Rory Boylen

1 week ago | sportsnet.ca | Rory Boylen

The Florida Panthers are repeat Stanley Cup champions, the Edmonton Oilers repeat runners-up. Clearly the two best teams in the NHL over the past couple of seasons, both have every reason to be optimistic that they can run it back and meet again in the 2026 Final. Florida has a core of great players under contract and a system that relentlessly wears down opponents. Edmonton has two of the best players in the world. But before then, it's time for the front offices to get to work.

2 weeks ago | sportsnet.ca | Rory Boylen

When all the hockey has been played and a champion has been crowned, the NHL quickly turns its attention to the off-season, when rosters are renovated, trades abound, and free agency opens doors to new opportunities. For the past five years, the off-season was more restricted than usual, in that a relatively flat salary cap pinched more teams every summer and contract comparables remained relatively static.

1 month ago | sportsnet.ca | Rory Boylen

The Florida Panthers are one win away from returning to the Stanley Cup Final for the third year in a row, but the Carolina Hurricanes are still putting up a fight. The Edmonton Oilers are two wins away from getting back to the final for the second year in a row, but if the Dallas Stars can awaken their goal scorers this series could yet stretch out into next week.

1 month ago | sportsnet.ca | Rory Boylen

As the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs rolls on, the eight teams eliminated in Round 1 have been conducting their year-end meetings and media conferences to discuss next steps, takeaways and plan for the 2025-26 season. Here are some of the pertinent questions heading into the summer for St. Louis, Colorado, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Montreal and New Jersey. St. Louis Blues: Where will Doug Armstrong leave this team before Alex Steen takes over as GM in 2026?

1 month ago | sportsnet.ca | Rory Boylen

Either the Edmonton Oilers or Vegas Golden Knights have reached the conference final every year since 2020. But their upcoming second-round series represents just their second-ever playoff meeting. In the first, in 2023, Vegas downed Edmonton in six games — one year after missing the playoffs while the Oilers took their first big step up in the Connor McDavid-Leon Draisaitl years with a push into Round 3.