We are (almost) entirely into the second round of the postseason as we wait for the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens series to get going. The Carolina Hurricanes already hold a 2-0 series lead over the Philadelphia Flyers while the Colorado Avalanche and the Vegas Golden Knights took Game 1 in their respective matchups.

We'll start with that Avalanche and Wild series. Joel Eriksson Ek was ruled out for Game 1 and 2, which opened the door for youngster Danila Yurov to rejoin the lineup. He played with Matt Boldy and Marcus Johansson and produced one assist in the goal fest. If he can keep increasing his confidence, his young legs would be a great addition to stay in the lineup against the Avs.

Going into next season, he will be a mainstay in the lineup with a few veterans having expired contracts. The Russian forward had 27 points in 73 games played, but he only averaged a little over 13 minutes per game during his first year in North America. Yurov had some chemistry with his Russian line mate, Kirill Kaprizov, in the times when they were paired together. According to Dobber's FrozenPool line combinations, Yurov was with Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello for almost 22% of Yurov's ice time. With a potential Zucc departure and a year of experience under his belt, Yurov will have a big opportunity and if he can add two to three minutes to his average, we should see his point total skyrocket.

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Another young gun that is intriguing for next season is Ben Kindel from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Making the NHL as an 18-year-old is a huge accomplishment and he made the big squad because of his smarts and defensive play. The 11th overall pick potted 17 goals and 35 points playing mostly in a third line role.

With the Penguins potentially moving on from Evgeni Malkin, this will put a major hole in the lineup. Kindel is not that type of player, but all those extra minutes are what young skaters crave. However, buyer beware, the Pens surprised almost everyone with how well they played in 2025-26, so the let down could be hard next campaign. 

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Being in Southern California, I primarily watch the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings because the kids usually have control of the TV at 4pm. Watching the Ducks last series, the line of Jeffrey Viel, Tim Washe, and Ian Moore really reminded me of the Travis Moen, Samuel Pahlsson, and Rob Neidermayer shutdown line from 2007. 

Now, they have a long way to go to be etched into history, but the grit from Viel, the faceoff ability of Washe, and Moore dumping it in, coupled with the fact that they contained two of the best players in the world, really caught my eye. If you're in a deeper league that counts hits and faceoffs, Washe is a guy to check out. He was 67% in the dot during his final year in the NCAA so his success this postseason is not a fluke. Viel will provide high hit and good PIM volume, plus he has shown some light flashes of playmaking ability if lined up with the right guy.

If you have any off-season questions, feel free to reach out on Twitter, @LAM1926. Have a great week everyone!