Carolina Hurricanes Win 2026 Stanley Cup

 The Carolina Hurricanes have overcome the Vegas Golden Knights four games to two to capture their second Stanley Cup in franchise history and first Stanley Cup in twenty years. This was an all-time great Stanley Cup Final for several reasons. Before diving further into my takes and analysis, here is a brief recap of each game to explain how we got here: 

Game 1: Golden Knights defeat the Hurricanes 5-4. Carolina began the Cup Final with two quick goals from Nikolaj Ehlers. Vegas responded with three unanswered goals from Shea Theodore, Ivan Barbashev, and William Karlsson to gain their first lead of the night early in the second period. Jordan Staal tied the game for the Hurricanes before the end of the middle frame, while Vegas and Carolina traded goals in the third period. The final frame began with Brett Howden scoring to break the tie for the Knights early in the third, followed by Shayne Gostisbehere evening the contest at four later in the period and Tomas Hertl scoring the game-winner with a few minutes remaining. Carter Hart recorded 25 saves on 29 shots against for Vegas, while Frederik Andersen recorded 18 saves on 23 shots against for Carolina. 

Game 2: Hurricanes defeat the Golden Knights 4-3 in overtime. Brett Howden scored both goals in the first two periods. However, the Hurricanes stormed back in the second half of the third period on three consecutive goals from Logan Stankoven, Mark Jankowski, and Jordan Staal to gain their first lead of the night. The last of these three was generated largely in part due to a Carolina power play resulting from a failed challenge by the Golden Knights. With about one and a half minutes remaining in regulation, Mark Stone scored tie the game at three and force overtime, while Seth Jarvis scored almost four minutes into the bonus period to win Game 2 for the Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen recorded 23 saves on 26 shots against for the Hurricanes, while Carter Hart recorded 22 saves on 26 shots against for the Golden Knights. 

Game 3: Golden Knights defeat the Hurricanes 5-4 in double overtime. Vegas had two goals early in the second period disallowed due to offside and goalie interference, but rebounded big time with four goals later in the second period courtesy of a goal from Tomas Hertl and a hat trick from Mitch Marner. When it seemed as if the second period made this contest out of reach for Carolina, the Hurricanes roared back early in the third period with three goals in 39 seconds from Jordan Martinook, Taylor Hall, and Jordan Staal. With under two minutes to go in regulation, Andrei Svechnikov scored to tie the game at four and force overtime for a second straight game. However, Vegas got the last laugh in the second OT period and earned the decision on a shot by Shea Theodore that went off the backboard, off of the back of Brandon Bussi, and into the net. Carter Hart recorded 29 saves on 33 shots against for the Golden Knights, Frederik Andersen made 12 saves on 16 shots against for the Hurricanes, and Brandon Bussi compiled 18 saves on 19 shots against in relief for Andersen. 

Game 4: Hurricanes defeat the Golden Knights 5-3. Logan Stankoven opened the scoring for the Canes just over a minute into this contest, while Jackson Blake extended Carolina's lead to two a few minutes after. Mark Stone scored to get the Knights on the board and within one a bit later, followed by Jordan Staal's first goal of the game to make it 3-1 Canes through one period of play. Vegas came back in the second period with two goals in the second period from William Karlsson and Brett Howden, only for Carolina to add two more from Jordan Staal and Nikolaj Ehlers to put this one away for good. Brandon Bussi earned his first win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 18 saves on 21 shots against, while Carter Hart compiled 23 saves on 27 shots against on the losing end for the Golden Knights. 

Game 5: Hurricanes defeat the Golden Knights 4-2. Pavel Dorofeyev scored the Golden Knights’ only two goals in Game 5, while the Hurricanes scored four consecutive goals via Jordan Staal late in the first period, Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho in the second period, and Svechnikov again in the third period. Brandon Bussi earned his second straight Stanley Cup Playoff victory with 23 saves on 25 shots against, while Carter Hart recorded 20 saves on 24 shots against on the losing end for the Golden Knights. 

Game 6: Hurricanes shut out the Golden Knights 3-0 to win the Stanley Cup. Carolina finished the job on goals from Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake, and Nikolaj Ehlers, along with 22 saves from Brandon Bussi. 

