The PWHL is doubling down on expansion, adding more teams in 2026.

On Wednesday, the league unveiled plans to add teams in Las Vegas and Hamilton, Ontario. Both teams will take the ice beginning with the 2026-2027 season. The PWHL Las Vegas team is slated to play its home games at T-Mobile Arena. The PWHL's Hamilton franchise will play in TD Coliseum.

“Hamilton and its surrounding communities have long been central to the growth of girls’ and women’s hockey, producing generations of talented players and passionate fans,” Jayna Hefford, PWHL executive vice president of hockey operations, said in a release. “This is a region with deep hockey roots, and the response we saw during our Takeover Tour game at TD Coliseum made it clear that fans in the region are ready to rally around a team of their own."

WE’RE NOT DONE YET! 🎉​
​
The PWHL is expanding to Hamilton, ON and Las Vegas, NV!​
➡️ https://t.co/I3OHhhyQ3m​
➡️ https://t.co/xd5Kd36jnwpic.twitter.com/2Qav8ERDpe

— PWHL (@thepwhlofficial) May 13, 2026

“From the staggering growth of youth hockey participation to the passionate support for the Golden Knights and Aces, the Las Vegas community has enthusiastically embraced both hockey and women’s sports. While professional women’s hockey may be new to the market, we know Las Vegas is ready to welcome and champion a PWHL team of its own,” Amy Scheer, PWHL executive vice president of business operations, said.

The news of Las Vegas and Hamilton joining the PHWL comes on the heels of significant growth for the league. Detroit also recently landed a PWHL expansion franchise, bringing the league's current eight teams to 11 by the time next season arrives.

The PWHL is expected to reveal more details regarding expansion, including the roster-building process and how expansion teams will be integrated into the 2026 PWHL Draft in the coming weeks.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Las Vegas, Ontario land PWHL expansion teams as women's hockey booms

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are on the hunt for a new head coach yet again. The club fired Craig Berube on Wednesday after just two years at the helm.

With a new front office regime spearheaded by John Chayka and Mats Sundin, this was perhaps inevitable after the team missed the playoffs with a disappointing 32-36-14 record (second-worst in the East).

We'll look at the Maple Leafs next head coach odds and see who may be the best and most likely fit ahead of the 2026-27 NHL season with our NHL picks.

Next Toronto Maple Leafs head coach odds

Note: Official odds will be added when available.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are an organization in flux. The Auston Matthews era has been rife with disappointment and drama. Mitch Marner was largely used as a scapegoat prior to his departure after last season (he's still playing in the postseason, by the way), and more changes were destined when things actually got much worse in 2025-26.

The Leafs finished with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference, and rumors have swirled surrounding Matthews' future with the team.

With John Chayka taking over as general manager, one of his first acts was to fire head coach Craig Berube on Wednesday. While no odds are yet on the table for who will take over behind the bench, names are already being floated as speculative possibilities.

The Usual Suspects

Bruce Cassidy

The Vegas Golden Knights shocked the hockey world by dismissing Bruce Cassidy just before the playoffs, replacing him with the forever-angry taskmaster, John Tortorella.

It's become a common, and justified, criticism that the same 10 names are regurgitated whenever coaching positions become available. Berube himself was fired by the St. Louis Blues and hired by the Leafs in relative short order.

But Cassidy may be worth the retread. In his first three seasons coaching Vegas, he reached the playoffs each time, winning the Stanley Cup in 2022-23. He would have been in the postseason again this year, too, but here we are.

When official odds are available, it won't be surprising if Cassidy is at the top of the board. He's already interviewed for the Los Angeles Kings job, and would have been a candidate in Edmonton, but the Golden Knights reportedly denied permission for that interview to happen.

Patrick Roy

Patrick Roy was canned by the New York Islanders in April. He's probably the most high-profile candidate available after Cassidy. 

Personally, I doubt this happens. The Hall-of-Fame goaltender has had a shaky tenure as an NHL head coach between stints with the Islanders and Colorado Avalanche. He's coached in the postseason twice, once with each team, and didn't escape the opening round either time.

With the first-overall draft pick coming to town and a possibly contentious relationship to mend with star forward Matthews to deal with, I expect someone with a more established pedigree to get the gig.

Bruce Boudreau

The 71-year-old Bruce Boudreau also feels unlikely, but he was born in Toronto, played junior hockey in the 70s with the Toronto Marlboros, and eventually played with the Maple Leafs as a pro.

He hasn't coached in the NHL since a brief stint with the Vancouver Canucks, but he had a long history of success as the coach of the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, and Minnesota Wild before that. 

Granted, that track record also featured a lot of first-round playoff exits, but that should make him fit in nicely in Toronto.

Peter Laviolette

Peter Laviolette has an extensive resume at the NHL level, winning the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes back in 2006, and reaching the Stanley Cup Final with both the Philadelphia Flyers (2010) and Nashville Predators (2017).

Like a lot of these big names, though, his tenures seem to be getting shorter. He lasted just three years with the Washington Capitals from 2020-23, and only two seasons with the New York Rangers immediately thereafter.

Less established options

If Chayka & Co. miss out on Cassidy or simply want to buck the trend of recycled NHL bench bosses on their fourth or fifth run, there are some options worth exploring.

Manny Malhotra is knocking on the door, and it's only a matter of time before he's an NHL head coach. Currently leading the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks, he won the Calder Cup in his first season at the helm.

