NHL Atlantic

Grounded airlines forced Florida Panthers winger Kyle Okposo to cancel a public Stanley Cup appearance scheduled for Friday at Pagel Arena in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

The trophy was stuck in St. Louis, Missouri as airlines were impacted by Friday's global IT outage, The Athletic's Michael Russo reported.

Okposo told Russo he was "crushed" to cancel the appearance, where fans were invited to see and take photos with the Stanley Cup.

The NHL is "currently trying to figure out" how to get the trophy to Minnesota despite the outages, Russo reported.

Notices posted outside the arena said that the event had been "canceled with a potential to reschedule."

NHL.com's Jessi Pierce reported that the event would potentially move to Friday afternoon or Saturday, but that the new time was yet to be decided.

The trophy was previously in Missouri for Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk's day with the Cup in his hometown of St. Louis.

Tkachuk's day included visits to his elementary school, the St. Louis Children's Hospital, and the fire and police departments in Brentwood, Missouri, NHL.com's Tracey Myers reported.

The Cup was then set to fly to Minnesota ahead of Okposo's celebration, which was not the only event impacted by Friday's tech issues. At least 2,000 flights in the U.S. were canceled as airlines cited communication issues stemming from outages reported by Microsoft and cybersecurity company CrowdStrike.

Okposo, 37, was traded to the Panthers by the Buffalo Sabres at the 2024 trade deadline.

He capped off his 17th NHL season by lifting the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career following the Panthers' 2-1 Game 7 win over the Edmonton Oilers, despite almost deciding to retire before the 2023-24 season (h/t the Associated Press' Alanis Thames.)

The veteran forward will hope to finally get his day with the Stanley Cup before the trophy moves on to other members of the championship team, having already traveled to New Jersey with Anthony Stolarz and gone on a fishing trip with general manager Bill Zito.

The Cup is headed to Canada next week as Brandon Montour and Steven Lorentz are scheduled to host the trophy on July 24 and 25.

Being a Toronto Maple Leafs fan has been anything but easy in 2024.

The team lost in the first round of the NHL Playoffs (again), saw head coach Sheldon Keefe dismissed, and entered the postseason with more questions than answers.

It has not gotten any better since.

The potential trade of alternate captain Mitch Marner looms overhead, with the Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan reporting that expectations were that any movement that happened with a potential deal would take place in the weeks after the NHL Draft.

"We're heading into that territory on the calendar now, but there has been nothing to lead anyone to believe that a Marner trade actually will happen," he wrote.

He continued, "The line from Marner's camp all along is that the star winger will be in camp in September with the Leafs as he heads into the final year of his contract. As we say, there has been nothing concrete to expect anything otherwise."

The last thing the Maple Leafs need is the distraction of Marner trade.

The 27-year-old is one of the core players for Toronto, an 85-point right winger who passes as well as anyone on the team. He is also on an expiring contract that will allow him to walk away for nothing in return in July 2025 if an extension or trade is not reached.

The Marner situation is just one dark cloud threatening to rain on the Leafs' offseason.

The team has whiffed on adding new pieces through free agency, with Jeff Skinner opting not to sign with the club and play on a front line that includes Marner and 69 goal-scorer Auston Matthews. Add to that the failures to sign Brady Sjkei, Matt Roy, and Brett Pesce and you have the optics of a historic franchise that players do not feel obliged to sign with.

And if the failure to improve the roster is not enough, the potential for drama in the locker room should be as Koshan also reported the Leafs are weighing the decision to remove the captaincy from respected veteran John Tavares and give it to franchise star Matthews.

Tavares, like Marner, is a free agent after the upcoming season

Such a move would be embarrassing for a beloved, respected veteran like Tavares, who grew up a rabid fan of the team, even if Matthews is the guy in Toronto.

It is an unnecessary distraction and the fact that it is even being discussed suggests priorities within the organization, which should be focused on winning the club's first Stanley Cup since 1967, are not where they should be.

Perhaps that self-inflicted drama is why free agents have opted to stay away. Maybe it is the constant pressure to do what generations of Leafs have not in nearly six decades.

Whatever the case, the Leafs are in danger of watching a championship window, in which they have three of the best young players in the game performing at high levels and accented by the great Tavares, close.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been quieter than most in free agency thus far, making news for deals that did not get done as opposed to those that did.

Chris Johnston of the appropriately named The Chris Johnston Show reported that Jeff Skinner turned down signing with the team, despite news that "the Leafs specifically pitched the idea of playing on a line with Auston Matthews and [Mitch] Marner."

