Panthers Win Stanley Cup, Connor McDavid Wins Conn Smythe
The Florida Panthers are your 2024 Stanley Cup champions, recovering from blowing a 3-0 series lead by taking Game 7 at home by a score of 2-1. The Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP is going to a skater from the losing club for the second time in NHL history, though. Oilers superstar Connor McDavid receives the honor after recording a postseason-leading 34 assists and 42 points in just 24 games, the former of which is an all-time record.
Among the notables for Florida is captain Aleksander Barkov becoming the first Finn to lead his team to a Stanley Cup. Head coach Paul Maurice, who’s second all-time in games coached with 1,848, also wins for the first time.
The Cup-winning goal came off the stick of Sam Reinhart, who beat Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner for the go-ahead goal with 4:51 left in the second period. He has less than a week to negotiate a contract extension with the Panthers to avoid hitting the open market as the top right wing available next Monday.
Reinhart finishes the postseason second on Florida in goals with 10, one behind Carter Verhaeghe‘s 11. He netted the game-opening goal after going scoreless in Games 2 through 6.
While he lost out to McDavid for the Conn Smythe, Panthers star netminder Sergei Bobrovsky isn’t complaining about his first Cup win, either. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner is up for the award again this year, and with a championship ring, he’s all but solidified his candidacy for the Hockey Hall of Fame.
With the Cup Final over, attention now turns toward an incredibly busy opening to the offseason. The first buyout window opens Wednesday, the NHL Awards are Thursday night, the 2024 NHL Draft is Friday and Saturday, and the qualifying offer deadline is Sunday. That’s a major calendar event for five days in a row before the opening of free agency and the technical start of the new league year on Monday, July 1.
Snapshots: Bobrovsky, Ekblad, Nugent-Hopkins, Smith
Florida Panthers fans are breathing a big sigh of relief this morning, with both star defender Aaron Ekblad and Vezina-finalist goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky good to go after missing the team’s Sunday morning practice, per Colby Guy of Florida Hockey Now (Twitter link). Neither player were limited in the team’s Game 6 loss – with Bobrovsky facing 19 shots and Ekblad playing 21:37 in ice time – suggesting that their absences were merely for maintenance. Still, every update matters as the Panthers look to skid three straight losses in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Edmonton Oilers have outscored Florida 18-t0-5 over that stretch, with Bobrovsky posting a collective 0.793 save percentage. The Panthers will now return home for a winner-takes-all Game 7, seemingly still at full strength.
Other quick notes from around the league:
- In the name of fairness, the Oilers are facing an injury scare of their own, with former-100 point forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins missing the team’s Sunday practice with illness, per Jim Matheson of NHL.com (Twitter link). Nugent-Hopkins has been one of Edmonton’s top contributors this postseason, recording 22 points in 24 playoff games. That includes two points in Edmonton’s three-game win-streak – so far his only scoring in the Stanley Cup Finals. Nugent-Hopkins would leave a major role vacant should he be unavailable for Game 7, though there’s been no indication that Edmonton is expecting him to sit.
- Pittsburgh Penguins winger Reilly Smith has changed agencies ahead of the final year of his contract, now represented by CAA Hockey, per PuckPedia (Twitter link). CAA is the choice agency of many NHL stars, including Sidney Crosby, Matthew Beniers, Mathew Barzal, and Cole Caufield. It’s also the agency most akin to changing scenery – representing the recently-traded Pierre-Luc Dubois, rumored trade chip Rutger McGroarty, and hardened trade rumor veteran Jack Eichel. Smith takes on the new representation while looking to vindicate his final year at a $5MM price tag, though his 13 goals and 40 points last season fell short of expecations.
