Buffalo Sabres extend their NHL-record postseason drought to 14 seasons
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres were officially eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoffs contention for the 14th straight season on Tuesday night.
The Sabres extended their playoff drought, which is the longest in NHL history and ties them with the NFL's New York Jets for the longest current run of seasons since qualifying for the postseason.
Buffalo initially set the record after the 2021-2022 season when they missed the postseason for the 11th straight time.
'We know where we're at,' Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. 'I'm disappointed where we're at and we can't do anything with that, but we can work on our game and we're going to continue to work on our game until it's over.'
Ruff is in his second stint as coach of the Sabres. He was hired in May when he replaced Don Granato . Ruff was the last person to coach Buffalo to the playoffs in 2011 before he was fired in 2013.
The Sabres beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 on Tuesday night to keep a shred of hope alive, but the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 win at home against the Detroit Red Wings left them 11 points behind with five games remaining.
'It's mixed emotions, for sure,' Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said. 'I mean, (ticked) that we started to play good now. It's too late. But also, it's good we can see that we can play good hockey, and we can beat any team in this league.'
The Sabres were able to stave off elimination until their 77th game thanks to winning 10 of their last 13 games including five straight. However, a staggering 13-game losing streak in November and December in which they went 0-10-3 doomed the season.
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New York Times
39 minutes ago
- New York Times
Who says no to these NHL trades (involving things that cannot actually be traded)?
In the NHL, you can't trade coaches. There was a time when you could, and it happened in 1987, when New York Rangers GM Phil Esposito sent a first-round pick to the Quebec Nordiques for head coach Michel Bergeron in a surprise swap. It was a creative move. It also didn't work, with Bergeron lasting less than two seasons, and the league quickly moved to make sure it wouldn't be tried again. These days, coaches are one of many assets a team is not allowed to trade. Advertisement Or are they? After all, we occasionally see coaching quasi-trades, like when John Tortorella and Alain Vigneault essentially swapped teams after being fired in 2013. More recently, the Rangers and Penguins didn't actually pull off a Mike Sullivan and David Quinn for Dan Muse trade, but it kind of worked out that way. Let's use that as inspiration. We've got time to kill between Stanley Cup Final games, so I put out a call to readers: Send me your 'who says no?' trade proposals involving things that cannot actually be traded. And you sure did. Can we pull off a blockbuster, or will it just be too complicated to make a trade in the cap era NHL? Let's find out. Note: Submissions have been edited for clarity and style. What are the Leafs lacking? Heart and grit. They vowed to change their DNA in the offseason. They need to disrupt their core even if it means losing some skill and finesse. So: To Edmonton: Carlton the Bear To Toronto: Hunter the whatever that is — Mike H. As mascots go, Hunter is a lot worse but also more intimidating, which is probably exactly the sort of move the Leafs will be looking to make this summer. After all, if you're going to acquire a vicious, ugly animal with crazed eyes and no instincts beyond preying on the weak and vulnerable, at least Hunter comes cheaper than Sam Bennett. But what's in it for the Oilers? Is the upgrade from Hunter to Carlton enough to justify disrupting a winning mix? I wasn't sure, so I reached out to the world's foremost experts on NHL mascots: Mark Lazerus' children. Here's what his daughter had to say: 'I think that a Hunter and Carlton trade wouldn't be good because real lynxes live in Alberta. Also, Carlton doesn't wear pants and Edmonton is really cold, so Carlton would freeze. In conclusion, Hunter is with his family and Carlton won't freeze his butt off.' Advertisement The no-pants thing is a strong catch. Sorry, Leafs fans, but the Oilers say no. To Pittsburgh: The rights to 'Brass Bonanza' To Carolina: Exclusive naming rights to Sebastian Aho — Dan H. I kind of love this one. Both teams are getting something of value. We might have a match. And sure, it looks lopsided at first glance. 