Wild To Start Filip Gustavsson In Game 2
The Minnesota Wild are making a change in their crease: the team plans to start Filip Gustavsson tonight for the second game of their series against the Colorado Avalanche. Gustavsson replaces Jesper Wallstedt, who surrendered eight goals in the team’s 9-6 loss to Colorado in game one.
Head coach John Hynes told the media, including The Athletic’s Michael Russo and Joe Smith, that there were a “multitude of reasons” factoring into the decision. He said that while both goalies are “excellent,” he views game two as “a good opportunity to get [Gustavsson] in the net.” Hynes characterized Gustavsson has “hungry” to get back on the ice.
Hynes made a point to emphasize that this move is not an indictment of Wallstedt’s performance in the playoffs. The 23-year-old posted a .916 save percentage in 35 games in the regular season, and has a .903 save percentage in seven playoff games.
Gustavsson, 27, is the veteran (relatively speaking) in the Wild crease. He’s been the team’s No. 1 goalie for a few seasons now, having developed into the role first as part of a tandem with Marc-Andre Fleury.
In the 2025-26 regular season, he posted a .904 save percentage in 50 games. Last season, he had a .914 save percentage in 58 games, landing him in sixth place in Vezina Trophy voting and even earning him down-ballot Hart Trophy votes.
Unlike Wallstedt, Gustavsson brings prior experience in the NHL playoffs. He’s made a total of 11 starts in the postseason, and while he’s only collected four wins, he does have a solid .917 save percentage in those contests.
The Wild will need to find a way to keep the puck out of the net to tie the series against Colorado, but injuries suffered by Jonas Brodin and Joel Eriksson Ek, neither of whom traveled with the team, makes that task a more difficult one.
Metro Notes: Cates, Tippett, Nikishin
Philadelphia Flyers center Noah Cates‘ availability for game three against the Carolina Hurricanes appears to be in question after he appeared to suffer a foot injury in game two. Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Cates was seen after game two “trundled on a cart down a hallway” and “holding a walking boot that would have fit his right foot.” The Flyers did not have an official update on Cates’ status.
If Cates is indeed unavailable for the Flyers’ next game, which is on Thursday, it would represent a significant blow to the team’s hopes of getting back on their feet in their second-round series. The Flyers put up a valiant effort against Carolina yesterday but fell in overtime, and risk being pushed to the brink of elimination with a loss Thursday. Cates, 27, isn’t a star in Philadelphia but he still plays a key role in head coach Rick Tocchet’s lineup. He last slotted in as the No. 2 center between Tyson Foerster and Matvei Michkov, and he plays on both sides of special teams. He has four points in eight playoff games, and scored a career-high 18 goals and 47 points in the regular season.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- Flyers winger Owen Tippett didn’t play in game two as he remains sidelined with an undisclosed injury. His status is considered day-to-day, so it will be important to track his availability for game three given the importance of the game to the Flyers’ hopes to win the series. The speedy 27-year-old tied a career-high with 28 goals in the regular season and neared his career-high with 51 points.
- Carolina Hurricanes rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin has officially been cleared to return after missing two games with a concussion. Nikishin was previously paired with veteran Shayne Gostisbehere, a role that has since gone to veteran Mike Reilly. Nikishin scored 11 goals and 33 points in a strong first regular season in the NHL, averaging 18:11 time on ice per game along the way.
Islanders Promote Rocky Thompson To Assistant Coach
The New York Islanders announced the hire of Rocky Thompson as an assistant coach for the staff of head coach Peter DeBoer.
Thompson’s hire is a promotion from the AHL, where he has served as the head coach of the Islanders’ affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders. Thompson’s tenure with the AHL Islanders will now end after one season.
The Calgary native took over in Bridgeport in the wake of a disastrous 2024-25 season. Bridgeport went 15-50-7, easily the worst record in the AHL. The team won just four home games all season. This year, under Thompson’s leadership, Bridgeport improved significantly. The Islanders went 34-30-8, reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2021-22.
Before he took over in Bridgeport, Thompson was an assistant coach for the Philadelphia Flyers, on the staff of John Tortorella. His other experience in the NHL includes time as an assistant coach for the San Jose Sharks and Edmonton Oilers.
Outside of the NHL, Thompson has found some success. He was head coach of the Windsor Spitfires team that won the Memorial Cup in 2016-17, and won another Memorial Cup as a team consultant for the Saint John Sea Dogs in 2022.
Sharks Sign Patrick Giles To Two-Year Extension
The San Jose Sharks have signed forward Patrick Giles to a two-year contract extension, per a team release.
According to PuckPedia, the deal carries an $875K cap hit. Giles will earn an $850K NHL salary in 2026/27, a $250K AHL salary, and receive a $325K guarantee. In 2027/28, the deal will carry a $900K NHL salary, $300K AHL salary, and $375K guarantee.
