Poll: Who Will Capture The Final Wild-Card Spot In The West?
Now that every team is below five games remaining in the regular season, it’s scoreboard-watching time in the NHL. There are still a few things to sort out in the Eastern Conference, though the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference remains a wide-open race.
As it currently stands, the Los Angeles Kings own the spot with 85 points and four games left in their regular season. The Nashville Predators (84 points), Winnipeg Jets (82 points), and San Jose Sharks (81 points) are all within striking distance.
The Kings should be considered the favorites. Three out of their final four games are against teams well outside the postseason chase, although teams in their position love playing spoilers, especially against inter-divisional opponents. Still, Los Angeles will continue to ride the hot hand of Anton Forsberg, who has put up a .950 SV% over his last three appearances, winning them all.
However, the Predators aren’t going down without a fight. Playing much more competitively than last season, Nashville has three games left against the Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks, and Anaheim Ducks. If they win all three and finish with 90 points, they would have a strong likelihood of getting in since the Kings don’t have a pathway to usurp them in the first tiebreaker (regulation wins).
Meanwhile, the Jets and Sharks, despite having four games remaining, have the hardest path. According to Moneypuck, Winnipeg has a 12.4% of reaching the playoffs, whereas San Jose has a 2.4% chance. The Jets have an ace in the hole in Connor Hellebuyck, who can win four games in a row mostly by himself. Still, even if they do win their last four, they would need some serious good luck.
Now, it’s your time to vote. Which team will win the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference and secure a date with the Colorado Avalanche in the opening round of the playoffs?
Who Will Capture The Final Wild-Card Spot In The West?
West Notes: Avalanche, Dickinson, Daccord
The Avalanche clinched themselves a trophy on Thursday night, securing the Presidents’ Trophy as the team with the best regular season record. They did so without a pair of key veterans in defenseman Cale Makar and center Nazem Kadri. Speaking with reporters postgame including Kyle Newman of The Denver Post, head coach Jared Bednar indicated that he’s hoping to see Makar get back into a game before the playoffs. Sidelined since the end of March due to an upper-body injury, he sits third on the Avs in scoring with 75 points in 73 games. As for Kadri, he’s listed as day-to-day with a finger issue. Acquired just before the buzzer at the trade deadline last month, he has fit in well in his second stint with the team, collecting nine points in 16 games, three of those being power play goals.
More from out West:
- The Oilers will be without center Jason Dickinson for their game on Saturday against Los Angeles. Team broadcaster Bob Stauffer notes (Twitter link) that the veteran is unavailable after suffering a leg injury on Wednesday against San Jose. Acquired from Chicago at the trade deadline, the 30-year-old has a goal and three assists in 17 games with his new team while averaging a little over 15 minutes per game of ice time. He has been their most-used penalty killer since being acquired as well. There’s no word yet on a timeline for Dickinson’s return.
- Already missing Philipp Grubauer, the Kraken could be without their other netminder as they look to keep their very faint playoff hopes alive. Team radio host Mike Benton relays (Twitter link) that Joey Daccord was feeling sore after Thursday’s game and was undergoing evaluation today. If he’s unable to suit up Saturday against Calgary, the team will have to recall someone (likely Victor Ostman) from AHL Coachella Valley with Niklas Kokko probably in line to make his first NHL start in a must-win game if they want to avoid elimination from the playoffs. Daccord has a 3.03 GAA with a .896 SV% in 47 games this season.
Stars Provide Several Injury Updates
The Stars have been one of the top teams in the NHL all season and have done so despite missing several key players for extended stretches. They also happen to be without quite a few regulars in the stretch run of the season. In an appearance on 96.7 The Ticket earlier today (audio link), head coach Glen Gulutzan provided updates on several of his players.