Free Agent Focus: Edmonton Oilers
Free agency is now just a bit more than a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Oilers.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Dylan Holloway – Dylan Holloway has spent most of the last three seasons posting high scoring in the minor leagues but failing to follow up in NHL call-ups. That seemed to come to a peak this year, with Holloway netting 10 goals and 16 points in 18 AHL games but then totaling just nine points in 38 NHL regular-season games. It was looking like another disappointing year until Holloway stepped up in the postseason – tallying a handful of timely goals and putting in the work to make an impact even if his name isn’t on the scoresheet. Still, he has just seven points in 23 playoff games, not doing too much to warrant a prime contract next season. There are reasons for Edmonton to hold onto faith with the 2020 14th-overall pick, though he’s likely set for a short-term ‘prove it’ deal before anything substantial.
D Philip Broberg – Broberg’s career has followed a very similar track record to Holloway’s, featuring strong minor league scoring followed by weak performances at the top level. That has equated to 13 points in 81 NHL games for Broberg – though, like Holloway, he’s earned some stake back with strong appearances in the postseason, though he’s only played in eight games. The Oilers have been publicly shopping Broberg around for some time now, and seem destined for a breakup this summer – with a looming change of scenery hopefully sparking some offense in the former eighth-overall pick.
Other RFAs: F James Hamblin, F Raphael Lavoie, F Carter Savoie, D Noel Hoefenmayer, G Ryan Fanti
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Warren Foegele – The Oilers are facing a massive outflux of depth forwards this summer, headlined by Warren Foegele, who posted a career-high 20 goals and 41 points this season. Foegele has always found a way to be impactful but he seemed to find an added gear this year, fighting his way to confident third-line minutes and strong scoring amidst an Oilers bottom-six that was otherwise fairly tame. Foegele chose to have a career year at the right time, and will likely vie for a respectable price tag this summer with teams looking to prioritize depth scoring. But there’s no question that his strength shined best in the Oilers lineup, and he should be a popular candidate to re-sign.
F Connor Brown – Connor Brown was signed to replace Klim Kostin’s role of rough-and-tumble bruiser lined up next to Connor McDavid. But Brown couldn’t fill the role, managing just 12 points in 71 games this season and seeing his role dwindle from top-line minutes to healthy scratches. Brown has earned some merit back with six points in 17 postseason games, though he’s still filling a role much less than originally designed. That fact could make him expendable come the summer, among a long list of depth options hitting the open market.
F Adam Henrique – The Oilers must make judgment calls on multiple veteran forwards, including Henrique, Corey Perry, Sam Gagner, and Mattias Janmark. Of the bunch, it appears Henrique would have the best case to return. He posted a measly nine points in 22 games – and six points in 15 playoff games – after joining the Oilers at the Trade Deadline, but has still found a way to offer prominent depth at both wing and center. Flexibility and leadership are Henrique’s defining traits and it could prove invaluable as the Oilers look to turn a one-season run to the Stanley Cup Finals into a routine spot among the NHL’s top teams. At 34, it’s likely Henrique has a few years left in the tank without being able to command too pricey of a cap hit.
D Vincent Desharnais – Desharnais has filled the important role of team-bruiser for the Oilers, leading him to 78 appearances during the regular season, even though he potted just 11 points. He’s a hefty 6-foot-7, 226lbs, and knows how to throw around his weight without racking up the penalty minutes – totaling just 85 across his first 114 NHL games. Desharnais has distinctly shown what kind of player he is and will likely be due a cheap contract as a result, but his ability to serve as the brawn behind the skilled Oilers lineup sets him up to become a consistent of the team’s bottom lines.
Other UFAs: F Sam Carrick, F Sam Gagner, F Mattias Janmark, F Corey Perry, F Adam Erne, F Greg McKegg, D Troy Stecher, D Cam Dineen, D Markus Niemelainen, G Calvin Pickard
Projected Cap Space
The Oilers are entering the summer with just $10.03MM in projected cap space. That’s likely enough to bring back a few depth pieces – and both of their notable RFAs – but it won’t be enough for the team to make any notable improvements after making a run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. They’ll have to hope their current makeup can find similar success next season – and will soon need to lean on young depth pieces like Xavier Bourgault and Beau Akey as they continue to be priced out of consistency down the lineup.
