Snapshots: Fedotov, Carlson, Keskinen
Columbus Blue Jackets depth netminder Ivan Fedotov’s days in North America could be winding down, speculated by the Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. The former Flyer spent the entire campaign in the AHL with the Cleveland Monsters, making 47 appearances and coming away with a sub-par .887 save percentage.
Most recently, Fedotov has been surpassed by the red-hot Zach Sawchenko, as referenced by Portzline above, who is now getting the bulk of starts and rising to the occasion with a .946 save percentage in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Acquired by the Jackets from Philadelphia in September for a sixth-round pick in this summer’s draft, at the time, the former KHL Goalie of the Year had a chance to take on a real NHL workload with Elvis Merzlikins’ continued struggles a factor. Instead, Jet Greaves won the job, the 25-year-old making 53 starts.
A highly accomplished player with CSKA Moscow, the 6’7” Fedotov would have a laundry list of KHL suitors in his native Russia. Joining the Flyers in March 2024 with a good bit of fanfare, it’s fair to say expectations were not met in his 29 NHL games (all with Philadelphia) and an .874 save percentage. Still, for a seventh round pick (2015), there’s plenty in the tank with an already impressive career highlighted by a KHL championship.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Wearing a uniform which took some time to adjust to, Anaheim’s John Carlson may have a home out west, reported by Chris Johnston of The Athletic. Reportedly, Anaheim has had “exploratory talks” on an extension with the 36-year-old veteran. Currently making $8MM, AFP Analytics projects that the righty could fetch $6.154 with three years of term. The Ducks have plenty of cap space, especially with Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas’ steep deals coming off the books. Carlson is the exact type of player a young team can benefit from having no matter how he ages in the next few years. The longtime Capital is playing heavy minutes in the playoffs, with no signs of slowing down soon.
- Also reported by Portzline, Columbus prospect Oiva Keskinen scored a game winner in the Liiga playoffs over the weekend ending the longest playoff game in league history, just shy of 130 minutes, and four overtimes. It could be a memorable moment before a new chapter, as the Finn is expected to move on to North America next fall, although he’s etched in Tappara’s history forever. A seventh round selection in 2023, the 6’0″ center scored 20 goals in 49 games, good for third on the team. Ending the season on a hot streak with 14 tallies in 26 games, the 22-year-old has the tools to jump into the Columbus lineup before 2027, as another steal from the now-departed general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen.
Avalanche Make Several Lineup Changes
Shortly before the puck dropped in Minnesota on Game 4 between the Avalanche and Wild, a number of lineup changes were revealed. Artturi Lehkonen and Sam Malinski are out, with MacKenzie Blackwood starting in goal, noted by Peter Baugh of The Athletic. Josh Manson has returned, along with Jack Ahcan who will make his NHL playoff debut. Finally, Joel Kiviranta is back with the forward group, skating on the fourth line.
Out of the several notes, most surprising is Lehkonen’s absence, apparently a result of an upper-body injury. A key role player always capable of stepping up in the spring, Lehkonen has three goals and six points in seven playoff games so far. Malinski is also a notable subtraction, the 27-year-old defenseman breaking out this year with 40 points, apparently dealing with the same ailment. His first and only career playoff goal broke the scoring in the opening game of the series against the Wild.
Nick Blankenburg, who filled in defensively for Manson and skated in the series’ first three games, is scratched. Today has been a whirlwind for the 28-year-old Ahcan, recalled earlier from the AHL, in the midst of the Colorado Eagles’ Calder Cup playoff run. Now he’s all set to play in a crucial game in his home state of Minnesota. To be chosen over Blankenburg, often size is a factor, as the smooth skater acquired from Nashville is just 5’9″. However, Ahcan is also smaller in stature, standing 5’8″, the difference being that he’s left-handed and forming a balance on the third pairing with the 6’3″ righty Manson.
