Category: Ice Hockey

Good evening, everyone. Tonight starts the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights. I cannot say I am excited for hockey to be done for the offseason, but it does bring us one step closer to the New Jersey Devils being back on the ice. So, there’s that.

The Schedule: You can see the NHL’s schedule here.

The Preview: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Vegas Golden Knights

Well, I cannot say that I expected Vegas to get this far.

Sometimes, coaching changes can be underestimated. John Tortorella is a very good coach who has an unfairly negative reputation among media members, and it certainly seems like he has gotten Vegas into shape real quick. In the Conference Finals, they were certainly aided by Colorado’s injury situations, but they are a good team. They underperformed under Cassidy and now look more like what they were expected to be coming into this season.

The Golden Knights have gotten excellent scoring from their top guys these playoffs. Mitch Marner has 21 points in 16 games. Jack Eichel sits at 18. Both Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden have 10 goals. Shea Theodoore has been a two-way monster with 11 points while playing great defense. What we are seeing in Vegas is a bunch of guys in the middle or latter stages of their prime years firing on all cylinders under a fresh coach. Through 16 games played, they have been outshot to some extent, but their shooting percentage is through the roof at over 13 percent.

The big question is whether they can keep that up against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Since quality of scoring chances began being tracked in 2007, no series has been more lopsided by expected goals percentage than the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals between the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes. You think it’s good that Vegas has gotten to the Stanley Cup in just 16 games? Carolina got there in 13. With the signings of Nikolaj Ehlers and the acquisitions of Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake, and Logan Stankoven since the 2025 trade deadline, Rod Brind’Amour has finally gotten the kind of team that can take his system and go to the Stanley Cup Finals. They are a machine. Taylor Hall has spoken to the extent they are a different beast because of Brind’Amour.

Freddie Andersen is currently sporting a 1.41 goals against average with a .931 save percentage. The Hurricanes are only allowing a bit over 22 shots against per game. Taylor Hall leads them with 16 points, followed by Jackson Blake at 15. They are the only two players on the Hurricanes to have over a point per game these playoffs, though they have gotten contributions from the first to fourth lines and first to third pairings. Additionally, K’Andre Miller has seen some spotlight with outstanding on-ice results as he has really come into his own as a defenseman in Carolina. This series is a battle of two outstanding coaches who have inspired their teams to reach new heights. Who will prevail: the team that has brutally stifled all three of their opponents so far, or the team shooting at ridiculously high rates?

Ice Time Leaders(ATOI, Top Three Each Team)

• Shea Theodore, VEG — 25:29
• K’Andre Miller, CAR — 23:55
• Noah Hanifin, VEG — 23:52
• Rasmus Andersson, VEG — 23:37
• Jaccob Slavin, CAR — 23:13
• Jalen Chatfield, CAR — 22:12

Former Devils in the Finals

• Taylor Hall, CAR

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The NHL’s All-Star Weekend is coming to Long Island — and with a new format. 

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players Association executive director Marty Walsh announced the official plans for UBS Arena, the home of the Islanders, to host the 2027 All-Star Game and skills competition next season from Feb. 5-6. 

Both events will feature completely new formats, with the All-Star Game notably adopting an international element. 

The Feb. 6 All-Star Game will feature five teams representing Canada, Finland, Sweden, the United States and a “World” team comprised of international players from countries outside of the other four teams. 

Each team — made up of nine skaters and two goalies — will participate in a three-on-three, round-robin exhibition tournament. 

The NHL and NHLPA are responsible for selecting 30 players from each of the participating teams for an NHL All-Star Fan Vote. When the voting opens in December, fans will be able to choose eight players from each team. The remaining roster spots — one forward, one defenseman and one goaltender — will be selected jointly by the NHL and NHLPA. 

Teams will play four five-minute games during the round-robin portion. There will also be no overtime period or shootout in the event of a tie. 

The top two teams from the round robin will advance to a 10-minute final based on a point system that counts two points for a win, one for a tie and zero for a loss. A $2 million cash prize will be awarded to the winning team. 

On Friday, there will be eight events as part of the All-Star Skills Competition. The NHL and NHLPA will select 10 “young stars ages 25 or younger” to be featured in the event. 

Each of the 10 players will participate in four of the first six events: Fastest skater, hardest shot, passing challenge, one-timers, stick handling and accuracy shooting. They will earn points depending on where they place in each event. 

