Category: Ice Hockey

Another game hanging in the balance for the St. Louis Blues, another one that got away.

And with a 2-1 loss against the Winnipeg Jets in Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round, the Blues now head home in an 0-2 hole in the best-of-7 series after falling on Monday at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.

There were many similarities to what transpired in Game 1, a 5-3 Jets win, when the teams came out flying in the first period, and the Blues had a similar start with the temperature up. But for the second game in a row, they were outscored in the third period and that's been the difference in this series, and again, it was Kyle Connor scoring the game-winner, just like he did with 1:36 remaining in regulation on Saturday, he did so this time just 1:43 into the third to break a 1-all tie.

Jimmy Snuggerud scored his first NHL goal and Jordan Binnington was solid with 210 saves in the game.

The series now shifts to St. Louis for Game 3 on Thursday.

Let's roll into Monday's Three Takeaways:

* Jets best players outplaying Blues best players, especially in third period -- You want to know where the series has been the difference? The third period.

The Jets have now outscored the Blues 4-0 in two games, and it's Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor doing the damage, and they did it again.

The game-winner was set up on a puck from blue line to blue line, back in around the net where Cam Fowler wasn't able to win over a puck from Scheifele, who in turn gets it to Cole Perfetti, who finds an open Connor from behind the net in the slot past Pavel Buchnevich and he beats Binnington five-hole after Colton Parayko knocked the stick out of his goalie's hand as the shot was being taken when he spun around.

The Blues needed Fowler to kill that play behind the net or at least disrupt it better, and the middle of the ice shouldn't have been that open.

Winnipeg goal!

Scored by Kyle Connor with 18:17 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Cole Perfetti and Mark Scheifele.

Winnipeg: 2
St. Louis: 1#STLvsWPG#GoJetsGo#stlbluespic.twitter.com/9i9KwmCscG

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 22, 2025

"Winnipeg has made one more play than us," said Blues coach Jim Montgomery, who inserted Tyler Tucker into the lineup and went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen Monday. "Both games. Shots are dead even, so they're just making one more play, and their best players are making them.

"I thought we had good puck pressure on the play up top, and I think that play should be killed behind the net by us. And then we got to be able to cover. I mean, we want to force the puck up high versus allowing 81 to get a shot from the hashmarks."

I've always said a plus-minus isn't a tell-all thing for me, but in a tight series like this, it spells a lot. On Monday, it was Scheifele plus-2, Connor plus-2; Robert Thomas minus-2, Parayko minus-2.

On Saturday, Fowler was minus-3, Brayden Schenn was minus-2, Thomas was minus-2, Jordan Kyrou, who got rocked by a Logan Stanley hit in the neutral zone in the first period, was a minus-2, Parayko, Jake Neighbours and Buchnevich each was a minus-2 while Scheifele, Connor and linemate Alex Iafallo each was a plus-2.

Winnipeg's best players are making more plays that has the Jets up and if the Blues are to change course, that has to change.

"They just play well together.," Parayko said. "They’re dangerous from all areas, they can score from all over the offensive zone. They’ve played together all year and know where each other are. They’re just dangerous players whenever they get the puck."

In two games in the third period, the Blues have generated a mere seven shots on goal in 40 minutes. Not nearly good enough.

"Yeah, (we need to) get inside a little bit more, I would say," Schenn said. "[Connor] Hellebuyck made some saves tonight. If we just do a little bit better job of getting traffic, and pucks and people to the net for some second opportunities."

* Binnington gave Blues a chance -- This one falls into the don't blame the goalie (again).

Binnington was beaten twice in this game, in an inadvertent way by his own teammates; first, when Scheifele scored his second lucky goal of the series after driving the net after easily driving wide around Nick Leddy, having his shot stopped, but then knocked in by Snuggerud's skate in front trying to help.

Winnipeg goal!

Scored by Mark Scheifele with 03:28 remaining in the 1st period.

Assisted by Dylan DeMelo.

Winnipeg: 1
St. Louis: 0#STLvsWPG#GoJetsGo#stlbluespic.twitter.com/MSygRv2QRa

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 22, 2025

"I feel like (I am) just trying to backcheck him, play the body on him, and you know, pucks happen to hit skates and stuff," Snuggerud said, "and it just went in. So, it's an unfortunate bounce, but it happens."

And of course, he didn't have a chance when Parayko knocked his stick out of his hand, but the best save of the game came off a backdoor play to Mason Appleton late in the first period of a 1-1 game that looked like a sure goal.

HOW'D YOU DO THAT BINNER???!!! #stlbluespic.twitter.com/mtKXRcHNPa

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) April 22, 2025

Even though Binnington only saw 22 shots in the game, Binnington made some key stops when the Blues needed them, most when the game was tied 1-1 and gave his team a chance, which is what you want from your goalie.

* Snuggerud needs to keep shooter's mentality -- Snuggerud had to feel worse than anyone on the ice when the Scheifele goal went in off him.

But he atoned himself with a snipe power play goal just beating the horn at 19:58 of the first period to tie the game.

Power play goal for St. Louis!

Scored by Jimmy Snuggerud with 00:02 remaining in the 1st period.

Assisted by Pavel Buchnevich and Cam Fowler.

Winnipeg: 1
St. Louis: 1#STLvsWPG#GoJetsGo#stlbluespic.twitter.com/mO8tY4nwWw

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 22, 2025

"It was a great play by 'Buchy,'" Snuggerud said. "I tried to pick a corner and fortunately enough it went in, but at the end of the day we lost and it's no fun losing.

"I mean I kind of realized the clock and tried to get it off as quick as possible."

Snuggerud, who was elevated to the Thomas line, played 20:01 and had seven shot attempts in the game with two on goal. He'll get better at putting more pucks at the net but he had a shooter's mindset in this game, which bodes well moving forward; he also blocked two shots in the game.

The 20:01 is his NHL career high in ice time in his ninth NHL game.

"Yeah, he’s great.," Schenn said of Snuggerud. "Great shot, playing well, tough environment obviously. He’s coming out of college hockey and he’s definitely not out of place. He’s playing really well and we’re happy he’s a Blue."

* Bonus takeaway: power play got stale -- The good news is when Snuggerud scored, it made the Blues a robust 3-for-4 with the man advantage. That's good. No, that's exceptional.

