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Blue Jackets Place Brendan Gaunce On Waivers

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May 27: Gaunce cleared waivers today and was subsequently assigned to AHL Cleveland, per a team announcement.

May 26: The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed forward Brendan Gaunce on waivers, per PuckPedia (Twitter link). The move was confirmed by CapFriendly (Twitter link). Gaunce captained Columbus’ AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, this season, helping to lead the team to a first-place finish in the league’s North Division. The Monsters are now set for the Calder Cup’s Eastern Conference Finals, with that series set to begin on Thursday.

This is the second time Gaunce has been placed on waivers this season, having cleared them to join Cleveland in October. He spent the majority of his season in the minor leagues, appearing in 46 games with the Monsters and recording an AHL career-high of 19 goals and 39 points. Gaunce also appeared in 24 NHL games this season, scoring four points. It was the most time that Gaunce had spent in the NHL since his first year with Columbus in the 2021-22 season, when he totaled 30 games and seven points.

Gaunce has been on the NHL roster since March. Assuming he clears waivers, he’ll rejoin a Monsters lineup that’s breezed through the Calder Cup Playoffs, beating the Belleville Senators 3-1 after a first-round bye and sweeping the Syracuse Crunch in the North Division Finals. Gaunce has provided stout scoring and plenty of veteran leadership from the team’s second line. Those are the traits they’ll need as Cleveland takes on a Hershey Bears lineup with an identical record in these playoffs.

Offseason Checklist: St. Louis Blues

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The offseason has arrived for all but a handful of teams who are still taking part in the playoffs.  Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at St. Louis.

The St. Louis Blues entered a new era this season, firing Stanley Cup-winning head coach Craig Berube and replacing him with rookie head coach Drew Bannister, who the team has since signed to a two-year head coach contract. The move away from Berube has meant a move away from the rough-and-tugged, dump-and-chase style of hockey that Berube adores. That was great news for St. Louis’ skill players, with each of Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Pavel Buchnevich seeing a significant uptick in their scoring under Bannister. But the scoring didn’t trickle down the lineup, with even the most offensive defensemen like Justin Faulk and Torey Krug being held to moot point totals. The Blues were helped along by strong goaltending down the stretch, but they’ll need to bolster their offense throughout the lineup and maintain the momentum of their top names, should they want to make their return to the postseason next season.

Play The Field At Forward

The Blues are in a rare position of not needing to re-sign many NHL talents. They have just five pending free agents on their NHL roster, while many other teams deal with 10 or more. Of St. Louis’ pending names, none should command too high of a price tag – with defenseman Scott Perunovich’s looming cap hit of a few million likely their most expensive free agent. That means the Blues will be able to dedicate most of their $15MM available cap space to the free-agent market.

The Blues are noticeably lacking a second-line center after losing Ryan O’Reilly. That role was meant to be filled by Kevin Hayes, though he needed the support of Brayden Schenn after posting a career-low 29 points in his first 79 games in St. Louis. Schenn and Hayes are both fine depth centers, and each offer valuable veteran experience, but the Blues’ top-six doesn’t bring the same punch with them involved. St. Louis needs to instead target a player who can live up to the spotlight Robert Thomas brings to the Blues top-end.

St. Louis could prioritize the stout two-way play brought by O’Reilly through market options like Chandler Stephenson, who’s spent the last three seasons serving as the fundamental base from which the Vegas Golden Knights stars can spring from. Stephenson is a skilled and diligent centerman with Stanley Cup-winning precedent who could beautifully fill St. Louis’ second-line vacancy. The team could also look to prioritize scoring and take a run at free agents Jonathan Marchessault or Elias Lindholm – or even dip into the Martin Necas trade market. All three players looked more comfortable on the wing at points of this season, though St. Louis’ lineup flexibility should let them construct an impactful middle-six around any new addition.

Revamp The Defense

St. Louis will face a similar order on defense. They have just one NHL defender under 30 currently signed – depth defenseman Tyler Tucker. That’s a precarious spot to position a blue-line, especially with evidence of age catching up to Faulk, Krug, Colton Parayko, and Nick Leddy. The Blues got a breath of fresh air with Scott Perunovich, who played in his first healthy professional season after making his NHL debut in 2021. He recorded 17 assists in 54 games – modest scoring but still the third-highest assists-per-game of any Blues defenders, behind Faulk and Krug.

