Alex Ovechkin broke a club record that was always destined to be his.
With his go-ahead tally in the second period of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, Ovechkin set the Capitals' franchise record for most goals in a single postseason with 15, passing John Druce.
Druce's 14 goals miraculously came in just 15 games during a 1990 Capitals playoff run that saw them get swept by the Boston Bruins in the conference finals. Oddly enough, Druce only topped 14 goals in three seasons during his 531-game NHL career.
Ovechkin also joined some pretty elite company in the process, becoming the fifth player in the last 25 years to score 15 goals during a playoff run.
#ALLCAPS Alex Ovechkin is just the 5th player in the last 25 years to score 15 goals in a single postseason, joining...
Joe Sakic (1996): 18 Pavel Bure (1994): 16 Wayne Gretzky (1993): 15 Sidney Crosby (2009): 15
As much as signing John Tavares to a long-term contract extension would be a huge win for the New York Islanders, it's time to start being realistic. The best free agent to hit the open market in recent memory is highly unlikely to return to an organization that defines mediocrity and instability.
The Islanders, fresh off an abysmal season in which they finished 17 points out of a playoff spot, just relieved their head coach and general manager of their duties less than a month before free agency begins, and saw the latter replaced with 75-year-old Lou Lamoriello.
However, there is perhaps one silver lining associated with losing one of the game's best players in the prime of his career for absolutely nothing: a fresh start.
With Tavares gone, the Islanders will have no reason not to begin a full-on rebuild. If they couldn't even sniff the playoffs with Tavares on the roster, there's no point in using every resource available to compete for one within the next couple of seasons, considering the prospect pipeline isn't exactly ripening with talent.
Snow's GM tenure was such that he could have taken a page out of George Costanza's book and just done "the opposite" in running the club and probably would have improved the state of affairs. Despite all his shortcomings, he did somehow manage to leave the Islanders with one heavenly parting gift: Mathew Barzal.
Likely to be a unanimous selection for the Calder Trophy, Barzal gives the Islanders a new face of the franchise moving forward. A first-line center whose agility, hands, and vision represent everything about today's NHL, the Islanders can build a contender around Barzal, but they must avoid making the same mistakes Snow made while trying to do the same with Tavares.
Invest (competently) in the draft
After selecting Tavares first overall in 2009, the Islanders failed to build a supporting cast in subsequent drafts despite having numerous high picks.
2010, Nino Niederreiter (fifth overall): Niederreiter has developed into a good winger, but the Isles rushed him to the NHL, then traded him to the Minnesota Wild before his 21st birthday in exchange for Cal Clutterbuck and a third-round pick. The lesson here? Patience.
2011, Ryan Strome (fifth overall): The Isles envisioned Strome turning into a 2A center behind Tavares, and had they chosen any one of the next three skaters taken, they would've had such a player. The three picks after Strome, in order: Mika Zibanejad, Mark Scheifele, and Sean Couturier. Ouch.
2012, Griffin Reinhart (fourth overall): Peter Chiarelli's poor judgment bailed the Islanders out on this one, as Reinhart would eventually be swapped to Edmonton for the pick that would turn into Barzal. Nonetheless, if the Islanders were looking to bolster their blue line, they could not have been more off in their evaluation of this draft class' defensemen. Morgan Rielly, Hampus Lindholm, Matt Dumba, and Jacob Trouba made up four of the next five picks.
2013, Ryan Pulock (15th overall): Pulock has the makings of a solid NHL defenseman, which is fine relative to the draft slot. Snow gets a pass here.
2014, Michael Dal Colle (fifth overall): Much like the Reinhart pick, the Isles valued size and strength with this pick rather than speed and skill. Dal Colle did dominate junior in his draft year, but good scouting would've recognized that William Nylander (eighth overall) or Nikolaj Ehlers (ninth) had brighter NHL futures.
With a rebuild on the horizon, the Islanders can't afford to miss on high draft picks again. Rather than spending money on free agents, the Isles need to use those resources on hiring the best scouting department possible. Adding former Maple Leafs draft guru Mark Hunter to the front office would be a good start.
Build from the net out
In Snow's 12 years in charge, the Islanders finished in the bottom third of the league in goals against 10 times. Many of those seasons were right near the basement, too. One would think a goalie-turned-GM would've prioritized goal prevention, but clearly, that wasn't the case.
Season
Goals-against rank
2017-18
31
2016-17
23
2015-16
13
2014-15
23
2013-14
28
2012-13
21
2011-12
27
2010-11
27
2009-10
28
2008-09
28
2007-08
23
2006-07
12
Their overall struggles came in spite of the fact that some of these Tavares-led teams had no issues putting the puck in the net, which is usually tougher to accomplish when constructing a roster.
