At the beginning of the season, the Montreal Canadiens were expected to finish at the bottom of the Atlantic Division for the fourth-straight season. 

Entering the final week of the campaign, the Canadiens are on the verge of making the playoffs for the first time since their improbable run to the Stanley Cup final four years ago.

Montreal has set a torrid pace with a 6-1-1 record and an NHL-best 13 points since March 30, pulling away from the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers and New York Islanders. But this weekend, a 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators and a 1-0 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday prevented the Canadiens from punching their ticket to the post-season.

"I thought our effort was there the whole time,” Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki said Saturday. “Coming in on a back-to-back is tough. I thought we kept it pretty simple, trying to go north, (we) defended well, our penalty kill did a helluva job. It's a point. We might need that, so we'll take it."

The only club still able to catch Montreal is the equally surprising Columbus Blue Jackets, which registered back-to-back wins over the Washington Capitals to stay alive. With two games left, the Canadiens have 88 points and lead Columbus by three points for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

Canadiens' Suzuki Itching For Playoff Hockey In Sold-Out Bell CentreMontreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki knew exactly what he wanted to accomplish this season before it began.

The Habs need a single point in their final two games against Chicago on Monday and Carolina on Wednesday to eliminate the Blue Jackets and lock up their first-round matchup against the Capitals. 

The matchup against Washington would mark the first time that the two clubs met since 2010. The Capitals would be the overwhelming favorite in the series as they were 15 years ago, but Montreal did upset top-seeded Washington in seven games behind the stellar goaltending of Jaroslav Halak. 

“(We have to) just stay the course,” Canadiens coach Martin St-Louis said Saturday. “Play the game that’s in front of you, like we did (against Toronto), and things will work out. I’m really proud of the way the guys played tonight.”

Last year’s first-round pick, Ivan Demidov, took to the ice for the first time with his new teammates at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday. There had been speculation that the speedy 19-year-old Russian could make his NHL debut against the Blackhawks on Monday, but that could be in jeopardy based on the fact that Monday’s contest has playoff implications.

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By Ella Tsotsos, The Hockey News Intern

Rob Pearson, a former OHL and NHL player, recently announced his departure as the head coach of the Pickering Panthers in the Ontario Jr. A League. Pearson played for several teams during his junior and professional career, including the OHL’s Belleville Bulls, which was the team he played for when he was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1989.

Growing up, Pearson‘s parents had season tickets for Toronto and being able to watch the Leafs from a young age kept the franchise close to his heart. The 1989 NHL draft was held in Minnesota, and Pearson’s experience was unforgettable. After being selected 12th overall, Pearson recalls going out for dinner with Leafs legend George Armstrong. Pearson was informed by Armstrong that it was the first time that a draft pick had ordered two steaks at dinner.

The 1989 draft was the first time – and only time – in which three players from the same OHL team were selected by the same NHL team in the first round. The Leafs drafted Scott Thornton at No. 3 overall, followed by Pearson at 12th overall and Steve Bancroft at 21st overall, the final pick in the first round. All three players had suited up for Belleville during the 1988-89 OHL season.

“We were fortunate,” Pearson said. “It was Scottie, then I went 12th, and Steve Bancroft went 21st. So, as friends and guys on the same team, it was awesome. We really enjoyed it.”

Pearson played parts of six NHL seasons from 1991-92 to 1996-97, getting into 269 NHL games. After that, he spent a few years in the AHL and IHL before a final season in Germany with the Frankfurt Lions in 2001-02.

Pearson shared that it was a difficult transition adjusting to life after hockey. He said he took a break from everything and learned how to take care of a home until he began making calls to figure out what he wanted to do next.

Michael Boyer, a Chevrolet dealer located in Pickering, Ont., represented a new chapter for Pearson. He joined the car dealership, and Pearson now holds the title of Business Elite Manager. And once he had his post-playing career in order, with hockey still in the back of his mind, Pearson began coaching and becoming a mentor.

Pearson coached various teams, and one in particular was the Pickering Panthers in the OJHL. Pearson coached the team from 2019 through this season before announcing his departure at the end of the campaign. From playing professionally to coaching, this transition is common with many players. His son, Luke, is a goalie for Yale University. To have the privilege to learn from a professional player goes a long way.

