Central Notes: Stars, Zuccarello, Honka
Dallas Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan updated the media on the status of multiple injured Stars players today. Star defenseman Miro Heiskanen did not skate today but that was only since it was a scheduled maintenance day – he will play in game five against the Minnesota Wild tomorrow. Nils Lundkvist, who suffered a deep facial laceration, won’t play tomorrow, but Gulutzan expressed optimism that he’d be back before the end of the series. Roope Hintz, who has been sidelined since March 8 with a lower-body injury, is progressing and skating on his own but doesn’t have an imminent expected return date.
With Lundkvist set to miss game five, the Stars will have to replace his spot in their lineup. He was partnered with Thomas Harley on Dallas’ second pairing. Gulutzan said the decision hasn’t been made as to who will take the open spot on the defense tonight. The Stars have three defensemen on their roster to choose from: right-shot blueliners Ilya Lyubushkin and Alexander Petrovic, and left-shot defenseman Kyle Capobianco. The front runner for the role is almost certainly Lyubushkin, a veteran of over 500 NHL games who got into 14 playoff games for Dallas last season.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Injured Wild forward Mats Zuccarello practiced with the team today, something that head coach John Hynes told the media was a “good sign” for his availability for game five, relays Joe Smith of The Athletic. Zuccarello has played in just one game of the Wild’s first-round series and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Also day-to-day is veteran Yakov Trenin, who was forced out of game two with an upper-body injury. Zuccarello, 38, is one of the Wild’s top offensive options while Trenin is a bottom-six staple.
- 2014 Dallas Stars first-round pick Julius Honka signed a contract with HC Ajoie of the Swiss National League, according to a team announcement. The signing will allow Honka to join his younger brother, former Carolina Hurricanes prospect Anttoni Honka, who was also the team’s top scorer. The older Honka brother played last season with the NL’s Rapperswil-Jona Lakers, and has been in the Swiss league since 2023. Honka last played in North America in 2020-21, for the AHL’s Texas Stars, and last appeared in the NHL with Dallas in 2018-19.
Snapshots: Garand, Team Canada, Poirier
The New York Rangers are likely to give young goaltender Dylan Garand the inside track to become the team’s backup netminder next season, reports Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic. Veteran Jonathan Quick has been the No. 2 on Broadway for the last three seasons, but has played his final NHL game. Garand, 23, has been waiting in the wings, and it appears he’ll be given a strong chance to win the role at training camp next fall. The former CHL Goalie of the Year has been the No. 1 goalie for the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack for the last three years, and went 2-0-1 with a .948 save percentage in his first three NHL games this year. Garand was an AHL All-Star in 2024-25 and his playoff performances have been especially impressive, as he has a .927 save percentage in 17 games across two runs.
While Garand does seem ready for the NHL, Mercogliano did also say that Rangers GM Chris Drury will most likely add “some level of veteran competition” for Garand. The Rangers already have veteran Spencer Martin (72 career NHL games played) under contract at a one-way, league-minimum rate for next season. But Martin struggled this season (.864 save percentage in six NHL games, .873 in 22 AHL games) and isn’t likely to be a part of their long-term plans. According to Mercogliano, Drury could add another veteran beyond just Martin, “either on a cheap, short-term deal or a professional tryout contract,” to compete with Garand.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Hockey Canada has secured some significant commitments for its roster for the upcoming IIHF Men’s World Championship tournament, reports Darren Dreger of TSN. According to Dreger, Macklin Celebrini, Mark Scheifele, Mathew Barzal, and Morgan Rielly have all committed, landing the team some significant names from the NHL. Additionally, potential 2026 No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna will be on the roster as well. McKenna isn’t the first top prospect to play for Canada at Worlds in his draft year. Porter Martone played for Canada at last year’s tournament before he was selected No. 6 overall, while Adam Fantilli won the tournament in 2023 just shortly before he was selected No. 3 overall. Joining the team will give McKenna the chance to compete against men, something his main rival to be picked No. 1, Sweden’s Ivar Stenberg, has been able to do all year playing for Frolunda in the SHL.
