NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 23, 2025
The Panthers take a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Final, the Maple Leafs part ways with Brendan Shanahan, the Blackhawks officially hire Jeff Blashill as head coach, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
PANTHERS DOMINATE HURRICANES IN GAME 2 OF EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL
NHL.COM: The Florida Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Final by blanking the Carolina Hurricanes 5-0 in Game 2 of their best-of-seven series. Sergei Bobrovsky turned in a 17-save shutout while Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe each had three points. Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen gave up four goals on 16 shots and was replaced by Pyotr Kochetkov to start the third period.
FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: The Panthers have won six straight postseason games against Carolina, dating back to the 2023 Eastern Conference Final. The Hurricanes have lost a record 14 games in the Eastern Conference Final since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006.
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (NHL Images).
It was a costly win for the Panthers. Scoring winger Sam Reinhart left the game in the first period favoring his right leg after being tripped up by Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho. Reinhart will be evaluated on Friday.
TSN: Hurricanes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi was a healthy scratch, replaced by Mark Jankowski. Kotkaniemi has three assists in 11 games during this postseason.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Panthers controlled this contest from start to finish. They opened the scoring just 1:17 into the game, built it to 3-0 by the end of the first period, and squeezed the life out of the Hurricanes’ offense.
The Hurricanes made it easy for the Panthers. They were dominated so thoroughly that team captain Jordan Staal called it “an ass whooping”. It was an embarrassing effort on their part.
This series shifts to Florida for the next two games, with Game 3 on Saturday at 8 pm ET. The Hurricanes’ season will end soon if they don’t find a way to get back into this series.
HEADLINES
TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs announced they would not re-sign team president Brendan Shanahan to a new contract. He’d been in the role since 2014-15.
Earlier this week, Shanahan was granted permission to speak to the New York Islanders, who seek a new team president after parting ways with Lou Lamoriello last month.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It is the end of an era for the Leafs. The next significant change could be on their roster when Mitch Marner can depart as a free agent on July 1. John Tavares is also a UFA this summer, but he could be re-signed to a shorter deal with a considerable pay cut from his current average annual value of $11 million.
Shanahan leaves behind a mixed legacy. During his tenure as Leafs president, the club rebuilt into a perennial playoff club, reaching the postseason in nine straight seasons since 2016-17. They selected William Nylander in the 2014 NHL Draft, Marner in 2015, and Auston Matthews in 2016, who would form their “Core Four” forwards with Tavares. Six of the nine seasons in Leafs history when they reached the 100-point plateau occurred under Shanahan.
However, the Leafs only managed two playoff series victories during Shanahan’s tenure. Signing free agent Tavares to a seven-year, $77-million contract in 2018 hampered their efforts to properly build around the “Core Four”, leaving them with a top-heavy team that had no difficulty reaching the playoffs but lacked the depth necessary to win in the postseason.
CHICAGO HOCKEY NOW: As expected, the Blackhawks formally announced Jeff Blashill will take over as their new head coach.
BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: The Bruins are getting closer to finding their new head coach. They are expected to conduct their final in-person interviews with the candidates next week, with a decision coming soon afterward.
They’ve interviewed 15 candidates, including notables like former Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft, Washington Capitals assistant coach Mitch Love, former Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson, and Marco Sturm, the head coach of the AHL’s Ontario Reign.
The Bruins are not speaking with coaching candidates on clubs still active in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hopefully, this news mollifies those Bruins fans who’ve taken to the comments section on this site recently to complain about a perceived lack of urgency by their team in finding a new bench boss.
NEW YORK POST: Rangers assistant coach Michael Peca will not return with the club. A source indicated Peca met with new head coach Mike Sullivan, and the two sides decided it was best he moved on. He’s reportedly going to join Jeff Blashill’s staff in Chicago.