The bad news is they had three more after that, including two in the second half of the second period with the chance to take the lead and failed to convert and another in the third with a chance to tie and also did not convert.

The biggest issue was they got away from having a shooter's mindset. For whatever reason, they tried making the extra passes and when they did that, the Jets closed quickly and closed the zone out.

"Yeah probably not as much shot volume as we needed to get second and third chances, or just to tire them out.," Schenn said. "That’s something that we’re going to have to look at it. It’s a series of adjustment and power play has to do a better job to come up big for us in key moments."

Also, they have to do a better job of winning more draws off the offensive zone face-off because when Winnipeg was winning them and clearing the zone, the Blues had all sorts of issues gaining entry into the O-zone with the Jets lining up across the blue line.

"I don't think we were shot focused enough," Montgomery said. "I do think we had some really good looks and we didn't execute either the pass or, more importantly, the shots. And I thought, Hellebuyck made a couple of big-time saves."

* Hear the full comments from Montgomery and players postgame:

“We're gonna go home, we're going to be in front of our frenzied crowd, and we're going to have an opportunity to hold serve at home. We have to get ready for Game 3."

Hear from Jim Montgomery after Game 2 in Winnipeg. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/SjOItvyAvd

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) April 22, 2025

“Just keep going at it, just come back again and come back harder.”

Hear from Colton Parayko, Jimmy Snuggerud and Brayden Schenn following Game 2 vs. Winnipeg. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/DU8gzGQx39

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) April 22, 2025

It's that time of year again when NHL coaches lose their positions due to falling short of expectations.

And the latest casualty has ties to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Former Penguins' coach Dan Bylsma was relieved of his duties by the Seattle Kraken after just one year at the helm, it was announced today by Kraken general manager Ron Francis. 

Kraken Relieve Dan Bylsma Of Head Coaching Tasks; Will Begin A Full SearchThe Seattle Kraken have relieved Dan Bylsma from his head coaching job and will begin a full search of possible candidates, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. 

Bylsma's Kraken ended with a 35-41-6 record this season, which led to a bottom-five finish in the NHL. He had previously coached the Coachella Valley Firebirds - Seattle's AHL affiliate - to consecutive Calder Cup final appearances prior to replacing Dave Hakstol as the NHL club's head coach prior to the 2024-25 season.

In 2008-09, Bylsma was the head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins - Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate - and his success in that role led him to replace Michel Therrien as interim head coach of the NHL club on Feb. 15, 2009. After the Penguins' success during the final stretch of the season, he was officially named the team's new head coach before leading the Penguins to a Stanley Cup championship that season.

Bylsma coached the Penguins until he was relieved of his duties after the 2013-14 season. He is the third coach to be let go since the conclusion of the regular season, as the New York Rangers and Anaheim Ducks also fired Peter Laviolette and Greg Cronin, respectively. 

Even In Passing, Shero Leaves Legacy On Penguins OrganizationIt's hard to talk about the Sidney Crosby-era Pittsburgh Penguins without talking about former general manager Ray Shero.

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Welcome to The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live, streaming nightly during the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs.

After the big game of the night, our experts go live to react to the match that was, break down the key moments and storylines, provide updates on the rest of the night's NHL slate and read your opinions.

On tonight's show, Andrew McInnis and Michael Augello react to a tight Game 1 between the Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens and take a look around the NHL playoff picture.

Playoff Frenzy Live - April 21 2025 | The Hockey NewsWelcome to Playoff Frenzy Live by The Hockey News presented by STIX.com, where we give our live reactions and break down the latest news to all the biggest g...

Will this series play out like the last time the two teams faced off in the playoffs in 2010? Just how good has Nick Suzuki been for the Canadiens since the 4 Nations Face-Off? And Alex Ovechkin scores again in big moments.

Check out the show right now and share your opinions in the live chat and in our comment section.   

The Presidents' Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets have pulled out to a 2-0 series lead over the No. 8 seed St. Louis Blues.

Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor both scored for the second-straight game, while Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 21 shots as the Jets took Game 2 by a 2-1 final over the St. Louis Blues.

After pulling out to 1-0 series leads against Vegas and Colorado in the first round of each of the past two seasons, the Jets managed to earn a win in the all-important second game for the first time in three seasons.

The Jets and Blues came out of ready to fight in the first period. The two teams exchanged hits and goals before the frame came to a close. 

Logan Stanley delivered a monstrous, open-ice check on Jordan Kyrou midway through the frame, before Brayden Schenn popped Adam Lowry in the open ice.

Both Hellebuyck and Binnington made point-blank stops, but not before each netminder allowed a goal against. 

Winnipeg got one from Scheifele with 3:28 to play. He picked up the puck from Dylan DeMelo and drove wide to the net. The puck banked off the skate of Jimmy Snuggerud, who crashed into Binnington, helping direct the puck past the goaltender and into the net for the 1-0 lead. 

But before the period could close, the Blues' red-hot power play struck again. And it was Snuggerud who got it back for St. Louis. He picked up a centring pass from Pavel Buchnevich as time ticked down and ripped home his first career goal with just one second remaining. 

The Blues held a minor 10-8 shot lead after 20 minutes. 

The middle stanza saw both teams exchange Grade A chances, but once again the goaltenders stood tall. St. Louis was handed two power play opportunities, but the Jets' penalty kill came out on top both times. 

After taking a period off, the Jets came out firing in the third. It took all of 1:43 to score, as Connor hammered his second of the series past Binnington from the high slot.

Scheifele dished the puck to Cole Perfetti behind the Blues' net. He looked out front and found Connor - a 40-goal scorer - standing all alone at the top of the crease. The puck was on and off his stick in a matter of milliseconds, before it found its way to the back of the net for the early-period go-ahead marker.

With time ticking down, St. Louis called a late-game timeout and pulled Binnington for the extra attacker. The visitors couldn't even gain offensive zone control. The Jets were that good defensively, as the shut down St. Louis' attack for the final two minutes. 

Hellebuyck finished the night with 21 saves on 22 Blues shots, while Binnington turned aside 20 of the 22 pucks sent his way. 

The series will now shift to Missouri for two-straight games, with Game 3 going on Thursday and Game 4 set to be played on Sunday. The teams will have two days' rest between each of the next two games, which should help with travel and recovery following two very physical tests.

