Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy Suspended Six Games To Start 2026-27 Season
After a year bumps, bruises, and injury – top Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy will have to wait longer than most to play again. McAvoy has been suspended six games to start the 2026-27 season for his slash on Buffalo Sabres winger Zach Benson in Boston’s decisive loss on April 28, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic. McAvoy will forfeit just a bit more than $300K in salary due to the suspension, Johnston adds.
The incident leading to McAvoy’s slash occurred in the final 90 seconds of Boston’s season. On a race for a puck headed towards an empty net, Benson’s skate swept McAvoy’s legs from under him – causing the defender to crash into the end-boards. In response, McAvoy two-hand slashed Benson across his upper-body. He was assessed a game misconduct and major penalty on the play. Benson was also handed a minor penalty for tripping. The NHL explained that McAvoy used his stick as a weapon – even loading up for the strike – which led to the significant suspension.
This is McAvoy’s fourth run-in with the NHL Department of Player Safety. He was suspended one game in 2019 for a check to the head of Columbus Blue Jackets winger Josh Anderson. In 2022, McAvoy was fined $5K for tripping Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei. The first significant suspension of his career came at the start of the 2023-24 season, when McAvoy was forced to miss four games after a check to the head of Florida Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Now, McAvoy’s record of suspensions will find a new low. His absence will leave a big hole in Boston’s lineup to start the season. He averaged 24:23 in ice time this season – three minutes more than anyone else on the roster. He finished the year with 11 goals and 61 points in 69 games, to go with 62 penalty minutes, 79 hits, and 129 shot blocks. Once again, his physical and relentless style of hockey made a difference for the Bruins – though it also led McAvoy to miss 13 games from a string of difficult injuries, including losing multiple teeth. A bit more discipline next season could go far in helping McAvoy avoid both injury and the Department of Safety.
The Bruins bumped Andrew Peeke up the lineup in McAvoy’s absence this season. They may not be able to do the same next season, with Peeke set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He finished the 2025-26 season with 14 points, 105 hits, and a team-leading 135 shot blocks. Those impacts helped Peeke climb to an average 19:23 in ice time, nearly a minute more than he managed in his first season with Boston last year. After another season offering impactful depth, Peeke should be a strong candidate to re-sign with the Bruins who will have more than $16MM in cap space per PuckPedia. If Peeke moves on, the top right-defense role will be open to a summer signing for the first games of the season.
Golden Knights Recall Braeden Bowman, Mark Stone Remains Out
The Vegas Golden Knights will continue to be without star winger Mark Stone in Tuesday night’s Game 5 against the Anaheim Ducks. Stone will remain out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury that kept him out of Game 4 per Jesse Granger of The Athletic. Stone left Game 3 at the end of the first period. It was not clear where his injury was sustained, though he seemed to be nursing his left leg at the end of his final shift. Defenseman Jeremy Lauzon will also remain out of the lineup with an upper-body injury sustained in Game 6 of Vegas’ first round matchup against the Utah Mammoth.
Veteran winger Brandon Saad filled in for Stone on Sunday. His line – completed by Tomas Hertl and Keegan Kolesar – was outshot four-to-one and on the ice for no goals. That quiet performance, and a Game 4 loss, has prompted Vegas to recall winger Braeden Bowman from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights.
Bowman had a surprising breakout this season. He scored at a point-per-game pace through the start of Henderson’s season, prompting the first call-up of his career in mid-November. The undrafted-rookie was an immediate impact, netting seven points in his first eight NHL games and proving he could bring the grit and work ethic needed to earn a lineup role. Bowman stayed up with Vegas’ lineup for 54 games, ultimately scoring eight goals and 26 points. He was returned to Henderson in April and caught fire once again – netting 18 points through the Silver Knights’ final 14 games of the season.
The Golden Knights will struggle to make up for Stone’s absence. The Vegas captain scored 28 goals and 73 points in 60 games this season – a full-season scoring pace of 38 goals and 100 points. He sat out of 17 games between October and November, and an additional five games in March, due to injury. The Golden Knights struggled in his absence, setting a 8-9-5 record and getting outscored 59-to-66. Vegas won’t have any room for those struggles now, as they sit tied at two wins with the Ducks.