TORONTO SUN: Denmark upset Canada 2-1 in the quarterfinal of the 2025 World Championship. Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets and Nick Olesen scored in the final 2:17 to send the star-studded Canadian squad packing. Denmark will face Switzerland in the semifinal, while the United States will meet Sweden.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: A major upset by Denmark over a Canadian squad that may have taken their opponent too lightly. Nevertheless, this is good for international hockey. It shows that other countries continue to improve, which builds up the quality of the competition in these tournaments. This victory should also provide a big boost for Danish hockey, inspiring more of their citizens to take up the sport.
Holy Crap! In their 9 road games so far in the playoffs, and a record of 7 – 2, including 2 SOs, Florida has outscored the opposition 43 – 18. Now, THAT’S complete dominance, no matter how you look at it.
I’ve been quiet about Boston’s coach hunt for the most part. I would remind Boston fans that Don Waddell didn’t hire Dean Evason as the Blue Jackets head coach until mid-summer and we all know how that turned out.
One thing no one can deny … Sweeney is being thorough
https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/boston-bruins-to-conduct-final-interviews-in-vast-head-coaching-search-next-week-1.2310435
GeorgeO,I hope he is that thorough with the next 3 drafts were they have 5 first round picks!
And what a job Dean did this season!
I’m not sure what the big deal is about coaching with some folks. We’ll find one in due time.
As for Tocch not wanting to work for Sweeney, I think it was more about going back to Philly than not wanting to work for him.
The sky is always falling with some fanatics.
Boy was I wrong about 1st game rust of Carolina and Florida adrenaline. I did say Bobrovsky could be the difference but it wasn’t the case.
I still expect Carolina to flip the script as the stage shifts to Florida but I have 0 to base that opinion on other than gut feel about Brind’Amour’s coaching.
Regarding the NYI and GMm they have to decide on rebuild or retool in making the choice and considering the future of Roy as coach.
Horvat, Barzal and Dobson can be used as trade bait to build a weak prospect pool and trade capital for 1st rounders.
Horvat is questionable due to his age and term, 30 y/o and 6 more years but he is L shot center which is a plus and excellent numbers.
The Habs model and unexpected success in total rebuild with out of the box new management might be the route NYI take rather than the names we see floating about.
The Isles would be crazy to trade Dobson. He’s a solid young RD. The kind you build a team around.
Barzal should be kept as well. A solid forward who could play center and wing. Even in a rebuild, you can’t totally strip the team of veterans.
Horvat would be the guy to trade. He’d bring in young players and the picks the Isles will need. Expect Lee and Pageau to be flipped between now and the trade deadline. Palmieri too if they end up re-signing him.
Ya, hard to understand how that happened HF30. And judging from their ECF record last season and this one, how it keeps happening. They were flat, on their heels, in their own head, whatever it was.
Even Brind’Amour, who is a great coach and was a great player, seemed flummoxed.
That and Florida is a really, really, good team. They have a say in how this goes.
Ken, I would call Barkov a superstar. I think he is one of the top 5 C’s in the NHL if you measure his total impact on a game. Maurice throws him over the boards against the other teams top line/center every chance he gets, and he usually wins that battle. That’s huge IMO. Game within the game.
Howard I personally agree with you regarding Barzal and Dobson I put their names out in the sense of getting solid returns IF they choose rebuild.
Lee is 35, Pageau in decline so I don’t see serious rebuilding pieces coming and Palmieri is UFA so anybody wanting him will sign or try to.
Stripping a team to rebuild is tough decision but that is what the Habs did by trade, attrition or injury. Weber, Petry. Edmundson, Chiarot, Price, Lehkonen, Toffoli, Kulak.
As I noted, Palmieri would only be able to be flipped at the deadline if the Isles re-sign him. They should have traded him this past March. Big mistake by Lou to not do so.
Lee had 29 goals and 54 points this season. If he can keep this up next season he could get a 1st for the Isles. Pageau would be able to get a 2nd.
@ George
When you look at that Florida lineup
It’s not made up of a core 4 , as such
Really no superstars
Just a well balanced , gritty, built for the playoffs – team
As per the Leafs, the hot topic of conversation , it will be interesting – who goes , and any new additions , via free agency or via the trade route .
