The forecheck-heavy Carolina Hurricanes have a clear identity on the ice. Off the ice, they stick to the master plan, placing a firm valuation on each player, pick, and prospect, and rarely move off it. Carolina is, in a word, purposeful.

It's no surprise then that the Hurricanes haven't shied away from drafting Russians in recent years despite the so-called "Russian Factor" looming large.

A total of 138 Russian and Belarusian players have been selected in the past five NHL drafts. Carolina has drafted the most Russians (20) and allocated the highest portion of draft capital to Russians (42% of all picks). For context, New Jersey and Calgary are tied for second with eight Russian picks each, while Colorado's second with a 24% allocation (six in 25 total picks).

"I can't speak to what the other teams are doing or not doing," Hurricanes assistant general manager and head scout Darren Yorke said last week after selecting six Russians in Las Vegas. "We just evaluate the players based off how they play hockey. If other teams are afraid to draft a player from a certain country, that's really out of our control. It's very simple: We're just trying to get the best hockey players as we can, irrespective of where they're born."

Going back 10-20 years ago, the Russian Factor referred to a distrust in the players produced by the country. Fairly or not, Russians were stereotyped as one-dimensional and selfish. Playing in the KHL, founded in 2008, was alluring to Russian players, too.

In 2024, the Russian Factor isn't about the players' personalities, work ethic, or playing styles. It has become difficult to scout players in person thanks to travel restrictions relating to the war in Ukraine and the fact that the International Ice Hockey Federation has banned Russian and Belarusian national teams from tournament competition.

Most draft-eligible Russians are under contract in the KHL, and those multi-year deals aren't easy to maneuver out of. After the player's drafted, the NHL team tends to have limited control over his development due to the significant language and cultural barriers between North Americans and Russians and the inconsistent relationship between the NHL and KHL. Sometimes, as with Flyers goalie prospect Ivan Fedotov, a player might be pushed into military service.

"You have to slot the players where you believe they are on your list, from one to whatever the final number is," Sabres GM Adams told reporters prior to the draft. "Take away geography. Take away everything. You're putting it purely on projection. Then you're going to have to look at the variables. Some of that could be injury history. There could be contracts tied up in Europe. There's so many different variables. Certainly, the Russian variable is real.

"What is your plan to develop them? Are you going to be able to get them over here? And we've seen it both ways. We've drafted some Russian players who have been able to get over here pretty quickly and get into our system, which is great. And we've drafted players like (2021's Prokhor) Poltapov, who we knew was going to be years away based on the contract. So, you weigh it. Nothing for us has changed philosophically, though. If you believe you have the opportunity to get a player and it's of value, we'll do it."

"Value" is the operative word there.

Five clubs have drafted just one Russian in the past five years, and Boston hasn't selected any. Russian prospects fall on draft day if certain teams are reluctant to pick them, while organizations more comfortable with video scouting and the overall risk-reward calculation will happily snag a high-upside player in the later rounds.

"We don't go into it saying, OK, we're going to select as many players (as possible) from this country or that country," Yorke said. "It just depends on how the (draft unfolds and who's still available). The way it went this year, it ended up being a lot of players from Russia."

One advantage to drafting Russians is that they stay on a team's reserve list indefinitely, whereas the signing rights for players out of junior, college, or Europe expire within four years, depending on age and league. Teams have a longer runway with Russian prospects and can thus hold off on offering a contract to the player until he's close to stepping into the NHL.

"There's this underlying theme that perhaps you'll hit it out of the park with a Russian because not everybody has the fullest understanding of what the player can bring to the team," is how Dan Marr, the NHL's Central Scouting bureau chief, summarized the dynamics during an early-June interview.

Utah GM Bill Armstrong has allocated about 10% of his draft capital since 2020 to Russians, including Dmitri Simashev and Daniil But at sixth and 12th overall in 2023. "If they're a really good Russian player, about 100% of the time, they end up in the NHL. They'll find their way over eventually."

Player agents like Daniel Milstein deserve credit for helping bridge the gap between clubs and young Russians. All but one NHL team attended a pre-draft showcase in Florida organized by Milstein's Gold Star Hockey agency. Scouts and executives were able to interview and watch players train on and off the ice - something they can't do at the annual league combine in Buffalo.

"We've had really good success with Russian players. They've come in, they like Calgary, it seems like they enjoy it. A lot of the Russian players that we've had, stay all summer," said Flames GM Craig Conroy, who took a Milstein client - forward Matvei Gridin, who's already playing in the U.S. - with the 28th pick this year.

"We have a lot of Dan Milstein clients," Conroy added with a smile. "It just seems like it's a good fit. They've come in and really enjoyed it. When we talk to (Russians), sometimes you get some apprehension from some players, and then others say, 'No, we'd love to come to Calgary.' Having a couple Russian players also makes it a little bit easier for them coming in."

Leftover offseason notes

I reacted in real time to every major move made July 1. A few days removed from the chaos, let's check in on three teams operating on different timelines.

Ducks: At first glance, the Ducks are among the losers of the early offseason. They re-signed a few depth players and made two mid-level trades to bring in winger Robby Fabbri and blue-liner Brian Dumoulin. So: nothing significant despite a six-year playoff drought and GM Pat Verbeek talking openly about wanting to acquire a top-four defenseman and top-six forward. (Fabbri and Dumoulin are fine but don't check those boxes.)

Verbeek either struck out on the marquee free agents (likely) or has become a little gun-shy after gifting Alex Killorn $25 million last summer. Regardless, once you take a step back and factor in the franchise's competitive timeline, it's clear that Anaheim's actually an early winner. As a team on the rise but not ready to challenge for a playoff spot, it's smartly kept its powder dry.

The Ducks' long-term nucleus is mostly filled with 22-and-under skaters: forwards Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish, and Beckett Sennecke, plus defensemen Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger, Tristan Luneau, and Stian Solberg. Trevor Zegras, Lukas Dostal, and Troy Terry are just 23, 24, and 26.

Verbeek has time to weaponize his $21 million in cap space. For instance, if he ultimately decides to trade the flashy Zegras, he can theoretically complete a better deal by taking on money. Verbeek can make waves in 2025 free agency instead; the core group will be further along then.

Capitals: From a strictly team-building perspective, the Capitals are the NHL's most fascinating club. They began retooling ahead of the 2023 trade deadline in an effort to remain relevant as Alex Ovechkin chased the all-time goals record, and this offseason, that retool went into overdrive.

Arriving were forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Brandon Duhaime, and Taylor Raddysh; defensemen Matt Roy and Jakob Chychrun; and goalie Logan Thompson. Departing: forwards Beck Malenstyn, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, and Max Pacioretty; defenseman Nick Jensen; and goalie Darcy Kuemper.

The goalie duo has arguably improved and is definitely eating up less cap space. Dubois is a massive gamble but worth a shot given the Capitals' need for a top-six center. Mangiapane, Roy, and Chychrun should all thrive.

The retool has yielded better draft slots, too. The Capitals picked Terik Parascak 17th overall this year, Ryan Leonard sixth last year, and Ivan Miroshnichenko 20th in 2022 after seven consecutive years of not picking inside the top 20.

Interestingly, after all these transactions, Washington's ceiling remains relatively low for the 2024-25 season. It's closer to a middling team than a contender. But I'll give the Capitals credit for not sitting on their hands and simply hoping for the best with a flawed roster. (While the Caps made the playoffs last year, you may recall they finished with a minus-37 goal differential).

Panthers: Bill Zito displayed serious discipline over the past week. Fresh off hoisting the Stanley Cup and adding six players via the draft, the Panthers GM negotiated team-friendly extensions with Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell, and Dmitry Kulikov while shrewdly avoiding extensions with Brandon Montour, Vladimir Tarasenko, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Kevin Stenlund, and Anthony Stolarz. (Also on board at a cheap price: Jesper Boqvist and Nate Schmidt.)

The big-picture takeaway: Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Reinhart, Lundell, and Gustav Forsling are now all signed through at least 2029–30 for a combined $38.9 million against the cap. That's five essential members of the Cup-winning squad - none of them in their 30s - locked in at reasonable rates.

Zito passed Part 1 of the offseason with flying colors. Part 2 involves figuring out what to do with 2025 unrestricted free agents Aaron Ekblad, Sam Bennett, and Carter Verhaeghe. The rational play would be to re-sign Verhaeghe first, then try to extend Bennett and Ekblad on discounts. If Bennett and Ekblad don't want to play ball - which is fair, players should get paid what they're worth - let them test free agency and move on.

Parting shots:

World tour continues: After three seasons as an assistant coach with AHL Abbotsford, Jeff Ulmer has joined the Sharks as an assistant under new bench boss Ryan Warsofsky. Surprisingly, this will be the first time Ulmer - one of the most well-traveled athletes in any sport - lays down roots in California. The 47-year-old's playing career amounted to a world tour: junior in his home province of Saskatchewan, college in North Dakota, then 19 pro seasons from 1999 through 2018 for 24 teams in 13 countries. The leagues range from the NHL (21 games with the Rangers) to Germany's DEL and Finland's Liiga to top loops in Denmark, England, and central Europe. Ulmer, who previously worked for the Coyotes in a player development role, connects with players on a personal level in part because of his diverse hockey and life experiences. The Sharks' roster features a mix of Canadians, Americans, Czechs, Swedes, Germans, Finns, and Russians. Amazingly, Czechia is the only place he hasn't lived.

One of each: It feels like every time an NHL team owns two first-round picks in the same draft, we assume they'll select for multiple positions - taking a forward and then a defenseman, for example. "You want to leave with one of each" is a common phrase tossed around by team personnel and media. Is that indeed how teams act, though? Um, sort of. A team has picked twice in the first round 49 times over the past 10 years, and in 28 of those instances (57%), the team went with a different position on the second pick. The data is more black and white with teams that have three firsts. Only once in 10 instances has a team picked all three from the same position; in 2022, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams opted for a trio of forwards in Matthew Savoie (ninth overall), Noah Ostlund (16th), and Jiri Kulich (28th).

Bottom five-bound: The Flames will lose a lot of games next season, likely finishing with the fewest points among Canadian teams for the first time since 2012-13. There are plenty of quality NHLers on Calgary's roster, so this isn't a full-on tank job. However, with a forward group lacking high-end talent, a thin blue line, and inexperienced goalies, the Flames are going to be in a fight every night. It will rarely look pretty. In fact, they could easily end up in the bottom five of the entire league - which would be a good thing. Calgary needs a rebuild more than a retool. Conroy already has two first-round and two second-round picks in next year's draft, and he can add to his haul by flipping 2025 UFAs Andrei Kuzmenko and Anthony Mantha midseason. He's avoided onerous contracts to start the free-agency period, leaving the Flames with $22 million in cap space to leverage in trade talks.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

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The NHL free-agent market officially opened July 1 at noon ET. Below, theScore's lead hockey writer John Matisz breaks down the day's biggest moves that dropped before 5 p.m.

