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.
Sonny Milano Linked To Swiss League
From a health perspective, this has been a good year for Capitals winger Sonny Milano. However, he’s currently in the minors playing for Hershey, an outcome he likely wasn’t expecting coming into the season. The pending UFA appears to be eyeing a change of scenery for 2026-27 as Watson’s Klaus Zaugg reports that Milano is expected to sign with SC Bern in Switzerland.
The 29-year-old missed the majority of last season with an upper-body injury. He attempted to come back from it but suffered a setback, one that put the beginning of 2025-26 in jeopardy. However, he was able to play at the start of the year and made Washington’s roster out of training camp.
While Milano played regularly in the first week of the year, playing time started to become more sporadic after that as he spent considerable time as a scratch. Then, following the Olympic break, he lost his roster spot and cleared waivers, paving the way for him to join Hershey for his first taste of action in the minors since a 2022-23 conditioning stint.
Milano played in 31 games for the Capitals this season, picking up four goals and four assists while playing just 8:53 per night. He has played almost exclusively in the bottom six over his four years with Washington although he still managed 15 goals in 2023-24 in spite of his limited usage. Meanwhile, he has been productive with the Bears, tallying 13 points in 16 games. He’ll still be playing for the time being with Hershey beginning a best-of-three playoff series versus Bridgeport on Tuesday.
Given Milano’s last couple of years and the fact that he had a hard time securing a contract in free agency in 2022, he profiles as more of a PTO candidate if he decides to test the open market this summer. Instead, it appears he’ll bypass doing that and lock down a top role in the Swiss league to continue his career.
Oilers Activate Leon Draisaitl Off LTIR
The Oilers will indeed welcome back one of their top players as their first-round series against Anaheim gets underway tonight. The team announced (Twitter link) that they have activated forward Leon Draisaitl off long-term injured reserve.
The 30-year-old has been sidelined since mid-March due to a lower-body injury. He briefly flew to Germany to be assessed and at that time, it was noted that the hope was that he’d be back at some point in the first round. He’ll beat that by being ready for the start of the series.
Draisaitl finished just shy of the 100-point mark this season, snapping a streak of four straight years at that threshold. However, he still managed 35 goals and 62 assists in 65 appearances with his 1.49 points per game mark matching what he put up in 2024-25.
Draisaitl has been especially productive in the playoffs in recent years which certainly bodes well for Edmonton. Last year, he led all players in postseason points with 33; he has surpassed the 30-point mark in three of the last four years. That extra firepower will certainly make their lineup that much more dangerous.
With Jason Dickinson expected to be available tonight, this should be the first game all season that the Oilers have had their fully healthy lineup. We’ll soon find out if that’s enough to give them a boost in the opener against the Ducks.
Wild Recall Seven Players
The Minnesota Wild have stocked their cupboard of black aces as Game 2 of the first round approaches. Minnesota has recalled forwards Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Hunter Haight, and Ben Jones; defensemen Carson Lambos and David Spacek; and goaltenders Riley Mercer and Chase Wutzke from the AHL per Michael Russo of The Athletic. The cohort will move to the NHL after the AHL’s Iowa Wild missed out on the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs.
The trio of forwards were the only ones to score multiple points in the NHL this season. Jones filled a routine role on Minnesota’s fourth line. He racked up three points while playing a career-high 28 NHL games, and added 32 points in 37 AHL games. Aube-Kubel and Haight spent the bulk of their seasons in the minors. Both scored two points in six and nine games, respectively. Aube-Kubel also filled a major presence in the AHL, where his 15 goals and 37 points in 62 games ranked second on Iowa in scoring. He was a main puck-mover for the minor-league Wild. Haight filled a more well-rounded role en route to 18 goals and 32 points in 54 games. He was a depth defensive center for Minnesota through a series of injury-related recalls. All three players will bring familiarity with Minnesota’s bottom six to the playoff race, but still aren’t likely to step into the lineup without an injury higher up on the depth chart.
Spacek was also a notable member of Iowa this season. He led the defense in scoring with 36 points in 59 games. It was a notable step forward for the third-year pro, marked by Spacek looking noticeably more confident on both sides of the puck. The 23-year-old also played the first two NHL games of his career this season, but managed no scoring and a minus-one. Even with limited experience, Spacek could have a leg up on former first-round pick Lambos, who only reached 19 points in 70 AHL games this season. Lambos also made his NHL debut this season, and recorded a plus-one, but he was quickly sent back to the minor leagues.
