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Snapshots: Ylönen, Lipinski, Concussion Protocol

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Former Montreal Canadiens winger Jesse Ylönen is reportedly considering signing a deal in the SHL this summer, per Johan Svensson of Swedish news site Expressen (subscription required). Svensson didn’t specify what club the Finnish wing could be headed to. Nonetheless, the potential for a move seems high after Ylönen spent a full season in the AHL for the first time in his four-year career in North America. His minor-league stint was split between the Syracuse Crunch and Milwaukee Admirals, sparked by a late-February trade that swapped Ylönen and fellow minor-leaguer Anthony Angello.

Ylönen was slightly less productive in the Midwest – netting 14 points in 26 games for Milwaukee, including playoffs, after totaling 25 points in 47 games with Syracuse. The full-year total of 39 points in 73 games is far below the scoring pace Ylönen managed through his first two seasons in the AHL in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He spent both seasons with Montreal’s AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, and scored 36 points in 52 games and 32 points in 39 games respectively. That latter hot streak earned Ylönen his NHL rookie year during the 2022-23 season – and he managed a modest 16 points in 37 games to show for it. Montreal responded to positive numbers by keeping Ylönen all the lineup for the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign – but the upside bet didn’t pan out. Ylönen managed just eight points in 59 NHL games last season, and landed in the Lightning organization after Montreal declined a qualifying offer at the start of last summer.

Ylönen could be a proper match in Sweden. He grew up in Finland’s youth hockey program and played pro games in each of the country’s top two leagues. That includes totaling a combined 56 points in 127 games across three seasons in the Liiga, before he came over to North America. The SHL has certainly risen above its peers this season, but Ylönen could be well equipped for the challenge after finding, and then losing, his scoring touch in the NHL and AHL.

Other quick notes from around the league:

  • Calgary Flames prospect Jaden Lipinski is headed to the University of Maine next season, per the club’s Instagram. Lipinski will be one of the very few NCAA players with pro hockey experience – after playing one game at the end of the 2023-24 season, and two games this season, in the AHL. He recorded no notable stat changes. Lipinski is still eligible to attend college because all three games were played on an amateur try-out with the Calgary Wranglers, which kept him from earning any compensation for the matchups. NCAA revokes collegiate eligibility once players accept payment, or promise of payment, from a pro sports league. Since he didn’t, Lipinski will enter the league as a junior player who played up one year, akin to Vancouver Canucks prospect Tom Willander, who played two SHL games before joining Boston University last season. The Maine Black Bears will get a hardy addition with this news. Lipinski scored 58 points in 59 WHL games this season, and seemed to improve his ability to play physical and productive hockey. Those are the hallmarks of Maine’s style, and should create a golden stage for the Flames prospect to continue growing.
  • NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly shared that the league is satisfied with how the concussion protocol has performed this season in an interview with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Daly shared that the league has embedded due diligence into the process, even when players don’t formally enter the protocol. He shared that, with an additional layer of consideration, he feels the league has been able to properly answer any open questions about the process. Rates of concussions have risen and fallen in the NHL over time, but concerns around long-term effects of head injuries continues to ring louder. News site NPR published an op-ed on the link between lengthy hockey careers and CTE in December, sparking newfound debate over the effectiveness of the NHL’s concussion spotting.

The Anatomy Of A Stanley Cup Champion

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A lot has been made of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ elimination from the playoffs this week, with fans stating that ownership should tear the core apart. However, winning in the NHL has never been more challenging as parity has become the norm, creating a league where the line between winning and losing is razor-thin. The introduction of the salary cap in 2005 effectively eliminated the age of the dynasty. Still, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, and Tampa Bay Lightning managed to win multiple Cups, using a similar formula that relied on a mix of homegrown stars, bold and aggressive trades, and savvy free-agent signings. Looking back on the past decade, a clear pattern emerges, revealing a common thread that links all the Stanley Cup Champions from 2015 to 2024. These teams were built from the ground up and relied on similar roster construction to chase their championships, and could serve as a template for teams such as the Maple Leafs to follow.

Every Stanley Cup roster between 2015 and 2024 had an elite center running the first line, from Jonathan Toews in Chicago to Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh and Jack Eichel in Vegas. These champions built their dominance from the center of the ice out. That dynamic point producer anchoring the top unit set the tone for teams, allowing them to drive play at five-on-five and usually run an elite power play. Oftentimes, these centers were two-way players who didn’t skimp on their defensive game or shy away from physicality. Crosby and Toews have consistently demonstrated this, as well as many other intangibles that set the tone for their respective teams.