Malhotra was also an assistant coach for these Maple Leafs before returning to the Canucks organization.

I would also expect Todd Nelson to get a look. He served as the Edmonton Oilers' coach on an interim basis when he replaced Dallas Eakins in 2014-15, but has otherwise made a name for himself in minor hockey and as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he's been since last June.

He has the benefit of experience without being a regurgitated option at the top level. He is a fresh face but isn't wet behind the ears.

Finally, if the Leafs decide to promote from within, assistant coach Derek Lalonde may be an option. Yes, he's a former NHL head coach (Red Wings from 2022-25, but mostly cut his teeth coaching in the NCAA and minors before serving as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning, winning two Cups).

There are sure to be other names bandied about, but this looks like a solid crop of options, depending on which direction Chayka wants to go. My guess is they'll make a hard push for Cassidy because, well, why wouldn't they? Failing that, someone from the "less established" category might be wise, whether that's Malhotra, Nelson, or the internal hire of Lalonde. 

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The inevitable almost seemed like a foregone conclusion once the Toronto Maple Leafs made the change to new management that Craig Berube's time with the organization was numbered.

The ax came down on Wednesday morning when the Leafs announced that Berube has been fired as coach.

Berube, who won the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 201`9 and spent nine seasons in the Blues organization, was let go after the Leafs hired John Chayka as their new general manager and Mats Sundin as senior executive of hockey operations.

Berube, 60, spent two seasons as Leafs coach and according to multiple reports, still has two years remaining on his contract at $4.5 million per season.

After the Blues fired Berube 28 games into the 2023-24 season when the team was 13-14-1, he took the rest of the season off before being hired by then Toronto GM Brad Treliving. The Leafs would win the Atlantic Division title at 52-26-4 before losing to eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in the second round of the playoffs.

The Leafs would miss the playoffs this past season at 32-36-14, a 30-point dropoff but won the NHL Draft lottery and have the No. 1 overall pick but Berube won't be around to see it.

“Craig is a tremendous coach and an even better person,” Chayka said in a statement released by the Maple Leafs. “This decision is more reflective of an organizational shift and an opportunity for a fresh start than it is an evaluation of Craig. We are grateful for his leadership, professionalism and commitment to the Maple Leafs organization and wish Craig and his family nothing but the best moving forward.”

Berube began his Blues career as the coach of the Chicago Wolves in 2016-17 after coaching the Philadelphia Flyers for two seasons (2013-15); he would join Mike Yeo's staff as associate coach in 2017-18 before replacing Yeo in November of 2018, ultimately leading the Blues from the basement of the league to the Cup on June 12, 2019 when the Blues defeated the Boston Bruins in seven games to win it all.

The Blues would reach the playoffs in each of the next three seasons before missing out at 37-38-7 in 2022-23, and ultimately leading to his firing 28 games into the 23-24 season.

Current Blues coach Jim Montgomery was Berube's assistant coach in St. Louis for two seasons (2020-22) before leaving the Blues to be hired as the coach of the Bruins for the 22-23 season. It's a crazy notion, but Montgomery and Berube are close friends, and if Berube wanted to continue to coach, would the Blues entertain bringing 'Chief' back under Montgomery's staff?

The Blues are looking for two, perhaps three, new assistant coaches and Montgomery will have a say in who the team brings in. Alexander Steen, who will take over as GM for Doug Armstrong on July 1, played for Berube for two seasons (2018-20), so just put the puzzle pieces together there. 

Berube would likely be looking for another head coaching position rather than an assistant's job, and with the reported $9 million left on his contract, he has options to sit out of he chooses to do so, but with his ties to St. Louis and an ever-lasting affection with Blues fans forever and a previous respect factor and successful job he did with the organization, it's something to consider and not a reach by any means.

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TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Maple Leafs fired coach Craig Berube on Wednesday after he guided the team to a last-place finish in the Atlantic Division this season.

The move ended Berube’s two-year run with the Maple Leafs. He helped the club to a 108-point campaign in his first season as coach, but Toronto struggled mightily in 2025-26.

“Craig is a tremendous coach and an even better person,” general manager John Chayka said in a statement. “This decision is more reflective of an organizational shift and an opportunity for a fresh start than it is an evaluation of Craig."

Chayka was hired earlier this month. He succeeded Brad Treliving, who was fired in March.

Toronto won the NHL draft lottery last week. The Maple Leafs are expected to pick either Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg with the first overall pick on June 26 at the NHL draft in Buffalo.

Berube went 84-62-18 with Toronto, but the Maple Leafs were just 32-36-14 this season. The drop in points — from 108 to 78 — was the team’s largest year-over-year points decline.

The Maple Leafs headed into the season with high hopes despite the loss of star winger Mitch Marner.

Toronto added a trio of forwards — Matias Maccelli, Dakota Joshua and Nicolas Roy — in hopes of replacing those minutes by committee on a team thought to be still poised for Stanley Cup contention.

The Maple Leafs, however, never really got out of second gear. Along with a string of key injuries and absences, the club largely looked out of sorts from puck drop.

Despite a roster still anchored by star forwards Auston Matthews and William Nylander, the Maple Leafs’ power play was a huge issue.

Defensive deficiencies also caused glaring problems for a club that finished with the second-worst goals-against mark and was outshot a league-worst 66 times.

“They played with more passion than we did,” Berube told reporters in December after a 4-0 road loss to the Washington Capitals. “That’s what it boils down to. It looked to me like they had way more urgency in their game, more passion in their game. That’s the difference.”

