Rick Tocchet is headed back to television for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. On Wednesday, the NHL on TNT announced that the former Vancouver Canucks head coach would be back on the network this weekend on Friday and Saturday. At the moment, Tocchet is only booked for the two days, with no indication if he will serve as an analyst for the rest of the post-season.
Before joining the Canucks, Tocchet was featured on the NHL on TNT for a couple of years. Some of the notable personalities he worked with included Wayne Gretzky, Paul Bissonnette, Henrik Lundqvist and Anson Carter. There have also been appearances in the past from Shaquille O'Neal, who works for the NBA on TNT.
On Wednesday morning, there was also a report that Tocchet had interviewed for the Seattle Kraken head coaching position. This report came courtesy of Frank Seravalli while making an appearance on "Sportsnet 650." There are currently seven head coaching positions that need to be filled, with Tocchet expected to receive offers from multiple organizations.
As for the Canucks, they continue to search for their next head coach. Some names rumoured for the head coaching position include Manny Malhotra and Adam Foote. Vancouver is currently looking for their fourth coach in four years after Tocchet decided to depart the organization this off-season.
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When Michael Andlauer took over as owner of the Ottawa Senators at the start of the 2023-24 NHL season, he set exactly the right tone for the organization. Andlauer told the city's fan base he wanted the Senators to be, in every way, "Best in Class."
But at the time, the team he purchased was anything but. It was a fixer-upper.
So his first season as a rookie NHL owner resembled an HGTV show, where they encounter poor workmanship, damage and neglect. Then they declutter and strip things down to the studs, and finally hire professionals to properly build things back up.
In his second season, Andlauer stayed committed to doing things the right way, treating people kindly and respectfully, and generally being "Best in Class."
And then the wheels of progress finally began to turn.
The Senators returned to the playoffs for the first time in eight years, but even before that, their customer satisfaction rate among fans and corporate supporters was night and day from where it was two years ago.
Less than a week after an exciting first-round loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Andlauer put pen to paper and wrote an open letter to the fans.
Sens fans,
Even though our season ended sooner than we liked, I wanted to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for your unwavering and amazing support.
Your passion was on full display at our home games in the playoffs. I've never seen anything like the ovation inside Canadian Tire Centre when we tied game 6 in the third period.
I'm not sure there is another fan base that would have stayed in their seats to cheer on their team after they were eliminated.
If the empty net goal by Ridly Greig was the highlight from last year, certainly your passion and appreciation in game 6 – which sent shivers down my spine – was the highlight of this season.
When I purchased this team with my partners, I knew the grassroots of hockey ran deep in Ottawa-Gatineau. But I have come to realize that this is by far the most underrated hockey market in the world.
Our fan base is authentic and it's the perfect match for this roster, which we've built on honesty, genuine care, and work ethic.
We took a great foundational step forward this season and I am so thankful to our architect, Steady' Steve Staios (as you fans have eloquently dubbed him) for his hard work and vision. And to Travis Green and his coaching staff for giving our players the ability to thrive. Ultimately, our players stepped up and worked harder and cared more for each other.
Our dressing room has a family atmosphere we have not seen in a while and the players are the ones who deserve your praise.
This team has made Ottawa-Gatineau proud and this city responded in such an incredible way that I am so proud to call this home!
Thanks for coming along for the ride.
We're just getting started.
Go Sens Go!
Michael Andlauer, Owner, Ottawa Senators Hockey Club
When Michael Andlauer took over as owner of the Ottawa Senators at the start of the 2023-24 NHL season, he set exactly the right tone for the organization. Andlauer told the city's fan base he wanted the Senators to be, in every way, "Best in Class."
But at the time, the team he purchased was anything but. It was a fixer-upper.
So his first season as a rookie NHL owner resembled an HGTV show, where they encounter poor workmanship, damage and neglect. Then they declutter and strip things down to the studs, and finally hire professionals to properly build things back up.
In his second season, Andlauer stayed committed to doing things the right way, treating people kindly and respectfully, and generally being "Best in Class."
And then the wheels of progress finally began to turn.
The Senators returned to the playoffs for the first time in eight years, but even before that, their customer satisfaction rate among fans and corporate supporters was night and day from where it was two years ago.
Less than a week after an exciting first-round loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Andlauer put pen to paper and wrote an open letter to the fans.
Sens fans,
Even though our season ended sooner than we liked, I wanted to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for your unwavering and amazing support.
