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New York Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Five lessons the Winnipeg Jets can learn from the Stanley Cup finalists
The NHL likes to overreact to teams that have success. But the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers' Stanley Cup Final rematch gives us a chance to dig deeper into what's worked for the two teams. It goes much deeper than drafting Connor McDavid or having an advantageous state tax — and those advantages, while real, often obscure what's led to Edmonton's and Florida's success. Advertisement Let's get right into it, then. What can Winnipeg learn from the two best teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs? The first part of this two-part lesson is obvious: Teams that want to win must spend to the cap. Using PuckPedia as a guide, the Oilers and Panthers each exceeded the cap maximum with bonus overages factored in, while the Jets left money on the table. Winnipeg tried — hard — to avoid that. When the Jets signed Cole Perfetti to a bridge deal last summer, part of the reasoning was to create room under the cap. This helped Winnipeg build space day by day, creating the potential to add over $12 million in contracts at the trade deadline. They succeeded in adding $6.25 million in the form of Brandon Tanev and Luke Schenn, but ultimately left a Brock Nelson-sized portion of cap space unused. Remember that Winnipeg thought it had acquired Nelson prior to Colorado's emergence as the winner in that sweepstakes. It is my belief that Nelson, who had a no-trade clause, was initially open to going to Canada, but that the Avalanche were higher on his priority list. So the Jets don't need to be told that it's important to spend every dollar. It is not a matter of opinion to say it was Winnipeg's plan to do so. It's also true that Dallas' playing roster cost between $4 million and $6 million more than Winnipeg's did during their playoff series, depending on who was dressed. Meanwhile, the Panthers open the Cup final with a roster that costs roughly $8 million more than the Jets team that lost to Dallas in Game 6. Edmonton will open the final spending $4 million less than Winnipeg's Game 6 roster — but only because Zach Hyman, $5.5 million, is injured. Spending money just to spend money is not the goal, while it's worth noting that this year's trade deadline was a seller's market, based on the prices teams paid for lesser players — including Tanev and Schenn. The Jets' lack of pivot after Nelson fell through may reflect good sensibility regarding asset prices as opposed to a lack of judgment on their part. Advertisement But the Oilers and Panthers were a little more desperate than Winnipeg was — even at the cost of that sensibility. In the salary-cap era, winning is an efficiency contest. If everybody has the same payroll, then the team that spends its money the most efficiently will have the best collection of players. Those are the obvious basics, but there are wrinkles that develop throughout a season. Teams don't do all of their spending at once, and opportunities to spend efficiently don't all present themselves at once. The Jets' cap efficiency gave them an advantage over other teams when the season began. They're cap efficient again as the offseason begins, particularly with Blake Wheeler's buyout coming off the books. But Winnipeg didn't need to be cap efficient at the deadline — it needed more threats against a Dallas team that had been aggressive in its own right. Winnipeg didn't need to bring in a $5 million player performing at a $5 million level for its cap space to have been useful; anybody performing at a higher level than Winnipeg's 12th forward or sixth defenceman would have been an upgrade to the talent pool. Edmonton built various forms of salary-cap prison from drafting McDavid in 2015 through its back-to-back Cup finals. As it's escaped from inefficient money spent on Milan Lucic, Jack Campbell, Mikko Koskinen and company, it's thrown more and more darts — not all of them sensible — in the name of building a roster that can win when McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are on the bench, too. The misconception about Edmonton is that the Oilers didn't attain their level of success because McDavid and Draisaitl cost too much money. The reality is that the Oilers wasted years with a brutally cap-inefficient middle class. Now that Edmonton's non-superstars are finally winning their minutes, the Oilers are a contender. An update on the Oilers' 5v5 goal differential without McDavid and Draisaitl. Incredible. — Sid 🇨🇦 (@NHL_Sid) May 30, 2025 These numbers track with Florida's performance without its top two centres, Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett, on the way to the Panthers' 2024 Cup win. Yes, one takeaway on everybody's minds when it comes to Edmonton and Florida is 'acquire superstars.' But Winnipeg got outscored 17-5 at five-on-five without Mark Scheifele or Adam Lowry on the ice during these playoffs. Advertisement Meanwhile, superstars are hard to come by, while depth players can be approached with trial, error and creativity. The Oilers pulled off three-team trades in consecutive seasons to find the cap room for Adam Henrique and Trent Frederic. The Panthers signed Carter Verhaeghe for $1 million in 2020 after Tampa Bay didn't give him a qualifying offer, and picked Gustav Forsling off waivers for free in 2021. If they hadn't worked, they'd be gone. The Oilers have also taken swings at Viktor Arvidsson, Henrique, Connor Brown, Jeff Skinner, Corey Perry and John Klingberg in recent seasons. Not all of them have hit at a high level, nor did they come without cost; Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg signed offer sheets in St. Louis that the Oilers couldn't match. But it's another case of