Perunovich should be poised for a bigger role next season, helping to support the decreasing play of Leddy, but St. Louis still seems absent one defiant piece on their blue-line. The free agent market is luckily full of talented defenders, with each of Shayne Gostisbehere and Dylan DeMelo likely to offer value on the open market. St. Louis could also be a fantastic landing spot for Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek, who posted a career-high 48 points in 81 games this season. He’s due for a hefty increase from his $4.4MM cap hit this season, potentially pricing him out of what’s bound to be an eventful summer for Vancouver. Hronek would provide invaluable depth ahead of Krug and Parayko in the lineup, while also masking St. Louis’ near neglect of right-shot defensemen in the draft under Doug Armstrong’s reign.

Bringing in Hronek, or another top-end right-defenseman, would also make Parayko much more expendable. The Blues have danced around Parayko trade rumors for much of the last few seasons, though no official offer has come to fruition. Parayko, 31, is set to begin the third season of an eight-year extension signed in 2022. The deal carries an annual cap hit of $6.5MM and a full no-trade clause through its first six seasons. The pricey cap hit, trade protection, and Parayko’s history with injuries all contribute to challenging trade negotiations. His role in St. Louis’ top-four has been just as important of a variable – something that a new signee would alleviate, though the Blues may still face an uphill battle in dealing Parayko’s contract.

Embrace The Youth

St. Louis brought in a wave of talented young players in the early 2010s – welcoming Kevin Shattenkirk, Alex Pietrangelo, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Jake Allen all in the same swoop. Those additions carried the Blues through the mid-2010s, and the additions of Thomas and Kyrou in 2018 refreshed the lineup well enough to carry things now into the mid-2020s. But time is getting away from the Blues lineup, and they’re in need of yet another wave of young talent.

Luckily, Armstrong has built up one of St. Louis’ best prospect pools in recent memory. The list is headlined by forward Dalibor Dvorsky, who posted 45 goals and 88 points in 52 OHL games this season – making an incredibly loud statement in his first season in North America. The 2023 10th-overall selection should get every opportunity he can to crack the NHL lineup this summer, and will be eligible to play in the AHL next season should he not be fully ready. If they can’t get Dvorsky, St. Louis can relish in Zachary Bolduc as a second choice. Bolduc played through his official rookie season this year, posting five goals and nine points in 25 NHL games. He added 25 points in 50 AHL appearances – a slow start to his professional career, but one that was filled with exciting moments where Bolduc’s skill, strength, and shot really shined through. He’ll continue working alongside Zach Dean to vie for an everyday role on the NHL lineup.

The Blues won’t have that same enthusiasm for their defense, which is significantly more thinned out behind their aging core. Matthew Kessel showed a stout defensive ability in his rookie season this year, adding seven points in 39 NHL games, though his ability to make an impact every shift seemed a bit limited. He should headline St. Louis’ defensive prospects looking for opportunity, while Leo Loof and Theo Lindstein hope to make strong impressions at training camp.

Consistent additions of talented youth has underlined St. Louis’ success throughout this century. They’re clearly in need once again, missing any sort of X-factor outside of their top line last season. The Blues have the pieces to refresh things once again, though they’ll have to hope their top prospects can live up to the opportunity.

Snapshots: Monahan, Chiarelli, Lauer, Trouba

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The Winnipeg Jets are reportedly looking to retain pending free agent Sean Monahan, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast. The Jets acquired Monahan ahead of the trade deadline, sending a 2024 first-round and 2027 seventh-round pick back to the Montreal Canadiens. Monahan went on to score 13 goals and 24 points across 34 regular-season games with Winnipeg, adding one assist in five postseason games.

Monahan was one of Winnipeg’s two Trade Deadline acquisitions, alongside Tyler Toffoli, who the Jets sent a 2024 third-round and 2025 second-round pick. Toffoli has shared his interest in testing the open market. That decision should give Winnipeg much more freedom to allocate their $13.353MM in cap space between Monahan, pending restricted-free-agent Cole Perfetti, and William Jennings Trophy-co-winner Laurent Brossoit. The trio headline a list of 10 pending free agents on the Jets lineup.

