Owning the Toronto Maple Leafs' 2027 first-round pick, the Philadelphia Flyers could not have asked for better news to start their Wednesday morning.
On Wednesday, the Maple Leafs announced that they had hired former Los Angeles Kings head coach Jim Hiller as their new head coach, marking a stark departure from more accomplished candidates such as Peter Laviolette, Patrick Roy, and even Jay Woodcroft.
This comes on the heels of even stranger hiring, where John Chayka took over the Maple Leafs as general manager after being out of the NHL for years.
Hiller, 57, has three years of head coaching experience at the NHL level, guiding the Kings to a 93-58-24 overall record under his watch and going just 3-8 in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Hiller was dismissed by the Kings 59 games into the 2025-26 season, when the Kings were struggling to a paltry 24-21-14 record.
The only full season Hiller coached at the helm of the Kings was the 2024-25 season, when the team went 48-25-9, thanks in large part to their 203 goals against, which ranked second in the NHL.
Those Kings were also just 14th in the NHL in goals for (249), and without the elite goaltending he got from Darcy Kuemper, Hiller's head coaching resume looks wholly unimpressive.
The Flyers just pried Joseph Woll away from the Maple Leafs at the cost of Emil Andrae, Sam Ersson, and a third-round pick, which leaves Hiller and Toronto stuck with the injury-prone Anthony Stolarz and the unproven Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov.
Now, the Flyers were already in a good spot with the Maple Leafs' 2027 first-round pick, as Toronto had sold off veterans Bobby McMann, Scott Laughton, and Nicolas Roy ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline.
A Maple Leafs team with a lower-tier head coach, gutted forward depth, and uninspiring goaltending doesn't look like it's on the path to some great success, and certainly leans closer to a rebuild than contention.
While we don't know which of the Flyers and Boston Bruins get the Maple Leafs' 2027 and 2028 first-round picks, assuming it lands in the top 10, there is a very real possibility that both of those draft choices end up being high selections.
And, we can reasonably assume that the Maple Leafs would not choose to give the Bruins the 2027 pick if it falls in the top 10, as they are a direct division rival, and a hated one at that.
The trade conditions benefit the Flyers in virtually every scenario, and if Hiller's hiring tells us anything, the Maple Leafs won't be seeing much success any time soon.
Former
Columbus Blue Jackets forward and Cleveland Monsters Captain Ryan Craig has been promoted by the Vegas Golden Knights to be their next head coach. He replaces John Tortorella, who just took the VGK to the Stanley Cup Final. It was announced on June 16 that Tortorella would not be back to coach Vegas.
Craig has spent the last three seasons as head coach for the AHL's Henderson Silver Knights. Before that, he was an assistant coach for Vegas from 2017 to 2023. He was hired by Henderson just after the VGK won the Stanley Cup in 2023.
COACH CRAIG ⚔️
Vegas Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon has announced Ryan Craig will be the fifth Head Coach in franchise history.
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 17, 2026
Craig's Silver Knights missed the playoffs in two of his three seasons before winning a round in this year's Calder Cup Playoffs against San Jose. They then lost to Colorado in the Pacific semifinals.
Ryan Craig actually captained multiple Columbus Blue Jackets affiliates. From 2012 to 2015, he was the Captain for the Springfield Falcons. When the Lake Erie Monsters became the AHL affiliate in 2015, he wore the "C" until his retirement in 2017.
He played a total of 198 games in the NHL for the Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He played 8 games for Columbus and wasn't able to earn a point.
The hire of Craig is completely out of character for a Vegas franchise that loves to take chances and swing for the fences. They fired Bruce Cassidy with only eight games left in the season and brought in John Tortorella for a new coach bump going into the playoffs. It worked, as Vegas would go on to lose in 6 games in the Cup Final to the Carolina Hurricanes.
What will Craig be able to do with an always star-laden roster? How long will the Golden Knights keep him around? Stay tuned.
Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft is on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, where the CBJ will own pick #14.
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TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs hired Jim Hiller as the 41st head coach in franchise history, bringing back an assistant with the club from 2015-19.
