Hockey Canada Releases World Championship Roster
One day after USA Hockey announced the preliminary group that they would be bringing to Switzerland for the 2026 IIHF World Championship, Hockey Canada followed suit. Instead of their preliminary roster, Hockey Canada revealed the final group they’ll bring to the international tournament. It consists of three goalies, eight defensemen, and 12 forwards and is as follows:
Goaltenders
Jet Greaves (Blue Jackets)
Jack Ivankovic (Predators)
Cam Talbot (Red Wings)
Defensemen
Evan Bouchard (Oilers)
Dylan DeMelo (Jets)
Sam Dickinson (Sharks)
Denton Mateychuk (Blue Jackets)
Darnell Nurse (Oilers)
Morgan Rielly (Maple Leafs)
Zach Whitecloud (Flames)
Parker Wotherspoon (Penguins)
Forwards
Mathew Barzal (Islanders)
Connor Brown (Devils)
Macklin Celebrini (Sharks)
Dylan Cozens (Senators)
Emmitt Finnie (Red Wings)
Dylan Holloway (Blues)
Fraser Minten (Bruins)
Ryan O’Reilly (Predators)
Mark Scheifele (Jets)
John Tavares (Maple Leafs)
Robert Thomas (Blues)
Gabriel Vilardi (Jets)
As is typically the case with any iteration of Team Canada, the team will be led by offensive firepower. Celebrini, 19, is a major addition to the team after scoring 45 goals and 115 points in 82 games for the San Jose Sharks in his sophomore campaign. Additionally, Celebrini brought the same talent to the Olympics, where he registered five goals and 10 points in six games. Even being under 20 years old, there’s a worthwhile argument that Celebrini will be the best player at the World Championship.
Sticking to the forward corps, the Canadians are bringing a lot of experience to the team. O’Reilly, Scheifele, and Tavares are all considered longtime veterans at this point and are still producing like top-tier players. Furthermore, Barzal, Cozens, Holloway, Thomas, and Vilardi will not only give Canada a formidable top six but also the ability to put out three strong scoring units.
The questions for Team Canada begin to arise on the blue line. Bouchard will likely be treated as the top option, but he has too many flaws in his defensive game to warrant ice time in all situations. Nurse and Rielly have plenty of experience, but have each seen their play drop off considerably in recent years. Unlike their forward corps, the Canadians may be led by younger defensemen rather than veteran talent.
Interestingly enough, the Canadiens don’t look too bad between the pipes. Greaves was underappreciated in the national spotlight this season, managing a 26-19-9 record with the Blue Jackets with a .908 SV%, 2.60 GAA, and 18.6 Goals Saved Above Average. Although Cam Talbot has played for Team Canada once before, the Canadians may lean on Ivankovic as the backup, who backstopped the University of Michigan to the top team in the NCAA regular season this year.
Latest On Vancouver Canucks GM Search
It appears that the Vancouver Canucks are down to their two finalists for the next General Manager of the organization. According to Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV, Vancouver has begun to tell prospective candidates that they are no longer under consideration, and the team is down to Ryan Johnson and Evan Gold as the finalists.
Johnson, 49, is an obvious choice to take over the Canucks front office, especially considering that the team denied the Nashville Predators permission to interview him. Even if they didn’t consider him a candidate, Vancouver can refuse any team’s interest in their staff, as is their right, but it likely would have lowered their credibility around the league if they denied Nashville and didn’t give Johnson a fair shot.
That’s not to say the Canucks ultimately have to promote Johnson, but he has been with the team for more than a decade and has dramatically improved the state of their AHL affiliate. After his playing career ended following the 2010-11 campaign, Johnson was hired by the Canucks as a development coach in 2013-14. He served in that role for two years before being promoted to the Assistant Director of Player Development in 2015-16.
