A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. I got ads in my head and they won’t go, promos in my head and they won’t go…
1. As the 2026 NHL Draft looms four weeks away, The McKenna Project is mandatory viewing, particularly for fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The TNT documentary drills into the development of 2026’s most likely first-overall pick, following the phenom’s game-changing decision to leave the CHL and play out his turbulent draft year with Penn State.
We won’t spoil the short flick, which is worth watching in full.
We will, however, point to a common thread, knowing the flashy forward could well be joining the most followed and scrutinized hockey team: the perils of online criticism.
Here’s McKenna during his underwhelming start to his NCAA campaign: “All these fans, the hype, I was gripping my stick tight. Not as confident. It’s tough to get out of. I was trying to block out that noise and play the game you’ve played your whole life.”
Here’s his response to the negative reaction to his performance during Canada’s bronze-medal finish at the world juniors: “It’s all over TikTok or Instagram or whatever it is. They got nothing better to do than sit in their basement and type up some hate comment.”
And McKenna’s reaction to his arrest on assault charges in February: “It was the craziest two days of my life. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep. I was, like, glued to my phone. People were like, ‘This guy’s done.’”
A parallel is drawn between McKenna’s late-season on-ice surge — eight points in one night! — and the online noise flipping positive: This guy is tougher than we thought.
It’s difficult for those of us born B.C. (Before Cellphones) to understand just how connected/distracted kids these days are to the opinions of strangers.
Your harshest critic is nuzzled right there in your pocket, chirping at you to peek at something mean.
To McKenna’s credit, the kid is honest about the negative effects of online backlash, which coincided with the teenager’s move to a new country, into his own place, away from his family.
When McKenna’s grandfather, Joe Mason, was young, he survived life in a residential school. That gives McKenna a valuable perspective as he navigates life under the microscope.
“Knowing he can go through all that stuff and still get to where he’s at today, I can’t take anything for granted,” McKenna says. “If I got something going on in my life that’s hard, I know it’s nothing compared to what he’s gone through. It’s been a huge motivator for me.”
Teasing the draft prior to Toronto’s stunning lottery win, the doc wraps with Blackhawks scout Colin Fraser trekking to the Yukon to meet the McKennas. Leafs reps have since done the same.
During McKenna’s chat with Fraser, he doesn’t only state making the NHL in 2026-27 as his goal. He wants to see the 2027 Calder Trophy on his shelf and to make the playoffs in Year 1.
Confident kid. He wants the same things Toronto does.
Here’s to not reading the comments, regardless of your generation.
2. McKenna turned down an opportunity to play for Team Canada at the world championships to focus on next week’s NHL Combine.
Meanwhile, in Switzerland, Macklin Celebrini and Sidney Crosby and the lads are 8-0, two wins shy of gold. Interesting how a tournament dubbed second-tier or even meaningless by some in North America can have such a wildly varying impact.
There’s Crosby, who can’t help but play more hockey — even with zero to prove.
Or Canada’s Jet Greaves, who risked injury and reputation without a contract in place with Columbus for 2026-27. The starting goalie has been superb, shutting out Team USA in the quarters and guaranteed to play for a medal, thus boosting his confidence and stock heading into the most important negotiation of his career.
Then there’s Evan Bouchard, who got knocked out of the tournament with a nasty hit from Ryan Lindgren and whose season ends on an (unnecessarily?) painful note. How do the Oilers feel about Bouchard adding to his concussion history in a game that didn’t benefit Edmonton a lick?
Or take Matthew Tkachuk, the Americans’ rare gold medallist who chose to extend his season in an attempt to join the Triple Gold Club.
Tkachuk was blunt Thursday after getting sent home from Switzerland without a medal: “I never want to be back in this tournament. I want to be playing in the playoffs.”
Even worse, thanks to the IIHF’s new ref camera-slash-microphone footage, Tkachuk went viral when the stripes called him out for diving: “Matt! Matt! No. You’re better than this. You’re better than this.”
3. The Vegas Golden Knights’ history is littered with detours into uncharted territory. Even in Season 9.
First, the team fires its head coach while in playoff position and with just eight games remaining in the regular season. Then it prohibits the coach it didn’t want from interviewing with L.A. and Edmonton, a couple of competitors interested in paying Cassidy’s 2026-27 salary for the Knights. (The Maple Leafs are also said to be up for a chat, but to our knowledge have not formally asked permission yet.)
