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Jere Innala Returning To Sweden’s Frölunda HC

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Avalanche pending UFA winger Jere Innala won’t re-sign with the club and will instead return to Frölunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League, where he still had a valid contract through 2025-26, per a team announcement.

Innala, 27, joined Frölunda for the 2022-23 campaign. He put up a 26-28–54 scoring line in 94 games there, as well as 11 goals in just 14 playoff games in 2024, before landing an entry-level contract with Colorado as an international free agent last summer.

The 5’9″ Finn got a fair amount of reps with the big club, particularly mid-season when injuries ravaged their forward group. But despite making 17 appearances, he never got on the scoresheet and averaged just 7:09 per game with a minus-three rating. He managed eight shots on goal, and the Avs were outchanced 42-39 when he was on the ice at 5-on-5.

He still spent a good portion of the season in the minors with AHL Colorado, where he was a solid scoring presence but not dominant. He logged 17-11–28 in 43 games, which could presumably be the only AHL appearances of his professional career.

After failing to lock down an NHL job, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Innala remain in Europe for the remainder of his career. Doing so would provide him more opportunities to play internationally, where he’s won a gold and silver medal for Finland at the World Championships in the past few years. He also won a Liiga title with HPK back in 2019.

Bruins Name Marco Sturm Head Coach

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The Bruins announced Thursday they’ve appointed AHL Ontario bench boss Marco Sturm as their new head coach.

While it’s Sturm’s first time as an NHL head coach, the former Bruins winger has built up a solid resume over the last decade. He was appointed the head coach of Germany’s men’s national team for the 2015-16 cycle and held that role for three seasons, including a silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

That Olympic medal put him on the map for NHL clubs. He joined the Kings organization the following season, remaining there until today’s hiring. He spent four years as an assistant on the NHL bench under John Stevens, Willie Desjardins, and Todd McLellan before heading to Ontario to oversee their top development affiliate in 2022. During his time there, the 46-year-old helped the Reign make the Calder Cup Playoffs in each of his three seasons behind the bench and posted a 119-80-11-6 regular-season record.

Sturm was one of the first names linked to Boston’s vacancy in early May, and it was clear he had emerged as the frontrunner a couple of weeks ago. It likely took longer than the Bruins hoped to make the hiring official – they were the last team standing without a permanent head coach after the Penguins hired Dan Muse yesterday – but in the end, they get their man.

General manager Don Sweeney had the following statement on Sturm, who is the 30th head coach in franchise history:

Throughout this process, our goal was to identify a coach who could uphold our strong defensive foundation while helping us evolve offensively. We were also looking for a communicator and leader – someone who connects with players, develops young talent, and earns the respect of the room. Marco impressed us at every step with his preparation, clarity, and passion. His path – playing for multiple NHL teams, coaching internationally, and leading at both the AHL and NHL levels – has shaped a well-rounded coach who’s earned this opportunity. As a former Bruin, he understands what this team means to the city and our fans. We’re embracing a new direction with Marco behind the bench and are confident his energy, standards, and commitment to a competitive, hard-nosed brand of hockey reflect exactly what Bruins hockey should be.

As Sweeney said, this isn’t Sturm’s first go-around in Beantown. He was part of one of the most notable trades in league history, heading to Boston from San Jose when the Bruins traded Joe Thornton to San Jose midway through his Hart Trophy-winning 2005-06 campaign. Sturm, who had already been in the league for eight years and was already the best German-born player the league had ever seen, was a good top-six piece for Boston over the next five years but had a steep decline at the end of his tenure, fueled by a left knee surgery in 2009 that hampered his production for the rest of his career.

Sturm scored 242 goals and 487 points in 938 NHL games over his 14-year playing career, still placing him second all-time in scoring among German NHLers behind Leon Draisaitl. 106 of those goals and 198 of those points came in Boston over a 302-game span.

He’ll now be tasked with injecting the speedy, two-way style he flashed as a player into the Bruins’ retooling roster. The club has made increased scoring its stated priority for 2025-26 after being limited to 2.71 goals per game this year, sixth-worst in the league. He’ll likely need some help from Sweeney this summer to give him more than two 20-goal scorers from 2024-25 (Morgan Geekie, David Pastrňák) to make it happen.

