NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 24, 2025
Reaction to the Ducks trading Trevor Zegras to the Flyers, Blues GM Doug Armstrong on the possibility of an offer sheet for Joel Hofer, the latest notable contract extensions, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS/NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: The Anaheim Ducks traded forward Trevor Zegras on Monday to the Philadelphia Flyers for center Ryan Poehling, a 2025 second-round pick (45th overall), and a 2026 fourth-round pick.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Zegras, 24, was the subject of frequent trade speculation over the past two seasons. Chosen ninth overall by the Ducks in the 2019 NHL Draft, he was once considered a foundation player for the rebuilding Ducks.
Anaheim Ducks traded forward Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL Images).
Zegras was runner-up for the 2022 Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year, earned a spot at the 2022 NHL All-Star Game skills competition, and shared the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 23 videogame with Sarah Nurse.
After back-to-back 60-plus point performances in 2021-22 and 2022-23, Zegras underwent contentious contract negotiations with Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek, missing training camp before agreeing to a three-year contract in October 2023. Injuries limited him to 31 games in 2023-24 and 57 games last season.
Zegras’ critics cited his one-dimensional offensive game and weakness in the faceoff circle. He first surfaced in trade speculation in January 2024 and was a fixture in the rumor mill.
Verbeek said the move was made to retool his roster for the 2025-26 season. He also noted that Zegras wanted to play center and thinks the young forward will get that opportunity in Philadelphia.
Moving Zegras ($5.75 million average annual value for 2025-26) for Poehling ($1.9 million) freed up $3.85 million in cap space for the Ducks, leaving them with $36.03 million available and 17 active roster players under contract.
The reaction from Philadelphia suggests this is a low-risk move with high-reward potential if Zegras stays healthy and establishes himself as a reliable first or second-line center. The Flyers didn’t give up any of their three first-rounders in this year’s draft, and they didn’t part with a top prospect or a good young NHL player.
If Zegras doesn’t pan out, he’s only under contract for this season. If he pans out, the Flyers can extend him. Otherwise, they could let him walk next summer.
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH: Blues GM Doug Armstrong isn’t concerned about the possibility of a rival club thinking of signing Joel Hofer to an offer sheet. The 24-year-old goaltender is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights coming off a two-year, $1.55 million contract.
Armstrong made it clear that the Blues have the cap space to match an offer from a rival club. “I guess this is my shot across the bow,” he said. “You can go after him. You’re not going to get him.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hofer came up as a possible offer-sheet target because the Blues successfully signed away defenseman Philip Broberg and winger Dylan Holloway from the Edmonton Oilers last summer. Some observers suggested that the Oilers might make a retaliatory signing, or another club seeking goalie depth could target Hofer.
Armstrong isn’t bluffing. The Blues have over $5 million in projected cap space for next season with 22 active roster players under contract. They could get an additional $6.5 million in cap flexibility by placing sidelined defenseman Torey Krug on long-term injury reserve (LTIR).
Armstrong also said he’s spoken with pending unrestricted free-agent (UFA) defenseman Ryan Suter. The Blues GM said he’d told Suter about the seven blueliners they already have and Suter understood the situation. NHL.com’s Lou Korac believes Suter won’t return unless the Blues move one of their current defensemen.
BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: The Bruins signed defenseman Mason Lohrei to a two-year contract extension with an AAV of $3.2 million. He had a career-best 33 points but still has room to grow defensively, finishing with a league-worst plus-minus of minus-43.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bruins’ injury-ravaged roster and the shaky performance of starting goalie Jeremy Swayman contributed to Lohrei’s poor plus-minus. His defensive game should improve with another season of NHL experience, healthier linemates and a better effort from Swayman.
SPORTSNET: The New York Rangers signed center Adam Edstrom to a two-year, $1.95 million contract extension.
CALGARY SUN: The Flames signed forward Justin Kirkland to a one-year, one-way contract worth $900,000.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports the NHL has a Board of Governors meeting on Wednesday. The hope was to have the framework of a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) extension in place for Board approval. However, a few outstanding issues remain to be resolved.
LeBrun says the NHL and the NHLPA are inching closer to an agreement, and the league will provide a CBA update to the owners on Wednesday.