Jordan Staal was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP. He earned this honor primarily due to elevating his game during the Final and scoring goals in every game on the biggest stage except for the Cup-clinching game. During this latest playoff run, the Hurricanes have been dominant, going 16-3 on their way to their second Stanley Cup. This latest Cup run was a complete team effort from Carolina, as their depth scoring and goaltending stepped up when they needed to most compared to previous seasons and playoff runs. Besides the top star players in Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Seth Jarvis, the Hurricanes' biggest contributors on offense included Logan Stankoven, Jackson Blake, Taylor Hall, and Nikolaj Ehlers. In addition, Frederik Andersen was absolutely outstanding in net for the Hurricanes until he got shelled in Game 3 of the Cup Final against Vegas. After that game, Coach Rod Brind'Amour turned to Brandon Bussi in net, and Bussi came up huge for the Canes in the remainder of this Cup Final. In addition, this Cup Final featured plenty of scoring in bunches and crazy comebacks, which certainly added to its excitement factor.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this year’s Stanley Cup Final. In my eyes, among all NHL teams, the Hurricanes are an easier team to root for. On the other hand, the Golden Knights are one of my absolute least favorite teams in all of sports, so it was genuinely wonderful to see them on the losing end here. Lastly, now that the NHL is fully in offseason mode, I am looking forward to the Sharks’ upcoming roster improvements before next season, the NHL Draft in just over a week, and Team Teal eventually reaching the promise land like where the Hurricanes are at right now. 

Sources: ESPN/ABC, NHL App 

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Sharks Sign Phillip Sinn + Re-Sign Jimmy Huntington

 The Sharks announced two recent signings over the past 48 hours: defenseman Phillip Sinn to a two-year, entry-level deal and forward Jimmy Huntington to a one-year, two-way contract. 

Phillip Sinn is a new addition to the Sharks organization from the DEL in Germany. He spent most of last season with EHC Munchen, recording one goal, two assists, and three points in 35 games. Sinn also has four assists in seven games for ESV Kaufberen in the second-tier DEL and appeared in 11 playoff games for EHC Munchen. Internationally, Sinn represented Germany in this year's IIHF World Championship, appearing in five games. In addition, he participated in the World Junior tournaments in 2023 and 2024, scoring a combined two goals, five assists, and seven points in ten games for Team Germany. I did not know who Phillip Sinn was before he signed with the Sharks today, and I am not entirely sure where he fits in with them at this time, but he should be able to help fill Team Teal's biggest organizational need at defense going forward. 

Announced yesterday prior to the addition of Sinn was the re-signing of forward Jimmy Huntington to a one-year, two-way contract. Last season, Huntington compiled 15 goals, 33 assists, and 48 points in 71 regular-season games, along with a goal and an assist in two Calder Cup Playoff games for the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL. These stats set career highs for Huntington, and his 48 points are tied for second on the Barracuda last season. In addition, Huntington's 33 assists and 15 goals are good for third and sixth on the Barracuda respectively. Throughout the 2025-26 season, Huntington put together 11 multi-point performances, three three-point efforts, and two separate four-game point streaks. While this may not have much implication at the NHL level, Jimmy Huntington will be a key component in keeping the Barracuda competitive next season. 

Source: Sharks + SAP Center App 

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Sharks Sign Carson Wetsch to Entry-Level Contract

 The Sharks announced today that they have signed forward and former 2024 third-round pick Carson Wetsch to a standard, entry-level contract that begins next season. 

Not only do the Sharks see Wetsch as a valuable prospect to their organization, but they had to take care of business and sign him before the June 1 deadline. If Wetsch were to not sign with the Sharks before the start of next month, he would likely have to re-enter the draft in order to get another shot at potentially playing in the NHL. 

Carson Wetsch had a career year for the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL in 2025-26, serving as Kelowna's team captain and recording 22 goals, 50 assists, and 72 points in 65 games. He also compiled two goals, two assists, and four points in eight playoff games this past season and will be competing in the Memorial Cup later this month. 

Overall, while nothing major at this time, I am glad the Sharks were able to sign Carson Wetsch to his first pro contract. He will definitely be a significant and much-needed addition to the Barracuda in the AHL starting next season. 

Sources: Sharks + SAP Center App, Curtis Pashelka via X 

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Sharks Earn Second Overall Pick in 2026 NHL Draft

 The Sharks became the second-luckiest team in this year’s NHL Draft Lottery, winning the second draw for the second overall pick and jumping seven spots from their originally projected ninth overall spot at the end of the regular season. 

This will be the second consecutive year that the Sharks’ first pick in the NHL Draft comes in at second overall. The only other team that got luckier than the Sharks in the draft lottery this year was the Toronto Maple Leafs, who jumped four spots from the fifth-best odds to earn the first overall selection. 