Earlier today, the team revealed that defenseman Miro Heiskanen was undergoing imaging for a lower-body injury. He’s set to miss the remaining three games of the regular season while Gulutzan added that he is “certainly hoping” to have his top blueliner back when the playoffs start. If he isn’t able to return, it would be the second straight postseason in which Heiskanen would miss time as he was sidelined for 10 of their 18 contests in 2025.
The other high-end player that remains sidelined for Dallas is center Roope Hintz. He sustained a lower-body last month (in his first game back following an illness that kept him sidelined after the Olympic break) and while the original hope was that he wouldn’t miss much time, he hasn’t played since. Recently, the plan was for him to get back into action before the end of the regular season but that is no longer the case. Now, the hope is that Hintz, who is still listed as week-to-week, will be ready for the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Heiskanen isn’t the only Dallas defender who’s now banged up. Gulutzan indicated that Tyler Myers reaggravated an old injury on Thursday and could miss Saturday’s game against the Rangers as a result. Acquired just before the trade deadline from Vancouver, the veteran is averaging over 16 minutes per night in 13 games with his new team as he has helped stabilize the back of their back end.
It isn’t all bad news on the injury front though. Gulutzan added that center Radek Faksa and winger Michael Bunting are expected to play in multiple games before the season ends with Bunting potentially being ready on Saturday. Center Sam Steel is day-to-day with the team being hopeful that he’ll be able to return for the regular season finale on Wednesday versus Buffalo.
Max Plante Wins 2026 Hobey Baker Award
After the Frozen Four tournament was whittled down to two on Thursday with Denver and Wisconsin moving on to the final on Saturday, there was other business to attend to on Friday off the ice with the presentation of the Hobey Baker Award. Given to the top player in college hockey, this year’s winner is University of Minnesota-Duluth sophomore Max Plante, a prospect of the Red Wings.
The sophomore was a second-round pick by Detroit back in 2024, going 47th overall. Plante got to play on a line with his brother, Zam, and Jayson Shaugabay, comprising one of the higher-scoring trios in Division I. The 20-year-old followed up a solid rookie showing by nearly doubling his point totals this season, notching 25 goals and 27 assists in 40 games, finishing two points ahead of his brother to lead the Bulldogs in scoring. His 52 points put him in a tie for third overall in NCAA scoring.
Unsurprisingly, Plante received many accolades with how his season went. Among the other awards he won this season was the NCHC Forward of the Year, NCHC Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference, and the College Hockey News Player of the Year. He indicated to reporters including Joe Smith of The Athletic (Twitter link) after the trophy presentation that he will return for his junior year and isn’t turning pro with Detroit just yet. In doing so, he becomes the first winner of the award to not turn pro since 2007 when Ryan Duncan did so, relays Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald (Twitter link).
The other two finalists for the award were Michigan senior T.J. Hughes and Denver junior Eric Pohlkamp. Hughes is expected to sign his first NHL contract in the very near future while Pohlkamp, the lone defenseman among the three finalists, is a fifth-round pick of the Sharks.
Other awards handed out this evening:
Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine took home the Mike Richter Award for the top NCAA goalie. The 21-year-old posted a 2.11 GAA with a .929 SV% in 34 games with Michigan State in his junior year and turned pro after their season came to an end. A Detroit second-rounder, he’s making his AHL debut tonight with Grand Rapids. Augustine was a Top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award and won the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year for the second straight year.
Flames prospect Ethan Wyttenbach won the Tim Taylor Award for Rookie of the Year. The 19-year-old was a fifth-round pick (144th overall) last June and had quite the freshman year at Quinnipiac. He played in 40 games, tallying 25 goals and 34 assists. That was good enough to not only lead his team in scoring but all of Division I. Unsurprisingly, he was also a Top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
NHL Announces 2026 King Clancy Memorial Trophy Nominees
Earlier this week, the NHL revealed the 32 nominees for the Masterton Trophy. Today, they unveiled another set of award nominees with the 32 finalists for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. The award is presented “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”
Unlike the Masterton finalists which were voted on by each chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, each team picked one player to serve as their nominee. Also unlike most awards, there won’t be a media or player vote to determine the winner. Instead, the winner will be picked by a committee consisting of Commissioner Gary Bettman as well as former winners of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and the NHL Foundation Player Award.
