NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 11, 2022
The 2022 Stanley Cup Final schedule is announced, the Stars trade Ben Bishop’s contract to Buffalo, Ryan Miller’s number to be retired by the Sabres, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.
NHL.COM: The 2022 Stanley Cup Final will begin on June 15 or June 18 depending on the outcome of the Eastern Conference Finals.
If the Tampa Bay Lightning win Game 6 on Saturday, they will face off against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver for Game 1 of the Cup Final on June 15.
If the Rangers win Game 6 and force a seventh and deciding game of the Conference Final on Monday, the winner of that game will meet the Avalanche in Colorado for Game 1 of the Cup Final on June 18.
WGR 550/THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: The Dallas Stars traded the contract of Ben Bishop along with their 2022 seventh-round pick to the Buffalo Sabres for future considerations. A knee injury ended the 35-year-old goaltender’s career but he hasn’t officially retired because he remains under contract through 2022-23.
Dallas Stars trade Ben Bishop’s contract to the Buffalo Sabres (NHL.com).
The Stars clear Bishop’s contract from their books, allowing them to avoid potential bonus overages in 2023-24. It also makes it easier for them to navigate the salary cap in 2022-23 without Bishop on long-term injury reserve.
As for the Sabres, the move allows them to get closer to next season’s $61 million salary-cap minimum by taking on Bishop’s $4.9 million cap hit for next season, though in actual salary they’ll pay him $3.5 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some readers might wonder why the Stars didn’t just retain Bishop and put him on LTIR to exceed the cap next season. Once they do that, however, they won’t be able to accrue salary-cap space.
That’s why we hear trade rumors of cap-strapped teams trying to peddle the contracts of permanently sidelined players to teams looking to reach the cap floor. What also made Bishop’s contract enticing to the Sabres is that his actual salary is less than his cap hit.
NHL.COM: Speaking of the Sabres, they will retire Ryan Miller’s No. 30 during a ceremony next season. Miller, 41, retired at the end of last season following an 18-season career, 11 of those spent with the Sabres from 2002-03 until traded to the St. Louis Blues before the 2014 trade deadline.
Miller is the Sabres’ all-time leader with 284 wins and sits second to Dominik Hasek with 28 shutouts. He backstopped them to consecutive Eastern Conference Finals in 2006 and 2007 and won the Vezina Trophy in 2010.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to Miller for this well-deserved honor.
SPORTSNET: Carey Price recently had a platelet-rich plasma injection as part of his treatment for the knee injury that still threatens to end his playing career. The 34-year-old Montreal Canadiens goaltender hopes to begin ramping up his training as he intends to start preparing to play. “I don’t think I will actually have an idea of how that’s going to look until later this summer when I’ve taken all the necessary steps to get back on the ice again.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The ongoing uncertainty over Price’s status will affect whatever decision they make regarding their goaltending for next season. They could end up shopping for help by placing him on LTIR. They also have Jake Allen under contract for next season and could give Cayden Primeau another try between the pipes if Price can’t play.
TAMPA BAY TIMES: With eight goals, Ondrej Palat has taken over the Lightning goal-scoring lead this postseason. He’s tallied in the last three games, including two game winners.
NEW YORK POST: Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant could break up his Kid Line of Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere for tonight’s Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The line saw limited ice time during the Rangers’ 3-1 loss in Game 5.
Speaking of the Rangers, one of their fans was arrested and charged with two counts of assault, two counts of disorderly conduct and two counts of harassment after sucker-punching a Lightning fan in Madison Square Garden following Game 5 and then punching another fan who attempted to stop him from fleeing the arena. Garden officials condemned the incident and banned the fan from all their venues for life.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: At some point in that guy’s life, somebody probably warned him that his temper would get him into trouble…
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: A source indicates Fenway Sports Group will name Kevin Acklin as the Penguins’ president of business operations.
THE ATHLETIC: Sean McIndoe looked at several theories regarding why Canadian teams haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1993.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I have two that didn’t appear on McIndoe’s otherwise solid list.
First, Canadian clubs are outnumbered by a much larger margin of American teams than they were during the Stanley Cup glory years of the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. That makes it more difficult to build and maintain a Cup contender.
The other is all seven of the current Canadian teams have also suffered the consequences of mismanagement since 1993. Sometimes, those decisions were based on the misguided view that their fans wouldn’t support a rebuild. Others were due to meddling ownership, inexperience or just poor judgment.
Lyle, totally agree with your takes on why Canada-based teams have suffered through a 29-year cup drought, and when it comes to your second reason, that is more or less ongoing with all seven.
