Kraken’s Jessica Campbell To Explore Options This Summer
The Seattle Kraken could have a bench spot to fill this summer. Assistant coach Jessica Campbell is set to be a free agent for the first time since being promoted to the NHL in 2024. She is expected to take the chance to explore other options around the league, per a press release from Kraken general manager Jason Botterill. Botterill said:
Jessica has been an important member of our coaching staff for the past four years, demonstrating deep knowledge and a unique ability to connect with, and develop, players.
While this could likely result in Campbell moving on from the Pacific Northwest, it doesn’t appear Seattle has closed the door to bringing Campbell back next season, per ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. Kaplan adds that Campbell has generated interest from across the NHL.
Campbell became the first woman to fill a full-time, assistant coach role in the NHL. She accomplished the same feat in the AHL when she joined Dan Bylsma‘s staff on the Coachella Valley Firebirds in 2022. Campbell already had an extensive hockey resume at the time, with one World Championship silver medal, three NCAA conference championships, and one season as an assistant coach for the DEL’s Nurnberg Ice Tigers, part of Germany’s top pro league, under her belt. Coachella Valley raced to the Calder Cup Finals in both seasons under Bylsma and Campbell’s reign, though they lost to the Hershey Bears both times.
A pair of appearances in the championship series was still enough to earn Bylsma and Campbell a promotion to the NHL. It was a reunion for Bylsma, who spent seven seasons as an NHL head coach between 2009 and 2017. Unfortunately, that reunion quickly turned sour, with Bylsma being dismissed after leading Seattle to a 35-41-6 record and bottom-12 finish in both goals-scored and goals-against in the 2024-25 season. The Kraken opted to retain Campbell despite firing their top coach, a bode of confidence in the former professional skills coach.
Now one season later, the Kraken are continuing to speak praise towards Campbell’s ability to lead at the top level. She could be an intriguing candidate for teams looking to bring a bit more finesse to their lineup. The Columbus Blue Jackets recently fired two assistant coaches, opening the door for the NHL’s oldest head coach, Rick Bowness, to hire his own bench staff. The New York Islanders also recently parted with head coach Patrick Roy, in favor of free agent Peter DeBoer. Both clubs could use a jolt of offense after impressive seasons that still fell short of the postseason. Campbell, once a dynamic and intelligent playmaker at Cornell University and for Sweden’s SDHL Malmo Redhawks, could bring that jolt with an extra focus on developing some of the club’s burgeoning stars.
Stars Expected To Scratch Tyler Myers In Game 6
With their first-round matchup against the Minnesota wild on the line, the Dallas Stars appear set to scratch defenseman Tyler Myers for Game 6 per Lia Assimakopoulos of Dallas News. Dallas acquired Myers ahead of the Trade Deadline in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2029 fourth-round pick. The deal moved Myers to his hometown Stars after seven seasons with the Vancouver Canucks.
Myers has been a quiet addition to the Stars lineup. His results were nearly even through 16 regular season games. Myers was on the ice for six goals for and six goals against, as well as 5.07 expected-goals for and 5.01 expected-goals against. He also racked up three assists. It seemed he had a firm grip on a third-pair role headed into the postseason but Myers’ performance has quickly run cold. He has no points and a minus-five in five games this series. His biggest impact to the lineup has been in the physical game – he leads all Stars defensemen with 11 hits this postseason – but even that boost came to a screeching halt when Myers went without any hits in Game 5.
Without a physical boost or much play-driving, Myers filled a quiet 14 minutes of ice time on Tuesday – just one game after playing 27:25 in the Stars’ overtime loss to Minnesota on Sunday. Now, he’ll fall out of the lineup entirely, with Alexander Petrovic set to take his place. Petrovic ranked second on the Stars blue-line with 88 hits in 54 games. He also recorded 10 points, 47 penalty minutes, and 77 shot blocks.
