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Robert Thomas Set to Stay in St. Louis
St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas will remain with the team at the start of the next season, Andy Strickland of FanDuel Sports Network reports. Thomas was linked to a trade throughout the 2025-26 campaign, but the team has taken him off the market. The Blues have seen Thomas develop into a point-per-game player, though he struggled with health issues in 2025-26. Across 64 appearances, Thomas produced 25 goals and 39 assists. Thomas has a contract through the 2030-31 season with a cap hit of $8.125 million. Seeing Thomas stay put in St. Louis should be good news for fantasy managers, as he's nailed down a first-line center spot on the team and has been a very productive player when healthy for several years.
Source: Andy Strickland
Source: Andy Strickland
Milan Lucic Announces Retirement From NHL
Left wing Milan Lucic has announced his retirement from the NHL. He made the announcement on his 38th birthday. "Looking back on my career, I feel truly grateful to have fulfilled my dream of playing professional hockey, culminating with a Stanley Cup win in 2011 with the Boston Bruins," Lucic said in a statement. "I want to especially thank the Bruins for giving me my start in professional hockey and for instilling the confidence to reach new heights as a player." Lucic, who was a second-round draft pick in 2006, made 570 of his 1,177 regular-season appearances with the Bruins. He also suited up for the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings, recording 586 career points (233 goals, 353 assists). Lucic last played two seasons ago, appearing in four games with the Bruins.
Source: NHL.com
Source: NHL.com
Frederik Andersen Misses Practice for Maintenance
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen missed Monday's practice for maintenance. Brandon Bussi was in the starter's crease. Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour didn't name his starting goaltender for Tuesday's Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights. Andersen has started all 16 postseason games for Carolina, but he was pulled in Game 3 after allowing four goals with a .750 save percentage. Bussi made his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut and had a solid outing with 18 saves and a .947 save percentage in a 5-4 double-overtime loss. Only three netminders won more games than Bussi during the regular season, as he posted a 31-6-2 record. Brind'Amour will have a big decision to make on Tuesday, particularly with Andersen's save percentage at a poor .815 in the Finals.
Source: TSN
Source: TSN
Peter Laviolette Takes Over as Kings Head Coach
The Los Angeles Kings are hiring Peter Laviolette as their new head coach, ESPN's Emily Kaplan reports. Sources have told Kaplan that Laviolette will join the Kings on a three-year deal. The Kings fired Jim Hiller as head coach on March 1 and finished the 2025-26 campaign with D.J. Smith serving as interim head coach. Laviolette is the winningest American-born head coach in NHL history, with an 846-562-25-161 record in 1,594 career games. Only eight coaches have worked in more regular-season games. Laviolette has led six teams, winning the Stanley Cup in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes. He was last in charge of the New York Rangers, who fired Laviolette after the team missed the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Source: Emily Kaplan
Source: Emily Kaplan
Connor McDavid Wins Record-Tying Fifth Ted Lindsay Award
Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid has once again made history, winning the Ted Lindsay Award for a record-tying fifth time. Formerly known as the Lester B. Pearson Award, the Ted Lindsay Award is presented annually by members of the NHL Players' Association to the league's most outstanding player in the regular season. By winning it for the fifth time, McDavid tied Wayne Gretzky's record. He led the league with 90 assists and 138 points in 82 games. Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks) and Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning) finished behind McDavid in the voting. McDavid is also competing with Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) for the NHL's MVP award, the Hart Trophy.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
William Carrier Suffers Upper-Body Injury in Game 3 Versus Golden Knights
Carolina Hurricanes left wing William Carrier (upper body) was limited to 6:51 of ice time in Saturday's 5-4 double-overtime defeat against the Vegas Golden Knights. He left the contest in the second period due to an upper-body injury. Carrier is a huge physical presence in the Hurricanes' lineup, averaging 4.9 hits per game in the playoffs. He has chipped in with four assists in 16 games on the offensive end. If Carrier isn't healthy enough to play in Game 4 on Tuesday night, Reilly Smith and Brandon Saad are options to take his place in the lineup.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Sebastian Aho Records Two Assists in Losing Effort
Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho posted two assists in Saturday's 5-4 double-overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Aho assisted Taylor Hall at even strength and Andrei Svechnikov on the power play as Carolina erased a four-goal deficit in the third period. While Aho has been quiet in the postseason, he does have three assists in three games against Vegas. Saturday marked only his second multi-point performance of these playoffs. The Finnish star has registered 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 16 postseason outings. In Game 4, he will look to log his first three-game-point streak of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Jordan Staal Scores in Third Consecutive Game
Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal continued his impressive start to the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals with another goal in Saturday's 5-4 double-overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. He bagged Carolina's third goal as the team tied the game from a 4-0 deficit in the third period. Staal joined Brad Marchand as the second player aged 37 or older to open the Stanley Cup Finals with a three-game goal streak. On Saturday night, Staal also recorded a power-play assist, giving him four points through the first three games of the Finals. The Hurricanes captain has contributed five goals and four assists in 16 games during the playoffs, averaging 4.8 hits.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Shea Theodore Caps Multi-Point Effort With Game-Winning Goal Saturday