Your passion was on full display at our home games in the playoffs. I've never seen anything like the ovation inside Canadian Tire Centre when we tied game 6 in the third period.
I'm not sure there is another fan base that would have stayed in their seats to cheer on their team after they were eliminated.
If the empty net goal by Ridly Greig was the highlight from last year, certainly your passion and appreciation in game 6 – which sent shivers down my spine – was the highlight of this season.
When I purchased this team with my partners, I knew the grassroots of hockey ran deep in Ottawa-Gatineau. But I have come to realize that this is by far the most underrated hockey market in the world.
Our fan base is authentic and it's the perfect match for this roster, which we've built on honesty, genuine care, and work ethic.
We took a great foundational step forward this season and I am so thankful to our architect, Steady' Steve Staios (as you fans have eloquently dubbed him) for his hard work and vision. And to Travis Green and his coaching staff for giving our players the ability to thrive. Ultimately, our players stepped up and worked harder and cared more for each other.
Our dressing room has a family atmosphere we have not seen in a while and the players are the ones who deserve your praise.
This team has made Ottawa-Gatineau proud and this city responded in such an incredible way that I am so proud to call this home!
Thanks for coming along for the ride.
We're just getting started.
Go Sens Go!
Michael Andlauer, Owner, Ottawa Senators Hockey Club
This is only the fourth time in the last 25 years that a player from each position has been named as finalists for the award (2022-23, 2018-19, 2009-10), and there are cases to be made for each one of these rookies to take home the hardware this season.
The challenge is determining which rookie was more “proficient” overall their first season, which is the official award criteria, when none play the same role.
Positional value has never been more important – or harder to weigh – especially in a season where all three finalists not only impressed but did so with standout numbers across the board.
This isn’t a case of one player running away with the Calder on scoring alone. Instead, it’s a rare scenario where elite production came from three different positions, each impacting the game in distinct but equally meaningful ways.
Let’s see how each finalist was proficient this season.
Lane Hutson, D, Montreal Canadiens
Hutson was thrust into the Canadiens’ lineup with a ton of hype in an organization that has been desperate for scoring from the blueline. He somehow exceeded all expectations.
Hutson led all rookies in scoring with 63 points, breaking Chris Chelios’ franchise record for rookie defenseman points with the Canadiens while also tying Larry Murphy’s record of 60 assists as a first-year defenseman. The 21-year-old is also one of three defensemen in the last 15 years to average over 22 minutes per game, reinforcing how important a role he played in the Canadiens’ campaign.
The last Canadiens player to win the Calder was goaltender Ken Dryden in 1971-72, and there hasn’t been a better candidate to win the award. In a season where several rookies stood out, none shouldered more responsibility or delivered more consistently than Hutson.
Macklin Celebrini, C, San Jose Sharks
Celebrini cemented himself as the greatest rookie in Sharks history this season. The first overall selection in the 2024 draft set Sharks rookie records in goals (25), points (63), became the first No. 1 pick since Auston Matthews to record a hat trick as a rookie and became the first Sharks rookie to record five points in a game.
Had Celebrini not missed 12 games with injury this season, there’s a really strong chance the 18-year-old would have locked this award up already. He topped first-year players in points per game (0.90) despite having the weakest supporting cast of all rookies.
Doing all this while being one of the most defensively sound forward prospects the NHL has seen in a long time is truly remarkable. Celebrini finished with 29 takeaways, tied with Auston Matthews and Sidney Crosby, and also topped the league in puck battles won per game through the opening half of the season, according to Sportlogiq.
Celebrini has become one of the most polished, well-rounded players in the NHL in less than a year since he was welcomed into the league. If proficiency is showing a high degree of competence and skill, Celebrini proved he had both without many flaws. Whether or not he wins the award, there’s no doubt that the future is bright in San Jose.
Wolf singlehandedly dragged the Flames into playoff contention down the stretch of the regular season, putting together a 29-16-8 record, 2.64 goals-against average, .910 save percentage and three shutouts in 53 games.
Alex Nedeljkovic with the Detroit Red Wings and Mike Condon with the Canadiens are the only two goalies to have started more games than Wolf in their rookie season over the past 10 years.
Considering the Flames ranked 29th in goals per game (2.68) and didn’t have any players reach the 70-point mark, it’s nothing short of miraculous that they managed to finish within a point of the St. Louis Blues for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference – and Wolf deserves a tremendous amount of credit for keeping them afloat.