While the quartet of skaters size up their NHL experience, the pair of goalie call-ups will prepare for their first chance to make an impact on the Minnesota roster. Neither Mercer nor Wutzke played in the NHL this season. In fact, the duo only combined for nine AHL games on the year. Mercer spent the bulk of the year starting for the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders, where he posted 14 wins and a .892 save percentage in 40 games. He tacked on four wins and a .899 Sv% in eight AHL games. Wutzke moved to the AHL following the end of his fifth season in the WHL earlier this year. He racked up 16 wins and a .898 Sv% across 47 games in the WHL, then allowed six goals on 37 shots in his AHL debut. The duo aren’t likely to be called upon unless absolutely necessary but bring just enough experience to help Minnesota shore up their postseason depth chart.
Minnesota took Game 1 against the Dallas Stars by a confident 6-1 score. Their lineup fired on all cylinders, spurred along by the performance of their star scorers. They will look to repeat that feat in Monday night’s Game 2, with a few more faces watching from the press box.
Latest On Predators GM Search
It has been four months since the Nashville Predators announced general manager Barry Trotz‘s plans to step down from his role this summer. They have been in the thick of a search for a replacement ever since, building up a long list of candidates along the way. That list is expected to continue growing with the NHL regular season now wrapped up, which allows Nashville the chance to speak with candidates that they did not have immediate permission to interview per hockey insider Frank Seravalli.
The influx of options after the end of the season has helped Nashville begin checking names off of their list. Internal candidates Jeff Kealty and Scott Nichol, both currently assistant GMs with Nashville, have been informed they are no longer candidates according to Seravalli. That means the Predators’ next GM will likely come from outside of the organization, putting much more focus on the team’s upcoming interviews. That importance is clear to the Predators’ ownership. Minority owner and record-holding college football coach Nick Saban has even sat in on some interviews, adds Seravalli.
Through early interviews, three candidates have emerged above the rest. Edmonton Oilers AGM Bill Scott, Florida Panthers AGM Brett Peterson, and Dallas Stars AGM Scott White have each had multiple in-person interviews for the role according to Seravalli.
Scott handles the Oilers’ day-to-day cap management and contract negotiations with players and staff. He was a minor-league GM for four years before joining the Oilers, with a focus on interpreting the league’s by-laws and collective bargaining agreement. Scott now serves as the Oilers’ liaison to the NHL for any matters related to the CBA.
Peterson was vice president of the Wasserman Media Group before joining the Panthers’ staff in 2020. During his own playing days, Peterson – a member of the 2001 National Championship-winning Boston College Eagles – was represented by current Panthers GM Bill Zito. That connection eventually transformed into a role in Florida’s front office, where Peterson offers expertise in roster and cap management. He was also named the GM of Team USA for the 2026 World Championship.
White handles GM duties of the AHL’s Texas Stars and also serves as Dallas’ Director of Hockey Operations. He has been with the Stars since 2005, took over GM duties for the AHL’s Stars in 2009, and became an NHL AGM in 2016. In that time, White has overseen a Texas Stars team that won the 2014 Calder Cup and finished as runner-ups in 2010 and 2018. In total, the AHL Stars have made 12 of a possible 15 postseasons since White took over management duties – excluding the cancelled 2020 postseason. He also brings a key focus on roster management, a trait that seems to be a major focal point of Nashville’s GM search.
The Predators also spoke with New York Rangers AGM Ryan Martin, a veteran of NHL front offices who began his career with the Detroit Red Wings in 2005. Martin was Detroit’s Director of Hockey Administration during their 2008 Stanley Cup win, then led the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins to Calder Cup Championships as their GM in 2013 and 2017. He also supported the USA World Junior Championship roster as a scout for their 2021 Gold Medal win. Martin
Despite a trio of candidates rising to the top, the Predators’ next GM may not have had their first interview just yet. Nashville plans to interview former New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald later this week. Fitzgerald was named the first captain in Predators’ history in 1998. He held the honor for four seasons and was leaned on as a defensive-winger during his time with Nashville. He moved on in 2002 and retired from playing in 2006.
