The Winnipeg Jets may not be competing for the Stanley Cup, but Manitoba hockey is still very much alive and well on the sport’s biggest stage.

In fact, it has been nearly impossible to ignore.

With the Stanley Cup Final officially trimmed down to a best-of-three series, Manitoba-born talent has been front and centre. From Winnipeg’s Seth Jarvis leading the way for Carolina to Brett Howden, Mark Stone and Keegan Kolesar playing key roles for Vegas, the province’s fingerprints are everywhere.

And that is before mentioning one of Winnipeg’s most familiar faces.

Former Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers has also played a major role in the championship series, giving local hockey fans yet another reason to pay close attention.

Across the two remaining rosters, Manitoba has emerged as one of the most represented hockey regions in the world. Among Canadian provinces, only Ontario has produced more players in this year’s Stanley Cup Final.

For a province of fewer than 1.5 million people, the numbers are staggering.

While traditional hockey hotbeds such as Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta regularly fill NHL rosters, Manitoba’s presence in this year’s Final stands out. Four Manitoba-raised players are involved in the championship series, while seven players across the two rosters have significant ties to the province’s hockey landscape.

Winnipeg’s Seth Jarvis, Oakbank’s Brett Howden, Winnipeg-born Mark Stone and Brandon’s Keegan Kolesar make up the core Manitoba contingent. Jordan Martinook was also born in Brandon before moving to Saskatchewan at a young age. While former Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers spent the first decade of his NHL career in Winnipeg and Vegas forward Cole Smith developed in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League with the Steinbach Pistons.

For Jets fans, Ehlers remains the most familiar storyline.

Drafted ninth overall by Winnipeg in 2014, the Danish winger spent 10 seasons in Manitoba, becoming one of the most productive players in Jets 2.0 history. During that span, he recorded 225 goals and 520 points across 674 regular season games.

His departure from Winnipeg was never about a lack of talent.

Ehlers consistently produced when healthy and remained one of the NHL’s most dangerous players off the rush. His combination of speed, creativity and transition ability made him a fan favourite throughout his decade with the organization.

Now, in his first season away from the team that drafted him, Ehlers has taken his game to the sport’s biggest stage. His offensive ability has added another dangerous dimension to Carolina’s attack, while also leaving some Jets fans wondering what could have been. But 'Fly' is not the only Carolina player with strong Manitoba ties making an impact this spring.

Winnipeg’s Seth Jarvis continues to prove he is one of the NHL’s brightest young stars.

Selected 13th overall in 2020, Jarvis has quickly developed into one of Carolina’s most important forwards. His combination of skill, energy and competitiveness has made him a fixture of the Hurricanes’ core.

A product of the Assiniboine Park Rangers' minor hockey program before starring with the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL, Jarvis represents the very best of the newest generation of Manitoba talent thriving at the NHL level.

On the other side, Oakbank’s Brett Howden has delivered the best postseason of his career.

Long valued for his versatility, skating and defensive reliability, Howden has added another layer to his game this spring: finishing.

The former first-round pick recently made Golden Knights history, setting the franchise record for goals in a single postseason (14) and passing Jonathan Marchessault’s previous mark.

It has been a remarkable playoff breakout for a player who has transformed himself from a highly touted offensive prospect into a trusted, complete NHL forward. And much like that of Jarvis, he is not the only player on Vegas that Manitobans would remember.

Winnipeg’s Mark Stone, who starred with the Brandon Wheat Kings, continues to be one of the NHL’s premier playoff performers.

The Golden Knights captain remains among hockey’s smartest two-way forwards. Already a Stanley Cup champion, Stone’s ability to elevate his game when the stakes are highest has once again been on display.

Alongside him is Brandon’s Keegan Kolesar, whose physicality, forechecking and willingness to embrace difficult minutes have made him another important piece of Vegas’ identity.

Kolesar’s value has never been measured solely through offensive production. Instead, his ability to play a heavy postseason style has helped him become the type of player championship teams rely on.

From stars to role players, Manitoba’s impact stretches throughout both lineups.

The storylines are plentiful: A former Jet chasing his first championship. A young Winnipeg star continuing his rise. A Golden Knights captain. A record-setting playoff scorer. An MJHL alumnus continuing his unlikely climb.

The Stanley Cup Final may not include the Winnipeg Jets, but Manitoba hockey remains impossible to miss. No matter who lifts the Cup, the province will have left its mark.

After being one of the top teams in the NHL this season, the Buffalo Sabres have the 27th overall pick of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. While the Sabres have a late first-round pick this year, the potential for them to land an impactful prospect is certainly there.

The Athletic's Scott Wheeler recently released his latest 2026 NHL mock draft and predicted that the Sabres would select forward Gleb Pugachyov with their first-round pick this year. 

The first thing that immediately stands out about Pugachyov is his size. The 6-foot-3, 198-pound right winger would give the Sabres another power forward in their system, which is never a bad thing. This is especially so when noting that they have a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) power forward in Alex Tuch heading into the summer. 

If the Sabres selected Pugachyov with their first-round pick, he would certainly be an interesting addition to Buffalo's prospect pool. The big winger showed promise this season in Russia's MHL with Chaika Nizhny Novgorod, as he posted 10 goals and 24 points in 33 games. He also notably played in 13 KHL games with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod this season, where he had two goals and an assist. 

With Pugachyov being a promising young forward with size, it would make all the sense in the world for the Sabres to select him if available when Buffalo is on the clock. The potential for him to emerge as an impactful winger in the NHL is there. 

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Taylor Hall has been a consistent source of production in the playoffs, finding the scoresheet at least once in 11 of 17 games.

My Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes props and NHL picks see the former Hart Trophy winner making his mark again in Game 5.

Be sure to read our full Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes predictions for Thursday, June 11.

Best Golden Knights vs Hurricanes props for Game 5

Game 5 Prop #1: Jalen Chatfield Over 1.5 blocks (-160)

Jalen Chatfield spends more time against top players and sees a higher percentage of defensive zone starts when Rod Brind ‘Amour has the ability to play the matchup game at home. 

That leads to more time defending, more pucks heading towards his net, and more blocked shots.

Chatfield has allowed a defense-high 58.1 attempts per 60 in home playoff games compared to 48.3 per 60 on the road. Uncoincidentally, Chatfield has blocked 5.52 shots per 60 at home and 3.39 on the road.

Play Chatfield to get multiple blocks up to -170.

Game 5 Prop #2: Taylor Hall Over 0.5 points (-125)

I want to ride the Taylor Hall train until the wheels fall off. He continues to be a nightly force for the Carolina Hurricanes, helping them dominate the run of play against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Carolina has controlled better than 68% of the expected goals during Hall’s 5-on-5 minutes. No other player is above 58%. He’s full value for it, leading the way in shot attempts, scoring chances, and sitting tied for first in Grade A opportunities.

Back him to get a point up to -140.

Game 5 Prop #3: Shea Theodore Over 1.5 shots (+100)

Shea Theodore is one of the only Golden Knights players spending time in the offensive zone with any sort of consistency.

Vegas has generated 85 shot attempts with Theodore on the ice at 5-on-5 in this series. No other Golden Knight has been on for even 70.

He’s also quarterbacking the top power play so the usage is ideal for shot-generation. Theodore has made the most of his ice, attempting 23 shots through four games — and at least five each time out.

At plus money for two shots, there’s value in backing the star defenseman. Play to -125.

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Golden Knights center Jack Eichel still hasn't scored a goal in the Stanley Cup Final.

That doesn't mean he isn't doing everything else against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Fact is, he has just two goals in the entire postseason, and the team is still playing for its second title since 2023.

Eichel makes everyone around him better, which is probably why he has 18 assists and ranks second in the NHL with 20 points.

"I'll go back to the last two Stanley Cup Finals, I put Jack Eichel in the category of Sasha Barkov from Florida," NHL Network analyst Brian Boyle said during an interview on the Golden Knights Insider radio show on Wednesday. "They'll do what's necessary without the puck as well. There's certain unselfishness to their game that you need. These guys are in that category."

And they're in that category because of the supporting cast around them.

Eichel remains effective because he has guys like Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, Tomas Hertl - to name a few - around him. He can count on them to take what he offers and turn opportunities into big plays.

"If you build a hockey player in a lab, you build a Jack Eichel," Boyle added.

Does that mean the Knights wouldn't benefit from one of Eichel's classic heaters? Of course they would, especially with either two or three games left in the season. Especially on the power play, where his wrist shot from the left circle has been deadly for opponents at times.

Is the due theory in effect when the teams take the ice for Game 5 on Thursday?

It's possible, especially after he sailed a perfect opportunity late in Game 4 with goaltender Carter Hart pulled.

Should it be eating at Eichel, and weighing on his mind? Some would say he should rinse it and shrug it off.

But maybe a competitive guy like him who has knows what it takes to win a championship and win on the road in the playoffs needs that sort of sting to find the back of the net for the first time in this series.

Fact it, when you have one of the best 200-foot hockey players in the world on your roster, you must have full faith that his offense will come full circle when it matters most.

"There's a couple guys ... Hertl's the same," Boyle said. "He's gotten pucks in the slot where he needs to shoot the puck, that's what he's there for. He's not as adept at playmaking; he's in that spot in the bumper on the power play for a reason. Now, I'm looking at a guy like (Brett) Howden, who's hot ... as a pistol, scoring goals. Could there be a switch (on the power play)? Could you put him in the bumper, because he's willing to shoot, and he's feeling it?

"He thinks it's going in every time he shoots the puck."

That's for coach John Tortorella to decide, knowing the chemistry of his players and whether or not they can work and mesh together.

With Howden in, there's a chance the Hurricanes don't pay attention to him, and he buries the puck. Or, it gives Eichel more space and suddenly makes that left circle more enticing.

Bottom line when it comes to Eichel, with three games left, max, he most certainly will continue to contribute, and for Vegas' sake, hopefully that means burying the puck if Vegas wants to hoist the Cup once again.

PHOTO CAPTION

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) stops a shot by Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) during the 3rd period in game four of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena.

The Toronto Maple Leafs do not have their own first-round picks for the 2027 and 2028 NHL Drafts after the club traded them both away on the same day in March of 2025 in two separate deals with the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers.  

In one deal, the Leafs sent their 2026 first-round pick to the Bruins, along with Fraser Minten, in exchange for defenseman Brandon Carlo. The other deal saw the Leafs pick up Scott Laughton from the Flyers in exchange for a 2027 first-round pick and Nikita Grebenkin. Both of those picks had trade protection: the Boston deal was top-5 protected, while the 2027 draft pick was top-10 protected.  

However, a very fortunate bounce of the lottery balls in May saw the Leafs win the No. 1 overall selection for 2026, punting what the Leafs owed to the Bruins. But what about that 2027 pick?  

Well, what we did know was that the Leafs were only going to be able to keep one of their first-round draft picks over the course of that three-year span. Once the Leafs landed the 2026 top selection, it negated the original protection conditions for the 2027 and 2028 picks.  

But who gets what? There was a difference of opinion between the Flyers and Bruins as to who should have which pick, and in what year.  