"You just felt it was a good opportunity to be able to give back and help these kids out, that maybe a path that you took was wrong or a path that you took was right, that I could go and help them individually,” Pearson said.

Pearson’s hockey career was well travelled, as he played for Belleville and Oshawa in the OHL, Toronto, Washington and St. Louis in the NHL, Portland and Worcester in the AHL, Cleveland, Orlando and Long Beach in the IHL, and, finally, Frankfurt in Germany’s DEL.

His highest-scoring seasons came in the OHL when he scored 48 goals and 88 points with Belleville in 1989-90 and then 63 goals and 118 points with Belleville and Oshawa in 1990-91.

In his NHL draft season of 1988-89, Pearson missed much of the Bulls’ campaign due to an injury – he scored eight goals and 20 points in 26 games as an OHL rookie that season – so there were some questions as to where he would go in the draft.

He ended up being selected 12th overall in the first round, and Pearson lived up to the role that everyone hoped for during his first season with the Leafs, with 14 goals and 24 points in 47 games during the 1991-92 campaign. In 1992-93, he enjoyed his best NHL season, placing fourth on the Leafs with 23 goals and leading Toronto with 211 penalty minutes.

"We were thrilled to get 'our man,’ ” said former Leafs GM Gord Stellick, who drafted Pearson.

The Leafs had been pining for Pearson, as they wanted a player with outstanding stats and grit. Pearson was a player that stood out because he played a physical game but also had offensive talent. The 1980s and '90s were an era in the NHL when the physicality of the game was very prominent.

“Guys that could score, guys that could skate, like a guy like Brendan Shanahan,” Pearson said. “He was somebody that held you accountable on the ice, but he could play the game.”

Pearson played most of his professional games in the AHL, where he did very well for himself. After his playing career and to the present day, he became a mentor in the hockey world, providing invaluable insight to shaping hockey players.

“I believe that if you can teach these young men that it's not a race, if you can teach them to learn how to find their game and play their game, if you can teach them to find their path and not to be in such a rush to climb the ladder and get to that next level, to be patient and understand that the level will come to you and you'll get there eventually,” Pearson said.

Pearson announced his departure from the Panthers at the end of the 2024-25 season. He led the Panthers to victory as the Buckland Cup champions after defeating the Toronto Junior Canadiens in 2022. Pearson was also named coach of the year in 2021-22 after guiding the Panthers to a 39-10-1-3 record, which was the second-best record in the 21-team Jr. A league.

While he steps away from the game for now, Pearson cherishes the many memories he made in hockey – even the ones that came with a few bruises. “I remember leaving the arena black and blue and looking right away who's your opponent for the next game, because sometimes you had those tough sleeps at night knowing Detroit is coming in or Chicago is coming in or whoever's coming in, and you knew what you had to deal with the next night,” Pearson said.

The journey has been long for Pearson, but hockey has always found a way to stick with him.

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The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are nearly here, and already, we know many of the first-round matchups we’ll be seeing.

In the Eastern Conference, the Carolina Hurricanes will be taking on the New Jersey Devils. The Washington Capitals will be squaring off against the Montreal Canadiens or the Columbus Blue Jackets. And in the Western Conference, the Winnipeg Jets will be battling one of the St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild or Calgary Flames, and the Los Angeles Kings will be facing the Edmonton Oilers. To be sure, there will be no shortage of drama right out of the gate in the playoffs.

However, the first-round showdown we’re most interested in will be the Dallas Stars against the Colorado Avalanche. This will be the second time since 2019-20 that the Stars and Avs have faced each other in the post-season, with Dallas winning both series. But this time around, we believe the Avalanche have what it takes to beat the Stars and win their first-round series for the second season in a row. 

A lot of the Stars’ fortunes will depend on the status of star defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who hasn’t played since Jan. 28 due to a knee injury that required surgery. Dallas has gone 18-7-5 in Heiskanen’s absence, but Heiskanen could miss the entire first round, and being without a first-pair blueliner who can play 25 minutes a night could be devastating for the Stars’ playoff aspirations.

