Will anyone ever break Ovechkin’s record? Should the NHL expand to Wisconsin? Hellebuyck for Hart? Ask CJ

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Alex Ovechkin’s head-first slide into the history books. A trade deadline period brimming with big deals. The spine-tingling overtime finish to the 4 Nations Face-Off.

What could the 2024-25 NHL season possibly have in store for us next with the Stanley Cup playoffs right around the corner?

Given the run the NHL has been on, it promises to be both memorable and momentous.

When we put the call out for mailbag questions last week, there was a lot of focus on what’s immediately on the horizon. There were queries about postseason matchups, free-agent decisions, the coaching carousel, potential rule changes, expansion and the NHL’s next, next top goal scorer.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read, engage and respond.

Here we go.

After Alex Ovechkin, does anyone break the goal record in the future, or will he solidify himself as the record holder for goals? — Keiren P.

I’m in the camp that believes every record will eventually fall on a long enough time horizon. Athletes are always pushing to be better, faster and stronger. However, Ovechkin can get comfortable with the crown he’s now wearing.

Consider that it took him 20 unusually healthy seasons scoring at a pace of 0.6 goals per game to surpass Wayne Gretzky’s total. The only active player currently scoring at a better rate than that is Auston Matthews (0.64 goals per game), but the Toronto Maple Leafs captain has lost nearly the equivalent of a full season to injuries with 71 games missed through his first nine years in the league. Matthews would need to score at the same rate over another 785 regular-season games to reach 900 career NHL goals — the equivalent of more than 9.5 fully healthy seasons. That makes it a feat within the realm of possibility but one that would require him to defy aging curves and any significant performance-related decline well into his 30s.

If Matthews doesn’t end up challenging Ovechkin’s goal total, the person who eventually does likely hasn’t been drafted into the league yet. Which means they wouldn’t have even started their own 2o-year journey to history yet.

Is there any appetite to change retention rules so teams can retain for part of a contract rather than the entire remaining duration? In this scenario, a team could retain salary at the trade deadline to make the money work for the acquiring team this season but wouldn’t be on the hook going forward. — Pat S.

While there may be circumstances where that kind of rule change might spark more trade activity, I don’t sense any real desire to fix something that isn’t broken. The NHL’s retention rules were introduced as part of the 2012-13 collective bargaining agreement and are arguably one of the few things in that document that are completely straightforward. Every team gets three retention spots. A team can retain up to 50 percent on any given player. And when it comes to that retention, the agreed-upon percentage covers all remaining salary and bonuses, plus the player’s cap hit. Simple and clean.

What’s more, the retention rules have had the desired effect of making trades easier to facilitate, especially with teams now routinely involving third-party brokers when making deals.

Hypothetically, if an NHL player’s car were to be hit by a visiting team’s bus, who would take the responsibility for that? — Nicole C.

In this extremely hypothetical situation, I would expect the liability to rest with the bus driver and the company that employs that person since they’d be deemed at fault for the accident. This is why insurance exists!

How big of an implosion will happen in Toronto if the Leafs finally win the division, avoid Tampa and Florida, then lose to Ottawa in the first round? — Matt B.

I’m not sure the circumstances you’ve outlined would make the reaction any worse than “normal,” to be honest. Remember that this is a team that’s lost in the first round (or play-in round in 2020) seven of the past eight years. That run included a series with Montreal in 2021 where the Leafs not only squandered a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven but also lost to a team that finished 18 points behind them in a 56-game regular season. The Leafs have dropped five Game 7s since 2018. Plus a Game 5 in a best-of-five.

Basically, there’s a portion of the team’s fan base that expects it to lose in the playoffs no matter who the opponent is, and do you know what? I can’t blame them.

Losing to a rival in the Stanley Cup playoffs is nothing new for the Maple Leafs. (Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)

Why does Wisconsin never come up in expansion discussions? It already has the three other major sports and could share the arena with the Bucks. — Jeremy F.

The talk you’ve heard about potential expansion to other cities is generally a reflection of the desire from a wealthy businessperson to bring an NHL team there. That’s certainly the case in Houston and Atlanta — two of the most-discussed cities when this topic is raised. It’s also why even less obvious destinations like Cincinnati or Nebraska get mentioned from time to time. They’ve each had groups make expressions of interest to the league’s head office in recent years.

Basically, the only thing stopping Wisconsin from jumping into the group of places generating discussion is the presence of someone willing to put up more than a billion dollars to bring a team there.

What free agents should the Sharks pursue in free agency? — Paul K.

In my view, a rebuilding team with a clean cap sheet should be using free agency to go big-game hunting and to mine value buys. Avoid the mushy middle. While some of the mid-tier players on the market could certainly help the cause when it comes to the San Jose Sharks’ performance in 2025-26, they’re also likely to get overpaid in a rising-cap environment and may ultimately start muddying the team’s cap position when it expects to be more competitive down the road.

Prioritizing the big picture vision is of utmost importance in San Jose on July 1. I’ll leave it to you to determine which available free agents in this summer’s class fit in those two buckets.

