Evening Notes: Avalanche, Trocheck, World Championship
Yesterday, Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar called Cale Makar, Josh Manson, Brent Burns, and Artturi Lehkonen day-to-day, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette. However, after today’s skate, Bednar has a positive update this afternoon on their current injury list, saying, “I think everyone is going to be available, but we will see.”
During this afternoon’s skate, Manson was on the ice in a regular jersey, which is a great sign. Additionally, Sam Malinski, who had been skating in a non-contact jersey, returned to full participation today, though he has not been listed day-to-day. Makar, Burns, and Lehkonen were still not on the ice. Taking necessary precautions with a banged-up D-corps, defenseman Alex Gagne was at practice with the Avalanche today.
The Avalanche still have two days off before they begin their Western Conference Final matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night. The Avalanche bested Vegas in their regular-season meetings this year, going 2-0-1. However, when they last met in Round 2 of the 2021 postseason, Vegas eliminated Colorado in six games. With a Cup Final appearance on the line, the extra rest could prove pivotal for a banged-up Avs squad.
Additional evening notes:
- New York Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck’s name has been circulating amongst trade rumors for some time now. The Rangers are trying to get rid of his contract, per Darren Dreger of TSN, which has three more years remaining at a $5.63MM AAV. The original asking price for the 32-year-old center was a first-round pick, a top-level prospect, and an additional asset, and according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, that remains unchanged. It is no secret that teams around the NHL are always interested in a first or second-line center, as they seldom become available, so this will be an intriguing story to follow throughout the summer. Trocheck had 16 goals and 53 points in 67 games last season.
- Day three of the IIHF Men’s World Championship concluded this afternoon in Switzerland. Through two games, Group A is led by Austria, Finland, and Switzerland, tied with six points each, with Austria holding the tiebreaker in goal differential. Group B sees a similar logjam at the top, as Canada and Slovakia are also deadlocked at six points apiece, with Canada owning the tiebreaker. Team USA bounced back this afternoon with a 5-1 victory against Great Britain after suffering a tournament-opening loss to the Swiss on Friday. Former NHL forward Jesse Puljujärvi leads the tournament in scoring through two games with three goals and five points. The action starts back up for day four tomorrow with Finland vs USA and Canada vs Denmark, both starting at 9:20 AM CST.
Blackhawks’ Teuvo Teravainen To Miss Remainder Of World Championship
Winger Teuvo Teravainen will miss the remainder of the 2026 IIHF World Championship with an undisclosed injury, Team Finland announced on Saturday. Teravainen recorded two assists in Finland’s win over Team Germany to start the tournament.
This will be an irreplaceable loss for the Finns. Teravainen led the team in scoring at the 2025 World Championships with 11 points – including a tournament-leading 10 assists – in seven games. He failed to keep that hot scoring rolling in the 2026 Winter Olympics, with just one point in six games. Still, Teravainen’s two-way, veteran presence has proved to be a reliable part of Finland’s top-six.
That is the same role he has brought to the Chicago Blackhawks over the last two seasons. He reached 58 points in the 2024-25 season, his first year back on the middling Blackhawks lineup. Those numbers fell to 35 points in 76 games this year, though Teravainen still seemed to stand out on a nightly basis while supporting Blackhawks youngsters Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar.
Teravainen’s summer focus will now turn towards working back to full health before returning to that spot in Chicago’s lineup next season. It will be the final year on his current contract and should go better than last season, thanks to the addition of Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov.
Team Canada Notes: Crosby, Barzal, Mercer
Sidney Crosby will join Team Canada at the IIHF Men’s World Championship tournament, Hockey Canada announced today. Crosby’s decision marks the second consecutive season in which the Penguins’ captain has decided to head to IIHF Worlds. Crosby scored 12 points in eight games at last year’s edition of the tournament, although Canada was upset in the quarterfinals by Denmark. One of the game’s greatest players of all time, Crosby has already represented Canada on numerous occasions. He’s a member of the Triple Gold Club, meaning he has won a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold medal, and IIHF World Championship.
Crosby joins a Canada roster that is already looking like the strongest in the tournament by a wide margin. The Canadians are set to be captained by 2024 No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini. It is unclear if Celebrini will hand over the captaincy to Crosby, who has served as captain for Canada every time he’s represented them over the past decade. If nothing else, it would be quite the sight to see Celebrini, 19, serving as Crosby’s captain. In any case, the announcement is a good sign for Crosby’s health. He briefly left the bench during game five of the Penguins’ first-round loss to the Flyers to get his knee checked, but it appears that he has not suffered an injury of any sort.