The 26-year-old, who is repped by Shawn Hunwick of The·Team, was set to become a Group-VI unrestricted free agent in the summer. Giles’ expiring contract was a two-year, two-way pact signed in June 2024. 
Giles’ last deal paid him a league-minimum NHL salary in both years, with a $100K AHL salary in year one and a $150K AHL salary in year two. The deal also contained $132.5K and $180K guarantees in years one and two, respectively.
By re-signing Giles, the Sharks have gained some continuity in the lower portion of their depth chart.
The former Boston College forward has never been a big point producer – his 24 points in 67 AHL contests this season represent a career-high – but despite that fact he has still been able to earn call-ups to the NHL.
Over the past two years, Giles has earned the right to dress for 20 contests at the game’s highest level. Over that same amount of time, two years, he has produced just 35 combined points in the AHL.
What has made Giles a useful part of the Sharks organization, and the Florida Panthers before that, has been his versatility, work ethic, and defensive responsibility. He was the Barracuda’s top penalty-killing forward this season, and has even gotten a little bit of time on the penalty kill at the NHL level.
It’s that combination of useful traits that has made Giles the kind of depth player the Sharks clearly want to keep around. His defense-first style is such that coaches can trust him as a call-up option to fill in a fourth-line role when injuries hit.
Giles can give a team eight minutes of responsible, mistake-limiting hockey, and there is value in a forward who can do that even if his scoring is going to be limited. The Sharks must agree, as they have invested in Giles, at an increased cost, for another two seasons.
Photos courtesy of David Gonzales-Imagn Images
Lightning Notes: Raddysh, Kucherov, O’Reilly
The Tampa Bay Lightning have a pivotal offseason ahead of them as they look to rebound after a fourth consecutive first-round series loss, and one of the key situations they have to manage is the pending unrestricted free agency of defenseman Darren Raddysh. In his exit day media availability, GM Julien Brisebois said (via the Tampa Bay Times’ Eduardo A. Encina) that he has “already reached out to” Raddysh’s agent, Craig Oster of Newport. Brisebois said he and Oster have “been in touch throughout the second half of the year, just sharing concepts, ideas” on what a contract extension might look like.
Raddysh has lined himself up to receive a massive pay raise this summer. In a free agent market notably thin on difference-making talent, Raddysh is the best defenseman, and arguably best overall player, set to be available. He took over for Victor Hedman as Tampa’s top power play option and No. 1 defenseman, producing 22 goals and 70 points in 73 games. As a 30-year-old undrafted player, he’s set to receive a life-changing contract at some point this summer. Based on what Brisebois said today, it appears the Lightning are hoping that contract comes from them.
Other notes from Tampa Bay:
- Brisebois also addressed the future of future Hall of Fame forward Nikita Kucherov, who is set to enter the final year of his contract in 2026-27. He said of Kucherov: “I foresee him staying in our organization for a very long time,” and added that he will, “in due time,” engage with Kucherov’s agent on extension talks. Kucherov is repped by Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. The 32-year-old scored 44 goals and 130 points in the regular season, and produced six points in seven postseason contests.
- Lightning prospect Sam O’Reilly was named the winner of the Red Tilson Trophy today, an honor awarded to the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player. The 2024 first-rounder, 20, scored 71 points in 56 games this season, and had 22 points in 14 playoff games. He was acquired by the Lightning from the Edmonton Oilers this past summer in the deal that sent Ike Howard to Alberta. Brisebois hinted today at a belief that O’Reilly may already be close to NHL-ready, saying the prospect “probably won’t need that much time in order to be able to come here and contribute.”
Latest On Auston Matthews’ Maple Leafs Future
The Athletic’s Chris Johnston has reported, citing league sources, that Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews “still isn’t sure if he’ll be back in Toronto in the fall.”
What this means, according to Johnston, is that Toronto’s freshly-hired hockey operations leaders, GM John Chayka and senior advisor Mats Sundin, “will be auditioning” to keep Matthews “with their work around draft week in late June and the opening of free agency on July 1.”
Matthews reportedly has “some understandable concerns” about the Maple Leafs’ ability to vault back to their prior status as a team legitimately capable of contending for a Stanley Cup.
What Matthews appears to be looking for from the Maple Leafs is “real action,” meaning tangible transactions that meaningfully improve the caliber of the roster Matthews currently occupies a spot on.
Chayka and Sundin will meet with Matthews at some point in the coming weeks to discuss his future, but a firm decision on where he’s leaning is not expected at that time.
Whether the new leadership will be able to make enough changes to turn around the Maple Leafs, who finished 28th in the NHL just a year after finishing fourth in the standings, is the key question.
The upcoming class of free agents is widely considered to be thin on difference-making talent, and the team’s prospect pool (which ranked No. 29 in the NHL according to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler) isn’t overflowing with valuable trade chips.
Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t avenues for the Maple Leafs to make significant improvements. Every summer, there are unheralded signings or trade additions that end up making a big impact in the years to come. But what it does mean is the Maple Leafs don’t have an abundance of obvious routes back to contention.
In most cases, that’s totally fine. Hockey operations leaders almost always more interested in moves that translate to wins on the ice in the winter, not wins in the headlines in the summer.
But in Toronto’s case, the scarcity of available big-name talent might genuinely matter. If their most immediate, pressing task is convincing Matthews they can quickly rebound and return to contention, working the margins of the roster and relying on savvy moves for undervalued players may not be enough to move the needle.
It’s too early to tell whether the Maple Leafs will ultimately be successful in their efforts for a quick turnaround. But Johnston’s reporting is still significant, as it indicates that the future of Toronto’s best player is far from set in stone.
Photos courtesy of John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Senators Sign Stephen Halliday To Two-Year Extension
The Ottawa Senators have gotten some offseason work done early, signing center Stephen Halliday to a two-year extension with a $1.075MM AAV.
Halliday, who is repped by Kevin Magnuson of Magnuson Hockey Agency, was set to become a restricted free agent this summer.
The two-year entry-level contract Halliday signed in March of 2024, one that confirmed his exit from Ohio State University, was set to expire July 1.
Halliday, 23, has been a real draft-and-develop success story for the Senators. He was picked in the fourth round of the 2022 draft in his final year of eligibility, after he scored 35 goals and 95 points in 65 games for the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints. He was an instant-impact contributor for the Buckeyes, leading the team in scoring both seasons he played there. Halliday ended his college career with 77 points in 78 games played.
Since turning pro, Halliday has made real strides in his two seasons in the Senators organization. He signed with the AHL’s Belleville Senators at the conclusion of his sophomore NCAA campaign, and ended up scoring nine points in seven playoff games. That set the stage for his AHL rookie season, where he scored 19 goals and 51 points in 71 games.
That performance as an AHL rookie raised Halliday’s stock in the organization. He entered 2025-26 ranked as the No. 7 prospect in Ottawa’s system by Elite Prospects. The outlet projected him as a potential “top-nine playmaking power forward” at the NHL level if he could improve his “skating, pace, and inside-contact play.”
Halliday showed real flashes of that kind of upside this past season. He continued his strong track record as a scorer in the AHL, putting up a point-per-game scoring pace. But he was limited to just 29 games in Belleville because of NHL call-ups, and he ended up getting into 30 games for Ottawa.
Despite a severely restricted workload, (he averaged just 6:34 per game at even strength and had an additional 1:55 per game on the power play) Halliday managed four goals and 11 points. His performances suggested some promise, that there could be more to come down the line if he can continue to develop. Now, with a two-year extension in hand, Halliday will get the chance to turn that promise into reality.
Photos courtesy of Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Roby Jarventie Signs In Switzerland
Edmonton Oilers prospect Roby Järventie has signed a two-year contract with HC Ambrì-Piotta of the Swiss National League.
Järventie was set to become a restricted free agent this summer. His most recent NHL deal, signed last June, was a one-year, two-way pact with a league-minimum NHL salary, $125K AHL salary, and $200K guarantee.
The 33rd overall pick at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators, Järventie entered North America’s pro circuit in 2021 as a well-regarded prospect. He had spent the past two years competing at the pro level in Finland. He scored at a point-per-game rate during his draft season for KooVee Tampere in the second-tier Mestis, and had 25 points in 48 games for Ilves Tampere a year later.
With a coveted combination of size and offensive skill, there was real hope that Järventie could become an impactful NHLer in North America.
By 2022, he was ranked as the No. 5 prospect in Ottawa’s system by Elite Prospects, who wrote at the time that “his development since being drafted has been a sight to behold.”
The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler credited his rising trajectory as a prospect to “improvements to his acceleration and a more refined game on the perimeter.”
As an AHL rookie in 2021-22, Järventie scored 11 goals and 33 points in 70 games. The following campaign, a knee injury limited him to playing in just 40 games, but he nonetheless produced 16 goals and 30 points. Injuries proved to be a persistent obstacle for Järventie, as despite getting his first NHL games of his career in 2023-24, he was limited to under 30 total games played that entire campaign. In the summer of 2024, Järventie found himself traded to the Oilers in exchange for struggling 2021 first-rounder Xavier Bourgault.
In his first season as an Oiler, knee troubles once again blocked Järventie from making real progress towards becoming an NHL player. Mid-season knee surgery, and issues that resulted in his recovery, limited Järventie to just two games in the entirety of 2024-25.