Given that Colorado has superstar D-man Cale Makar – the odds-on favorite to win this year’s Norris Trophy as the league’s top blueliner – not having Heiskanen to counterbalance Makar’s impact might be the difference that pushes the Avalanche to victory in the opening round.

Colorado has gone 2-1-0 against Dallas this season, with the Avs winning the two most recent games, including a 4-3 overtime win on March 16. And the Avalanche’s lone loss to the Stars this year came on Nov. 29, well before Colorado remade their goaltending tandem and altered much of their lineup.

But in the two Avalanche wins over Dallas, the Avs didn’t play No. 1 netminder Mackenzie Blackwood, going instead with backup Scott Wedgewood. So the Stars are going to get their first up-close look at Blackwood in Game 1 of their upcoming series, and the Stars’ lack of familiarity with Blackwood could play out to Colorado’s advantage.

Dallas does indeed have the edge in some significant team stats, with a slightly better goals-for average of 3.38 per game (compared to the Avs’ average of 3.32) and a better goals-against average of 2.64 (compared to Colorado’s average of 2.83).

However, the Avalanche have the better power play at 24.7 percent (compared to Dallas’ average of 22.8 percent). And given that special teams often matter greatly in the post-season, the Avs could benefit from their potent play with the man-advantage.

We’ll be offering our predictions for the entire first round once the series matchups are all confirmed. But for now, we’re going to say we like the Avalanche to narrowly beat out the Stars this time around.

Colorado’s lineup is stacked with first-rate talent, and Dallas’ lineup doesn’t have a shortage of skill, either. But we believe the Avs have the best player in the series in superstar center Nathan MacKinnon, and his determination to win is likely to push Colorado into the second round. 

And regardless of who wins, the Stars/Avalanche series is going to be one of the biggest blockbusters of the opening round – and the winner of the series could go on to win it all.

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Things are never easy in the Stanley Cup playoffs, nor should they be. But wherever the Toronto Maple Leafs end up in the standings, their reward will be a first-round opponent who has dummied them this season.

This would have been the year for the Leafs to face the Tampa Bay Lightning since they are 4-0-0 against them, but there's no way that is going to happen now. Whether they finish first or second in the Atlantic Division, they're guaranteed to face either the Florida Panthers or Ottawa Senators. (The Senators could still conceivably catch the Panthers for third in the division if they win out in regulation and the Panthers lose both their remaining games in regulation.)

The problem is, they haven't been particularly good against either of those teams this season. With the exception of a 5-1 blowout loss to the Panthers in November, the Leafs have played both teams pretty closely but have only one win to show for it.

They do have home-ice advantage regardless of whom they face. And they'll need it.

Here's more in today's video column:

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Will the next few days really mark the end of Brock Boeser’s time with the Vancouver Canucks?

Earlier this week, the sharp-shooting winger who can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 updated Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre on the low odds that he’ll re-up with the team that drafted him in 2015. 

“Honestly, it's unlikely at this point,” Boeser said. “It sucks, it's unfortunate.”

The 28-year-old also admitted that he’s currently not in contact with his agent, Ben Hankinson, because he’s trying to concentrate on his game and avoid distractions. 

So he may not be aware of the nugget that Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman dropped during his Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday, saying that the sticking point between the Canucks and Boeser’s camp was term. That may or may not mean that it’s still possible to find common ground, but it does sound like negotiations are ongoing.

At this stage of Boeser’s career, it’s understandable that he’s looking for security. All three of his previous contracts have been three-year durations, and he settled for a relatively small raise on July 1, 2022, when he went from $5.875 million to $6.65 million at a time where he could have elected to file for arbitration and potentially reach UFA status one year sooner than he is.

Just a few months into that deal, both sides were thinking about cutting ties. But a trade never materialized and Boeser went on to have the best year of his career in 2023-24 — hitting 40 goals in the regular season and lighting up the playoffs with a point per game before a blood clot sidelined him for the critical Game 7 of Vancouver’s second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers.

This season, along with nearly everyone on his team, Boeser has dealt with still more adversity. His came in the form of a concussion that sidelined him for seven games and the trade of his long-time center, J.T. Miller.

