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...
Brad Treliving's days as the Toronto Maple Leafs general manager will likely be remembered for one of the worst trades in recent memory for the team, when he dealt a first-round pick plus top prospect Fraser Minten—who has flourished with the Boston Bruins this season—for Brandon Carlo at last year's deadline. He then bungled the 2025 offseason, to the point where the Leafs have plummeted out of the playoffs this season for the first time in a decade. He was dumped by Toronto with a coup...
Another Michigan Wolverines senior has found himself an NHL deal, as 24-year-old Minnesota native Josh Eernisse has signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets for next season. #CBJ NEWS (in-game edition): The Blue Jackets have signed former @umichhockey forward Josh Eernisse to a one-year, entry level contract for the 2026-27 season. The 6-3 forward previously signed a PTO earlier today for this season with @monstershockey https://t.co/efIlhK9jz6 — Jeff Svoboda (@Ja...
Florida is missing the playoffs for the first time after back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, and the offseason ahead is already shaping up to be a busy one. Elliotte Friedman added an interesting wrinkle on the 32 Thoughts podcast this week, musing about what the Panthers might actually do with their 2026 first-round pick. "If it ends up being 1 or 2, I don't know that you're trading it," Friedman said, "but if it ends up in that next little area, I dunno, just watch." That's n...
Jonathan Quick has had a remarkable second act. After a legendary thirteen-year run with the Kings that produced two Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe Trophy in 2012, and a pair of Vezina Trophy nominations, Quick reinvented himself as a respected backup, first in Vegas, where he won his third Cup in 2023, then across three one-year deals with the New York Rangers . In February 2025, he became the first American-born goaltender in NHL history to win 400 games. A month later, the Rangers ...
Boone Jenner is one of the Columbus Blue Jackets' top pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) heading into the summer. It would be understandable if they looked to keep him around, as he is their captain and a key part of their group. However, if he ends up hitting the market this summer, several teams should look to sign him. Because of this, let's look at three teams that could look to sign Jenner this summer if he does not sign an extension with Columbus. Edmonton Oilers The Oilers ne...
The New York Rangers are in the middle of a retool, so more changes to their roster could be on the way during the offseason. One player who has come up in the rumor mill for multiple seasons now is forward Alexis Lafreniere, so he will be a player to keep an eye on this summer as the Rangers continue to make changes to their group. Because of this, let's look at three teams that could look to acquire Lafreniere during the offseason. Los Angeles Kings The Kings may have landed Arte...
With the Toronto Maple Leafs having such a disappointing 2025-26 season, it is clear that they will be making changes to their roster during the summer. Brandon Carlo will be one trade candidate to watch on their roster this offseason, as he has struggled since his arrival in Toronto last season. Because of this, let's look at three teams that could look to acquire Carlo during the offseason now. San Jose Sharks The Sharks should be looking to add to their blueline during the offse...
The New York Rangers , once it became apparent that they were not going to re-emerge as playoff contenders this season, had a grand plan of going into the coming offseason and landing a couple of big fish in the free agent pool. But unfortunately for them, and every other team that had plans on taking a big swing in free agency, nearly every top pending UFA has already re-signed on big extensions with their own teams. The only real "big name" left — and that's assuming he als...
The Detroit Red Wings are now the team with the longest playoff drought in the NHL. After the Buffalo Sabres under head coach Lindy Ruff clinched a spot in the postseason, the Atlantic Division's top teams have changed. Once thought to be contenders earlier in the year, the Red Wings were running on all cylinders under head coach Todd McLellan's system, which saw results. Rookies such as Emmitt Finnie and Axel-Sandin Pellikka were having a great start to their NHL careers, a...
There were plenty of hockey fans in La Belle Province extremely disappointed upon hearing the news on Saturday that top prospect Michael Hage has decided to forego signing his entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens . The soon-to-be 20-year-old has chosen to return to the Michigan Wolverines for next season. Some in Habs Nation were even wondering whether the 2024 first-rounder has changed his mind about being a Canadien. I nsider Elliotte Friedman has revealed sever...
The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to look like a much different team next season, on and off the ice, and one player who won't be back is veteran forward Calle Jarnkrok. Jarnkrok, 34, is in the final season of his current contract, which pays him $2.1 million AAV. It was quite surprising to see Brad Treliving not move Jarnkrok ahead of the trade deadline, but should we be that surprised considering Treliving is now out of a job. As for Jarnkrok, he's lost a step this season and is often behind...
We're starting to learn more and more about the Toronto Maple Leafs search for a new front office. With the removal of Brendan Shanahan a year ago as president of hockey operations, and the disposal of Brad Treliving as GM two weeks ago, that leaves perhaps two spots open to fill. But does it really? According to insider Elliotte Friedman , speaking on Hockey Night in Canada, it sounds like MLSE President and CEO Keith Pelley wants to wrap the hockey operations into one top job: What I can tel...
The Seattle Kraken have once again failed to reach expectations. The Kraken have been eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention, and while there's already been major changes in the front office, expect to see some significant roster changes heading into next season. The Kraken haven't been able to put it together like the Vegas Golden Knights have since their expansion draft, and the Kraken desperately need a reset. Here's three Kraken who aren't expected back next season: Bobby McMann Wh...