THE PROVINCE: The Abbotsford Canucks are the 2024-25 AHL champions, defeating the Charlotte Checkers 3-2 in Game 6 of the Calder Cup Final. Abbotsford goaltender Arturs Silovs was named the playoffs’ most valuable player.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Silovs was the Vancouver Canucks’ postseason hero last year when he replaced sidelined goalies Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith during their first-round series with the Nashville Predators. Silovs isn’t waiver-exempt next season, which could lead to a logjam in the Vancouver crease with Demko and Kevin Lankinen also under contract for 2025-26.
NEW YORK POST: The Islanders named Rocky Thompson as the new head coach of their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport. Thompson spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach with the Flyers.
Zegras was a no brainer trade for the Flyers. The need offense… if he doesnt work out the price was cheap…and they can resign him if it does. they do not have many top 6 offensive weapons.
Joel Hofer imho makes moving Binnington an option. Toronto should be calling
ds, Binnington is not only a big game money goalie but a key member of the leadership group however an overwhelming offer could be tempting to Armstrong who isn’t sentimental at all. In that scenario he would have to decide if Hofer is ready to be the full time starter or is he Husso 2.0.
At times towards the end of the regular season Hofer, a big dude, looked small in the net and was getting beat top shelf like Hellebuck in the playoffs. That will have to be fixed moving forward.
Armstrong was also quoted in the press conference that Krug definitely won’t play next year.
I think Toronto is set in net. Why should they pursue Binnington over the combo they have?
you think the Leafs duo is any better than your Oilers duo?
Binnington takes the goalie questionmark out of the equation
and i agree with Snold as would take a grea offer
I’ll take Woll and Stolarz over Binnington and Hofer any day of the week. Toronto didn’t lose to Florida because of their goaltending
DS – yes I do feel Stolarz and Woll exceed Skinner and Pickard quite easily.
Upgrading the goalies is way down the Leafs list.
Using the Marner. Tavares cap space to balance the forward lines is Job 1.
…..something else is up with Zegras. I think the Flyers know Montreal would probably like him but Montreal would have paid a heftier price. Maybe not now but I feel like Philly is buying low on this stock only to turn and flip it for higher to the Habs.
Pretty thin goaltender market this off season. We shall see who goes where. The boys on the radio this morning nailed it though…”just remember, in the next few days everyone is being traded everywhere for everything” I love rumors. This site is a great rumor site. But that’s all they are….
I don’t think the Habs were interested in Zegras anymore. The last couple of years he’s been injured a lot, very inconsistent and bad in the faceoff circle. He may be best suited to the wing. The Habs already have a guy like that. Why would they need another.
And the Flyers didn’t get him to flip. If he plays well they’ll extend him. If not he’ll likely be untradeable and they’ll let him walk.
Dark G:
I can’t buy your logic that a team is going to acquire a player and then flip it to another team for a higher price. If the Habs had wanted Zegras and were willing to pay a higher price than the Flyers, they would have paid it directly to the Ducks.
And if you are saying the Flyers see Zegras improving this year to be flipped next year, why not keep him? And how do you know the Habs would have the need or ability to acquire him the year after this?
Lyle, yesterday you were speculating about Ottawa possibly getting a crack at LD Jackson Smith with their 21st pick.
This morning I ran across this ESPN assessment of the top 32 picks, and they have Smith at # 8!
They paint an intriguing picture of his NHL impact
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/45568314/nhl-draft-2025-rankings-top-prospects-schaefer-misa-hagens
My mock draft was based on addressing each team’s needs. It wasn’t a ranking of each prospect.
I don’t doubt that Smith is considered among the top-10 or top-15. Being ranked 8th, however, doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to be chosen eighth.
He could go higher, or he could drop. It’s not like we haven’t seen the latter happen before. If he’s available at 21, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Senators snapped him up.
As for rankings, check out Smith’s profile on Elite Prospects. He’s ranked as high as sixth and as low as 17th. Dropping to 21st isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/689872/jackson-smith
Interestingly, they have 5′ 10″ 180lb RW/C Benjamin Kindel at # 21 following a season with the Calgary Hitmen where he racked up 35g 64a 99 pts in 65 gp as a teammate of Carter Yakemchuk.
