a bit of a modern slant to this list, but I think that’s also to be expected.
The Devils relocated to New Jersey in 1982 and won their first title in 1995. There was a span of four and two seasons between their three championship runs, and there have been 22 seasons since their last championship. Even if I count the Colorado Rockies/Kansas City Scouts era, there’s more runway on the backend than there is on the frontend in terms of a title drought. And with all due respect to the Rockies/Scouts era teams, I’m ill equipped to talk extensively about dreadful hockey teams and the players on them when they primarily played before I was born.
I don’t know that there’s really any glaring omissions though I’m sure if there are, you’ll let me know in the comments. I considered Kyle Palmieri but I didn’t think it made sense to include him over some of the other players from his era. I considered Brendan Shanahan but he was only here for five years and wasn’t very productive for two of them. I would guess Hall and/or Kovalchuk might be the most controversial selections, but Hall did win an MVP here and Kovalchuk was a key member of a team that came close to winning a championship, so I felt they needed to be included.
The one player that might be considered to be a glaring omission is Slava Fetisov. He did not win a championship with the Devils as a player, as he was traded midway through the 1994-95 season and just missed out on that first Devils championship team. The reason why I omitted him was because he was an assistant coach with the 2000 team, so he technically was a part of a Devils championship team, making him ineligible. And as far as I’m concerned, there’s enough of a difference between that and Paul Martin technically being in the organization but not on the team to include the latter, but not the former.
At the end of the day, it’s my list. Make your own if you feel so inclined in the comments. I’m not going to stop you.
Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal scored for a fourth straight game on Tuesday night, giving his team a 3-1 lead at 12:48 of the first period on the power play.
With that goal, Staal became the first player to accomplish that feat since New York Islanders legend Mike Bossy scored in four straight Stanley Cup Final games agains the Vancouver Canucks in 1982.
Bossy went on to score seven goals in the 1982 Stanley Cup Finals, tying Montreal Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau's 1956 record for most goals in a final series.
The Islanders swept the Canucks for their third straight Championship, officially being labeled a dynasty.
The Athletic's Chris Johnston recently ranked the NHL's top 50 pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) heading into the summer. Chicago Blackhawks forward Ilya Mikheyev made the cut, as he was given the No. 31 spot.
Seeing Mikheyev be ranked among the top pending UFAs in the NHL is not too difficult to understand. The 31-year-old forward is coming off back-to-back seasons with at least 34 points and is a highly impactful penalty killer. Because of this, it is very likely that he will generate a good amount of interest from teams looking to boost their bottom six if he tests the free agent market this summer.
Mikheyev appeared in 77 games this season with the Blackhawks, where he recorded 18 goals and set a career high with 36 points. This is after he posted 20 goals and 34 points in 80 games for the Blackhawks during the 2024-25 campaign. With this, he has been a solid part of the Blackhawks' roster over the last two seasons.
It is going to be interesting to see what happens with Mikheyev leading up to July 1. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported last month that the Chicago has made Mikheyev's signing rights available for trade. Yet, with how well Mikheyev has played for the Blackhawks, it would not be surprising if they continued to try to keep him in Chicago.
On Tuesday night, Sound Beach, Long Island native Brandon Bussi got the start for the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
For Bussi, a journeyman who went undrafted, played 111 AHL games, and spent time in three different organizations with countless waiver adventures in between, he's never stopped believing that he belonged in the NHL.
Ahead of his first career Stanley Cup start:
My chat with Brandon Bussi’s former goalie coach — my former goalie coach — @cmtesta1 on Bussi’s development, the challenges along the way & what it means to see a LI kid find his way to the top @TheElmonters:https://t.co/R9xC2eqCYH
After 31 regular-season wins, becoming the fastest goalie in NHL history to reach 11 games, Bussi made 18 saves in a 5-3 win to even the series at two apiece.
This was his first start since April. 14, their regular-season finale win over the New York Islanders. He did relieve Hurricanes netminder Frederik Andersen in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals, turning aside 19 of 20 shots in a 5-4 double overtime loss.
"They're the reason I'm able to do what I'm doing right now. Their sacrifice means everything. And yeah, they're the best." ❤️
Brandon Bussi gets emotional speaking about his family in his interview with @sportsnetkyle following his first win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/zsPpEdTk2k
As we near the date of the 2026 NHL draft, it’s hard not to think back on some of the most formidable picks made in the Montreal Canadiens’ history. 55 years ago, on June 10, 1971, the Habs made not one but two franchise-altering picks.
