Jay Leach skates in a practice for the Kraken in December 2023.
The Rangers hired Jay Leach to lead their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Named the ninth head coach in Wolf Pack history on Friday, Leach joins the Blueshirts organization after serving as an assistant coach in the NHL over the previous five seasons with the Kraken (three) and the Bruins (two).
The 46-year-old Leach is an experienced addition and has been a candidate for multiple head coaching vacancies in the NHL in recent years.
Jay Leach skates in a practice for the Kraken in December 2023. NHLI via Getty Images
“Players gravitate toward him,” Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan told The Post of Leach at the time, when he was still head coach of the Penguins. “He’s a good leader. He’s been in leadership roles when he was playing in the American League, and so he brought all of that to the coaching aspect of what he’s doing now. When I got a chance to work right next to him in Wilkes-Barre, I was really impressed, but not surprised, with his work ethic. He rolls his sleeves up, he works hard at being a good coach, and he brings a certain humility to the job every day that I think is so important for all of us.
“He has strong convictions of how the game should be played, but he also understands there’s more than one way to play the game and that you have to work with people, both players and coaches alike, in order to try to build the necessary collaboration to have success in today’s NHL.”
President and general manager Chris Drury bringing on Leach makes a lot of sense for an organization that is looking to refresh its prospect pool.
Plus, Leach has ties to Sullivan, who brought him onto his staff with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during the 2015-16 season.
When Sullivan was promoted to the Bruins, Leach succeeded him and took over the team.
Jay Leach is pictured during a Bruins game in November 2025. Getty Images
The last time Leach served as head coach was from 2017-21 with the AHL’s Providence Bruins.
Over those four seasons, the Syracuse native led the team to back-to-back Atlantic Division titles.
Providence compiled a 136-77-26 record under Leach, who also helped the team reach the AHL’s Eastern Conference Finals as an assistant in 2016-17.
The Bruins eventually brought Leach back as an assistant at the NHL level over the last two campaigns.
A defenseman drafted 115th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes, Leach appeared in 70 NHL games across five seasons for the Bruins, Lightning, Devils, Canadiens and Sharks.
He ultimately played 12 seasons of professional hockey before making the jump into coaching.
BUFFALO, NEW YORK - JANUARY 17: Alex Nedeljkovic #39 of the Pittsburgh Penguins tends goal against Zach Benson #9 of the Buffalo Sabres during an NHL game on January 17, 2025 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The NHL’s salary cap is rising but many teams still find themselves in various degrees of uncomfortableness when it comes to the salary structure. The Pittsburgh Penguins are not one such team.
Offer sheets have been a seldom used venture by NHL general managers, there have only been four in the last decade. Montreal signed Carolina’s Sebastian Aho in 2019, the Hurricanes matched and retaliated two years later by giving Jesper Kotkaniemi what looks like a regrettable amount of money that the Canadiens did not match. Then in 2024 St. Louis fired shots across the bow by targeting Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg from Edmonton, which the cap-strapped Oilers opted not to match.
Going back to the entire NHL salary cap era from 2006-present, there have only been 12 total completed offer sheets. Only four of those 12 were successful to acquire a player from a team unwilling or unable to match the compensation.
The St. Louis moves showed the potential is not gone to take the aggressive action, so let’s check on this year’s crop via Sportsnet.
As every team looks at improving over the off-season, will any use an offer sheet to chase talent?@RoryBoylen has everything you need to know about compensation and which players could be interesting RFA targets. https://t.co/dsQNwg6cPb
The important information to know is the different levels of compensation required, which for 2026 is as follows:
Based on these splits, it’s a challenge to anticipate signing a mega-star like RFA Jason Robertson to an offer sheet. It would easily require first round picks from 2027-30, which is a cost too far to support making such a move.
However, as STL showed, targeting rising players who could play into a higher cost than they’ve shown in the past can pay off handsomely for the price of a second or third round pick as a sweet spot for trying offer sheets. This could be the key area of opportunity.
Zach Benson, Buffalo Sabres
As previously mentioned, if Buffalo re-signs Tuch, it would immediately be tight to next year’s salary cap. Meantime, 21-year-old Zach Benson became a core piece of the Sabres this season with a breakout 43-point campaign (in 65 games) and an even better showing in the playoffs. It might be fair to ask: Should Benson actually be Buffalo’s priority here?
Benson, drafted 13th overall in 2023, is a player who whispers say was of much interest to the Penguins had he just slipped one more pick in the draft to where they were at. (Pittsburgh ended up selecting Brayden Yager, who was traded not long after).
Sportsnet also notes that Buffalo has center Peyton Krebs and defenseman Michael Kesselring as potential restricted free agents. The Sabres currently have $17.6 million in cap space, though it stands to reason over half of that amount would be taken away if they end up re-signing star forward Alex Tuch.
Granted, if the Sabres don’t re-sign Tuch, there wouldn’t be much of a point in trying to fish away Benson via offer sheet. They’ll be in good enough shape to match in that situation. Assuming they did sign Tuch, would the Penguins be so bold as to transfer an unprotected 2027 first round pick (plus a third, which they have an extra selection in that round already) to get Benson on an offer of $7 million?
Benson scored 43 points in just 65 games this year and was a great playoff performer with nine points in 13 games and a very active, physical presence. He also just turned 21-years old and could be worth an investment to be a part of the core for a while.
