All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — August 23.

Colorado Hockey Now

Peter Forsberg is in town. So is Milan Hejduk. And Adam Foote. And of course, the Avalanche’s president of hockey operations Joe Sakic.

The Avalanche are playing Denver University in an Alumni Game on Sunday at Magness Arena to kick off celebrations for their 30th season since relocating from Quebec City.

I’ll be there, and I’m excited to see what they have in store.

Also, it’s pretty cool to see that Peter Mueller is also here.

READ MORE: Peter Forsberg is in Town! — Avalanche Prepare for Alumni Game at Magness Arena

Around The NHL

Florida Hockey Now: It’s felt for months like things were heading in this direction, but it appears that Matthew Tkachuk has reportedly opted to have surgery. If this is confirmed, he’ll definitely start the year on LTIR to keep the Panthers cap compliant while he’s absent.

Boston Hockey Now: The Bruins are in uncharted territory heading into the new season. They’re not the same Cup contenders they’ve been in past years.

NYI Hockey Now: The Islanders season will be decided by two key players, Russ Macias writes.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Aging goaltending, a defense core that needs to step up, and the health of Jack Hughes. These are just some of the storylines that could make or break the Devils season. How concerned should they be?

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Here’s a nice stroll down memory lane. The five worst Penguins trades in the Sidney Crosby era.

The post Deen’s Daily: Avalanche Alumni Game on Sunday; Surgery for Matthew Tkachuk appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — August 9.

Colorado Hockey Now

It took more than five weeks to get done, but the Avalanche and Joel Kiviranta finally came to terms on a deal to keep the UFA forward in Colorado for another season. See the full details of his contract below.

READ MORE: Joel Kiviranta Signs One-Year Deal with Avalanche

With Kiviranta back in the fold, here’s where the Avs’ depth chart currently stands. Is it enough? You can probably figure out what I think from the title of this story, and the one linked below.

READ MORE: Avalanche Depth Chart: Lineup Coming Together but Still an Unfinished Product

Around The NHL

Florida Hockey Now: The reason why Florida hasn’t traded Evan Rodrigues or anyone else to be cap compliant is because everyone expects Tkachuk to start the season on the shelf. He hasn’t yet opted to have surgery, but if he does, he laid out what his recovery timeline could look like. 

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Three things that could speed up the Penguins’ rebuild.

Detroit Hockey Now: Remember Mark Pysyk’s tenure with the Red Wings? Probably not. And for good reason. He missed that entire year after rupturing an Achilles. Three years later, he wonders what could have been.

San Jose Hockey Now: The Sharks are hoping they found a gem in free agent Phil Kurashev. What does the forward need to do to bounce back?

Vegas Hockey Now: Five underappreciated Golden Knights players since their inaugural 2017-18 season.

The post Deen’s Daily: Avs Roster Still Incomplete with Kiviranta; Surgery for Matthew Tkachuk? appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — August 4.

Colorado Hockey Now

Jimmy Vesey was one of the last remaining NHL regulars from last year’s Avs roster that hadn’t yet signed a new deal. He’s finally got one, and it’s not with the Avalanche. It’s not even in the NHL.

I believe that now leaves only Joel Kiviranta and Erik Johnson as the last remaining unsigned UFA’s from last year’s team.

READ MORE: Avalanche’s UFA Forward Signs in Swiss League

Also, here’s my story from Friday on the curious decision by Hockey Canada to only invite three goalies to the late-August orientation camp.

READ MORE: No Blackwood or Thompson? Canada Only Invites 3 Goalies to Orientation Camp

Around The NHL

Unsigned RFA’s: Sportsnet released an article early on Monday highlighting all the unsigned RFA’s around the league heading into the new season. These are players that didn’t have arbitration rights, and don’t have much in terms of negotiating power with their respective clubs.

I knew Marco Rossi and Mason McTavish were two of the bigger names still without a contract, but when you see the entire list written down, it really is loaded with talent. You can check it out here, courtesy of Luke Fox.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Luke Hughes might be the most valuable RFA still without a contract. The Devils want to lock him up long term, but his brother Jack Hughes’ deal might be impeding any progress on that front.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The latest 32 Thoughts podcast had an update on Mario Lemieux’s bid to buy back the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s not the best news for fans hopeful that it happens. At least not yet. Speaking of the Pens, what are they going to do with all their young skaters?

