Blues Sign Will Cranley To One-Year Extension
The St. Louis Blues have signed goaltender Will Cranley to a one-year, two-way contract extension. Cranley spent last season as the third-string netminder for the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. He has slowly risen the ranks of the pro circuit since making his ECHL debut in 2023, three years after the Blues selected him in the sixth-round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
Cranley racked up six wins and a .892 save percentage in 10 AHL games last season. He posted much more encouraging numbers in the ECHL, where he totaled 14 wins and a .915 Sv% in 18 games during the regular season. Despite those strong numbers, Cranley was not included in Florida’s race to the ECHL’s Eastern Conference Finals. While that limited his postseason appearances to part of one start with Springfield, it also served as a small bode of confidence in Cranley’s spot in the AHL.
After racking up 34 wins and a .896 save percentage in 74 career ECHL games, Cranley seems well-set for a full-time promotion next season. He will compete with Vadim Zherenko and Georgi Romanov for starts in Springfield’s crease. Zherenko posted the best statline of the bunch last season, with 17 wins and a .902 Sv% in 42 games. Romanov recorded nine wins and a .896 Sv% in 28 games. His numbers should be surmountable for the 24-year-old Cranley, though Zherenko appears set to hold onto the starting role for the foreseeable future.
Lightning Acquire Rights To Jack Pridham
The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired the rights of forward prospect Jack Pridham from the Chicago Blackhawks. The 20-year-old Pridham was not expected to sign with Chicago before the 5 P.M. deadline on June 1st, which would have terminated Chicago’s holds over his player rights after a third-round selection in 2024. Tampa Bay has sent a 2027 third-round pick back to Chicago in exchange for Pridham’s rights.
Additionally, the Lightning announced that Pridham will announce an NCAA commitment in the coming days, which will extend his NHL rights until his graduation or departure from school. That will give Tampa Bay plenty of time to decide if they would like to ink Pridham to an entry-level deal. The young forward was previously committed to Boston University; a commitment that he has since rescinded.
Pridham took home the CHL’s Memorial Cup with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers on the eve of his trade to Tampa Bay. He was a true star for Kitchener all season long, racking up a team-leading 46 goals and 90 points in 65 regular season games. That dominance continued into the postseason, when Pridham totaled 17 points in 18 games – fourth-most on the team. The performance was an exciting step forward after Pridham’s OHL debut last season. He scored 54 points, split evenly, in 48 games of his first OHL season after spending just over one season in the BCHL.
The young forward has long used his strong, 6-foot-2 frame to battle for space and protect the puck. This season, he added an encouraging layer of speed to his game, and found more space operating off of stellar additions to the Rangers lineup, including fellow Bolts prospect Sam O’Reilly, who won the OHL’s regular-season MVP, playoffs MVP, and Memorial Cup MVP. The two-way center, and two-time Memorial Cup-winner, put in a lot of the hard-work needed to open space for scorers like Pridham.
Now, Tampa Bay will hope the duo can one day rediscover their spark in the NHL. First, Pridham will pursue a career in college hockey. He will stand as, perhaps, the top available recruit and could be a strong addition to the Boston circuit, Big Ten, or a trailblazer in the NCHC. Pridham is the son of former Toronto Maple Leafs’ assistant general manager Brandon Pridham. That NHL experience should drive the younger Pridham towards big goals, though his ability to reach them will be rooted in his ability to keep the scoring rolling through a step up in competition next season.
Devils Sign Anton Silayev
The New Jersey Devils will have one more first-round pick in their system next season. Defenseman Anton Silayev is has signed his entry-level contract following his third season in Russia’s KHL. The news was originally shared by Artur Khairullin of Russian news site Sport-Express. The 6-foot-7 defender was selected 10th-overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. He will be the last of 2024’s top 15 to sign his entry-level contract when he puts pen to paper.
Silayev has had a sure role with the KHL’s Torpedo Novgorod since the 2022-23 season, when he led the team’s junior affiliate to a junior league championship. Even in his age-17 season, Silayev’s size, smooth skating, and stick checks proved tough for opponents to beat. Those advantages earned him a full-time role in the KHL during his draft season in 2023-24. Silayev had ups-and-downs as a KHL rookie. Never the scorer, he racked up only 11 points in 63 regular season games. More glaring were the amount of times that Silayev got turned around by top-tier competition – though his aggression in board battles and ability to move the puck still warranted a top pick come draft day.