Outside of an elite center, the champions have all had a strong 2C that could operate as a first-line center on most other NHL teams. The ability to roll out two top centers has given teams the ability to overwhelm their opponents by essentially running two first lines. There is no better example of this than Pittsburgh with Crosby and second-line center Evgeni Malkin. During their runs to the Stanley Cup, Pittsburgh was able to get more out of Malkin on the nights that Crosby didn’t have his game and vice versa.

Behind that, top teams almost always have substantial center depth beyond their top six, and in many cases, they can play matchup minutes against the other team’s top players. Pittsburgh had Nick Bonino, who centered the HBK line (with Phil Kessel and Carl Hagelin) that became a force during the Penguins’ 2016 run, while the Washington Capitals of 2018 had Lars Eller, who could match up against an opposing team’s top line or contribute offensively if played against similar level competition.

Beyond the middle of the ice, championship teams had one game-breaking winger. Pittsburgh had Kessel, Chicago had Patrick Kane, and Tampa Bay had Nikita Kucherov. Even in the past two years, the Champions (Vegas and Florida) have been able to deploy Mark Stone and Matthew Tkachuk, respectively. Having a winger who can take over a game gives the elite centers a pressure valve if they are having a bad game or are being tightly checked. Crosby had some off nights during the Penguins’ runs, but Pittsburgh was fortunate to have Kessel around to pick up the pieces. In Game 2 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals against Ottawa, the Senators did a phenomenal job checking Crosby and Malkin. However, Kessel was there to score the game’s only goal as the Penguins won 1-0.

Slipping back to the defense, nearly every team has had a top-pairing defenseman that is at or close to Norris-caliber over the past decade. This defenseman can play at a high level for 25-plus minutes per night and drives play at even strength while running an effective top power play unit. The one exception here might be the 2017 Penguins, who had Kris Letang, but he was sidelined due to injury and missed the entire playoffs. However, running it back to 2015, teams have had that minute-eating star defenseman who dominates at both ends of the rink. The list of players is elite: Cale Makar (Colorado 2022), Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay 2020 & 2021), Alex Pietrangelo (2019 in St. Louis and 2023 in Vegas) and John Carlson (Washington 2018), to name a few.

The depth is also essential for these Cup-winning rosters, as the bottom six can play a critical role depending on matchups and how many teams can roll four lines. Teams that can throw out a strong forechecking bottom two lines can wear down their opponents over a seven-game series using a mix of speed, grit and defensive reliability. The Penguins won two cups with this style, as did the Tampa Bay Lightning, who could deploy the likes of Pat Maroon, Tyler Johnson and Ross Colton on their bottom two lines during their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. Teams that can keep sending over fresh legs shift after shift can eventually overwhelm their opponents in a seven-game series as the top players on the opposing team start to wear down from being relied upon to carry the water for a weaker team.

The teams that can build out depth can keep their core players together for a long time, which is also a massive piece of building out a Stanley Cup-winning roster. Most of the teams that won a title over the past decade did so by having a core that was largely intact for over a few years, which built chemistry, resilience, familiarity and a buy-in from the players who remained in that organization. The core continuity allowed all those components to grow and mature, eventually becoming an advantage when the games matter the most. Teams that lacked that stability often would have difficulty competing year after year, which happened to Pittsburgh after 2017, as the organization became a revolving door for the past decade.

Lastly, goaltending is always a significant factor in playoff success, but it isn’t always about who has the best goaltending; it is more about which team has the timeliest goaltending. Most of the teams that have won championships have done so without a Vezina Trophy winner and simply had a goaltender who got hot at the right time of year and carried the team through a round or two. In some cases, teams relied on two goalies who heated up when the games mattered most and were able to get the job done, or in the case of Vegas in 2023, they relied on upstart Adin Hill, who was fantastic in his 11 wins on the way to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup. In rare cases, teams didn’t even need average goaltending to win the cup and could get the job done despite poor netminding (Colorado 2022).

So, to recap, using the last ten Stanley Cup Champions: a team must acquire an elite first-line center, a strong second-line pivot, solid bottom-six depth up front, a Norris Trophy-calibre defenseman, and a goaltender that can get hot at precisely the right time. The ability to acquire the right mix of players at the right time is incredibly complicated and is something that Toronto has had to grapple with over the past decade; it isn’t easy to win in today’s NHL, and even the greatest of plans can be foiled by that reality. The Maple Leafs will be in tough to turn this era into a Stanley Cup, even if their blueprint isn’t far off from past winners.