Dallas is in need of another physical force to try and stop Minnesota’s high-tempo stars. They will hope Petrovic can meet that need more directly, after Myers missed the mark in their last outing. How Petrovic performs could shape Dallas’ lineup through the rest of the postseason but likely won’t have an effect beyond the summer, with Myers signed to a reasonable $1.5MM cap hit through the 2026-27 season.
Cole Caufield, Anže Kopitar, Jake Sanderson Named Lady Byng Finalists
The NHL has announced the finalists for the 2026 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. The trophy is presented annually to the player who exhibits a high standard of sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct, and playing ability. This year’s finalists are Montreal Canadiens winger Cole Caufield, Los Angeles Kings centerman Anže Kopitar, and Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson.
Kopitar has won the Lady Byng three times, including in 2023 and 2025. He has exemplified sportsmanship and leadership through 10 seasons as the Kings’ captain. That run came to a peak this season as the 38-year-old Kopitar went on his final tour around the league. In what was the planned finale to his career, he scored 12 goals and 38 points in 67 games and helped Los Angeles push into their fifth consecutive playoff berth. After a first-round exit at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche, Kopitar officially announced his retirement after 20 seasons in the league. He was a perennial 60-point scorer who reached as high as 92 points at his peak. While Lady Byng voting will be based on this season, it will be hard not to consider Kopitar’s legacy in Los Angeles. One more Lady Byng win would tie him with Pavel Datsyuk for the most in NHL history.
Caufield receives his first finalist bid for the Lady Byng this season, after finishing 64th and 34th in voting in the last two seasons respectively. The Canadiens’ star winger is predominantly known for big smiles and great goal-scoring, two traits that ramped up as he achieved a breakout 51 goals and 88 points in 81 games this season. Caufield became the first Canadiens player to cross the 50-goal mark since Stephane Richer in 1990. He also led the league with 12 game-winning goals. That performance helped boost Canadiens center Nick Suzuki to his first 100-point campaign and brought Montreal into their second consecutive postseason. Caufield does not wear a letter for Montreal but the impact of his personality on and off of the ice is still top class. Even if he does not win the Lady Byng this season, a nomination at the age of 25 speaks to Caufield’s chances at one day cementing the trophy.
The same can be said for the 23-year-old Sanderson, who stepped into Ottawa’s top defense role with a breakout season. Sanderson finished the year with 14 goals and 54 points in 67 games. He averaged nearly 25 minutes of ice time a night, in part thanks to the string of injuries that plagued fellow top defenseman Thomas Chabot – who missed 25 games. Only seven players averaged more ice time than Sanderson at even-strength. He also ranked in the top-15 of penalty-killing time per game. His ability to step into a major role for Ottawa, intermixed with a Gold Medal win with Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics, make Sanderson a great candidate for multiple nominations this award season.
Kings’ Brandt Clarke Hoping For Bigger Role
One of the top priorities for the Los Angeles Kings this summer will be re-signing top, young defenseman Brandt Clarke. The 23 year old racked up 81 points in 185 NHL games on his entry-level contract, including 40 points while playing in all 82 games of this season. He has already expressed his desire to stick in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future – but that desire may come with a catch. After a strong campaign, Clarke feels it’s time for more responsibility, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the April 27 episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast.
Clarke lined up as Los Angeles’ second-pair, right-defenseman this season. He operated behind Kings legend Drew Doughty and alongside veteran depth defenseman Joel Edmundson. Even with Edmundson’s knack for quiet results, the Kings’ second-pair still managed to outscore opponents 50-to-36, while racking up an expected-goal differential of 42.1-to-38.7 per Line Blender. Clarke’s game shined even brighter away from Edmundson. He outscored opponents 17-to-eight in roughly 350 minutes away from Edmundson, which amounted to only one-third of his total even-strength ice time this season.
