Injuries to Artem Zub and Nick Jensen highlighted the Ottawa Senators' need for greater quality of depth on the right side throughout the 2024-25 season.

Their absences created opportunity, and to his credit, Nik Matinpalo parlayed his emergence as a credible depth option into a two-year, one-way extension carrying an average annual value of $875,000.

Despite the 26-year-old Finn's arrival, the reluctance of the coaching staff to move Matinpalo off the third pairing when faced with injuries underscores the necessity of finding better quality of depth. It is essential with the uncertainty of Jensen's recovery and timetable from his undisclosed lower-body injury and the impact it may have on his offseason.

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General manager Steve Staios discussed Jensen's injury at his end-of-the-season media availability before acknowledging that it could influence his decision to address the right defence position this offseason.

"I can tell you that just about every one of our players was dealing with something when you play as hard as they did," the general manager stated. "The commitment they've shown, they played through a lot, including Nick. He's an absolute warrior to continue to perform at a level with what he was dealing with.

"It's the character of the individual Nick, but all of them. I'm not going to come out with any list and speak specifically to injuries. But, he will get re-evaluated, and if it is something significant, that's definitely an area to to look at. We have some players coming up, but that'll be an area to look at for sure."

Should the Senators' front office look to add another quality defenceman, the free agent options will be limited.

The Florida Panthers' Aaron Ekblad headlines the class, but the relatively weak crop of free agents means his combination of age (29) and championship pedigree will make him highly sought after. The demand for him will drive his cost, likely pricing him out of the Senators' range, assuming he would be interested in coming to this market in the first place.

Another unrestricted free agent who will likely command some decent money coming off a strong season in Columbus is Dante Fabbro. The 26-year-old rearguard had his best season in the NHL, recording nine goals and 26 points in 62 games for the Blue Jackets.

As one of the youngest players on the free agent market, that consideration alone will afford Fabbro a real opportunity to earn a significant raise on this season's $2.5 million salary.

Regarding the Senators, I do not see a fit for Fabbro. Most of his value is tied to his puck-moving and offensive abilities, and with the presence of Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson and Nick Jensen, the Senators already have several of these types.

Adding size, physicality, and defensive aptitude to their top four should be the preferred route. A free agent like Nick Perbix could make more sense, but the risk is that he predominantly played a third-pairing role on an excellent Lightning team. HockeyViz's data show that his minor isolated impacts suggest he's closer to a league-average player than not, so the risk is overpaying for a defenceman who could be worse playing an elevated role on a weaker team.

The rest of the unrestricted free agent options are underwhelming, which will pressure the Senators to make a trade and fill that void.

Local talent Mackenzie Weegar would be a pipe dream if the Senators could pry him out of Calgary, but a Flames defenceman they should avoid is Rasmus Andersson. The 28-year-old Swede will enter the 2025-26 season in the final year of his six-year contract, carrying a $4.55 million cap hit.

Calgary is known for its 'Sea of Red', but a close inspection of Andersson's underlying metrics reveals its own sea of red.

Andersson played with a broken fibula down the stretch last season, which would have explained his horrendous metrics, but Andersson's defensive metrics have cratered in recent seasons. Evolving-Hockey's 'total defence' metric (DEF) combines all of a player's defensive contributions at five-on-five and shorthanded into a single value. This proprietary metric shows that Andersson has not created positive defensive value since the 2021-22 season.

His performance while playing hurt could help the Senators buy low, but if Andersson's defensive metrics continue to suffer, it would put the team in a difficult position. The Senators already have one of the thinnest farm systems in the league, so they can ill afford to trade prospect capital or valuable draft currency for a player who will not address a need.

If the Senators are going to move that capital, they would be better suited moving picks for more predictable veterans like Connor Murphy or Andrew Peeke. Alternatively, they could target younger options who could grow with this core, like Simon Nemec or a Jordan Spence (who, admittedly, is a smaller puck-moving type who relies on skating and his stick to defend well).

