Should the Montreal Canadiens use their two first-round pick, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada’s Justin Carbonneau is a name they could call out on the podium. No, it’s not just because he’s a “p’tit gars de chez nous,” and he’s not related to former captain Guy Carbonneau; it’s because he has a lot of upsides.

The right-winger is 16th on the Central Scouting North American skater list, has scored 89 points in 62 games this season in the QMJHL, and likes to make flashy, big plays.

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While Carbonneau could use his linemates more, he’s the kind of player who wants to have the puck on his stick when a big goal is needed, and he often manages to deliver, as his 46 goals in 62 games show. His desire to have the puck when it counts is similar to Lane Hutson’s. Although the Habs defenseman is a pass-first kind of guy, having them on the ice simultaneously would only mean they can complement each other.

As things stand, the Canadiens have a lot of playmakers, but putting the puck in the net can sometimes be an issue, so drafting a player who’s more of a scorer would make sense. Carbonneau is a risk taker, though, as you’ll be able to tell by watching this highlights package, and while he’s looking impressive there, he would need to adapt to the NHL's stiffer competition; things that work at the junior level don’t always work at the pro level.

Like everyone else, he’d need to learn to pick his spots, but the Canadiens have the right environment to allow young players to make those mistakes. Although the rebuild is fast evolving, greater emphasis will be put on results sooner rather than later. Still, Martin St-Louis has proven he knows how to handle young players and teach them valuable lessons without resorting to the traditional “one error, one benching” approach, which was all the rage in the NHL not long ago.

At the start of March, Nick Bobrov and Donald Audette took in the Armada’s game against the Drummondville Voltigeurs, allowing them to watch both Carbonneau and Caleb Desnoyers, the QMJHL’s top two prospects. Unless Kent Hughes manages to move significantly higher in the first round, Desnoyers will be long gone before the Canadiens speak, so it’s likely they were taking a closer look at Carbonneau, mainly since Bobrov has attended several games in Blainville-Boisbriand this season.

Carbonneau is creative. He’s got good speed for his size, soft hands, and a deceptive shot; there’s a lot to like in that package. His frame makes it easier to outbattle defenders or cut inside for the net. The winger also has a knack for shooting from everywhere on the ice and manages to score from anywhere, consistently a good tool to have in one’s arsenal.

Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

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According to multiple reports, the Philadelphia Flyers are moving on from Ian Laperriere as the head coach of their farm team, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. But how do they plan on replacing him? And with who?

Laperriere, 51, had spent the last four years at the helm of the Phantoms, guiding them to three consecutive playoff appearances, but blowing a 2-1 series lead to the Hershey Bears in this year's Calder Cup playoffs.

Notably, when starting goalie Parker Gahagen went down with an injury, Laperriere rolled with exiled journeyman Cal Petersen ahead of promising prospect Carson Bjarnason not once, but twice, losing the series 3-2 and failing to get one of his best youngsters a taste of playoff action.

Not to mention that prospects like Massimo Rizzo and Alex Ciernik, two forwards the Flyers have varying degrees of investment in, didn't even play a playoff game for Laperriere.

Everything the Flyers have said and done this offseason, especially as it relates to the hiring of Rick Tocchet, has pointed towards player development being of the utmost importance now and in the future.

Laperriere couldn't get the job done, at least not consistently enough, and it is now apparently time for a change behind the bench in Allentown.

If the Flyers have reason to believe looking internally is a good option, one candidate who could stand out is Phantoms assistant coach John Snowden, who just completed his second season in Lehigh Valley.

Snowden, 44, coached his way up from the ECHL ranks, starting his coaching career as an assistant coach of the Orlando Solar Bears back in 2015-16. Snowden served as the head coach of the Newfoundland Growlers for parts of two seasons between 2018-19 and 2019-20, and later took over as their president of hockey operations for the 2020-21 season.

For those curious, Flyers GM Danny Briere was the vice president of hockey operations for the ECHL's Maine Mariners at the same time.

Report: Flyers Rejected Big Maple Leafs Trade for Rasmus RistolainenAccording to a new report, the Philadelphia Flyers received a massive trade offer from the Toronto Maple Leafs for veteran defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. GM Danny Briere and Co. didn't budge.

