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On June 21, 2019, the Vancouver Canucks used their 10th overall pick to select Vasily Podkolzin of SKA St. Petersburg. Six years after his draft year, the Russian forward has finally found his footing on a Stanley Cup-contending team — but not the team he was drafted by. How did the former top-10 draft pick end up competing for the Stanley Cup only six years after being drafted? 

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The pick was considered risky to begin with. Podkolzin still had two years left on his contract with SKA, meaning the earliest he could join the Canucks would have been the 2021–22 season. Moreover, Vancouver was in the market for defencemen that could help bolster the blueline alongside the newly-debuted Quinn Hughes. Defensive prospects like Cam York (Philadelphia Flyers), Thomas Harley (Dallas Stars), and Ville Heinola (Winnipeg Jets) had yet to be picked at the time. Other impact forwards Matt Boldy (Minnesota Wild), Cole Caufield (Montréal Canadiens), and Connor McMichael (Washington Capitals) were also drafted in later rounds. Still, Vancouver set their sights on picking players with an engine — something that has helped Podkolzin thrive during his 2025 Stanley Cup run. 

“When we’re taking 17, 18-year-old players, that motor is going to lead to more development. They’re guys that we think are coachable, that are determined to get there, that are going to buy in,” Canucks scouting director at the time, Judd Brackett, told The Province back in 2019. 

Podkolzin went back to SKA for the 2019–20 season though, like most, the season was thrown for a loop by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the KHL deciding to move forward with their 2020–21 season, many teams were impacted by COVID-19, including Podkolzin’s team. Partway through, he represented Team Russia at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in what was his third time participating in the tournament. Previously, he’d played for Russia in 2019 and 2020. In his third and final year, he was named captain of the team, and put together a two-goal, two-assist performance in Russia’s seven tournament games played. 

After finishing up his contract with SKA, capping it off with a playoff performance of six goals and five assists in 16 games played, Podkolzin signed his entry-level contract with the Canucks on May 30 of 2021. That fall, he started his first season with Vancouver, scoring 14 goals and 12 assists as a rookie who went through an early coaching change after the firing of Travis Green and his staff in December. While he only had five goals and two assists in his first two months under Green, with 52 games under new head coach Bruce Boudreau, Podkolzin had nine goals and 10 assists. 

The Podkolzin and Vancouver saga started to shift after this season. While his point production in 2021–22 wasn’t ideal, fans still had hopes for the forward due to his drive and his work ethic. Even so, while he appeared to be trying his best and putting effort in, the results weren’t appearing on the scoresheet. Podkolzin spent the 2022–23 season with both Vancouver (39 games) and the Abbotsford Canucks (28 games). The season after saw Podkolzin’s AHL time increase, as he played in 44 of Abbotsford’s games and only 19 of Vancouver’s. During both stints with Vancouver, he was unable to produce more than four goals and five assists combined. 

These two disappointing seasons ultimately resulted in the Canucks moving on from Podkolzin. In August of 2024, Vancouver traded Podkolzin to the Edmonton Oilers for a 2025 fourth-round pick. This deal came only a few months after the Canucks inked him to a two-year, $1M AAV extension. 

The 2024–25 season presented itself as a bounce-back opportunity for Podkolzin, who played solidly in a middle to bottom-six role at various times throughout the year. He skated in all 82 of the Oilers’ games, putting up eight goals and a career-high of 16 assists. His time on ice throughout the season also rose, as he averaged 13:13 minutes played per game. 

While Podkolzin wasn’t expected to be a top-line player for the Oilers, he has shared the ice with star forward Leon Draisaitl at various points during Edmonton’s 2025 Stanley Cup Playoff run. He has also been able to contribute to their depth scoring, having put up four points in Edmonton’s six games against the L.A. Kings. Vancouver fans may be hesitant to admit it, but Podkolzin looks like he has turned another leaf as a member of the Oilers. 

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In the history of the NHL, there have always been players who push the envelope with their physical style of play. Players have understood that there’s a line in the sand in terms of over-the-top play, but it’s hardly a firm red line – more like a dotted line that moves from situation to situation. And in every Stanley Cup playoff tournament, those envelope-pushing players take it to a new level and don’t stop testing the line until the league punishes them sufficiently.

That’s exactly the type of player Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett is. And in Game 2 of the Cup final series against the Edmonton Oilers on Friday, Bennett once again found himself in the eye of the storm of a controversy because of his habit of knocking around opposing goaltenders.

