Marchand grateful for Stanley Cup chance with Panthers after ‘stressful' season originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Brad Marchand is now four wins away from his second Stanley Cup title, something that has eluded him for more than a decade.

He has made a seamless transition to the Panthers lineup after being sent to Florida on trade deadline day in March following 16 seasons with the Boston Bruins.

The veteran forward has played his role on the third line alongside Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen almost flawlessly. Marchand has tallied 14 points in 17 playoff games for the Panthers so far. The only player with more postseason points than Marchand since 2011 is Nikita Kucherov.

But the 2024-25 campaign hasn’t been easy for the 37-year-old left wing. The first five months of the season with the Bruins were filled with challenges.

For the first time in nearly a decade, the B’s were not a playoff-caliber team. Marchand is also in the final year of his contract, and he wasn’t able to work out an extension with the Bruins before the trade deadline.

“It was stressful in a lot of senses, just because some of them were situations I really hadn’t been in before, and I wouldn’t say I dealt with them great,” Marchand told reporters at Stanley Cup Final media day in Edmonton on Tuesday, per Sportsnet.

“The business side of it, I let it frustrate me, and then obviously our team wasn’t having the success we expected. And we were having a hard time getting back on track.

“Eventually we did, and we thought we were climbing back into a playoff position, and then we kind of fell apart. There were different hurdles that continued to get frustrating and stressful throughout the year.

“But that’s part of the game, and you’ve got to find ways to deal with it. Like I said, I wish I had done a better job at times, but something I can learn from.”

Marchand won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011 — his first full season as an NHL player. He played on a lot of other great Bruins teams, including two that reached the Cup Final in 2013 and 2019, but Boston lost both series.

Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images

Now that he’s back in the Cup Final for the fourth time — with Game 1 against the Edmonton Oilers set for Wednesday — he’s making sure he appreciates the opportunity in front of him, because you never know if it will ever come again.

“With the things that went on this year and how I ended up here — just so many things can happen that you don’t expect, and you never know when you’re going to have another opportunity like this,” Marchand told reporters at media day Tuesday, including Sportsnet’s Luke Fox.

“I’m just so grateful to be part of a group like this. And even if you take the finals out of it, just to be part of the group. It’s been an incredible experience, and one that I was little worried about, and didn’t know how I was going to come into the team, if I was going to be able to gel with everyone. I’m extremely grateful for it — and really, really excited about it.”

Marchand’s future is unknown. He is able to hit free agency for the first time in his career this summer. Overall, it’s a fairly weak free agent class, and Marchand could be one of the top players available if he hits the open market.

Marchand might not be a first-line player anymore, but this playoff run with the Panthers has proven that he still makes a tremendous impact on winning at the most important time of the year. He can score, defend, contribute to special teams, and his leadership is fantastic.

Marchand is, in many ways, the ideal final piece for a team that’s close to winning a championship and just needs a little more depth and experience.

Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If the Philadelphia Flyers are still looking to trade up in the 2025 NHL Draft, they could potentially have more than one trade partner willing to strike a deal.

By now, we've all hypothesized and speculated on the rumors that the San Jose Sharks could move down from the No. 2 overall pick, and we know the Flyers were exploring trading up for a player like Cayden Lindstrom or Ivan Demidov in the 2024 draft.

Recently, it has been reported that the Utah Mammoth, holders of the fourth overall pick in 2025, could be open to trading their top draft selection for a young top-six forward that has proven himself at the NHL level.

"The Utah Mammoth are believed to be open to moving the fourth-overall pick," David Pagnotta of NHL Network and The Fourth Period reported Friday. "Some believe Utah GM Bill Armstrong will consider trading the pick for a young top-six, NHL-proven forward."

That's a cost that won't strike the Flyers lightly, but it is one they could easily pay if the price is right.

Tyson Foerster, coming off his second consecutive 20-goal season at the NHL level, has the 6-foot-2 frame that fits the bill for Utah and just signed a two-year contract extension with the Flyers that comes without trade protection and without a significant price tag.

The Flyers love Foerster, yes, but if trades were always one-sided, everyone would make them. Would Philadelphia prefer two years of Foerster to the fourth and sixth picks in the 2025 draft with the potential to land, say, Caleb Desnoyers and Porter Martone?

Another player who fits the bill, as mentioned almost ad nauseam, is Owen Tippett. At the age of 26, Tippett is a bit older than the 23-year-old Foerster, but he has some qualities that would make him equally appealing.

NHL Trade Rumors: Flyers Can Get Their Own 'Star' in Jason RobertsonIf the Philadelphia Flyers are truly looking to swing the big trade this offseason, they need not look further than the Dallas Stars, who might have a former 100-point winger hitting the NHL trade market in short order.