Maintaining Monahan will give the Jets some stability down the middle, while moving on from Toffoli could open the door for top prospects Brad Lambert or Nikita Chibrikov to challenge the opening-day roster. The Jets will likely be removed from any jaw-dropping deals, with limited cap space and already-spent draft picks, but they’ll look to hold onto a playoff-caliber lineup with their signing this summer.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • Friedman also shared in 32 Thoughts that expected incumbent to the Columbus Blue Jackets general manager role, Don Waddell, will be splitting responsibilities between GM and President of Hockey Operations through the early going. However, the Blue Jackets haven’t ruled out the idea of bringing in additional support, with Friedman naming Peter Chiarelli as a potential candidate. Chiarelli has received interest from front offices around the NHL, though he’s stayed put in an advisory role, and then a Vice President of Hockey Operations role, with the St. Louis Blues. He’s serving that role after a four-year tenure as GM and President of Hockey Ops for the Edmonton Oilers and a nine-year tenure with the Boston Bruins. Chiarelli has become notorious for his decisions with the Oilers and Bruins, though his role in Columbus likely wouldn’t involve final say. He’ll be a name to monitor, as the Blue Jackets look to pull themselves up from a challenging 2023-24 campaign.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have dismissed assistant coach Brad Lauer, and will retain Marty Johnston and Wade Flaherty as assistant and goalie coaches, per TSN’s John Lu (Twitter link). Lauer just wrapped up his second season as Winnipeg’s assistant. The pair of seasons brought him to 11 years spent as an assistant coach across the NHL, with his longest tenure coming during a four-year stretch with the Anaheim Ducks. Lauer played in 10 seasons between the NHL and IHL during his own playing career and has been coaching since his retirement in 2002. He served as the head coach behind the Edmonton Oil Kings to the 2022 Ed Chynoweth Cup, winning the WHL Championship. That accolade, and a long career in the pros, should be enough to land Lauer a new role quickly.
  • The NHL Department of Player Safety has fined New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba $5K for an elbow against Florida Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final (Twitter link). The fine is the maximum allowed under the CBA. Trouba was assessed a minor penalty on the hit, though many fans argued the flying-elbow should have warranted a major penalty. He’ll now be assessed a fine instead, maintaining his eligibility for what will be a crucial Game 4. The Rangers are currently up 2-1 in the ECF series, in no small part thanks to Trouba’s three points in three games, including two assists in Game 3. He’s also recorded 12 hits and 16 blocks in the series.

Morning Notes: Islanders, Paquette, Leonard

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Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News writes that the New York Islanders’ recent trade of draft picks with the Chicago Blackhawks could be a prelude to a bigger move. Rosner wonders if the extra second-round draft pick the Islanders acquired might be used to clear salary cap space in a similar fashion to the trade the Islanders made last summer in which they traded Josh Bailey and his $5MM cap hit a second-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for future considerations.

The Islanders have several contracts on the books that they would love to move to acquire additional help in the top 6, but most of those contracts would require a sweetener to facilitate a trade. The Islanders are slated to have just over $6MM in cap space available heading into the summer.

In other morning notes:

  • Former Tampa Bay Lightning forward Cedric Paquette has reportedly signed a two-year extension with Dynamo Moskva of the KHL (as per KHL). Paquette is a veteran of 448 NHL games and last played in the league back in 2021-22 with the Montreal Canadiens tallying two assists in 24 games. The 30-year-old won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2020, before eventually moving on to play for Ottawa, Carolina, and eventually Montreal. Paquette spent his final season in North America split between the NHL and AHL before signing in the KHL in 2022 with Dinamo Minsk. Since making the move overseas, the Gaspe, Quebec native has seen his offensive numbers trend upwards as he enjoyed his best offensive season in a decade last year with 22 goals and 13 assists in 57 games.
  • Sean Shapiro of EP Rinkside is reporting that if Boston College forward Will Smith signs his entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks as expected, it could create a ripple effect that might see his teammate Ryan Leonard move to sign his ELC as well. A report surfaced a few weeks ago that the Washington Capitals would re-engage in contract talks this summer with the 19-year-old in the hopes of having him turn pro, but now with the possibility of his teammate leaving the NCAA, it seems more likely that Leonard would move on as well. The Amherst, Massachusetts native had a terrific freshman year posting 31 goals and 29 assists in 41 games with the Eagles.