Järventie signed with Finnish club Tappara Tampere last summer but eventually reversed course and elected to take another shot in an NHL organization. His decision paid off, to an extent, as he had a healthy and productive 2025-26 campaign. From 2022-23 through 2024-25, Järventie played in a total of 71 games. This year, he got into 61 games at the AHL level, meaning he nearly matched that number. In those 61 games, he produced 47 points and even earned three games at the NHL level.
But it appears that despite making tangible progress within the Oilers organization, Järventie has decided he would be best served continuing his career in Switzerland. Given his age, it’s not entirely out of the question that he could make a return to North America at some point down the line.
Injuries have been a huge obstacle to his development, but if he can put his knee issues behind him, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him back in the AHL, or even the NHL, in the future.
Photos courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Victor Hedman Announces Leave Of Absence Was For Mental Health
Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman revealed in a statement published Tuesday morning that over the past several months, he stepped away from the team for mental health reasons. A portion of his statement reads:
Over the past couple of months, I made the decision to step away and focus on my mental health. It was not an easy decision, but it was the right one.
I’ve always believed that being a leader means doing what’s best for the team. In this case, it also meant doing what was necessary to take care of myself, so I can be the best player, teammate, husband and father I expect to be.
I’ve been fortunate to have strong support from my family, my teammates and the organization, my therapist and I’m in a much better place today.
Hedman’s statement can be read in full here. Hedman originally took his leave of absence on March 25, with the Lightning simply stating that it was for “personal reasons.” He last played March 19, leaving a win over the Vancouver Canucks early due to what was originally reported as an illness. Head coach Jon Cooper said at the time, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times, that Hedman “wasn’t feeling well.”
Tampa’s captain is a player who requires no introduction. He is one of the defining blueliners of his generation: a two-time Stanley Cup champion, a Conn Smythe Trophy winner, a Norris Trophy winner, and a six-time Norris Trophy finalist overall. His 1,164 career games played and 811 career points are both the most by a defenseman in franchise history. He is a zero-doubt future Hockey Hall of Fame inductee and someone who will rank as one of the top blueliners in the recent history of the game.
A few days ago, Cooper told the media, including The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, that Hedman would be an option for the team “really soon.” He ended up not being able to return to the lineup as the Lightning’s season ended in game seven against the Montreal Canadiens. But the hope will be that Hedman’s progress can allow him to return to the ice next year.
Hedman is not alone as a player who has taken a leave of absence to focus on mental health. Ottawa Senators netminder Linus Ullmark took a leave of absence earlier this season, while other players such as Oliver Kylington and Jonathan Drouin have done the same in years past.
Central Notes: Nabokov, Makar, Klinkhammer
Colorado Avalanche goalie prospect Ilya Nabokov‘s KHL season ended with Metallurg Magnitogorsk’s loss to Ak Bars Kazan yesterday. The Denver Gazette’s Evan Rawal reports that the “original plan” for Nabokov was for him to come to North America at the end of his KHL campaign. Nabokov signed his entry-level contract in May of last year and played 2025-26 on a loan, meaning the team could reassign him to North America. Rawal noted that even if Nabokov doesn’t end up playing in what remains of this season, (it would most likely be in the AHL as Colorado’s goalie tandem is all but set in stone at the NHL level) there is still value in bringing Nabokov over to “get him used to [North America] and coaching staff.”
Nabokov, 23, was a second-round pick by the team at the 2024 draft, No. 38 overall. He is Colorado’s highest draft selection since the 2023 class. The Avalanche picked Nabokov off the back of an incredible rookie campaign in the KHL, where he went 23-13-3 in the regular season with a .930 save percentage. He was even better in the playoffs, going 16-6-0 in 23 games with a .942 save percentage to lead Magnitogorsk to a KHL title. He put up similarly strong numbers last season (without the playoff run) but saw his form dip in 2025-26, posting a .901 save percentage across 38 games. He is ranked by most outlets as Colorado’s top goalie prospect and one of their top prospects overall.
Other notes from the Central Division:
- Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar is all set to play in game two of the team’s second-round series against the Minnesota Wild, head coach Jared Bednar announced today. Makar missed a substantial amount of the early portion of the game and there was concern he may have suffered an injury that could sideline him, but that proved not to be the case. He ended up scoring two goals and adding an assist in Colorado’s game one victory. As one of the top defensemen in the world, Makar’s health is a key factor for both teams in this series.
- The Rockford IceHogs, who are AHL affiliates of the Chicago Blackhawks, announced that assistant coach Rob Klinkhammer was relieved of his duties. Rockford endured a difficult 2025-26 season, going 28-39-5, good for 61 points. They were just one point clear of having tied for the fewest in the AHL. Klinkhammer, who is a veteran of 193 NHL games from his playing days, ends his time in Rockford after four seasons. The IceHogs reached the playoffs in every other year he was behind the bench, and helped deliver NHL players to the Blackhawks such as Artyom Levshunov, Louis Crevier, Alex Vlasic, Colton Dach, and Landon Slaggert.