Unfortunately for Wolf, the odds are stacked against him. Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Steve Mason was the last goaltender to win the Calder, going all the way back to the 2008-09 season. But for a once seventh-round pick to emerge as his team’s MVP in his rookie season, there’s no question that Wolf held his own with tons of skill and expertise. Enough voters noticed that from Wolf to make him at least a finalist, and time will tell if he’s determined to have been the most proficient of the bunch.
The Oilers won their fifth straight playoff game last night, 4-2, over the Vegas Golden Knights. They did it the same way they had won the four previous games.
History repeating itself.
The Oilers dug into an early hole, with Golden Knights captain Mark Stone netting his third and fourth goals of the playoffs within the first 10 minutes.
Then the momentum shifted in the Oilers' direction. With just under four minutes of the opening frame, veteran Corey Perry scored the goal that broke Adin Hill’s shutout bid.
The Oilers stuck with the game plan and limited the Golden Knights to just seven shots in periods two and three. Five of those shots on goal came on the powerplay. So the Golden Knights only had two even strength shots on goal in the last 40 minutes of play.
It all started in Game 3, when a failed coach’s challenge allowed Evander Kane’s goal against Darcy Kuemper to count, thus tying the game at 4-4. The Oilers scored on the following powerplay en route to a 7-4 final score.
Game 4 was a different story. The Oilers were down 3-1 heading into the final frame. Evan Bouchard scored two goals – the second with 29 seconds left in regulation – to force the game into overtime. Draisaitl would score on the powerplay to give them a 4-3 victory.
The next game was a more low-scoring affair. The Los Angeles Kings struck first in Game 5, with Andrei Kuzmenko putting his team ahead 1-0 after a powerplay in the first five minutes of the second period.
Kane would tie the game before the middle frame concluded, with Mattias Janmark and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scoring in the third period to secure the victory.
Finally, Game 6 was a high-spirited and entertaining tilt between the two teams. The Kings started with an early 2-1 lead. Fortunately for the Oilers, Nugent-Hopkins tied the game two minutes later.
The Oilers eventually took a 5-2 lead. The Kings responded with two goals before Brown put the nail in the coffin. The final score was 6-4 in favor of the Oilers.
History loves to repeat itself. At least, for the new comeback kings, it has.
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During the 4 Nations Face-Off break, there wasn’t much Montreal Canadiens’ news to talk about, and BPM radio host and RDS pundit Martin Lemay suggested a way in which the Habs could try to land Pittsburgh Penguins captain and childhood Canadiens fan Sidney Crosby.
Lemay suggested Kent Hughes should call Kyle Dubas and offer him sniper Cole Caufield and two first-round picks for the soon-to-be 38-year-old franchise icon. Since then, many have discussed the idea, and on Monday, former goaltender and now TSN pundit Martin Biron said if he were Hughes, he would do three first-round picks and Michael Hage for Crosby.
Montreal being the market that it is, some have taken those speculations to be rumours and believe the Canadiens will be making a play for the superstar this Summer. To those, I say it’s not going to happen.
There are many reasons why this is nothing more than a pipe dream. First of all, Crosby, even if he was a childhood Canadiens fan, is now a Penguin through and through. He was their first overall pick in 2005, he saved the franchise, and he delivered three Stanley Cups. He is not going anywhere. No, the fact that Mike Sullivan has left doesn’t mean he’ll follow him out the door.
Secondly, Sidney Crosby is not John Tavares. A full season before having the opportunity to explore the free agent market, he put pen to paper on an extension that would keep him in Pittsburgh until the end of the 2026-2027 season, at the ripe old age of 39 years old. No, you will not soon see a picture of Sid the kid sleeping in his Canadiens sheets on social media.
Third and most importantly, the worst thing the Canadiens could do would be to sell a big part of their future for two years of an aging player, even if it is Sidney Crosby. Granted, this season, Caufield put up 70 points while Crosby put up 91, but the sniper is on the way up while the skipper is on the way down.
Sidney Crosby will join Canada’s National Men’s Team for the 2025 IIHF World Championship 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/CTQEq15ZcZ
In their end-of-season presser, Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton were clear that the team’s surprise participation in the playoffs had not “sped up the rebuild.” On the day he was hired, Hughes said he wanted to build a perennial contender, but the odds of becoming one take a big hit if you sacrifice three first-round picks for a player who’ll retire in a couple of seasons.
As good as Crosby is, the Canadiens are more than one Crosby away from winning the Stanley Cup—patience, Habs fans. Good things come to those who wait.