It was not that long ago, the Leafs were a destination team. They were a team that attracted free agents in the pursuit of winning the club its first Stanley Cup since 1967.

Add to it the history and prestige of playing with the organization the fact that Matthews and Marner were two of the best players in professional hockey and you had even more reason for free agents and trade candidates to seek out Toronto as a potential landing place.

That Skinner turned down the opportunity to go to the team and specifically play with Matthews and Marner suggests a change in the NHL universe.

Matthews and Marner are still excellent, with the former setting a team record for goals in a season and both leading their team to the playoffs again.

It is what happens in the playoffs, though, that may very well be adversely affecting players' desire to play there.

The team has been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs six of the last eight seasons, including 2023-24. They have not made the conference finals since 1999. For all of the prestige and honor that comes with playing for the Maple Leafs, an organization that is to hockey what the New York Yankees are to baseball, its inability to get over the hump and win a championship is astonishing.

That the teams, including some excellent ones that have employed high-powered offenses, have failed to show up and play championship hockey, is also surprising.

Worst of all, the fact that ownership and the front office have yet to figure it out, despite having two of the best players in the game in Matthews and Hall of Famer Mats Sundin during that span, is an indictment of their ability to construct a championship squad.

Against that particular backdrop, it is not surprising that a veteran such as Skinner might be hesitant to leave Buffalo, just over the US-Canada border from Toronto, would want to join the Leafs.

He ultimately signed with Edmonton on a one-year, $3 million deal.

That team has the best player in the world in Connor McDavid and had managed to build a team around him that is constructed specifically to excel in high-pressure situations and big-time playoff games, of which there were plenty this past season.

That Toronto is Skinner's hometown team and that he had never played in a single playoff game, but still passed on the opportunity to suit up for the Leafs only highlights that the team is no longer the championship destination it was previously for players looking to make money in the pursuit of making history.

Will the Leafs still be good next year, with Matthews leading the way as one of the league's premier scorers?

Yes, but he will have to do it knowing the Leafs failed to secure one of the best wingers in free agency because he believed he had a better chance to win elsewhere than in a city that eats and breaths the sport of hockey.

Veteran forward Vladimir Tarasenko is on the move once again.

Tarasenko signed a two-year, $4.75 million AAV contract with the Detroit Red Wings after helping the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup.

Acquired in a midseason trade by the Panthers, Tarasenko finished out the regular season with 14 points in 19 games before becoming a key depth piece in the Panthers' playoff run.

He went on to score the conference finals-winning goal in Game 6 against the New York Rangers to send the Panthers to the Final.

Tarasenko, a 2010 first-round pick by the St. Louis Blues, was in the middle of his 11th season in Missouri when he was traded to the New York Rangers for their 2023 playoff push.

He signed a one-year deal with the Ottawa Senators prior to the 2023-24 season, then agreed to waive his no-trade clause in order to finish out the campaign with the Florida Panthers.

Tarasenko's shooting volume has decreased from his days as a consistent 30-goal scorer in St. Louis, but he was able to contribute offense on the Panthers' third line on the team's way to the Cup.

He could similarly bolster the Red Wings' forward depth as he looks to provide a veteran presence on a team led by young stars like Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider.

Patrick Kane, who made his successful return from major offseason surgery with the 2023-24 Detroit Red Wings, is returning to the Motor City.

The winger agreed to a one-year contract to return to the Red Wings in free agency, the team announced Saturday. The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported the deal is worth $4 million and Kane can earn an additional $2.5 million in bonuses.

Kane expressed his excitement to return to Detroit after the deal was announced:

After missing the first several months of last season while recovering from June hip resurfacing surgery, Kane signed a one-year deal with the Red Wings in November before making his Dec. 7 return to the NHL.

He went on to record 20 goals and 27 assists for 47 points in 50 games to help Detroit come within one point of making the playoffs.

Despite his late start to the season, Kane also led the Red Wings with seven game-winning goals.

That was enough to prove to Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings that Kane remains a top-six winger despite his surgically repaired hip.

Kane first established himself as a star during his 2007-08 Calder Trophy campaign with the Chicago Blackhawks.

He played 15 full seasons with the Blackhawks and helped lead the team to three Stanley Cup wins in six years.

The tanking Blackhawks traded Kane to the New York Rangers for their 2023 playoff push. Kane underwent surgery the following summer.

He may no longer be an Art Ross contender, but Kane proved in his return with the Red Wings that his stickhandling and passing abilities make him a scoring threat against the best teams in the league.

Kane spent most of his time in Detroit playing alongside Dylan Larkin and former Blackhawks teammate Alex DeBrincat. His chemistry with DeBrincat will help make the Red Wings a contender as the team looks to make its first playoff appearance in nine seasons next spring.

