As we continue to consider potential offseason reinforcements for the Detroit Red Wings, two compelling candidates had their fingerprints all over the Florida Panthers 6–1 demolition of the Maple Leafs in Toronto. That would be Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand, both of them pending unrestricted free agents.
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The broad case for acquiring each player is the same. Both Bennett and Marchand could bring hard skill and championship experience. Whether in February for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off or this spring in the playoffs as the Panthers fight toward a second straight Stanley Cup, both players clearly have the skillset and mentality to thrive in hockey of the highest stakes.
Bennett can play at center or on the wing. He's an excellent defender. Marchand is the league's most infamous agitator but also a gifted playmaker, adept at pulling pucks off the wall and snapping them into dangerous areas. Like everything else about Paul Maurice's Panthers, both are perfectly suited to playoff hockey.
That's clearly what the Red Wings are after this summer, at least in part. The challenge is that those are two profiles every team in the NHL would also covet. Both players fit the mold of July 1 UFA overpays, especially if Florida can pull off another Cup run, the price tag will only go up. As it stands, AFP Analytics projects Marchand at a two-year, $5.1 million AAV contract and Bennett at a six-year $6.64 million a year deal.
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There is some reason for doubt about splurging on either player. With Bennett, it's fair to wonder whether a player with a career high of 51 points ought to command such a robust contract. Meanwhile, at 37, Marchand is not just on the back nine of his career but a long way through it. Presumably he will be signing his last contract this summer.
However, there's ample reason to see past those drawbacks. In Bennett's case, value obviously stems from a lot more than just scoring (which could be acquired more cheaply elsewhere in the free agency), and Marchand is clearly showing that his scoring touch remains potent in a complementary role.
Both would be worthy free agent targets to help Detroit, if Steve Yzerman can get them at the right price.
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What we know about the NHL conference finals so far originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Two teams are on the doorstep of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.
The Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes have advanced to the conference final round of the NHL playoffs.
The Oilers, last year’s Stanley Cup runners-up, are back in the Western Conference Final as they eye the franchise’s first championship since 1990. Connor McDavid and Co. dropped their first two games of this postseason, but have only suffered one loss since.
Edmonton, the Pacific Division’s No. 3 seed, overcame a 2-0 first-round series deficit against the No. 2 Los Angeles Kings with four straight comeback wins before taking down the No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights in five games. McDavid and co-star Leon Draisaitl have combined for eight goals and 25 assists across 11 playoff contests.
The West final could be a rematch from last year, when the Oilers defeated the Dallas Stars in six games. Dallas currently holds a 3-1 second-round series lead over the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets.
The Hurricanes, meanwhile, are making their second Eastern Conference Final appearance in three years. Carolina, the Metro Division’s No. 2 seed, needed just five games to bounce both the No. 3 New Jersey Devils and the East-leading Washington Capitals. Frederik Andersen has been stellar between the pipes for Carolina, boasting a 1.36 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage in nine playoff starts.
Now, the Hurricanes need to get past either the defending champion Florida Panthers or the Toronto Maple Leafs in order to reach their first Cup Final since the franchise’s lone championship triumph in 2006. Florida has a 3-2 series edge over Toronto after losing the first two games.
So, when will the conference finals start and who has home-ice advantage? Here’s what to know:
The NHL hasn’t yet announced when the conference finals will get underway. This story will be updated as schedule details emerge.
For what it’s worth, the final second-round game that’s currently scheduled is a possible Game 7 between the Jets and Stars on Monday, May 19.
The team with the superior regular-season record gets home-ice advantage in the conference final round.
The Oilers won’t have home-ice regardless of opponent, as both the Jets and Stars finished ahead of them in the standings. The Hurricanes will have home-ice advantage if they face the Panthers, but will start the conference final on the road should they see the Leafs.
The Hockey News Big Show is here to look around the NHL playoffs and beyond with former NHL player Drew Shore providing some unique insight.