Snowden's Growlers won the Kelly Cup in 2019 and went 42-17-1 in 60 games under his watch before the 2019-20 season was cancelled, so there's a history of success there, and Briere has gone up against him in the ECHL before.

Indeed, Snowden is not the sexiest name or the most well-traveled option, but there's reason to believe he could do the job if called upon.

One name that Flyers fans might be more familiar with is Jay McKee, a former Buffalo Sabres first-round pick who was teammates with Briere for parts of three seasons.

Oh, and McKee was linked to the Flyers' head coaching job on more than one occasion, though some chalked it up to Briere trying to juice his old pal's name in coaching circles.

Even if that was true, I don't think Briere does something like that without truly, honestly believing McKee can coach, and coach well, at that. And, suddenly, Briere has a job opening that makes a lot more sense than a leap from the OHL to the NHL.

McKee, 47, has been an OHL head coach since the 2016-17 season, sitting out the 2020-21 season after getting fired by the Kitchener Rangers the year prior.

Since then, McKee has spent the last four years in charge of the Hamilton (now Brantford) Bulldogs, coaching talents like Mason McTavish, Arber Xhekaj, Jorian Donovan, Jan Mysak, Artem Grushnikov, Ryan Winterton, Marek Vanacker, Florian Xhekaj, Nick Lardis, Adam Jiricek, and potential Flyers 2025 first-round pick Jake O'Brien.

Flyers GM Teases Potential Top Pick Ahead of 2025 NHL DraftPhiladelphia Flyers general manager Danny Briere is not ignoring the possibility of selecting Caleb Desnoyers sixth overall at the 2025 NHL Draft in June. In fact, he's embracing it.

And for those who might not be aware, Lardis, a 19-year-old Chicago Blackhawks prospect, just exploded for 71 goals, 46 assists, and 117 points in 65 games this year.

Lardis' 71 goals rank 11th all-time in single-season OHL history, trailing some guys named Eric Lindros, John Tavares, and Dino Ciccarelli. Ever heard of them?

Oh, and a 19-year-old Doug Gilmour 'only' managed 70 goals in an OHL season at the peak of his powers.

So, needless to say, McKee is a perfectly capable leader of men who can get the best out of his players. We don't need to go further down the list to prove that.

I'd be stunned if McKee is not the clubhouse favorite to replace Laperriere. Taking the next step and joining Briere's Flyers with the Phantoms makes too much sense.

Another name to watch, be it at the NHL level or the AHL level, is Cory Stillman.

Most Flyers fans probably know Stillman as Jett Luchanko's head coach with the Guelph Storm this past season, but Stillman also has four years of experience as an NHL assistant coach, including as part of Tocchet's Arizona Coyotes staff in 2020-21.

The 51-year-old has never coached at the AHL level before, but if Tocchet and/or the Flyers want continuity between the AHL and NHL systems and what is being asked of the young players, hiring Stillman could make perfect sense.

This season, Stillman also served as the head coach of Canada's U-18s, which boasted star prospects like Keaton Verhoeff (2026), Brady Martin, Jack Nesbitt, Cole Reschny, Braeden Cootes, and Jack Ivankovic, among many others.

If you've paid any attention to national draft coverage lately, you'll know that Martin has been mocked to the Flyers at No. 6 by Craig Button, and Button successfully mocked Luchanko, also coached by Stillman, to the Flyers (with their top draft pick) last year.

Those connections, especially with important draft picks, matter.

So, while McKee may appear to be the leader for now, watch out for Stillman. The Flyers love their connections, and McKee is not the only one who has them.

With the 2025 NHL Entry Draft one month out, there will be a lot of decisions for teams to make about scouting, players, trades, and more.

And one huge decision involves the Pittsburgh Penguins.

On Jan. 31, the Penguins acquired a conditional first-round pick from the Vancouver Canucks as part of the deal that sent defenseman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O'Connor to Vancouver. The first-rounder was actually from the New York Rangers, who shipped it to Vancouver in the J.T. Miller blockbuster on the same day.

The conditions on the first-round pick involved top-13 protection in 2025 for the Rangers as well as the option to defer the pick as an unprotected 2026 first. Since New York is in the 12th overall slot for the draft, they can choose to keep the pick this year if they so desire.

And there are arguments on both sides as to why they should keep it or defer it.

