Bruins Invite Max Burkholder To Development Camp
- The Boston Bruins have invited Colorado College captain Max Burkholder to their development camp, reports Mark Divver of New England Hockey Journal. The 22-year-old is an undersized right-shot defenseman who had a breakout sophomore campaign in 2024-25. That year, he scored 26 points in 37 games and was named to the NCHC’s Second All-Star team. A lower-body injury cost him all but three games this year, but he’ll still get the chance to show off his talents at development camp with the hope of potentially earning a pro contract down the line.
Charlie McAvoy Offered In-Person Hearing For Slash On Zach Benson
It was a tough end to the playoffs for Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy. On top of his team losing in six games to Buffalo on Friday, the veteran was ejected from the game for a slash on Sabres winger Zach Benson. In response, the Department of Player Safety announced (Twitter link) that McAvoy has been offered an in-person hearing. The date and time of the hearing have yet to be determined but with Boston done for the season, there is no need to hold it over the next day or two.
The in-person element is particularly important. While a phone hearing carries a maximum of a five-game suspension, an in-person hearing allows the league to suspend him for longer than that. If that were to happen, the NHLPA would then have an opportunity to appeal to Commissioner Gary Bettman as well.
The incident occurred late in the third period of Friday’s game. Benson was set to receive a slew-foot tripping minor on McAvoy and while play continued, McAvoy chased down Benson and gave him a baseball-swing slash, receiving a minor, major, and a game misconduct on the play. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was among those to provide a video clip of the play.
McAvoy has two suspensions on his record. He received a one-game ban in 2019 for an illegal check to the head on then-Columbus winger Josh Anderson in the playoffs and a four-game suspension in 2023 for an illegal check to the head on then-Florida blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Any supplementary discipline received will be served at the start of next season.
James Hagens Expected To Play For Team USA At World Championship
It has been an eventful season for Bruins center James Hagens, to put it lightly. He has already played for four separate teams in 2025-26 and it appears he’ll be adding to that total. Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reports (Twitter link) that Hagens is expected to play for Team USA at the upcoming Worlds which begin later this month.
The seventh overall pick last June, Hagens spent most of the season at the NCAA level with Boston College, where he picked up 23 goals and 24 assists in just 34 games to lead his team in scoring. Midseason, he suited up for Team USA at the World Juniors and had a productive showing there as well, notching seven points in five contests.
That performance was good enough for Boston to decide to turn Hagens pro. However, they opted to have him take a bit of a different route. Instead of joining the big club right away, they signed him to an AHL tryout, allowing him to get his feet wet with Providence. He picked up a goal and three assists in six games with them, earning a full entry-level contract a little less than four weeks ago.
Hagens got into a pair of regular season games in the final week to get his NHL debut out of the way but ultimately didn’t play a regular role in the postseason. Hagens played in three of six games against Buffalo but was held off the scoresheet. Despite being 19 and only playing in five NHL games, his contract isn’t eligible to slide as he turns 20 in November. He’s also not eligible to return to Providence to aid in their playoff run. However, he won’t accrue a year of service time toward UFA eligibility so Boston still has seven full seasons of club control.
Between his four teams this season, Hagens has played in 50 games so far. He’ll now get a chance to add up to ten more while in Switzerland while trying to end his year on a high note.
Nikita Zadorov Sustained Torn MCL Midway Through First Round
Boston’s season came to an end on Friday night as they lost to Buffalo, ending the series in six games. Following the outing, Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov revealed to reporters including Boston.com’s Conor Ryan that he sustained a torn MCL in the third game of the series.
Before last night, he had indicated that he was playing through something but hadn’t indicated what. It appears as if the injury is on the severe side, too, as Zadorov mentioned that the ligament was fully torn off the bone.
While MCL injuries aren’t generally as severe as ACL ones, a fully torn MCL may still require surgery with a recovery timeline pushing three months. That should have him fully recovered heading into training camp in the fall but his overall offseason training will certainly be impacted by this injury.
Although Zadorov was far from fully healthy, it didn’t seem to affect his playing time all that much. He logged 19:20 of playing time in Game 4, 23:11 in Game 5, and 21:52 last night, all around his regular season ATOI of 20:53.
Zadorov was the league leader in penalty minutes for the second straight season and after a 37-PIM performance in the opening round, he’s currently leading the way in that category as well. Beyond that, he chipped in with an assist and 17 hits in the series.
Ilya Sorokin, Jeremy Swayman, Andrei Vasilevskiy Named Vezina Trophy Finalists
The NHL has officially announced the field for the 2025-26 Vezina Trophy, naming Ilya Sorokin (New York Islanders), Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins), and Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning) as the three finalists. Voted on by the league’s general managers, the award recognizes the goaltender deemed most valuable to his team at the position.
This year’s group features a mix of powerhouse names and rising stars who have carried their respective clubs through an 82-game season.
Sorokin returns to the finalist circle for the second time in his career after a season where he was arguably the league’s busiest and most reliable netminder. Despite the Islanders’ inconsistent defensive metrics, Sorokin was a human highlight reel, leading the NHL with seven shutouts across 55 games played. He posted a 29-24-2 record with a 2.68 GAA and .906 SV%, but his case for the award is notably from his league-leading 452 high-danger saves.
Swayman has taken the reins in Boston and proved he is a bona fide elite starting goaltender. The 27-year-old recorded a career-high 31 wins and led all goaltenders with 38 starts with a SV% of .900 or better. Finishing the year with a 31-18-4 record, a 2.71 GAA, and a .907 SV%, Swayman’s ability to handle a heavy workload while maintaining elite performances night after night helped a transitional Bruins roster secure the top Wild Card spot in the East.