“Millsy’s such a good playmaker,” Boeser said last fall. “I just go to the net and try to get open.”

Boeser put up 16 goals and 33 points in the 43 games he played with Miller this season. During the eight games that Miller missed due to his personal leave of absence in November, he was also solid, with seven points in eight games. But since Miller’s late-January trade, Boeser has dipped to nine goals and 16 points in 30 games. 

Against the Minnesota Wild at Rogers Arena on Saturday, he was quiet. He logged more than 20 minutes but finished with just three shot attempts, which were all blocked. 

The Canucks are now dealing with so many injuries that they’re making call-ups to replace the call-ups. Down the middle, the original Elias Pettersson and Filip Chytil have both been shut down for the year. AHL replacements Nils Aman and Max Sasson were both unavailable for Saturday’s game. So with Pius Suter, Aatu Raty and Teddy Blueger handling duties down the middle, an emergency call had to be placed to Abbotsford on Saturday to summon 22-year-old Ty Mueller, a first-year pro who was drafted in the fourth round in 2023.

For his NHL debut, Mueller slotted straight into the top six, centering Boeser and Jake DeBrusk in what became a 3-2 comeback win in overtime for the Wild.

“We didn’t really help him too much as a line, me and Brock,” DeBrusk candidly admitted after the game. “I wish I could have done more for him, in terms of generating chances.”

Famously, Boeser’s first-ever NHL game also came against the Minnesota Wild, his hometown team. On March 25, 2017, Boeser joined Daniel and Henrik Sedin as part of the starting lineup at Xcel Energy Center. Then, in the second period, he scored his first NHL goal on a tap-in after a rush by Sven Baertschi and Bo Horvat.

This day in #Canucks history, March 25, 2017:

Making his NHL debut at home in Minnesota, Brock Boeser scores his first career goal.

🎥: First NHL Goals / YouTube pic.twitter.com/O4JlxrFko6

— Vancouver Canucks History (@canuckshistoryx) March 25, 2025

This season, Boeser hit multiple milestones: 500 games as a Canuck, 400 points and 200 goals. He sits eighth in goals in franchise history, sandwiched between Henrik Sedin and Horvat, and is also eighth in goals among the highly regarded 2015 draft class — impressive for a player who was selected 23rd overall. 

Because Boeser has had one foot out the door so often before, it’s still possible to imagine him finding common ground with the Canucks again. Right now, though, this feels different. 

His status is just one big question that the Canucks will need to work to resolve soon after the curtain drops on this season on Wednesday. 

Rick Tocchet’s future is also up in the air — but Friedman also reported on Saturday that both sides are looking to come to a resolution quickly after the season’s end. And after Quinn Hughes spoke passionately about the positive influence that Tocchet and Adam Foote have had on his game earlier this week, perhaps that bodes well for long-term stability going forward.

That would be a welcome outcome after such a tumultuous year.

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By Ryan Clark, The Hockey News intern

With the end of the NHL regular season within sight, two things are on people’s minds: who will make the playoffs, and who will take the season’s coveted awards?

The Selke Trophy is a bit of an odd award, as the criteria aren’t as defined as other awards. The other skater awards usually come down to a combination of points, goals and team records, while goalie awards often hinge on wins, save percentage and a few of the publicly available advanced stats.

The Selke Trophy, on the other hand, is a bit of an outlier, as we have seen offensive superstars get votes as well as gritty fourth-liners. There are lots of players who are in the running for the Selke, and with defense being difficult to quantify sometimes, it’s hard to keep up. Here are the main contenders for the award, ranked in tiers.

Tier 1: The New Bergeron?

Aleksander Barkov, C, Florida Panthers

It’s not a question of whether the Panthers captain will win another Selke, it’s how many more he’ll win. Even with a couple of weeks of missed time, Barkov is the front-runner for this award.

Tier 2: The Probable Top Five

Sam Reinhart, C, Florida Panthers

We’ll let you in on a little secret: Reinhart has been the NHL’s best defensive forward this year. He’s been even better than Barkov at suppressing quality chances and is also second in the league in shorthanded goals.

Nico Hischier, C, New Jersey Devils

The Devils are beat down and limping into the playoffs, with injuries everywhere on the roster. It’s a good thing Hischier has been as good as he has, keeping the team afloat with his excellent two-way play. 

