Latest news with #NateSchmidt
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Nate Schmidt signs 3-year contract with Mammoth after Stanley Cup run
The Utah Mammoth signed free agent defenseman Nate Schmidt to a three-year contract, the team announced Tuesday. The deal has an annual cap hit of $3.5 million. Schmidt is fresh off a stellar postseason with three goals and nine assists in 23 playoff games, helping the Florida Panthers to their second consecutive Stanley Cup title. His 12 points ranked fourth among defensemen in the playoffs, and were only seven shy of his regular-season total across 80 games. Advertisement The 33-year-old blueliner had a bounce-back season in 2024-25 after he had his contract bought out by the Winnipeg Jets last summer. Following that, he signed a one-year deal worth $800,000 with Florida, becoming a regular in the lineup and making major contributions in the postseason. His ice time has dwindled over the last two seasons but he has been a reliable, smooth-skating defender for over a decade in the NHL. Schmidt has played for five different teams – Washington, Vegas, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Florida – during his 12-year NHL career. He has 52 goals and 187 assists, and became the first St. Cloud, Minn., native to win the Stanley Cup.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Capitals sign Justin Sourdif and the Kings trade Jordan Spence to the Senators
FILE - Florida Panthers right wing Justin Sourdif (24) celebrates after scoring against the Nashville Predators during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis, File) FILE - Florida Panthers right wing Justin Sourdif (24) is congratulated by defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) after scoring against the Nashville Predators during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis, File) FILE - Florida Panthers right wing Justin Sourdif (24) is congratulated by defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) after scoring against the Nashville Predators during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis, File) FILE - Florida Panthers right wing Justin Sourdif (24) celebrates after scoring against the Nashville Predators during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis, File) FILE - Florida Panthers right wing Justin Sourdif (24) is congratulated by defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) after scoring against the Nashville Predators during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis, File) The Washington Capitals signed a young forward they got from the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, a young defenseman is getting a fresh start and a couple of Canadian teams re-signed veteran players on Saturday. Washington signed forward Justin Sourdif for $1.65 million over two years after sending a second-round pick to Florida for the minor leaguer with four games of NHL experience. Sourdif, 23, scored a goal in his lone call-up this past season and had 10 points in 18 games on the Charlotte Checkers' run to the American Hockey League's Calder Cup Finals. Advertisement The Capitals are hoping Sourdif, making just over the league minimum at $825,000 annually, fills a hole on their second or third line. There was no room for upward mobility for Sourdif, especially after the Panthers signed playoff MVP Sam Bennett to an eight-year, $64 million contract and could bring back winger Brad Marchand. While hosting the draft in Los Angeles, the Kings traded 24-year-old D-man Jordan Spence to Ottawa for the 67th pick and Colorado's sixth-rounder in 2026. Buffalo also sent Connor Clifton and a second-round pick to Pittsburgh for Conor Timmins and Isaac Beliveau. North of the border, the Calgary Flames extended 6-foot-6 Kevin Bahl to a six-year deal worth just over $32 million, while the Winnipeg Jets shored up their blue line depth by giving Haydn Fleury $1.9 million over the next two seasons. Bahl will count $5.35 million against the salary cap through 2030-31. ___ AP NHL:
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Vancouver Canucks Goaltender Roberto Luongo Discusses Florida Panthers' 2025 Stanley Cup Win
With the Florida Panthers' 5–1 win in Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals, former Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo is officially a two-time Stanley Cup champion. He, along with former Canucks Jonah Gadjovich and Nate Schmidt, won the championship after four grueling playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes, and Edmonton Oilers. This is Luongo's second Stanley Cup in as many years, as he and the Panthers also won against the Oilers in the 2023–24 season. Prior to that, he and the Canucks came only a hair away from their first in franchise history with a seven-game Stanley Cup Finals series in 2011. Cory Schneider was his goaltending partner at the time and, ironically enough, interviewed Luongo on the ice after his second Stanley Cup win. Advertisement 'It's surreal, does not feel real. Last year was crazy, this year even crazier, to do it again,' Luongo told NHL Network analysts and former players Schneider and Brian Boyle. 'When the time came they stepped up and they played the way we know how to play, an unbelievable performance.' Energy from the home crowd can be a big part of a team's playoff wins, as seen from the Abbotsford Canucks' home-ice success. Luongo, who banged the drum for the Panthers ahead of Game 6, jokingly noted how he was 'more nervous for the drum than the game.' Latest From THN's Vancouver Canucks Site: How Home Ice Has Provided A Big Playoff Advantage For The Abbotsford Canucks Advertisement Abbotsford Canucks Standouts From Game 3 Of The 2025 Calder Cup Finals Third-Period Offence Powers Abbotsford Canucks To A 6–1 Game 3 Win Against The Charlotte Checkers Now that the dust has settled around Game 6, one of the most polarizing images to come from the Panthers' celebrations the night before was a photo of Luongo and Brad Marchand posted from the former's X account. Marchand, a member of the 2011 Boston Bruins team that took Vancouver to seven games, was acquired by the Panthers at the 2025 Trade Deadline for a conditional second-round draft pick that has now become a first. 'Bill [Zito] and the team, we get together and work together as a team, we identify guys, we talk it over, we have disagreements, but at the end of the day we always find some guys that we think fit the way we play — we call them Panthers,' Luongo told Schneider and Boyle of Florida's trade deadline acquisitions and how they have been able to fit seamlessly with the team. Jun 17, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Roberto Luongo, former player, bangs the drum before the start of game six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Now that the Stanley Cup has finally been awarded for the 2025 season, all teams will shift their focus onto the oncoming NHL Entry Draft and Free Agent Frenzy on July 1. Advertisement Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.