In Game 1 of Florida’s second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Bennett concussed Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz, knocking him out of the rest of the playoffs. And in Game 2 against the Oilers, Bennett was called for goalie interference on Stuart Skinner and assessed a two-minute minor penalty, in which Edmonton scored to take a 3-2 lead in a game the Panthers would eventually win in overtime. And in Game 1 of the series, the Oilers tried to get Bennett’s 12th goal of the playoffs called back because Edmonton believed Bennett had interfered with Skinner. In that instance, there was no judgment of goalie interference, and Bennett’s goal counted.

With those facts in mind, one of two things is true: either Bennett is the unluckiest player in the world who continues to be in the wrong area of the ice at the wrong time, or he’s a borderline-dirty player who the league needs to crack down on. And from this writer’s perspective, we’re going with the latter option. It’s no coincidence Bennett is regularly suspected of crossing the line. It’s what he does, and he’s rather good at it.

Now, here’s the rub: if the NHL isn’t going to properly police players like Bennett, why on earth should he change? And why would the Panthers want him to change? His approach is delivering the results his team is looking for, and he’s not getting suspended or even fined for his choices. Any player in a similar predicament would continue to do what he’s doing, until such time that the NHL’s department of player safety says “enough’s enough” and drops a one-or-two-game suspension on him.

Suspending Bennett may not change the way he plays, but if you suspend him now and he crosses the line again, that’s when you suspend him for three or four games. And if he keeps doing it after that, you suspend him even longer. Sooner or later, the risk/reward ratio will cause Bennett to change his ways, because no player wants to be on the sidelines, especially at this time of year.

Some Panthers fans will defend Bennett’s play, noting that he’s not a one-trick pony who is only on the ice to hurt opponents. And we’d agree with that. But you can’t convince us that, somehow, Bennett just happens to be in the middle of controversial plays numerous times during a post-season.

It’s a product of the approach he takes, and again, if the NHL isn’t going to take a strong stance and convey the message that Bennett has to change the way he plays, he’d be a fool to change on his own. There is no honor among players or self-policing at this point in the season. The bottom line is winning playoff games, and Bennett has been a huge factor in that regard.

When he becomes a UFA this summer, Bennett is going to be paid very handsomely, precisely because teams know his style of play is effective, and because it isn’t going to be outlawed by the league. But imagine, for a second, that Bennett was suspended after what he did in Game 2 Friday night. Suddenly, he might be seen as a detriment to winning – or at least, someone who couldn’t continue playing the way he plays. That would almost certainly bite into the raise he’s going to be looking for as a free agent. But as it stands, Bennett has nothing to worry about, as the NHL is tacitly endorsing his style of competing. 

If it wanted to, the league could step in at any point during a controversial moment involving Bennett and drop the hammer of supplemental discipline on him. The league obviously doesn’t want him to change, and Bennett doesn’t want to change, so deja vu will be happening soon enough.

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The Buffalo Sabres could be approaching a crossroads when it comes to the future of star defenseman Bowen Byram. We've argued on THN.com that the Sabres should hang onto Byram, but for argument's sake, let's say Buffalo and Byram part ways. If that happens, there are numerous veterans the Sabres could bring in to shore up their defense corps.

Let's start with Philadelphia Flyers blueliner Rasmus Ristolainen. The 30-year-old is under contract for the next two seasons at a very reasonable $5.1-million salary, and his physical game is precisely what the Sabres need more of.

Of course, Ristolainen spent the first eight seasons of his NHL career with the Sabres, but while Buffalo traded him to Philly in 2021, a reunion in Western New York might work out very well for Ristolainen and the Sabres. Ristolainen has no no-trade or no-move clauses in his current contract, but you can argue the Sabres are closer to a playoff berth than the Flyers will be next season, so a move back to Buffalo may be right up Ristolainen's alley.

Meanwhile, another D-man option for Sabres GM Kevyn Adams to target is Vegas Golden Knights veteran Nicolas Hague. Like Ristolainen, the 26-year-old is a big body (6-foot-6), and given that Vegas has.a logjam of talent on the back end, the Sabres wouldn't have to give up the sun and moon to acquire him. Hague made $2.29-million this year, but he's an RFA who would give Buffalo team control over him. 

