West Notes: Buium, Canucks General Manager Search, Predators
Vancouver Canucks young star Zeev Buium won’t play for Team USA in the upcoming IIHF World Championships, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reports.
The 20-year-old is no stranger to the international circuit in early stages of his career, and winning, at that. Buium helped the United States take home gold last year at the World Championships, their first such title in 92 years, with four points in eight games. That came after back-to-back gold medals at the 2024 and 2025 World Junior Championships.
Assuming today’s news to be the case, the skilled lefty will focus on resting up after the long grind of 76 NHL games in his rookie year. After being dealt to the Canucks, Buium’s ice time jumped nearly two full minutes, averaging 20:21 wearing the blue and green.
Despite facing the challenges of being on the NHL’s bottom-ranked team, Buium escaped with a commendable 49.3% corsi for at five-on-five, with over 60% of his zone starts on the attack, with some shelter in mind. With plenty of gold earned in the past, it’s a well deserved break for Buium who will set his eyes on another big step coming in 2026-27.
Elsewhere across the conference:
- Also in Vancouver, Islanders Assistant General Manager Ryan Bowness was listed as a name to watch as a candidate for the team’s open General Manager position by Dhaliwal, and later relayed by Stefen Rosner of NHL.com. The 42-year-old, son of Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness, has ties to Jim Rutherford, having served in the Pittsburgh scouting department from 2016-2022. Bowness is just in his first year on Long Island, coming over after three years in the Senators organization. On the other hand, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet mentioned an internal candidate, Abbotsford Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson on yesterday’s edition of 32 Thoughts. Friedman speculates that Rutherford would make the recommendation for the 49-year-old after 13 years in the organization, and GM of their AHL affiliate since 2017-18. Johnson was a Canucks player himself from 2008-2010.
- With exit interviews coming from various Nashville Predators players, Brooks Bratten, Senior Content Manager, wrote on the team’s reflection from a season which came up short, and their optimism ahead. Interestingly, Steven Stamkos described the expectation to stay competitive and push for the playoffs in 2026-27. Such idealism is normal for non-playoff teams in an offseason so fresh, but Nashville will be a team to watch this summer, with a new general manager coming in and ample evidence it’s time for bigger changes. Likely to miss another top 10 draft selection, of which they have just one since 2013 (Brady Martin, 5th, 2025), the Predators once again find themselves in a difficult, middling ground. Even the 36-year-old Stamkos’ 42 goals weren’t enough to move the needle, and a real shake up could be on the horizon under a new regime.
Lineup Notes: Carlile, Sabourin, Hanifin
The Tampa Bay Lightning are featuring a different lineup from Game 1’s loss to Montreal, as Declan Carlile is filling in for the injured Charle-Edouard D’Astous, shown in lines posted by the team. D’Astous’ status is not surprising, after being injured and not returning after a hard collision, sandwiched between Josh Anderson and Jake Evans.
Entering this season with just three NHL contests under his belt, Carlile ended up playing 42 for the Bolts, recording three points and 40 penalty minutes. Tonight marks the playoff debut for the 25-year-old undrafted Michigan native, who will skate alongside Emil-Martinsen Lilleberg on the third pairing.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Vegas defenseman Noah Hanifin left practice early this afternoon after appearing to tweak something, observed by Danny Webster of The Las Vegas Review-Journal. The 29-year-old was mostly durable this year outside of a short IR stint early in the year, playing 71 games and finishing third among Knights in ice time (22:36). Further details aren’t yet known, the team back in action tonight for Game 2. If Hanifin is unable to go, 33-year-old Ben Hutton could draw into the lineup, with just three playoff games across his whole career, all with Vegas.
- Also in Tampa Bay, 33-year-old Scott Sabourin is also making his playoff debut, replacing Conor Geekie who is scratched, after playing just 8:12 in the opening contest. It’s a nice story for the winger, undrafted and grinding away for seven years in the AHL before his debut with Ottawa in 2019. Sabourin has split duty this year between Tampa Bay and Syracuse almost evenly, and in his 26 games with the big club the veteran has five points and 89 penalty minutes. The decision to ice Sabourin tonight clearly has physicality in mind, and he’ll be hungry to make an impact in that area.
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.
