The Hockey News Big Show is back to discuss some of the biggest NHL and hockey topics.

Predicting Who Captures The NHL’s Wild-Card Spots by The Big Showundefined

Here’s what Katie Gaus, Ryan Kennedy and Michael Traikos discussed in this episode:

0:59: What's the driving force behind the Ottawa Senators’ success right now?

4:33: Do the Senators have a chance to catch the Toronto Maple Leafs or Tampa Bay Lightning and possibly steal third spot in the Atlantic?

6:13: Is Auston Matthews truly healthy? What if anything is really going on with the Leafs captain, and how concerned should fans be?

9:58: The Carolina Hurricanes are 4-0 since the trade deadline. Why are the Hurricanes rolling, and more importantly, do we believe it can last? 

14:12: Sam Bennett is a pending UFA. Is it possible the Leafs could swing keeping Marner and adding Bennett in the off-season?

17:46: NHL GM meetings began on Monday. Which topic is up for discussion or possible rule change are you most interested in?

21:47: The St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Utah Hockey Club are making things very interesting for the final wild-card spot in the west. Which team are you making a case for to snag that last spot? Which team would be the toughest first-round matchup for the Winnipeg Jets?

24:54: Which team in contention for the final spot in the Eastern Conference wild-card race will put up the best or most interesting fight in the first round? 

28:33: William Nylander has 38 goals this season with 15 games left. Will he hit 50 goals this season?

30:18: The San Jose Sharks are the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention. The Chicago Blackhawks will be next. Which team has more to be optimistic about next season?

32:38: What’s the bigger surprise? Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson scoring four goals in six games or Carolina’s Mark Jankowski getting four goals in his first four games as a Hurricane?

34:15: The PWHL broke the all-time American pro women's hockey attendance record on Sunday night, drawing a crowd of 14,288. It's the second-straight year Detroit has broken the U.S. record. Should Detroit be considered the favorite for an American expansion city?

37:20: A new Happy Gilmore 2 Trailer is out. On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you to see this movie?

Watch the full episode here.   

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The anticipated Future Watch issue is when The Hockey News looks at the future of the game, including the top 100 prospects in hockey.

This year's edition, which is available to purchase online as a single issue or with a subscription, features a top 100 list with plenty of intriguing prospects who rose, fell or dropped from the 2024 rankings.

The Hockey News reached out to a scout, director of player personnel or GM from each NHL team to list which prospects look to be the best five to 10 years down the line.

Every year, there are plenty of changes to the top 100 prospects list because many players graduate to the NHL, and a new draft class takes many of those spots.

Last year’s list, for example, had Matvei Michkov, Cutter Gauthier, Will Smith, Simon Edvinsson, Brandt Clarke and Jiri Kulich in the top six. They’re all in the NHL now, as well as Logan Stankoven (22nd), Dustin Wolf (36th) and Lane Huston (49th).

The Montreal Canadiens' fifth-overall pick in 2024, Ivan Demidov, is already hockey’s top prospect, while Beckett Sennecke, Zeev Buium, Artyom Levshunov, Zayne Parekh, Sam Dickinson and Tij Iginla are other 2024 draft picks making the top 10.

Biggest Risers

As for the biggest risers from the top 100 prospects in 2024 to the 2025 list, New York Islanders center Calum Ritchie (53rd to 13th) claims the throne.

Ritchie’s 40-spot jump correlates with his emergence as one of the best players in the OHL last season and a stint in the NHL to start this campaign. He earned seven games with the Colorado Avalanche after recording three points in four pre-season games.

Recovering from the shoulder injury that plagued him throughout his draft year and showcasing the full potential of his game was what saw him fly up the list. The Islanders acquired him as part of the package that sent Brock Nelson to the Avalanche.

Quentin Musty (plus-32), Tanner Molendyk (plus-31), Fedor Svechkov (plus-30) and Lian Bichsel (plus-30) rounded out the top five biggest risers. Musty’s strong year in Sudbury saw him go from 73rd to 41st, and it likely would have been higher had he not delayed the start of his OHL season due to a trade request. He has 59 points in 33 games.

Burning Flame: Calgary Prospect Zayne Parekh Intent On Becoming Dominant At NHL LevelBy Tony Ferrari, Features Writer

Biggest Fallers

On the flip side, Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Rutger McGroarty (minus-41) was among a trio of players who fell 40 or more spots, along with Joakim Kemell (minus-40) and Colby Barlow (minus-40). Gavin Brindley (minus-38) and Noah Ostlund (minus-35) round out the top five fallers.

