East Notes: Varlamov, Duclair, Power
The New York Islanders plan to enter next season with veteran Semyon Varlamov as their backup netminder, Stefen Rosner of The Elmonters wrote today. Varlamov, 38, missed the entire 2025-26 season recovering from a knee injury, save for a two-game rehab stint in the AHL in the middle of April. With Varlamov sidelined by his injury, the Islanders turned to fellow veteran David Rittich as their backup goalie, signing him to a one-year contract.
Rosner reports that the Islanders held “preliminary contract negotiations” with Rittich’s camp, which is led by Craig Oster of Newport Sports Management, on a potential extension, but Rosner noted that those talks came before Varlamov’s rehab stint. Since it appears now that the 38-year-old will be healthy for training camp in the fall, and is slated to make $2.75MM against the cap, the Islanders don’t have room for Rittich, who has more than earned the right to stay in the NHL after playing in 64 games in the last two seasons. He went 14-10-3 with an .894 save percentage in 30 games for the Islanders this past season. In his most recent healthy campaign as Islanders backup, 2023-24, Varlamov went 14-8-4 with a .918 save percentage in 28 games played.
Other notes from the Eastern Conference:
- It “seems very likely” that veteran forward Anthony Duclair will be moved this summer, Rosner also wrote today. The 30-year-old scorer’s tenure on Long Island has been a poor fit for both player and team. Duclair signed a four-year, $3.5MM AAV contract with the Islanders in the summer of 2024, but only managed 11 points in 44 games played in 2024-25. By the end of that season, former head coach Patrick Roy was harshly critical of Duclair’s form. This past season was an improvement for the former All-Star, but not a substantial one. He scored 12 goals and 27 points in 62 games, a 16-goal, 36-point 82-game scoring pace. Duclair’s pedigree as a scorer should help him draw some league-wide interest if he is indeed shopped, although the term left on his deal (two years), combined with his uneven play will make finding a trade more of a challenge. Making things easier, though, is the fact that his contract will shift from a full no-trade clause to a 16-team no-trade list on July 1.
- Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power went into the boards awkwardly during the team’s game five loss last night, and although he returned to the ice later in the game, his health and status moving forward is something to monitor. Head coach Lindy Ruff was asked about Power in his media availability today, but was not able to provide much of an update. He said, per Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News, that Power is feeling “better than he thought he would” and received treatment today. At this time, it seems more likely than not that he’ll be able to play tomorrow night as the Sabres look to keep their season alive in Montreal, though his availability has not yet been confirmed.
Senators Reportedly Targeting Defense In Offseason
One of the primary offseason objectives of the Ottawa Senators’ hockey operations department will be to secure the services of “a big defenceman who can play big minutes,” Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen reported last week.
Garrioch had previously reported that the Senators considered making a play for St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko at the trade deadline, and he could be a possibility if he would consider waiving his no-move clause for Ottawa.
The Blues agreed to a deal with the Buffalo Sabres for Parayko near the deadline, but Parayko declined to waive his no-move clause to head to Western New York. Garrioch also noted that the Senators “pushed hard” to acquire Philadelphia Flyers veteran Rasmus Ristolainen at the deadline but couldn’t finalize a deal. Like Parayko, Ristolainen could remain an option for the summer but the Flyers may also not have much interest in subtracting such an important piece from their roster after making a run to the second round of the playoffs this spring.
As the Senators’ reported targets before the deadline indicated, the team’s clear need for a defenseman is specifically for a right-shot blueliner. The team’s top two defensemen, Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot, both play on the left side. 
Chabot is under contract at an $8MM AAV for the next two seasons, while Sanderson is signed at $8.05MM AAV through 2029-30. They have been the anchors of Ottawa’s defense, and veteran Artem Zub, who is under contract through next year at $4.6MM is the team’s top right-shot blueliner.
Adding one more right-handed defenseman to the mix would give Ottawa an enviable set of top-four defensemen.
Of course, the hope to add a big, minutes-eating right-shot defenseman isn’t something unique to the Senators. Players who check those boxes are often among the most coveted assets in the NHL.