Asked to explain how that could be the case, he replied: “Ask those guys, not me.”

The exchange was just one example of clear disconnect.

A three-time Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy winner as the NHL’s top goal-scorer, Matthews found the back of the net just 27 times before suffering a season-ending knee injury on a hit from Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas in March.

Toronto’s players didn’t do much in the immediate aftermath, which led to stinging rebukes from Berube — a former NHL enforcer with the seventh-most penalty minutes in league history — media members and fans as the locker room culture was called into question.

Berube, 60, was hired in May 2024 after Treliving let Sheldon Keefe go following 4 1/2 seasons in charge.

Toronto won a playoff round for just the second time in the NHL’s salary-cap era during his first campaign. The Maple Leafs beat the Ottawa Senators before falling to Florida in a series accented by 6-1 losses on home ice in Games 5 and 7. The Panthers would go on to win their second straight Stanley Cup.

The Maple Leafs had embraced Berube’s straightforward, no-nonsense, north-south approach in 2024-25 after Keefe was unable to get the same talented group over its playoff hump but didn’t come close to duplicating that success a second time.

Berube’s coaching journey began with the Philadelphia Flyers organization after retiring as a player. He worked his way up the ladder, moving from the AHL to the NHL as an assistant in 2006-07.

He took over as Flyers head coach early in 2013-14 and lasted another season before getting fired.

Berube then led the St. Louis Blues’ AHL affiliate after a year on the sidelines. He became an NHL associate coach in 2017-18 and was promoted to the top job with St. Louis in November 2018.

Berube rallied the group, which at one point sat last in the overall standings, to make the playoffs before it went on a magical run that culminated with the franchise’s only Cup victory.

Berube lost in the first round each of the next three seasons and missed out entirely in 2022-23. The Blues fired him just 28 games into the subsequent campaign.

When Berube was hired by the Maple Leafs, Treliving said he had plenty of conversations with people who worked with, worked under and played alongside the former tough guy.

“They talked about how they would go through a wall for him,” Treliving said. “There was the connection he had with his players, the accountability he had with his players, and the bond he was able to build with staff.”

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The PWHL is officially expanding to Las Vegas and Hamilton, Ont., for the 2026-27 season, the league announced Wednesday.

The Las Vegas franchise, which The Athleticreported on Tuesday, will play its home games at T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. The rink has a capacity of 17,500 for hockey and boasts one of the best atmospheres in the NHL. Hamilton will play at TD Coliseum, which recently underwent a $300 million renovation.

Vegas and Hamilton follow Detroit as part of the PWHL’s second wave of expansion, which could include a fourth franchise. The three new teams will join the league’s eight current markets in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Boston, Minnesota, New York and Seattle.

The PWHL hosted a successful neutral-site game in Hamilton in January, with 16,012 fans at TD Coliseum — the third-largest “Takeover Tour” crowd of the season. There is a school of thought that a team in Hamilton could siphon support from the league’s Toronto franchise, which plays just 40 miles from TD Coliseum. However, according to the league’s press release, over 70 percent of Hamilton’s “Takeover Tour” ticket buyers purchased their first-time PWHL game ticket, “underscoring the league’s opportunity to reach a distinct audience,” even with two other teams located in Ontario.

There’s a chance Hamilton could draw some Toronto Sceptres fans from the Greater Toronto Area, but the city is also within commuting distance from southern Ontario cities such as St. Catharines, Kitchener, Waterloo and London.

“The response we saw during our Takeover Tour game at TD Coliseum made it clear that fans in the region are ready to rally around a team of their own,” said Jayna Hefford, the PWHL’s executive vice president of hockey operations.

Hamilton’s expansion effort was made in partnership with Oak View Group, which operates TD Coliseum, and the city of Hamilton. The league will continue to operate under its single-entity ownership model, where Mark Walter — the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers — and his wife, Kimbra, own the PWHL and all of its teams.

Expanding to Las Vegas is somewhat of a departure from the norm for the PWHL, which launched its first three expansion teams in markets that were part of the “Takeover Tour.” Still, according to Amy Scheer, the league’s executive vice president of business operations, “Las Vegas is ready to welcome and champion a PWHL team of its own.”

Las Vegas has rapidly become a hub for major professional sports. According to the PWHL’s press release, since the Golden Knights’ inaugural season in 2017, youth hockey participation in Nevada has surged, particularly among girls and women, by 600 percent.

“From the staggering growth of youth hockey participation to the passionate support for the Golden Knights and Aces,” said Scheer, “the Las Vegas community has enthusiastically embraced both hockey and women’s sports.”

The PWHL’s expansion to Vegas also widens the league’s footprint to the American Southwest. According to the release, the city’s accessibility, hospitality infrastructure and world-class facilities make Vegas a “strong long-term fit for the PWHL.” The Golden Knights and MGM Resorts International, which is a part owner of T-Mobile Arena, supported the league’s expansion efforts to Vegas.

“The arrival of the PWHL in Vegas is a milestone for women’s hockey and our entire community,” said John Penhollow, the Vegas Golden Knights president of business operations. “We’re proud of how far youth hockey has come locally, and even more excited about the path forward and opportunities ahead for future generations.”