- Carolina Hurricanes prospect Justin Poirier has transferred from the University of Maine to Penn State, reports Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald. The 19-year-old ranks as the No. 7 prospect in the Hurricanes’ system, according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. The Hurricanes selected Poirier in the fifth round, No. 156 overall, at the 2024 draft. That was a somewhat surprising result for a player who scored 69 goals across 85 regular season and playoff contests in his draft year. Poirier was able to translate his QMJHL scoring to the college level, posting 18 goals and 29 points in 27 games for Maine. There will be big shoes for him to fill in the Nittany Lions attack, as the team’s top three scorers from last season will all be playing pro hockey in the fall. Additionally, Penn State’s fourth-highest scorer, J.J. Wiebusch, transferred to Wisconsin.
Nashville Predators Sign Vitali Pinchuk
Earlier today, agent Dan Milstein shared that his client, Vitali Pinchuk, had agreed to a one-year, entry-level contract with a mystery team. A few hours later, Milstein announced that the Nashville Predators had won the sweepstakes. The Predators confirmed the signing, though they didn’t release any financial details of the one-year pact. According to PuckPedia, the entry-level contract carries a $922,500 base salary, $102,500 signing bonus, $85K AHL salary, and $1MM in potential performance bonuses.
Pinchuk, 24, has been the topic of much speculation over the last two years. Despite going undrafted through his years of eligibility, the Belarusian has made quite a name for himself with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk. Last month, reports indicated that nearly every team, 29 in fact, had contacted Pinchuk’s representation about bringing him to North America.
His production speaks for itself. Over the last two years, Pinchuk has scored 56 goals and 109 points in 131 games, with an additional seven goals and 18 points in 19 postseason contests. It wasn’t enough to lead the league in scoring, but Pinchuk was the only under-25 player to finish top-10 in KHL scoring this past season.
Pinchuk stands at 6’3″, 203 lbs. He is overtly physical, but uses his larger frame to protect the puck. Still, he largely utilizes his offensive skill, which he has plenty of, to make the most impact.
Unless something unexpected happens, Pinchuk should begin the 2026-27 season on the Predators’ opening night roster. Still, depending on training camp and preseason play, he could use a month of seasoning with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, though the expectation is that he spends most of the year in Nashville.
Given his frame, he won’t be out of place starting on the third line. He has the offensive firepower to offer Nashville tertiary scoring immediately, and the team could easily move him up the lineup if he performs well. Still, the Predators will want to make some room for him, as they already have 14 forwards signed for next season (including Pinchuk) with others looking to crack the roster.
East Notes: Muller, Zadorov, Arvidsson
According to a team announcement, assistant coach Kirk Muller is moving on from the Washington Capitals this summer. Muller’s contract expires in a few months, and he will be pursuing other opportunities this summer.
In the announcement, General Manager of the Capitals, Chris Patrick, said, “Kirk has expressed his desire to explore other opportunities within the National Hockey League, and we respect and support his decision. We thank Kirk for his dedication, professionalism, and the many contributions he made during his three years with our organization. He is an experienced and highly respected coach whose work ethic, leadership, and commitment to player development had a meaningful impact on our team both on and off the ice. We wish him and his family all the best in the next chapter of his career.”
Muller began his professional coaching career ahead of the 2006-07 season as an assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens. He remained in that post until the 2011-12 season, when he took on the role as the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes until 2013-14. Since then, he has been in a supporting role, serving in assistant or associate capacities with the St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, Montreal, and Washington.
Additional notes from the Eastern Conference:
- The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced that Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov has been fined $5K, the maximum allowable, for cross-checking Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in Game 4. It was an expected, albeit underwhelming outcome. In yesterday’s contest, well after the whistle, Zadorov calmly skated up to Dahlin and delivered a cross-check to Dahlin’s back, which caused Zadorov’s stick to break. It’s hard to argue that there wasn’t intent to injure based on the video, making the NHL’s decision not to suspend him a bit perplexing.
