Canucks Sign Jack Thompson To One-Year Contract
The Vancouver Canucks are retaining some of their defensive depth for next season. According to a team announcement, the Vancouver Canucks have signed defenseman Jack Thompson to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2026-27 season.
Thompson, 24, was originally drafted with the 93rd overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. After finishing his three-year tenure in the OHL with the Sudbury Wolves and Soo Greyhounds, Thompson made the jump to the professional ranks in 2022-23 with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.
The Courtice, ON native made a good first impression with the Lightning organization, scoring five goals and 23 points in 71 games during the 2022-23 AHL campaign. Still, it wouldn’t hold a candle to the production he had the following season, when he scored five goals and 32 points in 46 games to start the 2023-24 season.
Additionally, Thompson made his NHL debut that year, appearing in one game for the Lightning. His tenure with the club would end there, as Tampa Bay dealt him to the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline in the Anthony Duclair trade. He finished the year with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, scoring one goal and nine points in 16 games.
In San Jose, Thompson had a much clearer path to NHL ice time than the narrow one he faced in Tampa Bay. It’s the lengthiest run he’s had in the NHL to date, scoring four goals and 10 points in 31 games for the Sharks with a -9 rating, averaging 15:47 of ice time per game.
However, due to the Sharks making several veteran additions to their defensive corps last summer, Thompson lost his spot on the roster. He spent the entire 2025-26 campaign in the AHL, scoring three goals and 12 points in 43 games with the Barracuda, before an in-season trade sent him to Vancouver. Thompson finished off this past season, registering three goals and 13 points in 14 games for the Abbotsford Canucks.
NHL Announces 2026 First & Second All-Star Teams
And with that, the NHL Award season is over. On the heels of announcing the 2025-26 All-Rookie Team, the NHL has also revealed the First & Second All-Star Teams from this past season. Now, the only two awards left to hand out are the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy. The two All-Star Teams are as follows:
First All-Star Team
LW Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars
C Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
RW Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
D Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
D Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
G Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Second All-Star Team
LW Cole Caufield, Montreal Canadiens
C Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
RW David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
D Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
D Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers
G Logan Thompson, Washington Capitals
There are no real surprises among the forwards and defensemen. It’s difficult to argue that anyone should be excluded from this list, as many of the names included were finalists for major awards during the 2025-26 campaign.
There is one big surprise for the goaltenders. Vasilevskiy makes plenty of sense, given that he won the Vezina Trophy this season. However, Thompson finished fourth in Vezina Trophy voting behind Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders and Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins.
Arguably, Thompson should have been a finalist for the Vezina. He finished the season with a 31-21-6 record in 58 games with a .912 SV%, 2.44 GAA, and 29.3 GSAx according to MoneyPuck. His GSAx wasn’t the best per 60 minutes, but he finished ahead of Vasilevskiy in both metrics, demonstrating how strong he played this year. The difference is in who votes for each; the Vezina is voted on by the league’s General Managers, while the All-Star Teams are chosen by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
NHL Announces 2026 All-Rookie Team
Earlier today, the NHL announced the All-Rookie Team from the 2025-26 season, with no surprises. The team is as follows:
F Ivan Demidov, Montreal Canadiens
F Beckett Sennecke, Anaheim Ducks
F Jimmy Snuggerud, St. Louis Blues
D Matthew Schaefer, New York Islanders
D Alexander Nikishin, Carolina Hurricanes
G Jakub Dobes, Montreal Canadiens
The group is highlighted by the three Calder Trophy finalists: Demidov, Sennecke, and Schaefer. In a runaway performance, Schaefer ultimately took home Rookie of the Year honors, but Demidov and Sennecke each had exceptional seasons in their own right.
The final forward spot came down to the wire between Snuggerud and Ryan Leonard of the Washington Capitals. Snuggerud barely surpassed Leonard in scoring, finishing with 21 goals and 51 points in 70 games to Leonard’s 20 goals and 45 points in 75 games. The higher point totals in fewer games likely pushed Snuggerud over the edge.
Unlike the voting at forward, Nikishin made it fairly easy to round out the defense. He finished well short of Schaefer’s totals with 11 goals and 33 points in 81 games, but he plays a much different game. Nikishin’s +18 rating was only three behind Fraser Minten‘s rating with the Boston Bruins for the highest in the league among rookies.
The goaltending vote could have gone either way, and maybe should have. Not to knock Dobes, who had a quality year, but Jesper Wallstedt of the Minnesota Wild was fairly dominant this season. The former first-round pick finished with an 18-9-6 record in 35 games with a .916 SV% and 2.61 GAA.
