NHL Draft notebook: Victor Eklund’s persistence won out, as he and Swedish teammate Anton Frondell enter draft
Victor Eklund refused to take no for an answer in badgering his Tier 2 Swedish league coach Robert Kimby to have him play on the same line as long-time friend Anton Frondell last season. “Yeah, I think I told him 10 times,” Eklund recalled at the NHL pre-draft combine in...
NHL and the players’ union have discussed going to an 84-game season in CBA talks, AP source says
Moving to an 84-game regular season from 82 is one of the topics that has been discussed in collective bargaining talks between the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association, according to a person familiar with negotiations. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the...
NHL’s 1st decentralized draft is a logistical challenge for TV
NHL teams for the first time in a non-pandemic environment will not be gathering in one place for the draft, and the mind-boggling logistics of decentralizing the annual event are right up Steve Mayer’s alley. The league’s president of content and events has masterminded how to put on outdoor games,...
The New York Islanders have the top pick in the NHL draft: Who will they choose?
The two-day NHL draft will be held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles this weekend, with the first round held on Friday night. The New York Islanders have the No. 1 pick after winning the draft lottery in May. The San Jose Sharks, who finished last in the overall...
Mogilny finally gets the call as the Hockey Hall of Fame elects him as part of the class of 2025
Alexander Mogilny’s long wait for the Hockey Hall of Fame is over, as the high-scoring Russian winger was selected Tuesday as part of the eight-member Class of 2025. Mogilny was joined by fellow former NHL players Joe Thornton, Zdeno Chara and Duncan Keith as well as women’s hockey stars Brianna...
Ducks trade Trevor Zegras to Flyers for Ryan Poehling, picks
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Anaheim Ducks traded Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, ending the exciting forward’s inconsistent half-decade in Orange County. The Ducks get forward Ryan Poehling and the 45th overall pick in the upcoming draft that initially belonged to Columbus, along with a fourth-round pick next...
Top NHL draft prospect Schaefer honors late mother in not letting tragedies define him
When the time comes for defenseman Matthew Schaefer to take the stage at the NHL draft inside the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles this week, the top-ranked prospect won’t be climbing the stairs alone. There’s no doubt in Schaefer’s mind his late mother Jennifer will be accompanying him in spirit....
‘This is amazing’: Panthers celebrate 2nd consecutive Stanley Cup
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Champagne was swilled and spilled, cigars were smoked and the Stanley Cup was hoisted a few more times, all with about 400,000 people watching. The Florida Panthers are getting pretty good at these parades. The back-to-back Stanley Cup winners had their championship parade and rally Sunday...
Jonathan Toews to sign with Jets as he embarks on comeback
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Jonathan Toews is going home to sign with the Winnipeg Jets as he attempts to make an NHL comeback after a two-year absence. The team announced Friday that the Winnipeg native has agreed to terms on a contract. It is expected to be a one-year deal, though...
Stanley Cup Final averaged 2.5M U.S. viewers, a drop from last year’s Cup and 4 Nations final
U.S. television ratings for the Stanley Cup Final rematch between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers declined from their first matchup a year ago. An average of 2.5 million viewers watched on TNT, with 2.8 million tuning in for the Panthers’ series-clinching Game 6 victory. The overall number on cable...
Mark Madden: Can Connor McDavid win a Stanley Cup in Edmonton?
Edmonton lost a second straight Stanley Cup Final. That’s no shame, especially when the winning team is clearly better. Florida’s incredible depth and physicality overwhelms. Give the Oilers credit for extending the series to six games and to seven games last year. But that doesn’t help Connor McDavid’s legacy. The...
Hockey rides into offseason with buzz, 3-peat bid, Olympic-size showdowns ahead
The 4 Nations Face-Off in February was meant to provide a taste of international competition a year before the Winter Olympics because it had been nearly a decade since the NHL’s top players were able to represent their countries in the same tournament. Instead, the pace and quality of games...
