The Toronto Maple Leafs are a dysfunctional mess, and everyone around the NHL knows it. The Leafs went from giving the Florida Panthers their biggest test during their Stanley Cup championship run, to a dismal offseason which saw Mitch Marner head for Vegas, to a regular season loaded with unmet expectations. There's been plenty of chatter recently about how CEO Keith Pelley was trying to influence Brad Treliving with AI-created trade proposals, and now head coach Craig Berube is on thin ice a...
about 3 hours ago
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We know that Morgan Rielly, the longest-serving Toronto Maple Leaf , wants to maintain that title. He doesn't want to leave Toronto. But as most observers have noted this season, it might finally be time. The team needs to completely remake its blueline. They finished 30th in the NHL in Expected Goals Against. Insider David Pagnotta was asked on the DFO Rundown on Wednesday if he feels it's time for a change of scenery for Morgan Rielly and the Maple Leafs: The short answer is 'Yes...
about 3 hours ago
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The Washington Capitals finished the 2025-26 NHL season with a record of 43-30-9, missing out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs. While they didn't necessarily go all in at the trade deadline, the Capitals were expecting to make the postseason and push for a Stanley Cup. Heading into the offseason, there's a ton of uncertainty surrounding the Caps, and exactly what their direction will be on the trade market, and throughout free agency. There's some big looming questions hanging over the team, and we...
about 3 hours ago
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After failing to make the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, we assumed things couldn't get any worse for the Toronto Maple Leafs . They haven't won a championship since 1967, and have been early-outs in recent playoff performances, winning only 2-rounds of postseason hockey. Now, dysfunction within the front office is making waves, as fans are only learning of executive meddling in the affairs of the front office. Keith Pelley of MLSE has made some erratic decisions that have us an...
about 3 hours ago
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According to a report from insider Pierre LeBrun on Wednesday morning, the Dallas Stars got some good news and some bad news ahead of their tough first-round series with the Minnesota Wild. Top Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who's been out with a lower back injury for the past week, will be back in the lineup for Game 1, according to the general manager. “We think he’s going to be available to start the playoffs,” Stars GM Jim Nill told LeBrun . Heiskanen expected to be re...
about 4 hours ago
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It was a scary scene over the weekend for Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk. He stumbled and lost his balance after turning his head, and barely made it off the ice. He's now explained that he temporarily lost his vision, and called it one of the "weirdest" and "scary" moments he's ever experienced. Tkachuk said this was one of the "weirdest" and "scary" moments he's endured. Earlier in the game, Tkachuk threw a hit in the corner of the ice and temporarily lost his vision. In the cli...
about 5 hours ago
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It was just a few weeks ago that there were talks about Rick Bowness potentially being a coach of the year candidate for the job he did in taking over the Columbus Blue Jackets mid-season and pulling them up from the bottom of the standings into second place in the Metropolitan Division at one point last month. But needless to say, things have imploded. A 2-7-1 late-season collapse, including six straight losses on home ice, left them well back of a Wild Card spot and has, to put it ligh...
about 12 hours ago
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The San Jose Sharks took a nice step in the right direction this season, but just missed out on the playoffs. Now, they are entering the offseason with some big decisions to make. One of them is regarding defenseman Mario Ferraro, as the left-shot blueliner is a pending UFA. If Ferraro ends up hitting the free-agent market instead of re-signing with San Jose, several teams should look to sign him. Because of this, let's look at three clubs that could target Ferraro this summer. Philadelp...
about 14 hours ago
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After a big collapse during the final stretch of the season, the Columbus Blue Jackets have officially missed the playoffs for the sixth year in a row. This is certainly tough news for Columbus, and they now have several questions heading into the summer. Mason Marchment is one of their top pending UFAs. Given how well he fit in following being acquired by the Blue Jackets, it would make sense if they tried to extend him. However, if he ends up hitting the free-agent market, look for these thr...
about 14 hours ago
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The New Jersey Devils disappointed this season and have missed the playoffs because of it. When noting that the Devils entered the season with the expectation of being one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, there is no question that they underperformed this campaign. The Devils should now be aggressive during the offseason because of it. Their biggest need heading into the summer is a legitimate top-six winger, so let's look at three players who the Devils should strongly consider tar...
about 14 hours ago
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The verdict is in, and it isn't close. In an anonymous poll of NHL player agents conducted by The Athletic , the Vancouver Canucks were voted the worst-run franchise in the league, pulling seven of 22 votes, more than the next three teams combined. The New York Rangers were a distant second with four. One agent kept it simple: "They're a mess." Another was only slightly more elaborate: "I don't know what their plan is." The Canucks also ranked second in hardest front office t...
about 15 hours ago
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Could Florida Panthers' legendary goalie Sergei Bobrovsky have played his last game for the team? The veteran netminder is a pending unrestricted free agent at season's end, and while he wants to stay, it sounds like he and the team are definitely not on the same page contract-wise. Bobrovsky saw the Cats hand out a six-year deal to a 37-year-old Brad Marchand last year to keep the defending Cup champs together, and it only figures that Goalie Bob, who is also 37, and has been arou...
