Remembering the sheer joy of the NHL offseason’s craziest hour, ten years later

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing exactly ten years ago?

If you were a hockey fan back then, there’s a decent chance that you do. But it depends on what time you’re reading this.

If it’s early in the morning, then you probably have no idea. Exactly ten years ago, the hockey world was waking up to what felt like a typical Wednesday. We’d just had the draft, with Auston Matthews going first overall, and the Red Wings had traded Pavel Datsyuk to the Coyotes, because that’s just what we did with Hall-of-Fame players back then. And we were still a few days from free agency, a crop loaded with wingers like Milan Lucic, Kyle Okposo and Loui Eriksson who'd surely sign reasonable deals.

Exactly ten years ago, on that pleasant summer morning, your hockey fan brain was probably taking a nice deep breath and enjoying the calm between the storms.

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Which NHL team makes the best all-time starting lineup from first-round picks?

 It’s been a quiet week in the NHL world, with up to several hours passing in between blockbuster, franchise-shifting moves. Luckily, the first round of the draft is tonight, so fans will finally have something to talk about.

While we wait, let’s play a roster game. Which team can make the best starting six out of their first-round draft picks?

This should be nice and simple – three forwards, two defensemen and a goalie, all of them from a specific team’s first-round picks. And to add a degree of difficulty, one caveat: We can only use a specific pick number once per team.

We’ll do this the usual way, where I give you a dozen teams to start with and then hand it over to you in the comments to fill in the gaps. And we’ll start with the team that usually does well in these things…

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Remembering 10 draft picks that toured the league before they were finally used

The 25th overall pick in this year’s draft has been on a bit of a journey.

The story starts at last year’s deadline. The pick originally belonged to the Lightning, but they traded it to the Kraken in a deal for Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde. The pick stayed with the Kraken until this weekend, when they shipped it to Florida for Mackie Samoskevich. We didn’t realize it at the time, but the Panthers had something even bigger in mind, flipping the pick to Ottawa few hours later in the Brady Tkachuk blockbuster. Now we wait to see if Ottawa uses the pick, or moves it again for immediate help.

Not a bad story for one pick. And I’ll be honest, I kind of love when this happens. Some picks have lived a full life before they’re ever actually used to draft a player. I remember as a kid being fascinated that the biggest trade of 1992 – the Eric Lindros blockbuster – and the biggest of 1994 – Mats Sundin for Wendel Clark – both involved the same pick, one that started off in Philadelphia before heading to Quebec, then Toronto, and ultimately on to Washington (where it was used on Nolan Baumgartner, who played just 143 NHL games).

Today, let’s go back through the cap era and see if we can find some picks that have stories to tell. We’ll set the bar high, looking for picks that changed hands at least four times. We’ll rely on the invaluable Pro Sports Transactions database, and see where this takes us.

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Let's welcome the 2026 class of inductees to the Hockey Hall of Very Good

It’s Hockey Hall of Fame announcement day, which means three things. First and most importantly, we’re about to find out which players and builders are going to receive the sport’s highest honor. Second, it’s a good day to avoid that one fan you know who’s weirdly passionate about Rod Brind’Amour.

And third, it’s time for us to induct a new class in our Hall of Very Good.

This is an annual tradition, kind of, that started back in 2022, when we inducted a full roster highlighted by names like Saku Koivu, Al Iafrate and Tim Kerr. The second class was another full roster, featuring Ziggy Palffy, Brian Rafalski and Miikka Kiprusoff. In 2024 we scaled back a bit but still found room for Rick Nash, Shane Doan and Olaf Kolzig.

And then last year, uh, I think I forgot.

But that’s OK, because there’s nothing quite like a double cohort to juice up an induction meeting. So today, we’re going to welcome the Class of 2026. As always, these are players who have no realistic shot at the real Hall of Fame, meaning we’re not going to look at guys like Patrik Elias or Henrik Zetterberg. These guys are a tier below, but still deserve recognition. You’ll often hear fans use “hall of very good” as an insult, meant to imply that the HHOF is too lenient. But today, it’s a compliment – a chance to remember some guys who were all sorts of fun.

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Brayden Point? Jaccob Slavin? Six active players who could be tough Hall of Fame calls

The Hockey Hall of Fame will announce its class of 2026 on  Monday, and you know what that means: It’s time to get mad about who’ll get in and who won’t.

That guy from your favorite team? He should be a lock! That guy from the team you hate? He’s a bum, why are we even mentioning him? That other guy who seems like a classic borderline call? You’re very, very sure you know the right answer there too, and anyone who disagrees is a big fat stupidhead.

You get the drill. Or at least I hope you do, because we’re doing a Hall debate today. Just not one about this year’s class.