Afternoon Notes: Clune, Devils, Kane, Holloway
The Anaheim Ducks have hired former player Rich Clune as an assistant coach, shares Chris Johnston of The Athletic (Twitter link). Clune has spent the last two seasons as a development coach with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, joining the team he once captained immediately following his 2022 retirement. Clune added a role behind the bench last season, and will now get a chance to do the same at the NHL level.
Clune was a career minor-league bruiser, who played in just two full NHL seasons as part of his 15-year career in North American pros. He scored a career-high nine points in 47 games during the 2012-13 season, swapping record stats in the following year with seven points and a career-high 166 penalty minutes in 58 games. Clune would go on to play just one more NHL game in his career, though he did total an impressive 593 career games in the AHL – recording 151 points and 1,607 penalty minutes.
Other notes from around the league:
- The New Jersey Devils have signed a two-year extension with ECHL affiliate the Adirondack Thunder. The two teams have been partnered since 2017-18, following a brief connection between Adirondack and the Calgary Flames. The Thunder have only missed the playoffs once in their six-year connection with New Jersey, though they’ve failed to make it past Divisional finals.
- The Edmonton Oilers could welcome winger Evander Kane back to the lineup on Friday, with head coach Kris Knoblauch designating him a game-time decision to Dan Rosen of NHL.com (Twitter link). Kane hasn’t played since Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, and hasn’t scored since Game 5 against the Dallas Stars. In total he has just eight points in 20 games this postseason, though his aggression and grit will be a welcome boost over Dylan Holloway, who’d stand to lose his role should Kane step back in, shares Renauld Lavoie of TVA Sports (Twitter link).
Andrew Cogliano Announces Retirement
2022 Stanley Cup champion Andrew Cogliano is retiring after a 17-year NHL career. The Avalanche announced the news regarding their pending free agent forward in an announcement Friday. He’ll stay in Denver in a wide-spanning player development and scouting role. Cogliano released the following statement through the team:
The game of hockey has given me and my family so much and I am grateful for every moment. I am blessed to have played for so long with some great organizations and amazing teammates. I will miss being with the guys in the dressing room and battling for each other on the ice every night but it’s time to move on. Thank you to everyone I ever played with, played for and all the great fans for all of their support. I am excited to start my new chapter in the front office.
An unlikely first-round pick of the Oilers back in 2005, Cogliano had a peculiar development path as one of the few first-round picks in recent memory to be drafted out of lower-level juniors. After racking up 102 points in 49 games with the OPJHL’s St. Michael’s Buzzers in his draft year, Cogliano walked away from Canadian juniors and embarked on a collegiate career with the University of Michigan, where he again dominated. He turned pro with Edmonton in 2007-08, playing in all 82 games during his rookie season – something that would quickly become a common theme.
That rookie season was a strong one for Cogliano, who finished ninth in Calder Trophy voting after racking up 45 points, a number that would end up standing as a career-high. Suiting up for Edmonton in the early days of their so-called ‘Decade of Darkness,’ Cogliano quickly developed into a respected, versatile two-way skater who could play anywhere he was needed, skating on virtually every line and at every forward position. After four years, 146 points and 328 games of service for Edmonton, never missing a contest since making his NHL debut, he was dealt to the Ducks in the 2011 offseason in exchange for a second-round pick.
The offense never popped consistently for Cogliano in Anaheim, although he did notch his only 20-goal season in the 2013-14 campaign. Still, he remained an incredibly serviceable and adept two-way skater, routinely averaging between 14 and 16 minutes per game while contributing solid secondary scoring. Consistency remained perhaps his greatest asset – his career-opening ironman streak didn’t end until a suspension in the 2017-18 campaign, his 11th one in the NHL and his final full season with the Ducks.
Cogliano remained a strong utility forward with penalty-killing upside even as he aged, giving solid showings for the Stars, Sharks and finally Avalanche as he declined into a solely bottom-six role. Colorado acquired him for just a fifth-round pick from San Jose at the 2022 trade deadline, and he went on to contribute three goals and six points in 16 playoff games as he helped the Avs to their first Stanley Cup in nearly 20 years.