As per grading the coaches – Paul Maurice is a significant factor in the Panthers success , IMO , not a secret , most would agree
Deboer , I am very familiar with going back to Kitchener Ranger days , very good as well , but Maurice has the edge , again , IMO
@Ken, the roster has some superstar talent (Barkov, Reinhart, Tkachuk). However, there are no egos in that room. It reminds me of the old Russian teams in that regard.
This Panthers team has to be mentioned in the same breath depth-wise as some of the greatest teams. Through 14 games, they have 18 different goal scorers. Only the ’84 Oilers, ’87 Flyers, and ’88 Bruins can boast more.
Yeah, Ken, they haven’t missed a step after losing, from last year’s cup winners, D Brandon Montour to Seattle, D Oliver Ekman-Larsson, F Steven Lorentz and G Anthony Stolarz to Toronto, F Kevin Stenlund to Utah, F Ryan Lomberg to Calgary, & F Nick Cousins to Ottawa.
They just brought in players like G Chris Dreidger. Fs Tomas Nosek, A.J. Greer and Jesper Boqvist, among others …
GeorgeO,it s not the spare parts they brought in,it s the addition of Jones and Marchand that are putting them over the hump.Jones has played on awful teams until he landed in Fla. and Marchand a top 6 forward on any team is playing 3rd line. No one can match up with the Panthers forwards except Dallas. As good as Mcdavid and Leon are,their supporting cast is not close to Fla or Dallas for that matter. Carolina is not even in the ballpark offensively. Makes you wonder about the Rantanen trade having to give up Necas.
Sr, those so-called “spare parts” – brought in for the start of the season and not late additions – have contributes significantly to Florida’s “supporting cast” which, as you point out yourself, is better than that of Edmonton’s (and, obviously, Carolina’s).
Removing Rantanan, it was effectively a Necas for Stankhoven trade.
Playoff stats:
Necas: 66 gp, 35 pts, -1
Stankhoven: 31 gp, 13pts, +6
The Hurricanes are clearly having issues (as I predicted) with Florida, but not having Necas isn’t one of them.
Oiler secondary scoring is better than Florida’s IMO. And they have scored more goals/game (they have played 2 fewer). Defensively Florida is better though, and agree Sr, the 2 best TDL acquisitions are Jones and Marchand. Especially Jones, but both have been very good. Jones is averaging over 25 minutes a night.
Add in McDrai and the Oiler forward group is the best in the NHL, offensively. Barkov might be the best defensive forward in the NHL and he averages more than a point per game.
Bob is more reliable tender than Skinner too, although Skinner had the better #’s in last years final.
But, the Oil can defend with anyone when they play right and stay out of the box, and they seem to get better that way later in a series.
I think a rematch of last year’s SCF would be outstanding. Dallas will have a big say in that happening though. Really good team as well.
Just past a dismal 24 hours of hockey: The Oilers give up 5 goals in the third to lose, the Canes get assassinated, and Canada loses to Denmark, giving up 2 goals in the last three minutes.
Thank god summer is here. I can enjoy cutting the grass.
All is good as long as Habs or Leafs no win cup for the remainder of my life time. Both can win 5 in row when I am gone. Lol
LJ
Summer is coming soon enough
Mrbruin4,
You should live to 120 🙂
That is a handsome offer Mrbruin4. But I don’t have that many kms left on my odometer.
How about a compromise: No Leaf cup wins for the remainder of yours or my life time.
Habfan. LJ
120. Surely hope not.
My kns are getting up there as well
Tgif
Wonder if Shanahan – assuming he’s about to accept the NYI offer – had anything to say about the hiring of Mathieu Darche as GM
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/45284892/islanders-hiring-mathieu-darche-new-gm
Do they have sufficient cap to maybe make an offer to Marner? If they did, two nice additions for next season, counting the # 1 overall.