NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 10, 2024
Recaps of Tuesday’s games, the fallout from the Gauthier-for-Drysdale trade, an update on the top vote-getters for the 2024 All-Star Game, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: The Toronto Maple Leafs crushed the San Jose Sharks 7-1. Mitch Marner had two goals and two assists while William Nylander collected three assists for the 21-10-7 Leafs, who sit third in the Atlantic Division with 49 points. Henry Thrun scored for the 9-29-3 Sharks as they lost their 12th straight game and sit at the bottom of the overall standings.
Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk (NHL Images).
Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk’s natural hat trick in the third period lifted his club to a 5-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Anthony Stolarz stopped 29 shots for the Panthers (26-12-2) as they sit third overall in the Eastern Conference with 54 points. Brayden Schenn scored the lone goal for the 20-18-1 Blues (41 points), who sit two points out of the final Western Conference wild-card berth.
The Winnipeg Jets (27-9-4) maintained their hold on first place in the overall standings with 58 points by blanking the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-0. Connor Hellebuyck had a 29-save shutout while Cole Perfetti scored twice for the Jets, who picked up their seventh straight win and extended their points streak to 13 games. Daniil Tarasov made 18 saves for the 13-20-9 Blue Jackets.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jets center Mark Scheifele left the game after being struck in the face by a deflected shot by teammate Josh Morrissey. He missed the remainder of the game receiving stitches but returned at the end of the game to celebrate his club’s win. It’s unknown if Scheifele will miss any games.
Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson tallied his 20th goal of the season in a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders. Conor Garland and Filip Hronek each collected two points for the 27-11-3 Canucks as they sit one point behind the Jets in second place in the overall standings. Brock Nelson netted both goals for the Islanders (18-12-10) as they hold the first Eastern Conference wild-card spot with 46 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Islanders activated defenseman Adam Pelech off long-term injury reserve for this game. He’d been sidelined since Nov. 24 with an upper-body injury.
The Tampa Bay Lightning overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 in overtime, giving head coach Jon Cooper his 500th career NHL victory. Brandon Hagel scored the tying goal and set up the game-winning goal by Nick Perbix as the Lightning (20-17-5) hold the final Eastern wild-card spot with 45 points. Trevor Moore picked up two assists for the 20-10-7 Kings as they sit third in the Pacific Division with 47 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hagel was outstanding for the Lightning. His hard work and skill made their comeback possible, especially with his assist on the game-winner.
An overtime goal by Nick Schmaltz lifted the Arizona Coyotes over the Boston Bruins 4-3. Connor Ingram turned aside 30 shots while Clayton Keller had a goal and an assist for the 20-17-2 Coyotes (42 points) as they sit one point behind the Edmonton Oilers for the final Western Conference wild-card spot. David Pastrnak tallied his 25th goal of the season for the Bruins (24-8-8) as they sit in third place in the overall standings with 56 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bruins also lost goaltender Linus Ullmark in the overtime period as he had to be helped from the ice while attempting to make a glove save. There was no update regarding his condition.
Edmonton Oilers stars Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid scored in a narrow 2-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Stuart Skinner made 25 saves for the 21-15-1 Oilers, who picked up their seventh straight win to hold the final Western wild-card spot with 43 points. Jason Dickinson scored for the 12-27-3 Blackhawks as they held the Oilers to 15 shots.
The Anaheim Ducks snapped a five-game losing skid as they upset the Nashville Predators 5-3. Troy Terry had a goal and an assist, Alex Killorn collected two assists and Lukas Dostal kicked out 39 shots for the 14-25-1 Ducks. Juuse Saros stopped 28 shots for the 22-18-1 Predators as they hold the first Western wild-card berth with 45 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ducks forward Trevor Zegras left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury. Ducks head coach Greg Cronin said the 22-year-old Zegras could be sidelined “for a while.”
Seattle Kraken winger Jaden Schwartz had a goal and an assist in a 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Joey Daccord made 36 saves for his sixth straight win as the 17-14-9 Kraken (43 points) extended their win streak to seven games and their points streak to 11 games to sit just behind the Oilers. Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch each had a goal and an assist for the 17-20-4 Sabres.
The Calgary Flames scored four unanswered third-period goals to defeat the Ottawa Senators 6-3. Yegor Sharangovich and Blake Coleman each tallied twice for the 18-18-5 Flames (41 points) as they sit two points back of the Oilers. Joonas Korpisalo made 30 saves for the 14-22-0 Senators as they’ve lost four straight games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Senators center Josh Norris left this game in the third period with an upper-body injury following an awkward collision with Flames center Elias Lindholm. Before the game, the Senators activated forward Mathieu Joseph off LTIR. He’d been sidelined since Dec. 15 with a lower-body injury.