Photos by Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports & Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

The Maple Leafs Can Keep Their Contention Window Open

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It’s too early for most Toronto Maple Leafs fans to speculate on what to do this summer to get this team to the next level. Fans are understandably emotional right now due to another playoff disappointment in a long line of playoff disappointments, and many have called for a complete levelling of the personnel from management down to the players. And while very few pieces on the team have performed up to expectations, it’s unrealistic to expect a complete teardown. So, what should the Maple Leafs do this summer?

First, it’s essential to understand the current state of Maple Leafs management. President of hockey operations Brendan Shanahan has no contract for next season, and it sure doesn’t seem like he will get one with Toronto. Not after the complete collapse of this Maple Leafs team that just could never win when it mattered the most. Shanahan came into Toronto and unveiled the Shanaplan, which was objectively a failure as the Maple Leafs never made it out of the second round and lost every Game 7 they ever played in under his watch. Regardless of the results, Shanahan never wavered from his plan, even when it became apparent that he needed to pivot. Ultimately, he remained steadfast, and it likely cost him his job, or at the very least, it should have.

That should be the first significant domino to fall, and it will be another major shakeup in Toronto after they let general manager Kyle Dubas walk two years ago and sent former head coach Sheldon Keefe packing last summer. But that can’t be it, Toronto can’t just march in another president of hockey operations and call it a summer; they need real change on the ice, palpable, brutal, change that shakes the makeup of their hockey team. It cannot be tinkering around the edges like the team has done in the summers past.

Toronto needs to let Mitch Marner walk; unfortunately, he will set sail for nothing in return. Toronto will gain significant cap space, and how they use it will be imperative to their future success. During his nine years in the NHL, Marner was an incredible point producer in Toronto, producing 221 goals and 520 assists in 657 career NHL games. The 28-year-old was also solid defensively and killed penalties, averaging 92 points per 82 games. But his playoff numbers were abysmal by his standards, tallying just 13 goals and 50 assists in 70 career playoff games. Marner went quiet when it mattered most, and he was never a game breaker for Toronto when the stakes were at their highest. Toronto can no longer afford to pay top dollar for a winger who disappears at inopportune times, no matter how effective he is in the regular season. Marner will surely command a lot of money in free agency, and he may go on to eventually win a Stanley Cup, but his time in Toronto ran its course, and running it back with him would be hazardous for both him and the Maple Leafs.

Toronto must also decide how badly it wants to keep John Tavares in the fold. The 34-year-old is at the tail end of his career and remains a solid point producer, but he is not the fleetest of foot, and his underlying numbers this season were some of the worst of his career. Tavares had 38 goals and 36 assists in 75 games this year, but couldn’t replicate his offensive pace in the playoffs despite some timely scoring. Tavares could still chase significant money in free agency, but the Maple Leafs should avoid paying market value to a player who has posted just 31 points in 51 playoff games with Toronto. If Tavares wants to remain close to home in Toronto, the Maple Leafs should play hardball and try to finally have one of the members of the core four sign a contract that is significantly under market value. If Tavares isn’t interested in offering a discount, Toronto should use those savings elsewhere and try to bring in another free agent to give the forward group a fresh look.

Beyond that, the Maple Leafs should let their remaining UFAs go and lock up Matthew Knies to a long-term extension. If Toronto opts to sign Knies long term AFP Analytics projects his deal to be in the neighborhood of $7.22MM per season long term, which would leave the Maple Leafs with 17 players signed for next season and $17.6MM in available cap space (if Matt Benning and Ryan Reaves are buried in the AHL once again). That lack of wiggle room makes it impossible for Toronto to bring back Marner and Tavares, even if they wanted to (Marner is projected to receive $12.95MM annually, while Tavares is at $7.94MM annually). Still, they should consider other options unless Tavares takes about half that projection.

So, what can Toronto do to fill out those final six roster spots? Well, the short answer is not a lot, at least not on the trade market, since they don’t have a first-round pick until 2028 and lack impact prospects outside Easton Cowan, Topi Niemela, and Ben Danford. The Maple Leafs have two choices: sign players through free agency or make hockey trades using roster players. Regarding where the changes might occur, the likeliest changes will occur upfront, where the Maple Leafs have seven forwards under contract, not including the aforementioned Knies. On the backend, Toronto’s entire defense is locked up for next year, as are both goaltenders.

The good news for the Maple Leafs is that the defense and goaltending free agent markets are weak, while the forward UFAs are stronger. This could open up the Maple Leafs to move out a defenseman for a reasonable return and to acquire salary cap room to sign a forward. Oliver Ekman-Larsson played reasonably well this season and has a 16-team no-trade clause, so he could certainly be dealt, but a move like that would put added pressure on the bottom defensive pairing, which they might not want to do.