The Montreal Canadiens are "one of the teams preparing a pitch" for veteran winger Patrick Kane to sign with them if he hits free agency, according to the Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.

It is not yet clear if Kane will be available July 1. His agent Pat Brisson told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun and Chris Johnston that Kane and the Detroit Red Wings were "still talking" as of Saturday.

"The intention is to try and work something out," Brisson said, per LeBrun and Johnston.

Kane became the third player in NHL history to return from hip resurfacing surgery last season (h/t The Athletic's Sean Gentille) as he recorded 20 goals and 47 points in 50 games for the Red Wings.

Part of Kane's offensive success in his return was because the Wings reunited him with former Blackhawks linemate Alex DeBrincat in Detroit.

DeBrincat is signed with the Red Wings through the 2026-27 season, which could provide motivation for Kane to re-sign in Detroit.

But the Red Wings need to be cautious with how they spend their projected $32 million in cap space heading into free agency (h/t CapFriendly) because of the team's ongoing negotiations with restricted free agents Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider.

Raymond and Seider will each need raises after finishing out their entry-level contracts, and the Red Wings also have to consider whether they want to bring back other UFAs like veteran forward David Perron and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere.

"We're just not gonna have enough money to bring everybody back," Yzerman said Saturday, per Connor Earegood of The Hockey News. "It's not the way it's gonna work. And we'd love to bring everybody back but we're not bringing everybody back, and we're trying to make these deals with all these guys that allow us to bring them all back. But I'm not sure we'll be able to do that."

If the Red Wings are unable to re-sign Kane, the winger's free agency availability could potentially create the opportunity for the Canadiens to add some much-needed offense this offseason.

The Habs averaged 2.83 goals per game last season, the seventh-fewest in the NHL, and only Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky hit the 20-goal threshold in 2023-24. Adding another 20-goal scorer to that roster could be a significant boost to the young Canadiens core next fall if Montreal is able to win over Kane in free agency.

Jake Guentzel and the Tampa Bay Lightning agreed to a new contract on Sunday, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.

The terms of the deal were not initially known.

The reported contract agreement comes on the same day the Lightning acquired Guentzel's rights from the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2025 third-round pick.

As a result, Guentzel's brief tenure with the Hurricanes ended with the team's second-round elimination by the New York Rangers.

The move marks Guentzel's third team in two seasons. He joined the Hurricanes for their playoff run following his trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins in March.

The Lightning will hope Guentzel is able to adjust to his new team as well as he did to the Hurricanes following the midseason trade.

Despite suffering a brutal rib injury that left him sidelined for three weeks prior to the trade deadline, Guentzel was an instant difference-maker in Carolina. The winger recorded two goals and six assists through his first five games with the Canes.

He went on to finish the regular season with eight goals and 17 assists in 17 games, then added four goals and five assists in 11 playoff contests.

There's plenty of reason to believe Guentzel will continue his consistent production during his age-30 season.

Despite missing 20 games and adjusting to a midseason trade, he finished his eighth NHL season with his fourth straight 30-goal, 70-point campaign.

Guentzel's offense may not have been enough push the Hurricanes past the New York Rangers in the second round of the 2024 playoffs, but it was enough to prove to the Lightning that he could succeed as a top-line winger even away from Sidney Crosby.

After skating on Crosby's wing for seven and a half seasons, Guentzel quickly found chemistry with Sebastian Aho on Carolina's top line.

The veteran winger will be expected to get similar first-line minutes in 2024-25 as a potential linemate for Brayden Point.

The Tampa Bay Lightning appear to be pursuing a pending unrestricted free agent that isn't Steven Stamkos.

The Lightning made multiple trades during Day 2 of the 2024 NHL Draft that cleared up significant cap space ahead of NHL Free Agency. While first impressions could indicate it was in an effort to re-sign captain Steven Stamkos, Pierre LeBrun and Chris Johnston of The Athletic reported that a different high-level forward may be the franchise's preference.

"Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois did circle back to veteran agent Don Meehan on Saturday regarding pending unrestricted free agent Steven Stamkos, so there's that," Lebrun and Johnston wrote. "But in all likelihood, this is about another potential big move, and league sources point to strong interest from the Bolts in pending UFA Jake Guentzel."

Guentzel split the 2023-24 season between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes, scoring 30 goals and 47 assists in 67 games. This was the highest point-per-game average (1.47) of his career, and he added nine points in 11 games during the Hurricanes run to the Eastern Conference Final.

