The Official National Hockey League Appreciation Thread

[KarateKen]

On 6/18/2025 at 7:14 AM, sensei8 said:

Panthers defeat Oilers for back to back Stanley Cup Title. I’m only glad the Panthers beat the Oilers because the Oilers beat my Knights!!

Fair enough.  I am not a fan of either team, but I was happy when Nate Schmidt won.  He was an undrafted player from St. Cloud, MN, who played at the University of Minnesota.  He has been in the league for over a decade, and this was his first time winning the Cup, considered one of the nicer guys in the NHL.  

[KarateKen]

A busy news day in the NHL, and the draft is coming up this weekend. 

The NHL has announced that they will extend the regular season by two games, going from 82 to 84, starting in the 2026-27 season.  This will lead to the regular season starting the final week of September instead of the first week of October.  It will limit each team to four preseason games.  

The league has made a new rule about contracts, cutting the maximum length of a contract from eight years down to seven. They also have closed the Long-Term Injury Reserve (LTIR) loophole that teams were using to bend the salary cap.  This also comes with a playoff salary cap so teams can no longer circumvent the cap rules. 

Several trades, the most notable being that the Oilers have sent veteran Evander Kane to the Canucks for a 4th round pick in 2025.  This will free up over 17 million dollars of cap space for the Oilers.  Kane has a history of suspensions and fines, including for violations of the league's Covid rules, but he will bring a toughness to the team, and he can still make some plays. 

 

[KarateKen]

Toronto has traded forward Mitch Marner to the Golden Knights, who gave up Nicolas Roy in return.  Marner has 102 points last season and is considered one of the better forwards in the league. Marner has an 8-year contract for 96 million. Biggest trade of the offseason so far.