NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 3, 2025
The Blues forced a seventh and deciding game with the Jets, Marc-Andre Fleury retires, several major individual award finalists are revealed, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
NHL.COM: There will be a seventh and deciding game in the first-round series between the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets.
A four-goal second period lifted the Blues to a 5-2 victory over the Jets in Game 6, tying their series at three games apiece. Alexey Toropchenko and Philip Broberg each had a goal and an assist and Radek Faksa collected two assists. Cole Perfetti and Nino Niederreiter replied for the Jets.
Game 7 will be in Winnipeg on Sunday, May 4, at 7 pm ET.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Every game in this series has been won on home ice. The Jets hope to continue that trend to finish off the pesky Blues, while the latter hopes to ride the shift in momentum to their first road win of this series.
Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was pulled from this game following the second period after giving up five goals on 18 shots. During this series, he’s gotten the hook in every game in St. Louis.
Jets center Mark Scheifele missed this game, remaining in Winnipeg to recover from an undisclosed injury suffered in Game 5. Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers returned to action after missing seven games with an injured foot.
NHL ALUMNI: Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has announced his retirement after 21 seasons.
Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: We all knew Fleury intended to hang up his pads following this season. The future Hall-of-Famer had an impressive career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild.
Fleury’s best seasons were with the Penguins and Golden Knights. He won three Stanley Cups with the Penguins, backstopped the Golden Knights to the Cup Final in 2018 and won the Vezina Trophy in 2021. He’s second all-time among NHL goaltenders with 575 regular-season wins.
NHL.COM: Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, Tampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli, and Panthers forward Sam Reinhart for finalists for the Frank J. Selke Trophy honoring this season’s top defensive forward.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Barkov won this award in 2020-21 and 2023-24, and will be considered the favorite to win it this season. This is the first time Cirelli and Reinhart have been finalists.
Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, and Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan are the finalists for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, honoring the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: All three are worthy finalists but Landeskog should get the nod for resuming his NHL career after spending almost three years recovering from knee surgeries.
Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel, Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar, and Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point are the finalists for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy honoring the player who best combines sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and ability.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Lady Byng Trophy gets a bad rap because of its name and that it honors the quaint notion of “gentlemanly conduct”, as if the winner is someone who shys away from physical play. That’s not the case at all. These finalists continue to play a disciplined game at a high level of competition. They’re the players you want on the ice when the game’s on the line.
Scott Arniel of the Winnipeg Jets, Spencer Carbery of the Washington Capitals, and Martin St. Louis of the Montreal Canadiens are this year’s finalists for the Jack Adams Award as this season’s NHL Coach of the Year.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: All three are deserving finalists for their efforts to improve their respective teams. I’d give the nod to Carbery, who guided a Capitals team that squeaked into the playoffs last season into the top team in the Eastern Conference.
The NHL announced a change to the coverage of the 2025 Draft Lottery. Instead of a countdown from 16 to 1 after the lottery balls have been drawn behind the scenes, fans will watch live as the lottery balls are drawn at NHL Network’s studio in Secaucus, New Jersey. The drawing will be shown live in-studio for the first time in the lottery’s 30-year history.
The second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs begins Monday, May 5, with the Toronto Maple Leafs facing off against the Florida Panthers. Game 1 of the Washington Capitals-Carolina Hurricanes series will begin on Tuesday, May 6.
TSN: Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson and defenseman Miro Heiskanen will not be in the lineup for their club’s seventh and deciding game of their first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche. Heiskanen hasn’t played since suffering a knee injury on Jan. 28, while Robertson’s been sidelined since Apr. 16 with a knee injury. Game 7 is Saturday in Dallas, with the winner facing the St. Louis Blues or Winnipeg Jets in the second round.
Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois confirmed head coach Jon Cooper will return next season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: BriseBois was dispelling a recent rumor claiming Cooper might depart at the end of this season to join the Utah Hockey Club.
TAMPA BAY TIMES: BriseBois also revealed Lightning captain Victor Hedman fractured his right foot in Game 4 of their first-round series with the Florida Panthers.
Center Yanni Gourde broke a finger in Game 1 and center Anthony Cirelli suffered a sprained knee during that game.
BriseBois also said winger Oliver Bjorkstrand suffered a left-thigh acute compartment syndrome on Apr. 11 that required surgery soon afterward, sidelining him for the rest of the season.
