Panthers, Hurricanes Eastern Conference Final Preview
The Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes are gearing up to butt heads in a situation similar to the last time these two teams met in the Eastern Conference Final…
Monthly Archives: May 2025
Revisiting the Los Angeles Kings’ Trade for Kevin Fiala
June 29, 2022, will forever be a day that changed the landscape of the Minnesota Wild and Los Angeles Kings franchises. The two teams engaged in a blockbuster trade that…
Wild Rookie Zeev Buium Records First Point For USA In World Championships
Wild youngster Zeev Buium got a taste on NHL hockey when he played in four games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Vegas Golden Knights. He recorded one assist in those four games and it came on the power play.
Buium, 19, was drafted by the Wild with the 12th overall pick from the 2024 NHL Draft. After the Wild lost in six games to the Golden Knights in the first round, Buium announced he was going to play for USA in the IIHF Men's World Championships.
In his fourth game for USA, Buium recorded an assist in USA's 6-1 win over Kazakhstan. Buium recovered the puck after he was pressured on the offensive blue line. He skated it back to towards the defensive zone before turning around and flying into the offensive zone.
Thompson picking it up from Buium and sailing it home 🚨 #MensWorldspic.twitter.com/pAOFIJWRQ3
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) May 18, 2025
He dropped it off to Buffalo Sabres' star forward Tage Thompson. The 6-foot-6 forward then ripped home Buium's pass into the back of the net. Buium also recorded a shot in that game.
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Wild Related News
Former Wild Defenseman Advances To Eastern Conference Final For Second Straight SeasonFor the third consecutive season the Florida Panthers are heading to the Eastern Conference Finals. It also happens to be the second-straight season that the former Minnesota Wild defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is heading to the Conference Finals.
Wild's Jonas Brodin Extends Point Streak At IIHF Men's World ChampionshipJonas Brodin opened the IIHF Men's World Championship with a goal in three straight games. He currently is on a five game point streak that includes three goals and three assists.
Wild Sign Top Prospect Danila Yurov To A Three-Year Entry-Level ContractST. PAUL, Minn - The Minnesota Wild announced today the signing of top prospect Danila Yurov to a three-year entry-level contract. Meet The 2025 Memorial Cup Opponent: The London Knights
For the first time since 2007, the Medicine Hat Tigers are Memorial Cup-bound. While Medicine Hat has a stacked team full of talent, the 2025 Memorial Cup will be filled with powerhouse teams who have had very impressive playoff runs of their own. One of those teams is the London Knights, who will represent the OHL this year.
The Knights are making their second-straight appearance in the Memorial Cup and will be looking for a better result than last year. While London cruised through the round-robin, they fell to the Saginaw Spirit in the Final, denying their quest for a third Memorial Cup Championship. With a large portion of the 2023-24 team returning this season, the Knights will be motivated to ensure a repeat of the 2024 Memorial Cup does not happen.
When looking at London's roster, it is hard to ignore the number of NHL-drafted prospects they have assembled. The Knights have 12 players tied to NHL teams and two prospects who will hear their names called at the 2025 NHL Draft. Their roster also includes a familiar player to WHL fans, former Saskatoon Blades goaltender Austin Elliott, who has been almost unbeatable since moving to the OHL.
Shutting down London is going to be a problem, as they have hardly any weaknesses. The Knights went 16-1 in the post-season, while outscoring their opposition 91-43. From even-strength play to the work of their special teams, it is going to be a significant challenge to slow down this London team.
As for players to watch, there are a handful of names that pop up. San Jose Sharks defensive prospect Sam Dickinson has 31 points in 17 playoff games this year, while Kasper Halttunen, who the Sharks also drafted, has eight goals in his last three games. In the end, though, all eyes will be on Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan, as his 39 points in 17 games this post-season were the sixth-most in franchise history.
Ultimately, the Tigers will need to play a near-perfect game if they are going to take down the Knights at the 2025 Memorial Cup. Medicine Hat will also be at a slight disadvantage in the round-robin game, as their matchup against London is the tail end of a back-to-back. Based on each team's depth and talent levels, the Tigers and Knights might be on a collision course to meet not just in the round-robin, but also in the final.
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2025 WHL Championship Series: Debriefing
Medicine Hat Tigers Down Spokane Chiefs, Claim 2025 WHL Championship
Medicine Hat Blows Past Spokane, Take 2-1 Series Lead
Flyers’ Rick Tocchet Hire Is a Home Run If It Lands Mitch Marner
The Philadelphia Flyers introduced their 25th head coach, Rick Tocchet, in a May 16 press conference. One of the ideas they teased was that they may be a free-agent hot…
Rangers News & Rumors: Lafreniere, Miller, Cuylle
The New York Rangers have shifted their focus to the offseason after an atrocious 2024-25 campaign. After missing the playoffs, the team decided to move on from Peter Laviolette and…
Carter Yakemchuk Ranked 26th Overall In Magazine's New NHL Prospect Rankings
When the Ottawa Senators selected Carter Yakemchuk seventh overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, they went against the grain. The young Calgary Hitmen star was ranked as the sixth-best defenceman on most pre-draft boards, and four of the five listed ahead of him were still on the board when Ottawa stepped up to the draft podium to make their pick.