That’s not to say that this year doesn’t present a few opportunities to argue various cases. Patrice Bergeron is a lock, and Carey Price probably is too after losing out to the numbers game last year. That leaves two spots on the men’s side, and with a weak-ish crop of first-year eligibles other than Bergeron, that gives the committee a chance to backfill some candidates who’ve been waiting for years.

That’s cool, but honestly, I can’t do another round of Patrik Elias or Henrik Zetterberg or Curtis Joseph debate. Rod Brind’Amour remains a tough call, especially now that he’s won a Cup behind the bench (which shouldn’t matter to his case as a player but obviously does). There are plenty of arguments to be had on those names and more.

Just not today. Today, we’re going to break out a gimmick we like to try every year or so: A look at the active players who are shaping up as the toughest calls down the line. By definition, none of these guys are finished products. But all of them are closer to the end than the beginning, with enough road behind them that we can at least make some educated guesses on where they’ll wind up.

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Did the Hurricanes just become the best team with no Hall-of-Famers in NHL history?

This week is always a weird time on the NHL calendar. The Stanley Cup final has just ended, and everyone is trying to catch their breath before the offseason truly gets going. The draft, trade rumors, and UFA boards are all happening against the backdrop of Cup parties and parades.

But we’re also just days away from the announcement of this year’s Hockey Hall of Fame class, which comes Monday. That timing always struck me as a bit odd, since what should be a huge announcement ends up being overshadowed by everything else happening. If you’re a history nerd like me, the HHOF is catnip – perfect for debates and speculation and analysis. But most years, that’s a hard pivot to make after the final has just ended.

But maybe not this year, because the Venn diagram between “just crowned the new champions” and “Hall of Fame debates” produces an interesting sliver of overlap, in the form of a question: Did the Carolina Hurricanes just win the Stanley Cup without a single future Hall-of-Famer on the roster?

I think they might have. And if so, that’s an incredibly rare feat. In fact, it’s so rare that it leads to a bigger question: Among teams without any future HHOFers, could the Hurricanes be the best team ever?

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Remembering the 10 biggest controversies from the 2026 playoffs

The NHL playoffs are over, and they were controversial because they always are. But just how controversial did the 2026 postseason get?

After all, every NHL postseason has its share of controversial moments. But some are more memorable than others, and some have a staying power that can last decades or more. Whether it’s missed calls by Leon Stickle or Kerry Fraser, Brett Hull’s goal that counted or Martin Gelenias’ that didn’t, some moments become part of hockey’s permanent lore. Others will fade, maybe lingering within a specific fan base or two but otherwise relegated to “oh yeah, I vaguely remember that” status. And some may be forgotten altogether, having given us all something to yell about for a few days and then disappearing from the collective memory.

This season? It might be too early to tell. So far, the NHL appears to have avoided anything with true skate-in-crease staying power. But you never really know which moments might resonate, and which ones won’t. So today, let’s remember 10 of the biggest controversies of the 2026 playoffs, and how likely they are to be remembered in the future.

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What was history’s best hockey game to be decided by the worst goal?

We’re down to one or two games left in one of the best Stanley Cup finals in recent memory, if not of all time. And it’s possible that no game will be more memorable than Saturday night’s Game 3, which featured a record-breaking hat trick, a penalty shot, two waved-off goals, one of the greatest third-period comebacks in playoff history, and two periods of overtime.

And then… it ended like it did. 

Yeah, that’s not ideal. But it’s also not rare, because a surprising number of legendary hockey games have ended with a goal that was… iffy. Or questionable. Or downright terrible.

Today, we’re going to celebrate some of those great games, and the ugly goals that decided them, as we search for the game that scores highest in both categories.

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Do you know your Cup-winning new guys? Take the "Who Didn't He Play For?" quiz

It’s Mitch Marner’s world right now, and we’re all just living in it. Less than a year after a sign-and-trade sent him to Vegas on the eve of free agency, Marner and the Knights are closing in on a championship, and the ex-Leaf is the runaway leader for the Conn Smythe.

It’s a cool story. But it might not be as unique as you might think. While Marner's version might be extreme, NHL history is filled with stories of star players who arrive on a new team via trade or free agency and win a Cup in their very first year. So since we haven’t had a quiz in a while, let’s see how well you know your Cup-winning newbies.

As always, I’ll give you a player and some teams, and you tell me which one he never played an NHL game for. Once you’ve finished all 16 questions, scroll back up to see your score, and then use the handy chart below to see how you did.

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There are 35 ways an NHL playoff series can go. Here's the best example of each

Three games in, and this year’s Stanley Cup final is on track to achieve all-time classic status. And while we’ve still got what we hope are four games left to go, the action so far has got me thinking about great playoff series through NHL history.

Let’s start with a question: How many different ways are there to win a playoff series?

