Korbinian Holzer Announces Retirement
According to an announcement from the ICEHL’s Graz99ers, former NHL defenseman Korbinian Holzer has officially hung up his skates. He spent nine years in the NHL playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Anaheim Ducks, and Nashville Predators.
Holzer’s professional career in North America began nearly two decades ago, being selected with the 111th overall pick (fourth round) of the Maple Leafs in the 2006 NHL Draft. Before joining North American ice, Holzer played several seasons with the DEL’s DEG Metro Stars, finishing the 2009-10 season with six goals and 22 points.
Finally making the jump, Holzer spent most of the 2010-11 campaign with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, registering three goals and 13 points in 73 games with a +10 rating. Still, he managed to debut with the Maple Leafs, earning a -1 rating in two contests.
After spending the 2011-12 season exclusively with the Marlies, Holzer became a more consistent precense on the Maple Leafs’ blue line. Between 2012 and 2015, Holzer appeared in 56 games for Toronto, scoring two goals and nine points, averaging 17:39 of ice time.
Unfortunately, the team that drafted him wasn’t convinced of his staying power. Toronto passed Holzer through waivers ahead of the 2014-15 season, and eventually traded him to the Ducks the following season.
Orange County is where Holzer enjoyed the best seasons of his NHL career. Remaining a seventh defenseman with Anaheim, Holzer spent five years with the Ducks organization, scoring four goals and 18 points in 145 games with a -2 rating, averaging 14:48 of ice time per game. Failing to provide much offense, Holzer was a responsible player in the defensive zone, earning a 92.5% on-ice SV% at even strength while beginning 53.6% of his shifts in the defensive zone.
After a trade to the Predators toward the 2020 trade deadline, Holzer’s career in North America concluded. He has had multiple pit stops since then, playing for the KHL’s Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, the DEL’s Adler Mannheim, before finally concluding his professional career with the Graz99ers.
Over eight years, Holzer scored six goals and 27 points in 206 NHL contests, with another 12 goals and 79 points in 297 AHL appearances. We at PHR congratulate Holzer on his career and wish him the best in his next chapter.
Golden Knights’ Jeremy Lauzon Out With Injury
The Vegas Golden Knights will be down a defenseman in their second round matchup against the Anaheim Ducks. Jeremy Lauzon will be out of the lineup after taking a shot to the head in the third period of Friday night’s win, head coach John Tortorella told Sin Bin Vegas. Lauzon is rumored to be out for the remainder of the series, adds Sin Bin Vegas, though Tortorella refused to comment on his timeline further. Lauzon left under his own power after a wrist-shot from Pavel Dorofeyev hit him in the side of the head.
Lauzon has filled an important depth role through the start of Vegas’ playoff run. He managed no scoring and averaged 16:33 in ice time in the six-game series against Utah but stepped up to 19 and 20 minutes of ice time in Vegas’ overtime wins in Game 4 and 5.
Physical defense continues to headline Lauzon’s role in the lineup. He reached 13 points and 89 penalty minutes through 68 games this season. Those marks put him were a career-high pace across 82 games, just narrowly beating out the 14 points and 98 penalty minutes he recorded in 79 games of the 2023-24 season. Lauzon’s 251 hits were also the second-highest of his career, behind the 386 hits he recorded in 2023-24.
This is Lauzon’s first chance to join the recent Stanley Cup-winning Golden Knights. He spent the last three seasons with the Nashville Predators, who he joined on postseason runs in 2022 and 2024. Between two series with the Predators, Lauzon racked up one assist, six penalty minutes, and 32 hits.
Flames’ Matthew Coronato To Play At 2026 World Championship
Team USA has made a major addition to their roster for the 2026 World Championship. Calgary Flames winger, and leading scorer, Matthew Coronato is expected to play in the tournament per Sportsnet’s Eric Francis. Coronato played in the World Championship at the age of 20 in 2023. He was one of America’s top scorers with eight points in 10 games. That scoring tied NHL peers Alex Tuch, Drew O’Connor, and Conor Garland.