Anthony Cirelli, C, Tampa Bay Lightning

Cirelli has finished in the top five in Selke voting in the past, but his lack of offensive production led to him being glossed over in the race. Now that he’s put up career highs, could he earn a nomination?

Mitch Marner, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs

Let’s talk about steals. Marner sits fourth in the league in takeaways, an impressive feat. Even more impressive is the fact that the rest of the top 10 in the stat is made up of defensemen. 

Tier 3: You Might be Familiar With Their Other Work

Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs

He hasn’t been quite as solid in his own end this season as some others on this list, but he’s still really tough to play against. 

Matthew Tkachuk, LW, Florida Panthers

He has the second-best Corsi and Fenwick percentages of any forward with 500 minutes played, per moneypuck.com. In other words, the Panthers almost always have possession when he’s on the ice.

Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers

It’s impressive to see how far Draisaitl has come in his own end. From being a perceived liability to now showing up on a list of Selke contenders. And his coach, Kris Knoblauch, seems to agree.

Tier 4: Fun Long-Shot Candidates

Brandon Hagel, LW, Tampa Bay Lightning

He’s been one half of one of the league’s deadliest penalty-killing duos (with Cirelli) and has been a 5-on-5 fiend. If he were a center, perhaps he’d be viewed as a top contender.

Joel Eriksson Ek, C, Minnesota Wild

He’s finished in the top 10 in Selke voting in each of the past three seasons, and with how he’s played this year for a contending Wild team that’s been plagued by injuries, he deserves to keep the streak alive.

Seth Jarvis, C, Carolina Hurricanes

He’s seemingly become everyone’s new favorite player, and for good reason. Despite his smaller size, Jarvis’ motor and hockey IQ make him one of the more underrated players in the defensive zone. He’ll get his Selke recognition one day.

Tier 5: Legendary Long Shots

Jordan Staal, C, Carolina Hurricanes

He’s earned many Selke votes throughout his career, finally getting the nomination last year. While he took a step back this season, he’ll likely still find himself on a few ballots.

Anze Kopitar, C, Los Angeles Kings

You can’t have a Selke story without talking about Kopitar. If it wasn’t for playing at the same time as Pavel Datsyuk and Patrice Bergeron, perhaps he’d be viewed as the best defensive forward of the modern era. Kopitar probably won’t get much attention for the award this year, but his legacy, combined with the Kings’ success, could earn him a few votes.

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With the New York Rangers on the verge of missing the Stanley Cup playoffs entirely, the already deafening noise around head coach Peter Laviolette is beginning to reach a fever pitch.

Laviolette’s Rangers had led the Philadelphia Flyers 1-0 and 4-3 on Wednesday night before eventually falling 8-5, virtually eliminating them from playoff contention.

One individual, a name that the Rangers are already intimately familiar with, appears to be gaining traction as a potential Laviolette replacement.

When on the topic of Flyers interim head coach Brad Shaw, with just over a minute left in the first period of Wednesday night’s Rangers game, broadcaster John Davidson subtly dropped a key piece of information regarding former Flyers head coach John Tortorella, who was relieved of his duties on March 27.

“By the way, John Tortorella said he wants to coach again because he’s got energy, he loves teaching,” Davidson said. “So, good luck, Torts! We had him in Columbus, and he did a great job for us.”

When Tortorella first took the Flyers’ head coaching job in 2022, he claimed that Philadelphia would be his last stop as an NHL head coach.

But, the 66-year-old likely did not have getting axed with less than a dozen games remaining in his third season on his bingo card. That was sure to leave a sour taste in Tortorella’s mouth, especially knowing the amount of pride he has in his work.

Taking Davidson’s comments one step further, one NHL insider already believes that a Rangers reunion makes the most sense for both Tortorella and the team.

Making a guest appearance on the FlamesNation podcast, TSN NHL insider Darren Dreger says he feels the Rangers are the only logical option for the stoic American coach.

"For me, the New York Rangers are the only team that, right now, makes sense. And the reason I feel like that, and no disrespect to Peter Laviolette, it's because I know that James Dolan, the owner of the New York Rangers, loves John Tortorella,” Dreger postulated.