New York Times
20-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Sabres offseason thoughts: JJ Peterka, Mattias Samuelsson, NHL Draft scenarios and more
Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt stood next to Sam Reinhart on the balcony of Elbo Room, a popular Fort Lauderdale bar, celebrating Florida's second straight Stanley Cup win on Thursday. A fan tossed Reinhart an old Buffalo Sabres Reinhart jersey to sign, which he did begrudgingly, but scoffed at the fan who tossed it. Advertisement Then Schmidt joined the fans in chanting, 'Thank you, Buffalo!' Reinhart, the second overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, played the first seven years of his career with the Sabres. In 2021, general manager Kevyn Adams traded him to the Panthers for a first-round pick that became Jiri Kulich and goalie prospect Devon Levi. As an organization, the Sabres made multiple mistakes that led to the divorce with Reinhart. He always took a backseat to Jack Eichel, who was drafted with the No. 2 pick a year later. In 2018, then-general manager Jason Botterill gave Reinhart a two-year bridge contract when he was open to a long-term pact. Then, in 2020, with Adams freshly inserted as general manager, the Sabres signed Reinhart to a one-year contract that walked him to free agency. By the time Adams got the job, most of the damage was done. Reinhart had a great year in 2020-21 and thrived under then-coach Don Granato late in the season. He scored at a 37-goal pace in that pandemic-shortened season. But he wasn't willing to endure another rebuild and knew Eichel was as good as gone. Eichel and Reinhart have both since won Stanley Cups with their new teams. Reinhart now has two after his four-goal game helped the Panthers finish off the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 on Tuesday. He's become an elite goal scorer, he finished in the top five of the Selke Trophy voting this season, and, during a TNT Stanley Cup Final broadcast, Wayne Gretzky called him one of the smartest players to ever play the game. That's a lot for Sabres fans to stomach, particularly as Buffalo is stuck in a 14-year playoff drought. And it comes against the backdrop of another homegrown Sabre potentially playing elsewhere. The JJ Peterka trade rumors got louder this week when Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said the Sabres have been taking calls on the 23-year-old winger and he's known to be unhappy in Buffalo. As we wrote after the NHL Scouting Combine, teams have been consistently calling the Sabres on Peterka, who is a restricted free agent. They haven't been keen on trading him. But given the interest and demand, Adams needs to hear what's out there. Advertisement Peterka, of course, is in a different situation from Reinhart. The Sabres have his rights for four more years before he's an unrestricted free agent. And he's not the same level of player as Reinhart, either. But the idea of another talented young player becoming disgruntled is the worst kind of deja vu for Sabres fans. 1. The one question that matters when it comes to any possible Peterka trade: Can the Sabres make themselves better by trading him? That's the only way Adams should evaluate any proposals for Peterka. Future assets don't matter unless packaged with pieces that can help the Sabres end the playoff drought next season. Peterka's point production isn't easy to replace, but the Sabres might be able to find a more complete two-way player in the process or sure up their hole at right defense. Maybe Peterka is valuable enough for them to accomplish both of those things in one trade. 2. There is a risk that the Sabres look like pushovers if they trade Peterka at the first sign of his dissatisfaction. With four years of team control, Adams has the leverage to play hardball. But that's a delicate game to play in a locker room that has a lot of players frustrated with losing. Adams and Lindy Ruff spent a lot of time after the season talking about the need for the culture to change. A big part of that is having everyone pulling in the same direction. So if Peterka is going to stick around in Buffalo, Adams needs to make sure he's bought in and will stay bought in as long as possible. 