San Jose Hockey Now: John Tavares, who was selected No. 1 overall 15 years before Macklin Celebrini, had some valuable advice for the young Sharks centerman.

Florida Hockey Now: Matthew Tkachuk is a two-time Stanley Cup champion and one of the faces of the game. Despite (likely) starting the 2025-26 season injured, he was named the cover athlete for the latest EA Sports NHL 26 video game.

The post Deen’s Daily: Vesey Leaves NHL; Remaining Unsigned RFA’s; EA Sports NHL 26 Cover Athlete; Lemieux’s Ownership Bid appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — June 19.

Colorado Hockey Now

With the Stanley Cup Final officially wrapped up, the buyout window is quickly approaching — as it opens 48 hours after the Stanley Cup is awarded.

I don’t envision the Avs going the buyout route with anyone. If Miles Wood’s deal was two years shorter, then perhaps? I just don’t think it’s an option at this time.

But it’s still worth noting that players who are bought out are often worthy of consideration on July 1. It’s not always a player at the end of the road who gets bought out. You can acquire valuable pieces that were simply being paid too much. Matt Duchene is probably the best example of this after the Predators dumped his massive contract. But there’s also Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Nate Schmidt — two defensemen who have won the Stanley Cup with Florida over the past 12 months. And played solid depth roles in doing so.

T.J. Brodie is rumored to be bought out by the Blackhawks, granted, he’s truly at the end of the road. I’m curious to see who else joins this list over the next week or so. Will any of them be worth the Avs’ time? We’ll find out.

Read More: Necas for Peterka: Are the Avalanche Positioned for a Sneaky One-for-One Trade?

Read More: Offseason Musings: Rumors Galore — An Avalanche of Opportunities to Explore

Stanley Cup Final Series

Game 1: EDM 4-3 OT (Series: 1-0 EDM)
Game 2: FLA 5-4 OT (Series: 1-1 tied)
Game 3: FLA 6-1 (Series: 2-1 FLA)
Game 4: EDM 5-4 OT (Series: 2-2 tied)
Game 5: FLA 5-2 (Series: 3-2 FLA)
Game 6: FLA 5-1 (Series: 4-2 FLA)

Around The NHL

Panthers Are Champions: The Panthers won their second straight Stanley Cup on Tuesday, defeating the Edmonton Oilers in six games in a series that, truthfully, wasn’t close. The first two games made it feel like we were on our way to the best seven games in SCF history. But it ended up being one-sided.

Connor McDavid seemed pretty defeated postgame, but in a different way from a year ago. In 2024, McDavid thought they were going to complete the comeback and win Game 7. This time, it felt like he knew that his team really had no chance. The way the Panthers locked in on the forecheck and kept them to the outside. It was no contest.

The Panthers now get to celebrate their repeat championship, while the Oilers go back to the drawing board a year out from McDavid’s unrestricted free agency status. Losing two years in a row to the same team is a tough, tough pill to swallow. It’s just another added element to an already intriguing offseason ahead.

Florida Hockey Now Stanley Cup Championship Stories

• Florida Panthers Take the Stanley Cup to the Beach, Again
• Matthew Tkachuk Played Through Series Injury
• Panthers Cup Parade is on Sunday

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: This is a fun bit of news. Bonino! Bonino! Bonino! He’s back in Pittsburgh as an assistant coach after announcing his retirement as a player.

Detroit Hockey Now: Remember Arvid Holm? He might be finding his way back to the AHL and NHL.

Chicago Hockey Now: The Blackhawks spent most of the winter trying to trade one of their highest scorers. Instead, they locked him up on Wednesday to a four-year, $16 million contract.

New Jersey Hockey Now: The trades have begun. The Devils struck a deal to send a depth forward to the Nashville Predators to clear more cap space.

Boston Hockey Now: Brad Marchand is a Stanley Cup champion. I understood at the time why the Bruins made that trade, but, maybe they should’ve just signed their captain?

The post Deen’s Daily: McDavid Defeated; Let Trades & Rumors Begin appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — May 30.

