Trevor Linden had a very eventful NHL career both on and off the ice. This included being elected NHLPA President in 1998, which was a title he held until 2006. During his time as President, Linden was at the forefront during the 2004-05 lockout, and helped negotiate a new CBA that saw the league return to action after.
After the Vancouver Canucks fired Head Coach Adam Foote on Tuesday, Linden appeared on Sportsnet 650to speak about Vancouver's new management group. The 56-year-old spoke about the Sedins and Ryan Johnson being a united front, and how he did not have the same support during his tenure as President of Hockey Operations from 2014 to 2018. To this day, Linden is well respected by Canucks fans and is someone people in the market enjoy listening to when he does radio hits.
A day after the clip was posted, NHL Agent and Co-Managing Director of Octagon-Hockey Allan Walsh took to social media to share his thoughts on Linden. In a post on "X", Walsh wrote, "Trevor Linden and “presenting a united front” should never be uttered in the same sentence. One of the persons most responsible for going behind the back of NHLPA leadership to strike a deal with Gary on a triple hard salary cap with escrow. Cost players billions of dollars."
Walsh currently represents over 25 players in the NHL. Among them is Canucks defenceman Filip Hronek, who signed an eight-year extension worth $58 million in 2024. Other notable players that Walsh represents include Jonathan Huberdeau, Jonathan Drouin and JJ Peterka.
Feb 10, 2020; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Former Vancouver captain Trevor Linden walks out for a pre-game ceremony as part of Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin jersey and number retirement ceremony week in Vancouver. Prior to a game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Nashville Predators at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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In a positive development, just hours before the Golden Knights will open their Western Conference Final against Presidents' Trophy winner Colorado Avalanche, captain Mark Stone took the ice Wednesday morning in Denver, with what appeared to be the Golden Knights' scratches.
Stone suffered a lower-body injury on May 8 during Game 3 in the second round against the Anaheim Ducks, and then missed the last three games of the conference semifinal.
The 34-year-old veteran hadn't practiced with the Knights since.
"There's no update on injuries right now," Vegas coach John Tortorella said.
The Knights, who are playing in their fifth conference finals in nine seasons, open their series with the Avalanche at 5 pm pacific.
While Vegas was able to get past the pesky Ducks in six games without Stone for the last week of the series, the challenge is greater against an Avalanche team that is 8-1 in the postseason, including a perfect 6-0 in Denver.
Through nine playoff games, Stone had seven points (3 goals, 4 assists). Vegas is 6-3 with Stone on the ice.
And while Stone's return to the lineup seemingly on the horizon, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar announced the team will be without all-star defenseman Cale Makar for Game 1 of the Western Conference final.
Makar is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, though Bednar said his superstar blue liner is expected to play at some point in the series.
PHOTO CAPTION
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) controls the puck in front of Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal (1) during the third period of game one of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena.
The Montreal Canadiens kick off their Eastern Conference Final series against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. The Habs will be looking to start their series against the Hurricanes on the right foot by winning Game 1 and handing Carolina their first loss of the playoffs.
With the Canadiens preparing for Game 1, they had practice on Wednesday. However, while the Habs practiced on Wednesday, head coach Martin St. Louis was not there.
St. Louis has done an excellent job with the Canadiens during his fifth year with the organization. He led the Habs to a 48-24-10 record and 106 points. He also has helped lead the Canadiens past the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres this post-season, so it has been a special year for the 50-year-old behind the bench.
In 365 games as the Canadiens' head coach over five seasons, St. Louis has a 163-155-47 record.
The Vegas Golden Knights are in Denver to take on the No. 1-seeded Colorado Avalanche in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
Highlighted by star winger Martin Necas, let's take a look at my three Golden Knights vs. Avalanche goal scorer predictions and NHL picks for May 20.
Golden Knights vs Avalanche goal scorer predictions for Game 1
Player to score a goal
Odds
Martin Necas
+155
Brock Nelson
+285
Jack Eichel
+220
💲Goal scorer parlay
+1500
Goal scorer pick: Martin Necas (+155)
Martin Necas was an elite finisher in the regular season, scoring 38 times on 27 expected goals. Outperforming his xG is nothing new – Necas scored 27 goals on 20.5 expected last year, and 24 on 19.8 the season prior.