Predators Reassign Brady Martin To AHL
The Nashville Predators have reassigned top prospect Brady Martin to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals for the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs. Milwaukee is set to face the Manitoba Moose in the first round of the postseason. Martin’s season in the OHL came to an end with a loss to the Kitchener Rangers on Friday.
Martin broke camp with the Predators to start the season after being selected fifth overall in the 2025 NHL Draft. He scored one assist in three games with Nashville before being reassigned to the OHL. He took on the Soo Greyhounds’ captaincy upon his return and scored 11 points in his first five games back in the league. Martin continued to score at a point-per-game pace through December, then joined Team Canada for the 2026 World Junior Championship. His imposing, physical presence made Martin a pillar of the Canadian lineup. He proved as much with eight points in five games to start the tournament – but that hot run came to an end when Martin sustained an injury on a hit from Czech defenseman Matyas Man.
Martin went on to miss a month with the injury. The Greyhounds continued to watch his workload upon his return, which ultimately capped Martin to only 24 regular season games. He scored as many points, then added 10 more points in 10 playoff games. After overcoming an up-and-down season, Martin will now face his first test in the AHL. He should bring another game-changing impact to an Admirals lineup that has already added Reid Schaefer, Ryan Ufko, Zachary L’Heureux, and Joakim Kemell from the Predators lineup. The reinforced lineup should pose a tough challenge for the AHL’s Western Conference.
Ducks Sign Ethan Procyszyn To Entry-Level Deal
The Anaheim Ducks have signed 2024 third-round pick Ethan Procyszyn to a three-year, entry-level contract. Procysyn has captained the OHL’s North Bay Battalion for the last two seasons. The Battalion’s season came to an end with a round two sweep against the Brantford Bulldogs. The details of Procyszyn’s first pro deal are as follows, per PuckPedia:
| Year | NHL Salary | Signing bonus | Potential performance bonuses | Minors salary |
| 2026-27 | $850K | $102.5K | $72.5K | $85K |
| 2027-28 | $935K | $107.5K | $32.5K | $85K |
| 2028-29 | $1.0125M | $112.5K | $85K |
Procyszyn played through his fourth OHL season this year. He led the Battalion across the board, with 31 goals, 59 points, 94 penalty minutes, and a plus-32 in 65 games. Procyszyn also led North Bay in goals, points, and penalty minutes in the 2024-25 season.
The pair of seasons were an impressive breakout for Procyszyn after he put up only 36 points in 62 games of his draft season. He flew under many radars ahead of the 2024 draft, in part thanks to only appearing on the international stage once in his junior career. Procyszyn won a Silver Medal at the 2023 U17 World Hockey Championship, where he racked up three goals and four points in seven games with Team Canada. The all-situations center stood out with his play-driving and physicality through his OHL career. He was a strong leader for a middle-of-the-pack North Bay squad. Procyszyn controlled space with a 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame. An NHL entry-level deal will set him up to test that physical game in the minor-leagues next season.
Oilers’ Adam Henrique Out Day-To-Day
The Edmonton Oilers were able to add star forward Leon Draisaitl back to the lineup before Monday night’s Game 1 against the Anaheim Ducks. Unfortunately, they did not leave the matchup unscathed, with depth forward Adam Henrique sustaining an undisclosed injury late in the first period. The injury came on a collision with Oilers teammate Kasperi Kapanen. Henrique sat out of the final two periods and will now be unavailable for Game 2, head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters including Chris Johnston of The Athletic.
Henrique was filling Edmonton’s fourth-line center role before going down with injury. He also served on the team’s top penalty-killing unit alongside Jason Dickinson. It could be Dickinson picking up the slack at even-strength in Henrique’s absence. The Trade Deadline acquisition fills the third-line center role and scored two goals – the opener and the tying goal – in Monday night’s win. Dickinson also took the third-most faceoffs of any Oilers center, behind Connor McDavid and Draisaitl. He won four of his 10 draws, or 40 percent – a dip from the 48.7 faceoff percentage he recorded in 17 regular season games with Edmonton.
While Dickinson prepares for a bit more trust in Game 2, it will be Josh Samanski stepping into the lineup to fill Henrique’s spot. Samanski made his NHL debut in late January. He went on to tally four points, six penalty minutes, and a plus-two in 24 games – while adding 31 points and 40 penalty minutes in 45 AHL games. Samanski stood out as a do-it-all, utility forward in his small NHL sample – but his lack of scoring could become glaring in must-win games. That is where Dickinson’s hot streak in the bottom-six could buoy the offense, while allowing Samanski to play the hard minutes while stars rest up.
