Evening Notes: Kuemper, Granlund, Avalanche
Heading into the offseason, the Los Angeles Kings will have just over $18MM in cap space. Los Angeles will use some of that to retain defenseman Brandt Clarke, and could burn through much of the rest if they wish to retain Andrei Kuzmenko, Scott Laughton, and Mathieu Joseph.
In a new article on Mayor’s Manor, Scott Coffman opined that the Kings could look to move netminder Darcy Kuemper to open up additional breathing room and pursue a top-six center. Kuemper, 36, managed a 19-14-15 record in 50 games this past season with a .891 SV%. Additionally, he’s one year removed from being a Vezina Trophy finalist and one year remaining on his contract.
Despite Anton Forsberg‘s strong performance last season, Los Angeles lacks a reliable starting goaltender if they trade Kuemper. However, they could form a competent goaltending committee. Erik Portillo is signed through next season, and the Kings brought in another prospect, Hampton Slukynsky, after his collegiate season ended. It would be putting a lot of faith in a pair of unproven talents at the NHL level, but it might be a risk the Kings have to take.
Additional evening notes:
- Now that the Anaheim Ducks’ season has ended, it was expected that a few players could make their way to Switzerland for the IIHF World Championships. One of them has done just that, as it was announced that Mikael Granlund will be joining Team Finland for the remainder of the tournament. Although he didn’t play for his home country last spring, Granlund represented Finland well at the Olympic Games in February, scoring one goal and three points in six games.
- Earlier today, Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports reported that Cale Makar, Josh Manson, Brent Burns, and Artturi Lehkonen are all nursing day-to-day injuries for the Colorado Avalanche. Despite Game 1 of the Western Conference Final being four days away, each of the injured members of the Avalanche is expected to play.
Central Notes: Kealty, Malinski, McCarron
According to a new article from Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean, the Nashville Predators have interviewed Assistant General Manager Jeff Kealty for their General Manager vacancy. Still, even if he doesn’t land the job, Kealty articulated that he’d like to remain with the Predators moving forward.
Now that David Poile and Barry Trotz have moved on, Kealty likely has the lengthiest tenure in Nashville of anyone in the organization. He began with the club ahead of the 2001-02 season as an amateur scout.
Kealty remained as a scout until being promoted to the Predators’ Director of Scouting in 2007. He held that position for a decade before being appointed the team’s Assistant General Manager, where he continues to serve today. Still, given the lengthy hiring process, it’s becoming increasingly likely that Nashville will hire from outside the organization to lead the team’s front office. Kealty would be more of the same, having served only under Poile and Trotz throughout his off-ice career.
Additional notes from the Central Division:
- Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette reported that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sam Malinski is practicing with the team in a non-contact jersey. Malinski missed Colorado’s final two games of Round Two due to an upper-body injury. Given that the team has sustained only one loss through the postseason so far, it’s hard to imagine the Avalanche not reaching the Stanley Cup Final if they’re able to ice a healthy roster in the Western Conference Final.
- Heading into the offseason, the Minnesota Wild have six forwards on the roster that are set to hit unrestricted free agency in a few weeks. According to Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic, trade deadline acquisition Michael McCarron would like to say, but for the right price. McCarron was humbled that the Wild pursued them as aggressively as they did at the deadline, but also noted that he’s at a point in his career where he’d like some security. Given his playstyle, he may pursue a contract similar to William Carrier of the Carolina Hurricanes, who favored term over AAV a few years ago.
No Progress In Extension Talks Between Anaheim Ducks, Jacob Trouba
A little over a year ago, the Anaheim Ducks acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba from the New York Rangers in what appeared at the time as a salary dump for the latter. He was embroiled in the worst season of his NHL career, and looked more like a placeholder for the Ducks as their prospects made their way to the NHL ranks.
However, a year later, Trouba has become a fixture on Anaheim’s blue line, helping the Ducks to their first postseason appearance since the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. Unfortunately, as much as they would like to keep Trouba, the two sides haven’t gotten close to finalizing a contract extension.