The team nominees are as follows:
Anaheim Ducks: G Lukas Dostal
Boston Bruins: D Jordan Harris
Buffalo Sabres: F Alex Tuch
Calgary Flames: F Jonathan Huberdeau
Carolina Hurricanes: D Jaccob Slavin
Chicago Blackhawks: D Alex Vlasic
Colorado Avalanche: D Sam Malinski
Columbus Blue Jackets: F Boone Jenner
Dallas Stars: G Jake Oettinger
Detroit Red Wings: F Dylan Larkin
Edmonton Oilers: F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Florida Panthers: F Sam Bennett
Los Angeles Kings: F Kevin Fiala
Minnesota Wild: F Marcus Foligno
Montreal Canadiens: F Nick Suzuki
Nashville Predators: F Ryan O’Reilly
New Jersey Devils: F Jack Hughes
New York Islanders: F Kyle Palmieri
New York Rangers: D Adam Fox
Ottawa Senators: G Linus Ullmark
Philadelphia Flyers: F Garnet Hathaway
Pittsburgh Penguins: F Bryan Rust
San Jose Sharks: F Alexander Wennberg
Seattle Kraken: G Joey Daccord
St. Louis Blues: D Colton Parayko
Tampa Bay Lightning: D Ryan McDonagh
Toronto Maple Leafs: F John Tavares
Utah Mammoth: F Alexander Kerfoot
Vancouver Canucks: F Brock Boeser
Vegas Golden Knights: F Jack Eichel
Washington Capitals: F Alex Ovechkin
Winnipeg Jets: F Gabriel Vilardi
The award was first handed out in 1988. The winner will receive a $25K donation to benefit a charity or charities of his choice. The winner will also be eligible to elect that his team receives a grant from the NHL for up to $20K to help organize a special activation related to his humanitarian cause.
These Pending UFAs Mishandled Their Prior Trips Through Free Agency
In the NHL, some players welcome the chance to bet on themselves when it comes to unrestricted free agency. But not every player likes taking that risk, because there is always the possibility that the bet doesn’t pay off or that the player and their representatives misjudge the market and miss out on a payday. Sometimes, these players land big contracts later in their careers, and that is the hope for the three players in this article, who are approaching free agency again this summer and have another chance to learn from their previous attempts and finally cash in.
The first player on this list and one of the most recent is Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Matt Grzelcyk, who had to settle for a PTO this past offseason after his market never materialized despite coming off a career year. Grzelcyk posted a goal and 39 assists last season, playing all 82 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and was projected by AFP Analytics to receive a three-year deal worth $3.77MM annually. However, he ended up with a PTO and eventually signed a one-year, $1MM deal.
It was clearly a massive disappointment for the 32-year-old, and it’s hard to say exactly what transpired in his negotiations. His market did not develop as expected, and his contract fell well below the projected market value. Nonetheless, it should have been evident to Grzelcyk’s representatives that his market probably wouldn’t be very strong after the Penguins were unable to trade him at last year’s trade deadline. Grzelcyk remained in Pittsburgh after the deadline despite the team being well out of the playoff picture at that point, which suggested that teams weren’t exactly eager to add him. In any case, Grzelcyk is a free agent once again this summer after a disappointing campaign with the Blackhawks, and it’s fair to wonder if he will get a multi-year deal this offseason. AFP Analytics has him pegged for a two-year deal worth $2.8MM per season, but that may be a touch optimistic given his struggles this year.