While drafting the best player available should always be the main strategy, the Islanders clearly need to start gathering some quality goaltenders and defensemen into their farm system. Netminder Ilya Sorokin has shown promise overseas, but it's unclear when or if he'll come over to North America.
Avoid free agency, prioritize youth
Free agency has not been friendly to the Islanders over the years. Mikhail Grabovski's four-year, $20-million contract wound up costing them a first- and a second-round pick, while Andrew Ladd's $5.5-million cap hit will be on the books through 2022-23. These are just two examples.
Ill-advised in-house extensions have also set the Isles back. Johnny Boychuk, 34, is heading into the fourth season of a seven-year, $42-million contract.
The lesson here? Stay away from free agency - unless it's a low-risk, short-term deal - and don't sign any non-franchise player to an extension into their 30s if your team is not ready to compete for the Stanley Cup.
Yes, that includes Jordan Eberle and Anders Lee, who are unrestricted free agents after the 2018-19 season. Eberle, 28, and Lee, who will be 28 on July 3, should be traded this offseason. Coming off a 40-goal season, Lee's value will never be higher and players his size (6-foot-3, 231 pounds) tend not to age well. Eberle, a perennial 50-60-point player, could also fetch a significant return.
Snow likely would've paid Lee and Eberle handsomely into their mid-30s, so the Isles should do the opposite. Trade them both at peak value in exchange for prospects and picks.
Instead of filling the roster with middling veterans, the Isles should see what they have in some of their younger players, such as Dal Colle and Josh Ho-Sang, even if they haven't exactly wowed in the AHL. If the younger players don't perform, they'll at least gain some valuable NHL experience.
The youth movement should carry over to the bench as well. Hiring a coach who excels at developing young players should be made a priority.
Would Lou go for a rebuild?
It may seem hard to believe that Lamoriello would have interest in kick-starting a rebuild in what will likely be his swan song. However, he's left his fingerprints all over Toronto's uprising, and if he could right the Islanders ship, it would only further cement his legacy.
Plus, if Lou's son, Chris (currently the Isles' assistant GM), were to take over the reigns one day, Lou would surely want to leave the team in good hands and headed in the right direction.
Ownership would likely have no issues buying in as well. If the rebuild were to begin now, the team could be well on its way toward success by 2021 when its new arena at Belmont Park is ready for use. Constructing a young and exciting team with a bright future is the best way to get fans in the seats. Plus, it's the opposite of what Snow would've done, so it must be right.
The Vegas Golden Knights' performance in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final was proof that Corsi - and other advanced metrics - mean nothing in a one-game sample size.
The Golden Knights generated 65.4 percent of the game's shot attempts at even strength (Corsi For percentage), but lost 6-2. They also outchanced the Capitals 23-14, and had 12 high-danger scoring chances compared to Washington's five.
So, what went wrong?
For starter's, their defensive zone coverage was abysmal. Six goals against would lead one to believe that Marc-Andre Fleury was the problem, but for the most part, he was hung out to dry. Capitals players were routinely left wide-open in the offensive zone, which is why they were able to capitalize on their chances.
They also lost the special teams battle, which isn't factored into most advanced metrics, since the majority are calculated at even strength. The Capitals went 3-for-5 on the power play - partly due to some of the aforementioned defensive-zone lapses - while Vegas was 0-for-4 with the man advantage.
Moreover, in the third period, when the Capitals were supposed to be weathering a 20-minute storm while preserving the lead, the Golden Knights failed to apply the pressure, generating just four even-strength shots on goal in the final frame.
Here is what makes a stat like Corsi flawed: While shot attempts are a good way to indicate offensive-zone puck possession, it means nothing unless those shot attempts are actually getting through. They had 71 shot attempts in the game, but only 30 on goal.
Corsi and other advanced metrics are great over a full season, where trends can be predicted, and puck luck tends to even out, but in playoff hockey, that all goes out the window. The victory formula in the postseason is about doing the little things right, taking advantage of the chances you do get, and winning the goaltending battle. The Capitals did all of these in Game 4, and are one win away from the Stanley Cup as a result.
In a crucial contest that can either give the Capitals a 3-1 series lead or allow the Golden Knights to even the series heading back to Vegas, Washington made a statement by scoring three times in the first 20 minutes.
T.J. Oshie opened the scoring midway through the first period, before Evgeny Kuznetsov gave Tom Wilson a perfect feed for the second goal roughly six minutes later. And just when the Golden Knights thought they could escape the frame down only two, Devante Smith-Pelly buried a beautiful dish from Alex Ovechkin with just 21 seconds remaining.