What is most interesting about the Senators’ aggressive pursuit of such a blueliner at the trade deadline is what it says about how they view their internal options for the role. Ottawa invested the No. 7 overall pick at the 2024 draft in a dynamic right-shot blueliner, Carter Yakemchuk. Now 20, he could be close to NHL-ready after a solid debut professional season. In addition, Ottawa has 25-year-old Jordan Spence, who enjoyed a strong 31-point debut season with the Senators. He is set to become a restricted free agent, but remains club property for the time being.
On paper, it might make sense for the Senators to simply stand pat, and trust in that duo of internal options alongside Zub to make up the right side of their defense. But after getting pushed around in a first-round series against the Hurricanes, Ottawa appears set to redouble their efforts to acquire a top-four defenseman of a specific mold, one that is traditionally viewed to be best-suited for the rigors of playoff hockey.
While the upcoming free agent class appears deepest at the position of right-shot defensemen, there are some caveats. Rasmus Andersson appears likely to re-sign in Vegas while Darren Raddysh and John Carlson aren’t quite built in the same mold as Parayko and Ristolainen. While both players would certainly represent an upgrade over Spence, they may not be enough of a stylistic departure for the Senators. Additionally, the league-wide interest each is expected to receive could remove them as an option for Ottawa, as the market has traditionally struggled to attract the league’s very best free agents.
The best fit for the Senators could be veteran Jacob Trouba, who has had a bounce-back stint with the Anaheim Ducks after a difficult end to his time as captain of the New York Rangers. It remains to be seen if Trouba will end up hitting the open market, or if he even would have interest signing with the Senators. But of all of the upcoming free agents, he is the one most stylistically comparable to the defenders Ottawa reportedly attempted to acquire at the deadline. After Trouba, the next-best fit might be Connor Murphy of the Edmonton Oilers, a 6’4″ rearguard who is able to weather substantial time on the penalty kill.
Photos courtesy of Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images
Flyers Sign Aleksei Kolosov To One-Year Contract Extension
The Philadelphia Flyers have signed goaltender Aleksei Kolosov to a one-year contract extension, the team announced today. The deal carries an $850K AAV, though it is unclear at this time whether the extension is of a one-way or two-way structure.
Kolosov’s three-year entry level contract, a deal he signed in July 2023, was set to expire next month. He was slated to become an RFA with arbitration rights, assuming he had received a qualifying offer from the club.
Now, Philadelphia has avoided the (admittedly unlikely) prospect of Kolosov heading to arbitration, while Kolosov has secured his place in the Flyers organization for another season.
A 2021 third-round pick, Kolosov’s time with the Flyers organization has been somewhat uneven. His first of three years on his entry-level deal was spent on loan in the KHL, where he got to play for his hometown team, Dinamo Minsk.
Kolosov’s final two campaigns in the KHL were spent as the No. 1 goalie in Minsk. In 2023-24, he went 22-21-3 with a .907 save percentage in 47 games played. Seeing as Kolosov was already an experienced KHL starter, there was some hope that he would be able to hit the ground running in North America.
That did not happen. He began the 2024-25 season in a “standoff” with Flyers management. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski wrote at the time that Kolosov failed to report to Flyers rookie camp and had “asked the Flyers to loan him back to Dinamo Minsk of Russia’s KHL.” There were conflicting reports in prior months that Kolosov’s adjustment to North America had proven challenging. Inside AHL Hockey’s Tony Androckitis cited an AHL source saying that Kolosov “felt isolated” living in a hotel by himself and without the ability to speak much English.
Amid the reported standoff, GM Danny Briere said of Kolosov that it was “time for him to step up and respect the contract” he signed. A little over a week later, the Flyers and Kolosov’s camp found a solution. Kolosov stayed in North America for 2024-25, and did the same for 2025-26. In October of 2024 Kolosov’s agent, Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey, told Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer that “all previous concerns” related to his client had “been thoroughly addressed and are now resolved.”
Although that proved to be the end of the off-ice controversy surrounding Kolosov, his on-ice play did not immediately pay dividends for the Flyers. He got into 17 NHL games for the team but struggled to the tune of an .867 save percentage. In 12 AHL games, Kolosov went 5-6-1 with an .884 save percentage.
