Sharks 2021 Free Agency Day 1 Recap

 The NHL free agent frenzy has begun, and there have been many players that signed new deals today, whether it be with new teams or to stay with their current teams. Some trades were sprinkled in as well. 

Plenty of transactions took place around the NHL on the first day of free agency, but I will just cover the ones involving the Sharks and former Sharks players in this post. Let's begin: 

• The Sharks signed forward Nick Bonino to a two-year contract with a $2.05 million AAV. Bonino last played with the Minnesota Wild last season and is expected to fill the role of third-line center during his tenure with the Sharks starting next season. He scored ten goals and 16 assists for 26 points in 55 games with the Minnesota Wild during the 2021 season. His point totals from last season are tied for sixth on the Wild. Bonino also led the Wild in faceoff percentage (52.8%) and blocked shots among their forwards (50). He was initially drafted by the Sharks in the sixth round in 2007 but never previously played a game for San Jose. So far in his NHL career, Bonino has played 12 seasons with the Ducks, Canucks, Penguins, Predators, and Wild, recording 132 goals, 176 assists, 308 points, and 197 penalty minutes. He has appeared in the Stanley Cup Playoffs 10 of those 12 seasons, scoring 19 goals and 29 assists for 48 points in 105 playoff games. Bonino won the Stanley Cup twice in 2016 and 2017 with the Penguins and has been in the top 15 in Selke Trophy voting twice in his career (2018-19, 2019-20).
  

•  The Sharks added another depth forward via free agency in Andrew Cogliano to a one-year, $1 million deal. Cogliano recorded five goals, six assists, 11 points, and 24 penalty minutes in 54 games with the Dallas Stars last season. He was third among Dallas forwards in short-handed ice time and fifth among Dallas forwards in blocked shots (24) during the 2021 season. So far in his NHL career, Cogliano has scored 240 goals, 170 assists, 410 points, and 371 penalty minutes in 1,066 games with the Oilers, Ducks, and Stars. He has also played in 100 Stanley Cup Playoff games and recorded 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points with the Ducks and Stars, including the 2020 Cup Final with the Stars. Cogliano has the the sixth-longest consecutive games streak in NHL history with 830 games from October 4, 2007 to January 13, 2018 and played in 99.2% of his team's games that he's been able to play in.
  

• The Sharks found their 1A goalie in free agency via James Reimer, signing him to a two-year contract with an AAV of $2.25 million. Reimer previously had a stint with the Sharks as the backup to Martin Jones during the 2015-16 season when he was acquired from the Maple Leafs at the trade deadline. He was solid during the limited time he saw in net with the Sharks that season when they made their first-ever Cup Final appearance, earning a 6-2-0 record with a 1.62 record, .938 SV%, and three shutouts. Last season with the Hurricanes, Reimer had a 15-5-2 record with a 2.66 GAA and a .906 SV% in 22 games. In his two seasons in Carolina, James Reimer had a 2.66 GAA and a .910 SV%. In addition, Reimer has earned at least a .910 SV% or better in seven of his eleven seasons in the NHL. Over the course of his NHL career, Reimer has earned a 173-131-43 record, 2.79 GAA, and a .913 SV% with the Maple Leafs, Sharks, Panthers, and Hurricanes, along with a 5-5-0 record, 2.70 GAA, and a .925 SV% in 11 playoff games. Heading into next season, the Sharks' goaltending tandem will consist of Reimer and Adin Hill, which is already an upgrade over any combination of Martin Jones, Devan Dubnyk, Josef Korenar, and/or Alexei Melnichuk from last season.
  

• In addition to the free agency additions, the Sharks made a minor trade with the Coyotes by acquiring forward Lane Pederson for a 2024 fourth-round pick. Pederson recorded one goal and two assists for three points in 15 games with the Coyotes last season. He made his NHL debut on April 2 against the Ducks and scored his first NHL goal in his debut. Pederson also scored seven goals and 10 assists for 17 points with the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL last season.
  

• It didn't take long for recently bought-out Martin Jones to find a new team, as he signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Philadelphia Flyers to become the backup to Carter Hart next season. 

