Hey everyone, hope you are all doing well. It’s been a steady week in the world of hockey and here is some of the news from around the world of hockey. This is what is happening right now:
- It is official now for the San Jose Sharks. They have been eliminated from the playoffs (even if they do go on a heater). The team will most likely finish at the bottom of the standings and will get a chance to draft another top 5 elite player in the upcoming draft. Which Rev Top 15 should they go after? Whoever it is, you can expect San Jose to be a bit more competitive next season.
- The Vegas Golden Knights signed goaltender Adin Hill to six-year, $37.5 million contract extension (with an AAV of $6.25 million per year). Hill, who helped Vegas win the Stanley Cup in 2023, has been a great addition for the team playing a career high of 39 games this season and posting a 2.53 GAA and a .906 save percentage to help Vegas remain on top of the Pacific Division. Hill, 28, was also selected as a back-up for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off last month and could be a candidate to be on the roster for the 2026 Milan Olympics.
- The Montreal Canadiens have also announced that they have signed their Laval Rocket scaptain Lucas Condotta to a two-year extension $775,000 when in the NHL. Condotta, 27, was going to be a UFA at the end of the season, and has put up 3 goals and 20 assists, along with his strong defensive play and leadership skills. This is another good depth piece for the Canadiens as they find themselves in a wildcard spot trying to compete for the playoffs.
- Right now in Florida, the NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and the General Managers are meeting to discuss issues and concerns around the league. One of the things that has come out of the meeting is tha they will be sitting down with the NHL Players’ Association to begin negotiations on a new CBA, starting April 1, 2025. The current one is slated to end on September 15, 2026 but it never hurts to get started early to avoid any unnecessary issues or even a possible lockout. They are discussing rules (the 10 minute OT, which was used at the 4 Nations, the All-Star Game moving forward and the playoff format, which doesn’t look like it would change). More details to come once more is reported so keep it here for all your latest news.
- It was also announced that the Global Series will return back to Stockholm, Sweden on November 14 and 16 at the Avicii Arena where the Pittsburgh Penguins will face off against the Nashville Predators. Tickets are now on sale for the event, but it should be a great presentation.
- Also in recent news there was a survey conducted by the Athletic which ranked NHL ownership. Several hockey fans (around 4000 of them) were asked about each their teams ownership based on categories like: willingness to spend, organizational stability, treatment of the fan base, and franchise vision, and in all those categories and the list cane out as the top 5 to be Jeff Vinik (of the Tampa Bay Lightning), Vincent Viola (the Florida Panthers) & Bill Foley (of the Vegas Golden Knights), while the final bottom three were Terry Pegula (of the Buffalo Sabres) at 32, Francesco Aquilini (of the Vancouver Canucks) and Murray Edwards (of the Calgary Flames). Though this has triggered a lot of debate and discussion online, it is interesting to see the list and how each team fares and whether or not the grade is fair. But it does go to show you that fans pay attention to things both on and off the ice.
- In a bizarre story, it was noted the President Trump spoke with President Putin about having a U.S.-Russia hockey series, during a recent call. Though the NHL isn’t involved it would be interesting to see how Team Russia would fare against other nations if they were included again back in international competition.
- Finally, in some news around the rink, the Rankin crew (Robert Kabvitok, David Ningeongan and Pujjuut Kusugak) in partnership with APTN in Winnipeg have partnered with the NHL to broadcast 3 games in Inuktitut. They already hosted the game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Dallas Stars, and will also cover the March 22 game between the Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils, as well as an all Canadian classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens. This is a great way to grow the game and continue to include many more groups.
- As always, there is a lot more news so make sure to tune in for our aired Season 6, Episode 26 of Two Guys & Hockey Talk next Wednesday. We dive into some of these great topics, and so much more.
Thoughts? Questions? Suggestions? Then remember to tune in each week to get all the latest news in the world of hockey. For more hockey news, different takes or if you want to chat about anything hockey give me a follow @hockey_two on TWITTER and give us a follow on YouTube, or at https://twoguysandhockeytalk.com/.
- Pawel ‘The Cat’