It also applies to at least seven U.S.-based franchises: Buffalo (50 years), Philadelphia (46 years), Arizona (42 years); NY Islanders (37 years); San Jose (29 years); Florida (27 years); Columbus (20 years)
Actually, the NY Rangers (27 years) should replace Columbus in the above list
For the record, here’s a complete list showing cup droughts from most to least
https://champsorchumps.us/drought/longest-nhl-championship-drought
Found a problem with that list. It’s showing Columbus @ 22 years and Minnesota @ 21 years, yet they came into the league together and neither has so much as reached their conference’s finals.
Bang on Paul – they both began in the 2000-01 season – good eye
The Wild reached the conference finals in ’03.
Another factor hurting Canadian teams is the rabid press. How many times has a Toronto goalie gone on to perform better after leaving Toronto?
I remember the absurd situation earlier this year when the Edmonton press was questioning McDavid’s leadership because he didn’t take a strong stand against Holland signing Evander Kane. What exactly was he supposed to do?
Rangers are toast,Av’s win the cup. Sweeney and Neely still have jobs. If I screw up even one twentieth as much as they have I’d be out of a job by now. I saw that sucker punch on the Tampa Fan the other day when you’re ready for a punch it always hurts, but when somebody sucker punches you I’ve had it happen it can be devastating. They have to find this guy he needs to serve some time for this.
Rick, he’s been identified and arrested and faces multiple charges, along with being banned from MSG for life. As far as I’m concerned he should be banned from EVERY NHL arena for life. Complete dickhead
https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/rangers-fan-charged-with-assault-banned-from-madison-square-garden-for-punching-lightning-fan/
As far as NYR being toast, while coming back in game 6 in Tampa to tie it against the defending champions is a tall order, they haven’t exactly been blown out in any game so far and if it’s close like it was in game 5 when it was won with less than 2 minutes to go, a deflection here and a lucky bounce there and we’re headed back to MSG.
Tonight I just hope there isn’t a local version of the NY moron looking for “revenge.”
The local rumors regarding the game 5 post-match scrum revolve around the Trouba elbow that fortunately missed Palat earlier in the game; the Bolts had sufficient discipline not to put the Rangers on the PP, but felt the need to respond.
I expect NY to be very physical in game 6 hoping the retaliation comes and is called; whether or not it’s a good plan to build a PP dependent club that’s what they seem to have.
A goals-against smaller than a starlets bikini for Vasy in closeout games is what the Lightning will ride..play D and score 1 and stay out of the box at all costs. Probably another Prilosec special at Amalie tonight; I do hope we Bolts fans maintain their traditional gentle conduct towards opposition Sweaters. There will be several hundred, as usual, and we’ve never had an incident like the one at MSG the other night.
Probably a good idea to muffle the “let’s go, Rangers” chant, tho.
Richard, I’ve been to tons of lightning games against NY. “Muffle the chants”?
That crowd is pretty evenly split when NY is in town. I don’t think many Ranger fans are going to that game worried about retaliation for what some clown did at MSG.
” goals-against smaller than a starlets bikini”
You’re trying too hard, Richard. And like the starlet’s bikini, it’s showing.
Look for rioting and vandalism in NY following the Rangers getting ousted tonight and remember the NYC Mayor and DA are easy on crime and punishment, so likely the perp gets a slap on the wrist unfortunately.
@rob
ranger fans vandals after a loss?
wrong city.
one angry thug guy from Staten Island makes not a city’s fan base
Rob, you mean Adams?
Wasn’t he a cop for 20 yrs, and ran on the opposite?
He can’t control the DA though.
It’s almost funny that after one incident the Rangers fans are now notorious for this kinda thing.
Riots? Please stop right now.
How exactly does someone get ‘banned for life’ from a stadium? I mean, the logistics of it?
If he shows up to a concert there next week, how will anybody know? Do all ~250 (?) ushers and security personnel carry around his picture? Do they check IDs of every person entering the building?
This seems like a logical response in theory, but I don’t see how it can be enforced.
Good question, Whalercane – so I looked around for any article that deals with the subject and found this one from 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2016/10/07/when-fans-get-banned-for-life-from-sports-stadiums/
Interesting article, George. I liked the comment about the fan not likely being any smarter the next day. LOL!
I got a chuckle out of that too LJ. Anyone who reacts so impulsively that he/she faces criminal charges has you-know-what for brains.
I wouldn’t be surprised to learn at some point that that incident the other night was probably precipitated by the back-and-forth “trash talk” that is common among some “fans” and that the “puncher” has a history of such gutless reaction while the “punchee” is eventually identified as someone who likes to provoke.