NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 1, 2021
The Blackhawks sign Connor Murphy to a new contract, the Islanders reportedly ink Casey Cizikas to a new deal, Evander Kane puts his San Jose home on the market, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: The Blackhawks yesterday signed Connor Murphy to a four-year contract extension. The 28-year-old defenseman will earn an annual average value of $4.4 million through 2025-26.
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Murphy gets a slight pay bump from the $3.85 million AAV of his current deal that expires at the end of this season. He should fill the second-pairing right-side role on the Blackhawks blueline with Seth Jones holding the first-pairing spot on their rebuilt defense corps. He’s also expected to take on more of a leadership role.
THE ATHLETIC’s Arthur Staple tweeted Casey Cizikas appears to have a new contract with the New York Islanders. He’s heard it’s a six-year deal at around $2.5 million annually.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The term of Cizikas’ new deal seems excessive for a 30-year-old checking line forward but it’s an affordable annual average value. The length of the deal was likely what it took to get Cizikas to accept that annual cap hit.
Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello still hasn’t officially announced Cizikas’ new deal but it’s the first indication that one of the club’s unrestricted free agents has been signed. The secretive Lamoriello reportedly doesn’t want his rivals to know how much salary-cap space he actually has.
Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac also remain unsigned but speculation persists they’re also under contract with the Islanders. The same goes for former Minnesota Wild winger Zach Parise, who’s been linked to the Isles in the offseason rumor mill.
THE MERCURY NEWS: Embattled San Jose Sharks winger Evander Kane is selling his San Jose home for almost $3.2 million. Kane filed for bankruptcy in January and is going through a messy divorce from his estranged wife Anna, who accused him of gambling on Sharks’ games. Those allegations are under investigation by the NHL.
SPORTSNET’s Elliotte Friedman tweeted former NHL forward Patrick Sharp is returning to his roots as a coaching advisor with the University of Vermont’s Men’s Hockey Team. Sharp played for them from 2000 to 2002.
TORONTO SUN: A recent survey named the Maple Leafs’ Carlton the Bear as the NHL’s top mascot.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sun greeted this news with derision. “Were the voters four years old?”, they asked, calling the Leafs mascot “bland and uninspiring.”
I know this is an NHL focused site; but we are all hockey fans here…. Fantastic hockey last night… just pure fantastic
Congrats to Team Canada… top shelf OT winner with 3 on 3 hockey in the Gold Medal game… that’s exciting 👍👍👍👍
Lets hope there is an appetite to get a strong and competitive women’s professional hockey league up and running again
…. Czizikas … great checking centre… reasonable contract IMHO
Kane… selling home… this won’t be an indication that he is being traded… he owes money… must sell his assets. However if he has filed for bankrupcy; aren’t major assets temporarily blocked from being sold? Is there a bankruptcy lawyer on this Spectors site that can answer that? Thanks in advance
Pengy, I couldn’t agree with you more. Team Canada’s amazing victory certainly merits mention on this site.
Marie Philip Poulin! Just amazing! Has there ever been a more clutch hockey player, male or female?
It was a great comeback victory by Team Canada. However, I only report NHL news.
Apologies Lyle
I now it is an NHL Blog; couldn’t resist… ‘twas very exciting hockey
Pengy, as for Evander Kane’s house, I myself have never practiced bankruptcy law, but another lawyer in the firm I work for has and I’ve picked up a few tidbits over the years, as bankruptcy issues have occasionally infiltrated cases I’ve been working on.
When a bankruptcy petition is filed, a Trustee is appointed and he takes control over the filer’s assets. Sales of property can be done, but they have to be approved by the Court. The proceeds of the sale come under the Trustee’s jurisdiction. There is some exemption for sale of a primary residence. Hopefully, a bankruptcy lawyer on the site can provide more detail.
There’s also the issue of his wife’s interest in the house. I haven’t read the article, and I won’t, so I don’t know if she is part owner and if not, whether the house was purchased during the marriage. I don’t know how it is in California, but in New York, a house purchased by a married person could be marital property even if the spouse does not take part in the purchase. I recently had the issue come up in a divorce case, where my client, the wife, as part of the settlement, paid a decent sum to her bastard of an ex-husband from the sale of property she had owned with her sister. So the sale may be an issue in the divorce as well.
It’s amazing what lengths some folks will go to in order to just say “I don’t know.”
I guess there are some folks who care about every move evander kane makes. I’m just not one of them. Trade him, give him away, terminate his contract if possible. Buy him out of necessary. Let’s just get the Sharks back to being a competitive, respectable team again without all the drama.
Agree. And they’ve called the Senators “dysfunctional” at times. Nothing like the mess in SJ and Arizona.
Not nearly as amazing as the lengths some people go just to say “I don’t care”.
Pengy asked for some legal information regarding Evander Kane. I happened to know a little something, so I responded. If you really didn’t care, you would have ignored it.
Well Howard, you know more about it than I do.
Nice one Howard
Or, Kane could have lost the house in a card game.
Thumbs up Howard
Hi Howard
Excellent and many thanks for your response
Had to laugh at your description of the “ex husband”
I’m not (an ex); and hope to never be…. But I know over the last (closing on on ) 4 decades…. Mrs. Pengy has used that as an “apropos” descriptor for Moi (so utterly contrary to my humbly self-perceived angelic character…🧐🤓🤪)
House sale or not, bankruptcy or not; Kane has a pile if issues to deal with.
I neutrally have no conclusions as to any guilt (if at all ) of any of the accusations…. But just the fact that its been reported that some if his teammates want him traded (and he’s their top scorer)…. Certainly NOT a comfort to know going into training camp
Again thanks for your response
Cheers
That mascot poll must of been done by children and probably ones that only knew of Carlton. Sad reporting again (click bate) Sun media.
When you google flyers in google, it automatically suggests mascot, ie GRITTY is king. I don’t think there’s one person who doesn’t think he’s great, especially for that team.
The NHL has mascots?
lol Ray! It’s a slow news day when all the discussion is about Kanes bankruptcy/divorce and the age bracket of voters in a mascot competition.
Please drop the puck!
Well, we know Craig MacTavish doesn’t like Harvey the Hound:
https://youtu.be/8JeF271w2WE
Shouldn’t a mascot poll only be filled out by children?
Well, clearly it was … or at least by adults with the brains of a child. Best mascot …. sheesh
A better poll would be “best hotdogs” or “beer”