NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 15, 2024
The Leafs formally introduce Auston Matthews as their new captain, former Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf joins the department of player safety, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs formally introduced Auston Matthews on Wednesday as their new captain.
Matthews first learned of the promotion from then-captain John Tavares in late July, who spent several weeks discussing the change with Leafs general manager Brad Treliving.
“After he let me know, I told him I was shaking, I got chills,” said Matthews, adding how much of an honor it was to represent the Maple Leafs as team captain.
Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (NHL Images).
Matthews appreciated Tavares’ call. “For him to call me and let me know that he wanted to pass the captaincy on to me, it was very emotional. It was a lot of things. It’s truly an honor.”
Treliving said Tavares wasn’t taken aback when approached about handing over the captaincy to Matthews. The Leafs GM could’ve waited another year until Tavares’ contract expired to make the change but felt this was the right time to do so.
Tavares said being Leafs captain meant everything to him and his family and he gave it everything he had. However, he felt Matthews was ready now to take on that responsibility, saying he felt the role would help the Leafs star thrive. Tavares will remain in a leadership role this season as an alternate captain.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some observers wondered if management pushed Tavares out of the captaincy but he and Treliving claimed that wasn’t the case.
It’s not Tavares’ fault that the Leafs won only one playoff round during his captaincy. That blame lies with the current and former management and how they constructed the roster. Nevertheless, Treliving felt a leadership shakeup was necessary.
Matthews will do his best just as Tavares did, but the Leafs won’t be any better unless they sufficiently address their weaknesses in goal, on defense, and among their depth forwards.
Some think the captaincy change means this is Tavares’ final season with the Leafs. He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. However, others speculate having Tavares in a lesser leadership role could make it easier for the Leafs to sign him to a cheaper contract.
Mitch Marner was also in attendance for Matthews’ investiture. Like Tavares, the 27-year-old winger is UFA-eligible next July. He was also the subject of trade rumors following the Leafs’ early postseason exit this spring.
Marner insists he loves being a Maple Leaf. He said he’s focused on the coming season and looks forward to playing for new head coach Craig Berube. However, he offered no hint whether his camp is actively engaged in contract extension talks.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Marner wouldn’t get into his future during Matthews’ big day. Nevertheless, the longer he’s unsigned the more he’ll feature in trade rumors, especially if there’s no extension in place when training camp opens next month.
Speaking of the Leafs, offseason signing Jani Hakanpaa’s future remains murky amid recent reports suggesting a knee injury suffered in March could derail his playing career. The Leafs signed the 32-year-old UFA defenseman to a two-year contract last month.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Treliving said they were “dealing with this” and expect to have this addressed sooner rather than later. That could be determined when he undergoes his training camp medical next month.
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: Former Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf is joining the NHL’s department of player safety. He spent last season as a player development coordinator with the Ducks.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I have nothing but respect for Getzlaf given his stellar NHL career. However, I doubt his presence will lead to any great improvement in the league’s player safety department.
TSN: UFA forward Sam Gagner hopes to return to the NHL for his 18th season. The 35-year-old returned to the Edmonton Oilers last season after earning a spot on a PTO in training camp, appearing in 28 games.
Gagner has 529 points in 1,043 career NHL games with the Oilers, Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings and Winnipeg Jets.
DAILY FACEOFF: Logan Brown will attend the Tampa Bay Lightning’s training camp next month on a professional tryout offer. The 26-year-old center was the first-round pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2016. He last played in the NHL in 2022-23 with the St. Louis Blues.
SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Center Colin White signed an AHL contract with the San Jose Barracudas. A 2015 first-round pick by the Ottawa Senators, the 27-year-old White split last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens.
TSN: Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito brought the Stanley Cup on Wednesday to the MLB’s Milwaukee Brewers. As a teenager in the 1980s, Zito spent three summers working as a clubhouse attendant for the Brewers.
DAILY FACEOFF: Former Quebec Nordiques executive Gilles Leger passed away earlier this week at age 83.
Leger spent 15 seasons with the Nordiques from 1979-80 to 1994-95. He was also a scout for the Edmonton Oilers from 1998 to 2000 and with the New York Rangers from 2000 to 2020.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Leger’s family, friends and associates.
After hearing about the Marner saga all summer the TML stay in the news naming Matthews captain! Will this push the needle for more playoff success for the core 4! I think not!