The 57-year-old Hiller replaces Craig Berube as part of an offseason overhaul led by new general manager John Chayka.
Most recently, Hiller served as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings, compiling a 93-58-24 record over parts of three seasons. The Kings fired Hiller on March 1 following an 8-1 loss to Edmonton.
Hiller served as an assistant coach with the Kings for two seasons before being promoted to head coach.
A native of Port Alberni, British Columbia, Hiller spent 11 seasons coaching junior hockey, including stints with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans and several teams in the British Columbia Hockey League, before moving to the NHL ranks.
The Leafs fired Berube on May 13 after two seasons, following a first-to-last turnaround this past season. After finishing atop the Atlantic Division in 2024-25 and making it to the second round of the playoffs, Toronto fell to last in the division and 28th in the NHL.
His firing came 10 days after Chayka was brought on board to replace Brad Treliving. Chayka called the Berube firing “an opportunity to start fresh,” and said the team would go through a wide-ranging search.
Along with making some new front-office additions, Chayka traded goaltender Joseph Woll and depth defenseman Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers for blue-liner Emil Andrae, goalie Samuel Ersson and a third-round pick in the NHL draft.
Toronto owns the No. 1 pick in the draft, a first since taking Auston Matthews atop the 2016 draft.
The Buffalo Sabres could go a number of different ways as the NHL enters trade season leading into the NHL Draft in two weeks, and the beginning of free agency on July 1. Based on a lengthy impasse between pending UFA Alex Tuch, most insiders are expecting the 30-year-old to sign elsewhere since there continues to be a considerable gap between what Tuch’s representatives are looking for and what Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen is willing to pay him.
There is a slim possibility that Buffalo could get something significant in return for the Syracuse, NY native if they arrange a sign-and-trade, so that another club can have him on an eight-year deal and spread out the AAV to lower the cap hit, but with the likely scenario that he simply walks away when free agency opens next month, Kekalainen will have to pivot to fill the scoring gap.
Over the next few weeks, we will look at potential options for the Sabres. Some of the possibilities are not going to match Tuch’s stats, that absence may have to be filled by youngsters like Konsta Helenius, Jiri Kulich, or Noah Ostlund, but Kekalainen will potentially need to find a veteran winger to replace Tuch in the top six.
Kekalainen will likely looking for a veteran with some leadership, a history of playoff performance, with cost certainty and some term remaining on his deal instead of a younger player like Anaheim’s Mason McTavish, who is 23 years old and is signed long term at an AAV of $7 million. Marchessault might be a fit for what the Sabres are looking for, if he would be willing to waive his no trade protection come to Buffalo.
The acquisition could be quite risky, since the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy winner is 35 and dropped from 42 goals with Vegas in 2024, to 21 in 2025, to 12 in 62 games with Nashville last season. The Predators may be in the process of a retool over a rebuild, and new GM Chris McFarland has already begun the reshuffle of his roster with the trade with Colorado for center Ross Colton on Tuesday.
The $5.5 million AAV for three more seasons is quite reasonable if he can bounce back and score 20+ goals. Kekalainen would likely not move any of his young forwards. Marchessault’s declining numbers could make the acquisition price relatively economical, with Nashville potentially willing to swap the veteran for a draft choice, a B-level prospect or a forward making a significant salary off the Sabres roster, like Ryan McLeod or Jordan Greenway.
The Chicago Blackhawks are going to make the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. They dropped two spots in the lottery, so they slot in behind the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks, and Vancouver Canucks. It is expected that they are going to get a great prospect with this selection.
There is a lot of dialogue around the hockey community when it comes to the top 10 in this draft. 3 forwards stick out above the rest, and four defensemen who project to lead the pack at that position. There is also a Latvian player that some team is going to take a chance on, and may be thankful they did years down the line.
What will the order be when teams come up to make their selections? This mock draft goes through the 16 picks that were put through the lottery for non-playoff teams:
1. Toronto Maple Leafs - Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State
The Toronto Maple Leafs, unless they go way off the board, are going to select Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. With big changes within the organization over the last 12 months, he will be a part of their fresh start.