McGroarty was expected to be in the NHL to start the season with Pittsburgh. While he made the team initially, he looked to be in over his head and behind the pace of play, not recording a point in three games. Falling from 35 to 76 was a drastic fall, but a relatively underwhelming AHL year contributed to the steep decline. He has 14 goals and 38 points in 56 games for AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Barlow (17th in 2024) and Ostlund (25th in 2024) both fell out of the top 50. Barlow has 57 points in 59 OHL games despite having 58 in 50 last season, and Ostlund has 24 points in 37 AHL games in his first full season in North America.

Brindley (55th to 93rd) is one of the more interesting players to fall. The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect had a slow season from a production standpoint, but he started the year late because of an injury, and it’s his first pro season. He could be a prime candidate for a bounce-back campaign next season, and we could see him shoot right back up this list.

Some prosepcts fell from the list altogether. Hunter Brzustewicz ranked 52nd in 2024 but now ranks sixth in the Calgary Flames’ prospect pool after the team drafted Parekh, Matvei Gridin and Andrew Basha in 2024. Other notable dropped players include Theo Lindstein (65th in 2024), Matthew Wood (87th in 2024) and William Dufour (90th in 2024).

For a full look at the Future Watch issue, including all of the players mentioned here and more, subscribe to The Hockey News today. You’ll also gain access to the entire history of The Hockey News magazine’s digital archive going back over 75 years.

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The trade deadline made Mitch Marner the top player in this summer's NHL free-agent market.

Eligible for UFA status on July 1, the 27-year-old Toronto Maple Leafs right winger is in the final season of a six-year contract with an average annual value of $10.9 million.

The Dallas Starssigning Mikko Rantanen to an eight-year contract extension as part of his acquisition from the Carolina Hurricanes makes Marner stand out more among the pending UFAs with 82 points in 66 games.

If Marner goes to market this summer, Sportsnet's Luke Fox believes he could become the highest-paid player in the NHL. He prefers to remain a Maple Leaf, but his camp reportedly hasn't engaged in contract extension talks. 

Fox also noted the Carolina Hurricanes offered up Rantanen to the Leafs for Marner. Leafs GM Brad Treliving took the proposal to Marner, but he declined to waive his no-movement clause.

"I'm here to play hockey with this team. That's what I can tell you," Marner told reporters on March 8. "I want to be with this team. I want to play for this team."

'It's Not A Distraction': Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving Responds To Reports Of Asking Mitch Marner To Waive No-Move Clause For Mikko RantanenSALT LAKE — One day after the NHL Trade Deadline came and went, multiple reports surfaced, revealing that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner was asked to waive his no-movement clause in an effort to land now-Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen. 

Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun reported Marner didn't immediately reject the trade proposal, taking time to sleep on it. While he claims he wants to stay in Toronto, Simmons thinks his actions suggest otherwise. 

The Hockey News' Jim Parsons speculated that Marner not accepting the trade means he can increase his value in Toronto, which either forces the Maple Leafs to improve their offer to him or lands Marner a larger contract in free agency.

As Fox suggested, if Marner hits the open market on July 1, he will be an “in-demand talent.” 

TSN's Pierre LeBrun believes the Carolina Hurricanes will target Marner. He pointed out they'll have over $20 million in cap space even if they re-signed all their pending UFAs. That list includes Brent Burns, Dmitry Orlov and Taylor Hall. 

A reader asked The Athletic's Josh Yohe if the Pittsburgh Penguins might pursue Marner. He acknowledged Marner's ties to Penguins GM (and former Leafs GM) Kyle Dubas and Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, the club's bountiful cap space for next season and Dubas' intent to stock his aging roster with younger talent. 

Nevertheless, Yohe doesn't believe the Penguins will sign Marner. He cited team sources claiming Dubas intends to wait until next summer before making a big move. It's also doubtful that Marner would want to join a rebuilding team. 

Meanwhile, Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic suggested Marner would be an ideal fit as the Boston Bruins' second-line right winger. That's unlikely to happen because they'd have to pay him more than first-line right wing David Pastrnak's $11.25-million cap hit to come to Boston.

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Sweden will once again host NHL regular-season hockey in November – and Sidney Crosby could be part of the action.

