NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 4, 2025
The latest on the Oilers and Panthers on the eve of Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, the Flyers re-sign Noah Cates, the Canucks re-up Derek Forbort, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines
TSN: Corey Perry has no plans to retire after this season. The 40-year-old Edmonton Oilers winger confirmed he intends to return for his 21st NHL season in 2025-26.
Edmonton Oilers forward Corey Perry (NHL Images).
Perry is appearing in his fifth Stanley Cup Final in the last six seasons, having played for the Oilers last season, the 2021-22 Tampa Bay Lightning, the 2020-21 Montreal Canadiens, and the 2019-20 Dallas Stars (2020).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Perry isn’t the superstar he was during his 14 seasons with the Anaheim Ducks, winning a Stanley Cup in 2007, and the Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP) and the Maurice Richard Trophy (top goal scorer) in 2011.
Nevertheless, Perry’s grit, experience, and clutch offense have made him an invaluable, affordable depth player for every postseason club he’s played for since 2019-20. If the Oilers don’t re-sign him, another playoff contender will.
SPORTSNET: Oilers winger Connor Brown will be a game-day decision for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on June 4.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Brown’s been battling an illness in recent days, forcing him to skip practice on Tuesday.
NHL.COM: Seth Jones of the Florida Panthers is thrilled to be playing in his first Stanley Cup Finals. The 30-year-old defenseman said he feels revitalized after being acquired from the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks before the March trade deadline.
Jones played on the 2018-19 Columbus Blue Jackets that upset the Tampa Bay Lightning and the 2019-20 Jackets that eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Stanley Cup qualifying round during the 2020 Covid Bubble playoffs. However, he’d never advanced past the second round in his career until this spring.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jones has been a steady defensive presence for the Panthers in this postseason. It’s been suggested that he’s an insurance policy in case Aaron Ekblad departs via free agency this summer.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Adam Proteau looks at the Conn Smythe Trophy candidates for both clubs entering the Stanley Cup Final.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: My picks are Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov and Oilers captain Connor McDavid. Tell us your picks in the comments section below.
Game 1 is tonight in Edmonton at 8 pm ET.
PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: The Flyers signed Noah Cates to a four-year, $16 million contract extension. The 26-year-old center will earn an average annual value of $4 million. He’s completing a two-year contract with an AAV of $2.63 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: A two-way center, Cates had 16 goals and 37 points in 78 games this season. He is expected to fill the second-line center position for the rebuilding Flyers next season.
TSN: The Vancouver Canucks signed Derek Forbort to a one-year, $2 million contract.
MLIVE.COM: Jakub Vrana’s NHL career could be over. The 29-year-old forward has drawn interest from Sparta Prague of the Czech Extraliga as well as his former Swedish team, Linkoping.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Vrana is eligible for unrestricted free-agent status on July 1. A once-promising winger who won a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2017-18, Vrana netted a career-best 25 goals and 52 points in 69 games in 2019-20.
However, he was soon traded to the Detroit Red Wings, and his performance declined. He suffered a shoulder injury in 2021-22, had a stint in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, and bounced from the Red Wings to the St. Louis Blues. He was signed by the Capitals last year and claimed off waivers by the Nashville Predators in March.
Vrana has 119 goals and 223 points in 406 NHL regular-season games from 2016-17 to 2024-25, and eight points in 38 playoff games.
THE WINNIPEG SUN: Rasmus Kupari signed a two-year contract with Lugano in Switzerland’s National League. The 25-year-old Jets forward is due to become an NHL restricted free agent on July 1. The Jets can retain his NHL rights with a qualifying offer before July 1.
TSN: Former Red Wings forward Slava Kozlov was named head coach of HC Sochi in the KHL.
THE SCORE: Scott Stinson believes the NHL should avoid further expansion. He argues that the league has grown too large, resulting in seasons that are already taking too long to complete. A much larger group of teams is competing for 16 playoff spots, meaning a club’s chances of winning the Stanley Cup are lower than they were 30 years ago.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stinson’s arguments won’t carry weight with a league focused on increasing revenue, whatever the cost. The opportunity to expand to 34 or 36 teams is irresistible when billionaires are willing to pony up the $2 billion expansion fees to own an NHL franchise.
Who wins the Stanley Cup, Oilers or Panthers?
Speed Kills, a hard choice when you look at their similarities. It all points to a long, possibly 7 game series, with perhaps 2 or 3 OT games.
Home-ice advantage (which goes to Edmonton) could be THE deciding factor as they sport a sparkling .646 points % at home while Florida has a mundane .512 % mark away.