2. San Jose Sharks - Chase Reid, D, Sault St. Marie
Are the San Jose Sharks going to pass on the second-best talent in the draft for what they believe is the top defenseman in the draft? Chase Reid may be a star, and the Sharks need young defensemen in the organization much more than they need forwards.
3. Vancouver Canucks - Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford
The Vancouver Canucks hired Caleb Malhotra's dad, Manny, to be their head coach this offseason. Now, they have a chance to select his son, who happens to be the best true center in the draft.
4. Chicago Blackhawks - Ivar Stenberg, LW, Frolunda
With the Sharks valuing a defenseman and the Canucks going with the bloodline, Ivar Stenberg falls to the Chicago Blackhawks at 4th overall. He plans on playing in the NHL as soon as 2026-27, and the Blackhawks have room for him with one of Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, or his countryman Anton Frondell.
5. New York Rangers - Keaton Verhoeff, D, North Dakota
The New York Rangers need everything to get back into contention after falling out of it. An offensive-minded defenseman with lots of skill makes sense for them as they move forward. Keaton Verhoeff would be a great addition to their future blue line.
6. Calgary Flames - Carson Carels, D, Prince George
Carson Carels joining the elite farm system that exists within the Calgary Flames organization would be perfect for his development curve. There is an argument to be made that he is the best defenseman in the class, but he falls to six here.
7. Seattle Kraken - Alberts Smits, D, Jukurit
Alberts Smits of Latvia seems to be the buffer between the top defensive prospects and the next tier. The Seattle Kraken taking a risk on him seems to be a great fit at this point, as they need a little bit of everything added to their roster.
8. Winnipeg Jets - Daxon Rudolph, D, Prince Albert
Daxon Rudolph doesn't have the projected ceiling that the other defenseman already off the board have, but the Winnipeg Jets have been a master of developing blue-liners and turning them into stars.
9. Florida Panthers - Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University
The Florida Panthers, who entered this season as the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, had one bad year due to injuries and will make the 9th overall pick. If they add Tynan Lawrence, who spent parts of this season as a projected top-three pick, they would only be improving their future, which is scary for the rest of the league.
The hockey nation of Sweden is pumping out multiple high-end forward prospects these days, and Viggo Bjorck is one of them. He impressed at the World Junior Championships on a team that also had Anton Frondell and Ivar Stenberg. He was also great for Sweden at the Men's World Championships and solidified himself as a top-ten pick. The Nashville Predators could use a dynamic winger like him in their pipeline and possibly on their team.
11. St. Louis Blues - J.P. Hurlbert, LW, Kamloops
The St. Louis Blues have two picks in the top 15. It might be wise for them to use both on forwards to improve their overall skill within the organization. Here at 11, J.P. Hurlbert of the Kamloops Blazers makes sense. He is committed to Michigan in the NCAA in 2026-27.
12. New Jersey Devils - Oscar Hemming, RW, Boston College
Oscar Hemming, a Finnish forward, played 19 games for Boston College in 2025-26. The potential to play with one of Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier may help him take his game to another level if he ever makes it to the NHL.
13. New York Islanders - Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor
The New York Islanders had a strong draft in 2025, including Matthew Schaefer with the number one overall pick. Now, they have a chance to add a stud forward in Ethan Belchetz, who spent the 2025-26 season with the Windsor Spitfires. Now, he will transition to play college hockey at Michigan State.
14. Columbus Blue Jackets - Adam Novotny, LW, Peterborough
The Columbus Blue Jackets are close to being a playoff team, but they must continue adding to their prospect pool. Adam Novotny is a strong forward who can score goals with the best of them, as far as prospects are concerned.
15. St. Louis Blues via Detroit Red Wings - Brooks Rogowski, RW, Oshawa
The St. Louis Blues have the 15th overall pick as a result of the Justin Faulk trade with the Detroit Red Wings. Brooks Rogowski, a winger, is the selection here for them. He is a winger who can make their middle six better with the potential of a top-line forward.
