Bruins Hire Ryan Bourque As AHL Assistant Coach
The Boston Bruins have announced they’ve hired Ryan Bourque to fill an assistant coach role with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, per NHL.com’s Mark Divver. Bourque is the son of Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque, who appeared in 21 seasons and 1,518 games with the Bruins between 1979 and 2000, among many accolades.
The junior Bourque will earn the first AHL coaching role of his career in an organization very familiar with his name. He previously played through nine seasons and 585 games in the AHL, during which he notably served as both an assistant captain and captain for the Hartford Wolf Pack. Bourque also racked up a Gold Medal at the World U18 Championship and World Juniors Championship with Team USA during his junior playing days, spent at the U.S. National Team Development Program.
Bourque retired from his playing career following the 2019-20 season, at the age of 29. He was hired as an assistant coach with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays two years later, and supported the team’s run to a second-round playoff exit in the 2022-23 season. Bourque moved on from South Carolina after serving parts of two seasons with the club, and turned his attention towards an assistant role with the USNTDP for the 2023-24 season. He worked with multiple top Americans in his return to the Program, including James Hagens, Cole Eiserman, Cole Hutson, and Trevor Connelly. Bourque supported Team USA to a Silver Medal finish at the 2024 World U18 Championship.
Bourque moved on from a year-long stint on the USNTDP bench by moving into a head coach role with Massachusetts’ Cushing Academy this past season. He led that squad to a state championship in Massachusetts’ high school tournament, with help from top scorer Max Dineen. On the heels of a title win, Bourque will now turn his attention back to the pro ranks. He has vast experience in the AHL from the player side and enters the league as a young coach – only 34 years old.
Riley Nash Announces Retirement
Longtime depth center Riley Nash has retired from the NHL, he told Tyler Lowey of Castanet Kamloops.
Nash, 36, was an unrestricted free agent after spending 2024-25 under contract with the Rangers. He didn’t play at all last season while rehabbing what he told Lowey were a “variety of knee injuries” he sustained during the previous year while on assignment to AHL Hartford, spending his final professional season on the non-roster list.
“With three wonderful young kids and the way my body has behaved over the past few years, it was time to take a step back as an older guy and let others chase their dream the same way I did,” he told Lowey. “I consider myself very fortunate to have played in front of my kids over the last few years. They helped me regain the passion and love for the sport I had as a kid. Now was the right time to step away.”
The 6’2″, 187-lb pivot was the No. 21 overall selection in the 2007 draft by the Oilers, although he elected not to sign with one of the two clubs from his native Alberta. After winning an ECAC championship with Cornell in his junior campaign in 2009-10, he saw his signing rights flipped to the Hurricanes for a second-round pick.
Nash signed with Carolina a few weeks later. While he ended up having a true journeyman’s career, he did have some stability early on in the Hurricanes organization. He spent six seasons there, seeing NHL ice in the latter five, recording 31 goals, 50 assists, and 81 points in 242 games before reaching free agency in 2016.
Nash went on to see NHL ice for the Bruins, Blue Jackets, Maple Leafs, Jets, Lightning, Coyotes, and Rangers. He spent nearly a decade as a full-time AHL piece, going from 2013-14 to 2020-21 without seeing a minor-league assignment, frequently anchoring third and fourth lines. His best season came on a high-powered Bruins squad in 2017-18, setting career-highs across the board with 15 goals, 26 assists, 41 points, and a +16 rating while averaging 15:25 per game.
He spent the last few seasons of his career as a complementary AHL piece, serving as an alternate captain for the Charlotte Checkers in 2022-23 before spending his final healthy campaign with the Rangers’ affiliate in Hartford in 2023-24.
Nash concludes his pro career with 628 NHL appearances, scoring 63 goals, 113 assists and 176 points with a -11 rating in 13:09 of ice time per contest. He also scored 193 points in 312 AHL games in parts of seven seasons.
All of us at PHR wish Nash the best in retirement.
Tyler Johnson Announces Retirement
13-year veteran and two-time Stanley Cup champion Tyler Johnson has announced his retirement from the NHL via his Instagram. Johnson’s last professional game will be marked on December 12th, 2024, with the Boston Bruins against the Seattle Kraken.
It’s fitting that Johnson’s last game came against the Kraken. A native of Spokane, WA, Johnson’s professional career began with humble beginnings, signing as an undrafted free agent with the Tampa Bay Lightning from the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs.
