Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews Struggling in Playoffs Yet Again
Once again, Auston Matthews is struggling in the playoffs. The 27-year-old is one of the best goal scorers the NHL has ever seen, and arguably the best pure goal scorer…
Monthly Archives: May 2025
'I Can't Sleep Without Hockey": Artyom Levshunov Is Ready For More
The Chicago Blackhawks have a lot of bright prospects in the system. Some of them played pro in 2024-25, and more played in other leagues around the world.
One of those top prospects is Artyom Levshunov, who Chicago selected second overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. He spent most of the year with the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL before making his NHL debut in the back half of the season.
Once he made his debut in the NHL, he didn't go back down to Rockford until the regular season was over. In the Calder Cup Playoffs, Levshunov was a top defenseman on the team who played in all situations.
His shining moment of the season was his overtime winner in game one of the playoffs against the Chicago Wolves. He took steps offensively while continuing to work on his defensive game.
Over the weekend, the IceHogs were eliminated by the Milwaukee Admirals in overtime of a winner-take-all game five. It was a great run for the young team loaded with talent.
When the team held a final media session on Tuesday, Levshunov was very passionate about his love for hockey.
"I can't sleep without hockey," Levshunov said with a smile. He fully admits that he doesn't know what to do when he isn't playing the game he loves. Skating, training, and working out are part of his off-season plans. He will spend the summer working on all of this in Florida.
It is one thing to have a ton of talent. It is another to take that talent and combine it with the motivation needed to be a great player.
As far as his first year pro, Levshunov was outstanding. Learning how to play defense at these levels is an incredibly difficult challenge. His development curve was what it needed to be in year one. For beginning the year injured, he found a way to make it work.
Next season, it is likely that Levshunov spends the entire year in the NHL. He didn't look out of place in 2024-25 so another summer of work should help him turn the corner to become a consistant contributor.
Will he be the team's number one in the long term? Sam Rinzel and Alex Vlasic are in the mix with him as well, which is a great problem to have.
With the positive vibes that Levshunov brings to the table, he will find himself playing meaningful minutes on a much better team. This "hockey obsessed" attitude will help him reach that goal of becoming a big-time player.
Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.
Vancouver Canucks Promote Adam Foote to Head Coach
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Vancouver Canucks Name Adam Foote As Next Head Coach
The Vancouver Canuck have their new head coach. The Canucks will be promoting Adam Foote from assistant coach to head coach. Foote will become the 22nd head coach in franchise history, taking over for Rick Tocchet, who left the organization in April.
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In a statement, GM Patrik Allvin wrote, "Adam is a strong leader, good teacher and person who knows what it takes to build a great culture and winning attitude. His past experiences on the ice have translated nicely into a coaching style that fits our organization’s goals and vision. He has worked extremely hard the past few years, gaining our players respect and trust for his strong communication and honest straight forward opinion. He knows this group better than anyone else we interviewed and has inside knowledge and understanding of what it will take to get us back to where we want to be. Adam brings structure, accountability, and a detailed orientated approach to his coaching, a process that will send a clear message to our group about the way we want to compete, practice, and play hockey. We are very happy to have him take over as the new Head Coach of the Vancouver Canucks."
According to Rick Dhaliwal of "Donnie and Dhali", Foote's contract is for three years. This will be the former NHL defenseman's first head coaching job in the NHL. Foote does have some experience running a bench, as he was the head coach of the WHL's Kelowna Rockets during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.
While Foote does not have significant coaching experience, players have raved about him since he arrived in Vancouver. One of those players is Quinn Hughes, who will become an unrestricted free agent in 2027. Foote played 1,154 regular-season games in his NHL career, winning two Stanley Cups and a Gold Medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
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What Should the Canadiens Do With 7 Picks in the First 3 Rounds?
With a young core already producing at the NHL level, Montreal Canadiens fans finally have reason to believe the long-term plan is working. Juraj Slafkovsky continues to grow into a…
Report: Former Senators Coach D.J. Smith Appears To Be Back On NHL Head Coaching Radars
D.J. Smith’s record during his four and a half years as head coach of the Ottawa Senators wasn’t exactly Jack Adams material. When he was fired by the club 17 months ago, he had started the 2023-24 season with a points percentage of .423, worse than any of the four mediocre seasons that preceded it.
No one can accuse Smith of not having enough time to turn the ship around. But roster-wise, he wasn’t exactly handed the keys to a Cadillac either, particularly in the early days. Still, given that the Senators returned to the playoffs the year after his dismissal, a change and a new voice were probably needed.
In the “never burn bridges” world of the NHL, no one ever says a bad thing about the outgoing head coach. But in this case, the dialogue from the Senators' players seemed sincere in its disappointment.
“It’s tough,” Tkachuk said on the day of Smith’s firing. “We’ve been through a lot together, from day one to where we’re at now. I wouldn’t be the same person or player that I am now. Really appreciative for everything that he’s done for me. Yeah, it’s tough to see a good person and an unbelievable coach leave.”
