Latest news with #KenHolland
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
We all love top Oilers d-man, but a contract extension for him? Hmm
We all love Mattias Ekholm, veteran defenceman and hockey hero of the Edmonton Oilers, the king of the north, the Viking of the blueline. He's a top Oilers d-man for sure. In fact, at times in the past few seasons he's been Edmonton's best d-man. That said, as a fan of the team before I'm a fan of any one player, I can't say I love the idea of Edmonton extending Ekholm's contract just now. I hadn't been thinking it was a possibility but this week on Oilers Now, Edmonton's top NHL insider Bob Stauffer, the team's master of whisperers, shared this nugget: 'It wouldn't surprise me if the Oilers extended Matthias Ekholm, maybe even this summer.'' When Stauffer mentioned it, the ideas sounded OK enough, mainly because I'm like almost all of the rest of you: I admire Ekholm both as an individual and as a player. Acquiring him from Nashville was one of the two or three best moves former GM Ken Holland made with the Oilers, that and signing Zach Hyman and giving second chances to players like Evander Kane and Corey Perry, even as other NHL teams were too cautious and/or sanctimonious to consider the same. Ekholm has been a stalwart since his arrival in Edmonton, teaming up with Evan Bouchard on the team's top-pairing to help lead the squad to two Stanley Cup Finals. But time and injury aren't the friends of a single NHL player. Time and injury catch up to all of them. We got a taste of that with Ekholm this season. He played as well as ever in the first half of the season, but after a series of core injury issues, his game wasn't the same. After a rough stretch of games where he leaked Grade A shots against, he was out for weeks in the final part of the season. When he came back in the playoffs, he was OK in general, but iffy in key moments, especially against Florida as the series went along. Ekholm wasn't alone in playing marginal hockey as that series unfolded, but he wasn't the exception to the general rule either. When I first heard Stauffer's musing about Ekholm maybe getting a contract extension this summer — he's got one year left on a deal that pays him $6.25 million this year — my first thought was that the Oilers had best wait to see how Ekholm recovers and performs this year before committing to the player. That notion has only been reinforced after looking at how other players aged 36 and up did in the NHL this past season. This past year, Ekholm was 34 and, when healthy, played at a peak or near peak level. Next year in the final year of his deal, we can't be sure how he'll play at age 35. But in 2026-27, the first year of any new deal he might sign, he'll be 36, and what we can say with certainty is it's rare for 36-year-old d-men to play strong two-way hockey at the NHL level. Most of them at that age have been so slowed by age and injury that they've retired. Only two or three still play top level hockey. In 2024-25, there were just eight 35-year-old d-men in the NHL. Of those, just two, Chris Tanev and Ryan McDonagh, played at full season at near peak levels of play. Two others, Jared Spurgeon and Drew Doughty, played well but were out with injury much of the year. The others — Luke Schenn, Brendan Smith, Ian Cole and Robert Bortuzzo — were OK-to-iffy. As mentioned, Ekholm will be 35 next year. One hopes he can be like Tanev or McDonagh and thrive all year as a two-way player. But the odds start to work against him now in the final year of his contract. If he were to sign a new deal, it would be for when he's 36 and possibly older, if the Oilers gave him term. Just eight d-men 36-years and older played in the NHL last year and just two of them, Brent Burns and Kris Letang, were Top 4 d-men on their teams. The odds start to get daunting if you're counting on a 36-year-old d-man to play solid two-way hockey in a Top 4 role. Of course Ekholm is an individual. He's a remarkable player and person. Perhaps he can't defy those odds. But no player is a good bet to do so, even as some few pull it off. If the Oilers were to extend him, I'd compare him to Jeff Petry, 37 last season, signing with Florida, another top team with major salary cap issues. Petry signed a deal for $775,000, with performance bonus money of $250,000. That's the kind of sober bet a top team with Stanley Cup aspirations makes on d-men over the age of 35. Now if Ekholm were to crush it this year as a two-way player that equation might change, but not until then.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kings' Anze Kopitar gives update on retirement plans
