Category: Sports News

The Edmonton Oilers were nearly impossible to shake in the first three rounds of the playoffs. 

As they beat the Los Angeles Kings, Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars, the Oilers had brief moments here or there where they looked unnerved, but that was only temporary. For the most part, the Oilers imposed their will on their opponent and made relatively short work of them.

But now, after three Stanley Cup final games against the defending champions, the Florida Panthers, the Oilers have been reactionary, knee-jerk-ish and ultimately, very beatable. 

In Game 1 against the Panthers, Edmonton pulled out a win, but in the last two games, the Oilers have been increasingly overwhelmed by Florida’s waves of provocation. 

The frustrating part for the Oilers is that they had to know the provocation was always coming, yet they still look very much like a team that doesn’t have the capacity to turn the other cheek. They’re down 2-1 as a result.

The Panthers made their bones by pushing the envelope, playing an extremely physical game and basically daring their opponent to maintain their composure. 

Everybody knew what they were doing. And thus far, only the Toronto Maple Leafs – which took the Panthers to seven games in the second round – absorbed Florida’s punches, literally and competitively, and gave the Panthers a run for their money. But even then, the Leafs eventually wilted under Florida’s unending pressure with blowout losses at home.

You would think Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch would’ve made it clear to his players that they couldn’t give in to the temptation to pound the Panthers into a new zip code. Trent Frederic even discussed that before the Cup final.

"You have to stay away from the stuff after whistles," Frederic told Ryan Kennedy. "I like our power play a lot, but we can't fall into their trap."

Florida had 11 power plays on Monday. They scored three times with the man advantage in the 6-1 win. Edmonton went 1-for-6 on the power play.

After the game was essentially out of hand for Edmonton, the Oilers completely melted down, getting into something close to a line brawl. Some might’ve viewed the late-game breakdown as a sign of life for Edmonton, but this writer saw it as a sign that the Panthers were utterly and completely under the Oilers’ skin.

If the Oilers are going to get back in this series, their discipline will have to drastically improve. Florida’s professional troublemakers, such as Sam Bennett, must be ignored as much as possible. Otherwise, the Panthers will just push forward with the Oilers under control.

In Game 1, Florida only had two power plays, compared to Edmonton's four. The Oilers looked like they were playing their game instead of letting Florida dictate the tone. And although the Oilers had six power plays in Game 2, they gave Florida four as well, leading up to Game 3's chaos.

If Games 4 and 5 look anything like Game 3, the Oilers will be on the losing end of the Cup final for the second straight season. They must stick to their game if they intend on winning.

Promo image credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

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The NHL announced the winner of the Selke Trophy last week with Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov taking home his third.

After having a finalist for the award last season as well as another top-10 finisher, the Hurricanes did not have a single player within the top-10 this season, although three were inside the top-20.

Jordan Staal, 36, finished 11th in Selke voting this season, after finishing second overall in 2023-24.

The veteran centerman continues to be one of the league's premier defensive and shutdown players at both 5v5 and on the penalty kill, but his lack of scoring keeps him from being a true contender for the award.

Staal received five first-place votes this season.

Seth Jarvis also fell a few spots going from 8th overall in voting in 2023-24 to 12th this season.

While it's hard for wingers to get as much credit for their defensive work, Jarvis continues to be a strong candidate for consideration, especially given the fact that he was tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals (5) this season.

Jarvis received two first-place votes.

Barkov, Cirelli, and Reinhart is a worthy trio of Selke nominees, but Jarvis should at least be in the conversation. pic.twitter.com/sRtVGf6CDf

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) May 2, 2025

Rounding out the voting for the Hurricanes was Sebastian Aho, who finished in 20th this season after an 11th place finish in 2023-24.

Aho is a elite two-way player who plays in all situations. He's a top-end penalty killer and he even had seven shorthanded points this season.

Jordan Martinook did not receive any votes this season after finishing 30th last season.

Rod Brind'Amour Receives Zero Votes For Coach of the YearThe NHL announced the results for the Jack Adams Award on Saturday, given annually to "the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success" as voted on by the NHL Broadcasters' Association. Hurricanes Rookies' Strong Seasons Validated In Calder Trophy VotingThe results from the 2025 Calder Trophy voting for the NHL's Rookie of the Year were announced on Tuesday with Montreal's Lane Hutson taking home top honors.

