The Vancouver Canucks are among several teams that are expected to try and land unrestricted free-agent winger Jake Guentzel this summer, reports Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.Guentzel appears unlikely to re-sign with the Carolina Hurricanes, as the club has reportedly been shopping his rights before the UFA market opens July 1.The Canucks reportedly discussed the possibility of flipping Elias Lindholm - who they had acquired midseason - in order to pursue Guentzel ahead of the 2024 trade deadline.Guentzel produced 30 goals and 77 points in 67 games split between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Hurricanes last season. He added nine more points in 11 postseason contests.The 29-year-old has averaged 36 goals and 77 points per 82 games during his eight-year NHL career. A 2017 Stanley Cup winner with the Penguins, Guentzel has recorded 38 goals and 67 points in 69 career playoff games.Guentzel has several ties to the Canucks. Vancouver's president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford, general manager Patrik Allvin, and head coach Rick Tocchet all worked in the Penguins organization during Guentzel's eight-year run in Pittsburgh.The Canucks project to have $26 million in cap space this offseason, but they also have several UFAs of their own, including Lindholm, Dakota Joshua, Sam Lafferty, Teddy Blueger, Nikita Zadorov, Ian Cole, and Tyler Myers. Filip Hronek and Arturs Silovs are also RFAs. The club has reportedly been trying to move Ilya Mikheyev in an effort to clear cap space.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Trade rumors have surrounded Jacob Markstrom for several months, but general manager Craig Conroy said the veteran goaltender has never asked to leave the Calgary Flames."He's never come and said he wants out," Conroy told Sportsnet's Eric Francis. "That's never been mentioned. He's never said that."Markstrom has two seasons left on his contract at a $6 million cap hit. His pact also contains a no-trade clause. The Flames and New Jersey Devils reportedly discussed a trade during the season, but talks fell apart when the clubs couldn't agree on salary retention.The Ottawa Senators are also apparently aggressively pursuing Markstrom this summer.Conroy said the constant speculation about Markstrom's future in Calgary has grown to irk him."It's part of the game, but it does bother me because it's always out there - there's something about the goalie all the time, and I don't think it's fair to the goalie either," Conroy said."I feel more for him because I've been on the other side of this. Everyone wants to speculate and throw things out there, and I don't think it's fair to him."Amid trade speculation during the season, Markstrom said the Flames' front office could've handled his situation better ahead of the trade deadline. Calgary swung significant deals after Conroy took over as GM, shipping out Tyler Toffoli, Noah Hanifin, and Chris Tanev in separate moves.Markstrom posted a .905 save percentage in 48 appearances this past season as the Flames missed the playoffs.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Matthew Tkachuk is confident the Florida Panthers will get the job done in Tuesday night's Game 5 to win the Stanley Cup."We have a chance to go capture the biggest goal of our lives tonight," Tkachuk said, per NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "We're gonna go do that."The Panthers failed in their first attempt to clinch the series Saturday, losing to the Edmonton Oilers 8-1. But that shellacking hasn't robbed Tkachuk of his belief."I think this two-day break was really good for us to reset, re-evaluate where we're at right now, and absolutely enjoy the position we're in," he said. "Couldn't have dreamed of a better spot."Tkachuk has been relatively quiet in the Stanley Cup Final, producing one assist in four games. However, he was integral to getting Florida to this point, tallying five goals and 15 helpers in 21 playoff contests. He said he's looking to have his "best game of the series" Tuesday.Fellow assistant captain Aaron Ekblad also appears to be soaking in the moment."It's another opportunity, right? Another brilliant chance. An opportunity to realize our dream," Ekblad said. "We're excited and anxious to get it going."The Panthers have lost consecutive games only once this postseason, dropping Games 2 and 3 to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Carolina Hurricanes named Eric Tulsky as the club's general manager on Tuesday.The Hurricanes had given Tulsky the interim GM title earlier this offseason after Don Waddell resigned. Waddell ran the Hurricanes for six seasons."Eric is ready for this opportunity," said owner Tom Dundon. "He has a proven history of managing people and overseeing operations both outside of hockey and over the last decade with the Hurricanes. His dedication, work ethic, and attention to detail make him the ideal candidate to become our next general manager. Everything we do here is collaborative, and Eric will work closely with Darren Yorke, Rod Brind'Amour, and our leadership team to continue building a championship-caliber hockey club."Carolina hired Tulsky as a consultant in 2014 after he made a name for himself as a prominent analytics blogger. He worked his way up the organizational ladder across several roles before being named assistant GM in 2020.Tulsky's already taken care of some business this offseason, inking defenseman Jalen Chatfield to a three-year contract. The Hurricanes are also reportedly working on a long-term extension for blue-liner Jaccob Slavin.Carolina has approximately $23 million in cap space to work with this offseason, according to Cap Friendly. Forwards Seth Jarvis and Martin Necas, who's been the subject of trade rumors recently, are restricted free agents up for new deals. Jake Guentzel, Jordan Martinook, and Teuvo Teravainen are among the notable unrestricted free agents who could walk when the market opens on July 1.The Hurricanes posted their third consecutive 100-plus-point season in 2023-24 but fell short in the playoffs, losing in the second round to the New York Rangers.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Philadelphia Flyers continue to explore options for veteran winger Cam Atkinson, reports TSN's Darren Dreger.The San Jose Sharks are interested in the 35-year-old, but Atkinson isn't keen on a move to the Bay Area, sources told Dreger. Atkinson's contract contains a 10-team no-trade list.Keeping Atkinson or buying him out are also options on the table for Philadelphia, Dreger adds.Atkinson is in the last year of his deal with a $5.875-million cap hit. The Flyers would reportedly be willing to retain a large chunk of his salary in any move. A buyout would go as follows:SeasonInitial cap hitBuyout cap hit2024-25$5.875M$2.358M2025-26N/A$1.758MAtkinson produced 13 goals and 15 assists in 70 games with the Flyers last season after missing the prior campaign due to neck surgery. He was a healthy scratch on multiple occasions down the stretch in 2023-24.The 5-foot-8, 176-pound winger has reached the 20-goal mark seven times in his 12-year NHL career, potting a personal-best 41 in 2018-19 with the Columbus Blue Jackets.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

New San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky promised to bring changes to his struggling squad during his introductory press conference on Monday."Listen, there's been a lot of new coaches, and not one coach has got up and said, 'We want to play slow and we want to be passive,'" he said. "We want to be fast, we want to get on teams. ... I think fans will leave our building and say, 'Wow, that was a fun team to watch,' win or lose. The opponent will say, 'Man, that was a tough team to play against.' ..."There'll be some changes structurally for sure, but I think you'll be proud of the team that we put on the ice."Warsofsky didn't provide many specific details on what those changes would be, but he conceded "the numbers weren't great" last season. The Sharks finished last in the league with an abysmal 19-54-9 record and minus-150 goal differential."There has to be a system in place (where) our players know what's going on, they understand the system. ... There's some predictability with it," he said.San Jose fired David Quinn in April and promoted Warsofsky to fill the vacancy after he spent two years as an assistant coach.The 36-year-old pointed to his experience with the team as one of the main factors behind his decision to step in as head coach."I know the players that are here," he explained. "We just went through two really tough years. I know what they need. They're beat up a little bit. We need some new life, we need some energy, we need some positivity."He added: "I think we're starting to see this light at the end of the tunnel, this hope and excitement (for) the future here, and I'm excited to be part of it."Sharks general manager Mike Grier said Warsofsky ticked all the boxes that the organization was looking for and singled out his communication style as one of the major draws."We're gonna have a young group here," the executive said. "Connecting and speaking with and bonding with these young players is gonna be super important; it's gonna be a big, big part of us taking the next step forward."There is more excitement to come for the franchise, as San Jose holds the first overall pick at the 2024 NHL Draft later in June.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Columbus Blue Jackets fired head coach Pascal Vincent, the team announced Monday.Vincent was named Blue Jackets bench boss before the season after Mike Babcock resigned. Vincent, 52, was previously an associate coach with Columbus for two seasons."As I spent time with Pascal over the past few weeks, I found him to be an outstanding person and smart hockey coach who worked very hard last year under trying circumstances, but I believe a change behind the bench is in our team's best interest," general manager Don Waddell said. "On behalf of the organization, I want to thank Pascal for his work ethic, professionalism, and contributions during his three seasons with the Blue Jackets."Columbus hired Waddell as GM and president of hockey operations in May.The Blue Jackets went 27-43-12 in 2023-24 and finished last in the Metropolitan Division. They ranked 27th in goals and 31st in goals against. Columbus also had the second-worst power play and a bottom-10 penalty kill.Vincent is the 11th head coach to be fired this NHL season.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is eager to prove Saturday's Game 4 dud against the Edmonton Oilers was an anomaly.Bobrovsky was pulled from the contest in the second period after allowing five goals on 16 shots, allowing the Oilers to cruise to a lopsided victory and avoid a sweep. Bobrovsky says he's already moved past the shellacking."I try to stay in the moment, whether it's good or bad, it doesn't matter," the netminder said, per Colby Guy of The Palm Beach Post. "You just move on to the next."Bobrovsky continued: "It is what it is. It's hockey. They have a good team, they have a good offense. It's part of the journey. We're getting ready for the next shift. We will compete and fight."Anthony Stolarz, who relieved Bobrovsky, allowed three goals on 19 shots as the Oilers fired on all cylinders. Connor McDavid led the way with a four-point performance, while only three Edmonton skaters were held off the scoresheet.Bobrovsky entered Game 4 with a .953 save percentage in the series and is one of the favorites for the Conn Smythe Trophy should Florida win its first Stanley Cup. Bobrovsky is 15-6 in the playoffs with a .909 clip and 2.27 goals against average. He's only lost consecutive games once this postseason."I came out of the game, I did my best, and that's what happened," Bobrovsky said. "I'm just ready for the next game. It's a new game. It all starts from the beginning, 0-0 score, and I'm just getting ready for the next shot."Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday night in Sunrise.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The 2024 NHL Draft runs June 28-29 in Las Vegas. At the scouting combine in Buffalo in early June, we surveyed dozens of draft-eligible players on a variety of topics. Their answers, listed below, have been lightly edited for clarity.QWhich NHL player do you model your game after?Zayne Parekh, D, Saginaw (OHL): I like to watch a lot of (Cale) Makar, (Quinn) Hughes, and (Erik) Karlsson. All so good at what they do. I think I fit in that mold of defensemen. I like to play with the puck. I like to hold on to pucks. So, I like to take little bits and pieces from their game and add them to mine.Brodie Ziemer, RW, USA Hockey National Team Development Program: Tyler Toffoli. He has really good hockey sense. It allows him to play the game faster than he really is.Cayden Lindstrom, C, Medicine Hat (WHL): I try and be my own player, but I think I play a lot like Roope Hintz. Both power forwards. Centermen. Skilled with the puck. Protect the puck well.Cayden Lindstrom and Roope Hintz. NHL / Getty ImagesJared Woolley, D, London (OHL): I like to think I can play like Alex Pietrangelo - a left-handed version. I play that two-way style of game and I have a big body like him. I can play in all situations.Eriks Mateiko, LW, Saint John (QMJHL): Adam Lowry. What I need is toughness. He's a good leader and I want to play that role.Jacob Battaglia, RW, Kingston (OHL): I really like Leon Draisaitl. He isn't the greatest straight-line skater, but he makes up for it with his edge work and puck protection. The way he sees the ice and thinks the game, I think, is pretty similar to me.Maxim Masse, RW, Chicoutimi (QMJHL): I love to watch Alex Tuch. That's what I want to look like in the NHL. His shot, his game without the puck, and how he can score goals in different ways - that's why I love him.Veeti Vaisanen, D, KooKoo (Finland, Liiga): My favorite player? Erik Karlsson. I don't have hands like him, or the offensive stuff. I try to be like K'Andre Miller instead.Sam Dickinson, D, London (OHL): I'd say (Miro) Heiskanen on Dallas. The way he takes control of games with his skating ability - offensively, defensively - that's something I try to emulate. A guy that does everything, plays all situations for them.AJ Spellacy, RW, Windsor (OHL): Definitely Tom Wilson. He's a mean power forward. Guys on the other team are scared of him and nobody wants to play against him. I'm a force out there when I'm playing hard.AJ Spellacy and Tom Wilson. NHL / Getty ImagesJulius Miettinen, C, Everett (WHL): (Aleksander) Barkov. I appreciate his two-way game - how hard he plays and how he sees the game. Overall, just a good player, does everything perfect. I've been watching him since he played in Liiga.Riley Patterson, C, Barrie (OHL): A guy like J.T. Miller on Vancouver. Similar body types. Thicker guy that protects the puck but also has the offensive ability. I believe, in myself, that I have that as well.Miguel Marques, RW, Lethbridge (WHL): The one guy I try to follow a little bit is Nathan MacKinnon, just because he plays the game the right way and he's super skilled. But the closest one might be Jesper