Not only did Wallstedt’s save percentage finish as the top among rookie netminders, but he also finished second in the league among qualified goaltenders, only slightly behind Scott Wedgewood of the Colorado Avalanche.
Still, Dobe’s entry onto the All-Rookie Team was well deserved. He had a heavier workload than Wallstedt, finishing with a 29-10-4 record in 43 games with a .901 SV% and 2.78 GAA.
List Of 2026 Unrestricted Free Agents
This summer’s free agency period is on the horizon. Below is a complete list of the upcoming class of unrestricted free agents, with their 2026 ages listed in parentheses. Undoubtedly, several players will have signed extensions, departed for opportunities overseas, or retire, and this list will be amended to reflect those changes. The complete list of upcoming UFAs is as follows:
Centers
Rodrigo Abols (30)
Noel Acciari (34)
Teddy Blueger (31)
Jonny Brodzinski (32)
Nick Cousins (32)
Jason Dickinson (30)
Joshua Dunne (27)
Lars Eller (37)
Brendan Gaunce (32)
Claude Giroux (38)
Luke Glendening (37)
Jansen Harkins (29)
Kevin Hayes (34)
Adam Henrique (36)
Boone Jenner (32)
Ben Jones (27)
Tyson Jost (28)
David Kampf (31)
Alexander Kerfoot (31)
Justin Kirkland (29)
Luke Kunin (28)
Trevor Kuntar (24)
Joseph LaBate (33)
Tanner Laczynski (29)
Sam Lafferty (31)
Scott Laughton (32)
Curtis Lazar (31)
Zack MacEwen (29)
Marc McLaughlin (26)
Lane Pederson (28)
Noah Philp (27)
Kevin Rooney (33)
Jack Roslovic (29)
Colton Sissons (32)
Kevin Stenlund (29)
Jack Studnicka (27)
Oskar Sundqvist (32)
Jonathan Toews (38)
T.J. Tynan (34)
Patrick Brown Signs With DEL’s Adler Mannheim
The Boston Bruins have lost some of their organizational forward depth. According to a team announcement, the DEL’s Adler Mannheim have signed Patrick Brown for the 2026-27 season.
In all fairness, at 34 years old, Brown’s professional career in North America was likely nearing its end, anyway. He was signed as a collegiate free agent by the Carolina Hurricanes ahead of the 2014-15 campaign, and has primarily been an AHL talent for the last 11 years.
Although the Bloomfield Hills, MI native didn’t challenge for any scoring awards throughout his time in the AHL, his North American career is defined by his leadership. Brown was named captain for the Boston College Eagles for the 2013-14 NCAA season, and wore the ‘C’ for three different AHL organizations, including the Providence Bruins, for the past two years.
Despite carving out a consistent role in the AHL, Brown didn’t go without his NHL opportunities, either. Highlighted by a two-year stint with the Philadelphia Flyers in which he played 87 games from 2021 to 2023, Brown played parts of nine seasons with the Hurricanes, Golden Knights, Flyers, Senators, and Bruins. Assuming his NHL career has finished, Brown ends with 10 goals and 26 points in 164 appearances.
Understandably, his performance in the AHL has been much better. Beginning with the Charlotte Checkers in 2014-15, Brown has registered 111 goals and 286 points in 572 career games. Additionally, he captained the Checkers to a Calder Cup championship in 2019.
Morning Notes: Hellebuyck, Karlsson, McIlvane
While most eyes will be on this summer’s center trade market, the trade market for goaltenders should be fairly active as well, particularly for the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the latter has reached out to the Winnipeg Jets to gauge the trade possibility of one of, if not the league’s best.
Much of the trade speculation surrounding Connor Hellebuyck stems from his end-of-season media availability, where he questioned Winnipeg’s ability to build a true Stanley Cup contender, especially given that no other top-level talent has any interest in joining the organization. Still, Hellebuyck added in the same monologue that he loves playing for the Jets and wants to play a part in drawing other players to the organization.
Additionally, Pagnotta noted that Winnipeg has no interest in trading Hellebuyck, but if the three-time Vezina winner were to quietly request a trade, they would navigate the trade waters. Despite the gold medal win in February, Hellebuyck arguably had the worst season of his career, finishing with a 23-23-11 record in 57 games with a .895 SV%, 2.86 GAA, and -0.3 Goals Saved Above Average.
Other morning notes:
- In last night’s Game 5, the Vegas Golden Knights suffered more than just a loss. In the second period, after being hit by Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker, Golden Knights forward William Karlsson left the game entirely (Video Link). It’s a difficult blow to Karlsson, who already missed 68 games in the regular season due to a lower-body injury. He’s scored three goals and nine points in 15 games during the playoffs, but his postseason may have come to an abrupt end.
