Matt Larkin

Toronto

Managing Editor and Senior Writer at Daily Faceoff

Managing Editor & Senior Writer at Daily Faceoff. Big hair, big eyebrows, big love for the game. Read the article before you comment. Opinions are my own.

Articles

Which NHL team needs a logo change?

1 week ago | dailyfaceoff.com | Matt Larkin

Earlier this season, the Roundtable nominated teams that needed total uniform overhauls and new nicknames. Today, we focus on the crests. Which NHL team needs a new logo, and what change(s) would you make? MATT LARKIN: It goes without saying the Chicago Blackhawks could use a logo change for political reasons, but that pick is almost too easy. In terms of which team’s logo falls flat for me aesthetically, it’s that of the Washington Capitals. I can’t stand any crest that primarily consists of a word.
Vilken NHL-klubb värvar Mitch Marner?

2 weeks ago | hockeysverige.se | Matt Larkin

Allt talar för att Mitch Marner kommer att lämna Toronto Maple Leafs. Men vilka klubbar ligger bäst till för att värva stjärnforwarden på free agent-marknaden? Matt Larkin listar de nio hetaste kandidaterna. Den här texten är tidigare publicerad på DailyFaceoff.com och har översatts från engelska till svenska. Nästa månad ser ut att bli extremt intressant i NHL – och det beror till stor del på att Mitch Marner är på väg att bli kontraktslös.
Why the 2025 NHL offseason could be the wildest in years

2 weeks ago | dailyfaceoff.com | Matt Larkin

Credit: Jim Nill (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are treating us to what should be an extremely entertaining Stanley Cup Final. Game 1 did not disappoint, a 4-3 overtime thriller in which the Oilers rallied from a 3-1 deficit. But as they 2024-25 NHL season’s two remaining teams battle it out on the surface, the other 30 clubs kick their legs wildly below. The rumor mill has already begun to churn. We anticipate some iconic players changing addresses.
Ranking the fits for nine plausible Mitch Marner destinations

2 weeks ago | dailyfaceoff.com | Matt Larkin

The next month shapes up to be extremely interesting in the NHL, and pending UFA Mitch Marner has a lot to do with that. The superstar right winger, 28, is fresh off a career-best 102 points in 2024-25. Over the past five seasons, only six players have more points, only two have more assists, and no players have more takeaways. Normally, an NHL team would do anything to retain a player that productive, but the situation between Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs is unique.
A brief history of modern era Stanley Cup Final rematches

2 weeks ago | dailyfaceoff.com | Matt Larkin

Because the Stanley Cup Final features a cross-conference matchup, the series doesn’t typically treat us to teams that have history with each other. Unless, of course, we get a rare championship rematch. The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers delivered a seven-game war a year ago, with the Panthers coming out on top, and they’ve fought all the way through the tournament to meet again in 2024-25.
Which retired NHL player(s) could succeed in the current era?

2 weeks ago | dailyfaceoff.com | Matt Larkin

A common refrain in hockey barroom debates is the idea that Superstar X from a previous era would barely keep up with the modern NHL game. That’s true for the majority of players, no doubt. But there have to be some exceptions. So, Roundtable, here is your challenge: You can bring back one retired player in his prime and drop him into the current era hoping he’ll flourish. Whom do you pick and why? He must have retired at least 10 years ago to qualify.
Five trade destinations to watch for Ducks’ John Gibson

3 weeks ago | dailyfaceoff.com | Matt Larkin

No two NHL offseasons are alike. Last year gave us the Summer of Goalies, one of the position’s most robust markets in recent memory. The likes of Linus Ullmark, Jacob Markstrom, Darcy Kuemper, Logan Thompson and Yaroslav Askarov changed teams via trade, while Cam Talbot and Anthony Stolarz found significant new roles as UFA signings. And that was before Mackenzie Blackwood and Spencer Knight were traded into fresh starting gigs during the 2024-25 season. This summer looks oh-so different.
Leafs GM Treliving says ‘our DNA has to change.’ What does that mean for the offseason?

3 weeks ago | yardbarker.com | Matt Larkin

“We’ll see,” was the common refrain during Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving’s end-of season address Thursday morning at Ford Performance Centre. He used it so often it became tongue-and-cheek by the time he finished speaking to media. It was sincere. Yes, the Leafs enter an offseason rife with questions after they bowed out shamefully to the Florida Panthers at home in a 6-1 Game 7 beatdown to close out the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. But Treliving doesn’t have the answers yet.
Leafs GM Treliving says ‘our DNA has to change.’ What does that mean for the offseason?

3 weeks ago | dailyfaceoff.com | Matt Larkin

“We’ll see,” was the common refrain during Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving’s end-of season address Thursday morning at Ford Performance Centre. He used it so often it became tongue-and-cheek by the time he finished speaking to media. It was sincere. Yes, the Leafs enter an offseason rife with questions after they bowed out shamefully to the Florida Panthers at home in a 6-1 Game 7 beatdown to close out the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. But Treliving doesn’t have the answers yet.
How ‘No consensus No. 1’ NHL Draft classes have played out in the cap era

3 weeks ago | yardbarker.com | Matt Larkin

For the first time since 2022, things won’t be so simple in the moments leading up to the NHL Draft’s No. 1 selection. There was no screwing up the Connor Bedard Draft for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023. Same goes for the San Jose Sharks with Macklin Celebrini in 2024; GM Mike Grier even pre-announced he was taking Celebrini. But in the hours before the the New York Islanders and new GM Mathieu Darche step to the podium June 27 in Los Angeles, will they hesitate?