The Maple Leafs have some contracts up front that they would no doubt love to rid themselves of. The final year of Calle Järnkrok’s contract could probably be moved with a late-round sweetener, and perhaps that is something Toronto will explore to give itself an extra $2.1MM in cap space for next year. Another option would be to try to move Max Domi and his $3.75MM cap hit, but with three years on that deal, it might be something Toronto has to hold onto. Domi wasn’t terrible last season but was miscast in the bottom six and struggled in the playoffs at times, despite having seven points in 13 games.

All the options in Toronto create many moving parts, but the Maple Leafs have to be careful not to change for the sake of change. They must be strategic about shuffling the deckchairs and targeting players who can insulate their remaining stars. So, who should Toronto target to bring into the fold?

Florida center Sam Bennett would be a top target, particularly if Tavares moves on. Bennett is a true warrior who is battle-tested and still reasonably young at 28. He gave the Maple Leafs a front row seat to see what he could do and would give Toronto an element of skill and sandpaper that had been missing during their past decade of struggle. Bennett is from Holland Landing, Ontario, which is a little less than an hour North of Toronto and may welcome a return to home, but cost could certainly become an issue as he will be one of the most sought-after free agents. AFP Analytics projects Bennett to receive a six-year deal for $6.64MM annually, which could become problematic in a few seasons given his style of play, but it would be a price worth paying if he plays at his current level for even half of the deal.

Speaking of Florida Panthers forwards, Brad Marchand should be a target simply so he can stop torching the Maple Leafs in the playoffs annually. Marchand is no longer a top-end forward, but he has proved his worth in these playoffs, particularly against Toronto. Marchand is projected to sign a two-year deal worth just north of $5MM per season, which would be a very reasonable ask given his resume and ability to get better as the games get bigger. Toronto desperately needs the intangibles that a Marchand-type player can provide, and his personality would probably thrive in a big market such as Toronto.

An off-the-board target that wouldn’t provide a massive impact but could be an under-the-radar signing is two-time Stanley Cup Champion Brandon Saad. The 32-year-old can still produce at a 40-point clip and remains a decent skater who can play off the rush. Saad still does well to get to the net, and he can cause issues for opposing goaltenders, using his hands in tight to provide offense. Toronto doesn’t have much of what Saad offers, and he isn’t likely to cost much more than $2MM on a one- or two-year deal. Saad also has considerable big-game experience, which the Maple Leafs lack, and like Marchand, could provide some veteran leadership to help Toronto’s stars in those uncertain big-game situations.

Change is necessary in Toronto this offseason, as the team can no longer tinker around the edges of the roster. Big moves need to be made, and the Maple Leafs will likely need to replace one or two of the core four by committee rather than with one player. It’s a difficult task, but not impossible, as Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane once said in the film Moneyball, “Guys, you’re still trying to replace Giambi. I told you we can’t do it, and we can’t do it. Now, what we might be able to do is re-create him. Re-create him in the aggregate.” While Billy Beane is discussing replacing one of the best hitters in baseball, the Maple Leafs might be tasked with replacing one of the best offensive producers in the NHL, and given the constraints in place, they will need to do it by committee. It’s a tall task, but as Beane showed back over two decades ago, it’s not an impossible one.

Photos by Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images and Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Jets Notes: Lowry, Ehlers, Vilardi

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The Winnipeg Jets are holding their final interviews of the 2024-25 season on Wednesday, offering a chance for many players to share insight on their futures with the club. The first up was team captain Adam Lowry, who will be eligible for an extension on July 1st and set to hit free agency next summer. Lowry emphasized to reporters that he’ll be ready to sign a deal as soon as the Jets are, and that he wants to stick with the club through the end of his career, per Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press.

Lowry was named Winnipeg’s captain at the start of the 2023-24 season, after wearing an ’A’ in the year prior. The title rewarded Lowry’s career-long commitment to supporting Winnipeg’s bottom-six. He was originally drafted in the third-round of the 2011 NHL Draft, and made his NHL debut three seasons later in 2014-15. Lowry carved out a gritty role in the depth of Winnipeg’s lineup right away, recording 24 points and 46 penalty minutes in 80 games as an NHL rookie. He was full time in the league within two seasons, and quickly found a knack for tenacious plays, full-ice impacts, and routine 20-point seasons.