"That owner has a ton of clout. Let's see what happens. If they miss the playoffs in New York, all bets are off. Maybe Chris Drury has some vote of confidence that he's coming back as general manager, but I can't be sure of that. I don't know that to be certain.

"What I do know is you've got a very hands-on, volatile owner who is not going to sit back and say 'Yeah, okay, status quo, that works. I'm comfortable with the way things are.' He does like John Tortorella, so that would be a scenario that does make some sense."

Tortorella, of course, began his NHL head coaching career with a four-game stint as an interim head coach with the Rangers in 2000, and previously coached parts of five seasons in New York as a full-time head coach, guiding the Rangers to a 171-118-1-29 regular-season record and an Eastern Conference Finals appearance during his time.

If the two-time Jack Adams Award winner is looking for a veteran team with established stars and a full-circle moment to close out his career, there’s no better place to do it than in New York with the Rangers.

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Games between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens are almost always soap operas.

Take the Jan. 18 game, for example. The Maple Leafs gave up the first three goals of the game in the first period before roaring back to score seven unanswered goals in a 7-3 victory. 

As a direct result of that rollercoaster game, even first-year Leafs have had the Canadiens rivalry imprinted indelibly on their minds, even with a small chance of a first-round matchup between the two Original Six squads.

“Obviously, two big teams going head-to-head, big markets, and there’s not a lot of love between the teams,” Leafs left winger Steven Lorentz said Friday. “Going back to when we were down three (goals) and coming back in the Bell Centre, I’ll never forget that game for the rest of my life.

“That was so cool. It’s cool being out there, and they’re belting out the anthem, the place is going nuts, and they’re booing you. It’s just the best. It’s extra special being able to win there.”

The Canadiens won six-straight games ahead of Friday’s contest against the Ottawa Senators and Saturday’s matchup with the Maple Leafs. That hot streak has helped them solidify their hold on the second wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference. 

Toronto’s 2-1-0 record against Montreal so far this season indicates the Habs are no longer going to be a pushover for any opponent, let alone a hated rival in the Maple Leafs.

Leafs players and coaches acknowledged the steps they’ve seen the Canadiens take to be a likely playoff team this year.

“They’re playing really well,” Leafs left winger Bobby McMann said. “I think any time we play them and they’re playing well, they're playing fast, they’re really good on the forecheck, they can chip pucks in and get behind you and then make plays off the rush. So they’re so fast through the middle of the ice – we’ve got to make sure we’re picking guys up.”

Added Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube: “It’s been a rivalry for a long time, and they’re always pretty exciting games, big games. Their young players are growing, and I think the core of their team is growing together, their young guys. They’ve had pretty solid goaltending here down the stretch, which always helps. They're a good team. They've got a lot of fast players and skilled guys.”

Which Version Of The Montreal Canadiens Will We See In The Playoffs?The Montreal Canadiens have been one of the hottest teams in the league in the past week-and-a-half. 

There’s an outside chance the Canadiens will push further up the Eastern standings and unseat the Senators for the first wild-card spot. If that happens and the Leafs hang on to top spot in the Atlantic Division, that would create a Toronto and Montreal first-round series that would add another dramatic chapter to their long and storied history. But if Saturday’s matchup is it between the two teams this season, it should be a dramatic finale.

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We’re nearly one week away from the NHL playoffs, and The Hockey News Big Show is here to discuss some of the biggest topics.

What Is Canucks' Brock Boeser's Future? by The Big Showundefined

Here’s what Katie Gaus, Michael Traikos and guest co-host Steve Warne discussed in this episode:

1:03: We have our first Stanley Cup playoff series officially locked in. The Carolina Hurricanes will host the New Jersey Devils. What will we see in this series?

3:31: Will the Hurricanes and Devils have high-scoring battles? 

4:56: Predicting the winner of the Hurricanes-Devils series

6:30: The Minnesota Wild got Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek back from injury. How do their returns change Minnesota’s playoff outlook?

10:13: The Los Angeles Kings and the Edmonton Oilers are once again almost a lock to battle it out in the first round. This would be the fourth-straight year they meet in Round 1. How could this time be different?