Scott Wedgewood had started every game in the postseason for the Avs, the 33-year-old holding things down on the way to 31 wins in the regular season and a .921 save percentage, by far career highs. Still, the veteran was pulled after surrendering three goals on 12 shots in Game 3, prompting them to turn to Blackwood. The 29-year-old nearly split duty with Wedgewood throughout the campaign, and now he’ll get his eighth career playoff start, all with Colorado.
Manson and Kiviranta’s returns were expected. The defenseman Manson is finally cleared to make his playoff debut not having played since late April due to an upper-body injury. Kiviranta, meanwhile, hasn’t played since the second game of the first round series against Los Angeles, dealing with an undisclosed injury. It has been several years now, but still hard to forget the Finnish winger’s efforts in the 2020 playoffs as a Dallas Star, culminating in a Game 7 hat trick in the Western Conference Finals, taking down his current club in Colorado.
With their depth being put to the test, the door is wide open for the Wild to knot up the series 2-2 on home ice. If not, they’ll face a tall task, although Minnesota has overcome a 3-1 deficit in their history, part of their memorable 2003 run which was against Colorado, no less.
Shane Doan, Maple Leafs Mutually Part Ways
The Toronto Maple Leafs have mutually parted ways with special assistant Shane Doan per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Doan’s contract in Toronto was set to expire on June 30. He was originally hired by former Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving in 2023 and will step away before he has a chance to work alongside new general manager John Chayka.
Chayka took over the Arizona Coyotes general manager role in 2016, at the record-setting age of 26. Doan was the team’s star, having spent the last 12 seasons as the Coyotes’ captain. He was 40 years old entering the 2016-17 season and had lost the spark of his previous peak. That was proved when Doan only managed 27 points in 74 games – a mark that was deemed too low to re-sign him through his 40s despite Doan’s desire to keep playing, per ESPN. Arizona sought a trade through the season but, when no offers came through, Doan made the decision to retire in 2017.
Doan was hired as Arizona’s Director of Hockey Administration in 2020. He continued on in that role until the Coyotes were relocated to Utah following the 2022-23 season. The Coyotes’ move opened the door for Doan to grow his roots in NHL front offices. He moved into a Maple Leafs advisory role left vacant when Jason Spezza joined Kyle Dubas in a move to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Spezza has since taken on an assistant general manager and AHL general manager role with the Penguins.
Those could be the roles next in line for Doan, who will now be a managerial free agent amid a lot of change in NHL front offices. He could find a chance to move back to the NHL’s Pacific Division with vacancies in the Seattle Kraken or Vancouver Canucks front offices. Doan also played five seasons with current Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere and could bring invaluable experience as Philadelphia looks to repeat their playoff berth this season.
Canucks Expected To Promote Sedin Twins
More changes are inbound for the Vancouver Canucks front office. Legendary Canucks twins Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin were offered a promotion from their roles as development coaches per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast. The brothers accepted the offer for more work this weekend and are still working with the team to determine their new responsibilities, adds Irfaan Gaffar of Daily Faceoff. While it is not yet clear what duties the two will carry moving forward, they are not expected to move into a full-time or general manager role per Friedman.
The Sedins have served the Canucks front office since the 2021-22 season, three years after their retirement from the NHL. Their executive careers began as special advisors to Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin. Both brothers moved into a development role in the following season, where they more intimately supported the growth of Vancouver’s top youngsters, like Nils Hoglander and – at the time – Quinn Hughes. Vancouver boosted the Sedins’ role once more in 2024, involving them more in the day-to-day coaching duties and power-play strategizing under head coach Rick Tocchet.
The brothers have gradually climbed Vancouver’s organizational ladder and will now climb another rung. Their future duties are likely to continue lifting up the intent coaching and hockey strategizing that the Sedins have become known for in retirement. They could continue to support Canucks’ head coach Adam Foote, while also informing roster decisions or prospect management. The Sedins could also work more directly with Vancouver’s growing cohort of top prospects – including Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Aatu Raty, Braeden Cootes, Jonathan Lekkerimaki, and Tom Willander– as they transition into the NHL full-time. Vancouver will need to bank on their young guns growing into important roles after finishing the 2025-26 season in last place. Finding new ways to elevate the experience of two franchise legends, and veterans of over 1,300 NHL games, could prove to be an effective spur.