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Why they should keep it

Simply put, the Rangers aren't really putting themselves in any position to be tanking right now.

Sure, they could try to tank for Gavin McKenna next season. But, then, why trade for Miller? Why hire Mike Sullivan, a win-now coach? Why make the priority retooling this summer?

With a roster that is just beginning to age out and a goaltender making $11 million, the Rangers almost have no choice but to maximize the window that they're in. They followed up a President's Trophy-winning campaign in 2023-24 with a dud of a season, but with some reshuffling, they may still be able to contend.

Deferring the pick to 2026 signals to your roster, your coach, and your organization that you don't necessarily believe you'll be better next season. Is that really the message the Rangers want to send to their players this offseason? That they're counting on a potential lottery pick?

No, probably not. Even though the draft is deeper next season, they should grab a good player at 12th overall, especially since next year's pick may be way later than 12.

Penguins Reportedly In Mix For KHL Star ForwardSoon enough, the Pittsburgh Penguins may be adding another key piece to the puzzle for their NHL roster next season and beyond.

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Why they should defer it

The argument could be made here that the 2026 draft is simply deeper - by most accounts, it is - and, even if the Rangers finish mid-teens to early-20s in draft order, they'll still be getting a very good player. It could also be argued that there's no guarantee they won't be worse next season.

But beyond that, there is another sticking point: the 2026 NHL trade deadline.

If the Rangers decide to defer the pick to 2026, that means they'll have that first to leverage should they be in position to do so. If they retool their roster in the offseason and find themselves in the playoff mix in February next year, they may be looking for that one final piece to give them a leg up in competitive advantage.

And because the 2026 draft is deep, that pick should hold a fair amount of value, even if it's a mid-late first. 

Deferring the pick allows them to be reactive to however their season goes in 2025-26 rather than being stuck in no-man's land if they end up being worse next season. If they're fighting for a playoff spot at the deadline, they can use the pick to acquire talent. If they're near the basement at that time, they can keep it and, potentially, be in the lottery conversation.

When looking at the pick from a value standpoint, deferring it and allowing the Penguins to have the 2025 pick makes a degree of sense.

4 Left Defensemen The Penguins Should Target This SummerDuring his postseason press conference on Apr. 21, Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas provided a glimpse into what the summer could look like for the organization.

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The Florida Panthers have a little bit of experience dealing with the situation they currently find themselves.

Over the past three postseasons, all three of which Florida has reached at least the conference finals, the Panthers have held a 3-0 series lead five times.

The first time, against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023, Florida lost Game 4 at home before closing out the Leafs two nights later.

It happened again the very next round, against the same Carolina Hurricanes Florida is currently facing.

Back then, the Panthers were able to complete the sweep thanks to a last-second goal by Matthew Tkachuk in Game 4.

In the first round of last year’s postseason, Florida took a 3-0 lead against the Tampa Bay Lightning, lost Game 4 in Tampa and then closed out the Bolts on home ice in Game 5.

Then, of course, there was the Stanley Cup Final, where the Panthers famously (or infamously, I suppose) won the first three games against the Edmonton Oilers only to lose each of the nex three, setting up an incredible Game 7 that Florida won 2-1 to claim the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.

How it plays out this time remains to be seen, a status that several regulars in Florida’s lineup also share.

Sam Reinhart left Game 2 early, and Niko Mikkola and A.J. Greer left Game 3 early, so the availability for each on Monday night wouldn’t be decided until earlier in the day, according to Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice.

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Game 4 against Carolina:

Evan Rodrigues – Sasha Barkov – Jesper Boqvist

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand

A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich

Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Nate Schmidt – Dmitry Kulikov

Scratches: Mackie Samoskevich, Uvis Balinskis, Sam Reinhart, Nico Sturm, Jaycob Megna

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Photo caption: May 24, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Jesper Boqvist (70) celebrates with teammates after a goal during the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes in game three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

It wasn't that long ago that Tage Thompson was part of the long term plans for the St. Louis Blues.

But on Sunday, the No. 26 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft by the Blues helped end a lengthy drought for the United States at the 2025 IIHF World Championship.

Thompson scored the overtime goal, the lone goal of the game, a golden goal in the gold medal game to give Team USA its first gold medal in 92 years with a 1-0 win against Switzerland on Sunday at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.