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Although it was already known Philadelphia Flyers star Matvei Michkov wouldn't be a finalist for the 2025 Calder Trophy, the voting process painted a much different picture.

With the final voting results released Tuesday morning, Montreal Canadiens starlet Lane Hutson was the runaway winner, earning 165 of the 191 total first-place votes from the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.

Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf earned 15 first-place votes, while San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini reeled in 11. As for Michkov? The Flyers winger didn't receive so much as even one first-plate vote.

The final tally showed Hutson earning 1,832 points, Wolf earning 1,169, and Celebrini earning 1,104. Michkov was a distant fourth with his meager 645.

Perhaps even worse was that Michkov received just 34 total votes for second and third place, respectively, but pulled in 151 votes for fourth. Somehow, the affable Flyers rookie was hardly even a consideration to be a finalist amongst voters.

Flyers Trade Rumors: Division Rival Trying to Hijack Nicolas Hague TradeIf the Philadelphia Flyers truly want to trade for Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague, they may have to outbid two other NHL teams, including a Metropolitan Division rival, to get the deal over the line.

The 20-year-old Michkov was the Flyers' lone representative in Calder voting, though former Flyers prospect Cutter Gauthier finished behind him in fifth place with six fourth-place votes and 74 fifth-place votes.

Michkov himself wasn't all that concerned with the results of the Calder Trophy voting, though it would have been nice for him to earn some silverware on behalf of the Flyers as the NHL's most outstanding rookie.

The Russian sensation finished his debut season in the NHL with 26 goals, leading all rookies. Michkov's 63 points were tied with Celebrini for second amongst all rookies, trailing Hutson's 66.

A Flyers player has never won the Calder Trophy, and this trend will continue for the foreseeable future with no big-time young talents expected to make the jump to their NHL roster in 2025-26.

For more Flyers news and up-to-date coverage, visit The Hockey News and like our Facebook page. Follow us on 𝕏: @ByJonBailey,  @TheHockeyNews

William Karlsson's name has been floated out by many insiders, and although no concrete reports have come from the Vegas Golden Knights, a trusted insider revealed fresh information.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman revealed on his podcast, 32 Thoughts, that "All I'm going to say is that I got pushback from teams about Karlsson," Friedman said. "Now, I haven't spoken to Vegas directly, and it's always possible... I asked a few people about Karlsson, and either they told me they're not under the impression he's available, or, I suspect, in at least one or two cases, they asked and were told no."

"I asked around about Karlsson, and just the people I spoke to, they told me they had either no indication Vegas was willing to do it, or had been specifically told Vegas wasn't doing it. So if Karlsson's available, and I stress if... you'd have to show me what the situation would be."

HC Bruce Cassidy trusts Karlsson quite a bit, and it would take a lot of convincing from GM Kelly McCrimmon to convince him that moving him is the right move. Karlsson is trusted defensively at even strength and on the penalty kill, and chips in offensively when needed. Several reports have indicated that the Golden Knights are going to make a strong push for Mitch Marner, and they would need to free up cap space to do so. 

Karlsson's $5.9M cap hit would do so, and he could fetch a very strong return in a market that craves two-way centermen. 

Marner is a winger but is regarded as one of the best pure playmakers in the NHL. He is also one of the best defensive wingers, with the ability to shut down the opponent's top line and kill penalties. 

With several reports stemming from numerous insiders on multiple players, the Golden Knights could be in line to be very busy this offseason.

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REPORT: Golden Knights, Maple Leafs and Hurricanes Discussed Three-Team Deal Involving Mitch Marner At The Trade DeadlineSince the conclusion of the Vegas Golden Knights' 2024-25 season, they've been linked and named as possible favorites to land top free agent Mitch Marner. A recent report shared by The Athletic's James Mirtle states that the Golden Knights nearly completed a three-team trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes, which would have sent Marner to Vegas. Golden Knights Forward Finds His Name On Offseason Trade BoardVegas Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev, alongside defenseman Nicolas Hague, found his name on Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos' Offseason Trade Board. 

Welcome back to another Memorable Match from the Vancouver Canucks’ 2024–25 season. Last time, we looked at the team’s 4–3 overtime loss against the St. Louis Blues on March 20. This week, we’ll take a look at the Canucks’ record-setting 6–5 overtime win against the Dallas Stars on April 8. 