He is an exceptional shooter who consistently scores at rates higher than the norm, yet he has one playoff goal despite generating 26 chances and 2.8 expected goals.
Necas has generated plenty of looks. They just haven’t gone for him, and it’s only a matter of time before that changes.
It’s also worth noting that Necas scored three times over three regular-season meetings with the Vegas Golden Knights, with his multi-goal performance coming against Carter Hart.
Expect Necas’ success to continue in this series, starting tonight.
Goal scorer pick: Brock Nelson (+285)
Hart really struggled with high-danger shots during the regular season, posting a .761 save percentage on those looks, ranking 68th among 70 netminders to play at least 700 minutes at 5-on-5.
Brock Nelson is a prime candidate to take advantage. He ranked second on the Colorado Avalanche in high-danger opportunities this season, and the vast majority of his shot volume comes from directly around the net.
Nelson also has a great track record of shot-generation against the Golden Knights and other strong shot-suppression teams.
He generated multiple shots on net in all three regular-season meetings. More noteworthy, Nelson has averaged 2.6 shots on net and recorded multiple SOG in nine of his last 10 against Top-10 shot suppression sides.
Goal scorer pick: Jack Eichel (+220)
Jack Eichel has piled up the assists during the playoffs, but don’t let that fool you: he’s been a very active shooter.
Eichel leads the Golden Knights in shot attempts and shots on goal but has scored just one time due to an unsustainably low 2.86% shooting percentage.
He scored on 10.38% of his shots in the regular season and has converted on at least 10% of his looks in all five seasons with the Golden Knights. He is an obvious regression candidate.
That could come sooner than later against an Avalanche team that is suddenly struggling to get saves.
They posted the worst save percentage of any team in the second round, and it wasn’t just one guy. Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood both struggled at points and were pulled from the net as a result.
Golden Knights vs Avalanche anytime goal parlay
Martin Necas
Brock Nelson
Jack Eichel
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The Chicago Blackhawks made 11 selections in the 2023 NHL Draft. 2 of them were in the first round, 4 were in the top 50, and 8 were in the top 100.
The Chicago Blackhawks also kicked off the draft by taking Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats with the first overall pick.
Three full seasons later, it is clear that this draft has the potential to be an incredible class for the organization. There are already a handful of players who have roles in the NHL ahead of schedule, with more on the way. The class is as follows:
1. - Connor Bedard
19. - Oliver Moore
35. - Adam Gajan
44. - Roman Kantserov
55. - Martin Misiak
67. - Nick Lardis
93. - Jiri Felcman
99. - Alex Pharand
131. - Marcel Marcel
167. - Milton Oscarson
195. - Janne Peltonen
Connor Bedard is the star that the Blackhawks selected him to be. He is also far from being a finished product in his development. He is trending towards being an elite number one center on a contending team. It’s only a matter of time, and maybe a linemate or two, before he becomes known amongst the league’s best.
Oliver Moore was the other first-round pick from 2023. He is arguably the fastest player that the Chicago Blackhawks have in the entire organization, and his skills match his speed. He is a diverse forward who gives an honest effort at even strength, on the power play, and on the penalty kill. Moore’s speed is always going to be the number one thing people bring up, but as soon as his production starts to climb, he has the potential to be a high-end middle-six winger.
At 35th overall, the Blackhawks made a goalie selection. Adam Gajan is a Slovakian net-minder who has really ascended as a young player within the pipeline. Playing for the University of Minnesota, he was one of the best goalies in college hockey during the 2025-26 season. He didn’t dress, but he was even named to be an Olympian with Team Slovakia in Milano Cortina.
Roman Kantserov, whom the Chicago Blackhawks selected 44th overall, may be the biggest steal of the Kyle Davidson era. There is a long way to go, but he put up some incredibly encouraging numbers in the KHL, including leading the league in goals. Kantserov has top-line winger potential, and he may get a crack at it as soon as opening night.