Bratt - because of the way he skates and makes plays. He scans the ice pretty well. I think we have a lot of similarities in the hockey IQ and playmaking side of things.Carter George, G, Owen Sound (OHL): Igor Shesterkin and Jeremy Swayman. Both are around my height, both are elite goalies. Good edge work, good at tracking pucks. I like to take stuff from both of them and make it my own.QIf you could steal one trait from an active NHLer, what would it be?Tij Iginla. Dale Preston / Getty ImagesTij Iginla, C, Kelowna (WHL): Hard not to take (Connor) McDavid's speed.Simon Zether, C, Rogle (Sweden, SHL): McDavid's speed. His skating, if I got that, I would be in the NHL right now. Another guy who's underrated and I looked up to during my childhood is Nicklas Backstrom. I love how he sees the game. His passing game had such a big impact on how many goals Alex Ovechkin scored.Tanner Howe, LW, Regina (WHL): Matthew Tkachuk's style of hockey. He plays with so much emotion. He's a hard worker. He's competitive. He wants to score. He wants to get better each and every day. I almost play a little bit like him already.Charlie Elick, D, Brandon (WHL): Moritz Seider. His reverse hits are something that stand out.Tomas Lavoie, D, Cape Breton (QMJHL): I'd bring more meanness in my game like Radko Gudas.EJ Emery, D, USNTDP: Jake Sanderson's ability to break out the puck. He's kind of a breakout machine - the way he's able to move his feet and get the puck up the ice. His deception is some of the best in the world.George: Bobrovsky's patience.Carter George. Ben Ludeman / Getty ImagesLukas Fischer, D, Sarnia (OHL): Probably Ovechkin's shot. He's been doing it for the last 20 years and no one can figure out how to stop it.Berkly Catton, C, Spokane (WHL): Maybe MacKinnon's crossovers. So, so powerful. It's crazy. It looks like he's going to wreck the ice.Patterson: MacKinnon's explosiveness. Just how he moves with the puck. You see how he gets from one end to the other in an instant.Marek Vanacker, LW, Brantford (OHL): Probably (Auston) Matthews' shot. He can really rip that puck. If I could have that, it would really take my game to the next level. I watch video on it, and I'm working on my shot all summer and during the year.Mateiko: Makar's edges. For my size (6-foot-5, 216 pounds), if I would be able to skate like him, that would give me a good advantage.QWhat's the strangest question teams asked you at the combine?Oliver Josephson (93), Tij Iginla (77), Dean Letourneau (142). Ben Ludeman / Getty ImagesTerik Parascak, RW, Prince George (WHL): I got asked by Nashville, 'If you were in the army, would you be a sniper, a medic, or a helicopter pilot?' That was a different one I wasn't expecting or prepared for. I said a sniper because I like being under that pressure, and sniper is obviously a high-pressure position.Dean Letourneau, C, St. Andrew's College (Ontario, high school): 'If I was to join the army, would I be a pilot, a medic, or a sniper?' I chose sniper. I didn't really know what to think, but it was the only scenario where I could have control of myself. It was me versus another guy.Will Skahan, D, USNTDP: (One team) gave me the infamous, 'If there's a reason why you didn't get to the NHL, what would be that reason?' I said, 'Either injury or death. That's how committed I am to the game.'Hagen Burrows, RW, Minnetonka (Minnesota, high school): The only weird one I had (from Minnesota) was to say the alphabet and then say the (sequencing) number after each letter. It was weirdly hard.Spellacy: 'If you were on a plane and the pilot said, "Do you want me to do my best, or do you want me to land the plane?" What would you tell him to do?' I said, 'Well, if the pilot is doing his best he's going to land the plane, that's why he's a pilot.'Marques: (Utah) asked to see what my rating in the Uber was. It's a 5. So that's pretty good. I didn't know how to get to it (on my phone). I didn't even know that was a thing. I was a little nervous to see what it was.Parekh: My Uber rating and my Snapchat score. Those were the two ones that stood out. I have a really good (rating). I use Uber a lot. It's a 4.92, which could be better, but it's up there. I've probably done 200 rides and sometimes it's me just sitting quiet in the back because I'm tired. Maybe they don't like that. But, usually, I'm a chatty guy and that's where I get my stars from.Zayne Parekh. Nic Antaya / Getty ImagesMikhail Yegorov, G, Omaha (USHL): I would say Colorado because we played some board games. I remember beating their GM in one board game. (Laughs) So, yeah, it was fun.John Mustard, C, Waterloo (USHL): I did play some games with Colorado, which was pretty fun actually. One was putting keys through holes. Memory games. And then a slingshot game. You have to play against one of the members of the staff. There's a little string, you have little discs, so you try and get it through the little hole, and whoever has the most (at the end) loses. I almost got the win.Kasper Pikkarainen, RW, TPS (Finland, junior): Montreal had one: 'What animal would you be on the ice and off the ice?' I said on the ice I'm a gorilla and off the ice I'm a dolphin. I'm a dolphin because I'm a funny guy and a positive guy.Carter Yakemchuk, D, Calgary (WHL): I said I was a crocodile on the ice and monkey off the ice. Just a pretty calm guy off the ice. On the ice, I'm pretty calm as well, but I have a little bite to my game.Patterson: I said off the ice I'm a panda, on the ice a rhino. Pandas are laid back, I'm a pretty laid-back person. I have some good friends, but at the same time I like being by myself. I'm a bigger, stronger kid that moves along the ice, so that's what I was thinking with rhino.Iginla: They said, 'You can't say lion or dog because everyone says that.' I wanted to go with one they probably hadn't heard. On the spot, I was like, 'I'm a Pegasus.' It's a mythical creature. It's like a horse with wings. They were like, 'Explain it.' I was like, 'Oh, hard to explain that ... ' But I said, 'As a horse, I feel like I can be sociable and friendly and hang out with the other horses. But, when it's time to ascend, I've got the wings, too, so I'll try to fly.'QWhat's your very first hockey memory - playing or watching?Macklin Celebrini. Joe Hrycych / Getty ImagesMacklin Celebrini, C, Boston University (NCAA): A young memory of mine when I was probably five years old is going to a Canucks game and watching the Canucks play - the Sedins, Ryan Kesler, and that group that went to the finals.Adam Jiricek, D, Plzen (Czechia, Extraliga): Me and my brother (David, a Blue Jackets prospect) played a lot against each other and we fought with each other a lot. Me and him both hate losing. He was older and stronger so he won almost all of the fights.Lindstrom: We had this carpet floor. I had these little skates. I was probably three or four years old. My grandpa would always tie the skates up in the house with the blades off. I would just walk around with a little mini stick in my hand. There's pictures of it. (The skate boots) would rip up the carpet and couches and everything. My mom and grandma would just get pissed because my grandpa is just laughing at me scratching up the floor. (Laughs)Kamil Bednarik, C, USNTDP: My mom actually knew how to skate way back then, so she taught me how to skate. I was maybe three years old. My mom had Skittles in her pocket and she would give me one every time I completed a lap. (Laughs)Carson Wetsch, RW, Calgary (WHL): I remember being on the ice as a little kid and being on my butt just eating the snow off the ice. (Laughs) I would pick the snow up, stick it through my cage, and just eat it.Yegorov: I slept with a stick when I was like two or three - small stick, a plastic one. I remember too doing some ball juggling in our apartment back in Russia. And I remember watching the team from St. Petersburg on TV and in person.Catton: It was definitely on my backyard rink. My dad passing pucks into my feet. Tipping pucks. The little things of hockey. That's where I just absolutely fell in love with it.Berkly Catton. Jonathan Kozub / Getty ImagesSkahan: I grew up around the pro game in Anaheim. My father (Sean) was the strength coach for the Ducks. I remember the Ducks beat some team in the first round of the playoffs and I went down to the locker room after the game. Just seeing how happy those guys were kind of ingrained in my brain of how this is at the next level. It built a burning passion for me moving forward.Emil Hemming, RW, TPS (Finland, Liiga): First time when I stepped on the ice it was an outside rink. I think I was three years old. I cried a lot.Masse: I'm from Rimouski, so going to watch the (QMJHL's) Oceanic play with Alexis Lafreniere on the team. Packed house. It was a crazy atmosphere.Miettinen: Skating with my dad. I was maybe four or five. We were on the outdoor rink close to my home in Helsinki. Lots of snow and cold, of course, in Finland. I remember my dad wasn't the best. He had never really played hockey. I was beating him.Battaglia: Back home in Mississauga, I remember I got a pair of skates and a starter kit from Canadian Tire. I was three. I slipped it all on and my dad took me to a local stick-and-puck. I kept falling. He got me one of those skating aides and I started to move my feet and glide. It worked out pretty well.Ryder Ritchie, RW, Prince Albert (WHL): I got to go into the dressing room in Vancouver after my dad (Byron) won. I did the same thing in Calgary and I actually got to put on Miikka Kiprusoff's goalie helmet. I was really interested in being a goalie back then - I think I was 2 - so I have this flashback to that moment.QIf you were a goalie, what would you paint on your mask?EJ Emery. Joe Hrycych / Getty ImagesEmery: Probably a dog on top. A key thing I want to be is a dog. Someone that's going to get down and dirty, do all the things that a dog would do. I just want to show everyone that that's who I am. I would spell it a little different on the mask: D-A-W-G.Zether: I would put a snake on it. It'd be kind of cool to have a snake on the side of your mask.Lavoie: Something about the movies I like. I'm a huge Marvel fan. All those superhero movies I've watched since I was a kid. Since the first Ironman, I've been watching all those movies. My favorite is probably Thor.Wetsch: I'm a big fan of Harry Potter. I'm into mixed martial arts and UFC. So maybe a little mix of that with Harry Potter?Cole Eiserman, LW, USNTDP: Maybe a Gerry Cheevers-type mask. Little old-school. Little scary. My dad would appreciate it. Maybe a vintage color. Maybe an American flag in the back.Cole Eiserman. Michael Miller / Getty ImagesTarin Smith, D, Everett (WHL): I'd put a lot of stuff about Porcupine Plain, my hometown (in Saskatchewan). Maybe a porcupine. I grew up on a farm so a little bit of farm stuff on there. We farm canola and wheat.Zeev Buium, D, Denver (NCAA): Maybe the Denver logo. Maybe the US stripes. Gotta get my family on there somewhere. Maybe their heads? Something funny like that. Maybe Batman. Yeah, I love Batman. Big Batman guy. Maybe the Star of David, too.Bednarik: I'm a pretty religious guy, Christian, so I'd definitely put a cross on there, for sure. Maybe something to do with my family and my grandparents in honor of them.Hemming: On the back of my helmet I would have my old dog who passed away six years ago. He was important to me when I was growing up. It was a medium-sized fluffy dog.QWhat's the best piece of on-ice trash talk you've heard?Terik Parascak. Ben Ludeman / Getty ImagesParascak: I've heard a couple funny ones from guys after they sign their contract in the NHL, saying they'll slap (an opponent) with their wallet.Ziemer: Somebody told me that once I'm done playing in the (AHL) that I'll be working for him someday. (Laughs) I just skated away after. Just got to take that one.Skahan: I got buried. The guy was skating away. I think it was against Western Michigan. He said, 'How do you feel down there?' as I was lying on my back.Luca Marrelli, D, Oshawa (OHL): A player on the opposing team skated by Luca D'Amato, who's a shorter, small guy on our team, and goes, 'Hey bud, did your parents forget to water you when you were a kid?' I thought that was pretty funny - and it's not overly harsh.Burrows: The thing I get chirped for a lot is my hair color. For some reason, everybody thinks I dye my hair (bleach blonde), which I don't, for the record. So, everybody tells me to go dye my hair, and I don't dye my hair. I think that's pretty funny.Hagen Burrows. Chase Agnello-Dean / Getty ImagesZether: Playing against the American guys, they make fun of your English. They'll tell you to go back to kindergarten English.Miettinen: Everybody this year was just saying I can't speak English. That was probably the biggest thing. 'Don't say anything, you can't even speak.'Pikkarainen: We were in Plymouth for the 5 Nations tournament. Cole Eiserman said I was Patrik Laine from Walmart. It was a good one. I liked it. (Laughs)Battaglia: I usually just tell them they suck. 'You're not good enough,' or, 'You just suck.' I remember I told (Flyers prospect) Denver Barkey that he sucked. Obviously, that's a complete lie, but it just kind of happened. It just comes out.Marques: There's guys who are sometimes more skilled than me, and I just say, 'Who are you?' Just to piss them off, because it's coming from me. (Laughs)Howe: Lots of guys chirp back and forth about someone's breath.Catton: Honestly, I try to distance myself from that as much as possible. I'll stutter, and then I'll get chirped for that. So, I stay away from that and let my play do the talking.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

There was a big move atop the Conn Smythe oddsboard following the Oilers' 8-1 defeat of the Panthers in Game 4.Sergei Bobrovsky, who was pulled early in the second period Saturday night, was the overwhelming MVP favorite going into Game 4 at -500. After allowing five goals on 16 shots in the blowout loss, he's now -110 at theScore Bet. That's a 30.9% change in implied odds.Meanwhile, Aleksander Barkov jumped up the oddsboard from +400 to +125, implying oddsmakers believe the Panthers captain is nearly 25% more likely to win the Conn Smythe following his goaltender's single-game struggle.With the Panthers still at -1200 (92.3% implied probability) to win the series, it's become a two-horse race for the Conn Smythe.Connor McDavid is +800 and the only Oilers player with odds shorter than +7500.Edmonton is +700 (12.5% implied probability) to erase its three-game deficit and win the Stanley Cup.Game 5 is set for Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET in Sunrise.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Unsurprisingly, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid was as low-key as ever after breaking Wayne Gretzky's record for the most assists in a single postseason."Yeah, I guess it is (special)," he said with a chuckle after the Oilers' 8-1 mauling of the Florida Panthers on Saturday. "Obviously not the focus with where we're at, but (it's) not lost on me what he means to the game."McDavid recorded his 32nd assist of these playoffs on Dylan Holloway's goal late in the contest to surpass the Great One.