The top four players will advance to a Shootout and must face one of four All-Star goaltenders. 

The top two players from the Shootout will advance to the final event, the Obstacle Course. 

Whichever player finishes with the highest cumulative score will be named the All-Star Skills champion and take home a $1 million prize. 

The All-Star Skills Competition will be broadcast on ESPN, while the game can be found on ABC. Event times are still to be announced. 

This will mark the second time the Islanders have hosted the NHL’s All-Star Weekend. The Isles held the 1983 event at the Coliseum.

1 - With just one loss, Carolina (12-1) is the first team to reach the Stanley Cup Final with fewer than two losses since 1987, when all four playoff rounds went to the best-of-seven format.

1.41 - Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen leads the postseason pack of goalies with his stifling goals-against average.

2 - The Golden Knights and Carolina have two Stanley Cup titles between them, each winning one in their franchise history. The Knights won their title in 2023, while the Hurricanes secured their only title in 2006.

2.22 - Vegas netminder Carter Hart has been red-hot with his goals-against average, allowing two or fewer goals in 10 of his 16 playoff appearances.

4 - The Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes have been to a total of four Stanley Cup Finals, each winning one and losing one during their franchise history. The Knights lost their first trip to the Cup Final in 2018 and won their title in 2023. The Hurricanes also lost their first trip to a Cup final, in 2002, before hoisting it in 2006.

7 - Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour is the seventh individual in NHL history to reach the Stanley Cup Final with the same franchise as both a captain and head coach.

8 - Vegas has been to the postseason in eight of its first nine seasons in the league.

9 - The Golden Knights are in just their 9th season.

10 - Goals scored by Vegas against Carolina this season.

16 - Carolina's Taylor Hall leads the team with 16 points (5 goals, 11 assists).

17 - Vegas is the 17th team in NHL history, and fifth since 1998, to enter the Cup final with multiple 10-goal scorers. Pavel Dorofeyev (10 goals, 4 assists) and Brett Howden (10 goals, 2 assists) have been the offensive catalysts for the Golden Knights this postseason.

21 - Vegas' Mitch Marner (7 goals, 14 assists) leads the playoffs in scoring with 21 points.

46 - The Hurricanes are competing in their 46th season.

73.2 - The average height of the Hurricanes.

74.1 - The average height of the Golden Knights.

309 - The Golden Knights have scored 309 playoff goals, compared to Carolina's 242.

1,431 - Playoff games played by the Hurricanes players.

1,640 - Playoff games played by the Golden Knights players.

2015 - Three of the top five picks in the 2015 Draft will be on the ice for the Knights: Jack Eichel (Sabres, 2nd), Marner (Maple Leafs, 4th) and Noah Hanifin (Hurricanes, 5th).

The NHL All-Star Game is returning in 2027 and will feature a new format.

The league and the NHL Players' Association announced details at NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's news conference before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

The All-Star weekend will be held Feb. 5-6, 2027, in UBS Arena, the home of the New York Islanders.

The plan is to hold the All-Star Game every other year, with an international tournament taking place in the even years. There will be a World Cup of Hockey in 2028 and NHL players will take part in the 2030 Olympics.

Russian players will be allowed in the All-Star Game, but the NHL and NHLPA haven't decided on Russian participation in the World Cup of Hockey. They will follow the lead of the International Ice Hockey Federation, which recently said it would decide Russian eligibility in 2026-27 on a tournament-by-tournament basis.

Here are details for the 2027 All-Star weekend:

Feb. 6, 2027, NHL All-Star Game

• It will feature five teams – Canada, Finland, Sweden, the United States and a World team made up of international players from countries outside of the other four teams – competing in a three-on-three, round-robin exhibition tournament.
• Each team will consist of 11 players: nine skaters and two goaltenders. The NHL and NHLPA will select 30 players from each of the participating teams for the 2027 NHL All-Star Fan Vote, which will open in December. Fans will use that list to select eight players from each team. The remaining three roster spots – one forward, one defenseman and one goaltender – will be selected jointly by the NHL and NHLPA.
• Each team will play four five-minute games during the round-robin tournament. There won't be an overtime period or shootout in the event of a tie.
• Teams will get points for a win, one point for a tie and zero points for a loss.
• The top two teams from the round robin will advance to a 10-minute final. The winning team will claim a $2 million prize.