Winger Nikita Kucherov suffered a left-hand extensor injury on Feb. 25 but continued playing. Forward Luke Glendening suffered an AC joint separation on Apr. 9, forward Nick Paul dealt with a tear in his left wrist, defenseman Erik Cernak suffered a knee contusion in Game 1, and winger Brandon Hagel suffered a concussion in Game 4.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Lightning were eliminated from their first-round series because the Panthers were the better team. Nevertheless, these injuries factored into their demise.
SPORTSNET: Montreal Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault said he tore his groin in Game 3 of his club’s first-round series against the Washington Capitals. He won’t require surgery this summer. Meanwhile, winger Patrik Laine suffered a broken finger in Game 2 and missed the remaining three games of the series.
Canadiens winger Josh Anderson revealed he suffered upper and lower-body injuries that he wouldn’t have played through had the club not been in a position to make the playoffs.
NEW YORK POST: John Tortorella will not be returning to the Rangers. It was recently reported that he may be part of new head coach Mike Sullivan’s staff.
Speaking of the Rangers, they signed forward Juuso Parssinen to a two-year contract extension with an average annual value of $1.25 million.
THE PROVINCE: Vancouver Canucks co-owner Paolo Aquilini has stepped down from his positions with the team. The club’s ownership also denied rumors suggesting the club could go up for sale.
I think Ottawa’s “mistake” (according to many pundits when he was signed)- i.e., Travis Green – also deserved as much consideration as Coach Of The Year as Martin St. Louis.
The Senators were expected to make the playoffs this season. The Canadiens weren’t, and that’s likely why St. Louis got the nod over Green.
Yes, but Ottawa most often looked like a playoff team. Montreal, on the other hand, did now.
My pick would be Dean Evason of the Blue Jackets. CBJ picked for last basically and finished 2 points out
Congrats to the Flower on his retirement, his great career, and his entry into the HHoF (will enter as a first ballot nod, first opportunity).
Great guy. Great career. Loved by all. The NHL’s all time best prankster!!
Kudos Flower
Re Masterton and
“All three are worthy finalists but Landeskog should get the nod for resuming his NHL career after spending almost three years recovering from knee surgeries.”
I have full understanding , compassion, and am unbelievably inspired by Landeskog’s brutal and triumphant battle through operations, rehab, and training to return in these playoffs after 3 years absence
That said, by technicality I can’t support his name on the Masterton ballot for THIS year
He should be on the ballot and win in a landslide for 25/26
Why?
All NHL individual awards, save for the Smythe are for regular season.
All voting had to BEFORE the post-season started
Landeskog, although making a heroic and valliant return, did not do so THIS regular season.
Walkaway /landslide if next year. No questions. No arguments. No dissenters. Case closed.
He will however, win this year, contrary to the intent of the award; due solely to many voters placing their nod on THEIR OWN interpretation of the meaning/timing of the award.
My heart says Landeskog for Masterton in a landslide THIS year; but
By definition and logic; he should win the Masterton by a landslide NEXT year
An aside; has the Masterton ever been awarded to any player that did not play a single regular season game in that season?
I expect there will be disagreements to my above summary re Masterton. I’d just like to add, that at the time voting closed; he hadn’t played a game. Although it was pretty certain he would return for playoffs; but NOT guaranteed. What would you have said if he didn’t actually play in the Dallas series and Dallas wins; meaning his return to the game (at the time he will be awarded) would at best be next October
One more time, before I get bombarded with hate posts—I’m saying Landeskog deserves ALL first place votes for 25/26; and by definition (and not emotion) should have received no votes THIS year
Timing only; nothing else
Speaking of the Senators, while elements among the fan-base engage in the usual whimsical “what-ifs” for the next while, Ottawa GM Staios and his staff go immediately into the preliminary stages of preparing for next season. Beginning with a decision as to which 1st round pick to forfeit in the Dadonov trade screw-up by Dorion – this year’s or next year’s. As David Perron recently noted, it could be even harder to get into the playoffs again next season so, with absolutely nothing guaranteed, coupled with the unlikelihood that anyone drafted 20-21 will even make the team next season, the forfeit must be this year.
Then there’s the detailed analysis of the performances of each player leading to decisions as to which of the pending 7 UFAs they with to re-up, whether to offer contracts to all 4 RFAs, and possibly a trade (or two) involving any of the 13 still under contract. Staios has $75,180,714 committed to 8F (Stutzle, Tkachuk, Cozens, Batherson, Perron, Pinto, Amadio, Greig, $24,700,000 to 4 D (Chabot, Sanderson, Zub, Jensen), and $8,250,000 to 1 G (Ullmark). With $1,875,000 in dead cap, and a projected cap of $95.5 mil, that leaves him with $18,445,000 with which to sign 10.