Other names who reportedly made it deep in the process for the Bruins’ gig were assistant Jay Leach and ex-Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft. It’s unclear if Leach will remain on Sturm’s staff as an AC. Former assistant Joe Sacco, who spent most of this year as interim head coach following Boston’s firing of Jim Montgomery in November, is not expected to return to the organization.

Image courtesy of Kevin Hoffman-Imagn Images.

Blue Jackets’ Cayden Lindstrom Commits To Michigan State

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June 5: Lindstrom confirmed to Portzline he’ll play for the Spartans next season (article link). Lindstrom returned to play four games for Medicine Hat in the WHL finals en route to a championship, recording two goals and two assists, but went pointless in three Memorial Cup games for the Tigers.

March 29: Things haven’t gone as planned for Blue Jackets prospect Cayden Lindstrom this season.  Felled by a back injury dating back to before the draft last year, he has yet to suit up in 2024-25 and isn’t expected to.  But instead of remaining with WHL Medicine Hat for 2025-26, it appears he’ll be on the move, as Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Lindstrom is likely to play at Michigan State next season.

Lindstrom was the fourth overall pick back in June and while many high draft picks sign their entry-level deals in the days and weeks after that, he was a notable exception.  As a result, he remains eligible to play in the NCAA next season.

It’s a decision that might seem a bit surprising at first, but given his injury history, it does make some sense.  Major junior teams play 68 games per season and after missing all of this year, more game volume might seem like the way to go.  Meanwhile, the NCAA regular season is only 34 games long which will allow Lindstrom more time for off-ice workouts and time with the training staff to try to limit or prevent any possible recurrence of this back trouble.

Last season, Lindstrom played well in limited duty, notching 27 goals and 19 assists in just 32 games for the Tigers which helped make him one of the first players off the board despite the injury concerns.  While that’s not necessarily enough to say that he has nothing left to prove at that level, that type of dominance suggests that he might be better suited playing against older competition which he’ll get at MSU should he officially join them.  He can’t do so until at least August 1st.

Portzline notes that several other schools, including Ohio State, also pursued Lindstrom’s services.  Columbus likely would have preferred that he landed there to keep him closer to the team but instead, Lindstrom will join a Spartans program that had eight NHL-drafted prospects on it this season, some of which could soon be making the jump to the pros.

Mark Friedman Signs Two-Year Deal In Sweden

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June 5: Friedman is heading to Sweden but not with either of the two clubs mentioned. He signed a two-year contract with Rögle BK instead, according to a club announcement.

May 29: Veteran defenseman Mark Friedman has spent the bulk of his playing time in the minors over the last couple of seasons so it appears that he may be looking to try something different next season.  Mattias Persson of Hockeynews.se reports that the blueliner will be signing in the SHL with Farjestad and Orebro believed to be the two teams vying for his services.

The 29-year-old has seen NHL action in seven straight seasons.  However, he has largely been in a depth or reserve role over that time as he has suited up in just 93 games at the top level with three different teams.  Overall, Friedman has four goals and nine assists in those outings while logging a little over 13 minutes a night.

Friedman started the season with Vancouver but after getting into 23 games with them last season, that number dropped to just five this year.  After clearing waivers, he spent 20 games with AHL Abbotsford before being moved to Nashville for future considerations back in February.  Despite the Predators having injuries on their back end down the stretch, Friedman didn’t see any more NHL action and got into 21 regular season games with Milwaukee.  All told, he had three goals and 16 assists between the two teams before adding three points in ten playoff contests.

A pending unrestricted free agent, Friedman now qualifies for full veteran status in the AHL moving forward; teams can only dress five players with more than 320 professional games played, a mark he eclipsed this season.  Accordingly, that could have limited his market this summer.  Instead, it appears that Friedman has decided to get out ahead of that with a deal in Sweden on the horizon.