It would take some faith that Benson could get a glow up like Holloway did, who went all the way up to 63 points in his first season with the Blues and was worth his contract plus the second round pick to give up. This isn’t a surefire risk-free proposition, but it could be something to think about considering the Pens were rumored to have really liked Benson in the pre-draft process. After three seasons in the NHL, there’s even more to like.
Mavrik Bourque, Dallas
The Stars’ top priority is to get Robertson under contract, which would be a big ticket, certainly in the $12 million range, that would put them over the cap. Meantime, the 24-year-old Bourque would be offer sheet eligible after his first 20-goal season. Perhaps a quiet playoff showing may cool interest in going the offer sheet route, and GM Jim Nill may be looking at trade options instead.
Pittsburgh and Dallas have been a good trade fit with one another recently. The two worked together last year to send Matt Dumba plus a second round pick to the Pens last year to ease some Stars cap woes. Those problems are back again for them, which means the Pens might not even need to offer sheet Bourque to acquire him. Volunteer to take the salary of Ilya Lybushskin ($3.25m for one more year) and then it could see what other particulars would need to be done to get Bourque as a part of the deal could be a workable gambit.
If dangling that carrot via a trade ended up not working out, the Pens could always turn to using the stick of the offer sheet for Bourque. It looks like the Stars have about $13 million of cap space for next year, of which Robertson would require almost all of it. Should a team come in with a $4.7 million offer for Bourque, that might put a lot of strain on the Stars’ structure – depending on what further moves they could make to get around that. Something’s got to give in Dallas, if a team adds a little more pressure to the situation they might be able to get Bourque out of it, via whatever means it might take via trade or offer sheet.
Olen Zellweger/Pavel Mintyukov, Anaheim
Carlsson and Gauthier grab most of the attention in regards to Anaheim’s RFAs, but it also has two young defencemen who are offer sheet eligible. Zellweger and Mintyukov, two 21-year-olds, both finished with 22 points this season, while Mintyukov averaged about a minute-and-a-half more of ice time, mostly because of his shorthanded minutes.
Of the two, Zellweger may be the one to watch more closely on the offer sheet front. His average ice time dropped by nearly two minutes from 2024-25 to 2025-26 and he only played three playoff games for the Ducks.
These two have been oft-talked about, with little more new ground to tread. Anaheim having to give new contracts to breakout stars Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier makes them a very interesting team to watch this offseason. They also have a total of two NHL defensemen currently signed for next season according to CapWages. A lot is going to go on out there. Maybe the Pens can get involved, maybe not, but watching the Ducks navigate this summer will be worth watching.
Zack Bolduc, Montreal
One of Montreal’s four RFAs, Bolduc scored 12 goals for the Canadiens this season but got to 19 with St. Louis the year before that. If he stays in Montreal, a new contract might come in the range of $3 million, but is there a team out there that values his potential higher than that?
When Montreal traded for Bolduc last summer, our scout Jason Bukala wrote that it had “acquired at worst a middle-six forward. He’s more likely a top-six winger.” That didn’t come to fruition right away, but Bolduc is still just 23 years old. If a team still sees him as a player who could score 20-25 a season and have top-six upside, might they take a shot on a short- or medium-term contract worth around $4.5 million — a rate that might make Montreal a little uncomfortable and require only a second-round pick as compensation?
A team like the Pens could pay a little more for a player in salary, assuming they really liked the player or thought he could take off to justify the move. Whether or not they would actually want to do that is of course the unknown $64,000 question. Bolduc, 23, has yet to really take off, does Pittsburgh (or anyone else) think he could have that Holloway-esque type of increase in the future? If so, $4 million and giving up a second round pick would be a small price to pay. If not, onto the next.
—
More often than not the offer sheet goes unused, though the increased amount of second+third round picks that Pittsburgh has in the next few years makes them decent candidates to use if the right situation was out there. The Pens have used that to acquire Egor Chinakhov and Elmer Soderblom in trades, straying outside the lane to attempt an offer sheet coup would be unexpected but a bold, risky move at attempting to bolster the team’s talent level.
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It’s officially time to Knight up.
After an impressive Game 2 comeback overtime win, Sebastian Aho’s Carolina Hurricanes tied Mitch Marner’s Vegas Golden Knights at one game apiece in the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals.
Next up, the high-stakes series heads to the VGK’s home T-Mobile Arena. The two Sin City contests are scheduled to take place:
A hypothetical Game 6 — if the Finals goes that far — would go down Sunday, June 14 in Vegas.
If you’d like to be at any one of these Stanley Cup tilts, last-minute tickets are still available.
Better yet, prices have significantly decreased since we last reported on how much they cost for games at the T-Mobile Arena.
When our team wrote about prices for Stanley Cup games in Vegas on June 1, prices started at $1,604 including fees on SeatGeek at the time of publication.
Now, just a mere four days later, seats can be found for as low as $666 including fees.
Yes, prices have dropped nearly $1,000 (!) in just four days.
Throw in the fact that you can save $10 off purchases over $250 at checkout using promo code NYPOST10 and you’ve got a steal of a deal (Editor’s Note: this discount is only valid for users’ first purchase on SeatGeek).
In theory, the Knights should be coming home, up 2-0.
However, Knights Head Coach used a coach’s challenge on goaltender interference with five minutes left in regulation and got his call overturned, which resulted in a two-minute minor penalty that led to a power play for the ‘Canes, a momentum shift and their subsequent victory.