As far as other prospects from 2023 that Chicago is banking on, Nick Lardis is amongst the quickest risers. He went from being a 3rd round pick to scoring a legendary amount of goals in the OHL with 71 and scoring at a 20-goal pace during his rookie NHL season. Lardis could become one of the best pure snipers on the team with his ability to put the puck in the net from close or far.
Most of the rest are still trying to impress their way to NHL contracts, which may or may not come for them. Bedard, Moore, Lardis, and Kantserov are safe bets to play on the opening night roster.
Gajan will start as part of a tandem in the AHL, but it won’t be long before he gets his chance to make his NHL debut. For Misiak, Felcman, Pharand, Marcel, Oscarson, and Peltonen, more time is needed. Roster spots are not as available as they once were, so everything will have to be earned.
If the Blackhawks get four good forwards and a good depth goaltender out of one draft, it’s a big win. That’s especially true when one of them is a borderline generational talent. Early in the rebuild, these selections were consequential, as we are learning in 2026. By 2030, the draft may look even better.
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The Colorado Avalanche, owners of the best record in the NHL during the regular season, could be in trouble for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Vegas Golden Knights. Star defenseman Cale Makar will miss Game 1 with an upper body injury. His absence was confirmed by coach Jared Bednar Wednesday, May 20.
Despite Makar being listed as day-to-day, there was always concern that he could miss time during the Western Conferene finals. On Tuesday, Makar's teammate and fellow blueliner Sam Malinski said, "You can’t replace him, and we’re going to miss him out there. Yeah, hopefully we can still get it done without him."
His comments hinted that he knew the team would likely be without Makar.
Previously, Makar missed some time during Game 5 of the Avalanche's series against the Minnesota Wild, but ;later returned. That game happened a week ago. Though many fans believed that would be ample time for the Norris Trophy winner to recover, he clearly needs longer than what was originally anticipated. Here's what we know.
How long will Cale Makar be out?
Although there is no timeline for Makar's return right now, Avalanche fans can breathe a little easier knowing that he was seen skating on his own during practice Wednesday morning, which could mean he is due for a return earlier in this series rather than later.
Cale Makar skated alone, before practice, this morning here in Denver. No doubt the coach will deem him a game-time decision in about an hour pic.twitter.com/tNn0IkxVgV
The nature of Makar's injury has not been publicly disclosed. All that has been revealed is that it is an upper body injury.
There is belief that Makar's collision with Minnesota's Ryan Hartman may have caused the injury. Makar recovered from the hit but came up holding his shoulder and arm.
Cale Makar has headed to the locker room after an apparent upper-body injury 😳 pic.twitter.com/7vu1KzEj9w
The Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights are ready to get the Western Conference Final started tonight at Ball Arena in Downtown Denver!
The Golden Knights represent the Pacific Division after series victories over the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks.
The Avalanche have lost just one game so far these playoffs after sweeping the LA Kings and besting the Minnesota Wild in five games, but will go without Norris candidate Cale Makar in game one.
This is a heavy blow to Colorado’s backend and likely means that recently recalled Alex Gagne, Jack Achan, or Nick Blankenburg will see playoff action in the bottom pairing. If any other defenders are still hurt, two of them would play.
With that in mind, a commitment to structure and support will be crucial this evening, as the Golden Knights will absolutely look to find favorable matchups.
I have three keys to a Colorado Avalanche victory:
Play team-first hockey.
Stay out of the penalty box.
Thrive in the environment.
Whenever you have guys that haven’t played much NHL hockey, much less playoff hockey, slotted into your backend, a commitment to the process is vital. The process is the fail-safe when a talent advantage may not exist, and the Avalanche take pride in it. That will need to be shown for the Avalanche to win game one.
The Avs have made going to the sin-bin a far too common occurrence in the playoffs so far. Combine that with a clear and concise advantage at five-on-five against the competition so far, and you have plenty of reason to play things straight up. Vegas’ special teams aren’t to be tempted.
Ball Arena should be a madhouse tonight, as many fans still don’t like the Vegas Golden Knights after the 2021 playoff series, and, of course, the Avalanche appear plenty capable of winning it all. The Avs-friendly and raucous environment has the potential to deal a heavy blow to Vegas’ confidence.
