NHL Morning Coffee Headline – January 17, 2024
The Oilers set a franchise winning streak record, the Jets regain first place in the overall standings, the Lightning aren’t trading Steven Stamkos, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: The Edmonton Oilers overcame a 2-0 deficit to double up the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2, setting a franchise record with their 11th straight win. Ryan McLeod and Evan Bouchard each had a goal and an assist while Stuart Skinner stopped 25 shots for the 24-15-1 Oilers, who hold the first Western Conference wild-card berth with 49 points. Auston Matthews tallied his league-leading 34th goal of the season for the Leafs (21-13-8) as they sit third in the Atlantic Division with 50 points.
Winnipeg Jets winger Kyle Connor (NHL Images).
A 4-2 victory by the Winnipeg Jets over the New York Islanders vaulted them over the Vancouver Canucks into first place in the overall standings with a record of 29-10-4 (62 points). Jets winger Kyle Connor scored in his first game after missing 17 games with an injured knee while Connor Hellebucyk got the win with a 35-save performance. Anders Lee tallied twice for the 19-15-6 Islanders (48 points), who have dropped five of their last six games and remain one point out of the final wild-cards spot in the Eastern Conference.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets played very well in Connor’s absence but the return of their most talented scorer will only make them stronger. They have the same amount of points as the Canucks but hold a game in hand. Meanwhile, the slumping Isles were without forward Pierre Engvall as he’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
The Colorado Avalanche scored five unanswered goals to overcome the Ottawa Senators 7-4. Nathan MacKinnon collected two assists to tie Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov for the league-scoring lead with 72 points. Mikko Rantanen scored two goals and Samuel Girard collected three assists for the 29-13-3 Avalanche (61 points), who sit one point behind the Jets and Canucks in the Western Conference standings. Brady Tkachuk and Claude Giroux each had three assists for the 15-24-0 Senators.
New York Rangers winger Blake Wheeler scored two goals in a 5-2 win over the Seattle Kraken. Kaapo Kakko scored his first goal since returning from injury while Igor Shesterkin turned aside 29 shots for the Rangers (28-13-2) as they hold first place in the Metropolitan Division with 58 points. Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann each had a goal and an assist for the 19-16-9 Kraken (47 points) as they remain two points out of the final Western Conference wild-card berth.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, the Kraken placed goaltender Philipp Grubauer (lower body) on long-term injury reserve and moved forward Matty Beniers (upper body) on injured reserve.
Three unanswered third-period goals lifted the Dallas Stars over the Los Angeles Kings 5-1, handing the latter their ninth loss in their last 10 games. Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston and Evgenii Dadonov each collected two points for the 26-12-5 Stars, who sit third in the Central Division with 57 points. Drew Doughty replied for the Kings (21-12-8) as they sit third in the Pacific Division with 50 points.
An overtime goal by Yegor Sharangovich gave the Calgary Flames a 3-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes. Nazem Kadri had a goal and an assist while Dan Vladar turned aside 23 shots for the 21-18-5 Flames as they moved to within two points of the final Western wild-card spot with 47 points. Sean Durzi had a goal and an assist for the Coyotes (21-18-3) as they sit two points behind the Flames.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Vladar got the call for the Flames as starter Jacob Markstrom is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. They also recalled goalie Dustin Wolf from their AHL affiliate.
Washington Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper kicked out 24 shots to shut out the Anaheim Ducks 2-0. Ethan Bear and Tom Wilson were the goal scorers for the 21-15-6 Capitals (48 points) as they sit one point out of the final Eastern wild-card spot. John Gibson stopped 26 shots for the 15-28-1 Ducks.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury.
The Chicago Blackhawks nipped the San Jose Sharks 2-1 on a shootout goal by Boris Katchouk. Petr Mrazak made 37 saves while Cole Guttman scored in regulation for the 13-29-2 Blackhawks. Ryan Carpenter replied for the 10-31-4 Sharks.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blackhawks defenseman Nikita Zaitsev left this game with an undisclosed injury.
