NHL rumblings: Last thoughts on the Cup, plus the latest on Carlson, Rielly, Hischier and more

As we close the book on the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, if there’s one memory I’m going to keep, it’s the Carolina Hurricanes fans who all made the trek to Las Vegas and kept chanting “Freddie, Freddie,” as the players celebrated on the ice with family and friends.

“It’s special,” Canes goalie Frederik Andersen said during the celebrations on the ice. “It’s been really cool to be able to play in front of Caniacs.”

Deep down, I have to think those Carolina fans were also wrapping a big bear hug around Andersen, not just because a knee injury knocked him out of the Cup Final but also because they knew the emotion Andersen carried into the series after losing his longtime agent, Claude Lemieux, on May 28. That news shook the hockey world and certainly Andersen, who was very close to him. Lemieux was in Andersen’s thoughts throughout the series.

“For sure,” Andersen told me. “He will be forever, really. It’ll be hard to deal with and continue to move ahead with throughout my life. Everyone he was close with will have to do the same. It’s something I know already we’ve been talking a lot and supporting each other. That’s all you can do, really, is make him proud.”

A reminder, as if we needed one, of what really matters.

Tulsky’s bet

Speaking of Carolina goaltending, well, let’s revisit the column I wrote after Game 4, when Brandon Bussi made his first start of the series. I asked a very simple question that night: Would the Canes regret not upgrading in goal before the March 6 trade deadline, or would general manager Eric Tulsky be proven right in sticking with what he had?

Well, we certainly got our answer. The waiver pickup Bussi was up to the task and then some.

I went back to the goalie coach I quoted in that Game 4 column — who had doubts over whether Carolina had good enough goaltending to close it out — for a follow-up.

“Good for them,” he said. “Carolina is an incredible team. Carolina was on another level than Vegas, and it is a credit to them that they were able to drive it home without the goalie being the focal point. When I think back to (the Cup-winning St. Louis Blues in 2019), for example, they were exceptional but really relied on goaltending in a big way. Carolina’s goalie did a great job. The goalie coach (Paul Schonfelder) over there is fantastic. Their team was relentless. It was a total package deal. But they supported their goalies really well.

“Hats off to them.”

In the end, it was the goaltending for Vegas that faltered, with Bussi clearly outplaying Carter Hart.

But let’s also be real: As I wrote about that same night, the goaltending never has to save the day for Carolina. It just had to not cost them. The way the Hurricanes play, they’re always going to make goalies look good to a degree. Bussi did his job.

Am I convinced Bussi will still be in the NHL in two years? Who knows. But by cleverly signing him to a three-year extension back in February, which starts next season at a $1.9 million cap hit, the Hurricanes are protected no matter what happens. If he continues to shine from his breakout year and performance in the Cup Final, it’s the bargain of the century. If he comes back down to earth, as we often see with the unpredictable goalie position, then Carolina can bury that contract without losing any sleep.

And yes, despite having a chance at Sergei Bobrovsky at the trade deadline — the original asking price was a first-round pick, which Carolina would have never paid — Tulsky was vindicated in the end.

“I don’t think about it like that,” Tulsky told The Athletic on Monday. “In every situation, we work through the options in detail, consider every possibility and take the path that seems best to us. Sometimes it will work out, and sometimes it won’t. But that’s true no matter what you do, and it doesn’t necessarily prove that you were right or wrong.”

Well, I think lifting the Cup over his head Sunday night proved he was right.

Carlson free agency

John Carlson is headed to market. His agent, Rick Curran, has informed Anaheim Ducks GM Pat Verbeek of that. Both sides had talked about a potential extension, but Carlson is moving on.

“I’ve had good discussions with Pat,” Curran told The Athletic on Tuesday. “I told him how much John enjoyed his time in Anaheim. But his preference is to return and play in the East, closer to family and the familiarity with it. Pat was naturally disappointed but completely understood.”

There will be strong interest in the 36-year-old star defenseman. I think at least four or five teams in the East will be in on him. Carlson had been in talks with the Washington Capitals before the trade deadline in March about a two-year extension worth $9 million per season before the team, fading in the standings, decided instead to trade him. My guess is there’s a two-year deal around $10 million per year waiting for Carlson on the July 1 open market, if not more.

One team that makes sense to me? The Tampa Bay Lightning, if they lose pending unrestricted free agent Darren Raddysh to free agency.

What’s it mean for Trouba?

With Carlson leaving Anaheim, I would imagine that will push the Ducks to circle back on pending UFA defenseman Jacob Trouba. The sides have already had talks over the past two months. There’s mutual interest there. But with July 1 so close, it could also be tempting for Trouba, 32, to experience that for the first time in his career.

This one is tough to handicap.

Leafs-Flyers trade

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers swapped goalies on Tuesday, Samuel Ersson going to Toronto along with Emil Andrae and a third-round pick this year while Joseph Woll and veteran defenseman Simon Benoit head to Philadelphia.

From a Leafs’ perspective, this was about roster flexibility, cap space and that they like Andrae, 24, as a good, young defenseman. The Flyers feel they’ve upgraded in goal and are excited about a Dan Vladar-Woll tandem.

What I would say on this trade for Toronto is let’s see where it leads to next in terms of that roster and cap flexibility.

Rielly next?

Further to what colleague Jonas Siegel wrote regarding Morgan Rielly this past week, all signs indeed point to a potential trade this offseason. All parties are working together on it.

The 32-year-old has a full no-move clause. His agent, J.P. Barry, gave Leafs management a list of teams that would interest Rielly. My understanding is that most of those teams are all in the Western Conference, but there’s also a sense that there could be flexibility as talks evolve. For instance, if Leafs GM John Chayka comes back to Barry with a team that’s not on a list but that made a decent trade offer, it doesn’t necessarily mean that’s a “no.”

The San Jose Sharks make sense as a possibility. But I don’t believe the Vancouver Canucks are on the list.

Rielly has four more years on his deal at $7.5 million AAV, but it was a front-loaded contract, so the actual cash is now $6 million per year.

Hischier extension?

We are two weeks from July 1, at which point players who have one year left on their current contracts can sign extensions. All signs seem to be pointing to that eventually being the case with New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier.

There’s still work to be done, and nothing is done until it’s done, but my sense as of Tuesday is that the sides are working away at it and there’s intent and motivation to get the extension done. If that’s the case, it will be a great disappointment to a long list of teams that have been monitoring the situation closely.

Coleman’s future

Blake Coleman has one year left on his contract ($4.9 million average annual value), so this is an offseason that will spark some decisions from him and the Calgary Flames.

It doesn’t make much sense to keep Coleman through the summer without an extension if you’re the Flames. An extension would mean they want his leadership around through their continued transition.

The Flames could also gauge the trade market over the next few weeks.

I’m told both options remain on the table. Calgary is willing to make a hockey trade involving Coleman but not a picks deal. The Flames have so many draft picks, it doesn’t make sense for them to gather more. But if there’s a hockey trade that makes sense, they would look at that. If a trade doesn’t materialize, though, the Flames would also be open to talks of an extension with Coleman.

Laine interest

There is a decent level of interest in pending UFA Patrik Laine, 28. The hook there is that teams can sign him to a low-risk deal because he spent more than 100 days on injured reserve this past season, meaning he’s eligible for a performance bonus-based contract at a low average annual value.

Laine would have appeal to any team looking for a power-play boost. There will be bonuses for goals and points and games played likely attached to that contract. Laine will be betting on himself.