Speaking on The Fan Hockey Show, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said, “They’ve been negotiating with [Jacob] Trouba on and off, and to this point they haven’t been able to close it.” The 13-year veteran will see his seven-year, $56MM contract expire on July 1st in a few weeks.
Much of that likely has to do with the price point. Trouba and his camp are likely trying to capitalize on a resurgent 2025-26 campaign, and the Ducks may view it as a flash in the pan, though they would still like to retain him at a digestible rate. Essentially, since the 2021-22 campaign, Trouba’s performance had been declining across the board.
This season, however, he made a big comeback. Throughout the 2025-26 season, Trouba scored 10 goals and 35 points in 81 games with a -1 rating, averaging nearly 23 minutes of ice time per game. Additionally, he led the team in blocked shots, finished third in hits, and had the sixth-most takeaways on the team.
Diving deeper, his 51.8% CorsiFor at even strength is the second-highest mark of his career, and better than any season he had with the Rangers. Still, heading into his age-32 season, especially with how he plays the game, it’s a fair question from the Ducks if he can keep this up for several more years.
In all seriousness, Anaheim is likely in the driver’s seat in the negotiations, despite Trouba’s impressive season. The team has a solid opportunity this summer to re-work its defensive core for the future, without having a stark drop-off in talent. Trouba is joined by captain Radko Gudas and trade deadline acquisition John Carlson as projected unrestricted free agents this summer. If the Ducks keep only one of the trio, they’ll have a balanced right side of the blue line with Drew Helleson and Tristan Luneau in tow.
According to AFP Analytics, Trouba is projected to land a three-year, $9.25MM contract should he hit the open market this summer. Although he will assuredly earn less than his current $8MM salary, an approximately $3.1MM salary feels remarkably low for the season he just had. If Trouba does make it to the open market, he’ll likely land a deal similar to the extension Adam Larsson signed with the Seattle Kraken last year, a four-year, $21MM ($5.25MM AAV) pact, if not a little bit more.
Jay Woodcroft Expected To Interview For Other Opportunities
Last offseason, Anaheim Ducks assistant coach Jay Woodcroft interviewed for multiple head coaching positions, and is expected to do the same this summer. According to Eric Stephens of The Athletic, Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek won’t hold him back, nor block any team from interviewing Woodcroft once those requests come his way.
In Stephens’ update, he shared a quote from Verbeek, saying, “I would never hold a coach back from getting a head coaching job. There’s only 32 of them. That’s the pinnacle of his profession so I would never hold him back from that.”
A year ago, Woodcroft had confirmed interviews with the Ducks, Boston Bruins, and Pittsburgh Penguins, and likely had others. Despite progressing significantly with the Bruins, Woodcroft became an assistant coach in Orange County for the 2025-26 season.
This all came after taking a one-year break from coaching in the 2024-25 season. His last time as a head coach came with the Edmonton Oilers, before he was fired early into the 2023-24 season. By the time he was let go, Woodcroft had managed a 79-41-13 record (.594 W%) with the Oilers, advancing as far as the Western Conference Final in 2022.
Luckily for Woodcroft, there will be no shortage of opportunities this summer. The Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking for new head coaches over the next few weeks. Additionally, the Vegas Golden Knights could be another suitor if they don’t sign John Tortorella to an extension after the season. Although the Oilers are again looking for a new head coach, it’s unlikely that the team would circle back to Woodcroft.
Wild Notes: Foligno, Brodin, Hynes
In this morning’s end-of-season media availability, veteran forward Nick Foligno touched on his future with the Minnesota Wild and his playing future in general. According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, Foligno stated that he would love to return to the Wild next season, but will first decide whether he wants to continue playing.
Minnesota acquired the 38-year-old Foligno at the deadline in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. He performed admirably, scoring one goal and adding four points in 17 regular-season contests, with two additional goals and three points in 11 postseason games. His two playoff goals came in the series-clinching loss against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 5 of Round Two.
There’s no surprise that retirement is a legitimate question for Foligno. As soon as the Wild acquired him, it had all the makings of a swan song, playing out the final days of his career with his brother, Marcus Foligno. Fortunately for Minnesota, should Foligno return, it’ll assuredly be on a much cheaper deal than his current $4.5MM salary.