East Notes: Gudbranson, Malenstyn, Xhekaj
Among the pending unrestricted free agents the Columbus Blue Jackets have on their roster, few are more experienced than veteran defenseman Erik Gudbranson. Earlier this month, Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reported that the Blue Jackets will part ways with Gudbranson, but today The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reported that such a decision is premature. Both Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell and Gudbranson’s agent Pat Morris of Newport Sports Management told Portzline that “no such conversation has taken place.” Furthermore, Portzline wrote that “The Blue Jackets are hoping to sign Gudbranson” though actual negotiations on a deal have not yet begun.
Gudbranson, 34, has been with the Blue Jackets for the last four seasons, playing out a four-year, $4MM AAV free agent contract he signed with the club in the summer of 2022. A veteran of over 800 NHL games, Gudbranson has struggled to stay healthy in each of the last two campaigns. Shoulder surgery limited him to just 16 games played in 2024-25, while hip and upper-body injuries kept him to just 37 games this past year. It’s likely that if Gudbranson does re-sign in Columbus, it’ll be on a contract with a pay cut from the $4MM AAV he earned on his last deal.
Other notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Buffalo Sabres forward Beck Malenstyn was fined $3,515.63, the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement, for goalie interference against Montreal Canadiens netminder Jakub Dobes. The play in question happened midway through the second period of last night’s game three. Malenstyn crashed the net hard and barrelled into Dobes, making seemingly little effort to avoid significant contact with the goalie. He was assessed a minor penalty on the play and Montreal scored on the ensuing power play to make it a 4-1 contest. Malenstyn, a physical fourth-line forward, scored 14 points in the regular season and led all Sabres players with 282 hits.
- Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj was fined $3,385.42, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for roughing Buffalo Sabres forward Sam Carrick. The play in question came at the end of the game, during a scrum. While the players were tussling, Xhekaj delivered a punch straight to Carrick’s head, dropping the veteran forward to the ice. The game was Carrick’s first in the lineup since March 31, as he was sidelined with an arm injury. Like Malenstyn, Xhekaj is one of his team’s most physical players, leading the Canadiens in hits this season with 178 in 65 games.
Avalanche Notes: Manson, Kiviranta, Ahcan
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson will be available to dress in game four of the team’s series against the Minnesota Wild tonight, head coach Jared Bednar told the media today. (via The Athletic’s Peter Baugh) Manson has been out since April 23 with an upper-body injury. He missed the final game of the Avalanche’s first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, and has missed the first three contests against the Wild.
When he was last in the lineup, Manson skated on the left side of the team’s third pairing, partnering with veteran Brent Burns. In Manson’s absence, Nick Blankenburg has occupied that role. Swapping Blankenburg for Manson would be a significant change, since Blankenburg is a quick, undersized defenseman (he stands 5’9″, 177 pounds) while Manson is a 6’3″ 218-pound defensive force. Bednar said today that he believes Manson’s physicality and size will be a boon against a heavyweight Wild team, meaning the Avalanche are likely eager to put him back in their lineup as they chase a 3-1 series lead.
Other notes from Denver:
- Bednar also stated that injured forward Joel Kiviranta will be an option tonight, though it is less clear that he will be placed into the Avalanche lineup as quickly as Manson might be. Kiviranta has missed five games with an undisclosed injury, but before his absence, skated as Colorado’s fourth-line left winger. Kiviranta’s spot in the lineup – though not necessarily his exact role – has since been filled by veteran Ross Colton. Bednar and the Avalanche may be less eager to swap out Colton for Kiviranta, simply given the fact that Colton has a stronger track record in the NHL (he has crossed the 15-goal mark four times) and has more playoff experience. Colton has played in 69 Stanley Cup Playoff contests and is a Stanley Cup champion.