Feb. 5, 2027, All-Star skills competition

• It will feature 10 young stars (25 or younger) competing across eight events. The players will be jointly selected by the NHL and NHLPA.
• Each player will participate in four of the first six events: Fastest Skater, Hardest Shot, Passing Challenge, One Timers, Stick Handling and Accuracy Shooting. Players will earn points based on their placement in each event.
• The top four players then will advance to a shootout, facing one of four All-Star goaltenders. The top two performers from the shootout will compete in the last event: the Obstacle Course Finale.
• The player with the highest cumulative score will be named All-Star skills champion and take home a $1 million prize.

Bettman: Succession plan not imminent

Bettman, who turned 74 on June 2, responded to a report that a succession plan for him has been discussed, and said there have been discussions over the last couple years but nothing is imminent.

"Reports of my demise − or retirement − are greatly exaggerated," he said.

He also defended the current playoff format amid suggestions of going to a 1 vs. 8, etc., format. He said the current format leads to longer series and more competitive games.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL All-Star Game date, new format announced

The Anaheim Ducks need to free space to sign young stars like Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier, and as a result, they could be looking to trade a struggling Mason McTavish.

A new report from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period links the St. Louis Blues to the 23-year-old center. 

“We know that St. Louis is looking to get younger and augment their lineup quite a bit,” said insider Pagnotta.

Too much center depth in the NHL isn’t really a thing. And having an abundance of young centers is how teams become contenders. Currently, the Blues’ center core consists of 26-year-old Robert Thomas, 21-year-old Dalibor Dvorsky, and 30-year-old Pius Suter. Outside of the NHL, the Blues could see players like Aleksanteri Kaskimaki and Adam Jecho.

Adding McTavish would improve the current Blues roster while still aligning with the direction the team hopes to head.

It’s no secret, though; McTavish really struggled during the 2025-26 season and hasn’t had the breakout campaign many thought he would have had by this point. The 6-foot-1, left-handed center notched just 17 goals and 41 points in 75 games this season after posting 22 goals and 52 points the year before. 

Four Blues Players Appear On Insiders Trade BoardSt. Louis Blues’ Jordan Kyrou, Jordan Binnington, Robert Thomas, and Colton Parayko appeared on insider Frank Seravalli’s off-season trade board.

Despite the issues in McTavish’s game, he’s proven to be a reliable enough center, even at his worst, and his track record provides enough belief that a change of scenery could unlock his game. 

McTavish was the third overall pick in the 2021 NHL draft, with a resume that includes a gold medal at the World Junior Championship, as well as MVP honours at the event, a U-18 gold medal, and an OHL championship. 

The price tag to acquire McTavish is a bit of a mystery at the moment, but he just finished the first of a six-year, $7-million contract. 

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Tuesday marks a special anniversary for the Florida Panthers franchise.

It’s been exactly 10 years since the team debuted its then-brand-new logo and uniform, moving away from the leaping panther that had been the team’s main symbol since its inception.

Florida’s new logo was a shield-shaped design that was inspired by the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division, which Panthers Owner Vincent Viola was a member of during his time serving in the military.

The unveiling was held during a fan-attended event on the floor of the then-BB&T Center on the night of June 2.

Four Panthers players were brought onto the stage wearing the new duds.

They were Aaron Ekblad, Vincent Trocheck, Steven Kampfer and Shawn Thornton.

Photos from the event can be seen in the collage at the top of this page. 

To say things have been going well for Florida since the logo change would be an understatement.

From 1993-94 to 2015-16, the Panthers reached the playoffs five times in 21 seasons, winning a total of three postseason series (all in 1996) and 18 playoff games during that span.

Under the new Panthers shield logo, it’s been quite a different story.

Florida has qualified for the postseason in six of their ten seasons wearing the new logo, all coming since their 2019-20 campaign.

During that time, the Panthers won back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships while reaching the Stanley Cup Final during three straight seasons, from 2023 to 2025.

Future success seems like a strong possibility for the Panthers, considering the team has their talented and battle-tested core locked up for years to come.

Happy 10th Birthday to the Panthers logo!

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The city of Ottawa is no stranger to Stanley Cup wins.

The original Senators won the Cup on 11 occasions, but unfortunately, everyone who witnessed those Cup and their ensuing parades is now gone. Next season will be the 100th anniversary of Ottawa's last Cup win.

Montreal counts all the Cups they won in that era because they never went away. Ottawa's 11 Cup wins are rarely talked about because when the depression hit, we had to dip out for a quick 58-year absence from the league.

