NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 23, 2025
Check out the latest on Bruins winger David Pastrnak, Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
NHL.COM: David Pastrnak rejoined his Boston Bruins teammates in training camp on Monday after taking a week off dealing with tendinitis in his knee.
The 29-year-old winger said he’s been dealing with the issue throughout last season, but he wasn’t concerned about it. He finished fourth among NHL scorers in 2024-25 with 106 points.
Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak (NHL Images).
“I spent a lot of time in the summer to make it better, and it did get much better than it was last season,” Pastrnak said. “Obviously it wasn’t perfect (and) it’s not perfect yet, so it was perfect timing to get it even better – it already got better.”
Pastrnak isn’t sure if the issue will bother him during the upcoming season. “I guess (it’s) something that that time will tell,” he said.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: A healthy Pastrnak is key to the Bruins’ hopes to return to playoff contention after last season’s poor performance.
DAILY FACEOFF: Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has set a time limit for reporters to continue asking him about former teammate Mitch Marner.
“You got two more weeks, and then we’re done with these questions,” Matthew said, referring to the start of the Maple Leafs’ regular-season schedule on Oct. 8.
Marner’s departure to the Vegas Golden Knights this summer has been a hot topic in Toronto. Matthews acknowledged that he and his teammates knew they would face questions when training camp started, but it appears they’re ready to move on.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Those questions could resurface if the Leafs struggle early and Marner does well in Vegas.
VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: Speaking of the Golden Knights, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo isn’t ruling out returning to action.
“Nothing’s really concrete,” Pietrangelo said. “I’m just going to continue taking it day by day and go through the process and see where it goes.”
Pietrangelo, 35, is taking time to deal with a hip injury and is expected to begin this season on long-term injury reserve. He’s not considering surgery at this point, saying he intends to continue with rehabilitation, which is going well so far.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Changes to the collective bargaining agreement starting this season mean the Golden Knights won’t be able to use Pietrangelo being on LTIR as a way to build up their roster for the playoffs. They can still add to their roster before the March trade deadline, but must ice a cap-compliant roster during the postseason if Pietrangelo returns.
TSN: Evander Kane is looking forward to his first season with his hometown team. The 34-year-old winger was traded by the Edmonton Oilers to the Vancouver Canucks on June 25.
“It’s definitely cool to be able to put on the Canucks jersey as an NHL player,” Kane said. “The excitement has kind of been a slow build since I got traded. And I think it’ll start bubbling once the first regular-season game is played.”
Kane’s career has spanned 16 seasons with the Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks, and the Oilers, netting 321 goals, 291 assists, and 1,091 penalty minutes in 930 regular-season games.
SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Mario Ferraro is eligible for unrestricted free-agent status next summer, but the 27-year-old defenseman hopes to remain with the Sharks. He indicated that there haven’t been any contract extension talks yet with management.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ferraro is a big-minute blueliner with solid all-around skills. He will draw plenty of attention in this year’s trade market if the rebuilding Sharks decide he doesn’t fit in their long-term plans.
ARIZONA INSIDER: Former Coyotes beat writer Craig Morgan reports Andrea Doan, wife of former Coyotes captain Shane Doan, has been named chair of an advisory committee dedicated to bringing the NHL back to the Phoenix area.
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chair Tom Galvin is forming the committee, consisting of political, business, community, and sports leaders.
Shane Doan is currently under contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Andrea is representing the family. The committee’s goal is to find a suitable ownership group with deep financial resources and develop a plan to construct an arena in a suitable location.
The Coyotes moved to Salt Lake City in 2024 and were renamed the Utah Mammoth.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Coyotes’ ownership follies have been well-documented. Nevertheless, a stable ownership group capable of paying the expensive expansion fee and a suitable NHL venue near downtown Phoenix would be a strong enticement for the league to try again in Arizona.