With the 2024-25 NHL playoffs underway and the San Jose Sharks preparing for their summer, there are a few former Sharks you may want to cheer for.

Here is a list of players you may want to keep a close eye on.

• Brent Burns: Carolina Hurricanes
• Brenden Dillion: New Jersey Devils
• Timo Meier: New Jersey Devils
• Joe Pavelski: Dallas Stars
• Cody Ceci: Dallas Stars
• Mikael Grandlund: Dallas Stars
• Fabian Zetterlund: Ottawa Senators
• Mackenzie Blackwood: Colorado Avalanche
• Nico Sturm: Florida Panthers
• Vitek Vanecek: Florida Panthers
• Jonah Godjovich: Florida Panthers
• Jake Middleton: Minnesota Wild
• Gustav Nyquist: Minnesota Wild
• Dylan DeMelo: Winnipeg Jets
• Adin Hill: Vegas Golden Knights
• Tomas Hertl: Vegas Golden Knights
• Steven Lorentz: Toronto Maple Leafs
• Ty Emberson: Edmonton Oilers
• Jake Walman: Edmonton Oilers
• Evander Kane: Edmonton Oilers
• Kyle Burroughs: Los Angeles Kings

Sharks' Ryan Warsofsky Named Team USA Head Coach At 2025 WorldsSan Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky has been named the head coach for Team USA at the 2025 IIHF World Championship.

With the 2024-25 NHL playoffs underway and the San Jose Sharks preparing for their summer, there are a few former Sharks you may want to cheer for.

There are 21 former players in the playoffs who have played at least one game for San Jose. On a technicality, Charlie Coyle was drafted by the Sharks in the 2010 NHL Draft. Also worth noting is Vladislav Namestnikov, who was briefly part of the organization before the 2023 Trade Deadline, but like Coyle, never played a game.

Which team will you be cheering for?

Sharks Sign College FA Noah Beck To ELCThe San Jose Sharks are signing one of the top college free agents, Noah Beck, out of Arizona State University. Sharks Sign 2022 2nd-Round Pick To ELCThe San Jose Sharks have announced the signing of 2022 second-round pick Cameron Lund.

The NHL's coaching carousel continued spinning like crazy Monday, with the Seattle Kraken firing bench boss Dan Bylsma after only one year on the job. The Kraken/Bylsma news followed the news this past weekend that the New York Rangers dismissed Peter Laviolette, and that the Anaheim Ducks are moving on from Greg Cronin after only two years.

Bylsma probably should've been given more time to implement his vision for the Kraken, but the coaching business is not a fair one. That said, from a Buffalo Sabres perspective, the slew of coaching changes only make it clearer -- Lindy Ruff should've been fired the day the regular-season came to an end. And every day that Ruff remains employed as Sabres coach is more reason to be cynical about Buffalo management's chances to turn the ship around.

It doesn't matter that Ruff's latest tenure running the Sabres' bench only began on April 22, 2024. Clearly, if Bylsma can be terminated after leading the Kraken to a 35-41-6 record, Ruff can be let go in the wake of a 36-39-7 mark. And here's the bigger problem: unless Buffalo fires Ruff very soon, they're not going to have their pick of the coaching crop. Instead, if they choose to wait until the 2025-26 regular season begins to fire Ruff, they'll be probably going the interim coaching route and delaying someone from coming in and implementing their blueprint over the long haul.

It isn't that Ruff is now 65 years old that is cause for the Sabres to part ways with him. Older hockey lifers are still working for NHL teams around the league. The problem with Ruff is the bottom line for any coach -- wins and losses -- and there were not enough victories and too many defeats for Ruff this season. The NHL is a zero-sum business, and Ruff hasn't delivered a decent amount of wins this past season. It's that clear and straightforward of a predicament. It's been nearly a decade-and-a-half since there last were playoff games in Buffalo, and that's why nobody's job should be safe, Ruff's job included.

Now, Sabres ownership may be waiting until the future of GM Kevyn Adams becomes clearer before they choose to fire Ruff. But there is no salary cap on coaching and management in hockey's top league, and this is where Buffalo's owners have to go the extra mile to atone for missing the playoffs for the past 14 seasons. If it means paying Ruff to sit at home and wait out the remainder of his current contract, so be it. Because the alternative -- missing out on the next great bench boss, who can lead this Sabres team to finally get back into the playoffs -- is indefensible.

Ruff's legacy is not going to change if and when Buffalo fires him. He's got 1,856 regular-season games under his belt, and this past year, he won his 900th-career-game, making him only the fifth coach in NHL history to reach that plateau. However, all coaches eventually get to the end of the line -- and if Ruff isn't there right now, he can certainly see the end of the line from here.

Ruff Achieves Career Mark In Sabres Season Finale The Buffalo Sabres struggles at the end of the season served to provide a bit of drama to what looked to be the inevitability of head coach Lindy Ruff reaching a notable career achievement, but after four attempts to reach career win #900, the Sabres 5-4 season finale victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday put Ruff in exclusive company.    

There's a reason NHL teams have an increasingly-quick trigger finger when it comes to letting their coaches go. You can't fire 23 players, and you can't fire ownership, so coaches bear the brunts of bad years. And by virtually every metric, the Sabres had another bad year. So keeping Ruff around isn't a choice that's likely to lead them out of this mess. They should be going with a new voice in the dressing room, and that means parting ways with Ruff A.S.A.P..

Because the longer they wait, the more they delay the inevitable. And the only people who will wind up suffering are Buffalo's players and fans.

Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas didn’t mince words when he addressed the media on Monday.

As part of Dubas’ post-season press conference, he talked about defenseman Erik Karlsson’s future with the Penguins and his view of a rebuild in Pittsburgh after a third straight season of missing the playoffs. He was direct throughout the questions and answers, including when he shared his expectations for Karlsson.

"Erik is and will forever be a polarizing figure,” Dubas said. “My view would be we expect him to be one of the people who pulls us from where we're at into contention.”

After the Penguins' season ended, the Swedish defenseman was vague about his future with the Penguins and said he “did not enjoy the last 15 games of the season.” 