a desperate team acquiring players by any means available — and being fully prepared to move on if they didn't work out. Only four Panthers who have played in these playoffs were Florida draft picks. Winnipeg had 10, from Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck at the top of the roster through backup goaltender Eric Comrie. Does this mean the Jets draft well and the Panthers are free-agent poachers, basking in Floridian sunshine? Not at all. Just ask Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt, Devon Levi, Spencer Knight and Emil Heineman. All of these were Panthers picks, with NHL careers ranging from dominant to nonexistent, who Florida moved to acquire Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Seth Jones and Bennett. The goalies stand out — two budding stars, each traded before establishing themselves as a starter — as does Florida's willingness to move on from a 115-point scorer like Huberdeau. In Jets terms, the Tkachuk acquisition was akin to sending Kyle Connor and Dylan Samberg away and ending up with the most important player in the trade. Winnipeg would never dream of it — nor would the Jets have been an option for Tkachuk, whose list of preferred teams included Florida, Tampa Bay, Carolina and St. Louis. It must burn Panthers management that the team drafted as well as it did and stepped up like it did, making the final in back-to-back-to-back years after such a bold move — only for people to scream 'state tax.' The NHL's recent obsession with state tax rates is shortsighted. By virtue of no state income tax, Florida, Tampa Bay, Vegas, Dallas and Nashville do enjoy a slight competitive advantage, but the first 14 Cup champions of the cap era didn't share that same edge. This includes the Kings and Ducks, who are meant to be at the biggest disadvantage, given California's income tax rates, but they won three Cups in eight years, all the same. Advertisement This is not the same thing as saying taxes have no influence on players' decision-making, but the Panthers have 11 UFA signees on their roster. Of those, the biggest impacts come from Sergei Bobrovsky — a clear win — and then Verhaeghe, who they picked up for $1 million, and Evan Rodrigues, who they got for $3 million. This is not a case of a team running rampant through the free-agency market, nor are we meant to believe that the Panthers' 11 UFA signees are the only good players available in the NHL. The Jets do not have Floridian sunshine, surf or tax advantages, nor do players disappear into anonymity in Winnipeg the way they do in bigger American markets. On the opposite side of the same coin, the Jets do boast Winnipeg's tight-knit community. They do benefit from stable ownership that gets the emotional moments right. It builds community when True North makes the decisions to charter Jets players and staff to Kitchener to attend Brad Scheifele's funeral — and to do the same for Minnesotan players for Adam Johnson — or gets less tragic, personal details right, like making time for Schenn to see his family during road trips. It builds community when a guy like Alex Iafallo arrives from Los Angeles to find a group of Jets stars like Hellebuyck and Connor, who spend almost as much time outdoors as he does. If Winnipeg is small, then it can be tight-knit. If its top players decompress in an icefishing shack, then it can be a top destination for players who love the outdoors. If it is loyal to a fault, then it is a place where career Jets like Hellebuyck, Scheifele and Lowry can establish unique legacies. There is no salary cap for efforts made to make players' families feel at home. The Jets do appear to have their room in order, with team culture as a strength. Does this give them the opportunity to sign Samberg, Perfetti and Vilardi to long-term deals that age well as the cap rises, continuing team culture while giving Winnipeg tangible advantages? It's worked for Scheifele, Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers, Hellebuyck, Lowry and Josh Morrissey when they were restricted free agents. It also seems to be an advantage now that Jonathan Toews is a UFA — if the 37-year-old Toews can achieve a level of performance that helps in a middle-six role. (Photo of Gabriel Vilardi and Connor McDavid: Codie McLachlan / Getty Images)
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Brock Nelson eyes Minnesota Wild as possible homecoming in NHL free agency: Report
Brock Nelson eyes Minnesota Wild as possible homecoming in NHL free agency: Report (Image Source: Getty Images) Brock Nelson may be going back home. The veteran ice hockey player from Warroad, Minnesota is going to become an unrestricted free agent after the conclusion of the 2024–2025 NHL season. Nelson was on the Colorado Avalanche last season and now may be exploring new options. NHL insiders say he would like to play for the Minnesota Wild . So does the team. As free agency opens on July 1, both parties might look into the opportunity for Nelson to play among his hometown fans. Brock Nelson wants to go home to Minnesota Brock Nelson (33) concluded the 2024–2025 season with the Colorado Avalanche. He was the New York Islanders player released to Colorado near the NHL trade deadline in March 2025. In his brief stint with the Colorado team, Nelson scored six goals to go along with seven assists in 19 games. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: 1 simple trick to get all TV channels Techno Mag Learn More Undo Before that, Nelson had an excellent career with the Islanders. He had 30+ goals for three straight seasons from 2021 to 2024. Brock Nelson has played a total of 920 NHL games in 12 seasons. He has 301 career goals and 587 points. According to Joe Smith of The Athletic on May 15, 2025, Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin, in his end-of-season press address, stated that the team's prime objective in free agency is to "acquire a solid center." Brock Nelson might fit that bill. Smith added that Nelson is the kind of second-line center Minnesota requires to play behind Joel Eriksson Ek. Nelson's representative and sources indicate mutual interest Michael Russo, another respected hockey journalist with The Athletic, stated in the same piece that Nelson and the Wild have mutual interest. He added that Nelson's agent, Ben Hankinson, discussed this on Minnesota radio KFAN last week. During an appearance on air, Hankinson stated, "Brock would be interested in playing at home and he could envision a fit." The ultimate choice is subject to a couple of things. Firstly, the Colorado Avalanche continue to have the first opportunity to extend Brock Nelson a new deal prior to July 1. Secondly, Nelson is going into his 34th year when the 2025–2026 campaign begins, meaning the term of the contract could be very significant. If he signs with the Wild, it would be coming home for Nelson, who developed as a hockey player in Warroad, Minnesota. For the time being, fans will simply have to wait until the NHL free agency period to find out where he ends up. Also Read: Brock Nelson Trade Rumors Spark Major Shake-Up For Islanders Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
New York Times
27-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Avalanche demolish Stars to even series, Gabriel Landeskog scores: Takeaways
DENVER — When is the Hollywood movie called 'Landy's Return'' coming out? Gabriel Landeskog brought the house down Saturday night with his first goal since his return — after a three-year absence — from a career-threatening injury, and the Colorado Avalanche cruised to a 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars to even this spectacular first-round playoff series at two wins apiece. Advertisement A series hyped as worthy of a conference final is giving us exactly that. Already up 2-0 and tilting the ice big time on the Stars — only Jake Oettinger kept the game close for 30-plus minutes — Brock Nelson carried the puck into the offensive zone and dropped it into the high slot for an oncoming Landeskog, who blistered a snap shot past the Dallas netminder at 13:10 of the middle period. What ensued was pure bedlam at Ball Arena, the crowd going ballistic as their captain scored his first goal since June 20, 2022, in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final versus Tampa Bay. He scored on his first shot of the series in his second game back. What a moment here Saturday night. The reaction from his teammates on the ice to celebrate the goal and a big hug from Nathan MacKinnon on the celebration drive-by at the bench were all precious moments. You can't make this stuff up. LANDY 🗣️#GoAvsGo | #BuiltDifferent — x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 27, 2025 The Avs as an organization had no idea what kind of player Landeskog could be after missing three years. The early returns have been incredible. MacKinnon, Logan O'Connor and Samuel Girard also scored — with Landeskog earning an assist on Girard's third-period goal — as the Avs easily played their best game of the series. They needed to in order to avoid falling into a 3-1 series hole with Game 5 set for Monday night in Dallas. Mackenzie Blackwood earned a shutout, while in the Dallas net Casey DeSmith replaced Oettinger to start the third period, which was not about the goalie's performance but rather meant to give him a rest before Monday night. It also sent a message to the rest of the Stars that their second period performance was not very good. Back and forth this series goes. Take a breath everyone, the Avs and Stars have more drama for us over the coming week. Advertisement Logan O'Connor opened the scoring 12:39 into the game on a short-handed goal. His pressure at the point on Thomas Harley led to the Stars defender falling at the Avs' blue line, and the speedy O'Connor flew away on a breakaway and buried it top corner, stick side. MacKinnon made it 2-0 with a one-time blast on the power play with just 24 seconds to go in the opening period. Head coach Jared Bednar talked between games about needing better execution from his power play. He got it on that power play. The late-period goal stung Dallas. Landeskog needed one NHL game after three years away to gain further trust from the coaching staff, elevated for Game 4 Saturday night to the second line with Brock Nelson and Valeri Nichushkin. He was also elevated from PP2 to the PP1 unit. 'Well, it's remarkable, really,'' Avs head coach Jared Bedar said Friday of elevating Landeskog 's role. 'When you think about the time he's been away, and then you see the way he played the other night, I thought he was incredible under those circumstances. 'I mean, he just has a skill set that we hope to utilize in a bunch of different ways in this series and that's a credit to him, the work that he's put in and just like the poise he had with the puck, like in the last few practices, in the game, I thought it was really impressive.'' What did Landeskog think when the coaching staff apprised him of his elevated role for Game 4? 'I didn't really have any plans or expectations other than going out and trying to play hard,'' Landeskog told The Athletic after the morning skate Saturday. 'I think we have so many good players that you can really slot anybody anywhere. I think that's a luxury of ours. 'Having said that, we have to go out and play our best. You can look good on paper but you have to go out and play and execute and perform.'' Advertisement For a second day in a row, Landeskog answered the most obvious question: How's he feeling? It's a question Landeskog hopes he won't get every single day. But he understands why, after a three-year return, the media would be inquisitive on that front. 