3. Peterka should also recognize that not every situation around the league will be as good for him as the one in Buffalo. He's getting top-six minutes and top power-play usage. That's a big reason he got 68 points last season and 50 the year before. Would he have that same role on every other team? I understand he wants to exercise some leverage here, but he has to think about the big picture, too. He's four years away from unrestricted free agency. He has no trade protection. If he does end up getting traded, the Sabres don't have to send him to a preferred destination. Buffalo obviously isn't hockey paradise at the moment, but there are incentives for him to stick around. Advertisement 4. One other factor tied to the Peterka decision is the development of Zach Benson. He's entering his third season in the league and is only 20, but late in the season, we got a glimpse of what he could do when playing on a line with Tage Thompson. Consider these stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick: • Benson and Thompson together at five-on-five: 53.85 percent expected goal share • Benson without Thompson at five-on-five: 54.68 percent expected goal share • Thompson without Benson: 51.05 percent expected goal share • Peterka with Thompson together at five-on-five: 50.34 percent expected goal share • Peterka without Thompson: 42.77 percent expected goal share • Thompson without Peterka: 53.31 percent expected goal share Thompson is obviously Buffalo's biggest driver among the forwards, so it's no surprise Peterka was better when playing with him than without him. There is also a case to be made that playing well with Thompson is part of Peterka's appeal. But the Benson numbers are notable, even in a smaller sample size. You might be thinking, 'That's great, but Benson only had 28 points last season and 30 the year before. Peterka had 68 points last season and 50 the year before.' That's valid, but there's more to building a team than point totals. There is a benefit to building a line of players who complement one another. The way Benson forechecks, wins puck battles and gets to the net makes him a much different player than Peterka. He's also far better defensively, which matters when playing with Thompson, who has defensive deficiencies of his own. The Sabres may not even need Benson to fill that role if they trade Peterka. A 23-year-old with the production Peterka has had the last two seasons would net a significant return. There's a good chance the Sabres could fill multiple holes in their lineup by moving him. But Benson's value shouldn't be overlooked because of a few mediocre point totals at 18 and 19 years old. He's one of Buffalo's best all-around forwards and still has the potential to become a 60-plus-point player. Advertisement 5. What shouldn't be lost in the Peterka distraction is that Alex Tuch needs to be a priority for the Sabres. He's eligible for an extension on July 1, and they've already met with his agent to set the table for negotiations. This is Adams' chance to show Tuch he's ready to make a serious commitment to him financially and also that he's capable of building a competitive team around him. Tuch isn't just going to stick around because he grew up a Sabres fan. 6. In his latest mock draft, Corey Pronman has Boston College center James Hagens falling to No. 8 and Brampton winger Porter Martone falling to the Sabres at No. 9. If either of those players is available, Buffalo will be extremely fortunate. Hagens is a potential No. 1 center and would be a major value at No. 9. Martone's size, competitiveness and goal-scoring touch around the net would also make him an easy pick for the Sabres if he falls. If you're rooting for one of those two players to make it to No. 9, you want to hear names like Brady Martin, James O'Brien, Roger McQueen and Radim Mrtka in the top eight picks. If three of those players go in the top eight, it's likely one of Hagens or Marton will be there for the Sabres. That's a best-case scenario for Buffalo. 7. The buyout window is officially open until June 30, and Mattias Samuelsson is the name to keep an eye on. He's entering the third season of a contract that pays him $4.285 million annually. He turns 26 next season, so this is the Sabres' last chance to buy him out at one-third of his total contract cost. He would count for $714,286 on the cap for the next 10 years if the Sabres bought him out. That would save Buffalo just over $3.5 million in each of the next five seasons, and they would then have a penalty of $714,286 for five years after that. The cost savings could come in handy as they try to fit their restricted free agents under the cap while leaving room to change the roster. Samuelsson hasn't lived up to the contract he signed. He's struggled to stay healthy and struggled when he's been healthy. Even after being named an alternate captain this season, Samuelsson got off to a slow start and was at the center of one of the team's most disappointing moments of the season when nobody stepped in to defend Tage Thompson after a dirty hit from Stefan Noesen. The Sabres should still take their time with this decision because they need to know what the rest of the blue line is going to look like. Defense is already a position that needs work, and Bowen Byram's uncertain status as a restricted free agent further clouds the picture. By the time June 30 rolls around, the Sabres should have a clearer idea of where things stand with Byram and just how expendable Samuelsson is. The Sabres still believe in Samuelsson, but there's no denying they could use that money. (Top photo of JJ Peterka: Rebecca Villagracia / Getty Images)