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A day after Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett avoided suspension for his “accidental” elbow to the head of Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz, a former NHL defenseman and department of player safety advisor went to 'X' and started posting about what he saw.
“Was this a blatant elbow to the back of Anthony Stolarz head? YES,” tweeted Chris Pronger. “Should it have been a penalty? YES.
"Was Bennett trying to injure Stolarz, who is a former teammate from just last year? I DON’T THINK SO.
"Was he trying to rattle Stolarz? Absolutely.”
Apparently, “trying to rattle” a goalie is not an offense worthy of a suspension. Few offenses are when it comes to goaltenders.
As much as the NHL has made attempts to try and protect what is arguably the most important position on the ice, goalies are still often free game. Or, at least, it appears that way, based on the lack of supplemental discipline involving goalies over the years.
The last time a player was suspended in the playoffs for an incident involving a goaltender was 13 years ago, when Chicago’s Andrew Shaw levelled Arizona’s Mike Smith while he was playing the puck behind the net in 2012. Compared to the Bennett's collision with Stolarz, what Shaw did to Smith was worthy of jail time.
From a supplementary discipline, the question wasn’t whether Shaw should be suspended — but rather, how many games he should receive.
Sam Bennett, however, received zero games. Worse, he wasn’t even penalized on the play, which made Stolarz's eventual exit from Game 1 even harder to watch for Leafs fans who could be without their No. 1 goalie for the rest of the series.
"Goaltending is the most important position. It really is," said TSN analyst Jamie McLennan, who is also a former goalie. "And you really only notice it when you don’t have it. The nature of this is that it was the perfect storm. It wasn’t Aleksander Barkov, who has won the Lady Byng (Memorial Trophy as the league's most gentlemanly player), doing this. It’s Sam Bennett, who has a history."
McLennan, who is a self-described “goalie hugger," believes goaltenders should be protected — at all costs.
Like NFL quarterbacks, goalies are unique. They are not skaters. They don't deliver hits. And they shouldn't receive hits. That is, as long as they remain in the safety of their crease.
And yet, what Bennett did to Stolarz wasn't Shaw hitting Smith, or Milan Lucic running over Ryan Miller.
Bennett had the puck and he was driving to the net. He's allowed to do that. What he's not allowed to do is use his body recklessly, the same way that Edmonton's Viktor Arvidsson did when he ran into Los Angeles' Darcy Kuemper in a first-round series.
Still, McLennan agrees with Pronger that “this isn’t an epidemic.” Nor is it a black-and-white issue that deserves harsher discipline.
“I will always side on the goalie being safe," said McLennan. "But problem is guys get pushed and shoved and accidental on purpose. You’re allowed to drive the net. But you have to have control of your body. The goalie should be afforded his crease safely. But the water gets murky when defensemen push a guy."
The water gets even murkier when trying to determine whether it was Bennett that even caused Stolarz to leave the game. After all, Bennett wasn't the only one who hit the goalie.
In the first period, Stolarz took a shot to the head from Sam Reinhart that knocked the Stolarz’s mask off. Was Stolarz hurt on that play? Or was it a combination of the puck and Bennett's elbow that caused the injury?
As Pronger tweeted, "Did the incident from the 1st period make this blow to the head worse than it may have been?"
Complicating matters is that even after the Bennett collision, Stolarz still remained in the game and was later seen laughing with backup Joseph Woll. It wasn't until cameras saw Stolarz vomiting on the bench, followed by reports that he had to be stretchered out of the arena to a local hospital, that the true severity of the injury was realized.
"We don’t know when it happened," said McLennan. "It was either the snapshot to the face or the elbow to the head. If I put all the factors into it, yes, I could convince myself it was a suspension. But i don’t know.
"It certainly was a penalty. And you could have called it a major. But again, the goalie gets up and plays."
The Boston Bruins entered Monday’s NHL Draft Lottery with the fifth-best chance to win the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. But luck was not on the Bruins’ side.
In fact, they slid down to the No. 7 pick, which was the worst-case scenario for the Original Six franchise.
This outcome makes Bruins general manager Don Sweeney’s job a little tougher. Does he keep this pick and bolster one of the league’s worst prospect pools, or does it make more sense to look for a potential trade involving an established veteran?
If the Bruins do keep the pick, it would be wise to target a center.
The Bruins badly need a top-six center. They don’t really have one at any level of their organization. Sure, Elias Lindholm has played like a top-six center at times in his career, but he performed more like a No. 3 during his first season in Boston.