While researching prospective defencemen to target, one of the things that struck me was how many organizations are willing to use defencemen on their off-side. One solution for the Senators could be to use Tyler Kleven in this capacity, freeing them from using resources to bring in a top-four defenceman.

Kleven has experience playing his off-side from his time at the University of North Dakota. The maturation and growth that he displayed down the stretch and into the postseason was remarkable. He was already one of the team's best defenders, but watching his poise and play with the puck improve markedly leaves me wondering whether or not he could thrive in this role if given the opportunity.

The Senators could elevate Kleven and sign an excellent defender like Jon Merrill, giving the Senators three strong pairings.

If the Senators elect to acquire a right-shot defenceman, however, there is an option that they should consider pursuing.

Why 2024-25 Was The Best Season Yet For Senators Centre Tim StützleOttawa Senators centre Tim Stützle just enjoyed the best season of his NHL career.

If you are a regular viewer of the 'Coming in Hot Podcast' and saw yesterday's episode, you will have seen me mention the name of Michael Kesselring.

The 25-year-old right-shot defenceman stands at 6'5" and 216 lbs. He registered seven goals and 29 points in 82 games while averaging 17:41 of ice time per game. Kesselring finished tied for 32nd amongst NHL defencemen in blocked shots with 124 while tying for 69th in hits with 87.

His most iconic NHL moment occurred during a tilt in which the Maple Leafs' Simon Benoit attempted a Superman punch, but Kesselring possesses a nice mix of traditional hockey stats and analytics.

Although he played almost exclusively with noted analytics darling and legendary Senators defenceman Ian Cole, Kesselring's defensive numbers were strong.

When Kesselring was on the ice at five-on-five, Utah generated 53.91 percent of shots (CF%), 53.79 percent of the shots on goal (SF%), 56.47 percent of the goals (GF%), and 54.05 percent of the expected goals (xGF%) per NaturalStatTrick.

According to HockeyViz's data, Utah was a stronger defensive team with Kesselring on the ice than off it.

Evolving-Hockey's data substantiate Kesselring's defensive gains. According to their DEF metric, Kesselring posted his first positive season of defensive value, accumulating the second-highest DEF among Utah's regular defencemen behind Olli Maata.

Advanced Hockey Stats also recognized his defensive improvements.

Kesselring is entering the last year of his two-year contract, worth a real and average annual value of $1.4 million. He has one year left of restricted free agent status before he can become an unrestricted free agent, meaning, he should have some negotiating leverage on his next deal.

It may also represent the last opportunity to acquire Kesselring before his value and price tag go up significantly.

If the belief is that his offensive value can be preserved while his defensive aptitude continues to trend up, he could be an interesting target for consideration.

Given the alternatives, it may not be a bad bet. 

Graeme Nichols
The Hockey News Ottawa

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It's been a poor display by the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the playoffs, and now they find themselves on the brink of elimination, trailing the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 in the series.

Heading into Game 5 at home, coach Bruce Cassidy wants his players to play their game and give everything they've got. 

"This has got to be something you embrace if you expect to be the last team standing... It's on. Show up and put your best foot forward and see what happens," said Cassidy about this series.

Cassidy previously mentioned that with all due respect to the other six teams in the division, he believes the Golden Knights and the Oilers are the two "kings" of the division. The previous two seasons indicate that he is correct. The Oilers were the final Western Conference team standing last season, and the year prior, it was the Golden Knights. Once again, the final two Pacific Division teams are the Golden Knights and the Oilers. 

The key difference between the two teams this season is that the Oilers have embraced a step-on-their-throat mentality, something the Golden Knights have uncharacteristically lacked this postseason. 

The Golden Knights went up 2-0 in Game 1 but took their foot off the gas and allowed the Oilers to steal Game 1. With momentum on their side, the Oilers found another way to pull out an overtime win. The Golden Knights scored a clutch last-second winner in Game 3, but Game 4 was once again all Oilers.