Hurricanes sign D Shayne Gostisbehere, Sean Walker

Carolina's gained a reputation for letting pending UFAs sign elsewhere if the bidding gets out of hand. A recent change at the GM level - Don Waddell out, Eric Tulsky in - hasn't altered the approach. Jake Guentzel, Stefan Noesen, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, and Teuvo Teravainen all inked big free-agent contracts with other clubs. Gostisbehere (three years, $3.2-million AAV) and Walker (five years, $3.6-million AAV) were signed to replace Pesce and Skjei. Depth forwards William Carrier, Tyson Jost, and Eric Robinson are also aboard, while Jaccob Slavin and Jordan Martinook had their contracts extended. Still to come this offseason: a Martin Necas trade and a Seth Jarvis extension. On the whole, the Hurricanes essentially replaced the defensive talent they lost, but they aren't as deadly offensively, though they still have lots of cap space ($11 million). If they intend on challenging for the Cup in 2024-25, they need to flip Necas for at least one impact NHL forward.

Canadiens re-sign F Juraj Slafkovsky to 8-year deal

The first thought that pops into my head: Damn, $60.8 million is a crazy amount for a player who's appeared in only 121 NHL games. The second thought: If Slafkovsky continues to progress and hits star status in Montreal, a $7.6-million AAV will be peanuts in a few years. It's important to remember that this deal doesn't kick in until 2025-26. By then, the cap will be around $90 million. After an underwhelming debut, Slafkovsky worked out the kinks and finished with 50 points as a sophomore. He's developing into the power forward the Canadiens dreamed of when they made him the 2022 draft's top pick. The Habs now have Slafkovsky at a controlled number for the bulk of his prime; he doesn't turn 21 until next March. This proactive move by GM Kent Hughes definitely carries risk (what if Slafkovsky doesn't reach his ceiling?) but I'm betting the Canadiens looked at Jack Hughes' contract with the Devils (eight years and $64 million, signed in 2021) and wondered if they could pull off something similar.

Leafs sign D Oliver Ekman-Larsson to 4-year deal

On one hand, four years and $3.5 million annually is a bit rich for a guy who'll likely play on the third pair and second power-play unit. On the other hand, given the volume of crazy contracts handed out this July 1, Ekman-Larsson at that cap number and term is probably justifiable. Toronto's blue line now features Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev, Jake McCabe, Simon Benoit, Ekman-Larsson, Timothy Liljegren, and Conor Timmins - a slightly above-average group, in my opinion. Looking purely at additions and subtractions (versus the financial commitments), GM Brad Treliving's done alright these past couple of days. Max Domi extended; Tanev and Ekman-Larsson added on defense; Anthony Stolarz reeled in to push newly extended starter Joseph Woll; and Matt Murray brought back for goaltending insurance. Tyler Bertuzzi is off to Chicago, but it could have been a lot worse.

Kraken sign F Chandler Stephenson to 7-year deal

Stephenson was a bargain for a while, making $2.75 million a year in Vegas. Good for him to get a substantial raise - $6.25-million AAV - while also scoring a seven-year commitment from Seattle, but this isn't great for the Kraken. While Stephenson is a perfectly fine top-nine forward, he's the wrong kind of player to allocate so much money and term to. Best-case scenario: He's a speedy second-line center who puts up 50-60 points. The more likely scenario, especially in the contract's back half: third-line center with 30-40 points. Yes, the cap's rising, but between this contract and Montour's, the Kraken seem to be overstretching themselves.

Flyers sign F Matvei Michkov to entry-level deal

Philadelphia started free agency with little fanfare, inking veterans Garnet Hathaway and Erik Johnson to two- and one-year extensions. Then, Monday afternoon, the Flyers announced Michkov's three-year deal and the fan base rejoiced. Flyers GM Daniel Briere took a home-run swing on Michkov at the 2023 draft, selecting him seventh overall despite concerns about an inflexible KHL contract and his willingness to play in North America. It turns out the 19-year-old's pumped to join a core that lacks exactly what he brings: high-end offensive skill and game-breaking ability. Michkov had 19 goals and 22 assists in 48 KHL contests last season. He'll challenge for the Calder Trophy.

Canucks sign F Jake DeBrusk to 7-year deal

This signing - seven years at $5.5 million per - is one of my favorites of the day. DeBrusk never posted monster counting stats during his seven-year Boston tenure (career-high 50 points in 2022-23), but he's long had strong underlying numbers, is coming off a strong postseason, and should fit seamlessly into Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet's system. DeBrusk should thrive in the top six alongside either Elias Pettersson or J.T. Miller. He's solid defensively, gets up and down the line easily, and has the perfect personality to deal with the fishbowl that is Vancouver's market.

Blue Jackets sign F Sean Monahan to 5-year deal

I like this bet by Columbus. Monahan, locked in for five years at a $5.5-million cap hit, complements the Blue Jackets' other top centers (Adam Fantilli and Boone Jenner) well. Last season, he posted his highest points per game since 2018-19 while proving he can avoid injury. The deal reunites 29-year-old Monahan with old Flames teammate Johnny Gaudreau, and the lengthy commitment provides stability after Monahan was traded twice in two years, first from Calgary to Montreal and then from Montreal to Winnipeg.

Bruins sign F Elias Lindholm, D Nikita Zadorov long term

Boston brings in Lindholm for seven years at $7.75 million per season and Zadorov for six years at $5 million per. These contracts sum up the opening 90 minutes of free agency well: significant term for a good but not great skater in his late 20s or early 30s. I'll give the Lindholm deal a C+ grade and Zadorov a C-. These are players you want to sign; they can help you win. The hulking Zadorov deepens the blue line, and I especially like the idea of having a 1-2-3 two-way center punch of Lindholm, Charlie Coyle, and Pavel Zacha. Zoom out, though, and both are overcommitments, and could become deals a GM regrets handing out two or three years down the road and then surrenders assets to get rid of.

Preds sign Stamkos, Marchessault, Skjei

Here comes Nashville. A year after surprising the hockey world by adding Ryan O'Reilly and Luke Schenn in free agency, GM Barry Trotz lands multiple marquee names. Stamkos is leaving the Lightning, the only team he's ever known, for a four-year contract carrying an $8-million AAV. Marchessault, an original Golden Knight, is on board on a five-year, $5.5-million AAV deal. Skjei, arguably the best left-handed defenseman on the market, signs for seven years at $7M annually. That's a ton of term and money for three players in their 30s, but I don't consider it reckless spending. Nashville's books were previously pretty clean and, remember, this is a 25-year-old franchise that's never really pushed its chips to the middle. Head coach Andrew Brunette's forward group now has two proven finishers to play alongside O'Reilly, Filip Forsberg, and a handful of youngsters. Skjei can lessen Roman Josi's heavy workload. Huge promise.

Capitals sign D Matt Roy, trade for D Jakob Chychrun

Roy arrives in Washington on a seven-year deal carrying a $5.75-million AAV. The term's too long, but Roy had leverage as a right-handed shutdown defenseman. Chychrun, a pending 2025 UFA, arrives on a $4.6-million cap hit following a trade that sent Nick Jensen and a third-round pick to Ottawa -a swap that's a win for Washington every day of the week. Big picture, GM Brian MacLellan is on a mission to turn the Capitals into a Cup contender in the final years of Alex Ovechkin's storied career. There's no denying these two transactions - plus recent acquisitions of Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, and Logan Thompson - give Washington a better shot at realizing that goal. The key word here is "shot," because this roster still looks closer to middling than elite. But I can't blame MacLellan for trying. Being aggressive is the right strategy for him; he can deal with a messy cap situation when Ovechkin's gone and it's rebuild time.

Sharks sign F Tyler Toffoli to 4-year deal

The Sharks were borderline unwatchable last season, so the bar's extremely low, but GM Mike Grier has made some nice additions over the past week. Toffoli, who'll make $6 million annually, joins fellow newcomers Jake Walman, Barclay Goodrow, and Ty Dellandrea. Grier doesn't want high-end rookies Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith to have no support. Toffoli's the best of the bunch, scoring 30 goals in each of the past two seasons. At 32, he may have just signed the last multi-year contract of his career, and it's certainly the heftiest at $24 million. Make no mistake, though, Toffoli doesn't make San Jose a playoff team. The Sharks will be a lottery team again and it won't be close.

Oilers re-sign F Connor Brown to 1-year deal

Value. Give it a few months and this one-year, $1-million deal could very well be one of the offseason's true bargains. Brown tore his ACL in 2022-23 while playing for the Capitals. He inked a one-year, bonus-heavy deal with Edmonton, but it took basically the entire regular season for him to get back to speed and start contributing. The right winger had a strong playoff run, registering five points in the final two rounds in a depth role. The Oilers are clearly banking on Playoff Brown, whose first deal with Edmonton included $3.55 million in bonuses, all of which carry over to 2024-25. That bit of context partially explains the low AAV this time around.

Kraken sign D Brandon Montour to 7-year deal

This contract carries a $7.14-million AAV and is a classic case of: "If the cap continues to rise as expected, no worries, but if it doesn't rise as expected, uh oh." Montour's a right-handed top-four defenseman who impacts the game through his physical tools, like skating, shooting, and body checking. If those diminish as he ages (Montour's already 30 and started last season injured), all of a sudden he's a third-pairing defenseman making top-pair money. Still, I understand the play here by GM Ron Francis. The Kraken's defense corps is filled with big dudes. It needed another dynamic guy to complement offense-driving Vince Dunn. After stints in Anaheim, Buffalo, and Florida, Montour's on to his fourth NHL team a week after winning the Cup.

Maple Leafs re-sign G Joseph Woll to 3-year deal

Can Woll stay healthy? That's the main question here, because based solely on on-ice performance and his upward trajectory, the 25-year-old deserves this deal, which includes a $3.66-million AAV. In fact, if Woll's healthy, we may be calling this contract an underpayment by Year 2. Woll's a rare goalie development success story for the Leafs and is now their starter of the present and future. As of this writing, Toronto doesn't have a backup, though Laurent Brossoit or Anthony Stolarz appear to be targets. Woll with either is a solid tandem.

Devils sign D Brett Pesce, D Brenden Dillon

New Jersey isn't messing around. After a disappointing 2023-24, GM Tom Fitzgerald reshaped his blue line with a trade Sunday night (he acquired Johnathan Kovacevic from Montreal) and these two signings. Pesce's contract is for six years with a $5.5-million AAV, while Dillon's is four years, $4 million AAV. I'm fine with the commitments to the large, reliable veterans. The left side of the Devils' back end now features Luke Hughes, Dillon, and Jonas Siegenthaler. The right side is Dougie Hamilton, Pesce, and Simon Nemec. Kovacevic is a quality seventh guy with some upside. Further, 2022 second-rounder Seamus Casey, a righty, is progressing well, too. Toss in the acquisition of starting goalie Jacob Markstrom and hiring of coach Sheldon Keefe and New Jersey - which had the sixth-worst defense last year - should allow significantly fewer goals next season.