- Jack Ahcan appears to have been recalled from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reported today. Ahcan has been a spare blueliner for the club and someone who has shuttled between the Avalanche and AHL Eagles quite a bit this season. The Eagles begin a Pacific Division Final series against the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Wednesday night, so Ahcan may only be on the NHL roster on a brief basis.
Canadiens Recall Four Players
The Montreal Canadiens announced today that they have recalled four players from their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket: Forwards Owen Beck and Florian Xhekaj, as well as defensemen Adam Engström and David Reinbacher.
The Rocket were eliminated from the Calder Cup Playoffs yesterday, falling in the fifth game of their best-of-five North Division Semifinal against the Toronto Marlies.
These recalls help reinforce the depth of the Canadiens roster as they look to continue their push towards the Eastern Conference Final. Montreal took a 2-1 series lead against the Buffalo Sabres last night, courtesy of a 6-2 win in game three. Game four of the series is Tuesday night in Montreal.
These four players represent some of the best of the Canadiens’ organizational depth, and notably, none of the players recalled are even 23 years old. Beck and Engström were added to the Canadiens organization at the 2022 draft, part of a haul that has already become franchise-changing. Reinbacher was the No. 5 overall pick at the 2023 draft and Xhekaj, who is the younger brother of Canadiens blueliner Arber Xhekaj, was picked in the fourth round that year.
The player that is most immediately NHL-ready is likely Engström, a 22-year-old Swedish defenseman. After he was drafted in 2022, Engström spent two years developing at the professional level in his native Sweden playing for Rögle BK. In 2024, he crossed the Atlantic and made his debut in the Canadiens organization, playing in 66 games for the Laval Rocket.
Engström has had a stellar 2025-26 season, scoring 10 goals and 34 points in 45 games for the Rocket while also earning 15 NHL games with the Canadiens. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic rated Engström as the No. 6 prospect in Montreal’s system, calling him someone who “could become a No. 5-6” defenseman “with some modern elements” to his game.
The Canadiens’ defense already skews to left-shot blueliners, which means he faces stiffer competition in his efforts to land a full-time role in Montreal. That’s not the case for Reinbacher, the team’s No. 4 prospect according to Wheeler. Reinbacher is a big right-shot defenseman who plays a composed, steady game. Persistent injury issues have slowed the pace of his development, putting him behind some of his peers from the 2023 draft class. But he had a strong season playing in all situations in Laval and should be a real contender for an NHL role next fall.
Beck, 22, is Montreal’s No. 7 prospect according to Wheeler and is, like the two defensemen, on the cusp of making the leap to the NHL on a more permanent basis.
A hard-working two-way center, Beck scored 15 goals and 44 points in 64 games as an AHL rookie last season, and scored 13 goals and 33 points in 58 games this year.
He also added five points in five playoff games this season. Beck already has 28 NHL games under his belt and could push for a bottom-six role in training camp.
The fourth player recalled was Xhekaj, a forward who is one of Montreal’s faster-rising prospects. He was picked in the fourth round despite scoring just 25 points in his draft campaign in the OHL. But the Canadiens saw something in the forward that gave them the confidence to draft him in that round despite relatively low offensive numbers. Co-director of amateur scouting Nick Bobrov called Xhekaj a “unicorn” during the team’s pre-draft process.
Since being selected, all Xhekaj has done is reward the team’s faith in him. He became a point-per-game OHL scorer and had a strong rookie pro campaign with the Rocket in 2024-25, scoring 24 goals and 35 points. He also added 175 penalty minutes. This past year, Xhekaj scored 17 goals and 29 points, racking up 182 penalty minutes. His blend of size, physicality, and goal-scoring ability gives him a chance to become a well-liked bottom-six forward in the NHL.