But he’s started to blossom in his later years, recording a career-high 36 points in the 2022-23 season – followed up by 35 points last year and 34 this year. He also scored a career-high 16 goals this season – all while continuing to operate from a strong role on Winnipeg’s second and third lines. Lowry will flirt with free agency throughout the 2025-26 season, but it’s hard to envision Winnipeg letting such a carved-out piece of their lineup walk away.

The same can be said for winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who will face the pressures of free agency this summer rather than next. Ehlers is another lifetime Jet, having spent the last decade with the club and totaling 520 points in 674 career games. that includes a dazzling 24 goals and 63 points in 69 games this season. That’s the highest scoring pace of Ehlers’ career, though it falls one point shy of his career-high total set in the 2016-17 season. Like Lowry, Ehlers has dedicated significant time to finding the lineup role that works for him.

With his deal set to expire this summer, Ehlers’ teammates have made sure to know how much they like having him around. Cole Perfetti called Ehlers a “joy to life” to reporters, and shared that he both hopes and knows that Ehlers feels how much the Jets franchise appreciates him – shares Murat Ates of The Athletic. Perfetti and Ehlers rotated as wing partners throughout the season, and outscored opponents 25-to-18 at even-strength in their minutes together. It was a career year for both players, and with his public words of encouragement – Perfetti could give Ehlers yet another reason to find a deal that works this summer.

Forward Gabriel Vilardi has also expressed interest in re-signing with the Jets when he hits restricted-free agency this summer, per Ates. Vilardi added that he hasn’t yet thought about if he wants a short-term or long-term deal, though. Either option could be a sensible bet, after Vilardi broke out with 27 goals and 61 points in 71 games this season. Both marks were new career-highs, confidently lapping the 23 goals and 41 points he scored in 63 games of the 2022-23 season. Vilardi’s rise in scoring coincided with a rise in ice time and lineup trust. He performed well with added responsibility, though only managed four points in nine postseason games.

71 games of this season is the most Vilardi has ever played in a single year. Those signs of newfound health could go a long way in solidifying Vilardi’s projection as a staple of the second-line. Winnipeg will have a chance to put a price to that faith in exclusive negotiations this summer.

William Nylander Joins Team Sweden At World Championship

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Team Sweden has announced that winger William Nylander will be headed overseas to join their push for the 2025 World Championship Gold. This is the first time since 2022 that Nylander has been able to participate in the off-season tournament. He’ll join Sweden just in time for the knockout rounds, which begin with a matchup against Czechia on Tuesday.

Nylander has been a strong pillar of Sweden’s international lineups dating back to his U17 year. He posted 10 points in six games of the World U17 Hockey Challenge and three points in five games of the U18 World Championship in 2013; then returned to the latter tournament with a dominant 16 points in seven games in his draft season of 2014. Nylander was scooped up by the Toronto Maple Leafs at eighth-overall, and made both his AHL debut and World Juniors debut in the following season. He potted 10 points in seven games of the junior tournament and, two years later, joined Sweden for his first World Championship in 2017.

Nylander’s first World Championship run continued what was a true breakout year for the Swedish winger. He scored 14 points, split evenly, in 10 games – a nice compliment to the 22 goals and 61 points he posted in 81 NHL games that year. That season marked a switch in Nylander’s path, and he’s continued to dominate both NHL and international scoring at every opportunity since. The 29-year-old has totaled 37 points in 21 games across four career appearances at Worlds, while also tallying 612 points in 685 games and 10 seasons in the NHL. He’s a superstar addition this late into tournament action, and should be a hardy boost for a Swedish club that currently ranks sixth in tournament scoring.

Nick Bonino Re-Signs In IceHL

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Former Pittsburgh Penguins centerman Nick Bonino has re-signed with the IceHL’s HK Olimpija Ljubljana, per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports. Bonino originally signed with the Slovenian club last November, after being released from his contract with the New York Rangers earlier in the year.

Bonino only appeared in half of the Olimpija Dragons’ season thanks to the mid-season signing. But he still managed a successful season, finishing the year with 17 points in 22 games and the highest point-per-game pace (0.77) on his team. It was a refreshing surge in scoring after he scored just five points in 45 games with the New York Rangers last season. Bonino hasn’t scored more than 20 points since the 2021-22 season, when he tallied 16 goals and 26 points in 80 games with the San Jose Sharks.

One more year in the IceHL will give Bonino a chance to play a full year, and cross the 20 point threshold, with his new club. At 37 years old, it seems unlikely the centerman entertains a return to North American pros at any point. Until he proves that sentiment wrong, Bonino’s NHL career will sit at 159 goals, 199 assists, and 251 penalty minutes in 868 games. He won back-to-back Stanley Cups when he served as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ third-line center from 2015 to 2017.