Bowman has continued to produce for Henderson in the postseason. He has four points in six games, third-most on the Silver Knights behind Trevor Connelly and Lukas Cormier. If a move between leagues brings another scoring spark, the Golden Knights could find a timely X-factor addition in the young winger. Meanwhile, Ben Hutton will continue to support the defense in Lauzon’s absence. Hutton recorded 15 points, 28 hits, and 55 shot blocks in 55 regular-season games. He won’t match Lauzon’s bruising presence – but should continue to provide serviceable depth in must-win games.
Shane Doan, Maple Leafs Mutually Part Ways
The Toronto Maple Leafs have mutually parted ways with special assistant Shane Doan per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Doan’s contract in Toronto was set to expire on June 30. He was originally hired by former Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving in 2023 and will step away before he has a chance to work alongside new general manager John Chayka.
Chayka took over the Arizona Coyotes general manager role in 2016, at the record-setting age of 26. Doan was the team’s star, having spent the last 12 seasons as the Coyotes’ captain. He was 40 years old entering the 2016-17 season and had lost the spark of his previous peak. That was proved when Doan only managed 27 points in 74 games – a mark that was deemed too low to re-sign him through his 40s despite Doan’s desire to keep playing, per ESPN. Arizona sought a trade through the season but, when no offers came through, Doan made the decision to retire in 2017.
Doan was hired as Arizona’s Director of Hockey Administration in 2020. He continued on in that role until the Coyotes were relocated to Utah following the 2022-23 season. The Coyotes’ move opened the door for Doan to grow his roots in NHL front offices. He moved into a Maple Leafs advisory role left vacant when Jason Spezza joined Kyle Dubas in a move to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Spezza has since taken on an assistant general manager and AHL general manager role with the Penguins.
Those could be the roles next in line for Doan, who will now be a managerial free agent amid a lot of change in NHL front offices. He could find a chance to move back to the NHL’s Pacific Division with vacancies in the Seattle Kraken or Vancouver Canucks front offices. Doan also played five seasons with current Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere and could bring invaluable experience as Philadelphia looks to repeat their playoff berth this season.
Canucks Expected To Promote Sedin Twins
More changes are inbound for the Vancouver Canucks front office. Legendary Canucks twins Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin were offered a promotion from their roles as development coaches per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast. The brothers accepted the offer for more work this weekend and are still working with the team to determine their new responsibilities, adds Irfaan Gaffar of Daily Faceoff. While it is not yet clear what duties the two will carry moving forward, they are not expected to move into a full-time or general manager role per Friedman.
The Sedins have served the Canucks front office since the 2021-22 season, three years after their retirement from the NHL. Their executive careers began as special advisors to Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin. Both brothers moved into a development role in the following season, where they more intimately supported the growth of Vancouver’s top youngsters, like Nils Hoglander and – at the time – Quinn Hughes. Vancouver boosted the Sedins’ role once more in 2024, involving them more in the day-to-day coaching duties and power-play strategizing under head coach Rick Tocchet.
The brothers have gradually climbed Vancouver’s organizational ladder and will now climb another rung. Their future duties are likely to continue lifting up the intent coaching and hockey strategizing that the Sedins have become known for in retirement. They could continue to support Canucks’ head coach Adam Foote, while also informing roster decisions or prospect management. The Sedins could also work more directly with Vancouver’s growing cohort of top prospects – including Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Aatu Raty, Braeden Cootes, Jonathan Lekkerimaki, and Tom Willander– as they transition into the NHL full-time. Vancouver will need to bank on their young guns growing into important roles after finishing the 2025-26 season in last place. Finding new ways to elevate the experience of two franchise legends, and veterans of over 1,300 NHL games, could prove to be an effective spur.