Earlier in the day, the Blackhawks signed forward Jason Dickinson to a two-year contract extension with an average annual value of $4.25 million. No, this isn’t a “sign-and-trade” scenario. The Blackhawks consider the 28-year-old center to be a key part of their rebuild going forward.
Speaking of Blackhawks contract extensions, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports there’s mutual interest between management and Mrazek. He’s been a good fit, loves playing in Chicago and wants to stay. Don’t be surprised if he re-signs in the coming weeks.
HEADLINES
TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois made it clear that team captain Steven Stamkos won’t be traded no matter what happens between now and the March 8 trade deadline.
Stamkos, who turns 34 on Feb. 7, is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July. Last September, he expressed frustration that the Lightning didn’t engage him in contract talks, sparking speculation of his possible departure from Tampa Bay this summer.
BriseBois insisted that he still sees Stamkos as a key part of the Lightning’s future. He hopes to meet with his captain following this season to discuss his plans and where he fits with the club.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was wise of BriseBois to stamp out any potential trade rumors that might’ve become an unnecessary distraction for Stamkos and his teammates over the remainder of this season.
Stamkos has a full no-movement clause but he hasn’t asked to be traded and BriseBois hasn’t asked him to waive it. This should also give Lightning fans some hope that their captain will remain in Tampa Bay beyond this season.
VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: Golden Knights center Jack Eichel is listed as week-to-week following surgery for a lower-body injury.
DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Red Wings forward Patrick Kane will miss the club’s next two games as he’s suffering from a lower-body injury. Wings coach Derek Lalonde stressed that this injury is not related to his surgically repaired hip. The team hopes to have a clearer picture of Kane’s condition by this weekend.
I guess the best way to beat the Leafs is to spot them a two goal lead.
I don’t see Stamkos leaving Tampa. He wants to play his career there and will take less money to stay. And not because of taxes. He’s truly committed to the team.
JBB has made one or more moves at the trade deadline to improve the team for half a dozen years running, and seems intent on doing so again. The Lightning have evaluated/showcased eight rookies so far this year and are hard up against the cap. STamkos might take an eight year deal with four low out years to reduce average cap, and might well be a productive 10 minute power play scoring specialist as he chases up the career lists to age 42. Expect the fanbase would accept a concession to Steven in return for the lowball contract he’s played under that was a major help in building two cup teams. Ditto for Hedmon next year. Most tradable salary is probably Cernak tho value limited due to injury history- but with goalkeeping and a core of veterans the window is open for a few years to make another run in Tampa if the jigsaw puzzle can be fitted together and sometime the trade deadline is the best time to restock with young talent if one is willing to trade a productive veteran with term.
HI Richard, I don’t watch TB enough to know, but how is Stamkos actually playing? Meaning contributing to winning games, not just points.
The #’s suggest he is one dimensional and is a team worst dash 20. That is while getting o zone starts and guessing Cooper isn’t lining him up against the other teams best. Majority of his points are PP, to your point about being a specialist down the road. The data suggests he already is.
What is that worth as an AAV when TB’s biggest problem is they bleed goals against?
Would luv to be a fly on the wall for that conversation between JBB and Stamkos and/or his agent.
Seems like the forward version of Tyson Barrie.
Not sure this ends well for one party. IMO they either overpay, he eats some humble pie, or he moves on.
Unlike the Pens, the Bolts don’t have an aging roster that hobbles their chances. But as you note Richard, they have no cap space, and have traded their first and second picks this year and their first next year. Yes trade deadline deals can strengthen a team, but what is the return for the other team(s)? If a player is good enough to help the Bolts then he is worth more than futures, and if the return is a current Bolts player won’t the Bolts have to give quality to get quality?
GMs often surprise us with their creativity but it’s going to take near magic for the Bolts to be able to seriously challenge for the Cup again. Their line up isn’t as deep as in their glory years and they sit at 16 in the league standings.
They need Vasilevskiy to find his game. Which he very well could as he is coming off a pretty serious injury which takes time.