Another player who struggled to secure a contract last summer was forward Jack Roslovic. The then 28-year-old was coming off a solid year with Carolina, where he scored 22 goals and 17 assists in 81 games. While his scoring stats looked decent, Roslovic was not exactly a seamless fit with the Hurricanes and benefited from a 15.8% shooting rate, about 3% higher than his career average. For the second consecutive summer, it seemed Roslovic misjudged the free agent market but didn’t land as softly in 2024 as he did in Carolina. In summer 2024, Roslovic signed with the Hurricanes on July 4 for $2.8MM on a one-year deal, serving as a cautionary tale for players hitting the market in 2025. Roslovic was one of those players, and unfortunately for him, his luck was much worse this time, as he had to settle for another one-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers, this time for $1.5MM.
Roslovic was projected last summer to sign a three-year deal worth $4.094MM, making his contract just over 10% of his projected earnings. He eventually changed agents and signed a one-year contract, setting himself up to hit free agency again. This summer, AFP Analytics predicts he could land a four-year deal worth $4.434MM per season, and it seems more likely this will happen given his new agent and the rising salary cap, while the free-agent class remains very thin.
Now we come to John Klingberg of the San Jose Sharks, who just a few years ago was a top-pairing defenseman with the Dallas Stars and helped lead them to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2020. Back in 2021, much of the conversation around Klingberg centered on his impending free agency, and he and the Dallas Stars were engaged in contract talks to keep him in Dallas long term. At the time, Klingberg reportedly wanted over $60MM on an eight-year contract, which would have him around an $8MM AAV, and while some sources said he turned down $7MM a season, he never came close to reaching those numbers on his eventual contracts and never even sniffed that kind of long-term security.
Klingberg finally reached free agency in 2022 and had to settle for a one-year $7MM contract with the Anaheim Ducks, then followed it up with a one-year $4.15MM deal with Toronto. Last season, he played part of the year under a one-year $1.35MM contract with the Edmonton Oilers before signing a one-year $4MM deal this season in San Jose. Regardless of what the contract discussions were like with Dallas, Klingberg left tens of millions of dollars on the table and could have avoided the stress of moving teams five times. Additionally, he went from a low-tax state like Texas to high-tax states and provinces such as California and Ontario.
The NHL is full of cautionary tales regarding free agency. For example, defenseman Cody Franson is a case from a decade ago, and Thomas Vanek is another. More recent examples include Anthony Duclair and Evan Rodrigues, who eventually secured their contracts after a few seasons of uncertainty. This summer, players like Grzelcyk, Roslovic, and Klingberg hope to cash in and recover some of the money they left on the table. The salary cap is expected to rise, which should benefit them, but none of these players have performed at their best this season, so they may face another challenging period in free agency.
Devils Shutting Down Jacob Markstrom For Season
The Devils will not play starting goaltender Jacob Markström in their final three games of the season, head coach Sheldon Keefe said Friday.
Markström “gets the chance to go into the offseason without doing any further damage,” Keefe said, implying he’d been dealing with some lingering injuries. He’ll get a head start now to get back to 100% for training camp, presumably without needing surgery.
That certainly gives some context for the Devils’ decision to recall third-stringer Nico Daws from AHL Utica earlier today. He will split the remaining starts with backup Jake Allen, with the latter ticketed to play Saturday against the Red Wings and Daws slated to get New Jersey’s home finale on Sunday against the Senators.
Today closes the book on a forgettable season for Markström. After signing a two-year, $12MM extension early in the season, he proceeded to put his worst numbers since first emerging as a starting option with the Canucks back in 2017-18. He managed a 23-19-1 record in 43 starts but backed that up with a subpar .883 SV%, 3.07 GAA, and a quality start percentage of just .395. His -11.9 goals saved above expected are the ninth-worst in the league, per MoneyPuck.
Of course, those aforementioned injuries certainly played a part. Markström dealt with a lower-body injury in early October, and while he hasn’t missed a game since, it’s clear now that he was never back to 100%.