Colorado Hockey Now

The offseason often gains momentum in June, and we’re just days away from the start of it. Hard to believe the draft is only 29 days away, and free agency follows quickly.

The Avs have some questions that need to be answered, but none bigger than filling the gaping hole at 2C. Could Nelson still be an option? It seems like it, but I do wonder if this is offseason fodder reporting at this time of year.

Nelson is going to have a lot of suitors offering a lot of money out of desperation. I’m not sure the Avs want to be one of those teams.

I wrote yesterday about centermen around the NHL that the Avs could target if Nelson moves on. I don’t imagine they’d want to get into a bidding war for Sam Bennett or John Tavares, if either of them makes it to July 1 without an extension with their current clubs.

My targets are all via trade. Colorado doesn’t have a lot of assets to move, but this front office historically builds through trades. Click the link below to see the names I’ve highlighted.

This is behind the CHN+ paywall, but promo code Deen10 gives you 25% off an annual subscription to all CHN+ content. Get on it!

Read More: 6 Trade Targets That Could Solve the Avalanche’s 2C Hole (+)

Stanley Cup Playoff Recap

Game 5 — Edmonton Oilers at Dallas Stars: The Oilers absolutely dominated the close-out game and the series as a whole. They defeated Dallas 6-3 at American Airlines Center to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the second consecutive season.

Edmonton will face the Florida Panthers, which sets up a Stanley Cup Final rematch for the first time since 2008 and 2009 between the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins. I grew up in Detroit during those two seasons, and it was some of the best hockey and drama I’ve seen. Rematches are a lot of a fun and loaded with potential to spark the hockey world. This will be no different.

As for Dallas… DeBoer gambled big time when he pulled Jake Oettinger. It didn’t work. And now I can’t help but wonder what his future with the team will look like. The image of Oettinger skating away from the bench to return to his crease, only to be called back with a finger waving him to get off the ice, isn’t going to sit well.

The exit interviews might very well determine DeBoer’s future. Oettinger’s new contract kicks in next season. His cap hit rises from $4 million to $8.25 million for the next eight years. If he’s unhappy, Jim Nill might be forced to make a change behind the bench.

Mikko Rantanen was quiet, and we’ve all seen this before. He’s a streaky scorer. When he’s on his game, he’s one of the best in the world. But when he’s not, it shows. What strikes me most about how the playoffs unfolded for Dallas was that when Rantanen wasn’t going, the Stars were an offensive mess. They couldn’t generate much. It’s a disappointment he had his best stretch of play at the worst possible time for Colorado.

I wonder where Dallas would be if Rantanen didn’t wake up from Games 5-7 in the first round. It’s still a shame he ended up there. But that’s in the past.

Tonight’s Schedule

Stanley Cup Final begins on June 4 in Edmonton.

Around The NHL

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: David Quinn is still under contract with the Pens as an assistant coach. But could he be an option for Mike Sullivan’s staff in New York?

Montreal Hockey Now: This is the year the Habs should be aggressive. That includes first-round draft picks and top prospects.

Philadelphia Hockey Now: The Flyers re-signed Tyson Foerster. Also, could they be an option for a top goalie on the market? It would be one heck of an addition for a head coach who has familiarity.

NYI Hockey Now: Kyle Palmieri is remaining on Long Island. He was one of two signings for Mathieu Darche on Friday.

Detroit Hockey Now: The Red Wings are trying to bring a pro goalie from Czechia. If it works, it would be a UFA that could make an impact. (I’m getting flashbacks to when the Avs got Pavel Francouz.)

Florida Hockey Now: Matthew Tkachuk was on the Pat McAfee Show to discuss what he believes is a rematch between the two best teams in the league. It’s hard to argue with that.

The post Deen’s Daily: Avs 2C Trade Options; DeBoer’s Gamble; Stanley Cup Final REMATCH! appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — May 29.