Making matters worse for the Golden Knights was that James Neal had missed a wide-open net earlier in the period that would have given them a 1-0 lead.
While a three-goal advantage is far from safe with 40 minutes to play, the Caps are in the driver's seat heading into the second period.
Perron, who didn't take part in pregame warmup, had a career-high 66 points in 70 regular-season contests this year, but has failed to find the back of the net in 14 playoff games, compiling eight assists.
The 30-year-old is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
It's safe to say Shea Theodore will have trouble sleeping tonight.
The Vegas Golden Knights' defenseman turned in a forgettable performance in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night, making a handful of costly gaffes, and looked completely disengaged at times.
Here he is (No. 27 in white) on the Capitals' second goal of the game, fanning on the shot, then making a poor decision to pinch at the blue line, leading to Evgeny Kuznetsov's goal on an odd-man rush.
Seven minutes after his poorly-timed pinch, Theodore submits his candidate for worst play of the night. He gets absolutely worked here by Matt Niskanen. Either he wasn't aware Niskanen was right on his tail, or just assumed Marc-Andre Fleury would've came out earlier to play the puck. Either way, this lack of hustle drives a coach crazy, and it forced Fleury to take a desperation tripping penalty to save a goal.
— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) June 3, 2018
After Braden Holtby's awful giveaway put the Golden Knights within one, Theodore decides to channel his inner Betty Crocker and cooks up a nice hot batch of turnovers. This one comes as the last man back, and leads directly to Devante Smith-Pelly's dagger.
Games such as this aren't uncommon for 22-year-old defensemen, but in the Stanley Cup Final, a performance such as this is magnified.
Theodore is one of the game's best young D-men and has a very bright future ahead. However, Vegas relies on him to play big minutes, so he'll need to be much better if the Golden Knights are going to come back in this series.
The Nashville Predators have arguably the NHL's best defense core, and general manager David Poile intends to keep it that way beyond the 2018-19 season.
Ryan Ellis is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2019, but Poile said signing him to a contract extension this summer is the team's top priority, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.
LeBrun added that Poile has already been in communication with Ellis' agent Rick Curran, and the two plan to talk again at the draft in Dallas later this month.
Ellis is going into the last year of a team-friendly five-year, $12.5-million contract, and is bound to get a substantial annual raise from his $2.5-million cap hit.
The former 11th overall pick has blossomed into one of the NHL's most effective blue-liners. He missed the first half of the 2017-18 campaign after undergoing offseason knee surgery, but still recorded nine goals and 32 points in 44 games.
Poile could find himself in a similar situation next offseason, as fellow stud defenseman Roman Josi - who also carries a bargain cap hit at $4 million - will be a UFA after 2019-20.
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford set the record straight Friday after a reported rift between Phil Kessel and head coach Mike Sullivan was revealed Tuesday.
According to the report from The Athletic's Josh Yohe, Kessel was angry he didn't play on a line with Evgeni Malkin for most of the 2018 postseason. Yohe believes Sullivan and Kessel don't get along, and that the Penguins are "willing to listen" to trade offers for the winger.
In an interview with The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun on Friday morning, Rutherford provided some clarity on the matter.
"This is something that I believe has been blown out of proportion," the GM said. "I don't know where this story started. It's unfortunate. I don't think it's been any secret here for three years that Phil's preference is to play with Gino. But, when Sully looks at our team, he believes balance throughout the lineup is the best way to win, and we won two Cups that way with Phil not playing with Gino. So there's times where they play together, when they're both really going, and there's times when they don't.
"But for someone to suggest it's an issue within our team, that can't be taken care of or resolved, I don't believe that's accurate."
Rutherford came to Kessel's defense, squashing any trade rumors, and said the team being worn down by two Stanley Cup runs - not Kessel's lackluster play - was the main reason they were eliminated in the second round this year.
"So, I don't feel that we have to trade Phil Kessel," he said. "He was a difference-maker when we won the two Cups, he's coming off a year where he had 92 points, and we didn't win the Cup, we didn't three-peat, and now people are trying to come up with ideas why we didn't do that.
"And the reason we didn't do that is because we didn't have the energy to win three championships in a row. I'm not sure anybody has it. To me, that's ultimately what happened to us this year. I don't think pointing the finger at any one guy as the reason we didn't win the Cup is fair at all."
Rutherford admitted that though the 2018-19 Penguins will have new faces, that doesn't mean drastic changes will be made.
"I said it at the end of the season that we wouldn't come back the same team. That doesn't mean that it's going to be a total overhaul," he said. "There's a couple of areas where we'd like to strengthen, and I'll try and do that. But it doesn't necessarily mean that it's any certain player that's going to be part of fixing that."
