Morning Notes: Hellebuyck, Karlsson, McIlvane
While most eyes will be on this summer’s center trade market, the trade market for goaltenders should be fairly active as well, particularly for the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the latter has reached out to the Winnipeg Jets to gauge the trade possibility of one of, if not the league’s best.
Much of the trade speculation surrounding Connor Hellebuyck stems from his end-of-season media availability, where he questioned Winnipeg’s ability to build a true Stanley Cup contender, especially given that no other top-level talent has any interest in joining the organization. Still, Hellebuyck added in the same monologue that he loves playing for the Jets and wants to play a part in drawing other players to the organization.
Additionally, Pagnotta noted that Winnipeg has no interest in trading Hellebuyck, but if the three-time Vezina winner were to quietly request a trade, they would navigate the trade waters. Despite the gold medal win in February, Hellebuyck arguably had the worst season of his career, finishing with a 23-23-11 record in 57 games with a .895 SV%, 2.86 GAA, and -0.3 Goals Saved Above Average.
Other morning notes:
- In last night’s Game 5, the Vegas Golden Knights suffered more than just a loss. In the second period, after being hit by Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker, Golden Knights forward William Karlsson left the game entirely (Video Link). It’s a difficult blow to Karlsson, who already missed 68 games in the regular season due to a lower-body injury. He’s scored three goals and nine points in 15 games during the playoffs, but his postseason may have come to an abrupt end.
- According to a team announcement, the Boston Bruins have hired Matt McIlvane as an assistant coach, replacing Jay Leach. McIlvane had been the head coach of the AHL’s San Diego Gulls for the past three years, guiding them to an 88-97-31 record, with a berth in the Calder Cup playoffs this season. Unfortunately, the postseason run was short-lived, as the Colorado Eagles quickly dispatched the Gulls in the First Round.
Morning Notes: Ott, Puustinen, McIlvane, NHLPA Rebrand
The St. Louis Blues have signed Steve Ott to a two-year contract extension, securing the 43-year-old as the Springfield Thunderbirds head coach through the 2027-28 season and keeping him within the St. Louis Blues organization.
Ott took over as head coach on January 19, 2026, after the Thunderbirds were struggling midseason. In the club’s final 34 regular-season games, he guided the team to an 18-14-2 record, clinching a sixth-seed playoff berth in the Atlantic Division. Ott then led Springfield to the Division Finals, with a first-round series win over the third-seeded Charlotte Checkers and a historic upset victory over the Providence Bruins in the Division Semifinals. The win over Providence marked the single-biggest upset in AHL history, with the teams separated by 38 points in the regular season.
“It’s a great opportunity for myself, but not only that, I get to stay in an organization that I truly love,” Ott said of the extension. “To help develop our young guys with the development side of coaching, it’s really exciting for myself. … When you get asked to take that opportunity, I look at it as a big honor.”
Additional Notes
- The NHLPA has restructured and rebranded its commercial business unit as the NHLPA Player Collective. The move aims to expand global business opportunities and partnerships for NHL players, building on recent staff additions like Chief Commercial Officer Steve Scebelo (formerly of NFL Players Inc.) to enhance player-driven commercial initiatives worldwide.
- Forward Valtteri Puustinen has signed with Luleå HF of the SHL. The 27-year-old Finnish winger split time last season between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Colorado Eagles in the AHL after being traded from Pittsburgh to Colorado in January 2026. The 27-year-old recorded 77 goals and 189 points across 276 AHL games, seven goals and 24 points 66 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
- The Boston Bruins are said to be hiring Matt McIlvane as an assistant coach. The 39-year-old spent the last three seasons as head coach of the San Diego Gulls, Anaheim’s AHL affiliate, where he earned a multi-year extension in April 2026 after previous success coaching in Europe.
Evening Notes: Canucks, Ducks, Psenicka
The Vancouver Canucks will need to reconsider much of their roster after a last-place finish this season. Winger Evander Kane and defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph are not expected to be a part of the plans moving forward per Thomas Drance of The Athletic. Both players will enter unrestricted free agency on July 1st.
Kane played a full season after missing the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign. He recorded 13 goals, 31 points, and 92 penalty minutes in 71 games. He proved capable of filling an every-night role in the NHL but still underperformed his $5.125MM cap hit. The silver lining of Kane’s season was the 1,000th game of his NHL career, played on March 30th. He has 339 goals and 648 points in 1,001 career NHL games.
Joseph has fought to move out of an extra defender role for much of the last three seasons. He recorded six points and a minus-16 in 31 games this season. That is a slight boost from three points and a minus-23 in 47 games, split between the St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins, last season. He will eye a cheap contract, and promise of NHL minutes, should he hit free agency this summer.
Other notes from the Western Conference:
- The Anaheim Ducks have signed San Diego Gulls head coach Matt McIlvane to a multi-year extension per Patrick Present of The Hockey News. McIlvane posted his best record in three years as San Diego’s head coach with a 33-24-12 finish this season. That performance has pushed the Gulls into their first Calder Cup Playoff appearance since 2022. McIlvane, an Illinois native, coached five seasons with EHC Salzburg, in Austria’s IceHL, before being hired by San Diego in 2023. He led the team to two IceHL championships. He also won three DEL championships as an assistant coach with EHC Munchen from 2014 to 2019. That role also earned McIlvane an assistant coach role on Germany’s Men’s Hockey team at the 2018 Winter Olympics. He helped lead the country to a Silver medal finish, their first men’s hockey medal in modern Olympic history.
- Utah Mammoth defense prospect Max Psenicka has signed an amateur try-out contract with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. Psenicka is coming off his second season with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. He recorded eight goals, 30 points, and 67 penalty minutes in 53 games – and no scoring and a minus-10 in four playoff games. He brings some pro experience to the AHL level, having played 16 games and scored two goals in Czechia’s Extraliga at the start of last season. Psenicka should bring an impactful, defensive presence to Tucson’s lineup as they approach the final three games of their season.