That year, fresh off another Stanley Cup conquest, the Canadiens had the first-overall pick thanks to an astute trade by Sam Pollock a year earlier. The GM had sent Ernie Hicke and Montreal's 1970 first-round pick to the California Golden Seals in return for Francois Lacombe and the Golden Seals’ first-round pick at the 1971 draft. The California side had finished last overall with just 45 points in 78 games, giving Montreal the first overall pick just in time for one of the most promising prospects ever to be available to draft: Guy Lafleur.
The Canadiens therefore picked Lafleur first overall, and he would go on to become one of the best players in history. To this day, he still holds the record for most points while wearing the Sainte-Flanelle, with 1246 points in 961 games, and the record for most points in a single season with the Habs, with 136 points. A real phenomenon that marked not only the Canadiens’ history, but also the NHL’s. Nowadays, you can sometimes hear people say that Ivan Demidov is the most talented player the Canadiens have had since Lafleur, but will he be able to catch him in the history books? It remains to be seen.
If that wasn’t a good enough pick up for the Canadiens, in the second round, they drafted Larry Robinson, who, like Lafleur, has marked the team's history. Big Bird, as he was nicknamed, put up 883 points in 1202 games with the Tricolore and also holds the record for most points in a single season by a Canadiens’ defenseman with 85.
Of course, it looks like Lane Hutson may just break that record, since he reached 78 points in just his second season, but still, Robinson’s points total and the number of games he played with the Canadiens will be hard to catch. At the end of his eight-year contract, Hutson will have played 838 games with the Habs, unless he misses some games due to injury or is moved before then, which seems highly unlikely.
The Canadiens' odds of making a franchise-altering pick in the upcoming draft are slim, but you can never say never, after all, Hutson was a 62nd overall pick, and there can always be some hidden gems.
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 10: Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock looks on from the bench at an NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period at the Scotiabank Arena on October 10, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
“What is one of the Devils’ biggest needs, if not the biggest? A top-six winger to complement Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. The Devils finished 31st in five-on-five goals last season, and while playing style was part of the reason, Kyrou may be the perfect fit to bolster the Devils’ offense.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]
“Only Hischier knows for sure…but maybe — just maybe — all this losing has shifted his priorities. While AFP Analytics projects an eight-year, $11.459 million AAV contract for him, say he takes $9 or $10 million instead. He’d still earn $72–80 million over the life of the deal, on top of the roughly $45 million he’s already earned in the NHL. That extra cap flexibility could make a world of difference when attempting to properly complement the roster.” [New Jersey Hockey Now]
We have named Peter Laviolette as the club’s 32nd head coach in franchise history, it was announced today by Vice President and General Manager Ken Holland.
“The Edmonton Oilers are in consultation with the NHL Players’ Association to see if there are objections to potentially hiring Mike Babcock for their vacant head coaching job, according to league sources.” [The Athletic ($)]
“Larkin has a full no-trade clause as part of his contract, and his list was limited to being dealt to Vegas, Minnesota and Florida.” [Associated Press]
Where might Dylan Larkin end up in a trade and what assets might the Red Wings get back? [The Athletic ($)]
Gabriel Landeskog is this season’s Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy awardee:
Gabriel Landeskog is the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winner for the 2025-26 season! 💪
The trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. #NHLAwardspic.twitter.com/hMbgQ8g71B
The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights by a 5-3 final score in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. With this, the Hurricanes have tied the series up at 2-2 as they head back to Raleigh for Game 5.
Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jordan Staal certainly played a role in the Hurricanes' Game 4 win. This is because the veteran center scored two goals in the contest, including the game-winner.
This was just the latest strong performance from Staal during the Stanley Cup Final. The former Penguins forward has been playing some excellent hockey for the Canes, as he has five goals in four games this series. He also has scored at least one goal in each of the Hurricanes' four games against the Golden Knights this Stanley Cup Final.
With this, there is no question that Staal is heating up at the perfect time for the Hurricanes. The 37-year-old forward now has seven goals, four assists, 11 points, and a plus-6 rating in 17 games this post-season.
It will now be interesting to see if Staal can keep this kind of play up from here. It is clear that the former Penguins forward is red-hot right now.
PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 01: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brett Kulak (77) skates with the puck during the third period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings on January 1, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Vitals
Player: Brett Kulak Born: Jan. 6, 1994 (32 years old) Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 192 pounds Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Shoots: Left Draft: 2012 NHL Draft, fourth round, 14th pick (105th overall) by Calgary Flames 2025-26 Statistics (with Pittsburgh): 25 games played; one goal; six assists; seven points Contract Status: Entering unrestricted free agency on July 1 after completion of a four-year, $11,000,000 contract
Kulak’s best month undoubtedly was January, with all of these games coming in a Pittsburgh sweater. He had his highest amount of shots on goal, and he was rewarded with his lone goal on the season and four additional assists.
Perhaps Kulak’s best game came when he scored that one goal in a 6-3 win over the Seattle Kraken on Jan. 19. He also took home a plus-3 rating during that game.
Story of the Season
When Pittsburgh acquired defenseman Brett Kulak as part of the Tristan Jarry trade with the Edmonton Oilers in December, the team was looking for a reliable veteran who could eat minutes. The Penguins also had to take on Kulak and Stuart Skinner’s contracts to help get the deal over the line with the cap-strapped Oilers.
Kulak ultimately provided that veteran presence in his short tenure with the Penguins.
The 32-year-old defenseman was never expected to be an offensive driver, and his numbers reflected that. Across his 2025-26 campaign, Kulak recorded one goal and 11 assists in 83 games overall.
But his value was always going to be measured more by how he helped stabilize a rather inconsistent Pittsburgh defensive corps.
A little more than two months after he was acquired by Pittsburgh, general manager Kyle Dubas flipped Kulak to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for fellow defenseman Samuel Girard and a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.
Regular season 5v5 advanced stats
Data via Natural Stat Trick. Ranking is out of 11 defensemen on the team who qualified by playing a minimum of 150 minutes.
Kulak’s underlying numbers suggest he largely provided unspectacular results in a Penguins uniform, ranking near the bottom among qualified Penguins defensemen in several possession and chance-generation metrics.
His expected goals share was slightly above break-even at 50.17%, indicating the Penguins generated a nearly even share of quality chances with him on the ice at five-on-five.
Offensively, Kulak contributed modestly with 0.8 points per 60 minutes, but he only appeared in 25 games with the team before being traded again.
Defensively, his on-ice save percentage ranked sixth on the team, helping offset some of the weaker chance metrics.
Playing on three different teams in a single season is a unique challenge, and Kulak had some struggles with maintaining his impacts from prior seasons. Overall, as a bottom-pair defenseman, he can add to a PK and provide a decent DV defensive performance, but his offense isn’t going to add much to a team.
Hockeystats.com has a scouting report on Kulak that includes, “A terrific rush defender who uses his feet and stick to force turnovers and dump-ins at the blueline,” but the data didn’t back that up this year, besides preventing entry chances. Then again, as mentioned, it couldn’t be easy to produce consistent results while having so many different teams, coaches, teammates, and strategies thrown at him this year.
Kulak is going to stay home at the left point more often than not in the offensive zone. He is typically an active skater, using his wheels and covering a lot of ground going up and down the ice.
Skating is still a pretty good base for Kulak, even now into his 30’s. He’s no burner but is efficient and somewhat quick without having high-end speed. It’s more than good enough for his game as a positional defenseman to try and keep the play in front of him and turn on the jets when they need to be there to cover a different part of the ice.
The Penguins have acquired goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak, and the Edmonton Oilers 2029 second-round draft pick in exchange for goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Sam Poulin.
Thanks for being part of the deal that allowed the Penguins to jettison the Tristan Jarry contract! We salute you.
Questions to ponder
Simply put: where will Kulak end up for the 2026-27 season after his contract expires? I could see a scenario where the Colorado Avalanche re-up with Kulak to give them more of the same on the back end.
Ideal 2026-27
Wherever Kulak ends up for the 2026-27 season, it more than likely will not be with Pittsburgh. But Kulak can continue to eat bottom-pair minutes, kill penalties, and perhaps be a valuable elder statesman who can mentor younger defensemen.
Bottom line
Kulak’s cup of coffee with the Penguins was what everyone should have expected: He was a professional and dependable veteran.
He was not a game-changer, but he was steady, adaptable, and capable of handling meaningful minutes.