Stanley Cup Playoff Recap

• Game 4 — Edmonton Oilers at Dallas Stars: The Oilers continued to score goals at will and the Dallas Stars continued to struggle offensively. Edmonton won 4-1 and has an opportunity to advance to the Stanley Cup Final tonight if they can close out the series on the road.
• Game 4 — Carolina Hurricanes at Florida Panthers: It felt for a moment like the Canes were going to stretch this series out for another game. But then Evan Rodrigues and Matthew Tkachuk scored twice in 30 seconds, and the Panthers never let up. Florida will play for the Cup for the third straight year with an opportunity to win back-to-back championships. If the Oilers win tonight, the Stanley Cup Final will begin in Edmonton next Wednesday.

Tonight’s Schedule

• Game 5:  Edmonton Oilers at Dallas Stars (6 pm MT on ESPN & ESPN+)

Around The NHL

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Pens still don’t have a head coach, but a leading candidate is emerging. Also, the recent IOC ruling might spell the end of Evgeni Malkin’s International hockey career.

Montreal Hockey Now: I’ve got a trade targets piece coming out later this morning where I mention Nashville’s long list of veterans. One of them, Jonathan Marchessault, is rumored to be interested in being dealt to the Habs.

Philly Hockey Now: Ian Laperriere isn’t leaving the Flyers organization after all. He’s staying there, but no longer coaching.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Should the Devils bring back a veteran forward who once played for them?

Florida Hockey Now: Eetu Luostarinen left Game 5 with an injury on Tuesday. Here’s an update on his status.

The post Deen’s Daily: Florida is Back in the Stanley Cup Final; Veteran Wants out of Nashville appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — April 27.

Colorado Hockey Now

You couldn’t write a better script if you tried.

If it felt like the Stars spoiled Landeskog’s return on Wednesday, then the Avs ensured that wouldn’t be the case two nights later. Let’s see if I can get this right…

Landeskog was elevated to the top six and the No. 1 power-play unit. He scored a goal on his first shot. He helped Brock Nelson have his best game of the series. The Avalache shredded the Dallas Stars and won 4-0. The series is tied 2-2.

Incredible.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Recap

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers: The Lightning lost both games at home but responded in a big way on the road in Game 3. They won 5-1 to get back into the series.

Vegas Golden Knights vs Minnesota Wild: The Wild had a chance to really put Vegas in a tough 3-1 hole. But instead, the Golden Knights scored late in the first OT period to knot things up at 2-2.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Ottawa Senators: The Leafs could’ve became the only team to sweep their way through the first round. Instead, an OT goal from Jake Sanderson gave the Sens life. And now it’s back to Toronto for Game 5 on Tuesday.

Tonight’s Schedule

• Game 4: Winnipeg Jets at St. Louis Blues (11 am MT on TBS & tru TV)
• Game 4: Carolina Hurricanes at New Jersey Devils (1:30 pm MT on TBS & Tru TV)
• Game 4: Washington Capitals at Montreal Canadiens (4:30 pm MT on TBS & tru TV)
• Game 4: Los Angeles Kings at Edmonton Oilers (7:30 pm MT on TBS & tru TV)

Around The NHL

Florida Hockey Now: Brandon Hagel served his one-game suspension. Now, the NHL has to review a Matthew Tkachuk hit to see if that should result in any extra discipline.

Boston Hockey Now: Five Candidates the Bruins should entertain for their next head coach hire.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Check out this Q&A, covering everything the Pens need to look at this offseason.

Chicago Hockey Now: The Blackhawks tried really hard to hire David Carle. But DU’s bench boss has withdrawn from the process.

The post Deen’s Daily: Avalanche Shred Dallas Stars; Landeskog Is So Back — What a Goal appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — April 23.

Colorado Hockey Now

Tonight might be the biggest turning point of the series. The Avs are 3-7-0 at Ball Arena in the playoffs ever since dominating the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-0 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2022. Can they find a way to get ahead at home? And if so, will it be partly because of Landeskog returning to the lineup to give the team an added boost?

I think this is the game he plays. But then again, I felt the same way about Game 2.

Landeskog took part in the pre-game warmups ahead of Game 2 but didn’t play. We later learned from coach Bednar that this was the plan all along.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Recap

Carolina vs New Jersey: Jacob Markstrom and the Devils put up a fight, but it was once again the Carolina Hurricanes who came away with a win. They held New Jersey to a goal once again and won 3-1.

Toronto vs Ottawa: Another series that’s suddenly 2-0. The Maple Leafs were victorious thanks to an OT game-winner from Max Domi. The goal came after Ottawa fought back from down 2-0 to send it to OT.