As part of Wednesday’s announcement, the league revealed each team’s official colors and said team names and logos will be announced at a later date. Hamilton’s team colors will be gold, maroon and cream; Vegas will wear green and gold.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Toronto Sceptres, Minnesota Frost, Vancouver Goldeneyes, New York Sirens, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Seattle Torrent, Boston Fleet, Sports Business, Women's Hockey, NHL, women's sports

2026 The Athletic Media Company

The Toronto Maple Leafs brought Craig Berube in as coach in 2024 because of his championship pedigree.

But he was fired after his second season in Toronto with the Maple Leafs missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

"Craig is a tremendous coach and an even better person," new GM John Chayka said in a statement. "This decision is more reflective of an organizational shift and an opportunity for a fresh start than it is an evaluation of Craig. We are grateful for his leadership, professionalism and commitment to the Maple Leafs organization and wish Craig and his family nothing but the best moving forward."

The May 13 move follows the March 30 firing of general manager Brad Treliving and gives whoever's hired a clean slate at coach.

Berube, who won a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, got the Maple Leafs to the second round last season before losing to the Panthers in a Game 7 rout at home.

This season was always going to be tough because they lost free agent Mitch Marner in a sign and trade. But the Maple Leafs hovered around .500 before getting to eight games over in mid-January.

The Leafs had eight consecutive losses coming out of the Olympic break. After a 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators in which the Leafs were badly outshot on Feb. 28, Berube pointed to his heart and to his head and said of the players, "They've got to bring the heart and the competitiveness that's needed."

The Maple Leafs were sellers ahead of the March 6 trade deadline. Scott Laughton was moved to the Los Angeles Kings, and Bobby McMann went to the Seattle Kraken. Nicolas Roy was moved to the Colorado Avalanche a day earlier.

Captain Auston Matthews was limited to 60 games, including having his season end on a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim's Radko Gudas.

But the team's biggest problem was defensive play as the Maple Leafs gave up the second most goals in the league.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Craig Berube fired as Maple Leafs coach after not making playoffs

Yesterday started with Kyle Dubas praising Bill Zonnon as the 2025 first round draft pick was about to turn pro full time. To say Penguin management is impressed with Zonnon’s habits would be an understatement after the player showed he was going above and beyond to watch and learn the system before even joining the team.

Bill Zonnon's hard work is paying off. See Kyle Dubas' quote below ⬇️ https://t.co/99mq5GNVfXpic.twitter.com/RdlIrT6B7x

— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) May 13, 2026

Zonnon put that preparation to good use when he scored the go-ahead goal that stood as the game winner in Wilkes-Barre’s 2-0 Game 1 victory over Springfield.

FIRST PROFESSIONAL GOAL FOR BILL ZONNON🚨🗣️@WBSPenguins | @penguins | #WBSvsSPR

📺💻📲: https://t.co/xslzIvekI0pic.twitter.com/aVVNoHrQII

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) May 13, 2026

Needless to say the Atlantic Division Finals were not too big of a stage for the 19-year old to make his AHL debut. The Penguins took a 1-0 lead in their best-of-five series against Springfield.

Here was the Pens’ lineup for the night.

Billy Z sighting 👀

Our projected lines for the night ⬇️

Catch the action on AHLTV on FloHockey: https://t.co/CrNDVVHuPjpic.twitter.com/1Hp7ZX67lc

— x – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) May 12, 2026

Sergei Murashov only needed to stop 24 shots, the quantity not sounding like much but it doesn’t tell the whole tale of how good the goaltending was and needed to be. Murashov was deservedly named the number one star of the game and was the best player on the ice all night long, especially during a critical juncture in the second period when he had to be extremely sharp to keep the puck out of the net. What he lacked in total saves that needed to be made was more than made up for by the quality of stops required.

Harrison Brunicke wasn’t too far behind Murashov as far as top-performing players on the night. It has certainly been an unconventional and path-less-traveled type of season for Brunicke. Rocky at times even, in a year that spanned playing games across different leagues, levels and tournaments fromthe NHL. AHL, WHL to the WJC. Based on his play in the AHL playoffs, Brunicke has come out of the storm just fine. His defensive play looks much more confident and steady. His reads and stopping ability have increased, he uses his stick effectively. Overall he just looks like a stronger player whether it’s been boxing guys out in front of the net, tossing them aside from the goalies after whistles or using his body to shield pucks as he carries them. Maybe it was going back to junior and getting the chance to play huge minutes and grow. Maybe a light just went of and he would have been fine by now no matter what happened. No matter how the particulars, Brunicke looks like a different and better version of himself compared to the one who had an AHL conditioning stint early in the regular season.

Tanner Howe scored a third period insurance goal to boost the lead to 2-0.

Howie capitalizes on the breakaway!! pic.twitter.com/zn9JubXkVK

— x – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) May 13, 2026

In the end, Game 1 will be remembered as the Zonnon debut. Springfield’s goalie, Georgi Romanov has arguably been the early player of the playoffs so far in the AHL. Romanov’s 5-1 record and .954 save% in the first two rounds of the playoffs were a leading reason why the Thunderbirds pulled off upsets over Charlotte and Providence. Romanov had the Pens blanked too until Zonnon made it happen with his goal.

The Pittsburgh organization has to continue to be pleased with how this playoff run is going. Murashov has been stellar, Brunicke is showing out and seemingly growing by the game and now their latest player to join the fray in Zonnon has made an immediate impact to show why they were so excited to get him into their organization. Vibes are strong, all signs pointing in the right direction as Wilkes heads into Game 2 tomorrow night.