“It’s not Tavares’ fault that the Leafs won only one playoff round during his captaincy. That blame lies with the current and former management and how they constructed the roster.”
It’s such a catch 22 to look back on it. Tavares the “player” was not at fault. But Tavares the “contract” was a big factor that handcuffed the team from constructing a better roster that was built to compete for playoff success.
Tavares was still a great player when he went to Toronto, but he wasn’t what Toronto needed to get over the hump. He truly was an excess luxury (no fault of his own).
‘no fault of his own?” who digned the contract that was a “big factor” and “handcuffed” the team. Players have to stop worrying about grabbing every nickel and worrying about winning or they shoulder that blame. No free passes for them.
AZHockeyNut: You make it sound like Tavares forced the Leafs into signing him to that contract. That’s not what happened.
Tavares was courted by the Leafs back when pending UFAs had a week to speak with other teams. They approached him and made the offer.
There was no reason for the Leafs to do this. They were coming off a season where they were the fourth-highest-scoring club in the league. Everyone knew their biggest weakness was defense, especially on the right side, a running theme now for the past seven years.
Instead, they blew $11 million of cap space for seven years by signing a player they didn’t need.
That’s not Tavares’s fault. They offered him a mindblowing offer to forsake the Islanders and play for his hometown team. Anyone in Tavares’ skates would’ve done the same.
When’s the last time you took less money at work aznut so the company can do better? Or a coworker could get a better raise? If you never have you are a hypocrite. If you have done that you are a fool who didn’t put the best interests of your own family over the needs of the company or your coworkers.
As I recall, the Sharks were desperate to sign Taveres. Even Joe Pavelski’s grandmother got involved in trying to lure the Islander to San Jose.
If Taveras was in it solely for the money he would be wearing a Sharks sweater today.
I’m 99% certain that the Bruins offered more than he settled for with the Leafs.
Re “Anyone in Tavares’ skates would’ve done the same.” Hell ya! I’d hate to have to tell you what I’d do for $11 mil … a year!
You gotta love those naive souls who think the top stars on each team should always get together and agree that none of them should go any higher than $x million per in the interest of allowing the GM to spend more on the supporting cast. Because that’s what THEY’D do. Right.
Re “Some observers wondered if management pushed Tavares out of the captaincy but he and Treliving claimed that wasn’t the case.”
C’mon
All reporters said Treliving approached Tavares on this. Treliving in no way was acting unilaterally.
Did he (Tavares) see this eventually happening; yep
Was he happy about this…. Not a chance
As Tavares said; Treliving told him in July.
He’s had a few weeks to process and deal with this
Very brave face and attitude at the presser yesterday
Good on ya Tavares
This was the eventual move and all knew it. Happening now instead of at end of Tavares contract is definitely puzzling
This changes nothing in personnel; just who wears the C
Is this going to make Mathews an 80 goal scorer? No
Will this improve Tavares play? No?
Does this move make Leafs better ? No
They improve or not based on their roster production this year, not on the C switch.
To me; this was a PR stunt at attempting to mitigate the Leaf Nation’s angst of a near 6 decade Stanley Cup drought ; and a decade of playoff failures under current regime
Right move. Bad timing.
Aww give your sanctimonious “faux insider” crap a break. You – have – no – clue as to what actually transpired.
You can have a theory – but present it as such. Not as if you were a fly on the wall.
Thank you.
So Lyle, when you repetitively state that the Leafs didn’t need to sign Tavares can you point out why a young team coached by Babs didn’t need a veteran like him?
Are you claiming they didn’t need anyone or just not Tavares who’s been more than worth his contract. I doubt there would be anything negative said about him if he stayed on the isle with the same cap hit and production/results.
Like only a couple of folks on here questioned all the extensions for the core (except in Nylander’s case, it was over blown then but great value in the end). Both Matthews and Marner’s extensions were too much too soon even though they both are playing up to those contracts.
This is where management dropped the ball when they predicted the future cap growth, obviously not seeing a calamity such as a world wide pandemic cutting those plans up into confetti. 🎉
“So Lyle, when you repetitively state that the Leafs didn’t need to sign Tavares can you point out why a young team coached by Babs didn’t need a veteran like him?
Are you claiming they didn’t need anyone or just not Tavares who’s been more than worth his contract. I doubt there would be anything negative said about him if he stayed on the isle with the same cap hit and production/results.”
