NHL Sound Bites: Fleury on Trade Deadline, Perry Visits Anaheim & More

The Boston Bruins have a number of questions that will require answers going into this offseason. What will happen with veteran Patrice Bergeron? Is Jake DeBrusk finally going to be moved? Where will the team find more scoring? Are they going to make a big, short-term move if Bergeron decides to return? Finally, how do they compete in a tough Atlantic Division?

With the Minnesota Wild’s season officially over after they lost Game 6 to the St. Louis Blues, this will be the final edition of the Wild Check-In for the 2021-22 season. They had a lot of ups and downs, but through it all, they persevered and had their best record to date with the exception of their postseason result. They basically reset the record books and entertained their fans nearly every night.

For the first time since 1991, the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers will take the Battle of Alberta to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After the Flames’ hard-fought overtime win against the Dallas Stars in Game 7, they set up a date on Wednesday night in Calgary with their provincial counterparts, renewing hostilities between two teams that have one of the most heated rivalries in NHL history. It will be a war, both mentally and physically, but there are three key elements that the Flames can exploit to try and get the upper hand on the high-flying Oilers.

After a Game 7 win by both the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames, we get to experience a Battle of Alberta in the playoffs for the first time since 1991. The Flames will have home-ice advantage since they finished first in the regular season, but we are going to look at which Flames team will show up in the second round. Will it be the overall dominant team that was present for most of the season, or will it be the team that got shut down offensively in Round 1 and almost lost to the Dallas Stars?

After dispatching the Nashville Predators in four straight games, the Colorado Avalanche are set to battle the St. Louis Blues in the second round of the playoffs, a rematch of last season’s first-round encounter. The two Western Conference clubs were among the highest-scoring outfits in the league this season, meaning each team’s respective defensive games will be brought into increased focus.

Welcome to Pittsburgh Penguins News & Rumors, where we cover all the hot topics and dive into more than just box scores. There’s been some serious buzz surrounding the Penguins as the team cleans out their things from the arena, leaving with disappointment after a tough seven-game series with the New York Rangers. Pittsburgh is in line for one of their most intriguing offseasons in franchise history, let’s take a closer look at what to expect.

There may be no more important a seven games series (or less depending on how things go) than the one that’s about to get underway between the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames. The Oilers have been in the playoffs before and while they made it to the second round in 2017, the team has suffered disappointment after disappointment. This is the year where the story surrounding the Oilers can change.

On May 15. hockey fans were treated to two great, memorable Game 7 First Round matchups. The New York Rangers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 while the Calgary Flames defeated the Dallas Stars 3-2. The games were great but what made the night so unique was that both games saw...

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager (GM) Kyle Dubas has another tall task ahead of him this upcoming offseason as I’m sure this familiar feeling is getting old. Another offseason that’s way too long for the Leafs’ GM who has one season left on his current contract. While an extension could certainly be in the cards, it’s also likely upper management waits to see how next season pans out.

Entering the 2022 trade deadline on March 21, there were several needs that the Boston Bruins had. General manager Don Sweeney was looking to add some combination of a left-shot defenseman, a second-line center, a top-six right-wing, and some toughness on the roster, mainly on the backend on defense. Expected...

When the Pittsburgh Penguins were drawn to meet the New York Rangers in the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, it was billed as one of the marquee matchups in the Eastern Conference. It lived up to the hype, as the Rangers stormed back from a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate the Penguins in seven games. While the tension was palpable through those seven games, it looks quite different for the Penguins in retrospect. For the boys from the ‘Burgh, the 2022 Playoff loss boils down to the things that they almost did.

With six Ottawa Senators playing at the World Championship, there’s still a chance for fans to catch some key players as the tournament takes place in Europe. With players on the national teams for the USA, Canada, and Germany, here’s how the first few days looked. Team USA.

“The Second Round” is a phrase that is spoken about in hushed tones by Colorado Avalanche fans in recent years, as many Avs faithful hope to appease the hockey gods and allow for a return to playoff success they enjoyed in decades past. Colorado hasn’t advanced past the second round since the 2009-10 season, but recent history has been much more vexing.

2021-22 Team: Avto Yekaterinburg (MHL) Central Scouting: 34th (EU Skaters) As far as “project picks” in the 2022 NHL Draft go, Viktor Neuchev is one of the better ones. With all the confidence and moxie of a blue-chip goal-scorer, he possesses one of the best shots in this draft class – and he isn’t afraid to use it. He was a 40-goal scorer this season in the MHL (the Russian equivalent of the Canadian Hockey League) due to his willingness to use his shot and how lethal it is. As a left-hand shot lining up on the right side of the ice, his teammates were eager to feed him the puck similarly to how the Washington Capitals look to feed Alex Ovechkin of the left side.

The New Jersey Devils’ most pressing need this offseason is undoubtedly finding a goaltender. The team gave up just over 60 goals above expected (GSAx) and finished with a team save percentage (SV%) of .881. It doesn’t matter how talented your team is; there’s no chance you’ll win consistently in the NHL with goaltending like that.

The longest tenured Buffalo Sabre by far, this season marked Zemgus Girgensons’ eighth in a Buffalo uniform. He was a first-round selection by the Sabres in 2012, and has managed to carve out a bottom-six role with the team because of his defensive play, penalty killing and ability to chip in occasionally offensively. This season Girgensons was asked to provide something a little different, as he and Kyle Okposo were tasked with being the leaders for the team. Girgensons’ point production will never be his greatest asset, but his presence in the locker room and strong defensive capabilities were on full display from him this season.

With all that is going on right now involving the Calgary Flames, many were unaware that the organization announced a signing on Monday afternoon. Adam Klapka, who is an undrafted 21-year-old, inked a two-year, entry-level deal that will carry a cap hit of $925,000. Klapka, who is from Prague, Czech...

2021-22 Team: Omskie Yastreby / Junior Hockey League (MHL) NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings: 15th (among EU skaters) After getting off to a relatively slow start to the 2021-22 season, Gleb Trikozov has seen his draft stock grow exponentially. While he took on playing time in the Russian Minor League (VHL), he played his best hockey in the Russian Junior League (MHL), where he really got to showcase his strengths.

Despite a memorable season full of surprises and single-season records, the Nashville Predators were the first team to drop out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Adding salt to the wound, they were the only team to go without a win, being dominantly swept by the Colorado Avalanche. General manager David Poile now shifts his focus to the 2022 Entry Draft, set to take place at the Bell Center in Montreal on July 7. He holds the 17th overall pick for just the second time in Nashville franchise history. The Predators selected defenseman Dante Fabbro at 17th overall in 2016, and things turned out quite well for him.

The New York Rangers pulled off an incredible comeback after losing three of their first four games in their first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Though the Rangers’ star players struggled early in the series, New York’s top players rose to the challenge and delivered in the clutch, carrying the Rangers to three consecutive come-from-behind victories to advance to the second round of the playoffs.