Other notes from Hockey Canada:
- While Canada has added one of the game’s top forwards in Crosby, they’ve also lost another premier NHL forward: Mathew Barzal. The New York Islanders star will miss IIHF Worlds as what Hockey Canada describes as “a precaution” due to a “minor, pre-existing injury.” Barzal, who scored 19 goals and 72 points this past season, has played at two prior IIHF Worlds tournaments. He scored eight points in nine games during the 2022 tournament, and had seven points in 10 games at the 2018 championship. He won a silver medal for Canada in 2022 but is still waiting on his first gold.
- Team Canada also added another forward from the Metropolitan Division today: Dawson Mercer of the New Jersey Devils. Like Barzal, Mercer has also represented Canada at IIHF Worlds on two occasions: first in 2022, and again in 2024. Mercer won a silver medal with Barzal in 2022 and has scored nine points in 19 career games at the World Championships. The 24-year-old can play both center and on the wing, and scored 20 goals and 42 points for New Jersey this past season.
Czechia Shares World Championship Roster
With the 2026 IIHF World Championship getting started in Switzerland on Friday, May 15, Czechia also released their roster earlier today, joining Canada, United States, and Finland. The three goaltender, eight defensemen, 14 forward roster is below:
Goaltenders
Josef Kořenář (HC Sparta Praha, Czechia)
Petr Kváča (Bílí Tygři Liberec, Czechia)
Dominik Pavlát (Ilves, Liiga)
Defensemen
Marek Alscher (Panthers)
Tomas Cibulka (HC Motor České Budějovice, Czechia)
Tomáš Galvas (Bílí Tygři Liberec, Czechia) —
Libor Hájek (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Filip Hronek (Canucks)
Michal Kempný (Brynäs IF, SHL)
Jan Ščotka (HC Kometa Brno, Czechia)
Jiří Ticháček (Kärpät, Liiga)
Forwards
Ondřej Beránek (HC Karlovy Vary, Czechia)
Matěj Blümel (Bruins)
Jiří Černoch (HC Karlovy Vary, Czechia)
Roman Červenka (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Jakub Flek (HC Kometa Brno, Czechia)
Jaroslav Chmelař (Rangers)
Martin Kaut (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Michal Kovařčík (HC Oceláři Třinec, Czechia)
Dominik Kubalík (EV Zug, Swiss NL)
Jan Mandát (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Matyáš Melovský (Devils)
Lukáš Sedlák (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
David Tomášek (Färjestad BK, SHL)
Daniel Voženílek (HC Oceláři Třinec, Czechia)
Out of a group with less NHL talent, Hronek’s name jumps out on the page, a top defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks who played a career high 25 minutes a night this season. Missing superstar David Pastrňák, who came away as the top scorer of the tournament last spring, it is Hronek who will be leaned on heavily by the Czechs. Elsewhere, Chmelař, Alscher, Blümel, and Tomášek are the only other players on the team who skated in the NHL this year.
Tomášek joined the Oilers as a 29-year-old free agent, his tenure ending in December, returning to the SHL. Alscher and Blümel played in four games each, the former making a nice impression with Florida, while Blümel netted 21 goals in 58 games with the Providence Bruins, a step down from his AHL-leading 39 the year prior. Finally, Chmelař recorded just six points in 28 games with the Rangers, but at 6’4″ and just 22, he’s a nice piece to their future bottom six.
Moving along, Červenka will add another feather to his cap of a long career. Playing in the NHL with the Flames in 2012-13, he has since carved out a tremendous career spanning across several leagues, now aged 40. The forward has served as captain for Czechia across international competition for nearly a decade, including the Olympic Games, and he’s still a top scorer with HC Dynamo Pardubice.
Kubalík, Kempný, and Sedlák are recognizable former NHL names, the first of which with a 30-goal campaign to kickstart his NHL career with the Blackhawks six years ago. Unfortunately he was never able to replicate such production, leaving the NHL after 2023-24, and since playing in Swiss-A.
Rounding out the group of names to watch, Melovský and Galvas stand out as being young NHL hopefuls. Galvas, 20, is a notable prospect for the 2026 draft, expected to have his name called in the second or third round. A 5’10” lefty defenseman, his best trait is skating ability, impressively leading all defenseman in scoring on Bílí Tygři Liberec. Melovský, meanwhile, will be watched by Devils fans especially, a sixth round pick of the team in 2024. Already in North America, he came away with 26 points in 55 games with Utica in his first professional season. It’s a good start for a former fringe prospect who hopes his physicality will lead to an NHL role some day.