Connor McDavid scored his first goal of the Stanley Cup Final and added three assists as the Edmonton Oilers denied the Florida Panthers a sweep with an 8-1 victory in Game 4 on Saturday.Dylan Holloway scored twice and chipped in an assist for the victors. McDavid's primary helper on Holloway's second marker gave the Oilers captain an NHL-record 32nd assist in a single postseason, passing Wayne Gretzky. The Great One required only 19 games to collect 31 in 1987-88, while McDavid picked up his 32nd in his 22nd contest.Mattias Janmark contributed a goal (his second shorthanded tally of the playoffs) and a helper. Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman notched a pair of assists apiece, while Adam Henrique, Ryan McLeod, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Darnell Nurse provided the other goals for Edmonton.Nurse snapped one home early in the second period to give the Oilers a 5-1 lead and chase Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Florida backup netminder Anthony Stolarz relieved Bobrovsky, who gave up five goals on 16 shots. Stolarz turned aside 16 of the 19 he faced.Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner permitted only one goal on 33 shots. Vladimir Tarasenko netted the lone marker for the Panthers.Despite the lopsided victory, McDavid acknowledged his team still has plenty of work to do.

Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice's impressive resume is missing a Stanley Cup championship, but Carter Verhaeghe hopes to help change that Saturday night."If we can win it for anyone, we wanna win it for him," the forward said, according to The Associated Press' Stephen Whyno.A veteran of 1,848 regular-season games over 26 campaigns, Maurice ranks fourth all time in wins (869) by a bench boss in league history.He also owns a record of 69-64 in the playoffs and has led Florida to back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup Final during his first two seasons in the Sunshine State.The Panthers fell short last spring, falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. Now, they're one win away from their first championship in franchise history after stuffing the Edmonton Oilers into a 3-0 hole.Maurice was raring to go while doing his best to stay centered with puck drop mere hours away."(I'm) probably not quite as calm as it looks; the feet are flying underneath this table. ... We have to keep this in context, right?" he said, per Sportsnet. "What is it, 11 in the morning? My brain is gonna shift pretty hard here in about four hours. ... But I've been selling 'Enjoy your day' for two years here and probably before that, and I believe it. I've had enough of the other days that aren't good."I'm damn well gonna enjoy the morning skate on a day like today. I refuse not to be in a good mood. ... If you can't enjoy this morning, what the hell are you doing? Like, what's the point of this?"The Panthers know they'll be facing a desperate Oilers team looking to keep its season alive. Connor Brown said Saturday that Edmonton has "held the play" for the bulk of the series despite the deficit, but Verhaeghe shrugged off his opponent's comments."We don't focus on what they say," he said, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "They can say whatever they want. We're just focusing on what we have to do."Game 4 is set for 8 p.m. ET.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach Guy Boucher won't be returning to his post next season, the team announced Saturday.Boucher was in charge of Toronto's power play in 2023-24 after being hired by the team last July.The Maple Leafs owned the league's seventh-best unit in the regular season with a 24% conversion rate but struggled mightily in the playoffs, scoring just once on 21 opportunities during their first-round loss to the Boston Bruins.Before Boucher, Spencer Carbery ran Toronto's power play for two seasons. Under his direction, the Leafs owned the league's top unit in 2021-22 and the second-best outfit in 2022-23.Boucher was previously the bench boss of the Ottawa Senators from 2016-19, helping the team make the Eastern Conference Final in 2017.Toronto fired head coach Sheldon Keefe in May, replacing him with Craig Berube. The 2019 Stanley Cup champion brought in Lane Lambert as an associate coach earlier in June.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl has yet to register a point in the Stanley Cup Final, but he has the support of head coach Kris Knoblauch ahead of Edmonton's must-win Game 4 on Saturday night."I've seen Leon obviously play better, but to say he's playing poorly, I think, is vastly unfair," the bench boss said. "I think he's helping a lot, but like our team, everyone can be a little bit better. He takes a lot of pride in his game, he doesn't hide anything, he doesn't make excuses. ... He's been pretty, pretty good in pretty much every game that I've seen him play."Draisaitl was dominant through the first three rounds of the postseason, amassing 10 goals and 28 points in 18 outings. He's since been stymied by the Florida Panthers and netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, but it's not for a lack of trying. Draisaitl has fired nine shots on net and 16 shots at all strengths in the series, per Natural Stat Trick.Knoblauch called Draisaitl "the catalyst" on Ryan McLeod's goal in Game 3, though he didn't earn a point on the play."It's not too often Leon's held off the scoresheet like he has been," he said. "But I think he has been contributing. ... Sometimes it's not fair to just judge a player on his points, his goals and assists."Draisaitl was critical of his own play following Edmonton's loss Thursday that put the team on the brink of elimination, saying he had to "look in the mirror and try to be better."The Oilers' quest to stay alive will get a bit easier if Draisaitl finds a way to break through, but Knoblauch knows they're in for a "challenge" as they try to climb out of a 3-0 hole."If there's a group of men that I want to do this with, it's the guys in that room," he said. "From what I've seen through this season, how resilient they are, their perseverance, their focus, their attitude. I'm really excited for the next 10 days."Puck drops on Game 4 at 8 p.m. ET.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ten years have passed since Alec Martinez, a depth defenseman with the clutch gene, scored the last overtime clincher in a Stanley Cup Final.Martinez struck in double OT against the Rangers to seal the Kings' second Cup triumph of the 2010s. He carried the puck out of the defensive zone, helped move it to Tyler Toffoli, and pumped the brakes at the bottom of the left faceoff circle, where he had space to pot a juicy rebound.Martinez flung his stick and gloves as the horn blared in Los Angeles. Teammates raced to join the celebratory pile.In the trophy's lifespan, OT winners have enlivened the end of 17 Cup Finals. These dramatic goals daze or anger the losing side while immortalizing the moment of conquest. In the famous tableaus they've produced, Bobby Orr took flight, Brett Hull's skate breached the blue paint, and Patrick Kane's low wrist shot vanished inside the net.From the 1930s to the 2010s, at least one final per decade was settled in overtime. Some championship clinchers, like the spate scored in the '50s, touched twine in fast flurries. Others were separated by waits of 10-plus years.Martinez's feat is bound to be replicated soon. Some glue guy or superstar will fulfill the classic childhood dream of netting the Stanley Cup winner when the stakes are highest.Two early OT heroes were Hall of Fame forwards who refused to be fazed by a scheduling quirk. The staging of the famed Ringling Brothers circus at Madison Square Garden deprived the Rangers of home games in the 1933 and 1940 finals. Those series ended in Toronto on goals by New York's Bill Cook, who scored on a five-on-three power play, and Bryan Hextall - grandfather of Ron, the pugnacious goaltender, and Leah, the ESPN broadcaster.In the Original Six era, a couple of Red Wings grinders stepped up in Game 7. A backhand flipped through traffic by Pete Babando, scorer of six regular-season goals, proved decisive in the 1950 playoff finale. The '54 Red Wings almost blew a 3-1 series lead, but Tony Leswick's shot from long distance fooled Gerry McNeil, the only goalie to lose multiple Cup Finals after regulation.McNeil also allowed Bill Barilko's last goal. The 24-year-old Maple Leafs defensive stalwart pinched from the point and dove into a scramble to shovel in the backhand that won the 1951 final, which produced five straight OT classics. Barilko died that summer in a floatplane crash in the Northern Ontario bush, where his body lay until the wreckage was found in 1962.Parallels connect certain OT clinchers, like those netted by defensemen to seal sweeps.Orr - winner of the Hart, Norris, Art Ross, and Conn Smythe trophies in 1970 - finished a give-and-go to beat the Blues in the instant before he was tripped while raising his arms in glee. In 1996, Uwe Krupp's slapper in the sixth period of a scoreless dogfight with the Panthers capped the Avalanche's storybook first year in Colorado. Krupp tore up his knee in the season opener but rehabbed intensively to be part of the playoff run.Other goals of this kind cemented dynasties. The Canadiens won the second of four straight Cups in the 1970s when Jacques Lemaire, the target of a netfront pass following a battle along the wall, snapped it past the outstretched leg of Bruins goalie Gerry Cheevers. In 1980, Bob Nystrom dashed behind a Flyers defender to redirect John Tonelli's feed inside the left post, completing the Islanders' first trip to the mountaintop.Two infamous OT clinchers stoked controversy. Canadiens icon Henri Richard ended the Red Wings in the 1966 final by deflecting a pass over the goal line while being upended. Debate about the play's legality pitted Richard, who claimed the puck glanced off his knee, against Detroit goalie Roger Crozier, who failed to convince the referee that it was swept in by hand.If video review existed, the grainy footage would have been inconclusive.Hull, the former Stars sniper, enraged the Sabres in 1999 when he scored the latest Cup winner in any game. His goal at the 114-minute mark, which eluded a sprawling Dominik Hasek, was facilitated by the unmistakeable presence of Hull's left foot in the crease. The NHL's explanation - Hull entered it legally because he maintained possession of the puck - didn't satisfy Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff, who screamed at Gary Bettman at ice level.Since 2000, the Cup's been up for grabs in nine games that required overtime. The trailing team in the matchup scored to prolong the final on six occasions.Patrik Elias' masterful no-look feed teed up Jason Arnott's winner for the 2000 Devils. Arnott pinned a Stars forward's head to the ice earlier in overtime, but New Jersey killed the cross-checking minor to avoid being pushed to Game 7.In 2010, Chicago's Brian Campbell denied a Flyers clearance attempt and got the puck to Kane, who snuck it under Michael Leighton's legs. Three Blackhawks in the vicinity - Kane, Patrick Sharp, and Nick Boynton - instantly rejoiced, prompting their teammates to blindly follow suit. One deceptive shot ended a 49-year Cup drought, stunned the Philadelphia crowd, and exhilarated everyone else who saw it.Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Stuart Skinner believes his Edmonton Oilers can dig themselves out of a three-game hole and win the Stanley Cup Final despite how rarely that's happened."It is disappointing being down 3-0, we've got to let that reality sink in," the goaltender told reporters after a 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 3. "I'm not too sure what the stats are coming back (from this deficit), but if anyone can do it, it's the Oil."Skinner added that the Oilers' late surge in Game 3 - in which they scored two third-period goals to trim the Panthers' lead to one - gives Edmonton confidence."I think the way that we finished this game, too, also brings a strong belief in this group, the way that we battled back," the netminder said. "If we play like that for 60 minutes, we'll give ourselves a really good chance to win games. I think that gives you a lot of belief, and we've got nothing but hope in this room."The Toronto Maple Leafs are the only team to pull off a reverse sweep in the Cup Final, doing so against the Detroit Red Wings in 1942. That was also one of only four times it's been accomplished in any round in NHL history.The Los Angeles Kings did it en route to winning the title in 2014, but that was a first-round comeback over the San Jose Sharks. Four years earlier, the Philadelphia Flyers overcame a 3-0 series deficit to oust the Boston Bruins in the second round. The New York Islanders did it to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1975, but they pulled it off in the quarterfinals.The Panthers will have a chance to ensure it doesn't happen to them in Game 4 on Saturday in Edmonton."We're trying to figure them out," Oilers superstar Connor McDavid said postgame Thursday. "Obviously, we haven't beaten them in three games. We've had stretches of good, we've had stretches of bad, (but) we're trying to figure them out."McDavid also channeled Yogi Berra when he added that "it's not over 'til it's over."Game 4 is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Edmonton Oilers' top players have been largely shut down by the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, but Zach Hyman hopes keeping a clear mind can lead to a breakthrough with his team facing a 3-0 deficit."Not get frustrated," he said Friday when asked how he and his fellow star teammates can get rolling. "Keep getting the looks that we're getting, I think we can go to the harder areas. ... Those are the goals that you need to score this time of year."Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, and Hyman were among the Oilers' top producers through the first three rounds, but they've uncharacteristically struggled to get on the scoresheet against Florida. Draisaitl and Hyman have yet to register a point in three games, Bouchard has mustered just one helper, and McDavid has three assists.Without the usual support from its stars, Edmonton has been outscored by Florida 11-4.Despite the series deficit, the Oilers have dictated more than their fair share of the play. Edmonton has controlled 52.8% of the shot attempts, 55.6% of the expected goals, and 56.8% of the scoring chances at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.As a result, Hyman said "it doesn't feel like a 3-0 series.""I don't think (we've) spiralled, I think we're down 3-0 because we've given up freebies," he explained. "It's not like we're going out there and getting absolutely dominated by a team that's better than us. It's moments in the game where they've shown a little bit more maturity than we have. ... You just gotta win one and you're gonna start the momentum."One area the Oilers need to improve on is the man advantage. They entered the Stanley Cup Final with the league's best postseason power play (37.3%), but they haven't been able to find the back of the net in 10 opportunities against Florida."We're getting one good look per power play essentially, it seems like," Bouchard said, per theScore's Jolene Latimer. "If one of those goes in, it's a different game. We've just got to make sure we put one in when we get the chance."Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner kept his belief after Thursday's Game 3 loss, and Hyman is aiming to do the same."The odds say that we won't win. ... The odds said that we weren't going to make the playoffs at American Thanksgiving," he said. "Multiple times in these playoffs, we've been down. I think we play our best when our backs are against the wall, and facing elimination."Puck drops on the Oilers' must-win Game 4 on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

General manager Steve Staios has plenty of irons in the fire as he seeks to end the Ottawa Senators' seven-year playoff drought."There's lots of dialogue right now," Staios told Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch on Friday.Staios added that he's seeking improvements to the entire roster rather than a specific position."Yeah, there are some areas where you have to look at," he said. "You have to look at that, at the time, if the opportunity presents itself, but I think, in general, we're looking to improve in all areas."The Senators are reportedly among the most aggressive teams pursuing Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom. Ottawa's netminders combined for a .881 save percentage this past season, which ranked 31st in the NHL.The Sens are also gauging the level of interest surrounding defenseman Jakob Chychrun and are hopeful of unloading Mathieu Joseph's contract, sources told Garrioch. Chychrun is one year away from unrestricted free agency and was involved in rumors throughout the season. Joseph has two years remaining on his deal with a $2.95-million cap hit.Beyond seeking external improvements, Ottawa has four restricted free agents on the books and approximately $12.4 million in cap space to work with, according to Cap Friendly.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Carolina Hurricanes signed pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Jalen Chatfield to a three-year contract worth $3 million per season, the team confirmed Friday.Chatfield was due to hit the open market on July 1. He earns a significant raise from the $762,500 cap hit he's carried over the past two campaigns."Jalen has been an integral part of our blue line over the last two seasons and firmly established himself as an NHL defenseman," interim general manager Eric Tulsky said. "His elite speed and tireless work ethic make him an incredibly dynamic player at both ends of the ice."The Hurricanes signed Chatfield on a two-way contract in 2021 after an 18-game stint with the Vancouver Canucks. He's grown into a prominent role on Carolina's blue line, setting career highs in goals (eight), points (22), and average ice time (15:12) this past season.Carolina is facing a potential exodus this summer, with several prominent players on expiring contracts. Jake Guentzel, Jordan Martinook, Teuvo Teravainen, and Brett Pesce are among the key UFAs on the Canes' books, while Seth Jarvis and Martin Necas are notable RFAs in need of new contracts.The Hurricanes are reportedly working on a long-term extension for top-pair defenseman and 2025 UFA Jaccob Slavin, who is eligible to sign on July 1.Carolina has approximately $23 million in financial flexibility with for the rest of the summer now that Chatfield's been signed, per CapFriendly.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Florida Panthers moved one win away from capturing the Stanley Cup with a 4-3 victory in Thursday's Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers.The Panthers surged in the second period with goals from Vladimir Tarasenko, Sam Bennett, and Aleksander Barkov in a 6:19 span.Philip Broberg and Ryan McLeod scored in the third period as Edmonton's comeback bid fell short.Sergei Bobrovsky made 32 saves and allowed more than two goals for the first time since Game 3 of the conference finals versus the New York Rangers. Stuart Skinner stopped 19 shots.Bobrovsky's most important stop came late in the contest when he denied McLeod of the tying goal from point-blank range.

For years, sports have been trending toward hard data. Everything can be measured down to a granular level. Fielding-independent pitching. Unblocked shot attempts. Effective field-goal percentage.And then there's goaltending. There are fancy stats for that position, too, but it remains one of the few sports outposts where the difference between a good player and a poor one sometimes just comes down to vibes.There is science, in other words, and then there is Sergei Bobrovsky.The 35-year-old goaltender for the Florida Panthers has given up just one goal in two games of the Stanley Cup Final against the most dangerous offense in hockey. Bobrovsky's 14-5 in these playoffs, posting a 2.02 goals against average, a .916 save percentage, and a pair of shutouts. It's the kind of performance you might expect from a two-time Vezina Trophy winner.Except this is the same Sergei Bobrovsky who infamously has a habit of flaming out in the postseason. The same guy who, despite his $10-million-per-year cap hit, seemed about to be replaced in the Panthers net by a 20-year-old rookie and then was replaced by a 30-year-old AHL journeyman. The same Bobrovsky who, for most of his time in Florida, was the proof of concept for Why You Shouldn't Pay Goalies Big Money.And now he's two wins from the Cup and the heavy favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.Goalies, man. Enigmas in masks and pads.Even in a sport with a history of unpredictable goalie outcomes like a rookie Patrick Roy or a veteran Tim Thomas, the Bobrovsky case is a weird one. Traded by the Philadelphia Flyers at 23 years old because there wasn't room in the crease for both him and Ilya Bryzgalov, another enigma who really was the case for Why You Shouldn't Pay Goalies Big Money, Bobrovsky landed in Columbus. He earned both of his Vezinas there but won just a single playoff series over seven seasons. After the second of those trophy-winning campaigns in 2017, he gave up 20 goals in five games as Pittsburgh quickly dusted the Blue Jackets in the first round.Two seasons later, Bobrovsky had the good fortune to deliver his best playoff moment, a first-round sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning, as he was entering free agency. After the Panthers lost Roberto Luongo to retirement, they swooped in to sign Bobrobvsky to a seven-year, $70-million contract. Dave Sandford / NHL / Getty ImagesIt did not go well. The Panthers fell in the first round in his first year in Florida. In the following season, Bobrovsky lost the net to backup Chris Dreidger in the first round against Tampa Bay, got it back when Dreidger faltered, and then gave up five goals on 14 shots to get pulled again. The Panthers ended up handing goaltending duties to Spencer Knight, who had just turned 20 years old a month earlier and joined the team straight out of college.Dale Tallon, who signed Bobrovsky to that monster deal, was replaced as general manager by Bill Zito, and Bobrovsky spent much of the next few seasons in trade rumors. But his contract had a no-movement clause, and there was little interest in taking on a veteran carrying such a big ticket.By last season, Florida didn't even wait until the playoffs to replace him. With the Panthers fading from contention, coach Paul Maurice turned to Alex Lyon, an undrafted 30-year-old who had played 227 AHL games and just 24 in the NHL before last year. He helped Florida win six of its final eight to sneak into the postseason. Lyon was named the starter as the club met the Boston Bruins, who had just completed a historically great regular season, but Bobrovsky went back in net in relief in a Game 3 loss. He was the starter in Game 4 but promptly allowed five goals in a blowout loss.A 34-year-old Bobrovsky was in yet another playoff hole, and the only question was whether Zito could unload him in the offseason.And then he won three straight against the Bruins and kept up that sparkling form in a run to the Stanley Cup Final. It was a career reclamation act that came seemingly out of nowhere, ended all the offseason speculation, and rolled into 2024.Bobrovsky led the NHL in shutouts this season with six. That's more than he had in his first four campaigns in Florida combined. What changed? The mood? Goalies, man.And yet, there was what might have been an inflection point early in Game 2 against Edmonton on Monday night, when Mattias Ekholm, of all people, beat Bobrovsky on an odd-man rush with a shot that looked to have gone straight through him. Was this the moment Playoff Bobby turned into Classic Playoff Bobby, the version imploding in a blink? Were the Oilers about to put up a five-spot before the first period was over?It was not, and they did not. Bobrovsky didn't surrender another goal, softie or otherwise, and even stopped Connor McDavid on a late partial breakaway.The reclamation project continues. Who woulda thunk it?Scott Stinson is a contributing writer to theScoreCopyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Utah's NHL team unveiled logos and jerseys Thursday for its inaugural season.The former Arizona Coyotes franchise will be called the Utah Hockey Club for its first season. Here's a look at the team's branding:

Brandon Montour isn't letting upcoming contract negotiations spoil his chase for the Stanley Cup in what could be his final days with the Florida Panthers."Things are going to change quick here (in) two-and-a-half weeks, three weeks," Montour told The Athletic's Michael Russo and Shayna Goldman. "I've played this out all year. Two to three weeks isn't going to hurt anything. My whole goal right now is to play the best I can for this team, and the rest will take care of itself afterward."Montour is eligible to hit the market as an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and could be the odd man out as 57-goal-scorer Sam Reinhart is also up for a new deal. The Panthers only have 14 players signed for next season and have approximately $20 million to work with this offseason, per CapFriendly.Evolving-Hockey's contract projection tool suggests Montour is likely to earn around $6.43 million annually on his next deal, which would slot him between Aaron Ekblad ($7.5 million) and Gustav Forsling ($5.75 million) on the Panthers' defensive hierarchy.Florida acquired Montour from the Buffalo Sabres for a third-round pick in 2021. He registered a career-high 16 goals and 73 points in 2022-23 before playing an integral role in the Panthers' improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final, but recovery from a shoulder injury limited his availability and production this season.As a 30-year-old right-shot blue-liner, Montour is likely to generate interest from several teams if he doesn't re-up with the Panthers. However, he said he's solely focused on ending this season on a high note."You work so hard and you dream about this since you were 3 years old," he said. "It's something that's tough. Last year was not something that I wanted to experience. So, luckily enough, we have this opportunity again to turn the story and change that."The Panthers own a 2-0 series lead over the Edmonton Oilers with Game 3 set for Thursday night.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Rangers and restricted free-agent winger Kaapo Kakko agreed to terms on a one-year contract, the team announced Thursday.The contract carries a $2.4-million cap hit, reports the New York Post's Larry Brooks. Kakko's qualifying offer was worth $2.4 million.The 2019 No. 2 pick recorded 13 goals and six assists in 61 games in 2023-24. He added two points in 15 postseason contests.Kakko's best season came in 2022-23 when he produced 18 goals and 22 assists in 82 games.