But the Senators bet on Yakemchuk’s offensive upside, size, and long-term potential.
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Now, nearly a year later, those same defencemen remain ahead of Yakemchuk, according to at least one draft/prospects publication. In other words, Yakemchuk hasn’t fallen off, but he also hasn’t done enough to prove Ottawa was correct in scooping him up before one of his higher-ranked peers.
This week, McKeen’s published its Top 200 NHL Affiliated Prospects, a list that includes four years' worth of prospects, primarily hailing from the 2020-2024 Drafts. They believe that Yakemchuk remains an excellent prospect at 26th overall, but he's also still behind the same five defencemen who were ranked ahead of him last year.
The actual 2024 draft order ended up being:
Artyom Levshunov (CHI, 2nd overall)
Carter Yakemchuk (OTT, 7th)
Zayne Parekh (CGY, 9th)
Anton Silayev (NJ, 10th)
Sam Dickinson (SJ, 11th)
Zeev Buium (MIN, 12th)
As far as the 2024 defensive draft class goes, McKeen’s now sets the 2025 NHL-affiliated prospect rankings as:
1. Dickinson
2. Levshunov
3. Buium
4. Parekh
5. Silayev
6. Yakemchuk
Again, everyone on the list above, other than Levshunov, was on the board when the Sens took Yakemchuk.
This past season didn’t offer a breakout case for Yakemchuk. After putting up 30 goals and 71 points in 2023–24, setting a Calgary Hitmen record for goals by a defenceman, his offensive numbers dipped to 17 goals and 32 assists through 56 games in 2024–25. Some of that decline was expected, though, as Yakemchuk deliberately shifted his focus to improving his defensive game and skating, areas that were flagged at Sens camp last fall.
Towering Utah Defenceman Would Be Ideal Senators Trade TargetInjuries to Artem Zub and Nick Jensen highlighted the Ottawa Senators' need for greater quality of depth on the right side throughout the 2024-25 season.
As with player development, rankings and evaluations can vary from one publication to another, and long-term value can’t be measured after only a year. But so far, the defencemen the Senators passed over have largely maintained their standing. Yakemchuk hasn’t lost ground, but he hasn’t gained any either.
The Senators remain confident in the pick, and obviously, prospect development timelines can also vary wildly from one prospect to the next, especially among defencemen.
But a year after making one of the bolder decisions of the 2024 draft, Ottawa will have to wait a while longer for some clear signs that their bet on Yakemchuk will pay off.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
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Reviewing the Metropolitan Division Teams’ 2024-25 Seasons & Previewing the Offseason
The Carolina Hurricanes are the last Metropolitan Division team remaining in the postseason, which means the other seven have begun their offseason journeys. For some teams, that means new head…
NHL Playoff Predictions 2025: Will The Stars Or Oilers Win The Western Conference Final?
The second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs are over, so it’s once again time to offer our series predictions. In the second round, we went 1-1 with our Western picks, and we’re back to offer up our projections for the Western Conference final.
As always, bear in mind these are this writer’s educated guesses.
On to it, we go:
Dallas Stars (C2) vs. Edmonton Oilers (P3)
Season series: 2-1 Dallas
Why Dallas will win:The Stars have gotten stronger and stronger as the playoffs have unfolded, knocking off the Colorado Avalanche in seven games in Round 1, then outlasting the Winnipeg Jets in six games in Round 2. Despite dealing with the high-octane offense of the Jets and Avs, Dallas allowed more than two goals just once in their eight wins in the first two rounds – and in three of those eight wins, the Stars allowed only one goal. Meanwhile, Dallas’ offense has been potent, generating at least three goals in six of those eight wins.
The Stars have a far better goalie in Jake Oettinger (.919 save percentage, 2.47 goals-against average) than Edmonton does in Stuart Skinner (.884 SP, 3.05 GAA), and Dallas also has the better defense corps, including top blueliner Miro Heiskanen. The Stars will have to keep Oilers superstar centers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in check, but they found a way to do that with Avalanche stars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar – and that was without Heiskanen, who was injured at the time.