•  Former Sharks forward Kurtis Gabriel signed a one-year, $750k league minimum deal to join the Toronto Maple Leafs. Last season with the Sharks, Gabriel appeared in 11 games with the Sharks and recorded 55 penalty minutes, having invigorated the Sharks during a portion of the season with his increased physical presence. He was also a King Clancy Memorial Trophy finalist this past season, having raised awareness and stood up for the LGBTQ+ community throughout his time off the ice. 

•  The Sharks also signed defenseman Jaycob Megna and recently-acquired forward Nick Merkley to new one-year contracts. Megna spent last season as the captain of the AHL Barracuda. 

•  Former Sharks goalie Aaron Dell signs a one-year, $750k deal with the Buffalo Sabres. Dell spent much of last season with the New Jersey Devils.
  

The Sharks' free agent signings on the first day of free agency were great as they filled immediate needs on their roster, which were in goaltending and center depth. All three of the Sharks' newest free agent players were signed for under $5 million combined, which looks awesome against the salary cap. I am most excited about the Bonino and Reimer signings as both are great fits in San Jose. 

Lastly, I read a report confirming that Patrick Marleau will not return to the Sharks next season, and I have no idea what's next for him. We will find out soon.

I wouldn't be shocked if the Sharks either make only minor moves or don't make any more moves until the start of next season in October. With the improvements the Sharks have made so far this offseason, I am already excited for what's in store for them this coming season, and truly believe that they can compete for a playoff spot in 2022. 

Sources: Sharks + SAP Center App, NHL Discussion via Instagram

Sharks Buy Out the Remainder of Martin Jones' Contract

 The wait and uncertainty are over: on the day the NHL buyout window is set to expire, the Sharks have placed Martin Jones on unconditional waivers and bought out the remaining three years of his contract, ending Jones' tenure in San Jose. 

This was an absolutely necessary move as Jones has been on a steady decline since the 2019-20 season. He was a solid goalie from 2015-19 in the first four seasons of his Sharks tenure and was an integral piece in the Sharks' playoff run in 2016 that led to their first-ever Stanley Cup Final appearance. He was signed to a six-year, $34.5 million extension in 2017 that would begin in the 2018-19 season. This past season, Martin Jones had a 15-13-4 record with a 3.28 GAA and a below-.900 SV%. His overall record with the Sharks over the course of six seasons in teal was 170-121-27 and had a .916 SV% in 60 playoff games. 

According to CapFriendly, the Martin Jones buyout will cost the Sharks a total of $10 million against the salary cap over the next six years.

I like Martin Jones as a person and am very appreciative of what he has done for the Sharks franchise from 2015-19, but his time was up with the Sharks, and the goaltending in San Jose needed a shake-up since that was one of their biggest weaknesses this past season. 

The Sharks will now be looking for a second goalie to pair with Adin Hill, and their best bet on finding another goalie would be via free agency, which starts tomorrow. We will find out who they add in net possibly within the next few days.

Lastly, I hope Martin Jones gets another chance with another team or whatever career path he wants to take next and wish him nothing but the best. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, The Athletic, CapFriendly

Sharks News & Notes (7/26/21)

 A few noteworthy headlines were released regarding the San Jose Sharks today, and with free agency beginning in a few days, let's get into them: 

• The Sharks acquired the rights to forward Nick Merkley from the New Jersey Devils for the rights to defenseman Christian Jaros. Both players involved in this deal are pending RFAs. Nick Merkley is not related to Sharks prospect defenseman Ryan Merkley and recorded two goals and eight assists for ten points and seven penalty minutes in 27 games with the Devils last season; these stats are all career highs for him except for penalty minutes. Over the course of his NHL career, Merkley has a total of three goals and nine assists 12 points in 32 games with the Coyotes and Devils. In addition, Nick Merkley wasn't issued a qualifying offer by San Jose, therefore making him a UFA, but he and the Sharks are expected to come to a separate agreement on a new deal. On the other hand, Christian Jaros played a limited role with the Sharks this past season and has mainly been a liability in that limited role. 