When I attended the lottery, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said they were still going over the terms of both trades to make a official ruling. But according to The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz, the Flyers will get the 2027 pick and the Bruins will get the 2028 pick. However, the wrinkle here is that if Toronto’s pick falls in the top 10 next year, Toronto will actually get to choose which team gets which pick, due to the top-10 protection language in the Flyers trade.  

Per a league source, the NHL has informed the Flyers that while they own the Maple Leafs' 2027 first round pick (Laughton trade), the Leafs still have the option to transfer it to Boston if it's in the top 10. In that event, the Flyers would receive Toronto's 2028 first rounder.

— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) June 10, 2026

It’s really bizarre. If the Leafs' own pick falls in the top 10, they could be strategic and give it to the Flyers instead of helping their divisional rival, the Bruins, assuming, of course, that it matters to Toronto. Still, it is highly unusual that the Leafs would get to choose.  

Can you image if the Leafs win the lottery, they’d have to commiserate on that while also deciding which of Philly or Boston gets it? It would be weird, if not entertaining.

I could have seen a world where Boston would have laid claim to a top-10 pick, given that they were bumped out of their 2026 selection, forcing the Flyers to wait an additional year.  But a ruling is a ruling. And for the Leafs sake, they have to hope the most hilarious thing doesn’t happen here.

Of course, this is not to be confused with the 2027 first-round selection Toronto acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Nic Roy. That deal, too, is top-10 protected.

Nine years ago today, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the franchise’s fifth Stanley Cup title in team history, beating the Nashville Predators 2-0 in Game 6 of the 2017 Cup Final.

The Penguins won Game 1 and Game 2 at home before Nashville held serve, winning Game 3 and Game 4 to tie the series and send things back to Pittsburgh tied 2-2.

A blowout win in Game 5 put the Predators on the brink of elimination for Game 6 back in Nashville and the Penguins came out on top during a tightly-contested game.

It was a scoreless affair through two periods after a whistle stopped play before Colton Sissons tapped in a puck that would’ve given Nashville a 1-0 lead.

The third period started ticking down as the game remained scoreless until former Predators player Patric Hornqvist scored with just over 90 seconds remaining in the game and suddenly, the Cup appeared to be poised to be handed to the Penguins.

An empty net goal from Carl Hagelin put the game, series, and season on ice — and for the first time in nearly 20 years, the Stanley Cup was staying with the previous year’s winner and the Penguins had gone back-to-back as champions.

The landscape of the NHL is changing now more than ever. The salary cap ceiling is increasing year after year, and star players are more willing to “upset the apple cart,” leveraging their contractual positions to influence their way to more preferred destinations. 

Every year, general managers ask players with no-trade clauses to waive them as the team intends to shift directions in terms of roster construction for the franchise’s future. In recent years, however, players have taken some of that power back, refusing to waive, communicating a willingness to waive for only a select few teams, expressing desires to sign extensions only with certain teams when their contracts are close to expiring, etc. 

Beginning with Jack Eichel’s request to be traded to a team willing to allow him to undergo his desired surgery in 2021, to Matthew Tkachuk’s unwillingness to re-sign in Calgary as an RFA, to Quinn Hughes’ reluctance to commit long-term to the Vancouver Canucks, star players are navigating their way to teams and situations they feel are better for their careers. 

The Anaheim Ducks’ 2025-26 Starting XI

Gulls Looking For New Head Coach After McIlvane Departure

The latest such request came on Thursday, when Detroit Red Wings captain and top center Dylan Larkin requested a trade. What makes Larkin’s request unique is the term remaining on his current contract (five years) and his no-trade clause attached to said contract. 

Larkin has control over where he ends up, and Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reported he submitted an initial list of three teams to which he’d be willing to accept a trade. The teams on Larkin’s list were (in alphabetical order) the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, and Vegas Golden Knights. 

The saga between Larkin and the Red Wings will play out in due time, but what stands out about the teams in Larkin’s initial list is their commitment to winning and winning now. Florida and Vegas represent the last three teams to hoist the Stanley Cup, with Vegas two games from extending that number to four. Minnesota has been one of the NHL’s most aggressive teams in the last year, extending star forward Kirill Kaprizov to a record contract and acquiring Quinn Hughes mid-season.

The NHL seems to be in the early stages of a player empowerment movement. While secondary or tertiary benefits different organizations have to offer, like market, weather, state income tax situations, etc., can tip scales one way or another, the driving force behind desired destinations is one aspect above all else: winning. 

Players want to win. They want to win as immediately as possible, and they want to win as much as possible. Organizations like the Wild, Panthers, Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, and Tampa Bay Lightning have demonstrated a willingness to prioritize present success over future success and to win at all costs, rendering them destinations that players seem to be orchestrating moves to. 

Of course, teams must make the right moves to build their rosters and become desirable organizations. However, in today’s landscape, that’s only part (a big part) of the equation. 

Traditionally reserved for unrestricted free agency, now more than ever, teams have to sell themselves to players. They have to sell players on a vision they feel will soon lead to hoisting Stanley Cups, and they have to do it, not by pitching them in a boardroom, but by their actions.

Offseason Preview: Anaheim Ducks Trade Partners/Targets, Pacific Division

Anaheim Ducks Offseason Rumor Roundup: 6/6/26

So now the question for teams like the Anaheim Ducks moving forward will be: how do we get to the point where we can sell this organization as a destination to which star players orchestrate moves to win championships?

Superfluously, the Ducks can sell players on things like weather, lifestyle, and a favorable media environment, but now they may be entering the discussion of places where players can win. 

