We are only getting further into the depths of the NHL offseason; there are 63 days until opening night.
In Bruins news, the big club announced the next coach in Providence yesterday. He’s a familiar face, and he is the eighth straight assistant coach to be promoted to the head spot in Providence. The Bruins are also bringing in a new assistant coach who spent the last four years in the USHL. Further, the new assistant spent this past season with Bruins prospect Cooper Simpson, who finished second in USHL scoring and sits fourth on our big board. Simpson is currently playing for Team USA at the World Junior Summer Showcase.
On the topic of third-rounders, the Bruins’ 2008 third-round pick is calling it a career.
Elsewhere around the league, the price for Cutter Gauthier has gone up, and, funny enough, you can look at Philadelphia for the reason why. Nick Foligno opened up on his decision to stay in Minnesota, but also pitched a case for Quinn Hughes to stick around. Oilers’ players gathered at Zach Hyman’s charity golf tournament, then were asked about their new head coach. There was a small minor-league swap.
There are also more villains to look at, projected lines, and a recap from yesterday’s action in Windsor, Ontario.
Happy Tuesday, catch up on Bruins and league news in today’s Daily Bean:
Boston Bruins
WHITFIELD/WARD: The Bruins named Trent Whitfield as the 14th head coach in Providence Bruins’ franchise history. Ryan Ward is joining his staff as an assistant. Don Sweeney announced the hires yesterday, saying Whitfield’s “ability to create a winning culture while prioritizing player development will help prepare our players for success at the NHL level.”
Whitfield has spent the last 10 seasons working as an assistant on the Providence bench, working under the likes of Kevin Dean, Jay Leach, and Ryan Mougenel.
Ward has spent the last four seasons as the head coach of the Youngstown Phantoms and won a Clark Cup championship in 2023.
NHL News & National Hockey Now
Winnipeg Jets (via 𝕏): Michael Hutchinson retired after 11 NHL seasons (154 GP, 57-62-18). The Bruins drafted the goaltender in the third round (No. 77) of the 2008 NHL draft, and he played 87 games with the P-Bruins (39-37-5) before signing with the Jets in 2013.
After 11 seasons in the @NHL, Michael Hutchinson has called it a career.
Congrats Hutch! We can’t wait to see you at the Alumni Game in October ✈️ pic.twitter.com/bhowsJMPng
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) July 27, 2026
NHLTradeRumors.me: Could we see a Cutter Gauthier holdout? The 22-year-old scored 41 goals last season and remains unsigned. Reports are saying the price tag has gone up, and it’s directly related to Leo Carlsson’s offer sheet.
Gauthier does not have much leverage. He’s ineligible for an offer sheet and not close to arbitration eligibility.
The Athletic ($): Nick Foligno opened up on his decision to return to Minnesota. The Wild acquired Foligno at the trade deadline and signed him to a 1x$900K deal this summer. He will be sticking around with his brother Marcus.
Foligno and his teammates are also confident that Quinn Hughes will extend in Minnesota once his contract is up. He pitched Hughes, citing the “opportunity to have a great team” and using his experience playing with Marcus later in his career.
Sportsnet: Zach Hyman hosted a charity golf tournament on Monday. Both he and Connor McDavid were asked about new head coach Mike Babcock. Both had pretty positive things to say (I didn’t think they would say anything negative), and Hyman reflected on his time with Babcock in Toronto.
Chicago Hockey Now: The Blackhawks are starting the season without Connor Bedard, and they just reunited with Patrick Kane last week. Their forward group is set. Jack Bushman dives into projected forward lines for the Blackhawks without Bedard.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Penguins GM Kyle Dubas said that Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang are physically “in a different bucket” than most players nearing 40-years-old. There are not a lot of defensemen who played beyond 40 in the last few years (including Zdeno Chara), and Dan Kingerski takes a look at how the ends of their careers fared.
Colorado Hockey Now: After The Athletic’s story about each team’s biggest villain, Aarif Deen looked at who else might fit that bill for the Avalanche. A few more players are villains in Colorado, and the Blue Jackets listed an old Avs captain a villain.
Montreal Hockey Now: There was a small trade yesterday. Montreal acquired Sasha Pastujov in exchange for Hopkinton native Sean Farrell. Both players spent last year in the AHL and are restricted free agents without contracts.
Daily Faceoff: Steven Ellis has standouts from Day 2 of the World Junior Summer Showcase in Ontario. USA Blue beat Finland 5-1, while USA White beat Sweden 6-4. Cooper Simpson skated on the third line for USA Blue and recorded an assist yesterday.
Click here for the tournament schedule and click here to watch the games.
No games today. USA Blue + White become one team, and Canada is in starting tomorrow.
Bruins Offseason Schedule
Friday, September 11: Rookie Camp opens – Warrior Ice Arena, Brighton, MA
Wednesday, September 16: Training Camp opens – Warrior Ice Arena, Brighton, MA
Sunday, September 20: First preseason game – TD Garden, Boston, MA
Tuesday, September 29: Home opener – TD Garden, Boston, MA
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