Frank Seravalli
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Hockey Insider, President of Hockey Content @DailyFaceoff. Contributor: @SportsOnPrimeCA, @Sportsnet, @CHSN__. President @ThePHWA. Winning is the best deodorant
Articles by Frank Seravalli
How the Montreal Canadiens are approaching the trade market
There is zero doubt the Montréal Canadiens have presented one of the most aggressive postures on the trade market to open the season. They’ve made a pitch to Detroit to be added to Dylan Larkin’s trade list, they competitively pursued Kirill Marchenko and GM Kent Hughes has made the only trade of consequence since the regular season began, generating a second-round pick for Jayden Struble from their glut of defencemen.
Meet trailblazer Onni Hautamaki, Finland's first NHL official
Unbeknownst to almost anyone inside Little Caesars Arena, chills coursed through the veins of linesperson Onni Hautamäki as he carved into the ice for the first time on Tuesday night. Yes, the solo rookie lap tradition extends to the officials’ ranks, too — and it just hits different when you’re the first Finnish official to make your NHL debut, on your 31st birthday no less. “It was unreal,” Hautamäki said in a phone interview on Wednesday.
Kings among teams kicking tires on Connor Hellebuyck trade
• When the idea to put McDavid and Draisaitl together was hatched • How much will Jesper Wallstedt get on an extension? • Teams interested in Flyers' Tyson Foerster Count the Los Angeles Kings among teams who have recently kicked the tires on Connor Hellebuyck. While the depth of these trade talks is difficult to qualify, the belief is Kings GM Ken Holland at the very least has ascertained an understanding on the price required to pry the three-time Vezina Trophy winner out of the prairies.
Are the Red Wings open to rebuilding the rebuild?
Watching the cinema of Dylan Larkin’s season debut on Tuesday was like October in Alberta — three seasons all wrapped into one game. The former captain was booed mercilessly every time he touched the puck. There were some cheers when his goal gave the Red Wings the lead. And by the end, he skated back out to Little Caesars Arena to mostly applause when selected as first star of the game. Larkin is one of them, a true Michigander, and that’s what hurts.
NHL Insider Frank Seravalli’s Week 1 Diary: Canadiens Eye Dylan Larkin, Flyers Explore Trade Options
The opening week of the NHL season is already stirring front-office chatter, with executives assessing early roster fits, scouting the trade market, and taking the temperature on marquee targets.
Would Connor Hellebuyck consider a trade to the Oilers?
No party is willing to comment publicly and sprinkle gasoline on a smoldering fire, but Connor Hellebuyck’s clear preference is to continue his career south of the 49th parallel. And to be fair, sources say none of Canada’s other six franchises have made overtures to Winnipeg. Yet. The Montréal Canadiens, in fact, have too many goaltenders in their crowded crease — which is why Sam Montembeault is a good bet to be one of the first players traded this spring.
32 bold predictions to open the 2026-27 NHL season
Making bold predictions is a little bit like signing up to throw darts at your local watering hole on a Wednesday night. You will catch the rare bullseye, throw a few that land near the target and mix in a bunch that just make you look like you’ve been overserved. Welcome to our 32 bold predictions for the 2026-27 NHL season: 1. The Ottawa Senators will knock off the Florida Panthers in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs How about that for the Ottawa’s first series win since 2017?
NHL Insider Frank Seravalli Names Three NHL Players Facing Make-or-Break Seasons
Pressure. Every professional hockey player faces it. But three NHL players in particular are facing pivotal, make-or-break campaigns in 2026-27, with GMs raising questions around big-money risks, uncertain futures and whether past performance can be rediscovered. Darren Raddysh #43 of the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on September 23, 2026. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images) John Chayka’s first and biggest bet as general manager has a real probability to blow up in his face.
NHL Insider Frank Seravalli on Kirby Dach Trade Interest From Oilers and Flames
As the NHL’s opening night closes in, all eyes are on Montréal and the close competition to crack the Canadiens’ roster. Sam Montembeault may be the odd man out in the crease, and there is no shortage of speculation about Kirby Dach’s place in the lineup. The truth is Dach’s future in Montréal has been tenuous for months now.
NHL Insider Frank Seravalli Identifies Four 2026-27 Futures Bets to Watch
Few professional sports are as difficult to predict from one season to the next as the NHL. Each year brings surprise playoff teams, unexpected declines, and significant movement from preseason expectations. NHL’s unpredictability can create discrepancies between the odds and a team’s underlying outlook.
