Could The Canadiens Accomplish a Rare Feat Next Season?
T.J. Oshie Will Always Be A Blues Fan Favorite, Someone Who Helped Set Wheels In Motion For A Franchise Finally Winning Stanley Cup
ST. LOUIS -- The 2005 NHL Draft was important for the St. Louis Blues.
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New York Times
22 minutes ago
- New York Times
Oilers' Stan Bowman and Kris Knoblauch on Connor McDavid extension, goaltending and more
EDMONTON — Words matter and there were a lot of them uttered in Friday's press conference featuring Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman and coach Kris Knoblauch. So, let's cut through the noise and get to the most impactful ones. These were the five most important things said by two of the Oilers' chief decision-makers as they try to forge ahead to next season after a frustrating loss in the Stanley Cup Final. Now, it's time to decipher what they really mean. 'It's my job to connect with Connor in that way and demonstrate that that's what we're all trying to do. We all have the same objective.' Bowman called an extension for Connor McDavid the 'No. 1 priority' this offseason — while being respectful to operate on his captain's timeline after a long season — so it's best to start with him. McDavid was a major talking point on Friday, and for good reason. He's about to enter the last year of his contract and is eligible to re-sign on July 1, although he's expected to wait until later in the summer to make his decision. Advertisement McDavid laid out the most important factor a day earlier that he's monitoring. 'If I feel that there's a good window to win here over and over again, then signing is no problem,' he said Thursday. This is clearly a pivotal next 10-11 days for Bowman. He must transition the 2024-25 Oilers into the 2025-26 version — and make them better — all while trying to keep an eye on the future, so things don't go pear-shaped. It's about more than appeasing McDavid. It's about ensuring the Oilers are set up for sustained success once he's committed to staying for the long haul. 'The guys that drove the ship for us, they're all going to be part of this going forward. Adding to it is something we want to do.' That was the most declarative statement Bowman made to indicate he has no worries about McDavid re-signing with the team. That also applies to pending restricted free agent Evan Bouchard, who's due to receive a big pay increase on his $3.9 million cap hit. McDavid is right with Leon Draisaitl as the Oilers' best player. Bouchard might be third behind them. Any contract McDavid signs won't factor onto the team's salary cap until 2026-27, but Bouchard's next deal projects to take a huge bite out of their (not quite) $12 million in space, per PuckPedia. Assuming McDavid and Bouchard get locked up, there are two areas Bowman is focusing on more than others when it comes to the adding part. 'More likely, the forwards and the goalies are the ones we're going to evaluate the most deeply.' Of the defencemen that played in Tuesday's Game 6, four have contracts for next season: Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse, Jake Walman and Brett Kulak. Bouchard remains under team control as he awaits a new deal. Extras Troy Stecher and Ty Emberson are signed, too. Heck, even Josh Brown is. It's no wonder Bowman thinks his blue line is as set as can be. John Klingberg, the only unrestricted free agent, could be caught in a numbers game. Advertisement Among the forward ranks, Trent Frederic, Connor Brown, Corey Perry, Kasperi Kapanen, Jeff Skinner and Derek Ryan are free agents. All but Ryan were in the lineup Tuesday. However, Frederic is the only one who's all but assured of returning right now as he and the Oilers appear to be closing in on a long-term deal. A couple of others might join Frederic, but certainly not all of them. 'Up front, we need some different players,' Bowman said. The Oilers have just under $12 million in cap space without contracts for Bouchard or Frederic. They're going to have to clear money off the books. Evander Kane and Viktor Arvidsson are the prime candidates. Both have another year on their contracts at $5.125 million and $4 million, respectively. The former has a partial no-trade clause, and the latter has a full no-movement clause but was displeased to be scratched during the playoffs. Bowman indicated there could be an injection of 'youthful enthusiasm' — see Matt Savoie — to make up for some of the expected losses. And then there's goaltending. 'The reality of the world is, it's not like you go down to the corner and pick up an elite goalie. They're not just waiting for you to join your team, right? How many are there anyways in that group?' Bowman was pressed several times about the tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. Is he and his staff seriously contemplating starting next season with the same two guys? Well, it's entirely possible. The cap constraints are real. The goaltending free agent market, consisting of basically Jake Allen, is an issue. So is having few enticing assets (prospects and draft picks) to dangle to any team willing to sell off a goaltender considered an upgrade on what the Oilers already have. Yup, they're in a pickle. Bowman made a point emphasizing that some of the supposed top goaltenders in the league had underwhelming playoffs. He noted how fickle the position can be. It was almost like he's bracing people for the possibility that Skinner and Pickard will be sharing the net come the fall. Advertisement There's some benefit to that. Both are inexpensive at $2.6 million and $1 million, respectively, for just one more year each. That's helpful when you're up against the cap. Then again, neither goaltender finished the regular season or playoffs with a save percentage over .900. It's not easy to win it all like that. 