The NHL announced the 2025 Global Series is scheduled to feature the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins facing off at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, on Nov. 14 and 16. This is the first time the Penguins will play in Europe since 2008. The Predators played in Czechia in 2022 and Japan in 2000, but this will be their first time playing in Sweden.

Stockholm last hosted four games in November 2023 featuring the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota Wild. The city’s hosted the most NHL regular-season contests of any city outside of North America with 16 games – next season’s Global Series will increase that total to 18.

As the rosters stand, there’s some high-profile Swedish talent on both teams. The Predators’ top scorer, Filip Forsberg, is from Ostervala, Sweden, and the team also has defensemen Andreas Englund (Stockholm) and Adam Wilsby (Stockholm).

“Every time we are selected to participate in one of the NHL’s marquee events, it’s a testament to Smashville’s passion for our team and our sport both at home and abroad,” Predators CEO Sean Henry said in a news release. “This event will be particularly special for Filip Forsberg, who adores his home country, and the other Sweden natives on our team and in our organization.”

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, has defenseman Erik Karlsson (Landsbro) and right winger Rickard Rakell (Sundbyberg) who played on Sweden’s 4 Nations Face-Off squad. Center Emil Bemstrom (Nykoping) has played for Pittsburgh and the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this season. And while Sidney Crosby isn’t Swedish, Canada’s captain at the 4 Nations Face-Off could play in just his second and third NHL games overseas in the fall, months before the 2026 Olympics in Milan, Italy.

In total, 9.7 percent of NHL players this season were born in Sweden, the highest representation of players of any country outside North America. Rakell and Forsberg are tied for the fourth-most points of any Swede in the NHL this season, with 59. New Jersey Devils left winger Jesper Bratt leads the way with 80 points, while Maple Leafs right winger William Nylander (71) and Red Wings right winger Lucas Raymond (69) follow suit.

Raymond was at the last Global Series games at Avicii Arena before its renovation in 2024. The modernization project was meant to improve sightlines and bring seating closer to the action, according to the arena’s website. They also maintained the arena’s architecture, which includes the well-known dome that stands out in the city’s skyline.

The first opportunity for fans to buy tickets is at the first-ever Hockey Day In Sweden on March 21 and 22 in Linkoping. After that, ticket presales open on March 25 at 6 a.m. ET, and general sale begins on March 26 at 5 a.m. ET.

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While the NHL teams at the bottom of their divisions won’t have a playoff spot to compete for this season, they do have something to battle for.

These final games are important for the San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres and Philadelphia Flyers to set the stage for taking a big step next season. Ending this season with promise should bring a lot of promise into the summer and next campaign.

With that in mind, let’s rank these teams to see who’s most likely to take the biggest step ahead in 2025-26. In order of the most competitive to the least:

1. Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres were supposed to do big things this season, but they failed miserably. 

GM Kevyn Adams traded up-and-coming center Dylan Cozens for pivot Josh Norris from the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline. But otherwise, Adams has re-invested in his lineup, and they’ve got a whopping $23 million in cap space next year.

That said, Buffalo’s youngsters must continue developing for the rest of this season so that the Sabres know they can count on them as they alter their roster this summer. That goes for up-and-comers Bowen Byram, J.J. Peterka, Jack Quinn and Peyton Krebs, but No. 1 draft picks Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin must also produce positive results. 

The Sabres already moved Cozens, so any other youngsters could become trade bait in exchange for more proven players with experience who can lead the team for years to come. So there’s a lot on the line for the Sabres and their players in their final stretch of games, and that will give fans something to be invested in.

Buffalo Sabres Show Something They Lacked For Most Of The SeasonThe Buffalo Sabres haven’t had many signs of hope this season – but the way they won Saturday is one of them.

2. Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers lost six of their last seven games to sink to the Metropolitan Division’s basement. However, they’re just two points behind the seventh-place Pittsburgh Penguins, four points behind the sixth-place New York Islanders and six points behind the fifth-place Columbus Blue Jackets. So they’ve got a golden opportunity to take a sizeable step forward the rest of this season and next year.

Like the Sabres, the Flyers need significant internal improvement next year, so Philly GM Daniel Briere will be keeping a close eye on his assets – most notably, veterans like defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who could be a trade candidate this off-season.

But the biggest thing to keep an eye on is Philly’s goaltending. Neither Samuel Ersson nor Ivan Fedotov stepped up to make the starter’s job their own for the future, and Briere could spend a good deal of his plentiful cap space on an experienced hand in net in 2025-26. But if Ersson or Fedotov has a good showing in the Flyers’ final games this spring, they could make a convincing case to get another chance again next season.