I made it clear at the time of Tavares’ signing and have said so ever since that the Leafs didn’t need another scoring forward when they were the fourth-highest scoring team in the league at the time. I said they needed to shore up their defense, especially on the right side, and I’ve been saying it ever since. Time has borne this out.
Amen George
Your point about about the allocation of cap as well as the amount used (my opinion), wasn’t the best use in terms of actual need however given the fact that this signing occurred after the rookie season of Matthews and where most of the core had just entered the league playing for coach who is known not to play young, albeit, superstar players in prominent roles. A fresh rebuilt team with fresh new faces playing for an old grizzled coach who love his grizzled professional veterans.
I also believe you share the feeling that young players under the age of 25 should not bear the weight of an organization such as the leafs as it would be a recipe for disaster. They may have not had to get Tavares and spent 11 million on him, but they need to get someone and someone good at the time. I don’t think there was anyone that would push the needle as much as he could and has.
Could they have gone a different route now that we know a pandemic passed by and drastically changed the environment? I guess so however you can’t help but wonder if there wasn’t a pandemic would we be having the same conversations?
@ Ron Moore, before signing Tavares, the leafs position of strength was offense. Their biggest need was D and G.
Did Tavares help the offense? Yes.
Did Tavares’ contract prevent the Leafs for shoring up their biggest needs? Also Yes.
It’s not about the player. It’s about addressing the biggest team need. If there was no salary cap, this wouldn’t be an issue, but in a salary cap world there are tradeoffs for adding a nice-to-have piece instead of fixing an established weakness.
George
Treliving told Tavares. That has been reported by everybody.
Tavares even said it (that Treliving had told him).
Treliving even said it was him that approached Tavares
Not the other way around.
Do I know for sure that anybody above told Treliving told him to do this. No.
Am I confident that at least one person above Treliving told him to do this. Yes I’m pretty confident. I can’t be 100% sure ; but very close to that.
Do I know for sure that Tavares was not happy about this when Treliving told him. Not 100% sure. But all logic tells us that it would be impossible for him to be happy about being demoted. I’d call my certainty that he was disappointed at 99.999%
I can think of no one in the world who would happily embrace a demotion on a job they love; for a home-town organization that they have been in love with since they were a wee tot.
Can you think of anybody that would be happy in the same circumstances?
He’s had time to collect his thoughts and prepare for it. He was graceful and said all the right words. Perhaps now that it is over, the pressure is off, he’s less upset than he was when Treliving told him of the move.
That I can’t guess at.
My point was that it was ill timed. The event itself was the proper thing to do. Timing of it was wrong.
If I were 34 y/o and knew I had yet one more year of an $11 MILLION salary – after six of them – believe me, that would salve any and all idiotic “hurt feelings.”
So would the knowledge that, even after that contract expired, I could still likely look at a new – albeit shorter – deal, paying me around $6 mil. Somewhere. For sure.
And that kind of income isn’t even in the dreams of probably 99% of the country’s working force.
JT will be 34yrs old when the season starts. If Toronto doesn’t win the cup this year, is it an automatic that he resigns in Toronto?
Will playing in Toronto be more important then winning the Cup? This isn’t to say he doesn’t see Toronto as a cup contender, that could be the case and he resign at half his contract and see how Trevling spends the money.
Or does he say after 7yrs we didn’t come close and if i want a cup i need to move to a team with better odds?
I feel for Toronto. Such drama up there. Just play, they might win. Especially, with Berube, it might be different? Making Tavares the whipping boy isn’t helpful IMHO? Management is to blame if anything and their big guys don’t seem to get it done. That’s Matthew’s, marner and nylander. IMHO, Nylander shows up. So, who is left?. Tavares is a very good hockey player. Most teams in the league would love to have him.
I am just a fan but don’t understand the drama in leafs land. Montreal won all those cups with the spotlight on them? The great oiler teams? It seems like young kids want to grow up and win for the leafs! Maybe, they put too much pressure on themselves? They had some great teams when I was growing up: salming, sittler, palmateer, Thompson, McDonald, foligno, etc.
tommy boy, the easy answer as to why there seems to be so much more drama in Toronto can be related to the fact that the city and its immediate surrounding areas – the GTA – are by far the largest in Canada by a country mile and the home of a vastly larger array of various forms of media. And their fans are as passionate about the game as those in other cities with a team. Both the media there – regardless of the fact some portray themselves as “national” in scope – and the team’s devoted fans want to see the team win it all.