The 29-year-old has 492 points in 520 games and could be a strong scoring option alongside MVP finalist Nikita Kucherov and All-Star center Brayden Point. He would replace Stamkos, who has been the face of the franchise since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2008 NHL Draft.

Stamkos had 40 goals and 41 assists in 79 games in 2023-24. He has scored 555 goals and has 1,137 points in 1,082 games. He is the franchise leader in goals and points and has won two Stanley Cups with the team.

Despite this, he is 34-year-old and will likely start to decline quicker than Guentzel will. Additionally, Kucherov and Point have become the younger faces of the franchise and ripping the band-aid off may be what is best for all parties.

Should Stamkos hit the free market, he will likely be one of the premier names, as will Guentzel.

NHL Free Agency is set to begin July 1.

Steven Stamkos will enter free agency Monday after 16 seasons and two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning, his agent told TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois told reporters Friday that the Lightning had not been able to reach an agreement with Stamkos, although "both sides are still interested in getting a deal done," per team reporter Gabby Shirley.

Stamkos scored 40 goals in during the final year of his previous eight-year, $8.5 million-AAV contract last season. He leads all Lightning players with 555 career goals, 1,137 assists and 1,082 games played.

Stamkos, the No. 1 pick of the 2008 NHL Draft, was named captain of the Lightning at the end of the 2013-14 season.

He played an integral role in the Lightning's 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup wins, as well as the team's trips to the Finals in 2015 and 2022.

His slap shot has made one of the NHL's most potent shooters for over a decade while allowing the Lightning to consistently ice one of the most effective power plays in the league.

Stamkos is one of 81 NHL players in history to play more than 1,000 games with the same franchise, so his leaving the Lightning in free agency would come as a surprise.

But the Lightning captain's public frustration with his extension negotiations date back to before the 2023-24 season, when he said in September that Tampa Bay had yet to speak with him about his new contract.

"To be honest, I've been disappointed in the lack of talk in that regard," Stamkos said during Lightning training camp in September, per NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "It was something that I expressed at the end of last year that I wanted to get something done before training camp started. There haven't been any conversations."

At the time, BrisBoise said he needed "to see how this season plays out" before making a decision on Stamkos' contract, per Gulitti.

Stamkos said BriseBois first breached the topic with "a short conversation" after the Lightning was eliminated from the first round in five games by the eventual champion Florida Panthers in May, NHL.com's Corey Long reported.

The Lightning and Stamkos haven't been able to settle on a number since then, likely due to Tampa Bay's cap situation.

After re-acquiring defenseman Ryan McDonagh in May, the Lightning have just over $5.3 million in available cap space for the 2024-25 season, per CapFriendly.

Tampa Bay's cap will be further strained by the upcoming extension for blueliner Victor Hedman, which BriseBois said Friday would be announced "in the coming days," per Shirley.

If BriseBois is hoping Stamkos will ink a team-friendly deal in order to return to Tampa Bay, it looks like he's going to risk losing the long-tenured captain to another club willing to out-bid him for one of the most consistent scorers in the NHL.

The Detroit Red Wings are "having conversations" with Patrick Kane's agent before the veteran winger hits unrestricted free agency Monday, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported.

Kane signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Red Wings before making his successful comeback from hip resurfacing surgery in December.

He recorded 20 goals and 27 assists in 50 games as the Red Wings came within one point of making the playoffs.

Kane spent the 2023-24 season playing with Alex DeBrincat, who also skated alongside him for five seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. The chemistry between the two linemates helped Kane record his third straight 20-goal season.

DeBrincat is locked in with his hometown team through 2027. For Kane, who is just the third player in NHL history to return to the league after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery, having a consistent linemate he already knows he clicks with could be a major draw in returning to Detroit.

But Kane is heading into his age-36 campaign, and even after his winter return, he missed time last season with an injury he said was unrelated to his hip surgery.

Age and injury concerns could lead the Red Wings to prioritize younger free-agent candidates like Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, who are both restricted free agents this offseason, when budgeting contracts this offseason.

Kane, who established himself as one of the best American scorers in NHL history during his 15 full seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, was traded from the tanking Hawks to join the New York Rangers for their 2023 playoff push before signing in Detroit.

He ranks fourth among all active NHL players with 1,284 career points in 1,230 regular-season games. Although no longer an Art Ross contender, he has remained a consistent producer, scoring fewer than 20 goals just once in 17 NHL seasons.

If Detroit decides to focus on other candidates in free agency, a decision general manager Steve Yzerman said Tuesday "comes down to term and dollar," it is likely Kane will receive short-term offers from other teams looking for veteran offensive depth.