The former No. 10 overall pick possesses blazing speed and a menacing shot, but inconsistency and a lack of progression sometimes leave Flyers fans frustrated.

Still, Tippett has 20, 27, and 28-goal seasons under his belt, including his breakout 53-point campaign just a year ago. There's reason to believe the Flyers talisman can still become a 30-goal, 60-point player, and the Mammoth are ready to take the leap that the Flyers are not quite ready for yet.

Another item to consider: Tippett has finished each of the last three seasons with 115 hits or more, and his 115 hits this season placed fourth on the Flyers behind only Nick Seeler, Garnet Hathaway, and Scott Laughton. His game of speed, physicality, and power makes him a perfect fit for what Utah is trying to do.

Plus, Tippett will have a 10-team no-trade list come into effect in his contract next July, so the Flyers must quickly decide if the pacey sniper is staying in Philadelphia for the long haul.

And if Foerster or Tippett were hypothetically deemed insufficient on their own, the Flyers could always pony up the Oilers' first-round pick - 31st or 32nd - or a second-round pick to get the deal over the line.

The Flyers are looking to quickly accelerate the rebuild to start winning games, and with a lack of star power at the center and defense positions, acquiring the Mammoth's No. 4 pick in addition to their own No. 6 pick could open some possibilities previously thought to be impossible.

Now, the only question is, is the 2025 draft the stage the Flyers are looking for to execute this type of move?

The Toronto Maple Leafs could be after another coach to join their bench after associate coach Lane Lambert's departure.

Lambert, who joined Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube's staff last summer as an associate coach (the first of its kind in Toronto), headed the club's penalty kill. Toronto's PK finished the regular season at 77.9 percent, the 17th-best in the NHL.

He vacated his post last week to become head coach of the Seattle Kraken, leaving many to wonder whether the Maple Leafs would fill that spot again. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts, it sounds like they might be doing so.

"I believe Joe Sacco was told he will not stay as the head coach of the Boston Bruins," Friedman said. "I’m actually kind of wondering if he could end up in Toronto, in place of Lane Lambert. We’ll see. But I’m under the impression he was told he won’t be staying."

Sacco was named interim head coach of the Boston Bruins after Jim Montgomery was fired following an 8-9-3 start this past season. The club went 25-30-7 in the final 62 games of the season with a new head coach at the helm, while also trading key pieces in Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, and Brandon Carlo at the trade deadline.

Tanev, Gourde Contracts And Deferred Money Provide A Blueprint For Maple Leafs To Re-Sign John TavaresJohn Tavares wants to stay in Toronto. The former Maple Leafs captain made that clear when speaking to reporters shortly after his team was eliminated in the second round at the hands of the three-time defending Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers. This desire, coupled with the Maple Leafs' cap constraints, begs the question: How can both sides find common ground? Reportedly, the Maple Leafs would welcome him back, but not at the hefty $11 million per season salary cap hit that came with his first contract in Toronto. Recent contracts signed by other players offer a compelling glimpse into potential solutions.

Sacco, who just finished his 11th season with the club, headed the team's penalty kill before being elevated to head coach. Boston had the seventh-best penalty kill last during the 2023-24 season, operating at 82.5 percent.

Before joining the Bruins in the summer of 2014, Sacco was an assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres. Prior to that job, though, the 56-year-old spent four seasons as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche.

His record with Colorado through 294 games as head coach was 130-134-30.

Former Maple Leafs Defenseman Mark Giordano To Coach NHL Top Prospect Matthew SchaeferMark Giordano has been busy since last playing in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Toronto's current coaching staff sees Berube at the helm, assistant coach Marc Savard manning the forward group and power play, and another assistant, Mike Van Ryn, leading the defense. Savard joined the organization last summer, while Van Ryn, who won the Stanley Cup with Berube on the St. Louis Blues, joined Toronto in the summer of 2023.

The Maple Leafs also have Curtis Sanford, who's been with the club since July 2022, as their goaltending coach.

It remains unknown whether Toronto will go ahead and fill this position once again. However, if Friedman thinks out loud about whether Sacco would fit in Toronto, it likely means the Maple Leafs are hunting for someone to fill Lambert's role.

---

Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

This time last year the story of the Stanley Cup final between Florida and Edmonton was mostly about Connor McDavid, hockey’s generational talent, getting the chance to bring the Cup back to hockey’s generational home. And it almost went his way, after the Oilers overcame a three-game deficit to force a deciding Game 7. Instead, McDavid’s win came a little later. His series-winning goal against the US in February’s Four Nations Cup amid the febrile nationalism created by Donald Trump’s annexation threats and tariffs seemed to quiet the doubters about where hockey both belonged and who rightly owned its highest honours. But here we are again, on the eve of the final, with the Oilers back in Florida for the second season in a row – Game 1 is on Wednesday night – and with a team from that state contending for the Cup for the sixth straight year.