Finally, there's Seattle Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak, who has one more year in his current contract at $4.6-million, but so long as Buffalo isn't on Oleksiak's 16-team no-trade list, he'd provide some calm and experience to the Sabres' defense.

Does Ducks Young Star Forward Make Sense As A Trade Target For Sabres?As one of the most disappointing teams in the NHL for many seasons now, the Buffalo Sabres need to make extensive roster changes this summer. And an intriguing target for the Sabres could be an Anaheim Ducks youngster in need of a change of employer -- left winger Trevor Zegras.

As you can see, while there isn't a superstar D-man out there to step into Byram's shoes, there are some legitimate candidates potentially available to make Buffalo's defense corps more formidable than it's been in recent years. Star blueliners Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power still rule the roost for the Sabres, but Ristolainen, Hague and Oleksiak all bring skill sets to the table that could prove very beneficial to Buffalo's cause.

Adams would have to give up young players, draft picks and prospects to pluck one of the aforementioned veterans away from their current team. But at this stage in their history, the Sabres don't need more young players and draft picks.

Sabres Can't Afford To Wait For Star-Studded UFA Group Of 2026 -- They Need To Spend Their Salary Cap Space NowThere 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.

Instead, the Sabres need D-men who've consistently demonstrated they can contribute meaningful minutes. And if Adams can acquire at least one of the veterans we've mentioned, moving on from Byram might not be so painful.

The Philadelphia Flyers, as expected, had a hectic week meeting with various top prospects at the NHL Scouting Combine. Such is life as a team with three first-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft.

How those first-round picks are allocated remains to be seen, but the Flyers have made it clear through their actions and words, so far, that they aren't discriminating or setting out to draft a specific player or position.

Management could very well have its choice of a top center, winger, and defenseman at the No. 6 pick, and the Flyers could always use their two later first-round picks to move up and select another prospect they really love.

So, to cover all those bases, the Flyers met with a myriad of different prospects who play different positions and are projected to fall to different places in the 2025 NHL Draft. What do we know so far?

According to Jackie Spiegel of the Inquirer, the Flyers spoke with the following top prospects (in no particular order): Michael Misa, James Hagens, Caleb Desnoyers, Porter Martone, Anton Frondell, Victor Eklund, Logan Hensler, Malcom Spence, Sascha Boumedienne, Shane Vansaghi, Blake Fiddler, Cullen Potter, Brady Martin, Jake O'Brien, Roger McQueen, Henry Brzustewicz, Kashawn Aitcheson, Joshua Ravensbergen, Haoxi 'Simon' Wang, Justin Carbonneau, Vaclav Nestrasil, Carter Bear, William Horcoff, Carter Amico, and Radim Mrtka, among other names.

And, according to further reports from interviews with the aforementioned prospects, we know that Martone, O'Brien, and Martin have had dinner with the Flyers.

Of course, this doesn't mean a whole lot with three weeks to go until the 2025 draft, but it does give us a good idea of the Flyers' intentions at this moment in time.

NHL Draft 2025: New Flyers Trade Opportunity ArisesIf 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.

Martone, although he is a right wing, is the best prospect in this class at his position and has been compared stylistically to Matvei Michkov.

At the scouting combine, Martin compared himself to Sam Bennett and Tom Wilson, which aligns with the philosophy of Rick Tocchet and the 'old school' Flyers teams.

And then there's O'Brien, a player I mocked to the Flyers in an earlier mock draft who is coached by one of Danny Briere's old buddies, Jay McKee. O'Brien is a big, 6-foot-2 center with eyes in the back of his head and a natural playmaking flair to his game.

On the other side of the coin, there is an equal possibility that some of these meetings and dinners are to serve as diversions and distractions from the Flyers' true intentions, which is more likely than not going to be drafting the No. 1 center of their future. Martone isn't a center, and Martin may not be one either at the NHL level. And Martin isn't as naturally skilled as O'Brien and some of the other options at that position.

Notably, the Flyers strayed hard from public consensus a year ago when they drafted Jett Luchanko 13th overall, so fans must still expect the unexpected until more information comes out.

Cam Robinson of EliteProspects did report Saturday that there is a strong belief the Utah Mammoth covets Martin, which has been welcomed news amongst many Flyers fans.

Utah holds the fourth pick, so if Martin goes there, the chance the Flyers land one of the more star power-laden players in this draft class increases greatly.