Those are encouraging numbers for the Kings. On the heels of his first 40-point campaign, Clarke has proven an ability to step up and drive his line. He also proved to be a fantastic power-play quarterback, on the ice for 19 goals in 184 minutes of power-play ice time. But even when considering special teams, Los Angeles faces the same question. Can Clarke do enough to play above Doughty in the lineup?
Next season will be a contract year and almost certainly represent the beginning of sunset years for the 36-year-old Doughty. He fell to 23 points in 72 games this season after missing 52 games last year due to injury. It seems the days of Doughty’s 50-point seasons are well behind him. The two-time Stanley Cup champion added another feather to his cap this season with his third appearance at the Winter Olympics and now must face the challenge of turning over his role. It won’t be an easy transition. Even in a quiet year, Doughty led the Kings roster with 23 minutes of ice time on average, two more minutes than any other skater on the team. He continued to stand as a pillar of the lineup, while Los Angeles’ second and third defense pairs didn’t average more than 20 minutes each game.
On the first free agent contract of his career, Clarke will hope to flip those roles. Even ceding two minutes of ice time each night would bring the two defenders much more in-line. Los Angeles could also face a question of who to partner Clarke with as he climbs to star minutes. They will have roughly $18MM in cap space this summer, per PuckPedia, with Clarke and Andrei Kuzmenko as their biggest pending-free agents.
Any remaining salary cap could be dedicated to bringing in a difference-maker at left-defense – someone who could operate behind Michael Anderson while still offering more top-end upside than Edmundson. The market for left-defenders is slim this summer but a player like Mario Ferraro has experience standing up to 20 minutes a night for L.A.’s division rival, the San Jose Sharks. Ferraro is hoping for a deal with term this summer, which could go far in helping Los Angeles cement a top-four they can move into the future with – one that has Clarke at the helm.
This season, Clarke became the second Kings defenseman since 2000 to post a 40-point season before their 23rd birthday. The only other defender to achieve the feat in black-and-silver was Doughty. Now, the two will need to find a balance – with one in the midst of their big break and the other fading into retirement. Finding the right balance for their ice time could go far in cementing Los Angeles’ future, and helping the team break past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after five early exits in a row.
Blue Jackets Won’t Retain Mike Haviland, Scott Ford, Aron Augustitus
The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that assistant coaches Mike Haviland and Scott Ford, as well as video coach Aron Augustitus, won’t be returning to the team for the 2026-27 season. This decision will allow recently-extended head coach Rick Bowness to bring on his own staff for his first full season with the team. Among the candidates to earn an assistant role with Columbus will be Cleveland Monsters head coach Trent Vogelhuber per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.
Notably, these decisions will keep former Blue Jackets player Jared Boll in his assistant coach role. Boll retired from his playing career after the 2017-18 season and joined the Blue Jackets as an assistant development coach in the following year. He held onto that role until he was promoted to the Blue Jackets bench ahead of the 2023-24 season. Boll has played an integral role in developing many of the Blue Jackets’ young stars and should continue to oversee their paths next season.
Haviland will enter the coaching market with a substantial amount of experience under his belt. His coaching career began in the ECHL where he took home two Kelly Cups across four seasons as a head coach – one on each side of the rivalry between the Trenton Titans and Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies. He was promoted to the AHL with the Norfolk Admirals in 2006 and earned the league’s ‘Coach of the Year’ award in 2007. That accolade preceded a move to the Rockford IceHogs, which would represent a path into Haviland’s first NHL coaching role – as an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks. He filled that role for four seasons, including Chicago’s Stanley Cup-winning 2009-10 campaign. Haviland was dismissed by Chicago in 2012 and returned to the AHL for two seasons, before taking on the head coach role at Colorado College for seven seasons. It was that role that Columbus pulled Haviland out of, first to serve as an AHL associate coach for two seasons and then to serve as an NHL assistant for the last two seasons. He will now search for a new gig with the ability to fill numerous roles.