Joining an organization who’s had overwhelming success with undersized and undrafted players in the past, Johnson excelled immediately in the Lightning organization. During his first season, he scored 31 goals and 68 points in 75 games for their AHL affiliate at the time, the Norfolk Admirals.
He would only spend one more season primarily playing in the AHL. Finally earning his chance at full-time duties at the NHL level, Johnson impressed greatly during his rookie campaign, scoring 24 goals and 50 points in 82 contests during the 2013-14 season, finishing third in Calder Trophy voting.
Capitalizing on his breakout year, Johnson and the Bolts agreed to a three-year, $10MM contract the following offseason. Despite a few battles with injuries, Johnson sustained his quality two-way efforts throughout that deal, scoring 62 goals and 155 points in 212 games, with a few votes for the Selke Trophy along the way.
His playoff exploits earned him a spot as a fan-favorite in Tampa Bay, scoring 20 goals and 40 points in 43 games from 2015 to 2016, helping the Lightning to their first Stanley Cup Final in 10 years during the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs. Although he couldn’t help the Lightning over the hump against a dominant Chicago Blackhawks team, the Lightning were ready to invest in Johnson for the long haul.
Johnson eagerly signed a long-term extension with Tampa Bay, securing a seven-year, $35MM contract beginning in the 2017-18 season. For a deal that looked like a bargain when it was time, Johnson quickly wore out his welcome with the Lightning.
His offensive output cratered, finishing with 72 goals and 150 points in 281 games since signing the contract, with another 11 goals and 23 points in 69 games. Although Johnson helped the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup rings in 2020 and 2021, multiple players had passed him on the team’s depth chart.
Needing more salary cap space after the second half of their back-to-back, the Lightning traded Johnson and a 2023 second-round pick to the Blackhawks the following offseason for Brent Seabrook‘s contract (which they would later place on LTIR).
Playing on a far worse team in Chicago, Johnson’s offensive output continued in the wrong direction, finishing the remaining three years on his contract with 32 goals and 70 points in 149 games. After his contract expired, Johnson needed to convert a professional tryout agreement with the Bruins to secure a spot on an NHL roster.
With his name on the Stanley Cup twice, Johnson likely won’t have many regrets about his NHL career. He finished with 193 goals and 433 points in 747 regular-season contests with a +19 rating, 49.4% faceoff percentage, 49.7% CorsiFor% at even strength, and 91.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength. In the postseason, and only with Tampa Bay, Johnson concluded his playing days with 32 goals and 65 points in 116 contests with a +7 rating.
We at PHR wish Johnson the best in the next phase of his life and career, and we congratulate him on a successful career that includes two Stanley Cup rings.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.
Lyndon Byers Passes Away At 61
Lyndon Byers, who spent parts of 10 seasons in the NHL, has passed away at the age of 61, per an NHL release.
Byers was selected in the second round (39th overall) by the Boston Bruins. He spent all but one season in the Boston organization, appearing in 261 games for the Bruins over parts of nine seasons. His final NHL campaign came in 1992–93, when he played in 18 games for the San Jose Sharks.
In 279 career games, the tough and physical Byers recorded just 28 goals and 71 points, but amassed 1,081 penalty minutes. As the NHL release notes, his 959 penalty minutes with the Bruins still ranks 11th on their all-time list. Two of his Boston teams (1988 and 1990) would reach the Stanley Cup Final.
“The Boston Bruins are deeply saddened by the passing of Lyndon Byers. Lyndon was a fan favorite across his nine seasons in the Black & Gold thanks to his rugged, rough-and-tumble style and was a key cog on the B’s teams that made trips to the Stanley Cup Final in 1988 and 1990,” the team said in a statement Saturday.
Following his playing career, Byers spent over 20 years as a radio personality in the Boston area. He is survived by his wife and son. We at PHR offer our condolences to his family and loved ones.
“A son of Nipawin, Saskatchewan, Lyndon became a true Bostonian and we will miss him dearly. He is forever a part of our Bruins family,” the statement read.
Korpisalo Has Not Requested A Trade Despite Comments About Playing Time
After the season, Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo indicated that he wasn’t comfortable with his playing time which was limited to just 27 games. However, his agent Markus Lehto confirmed to RG’s Jimmy Murphy that no trade request has been submitted. The 31-year-old posted a 2.90 GAA and a .893 SV% in 27 games last season and with Boston re-signing Michael DiPietro to a two-year, one-way deal earlier this week, it’s possible that the Bruins will want to give him a look at playing behind Jeremy Swayman next season. Korpisalo has three years left on a contract that pays him $4MM per season with the Bruins only responsible for paying $3MM per year of that total with Ottawa responsible for the rest. With a free agent goalie market that’s not particularly strong, it wouldn’t be shocking if teams were kicking the tires to see if the Bruins might move Korpisalo but as of now, the veteran netminder wants to stay.