It was the first gold medal for Team USA since 1933, and it's a full 20-minute period and teams play the NHL's style of 3-on-3 until a winner is determined.

Thompson skated through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone before wiring a wrist shot from the top of the right circle past Switzerland goalie Leonardo Genoni at 2:02 for the winner:

This moment will go down in history 🇺🇸 #MensWorldspic.twitter.com/uYW7vljiFl

— USA Hockey (@usahockey) May 25, 2025

Blues fans will remember Thompson was a key piece to the trade in 2018 that brought Ryan O'Reilly to the Blues from the Buffalo Sabres along with Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka, a 2019 first-round pick and a 2021 second-round pick.

Of course, the Blues will call the trade a win since they went on to win the first Stanley Cup in franchise history that very next season, defeating the Boston Bruins in seven games in 2019.

Thompson, 27, has gone on to have a very nice career with the Sabres, reaching more than 40 goals twice in the past four seasons, including 44 this past season and a career-high 47 in 2022-23. 

Thompson spent one season with the Blues in 2017-18, playing in 41 games (three goals, six assists).

Chesterfield native Clayton Keller, captain of the Utah Mammoth, who grew up in Swansea, Il. was also part of Team USA.

The Buffalo Sabres have a lot of salary cap space to spend this summer -- and a Vancouver Canucks star should be firmly in the sights of Sabres management.

As per Puck Pedia, Buffalo has approximately $23.2-million in cap space this summer. And while it's highly-unlikely the Sabres will land top UFA Mitch Marner, another Canadian market's top UFA could make much more sense for the Sabres -- with the proviso that they're still going to have to pay him well above-market value.

We're speaking about Canucks winger Brock Boeser, who earned $6.65-million this past season. Boeser produced 25 goals and 50 points in 75 games with Vancouver this year -- well below his 40-goal, 73-point season with the Canucks in 2023-24. But the 28-year-old is still in his prime, and you'd better believe there will be many teams lining up to secure his services this summer.

With that said, how much is Boeser worth? Speculation that his next contract will come in between $8-to-$9-million per year should be sobering for Sabres management. But look at it this way: with the cap ceiling set to rise to $95.5-million next year, teams have to be prepared to outbid opponents to land proven veterans like Boeser. The alternative -- being the runner-up, or being well out of the final teams bidding for Boeser -- is not going to sit well with Sabres fans. At some point, if you can't figure out how to attract free agents to your city, you probably shouldn't be the one in charge of attracting free agents to your city.

We've noted before that Buffalo needs to be realistic in their UFA targets. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't try to swing for the fences and set a new tone for a new era. And if that means overpaying for someone like Boeser, the Sabres should be fully ready to pay that price.

Who Is A Reasonable Target For Buffalo In Free Agency This Summer?The Buffalo Sabres are heading into the off-season knowing they have some money to spend on free agents -- not as much money as some teams, but right now, they have approximately $21.4 million in salary cap space to use.

In this case, that might not mean paying top-dollar (although let's be real here -- it almost certainly will mean paying top-dollar). It could mean tacking on one or two years of contract term that other teams aren't prepared to pay for Boeser. And if Boeser proves to be not worthy of a sixth-or-seventh-season in a new contract, you can look at buying him out in the final season or two of a new contract. That's what big-market teams do all the time, and there should be no unease from Sabres management that they need to step up that way to be a winner when it comes to attracting free agents.

It's the cost of doing business in hockey's top league, and it's why Buffalo needs to take an aggressive stance at luring free agents into a Sabres uniform. When you're a team that's missed the playoffs for 14 straight seasons, you have to go a little bit harder than other teams go when it comes to improving your roster.

Free agency is only five weeks away, so the Sabres need to get their house in order to appeal to stars like Boeser. Because no Buffalo fan wants to hear excuses anymore. They want results, and they want them now. And if the Sabres can't figure out how to improve -- be it via free-agency or via trades -- there's going to be more bad news on the horizon for this franchise.

It's a cold-blooded world out there for teams seeking to improve, and past failures in Buffalo aren't reason enough to justify future failures in Buffalo. Sabres brass has to go the extra mile to attract top players, and nothing less than that extra mile will suffice in efforts to improv this franchise.