During the second intermission of the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabers' Game 4 matchup, it was shared that New York Islanders alumnus Josh Bailey will be enshrined in the New York State Hockey Hall of Fame this summer. 

The announcement came as ESPN announced broadcaster Steve Levy will be a part of this year's class. Sharing the announcement on the air, Bailey was named one of eight inductees in this year's class. 

Per ESPN, Josh Bailey will be inducted into the New York State Hockey Hall Of Fame this year.

Next up should be the New York Islanders Team Hall of Fame.

Excellent news, great to see the lifetime Islander get his respect! pic.twitter.com/2SOJVz8YEm

— Isles Den (@IslesDen) May 13, 2026

Bailey, a lifetime Islander, was drafted with the 9th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Draft. The forward became a mainstay after his debut on Nov. 11, 2008, playing in 1,057 games with the franchise. He is one of only three players to reach the milestone with the team. 

He recorded 184 goals and 396 assists for 580 points in 15 seasons on Long Island. He sits in fourth and seventh in Islanders history in assists and points, respectively. 

However, the playoffs were where Bailey truly made his mark. In 71 games, he recorded 16 goals and 34 assists for 50 points, helping New York to a pair of third-round appearances in his career. He also added a pair of overtime winners, both against the Pittsburgh Penguins, including his iconic Game 1 goal in the team's first postseason game back at Nassau Coliseum in 2019. 

🎥 ISLES REWIND: 6️⃣ years ago, on April 10, 2019, Josh Bailey scored in OT vs. PIT and @brendanmburke emphatically declared that Game One went to the Island #Isles pic.twitter.com/FQjE8qujQo

— 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐱 (@IslesFix) April 10, 2025

His Islanders career came to a close on June 29, 2023, when he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks with a second-round pick for future considerations. His contract was brought out later that afternoon, and Bailey didn't play another NHL game despite signing a pro tryout with the Ottawa Senators the following preseason. 

Today, Bailey can be found in the broadcast booth, working alongside Alan Fuehring on Islanders broadcasts on the New York Islanders Radio Network. 

He will become the fifth Islanders player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Forward John Tonelli was enshrined in 2023, and legends Ken Morrow, Denis Potvin and Ed Westfall joined him one year later. Hall of Fame journalist Stan Fischler was also inducted in 2023. 

The 2026 Induction Ceremony will take place on July 12 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Troy. More information is available here. 

Understandably, Matvei Michkov is going to be the talk of the Philadelphia Flyers world this summer, but the team's captains all took moments to stand up for the sophomore forward after a challenging second season in the NHL.

Flyers captain Sean Couturier, as well as alternate captains Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim, commendably offered words on Michkov's unique situation while being able to put themselves in his shoes, defending a young player who's been in the spotlight non-stop.

Michkov, 21, ended his 2025-26 season on the bench with the Flyers losing 3-2 in overtime to the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and whether we believe it to be right or wrong, it was what the coaching staff and team decided.

The Russian phenom still scored 51 points this season, though, and now knows what is expected of him and his game in the postseason.

This is all while barely being able to communicate with teammates and staff effectively, living in North America for not even two years.

"I remember when I was his age, trying to find my way. It's not easy, and I couldn't imagine with the language barrier. But he's a guy that's always putting in the work," Konecny said of Michkov at his exit interview Tuesday.

NHL Insider Cautions Flyers Against Matvei Michkov Trade: 'You Can't Find Guys Like This'NHL insider Elliotte Friedman likens the current Philadelphia Flyers saga with Matvei Michkov to the controversial Cutter Gauthier debacle from just a few years ago.

It was just last year that we would come out with stories of Michkov coming home from an afternoon game and going back to the rink, coming out for practice early, staying for practice late, so on and so forth.

He's still the same kid he was.

"He's always in the shooting room, he's always on the ice doing extra stuff. So that part of it's there. It's just trying to find where he's comfortable, at dinner, or wherever it is, to help him get to that next step," Konecny continued. "

I couldn't imagine going over and trying to understand Russian for two years. I'd be pretty lost at times, too. But when he's doing good things and he's scoring goals and he's making good plays, you just make sure you're there to pat him on the back, 'Hey, this is the good stuff. You do this over and over, you'll be a heck of a player.'"

Couturier, who broke in to the NHL himself as a teenager, shared Konecny's sentiment.

"I can't imagine the language barrier at a young age, coming overseas," Couturier said. "It's only his second year in the league, and I'm sure he's going to learn from this past year. Knowing him, knowing his character, I know he's going to be super motivated to prove everyone wrong next year. That's what you want to see."

NHL Mock Draft: Flyers Need to Avoid Repeating This MistakeThe Philadelphia Flyers have no reason to continue reaching in the NHL draft as the latest mock draft suggests they will.

"The pressure that's been put on him is a lot higher than anyone else has had. He's just like anyone else: we've all been through struggles and good times," added Sanheim. "Obviously, it's been difficult with the language barrier the last couple years. I think he's gotten better and understands a lot more. So, you can start to have more conversations with him, and better conversations... ones that feel like you're getting somewhere."

So, that about sums it up for the Flyers and Michkov through two seasons. The common denominators are age and inexperience, as well as the language barrier. This was anticipated well in advance, but it's something everyone has to work towards to collectively benefit the Flyers in the long term.

Michkov's KHL contract would have originally expired this summer, but the timeline for his arrival was instead sped up by two years by his own accord.