- According to a team announcement, the Boston Bruins have hired Matt McIlvane as an assistant coach, replacing Jay Leach. McIlvane had been the head coach of the AHL’s San Diego Gulls for the past three years, guiding them to an 88-97-31 record, with a berth in the Calder Cup playoffs this season. Unfortunately, the postseason run was short-lived, as the Colorado Eagles quickly dispatched the Gulls in the First Round.
Carolina Hurricanes Recall Amir Miftakhov
According to the AHL transactions log, the Carolina Hurricanes have recalled netminder Amir Miftakhov from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. The roster move comes a few hours before the Hurricanes play the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, and a day before the Wolves begin the Calder Cup Final against the Toronto Marlies.
The news is surprising for several reasons. For one, Carolina already has three goaltenders on the active roster, without any public injury updates.
Carolina had been using Frederik Andersen for most of the playoffs, and for good reason. The 36-year-old netminder was nearly unbeatable through the Eastern Conference Final, managing a 12-1-0 record in 13 games with a .931 SV%. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case in the Stanley Cup Final, with Andersen owning a 1-1-0 record through three games with a .815 SV%.
In Game 3, Andersen was hit in the head by Ivan Barbashev, causing him to miss Game 4 entirely. Carolina indicated that Andersen was being held out for “maintenance”, but there’s some belief that he’s dealing with a concussion. Today’s recall of Miftakhov strongly suggests that this is the case.
Bussi wasn’t sensational in Game 4 by any stretch, though it was enough to earn the win. Assuming the status quo remains the same, Bussi will be in the starter’s crease tonight, with Pyotr Kochetkov backing him up. If Andersen is dealing with a concussion, Miftakhov would presumably be the emergency backup netminder.
Kings Sign Martin Chromiak To One-Year Extension
According to a team announcement, the Los Angeles Kings have signed Martin Chromiak to a one-year, two-way extension. Los Angeles included that Chromiak will earn an $850K salary at the NHL level.
Chromiak, 23, was a fifth-round pick by the Kings back in the 2020 NHL Draft. He split his draft season between the Slovakian professional leagues and the OHL, scoring five goals and six points in 32 games with the HK Dukla Trencin, and 11 goals and 33 points in 28 games for the Kingston Frontenacs.
During the 2020-21 campaign, he spent the entire year in Slovakia, again with HK Dukla Trencin, improving his output to seven goals and 19 points in 32 contests. The following season, the Kings agreed to a full transition to North America, spending the entire year with the Frontenacs. Chromiak was exceptional, registering 44 goals and 86 points in 60 games.
After that season, Los Angeles felt he was ready to make the jump to the professional ranks, adding him to the AHL Ontario Reign for the 2022-23 campaign. Since then, he’s continued to improve, topping out with a 28-goal, 56-point performance in 71 games for the Reign this past season.
The Kings don’t have a lot of top prospects, but they do have a decent crop of forwards looking to compete for bottom-six roles next season. Several of them are ahead of Chromiak on the depth chart, but he could become the first man up early next season if he continues his positive trajectory.
Poll: Which Team Will Acquire Dylan Larkin?
The summer trade market got a major injection last week, with the captain of the Detroit Red Wings, Dylan Larkin, requesting a trade from the team. Given how many teams are searching for a top-six center, Larkin immediately became the top available trade target. However, thanks to the full no-trade clause in his contract, Larkin controls his destiny for the most part, and notified the Red Wings that he would only be open to a trade to the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, or Vegas Golden Knights.
The trickiest part of a hypothetical Larkin trade is what the Red Wings would want. Despite missing the playoffs the last three years, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. The team is eager to jump into their competitive window, so they will likely want NHL-ready players in return. Given that all three teams on Larkin’s list are not only in their competitive windows but legitimate Stanley Cup threats, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for them to trade off their roster either, so the Red Wings may have to settle for future assets or a mixture of both.
Assuming everyone is healthy to begin the 2026-27 campaign, the Panthers have little need for Larkin. They may still want him, but if Florida is going to target anything this summer, it’ll be goaltending. The Panthers already have a relatively deep center corps with Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, and Anton Lundell at the top of the hierarchy. However, compared to the Wild and Golden Knights, the Panthers have much more cap space to work with.
Florida could dangle the eighth overall pick of the 2026 NHL Draft, but it has very little to offer outside of that. It’s well known that the Panthers have the worst farm system in the NHL, so it’s unlikely the Red Wings would be interested in any prospect capital. Additionally, given that they’re in the same division, Detroit will be competing with the Panthers for a postseason spot next season, so Florida would have to overpay more than the Wild or Golden Knights. The Red Wings may aim for the Panthers to include Eetu Luostarinen and/or Niko Mikkola with the eighth overall pick, but Florida will have little appetite to move them after the injury concerns from the 2025-26 season.
