Midday Notes: Dupont, McKenna, USHL Expansion
According to Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects, Landon Dupont, a top prospect for next year’s NHL Draft, is getting closer to a commitment to an NCAA school. The development of Denver winning the Daxon Rudolph sweepstakes leaves two schools in Michigan and Michigan State as the front-runners for Dupont, as he is expected to visit both campuses next week, per Robinson.
The 17-year-old defenseman ended his 2025-26 season winning a WHL championship with Everett, scoring 23 points in 18 playoff games. DuPont added six points in the Silvertips Memorial Cup run, which ended as the runner-up. His regular season saw 73 points scored in 63 WHL games, adding four assists and a +5 rating at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, winning Bronze with Canada. The Calgary native totaled 133 points across 127 WHL games over his last two seasons, winning the league’s Rookie of the Year award last season.
Additional notes:
- According to Sheng Peng of SJHockeyNow, Gavin McKenna, the top-ranked prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft, is having dinner with only the Vancouver Canucks (selecting No. 3) at the Scouting Combine. Peng added that McKenna isn’t scheduled to have dinner with the San Jose Sharks (selecting No. 2) or the Toronto Maple Leafs (selecting No. 1), but he probably met with these teams in other settings. Notably, the Leafs GM John Chayka visited the 18-year-old at his home in Whitehorse, Yukon, McKenna said on the NHL Draft Class podcast. Toronto, along with McKenna and Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg, is scheduled to interview with 51 different prospects at the Combine.
- According to a league announcement, the USHL is set to expand out west, first reported by John Buccigross of ESPN. The league, along with a group of stakeholders including the NHL and USA Hockey, plans on establishing three new clubs in Arizona, California, and Nevada. Further information regarding member club principals, markets, and timelines will be announced on Wednesday, June 24.In the press release, USHL President and Commissioner Glenn Hefferan said, “This expansion is about more than adding teams. It is about expanding opportunity.” Adding these teams will grow the USHL to 19 clubs, with the Madison Capitols being the last expansion team, joining the tier-one junior league in 2014.
Marcus Foligno Awarded 2026 King Clancy Trophy
The NHL has announced that Marcus Foligno has won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. The award is given to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.
The 34-year-old finished his ninth season with the Minnesota Wild, scoring 13 points in 56 games. He has two-years remaining on a four-year, $16M contract signed back in 2024-25. Marcus becomes the second Foligno to win the award, alongside his brother and teammate Nick Foligno, the 2017 winner of the King Clancy trophy. Nick surprised his brother with the trophy today while Marcus was touring the Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota.
Per the NHL press release, Marcus and Nick had a campaign called The Foligno Face-Off, which raised more than $200,000, funding a research grant for breast cancer research that will be named in honor of their mother Janis. The campaign evolved with the Wild trading for the former Blackhawks captain from Chicago, joining Marcus as a teammate for the first time in both players’ NHL careers.
Foligno won a $25,000 donation from the National Hockey League to benefit a charity or charities of his choice. The Wild are eligible to receive a grant of up to $20,000 from the NHL, as directed by Foligno, to organize a special activation related to his cause.
Each NHL team nominated a player for the King Clancy Trophy. The winner is determined by a selection committee consisting of Commissioner Gary Bettman and former winners of the trophy and the historic NHL Foundation Player Award.
Daxon Rudolph Commits To Denver for 2026-27 Season
According to his Instagram, top NHL Draft prospect Daxon Rudolph announced his commitment to the University of Denver for the 2026-27 season, first reported by Brad Elliott Schlossman of Grand Forks Herald.
Rudolph has a consolidated ranking of ninth among the major outlets that cover prospects eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft and is seventh on the Elite Prospects 2026 NHL Draft Guide. In his second season with Prince Albert, he scored 28 goals, tying Josh Morrissey for the club’s record in scoring by a defenseman, for 78 points in 68 WHL games. The 18-year-old added 27 points in 19 playoff games for the Raiders, losing in the Western league final to the Everett Silvertips. As an assistant captain for Canada’s U18 team at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, he scored four points in five games and notched two assists in three games for the CHL team at this past Prospects Challenge.
That capped off a career with 119 points and a +45 rating in his two seasons there. Formerly the first overall pick in the 2023 WHL Draft, the Lacombe, Alberta native has demonstrated an ability to score, even registering 15 multi-point games within a 20-game stretch.