Evening Notes: Cassidy, Subban, Islanders
Head coach Bruce Cassidy could find his way back to the Pacific Division sooner rather than later. He is believed to be in the mix for the Los Angeles Kings’ coaching vacancy after the club fired Jim Hiller in March, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period on The Hot Stove podcast. The Kings named D.J. Smith to the role of interim head coach. He led the Kings to an 11-6-6 record to close out the regular season, then oversaw Los Angeles in a first round sweep at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche.
Cassidy has a track record of playoff success. He has made the postseason in 10 of his 12 years as an NHL head coach. Those squads made it past the first round in six of those appearances, made the Stanley Cup Finals twice, and won it all once. Where Cassidy goes, long seasons follow – and his experience leading an NHL bench could be invaluable for a Kings team in flux. Los Angeles added a superstar talent in Artemi Panarin this season – but he had to take on a heavy load after injuries to Kevin Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko. Good health for the entire lineup, and the presence of a seasoned head coach, could be enough to keep Los Angeles in playoff contention next season despite Anze Kopitar‘s retirement.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Former Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban accomplished his goal of donating $10MM to the Montreal Children’s Hospital earlier today, per the Montreal Gazzette. It was the largest donation to the hospital by an athlete in the country’s history. Subban announced a mission to raise the funds in 2015, amid routine visits to children staying in the hospital. 11 years later, he has completed the feat, with 100 percent of the money raised going to the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation. Subban played 13 seasons in the NHL, including seven with the Canadiens. He scored 278 points in 434 games with Montreal and 467 points in 834 total games in his career.
- The New York Islanders have invited feisty Providence Friars forward Tanner Adams to their 2026-27 training camp per NHL.com’s Mark Divver. Adams wrapped up his junior year at Providence College this season. He filled an important, top-nine role on the offense – bringing aggression and physicality on the forecheck, even despite his sub-6’0 frame. Adams has totaled 28 goals and 67 points in 108 collegiate games so far. He will attempt to wow an NHL organization once again after attending the Toronto Maple Leafs’ training camp last season.
Avalanche Reassign Jack Ahcan, Josh Manson Remains Out
5/9: Despite being a full participant in morning practice, Manson did not suit up for Saturday night’s Game 3 against the Minnesota Wild, per Baugh. His absence will keep Sam Malinski on the second-pair and Nick Blankenburg in the lineup, while Manson will now aim for a return in Game 4 on Monday.
5/8: An important piece of the Colorado Avalanche lineup could be back in the near future. The team reassigned defenseman Jack Ahcan in anticipation for Josh Manson‘s return from an upper-body injury sustained in Game 3 of the first round per Peter Baugh of The Athletic. The Avalanche “feel good” about Manson’s chances of returning on Saturday, head coach Jared Bednar told Baugh.
Manson has operated as Colorado’s second-pair right-defenseman behind Cale Makar. His physical, two-way presence was a gut punch behind Colorado’s top pair all season long. Manson marked that impact with 31 points in 79 games, the most he’s scored since the 2017-18 season. He also recorded 99 shot blocks and 174 hits, both ranked second on the team. Manson added two assists, one block, and 10 hits through the first two-and-a-half games of Colorado’s playoff run, before running into injury after just five minutes of ice time.
Ahcan will return to the Colorado Eagles’ run in the Calder Cup Playoffs. He has played in three of the team’s playoff games so far, with no scoring or penalties. Ahcan racked up a career-high 50 points in 61 games with the Eagles this season. He has posted a new scoring peak in each of his three seasons with the Eagles, after beginning his career in the Boston Bruins organization. He will step back into an important, top-four role on an Eagles team already pacing the AHL postseason. The Eagles have won four of their five games and boast a playoff-best +12 goal-differential.
Flyers’ Jett Luchanko, Oliver Bonk Make Stanley Cup Playoffs Debut
The Philadelphia Flyers have made a surprising move in an attempt to avoid a second round sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes. Rookies Jett Luchanko and Oliver Bonk made their Stanley Cup Playoff debut when the Flyers took the ice, playing over healthy scratches Matvei Michkov and Emil Andrae. Luchanko and Bonk now make 13 Flyers to play the first Stanley Cup Playoff game of their career in this postseason per NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman.