HEADLINES
THE ATHLETIC: Kevin Kurz reports the Philadelphia Flyers still don’t have an answer as to why top prospect Cutter Gauthier refused to sign with them, forcing the club to trade him on Monday to the Anaheim Ducks.
The Flyers held early contract talks with Gauthier last spring following the completion of his freshman year at Boston College and were prepared to sign him last May. However, they couldn’t promise the young winger a roster spot and he’d have to compete for one in training camp like everybody else. If he failed to qualify, he would’ve been sent to their AHL affiliate in LeHigh Valley.
Following the 2023 World Championships, the Gauthier camp informed the Flyers that he didn’t want to play for them and would return to Boston College for his sophomore season. It was assumed that his college coach Greg Brown convinced Gauthier it would be best for his development if he stayed in school for another year.
St. Louis Blues center (and former Flyer) Kevin Hayes was rumored to have influenced Gauthier’s decision as the two are believed to be friends. However, he denied having anything to do with it. Flyer president Keith Jones said Hayes told general manager Daniel Briere the same thing.
TSN: Hayes sounded off against the backlash he was receiving following the rumor that he may have influenced Gauthier’s decision. “It’s 100 percent false,” he said, adding that he didn’t know where it came from. He indicated that death threats were made against himself and his family with some saying they were happy Hayes’ brother had died.
SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman cited several sources suggesting whatever discussions took place back in March threw an unexpected wrench into the relationship. One theory is the Flyers wanted to sign Gauthier but doing so would’ve resulted in a higher bonus overage against their salary cap for this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was also rumored that Gauthier didn’t want to play for Flyers coach John Tortorella. That has been debunked.
Gauthier and his representatives remain silent about his decision not to sign with the Flyers. Based on the reports thus far, it sounds like he was unhappy about not getting a guaranteed spot on their roster. Until he clears the air, the rumors will persist.
The speculation about Hayes was based on the belief that his parting with the Flyers was acrimonious. However, both sides indicated that wasn’t the case. He had no axe to grind and no reason to get involved in Gauthier’s plans. Even if he did, it doesn’t merit death threats or cruel comments about his late brother.
NHL.COM: Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander is leading the fan voting for the 2024 NHL All-Star Game. Thirty-two players (one from each club) were already chosen by the league with the remaining 12 roster spots to be determined by fan voting
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar is currently second, Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl is third, and Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson is fourth thus far. The voting ends at midnight on Thursday.
NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: Devils center Jack Hughes is expected to be sidelined for “weeks, not months” with an upper-body injury. Defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler (fractured foot) is week to week.
TSN: The St. Louis Blues signed forward Nathan Walker to a two-year, $1.55 million contract extension.
MONTREAL GAZETTE: The Canadiens placed defenseman Gustav Lindstrom on waivers.
Would love to see some trades to liven up the NHL! Only problem is that there is too much parity! At this time only the following teams look to be out of the playoff race!Montreal,Buffalo,CBJ,Ottawa,Anaheim,Chicago and SJ! Many teams looking to make deals because of injuries to their lineup,NJ at the top of the list! Calgary waiting I Don t know why to start selling before players bolt as UFA S! What do you guys think?
What does Gauthier situation say about the NHL draft? Or more specifically about US College players and the draft?
If a player is willing to wait 3 years to choose his own destination and for go all the $$. All the power to him
Cutter blew off Philly before it was even 2 yrs!
I think the rule is; if you don’t sign with the team that drafted you within 2 years, you re-enter the draft. Or is that just for guys coming out of major junior?
I dunno for sure. Maybe somebody can enlighten me.
We don’t know why he didn’t for sure, but I read Friedman’s article and one suggestion is; that in March if the Flyers would have gave him a spot on the NHL club, he could have got his 10 games in and would only been 2 years from the end of his ELC.
That one seems to make the most sense if he and his agent are just about the money. And he seemed fine until that point.
Who knows, don’t really care what Cutter does with his life, but seems like something a guy could get over. Earning your spot on a team shouldn’t be a new concept for an athlete.
IMO the Flyers did well with the return considering the situation. Briere seems to be doing a pretty good job so far.
A team has two years to sign a player in the junior leagues or Europe to an Entry level contract
If a player is not signed after two years, they can go back into the draft if they are not too old.
A player who is not signed and too old for the draft becomes an unrestricted free agent and able to sign with any team of their choice
A team has the rights to an NCAA player until 30 days after they leave school
There have been a few NCAA players who have graduated after 4 years of hockey and then have waited out the 30 days to become unrestricted free agents who are able to sign with any team of their choosing.
Thanks Lyle
Did Gauthier’s own selfish ambition get him to the NHL any sooner? No.