Rudolph is described by draft outlets as an offensive defenseman. The 6-foot-2.5 right-shot profiles as a player whose tools can produce high-end goals and effective playmaking. Combine that with his poise, and he’s able to make plays calmly to help him in his transition game and complement the steady offensive reads he visualizes. Defensively, he utilizes his stick as the primary approach. He’s said to have precision in the on-puck game due to his hand speed and quick reaction. What Rudolph needs to work on is his physicality, as he transitions into the NCAA, a big question mark will be how he acclimates to a much more steady gamestyle with bigger competition.
According to Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects, Rudolph had narrowed down his choice of NCAA schools to three top-tier programs. Aside from Denver, which emerges triumphant in the race for Rudolph, Michigan State and Boston College were also in the running as his preferred destinations. A visit to Denver was in the young defenseman’s travel plans in late May, per Robinson.
Set to join the defending national champions in Denver, Rudolph will round out an elite right side that already has fellow top 2026 prospect Ryan Lin, who recently announced his commitment to the Pioneers, and Blake Fiddler (2025-SEA-2nd), both of whom also stem from the WHL. Add on Calgary natives Ben Macbeath and sophomore Eric Jamieson, and that totals five blueliners with WHL roots for the Pioneers. Rudolph certainly adds intrigue to this blueline, but he will have some competition for top-pair minutes among his teammates.
David Carle’s program has dominated during the young coach’s tenure. Since 2019, Carle has taken Denver to five Frozen Fours in nine seasons, winning three national championships in the last five years, all with 29+ wins. Peter Baugh of The Athletic spoke to Rudolph at the NHL Scouting Combine, where he said, “It’s so appealing the amount of success they’ve had in that program, especially with him. Looking forward to playing for a guy like that.”
Carle has seen a few defenders in recent memory carry on their talents to the NHL past the NCAA, like former Hobey Baker winner Will Butcher, Scott Mayfield of the Islanders, and most notably, Zeev Buium.
Free Agent Focus: Florida Panthers
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 Panthers.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Mackie Samoskevich – Fortunately, the Panthers only have one restricted free agent to worry about this offseason. Despite being drafted in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft, Samoskevich has failed to turn into a true top-six talent, even with increased ice time this past season. The 23-year-old winger scored 12 goals and 32 points in 77 games with Florida this season, remarkably similar to his output during the 2024-25 campaign. Still, his possession metrics have remained solid, and he’s not a slouch in the defensive zone. Assuming a healthy roster next season, Florida could do a lot worse than Samoskevich as a tertiary scoring threat.
Other RFAs: F Cole Schwindt, D Donovan Sebrango, F Ben Steeves, F Wilmer Skoog, F Oliver Okuliar, D Tobias Bjornfot, D Michael Benning, D Evan Nause, D Mikulas Hovorka, G Cooper Black
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
G Sergei Bobrovsky – It appears that the seven-year relationship between the Panthers and Bobrovsky will end this summer. The 37-year-old netminder is coming off the worst season of his NHL career, and is intent on playing into his 40’s, seeking a multi-year deal on the open market. Still, outside of Bobrovsky, Florida doesn’t have any other goaltenders in their system to rely upon. The front office may already have a succession plan in place, but it’s clear they have little appetite to meet Bobrovsky’s asking price. He’s only one year removed from helping the Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, so he should have some interest on the open market.
F A.J. Greer – Of all the depth forwards Florida had to utilize this season, Greer was arguably the best. The 29-year-old had a career season, scoring 17 goals and 32 points in 78 games, averaging 12:26 of ice time. Additionally, Greer is incredibly physical, finishing first on the team with 203 hits this season. Given his performance this season, Greer has likely priced himself off the Panthers roster. There will be a market for a forward of his archetype, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him sign a longer-term deal with a smaller AAV, similar to William Carrier of the Carolina Hurricanes a few years ago.
G Daniil Tarasov – The compounding issue with Bobrovsky’s impending free agency is that Florida’s backup is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, too. Still, it should be far more feasible, financially speaking, to retain Tarasov. Throughout his first year with the Panthers, Tarasov finished with a 13-15-3 record with a .895 SV% and 3.05 GAA. It didn’t show enough to take the reins from Bobrovsky, but it was good enough to warrant another backup role next season.
Other UFAs: F Vinnie Hinostroza, F Tomas Nosek, F Luke Kunin, F Noah Gregor, F Nolan Foote, F Jack Studnicka, G Louis Domingue
Projected Cap Space
Heading into the summer, Florida will have just over $15.2MM to work with. Unfortunately, most of that will be allocated to giving Samoskevich a new contract and building a new goaltending tandem. Still, the Panthers already have 12 forwards and six defensemen signed through next season. Assuming everyone is healthy, which is a dangerous assumption after this past season, Florida won’t need to go big game hunting this offseason outside of goaltending. They’ll be able to spend the rest of the few dollars on bringing in new depth players or keeping the old ones.