The easiest way to explain why the Tampa Bay Lightning (2020-22) and Florida Panthers (2023-25) have each reached the Stanley Cup final as Eastern Conference champions in three consecutive seasons is that, well, they have both been very good teams. You can point to some common elements between the two, like scoring depth, a certain level of tenacity and grit, elite Russian goaltending, and Carter Verhaeghe. But there has also been something less obvious or quantifiable about these teams. Some characteristic that they share, beyond the on-ice talent and performance. It may be Florida itself.

Related: Stuck on repeat: NHL’s playoff format keeps delivering déjà vu matchups

There’s the income tax rate, for one thing, in that there isn’t one. Given that, the common refrain goes, Florida teams have an inherent advantage when free agents are looking for a new place to play. Indeed, Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois confirmed it last summer, telling reporters that Florida’s “favourable tax situation” had helped entice players to sign. The Associated Press ran the numbers on Sam Reinhart’s new deal at $8.625m per year. In Florida, he will owe $3.15m in annual taxes – $1.1m less than if he lived in California, and $1.4m less than if he was in Toronto. Then again, there are no state income taxes in Tennessee, either, and Nashville finished third-last in the NHL last year. None in Texas, either. No Cups there recently. Nor in Washington. So, maybe there’s more to it – less bureaucratic and more geographic reasons, like the beach and the weather. Or it could be the vibe.

“Nothing in Florida is ever quite what it seems,” former Tampa Bay Tribune reporter Craig Pittman wrote in his book about the state, adding that “in Florida, the crimes tend to be weirder and the scams bigger.” Florida is where all the “nation’s unctuous elements tend to trickle down as if [it] were the grease trap under America’s George Foreman grill,” Kent Russell wrote in the New York Times. Both writers made those assessments in the summer of 2016. Since then, Florida has had quite the decade. And even for what was already America’s strangest state, it’s been an interesting few years. Much of that is due to Donald Trump’s ascension to the US presidency – twice – not in his original big-suited, big-dealing New York City tycoon form, but as something much weirder, angrier, and noticeably more sunkissed: that is, as a kind of alpha Florida Man.

Of course, all of that might have had little or nothing to do with hockey had it not been for Trump’s personal vendetta against Canada this year, all but vowing to annex it as the 51st state. Or if Wayne Gretzky wasn’t such a staunch Trump supporter – a fact that has made him persona non grata in the country he once led to Olympic gold. Or if Gary Bettman (and Gretzky) hadn’t been hanging out with Trump-nominated FBI director Kash Patel at Capitals games. Or if a Panthers minority owner hadn’t called a Toronto Maple Leafs supporter an “51st anti semite loser” on X last month. But all that stuff did happen, both setting and capturing the tone of the season, hounded at every turn by a Florida Man. To no small degree, it would make an Oilers win all the more satisfying for many Canadians.

Still, even if none of that off-ice stuff had happened, there is still undeniably a high level of that brash, unapologetic, and moderately crazed Florida attitude in the Panthers. They might not all be men from Florida, but they sure feel like Florida Men. It’s by sheer coincidence that the Panthers’ spirit animal is not the team’s namesake cat but is instead a rat. But let’s be honest, it fits with how many see the team (and not just because Brad “the rat” Marchand plays there now – that’s just fate). Because, as much as you might respect the rat’s hustle or its capacity to survive against long odds – as the Panthers did during their 2023 Cup run, beating the seemingly unbeatable Boston Bruins in the first round – most of the time you want them to go away for ever.

Yet, the life of a rat is also a story of a certain kind of success. It’s no easy feat to find your way when everyone hates you. Still harder to do it more than once. “Part of Florida’s appeal is that it’s the Land of a Thousand Chances, the place where people go who have screwed up elsewhere and need to start over,” Pittman wrote. He was thinking of guys like Carlo Ponzi, creator of the Ponzi scheme. But you could just as easily point to someone like Verhaeghe, who spent six years in the AHL and ECHL after being drafted before the Lightning and Panthers gave him a chance. Now he’s a two-time Cup winner.

Connor McDavid and the Oilers have a second chance in Florida now, too. Another opportunity to make the rats go away. Of course, that won’t be easy. The Panthers are relentlessly tenacious, with an aggressive offensive pinch. They’re gritty, some may even say dirty. And they’ve proven that they can scrape and scramble to the top. Just like the state they call home.