Briere and Jones went out of their way to appease Cutter’s attitude. Who knows what Fletch promised him? Cutter’s attitude is just like PLD’s, and the ironic thing is that Verbeek will probably demand more out of hi then Philly!
Bruins should trade off what they can before or at the trade deadline, prepare for the 24-25 season, only players I wouldn’t trade are Pasta, Swayman, McAvoy
Hoe
Why should they do that? 2nd in entire nhl they will probably do better in playoffs than last year. The only sure trade I would do is DeBrusk if you do not have him signed at a good term and $ amount
Well, considering he was traded less than 48 hours ago and was traded without a contract, are you really surprised he didn’t play in the 1st available game 24 hours later?
I’m not.
This issue between both sides has been going on for months! He and his team wouldn’t even respond to Philly.
I’m not sure this had anything to do with playing in the NHL. Just seems like he didn’t want to play for Philly at all.
It happens, and Philly themselves have been on the other side of a players “selfishness “.
Hello Eric Lindros!
Not one insider had any inclination of the trade, the whole thing was kept quiet.
Weird thing in Monday Boston vs Colorado game; both teams were access a 2 minute bench minor for too many men on the ice on the same play. Not sure if i’ve ever witness that before.
Winnipeg Jets 1st overall; Vancouver Canucks 2nd overall.
Folks on Nhl xm radio give them credit but don’t have either of them as a potential cup winner and give better odds to two other Canadian teams.
There still waiting for the collapse of the Canucks they been calling for it since Halloween.
I have to be honest with you Caper, I have been waiting for the Canuck collapse as well. Tochett has them playing with confidence. Add that to high end skill and a quality & healthy tender in Demko, and you win a bunch of games. They are scoring a whack of goals.
Will that hold up come playoff time? Not usually with a team that hasn’t been their for a few years. Never know with Demko though.
The reason why I question the Canucks is because they give up a lot of scoring chances but Demko constantly bails them out. Demko has also faced the 4th most shots in the NHL. Is this maintainable and keep Demko fresh enough for the playoffs?
Another reason for a possible Canucks collapse. The Canucks lead the NHL in team shooting percentage at 13.78%. Is that maintainable?
Going back to the 2007/06 season, no team has finished with a team shooting percentage above 12.5%. The closest was the 2021/22 St. Louis Blues with at 12.4%.
Ray for those who Canadians who like to see Canadian teams in the playoffs. This year looks like it will be 4.
Can Calgary put a push to be the 5th team?
I thought this year Ottawa would be putting a strong push but not happening.
Montreal playing better then i expected, no need to rush this year.
Stu Skinner didn’t get one of the three stars last night but should have. Oilers were flat, probably deserved to lose that game except for their tender. 15 shots against Chicago?
Skinner is now – 17-9-1, 2.69 GAA, 901 sv% (now above league average).
Compared to where he was after his first 10 games or so, what a turnaround.
So a question in Edmonton now is did Skinner turn around the Oilers season, or did the Oilers turn around Skinner’s season?
Answer – both and Oiler fans don’t care.
Oil are playing good sound, defensive hockey. Sound like a confident group, with a confident tender. Gonna be interesting this year come playoff time.
Hey Ray,
Yes Skinner has been there MVP this season and it help with the team in front of him helps play defence….😳
He should have been the 1st star last night
the Oil were Flat.
In Stu’s last 15 Games inc last nights win
in his last 15 games his is
13-2 with 1.93 GA and .929 SV%❗️❗️👌
Thank You Paul Coffey…….👍
The only aspect of the Gautier situation that is worthy of criticism is the allegations that he refused to talk to the Flyers, which if true is some grievous combination of jerk and immaturity.
Otherwise, Lindros refused to go to Quebec; Pronger refused to report to Edmonton (?) after a trade; Tkachuk and Gaudreau left the Flames in a lurch (if they also didn’t communicate their intentions); players have no trade clauses – which is the same thing.
It’s probably a regular part of in season trade discussions between GMs to ensure that a player is willing to come to the new team – and if on an expiring contract whether he will sign an extension.
All this so, much ado …
As Gretzky said during Avalanche vs Oilers series a couple of years ago. “Someone has to play defense if you want to win a SC” or something like that! It always applies in hockey and it’s not rocket science? I don’t care how good the Avalanche, Oilers, Canucks, Bruins, Maple Leafs, Jets are. If you don’t keep the puck out of your net, it dosen’t matter. It will be interesting to see how the Avalanche play Vegas tonight? I’m looking for consistency from the Avalanche. If they don’t have it in their game, they have no chance to win a cup nor do others. It might be entertaining for regular season games but not playoffs! Game against Boston was encouraging but we will see tonight and on road trip how good the Avalanche are? GO AVS!!!