NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 20, 2025
The Eastern Conference Final begins on Tuesday, the ongoing fallout from the Leafs’ second-round elimination, an update on Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
NHL.COM: The 2025 NHL Eastern Conference Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers begins in Raleigh on Tuesday, May 20, at 8 pm ET.
TSN: The Hurricanes are pushing back against the perception that their style of play is “boring”.
Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin (NHL Images).
“You read it everywhere now and you’re like, ‘OK, we play a high-paced, puck pressure game with a lot of shots,” said Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin. “So if people find that boring, then I don’t know. I don’t think it’s a boring game. I think it’s hard to play against.”
Slavin’s teammate, Seth Jarvis, also weighed in. “I feel if this was Toronto or a different team shutting teams down, they’d be getting praised out of this world.” Sebastian Aho, tied for the lead among Hurricanes scorers, said it came down to the hard work necessary to win hockey games.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Panthers don’t consider the Hurricanes’ style to be dull. “It’s really hard to play against these guys and they know it and we know it,” said Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov. “It’s going to be a really fun, hard series. Looking forward to that.”
Barkov’s teammate, Matthew Tkachuk, called the Hurricanes “a great team” and felt the upcoming series would be “another great showdown” between the two clubs, calling them “a tough team to play against and they make it hard every game.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Anyone who thinks Carolina plays dull hockey didn’t suffer through the Dead Puck Era of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Many games from that time remain a great cure for insomnia. I’m not kidding. I dozed off at times while watching the 2003 Stanley Cup Final.
The Hurricanes have had some exciting postseason series, especially against the Capitals in 2019 and the Bruins and Rangers in 2022. The quality of their opponents in this postseason thus far might give some fans the perception that they’re boring. Their upcoming tilt with the Panthers should be entertaining.
TORONTO STAR: Panthers head coach Paul Maurice cautioned the Toronto media not to be too harsh on the Maple Leafs following their second-round elimination to Florida on Sunday. Panthers winger Brad Marchand said the Leafs didn’t deserve to be “crucified” by critics, claiming the pressure from Toronto fans is beaten into the team.
SPORTSNET: Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk was sympathetic toward the Leafs players because of the pressure they face in Toronto. “Sometimes you feel bad for them because they have some unbelievable players and a great team,” said Tkachuk. “I was actually saying this the other night to some of the guys. If this team was not in Toronto, dealing with all the crazy circus stuff outside of it, they’d be an unbelievable team and such a hard team to play.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Toronto is a hockey-mad market, and their fan base is desperate for the club’s 58-year Stanley Cup drought to end. However, playing in another market wouldn’t detract from the fact that this version of the Leafs is top-heavy, with too much money invested in a handful of players, leaving little to address the depth issues throughout its roster. It’s doubtful they’d be more successful in another market.
Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin and Frank Seravalli point out that Toronto isn’t the only pressure-cooker market, but stars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers rise to the occasion.
Rick Vaive was a high-profile player for the Leafs in the 1980s when the franchise was not very good. He pointed out that there was nowhere to hide from the media back then and the players always had to be accountable. Vaive believes some players, like Mitch Marner, aren’t cut out to handle it and might benefit from a change of scenery.
BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: The Bruins benefited from the outcome of the Toronto-Florida series. The conditional second-round pick in 2027 they received from the Panthers in the Brad Marchand trade became a first-rounder because the Panthers won two playoff series and the 37-year-old winger played in at least half of their postseason games.
RG.ORG: James Murphy cited sources saying Rick Tocchet passed on becoming the Bruins’ head coach because of general manager Don Sweeney’s status with the club and Sweeney’s track record with Bruins coaches. Tocchet signed on with the Philadelphia Flyers last week as their new coach.
EDMONTON JOURNAL: Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm skated with his teammates on Monday in his first full practice since suffering a suspected groin pull weeks ago. He could return to the lineup for Game 5 of their upcoming Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Washington Capitals defenseman Alex Alexeyev was arrested for public intoxication in Clarendon, Virginia, on Saturday. He was booked at Arlington County jail and later released.
Re “Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin and Frank Seravalli point out that Toronto isn’t the only pressure-cooker market, but stars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers rise to the occasion.”
Talk about apples and oranges! Trying to compare the pressures of the Edmonton market with that of the GTA is as useless as an ashtray on a motorcycle. Not even close.
And while I agree to a point with Lyle’s observation that the Leafs, playing as a team in a market with less intense focus on every aspect of their lives, wouldn’t change much simply because they are “top-heavy, with too much money invested in a handful of players, leaving little to address the depth issues throughout its roster” I also think the annual playoff-time dramatic rise in media/fan pressure does significantly affect their top core players to the point where they simply can’t perform to the same level as they do during the regular season.