Two-Way Deals: 7/1/25
As major signings come in around the NHL today with the 2025-26 league year beginning, teams are shoring up their minor-league depth as well by signing players to two-way contracts. We’re keeping track of those signings today in this article, which will be continuously updated. Deals are one year unless otherwise noted.
Boston Bruins
F Riley Tufte ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
D Jonathan Aspirot ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
G Luke Cavallin ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
Buffalo Sabres
F Riley Fiddler-Schultz ($865K NHL/$90K SB/$35K PB/$85K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years, entry-level
F Carson Meyer ($775K NHL/$350K AHL Y1 – $375K AHL Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
D Mason Geertsen ($775K NHL/$425K AHL) – Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet // two years
D Zachary Jones ($900K NHL/$550K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Zach Metsa ($775K NHL/$250K AHL/$325K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Calgary Flames
D Nick Cicek ($775K NHL) – team release
Carolina Hurricanes
G Amir Miftakhov ($775K NHL/$100K AHL/$240K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Chicago Blackhawks
F Dominic Toninato ($850K NHL) – team release // two years
Colorado Avalanche
F T.J. Tynan (unknown) – team release
D Jack Ahcan (unknown) – team release
D Ronald Attard ($775K NHL/$450K AHL/$500K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Columbus Blue Jackets
F Owen Sillinger (unknown) – team release
D Christian Jaros (unknown) – team release
Dallas Stars
D Niilopekka Muhonen (unknown) – team release // three years, entry-level
Edmonton Oilers
D Riley Stillman ($775K NHL/$475K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
G Matt Tomkins ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$450 Y2 gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years
Florida Panthers
F Nolan Foote ($775K NHL/$150K AHL/$250K gt’d) – PuckPedia
F Jack Studnicka ($775K NHL/$450K AHL) – Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic
G Brandon Bussi ($775K NHL/$400K AHL) – PuckPedia
G Kirill Gerasimyuk (unknown) – team release // two years, entry-level
Los Angeles Kings
F Cole Guttman ($775K NHL/$450K Y1 – $475K Y2 AHL/$475K gt’d Y1 – $500K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
Minnesota Wild
F Tyler Pitlick ($775K NHL/$300K Y1 – $350K Y2 AHL/$325K gt’d Y1 – $375K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
D Ben Gleason ($800K NHL/$475K AHL) – PuckPedia
Montreal Canadiens
F Alex Belzile (unknown) – team release
D Nathan Clurman ($775K NHL/$125K AHL/$140K gt’d) – PuckPedia
New Jersey Devils
D Calen Addison ($775K NHL/$325K AHL/$400K gt’d) – PuckPedia
F Angus Crookshank ($775K NHL/$425K AHL/$475K gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years, one-way in 2026-27
New York Islanders
F Matthew Highmore (unknown) – team release
D Ethan Bear ($775K NHL/$325K AHL/$425K gt’d) – PuckPedia
D Cole McWard (unknown) – team release
New York Rangers
D Derrick Pouliot ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$425K gt’d Y1 – $450K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
Ottawa Senators
F Wyatt Bongiovanni ($775K NHL/$160K AHL) – PuckPedia
F Olle Lycksell ($775K NHL/$450K AHL/$500K gt’d) – Darren Dreger of TSN
Philadelphia Flyers
F Lane Pederson ($775K NHL/$525K AHL) – PuckPedia
San Jose Sharks
F Jimmy Huntington (unknown) – team release
F Samuel Laberge (unknown) – team release
F Colin White ($775K NHL/$425K AHL/$475K gt’d) – PuckPedia
D Cole Clayton (unknown) – team release
St. Louis Blues
F Matt Luff ($775K NHL/$400K AHL) – PuckPedia
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Nicholas Abruzzese (unknown) – team release
F Tristan Allard (unknown) – team release // two years, entry-level
F Boris Katchouk (unknown) – team release
D Simon Lundmark ($775K NHL/$250K AHL/$350K gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years
G Ryan Fanti ($775K NHL/$80K AHL) – PuckPedia
Utah Mammoth
F Kailer Yamamoto ($775K NHL/$500K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Scott Perunovich ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$500K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Vancouver Canucks
F Joseph LaBate ($775K NHL/$350K AHL) – PuckPedia
F Mackenzie MacEachern ($775K NHL/$575K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
D Jimmy Schuldt ($775K NHL/$500K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
Winnipeg Jets
F Phillip Di Giuseppe ($775K NHL/$450K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Kale Clague (unknown) – Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet
Bruins Sign Michael Eyssimont, Sean Kuraly, Matej Blumel, Alex Steeves
The Bruins have signed forwards Michael Eyssimont and Sean Kuraly to two-year contracts, Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reports. Eyssimont’s deal carries a $1.45MM cap hit while Kuraly’s carries a $1.85MM cap hit. They’ve also signed forward Matej Blumel to a one-way deal worth $875,000, per TSN’s Darren Dreger. That was first reported by Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects. Boston has additionally signed Alex Steeves to a one-year deal worth $850,000, per Di Marco.