Coronato’s last taste of international competition came at the front-end of his pro hockey career. He has since worked his way up Calgary’s depth chart on the back of red-hot scoring in minor and major leagues. Coronato began the 2023-24 season with the Flames but was reassigned to the AHL after netting just two points in the first 10 games of the season. He proceeded to tear up the minor-leagues in his first stint with the Wranglers, netting 18 points in the first 14 AHL games of his career. That performance launched Coronato into the Wranglers’ top-six but only rewarded him with brief stints in the NHL, until he was promoted for a 19-game run in March. Even with the extended look, Coronato’s first pro season ended with just nine points in 34 NHL games and 42 points in 41 AHL games.
His hot-hand cooled down a bit in the 2024-25 season, which saw Coronato spend the entire year in the minor-leagues, save for two games in the NHL. His year closed with two points in two games with the Flames and 47 points in 77 games with the Wranglers.
A full year in the minors built up the anticipation around Coronato’s 2025-26 season. He more than paid it off, often looking like the Flames’ most consistent forward through some of their quietest stints. His season closed with 45 points in 80 games, including a point-per-game pace through the final 15 games of the season. Coronato played upwards of 22 minutes a night through points this season – but his best value was in his ability to produce from a middle-six role in the lineup. He only averaged 16:39 in ice time, sixth-most on the Flames roster.
That will be the value that Coronato now brings to Team USA’s lineup. He will offer invaluable depth scoring, with the boost of having performed at a high-level at this tournament before. With a bit more experience and maturity under his belt, he could end up an X-factor addition for the American side.
Flames Sign Theo Stockselius To Entry-Level Contract
The Calgary Flames have put pen to paper with their 2025 second-round pick. Forward Theo Stockselius has signed a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal carries an annual cap hit of $1.016MM per the Flames press release.
Stockselius had a red-hot start to the 2025-26 season. After beginning the year with four points in three exhibitions with Sweden’s U20 lineup, he kicked off the regular season with seven points in six games. That earned him the first SHL call-up of his career in early-October. He was returned to the junior league after one game with Djurgårdens IF and tacked on another two points in two U20 games, before he was cut by a skate and forced to miss the next three months of action.
That injury derailed Stockselius’ hopes of playing with Team Sweden at the 2026 World Junior Championships, a role he seemed to have locked-up after netting five points in seven games of the 2025 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship. Luckily, the injury did not derail Stockselius’ scoring. He notched five points in his first two games back from injury in mid-January. It was clear that Stockselius was a core component of Djurgårdens’ U20 lineup, a role that earned him his first extended look in the SHL in February. The theme of his season continued through the end of the year – quiet performances and fourth-line deployment in the SHL coupled with dominant offense in the U20 league.
By the end of the season, Stockselius had racked up 16 points in 11 U20 games to go with just one assist in 16 SHL games. He also combined for 41 penalty minutes between the two leagues, though 29 of those came from one U20 game in January. His season was capped off by a four-point
Stockselius’ ability to stay hot through injury and adversity headlined his game – traits that have long stood out in his game. He was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the age of 15 and underwent three procedures to address the concern. Stockselius told reporters at Calgary’s 2025 training camp that he used hockey as a positive through that moment of his life. The results shined through, as Stockselius’ point scoring in Sweden’s U16 league skyrocketed from 16 points to 60 points between his age-15 and age-16 season. He was quickly in the mix of future star NHL prospects like Anton Frondell and Victor Eklund, climbing up a high-value Djurgårdens program.
While Stockselius’ scoresheet didn’t shine at the pro level this season, his growth was clear. He became much more poised in puck battles as the year went on and found better ways to use his strong stick and skating ability on defense. At 6-foot-3 and 200-pounds, Stockselius’ mobility can be overwhelming for opponents to deal with. Combined with an instinct for scoring chances and a strong shot, he stands clear as one of Calgary’s top prospects. The Flames will vindicate that standing by making him the first to sign from their 2025 draft class. Stockselius should carve out a role with the Calgary Wranglers next season.