Photos courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig (Samoskevich) and Mark Alberti (Greer) of Imagn Images. Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.
Evening Notes: Gallagher, Dean, Jagr
The Brendan Gallagher trade process is officially underway. Rick Dhaliwal of Cheknews.ca reported that the Montreal Canadiens have given agent Gerry Johansson permission to help facilitate a deal, clearing the way for the two sides to find a new home for the veteran winger.
Gallagher is entering the final year of his contract, a $6.5 million cap hit through 2026-27, and Montreal has signaled it wants to do right by him in finding the right fit. He acknowledged this week that he expects to move on after 14 seasons with the only organization he’s known, and he retains trade protection that gives him a say in where he lands.
Additional Notes:
- The St. Louis Blues signed forward and RFA Zach Dean to a one-year deal. Dean, a 2021 first-round pick (30th overall) originally drafted by Vegas, came to St. Louis in the 2023 Ivan Barbashev trade and spent this past season with AHL Springfield Thunderbirds. The deal carries an $850k cap hit with a $95k AHL salary, per PuckPedia. The 23-year-old center had 14 points in 36 games last year for Springfield. Dean will remain an RFA when the deal expires in 2027
- The Jagr streak lives on. With Vegas in the Final, defenseman Rasmus Andersson keeps alive a sensational streak: for the 46th straight season, a former Jaromir Jagr teammate will appear in a Stanley Cup Final. Andersson played alongside a 45-year-old Jagr on the 2017-18 Flames. Every Cup Final since 1980 has featured one of Jagr’s past or future teammates, a “six degrees” oddity made stranger by the fact that he didn’t debut until the 1990 season.
No Hardware Required: Lindy Ruff’s Amazing Season Behind The Bench In Buffalo
On December 8th, the Buffalo Sabres sat 30th in the NHL in points percentage and dead last in the Eastern Conference at 11-14-4. The playoff drought that had defined the franchise for more than a decade looked like it would stretch to a fifteenth year. But what followed was one of the best 40-game stretches in NHL history, a 32-6-2 run that carried Buffalo from the league’s basement to the top of the Atlantic.
The reason this is a coaching story and not just a hot streak that saw many of Buffalo’s players reach the top of their game is that the man behind the bench was the one constant through a decade and a half of tumultuous times in Buffalo. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff was in his first stint with the Sabres all the way back in 2011, when they last made the postseason.
In the 14 years since Ruff last took the Sabres to the playoffs, the team cycled through six head coaches: Ron Rolston, Ted Nolan, Dan Bylsma, Phil Housley, Ralph Krueger, and Don Granato. None of them finished above .500 during their tenures in Buffalo. Five general managers came and went. The roster turned over completely. The common thread, when the drought finally broke, was Lindy.
The mid-season turnaround did coincide with some front office changes; Kevyn Adams was fired as General Manager on December 15th and replaced by Jarmo Kekäläinen. Nonetheless, the group of players Ruff steered out of the depths of the Eastern Conference was essentially the one he began the year with. The additions were more depth-focused. The Sabres added defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn and forwards Tanner Pearson and Sam Carrick right before the trade deadline.
Some of the strongest evidence of the coaching was in net: heading into the season, one analyst ranked the Alex Lyon–Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen tandem 26th among the league’s 32 teams. Ruff rode the hot hand between them all year, and it held. Luukkonen finished with a 2.52 goals-against average on a team that gave up the league’s fewest goals after mid-December.
The numbers tell part of it. Star forward Tage Thompson scored 40 goals, Rasmus Dahlin ran the blue line with 19 goals and 64 points, and Mattias Samuelsson posted a team-best +41. But the clearest sign of the coaching was collective: Buffalo allowed 47 fewer goals than the year before and scored 18 more. They didn’t just get hot. Under Ruff, they became a different team, one that defended, that trusted its goaltenders, and most importantly, that believed in one another.
That very belief carried them to the Atlantic Division title, the second overall seed in the Eastern Conference, and a round one victory against the Boston Bruins, before a heartbreaking game seven overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens in round two saw an amazing season come to a close.
Ruff came up just short in the closest three-way Jack Adams race since balloting results for this award were first published in 1983-84, per NHL.com. Cooper’s winning margin, just three points over Ruff, is the second-narrowest overall, behind the one-point win by Ruff himself over Peter Laviolette, 155-154, in 2005-06.
