What Will It Take For Detroit to Be Considered a Cup Contender?
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3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Florida Panthers Forward Matthew Tkachuk Named NHL 26 Cover Athlete
Matthew Tkachuk of the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers has been announced as the cover athlete for the standard edition of NHL 26. The NHL 26 revel trailer will go live on EA SPORTS NHL's YouTube channel at 12pm EST Aug. 6. This marks a return to a one-man cover star after the Hughes brothers graced the cover of NHL 25. Tkachuk finished tied for the team lead in scoring in both the 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He has 88 goals and 254 points in 211 regular season games and 69 points in 67 playoff games in three seasons with the Panthers. Florida have made the Stanley Cup Finals all three years Tkachuk has been on the team. He is the first Florida Panther to be on the cover since John Vanbiesbrouck in NHL 97. Olli Jokinen appeared on several editions of NHL 2005 is Europe. Given Tkachuk's recent success, his personality, and popularity in the sport this is a good choice for the cover. NHL 26 is expected to release in early September. Photo Credit: EA SPORTS NHL
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Matthew Tkachuk featured on cover of NHL 26, first Panthers player selected since John Vanbiesbrouck
It's been a long time since a Florida Panthers player graced the cover of a major NHL video game. Much like the franchise's extended playoff drought, decades between playoff series wins and 30 years without a championship, it was another streak that was due to end. On Monday, EA Sports and the NHL announced that Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk would be the cover athlete for NHL 26. It's a very logical selection. Tkachuk has helped Florida win back-to-back Stanley Cups and the Panthers are looking like the league's next dynasty. His ability to play such a unique style, equally combining elite hockey skills with relentless effort and physicality while also holding a mental edge over his opponents, has made Tkachuk one of the most polarizing players in the game. It's the first time a Panthers player has been selected for the cover of an EA Sports NHL release since John Vanbiesbrouck on NHL 97. A full preview for the game is set to come out on Wednesday, and the game itself is reportedly set for a Sept. 13 release. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Would Panthers' Aleksander Barkov Need to Reach 100 Points To Receive Hart Trophy Consideration? Newton native Mackie Samoskevich brings Stanley Cup to Sandy Hook Memorial during hometown visit Pair Of Former Panthers Defenseman Invited To Canada's Olympic Orientation Camp Team Canada invites 5 Florida Panthers players to Olympic orientation camp The Hockey Show: Ken Daneyko sees a lot of his Stanley Cup Devils teams in current Panthers squad Photo caption: Jun 24, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) hoists the Stanley Cup after defeating Edmonton Oilers in game seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fantasy Hockey Risers and Fallers Heading into 2025-26 Season
The Hockey News has released its archive to all THN subscribers: 76 years of history, stories, and features. Subscribe now to view the full THN Archives here Also, go to to subscribe. Pressure makes diamonds, and there is no bigger pressure cooker than the Stanley Cup playoffs. The months-long quest weeds out the pretenders from the contenders in a test more daunting than the Grail Knight's final challenge in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. With the 2024-25 season now over, fantasy managers will immediately turn their eyes to 2025-26 – we're an unhealthy, obsessive bunch – and take note of players whose fantasy values have shifted based on their playoff performances. Jackson Blake's Contract Extension Signals Potential Fantasy Breakout Carolina extends Jackson Blake's contract, showing confidence in his upcoming breakout. TRENDING UP Evander Kane, LW, Vancouver Kane has missed nearly half of Edmonton's regular-season games since he signed with the team in January 2022 (129 of 290 games), including all 82 in 2024-25. Despite undergoing multiple pre-season surgeries, he was a popular bench stash due to his rare 20-goal, 200-hit potential. Only five players (Will Cuylle, Vincent Trocheck, Eeli Tolvanen, Tom Wilson and Brady Tkachuk) accomplished that feat this season, putting Kane in rarefied air in 'banger' leagues. Though stashing him didn't pay off