Silayev has spent the last two seasons ironing out the gaps from his age-18 season. He climbed to 12 points in 63 games of the 2024-25 season, then joined the Torpedo’s minor-league club for the postseason en route to a league championship. He contributed two points to 17 games of the 2025 VHL playoffs. Surprisingly, Silayev’s routinely-low offense turned downwards this year. He finished the 2025-26 KHL season with just three points in 61 games. Much of that diminished scoring came from Silayev’s struggles to spark the breakout in the same way he had in prior years – casting a shadow over his clear improvements on either end of the ice. Following their elimination from the Gagarin Cup playoffs, Torpedo finished Silayev’s season with a brief assignment to Russia’s junior-league playoffs, where he scored two points in four games while standing as one of only 20 defensemen age-20 or older in the junior postseason.
A down year in Russia will be followed by a major opportunity for one of New Jersey’s top prospects. Silayev will likely step into a top role in the AHL, where his big frame and puck-moving abilities could quickly stand out. He could also be a candidate to break camp with the Devils to begin the 2026-27 season – if the club finds a way to use his unique style and size in a depth role while he finds his stride. Either way, an entry-level contract will give Devils fans another player to watch close once training camp kicks off.
Flyers Sign Ilya Pautov To Entry-Level Deal
The Philadelphia Flyers have put pen to paper with a 2024 sixth-round pick. Elusive winger Ilya Pautov has signed a three-year, entry-level contract after playing through his first season in Russia’s pro ranks. Pautov joins Jack Berglund, Spencer Gill, Jett Luchanko, and Noah Powell as the members of Philadelphia’s 2024 class to sign their first NHL contracts.
Pautov, 20, rotated between Russia’s minor-pro league, the VHL, and their junior league, the MHL, for much of the season. He continued his trend of routine scoring in the MHL, marked by 23 points in 30 games across the full season, but struggled to bring that production ot the pro flight. Averaging bottom-six minutes throughout the season, Pautov managed just five points in 25 VHL games.
Luckily, his days as a junior scorer extend beyond this season. Pautov posted 45 points in each of the last two seasons, through 46 and 52 games respectively. He is a standout play-driver who turns the jets on after receiving a breakout pass and often finds his points on the fast-break. Pautov has struggled to stay active when play slows down on either end, though his lightning-quick hands and strong lateral skating give him the upper-hand in one-on-one situations.
A move to North America will mark a chance for Pautov to rediscover his scoring spark somewhere else. More importantly, it will mark a chance for the 5-foot-10 winger to build out his 165-pound frame with some pro muscle. A bit more size, and oomph, would go far in transforming Pautov from a nimble stickhandler into a true driver who can serve as the motor of a pro offense. That will be the role Philadelphia hopes to see as Pautov heads for a bottom-six role in the AHL, or potentially a brief tenure in the ECHL, as he faces the uphill jump of moving from the Russian minor-league to the North American circuit.
Maple Leafs Hire Judd Brackett, Freddie Hamilton
The Minnesota Wild will lose a core piece of their scouting room before the NHL Draft. Director of Amateur Scouting Judd Brackett has left the club for an assistant general manager position with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The news was originally reported by Michael Russo of The Athletic. Brackett was previously granted permission to speak with the Toronto Maple Leafs regarding an assistant general manager position per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Brackett has built a strong reputation across USA Hockey – one honed since his move to the Minnesota Wild in 2020. He holds a strong voice in the Wild’s draft and prospect development conversations and played a role in the team’s connection to promising draft picks like Zeev Buium, Charlie Stramel, and Adam Benak.
Before his time with the Wild, Brackett spent seven seasons as an amateur scout and five seasons as Director of Amateur Scouting with the Vancouver Canucks. He was, again, a strong voice in the rooms that drafted Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser, and Thatcher Demko. Brackett was also a strong advocate for the 2019 U.S. National Team Development Program that produced Jack Hughes, Cole Caufield, Matt Boldy, and Trevor Zegras – though none found a home in Vancouver.
His accolades with USA Hockey extend beyond recognizing strong, NTDP talent. He was a scout for Team USA’s 2024, 2025, and 2026 World Junior Championship rosters. The Americans won Gold in two of those tournaments but fell to Finland in the quarterfinals this year. He also won a QMJHL championship in 2008 and two USHL Clark Cups in 2009 and 2014.
A step up in the hierarchy seems well-timed on the other side of Brackett’s sixth year with the Wild. His insight could be the final push needed to encourage Toronto to draft perennial star Gavin McKenna, or begin honing in coverage of a loaded 2027 draft class.