Before further discussing what this means for the Sharks, here are the full results from the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery: 

1) Toronto Maple Leafs 

2) San Jose Sharks 

3) Vancouver Canucks 

4) Chicago Blackhawks 

5) New York Rangers 

6) Calgary Flames 

7) Seattle Kraken 

8) Winnipeg Jets 

9) Florida Panthers 

10) Nashville Predators 

11) St. Louis Blues 

12) New Jersey Devils 

13) New York Islanders 

14) Columbus Blue Jackets 

15) St. Louis Blues (from Detroit Red Wings) 

16) Washington Capitals 

Overall, while completely unexpected, getting the second overall pick in this year’s draft is massive and unreal for the Sharks, and I could not be more satisfied with how things all played out and aligned here. Assuming the Maple Leafs take Gavin McKenna first overall on June 26 in Buffalo, I anticipate the Sharks will select either Ivar Stenberg, the second-ranked draft prospect on many NHL draft boards this year, or one of the top defensemen in this year’s draft class, such as Chase Reid or Keaton Verhoeff. Regardless, whoever the Sharks select with the second overall pick this year could be the final building block to complete their rebuild and fully open up their playoff contention window, and I am very excited to find out who the chosen one in this position is. 

In other news, earlier today the Sharks announced that they re-signed forward Patrick Giles to a two-year, two-way contract. Giles primarily spent the 2025-26 season with the Barracuda in the AHL, recording ten goals, 14 assists, and 24 points in 67 games, setting career-highs in points and assists in the AHL in his first full season with the Barracuda. He also appeared in two Calder Cup Playoff games for the Barracuda and three NHL games with the Sharks this past season, registering his first NHL assist on November 2 against the Red Wings. 

Sources: ESPN, Sharks + SAP Center App 

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Macklin Celebrini Named 2026 Ted Lindsay Award Finalist

 The NHL and NHLPA announced their finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award for most outstanding player as determined by the players, and Sharks superstar and face of the franchise Macklin Celebrini was named one of the finalists for this year alongside the Lightning's Nikita Kucherov and the Oilers' Connor McDavid. 

Macklin Celebrini's out-of-this-world sophomore campaign needs little introduction, especially to Sharks fans and hockey fans everywhere. He finished his 2025-26 season with 45 goals, 70 assists, and 115 points. Most notably, Celebrini set the Sharks franchise record for most points scored in a season and became the third-highest scoring teenager in NHL history, only trailing Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky. He also factored in on nearly half of all Sharks goals this past season, and the Sharks would rarely win if Celebrini is held off of the scoresheet. 

Overall, this is absolutely fantastic and the second of many NHL award finalist nominations for Celebrini. As much as I want Macklin to win the Ted Lindsay this year, I have a gut feeling that it will go to either McDavid or Kucherov. Regardless of who ends up winning the Ted Lindsay this year, this is a huge honor for Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks, and their greatness is only just beginning. 

Source: Sharks + SAP Center App 

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Sharks 2025-26 Game 82 Recap: Sharks 6, Jets 1 (4/16/26)

 The Sharks could not have ended their 2025-26 season any better, as Macklin Celebrini made franchise history and nine total Sharks players found the scoresheet in a 6-1 complete blowout victory over the Winnipeg Jets. 

The Jets struck first just three and a half minutes into this one on a breakaway goal by Cole Koepke. A bit later, the Sharks evened the game at one on a power play goal by Igor Chernyshov for his ninth goal of the season, assisted by William Eklund and Macklin Celebrini. Later in the opening period, the Sharks went ahead on Will Smith's 24th goal of the season, assisted by Macklin Celebrini and John Klingberg. This second assist of the contest gives Celebrini 70 assists and 114 points on the season, tying Joe Thornton for the Sharks franchise record for most points scored by a player in a season. 

Early in the second period, Collin Graf went coast to coast and scored a sweet goal for his 21st of the season to extend the Sharks' lead to two. The Sharks added two more goals in the final two minutes of the second period to make it a 5-1 contest. These last two goals of the second period began with Michael Misa scoring his ninth goal of the season off of his own rebound, assisted by William Eklund and John Klingberg, followed by William Eklund's 15th goal of the season, assisted by Mario Ferraro and Kiefer Sherwood. Just over a minute into the third period, Macklin Celebrini officially made Sharks franchise history, as he scored his 45th goal of the season to make it a five-goal game, assisted by John Klingberg and Will Smith. Celebrini is now the Sharks franchise leader for points scored in a season with 115, and also holds sole possession of the second-most goals scored by a Sharks player in a season in franchise history. In terms of goals scored in a season in Sharks history, Macklin Celebrini only trails Jonathan Cheechoo, who scored 56 goals and won the Rocket Richard Trophy during the 2005-06 season. 