He’s the wild card, if he gets back to his dominant self, he can cover up some lineup holes.
Re; Oilers & Leafs game last night
Wow Fastest 1st period i think i have ever seen❗️
24 seconds in and Mathews Scores a dandy of a goal
McDavid looked like he was on Fast Forward Mode last night and everone else was on Slow Mode…
if it was not for Stu Skinner and his Fantastic Goaltending last night the Leafs could have Won the game, Skinner made some Amazing Saves
The Leafs tried everthing including Crashing the Net twice really bad……
the 2nd crash it lokked like Viny was going to thump Tavares and he JT would have deserved it….
Hyman had an other goal disaloud, he may lead the NHL in that category…
Over the Oilers first 18 games 5-12-1
Now they are 24-15-1 and sitting in a
the 7th playoff spot in the west with 4 games in hand over team behind them, The Flames, Kraken, & Preds. and 1 point behind the LA kings.
Ya, they have a chance to catch both LA (who is playing brutal lately), and Vegas who is dealing with injuries to important players, and now Eichel is out for a while.
Problem with the Vegas injuries is they are accruing cap space they can use at the TDL, and they are all due back. They have all of their early round picks as well, so will be active I would think. It’s how they roll.
The Knights are currently over the cap at just under $91 million. They need to use over $7 million in LTIR to stay cap-compliant. Isn’t that preventing them from acquiring TDL cap space?
Hey KevJam, a bunch of that is Lehner ($5M), plus all the other injuries have them with a current TDL cap space of $2.787M.
Eichel make $10M per year and is week to week, and he recently went on LTI, so that will start to accumulate as well.
They will have some space, at least according to Cap Friendly.
https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/goldenknights
I thought when a team is using LTIR like Vegas, to be cap-compliant that it eats into what a team can acquire at the TDL.
Yet the Oilers, who aren’t using any LTIR to stay cap-compliant only has about $900 K in acquired TDL cap space.
I find it all very confusing. lol
Depends when they go on LTI or LTIR.
After the season starts, you can accrue, before, you can’t.
Plus you need to be compliant and as close to the cap ceiling as possible on day 1 as that sets you # for the year.
That’s all I know, or think I know.
Good news is Cap Friendly knows!
Who is running Chicago cap system?
Giving Nick Foligno a 2yr extension at $4.5 for being Uncle Nick in the locker room.
Now extending Jason Dickinson for 2yrs at $4.5 per congrats to Dickinson.
Jason is now in his 7th full season, played in 9 but just a handful of games in 2 seasons. He has 14 goals which is a career season high, his previous high is 9.
He is on pace for a 25 goal season, his career high in total points is 30 which was last season. He is about to blow it out of the water. He is on pace for 39pts.
Was this money allocated for Corey Perry and just moved to Dickinson.
$4.5 for two years seem to be an overpayment for Dickinson, a player reaching 10 goals for the first time in 7 full season. Maybe he just growing into his own and will now be a consistent 20 plus goal scorer.
The Blackhawks have just $44 million invested in 7 players for 2024-25. They have a projected $43 million in cap space. They’re a rebuilding club stocked with affordable players right now. Dickinson and Foligno are on two-year contracts that expire when Connor Bedard and Kevin Korchinski will be coming off their entry-level contracts. Don’t forget, they’ll have to reach the salary-cap minimum for next season.
There’s no overpayment here. They’re investing in short-term veterans to help their younger players adjust and develop.
Beat me to the punch Lyle.
Foligno plays the right way, and by all accounts, works his ass off in practice and away from the rink. A leader.
Focus on the daily processes, work hard, and the results take care of themselves. This is gonna take a while in Chicago, so developing the culture is a really big deal IMO.
Positive sign that veteran players, who bring value to other teams, want to stay and play in Chicago.
They have a whack of early round picks this year and next, and the guys they signed/signing would have been tradable for more. Guys like Johnson, Hall and Beauvillier are hurt. Wonder who gets moved. I know Hall is out for the year, but are the other 2 guys due back?