'Brass Bonanza' is a legitimate star in this league. It's solidly in the GOAT conversation when it comes to novelty goal songs. But it's also the source of controversy among Hurricanes fans, with some embracing it while others see it as nostalgia for a team that they have no personal connection to. So you could argue that the Hurricanes would benefit from making a clean break from the Whalers stuff, and getting the exclusive naming rights to your biggest star isn't a bad way to do it. And of course, the Penguins get a fun new goal song that they can play (checks current roster) dozens of times during the season. I honestly think this one is a win-win. (In related news, Other Sebastian Aho apparently signed with the Penguins last summer. Who knew?) The PWHL receives: The Lady Byng, the Mark Messier, the Jennings, the King Clancy, the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, the Prince of Wales trophy and a sixth-round pick The NHL receives: The PWHL expansion process and the PWHL Gold Plan — Peter B. Terrible trade. The PWHL doesn't just say no, it hangs up and immediately blocks the number as spam. Seriously, what kind of HFBoards madness is this? It's a classic 'seven nickels for a silver dollar' trade proposal. You're bundling up all the trophies that nobody wants and trying to get not one but two superstar-level concepts in return. This kind of lopsided offer would get you kicked out of my fantasy football league, Peter, do better. St. Louis receives: the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup runs Los Angeles receives: the Greatest Show on Turf success and the 1999 Super Bowl — Dylan C. As if L.A. would ever care about Rams football. Advertisement To the Arizona hockey ownership group: Terry Pegula To Buffalo: Alex Meruelo Meruelo is immediately placed on waivers and goes unclaimed. — Todd C. Yeah, we had a lot of Sabres fans trying to offload Pegula, and let's just say you weren't asking for much in return. Real buy-low opportunity right here. I can't imagine why. Still, Arizona says no. This is a classic salary dump, where a big-money player who hasn't been productive in years gets sent out to pasture. Given that, having the destination be Arizona is a nice touch. But while you're taking a bad contract bad in Meruelo, I think Arizona's going to want a few assets in return for taking Pegula's bigger commitment. To the Rangers: Jim Ramsay To Montreal: Dancin' Larry — 'Zach' Other fan bases may need an explainer on this one. Ramsay is the trainer the Rangers fired a few years ago. He was hired in Montreal, but many Rangers fans still view his exit as a symptom of the dysfunction of the Chris Drury/Jim Dolan era. So from the New York perspective, you could view this as trying to right a wrong. But Dancin' Larry, the Rangers superfan and scoreboard regular? He's fine, I guess, but I'm not completely sure he's a fit for Montreal. They're not really a dancing bunch, you know? Maybe if it was 'Telling a Boring Story About Some Guy From the 1930s Larry' we'd have a fit, but right now I think Montreal says no, holding out for more. Maybe toss in a proper hot dog recipe, New York. (By the way, I can't recommend Dancin' Larry's Instagram page highly enough. Just page after page of photos of him with Rangers fans, and he's doing the exact same face and pose in all of them. Not a pixel of difference. Seriously, it might just be a template. How do you move this guy? Get an NTC in that next extension, Larry, this can be a cruel business.) To Dallas: Hosting the Minnesota state high school tournament through 2030 To Minnesota: The Stars/North Stars name, mascots, colors, jerseys — Anonymous I'll admit, I was surprised how many of you want to trade the old North Stars branding back to Minnesota. Apart from trades involving palm trees going to Buffalo or lower tax rates for California and New York, the North Stars stuff was the most common concept by far. Does this deal work? It might. At least Dallas is getting something of value, which it could use to continue to build its fan base. I think the price is just too steep, given it'd be losing its name and branding. Dallas says no, but I could see a counteroffer involving just the classic North Stars stuff heading to Minnesota instead. Then again, what if there were a way for Dallas to acquire new branding? Well, about that … Vancouver needs new ownership and it's always better if it's someone local. If only there was a Vancouverite who randomly owned another team in the league … and if that team