Going into 2026-27, Michkov will have two years of the NHL and North American life under his belt to build on and reference, which should only help him as the Flyers and his teammates learn to better work with him, and vice versa.

Seventeen years ago today, the Penguins blew past the Washington Capitals in a series-deciding game on the road, sending Pittsburgh to the Eastern Conference Final for a second straight season.

It was 2009. The Penguins and the Capitals were putting on a show for the hockey world with six games of what felt like uncontrolled chaos where no lead was safe.

From dueling hat tricks to overtime thrillers, Pittsburgh and Washington were facing off in a Game 7that would help define the legacy of their team — and the pressure was intense.

Three of the six games in the series had gone to overtime and this night in D.C., it was win or go home.

Alex Ovechkin had scored seven goals in six games, so who better else to have an early breakaway with a chance to ignite the home crowd?

Marc-Andre Fleury thought otherwise.

Fleury’s save may have been a wakeup call for the Penguins, who responded with two hectic periods of hockey as they coasted to victory.

Two goals eight seconds apart from Sidney Crosby and Craig Adams broke the scoreless tie in the first period.

Three goals in quick succession from Bill Guerin, Kris Letang, and Jordan Staal made things 5-0 and put the game on cruise control.

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links

A new name in the front office:

Added a new Assistant General Manager to the front office roster.

Welcome to the Devils, Braden!

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) May 11, 2026

“It’s hard to view this addition as anything but a big positive. Birch served as the director of hockey operations and salary cap management for the league’s most successful team in recent years. As noted when rumors first surfaced, his fingerprints were all over a lot of crafty contract work with the Florida Panthers.” [Infernal Access]

“After nearly five seasons in the KHL, Arseny Gritsyuk made his way to North America and played his first NHL season with the New Jersey Devils in 2025-26. His counting totals weren’t overly impressive, but a peek underneath the hood shows Gritsyuk was one of the Devils’ best forwards. Since he signed a one-year entry-level contract with the Devils for 2025-26, he will need a new deal as a restricted free agent this offseason. What could the Devils pay Gritsyuk? And does it make sense to go long-term?” [Devils on the Rush]

“With a new regime underway in New Jersey, one run by a progressive-thinking, analytics-fluent individual in Sunny Mehta, we can anticipate quite a few changes to philosophies with the Devils. One such area in which the Devils will need to shift the paradigm to have more success is in drafting.” [Devils’ Advocates]

Hockey Links

A six-game suspension for Charlie McAvoy:

Boston’s Charlie McAvoy has been suspended for six regular season games for slashing Buffalo’s Zach Benson. https://t.co/j90GKNYbMe

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 12, 2026

An interesting little tiff:

League sources say #Oilers have sought permission to interview Bruce Cassidy as they contemplate significant coaching staff changes.

To this point, sources say @GoldenKnights have withheld permission from division rival.

Gamesmanship? Perhaps. Mostly unprecedented for role.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) May 12, 2026

Charlie Coyle gets a six-year deal:

Charlie Coyle's 6-year, $36M contract with #CBJ comes with a full no-movement clause in Years 1-4, a 20-team no-trade list in Year 5 and a 10-team no-trade list in Year 6.

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) May 12, 2026

On the potential Stanley Cup Final matchups we could see: “Let’s look ahead to what June could bring, ranked from the least to the most enticing, based purely on the narratives that people like me will beat into the ground.” [The Athletic ($)]

“Owen Tippett did not play for the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Second Round because of an internal bleeding issue, the forward said Tuesday. Tippett sustained the injury during the Flyers’ six-game series win against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.” [NHL.com]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

After two emphatic wins over the Buffalo Sabres, the Montreal Canadiens were hosting the fourth game of the series on Tuesday night with an opportunity to take a stranglehold on the series with a 3-1 win. Despite telling the press that the loss wasn’t on Alex Lyon on Tuesday, Lindy Ruff opted to bring Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen back between the posts, despite his last game dating back to April 21 and the fact that he allowed seven goals on 40 shots against the Boston Bruins.

Clearly looking for both a spark and some experience, Ruff also scratched Logan Stanley for Luke Schenn and Sam Carrick (who might still have been feeling the effects of that Xhekaj punch) for Konsta Helenius. Meanwhile, Martin St-Louis opted to stay the course, which was hardly surprising given his team’s performance in the last two games.

Canadiens: It Doesn’t Happen To Every Guy, And It Is A Big Deal
Canadiens’ Dach Has Flipped The Script
Xhekaj And Malenstyn Fined, Expect More Bad Blood

After the last game, Tage Thompson told the media that the crowd noise made it hard to communicate, and those words didn’t fall on deaf ears, judging by how electric the atmosphere once more was in the Bell Centre. This time around, though, it didn’t make a difference as the Sabres got a 3-2 win to regain home-ice advantage.

Weathering The Storm

Unsurprisingly, the Sabres came out with the energy of a team that doesn’t want to go down 3-1 in a series. They looked like the faster side and completely dominated the start of the game, scoring within the first 7 minutes. They then thought they had a second goal less than two minutes later when Jakub Dobes gloved a shot in the net, but the goal was eventually waved off for goaltender interference on an astute challenge by St-Louis.

That 10-minute video review break helped the Canadiens shake off the Sabres’ dominant start, and they found their way back into the game from there. Alex Newhook scored the equalizer before Cole Caufield, who still can’t score at even strength, found the back of the net on the power play with seconds left in the period. A real gut-punch to the Sabres, who had just played their best period of hockey and still went back to the room trailing 2-1.