The Maple Leafs have also hired Freddie Hamilton as their Chief of Staff. Hamilton, the brother of New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton, earned his MBA from Yale University and began a career in private equity following the end of his playing career in 2018. The former San Jose Sharks draft pick will now turn his focus back to hockey in a role that will support Toronto’s strategic initiatives and alignment within the hockey operations department. Hamilton totaled 75 games and six points in his NHL career, spanning tenures with the Sharks, Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, and Arizona Coyotes.
Evening Notes: Carle, Berube, Drury
University of Denver head coach David Carle has taken himself out of the Maple Leafs’ coaching search. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported Sunday that Carle and the Leafs’ brass had a pleasant conversation early in the process, but that he politely declined an invitation to formally interview for the vacancy. The report puts an end to a weekend of speculation that had grown rampant enough for multiple insiders to step in and tamp it down, with TSN’s Chris Johnston noting there was “no smoke” to the rumors circulating online.
Carle has long been one of the most coveted coaching candidates outside the NHL for good reason. He has led Denver to three national championships in the last five years, the most recent this past April, and coached the United States to back-to-back World Junior golds in 2024 and 2025, then signed a multi-year extension with the Pioneers last May. He has been contacted by NHL clubs before and has consistently opted to remain in the college ranks. For Toronto, it closes the door on a name that had dominated the conversation and sends GM John Chayka and senior adviser Mats Sundin back to the rest of their list as the search continues.
Additional Notes
- Craig Berube, fired by Toronto after two seasons, has completed his formal interview with the Edmonton Oilers, who are looking to replace Kris Knoblauch, as reported by David Pagnotta with The Fourth Period. It is anticipated the Los Angeles Kings could be next in line. L.A. has been searching for a permanent bench boss since dismissing Jim Hiller on March 1 and naming D.J. Smith interim.
- In the latest from Denver Gazzettes Evan Rawall, pending RFA Jack Drury has been seeking around $3 million per year on his next deal. He posted a career high with 10 goals and tied his career high with 27 points in 82 games while winning 58.1% of his faceoffs. He is a quality bottom-six center and Colorado’s best faceoff man, so any decision comes down to cost with the Avalanche carrying under $3 million in projected cap space and a Cale Makar extension atop the priority list.
Free Agent Focus: Dallas Stars
Free agency is just over a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. Even with the UFA crop being thinned out in recent months, there will be some quality veterans set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Stars.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Jason Robertson – Robertson is the domino that dictates everything else Dallas does this offseason. An elite top-line winger coming off a great year, he posted 45 goals and 96 points in 82 games this past season. Robertson leaned heavily on the power play, where 41 of his points were generated, and logged a career-high in ice time around 20:15 per game. The catch is the price tag. His next deal is projected to land among the league’s top winger comparables, with most reports pointing toward something near $12MM annually. Re-signing him is priority one, but fitting that number under the cap is the entire puzzle.
C Mavrik Bourque – After a quiet rookie year with 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 73 games spent largely getting shuttled around the bottom six, Bourque roughly doubled his output to about 20 goals and 41 points in 82 games, finishing seventh on the team in scoring. The trend line is the selling point. He closed with nine goals and 19 points in 25 games while averaging 19 minutes a night after the Olympic break, the kind of usage-plus-production combination that suggests the role is finally catching up to the pedigree (Bourque was the 2024 AHL MVP and scoring champion). On an expiring $950K deal, he’s drawn mention as a realistic offer-sheet target, but a modest bridge contract is the likely outcome, and a strong value for a cap-strapped team.
Other RFAs: F Arttu Hyry, F Antonio Stranges, F Samu Tuomaala, F Matthew Seminoff, F Kyle McDonald, F Chase Wheatcroft, F Scott Harrison, D Vladislav Kolyachonok, D Jeremie Poirier, D Luke Krys, G Benjamin Kraws
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Jamie Benn – The Dallas captain of 13 years is no longer a focal point of the offense, though he remains a leadership presence that the Stars may be reluctant to move on from. The 36-year-old put up 15 goals and 36 points in 60 games, a respectable depth-scoring line for his age but a clear step down in volume, due in part to opening the season on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury. He’s been on a string of short, team-friendly deals, and his future remains unresolved; even a discounted contract would cut further into Dallas’s limited cap space. The angle here is sentiment and leadership weighed against a tight budget. AFP Analytics projects a one-year deal in the $1.3MM range, roughly the discount required for a reunion to make sense.
