Snapshots: Finley, Hintz, Anastas
Today the New York Islanders revealed that prospect Quinn Finley underwent shoulder surgery, ending his season.
The 21-year-old appeared set to begin his professional career after concluding a strong junior season at the University of Wisconsin, and inking an entry-level deal last week. Instead of joining the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders for the Calder Cup Playoffs though, Finley will look ahead to next fall.
New York’s third round selection in 2022 (78th overall), Finley’s offensive production dipped slightly in 2025-26, 33 points in 36 games, down from last campaign’s 40. It was still enough to lead a strong Badgers team in goals, until falling in the NCAA championship game.
Having proven enough at the collegiate level, the 6’0” lefty winger figures to get started next year in Hamilton, Ontario, as Bridgeport is relocating after 25 years in Connecticut. Ranked 8th among Islanders prospects by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic just last month, the Indiana native brings enough responsibility in both zones to have an NHL future as a complementary bottom-six contributor, but he’ll aim to continue his scoring ways and develop into more once healthy.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Dallas head coach Glen Gulatzan updated reporters on Roope Hintz, including Lia Assimakopoulos of Dallas News, that he is not traveling with the team to Minnesota. The news effectively rules him out for games 3 and 4, although Gulatzan said he is “very doubtful” for game number four, so perhaps there’s a slight possibility. Hintz has been out since March 6, but he hasn’t been a regular in the lineup since before the Olympics, after dealing with illness as well. An alarming 6-1 defeat at the hands of Minnesota in the series opener showed the impact of missing their vital center, but Dallas fought back to even the series. In order to get through the Wild and have a shot at buying enough time for Hintz to return, they’ll have to continue to lean on Matt Duchene in an elevated role who so far has risen to the occasion.
- The Carolina Hurricanes announced that their AHL club the Chicago Wolves’ interim head coach Spiros Anastas has been named official head coach moving forward. Since the assistant Anastas took over for Cam Abbott back in December, he led the club to a 25-14-5-6 record, good for 11th in the league, and back to the AHL playoffs. Anastas, 40, played collegiately at Lebanon Valley College of NCAA Division III from 2006-10 as a four-year captain, and quickly rising up the ranks, once serving as an assistant at the ACHA level. After his playing career, Anastas eventually won a Calder Cup title as an assistant coach with the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2013, later serving as a head coach in the ECHL and also gaining international experience leading Greece and China.
Metropolitan Notes: Horvat, Wolves, Gritsyuk
It appears that the Islanders have avoided the worst-case scenario when it comes to injured center Bo Horvat. Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News reports that the initial indication is that the veteran will miss one to three weeks with a lower-body injury but that there was no structural damage. The injury occurred in the second period of Thursday’s game against Anaheim; he left the game and did not return. Horvat is in the middle of a strong showing this season, potting 19 goals and 12 assists through 32 games. Only three players have more goals than he does but that list will certainly be longer by the time he returns.
More from the Metropolitan:
- The Hurricanes announced that they have relieved AHL Chicago head coach Cam Abbott of his duties, replacing him on an interim basis with assistant coach Spiros Anastas. Abbott was in his second season running the Wolves; they finished fourth in the Central in 2024-25 and sit third in the standings this season with a record of 11-7-4. As for Anastas, he’s also in his second year with the club and will be running an AHL bench for the first time. He has also been behind the bench for Greece at the Latam Cup in each of the last three years.
- The Devils announced (Twitter link) that winger Arseny Gritsyuk will miss both games this weekend due to an upper-body injury. The rookie later clarified on Telegram that he hasn’t fully been examined yet which suggests that a longer absence could be on the table. Gritsyuk is in his first season in North America and has been a quality secondary scorer for New Jersey, posting seven goals and nine assists in 31 games, putting him in a tie for fifth in NHL rookie scoring.