CALGARY — Winning more games and the construction of a new arena will convince more NHL players that Calgary is a desirable place to play, some Flames say as they head for the exits. Calgary finished 17 points out of a playoff spot this season with a record of 38-39-5, and missed the post-season a second straight year. A slow start to the season combined with big-name pending free agents not signing contract extensions produced midseason lineup changes that hampered the club's progress. Other pl
Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon, Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov, Edmonton's Connor McDavid and Toronto's Auston Matthews are all in the running to win the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. MacKinnon has carried the top-heavy Avalanche into the playoffs, Kucherov has played a role in half the Lightning's goals, McDavid got the Oilers back in it after a horrid start and Matthews scored 69 goals, the most of any player in a season in nearly 30 years. McDavid and Kucherov also became just the fourth and fifth player
General manager Don Waddell likes how his Carolina Hurricanes finished the season, winning 16 of their final 21 games. He knows it means nothing now. “Your points get erased and you all start with zeros,” Waddell said. “Playoffs are a different time. That’s what’s great about the NHL. Once you get to the playoffs, it’s wide open.” This year more than many in the recent past. Unlike last year, when Boston broke league records for the most wins and points in a season, there is no clear favorite to
Jacob Trouba is captain of the best team in the NHL this season, the New York Rangers, one of the oldest franchises in hockey in one of the world's greatest sports towns. The big-hitting American defenceman is also an artist, philanthropist, advocate and, most recently, an actor in a commercial urging early cancer detection. He might be the most interesting man in hockey. Trouba asked for a trade from Winnipeg to a team in the U.S. so his then-fiancée could pursue her medical career. He was the