Anze Kopitar isn't seeking a contract extension. That's what Los Angeles Kings GM Ken Holland told NHL Network Radio. Even with Kopitar entering the final year of his current deal, his camp told the Kings that an extension isn't on their mind. The takeaway: Kopitar is taking it "year-by-year" from here, writes Pro Hockey Rumors. Kopitar is still skilled enough to play for a long time. But the 37-year old does have 1,454 games on his body and could view retirement as something coming sooner rather than later. In 81 games in 2024-25, Kopitar had 21 goals and 46 assists (67 points) in 81 games. He added nine points in seven playoff games. MORE: Maple Leafs have completed their $10.5 million Mitch Marner replacement plan Kopitar was taken 11th overall all the way back in 2005 by the Kings and has spent his entire 19-season NHL career with L.A. It certainly doesn't seem like he wants to go anywhere else. The only question is how long does Kopitar want this to continue. He has 440 career goals and 838 career assists for 1,278 points. And he'll add to those totals this season. Whether he has a next year remains to be seen. MORE NHL NEWS: Avalanche's failed winger leaving for KHL Blue Jackets lose 1st-round pick to Russia for at least 4 years Red Wings forward announces shock NHL retirement at age 28 Lightning legend retires after 2 Stanley Cups Jack Eichel bashes the Sabres with unnecessary stray Rangers center retires after 12 NHL seasons due to knee injuries
AFP
08-07-2025
- Sport
- AFP
Articles falsely claim massive donations from Canada for Texas flood victims
"Breaking News: The Oilers have used their NHL season bonus to donate $49 million to support victims and rescuers in the search and rescue efforts for those missing in the devastating flash floods in Texas," says July 6, 2025 Facebook post on "Oilers nations," The same claim spread on other apparent NHL fan pages, while a similarly large donation was said to have been made by the Toronto Maple Leafs. in the comments lead to articles repeating the claims. Image Screenshot of a Facebook post taken July 7, 2025 Image Screenshot of a Facebook post taken July 7, 2025 The articles surfaced after more than 100 people were killed as catastrophic floods swept through Texas in the early hours of July 4, 2025. The deceased include at least 27 girls and counselors who were staying at a youth summer camp on the Guadalupe River over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Volunteers on horseback and others with rescue dogs have been combing riverbanks alongside authorities in central Texas, searching for victims in Kerr County. including the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers and Houston Astros, and the National Basketball Association's San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks have all pledged support for Central Texas. But AFP found no evidence of donations from the Canadian hockey teams . The Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation (EOFC) confirmed in a July 7, 2025 email that it did not make the donation AFP did not receive a response to requests for comment from the Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Foundation, but a review of its social media accounts and those for the Toronto Maple Leafs no announcement of any multi-million dollar donation to . A donation -- the size claimed by the Facebook pages -- would far outpace those typically made by the two franchises. According to an analysis by Charity Intelligence Canada, the biggest grant EOFC offered in fiscal year 2024 was $1.1 million to KidSport Canada to help fund access to hockey for more children (archived here). The Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Foundation spent a total of $8 million on programs and grants in fiscal year 2023, the analysis found (archived here). Suspicious pages, websites Although the NHL-related Facebook pages list Canadian contact addresses, their page transparency details show they are largely managed from Vietnam. Image Screenshots of the page transparency tab of three Facebook pages showing managers located in Vietnam Reviews other Facebook users have left on the "Oilers nations" page include warnings such as: "Every single article has been fake." The articles cited as proof of the team's alleged donations appear on sites that are filled with advertisements, include and make clear errors in attribution. The article claiming the Oilers donated $49 million quotes "Oilers' General Manager Ken Holland." But the current GM of the team is Stan Bowman (archived here). Bowman replaced Holland, who now works for the Los Angeles Kings, in July 2024 (archived here). Image Screenshot taken July 8, 2025 of the article featuring a fake quote from Ken Holland The fact-checking organization Lead Stories found additional false claims about donations to Texas victims from prominent Americans, including musicians Eminem and Jelly Roll, tennis star Coco Gauff and former NFL quarterback Tom Brady. Read more of AFP's reporting on misinformation in Canada here.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The Wraparound: Predicting Connor Bedard's Next Contract With The Chicago Blackhawks