16. Washington Capitals - Ryan Lin, D, Vancouver
The Washington Capitals no longer have John Carlson, so selecting a defenseman may be something they are interested in for their long-term future. Ryan Lin is an option for them at 16th overall.
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Former San Jose Sharks goaltender Magnus Chrona is heading back to his native Sweden, but that didn't prevent him from being involved in a trade on Tuesday.
Last month, Chrona signed with Brynäs IF in the Swedish Hockey League on a contract that runs through the 2027-28 season. Then, on Tuesday, his NHL rights were traded from the Nashville Predators to the Colorado Avalanche along with two third round draft picks with Ross Colton and Isak Posch heading the other way.
Chrona, 25, was traded to Nashville as a part of the trade that brought Yaroslav Askarov to the Bay Area during the summer of 2024. After the trade, he spent the entirety of his time in the Predators organization with their American Hockey League affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.
The former University of Denver goaltender only appeared in nine NHL games during his time as a Shark, registering a 4.71 goals against average and an .859 save percentage.
Since Chrona moved to North America to play at the University of Denver ahead of the 2019-20 season, he has yet to make his debut in the SHL.
DENVER — New Nashville front-office executive Chris MacFarland didn’t take long to strike a deal with his former team in trading for Colorado forward Ross Colton.
MacFarland, who recently left his role as Avalanche GM to become the president of hockey operations/general manager of the Predators, acquired the veteran center along with goaltender Isak Posch. Colorado receives goalie Magnus Chrona and a pair of third-round picks (2026, ’27).
“We are very excited to add Ross Colton to our forward mix,” MacFarland said in a statement. “Ross is a versatile, two-way winger who will add sandpaper and grit into our middle six group.”
Colton is coming off a season with Colorado in which he had nine goals and 15 assists over 73 games. He was third among Avalanche players with 159 hits. Colton and the Avalanche made it to the Western Conference Final before being swept by Vegas.
It was MacFarland who helped orchestrate the trade that brought the 29-year-old Colton to Colorado on June 28, 2023, through a deal with Tampa Bay. Soon after, Colton was signed to a four-year contract.
The trade gives more draft capital to Joe Sakic, who’s stepping back into the role of GM in the wake of MacFarland’s departure. Sakic, who’s also the president of hockey operations, was in that position when the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022.
Chrona joins a team that features a goaltending tandem of Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. The pair won the William M. Jennings Trophy, which went to the goalies who played at least 25 games for the team that allowed the least amount of goals in the regular season.
Last season, the 25-year-old Chrona was 9-11-3 with a 2.94 goals-against average for the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League. Chrona remains familiar with the area having suited up at the University of Denver from 2019-23. He was part of the Pioneers when they won the national championship in 2021-22.
Posch spent time with the Colorado Eagles in each of the last two seasons. The Swedish native was named to the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic for the Pacific Division.
“He is a big goalie who will add to our already impressive depth at this position,” MacFarland said.
Brendan Gallagher may be on his way out and unlikely to wear the Montreal Canadiens’ jersey next season, but on Tuesday, he attended the CN Sports Complex in Brossard like a few of his teammates. Why? Well, it wasn’t to skate as the veteran didn’t put on his equipment, but he did spend some time on the bench watching Ivan Demidov and prospect Alexander Zharovsky skate. He wasn’t the only curious Hab as Nick Suzuki, Phillip Danault, and Jacob Fowler were also in attendance.
According to TVA Sports’ Nicolas Cloutier, Gallagher’s agent is pleased with the way the Canadiens have been handling the veteran’s case this offseason. Now that the Stanley Cup final is over and the Carolina Hurricanes have been crowned champions, teams have started moving on the trade market. The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Philadelphia Flyers made a surprising goalie swap, the Colorado Avalanche sent Ross Colton to the Nashville Predators for picks, in other words, it’s business as usual.