While Ruff may have come up just short of the hardware, he walked into the KeyBank Centre last October with a 14-year playoff drought looming over the franchise, and walked out an Atlantic Division champion. But more important than any award, Ruff gave the city back something it has dearly missed and the new generation of Sabres’ fans had grown up without. The passion came roaring back, and with it, something that hadn’t been felt in fourteen years. Playoff hockey was back in Buffalo, and the city believed again.
Free Agent Focus: Edmonton Oilers
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 Oilers.
Key Restricted Free Agents
D Spencer Stastney – On the same day the Oilers acquired Tristan Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins, they acquired Stastney from the Nashville Predators for a 2027 third-round pick. At the time, Edmonton believed that Stastney would become a younger version of Brett Kulak, who was sent to the Penguins in the Jarry trade. Unfortunately, that’s not how things worked out. Stastney registered one goal in 36 games for Edmonton down the stretch, while his CorsiFor% and on-ice SV% took a nosedive. Still, given that they don’t have much defensive depth in the system, the Oilers will likely tender Stastney a contract for next season and keep him around on a short-term deal with the hope that his game can improve as he grows more comfortable in Alberta.
F Colton Dach – It’s tough to make an accurate judgment on Dach’s time with the Oilers. He was good when he played, scoring two goals and four points in eight games, but suffered a long-term injury almost immediately after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks at the deadline. In a similar rationalization to retaining Stastney, Edmonton will likely keep Dach around for cost-controlled depth. Assuming they keep Dach, the Oilers will already have 12 forwards signed through next season, allowing them to allocate dollars elsewhere.
Other RFAs: F Roby Jarventie, F Josh Bloom, F Matvei Petrov, F Owen Michaels, G Connor Ungar
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Jack Roslovic – After scoring 22 goals for the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2024-25 campaign, Roslovic was hoping to parlay that performance into a multi-year deal. Unfortunately for him, no teams took the bait, and he waited until early October to sign a one-year, $1.5MM contract with the Oilers. Edmonton gave him a full no-movement clause, with a four-team trade list beginning on November 1st. The thought was that the Oilers would give Roslovic a month with the team and trade him to his preferred destination once Zach Hyman returned from injury. Instead, Roslovic spent the entire season with Edmonton, scoring 21 goals and 36 points in 69 games. Assuming he’s looking for another multi-year deal this summer, Roslovic’s time with the Oilers will likely end with a one-year stint.
D Connor Murphy – Acquired from the Blackhawks at the deadline, Murphy played relatively well throughout his short duration with the Oilers. The aging veteran registered one goal and four points in 20 games, while throwing 51 hits in over 20 minutes of action a night. In the postseason, Murphy added another two goals and three points in six games. Still, it’s clear that Murphy’s foot speed has taken multiple steps back, and even though Edmonton could use additional defensive depth, their cap space would be better spent bringing in additional speed on the blue line.
G Connor Ingram – After taking the starter’s crease from Jarry after the Olympic break, Ingram was the saving grace of the Oilers’ season for some time. He wasn’t great, but he provided just enough with an 11-6-2 record in 19 games with a .901 SV% and 2.55 GAA. Assuming the Oilers let Pickard walk this summer, Ingram would be a good bet to be Edmonton’s third-string option next season, or backup if they’re able to move off Jarry’s contract, if he’s open to staying.
Other UFAs: F Adam Henrique, F Curtis Lazar, F Jason Dickinson, F Kasperi Kapanen, F Max Jones, F Samuel Poulin, F James Hamblin, D Cam Dineen, G Calvin Pickard
Projected Cap Space
All things considered, the Oilers’ salary cap outlook isn’t horrible. Entering the offseason, Edmonton will have approximately $14.5MM in salary cap space. Including Dach, the team already has 12 forwards signed through next season, and six defensemen, including Stastney. That’ll allow Edmonton to nibble around the edges of the free agent market to bolster their depth, but they won’t have much wiggle room to make any mistakes. Given that space, Edmonton should take every opportunity to pursue free agent Sergei Bobrovsky or trade for Juuse Saros or Jordan Binnington, with the benefit of not having to match salary.
Photos courtesy of Perry Nelson (Stastney) and Walter Tychnowicz (Roslovic) of Imagn Images. Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.
Off-Ice Notes: MacFarland, Campbell, Julien
There was plenty revealed in today’s introductory press conference for the new President of Hockey Operations and General Manager for the Nashville Predators, Chris MacFarland. Although the Colorado Avalanche let MacFarland interview with the Predators and subsequently let him join the Central Division rival, they didn’t do so without a fight.
According to Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean, the Avalanche made multiple extension offers to MacFarland. Regardless, despite their attempts, Colorado was unwilling to give him a promotion, and that, along with the six-year term by Nashville, persuaded MacFarland to leave.