this year, Kane is firmly back on the fantasy radar for 2025-26 after making a successful playoff return, ranking top five on the Oilers in goals and hits. He'll get even more opportunities in Vancouver after being traded to the Canucks in late June. Jackson Blake, RW, Carolina Blake's ice time per game overall (16:55) and on the power play (3:59) ranked fifth and fourth among Canes forwards in the playoffs, and he was the second option behind Seth Jarvis on the top line with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov during the regular season. That puts Blake in a great spot to score points and increase his fantasy value. Logan Stankoven, the prized piece from the Mikko Rantanen trade, was often used in a matchup role with veteran checkers Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook. Stankoven's line played slightly fewer minutes at even strength (54:49) than the top line of Blake, Aho and Svechnikov (62:28), but Blake's line generated far more shot attempts (95 to 52, per If Blake consistently features on the top line, he's a potential 25-goal, 50-point sleeper who's worth drafting in the late rounds. Thomas Harley, D, Dallas Harley led Stars defensemen in playoff scoring with 14 points – no one else had more than four – and he finished seventh in Norris voting in just his second-full NHL season. The Stars have stubbornly stuck with Miro Heiskanen on the power play, and it wasn't until an injury to Heiskanen that Harley got a chance, even though Harley always looked better as their top PP quarterback. Harley's performance at the 4 Nations Face-Off and in the playoffs should prove to the Stars that they should give him the bulk of the power-play minutes. There's no debate: if given the minutes, Harley is a top-tier fantasy D-man and leapfrogs Heiskanen in fantasy value by a significant margin. Bookmark The Hockey News Fantasy site to stay connected to the latest news TRENDING DOWN Auston Matthews, C, Toronto There may not be another player whose fantasy value dips more following July 1. Longtime running mate Mitch Marner is set to leave Toronto, breaking up the highest-scoring pair of teammates in Leafs history. Matthews, hampered by injuries this season, scored at a 40-goal pace following a brilliant 69-goal 2023-24, and he'll be in tough to reach his high-water mark again without Marner's playmaking ability. Following another ugly playoff exit, the Leafs will continue shaping their new identity – one potentially more focused on the defensive side of the puck, with more structure and less emphasis on scoring. If Matthews doesn't score at a 60-goal pace, it becomes more difficult to justify him as a top-10 pick. Jonathan Drouin, LW, Colorado Throughout his career, dating back to his days in the QMJHL, Drouin has always been more productive when playing alongside Nathan MacKinnon. Drouin's point-per-game average with the Avs (0.76) is far higher than what he managed with the Habs or Lightning (0.58 with each), and he was an inexpensive option for fantasy managers looking for points in the late rounds. But Drouin's future in Colorado is in doubt with his contract expiring, and he had a poor playoff showing (three assists and minus-6 in seven games) with significantly reduced minutes. The return of Gabriel Landeskog creates a logjam of wingers, and Drouin has little value, real or fantasy, playing lower in the lineup. A potential move and a lengthy injury history push Drouin off the fantasy radar as he enters his 30s. Darcy Kuemper, G, Los Angeles Kuemper was fourth in quality start percentage among goalies with at least 30 regular-season starts, per but he posted a save percentage of .900 or better in just three of six playoff games and finished with a 3.74 goals-against average, worst among post-season starters. He's not solely to blame – the Kings allowed the second-most shots per game in the playoffs after allowing the second-fewest shots during the regular season. Granted, they were facing Connor McDavid, but which version of the Kings will show up next season? L.A. was a defensive juggernaut even with missing Drew Doughty for their first 52 games, but by the end of their playoff run, that identity was shattered. If the Kings can't re-sign Vladislav Gavrikov, the blueline will be thin and will rely far too much on a 35-year-old Doughty. It's worth noting Kuemper has struggled with year-to-year consistency, and without an elite defense, his numbers will surely dip. Oilers' Isaac Howard Tops List As Fantasy Hockey's Top Sleeper Pick Edmonton's Isaac Howard appears best Fantasy sleeper puck of 2025-26 season