The NHL's unrestricted free agent market this summer will be.. well, pretty restricted . With so many of the big-name extensions being signed by notable pending UFAs already this season, that leaves only a couple of high-end names to have the market all to themselves. At forward, it's Alex Tuch of the Buffalo Sabres. And on defense, it's all coming up Darren Raddysh. The Tampa Bay Lightning 's surprising breakout 30-year-old had a year that no one would have dreamed of coming into the se...
Leafs Nation is holding its breath for words from the captain himself this week. Auston Matthews is expected to answer a number of questions at the team's locker cleanout day on Thursday. But in the meantime, insider Chris Johnston reports that Matthews is still bought in to staying with the Toronto Maple Leafs . But there's a big caveat. "All things equal, Auston Matthews still wants to be a Maple Leaf, but he needs to have some confidence that can happen here" This morning on #FirstUp , @rep...
Now that the regular season is coming to an end, teams around the NHL (in particular, those out of the playoffs) are looking at some bold moves for the summer to get themselves back into contention. With the UFA market pretty depleted, however, the trade market will have to be the main source for significant roster upgrades. For that, analyst Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff has offered up this list of the top 5 blockbuster trade candidates for the offseason: Auston Matthews The Toronto...
There's some serious competition for the sports fans' dollars in Seattle these days. Between the Seahawks, the Mariners, and the 'coming soon' rebirth of the SuperSonics, the Seattle Kraken are quickly losing relevance. The team will miss the playoffs for the third straight season. Major changes are needed. In fact, a complete overhaul, writes Matt Calkin in the Seattle Times. The fervor surrounding this franchise has dwindled down to a flicker over the past three years. .. ...
Andre Burakovsky arrived last summer as a reclamation project, a two-time Cup winner acquired from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for Joe Veleno, given a shot at rediscovering his game with a change of scenery and a promising young centre to skate beside. Through the first half of the season, it actually worked. By January 9th, Burakovsky had 29 points through 38 games, and he was playing some of the best hockey he had in years alongside Connor Bedard. ANDRE BURAKOVSKY THAT W...
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed former University of Denver defenseman Boston Buckberger to a two-year entry-level contract beginning with the 2026-27 season, GM Don Waddell announced. Buckberger isn't a name that ever dominated draft boards (he went undrafted), but he spent three seasons quietly building a case that someone was going to sign him, and Columbus had been watching closely. He attended the Blue Jackets' development camp in July 2025, was re-invited to training camp that fall...
The Seattle Kraken's immense struggles during the final stretch of the season have officially made them miss the playoffs for the third season in a row. With this, it is very possible that Seattle could be looking to make some changes to their roster this offseason. Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn could be a trade candidate to watch during the summer, as he is entering the final season of his contract in 2026-27. If extension talks do not go well between Dunn and Seattle, the Kraken may hav...
After a huge collapse down the stretch, the Detroit Red Wings have officially extended their playoff drought to 10 years. With this, it is clear that they will be making some changes to their roster during the summer. One player who the Red Wings very well could not bring back is veteran forward David Perron. If the veteran forward hits the market this summer, these three teams could be in the mix to sign him in free agency. Colorado Avalanche The Avalanche could be a team to...
The Columbus Blue Jackets' push for a playoff spot is officially over, as they have officially been eliminated from contention. Now, they are facing a big offseason and have multiple pending UFAs. One of them is Charlie Coyle, who has 20 goals and 58 points in 81 games this season. If Coyle ends up not re-signing with the Blue Jackets and tests the market after his strong campaign, he will generate plenty of interest. Due to this, let's look at three teams that could target Coyle if he b...
The Detroit Red Wings faltered when the fans wanted them to succeed the most. As a result, general manager Steve Yzerman must find a way to construct a roster that will take them deep into the postseason. That leaves us wondering who will return for the 2026-26 NHL season. There are multiple unrestricted free agents, and one bottom-six forward has been a clutch player when the team has needed it the most: James Van Riemsdyk . He was signed as a UFA last July, for a $1 ...
David Carle has done it again. He's led the Denver Pioneers to their third NCAA men's hockey title in the last five years. His coaching resume is as good as it gets for a bench boss without any NHL experience. He turned down a $25 million opportunity a year ago to take the reins of the Chicago Blackhawks, prefering to stay in Denver. Will he get some more NHL teams sniffing around yet again after his third national championship in this dominant run? Insider Elliotte Friedman figures he w...
It was revealed today that the Vancouver Canucks were voted by agents around the NHL as far and away the worst-run team in the league . Dead-last in the entire NHL with a dreadful 56 points, it's not too surprising. They've started the rebuild process with the blockbuster Quinn Hughes trade and moving out a few other pieces, but there's one huge outstanding issue to deal with this summer. It's the $92.8 million elephant in the room, called Elias Pettersson. The one-time 100-point m...
The Edmonton Oilers have held their ground over the past month without the services of superstar Leon Draisaitl. The Oil have gone 7-4-1 and secured themselves a spot in the playoffs. But their chances in the 'second season' simply aren't so good without King Leon. On Monday, he provided an update on his status. Draisaitl was ruled out for the rest of the regular season back on March 17. He then raised a few eyebrows and caused some panic about a week later when he went to Germany for so...