Islanders Hold Second Interviews With Marc Bergevin, Mathieu Darche

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The New York Islanders have reportedly held second interviews with two general manager candidates. The first is former Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. The second is Tampa Bay Lightning assistant general manager Mathieu Darche, per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. Seravalli went on to add that Bergevin and Darche are expected to be the final two horses in the race for New York’s GM role.

Little has come out about the Islanders’ search for a new GM, but the final picture of the race features two very different candidates. Bergevin is among the most tenured front office staff in the hockey world, headed for the 20th anniversary of his first hockey management role this summer. Meanwhile Darche was hired in Tampa Bay just six seasons ago, and has only served as assistant general manager for the last three years.

That imbalance helps Bergevin’s resume look particularly bolded. He served 10 years as the Canadiens’ GM from the start of 2012-13 to the end of 2021-22. His tenure was headlined by six postseason appearances, including a flash-in-the-pan run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. Bergevin managed the careers of iconic Canadiens players like Carey Price, Max Pacioretty, Shea Weber and P.K. Subban – including the shocking trade that swapped the latter two in 2016. He also managed the draft warrooms that selected Artturi Lehkonen (2013), Mikhail Sergachev (2016), and Cole Caufield (2019).

Bergevin’s management of his stars, and his control over Montreal’s heap of draft picks each year, earned criticism as Montreal dragged into a decade with little significant postseason success. But his extended tenure, and recent advisor role with the emerging Los Angeles Kings, could entice the Islanders as they look to change GMs for the first time since 2018.

If the Islanders are willing to be a bit more flexible with their job requirements, they could find a candidate-with-upside in Darche. The 48-year-old has already won two Stanley Cups in his young managerial career, serving as Director of Hockey Operations while the Lightning won back-to-back Cups in 2020 and 2021. Darche was promoted to assistant general manager one year later, and has quickly built a reputation for lucrative contract management and negotiations. That could be invaluable expertise as he eyes an Islanders roster with three contracts north of $8MM.

The Islanders missed the postseason for just the second time since 2019-20 this season. Their GM hire will be quickly tasked with reversing those fortunes, with a roster that wields stars Mathew Barzal, Ilya Sorokin, and Bo Horvat; as well as the first-overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Both candidates have plenty of postseason experience, though their management careers are a competition of quality versus quantity.

What The Senators Must Do To Become Stanley Cup Contenders

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The Senators lost to the Maple Leafs in the opening round of this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. While they performed well in a six-game loss, they showed the team isn’t ready to be a serious contender. Some might argue that this is the first major hurdle in their rebuild, and they have plenty of time to ramp up expectations, but Ottawa has been rebuilding for half a decade and will need to be bold this summer if they hope to jump into the upper echelon of NHL teams.

Ottawa’s rebuild went through severe growing pains, the biggest being that the team hasn’t drafted particularly well outside its first-round picks. They took Drake Batherson in the fourth round in 2017 and Shane Pinto in the second round back in 2019, but their bottom six has been an area of concern for quite some time, and they hadn’t been able to squeeze bottom-six NHLers out of their draft picks. That put increased pressure on Ottawa’s strong top six, an area that Ottawa could look to improve if it wants to contend.

It doesn’t matter how good Ottawa’s top six is; if they don’t receive much help from the bottom two lines, winning games, particularly in the playoffs, becomes increasingly complex. A good comparison for this is the Penguins during the prime years of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, when the Penguins couldn’t get out of the first round with a weak bottom six but became a buzzsaw during 2016 and 2017 when GM Jim Rutherford built an above-average third and fourth line.

Ottawa needs to adopt the same approach to take the next step. Last year, Ottawa’s top six was dramatically improved by the end of the season, with Pinto centering the third line, and the acquisition of Fabian Zetterlund offering another solid piece for the bottom two lines. But if they want to be bold, there are two places they should look to improve, both of which would organically improve their overall depth.

The first is up front, where their depth was mentioned as an issue. Ottawa could tinker at the edges of their roster and sign depth players as they did last summer, or they could make a push to acquire a top-six forward who could push a David Perron or Claude Giroux (if he re-signs) into the bottom six and add some scoring. Alex Adams of Sportsnet has speculated about the Senators potentially taking a run at Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers or Florida’s Sam Bennett, and both would fit what Ottawa needs. However, the Senators have solid center depth in their top nine and limited cap space, making Bennett a longshot target. Brock Boeser could also be a target, but Ottawa might be best served to look elsewhere for cap management reasons, given what he will command on the open market.

