Morning Chirps: Hall wins Stanley Cup, goalie market heating up

It looks like John Tortorella will have to travel back to Raleigh to get his clothes. The 2025-26 NHL season came to an end last night as the Carolina Hurricanes won their first Stanley Cup since 2006, when head coach Rod Brind’Amour was the team captain. The offseason officially starts today, even though the Chicago Blackhawks’ season ended over two months ago.

Blackhawks Chirps

• Congratulations to former Blackhawks forward Taylor Hall on finally winning the Stanley Cup last night. He scored the opening goal less than four minutes into the contest, which ended up being the game-winner in the Hurricanes’ 3-0 Game 6 victory. Although his time in Chicago was marred by injury and a lot of losing, he got traded to the perfect situation. He learned to accept his role, and it paid off with his first championship 16 years after being the first overall pick of the NHL Draft. Hall was an important part of Carolina’s postseason success with seven goals and 19 points in 19 games.

• On this date in 1978, the Blackhawks used their 11th-round pick of the NHL Entry Draft to select forward Darryl Sutter. He went on to score 161 goals and 279 points in 406 games for the Blackhawks and served as captain during the 1986-87 season. He returned to the team as head coach in 1992 and spent three seasons behind the bench. His 20-year coaching journey took him to San Jose, two stops in Calgary, and two Stanley Cups in Los Angeles.

• In 2013, the Boston Bruins drew even in the Stanley Cup Final with a 2-1 overtime win over the Blackhawks in Game 2. Patrick Sharp scored the lone goal for the home team before Chris Kelly tied the game in the second period, and Daniel Paillie won it in extra time.

• In 2015, the Blackhawks won their third championship in six years by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Duncan Keith scored the only goal the Blackhawks would need late in the second period. Patrick Kane scored an insurance goal with just over five minutes to play to get the party started at the United Center. Keith won the Conn Smythe Trophy as he led the postseason with 18 assists while averaging over 31 minutes a game.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, June 15: Danny O’Shea, Al MacNeil, Dean McAmmond, and Jakub Galvas.

NHL Chirps

• The Hurricanes provided us with so many great stories over the postseason. The emergence of Jackson Blake and Logan Stankhoven, Brandon Bussi coming in and saving the day, and Jordan Staal’s incredible Stanley Cup Final. Staal scored in each of the first five games of the series and became the oldest player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for being the most valuable player of the playoffs. He becomes the third center from the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins to win the Conn Smythe, joining Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

• Jackie Spiegel is reporting that the Philadelphia Flyers are believed to be on Darnell Nurse’s short list of teams he’d accept a trade to. As he points out, the Flyers already have three left-shot defenders, so one of them might have to go to Edmonton in any deal.

• Staying in Philadelphia, Kevin Weekes reported that the Flyers are working on a five-year contract extension for goaltender Dan Vladar. He says the deal will be worth around $25 million in total.

• The New Jersey Devils are gauging the interest on the trade market for goaltender Jacob Markstrom. The 31-year-old netminder has been a disappointment since being acquired in 2024. He has two years left on his deal with

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, June 15: Pete Horeck, Marcel Pronovost, Warren Miller, Don Spring, Sheldon Kennedy, Sandy McCarthy, Zac Rinaldo, Boone Jenner, Bobby McMann, Nicklaus Perbix, and Dalibor Dvorsky.

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