happened to have bad uniforms, that would be great, since the Canucks have three completely different logo/uniform/color schemes in their arsenal and can't seem to decide which one to run with. To Vancouver: Owner Tom Gaglardi, who has always wanted to own the Canucks anyway To Dallas: The orange, red and black 'Flying Skate' uniform/color scheme, and an agreement to pay all costs associated with rebranding Dallas to something more appropriate, like Outlaws. — Phil G. Hmm … I mean, part of the art of pulling off a truly great trade is finding an asset that's underappreciated, maybe because it's stuck down the depth chart. As Phil points out, the Canucks have one of the greatest uniform designs of all time just sitting around. The Flying Skate should be Vancouver's primary uniform — it never should have lost the job in the first place — but for whatever reason, it's not. OK, so let's send it somewhere that will give it the chance to be the superstar it should be. The logic is solid. Advertisement That said, you're not getting Gaglardi for a uniform. The owner may be the most important position on a modern NHL team, and Gaglardi would be a massive upgrade for the Canucks franchise. Dallas says no. But it's amicable. It's not closing the door if the Canucks wanted to circle on something down the road. In the meantime, one more for the Canucks … To Vancouver: The Leafs' 1950-51 Stanley Cup win To Toronto: The Canucks' 2011 Stanley Cup Final appearance The Canucks get a Stanley Cup, but one so long ago they'll still be mocked by opposing fans. But one is better than zero. Did they exist in 1951? Let's not worry about the details. The Leafs get yet another devastating loss to the Bruins in the playoffs, but at least this time in a Stanley Cup Final and all the good memories that go with that sort of run. A team that locals mostly like and have fond memories of, legends in the market. (Do not ask what other markets think.) All it costs is a Cup so long ago most fans don't remember it. Note: Canucks retain the riot, due to a NMC. — Greg P. On the surface, this one makes a lot of sense. The Canucks are getting the better asset — a Cup win is obviously better than a near-miss — but the recency bias plays a factor. And the Leafs are dealing from a position of strength, with the 'old Cup wins that nobody really remembers' cupboard pretty much overflowing. That said, Greg mentions the potential problem. While Vancouver fans hate how 2011 ended, it's still a pretty beloved version of the team. If you trade the whole run, that means you lose the Game 7 OT win over the Blackhawks, the Kevin Bieksa bank shot and other fun memories. Do you give all of that up just so you can ditch the Sabres at the 'zero Cups in franchise history' table? You have to give up something to get something, but that's pretty steep. My gut is that Vancouver says no, partly because it just doesn't want to let Leafs fans be happy. But I'd like to hear from Canucks fans in the comments to confirm. And since we're trying to end some Leaf droughts … To Montreal: The 1967 Stanley Cup championship To Toronto: The 1993 Stanley Cup championship The 1967 Cup would give Montreal the last Original Six win and a second run of five straight Cups within a decade. And having won in 1986 would mean their current drought wouldn't be appreciably longer. The '93 Cup reduces Toronto's drought dramatically, and gives them the honor of being the last Canadian team to win a Cup. Plus, we could stop talking about Kerry Fraser forever. — Sean B. Who says no? Every other fan base. They lose out on making fun of the Leafs' record Cup drought, the Habs get even more ammo for their history-firehose, and the last Canadian Cup win somehow becomes even more of a thing because Toronto won't shut up about it. The only gain for the other fan bases would be Leafs fans giving the Fraser stuff a rest after 33 years, and let's be honest, we wouldn't honor that part of the deal. Advertisement So yeah, everyone else hates this deal … which means there may be something here for the two teams involved. As beloved as that rag-tag band of old-timers from the 1967 team has become, I think this is a pretty easy 'yes' for the Leafs. It's a little dicier for Montreal, although I think Sean B. is making a decent case. Ultimately, while it's close, I think Montreal probably says no. Somebody break the bad news to Marty McSorley. Want to send in your trade proposal for a future version of this column? Email this address. (Top photo of Hunter the Lynx: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