Flyers Vs. Penguins: Who Will Be Cup Contenders Sooner?Remember when the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins rivalry was arguably the best in the NHL, matching hated cross-state rivals who were usually among the league’s elite?

3. Chicago Blackhawks

Some believed the Blackhawks were set to jump higher in the Central Division ranks this season after acquiring veterans last summer, but reality put that notion to rest very quickly. Only the hapless San Jose Sharks have been worse than the Hawks – and to be frank, we don’t see Chicago moving higher in the ultra-competitive Central in 2025-26.

This isn’t to say the Blackhawks won’t show a bit of improvement. With star center Connor Bedard on board and Chicago’s younger players evolving into important NHLers, the Hawks almost assuredly won’t be as bad next season. They have one of the best chances of getting the No. 1-overall pick in this summer’s draft, and that likely won’t change, even if they go on a hot streak. That’s a nice spot for a rebuilding club to be in.

Ultimately, the Hawks’ youngsters are still at least another year away from being needle-movers in hockey’s top league. There will still be a lot of pain ahead for this Original Six franchise.

4. San Jose Sharks

As the NHL’s worst team, the Sharks have the furthest climb back to respectability. After trading many veterans, Sharks GM Mike Grier was open about being a buyer in free agency and trades this off-season. But the Sharks still on the roster have the rest of the season to persuade Grier to retain them.

A Sharks veteran whose future is unclear is star center Logan Couture, who’s missed all of this season – and all but six games last year – with a brutal groin injury. Couture is signed for two more seasons with a three-team trade list. 

Defenseman Mario Ferraro could have also been traded this season, but that didn’t materialize. A strong remainder of the year could boost Ferraro’s trade stock – or it could convince Grier to retain him for the long term. In any case, the Sharks will struggle again in 2025-26, and the playoffs will still be a pipe dream. But internal improvement for the rest of this season would be encouraging.

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The Carolina Hurricanes might have only had Mikko Rantanen for just over a month, but without him and Martin Necas, they’re firing on all pistons.

Drama enveloped the Hurricanes at the March 7 NHL trade deadline regarding their failure in re-signing Rantanen after trading Necas in a package for him in late January. Despite that, the team went 8-2-0 in their last 10 games and won its last seven, which helps its Stanley Cup hopes.

If Carolina can maintain its dynamic play for the next month, the team will head into the playoffs as a threat with home-ice advantage, likely against the third seed in the Metropolitan Division – either the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers or Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Hurricanes look like they could still be a Stanley Cup contender. But there are still some areas of potential concern when the playoffs arrive. Their 18.1-percent power-play efficiency, which ranks 26th in the NHL, is one of them, but the bigger question mark is goaltending.

First thing’s first: the Hurricanes’ goaltending is nowhere near abysmal. Veteran netminder Frederik Andersen has a 2.16 goals-against average and .912 save percentage this season, while youngster Pyotr Kochetkov has a 2.37 GAA and a .908 SP this year. Those are solid numbers for the platoon.

Last season, Andersen had a 1.84 GAA and a .932 SP in 16 games, and Kochetkov had a .911 SP and a 2.33 GAA in 40 games – slightly better than this year. But those strong numbers did not translate into reliable goaltending in the post-season. Last playoffs, Andersen’s numbers dropped to a .895 SP and a 2.62 GAA in 10 starts. Kochetkov had a .880 SP after allowing three goals on 25 shots against the Rangers in last year’s second round. In six career playoff appearances, he’s put up a subpar .863 SP and a 4.01 GAA.

Andersen’s injury history is a bigger question mark. He already missed a sizable chunk of time this season due to knee surgery, appearing in only 14 games. He made 16 appearances last year after missing most of that campaign due to a deep-vein thrombosis diagnosis, which was unlucky. But he also had multiple injuries in 2022-23 that limited him to 34 games, and he missed the 2022 playoffs with a torn MCL.

There’s a clear cause for concern that Andersen might not be available to be counted on when the Hurricanes need him the most. When Kochetkov was injured at the same time as Andersen this season, Carolina had to turn to journeymen Dustin Tokarski and Spencer Martin. If a similar situation happens in the post-season, then a lack of reliability in net could sink the squad.

Things can always change for the better, of course. Both Carolina goalies are thriving this month: Andersen has a .932 SP and a 1.76 GAA in four games, while Kochetkov has a 0.99 GAA and a .960 SP in four appearances. Clearly, Carolina’s goalies are riding high with the rest of their teammates.