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Smith found work almost immediately as an assistant under LA Kings head coach Jim Hiller, leaning on a former NHL connection. The two men had worked together for four years on Mike Babcock’s staff with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This season, with Smith looking after the defensemen, the Kings put together the kind of airtight defence that Sens fans could only dream of when Smith was running things in Ottawa. And despite a tough first-round loss to Edmonton (again), it may have resurrected Smith’s reputation as a viable head coaching option.
Some LAK news:
— Dennis Bernstein (@DennisTFP) May 12, 2025
Hearing Assistant HC DJ Smith has interviewed for multiple NHL head coaching openings.
Make no mistake, it’s a common tactic for NHL agents to lob a well-placed rumour into the media to make their client seem like a hot commodity. But Smith has always been well-respected as a person. His positivity and git 'er dun personality were always appreciated in Ottawa. Sure, he also took heat for being almost too player-friendly and not making his guys accountable for repeated mistakes, but that seems like a relatively easy coaching habit to break.
Now that he's proven he can help run a tight defensive ship, that's an asset a lot of NHL teams are crying out for, so there might just be something to this report.
There are currently six teams with a coaching vacancy or interim situation heading into the offseason:
- Boston Bruins
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Seattle Kraken
- Vancouver Canucks
Smith would probably prefer not to walk into another rebuilding situation like Ottawa, where the coach, at least to some degree, takes the fall for the performance of a subpar roster. He probably wishes he’d gotten the Ottawa job three years later than he did.
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Of the intriguing situations out there, the Penguins seem like a real possibility. Just like the Kings, Smith has a great connection there, probably better than with any of the other five teams. Pittsburgh’s GM is 39-year-old Kyle Dubas, the former Leafs GM who was in Toronto for all four years of Smith’s time there. Dubas is also a man who tends to lean on past connections.
His first major hire as GM of the Toronto Marlies was his former OHL coach, Sheldon Keefe, in 2015. They had worked together with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. When Dubas ascended to the role of Leafs GM, he eventually fired Mike Babcock in November 2019 and promoted Keefe to the NHL. Smith had just left the Leafs for his new job in Ottawa.
Keefe also fast-tracked former Senator Jason Spezza in Toronto and then brought him to Pittsburgh to be his right hand man with the Penguins.
No matter where Smith ends up, and regardless of how you feel about his time in Ottawa, there will always be interest in a coach from a staff that helped allow the second-fewest goals in the entire NHL this year.
Steve Warne, Site Editor
The Hockey News - Ottawa
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Ranking Sabres’ Needs Heading Into the Offseason
The Buffalo Sabres have a long offseason ahead of them. There have been no significant changes in the front office since hiring Eric Staal as the special assistant to the…
Trust In Elite Goaltending Helping Panthers Over Maple Leafs in Game 5 Win
Panthers seek 3-2 series edge before returning home; Maple Leafs aim to bounce back after two road losses.
This is the most important game of the Maple Leafs' season so far, as they've already had two chances to secure a win and move within one victory of reaching the Conference Finals.
However, the Panthers battled back with two home wins and now could put Toronto on the ropes with a win on the road during game five. It'll be another tight game with both teams looking to win the most crucial game of the series yet.
For bettors, this matchup provides a chance to capitalize on some of our recent strong trends, like our 36-28 record on our last 64 picks, including perfect records during Game 1 and 4 of the Maple Leafs-Senators series.
More NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers Betting Guide: Best Bets, Strategies and Future Options
All betting lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers Best Bets:
- Panthers ML (-145)
- Under 5.5 goals (-102)
- Sam Reinhart Over 0.5 points (-170)
Florida has been in these kind of high pressure situations before after making the last two Stanley Cup Finals and have adjusted to playing crucial games and scoring when they need to.
When making it to the Conference Finals last season, the Panthers went on the road with the series tied at 2-2 against the top team in the East in the New York Rangers. Florida scored two clutch goals in third and went on to win the series and then the Stanley Cup.
These moments they are familiar and comfortable with plus the confidence built from two dominant home wins should propel them into a solid effort for game five.
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Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is coming off a 23-save shutout, and there’s still anticipation for bigger games out of players like Matthew Tkachuk, who has yet to score, and Sam Reinhart, who has recorded points in just one of the four games so far this series.
After finishing with almost 40 goals this season, I expect Reinhart to play a much better game alongside his red hot centre in Aleksander Barkov. I wouldn't expect a lot of scoring in this however as the series is starting to tighten up physically, the scores will start to shrink much like the 2-0 win for Florida in game four.
Toronto netminder Joseph Woll has done everything he possibly can to keep his team in every game and should keep up his stellar play when returning home, where he finished with a 13-5-0 record this season and has yet to record a loss in two home starts this postseason.
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