Had Vegas relented between playoff series, we may have been spared this week’s sideshow. With no other way to leverage his way out of the desert, Cassidy went public on Spittin’ Chiclets, telling the world how it’s “upsetting” that the Golden Knights are preventing him from pursuing work.
GM Kelly McCrimmon shot back on a Toronto radio station, explaining that the Cassidy conundrum is “only news because Edmonton leaked it.”
The pillows are getting swapped for stones.
Reading between the lines of the McCrimmon interview, we suspect Vegas’s actions here are being driven from the very top: owner Bill Foley, who might just be a more stubborn competitor than Mark Stone.
The Golden Knights are within their rights to hold Cassidy off the market; their cheques still clear. But that doesn’t make their spitefulness right.
4. The ruthlessness of the Golden Knights’ operations might lead a man to wonder if karma is real. Or why their favourite hockey team can’t be so cutthroat, why the other 31 clubs can’t prioritize winning over everything, too.
Be it a thinning talent pool or a restrictive salary cap, a dearth of free agents or the conservative nature of most hockey managers, we often hear how difficult it is to make meaningful roster changes without rebuilding through the draft.
Well, in less than 11 months, McCrimmon and his staff acquired (a) the playoffs’ leading scorer; (b) a starting playoff goalie with 12 wins and .924 save percentage; (c) a top-four, right-shot defenceman; (d) a Cup-winning head coach who earned quick buy-in; and now (e) a trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
Change can happen faster than you think — if you don’t sit on your hands and wait for it.
“It’s not fun to hear that. But they’re not wrong.” —Martin St. Louis, on Montreal Canadiens fans’ chants of “Shoot the puck!” as his team got outshot 83-31 over seven periods at home in their Round 3 blowout.
6. As disappointed as the Avalanche are by their stunning sweep in the Western Conference Final, it’s not clear how the runaway Presidents’ Trophy winners get much better — or even much different — for next season.
The Avs’ Jennings-winning goalie tandem is locked up for a reasonable rate, as are 11 of their best forwards and four of their best defencemen. (Brent Burns, 41, and Brett Kulak, 32, are heading to UFA status.)
Ironically, their only difference-maker without trade protection, Cale Makar, is the last guy they’d dare trade.
Colorado already spent its first-round picks in 2026, 2027, and 2028 to win last week. The Avs don’t have a pick until Round 4 this June and Round 3 in 2028. They’re running out of futures to deal, even if they wanted to make more moves.
Which is why Jared Bednar — the longest-tenured head coach in the West and one of the best in the biz — now finds himself under at least some uncertainty. A result that wasn’t entirely his fault could be his problem.
The Avalanche got eliminated on Tuesday, yet management’s end-of-season press conference won’t be held until this coming Monday or Tuesday. GM Chris MacFarland is also in a precarious position, with the Nashville Predators interested.
The safest move would be to simply run it all back, hope for health and better results.
But on the off-chance Colorado does something drastic behind the bench, coach-seeking Toronto, Edmonton, and L.A. — not to mention Denver-based NCAA candidate David Carle — would all be wise to wait one more week before signing anything.
7. Until Evgeni Malkin re-signed in Pittsburgh this week, the 39-year-old owned the highest points-per-game average (1.09) in 2025-26 of all impending unrestricted free agents.
That simultaneously speaks volumes about both the player and the UFA class.
Even in his age-40 season, Malkin should be worth every penny of his $5.5 million base salary, which could swell to $9 million with performance bonuses: $250,000 for 42 games played; $250,000 for 63 games played; $1 million for making playoffs; and $500,000 for each series victory.
Good luck finding an impact centre on the open market now.
The field is a mix of past-prime veterans, winger-centre hybrids, and bottom-six checkers. Names like Boone Jenner, Claude Giroux, Jack Roslovic, Marcus Johansson, Scott Laughton, Jonathan Toews, Jason Dickinson, and Teddy Blueger.
Does this jolt trade interest in pivots like Vincent Trochek, Shane Wright, Elias Pettersson, Mason McTavish and Robert Thomas? It should.
8. The Maple Leafs didn’t hire the superstar from Sweden to lose the superstar from Sweden.
“Mats (Sundin) knows what it’s about playing in Toronto and being such a leader for this team and being an amazing captain here. He will bring that to the table and help our club a lot,” William Nylander said in a very Maple Leafs–affirming episode of his sporadic YouTube series.
“Every time I see him, we talk. So, I’m excited to talk to him in this aspect where he’s a big part of our organization and our process to getting to where we want to be.”