Additionally, Daugherty shared that a buyout was not needed for MacFarland. The NHL eliminated teams’ ability to send compensation to another team for hiring an executive, meaning the Avalanche allowed MacFarland to walk out of the final year remaining on his contract to take the role in Nashville.
Additional off-ice notes:
- After firing most of their coaching staff, the Vancouver Canucks are looking to build their bench from the ground up. The Canucks have already promoted Manny Malhotra from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks to take over head coaching duties, but still need to fill in a couple of assistant coaching positions. To that end, Adam Kierszenblat of The Hockey News reported that Vancouver is interested in hiring Jessica Campbell for an assistant coaching position after she moved on from the Seattle Kraken a few weeks ago.
- According to a report out of Switzerland, longtime NHL coach Claude Julien has been hired by the NL’s ZSC Lions as the team’s next head coach. A former Stanley Cup champion with the Boston Bruins in 2011, Julien has spent the last few years as an assistant coach for the St. Louis Blues. Outside of his lengthy coaching career in North America, Julien briefly served as a senior advisor for the NL’s HC Ambrì-Piotta in the 2022-23 season.
Maple Leafs Interested In Vincent Trocheck
After the news that center Max Domi would be out indefinitely after offseason surgery, the Toronto Maple Leafs have already begun perusing the trade market for a second-line center. According to Mollie Walker of the New York Post, the Maple Leafs have reached out to the New York Rangers to gauge the price for Vincent Trocheck.
It’s a peculiar idea for a few reasons. Toronto finished 28th in the league after a disastrous 2025-26 season, and many believed they would undergo a brief retool instead of simply running the team back with outside additions. Secondly, of all the needs that the Maple Leafs have, center isn’t one of them.
Although the Maple Leafs finished the year with Domi as their second-line center, that was only because captain Auston Matthews underwent surgery to repair a torn MCL. Considering a 12-week recovery timeline in March, it’s certain that Matthews will begin the 2026-27 season on schedule. Additionally, once Matthews does return, veteran John Tavares is expected to resume his role as Toronto’s second-line center.
Still, there’s no question why the Maple Leafs, or any other team for that matter, would be interested in Trocheck. He’s locked in for three more years at an affordable $5.625MM salary and is coming off another productive season in which he scored 16 goals and 53 points in 67 games with a 56.9% faceoff percentage.
Regardless, despite making Trocheck available at the trade deadline and planning to do so again this summer, General Manager Chris Drury remains firm in his asking price. It’s well known that New York wants a young NHL-caliber player, plus additional assets, for Trocheck.
Ideally, among all the players on the Maple Leafs, the Rangers would likely target Matthew Knies as a return package. At this point, that doesn’t seem like something Toronto would entertain, nor should they.
Theoretically, the Maple Leafs could package forward Nicholas Robertson, prospect defenseman Ben Danford, and Colorado’s conditional first-round pick in 2027, along with additional assets. However, even if New York were interested in such a trade, it would only provide short-term gains for Toronto and wouldn’t position them as favorites for the Stanley Cup. This approach would involve further mortgaging of their future.
If new General Manager John Chayka is intent on getting the Maple Leafs back to postseason contention next season, their main targets should be on defense. Toronto had the most shots against of any team this year by a wide margin, and it’s beyond clear that their defensive corps is not up to par.
Given that Danford is widely considered NHL-ready, and assuming they want to be aggressive, Toronto should allow him to crack the opening night roster and package additional assets for another defenseman or two.
Anders Lee Could Be Heading to Free Agency
The New York Islanders are facing the very real possibility of losing their captain this summer. According to a report from TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, long-time Islanders forward Anders Lee appears increasingly likely to test the open market as an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
LeBrun reports that Lee’s agent, Neil Sheehy, met with Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche to discuss a potential extension. However, the two sides remain “far apart” on the parameters of a new deal. While the organization reportedly intends to keep negotiating and wants their captain back in the fold, the current gap in expectations means that the draft and free agency period could mark the beginning of the end for Lee’s tenure on Long Island.
With several weeks remaining before the official start of the new league year, there is still time for negotiations to shift. Front offices and agents frequently use the threat of free agency as a final leverage point, and a breakthrough in talks could materialize.
However, if Lee does hit the open market, the 35-year-old forward will draw plenty of attention from contending teams looking for size, leadership, and net-front production. Lee has spent his entire 13-year NHL career with the Islanders, serving as team captain since 2018. Replacing his locker room presence and physical edge would be a massive challenge for Darche. For now, the Isles will need to do all they can to course correct in their conversations, or determine if their captain will wear a new sweater next season.