All four skaters recalled today by the Canadiens are players who could very well play a role in the NHL next season. They represent the next wave of youthful NHL reinforcements the Canadiens are set to receive, fruits of a rebuild that already appears to be paying off. While none is particularly likely to draw into the lineup during this run, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see some – or all – of these faces in the NHL at this time next year.
Photos courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Boston Bruins Hypothetical Offseason Targets
As the Stanley Cup playoffs progress, it is becoming more evident that the remaining teams in contention for the Stanley Cup have a blend of speed and skill that benefits a team’s game in all facets. According to Shawn Hutcheon of The Fourth Period, the Boston Bruins are looking to add that exact attribute to their offseason checklist.
Before the 2025-26 NHL season, Bruins management entered with a clear indication of what style they wanted their roster to play like. A hard-nosed, physical team that would be a hard-out in every contest, no matter the circumstances. As a team with a fan base that expects a competitive hockey club to contend for a championship, this was the foundation laid by President Cam Neely and General Manager Don Sweeney in their construction of this past year’s Bruins squad.
The Bruins proved themselves a tough team to roll over throughout 2025-26; they ended with 18 wins (fourth in NHL) after allowing a goal first. Having made the playoffs after a tumultuous year in which they selected seventh overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, management found a key weakness in their first-round matchup with the Buffalo Sabres: speed. Neely said that it was an attribute that the team was looking to acquire in “one way, shape, or form.”
The Sabres finished second in the regular season in 18-20 mph skating speed bursts with 6962 per NHL EDGE, and had Beck Malenstyn, who finished with the top skating speed recorded all year at 24.94 mph. If you compare both teams in terms of speed bursts, Buffalo had nearly one hundred speed bursts at 22mph or higher. Boston’s players eclipsed that number just 54 times in comparison.
So where do the Bruins go from here? Now that their season has ended, they have a lengthy window to evaluate where they can address their lack of speed. Boston currently holds the 23rd overall pick as their highest of seven total draft picks that they’d ideally use to restock their prospect pool. If they wanted to, they could take a swing and make a trade for a player who could complement the team’s current forward group and elevate the team’s pace. How they’ll approach that remains to be seen, but with a little above $16MM in cap space, there is some wiggle room to find a fit.
Option 1: Owen Tippett
Tippett is a familiar name for those who kept tabs on the rumor mill with the Bruins during the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. The 27-year-old winger finished his 2025-26 season with 28 goals and 51 points in 81 games and added two points in six playoff games with the Flyers before suffering a sports hernia injury that sidelined him in Philadelphia’s eventual second-round loss to Carolina.
Tippett, with the tenth-highest top speed tracked at 23.97 mph, would be an accessible option for the Bruins to package assets in a trade for his services. Not only would he add the goal-scoring touch that Boston would benefit from in their middle-six forward group, but he finished this season 2nd among all NHL skaters in most +22 mph speed bursts with 61 total. He tallied more than stars like Tim Stutzle, Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Brayden Point, and trailed Connor McDavid (151) for most bursts above that mark.
Option 2: Bobby McMann
The forward with a 6-foot-2, 209 lb frame may not appeal as a speedy option when reading that profile, but McMann is a fast player at that size. McMann tracked the league’s seventh fastest top speed at 24.25 mph and finished with 28 speed bursts above 22 mph.
McCann’s current situation makes him an even more appealing option. The 29-year-old is coming off a 14-point stretch in 18 games after the trade deadline when the Toronto Maple Leafs sent him to the Seattle Kraken for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick. His 32 points with the Maple Leafs before that deal total 46 points in 78 games this past year. A career year will command a solid salary as McMann enters his 30’s, but one the Bruins could consider signing when July 1 hits.