- Regardless, it appears that Zadorov may be out for Game 5 anyway. According to Steve Conroy of The Boston Herald, Zadorov and winger Viktor Arvidsson are questionable for tomorrow’s contest. Zadorov has been playing through injury to start the postseason, and it seems that it has caught up with him. Additionally, Arvidsson suffered an upper-body injury in yesterday’s blowout loss after being hit by Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson.
Poll: Will Brady Tkachuk Be On The Senators Next Season?
After being eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in Round One of the Stanley Cup playoffs, speculation has already begun regarding Brady Tkachuk‘s future with the Ottawa Senators. Tkachuk is one year away from being eligible for an extension, and the Senators may look to capitalize before it’s too late.
Tkachuk, 26, is a known commodity at this point. Outside of this season, he has remained healthy over his entire career, despite playing a notorious crash-and-bang style of hockey. He’s become a consistent top-six scorer over the last five years, to boot, registering 153 goals and 338 points in 374 games, averaging 18:26 of ice time.
Additionally, as mentioned, he does what many top-six wingers fail to do: embrace the physicality of the game. Averaging 3.36 hits per game since debuting in the 2018-19 season, Tkachuk has never shied away from the fight, always looking for a way to give his team an edge wherever he can.
Still, like many of his teammates, Tkachuk was a ghost against the Hurricanes. It was a much different performance than last postseason, when Tkachuk tallied four goals and seven points in six games against the Toronto Maple Leafs, totalling 30 hits. This spring, he went scoreless in the series sweep with a -4 rating, finishing with 13 hits.
Although it was a second consecutive year that Ottawa made the postseason, many feel that the team took a step back, and with good reason. Due to inconsistent goaltending, the Senators finished one win short of last season and did not demonstrate much, if any, competitiveness in the playoffs.
That’s not to say it’s Tkachuk’s fault, but he is billed as the heart and soul of the team, which the organization showed very little of against Carolina. Furthermore, if he is unhappy in Canada’s capital and has his heart set on returning to the United States, it would make some sense for the Senators to trade him this offseason in an attempt to shake up the locker room and avoid losing him for nothing in a few years.
Regardless, it’s not something Ottawa necessarily needs to think about right now. Tkachuk is signed through the 2027-28 season, and it’s hard to imagine Tkachuk’s trade stock radically changing, especially if he’s willing to negotiate an extension with any interested club. He also has a full no-movement clause in his contract, which began this season, so the terms will be dictated by him, anyway.
Now it’s time for you to take the crystal ball. Will the Senators move on from Tkachuk this offseason to jump-start the team, or will they pursue other changes, like a coaching hire or other roster-related moves in the meantime before deciding on Tkachuk’s future after next season? Vote below!
Will Brady Tkachuk Be On The Senators Next Season?
Red Wings Could Trade J.T. Compher, Michael Rasmussen
Extending their playoff drought to 10 years this season, there are plenty of changes expected for the Detroit Red Wings this summer, particularly to the team’s bottom-six. Outside of letting a few of their pending unrestricted free agents walk, Max Bultman of The Athletic argues that J.T. Compher and Michael Rasmussen are candidates to be traded this summer.
Compher, 31, will be entering year four of a five-year, $25.5MM contract signed in Detroit ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. The Red Wings had already signed Andrew Copp the previous offseason, but he hadn’t (and still hasn’t by many metrics) become the second-line center that Detroit believed he would be.
At the time, the thought process was that Compher would continue his upward trajectory. He was coming off a solid year with the Colorado Avalanche, scoring 17 goals and 52 points in 82 games with a 48.8% success rate in the faceoff dot. Some will argue that since the Avalanche lost Nazem Kadri the year before, Compher was moved to the top six in Colorado based on circumstance and benefited from having stronger wingers next to him.