The Czechs will be lead by Radim Rulík. The 60-year-old served as the nation’s head coach in the Olympic Games, a highlight as part of his experience since joining the international circuit in 2021.
Finland Releases World Championship Roster
With the 2026 IIHF World Championship underway on Friday, May 15, Finland was the latest notable squad to release their roster earlier today, joining Canada and the United States. The three goaltender, eight defensemen, 14 forward group, headed to Switzerland, is as follows:
Goaltenders
Justus Annunen (Predators)
Joonas Korpisalo (Bruins)
Harri Säteri (EHL Biel-Bienne, NL)
Defensemen
Ville Heinola (Jets)
Henri Jokiharju (Bruins)
Mikko Lehtonen (ZSC Lions, NL)
Olli Määttä (Flames)
Nikolas Matinpalo (Senators)
Vili Saarijärvi (Gèneve Servette HC, NL)
Mikael Seppälä (HC Sparta Praha, EHL)
Urho Vaakanainen (Rangers)
Forwards
Aleksander Barkov (Panthers)
Hannes Björninen (SCL Tigers, NL)
Eemil Erholtz (Kärpät Oulu)
Lenni Hämeenaho (Devils)
Janne Kuokkanen (Malmö Redhawks, SHL)
Anton Lundell (Panthers)
Saku Mäenalanen (SCL Tigers, NL)
Sakari Manninen (Gèneve Servette HC, NL
Waltteri Merelä (SC Bern, NL)
Sami Päivärinta (HPK Hämeenlinna)
Patrik Puistola (Örebro HK, SHL)
Jesse Puljujärvi (Gèneve Servette HC, NL)
Aatu Räty (Canucks)
Teuvo Teräväinen (Blackhawks)
Far and away the biggest name of the group, it’s encouraging for Panthers fans to see Barkov set to go after suffering a major knee injury in the first practice of training camp, requiring surgery on both his ACL and MCL. Obviously not the type of hockey the 30-year-old has become accustomed to playing in May, as Florida came up short of making the playoffs and buying enough time for his return, Barkov returns to the international stage. Having missed the chance at the Olympic Games earlier this year, he most recently represented Finland at the NHL 4 Nations Tournament. The 30-year-old last played in the IIHF World Championships one decade ago, a young star skating alongside national legends Mikko Koivu and Jussi Jokinen.
Puljujärvi is another interesting name to watch out of the forwards, as he finished second in team scoring on Geneve Servette in the Swiss league with 52 points in as many games, his first season post-North America. A teammate of former NHLers such as Markus Granlund (their top scorer), Jan Rutta, and Jimmy Vesey, the group had a strong season but lost four games to one versus Fribourg in the playoffs. If he can continue to stack up such production, another NHL look isn’t out of the realm of possibility, but of course far from his former elite potential as a fourth overall pick (2016).
Lead by head coach Antti Pennanen, the roster is largely built of more experienced players, lacking young prospects who have yet to break into the NHL. Tampa Bay’s unsigned 20-year-old Benjamin Rautiainen, who led Liiga with 77 points in 59 games, is not on the roster at this point with the league finals still ongoing. Still, out of their 12 NHL players, Finland boasts one of the best players in the tournament in Barkov, who will look to make something of his 2025-26 year before moving on to next fall with Florida.
Pennanen, 47, will be hungry to prove something in the tournament after a rough showing at the 4 Nations left a mark on his record. He and Team Finland bounced back into a bronze medal in Milan, now seeking IIHF gold for the first time since 2022.
Snapshots: Flyers Injuries, Oilers, Celebrini
With their season coming to an abrupt end yesterday, injuries affecting the Philadelphia Flyers have begun to be revealed. Bill Meltzer of Flyers.NHL.com shared that Owen Tippett is dealing with a sports hernia, Cam York was playing through a fractured rib, and Christian Dvorak was battling a separated shoulder.
By yesterday’s Game 4, the Flyers were running with a patchwork lineup, including Carl Grundström and rookie Oliver Bonk, both of whom spent time in the AHL this year.
Tippett was unable to skate in any of the four second round games against the Hurricanes, with an ailment which was not revealed at the time. If he had limped into a game, a full tear would have been possible, which would greatly affect his health moving into next season. The 27-year-old tied his career high in goals this year (28) and played in all but one regular season contest, the best of his career to this point. He should be all set for next fall.