When Stuart Skinner got a full-time job with the Edmonton Oilers in 2022, the main problem for fans was the simple fact that his jersey was nowhere to be found."You couldn't purchase a Skinner jersey," said Avarey Amyotte, whose son Owen was then a budding minor hockey goalie and obsessed with the born-and-bred Edmontonian.Amyotte's dad, Don - who she describes as the ultimate hockey grandpa - came up with a solution."He ordered a custom Skinner jersey for Owen for Christmas," she remembers. "It was a scramble to make sure that it would come in time before Christmas. My dad was so excited that he got it all done."But Don wouldn't live to see the results of his labor of love. A week after the jersey arrived, on Dec. 2, 2022, he died from prostate cancer. Amyotte kept his present a secret from her son until Christmas morning."We had a lot of family in town on Christmas morning, and when Owen opened that box and it was a custom Skinner jersey, it was very emotional," she said.Amyotte later tracked down Skinner at a goalie clinic to get it signed. The jersey now hangs above Owen's bed - a daily reminder of not just his love of the game, but his grandpa's love for him.Eighteen years ago, a different Oilers goalie served as inspiration for a certain young fan. Dwayne Roloson was the netminder during Edmonton's last run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2006. A young Stuart Skinner was just 7 years old.Dwayne Roloson inspired Stuart Skinner when he led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final in 2006 Dave Sandford / Getty Images"Roly the goalie was my idol," said Skinner, who remembers the sheer excitement any time he had the chance to watch the Oilers in person at the old Northlands Coliseum/Rexall Place."I will never forget Rexall Place," he said. "I absolutely love Rexall Place. It's one of those childhood kind of things that you look back on - being at the rink, watching teams, or just driving by and you're like, 'That's so cool.'"Back then, Skinner always made sure the dial was tuned to sports talk radio where he could hear the latest Oilers news."We would always have the radio on whenever we hopped into the car," he said. "Whether it's going to school first thing in the morning, or going back home from school, or going to the rink."The youngest child of nine, Skinner's earliest days in net were as target practice for his older siblings during road hockey games, which quickly morphed into an obsession for becoming a goalie."I could talk to you forever about why I wanted to be a goalie," he said. "I was just begging my family to be a goalie. I was always the one who wanted to go in the road hockey net."But Skinner had a problem - his parents were less enthusiastic about him becoming a permanent fixture in net. Skinner's solution was simple."I didn't even give them a choice, really," he said. "One tryout, we just didn't have a goalie, so I told the coach I was going in. I didn't even ask permission. That was the end of it."Connor McDavid and Stuart Skinner celebrate a win over Los Angeles in March 2024 Andy Devlin / NHL / Getty ImagesSkinner quickly asserted himself as one of the game's up-and-coming talents, compiling a .929 save percentage in his second year of U15 AAA hockey and getting drafted into the WHL the following year. There, he quickly earned the starting goalie position in Lethbridge, Alberta as a 16-year-old."Not a lot of 16-year-olds in that league," he said. "I remember getting drafted and them saying that they wanted me to play right away."Especially as a kid going from bantam and getting drafted and all that, you're all excited. Then, when they say that, you're like, 'Holy crap, I'm going to be playing in the WHL. That's pretty cool.' It was very exciting for me. Them giving me that opportunity was massive, because then I was just able to play a lot of games right away."Skinner also enrolled in the hockey academy at Louis St. Laurent junior and senior high."He was well poised and had a lot going for him, and was way more mature for his age," teacher and coach Jaret Peel said. "He was someone who was very determined to work hard and do all the things needed to make sure that he was successful, that would get him to the next level."Peel would often take shots on Skinner and use the opportunity to inflict his own form of resilience training."I would try to chirp him and get into his head every time I scored a goal," he said.Skinner, known for being humble and unaffected, ultimately got the last chirp in an uncharacteristic moment of hubris. When he signed his first NHL contract after being selected 78th overall by the Oilers in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Peel texted him congratulations. Skinner replied, "Hey coach. Just to let you know, I'll make more in three years than you'll make in your career."Stuart Skinner meets then vice president of hockey operations for the Oilers, Craig MacTavish, after being selected 78th overall during the 2017 NHL Draft. MacTavish coached the Oilers throughout their 2006 Cup run Dave Sandford / Getty ImagesSince then, Skinner has cemented himself as the Oilers' starting goalie and a mainstay in the next generation's hockey dreams."He's used his mental fortitude to push past the tough times and move forward," Peel said. "He's used past experiences, coaches, and sports psychologists to help him get to where he is right now. That's the goalie in the Stanley Cup Final. And that's every kid's dream."Skinner might be living the dream, but he's also defining it. His sway over the next generation of Edmonton fans now extends far beyond the ice, at least among the teens Peel coaches."Having a mustache is cool now," he said. "There are hundreds of them. They've got the peach fuzz. They're saying, 'I'm going to have a mustache one day like Stuart's got.'"Young hockey fans appreciate Stuart Skinner's signature style Codie McLachlan / Getty ImagesOne of those up-and-comers is 14-year-old Amyotte, who isn't sporting the Skinner 'stache but has already followed in Skinner's footsteps by playing AAA for the same minor hockey club, South Side Athletic Club. He's also attending the same in-school hockey academy as Skinner. Amyotte posted a .881 save percentage through 18 games last season in U15."I've noticed throughout his whole NHL career - and even just this season - Skinner improves really fast," Amyotte said. "He plays so calm. He can read the play. He can kind of just read plays into the future."As proof of Skinner's evolution, Amyotte pointed to his Game 6 clinic against Dallas where he made 33 saves to keep the score at 2-1 and give the Oilers their Finals berth."He pulled out strong, and it was basically just a battle between the other goalie," he said.It's that real-time learning Skinner will have to draw upon as the Oilers look to dig themselves out of a 2-0 hole against Florida."We've been in a lot of worse situations," Skinner said after Wednesday's practice. "We've been in a situation where we were pretty well the last-place team in the league. We were down 3-2 against Vancouver, facing elimination, and we had to win two games. We've been in a lot of situations where you think that you're down and out. And I think that's when we play our best hockey, is when our backs are against the wall and the gun's pointing at us."Skinner's self-talk might be different now, but he knows what he'd say to that 14-year-old version of himself back in junior high."I'd tell him to relax and know that it's all going to be OK. I would just tell him to really enjoy the whole process of getting up to where we are now. I would let him know that it's going to be hard. It's going to be tough. There are going to be a lot of ups and downs, a lot of bumps and bruises. But at the end of the day, it's all going to be worth it, and just trust yourself leading up to where we're headed."Jolene Latimer is a features writer at theScore.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is good to go for Thursday's Game 3, head coach Paul Maurice announced, per The Canadian Press' Joshua Clipperton.Barkov's status was in doubt after he took a high hit from Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl midway through the third period of the Panthers' 4-1 Game 2 victory Monday.

Alexander Steen will succeed Doug Armstrong as general manager of the St. Louis Blues in 2026, the team announced Thursday.Steen signed a five-year deal with the Blues beginning in the upcoming campaign. He'll serve as special assistant to Armstrong for the first two years of the pact. Armstrong, meanwhile, had two more years remaining on his contract as GM but signed a three-year extension to stay on as president of hockey operations until 2028-29."We are beyond excited about naming Alex our future GM," Blues chairman Tom Stillman said. "We're excited about his intelligence, his work ethic, his knowledge of the game, feel for the game, his leadership abilities, his communication skills, the tremendous respect that players, coaches, and fans have for him."Stillman revealed that Armstrong approached him earlier this year to begin making the case for a new GM. The latter has held the position for the past 14 seasons, leading the franchise to 10 playoff berths."At some point, change is good. ... I love to manage," Armstrong said. "I'm gonna miss it, I guarantee I'm gonna miss it. I love the work, but I love the Blues more. It's my responsibility to do what's best for the Blues, and what's best for the Blues is to support Alex in two years."Steen won the Stanley Cup as a forward with the Blues in 2019, and he amassed 195 goals and 496 points in 765 career regular-season games across 12 years with the franchise."I've always had a passion for St. Louis, and my passion for this sport is so high," Steen said. "This is what I was meant to do, was be around hockey. ... I feel like this is a great opportunity for me."The 40-year-old served as a team consultant and development coach for the Blues in 2023-24.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The San Jose Sharks hired Ryan Warsofsky as the 11th head coach in franchise history, the team announced Thursday.Warsofsky had been an assistant coach under David Quinn in San Jose for the last two seasons. Quinn was fired following a last-place finish in 2023-24.The 36-year-old is the youngest active head coach in the NHL. He'll be one of the 100 youngest coaches in league history when he's behind the bench for his first game and the youngest since Jeremy Colliton debuted for the Chicago Blackhawks at age 33 in 2018."His track record of success at nearly every level of hockey as a head and assistant coach speaks for itself," general manager Mike Grier said in a statement. "Ryan knows our existing group well, has the respect of the players who he will be working with, and will be a great teacher for the young players who will be joining our organization."Warsofsky previously worked as the head coach of the AHL's Chicago Wolves for two campaigns, where he won the Calder Cup in 2022. He won another Calder Cup in 2019 as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Checkers.He was in charge of the Sharks' defense and penalty kill for the last two seasons. He oversaw the NHL's 18th-ranked shorthanded unit and Erik Karlsson's 101-point Norris Trophy campaign in 2022-23."I'm overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement to be named as the head coach of the San Jose Sharks," Warsofsky said. "This a tremendous opportunity to continue to be part of a well-respected organization, and my family and I couldn't be more excited for this next chapter."Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Florida Panthers star Aleksander Barkov was a full participant in practice Wednesday, but his status for Thursday's Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final will be determined after the club travels to Edmonton."Felt better today," head coach Paul Maurice said, per team reporter Jameson Olive. "Got through skate today as far as I know. He'll get checked after. Get him on a plane, get him off a plane, get him on the ice and we'll see where he's at tomorrow. He looked good today."The Panthers flew out of Florida about three and a half hours late on Wednesday afternoon, departing at approximately 4:30 p.m. ET due to inclement weather.Barkov left the ice after taking a high hit from Leon Draisaitl in the third period of Florida's Game 2 victory. The Oilers forward received a roughing minor but escaped supplemental discipline.