Is The Maple Leafs' Core Four On Its Last Legs – Again? by The Big ShowundefinedHere’s what Michael Traikos, Ryan Kennedy and Shore discussed in this episode:
1:03: After the Florida Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-1 in Game 5, how do the Leafs go about forcing a Game 7?
3:15: How do you block out a booing home crowd as a player?
4:44: If the Maple Leafs lose this series, does something drastic have to happen to the Core Four?
7:51: Would you make any changes to the Leafs' lineup in Game 6?
8:16: As a player, do you know when a series is all but over?
9:43: Is this Panthers team better than last year's Cup-winning squad?
11:47: How important is it for the Edmonton Oilers to have scoring depth and not rely on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for all offense?
14:02: Should a team in win-now mode use more third- and fourth-round draft picks in trades?
16:34: Is there an alternate universe where the Maple Leafs have Mikko Rantanen?
17:31: Does Andrei Svechnikov still go second overall in the 2018 NHL draft, and how is his play this playoffs?
20:20: Is Carolina's recent play too much for Washington to handle?
21:10: Hypothetically, who wins in the Eastern Conference final between Carolina and Florida?
22:16: Have you ever seen a goalie or skater be so different on the road versus at home, as is the case with Connor Hellebuyck right now?
23:08: How much does Miro Heiskanen impact Dallas' chances of winning the Cup?
24:48: Did the Vancouver Canucks make the right move by hiring Adam Foote?
28:25: Is Rick Tocchet a good fit for the Philadelphia Flyers?
31:17: Agree or disagree: will Jonathan Toews land with an NHL team, and if so, which one?
35:36: Should being a Long Island native influence the Islanders' decision to select James Hagens with the No. 1 pick?
39:07: Evan Bouchard or Matthew Knies, if you are a GM, who do you offer a contract to and why?
41:38: Would you rather have Florida's Finnish players or Dallas’ Finnish Mafia?
42:46: Who's to blame for the Leafs this playoffs: Auston Matthews or Mitch Marner?
43:43: Will a Canadian team win the Cup this year?
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May 15th, 2025, marks 99 years since the city of Chicago was awarded a team in the National Hockey League. That marks the berth of the Chicago Blackhawks.
The 2025-26 season will be the centenial season for the Blackhawks and they are ready to celebrate in a big way.
It started with an informal revealing of a new logo that features their traditional "Chief Blackhawk" with a gold trim around it. There is also a secondary logo with the years 1926 and 2026 over a big 100 sign and of course, the new look Chief Blackhawk.
In addition to this, the Blackhawks announced that they are finally going to have a "Blackhawks Hall of Fame". This is long overdue. Two players will be inducted via a vote each year.
The players who have their numbers retired will automatically be put in. That includes Glen Hall, Pierre Pilote, Keith Magnuson, Chris Chelios, Bobby Hull, Denis Savard, Stan Mikita, Tony Esposito, and Marian Hossa.
The players who can be voted in for 2025-26 will come from one of two ballots. The Modern Era Ballot includes players who completed their Blackhawks career in 2000-01 or later. They must also be three years removed from retiring from the NHL.
This year, the Modern Era ballot includes Tony Amonte, Brian Campbell, Corey Crawford, Eric Daze, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Patrick Sharp, Andrew Shaw, Steve Sullivan, Jocelyn Thibault, and Alexei Zhamnov.
The other is the Heritage Era Ballot. It includes Ed Belfour, Doug Bentley, Johnny Gottselig, Dirk Graham, Dennis Hull, Cliff Koroll, Steve Larmer, Chico Maki, Mush March, Pit Martin, Bill Mosienko, Troy Murray, Eric Nesterenko, Jeremy Roenick, and Doug Wilson.
Fans can go to these by visiting Blackhawks.com/HOF. Some of the greatest players in franchise history are going to get the recognition they deserve.
With the slogan "Always An Original", the Blackhawks are going to have four chapters of celebration throughout the 2025-26 season. That will culminate in the fall of 2026 with a fan event which will go with the 100th anniversary of the first game in franchise history. The schedule of themes, chapters, celebrations, and giveaways will come shortly after the schedule is released.