'It's really hard to predict where that's going to go,' Bowman said. 'Through the year, we felt that it wasn't running as well because we had some players that weren't as good at it as the year before. That's one area that we're looking at adjusting.' This came from Knoblauch while discussing the penalty kill, a facet of the Oilers' game that went from unbelievable during last year's playoffs to borderline disastrous on this run. The Oilers killed off 94.3 percent of opponents' power plays during the 2024 postseason, allowing just four goals against over 25 games. They even scored three times while short-handed. It was imperative to their success. This time, they managed to win 14 times this spring despite their PK work. They surrendered 23 goals in 22 games, thwarting opposing teams just 67.1 percent of the time. They failed to net a short-handed goal, either. There was considerable turnover from last year's PK to start this past season. Gone were regulars Vincent Desharnais, Cody Ceci, Warren Foegele and Ryan McLeod. The same went for Philip Broberg, who got short-handed time late in the playoffs. Derek Ryan quickly lost his grip on a PK spot. Returnees up front were Brown, Mattias Janmark, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Adam Henrique — who got spot duty after being acquired via trade in March 2024. With Bowman planning to keep the defence corps intact, Knoblauch's comments put these forwards on notice. We all know Nugent-Hopkins isn't going anywhere. Henrique has another year on his contract at $3 million with a no-movement clause, though the Oilers need to clear salary. Brown can hit the open market on July 1, whereas Mattias Janmark has two more years on his $1.45 million deal with partial no-trade protection. It's hard to justify a spot on the roster for Brown or Janmark if they're not killing penalties. Knoblauch perhaps provided a hint into one or both of their futures with the team. (Top photo of Stan Bowman and Kris Knoblauch: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Panthers parade set for Sunday in Fort Lauderdale. Here's what you need to know
As Fort Lauderdale prepares for the Florida Panthers' second straight Stanley Cup championship parade, city officials and fans are offering key advice for navigating the celebration. With large crowds expected, transportation and parking will be major considerations for anyone heading to the beachside event. Parade route and rally details The parade begins at noon Sunday on A1A at Riomar Street and continues south to Southeast 5th Street, where a rally will be held on a stage. Crews have already started setting up barricades and building the stage along the beach. "The Elbo Room all the way down the beach. It's gonna be amazing," said Rich Rodriguez, who attended last year's celebration. Rodriguez and his friend Alex Guzman described the 2023 event as a once-in-a-lifetime experience—and one that gave them important insight into planning for this year's festivities. "If you're driving here, you're just gonna get stuck somewhere," Rodriguez said. Parking, transportation and arrival tips The City of Fort Lauderdale says 26 nearby parking garages will be open for the event, but walking distances to the venue could range from five minutes to over an hour. "Parking is gonna be difficult. So make sure you use ride share or carpool. Water taxi will be available," said Mayor Dean Trantalis. Rodriguez and Guzman opted for the water taxi last year and say it's the way to go. "It's well worth it. You don't have to drive. If you're drinking you don't have to worry about anything like that. The traffic. You can see there are two lanes on the road and it's gonna be really really crowded," Rodriguez said. Rodriguez added that he arrived at the water taxi about three and a half hours before the start of the parade last year. "Last time we got here at about 8:30 and there were already hundreds of thousands of people here. And it was stormy," he said. Police presence and safety measures Fort Lauderdale police say there are no known threats to the event. Officials added that it will be "all hands on deck," meaning nearly every officer not on vacation will be working during Sunday's parade.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Dallas Stars re-sign Mavrik Bourque and Nils Lundkvist, young players still searching for roles
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Stars have re-signed two young players still searching for roles, with forward Mavrik Bourque and defenseman Nils Lundkvist agreeing to one-year contracts. Bourque played in 73 regular-season games in 2024-25, but dressed for just three playoff games as the Stars lost in the Western Conference final for the third consecutive year. Edmonton beat Dallas in five games after winning in six last year. Advertisement The 23-year-old Bourque signed for $950,000, the Stars said Friday. He tallied 25 points (11 goals) last season. Bourque was the 30th overall pick in the first round by Dallas in 2020. Bourque made his NHL debut on April 6, 2024, the only game he played in 2023-24. He also made one playoff appearance that season. Lundkvist has been a disappointment since the Stars traded a first-round pick for him before the 2022-23 season. He was drafted in the first round by the New York Rangers in 2018. Injuries limited the 24-year-old to 39 games in the regular season, and Lundkvist didn't appear in the postseason after playing sparingly in most of his 12 playoff appearances in 2024. His second consecutive one-year contract is for $1.25 million. Lundkvist has 44 points (nine goals) in 183 games over four seasons. ___ AP NHL:
