NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 25, 2025
Check out the latest on Leafs winger Matthew Knies, Stars center Roope Hintz, Canadiens winger Patrik Laine, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
TORONTO SUN: Matthew Knies is keen to find out who will be joining him and center Auston Matthews at right wing on the Maple Leafs’ top line. That role was filled by Mitch Marner, who has since departed for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies (NHL Images).
“It’ll be a bit different without Mitch, but the acquisitions we’ve made have been looking good,” Knies said, referring to forwards Matias Maccelli, Nicolas Roy, and Dakota Joshua. “I don’t know what we’ll put together at the start of the season, but we have a lot of great players on our team.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Whoever replaces Marner won’t replace his offence, but the hope is that the winger will be able to offset enough that the position doesn’t become a weakness. They’ll have to establish chemistry with Knies and Matthews starting in training camp next month.
The Leafs could move William Nylander into the first-line right wing position, but that could affect their second-line production.
NHL.COM: Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz said he’s fully healthy with training camp approaching next month. The 28-year-old Hintz suffered a broken foot during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but he didn’t require surgery.
“I’m feeling good. My foot is fine, and I’ve been able to train normally this summer,” Hintz said. “So everything is good.”
Hintz suffered the injury when Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse slashed him in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final. He missed Game 3, but returned for the final two games of the series.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The report indicated the problem was a bleeding issue that forced him to miss one game following the injury. Hintz said they found a solution that made him feel like normal, enabling him to return to action for the rest of the Conference Final.
THE MONTREAL GAZETTE: Canadiens winger Patrik Laine and his wife joined several Montreal athletes and their partners in the “From Us To You” fashion show last week. From Us To You is the foundation founded by the Laines to promote mental health initiatives.
“I didn’t see myself walking down the runway, but here we are,” Laine said. “I think it’s cool to combine fashion and sports and mental health.”
Laine also stated that his reputation as one of the NHL’s more fashionable players came about by accident. He said he wore something different before a game a few years ago, creating an expectation for him to dress up. “I don’t mind it. I hadn’t been super into fashion until a few years ago. It’s pretty fun. You show off your personality”.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Most NHL players tend to dress conservatively before games. That might change now that the pre-game dress code will be abolished under the new collective bargaining agreement, which takes effect in 2026-27.
NYI HOCKEY NOW: The Islanders’ 2025-26 season will depend on the performances of forward Mathew Barzal and goaltender Ilya Sorokin.
Barzal is coming off an injury-hampered season, limiting him to 20 points in 30 games. Meanwhile, Sorokin’s workload increased over the past two seasons, especially in 2024-25 as backup Semyon Varlamov was sidelined by injury.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Barzal’s absence and an overworked Sorokin contributed to the Islanders missing the playoffs last season. A healthy season for the former and a reduction of the latter’s workload could help the club rebound in 2025-26.
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH: This season will be Logan Mailloux’s opportunity to earn meaningful NHL minutes. The 22-year-old defenseman was traded to the Blues by the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for winger Zack Bolduc.
Mailloux had difficulty cracking the rebuilding Canadiens’ defense corps last season and was limited to just seven games. The 22-year-old could start the season on the Blues’ third defense pairing alongside Tyler Tucker, and could challenge for a spot on one of their power-play units.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Mailloux could have a better opportunity in St. Louis to earn more NHL playing time than he had in Montreal. It’ll be interesting to see how the move to the Blues affects his trajectory.
I never knew the NHL had a pre-game dress code. I just figured they were professionals who dressed that way going to work. I hope they Don t mirror NBA players and their fashion styles.
A lot of the top stars in the NBA receive endorsements (and free designer clothing) to showcase as they enter or exit the arena.
There are surely NHL players who will follow this path too if they are adventurous enough. It’s part of the business.
Yes part of the business that doesn’t have to be part of it. It still won’t claw back the greed of pay me more and more either. It won’t make them take less so they can have a better team. Only character does that not characters.
Who can forget P.K. Subban’s fashion statements and, if I remember correctly, Derek Sanderson’s?
I liked the dress code in the NHL, the players looked good, something for kids to look up to.
ZZ Top was right.
I hope the players don’t go the sweats and hoodies route.
Hate that the players don’t have to dress nice before games.
Darnell Nurse is TRASH
that is all.
All fair points.
This thread so far really highlights the generational audience that often post. As an old millennial I couldn’t care if the players showed up at the arena in their birthday suits. Sos long as they are dressed in proper attire when the whistle blows.
I was going to echo the same thing. A whole lot of concern about the way teenagers and 20-somethings dress walking into a locker room.
🙂
Heh. As long as they don’t mimic the Charlestown Chiefs in Slap Shot and moon the fans from their bus.
That would be spectacular! If sid mooned me from the bus I’d probably need emt to administer oxygen from laughing so long.
Is it a generational thing to feel there is proper dress for the occasion?
Do you dress appropriately for a job interview?
Do you dress appropriately for a court appearance?
People can pretend all they want but you choose your clothes, you choose how to present yourself.
Non-comformity in dress is a misnomer since most express it the very same way.
.The non-comformity look is just the next wave. Look at photos through the decades and everybody dressed the same way at the time.
Yes it is. Generational. I recently interviewed for a job and the interviewer laughed at my suit. Said I was the only candidate to wear one in all her interviews. I was also the oldest.
But all that aside… they are dudes riding a bus or driving their cars to go to a job where you have to strip to your skivies before gearing up to do your job. Wearing a suit is old fashioned AND impractical.
34y/o RD Tyson Barrie has called it a career
https://ottawasun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/tyson-barrie-former-defenceman-retires?itm_source=nhl
Injury-plagued, he played in just 13 games with Calgary this past season, In 822 career games he scored 110g 398a 508pts and in 47 playoff games added 2g 19a 21pts.
He was effective when healthy.
Whew! Now out of reach from Stevie Y signing other’s cast offs!
The fact he was able to come back after that despicable knee-on-knee by all-time crud Matt Cooke in 2014 (a significantly-torn left knee MCL) and put in 4 very productive seasons in Colorado followed by some decent years in Toronto (1) and Edmonton and Nashville (2 each) is a testament to his determination.
Along the way he also suffered a broken hand and leg laceration in 2017, which cut short any involvement in that year’s World Championship, a number of upper- and lower-body dings and unidentified malady, and by the time Calgary decided to take a chance, he was a shadow of his former self.
St. Louis has no choice but to give Mailloux a starting role, they don’t have anybody else.
Adam Jiricek is the only RD in the prospect pool and he’s in Junior.
They will sink or swim with Mailloux and it won’t be pretty.