Philadelphia scratched Michkov in Game 5 of their first round win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has continued to underwhelm in four games back in the lineup since, still sat at just one point in the first eight playoff games of his NHL career. Luchanko will try to be the difference-maker in just his ninth NHL game. He began the season captaining the OHL’s Guelph Storm, then served as the two-way backbone to the all-out-offense of the Brantford Bulldogs after a mid-season trade. Luchanko ended the year with a combined 43 points in 38 games, a slight step down from the points-per-game pace he managed last year (56 points in 46 games) but still more than his 2023-24 season (74 points in 68 games). He has proved to be a tireless worker who can make a difference in the dirty areas of the ice – a knack that could make him a jammer in the Hurricanes’ breakouts.
Bonk played through his first season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this year. He had quiet results on both sides of the puck, finishing the year with 19 points and a minus-14 in 46 AHL games. It was an underwhelming introduction after a productive, two-way showing in three OHL seasons. Bonk curbed expectations when he scored one goal and one assist in the Flyers’ season finale and his NHL debut. He seemed to move with a bit more confidence on NHL ice and could stand as an X-factor puck-mover if he finds the same spark on playoff ice.
Whether they win or lose, the Flyers will face tough questions on the other side of the postseason. Michkov, the 2023 seventh-overall pick, has been benched twice in his first playoff run despite reaching 20 goals and 51 points in 81 games during the regular season. His 114 points in 161 games is the highest points-per-game from a U22 Flyers skater in the last 10 years. He has clear upside, though Philadelphia will have to find a way to bring it out – a task that could become even tougher if Luchanko can flex his might in the postseason.
Rangers’ Benoit Allaire To Retire After Free Agency
The 2025-26 season will be the last for longtime New York Rangers goalie coach Benoit Allaire, per a team announcement. Allaire will stick around the team through the NHL Draft and start of free agency, per Peter Baugh of The Athletic, before he calls a 29-year career in the NHL to a close.
Allaire has overseen some of the NHL’s top goaltenders as they rose to starting roles. His career began as a goaltending coach with the Montreal Canadiens in 1996. Right away, Allaire was involved in notable NHL careers, working with 20-year-olds Jose Theodore and Tomas Vokoun. Both were overshadowed by a 22-year-old Jocelyn Thibault, who played 61 games of the 1996-97 season.
Theodore and Vokoun went on to play in 647 and 700 games in their NHL careers, respectively, while Allaire jumped to the Phoenix Coyotes for their second season in 1997-98. He joined forces with Nikolai Khabibulin, who was in his third season as Phoenix’s starter. Khabibulin allowed the most goals in the NHL (184) in 1997-98, but, after a year with Allaire, reached a .923 save percentage in 63 games of the 1998-99 season. That mark would stand as the highest in Khabibulin’s 18-year NHL career, though he moved to the Tampa Bay Lightning for the 2000-01 season. Allaire stayed in Phoenix for five more seasons, leaning on Sean Burke to fill the Coyotes’ crease until Brian Boucher moved to Phoenix in 2002-03.
With the Coyotes goalie room stabilized by Boucher, Burke, and Brent Johnson, Allaire moved to the Rangers ahead of the 2005-06 season. It was on Broadway that Allaire would build his legacy. He took over goalie coach duties in Henrik Lundqvist‘s rookie season. Lundqvist finished the year as a Vezina Trophy finalist and fourth in Calder Trophy voting, after recording 30 wins and a .922 save percentage in 53 games.
He was an immediate star who would move through the 2010s as a perennial Vezina candidate with save percentages consistently north of .920. With Lundqvist’s career fading as 2020 approached, Allaire’s attention turned towards finding his next star. That successor would be Igor Shesterkin, who has seamlessly taken over Lundqvist’s spot on annual Vezina ballots. Shesterkin has a career .917 save percentage in 325 games, including a .912 in 51 games this season.