Adam Henrique Expected To Return For Game 3

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Jason Gregor of Daily Faceoff is reporting that Edmonton Oilers forward Adam Henrique will return for Game 3 tonight from a suspected ankle injury when the Oilers take on the Dallas Stars. The 34-year-old has missed eight straight games and hasn’t played since Game 1 against the Vancouver Canucks back on May 10th.

Henrique was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks (with 50% retained salary) at the trade deadline along with Sam Carrick in exchange for a first-round pick in 2024 and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2025. The Tampa Bay Lightning were also involved in the trade retaining 25% of Henrique’s cap hit and sending a seventh-round draft pick in 2024 as well as netminder Ty Taylor back to the Oilers in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2026.

If the Oilers get Henrique back into the lineup it will allow the team to shift some of their depth forwards into more suitable roles as Ryan McLeod could shift over to the wing and Derek Ryan could fall back to the fourth line.

Henrique hasn’t matched his offensive numbers from earlier in the season with Anaheim but isn’t playing in the same offensive capacity and has seen his average ice-time drop by almost three minutes per game. It’s fair to wonder if his injury was a nagging issue since he hasn’t been nearly as effective in the playoffs as he has just a goal and an assist in six games, both of which came in the first game of the playoffs. Henrique has also seen his CF% drop five percent lower than it was in the regular season.

Evening Notes: Hintz, Hakanpää, Arvidsson

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Dallas Stars radio host Owen Newkirk is reporting that Stars forward Roope Hintz is travelling with the team to Edmonton and will be a game-time decision for Game 3 tomorrow night. Stars head coach Pete Deboer told reporters today that he’s optimistic that Hintz will play in the next two games and added that he was close to playing in Game 2.

Hintz suffered an upper-body injury against the Colorado Avalanche in the second round back on May 13th and has had a quiet playoff thus far by his standards with just two goals and four assists in 11 games. The Tampere, Finland native had a strong regular season with 30 goals and 35 assists in 80 games but has seen his play drop off considerably in the playoffs, particularly his possession numbers as his CF% has dropped more than 10 percent from the regular season.

In other evening notes:

  • Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpää won’t play in Games 3 or 4 and is not on the trip with Dallas (as per Newkirk). DeBoer told reporters that Hakanpää won’t join the team until he’s close to returning, which indicates that he likely isn’t close to returning to game action. The 32-year-old hasn’t played since March 16th and has not been practicing with the team. At this point, he’s missed 28 consecutive games and has no timetable for a potential return.
  • Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic is reporting that Los Angeles Kings forward Viktor Arvidsson is expected to test the free-agent market on July 1st. The Skelleftea, Sweden native dealt with injuries this season and dressed in just 18 games. While he was limited in playing time, the 31-year-old had solid numbers in a low sample size, posting six goals and nine assists. Arvidsson has been a good point producer since joining the Kings via trade in July 2021, in 161 games as a King he has registered 52 goals and 71 assists.

NHL Announces Stanley Cup Finals Schedule

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The Conference Finals are in full swing and although we don’t know who will represent their respective conferences, we do know when they will play. The Western Conference finals are currently scheduled to end on Tuesday, June 4th, while the Eastern Conference Final will end on Monday, June 3rd (if necessary). Today, the NHL announced the schedule for the Stanley Cup Finals (as per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period).

The schedule will be as follows:

Game 1 – June 8

Game 2 – June 10

Game 3 – June 13

Game 4 – June 15

Game 5* – June 18

Game 6* – June 21

Game 7* – June 24

*if necessary

Home ice will be determined once the eventual finalists are through the Conference Finals. Of the four teams in the Conference Finals, only the Edmonton Oilers are unable to get a home-ice advantage as they finished with the fewest points in the regular season. Typically, the higher-seeded team would have home-ice advantage, however, in the Stanley Cup Finals, home-ice advantage goes to whichever team had a better regular season record. 