In 2025-26, after an excruciatingly long rebuild, the Ducks qualified for the playoffs for the first time in eight years and advanced to the second round for the first time in nine. In May 2025, Ducks’ general manager Pat Verbeek hired the second-winningest coach in NHL history, Joel Quenneville. At the trade deadline, he parted with a first and third-round pick to acquire the expiring contract of veteran defenseman John Carlson, with the goal of offering his roster the best chance at success in the playoffs.

Anaheim lost in the second round, but defeated the back-to-back Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers in the first round. Though Carlson may not re-sign in Anaheim, and they traded a first-round pick for the first time since 2017, the Ducks sent a message to the NHL and to star players potentially on the move that they are willing to make bold moves in order to win. 

Selling players on location, lifestyle, and even promising young cores like the Ducks have with Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Beckett Senencke, Jackson Lacombe, etc., is easy. The more difficult part of the equation is selling a commitment to winning. The Ducks may still have a gap to fill between themselves and the Panthers, Knights, and Avalanche of the league, and make their way onto “teams I’ll accept a trade to” lists, but it would appear Anaheim is well on their way to entering such conversations. 

Anaheim Ducks a Tantalizing Potential Destination for Red Wings Center Dylan Larkin

Offseason Preview: Anaheim Ducks Trade Partners/Targets, Metropolitan Division

Offseason Preview: Anaheim Ducks Trade Partners/Targets, Central Division

Offseason Preview: Anaheim Ducks Trade Partners/Targets, Atlantic Division

Vitals

Player: Harrison Brunicke
Born: May 8, 2006 (20 years old)
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 201 pounds
Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa
Shoots: Right
Draft: Second-round, 2024, No. 44 overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins
2025-26 Statistics: 9 games played, 1 goal, 0 assists, 1 point
Contract Status: By only playing in nine games this season Brunicke still has all three years of his entry-level contract remaining.

Story of the Season

Brunicke entered training camp as one of the top prospects in the Penguins system, and impressed the coaching staff and front office enough to get an immediate look with the NHL team at the start of the season. He ended up getting a nine-game look that was dragged out over a couple of months due to healthy scratches and some early load management. He then represented Canada at the World Junior Championships, returned to the Western Hockey League to play for Kamloops and then spent the end of the regular season and playoffs in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the American Hockey League level.

It was not the ideal situation for a young player’s development, but he still managed to play more total hockey games than he did in each of the previous two seasons and showed considerable improvement along the way.

Monthly Splits

via Yahoo

Brunicke only played two NHL games in November, but you can clearly see there were more struggles in those two games than in his first seven games. He managed just one shot on goal in the latter group, was a minus-4 overall and saw his ice-time drop by exactly two minutes per game.

Regular season 5v5 advanced stats

Data via Natural Stat Trick. Ranking is out of 13 defensemen on the team who qualified by playing a minimum of 100 minutes.

Corsi For%: 48.6 (7th)
Goals For%: 33.3 (13th)
xGF%: 50.8 (8th)
Scoring Chance%: 49.2 (8th)
High Danger Scoring Chance%: 48.5 (11th)
5v5 on-ice shooting%: 6.67 (13th)
On-ice save%: .868 (12th)
Goals/60: 0.44 (2nd)
Assists/60: 0.00 (12th)
Points/60: 0.44 (12th)

In a lot of ways this is probably what you should expect from a 19-year-old defenseman trying to make the jump right from juniors to the NHL. He played well at times early on, but also had some growing pains and some rocky moments. He was not a total liability, but he was also clearly not quite ready for NHL action on a full-time basis. There is nothing wrong with that for a 19-year-old defenseman. Or any 19-year-old player.

Highlights

GRAB THAT PUCK 🗣️

Harrison Brunicke has his first NHL goal! #NHLFaceOffpic.twitter.com/7WA4Nt57Ic

— NHL (@NHL) October 10, 2025

HARRISON BRUNICKE SCORES!!!

Beautifully executed 2-on-1 breakaway by Tristan Broz and Brunicke.

Brunicke buries his 2nd goal of the season! pic.twitter.com/KJX5mlYU3g

— Pens Prospects (@pensprospects_) May 23, 2026

Questions to ponder

The most pressing question at the moment is whether or not bouncing around through multiple teams and levels had any sort of a negative impact on his development. Based on the way he played in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the playoffs, the answer to that seems to be no. The AHL was probably where he belonged all along, but he was not eligible to actually play there until the end of the season. As soon as he arrived, he was arguably their best overall defenseman.

The other big question to ponder is simply what sort of upside he has and how quickly he can start making a full-season impact on the NHL. Can he do it next season? Can he eventually a No. 1 or No. 2 defenseman on a contending team? It would certainly be exciting to see, while also being a significant development for the Penguins.

Ideal 2026-27

An ideal 2026-27 for Brunicke would be him making the NHL roster out of training camp, sticking for the entire season, and showing that he is a full-time NHL player. I do not need him to play like a No. 1 or no. 2 as a 20-year-old. But I do want to see him show flashes of that sort of ability, be a contributor, and not look out of place. That would be a meaningful step forward and great progress.

Bottom line

Brunicke is not only one of the Penguins top prospects, he is their top defensive prospect and an extraordinarily important player for their long-term development of the franchise and the ongoing rebuild. Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang are the top-two right-shot defensemen in the organization as of this moment, but they are 36 and 39 years old respectively, while Karlsson is entering the final year of his contract and it is unclear what his future with the team actually is. They need Brunicke to develop. They need him to be really good. They need him to do so over the next one or two years.

PensBurgh Grade: B+

He got a taste of NHL action, held his own, and then put together an outstanding season in the Western Hockey League and the American Hockey League. Strong season for one of the top prospects in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization and farm system.