F Michael Bunting – A trade-deadline pickup whose Dallas tenure is a small sample. Acquired from Nashville in early March for a 2026 third-round pick, Bunting had posted 31 points (13 goals, 18 assists) in 61 games with the Predators before the deal, finishing the full season around 14 goals and 33 points in 74 games between the two stops. He’s a complementary middle-sixer who chips in power-play offense, roughly 10 of his points came on the man advantage, and a bit of grit, though his minus-24 rating is an eyesore. At 30, he’s the type of depth piece a cap-conscious team might let walk in favor of a cheaper option, making his return no sure thing. Notably, AFP Analytics is far more bullish, projecting a four-year deal near $5.8MM annually which, if accurate, would almost certainly price Dallas out and reframe him as a cap-casualty departure rather than a re-sign candidate.
F Nathan Bastian – A late-summer depth signing whose first year in Dallas was a quiet one. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound winger was brought in for size and physicality, he’d piled up 138 hits in 59 games with New Jersey the year before, but a limited role, a handful of healthy scratches, and a hand injury down the stretch held him to just three goals and three points in 24 games. His value was never about offense; he’s a heavy, penalty-killing fourth-liner (over 135 hits in four of his five full NHL seasons) who fits the Stars’ stated aim of getting bigger and harder to play against.
F Adam Erne – The feel-good depth case rather than a numbers case. Erne earned his first NHL contract in two years off a professional tryout out of training camp, the third straight year he’d attended a camp on a PTO, and turned it into five goals and six points across 39 games, a season interrupted by a lower-body injury that cost him about a month. He’s a forechecking, physical, bottom-six energy winger whose value is in hits and fourth-line minutes rather than scoring. For a team doing cap triage, he’s easy to bring back on another league-minimum deal or let walk without much consequence.
Other UFAs: D Alexander Petrovic, D Kyle Capobianco, F Kole Lind
Projected Cap Space
Dallas’s cap picture is a tight one. The NHL’s record $104MM ceiling for 2026-27 was expected to create flexibility across the league, but for the Stars the numbers remain cramped. Per PuckPedia, Dallas projects to enter the summer with roughly $10.1MM in functional cap space and 19 players already under contract, with nearly $94MM committed, leaving about $2.5MM per open roster spot. That’s a workable figure for depth pieces, right up until Jason Robertson enters the equation. A Robertson extension in the $12+MM range would swallow most of that room on its own, which is why the Stars spent last offseason shedding salary and why GM Jim Nill faces ugly triage this summer. Outside of re-signing Robertson and possibly squeezing in a discounted Benn return, Dallas is likely limited to league-minimum depth additions, and won’t want to lock itself into much term given the contracts still coming down the pipe.
Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.
Offseason Checklist: Ottawa Senators
The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t taking part in the playoffs plus those who have already been eliminated. Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Ottawa.
It was a particularly rocky first half of the season for the Senators, who dealt with some troublesome goaltending that had them well out of the playoffs at one point. However, they were able to work their way into the final Wild Card spot before being ousted quickly in the first round by Carolina. Now, with two straight playoff appearances under their belt, GM Steve Staios has some work to do this summer if they want to take the next step in a very tight Atlantic Division.
Add A Proven Backup Goalie
Last season, Leevi Merilainen came in and did an excellent job when Linus Ullmark was sidelined, helping to stabilize the team midseason to keep them in the playoff hunt. While he ultimately returned to the minors when Ullmark returned, he received a big vote of confidence from Ottawa’s front office when they didn’t re-sign Anton Forsberg, instead giving him a one-way contract worth $1.05MM to be the undisputed backup netminder heading into this season.
You probably already know what comes next. Merilainen struggled mightily, resulting in multiple demotions to the minors. They attempted other internal options in Mads Sogaard and Hunter Shepard to little improvement. The end result was signing veteran James Reimer after the Spengler Cup in the hopes that he could at least stabilize things. While his .886 SV% wasn’t anything special, that was still higher than Ottawa’s team save percentage so mission accomplished on that front.
But Reimer is 38 years old now and not necessarily an ideal full-time backup candidate. Merilainen is a restricted free agent and might be worthy of keeping in the organization but as a third-string option with AHL Belleville, pending waiver clearance. Shepard was traded after the trade deadline and Sogaard is a Group Six unrestricted free agent who probably won’t be back.