The finals will feature two-day breaks to accommodate for travel, while Games 1 and 2 as well as Games 3 and 4 will have a one day break between games. If the finals do go seven games the cup will be rewarded 11 days later than it was last season when the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers in five games on June 13th. However, it would be in line with the 2022 finals which were completed on June 26th, 2022.

Free Agent Focus: Vegas Golden Knights

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Free agency is now just a bit more than 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 have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Golden Knights.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Pavel Dorofeyev – Dorofeyev made his long-awaited jump to the NHL this season, spending the entire year on the Golden Knights roster for the first time in his career. And while he missed five weeks of action in February and March due to an upper-body injury, Dorofeyev was still able to slot into a career-high 47 NHL games this season. He made the most of the opportunity, posting 13 goals and 24 assists and working into a routine role on the team’s power-play. The Russian winger has been a go-to pick for the top breakout candidate on Vegas’ lineups since he moved to North America in 2020. He fell just a bit shy of a true “breakout” this season, but he showed an impressive goal-scoring ability and seemed much more adjusted to the NHL. That likely sets him up for a cheap, short-term deal, though also likely due for a slight raise from the $925,000 salary he carried on his entry-level contract. In a year where Vegas’ cap space is as slim as can be, Dorofeyev seems to be the closest they have to a surefire re-signing. He’ll look to really stamp his mark in Vegas with a healthy year next season.

D Kaedan Korczak – Korczak was Vegas’ go-to call-up when they needed defensive help this season – something that happened plenty frequently, with each of Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, Nicolas Hague, and Zach Whitecloud missing significant time with injury. Those absences paved the way for Korczak to appear in 26 games. Playing through his official rookie season, Korczak scored one goal and nine points – recording identical scoring through 26 AHL games as well. Korczak stood tall when he was called upon this season but didn’t do much to warrant an everyday role. That should lead him to another cheap and short-term contract, though he could be the beneficiary of added ice time should any of Vegas’ seven NHL defensemen not return.

Other RFAs: F Ivan Morozov, G Isaiah Saville, F Mason Primeau, D Layton Ahac

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Jonathan Marchessault – Marchessault signed a hefty six-year, $30MM contract with the Golden Knights in 2018, after a dazzling 75-point sesaon in his first year with the team. He’s spent the six seasons since that signing establishing himself as one of Vegas’ first true icons, finding a way to make a strong impact in every season and earning the 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy during Vegas’ in first Stanley Cup win. But even after all of those accolades, Marchessault still saved his best for last – recording a career-high 42 goals on his way to 69 points in 82 games this season. He’s just the second Golden Knight to hit the 40-goal mark, joining William Karlsson’s 43-goal season in 2017-18. That fact maintains Marchessault’s value, even at the age of 33, and should set him up for a hardy raise from his previous $5MM salary. Vegas would need to make some cap-clearing moves if they wanted to bring Marchessault back. But with such an intricately-crafted lineup, Marchessault could be set to finally leave the franchise where he’s built a legacy.

F Chandler Stephenson – Vegas will watch with pain as they pay out the final cheque of Stephenson’s four-year, $11MM contract signed in 2020. The deal priced Stephenson at a $2.75MM cap hit – a price that quickly became one of the most team-friendly contracts in the NHL, as Stephenson solidified his strong role in the team’s middle-six. He’s stayed consistent in every aspect of the game – posting 51 points in 75 games this season after netting 64 and 65 in each of the last two years and remaining a dominant presence on the defensive side of the puck. There’s no telling what price tag he’ll ask on a new deal. At 30 years old, Stephenson still has plenty of hockey ahead of him. That, plus his strong scoring and two-way presence, could warrant a cost as expensive as $5MM, though he could be okay with another team-friendly deal for the sake of sticking with the team where he’s made his mark. But a free agency market is already building for Stephenson – and the promise of a flashier salary could entice him away from Sin City. He’ll be one of Vegas’ biggest losses, should he make that decision.