Markström was a top-10 goalie in the league for a decent chunk of his prime. On the heels of back-to-back average-at-best seasons in Newark, though, there’s a chance their successor to Tom Fitzgerald in the general manager’s chair might want to move on from his pending extension, particularly with Allen still putting up serviceable numbers and Daws looking excellent in his limited NHL action over the past two years.
If so, their options will be limited. Markström has a no-movement clause until July 1. When his extension kicks in, then he’ll be immediately owed a $1.5MM signing bonus while his movement production drops to a 20-team no-trade list. That could allow for a deal; if they don’t think they’ll find one, they could buy him out during the first window in June. That would leave him on their books for the next four years, but at a reduced cap hit of $3.25MM for 2026-27 and $1.75MM for the subsequent three seasons.
He could also very well be back in the starter’s crease in the fall. If the Devils don’t feel Daws is ready for a full-time role, there aren’t any undeniable upgrades on Markström available on this summer’s free agent market.
Bruins Reassign Lukas Reichel
The Bruins assigned forward Lukas Reichel to AHL Providence on Friday, per a team announcement. It’s not expected to be a long-term demotion, though, Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub relays. He’ll get into action for Providence tonight before being added back to the roster as early as Saturday.
That makes sense considering he’s sat out of two of Boston’s last three games. While head coach Marco Sturm confirmed new rookie addition James Hagens will be a healthy scratch tomorrow morning against the Lightning, his inclusion on the roster only makes NHL playing time for Reichel a tougher battle to fight.
Boston acquired Reichel, the 17th overall pick in 2020, from the Canucks at the trade deadline for a sixth-round pick. Vancouver had acquired the struggling 23-year-old from the Blackhawks just a few months prior for a fourth.
At the time of the trade, he was on an AHL assignment after clearing waivers, so he reported to Providence to begin his B’s tenure. The German sharpshooter looked like a natural there, racking up a goal and four assists through his first three games.
That earned him a quick recall to Boston. Since then, he’s averaged 12:53 of ice time across nine contests, scoring once and adding a pair of assists.
Reichel’s physicality remains a non-factor, but his possession impacts, an area of concern throughout his career in Chicago and still through his pit stop in Vancouver this year, have seen improvement in a small sample. Boston has controlled 53.0% of shot attempts with Reichel on the ice at 5-on-5 despite him receiving the least defensively sheltered usage of his career.
That’s mostly due to Reichel being able to effectively gel on a high-event third line with Elias Lindholm and Morgan Geekie. They gave up considerable quality defensively in their nine games together but were able to produce enough quality chances to offset, controlling 52.2% of expected goals and outscoring opponents 6-2, per MoneyPuck.
If Reichel can keep up that level of play, there are worse options to toss into that position in the playoffs if a need arises. With Geekie and Lindholm now being bumped up the lineup to skate with David Pastrňák, though, there’s less of a fit for Reichel in the lineup with less two-way support available for him in the middle six.
Reichel is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. His inability to hold down a full-time NHL job this season makes it unlikely that the Bruins will risk themselves getting roped into an award, nor will they likely be willing to extend him the $1.3MM qualifying offer he’s owed. While a strong non-tender candidate, Boston could look to bring him back on a cheaper deal if both sides have liked the fit thus far.
Ducks Extend GM Pat Verbeek
The Ducks have agreed to terms with general manager Pat Verbeek on a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Friday. The team has also promoted assistant GM Mike Stapleton to associate GM, with the title of senior VP of hockey operations added.
It’s a welcome reward for Verbeek, who’s built a good chunk of the current Ducks roster that has the franchise on the verge of its first postseason appearance in eight years. He took over at the top of Anaheim’s hockey ops department in February 2022 after spending several years under Steve Yzerman as an assistant GM with both the Lightning and the Red Wings.