Well, folks, it's all down to two teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

And both teams happen to be employing former Pittsburgh Penguins.

Earlier in the playoffs, we provided you with a comprehensive guide to former Penguins participating in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now that it's offically down to three players between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, how has each player fared thus far?

---

Evan Rodrigues (Florida Panthers)

Rodrigues did miss two games during Florida's second-round matchup to the Toronto Maple Leafs due to injury, but otherwise, he has thrived.

The 31-year-old ex-Penguin - who was on the club's NHL roster for three seasons from 2019-22 - has registered a goal and 11 points in 15 games in a top-six role. 

Suffice to say, Rodrigues is doing pretty well for himself in the sunshine state.

Dmitry Kulikov (Florida Panthers)

Even if it might not be in quite the same way, Kulikov has had a good run in the playoffs for the Cats.

He has a goal and four points to go along with a plus-1 in 17 playoff games, and he has provided a steadying presence on the bottom pairing's right side.

Kulikov wasn't a Penguin for long - he played in only six games post-deadline in 2022-23 due to injury - but he was always a solid depth option and has proven that in this year's postseason.

Kasperi Kapanen (Edmonton Oilers)

Kapanen did not even appear in a playoff game for the Oilers until Game 4 against the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round. 

But he's played an important role since. 

The 28-year-old right winger - who was with the Penguins from 2020-23 until getting placed on waivers and claimed by the St. Louis Blues - has three goals in seven games since the first one, and this includes a series-clinching overtime goal against Vegas in Game 5. 

The Finnish forward was earned his stay in the lineup as the Stanley Cup Final is set to begin Wednesday in Edmonton.

Your Guide To Ex-Penguins In The 2025 NHL PlayoffsThe Pittsburgh Penguins may not be participating in the Stanley Cup playoffs this season.

---

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!    

What felt like an extremely long wait is finally coming to an end.

The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers are set to face off in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night from Rogers Place.

What promises to be an exciting series is a rematch of last year’s seven-game grudgematch that saw each team win three straight before an exciting, deciding seventh game in Sunrise.

It’s the first Final rematch since 2008 and 2009, when the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings split their matchups and each won a Cup.

That’s the result Edmonton will be hoping for as they seek the team’s first championship since 1990 and the first for a team from Canada since 1993.

The Panthers will be looking to join a rare group of teams to win back-to-back Stanley Cups.

Interestingly, the last one to do it was the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021, as the Panthers and Lightning have now accounted for the past six Eastern Conference appearances in the Stanley Cup Final.

Injury-wise, the biggest news heading into the series is the loss of forward Zach Hyman by the Oilers after he suffered a season-ending upper-body injury during the Western Conference Final against Dallas.

The Panthers enter the series fairly healthy, save for forward A.J. Greer, who is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

He has skated on his own this week but has not practiced with the team, with Jesper Boqvist taking his spot on the fourth line.

If Greer doesn’t play, it would be the third time Boqvist is called into the lineup to replace an injured forward during Florida’s playoff run.

During the previous two occurrences, against Toronto for Evan Rodrigues and against Carolina for Sam Reinhart, Boqvist combined to log two goals and three assists in the two games he returned from an absence.

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Game 1 in Edmonton:

Evan Rodrigues – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand

Jesper Boqvist – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich

Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Nate Schmidt – Dmitry Kulikov

Scratches: Mackie Samoskevich, Uvis Balinskis, A.J. Greer, Nico Sturm, Jaycob Megna

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

Examining how Panthers, Oilers stack up for Stanley Cup Final rematch

Panthers Captain Sasha Barkov joins rare company, winning Selke Award and King Clancy Trophy in same season

Oilers' Connor McDavid Says This About Panthers Before Final

Matthew Tkachuk Makes Big Statement About Panthers & Oilers

Here we go again: South Florida columnist calls out Connor McDavid for second straight year

Photo caption: Jun 18, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates scoring against Edmonton Oilers goaltender Skinner Stuart (74) with Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) during the second period in game five of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)

All eyes are on Edmonton.

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final is scheduled for Wednesday June 4th. However, on Tuesday a host of players participated in Media Day.

One of those players was former Detroit Red Wings defender Jake Walman.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

The Hockey News had the pleasure of participating in the event. I was able to speak to Walman during the event.

Trending Red Wings Stories

3 Special Red Wings Prospects That Are UntouchableIt’s time to do work.

Every Former Red Wings Player In The Cup Final

3 Red Wings Prospects Ready For The Big Leagues

Could Jonathan Toews Become Latest Ex-Blackhawk to Jump to Detroit?