Alex Nedeljkovic started in the crease in the Sharks’ season finale and was absolutely phenomenal, compiling 25 saves on 26 shots against. After giving up the first goal early in this one, Nedeljkovic completely shut the door on the Jets in the last game of the campaign. In addition, John Klingberg was back in the Sharks lineup to play his 700th NHL game and likely his final game in teal, amazingly recording three assists tonight. Ty Dellandrea, Philipp Kurashev, and Pavol Regenda also drew back into the Sharks lineup for their season finale, while Vincent Desharnais, Tyler Toffoli, and Alex Wennberg were healthy scratches. Earlier today, Eric Pohlkamp signed his two-year entry-level contract, which will officially start for the 2026-27 season now that his collegiate season is complete. 

And with that, the Sharks finished their 2025-26 season with a 39-35-8 record and 86 points, heading into the offseason with the ninth-best odds to win the draft lottery and likely to land a top-ten pick in the draft this year. Despite falling short of the playoffs, this season has been a major success for this Sharks team, having taken the biggest jump up the standings of any team in the NHL from the very bottom to being in the playoff hunt until their last few games of the season. 

The primary reason for the Sharks' significant improvement this season compared to the past six has been the play of their teenage superstar and face of the franchise, Macklin Celebrini. Celebrini has set countless Sharks franchise and NHL records in his sophomore season, placing himself up there with some hockey royalty. With the kind of season he just had, Celebrini will certainly be named a finalist for the Hart Trophy for league MVP. He has also earned every bit of the Sharks' next captaincy as soon as next season and is only getting better from here. It was also great to see Will Smith elevate his game in his sophomore campaign and Michael Misa, Sam Dickinson, and Igor Chernyshov display flashes of greatness in their rookie seasons as well. While it has been up and down at times, the Sharks’ goaltending has been solid, and the mid-season acquisition of Kiefer Sherwood has worked out in the Sharks’ favor so far. This Sharks team has laid the foundation for what’s to come, and if they can bolster their defense and make some tweaks to their depth scoring this offseason, they should safely be a playoff team next season. 

While the Sharks aren’t in them this year, I am looking forward to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and would be happy to see any of the current playoff teams except for the Kings, Golden Knights, and Oilers go on deep runs. In addition, I would be okay with any current playoff team except for any of the Sharks’ Pacific Division rivals or the Mammoth hoisting the Stanley Cup this year. 

Overall, this season has been the most fun I have had watching the San Jose Sharks since their last playoff run in 2019. While I am a bit sad that this season is over, I am definitely excited and optimistic for what’s in store for Team Teal going forward. 

Sources: NBC Sports California, NHL App 

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Sharks 2025-26 Game 81 Recap: Blackhawks 5, Sharks 2 (4/15/26)

 After they got off to a great start and held a lead through two periods of play, the Sharks allowed the Chicago Blackhawks to score four unanswered goals and completely take over in a 5-2 Blackhawks victory. 

The Sharks scored first early in the opening period on Mario Ferraro's seventh goal of the season, assisted by Kiefer Sherwood. He also got a few lucky deflections off of Spencer Knight and a Blackhawks defender on that opening goal. Late in the opening period, Ilya Mikheyev was awarded a penalty shot after he was hooked from behind by Dmitry Orlov, preventing Mikheyev from scoring. Fortunately, Yaroslav Askarov made the stop on Mikheyev's penalty shot. 

Early in the second period, Tyler Toffoli nearly had his 20th goal of the season, only for the Blackhawks to challenge it for offsides and get it overturned. The Sharks officially made it a two-goal lead on the power play via Michael Misa’s eighth goal of the season, assisted by Dmitry Orlov and Kiefer Sherwood. Like the Sharks’ first goal of this contest, they got another lucky deflection off of a Blackhawks defender to go their way. With 29 seconds remaining in the second period, the Blackhawks got on the board via Sam Rinzel to cut the Sharks’ advantage to one. 

Chicago scored twice more early in the third period via Louis Crevier and Ryan Greene to gain their first lead of the night. Towards the midway point of the third period, the Blackhawks made it a two-goal lead on Louis Crevier’s second goal of the night. Chicago wasn’t done yet in the third period, extending their lead to three and fully taking this one over on a goal from Nick Lardis. 

Yaroslav Askarov made his final start of the season tonight for Team Teal, recording 19 saves on 24 shots against. 

It seemed like the Sharks were going to cruise to victory in their next-to-last game of the season heading into the third period, but it was frustrating that they allowed the Blackhawks to climb back into this one and fully take over. On the bright side, this loss should improve the Sharks’ chances of landing a top-ten pick in this year’s draft to the point where it’s almost a guarantee. Next up, the Sharks travel to Winnipeg to face the Jets in their final game of the 2025-26 season tomorrow at 5 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports California, NHL App

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