He further explained that he does not look forward to missing many more playoff campaigns as he turns 35 in less than seven weeks. Karlsson made it clear he wants to play important games and make the playoffs.

“His actions have to match his ambitions,” Dubas said on Monday. He said Karlsson must be more reliable in terms of consistency. 

"He had moments of great play with too many inconsistencies,” Dubas said. “We have to push him to get here.”

However, Dubas believes in the defenseman, saying he has the tools to help this team get back to the playoff hunt.

“He showed throughout the year that he has another level to him,” the GM said.

He recalled Karlsson’s great performances for Team Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off and said he could help any team contend and win. Karlsson finished the tournament with a goal and three points in as many contests. Karlsson said the 4 Nations was as close to playoff hockey as he’s had in a while.

'We Have To Stick To A Very Concise Plan And Then Execute Our Butts Off': Dubas Clarifies Penguins' Summer PlansTo close out the 2024-25 season, Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas spoke with the Pittsburgh media on Monday.

Dubas also talked about where the Penguins stand in their “rebuild” phase. He provided a perspective of two different ways to rebuild in the NHL.

One way is to completely tear down a roster and build it back up through the draft. A little bit of luck in the draft lottery helps as well. But Dubas doesn’t plan to go down that route.

"You can hope in one hand and s--- in the other and see which one fills up first," he said.

He compared his team to the Washington Capitals, which turned around over last off-season to become one of the best in the NHL. The Pittsburgh GM highlighted what has worked for the Caps and the mix of young and old players.

“They’ve got obviously Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, John Carlson… and others that have been there. We have that here with our own high-end guys,” Dubas said. “The difference that I see between the teams is in that middle range. We don’t have Martin Fehervary and Connor McMichael, yet. We’re trying to rapidly get to that point.”

Dubas name-dropped a handful of players with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins who could make a push in training camp next season to help fill in these middle-range roles.

He highlighted Jack St. Ivany, Owen Pickering, and Harrison Brunicke as blueliners who could emerge as potential NHL players next season.

As for the forwards, he said most of those youngsters have already made appearances this season due to injuries. Those players include Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen.

Tristan Broz could make his NHL debut next season for the Penguins. The team would’ve liked for him to play for Pittsburgh earlier, but Dubas said they didn’t want his first taste of the NHL to be in meaningless games or “playing a team that’s dressing 14 forwards and four D.” Broz finished his AHL campaign with 19 goals and 37 points in 59 games. 

Dubas’ Penguins have two first-round picks in the 2025 NHL draft, a second-rounder, three third-rounders and five more picks in deeper rounds. They also have Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Karlsson and Kris Letang as some veterans signed through next season.

The Penguins had a 16-year post-season streak from 2007 to 2022. Before that, they missed the playoffs for four straight years but drafted Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury during that time. During this current three-year drought, their highest draft pick was Brayden Yager at 14th overall, and they traded him to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for McGroarty.

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.

Fans across the NHL were well aware of the nightly struggles of the trio of Pittsburgh Penguins goalies, Tristan Jarry, Alex Nedeljkovic, and Joel Blomqvist. 

For the first time in 20 years, all three netminders finished the campaign with sub- .900 SV% totals, with Nedeljkovic leading the pack at .894, followed by Jarry (.892) and Blomqvist (.885). 

Collectively, the trio gave the Penguins a total .891 SV%, the lowest total since captain Sidney Crosby's rookie season, 2005-06, when Marc-Andre Fleury (.898), Sebastian Caron (.881), Jocelyn Thibault (.876), and Dany Sabourin (.714) combined for a .888 SV%. 

The 2024-25 season marked the fourth consecutive campaign that the Pittsburgh goalies witnessed a drop in SV% totals. In 2022, the last year the Penguins qualified for the playoffs, their goalies produced a .919 save percentage, which dropped to .907 in 2023 and further to .903 last year. 

Moreover, in the three seasons since their last pursuit of the Stanley Cup, the netminders have averaged a .903 SV%, which is ten points lower than their average during their 16-year playoff streak, during which they had averaged .913 annually. 

Interestingly, the deeper we dig into the numbers, there's another demographic to look at, which is the 13-season tenure of Fleury, who patrolled the crease from 2003-04 to 2016-17 

In Fleury's rookie season, he played 21 games and registered a .896 SV%, while the team combined for a .893 SV%, which was still two percentage points better than the 2024-25 squad. 

Anyways, things got worse in Fleury's second season, Crosby's first, when the team set the century's lowest SV% totals with a .888 season, the only time in 25 years the team had a sub-.890 total. 

Penguins' Crosby Continues To Pace NHL In Top 10 Scoring Finishes During Salary Cap EraPittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby just finished his ninth 90-point campaign in the NHL, finishing as the league's 10th highest scorer, the 13th time he's accomplished that feat in 20 seasons. 

However, the Penguins became competitive immediately after, as evidenced by their 16-year playoff run, which resulted in three Stanley Cup titles in four Final appearances. 

Fleury was a significant part of that run, skating in the first 11 seasons. During his time with the Penguins, the team averaged a .910 SV% from 2004 to 2017. Meanwhile, in the eight seasons since his departure, the team's annual save percentage has dropped to .907%.

Of course, there's an argument that the difference is only 0.0023 points, but those few extra saves are the difference between a win and a loss, which equals a playoff spot or a lottery draft pick.

Ultimately, general manager Kyle Dubas has some decisions to make in the upcoming offseason, and one of them is to assemble a goalie tandem that can recapture the success the Penguins had at stopping more than 90% of the shots they face, something they enjoyed annually for over 15 years. 

Inside The Numbers: Penguins' Record In Season FinalesThe Pittsburgh Penguins just finished their 57th season with a 34-36-12 record, missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive campaign.

The Seattle Kraken fired coach Dan Bylsma on Monday.

Bylsma leaves the Kraken after one season as their bench boss. The team went 35-41-6 for a .463 points percentage, the lowest since the Kraken's inaugural year in 2021-22.

“We thank Dan for his commitment and the energy he brought to our organization over the past four years at the NHL and AHL levels,” Kraken GM Ron Francis said in a statement. “After a thorough review of the season and our expectations for next year and beyond, we’ve made the difficult decision to move in a different direction behind the bench.”