The Winnipeg Jets aren't slamming the door on the possibility of trading Nikolaj Ehlers.Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is open to having conversations about Ehlers with interested teams, TSN's Darren Dreger reported on Wednesday's edition of "Insider Trading." Winnipeg would like to extend Ehlers, but that'll be complicated given Jets sniper Kyle Connor eventually needs a new pact, Dreger added.Ehlers tied for fourth on the Jets in goals (25), ranked third in assists (36), and tied for third in points during the 2023-24 regular season. He added a pair of helpers in five playoff games this spring.The Danish winger is signed through 2024-25 at a cap hit of $6 million, and his contract allows him to submit a 10-team no-trade list, according to CapFriendly. He'll be eligible to sign an extension on July 1.Ehlers has a history of injury woes, but he played all 82 contests this past season for the first time since 2017-18. It was only the third time he's done so in his nine-year career, which he's spent entirely with the Jets. Winnipeg drafted Ehlers ninth overall in 2014.Connor, the Jets' leading goal-scorer this season, buried 34 tallies in only 65 games. He's on the books for two more campaigns beginning in 2024-25. Connor will be due a hefty raise on his cap hit of $7,142,857, either on July 1, 2025 - when he's first eligible to ink an extension - or at the end of his deal as an unrestricted free agent.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are mutually working with Patrik Laine to trade the 26-year-old forward, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on Wednesday's edition of "Insider Trading.""That's the goal from everyone involved. ... (Laine) would like to move on," LeBrun said. "His agent has had conversations with the Blue Jackets about it, and both sides are gonna work together to try and get that done. He wants a fresh start. Hasn't been a good time in Columbus."Laine entered the player assistance program on Jan. 28 and remains in the program, LeBrun added.The Finnish sniper tallied six goals and nine points in 18 games this season. He missed nine contests due to a concussion in October before sustaining a broken clavicle on Dec. 14 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.Laine has two years left on his contract with an $8.7-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly. He also has a 10-team no-trade list.The Blue Jackets acquired Laine with Jack Roslovic from the Winnipeg Jets for Pierre-Luc Dubois and a third-round pick in January 2021.Laine has accrued 64 goals and 138 points in 174 games over four seasons in Columbus. He's missed 117 contests since 2021.The 2016 second overall pick burst onto the scene in Winnipeg with three straight 30-goal seasons to commence his career, including a 44-goal campaign as a sophomore. Laine hasn't eclipsed the 30-goal mark since 2018-19.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Carolina Hurricanes are working on signing defenseman Jaccob Slavin to a long-term contract extension, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports.Slavin is scheduled for unrestricted free agency in 2025 and is eligible to sign an extension as of July 1. The 30-year-old is due to play out the final campaign of a seven-year, $37.1-million contract next season.The Hurricanes are expected to be among the league's busiest teams this summer, as they have 13 expiring contracts and approximately $26.8 million in space to work with, per Cap Friendly.Jake Guentzel, Jordan Martinook, Teuvo Teravainen, and Brett Pesce are among the notable names that can walk via free agency this summer, while Seth Jarvis and Martin Necas are key restricted free agents in need of new deals.Locking up Slavin now would provide the Hurricanes with an important building block on the back end, as prospect Scott Morrow is their only blue-liner signed for 2025-26.Slavin was a fourth-round pick of the Hurricanes in 2012, and broke into the NHL in 2015-16. He's blossomed into one of the league's top defensive defensemen, and he chipped in with 37 points in 81 games in 2023-24 while averaging over 20 minutes per contest.He's received down-ballot Norris Trophy votes in seven of the past eight seasons, and is a two-time winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most gentlemanly player.The Hurricanes parted ways with general manager Don Waddell following the club's second-round playoff exit, and they're reportedly expected to hire an internal replacement.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The usually lethal Edmonton Oilers power play has been neutralized so far in the Stanley Cup Final, failing to convert on seven opportunities.Captain Connor McDavid said the Oilers need to counter the Panthers' aggressive penalty kill by abandoning some structure and letting their instincts take over."We call it playing road hockey," McDavid said. "We've got to be elite at that."Edmonton's power play has operated at 32.8% during the postseason, second only to the Colorado Avalanche, who were bounced in Round 2. McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins rank one through four among postseason skaters in power-play points. Zach Hyman ranks tied for second with five power-play goals.The Oilers have led the league in power-play percentage three times in the past five seasons. They've never finished worse than fourth in that span."The power play has been together for a long time and we've been great at what we do," McDavid said. "We usually solve penalty kills, and I would expect us to figure this one out, too."Florida's penalty kill has been excellent, though, killing off 89.7% of power plays this postseason - second only to Edmonton's 93%. The Panthers' PK ranked sixth during the regular season.The series shifts to Edmonton for Game 3 on Thursday. Darnell Nurse is expected to play despite logging just 4:20 in Game 2 while playing through an apparent injury. Corey Perry is also expected to draw back into the lineup up front, though it's unclear who would come out. Evander Kane notably appeared to be laboring in Game 2.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Florida Panthers have earned a 2-0 series lead over the Edmonton Oilers courtesy of 3-0 and 4-1 victories to open the Stanley Cup Final. Game 3 goes on Thursday night at Edmonton's Rogers Place. Here are three things to watch as the Oilers push for change.Home-ice adjustments Dave Sandford / Getty ImagesA series summary from the Oilers' perspective: They played well enough to win Game 1 but lost in large part due to a phenomenal goaltending performance from Sergei Bobrovsky. Game 2 was less inspiring - though not a complete dud - and now Edmonton must string together four wins over a five-game span.In other words, the Oilers are learning about impossibly thin margins.They'll gain the benefit of last change for Game 3, and coach Kris Knoblauch must do everything in his power to get Connor McDavid favorable matchups. "Favorable" is anyone other than Aleksander Barkov and Gustav Forsling.Barkov, the model shutdown center, might be unavailable for Game 3, which would be a huge break for the Oilers. Forsling and defense partner Aaron Ekblad have been on the ice for 24 of McDavid's 32 five-on-five minutes in the series. The Oilers captain has looked his usual tantalizing self in transition and is maintaining possession of the puck in the offensive zone. However, as the table below shows, he's struggled to turn possession into prime scoring chances.In last year's final, Vegas beat Florida by jamming up the slot area with bodies, insulating goalie Adin Hill. This year, Florida is beating Edmonton by insulating Bobrovsky - but in a different way. Their defensive shell is multi-layered: the first defender tries to keep McDavid on the perimeter; if 97 beats that guy, a second defender is hounding him, and a third is lurking nearby.Forsling's been particularly disruptive to the Oilers' best-laid plans. His first few steps are quick enough to keep up with McDavid. He combines that skating ability with elite anticipation skills and an active stick to close gaps.McDavid's eight minutes away from Barkov and Forsling haven't been pretty for Florida. Depth players like Kyle Okposo have been holding on for dear life as McDavid weaves in and out of traffic. Eventually, those sequences will turn into goals. Knoblauch won't get the perfect matchup every shift at home, but if McDavid can escape Barkov and Forsling for, say, 50% of his five-on-five minutes, Edmonton will see results.Knoblauch also shouldn't be shy about going nuclear. Throw out McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard, and Mattias Ekholm for the odd offensive-zone faceoff. Florida simply can't match that five-man unit.Bubbling issue Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesThe Oilers' blue line is in disarray.Bouchard, firmly the No. 1 defenseman at 24 years old, is coming off arguably his worst game of the playoffs. Darnell Nurse is hurt, playing just 4:20 in Game 2. Both recent scratch Cody Ceci and fill-in Vincent Desharnais are unreliable.Knoblauch doesn't have many cards to play, but he should split up Bouchard and Ekholm to even out the pairings. Bouchard can skate alongside another puck-mover in Philip Broberg, while Ekholm and veteran Brett Kulak can form a shutdown duo. In this scenario, the bottom pair (regardless of who's on it) can be used sparingly and deployed strategically. Eliot J. Schechter / Getty ImagesCoach Paul Maurice probably isn't losing sleep over matchups, because Florida's third line has been fantastic. The Panthers have outscored the Oilers 1-0 while accounting for 76% of the expected goals in Anton Lundell, Vladimir Taraseko, and Eetu Luostarinen's 16 minutes together.Even if Lundell moves up in Barkov's absence, Florida can dress a better bottom-six group. Edmonton's third and fourth lines have generated next to nothing in this series - on trend with the rest of the Oilers' playoff run.Something to keep in mind: we have yet to witness a signature performance from Matthew Tkachuk. Shot attempts are 23-16 in Florida's favor when the superstar winger's been on the ice during five-on-five action. He's recorded five shots on goal, drawn a penalty, and continues to be excellent along the walls in all three zones. A massive Game 3 feels almost inevitable.Sleeping giant?Zero for seven. Nothing in 11 minutes and 28 seconds.No matter how you express the Oilers' power-play numbers in this series, the Oilers haven't executed. Given how much they rely upon the man advantage to win games, this is the worst possible time for a dry spell.There's hope. The power play struggled early in the Western Conference Final before scoring four goals over five opportunities in Games 5 and 6, and the scoring chances, including multiple hit posts, have been there versus Florida. Eliot J. Schechter / Getty ImagesMcDavid, whose one point is a four-on-four assist, has been buzzing around the zone on the power play. Puck and body movement, overall, has been decent for the Oilers. The Panthers' aggressive penalty kill has been proactive, though, so most seam passes have found the wrong skates or sticks.McDavid has even tried to do it all himself a few times, winding up for a coast-to-coast rush at the end of a shift only to hit a wall of three or four defenders inside Florida's zone. Hyman's been close to converting on a few loose pucks. Bouchard's unleashed his deadly slap shot a few times, but not often enough. The Oilers desperately need to create more in-zone two-on-ones.Then there's Draisaitl. Overall, it's hard to criticize the big German. He's amassed 28 points in 20 playoff contests this year and ranks fifth in NHL history in postseason points per game. But Draisaitl has been nearly invisible in the final. He's had issues getting off the wall at even strength and on the man advantage, putting a ceiling on his playmaking and finishing. It's not too late to rebound.John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Washington Capitals have reached an agreement to purchase CapFriendly, the team announced Wednesday.The transaction won't go through until after the draft and opening of free agency in July. After the sale, the website will go dark."The Capitals have agreed to acquire CapFriendly, including its tools and functions, for its in-house hockey operations department," Washington president and general manager Brian McLellan said."The strategic move will provide the Capitals organization with the ability to digest, present, and analyze both our internal and league-supplied data."CapFriendly is a popular salary figure website used by fans, media, and NHL organizations. Teams were recently informed their contracts with the website will be terminated.CapFriendly was launched in 2015.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames hired former Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Brad Larsen as an assistant, the team announced Tuesday.Larsen, 46, was the Blue Jackets' bench boss for two seasons. He was fired by Columbus in April 2023 and didn't coach last year."Brad is a great addition to our coaching staff, adding valuable recent experience as an NHL head coach, as well as a longtime player," general manager Craig Conroy said in a statement. "He's a good communicator with a tremendous work ethic and provides a wealth of knowledge, having worked in every situation as a coach over the course of his career."Columbus went 62-86-16 with Larsen as head coach. He was an assistant for seven seasons with the Blue Jackets beforehand."I'm super excited to be joining the Flames organization and appreciative of the opportunity to work alongside Ryan Huska," Larsen said. "I've had so much respect for this organization for a long time, its history, and reputation around the league."Assistant coach Marc Savard mutually parted ways with the Flames in May after one season with the team.Larsen's hiring completes Huska's staff for the 2024-25 campaign. Assistants Dan Lambert and Cail MacLean return from last season.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dallas Stars architect Jim Nill won the 2024 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award on Monday for the second consecutive season.The award is voted on by NHL GMs, a panel of league executives, and print and broadcast media after Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.Nill beat out Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito and Vancouver Canucks GM Patrik Allvin for the honor. Here are the full voting results:RankGMPoints1st-2nd-3rd1Jim Nill (DAL)11817-8-92Patrik Allvin (VAN)666-10-63Bill Zito (FLA)647-8-54Chris Drury (NYR)616-8-75Don Sweeney (BOS)213-1-36Barry Trotz (NSH)121-2-17Kevin Cheveldayoff (WPG)90-1-68Ken Holland (EDM)81-1-09Don Waddell (CAR*)70-1-410Daniel Briere (PHI)51-0-011Chris MacFarland (COL)40-1-112Kelly McCrimmon (VGK)30-1-0*No longer with clubNill is the second repeat winner of the award since its creation in 2009-2010. New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello won in 2020 and 2021.The Stars finished first in the Western Conference during the regular season before being ousted by the Edmonton Oilers in the conference finals.Nill has largely built the Stars through the draft during his 11 years in Dallas, producing homegrown talent such as Miro Heiskanen, Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Jake Oettinger, Thomas Harley, Wyatt Johnston, and Logan Stankoven. He also made a handful of key additions over the past year: Matt Duchene was arguably the league's best free-agent signing, and Chris Tanev was one of the most impactful trade deadline pickups.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov will continue to be evaluated before his status for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final is determined.Barkov didn't play the final 9:28 of Monday's Game 2 after taking a high hit from Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl.