This past season, Kolosov settled in as Philadelphia’s organizational No. 3 goalie. While his NHL struggles persisted, (.830 save percentage across four games of action) Kolosov showed improvement in the AHL, posting an .895 save percentage in 38 games played. Though he has struggled in North America, his improvement this past season has kept him on the board as one of the Flyers’ better prospects. He recently ranked No. 15 in the team’s system by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler.
The goal for Kolosov on this one-year extension will, undoubtedly, be to push for more NHL time. The Flyers have Dan Vladar entrenched as their No. 1 goalie, but their backup spot could open if the team chooses not to qualify or extend Samuel Ersson. Ersson’s 2025-26 season was a struggle, though he did improve over the Olympic break. The Flyers will most likely sign a goalie to be the front-runner for the backup job, but with this extension, Kolosov should get the chance to at least push whoever the Flyers sign for that NHL spot behind Vladar.
Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
AHL Notes: Griffith, Pietroniro, Miller
Veteran AHL scorer Seth Griffith signed a two-year AHL contract extension with the Bakersfield Condors, affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers. In a statement, Griffith called Bakersfield “a special place to play” and expressed excitement about being able to stay with the club an additional two years. The 33-year-old veteran has served as captain of the Condors for the last two seasons, and has played for the club since the 2020-21 season.
While the financial terms of AHL contracts are not publicly disclosed, one would have to imagine that Griffith’s deal in Bakersfield doesn’t come too cheap. He’s a multi-time AHL All-Star who has twice led the league in assists, as recently as 2024-25. That year, he scored 21 goals and 72 points in 65 games, and this past campaign had 18 goals and 67 points in 71 games. A veteran of 80 NHL games, Griffith hasn’t appeared at the game’s highest level since 2021-22, but remains one of the AHL’s most productive and reliable scorers.
Other notes from the AHL:
- Fresh off of a breakout AHL campaign, defenseman Matteo Pietroniro signed a two-year AHL contract extension with the Syracuse Crunch. It’s been a long road to this point of stability for the 27-year-old defenseman. A former USHL captain, Pietroniro wasn’t able to play U.S. college hockey as the result of since-changed rules preventing CHL players from playing NCAA hockey. Instead of go the USports route, Pietroniro took the unconventional step of signing in the Finnish Liiga after his final USHL campaign. He played 2019-20 for the Lahti Pelicans before spending 2020-21 with HC Bolzano in Italy. He joined the North American pro ranks in 2021-22, beginning in the ECHL before breaking into the AHL on a full-time basis as a reserve defenseman. In 2025-26, Pietroniro took a massive step forward in his career, proving himself as a legitimate top-four AHL defenseman with 31 points in 65 games. His reward for those efforts? A multi-year extension.
- The Crunch also signed right-shot defenseman Tommy Miller to a one-year AHL contract extension. The 27-year-old is the former captain of Michigan State University and was a full-time AHLer for the Toronto Marlies from 2022-23 through 2024-25. Last summer, he signed with Syracuse, who would go on to utilize Miller as a third-pairing defenseman with some penalty-killing time. He only managed 10 points in 55 regular-season games but did add three points in four playoff contests.
Lineup Notes: Golden Knights, Sabres, Ducks
Golden Knights defenseman Kaedan Korczak has stepped back in for tonight’s Game 6, as Brayden McNabb sits as a result of his one game suspension. Such became apparent from lines shared by Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The 25-year-old was a regular in the lineup for what has been his breakout season, notching 16 points in 78 games. Vegas has rotated between him, Ben Hutton, and Dylan Coghlan at various times so far in their run. Coghlan made his playoff debut in Game 3, and had to be leaned on for over 20 minutes in the last contest after McNabb’s early game misconduct. Now all three are set to go together in Anaheim as the Golden Knights look to finish off the series.
Interestingly, Coghlan jumps up to the top pairing alongside Shea Theodore, who will skate on his left side for the first time since 2024, pointed out by SinBin.vegas. It’s quite a development for Coghlan, 28, who played 62 AHL games this season and is receiving his first career NHL playoff action this spring.