New York Times
39 minutes ago
- New York Times
2025 NHL Staff Mock Draft 2.0: Schaefer goes No. 1, but where do Misa, Desnoyers and Hagens land?
The 2025 NHL Draft is just over two weeks away, so after doing a mock draft following the lottery, we reconvened our staff of NHL reporters to make selections for the entire first round. This is their best attempt to predict what will happen on draft day based on their knowledge of the teams they cover and what those teams covet in players. Trades were allowed in this exercise, and there was one agreed upon that sent Vancouver's No. 15 pick to Boston. The Islanders finally have a GM, and Mathieu Darche likely isn't looking to rock the boat in his first act in charge. Schaefer is still the consensus pick here, so why mess with that? The pool of top-tier players has just one defenseman and he's the one most scouts think should go first. Makes sense to me. — Arthur Staple Lately, there have been some rumblings of Porter Martone going here, and Team Canada adding him to its world championship roster looked good on the young power forward. Misa just makes too much sense here with Schaefer off the board, though. He's the next best player and gives the Sharks options in that he can play wing as well as center. If Will Smith stays on the right wing next to Macklin Celebrini, Misa can project as their 2C or possibly move to the wing if Smith can handle the middle. Unless Martone is seen as a serious step up from their big winger prospects Quentin Musty and Igor Chernyshov, Misa is one they can't go wrong with. — Eric Stephens The Blackhawks will likely be torn between Frondell and Caleb Desnoyers if the first two picks play out this way. Part of the Blackhawks' draft equation is projecting both players, but also gauging their own current forward pool. As of now, they envision Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar to be their future top-two centers. Drafting Desnoyers means likely shifting Bedard or Nazar to wing. With Frondell, he probably projects easier to wing, and with his size and all-around game, he could be the ideal complementary linemate to Bedard or Nazar. — Scott Powers This one comes down to Desnoyers and Martone, and either of them would add size and skill to an exciting young core in Utah. It's a tough call, but when the Mammoth moved up from 14 to No. 4 after the lottery, it gave them a golden opportunity to add a legit top-six center at the top of the draft — a chance they may not get again for many years, if all goes according to plan. For that reason, Desnoyers is the pick, bringing an excellent two-way complement to take tough matchups behind Logan Cooley. He would give Utah an excellent collection of young centers — Max Bultman If the draft plays out this way, Hagens and Martone both make sense for different reasons for the Preds. It's hard to pass up the American-born center who could give a Nashville team a high-skill homegrown forward, though. — Scott Wheeler The top-tier centers coming off the board in the top five might not be ideal for the Flyers, who still need depth at that position. But they also need more size and physicality on the wings, and Martone gives them that, along with some scoring punch. — Kevin Kurz The Bruins need skill. They need centers. O'Brien checks both boxes. Talent and hockey sense help make O'Brien an easy selection for the rebuilding franchise. — Fluto Shinzawa The Kraken have exclusively drafted high upside centers in the top 10 throughout their brief franchise existence — including Matty Beniers, Shane Wright and Berkly Catton — and while that might be an argument to diversify and look elsewhere with the No. 8 pick, the Kraken are still searching for their first breakthrough, elite contributor Which is why I'll mock them to go back to the well and draft McQueen, a 6-foot-5 goal-scoring center who would be going an awful lot higher than eighth if not for the concerns stemming from a significant back injury that limited him to just 17 games in his draft year. Assuming the medicals check out, which is admittedly a big if to weigh, McQueen is the best bet for the Kraken to emerge from the draft with a needle-moving star down the road. And that's the bet they should be trying to make (again). — Thomas Drance There are a few players who make sense here, including Viktor Eklund, Carter Bear and Radim Mrtka. But Martin stands out because of his physicality, playing strength and competitiveness. He also has plenty of offensive ability as his 72-point season showed. He's the type of player the Sabres don't have enough of in their prospect pool. — Matthew Fairburn Three years ago, the Ducks had the 10th pick and went with a defenseman in Pavel Mintyukov, who's now part of their regular mix on the blue line. This time, they can address the right side with the 6-foot-6 Mrtka. While they have seen Drew Helleson grow into an everyday player and have a promising puck mover on the way in Tristan Luneau, the Ducks don't have an advanced right-shot defender of Mrtka's size and pedigree in the system. (Noah Warren was a second-round pick in 2022, and college signing Ian Moore was a third-rounder in 2020.) A defensive ace at the junior level, Mrtka turned 18 on June 6, so Anaheim has no need to rush his