The Chicago Blackhawks have a lot of intrigue surrounding their 4th overall pick. However, that is not the only selection that they will make at the 2026 NHL Draft.

It is important to find gems in the middle and late rounds as well if you want to keep the pipeline strong, as they move into the next phase of the rebuild. 

Players from all over the world are going to be selected over the course of seven rounds. Within the first four, the Blackhawks may not need to look far beyond their own backyard to find some good ones.

The Chicago Steel, who will be neighbors with the Blackhawks very soon, have a couple of prospects that are worth considering. 

Jayden Kurtz

Jayden Kurtz is a tall and slim defenseman standing at 6'3" and 194 pounds. He finished his high school season in 2025-26 before joining the Chicago Steel for a handful of games. 

In 16 USHL matches with Chicago, he had 1 goal and 2 assists for 3 points from the blue line. He is someone who will go in the middle to late rounds of the 2026 NHL Draft following this small sample size of solid play in lesser leagues. 

Now, he will move to the NCAA with Wisconsin, which is likely to have a National Championship caliber squad. If he has a great year with the Badgers, which he very well could, his stock will only continue to rise.

His lack of experience following high school hockey is the reason he is projected to be drafted where he is, which is good for whatever team selects him, as long as he continues to develop once he is drafted. 

Cole Tuminaro

Cole Tuminaro would fit the recent draft profile for the Chicago Blackhawks. He is a big defenseman standing at 6'4" and 225 pounds. He is going to be available late in the draft, which is exactly where you consider a big defensive defenseman like him. 

In 54 games played with the Chicago Steel in 2025-26, he scored five goals and 11 assists for 16 points. He also had 148 penalty minutes, which speaks to his size and toughness in-game. 

Next season, Tuminaro is going to play at Cornell, which regularly competes within the ECAC. If the Blackhawks draft him in the 5th round or later, they could be looking at it in a year from now and wonder how they got so fortunate because he's been dominating the college hockey level. 

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The Toronto Marlies are preparing for their AHL Calder Cup final clash with the Chicago Wolves, with Game 1 coming up on Friday.

With the Marlies' stock climbing as they reach the final for the first time since 2018, goaltender Artur Akhtyamov has started the majority of the games in this post-season and is often the reason Toronto continues to advance.

In the Marlies' 19 Calder Cup games, Akhtyamov has featured in 17 and has been spectacular for Toronto. In that span, the Russian netminder has posted a 2.12 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage, proving to be one of the most impressive goalies in the league, and a true bright spot in the Toronto Maple Leafs' system.

He has been Marlies head coach, John Gruden's go-to when it comes to the crease, and it has clearly been the right call.

However, it's not as if Akhtyamov is the only suitable goaltender to lead the Marlies through the post-season. Dennis Hildeby is an impressive netminder himself, posting a 2.17 GAA and a .921 SP in three playoff appearances this year. 

Not to mention, he's played 20 games in the NHL for the Maple Leafs when Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz weren't healthy. In that NHL stint, Hildeby put up a 2.80 GAA and a .914 SP, excellent numbers for a rookie goaltender. Yet the Swede can't seem to win the net in this post-season.

Maple Leafs assistant GM and Marlies GM, Ryan Hardy, was asked about Akhtyamov earning the net and Hildeby being left behind in the dust, to some degree.

Are The Marlies Staff, Players Destined For Maple Leafs And NHL Roles?: Comparing This Year's Marlies To The 2018 Calder Cup ChampionsWith the Toronto Marlies advancing to the Calder Cup final, how does this team compare to the 2018 Calder Cup champions, and what staff members or players are destined for the NHL?

"I think, like anything, development isn't linear, and just the times that things happen is just kind of how they happen," Hardy told reporters on Wednesday. "You look at Dennis' season, and in the American League, it was a little chaotic just because he played so much in the NHL. But he did a phenomenal job playing for the Leafs.

"We always had a bit of a platoon down here, which is just how we viewed the development of the goalies to make sure they're both getting enough. We started that way in the playoffs… eventually, coaching staff (Gruden) felt like he wanted to ride (Akhtyamov) for a couple games, and then the momentum started to build," Hardy said.

The last playoff game Hildeby played was in Toronto's second-round series against the Laval Rocket. It was Game 4 of the series, and Hildeby allowed one goal on six shots after one period. After playing 20 minutes, he was pulled for Aktyamov, and Gruden never looked back.

'I Cost My Team The Game': Maple Leafs' Easton Cowan Critical Of Himself For Costly Turnover In Marlies Game 4 LossToronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies left winger Easton Cowan was critical of himself regarding his costly turnover that led to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins winning Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final.

Toronto's staff has nothing against Hildeby, and in fact, they still may not have seen the last of him in this season.

"I think our belief in Dennis is still massive," Hardy said. "He's an incredible goalie, and as we all know how these go, we may very well see him at some point in the next seven games."

However, Akhtyamov has the hot hand, and they'll continue to go with him, as he's a huge reason why the Marlies are in the Calder Cup final.

"(Akhtyamov) has done a phenomenal job," he said. "I would say, we don't get through Cleveland without him, we don't get through Wilkes without him, and some of those saves he made, even in overtime the other night… he's feeling it."

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The Chicago Blackhawks should be looking to add a veteran defenseman to the left side of their blueline this summer. While this year's free agent market is not the strongest, San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro is one pending UFA who would make a lot of sense for Chicago to target if he hits the market on July 1. 

Ferraro is the NHL's top pending UFA left-shot defenseman and would have the potential to be a strong addition to the Blackhawks' roster if signed. This is because he is a steady top-four defenseman who plays a heavy game, blocks shots, and contributes a bit of offense from the point. With this, he would have the potential to be a nice pickup for the Blackhawks as they look to be more competitive in 2026-27. 