• Speaking of qualifying offers, the Sharks have issued one to forward Noah Gregor and will retain his negotiating rights. However, forward Ryan Donato was not issued a qualifying offer by the Sharks, now making him a UFA. Recently-acquired goalie Adin Hill was previously issued a qualifying offer by the Coyotes, therefore his rights are retained by the Sharks.
  

•  The Sharks should be either trading or buying out Martin Jones any day now, but it hasn't happened yet. Who knows if it will ever happen. The chances are still unlikely, but if Martin Jones is still on the Sharks' roster come next season and their goalie tandem consists of Jones and recently acquired Adin Hill, something is wrong and the Sharks are basically tanking next season. Betting on Martin Jones to bounce back in net next season and keeping him on the roster is a huge gamble that isn't worth taking. Jones has been on a steady decline since the 2019-20 season and has proven that he is no longer a starting-caliber goalie in the NHL anymore. We will find out the situation with Martin Jones in San Jose soon as the buyout window in the NHL closes tomorrow at 5 pm ET/2 pm PT and free agency begins on Wednesday. 

Stay tuned to CPF Hockey for all your San Jose Sharks offseason needs. 

Source: sjsharks.com 

Sharks 2021 Entry Draft Rounds 2-7 Recap

 The remaining rounds of the 2021 entry draft have wrapped up, with the Sharks making a total of nine selections in this year's entry draft. San Jose's remaining eight selections were made on the second day of the entry draft. They also traded the 71st overall pick to the Blues for the 81st and 177th picks.

I'll admit that I'm not the most knowledgeable when it comes to players drafted in later rounds, explaining why I don't plan to go into detail regarding the Sharks' remaining eight selections. Players that get drafted in later rounds are less likely to become stars, pan out, or make the NHL at all, but there have certainly been exceptions to this as there have been hidden gems in rounds 2-7 throughout history. 

Besides the 7th overall selection in William Eklund, here are the rest of the Sharks' picks in this year's entry draft: 

Round 3, Pick 81: Benjamin Gaudreau (G), Sarnia Sting (OHL) 

Round 4, Pick 103: Gannon Laroque (D), Victoria Royals (WHL) 

Round 4, Pick 121: Ethan Cardwell (F), Barrie Colts (OHL) 

Round 5, Pick 135: Artem Guryev (D), Lindsay Muskies (OJHL) 

Round 5, Pick 156: Max McCue (F), London Knights (OHL) 

Round 6, Pick 167: Liam Gilmartin (F), London Knights (OHL) 

Round 6, Pick 177: Theo Jacobsson (F), Modo Jr. (Sweden) 

Round 7, Pick 199: Evgenii Kashnikov (D), Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL) 

Be on the lookout for additional news coming up as the buyout period ends Tuesday and free agency begins on Wednesday. 

Source: sjsharks.com

Sharks Draft William Eklund at Seventh Overall

 The first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft is officially in the books. The Sharks had the seventh overall pick and selected Swedish center/winger William Eklund from Djurgardens of the Swedish Hockey League. 

Eklund is projected to be an elite forward, and some experts see him as potentially the best player to come out of this draft class. He is a fantastic skater with great speed that makes plays happen. Eklund is also a great defender as well. 

Eklund has been tearing up the SHL before getting drafted by the Sharks, registering 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in his second season with Djurgardens IF, bringing his totals to 11 goals, 14 assists, and 25 points in 60 games in the SHL. His second-season stats were also career highs for him. Eklund led the SHL in goals, finished second in points, and tied for second in assists. He also had the most game-winning goals on Djurgardens with three. In addition, Eklund was named SHL Rookie of the Year and Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year. NHL Central Scouting ranked William Eklund as its Top European Skater in this year's entry draft. 

Many people consider William Eklund at the seventh overall pick to be a steal. The Sharks should be very lucky that Eklund fell to the seventh overall selection because there were previously talks of him going sooner than seventh before the draft started. I am over the moon excited about this selection, especially since Eklund has such a high potential in the NHL. I can totally see Eklund becoming a franchise player for the Sharks in at least a few seasons and a superstar in the entire league as well. The Sharks’ future is now in good hands, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing Eklund play in the NHL sometime soon. 