The trade to the Avalanche served as a cap-clearing move for Colorado while adding defensive depth to their roster for their inevitable playoff run. Pittsburgh added yet another draft pick to its ever-growing stockpile of potential future assets.
And while Sam Girard’s short tenure in the black and gold has been a bit of a roller coaster thus far, it was another tidy piece of business for Kyle Dubas and company.
Final Grade: C+
Considering the circumstances, the acquisition of Kulak was a smart move. The Penguins wanted out of Jarry’s contract and needed help on defense, and Kulak provided it without demanding a major role or forcing the team into a long-term commitment.
Vegas Golden Knights (39-26-17, in the Pacific Division) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (53-22-7, in the Metropolitan Division)
Raleigh, North Carolina; Thursday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Hurricanes -154, Golden Knights +129; over/under is 6
STANLEY CUP FINAL: Series tied 2-2
BOTTOM LINE: The Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights are in a 2-2 series tie in the Stanley Cup Final. The teams meet Tuesday for the seventh time this season. The Hurricanes won 5-3 in the previous matchup. Jordan Staal led the Hurricanes with two goals.
Carolina has a 53-22-7 record overall and a 36-12-2 record on its home ice. The Hurricanes have a 29-9-3 record when scoring a power-play goal.
Vegas has a 26-16-9 record on the road and a 39-26-17 record overall. The Golden Knights have a 50-8-12 record when scoring three or more goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Sebastian Aho has 27 goals and 53 assists for the Hurricanes. Staal has six goals and one assist over the past 10 games.
Jack Eichel has 27 goals and 63 assists for the Golden Knights. Brett Howden has scored seven goals and added two assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Hurricanes: 7-2-1, averaging 3.8 goals, 6.3 assists, 3.4 penalties and 8.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.
Golden Knights: 8-1-1, averaging 3.8 goals, 6.6 assists, 3.2 penalties and 7.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game.
INJURIES: Hurricanes: None listed.
Golden Knights: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
One phone call could give the Utah Mammoth their next franchise gamble—and leave the Detroit Red Wings admitting one of their biggest draft investments never became what they envisioned.
Mammoth Exploring Another Major Move
After reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs in just their second season, Utah appears determined to keep accelerating its rise rather than settling for incremental progress. According to ESPN's Kevin Weekes, the organization has entered the conversation for a young goaltender whose future in Detroit has become increasingly uncertain.
“I’m told G Cossa could be on the move with [the Mammoth] among the interested clubs,” Weekes reported.
Selected 15th overall by the Red Wings in the 2021 NHL Draft, Sebastian Cossa arrived with the expectations of becoming Detroit's long-term answer between the pipes. Instead, his development has largely unfolded in the American Hockey League, where the Hamilton, Ontario native has appeared in 123 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins while receiving only a single NHL appearance.
A Low-Risk Bet With High-End Upside
Utah's immediate future in goal already belongs to Karel Vejmelka, who is under contract through the 2029-30 campaign. That stability gives the Mammoth the flexibility to pursue a high-ceiling project without the pressure of forcing him into a starting role.
For a franchise still building its foundation, acquiring a former first-round talent could prove to be a calculated swing worth taking. If Utah believes its development staff can unlock the potential that once made Cossa one of hockey's premier goaltending prospects, the investment could pay significant dividends.
Detroit Appears Ready To Turn The Page
From Detroit's perspective, a potential trade would represent the latest chapter in the organization's ongoing search for stability in net.
General manager Steve Yzerman spent a first-round pick hoping Cossa would eventually become the franchise cornerstone at the position, but five years later that vision appears to be fading. The Red Wings further signaled their intentions by acquiring John Gibson last offseason, creating additional uncertainty around Cossa's place in the organization's long-term plans.
Utah's draft capital is also worth monitoring. The Mammoth surrendered three second-round selections to the Calgary Flames at the trade deadline to acquire Mackenzie Weegar, leaving a first-round pick as their most valuable remaining asset alongside several mid-round choices.
Meanwhile, Detroit could have even bigger decisions looming. Persistent speculation surrounding captain Dylan Larkin's future has fueled talk of a blockbuster offseason, and if the Red Wings ultimately acquire another NHL-ready goaltender or elite goalie prospect in such a deal, moving Cossa would become an even easier decision.
For Utah, the opportunity is straightforward: buy low on a talented young netminder before another organization discovers the player Detroit once believed it had drafted.