The reasons they haven’t been able to do that since 1967 – or reach a cup final since then – would need a monumental review of every facet of the game in the interim, the results of which would likely fill a couple of volumes. And we still wouldn’t understand why.
Nor are they alone in that regard in major pro sports in North America. When the Texas Rangers finally won a World Series it ended an 82-year drought for that franchise. Cleveland of MLB has gone 75 years without a championship. The Cardinals of the NFL – now in Arizona – have gone 76 years while for the Detroit Lions it’s been 66 years. In the NBA Sacramento has gone 71 years and Atlanta 65 years.
Trying to pinpoint exactly why would drive someone nuts. It just is what it is – and for a wide variety of reasons.
Back when Ottawa was winning President’s Trophies with a powerhouse team, they invariably drew the Leafs to either open the playoffs or in the second round – and lost every time! And we’re still debating the reasons for that – lol.
Tommy George is right that there is so much history that makes the Leafs wear the horns they been wearing.
To make a very short summary of their past is,simply, great team becomes property of one man who’s main goal was to make as much as he can regardless of the product. He stripped all assets or any player attracting attention to the team unfavorably in his view, be it a star or not. That nightmare lasted over 20 years! Once he died, the real fun began of who will end up owning this team, some turmoil but…unfortunately it was eventually sold to the highest bidder which was the Ontario teacher’s pension fund…so their only job was to increase the value of their retirement fund, not build a winning team. The scribes loved this making it a talking point. More suffering and lots of interest in the team which ended up really helping the retirement fund grow.
That would be evident at the end of their ownership when we saw how much of a skeleton organization it was (zero assets in the pipeline nor any proper development or scouting departments)…it was a mess due to really poor management and when the current group took over – going on 10 yrs now – is the best team this organization and fans have maybe ever had that hasn’t won a cup yet.
I can’t be like many that see only the results and not connect all the causes that led to these failures. I think it’s foolish to overlook a team whose core was 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 when they couldn’t get past those game sevens as partly to blame for their current situation.
It’s just easier to criticize them. There is so much about nothing that is written about them that is presented as fact rather than opinion which even fans find it rather overwhelming and unnecessary.
Sorry I meant that to be much shorter. Plus I failed to mention, because of all the coverage of the team, everyone has an opinion formed by what they hear rather than hearing from fans of the team who watch and follow the team much closer than all the outsiders standing on a soapbox…you know them as giving out their insights no one asked for which is nothing anyone haven’t heard and usually half right at best.
I hear you George O and Ron. Hopefully, they will get it done some day. They have made some good moves but it is up to the players to execute the plan and it is so hard to win. Everything has to go your way with the hockey gods. Your of course talking about Harold Ballard, right. Back in the day ? He was something. Even Tiger Williams couldn’t please that guy. It will be interesting to see how they do with Berube @ the helm? Funny hockey story, if I can indulge you: Was living in upstate NY during late 60’s-76. Big-time bruins fan of course because of Orr, Cashman, those guys. We went out partying one night. It was the night Sittler got all those points against the bruins, beat them like 10-1 or something? Came back stumbling to my room only to have my little brother tape the score sheet to my room with every goal/assist as if to tell me where I could go? Always remember that. We still talk about it once in a while, lol !!!!!
Re Getzlaf’s new job and
“However, I doubt his presence will lead to any great improvement in the league’s player safety department.”
Probably right re “great” improvement; but any improvement at all is good
Put Parros on LTIR and replace with Getzlaf or any other non thug…. Great improvement in the office of player safety
Parros’ inconsistency is why that office is so bad
Getzlaf joining is a step in the right direction. I would love to see players like Yzerman or Sakic or Kariya on there. I know Yzerman and Sakic have current jobs, I just mean the type of players like them who were offensively gifted but could also win the Selke and Byng in the same season. In other words, well rounded players that played both ends of the ice and weren’t goons.
Excellent choices foleyd7
Kariya would be my number 1 choice. Injured due to a meathead hit.
Sakic would also be great but he wouldn’t give up his current position to take it on.
Kariya (if he could do his job remotely) could get in his daily surf and still be happy
Having a thug like Parros at the helm was bad to start.
Not only does he go softly often on similar players to him; but his gross inconsistency is even more problematic. Players don’t know the thresholds and keep pushing the envelope.