While the original Senators were a dynasty, the modern-day Sens haven't been nearly as successful. But they have had their great moments all the same. 

They've been to three conference finals in their history, but advanced only once. That year was 2007, and as long as we're dabbling in nostalgia, today marks the 19th anniversary of the only game they've ever won in a modern-day Stanley Cup Final.

Put another way, while the ancient Sens were running out of ways to celebrate championships, June 2, 2007, was the closest the new era has ever been to winning it all.

We won't spend a lot of time on a game recap. You probably vaguely recall what happened. Scotiabank Place, going crazy. The Pizza Line. Ray Emery. Lyndon Slewidge in his prime. A Senators team that needed just five games to win each of their three series to that point. And that crazy long nine-day layoff after the Conference Final.

The Senators were down 2-0 after losing the first two games in Anaheim and returned home to host the first Cup Final game in Ontario in 40 years. If you take that as a gratuitous jab at the Leafs, then that's entirely your business.

In fairness, it had been 80 years since Ottawa had hosted a Cup Final game.

The Senators won the game 5-3, and the winning goal was scored late in the second period by Dean McAmmond. With the score tied at 3, McAmmond banked a shot in off Chris Pronger, probably Anaheim's best and certainly the most intimidating player.

If only something had happened that would have taken Pronger completely out of that series... Oh, wait, it did. 

Early in the third period, McAmmond skated up the middle and took a shot from distance, and in a clear targeting of the head, Pronger stepped up and smashed his elbow and forearm into his head. McAmmond was immediately knocked out and slid along the ice for 30 feet before finally coming to a rest in the corner of the ice near the boards.

Today, Pronger would not only be ejected and out of the series, but he'd likely be missing games the next season as well. In 2007, he not only stayed in the game but there was no penalty. The league did suspend him later, but only for one game.

At least he learned his lesson. The following season, Pronger got an eight-game suspension for stomping on the leg of Vancouver forward Ryan Kesler.

Anaheim would go on to win the next two games and the Stanley Cup.

While the Pronger hit did take a little of the shine off the Game 3 Cup Final victory, that entire run was such an exciting time.

No, the Stanley Cup never came to Ottawa, not in the modern era. Not yet.

But on June 2, 2007, for a few hours, it sure felt like it might.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

Senators Summer: Could Mason McTavish Be The Next Sam Bennett Story?With size, skill, and local ties, perhaps Mason McTavish is a player who could stabilize the Senators' top-six forward group.

Ahead of Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced new details for the 2027 All-Star Game at UBS Arena, home of the New York Islanders.

Following the success of the league's return to best-on-best international hockey, the marquee event will build on that momentum with a three-on-three tournament. 

The event will feature five teams of nations, including the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland. The fifth team will be comprised of players from the rest of the world. This comes after the league's return to the Olympics this past February and the Four Nations Faceoff last season. 

#NHL All-Star Game at @UBSArena will be an international 3-on-3 tournament: pic.twitter.com/vcosSZLWNw

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) June 2, 2026

The format of the event will remain similar to previous years. The weekend begins on Friday, Feb. 5, with the return of NHL All-Star Skills, which will highlight the league's young stars. Ten players aged 25-or-under will compete in events including fastest skater, hardest shot, stick handling, one-timers, passing and accuracy shooting. 

Players will earn points on placement in each event, with the top four advancing into a shootout against one of four goalies participating in the event. The top two players in the shootout will advance to a final obstacle course to decide the winner. 

The game itself will take place on Saturday, Feb. 6, with 11-player rosters that will be mostly decided by fan vote. The NHL Players' Association will pick one forward, defenseman and goalie for each team after fan voting concludes. After a round robin tournament, the top two teams will advance to a 10-minute championship game. 

Next season marks the second time the Islanders will host the All-Star Game and first time since 1983. Fans can sign up for more information on the event at the league's website. 

The Vancouver Canucks have their new head coach. On Monday, the organization announced that Manny Malhotra would be promoted from the AHL and become the 23rd head coach in franchise history. The move was not unexpected, as Malhotra's name was the only one being reported since the Canucks parted with Adam Foote on May 19. 

With Malhotra hired, one of the questions that Johnson faced in his media availability revolved around using the third overall pick to select Manny's son Caleb. The 18-year-old is considered one of, if not the top center available in the 2026 NHL Draft, with some mock drafts linking him to Vancouver. When asked about a potential conflict, Johnson made it clear that he has already spoken to Malhotra about the club potentially drafting his son. 

"In the initial discussion with Manny on this position, it was just very clear that each component and decisions and hirings or drafting, none would impact the other based on any certain type scenario," said Johnson. "I mean that in the sense of I had to be very honest and clear with Manny that I want him as the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. The Vancouver Canucks also sit in a position that his son is possible in where he sits and where the evaluating has gone on through the year with our group that there is a possibility. At what percent I can't tell you, but that the Vancouver Canucks select Caleb. I wanted to make sure that we weren't sitting there on June 20 and Manny was in a spot where he said, hey, RJ, I really wish I would have known that was a scenario, or I really wish there was just a little bit more clarity when we had the initial discussions that this might be a possibility. So I wanted to make sure that he had time to talk with his wife and with his family, understanding that that would be a possible scenario, and that there was no hesitation on him moving forward and taking this position. I felt I owed him that to have that conversation."

Johnson, along with members of the Canucks organization, is currently in Buffalo for the NHL Scouting Combine. The annual event is an opportunity for teams to not only talk with prospects but also see how they measure up in a variety of physical tests. Johnson is using this week to evaluate all prospects, which will help the organization make the best decision once Vancouver is on the clock. 

"In regard to the draft, we're going through the process, and obviously decisions still being made. We're at the combine here, going through interviews. We'll have more meetings with our amateur staff that's done an outstanding job getting to know these players, and we'll make our decisions based off of who the best player available is when we pick. There's not going to be an outside influence changing who that might be."

The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is scheduled for June 26 and 27 in Buffalo. The Canucks have 10 picks, including two in the first round. The last time Vancouver selected third, they picked Henrik Sedin, who would go on to a Hall of Fame career before becoming the organization's Co-President of Hockey Operations alongside his brother Daniel. 

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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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.

It wasn’t the finals as predicted but here we are with the Vegas Golden Knights set to take on the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. This sets up as a very evenly matched series which should go the distance.

Stanley Cup Final Preview
Hurricanes vs. Golden Knights
with @domluszczyszyn and @seangentille

Forget the small market narrative. This is a matchup of two disruptive puck possession powerhouses, which should make for an exciting final. https://t.co/d4T6CJSbDdpic.twitter.com/GFBQfc6mXW

— Shayna (@shaynagoldman_) May 31, 2026

Oddly enough Vegas and Carolina haven’t played each other since October with the Golden Knights taking the victory both of those meetings which took place at the very beginning of the season. Now both are set to face-off for the ultimate prize battle-tested and relatively healthy as they have the bulk of their rosters available for this series.

Vegas Golden Knights

It’s a star studded group for Western Conference victors Vegas as Mitch Marner leads the NHL with 21 points and Jack Eichel is next with 18 points. Both young sniper Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden lead the NHL with 10 goals a piece.

Projected Lineup

Ivan Barbashev — Jack Eichel — Pavel Dorofeyev

Brett Howden — William Karlsson — Mitch Marner

Tomas Hertl — Colton Sissons — Mark Stone

Cole Smith — Nic Dowd — Keegan Kolesar

Brayden McNabb — Shea Theodore

Noah Hanifin — Rasmus Andersson 

Kaedan Korczak — Dylan Coghlan

Carter Hart

Adin Hill

Carolina Hurricanes

The representatives from the Eastern Conference, Carolina are also getting contributions from all over their lineup as Taylor Hall leads with 16 points and Logan Stankoven has nine goals to his name. Carolina is attempting to make history with the fewest games needed to win the Stanley Cup (18) as they only have lost one game thus far through three rounds.

Projected Lineup

Andrei Svechnikov — Sebastian Aho — Seth Jarvis

Taylor Hall — Logan Stankoven — Jackson Blake

Nikolaj Ehlers — Jordan Staal — Jordan Martinook

William Carrier — Mark Jankowski — Eric Robinson

Jaccob Slavin — Jalen Chatfield

K’Andre Miller — Sean Walker

Shayne Gostisbehere — Alexander Nikishin

Frederik Andersen

Brandon Bussi

Follow along in the comments below!

Golden Knights beat Hurricanes 5-4 to open Stanley Cup Final originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Tomas Hertl took a backhand pass from Colton Sisson and beat Frederik Anderson from the slot with 3:24 left in the third period, lifting the Vegas Golden Knights past the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in Tuesday night’s opener of the Stanley Cup Final.

