NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 3, 2022

by | Jul 3, 2022 | News, NHL | 2 comments

The latest on Kirill Kaprizov, Patrik Laine, Anthony Duclair and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

CBS SPORTS: cited The Athletic’s Michael Russo reporting Kirill Kaprizov underwent minor surgery. The 25-year-old Minnesota Wild left winger is expected to be ready “well in advance” of training camp.

THE ATHLETIC: Aaron Portzline reported contract talks are continuing between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the agent for left wing Patrik Laine. Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said the discussions are amicable. However, Portzline wrote that it doesn’t sound as though a deal is close. Kekalainen doesn’t expect it will affect the club’s plans for the upcoming NHL draft in Montreal.

Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Cap Friendly indicates Laine is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. He’s coming off a one-year, $7.5 million contract.

ESPN.COM: Anthony Duclair underwent surgery to repair an Achilles tendon injury. The 26-year-old Florida Panthers winger is expected to be sidelined until midway through the 2022-23 season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Duclair carries a $3 million annual average value. With the Panthers having just $3 million in salary-cap space for next season and with 17 players under contract, they could place him on long-term injury reserve to garner some cap relief to sign another player. However, they’ll have to be cap compliant when Duclair is ready to return to action.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: The Canadiens can take their time negotiating a new contract with Alexander Romanov. He has only two seasons with 10 or more games played, he falls under the status of a 10.2(c) restricted free agent. That makes him ineligible to sign an offer sheet with another team as Jesperi Kotkaniemi did last summer.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canadiens management is currently focused on the upcoming NHL draft in Montreal. Once that’s completed, they’re expected to turn their attention toward their RFAs.

STLTODAY.COM: Blues forward Alexei Toropchenko underwent shoulder surgery and will miss the first two months of next season. The 23-year-old is on a one-year, $750K contracts for 2022-23.

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: PNC Arena, home of the Carolina Hurricanes, could be getting a major facelift and overhaul over the next several years. Opened in 1999, the venue is expected to undergo renovations that were put off for the past two years by the COVID-19 pandemic.







2 Comments

    • I’ll take your word for it, as the link is in Russian. Par for the course. Anyone in Russia who gets on the wrong side of the powers that be must either hire a food taster or try to get by without eating or drinking.