Sources: ESPN, NHL Discussion via Instagram, Sharks + SAP Center App

NHL 2021-22 Season Schedule Released

 Following the completion of the Seattle Expansion Draft, the NHL released its regular season schedule for the 2021-22 season the following day, with the return of its regular divisions and a full 82-game slate starting October 12 with the Penguins vs. Lightning and the Kraken's first regular season match-up in Vegas against the Golden Knights. Every team will go back to playing at least one home game and one road game against each other next season.

As for the Sharks, their 2021-22 season opener is on October 16 vs. the Jets at SAP Center. After their season opener, San Jose will embark on a five-game road trip before returning to the Tank on October 28 to host the Canadiens. Team Teal's longest homestand consists of seven games from December 7 through December 23 hosting the Flames, Wild, Stars, Kraken, Canucks (twice), and Oilers. The Sharks' longest roadies are five games each and take place within the first few months of the season. 

The NHL All-Star festivities will take place February 4-5 in Vegas. The league will also have a scheduled break in February to accommodate for players participating in the Winter Olympics in Beijing. 

Individual game start times and local TV/radio information will be unveiled later on. 

I plan to write as many game recaps and news + notes posts as I possibly can this coming season, and I certainly believe that the Sharks are on the right track to performing better this coming season than they did last season. I also can't wait to see how the Seattle Kraken perform in their first season, especially so I can determine how I officially feel about them moving forward. 

Sources: Sharks + SAP Center App, NHL

Sharks Sign Rudolfs Balcers & Joachim Blichfeld to New Contracts

 The Sharks announced yesterday that they signed pending RFA forwards Rudolfs Balcers and Joachim Blichfeld to new deals. 

Rudolfs Balcers' new contract is worth two years and a $1.55 million AAV. Balcers will earn $1.25 million in his first year of his new deal, while he will earn $1.85 million in the second year of the deal. The 24-year old Latvian forward recorded eight goals and nine assists for 17 points in 41 games last season along with 16 penalty minutes. Balcers recorded his first three-point game on April 2 against the Kings, made his Sharks debut on February 6 against the Ducks, and scored his first goal as a Shark on February 20 against the Blues. He also set career highs in many areas this past season. 

As for Joachim Blichfeld, his new contract is one year, with terms undisclosed. He recorded one goal and 12 penalty minutes in five NHL games last season while spending most of last season with the Barracuda in the AHL. Blichfeld led the Cuda in points, co-led in goals, and tied for fifth in assists last season. 

Sources: Sharks + SAP Center App, NHL Discussion via Instagram 

Seattle Kraken Draft Alexander True from the Sharks

 The Seattle Kraken’s 30 selections from 30 other NHL teams are official, and they have selected forward Alexander True from the San Jose Sharks in yesterday’s expansion draft. The selection was announced in an exhibit inside the Seattle Aquarium; however, that specific exhibit didn’t have any actual sharks inside of it. 

Last season with the Sharks, Alex True only registered one assist in seven games. Most of his tenure with the Sharks has been spent with the Barracuda in the AHL, and he hasn’t developed as quickly as the Sharks had hoped from him. True is also the cousin of Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers. 

I don’t see this as a huge loss for San Jose, especially considering that I first thought that the Kraken would take Dylan Gambrell in the expansion draft. Hopefully True can further develop his game and get more opportunities in the Kraken organization. 

As for the Kraken jerseys, Seattle’s home jersey looks great while their away jerseys are just average. 

What didn’t help was that almost all of the Kraken’s expansion draft selections were leaked before it went down, which basically took the surprise element out of the actual expansion draft. I still watched the expansion draft yesterday and felt it was still worth it. 