They took an early lead and shut out the Golden Knights, outshooting them 32-23. Working their way back into the series with the mindset the Oilers have developed will be difficult, but the Golden Knights don't have any other option than to put their head down and find a way to get positive results. 

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

EDMONTON – It’s hard enough on teams in the playoffs.

The playoffs are a grueling endeavor, no matter if you play for the Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, or Winnipeg Jets.

Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more. 

The Oilers were able to weather the storm of injuries to Leon Draisaitl, Evander Kane, Mattias Ekholm, Stuart Skinner, and Zach Hyman at the end of the year before starting the playoffs. Since then, they have only had the injury of Calvin Pickard crop up as a result of postseason play.

With a 3-1 series lead over the Vegas Golden Knights, the Oilers will play the same lineup for Game 5 in Vegas on Wednesday night.

The Golden Knights aren’t so lucky.

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Wounded Golden Knights Will Hobble Out Against Oilers

The Golden Knights ran some curious line combinations and defense pairings at Wednesday's morning skate. Alex Pietrangelo, Brayden McNabb, Brandon Saad, and Mark Stone were absent.

After practice, the players who were taking Pietrangelo and McNabb’s spots in line rushes stayed out with the healthy scratches. That seems to indicate that the Golden Knights defense pairings will (likely) remain unchanged.

However, the Golden Knights-centric publication SinBin.vegas reports on X that Saad will not return for this series and Stone will not play Game 5.

Multiple sources have confirmed to us that VGK are proceeding forward with the expectation that Mark Stone will NOT play tonight.

Both McNabb and Pietrangelo are expected to go.

Brandon Saad is not expected back in this series.

— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) May 14, 2025

This is massive news for the Oilers, just as much as it is for the Golden Knights. Stone is an incredibly challenging player to play against, which makes the Oilers job just a touch easier without him in the lineup.

This will be something to watch out for tonight during warmups, as Golden Knights head coach labelled all four players as “game-time decisions.”

One way or another, there will be a lot to pay attention to with Wednesday night’s potential series-clinching game.

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The Philadelphia Flyers hired Rick Tocchet as the 25th coach of the franchise on Wednesday. 

Tocchet returns to the Flyers organization behind the bench after playing 11 seasons for the team in his playing days.

Philadelphia’s coaching gig opened up when they fired John Tortorella on March 27. Associate coach Brad Shaw filled in on an interim basis until the end of the season, and the Flyers finished last in the Eastern Conference.

“I am very happy to welcome Rick Tocchet as our head coach,” Flyers GM Daniel Briere said in a news release. 

“During this process, it became clear that Rick was the absolute right coach to lead our team. He has enjoyed the highest level of success both as a player and coach. Rick’s ability to teach and understand his players, combined with his passion for winning, brings out the best in young players at different stages of their development and has earned the respect and confidence of highly talented all-stars and veteran players alike,” Briere added.

This will be the fourth team Tocchet will lead behind the bench. He was the bench boss for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Arizona Coyotes and the Vancouver Canucks.

Tocchet is coming off a two-and-a-half-year stint with the Canucks as their coach. The team decided not to exercise its option to extend his contract, which allowed Tocchet to make his own decision about his future with the team. He ultimately decided to part ways.

Tocchet coached the Canucks for 200 regular-season games, earning a 108-65-27 record. 

The 2023-24 campaign was his best of his coaching career. The Canucks finished the regular season on top of the Pacific Division, and Tocchet won the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year. He led the team to the second round of the playoffs, where the Edmonton Oilers eliminated them in seven games.

This past season was a massive drop-off, highlighted by a rift between Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller. The Canucks ultimately traded Miller to the New York Rangers, and the Canucks lost a former 100-point scorer.