Leafs sign D Chris Tanev to 6-year deal

Tanev's one of the NHL's best pure defenders. He fills a gaping hole on Toronto's right blue line. The $4.5-million AAV is tolerable in an $88-million cap world. In other words, I get why the Maple Leafs pulled the trigger: the fit between player and team is undeniable. But, boy, that term is scary, especially since the contract includes a full no-move clause. While Tanev has aged exceptionally well for a defensive defenseman who blocks a ton of shots, at some point he'll hit his decline. He turns 35, not 25, in December - the second half of this contract won't be pretty. Yet GM Brad Treliving - Tanev's old boss in Calgary - surely doesn't care, as he's attempting to win a Cup while superstar Auston Matthews remains in his prime, and this deal brings the Leafs closer to that goal (at least on paper).

Blackhawks sign F Tyler Bertuzzi to 4-year deal

File this one under the "Blackhawks needed to give Connor Bedard better options for linemates" category. Good for Bertuzzi, who will be making a career-high $5.5 million a year moving forward. Factor in the allure of potentially playing with a special player in Bedard and there's no mystery as to why Bertuzzi chose Chicago over a long line of suitors. The 29-year-old is a hard-working winger with a scoring touch and jam - two things the roster severely lacks. Fun fact: Chicago is Bertuzzi's fourth Original Six team.

Lightning sign F Jake Guentzel to 7-year deal

Tampa Bay, who acquired Guentzel in a Sunday night trade, locks up one of the most coveted free agents. The $9-million average annual value has some sticker shock, but it's a fair number given Guentzel's track record (four-time 30-goal scorer, clutch in the playoffs, good defensively). Guentzel will be 30 when the 2024-25 season starts and 37 when this deal expires, so there's some risk baked into the signing. That said, Guentzel profiles as the type of guy who'll buck the aging curve and continue to produce in his mid-30s. He's an extremely smart winger who consistently finds open ice near the opposing team's net. He and Zach Hyman tied for the league lead in expected goals per game last season. The only potential issue with this splashy signing is what's been lost elsewhere on the roster. The Lightning already traded top-four defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to clear cap space and will likely lose franchise icon Steven Stamkos in free agency. I don't know if they've improved overall, yet I assume GM Julien BriseBois isn't done for the day.

Panthers re-sign F Sam Reinhart to 8-year deal

Compromise. That's what this deal is all about. Reinhart is coming off a career year of 57 goals and 94 points. Had he tested the open market, he would have been in line for a much higher AAV than what he ultimately signed for - $8.625 million. But Reinhart wanted to stay in Florida, and the Stanley Cup champion Panthers wanted to fit him into their internal cap structure. So, the player gets the maximum amount of years and the team gets a lower AAV. Reinhart, Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, and Gustav Forsling are now all signed through at least 2029-30 - and none are overpaid. That's some savvy cap management by general manager Bill Zito. Reinhart, who turns 29 in November, may never score 50 goals again. But if he can pot 40 a year for the next few while continuing to be one of the best defensive forwards in hockey, the first half of this deal will look like a serious bargain.

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LAS VEGAS - Zeev Buium rose from his seat inside Sphere on Friday night, pivoted to his left, and wrapped his arms around his beaming mom, Miriam.

The hug lasted five seconds - an eternity when the dream of being selected in the NHL draft has become reality and the whole hockey world is watching.

"It just felt so special. To hug my mom. To hug my dad (Sorin). They made so many sacrifices for my brothers and I," the San Diego-born defenseman said. "And then to hug my two brothers, who mentored me this entire time, feels even better. It's a moment I can't fully explain, but it was awesome."

Buium was one of six consensus top defensemen in the 2024 draft class. He watched Artyom Levshunov (second overall), Carter Yakemchuk (seventh), Zayne Parekh (ninth), Anton Silayev (10th), and Sam Dickinson (11th) walk one by one to the event stage to shake NHL commissioner Gary Bettman's hand.

Considered a top-five talent by many draft pundits, Buium wasn't supposed to be available at 12. Philadelphia then dealt that pick to Minnesota for 13th and a 2025 third-rounder. The Wild weren't going to let their guy slide past 12.

"Seeing them trade up, I had a pretty good feeling it could be me," Buium said. "I couldn't be more honored for them to make that decision to get me."

Corey Pronman, the sport's preeminent prospect analyst, gave the Wild an A+ grade for the pick. Scouts believe Buium - who recorded 50 points for the University of Denver in his freshman year - can blossom into a top-pairing defenseman. He's the exact type of blue-liner the Wild needed for their prospect pool: a two-way puck-mover who might one day run the power play.

On a personal level, Buium's ready to exceed expectations - just as he has many times before as a California kid who welcomes challenges with open arms.

Miriam and Sorin Buium were born and raised in Israel. The Jewish couple moved to San Diego in their early 20s with around $1,000 and little grasp of the English language. Their oldest kid, Ben, now 23, was born a year later.

Their second, Shai, now 21, was the first family member to gravitate toward hockey. After watching a relative skate on local ice, Shai wouldn't stop talking about an expensive sport out of the mainstream in Southern California. Miriam, a former elite basketball player, and Sorin, who works in heating and cooling, eventually relented. Naturally, their youngest, Zeev, now 18, followed.

In those early years, Miriam would drive two-plus hours one way to Los Angeles for ice time. Three times a week, the Buium boys would eat meals and finish schoolwork in the car before skates at the L.A. Kings' practice facility in El Segundo. After a while, the family decided to move to Laguna Niguel - a mid-sized city between San Diego and L.A. - to halve the commute.

"It's a competitive, loving family," Denver Pioneers head coach David Carle said. "It's a family where everybody pushes each other and holds each other to a high standard. But they also have fun. They love to laugh and joke."

At different points, all three brothers moved to Minnesota to attend Shattuck-St. Mary's, a prep school located about an hour from the Wild's home arena, Xcel Energy Center. In his two years at Shattuck, Zeev learned how to be both a self-sufficient teenager - staying on top of schoolwork and laundry, for starters - and a dynamic blue-liner. He split his time between forward and defense in California but transitioned to full-time D duty at Shattuck.

"Being small forced me to use my hockey IQ and the creativity I developed as a roller-hockey player. I basically had to problem-solve with and without the puck, all the time," Buium recalled. "To this day, IQ is my biggest strength."

Jeff Pellegrini, Buium's second-year coach, said the defenseman would sometimes "take chances and try things that were maybe too risky."

"But you don't want to put handcuffs on Zeev," he said. "Nowadays, I see some of the escape moves he makes at the blue line, and the puck protection on the breakout, and everything else that makes him a special player, and I'm really impressed. We saw glimpses of that at a young age, but it's been polished and refined."

The next stop for Buium: Ann Arbor, Michigan, to represent his country every day as part of the U.S. National Team Development Program. While USA Hockey saw potential in the left-shot D-man, Buium didn't start the 2021-22 season as some hotshot from a southern state. He had to prove himself.

"As the year went on," NTDP assistant coach Chad Kolarik said, "Zeev dominated. He was on our top pair and first power play. In a way, it played out the way we thought it might. The way we hoped. But you never really know, and it just took him a little bit longer to push through and to assert himself."

Two things stick out to Kolarik about Buium's two-year run at the NTDP, which was headlined by 40 points in 63 games and an Under-18 world championship gold medal in Year 2. One: Buium's "infectious personality" and unique ability to connect with every player on the team. Two: his immense strength gains.

"You turn a kid into a man pretty darn quickly here," Kolarik said of the NTDP's emphasis on weight training. "He had the want and the care on and off the ice. He was always in the gym and would one of the last guys on the ice. He'd be shooting pucks when the Zamboni's in the entrance waiting for him to get off. He's that kid. The game doesn't really feel like work to him."

Buium was 5-foot-9 and relatively weak at the start of his NTDP tenure. He's since shed the "small" label thanks to measurables of 6 feet and 185 pounds as of early June. He's never going to be an imposing, shutdown defenseman. Yet he's perfectly capable of defending opponents of all sizes due to his strong skating, good stick, hockey sense, and overall commitment to winning.

Buium's tour of the Midwest brought him to Colorado last fall, and boy, did he deliver as the second-youngest player in college hockey. He led all defensemen in scoring with 11 goals and 39 assists in just 42 games. He played a starring role in a gold medal-winning world juniors for the Americans (five points in seven games, including a goal in the final game) and then was named to the Frozen Four All-Tournament team after winning an NCAA title.

The whirlwind of on-ice success culminated with an exuberant celebration with Shai, his Denver teammate and a 2021 second-round pick of the Red Wings. "It's f-----g unbelievable!" Zeev said live on ESPN. "Oh, sorry. Uh, it's great."

No matter what happens in the pros, Shai and Zeev will forever have the 2023-24 season. "It was super unique to play with him in college," Zeev said. "To be on the team that won, it is truly amazing. Hopefully when I'm 40, 50 years old and sitting in my basement, I'll be able to wrap my head around it."

That year left no doubts about Buium's ability to rise to the occasion. He isn't simply an offensive whiz who loves to fake out defenders at the offensive blue line. No, his game has substance and big-game qualities. His personal goal at the start of his draft year was to "be a guy who can be trusted to play in the final two minutes of the game if we're up a goal." Mission accomplished.

"He's not a guy who only gets excited to score the goal or set up the goal. He wants to kill a play on the other team's zone entry. He wants to go battle in the corner. He wants to pop the puck to the middle of the ice on our breakout," Carle said. "He just wants to impact the game in any way that he can to help the team win. From an actual practical standpoint, what did he get better at the most at Denver? I would probably say his defensive game."

This full package is what truly excited the Wild's front office Friday. General manager Bill Guerin believes in Buium's two-way ability. It's not difficult to picture him skating alongside Calder Trophy runner-up Brock Faber - a righty - for the next decade. The Wild's under-25 core of Faber, forwards Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Danila Yurov, Marat Khusnutdinov, Riley Heidt, and goalie Jesper Wallstedt desperately needed an injection of blue-line talent.

Buium recently got a giant tattoo on his left arm. It lists in Hebrew the dates for his U18 gold, world junior gold, and NCAA title. Whether it's another Frozen Four victory or, down the road, a Stanley Cup, Buium might not be done coloring his body with reminders of how far he's come and what he's accomplished. The hockey journey that started in San Diego is just beginning.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

LAS VEGAS - Beckett Sennecke was as stunned as everyone else inside Sphere on Friday night and countless fans watching the NHL draft on TV.

