NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 30, 2025
Check out the latest on Oilers winger Zach Hyman, Devils defenseman Luke Hughes, Canadiens center Nick Suzuki, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
TSN: Zach Hyman isn’t sure if he’ll be ready for the start of the Edmonton Oilers’ regular season on Oct. 8.
The 33-year-old Edmonton Oilers winger suffered a dislocated wrist in Game 4 of the 2025 Western Conference Final. He underwent surgery in May, spending the past three months recovering.
Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman (NHL Images).
“Will I be ready for the start of the season? I don’t know. But I’m on the right track, which is good,” Hyman said. He indicated he’ll have one more meeting soon with his surgeon.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hyman is among the Oilers’ scoring leaders. Having him healthy and productive will be key to their Stanley Cup hopes this season.
NJ.COM: Ryan Novozinsky reports the New Jersey Devils and Luke Hughes remain apart on a new contract. The 21-year-old defenseman is a restricted free agent and is ineligible to receive an offer sheet from a rival team.
The Devils seek an eight-year contract or a two-year bridge deal. Hughes’ representatives want a five-year contract, ending the same time as Jack Hughes, his brother and teammate, ensuring both would be eligible for unrestricted free-agent status at the end of the 2029-30 season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hughes could also seek an average annual value of over $8 million on his new contract. The Devils currently have just over $6 million in cap space, which would require a cost-cutting trade before the start of the regular season. That would explain why veteran Dougie Hamilton surfaced in the rumor mill this summer.
TVA SPORTS: Team Canada assistant general manager Julien BriseBois explained why Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki wasn’t chosen for Canada’s roster in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February.
It was speculated that Suzuki was passed over because he didn’t play for Canada in the 2024 World Championship. BriseBois denied this, saying they knew he was a good player and had followed his performance closely last fall.
“We’re here to win, not to play politics,” BriseBois said. “We’re going to select the players who give us the best chance of winning the gold medal.”
Suzuki was among the 42 players invited to attend Canada’s Olympic orientation camp, held last week in Calgary. BriseBois stated that it was because he’s a player whose performance will be highly scrutinized.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Their roster decisions panned out in the 4 Nations. Canada won that tournament with a thrilling overtime victory over the United States in the gold medal game.
RG.ORG: Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell indicated earlier this week that he would be meeting soon with Adam Fantelli’s agent to discuss a contract extension. The 20-year-old center is slated to become a restricted free agent without arbitration rights next July.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fantelli is in the final season of his entry-level contract. He had a promising sophomore campaign in 2024-25, scoring 31 goals and accumulating 54 points. Fantilli also filled in as the Jackets’ first-line center after a wrist injury sidelined Sean Monahan.
Speaking of Monahan, Waddell indicated that he and captain Boone Jenner had fully recovered from last season’s injuries and are ready to go this season.
FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW/NESN: Panthers CEO Matt Caldwell is leaving the team to become the new CEO of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx. Meanwhile, the Panthers’ chief revenue officer, Shawn Thornton, is departing to join the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks as senior vice president and chief partnership officer.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Yes, that’s the same Shawn Thornton who spent 14 seasons in the NHL (2002-03 to 2016-17) as a physical checking-line forward and enforcer.
Seeing Shawn Thornton in a basketball uniform just doesn t seem right to me. How many games do you think he would have fouled out in if he played B – Ball?
Speaking of NHL centers, here’s an interesting take as to how the center collection by team rank overall
https://dose.ca/2025/08/29/depth-the-habs-have-the-nhls-second-worst-line-of-centers-according-to-travis-yost/
As I put in the rumors section; McTavish would be a needle mover for Habs
Hutson/McTavish swap with sundry picks/Assets to balance the trade
And as I replied in that section – classic Robbing Peter To Pay Paul.
I wouldn’t trade Hutson for McTavish.
It’s actually silly to even consider it.
George as a Hab fan I can’t disagree with this. But to me Montreal is in very tough to make the playoffs this year .(everything fell into place last year)
To me keeping the slow rebuild is the way to go. Trading away top prospects for a middling second line center at this point of the season for a chance at the playoffs would be the wrong way to go far from contenders. Hopefully one of the prospects can make the jump later this year or just wait until next off season to try and find someone.
Putting the Habs at the lowest level is fair, the team has a solid 1C and 4C and a bunch of 3Cs without identity.
Dach is not going to be 100% this year and probably never considering right knee surgery two years in a row.
Veleno is a mystery signing for me, I don’t see him bringing anything of value.
Beck and Kapanen pass my eye test but aren’t proven yet, so they don’t count for now.
Newhook is a question mark, he’s been used all over the place and hasn’t developed an identity, but he’s only 24y/o. There’s a clip of him working on face offs with Patrice Bergeron, so who knows what he will be this year.
McTavish isn’t leaving Anaheim, so talking about him is a fool’s errand.
Zacha is the sensible target from the get-go.
A better but costlier target is Pinto.
At the center position Boston belongs below the Habs.hf30 how about one of your younger winger prospects for Zacha. One who has top 6 potential with a little size mixed in.
At this point I don’t know what I’d give for Zacha.
Habs have too many prospects on the cusp and the prospect games, training camp, pre-season games will determine who lands where almost like musical chairs.
Owen Beck, Oliver Kapanen, Joshua Roy are fighting for a spot, harder now that Demidov and Bolduc have taken 2 away.
How about not? Zacha would be at best a placeholder.
The Habs’ stated long term strategy is consistent contender so any center the Habs add had to be a clear upgrade (and why would the Ducks trade McTavish, or the Habs Hutson?), or be developed from within.
No point in drafting players if they don’t get achance. Yes they have to earn it, but Kapanen played the first 12 games of the season last year and didn’t look out of place.
Kapanen was given a chance last year and he lost his spot to Heineman, who was traded away.
We’ll see how he looks now.
Roy was expected to make it last year and was sent to Laval during training camp.
Zacha is only 28y/o and would be a clear upgrade, call him a placeholder if you want, but for who?
Not all of the prospects are going to make it, some won’t be signed, some will be lost on waivers, some will be released, you can’t keep them all marinating.
Not something I am going to fuss about, but Kapanen didn’t lose his spot to Heineman; Condotta was recalled when Kapanen was returned to the SHL.
You can of course continue to call for Zacha all you want (now, mercifully, that Rossi has been signed), but the Habs are not going to trade for him. He scored 14 goals last year, whoop de doo. I want more for my 4.75 million, plus whatever asset the Bruins might want for giving up a center.
Zacha had only 14 goals but he had 33 assists.
47 pts would put him at 4th in scoring among forwards.
Suzuki-89
Caufield-70
Slafkovsky-51
Zacha-47
Gallagher-38
at center:
Suzuki- 89
Zacha- 47
Evans- 36
Dvorak- 33
Dach- 32 (prorated over 82 games)
Newhook- 26
Kapanen had 2pts in 18 games.
Beck had 1 pt in 12 games
that’s why they didn’t stay with the team.
There’s no C on the Habs after Suzuki who’ll match Zacha production.
Bad news for NJ Devils. The Hughes clan probably all know where they want to end up playing together. Wherever Quinn ends up, look for the other two brothers to join. My guess is Detroit.