You have him several slots lower at # 28. Was that due to his lack of size?
I based it on the most recent analysis of each player.
Elite Prospects shows Kindel ranked between 10th and 27th overall. So, like Smith, it’s possible he could be chosen at No. 28
https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/576985/benjamin-kindel
Like I’ve often said, the draft is often a crapshoot once you get past the top-five picks.
Looking at the prospect rating sites he’s as high as 6 (Eliteprospects) and as low as 17 (Dobberprospects).
McKenzie and Button have him 12 and 13
Consolidated Ranking (which sums/tallies from maybe 10-12 prospect ranking sites; has him at 10
Needs of teams and a couple of “off the board picks” can change some picking strategies after top 10
There have been in the past, players that “slide” down out of the top 10
Shaeffer then Misa 1 &2 pretty. Well a slam dunk
3 to 5 might change (note pre-season rankings had Hagens 1OA; but he has slipped all year (with at least one site having him 8OA now [consolidated has him at 4OA]
All these potential slies and “off the board picks”; I don’t think Smith is available when Sens pick
Mistankenly Posted as new ; but should have been a response to George in thread
Small wonder so many GMs – outside of the obvious top picks – shrug and adopt the philosophy of “taking the best pick available regardless of position”
Heh … totally agree there … and they say weather forecasting “isn’t an exact science”
“leaving them with $36.03 million available and 17 active roster players under contract.“
Are Ducks planning on splurging in free agency? Maybe an offer sheet? They have all their picks next year and year after. They pretty much gave Zegras away. Got back some cap space they lost by bringing Kreider in. Plenty of space to lock up McTavish. A couple other rfa’s still need deals. They’re in a good place right now.
Ya Slick, they need to save some of it for their good young players, and they have a few that will be RFA’s after next season. McTavish like you mentioned, Carlsson, Mintyukov and Zellweger. Dostal will want some $$ this year as well. He played 54 games last season and was solid.
I would consider trying to lock up some of the best guys this summer vs waiting until after next year. Might save some valuable cap space down the road.
They still have plenty of room after that. They, among some others, have been rumored to be looking at Marner.
Fine return.
Poeling 68 games 12-19-31. 51% on faceoffs
Zegras 57 games 12-30-32. 36% on faceoffs.
Zegras has the chance to redeem himself. It i all up to him.
Slick, the Ducks have a lot of cap space and some fine young talent, but they aren’t in a good place just yet.
They finished 11 points out of a playoff spot and had 7 teams finish between them and that spot. All 7 of those teams, and the ones below, are also trying to improve.
And if you are a hot UFA, there are a lot of legit playoff contenders other than the Ducks.
Let’s not let Lohrei off the hook for his -43. Blaming the Bruins roster and Swaymans poor play,they are right about both shouldn’t be the excuse for Lohrei. So should Zadorov be evaluated the same way.This reasoning makes Pasternak look unbelievable.He produced with very little offensive talent around him.Are they propping Lohrei up for a potential trade?
Well, in order for him to clock a -43 there had to be 4 other players on the ice with him. How much of it was his fault alone?
Lohrei was playing to far up the lineup due to injuries to Lindholm and McAvoy. Big ask for a D-man in his first full NHL season.
Like all young D, he needs more reps, and he got plenty last season even if he was thrown into the fire, which in a way is a good thing. We’ll see if he improves or not, it isn’t a given by any means.
He has offensive talent, but makes mistakes with the puck, and with reads, which most young D in the NHL do.
Ray Bark I can t understand when they raised the white flag that they didn t bring Poitras up for the rest of the year.
Probably thought it was better for his development SR. Last year was his first AHL time.
Something to be said for playing on a playoff team, getting plenty of minutes, and having success offensively vs playing for a team that was losing consistently. Perhaps his confidence with the puck needed a boost.
11 teams will carry a Performance Bonus Overage Cap hit for the next season
https://puckpedia.com/news/25overage
I first met Rocky Thompson in 1995. Not a great player, but he had a big motor, played fearless and had the heart of a lion.
It’s wonderful to see how far he’s progressed in his coaching career.
Atta boy, Rocky!
PS. Jackson Smith is probably the 4th best defender in the draft.