'I understand it, and I think what it is for me, it's been my reality in my life for three years plus,'' Landeskog said Saturday. 'So I get it. It's unique. But it's helpful for me to play, I'm not going to go out there and think about, 'Oh, I missed three years of hockey.' I'm more of a no excuse, no ifs, ands and buts about it, just go out and play. I have a job to do out there. 'But physically, I do feel good. So that's a continued positive for sure.'' Landeskog played 14:37 on Saturday night. His goal, and once again his overall performance, suggests we can stop asking him how he's feeling for a while. Cale Makar put on a clinic Saturday night, an absolute terror on every shift. It began with an electric rush in the first period where he turned Thomas Harley inside out and hit the post on his shot. And it kept going from there, Makar dancing around the Stars zone all night and finding lanes for shots and passes to his teammates. It comes a day after head coach Jared Bednar saying this about the world's No. 1 defenseman: 'I think he's probably struggling a little bit in the series on the offensive side of it. We had some guys that beat up the puck pretty good the other night. It's part of the reason why I think our power play wasn't as good as what it could have been. Listen, I trust in Cale. He's had a bad game here or there before, and bounced back. He was still competitive, defended hard. … 'But I think if you ask him or you just get used to watching, it's going to be harder in playoffs to create quality chances. But he'll get better as we go here too.'' Advertisement Um, yeah. Like right away in Game 4 Saturday night. The Avs were by far the superior team Saturday night but overall it continues to be a tight-checking series. Neither team cheats for offense, every inch of ice is hard-earned. That's what you get when you have two of the very top Cup contenders in an opening-round series that should actually be played in the conference final. 'You got two teams that are really detailed, I think we have a really intricate understanding of each other's games because of the history of the two teams,'' Stars head coach Peter DeBoer said Saturday morning. 'There's not a lot of room out there. The one are we talked about that we have to clean up is our penalties. I think we've taken way too many penalties against a really good team. 'But I don't expect to be a lot of room here the rest of the series. I don't think that's going to change.'' Bednar echoed a similar refrain Friday after practice. 'Creating the offense in this series is the challenge,'' Bednar said. 'Well, there's challenges on the defensive side of it, too. I just think we've done a really nice job for the bulk of the series in that… 'But we're studying the offensive numbers and we did a better job getting to the net front (in Game 3), coming up with some dirty chances like we did in Game 1. … 'The numbers will tell you that, because all that data is available to us,'' he added. 'For me, we got to find a way to capitalize on a couple of our like quality scoring chances.'' Which, as Bednar said, also includes having a better power play. The Avs responded Saturday night with more looks and better execution all right. The second period alone saw the Avs with a 24-4 edge in scoring chances and 8-1 in high-danger scoring chances according to Natural Stat Trick. Advertisement My own sense of it is that a tight-checking series is more comfortable for the way the Stars are built and approach the game. But the Avalanche's aggressive re-do of their roster in-season I believe has made them more adept at dealing with this kind of series. They've got the personnel for it now. Of course the Avs would rather run-and-go and fly up and down the ice, kind of like they did in the second period Saturday night, but they know the Stars well and understand that's not going to be possible for the most part in this series. They've got to be patient in creating their offense. They played a near perfect game Saturday night that way. Mavrik Bourque replaced a banged-up Oskar Båck in the lineup for Game 4 Saturday. He played in Game 1 but watched from the press box in Games 2-3, which isn't fun but at the same time you can learn from watching in your first Stanley Cup playoffs. 'You see how tight the game is and for me tonight it's just about playing my game,'' Bourque said after the morning skate. 'We have such a good lineup, every time I have a chance I got to make it work.'' What the NHL rookie appreciates is just how little space there is out there in this series compared to other playoff series in the opening round. 'No, I watch pretty much all the games and you see time and space,'' Bourque said. 'But what I've seen here, there is no time and space. You got to respect the game, respect what the other team gives you. Hopefully bury a few when you get a chance.'' Bourque put up 11 goals and 14 assists in 73 games in his first NHL season, which followed a scintillating 77-point season last year in the AHL. There's more ceiling there for the 2020 first-round pick (30th overall) but Stars head coach Pete DeBoer has lots of forward depth options to choose from game to game. Advertisement 'You know what, he's had a good year,'' DeBoer said of Bourque, 23. 'He came in, he had a slow start, I believe he had some injuries in training camp, came out of the gates slow, worked his way up and I think by Christmas he hid his stride. He played some really good hockey for us. 'Now he's in a situation, we trust him, no hesitation in putting him in the lineup,'' added the Stars coach. 'He can play multiple positions, he can help you on the PK, he can play up and down the lineup because of his skill. So, he's just in a depth situation with a lot of other players that we're making tough decisions on every night on where they go in.''