Henrique has racked up 15 points, 18 penalty minutes, and a minus-12 through 65 games this season. On the tail-end of his career, the 1,000-game veteran has fallen into a depth role for the Oilers. He does still offer upside in faceoffs and on special teams, though. Henrique posted a 54.0 faceoff percentage and 104 minutes of penalty-killing time this season, both ranked third among the Oilers forwards. He will be a defense-oriented addition to the Oilers’ playoff lineup if he works back to full health before the end of the first round.
Senators Sign Lucas Beckman To Entry-Level Contract
The Ottawa Senators have signed 2025 fourth-round pick Lucas Beckman to a three-year, entry-level contract set to begin in the 2026-27 season. Beckman is currently playing in the QMJHL Playoffs with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. He has gone undefeated in the postseason, recording an 8-0-0 record, .962 save percentage, and 0.75 goals-against average. The Sagueneens allowed the fewest goals against in the QMJHL this season.
Beckman was a major part of Chicoutimi’s league-best defense. He began the season with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar where he recorded a measly four wins and .905 save percentage in 23 games. That slow start, and a month-long absence due to injury, were enough to prompt Baie-Comeau to sell-high on Beckman before the QMJHL Trade Deadline. That move proved to benefit both sides, as Beckman quickly found his way into a key role for the Sagueneens. He recorded 13 wins and a .940 save percentage in 15 games with Chicoutimi to close out the season – and is now on one of the greatest playoff runs that the QMJHL has seen. Through QMJHL history, only four other goalies have posted undefeated records in at least eight playoff games. Detroit Red Wings prospect Rudy Guimond is the only to join Beckman in doing it this century. Beckman’s .962 save percentage is higher than any of his loss-less peers – as are his two shutouts.
The second-half of the season has ramped up excitement for Beckman’s future outlook. He recorded 31 wins and a .914 save percentage in 52 games with Baie-Comeau last season, playing through what was his first full season at the junior level. Beckman looked poised and confident all season long, flashing a great glove-side and strong ability to stay composed when facing a flurry of shots. His game was still in need of ironing out, which pushed Beckman to the 97th-overall pick in 2025 – a mark that some draft pundits still argued was too high. One year later, he seems to quickly be silencing doubters. An NHL entry-level contract will force the 18-year-old Beckman to either return to the QMJHL, or jump to the NHL, next season. Given his fortunes in Chicoutimi, and his lack of even 100 regular season games of QMJHL experience, a return to Quebec seems to be the likeliest outcome.
Lightning’s Victor Hedman Doubtful For First Round
Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman has not played since March 19th due to illness. He missed the final 15 games of the regular season and, despite returning to practice in the postseason, the first game of the Lightning’s first round matchup against the Montreal Canadiens. Head coach Jon Cooper provided a bit more clarity on Hedman’s timeline during Tuesday’s practice, specifying that Hedman is doubtful to play in the first round per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Tampa Bay also lost Charle-Edouard D’Astous to injury in Game 1.
This news will keep the Lightning blue-line hobbled through the rest of their matchup against the Canadiens. Tampa Bay rotated their top four defenders heavily in Game 1. The top-pair of J.J. Moser and Darren Raddysh played in 23 and 24 minutes of ice time respectively while the second-pair of Ryan McDonagh and Erik Cernak played 21 minutes. Raddysh and McDonagh both found their way onto the scoresheet but their efforts weren’t enough, and Tampa Bay ultimately dropped Game 1 by a score of 3-4.
That loss will put added pressure onto Tampa Bay’s blue-line next game. Hedman has had a challenging season – playing in only 33 games and scoring only 17 points due to various injuries and illnesses. Even then, his veteran presence is an essential part of the Lightning’s defense corps. Hedman scored 76 and 66 points in his previous two seasons respectively and leads all Bolts defenders with 50 points in 61 playoff games dating back to 2020. He would have been an integral part of this first round race. His absence places that weight onto Raddysh and Moser, two defenders who served minimal roles in the Lightning’s 2025 playoff run.