The Blackhawks are set to connect with generations of fans as they celebrate their 100th birthday in the coming year.
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Summers are the time for hellos and goodbyes.
The Calgary Flames need a little bit of both.
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In 2024-25, the Flames took a big step forward. After missing last year's postseason, they came up short of the playoffs by a lowly tiebreaker. Instead, the St. Louis Blues entered the playoffs and lost to the Winnipeg Jets.
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Regardless of the step forward this past year, the expectation for next year should be a similar, or better, result. In order to achieve that, every player on the team should be pulling their own weight.
Here are three players the Flames should not bring back, in order to make room for better players.
Kevin Rooney is on an expiring deal paying him $1.3 million. While that doesn’t feel like a lot of money, this is one player the Flames need to let ride off into the sunset.
The 6-foot-2, 31-year-old forward collected 10 points and averaged 9:25 of ice time in his 70 games. The Flames could find someone with their AHL club who could provide similar numbers, with similar ice time, at less than half the cost.
Tyson Barrie (CAL), Dennis Cholowski (NYI) on waivers
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 20, 2025
Tyson Barrie and the Flames were not a fit. He found himself on the short end of the stick when he was placed on waivers on February 20th, 2025. He never returned to the NHL.
The former Edmonton Oilers defender has been on a downward trajectory since his former team traded him to the Nashville Predators for Mattias Ekholm. Unless the Flames want to bring him back at a league minimum two-way deal, they are better off sticking to other players available in free agency.
The Flames should move on from Anthony Mantha mainly because of his injury history. The 10-year NHL veteran has one 80-game season to his credit. However, he remained healthy for the 56-game 2020-21 season.
With the rising salary cap and better offensive options on the table in free agency, Mantha should not return in a Flames uniform for 2025-26.
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A recently-signed Pittsburgh Penguins forward - and former top prospect - has been recognized after a stellar 2024-25 campaign.
On Thursday, Filip Hallander - who inked a two-year deal with the Penguins on Apr. 29 - was named the Swedish Hockey League's forward of the year.
In 51 games for Timra IK this season, Hallander recorded 26 goals and 53 points and finished second in the SHL in scoring.
Grattis Filip Hållander i @timra_ik som vinner pris som Årets Forward i SHL 2024/2025!
— SHL.se (@SHLse) May 15, 2025
📲På https://t.co/debdgjppGr kan du läsa motiveringen och mer om priset som Årets Forward. pic.twitter.com/dyR9cYyI3o
Hallander, 24, was selected by the Penguins in the second round (58th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft. As a prospect, he was actually dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a trade that brought forward Kasperi Kapanen back to Pittsburgh, and he returned to Pittsburgh when Jared McCann was shipped to Toronto prior to the 2021 expansion draft for the Seattle Kraken.
After that, he spent a few years in the Penguins' organization - mostly with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS), Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate - and put up decent numbers. In parts of two seasons with WBS, he registered 25 goals and 61 points in 104 games, and he saw three NHL games in those two years.
After signing a five-year deal with Timra IK in 2023, he was non-tendered as a restricted free agent by the Penguins and spent the last two years in the SHL building back up his game. His offense really took off during the 2024-25 season, but his two-way play has always been a trademark for him.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound center has the toolset to become an effective power forward at the NHL level, and he somewhat modeled his game after former Penguin and two-time Stanley Cup champion Patric Hornqvist. His combination of offensive talent, defensive details, and physicality should bode well for the Penguins looking ahead.
Given the Penguins' current trajectory, they are prioritizing young talent, and Hallander could very well figure into the middle-six next year for Pittsburgh.
His two-year contract carries an average annual value of $775,000 and will run through the end of the 2026-27 season.
Penguins Sign Former Second-Round Pick To Two-Year ContractIt appears an old friend is coming back to North America next season for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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