While Gallagher’s agent previously mentioned that the Vancouver Canucks had interest in the veteran, if the Canadiens are unable to conclude a trade, they could also buy out the alternate captain. That could happen if potential trade partners are proving a bit too greedy in negotiations, requesting too much as a sweetener to take on the contract. While they’d be doing the Canadiens a favour by picking up the veteran’s contract, the contract could also be useful to them to reach the cap floor, giving Hughes some leverage in negotiations.
For instance, if Vancouver were to manage to trade away Elias Pettersson and his huge contract, they would have trouble meeting the cap floor, and Gallagher’s contract would then come in rather handy. Last season, Hughes only had to give the San Jose Sharks a fifth-round pick and take on Gannon Laroque’s contract to shed Carey Price’s huge contract. The Sharks were near the 50-contract limit, and it provided them with some much-needed relief.
In an ideal world, the Canadiens would be able to trade Gallagher early this offseason, and Hughes could then move on to addressing the team’s needs.
Now that the Stanley Cup has been awarded, the NHL offseason is in full swing. The month-long window between now and mid-July is when the vast majority of business will be done prior to the 2026-27 season.
Trades have already taken place, the NHL Draft is less than two weeks away, and unrestricted free agency will soon follow. Between those marquee dates on the calendar, the NHL buyout window looms for players whose teams view them as having vastly underperformed relative to their contracts.
The NHL buyout window is now open, as it is over 48 hours following the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final, and will run through June 30 at 5 PM EST.
Note: For buyout explanations and calculations, head to puckpedia.com’s buyout calculator tool
For the first time in nearly a decade, the Anaheim Ducks are a competitive NHL team who is projected to at least threaten the $104 million salary cap ceiling. Cap hits are no longer irrelevant to the Ducks, and every dollar on the books will matter very soon.
When examining the Ducks’ cap sheet, one player jumps off the screen: Frank Vatrano. His production dropped off a cliff, and he had a difficult season in 2025-26, on and off the ice.
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek typically holds the meat of his contract negotiations for the offseason, but on Jan. 5, 2025, he extended Vatrano on a creative three-year deal. Vatrano was in the middle of his third straight 20-goal season for the Ducks, a year removed from a 37-goal All-Star campaign in 2023-24, and had become an identity piece for the organization as they were attempting to put the finishing touches on an extended, painful rebuild.
Vatrano’s deal is worth a total of $18 million, but due to ten years of deferred money ($900k annually between 2035 and 2044), his yearly cap hit dropped from $6 million to $4.57 million. The deal includes a seven-team NTC.
Vatrano was Verbeek’s first UFA signing after he took the job in 2022, and Vatrano outperformed expectations in an elevated role due to the Ducks’ lack of talent and rebuild timeline. Following 2025’s hiring of Joel Quenneville as Anaheim’s next head coach, Vatrano had a difficult time carving a role in the newly implemented system, was injured for a stretch with a fracture in his shoulder, and stepped away from the team for personal reasons.
His final stat line for 2025-26 included just nine points (5-4=9) in 50 games, and he served as a healthy scratch for multiple games, including the Ducks’ entire two-round, 12-game playoff run. It’s safe to question Vatrano’s future with the Ducks.
If Vatrano were to be bought out during the current window, his cap hit would drop to $571,189 for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons, and would be $2 million in 2028-29 and 2029-30. Vatrano would receive $8 million of the $12 million in remaining money he’s owed on the contract.
The possibility remains that the Ducks simply keep Vatrano and allow him to work past the issues he faced in 2025-26. There’s also the possibility that they are able to trade him. The 2026 NHL unrestricted free agency class is notoriously weak, the salary cap continues to rise, and teams will likely attempt to improve their teams via the trade market.
Former Ducks center Ryan Strome went through similar difficulties to Vatrano in 2025-26, and the Ducks were able to move him and the entirety of his $5 million AAV contract to the Calgary Flames at the trade deadline in exchange for a seventh-round pick. Vatrano had a higher ceiling than Strome did during the duo’s time together in Anaheim, and teams may believe they can recapture that magic. They’d have to be willing, however, to assume the responsibility of paying Vatrano through the year 2044.