The team didn't name a replacement. The Hockey News' Caroline Anne cited an ESPN report that assistant GM Jason Botterill could be promoted to GM while Francis stays on board, while Jessica Campbell, the NHL's first woman as a permanent assistant coach, is expected to remain with the team.

Bylsma replaced Dave Hakstol last season, after Hakstol had coached the team for its first three seasons. The team made it to the second round in 2022-23 but then fell out of a playoff position the following season. Bylsma got the job after guiding the AHL's Coachella Valley Firebirds to the 2023 and 2024 Calder Cup finals, losing both times to the Hershey Bears.

Bylsma has also won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 and the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year in 2010-11. In parts of nine seasons coached for the Penguins, Buffalo Sabres and Kraken, the 54-year-old has a career NHL coaching record of 355-231-61 in 647 games and 43-35 in the playoffs.

The NHL has now seen three teams make post-season coaching changes, with the Anaheim Ducksparting with Greg Cronin and New York Rangersfiring Peter Laviolette on April 19. The Philadelphia Flyers also fired John Tortorella on March 27 before the season ended, with Brad Shaw becoming the interim coach.

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On Easter Monday, Ottawa Senators head coach Travis Green didn’t sugarcoat things: he thinks his team came out nervous in Game 1.

“I thought we were a little nervous to start the game,” Green admitted to the media on Monday, a day after the Senators fell 6–2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs to open their first-round NHL Eastern Conference playoff series. “Our passing wasn’t quite where it needed to be, but I thought it got better as the game went on.”

For several Senators, Sunday night in Toronto marked their first taste of NHL playoff action, and it showed in several areas – primarily with their parade to the penalty box.

The game opened with high intensity, physicality and a boisterous crowd, but the Senators were still right there, down by just one goal. Early in the second period, they missed on some great scoring chances to tie it, but then the Senators started to take costly penalties.

"Yeah, it's a fine line, Green said. "Playoff hockey is emotional, competitive. I'd like to think we have a physical team, and yet there's a fine line between crossing the line and taking penalties."

Green was more terse with the media than usual on Monday and wouldn't reveal what his next-day message to the team was.

“I’m not going to talk about my main message to our group,” he said. “That’s between us and the team, but we’re going to have to play better than we did last night.”

One area where Green may find something to build on is the club's five-on-five play. In that area, the Senators were excellent, but too often, they found themselves in the penalty box, giving Toronto multiple opportunities to strike with the man advantage.

And did they ever. The Maple Leafs were 3 for 6 on Sunday night with their three goals being scored in the first 10 seconds of each power play.

When asked about the frustrating timing of Toronto's scoring, specifically, how Toronto seemed to score immediately after each Senator goal, Green didn't buy into that. “We only scored two,” he said. “We had our looks. We got it to 2–1 and had a couple of really good looks to tie the game.”

As for any potential changes ahead of Game 2, Green didn’t tip his hand.

“There’s potential for changes every game,” he noted.

Okay, so that leaves us to speculate. Veteran winger and shift disturber Nick Cousins would seem like a good candidate to play on Tuesday. Green opted to go with Matt Highmore over Cousins in Game 1.

Green abruptness continued when a reporter asked how captain Brady Tkachuk was feeling after his first playoff game, Green gave a quick reply: “Good. Fine. Yeah."

With Game 2 set for Tuesday night at 7:30 PM in Toronto, the Senators now turn their focus to finding their footing in a series that still has a long way to go. They may have started nervous — but if Game 1 was their wake-up call, their response now becomes the lead story.

If they hope to steal one in Toronto, improvements in poise, discipline, finish, defence, and goaltending will all need to be a part of that response.

The Florida Panthers took the ice in Fort Lauderdale on Monday for a final pre-Stanley Cup Playoff practice.

Afterward, the team made the short trip up Florida's west coast to Tampa, where they face the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of their opening round playoff series on Tuesday night.

As the Panthers prepare to defend their Stanley Cup title, the big question surround the team is regarding the health status of Matthew Tkachuk.

The All-Star forward has not played in an NHL game since before February's 4 Nations Face-Off, where he suffered an apparent groin injury while representing Team USA.

Tkachuk has been skating for several weeks, and on Saturday on Monday he took part in his first full team practices with the Panthers since before his injury.

By all accounts, Tkachuk looked normal, showing no signs of an injury while skating on a line with Sam Bennett and Mackie Samoskevich.

He also took regular reps on Florida's top power play unit, along with Sasha Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Samoskevich and Seth Jones.

As long as Tkachuk continues on his path of progress and doesn't suffer any setbacks, it sounds like the plan is for him to suit up for Game 1 against the Lightning.

“He’s got to get through the morning skate tomorrow,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice after Monday's practice. “We’re still monitoring the recovery off the practice. He was out early, before we went, went through a whole practice, stayed until the end, so we’ll see how he feels coming back in tomorrow. If he feels good, and he gets through that morning skate, and everybody gives a thumbs up, then he’ll go."

It's a tough balance for the Panthers, who will want to make sure that Tkachuk is at a point where he isn't at any risk of re-injuring himself before inserting him back into the lineup, but know how much value he provides at a time where wins are at an absolute premium.

"We’re close enough now that you also put yourself in that situation where you'd consider two more days if you felt you were right there," Maurice said. "So we’ll just let the doctors and Matthew tell us where he’s at, and then we’ll go from there.”

That's where the NHL may have done the Cats a favor in giving them the latest series start time of any in the opening round.

Every other playoff series will have started, and some will have played twice, when the puck drops on Game 1 between Florida and Tampa Bay.

For Tkachuk and the Panthers, that extra time may have been just what the doctor ordered to get Florida their start back for the series opener.

But if for some reason they decide to hold him back another couple days, the team will be prepared for that, too.

“If you go back and look at the last five games, at a different time, I was running versions of all of these lines with the idea that if Matthew doesn’t play, I know exactly who is going into that hole," Maurice said. "We’ve already run that before, and the lines that it changes beneath will look exactly like a line we ran in a game that we liked. We've got a flow chart for how we'll handle this.”

Florida will hold their morning skate Tuesday at Amalie Arena, after which Maurice will again be asked about Tkachuk's status for Game 1.

One more sleep!

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To close out the 2024-25 season, Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas spoke with the Pittsburgh media on Monday.