F Anthony Mantha – Mantha was seemingly an afterthought as the Trade Deadline approached. Even after posting 20 goals and 34 points through 56 games with the Washington Capitals, Mantha couldn’t warrant too rich of a trade return. He was dealt to Vegas for a 2024 second round pick and 2026 fourth round pick just ahead of the Deadline – making his debut with Vegas on March 7th. Mantha proceeded to record 10 points across the final 18 games of the regular season. That brought his scoring up to 23 goals and 44 points in 74 games, Mantha’s highest scoring since his 25 goals and 48 points in the 2018-19 season. That’s not necessarily phenomenal scoring but it was enough for Mantha to look comfortable among a Bruce Cassidy-led offense encouraged his power-forward, shoot-first style. Mantha’s chemistry with the team’s style, and ability to produce in an inconsistent third-line role, could be enough for Vegas to invite Mantha back – though he’ll need to settle for a price cheaper than his previous $5.7MM cap hit.  His style may also clash a bit too much with Dorofeyev – the younger, and likely cheaper, option. Mantha will have to market his value to teams, should he enter an open market full of moderately-priced goal-scorers.

G Jiri Patera – Jiri Patera is Vegas’ sole Group VI free agent this summer, after being leaned on for six NHL games this season. He posted a modest .893 save percentage in those appearances, bolstering his 11 wins and .903 save percentage in 25 AHL games. Those stats should be enough for Patera to earn a deal close to league-minimum, to once again serve as an AHL starter vying for an NHL roster spot. That could come with Vegas, though the team already has Adin Hill, Logan Thompson, Jesper Vikman, and Carl Lindbom signed to their goalie room. That room could be just a bit too crowded for Patera, who would otherwise be bound for unrestricted free agency.

Other UFAs: F Michael Amadio, F William Carrier, D Alec Martinez, F Sheldon Rempal, F Byron Froese

Projected Cap Space

The story of Vegas’ offseason is a story of slim-to-no cap space. They’re entering the summer with just shy of $900K in available cap space. That’s largely thanks to Noah Hanifin’s eight-year, $58.8MM contract extension kicking in, increasing his cap hit by nearly $6MM from his prorated $1.2375MM cap hit with Vegas this season, after 75 percent of his salary was retained in his Trade Deadline move. It seems the endless adding of expensive, star talent is finally catching up to Vegas – though fans have been fooled into thinking that many times before. The Golden Knights are likely set to lose one of their two notable UFAs – Marchessault and Stephenson – though they could move a depth defenseman like Brayden McNabb, or a pricey forward like Nicolas Roy, to build enough cap space to sign the other.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Team Czechia Wins 2024 IIHF World Championship

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Team Czechia has made history on home ice, taking home the Gold Medal at the IIHF World Championship for the first time in 14 years (Twitter link). It is Czechia’s fifth time winning Gold since 2000 – the second-most of any country, behind Canada’s seven wins. Czechia has now medaled in 10 of the 11 visits the World Championship has made to Prague, including winning Gold Medals on home ice in 1947, 1972, 1985, and now 2024.

Czechia entered this year’s tournament as a favorite among the European competition, though they faced a tall order against Team Canada and Team USA teams now filled with hopeful Olympians. That’s the story they started that played out through the preliminary round, with Czechia winning hard-fought games against Finland and Norway – though a surprise performance from Team Switzerland was enough to push Czechia to a shootout loss in their third game. The Czechs bounced back with wins against Denmark, Austria, and Great Britain – and then revealed an ace up their sleeve, adding each of Martin Necas, Pavel Zacha, and international standout David Pastrnak to their lineup ahead of their matchup with Team Canada to finish the preliminary round.

Perhaps jet lagged, the reloaded Czechia lineup fell to another shootout loss against Canada. But they showed their cohesion when the elimination games rolled around – winning a hard-fought, 1-0 quarterfinals game against Team USA, reinspiring their offense in a dazzling 7-3 semifinals win over Team Sweden, and then getting revenge on Switzerland with a strong 2-0 win in the Gold Medal Game.