Devils Notes: Allen, Trades, Hischier

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New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald laid out many of the team’s off-season priorities to NHL.com’s Mike Morreale. He emphasized that re-signing defenseman Luke Hughes was a top priority, but then went on to add that the Devils will also make an effort to bring back backup goaltender Jake Allen. Fitzgerald said that Allen was one of the better goaltenders on the market, and that Allen’s camp has expressed a desire to stay in New Jersey.

Allen, 34, is coming off a two-year, $7.7MM contract signed with New Jersey in 2023. He was certainly a stout backup on that deal, landing a .904 save percentage and 19-22-2 record across 44 games. The bulk of those appearances – 31 to be exact – came behind Jacob Markstrom this season. Allen posted a 13-16-1 record and .908 save percentage on the year, but came up big for the Devils one more than one occasion. He’s a one-time Stanley Cup champion, and could be had for a cheap price on a deal that may carry him to retirement.

Other notes surrounding the Devils:

  • The Devils are entering the summer with just $12MM in available cap space, and could reason to spend nearly two-thirds of that on extending Hughes. That puts the team in a challenging spot when it comes to re-signing someone like Allen or Cody Glass. Fitzgerald shared he’s aware of the bind, and knows that the team will need to use strategic spending and trades to improve up the roster. The Devils don’t wield a first-round pick this year, but do have two second-round picks, and a well-built prospect pool. Trimming from either surplus could go far in landing New Jersey a stout addition, or helping them clear the cap space to make more moves.
  • Fitzgerald closed by shedding light on Devils captain Nico Hischier, who suffered a lower-body injury while at the World Championship. The GM said that Hischier’s removal from the tournament was precautionary, and that Hischier is back to training per usual. That’s great news for the 26-year-old, who posted 69 points in 75 games on the season. He also scored a career-high 35 goals, trumping his previous high of 31 goals from 2022-23. With good health, Hischier will be headed straight back to a starring role next season.

Bettman/Daly Notes: CBA, Olympics, AHL

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NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly held a joint press conference ahead of the first game of the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals. They touched on a variety of league topics, most notably sharing that the league continues to progress well towards a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the NHL Players’ Association. The pair shared that CBA negotiations are in “good shape” per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic adds that they weren’t yet ready to call the deal close to final.

The NHL is a year out from needing to finalize a new CBA. Early momentum could point towards minimal changes in the next agreement, though the league did comment on a few potential changes. Daly and Bettman said they weren’t concerned about tax differential influencing player’s signing decisions. Later, NHLPA Assistant Executive Ron Hainsey shared that the league could reform the long-term injured reserve to avoid late-season manipulation. Both topics have grown to a roar over recent years, in light of repeated success for the Vegas Golden Knights and the pair of Florida-based teams.

Other notes from Bettman and Daly’s presser:

  • Daly confirmed that the league isn’t expecting Russia to participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics. The country was previously barred from participation at the 2024 Summer Olympics, though athletes were still able to participate under the category of “individual neutral athletes”. Russia’s Men’s Hockey team took home silver at the 2022 Winter Olympics, and gold in 2018, though the NHL did not send players to either competition. With this news, fans will have to wait even longer to see Russian stars take on Olympic competitors. The last time that superstars like Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin appeared at the Olympics was in 2014. Russia achieved a fifth-place finish that year.
  • Daly also shared that the league is considering opening AHL eligibility to teenagers in the next CBA, per Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News. The Deputy Commissioner added that the NHL is discussing the change with the NHLPA, and has given advance notice to the CHL – though the dialogue is ongoing. Junior hockey is presently under a monumental shift after the NCAA expanded collegiate eligibility to CHL athletes. Early winds from the decision appear to be pushing major juniors to a younger demographic – momentum that would only seem to grow should the NHL and AHL give players even more options after their draft years.

Re-Signing Luke Hughes Top Priority For Devils Off-Season

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New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald sat down with NHL.com’s Mike Morreale to go over the team’s priorities for the off-season. Top of conversation was star defenseman Luke Hughes, who is currently set to become  a restricted free-agent on July 1st. Fitzgerald emphasized that re-signing Hughes before that deadline is a top priority, and that the two parties have already engaged in conversations around a new deal.