NHL Insider Frank Seravalli: Answering Summers ‘Unresolved’ NHL Storylines
With September here and NHL training camps just weeks away, several major storylines remain unresolved ahead of the league’s first 84-game regular season, which begins when the Carolina Hurricanes raise their Stanley Cup banner. The Detroit Red Wings have been without a permanent general manager since franchise icon Steve Yzerman was dismissed in mid-July.
Connor McDavid Becomes Inaugural Member of EA Sports NHL 27’s '99 Club'
Connor McDavid has already collected a trophy case full of Hart Memorial and Art Ross honors over his 11-season NHL career, but his latest milestone arrives on the digital ice. On Monday, EA Sports officially announced that the Edmonton Oilers captain is the inaugural member of the brand-new "99 Club" for the upcoming NHL 27 game. McDavid becomes the first player in the franchise's history to reach the maximum threshold, setting a new benchmark for virtual hockey dominance. A 99 for No. 97.
Who's Left? Top 30 NHL Free Agents Remaining after July 1
Canada Day had it all on Wednesday - nearly $1 billion doled out in player contracts to open free agency, significant trades, tantalizing big names available on the trade market and yes, fireworks. Thirty three of our Top 50 free agents were signed. And as NHL free agency rolls into Day 2 and beyond into the summer, a few big names remain unsigned. Who's left?
Final 2026 Top 50 Free Agents Ranking
Happy Canada Day! The start of the new NHL League Year is upon us with the opening of free agency. Now with qualifying offers and the first buyout window in the rearview mirror, we're back with our final free agent ranking ahead of the 12 noon ET signing window opening. Rank Player Pos Age GP G Pts AFP Project 1 John Carlson RD 36 71 14 60 3x$7M 2 Sergei Bobrovsky G 37 52 3.07 .877 2x$5.6M 3 Ras.
Top 50 Free Agents: Could Patrick Kane go home to Buffalo?
The NHL's once hopeful free agent Class of 2026 has been met with a collective meh. One of the most highly anticipated collection of players in league history scheduled to break free - from superstar centers Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel to star-studded wingers Kirill Kaprizov, Martin Necas and Kyle Connor - all signed extensions as expected, whittling this free agent crop down to relative spare parts.
Trade Targets: Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski moves to No. 1
Quick hits as Day 2 of the NHL Draft rolls on in Buffalo: Zach Werenski has moved to No. 1 on the Trade Targets π― board as the Blue Jackets have begun to engage with teams on offers for the reigning Norris Trophy winner. This is playing out exactly as we reported on Tuesday: Werenski has not requested a trade but he is noncommittal on an extension in Columbus and will be when his camp is asked about it next week by GM Don Waddell. Does Werenski have to be moved now?
Trade Targets: Hurricanes make a play for Connor Hellebuyck
The Carolina Hurricanes cruised to a Stanley Cup in dominant fashion with a tandem in goal. What do they have in store for an encore in their crease? Frederik Andersen is a pending free agent. Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov are locked in for next season for a total of $3.9 million. And that tracks.
Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko join Trade Targets board
Of all the headlines shaping this wild 2026 NHL offseason, the Columbus Blue Jackets are emerging as one of the central figures of the summer. Columbus has arrived at a crossroads. Superstar defenseman and newly crowned Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski has joined Hockey 24/7’s Trade Targets board alongside the Blue Jackets’ best forward in Kirill Marchenko. Teams have been calling Columbus GM Don Waddell about Marchenko for the last couple weeks, his name percolating in the rumor mill.
Four NHL contract buyout candidates for 2026
The Carolina Hurricanes are busy celebrating with Lord Stanley, but the rest of the NHL is focused on two of the busiest weeks of the summer - now underway with the league's buyout window scheduled to open on Wednesday. How many buyouts will we see? The bet is not as many as we have in recent years, with seven players bought out in 2024. Teams are flush with salary cap space for the first time in a longtime so there isn't much of a pressing need.
Maple Leafs' Morgan Rielly leads first Trade Targets offseason board
When GM John Chayka hammered home the point in his introductory press conference that the Maple Leafs needed to dramatically improve on the backend, the clock started ticking on Morgan Rielly's tenure in Toronto. Yes, after nearly 1,000 games all in a Maple Leafs sweater, the time is nigh for Rielly - which is why he tops Hockey 24/7's first Trade Targets board of the 2026 NHL offseason.