Ex-Red Wing Jake Walman Perfect Fit With New Team

4 Free Agent Defenders Yzerman Has To Actually AvoidThe shiny new object is not always the best one.

He spoke at length many topics: what it felt like to be traded to the Edmonton Oilers, Connor McDavid, who he was cheering for last year, Stuart Skinner, a recent interaction with some Oilers fans and more.

Do Red Wings fans want to read more content on Walman? What kind of things are you interested in reading about from the availability?

Caleb Kerney (@CKerneyWriter) on XI spoke to Jake Walman today at the NHL Media Day ahead of Game 1 of the #StanleyCupFinals. Walman said that his mom's uncle is Jake LaMotta. Jake LaMotta is the boxing legend who was portrayed by Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull, a film directed by Martin Scorsese. #LetsGoOilers

Let us know in the comments what you would like to read about. And vote in the poll to let us know your thoughts!

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites. 

There are some very good players available in NHL free agency this summer.  Toronto Maple Leafs stars Mitch Marner and John Tavares are looming UFAs, as is Vancouver Canucks star winger Brock Boeser. But with that said, let's be honest -- this year's group of free agents isn't particularly deep with high-end talent. And that may result in some teams waiting until the summer of 2026 to spend the bulk of their salary cap space. But the Buffalo Sabres can't afford to be patient and wait until then to improve their lineup. The change for the Sabres has to come right away.

To be sure, it will be tempting for the Sabres to punt the ball down the line and take bigger swings at free agents a year from now. The 2026 class of free agents is much more tantalizing, including superstars Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, Jack Eichel and Artemi Panarin. But who's kidding who -- the Sabres aren't going to be a destination for players of that caliber. For various reasons -- the lack of winning paramount among them -- Buffalo will be a distant second (or worse) in the minds of star players and their agents. So pretending that waiting a year will somehow lead to a gold mine of talent is about as disingenuous as it gets.

This is why the Sabres have to get off their wallet and use every dollar available to them this summer. Buffalo currently has $23.2 million in salary cap space, and while some of that will go to restricted free agents J.J. Peterka and Bowen Byram, there will still be more than enough cap space to add more skill and experience to the roster. Whether they acquire that in free agency or trades is immaterial. The bottom line is the status quo in Buffalo is not an option. And skimping on their payroll is only going to fuel the fire of Sabres fans who believe the team will never succeed with its current ownership.

By the time the free-agency race kicks into high gear on July 1, the Sabres have to be aggressive and persistent when it comes to the players they target. Nobody wants to hear excuses about the things that hamstring Buffalo management in making the team better. This rebuilding plan cannot wait another year, or another minute, for that matter. There has to be legitimate progress, right away. 

Maybe that means kicking the tires on someone like Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri. Maybe it means checking on the availability of Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras, or maybe it means pursuing New York Rangers RFA defenseman K'Andre Miller.  We're not suggsting any of those players would welcome a deal to Buffalo. 

But doing nothing? That's bordering on an unforgivable offense. The Sabres aren't going to end their 14-year-playoff-free streak by sitting back and hoping their current cast can get the job done. They need to alter the chemistry and show players that losing will no longer be tolerated. And you don't do that by bringing back the same group of players to try again.

Stars Veteran Forward Would Be Solid Pickup For SabresThe Buffalo Sabres need to be a significantly different team next season. Whether it's via free-agency or trades, the changes to Buffalo's roster have to be extensive. And Mikael Granlund -- a veteran center who revitalized his NHL career with the Dallas Stars this season -- should definitely be a free-agent target for the Sabres.

Sabres fans have been through enough calls for patience. The NHL is a results-driven business, and positive results are the only metric Buffalo supporters will be happy with.

And while throwing money at a problem isn't a guarantee that the problem is going to be addressed, doing something on the cheap isn't a guarantee things will get better, either. And waiting for the class of 2026 isn't an assurance of anything. Many of the aforementioned superstars could sign long-term contract extensions long before then.

It may be a comfort to some to envision a day where the Sabres will be an attractive destination for NHL players. But that day isn't going to be in 2026, and it definitely isn't going to be today. Buffalo has to take the bull by the horns, own where they are in the NHL food chain, and do whatever possible to improve right away. 

Minnesota Wild Youngster Is Going To Be Well-Paid This Summer -- But It Shouldn't Be By The SabresThe Buffalo Sabres have their own collection of restricted free agent players to deal with this summer -- most notably, defenseman Bowen Byram and left winger J.J. Peterka -- and although the Sabres have more than enough salary cap space to make a splash ($23.2 million, as per Puck Pedia), one looming RFA who is getting a lot of attention of late is one they should absolutely steer clear of.