Vancouver missed the playoffs by six points. Nonetheless, Tocchet put the Canucks in a better position than when he arrived – he ended a three-year playoff drought, and he replaced Bruce Boudreau when the Canucks were fifth-last in the Western Conference.

With the Coyotes, Tocchet had a similar effect in terms of the team’s performance and achievements. They were a team in a similar position to the team he is now joining: a young, unproven squad that wants to take big steps forward in quick fashion.

Arizona finished last in the Western Conference during Tocchet’s first season in 2017-18. However, the Coyotes made a push the following season and finished one spot outside a playoff position.

One year later, during the shortened 2019-20 season due to COVID-19, Tocchet took the Coyotes to the playoffs. They defeated the Nashville Predators 3-1 in the best-of-five qualifying round. After that, they were eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche in five games. 

In his final season with Arizona, the team finished one spot outside of a playoff position yet again.

Flyers' Matvei Michkov Can Follow Bill Barber's Path After NHL Calder Trophy SnubMatvei Michkov did all he could to become the first player in the Philadelphia Flyers’ history to win the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s rookie of the year.

Tocchet’s first gig as an NHL head coach was with the Lightning, where he took charge for parts of two seasons. He was promoted in the middle of the season, replacing Barry Melrose. That Lightning team finished second-last in the NHL.

The next season was better for Tampa but not great, as they finished 12th out of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference.

Tocchet had multiple roles as an assistant and associate coach, including the Avalanche, Phoenix Coyotes, the Lightning and the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he won the Stanley Cup twice.

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Another piece in the NHL head coaching puzzle has been placed, as former Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet will be joining the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers announced on Wednesday that Tocchet will be the 25th head coach in franchise history.  

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The Flyers had been rumoured to be interested in Tocchet even before the coach announced he would not be returning to the Canucks. Around this time, Tocchet’s agent, Steve Mountain, made note of how they had not had any discussions with Philadelphia regarding a possible deal. Other teams that were rumoured to be on Tocchet’s radar were the Boston Bruins and Seattle Kraken. During an interview on the 100% Hockey with Miller & Shannon Podcast, Canucks President of Hockey Operations, Jim Rutherford, explained that part of Tocchet’s reason for departing was wanting to be closer to family back on the east coast. 

“During this process it became clear that Rick was the absolute right coach to lead our team. He has enjoyed the highest level of success both as a player and coach. Rick’s ability to teach and understand his players, combined with his passion for winning, brings out the best in young players at different stages of their development and has earned the respect and confidence of highly talented All-Stars and veteran players alike,” said Flyers GM Daniel Briere regarding the hire. 

History between Philadelphia and Tocchet extends decades. The coach was drafted 121st overall by the Flyers back in 1983 and spent eight seasons in a row with them before ending up with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Nearly a decade after his departure, Tocchet was traded back to the Flyers by the Arizona Coyotes, spending two more seasons with them before retiring from playing in 2002. He was inducted into the Flyers’ Hall of Fame in 2021. 

Tocchet’s most recent coaching stint was with Vancouver. Despite joining the Canucks in January 2023, rumours of Tocchet being Vancouver’s bench boss emerged weeks — if not months before — due to some blunt assessments from Canucks management. Shortly after Tocchet was brought in, Vancouver’s captain at the time, Bo Horvat, was dealt to the New York Islanders. 

Because of this, fans weren’t sure what to expect from the Canucks come 2023–24. However, following a dominant 8–1 victory against the Edmonton Oilers to open the season, Vancouver surged to the top of the Pacific Division and took down the Nashville Predators in six games during the first round of playoffs. They took the Oilers to seven games in the second round, but ultimately couldn’t surpass them. Their 50-win season helped Tocchet win his first Jack Adams Award. 

Tocchet will join a room full of youth in Philadelphia. 2023 seventh-round draft pick Matvei Michkov is going into his sophomore NHL season, while 2020 first-round pick Tyson Foerster will play in his third full season. Other young players on the Flyers include defender Jamie Drysdale and forwards Jakob Pelletier and Bobby Brink. 