CBS News
18-06-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
"A well-oiled machine": How the Florida Panthers' team-first mentality led to another Stanley Cup
Aleksander Barkov hoisted the Stanley Cup, skated with it for a few moments and then handed it to a grinning Nate Schmidt, in his first year with the Florida Panthers and raising hockey's hallowed trophy for the first time. Before any repeat winner touched it, every Panther who never had before got the chance. "There's a lot of guys they play a ton of minutes that are huge contributors to this group, and they bypassed them and said: 'We had it last year. We'll never not cherish this moment,'" Schmidt said. "It was amazing." The Florida Panthers raise the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP) Nathan Denette / AP It also personified the Panthers, who did not have the best player in the final, not facing Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers again. They may not have even had the second-best with Leon Draisaitl there, too, but Florida repeating as champions showed exactly why hockey is the ultimate team sport. "We just have so much heart, so much talent: Heart meets talent," said winger Matthew Tkachuk, who played through a sports hernia and torn adductor muscle. "Our team was a team. When things were getting hard for them, they looked to one guy. But our team, we do it collectively." The Panthers had 19 non-goalies on the ice over six games against the Oilers; 15 registered a point and 11 scored at least once. Coach Paul Maurice said the team is "just really deep — unusually so," making the point that he essentially had three first lines to roll out at any given time. "A very talented group of guys, so when you bring somebody in, we're going to play you with a really good player," Maurice said. General manager Bill Zito, who inherited Barkov, defenseman Aaron Ekblad and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, built the rest of the roster to win in the playoffs. With Maurice and his staff in charge, players who were adrift or simply mediocre elsewhere thrived in Florida. "For the most part, every guy who's come here has had the best season of their careers," Zito said. "From that perspective, it's gratifying to think that we can create an environment where the guys can do that, but it's the team. It's that room. It truly is." Fourth-liner A.J. Greer is one of those players after nearly giving up on his NHL dream a few years ago. He, Zito, Conn Smythe Trophy winner Sam Bennett and so many others use the word "culture" to explain the Panthers' greatness, and it translates into results on the ice. The forecheck is never-ending, the harassment in the neutral zone relentless — and the offense burgeoning with talent. "Everyone levels their game up here — every one of us," Greer said. "There's a sentiment of greatness but of just like wanting to be as good as you were yesterday." Tkachuk, acquired by Zito in a trade from Calgary in the same summer of 2022 when Maurice was hired as coach, shook his head when asked about scoring the Cup-clinching goal in Game 6. He wanted to make a point that it doesn't matter who scores. "I don't care about personal stats," Tkachuk said. "I don't care. Our team doesn't (care) about that. That's what makes us a team, and that's why we're lifting the Stanley Cup right now because we're a team and not a bunch of individuals." McDavid, who had seven points in six games in the final, had nothing but praise after a second straight loss to the Panthers on the NHL's biggest stage. "They're a really good team," McDavid said. "Very deserving. They were really good." Florida was in the final for a third consecutive year, and the only loss during this stretch came to Vegas in 2023 when injuries ravaged Tkachuk, Ekblad and others. That was the start of the winning blueprint that has made the Panthers so successful for so long. "There's a way that we do things here, and it's not easy," said Bennett, who led all players in the playoffs with 15 goals. "We don't play an easy style of hockey. It demands a lot of you. Every single guy's bought into it. When some new guys came in, they instantly bought into what we do here and the commitment to being great, to winning. Every single guy just really bought into that." Schmidt found that out quickly. He played for Maurice in Winnipeg, got bought out last summer and just wanted to get his game back. That happened quickly, and the Stanley Cup was the reward after going through another long grind as a team. "It's the system. It's the group. It's just completely selfless," Schmidt said. "Guys just play one way, and they say, 'Hey, this is how we do things' and you've got to jump on board. Guys, once they mold themselves into the game, you just become another cog in the wheel here. That's just the way it runs. It's just a well-oiled machine."