Only time will tell what the Flyers are thinking heading into the draft, but so far, their scouting combine draft board, so to speak, is looking mighty clean.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have hired former Nashville Predators assistant coach Dan Hinote to join their coaching staff, the team announced on Friday.

Hinote was behind the bench in Nashville from 2020-24, helping the Predators advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in three of his four seasons there. He spent the 2024-25 campaign as associate coach with the Colorado Eagles, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche. In the Calder Cup Playoffs, Hinote and the Eagles fell to the Abbotsford Canucks in five games of their best-of-five series during the Division Finals.

Hinote is a native of Leesburg, Fla., about 85 miles northwest of Tampa. He began his coaching career with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2010-11 season, spending four seasons behind the bench in Columbus before moving into a professional scouting role with the club.

As a player, Hinote skated in 503 regular season NHL games with the Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues, recording 38 goals and 90 points. He also appeared in 72 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, during which he recorded six goals and 15 points. Hinote won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2001.

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The Montreal Canadiens’ farm team, the Laval Rocket, held its post-mortem earlier this week following its elimination in the Eastern Conference final of the Calder Cup by the Charlotte Checkers. While the Rocket was swept in that series, it had a very successful season with Pascal Vincent at the helm, and at least for now, the bench boss is going nowhere.

The winner of the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the coach of the year in the AHL explained to the media that it would take an offer he couldn’t resist to leave the organization of his youth.

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There were plenty of coaching vacancies in the NHL following the end of the regular season, and many wondered if Vincent might have another chance at being a bench boss in the big league. However, the vacancies all filled up one after the other while he was focusing on coaching the Rocket in the postseason.

Speaking to the press, it didn’t look like he felt he missed out on an opportunity. Vince is proud of what he has accomplished with a young Rocket side this season, and he is looking forward to what they’ll be able to achieve in a second season.

The 53-year-old coach has extensive experience behind the bench, both in the AHL, where he served as the head coach of the Manitoba Moose for five seasons, and in the NHL, where he was an assistant coach with the Winnipeg Jets for five years before returning to the AHL to coach the Moose. He left the Jets’ organization at the end of the 2020-21 season to join the Columbus Blue Jackets.

In Ohio, he served as an assistant coach for two seasons before being appointed the top job at the start of the 2023-24 season, following Mike Babcock's resignation two and a half months after his appointment, despite not having coached a game. Under his leadership, the Jackets maintained a 27-43-12 record, earning 66 points in the standings and a .402 winning percentage.

Vincent has the skills to coach in the NHL, but the way he spoke yesterday, he may wait for a big-league opportunity with the team he cheered for as a kid.

Photo credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

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‘David Krejci-like' center with plenty of upside would give Flyers good decision originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The 2025 NHL draft is a huge one for the Flyers’ rebuild.

Not only does Danny Briere have a lot of high-round picks at his disposal, but he also could be creative in how he uses them.

“There are all kinds of possibilities here,” the Flyers’ general manager said in April. “I think it’s really exciting going into it. It’s powerful to have so many picks like that. I think a lot of teams will be wanting to have discussions with us to make some things happen — teams that don’t have picks or teams that want to tweak things.”

So it’s a busy time for the Flyers leading up to the draft, which will be held June 27-28. The first round is Friday at 7 p.m. ET, while Rounds 2-7 are Saturday starting at noon ET.

“There are really good players in this draft,” TSN director of scouting Craig Button said last Tuesday in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Maybe people say it’s not a good draft; I’m not buying it. I think this draft has got lots of good players.”

The Flyers are slotted to make 11 picks, including three first-rounders and four second-rounders. Their first-round selections will come at No. 6 (own pick), No. 22 (Sean Walker trade) and either No. 31 or 32 (Oilers trade).

Before the draft arrives, we’re breaking down first-round targets for the Flyers.

Next up:

Jake O’Brien

Position: Center
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 172
Shoots: Right
Team: Brantford

Scouting report

O’Brien, who doesn’t turn 18 years old until the third week of June, is an intelligent center and a surgeon in the offensive zone. He makes precise reads and executes with high-end skill.

On the 2024-25 Bulldogs that went 44-19-5, O’Brien put up 98 points (32 goals, 66 assists) in 66 regular-season games. He had five games of four or more points and his 41 power play assists led all of Canadian major junior hockey. He added 11 points (three goals, eight assists) over 11 playoff games.