Ford began his coaching career in 2015, after a minor-league career that spanned 552 AHL games and 172 ECHL games. He served as an assistant coach for eight seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals – a run that was briefly interrupted by one season with the Chicago Wolves. Ford earned his first NHL role – and his first NHL regular season game behind the bench – when he was hired as an assistant by Columbus in 2024. His hiring marked a reunion with then-head coach Dean Evason, who coached over Ford from 2012 to 2015, then coached alongside him from 2015 to 2018. Evason, like Ford, is on the open market after being dismissed by the Blue Jackets.
This will also mark a quick change for Augustitus. The 30-year-old coach was promoted to the Blue Jackets’ head video coach role last summer, after four years as an assistant video coach with the club. He first joined the organization in 2018.
Vogelhuber could be the first to take on a role on Columbus’ refreshed bench. The 37 year old has served as Cleveland’s head coach for the last four seasons, after four years as an assistant coach with the team. He has led the Monsters to a winning record, and three playoff appearances, in his time overseeing the bench. He was also named a coach at the 2024 AHL All-Star game. Cleveland’s performances under Vogelhuber have represented a quick turnaround for a team that posted a 68-76-23 record in the three seasons leading up to his promotion.
These changes will mark a turnover of the Blue Jackets’ bench after posting a 40-30-12 record and missing the postseason by six points. Bowness will have his chance to build a staff capable of making up that gap next season. How the Blue Jackets choose to assemble their new bench crew could tip off their plans for Bowness’ future with the club. The 71 year old is currently the oldest head coach in the NHL and came out of retirement to replace Evason earlier this season. He has signed a one-year extension with Columbus but may not have many seasons left beyond that. Columbus’ hires could suggest if a strong staff can support a few more years, or if they will lead to a warm handoff of head coaching duties.
Photo courtesy of Kyle Terada-Imagn Images.
Morning Notes: Boeser, Hall, Norris
Team USA is expected to add a goal-scoring punch to their roster for the 2026 IIHF World Championship. Top Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser is expected to suit up for the Stars and Stripes in the summer tournament per Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK News.
Boeser notched 22 goals and 48 points in 75 games this season. The performance continued his downward turn after posting a career-high 40 goals and 73 points in 81 games of the 2023-24 season. Boeser earned All-Star recognition that season, an accolade that he hasn’t received since his rookie season in 2017-18. He followed the career year with just 25 goals and 50 points in 75 games last season.
This will be Boeser’s first chance to suit up for the USA’s men’s national team. He played in three international tournaments during his days in junior hockey, including captaining USA at the 2014 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He scored eight points in five games at that tournament, then later notched five points in four games at the 2015 World Junior-A Challenge and three points in seven games at the 2016 World Junior Championships. Boeser has stood out as a shoot-first winger dating back to those international appearances and should bring a similar impact to USA’s middle-six at Worlds.
Other notes from around the league:
- Carolina Hurricanes forward Taylor Hall is not expected to receive supplemental discipline for his hit that injured Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson, per hockey insider Frank Seravalli and TSN’s Bruce Garrioch. Senators head coach Travis Green criticized the decision, saying that the hit was blatantly high. Hall seemed to contact Sanderson’s head, and even knocked off his helmet, with a corner hit in the third period of Thursday night’s game. He was assessed a minor penalty on the play, while Sanderson left the game with 15 minutes to go. The star defenseman will now move forward with a questionable tag for the rest of the first round series. That will be a major absence with Ottawa at risk of being swept on Saturday. Sanderson is the only Senators defenseman to record a point this series. He has two assists.
- It seems the Buffalo Sabres could be without Joshua Norris for the foreseeable future. After being designated as out day-to-day, head coach Lindy Ruff shared that Norris is currently questionable to practice with the team. Norris sat out of Game 3 with an undisclosed injury. He has battled routine absence all season long and ultimately sat out of 38 games. Norris was a major part of the Sabres’ offense in his healthy stretches. He scored 34 points in 44 games and gave the team an extra motor in their top-six. Unfortunately, the Sabres will have to revert to their backup lineup with Norris again on the mend. His absence will be, in part, filled by rookie Noah Ostlund who scored two points in his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut in Thursday night’s win.