Now 37, Cogliano finishes his career with 1,294 games played, tied for 75th all-time. He tallied 190 goals, 274 assists, and 464 points with a +31 rating and 449 PIMs while averaging 14:06 per game. All of us at PHR extend our best wishes to Cogliano as he begins his front-office career.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
West Notes: Markstrom, Jets, Oilers
The Calgary Flames aren’t facing much pressure to move top goaltender Jacob Markstrom, with general manager Craig Conroy sharing with Sportsnet’s Eric Francis that the player hasn’t formally requested a trade. Markstrom was wrapped up in trade rumors throughout the season, even continuing into this summer as one of the top options on the New Jersey Devils’ trade radar. Markstrom expressed frustrations with the rumors around the Trade Deadline, bluntly stating that he thought the situation could have been handled differently.
Markstrom’s value as a top goaltender is readily apparent, even through his highs and lows. He posted a stout 23 wins and .905 save percentage in 48 games this year, both improvements from his tallies last year despite playing in 11 fewer games. Last year’s .892 save percentage marked Markstrom’s first time recording a save percentage under .900 across his seven years as an NHL starter. He rebounded admirably this season, bringing his career totals up to 196 wins and a .909 save percentage across 483 games. Markstrom has two years remaining on a six-year, $36MM contract signed with the Flames in 2020 – pricing him in the middle of the goalie trade market, costlier than Linus Ullmark’s $5MM cap hit but cheaper than John Gibson’s $6.4MM cap hit.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Winnipeg Jets have extended their ECHL affiliation with the Norfolk Admirals. The Admirals are coming off their first year partnered with the Jets, seeing historic success as they made the league’s postseason for the first time in their eight-year history. The Admirals were bounced in the second round but still enjoyed a year built around strong goaltending, featuring Carolina Hurricanes prospect Yaniv Perets, on loan, and Jets prospect Thomas Milic.
- The Edmonton Oilers will, unsurprisingly, be sticking with the same lineup that dominated in Game 4, shares Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). Edmonton came back from the brink of elimination with a resounding 8-1 win over the Florida Panthers. The team’s depth bolstered the performance, with Mattias Janmark, Adam Henrique, Dylan Holloway, and Ryan McLeod each contributing to the record-rivaling win. The Oilers will hope they can catch lightning twice, and avoid gifting the Panthers a Stanley Cup on home ice.
Poll: Who Will Win The 2024 Conn Smythe Trophy?
The Edmonton Oilers have finally punched back in the Stanley Cup Finals, landing the uppercut of an 8-1 win to push off the announcement of a Stanley Cup champion for at least one more game. It was just the ninth time that a team has scored eight or more goals in the Stanley Cup Finals – a loss that stings a little extra for the Panthers, who also allowed the Vegas Golden Knights to score a record-setting nine goals in last year’s Cup-clinching Game 5. Edmonton achieved the feat on the back of a historic performance from superstar Connor McDavid who, with three assists in Game 4, reached 32 assists to break Wayne Gretzky‘s record for assists in a single postseason. McDavid’s record-breaking performance, as well as Sergei Bobrovsky‘s Cup Finals benching, throws a major wrench into the list of Conn Smythe Trophy candidates, regardless of the Cup winner.
In a debate between a stifling McDavid and a struggling Bobrovsky, it seems Aleksander Barkov would be the de facto beneficiary. Barkov – the reigning Selke Trophy winner – has closely shadowed McDavid for most of the Cup finals so far, doing as well as any player could to keep McDavid close before Florida’s breakdown in Game 4. Barkov has added four points in four Cup finals games as well, bringing his postseason totals up to a team-leading 21 points in 21 games. Barkov has been perhaps the biggest piece of Florida’s success both this postseason and across the last few seasons as a whole. Barkov has shown elite two-way ability throughout this postseason, likely earning him a spot above any other Panthers skater in the Conn Smythe debate. But there’s no arguing the hefty impact Bobrovsky has brought to these playoffs. He was boasting a .916 save percentage through 20 games before his abhorrent Game 4, when he allowed five goals on just 17 shots. Bobrovsky is also a finalist for the Vezina Trophy and could cement a ‘Hall of Fame’ legacy with a win of both the Vezina and the Cup.
