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New York Times
2 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
After reaching NHL elite status, Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski craves winning even more
COLUMBUS, Ohio — As if missing the Stanley Cup playoffs by one win wasn't tantalizing enough, Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski has had two moments since the end of the season that have intensified his desire to play for a contender in Columbus. The first pangs struck in late May, when Werenski and the United States won the gold medal at the IIHF World Championship in Stockholm, Sweden, the first gold for Team USA since 1933. Advertisement 'I forgot how much fun winning was,' said Werenski, who was named the tournament's top defenseman. 'I won the Calder (Cup) when I first signed out of college (with AHL Cleveland in 2016), but I didn't really understand then what it meant to win and how hard it was. 'After Worlds, I texted some people who are close to me. I think this is verbatim: 'I love winning and I want more of it.'' The second instance was earlier this week, as he watched the Florida Panthers hoist the Stanley Cup for a second straight year. That included his former teammates, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and defenseman Seth Jones, as well as Panthers GM Bill Zito, who worked previously in the Blue Jackets front office. Jones, who once partnered with Werenski on the Blue Jackets' top pair, was traded from Chicago to Florida in early March. He was the third player to hold the Cup in the on-ice celebration after Florida captain Aleksander Barkov and veteran defenseman Nate Schmidt. 'I'm really happy for Jonesy,' Werenski said. 'With his situation in Chicago, it obviously wasn't the best with what was going on there. For him to get a fresh start and be reunited with Billy and Bob and be part of that team in Florida, it's awesome. 'And, in a way, you wish that was you. I texted (Jones) after (Tuesday's Game 6), just saying how much he deserved it. But that adds more motivation, right? You want to be in that position after seeing one of your friends there. It was the same with Savvy (David Savard) when we traded him to Tampa Bay (2021). 'You're so happy for him, but deep down you're like, 'F—, I kinda want that to be me.'' Werenski is coming off the best season of his career. He set multiple personal and franchise records, finishing with 23 goals, 59 assists and 82 points in 81 games. He finished second in voting for the Norris Trophy and seventh in voting for the Hart Trophy. The 27-year-old was a driving force for a Blue Jackets club that became one of the best stories in the NHL. Columbus was expected to be a lottery team, but instead was the league's last club to be eliminated from the playoffs, making a 23-point improvement from 2023-24. Advertisement He was also Team USA's leading scorer and a standout player at the 4 Nations Face-off. But Werenski said he hasn't taken much time to look back on the season. After a short break, he changed his mind and decided to play for Team USA in the World Championships, then stayed in Europe to take a pre-marriage honeymoon — he and his fiancée are marrying in July — so that he'd have time to train and prepare for training camp. 'I'm more motivated now than ever,' Werenski said. 'I'm back in offseason mode, and I really haven't had much time to think about our season, and I don't think I will. 'The one thing that stood out to me, watching (Tuesday's Game 6) was how much fun Florida was having, that atmosphere. That's the next step. It's great to have some individual success, but … ' As he watched Florida play during the last two postseasons, Werenski said, he couldn't help but wonder what the Blue Jackets needed to do to reach that standard. The Jackets are a very young team, but will those young players mature into the rugged, battle-tested players that the Panthers have up and down their lineup? GM Don Waddell wants to make bold moves to move the Blue Jackets forward, but will he be able to land the right pieces like Zito has in Florida? 'You definitely think about it,' Werenski said. 'That's the standard, right? They've been to three Finals in a row, won two Cups in a row. Their core is pretty much staying together. They're the team to beat again next year, and so you have to think about that. 'We have to get (to the playoffs) first, but if we do get there, these are the teams we have to go through. I would assume every GM, coach and player, top to bottom, thinks that way: Can we beat this team? Are we built good enough to beat this team?' It might have sounded ridiculous to ask that question one year ago. It's still a reach, but the Blue Jackets had several of their young players bloom dramatically last season. Adam Fantilli, 20, and Kirill Marchenko, 24, each had 31 goals. Kent Johnson, 22, was third on the team in goals (24) and tied for third in points (57). Advertisement Waddell had the second-most cap space in the NHL ($40 million) and two first-round draft picks to use as trade chips, so there's a chance the Blue Jackets' lineup will be bolstered by this time next month. There is still a ton of work to do in Columbus, but one could argue that the future — if Waddell can keep this group together — has never been brighter with the Blue Jackets. Werenski said he started skating earlier this week. He'll skate three times a week until August, then ramp up to four days a week until September. In late August, he'll head to Plymouth, Mich., for Team USA summer Olympic camp, with the expectation that he'll play for the red, white and blue in Italy next winter. For the next couple of weeks, he'll help put the finishing touches on the wedding plans while watching closer as Waddell makes his roster moves. A few players are certain to leave via free agency, but Waddell is intent on making upgrades, too. Werenski's not in full-blown hockey mode just yet. The offseason is important, too. But he's begun to look forward to next season, and there's optimism in his gaze. 