Ferraro's age also adds to his appeal, as he is only 27 years old. With this, he has multiple years left in his prime and would be a good fit on a Blackhawks club that is focused on the future. 

Ferraro is coming off a solid season with the Sharks, too. In 82 games this campaign with the Pacific Division club, he posted seven goals, 23 points, 137 hits, and 150 blocks. With numbers like these, he provides a bit of everything from the point.

Ultimately, with the Blackhawks' blueline needing a boost, Ferraro is a player who they should strongly consider pursuing. Let's see if they do just that from here. 

Colorado Avalanche fans have spent weeks debating whether Jared Bednar should stay or go, but the conversation could always be worse.

Just ask the Edmonton Oilers, whose reported interest in Mike Babcock has prompted the NHL Players' Association to push for the league to revisit the coach's controversial past before he lands another job.

The Debate Around Bednar Suddenly Looks Different

According to multiple reports, the NHLPA has asked the league to examine Babcock's brief and turbulent tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets before Edmonton—or any other franchise—is allowed to make him its next head coach.

The request surfaced after reports connected Babcock to the Oilers' coaching vacancy, with two people familiar with the discussions telling The Associated Press that the union wants the NHL to take another look at the circumstances that ended his last opportunity before it truly began. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because the conversations remain private.

Whether the league has officially reopened its previous investigation is unclear, but any coaching hire must ultimately receive NHL approval.

Babcock's stint in Columbus lasted less than three months.

Hired in July 2023 with hopes of restoring a struggling franchise, he resigned before coaching a single regular-season game after reports emerged that he had asked players to share personal photos from their phones as a way of getting to know them. What was intended as a team-building exercise quickly became a league-wide controversy, with players questioning professional boundaries and the union stepping in.

"Our players deserve to be treated with respect in the workplace," NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said then. "Unfortunately, that was not the case in Columbus. The club’s decision to move forward with a new head coach is the appropriate course of action."

The players' association conducted its own review of the situation, while the NHL chose not to continue its planned investigation once Babcock resigned.

Now, nearly three years later, his name is once again circulating in coaching rumors.

The Oilers are searching for a replacement after surprisingly moving on from Kris Knoblauch following a first-round playoff exit, despite reaching the Stanley Cup Final in each of the previous two seasons. If Edmonton ultimately decides Babcock deserves another chance, it appears the NHLPA wants every question from his Columbus departure answered first.

A Second Chance Comes With Plenty Of Questions

It isn't the first time Babcock's methods have drawn criticism.

After the Toronto Maple Leafs fired him early in the 2019-20 season, reports surfaced that he asked a player to rank teammates from hardest-working to least-hardest-working before sharing those rankings with the locker room. The story became another example cited by former players who described an environment built on intimidation rather than motivation.

Former Detroit Red Wings forward Johan Franzen was among Babcock's harshest critics, telling a Swedish publication that Babcock was "the worst person" he had ever met and revealing there were times he was terrified to go to the rink.

Those accounts have dramatically reshaped the public perception of a coach who once stood among hockey's most respected figures.

Babcock's résumé remains difficult to ignore. The 63-year-old led the Detroit Red Wings to the Stanley Cup in 2008, reached another Final in 2009, guided the Anaheim Ducks to the championship series in 2003, and coached Canada to consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014.

Edmonton has already explored other options during its coaching search. The organization requested permission to speak with Bruce Cassidy, but the Vegas Golden Knights denied that request because Cassidy remains under contract through next season.

The decision frustrated the NHL Coaches' Association, although Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly defended Vegas' position.

"We don’t find it unreasonable because we’re allowing it to happen," he said. "I do think Vegas is clearly within their contractual rights to do what they’re doing."

For Avalanche fans frustrated by another playoff disappointment, the debate surrounding Bednar isn't likely to disappear anytime soon. But as Edmonton weighs the possibility of bringing one of hockey's most polarizing figures back behind an NHL bench, Colorado's coaching conversation suddenly feels far less chaotic.

In hockey, as in life, the game of what if’s can go just about any direction possible.

By now the story about the end of Jordan Staal’s stint with the Penguins is fairly famous since it gets repeated just about nightly on national hockey telecasts. Which, hey, why not, since it is such a colorful story to tell. News that the Pens traded Staal to Carolina broke on his wedding night in the summer of 2012, while he was surrounded by many teammates in what understandably had to be a crazy and surreal scene. What is often left out of the story for brevity before moving onto other subjects is that Staal decided to reject a 10-year contract offer from Pittsburgh earlier that week and would have been an unrestricted free agent in 2013, so it wasn’t like a major trade on NHL draft night was a true bolt out of nowhere, it just happened to have bad timing since it was when his wedding was scheduled. (Interestingly enough, Staal would soon sign a 10-year contract once traded to the Hurricanes with a $6.0 million cap hit, the exact offer that was on the table from the Pens).

So, in that sense, what was done was about the only result that could have happened, pragmatically-speaking. Pittsburgh made their best shot to keep Staal, and at the time he felt it in his best interests to decline. The only real ‘what if’ has to start based around changing Staal’s answer in the first place.

Which leads to the great hypothetical: what if Staal would have signed with the Penguins in 2012?

The first issue to confront and address would be the NHL’s salary cap in 2013-14, when the new contract would have kicked in. It was set at $64.3 million. Adding Staal at a $6 million cap would have been 9.3% of the salary cap, which to put into today’s dollars on a $104 million cap would be the equivalent of a $10.1 million cap hit.

