The trade deadline is in the rearview and once again it featured an epic escalation of deals across the contending class. Now, it’s time to sort through the aftermath. The top teams operate under a ‘keeping up with Joneses’ mentality, which led to many of the league’s best teams shoring up considerably at big prices. … Read more
The most common assets used at the trade deadline are draft picks, with the first-round pick often being cited as the gold standard of trade assets. But what do those first-round selections end up becoming? I thought I would look at the 22 first-round picks traded from 2020 through 2023 and who was ultimately picked … Read more
Who are the best and toughest front offices to deal with in the NHL? Which owners are known for giving players what they need? What does the league need to do to improve? Asking players these questions can yield some pretty good results, but there are limits to that approach. Players have relatively limited exposure … Read more
Just days remain for any NHL team sitting on the fence to determine which direction it’ll go before the March 7 trade deadline. There are currently 10 teams on the wrong side of the playoff cut-line that are within six points of the final wild-card spot in their respective conferences, which adds an air of … Read more
By Chris Johnston, Arpon Basu, Fluto Shinzawa and Michael Russo The 4 Nations Face-Off is in the books, with Canada capping a wildly successful event in dramatic fashion Thursday night on Connor McDavid’s overtime dagger to win 3-2 over the United States in the final. The Canadian championship completes hockey’s first foray into international best-on-best … Read more
By Sean Gentille, Shayna Goldman, James Mirtle, Mark Lazerus and The Athletic NHL Staff The 4 Nations Face-Off, regardless of what happens in Thursday’s championship game, has already been an unfettered success for the NHL. Still, every great fireworks show deserves a grand finale, and that’s what we’re expecting when the United States and Canada … Read more
MONTREAL (AP) — Charlie McAvoy lined up Connor McDavid and delivered a textbook hit that sent the best hockey player in the world careening into the glass and down to the ice. A mere 19 seconds later, Jake Guentzel scored the tying goal — McDavid scored the first one — on the way to the … Read more
Team Canada could be without their best defenseman Cale Makar when they take on Team USA, who’s also without their best defenseman, Quinn Hughes. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported this morning that Makar had missed today’s practice due to illness and that Philadelphia Flyers’ defenseman Travis Sanheim was skating in his spot in the lineup. It … Read more
MONTREAL — As Team Canada’s management group processed the news that Shea Theodore was lost to injury for the remainder of the 4 Nations Face-Off, it immediately became apparent that they needed to quickly get contingency plans in place. That’s much easier said than done for a brand new tournament being co-sanctioned by the NHL … Read more
Welcome to my February ranking of the top 64 prospects eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft. This top 64 (plus a growing list of 54 honorable mentions) follows my way-too-early top 28, my preseason top 32 and my preliminary top 64, and will be followed by a March top 64, a post-U18 worlds ranking (released in … Read more