Get your fill-in on another day of the NHL's off-season with rapid-fire discussion on The Wraparound. Predicting Connor Bedard's Next Contract With The Chicago Blackhawks by The Wraparound Predicting Connor Bedard's Next Contract With The Chicago Blackhawks by The Wraparound undefined Advertisement Here's what Emma Lingan, Stephen Kerr and Michael Augello discussed in today's episode: 0:00: Predicting Connor Bedard's next contract with the Chicago Blackhawks 5:52: What to make of the Dallas Stars' decision to hire Glen Gulutzan as coach 9:50: Was signing Brent Burns a low-risk move for the Colorado Avalanche? 12:06: How will losing Pius Suter affect the Vancouver Canucks? 16:35: Does Don Cherry deserve to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame next year? 20:26: Breaking down Ken Holland's first free agency with the Los Angeles Kings 24:55: Was Morgan Frost's extension with the Calgary Flames a good signing? Advertisement 27:05: Making sense of the Seattle Kraken's off-season trades and signings 29:49: Could Andrew Mangiapane be re-ignited by playing with the Edmonton Oilers? 33:20: Assessing the San Jose Sharks' free agency decisions 36:30: Reacting to Nikolaj Ehlers' contract with the Carolina Hurricanes See below for where to subscribe to the show for future episodes. Apple Podcasts Spotify Podbean iHeartRadio Amazon Promo image credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
New York Times
02-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Kings fans spent 20 seasons jeering Corey Perry — will they cheer the ‘Worm' now?
Questions come with Corey Perry's signing of a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. They aren't questions about Perry's game at this seemingly endless late stage of his trophy-laden career. And yes, after a successful 14-year run with the Anaheim Ducks, Perry now joins his sixth team in seven seasons, still in search of an elusive second Stanley Cup ring to pair with the one he won in 2007 with the Ducks. He reached the Stanley Cup Final (and lost) in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025, which is becoming a bad running joke. Advertisement With Perry, you know what you're getting. He will hover around the net and rile up goalies. He lives in the tough spaces on the ice, the spots many other players don't want to go. Of course, he's 40 years old and has no speed in his game. That wasn't a problem when he starred with the Ducks, and it wasn't one last season with the Edmonton Oilers, where he thrived with Connor McDavid and scored 10 times in another long playoff run. The Kings, and their general manager Ken Holland — Perry's former boss in Edmonton — know what they're getting. What the irritating, productive winger brings might be exactly what they need. But these are the real questions that come with Perry's return to Southern California: Can Ducks fans stomach Perry wearing a Kings jersey? Can Kings fans stomach Perry wearing a Kings jersey? Might both fan bases find a common ground in hatred? Will Kings fans be able to set aside 20 years of enmity if he's finishing plays at the net and occupying attention to free up things for his linemates? It was easier to be indifferent about Perry when he was with the Dallas Stars or the Montreal Canadiens or the Tampa Bay Lightning or even the Chicago Blackhawks — in that brief stint that ended with Perry being released because of what the team called 'conduct that is unacceptable.' Maybe the hatred returned when Perry then landed with the Oilers, but he was playing way up north in Edmonton. Some land far, far away. That's the thing about Perry. You love him. More likely, you hate him. Even if he has plenty of hardware, including the Hart Trophy in 2011. 'I'm just going to let my play speak and go from there,' Perry said Tuesday, knowing he'd get a question about winning over the Kings' faithful. 