In one fell swoop, the Bruins will shore up depth at forward with these moves. It’s headlined by Kuraly, who served the fourth-line center role in all 82 games of Columbus’ season. He was a bruising role player who handled the heavy defensive workload of Columbus’ bottom-six well. Kuraly recorded the highest faceoff percentage on the team (54.3 percent) and the third-most hits (163). He also chipped in 45 blocked shots, 17 points, and a minus-four across the full year.
Kuraly has been with the Blue Jackets for the last four seasons, but spent five years with the Bruins prior to his move to Ohio. Kuraly has manned a depth center role through all nine years of his NHL career, routinely rivaling a positive faceoff win-rare and 20 points in scoring. His career-year stands as the 2021-22 season – his first in Columbus – when Kuraly racked up a career-high 14 goals, 30 points, and 240 hits in 77 games played. He’ll return to Boston looking to continue offering a physical, impactful presence to the bottom of a lineup.
Boston will receive much of the same impact from winger Eyssimont, who racked up 16 points and 110 hits in 77 games this season, split between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Seattle Kraken. It was a relatively quiet year for Eyssimont, intercut by a Trade Deadline move to the Kraken as part of a three-team trade that sent Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde to Tampa Bay. Eyssimont was much more impactful for the 2023-24 Tampa Bay Lightning. He ranked third on the team in hits (135) that year, to go along with 11 goals and 25 points in 81 games. He’s now through his fourth season in the NHL, and has totaled 56 points, 230 penalty minutes, and 352 hits in 213 career games. That averages out to 22 points and 136 hits per 82 games — a mark that should fit well alongside Kuraly.
With two bruisers added in, Boston will also take a run at the pure upside of Blumel. The 25-year-old winger racked up a staggering 39 goals and 72 points in 67 AHL games this season, just one point back from the league’s scoring title. He further added 16 points in 14 Calder Cup playoff games. It was an electric performance, spurred by Blumel’s high-energy style and ability to beat opponents on the rush. He flashed the same ability in each of the last two seasons. He totaled 31 goals and 62 points in 72 games last year, and 44 points in 58 games the year before. Across that span, Blumel has only received 13 appearances, and scored two goals, at the NHL level. That fact, mixed with his high scoring, could make him a breakout candidate among a Bruins bottom-six in need of a scorer.
If not Blumel, the Bruins could find hardy upside in Steeves, who has also potted impressive minor-league scoring over the last four seasons. Steeves reached a new career-high with 36 goals and 62 points in 59 games this season. That mark emphasized the 27 goals and 57 points he scored in 65 games last year, and 51 points in 65 games he scored in the year before. Steeves has stepped into a handful of games with the Maple Leafs dating back to 2021, though only as injury relief. He’s scored one goal and three points in 14 career performances. While Kuraly and Eyssimont offer a stout pair of heavy-hitting forwards, Steeves will serve as the center compliment to Blumel in Boston’s search for scoring upside.
Photo courtesy of Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports.
PHR’s Gabriel Foley contributed significantly to this article.
Bruins Sign Tanner Jeannot, Jordan Harris
The Bruins have signed winger Tanner Jeannot to a five-year deal worth $3.4MM per season, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Friedman has also announced that the Bruins are nearing a contract with defenseman Jordan Harris, who played his collegiate hockey at Northeastern University. Anthony Di Marco of the Daily Faceoff reports that it’ll be a one-year, $825K agreement for Harris.