Additional notes from the Wild:
- According to Joe Smith of The Athletic, defenseman Jonas Brodin revealed his playoff ailment to the media. Brodin shared that he broke a toe bone after blocking a shot in Round One, a fracture that required surgery. It’s more of the same for Brodin, who has not registered 70 or more games in a single season since the 2021-22 campaign.
- Unsurprisingly, Russo indicated that head coach John Hynes isn’t expected to depart this offseason. The question is fairly typical after a team is bounced from the playoffs, especially a team as talented as the Wild. Hynes has been the main bench boss in Minnesota since the 2023-24 campaign, guiding them to a 125-78-24 record (.604 W%) in that time.
Golden Knights Forfeit Draft Pick, John Tortorella Fined
The National Hockey League didn’t let the Vegas Golden Knights celebrate their Western Conference Final berth for too long. According to an announcement from the league office, the Vegas Golden Knights will forfeit their 2026 second-round pick, and head coach John Tortorella will be fined $100K for “flagrant violations” of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Media Regulations.
Although the punishment was unknown, this was an expected outcome for many. In the announcement, the league shared, “The imposition of these penalties comes after previous warnings were issued to the Club regarding their compliance with the Media Regulations and other associated policies.” After last night’s series-clinching win, Vegas closed the locker room doors to the media, and Tortorella refused to meet with them.
According to the league, the Golden Knights will have the ability to appeal the punishment, though they likely won’t have much leverage, given that they’ve been warned multiple times. Still, instead of arguing for a complete erasure of the punishment, Vegas may argue themselves into a slap on the wrist with an understanding that a harsher punishment will be had if something like this happens again.
Regardless, the loss of a second-round pick puts Vegas in a deep hole. Although they normally trade away their draft capital or trade away the prospects, they now lose one for nothing. After today’s news, the Golden Knights don’t have another second-round pick at their disposal until the 2030 NHL Draft.
The Golden Knights offered a press release of their own, saying, “The Golden Knights are aware of today’s announcement from the NHL regarding the postgame media availability following Game 6 in Anaheim. The organization will have no further comment.“
Xavier Villeneuve Commits To Boston University
After losing Yegor Shilov to Penn State University yesterday, the Boston University Terriers are still getting their hands on a projected first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. According to an announcement on his Instagram, defenseman Xavier Villeneuve has committed to Boston University.
Villeneuve, 18, has spent the last three years with the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. He has been a solid scoring talent throughout that stretch, scoring 26 goals and 143 points in 152 games with a +11 rating. During the 2024-25 campaign, he suited up for Team Canada at the IIHF U18 World Junior Championships, scoring four goals and eight points in seven tournament contests.
According to NHL Central Scouting, Villeneuve is the 18th-ranked North American skater for the upcoming draft. Given that he’s projected between the 15th and 20th selection on many boards, Villeneuve should expect to land with a team that’s currently playing, or that qualified for the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Furthermore, he follows a recurring theme of smaller, pass-first defenseman for the Terriers. Obviously, the most recent example would be Lane Hutson and his brother, Cole Hutson. Neither brother is 6’0″ or taller, but both have become solid NHL players. Lane is only three years removed from his time at Boston University, and he’s scored 18 goals and accumulated 146 points in 166 games throughout his young career, winning the Calder Trophy in 2025.
Paul Boutilier Passes Away At Age 63
In an unfortunate announcement from the NHL’s Alumni Association, the group shared that former defenseman Paul Boutilier has passed away at the age of 63. He played for the New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, Minnesota North Stars, New York Rangers, and Winnipeg Jets throughout his NHL career.
The roots of that career sprouted in the 1980-81 season when Boutilier scored 10 goals and 39 points in 72 games for the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Castors. In the postseason, he registered three goals and 10 points in 14 games, setting him up as one of the top-30 talents heading into the 1981 NHL Draft. He was ultimately selected with the 21st overall pick by the Islanders, one spot ahead of current Jets’ head coach, Scott Arniel.
Despite debuting in the NHL in the 1981-82 campaign, Boutilier wouldn’t become a full-time player in New York until the 1982-83 season. He didn’t factor in as much as he may have liked, but he was a part of the last Islanders team to win the Stanley Cup in 1983, having his name engraved on the illustrious silver.