Lyle i get that, but you’re wrong when you say there is no over payment here.
It’s kind of like saying have a extra $3000 in my bank account so i’m just going to waste it.
That’s not an appropriate analogy. They have two core veterans that they want to retain to mentor their younger players and they only paid them for two years. Since they have the cap space and they’re a rebuilding club, it doesn’t adversely affect them over the two years of that deal. They’ll come off the books by the time Bedard and Korchinski are due for what will be significant raises. I’d say it’s a smart short-term investment to better the development of their team that won’t hurt them over the long term.
Appropriate overpayment?
If Chicago signs guys to 2X what any other team would be willing to pay them, that’s a textbook overpayment…
Really, Brock? Dickinson is on pace for over 20 goals and 40 points on one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league. You really think no other team would’ve doubled his salary on the open market, especially in an offseason when the salary cap will jump by $4.2 million? You really think he wouldn’t have gotten just a two-year deal on the open market?
As for Foligno, he got a $500K raise next season over his salary for this season. That hardly breaks the bank for a club with $43 million in cap space.
The over payments do affect the team down the road. Every player that`s on their roster and down the road will use those overpayments in their contract demands. The perfect example of that is Marner`s contract and that did affect Hymans contract demands. Wouldn`t Hyman look good in Toronto right now. Dubas screwed Toronto by overpaying and it`s costing Toronto more ever since. Chicago could be using that cap space to acquire unwanted contracts for assets, see Mrazek who` s become a useful piece and gave them a 1st rd pick. Which is better for their future
No, they won’t, Yogi. Every player on that roster now will have different situations than Foligno and Dickinson. They can’t just say that they want more because those two got more. They have to make the case.
Marner’s situation with Hyman is no comparable. His pay jumped from entry-level to over $10 million annually on a team that just shot the wad on John Tavares ($11 million AAV for seven years) the previous year and Auston Matthews in early 2019, putting themselves in cap hell. That’s not the same situation here at all.
“That’s not an appropriate analogy” why isn’t it?
Neither player has a value of $4.5 it’s an over payment by alot.
Foligno decided the money was to good to pass and gave up on any opportunity to win a Stanley Cup. He’s not staying in Chicago to play with and mentor Connor Bedard because he wants to. He’s stay in Chicago because he value money more than winning a Stanley Cup. Good for Nick, he know no one else out there is giving him for than $2m if that.
All good he’s a hard worker and good guy, but what exactly has Foligno ever won?
Dickinson has more value than Nic and must be a good character guy and Hustle like Foligno.
Yes it short term and yes Chicago has plenty of cap space. That’s not a good enough reason to p*ss money down the toilet.
The other concern they may have is when other contracts come up and the players agent starts to use Perry, Foligno and Dickinson contracts as comparable.
Nonsense. These are two players who want to stay in Chicago, they love playing there and want to be part of the rebuild. Those are players you want to keep.
Foligno proved his value to the Blackhawks. They had the cap space, they decided to make the short-term investment to keep him. He’s a character player who was praised by management and the coaching staff for his positive influence while his teammates praised his leadership and the experience he brings to their roster. It doesn’t hurt the Blackhawks at all to make a short-term investment like that when they’ve got the cap space to do so.
Davidson praised Dickinson’s performance and experience as well. Like Foligno, he’s a character player who is popular with his teammates, wants to play in Chicago and enjoys having the opportunity to get the playing time he has right now on this rebuilding club.
Davidson also indicated that if he traded away Foligno and Dickinson or let them depart via free agency that he’d be having to find comparable replacements. He felt it was better to maintain continuity as he rebuilds the roster. In that regard, it’s money well spent, not wasted. It doesn’t adversely affect their salary cap for next season. Again, shrewd short-term investments.
Who on Chicago is going to use either one to argue their own contracts? Bedard? And Hyman proved he was worth the money he got by getting g it somewhere else. Marner had nothing to with the oilers giving him that money. And despite those two new deals Chicago still has plenty of money to absorb bad contracts for assets.