'Obviously, I've had many battles against L.A. The fans were passionate and hard. It's exciting when you see that. Now I got to get them on my side and hopefully we can do that early.' Advertisement Perry's contract is worth up to $4 million with bonuses. The Kings spent freely Tuesday, at least after the New York Rangers gave Vladislav Gavrikov the long contract (seven years) that the Kings weren't comfortable giving to the 29-year-old shutdown defenseman. To address losing Gavrikov and trading Jordan Spence, the Kings spent a combined $30 million on Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin to fill those holes on each side of the defense. In Ceci and Dumoulin, they got two defense-minded blueliners, instead of one shutdown force, at a fraction of the total cost and years. And their spree also included a serious upgrade of the fourth line with Joel Armia (two years, $2.5 million AAV) and Perry. The Kings also signed goalie Anton Forsberg, who played regularly the last four years with the Ottawa Senators, to back up Darcy Kuemper. But the defense was the focus for Holland, other than taking a shot at Mitch Marner. It remains to be seen how the Kings' usually stout defense will look in October. 'Well, I think it makes it different,' Holland said. 'We believe it's going to be better. Obviously, Gavrikov was really important here, especially on the penalty kill. That's what Cody Ceci has done. Did it in Edmonton, did it in Dallas. Did it in San Jose. Brian Dumoulin's the same. He can kill penalties. Brian Dumoulin can play left defense. Can play right defense. 'With the growth of Brandt Clarke, another year older, a healthy Drew Doughty — we obviously saw Mikey Anderson and (Joel) Edmundson could do last year — we feel we've got six deep. … Dumoulin and Ceci are both big guys. They can defend and make some passes.' Ceci, who should fit on the third pairing as Clarke steps up in a top-four role, said his familiarity with Holland was a selling point. 'Always helps to have a familiar face around,' he said. 'Kenny brought me into Edmonton. We had some deep runs together. That was definitely a factor that played into it.' Advertisement With Perry, there is no avoiding the irony. Whether it was scoring a big goal during his blistering 2011 late-season run to the Hart Trophy or filling up Jeff Carter's glove with water or getting under the skin of Jonathan Quick, the winger with the 'Worm' nickname was front and center in so many Kings-Ducks battles. Their first and only playoff meeting in 2014 put SoCal hockey on the front page. Now, Perry is 'on the other side of it,' and noted how much has changed for the Ducks since they bought out his contract in 2019, which started his well-travelled second act in his storied career. But he's been impressed, from a distance, with Anaheim's rebuild, saying how tough the Ducks were to play against in a late-season game and that they're 'on the rise.' Perhaps the Freeway Faceoff just got some much-needed juice. 'It is what it is,' Perry said. 'This will be my seventh year gone. Honestly, I don't really know anybody there anymore on the team. It's totally changed since I've been there. I hope the Ducks fans can realize that I just love the game, and I just want to play and I want to win. This is another chapter.' Could he have ever imagined playing for the Kings after such a history with their local rival? 'I'll say no because I didn't know where my career was going to go and how it was going to play out,' Perry said. 'But at the same time, I'm excited. I'm looking forward to it. Looking forward to the challenge and looking forward to getting going with the guys. 'I know a few of them already. I've played with some of them. A good friend in Drew Doughty. He called me earlier and he's excited. You know that just gets the blood boiling. There's some unfinished business.' It might be coincidence that the Kings now employ three players — Perry, Ceci and Warren Foegele — who helped the Oilers eliminate them in the last four frustrating first-round series. Or there might be some design to this. If you can't beat them, grab some guys who helped deal out some of that postseason pain. Advertisement But until McDavid one day wears black, silver and white – and we're not saying a Wayne Gretzky redux is in the works – the Kings will settle for Perry, a once-hated foe, a devilish winner with a 'Who me?' face. 'I believe teams that have success, especially come playoff time, go to the blue paint hard,' Holland said. 'That's his calling card.' 'He's a tough matchup in front of the net,' Ceci said of Perry. 'I mean, he's a big guy. He's hard to move. He'll be in your face and the goalie's face. Definitely a player you want on your team. And then in the room and away from the rink, we got along pretty well. 'He's just a great guy in the room. He's quiet but he says the right thing at the right time. Just when you have a guy that's been around as long as he has, he's got a lot of good things to say.' Right now, Kings fans don't have much good to say about Perry. They never have. Let's see if he's able to change their tune. (Photo of Corey Perry and Derek Forbort in 2018: Gary A. Vasquez / Imagn Images)