Any other philosophy will almost assuredly going to lead to more disappointment and more fan anger. And whatever money they save in the short term by not spending to the cap ceiling will be lost in the areas of public relations and customer content.

The Sabres need to spend their money right away, and any argument to the contrary is not going to go over well with those long-suffering Buffalo fans. The team's pocketbook needs to be wide-open, and it needs to be so until further notice.

In any playoff series, the stars will be the stars, and the goaltending duels will be integral to wins and losses. 

However, most series also have an unsung hero or X-factor that needs to step up for a team to win. In Edmonton, that could be Trent Frederic. 

Frederic, who joined the Edmonton Oilers this season at the trade deadline, is no stranger to rough stuff. Against the Florida Panthers – a gritty and rough team that has the edge physically on paper in this series – that might be a critical element Frederic must embrace. 

During Frederic’s time with the Boston Bruins, he attempted to reignite tensions during the NHL season opener by trying to fight Matthew Tkachuk. That moment wasn’t just about early-season fireworks – it was a clear callback to last year’s heated playoff series between the Bruins and Panthers. In that second-round matchup, Florida center Sam Bennettknocked Brad Marchand out of the series, fuelling animosity that hadn’t faded. 

Ironically, Marchand now finds himself as a teammate to Bennett and Tkachuk. But for Frederic, this is a chance to prove he’s willing to light those fireworks again. 

The rugged forward has already made his presence felt this post-season, especially during the Oilers’ hard-fought series against the Vegas Golden Knights. 

Frederic dropped the gloves and went slightly viral when he snapped his stick over his own head like it was a twig. He wasn’t an offensive force, but his willingness to stand tall in the face of an aggressive forecheck helped push the Oilers past Vegas. 

Against Florida, he might be ready to raise his impact even higher.

One incident that highlighted Frederic’s ability to get under opponents’ skin came when Vegas forward Nicolas Roy was ejected after cross-checking Frederic in the face, earning a five-minute major and a game misconduct in overtime. 

That sequence showed how Frederic’s physical play and agitator style can force opponents into costly mistakes – a skill that could become even more valuable in a tightly contested Cup final.

While he hasn’t yet delivered his best offensive performance, with one goal and four points in 16 games, this series against the Panthers might be his opportunity to step up and become an unlikely difference-maker. 

Edmonton needs nastiness and physicality to combat Marchand, Tkachuk and Bennett. 

As for facing his former teammate, Marchand, Frederic said it was a bit weird and didn’t really know how to feel about it. 

“If you asked me 10 months ago, I would have jumped on a grenade for the guy, and now, it’s the complete opposite,” he told NHL Network’s E.J. Hradek on Tuesday. “It’s very weird, but that’s the hockey world.”

Frederic will need to put past friendships aside, forget about former teammates and play a key role, one he was brought in to play. 

The Oilers need him to hit and forecheck. Better yet, they need him to try to intimidate players who aren’t easily intimidated. If he can do that, he becomes an X-factor Florida will have to contend with.

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

The excitement is building ahead of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.

This year’s championship series offers a rare rematch of season’s epic seven-game series, which pitted the Florida Panthers against the Edmonton Oilers.

Florida won the first three games, convincingly, before dropping the next three, even more convincingly, and eventually emerging victorious in a Game 7 the hockey gods would’ve been proud of.

The Panthers won that seventh game on home ice, which is a luxury they won’t have this time around should the series go the distance again.

That shouldn’t be an issue for these Panthers, however.

Paul Maurice’s crew has been historically good on the road during this postseason, winning eight of the ten games they’ve played outside of Sunrise by a ridiculous goal differential of plus-27.

That’s right, in those ten away games, Florida has scored an eye-popping 48 times while allowing just 21 goals against.

Conversely, they’ve given up the same amount of goals at home, 18, as they have scored, which makes sense when seeing as though they hold just a 5-4 at Amerant Bank Arena.

One thing that many can agree on is that both teams arrive at this year’s Final better than they were a season ago.

Edmonton is averaging a league best 4.06 goals per game this postseason while the Panthers are putting up 3.88.

Defensively, Florida is allowing 2.29 goals per game, lowest of any playoff team, while the Oilers have given up a similarly stingy 2.81.

It’s to no one’s surprise that Edmonton remains one of the best in the business on the power play.

They enter the Final operating at a 30.0% success rate while on the man advantage, which is actually a tick higher than last postseason.

Florida is also executing at a higher rate during this year’s playoffs than they did last year, rising from 18.5% to 23.2% this postseason.

One of the big differences from last June to now is on the penalty kill.