Exactly, Chrisms. They made short-term investments for continuity on their roster which will come off their books when Bedard and Korchinski are due for new contracts. Yogi’s attempt to use Marner’s contract signing as an example of how Foligno’s and Dickinson’s contracts are supposedly going to “hurt” a team with barrels of cap space is puzzling.
You`re 150% wrong Lyle, Hyman even said Marner`s contract influenced his demands. For years a lot of teams used to complain that Torontos overpayments were causing problems for them in their contract negotiations with their players. Contracts started to spiral as soon as players were able to see what their teammates and other players were making, so your arguments are bull
I’d like to see those complaints cause I’ve never seen them anywhere. The only complaint I’ve seen is that Toronto has the pockets to give the money upfront as signing bonuses. The oilers certainly didn’t balk at giving him that money. If you are complaining that players use their peers to gauge their own value that’s just about par for the course in any and every profession. You may want to watch what you call bull cause you might get gored.
Mess with the bull you get the horns…;)
Yogi, Marner went from entry-level to $10.9 million coming off a team-leading 94-point performance. Hyman quite reasonably sought to double his salary after consecutive 21-goal seasons and in a COVID-shortened campaign where he was fifth in goals among Leafs scorers with 15 goals and sixth in points with 33. Had the Leafs not blown up their budget by signing Marner and Matthews to very big contracts and added Tavares at $11 million, Hyman would be a Leaf today.
It’s in no way comparable to the Blackhawks re-signing two core players when they’ve got $43 million in cap space after signing those two players.
This was a strange debate. It’s not like Chicago doesn’t know what these guys have been producing, folks don’t actually believe they screwed up and didn’t know?
This is about what a team values. Chicago will have a bunch of young, early round picks joining this team over the next few years. It started this year with Bedard, Korchinski and Vlasic.
Chicago has had and will continue to have multiple picks in RD 1&2 of the draft, and the development of those players is their #1 priority, everything else is a distant 2nd. It is the key to their long term success and they will do and spend what they need to to try and ensure that happens.
That is why they value guys like Foligno and Dickinson. Do they value them more than other teams, maybe and so what? Why the hell would Chicago care about that?
If most of these kids develop Foligno’s work ethic, discipline and dedication, he will be worth every penny. Heck Chicago may even keep him around after he retires.
Smart move IMO. Team culture is huge.
Well said, Ray.
Tough to argue that logic. Ray`s logic says that Chicago has too many draft picks already and all the picks are are guaranteed NHL players, don`t need anymore. Lyles logic says that other players wouldn`t dream of using other overpaid players contracts to get better contracts for them selves. Ray hasn`t checked Bostons draft record lately and Lyle`s never heard of the arbitration system in the NHL. Players may never look at other contracts, but there`s alot of agents that would. Yep tough to argue their logic
That’s not what I said or what Ray said and you know it, Yogi. You used an absurd comparable that had no bearing on the Blackhawks signings.
I watched Leaf Oil game last night Matthews effort on winning goal was embarrassing if that’s what 13.5 gets you I’m out. McDavid is a man playing with boys the speed and determination is unbelievable the guy gives it all. Looking back I think Toronto should have paid Hyman and traded Willy or Marner for a D man and a goalie or even maybe traded both. Bertuzzi seems to try hard but isn’t a very good skater and he doesn’t hit anyone.
Obe, I agree about Bertuzzi. His lack of speed, substandard edges and ability to turn, and poor stick handling are reasons I hoped Detroit would trade him. I was discussing this with a nephew, who also didn’t want Bert to stay, and we agreed that, when he could crank up the skates in a straight line in open ice, his speed was almost adequate.
I think the idea behind the Bertuzzi and Domi signings were their playoff performances, not so much the regular season results. Is Bertuzzi worth 5.5, not even close to it. Mostly to the same reasons you gave for not resigning him. Some think his poor performance has a lot to do with Keefe not using him properly and that I think that is part of it
Kane out for a few games for a “lower body injury”. And so it begins.