Central Notes: Nabokov, Makar, Klinkhammer
Colorado Avalanche goalie prospect Ilya Nabokov‘s KHL season ended with Metallurg Magnitogorsk’s loss to Ak Bars Kazan yesterday. The Denver Gazette’s Evan Rawal reports that the “original plan” for Nabokov was for him to come to North America at the end of his KHL campaign. Nabokov signed his entry-level contract in May of last year and played 2025-26 on a loan, meaning the team could reassign him to North America. Rawal noted that even if Nabokov doesn’t end up playing in what remains of this season, (it would most likely be in the AHL as Colorado’s goalie tandem is all but set in stone at the NHL level) there is still value in bringing Nabokov over to “get him used to [North America] and coaching staff.”
Nabokov, 23, was a second-round pick by the team at the 2024 draft, No. 38 overall. He is Colorado’s highest draft selection since the 2023 class. The Avalanche picked Nabokov off the back of an incredible rookie campaign in the KHL, where he went 23-13-3 in the regular season with a .930 save percentage. He was even better in the playoffs, going 16-6-0 in 23 games with a .942 save percentage to lead Magnitogorsk to a KHL title. He put up similarly strong numbers last season (without the playoff run) but saw his form dip in 2025-26, posting a .901 save percentage across 38 games. He is ranked by most outlets as Colorado’s top goalie prospect and one of their top prospects overall.
Other notes from the Central Division:
- Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar is all set to play in game two of the team’s second-round series against the Minnesota Wild, head coach Jared Bednar announced today. Makar missed a substantial amount of the early portion of the game and there was concern he may have suffered an injury that could sideline him, but that proved not to be the case. He ended up scoring two goals and adding an assist in Colorado’s game one victory. As one of the top defensemen in the world, Makar’s health is a key factor for both teams in this series.
- The Rockford IceHogs, who are AHL affiliates of the Chicago Blackhawks, announced that assistant coach Rob Klinkhammer was relieved of his duties. Rockford endured a difficult 2025-26 season, going 28-39-5, good for 61 points. They were just one point clear of having tied for the fewest in the AHL. Klinkhammer, who is a veteran of 193 NHL games from his playing days, ends his time in Rockford after four seasons. The IceHogs reached the playoffs in every other year he was behind the bench, and helped deliver NHL players to the Blackhawks such as Artyom Levshunov, Louis Crevier, Alex Vlasic, Colton Dach, and Landon Slaggert.
Latest On Sam Carrick, Noah Ostlund
5/4/26: The Sabres received some good news today regarding Carrick. Despite it being announced yesterday that he was expected to miss the team’s second-round playoff series, Carrick said today that he has progressed rapidly in his recovery and could be back on the ice in short order.
Ruff said that Carrick is “going to see our doctors today and thinks he’s further along than maybe I portrayed yesterday,” and that he could join our team back in practice tomorrow.”
It’s unclear whether Carrick is going to be ready in time for when the Sabres take on the Montreal Canadiens tomorrow night. But it’s looking increasingly likely that he will be able to play against Montreal at some point in the second round, especially if the series extends beyond the minimum of four games.
5/3/26: The Buffalo Sabres expect to be without centers Noah Ostlund and Sam Carrick for their upcoming second-round series, head coach Lindy Ruff announced today.
Carrick hasn’t played since March. He is sidelined with an upper-body injury, one he sustained in a fight with New York Islanders captain Anders Lee. Ostlund has been out since suffering his lower-body injury in game five against the Bruins.
This pair of injuries puts some strain on the Sabres’ center depth in advance of their series. The Sabres’ No. 4 center spot would typically be occupied by Carrick, but in his absence, the team has relied upon 23-year-old Tyson Kozak. Kozak is a hard-working, energetic player, but not someone who has the same level of experience or detail to his game when compared to Carrick. Carrick, 34, went to a Stanley Cup Final with the Edmonton Oilers and brings a level of reliability Kozak hasn’t yet established.
