NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 4, 2021
Check out the latest on Evander Kane, Jonathan Toews, John Klingberg, John Tortorella and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.
THE ATHLETIC: Kevin Kurz reports several of Evander Kane’s teammates don’t want the San Jose Sharks winger to return to the club next season. That strained relationship was also the reason behind the club’s attempt to trade him earlier this summer.
San Jose Sharks winger Evander Kane (NHL Images).
One source said the frustration stemmed from Kane’s disrespect for teams rules, including being late for practices and games. He faced no consequences for those actions, which didn’t sit well with younger teammates.
TSN: Kane has taken a voluntary leave of absence from the Hockey Diversity Alliance as the league investigates recent allegations that he bet on NHL games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kane’s troubles appear to be mounting. Earlier this year, he filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy citing over $26 million in debts with $10.2 million in assets. $1.5 million of those losses were related to gambling.
The Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka speculated Kane’s gambling issues and the friction with his teammates could force Sharks management to buy out the remainder of his contract in the second buyout window. The club is eligible to use that opportunity because goaltender Adin Hill filed for salary arbitration.
Pashelka indicates a buyout of Kane would leave a total of $13 million in deal cap space on the Sharks payroll over the next four years. That’s in conjunction with the $7.25 million over the next three years from their recent buyout of Martin Jones.
Trading Kane would be the preferred option. As Kurz points out, however, the winger’s aforementioned issues combined with his $7 million annual average value for the next four seasons and a three-team trade list could make that move impossible.
TSN: Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said the club remains without a firm timeline for Jonathan Toews’ return. However, the club remains hopeful their 33-year-old captain will be ready for the start of this season. Toews missed all of last season with chronic immune response syndrome.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Stars GM Jim Nill said his club has started contract extension talks with John Klingberg. The 29-year-old defenseman is due to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. He’s earning an annual average value of $4.25 million on his current contract.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Klingberg will get a significant raise on his next deal. I don’t see the Stars paying him more than the $8.45 million AAV they’re paying to Miro Heiskanen, who’s a better all-around defenseman. If he seeks more, this season could be his last in Dallas.
STLTODAY.COM: The Blues reached an agreement with forward Jordan Kyrou on a two-year, $5.6 million contract.
ARIZONA SPORTS: The Coyotes signed center Travis Boyd to a one-year, $750K contract.
NEW YORK POST: Former NHL coach John Tortorella is joining ESPN as a studio analyst.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tortorella worked briefly with TSN in a similar role in 2008. Like him or not, he speaks his mind and that will make for entertaining television.
WGR 550: The Rochester Americans hired former Buffalo Sabres captain Michael Peca as an assistant coach. He spent last season as a development coach with the Washington Capitals.
TORONTO SUN: John Lilley has left his role as Maple Leafs director of amateur scouting to join the New York Rangers as director of player personnel and amateur scouting.
Wow it appears that Kane has not learned from his days with the Jets.
The same issue team rules; which lead to Byfuglien throwing Kane unapproved track suit in the shower which lead to his trade out of Winnipeg.
Kane comes across as someone who has issues with rules and policies, this would certainly have a ripple affect in the room.
Good luck moving him.
The Evander Kane contract and his well-documented past history: just one more in a long, long list of questionable decisions behind the annual question – how the Hell does Wilson keep his job?
Fire Wilson, buy out Kane, turn the page. Time for a new era in SJ to start.
That’s a great story, good for Big Buf!
My question is: Why didn’t Buf leave Kane in the track suit when he did that?
Bruins had 28 million in cap space, and spent it all… so my question is where did they improve their team from what they ended their last season with ? Is Forbort that much better than Lauzon….are Foligno,Haula & Nosek combo better than Krejci……Goalie move had to be made give it that……. Sweeney/Neely said the downfall of the team was depth on the D and they were going to fix it……They didnt
Agreed, that’s a lot of money to spend, and they don’t seem to have much to show for it.
Am I the only one who was expecting less money and a shorter term for Taylor Hall? I thought he was going to take a discount to stay? I say he did VERY well to get 6M x 4 years.
Who says teams can improve from last year to this year? Do you think that just because there’s a “B” on the front of the jersey that your team should be better every year?
Do you know how many cities would LOVE to have the Bruins’ regular season record and playoff record for their home town team?
Does the whining in Boston ever stop? (Apologies to the other 99% in Boston who do not participate in the whining!)