‘A well-oiled machine’: How the Florida Panthers’ team-first mentality led to another Stanley Cup
SUNRISE, Fla. — Aleksander Barkov hoisted the Stanley Cup, skated with it for a few moments and then handed it to a grinning Nate Schmidt, in his first year with the Florida Panthers and raising hockey’s hallowed trophy for the first time. Before any repeat winner touched it, every Panther...
On brink of free agency, Florida’s Sam Bennett wins Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP
SUNRISE, Fla. — Sam Bennett won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP on Tuesday night after leading all players in goals scored to help the Florida Panthers win a second consecutive Stanley Cup championship. Bennett scored 15 goals during a postseason run that culminated with a victory in Game...
Panthers repeat as Stanley Cup champs by beating Oilers in 6 games
SUNRISE, Fla. — Stanley’s stay in South Florida is getting extended. The Florida Panthers repeated as Stanley Cup champions by beating the Edmonton Oilers, 5-1, in Game 6 of the final on Tuesday night, becoming the NHL’s first back-to-back winners since Tampa Bay in 2020-21 and the third team to...
One Stanley Cup ring hasn’t changed Panthers coach Paul Maurice
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Paul Maurice is not the same person or coach he was when he got his first job in the NHL at 28 years old in the mid-1990s with the Hartford Whalers. He followed that organization to Carolina, went to Toronto, returned to Carolina and spent nearly...
Oilers coach still not naming starting goalie for Stanley Cup Final Game 6
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — It’s anyone’s guess who starts in goal for the Edmonton Oilers when they face elimination in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. Coach Kris Knoblauch did not say Monday whether it would be Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard....
‘Dialed in’ from October, the Panthers are a win away from repeating as Stanley Cup champions
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The banner commemorating the first Stanley Cup title in Florida Panthers history had not been raised to the rafters yet when a newcomer realized just what it was like to join the champions on a title defense. It was their final exhibition game in Quebec City...
Tim Benz: Bubbling opinions on Aaron Rodgers’ arrival, T.J. Watt’s absence, Paul Skenes’ dominance and Penguins’ future
My honeymoon in Italy was great. But I’ve had enough pasta, pizza, wine and marble statues for a while. After two weeks away, it’s time to get “Breakfast With Benz” rolling again. So, let me get caught up on a few things I missed while I was away and didn’t...
Panthers lean on Sergei Bobrovsky as Oilers deal with goalie debate in Stanley Cup Final
When the Edmonton Oilers face elimination in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night against the Florida Panthers, either Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard will lead them on to the ice as their starting goaltender. The defending champion Panthers have no such debate. Two-time Vezina Trophy winner...
Panthers down Oilers, seize 3-2 series lead in Stanley Cup Final
EDMONTON, Alberta — Brad Marchand scored twice, Sam Bennett had his NHL playoff-leading 15th goal and the Florida Panthers moved to the verge of a second consecutive Stanley Cup title by beating the Edmonton Oilers, 5-2, in Game 5 on Saturday night. The Panthers improved to 10-3 on the road...
Stanley Cup Final’s overtime frenzy doesn’t faze Panthers
EDMONTON, Alberta — As the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers enter Game 5 of another epic Stanley Cup Final, three of the first four games went to overtime, one double overtime. The total extra time nearly amounts to another full game of action played in the heightened intensity that is...
Stanley Cup Final becoming showcase for Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl
SUNRISE, Fla. — This is becoming Leon Draisaitl’s Stanley Cup Final for the Edmonton Oilers. The standout German forward has scored the overtime goal in each of their two wins in the championship series rematch against the Florida Panthers, including Thursday night in Game 4 to pull Edmonton even. He’s...
Chris Kreider waives no-trade clause to accept deal from the Rangers to the Ducks
Veteran winger Chris Kreider has agreed to move his no-trade clause to accept a trade from the New York Rangers to the Anaheim Ducks, according to a person with knowledge of the decision. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the deal had not...
Oilers unravel against Panthers, now chase Stanley Cup Final
SUNRISE, Fla. — Falling behind early, parading to the penalty box and losing grip of their composure, the Edmonton Oilers find themselves in an all-too-familiar position: trailing the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers. Not much went right for them in Game 3 on Monday night, a 6-1 blowout...