“He’s a really, really, really good, solid player, somebody I see as a second-line center,” Button, a former NHL GM and scout, said. “He might be David Krejci-like. I think people look at Jake, me included, and go, ‘Could he be like Patrice Bergeron because he’s so smart?’ He thinks that way, he thinks that way in the game. But he might be more David Krejci than Patrice Bergeron. Just a really, really solid — in my view — two-way center in the NHL.”

Krejci had a highly successful career with the Bruins. He won a Stanley Cup and finished with 786 points (231 goals, 555 assists) and a plus-166 rating in 1,032 games.

O’Brien will have to round out his overall game, but most prospects do at his age. He can improve his physicality and be stronger in the faceoff circle. However, he has great size and it’s evident that he’s still growing into his body, which makes his ceiling awfully intriguing. He’s the 11th-ranked player in the draft on Button’s list.

“I think one of the biggest advancements in Jake’s game this year, he was always a thinker; I think he really balanced out the thinking with the doing,” Button said. “You can be a smart player and always be in the right spots on the ice, and certainly Jake does that, but you also have to do. You have to balance the physical with the mental. I think that’s where Jake took some real big strides this year. ‘OK, I’ve got to trust myself, I’ve got to make sure that not only am I thinking it, but I’m doing it.'”

EliteProspects.com has O’Brien as the 10th-best player in the draft, while NHL Central Scouting has him as the fourth-rated North American skater.

“I think his game is predicated on really understanding where he needs to be, how he needs to be there,” Button said. “He put up points this year. He has always been a smart player.”

Fit with Flyers

O’Brien could fall right into the Flyers’ range at No. 6 and he certainly has some qualities to address organizational weaknesses.

The Flyers have needed more centers in their system, particularly ones with size and playmaking abilities to eventually complement Matvei Michkov. O’Brien’s prowess on the power play should also be appealing to the Flyers. The club has sported an NHL-worst 13.7 power play percentage over the last four seasons combined.

There might be a few more safer picks than O’Brien at No. 6, but the Flyers have shown they’re willing to take swings on talent. O’Brien’s room for growth is there and his upside would be a nice addition to the team’s prospect pool.

More targets

• Hagens is ‘Matt Duchene type of player’ who could be on Flyers’ radar at No. 6

• Flyers would probably love if Barkov-like prospect is available at No. 6

• ‘Fascinating,’ 6-foot-5 center has tons of intrigue for Flyers at No. 6

• Younger brother of Flyers prospect is ‘complete’ center and option at No. 6

The Chicago Blackhawks haven’t played in close to two months, but a handful of former players are participating in the Stanley Cup Final.  It’s always interesting to see guys move on and have success elsewhere for the sake of their careers. 

Ahead of the trade deadline this season, Chicago sent Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers in a massive deal for both franchises. Jones has been great for them in the playoffs, including game two, where he played a huge role. 

In addition to his role as a shutdown player - it’s impossible to completely contain Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl - Jones contributed on offense in a big way. In what turned out to be a 5-4 overtime win, Jones had one goal and one assist. Plus-minus isn't always a wonderful indicator of how a player performed, but Jones was +3 against this lethal Edmonton offense. 

For the game to reach overtime, former Blackhawk forward Corey Perry scored with just over 17 seconds left in regulation to force the fourth period. At 40 years old, Perry has 8 goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Another former Hawk worth noting is Gustav Forsling, who put on a masterclass defensively. His name doesn’t appear on the scoresheet, but Florida doesn’t win without his contributions. 

“If you skate that well as a young man, you're put into offensive situations, you become a power play guy," Florida head coach Paul Maurice said. "But he has taken that skill and applied it to the defensive side of the game."

As mentioned before, Edmonton’s superstars rarely get completely shut down. However, Forsling was key in keeping them in check just enough to win the game. Getting his stick in the way on multiple opportunities set up by Edmonton was huge in the win. After a tough Game One, Forsling needed to bounce back in Game 2. Based on the difficulty level of the opponent, he can say he did that. 

All of these former Blackhawks made Game 2 one of the best games you’ll see in the NHL ever. To say that players who once donned the Blackhawks sweater were influential in the outcome would be an understatement. 

Each of the first two games has gone to overtime, and each ended with a legend scoring the winner. Leon Draisaitl and Brad Marchand have the series knotted up at one win apiece.

Game 3 will take place on Monday evening as the series will shift to Sunrise, Florida. 

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