"The technology is pretty advanced in here," quipped Sennecke, the newest member of the Anaheim Ducks, and apparently also an amateur architecture critic. "It cost like $2.5 billion to build, so they better have some good technology."

The Ducks ensured early fireworks by using the No. 3 pick on Sennecke. The game-breaking 6-foot-2 winger with elite hands labelled it "definitely shocking" in part because Anaheim didn't express special interest in the lead-up to the first round. Sennecke's immediate reaction - which included an f-bomb or two and quickly went viral - certainly backs up those words.

"I kind of blacked out, I guess," he said while wearing Anaheim's new orange jersey, a smile rarely leaving his face during a lengthy scrum.

Leave it to the Ducks to steal the show. They did the same thing last year when they passed on Adam Fantilli with the second pick in Nashville, ultimately selecting Leo Carlsson (a decision that's completely justifiable in hindsight). Sennecke was a late but extraordinary riser in the 2024 class. He grew a few inches midseason, then rattled off 22 points in 16 playoff games.

Years from now, we'll remember this as the Macklin Celebrini draft, and perhaps the precise moment when the Sharks laid the foundation for San Jose's return to prominence. We'll also remember it for the collection of defensemen atop the class, starting with No. 2 pick Artyom Levshunov, the Belarusian now joining Calder Trophy winner Connor Bedard in Chicago.

"Every one of these top five, six defensemen play a different style," NHL Central Scouting bureau chief Dan Marr told theScore recently. "They all bring something different to the table. That's very unique."

Levshunov's believed to be the most complete blue-liner in the class, the surest bet to become a Norris Trophy-caliber player. Carter Yakemchuk, who went to Ottawa at No. 7, offers a fantastic shot and physicality. Zayne Parekh, ninth to Calgary, is an offensive genius. Anton Silayev, 10th to New Jersey, is a imposing shutdown guy who can pitch in offensively. Sam Dickinson, 11th to San Jose, is a big, athletic, competitive kid with wheels. Zeev Buium, 12th to Minnesota, is a smart, dynamic blue-liner who tore up the NCAA last season.

My two cents: Buium's the best value pick of the entire first round. At worst, he outperforms that 12th slot. At best, he's a longtime play-driving All-Star. (Check back on the weekend for a Buium profile we're publishing Saturday.)

Drafting's an inexact science. Even the smartest scouts in the business are guessing to some extent, and we'll find out in a few years what's in store for these young defenders. Maybe Dickinson develops better than expected and goes on to the greatest career. Maybe Silayev never comes over from Russia after his KHL contract expires and the Devils regret the pick. Or maybe he's a stud.

This year's first round was entertaining in the moment and holds immense entertainment value for the future. I'm looking forward to reading the inevitable "2024 redraft" posts in 2034 with an eye on where Levshunov and his peers land.

Isles bet on maligned sniper 🎯

While Sennecke's stock rose like nobody else's, it can be argued none fell like Cole Eiserman's. Thought to be a top-five pick before the season, the American winger ended up going 20th to the Islanders.

Eiserman's widely considered the class' best pure goal-scorer. He possesses a wicked one-timer and is lauded for consistently finding open ice, meaning he can score from distance and in tight. His 127 goals over two years set a U.S. National Team Development Program record.

There are questions galore about him, though: Is his hockey sense good enough? What about his compete level? Can he improve his OK skating? Will he blossom into a reliable 40-goal scorer or will he be a top-six passenger?

"They picked me for me, so I'm really excited," Eiserman said of the Isles.

Alexander Holtz, Arthur Kaliyev, and Oliver Wahlstrom are three goal-scoring forwards who represent the bad outcome for Eiserman. Cole Caufield and Owen Tippett represent the good. In other words: The Isles are either going to look super smart or shrug their shoulders at swinging hard and missing at 20.

Here come the Norwegians 🇳🇴

They're partying in Oslo.

Coming into draft weekend, the highest Norwegian ever selected was Marius Holtet, a Dallas Stars second-round pick in 2002. On Friday, the Red Wings snagged Michael Brandsegg-Nygard at 15, and the Ducks selected Stian Solberg eight picks later after acquiring the 23rd pick from Toronto.

Brandsegg-Nygard is a power winger with scoring touch. He played in Sweden's second-best pro league in 2023-24 and is headed for full-time SHL action this fall. Solberg, a two-way defenseman with a mean streak, is also SHL-bound after spending his draft year competing in Norway's pro loop.

Nine Norwegians have appeared in an NHL game. Mats Zuccarello of the Wild is by far the most well known. Brandsegg-Nygard and Solberg, close buddies for years, just took their first step towards joining or usurping Zuccarello.

Player to watch: Aatos Koivu

The Canadiens own two third-round picks, a fourth-rounder, and two fifths; the Ducks own a trio of thirds and a fourth. That adds up to nine chances for Koivu to hear his name called by one of his father's former NHL clubs.

Aatos, the son of longtime Montreal captain and Anaheim fan favorite Saku Koivu, is projected to go off the board sometime in the middle rounds. The 6-foot, 170-pound center was listed 27th on NHL Central Scouting's ranking of international skaters and 64th on FloHockey's overall ranking.

Aatos split the 2023-24 season between three squads within TPS, the Liiga team based in Turku, Finland. He registered nine goals and 22 points in 20 Under-18 games, 16 goals and 31 points in 28 Under-20 games, and zero points in four pro games.

Koivu is a raw prospect who steadily progressed over the year and has good offensive instincts. He's more of a shooter than a passer and can really pick a corner thanks to a quick and reliable release. The righty loves to launch one-timers on the power play from the "Ovi spot" inside the left faceoff circle.

Scouts are most impressed with Koivu's motor and work ethic. He's a two-way player with solid skating who left strong impressions during fitness tests and team interviews at the scouting combine in Buffalo in early June. That said, Koivu can be frustrating to watch at times as he rarely attacks the interior of the offensive zone, often settling instead for shots from distance.

Koivu - who was born in Finland over the 2006 offseason, spent his early years in Quebec, and first learned to play in California - doesn't have vivid memories of his dad's career. He's said in predraft media interviews that he could usually be found horsing around with other kids during his dad's games.

Player to watch: Mikhail Yegorov

Yegorov, who should be one of the first goalies picked, counts playing chess among his various non-hockey hobbies. He became enamored with the game after binge-watching "The Queen's Gambit" on Netflix in 2020.

"It's mostly my hobby, but I think it helps my brain to work quicker and be sharper," the Russian said of his daily sessions on Chess.com. "It helps me analyze information and make decisions. In chess, I need to analyze the whole board. In hockey, I need to analyze the whole zone, where every player is."

Yegorov did plenty of analyzing this past season. He was under siege between the pipes for an awful Omaha Lancers team that won just 16 of 62 USHL games. The Boston University commit finished with an .892 save percentage in 43 appearances - solid given the circumstances.

Yegorov has NHL starter upside, though backup is a more realistic projection. He's a strong skater, athletic, positionally sound, and big at 6-foot-5.

Player to watch: Aron Kiviharju

Once considered the next can't-miss prospect out of Finland, Kiviharju's one of the class' biggest mysteries. Teams simply don't know what to think of him.

The puck-moving left-shot defenseman is incredibly smart. He's elusive. A nifty passer. There are no personality or work ethic red flags to worry about.

However, Kiviharju - who was born in Denmark but represents Finland internationally - is listed at 5-foot-10, 184 pounds. He regularly gets bullied by opponents and appeared in just seven Liiga games all year due to injury.

When evaluating smaller defensemen, scouts often ask themselves what kind of impact the player can make without the puck on his stick. The small guy often needs to be exceptional offensively to earn a full-time NHL job.

The jury's definitely still out on Kiviharju. He'll likely go in the second round, but the industry, concerned about his trajectory, has softened on him.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With seven minutes left in the third period of Monday's epic Game 7, Evan Bouchard feathered a pass to the doorstep of the Florida Panthers' net.

The pass wasn't to just anyone. Somehow, someway, in a winner-takes-all game for the ages, the best hockey player of his generation found open ice in front of the crease: Connor McDavid was all alone with the Edmonton Oilers down 2-1.

No. 97 corralled the puck, made a quick move from backhand to forehand and tried to sneak it past a sprawling Sergei Bobrovsky. No dice. The puck popped out to Zach Hyman, who had his stick tied up by Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour at the perfect moment. Nope. A scramble ensued, Bobrovsky pounced on the puck, and that was it. Florida played lock-down defense until sticks, helmets, gloves, and plastic rats rained down.

Game over, historic collapse avoided, reputations salvaged and cemented: Florida, the NHL's southernmost team and a laughingstock for stretches of its 30-season existence, has captured its elusive first Stanley Cup. "There was no question we were going to win this one," Montour told Sportsnet moments after hoisting the Cup.

Last June, the Panthers were walloped 9-3 in the fifth and final game of a lopsided Cup Final; the cumulative score was 26-12 in favor of the Vegas Golden Knights. This year, they jumped out to a 3-0 series lead, lost three straight close-out games, one of them by seven goals, one on home ice, before finally finishing the job in a season and final that felt never-ending.

Long doesn't mean boring. No, the hockey world might have just witnessed the most memorable final in NHL history - a deep team outdueled the Wayne Gretzky of its era, but only barely. It took seven thrilling games, and McDavid - who was otherworldly throughout the playoffs and especially in the Final, where he posted 11 of his 42 points - still earned the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Fittingly, Florida's most clutch player, Carter Verhaeghe, scored the opening goal Monday, and its top sniper, 57-goal scorer Sam Reinhart, nailed the winner. The Panthers won as a unit but ultimately needed their best to be the best.

"I've never hugged so many sweaty men in my life," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice told Sportsnet from ice level at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.

"They always say you can't fucking get the words out, man," added blue-liner Aaron Ekblad, a 10-year Panther. "That's incredible. This is amazing. Sorry for swearing, but this is the best moment of my life so far. Nothing tops it."

This Florida team should be remembered for its ability to limit offensive dynamos. Round 1's top priority was Nikita Kucherov, and the Tampa Bay superstar managed only three five-on-five points in five games. Round 2's target was Boston's David Pastrnak, who had two five-on-five points in six games. Round 3: New York's Artemi Panarin, who also could only muster two five-on-five points in six games.

McDavid broke through, collecting six five-on-five points, but he's McDavid. However, he inflicted damage only when Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov was on the bench. The score when the two centers were on the ice together at five-on-five: 1-1.

If there are people in your life who remain skeptical about Barkov's ability to fill Patrice Bergeron's role as the preeminent defensive forward in the sport, now and for the next decade, show them the statistic above. With the stakes impossibly high, Barkov drew even with McDavid in 44 head-to-head minutes.