I say this because, really, it’s been essentially the same with different core top players over such a long time. What Vaive says is telling, and if you go back and read/listen to media – and fan – criticisms following their annual eliminations (when they made the playoffs that is), you’ll see almost the exact same phraseology.
But when the new season rolls around, sometimes with significant roster adjustments, and at times new coaches, the same media will paint every new addition – whether through draft, trade or free-agent signings – as the steals of the century, and in doing so get the less-informed elements of the fan base excited out of all sense of reality – not to mention putting intense expectation pressure on the newcomers.
One recent small example of what I post above was the signing last off-season of D Jani Hakanpaa – read this article from Sportsnet at the time and especially the accompanying comments from the fan base.
https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/maple-leafs-sign-defenceman-jani-hakanpaa-to-one-year-1-47m-deal/
I think you may be missing my point, LJ.
Which is, no matter what players have constituted the “core whatever” of the Leafs since 1967, their failures to rise to the occasion of the playoffs – when they got there over the years – and the ensuing frustration of a large element of the fan base, are both quite possibly and validly traced to often unrealistic expectations of the GTA media and its intense unrelenting pressure on the players, making even Montreal media look like casual observers.
I’m not making this up … it’s there, And relentless. Even opposing players can sense it (or are they full of s*&t”?)
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/nhl/news/matthew-tkachuk-slams-toronto-maple-leafs-media-after-game-7-win-over-maple-leafs/articleshow/121276934.cms
https://www.tiktok.com/@tsn/video/7506007885667634487
https://www.reddit.com/r/leafs/comments/1jad4om/tml_media_will_ruin_our_franchise/
Just Google “Is there far too much GTA-based media pressure on the Toronto Maple Leafs to succeed?” and you get this consensus response:
“Yes, many observers, including players like Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand, believe the Toronto Maple Leafs face excessive media pressure, particularly in the GTA. This pressure can negatively impact players, potentially hindering their performance and creating an added burden on the team. Here’s why: (followed by detailed source-by-source observations too long to re-print here).
Is it not accurate, or are those who contributed to the above not as knowledgeable as any of us in here?
To happen repeatedly over the years – Hell decades – no matter who constituted the so-called “core” at the time – suggests there is validity to what Tkachuk and Marchand say, and what is popping up from various sources.
I suppose we could argue this until the cows come home without ever agreeing – but the simple fact is, here we have vigorous and poles-apart differences of opinion based on something tangible.
I think I understand your point, George. I just don’t agree with it. I guess excessive pressure is in the eye of the beholder.
Each of the Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Reilly, resigned with the Leafs. Each new exactly what they were buying into. Tavares was no bare faced rookie when he went to the Leafs, and would have also known.
All of the above get paid as the best of the best. Shouldn’t they play that way in at least one playoff year? Would leaf nation be so upset if the Leafs had made it to the third round?
George:
The heated and exasperated expectations of the fans are a weak excuse for not being able to perform to expectations. Are the current Leafs responsible for no Cup since 1967? No.
Should the core 4 be responsible for the Leafs’ disappointing playoff record since 2017, where it is very reasonable to expect better? Of course. These players have won one round twice in that period.
It was no surprise to any of the Core 4 and Reilly that Toronto has a passionate fan base and there is wall to wall fan and media coverage. You can’t sell out an arena every game and gain the ability to pay top dollars without a a return on fan investment.
To suggest that these outsized expectations flow from”less informed” fans is patronizing.
Marner once said he is treated like a god in Toronto, and you can’t be revered as a hockey player without media coverage, and you can’t blame media criticism when you consistently fail to perform. Win and there wouldn’t be the criticism.
Tiger Woods once said: winning fixes everything. This is pro sports. Pro athletes who can’t handle pressure and its hand maiden criticism should find another line of work.
I’m with Lyle on this one. There are no excuses. Obviously Toronto is a hockey mad town and there’s pressure to win. But there’s plenty of pressure elsewhere. And this is not a one off. This team, with a collection of stars, has managed two series wins in seven years together. Pressure is an excuse. I understand that people like Maurice and Tkachuk are being diplomatic but there are no excuses for the Leafs constant failure to win.
As Larkin and Seravalli point out, other markets are pressure packed as well. Montreal has always been touted as hard to play in because of the media glare. But plenty of great ones like Beliveau, Lafleur, Robinson, Roy etc. found ways to win multiple Cups. Edmonton comes with pressure as well, yet those Gretzky, Messier, etc. teams won plenty. Those teams were winners while the current Leafs team is not and is also sorely lacking in leadership.