Coming into this game, the Canucks’ playoff odds were slimmer than a hair. If they won this game, they would continue to be in contention — barely. Dallas, on the other hand, had already clinched their playoff spot and looked to be Stanley Cup favourites after acquiring Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes. Because of this, Vancouver’s chances at winning looked slim even before they’d stepped onto the ice. 

The Stars took the lead in the first period with a goal from Rantanen 13:48 into the first period. Mason Marchment added to their total around five minutes after, sending Dallas to the first intermission with a 2–0 lead. Nearly halfway through the second period, Matt Duchene scored to make the score 3–0 for the Stars. 

Vancouver’s first goal didn’t come until the third period, when Jake DeBrusk found the back of the net 17 seconds into the final regulation frame. Victor Mancini added to this total while on the power play four minutes later. With the game now 3–2, the Canucks had a chance to tie things up and gain a valuable two points. After around 13 minutes, Maverick Bourque scored to give Dallas a two-goal cushion. Mikael Granlund made it 5–2 after scoring an empty net on the Canucks, who’d hoped to even things up. 

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What came next may have been one of the most impressive things the Canucks did this season. With only a minute left in regulation and a three-goal deficit, Aatu Räty scored Vancouver’s third goal of the game. 30 seconds later, it was Pius Suter who found the back of the net. With six seconds left to go in the game, Suter scored yet again to tie the game at 5–5. No other team in NHL history had ever come back from being down by three goals in the final minute of regulation. That is, not until the Canucks did so during this game. 

While this comeback may have come a bit too late, as the Canucks were eliminated from postseason contention the night after, this win was still a testament to the team’s character. If they can continue to carry this spirit into the 2025–26 season, Vancouver will be a difficult team for others to face. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.

Coming out of the NHL Scouting Combine last weekend, the Buffalo Sabres got the lowdown on a number of prospects that could be their with the ninth selection at the 2025 Draft in Los Angeles later this month, but barring a trade up they will have to rely on the player they want slipping through the cracks.  

The NY Islanders are likely to select defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the top overall pick, but there is no accurate read on how the remaining seven picks will break. That seems to be reflected in various mock drafts that have emerged since the combine. After Schaefer, names like Michael Misa, Caleb Desnoyers, and rising star Anton Frondell are likely to go in the top five, but at that point, any of a number of players could be there for the Sabres at #9.  

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Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Radim Mrtka is a possibility for the Sabres, based on the fact that the club is looking to address the right side of the blueline. According to the Hockey News Draft Preview, the 6’6” defenseman can skate and move the puck, which could make his path to the NHL a relatively short one. 

"I want to be better offensively and get better in every (aspect) of the game,” Mrtka said on Saturday.  "(Coming over to Seattle) helped me a lot. They gave me a lot of time and chances, and I think it went pretty good. It's my dream to be in the NHL. So it's kind of preparation for me to live here and stay here." 

Mrtka joined the WHL’s Thunderbirds after starting the season in the Czech League, and while he put up solid offensive numbers in the WHL, scouts aren’t expecting him to duplicate that in the NHL. There’s still a lot to like about the big 18-year-old as a future middle-pair blueliner, who models his game after Victor Hedman and Moritz Seider. 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo

The New York Rangers are getting to know the top hockey prospects in the most unique way at the NHL Draft Combine in Buffalo. 

With the NHL Draft approaching later this month, all teams are beginning to interview prospects. 

Rangers Select Explosive Defenseman In NHL Mock DraftThe 2025 NHL Draft is coming up soon and the New York Rangers have to decide if they want to keep the 12th overall selection in the first round. 

It seems as if the Rangers brass are using some interesting tactics during their interviews, to say the least. 

“Multiple prospects confirmed that they played a game during an interview,” Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers wrote via X. “They were presented a 10 X 10 board of numbers, randomly placed 1-100. They were asked to find 3 different numbers on that random board as quickly as possible. The team? The New York Rangers.”

The Rangers hold the 12th overall pick in the first round and have a decision to make whether to give away this year’s first-round pick or next year’s selection due to the J.T. Miller trade. 

The Bluehsirts hold nine picks in the 2025 NHL Draft.