Since then, he’s been aggressive in his pursuit of finishing up the Ducks’ rebuild. He’s made six first-round selections during that time. With Nathan Gaucher making his NHL debut recently, four of them have already logged game action. Two of them, Leo Carlsson in 2023 and Beckett Sennecke in 2024, are already among the team’s top three scorers. The other name in that mix, Cutter Gauthier, was the fifth overall pick in 2022 by the Flyers, but Verbeek acquired his signing rights in exchange for Jamie Drysdale two years later.
Over the past couple of offseasons, he’s been busy trying to insulate his still-developing young core with experienced talent. He’s made free-agent splashes for Mikael Granlund, Alex Killorn and captain Radko Gudas while weaponizing his cap space to acquire beleaguered names like Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba. His open-market record has been something of a mixed bag, but his trade history, particularly over the past two seasons, is difficult to argue with. He capped all of that work off by acquiring a likely Hall-of-Fame defenseman in John Carlson, albeit as a potential rental, at this year’s trade deadline.
Of Anaheim’s top 10 scorers, Verbeek has signed, drafted, or acquired seven of them. It’s fully his team now, especially after making his mark behind the bench last summer with the hiring of Joel Quenneville. As such, Ducks ownership had no intention of letting him reach the end of his contract without a new deal. Owners Henry and Susan Samueli said Verbeek has “turned the Ducks into what we believe are perennial contenders for the next decade.”
As for Stapleton, his promotion secures his Anaheim tenure should extend meaningfully into its second decade. The veteran of 697 NHL games never suited up in Orange County during his playing career, but has only been with the Ducks in his front-office work.
After several years of coaching in the OHL and AHL, Anaheim picked Stapleton up as a pro scout back in 2014. He was promoted to the team’s director of player personnel in 2022 before Verbeek bumped him up to an AGM role two years later.
Hurricanes Assign Pyotr Kochetkov On Conditioning Stint
Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov might be an option in the playoffs after all. The team announced today that they’ve assigned the netminder to AHL Chicago for a conditioning stint.
Kochetkov has been out since Dec. 20 after undergoing a lower-body surgery that was thought to be season-ending. He can now be in the minors for up to six days or three games, whichever comes first. Carolina will need to apply to the NHL for an extension if they want to keep him there past that.
The 26-year-old’s season was virtually over before it began. He first started dealing with the lower-body issue in training camp. It wasn’t initially expected to impact his regular-season availability, but he ended up not being able to make his season debut until November after looking good in one conditioning start in Chicago.
Kochetkov never got back to 100%, though. He was in and out of the lineup throughout the next several weeks. He made eight starts and one relief appearance, managing a 6-2-0 record with a .899 SV% and 2.33 GAA, before electing for surgery.
Kochetkov’s absence, plus the veteran Frederik Andersen‘s struggles, has paved the way for preseason waiver claim Brandon Bussi to fully claim the starter’s crease in Carolina ahead of the postseason. With him logging a 30-6-1 record in 37 starts with a .890 SV% and 2.52 GAA, there’s little question about who will be starting Game 1.
Still, those numbers are below average on the surface. They aren’t much better when taking a look behind the curtain. Out of the 48 goalies to play 30-plus games this season, Bussi’s -0.3 goals saved above expected ranks 26th, per MoneyPuck. He’s a middle-of-the-road starting option – still a great outcome from someone initially expected to be their third-stringer – but hasn’t been dominant by any stretch.
Kochetkov obviously wasn’t much better in his brief action earlier this season, and throwing him into the playoff fire after such a lengthy absence carries risk. He is, however, coming off a strong enough 2024-25 campaign that saw him log a 6.0 GSAx, and he’s made at least one playoff appearance for Carolina in each of the last four seasons.
Still, goaltending has been a persistent relative weak spot for the Canes this season and in past playoff runs. It stands to reason that Bussi, while overwhelmingly likely to take the crease for Game 1 later this month, will be on a short leash. If Kochetkov is available, that’s an even-better insurance policy for head coach Rod Brind’Amour.