Sean McIndoe

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Sean McIndoe

Red Light newsletter 🏒 | This is The Athletic's hockey newsletter. Sign up here to receive Red Light directly in your inbox. Good morning to everyone except front offices that say "as per team policy, terms were not disclosed" when they make transactions. It's game night, let's get into it. While You Were Sleeping... you didn't miss any hockey. The weekend delivered our first three-day break of the Stanley Cup Final. We'll get another before Game 4, and again before Games 6 and 7 (if necessary).

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Sean McIndoe

We're two games into a Stanley Cup Final that already seems like it could be headed for classic status. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let's look back at the 14 other matchups that brought us here, with our annual ranking of every series that led to the final. All in all, it's been a mixed bag of a postseason. We avoided having even one sweep, which is impressive. We also had half the series end in five games, which generally isn't impressive.

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Sean McIndoe

Mitch Marner's run as a Toronto Maple Leaf is all but over, with all signs pointing to his departure as an unrestricted free agent on July 1. That reality raises all sorts of questions, including how it came to this, whether a breakup is really the right move for either side, and whether this all could have been avoided. But the more pressing question right now is: Where does he wind up?

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Sean McIndoe

Red Light newsletter 🏒 | This is The Athletic's hockey newsletter. Sign up here to receive Red Light directly in your inbox. Good morning to everyone except whoever keeps putting those multi-day gaps in the Stanley Cup Final schedule. The rematch between the Panthers and Oilers is finally underway - let's dig into it. Game 1 works overtimeLast night's Game 1 offered a few things we didn't get at all in last year's seven-game prequel. A Leon Draisaitl goal. Any Oilers goal at all in the opener.

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Sean McIndoe

I can't speak for every hockey fan, but one of the reasons I enjoy this time of year in part is that there's a pleasant sense of familiarity. The postseason story is winding its way to a conclusion, hitting most of the usual beats along the way. We've hit on all of the mandatory controversies. My favorite team is, of course, already out. And most importantly: We can crack open the file folder labelled "recurring bits," which makes life easier for everyone. Well, for me.