Barkov, the longest-serving Panther, also bagged four game-winners on the run. Verhaeghe had three, while Reinhart and heart-and-soul winger Matthew Tkachuk pitched in two apiece. Rising star Gustav Forsling secured his place among the league's upper echelon of defensemen with superb defensive play. Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, solidified his Hockey Hall of Fame case with a Conn Smythe-caliber run and first Cup. Forwards Evan Rodrigues (seven goals, including four against Edmonton), Anton Lundell (17 points, plus flashes of Barkov-esque defensive play), and Eetu Luostarinen (Mr. Reliable every single night) all count as standouts further down the lineup.

As is tradition, Barkov accepted the Cup from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. He hoisted it, then gave it to Bobrovsky, who passed it to fourth-line winger, 17-year vet, and trade-deadline addition Kyle Okposo.

"I wanted to put myself in the best position to win this year and made a hard decision three and a half months ago," Okposo said of moving from Buffalo - where he was captain - to Florida. "I thought that this was the best team. I said it from the first day that I got here: I wanted to be a spoke in the wheel."

Like Okposo, Maurice waited a long time for this. The former bench boss of the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes (twice), Toronto Maple Leafs, and Winnipeg Jets trails only Scotty Bowman in career NHL games coached. He looked directly into the broadcast camera as a champion and thanked his family for 30 years of support. "Hey Dad," he said in typical Maurice fashion, "your name is going up with your heroes. Beliveau. Richard. Howe. Lindsay. Maurice."

Another notable addition to sports' most stunning trophy: Tkachuk, whose father Keith had a storied career but never reached the mountaintop.

The Panthers made the Cup Final in 1996, the club's third year of existence, but then struggled for a long time, from 1997-2021. They made the playoffs six times but failed to win a series in those 24 seasons. The past three years have been an entirely different story, with general manager Bill Zito, hired in September 2020, constructing a championship team largely through free agency and trades: Presidents' Trophy in 2021-22, Cup runner-up in 2022-23, Cup winner in 2023-24.

In July 2022, Zito famously acquired Tkachuk for longtime Cat Jonathan Huberdeau, and the trade's aged fantastically. Same goes for Zito's work from early April to late July 2021: Montour, Sam Bennett, and Reinhart all brought in via trade. Overall, 17 of the 21 players to appear in at least one game during Florida's playoff run were acquired via trade (eight) or free agency (nine). Zito made 15 of those transactions, while former GM Dale Tallon pulled off two.

That leaves four players: Forsling, Barkov, Ekblad, and Lundell. Forsling was claimed off waivers, while the others were drafted in the first round.

In other words, above all else, the Panthers are exceptional at evaluating players on other NHL teams. Again and again, the front office - whether it's Zito himself, his assistants, scouts, or analytics people - has identified the right player at the right time, and then folded him neatly into Maurice's lineup.

The 2023-24 Panthers were versatile on offense, structured on defense, and disciplined relative to the chaos they caused during play and between whistles. The majority of the roster was deserving of the "defensively sound" label, and there's no denying some cues were taken from captain Barkov.

All pro athletes are highly competitive, but Florida had what seemed and felt like a disproportionate number of ultra-competitive players up and down its lineup; like those players wouldn't (eventually) be denied. It showed most in puck battles, on the forecheck and cycle, and along the boards in all three zones. And in the connectivity and love between linemates, teammates, and coaches.

"I got off the phone with them the summer I took the job and I kept telling my wife: 'These guys are different,'" Maurice told ESPN of the club's core pieces.

"It's the way they treat each other. They love each other. It starts with Barkov and it filters down. We have nine new guys this year, and then we brought in Okposo and (Vladimir) Tarasenko, and you can't tell they haven't been here for 10 years. It's got nothing to do with the coaches - nothing to do with us. That room has been special since Day 1."

He added later about the journey: "We needed to lose three in the Final to learn how to win four. And the fact that it was so hard makes it so special."

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's biweekly hockey grab bag.

The NHL's version of musical chairs began Wednesday, with starting goalies Jacob Markstrom and Darcy Kuemper switching teams and conferences.

Markstrom, 34, was shipped to New Jersey after four seasons with Calgary, while Kuemper, 34, was moved to Los Angeles following two seasons with Washington. In both cases, a veteran gets a fresh start and a playoff-caliber team addresses a glaring need in goal.

The music continues to play, though, as a handful of other notable netminders and hungry teams try to find the right fit ahead of and as free agency opens. Ottawa, Colorado, and Toronto are among clubs in the hunt. Let's match them with two intriguing guys each.

Ottawa: Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch reports Senators general manager Steve Staios is making a "hard push" for Boston's Linus Ullmark. The Bruins boast a long-term starter in Jeremy Swayman, so they're motivated to move the 2023 Vezina Trophy winner. However, an Ullmark-to-Ottawa swap won't be easy.

Ullmark's a 2025 unrestricted free agent who'll earn $5 million this coming season and has a 15-team no-trade list. There's a good chance it includes most Canadian markets. The Sens also need to either trade or buy out current starter Joonas Korpisalo to create room for Ullmark, financially and on the depth chart. Fellow Swede Anton Forsberg is secure as the backup.

The Sens seem desperate and do have blue-liner Jakob Chychrun and two first-rounders (seventh and 25th, originally Boston's pick) to dangle in a trade.

Plan B would be prying Juuse Saros out of Nashville for a heftier price.

Colorado: There's no disputing Alexandar Georgiev is the Avalanche starter. But he finished with an NHL-high 3,636 minutes this past regular season and burnout was evident down the stretch. (Georgiev rebounded in the playoffs.) Justus Annunen looks like a future backup and may be a serviceable one already, yet he's still too much of an unknown for a Stanley Cup contender.

Cam Talbot, a pending UFA, is a good fit as a trustworthy, veteran No. 2. AFP Analytics projects Talbot can fetch a one-year, $1.8-million deal on the open market. Evolving Hockey pegs him at $2.6 million on a one-year pact. Split the difference and Talbot's looking at around $2 million - not a ton for a 36-year-old with a .913 save percentage through 486 games.

Plan B: James Reimer, who won't cost much but is a year older.

Toronto: The Leafs swung and missed on Markstrom and, theoretically, could pursue another big name - like Ullmark or Saros - via trade. However, they'd be better off signing a relatively cheap free agent to share the workload with Joseph Woll while also filling holes elsewhere.

I mentioned Jets backup Laurent Brossoit as a possibility two weeks ago, and I'm doubling down - the fit is perfect. The technically sound 31-year-old has flourished since having hip surgery in late 2022 (.927 save percentage in 23 games) and should command a digestible $3 million or so a year. His veteran savvy and drive to start more games should pair nicely with Woll, who's the default starter in Toronto but who's struggled to stay healthy.

Plan B: Overripe Panthers backup Anthony Stolarz, who, like Brossoit, is ready for big time after refining his craft for a decade in the NHL and AHL.

MacKinnon talks playoff exit, Crosby

A month on, Nathan MacKinnon still isn't over Colorado's early playoff exit, capped by a double-overtime Game 6 loss to Dallas in Round 2.

"Even after being nominated for a couple of trophies, the end of the season definitely put a sour taste in my mouth," MacKinnon said in mid-June.

"I still want to be playing right now, and (the Avalanche) want to keep testing ourselves against the best in the league," the superstar center added. "(Dallas) was a great team, a deep team, and they kind of had our number in that series. A lot of close games but we just couldn't find a way to get it done."

MacKinnon made those remarks during a call with reporters to promote Cwench Hydration, a new sports drink developed by MacKinnon's longtime trainer, Andy O'Brien. Cwench is part of Cizzle Brands, a health and wellness company founded by former BioSteel co-founder and CEO John Celenza.

MacKinnon's up for the Hart and Ted Lindsay trophies after posting 140 points in 82 games. The 28-year-old finished second in Hart voting in 2017-18 and 2019-20, and third in 2020-21. This year's field is particularly stacked, though MacKinnon's case for MVP is arguably stronger than other finalists Connor McDavid and Nikita Kucherov.

No. 29 on the Avs was a wrecking ball every night, carrying an injury-riddled club to the Central Division's third seed. "I'm just trying to control what I can," said MacKinnon, who'll be in Las Vegas for the annual awards show. "Some people will vote for me, some people won't. It is what it is."

Here's MacKinnon on three other timely topics:

Teaming up with Sidney Crosby: Six players will be named to each 4 Nations Face-Off roster on June 28. Crosby and MacKinnon will undoubtedly be part of Team Canada's first wave of selections for the February 2025 event. The Nova Scotians - close friends despite an eight-year gap - have worn the red and white together only once, at the 2015 world championship.

"I'd love to play with him on a line," MacKinnon said of Crosby, the likely 4 Nations captain. "I'll gladly play wing. I think that'd be pretty cool. We'd have pretty good chemistry out there. We definitely talk about that. We talk about the (potential) lineup. It's exciting. We're hockey fans like everyone else."

Losing Valeri Nichushkin - again: The star forward left the Avs in the middle of a tense playoff series for the second year in a row. Nichushkin was placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program ahead of Game 4 against the Stars, and is suspended without pay for six months.

"We just hope he finds peace, gets help," said MacKinnon, an alternate captain. "He's a great guy. He's a great teammate. We all love him. It's obviously bigger than the game, what he's going through. But we definitely miss him. He's a horse. He's one of the best two-way players in the league. He had nine goals (in eight playoff games) when we lost him. Huge hole, but we'll back next season and hopefully we have him for the rest of his career."

Partnering with Cwench: Even by pro-athlete standards, MacKinnon's a health nut. He's been dialed into nutrition and sleep since he was a kid and "really started taking it super seriously" around the four-year mark of his career. "It's been a big advantage for me," he said. "Even at the top level, there's room to get that edge on guys. Any edge I can get, I'm looking to do."

O'Brien, Cwench's chief performance officer, has worked for multiple NHL teams in the past and also calls Crosby a longtime client. He's been an integral part of MacKinnon's rise from first pick in the 2013 draft to top-five player in the world. "He's a real genius in his field. It's made me very comfortable in committing myself to (Cwench)," MacKinnon said.

Hydration is "the low-hanging fruit I think everyone needs to take seriously," MacKinnon added of both pro athletes and regular people. "It can get overlooked. Honestly, if you're not hydrated, you're not going to perform well."

Parting shots

Laine conundrum: The Blue Jackets are reportedly trying to fulfill a trade request from sniper Patrik Laine, which is a tricky situation for new GM Don Waddell to navigate so early in his tenure. Laine, 26, last scored at a 40-goal pace in 2017-18, and isn't a good defender, yet he's earning $8.7 million a year for the next two seasons and owns a 10-team no-trade list. Laine's recent injury and mental health issues further complicate the calculus for potential suitors. Rival GMs must be asking themselves who Laine is at this point in his career. That said, interest would surely skyrocket if Columbus is open to retaining salary. Many teams would love to acquire Laine at 50% retained ($4.35 million). Utah, which has oodles of cap space and excessive draft capital, jumps off the page as a landing spot, retention or not. New market, big splash? Carolina also makes some sense if it doesn't re-sign pending UFA Jake Guentzel (though the Hurricanes would be a strange trading partner for Waddell, who just spent a decade in Carolina).

