All articles tagged with #nhl
In their first game after the Olympic break, the Washington Capitals defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1. Hendrix Lapierre set up Rasmus Sandin for the opener, Noah Cates tied it early in the third, Declan Chisholm assisted Trevor van Riemsdyk on the go-ahead goal, and Aliaksei Protas added a short-handed empty-netter to seal the victory.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was placed on injured reserve after a lower-body injury sustained during the Milan Cortina Olympic tournament, sidelining him for at least a week (potentially longer) as Pittsburgh pursues its playoff push after the Olympic break.
Colorado trades defenseman Samuel Girard to Pittsburgh for Brett Kulak and a 2028 second-round pick, freeing about $2.25 million in cap space and landing a bigger, playoff-tested blueliner. Kulak should fit as a solid No. 4/5 and pair well with emerging talent Sam Malinski, while Girard provides youth for the Penguins along with added draft value. The cap space could enable a bigger deadline move, though the deal is viewed as a cap-dump with pricey potential unless it pays off with a major acquisition for Colorado.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was placed on injured reserve with a minimum four-week absence after injuring his knee at the Olympics, leaving Pittsburgh to navigate a grueling schedule without their leading scorer.
With the NHL trade deadline looming (March 6 at 3 p.m. ET), The Athletic’s Chris Johnston updates the Big Board to highlight top players likely to move as teams decide whether to sell assets. The Rangers, Flames and Canucks have already moved pieces, and multiple contenders are weighing center, winger and defense upgrades while navigating cap and no-trade constraints. The list features marquee names such as Vincent Trocheck, Jordan Binnington, Elias Pettersson, and others, underscoring the high-stakes sprint toward the deadline.
With the NHL Trade Deadline approaching, the buzz centers on Vincent Trocheck, Jake DeBrusk, and Jordan Kyrou, plus a hot market for right-handed defensemen and potential Blackhawks–Bruins fits. The piece ties Vancouver’s possible fire sale to moves like DeBrusk, notes Blues decision-making around Kyrou and Thomas, and flags Detroit and Minnesota as buyers eyeing top-six centers and right-shot defensemen. The Wild are cited as a frontrunner for Trocheck, Bruins’ links to Blackhawks assets Donato and Murphy are discussed, and smaller swaps (Isles obtaining Matt Luff for Julien Gauthier) hint at a busy deadline window ahead.
The Pittsburgh Penguins traded Brett Kulak to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for defenseman Samuel Girard and a 2028 second-round pick. Girard, 27, is under contract through 2026-27 at a $5 million AAV and has 235 career points in 588 games, adding depth to Pittsburgh’s blueline as they broaden their draft capital with multiple early-round picks over the next four years.
Jim and Ellen Hughes raised Jack, Quinn and Luke from Florida to Ontario and Michigan, turning a hockey-obsessed household into a pipeline that produced three first-round NHL picks and Olympic gold, cementing the Hughes as American hockey's defining family.
An opinion piece argues the NHL should keep sending players to the Olympics because NHL participation dramatically boosts international viewership and national pride, even if it risks injuries or limited league profits. It cites the USA–Canada excitement in events like the 4 Nations Face-Off (nearly 10 million viewers for the final), and historic sports-media numbers such as 27.6 million viewers for the 2010 Olympic gold-medal game and 17.1 million for the Salt Lake City Games, contrasting with the 8.9 million peak for the modern-era Stanley Cup Final. The article concludes the intrinsic value for fans—seeing the world’s best compete for country—outweighs short‑term financial concerns and suggests building more World Cup‑style international events could yield long-term gains.
The Carolina Hurricanes signed goaltender Brandon Bussi to a three-year extension worth an average of $1.9 million per season through 2028-29, with the Hurricanes Foundation donating $10,000 to the Autism Society of North Carolina in honor of Bussi’s autistic brother. Acquired on waivers from the Florida Panthers in 2025, Bussi has thrived this season (27 games: 23-3-1, 2.16 GAA, .908 SV) and has become the fastest NHL goalie to reach 10, 15 and 20 wins, establishing himself as a key piece in Raleigh.
LA Kings forward Kevin Fiala will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 NHL regular season after undergoing surgery for fractures in his left lower leg suffered during the 2026 Winter Olympics; he will be reevaluated after the regular season ends with a potential playoff return if the Kings qualify, a significant blow to a Kings offense that was counting on him alongside Panarin and Kempe.
During the Olympic group-stage in Milan, a hot mic captured Matthew Tkachuk taunting Leon Draisaitl with 'Always the bridesmaid, never the bride' as their lines faced off; the United States beat Germany 5-1, with Tkachuk collecting two assists and Draisaitl held without a point, while Germany finished group play 1-2 and advances to a qualification match against France.
Macklin Celebrini, the 19-year-old San Jose Sharks forward, became the first NHL player to score on an Olympic penalty shot, converting in Canada’s 10-2 win over France at Milano Cortina 2026; he added a goal and an assist in the game to notch three points and finish the preliminary round with six points overall, set a teenage-goals record for NHL players at the Games, and helped Canada clinch a quarterfinal berth.
With the preliminaries complete, Milano Cortina 2026’s men’s hockey moves to a single‑elimination playoff, with top seeds Canada, the United States, Slovakia, and Finland earning byes to the quarterfinals. Tuesday’s four qualifying games pit No. 5 Switzerland vs No. 12 Italy, No. 6 Germany vs No. 11 France, No. 7 Sweden vs No. 10 Latvia, and No. 8 Czechia vs No. 9 Denmark, each featuring NHL players and key stat-storylines as teams chase the gold on Feb. 22.
NHL players arrived in Milan for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics, traveling from North America to tour the Olympic Village, gear up, and begin practice, all while embodying national pride and a sense of camaraderie on hockey’s biggest global stage.