Mix Of Veterans And Prospects Is Helping Sharks Climb The Ladder
The San Jose Sharks have not been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2019. They have spent six seasons since compiling one of the strongest prospect pools in hockey, using strategic late-round drafting and trades to stock the cupboards from their top forward position all the way through their starting goaltender. That draft capital has already begun to pay off. Will Smith and William Eklund are established, top forwards for the Sharks – while Macklin Celebrini became a household name and broke the team’s scoring record, all before turning 20. Their success helped San Jose finish outside of the Pacific Division’s bottom-three for the first time since their last playoff appearance – but how long will it take until San Jose takes another step forward and returns to the postseason?
The top six scorers from San Jose’s 2025-26 season feature two players above the age of 30 and four younger than 24. That balance of veteran leadership and inexperienced talent has headlined San Jose’s roster construction in recent years. Winger Tyler Toffoli helped to fill some of the gaps left by Celebrini’s all-over style, while Alexander Wennberg has proven to be an invaluable, two-way center while Smith finds his footing between wing and center roles. Both Toffoli and Wennberg are signed through 2028, which should keep the construction of San Jose’s top-six relatively the same. But much of the same may not be enough for a Sharks club that finished 17th in the league in goals scored this season, even with their electric performances.
It will take another X-factor in the top-six to jump San Jose’s offense to the heights its capable of. That could come through another veteran presence, like winger Kiefer Sherwood who earned an extension with the Sharks before his first complete season in San Jose – thanks to his unique mix of capable goal-scoring and overwhelming hitting. But Sherwood’s role will likely end up depth behind one of San Jose’s emerging youngsters.
Winger Igor Chernyshov vindicated a breakout performance in the OHL last year with 19 points in the first 28 games of his NHL career this year. He played a strong and aggressive style that proved to compliment Celebrini’s tactical playmaking well. The two outscored opponents 20-to-17 in their minutes together – an early mark of gold in Chernyshov’s first season in North American pros.
Still, Chernyshov’s impact stands out as complimentary. To find a true game-breaker, the Sharks will have to turn towards OHL phenom Michael Misa. After setting records with his age-18 season in juniors, Misa posted a lackluster rookie year. He strung together nine goals and 21 points in 45 games and seemed to spend more time adjusting to physicality than he did dominating possession. Those struggles have motivated the junior goal-per-game scorer, who told Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now that he is ready to show fans the “real me” next season. For a former OHL exceptional status grantee, that claim could carry a lot of weight. Misa commanded play at the junior level, flaunting a detailed ability to create offense. Misa taking over more play-driving at the NHL level could help to solidify one of Smith or Eklund on Celebrini’s wing next season, after the two rotated roles this year.
Once again, it will be the mix of veteran presence – Sherwood – and emerging talent – Chernyshov and Misa – that solidifies San Jose’s offensive group. But they will bring little without a solid defense to boot. The Sharks were again in the bottom-three of goals allowed this season. Part of that blame – though, certainly, not all of it – can be placed on young defenders like Sam Dickinson and Shakir Mukhamadullin. Neither carved out much of a role this season, with the end-of-year statline reading 14 points and 12 points for the pair respectively. Dickinson was another standout in the OHL but seemed to lack the same confident puck-moving in the NHL.
The Sharks may infuse some more confidence with the addition of Hobey Baker Award finalist Eric Pohlkamp, who has turned pro after winning a National Championship with the University of Denver. Pohlkamp also plays a commanding style, driving the puck on offense and throwing hits on defense. His game is more rooted in aggression than skill, which could help to carve out more space for Dickinson to drive the offense. At the least, it will give the Sharks a puck-moving defenseman on each of their top two pairs, while Mukhamadullin and Luca Cagnoni look to carve out roles behind them.