Zach Hyman's superpower is that he embraces his role better than anyone.His role entails many things - hunting down pucks, battling along the boards in all three zones, forechecking hard, backchecking harder, and making the right play 99 times out of 100. It's the stuff coaches and fellow players appreciate.It entails being Connor McDavid's sidekick - the guy who can think the game at approximately the same level, pull the trigger on those breathtaking rushes, be the safety valve when the odd scoring chance goes awry, and so on. Andy Devlin / Getty ImagesThe Oilers wouldn't be in the Stanley Cup Final - which finally gets going Saturday night in Sunrise - without Hyman's 54 regular-season goals and 14 in the playoffs. They aren't in the Final if he doesn't play to his identity every single shift. He's predictable and reliable in the most productive way.Hyman may not be as valuable as McDavid or Leon Draisaitl or, arguably, Evan Bouchard. But he's the ringleader of the second layer of talent. The Oilers won't beat the deep Panthers without contributions from everybody.All modern NHLers try to attack from the slot to some extent. Knowing his role and putting his head down, Hyman takes that tactic to the extreme. Seriously, look at the number of shots he's fired from the opposing goalie's kitchen this postseason. Of his 76 total shots, 48 are from the crease or just outside it. NHL EdgeHyman's learned how to live in the inner slot. In the regular season, he tied Jake Guentzel for most expected goals per game, with 0.67, according to Sportlogiq. In the playoffs, he's the sole leader with 0.66 per game, or 11.83 in 18 games. Cup Final rival Sam Reinhart is second at 0.54, or 9.26 in 17.You can't discount the McDavid factor. Hyman benefits greatly from skating with one of the greatest players of all time at both even strength and on the power play (which is historically effective). He's undoubtedly getting a boost.Still, need somebody to drive the net with his stick on the ice? Lift the puck over sprawled pads? Punch home a wobbly rebound? Provide a screen, tip, or both? Hyman - who's five goals shy of the NHL playoff record - is the guy.Hyman signed a seven-year, $38.5-million deal with the Oilers in 2021. It was originally viewed as an overpay in part because at 29 years old, he was right around the border of typical decline. He turns 32 on Sunday and, against all odds, is highly productive. That once-maligned contract is now on the shortlist for top signings of the salary-cap era. He's bucked the aging curve.It's hard to say if it'll continue into his mid-30s. It doesn't matter for the next two weeks. McDavid and the Oilers need Hyman to lean into his superpower.Will Habs make another splash? Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesOn the first day of the 2022 draft, Kent Hughes traded for Kirby Dach. On the eve of the 2023 draft, Montreal's general manager picked up Alex Newhook.In both instances, Hughes acquired a young forward with the hope that a change of scenery and quality time with Montreal's coaches and development staff would help the player reach his potential. Both times, Hughes structured a package around the Canadiens' second of two first-round picks that year.Well, guess what? The Habs have two first-rounders again and remain on the hunt for core forwards. Hughes told The Athletic earlier this week that he's open to another trade along the same lines. He has plenty of ammunition: the fifth and 26th picks, plus a surplus of NHL-caliber defensemen to dangle. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesFrom afar, a few names immediately come to mind.Trevor Zegras: The Ducks are reportedly listening to offers for Zegras. The flashy 23-year-old is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he recorded 15 points in 31 games. Zegras is signed for the next two years at a $5.75-million cap hit, becoming a restricted free agent in 2026. The Habs could use his creativity and playmaking skills. It doesn't hurt that he's an ex-teammate of Cole Caufield.Martin Necas: The Hurricanes RFA seems to be on his way out of Carolina, and a bunch of teams are apparently interested, which makes sense. The 25-year-old is a highly-skilled, puck-dominant player who's been operating within the confines of a forecheck-first system. He's averaged 62 points a season the past two years. Hitting 80 elsewhere is feasible.Morgan Frost: Philadelphia's in the process of solidifying its core, and Frost might be the odd man out. He's taken a while to develop and butted heads with coach John Tortorella on occasion this season. While his game has less upside than Zegras' and Necas', the Habs wouldn't have to give up as much to acquire the 2025 RFA making $2.1 million next year.Coach Carle sets record straightFive NHL teams have announced a new head coach since May 7. One vacancy remains. However, don't expect the hottest NHL coaching prospect to end up behind the Sharks' bench - or any other pro bench anytime soon."I don't intend on going anywhere," University of Denver head coach David Carle told theScore last week. Tyler Schank / Getty ImagesCarle spoke with one NHL team about a month ago (he declined to name the club) but "decided to bow out" of the running early on. He then had a "great conversation" with another team. ESPN reported that said conversation was an interview with the Devils, but Carle wanted to make it clear that it was in fact a "get-to-know-you type of conversation," not a formal interview.The 34-year-old led Denver to an NCAA title in April. It was the program's second national championship in three seasons. He won world junior gold this past January and will coach the Under-20 Americans again in 2025. It's obvious why Carle's an attractive candidate, yet he's in no rush to make the jump."I love being at Denver. We've got great leadership at the school. It would take a life-changing opportunity for me to entertain departing here," Carle said, before adding that he considers his current gig to be a top-five hockey coaching job in North America and that Colorado is a great place to raise kids.The father of two became the youngest head coach in Division I men's hockey when he was hired in 2018 as a 28-year-old. An Alaska native, Carle was selected in the seventh round of the 2008 NHL draft by the Lightning. His playing career was cut short after he was diagnosed with a heart condition.Parting shotsSavvy Slavin: Carolina's Jaccob Slavin won his second Lady Byng Trophy last week after taking only four minor penalties in 81 games. The infractions: holding, holding, tripping, and delay of game for shooting the puck over the glass. It's extremely difficult for a guy tasked with shutting down the other team's best players to take only three "real" penalties in a season. It wasn't a fluke, either. Slavin's been whistled for just 19 minors in 356 games over the past five seasons: six puck over glass, six tripping, four holding, two hooking, and one interference. Notice how there isn't a single roughing, cross-checking, charging, elbowing, or other similarly dangerous infraction. The truly crazy part is that Slavin, one of the NHL's top defensive defensemen, isn't a soft player. He's simply a master at legal defending.

The Oilers' Stanley Cup chances are slipping away after they dropped both games in Florida.Edmonton's odds before the series were +115 on theScore Bet - an implied probability of 46.5% - but have now plummeted to +375 as the team heads home for Game 3.That means oddsmakers are giving the Oilers a 21.1% chance of hosting the Cup.Even though they lead the Panthers in expected goals by a narrow margin of 4.8 to 4.66, according to Natural Stat Trick, the Oilers only got one puck past Sergei Bobrovsky on 51 shots in the series' first two games.Bobrovsky's shutout in Game 1 - in which the Oilers were expected to score nearly three goals - was instrumental in giving the Panthers a comfortable 2-0 lead and pushing them to -550 to win the Stanley Cup.The goaltender's performances vaulted him up the Conn Smythe oddsboard, too, making him the new favorite. He's now priced at -175 after being +400 before the series. Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov sits next on the list at +450.Connor McDavid, who had the shortest odds to be named playoff MVP before the puck dropped on Game 1, is now priced at +550. He has one assist in two games.The Stanley Cup Final continues Thursday, with the Oilers priced as -135 home favorites in Game 3.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Connor McDavid knows the haters are going to hate.The Edmonton Oilers captain is prepared to embrace the underdog mentality with his team trailing the Florida Panthers 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final."I'm looking forward to people doubting us again," McDavid said after Edmonton's 4-1 loss in Game 2. "We're good with our backs against the wall."The Oilers fell behind the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in Round 2 and were down 2-1 to the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final but managed to win both series.Rallying against the Panthers will prove to be a much more difficult task, though. Historically, teams that start the Stanley Cup Final down 2-0 have only marched back to win five times in 54 attempts."It's another opportunity for our group to come together and dig our way out," McDavid said. "It's supposed to be hard, it's supposed to be difficult. I'm excited to see what our group is made of."The Oilers have been limited to just one goal in the series courtesy of Mattias Ekholm's opening strike in Game 2.Leon Draisaitl took responsibility for some of Edmonton's offensive shortcomings."We can certainly be better," Draisaitl said. "It starts with me."He added: "I certainly have a lot more to give. Not my best tonight."The Oilers will have to wait until Thursday for a chance to rebound in Game 3.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Evan Rodrigues scored twice in the third period as the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-1 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday to grab a 2-0 series lead.More to come.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Edmonton Oilers winger Warren Foegele received a five-minute major and game misconduct for kneeing Florida Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen in Monday's Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.

