The talk of the Toronto Maple Leafs trying to trade Morgan Rielly has been ongoing since about this time last year. The 13-year veteran is a lifelong Leaf and the longest-serving member of the club. Most observers feel, though, that it's time to move on from Rielly and remake the blueline. However, there's the little issue of a hefty contract and a full no-move clause. The 32-year-old has to agree to a deal first. With a whopping four years remaining on his deal at a $7.5 million c...
The New York Islanders have finished the season without making the playoffs. The team unceremoniously fired coach Patrick Roy after losing four games in a row on Apr. 6th, 2026. General manager Matthieu Darche would hire Peter DeBoer as coach, as he looks to reshape the team in his image. Now, as the playoffs begin to ramp up, there remain questions about the players on the roster. The team has seven free agents, and -$3.8 million in cap space . Difficult decisions wil...
There's a ton of speculation circulating online that goaltender Carey Price attempted an NHL comeback last season. Yes, it's hard to confirm as it wasn't from Price directly, but someone who connected with the former Montreal Canadiens goalie in recent days reports that Price mentioned he attempted to make a comeback at some point last season, but shut things down once the knee pain was too much to ignore. Home from Moncton. Was amazing meeting Carey Price. Was crazy hearing his story about at...
The Calgary Flames traded defenceman Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights this season, however, there were a number of teams who made trade offers, including the Toronto Maple Leafs. According to reports, the Maple Leafs made a trade offer for Andersson, which included prospect Ben Danford and at least one draft pick, however, Flames GM Craig Conroy rejected Brad Treliving's trade proposal and countered with two first-round picks and top prospect Easton Cowan. Darren Dreger: I believe ...
The Toronto Maple Leafs put on a dismal performance throughout the entire regular season, missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs in surprising fashion. Forward Nick Robertson is one of the many players who aren't likely to return next season, and as a pending restricted free agent, Robertson isn't shy talking about the elephant in the room. Robertson spoke to the media to finish out the year, and made it very clear, he's unsure what the future holds. The pesky winger has been in and out of the lineu...
Ramus Andersson was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 18, 2026. The Golden Knights paid a pretty penny for a right-shot defenseman who has yet to sign an extension with the team. General manager Kelly McCrimmon's entire philosophy is a mercenary outlook to building a roster, whatever it takes, quick turnover, and for those who don't fit, an unceremonious exit. As the team has entered the Stanley Cup playoffs under newly-hired head coach John Tortorella, you have to wonder...
The Toronto Maple Leafs missed out on one of their top candidates for their new front office when analytics guru Sunny Mehta was snapped up by the New Jersey Devils. But there is no shortage of other candidates, as reported by insider Elliotte Friedman. He tells us there is a list of seven—that he knows of—that have already spoken with MLSE CEO Keith Pelley and the Leafs organization: Ryan Bowness, 42, Islanders Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel...
Chicago Blackhawks forward Ilya Mikheyev will be a player to watch now that the offseason is here for the Original Six club. The 31-year-old forward is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA), and it will be interesting to see if the Blackhawks extend him. He has been a very good addition for them, but it would also make sense if he tested the market after his strong season. In 77 games this season, he had 18 goals and a career-high 36 points. If Mikheyev ends up becoming a UFA this year, look...
The Vancouver Canucks will be a team to watch very closely during the offseason. With the Canucks in the middle of a rebuild and finishing this season as the NHL's worst team, it is very possible that they will move on from more of their players during the offseason. The Jets, meanwhile, should be looking to add to their roster after underperforming this campaign and missing the playoffs in the weak Western Conference. One of their biggest needs is a top-six winger, as they have never found a ...
The Detroit Red Wings are entering the summer with multiple pending free agents. One of them is veteran forward James van Riemsdyk. The 36-year-old winger proved to be a solid depth addition for the Red Wings this season, as he had 15 goals and 31 points in 72 games. Yet, with the Red Wings missing the playoffs, they could look to make changes and move on from van Riemsdyk. If the 2007 second-overall pick becomes an unrestricted free agent (UFA), these three teams could look to sign him. ...
After the shocking trades of John Carlson and Nic Dowd at the deadline, Washington Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin might have been thinking this would be his final season. " The emotions probably took him to retirement" at the time, writes insider Elliotte Friedman. But at his end-of-season interview earlier this week, the NHL's all-time goal-scoring king made a surprising comment that had many of us feeling he's not quite done yet. “I’m pretty sure it’s not my last game," Ovi said. ...
Sunny Mehta, here's your chance to change the direction of the New Jersey Devils. The freshly minted general manager is going to be tasked with trying to retool on the fly, and with Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck growing extremely frustrated with the organization, there's a good chance Mehta will be checking in on the Olympic gold medalist. Hellebuyck was very close to signing with the Devils a few summers ago, and surprisingly signed an extension with the Jets. Sportsnet's Elliott...
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced on April 16 that head coach Rick Bowness has signed a one-year contract extension, returning for the 2026-27 season.
That is a significant item crossed off GM Don Waddell's list, and it clears the way for him to focus on what is shaping up to be one of the more complicated offseasons in recent franchise history.