EDMONTON
Season: 3rd in the Pacific Division – 6th in the Western Conference
48 29 5 101pts .616 – 259gf (3.2gpg) 236ga (2.9gapg) +23 Home: 25 13 3 (.646) Away: 23 16 2 (.585)
Playoffs: 16gp Won 12 Lost 4 65gf (4.1gpg) 45ga (2.8gapg)
19 players with 1 or more goals: 7 by Draisaitl. Perry; 6 each by Bouchard, McDavid; 5 each by Kane, Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins, Connor Brown; 4 by Henrique; 3 each by Janmark, Kapanen; 2 by Nurse; 1 each by Klingberg, Arvidsson, Podkolzin, Kulak, Walman, Frederic, Skinner; zero by each of Joshua Brown, Stecher, Emberson
FLORIDA
Season – 3rd in the Atlantic Division – 5th in the Eastern Conference
47 31 4 98pts .598 – 252gf (3.1gfpg) 223ga (2.7gapg) +29 Home: 27 12 2 (.683) Away: 20 19 2 (.512)
Playoffs: 17gp Won 12 Lost 5 66gf (3.9gpg) – 39ga (2.3gapg)
19 players with 1 or more goals: 10 by Bennett; 6 each by Barkov, Verhaeghe., 5 each by Tkachuk, Lundell; 4 each by Marchand, Luostarinen, Reinhart; 3 each by Ekblad, Schmidt, Jones, Mikkola; 2 each by Boqvist, Greer, Gadjovich; 1 each by Kulikov, Forsling, Balinskis, Rodrigues; zero by each of Samoskovich, Sturm, Nosek
“Home-ice advantage (which goes to Edmonton) could be THE deciding factor as they sport a sparkling .646 points % at home while Florida has a mundane .512 % mark away.”
George, are those the regular season percentages? Florida is 8-2 on the road in these playoffs including 3-0 in each of the TB and CAR series. Edmonton is 7-1 at home in these playoffs.
Something has got to give in this series.
Matt – yes, those are he seasonal stats.
The thing is, a pattern developed over 82 games is usually more realistic than one that occurs over 14 … but we’ll soon see with the first two in Edmonton starting tonight.
George, I’m actually more inclined to believe the recent stats for the playoffs for both teams given they’re both constructed more for the playoffs. We’re seeing the best of both teams at present compared to the 82 game grind
If nhl expands it just has to revisit the atrocious chl agreement.
I can see players still being drafted at 18, everything else is on the table. The fall out from the NCAA changes have not worked themselves out. The big one is retention. You draft some one and how long do you have to sign him. How long before he becomes a free agent. Lots of moving parts.
Players should be able play the ahl immediately after being drafted. And they should be eligible for ufa (still entry level rules) at 22.
Speaking of the draft, here’s a list of unsigned draft picks set to expire this month.
I doubt we’d ever see 5% of them in the NHL.
https://puckpedia.com/news/nhl-draft-pick-rights-set-expire-june
Most were 4th to 7th round picks, but these were the highest picks
3rd Round
2021 – 72nd overall – LD Anton Olsson – Nashville
2021 – 74th overall – C Oliver Johansson – Ottawa
2023 – 79th overall – C Brad Gardner – Dallas
2021 – 83rd overall – G Patrick Mamrla – Carolina
Patrick Hamrla
I’m with you on McDavid and Barkov for the Smythe, Lyle. At this point. Obviously, things can change. Bennetts bern playing the best hockey of his career and would be in the mix if the Panthers win. And of course, Draisaitl will get serious consideration should the Oilers win.
For the good of hockey I sure hope Edmonton takes the cup in 4,5,6 or 7.
Ok, I’ll bite. How, exactly, is Edmonton winning in 4, 5, 6, or 7 games, “for the good of hockey”? Is Florida winning in like fashion “bad” for hockey? Take your time. I’ll go grab a snack.
Must have been a Bettman candid whispered quote. 😉
I believe habfan30 was being facetious to see which poisson’s would bite
Actually I meant it, Fla plays a dirty game, in your face, hitting after whistles behind the back. They represent all of what’s bad in hockey.
Oilers are high flying and beautiful to watch play.
Edmonton taking out Fla is to hockey what the Habs smoking the Flyers was.
Yeah … good comparison, although those Habs also dished out some of the Flyers’ own medicine when Robinson kicked the crap out of Schultz. THAT deflated them.
They represent all that’s wrong in hockey? Really? I’d take hard hitting and in your face all day every day.
I agree with Stinson. Expansion is not what the NHL needs for several years. Especially after the Arizona embarrassment.