At this rate, some player seems destined for either full facial reconstruction ; a spinal injury leaving them a paraplegic or perhaps someone actually dying.
I’m hoping that Getzlaf is given a substantial voice in decisions.
Paros is a Gary decision; and we all know Gary will never admit his mistakes. So Paros is in there as long as (a) Gary is still Commish or (b) less if Paros decides to “retire” from the office.
Pengy also advocated for Kariya to hold that position.
Yet another of many startling similarities you “two” share.
FYI, and I certainly can’t speak for everyone, but I liked Pengy much more than this character.
Above all else, to thine ownself be true.
Re-Leaf🍁
Look at the Maple leaf defence its been Crap for years in the Tavares, Mathews era
They spent way to much of the $82M cap space on the 4 Gun & Run Forwards…. ❗️
The other $42.M on the other 18 players Goaltending and Defence and 8 Forwards…
The old GM Dumbas had it All Wrong for to long,
Re: williew 🤷🏻♂️
For reference to back up what you wrote.
Yes the whole team was especially bad. You need to be to finish last and pick first overall. That doesn’t magically change when you start rebuilding a team, right? Rebuild means your making improvements when and where you can, after all, the Leafs were horrible.
4 run and gun forwards? Huh? So two of those run and gunning forwards had selkie nominations, that’s an award granted to defensively responsible players, not run and gun not to mention Tavares isn’t exactly a run and gun type either.
Let’s see…team has no or very little cap to improve a perennial top 5-10 team who HAD a young core of bona fide superstars. I can come up with much worse scenarios than that, can you?
If your goal is to be a perennial top 5-10 team, you win.
If your goal is playoff success, well that’s a different story.
It happens in a lot of sports… the dreaded “this team is built for the regular season, not the post season”.
Toronto has been a great regular season team. They have great “fantasy” players.
But they don’t have a track record of being built for playoff hockey.
Foleyd7, having a great regular season is no one’s goal. I don’t know why people even bother saying something so silly as that you ask any fan, there is only one goal and that is to win the cup.
Expectations of this team are quite unrealistic and much due to being in the media spotlight as much as they are. I think it’s silly to expect a core that is just entered the league and not yet in their prime to have much success in the postseason against better opponents that were favorites let alone take each of their unsuccessful runs to 7 games.
PS this site locks up with some ads. 😔
Hey Ron,
i dont remember writing this note about finishing last picking first & rebuilding…,
But yes leafs need to re-tool
Yes they have been Horrable especially the last 7 years in the playoffs kicked out every 1st round….the rest i dont remember writing…
Re: williew 🤷🏻♂️
For reference to back up what you wrote.
Yes the whole team was especially bad. You need to be to finish last and pick first overall. That doesn’t magically change when you start rebuilding a team, right? Rebuild means your making improvements when and where you can, after all, the Leafs were horrible.
There forwards dont come back and play defence
and yes there defence Suck’s….
hopfully the new GM & Coach fix it for the fans in Toronto…..🤔
Excellent choices foleyd7
Kariya would be my number 1 choice. Injured due to a meathead hit.
Sakic would also be great but he wouldn’t give up his current position to take it on.
Kariya (if he could do his job remotely) could get in his daily surf and still be happy
Having a thug like Parros at the helm was bad to start.
Not only does he go softly often on similar players to him; but his gross inconsistency is even more problematic. Players don’t know the thresholds and keep pushing the envelope.
At this rate, some player seems destined for either full facial reconstruction ; a spinal injury leaving them a paraplegic or perhaps someone actually dying.
I’m hoping that Getzlaf is given a substantial voice in decisions.
Paros is a Gary decision; and we all know Gary will never admit his mistakes. So Paros is in there as long as (a) Gary is still Commish or (b) less if Paros decides to “retire” from the office.
williew
re “The old GM Dumbas had it All Wrong for to long”
This infers his gross errors are in the past.
Not the case. Take a look at our roster
I see teams have started doling out PTOs to RFAs.
Jakub Vrana 6′ 190 lb LW originally drafted by Washington # 13 overall in 2014 will get a shot with the Capitals, while 6′ 7″ 23- lb C Logan Brown, 11th overall by Ottawa in 2016, will try and make Tampa,
Out of curiosity, Lyle, could either conceivably still accept a firm contract offer from some other team (not that I expect it will happen – just wondering how that drill goes)