Hertl’s finish off Sisson’s feed from the right faceoff circle broke a 4-4 tie and pushed the Golden Knights ahead in an entertaining back-and-forth start on the sport’s biggest stage. It marked Vegas’ seventh straight win of the playoffs, starting with the last two games of the six-game second-round series against Anaheim and then the shocking four-game sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche.

That series included Vegas erasing a 3-0 deficit to take Game 3, and now the Golden Knights have followed by rallying from another multigoal deficit — this time 2-0 in the opening period — against the team that finished second only to the Avs in the regular season.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Thursday in Raleigh, with Vegas already having taken home-ice away from the Hurricanes as it chases a second Cup title in four seasons.

Shea Theodore, Ivan Barbashev, William Karlsson and Brett Howden also scored for Vegas, with Howden’s postseason-leading 11th score giving the Golden Knights a 4-3 lead just 1:21 into the third period. Carter Hart finished with 23 saves.

Nikolaj Ehlers scored twice for the Hurricanes, the first coming 25 seconds into the game when he got loose and a rush and blasted one past Hart from the left side on the game’s first shot. He followed with a breakaway that gave Carolina a 2-0 lead and sent a charged home crowd into an eruption in the team’s first Stanley Cup Final game in two decades.

Jordan Staal and Shayne Gostisbehere each scored tying goals after Vegas had pushed to a lead, with Gostisbehere skating in clean on the left side to blast one past Hart at 11:19 of the third period and tie it once more at 4.

The Nashville Predators have found their new general manager.

As my colleague Jack Williams alluded to in an earlier report, the Predators had permission to speak with Colorado Avalanche general manager Chris McFarland. However, since that report, they have officially announced that he has been hired to lead the organization.

The Predators needed a fresh voice to help guide them into the next era of Predators hockey. With Barry Trotz leaving the organization, they landed one of the top candidates available, which should help them navigate what could be a pivotal stretch for the franchise.

For McFarland, this is a step up from his previous role with the Avalanche. At the same time, it comes with a different set of challenges. He now has the opportunity to oversee an entire organization and, assuming ownership is on board, will have the freedom to make the moves he believes are necessary.

It is safe to say he is excited about the opportunity. In the press release, he had this to say:

"My wife Chandra and I, together with our children, are grateful to Bill and Crissy Haslam and the entire Nashville Predators family for this opportunity," MacFarland said. "We also thank everyone at the Avalanche, including Joe Sakic and the Kroenke family, for their support in pursuing this position with the Predators. I believe Nashville will be a great fit for me.
"I know this is a proud organization with a solid track record of putting together teams that the fans of Smashville support wholeheartedly. My goal here is to build a winner, working with (owner) Bill Haslam, Sean Henry and our hockey operations staff and players to put a team on the ice that will compete for the Stanley Cup. I am excited about our future."

-

McFarland took over as general manager of the Avalanche in 2022 and enjoyed plenty of success during his tenure. That included the 2025-26 season, which ultimately ended in a surprising sweep at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final. Now, his focus shifts to Nashville, where he will look to address several areas of need and could explore moving some contracts this summer.

It should be an interesting offseason in Nashville, especially with McFarland now at the helm. Throughout his career, he has shown that he is willing to make bold moves when he believes they will improve his team.

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The Montreal Canadiens had a successful 2025-26 season and should be looking to boost their roster this summer because of it. One of their biggest needs is another right-shot defenseman who can play top-four minutes. 

The trade market is one way that the Canadiens could look to improve their blueline. When looking at trade candidates around the NHL right now, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen stands out as an interesting potential option for the Habs. 

Leading up to the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman mentioned that he believed the Canadiens had interest in Ristolainen. With this, it would not necessarily be surprising if the Habs kicked tires on the big Flyers defenseman this summer.

If the Canadiens acquired Ristolainen, he could work on their second pairing with Lane Hutson. He would also give the Canadiens a clear option for their penalty kill due to his shutdown ability and improved defensive play. 

Ristolainen has a $5.1 million cap hit until the end of next season. Overall, this is a reasonable cap hit for what he provides, and he would have the potential to be a nice addition to Montreal's roster. 

In 44 games this season with the Flyers, Ristolainen recorded one goal, 14 points, 48 hits, 63 blocks, and a plus-10 rating.