The Carolina Hurricanes could be a very busy organization over the next few weeks, as more than a few NHL general managers have reportedly inquired about their roster.
One of the players generating attention is forward Jeff Skinner, with sources indicating to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun that Carolina is looking for a first-round pick and a prospect in exchange for the smooth-skating sniper.
Despite racking up 89 goals and 163 points over the last three seasons, Skinner has been mentioned in several reports regarding a move out of Raleigh in recent years.
The former seventh overall pick is set to become a UFA on July 1, 2019.
Ahead of the biggest game of his career, Washington Capitals linchpin Alex Ovechkin is taking a unique approach to his mental preparation.
Ovechkin and the Caps square off Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final with a 3-1 series lead, but "the Great Eight" isn't overthinking what could be a Cup-clinching evening.
"To be honest, I think most of us have never been in this position," Ovechkin said Wednesday from Las Vegas, according to ESPN's Emily Kaplan. "For me personally, I don't try to think about it too much what's going on and just try focusing on different things. But it's hard."
So, what's currently occupying Ovechkin's thoughts instead?
"Whatever. Cars. Hotels. You know, Vegas," he said, per Kaplan.
A win Thursday night would give Washington its first Cup in franchise history.
All season long, the Vegas Golden Knights have been earning a reputation as the hardest-working group in the NHL, winning contest after contest with their relentless speed and commitment to playing a responsible 200-foot game.
After smashing all expectations and rewriting the history books, the expansion club finds itself staring down the Washington Capitals for the 2018 Stanley Cup title.
However, getting past a Capitals group led by a ravenous Alex Ovechkin and reinvigorated Braden Holtby won't be an easy task. If the Knights are to complete the storybook season and hoist Lord Stanley, these three factors will be paramount:
Defend home ice
Flu or not, beating the Knights in Sin City isn't easy. Vegas owned one of the best home records in the league during the regular season, winning 29 games at T-Mobile Arena.
Winning on home ice against Washington will be even more crucial, because the Capitals have been absolute warriors on the road this postseason, posting an impressive 8-2 record, conceding just 20 goals in 10 away games, and clinching all three road series.
The raucous home crowd off which Vegas has been feeding all year has been an underrated factor in the team's success, and playing inside a building that rowdy on a stage this big is bound to have implications on the series' outcome.
If the Knights can overcome Washington's road superiority to hold serve at home, this series might be a lot shorter than people expect.
Rattle Holtby's cage early
Look, you don't need to be rocking rings like Scotty Bowman to know a hot goalie can steal any series, so saying the Knights need to get to Holtby is a bit obvious.
But, since being benched in favor of backup netminder Philipp Grubauer in the first two games of the playoffs, Holtby has been living up to his "Holtbeast" reputation, putting up a 12-6 record to go along with a sparkling .924 save percentage and two shutouts. Getting him out of his rhythm will be paramount for the Knights.
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
A potentially clutch factor for Vegas would be getting the first goal, as Washington has opened the scoring in 10 of their 12 wins this postseason.
Whichever way you slice it, Holtby is starting to get locked in, as proven by his shutting out of one of the most potent offensive groups in the Tampa Bay Lightning over the last two games, so getting him off his game early will be paramount for the Knights' success.
Shut down Capitals' power play
Washington's ability to convert on power-play chances has been pivotal to reaching its second Cup final in franchise history. The Caps own the second-deadliest power play of the entire postseason while scoring on the man advantage at an impressive 28.8-percent clip. Bucking that trend will be crucial for the Knights.
Furthermore, Washington's 17 PP goals account for over 25 percent of its total tally, so the Knights have their work cut out.
Washington's top unit of John Carlson, T.J. Oshie, Evegny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom, and Ovechkin are a handful for the most astute group of penalty killers. But, luckily for Vegas, head coach Gerard Gallant deploys one of the stingiest PK units in the league.
And, while the Capitals can score on special teams, the Knights are equally up to the task of keeping pucks out of their net on the PK, killing off 82.5 percent of penalties incurred in these playoffs.
Simply put, both teams can bring it on special teams, so don't be surprised if this series is decided on the man advantage.
The Vegas Golden Knights' improbable inaugural season has been nothing short of miraculous, leading many fans and experts around the league to dub it a "Cinderella story."
But if you ask Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper, however, the Knights' success this campaign is far from a fairy tale.