And if fans weren't sure about the approach that the organization plans to take this summer and beyond, Dubas seemed to clear up a few things.

After their third consecutive season of missing the playoffs, the Penguins find themselves in the midst of a rebuild. During locker cleanout day on Friday, both players and head coach Mike Sullivan expressed confidence that this team may be able to get back to contention again in a relatively quick manner.

While "returning the team to contention again as quickly as possible" remains the goal by Dubas's own admission, he also wants to pump the brakes on labeling an exact timeline for that to happen. Instead, he invoked a reassurance that the team is going to remain invested in the process of not just returning the team to playoff contention, but to Stanley Cup contention.

'I Have No Doubt This Thing's Going To Be Turned Around Quickly': After Lost Season, Penguins Optimistic About FutureFor one final time this season, the Pittsburgh Penguins gathered at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, Pa. - this, time, for locker cleanout day.

“I think if you look at the history of these things, to go from where we’re at now all the way back to legitimate contention, I don’t equate just getting into the playoffs with being a contender," Dubas said.  "Various things happen, but I think if you look at some of the [playoff] games that have transpired already - and we’ll have the tale once the playoffs are done - that those two things are not the same."

He continued: "So, when I say ‘as urgently as possible,’ I try not to put a timeline on it because I don’t this to be a perpetual and evergreen conference where we come in and say, ‘Oh, we’re just a year or two or so away.' We’re pushing because I think that’s what the organization here is used to, what the fans want. We just have to stick to a very concise plan and then execute our butts off, that’s for sure.”

Even though he didn't want to put a timeline on anything, though, rest assured: It doesn't sound like Dubas is interested in doing a full-scale teardown, and he put it quite colorfully.

"I just think there are a number of teams in the leagues that, you know, there are two paths to go down," Dubas said. "You can go into the mass teardown rebuild and hope you get lucky with the lottery and hope that all this happens. "But you can hope in one hand and s--- in the other and see which one fills up first."

He pointed to the Washington Capitals' strategy of rebuilding and how they not only drafted well while contending, but how they also managed to keep veterans like Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, and John Carlson around and bridge that contention gap. Dubas believes that the Penguins need a few of those younger players - like Connor McMichael and Martin Fehervary - in order to execute something similar.

He stressed that the Penguins are "trying to rapidly get to that point," and that they will use their assets to try to get themselves to the point where they have all of those necessary pieces, as he believes that the Capitals are now the standard.

"They had to do one thing, we have to do two, which is fill that lack of the young 22, 23, 24, 25-year-old NHL players and also continue to build out our assets to use them to acquire and trade. Also, if you look at their team, they drafted extremely well... They're extraordinarily well-coached. I've known Spencer. We were together in Toronto.

"They're not going to go anywhere. So, we have to haul a-- and catch them because they're way ahead right now, as the standings show. But they weren't. They weren't two years ago. But they've done a great job in coaching, development, drafting. It's impressive."

In terms of what the plan is for this summer, Dubas gave a few hints as to what the organization's approach might be. He re-emphasized that the "execution" segment of their plan will kick into gear this summer, and given the assets and the cap space that the Penguins have, they may look to start setting the table for long-term contention with a few savvy moves.

Like Ovechkin's Capitals, Penguins Owe It To Crosby To Right The ShipOn Sunday, the hockey world got to witness Alexander Ovechkin - The Great “8” - surpass The Great “One” for the most goals in NHL history.

Those moves may not include big splashes in the unrestricted free agent market or the offer sheet market - Dubas stressed that the rising cap will make offer sheets easier to match for other teams - but that doesn't mean they won't look to restricted free agency.

"I think the areas that you probably would see us spend more would be acquisition by trade, and then signing players that other teams might not be able to fit," Dubas said. "I think the effect in free agency is probably going to be somewhat of a spike in salary, and so it’ll dry up the cap space rather quickly for us, and those players are mostly into that late 20-early 30 category.

"It could do two things. Number one, I think it's going to allow us to maybe trade for players that other teams can't afford that are restricted free agents, and then sign them longer range ourselves, using that cap space that way. You're signing a player that's 23-24 for seven or eight years versus going into free agency for someone who's 27 to 32 and getting them for seven years. So, I think that would be the more likely route... and the owners have been excellent there. There's no limitations on the player budget and spending. So, we need to use it in the right spot and not just say we were a cap team, but to use it towards getting us back to our goal."

And, as Dubas has reiterated time and time again, that goal is getting the team back to legitimate contention. It remains to be seen whether players like Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell will figure into the longer-term. He did mention that one area they'd like to add to is their left defense, which has struggled mightily.

With the assets and the veterans that the Penguins have, they might just have to give up some high value in return for such a piece, being that executing in the trade market seems to be a large part of the plan. Unlike the defense corps, Dubas believes their forward and goaltending prospect pools are in a pretty good place.

If they can revamp the defensive corps and execute on some trades and draft picks to bring legitimate young players into the fold this summer, it could help expedite the process and make good on the plan to turn the team into a contender again. And Dubas knows the importance of doing that with urgency to someone like Sidney Crosby, who wasn't shy about expressing the toll that losing takes on him and the organization.

"Everything that we do is to try to get those young players around him," Dubas said. "If you have guys in the group that have won and have been a part of it, I think it can exponentially improve and expedite the team’s return to contending. I don’t know if it’s a proof of concept. I think, from my end, it’s trying to build something that can sustain itself for a long time.

"Getting those younger players who are going to be a part of that core around Sid - him helping them and them helping him - is really what the focus is. It’s really not just Sid, it goes back to the question of Bryan Rust, Karlsson, Kris Letang, Geno, Rickard Rakell, all those others that are there... they can play a role in that as well. I’m trying to do that for every one of them because I think they are high quality people. They are high-end players who can help return us to where we want to be."

‘We’ll Begin To Shift To The Execution’: With Assets Collected, Dubas Eyes The Next Phase For Penguins HockeyPittsburgh Penguins President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas knew that the decision to shift to the future a year ago with the Jake Guentzel trade to Carolina wasn’t going to be a popular one. 

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Wild forward Matt Boldy has had consistently good seasons ever since he joined the NHL. He has been a very good top-six forward for Minnesota but so far in his playoff career, Boldy hasn't been the player the Wild hoped he'd be.