'We have the culture in place,' Werenski said. 'I know we've said that for years, that we have a great group, and we did. But I don't think we had the culture like we did this past season. It was obvious in how we played, how we handled ourselves, how hard we competed. We truly have that now. 'You don't lose that togetherness in three months. We'll build off it next season. But I don't think we're going to have any issues in training camp with guys understanding their roles, or understanding the expectations, or how we have to play. 'Last year was a great year for us, but we fell short of the playoffs. Next season, the expectations are going to be higher.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Could Connor McDavid Really Join the Flyers? Never Say Never
The Flyers could build an Avengers-like roster around Connor McDavid in short order. (Photo: Perry Nelson, Imagn Images) To this point, the Philadelphia Flyers have shown an odd hesitancy to make any bold moves for NHL roster players during their rebuild. Could it be as simple as holding out for Connor McDavid in 2026? McDavid, 28, has one year remaining on the eight-year, $100 million ($12.5 million AAV) contract he signed with the Edmonton Oilers on July 5, 2017, which means the five-time Art Ross Trophy winner can hit unrestricted free agency in 2026 if he chooses. Advertisement On the other hand, McDavid can extend with the Oilers, losers of two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals at the hands of Sergei Bobrovsky and the Florida Panthers, as early as July 1. In Thursday's end-of-season press conference, McDavid was non-committal on his future in Edmonton, opting for a generic, middle-of-the-road answer rather than something more optimistic or certain. 'This core has been together for a long time and we've been building to this moment," McDavid said. "With that being said, ultimately, I still need to do what's best for me and my family. But of course there's unfinished business here.' Winning appears to be the biggest priority for the NHL's best player, and McDavid won't be giving himself the best chance of doing that by thundering onward with an Oilers team filled out with scraps year after year. Advertisement "If I feel that there's a good window to win here over and over again, then signing is no problem," added McDavid. And "if" is doing a lot of work in that sentence, given how the last two years have played out. By the time 2026 rolls around, and depending on which players the Flyers decide to keep and trade, Philadelphia could have nearly $50 million in cap space to make a pitch to McDavid and, potentially, other NHL stars to join Matvei Michkov and Co. Additionally, the contract of Ryan Ellis could always be placed on long-term injured reserve to create an extra $6.25 million in a pinch during the season. Advertisement The current CBA permits a player to earn a maximum of 20% of the salary cap, so if the NHL salary cap is $104 million for 2026-27, McDavid could sign a deal worth $20.8 million annually. That's no problem for the Flyers, who will still have Michkov, Jett Luchanko, and whoever the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft is on rookie contracts at that point. Goaltending, like in Edmonton, would pose a major problem, but it's ultimately up to the Flyers to use draft picks and other assets to solve it. Realistically, the Flyers could boast a center depth of McDavid, Sean Couturier, James Hagens, and Luchanko just two years from now. A lot would have to go right for that to happen, to be clear, but the possibility is there. Advertisement Furthering the appeal of the Flyers is the presence of wingers such as McDavid's Canada teammate, Travis Konecny, Tyson Foerster, Michkov, Owen Tippett, and even Bobby Brink. That's much more appealing than Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, and a bunch of dart throws. Defense is less certain on the Flyers' end, but they could still be better than what the Oilers have with a few breaks. The book is not closed on Jamie Drysdale, and who knows what happens with Cam York? A trade for Alex Romanov would give the Flyers some serious depth on the left side, and management are believers in prospects like Helge Grans, Oliver Bonk, and Spencer Gill. Flyers 2026 Stanley Cup Odds: Better Than the Canadiens? Flyers 2026 Stanley Cup Odds: Better Than the Canadiens? The Advertisement Philadelphia Flyers do not have the best early odds of winning the Stanley Cup in 2026, but how their odds rank compared to some other teams around the NHL might come as a shock. Inexperienced, yes, but they may have more to offer at the NHL level at this point than the likes of John Klingberg, Brett Kulak, Troy Stecher, and even Darnell Nurse. Evan Bouchard sways the conversation slightly, but for all his offensive exploits, he's average at best defensively and is set to command a massive new contract. The Panthers have proven that NHL teams don't necessarily need one alpha above the rest to win so long as the group is the right mix of good players. Advertisement Even with an all-out pitch to McDavid, the Flyers are still perfectly capable of finding this harmony. But the big question remains: can the Flyers strike the big trade? And is their big swing ultimately going to be McDavid? Never say never in this league.