Since the 2017-18 campaign, Johnson has served as the General Manager of their AHL affiliate and the Assistant General Manager of Vancouver. He spearheaded the transition from the Utica Comets to the Abbotsford Canucks for the 2021-22 campaign and oversaw the team that won the Calder Cup last season.
Meanwhile, Gold would be an outside hire if the Canucks landed on him. Gold has served as the General Manager of the AHL’s Providence Bruins and the Assistant General Manager of the Boston Bruins for several years, being considered more analytical than Johnson. Before that, he served in the legal affairs team in Boston for the Hockey Operations department after obtaining his law degree from the University of Toronto. Unlike Johnson, Gold doesn’t have any professional or even semi-professional playing experience to speak of.
Regardless, today’s update from Dhaliwal shows how much things can change. Only a few days ago, reports indicated that the Canucks had settled on Pierre Dorion as the team’s next General Manager, only to have today’s news indicate he’s no longer under consideration. Considering the lengthy duration of the process and Dhaliwal’s assertion that finalists have been selected, a definitive hiring decision is expected within the next few days.
Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid Named Hart Trophy Finalists
According to an announcement from the league, Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers are the three finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy. The award is given annually “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.”
Although he hasn’t won the award since the 2018-19 campaign, Kucherov becomes a finalist for the league-MVP for the third consecutive year. Despite not leading the league in scoring this season, it’s hard to argue that Kucherov isn’t deserving of the award. Given the number of injuries the Lightning dealt with this season, especially to the defensive corps, there’s no telling how bad the season could have gone if they didn’t have Kucherov’s point-producing offense (although a significant argument can be made that it was Andrei Vasilevskiy doing the heavy lifting).
Most impressively, Kucherov managed his fourth consecutive season in which he managed to register more than 80 assists. His final scoring line was 44 goals and 130 points in 76 games with a +43 rating, averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per game. In some of the major scoring categories, Kucherov ranked eighth in goals (44), second in assists (86), second in points (130), third in goals created (46.3), fourth in even-strength goals (35), fourth in goals per game (0.58), first in assists per game (1.13), first in points per game (1.71), and second in goals created per game (0.61).
MacKinnon, on the other hand, has a strong case, being the most dominant player on the most dominant team. Like Kucherov, he has become synonymous with the award over the last several years, finishing in the top five in voting for four consecutive years, and winning the award in the 2023-24 campaign.
He’s already won one major award this year, taking home the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the highest-scoring player. MacKinnon finished with 53 goals and 127 points in 80 games with a +57 rating, averaging north of 22 minutes of ice time per game. Compared to the other finalists, MacKinnon finished first in goals (53), third in assists (74), third in points (127), second in goals created (48.0), first in even-strength goals (42), first in goals per game (0.66), fifth in assists per game (0.93), third in points per game (1.59), and third goals created per game (0.60).
Meanwhile, everything that is true of Kucherov and MacKinnon is true of McDavid. The 29-year-old has already won the award three times and has finished in the top 10 in voting every year of his career after his rookie campaign. As incredible as McDavid has been throughout his career, he quietly had the second-highest scoring season of his career, scoring 48 goals and 138 points in 82 games with a +17 rating, averaging nearly 23 minutes of ice time per game.
Taking home the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s highest-scoring, McDavid finished third in goals (48), first in assists (90), first in points (138), first in goals created (50.5), fifth in even strength goals (34), third in goals per game (0.59), second in assists per game (1.10), second in points per game (1.68), and first in goals created per game (0.62).
Despite each of the three finalists having a strong claim for the award, the conversation can’t be had without mentioning youngster Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks. The language used by the NHL regarding the award, along with the writers who make up the PHWA’s interpretation of it, has sparked considerable debate in recent years.
The argument regarding MacKinnon doesn’t seem as convincing, considering how dominant his teammates on the Avalanche were this year. However, there is a valid point that the Lightning and Oilers might not have made the playoffs this season if they hadn’t had either player available, though this is likely less applicable to the Lightning.