“Instead of Vegas going home looking to move to the verge of a second championship in nine years of existence, the series is all square, despite [Carter] Hart making some big saves and Brett Howden scoring his playoff-leading 12th and 13th goals,” The Post noted in a Game 2 postmortem.
When asked for comment, Head Coach John Tortorella said: “I have my thoughts. I’m not discussing it here.”
We can’t wait to see what happens next.
For more information, our team has everything you need to know and more about the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals between the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes below.
What do tickets cost to see Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup home games?
All Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena Stanley Cup home game dates and the cheapest tickets available (versus what they cost on June 1) can be found here:
Vegas Golden Knights home game dates
Ticket prices start at
Ticket prices started at on June 1
Game 3 Saturday, June 6
$666(including fees
$1,774(including fees)
Game 4 Tuesday, June 9
$709(including fees
$1,604(including fees)
Game 6 Sunday, June 14
$939(including fees
$1,635(including fees)
How much are Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup home game tickets?
A complete calendar including all Hurricanes Eastern Conference Finals home game dates at the Lenovo Center and the best prices on tickets (compared to what they were going for on June 1) are listed below.
Carolina Hurricanes home game dates
Ticket prices start at
Ticket prices started at on June 1
Game 5 Thursday, June 11
$1,009(including fees)
$1,717(including fees)
Game 7 Wednesday, June 17
$2,064(including fees)
$2,086 (including fees)
How to watch the Hurricanes and Golden Knights on TV
Fans hoping to catch Tortorella’s talented team on the tube can watch all playoff games on ABC in the US or Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports in Canada.
Just make sure to review your local listings before tuning in.
If you don’t have cable, your best bet may be DIRECTV.
Huge 2026 concerts
Not sure what to do once the final buzzer sounds on the 2025-26 NHL season?
No worries.
Many of the most exciting acts around will be out and about all summer long. Here are just five of our favorites you won’t want to miss live.
• Evanescence with Spiritbox
• Tame Impala with Djo
• Five Finger Death Punch
• Avenged Sevenfold with Good Charlotte
• RUSH
Plus, you won’t want to miss Metallica’s Sphere residency. They’ll be at the eye-popping venue from October through March 2027.
This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.
Georgii Romanov's run with the Springfield Thunderbirds in the Calder Cup Playoffs didn't go unnoticed by the St. Louis Blues.
On Friday, the team announced it signed the 26-year-old to a two-year, two-way contract.
Romanov and Vadim Zherenko split time in the American Hockey League last season, and after being acquired from the San Jose Sharks to offset the loss of Colten Ellis to the Buffalo Sabres via waivers prior to the season, Romanov went 9-12-4 with a 3.29 goals-against average, an .896 save percentage, and one shutout in 28 regular-season games.
But in the playoffs, Romanov helped lead the Thunderbirds to the Atlantic Division Final and was 7-4-0 with a 1.84 goals-against average, a .939 save percentage, and two shutouts in 11 postseason appearances.
Romanov has played in 78 AHL regular-season games and is 29-27-17 with a 3.18 GAA, and a .902 save percentage.
He has a 3.53 GAA and an .888 save percentage in 10 career NHL regular-season games with the Sharks.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
With the first two prospects we highlighted, we looked at a skilled two-way center in Tynan Lawrence before breaking down the play of a fast-growing, ultra-skilled winger who is rising up the boards due to his potential in Wyatt Cullen.
Today, we are going to look at Daxon Rudolph, a talented defenseman whose WHL production doesn’t quite match his draft rankings.
Rudolph is a 6-foot-3, right-handed, puck-moving defenseman with offensive skill and a smart defensive game.
In the WHL this season with the Prince Albert Raiders, the 2023 WHL first overall pick scored 28 goals and 78 points in 68 games. Both categories ranked third among defensemen in the WHL, trailing Bryce Pickford and Jonas Woo, both of whom played for the Medicine Hat Tigers.
Rudolph’s regular season was outstanding, but he took his game to another level in the playoffs, as the Raiders lost in the WHL finals. Rudolph tied for the league lead in points during the post-season, recording nine goals and 27 points in 19 games.
With his track record as a first overall pick in the WHL, as well as his outstanding point production from the blueline, it feels almost odd to see him projected in some cases to fall outside the top 10, but skating deficiencies are why defenders like Chase Reid, Carson Carels, Alberts Smiths, and Keaton Verhoeff have been ranked ahead of him.
The 18-year-old Rudolph is an incredibly smart player. He sees the game well on both sides of the puck. His vision allows him to make plays in the offensive zone and break up plays in the defensive zone.
With the puck in the o-zone, Rudolph is a threat to connect on give-and-gos, slide into the play unguarded, and rifle a heavy shot. In his own end with the puck, Rudolph makes heads-up passes and uses his feet to navigate forecheckers. While the concern is that it might not translate to the NHL, at the junior level he is more than capable of making those plays with his feet.
The native of Lacombe, Alta., will make the big jump to the NCAA next season, joining the mighty University of Denver. Despite the loaded blueline, Rudolph is expected to be the leader of the backend and bring the program back to the National Championship.
This draft features several highly rated defensemen, as we previously mentioned, but there are plenty of teams that are in need. While the Blues’ prospect pool on defense doesn’t lack depth or skill, adding a big, puck-moving right-handed defenseman is never a bad thing. It’s a sought-after commodity, and an abundance will only improve the team’s outlook.
