Way back on Friday the NHL announced their First and Second All-Star teams. For a couple members of the Tampa Bay Lightning, it was another chance to see their name in bold print. Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy joined Jason Robertson, Connor McDavid, Cale Makar, and Zach Werenski on the First All-Star team.
Of the six Second Team All-Stars, four of them received the honor for the first time. Cole Caufield, Nathan MacKinnon, David Pastrnak, Rasmus Dahlin, Evan Bouchard, and Logan Thompson comprised the team. Caufield, Bouchard, Dahlin, and Thompson were the first timers.
For Kucherov, it’s the fifth time he’s received the honor, which is the most among active right-wingers. He still has a way to go to catch Gordie Howe, the all-time leader with 12. It’s the third time Andrei Vasilevskiy had been named to the team, tying him with Conor Hellebuyck for the most among active goaltenders.
These league-wide honors aren’t to be confused with players getting named to the in-season All-Star teams, an honor that has been suspended the last two seasons as the NHL has opted for international tournaments in lieu of All-Star festivities. It is expected to return in 2027 with the New York Islanders hosting the affair at UBS Arena.
Hockey News
Carolina Hurricanes are your Stanley Cup Champions [Canes Country]
The old Southeast Division continues its dominant hold on the Stanley Cup as Carolina takes down Vegas. Jordan Staal is your Conn Smythe winner. Good for him.
Reports have Lightning making initial offer to Raddysh [Dave McCarthy Twitter]
It sounds like the floor has been set as Dave McCarthy, a Toronto-based correspondent for NHL.com, reports that the Lightning made an offer of 5 years at $5.75 AAV to Darren Raddysh. Every negotiation has to start somewhere, and this seems to be it. In our opinion, it’s at least one year and a million dollars short, but we’ll see where it goes from here.
Sebastian Aho signs in Sweden [Vaxjo Lakers]
Nope, not the one in Carolina. The other one. Defenseman Sebastian Aho is heading to Europe. After spending the last two seasons in the Penguins system, the former New York Islanders blueliner is taking his game to the SHL.
Teammate of Lightning prospects garnering NHL interest [The Athletic]
After being passed over in the last two drafts, Kitchener Ranger Dyan Edwards has parlayed a strong post-season run into NHL interest. The 20-year-old put up 40 goals in 67 games between Erie and Kitchener last season before posting 14 goals as the Rangers rampaged their way to the Memorial Cup. Could he join Sam O’Reilly and Jack Pridham in Tampa? Why not? He is committed to Quinnipiac right now, but the right NHL offer could change his mind.
Top 15 defensemen for the 2026 NHL Draft [Daily FaceOff]
As we start delving into the upcoming draft, here are some of the top defensemen that are eligible to be drafted this summer. The Lightning could use a little depth in their system, will any of these players still be available on Day Two?
Why goalie tandems have taken over the NHL [ESPN]
The Tampa Bay Lightning are slowly becoming an outlier in the NHL. Much like NFL teams have gone to a two-running back system, NHL teams have embraced the goalie tandem solution. Part of the reason – there aren’t a lot of goalies like Andrei Vasilevskiy who can not only handle 60 starts, but excel for the majority of them.
Babies in the Stanley Cup, NHL’s cutest tradition [The Athletic]
Old friend Joe Smith goes in depth about the tradition of sticking babies in the Stanley Cup. Plenty of solid Tampa Bay Lightning memories are shared.
Get your questions in! Tomorrow we will be recording an interview for the podcast with an original member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. If you have wondered what it was like in the very early days, now is the time to ask. Submit your question in the comments below.
