Avalanche Should Target Wild’s Rossi in Trade
While an enormous contract extension for Kirill Kaprizov looms on the horizon in the summer of 2026, the Minnesota Wild are poised to enter the 2025 offseason with much more…
Monthly Archives: June 2025
The Wraparound: Have The Oilers And Panthers Changed The Importance Of Regular-Season Results?
As time ticks down to the Stanley Cup final, the Wraparound is here with more rapid-fire NHL and hockey topics.
Have The Oilers And Panthers Changed The Importance Of Regular-Season Results? by The WraparoundundefinedHere's what Emma Lingan and Michael Augello discussed in this episode:
0:00: Have the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers changed people’s perspective on the NHL’s regular season?
4:22: Who do the Oilers need to step up the most in the absence of Zach Hyman?
8:57: Can Alexander Barkov become the all-time leader in Selke Trophy wins?
10:52: Has Pete DeBoer’s confidence in Jake Oettinger changed after his performance in the Western Conference final?
16:30 Will Easton Cowan go down as one of the best London Knights players ever?
20:00: Could the Toronto Maple Leafs approach Morgan Rielly about potentially facilitating a trade this summer?
22:20: Did the Tampa Bay Lightning make a good long-term bet by extending Yanni Gourde?
24:05: Breaking down the players and personnel involved in the second season of Faceoff: Inside The NHL
26:22: What value will Jarmo Kekalainen bring to the Buffalo Sabres?
28:31: Should the Montreal Canadiens' Ivan Demidov be the front-runner to win the Calder Trophy for the 2025-26 season?
See below for where to subscribe to the show for future episodes.
Promo image credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
'We're Right There': Gourde And Lightning Believe Championship Window Has Not Closed
The Tampa Bay Lightning's “winning culture” played a large part in one of their top pending UFAs sticking around for the long term with a significantly lower cap hit.
The Lightning re-signed Yanni Gourde to a six-year contract worth $2.33 million per season.
Gourde had an average annual value of $5,166,667 on his six-year contract that expires this summer. The Lightning had less than $6 million in cap space for next season, with 19 of 23 active roster spots filled.
The 33-year-old’s production is also not the same as when he signed his last contract extension in November 2018. He tallied a career-high 25 goals and 64 points in 82 games in 2017-18, his first full season in the NHL. He’s hit 48 points three times since then, but not more. This year, he had 31 points in 57 games.
But Gourde was part of the team's back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021, and he doesn’t think their competitive window is closed.
“We want to win – I think we’re right there,” Gourde said in Monday’s press conference. “I’m so excited for the future and what’s coming.”
The undrafted center played parts of his first six NHL seasons with the Lightning.
Ahead of the 2021-22 season, the Seattle Kraken claimed him in their expansion draft. Gourde had four years remaining on his expiring six-year contract worth $5.17 million annually.
However, he returned to the Lightning two days before the trade deadline when they acquired him and right winger Oliver Bjorkstrand in a three-team trade with the Kraken and Detroit Red Wings. Tampa GM Julien BriseBois traded Michael Eyssimont, two first-round picks and a second-rounder for the former Kraken forwards.
The Saint-Narcisse, Que., native shared how excited he was to return to the Lightning and that Tampa was always at the top of his list, whether it’s a trade or a contract in free agency.
“I love Tampa,” Gourde said. “That was the biggest thing for me, getting some term… And play in Tampa for the remaining years of my career.”
In 21 regular-season games with the Lightning this season, Gourde recorded one goal and 13 assists while averaging 17 minutes of ice time. In the playoffs, he recorded one helper in five games against the Florida Panthers. Gourde also had six goals and 11 assists for 17 points in 36 games with the Kraken this year.
The Lightning made a similar transaction in the 2024 off-season to re-acquire defenseman Ryan McDonagh. Like Gourde, he was a key piece of Tampa’s back-to-back championships.
Although those two players are back in Tampa Bay, the Lightning made a difficult decision last year by letting their longtime captain, Steven Stamkos, hit free agency. The 35-year-old signed with the Nashville Predators instead, while the Lightning traded for the rights to 30-year-old Jake Guentzel and signed him to a seven-year contract worth $9 million annually.
They also traded defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for blueliner J.J. Moser, prospect Conor Geekie, a 2024 seventh-round draft pick and a 2025 second-rounder.
Although the Lightning lost in the first round to the Florida Panthers for the second straight year, they finished second in the Atlantic Division for the first time since 2019-20.
The Lightning also have a core of Brayden Point, Guentzel, Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli under contract through at least 2030. Gourde and defenseman Erik Cernak are also part of that group, while captain Victor Hedman and left winger Nick Paul are signed through 2028-29. Superstar right winger Nikita Kucherov still has two seasons left on his contract, while goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has three years left.