Add Staal to Crosby and Malkin (each at 13.5% of the cap, $8.7m hits, with Malkin increasing to $9.5m in 2014-15) plus Marc-Andre Fleury and Paul Martin’s matching $5m hits would have taken up 52% of the total space in 2013-14 for just those five players. A massive problem in the latter part of the Ray Shero era was finding enough talent to create a quality team around their star players, retaining Staal would have compounded that issue even further, likely to negative results for the club’s overall success in that 2013-18 range (did anything good end up happening then for the Pens?).

Had Staal stayed, the shape of the Penguins would have had to morph drastically as a result. That might start with Chris Kunitz, Pittsburgh had Kunitz re-sign in 2013 for a $3.85 million cap hit for 2014-15 (at the time the Malkin+Letang increases kicked in). Jam Staal into the Pens’ structure and that would have made for a sticky situation to keep Kunitz. A $3.85 million contract might not sound like a lot from the 2026 perspective, but back then that was 5.6% of the cap, comparable to $5.8 million in today’s cap dollars. (And, let’s not forget both Crosby+Malkin would be at $13.5m each in today’s dollars. Throw Staal’s $10 in there and suddenly we can understand the math isn’t adding up for someone like Kunitz).

Going down that rabbit hole, beyond just someone like Kunitz – the possibility can’t be dismissed that Pittsburgh keeping Staal would directly tie to having to shed one of Malkin or Kris Letang in the 2013 or 2014 range prior to their next contracts in 2014-15. Letang’s 10.5% of the cap contract in 2014-15 is almost an $11 million contract in 2026-27 dollars. At some point it was fated to become an inevitability that the core of high picks of Fleury-Malkin-Crosby-Staal couldn’t be retained indefinitely in those early days of a restrictive salary cap once they got into their high-earning days. The way the timing and contract lengths worked out it ended up being be Staal as the first to go due to his unrestricted free agency coming up the soonest.

There’s more possibilities for change in every area you look. Staal staying with the Pens could have altered whether or not the Pens acquired Brendan Morrow the following spring in 2013. That proved significant since of the pick Dallas sent to Pittsburgh ended up being used on Jake Guentzel, and Pittsburgh wouldn’t have been in position to select Guentzel without having that pick. Therefore, it’s conceivable that keeping Staal could have changed the course of the franchise in ways both obvious and under the surface. Changing any one decision can have a cascading effect down the line for everything else that is to come in ways large and small. That’s deep into the butterfly flapping its wings causing a tornado on the other side of the continent, but the direct line can be traced just the same.

The other glaring result without requiring a deep dive is that Brian Dumoulin and Nick Bonino were added to the organization via the Staal trade (Dumoulin coming directly from Carolina, Bonino traded for Brandon Sutter, a piece Pittsburgh got for Staal) and those two were instrumental in the 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cups. Dropping Staal meant increasing the team’s depth, eventually leading to success. It’s possible there’s a path that includes keeping Staal leads to championships in the mid-2010’s, but it would be difficult to do the same or better than how the reality played out – with the Staal trade leaving no small lasting effect on the Pens.

In the end, without the benefit of viewing a parallel universe to see how it all played out under slightly different circumstances, we ultimately couldn’t say for sure what would have happened if Jordan Staal agreed to a contract with the Penguins. Maybe the Pens don’t have Malkin and never drafted Guentzel. It also doesn’t have to be negative, maybe the Pens would have traded for some excellent players that we can’t even fathom now because their focus was changed. Literally any potential scenario is possible once getting into that realm, without any one clear path.

Regardless of exactly how the Pens with Staal post-2012 would have panned out, it is indisputable that a large number of team construction decisions would have been different to make it all work with the salary cap. Without going too off the rails, we can take comfort that fate generally worked out the best for all parties- especially now that Staal has seen his 14 years in Carolina pay off by helping get them within reach of a Stanley Cup. In the end, Staal’s choice not to sign with the Pens and Pittsburgh’s use of the resources they got from him helped to bring two more Stanley Cups to Western Pennsylvania, while also sending out what would have been a very successful and popular player away from the team that drafted him, allowing him to get onto his next chapter that’s still being written.

But we can always stop to wonder how it might have gone if that decision was different..

Sometimes the most important trophy a player wins never finds a spot in the display case.

Rasmus Dahlin returned to Sweden this summer without a Norris Trophy or a Masterton Trophy, but after navigating the most demanding year of his career—both as the captain of a rising Buffalo Sabres team and as someone who nearly lost the person closest to him—the 25-year-old leaves the season with something far more valuable: proof that he and the Sabres are finally headed in the right direction.

The 2025-26 campaign delivered a pair of career milestones for Dahlin, who earned his first top-three finish for both the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman and the Masterton Trophy, awarded for perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

Just as meaningful was another first.

For the first time in his NHL career, Dahlin experienced Stanley Cup Playoff hockey, and it didn't take long for the moment to feel surprisingly familiar.

“It took me a couple of games to realize it's not that big of a deal," Dahlin stated during his end-of-season press conference. "Everybody talks about playoffs, that you need experience and this and that. But at the end of the day, it's just hockey. It's high compete hockey, and once me, and we realized that, we just went out there and played."

More than anything, Buffalo's captain believes the postseason proved something internally—that the Sabres belong.

“We definitely took a step in the right direction," Dahlin said. "We've really grown as an organization, as a team, as individuals. It's a sour taste in your mouth after that [Game 7] loss [to Montreal], but in the big picture, we've done some good things this year. I'm excited for the future.”

How One Brutal Conversation Changed The Buffalo Sabres' Entire Season

That optimism doesn't erase the disappointment.