Because so many teams are looking for defenders, there is a strong chance that Rudolph is selected anywhere between picks 7-10, which would result in the Blues missing the opportunity to draft him.
Either way, if a team can fix his skating issues, they could be looking at a potential top-four, two-way defender with a big frame.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Multiple reports on June 5 indicate Larkin's discontent with the Red Wings has brewed over a few years.
According to ESPN's Emily Kaplan, the tension can at least be traced back to Larkin's 2023 contract extension, which ended up at eight years with an $8.7 million AAV.
Quiet trade deadlines have done nothing to alleviate that tension, with 2025 resulting in Larkin speaking out about Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman's conservative nature at the deadline.
"We didn't do anything," Larkin told reporters during clean-out day last April. "We didn't gain any momentum from the trade deadline. Guys were kind of down about it. So it would have bee nice to add something and bring a little bit of a spark on the ice and maybe a morale boost as well.”
In 2026, the Wings did make some deadline moves, but they were relatively tepid. On a team that had shown cracks following a hot start to the year, they added Justin Faulk from the Blues and David Perron from the Senators. With the Red Wings collapsing late in the season again, it's clear Larkin, who will be 30 on July 30, doesn't see the Red Wings' roster management as a situation where he can win.
Obstacles to Steve Yzerman making Dylan Larkin trade
Put two stubborn people into a room to make a decision, and it's going to be hard to reach a compromise.
That's the big problem here. Larkin's no-trade clause gives him a lot of leverage over where he goes. But his long-term contract and the fact free agency's center market is a desert gives Yzerman a lot of leverage over other teams. What you have is a triangle where it may be easy for two sides to come an agreement, but hard for the third.
Yzerman is not a GM who is going to settle. But the teams with assets to burn — particularly picks, which will have to factor into the deal — may not spur Larkin to waive his NTC.
With the Red Wings missing a top-six center, regardless of whether he's perceived as a first- or second-line center, this may be the move that kicks Detroit into an actual rebuild. But that has to start with getting the Larkin return right.
In truth, this is a big black eye on Yzerman's tenure in Detroit. Larkin would have been 5 years old watching Yzerman hoist the cup against Carolina in 2002, making this akin to Matt Duchene asking out of Colorado when Joe Sakic was the GM.
That Duchene situation needs to be Yzerman's blueprint. While the odds of the Red Wings getting a haul like the Avalanche got from the Senators are slim-to-none, Larkin's request is a hard reset on the Red Wings. Rather than building a timeline around the 30-year-old Larkin, the Red Wings now turn their attention to 24-year-old Lucas Raymond and 25-year-old Moritz Seider.
With that in mind, assets will be the name of the game. The plan to play piecemeal around Larkin didn't work for Yzerman, and now he's in a tough spot. For Sakic, it took over a year to grant Duchene his request, which came with a lot of bellyaching about how Duchene became a negative influence. Does Yzerman have that kind of time? Larkin's no-trade clause expires after the 2026-27 season. But there have been murmurs that have swelled into a dull roar on the lack of progress Yzerman has made already.
All things told, everyone is just kind of... stuck. Yzerman is stuck with a tweener 1-2 center who doesn't want to be there. Larkin is stuck on a roster he doesn't believe he can win with. And Red Wings fans are stuck with a team that just saw its already questionable vibes take a nosedive.
Ultimately, the best way is, as always, forward. But to do that, someone is going to have to put ego aside. And with egos that are this big, that's going to be a tall order.
On paper, Dylan Larkin and the Red Wings should be a perfect fit. A legendary franchise drafting a homegrown player, him starting at 19 years old, making the playoffs, losing to a Lightning team that was way ahead of the Wings' schedule in five games, taking those lumps and figuring out how to get further next time.
The problem? There hasn't been a next time. With the Sabres making the playoffs this season, the Red Wings, the American team with the most Stanley Cups — who play in Hockeytown, USA — now have the longest active playoff drought in the league at 10 years.
Larkin has been a captain for six of those years, occupying a space left vacant for two seasons after the retirement of Henrik Zetterberg. He was named captain Jan. 13, 2021, 635 days after THE Captain Steve Yzerman returned to Detroit after a wildly successful stint building the Lightning roster. The very Lightning roster that knocked the Wings out of the playoffs in Larkin's rookie year.
And yet, even as hope sprung eternal under the Yzerplan and results were promised with time, things continued to fizzle for the Red Wings. On March 1, 2023, Larkin signed an eight-year, $69.3 million extension which immediately preceded a 5-9-1 month. March went on to become a dreaded month for Wings fans, with Detroit going 3-9-2 in 2024, 4-10-0 in 2025, and finally 5-7-2 this past season.
After the latest Red Wings collapse, which was interrupted by a Team USA gold medal from a team Larkin made a huge impact on, things have boiled over. Larkin reportedly requested a trade June 4, throwing his Red Wings future into jeopardy. However, with a no-trade clause, Larkin has a lot of leverage over that trade Yzerman may not acquiesce to.
Here's a look at some possible destinations for Larkin, along with what could be required for Larkin in what may be Yzerman's biggest test yet as the embattled Red Wings GM.
Dylan Larkin possible trade destinations
Minnesota Wild
This is the deal that immediately makes the most sense.