It will be Scott Wedgewood back between the pipes for the Avalanche, which makes sense, seeing as he’s lost just one game these playoffs and came in and shut things down in Colorado’s game five comeback victory against Minny.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Knights have depth, particularly up the middle, and with the Avalanche missing Makar, expect Vegas’ head coach to be pretty active in getting his best skaters favorable matchups against Colorado’s bottom pair.
Torts has brought a lot of security to a team that couldn’t get consistent enough goaltending or results to take a strong hold of their division in the regular season. His arrival has ushered in another era of defensive focus in Vegas, similar to what we saw under Pete DeBoer.
The Golden Knights present as a team capable of shutting things down like the LA Kings, but while having the talent to cash in on limited opportunities.
Mitch Marner leads all point scorers in these playoffs and has been a consistent performer for the Knights. His matchup and the challenges he will face against this Avalanche team are a much taller task than what he saw in the first two rounds, however.
Here are three keys to victory for the Golden Knights:
Weather the storm.
Establish an early lead.
Exploit matchups.
If the Avalanche have a key to victory that plays into the home crowd, the Golden Knights have to have the opposite as a key to their success. Quieting Avalanche fans and making things awkward in the building can frustrate a club.
Vegas has shown the ability to win both low-scoring games and high-scoring games, but they’d be smart to limit Colorado’s flow and chances. Tough to see a goal fest not shaking out in Colorado’s favor.
Carter Hart has been better in the postseason than he was in the regular season, but the gap between his floor and his ceiling is large compared to most starters. He could be one of Vegas best or worst players on any given night. Do with that what you will.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Years of consistent regular-season success and postseason wins have again brought the Carolina Hurricanes to the Eastern Conference Final of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
That same roadblock.
The Hurricanes host the Montreal Canadiens to open their best-of-seven series, the third time in four seasons they’ve reached the league semifinals. They’re armed yet again with home-ice advantage, this time as the East’s top seed. They’ve won all eight playoff games. And they’re as rested as it gets with long breaks between both rounds.
But this has been the ceiling in an eight-year postseason run. They were swept in this round in 2019, again in 2023, then lost in five games here last year.
“I know everybody’s going to say, whatever, we’ve won one game in the times we’ve been there,” veteran forward Jordan Martinook said. “It is what it is, it’s something we’re going to have to overcome. I think every year is such a different challenge, we’re going to have ups and downs in the next series. And it’s up to us to show we can win.”
This has hovered all season over the Hurricanes, the idea of playing their way back to this point for another shot. They were the league’s No. 2 team behind Presidents’ Trophy-winner Colorado, then took out Ottawa and Philadelphia to become the first team to sweep the first two rounds since the NHL went to best-of-seven series in all four rounds in 1987.
But they’re 1-12 in the East final during this eight-year run under Rod Brind’Amour. The 2019 sweep was a happy-to-be-here group emerging from a nine-year postseason drought. The past two trips came in jarring fashion for a playoff-tested core, first with four one-goal losses to Florida in 2023, including a four-overtime epic. They went down 0-3 in last year’s rematch before salvaging a win.
Next they face a Montreal team that battled through a seven-game series against Tampa Bay, then another one against Buffalo. Montreal won both Game 7s on the road on goals by Alex Newhook.
The Canadiens are back in a conference final for the first time since playing for the Cup in 2021, only to tumble to 29th out of 32 league teams in regular-season points (199) for the following three years. They retooled under general manager Kent Hughes and coach Martin St. Louis to return to the playoffs last year, and haven’t lost consecutive games since mid-March.
“Guys have really bought into how we play and everything that Marty preaches,” said captain Nick Suzuki, a member of the 2021 Cup finalist. “It’s really cool to be in this situation this fast and being such a young team. Now we just have a lot of fun and just want to keep the journey going.”
Lengthy breaks
The 11 days off for the Hurricanes between closing out Philadelphia on May 9 and Game 1 against Montreal is the longest break in the NHL playoffs since at least 1920, according to SportRadar. Carolina also had six days off between Rounds 1 and 2.
Neither team has reported any major injury concerns.