Allaire has molded countless goaltenders into long-term, NHL starters. He also worked with Kevin Weekes, Cam Talbot, Alexandar Georgiev, and Antti Raanta. His name rings loud in NHL circles, and the Rangers will feel the absence of their Director of Goaltending. New York promoted Allaire to a full-time director role in the 2024-25 season.
In the same year, they promoted Hartford Wolf Pack goalie coach Jeff Malcolm to the top flight. Malcolm is a veteran of the Hartford lineup as both a player and a coach – and has spent the last two seasons learning to make up for Allaire’s eventual retirement. He will take the reins moving forward, while the Rangers can rely on Shesterkin, who is signed through the 2032-33 season.
Topi Niemela Signs With IF Bjorkloven
Defenseman Topi Niemela will continue his career in Sweden. The 24 year old has signed with IF Bjorkloven who recently earned promotion to the SHL. Niemela moved to Sweden on a one-year deal with the Malmo Redhawks last summer. The deal marked a return to Europe for the former top Finnish defense prospect. Niemela’s NHL rights are held by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Niemela scored four goals and 18 points in 52 games with Malmo. He ranked second on the team’s blue-line in scoring – 21 points behind former New York Islanders prospect Robin Salo in the lead. Niemela fell short of his AHL scoring in his move overseas. He had a promising break into the Toronto Marlies roster in 2023-24, finishing the year with 39 points in 68 games and a solid lineup role. He hit a dip in his attempts to follow it up, scoring just 22 points in 61 games of the 2024-25 season.
After failing to find an offensive boost in the SHL, Niemela will test his talents in a bigger role with Bjorkloven. He shined as an effective puck-mover through a four-season stint in Finland’s Liiga, prior to his first AHL season. Niemela reached 32 points in 48 games of the 2021-22 season, two years after Toronto landed him with the 64th-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. He fell back to 18 points in 58 games of the 2022-23 season, preluding a move to the Marlies lineup. Niemela would need a big performance to pop back up on the Maple Leafs’ radar, though a strong year in the SHL could be a promising start.
Avalanche Assign Ilya Nabokov To AHL
The Colorado Avalanche’s minor-leaague affiliate has received a boost in the midst of their race for the AHL’s Calder Cup. Goaltender Ilya Nabokov has been reassigned to the Colorado Eagles following the end of his season with Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the KHL’s Gagarin Cup Playoffs semi-finals.
Nabokov spent the season on loan to Metallurg from the Avalanche. He once again filled a starter role in Russia, though this season brought dimmer results than his first two years in the KHL. Nabokov set a 22-7-5 record and a .901 save percentage in 38 games this season and dressed for an additional 21 games as backup. His record shined more than in year’s past, though this was Nabokov’s first KHL season without a save percentage north of .920. He recorded 23 wins in each of the last two seasons, to go with a .930 save percentage in 43 games and a .923 save percentage in 49 games respectively.
The first of those two seasons marked a true breakout for Nabokov. He rocketed up from the Metallurg’s junior roster to their KHL starting role and finished the regular season tied for the sixth-highest save percentage in the league. Not to be outdone, Nabokov then pushed Metallurg – a perennial Gagarin Cup contender – to a championship win with 16 wins and a .942 save percentage in 23 playoff games. That performance shined on NHL draft radars, ultimately earning Nabokov a top-40 selection despite 2024 being his second year of draft-eligibility.
The Eagles have been valiantly led by Trent Miner in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Miner has three shutouts, four wins, and a playoff-best .960 save percentage while playing in all five of the team’s games. He will continue to hold onto Colorado’s starting role, while Nabokov will challenge Isak Posch and Kyle Keyser for the backup chair. Miner would have to decline quickly to make way for Nabokov’s AHL debut, though his move to the Calder Cup Playoffs could be a good sign of his chance at securing a minor-league role next season. Nabokov could also see a recall to the NHL to serve as a third-string goaltender and get reps in with goalie coach Jussi Parkkila per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.