The player with the richest contract in club history, a full no-movement clause, and five years of pledged service shouldn’t need to restate his commitment. But the way things are going for Leafs fans these days, they appreciate their leading scorer’s reassurance.
“I don’t want to go anywhere. I love Toronto. This has been home for me for so long, and nothing would make me happier than to win here,” Nylander says. “So, I hope that one day that dream comes true.”
Saying it is one thing. But the scenes of Nylander rooting on the Raptors and celebrating Toronto’s draft lottery victory alongside Matthew Knies while rooting on brother Alex at a Marlies playoff game should help drill home his comfort in T.O.
Nylander echoes Leafs Nation when he says, “I’m always fired up for next season. I’m more curious to see what happens this summer with our team.”
9. What could happen in Toronto this summer is a goalie trade.
Joseph Woll, Anthony Stolarz, and Dennis Hildeby will all be on one-way contracts come fall. They will all require waivers to play in the AHL.
Joining that group in 2027-28 is prospect Artur Akhtyamov, who has been phenomenal in the Marlies’ run to the final four, posting an 8-4 record and a .924 save percentage.
Rivals have taken notice not only of Akhtyamov’s thriving under higher stakes but also his modest $900,000 cap hit through 2028-29 (a nice parting gift from Brad Treliving).
Sure, the Leafs will entertain trading from a position of strength. The challenge here is that a few teams appear willing to discuss a goalie trade.
When trade action picks up next month, expect to hear names like Jordan Binnington, Filip Gustavsson, Jesper Wallstedt, Devon Levi, and Adin Hill in the rumour mill.
Where does the Leafs’ goalie trade bait — Too unproven? Too injury-prone? — slot into this summer’s market? Would John Chayka be wiser to slow-play things in his crease?
10. One thing seems certain: If Chayka does have a goaltending strategy, he won’t be broadcasting it.
Be it through the new GM’s first three press conferences, the limited and contradicting reports on his coach search, or the club’s purposely vague statement on Max Domi’s health — What surgery? What complications? And why was Domi playing hurt in a lost season? — the Chayka regime appears tight-lipped by design.
The executive says a bunch of words without revealing plans, and that may be the smart play here. You can’t break a promise if you don’t make a promise, right?
Provided Chayka’s actions are successful — hit on the No. 1 pick and next head coach, for starters; find some younger and more mobile defencemen, for seconds — he’ll score points with fans.
A memo was issued leaguewide. If you don’t trade the player’s negotiating rights, those conversations are considered tampering.
The incident reminded me of a column I wrote 10 years ago on the NHL’s pre-free agency interview period, in which pending UFAs could legally do the rounds and speak with interested teams.
In general, the GMs preferred the courting period; the players’ union discovered it worked against their best interests.
Player-hunting managers could form an ordered wish list and kick tires for free. If a deal with the desired UFA No. 1 could not be reached within the window, the team could methodically make offers to UFA No. 2 or 3 without fear of them already committing to the competition — a very real threat under the original (and current again) free agency rules, which prohibit contact until July 1.
“I’ve had teams offer five years, $20 million, and 10 minutes later say, ‘OK, six years, $28 million’ in the old days. Panic, desperation, a little bit of paranoia. These guys would be falling all over each other, one team outbidding another,” player agent Allan Walsh explained, during the short-lived era of early UFA negotiation.
“Now, there is no panic. There is no desperation. Teams are going into July 1 with their deals in hand. The players are pretty much signed by the end of the interview period, and July 1 is pretty much a formality now as opposed to a frenzy. And the word frenzy is a great description of what used to happen on July 1.”
Chaos on Canada Day helps players (and agents) get (over)paid, which is why the NHLPA will argue against a return to the courtship model.
12. Rest in peace, Claude Lemieux. Condolences to the entire family.
Just a harrowing and unsuspecting loss whose greatest victories were at playoff time.
If you need help, please call 9-8-8.
Editor’s note
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, help is available. You are not alone. For readers in Canada, here are some resources.
— Crisis Services Canada, which can be reached by phone at 833-456-4566.
— Residents of Quebec can call 866-277-3553 (APPELLE).
— Regional text messaging services can be found on the Crisis Services Canada website.
— Kids Help Phone, which can be called toll-free at 1-800-668-6868. A text option exists too by texting CONNECT to 686868.
— Hope for Wellness Help Line, a service available to all Indigenous peoples across Canada who need immediate crisis intervention that provides experienced and culturally sensitive help-line counsellors if you want to talk. An online chat option exists too.