Crafty prospect: Projected top-10 pick Berkly Catton took matters into his own hands one day last year, building a one-of-a-kind shooting target for his Saskatchewan backyard. All he needed was some wood and road hockey equipment. Catton opted to construct his own goalie over buying a Shooter Tutor because, one, he was bored, and two, he wanted to fire pucks at different holes. The Spokane Chiefs forward even placed a "Cooper Michaluk" name tag on the wooden goalie's helmet - a nod to one of his teammates. "It looks pretty real, actually," Catton said in early June following fitness testing at the NHL scouting combine in Buffalo. He later joked that he "might have to patent" his unique shooting target, because all those backyard shots paid off: Catton went from 23 goals in 63 games in 2022-23 to 54 goals in 68 this year.

Long-haul rebuild: There's going to be a ton of chatter over the next couple of weeks about the Sharks' bright future - and rightfully so considering San Jose's set to draft a franchise-changing talent in Macklin Celebrini a year after adding pillar Will Smith. Don't get it twisted, though: GM Mike Grier has his work cut out for him. Old core pieces Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic still have three and two years left on their respective deals. The defensive and goalie depth charts are underwhelming. This past season's lineup was heavy on rentals and fringe NHLers, with William Eklund counting as the only standout youngster. Put another way, unless Grier gets super aggressive on the trade and free-agency markets over the next few years, the Sharks aren't competing for a playoff spot for a while - 2027-28 at the earliest. Adding Barclay Goodrow and Ty Dellandrea earlier this week is a decent start.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Florida Panthers have earned a 2-0 series lead over the Edmonton Oilers courtesy of 3-0 and 4-1 victories to open the Stanley Cup Final. Game 3 goes on Thursday night at Edmonton's Rogers Place. Here are three things to watch as the Oilers push for change.

Home-ice adjustments

A series summary from the Oilers' perspective: They played well enough to win Game 1 but lost in large part due to a phenomenal goaltending performance from Sergei Bobrovsky. Game 2 was less inspiring - though not a complete dud - and now Edmonton must string together four wins over a five-game span.

In other words, the Oilers are learning about impossibly thin margins.

They'll gain the benefit of last change for Game 3, and coach Kris Knoblauch must do everything in his power to get Connor McDavid favorable matchups. "Favorable" is anyone other than Aleksander Barkov and Gustav Forsling.

Barkov, the model shutdown center, might be unavailable for Game 3, which would be a huge break for the Oilers. Forsling and defense partner Aaron Ekblad have been on the ice for 24 of McDavid's 32 five-on-five minutes in the series. The Oilers captain has looked his usual tantalizing self in transition and is maintaining possession of the puck in the offensive zone. However, as the table below shows, he's struggled to turn possession into prime scoring chances.

In last year's final, Vegas beat Florida by jamming up the slot area with bodies, insulating goalie Adin Hill. This year, Florida is beating Edmonton by insulating Bobrovsky - but in a different way. Their defensive shell is multi-layered: the first defender tries to keep McDavid on the perimeter; if 97 beats that guy, a second defender is hounding him, and a third is lurking nearby.

Forsling's been particularly disruptive to the Oilers' best-laid plans. His first few steps are quick enough to keep up with McDavid. He combines that skating ability with elite anticipation skills and an active stick to close gaps.

McDavid's eight minutes away from Barkov and Forsling haven't been pretty for Florida. Depth players like Kyle Okposo have been holding on for dear life as McDavid weaves in and out of traffic. Eventually, those sequences will turn into goals. Knoblauch won't get the perfect matchup every shift at home, but if McDavid can escape Barkov and Forsling for, say, 50% of his five-on-five minutes, Edmonton will see results.

Knoblauch also shouldn't be shy about going nuclear. Throw out McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard, and Mattias Ekholm for the odd offensive-zone faceoff. Florida simply can't match that five-man unit.

Bubbling issue

The Oilers' blue line is in disarray.

Bouchard, firmly the No. 1 defenseman at 24 years old, is coming off arguably his worst game of the playoffs. Darnell Nurse is hurt, playing just 4:20 in Game 2. Both recent scratch Cody Ceci and fill-in Vincent Desharnais are unreliable.

Knoblauch doesn't have many cards to play, but he should split up Bouchard and Ekholm to even out the pairings. Bouchard can skate alongside another puck-mover in Philip Broberg, while Ekholm and veteran Brett Kulak can form a shutdown duo. In this scenario, the bottom pair (regardless of who's on it) can be used sparingly and deployed strategically.

Coach Paul Maurice probably isn't losing sleep over matchups, because Florida's third line has been fantastic. The Panthers have outscored the Oilers 1-0 while accounting for 76% of the expected goals in Anton Lundell, Vladimir Taraseko, and Eetu Luostarinen's 16 minutes together.

Even if Lundell moves up in Barkov's absence, Florida can dress a better bottom-six group. Edmonton's third and fourth lines have generated next to nothing in this series - on trend with the rest of the Oilers' playoff run.

Something to keep in mind: we have yet to witness a signature performance from Matthew Tkachuk. Shot attempts are 23-16 in Florida's favor when the superstar winger's been on the ice during five-on-five action. He's recorded five shots on goal, drawn a penalty, and continues to be excellent along the walls in all three zones. A massive Game 3 feels almost inevitable.

Sleeping giant?

Zero for seven. Nothing in 11 minutes and 28 seconds.

No matter how you express the Oilers' power-play numbers in this series, the Oilers haven't executed. Given how much they rely upon the man advantage to win games, this is the worst possible time for a dry spell.

There's hope. The power play struggled early in the Western Conference Final before scoring four goals over five opportunities in Games 5 and 6, and the scoring chances, including multiple hit posts, have been there versus Florida.

McDavid, whose one point is a four-on-four assist, has been buzzing around the zone on the power play. Puck and body movement, overall, has been decent for the Oilers. The Panthers' aggressive penalty kill has been proactive, though, so most seam passes have found the wrong skates or sticks.

McDavid has even tried to do it all himself a few times, winding up for a coast-to-coast rush at the end of a shift only to hit a wall of three or four defenders inside Florida's zone. Hyman's been close to converting on a few loose pucks. Bouchard's unleashed his deadly slap shot a few times, but not often enough. The Oilers desperately need to create more in-zone two-on-ones.

Then there's Draisaitl. Overall, it's hard to criticize the big German. He's amassed 28 points in 20 playoff contests this year and ranks fifth in NHL history in postseason points per game. But Draisaitl has been nearly invisible in the final. He's had issues getting off the wall at even strength and on the man advantage, putting a ceiling on his playmaking and finishing. It's not too late to rebound.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Zach Hyman's superpower is that he embraces his role better than anyone.

His role entails many things - hunting down pucks, battling along the boards in all three zones, forechecking hard, backchecking harder, and making the right play 99 times out of 100. It's the stuff coaches and fellow players appreciate.

It entails being Connor McDavid's sidekick - the guy who can think the game at approximately the same level, pull the trigger on those breathtaking rushes, be the safety valve when the odd scoring chance goes awry, and so on.

The Oilers wouldn't be in the Stanley Cup Final - which finally gets going Saturday night in Sunrise - without Hyman's 54 regular-season goals and 14 in the playoffs. They aren't in the Final if he doesn't play to his identity every single shift. He's predictable and reliable in the most productive way.

Hyman may not be as valuable as McDavid or Leon Draisaitl or, arguably, Evan Bouchard. But he's the ringleader of the second layer of talent. The Oilers won't beat the deep Panthers without contributions from everybody.

All modern NHLers try to attack from the slot to some extent. Knowing his role and putting his head down, Hyman takes that tactic to the extreme. Seriously, look at the number of shots he's fired from the opposing goalie's kitchen this postseason. Of his 76 total shots, 48 are from the crease or just outside it.

Hyman's learned how to live in the inner slot. In the regular season, he tied Jake Guentzel for most expected goals per game, with 0.67, according to Sportlogiq. In the playoffs, he's the sole leader with 0.66 per game, or 11.83 in 18 games. Cup Final rival Sam Reinhart is second at 0.54, or 9.26 in 17.

You can't discount the McDavid factor. Hyman benefits greatly from skating with one of the greatest players of all time at both even strength and on the power play (which is historically effective). He's undoubtedly getting a boost.

Still, need somebody to drive the net with his stick on the ice? Lift the puck over sprawled pads? Punch home a wobbly rebound? Provide a screen, tip, or both? Hyman - who's five goals shy of the NHL playoff record - is the guy.

Hyman signed a seven-year, $38.5-million deal with the Oilers in 2021. It was originally viewed as an overpay in part because at 29 years old, he was right around the border of typical decline. He turns 32 on Sunday and, against all odds, is highly productive. That once-maligned contract is now on the shortlist for top signings of the salary-cap era. He's bucked the aging curve.

It's hard to say if it'll continue into his mid-30s. It doesn't matter for the next two weeks. McDavid and the Oilers need Hyman to lean into his superpower.

Will Habs make another splash?

On the first day of the 2022 draft, Kent Hughes traded for Kirby Dach. On the eve of the 2023 draft, Montreal's general manager picked up Alex Newhook.

In both instances, Hughes acquired a young forward with the hope that a change of scenery and quality time with Montreal's coaches and development staff would help the player reach his potential. Both times, Hughes structured a package around the Canadiens' second of two first-round picks that year.

Well, guess what? The Habs have two first-rounders again and remain on the hunt for core forwards. Hughes told The Athletic earlier this week that he's open to another trade along the same lines. He has plenty of ammunition: the fifth and 26th picks, plus a surplus of NHL-caliber defensemen to dangle.

From afar, a few names immediately come to mind.

Trevor Zegras: The Ducks are reportedly listening to offers for Zegras. The flashy 23-year-old is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he recorded 15 points in 31 games. Zegras is signed for the next two years at a $5.75-million cap hit, becoming a restricted free agent in 2026. The Habs could use his creativity and playmaking skills. It doesn't hurt that he's an ex-teammate of Cole Caufield.

Martin Necas: The Hurricanes RFA seems to be on his way out of Carolina, and a bunch of teams are apparently interested, which makes sense. The 25-year-old is a highly-skilled, puck-dominant player who's been operating within the confines of a forecheck-first system. He's averaged 62 points a season the past two years. Hitting 80 elsewhere is feasible.