Nevertheless, that’s not necessarily accurate. The Avalanche faced numerous injuries during the 2022-23 season, leading to a fluid lineup on most nights. Still, Compher spent most of the year next to Andrew Cogliano and Logan O’Connor, not necessarily All-Star candidates.
He had a strong start to his tenure in Detroit, scoring 19 goals and 48 points in 77 games with a -5 rating, averaging 19:23 of ice time. However, since then, he has been absent on most nights, scoring 22 goals and 60 points in 158 games with a -20 rating, averaging 16:09 of ice time. He has a relatively solid 48.0% faceoff rate in that stretch, and starts most of his shifts in the defensive zone.
Meanwhile, Rasmussen has had a similar trajectory. He topped out with a 13-goal, 33-point performance in 75 games during the 2023-24 season, but hasn’t gotten close since. In the last two years, the former ninth overall selection has registered 17 goals and 35 points in 141 games, usually playing on Detroit’s third line.
Standing at 6’6″, 222 lbs, Rasmussen is definitely a big body to have toward the bottom of the forward corps, but has not turned into the reliable power forward the Red Wings thought he would become when they drafted him. He doesn’t have the defensive metrics to warrant him playing in big situations, and if he isn’t scoring 15-20 goals a year, there’s no real point to having him in the lineup on a nightly basis. Like Compher, Rasmussen is signed for the next two years, albeit for a smaller $3.2MM cap hit.
As to what the Red Wings will target is anyone’s guess. Compher does have some trade protection (10-team no-trade list), but it’s not an insurmountable hurdle. If Detroit’s primary goal is to unload contracts and replace them with younger players, the Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, and Vancouver Canucks may be interested in enhancing their bottom-six in the short term. However, the Devils would face significant financial constraints.
Additionally, the Red Wings could package both in a larger trade, along with other assets such as a prospect or two and their 2027 first-round pick, for a much larger splash. It’s not uncommon for teams to attach a veteran (Compher), a flyer (Rasmussen), and a prospect plus draft capital to get a trade over the line.
Montreal Canadiens Reassign David Reinbacher
After last night’s Game 4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Montreal Canadiens announced that they’ve reassigned defenseman David Reinbacher to the AHL’s Laval Rocket. The Rocket will begin the Division Semifinals against the Toronto Marlies on Wednesday.
Reinbacher, 21, was recalled with only a few games remaining in the regular season. The former fifth overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft debuted over that time, registering one assist in two games while averaging 13:09 of ice time. The Canadiens sheltered him quite a bit, as Reinbacher began 75.0% of his shifts in the offensive zone.
In the postseason, Montreal has expectedly relied on more veteran options. Even if the team experienced an injury or two, it was unlikely that they would have relied on Reinbacher in any meaningful capacity. The Canadiens are already without Noah Dobson for the time being, but have used depth defensemen Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj instead. Furthermore, Montreal still has youngster Adam Engstrom on the roster, who likely would have been the next man up.
If Laval is eliminated from the playoffs by the Marlies, or if the Canadiens suffer additional injuries on the blue line, then a case should be made for Reinbacher to return to the NHL as a Black Ace at the very least. He had a solid season in the AHL after recovering from injury, scoring five goals and 24 points in 57 games with a +18 rating.
Regardless, he’ll now help the Rocket defeat their North Division rivals. Since relocating to Laval ahead of the 2017-18 season, the Rocket have advanced to the Eastern Conference Final twice, losing to the Springfield Thunderbirds in 2022 and the Charlotte Checkers last year.
Evening Notes: Scott, Panarin, Foegele
According to John Shannon of Sportsnet, the Vancouver Canucks are interviewing Bill Scott, Assistant General Manager for the Edmonton Oilers, for their vacant General Manager position. As Shannon noted, Scott has already interviewed for the same position with the Nashville Predators.