But that doesn’t mean that it won’t happen. Lyle is correct. The allure of more money to a billionaire is like a piece of candy to a two year old. They can’t resist no matter the consequences. Recent events certainly bear that out and there is nothing more pathetic than a billionaire afraid that he’ll make $100 less. There’s obviously a great drive to succeed which has been responsible for their success but things usually get out of hand.
I remember a line from the narrator on the 80s cop show Night Heat. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote that the very rich are different than the rest of us. Hemingway responded that it’s only that they have more money. I’m inclined to agree with Fitzgerald.
To avoid a repeat of the Phoenix fiasco, if and when they ever do decide to expand further, one thing they MUST determine beforehand is the availability of a suitable arena.
And if part of the new site plan is to utilize an existing facility (with reasonable seating capacity) until a new arena is built, they must also be absolutely certain that the electorate is fully on board with the planned new facility.
If we are quoting Fitzgerald today, remember Bettman, you can’t repeat the past: hello Atlanta, Cleveland and Kansas City …
Like I have been saying for the past few years, Bettman has been great for the league OFF the ice. How even the on ice product has taken a decline. When went from the highflying offence in the 80’s to the early 90’s. Once Bettman took over the boring trap systems started up and the clutching and grabbing era followed shortly after. We are now in an era where the less skilled players who can’t keep up to the star players are allowed to hold and hook the skilled players to slow them down.
Now Bettman wants to expand even more and water down the league more than what it already is just so the billionaires can make more money.
Expansion is more than the city , it takes solid ownership with real money not just other people’s money.
While hockey is a beautiful game, there are sports fans out there who will support a good product.
Arizona makes sense for hockey with the right owner which they never had.
MLB in Montreal was awesome with the right owner. From Jarry Park to the big O, as long as Bronfman owned the team and fans loved and we supported it. When he let it go- baseball died.
Point being fans are there when the owner is all in.
It died there and In Ottawa with the Triple A Lynx farm-team of the Expos, where they set Triple A attendance records early in their existence.
I’m sick of expansion. I’m old school. Original 6 and the early expansions. I don’t want more Southern/Sun Belt teams Bettman seems to love them. Leave it alone. I want Edmonton to take this Cup. I don’t believe Bettman is thrilled with a Canadian winner. I’m worn out with Sun Belt Cup winners. VEGAS was the worst.
.
If there had been no expansion there’d be no Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg or Ottawa (site of an ORIGINAL NHL franchise).
I think Barkov wins the Smythe if the Panthers win and Skinner if the Oilers win. I think it will take an MVP goalie performance to beat the Panthers.
Panthers in 6
Also think Bennett take discount to stay a panther and if thy win 63 Will take discount to stay as he has fit in seamlessly
I kinda forgot this was still even going on. Way too long since the end of the conference final games. You lost me NHL sorry.
Go Blue Jays…..except last night. First inning yuck.
So I think the series will be short. 5 games with the oilers winning.
Don’t mistake that for me believing it’s a cake walk. I just don’t think we will see another long series this time.
Mvp – neon Leon. When the series is over he will lead the playoffs in goals and assists. I expect him to have his best series this spring and he will be fired up to get a 2nd shot after injuries last spring left him able to contribute only 3 assists.
I said goals and assists…obviously mean goals and points
33 years ago, when I first signed up for season tickets for a club that hadn’t played a game, Phil Esposito faced a concensus opinion that hockey wouldn’t work in Florida. 5 Finals in a row for Florida teams may have changed some minds. It’s bittersweet for the Lightning that the Panthers are there, but this morning we are all cheering Kucherov’s second Lindsay award. The Players know.
Make that 6 Finals in a row for Florida teams
Maybe they should just put teams in Jacksonville, Orlando, St. Petersburg and Tallahassee and go from there with “an Original 6 Florida Hockey League” and play for the Rick Scott Cup.
Bruins might have put the breaks on when picking their next HC .. they might give if a little more time being that they might want to see what the Stars might do with DeBoer
They would never pay for a guy likeDeboer . They will hire a cheaper coach with much less experience. Why wouldn t they consider Laviolette and Tortorella, 2 homeboys? To much money.
Dave Portnoy placed a $50,000 bet on the Edmonton Oilers to win the 2025 Stanley Cup against the Florida Panthers.
This bet was placed on the Oilers to win in 6 games. If they are successful, he stands to win $325,000.
It’s worth noting that this is not his only bet on the Oilers. He also placed a $150,000 wager in April on the Oilers to win the Stanley Cup at +700 odds. This earlier bet would win him $1.2 million if the Oilers are successful.
List $. Panthers in 6