With both the NHL Draft and free agency on the horizon, trade speculation is running rampant in hockey circles at the moment.

And one of the latest reports by an NHL insider is beginning to crowd the airways.

Speaking on SN590 Tuesday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman suggested that Dallas Stars superstar forward Jason Robertson's name is out there and that he could potentially be moved to provide some relief for a very cap-strapped Stars team.

Roberston, 25, has been one of the league's best goal-scorers for the past several seasons, and he registered 35 goals and 80 points in 82 games during the regular season. The 6-foot-3, 207-pound left wing has one year remaining on a contract that pays him $7.75 million annually before becoming a restricted free agent (RFA) in 2026, and - with the cap spiking for the next three seasons - he is due for a raise.

On the surface, it doesn't make much sense for the Stars to move on from Robertson, especially given the 1-2 punch they have with him and Mikko Rantanen, who was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes on Mar. 8.

However, with only $4.95 million in projected cap space for this season and with several pending-RFAs and UFAs - such as forwards Mikael Granlund (UFA), Matt Duchene (UFA), Jamie Benn (UFA), and Mavrik Bourque (RFA) and defensemen Cody Ceci (UFA) and Nils Lundkvist (RFA) - it gets a bit more complicated, as the Stars would ideally like to hang onto some of them.

Should The Penguins Target Dallas Stars' RFA Forward?Ahead of the NHL Draft and free agency, the Pittsburgh Penguins - in addition to hiring a new head coach - figure to be busy.

In addition, they will need to fill out the rest of their roster for 2025-26, and the Stars will need to extend young star defenseman Thomas Harley, who will also become an RFA in 2026. 

In other words, the chances of Robertson being dealt may still be slim and very speculative at this point, but they're not zero. And, if he is available, is he someone the Pittsburgh Penguins can make a serious push for?

Honestly, it may not be as far-fetched as it seems.

Per data from Puckpedia, Pittsburgh has more draft capital than any other team in hockey over the next three years, and that includes 18 picks within the first three rounds. They have $24.5 million in cap space to work with this summer, and they will have nearly $53.9 million next summer, which will pretty much all be free spending cap because they will have no obligations to extend anyone on their current roster at that point. 

Conceivably, cap should be a non-issue for acquiring someone like Robertson, who more than fits the mold of young talent that Penguins' POHO and GM Kyle Dubas is looking for in the trade market. The biggest question is whether or not they have the assets to pull something like that off. 

And, hey, they just might.

Dallas will definitely be looking for a hefty return for Robertson, should they pull the trigger on any sort of trade - and it will most certainly have to include a mix of everything - NHL talent, prospect talent, and picks. Although the Penguins may not have a golden prospect pool, they may be able to somewhat compensate for that elsewhere.

If Dallas is looking to shed some of Robertson's $7.75 million cap - but still net NHL talent in return - they could consider Penguins forward Rickard Rakell. Rakell makes $5 million for three more years and matched Robertson's 2024-25 goal total with 35 while also notching 70 points, meaning the 32-year-old winger can help Dallas in their current win-now mode. 

Penguins Trading Star Forward Would Come With Big RiskFor much of the 2024-25 season, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rickard Rakell was the subject of trade speculation. It was understandable, as the Penguins were out of the playoff race, while Rakell enjoyed himself a career year. In 81 games, the 32-year-old winger set new career highs with 35 goals and 70 points.

If the Penguins retained some salary, that should still open up approximately $4 million, and the Stars would be getting some goal-scoring replacement to be deployed in their top-six. Rakell would have to be shipped off with other assets, too - likely a first (which could, perhaps, be the New York Rangers' conditional first), another pick in the second or third round, and a prospect along the lines of, at the very least, goaltender Joel Blomqvist or forward Tristan Broz.

In addition, Robertson does not have any form of a no-trade or no-movement clause on his current contract, making it a bit easier for Dallas to deal him.

Realistically, if Robertson is available - and the Penguins are interested - they could, conceivably, put together a package to get a deal across the finish line. They have a player in Rakell who can fill a need for Dallas for a cheaper price tag than Robertson, and they have the assets to balance out the value in return.

Of course, this will be a situation to monitor in the coming weeks before the draft and prior to free agency. But, if the opportunity arises to acquire a young, star talent, Dubas should not hesitate.

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