It gets Larkin out of the Eastern Conference, the Wild are a team looking for a true 2C, it would put Larkin back with one of his USA teammates in Quinn Hughes, allow him to keep playing in a high-profile hub of hockey, give him a chance to win quickly, and the Wild have a GM in Bill Guerin who has proven in the past he's willing to be aggressive.
The question with this deal is if the Wild would be willing to offload another first-round pick after dropping 2026 to Vancouver for the Hughes trade. This is a team desperately looking to win now, and Larkin would be a boon at its weakest position. But the Wild need to find a package that keeps that win-now mentality intact while also outbidding other possible suitors (assuming Larkin doesn't demand Minnesota or bust). That's a big hurdle for Guerin.
Montreal Canadiens
The assumed immediate reaction from Habs fans to this idea is fair. "We're building for the future, we don't need a 30-year-old center behind Nick Suzuki."
However, if we learned nothing from the USA run in the Olympics, it's that Larkin is more than capable of thriving with the right core. The Canadiens had a tumultuous postseason, going to two straight Game 7s before getting shellacked by a rested Hurricanes team. Larkin certainly raises the average age of the Habs a hair, but this is a team built to win in the future that is perfectly capable of winning now. Trading for Larkin to bolster the top six is a win-now move.
This time, the problem is Yzerman. This year showed the Atlantic doesn't need any help strengthening itself, so Yzerman might not want to create a problem he has to continue to deal with. The package would have to be hefty. Perhaps too hefty for a team building what Montreal is building to consider.
Las Vegas Golden Knights
No trade list is complete without Vegas.
The Golden Knights will make offers on anyone available, and winning is undoubtedly a big factor for Larkin, making the no-trade clause less of an obstacle given Vegas is one of two teams still playing. Eichel-Larkin would be a potent 1-2 punch at center as well.
The Jack Eichel trade with Vegas helped to spur on a true Sabres rebuild. Maybe history repeats itself with another Atlantic team.
Columbus Blue Jackets
An ex-Michigan star waiving a no-trade clause to go to Columbus may feel sacrilege, but there's a lot for Larkin to like in Columbus. First and foremost is Zach Werenski, a close friend of Larkin's.
While the power of friendship may not be enough to send Larkin to Ohio, the Blue Jackets have been stuck in purgatory for some time now. If they want to make a splash, Larkin is certainly one way to make one. The Blue Jackets do, however, have a slight logjam at C. Adam Fantilli and Charlie Coyle make up 1 and 2C in Columbus. Acquiring Larkin probably kicks Adam Monahan back out to wing, should Columbus pull the trigger.
Most NHL players don’t outperform their regular-season numbers — many don’t even get the chance to try. But for Vegas Golden Knights center Brett Howden, that doesn’t apply.
After putting up the first two goals of the night, Howden’s postseason total climbed to 13, holding the mantle of team leader in goals. Remarkably, 10 of those have been scored on enemy ice. That's a 76.9% road-goal rate, the highest among active playoff scorers with 10+ goals.
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 5, 2026
For context, across 58 regular season games, Howden recorded 12 goals and 10 assists.
And when was Howden’s last best playoff run? It was in 2022-23, the year Vegas won the Stanley Cup. That season he put up five goals and 10 points in 22 games, shooting 16.7% and playing a reliable 13:59 per night. In this season’s playoffs, he has outdone himself with a 39.4% shooting percentage, securing three-game winners, all while logging a career-high 16:35 per game.
The Conn Smythe conversation seems to be looking in his favor.
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 5, 2026
“It was two great plays,” he said on the postgame broadcast. “One, Mitch (Marner) put the puck in a perfect spot. I just looked down, the puck was there, and I felt like I had an edge on him. And then Barbie (Ivan Barbashev) made a great play on the second one. I just tried using my speed up the middle there, and he found me in a great spot.”
Now, with the series sitting at 1–1, Howden and the team will return to home ice for Game 3.
“We’ve been through a lot of adversity this whole year,” Howden said. “It’s just another step for us to climb, and, like I said, we’re super excited to get back home and, you know, get back to our fans.”
PHOTO CAPTION
Jun 4, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Vegas Golden Knights center Brett Howden (21) scores against Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) and defenseman Jaccob Slavin (74) during the second period in game two of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center.
The Carolina Hurricanes head west after evening the Stanley Cup Final, and they’ll look to make it two in a row with a win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 3 at T-Mobile Arena today.
My top Hurricanes vs. Golden Knights predictions and NHL picks for Saturday, June 6 call for Carolina to take Game 3 despite Vegas No. 1 Carter Hart showing off in his return to Sin City.
Hurricanes vs Golden Knights Game 3 prediction today
Hurricanes vs Golden Knights best bet: Carter Hart Over 26.5 saves (-115)
The Carolina Hurricanes have also dominated 5-on-5 possession with a 63.3 Corsi For percentage through the first two games of the series.
I am anticipating tidier work from Hart in the Vegas crease in Game 3.
He’s dipped to an .855 SV% with -2.49 GSAx to start the Stanley Cup Final, after all, so I’m fully expecting the statistical pendulum to swing back in Hart’s favor Saturday.
This prop has my attention up a -130 price, and I’d also play it at Over 27.5 saves to -120.
Hurricanes vs Golden Knights Game 3 same-game parlay
The drop in play from Carolina starter Frederik Andersen has gone too far to start the series, with his .837 SV% and -2.18GSAx miles below his respective .931 and 15.48 marks to start the postseason.