Sources: Golden Knights have withheld permission for Oilers to interview Bruce Cassidy
The Edmonton Oilers have sought permission to interview Bruce Cassidy as they contemplate significant changes to their coaching staff. To this point, the Vegas Golden Knights have withheld permission from their division rival, multiple league sources told Hockey 24/7. Cassidy, 60, was fired by the Golden Knights on March 29 with eight games remaining in the regular season after leading Vegas to their first Stanley Cup in 2023. He has at least one season remaining on his contract.
First Look: Seravalli's Top Five 2026 NHL Mock Draft
The ping pong balls landed - with jaws on the floor. After a lost season, facing questions about Auston Matthews' future and staring down their only first-round pick until 2028 sliding to the Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs cashed in on just an 8.5 percent shot to win the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday night and the right to pick first overall in June. How's that for a second day on the job for GM John Chayka? Who will Toronto select?
Eight Candidates to Watch as NHL Head Coaching Carousel Begins to Spin
Front offices are taking shape. While the Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks still need to make hires, the coaching carousel will begin to spin this week. There is at least one official opening with the Los Angeles Kings ready to interview candidates for the job held on an interim basis by D.J. Smith. The fates of Craig Berube, Andrew Brunette, Adam Foote and Sheldon Keefe rest in the hands of their new managers.
Sources: NHL looked into 'unsubstantiated' tampering concern with Maple Leafs, Chayka
In the days prior to Sunday’s expected announcement, at least one team raised a tampering concern with the NHL as incoming Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka began to fill out his staff, multiple sources told Hockey 24/7. The team expressed concern to the NHL that employees under contract may have been contacted without proper permission. Sources said the NHL looked into the inquiry and found the claim to be unsubstantiated.
Philly loves an underdog: How waiver claim Glendening changed the Flyers
PHILADELPHIA — Luke Glendening woke up on March 6 unsettled, like many NHL players. It was Deadline Day. But this was different. Glendening wasn’t a trade candidate - his career was pending on waivers. And Glendening wasn’t in control of anything: destination, whether a team would even place a claim, or it turns out, even his phone.
Sources: 2026 NHL Draft Lottery Scheduled for May 5
Settle in on Cinco de Mayo with a margarita (salt please) and see which NHL franchise's fortunes change on the bounce of ping-pong balls. The NHL is scheduled to conduct the 2026 Draft Lottery on May 5, sources told Hockey 24/7. For the second consecutive year, the NHL plans to conduct the actual lottery draw live on-air, with teams finding their fate in real time.
Winners and Losers: 2026 NHL Trade Deadline
Just like that, the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline is in the rearview mirror. Let's take a different approach to the deadline's winners and losers with sober second thoughts on a Monday: How did a team that didn't execute a single trade emerge as a winner?
Deadline Day 2026: Final Top 50 Trade Targets
We made it. Deadline Day 2026 has arrived. What started as an unusually quiet run up to Friday's NHL trade deadline has closed with a franchise icon being moved in the wee hours of the big day, a slew of solidifying depth moves, and a whopper of a deal nixed by no-trade clause. And there is plenty of intrigue to come in the hours ahead prior to 3 o'clock ET.
Blues' Justin Faulk moves to No. 1
We have a new No. 1. With news that Colton Parayko has invoked his 'no-trade' clause and vetoed a move to the Buffalo Sabres, fellow St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk has vaulted to the top spot on our latest Trade Targets board. It's been a miserable season in St. Louis, a playoff team from one year ago swirling at the bottom of the standings. As we mentioned earlier Thursday, right-shooting defensemen are in-demand - and Faulk has had an excellent season.
Top 50 Trade Targets: The Parayko Ripple Effect
It was Vancouver Canucks GM Patrik Allvin who presciently said on Wednesday: "The market is interesting. I don't even know if there is a market." The story of the NHL's 2026 Trade Deadline isn't the hand wringing around 'no-trade' clauses being thrust into the spotlight on deals consummated before players could sign off. That happens sometimes, and yes, it does induce pressure on the player to waive - which is maybe not an accident.