Over the next three years, Boutilier enjoyed the most productive years of his career. From the beginning of the 1983-84 season to the end of the 1985-86 campaign, Boutilier registered 16 goals and 80 points in 183 games for the Islanders with a +14 rating. During the 1984-85 season, he was the third-highest scoring defenseman on the team behind Denis Potvin and Tomas Jonsson.
Unfortunately, inconsistency became a recurring theme throughout Boutilier’s career. He played for four different organizations over the last three years of his career, scoring seven goals and 21 points in 75 games with a -4 rating split between the Bruins, North Stars, Rangers, and Jets.
After a two-year career with NLA’s SC Bern, Boutilier retired after the 1990-91 season. He worked for several years as an assistant coach at St. Mary’s University and Dalhousie University in Canada, and he also had a one-year stint as a development coach with the Nashville Predators. The last stop of his coaching career was working as a defensive coach and assistant coach for the QMJHL’s Montcon Wildcats and Québec Remparts this past season, respectively.
All in all, Boutilier finished his NHL career with 27 goals and 110 points in 288 games with a +1 rating and a Stanley Cup ring from 1983. We at PHR offer our condolences to those impacted by Boutilier’s loss.
Yegor Shilov Commits To Penn State
According to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, Russian forward prospect Yegor Shilov has committed to Penn State University to continue his development. Shilov had previously committed to Boston University.
Shilov, 18, is coming off an impressive season with the QMJHL’s Victoriaville Tigres. Throughout his rookie campaign in the Canadian junior circuit, Shilov scored 32 goals and 82 points in 63 games with a -11 rating. Additionally, he was excellent in the faceoff dot, winning nearly 55% of draws while taking the eighth-most of them in the QMJHL this season.
His 82 points weren’t enough to lead the QMJHL in scoring this year, though it was the most in his age group. The next closest was fellow teammate and countryman, Alexei Vlasov, who had 44 goals and 80 points in 64 games. Vlasov has already committed to the University of Connecticut, so the pair won’t be seeing too much of each other once they depart for college. There’s no word on whether Shilov will begin his tenure at Penn State next season or remain with Victoriaville for another campaign.
Despite not being one of the top names available at this summer’s draft, Shilov is widely expected to be a first-round pick. He’s the 19th-ranked North American skater according to the NHL’s Central Scouting, meaning he’ll likely land with a team that has made the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, if he doesn’t fall into the second round.
Jamie Langenbrunner Leaving Bruins Organization
Although the Boston Bruins did not lose Assistant General Manager Evan Gold to the Vancouver Canucks, they’re still losing their other Assistant General Manager heading into the offseason. According to Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Jamie Langenbrunner is leaving the Bruins organization to pursue other opportunities.
Langenbrunner, 50, has been with Boston for the last 11 years. After retiring in January of 2014, Langenbrunner joined the Bruins as a development coach ahead of the 2015-16 season. He spent several years in that role before becoming the team’s Director of Player Development in 2019-20, a position now held by former defenseman Adam McQuaid.
Since the 2022-23 season, Langenbrunner has been Boston’s Assistant General Manager alongside Gold. Langenbrunner has managed the player personnel responsibilities, while Gold has managed the day-to-day operations. If the Canucks had hired Gold as their next General Manager, the expectation was that Langenbrunner would have been brought to Vancouver with him. Additionally, Langenbrunner was loosely linked to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ General Manager vacancy before the team ultimately landed on John Chayka.
A few days ago, the New Jersey Devils felt like a logical fit for Langenbrunner. The native of Cloquet, MN, played nearly a decade with the Devils and served as captain of the team for four years. New Jersey had an opening for an Assistant General Manager after Sunny Mehta took the reins. This position was filled by Braden Birch, who had worked closely with Mehta in the Florida Panthers organization.
Given that Ryan Johnson has been promoted as the Canucks next General Manager, the team technically has an opening at the AGM position, which could entice Langenbrunner if it comes with more responsibility. Additionally, the Nashville Predators remain the only current team with a vacancy at the General Manager position, for which Langenbrunner could be a candidate.