But from our standpoint, the Hurricanes’ netminding will be a nagging concern until their goalies prove otherwise. Andersen hasn’t guided his team beyond the second round of the playoffs since the 2014-15 campaign as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. And Kochetkov simply doesn’t have enough post-season experience to say with certainty how he will perform when games matter most. There’s room for reasonable doubt here.

We knew going into the season that Carolina had the overall depth to be one of the NHL’s best squads. But like all teams, the Hurricanes aren’t perfect. And if they do get flushed out of the first or second round of this year’s playoffs due to their goaltending, no one can say they didn’t see it coming.

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Kick off a new week with rapid-fire NHL and hockey discussions on The Hockey News Wraparound Show.

What's Most Concerning About The Maple Leafs Right Now? by The Wraparoundundefined

Here's what Emma Lingan and Michael Augello discussed in this episode:

0:00 What to make of Connor Bedard’s 10-minute misconducts in back-to-back games

3:41: Is Sam Bennett more likely to stay with the Florida Panthers or hit free agency?

5:41: Will the Panthers keep Brad Marchand or Aaron Ekblad this off-season?

7:42: What has been the most concerning part of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ recent slump?

10:10: Which goaltender in the 2025 free agent class will be the most sought-after?

12:48: What are the biggest changes NHL GMs will advocate for at the GM meetings?

15:41: Which NHL prospect traded at the deadline will fit best with their new organization?

18:12: How much money could Nikolaj Ehlers get on the open market this summer?

20:33: Even without Mikko Rantanen or Martin Necas, should the Carolina Hurricanes still be considered a Stanley Cup contender?

23:24: Could Jonathan Huberdeau’s resurgence signify great things to come for the Calgary Flames?

See below for where to subscribe to the show for future episodes.

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NHL players moved at the trade deadline have now had more than a week to get accustomed to their new squads. Some players already dealt with switching teams not long ago, while other veterans underwent the big shift for the first time.

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Jake Walman, Dallas Stars right winger Mikko Rantanen and Colorado Avalanche center Brock Nelson are three examples. Each player’s had a different storyline that caught the hockey world’s attention.

Walman, 29, was traded to the San Jose Sharks in June 2024 with a second-round draft pick from the Detroit Red Wings for future considerations. He recorded a career-high 32 points and provided offensive upside with smart defensive play with the Sharks, which received a 2026 first-rounder to trade him to Edmonton less than a year later. Walman’s endeared himself to his new teammates in five games.

"Nice addition for our team. Adds a lot of speed," Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said on Sunday. "He's a great guy to get the puck and get it out of pressure. His mobility is as good as anyone for a defenseman."

Nelson, 33, spent more than a decade with the New York Islanders but was the subject of trade rumors for most of the season as the team struggled. He now has to adjust to a new team in a new conference during an intense playoff push.

It’s also closing in on a decade since the Avalanche drafted Rantanen. But the 28-year-old was shocked when Colorado traded the pending UFA to the Carolina Hurricanes in January. Without a contract extension, Rantanen went on the move again at the trade deadline to Dallas. He joined a contender that already has Jason Robertson, Matt Duchene, Wyatt Johnston and one of the best netminders in the NHL, Jake Oettinger, who is one of three goalies with 30 wins this season.

Avry Lewis-McDougall looks beyond the stats of each player since the trades and examines how they’ve fit in with their new clubs in a short time in his video column.

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Here's today's NHL Nugget – this Birthday Backcheck features San Jose Sharks rookie Will Smith, who turns 20 years old on March 17.

Smith became the youngest player in Sharks history since Patrick Marleau to score multiple goals in a game when he netted his first two NHL markers.

Brian T. Dessart takes fans on a distinctive ride through the historic-laden NHL with the #NHLNugget. Check out NHLNugget.com to find where to follow NHL Nugget on social media.  And for past NHL Nuggets, click here.    

Here's today's NHL Nugget – this Birthday Backcheck features San Jose Sharks rookie Will Smith, who turns 20 years old on March 17.

Smith became the youngest player in Sharks history since Patrick Marleau to score multiple goals in a game when he netted his first two NHL markers.

Brian T. Dessart takes fans on a distinctive ride through the historic-laden NHL with the #NHLNugget. Check out NHLNugget.com to find where to follow NHL Nugget on social media.  And for past NHL Nuggets, click here.