But while Dickinson and Pohlkamp both have potential to secure long-term roles, the Sharks are still missing a balance on the blue-line. Their veteran support has been led by Mario Ferraro, John Klingberg, Dmitry Orlov, and Nick Leddy. None of the four were at their best in the 2025-26 season. Orlov led the blue-line in scoring with 37 points – enough to guarantee a pillar role next season. No roles will be guaranteed for Ferraro, Leddy, or Klingberg – though. All three are set to become unrestricted free agents and San Jose has acknowledged their need to improve on the back-end. While interdivision rivals, and clear impacts, John Carlson and Jacob Trouba will be hitting the open marke,t the Sharks are more likely to find that impact through trades.
Exploring the trade market could be a wise way for San Jose to spend their eight draft picks this year, including two in the first and fourth round. Seeking out a defenseman like Colton Parayko, Dougie Hamilton, or even a longshot addition like Roman Josi could have the added benefit of pushing San Jose towards the cap floor, while adding a top defender who can take pressure off of the Sharks’ emerging youngsters. With their mix of prospect talent, draft capital, and cap space – the Sharks are uniquely positioned to try and catch big fish all summer long. If they land one or two, it could go far in stabilizing a blue-line in need.
San Jose will hope those additions, and continued breakouts from top prospects, will continue their climb next season. Celebrini has broken the century mark as a teenager – a feat only managed by two other players, Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, since 2000. That will give the team a franchise leader but it will take more juice on offense, and a pull out of the depths on defense, for San Jose to turn that into a playoff bid. The difference in postseason versus early summer was just four points for the Sharks this season – an easily surmountable gap if sparks fly next season.
Photos courtesy of Eakin Howard-Imagn Images and David Gonzales-Imagn Images.
Evening Notes: Kleven, Tippett, Ostlund
Defenseman Tyler Kleven is continuing to progress in his recovery from an upper-body injury sustained in April 2nd’s win over the Buffalo Sabres. He has now taken two practices with full contact and a face-guard and could be back in the lineup soon. Despite that, head coach Travis Green would neither confirm nor deny if Kleven was an option for Thursday’s Game 3 per TSN’s Bruce Garrioch. Meanwhile, Artem Zub remains out of practice since sustaining what appeared to be a lower-body injury in Saturday’s loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Green did not have an update on Zub’s availability either per Sportscenter’s Claire Hanna.
It seems Ottawa will be forced to roll out the same blue-line that led them to a double-overtime loss on Monday. That will mean heavy minutes for usual stars Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot, as well as rising depth defender Jordan Spence who has taken over top-four duties in Zub’s absence. Nikolas Matinpalo should also stay up the lineup, though the Senators could rotate him with Lassi Thomson and Dennis Gilbert. Sanderson is the only Senators’ defenseman to score so far this postseason. He has two assists in as many games. So long as he can continue to elevate the blue-line, Ottawa stands a chance of hanging on against the Hurricanes.
Other notes from around the league:
- Top Philadelphia Flyers winger Owen Tippett missed the team’s Wednesday practice to nurse an injury that he has been playing through, head coach Rick Tocchet told NBCS’ Jordan Hall. He is expected to suit up for Wednesday’s Game 3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins despite the injury. Tippett has one assist in two playoff games so far, while Philadelphia holds a 2-0 lead over the Penguins. He should continue to line up next to Tyson Foerster and Trevor Zegras, maintaining a trio that has proven explosive in the early postseason.