Mark Stone and Jeremy Lauzon both remain out, the captain sidelined since Game 3 after a lower-body injury that has fans fearing the worst for the major playoff performer. Lauzon hasn’t played since catching a puck to the head in Game 6 of the first round match-up versus Utah.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Seeking a spark as they went into the third period down 5-3, the Buffalo Sabres replaced Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with Alex Lyon in net. The former came up big in Game 4 to even up the series, turning away 31 shots on the way to a 3-2 win at the Bell Centre, but was unable to sustain the success at home tonight. Lyon would go on to face three shots, allowing a power play tally from the blade of Ivan Demidov, putting the game out of reach. Head coach Lindy Ruff will have a decision to make for Saturday, their season on the line as they’ll try to force a Game 7 against a raucous crowd in Montreal. Only time will tell, however, based on how things went tonight it’s likely they’ll turn back to Lyon despite his short leash.
- An effect from McNabb’s suspension mentioned above, Ryan Poehling is out of the lineup for the Ducks, with Jansen Harkins coming in. The 27-year-old’s night ended early after a hard hit from the Vegas defender, where he was immediately shaken up after hitting the back of his head into the boards. It was a strange play where Poehling was not in possession of the puck, nor prepared for the contact. A third-line role playing center with elite speed, the former Montreal first round selection had a career-best 36 points across 75 regular season games, a nice start to his Ducks tenure which fetched a four-year extension. Poehling had four goals in the opening round triumph over the Oilers, but just one helper in four second round games so far. On the other hand, the 28-year-old Harkins will receive fourth line minutes, but he did find the back of the net in Game 2 in what was his playoff debut.
Evening Notes: Oilers, Wild, Blue Jackets
Set to embark on their third head coaching search in the past four years after this morning’s news, the Edmonton Oilers don’t yet have their replacement lined up, and they’ll interview several candidates, reported by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.
Former Vegas bench boss Bruce Cassidy has been immediately linked to Edmonton, but even if such becomes the case, there’s other figures to consider first given the weight of decisions from here. Few teams have the pressure that’s rising in Oil-land after their first round flop.
If they wish to go all out on trying to find a spark with the clock ticking on the Connor McDavid era, Peter Laviolette is always worth a thought. The 61-year-old last served as head coach of the Rangers, leading them to a Presidents’ Trophy in year one. He was out of a job a year later, but New York has by no means found greener pastures without him yet.
Craig Berube, fired yesterday by Toronto, also has a Stanley Cup to his name. Patrick Roy and Dean Evason, both of whom had their moments on Long Island and in Columbus, are worthy candidates to make the rounds in interviews from prospective teams this summer. Finally, a longshot who will probably warrant a look, assistant Paul Coffey, if they went the internal route.
Offering a roster which needs work, but still featuring two of the premier players in the NHL, Edmonton would assumingly be on the top of Cassidy’s list as a top job for the widely considered #1 available coach. Still, the Oilers have a two year window with McDavid under contract, and they must get it right. The next coach to come to town will be his sixth, and Leon Draisaitl’s eighth.
Elsewhere across the league:
- With the off-season now in swing after last night’s crushing overtime loss to Colorado, the Minnesota Wild face big questions if they’ll take another step. Michael Russo of The Athletic wrote on what’s next for general manager Bill Guerin as he must win over Quinn Hughes, with his upcoming free agency after next year an elephant in the room. Guerin assembled what is likely the most talented roster in franchise history, but they went out unceremoniously in five games. Already thin down the middle, Joel Eriksson Ek’s injury was a major blow, and Jonas Brodin’s absence forced them to lean on Jacob Middleton, which proved costly. It figures that another big trade swing will be in order, perhaps for Robert Thomas or Vincent Trocheck, the #1 priority. Veterans Vladimir Tarasenko, Mats Zuccarello, and Marcus Johansson’s contracts all expire this summer, not to mention trade deadline acquisitions Nick Foligno and Michael McCarron, presenting the opportunity to shake things up on the attack. Whatever’s in store, it’s not a stretch to say it’s the most important offseason in their 25 year history.
- Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet speculated on yesterday’s episode of 32 Thoughts Podcast that Zach Werenski would become the next Columbus Blue Jackets captain, depending on what may happen with their current “C” Boone Jenner, who is set to hit free agency. The longest tenured Jacket, Jenner broke though in 2013, during an era where R.J. Umberger was still a key contributor. 13 seasons later, his team just made a huge commitment to 34-year-old Charlie Coyle, enough to raise questions on what comes next. If Jenner is to move on, capitalizing on a dry free agent market, Werenski would have the chance to become the eighth captain in franchise history. The 28-year-old has held things down on the blue line in 642 regular seasons for Columbus, and is signed through 2027-28.
Paul Boutilier Passes Away At Age 63
In an unfortunate announcement from the NHL’s Alumni Association, the group shared that former defenseman Paul Boutilier has passed away at the age of 63. He played for the New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, Minnesota North Stars, New York Rangers, and Winnipeg Jets throughout his NHL career.
The roots of that career sprouted in the 1980-81 season when Boutilier scored 10 goals and 39 points in 72 games for the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Castors. In the postseason, he registered three goals and 10 points in 14 games, setting him up as one of the top-30 talents heading into the 1981 NHL Draft. He was ultimately selected with the 21st overall pick by the Islanders, one spot ahead of current Jets’ head coach, Scott Arniel.
Despite debuting in the NHL in the 1981-82 campaign, Boutilier wouldn’t become a full-time player in New York until the 1982-83 season. He didn’t factor in as much as he may have liked, but he was a part of the last Islanders team to win the Stanley Cup in 1983, having his name engraved on the illustrious silver.
Over the next three years, Boutilier enjoyed the most productive years of his career. From the beginning of the 1983-84 season to the end of the 1985-86 campaign, Boutilier registered 16 goals and 80 points in 183 games for the Islanders with a +14 rating. During the 1984-85 season, he was the third-highest scoring defenseman on the team behind Denis Potvin and Tomas Jonsson.
Unfortunately, inconsistency became a recurring theme throughout Boutilier’s career. He played for four different organizations over the last three years of his career, scoring seven goals and 21 points in 75 games with a -4 rating split between the Bruins, North Stars, Rangers, and Jets.
After a two-year career with NLA’s SC Bern, Boutilier retired after the 1990-91 season. He worked for several years as an assistant coach at St. Mary’s University and Dalhousie University in Canada, and he also had a one-year stint as a development coach with the Nashville Predators. The last stop of his coaching career was working as a defensive coach and assistant coach for the QMJHL’s Montcon Wildcats and Québec Remparts this past season, respectively.
All in all, Boutilier finished his NHL career with 27 goals and 110 points in 288 games with a +1 rating and a Stanley Cup ring from 1983. We at PHR offer our condolences to those impacted by Boutilier’s loss.
Yegor Shilov Commits To Penn State
According to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, Russian forward prospect Yegor Shilov has committed to Penn State University to continue his development. Shilov had previously committed to Boston University.
Shilov, 18, is coming off an impressive season with the QMJHL’s Victoriaville Tigres. Throughout his rookie campaign in the Canadian junior circuit, Shilov scored 32 goals and 82 points in 63 games with a -11 rating. Additionally, he was excellent in the faceoff dot, winning nearly 55% of draws while taking the eighth-most of them in the QMJHL this season.
His 82 points weren’t enough to lead the QMJHL in scoring this year, though it was the most in his age group. The next closest was fellow teammate and countryman, Alexei Vlasov, who had 44 goals and 80 points in 64 games. Vlasov has already committed to the University of Connecticut, so the pair won’t be seeing too much of each other once they depart for college. There’s no word on whether Shilov will begin his tenure at Penn State next season or remain with Victoriaville for another campaign.
Despite not being one of the top names available at this summer’s draft, Shilov is widely expected to be a first-round pick. He’s the 19th-ranked North American skater according to the NHL’s Central Scouting, meaning he’ll likely land with a team that has made the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, if he doesn’t fall into the second round.