Earlier today, Tocchet’s replacement was also announced, as his former assistant coach with the Canucks, Adam Foote, was named the 22nd head coach in franchise history. 

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.

The New York Islanders division rival Philadelphia Flyers have hired Rick Tocchet as their head coach:

🔶 WELCOME HOME, TOCC! 🔶

We’re proud to announce that Rick Tocchet has been named the 25th head coach in franchise history. https://t.co/pY0ljNFtoq

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) May 14, 2025

Tocchet, 61, left the Vancouver Canucks bench this summer after three seasons as their head coach, citing a desire to be on the East Coast, closer to family. 

The Ontario native was drafted by the Flyers in the sixth round (No. 121) of the 1983 NHL Draft, playing his first eight seasons in Philadelphia. He returned to the City of Brotherly Love for the final three seasons of his career (1999-2002)

The Flyers fired John Tortorella on March 27. 

They become the second team in the Metropolitan Divsion to hire a new coach, with the New York Rangers firing Peter Laviolette and hiring former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan in his place. 

The Penguins are currently the only team in the Metro without a head coach. 

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

The Los Angeles Kings named Ken Holland the 10th GM in franchise history on Wednesday. 

Next season will be the Hockey Hall of Famer’s 27th campaign as an NHL GM as the Kings look to take the next step.

“As we did our due diligence, we identified Ken as the absolute best option and acted decisively to make him our general manager,” team president Luc Robitaille said in a news release.

“His track record of success is undeniable, and after our conversations with him, we were clearly convinced he was the right person for us at this time. He has the experience to lead us on the proper path that will help us win now and compete for the Stanley Cup.”

Holland replaces Rob Blake, who mutually agreed with the team to part ways on May 5. Blake was the GM of the Kings for eight seasons and VP of hockey operations since 2013-14.

Holland was formerly the GM and president of hockey operations of the Edmonton Oilers and served them for five seasons before stepping down after last season. Stan Bowman replaced Holland, who became a hockey operations consultant for the NHL in November 2024.

Holland took the Oilers to the 2024 Stanley Cup final, where the Florida Panthers defeated them in seven games.

The Kings will look for some of that playoff success, as they’ve been bounced in the first round for four straight seasons by Holland’s former team. 

Screen Shots: Is Former Red Wings And Oilers GM Ken Holland The Right Fit For The Kings?Welcome, once again, to Screen Shots, a regular TheHockeyNews.com series in which your humble senior digital correspondent tackles a few different hockey topics and breaks them down in a handful of short paragraphs. Let’s get right down to business.

Holland spent most of his time as a GM with the Detroit Red Wings, lasting 22 seasons and winning three Cups. 

He’s been a GM for 2,061 games in total, the fifth-most in NHL history. In that span, he earned a 1,145-644-200 record and 72 ties.

Holland has been an executive for Team Canada on several occasions. He was an assistant GM for Canada four times: the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, the 2014 and 2010 Olympics and the 2005 World Championship. In 2006, he earned the GM role for Canada at the World Championship.

The Hockey Hall of Fame inducted Holland as a builder in the Class of 2020 for his expertise in team development and building a strong foundation for his clubs.

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If you can’t beat them, hire them.

That’s apparently the conclusion the Kings came to in their search for a general manager because they chose Ken Holland, the architect of an Edmonton Oilers team that knocked the Kings out of the Stanley Cup playoffs in the first round in each of the last four seasons.

Holland, 69, will replace Rob Blake, who stepped down last week. The Kings made the playoffs five times in eight seasons under Blake, a former Hall of Fame defenseman, but lost in the first round each time. The team hasn’t won a playoff series since the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, a record 11-year drought for the franchise.