In net
Jakub Dobes has started all 14 games in his second postseason with the Canadiens, including a 37-save effort in Game 7 against the Sabres after a rough Game 6. The 24-year-old has a 2.52 goals-against average and .910 save percentage.
The Hurricanes have gotten elite play from veteran Frederik Andersen, who allowed 10 goals through the first eight games while leading the postseason in GAA (1.12) and save percentage (.950).
Special teams
The Hurricanes are second among all postseason teams by going 38 of 40 (.950) on kills with one shorthanded goal. That unit will face a Canadiens power play ranked sixth in the playoffs (13 of 52, .250).
Neither team has been as effective on the other side. Carolina is 12th among playoff teams on the power play (5 of 37, .135), while Montreal is 13th on the kill (14 of 54, .741).
Stat leaders
Newhook and Carolina’s Logan Stankoven each have seven goals, tied for third among all postseason skaters. Montreal’s Lane Hutson has 14 points in 14 games to rank, tied for sixth-best in the postseason, while Carolina’s Taylor Hall has 12 in eight games.
Edge Montreal?
The Canadiens took all three regular-season meetings and nearly doubled the Hurricanes (15-8) in scoring, including a 5-2 home win on March 24 followed by a 3-1 road win five days later. Montreal was the only Eastern Conference team the Hurricanes didn’t beat in the regular season.
Both Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette and Emily Kaplan of ESPN reported it this morning as the Avalanche morning skate was underway. Both also stated that Makar was skating this morning, but he missed the last couple of skates leading up to today's.
Everyone is being reported to be fine, including Artturi Lehkonen, who missed some time after Game 3 against the Minnesota Wild due to an upper-body injury that caused him to miss the rest of the series. Along with Sam Malinski returning to the lineup, Jack Ahcan will be filling in for Makar.
Rawal did report that Head Coach Jared Bednar expects Makar to be back in the series against the Knights and is considered "day-to-day". This follows up on why he was missing from some of the skates and practices leading up to today.
This will be Makar's second time missing a playoff game in his career. The only other time he missed was during the 2023 playoffs against the Seattle Kraken, when he served a one-game suspension for an illegal high hit on forward Jared McCann, which caused McCann to miss the rest of the series.
Game 1 Prop #1: Sam Malinski Over 2.5 shots on goal
+130 at BET99
Sam Malinski is one of the most efficient shot-generating defensemen in the NHL, and he’s getting plenty of ice.
Malinski has logged at least 19 minutes of ice in every playoff game he has suited up for this year, and will be heading for more with Cale Makar sidelined.
Malinski averaged 2.8 shots on goal on 6.6 attempts in games he played at least 19 minutes, going Over 2.5 shots in 50% of them. Taking things a step further, he generated 7.3 attempts per game without Makar.
A +130 price point is generous for those outputs.
Game 1 Prop #2: Mitch Marner Over 0.5 assists
-145 at BET99
Mitch Marner has scored seven goals through two rounds, but he is averaging only one more shot attempt per 60 minutes than he did in the regular season. The scoring surge stems from red-hot shooting (he owns a 24% SH%) rather than an uptick in volume.
He is still a playmaker first, producing 11 assists through 12 games while taking ~23% of the on-ice attempts. There are a lot of shots he has a hand in facilitating.
Game 1 Prop #3: Brock Nelson Over 1.5 shots on goal
-160 at BET99
Brock Nelson is not expected to center Valeri Nichushkin, who was his most common linemate through the first two rounds. That’s a big plus for his shot volume.
Nelson averaged just 9.17 shot attempts, and 3.53 shots on goal, per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play with Nichushkin by his side.
For comparison, he's averaged 12.37 attempts with Nic Roy and 13.90 attempts with Artturi Lehkonen — his new projected linemates.
Nelson recorded multiple shots on goal in all three regular season meetings with Vegas, and is now well-positioned to do so again in Game 1.
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Buffalo Sabres goalie Devon Levi will be a trade candidate to watch this off-season. The young goalie was in the rumor mill leading up to the 2026 NHL trade deadline, and with the Sabres having three other goalies ahead of him on their depth chart, he could use a fresh start.