I was studying in Toronto for a couple of years while Vaive was there. Obviously he has inside knowledge of the team at that time while I was a mere observer. But I saw the problem as being that there was no accountability at the time. The Leafs had some solid players at that time but they never played as a team and their stars seemed to be in it mostly for themselves. And nobody – fans or media – bothered to question those stars or hold them to account.
I get the take that these are just excuses, because it is strictly a results business. Can’t argue that point.
But something to consider, maybe the extra pressure is a reason that contributes to why they are losing? Reasons are different from excuses.
Business that don’t listen to their employees about the challenges they have will eventually fail unless they have unfair/anti-competitive market power.
Talking about Edmonton or Montreal are probably as close as you will find as a comparison, but they aren’t the same as Toronto IMO. Edmonton was tough when they missed the playoffs for 10 straight years, but they missed the playoffs for 10 straight years.
You are also ignoring the fact that neither of those teams have won a cup in decades either. MTL has a winning culture doesn’t seem true anymore HF30 and Howard? What have they won since 93? They got the SCF in the bubble year where their record wouldn’t have even got them in the playoffs.
We have 7 Canadian teams, so 22% of the league. How we doing? Are we winning the cup 22% of the time? Are all these players chokers who can’t perform under pressure? I doubt that.
So, 32 years without a cup up here where the pressure is the highest and the spotlight the brightest. Where hockey dominates every other sport.
It is either a significant statistical anomaly, or there is a reason. If there is a core reason, and I suggest there is, if it isn’t the increased pressure and spotlight effecting players and management decisions, I would luv to here and alternate theory.
Edmonton has a chance this year again, and they have 2 of the top 10 players in the world on that team. Can’t really count on that in other markets can you.
When have we had a Canadian team consistently even make it to the final 4 like Edmonton now has 2 years in a row? I can’t think of one in the last 30 years. Dallas and Florida 3 straight years. Canes a couple times recently. TB before them.
I dunno, but the big difference playing in Canada seems to be about pressure or taxes, and we are the worst on taxes as a whole. Although low tax teams seem to do well these days.
32 years is a flippin’ long time and suggesting there isn’t a reason for it seems unlikely to me or ignoring a problem Canadian teams need to learn how to deal with.
I remember Peter Forsberg skating from his blue line past the offensive blue line tugging along an opposing player who held on to slow him down. Thanks goodness its mostly gone
Hockey is a religion in Quebec and in Montreal in particular, with the team given many nicknames having religious connotations.
It has been long known that often players are unable to put up with the pressure to win while others thrive under the scrutiny.
The UFA has shown many Quebec born players shy away from the Habs on account of the intensity while others embrace it.
Habs aren’t the best team, by a longshot, but they are a team full of character that the fanbase embraces and thrive under the scrutiny.
A team is more than having star players, it’s the cohesive unit that is better than the sum of it’s parts and has leadership that puts the team on their backs.
The flip side of fan pressure is that it demands full out effort from the players and if their is the feeling of players coasting the braying is merciless.
The core players on TML are great, they earn their pay all season long but ultimately the team isn’t better than the sum of it’s parts and are unable to rise to the occasion.
In Montreal the concept of I love winning, in fact, I think I hate losing more than I love winning. has been instilled while TML seems resigned to losing despite loving to win.
Leadership, HabFan, is Nick Suzuki going to Kent Hughes asking that he keep the team together for a playoff run. And after promising to lead the team to victories, going out and getting it done. And he’s far from the only young leader on the team.
I don’t see that in the Leafs core. As one analyst put it, Matthews, after a subpar series, talked about there being too many passengers on the team without taking any responsibility on himself.
I get a little tired of hearing others blame the Toronto market. It’s the ghost of the hotdog article.
Do these people outside of the market see HOW this team loses sometimes? Even if you remove the zambonie driver game, there’s countless embarrassing loses. Not hard fought loses. Players quitting.
As a player in that market the only way to approach things is to just own it. You aren’t responsible for every year since ’67 but you have to own it. Is it fair? No. But it’s reality at this point. But at what point do players start to accept that and maybe just maybe.. embrace that pressure? You can let it whip you or you can embrace it.
Kinger, while your summation is – from the perspective of our distant position – seemingly quite reasonable, the fundamental fact of the matter is, unless we’ve actually been in that position we simply have NO idea how it would actually affect any of us.
That’s very fair George.
This constant discussion of the failure of the TML to win in the playoffs is started to be ridiculous. The culture is awful. Make wholesale changes with the money saved on UFAsand get on with life. What are they waiting for? At worst you will have the same results as the Core4.Boston dealt with reality and did something about it.Why can t TML do the same.Both places will still fill the seats.
OMG! Where’s Doug Gilmore when you need him?
I’m rooting for Edmonton v Florida SC Final rematch!