“As we did our due diligence, we identified Ken as the absolute best option and acted decisively to make him our general manager,” Kings president Luc Robitaille said in a statement Wednesday. “His track record of success is undeniable and after our conversations with him, we were clearly convinced he was the right person for us at this time.

Read more:Luc Robitaille expects Jim Hiller to return as Kings' coach

"He has the experience to lead us on the proper path that will help us win now and compete for the Stanley Cup.”

Holland is also a Hall of Famer, having been inducted in 2020 as a builder following three Stanley Cup victories in 22 years as president and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. He also won 10 division titles and four Presidents Trophies in Detroit, where the Red Wings won more regular-season and postseason games than any other team during his tenure.

Holland is the fifth-winningest general manager in NHL history with an all-time record of 1,145-644-272 over 26 seasons with the Red Wings and Oilers. He also served on several management staffs for Hockey Canada, winning gold medals in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

He joined the Oilers as president of hockey operations and general manager in 2019, guiding the team to five consecutive playoff berths, two Western Conference finals and last year’s Stanley Cup final, where it lost to the Florida Panthers in seven games. Among his best moves in Edmonton were the free-agent acquisitions of Zach Hyman, Evander Kane and Corey Perry and the trade that brought Mattias Ekholm in Edmonton at the 2023 deadline.

Holland left the team when his contract expired last June.

Blake told the Kings last winter he was considering stepping down after this season, giving the team ample time to search for a replacement. According to media reports, Robitaille had narrowed the number of candidates to three last week before meeting with Holland.

Read more:Kings general manager Rob Blake steps down in wake of latest playoff ouster

One of Holland’s first chores as general manager could be deciding the fate of coach Jim Hiller. Hiller’s team tied franchise records for wins (48) and points (105), and set one for home wins (31) in his first full season as head coach. That allowed the Kings to place second in the Pacific Division, its highest finish since 2016, and claim the home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

Once there Hiller was outcoached, with Edmonton rallying from a 2-0 deficit to win the best-of-seven series in six games.

Hiller has two more years remaining on his contract, but Robitaille said the new general manager would have the option of bringing in his own coach. Hiller served as an assistant coach for one season in Detroit during Holland’s time with the Red Wings.

Holland was also linked to the New York Islanders’ open general manager job this spring, but the British Columbia native still has a home in the province and wanted to remain on the West Coast.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

With the 2024-25 season gone and the San Jose Sharks having shifted their focus onto the 2025 NHL Entry Draft and the 2025-26 campaign, it sounds like they are closing in on a new contract with one of their pending free-agent defenders.

According to a report from @TheRGMedia, the #SJSharks are closing in on Shakir Mukhamadullin's next contract. The 23-year-old's ELC finished after this season. Read more on @SharksHKYDigest.⤵️https://t.co/KTzP4hAS6B

— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) May 14, 2025

Shakir Mukhamadullin, who is 23 years old, is a pending restricted free agent (RFA) and had a $894,167 cap hit, according to PuckPedia. This season with the Sharks, he scored two goals and added seven assists for nine points through 30 games. 

In the American Hockey League (AHL) with the San Jose Barracuda, he had nine assists in 21 games. 

Contract details haven't been revealed or reported yet, but it sounds like the two sides are close to finding an even ground and agreeing to extend his contract.

Poturalski, Gushchin Want NHL Shot Next Season, May Not Be With SharksIn a recent article published by Sheng Peng with San Jose Hockey Now, it seems as though two members of the San Jose Sharks' organization want to play in the NHL next season, but may not get that shot with the Sharks. Sharks Prospect Carson Wetsch Flipped In Blockbuster WHL TradeThe 2025 WHL Prospects Draft has now come and gone, and while there weren't many surprises or much news to report from those couple of days, there was one massive trade that caught some attention. Should The Sharks Trade Their Second Overall Pick?With reports swirling that the San Jose Sharks are open to trading their second overall pick, the question turns to: should they trade it?