The Bruins still haven’t found legit replacements for recently retired centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Having the No. 7 pick in the upcoming draft gives Boston a chance to find that player.
Which players should the Bruins target with the No. 7 pick in Round 1?
Here’s a roundup of predictions (with analysis, if given) from post-draft lottery mock drafts.
“This might be a little aggressive for this spot, but when looking at Boston’s pool, they do have a decent set of forwards on the way. That depth in their system is not evident on the blue line, so they take a risk with Smith, who plays a two-way game with great skating ability and the potential to add to his offensive profile.”
“The Bruins need skill in a big way at every position, but especially at center. The right-shot O’Brien checks multiple boxes as the Bruins rebuild around David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy. No. 7 will be the highest selection since 2010, when the Bruins took Tyler Seguin second after Taylor Hall.”
“Martone (6-3, 208) brings a physical, offensive game that’s been compared to Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk and Edmonton Oilers forward Corey Perry. Martone had the maturity to become Brampton’s captain as an 18-year-old. His decision-making with the puck, ability to use his body to hold off defenders and high hockey IQ also stand out, and he’s worked hard to improve his skating.”
“The Bruins need more offense, and McQueen has a high ceiling. He could technically go higher than this in the top 10, and he could fall altogether. However, Boston takes him here and hopes he can pad the scoresheet for years to come. We know the fans at TD Garden would love to see a guy like McQueen in a Boston uniform.”
EDMONTON – “We knew we could get some good things out of him.”
The Edmonton Oilers were always betting on John Klingberg. But, it wasn’t a smooth ride from when they signed the defender midseason to the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch was singing Klingberg’s praises in his post game scrum with the media present after their Game 1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.
“Probably the turning point or the pick-me-up is probably after we score that goal,” Knoblauch stated. “I think John makes a great play (to) break that puck out, leads to a good rush.”
Connor McDavid would eventually pass the puck to Corey Perry, who then scored the Oilers' first goal of the night.
With veteran blueliner Mattias Ekholm missing from the backend, several players must fill the gaps. Klingberg has been one of those guys.
John Klingberg Stepping Up In The Absence Of Mattias Ekholm
“We knew John could handle it,” Knoblauch revealed. “He’s been a number one defenseman for many years in this league…just not this year (or) last year.”
“But, we knew that when we needed him he could give us some quality minutes and some quality play.”
Klingberg has settled into a groove during the playoffs after a shaky (and sporadic) stint in the regular season. He only has two points in six games while averaging 19:34 a night, but his breakout passes have led to scoring opportunities on the other end of the ice. They have also led to goals, even if he isn’t rewarded with a point.
Knoblauch revealed that the Oilers knew they would get good things out of Klingberg. It’s also fair to say that he’s been exceeding expectations.
“We knew we could get some good things out of him, not necessarily at the level he’s playing right now. Because he’s been helping our team quite a bit since he came into our lineup for Game 2 against LA.”
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Gorton and Kent Hughes have worked very well as a duo since
they were hired, and they’ve often been referred to as HuGo by the fans. Given
how satisfied the fandom has been with this past season and the surprise
qualification to the playoffs, it’s hardly surprising that people would rather
not lose the executive vice president of hockey operations.
Less than two hours after Staple reported the information,
TSN Insider Pierre LeBrun took to X to say that he understood the Canadiens had
told the Islanders that Gorton was in Montreal to stay.
While fans were panicking left, right, and center, RG.org’s
Marco D’Amico was the voice of reason, explaining that it was normal for teams
to ask, but it didn’t mean the Canadiens would grant the request or that Gorton
even wanted to go.
In his post-season press availability, Gorton mentioned jokingly
that his son had reminded him earlier that day that he had been fired by the
Rangers four years ago. While he can laugh about it now, it’s easy to imagine
how gutted he must have been when he wasn’t allowed to see the New York Rangers’
rebuild through.
He got another chance with the Canadiens, and it’s hard to
imagine him walking out with some unfinished business. The team is in a much
better state today than it was when he was first hired, and the impact Lane
Hutson, one of the products of his first draft, has had this season is a big
win for the organization and HuGo.
Given what we’ve seen from Ivan Demidov in a small sample so
far, it’s likely that he, too, will make the duo look good next season, and who
knows, perhaps David Reinbacher will as well if he manages to remain healthy.
You can relax, Canadiens fans. Gorton is not going anywhere,
not until he’s accomplished the goal he’s given himself or is shown the door,
at least. Neither option is likely to happen overnight.
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