What does a goalie have to do to win the Hart? — Anonymous U.

History tells us that this isn’t an easy trophy for a goaltender to win. Carey Price (2014-15), Jose Theodore (2001-02) and Dominik Hasek (1996-97, 1997-98) are the only players from that position to be judged “the most valuable player to his team” in the past 60 years.

In my view, any goalie receiving significant consideration would need to play a meaningful number of games for a team that has success while producing numbers that set him apart from his peers across the league.

As it turns out, Connor Hellebuyck is having just that kind of season for the Winnipeg Jets right now. He might finish this season with the most wins, best save percentage and lowest goals-against average on a team vying for the Presidents’ Trophy. Hellebuyck’s underlying numbers pop, too. I’m not sure if he’ll ultimately win the Hart, but he’s going to get a lot of votes. Rightfully so.

Is the NHL season actually going to expand to 84 games? Has the NHL considered that European soccer leagues and the NFL only play once a week? Scarcity could help create more demand, while a less demanding schedule could help improve the product. — William B.

You will get no arguments from anyone associated with the NHL about the potential benefits of creating more places for the athletes to rest. Scheduling is a hot-button topic behind the scenes every year for the league. In fact, a big part of the ongoing discussion around a possible move to an 84-game regular season is scaling back the number of exhibition games played during training camp.

Alas, the appeal of a longer season is as obvious as it probably looks on the surface: More games equals more gate revenue and more product to sell to media partners. Follow the money.

Who are the smartest players you’ve interacted with in terms of non-hockey intelligence? — James B.

This list shouldn’t be viewed as comprehensive because there are literally hundreds of NHL players each season that I don’t get the chance to have anything more than a surface-level conversation with, if we even talk at all.

Sidney Crosby jumps to mind because of how inquisitive and perceptive he seems to be. On the rare occasions where I’ve had a chance to speak with him away from the massive media scrums, he’s asked as many questions as he answers.

Jonathan Toews, Steven Stamkos and John Tavares also stand out as being particularly thoughtful on a range of topics, and I’ve really enjoyed our discussions over the years.

Ron Hainsey could be a difficult interview during his playing days, but it was always because of how well-versed he was on a variety of topics and the fact he wasn’t shy about pushing back on a premise. Sharp guy.

Cale Makar has consistently come across as bright and articulate when I’ve been around him.

Team Canada teammates Sidney Crosby and Cale Makar rank as two of the NHL’s most intelligent players, on the ice and off it. (Winslow Townson / Imagn Images)

Does Patrik Laine have a home in Montreal after 25-26? — Matthew B.

First and foremost, that will be up to Patrik Laine. He’s due to be an unrestricted free agent in July 2026. If he’s willing to try to find a way to stay with the Montreal Canadiens, possibly on a contract a little more in line with his production, it can’t be ruled out.

There are too many unknowns right now to handicap how likely it is with any degree of certainty, though.

Who are the under-the-radar head coaching candidates to break the recycling of ex-coaches this offseason? — Eric S.

The most intriguing name is arguably University of Denver head coach David Carle, who led the U.S. to back-to-back gold medals at World Juniors and has had a pile of NCAA success, too. He’s indicated that he’ll be selective about his next job.

Boston University coach Jay Pandolfo is another name to watch, given his track record as both a player and assistant coach in the NHL.

Boston Bruins assistant coach Jay Leach is considered a head coach prospect, as is current Ontario Reign head coach Marco Sturm.

Don’t rule out the possibility that Philadelphia Flyers interim head coach Brad Shaw eventually lands a full-time gig somewhere. He’s been a highly thought-of assistant for years and has a strong track record.

With all of the college player signings happening, do they have to be on a team’s playoff roster at the deadline to play this season? — Julie K.

In order to be eligible to appear in the playoffs, a player must be on a team’s reserve list at the trade deadline immediately preceding it.

The reserve list includes everyone under contract to an organization, plus the recent draft picks and other players they hold rights to. For example, 2023 first-round pick Ryan Leonard was on the Washington Capitals reserve list at the March 7 trade deadline even though he didn’t officially sign an entry-level contract on March 31 after his NCAA season at Boston College was over. Leonard is eligible to appear in the upcoming playoffs as a result.

Has Lane Hutson locked up the Calder with his recent performance? — Dylan M.

He’s definitely pulled ahead of the pack, which includes Macklin Celebrini, Dustin Wolf and Matvei Michkov. It’s hard to look past the fact Hutson became the 10th rookie defenseman in league history with at least 60 points. For what it’s worth, award ballots must be finalized by April 19.

How good are the Blues? — Cj P.

The St. Louis Blues are going to be an absolute handful come the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Teams that perform best in the second half of the NHL season tend to go on long postseason runs, and St. Louis has the league’s third-best record since Jan. 1 — tied with Central Division rival Winnipeg and behind only the Dallas Stars at No. 1 and Washington at No. 2.

Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but the Blues are for real.

(Top photo of Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Lyubushkin and Auston Matthews in April 2022: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)

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