NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 24, 2022
Patrice Bergeron reportedly returning with the Bruins, the Golden Knights close in on a new contract for Reilly Smith, the Senators win a bid to construct a new arena in downtown Ottawa, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.
BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Patrice Bergeron is returning for another season with the Bruins. Longtime Bruins beat reporter Joe McDonald of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette tweeted last night that the 36-year-old Bruins captain is set to sign a one-year, incentive-laden contract worth a potential total of $6.8 million.
Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron (NHL Images).
Earlier this month, Bergeron won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward for a record-setting fifth time. He’s spent his entire 18-season NHL career with the Bruins.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bergeron’s re-signing is good news for the Bruins, ensuring they’ll have their best center back for one more season. It also buys management time to find his potential replacement as well as add a second-line center.
We won’t know until Bergeron’s new contract is officially announced what the potential cap hit will be. The estimated $6.8 million would be roughly what he earned as the annual average value of his expiring contract. Whatever the amount, it could force management to make a cost-cutting trade or two. Cap Friendly shows them with just $2.83 million in cap space with 22 players under contract for 2022-23.
Teams are allowed to exceed the cap by 10 percent during the offseason but must be cap compliant when the regular season begins on Oct. 11. The Bruins can remain over the cap ceiling by placing sidelined stars such as Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy on long-term injury reserve but they must be under the cap when those players are ready to return to action.
DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli reports the Vegas Golden Knights are closing in on a three-year contract extension for Reilly Smith. Seravalli said it’s a verbal agreement for now and won’t be officially announced until the Golden Knights address their salary-cap issues.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: No word yet on the annual cap hit of Smith’s new contract. The Golden Knights are currently above the $82.5 million cap by over $2.6 million with 16 players signed for 2022-23.
OTTAWA SUN: The Senators’ hope of building a new arena in downtown Ottawa is closer to becoming a reality. The club and its partners have a memorandum of understanding with the National Capital Commission to construct an arena complex on LeBreton Flats. Construction on the project could begin in late 2024.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is the culmination of several years of stalled negotiations and lawsuits for the Senators. A downtown arena will make it easier for fans to attend their games, providing a big boost to their hockey-related revenue.
There’s still more work to be done before this becomes a reality. Nevertheless, it’s a big, positive step in the right direction.
NHL.COM: The Tampa Bay Lightning hope to extend the 2022 Stanley Cup Final with a win over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 5 on Friday in Denver. The back-to-back defending champions hope to overcome a 3-1 series deficit and win the Cup.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The odds are against the Lightning. Teams that are down 3-1 in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final are 1-35. The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs are the only team to accomplish that feat and they were down 3-0 in their series with the Detroit Red Wings.
THE DENVER POST: A solid bounce-back performance by goaltender Darcy Kuemper in Game 4 was a crucial factor in the Avalanche winning that contest.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: The Stars are working toward a contract extension with general manager Jim Nill.
PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: The Flyers signed goaltender Felix Sandstrom to a two-year contract with an annual average value of $775K.
NHL.COM: The Columbus Blue Jackets have extended their affiliate agreement with the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings.
“The Senators’ hope of building a new arena in downtown Ottawa is closer to becoming a reality. The club and its partners have a memorandum of understanding with the National Capital Commission to construct an arena complex on LeBreton Flats. Construction on the project could begin in late 2024.”
Hopefully, by then, they will have figured out how to keep outgoing-Mayor Jim Watson’s Light Rail on the tracks during the winter months!
Quite the eclectic collection of primary investors involved in the new arena project
https://ottawasun.com/news/local-news/lebreton-flats-whos-who-in-the-sens-new-arena-deal/wcm/1945596b-5e6a-4be8-a94a-574ef6a2c0cf
I loved Firestone’s comments at cbc. “the NCC aka the No Commitment Club” LOL…so true.
All I did yesterday was roll my eyes at the non-announcement of nothing.
By the time they build it down town. Kanata will be able to support it’s own hockey team and the CTC (still in great shape and scale-able) will be “downtown” for Kanata, BarrHaven, Carp, Stittsville, Arnprior, Richmond. There will be 500-700K people living west of Bayshore.
I hope Orleans, Gloucester, central Ottawa and Gatineau can support a team downtown because that will be your season ticket base. After a 2 year honeymoon your walk-up crowd will be non-existent.
That’s great news for the Sens. By the look of that photo, it look like it’s just outside of the typical downtown core, ie where the concentration of skyscrapers are. So not so much like say MSG or where the Leafs play but more like Anahiem or when the Yotes where before Glendale/Phoenix but I think in both cases, Ottawa has a lager and more city like core than both.
Still great news and partners are all real estate developers including good architects and sports bodies and all the kind of people you want….except for (I hope you die) Live Nation – the number 1 reason if there was ever an act you hoped you’d see before you die they are 100% responsible for the ticket prices to be so ridiculously overpriced that you would rather die than pay that… and this example is one of the least heinous offenses they commit. Live nation can rot in hell.
Wouldn’t it be something if Ottawa gets a new building before Calgary. I believe the Saddledome is the oldest building in the NHL.
So. Pb gives a hometown discount. Good for you Boston.
Was there any doubt…he is a Bruin !!
Great to hear Patrice is coming, rumour has it Sweeney was so happy he very nearly dropped his La La on his foo foo. Wonder how long he’ll be riding the coat tails on this? That’s one third of the equation the bruins still need a bigger tougher GOOD rushing d. And second line centre, I wasn’t too sold on Kadri before but after watching him this season and into the playoffs he would be a good fit.
Hey Rick, him and Debrusk can catch up on old times
Great to see Bergy coming back. Thought he would being so close to 1000 pts and having a great year as well. Rumour has it. Will be like 5 mil. Plus easy performance bonuses like. Chara had his last year so bonus has option of rolling on the following years cap. Sweeney still needsto move a d man. And probably Debrusk too Possibly more if he wants a ctr this year
Ya, good news MB4, I wasn’t sure he would.
Looks like we give it another go this year, as IMO he doesn’t come back without knowing that is the plan.
Not sure they can trade a D MB4, with Grz and Mac out for a few months to start the year.
Somebody needs to play to try and stay within striking distance.
DeBrusk, ya likely gone, but depending on how the contract is structured with Bergy, may still have issues and no room to add much after signing or replacing a few guys like Lazar and Brown
I think Sweeney was wiping his hinny this morning say “no Sh*t on me.”
The wording i read was an incentive laden contract. Meaning and IOU, as all incentive are paid against next season salary cap.
As a Bruin fan i see this team as a wildcard team if lucky.
Depends on how long it takes Charlie and Brad to not only get back in the lineup but also backup to their standard of play.
Caper
They definitely won’t be as strong as last year but neither will Florida TB. Washington Pitt. Can’t see anyone making up all that grd with exception of isles. But with new coach who knows about them either Wings sabres habs sens devils cannot see them making dance next year
Frank Seravalli has tweeted that it sounds like Reilly Smith’s contract is 3 years $5 million a year.
https://twitter.com/frank_seravalli/status/1540011947185389570
If that’s correct that would mean with Weber on LTIR the Knights will have 17 players under contract with pretty much zero cap space available. Who else is on their way out so the knights can add to get Brossoit and 4 other base salaried players?
🍁Colorado Avalanche should win itr tonight at Home in Denver….
They have that Killer instinct going for them,
4-1 score tonigh.
M&M #8 & #29 put on a show for the fans tonight👍