Maple Leafs Back Up Words With Disciplined, Complete Effort in Game 2
The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Florida Panthers in Game 2 by a 4-3 score, taking a 2-0 series lead in the second round. The Maple Leafs delivered the perfect…
Monthly Archives: May 2025
Avalanche’s End-of-Season Media Availability: What Sakic & McFarland Had to Say
With the Colorado Avalanche eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Dallas Stars in Round 1, the team has another early summer despite how well-rounded this roster was. On…
Eichel-McDavid Rivalry Takes Center Ice in Game 2 of Golden Knights-Oilers Series
The 2015 NHL Draft showcased a wealth of the NHL’s premier talent. From Mikko Rantanen, Mitch Marner and Kyle Connor, this draft has the potential to go down as one…
Semyon Frolov – 2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile
Semyon Frolov 2024-25 Teams: MHK Spartak Moscow, MHK Krylya Sovetov (MHL)Date of Birth: Jan. 17, 2007Place of Birth: Togliatti, RussiaHt: 6-foot-3, Wt: 203 poundsCatches: LeftPosition: GoalieNHL Draft Eligibility: 2025 first-year…
Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Woll, Domi, Pacioretty, Marner & Little “M”
The Toronto Maple Leafs fought off a relentless push from the Florida Panthers and emerged with a hard-fought 4–3 victory in Game 2, taking a 2–0 lead in their second-round…
NHL Rumor Roundup: The Latest On Marco Rossi, Patrik Laine And Drake Batherson
Most of the focus for Minnesota Wild followers will be on the club's efforts to re-sign left winger Kirill Kaprizov.
The 28-year-old superstar is eligible for UFA status next summer, and the earliest the Wild can sign him to a contract extension is July 1.
While Wild management works on retaining their franchise player, they must also decide the fate of Marco Rossi.
The 23-year-old center is completing his entry-level contract and finished this season sitting second among Wild scorers with 60 points in 82 games. That's a 20-point improvement over his performance last season over the same number of games.
However, the Athletic's Michael Russo and Joe Smith pointed out Rossi was buried on the Wild's fourth line following a difficult period down the stretch and into the opening game of their first-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Rossi was the subject of trade rumors earlier this season until GM Bill Guerin dismissed that speculation in December. He lacks arbitration rights, prompting Russo and Smith to suggest he could receive an offer sheet from a rival club this summer.
Meanwhile, in Montreal, Canadiens GM Kent Hughes came to the defense of Patrik Laine during the club's end-of-season press conference on Monday.
Laine, 27, drew criticism from some local pundits for his defensive play and declining production down the stretch, prompting speculation the Canadiens could trade the left winger or buy out the final season of his contract.
Hughes was having none of it. Speaking in French, he told reporters the Canadiens wouldn't have reached the playoffs this season without Laine.
In Ottawa, a Postmedia report claimed Drake Batherson's name surfaced in the rumor mill before the March trade deadline. The Senators opted instead to trade Josh Norris, shipping him to the Buffalo Sabres for Dylan Cozens.
The report said several teams wonder if Senators GM Steve Staios would be open to offers for Batherson this summer. His affordability is one reason, as the 27-year-old right winger has two years left on his contract with an average annual value of $4.975 million.
It would take a significant offer to pry Batherson away from the low-scoring Senators. He's exceeded the 60-point plateau in three straight seasons, including a career-high 68 points in 2024-25.
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What Will Rangers’ Juuso Parssinen’s Role Be Under Mike Sullivan Next Season?
The New York Rangers acquired Juuso Parssinen at the 2025 Trade Deadline. For some, that might be the last time you heard his name. Parssinen was one of the healthy…
Former Canadiens Lead Maple Leafs To Game Two Win
The Toronto Maple Leafs have won just two playoff rounds in 21 years; needless to say, Auston Matthews and co. have never made it past the second round. On Wednesday night, the Leafs had the opportunity to go up 2-0 against the Florida Panthers, and it was a chance they wouldn’t let slip away.
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Thanks to a 4-3 win over the Cats, Toronto now has a serious option in the series, but to get there, they needed big input from two former Montreal Canadiens: Max Pacioretty and Max Domi.
Former Habs captain Pacioretty put the Leafs on the board on the power play after falling behind 1-0 on an Alexander Barkov goal midway through the first frame. The man advantage marker was scored with less than two minutes left in the period and came with assists from Morgan Rielly and Domi.
The Panthers regained the lead 15 seconds into the second frame, but Pacioretty notched the primary assist on William Nylander's game-tying goal a little over four minutes later. Domi then gave Toronto a one-goal lead less than three minutes before the end of the period.
Tie Domi - 98 career Playoff games, 7 goals, 19 points (238 PIM)
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) May 8, 2025
Max Domi - 58 career Playoff games, 9 goals, 30 points (76 PIM)#LeafsForeverpic.twitter.com/QctLiDodMp
The Leafs again allowed the Panthers to come back when Anton Lundell scored five minutes into the final frame, but Mitch Marner called the game with a big goal just 17 seconds later.