Kraken pull back UFAs
Fact: The NHL remains the least predictable North American pro sport. Consider, as we approach Friday's trade deadline, that the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and both of last year's No. 1 playoff seeds (Winnipeg and Washington) are bound to be sellers. And that one of the teams perhaps poised to make a big deadline splash is the Buffalo Sabres, seeking to end a 14-year playoff drought. Imagine writing those sentences in December.
Top 50 Trade Targets: Tyler Myers warming to deal?
Tick tock. The NHL's 32 general managers are on the clock with less than six days remaining until Friday's trade deadline on March 6. The action has yet to heat up on most fronts, with plenty of tire kicking, but sources indicate few hard offers being made heading into the weekend.
Why Drew Doughty is Canada's MVP: Most Valuable Personality
MILAN — Hobbled and dressed in street clothes, Sidney Crosby urged his Team Canada teammates on with an inspirational message during the second intermission of Wednesday’s Olympic quarterfinal against Czechia. Or at least those who were listening, anyway. “I didn’t even hear that, so I don’t know,” Drew Doughty said, stirring a laugh from reporters. For just about any other Canadian skater, that response would wrinkle an eyebrow.
Yes, Florida Panthers' 2026 First Round Pick is Top 10 Protected
As the NHL hits pause for 19 days for players to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, the banged up Florida Panthers are nine points out of a playoff spot and seeking to avoid becoming the first defending Stanley Cup champion to miss the postseason the following year. But that doesn't mean the Panthers are uninsured against a lost season. Details of last year's acquisition of defenseman Seth Jones had been inaccurately reported elsewhere.
Mitch Marner Names New Teammate Who's 'Pretty Good at Chirping'
Mitch Marner is settling into his new surroundings in Las Vegas, and the veteran forward has quickly embraced the opportunity to join forces with Jack Eichel on the Vegas Golden Knights' top line. After nine seasons in Toronto, Marner signed an eight-year, $96 million deal this summer and was traded west in exchange for Nicolas Roy. Now, Marner is expected to skate with Eichel and Ivan Barbashev as Vegas begins its ninth NHL season and Marner enters his 10th.
NHL Experts Agree on Potential Price of Jack Eichel's Golden Knights Extension
The Vegas Golden Knights are entering the final stretch of their offseason business with contract negotiations still ongoing for their top center, Jack Eichel. The 28-year-old is in the last season of his eight-year, $80 million contract signed while he was still in Buffalo, and both sides are working toward a long-term extension. Eichel is coming off a career year with Vegas, scoring 28 goals and providing 66 assists for the Golden Knights, helping them into the postseason.
Carter Hart's Potential Next Move Revealed By Frank Seravalli
Goaltender Carter Hart is nearing a return to the NHL, and it appears one of the strongest Western Conference contenders are set to land him. Bleacher Report's Frank Seravalli reported that the Vegas Golden Knights and Hart are closing in on a contract expected to carry a two-year term at $2 million per season. "It certainly seems like the Vegas Golden Knights are the frontrunner for Carter Hart's services," Seravalli said. "He is eligible to sign a contract on Tuesday, October 1st.
Carter Hart's Potential Next Move Revealed By Frank Seravalli
Goaltender Carter Hart is nearing a return to the NHL, and it appears one of the strongest Western Conference contenders are set to land him. Bleacher Report's Frank Seravalli reported that the Vegas Golden Knights and Hart are closing in on a contract expected to carry a two-year term at $2 million per season. "It certainly seems like the Vegas Golden Knights are the frontrunner for Carter Hart's services," Seravalli said. "He is eligible to sign a contract on Tuesday, October 1st.
Sources: Austin, Texas throws its hat into NHL expansion ring as franchise fee hits $2 billion
LOS ANGELES — Four markets were already jockeying in the quest for the next NHL expansion franchise, but a fifth has recently entered the chat. The conversation on NHL expansion beyond 32 clubs is expected to grow in the coming months with a new Collective Bargaining Agreement announced on Friday, pending expected ratification. The NHL will continue to field expressions of interest from potential markets.
Islanders enter Draft Day with No. 1 pick and No. 1 Trade Target in Noah Dobson
We made it. Welcome to NHL Draft Day, with Round 1 festivities set to tip off just after 7 o’clock ET on Friday night. While the top prospects are nestled inside Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the brass of the NHL’s 32 clubs will be hunkered down in the war rooms in their home markets, ready to pounce on a potentially chaotic draft board. There may well be fireworks leading up to Round 1, with multiple first-round picks available.
