NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 28, 2024
The latest on Panthers center Sam Bennett, the Canucks’ goalie options if Thatcher Demko is unavailable for training camp, Wild GM Bill Guerin talks about his expectations for this season and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
THE SCORE: Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett offers no apologies for his physical style of play and that of his teammates.
Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett (NHL Images).
“There’s definitely a lot of people that don’t like the way I play,” said Bennett during his appearance on TSN’s “First Up with Korolnek and Colaiacovo”. “I think it goes for a lot of guys on our team. It’s kind of part of what makes us successful, I think. We have so many guys willing to do what it takes to win.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Two straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final and a championship this season speaks to the success of the Panthers’ style of play. However, physicality isn’t the only reason. They have stars like Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart and Sergei Bobrovsky, underrated players like Carter Verhaeghe and Gustav Forsling, and skilled, gritty versatile two-way players like Bennett.
This season could be more challenging for Bennett and his teammates. The Panthers lost Brandon Montour, Vladimir Tarasenko, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Anthony Stolarz, Nick Cousins and Kevin Stenlund to free agency this summer. Meanwhile, injuries have hampered long-time defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
The Panthers face a daunting challenge reaching the Stanley Cup Final for a third straight year. The Tampa Bay Lightning did it in 2022, making them the first team to do so since the 1985 Edmonton Oilers.
THE PROVINCE: Patrick Johnston examined the options for the Vancouver Canucks to shore up their goaltending depth. Starter Thatcher Demko remains questionable for training camp as he rehabs an undisclosed injury.
Netminders Arturs Silovs, Jiri Patera, and Nikita Tolopilo will be in training camp, with Silovs and Patera having some NHL experience.
Options include a professional tryout offer to unrestricted free agent goalies, signing a UFA like Kevin Lankinen to a one-year contract, claiming a netminder off waivers, or making a trade.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The cost of adding another goalie will be a factor. Vancouver is pressed against the $88 million salary cap but can garner some cap relief by placing sidelined defenseman Tucker Poolman and his $2.5 million contract on long-term injury reserve.
THE SCORE: Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin acknowledged the difficulties his club has faced due to the ongoing salary-cap constraints from the contract buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Nevertheless, he’s expecting a bounce-back performance following their disappointing 2023-24 campaign.
Guerin believes injuries were to blame for his club missing the playoffs last season. “If we can stay healthy, we can get back to our 100-point seasons and get back into the playoffs and improve on what we’ve done.”
The Wild GM also believes his scorers must get off to a better start this season. He’s also hoping 2022 draft pick Liam Ohgren can be an impact player and expects promising goalie Jesper Wallstedt will see more playing time.
TSN: Chris Johnston reports the Toronto Maple Leafs have concerns about Jani Hakanpaa’s knee injury.
The Leafs reportedly agreed to terms on a two-year contract with the 32-year-old defenseman. However, Johnston reports he hasn’t signed a deal with them.
Johnston claims Hakanpaa’s knee is “basically bone on bone by this point”. The blueliner believes he can still play but medical opinions suggest otherwise.
The longer this goes, the less likely Hakanpaa will have a contract with the Leafs for the coming season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Johnston noted the last time Leafs GM Brad Treliving spoke about Hakanpaa’s status was during the introduction of Auston Matthews as their new captain two weeks ago.
At the time, Treliving said the situation would be resolved one way or another soon. We’ll likely know by the start of the Leafs training camp on Sep. 22.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Canucks’ AHL affiliate in Abbotsford hired Justin Pogge as their new goaltending coach.
After 2 long seasons for the Panthers I look for them to struggle a little bit! Same thing happened to Tampa Bay at the end of their run!Goaltending and injuries will be the key! Fla. goaltending has to be better during the regular season!Playing the way that Bennett plays takes it s toll on the body!
Toronto is going to give Sam Bennett a fat new contract next July.
By season 3 his body will be worn out but the stands will be full of Bennett jerseys.
Screw Sam Bennett.
I try not to wish ill will, or an injury, on any particular player, but am considering making an exception with Sam Bennett. And maybe Tkachuk.
At very least I hope for every cheap shot he delivers, and he will, he gets 2 in return to make up for the deficit on his account. Actually make it 3, for interest and to include the dives.
I can’t imagine what it is like to play against that total A-hole in the playoffs and you can’t just jump the guy and start punching him as you are chasing a cup. The urge to cross check him in the face must take amazing will power to contain.
Just talking about that total prick is getting in my kitchen big time this morning! Pots and pans are banging around!
Seriously, F that guy.
Well I’m not gonna be the one to disagree with you on this, Ray.