development. — Stephens The Penguins' system is improving greatly, but it's still nothing special. Kyle Dubas is in 'take the best player available' mode because the Penguins need help everywhere. Their blue line is a particular problem, especially at the NHL level. Aitcheson can help. That he provides such a physical dimension only helps. The Penguins need size and physicality more than just about any NHL team. This is a pick that would make plenty of sense. — Josh Yohe The Rangers don't have much center depth organizationally, and Cootes would bring the team a quality player up the middle. He had 63 points in 60 games this season for Seattle and was the team's captain. New York hasn't drafted a center in the first round since taking both Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil in 2017. Neither is still with the organization. New York could also choose to send its pick to Pittsburgh (via Vancouver) because of the J.T. Miller trade, which would allow it to hold on to its 2026 first-round pick. If the Rangers don't send Pittsburgh this year's pick, the Penguins will get New York's unprotected first in 2026. — Peter Baugh Eklund doesn't have the size factor in his favor as a smaller winger, but he competes quite hard to go with great speed and an impressive shot. That makes him enough of a fit for the Red Wings' drafting ethos to overlook his frame. Eklund's offensive ability would bring some needed sizzle to the top of Detroit's system. — Bultman With Mrtka and Aitcheson off the board, the Blue Jackets won't force the issue and draft a defenseman. They'll take the player, regardless of position, who excites them most, and who couldn't use a skilled, tenacious, combative forward like Bear. (Have you been watching these Stanley Cup playoffs?) Bear strengthens an already deep roster of young forwards, but they could use some more grease. The pipeline defenseman or goaltender will have to be considered at No. 20, the pick the Jackets acquired from Minnesota. — Aaron Portzline Vancouver trades No. 15 pick and F Nils Höglander to Boston for C Pavel Zacha and F Marat Khusnutdinov. Boston is wary of dealing Zacha, an important multi-position forward. But landing the No. 15 pick is a critical opportunity to add to a thin prospect pool. The Bruins are no longer in win-now mode. Smith's all-around upside as a defenseman makes him a valuable prospect with time to grow behind Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov and Mason Lohrei. There is no rush for Smith to turn pro. — Shinzawa Why Vancouver traded the pick: What you thought the Canucks would actually use their first-round pick? Vancouver needs help now. The organization is all-in on getting back to contending this season, and needs size and productivity from the middle of the forward group more than anything. Landing Zacha addresses the Canucks' need for a 'top two line center,' and at a reasonable price, with term, cap-wise. This is a deal that permits Vancouver to focus its resources on adding a legitimate top-of-the-lineup goal threat to try to replace what the club lost when it dealt J.T. Miller (and may lose more of in the likely event that Brock Boeser signs elsewhere in free agency). — Drance After unsuccessfully trying to trade these picks for more established, immediate help, the Canadiens take a swing on the hulking Lakovic. There are questions about his compete and vision — something the Canadiens value enormously — but you can't teach 6-foot-4 and Lakovic's skating is a plus attribute for a team that looks to play a fast game.— Arpon Basu If the draft fell this way, there would be enormous pressure on the Canadiens to take the Québec-born Carbonneau, so I took him second just to add some drama. Birthplace aside, Carbonneau is a high-compete scorer who could add some offensive punch in Montreal down the line. I don't love taking two wingers in a row here, but aside from a lack of depth down the middle, the Canadiens' prospect pool is diverse enough to allow for a true best-player-available selection. — Basu I swayed back and forth between Reschny and Braeden Cootes for this pick. Both are smaller players who can play center. But Reschny has more skill and goal-scoring ability, while still committing to both ends of the ice. Those attributes led me to take him in the end. There seem to be fewer questions about Cootes' viability at center, but Reschny's upside — even if he translates to a winger at the NHL level — was too good to pass up. — Julian McKenzie I debated between Cameron Reid and Hensler, but ultimately went with the right-shot Hensler, who has more size. I know the Blues took a right-shot D with their first-round pick in 2024 (Adam Jiricek). He may turn out to be a solid NHL defenseman, but he's been limited by injuries, and it wouldn't hurt to add another high-end pick on that side. Goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen was tempting, but the highest the Blues have drafted a goalie under GM Doug Armstrong was Colten Ellis in the third round (No. 93) in 2019. On the flip side, they haven't taken a single goalie in the last four years, so perhaps this is the year. — Jeremy Rutherford Full disclosure: We discussed a trade that would have sent the No. 20 pick to the Flyers for veteran right-side defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. Alas, there was no deal made, but I find it hard to believe GM Don Waddell goes to the podium with each of his two first-round picks. The Ravensbergen selection, however, would make sense, as he's a goaltender with significant attributes who could be a game-changer in the NHL. Yes, the Blue Jackets are excited about the potential of last year's second-round pick Evan Gardner, but there's nothing wrong with stockpiling high-level young goaltenders and increasing the odds that you land a franchise player. The Blue Jackets haven't drafted a goalie in the first round in 24 years (Pascal Leclaire, 2001), but it's a position that's been in flux since Sergei Bobrovsky departed following the 2019 season. — Portzline A two-way forward who has been commended for his skating and compete level and has shown he can be used on special teams. He'll be at Michigan in the fall, where he'll fine-tune his game some more before hopefully jumping to the NHL level. Considering the Sens don't currently have a first-round pick in 2026, this is a pick they need to get right. Spence's upside seems too good for the Sens to pass up at 21. — McKenzie Since we bypassed the Flyers' biggest need, center, with the No. 6 pick, we'll go here with Nesbitt, who not only gives the prospect pool some needed depth at that position but also some welcome size and physicality. Nesbitt has something in common with 2024 Flyers first-rounder Jett Luchanko, too, as a player whose stock seemed to rise as his draft-eligible season progressed. — Kurz The Preds would like to add some size to their pool, and the 6-foot-4 Fiddler fills that need while still having the mobility, well-roundedness and character that they covet. It's not hard to imagine Fiddler as a complementary partner to top Preds D prospect Tanner Molendyk on a future second or third pairing in Nashville. — Wheeler The Kings now have some prospects on the left side of their defense after getting 2021 draft pick and KHL product Kirill Kirsanov signed to go with Jared Woolley, Jakub Dvorak and Angus Booth, but they don't have a true high-level puck mover that's a left shot. Boumedienne had a secondary role behind BU star blueliner Cole Hutson in his freshman year, but he busted out at the U18 worlds with 14 points in seven games for Sweden. He'll have time to iron out some of the risk in his game, but he can infuse L.A.'s defense pipeline with a lot of skill. — Stephens It wouldn't be surprising if the Blackhawks tried to use this pick in a trade. If they do keep it, they might as well take a chance on someone like Ryabkin. He's already been over to North America from Russia. He's shown the potential in Russia to be an elite player. He has a lot of traits that project well if he's put in the right development environment and an organization is willing to be patient with him. The Blackhawks could also use more players with his type of edge. Maybe he hits, maybe he doesn't. With as many first-round picks the Blackhawks have had in recent years, they can take some risks. — Powers With Hagens, Fiddler and Gastrin, the Preds walk away from the first round with a high-end talent, a long and mobile two-way D and a well-rounded, competitive, potential future 3C. — Wheeler Reid is an excellent skater and a smart player, which is a great starter kit for a top-four defenseman. He's not the biggest at 6 feet, which is presumably why he's still on the board here. On talent, he belongs higher up, and the Capitals pounce to add a steady defender with puck-moving upside to their prospect pool. — Bultman We debated centers like Mason West and William Moore but ultimately took right winger Ryker Lee, believing in his combination of puck wizardry, high-end release and compete level. The 2025 USHL rookie of the year finished fourth in USHL scoring (first among rookies) and is committed to Michigan State for 2025-26. There are "safer" plays available, but Lee's growth spurt and surge in production are intriguing, as is his rise from probable second-rounder to potential late first-round pick. Lee's offensive wizardry makes him worthy of a swing at top-six upside, especially if his wheels catch up with his growth spurt. — Murat Ates There are several players here who could be targets for the Canes. Benjamin Kindel is a smart, talented forward who fits our mold in Carolina. We considered scoring winger Jakob Ihs-Wozniak. Michigan State commit Eric Nilson is a fit. But Potter, the best skater in the draft, is too appealing to pass up with his speed and skill. — Wheeler After grabbing Misa with the No. 2 pick, it's time to get a good talent who can fill a system need. The Sharks have an overflowing prospect pool, but one area they can beef up is the right side of the defense. Why not grab Sam Dickinson's Memorial Cup-winning teammate here? San Jose is cornering the market on Knights, and Bruzstewicz has a good all-around game where he can defend both positionally and with his stick while generating some transition offense through the zones and having the mobility to jump up into the play. It's possible Brzustewicz could last to the Sharks' next pick at No. 33, and this one spent on tenacious forward Bill Zonnon instead. — Stephens A previous iteration of