Bowness did not go quietly into the summer. After a season-ending 2-1 loss to Washington that knocked Columbus out of playoff contention for the...
The Toronto Maple Leafs held their end-of-season media availability on Thursday, and two of the more notable names on the roster made their feelings about the future very clear .
Morgan Rielly, who has worn a Leafs sweater for 13 seasons and carries a full no-movement clause in his eight-year, $60 million contract, was asked how he would feel if the organization asked him to waive it.
"It's a challenging thing to answer when those conversations haven't happened yet," Rielly said. "But afte...
Showtime doesn't want to play anywhere but HockeyTown. Patrick Kane spoke to the media following the Detroit Red Wings' disappointing season, and reiterated the fact he's interested in re-signing with the team. The future hall-of-famer is a pending unrestricted free agent, and while there's going to be a wealth of interest from other teams, sounds like Kane prefers sticking around Motown. “I think there is mutual interest for me to come back and continue my career here,” the 37-year-old forwar...
Elias Pettersson heard the trade rumors all season long during his disappointing year with the Vancouver Canucks, and even though the team finished dead last, Pettersson isn't interested in waiving his no-movement clause. The 27-year-old center spoke to the media at his end-of-season media availability, and reiterated the fact he's committed to the Canucks, and isn't interested waiving his trade protection to facilitate a deal. Pettersson is signed through the 2032 season at $11.6 million AAV,...
The Toronto Maple Leafs were looking to make a move but the Columbus Blue Jackets weren't interested. Reports have surfaced stating the Maple Leafs were looking to trade Nick Robertson heading into this season and reached out to the Blue Jackets for Yegor Chinakhov, but Columbus wasn't sold that Robertson was the move. Siegel/Johnston/Mirtle: At one point, the Leafs discussed a Nick Robertson for Egor Chinakhov swap with the Blue Jackets, but their offers fell short - The Athletic (4/15) The B...
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a mess, and it was evident as ever during their end-of-season media availability. Specifically, the way William Nylander handled himself during his scrum had several members of the Toronto media landscape shaking their heads. Nylander was short, he was disengaged, and he mumbled his way through his scrum. It's tough after a disappointing season like that to come out and answer a lot of the same questions that have been asked for weeks, but at the end of the day it's...
The Winnipeg Jets ' most valuable player just put the franchise on notice. At his end-of-season meeting with the media on Friday, Connor Hellebuyck blasted the Jets for how 'unacceptable' this season was, and how it was difficult for him to see an easy way out of the mess they've created, per beat writer Mike McIntyre. But wait till you see how he struggled to answer the question of whether he'd reconsider his future in Winnipeg: Here's the video of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck being ask...
Vancouver Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford has always been completely honest with the media, sometimes to a fault. When he said after last season that Quinn Hughes might want to leave one day and go play with his brothers, it set off a whirlwind of chaos around the team, leading up to the inevitable trade to Minnesota midway through this season. Now, in his open and transparent meeting with the media Friday afternoon, Rutherford is offering up even more 'hard truths'...
There were rumblings out of Sweden overnight, then it was confirmed very early in the morning, B.C. time: The Vancouver Canucks are moving on from general manager Patrik Allvin. Jim Rutherford, President, Hockey Operations, announced today that Patrik Allvin has been relieved of his duties as General Manager. — Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) April 17, 2026 The Canucks had a disastrous 2025-26 season, finishing with the worst record in the NHL by 14 points, and were forced to trade superstar defe...
With all the bad p.r. the Toronto Maple Leafs and MLSE have been getting of late, this would be a move that Leafs Nation just couldn't possibly disparage. According to insider Elliotte Friedman , on his 32 Thoughts podcast, the Leafs are interviewing legendary Leaf Mats Sundin to potentially bring him back into the fold. I have heard that the Maple Leafs are meeting with one of the greatest players in franchise history, Mats Sundin, about bringing him back in some kind of advisory role. ...
The Colorado Avalanche won 55 regular season games, claimed the Presidents' Trophy, earned home ice throughout the Western Conference playoffs, and finished with 121 points, which was eight clear of the Carolina Hurricanes for the best record in hockey. They did all of that while dealing with a late-season wave of injuries that would have derailed most teams. Now, with Game 1 against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, coach Jared Bednar told reporters that he expects his full roster to be ...
The Philadelphia Flyers made the playoffs for the first time since 2020, and the roster GM Danny Briere has assembled is intriguing at the top. Tyson Foerster, Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov, Porter Martone, and Owen Tippett on the wings, give the Flyers as much winger depth as almost anyone in the East. The problem is down the middle, and it's been the problem for years. Sean Couturier is getting older and has been derailed by injuries. Christian Dvorak, re-signed on a five-year deal, i...
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Anthony Mantha had a career year this campaign, as he set new career highs with 33 goals, 31 assists, and 64 points in 81 games. With numbers like these, the Penguins should be working hard to keep him around. Yet, it would also be understandable if the 31-year-old winger decided to test the free-agent market while his value is at its highest. Due to this, let's look at three teams that could sign Mantha in free agency this summer if he does not sign an extension wi...