The other area that the Senators badly need to address is the right side of their defense. Artem Zub is a good pro and a solid second-pairing defenseman, but he should not be on the first unit for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. That said, Ottawa currently has a solid defensive core, but it could use some help in the short term.

The Senators probably won’t be in on the likes of free agent Aaron Ekblad, and they don’t have the high-end assets to acquire a top young defenseman on the trade market. But what about a reunion with former Senators captain Erik Karlsson? The three-time Norris Trophy winner had his best years in Ottawa, and although he was traded to San Jose, Karlsson’s wife is from Ottawa, and it’s possible he would welcome a return to Canada’s capital. But would it make sense for Ottawa to do so? The short answer is no, but there could be a match there if the Penguins were willing to retain money.

Karlsson would provide offense, but plopping him into the top four would mean he has to play with Jake Sanderson or Thomas Chabot, both young defensemen tasked with covering for many of Karlsson’s defensive shortcomings. Given his skating and strong positional work, Sanderson could probably do that, but it would be a big ask for Chabot. Acquiring a player like Karlsson would allow Zub to drop to the second or third pairing, depending on the availability of Nick Jensen. The other thing that a Karlsson acquisition would do is serve as a stopgap until defensive prospect Carter Yakemchuk is ready to play in the NHL in a couple of years. Yakemchuk could become the top-pairing right-shooting defenseman that Ottawa is looking for. Still, the timeline for his development is unlikely to meet the urgency with which Ottawa needs to fill that hole.

Ottawa’s real target for a trade should be a defenseman who can help elevate Sanderson or Chabot. Zub has been a good soldier for Ottawa, but whenever he plays away from Sanderson, his underlying numbers take a hit, while Sanderson’s improve. It’s a delicate situation for Ottawa as they probably don’t want to disrupt their top pairings’ chemistry, but it might be worth exploring another defenseman on the trade market. Cost will be an issue for the Sens, but Seattle’s Adam Larsson is a name that could be available, as could Calgary’s Rasmus Andersson. The latter of those two might be tailor-made for Ottawa, but he did struggle last year, having some of the worst numbers of his career, and he will be due a massive extension shortly. Ottawa might be wary of acquiring an expensive veteran via trade if they have to turn around and give a lucrative long-term deal to an aging defenseman.

The options are out there if Ottawa does opt to fill in some of the holes at the top of their roster; however, at the moment, the cap space isn’t there to aggressively pursue any of the top free agent options. Ottawa has 14 players signed for next season and has just $17.5MM (as per PuckPedia) left in cap space. After they find a backup goaltender, re-sign Tyler Kleven and Zetterlund, it doesn’t leave much left over to pursue top-end talent, and this doesn’t even account for Giroux, who could potentially re-sign as well. The Senators don’t have much coming from their prospect pipeline either, so they will need to dip into free agency or the trade market to acquire some depth help, too.

The time has come for the Senators to act like a win-now team, especially given the window they have left to compete. They don’t have much young help coming, so management must be aggressive and creative. Bold calculated moves are required so the Senators don’t squander the prime of their young stars, who are almost all on long-term contracts.

Photo by Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Maple Leafs’ Matthew Knies To Play Game 7

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May 18: Knies took line rushes at morning skate in his usual spot alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner and is thus expected to remain in the lineup for Game 7 tonight, per Johnston. Head coach Craig Berube later confirmed he’ll be in the lineup with no restrictions, per Kristen Shilton of ESPN.

May 17: The Toronto Maple Leafs could be without a top-line winger in their must-win matchup against the Florida Panthers on Sunday. Matthew Knies has been dubbed questionable with an undisclosed injury, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic, after playing just 13 minutes in Friday night’s win. Knies didn’t play in the final seven minutes of Game 6 and seemed to be nursing his shoulder through his final few shifts.

Losing Knies would be a significant blow for the Maple Leafs at the worst time. The 22-year-old winger has locked in a role on Toronto’s top line and powerplay unit over the year’s second half. He’s tied for second on the team with five goals and ranks third among Leafs forwards in average ice time in 12 games this postseason.

The performance has come on the heels of a breakout year during the regular season. Knies scored 58 points, split evenly, in 78 games this season, while converting on 19.1 percent of his shots. He also ranked second among Toronto forwards with 182 hits. The performance was a significant stride forward from the 15 goals and 35 points he managed last year, and earned Knies as much as 24 minutes of ice time through points in the year.