After the game, St-Louis spoke about his team’s start:

Our start was not good, but I feel like after the goal was disallowed, you know, the challenge? I feel like we took the game over from that point on. Lots of good stuff from that point on. It doesn’t guarantee anything, but I liked our game.

-

Slafkovsky’s Bad Habits

Occasionally, Juraj Slafkovsky has games in which he tries to do too much and sprinkles no-look back passes into his play. That was the case on Tuesday night; there was no harm done, but he really needs to take unnecessary risks outside of his game, especially when there’s a better and easier play available.

He also struggled to maintain puck possession on the power play a few times. He was either getting pinned on the boards or skating too close to the blue line, being forced to take the puck out. That forced the Canadiens to retreat to the defensive zone and eased the pressure on the Sabres a few times, while also killing the momentum the man-advantage was building.

A Game Of Inches

It’s often said that hockey is a game of inches, and that certainly rang true tonight. Buffalo got a big break when Tage Thompson was able to score the equalizer by bouncing the puck off the Zamboni exit door before it bounced off Dobes and in. A couple of inches further up on the boards, and that puck doesn’t go to the net the way it did. When the coach was asked about that play and his team’s reaction to it, he said:

We played a darn good second frame, so I can’t say that the bounce shook us up. […] We talk about it [the risk of bounces in that corner], but it’s funny, we talked about it, and once he [Dobes] got caught because he came out of his net, so he doesn’t go out anymore, but I think tonight, if he had gone out, he wouldn’t have been caught.

The Gamble Paid Off

Ruff’s decision to give the net to Luukkonen paid off in the end. The Finnish netminder was on point tonight; he made quite a few big saves, including a pair on the penalty kill off Caufield's one-timers. In the final frame, as the Habs were attacking relentlessly to try and find an equalizer, he stopped all 12 shots he faced. There’s no doubt that he will be back in the net for Game 5.

Despite the loss, St-Louis didn’t seem worried at all:

We’re really confident; we had our chances. I think we had 75 attempts on net. If people watch the Canadiens, they’ll know it’s rare that we get that kind of number. As I said, aside from the start, it’s hard not to like that game.

-

The Canadiens find themselves in familiar territory since they also failed to capitalize on their 2-1 lead in the first round. The series will now return to Buffalo, where Game 5 will be played on Thursday at 7:00 PM.

---

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Colorado has a chance to clinch their spot in the conference final tonight, but the other two remaining series continue to provide good drama.

Islanders News

• Mat Barzal has withdrawn from the Worlds due to precautionary pre-existing “minor” injury reasons, so Canada has to settle for some Sidney Crosby guy instead. [Isles | TSN] Andrew Gross says Barzal is expected to have a normal offseason and training camp.
• Matthew Schaefer has a new partnership to help families dealing with cancer, a cause that’s obviously close to his heart. [Newsday | Isles]
• Prospect Report: Luca Romano is winning the battle, but Kashawn Aitcheson has done his part in forcing OT in consecutive games. [Isles]

Elsewhere

• Vegas pulled back ahead of the Ducks with an OT win in Game 5. [NHL]
• The Sabres looked like they were screwed by a dubious goalie interference call, but they got an insanely fortunate Tage Thompson carom off the glass to tie it on their way to a win to even the series, 2-2. [NHL]
• Vegas is also in the news because they apparently will not allow Edmonton — who still have a head coach they haven’t fired — to speak with fired coach Bruce Cassidy. [Sportsnet]
• It’s not me, it’s you (Toronto): Apparently Mitch Marner is having his best playoff evah. [NHL]
• Injuries continue to haunt the Wild as they try to stave off the inevitable. [NHL]
• Making sense of the big decision facing the Stars and Jason Robertson this summer. [Stars]
• The NHL took its sweet time to announce a six-game suspension for Charlie McAvoy after his wild slash on Zach Benson in the first round. [TSN]
• Columbus signs Charlie Coyle to a six-year extension at age 34. [NHL]
• And Son of Manson, Apple Not Far From Tree, was fined $5,000 for butt-ending, his latest dirty move. [TSN]
• Matvei Michkov exit interview on his trying season and hopes for better next year. [Crossing Broad]
• The Penguins “would love” to have Evgeni Malkin back, says Kyle Dubas. [TSN | NHL]

Vitals

Player: Rickard Rakell
Born: May 5, 1993 (33 years old)
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 194 pounds
Hometown: Sundbyberg, Sweden
Shoots: Right
Draft: 2011 first round (30th overall) by the Anaheim Ducks
2025-26 Statistics: 60 games played, 24 goals, 24 assists, 48 points
Contract Status: Rakell has two seasons remaining on his contract with a $5 million AAV through 2027-28.
History: 2024-25; 2023-24; 2022-23; 2021-22

Monthly Splits

via Yahoo!

Story of the Season

Rickard Rakell entered 2025-26 coming off the best season of his professional career, and the biggest question was whether he could sustain it. The answer ended up being mostly yes.

While he did not quite replicate the career highs he posted during the previous season, Rakell remained a major offensive piece for Pittsburgh and continued to thrive alongside Sidney Crosby. Even through stretches where the Penguins battled injuries and inconsistency, Rakell found ways to produce offense.