In one of the most surprising additions of the day, the Bruins have inked a long-term deal with a power forward who has disappointed greatly over the past three years. Still, there was a time when Jeannot was regarded as one of the better up-and-coming power forwards in the league. During the 2021-22 campaign, Jeannot scored 24 goals and 41 points in 81 games with the Nashville Predators, adding 318 hits.
Despite getting off to a slow start the following season, Jeannot commanded quite a haul at the following deadline. The Predators traded Jeannot to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a package including defenseman Cal Foote and five draft picks. Unfortunately, the trade immediately became a net loss for the Lightning, and Jeannot hasn’t been the same player since his breakout season.
Over the past three years, Jeannot has scored at a dismal pace compared to the 2021-22 campaign, scoring 20 goals and 45 points in 198 games between the Predators, Lightning, and Los Angeles Kings. Still, he’s maintained his physicality by throwing 712 hits in that time frame, but his shooting percentage has cratered to 9.0%.
He’s regarded as a quality defensive forward, but shouldn’t be considered for a higher role than any team’s third line, making this commitment by Boston all the more peculiar. At any rate, they’ve added considerable physicality to their bottom-six to a team whose entire brand is built around physical hockey.
Meanwhile, Harris joins the third organization of his career after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Haverhill, MA native returns home after spending the last four years with the Montreal Canadiens and Blue Jackets.
Still, he’s coming to Boston on the heels of a down season. In a depth role, Harris scored one goal and five points for Columbus in 33 games last season, averaging 11:23 of ice time per game. There is some reason for optimism, however, as Harris’s most recent season with the Canadiens saw him produce one goal and 14 points in 56 contests, when he averaged more than 17 minutes of ice time.
PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article.
Boston Bruins Acquire Viktor Arvidsson
10:51 a.m.: The Oilers have announced the trade.
10:15 a.m.: The Bruins are set to add some extra depth on the wing. Irfaan Gafaar reports (Twitter link) that Boston will be acquiring Viktor Arvidsson from Edmonton; David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period adds (Twitter link) that the veteran has waived his no-trade clause to facilitate the move. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug relays (Twitter link) that Edmonton will receive a 2027 fifth-round pick in return.
The 32-year-old was brought in last summer by team president Jeff Jackson who was serving as interim GM at the time in a move to try to shore up their secondary scoring. Given Arvidsson’s track record, the move made some sense on paper although it helped put the Oilers in the cap bind that ultimately cost them Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to offer sheets from St. Louis soon after.
While Arvidsson was productive in limited action after returning from injury in 2023-24 with 15 points in 18 games, he wasn’t able to produce at that same level with Edmonton. He notched 15 goals and 12 assists in 67 regular season games with Edmonton while adding two goals and five helpers in 15 playoff contests while also spending time as a healthy scratch.
With Arvidsson having one year left on his contract with a $4MM cap charge, it was widely expected that the Oilers would be looking to move him to open up some much-needed cap flexibility on their end. They’ve done just that and the Bruins are taking on the full contract without any salary retention.
Given the low-cost return, this is an interesting move for Boston. GM Don Sweeney hasn’t hidden his expectation of getting the Bruins back to the playoffs but with a UFA market that’s thinning quite quickly, taking a flyer on a one-year add over a multi-year addition works from a flexibility standpoint.
While Arvidsson is coming off a down year, he has five seasons of at least 20 goals under his belt. With Boston being a team that was 27th in goals scored last season, adding someone with a decent track record of production certainly makes sense. And if the Bruins aren’t able to get back into the playoff mix, he’d make sense as a late-season trade candidate for a team looking to add some winger depth, putting Boston in a position to get back what they gave up to get him (or perhaps even more, depending on the state of the market).
From a cap perspective, Edmonton went from having barely $550K in cap space before the swap, per PuckPedia, to $4.55MM at their disposal. That will give GM Stan Bowman some flexibility to work with on the open market as he looks to add an upgrade or two. Meanwhile, Boston came into the day with around $12.7MM in room, per PuckPedia, with that amount being cut to $8.7MM with this swap. Sweeney has a few roster spots that still need to be filled with that money but that’s still ample flexibility to try to do so.
Bruins Showed Interest In Jordan Spence
- At the draft, Los Angeles moved defenseman Jordan Spence to Ottawa but the Senators weren’t the only Atlantic team interested in his services. Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek reports that the Bruins were also in on the 24-year-old. Spence had 28 points in 79 games this past season but had requested a trade in the hopes of finding a bigger role elsewhere. Speculatively, had Boston landed Spence, they may not have turned around and re-signed Henri Jokiharju, who inked a three-year deal earlier today.