It was, surprisingly, Martin Necas who made the biggest addition of the late-stage NHL additions – scoring seven points in five games comapred to Pastrnak and Zacha’s one point each through four games. But it was Czech hockey legend Roman Cervenka and former Columbus Blue Jacket Lukas Sedlak who led the way for the country’s offense, recording 11 and 10 points respectively through 10 games. Czechia was also helped along by a standout performance from Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal, who posted a .939 save percentage – saving 200 of 213 shots – through eight starts.

This World Championship win gives Czechia fantastic momentum headed into the 2026 Winter Olympics. They should be poised for a few notable additions in that tournament, including Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek, while also holding their breath to see if Cervenka can play into his 40s. But even through changes, this Czech lineup has stamped their place on top of Europe’s hockey world.

Bruins Looking To Add A Top Center In Free Agency

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The Boston Bruins will be revisiting their need for a new top centerman this off-season, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman sharing on the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast that they could target either Elias Lindholm or Chandler Stephenson should either enter the open market. Friedman mentioned that Boston was interested in manufacturing a trade for Lindholm prior to his move to Vancouver this January. The Canucks traded away a top winger in Andrei Kuzmenko, as well as top prospect Hunter Brzustewicz, as a part of the deal to acquire Lindholm – likely indicating that Boston was also ready to pay a premium for his services.

They could get another chance to entice Lindholm’s camp this summer, with Vancouver’s leadership not mentioning Lindholm’s negotiations in their exit interviews. The Canucks are entering the off-season with 11 pending free agents and $23MM in cap space, with hefty contracts likely due to Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, and Filip Hronek. Each could rival a cap hit above $5MM, making it tricky to retain all three while still rounding out their depth.

Lindholm recorded 44  points in 75 games this season, his lowest scoring since he was with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2017-18. His move to Vancouver was a catalyst for that decreased scoring, with Lindholm dipping from 0.653 points per game with the Flames to 0.462 points per game with the Canucks. He was able to revitalize his offense in the postseason, recording five goals and 10 points in 13 games, but Lindholm’s performance this season still situates him a long ways away from the $8MM price tag he was reportedly asking for last summer.

That’s good news for the Bruins, who weren’t shy about pursuing Lindholm last summer either. It’s clear to see why they’d be eager to bring in Lindholm’s explosive offensive style – with his strength in driving through the neutral zone a great compliment to David Pastrnak’s elite skill on the wing.

But while Lindholm offers offensive upside – and likely a corresponding costly price tag – Chandler Stephenson would be much more of Boston’s ‘MO’. Stephenson is a very fundamentally-talented centerman, who’s showed an impressive ability to use his high hockey IQ to make plays in all three zones. He’s lauded one of the most effective two-way centermen in the league, with his stout defense giving his wingers – like Mark Stone and Jonathan Marchessault – more opportunity to spearhead the offense. Stephenson’s talents would be a serviceable replacement for the years of elite two-way play of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, even if his performance isn’t on the Selke Trophy-demanding level of his predecessors. Stephenson is coming off a four-year, $11MM contract that’s turned into one of the most team-friendly deals in the league – with Vegas’ second-line centerman effectively costing $2.75MM in cap space over the last four seasons. With such a modest salary, any offer paying Stephenson his market value would mark a substantial pay raise. That could work in Vegas’ favor when negotiations roll around, though the Golden Knights are still facing seven pending free agents, including Stephenson and Marchessault, with less than $1MM in cap space.

The Bruins will be quick to act, and likely quick to spend, should either Lindholm or Stephenson get priced out of staying with their current teams. Boston has 12 pending free agents of their own, including Jeremy Swayman and Jake DeBrusk, though they have roughly $21MM available to re-sign them. The team could also free up cap space by trading former Vezina Trophy-winner Linus Ullmark, who carries a $6MM cap hit. Pavel Zacha stepped into the spotlight and performed well this season, posting a career-high 59 points and forming a duo with Pastrnak that even carried over into the 2024 World Championship. But it was clear that Boston was missing an X-factor as they looked to keep their energy up in the second round. Addressing that missing piece will seemingly be their top priority this summer, with two of the market’s top names already in Boston’s sight.

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