Meanwhile, both York and Dvorak played through their injuries. York skated in 24 minutes or more in each of the last three games against Carolina. The 25-year-old appeared hampered at times, but his overtime series winning goal over Pittsburgh was an unforgettable moment.
Finally, Dvorak came away with four assists, impressively not missing a single game despite his injury. It was a season to remember for the 30-year-old, setting a career high with 51 points in 80 games, and earning a five-year extension with the team.
Elsewhere across the league:
- The Edmonton Oilers face an off-season of changes after a disappointing first round exit, but as written by The Fourth Period, that may not include Connor Ingram, Jason Dickinson, and Connor Murphy, who are expected to explore being re-signed. Dickinson, 30, effectively replaced Adam Henrique as a third line center. Mostly a shutdown penalty killer, he did find the back of the net twice in the playoffs, capable of providing a scoring spark at times. He’d require a serious pay cut from his current $4.25MM to stay with the Oilers. Another former Blackhawk, the 33-year-old Murphy played top four minutes in Edmonton, starting 58% of his shifts in the defensive zone as a stay-at-home sidekick for Darnell Nurse, the duo anchoring the penalty kill. Finally, as far as depth goaltenders go, Ingram brought above average results at a .899 save percentage and 2.60 goals-against-average, but Edmonton must find a solution with Tristan Jarry in order to avoid leaning on the persevering 29-year-old Ingram so heavily again.
- Sharks 19-year-old superstar Macklin Celebrini has been named captain of Team Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Championships. It’s a passing of the torch of sorts, as he’ll lead alongside veteran assistants Ryan O’Reilly and John Tavares despite being the youngest skater on the team. Celebrini is no stranger to the international circuit, leading Canada in the World Juniors, and already a top line star at the highest stage, last February in Milan where he came away with a silver medal. A face of the future of Canada Hockey, the Vancouver native wasted no time, recording three points earlier today in a resounding 6-1 exhibition defeat of France.
Team Canada Notes: Bouchard, Nurse, McKenna, Whitecloud
A pair of Edmonton Oilers defensemen are going to represent Canada at the upcoming IIHF Men’s World Championships: Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse. (Reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger) The addition of Bouchard gives Canada a player who could very well end up the top offensive defenseman at the tournament. The 26-year-old is coming off of a season where he scored a career-high 21 goals and 95 points. The addition of Nurse gives Canada another NHL top-four defenseman with extensive playoff experience. Nurse averaged 20:58 time on ice per game this season, No. 2 on the Oilers.
Bouchard has yet to represent Canada as a professional, but represented his country in international tournaments in junior hockey. He was part of Team Canada at the World Juniors in the 2018-19 season though his team lost in the quarterfinals. Nurse, on the other hand, has represented Canada at two World Championships: 2018 and 2019. Canada lost the bronze medal to the United States in Nurse’s first trip to the tournament, and won a silver medal in his second.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Top 2026 NHL draft prospect Gavin McKenna will not join Team Canada for the upcoming tournament, reversing earlier reports that indicated he would. TSN’s Darren Dreger reported the decision as a group choice meant to allow McKenna to focus his attention on the upcoming scouting combine. McKenna has long been considered the front-runner to go No. 1 overall at this year’s draft, though Corey Pronman of The Athletic recently characterized the race for No. 1 as being more wide-open.
- Another defenseman will join the Canadian entry into IIHF Worlds: Calgary Flames blueliner Zach Whitecloud, as reported by Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg. This won’t be the 29-year-old blueliner’s first trip to the World Championships. He represented Canada at the 2022 tournament, scoring four points in 10 games for a Canada team that fell in overtime in the gold medal game against Finland.
Snapshots: Stanley, Jarry, Bedard
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Logan Stanley‘s status for game six tonight against the Boston Bruins is questionable as he manages an illness, reports The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn. Stanley missed Sabres practice on Thursday but Ruff said he was feeling better then compared to how he felt on Wednesday. If he isn’t able to dress in tonight’s game, Michael Kesselring would likely get the call.