Pacioretty and Domi were named the first two stars of the game with a pair of points each, while Marner grabbed the third. Domi’s stay in Montreal was short-lived. After being acquired from the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes in return for Alex Galchenyuk, the second-generation NHLer had a great first season in town, picking up 70 points. His second year with the Habs didn’t go as planned, however, and his production dipped to 44 points in 71 games.
By the time the “bubble playoffs” turned up, he had lost coach Claude Julien’s confidence and found himself skating on the fourth line, a sign of things to come. In return for Josh Anderson, he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the next off-season.
Since then, Tie Domi’s son has played for five teams but seems to have found a home in Toronto. This is his second season with the Leafs, and he is delivering for them in the playoffs, just like he did last year when they were dispatched in seven games by the Boston Bruins. His performance led the Toronto front office to sign him to a four-year deal with a $3,375,000 cap hit.
It's a shame it didn’t work out for Domi in Montreal since he can play with a bit of sandpaper when needed, but ultimately, so can Anderson, who has been a more than suitable replacement.
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3 Takeaways From Jets’ Game 1 3-2 Loss to Stars
The Winnipeg Jets fell 3-2 at home to the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the second-round series between Central Division rivals Wednesday night. Here, we’ll dive into three takeaways…
Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon back together for Canada at the ice hockey worlds after 10 years
Be aware: Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon join forces to play for Canada at the ice hockey world championship after 10 years.
As all eyes are on the NHL playoffs, the two major stars are in Europe for the worlds opening across the Swedish capital of Stockholm and Denmark’s city of Herning.
It is the final men’s international test before the 2026 Winter Games in Italy, where NHL players return to the Olympics after 12 years.
The two friends and neighbors in Halifax, Nova Scotia, were on the team that Crosby captained to gold at the 2015 worlds. By winning the tournament in Prague then, Crosby joined hockey’s Triple Gold Club, a small group of players who have won the Stanley Cup, the Olympics and the worlds.
These are the third worlds, and first since 2015 for Crosby, a three-time Stanley Cup winner (2009, ’16 and ’17) and double Olympic champion (2010 and ’14). He’s captured gold for Canada at every international tournament, including the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and the 2005 world junior championship.
In February, the 37-year-old also shone alongside MacKinnon as he captained Canada to the 4 Nations Face-Off trophy, beating archrival the United States in overtime.
Crosby has behind him a 20th NHL season featuring 33 goals, 58 assists and 91 points in 80 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who missed out on the NHL playoffs.
MacKinnon opted to join Canada after his Colorado Avalanche were knocked out in the first round. It will be the fourth worlds and and first since 2017 for the 29-year-old center, who recorded the second highest points in the regular season — 116 — and added another 11 in the playoffs.
Crosby will also reunite with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury who just exited the NHL but postponed his retirement at age 40 to play again with Crosby and at the worlds for the first time.
“It’ll be fun to go spend some time together and yell at him in practice a bit, keep him honest,” said Fleury, who won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins three times.
Among the rising stars, Canada includes the 18-year-old Macklin Celebrini, the top pick in the 2024 NHL draft who collected 63 points from 25 goals and 38 assists in his rookie season for the San Jose Sharks.
Canada is the most successful nation at the tournament with 28 titles and is a favorite every year no matter who is available. With Crosby and MacKinnon, it is definitely the team to beat.
Other contenders
David Pastrnak is back for the defending champion Czech Republic after his Boston Bruins didn’t advance to the playoffs.
The Czechs beat Switzerland 2-0 in the final in Prague last year with Pastrnak scoring the winner. It was the seventh title won by the Czech Republic — or Czechia — since the 1993 breakup of Czechoslovakia. Pastrnak racked up 106 points in the NHL, reaching one hundred for the third straight season.
Utah captain Clayton Keller also will captain a U.S. that is seeking a first worlds medal since a bronze in 2021. Alternate captains, forward Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres and forward Conor Garland of the Vancouver Canucks, were on that team four years ago. Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski and Boston net-minder Jeremy Swayman were on the team that was fifth last year.
Filip Forsberg will appear again for the Sweden team that beat Canada 4-2 in the bronze-medal game last year. The left winger will return home to play in two regular season games between Nashville and the Penguins in Stockholm in November as part of the the NHL global series. Others on the Sweden squad include New York Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad and New Jersey defenseman Jonas Brodin and goalie Jacob Markstrom.
The 2022 champion Finland struggled at the previous two worlds, finishing seventh and eighth, its worst results in decades. Nashville goalie Justus Annunen, Chicago forward Teuvo Teravainen and Rangers forward Juuso Parssinen hope to help turn things around.
Switzerland features a trio from New Jersey; forwards Nico Hischier and Timo Meier and defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler.
The format
The 16 teams are divided into two groups for the preliminary round.
Canada is in Group A in Stockholm with Sweden, Finland, Austria, France, Latvia, Slovakia and newcomer Slovenia. Group B in Herning includes the Czechs, Switzerland, the U.S., Denmark, Germany, another newcomer Hungary, Kazakhstan and Norway.
The top four in each group make the quarterfinals. From the semifinals, all games will be in Stockholm at the iconic Avicii Arena, previously known as Globen. The final and bronze-medal game are scheduled for May 25.