"It's a success story is what it is. It's not a Cinderella story," Cooper said, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "There's been talk of 'how could that happen?' or whatever. I'll tell you how it happened: They got an owner that hired an unreal GM and they got an unreal GM that hired an unreal coach. They were all left to do their jobs."
Vegas punched its ticket the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday night with its convincing 4-1 series win over the Winnipeg Jets, continuing a year in which the Knights have easily been the best story of the NHL campaign.
"I know the gentlemen well that are involved, the GM and coach, and I couldn't be prouder of the guys of the job they've done. They deserved to get there, and I only hope we're the team they get to play."
Cooper's team will look to clinch its series against the Washington Capitals on Monday night. And in doing so, the Lightning will then be tasked with stopping a very game Golden Knights team vying for its first championship.
The Minnesota Wild officially named Paul Fenton as their new general manager Monday, the team announced.
"It is my distinct pleasure to welcome Paul Fenton as the general manager of the Minnesota Wild," team owner Craig Leipold said. "Paul is uniquely suited for this job having played 10 years of professional hockey and holding 25 years of management experience in the NHL. His gift of evaluating talent is obvious in Nashville's roster and recent success.
"My relationship with Paul goes back to my early days in Nashville and I know that Wild hockey fans are going to love Paul's infectious passion for the game and unsurpassed work ethic. He's the right person to deliver a Stanley Cup to the State of Hockey."
Fenton, 58, was previously with the Nashville Predators organization for 20 seasons, the last 12 of which were spent serving as assistant GM to legendary Nashville executive David Poile.
Prior to joining the Predators, Fenton spent five seasons with the Anaheim Ducks organization in their scouring department.
Things are getting interesting on Long Island, as reports surfaced Monday regarding a meeting between soon-to-be Islanders front-office executive Lou Lamoriello and New York captain John Tavares, according to The Athletic's Arthur Staple.
The news about last week's meeting comes on the same day reports emerged linking the legendary general manager and an official move to the Islanders within the coming days.
Lamoriello's connection to New York has seemingly gotten stronger over the past few weeks since his former club, the Toronto Maple Leafs, announced that Kyle Dubas would be taking over the team's GM duties at the end of April.
Tavares becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and will undoubtedly be the biggest name on the market this summer, so it comes as little surprise that Lamoriello would attempt to sit down with him in anticipation of his front-office switch.
There's something inherently human about rooting for an underdog.
We've seen it plenty of times throughout the decades of sports history: N.C. State's March Madness upset of Houston, Buster Douglas' stunning knockout of then-heavyweight champ Mike Tyson, or even the New York Giants' shocking defeat of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
The David in all of us usually wants to see big bad Goliath slain.
However, this year's Vegas Golden Knights expansion success story is putting hockey fans in a bit of a tough spot: jump on the bandwagon and throw support behind one of the best feel-good stories ever, or root against an organization that's had more success in its inaugural season than a lot of franchises have had in the past 20 years?
This is the scenario that both average and committed hockey heads find themselves in as the Golden Knights gear up for an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final to face either the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Washington Capitals.
And as Vegas continues to prove even the most astute prognosticators wrong, fans are left with polarizing views on what the Knights' run means to the game of hockey.
Love it
Look, we get it, Vegas is out here smashing narratives and doing something that only the 1918 Toronto Arenas and 1968 St. Louis Blues have ever done before in NHL history - making the Cup Final in its debut season. And there is no denying that a unique feat such as that is something people are bound to be attracted to.
Whether it's William Karlsson's stunning development from fringe forward to fabled 40-goal man, Marc-Andre Fleury's rejuvenated career and mastery in the blue paint, or the lethal combination of Florida Panthers castoffs Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith, there really is no shortage of reasons to be loving the Knights' miraculous journey.
Heck, the year is even big-screen worthy. And with the plethora of potentially epic storylines to choose from, it's seemingly only a matter of time before some Hollywood hotshot pens the script.
Regardless of the label put on it, Vegas' improbable campaign continues to gain more media attention and fan support with each passing historic moment. But there's another developing feeling toward the magical run that's much less positive.
Hate it
Whether it's because you're jealous, or maybe a little sour with the seemingly favorable expansion draft rules the Knights were subject to, or perhaps you're just annoyed that a group of castoffs is performing so well when they were supposed to be a complete doormat - whatever the reason, there are many detractors when it comes to the Cinderalla story that is the Golden Knights.