Accordingly, Staios is going to need to look outside the organization for help on this front. In terms of pending unrestricted free agents, it’s not a great group of options. Among the backup options are Stuart Skinner, Frederik Andersen (who seems likely to stay in Carolina at this point), and Cam Talbot, veterans whose performances have been hit-or-miss recently. They could try to trade for a younger option – they’ve been linked as a possible suitor for Devon Levi already – but as they saw this season, going with an unproven option certainly carries its risks.
While Ullmark is Ottawa’s full-fledged starter, he has yet to play 50 games in an NHL regular season. It’s hard to think the Sens will want to push him more toward the 60-game mark if healthy in 2026-27 so they’re going to need someone capable of making 30-plus starts. They don’t have that option in the organization at the moment so they will have to bring in a new backup from elsewhere in the coming weeks.
Work On Batherson Extension
While the Senators still have several core players signed long-term, some of the older ones who signed a little earlier are starting to approach the expiration of their respective contracts. Once of those is winger Drake Batherson. On what has become an incredibly team-friendly deal in recent years at $4.975MM, that contract is nearing its conclusion as he’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time in 2027. Accordingly, Batherson will be eligible to sign a contract extension as soon as July 1st.
The 28-year-old has set new career highs in points every season so far. This year, he surpassed the 30-goal mark for the first time with 33 while he chipped in with 38 helpers to pass the 70-point threshold for the first time. It’s the fourth straight year he has picked up more than 60 points as he has become a steady top-line performer. He also brings above-average physicality to the table, an element we don’t always see from a lot of top-six pieces.
Basically, Batherson has lined himself up for a substantial raise on his next contract. Frankly, doubling his current price tag is very much a possibility. While that would put him considerably ahead of Tim Stutzle ($8.35MM) as Ottawa’s highest-paid player, the deals aren’t directly comparable. The state of the cap now is much different moving forward and Stutzle’s deal covered four RFA-eligible years while Batherson’s next agreement will only cover UFA-eligible seasons. And, in a market that makes it easier financially for teams to keep their top talents, losing him would certainly be a significant blow.
This doesn’t have to be something that gets finalized this summer but if they could work something out early, it would certainly send a positive message to potential additions in free agency this year. It also would give them the ability to try to do an eight-year pact, something that won’t be an option after September 15th. On top of that, it would provide them some momentum heading into a pair of potentially big extension talks next summer when Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot become eligible to sign. Knowing that, expect this to be on Staios’ to-do list this offseason.
Bring In A Proven Top-Four Defender
When the Senators traded Jakob Chychrun to Washington two offseasons ago, they opened up a spot in their top four defensively. The intention was for Nick Jensen to fill that role. He did in 2024-25 but struggled while dealing with injuries this season. Meanwhile, that role was never filled with a proven defender after that. Jordan Spence (who fits better on a third pairing at five-on-five), Nikolas Matinpalo, and Tyler Kleven all had opportunities with varying degrees of success.
They’re undoubtedly hoping that Carter Yakemchuk will eventually be able to fill that role. Injuries forced them to give him a look down the stretch and he held his own in limited minutes. Meanwhile, he had a solid showing offensively in Belleville although his defensive play is still very much a work in progress. Yakemchuk could fill that spot in a few years but if they want help now, they’re going to have to turn outside the organization.
In an ideal world, that player has a right-handed shot. Artem Zub is their top player on that side with Spence, Matinpalo, and Yakemchuk the supporting cast behind him. As noted, those are all better fits on a third pairing. There is some supply of top-four right-shot rearguards on the open market this summer, including John Carlson, Jacob Trouba, Rasmus Andersson (who Staios has had interest in before), and Darren Raddysh. They would all come at a significant price tag, likely more than half of their nearly $17MM in cap space, per PuckPedia. But it would certainly represent a bigger swing at solving that roster spot.
With Jake Sanderson and Chabot, Ottawa has a solid top two. Zub is a strong second-pairing player. Now, they need to find a proven piece to fill that other spot to give the back end a needed boost in a very tight division. They’ll have plenty of competition but landing a top-four upgrade would be a big victory for Ottawa this summer.
Look To Leverage Center Depth
There are many teams across the NHL who are looking to add center help this summer. Beyond trying to re-sign pending unrestricted Claude Giroux, the Senators won’t be one of them.
Instead, the team already boasts above-average depth down the middle. Tim Stutzle and Dylan Cozens are their top options, with Shane Pinto, Ridly Greig, and youngster Stephen Halliday behind them. If they get Giroux back – a realistic possibility – they’ll be back to have six middlemen. That’s a great spot to be in compared to many teams would be envious of having that type of depth.