Even though the Sharks didn’t qualify for postseason play, there’s little rationality that the team would have been in striking distance of a playoff spot without Celebrini. The second-year forward scored 45 goals and 115 points in 82 games for the Sharks this season, with the next closest player, Will Smith, finishing with 59 points (albeit in limited action due to injuries). Furthermore, the gap between Celebrini’s and Smith’s point totals, 115 and 59, respectively, is significantly more than the gaps that Kucherov, MacKinnon, or McDavid had on their teams this season.
Regardless, the votes have already been cast, and we’ll find out in a few short weeks which one of the trio will ultimately be named the league MVP for the 2025-26 season.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig of USA TODAY Sports.
Blackhawks To Sign Roman Kantserov
After months of speculation, it’s now confirmed that the Chicago Blackhawks are adding another high-level forward prospect to their roster. According to an announcement from the KHL’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk, prospect Roman Kantserov has terminated his contract with the team and will be signing an entry-level deal with the Blackhawks.
Kantserov, 21, was drafted 44th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft by the Blackhawks. He was coming off an impressive year with the MHL’s Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk, registering 27 goals and 54 points in 45 games with a +23 rating.
Since then, it’s been all KHL for the Magnitogorsk, Russia native. He got off to a slow start during the 2023-24 campaign, but he has become one of the league’s top scorers since. Beginning in the 2024-25 campaign, Kantserov has scored 49 goals and 102 points in 110 games with a +21 rating. Over that same timeframe, he has registered four goals and 10 points in 21 postseason contests.
The most prominent development in Kantserov’s game has been his goal-scoring capacity. At the time of his draft selection, Kantserov was known as a pass-first forward with tremendous hand-eye coordination reminiscent of Pavel Datsyuk‘s stickhandling ability. However, not only did Kantserov have more goals than assists this season, he led the entire KHL in goal scoring by a margin of four.
Assuming this trend continues, Chicago will be even more ecstatic about their selection. Regardless, even if Kantserov reverts to being a quick, playmaking forward, the Blackhawks won’t be disappointed in that either.
Furthermore, Kantserov continues the trend of Chicago signing some of their recent draft picks and adding some overwhelming talent up front. Already with young, top-six forwards like Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar, the Blackhawks also added Anton Frondell and Sacha Boisvert toward the end of the 2025-26 campaign.
Despite finishing as one of the worst teams this season, Chicago’s influx of young forward talent, especially over the course of an entire season, could propel the team forward, reminiscent of the San Jose Sharks’ significant step forward this year. The Blackhawks still have plenty of development and kinks to work out on defense, but the forward corps has the talent to overcome those deficiencies.
Lassi Thomson Signs Two-Year Contract With HC Lugano
A former first-round pick of the Ottawa Senators is headed overseas for the second time in his professional career. According to a team announcement, the NL’s HC Lugano has signed defenseman Lassi Thomson to a two-year contract through the 2027-28 season.
Thomson, 25, began his professional career in North America in 2019, when the Senators selected him with the 19th overall pick of that summer’s NHL Draft. He was coming off an impressive season with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, scoring 17 goals and 41 points in 63 games.
Hoping to keep his development in an upward trajectory and in a comfortable environment, Ottawa loaned Thomson to the Finnish Liiga’s Ilves for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns. Unfortunately, the transition back to his native Finland wasn’t as smooth as hoped, as Thomson finished his two-year run with seven goals and 15 points in 57 games.
Regardless, the Senators brought Thomson to North America toward the end of the 2020-21 campaign, and he began his playing time with the organization with the AHL’s Belleville Senators. This became the only place Thomson would excel.
Across four seasons, Thomson registered 24 goals and 93 points in 202 games with the AHL Senators, becoming a fairly consistent two-way defenseman, at least on the offensive side of the puck. He managed a -28 throughout that time, which is especially glaring given that Belleville was a playoff team in two out of his four seasons, and would have been in the 2020-21 campaign had the Calder Cup playoffs been held.