Buffalo had every opportunity to eliminate Montreal and punch its ticket to the Eastern Conference Final against Carolina before three losses at KeyBank Center ultimately ended the season. The Game 7 overtime defeat remains fresh, but Dahlin expects that pain to become fuel rather than frustration.

“It's definitely going to be a motivator," he said. "At the end of the day, we didn't even come halfway during the playoffs, and we know how hard it is to win.

“Game 7, it's one shot that decides the whole season, and we could've scored a little earlier and the season would've been still going. So I'm sure everybody is going to go back to their places and train really hard.”

The foundation for Buffalo's turnaround, however, wasn't built during the playoffs.

It began months earlier in Calgary, when head coach Lindy Ruff met privately with his leadership group. Dahlin then gathered those same players for an honest conversation as the Sabres sat at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

There were no excuses left to make.

“The meetings and team building stuff we had, and us coming together as a group and realizing, 'OK, we can bitch about so many things, but it's us players that have to do it. We have to get better.' And when we really, really realized that on a deep level, things changed, and we started being more accountable to each other,” Dahlin recalled.

That accountability wasn't about systems or strategy.

It started with the mirror.

"It's everything," he explained. "You can only imagine that when you're doing great, everything else is the problem. 'Not me. He is not doing the right thing, or this or that.' But when you look at yourself in the mirror, that's what it comes down to.”

The results followed.

Buffalo improved by 30 points over last season, with Ruff's demanding approach helping establish a culture that Dahlin believes brought out the best in the group.

“He's so good at pushing us. There's no time for f'ing around. You gotta be uncomfortable every day, and I think that's what really helped with us as a group too, and that brought a lot of success for sure,” Dahlin said.

After Heartbreak On And Off The Ice, Rasmus Dahlin Is Just Getting Started

For Dahlin, the season carried a much deeper perspective than wins and losses.

Last summer, his fiancée, Carolina Matovac, nearly died multiple times from heart failure before receiving a life-saving heart transplant. Throughout that ordeal, Dahlin says the support from Buffalo never went unnoticed.

“I can't be more thankful for everything with the stuff I went through," he said. "It seemed like the whole city had my back, and the team and the organization, I felt a lot of love, honestly. I can't be more thankful, and I do really appreciate it.”

There won't be much downtime this offseason.

Like every elite player, Dahlin is already thinking about the next step, and he knows exactly where he wants to improve.

“I'm excited to get back in the gym, get more explosive, get faster, have better condition, be able to play higher quality in higher minutes. But I think my explosiveness has to get better," Dahlin said candidly.

The hardware may have gone elsewhere—finishing behind Cale Makar and Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski while Gabriel Landeskog claimed the Masterton—but Dahlin's breakout season felt less like the peak of his career than the beginning of something much bigger.

For the first time in years, both the Sabres and their captain have something they've been chasing just as long as a trophy: genuine belief.

The 2026 NHL Draft is another day closer, meaning it's time to take a look at another prospect who could be available when the Pittsburgh Penguins are on the clock with the No. 22 pick. 

Today's prospect profile focuses on the game of J.P. Hurlbert, with whom the Penguins are very familiar, as he was on the same team as defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke this past season. 

Both players played for the WHL's Kamloops Blazers and had fantastic seasons, especially Hurlbert, who finished with 42 goals and 97 points in 68 games. He also compiled one goal and three points in four playoff games. 

Hurlbert is outstanding at entering the offensive zone with control and can even bounce off/evade contact in those situations. One of my favorite examples of this was during a Blazers game against the Seattle Thunderbirds, when he entered the zone in a 1v1 situation. He made a move on the Thunderbirds defenseman who tried to knock him off the puck and went right around him before going to his forehand at the net-front and jammed the puck home on the rebound. 

It was an unbelievable goal, and he made sure to deliver an epic celebration after. The goal also showed his ability to drive to the net, which was on tape throughout the season. He's not afraid to throw a good dangle in there, either. 

Don't sleep on Hurlbert's board play, either. He's very strong in that area and its hard for defenders to knock the puck off him. A good example of this was when Kamloops played Seattle again a bit later in the season. Hurlbert was battling for the puck along the boards and was sandwiched between two players before getting through both of them. He corralled the puck and took it to the net before scoring on his own rebound. 

When it comes to his shot, he can really rifle the puck. Whether there's traffic in front or not, he knows where to pick holes in any goaltender that he faces. The puck also comes off his stick super quickly. 

As a playmaker, Hurlbert has excellent vision and can anticipate a player being in a certain position before he's fully there. His strong hockey IQ also factors into that. 

Hurlbert was at the NHL Combine in Buffalo last week and confirmed to reporters that he met with the Penguins. He felt that the meeting went well. 

"Yeah, it was really cool," Hurlbert said. "They're one of the teams that use video, so you have to be confident in your answer, learn from your mistakes. We're all human, so everybody's got them. Just being open and vulnerable to that situation is a big one."

He also appreciated the honest feedback during the meeting.

"Yeah, I think that's what makes you better," Hurlbert said. "I think it's called tough love. You have to have it to keep getting better. At the end of the day, they're the guys who make the decision when you're ready to play in the NHL, so I think listening is a very key detail."

Penguins' Goaltender Named To 2025-26 AHL Top Prospects TeamA Pittsburgh Penguins' top goaltending propsect continues to rack up accolades after what was an impressive rookie season in the AHL.

I still think Hurlbert's two-way game and his first burst as a skater need some work, and I think both have the opportunity to improve when he plays for Michigan next season. Michigan is one of the best college hockey programs in the United States and has a long history of producing NHL players. 

There's a decent chance that Hurlbert will still be on the board when the Penguins are on the clock, and it'll be up to them to decide if they want to take a chance on him. 

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