13:00: Steve updates his top eight Stanley Cup contenders list.

14:40: Micheal explains his changes to his Cup contenders list and why. 

16:59: How does a team balance resting players and making sure they are ready to go for Game 1 of the playoffs? 

19:26: What should we know about Ivan Demidov and his game as he joins the Montreal Canadiens? What kind of boost could this give Montreal? 

23:34: Brock Boeser said it’s unlikely he’ll re-sign with the Vancouver Canucks. Where could he end up?

26:20: Should Boeser be worried about looking for a higher salary or getting more trem?  

28:10: Which team likely to miss the playoffs this year will take an even bigger step backward next season?

31:00: In their rookie seasons, Connor Bedard had 22 goals and 61 points in 68 games, while Macklin Celebrini has 24 goals and 62 points in 66 games and counting. Who would you take?

33:46: The Philadelphia Flyers have won four of five games since firing John Tortorella. Michkov has eight points in five games, and Foerster has seven points, with both getting more ice time. In hindsight, did the Flyers make the right decision to fire their coach with less than a month left?

36:49: Patrick Roy put in 21-year-old AHL goalie Tristan Lennox with the team down 6-1, then pulled him after allowing a goal on two shots in the 9-2 loss. Did this bother you? Is Roy on thin ice after this move?

40:25: The NCAA national championship game is Saturday. Who is your pick to win between Western Michigan and Boston University?

Watch the full episode here. 

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will miss the playoffs for the third-straight year but not because of a lack of effort by Sidney Crosby. 

The 37-year-old Penguins captain remains among the league's elite centers, leading the club with 87 points in 77 games.

The Hockey News’ Kelsey Surmacz said the Penguins owe it to Crosby to try to right the ship after watching the Eastern Conference leaders, the Washington Capitals, accomplish that with Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals only had one top-10 draft pick in their retool, and they made big off-season trades to bring in Pierre-Luc Dubois, Jakob Chychrun and Logan Thompson.

Penguins GM Kyle Dubas has spent the past two seasons rebuilding the club, moving out veterans, such as Jake Guentzel and Marcus Pettersson, for draft picks and promising young players. However, Crosby's ongoing brilliance has Josh Yohe of The Athletic wondering if Dubas might accelerate the process to take advantage of his captain's efforts.

Crosby is under contract through 2026-27. Yohe believes it makes sense to spend for talent as long as their system keeps producing young players. He pointed out the Penguins have more than $23 million in cap space next season, suggesting that Dubas could clear more by shipping out some expensive contracts.

It's been rumored Dubas could try to move Erik Karlsson and Rickard Rakell during the off-season. Karlsson has two years left on his contract with the Penguins carrying $10 million of his $11.5 million average annual value, while Rakell has three more seasons left at a $5-million cap hit. Surmacz noted in mid-March that Rakell is Crosby’s new best winger after the Guentzel trade.

Dubas has made bold moves before. We can't dismiss the possibility that he might attempt to speed things up this summer.

NHL Rumor Roundup: The Latest On Jets' Ehlers And Blue JacketsA foot injury sidelined Nikolaj Ehlers from the Winnipeg Jets' last two games.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Isaac Howard is a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as this season's top U.S. college player. The Lightning hoped to get Howard signed to his entry-level contract, but the 21-year-old left wing decided to return to Michigan State for his senior year. 

The Lightning can continue negotiating with Howard, but he could become a UFA on Aug. 15, 2026. Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times suggests this could be posturing by Howard's representatives. If he plays a single game this season, it'll burn off one year of his entry-level contract, enabling him to get a more lucrative second contract a year sooner. 

Howard seems keen to join the Lightning right away, but they lack cap space to add him to their roster this season. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman claimedNCAA sources said the two sides currently weren't on the same page. 

Friedman and Encina suggested the possibility of the Lightning trading Howard's rights if they feel they won't get him signed before next summer. 

This situation is similar to Rutger McGroarty's contract standoff with the Winnipeg Jets. They wound up trading McGroarty to the Penguins. 

Howard and the Lightning could get this sorted out during the off-season. Nevertheless, this situation could be worth monitoring this summer.

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