Edmonton Journal
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
The strategic blunder that doomed the Edmonton Oilers against Florida this year
Article content Against a defensive juggernaut like the 2025 Florida Panthers that proved to be fatal, especially after the Oilers lost Zach Hyman, one of the team's fastest and its most physical player, to injury in the Dallas series. Last year the Oilers out-played Florida most of the Final, but were thwarted largely because goalie Sergei Bobrovsky stood on his head and, essentially, stole victory for his team in Games 1 and 3, matches where the Grade A shots were 16-8 for the Oilers, then 19-8 for the Oilers. Overall in the 2024 Final, Edmonton had 13 Grade A shots per game on average, while Florida had 8.7, a +4.3 Grade A shots per game advantage for Edmonton. This year, however, the Oilers had 16.2 Grade A shots per game, the Panthers 15.7, just a +0.5 per game edge for the Oilers, and the Panthers had slightly more of the most dangerous of all shots, the 5-alarm high-danger blasts at net.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
The Toronto Maple Leafs Weren't Close. Stop Lying To Yourself
You know the retort about if your grandmother had wheels, she'd be a bike? Well, now that the Florida Panthers have won their second consecutive Stanley Cup, there's a lot of that going on with people who are delusional about the Toronto Maple Leafs. And that covers most of their supporters. Advertisement Their logic goes that since the Maple Leafs extended the Panthers to seven games in the second round of the playoffs, we can assume that the Leafs are once again very close to being serious Stanley Cup contenders. Heck, they're the second-best team in the NHL, some say. Pfft. Legitimate Stanley Cup-contending teams don't take a 2-0 lead and enter Game 3 with a 3-1 lead against the Cup champs and fritter it away. And there is no Cup contending team that turns in the effort the Leafs did in Games 5 and 7 on home ice in that series. Sergei Bobrovsky and Auston Matthews (John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images) Just because you lost to the champs doesn't make you almost as good as they are. The Panthers are the class of the league and they are light years ahead of the Leafs. Advertisement Watch today's video column for more, and share your thoughts. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Florida Panthers win back-to-back Stanley Cups, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6
The Florida Panthers repeated as Stanley Cup champions by defeating 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 and '21 and the third team to do it this century. 'This is as good as the first one,' Forward Sam Reinhart said. 'We learned some lessons. We stayed on the gas, foot on the pedal, and obviously the result speaks for itself.' Advertisement Reinhart scored four goals in the series clincher, becoming just the sixth player in league history and first since Maurice Richard in 1957 to get that many in a game in the final. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faced, closing the door on a rematch with the same end result. Teams from the Sunshine State have been at the forefront of NHL success, with the Tampa Bay Lightning reaching three consecutive finals while winning two back-to-back from 2020-2022, while the Panthers did the same from 2023-2025. 'We've got to be a dynasty now,' said Panthers wing Matthew Tkachuk. 'Three years in a row finals, two championships. This is a special group.' Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