His first playoff series Boldy had one goal, four penalty minutes, three hits and was a minus-one in six games. His second playoff series, he had zero goals and was a minus-five. He had five hits in six games as well. 

The question coming into the Wild's playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights was what will you get out of Boldy in this series. 

Well, if Sunday was any indication of what we will see from Boldy in this series, watch out. 

Boldy, 24, scored the Wild's only two goals in their 4-2 loss to the Golden Knights. Not only did he score two but he had six hits. 

"I thought he was very good. Obviously he had the two goals, but I just thought he was a beast on the puck and he was moving his feet," Wild head coach John Hynes said. "He played the style of game that gives him a really good chance to be a dominant player in this series, and he did a good job of that."

What likely caused this was how Boldy played for Team USA during the Four Nations Face-Off during the middle of the season. 

The young forward was one of USA's better players and was very physical as well. He used his 6-foot-2 frame to drive to the net and power his way through guys in the tournament and the hope was that would translate to the playoffs this go around. 

The result is, it did. 

Hynes was asked if Boldy maybe changed his game for the playoffs since his six hits was much higher than his career 0.64 hits per game.

"I wouldn't necessarily say I saw his game change. I think that he's played that way throughout the season," Hynes said. "I think maybe more than his game change, I think the confidence level that he has to be able to go to the Four Nations and play in that style of tournament. He was a big factor for our team with the U.S. I thought as the tournament went on, he was better and better, and his role increased as it as it went on.

"So I think the confidence in his own game and understanding what makes him an elite player and a hard guy to be able to play against, and he's doing it regularly now. So, it's good."

The Wild as a team finished with 54 hits on Sunday which was the second-highest total in Stanley Cup Playoff play in franchise history. Boldy was a big part of that. 

As Hynes said, Boldy has a chance to be a dominant player in this series and that is exactly what the Wild need if they want to even up the series on Tuesday. 

The NHL is so often focused, for good reason, on the races at the top of the standings, but the NHL Sour Rankings looks at the bottom. 

With the regular season complete, we now have the final standings and can examine their NHL draft lottery odds and what they might do moving forward. 

San Jose Sharks, 20-50-12

Lottery odds: 18.5 percent
First-overall odds: 25.5 percent

The Sharks finished last in the NHL for a second straight year, which means they have the best odds for first overall once again. They won the first-overall pick last year, taking likely Calder Trophy finalist Macklin Celebrini, giving them a top-line center for the next decade and more. 

The vibes were high this year despite their unfortunate results, and that can be attributed to the success of the rookies, the fun that the team had on and off the ice and an understanding that they weren’t expected to be great this year. 

If they get another top pick, blueliner Matthew Schaefer seems like the obvious choice for San Jose. He would give them a defender to build around and slot other prospects, such as Sam Dickinson and Luca Cagnoni, into spots that better fit their skill set.

NHL Rumor Roundup: Blackhawks To Target Mitch Marner? Sharks To Shop First-Overall Pick?This was a difficult season for the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks. They improved marginally over their 2023-24 campaign amid concerns of growing frustration from franchise star Connor Bedard.

Chicago Blackhawks, 25-46-11

Lottery and first-overall odds: 13.5 percent

While the vibes were high in San Jose, the opposite was true for Chicago. 

Connor Bedard had 67 points this season, six more than his rookie year, but his points per game were down from 0.9 to 0.82. Frank Nazar looked good when he got into the lineup, and Artyom Levshunov had some bright moments when he got to the NHL. 

Chicago’s issue is it had so many injuries and plenty of underwhelming performances from the veterans. They just didn’t take the step they were expecting to take this year. You could see the frustration on the faces of players on a nightly basis, and the team was just down in the dumps from October to April. 

If they get the first-overall pick, pairing Michael Misa with Bedard would give them a one-two punch down the middle that opposing teams would envy, but they still need to surround them with steadying vets, something they were unable to do last summer. 

Nashville Predators, 30-44-8

Lottery and first-overall odds: 11.5 percent

No matter how many times we’ve checked in on the NHL Sour Rankings, seeing Nashville down here continues to be perplexing, at least until you watch the Predators play. They have a talented roster, and the lack of a full teardown at the deadline likely means the organization believes this season was a blip on the radar.

They won last off-season when they signed Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei. They have a lot of talent with goalie Juuse Saros, left winger Filip Forsberg and defenseman Roman Josi, but getting everyone healthy and ready to go next season will be key. 

If they win the lottery, adding Misa or Schaefer would be a great addition, as they could start building the future while competing immediately next season. The Preds are a wild card going into the summer. 

Philadelphia Flyers, 33-39-10

Lottery and first-overall odds: 9.5 percent

After narrowly missing the playoffs last year, the Flyers finished last in the East this season. They did, however, bring in high-flying rookie Matvei Michkov, who lived up to expectations, reaching the 60-point plateau in his first season and delivering on the promise of a future star immediately. Management traded several former key pieces, and they have their eyes set on the future. 

They won’t have John Tortorella behind the bench because, despite the moderate success he had last season, he was outwardly frustrated with the team, which led to his firing. His rants and raves in the media were enough. 

The team is looking to usher in a new era centered around Michkov, and a top-five pick this summer would be a big piece in building toward a better future.

Pluses And Minuses: What The Flyers, Blackhawks And Bruins Must Consider With Their Interim CoachesThe Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks have more in common than their lackluster seasons.

Boston Bruins, 33-39-10

Lottery and first-overall odds: 8.5 percent  

As much as everyone outside of Boston seems to be enjoying the downfall of the once-strong Bruins, they moved on from the old guard and are focused on building around Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak. It also means the Bruins are slated to get a top-five pick and have a decent chance at first overall. 

If the Bruins were to draft Misa or Schaefer, they’d get a new top prospect who sets them up for another run at being a contender for a very long time. The Bruins have been a contender for over a decade, and this year was a true fall from grace, but with the players they sold and the young players coming, they shouldn’t be down here long. 

Seattle Kraken, 35-41-6

Lottery and first-overall odds: 7.5 percent  

The Kraken seem to understand where they are, and they did a good job this season of making the right moves at the deadline to help set themselves up for the future. 

They have some very solid young players, such as Matty Beniers and Shane Wright, and their prospect pool is solid, but they need a true difference-maker and a centerpiece to build around. Misa or Schaefer could be that player. The Kraken would benefit from a lottery win, but they're in a good spot to get another solid young player regardless. 

Buffalo Sabres, 36-39-7

Lottery and first-overall odds: 6.5 percent  

Why are you still here? That’s the question everyone, Sabres fan or not, has been asking this squad, which sits at the bottom of the standings once again. 

It’s tough to gauge what Buffalo needs. They have some solid forwards, some studs on the back end and a couple of good goalies. Obviously, adding Misa, Schaefer or any other top-end talent in this draft will be a good thing, but the Sabres need to figure out how to get out of the basement, period. 

Anaheim Ducks, 35-37-10

Lottery and first-overall odds: 6.0 percent  

The Ducks were an interesting team this year. They have a lot of young talent up and down the roster, with more on the way. They have some crafty veterans as well. Anaheim seems to be on the rise, and it had a better second half of the season as its young players continued to improve and get more comfortable at the NHL level. It’s going to be interesting to see what they add at the draft and how they rise next year.

Pittsburgh Penguins, 34-36-12

Lottery and first-overall odds: 5.0 percent  

The Penguins are in a downfall. We are seeing the final years of Sidney Crosby’s NHL career come on a team with very little chance of contention unless something drastic changes. 

If they wind up with the eighth-overall pick, they aren’t getting a player who can change their fortunes anytime soon. Even if they win the lottery and get their choice of player at the top, they can’t rely on a rookie to be the Robin to Crosby’s Batman and hope for success. They need to decide on what comes next for this team, with or without Sid. 

New York Islanders, 35-35-12

Lottery and first-overall odds: 3.5 percent  

The Islanders decided to move Brock Nelson, bringing in Calum Ritchie and proving they needed to retool some things at the very least. 

They need to add more speed and skill to the roster. They have needs all over the lineup. The Islanders are dangerously close to sitting in the mushy middle for years. A lottery win would be great for this team, but any added skill would help long-term. 

New York Rangers, 39-36-7

Lottery and first-overall odds: 3.0 percent  

Oh, how the mighty have fallen – and it was ugly. 

The Rangers’ season fell off the rails early. After an off-season in which they tried to trade captain Jacob Trouba, tensions were high coming into the year, and things just continued to go south from there. The team traded notable players during the season, including Trouba, Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil, while bringing in J.T. Miller and Will Borgen, among other assets. 

It’s been a weird year. They are the last team that could move up into the first-overall selection with the lottery, but with the luck they’ve had this year, I wouldn’t count on it.

Larkin Expresses Frustration with Red Wings Trade Deadline ApproachDylan Larkin is not just the Red Wings captain.  He is also the team's longest tenured player, the only one left with first hand experience of playoff hockey in Detroit, and he grew up 40 minutes northwest of Little Caesars Arena in Waterford.  When you put it all together, it's no surprise that Larkin wears his team's shortcomings and nine season playoff drought the hardest.  At Saturday's locker clean-out day, Larkin expressed one particular aspect of that frustration.

Detroit Red Wings, 39-35-8

Lottery odds: 2.5 percent (0 percent for first overall)

Forever the bridesmaid and never the bride. Is that comment about the playoffs or the draft lottery? No one knows, but it’s certainly true in both cases for the Red Wings.

The Wings were in a playoff spot for long stretches this season before falling out at the end, just as they did last year. They also weren’t bad enough to even be in the running for first overall as the first team outside of the range to move into the top pick. 

Detroit’s best players were its young, homegrown talent. Its worst were the guys it signed to insulate the younger players. Fix the surrounding roster, and the young guys will probably get them to the postseason. It feels that simple, but the Yzerplan is struggling to get it going. 

Columbus Blue Jackets, 40-33-9

Lottery odds: 2.0 percent (0 percent for first overall)

The Blue Jackets were the darlings of the season.

They were in the running for a playoff spot up until their last game, and they had so many good things happen to them on the ice. Adam Fantilli’s ascension was fantastic, reaching the 30-goal mark. The duo of Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov elevated their game even more this season. Zach Werenski is a Norris Trophy contender.

The Blue Jackets were legitimately fun this season after an off-season filled with tragedy. A lottery win wouldn’t get them into the top two, but it would help them add another promising young talent for a team on the rise. 

Utah Hockey Club, 38-31-13

Lottery odds: 1.5 percent (0 percent for first overall)

In their first season in Utah, the former Coyotes players looked like they were having fun again.

The team was finding some level of success on the ice and plenty more off of it. Utah still has some holes, and its young players are improving, but it could use a few more prospects entering the NHL and making an impact. Thankfully, the Hockey Club has a solid stable of players coming. This team is close to making a push for the playoffs, which could happen as soon as next season.

Vancouver Canucks, 38-30-14

Lottery odds: 0.5 percent (0 percent for first overall)

The Vancouver Canucks were essentially the Rangers-West, which made it all the more entertaining when the Canucks swapped Miller for Chytil and a pick just to flip the pick for more immediate help. 

The constant drama around the club, from the Elias Pettersson and Miller saga to the weird pending divorce with Brock Boeser, made the season a drag. This team has elite talent, such as Quinn Hughes, but they need a return to form for Pettersson and a lot of other things to fall into place, or they will become the epitome of the mediocre mushy middle.

Rick Tocchet Sounds Like He Has Unfinished Business With The Vancouver CanucksThe Vancouver Canucks are out of the playoffs and moving into summer mode, but 2024 Jack Adams Award winner Rick Tocchet will hold onto the title of NHL coach of the year for a few more weeks.

Calgary Flames, 41-27-14, (Montreal Owns Pick)

Lottery odds: 0.5 percent (0 percent for first overall)

Montreal owns Calgary’s first-round pick, but Calgary has New Jersey’s, so they shouldn’t be too upset with how this season went. They had star rookie Dustin Wolf assert himself as the guy in net, Jonathan Huberdeau quietly had a very good season, and the Flames almost made the playoffs despite many predicting them to sit near the bottom. 

Calgary needs to build on what they did this season, and finding a way to continue adding young talent will help ensure that it’s not just a one- or two-season playoff contention window.

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