He didn’t have many opportunities in Ottawa, either. Between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, Thomson registered five assists in 18 games in the NHL with a -10 rating. His defensive metrics became so unsettling that the Senators chose to leave him in the AHL for the entire 2023-24 season.
It was after the 2023-24 campaign that Thomson felt he had more to offer and returned to the Scandinavian Peninsula to continue his professional career, this time with the SHL’s Malmö Redhawks. He played particularly well, scoring 17 goals and 29 points in 50 games with a +2 rating.
Feeling inspired, Thomson returned to the Senators organization this past season, but again spent most of his time in the AHL. Thomson finished the season with 14 goals and 25 points in 55 AHL games, and three assists in 11 NHL contests. Assuming his departure today is for similar reasons, it’s unlikely that Thomson will return to the North American landscape anytime soon.
Dallas Stars Issue Several Injury Updates
There’s no question that the Dallas Stars were severely impacted by injuries throughout the 2025-26 season. The Stars had the fourth-most injuries of any team this season, behind the Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, and New York Islanders. In today’s end-of-season media availability, the General Manager Jim Nill revealed a laundry list (via Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News) of specific injury information the Stars dealt with throughout the regular season and postseason.
Nill disclosed new injuries or details regarding 18 players on the roster, from the preseason to the present. Some injuries were already known, such as Tyler Seguin‘s ACL tear, Jamie Benn‘s collapsed lung, and Miro Heiskanen‘s torn oblique, but several others were also mentioned.
The biggest news is that star forward Mikko Rantanen suffered a torn MCL in the Olympics. Missing more than a month of action, Rantanen dropped from a 1.27 P/G average before the international tournament to a 0.80 upon his return. His point production went up mildly during the playoffs, but it was clear that Rantanen wasn’t his usual self.
Nill admitted that Rantanen came back as quickly as he could, which likely hurt his recovery process. Fortunately, the Stars aren’t expecting that he’ll need surgery this summer.
Both players that Dallas acquired at the trade deadline were also dealing with injuries. Nill alerted that both Michael Bunting and Tyler Myers were dealing with groin injuries in the regular season. That could be a key reason as to why neither player transitioned well to the team after being acquired by the Stars.
He also offered injury updates on those on the team who suffered longer-term injuries throughout the 2025-26 campaign. Matt Duchene was dealing with a concussion earlier in the season that cost him most of October and all of November.
Roope Hintz, who became ill at the Olympics, suffered a double hamstring tear in his first game back on March 6th. Unfortunately, as he was attempting to make another comeback, Hintz reaggravated the same injury. In a similar vein, Radek Faksa, who was also injured in the Olympics, apparently suffered a concussion. Additionally, while he was recovering from concussion symptoms, Faksa was stepped on by a skate and had a serious laceration in his foot that cut some ligaments. There’s a chance he’ll need surgery again this offseason.
Further down the forward corps, Nill shared that Oskar Back lost 10 games in October due to a wrist injury, Nathan Bastian broke his finger toward the end of the regular season, Adam Erne sprained his MCL in December, Arttu Hyry suffered a high ankle sprain in the playoffs, and Sam Steel endured a groin injury during the regular season.
On defense, the most notable news was the injury specifics to Thomas Harley and Lian Bichsel earlier in the season. According to Nill, Bichsel fractured his leg and ankle in late November, costing him nearly a third of the regular season. Nill added that Bichsel suffered a shoulder sprain in the playoffs, but that isn’t expected to have any long-term consequences.
Meanwhile, Harley, who lost 12 games of the regular season, suffered a broken foot in November. Nils Lundkvist, who hasn’t played since getting a facial laceration against the Minnesota Wild, was also suffering from concussion symptoms from the same play. Additionally, Nill shared that Lundkvist fractured his leg and ankle earlier in the year, costing him 30 games. Lastly, Nill told the media that depth defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin had a shoulder injury throughout the regular season.