Option 3: Olen Zellweger
Zellweger is a younger option the Bruins could consider; however, it would be one that would cost a prettier penny. Among all Ducks defensemen this past year, no one was faster than Zellweger. He tracked a top skating speed of 22.49 mph and eight +22 speed bursts
Zellweger had not seen ice-time in the playoffs in any capacity up until last night’s Game 4 win over the Vegas Golden Knights and hadn’t skated since April 7th of the regular season. He is 22 years old, and his entry-level contract is expiring, making him a restricted free agent this summer with Anaheim. The Bruins could use a youthful jolt on their left side, especially one with NHL experience; the former 2021 second-round pick had 22 points in 76 games this year.
Given the roster turnover Boston has had over the last two years, the team is significantly younger than it has been. Younger pieces like Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov are the team’s faster players, who could lean on speed development if none of these outside pieces become available. However, if the team wants to keep pace with the Montreal’s and Buffalo’s of the East, getting uncomfortable and making a swing would be in their best interest.
Hurricanes Sign Mark Jankowski To Two-Year Extension
According to a team announcement, the Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Mark Jankowski to a two-year extension through the 2027-28 season. The two-year extension is worth $3.7MM ($1.85MM AAV). Jankowski is in the final season of a two-year, $1.6MM ($800K AAV) contract that he originally signed with the Nashville Predators.
In the announcement, General Manager Eric Tulsky said, “Mark has been an excellent fit for our organization throughout his time here. He’s proven he can contribute in different ways, and we are glad he’s chosen to remain with the organization.”
Jankowski has spent his career bouncing between the NHL and AHL, including stints with the Calgary Flames, where he tallied a career-high 32 points in the 2018-19 season. He then played a year in Pittsburgh and Buffalo before signing with the Predators, playing between their farm system in Milwaukee and Nashville. This extension eclipses his previous highest contract value of $3.35MM ($1.68MM AAV) with the Flames in 2018-19.
The 31-year-old forward finished the 2025-26 regular season with 11 goals and 21 points in 68 games. He’s added an assist in eight playoff games so far this postseason. The Hamilton, Ontario native has been a mainstay for Carolina in their bottom-six since last year. The Hurricanes acquired Jankowski in a deal at the 2025 trade deadline that sent him from the Predators to the Hurricanes in exchange for their fifth-round pick in 2026.
The Hurricanes still have around $12.4MM in cap space entering this summer. Their unrestricted free agents include Nicolas Deslauriers in the forward group, as well as defenseman Mike Reilly and goaltender Frederik Andersen, with only Alexander Nikishin as a restricted free agent to round out their expiring deals. Carolina will also have Jusso Valimaki’s buried contract coming off the books, which will free up a small $850K.
Maple Leafs Assign Ben Danford To AHL
The Toronto Maple Leafs are bringing one of their top prospects to the professional ranks. According to an announcement from their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs have assigned defenseman Ben Danford to the AHL for the Calder Cup playoffs.
Despite having one of the worst prospect pools in the NHL, Danford is generally regarded as Toronto’s top prospect, especially since Easton Cowan became a full-time NHL player this season. The Maple Leafs selected Danford 31st overall in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Since then, the 20-year-old native of Madoc, Ontario, has been playing for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals and Brantford Bulldogs. Still, his development path hasn’t necessarily gone as the Maple Leafs may have liked. After registering 33 points with a +27 rating in 63 games with the Generals during his draft season, Danford dropped to 25 points and a +5 rating through 61 contests the following season.
It is important to highlight that Oshawa has gotten worse around Danford over the past few seasons. After being traded to the Bulldogs during the 2025-26 campaign, Danford improved his game, scoring two goals and accumulating 16 points in 37 games, along with a +12 rating. Furthermore, he added three more points in 13 postseason games during the OHL playoffs.
Although his offensive output decreased, Danford has remained a quality player on the defensive side of the puck. He’s rarely caught out of position and holds tight gaps, giving opposing forwards little room to get around him.
Unfortunately, if he draws into the postseason lineup for the Marlies, things aren’t going to get any easier for Danford in the short term. Toronto is coming off a hard-fought battle against the AHL’s Laval Rocket and has drawn a date against the Cleveland Monsters, a team that made it to the Eastern Conference Final last season.