Improved play from Andersen paired with the Hurricanes winning the 5-on-5 possession battle again, paves the way to Carolina winning Game 3.
Additionally, Carolina wingers Andrei Svechnikov and Nikolaj Ehlers both have excellent underlying numbers to start the series.
Svechnikov sports a high-end 64.3 CF% at 5-on-5, while Ehlers is even better with a 65.6% mark. Ehlers also has six shots on 15 attempts to tie for the team lead in both through two games, while Svechnikov has a statistical correction coming after recording just a single shot on nine attempts in the final.
Hurricanes vs Golden Knights SGP
Hurricanes moneyline
Andrei Svechnikov Over 2.5 shots
Nikolaj Ehlers Over 2.5 shots
Hurricanes vs Golden Knights odds for Game 3 today
Moneyline: Hurricanes -110 | Golden Knights -110
Puck Line: Hurricanes +1.5 (-280) | Golden Knights -1.5 (+225)
Over/Under: Over 5.5 (-120) | Under 5.5 (+100)
Hurricanes vs Golden Knights trend
The Hurricanes have won 20 of their last 25 games (+13.20 Units / 32% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Hurricanes vs. Golden Knights.
How to watch Hurricanes vs Golden Knights Game 3
Location
T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, NV
Date
Saturday, June 6, 2026
Puck drop
8 p.m. ET
TV
ABC
Hurricanes vs Golden Knights latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Shockwaves were sent through the NHL landscape on Thursday afternoon, hours before puck drop for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, when premier NHL insider, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, reported that Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin (29) has requested a trade.
Through his 11-year career, the fleet-footed, detailed, 200-foot center has been the epitome of consistency and dependability. In 2025-26, Larkin scored 67 points (34-33=67) in 74 games while averaging 20:11 TOI per game, including 1:31 on the penalty kill.
Most NHL teams would, could, and/or should be interested in adding the 2026 Olympic Gold Medal-winning center to their top-six, and the Anaheim Ducks are no exception.
In 2026-27, Larkin will be entering the fourth year of an eight-year contract that carries an $8.7 million AAV and a full NTC. Larkin will ultimately choose his destination, but however much Detroit’s return may be lessened, it is unlikely Larkin will be traded for pennies on the dollar.
With uncertainty, both long and short term, at the center position behind franchise player Leo Carlsson, adding a player with Larkin’s skillset and pedigree seems like a tantalizing fit and could round out the Ducks’ forward group both on paper and on the ice.
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek isn’t unfamiliar with Larkin, as the former was Detroit’s assistant general manager from 2019 until Feb. 2022, when he was hired as Anaheim’s GM. Verbeek has also been an active trade partner of his former employer, executing trades with the Wings in each of the last two summers.
As far as the potential pricetag for Larkin is concerned, the circumstances surrounding recent trades like Nazem Kadri to the Colorado Avalanche in 2026, Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders in 2023, JT Miller to the New York Rangers in 2025, and Tomas Hertl to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2024 could offer indications on what Detroit could receive in return for their now-former “heart and soul” player.
Where Larkin’s situation differs from those of the recent past, where players somewhat “hand-picked” their landing spot, is how seemingly endless the potential destinations are, given the lack of quality in the upcoming free agent class, ever-rising salary cap ceiling, and abundance of teams in need of a top-six centerman.
Mason McTavish (23) is a young piece whose name has been heavily discussed and speculated on among national media outlets as a player who could be on the move this offseason. If the Ducks were willing to move on from McTavish, it could give them an advantage, as not many teams could or would likely be willing to part with a player of his ilk in a deal like this.
Could a package of McTavish, a second tier prospct like Eric Nilsson or Lasse Boelius, and a first-round pick be enough for the Ducks to land Larkin? Impossible to say, but it would be somewhat surprising if the ultimate return were much more than that in terms of value.
With the Buffalo Sabres making the 2026 NHL Playoffs, Detroit is now the team with the league’s longest playoff drought, as they’ve missed the playoffs for the last ten seasons. On the surface, this potential package appears to be a standard “young roster player, prospect, and a first-round pick” deal. However, given Detroit’s situation and desperation to qualify for the playoffs, they may opt for more of a win-now approach when dealing their captain.
Ultimately, Larkin will be in control of where he’ll play the next five years of his career. For the Ducks, the question (aside from cost and fit) will be if they’ve done enough to become a destination for star players on the move. They took some significant steps in their build and made the playoffs for the first time in eight years. They offer a vastly different lifestyle from Detroit, given aspects like the weather and minimal media attention, and they offer a proven young core with seemingly limitless potential.
Verbeek enters the offseason with a projected $38.7 million in cap space, with the only true hole on the depth chart appearing on the right side of the Ducks’ blueline. Over half of that cap space will likely go towards hefty extensions for core pieces Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier. With a stockpile of picks, prospects, and young roster players, the Ducks are in as good a position as any to make a move of this magnitude this summer.
The 2026 NHL Draft Combine is underway in Buffalo, New York, which has become a marquee networking event on the NHL calendar, as all 32 teams will have front office representatives present for the week. Frameworks for deals could be discussed, and the next four to six weeks will likely be the busiest for transactions until 2026 training camps roll around.
Given the chance, John Tortorella would do it again.
The Golden Knights coach unsuccessfully challenged referee Jean Hebert’s call that Ivan Barbashev pushed Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen into the net as Vegas appeared to score with five minutes left in regulation in Carolina’s ultimate 4-3 overtime win in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.