One phone call could reshape the balance of power in the Atlantic Division—but it might cost the Buffalo Sabres more than any other team in hockey.
Atlantic Division Rivals May Have To Pay Extra For Dylan Larkin
The possibility of Dylan Larkin leaving the Detroit Red Wings has quickly become one of the NHL offseason's biggest storylines, but any team hoping to pry away the veteran captain from within the division should expect a significantly steeper price.
According to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, general manager Steve Yzerman isn't eager to strengthen a direct rival. And, not to sound crass, he hasn't seemed too eager to strengthen his own team, to boot.
"The return would have to be phenomenal, though, for [Wings general manager Steve] Yzerman to trade Larkin within the Atlantic Division."
That immediately puts clubs like the Buffalo Sabres at a disadvantage, even as they continue searching for the elite top-line center who could accelerate their climb back into playoff contention.
Is Larkin Worth The Dough?
The Sabres entered the offseason needing more stability down the middle, particularly in the faceoff circle and on the power play. Larkin addresses both concerns while bringing proven leadership and consistent offensive production.
The 29-year-old finished the season with 67 points, scoring 34 goals while adding 33 assists in 74 games. He also won 52.9 percent of his faceoffs and produced 24 power-play points, giving Buffalo exactly the type of two-way presence it has lacked in recent years.
The challenge isn't identifying the fit—it's convincing Detroit to make a deal with a division opponent.
Adding another layer of complexity, Larkin possesses a full no-trade clause, giving him substantial control over the process. St. James reported that his initial preferred destinations include the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights. The Red Wings have reportedly asked for Larkin to expand that list and he has reportedly added the Anaheim Ducks, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the New York Islanders to the mix.
If Buffalo ever receives consideration, the asking price could become even more aggressive than a traditional blockbuster package.
The Sabres would likely have to part with Jack Quinn, top defensive prospect Radim Mrtka, and multiple draft picks. Is Dylan Larkin really worth that kind of package? That's a difficult case to make.
There's no question Larkin is an excellent player, but the caliber of assets Buffalo could be forced to surrender suggests a return closer to a perennial 90-to-100-point producer. That's simply not who Larkin has been.
Despite consistently playing first-line minutes, he has never reached the 80-point mark, let alone 90, making it fair to question whether the price would outweigh the upgrade. Goaltending should be their priority if we're being completely honest.
Could Anton Wahlberg Become The Extra Piece?
An Atlantic Division premium would almost certainly require the Sabres to surrender another valuable asset, and one intriguing possibility is center prospect Anton Wahlberg.
The 20-year-old second-round pick from the 2023 NHL Draft remains an intriguing long-term project, but his offensive development has progressed slower than many expected.
Wahlberg recorded 38 points, including nine goals and 29 assists, in 68 games with the Rochester Americans after posting 30 points in 63 contests the previous season.
Standing 6-foot-3, the Swedish center already displays mature defensive instincts and possesses the physical tools NHL organizations covet. The lingering question is whether enough offense will ever emerge to elevate him beyond a supporting role.
Current projection models remain cautious. HockeyStats.com estimates Wahlberg has a 29 percent chance of becoming a full-time NHL player and only a 6 percent probability of developing into a "star," defined as a top-20-percent forward across the league.
Those numbers don't eliminate the possibility of a breakout, but they do illustrate why Buffalo could ultimately view him as an acceptable sacrifice if the reward is a proven No. 1 center entering his prime.
At this point, everything remains speculative. Still, one thing appears increasingly clear: if the Sabres want to land Dylan Larkin, they won't simply have to outbid the rest of the league.
They'll have to convince Steve Yzerman that helping an Atlantic Division rival is worth an extraordinary return.
The Vegas Golden Knights had fought back in the second period to tie Game 4 at 3-3 and had a chance to take a commanding 3-1 series lead if they won the third period.
"It's just for free," Tortorella said. "It's a hard one for me in the third period."
Even though the Golden Knights had rallied, there were problems earlier in the game. They gave up two goals in the first five minutes. They took a penalty for too many men on the ice and Staal scored on a rebound in the crease.
"We have him, but then we let him off the hook," the coach said. "He's killing us in front of the net. We have to do a better job around the blue."
Tortorella liked the team's late press, "but we don't get it done."
Now the series is a best-of-three, with the Hurricanes regaining home-ice advantage.
"We need to flush it and get ready for the next game," Tortorella said.