But while swapping out Carrick for Kozak is a downgrade in some respects, one could argue the loss of Ostlund is more significant. The 2022 first-rounder is one of Buffalo’s top prospects and showed flashes this season, scoring 11 goals and 27 points in 60 games. He even had his moments in the playoffs, scoring a goal and an assist in three games. Like Carrick, Ostlund is also a natural center.
As mentioned, while the Carrick injury has cost the Sabres a veteran fourth-line center, the real, more pressing risk posed by these absences is what would happen to the Sabres at the position if another center goes down.
No. 3 pivot Josh Norris is one of the team’s most talented players at the position, but has, unfortunately, been quite injury-prone in recent years. He missed three games in the first round due to an undisclosed injury, was limited to just 44 games in the regular season, and has reached 60 games played in a single campaign just once in his NHL career.
If Norris’ injury issues resurface in the second round (a series that is likely to be extremely physical given how the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens have competed their first-round series,) the Sabres could be left in a tough spot. They would potentially need to dress both Kozak and Josh Dunne or consider alternate options. Those options include shifting natural center Peyton Krebs back to the middle, breaking up a Tage Thompson line that has worked so well this year, or dressing talented rookie Konsta Helenius.
The options available to the Sabres if Norris or another center gets injured are not entirely ideal for a team looking to win a Stanley Cup. As a result, today’s two injury updates only further emphasize the importance of the health of Norris, Thompson, and Ryan McLeod for the Sabres.
William Karlsson To Return To Golden Knights’ Lineup
Vegas Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella revealed today that veteran center William Karlsson will return to the team’s lineup tonight for game one against the Anaheim Ducks.
Karlsson has been sidelined since early November with a lower-body injury. The 33-year-old was limited, as a result, to just 14 games played this year, scoring seven points. Karlsson is one of the original Golden Knights, a selection by the team in its 2017 Expansion Draft. He has been a steady presence down the middle for the club on all of its many deep playoff runs, including when he scored 17 points in 22 playoff games en route to a Stanley Cup championship in 2023.
Once the Golden Knights’ No. 1 center, Karlsson is no longer at that stage of his career. Not only has he declined from his peak – his total of 29 points last season was well below his career standards – but the Golden Knights have added significant talent at the position in recent years.
Superstar Jack Eichel is firmly entrenched as the team’s top pivot, and Tomas Hertl has been a strong No. 2 center throughout his career. Tortorella has most recently played Mitch Marner, who has largely been a winger throughout his NHL career, down the middle.
With Karlsson returning to the lineup, Tortorella now has some options as to how he could adjust his lineup. Tortorella may not want to make dramatic changes to a lineup that worked quite well in the first round against the Utah Mammoth, which could mean Marner sticks at center so the second line can remain intact. Karlsson could find a landing spot on the third line with Hertl, though that would mean one natural center is forced to the wing.
In any case, Karlsson’s return at this point is somewhat surprising – it was originally believed that it would take a very deep playoff run for Golden Knights fans to see him hit the ice again in 2025-26. But he’s set to return at the start of the second round, a real boost for Vegas, especially within a forward lineup already bursting at the seams with depth.
Hurricanes Reassign Charles-Alexis Legault
5/4/26: The Hurricanes announced today that Legault has been reassigned back to Chicago. The Wolves have an extremely important game tomorrow – a game five against the Texas Stars. Win, and they advance to the Central Division Finals. Lose, and they are eliminated. With the stakes that high, the Hurricanes have elected to reassign Legault, a key penalty killer for the Wolves, back to the AHL.
Of course, if the Hurricanes still felt a pressing need for Legault as an NHL option, they’d keep him on their roster, regardless of the situation in Chicago. Their playoff run comes first, just as it does for any other NHL team as it deals with its AHL affiliate.