- Buffalo Sabres rookie center Noah Ostlund could return to the lineup in Thursday night’s Game 3 against the Boston Bruins per Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic. Ostlund has not played since sustaining an injury in Buffalo’s March 25th matchup – an overtime loss to the Bruins. The rookie emerged as a reliable, fourth-line center for Buffalo. He played through his first NHL season and racked up 11 goals and 27 points in 60 games, to go with 10 points in seven AHL games. He should take on a fourth-line role over one of Beck Malenstyn, Joshua Dunne, or Jordan Greenway if and when he returns to full health. The decision of who to pull out of the lineup will be a delicate one for Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff, as the fourth-line has currently brought a lot of physicality to a hard-nosed matchup. Ostlund is still adjusting to NHL physicality and will be making his Stanley Cup Playoff debut when he makes it back into the lineup.
Ducks’ Radko Gudas Ruled Out Of Game 2
The Anaheim Ducks will be without their captain in Game 2 against the Edmonton Oilers. Defenseman Radko Gudas has been ruled out with an undisclosed injury per Jason Gregor of Sports 1440. Gudas will be replaced by Drew Helleson making his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut.
Gudas played under 10 minutes of ice time in Game 1. He was also held out of Anaheim’s season finale for maintenance reasons. Gudas battled a lower-body injury sustained in a win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday, March 26. He went on to miss nine of the final 10 games of Anaheim’s season. While no connection between that injury and Gudas’ current absence was made, it seems likely that he is still working his way back to 100 percent. He will move forward with a day-to-day designation, per Zach Laing of Oilers Nation.
Gudas has recorded two points and 39 penalty minutes in his last 13 games, including Game 1 of the postseason. Those stats bring him up to 13 points, 67 penalty minutes, and 164 hits in 56 games this season. He has slowed down both his scoring and aggression in his age-35 season, after reaching 18 points, 128 penalty minutes, and 232 hits in 66 games just two seasons ago. Still, Gudas will be a valuable, physical addition to Anaheim’s playoff race when he is back to full health.
Helleson will look to make up for Gudas’ physical presence from Anaheim’s third pair. The 24 year old notched 15 points, 63 hits, and 79 shot blocks in 60 gamse this season. Much of his action came in relief of Gudas’ injuries. He brings a thin amount of championship experience to the Ducks lineup, having won a Gold Medal at the 2018 World U17 Hockey Challenge and 2021 World Junior Championships. Helleson won’t bring the aggression or hitting that Gudas does but should play responsibly enough to compliment rookie defender Tyson Hinds.
Bruins Sign Billy Sweezey To One-Year, Two-Way Extension
The Boston Bruins have re-signed pending unrestricted free agent Billy Sweezey to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry a cap hit of $850K in the NHL. Sweezey has spent the last five seasons in the AHL. He joined the Providence Bruins in 2024 and serves as an alternate captain for the club.
Sweezey has racked up 17 points, 84 penalty minutes, and a career-high plus-21 in 69 games this season. His single goal on the season gave Sweezey three consecutive seasons with only one score – a pattern he repeated in the first three seasons of his career at Yale University. Sweezey has continued to offer the chippy, defensive style that he took on way back with the USHL’s Chicago Steel in 2015.
Sweezey signed his first pro contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2020, after racking up 29 points and 159 penalty minutes in 127 games at Yale. He only reached four assists in 22 games in the AHL’s shortened 2020-21 season. He left the Penguins and signed a deal with the Cleveland Monsters in the following summer. A move to Ohio proved to bring much more action, pushing Sweezey to 11 points and 114 penalty minutes in 70 games of his first season in Cleveland.
His 2021-22 performance was such a pleasant surprise that the Columbus Blue Jackets signed Sweezey to a two-way NHL contract in March 2022. The Blue Jackets vindicated that deal roughly one year later, when Sweezey made his NHL debut on February 26, 2023. He would go on to play in nine games with Columbus marked by one assist, nine penalty minutes, and a minus three. Sweezey has since spent the last three seasons in a full-time, AHL role – though the Boston Bruins kept him on an NHL contract when they signed him out of free agency. Sweezey has already recorded 27 points and 151 penalty minutes in 133 games with the Providence Bruins and will stay on a two-way NHL deal next season.