the Flames wouldn't come away with two small centers as their first-round picks. But with an emphasis on talent for their draft strategy in recent seasons, it's hard to see the Flames passing up the value of Kindel at 31. Not to mention, they likely have a good read on Kindel, considering he plays in their building with the WHL's Hitmen. You can make the argument he's the best player available at 31, too. In Kindel, the Flames get another two-way player who can help in transition. Calgary can care about size with its remaining picks. — McKenzie Horcoff is a bit like our pick at No. 22, Nesbitt, in that he's a center with good size who needs to keep working on his skating. While the Flyers don't end up with any of the truly high-end center prospects in this mock, Nesbitt and Horcoff would immediately bolster their prospect group down the middle. If just one of them hits, that would still be a win. — Kurz (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photos of Michael Misa, Matthew Schaefer and Caleb Desnoyers: Michael Miller/ISI Photos, Dale Preston / Getty Images)
New York Times
40 minutes ago
- New York Times
Why these 4 NHL teams could lose good players because of salary cap crunches
With the NHL's salary cap ceiling climbing from $88 million to $95.5 million, there won't be as many teams navigating stressful cap situations this offseason compared to years past. However, that doesn't mean all clubs are clear of obstacles. Earlier this season, the Colorado Avalanche pulled the trigger on a jaw-dropping, salary cap-motivated trade that sent superstar winger Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes. It's extremely unlikely we'll see any cap casualties of that magnitude this summer, but there are still some franchises with difficult decisions to make this offseason. Here are five teams with cap crunches worth monitoring. Projected cap space: $5 million Notable UFAs: Matt Duchene, Jamie Benn, Mikael Granlund, Evgenii Dadonov, Cody Ceci, Colin Blackwell Notable RFAs: Mavrik Bourque, Nils Lundkvist GM Jim Nill's acquisition of Rantanen was a slam dunk. Prime-aged star players rarely become available and without Rantanen's heroics, the Stars probably would have bowed out in the first round to Colorado. Advertisement However, to fit Rantanen's $12 million contract — plus Jake Oettinger and Wyatt Johnston's big-money contracts that kick in next season — the Stars will need to cut significant salary elsewhere. Dallas has just under $5 million in cap space, with only 16 players signed for the 2025-26 season (eight forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders). The Stars have several key pending unrestricted free agents, including second-line center Matt Duchene (who led the club with 82 points in the regular season), franchise icon Jamie Benn and productive rental Mikael Granlund. Duchene ($7.1 million), Benn ($4.8 million), and Granlund ($4.98 million) are projected to cost $16.9 million against the cap on their next contracts, according to AFP Analytics. It's possible the Stars can convince some of those three to sign bargain contracts cheaper than that — Benn's only ever played for the Stars and has already made over $100 million in his career, and Duchene signed a cheap one-year extension last summer — but there's no realistic way all three can come back unless Dallas moves out several other big-name players. Granlund is probably the most likely of these three players to leave in free agency. There's also up-and-coming center Mavrik Bourque, who could be a tempting offer-sheet target for teams as an RFA. Nill also has to be mindful of the 2026 offseason, when Jason Robertson and Thomas Harley's bridge deals expire. Robertson, who is currently on a $7.75 million AAV, will have considerable leverage as an arbitration-eligible RFA and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2027. Harley will be in line for an even bigger raise since he's only on a $4 million cap hit right now. Offloading the final year of Matt Dumba's $3.75 million AAV is a must, even if it requires a sweetener. Mason Marchment is also likely to be a cap casualty on top of that; he's a solid second-line winger with one year left at $4.5 million. Advertisement The problem is that even if the Stars trade Dumba and Marchment's contracts, they will only have $13.25 million in cap space with just 14 players signed. Even if you assume Benn re-signs at a massively discounted $1 million base salary (he's eligible for a performance bonus-laden deal because he's 35) and Duchene returns at a very team-friendly $5 million cap hit, Dallas would only have $7.25 million in cap space remaining with seven depth roster spots left to fill for a complete 23-player roster. Perhaps there's a long-shot scenario where the Stars would consider trade offers on Robertson if they fear the cost of his extension next summer, but that would likely be a huge mistake. Moving Tyler Seguin's $9.85 million cap hit would solve a lot of problems, but he has a full no-movement clause. Overall, Dallas has by far the most challenging cap puzzle of any NHL team to solve this summer. Projected cap space: $11.9 million Notable UFAs: Connor Brown, Trent Frederic, Corey Perry, John Klingberg, Jeff Skinner, Kasperi Kapanen Notable RFAs: Evan Bouchard Evan Bouchard's next contract is going to single-handedly eat up nearly all of the Oilers' cap space this summer. Bouchard has scored the third-most points of all NHL defensemen over the last two years, behind only Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes. His defensive play can be up-and-down at times, but elite offensive numbers will always get a player paid a huge ransom. Both Evolving-Hockey and AFP Analytics' projections have Bouchard's next deal clocking in around the $10.6-10.9 million range for eight years. Edmonton would only have $1-1.5 million left over after signing a Bouchard extension in that neighborhood. That isn't a terrible spot for the Oilers to be in — they would have a nearly full roster with 11 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders signed at that point — but they'd be at risk of losing some impactful depth players to free agency. Advertisement Connor Brown, for example, could look to cash in on his bounce-back season and price himself out. Trent Frederic's playoff impact hasn't been anything special, but he won't be cheap to re-sign considering his size, versatility and previous scoring profile. John Klingberg has been a revelation on the Oilers' second pair with his puck-moving prowess. Edmonton would probably love to keep him, but we'll see what this playoff run does to his market value. Dumping the final year of Viktor Arvidsson's $4 million AAV contract would open up valuable space, but he has a full no-movement clause. The Oilers' cap situation isn't nearly as dire as the Stars', but they are likely to lose a quality depth contributor or two this summer. Projected cap space: $1.2 million Notable UFAs: Jonathan Drouin, Ryan Lindgren Notable RFAs: Sam Malinski The Avs' situation isn't overly concerning at first glance — they have $1.2 million of cap space even after Brock Nelson's extension and 19 players already signed (12 forwards, five defensemen, two goalies). It would have been a much tighter cap crunch if Rantanen's contract was on the books instead of Martin Necas' $6.5 million AAV. Colorado will avoid a mass exodus of talent this summer, but GM Chris MacFarland will still likely lose at least one decent player, and will be somewhat limited in his ability to upgrade the roster. Nelson's three-year, $7.5 million AAV extension ate up the overwhelming majority of Colorado's cap space, leaving virtually no room to retain Jonathan Drouin or Ryan Lindgren unless other players are shipped out. Could Miles Wood, who has four years left at a $2.5 million cap hit, be moved to create a little bit more cap flexibility? Wood struggled with just eight points in 37 games this season, and his contract carries risk, but perhaps there would be a taker for him given his rare combination of size and speed. Alternatively, could center Ross Colton become expendable? Moving Colton would open up $4 million that could be reallocated to either re-signing Lindgren or finding a comparable defenseman to round out the blue line. Projected cap space: $19 million Notable UFAs: Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand, Nate Schmidt, Tomas Nosek, Nico Sturm, Vitek Vanecek Notable RFAs: Mackie Samoskevich The Panthers will need significant player discounts and additional cap-clearing moves to afford bringing back all of Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand. Advertisement Bennett will have a bidding war waiting for him on July 1 as the top center in a weak free-agent class. He has the nasty, hard-nosed playing style, clutch playoff resume and top-six scoring profile that teams salivate over. If Bennett is simply chasing the biggest contract he can get, he'll likely price himself out of Florida. However, just for hypothetical sake, let's assume he's willing to take a discount to re-sign in Florida, and pencil him in for a $7 million AAV extension. After that, the Panthers would have $12 million remaining. Ekblad spoke very passionately about his loyalty to the Panthers on Tuesday — he's probably the most likely to take a deal below market value. The 29-year-old right-shot defender is currently on a $7.5 million cap hit and could probably command a similar figure in free agency this summer. But let's say he re-signs with the Panthers at a $6 million AAV. That would leave the Panthers with $6 million to spend, with 11 forwards, six defensemen and one goaltender under contract. That almost certainly wouldn't be enough to re-sign Marchand, extend RFA Mackie Samoskevich, find a backup goalie, sign a fourth-line center and add another depth defenseman for Nate Schmidt's role. To afford Marchand (after Bennett and Ekblad's hypothetical extensions), the Panthers would likely need to trade Evan Rodrigues' $3 million cap hit and hope Marchand is willing to take a team-friendly AAV on top of that. Marchand was significantly underpaid on his last contract in Boston at $6.125 million annually, so he could be motivated to chase the bag. It is technically possible for the Panthers to keep all three of Bennett, Ekblad, and Marchand if everything breaks right, but the most likely scenario is they'll only be able to afford to keep two of the three. All salary cap data courtesy PuckPedia. (Top photo of Mikko Rantanen and Jason Robertson:)