While the Panthers have remained consistently solid on the PK – last playoffs they killed 88.0% of penalties and this year they’re killing 87.9% - it’s the Oilers who have seen a significant drop-off.

Last year they were lights out, allowing only four power play goals during the entire postseason while killing 94.3% of the power plays they faced.

We’ll see if that element comes into play when the series kicks off on Wednesday night.

Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET from Rogers Place in Edmonton.

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

Panthers Captain Sasha Barkov joins rare company, winning Selke Award and King Clancy Trophy in same season

Oilers' Connor McDavid Says This About Panthers Before Final

Matthew Tkachuk Makes Big Statement About Panthers & Oilers

Here we go again: South Florida columnist calls out Connor McDavid for second straight year

Florida Panthers organization takes part in virtual 5K in support of Gaudreau family

Photo caption: Jun 21, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) controls the puck against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period in game six of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. (Sergei Belski-Imagn Images)

It appears the Pittsburgh Penguins' organization has gotten even deeper at the goaltending position.

On Tuesday, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins - Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate - signed goaltender Maxim Pavlenko to a one-year AHL contract. 

The Penguins have signed goaltender Maxim Pavlenko for the 2025-26 season.https://t.co/dkMY34dN8vpic.twitter.com/irKrdenQep

— x - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) June 3, 2025

Pavlenko, 22, represented Kazakhstan at the IIHF World Championship and appeared in seven games, posting an .881 save percentage behind a defense that didn't offer him much support. He has been in Russia's VHL for the past two seasons with Ryazan HC and has earned a .919 save percentage and two shutouts in that span.

The 6-foot-5, 181-pound netminder will join a goaltending prospect pool that is already pretty deep for Pittsburgh, as Joel Blomqvist, Sergei Murashov, and Filip Larsson - in addition to Taylor Gauthier if he re-signs as a restricted free agent - will already be jostling for positioning in WBS barring any major goaltending shakeup at the NHL level.

Will Joel Blomqvist Be On Penguins' Opening Night Roster?Between injuries and inconsistency, the 2024-25 season was one of ups and downs for Pittsburgh Penguins goaltending prospect Joel Blomqvist. 

---

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab  to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!      

Photo/Logo Credit: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

The NHL’s Stanley Cup final starts Wednesday, and players on the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are making a strong case for winning the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Whether it’s piling up the points like nobody else, coming in with timely contributions, playing well at both ends of the ice or combining skill with grit, the front-runners for the NHL’s playoff MVP award should give us some entertaining hockey in the final.

Here’s more on the Conn Smythe Trophy contenders for each team.

Florida Panthers’ Conn Smythe Contenders

The Panthers didn’t need a Conn Smythe winner to win the first Cup in franchise history last season, as Oilers superstar Connor McDavid took home the trophy despite losing the final. 

If Florida comes through once again, there are three clear candidates from the Panthers to win the award.

The Panthers’ best all-around player is captain Aleksander Barkov, who was just named the winner of the Frank J. Selke Award as the NHL’s best defensive forward for the second straight season. 

Barkov has six goals and 17 points in 17 games, but his play at both ends of the ice sets him apart from most NHLers. Last year, Barkov posted eight goals and 22 points in 24 playoff games, so he’s essentially on the same point-per-game pace. He deserves all the laurels that come his way.

Another candidate is goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who has a .912 save percentage, 2.11 goals-against average and three shutouts in 17 games. Bobrovsky hasn’t been perfect, but he’s made big saves when needed, including outplaying Frederik Andersen in the Eastern Conference final, and that counts for something. 

However, our pick for the Panthers’ Conn Smythe front-runner is center Sam Bennett. He has 10 goals, including one game-winner, and 16 points in 16 games. That’s already better than the seven goals and 14 points Bennett had for Florida in 19 playoff games last season. Bennett also has four more playoff goals than the next-highest-scoring Panther. 

Bennett’s done it all for Florida, especially his hard-nosed play, which makes him so effective. It’s why he will be one of the most coveted free agents this summer. Bennett has already done enough to be the Conn Smythe winner this year, and an individual honor on top of his second Cup win would be icing on the cake for the 28-year-old.

Edmonton Oilers’ Conn Smythe Contenders

The Oilers have thrived because they’ve gotten terrific contributions from up and down the lineup, including from defenseman Evan Bouchard, the injured Zach Hyman, center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and greybeard left winger Corey Perry. That said, we like three other Oilers as the Conn Smythe winner this year.

Believe it or not, that includes goaltender Stuart Skinner. 

Yes, Skinner has been in the lineup only for 10 playoff games this season and was not good against the Los Angeles Kings. But he came up strong in Edmonton’s Western final win over the Dallas Stars, and another strong performance against the Panthers would improve his .904 SP and 2.53 GAA.