One of their Sabres' top division rivals are believed to have Levi on their radar.
During a recent appearance on the Coming In Hot podcast, Daily Faceoff's Jeff Marek shared that he believes that the Ottawa Senators have kicked tires on Levi.
"I'm pretty sure that Ottawa has checked in with Buffalo on Devon Levi," Marek said. "It's over with Levi and the Buffalo Sabres."
When noting that the Senators desperately need to improve their backup goalie position, it is understandable that they would have a goalie like Levi on their radar. He would have the potential to be a nice upgrade over goalies like Leevi Merilainen and James Reimer for Ottawa's backup role.
However, the Sabres dealing a young goalie like Levi to a division rival like the Senators would come with some real risk. It would sting if Levi got his development back on track and become a high-impact goalie for the Senators. As a result, it might be smarter for the Sabres to deal Levi out of the division if possible.
Levi appeared in 52 games this season with the Rochester Americans, where he posted a 23-20-9 record, a 2.83 goals-against average, and a .904 save percentage. This is after he had a 25-13-4 record, a 2.20 goals-against average, and a .919 save percentage in 42 games with Rochester in 2024-25.
Levi did not make an appearance at the NHL level this season with the Sabres. In 39 career NHL games over three seasons, he has a 17-17-2 record, a 3.29 goals-against average, and an .894 save percentage.
DENVER — The NHL Coaches’ Association said it is closely monitoring the situation involving Bruce Cassidy amid reports that the Vegas Golden Knights have denied multiple teams permission to speak with him about working for them.
Cassidy was fired in late March and still is under contract through next season, so anyone wishing to interview him must get permission from the Golden Knights, according to league rules.
“It is our position that coaches who remain under contract, but are no longer working for their club, should not be prevented from pursuing other employment opportunities,” the Coaches’ Association said in a statement. “It would be unprecedented at the head coaching level should multiple teams be denied permission to speak with Coach Cassidy. The situation is still unfolding, but our priority is to protect the interests of our members in this type of circumstance.”
Vegas reportedly has not allowed Pacific Division rivals Edmonton and Los Angeles to talk to Cassidy when asked since their seasons ended. Word of the Oilers’ interest in Cassidy leaked before they fired Kris Knoblauch following a first-round playoff exit.
It was not clear if teams in the Eastern Conference or elsewhere in the West sought or received permission to interview him. General manager Kelly McCrimmon confirmed teams have asked for permission to talk to Cassidy.
“We’ve been consistent that our focus currently is on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the teams have respected that,” McCrimmon said at a news conference ahead of Game 1 of the West final at the Avalanche. “I’ve spoken with Bruce. He understands this, as well.”
Cassidy, who just turned 61, guided the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup in 2023, helped Boston reach the final in 2019 and won the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year in the pandemic shortened ’19-20 season. He was an assistant on Canada’s staff at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
The Montreal Canadiens are one of the four teams still playing hockey as the calendar inches closer to June. While that is quite a surprise for a team that nobody saw as a contender yet, it’s even more surprising when you factor in the fact that their top line has been neutralized throughout the first two rounds.
In 14 games, Nick Suzuki has a total of 13 points, but eight were scored on the power play, while both Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield have nine points, but only one at even strength for the captain’s wingers. What’s even more worrying is that the three first-line forwards are part of a select club of only five players on the Canadiens’ roster who have a negative differential alongside Noah Dobson and Joe Veleno. Not only are they not producing at even strength, but they are getting scored on.
Despite having four power-play goals in 14 games, Slafkovsky’s performance has been largely underwhelming. In fact, since the series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the power forward has not really looked like himself. The punch he took from Brandon Hagel or the hit that obliterated him from Max Crozier might have something to do with it. It looks like he’s playing injured, and as the Canadiens get ready to take on the well-oiled scoring machine that is the Carolina Hurricanes, they need to find a way to get their top players going.
Throughout the second round, one player looked like he was slowly finding his footing in the playoffs: Ivan Demidov. The Russian rookie has seven points in 14 games, but he has looked increasingly threatening of late; five of his points came in the last five games. He might not have gotten an assist on Alex Newhook’s series-winning goal in overtime. Still, it was his forecheck and active stick that helped the Canadiens regain puck possession and allowed Alexandre Carrier to send Newhook on his way to score the most important goal of his career thus far.