There are a few ways to answer that question. We could go existential and say the answer is “an infinite number of way”, because of every series is a unique snowflake that forges its own beautiful identity every time a butterfly flaps its wings and/or a ref blows a call. That’s kind of poetic. It’s also going to make this post way too long, so we need a different approach.

Instead, let’s go with a mathematical answer. There are only so many ways that a seven-game series can play out, based on what order the wins and losses come in. The longer the series, the more combinations we can get. But with two results possible per game, we eventually run into a limit.

So how many combinations are there? It turns out that the magic number is 35. That list starts with a four-game sweep, which can obviously only happen one way – with the winning team winning each game. Call that a WWWW series. There are four more combinations for a five-game series, ranging from LWWWW to WWWLW. The possibilities grow to ten for a six-game series, and then 19 once we go the full seven. Add it all up, and you have 35 different combinations of W’s and L’s that can describe a seven-game series.

(How long did it take me to figure all that out? Way too long, thanks for asking. I have a headache and I think my wife and kids moved out at some point over the weekend. Never let it be said that I don’t make sacrifices for my readers.)

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The road to the Stanley Cup Final: Ranking the 14 series that got us here

We’re two games into the Stanley Cup final, and so far the series between the Hurricanes and Golden Knights has all the makings of a classic. The teams are tied, both games have been fantastic, and it still feels like there are a ton of twists and turns left to come.

We’re two games into the Stanley Cup final, and so far the series between the Hurricanes and Golden Knights has been a mixed bag. Game 1 was excellent, Game 2 had its moments, and we avoided the road team stealing both games to set up a short series. There should still be some twists and turns left to come.

We’re two games into the Stanley Cup final, and so far the series between the Hurricanes and Golden Knights has been a mixed bag. Game 1 was excellent, and Game 2 had its moments, but with Vegas heading home up 2-0, we may be in for a disappointingly short series unless the Hurricanes can get up off the mat.

That’s where we’re headed. But let’s not forget how we got here.

Yes, it’s time for our annual ranking of the 14 series that paved the way. This is an admittedly subjective exercise, but it's based on some general criteria I’m guessing most fans can agree on. A longer series is better than a short one. Closer games are better than blowouts, and overtime is best of all. Some bad blood, controversy or other memorable moments will always help. And expectations matter, sometimes a lot.

Overall, I’d say this year’s postseason has been good but not great. I’m not sure we’ve seen the sort of classic series we’ll be talking about a decade from now, although a few matchups have come close. Let’s remember some series, working our way down from worst to best while hoping that the Hurricanes and Golden Knights can bump everyone down a spot with a final for the ages.

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An NHL playoff contest update, where 850 entered and just two are left standing

Two months ago, we started with a full field of championship hopefuls. Some knew they were facing long odds, but were willing to dream big dreams. Others were bathed in the soothing safety of favorite status. But they all had one thing in common: The abiding belief that this could be their year.

Then the playoffs started, and it all went to hell.

I’m referring, of course, to our annual playoff contest, in which I ask one simple question and almost all of you get it wrong. It launched a few days before the playoffs started, and over 850 of you entered.

How many of those entries are still alive and in the running for the title? Um… two.

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Hurricanes or Knights? A Stanley Cup Final rooting guide for 30 other fan bases

Welcome to one of my favorite columns to write each year, where we go through all 30 teams that didn’t make the Stanley Cup final and offer up a suggestion on which of the finalists to root for. Nothing mandatory, mind you; more of a gentle nudge for the undecided. We have a bit of fun, it usually spurs some fun discussion, and there’s always a bit of suspense over which finalist the scales will ultimately tip towards.

Let’s just say that this year, I don’t think we have much of a suspense factor.

The Golden Knights are the villains here. It’s a role they’ve embraced, not just as far as this final but as the defining quality of their entire existence. The list of reasons to hate the Knights starts with jealousy, as they enter their ninth season of perpetual contention without ever really suffering through a bad season, but it doesn’t end there. Their win-at-all-costs mentality is enviable on some level, but at some point some of start getting tired of their whole act.

That’s not to say that everyone loves the Hurricanes; I’ve seen plenty of fans who don’t, or who seem to view this year’s final as a “none of the above” matchup. But finding fan bases that will be solidly pro-Vegas feels… daunting. So much so that I even briefly considered scrapping this year’s rooting guide altogether. But I like a challenge, and I love a recurring bit that means I don’t have to come up with a new angle. So let’ do this, even if we know how it’s going to end up.

We’ve got 30 teams to get to, and at least as many lenses to view this final through. As always, some reasons will be obvious, and some will be reaches. Will this end up being the most lopsided rooting guide ever? Almost certainly, but let’s dive in and see where we wind up.

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