Here are the remainder of the Seattle Kraken’s selections in yesterday’s expansion draft: 

Bruins - Jeremy Lauzon (D) 

Red Wings - Dennis Cholowski (D) 

Sabres - Will Borgen (D) 

Panthers - Chris Driedger (G) 

Lightning - Yanni Gourde (F) 

Canadiens - Cale Fleury (D) 

Maple Leafs - Jared McCann (F) 

Senators - Joey Daccord (G) 

Hurricanes - Morgan Geekie (F) 

Blue Jackets - Gavin Bayreuther (D) 

Devils - Nathan Bastian (F) 

Islanders - Jordan Eberle (F) 

Rangers - Colin Blackwell (F) 

Flyers - Carsen Twarynski (F) 

Penguins - Brandon Tanev (F) 

Capitals - Vitek Vanecek (G) 

Coyotes - Tyler Pitlick (F) (Pitlick has now been dealt to the Flames for a 2022 4th rounder) 

Avalanche - Joonas Donskoi (F) 

Blackhawks - John Quenneville (F) 

Stars - Jamie Oleksiak (D) 

Wild - Carson Soucy (D) 

Predators - Calle Jarnkrok (F) 

Blues - Vince Dunn (D) 

Jets - Mason Appleton (F) 

Ducks - Haydn Fleury (D) 

Flames - Mark Giordano (D) 

Oilers - Adam Larsson (D) 

Kings - Kurtis MacDermid (D) 

Canucks - Kole Lind (F) 

Sources: ESPN, NHL, NHL Discussion via Instagram 

Sharks Protected List Revealed Ahead of Seattle Expansion Draft + My Expansion Draft Prediction

 The protected players lists for 30 teams have been released ahead of Wednesday's Seattle Expansion Draft. The Sharks went with protecting seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie rather than eight skaters (combination of forwards and defensemen) and a goalie. Here's the Sharks' list of players they have protected from being taken by the Kraken: 

• Logan Couture (F) 
• Tomas Hertl (F) 
• Evander Kane (F) 
• Kevin Labanc (F) 
• Timo Meier (F) 
• Rudolfs Balcers (F) 
• Jonathan Dahlen (F) 
• Brent Burns (D) 
• Erik Karlsson (D) 
• Marc-Eduoard Vlasic (D) 
• Adin Hill (G) 

On the flip side, here are the Sharks players left protected that the Kraken can choose from on Wednesday: 

• Ryan Donato (F) 
• Kurtis Gabriel (F) 
• Dylan Gambrell (F) 
• Jayden Halbgewachs (F) 
• Maxim Letunov (F) 
• Patrick Marleau (F) 
• Matt Nieto (F) 
• Marcus Sorensen (F) 
• Alexander True (F) 
• Christian Jaros (D) 
• Radim Simek (D) 
• Nicolas Meloche (D) 
• Jacob Middleton (D) 
• Greg Pateryn (D) 
• Martin Jones (G) 

A few other things to note regarding the Seattle Expansion Draft: the Vegas Golden Knights are exempt since they've only played four full seasons so far, and players with less than two years of NHL experience aren't eligible to be selected in the expansion draft. 

As for my thoughts on the Sharks' protected list, there aren't any surprises in there. They protected the players everyone expects them to protect, and that's the way it should be. 

Now for my Seattle Expansion Draft prediction: I think the Seattle Kraken will select Dylan Gambrell from the Sharks come Wednesday. He is the the type of player that the Kraken are looking for, and age is on his side when it comes to the current stage of his career. 

I am expecting a few surprises during the Seattle Expansion Draft on Wednesday, but we will have to wait and see when it goes down. I don't expect the Kraken to have to same amount of success early on that the Golden Knights have had thus far, but they definitely have the potential to shock everyone in their first season depending on what kind of roster they put together. I couldn't be more excited to find out who the Kraken roster will consist of and how they will perform starting next season. 

Watch this space to find out who the Kraken select from the Sharks along with Seattle's complete roster in a few days.

Sources: The Athletic, NHL Discussion via Instagram

Sharks Acquire Adin Hill from the Coyotes

 Right before the 12 pm trade freeze before the Seattle Expansion Draft, the Sharks acquired goalie Adin Hill and a 2022 seventh round pick from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for goalie Josef Korenar and a 2022 second round pick. Hill is a pending RFA, and this also comes four days after the Sharks signed Korenar to a one-year, $750k deal.