Fitzgerald’s managerial career began in a player development role with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the following season. He was promoted to AGM in 2009 and held onto the role for six years, leaving right before the club won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. While his old club sized rings, Fitzgerald moved to an AGM role with the Devils, a position he would be promoted from partway through the 2019-20 season. The Devils made two of a possible six postseasons under Fitzgerald’s reign. Questions around his ability to make meaningful changes and upgrades to the roster boiled to the surface, though experience in the Predators’ organization and an already-established prospect pool could be enough to put him on the right track in his second GM role.
If not Fitzgerald, the Predators could also move forward with former Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin or Boston Bruins AGM Jamie Langenbrunner per Pagnotta. Those names will round out a lengthy shortlist for Nashville’s open GM chair. Their options include years of GM experience, assistants on the rise, and innovative and stat-driven thinkers. It doesn’t seem the Predators will be in much of a rush to make their decision, with interviews still on the schedule and the Stanley Cup Playoffs yet to play out. On the other side of the postseason, Nashville will face a choice that will define the club’s future through the 2020s.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports.
Lineup Notes: Zub, Kleven, Hyry, Hintz, Bunting, D’Astous
The Senators won’t see defenseman Tyler Kleven step back into the lineup tonight as they try to even their first-round series against the Hurricanes at one apiece. Despite shedding his non-contact jersey in this morning’s practice, he’s not quite ready to go and won’t dress, head coach Travis Green told reporters (including Alex Adams of Sportsnet). And, although Artem Zub didn’t take the ice this morning after leaving Game 1 with an apparent mid-body injury, he’ll be a game-time decision, Green said. In the event Zub can’t go, it’ll be Lassi Thomson stepping in on the right side to replace him, per Graeme Nichols of The Hockey News. Nikolas Matinpalo, who had started on the third pairing with Dennis Gilbert in Game 1, will get the elevation to top-pair minutes to serve as Jake Sanderson‘s shutdown complement in place of Zub. It would be the playoff debut for Thomson, a 2019 first-round pick who had three assists and a +3 rating in 11 games in the regular season.
More from around the league ahead of Game 2s kicking off tonight:
- The Stars are making one lineup change after being throttled at home by the Wild in Game 1, Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports reports. Rookie Arttu Hyry will make his playoff debut, stepping into center the third line as the deck gets shuffled. Adam Erne, who had a -1 rating and two hits in 8:07 of ice time as the team’s fourth-line left wing, is headed to the press box. Star center Roope Hintz stays out as expected; he’d been previously ruled out for Games 1 and 2 and was ruled out for Game 3 as well by head coach Glen Gulutzan today (via Michael Russo of The Athletic). Perhaps the more notable absence, given the circumstances, is trade-deadline pickup Michael Bunting. The winger will serve as a healthy scratch for the second game in a row tonight after missing time with a lower-body injury down the stretch. He had just two points and a -7 rating in 13 games for Dallas when healthy after his acquisition from the Predators. He does have five points in 13 career playoff games, all with the Maple Leafs in 2022 and 2023.
- The injury bug hovered around the Lightning all season long. It’s not stopping now. After being checked by a pair of Canadiens forwards in yesterday’s Game 1 and ultimately leaving the contest, defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous is doubtful to step back in for Game 2, head coach Jon Cooper said today (via Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times). He said he hasn’t decided whether Declan Carlile or Maxwell Crozier will be elevated as his replacement, but considering he only mentioned those two by name, it’s a fair guess that captain Victor Hedman will remain out on personal leave as well. D’Astous, 28 tomorrow, had 29 points and a whopping 112 penalty minutes in 70 regular-season games for Tampa as a rookie.
Maple Leafs Have Interviewed Scott White For GM Position
The Maple Leafs have spoken to Stars assistant general manager Scott White to fill their open GM position, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Monday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.
He’s one of many candidates Toronto has talked with in its efforts to succeed Brad Treliving at the top of its front office. Among those names are Islanders AGM Ryan Bowness and Sunny Mehta, who has since landed with the Devils as their GM. There have been varying degrees of speculation linking them to virtually all the other AGM-type candidates on the market as well.
In terms of the level of experience for a first-time GM candidate, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one with more on their resume than White. The 58-year-old has talked to numerous teams over the years but has remained in Dallas, where he began his executive career back in the 2005 lockout.
He was initially brought on by their AHL affiliate, then located in Iowa, as their director of hockey operations after amassing some NCAA and ECHL coaching experience. He was promoted to the NHL staff a few years later while taking on the role of AHL GM, a title he holds to this day for the Texas Stars.