Scott has been with the Oilers for a little over a decade. He began as the Assistant General Manager ahead of the 2014-15 season, before being promoted to the Director of Hockey Operations role two years later. He held that position for six seasons, specifically focusing on the Oilers’ salary cap.
There’s no word on whether any other candidate has an edge, but the organization must think somewhat highly of Scott if they’re willing to interview him. The Canucks have also been linked to former player Shane Doan, who is currently with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a special assistant to the General Manager. Additionally, Vancouver already has a capable in-house candidate in Ryan Johnson, who has received interest from other clubs.
Additional notes from this evening:
- There were ramifications to the Artemi Panarin trade now that the Los Angeles Kings have been eliminated from the postseason. According to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, since the Kings did not win a series, they will send their 2026 third-round pick to the New York Rangers. If they had miraculously ousted the Colorado Avalanche, the Rangers would have received Los Angeles’ second-round pick.
- The Rangers weren’t the only team affected by the Kings’ loss today. According to PuckPedia, since it is now confirmed that Los Angeles will finish lower than the Dallas Stars in the standings, the Senators will receive Dallas’ 2026 third-round pick in the Warren Foegele trade.
Oilers Starting Tristan Jarry In Game 4
There’s more chaos coming from one of the most chaotic series from Round One of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. According to a report from Sportsnet, the Edmonton Oilers are switching to Tristan Jarry for a pivotal Game 4 against the Anaheim Ducks.
Edmonton’s problems in the crease have become like a broken record for many following the NHL, and there’s been no shortage of drama in the opening round of the postseason. Although the Oilers have been scoring at a relatively high pace (as expected), netminder Connor Ingram has completely bottomed out, stopping only 79 of 93 shots (.849 SV%) while letting in 4.70 goals a game on average.
The Oilers are more than used to this reality by now. Edmonton hasn’t had competent goaltending for a few years now. Stuart Skinner showed flashes of brilliance during the 2023-24 season and helped the franchise reach its first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 2006. Despite a down regular season, the Oilers again reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2025, this time despite Skinner, who posted a .889 SV% in 15 postseason contests.
Back in December, when Edmonton acquired Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins, they thought he would be the answer. In their defense, Jarry was backstopping a resurgent Penguins organization, managing a 9-3-1 record in 13 starts with a .909 SV% and 2.66 GAA.
Then, like many other netminders, everything came apart in Alberta.
Including a stint on the injured reserve, Jarry was disastrous down the stretch with the Oilers, posting a 9-6-2 record in 16 games with a .857 SV%, 3.86 GAA, and an eye-popping -16.6 Goals Saved Above Average. That production, or lack thereof, forced Edmonton’s hand into running with Ingram for the last bit of the regular season and the first three games of the postseason.
Although the Oilers aren’t on the brink of elimination, this already feels like the last attempt to right the ship. If the Ducks get to Jarry, it’s hard to envision Edmonton having any confidence in going back to Ingram with how things have gone so far.
Anze Kopitar Officially Retires After 20 Seasons
April 26th: Kopitar’s career has officially ended following a four-game sweep by the Colorado Avalanche in Round One of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Slovenia-born center finishes his career with 452 goals and 1,316 points in 1,521 regular-season games. He retires first in games played for the Kings, first in assists, first in points, and third in goals. Additionally, Kopitar scored 27 goals and 89 points in 106 career playoff games, helping Los Angeles win two Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014.
Sept. 18th: Kings franchise center Anze Kopitar will retire following the 2025-26 campaign, he said in a press conference Thursday. He confirms what he alluded to last month as he enters the final season of the two-year, $14MM extension he signed in 2023.
It’s a trying day for L.A. sports fans, who also saw MLB’s Dodgers announce future Hall of Fame pitcher Clayton Kershaw will retire at the end of the 2025 campaign. “This will be my last year in the NHL,” Kopitar said. “[My family has] been by my side for 20 years. They now deserve a husband and a dad. I want to get this announcement out of the way now, so it’s not a distraction. I don’t want the attention on me. The moves we made made us better. I can’t wait to start.”