That puts Staios and the Senators in a great spot. With quality centers in short supply and high demand, they could be in a spot to try to capitalize on that on the trade front. If they can’t land a core blueliner in free agency, they might be able to trade a pivot (not Halliday, who is more of a fourth-line option) to try to fill that spot.
There is definitely a case to be made to simply put one (or two, if Giroux re-signs) on the wing knowing that injuries can creep up at any time. On the other hand, if you can get a core defender or a top-six winger (another position of some need) that’s a net upgrade over playing a center out of position, it’s something they should at least be considering.
If Giroux doesn’t re-sign, the Sens likely look at the center group they have and think that they’re set. But if he does return, Staios should be receiving plenty of phone calls to see if one could be pried loose. If that happens, he might receive an offer that’s simply too close to pass up.
Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images.
International Notes: Worlds, IIHF Hall Of Fame, Subban
Sunday represented the end of the 2026 World Championship, with Finland taking on the host Switzerland in the Gold Medal Game. After the game was goalless in regulation, both teams drew iron with shots in first four minutes of overtime. Then, a little past the midway mark of overtime, Konsta Helenius (a late-event addition after the Sabres were eliminated from the playoffs) was able to beat Leonardo Genoni to give Finland the Gold. It’s the third straight year that the Swiss squad has made the championship game and the third straight time they failed to score a goal. Although they came up short, Predators defenseman Roman Josi was named tournament MVP.
Meanwhile, in the Bronze Medal Game, Norway pulled off the upset, overcoming a blown two-goal lead with less than two minutes to go to beat Canada 3-2 in overtime. The winner was scored by Lightning prospect Noah Steen, who finished off the season in the minors with Syracuse. Heading into the tournament, Norway’s best finish came all the way back in 1951 when they finished fourth. It’s their first-ever medal in any IIHF top-division tournament. Canada, meanwhile, has now failed to secure a medal for the third straight year.
Other news from the world of international hockey:
- As is customary on the final day of the tournament, the IIHF revealed its 2026 Hall of Fame Class. A trio of former NHL players are among the class: center Patrice Bergeron, winger Thomas Vanek, and defenseman Niklas Kronwall. Winger Andres Ambuhl, briefly a Rangers prospect, was also among this year’s class with the mandatory waiting period being waived; he played in a record 20 World Championship events for the Swiss. Former NHL head coach Ralph Krueger along with Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Florence Schelling, and outgoing IIHF President Luc Tardif round out the class.
- After failing to land a deal in North America at the start of the season, Malcolm Subban had to wait a little more than a month before he landed a deal in Czechia. He didn’t play a ton (just 11 games between two leagues) but he did well enough for the league champions to stick around. HC Dynamo Pardubice announced that they’ve inked the 32-year-old for the upcoming season. Subban is only a couple of years removed from being pressed into NHL action but with limited playing time since then, it’s looking less likely that he’ll receive another opportunity at the top level.
Jay Leach A Strong Candidate For Two AHL Head Coaching Jobs
It wasn’t that long ago that Jay Leach was receiving interviews for some NHL head coaching vacancies. He ultimately didn’t land a job and made the decision to go for a second stint with the Bruins, this time as an NHL assistant after previously coaching AHL Providence for four seasons.
However, after two seasons with Boston, they decided not to renew his contract. Inherited on this year’s coaching staff, it appears that Marco Sturm wants to bring someone else in to work with the defense moving forward.
While Leach isn’t believed to be in the mix for any of the current NHL head coach openings, it looks like he’ll be running a bench for the 2026-27 season. In the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Leach is a strong contender to take over the Rangers’ affiliate in Hartford. Meanwhile, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period adds that some believe that Leach is in the mix to take over the affiliate of the Senators in Belleville.
Following the season, the Rangers dismissed their entire AHL coaching staff, headlined by head coach Grant Potulny, after two years in that role. As New York embarks on a retooling of some sort after they issued the second version of ‘the letter’ back in January, there will be a greater emphasis being placed on player development. Someone like Leach, who has had some success running Providence in the past, is a logical target.
As for Belleville, that spot isn’t necessarily vacant at the moment. After the Sens dismissed David Bell back in December, Andrew Campbell took over the role on an interim basis for the remainder of the season. At this time, Campbell could be in consideration for the full-time spot but after the team slid from fifth place in the North Division at the time of Bell’s firing to seventh, there’s a case to make a change with Leach being a viable candidate for the spot.
Whether it’s with Hartford, Belleville, or somewhere else altogether as an NHL assistant, it appears that Leach won’t be out of work for much longer.