Dallas has reached a point where losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in overtime is considered a disappointing year. Still, given the overwhelming amount of injuries the same faced during the regular season and playoffs, it’s impressive that the Stars managed to win 50 games this season and finish third in the league standings. They’ll want to emphasize rest and recovery for their players this offseason and look to get back for the 2026-27 campaign as a healthy group.
Photo courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images.
Rasmus Dahlin, Cale Makar, Zach Werenski Named Norris Trophy Finalists
As part of revealing the finalists for major league awards, the NHL announced the Norris Trophy finalists today. According to a league announcement, Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres, Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, and Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets are the three finalists to be named the “defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-around ability in the position.”
Although he’s earned multiple votes over the last three years, this is the first time that Dahlin, 26, has been named a finalist for the Norris Trophy. Throughout the first four years of his career, there were several questions regarding Dahlin, particularly if he was the top defenseman that the Sabres believed he would be when they drafted him.
Over the last four years, he has proven he is everything Buffalo hoped he would be, if not more. Since the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign, Dahlin has scored 71 goals and 274 points in 379 games, topping out with a 19-goal, 74-point performance this season. Additionally, he’s averaged nearly 25 minutes a night over that stretch, showing he can play in every situation comfortably. He’s physical, he blocks shots, he puts a ton of them on net, and he has captained the Sabres to the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.
Unlike Dahlin, Makar’s name has become synonymous with the Norris Trophy throughout his career. Throughout his career, Makar has been a finalist for the Norris Trophy six times, winning the award twice. Even when he wasn’t a finalist during his rookie campaign, he still finished top-10 in voting.
Still, it’s fair to argue that Makar took a step back offensively this season. After posting back-to-back 90-point campaigns in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, Makar dropped back to 20 goals and 79 points this season. Regardless, he sustained more than a point per game on average, blocked over 100 shots, finished with a +32 rating, and was the top defenseman on the top team in the league.
Meanwhile, Werenski finished as a Norris Trophy finalist for the second year in a row, at the very least. The Gross Pointe, MI native finished 22 goals and 81 points in 75 games, averaging over 26 minutes of ice time per night. Although he doesn’t block as many shots as Dahlin or Makar, and didn’t have a double-digit rating, Weresnki played in every situation and led the Blue Jackets in scoring by a 14-point margin, which is extremely uncommon for a defenseman.
Unfortunately, given that each of the finalists’ all-around game, it’s a toss-up who will ultimately come away with the award this season.
Although it’s difficult to argue either Dahlin, Makar, or Werenski out of being a finalist, there are a few other defensemen who easily could have found their way into the top three. Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers, who finished as the highest-scoring defenseman this season with 21 goals and 95 points in 82 games, has a case, as does Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens, who finished with 12 goals and 78 points in 82 games, with a +36 rating.
Penguins Sign Connor Dewar To Two-Year Extension
The Pittsburgh Penguins are getting a head start on returning some of their depth players from this past season. According to a team announcement, the Penguins have signed forward Connor Dewar to a two-year, $4.5MM ($2.25MM AAV) extension.
There’s little argument that he doesn’t deserve the raise. Pittsburgh acquired Dewar from the Toronto Maple Leafs at last year’s deadline, and the team signed him to a one-year, $1.1MM contract last summer.
He took that opportunity and ran with it. Much like the rest of his peers, Dewar played a role in the Penguins’ rejuvination this season, finishing with the best individual performance of his career. In 78 games, Dewar scored 14 goals and 30 points with a +16 rating, averaging just under 14 minutes of ice time per game.
The closest he had ever come to that production was during the 2023-24 season with the Minnesota Wild and the Maple Leafs. In 74 games that season, Dewar tallied 11 goals and 19 points in 74 contests, though much of that production came in Minnesota. Typically in a bottom-six role throughout his career, Dewar proved that he could be a key tertiary contributor in a middle-six role this season.