Jamie Langenbrunner Leaving Bruins Organization
Although the Boston Bruins did not lose Assistant General Manager Evan Gold to the Vancouver Canucks, they’re still losing their other Assistant General Manager heading into the offseason. According to Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Jamie Langenbrunner is leaving the Bruins organization to pursue other opportunities.
Langenbrunner, 50, has been with Boston for the last 11 years. After retiring in January of 2014, Langenbrunner joined the Bruins as a development coach ahead of the 2015-16 season. He spent several years in that role before becoming the team’s Director of Player Development in 2019-20, a position now held by former defenseman Adam McQuaid.
Since the 2022-23 season, Langenbrunner has been Boston’s Assistant General Manager alongside Gold. Langenbrunner has managed the player personnel responsibilities, while Gold has managed the day-to-day operations. If the Canucks had hired Gold as their next General Manager, the expectation was that Langenbrunner would have been brought to Vancouver with him. Additionally, Langenbrunner was loosely linked to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ General Manager vacancy before the team ultimately landed on John Chayka.
A few days ago, the New Jersey Devils felt like a logical fit for Langenbrunner. The native of Cloquet, MN, played nearly a decade with the Devils and served as captain of the team for four years. New Jersey had an opening for an Assistant General Manager after Sunny Mehta took the reins. This position was filled by Braden Birch, who had worked closely with Mehta in the Florida Panthers organization.
Given that Ryan Johnson has been promoted as the Canucks next General Manager, the team technically has an opening at the AGM position, which could entice Langenbrunner if it comes with more responsibility. Additionally, the Nashville Predators remain the only current team with a vacancy at the General Manager position, for which Langenbrunner could be a candidate.
Bruins Sign Lukas Reichel To One-Year Extension
The Boston Bruins have awarded a young forward with another chance to prove himself. Lukas Reichel has been signed to a one-year, two-way contract extension with a $950K cap hit at the NHL level. The Bruins acquired Reichel at the Trade Deadline in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick.
The acquisition of Reichel marked Boston’s chance to tap into first-round potential that the Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks failed to find. Reichel began his time as a Bruin in the minor-leagues – but he earned a quick call-up after scoring five points in his first three games with Providence. Reichel kept it going with two points in his Boston debut, though his hot hand quickly fizzled out after that – with only one assist over his next eight games in the NHL. He appeared in two more games with Boston, and four more with Providence, before the season came to a close. Reichel also played one game of Boston’s first-round loss against the Buffalo Sabres, and three games of Providence’s division semi-final upset at the hands of the Springfield Thunderbirds. He managed no scoring in the postseason.
Reichel was selected 17th-overall in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Blackhawks. He was coming off his first season in the DEL, Germany’s top league, where he scored 24 points in 42 games. Reichel was also a major piece of Germany’s international rosters, netting five points in seven games at the 2020 World Junior Championship and nine points in 12 additional international friendlies. He repeated those feats in the season after his draft selection – netting 27 points in 38 DEL games and six points in nine games at the 2021 World Championships.
Strong scoring in Germany inspired a quick move to North American pros in 2022-23. Reichel was a near-immediate impact for the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs but failed to find the same spark in the NHL. He finished his rookie season with just one point in 11 NHL games and 57 points in 56 AHL games. Once again, Reichel managed to match those marks as a sophomore, netting 51 points in 55 AHL games and an encouraging 15 points in 23 NHL games.
It seemed the skillful scorer had finally found his footing in the Blackhawks organization. Chicago tested that by deploying him full-time in the NHL during the 2024-25 season. But Reichel failed to command his own line and wound up on Chicago’s third-line, with only 22 points in 70 games on the year. Rather than stick with those struggles, the Blackhawks capitalized on Reichel’s strong start – four points in five games – to last season. He was traded to the Canucks in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick and went on to score just one point in 14 games with Vancouver before being traded again.
Reichel is a skilled winger who showed he can still produce with three points in five games at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He represents a difficult lineup challenge for Boston. If the Bruins can find the right mix of defense and play-driving support, they could tap into major scoring upside. Reichel has yet to find that performance in the NHL but would be an X-factor in the middle-six if he can discover it on his new, one-year deal.