To be sure, the Oilers will give the Stars their toughest test yet, but there’s a reason why Dallas was the sexy pick of many people to win the Cup at the beginning of the season. The Stars have the depth, elite talent and plethora of difference-makers to get the job done. And while Edmonton also has its share of elite talent, Dallas was able to beat two very good teams in the first two rounds, and there’s no reason to think they can’t do it again now.
Why Edmonton will win: The Oilers showed last season they could handle the Stars in the Western final, beating Dallas in six games – and this year’s Edmonton team is deeper and better than last year’s Oilers team. Edmonton has gotten the expected contributions from McDavid and Draisaitl as they eliminated the Los Angeles Kings in Round 1 and the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 2, but they’ve also received solid showings from support players including forwards Connor Brown, Kasperi Kapanen and Adam Henrique, and that’s what any team needs if they’re to win a Cup.
In beating the Golden Knights, the Oilers got a great performance from Skinner, and if Skinner does falter against the Stars, Calvin Pickard can come in and at least give Edmonton a chance to beat the Stars in Round 3. And if veteran D-man Mattias Ekholm can return from injury, he’ll give the Oilers a physical element that will punish Dallas when they’re in Edmonton’s zone.
The Stars did edge out the Oilers in their regular-season matchups, but Edmonton has found a way to raise their overall game with every round that has passed. With game-breakers McDavid and Draisaitl giving them an edge up front, the Oilers have the hunger and determination to best Dallas once again and set up a Cup final showdown against the Carolina Hurricanes or Florida Panthers. It’s about rising to the occasion, and the Oilers have demonstrated they can do that.
Prediction: Stars in seven games
In picking Dallas to win this series in seven games, we’re giving the Oilers their due. Edmonton isn’t going to lie down for anyone, and they’ve already got the confidence that comes from the experience they had against the Stars last year. But the Stars have a game-breaker of their own in right winger Mikko Rantanen, and Dallas’ attention to detail on the defensive end of things gives them an all-around edge against Edmonton.
As we know, sometimes playoff success can come through special teams, and Dallas’ power-play efficiency in the playoffs (30.8 percent) and penalty-kill (86.1 percent) is superior to Edmonton’s power-play (25 percent) and penalty-kill (66.7 percent). In a series that will see each team thriving at different times for different reasons, the edge in special teams could be the difference between the Stars winning and losing against the Oilers.
Regardless of who wins the Western final, we’re picking the winner to emerge as the Cup-winner this spring. But we’ve been impressed by Dallas all season long, and that isn’t going to change now. So we’re sticking with the Stars team we’ve liked right off the hop this year, and we’re projecting Dallas to win its second Cup in franchise history.
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Stanley Cup Playoffs: Betting Odds for the Conference Finals
With four teams left, odds roll out for NHL Conference Finals starting Tuesday
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are down to four, and the series odds paint a picture of two tightly contested matchups. In the East, the Florida Panthers face the Carolina Hurricanes, while out West, the Dallas Stars take on the Edmonton Oilers.
The markets are tight, the narratives are set, and with series prices, MVP odds, and exact outcomes on the board, there’s no shortage of angles for bettors.
All betting lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
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Eastern Conference Final: Florida Panthers (-125) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (+104)
Florida enters as a modest favorite, with oddsmakers narrowly favoring the Panthers to reach the Final for a third straight season. The most common outcome based on odds?
A Panthers win in six games (+420), tied with a Hurricanes win in seven (+420). Bettors looking for value might consider Carolina’s resilience at plus money — this series is expected to be a grind either way.
Goaltending will likely decide the outcome. The Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky is the betting favorite to win the Conn Smythe for Florida, while Frederik Andersen holds that title for Carolina. If either netminder takes over, they could tilt the series and vault themselves into MVP conversations.
Despite having the longest Stanley Cup odds of the four teams (+310), Carolina’s experience and defensive structure remain dangerous — particularly with veteran Brett Burns, who leads all remaining players in odds to receive the first Cup handoff at +350 odds.
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Western Conference Final: Dallas Stars (-102) vs. Edmonton Oilers (-118)
There’s almost no separation between the Stars and Oilers in the series odds. Edmonton is the slight favorite, but Dallas to win in seven games (+420) is the most bet outcome. That’s closely followed by the Oilers to win in six or seven games, both priced at +430 odds.
This series features a lot of star power — and the Conn Smythe board reflects it. Connor McDavid leads all playoff MVP candidates at +380, with Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen second at +450 odds. The battle between Edmonton’s elite offense and Dallas’ depth and structure should produce fireworks.
Importantly, there’s precedent for a losing finalist to take home the Conn Smythe — which McDavid did it last season. Odds for a player to do so again sit at +950, with McDavid or Rantanen appearing to be the only realistic candidates. If either posts monster numbers in a long series, that path could open once again.
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