Despite being eliminated by their intra-state rivals in Round One of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, Dewar kept up his solid play in the postseason. In six games, the Manitoba native scored two goals with 19 hits, averaging 13:49 of ice time.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Penguins can afford Dewar similar ice time next season. Pittsburgh already has 10 forwards signed through the 2026-27 campaign, and will likely attempt to promote more prospects to the NHL for a further injection of youth. The Penguins need to focus on reducing the number of bubble forwards on their roster. However, it’s already evident that they are pleased to keep players like Dewar, who displays a strong work ethic and can make valuable contributions to the lower lines of the forward group.
Washington Capitals Sign Theodor Niederbach
According to a team announcement, the Washington Capitals have signed forward prospect Theodor Niederbach to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2026-27 season. Washington shared that Niederbach will be paid a $1.025MM salary in the NHL and an $85K salary in the AHL.
Niederbach, 24, was drafted 51st overall in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. He was generally regarded as a solid playmaking prospect at the time, recording 15 goals and 48 points in 40 games with the J20 SuperElit’s Frölunda HC’s program.
Since then, it’s been all SHL for the Bjästa, Sweden native. Bouncing between Frölunda, Rögle BK, and MoDo Hockey. It was during his second year with MoDo during the 2024-25 campaign that Niedberbach broke out as a prominent two-way center overseas, scoring 10 goals and 33 points in 51 games with a +5 rating. After MoDo was relegated to the HockeyAllsvenskan, Niederbach returned to Frölunda on a two-year deal that included an NHL opt-out clause.
It was much of the same for him this past season. He finished the 2025-26 campaign with 13 goals and 32 points in 52 games with a +10 rating. Given his back-to-back quality seasons in the SHL, relative youth, and the fact that the Red Wings let his signing rights expire two summers ago, Niederbach became a relatively prominent name on the international market. In late February, although the Boston Bruins were specifically mentioned, reports indicated that nearly half of the NHL teams had contacted Niederbach.
For his development, the Capitals organization is one of the best. Washington has a pair of bottom-six forwards that are scheduled for unrestricted free agency this offseason, giving Niederbach a path if he can earn a spot on the roster through training camp. Even if he doesn’t make the opening night roster, the AHL’s Hershey Bears are competitive nearly every season and will provide Niederbach with a great chance to transition to professional hockey in North America.
Morning Notes: Hedman, Rutherford, Owen Sound
A few days ago, it was announced that the captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Victor Hedman, had taken a leave of absence from the team for mental health reasons. Taking the absence on March 25th, Hedman missed Tampa Bay’s last 15 games of the regular season, and their Round One series loss against the Montreal Canadiens.
From a team perspective, it’s a bind in all honesty, as you’re stuck between wanting the best for the player and their long-term health, while also recognizing that your team is better when Hedman is on the ice. Furthermore, there’s no set timeline for how long it takes a player to recover, unlike more objective injuries.
Still, Hedman shared that he’s feeling much better, and there’s not much concern that he won’t begin the 2026-27 season on time. In fact, speaking on 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicated that there’s a “1000% chance” that Hedman plays next year. Given that there’s a distinct possibility that the Lightning lose defenseman Darren Raddysh in free agency this summer, having Hedman back for the whole year will make that pill go down much easier.
Additional morning notes:
- Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford provided more context behind his decision to step down from his role at the head of Vancouver’s front office. In an interview with Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, Rutherford said, “It was time for me before the season even started; I was trending in that direction. But I think we can put something together here in our hockey department that I can feel good about when I step down.“
- According to Greg Cowan of the Owen Sound Sun Times, the OHL’s Board of Governors is preparing to meet to finalize the sale of the Owen Sound Attack. Cowan indicated that an official announcement of the sale is expected in the next few days and that the new ownership group plans to hire a relatively young player agent to lead the hockey operations department.