As I first heard about this trade, my initial thoughts were that Adin Hill is already an upgrade in net over Martin Jones, Devan Dubnyk, Josef Korenar, and Alexei Melnichuk. Last season with the Coyotes, Hill had a 9-9-1 record with a 2.74 GAA and a .913 SV%. Over the course of his career thus far, Hill has a 19-21-4 record in 41 starts with a 2.79 GAA, .909 SV%, and three shutouts in 49 NHL games. During the times I saw Adin Hill perform last season, especially against the Sharks, he was definitely a solid goaltender. 

It has yet to be determined whether the Sharks plan to go with a Hill-Jones goalie tandem next season or acquire another goalie via trade or free agency before next season. If San Jose really wants to improve their goaltending from last season, they should buy out Martin Jones' contract soon and acquire another goalie via trade or free agency. 

On the other hand, I understand some Sharks fans' concerns about giving up a second rounder in next year's draft that is supposedly loaded with talent. However, I am pretty happy with this trade overall as San Jose needs goaltending help now rather than a few years down the line. 

In other news, the Tampa Bay Lightning traded former San Jose Shark Barclay Goodrow to the New York Rangers for a 2022 seventh round pick. Goodrow is set to become a UFA on July 28. 

Sources: NHL App, NHL Discussion via Instagram

Sharks Re-sign Josef Korenar & Dylan Gambrell to 1-Year Deals

The Sharks announced that they have re-signed goaltender Josef Korenar to a one-year deal worth $750k and forward Dylan Gambrell to a one-year deal worth $1.1 million. Both were pending restricted free agents this offseason, while Gambrell will remain an RFA with arbitration rights once his new contract expires after this coming season. 

Korenar appeared in ten games this past season, finishing with a 3-5-0 record, a 3.17 goals against average (GAA), and an .899 save percentage (SV%). He became the Sharks' primary goalie towards the end of this past season. In addition, the 23-year-old went 5-1-2 with a 3.22 GAA and .898 SV% in eight AHL games with the Barracuda this past season before being called up to the Sharks following the departure of Devan Dubnyk at the trade deadline. 

Gambrell had a bit of a down season in 2021 like many Sharks players but was good for his standards, scoring five goals and seven assists for 12 points in 49 games this past season. However, he did lead the team forwards in shorthanded time on ice with 111:22. In addition, Gamby set career highs in points and assists, tied his career best in goals, and fell one short of his career best in games played in a season. He remains a solid depth forward with room for improvement but will almost certainly get exposed at Wednesday's Seattle Expansion Draft.

As of now, with the way things currently stand in net, Josef Korenar will be the Sharks starting netminder next season with either Martin Jones or Alexei Melnichuk backing him up. Any combination of these three goalies struggled this past season for the Sharks, and goaltending is the biggest area that Team Teal needs to shake up before next season if they want to get back to contending for the playoffs. Korenar has shown flashes of greatness this past season and has a lot of potential, but we will have to see how consistent he can be when given a full-season workload in net.

Source: Sharks + SAP Center App, CapFriendly 

Tampa Bay Lightning Win 2021 Stanley Cup

 The Tampa Bay Lightning have defended the Stanley Cup and won the Cup Final series in five games over the Montreal Canadiens. They are the sixth team in NHL history to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions and the first team since the 2016-17 Pittsburgh Penguins to win back-to-back Cups. In addition, Pat Maroon becomes the first player in NHL history to win three straight Stanley Cups.

 I understand that casual fans and fans of other teams may not be too happy about how this year's Cup Final went down and say it was unfair because Tampa was roughly $18 million over the salary cap heading into the playoffs. However, I am very pleased with the results, mainly because the Lightning are my second favorite NHL team. I also believe the Bolts don't get enough credit for their amazing feat that they just accomplished. Many of you may recall that Tampa got swept in the first round by the Blue Jackets after winning the Presidents' Trophy two seasons ago and won the first of their back-to-back Cups in an empty arena last year to get to this point.  