The 20-year-old rookie is also quite the playmaker and having him on Caufield’s opposite wing might be a good way to get the sniper the puck in dangerous areas more often. That could allow Caufield to finally get going at even strength in these playoffs. Caufield, Suzuki, Slafkovsky, and Demidov all had five points in three games against the Canes this season, but based on recent performance and the fact that the top line has been ineffective in these playoffs, it could be time for St-Louis to give a boost to his top line.
The first game of this third-round series will be a pivotal one. The Canes have been off for 11 days, while the Habs are just coming off an intense series against the Buffalo Sabres in which they had to dig deep. In the long run, the rest could come in handy for the Canes, but early in the series, they might need to get rid of some rust, and Montreal needs to take advantage of that.
HAGEL AND SLAFKOVSKY DROP THE GLOVES AND HAGEL DROPS SLAF WITH A SINGLE RIGHT 😱👊 pic.twitter.com/fuTEJTspLb
It's time to start handing out hardware in the NHL as the playoffs have reached the conference finals.
The Prince of Wales Trophy and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl — and more important a spot in the Stanley Cup Final — are on the line as the Montreal Canadiens take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals while the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche battle in the Western Conference finals.
The Canadiens and Hurricanes have taken just about opposite paths to the East finals. Carolina has played just eight games this postseason, becoming the first team to sweep its first two series since the first round went to best-of-seven in 1987. The Habs enter having played the most possible games (14), fresh off a second consecutive Game 7 win (this time in OT).
Out West it's a battle of heavyweights, with the 2022 champions (Avalanche) and 2023 champions (Golden Knights) squaring off. Will the Avalanche, the NHL's best team in 2025-26, continue their march?
USA TODAY Sports' NHL experts make their predictions for the conference finals:
Eastern Conference finals predictions: Hurricanes vs. Canadiens
Kevin Skiver: Hurricanes in 5. The Habs deserve a ton of credit for what they've done. Montreal brings its 14 playoff games so far up against Carolina's eight, with the Hurricanes having swept their first two series. It's a question of rest vs. rust, one as old as time. But the 'Canes benefit from their extended break and take down the team that has proved to be the most fun to watch this postseason.
Jace Evans: Canadiens in 6. It is perhaps ill-advised to pick against a team that has literally not lost a game yet in the playoffs, but I picked the Canadiens to reach the Stanley Cup Final before the playoffs began and I'm staying on this magic ride. They are young, but they have the skill to hang with the Hurricanes. And they appear to have the goaltending.
Mike Brehm: Hurricanes in 6. The Canadiens will be a lot tougher opponent for the Hurricanes than the Senators and Flyers, but Carolina's sweeps gave the team a chance to rest up any injuries. Montreal has played two seven-game series. A rested Hurricanes team will prevail because it will be able to continue its high-energy game.
Western Conference finals predictions: Avalanche vs. Golden Knights
Kevin Skiver: Avalanche in 6. The Golden Knights took down a few upstart teams in Utah and Anaheim, but now they run into a team that is shaping up to be as much a force of nature as its namesake. Colorado is back in the conference finals for the first time since 2022, and has cruised past the Kings and Wild. Jared Bednar's Avs get past the Golden Knights, and Vegas enters the offseason with a choice to make on John Tortorella.
Jace Evans: Avalanche in 6. When they're not preventing their former coach from interviewing with other teams or skirting league media rules, the Golden Knights are pretty good at hockey! I think the Avs are just a cut above, though. Colorado is 8-1 these playoffs and what's been most impressive is it's not just the big guns getting it done; 17 different Avalanche players have scored in their nine playoff games.
Mike Brehm: Avalanche in 6. The Golden Knights have the playoffs' leading scorer (Mitch Marner) and goal scorer (Pavel Dorofeyev), but the Avalanche have the best remaining player in Nathan MacKinnon and scoring depth throughout the lineup. Colorado has won eight of nine games with a seemingly banged-up Cale Makar limited to five points.