The GM pointed out the team’s minimal salary cap space – just over $12MM with nine pending free agents – but he ensured that Hughes would get the priority signing. Fitzgerald told Morreale:

We’re just trying to figure out what’s best for Luke and for us and how do we make our team better with the funds that we have available… Both parties are in agreement… We’re going to get this done.

Fitzgerald’s emphasis sheds some assurance on the biggest storyline shadowing the Devils’ off-season. Hughes took on a major role in the Devils’ blue-line this season, playing opposite of 10-year NHL veteran Brett Pesce and averaging 21 minutes of ice time a game. He handled the role well, recording 37 assists, 44 points, and a minus-nine through 71 games. That mark put him on pace for 42 assists and 50 points across a full 82 games, though injuries at the start of the season forced him out of 10 appearances. Still, Hughes – still just two years into his career – was able to become the first Devils’ defenseman to record consecutive 30-assist seasons since Brian Rafalski between 2005 and 2007.

It was a fantastic follow-up to Hughes’ already-strong rookie performance. He improved across the board, and even grew his plus-minus from a minus-25 to a minus-nine. He still has layers to add to his game and a clear need for more strength in the defensive zone – but all signs point towards the Devils having a star on their hands. His career 0.60 point-per-game scoring pace is the sixth-highest from a U22 defenseman since 2000 – ranked behind Cale Makar (0.88), Lane Hutson (0.81), Quinn Hughes (0.75), Erik Karlsson (0.69), and Dion Phaneuf (0.61).

It seems Fitzgerald is ready to reward Hughes’ promising upside this summer. He is projected to sign a long-term deal with a price tag north of $9MM by CapWages. That mark would eat up two-thirds of New Jersey’s available budget for the summer, and make it harder to re-sign even two of their nine free agents. Notable names like Cody Glass, and Jake Allen are each on expired contracts. Finding the space to bring them back could push New Jersey back to the trade market as the league heats up ahead of July 1st.

West Notes: Rossi, Hyman, Yegorov

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In another update on the tumultuous relationship between Marco Rossi and the Minnesota Wild, Joe Smith and Michael Russo of The Athletic offered some hypothetical landing spots for the former ninth-overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft.

The pair of reporters listed the Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Calgary Flames, Utah Mammoth, and Winnipeg Jets, in that order, as the likeliest landing spots for Rossi if the Wild trade him. Furthermore, Smith and Russo believe the Canucks can offer the most compelling trade package of the listed teams.

They asserted that the 15th overall selection of the 2025 NHL Draft would have to be the headliner of the deal, and they’ve heard reports that Vancouver would be willing to move the pick in the right trade. As a secondary portion, Smith and Russo said one of Victor Mancini, Sawyer Mynio, Nils Höglander, or Arturs Silovs would be enough of a sweetener to get the deal across the finish line.

Other notes from the Western Conference:

  • In a disastrous outcome for player and team, the Edmonton Oilers have already lost Zach Hyman for the Stanley Cup Final due to wrist surgery. According to Jason Gregor of the Daily Faceoff, due to the severity of the injury in which Hyman dislocated and tore several ligaments in his wrist, there’s no guarantee he’ll be ready for training camp in September either. It’s more unfortunate news for Hyman, who was a sparkplug for the Oilers this postseason, scoring five goals and 11 points in 15 games with 111 hits.
  • The Calgary Flames will have to wait a few more years for one of their goaltending prospects to make his way to North America. Earlier today, Ryan Pike of Flames Nation reported that the Flames’ sixth-round pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, Yegor Yegorov, has signed a two-year deal with the KHL’s Spartak Moskva. Still, with Dustin Wolf in the net for the foreseeable future, Calgary isn’t in a rush for another netminder, given they can hold his contractual rights indefinitely as a Russian draftee.

Free Agent Focus: Detroit Red Wings

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Free agency is now under a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Red Wings.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Jonatan Berggren – After spending much of the 2023-24 season with Detroit’s AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, Berggren earned another full-time opportunity with the Red Wings in 2024-25. His scoring output was depressed compared to his performance in the 2022-23 season, as he scored 12 goals and 24 points in 75 games, averaging 12:59 of ice time per night. Still, Berggren’s biggest improvements came on the defensive side of the puck, where he achieved an on-ice save percentage of 91.1% at even strength, far and away the best output of his young career. He’ll earn a raise on his $825K salary this summer, but it shouldn’t be by much, especially if Detroit has begun considering him a bottom-six defensive forward.