RFAs LD Kleven ($916,664) and G Merilainen ($820,000) will likely get bridge deals totalling around $3,250,000. The assessment process will decide whether to re-up LW Fabian Zetterlund, whose expiring deal totals $1,450,000, and RD Matinpalo (exp. $775,000). If both are retained that will likely cost something close to $3 mil so, all told, that’ll be around $6,250,000, leaving $12,195,000 to sign 6. If the assessment is such that they don’t offer them new deals, Staios will have $15,195,000 to sign 8.
Decisions, decisions … and complicated by what to do with UFA Claude Giroux and his expiring $6.5 mil cap hit. He didn’t have a bad season with 15g 35a 50 pts in 81gp, and in the 6 playoff games he had 1g 4a 5 pts. But he also turns 39 in January. If re-signed it has to be for 1 season and for substantially less. If he gets, say, $4.5 mil, and Zetterlund and Matinpalo are not offered contracts, Staios will have $10,695,000 to then sign 7. On the other hand, if both are kept, he’d be down to $7,695,000 to sign 5.
Then there are the other UFAs. I don’t expect to see any of Hamonic (exp. 1,100,000), Forsberg (exp. $2,750,000), Gilbert (exp. $825,000), Hodgson or Highmore (each exp. $775,000) coming back – but they’d still need need 5 bodies to replace them and they can’t all be rookies on ELCs (such as Yakemchuk). Two UFAs (Nick Cousins exp. $800,000 and Adam Gaudette exp. $775,000) are possible keepers, but both will need up-ticks to around $2,500,000 combined, which – again depending upon whether or not Zetterlund and Matinpalo are kept, would give Staios either $8,195,000 to sign 5 or $5,195,000 to sign 3.
Staois could also deal one of the term players such as Zub or, yes, Cozens, for a pick or a good prospect to free up more cap space to both complete all the transaction as decided and do a bit of UFA shopping himself. Whatever transpires, one thing is for certain … he can’t stand pat because you know the Conference teams that missed the playoffs won’t be doing so.
George some of those players can and most likely be replaced by cheaper players who will more or less produce the same. Like I didn’t see enough from Zetterland to get more than $1.5 though some people over value size and youth over ability, ie points. Being on the bottom lines/pairing helps the club to either keep the cost down or easily replace them. Kleven has promise but should also be cheap to resign.
And I agree, this years first should be forfeited simply because the team could regress as they are still a young team and inconsistency is synonymous with such teams. They can also add grit and experience with vets that can help them progress and take some pressure off the young guns.
Maf. I solute you! 1st ballot hof.
MSL had quite the year as nobody expected the Habs to make the playoffs at the beginning of the year and at Christmas they were given a 2% chance.
The team made no additions at TDL yet still put it together for a strong run and eventual playoff birth . It was all coaching, installing a system and making the players believers.
Next year will be a crossroads and will need more than MSL magic. The team as is overachieved so there will be departures and question marks on the replacements.
Dvorak and Armia are gone, recency bias for their strong finish doesn’t mean they’ll repeat next year.
Pezzetta doesn’t belong in the NHL, he’s an energy guy, good in the room but belongs in the AHL.
Savard has retired leaving a hole on RD, welcome to the NHL.
Dach and Newhook don’t cut it as starting centres and need different roles.
That makes for 6 players that need to be replaced or changed roles.
There’s talent in Laval that might push through and there is plenty of cash and cap space available.
One thing for sure, the rebuild will continue next year with a different looking team and a new challenge for MSL.
And as George noted, and quoted Perron, it will be harder to make the playoffs next year.
It’s foolish to predict next year’s results at this point, but which team in the east that made the playoffs this year falls out? Logic says the Habs, who have a # of departures to replace, and the Sens based on George’s long list of possible shuffles. That’s why it is crucial that the Habs get a legit # 2 center without forfeiting too much. Forfeiting much is a given.
After making the playoffs this year Montreal and Ottawa will redo their lineup to get ready for the second season! So they will copy the lineups of the teams that beat them and the winner of the cup.
Maybe that makes sense to you, Sr, but it doesn’t to me. If it were easy to “copy’ winning line ups 31 teams would do so; amongst the many obstacles is finding the hundreds of payers who are duplicates of the winning teams.
Bang on LJ,
Losers fight the last war instead of the next one.
Teams need to stay true to their culture and excel not to copy others.