When it comes to the first round of the NHL Draft next month, the Senators are in “just glad to be here” mode.
After the botched communications on their 2021 Evgenii Dadonov trade, the Senators were planning to give up a first-round pick this summer. But the NHL relented and returned it to them in mid-March, with some conditions. The biggest was that they would have to select dead last, no matter what place they finish.
Normally, that would be a cause for celebration because drafting 32nd overall means you just won the Stanley Cup.
Senators winger Drake Batherson says it would be nice if he's able to get an extension done this summer.
But the Senators’ fate this season wasn’t quite that glorious. They were swept in Round 1, scoring just five goals in the process. So there is work to be done, and another first-round pick, as late as it is, certainly cannot hurt.
It also adds at least some intrigue to the draft for Senators fans. Before the NHL's change of heart, the Senators didn't have a pick until the third round.
So let's glance at what the 32nd pick might get them.
In his past two drafts, the first of his NHL GM career, Steve Staios has opted for defencemen in Carter Yakemchuk (2024, seventh overall) and Logan Hensler (2025, 23rd overall).
As most GMs will tell you, they usually don't try to draft for need because their biggest need usually won't be filled by an 18-year-old who was just chosen 32nd overall. He’s probably 2-4 years away from the NHL, if he gets there at all. And who knows what your NHL needs will look like by then?
So, once Gary Bettman announces you're on the clock, the simplest and smartest way to handle things, at least in the early rounds, is to draft the best player available.
If you cover or cheer for a team with a top-10 pick, projecting players they might pick is a lot easier because you can probably hone in on 5-8 guys. But the deeper you go, the more things morph into a total crapshoot.
Elite Prospects not only lists the rankings of some of the top draft analysts in the game, including our own Ryan Kennedy and Tony Ferrari, but EP also puts everyone’s lists together to formulate consolidated rankings. So just for fun, and with a big tip of the cap to Elite Prospects, here are five players who might be available to the Senators.
These are the players they ranked 30-34, all based on a consensus of the experts.
30 William Håkansson (D), Luleå HF, SHL
Jan 5, 2026; St. Paul, Minnesota, USA; Sweden forward Jack Berglund (26) and defensemen William Hakansson (19) hug after defeating Czechia in the final of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship ice hockey tournament at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images
At 6-foot-4 and 207 pounds, the left-shot defender is more of a shutdown defenceman, and Staios is fond of those. He played 22 games as an 18-year-old in the top Swedish men’s league this season. Håkansson also won gold with Team Sweden at the 2026 World Juniors.
31 Maddox Dagenais, C, Québec Remparts
Dagenais played for Team Canada at the U18s last month. What’s not to like about a 6-foot-4 forward who skates well, puts up a point a game in the Q, and plays a highly physical game? Oh, and his dad, Pierre, played in the NHL, and the Sens love those NHL bloodlines.
32 Liam Ruck (F), Medicine Hat Tigers
Falling right on the consensus number 32 ranking, Ruck put up 45 goals and 104 points with Medicine Hat this season. At 6 feet and 176 pounds, he can obviously produce offence, but he's also bursting with hockey IQ when he doesn't have the puck. And hey, if the Sens miss out on Liam, they can always grab his twin brother and teammate, Markus, who had 108 points for the Tigers this season. Markus is currently ranked 44th.
33 Nikita Shcherbakov (D), Salavat Yulaev Ufa
The puck-moving Shcherbakov appeared in seven KHL games this season. Based on a viewing of his highlights at the lower levels, if you can picture Thomas Chabot at 18, but now imagine him being 6-foot-5, Shcherbakov plays the game a little like that, including the lack of physical play. Despite his height, Shcherbakov is still fairly light and will need to pack on some pounds.
34 Jack Hextall, C, Youngstown Phantoms
Hextall put up 58 points in 59 games in the USHL this season. He is 6 feet, 185 pounds, skates well, and brings an excellent, quick-release shot to the table. Hextall was a member of the U.S. Under-18 Men’s Select Team that won the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and he tied for the team lead with seven assists.
So there they are, just for fun, the kinds of players that might be available to the Senators at 32 next month.
Martin Necas 
Jack Eichel