But as Alexander Nikishin gets closer to returning from his concussion, and Reilly proves himself as a capable fill-in, it appears increasingly unlikely Carolina will be in a position to dress Legault for playoff games. As a result, the most efficient move, the one the team has elected to take, is to reassign Legault and give the Wolves a boost.
4/27/26: The Carolina Hurricanes shared earlier today that Charles-Alexis Legault has been recalled from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.
With Chicago currently in the Calder Cup playoffs, it’s an inopportune time. There’s a real need to add a defenseman to the team’s stock, although Legault’s chances to get into the playoff action are slim. The transaction is likely stemming from Alexander Nikishin‘s concussion, suffered in the fourth and deciding game of the opening round versus Ottawa.
Luckily for the Hurricanes, they made quick work of the Senators, and will have several days to rest up prior to Round Two. Still, if Nikishin will miss any time, Mike Reilly will be set to enter the lineup, needing an extra blueliner, leaving Legault to take duty. Reilly, 32, has 21 games of playoff experience, his last tenure coming as an Islander, where his club were sent packing in five games, interestingly against the Hurricanes themselves.
Legault, 22, broke into the NHL for the first time this season, his second campaign as a professional, skating in 12 games. After an eight game stint early in the year, the defender had to wait until mid-April for another look, making four more appearances to close out the regular season, benefiting from top players getting rest. Such circumstances resulted in an uptick in ice time, as he played 22:01 in game 82 against the Islanders, by far a career high.
Standing at 6’4″, the righty has made his mark physically across the NHL and AHL this year, 63 penalty minutes across both leagues. A strong penalty killer still working to put together a more complete offensive game, Legault was a steal in the fifth round of the 2023 draft out of Quinnipiac University, with real NHL third pairing upside. As a small note worth mentioning depending on his eventual development, the pick was acquired from Vancouver in the Ethan Bear trade.
The Wolves will hope he can return for their playoff matchup against the Texas Stars shortly. Yet with the puck dropping on game one tomorrow night, their series could very well be concluded by the time Nikishin’s fate is known, directly affecting the Wolves in a domino effect of sorts.
As for the big club, Carolina’s second round opponent could be finalized tonight, as they await the winner of the Flyers/Penguins series. Either way, they’ll get started on home ice, with Legault expectedly taking in the experience from the press box. As his teammate Reilly’s contract ends this summer, the Montreal native could be in for a bigger role next year, even if he doesn’t skate on the biggest stage this spring.
Rasmus Dahlin, Gabriel Landeskog, Jonathan Toews Named Masterton Trophy Finalists
The NHL has announced its three finalists for the Bill Masterton Trophy: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog, and Winnipeg Jets forward Jonathan Toews.
The Trophy is awarded annually by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association to the player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey.”
Dahlin captained the Sabres to a season fans in Buffalo won’t forget for a long time. The franchise had not made the postseason in 14 years, the longest playoff drought in the “Big 4” North American professional sports leagues.
Dahlin’s leadership, and stellar on-ice play, helped the Sabres become one of the league’s best teams over the course of 2025-26.
Dahlin was able to accomplish all of this despite immense off-ice challenges.
Last July, Dahlin’s fiancee, Carolina Matovac, underwent an emergency heart transplant while the pair were vacationing in France. She later revealed that the couple lost their unborn child as well. The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn told Dahlin and Matovac’s story in an excellent piece last month. He noted that during the beginning of the season, Matovac’s recovery was weighing on Dahlin, and he “had trouble focusing” on the season.
Dahlin eventually stepped away from the team in November to be with his fiancee, a decision the entire Sabres organization emphatically supported. He told Fairburn:
The first part of the season was terrible. I could not think about anything else other than Carolina. Then Terry Pegula flew me home to Sweden to be able to see Carolina for a week, and it just gave me an unbelievable boost. Then I was able to go home during Christmas, and I’ve just been lucky to have the organization let me go home and do stuff I needed to do throughout this process. And things got better every day.