He probably won’t win the Conn Smythe, but Skinner does deserve credit for his turnaround this post-season.

That said, it should be obvious that Edmonton’s most valuable players in this post-season are superstar centers McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. 

McDavid – who posted an incredible 34 assists and 42 points in 25 games last post-season – is currently the Oilers’ top scorer, with 20 assists and 26 points in 16 games. 

McDavid is also far and away the most involved Oilers forward, averaging 23:16 of ice time – nearly a minute-and-a-half more than Draisaitl. The Stars, Kings and Vegas Golden Knights had no answer for McDavid, and he’s intent on imposing his will on the Panthers.

McDavid and Draisaitl are tied for the team lead in game-winning goals, with two apiece. But McDavid looks determined to ensure the Oilers come out of this year’s Cup final in the winner’s circle. 

At 28 years old, he’s in the prime of a Hockey Hall of Fame career, and he’s essentially putting his team on his shoulders and showing a tenaciousness and hunger that Edmonton needs to be able to knock off the Panthers. 

Draisaitl is an all-world player in his own right, but McDavid is our choice for this year’s Conn Smythe – and that goes whether or not the Oilers win the Cup.

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

Goalie prospect Aleksei Kolosov has all the talent and experience to stay with the Philadelphia Flyers and forge a successful NHL career for himself, but will he?

That's the golden question as rumors connecting the Belarusian to a KHL return with his hometown Dinamo Minsk rage on in the early portion of the offseason. The Flyers want Kolosov to honor the contract he signed with them, but his numbers have not been particularly great, regardless of the odd flashes of brilliance and occasional strong individual performances.

Calgary Flames sniper Yegor Sharangovich, a fellow Belarusian, has been in Kolosov's shoes before. 

Sharangovich, 26, started his NHL career with the New Jersey Devils in 2018, cutting his teeth in the AHL for two full seasons before making the jump to the big leagues.

In a recent interview with Bet News, Sharangovich offered up his own experiences as a story of perseverance and advice for the Flyers goalie.

"In Calgary I play with Kevin Rooney, with whom I began my journey in AHL and who helped me a lot there," Sharangovich said. "Now we are joking about how my knowledge of the language has changed. He remembers how I approached him with my phone and asked me to give a ride through the translator."

Kolosov, like Sharangovich, has a few Russians around him to help with the adaptation, the language barrier, and the social difficulties. The Flyers had Ivan Fedotov and Matvei Michkov going through the same thing, while defenseman Egor Zamula was mostly on his own in the AHL a few years prior.

The Flyers also hired decorated KHL coach Oleg Znarok as a consultant in the front office, but Sharangovich ultimately found his way with the Devils by befriending the North Americans.

"In general, I understand him. I remember that at first it was very difficult for me in America. I also did not know the language. But here the main thing is the desire to learn English, try to make contact with the guys," Sharangovich opined. "The agent advised me not to live with Russian guys, but with Canadians and Americans, so that English is around and you have no choice in which language to contact people.

NHL Draft 2025: Flyers Won't Guarantee a Top Center This YearIf you want the Philadelphia Flyers to draft the No. 1 center of their future with the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, you've already been warned not to get your hopes up.

"In addition, in my first year overseas, my company was only Yegor Yakovlev. And he constantly shuttled between the NHL and the AHL. Yes, there was also [assistant coach] Sergei Brylin, with whom it was possible to talk on various topics and who helped with the translation when I had to communicate with the coaches. But still I didn’t spend as much time with him as with teammates. So, I had no choice but to learn the language with the help of team partners. A tutor was pushed on me, but it will not replace the practice of communicating with native speakers."

On that basis, though, the former 30-goal-scorer is just using his experiences as an example, not concrete advice. Sharangovich feels Kolosov's NHL future and Flyers career will be up to him to decide.

And with the rumors that have long circulated, there is the question of if Kolosov has the desire to make the appropriate adjustments to succeed here, regardless of his obvious talent.

"I don’t think that I have the right to advise something here. All the same, it is up to him to decide which way to go. He knows better what he wants," Sharangovich said of Kolosov. "If he still wants to prove that Philadelphia didn't sign him to a contract in vain, then anything is possible. I consider him an excellent goalie who showed his level in Dinamo and has every chance of gaining a foothold in the NHL."

Kolosov became the first Belarusian goalie in history to appear in an NHL game when he made his Flyers debut on Oct. 27; he went on to play 17 games for the Flyers this season, going 5-9-1 with a 3.59 GAA and a .867 save percentage.