Some long-suffering fan bases - such as the one in St. Louis and the much-maligned hockey market in Toronto - have endured one losing season after another for decades on end. So with that lens, it's easy to see how some are starting to get a little fed up with the success surrounding the NHL's latest expansion team.
It's almost like watching your new neighbor stumbling onto a backyard filled with gold after you searched through yours for years to only come up with spare change and the T.V. remote your dog hid in the '90s: It's just downright frustrating.
Whether that's the appropriate feeling, who's really to say.
But one thing does remain true: Regardless of what side of the fence you fall on, Vegas' magical season is forcing fans off the sideline and right into the game.
There's something inherently human about rooting for an underdog.
We've seen it plenty of times throughout the decades of sports history: N.C. State's March Madness upset of Houston, Buster Douglas' stunning knockout of then-heavyweight champ Mike Tyson, or even the New York Giants' shocking defeat of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
The David in all of us usually wants to see big bad Goliath slain.
However, this year's Vegas Golden Knights expansion success story is putting hockey fans in a bit of a tough spot: jump on the bandwagon and throw support behind one of the best feel-good stories ever, or root against an organization that's had more success in its inaugural season than a lot of franchises have had in the past 20 years?
This is the scenario that both average and committed hockey heads find themselves in as the Golden Knights gear up for an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final to face either the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Washington Capitals.
And as Vegas continues to prove even the most astute prognosticators wrong, fans are left with polarizing views on what the Knights' run means to the game of hockey.
Love it
Look, we get it, Vegas is out here smashing narratives and doing something that only the 1918 Toronto Arenas and 1968 St. Louis Blues have ever done before in NHL history - making the Cup Final in its debut season. And there is no denying that a unique feat such as that is something people are bound to be attracted to.
Whether it's William Karlsson's stunning development from fringe forward to fabled 40-goal man, Marc-Andre Fleury's rejuvenated career and mastery in the blue paint, or the lethal combination of Florida Panthers castoffs Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith, there really is no shortage of reasons to be loving the Knights' miraculous journey.
Heck, the year is even big-screen worthy. And with the plethora of potentially epic storylines to choose from, it's seemingly only a matter of time before some Hollywood hotshot pens the script.
Regardless of the label put on it, Vegas' improbable campaign continues to gain more media attention and fan support with each passing historic moment. But there's another developing feeling toward the magical run that's much less positive.
Hate it
Whether it's because you're jealous, or maybe a little sour with the seemingly favorable expansion draft rules the Knights were subject to, or perhaps you're just annoyed that a group of castoffs is performing so well when they were supposed to be a complete doormat - whatever the reason, there are many detractors when it comes to the Cinderalla story that is the Golden Knights.
Some long-suffering fan bases - such as the one in St. Louis and the much-maligned hockey market in Toronto - have endured one losing season after another for decades on end. So with that lens, it's easy to see how some are starting to get a little fed up with the success surrounding the NHL's latest expansion team.
It's almost like watching your new neighbor stumbling onto a backyard filled with gold after you searched through yours for years to only come up with spare change and the T.V. remote your dog hid in the '90s: It's just downright frustrating.
Whether that's the appropriate feeling, who's really to say.
But one thing does remain true: Regardless of what side of the fence you fall on, Vegas' magical season is forcing fans off the sideline and right into the game.
Sweden walked away with its second consecutive World Championship gold medal Sunday evening in Denmark, but that wasn't the only hardware being handed out by the IIHF.
The federation also announced the tournament award winners, which were led by Chicago Blackhawks superstar Patrick Kane, who earned the honors as MVP after racking up eight goals and 12 assists for Team USA.
Toronto Maple Leafs and Denmark netminder Frederik Andersen was voted as best goaltender. Dallas Stars rearguard John Klingberg was voted best defenseman after putting up six points and a plus-six rating for Sweden, while Carolina Hurricanes and Finnish forward Sebastian Aho was voted as the tournament's best forward after turning in nine goals and nine assists in eight games.
The media All-Star team was also revealed:
Goaltender: Anders Nilsson (SWE)
Defensemen: Adam Larsson (SWE), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (SWE)
Forwards: Rickard Rakell (SWE), Patrick Kane (USA), Sebastian Aho (FIN)
Next year's tournament gets underway on May 3 from Slovakia.