The next few weeks will be very telling when examining the immediate and long-term future of the Anaheim Ducks. This is a pivotal offseason following their first success in nearly a decade, and a buyout may unfortunately be seen as necessary.
The last time the Ducks bought out a player was when they bought out the final two years of former cornerstone forward Corey Perry’s eight-year deal on June 19, 2019.
This decision certainly turned heads and shocked many for a couple of reasons. Hiller's name never really came up in the build-up to this hire, and he's coming off a tenure with the Los Angeles Kings that wasn't particularly impressive.
However, this is a new page for Hiller in his head coaching career, and the Maple Leafs' current situation is very different from the Kings team Hiller led for parts of the last three years.
When Hiller was with the Kings, he had his team play very defensively. From Feb. 2, 2024, to March 1, 2026, Hiller's official tenure, Los Angeles averaged 2.86 goals per game. That puts the Kings tied for the ninth-worst offense in the NHL over that span.
The Kings did not play an exciting brand of hockey under his guidance, but that could be partly because of the makeup of the team.
Hiller coached an aging Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty, leaving his top offensive producer to be Adrian Kempe, who has never scored more than 75 points in his NHL career. Not to mention, Quinton Byfield has yet to blossom into the high-flying center that he is expected to be.
When a team like the Kings has a veteran core, most of the time, the organization will want to find ways to always be competitive. Another example of that is the Pittsburgh Penguins, who seemingly refuse to go through a complete rebuild as long as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are around.
And with a team that lacks offensive prowess, the way to win games is to keep the other team from scoring. In that sense, Hiller was very good at getting the Kings to buy in defensively, and the numbers prove it.
In that same span in which Hiller led Los Angeles from behind the bench, no team in the NHL was better than the Kings at keeping the puck out of their net.
The Kings averaged 2.60 goals against, marking them with the best defense in the league. They also have the fifth-most shutouts in the NHL with five, and while Darcy Kuemper was solid and a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2024-25, those numbers are a nod to Hiller's system.
Even though Hiller has only really presented a defensive system for his team as a head coach in the NHL, that doesn't mean that's all he can provide. After all, when he was an assistant coach in the NHL, including with the Maple Leafs for four years, he looked after the power play.
As Toronto's power-play operator from 2015-16 to 2018-19, Hiller had success with the Leafs special teams. In that span, the Maple Leafs have the fifth-best power play in the NHL, registering a 21.3 percentage rate.
Therefore, Hiller does have the ability to create offense out of his team. But what gives him an even greater chance to be successful as the head coach of the Maple Leafs is his history with the team.
Toronto's roster has certainly changed a lot since Hiller moved on from the Maple Leafs' coaching staff. However, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares and Morgan Rielly have remained on the team since.
It may not be a coincidence that Hiller's last year with the Maple Leafs, Tavares and Rielly had the best campaigns of their NHL careers. Tavares scored a career-high 47 goals and 88 points while Rielly recorded 20 goals and 74 points, as well as Norris Trophy recognition, finishing fifth in the award's voting.
Not to mention, Hiller was a teacher to Matthews and Nylander in the early parts of their career, a critical moment in their development and a factor in how talented they have become over the years.
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TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday hired Jim Hiller as the 41st head coach in franchise history, bringing back an assistant with the club from 2015-19.
Most recently, Hiller served as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings, compiling a 93-58-24 record over parts of three seasons. The Kings fired Hiller on March 1 following an 8-1 loss to Edmonton.
“(Hiller) has worked with successful teams throughout his career, connects well with players and brings a clear approach behind the bench,” Chayka said in a news release. “We believe he’s the right person to lead our team and help us reach our goals.”
Hiller served as an assistant coach with the Kings for two seasons before being promoted to head coach.
A native of Port Alberni, British Columbia, Hiller spent 11 seasons coaching junior hockey, including stints with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans and several teams in the British Columbia Hockey League, before moving to the NHL ranks.