Morgan Frost: Philadelphia's in the process of solidifying its core, and Frost might be the odd man out. He's taken a while to develop and butted heads with coach John Tortorella on occasion this season. While his game has less upside than Zegras' and Necas', the Habs wouldn't have to give up as much to acquire the 2025 RFA making $2.1 million next year.

Coach Carle sets record straight

Five NHL teams have announced a new head coach since May 7. One vacancy remains. However, don't expect the hottest NHL coaching prospect to end up behind the Sharks' bench - or any other pro bench anytime soon.

"I don't intend on going anywhere," University of Denver head coach David Carle told theScore last week.

Carle spoke with one NHL team about a month ago (he declined to name the club) but "decided to bow out" of the running early on. He then had a "great conversation" with another team. ESPN reported that said conversation was an interview with the Devils, but Carle wanted to make it clear that it was in fact a "get-to-know-you type of conversation," not a formal interview.

The 34-year-old led Denver to an NCAA title in April. It was the program's second national championship in three seasons. He won world junior gold this past January and will coach the Under-20 Americans again in 2025. It's obvious why Carle's an attractive candidate, yet he's in no rush to make the jump.

"I love being at Denver. We've got great leadership at the school. It would take a life-changing opportunity for me to entertain departing here," Carle said, before adding that he considers his current gig to be a top-five hockey coaching job in North America and that Colorado is a great place to raise kids.

The father of two became the youngest head coach in Division I men's hockey when he was hired in 2018 as a 28-year-old. An Alaska native, Carle was selected in the seventh round of the 2008 NHL draft by the Lightning. His playing career was cut short after he was diagnosed with a heart condition.

Parting shots

Savvy Slavin: Carolina's Jaccob Slavin won his second Lady Byng Trophy last week after taking only four minor penalties in 81 games. The infractions: holding, holding, tripping, and delay of game for shooting the puck over the glass. It's extremely difficult for a guy tasked with shutting down the other team's best players to take only three "real" penalties in a season. It wasn't a fluke, either. Slavin's been whistled for just 19 minors in 356 games over the past five seasons: six puck over glass, six tripping, four holding, two hooking, and one interference. Notice how there isn't a single roughing, cross-checking, charging, elbowing, or other similarly dangerous infraction. The truly crazy part is that Slavin, one of the NHL's top defensive defensemen, isn't a soft player. He's simply a master at legal defending.

Slim pickings: There's no way around it, the 2024 unrestricted free-agent goalie crop sucks. Cam Talbot, who turns 37 on July 5, is the biggest name in a group filled with career backups. That said, Laurent Brossoit, Anthony Stolarz, Kevin Lankinen, and Alex Nedeljkovic are four youngish veterans who've shown enough promise over the past few years to get teams dreaming. For instance, if the Maple Leafs can't land a starter via trade, they should target Brossoit in free agency. The 31-year-old is sound technically and posted excellent numbers the past two seasons in limited action with the Jets. A tandem of Brossoit and upstart Joseph Woll would be a decent outcome, all things considered - assuming Toronto's front office can shore up the blue line. Regardless of who's brought in, Woll needs to stay healthy in 2024-25.

Blues' blue line: St. Louis, which missed the playoffs for the second straight season, has chosen a retool over a rebuild. It's a perfectly justifiable strategy, with Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Jake Neighbours, Joel Hofer, Dalibor Dvorsky, Jimmy Snuggerud, Otto Stenberg, and the club's 2024 first-round pick forming a solid under-25 nucleus. The problem with that list is the lack of exciting young defensemen, especially since the blue line features three overpaid veterans: Torey Krug, Justin Faulk, and Colton Parayko. On the job since 2010, Doug Armstrong's the longest-tenured GM in the NHL. One of the toughest challenges of his tenure will be fixing the defense corps on the fly.

Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's biweekly hockey grab bag.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's May 10, late in Game 3 of the tied Florida-Boston series. The Panthers lead 4-2, but the Bruins are pressing with an extra attacker on the ice. Boston calls a timeout to rest its top players and draw up a play for the next faceoff.

The reset is all for nothing.

Florida wins the draw and rims the puck up the left side of the zone. Winger Matthew Tkachuk gains possession above the hash marks. Facing the wall and on his backhand, Tkachuk rotates his body, briefly handles the puck, then slides it through an outstretched defender and onto a familiar stick. Teammate Sam Reinhart hustles down the ice and deposits the puck into the empty net.

Margins are razor-thin in the NHL postseason, and Reinhart's victory-sealing goal doesn't materialize without exemplary "wall play" from Tkachuk.

Wall play (also known as board play) is a catch-all term for the many split-second decisions a forward makes when he and the puck are near or on the half-wall. What transpires in those quick, easy-to-miss sequences tends to be the difference between a successful defensive-zone exit and a botched one.

Wall play is often overlooked because it's the unglamorous, connecting piece of a typical breakout - first pass, wall play, zone exit. In detail-oriented team environments, though, strong wall play can help a player earn a coaching staff's trust. It impacts ice time and role, especially among wingers.

"The guys who master it are the ones who stay in the league," Maple Leafs winger Matthew Knies said in an interview late in the regular season.

Cole Perfetti of the Jets added: "A lot of the game is spent on the walls. More than you'd ever imagine or ever think coming into this league."

Former NHL head coach Dallas Eakins noted last May that "80% of the puck time" in an average game "is within three feet of the wall." Eakins encouraged coaches everywhere to prioritize wall-play drills in practice. So much value is waiting to be unlocked, he said.

Jon Goyens, a longtime minor and junior hockey coach now analyzing the NHL from a bench boss' perspective for Daily Faceoff, works with pro players every summer. Last year, a young NHLer showed him the homework his team assigned for the offseason. "Improve wall play" was high on the to-do list.

Goyens uses a sticky acronym to teach wall play: LSD - look, skate, decision.

With that acronym and other insights from Goyens and a handful of NHL forwards as our guide, let's dig into the nuances of defensive-zone wall play.

Step 1: Look

Effective wall play begins with a calculation.

As the puck enters the winger's orbit, he must scan the ice to take a mental picture of the environment. The aim is to accurately predict what will happen next.

"You have to be shoulder-checking to see where your teammates are and where the pressure's coming from," Winnipeg's Kyle Connor said. "I find the degree of difficulty with wall play really increases as the pressure increases."

That pressure tends to be applied by two players: a defenseman skating down the wall from the blue line and a forward skating to the wall from the middle. Pressure can lead to physical contact, and the winger's in a vulnerable spot.

"You have to process so much," Toronto's Bobby McMann said. "You have to process the speed of the puck, where it is on the wall. Where your guys are, especially the center. Where their guys are, if the D-man is pinching, if you can get body positioning on him. You're processing all of these things in, like, half a second. If it's a really hard rim around the boards, that's a lot for the brain."

The screenshot above is from Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final. It shows Tkachuk (bottom right) checking on the point while he chases down a loose puck. He scans so early in the sequence - the puck's below the goal line and he's in the slot - because he wants time and space to devise a plan.

Tkachuk glances at the puck, looks at the blue line again, shoulder-checks, then finally makes his retrieval. A chip up the wall leads to an exit by Sam Bennett, who sidesteps a defender and sends the puck into an empty net.

Unsexy, blue-collar work from Tkachuk. Mission accomplished for Florida.

Step 2: Skate

Tkachuk's scanning is useless if he doesn't efficiently move toward the puck.

There's a difference between approaching the wall with speed and crashing into it with speed. "The best wall-play guys will skate very quickly to within three, four, maybe five feet of the wall. That way they're there nice and early," Goyens said. "Then they'll use that gained time and space to maneuver."

Another important variable: where the winger meets the puck. Meeting it at the hash marks or lower invites complications like extra bodies and sticks and more ice to cover. Ideally, the winger meets the puck above the faceoff circle.

Here's Wyatt Johnston, a brilliant young player for Dallas, meeting the puck close to the blue line to set up the opening goal in Game 2 of the West Final:

It's important to be in sync with the center during this "skate" step.

"You have to listen for your center and act on what he's calling for," Knies said. "They need to talk a lot: 'Bump low!' 'Chip out!' That kind of thing. From there, you can make a more confident read on the play, right? Whether it's to corral the puck and pass it to the middle where the center is, or you see that their D-man is coming down hard and you have to just chip it right by him."

Knies finds Auston Matthews especially helpful with callouts and support near the wall. "It's almost to the point where I have eyes in the back of my head," said Knies, who skates with Matthews each summer.

Veteran winger Kyle Okposo had a similar experience with the Islanders in the early 2010s. Frans Nielsen, his longtime center, was in the right place at the right time on most breakouts, and the predictability made Okposo's job easier.

"Back then, when I'd get a rimmed puck, I'd angle my blade to the middle," Okposo said. "So, if the D-man was on me, I'd just pop it out - boom - right to Frans. He would have speed, so he would pretty much always exit the zone right away."

Step 3: Decision

Once the winger's looked and skated, it's go time.

The first part of the "decision" step is to handle the puck with care. Fumbling it can lead to a turnover - a nightmare outcome, where the opposing team's suddenly attacking downhill, generating a deadly scoring chance.

"Sometimes it's hard and fast," Perfetti said of rimmed pucks. "Sometimes it's laying nicely on the yellow part of the boards - easy. Sometimes the puck's really spinny, which makes it difficult. Sometimes it's bouncing a bit. Sometimes the D-man is all over you. So, there's just a lot of variables."

If a direct pass to the center (like Okposo to Nielsen) isn't available, the winger has a few options. He can fire the puck to a weak-side winger or defenseman; chip it into the neutral zone; poke it back to a teammate lower in the zone; or "eat it." That last one is hockey speak for jamming the puck against the wall.

"If you can't get it over or out, just eat it," Connor said. "Hold on to it, wait for support. Get control of the situation. The alternative is having the puck pop off your stick and (go) right into the middle of the ice. That's not a good outcome."

As Goyens put it: "Sometimes you're living to fight another day. It's as simple as that. Eating it can be the right call, given what's happening around you."

Eating it can reroute the breakout, too. When the puck is wedged against the wall, a new, safer puck battle ensues. "At that point," Okposo said, "everyone comes to the puck and most of the time you'll have a D-man supporting you. You can always kick it back to them and they can go out the weak side."

Like anything in a fast-paced, chaotic sport with many player types, there's no one-size-fits-all approach to mastering wall play. But the forward must possess a certain mixture of smarts, strength, and puck skills.

The clip below shows Leon Draisaitl schooling a forechecker ahead of an Oilers goal in Game 4 against Dallas. Draisaitl excels at positioning and protection, composure in tight spaces, and passing ability.

Since wall play is so engrained in the flow of play, it's nearly impossible to quantify. Advanced stats websites don't have "best wall play" leaderboards.

