from the magazine

Some prospects could only be scouted on video. Others didn't get to play organized hockey at all this past season. The 2021 draft class thus projects to have far more variance than others in recent memory.

The key to the Golden Knights acing Night 1: a year of studying made the final exam relatively easy.

Their expansion predecessors left them with an extremely high bar to clear. But the Kraken should be easy to root for right away – because of their on-ice product but also their off-ice culture.

Two decades ago, the legendary defenseman ended a 22-year wait and won his first championship. He recently caught up with The Hockey News to look back on his Hall of Fame career…and the famous Stanley Cup handoff that concluded it.

Which NHL-affiliated prospects took the biggest tumbles in our scouting panel's rankings? The unorthodox hockey calendar had a major influence on the list this year, and that's why you shouldn't panic.

It's been a strange and difficult year for player development, but some youngsters have improved significantly year over year regardless. Which NHL-affiliated prospects caught our scouts' eyes the most?

The Eastern Conference Round-Robin features many of the league's elite Stanley Cup threats. Will the Lightning find redemption after last year's choke?

The speedy Canucks clash with the stingy underdog Wild. Who will prevail: the youth or the wily vets?

It's offense versus defense and finesse versus grit when Toronto and Columbus meet for what should be a close play-in matchup.

Can the Coyotes recover from their GM's shocking departure and pull an upset over a Predators team with a foggy forecast in net?

Two talented Canadian squads meet in an 8-versus-9 matchup. Can the Flames solve the wall in Winnipeg's crease that is Connor Hellebuyck?

The Isles hope for a fresh start after entering the break with seven straight losses. Meanwhile, Sergei Bobrovsky aims to rebound after a rocky debut season tending the Panthers' net. Which team will prevail?

The Rangers had serious underdog momentum before the NHL paused in March. Can they recapture it and pull an upset over the Hurricanes?

The fifth-seeded Penguins get what is supposed to be the easiest draw of the play-in round against the Habs. But will goaltending be the great equalizer in this series?

Not since the early 1990s has the NHL seen a 90-point defenseman. John Carlson had a real shot to be the ninth member of that club. While the Norris would be nice, he steps outside the game and sees the big picture. Some things are bigger than hockey, and he knows how lucky he is.

He was sexually abused as a child. The demons followed him to the edge of the NHL and all through the pro ranks before he finally faced them head-on. Now, he's past the pain and living his best life on the European circuit.

Not long ago, playing in the NHL would’ve been a pipe dream for Tim Stutzle. But after ruling the rink in his home country, he’s ready for the next challenge.

Treacherous travel. Bad food. Dangerous locales. Liars, cheaters and unwelcome surprises. Go down the road with an NHL scout and you never know what you might come across.

The experts struggle to find a single flaw when assessing Kaprizov's game. Will the Best Player Outside The NHL be a ready-made beast for the Wild? Maybe, but the supporting cast could hold him back.

He just keeps scoring and scoring and scoring. At the rate he’s going, Ovechkin has Gretzky’s all-time goal record – which until recently was considered to be unfathomably unbreakable – within shooting range.

A tumultuous year in Montreal followed by a trepidatious season in Vegas led to back-to-back underwhelming campaigns for Max Pacioretty. But now, having fully adjusted to life both on and off the ice with his new team, he’s once again become one of the game’s premier goal-scorers.

Which NHL-affiliated prospects made the biggest developmental gains over the past year in the eyes of our scouts?

Will James Neal and Milan Lucic make useful impacts on their new teams? Is Jacob Trouba worth $8 million a year? And more.