While the lights will be shining bright, both Raddysh and Moser proved their ability to stand up to the challenge throughout this season. Raddysh’s breakout season was marked by 70 points in 73 games, joining Hedman as the only defensemen in Lightning history to reach 70 points. Moser offered a strong, two-way game behind Raddysh – and played upwards of 27 minutes a night in support of the D-zone. Their stylistic chemistry – backed by Cup-winning experience in McDonagh and Cernak – should be enough for Tampa Bay to fortify their defensive end even without their captain in the lineup. If the weakened Lightning blue-line can push the team past Montreal, they could be due for an X-factor addition if Hedman returns to full health in the second round.
Meanwhile, Declan Carlile will make his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut in place of the injured D’Astous per NHL.com’s Benjamin Pierce. Carlile played in 42 NHL games this season, marking his first full year in the league after totaling four games over the last two seasons. He has recorded four points and 40 penalty minutes at the NHL level, and added 11 points and 27 penalty minutes in 16 AHL games this season. Carlile will likely suit up next to Lilleberg on a Lightning third-pair that is sure to be sheltered through the first round. In their minutes, Carlile and Lilleberg will have to combine to make up for the 29 points and team-leading 112 penalty minutes that D’Astous racked up as an NHL rookie this season.
Snapshots: Zuccarello, Arniel, Predators, Andrae, Johnston
The Wild found themselves without a key winger in the second game of their series tonight against Dallas. Before the game, the team announced (Twitter link) that Mats Zuccarello is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The 38-year-old finished third on the team in scoring this season despite missing 23 games, posting 15 goals and 39 assists in 18:39 per game of playing time. He had a productive start to the playoffs as well, notching three helpers in the opening game of the series but was injured late in the game. Bobby Brink, one of their trade deadline pickups, took Zuccarello’s place in the lineup.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- In his end-of-season press conference today (video link), Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff was asked about the future of head coach Scott Arniel. He ultimately didn’t give a definitive answer, citing the need to still meet with the coaching staff and continue to evaluate. Arniel has been Winnipeg’s head coach for two seasons now. The first one went quite well as they finished first overall but fell in the second round. However, this year, they were out of contention early and while they made a push late, they fell short of a Wild Card spot. That has led to some calls for some changes, including from star netminder Connor Hellebuyck, who lamented the team’s complacency. We won’t know for a while yet if one of those changes will be behind the bench.
- Predators outgoing GM Barry Trotz met the media today and noted to those in attendance, including team reporter Brooks Bratten (Twitter link), that he expects the roster to largely remain intact this summer. The hope is that doing so will allow them to get back to the playoffs as soon as possible after a late-season run came up a little short this year. The team appears to be making progress in its GM search so it will be interesting to see if the incoming manager feels the same way about the roster.
- The Flyers announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Emil Andrae is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The 24-year-old played in 61 games during the regular season, picking up 13 points along with 58 blocks and 68 hits in 15:20 per night of playing time. He played in the first game of their series against Pittsburgh but was limited to just 9:39 of ice time, his lowest TOI in more than a month. Veteran Noah Juulsen took Andrae’s spot on Philadelphia’s third pairing.
- Ducks winger Ross Johnston wasn’t in the lineup tonight in the series opener against Edmonton but is expected to play in this series, relays Derek Lee of The Hockey News (Twitter link). The 32-year-old has missed the last month with a lower-body injury, one that carried an expected recovery time of three to four weeks. Johnston had a career-high 14 points in 62 games this season with 107 penalty minutes and 192 hits, also a career-best.
Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag
The regular season has come to an end with half the league heading home and the other half in the playoffs. We’ve already seen some fallout from teams missing the postseason with more to follow while there have been some big performances in the early going of the playoffs as well.
With that in mind, it’s time to open up the mailbag once again. Our last call for questions yielded enough for three columns. The first included the future of Tom Fitzgerald in New Jersey, Edmonton’s trade deadline activity, and some discussion on insured contracts. In the second, among the topics were Darren Raddysh’s next contract, some young Rangers finishing strong, and Steve Yzerman’s future in Detroit. Lastly, the third took a tour around the Pacific Division, while captaincy candidates for St. Louis and what Washington can do to fix their roster were also discussed.
You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter/X or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run on the weekend.