Of course, the Oilers boast two prime Conn Smythe candidates of their own in McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Florida is just three periods away from a Stanley Cup win, while the Oilers will need at least nine, significantly hampering Edmonton’s chance of taking home playoff MVP. After all, a member of the losing team hasn’t won a Conn Smythe since Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2003. But McDavid’s rivaling – and likely soon topping – of 40 playoff points could be enough to warrant the nod. That feat has only been managed by two other players – three times by Gretzky and once by Mario Lemieux. Crossing 40 points has resulted in a Conn Smythe win in three of those four cases, though Gretzky lost the 1993 trophy to Patrick Roy. If not McDavid to buck the trend, then Draisaitl is certainly a strong candidate – boasting 30 points in 22 playoff games and willing the Oilers through the first two rounds with unprecedented scoring.
The list of Conn Smythe candidates has come down to just a few, though who could take home the hardware seems up in the air after a shocking Game 4. And while the decision will, of course, lean on which team wins – it could also come down to deciding between history and precedent. So, with finalists in mind, who do you think will take home the Conn Smythe Trophy? Tell us in the poll below, and discuss in the comments.
Who Will Win The 2024 Conn Smythe Trophy?
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Sergei Bobrovsky 49% (407)
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Aleksander Barkov 27% (220)
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Connor McDavid 23% (191)
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Leon Draisaitl 1% (5)
Total votes: 829
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Snapshots: Boucher, McDavid, Kraft Hockeyville
Former Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach Guy Boucher was hoping to be much more of a contender in the team’s head coaching search, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast. Toronto parted ways with Boucher on Saturday, ending his tenure in Toronto after just one year with the team. Boucher mainly presided over Toronto’s power play, which posted a 23.95 percent success rate this season, down two percent from last year though still a top-10 unit in the league. They lost that special-teams spark in the playoffs, though, scoring on just one of the 21 power plays they received in their first-round loss to the Boston Bruins.
The Leafs were rumored to be interested in a long list of candidates for their head coaching vacancy – including Todd McLellan, Gerard Gallant, and even Rod Brind’Amour prior to his extension in Carolina. Toronto’s assistants were never among the rumored candidates, with the team even overturning Manny Malhotra, who left for an AHL head coaching role and was replaced by Lane Lambert. Boucher may need to follow in Malhotra’s path to the minor league if he’d like another head coaching role, with seemingly no vacancies in the NHL following Ryan Warsofsky’s hire in San Jose. There are currently three head coach vacancies in the AHL – with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and Hartford Wolf Pack, though the latter could opt to promote interim head coach Steve Smtih
Other notes from around the league:
- Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid has broken Wayne Gretzky’s record for assists in a single postseason, now at 32 after recording three assists in Game 4. McDavid and Gretzky are the only two players to record 30 assists in a single postseason, with Gretzky managing the feat in both 1985 and 1988. McDavid is now up to 38 points in 22 playoff games this year, more than any other player in NHL history save for Gretzky and Mario Lemieux – though 38 points still ranks McDavid as just the fifth-highest scoring postseason, with Gretzky breaking 40 points three separate times, including a record-holding 47 points, and Lemieux once scoring 44. Those will be the records that McDavid is chasing as he looks to will Edmonton to a Game 7 Stanley Cup.
- The Ottawa Senators will host the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2024 Kraft Hockeyville Preseason Game, set to take place in Elliot Lake, Ontario. Elliot Lake will also receive $250K to support arena upgrades and $10K in hockey equipment from the NHLPA Goals and Dreams fund. The matchup will bring Canadian superstars Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang to Northern Ontario, and mark Pittsburgh’s first time playing guest to the Senators since a 2-1 overtime loss in March.