New York Post
21-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Fanatics Sportsbook promo code: Avalanche vs. Stars Game 2 odds, prediction
Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information. It took a little while, but the Colorado Avalanche overpowered the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of their best-of-7 series. The Stars were valiant in their effort to stick with the Avs, but a couple of bad bounces ended up in the back of their net and put Dallas into chase mode. That's the last place you want to be against Colorado, and the Avalanche made the Stars pay to the tune of a 5-1 win. Dallas will look to even up the series on Monday night, but the oddsmakers have installed the Avs as the -146 favorite for Game 2. Fanatics Sportsbook promo code for the Stanley Cup Playoffs Fanatics Sportsbook is offering new users up to $1,000 in No Sweat Bets! Avalanche vs. Stars betting preview Colorado's speed and skill were on full display in Game 1, and the Avs were able to expose the Stars' blueline all night. Josh Manson, Brock Nelson, and Devon Toews celebrate a goal in Game 1 against the Stars. Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images If Dallas had Miro Heiskanen available, they'd have a much better chance of skating with the Avs, but his absence puts a ton of pressure on Cody Ceci, Esa Lindell, and Ilya Lyubushkin to fill big minutes. Those three can be effective in the right role, but they're not the fleetest of foot and will continue to struggle slowing down Colorado's big guns. The good news for the Stars is that, despite their issues skating with the Avs, they did generate plenty of good looks in Game 1. If it wasn't for Mackenzie Blackwood's heroics for Colorado, Saturday night's contest would have looked quite different. Avalanche vs. Stars pick The Stars played a terrific game on Saturday night but came up with nothing to show for it. The silver lining for Dallas is that it showed it can skate with the Avs, but the half-empty approach would suggest that the Stars had their A-game and still lost 5-1. It's hard to see the Stars having an answer for the Avs if they raise their level in Game 2. The Play: Avs -1.5 (+168, Fanatics Sportsbook) Why Trust New York Post Betting Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports. New customers, 21+ and physically present in AZ, NJ, MI, PA. New customers who wager $10+ cash on any market with odds of -500 or longer are eligible to receive $100 in Bonus Bets each day for your first three 3 days. You must wager $10+ each day to be eligible for the Rewards each day. Terms apply – see Fanatics Sportsbook app.
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Avalanche play the Ducks after Nelson's 2-goal game
Colorado Avalanche (48-29-4, in the Central Division) vs. Anaheim Ducks (35-36-8, in the Pacific Division) Anaheim, California; Sunday, 10 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Avalanche -116, Ducks -103; over/under is 5.5 Advertisement BOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Avalanche visit the Anaheim Ducks after Brock Nelson's two-goal game against the Los Angeles Kings in the Avalanche's 5-4 loss. Anaheim is 21-17-2 at home and 35-36-8 overall. The Ducks are 10th in league play serving 9.0 penalty minutes per game. Colorado has a 22-17-1 record on the road and a 48-29-4 record overall. The Avalanche have a +40 scoring differential, with 269 total goals scored and 229 allowed. The teams meet Sunday for the third time this season. The Avalanche won the last meeting 4-2. TOP PERFORMERS: Troy Terry has 20 goals and 33 assists for the Ducks. Cutter Gauthier has seven goals and two assists over the past 10 games. Advertisement Martin Necas has 27 goals and 56 assists for the Avalanche. Nathan MacKinnon has four goals and seven assists over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Ducks: 5-5-0, averaging 2.9 goals, 4.4 assists, five penalties and 11.9 penalty minutes while giving up 3.7 goals per game. Avalanche: 5-4-1, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.2 assists, 3.1 penalties and 6.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game. INJURIES: Ducks: None listed. Avalanche: None listed. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