Tampa Bay appears to have the parts in place to continue to strive for the Stanley Cup championship. Now, they just have to execute on that.
“The culture is the same culture that we had when we won,” Gourde said.
Jonathan Tovell contributed to this report.
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The Rangers' Reported Interest In JJ Peterka During Trade Deadline Leads To Speculation Heading Into Offseason
If JJ Peterka is in play this summer, the New York Rangers should certainly pursue him.
During the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, rumors began to circulate about potential negotiations between the Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres regarding Peterka.
Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News first reported at the time that the Rangers were among the teams trying to acquire Peterka from the Sabres.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli added the Rangers had “advanced discussions” with the Sabres involving the availability of Peterka.
The Rangers Repordedly Made A Massive Trade Offer For JJ PeterkaThe New York Rangers were reportedly closer to acquiring JJ Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres than many people may actually realize.
However, The Athletic’s Arthur Staple countered these two reports after stating that the Rangers were not in on Peterka.
Ultimately, Peterka wasn’t traded at the deadline, but there still seems to be speculation of a potential move this upcoming offseason.
The 23-year-old is set to become a restricted free agent and the Rangers have some options if the team wants to acquire the young forward.
If he becomes available via trade, the Rangers certainly contain enough assets to acquire him and trading for Peterka would follow the organization's recent mantra to get younger but remain competitive and not go into a full-fledged rebuild.
If Peterka does not agree to a contract extension by July 1, the Rangers can also offer sheet him in hopes the Sabres don’t match that offer.
Peterka is a player who’s continuing to improve each season and beginning to blossom into a real quality forward.
He has All-Star potential written all over him, which is why the Rangers would be foolish not to at least explore the options of bringing him on board to The Big Apple.
Jets Prospect Jacob Julien Wins Memorial Cup With London Knights
Winnipeg Jets prospect Jacob Julien took home the Memorial Cup with the London Knights last night, defeating the Medicine Hat Tigers in the finals.
The Knights had lost to the Tigers in the preliminary round, but answered back in the finals with a resounding 4-1 win. Julien got the scoring started for the Knights in the first period before Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan and Philadelphia Flyers prospect Denver Barkey combined for three goals in the second period. 2026 projected first overall pick Gavin McKenna scored in the third period for the Tigers, but it wasn't enough to mount a comeback.
The 20-year-old finished the tournament with two goals and four points in five games, improving on his three assists in four games in last year's tournament. It's the third time the Knights have won the Memorial Cup, winning it for the first time since 2016.
Julien was phenomenal all season long for the Knights, scoring 11 goals and 54 points in 65 games in the regular season before adding another six goals and 19 points in 17 postseason games en route to back-to-back OHL championships.
Listed at 6'4 181 lbs, Julien was a trusted defensive center for HC Dale Hunter. He used his size and physicality to shut down many of the best players the CHL has to offer.
The London, ON native was a fifth-round pick (146th overall) in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and is poised to join the Manitoba Moose in the AHL next season.
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Remembering Iginla’s Heroic 2004 Stanley Cup Run with the Flames
While all eyes turn to the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers as they prepare for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday in Edmonton, it’s also a moment…
4 Storylines to Watch at the 2025 NHL Combine
Welcome to June. With that, welcome to NHL Draft Combine week in Buffalo. A total of 90 draft-eligible prospects will spend the week at Harborcenter being interviewed by teams and…
The London Knights Are Without Peer In The Hockey World
Winning three Memorial Cups in 20 years might not sound like anything too incredible, until of course you consider that it's probably more difficult than even the Stanley Cup to win.
When the London Knights captured the championship with a 4-1 over the Medicine Hat Tigers Sunday night, they ended an era that saw the likes of Easton Cowan, Denver Barkley, Jacob Julien, Oliver Bonk and Kasper Halttunen play their last games of junior hockey. But nobody would be surprised to see the Knights contend for the title again in 2025-26.
Because that's pretty much what they do. Every year.
No team in hockey has had the sustained success the Knights have enjoyed over the past two-plus decades and it all starts and ends with Mark and Dale Hunter, who combine winning with developing talent for the NHL better than anyone in the business.
Watch today's video column for more, and share your thoughts.
Promo image credit: Vincent Ethier / CHL Images
Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
Oilers’ Kris Knoblauch Puts Himself in Elite Company With Another Cup Final Appearance
The Edmonton Oilers have made it back to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight season against the same opponent, the Florida Panthers, but they’ll be looking to pick…
Maple Leafs at the Crossroads: Is This the Beginning of the End?
Following another disappointing postseason, capped off by a Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers, is it time to ask a deeper question than whether Mitch Marner will stay or…