NHL Notebook: Matthew Schaefer wins 2025-26 Calder Trophy

The Calder Trophy winner has been announced.

On Wednesday morning, the National Hockey League announced that 2025 first overall pick, Matthew Schaefer, has been awarded the Calder Trophy.

Awarded to the best rookie in the league, the left-shot defenceman scored 23 goals and 59 points in 82 games with the New York Islanders. Among fellow rookies, his goals were tied for first, while his 59 points were good enough for second. For context, the next best rookie defenceman in both goals and points was Alexander Nikishin, who scored 11 goals and 33 points.

With those 23 goals, Schaefer matched the most ever for a rookie defenceman, tying Brian Leetch’s 23 goals in 68 games back in 1998-89.

Additionally, his emergence as a true number one defenceman made the Islanders far more competitive than they were in 2024-25. They missed the post-season by eight points due to a 3-7-0 stretch in their final 10, but held a playoff spot on Apr. 4.

Schaefer will no doubt earn Norris votes as well whenever that’s awarded.

Brayden McNabb suspended one game, Charlie McAvoy suspended for six games

There were a few suspensions handed out in recent times. In Game 5 of the Anaheim Ducks/Vegas Golden Knights series, Brayden McNabb interfered with Ryan Poehling, which was given a one-game suspension. Poehling is out for an indefinite period of time

Moreover, Charlie McAvoy was suspended for six games in the Boston Bruins’ final game of the season. After he was slew-footed by Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson, McAvoy retaliated by swinging his stick into Benson’s hands. Unlike McNabb, all six of McAvoy’s games will be served at the beginning of the 2026-27 season.

Since he was suspended for more than five games, McAvoy is able to appeal the suspension to an arbitrator. The last suspension over six games to be shortened after arbitration was Ryan Hartman’s 10-game suspension during the 2024-25 season. The Minnesota Wild forward drove Tim Stützle’s head into the ice off a faceoff, and though he was originally given 10 games, it was shortened to two.

Maple Leafs fire Craig Berube, Oilers fire Kris Knoblauch

There are two Canadian teams who are searching for a new head coach. On Wednesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that head coach Craig Berube has been fired. Just a day later, the Edmonton Oilers announced that Kris Knoblauch was fired after leading the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025.

Berube joined the Maple Leafs for the 2024-25 season, coaching the team for 164 games where they went 84-62-18. The Leafs made it to Game 7 of the second round, but ultimately blew a 2-0 series lead to the Florida Panthers. Last season, the Leafs were 32-36-14, the fewest points in the Atlantic Division after finishing first in the division the season before.

The Leafs were Berube’s third team he’s coached, as he spent two seasons at the helm of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2013-14 and 2014-15. His great success came during the 2018-19 season, taking over as the coach of the St. Louis Blues mid-season and winning the Stanley Cup in one of the most memorable runs in recent memory. After beginning the 2023-24 season 13-14-1, Berube was fired by the Blues.

As for Knoblauch, he replaced Jay Woodcroft after the Oilers began their 2023-24 season 3-9-2. After that, the Oilers went 46-18-5, including a 16-game winning streak at the end of the 2023 and into February 2024. They made it to the Stanley Cup Finals and even overcame a 3-0 series deficit before losing Game 7 by a score of 2-1.

After another tough start, the Oilers finished the 2024-25 season with a 48-29-5 record, good enough for third in the Pacific Division. They dropped their first two games against the Los Angeles Kings, but won 12 of their next 14 games to face the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final for a second consecutive year. This time, it was far less competitive, with the Oilers losing in six.

There was no deep run for the Oilers in 2025-26, finishing second in an incredibly weak division thanks to a 41-30-11 record. Knoblauch and the Oilers were out-coached by Joel Quenneville and the Anaheim Ducks, dropping their first round matchup. 

Knoblauch finished his Oilers’ tenure with a 135-77-21 regular season record and a 32-22 record in the post-season.