Here's a quick recap of each game in the Cup Final this year leading up to the Bolts' Cup victory:

Game 1: The Lightning defeat the Canadiens 5-1. Nikita Kucherov scores twice for the Lightning, while Erik Cernak, Yanni Gourde, and Steven Stamkos each score once. Ben Chiarot scores the lone Canadiens goal. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 18 saves, while Carey Price made 22 saves. The first game was a mostly lopsided affair in favor of Tampa, in which the Bolts' offense was much stronger than that of the Habs. 

Game 2: The Lightning defeat the Canadiens 3-1 and take a 2-0 series lead despite being outshot 43-23 and not playing their best game. Anthony Cirelli, Blake Coleman, and Ondrej Palat each scored for the Lightning, while Nick Suzuki scored the only goal for the Canadiens. The biggest factor as to why the Bolts stayed in this game and held on to win was Andrei Vasilevskiy, who made 42 saves and had an incredible performance in net. In addition, Blake Coleman's go-ahead goal in the dying seconds of the middle frame was one of the best goals of these playoffs, receiving a great pass from former San Jose Shark Barclay Goodrow and making a diving one-handed shot to find the back of the net at the right place at the right time. 

Game 3: The Lightning continue to dominate in the Cup Final and beat the Canadiens 6-3 to take a commanding 3-0 series lead. Tyler Johnson scored two goals, while Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov each record a goal and assist. In addition, Victor Hedman became the first player in NHL history to score a goal in each of the 12 calendar months. The other two goal scorers for the Lightning in Game 3 were Jan Rutta and Blake Coleman. As for the Canadiens, Philip Danault, Nick Suzuki, and Corey Perry each scored for Montreal in their losing effort. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 32 of 35 shots against, while Carey Price stopped 24 of 29 shots against.

Game 4: The Canadiens avoid getting swept and force Game 5 by winning 3-2 in overtime. Josh Anderson scored the game-winning goal for the Canadiens in overtime along with the first goal of the game for Montreal's first lead in the entire Cup Final series. In addition, Alexander Romanov scored his first career playoff goal in Game 4 of the Cup Final. As for the Lightning, Barclay Goodrow and Pat Maroon each scored important game-tying goals in the second and third periods respectively. In other words, the Habs were the more desperate team in Game 4 and definitely played like it throughout the game.

Game 5: Ross Colton scores the Cup-clinching goal for the Lightning as Tampa blanks the Canadiens 1-0 to win the Cup in their home arena in front of a sellout crowd. David Savard and Ryan McDonagh assisted on the only goal of Game 5. Andrei Vasilevskiy only needed to make 22 saves to earn the shutout and ultimately win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP. The only player that kept Montreal in Game 5 and gave the Habs a chance to force Game 6 was Carey Price, who basically stood on his head for much of this game and made 29 saves on 30 shots against. 

I also want to congratulate the Montreal Canadiens on an unbelievable run to the Cup Final this year. Despite having the least amount of regular season points out of all teams in this year's playoff pool, they proved their doubters wrong and performed exceptionally well leading up to their first Cup Final appearance since 1993. The Habs should be taken more seriously heading into next season and beyond because they have shown in these playoffs that they are capable of great things. 

A few closing thoughts: 

The trade that Doug Wilson made at the 2019-20 Trade Deadline sending Barclay Goodrow to the Bolts was definitely worth a first-round pick in return, especially now that Goodrow has won two consecutive Stanley Cups since that trade occurred. 

Andrei Vasilevskiy winning the Conn Smythe Trophy this year has solidified his status as the best goaltender in the world right now. 

Now that the NHL offseason has officially begun, I can't wait to see what goes down across the league between now and the start of next season in October. I especially want to see what magic Doug Wilson has up his sleeve to improve the Sharks and get them back to being the perennial playoff contender that we all knew and loved, along with the roster that the Seattle Kraken will form during the expansion draft. 

Sources: NBC Sports, NHL App