Meanwhile, of all three clubs, the Wild have the biggest need for a top-six center. It was evident during the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs that this was a significant factor in their inability to advance beyond Round Two. In a recent article from Joe Smith of The Athletic, he speculated that Minnesota could offer Danila Yurov and Charlie Stramel in a hypothetical trade for Larkin, but have little else to offer beyond that. The team traded some of their most enticing capital for Quinn Hughes and doesn’t have a ton left to add another All-Star talent.
However, the Wild’s potential offer to the Red Wings isn’t necessarily dead on arrival. Minnesota still has its 2027 first-round pick, although it’s expected to fall well outside of the lottery range. Would it make sense for Minnesota to offer Jonas Brodin, as well? He hasn’t completed a full season in seven years, so the team has learned to operate without him by now. Furthermore, his contract does not include any trade protection, and his $6MM salary would help create some cap space for other acquisitions this summer.
Lastly, like the Wild, the Golden Knights will have some salary cap hurdles to overcome. Still, that’s never stopped them before. Currently embroiled in a tightly contested Stanley Cup Final with the Carolina Hurricanes, the Golden Knights will enter the summer with approximately $4.625MM in space, and that’s without factoring in a possible extension for Rasmus Andersson.
Given that they don’t have a pick in the first two rounds until the 2028 NHL Draft, Vegas will undoubtedly have to include prospect Trevor Connelly in any hypothetical deal for Larkin, as well as players on their roster. Unfortunately, the Golden Knights don’t have many players without trade protection in their contracts, and it wouldn’t make a ton of sense for a player to greenlight a trade to Detroit after playing in the Stanley Cup Final.
Another possibility is that Larkin ultimately remains with the Red Wings. General Manager Steve Yzerman isn’t afraid to play hardball, as he did with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Jonathan Drouin many moons ago. As much as Larkin can pick where he goes due to the no-trade clause, he’s still contractually committed to Detroit through the 2030-31 season. It’s highly unlikely that Yzerman will be bullied into a bad deal, so if Larkin doesn’t expand his list, or Detroit doesn’t get an offer to their liking, they may tell Larkin they can’t wait to see him in Traverse City for training camp in September.
Now it’s time for you to pick: will Larkin be on one of the three teams on his trade list come next season, be on a different organization than those he originally listed, or with the Red Wings? Vote below!
Which Team Will Acquire Dylan Larkin?
Max McCormick Announces Retirement
According to an announcement from the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, captain Max McCormick has retired from professional hockey. McCormick lost the entire 2025-26 campaign due to a hip injury, and that likely influenced him to hang up his skates.
McCormick, 34, was drafted with the 171st overall pick of the 2011 NHL Draft by the Ottawa Senators. Before turning pro, McCormick spent his collegiate days at The Ohio State University, scoring 36 goals and 88 points in 104 games from 2011 to 2014. He eventually signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Senators, but spent his entire first season with the AHL’s Binghamton Senators.
Although he would never lead the team in scoring throughout his tenure, McCormick became a relatively solid secondary contributor with the AHL Senators. Across four and a half seasons, McCormick registered 61 goals and 125 points in 254 contests. Additionally, Ottawa is where McCormick earned the most NHL opportunities throughout his professional career, scoring six goals and 10 points in 71 games from 2015 to 2019.
The Senators eventually traded McCormick to the Colorado Avalanche halfway through the 2018-19 campaign. He finished the campaign with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles before departing for the Carolina Hurricanes the next offseason. He spent two years with the Hurricanes organization, again primarily playing for their AHL affiliate. They mildly used him in the NHL during the 2020-21 season, finishing with two goals and three points in 12 games, averaging 7:49 of ice time.
Again looking for a new home, McCormick signed with the new Seattle Kraken franchise, where he would ultimately finish his career. He had an impressive two-year run with the Firebirds, the best of his professional career, scoring 60 goals and 127 points in 139 games, which helped the team reach back-to-back Calder Cup Finals, losing both times to the Hershey Bears. Unfortunately, over the past two years, McCormick’s career was derailed due to his chronic hip injury.
The De Pere, WI native concludes his career with 159 goals and 337 points in 540 AHL games, along with 26 additional goals and 45 points in 53 postseason contests. Additionally, McCormick tallied eight goals and 13 points in 94 NHL appearances. We at PHR congratulate McCormick on his 12-year professional career and wish him the best in his next chapter.