“I saw a loose puck in front of Freddie,” Tortorella said. “Our player stabbed it, didn’t move the goalie and it goes through him into the other side. I’d challenge it 10 out of 10 times.”
Frederik Andersen keeps it out, the puck goes in after the whistle, Vegas challenges for no goalie interference and loses.
The pivotal call took a 3-2 Vegas lead off the board and allowed Carolina to score its third straight goal — in a span of 5:05 — on the power play resulting from the unsuccessful challenge and take a 3-2 lead on home ice.
“The ruling on the play was goaltender interference,” Stephen Walkom, the NHL’s executive vice president and director of officiating, told a pool reporter. “[Hebert] waved it (off) immediately. He believed that it was under the goalie, and the Vegas player went after the puck and interfered with the goalie and his ability to freeze the puck and waived it off immediately.”
Vegas’ Mark Stone sent the game into overtime with a backhander past Andersen with 1:11 left in regulation, but Carolina blueliner Seth Jarvis whistled a slap shot past goalie Carter Hart for the win just 3:56 into the extra frame on yet another power-play goal.
“You’d like to make them pay every time,” Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho said. “It’s a big swing because the other option is going down a goal. But other than that, every time you get a power play, you’re trying to score. So, it’s not that different, but obviously it was a big swing.”
John Tortorella of the Vegas Golden Knights looks on during the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes. Getty Images
Not big enough to change the mind or Tortorella, who took over the Vegas bench with just eight games remaining in the season after the shocking firing of Bruce Cassidy.
Tortorella, a Stanley Cup winner with the Lightning in 2004 and helming his sixth NHL team, understands why it all went down this way — not that he has to like it.
“That’s been explained by the league, and I stand behind my decision,” Tortorella said Friday.
As most of the hockey world watches the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, many in the industry are gearing up for the NHL Draft, which will take place on June 26-27 in Buffalo, NY.
Despite decent odds of winning the NHL Lottery Draft last month, the Calgary Flames find themselves drafting sixth overall, a spot the franchise is familiar with, having selected Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk in that spot.
This year, aside from the top two prospects, Gavin McKenna (Penn State) and Ivar Stenberg (Frölunda HC), the rest of the draft class is a toss-up.
On June 4, The Daily Faceoff's top prospect writer, Steve Ellis, released his latest Mock Draft, picking right-handed defenseman Keaton Verhoeff from the University of North Dakota with the sixth overall pick.
According to his Elite Prospects profile, Verheoff, who is from Fort Saskatchewan, AB, ranges from #3 all the way down to #12 in pre-draft rankings, with a handful of outlets listing him at #1 and #2.
After tallying 47 points in 75 games in the WHL with the Victoria Royals, Vernhoeff jumped to the NCAA last season, racking up 20 points in 36 games with the University of North Dakota as a freshman. Meanwhile, he was Canada's U18 captain and had four assists at the latest World Juniors, where Canada won bronze.
Vernhoeff will turn 18 on June 19, and if the Flames select him, he'll become the youngest defenseman on the organization's depth chart, taking the spot from Alex Hurtig, the only 20-year-old signed to a deal.
If Calgary drafts him and doesn't ink him to an entry-level deal, Vernhoeff would join Mace'o Phillips (19) and Jakob Leander (19) as the only under-20 defenders in the system, but not under contract.
Despite the many mock drafts that have the Flames staying at sixth overall, many insiders wonder if General Manager Craig Conroy will make a deal to move up in the draft. However, if that doesn't happen, and Calgary stays the course, Vernhoeff may not be the only intriguing option at sixth overall.
RALEIGH, N.C. — The status of Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb moving forward in the Stanley Cup Final is unclear after he took a puck to the face in Game 2.
Coach John Tortorella had no update on McNabb other than to confirm the 35-year-old was traveling home with the team. Game 3 is in Las Vegas.
McNabb left Game 2 after taking an 87.3 mph slap shot from Nikolaj Ehlers square in the face just past the midway point of the first period. McNabb dropped his stick, went down to the ice and grabbed his nose as he skated immediately off and down the tunnel.
“It’s a scary play,” forward Brett Howden said. ”You never want to see that. Just hope he’s doing all right.”
Vegas went the rest of the way with just five defensemen. McNabb’s exit had a domino effect that led those guys to playing more minutes than usual, and in particular Jeremy Lauzon was on the ice for all four Carolina goals, with one shot banking in off him, another partially the result of him losing a one-on-one battle with William Carrier and Seth Jarvis’ overtime winner going past him.
“You lose a guy like Nabber who logs heavy minutes, such a good teammate, plays the game so hard, it’s tough,” captain Mark Stone said. “They battled as hard as they could.”
McNabb was coming off the first three-assist performance of his NHL career in Game 1. He is one of three original Golden Knights players who have been around for the franchise’s entire nine-year existence and are in the final for a third time.
“He’s a vital part of this team,” said center William Karlsson, who also has been around since the beginning. “He’s been here for a long time and has been vital every year. I think he is extremely good defensively, helps us out in PK situations and stuff like that. Of course, tough to not have him for the remainder of that game.”
The Golden Knights had their optimum, healthy lineup back for the series opener when Lauzon returned from his puck-to-the-head injury that had sidelined him since the second round. That did not last long.
Either Ben Hutton, a left-handed shooter, or Kaedan Korczak, who was playing in place of Lauzon, figures to play in Game 3 if McNabb is unavailable.