His approach to the game is extremely irritating Ray .. and has been around essentially since the league was formed – see here
https://www.stadiumtalk.com/s/most-hated-hockey-players-nhl-history-a4667070c59e4ea3
And, like almost all of the players listed in the above article, although universally detested by opposition fans, many always seemed to find a team somewhere willing to give them a contract when they became available.
Lol. Nice, Ray.
I love Bennett. I have since he was misused by the Flames. He gets it. Dirty as all get up, but, super effective. I think he’s a great teammate and makes everyone attentive when he’s out there.
Tkachuk is an disingenuous punk. I can’t stand him. Great player, but the kid is a total Richard noggin’.
And if you sift through that link above you’ll see that EVERY team is represented at least once and, in many instances, several times with a wide array of pains-in-the arse. And you can bet they were – at each location – adored by the hometown fans.
It’s a great list George, pretty entertaining reading.
It is missing #1 on my most hated list; Mario Tremblay.
He looks like just as big an A-hole as he is. Is his nickname really Le bleuet bionique (Bionic Blueberry)? Idiot nick name for an idiot, so makes sense. Probably chose it himself.
Even pushing out Patrick Roy by being himself, a prick, isn’t enough to redeem him in my books.
Chrisms, Marchand seems to have tamed it down, being captain and all. We will need a replacement for him soon. Wonder if Bennett would come to Boston?
Hahaha! That was fantastic, Ray.
It really made my day.
Thank you for that.
Ray, a funny moment from the past when Guy Carboneau, knocked to the ice and laying their for a moment, was told by an opposing player to quit acting like Mario Tremblay. Guy went ballistic.
Well that would do it George! Now I like Carboneau.
I feel very similar about marchand ray. Although he seems like he might have actually learned to be slightly less of a turdcycle the past couple years.
Minnesota finished with 87pts last season 11pts out from the 2nd wild card spot.
If they expected to improve they’ll need to play better in their own division.
Reportedly they had a 0-10-1 record against Dallas, Colorado and Winnipeg; that isn’t getting you into the playoffs.
Being handicapped $14m on salary cap doesn’t help either, full credit for being competitive.
Justin Pogge … a classic example of (at least insofar as the NHL is concerned)
“those who can’t do, teach?”
Minnesota Wild
Bill Guerin talked about difficulties his club has faced buying out old players…
The last GM signing old players to long and paying them both to much ⁉️
buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.
These conracts just hurt teams, when a player hits a certain age, maybe a 30 they should only be aloud to sign a 6 year max contracts as the Wild have been hurting for years now, its almost put them on hold for years now….
Almost?
Didnt’t Guerin buy them out… he might be gone before those contracts are…
And yet, Starsfan, despite those cap-stifling buy-outs in July of 2021, Guerin has since been able to ice a largely competitive, above .500, team, faltering only this past season:
2021-22 – 53 22 7 113 pts 2nd in Central 5th overall
2022-23 – 46 25 11 103 pts 3rd in Central 11th overall
2023-24 – 39 34 9 87 pts 6th in Central 20th overall
Since the buy-outs Minnesota has played the 246 games at a .616 pace – something fans of teams like Ottawa, Buffalo and Detroit would give their eye teeth to see their team play.
Ya when that decision was made, it was a head scratcher. IMO it would have been better just to get them over with sooner and finish the deal. Or if possible trade them and eat some salary. To again, get them over with. But they had full NMC so perhaps that option wasn’t there. But hey the total cap hit/payout drops considerably after this season.
I don’t feel like searching the internet for reasoning from Guerin, but thinking there may have been other factors. Perhaps Guerin thought a culture change was in order and wanted different leadership in the room, sooner rather than later.
But for sure, the team has done well considering. So maybe he was right?
This could be a team that goes hunting this off season.
Re Wild, Starsfan
Guerin got left a Big Mess in Minnesota thanks to Chuck Fletcher,❗️
Bill Guerin had to buy them out both had NMC….
they were not playing well and he could have been stuck with those to for years and the team was going no where…..
next year the Wild have over $19M in cap space Im sure the wild will continue to re-tool under Guerin and get better
Chuck Fletcher, An other GM chucking money at Old Players⁉️
Aloud … good one!!
Sam Bennet and The Turtle are examples of classless individuals. Their actions and lack of repercussions is on the NHL. Bennet should have been suspended during the playoffs twice but the NHL won’t take action against one of its dealing located teams. Shame on Betman and the NHL.
Bennett plays in the edge. If your team has no one playing that type of game you will not go far in playoffs. He is average during the year but good in playoffs. Just give what you get is my motto