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore netted the game-winning goal in Saturday's 5-4 double-overtime victory against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals. He also notched an assist as Vegas grabbed a 2-1 series lead. Theodore scored via a lucky bounce off the board and the skate of Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi 5:38 into the second overtime, becoming the seventh defenseman in NHL history to register multiple overtime goals in a single postseason. In an extraordinary contest, which featured a four-goal comeback by the Hurricanes in the third period, Theodore led all skaters with 39:09 of ice time. This was Theodore's second multi-point effort in the Finals after he had a goal and two assists in Game 1. He has recorded 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 19 postseason appearances.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Tomas Hertl Collects Two Points in Overtime Win
Vegas Golden Knights forward Tomas Hertl notched a goal and an assist as the team beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in double overtime on Saturday night. Hertl opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 10:26 in the second period. He picked up his assist less than six minutes later when Mitch Marner completed the seventh natural hat trick in Stanley Cup Finals history. Hertl took a penalty that cost Vegas Game 2, but he has started the series in impressive form. Through the first three games, Hertl has tallied two goals and two assists. The Czechia forward has totaled 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 19 postseason games.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Mitch Marner Scores Fastest Hat Trick in Finals History
Vegas Golden Knights forward Mitch Marner was sensational in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals, recording four points in the second period of a 5-4 double-overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes. Marner posted a power-play assist midway through the second frame before netting the fastest hat trick in Stanley Cup Finals history -- he potted three goals in 6:10. He's the second player in history to register a four-point period in the Finals. Throughout the postseason, Marner has been a scoring machine, notching 28 points in 19 games. No player has managed more playoff points during his first season with a franchise. Seven of Marner's points have come against Carolina.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Maple Leafs Confident of Keeping Auston Matthews
Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews looks set to stay put this offseason, ESPN's Kristen Shilton reports. Matthews' future has appeared murky after the team missed the playoffs this season, but Toronto's new general manager, John Chayka, expects the star forward to stick around after meeting with him. "What I saw was a happy captain," Chayka said at the NHL scouting combine on Friday. "[Someone] who's got a lot of pride in being the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, someone who wants to win in Toronto, which aligns with how we're thinking about it." Matthews has spent his entire 10-year NHL career with the Maple Leafs but hasn't advanced past the second round of the playoffs. He has recently dealt with health issues, posting a career-low 53 points (27 goals, 26 assists) in 60 games this season. Matthews is poised for a strong bounce-back season in 2026-27, and it appears he will be wearing a Maple Leafs uniform.
Source: Kristen Shilton
Source: Kristen Shilton
Andrei Vasilevskiy Wins Second Vezina Trophy
Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has won his second Vezina Trophy. The league's general managers voted Vasilevskiy the best goaltender of the 2025-26 NHL season, ahead of Ilya Sorokin (New York Islanders) and Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins). Vasilevskiy, who first won the award in 2018-19, led the league with 39 wins in 58 starts. He was second in the NHL with a 2.31 goals-against average and third with a .912 save percentage. Vasilevskiy recorded two shutouts during his ninth consecutive 30-win season. Martin Brodeur is the only other netminder to post as many consecutive 30-win campaigns, and he holds the NHL record with 12. Vasilevskiy will have a chance to catch Brodeur if he stays healthy, as the Russian shot-stopper will turn only 32 in the offseason. He should have several high-caliber fantasy campaigns left.
Source: NHL.com
Source: NHL.com
Brayden McNabb Uncertain for Game 3 Against Hurricanes
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb's (face) status for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night is unclear, ESPN's Greg Wyshynski reports. The 35-year-old suffered a facial injury in Game 2 after being hit by a puck, exiting the contest in the first period. On Saturday morning, Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella said there was no update on McNabb. Kaedan Korczak is expected to replace McNabb in the lineup if he can't play. Although he hasn't yet appeared in the Finals, Korczak has made 12 appearances this postseason, averaging nearly two hits per game and contributing three assists on offense.
Source: Greg Wyshynski
Source: Greg Wyshynski
Marcus Johansson Returning to Europe
Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Johansson has signed a contract with Farjestad in his native Sweden, The Athletic's Michael Russo reports. This likely signals the end of Johansson's NHL career, as he will turn 36 at the start of next season. Considering he earned a respectable 49 points (15 goals, 34 assists) in 75 games in 2025-26, his highest-scoring total in eight campaigns, it's somewhat surprising that Johansson has decided to move on from the NHL. He could have drawn decent offers as a free agent this summer. Johansson also played for Farjestad before starting his NHL career in 2010 with the Washington Capitals. He has played for six NHL franchises, recording 566 points (200 goals, 366 assists) in 1,058 career games.
Source: Michael Russo
Source: Michael Russo
