The San Jose Barracuda revealed in a recent statement that they had honoured the request of forward Andrew Poturalski and were releasing him as he pursues an opportunity outside of North America. 

Poturakski, who is 31 years old, played three games with the Sharks in the NHL this season, where he had one assist. With the Barracuda, he had 30 goals and added 43 assists for 73 points through 59 games. 

There were rumors that he was going to be looking into an opportunity in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), so we will see what happens, and we will update as we learn more about where his next step in his hockey career is.

Two Former Sharks Eliminated From 2025 Stanley Cup PlayoffsFormer San Jose Sharks Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci have been eliminated from the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Unfortunately, their playoff run came to an end last night with the Dallas Stars as they lost to the Edmonton Oilers in five games. 

Sharks Extend Bona Fide Offers to Multiple ProspectsThe San Jose Sharks have announced that they’ve extended contract offers to a handful of prospects ahead of the June 1 signing rights deadline.

Sharks Re-Sign Shakir Mukhamadullin To One-Year DealThe San Jose Sharks have announced they’ve re-signed defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin to a one-year contract carrying a $1 million AAV.

We’re just a few short days away from the beginning of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.

This year’s championship matchup features the Florida Panthers going to battle with the Edmonton Oilers.

It’s a rare rematch of last summer’s Final, and if this year’s series is anything like last year’s, hockey fans will be quite pleased when the Cup is eventually awarded.

The seven-game extravaganza saw the Panthers take a 3-0 series lead, in convincing fashion, only to get punched in the mouth by Edmonton three straight games to force the winner-take-all matchup in Sunrise.

Game 7 turned out to be an all-timer, and the fact that Florida was able to clinch their first ever Stanley Cup on home ice was something special.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll find out if this year’s series comes anywhere close to being as fun, entertaining and drama filled as the ’24 Final.

As we continue counting down to Game 1, which is set for Wednesday night at 8 p.m. from Edmonton, let’s take a trip down memory lane.

When you can spare a few minutes, check out the Stanley Cup Final mini movie below. You won’t regret it.

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Photo caption: Jun 24, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov (16) defends against Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) during the first period in game seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images_

For the third year in a row, the Florida Panthers are in the Stanley Cup Final. Earlier in the 2024-25 season, the Chicago Blackhawks made a deal with them to help them reach this point. 

Chicago sent Seth Jones to Florida in a big trade that landed them a young starting goalie and first-round pick. Since then, after struggling on a rebuilding Blackhawks team, Jones has been an impressive player in a reduced role with Florida. 

He isn’t the only former Blackhawks defenseman playing well for the Panthers these days. Part of the reason that Jones has a lesser role in Florida is because of Gustav Forsling's presence. The Blackhawks misjudged his potential as poorly as any player this century. 

Before the Blackhawks, Forsling was a member of the Vancouver Canucks as a prospect. Ahead of getting the chance to make his NHL debut, they traded him to Chicago for Adam Clendening. 

On June 24th, 2019, the Blackhawks then traded Forsling to the Carolina Hurricanes in the deal that landed them Calvin de Haan. It was an attempt to win in the moment, but giving up on a 22-year-old defenseman with a lot of promise is never a good idea. 

The Hurricanes, who evaluated Forsling even worse than the Blackhawks, had him only in the AHL before putting him on waivers. During his age-24 season, 2020-21, it was the Florida Panthers who claimed him. 

In Sunrise, Forsling became one of the ten best defensemen in the National Hockey League. On a team with multiple studs on the blue line, he stands out above them all in almost every game. 

Forsling has played in four full seasons with Florida now, and he has 10+ goals and 30+ points in all of them. All of that comes while being as incredible defensively as any player in the league. He came in 9th for the Norris Trophy last season and should have an even higher finish for his efforts in 2024-25. 

After winning the Stanley Cup last spring, the Panthers have a chance to do it again. Forsling is as big a reason that they are here as any player on the roster. To be able to shut down opponents while posing a threat offensively, the way that he does it is as good as it gets in the NHL. 

Since making this mistake, the Blackhawks have stacked their farm with great young defensemen, but it would be nice to have a 28-year-old Forsling at the top of the lineup to help guide them. Kyle Davidson must do what he can to keep that from happening to the franchise again soon. 

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