White is also on the Predators’ radar and could easily get a call from the Canucks regarding their new vacancy in the coming days as well. With Nashville looking to wrap up its process in the next week or so, the Leafs may have to make a decision quickly if they decide White is at the top of their list.
Islanders Hire Cory Schneider As AHL Goalie Coach
The Islanders have brought in Cory Schneider as the goaltending coach for their AHL affiliate, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports. He’s currently with the club in Bridgeport but will presumably follow them as the Isles relocate their top feeder club to Hamilton, Ontario, next season.
Schneider, who ended his playing career in Bridgeport, has largely stuck to TV and broadcasting work since his retirement in 2023. He spent three seasons as the Islanders’ third-stringer and AHL starter from 2020-23, making his final NHL start in April 2022. He hasn’t held a staff role since.
Bridgeport had gone without a dedicated goalie coach for much of this season. Sergei Naumov, previously Ilya Sorokin‘s goalie coach in Russia with CSKA Moscow, had held the role since the beginning of last season but was promoted to the NHL bench back in October. The position had remained open until now.
While injuries limited Schneider’s effectiveness at the end, the 40-year-old was briefly one of the league’s most dominant goaltenders. He received both Hart and Vezina trophy consideration in 2016, capping off a ridiculous six-year stretch to begin his career in which he posted a save percentage above .920 each time for the Canucks and Devils, although he only started 50-plus games twice in that span. He was an average starting option at best following that, though, and retired with a .918 SV%, 2.43 GAA, and 171-159-58 record in 410 career appearances.
Now, the Massachusetts native will play a key role in the development of the Islanders’ next wave between the pipes to support Sorokin. They’re not overflowing with high-end prospects, especially stateside, but did recently ink Augustana University standout Josh Kotai to an entry-level deal. With few other intriguing options on the horizon, he could take over as the Isles’ #3 next season without any external additions and be the first real test for Schneider’s coaching skills.
Capitals’ Rasmus Sandin Will Miss Start Of 2026-27 With Knee Injury
The Capitals will not have defenseman Rasmus Sandin available at the start of next season due to the right knee injury he sustained at the tail end of the regular season, general manager Chris Patrick told reporters today (including Tom Gulitti of NHL.com). His absence will be significant enough to “impact their offseason planning,” Patrick said, so a quick return later into October may not be in the cards, either.
That means Sandin is looking at a recovery timeline in the six-month range as a best-case scenario. During last week’s locker cleanout, Sandin said that he could walk under his own power with a brace but had “quite a bit of rehab” ahead of him this summer. That implied he wasn’t anticipating surgery being required, but after additional evaluation, such a lengthy timeline up front suggests they’ve gone in another direction.
Washington’s defense is in flux for next season, particularly on the right side. They sent longtime #1 John Carlson to the Ducks at the trade deadline and have Timothy Liljegren and Trevor van Riemsdyk hurtling toward unrestricted free agency this summer. That leaves Matt Roy as the only everyday right-shot option signed through next season, alongside press-box fixture Dylan McIlrath. Sandin, of course, is a lefty, but played a fair amount on his offside for Washington this season and stood out as a stopgap option to shift over to make room for rookie Cole Hutson in the Caps’ top four.
That won’t be an option, at least for the first several weeks of the campaign. Perhaps the urgency to re-sign Liljegren will be turned up. As the Caps considered shopping van Riemsdyk at the trade deadline, it became apparent they didn’t expect to extend him, though Sandin’s status could change their minds.
Sandin just wrapped up year two of the five-year, $23MM extension he signed with Washington in 2024. Acquired from the Maple Leafs the year prior, he’s now averaged over 20 minutes per game across 202 regular-season contests for the Caps with a 15-82–97 scoring line and a -4 rating. He’s coming off a 2025-26 campaign that saw him finish third among Caps defensemen in points (29), fourth in shots on goal (90), third in blocks (127), and third in hits (88). He didn’t see a ton of special teams deployment, but is a fine stopgap on a second-unit power play or penalty kill.
That’s a notable hole to fill for a Washington team intent on returning to playoff contention next season. A reunion with Carlson seems unlikely given how abrupt his tenure ended in March, but other high-powered right-shot options like Rasmus Andersson and Darren Raddysh are still ticketed to hit the open market this summer. With over $36MM in cap space for next season and Connor McMichael sitting as their only pending restricted free agent set to really cash in, they’ll have the flexibility to compete with any offer.