Filling Knies’ shoes would have to be a group effort for Toronto. His absence would likely push Nicholas Robertson back into the team’s bottom-six, after he served as a healthy scratch for Game 6, despite scoring the Leafs’ sole goal in Game 5. It’d also push Max Pacioretty further up the lineup and into an upgraded powerplay role, rewarding his eight points in 10 postseason appearances. But in a must-win game, boosting two slight-frame wingers likely wouldn’t make up for Knies’ imposing physical presence.

That could spark more ice time for a bruiser like Steven Lorentz, or push Toronto to lean heavier on the hard-nosed play of a star like William Nylander. The shift in strategy and approach with those moves will make Knies’ match readiness one of the league’s top storylines as Monday’s decisive matchup looms.

Depth Wingers Will Define Golden Knights’ Summer

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The Vegas Golden Knights are back in familiar ground – bounced from a hardy playoff run that didn’t have the legs, and gearing up for a summer with minimal cap space. It’s a situation the young franchise has already landed in, and weaseled out of, multiple times before – but the 2025 summer will offer a particular challenge. Vegas is only projected to have $9.62MM in cap space this summer, per PuckPedia. They’ll have to use that money to redefine the bottom-six, with seven different depth wingers all set to hit the open market this summer.

Some of those pending free agents should be easy to re-sign. Jonas Rondbjerg has averaged just 19 NHL games a season over the last four years, and has just 10 points in 76 career games to show for it. He’s a bump-and-grind AHL winger who shouldn’t cost more than league-minimum to re-up. Much of the same can be said for Cole Schwindt, who seemed mounted for a breakout with 42 NHL games this year, but ended the year with only eight points.

But the mission quickly gets complicated as Vegas looks to parse through the remaining names. Original Golden Knight Reilly Smith seems destined on re-signing with the club, after making a return from the New York Rangers at the 2025 Trade Deadline. He scored 69 points in 134 games in one-and-a-half seasons away from Sin City, and closed the season with 15 points in 32 games in a muddied role with the Golden Knights. Smith had a career-year in his last full season with Vegas – netting 26 goals and 56 points in the Cup-winning 2022-23 season – and age hasn’t seemed to slow him down one bit. With only a few years left in his career, a modest deal for both sides could ensure Smith plays his 1,000th career game, and retires, in the city he’s spent the bulk of his NHL career.

Victor Olofsson also seems worthy of another trial run. He wasn’t nearly as productive as Vegas might’ve hoped for last summer, but 15 goals and 29 points in 56 games is still a commendable season. That put Olofsson on an 82-game pace of 22 goals and 42 points, which would have been the most he’s scored since notching his career-high 49 points in the 2021-22 season. Olofsson also made the first playoff appearance of his career this season, and managed a commendable four points in nine games. Those are impressive results for a man receiving a $1.08MM salary. An assured role will likely require a boost in pay, but Vegas could hold onto good value even with a slight raise.

Smith and Olofsson could take up the bulk of what Vegas is hoping to spend on building out their bottom-six. That could leave a tough decision between Brandon Saad and Alexander Holtz, with pros and cons underlining each. Saad is a true veteran of the NHL and managed 14 points in 29 games with the Golden Knights while battling around routine injuries. He’s scored more than 20 goals and 40 points in two of the last four seasons – intercut by a season of 37 points and 30 points. Those aren’t bad numbers for a 32-year-old winger, especially one with Stanley Cup precedent and game-1,000 nearing.

Holtz is on the other side of his career, with just 46 points in 163 career games and a career-high of 28 points set last season. He only scored 12 points in 53 games this year, as he continued to struggle for ground in the lineup through a move to the Golden Knights. But Holtz was a seventh-overall pick just five years ago, and is still anticipating a breakout season. He’s under more team control as a restricted free agent, and would be a cheaper buy than Saad, but also brings plenty more risk to a Golden Knights club closer to another Stanley Cup run than any sort of rebuild.

Three modestly priced extensions, and a pair of league-minimum deals, will give Vegas plenty to work with as they build a lineup for next season. It also leaves just enough room for a cheap free agent addition. Any re-signed wingers would bolster the flanks behind Pavel Dorofeyev, Ivan Barbashev, Nicolas Roy, and Brett Howden – giving Vegas a very similar makeup to what they’ve rolled out for the last few seasons. But in deciding who to bring back, the Golden Knights will be laying out their preferences between original heritage, shooting luck, veteran presence, and young potential. What they make of those profiles could go a long way in defining Vegas’ chances at maintaining their yearly playoff presence in the seasons to come.

Photo courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images.

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