Like his baseball counterpart, Kopitar was a first-round pick by his club and spent his entire career in Los Angeles. The 11th overall pick of the 2005 draft from Sweden’s Södertälje SK wasn’t only the first player from Slovenia to be drafted in the first round, he was the first to even make his NHL debut when he arrived in North America one year later. He hit the ground running in 2006-07, breaking camp with the Kings and immediately stepping in as their top-line center with 61 points in 72 games while seeing north of 20 minutes per game as a rookie. That wasn’t enough to make him a Calder Trophy nominee in a stacked class that included Evgeni Malkin, Paul Stastny, and Jordan Staal, though.
That marked the beginning of what will be a 20-year career, one of the most consistent of its kind. Kopitar continued to flirt with the point per game mark in his second year, making the All-Star Game after tallying 77 points in 82 appearances. He spent a few years struggling to carry the burden of a Kings club that was exiting a rebuild, but after he made the playoffs for the first time in 2010, he finished top 15 in Selke Trophy voting for eight consecutive seasons, cementing himself alongside Patrice Bergeron as the best two-way forward of the 2010s.
While the Kings have had some star power in their lengthy franchise history, Wayne Gretzky notwithstanding, it was Kopitar who first managed to bring the Stanley Cup to Hollywood. The Kings advanced to three straight Western Conference Finals from 2012-14 and ended up converting those into championships on the first and last occasion. During that three-year run, Kopitar’s 188 points in 211 regular-season games ranked 12th in the league, and his +60 rating ranked ninth. No one had more playoff points than Kopitar’s 55 in 64 games during that span.
L.A. had rewarded Kopitar nicely coming off his entry-level deal, giving him a seven-year, $47.6MM commitment following his sophomore season. Before that deal was due to expire in the summer of 2016, the Kings extended him on his big payday – an eight-year, $80MM contract that coincided with him assuming the captaincy from Dustin Brown. While the Kings’ team success dipped in the latter half of the 2010s, that contract saw Kopitar have his career year in 2017-18. He posted a 35-57–92 scoring line in 82 games, remarkably his only time over the point-per-game threshold, with a +21 rating to take home his second Selke Trophy and finishing third in MVP voting, his highest-ever finish for the Hart.
Even as Kopitar enters his age-38 season, he remains an effective top-six center. The slow signs of decline are there, though. His 21 goals and 67 points in 81 games last season tied for his lowest output since 2019, and his usage has ‘dwindled’ to a few ticks under 19 minutes per game. He’s still one of the league’s best faceoff men, winning 57.2% of his draws last year, and has continued to rattle off four consecutive top-10 Selke finishes. One noticeable dropoff is his willingness to deliver and take contact. While never an overtly physical center, he recorded a career-low 31 hits in 2024-25. The tradeoff is durability – he’s only missed four games in the last eight seasons.
Those hoping for Kopitar to be a part of the Kings’ bench or front office next year will be disappointed. He’s planning on moving his family back to Slovenia after the season ends and isn’t leaving the door open to change his mind on retirement, he told Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period. Nonetheless, he’ll retire sitting right alongside Gretzky, Marcel Dionne, and Luc Robitaille as the most impactful players in franchise history, and he’s the only one to spend his entire career in California. His 1,278 career points rank second in franchise history behind Dionne’s 1,307, so he’ll end up as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer barring a highly disappointing sendoff campaign. With two Cups, two Selkes, and likely over 1,300 career points when all is said and done, he’s a virtual lock to be inducted into the Hall of Fame when he’s eligible in the class of 2029.
Kopitar now looks to deliver at least a playoff series win in his final season, something the Kings haven’t accomplished since winning the Cup 11 years ago. He’ll do so as his successor as the club’s leading offensive producer, winger Adrian Kempe, is also a pending unrestricted free agent.
All of us at PHR congratulate Kopitar on a spectacular career.
Image courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images.