Vasilevskiy reminded the world why he remains the gold standard for modern goaltending, leading the NHL in wins for the sixth time in his career. Across 58 appearances, he posted a 39-15-4 record, with an historic 17-0-1 record during the middle of the season. He finished the campaign ranked second in the league in GAA at 2.31 and tied for fourth in save percentage at .912, making his sixth time as a Vezina finalist as he seeks to capture the trophy for the first time since 2019.
While Vasilevskiy holds the advantage in traditional win-loss metrics and goals against average, Sorokin’s case is built on the immense degree of difficulty he faced in New York. Swayman, on the other hand, represents a newer guard, showing that he can maintain elite efficiency over a full season’s workload. The winner will be revealed during the NHL Awards ceremony later this summer.
Latest On Bruins Lineup
Boston Bruins forward Viktor Arvidsson has been ruled out for Game 5 in Buffalo, reported by Amalie Benjamin, Senior Writer at the NHL. He did not travel with the team.
Arvidsson’s Bruins are on the brink of elimination, but he’s done his part with two tallies in the series. He’ll hope they can extend their season tonight and buy enough time for a potential return, as soon as Game 6 on Friday, if necessary.
Nikita Zadorov Fined For Cross-Checking
- The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced that Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov has been fined $5K, the maximum allowable, for cross-checking Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in Game 4. It was an expected, albeit underwhelming outcome. In yesterday’s contest, well after the whistle, Zadorov calmly skated up to Dahlin and delivered a cross-check to Dahlin’s back, which caused Zadorov’s stick to break. It’s hard to argue that there wasn’t intent to injure based on the video, making the NHL’s decision not to suspend him a bit perplexing.
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Bruins’ Viktor Arvidsson Leaves Game With Injury
Game 4 wasn’t the only thing the Boston Bruins lost today. Before the end of the game, the Bruins announced that veteran winger Viktor Arvidsson had left the game with an upper-body injury.
Arvidsson informally left the game with only a few minutes remaining in the first period. After the Buffalo Sabres had already taken a commanding lead, defenseman Mattias Samuelsson landed a hard hit on Arvidsson along the boards, which seemingly shook the winger up. The hit wasn’t dirty by any stretch of the imagination, and likely just caught Arvidsson in the wrong spot.
Already on the brink of elimination, the possibility of being without Arvidsson in Game 5 certainly lowers the Bruins’ chances of staving off the Sabres any longer. The 33-year-old forward was electric in Boston’s only win of the series thus far, scoring two goals with a +1 rating in Game 2 in 13:52 of ice time.
If Arvidsson is unable to go when the series continues in Buffalo, the Bruins will have to sort out the top six of the forward group. Head coach Marco Sturm will likely move Marat Khusnutdinov to the top line alongside Elias Lindholm and David Pastrnak, while moving Morgan Geekie down to the second line to take Arvidsson’s spot. Regardless, it puts the Bruins in an even bigger hole after getting embarrassed on their home ice.
Michael DiPietro Wins Les Cunningham Award
The Providence Bruins, AHL affiliate of the Boston Bruins, announced that netminder Michael DiPietro has won the Les Cunningham Award, given to the AHL’s regular season MVP. DiPietro becomes the first goaltender to win the award since Dustin Wolf in 2023, and only the third since Jason LaBarbera in 2004.
DiPietro, 26, is in his fourth season with the Bruins organization. The former Vancouver Canucks prospect was traded to the Bruins organization at the start of the 2022-23 campaign in a trade for Jack Studnicka. Largely blocked in Boston behind Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo, DiPietro has been particularly good over the last several years but took his performance to a different level this year.
The AHL Bruins relied heavily on DiPietro this season, giving him 62.5% of the available starts. In one of the best seasons in recent memory, DiPietro finished with a 34-8-1 record in 45 games with a .930 SV%, 1.91 GAA, including three shutouts. Unless the Bruins move Korpisalo this summer, DiPietro is unlikely to find his way to the NHL with Boston. Much like the Canucks did last summer with Arturs Silovs, the Bruins could look to trade DiPietro for a premium to a goalie-needy team.
Bruins Sign Billy Sweezey To One-Year, Two-Way Extension
The Boston Bruins have re-signed pending unrestricted free agent Billy Sweezey to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry a cap hit of $850K in the NHL. Sweezey has spent the last five seasons in the AHL. He joined the Providence Bruins in 2024 and serves as an alternate captain for the club.
Sweezey has racked up 17 points, 84 penalty minutes, and a career-high plus-21 in 69 games this season. His single goal on the season gave Sweezey three consecutive seasons with only one score – a pattern he repeated in the first three seasons of his career at Yale University. Sweezey has continued to offer the chippy, defensive style that he took on way back with the USHL’s Chicago Steel in 2015.
Sweezey signed his first pro contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2020, after racking up 29 points and 159 penalty minutes in 127 games at Yale. He only reached four assists in 22 games in the AHL’s shortened 2020-21 season. He left the Penguins and signed a deal with the Cleveland Monsters in the following summer. A move to Ohio proved to bring much more action, pushing Sweezey to 11 points and 114 penalty minutes in 70 games of his first season in Cleveland.
His 2021-22 performance was such a pleasant surprise that the Columbus Blue Jackets signed Sweezey to a two-way NHL contract in March 2022. The Blue Jackets vindicated that deal roughly one year later, when Sweezey made his NHL debut on February 26, 2023. He would go on to play in nine games with Columbus marked by one assist, nine penalty minutes, and a minus three. Sweezey has since spent the last three seasons in a full-time, AHL role – though the Boston Bruins kept him on an NHL contract when they signed him out of free agency. Sweezey has already recorded 27 points and 151 penalty minutes in 133 games with the Providence Bruins and will stay on a two-way NHL deal next season.