Dahlin did eventually return from his leave of absence, and when he did, he joined a Sabres team that was quickly becoming a juggernaut. He finished the season with 74 points in 77 games, and led Buffalo to victory over their first-round opponent, the Boston Bruins. His fiancee was even able to return to Buffalo and be welcomed back by an adoring home crowd.
Each nominee for the Masterton Trophy, every year it is awarded, is deserving in his own right. But the story of Dahlin’s 2025-26 season in particular embodies the core values of the award.
Moving on to Landeskog, this is actually the Avalanche captain’s second consecutive campaign as a finalist for the award. Landeskog missed three seasons as a result of knee injuries, coming directly after he led Colorado to a Stanley Cup championship in 2022.
Landeskog was productive for the Avalanche this season, scoring 35 points in 60 regular-season games, and five points in five playoff contests so far.
There are many athletes for whom missing three seasons would be an insurmountable, career-ending obstacle. There were those who, at times, speculated that might be the case for Landeskog. It did not. He is back in the NHL and his knee issues appear to be behind him, and the league is better for it.
The final nominee is Toews, the former Chicago Blackhawks star who captained the team to three Stanley Cup titles in the 2010’s. Toews’ story shares some similarities to Landeskog’s. He missed two full seasons as a result of a variety of health issues, including long Covid and Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS). Toews left the game unsure of whether he would be able to play again, and went to great lengths to pursue methods of recovery, including traveling to Asia for “a five-week Ayurvedic detox.”
Toews was able to return to the NHL, signing with his hometown Winnipeg Jets. He played in all 82 games of the Jets’ season, his first full, healthy NHL campaign since 2018-19. He scored 11 goals and 29 points while winning 62% of his faceoffs. Like Landeskog, he had no assurances he would be able to continue his storied NHL career, but he found a way to return to the game.
Photos courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Metro Notes: Nikishin, Malkin, DeBoer
The Carolina Hurricanes expect to keep rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin out of their lineup for tonight’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers as he recovers from a concussion, head coach Rod Brind’Amour said today. Nikishin hasn’t played since suffering a concussion in game four of the team’s first-round sweep of the Ottawa Senators. Brind’Amour told the media, including North State Journal’s Cory Lavalette, that keeping Nikishin out of the lineup is a “health decision.”
The Hurricanes played Nikishin on a pairing with veteran Shayne Gostisbehere when he was healthy. Nikishin wasn’t able to dress for game one against the Flyers, so the Hurricanes turned to veteran Mike Reilly in that slot. The 32-year-old provided Carolina with an instant return-on-investment, registering two assists in the team’s 3-0 victory. As Carolina hopes to continue its march towards another Eastern Conference Final, the status of Nikishin, one of the league’s top rookie blueliners, will be a storyline to monitor.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- One player whose future has come under immense scrutiny in the aftermath of his team’s playoff exit has been Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin. It’s unclear whether the future Hall of Fame pivot will continue his career in Pittsburgh. The Athletic’s Josh Yohe reported this morning that Malkin’s representatives will reach out to Penguins GM Kyle Dubas to set up more substantial talks on Malkin’s future. Malkin’s camp, led by J.P. Barry of CAA, will no doubt be hoping to secure an agreement to keep Malkin in Pittsburgh for what is most likely going to be his final campaign in the NHL.
- New York Islanders head coach Peter DeBoer only got to coach in four games before the end of the 2025-26 season, and that quick turnaround meant that he didn’t have an opportunity to build a staff from scratch. Stefen Rosner of The Elmonters named two coaches as legitimate candidates to get a job on DeBoer’s staff: Boston Bruins assistant Steve Spott, who is a longtime DeBoer assistant, and Misha Donskov, who will coach Canada at the upcoming IIHF Men’s World Championships. Spott was on DeBoer’s staff with OHL Kitchener and in the NHL with San Jose, Vegas, and Dallas. Donskov overlapped with DeBoer in Vegas and Dallas.