The Carolina Hurricanes have informed general manager candidates that the organization plans to fill the vacancy internally, sources told Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.Don Waddell, the Canes' GM for the last six seasons, resigned from his post May 24. Eric Tulsky has been serving as Carolina's interim GM ever since, with the support of fellow assistant Darren Yorke.Tulsky holds a B.A. in chemistry and physics from Harvard, as well as a Ph.D. in chemistry from Cal. He's interviewed for other NHL GM openings in the past and has long been considered a bright, up-and-coming executive.Tulsky got his start with Carolina as a consultant in 2014 after the club took notice of his usage of analytics as a blogger. He's been working his way up the organization ever since, becoming a hockey analyst for the club in 2015, the manager of hockey analytics in 2017, and the vice president of hockey management and strategy in 2018. Tulsky was named assistant GM in 2020.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Boston and Montreal were named host cities for the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off next season, the league announced Saturday.Both locations will host round-robin games before the one-game final is played at TD Garden.The 4 Nations Face-Off will consist of seven total games between Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States from Feb. 12-20, 2025.Here's the full schedule:Each country will play three round-robin games. Teams will earn three points for a regulation win, two for an overtime or shootout victory, one in an overtime or shootout loss, and zero for a regulation loss. The two nations with the most points advance to the single-game final.Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney is at the helm for Team Canada, while Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin will handle roster-building duties for the U.S.The first six players from each roster are expected to be announced June 28.The 4 Nations Face-Off is the first best-on-best tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. It's the first with Canada and the United States at full strength since the 2014 Olympics.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Despite being pleased with the Edmonton Oilers' effort in their Game 1 loss, superstar Leon Draisaitl believes his club can bring more to the table in Monday's clash against the Florida Panthers."We're a really good hockey team that, believe it or not, can play better than (Saturday) night," Draisaitl said Sunday. "We have more. We know that. We can play better. They're going to be better, and I expect us to be better as well."Edmonton outshot Florida 32-18 to open the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday, but Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky stole the show with a shutout. The Oilers also commanded 57.14% of scoring chances and 62.77% of expected goals at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick, but couldn't find the back of the net."We played a good game," he said. "Created a lot of good looks for ourselves, especially in the first two periods. Obviously, their goalie had a great night. Those things happen sometimes. But I think if we can do more of the same, more often than not, I think we're giving ourselves a really good chance to win hockey games."The Oilers have only lost consecutive contests once so far these playoffs - Games 2 and 3 in the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars. Edmonton rallied for three straight wins afterward to seal the series.Puck drop for Game 2 is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Monday.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Following the Memorial Cup and scouting combine, theScore's Kyle Cushman, Nick Faris, John Matisz, and Josh Wegman united to project the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft. A final mock will be published closer to the June 28-29 event.This pick requires little explanation. Celebrini is the consensus top prospect in the draft after becoming the youngest player ever to win the Hobey Baker Award. He might be a notch below Connor Bedard, but Celebrini has franchise player potential and will aim to lead the Sharks' turnaround.The Blackhawks face a big decision: Should they tap a dynamic forward to play with Bedard or strengthen the foundation of their blue line? Door No. 2 is the wise choice, and it nets them Levshunov, the best prospect Belarus has ever produced. He outmuscles puck carriers, eagerly jumps into the rush, and pairs good playmaking instincts with the ability to bury shots.The Ducks already have two young left-shot defensemen in Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger. But with the right-handed Levshunov off the board, general manager Pat Verbeek continues to build Anaheim's new defense by snagging a unicorn prospect in Silayev. At 6-foot-7 and with some of the best skating in the draft, Silayev has the makings of an elite shutdown defender.Fourth is a can't-lose draft slot; there are so many satisfying possibilities for the Blue Jackets. In Demidov, new GM Don Waddell gets an elusive and creative playmaker to join forces with 2023 third overall pick Adam Fantilli. Demidov recorded 60 points in 30 games in Russia's top junior league this past season. The so-called Russian factor shouldn't be an issue: The country is well-represented in Columbus, with four skaters and a goalie on the roster.With a deep prospect pool on defense, expect the Canadiens to pick a forward. Lindstrom has every physical tool they could ask for: He's 6-foot-3, skates like the wind, isn't afraid to throw his weight around, and has a bullet of a shot. There are concerns about his vision and injury history (he missed 36 games in 2023-24 with various ailments), but his upside is through the roof.Defensemen are about to fly off the board, and the run begins with Yakemchuk, the first draft choice bound for Utah. The 6-foot-3 righty's long reach and scoring touch (49 goals over the past two WHL seasons) are coveted traits. An audacious puck transporter, Yakemchuk's dangling opens lanes for him to drive, pass, or rip wrist shots past overmatched goalies.Parekh's stellar 33-goal, 96-point campaign with the Memorial Cup-winning Spirit made him the Canadian Hockey League's defenseman of the year. He's not the biggest or the best defensively, but Parekh's immense offense and ultra-high competitiveness are too tantalizing to pass on as a right-shot defender.Seattle's prospect pool desperately needs a defenseman with top-four potential. Zeev Buium and Dickinson are the available players who fit that description, and Kraken GM Ron Francis opts for the bigger, sturdier guy who shined at the Memorial Cup. Dickinson is 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, skates extremely well, is equal parts competitive and athletic, and can contribute in all three zones. Big-time value.Would Flames GM Craig Conroy pass on Tij Iginla, the son of his friend and colleague Jarome? That's tough to say, but with Catton available, Conroy can make it an easy sell. Catton is one of just four CHL players since 2000 to put up at least 50 goals and 115 points in his draft year, joining No. 1 picks Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane, and Bedard. If Catton - a dynamic, 5-foot-10 center - were a few inches taller, he's probably long gone.The Devils are open to trading this pick to facilitate a win-now move, possibly for a proven netminder. Keeping it to snare Buium, a 50-point freshman on Denver's national championship team, is a fun outcome. Skilled, smooth, and savvy defensemen are valuable players. Why not add another puck-mover to complement Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec?The Sabres' prospect pool is loaded up front, but with none of the top defenders falling to No. 11, Buffalo opts for a physical, thrilling scorer. Iginla was one of the breakout players of the class with his 47-goal campaign in the WHL. He scored just six the season prior in a depth role.On the heels of a midseason growth spurt and a strong second half to the OHL season, Sennecke's taken a good 10-15 slots earlier than his preseason projection. The Flyers simply can't pass on the Generals winger, who possesses elite puck skills and a good shot. Sennecke has the skating and frame to someday become an impact top-six power forward in the NHL.Solberg was nowhere near the first-round radar entering the season. However, the Norwegian's trending in the right direction after strong showings at the World Juniors, where he logged huge minutes, and the World Championship, where he played with Wild forward Mats Zuccarello. Solberg is 6-foot-2, mobile, and tenacious - sort of like current Minnesota blue-liner Jonas Brodin.Using an asset obtained in the Erik Karlsson trade, the Sharks add the filthy sniper who led the NTDP in career goals (127, one more than Cole Caufield). Defense is an organizational need, but this pick reunites Celebrini with a close friend and former prep school linemate. Eiserman, who turns 18 in August, has runway to round out his game and make smarter decisions with the puck.There's a case to be made that Hage was the best player in the USHL down the stretch. The Mississauga, Ontario, native found his groove with 22 goals and 48 points in 28 games after Jan. 1. He adds exciting offensive upside to a Red Wings prospect pool that's already teeming with future NHLers.The Blues are banking on Helenius being the two-way center they watched in Finland's top pro league versus the one who disappointed at multiple international tournaments. Helenius, who's slightly undersized, posted 14 goals and 22 assists in 51 games for Jukurit - an impressive stat line for a draft-eligible player. The kid has top-six upside thanks to great hockey sense.The Capitals haven't picked a defenseman in the first round since Alexander Alexeyev in 2018, so they're overdue to do so. The younger brother of David Jiricek, Adam boasts many of the same qualities - mobile, right-shot defenseman with size - but isn't quite as offensively gifted. He got some top-10 buzz before suffering a season-ending knee injury at the World Juniors.GM Kyle Davidson sought to maximize the value of Chicago's picks by moving up from No. 20 in May. The trade's timing was unusual, but by flipping the Islanders an additional second-rounder, the Blackhawks get to add a feisty, responsible, shoot-first winger out of Oslo. Brandsegg-Nygard scored three goals and five points at the men's worlds.A good end to the campaign at the Under-18s helped Luchanko's stock rise at the right time. The Storm pivot has superb speed, a high-end motor, and defensive acumen. Even if the offensive side doesn't develop enough to push him into a top-six role, Luchanko's tools are primed to make him a bottom-six stalwart.The prospect-starved Islanders need to hit on this pick, and Chernyshov is both a safe and intriguing choice. The north-south winger is physically mature, can score (13 goals in 22 games in Russia's top junior league), and grabs your attention with his high compete level. Of note: The Isles signed Maxim Tsyplakov, the top free agent out of the KHL, in May.Elick possesses traits that scouts gush over: He's 6-foot-3, right-handed, and one of the best skaters in the draft, plus he has a mean streak to his game. Elick's lack of offensive ability could cap his upside in the pros, but he has the potential to be a top-four, shutdown defenseman.Concerns about Connelly's behavior, which stem from the posting of an offensive image and his alleged mistreatment of fellow youth players, were detailed in The Athletic. On the ice, he's a great skater and creator. Under GM Barry Trotz, Nashville wants to swing for home runs early in the process.Greentree was named captain of the Spitfires at 17 and tallied 90 points on the second-worst team in the OHL. The 6-foot-3 winger plays with power but also possesses a quality shot, playmaking, and skill. He slips down the board after an underwhelming under-18 tournament.No team is getting a premade NHLer this deep into the first round. Colorado takes a chance on Parascak, whose skating is a concern. What's not a concern: Parascak's mind for the game and handles with the puck. The Alberta native tore up the WHL as a rookie with 105 points in 68 games.Letourneau is arguably the biggest wild card in the class. He's a 6-foot-7, 214-pound center who tallied 61 goals and 127 points in 56 games. But he put up those numbers at a prep school, facing severely weaker competition than his draft counterparts. Making this pick will take courage, but GM Steve Staios is on secure ground, and with his second of two first-rounders, taking a shot on upside makes sense. Letourneau grew up in the Ottawa Valley, too.Besides Owen Beck, none of Montreal's recent premium picks have been centers. Lindstrom and Boisvert, a battler and sniper from nearby Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, are welcome additions to the pipeline. Boisvert's 36 goals ranked fifth in the USHL and were the second-most tallied by a draft prospect, trailing teammate Matvei Gridin's 38.The Hurricanes have taken nine players out of Russia over the past two drafts and dip into that pool again. Artamonov recorded seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points in the KHL this season - one shy of Vladimir Tarasenko's record for a draft-eligible player in that top-tier pro league.Having already selected a productive forward in Catton, the Flames use their second pick on a modern defenseman - one with baggage. Kiviharju, a 5-foot-10 puck-mover, is incredibly mobile and smart, the type of blue-liner who can skate himself out of trouble and dazzle in small areas. However, he played in only seven Liiga games this year due to a knee injury.Could Beaudoin be the latest gem found by GM Jim Nill and the Stars' scouting staff? There's certainly a lot to like. He's a highly competitive 6-foot-2 center who plays a sound two-way game. Question marks about his footspeed could force a move to the wing, but Beaudoin has middle-six potential.The Rangers like to reel in major point producers (Gabe Perreault, Brennan Othmann, Alexis Lafreniere) or imposing defensemen (Braden Schneider, K'Andre Miller) with their first-round picks. Emery, a 6-foot-3 North Dakota commit coming off an impressive combine, fits the second group. His nimble feet and active stick help him erase offense.Note: If the Oilers win the Stanley Cup, Philadelphia will select 31st (acquired Florida's pick in Claude Giroux trade) and Anaheim will select 32nd (acquired Edmonton's pick in Adam Henrique trade).After opting for a defensive defenseman in Silayev, the Ducks snag a versatile winger in Vanacker. The Bulldogs forward broke out this season with 36 goals and 82 points after tallying just four and 16, respectively, as an OHL rookie.Surin's one of the youngest players in the class and fresh off a back half of the season in which he imposed his will upon Russia's junior league. The 6-foot-1, 192-pound winger plays with pace, is hyper-competitive, and doesn't shy away from physicality. He's the perfect fit for a franchise with a clear identity.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Ottawa Senators have aggressively been trying to acquire goaltender Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames, sources told Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.Ottawa has also inquired about Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins and Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators, Garrioch adds.Markstrom's future with the Flames has been in limbo for months. New Jersey reportedly pushed to add him before the March trade deadline, and Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald has made it known he intends to land a big-name goalie this summer.Constant rumors during the regular season prompted Markstrom to call out the Flames' front office for how they're handling the situation, and after their campaign ended, the veteran goaltender admitted he doesn't know where he'll play in 2024-25.Markstrom has two seasons left on his contract with a $6-million cap hit and a full no-movement clause. The 34-year-old had a .905 save percentage in 48 appearances this season and ranked third among all netminders with 28.93 goals saved above expected.The Senators ranked 31st in the NHL with an .884 all-situations save percentage this past season. Ottawa's most-used netminder was Joonas Korpisalo, who posted an .890 save percentage across 55 games in the first campaign of a five-year contract.Anton Forsberg is also under contract for 2024-25.The Senators are estimated to have $12.4 million in cap space this offseason - Steve Staios' first full summer in the GM chair. Ottawa has missed the playoffs for seven consecutive years.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.