However, analytics company Sportlogiq does track an "exit assist success rate" metric. It isn't a perfect measure of effective wall play but does capture a part of the process. Here are the top 20 forwards from the regular season:

Kucherov and the O-zone

Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov barely missed the cut on that top-20 list, which isn't a surprise. Every person interviewed for this piece, on and off the record, mentioned him as the north star of wall play, especially in the offensive zone.

The left-shooting right winger is a wizard on skates. He knows exactly what he's going to do before approaching the puck; he switches from backhand to forehand better than anyone on the planet; and chooses the perfect times to one-touch the puck to teammates. His superpower: He rarely overhandles it.

A lot of the principles for defensive-zone wall play are inverted in the offensive zone. The winger wants to get the puck into prime scoring areas. Eating it is a way to extend possessions, wear down defenders, and potentially draw a penalty. Overall, though, no matter the zone, wall play is an integral part of being a winger in the modern NHL - and nobody becomes a master overnight.

If a winger's ineffective on the walls, his teammates spend all their time in the defensive zone. If he's effective, the game opens up for the entire squad.

"It's one of the hardest skills in the game," Ducks winger Frank Vatrano said.

"Everyone always says centers are the most important people on the team. Defensemen and goalies get the same kind of love. They're praised all the time. But, if you have good wall play from your wingers, you can create a lot of offense. It's really how you become reliable as a winger in today's game."

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The 2024 unrestricted free agent class is, in a word, OK.

Headliners include Steven Stamkos, Sam Reinhart, and Jake Guentzel - though each may re-sign with their current club. Elias Lindholm is the top center available. There are a lot of goalies, but no gotta-have-him, A1 starter.

"OK" doesn't necessarily mean boring, though. With the salary cap expected to rise by about $4 million to $87.7 million, there's plenty of intrigue around specific players, clusters of players, and the market at large ahead of July 1.

"If there's one thing I'm most interested in, generally, it's how teams view the extra salary-cap room," said Kyle Stich of AFP Analytics, a consulting firm specializing in NHL player valuation.

"On one hand, these general managers are going to have about $4 million to work with. On the other hand, they just went through a period where there was very little room to maneuver. Does that mean they're going to spend wildly, just because they can? Or will they be more judicious because they realize having cap space can be something of value down the road?"

AFP's recently released contract projection list includes Stamkos earning $18.4 million over three years for an average annual value of $6.1 million. In that scenario, the 34-year-old sniper occupies 7% of a team's cap in 2024-25.

Stich's hunch is that Stamkos will re-sign with Tampa Bay for more than three years but with a lower AAV. Last offseason, the Lightning reportedly offered Alex Killorn, another core member of the Stanley Cup teams, an eight-year extension with an AAV around $3 million. Killorn opted for $25 million over four years in Anaheim. Stamkos, who's already at $99.6 million in career earnings, is less likely to leave the only NHL club he's ever known for a bigger payday.

AFP's projections are based on layers of context: position, age, role, production, handedness, injury history, etc. The goal is to make educated guesses on how the market might value certain player types. What AFP can't predict is how the market will react after one player in a cluster is snapped up.

Brandon Montour, Chris Tanev, Brett Pesce, Matt Roy, Dylan DeMelo, Sean Walker, Alexandre Carrier, and Jalen Chatfield are all UFAs. Every single one shoots right and can be characterized as a second-pair defenseman or a borderline second-pair guy who specializes in the power play or penalty kill.

AFP settled on Montour as the top blue-liner, with a projection of six years, $7.7 million AAV. (Second is lefty Brady Skjei: five years at $7.5 million per year.) If Montour and Tanev sign first, do teams start throwing extra years and millions at the other righties in hopes they can land somebody else on the list?

Another intriguing group: needle-moving bottom-six forwards such as William Carrier (Golden Knights), Dakota Joshua (Canucks), and Stefan Noesen (Hurricanes). All three play an honest game, forecheck well, and can pitch in offensively.

At the same time, buyer beware. The last thing a GM wants to do is commit term or money to a fourth-liner and have it not work out. Case in point: the Maple Leafs are paying David Kampf $2.4 million a year for the next three seasons. His deal includes a modified no-trade clause through 2025-26.

Lafreniere's looking like junior Laf

Adam Fox, a perennial Norris Trophy contender, was asked about Rangers teammate Alexis Lafreniere during a preseason media event back in the fall. More specifically, Fox was asked about Lafreniere's trajectory as an NHLer and why the first pick in 2020 had failed to live up to the hype three years in.

"He's 21 years old," Fox said as part of his answer. "I was in college at 21."

While Lafreniere would turn 22 a day before New York's season opener, Fox's point was well taken: nobody would think Lafreniere's been slow to develop if he had received less hype, as, say, the 10th pick in his draft class.

Seven months later, there's no denying Lafreniere's arrived as a legitimate, difference-making winger. He posted 57 points in 82 regular-season games, with his 45 at even strength ranking 34th in the entire NHL. He's added 10 points in 12 playoff outings to tie Chris Kreider for fourth on the team.

Part of the breakout can be attributed to usage and deployment. Lafreniere's averaging two extra minutes a night under new coach Peter Laviolette. He's skating alongside superstar winger Artemi Panarin and two-way center Vincent Trocheck. No line scored more five-on-five goals in the regular season and the trio is tied with Connor McDavid's line with eight postseason goals.

Most encouraging, Lafreniere looks like the highly intelligent, highly confident, highly competitive player the hockey world drooled over during his draft year. He's a menace in transition, gaining the offensive zone with ease. His wrist shot's quick and accurate. He's creating for others, physical on the forecheck.

Serge Beausoleil was the GM and head coach of Lafreniere's junior team, the Rimouski Oceanic. When he watches Lafreniere now, he sees a lot of similarities to the player he coached, though he's noticed Lafreniere's work away from the puck has improved dramatically over the past few months.

"Backtracking. Blocking shots. Helping the defensemen. Doing what 200-foot players do. He's totally committed to the team," Beausoleil told theScore.

"And, in the O-zone right now, he's getting to the pocket, the sweet spot," the coach added. "He's finding a way to get in the perfect area to release the puck well and score goals with his wrist shot. That's something that's always been in him. But it's really been on display with the Rangers lately."

2014 draft, 10 years later

The third round of this year's playoffs is basically a 10-year reunion for the 2014 draft class.

Eight picks are competing in the conference finals: Reinhart, Montour, Aaron Ekblad, Sam Bennett, and Gustav Forsling from the Panthers; the Rangers' Igor Shesterkin; and the Oilers' Leon Draisaitl and Warren Foegele.

It's a deep class, with 101 draftees appearing in an NHL game, 16 forwards and defensemen passing the 500-game mark, and five goalies hitting 150.

Here's my redraft of the top 10:

The next 15 (in random order): Forsling, Montour, Ekblad, Bennett, Nik Ehlers, Travis Sanheim, Alex Tuch, Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, Viktor Arvidsson, Nick Schmaltz, Jared McCann, Ivan Barbashev, Jake Walman, and Elvis Merzlikins.

Forward Michael Dal Colle is the class' biggest bust. The No. 5 pick skated in 112 NHL games, all for the Islanders, before heading off to Europe in 2022.

Forward Conner Bleackley was the least productive selection. The Avalanche's pick at No. 23 is the only first-rounder to not make the NHL. Pastrnak went two slots later.

Other superlatives:

• Shrewdest pick: Devon Toews, 108th (mid-fourth round, Islanders)
• Best value: Jacob Middleton, 210th (last pick, Kings)
• Worst return on investment: Devils, who've yielded just 46 total games from six selections
• Best ROI: Canucks, who used seven picks to bring in Thatcher Demko, Forsling, McCann, Jake Virtanen, and Nikita Tryamkin (1,598 games).

Too many too-many-men penalties

The Bruins set a playoff record with seven too-many-men penalties in 13 playoff games. Eight other teams have been caught at least once.

In total, 20 such penalties have been called in the 2024 postseason. I checked with the league prior to Friday's game to see if that was a high number. The short answer: Yes. The long answer: 2010 (30) and 2020 (23) are the only years with more too-many-men penalties than 2024 through the first 71 playoff games.

So, what's going on here?

The abundance of calls may be a statistical anomaly that's due to abate now that only four teams are left playing. Or teams may be, for whatever reason, making sloppy line changes. Or opponents may be better than usual at alerting officials when a rival's change goes awry. Or the league office may be asking its on-ice officials to whistle anything resembling a too-many-men scenario.

"Something must have happened towards the end of the year where the officials have decided not to let any gray-area stuff slide," an assistant coach for a non-playoff team theorized when asked about the issue earlier this week.

The coach brought up how linesmen began cracking down on cheating in the faceoff circle at one point this season. The timing didn't seem coincidental.

"Once the refs get a directive," the coach said, "they are all over it."

Parting shots

Top exec: Patrik Allvin (Canucks), Jim Nill (Stars), and Bill Zito (Panthers) have been named finalists for the 2023-24 general manager of the year award. Ballots from GMs, other league executives, and select media members were due after the second round of the playoffs. The winner will be announced June 10. To me, Allvin's body of work is most impressive. Rick Tocchet, the coach he handpicked, won the Jack Adams Award in his first full season. Allvin made a smart first-round selection in Tom Willander, plus good bets on free agents Carson Soucy, Pius Suter, and Ian Cole. He was proactive on the trade market, picking up Casey DeSmith, Sam Lafferty, Nikita Zadorov, and Elias Lindholm early on. And in March, he inked superstar Elias Pettersson to a max-term extension with a very reasonable AAV (after accounting for untapped potential in the 25-year-old center and the rising salary cap).

End of the road: Joe Pavelski, the Stars winger who turns 40 in July, looks cooked. He's a nonfactor most shifts, having seemingly lost that dangerous streak in his game. He has one goal this postseason. Maybe he's hurt. More likely, though, he's finally hit a wall after bucking the aging curve for so long (seriously, his 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons were outrageously productive for a player in his late 30s). That said, Pavelski's still an easy guy to get behind for fans with no attachment to the remaining four clubs. He's a puck-tipping master and class act chasing his first Cup, probably for the last time.

Hey, why not: The Lightning and Predators pulled off a rare mid-postseason trade on Tuesday, with Nashville sending veteran defenseman (and former Bolt) Ryan McDonagh and a fourth-round pick to Tampa Bay for a second-rounder and seventh-rounder. McDonagh deepens the Lightning's blue line - no question. But was this the right move? I think so. There's a time for GMs to be rational and a time for them to be irrational. GM Julien BriseBois has been in the second camp for a while (remember that ridiculous Tanner Jeannot trade package?) and I can't say I blame him. Because although it'll be extremely difficult for the Lightning to win a third Cup in the 2020s, they should at least try. The alternative route - a retool - invites mediocrity. Of course, the downside is that this trade further depletes draft capital. Tampa Bay doesn't pick until the fourth round this year and the third round in 2025.

Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's biweekly hockey grab bag.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

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