F Elmer Söderblom – The 6’8′ Swede brought a lot of punch to Detroit’s lineup when he was recalled in late January of the 2024-25 campaign. Söderblom finished the year with four goals and 11 points in 26 games, with 43 hits while averaging 13:22 of ice time per night. Similarly to Berggren, Söderblom offered more defensive help to the Red Wings lineup than expected, and that could be where he finds his home on the team longer-term. Expect Detroit to retain Söderblom on a one-year deal with a slight bump on his $878K salary while staying below $1MM.

D Albert Johansson – Requiring waivers for another demotion to the AHL, the Red Wings chose to keep Johansson on their active roster out of training camp. It took some time for Johansson to play regularly, but after trading Olli Määttä to the then-named Utah Hockey Club, Detroit found more opportunity for ’AlJo’. Unfortunately, he’s put himself in a situation where the Red Wings could conceivably non-tender him this summer. Despite starting a majority of his shifts in the offensive zone, Johansson ranked as one of the worst players on the team in Expected +/- according to Hockey Reference, and on-ice goals % according to MoneyPuck.

Other RFAs: F Cross Hanas, D Antti Tuomisto, D Eemil Viro, G Gage Alexander

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Patrick Kane – Despite a visible and significant drop-off in foot speed, Kane continues to produce for Detroit. The 36-year-old three-time Stanley Cup champion and former-MVP ranked fourth on the team in points this season with 21 goals and 59 points in 72 games in a second-line role. General Manager Steve Yzerman has already expressed confidence that Kane will return to the Red Wings for the 2025-26 season, although no contract has been agreed to yet. If Kane decides to remain in Detroit, his upcoming contract should resemble this year’s deal, which includes a base salary of $4MM and the potential to earn an additional $2.5MM in performance bonuses. These bonuses are primarily dependent on the Red Wings qualifying for the postseason.

D Jeff Petry – What a difference a year can make. After finishing the 2023-24 season with three goals and 24 points in 73 games, Petry finished the 2024-25 campaign with one goal and eight points in 44 contests, even while averaging more ice time. Petry finished last place among Detroit blue liners (with 41 or more games played) in CorsiFor%, and second-to-last in Expected +/-. Despite earning a modest $2.34MM salary this past season thanks to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens retaining a portion of his salary, it’s unlikely Petry will wear a winged wheel on his jersey next year. He may have to settle for a one-year, league minimum on his new deal or earn his way from a professional tryout agreement.

G Alex Lyon – Petry wasn’t the only pending unrestricted free agent who had a significant drop-off in the 2024-25 season. After managing a 21-18-5 record in 43 starts in the 2023-24 campaign, Lyon posted a 14-9-1 record in 26 starts this past year, with an eight-point drop in his SV% and a 3.6 drop in his Goals Saved Above Average. After adding several netminders last offseason and another at the trade deadline, the Red Wings are in dire need of contracting their goaltending situation, making Lyon an obvious candidate to leave this summer.

Other UFAs: F Craig Smith, F Tyler Motte, D William Lagesson, F Timothy Gettinger, F Joe Snively, D Brogan Rafferty, G Jack Campbell

Projected Cap Space

Thankfully for Detroit, the Red Wings will have a healthy salary cap situation heading into the offseason. PuckPedia lists the Red Wings as having $21.337MM in cap space, while already having 10 forwards, five defensemen, and two netminders signed for next season. Assuming Detroit re-signs Kane on a similar deal, and giving Berggren and Söderblom a generous salary of $1MM, that’ll give the Red Wings more than $15MM to work with. There should be competition for open spots on the roster from Nate Danielson, Jesse Kiiskinen, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka during next year’s training camp, so Detroit has the financial flexibility to be aggressive this summer.

Contract info courtesy of PuckPedia.

Photo courtesy of Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images.

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