Tampa Bay vs Florida: Coming into the series, it felt like the Tampa Bay Lightning were the team that was going to come out strong. Instead, Florida toyed with Andrei Vasilevskiy and rocked the Bolts in Game 1 by a final score of 6-2. You can thank Matthew Tkachuk for returning.

Vegas vs Minnesota: In Game 2 of this series, the Wild came to play. They jumped out to a three-goal lead in the first period and never looked back. It’s 1-1 heading back to Minnesota.

Tonight’s Schedule

• Game 2: Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals (5 pm MT on ESPN)
• Game 3:  Dallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche (7:30 pm MT on ESPN)
• Game 2: Edmonton Oilers at Los Angeles Kings (8 pm MT on TBS)

Around The NHL

NYI Hockey Now: The Islanders fired Lou Lamoriello after seven years at the helm. Here’s why it was the right time to make the move.

Montreal Hockey Now: Should the Habs consider playing Arber Xhekaj in Game 2? It’s up for debate.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: There’s a laundry list of things the Pens need to achieve this offseason. Here’s some of it.

Detroit Hockey Now: Five under-the-radar reasons why the Red Wings didn’t make the playoffs.

The post Deen’s Daily: Still Waiting on Landeskog; Lou Lamoriello Fired; Playoff Hockey at Ball Arena! appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — April 1.

Colorado Hockey Now

Two Makars in one organization?! This isn’t an April Fool’s joke. Taylor Makar signed a one-year entry-level contract with the Avalanche, nearly four years after getting drafted in the seventh round.

The younger brother of Cale had a pretty good season with the University of Maine. He’ll report to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles for the remainder of this season on an amateur tryout. The one-year deal is for the 2025-26 season.

The Avs blew a third period lead and lost in the shootout to the Calgary Flames. Without much to play for in the standings, should Jared Bednar prioritize rest or rhythm for the final seven games down the stretch?

Around The NHL

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: More on the arrival of Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen — two prospects who are settling in. The Pens’ investment in Matt Grzelcyk is paying off. Also, a PHN exclusive on Tristan Jarry’s comeback.

Boston Hockey Now: The playoffs are basically out of question for Casey Mittelstadt and the Boston Bruins. Here are their odds for the No. 1 overall pick.

Detroit Hockey Now: Despite the standings not looking completely out of favor, crunching the numbers on how the Red Wings could secure a playoff berth seems like a daunting task.

Florida Hockey Now: The Panthers certainly miss him. Matthew Tkachuk is finally skating again.

New Jersey Hockey Now: The Devils pulled through with a win over Minnesota in OT.

The post Deen’s Daily: Avalanche Fail in Third Period and Shootout; Matthew Tkachuk Skating Again appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — March 20

Colorado Hockey Now

The Avalanche played well in Toronto but could only muster one goal on Joseph Woll. In the end, a brutal blunder from a veteran referee led to the go-ahead goal for the Leafs. And instead of forcing OT, the Avs effectively saw their nine-game point streak (8-0-1) come to an end.

Around The NHL

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: It’s not like the Pens were truly in the race before losing to the Islanders. But blowing that third-period lead on Monday was bad. Really bad. Here’s what their chances are to qualify for the postseason.

Montreal Hockey Now: The Habs, on the other hand, can actually do the thing. They have a 43% chance of qualifying for the postseason and could complete a trifecta for the East Coast Canadian teams. That’s assuming Ottawa holds their wildcard spot, too.

Colorado’s next two games are against the Sens and Habs.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Sometimes, it’s the under-the-radar deadline moves that can spark a team. That’s what the Devils got with Cody Glass.

Detroit Hockey Now: The Red Wings are struggling to figure out what to do with Vladimir Tarasenko. Which, for a guy locked up through next season, is a problem.

Florida Hockey Now: An update from Paul Maurice on the statuses of injured Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand, and Dmitri Kulikov.

Chicago Hockey Now: Morale is at an all-time low for the directionless Chicago Blackhawks.

The post Deen’s Daily: Avalanche’s Point Streak Snapped; Habs Hopeful For Playoffs; Devils Find Value appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.