“I’m incredibly excited for the opportunity to return to Toronto and lead the Maple Leafs,” Hiller said in the release. “This is a special organization with great players, passionate fans and high expectations. I’m looking forward to getting to work with our players and staff and doing everything we can to help this team reach its full potential.”
The Leafs fired Berube on May 13 after two seasons, following a first-to-last turnaround this past season. After finishing atop the Atlantic Division in 2024-25 and making it to the second round of the playoffs, Toronto fell to last in the division and 28th in the NHL.
His firing came 10 days after Chayka was brought on board to replace Brad Treliving. Chayka called the Berube firing “an opportunity to start fresh,” and said the team would go through a wide-ranging search.
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 11: Filip Hallander #11 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates during the game against the New York Rangers at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 11, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Vitals
Player: Filip Hallander Born: June 29, 2000 (25 years old) Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 203 pounds Hometown: Sundsvall, Sweden Shoots: Left Draft: 58th overall (second round) in the 2018 NHL draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins 2025-26 Regular Season Statistics: 13 games played; one goal; three assists; four points Contract Status: Entering second year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $850,000. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2027.
Story of the Season
Now back in the fold after two successful seasons with Timra IK, Hallander earned a spot on the opening night roster for the 2025-26 season under new head coach Dan Muse.
On Oct. 16, 2025, he scored his first NHL goal, a shorthanded game-winner over the Los Angeles Kings, some seven years after being drafted.
Hallander’s impressive October and 2025-26 season would come to a screeching halt after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his leg in November 2025. The diagnosis forced Hallander to miss several months, but he successfully progressed through his recovery enough to rejoin his teammates for practice by mid-February.
He was loaned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on a conditioning assignment on Feb. 18.
In three games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Hallander recorded a lone goal, but was recalled from his conditioning assignment Feb. 27.
He did not appear in a game for the remainder of the season.
Hallander notched an assist on opening night in the 4-3 win over the New York Rangers, and three games later, recorded his first-career NHL goal against the Kings.
He’d go pointless after that game, but saw his ice time dramatically increase from 10:58 in a 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers on Oct. 23 to 16:09 the next game against the Blue Jackets.
He recorded assists in back-to-back games against the St. Louis Blues and the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 27 and Oct. 28, respectively.
Regular season 5v5 advanced stats
Data via Natural Stat Trick. Ranking is out of 18 forwards on the team who qualified by playing a minimum of 150 minutes.
Hallander barely qualifies for this data set, playing just over 152 minutes of ice time, the lowest of any eligible forward. The numbers are somewhat volatile and should be treated more as a snapshot of a few shifts than as a reliable assessment of his true performance this season.
The on-ice save percentage and goals for percentage almost certainly regress if Hallander logs more substantial ice time, and in that same breath, he probably generates a better Corsi for percentage, for example, than his 16th-ranked finish indicates.
Ultimately, Hallander showed encouraging flashes as a defensively responsible depth forward. The question is whether he can translate that effectiveness over 700-900 minutes, where the luck factors disappear, and his true impact becomes clearer.
Highlights
Filip Hallander scored his FIRST NHL GOAL! Here is how it sounded on the Penguins Radio Network, presented by S&T Bank. pic.twitter.com/cJYypEsSee
What is Hallander’s health status heading into next season? Will he have to earn another role within Pittsburgh’s bottom-six? What does Dan Muse make of a soon-to-be 26-year-old with just 16 NHL games under his belt?
Ideal 2026-27
Hallander is still under contract for the 2026-27 season, and players like Noel Acciari, Kevin Hayes, and Anthony Mantha are more likely than not to depart the organization, creating a few openings for the remaining forwards.
Still just 25, Hallander may yet have some untapped bottom-six potential, but his long-term outlook and health status remain in question. While injuries are unpredictable, durability remains just as much of a desired trait as goalscoring.
Bottom line
Some flashes of a decent NHL player were there early on, before injury derailed his season. If he can stay healthy, Hallander could offer cheap, effective bottom-six depth for a Penguins team that is once again primed for a bit of a facelift this offseason with cap space at Kyle Dubas’ disposal to go big-game hunting.