Kessel has four years left on his contract with a $6.8-million annual cap hit and a no-trade clause in which he can choose eight teams he's willing to be traded to.
Each of them has enough red flags that teams would ideally want to sign them to one-year contracts, but their upside is high enough that it will almost certainly take a multi-year deal to outbid fellow teams tempted by the ceiling.
Here are the top five boom-or-bust unrestricted free agents set to hit the open market on July 1.
Ilya Kovalchuk
Kovalchuk is set to make his return to North America after spending the last five seasons in the KHL. At 35 years old, the biggest question is if he has anything left in the tank.
The NHL is a different league from when he last played in it in 2012-13. It's faster and filled with youth. At 230 lbs, does he have enough speed to keep up?
He has remained prolific overseas, scoring 31 goals with 63 points in 53 games this past season, but the KHL is a much slower league and easier for an offensive player to put up gaudy numbers.
Also, how would Kovalchuk respond to a lesser role? His entire life, he's been the best player - or one of the best - on every single team he's ever played on. He's a highly competitive, fiery player who always wants the puck on his stick. How would he perform if the offense didn't revolve around him, and he was only playing 15 or 16 minutes a night rather than 20-plus?
If you had to guess who led the NHL in both goals-against average and save percentage this past season, nobody would've thought Hutton. Yet, with sparkling marks of 2.09 and .931, the Blues netminder was indeed the league-leader in both.
Were these numbers a total outlier, or did he figure something out in his age-32 season? In his 106 career NHL games prior to this season, Hutton owned a 2.51 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.
In all likelihood, Hutton's true form probably lies somewhere between his pre-2017-18 self and his surprising breakout season. Even if it happens to be closer to the latter, can he perform near that level with a full starter's workload? He only played in 32 games last year and his career high is just 40.
As the best unrestricted free-agent netminder available - and the only one with legitimate starter upside - Hutton will be highly sought-after, and will likely sign a contract that will reflect the thin goaltender market.
Nash is in a similar situation to Hutton. He also just had a breakout season, but it came suspiciously late in his career at age 28. Was it a fluke? Or is he just a late bloomer? Coming into the 2017-18 season, his career high in points was 25, but he racked up 41 this past year with the Boston Bruins.
During Patrice Bergeron's 13-game absence in March, Nash filled in adequately, centering the team's top line and tallying 13 points. Was this a product of piggy-backing off Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak? Or proof that a player previously pegged as a "bottom-six guy" can actually produce when given a chance to play between talented wingers?
Even when Nash isn't contributing offensively, he's still helping his team, as he was the only player in the NHL with at least 50 takeaways but fewer than 15 giveaways this past season. As the third-best unrestricted free-agent center behind Tavares and Stastny, he's bound to get paid, but if he reverts back to his 25-point self, the contract will be a huge bust.
Boom: Defensively responsible second-line center who can produce offensively with right linemates Bust: Offensively-challenged bottom-six center
Mike Green
Green will turn 33 on Oct. 12 and has a long injury history. Since the 2010-11 season, he's missed an average of 19 games, and underwent season-ending surgery on his cervical spine this year.
He's failed to top 36 points in three seasons since joining Detroit, but is the aging and lackluster Red Wings supporting cast to blame? Or has he declined to the point which his offense no longer makes up for his defensive-zone deficiencies?
Right-handed shooting defensemen are in demand in the NHL, so there will be no shortage of interest in Green. He can still effectively quarterback a power play, but whether a strong team around him can revive his 45-point potential remains to be seen.
Since becoming a full-time NHLer in 2010-11, Grabner has been a productive, yet highly inconsistent goalscorer:
Time frame
Goals per 82 games
1st 3 seasons
28.8
Next 3 seasons
13.4
Last 2 seasons
28.4
Grabner relies heavily on his blazing speed to create scoring chances for himself. He might get more breakaways than anyone in the NHL not named Connor McDavid. Outside of being a capable penalty killer, he doesn't offer much other than scoring. Playmaking isn't in his vocabulary.
He could be an affordable source of speed and goals for a team in need, but if he starts to lose that explosiveness (he turns 31 on Oct. 5), a multi-year deal could look bad in a hurry.
If Brian Gionta is going to play in the NHL again, it won't be with the Boston Bruins, as general manager Don Sweeney announced Thursday that the diminutive winger won't be offered a contract.
The 39-year-old Gionta suited up in 20 games for Boston this season, recording two goals and five assists. He joined the Bruins after a five-game showing for the United States at the Winter Olympics, where he was held without a point.
Postma played 13 games with the Bruins, while Agostino suited up in just five. The latter, however, is coming off four straight productive seasons in the AHL.
Czarnik, 25, had four points in 10 games with Boston, and 69 points in 64 AHL contests.