RALEIGH, N.C. — A failed coach’s challenge by John Tortorella was a momentum-changing moment in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.
His Vegas Golden Knights appeared to score with five minutes left in regulation, but referee Jean Hebert waved it off immediately, citing goaltender interference. Hebert announced that he and the other on-ice officials thought Ivan Barbashev pushed Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen to knock the puck into the net.
Tortorella after some deliberation decided to challenge the play, and it did not take long for officials and the on-site NHL situation room to stick with the call on the ice of no goal. The Hurricanes scored on the ensuing power play 25 seconds later and went on to win 4-3 in overtime to tie the series.
“I saw a loose puck in front of Freddie,” Tortorella said. “Our player stabbed it, didn’t move the goalie and it goes through him into the other side. I’d challenge it 10 out of 10 times.”
It was purely a video review of goalie interference and had nothing to do with whether the whistle was blown before the puck crossed the goal line.
“The ruling on the play was goaltender interference,” executive vice president and director of officiating Stephen Walkom told a pool reporter. “He waved it (off) immediately. He believed that it was under the goalie, and the Vegas player went after the puck and interfered with the goalie and his ability to freeze the puck and waived it off immediately.”
Mark Jankowski just had tied it for the Hurricanes a few shifts earlier after Logan Stankoven started the comeback from down 2-0. On the opposing bench, Carolina players and coach Rod Brind’Amour were not sure how the review was going to go.
“Obviously, you’re hoping for the best,” center Sebsastian Aho said. “You can’t really control it. I didn’t have a really good view of it, so I had no clue. So, I was just hoping for the best.”
Brind’Amour decided not to challenge for goalie interference in Game 1 because there were too many variables at play. His thinking turned out to be right again.
“It happened to us in I guess the first game: When it’s called a goal or no goal on the ice, it better be 100% to challenge it,” Brind’Amour said. “That’s the rule we go by. So, they called no goal on the ice, so that’s kind of how I think it worked out. I don’t know. I don’t know what the explanation is. It looked like he had it covered, and then all of a sudden it was in the net. I don’t know. I haven’t really looked at it. I was just happy that it went our way.”
Andersen went full extension to make a paddle save to deny Barbashev on the initial shot. A scrum ensued around the crease with players diving at the puck hoping to knock it in or keep it out.
“To me, it felt like a no goal,” Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said. “Obviously, I’m on the other side, but I’m sure they have a different opinion. My gut was like, ‘Man, there’s no way.’ What an incredible effort my Freddie just staying with that one and finding a way to get a piece of that. I was flopping everywhere. I didn’t know what was going on. Freddy just stuck with it. The guy’s an absolute animal. That was a pretty crazy play and obviously a game-changer for us.”
The punishment for a failed coach’s challenge is a two-minute minor penalty. Vegas was 4 for 4 on the penalty kill against Carolina’s power play to that point in the series.
“I’m not sure how they go about their thought process, Brind’Amour said. “They’ve obviously killed all the penalties. That’s a big one.”
Staal made sure the Golden Knights didn’t kill this one, tipping defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere’s point shot in for just the Hurricanes’ eighth power play goal of the playoffs. Seth Jarvis made it nine when he scored in overtime, though it may have never gotten to that point had Tortorella not challenged.
“You’d like to make them pay every time,” Aho said. “It’s a big swing because the other option is going down a goal. But other than that, every time you get a power play, you’re trying to score. So, it’s not that different, but obviously it was a big swing.”
The NHL scouting combine is reaching the main portion of the event, with the intense physical testing coming up this weekend. It's been an important week for the Toronto Maple Leafs, particularly considering they have the first overall pick at this year's draft, which is coming up on June 26 and 27.
The results of the scouting combine don't always tell the story of whether a player will become a star in the NHL or not, but it's still interesting to see who might be the strongest or most agile prospects in the draft class.
With that, here's a look at a brief history of current Maple Leafs at the NHL combine in previous years.
Nick Robertson - Pull Ups
At the 2019 NHL combine, Maple Leafs left winger Nick Robertson finished among the best performers at the pull-up test.
This event seems to favor athletes who are light, and the 5-foot-9 Robertson is certainly that. For further reference, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson completed 18 pull-ups in 2022, the second most ever.
In that 2019 draft, the Maple Leafs selected Robertson in the second round with the 53rd overall pick.
Defenseman Jake McCabe wasn't drafted by the Maple Leafs, but has been with Toronto for the past four seasons.
Nonetheless, he had a great showing in the horizontal jump event when he was eligible to be drafted in 2012. Not only is he tied for the 11th-best jump at 119 inches, but that was also the best score of his entire draft class.
The Buffalo Sabres went on to select McCabe in the second round of the 2012 draft with the 44th pick.
Easton Cowan and William Nylander, both first-round picks by the Maple Leafs, performed well in the pro agility test.
Nylander, a part of the 2014 combine and draft class, marked a 4.28-second time in this event. That held up as the second-best time of his class, and tied for 15th on the all-time board.
The right winger ended up getting selected eighth overall by Toronto in 2014 and has since emerged as an NHL star.
As for Cowan, his test was off the charts as he holds the all-time record for the pro agility event. He completed the drill in 4.07 seconds.
Cowan was a surprise pick by the Maple Leafs when he was drafted 28th overall in 2023, but maybe this performance on this particular drill shed some light on him.
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