Final Grade: C
Some may view a “C” grade as too generous, but considering his solid October, I am going to grade him based on what he offered when he was in the lineup.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are turning to former Los Angeles Kings coach Jim Hiller to get them back to the playoffs after the end of their nine-year streak.
Hiller was fired by the Kings in March but is familiar with the Maple Leafs organization, serving as an assistant coach from 2015-19, making the playoffs three times in that four-year span.
He had a 93-58-24 record in the regular season with the Kings, including tying a franchise record for wins and points, but he lost in the first round in his two trips to the playoffs.
“Jim is an experienced coach with a strong understanding of what it takes to win in today's NHL,” general manager John Chayka said. “He has worked with successful teams throughout his career, connects well with players and brings a clear approach behind the bench. We believe he's the right person to lead our team and help us reach our goals.”
This is a crucial year for the Maple Leafs. They missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. But they landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft by winning the draft lottery.
They are expected to take Gavin McKenna with that pick, and Hiller would be his first NHL coach.
“I’m incredibly excited for the opportunity to return to Toronto and lead the Maple Leafs,” Hiller said. “This is a special organization with great players, passionate fans and high expectations. I’m looking forward to getting to work with our players and staff and doing everything we can to help this team reach its full potential.”
Jim Hiller's coaching experience
Before becoming the Kings' head coach, he had been an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings, Maple Leafs and Kings. He was interim coach or head coach of the Kings for 175 regular-season games. He began his coaching career in junior hockey in the Western Hockey League.
Jim Hiller as Kings head coach
He was promoted to interim coach in February 2024 after the Kings fired Todd McLellan. He got the Kings to the playoffs, where they lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round.
The Kings removed the interim title and he led the team to a franchise-record-tying 48 wins and 105 points. They faced the Oilers in the first round for the fourth time in four years and lost for the fourth time, despite taking a 2-0 series lead.
They led in Game 3 when Evander Kane scored to tie the game. The on-ice officials initially ruled he kicked in the puck but a review overturned that. Then Hiller challenged for goaltender interference and lost, giving the Oilers a power play. Evan Bouchard scored 10 seconds later for a 5-4 lead and eventual 7-4 victory.
"We felt like it was goalie interference, so we challenged it," Hiller told reporters after that game. "Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose on those and tonight (we) lost and it cost us big time. No other way around it."
"Jim Hiller did a fabulous job in leading the team to 105 points," Holland said. "They were good defensively. They were good on special teams. The team played hard. ... He'll be a better coach next year for the experience he went through this year."
Holland fired Hiller and naned D,J, Smith interim coach on March 1. The Kings had a five-game losing streak around the Olympic break, including an 8-1 loss to the Oilers.
The New York Knicks made history last Saturday, capturing the franchise's first NBA championship in 53 years. This Thursday, June 18, New Yorkers will get to celebrate the milestone in the franchise's first ticker-tape parade.
“For more than 50 years, New Yorkers have waited for this moment. Through near misses, heartbreak and a hope that every year could be our year, this city never stopped believing in the Knicks. And this team fulfilled that hope with grit, resilience, and heart — just like the five boroughs itself,” said New York City Zohran Mayor Mamdani in a statement. “New Yorkers have cheered for our team from packed living rooms in the Bronx to watch parties in Brooklyn, from bars in Queens to Staten Island to Manhattan, and Madison Square Garden itself. Now it’s time for our city to celebrate together. Bing bong.”
See below for everything you need to know about the 2026 Knicks championship parade.
The New York Knicks rallied once again thanks to a 45-point performance from Jalen Brunson to beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5, winning the team’s first title since 1973.
Cooper Connolly continued his impressive form with the bat as two Australian debutants impressed in a four-wicket win over Bangladesh in the opening T20 international on Wednesday.
Flyers Trade Acquisition from Maple Leafs Could Play Even Bigger Role: 'Why Not?'The Philadelphia Flyers swung a big trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and one of their new additions could play an even bigger role than advertised.
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