Oilers Open Extension Negotiations With Leon Draisaitl
The Edmonton Oilers have a stressful summer ahead, with 12 pending free agents currently a part of their Stanley Cup run and just $10MM in projected cap space. That’s enough of a headache – but to add to it, the team will have to keep in mind the major paychecks due to their superstars over the next two summers. Both Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard will need new deals in 2025, while Connor McDavid will challenge contract records once again in 2026. Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff recently joined Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer to discuss the looming payday, projecting that the trio of stars will cost a total of $40MM when all is said and done. Seravalli broke that down to $16MM going to McDavid, $14MM going to Draisaitl, and $10MM going to Bouchard.
Seravalli went on to discuss Draisaitl’s looming negotiations in-depth, sharing that the star German forward is interested in signing a long-term deal near the league maximum – as opposed to a short-term and relatively cheaper deal like Auston Matthews‘ four-year, $53MM contract. At 28, a long-term deal would take Draisaitl through the majority of his remaining career and cement his place as career batterymate of McDavid. Seravalli believes the Oilers have already opened discussions of an extension with Draisaitl’s camp, as they look to both lock up their core and chip into their looming bills as quickly as possible.
Should these projections hold true, the Oilers would need to ensure they had $24MM to go to Draisaitl and Bouchard next summer. The league salary cap is projected to reach $92MM ahead of the 2025-26 season, per CapFriendly, after seeing a record-tying $4.5MM increase to $88MM this summer. Another increase would go a long way toward helping Edmonton’s budgeting. The Oilers don’t have many players entering free agency in 2025, and get a bit of a boost by Cody Ceci‘s $3.25MM cap hit coming off the books, but they’ll again have to look towards the future, with Evander Kane, Stuart Skinner, Mattias Ekholm, and Brett Kulak set to join McDavid in 2026’s free agency class.
Edmonton boasts an exciting opportunity to lock in three franchise cornerstones as career Oilers. It’s hard to argue a case against any of them – the trio currently leads Edmonton in postseason scoring and would likely compete for the Conn Smythe Trophy should Edmonton turn the series around. Bouchard’s emergence as a true top defenseman, capable of playing upwards of 25 minutes a night, has propelled Edmonton into a team capable of being carried by their star talent, while Draisaitl has emerged as one of the few players in the NHL capable of rivaling McDavid’s scoring. The Oilers seem plenty aware of those accolades and are now taking the first steps towards securing their future by kicking off contract talks with Draisaitl.
Evening Notes: Kane, Capuano, Steelheads
Evander Kane will not dress for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final tonight (as per Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman). Kane was diagnosed with a sports hernia at the start of the playoffs but is holding off until after the season to have surgery. Kane has rarely practiced during the playoffs but has managed to play through the injury to this point.
Tonight’s scratch will be Kane’s first of the playoffs, which is surprising given the ailment he is dealing with. Kane hasn’t been physically healthy throughout the postseason but has still managed four goals and four assists in 20 games. Despite his best effort to remain in the lineup and produce for the Oilers, the 32-year-old has struggled as of late with just a single assist in his last nine games.
Corey Perry will take Kane’s place in the lineup.
In other evening notes:
- Michael Russo of The Athletic is reporting that former Ottawa Senators assistant coach Jack Capuano may be inching closer to a job as an assistant coach of the Minnesota Wild. Capuano was an associate coach with the Senators and the team opted to non-renew his contract making him free to join any team. Capuano coached Ottawa’s defense last season and the results weren’t great, although Ottawa’s team defense overall was poor as was their goaltending. The 57-year-old was previously the head coach of the New York Islanders, a position he held for seven years, compiling a 227-192-64 record.
- TSN is reporting that the Ontario Hockey League’s board of governors is approving the relocation of the Mississauga Steelheads to nearby Brampton, Ontario. While the team is moving cities, it’s not much of a change as Mississauga’s Paramount Fine Foods Centre is just seven kilometres away from the Steelheads new home in Brampton, the CAA Centre. Brampton previously had a team up until 2012-13 when the Battalion moved to North Bay, while Mississauga will be without an OHL franchise for the first time in 26 years.