Sources: NHL, NHLPA preparing to announce new CBA framework on Friday Original
LOS ANGELES — The NHL and NHL Players’ Association are on the verge of unprecedented labor peace that will provide jet fuel for hockey’s growth over the next half decade. Sources indicate the NHL and NHLPA are putting the final touches on a Memorandum of Understanding for a four-year extension to their Collective Bargaining Agreement, the framework of which could be announced as soon as Friday ahead of the Draft.
Blues’ Jordan Kyrou, Leafs’ Brandon Carlo join latest Trade Targets board Original
Credit: Tom Horak-USA TODAY Sports And this is where the rubber meets the road on the way to Round 1 of the NHL Draft on Friday night. Months of preparation and endless hours of calls come down to the next few days, the biggest window on the hockey calendar to reshape a roster. The foundation for most of the transactions you see this week would have been laid over the last few months, some emanating even before the March trade deadline. Now it’s just about executing.
NHL Goalie Market: Who’s shopping, and who’s available? Original
‘Round and around it goes, when it stops – nobody knows. It’s time to take another spin on the annual game of Goaltending Musical Chairs, as we size up the most important position in the sport. Goaltending might not carry you to a Stanley Cup, but you definitely can’t win without some measure of it. Each year, nearly a third of the league’s netminders turn over – part of it due to the fickle nature of the position, part of it due to changing value propositions.
35 NHL-stjärnor som kan trejdas under sommaren
NHL-marknaden börjar röra på sig rejält nu efter Stanley Cup-finalens slut. Frank Seravelli är då tillbaka och rankar här de 35 (!) hetaste namnen som kan finnas på trejdmarknaden, varav ett antal svenskar finns med. Den här texten är tidigare publicerad på DailyFaceoff.com och har översatts från engelska till svenska. Klockan tickar.
Islanders’ Noah Dobson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau join latest Trade Targets board Original
Tick. Tock. We’re now one week away from Round 1 of the NHL Draft, zeroing in on historically the biggest trade period of the year – with all 32 teams in play as opposed to just the contenders at the trade deadline. And we’re waiting for the dam to break, as there’s lots of talk but not so much action, since so many teams are in the same boat. They’re almost all trying to improve, outside of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are moving toward tearing it down.
Edmonton Oilers utreds för lönetaksfusk efter Evander Kanes comeback
Som om inte förlusten i Stanley Cup-finalen var nog. Nu kommer uppgifter om att NHL utreder Edmonton Oilers för lönetaksfusk. Detta för att man hållit forwarden Evander Kane borta från spel hela grundserien för att sedan låta honom göra comeback i slutspelet. Den här texten är tidigare publicerad på DailyFaceoff.com och har översatts från engelska till svenska.
Sources: NHL to continue examination of Oilers’ LTIR relief usage for Evander Kane Original
Despite the final chapter of the Edmonton Oilers‘ season being written at the Stanley Cup Final, sources say the NHL plans to continue to examine Edmonton’s use of long-term injury (LTIR) salary cap relief with forward Evander Kane in the days and weeks ahead.
Nate Schmidt and Panthers’ top-end trio see stock soar in Top 50 Free Agent rankings
Minutes after letting out an emotional, Panther-like roar as he hoisted the Stanley Cup above his head for the second time in 359 days, Florida GM Bill Zito got to the meat of the offseason: “I think we can bring them all back,” Zito said, referring to his pending free agents. That’s going to be a stretch – even with Florida’s inherent tax advantages.
Nate Schmidt and Panthers’ top-end trio see stock soar in Top 50 Free Agent rankings
Minutes after letting out an emotional, Panther-like roar as he hoisted the Stanley Cup above his head for the second time in 359 days, Florida GM Bill Zito got to the meat of the offseason: “I think we can bring them all back,” Zito said, referring to his pending free agents. That’s going to be a stretch – even with Florida’s inherent tax advantages.
Road warrior Sam Bennett narrowly topped Brad Marchand for Conn Smythe Trophy
SUNRISE, Fla. — Ballots revealed Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett narrowly topped teammate Brad Marchand to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the Stanley Cup playoffs, selected by a panel of Professional Hockey Writers Association members on Tuesday night. Bennett garnered 11 of a possible 18 first-place votes but Marchand scooped up the other seven and all of the remaining second-place votes, making it a close call for the Conn Smythe.
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