I thought it was the cheating that never stopped…
what GM doesn’t try to improve his team every year & what fans don’t want the team they root for to be better every year … that is a dumb statement
Bruins …..
they signed who they needed to sign..Hall,Carlo,Goalie
…that left them with 13.4 million plus DeBrusk to go get 2 Dmen,a #2 center ( who they knew they needed ) and a couple of parts for the 3rd/4th lines ……not a GM just a Bruin fan
joeman, which #2C should they have snapped up?
Danault was available at $5.5×6, but he’s kind of like Colye, but a little better. Did he want to come to BOS vs LA? LA has some high end prospects coming.
Other than that who?
Who would you have traded to get this mystery #2C not named Danault?
While you’re at it which 2 D-men.
Sweeney knows the window is open for a year or 2. So do UFA’s. Price was too high or player wanted to go elsewhere.
He filled up the roster with decent players he could actually get because he owed to the vets to keep pushing for the win. Including the best UFA tender IMO. (not sure if you heard but Rask is out)
So he did and they will give it a go.
Go B’s
why you have to go there ?
first of all I said the goalie was a need, I’m not the one that said they needed D depth Sweeney did they added one Dman and lost one …… GM’s know what centers are available thru trade I don’t and niether do you …didnt say it had to be a UFA Center
Why I did is because the complaining by some B’s fans is kind of annoying, and I am a B’s fan.
Criticizing is fine, and fun for some, but it has just got repetitive. Not so much by you Joe, but daily by some.
Getting 2 C’s is hard and some years just not realistic and makes no sense when you consider what you give up. Hence you often have to draft them, earlier than where the B’s have picked recently.
Just seems some folks this is easier than it is.
Said nothing about getting 2 C’s it was a #2. Center and 2 Dmen ….
That is what I meant Joe. A 2C.
“Getting 2C’s”, as in getting 2nd line centers.
Bad grammar I suppose.
Ryan Strome is rumored to be available. Could probably be 1c on Boston considering he’s put up more points than Bergevin the last couple years.
Easy Slick.
They should try and make the playoffs first, then talk.
I live in EDM and have seen plenty of Strome, and that trade may have been the straw that broke the back for PC.
Strome sure didn’t due much here though, but Spooner coming back?
Yikes
Bruins fans, I understand your frustration. On the other, their are thousands of fans of other teams who would love their team to have had the success your team has produced over the last decade.
Of course, that success comes with a price, the team’s aging core. Instead of trying to reload, as Sweeney has been trying to do in the last couple of years or so, they really need to be developing talent in the AHL for a full rebuild.
the 2015 with picks 13..14..15..37..45..52 this draft was suppose to be the draft that took over after the core left or got on in hockey years , Sweeney blew that draft up……
I remember the draft very well. I was screaming at the TV for Sweeny to pick Mathew Barzal but he didn’t listen to me. To be fair to Sweeny though, he didn’t screw up that draft because he had been the GM for only a month. It was the scouting team that screwed up that draft. Sweeny made 2 major trades that day and one was an amazing good trade. The Bruins need better scouting.
Maybe Kane needs a fresh change in scenery…how bout Vegas !
Haha!
Send him to NYR to play with his good buddy Reaves!
We all know there is overpayment for UFAs but given the flat cap and uncertainty of where it will be over the next few years some of these contracts, even to non UFAs are going to be problematic. GMs getting rid of bad contracts only to willingly create or take on new bad ones.
Bob Boughner has to take some of the blame here, allowing Kane to come and go as he pleases w/o repercusions doesn’t bode well for team success …
and at least I’m not the only one on here who thinks Bruins fans are whiny cry babies … waa waa waa
OK…Jeffery Toobin
Lyle if any of the new allegations are correct and given his past history is there not some sort of behavioral clause in an NHL contract that would negate the need for the Sharks to buy Evander Kane out?
There are some stipulations in the CBA that cover all players for contract termination. Remains to be seen if this situation would fall into that. Put simply, it’s not easy to negate or terminate an NHL contract.
Well that answered my pending question! Thanks, Lyle!
GMs have learned to use the cap as an asset and have made an initial grab for some pieces that will play out as overpayments.
The rest of the UFAs are stuck between a rock and a hard place from now till the season open and will be signed at discounts. just like last year.
GMMB signed 3F and 2D for a total of $10.5 million.
Talk is beginning to get louder for Mason Lohrei…..rumor is he may only spend one year at Ohio State he’s suppose to be that good and a LD
Put it back in the holster there big fella. The kid has some development ahead of him before we put him in the HOF.