Early on, Rakell looked like a perfect fit on Sidney Crosby’s wing once again, registering eight points through nine October games and building on the chemistry previously established alongside Bryan Rust on the opposite wing.

By midseason, things became more complicated. A hand injury that required surgery cost Rakell several weeks and disrupted some of the momentum he had built.

Rakell and fellow Swede Erik Karlsson became two of the biggest drivers of play post-Olympic break, however. And it couldn’t have come at a better time.

His March surge became one of the biggest reasons Pittsburgh stayed competitive late in the year. Rakell piled up 19 points in 17 games, generating offense at five-on-five, and even filled in at center while Crosby was rehabbing an injury, despite being a natural winger.

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.

Corsi For%: 49.91 (9th)
Goals For%: 55.00 (10th)
xGF%: 42.97 (6th)
Scoring Chance %: 49.32 (12th)
High Danger Scoring Chance%: 52.43 (7th)
5v5 on-ice shooting%: 11.43 (11th)
On-ice save%: 90.32 (7th)
Goals/60: 0.94
Assist/60: 0.94
Points/60: 1.87

Rakell’s underlying numbers continued to paint the picture of a strong offensive winger, even if his defensive impacts fluctuated. Then again, the 2025-26 Penguins weren’t exactly known for their defensive prowess.

Playing major minutes with Crosby naturally inflated some offensive opportunities, but his ability to finish and complement Crosby makes him difficult to replace.

Charts n’at

Via Advanced Hockey Stats and NHL Edge

Rakell followed up a career-best year in 2024-25 by having an almost identical season in 2025-26 via a lot of the WAR-driven outlooks. That’s very impressive for a 30+ year old player to string together quality, especially considering Rakell was asked to play a variety of roles between being on the Sidney Crosby line as a winger and at times having to center his own line- despite not playing that position in many years. Rakell handled anything asked of him in what looked like an effortless fashion and excelled.

Rakell’s microstats are those of an offensively gifted player. Once the puck gets into the offensive zone, he is going to create a lot via his in-zone shots, chances, and goals. At this point in his career, he is not going to add much in the neutral zone via exiting or entering zones. That’s what makes him more of a complementary support player, which is a valuable role that he can maximize with his offensive talent.

If a player is on a line with Sidney Crosby frequently, he’d better be comfortable and successful at getting to the net and getting shots away. Rakell did that in spades. Ninety shots from high danger spots on the ice (in just the 60 games) is a great stat to see, demonstrating effectiveness in that area. Rakell is going to work his way in close, and when that happens, the offense will follow from a player with good hands.

When Rakell needs to get on his horse, it’s still there as far as the burst goes. Part of the reason why he is aging well and able to put up some of the best seasons of his career this deep into it is due to his skating ability remaining strong. The two years remaining on his contract don’t look very daunting as far as how his legs are holding up to this point.

Highlights

Rickard Rakell proved the Penguins have NO QUIT. "That was awesome!"- 29er. Here's the radio call of the game tying goal presented by S&T Bank. pic.twitter.com/RS5LerS5Y0

— Penguins Radio Network (@penguinslive) January 4, 2026

WELCOME TO RAK CITY.

Rickard Rakell is riding an eight-game point streak (9G-3A) with goals in five straight 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Mn803paAd9

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 5, 2026

Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell have some real chemistry 🧪

NHL x @massmutualpic.twitter.com/m0IvYQIVAv

— NHL (@NHL) January 18, 2026

Rickard Rakell’s goal was a beauty.
Penguins Radio Highlights presented by S&T Bank pic.twitter.com/TvbVcMbh4d

— Penguins Radio Network (@penguinslive) January 23, 2026

RICKARD RAKELL FINDS CONNOR DEWAR TO MAKE IT 2-0‼️ pic.twitter.com/SEBti6f7wF

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) January 9, 2026

Questions to ponder

Questions swirled last summer (as they might again in 2026) about whether Rakell, now 33, has a future in Pittsburgh as the team still aims to get younger.

The Penguins have to decide how aggressively they want to reshape the roster around younger talent over the next two years.

This season showed the Penguins are not yet in the same tier as the Hurricanes or the Avalanche; the rebuild is far from over. Those contenders will always value a productive top-six winger at $5 million, especially because the salary cap continues to rise.

After another strong season, moving him now would not be about freeing up cap space. Put the tinfoil hat on and throw Rakell into a hypothetical trade proposal for, say, Chicago’s fourth overall pick?

Kyle Dubas has no problem taking a few big swings to improve his team. Trading up in this draft to further accelerate the rebuild and also get younger might be too good of an opportunity to pass up if it presents itself.

But it would mean giving up one of the few reliable finishers on the roster.

Ideal 2026-27

Assuming Rakell remains a Penguin, he most likely continues to see time as a top-line winger. The Penguins don’t have any wingers in the system (in the short-term) that Rakell would be blocking with his presence.

You can pretty comfortably pencil 6-7 in for 20 goals and 50 points, assuming he’s healthy and deployed as he has been in the past.

Bottom line

Rakell followed up his breakout 2024-25 campaign with another highly productive season and further solidified himself as a valuable piece of Pittsburgh’s core.

After the uncertainty surrounding him in 2024, that represents a massive turnaround, a win for the player and team.

Final Grade: B

Equalling or surpassing the career marks he had in 2024-25 would have been the dream scenario, and even though he had 22 fewer points this go-around, Rakell remains a dependable top-six veteran.

What did you think of Rakell’s season? Share your thoughts below.