Kesselring, 26, would be making his playoff debut if he ends up dressing for the Sabres tonight. A key piece of the team’s return in exchange for forward JJ Peterka, Kesselring spent most of 2025-26 sidelined by injury. He played in just 34 games and his unavailability is part of what prompted Buffalo to acquire two defensemen at the trade deadline. He had a strong season the year prior in Utah, though, and there is hope he can rediscover that form with a stretch of good health. If Kesselring does play, his entrance into the lineup would mean the Sabres would be staffing their third pairing with two right-shot defensemen, the other being Conor Timmins.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- The Edmonton Oilers will be under a significant amount of pressure to upgrade their roster this summer after a disappointing first-round exit, and an area likely to receive considerable attention is their goaltending. Neither veteran Tristan Jarry nor Connor Ingram inspired much confidence, and The Athletic’s Chris Johnston and Sean Gentille wrote that “it wouldn’t be surprising if Edmonton looked to move on” from Jarry. The 31-year-old, who was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins early in 2025-26, has two years remaining on his deal at $5.375MM AAV. Finding a taker for Jarry could prove difficult at that cap hit, as he posted an .858 save percentage in 19 games in Edmonton. A buyout wouldn’t yield significant cap savings.
- Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard won’t play for Team Canada at the upcoming IIHF Men’s World Championships, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Bedard reportedly wanted to represent his home country at the tournament but was told the “best thing” would be for him to focus on rehabbing his injury. Bedard missed time in December and January with a shoulder injury. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick, who turns 21 in July, scored 30 goals and 75 points in 69 games this season.
Team Canada Notes: Donskov, Carbery, McKenna
As expected, Hockey Canada is making a change behind the bench for their international teams. According to an announcement from the organization, Hockey Canada has named Misha Donskov as head coach for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship this summer and the IIHF World Junior Championship next winter.
Donskov, 49, was rumored to be a favorite for the role for some time. Although he has never held a head coaching position in an official capacity throughout his professional career, he has been involved in the game for some time. His career began ahead of the 2001-02 season, when he joined the Columbus Blue Jackets as a team consultant. Donskov enjoyed the same role with the now-relocated Atlanta Thrashers from 2004-05 to 2008-09.
He spent some time in the OHL and with various Team Canada clubs, primarily working as a video coach. He returned to the NHL in 2016-17, being named Director of Hockey Operations for the Vegas Golden Knights, and became one of the team’s assistant coaches ahead of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. He had his name engraved on the Stanley Cup in 2023 as a coach of the Golden Knights.
Since then, Donskov enjoyed a two-year stint as an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars before fully transitioning to the international stage this season. He was an associate coach on Dave Cameron‘s staff at the World Junior Championships this season, earning a bronze medal.
Additional international notes:
- Although it won’t be at the World Junior Championships, Donskov will have another successful coach joining him this summer in Switzerland. According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, Spencer Carbery, head coach of the Washington Capitals, will serve as an assistant coach under Donskov for the international tournament. Unlike Donskov, this will be Carbery’s first time serving internationally with Team Canada, despite being only one year removed from winning the Jack Adams Award.
- Team Canada has made another addition to their World Championship club, though this time it’ll be on the ice rather than the bench. Mike Morreale of the NHL announced that top prospect Gavin McKenna will join Team Canada for the 2026 NHL Draft international contest. McKenna, 18, remains the consensus top choice in the upcoming draft on most boards after scoring 15 goals and 51 points in 35 games for the NCAA’s Penn State University Nittany Lions this season.
East Notes: Sabres, Heineman, Holmstrom, Schaefer
The Buffalo Sabres will look to eliminate the Boston Bruins tonight with a mostly healthy roster. According to Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report, the Sabres will have Joshua Norris, Jason Zucker, and Tyson Kozak available to play tonight.
Zucker, 34, is the only one of the group who hasn’t missed any games in Round One against Boston. Still, he was banged up in Game 4 and didn’t return. There was concern that he might be unavailable for Game 5. However, Buffalo justified keeping him out due to the game’s lopsided score, which reduced the urgency to rush him back for the contest.
Norris and Kozak have replaced each other in the lineup halfway through the series. Norris hasn’t played since Game 2 due to an undisclosed injury. Like Zucker, Kozak was banged up in Game 4 after replacing Norris in the lineup, though he likely won’t play tonight unless the Sabres make an additional lineup change.
Additional notes from the Eastern Conference:
- According to Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, the New York Islanders will send Emil Heineman and Simon Holmstrom to Team Sweden for the 2026 IIHF World Championships. It’ll be the first appearance in the international tournament for Holmstrom. Heineman, on the other hand, played for Team Sweden last summer, scoring one goal and three points in 10 games with a +2 rating.
- Unfortunately, Team Canada will not get the same boost as Team Sweden from the Islanders. In a separate report from Rosner, he shared that rookie sensation Matthew Schaefer won’t be participating in the international competition. Still, after finishing his rookie season, it’s more important for Schaefer to rest, recover, and build up for next season to avoid a dreaded sophomore slump.