The NHL has shown a willingness to return to former markets, starting with Atlanta with the expansion Thrashers in 1999 and that club’s relocation to Winnipeg in 2011. Recent reports suggest Atlanta could be in the running for an expansion franchise.
THE MERCURY NEWS: Bobby Grier, long-time NFL executive and father of San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier, passed away on Monday at age 82. Grier worked with the New England Patriots, Houston Texans, and Miami Dolphins.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Mike Grier and his family.
Hoo-boy, if Pietrangelo is successful enough in his rehab to get back into action would that ever toss a monkey wrench into the Vegas roster!
https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/article/pietrangelo-hopes-to-avoid-surgery-possibly-play-for-golden-knights-this-season/
Here’s hoping he does it.
And re the Atlanta comment above … here comes the cut-and-paste rant.
If the NHL is looking to return to former markets, I vote for the Kansas City Scouts and the Cleveland Barons! How’s that for no cut and paste?
Cleveland, during the Original Six era, was THE minor-league site most frequently mentioned as the first choice for an expansion franchise. And they do have the arena to support an NHL team in the 18,950-seat Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (formerly the Gund Arena). It would set up a great rivalry with Columbus, which is about 140 miles away … about the same distance as Ottawa-Montreal. In KC they already have the 18,000-seat T-Mobile Arena.
What neither has – yet – is the money-bags potential ownership identified like the one in Atlanta.
Loved the many old Barons logos – especially this one https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/logos/logos.php?t=185&s=1969&sf=
Hockey is a team sport. Alex is not coming back and ruining the team for the cup. That would be an NBA player kind of move.
Didn’t know you knew him personally and what he’s really thinking. Sorry.
Two biggest issues with a new team in ATL —
1) Proposed location of the new arena. Thrashers suffered having their barn in downtown. But way up north where the proposed arena will be is not much better. 2) Sour taste in people’s mouths from the Thrasher experiment. I know a bunch of folks that probably won’t come back this time.
The draft formula applied for Vegas and other expansion teams since is significantly better than for previous expansions. With it’s metro population, and the perceived growth of the NHL across the U.S. since the previous Atlanta experience, including natural rivalries well established, will more than make up for the lack of interest by folks you mention.
No billionaire is going to go down that road without first gauging the level of interest. They didn’t get to be billionaires by being stupid.
A lot billionaires are rich because of their parents, let’s not confuse wealth with wisdom.
The new arena has to be closer to the perimeter. Look at how successful the Braves have been getting out of the city and closer to their fanbase.
Atlanta is travel prohibitive.
Vernon Krause built his wealth through his huge Georgia automotive business – not inheritance – and his solid bid includes a plan to anchor, through the building of an NHL-ready arena, the highly-touted and anticipated $3 billion Atlanta development project named The Gathering at South Forsyth. As of this past June he and his group have secured all the necessary government approvals and, at last report, were putting together a “completed package” to Bettman.
I’m sure his detailed research has convinced him that attracting fans in sufficient numbers is not going to be a problem.
No one from any of the other touted sites – including Houston – has come up with anything similar.
Excellent post George – I hope you are right. It would be great to have such solid ownership owning and managing the next generation of birds in ATL.
If Pasta misses any time Boston will definitely be a lottery pick.Watching their preseason game against Washington the other night and same old Zadorov,turnover machine and Lohrei,soft on physical battles and weak defensively.
That’s all fine, Sr. No sense in being negative before the regular season fires up. There’s lots of time between February and April for the onslaught of abuse that will be directed at The President and GM. Probably even time to sling some mud at the anthem singer and Bull crew.
Sop just trying to be realistic with the teams talent base. Still can t understand why other than Ardvisson they sign 4 th line players,blocking the way for young players to get opportunities and be evaluated over a reasonable amount of games.
Dans Locmelis, Matej Blumel, Georgii Merkulov and Fabian Lysell will all get a good chance to steal a job. It’s up to them to take what’s given to them and force force themselves into a spot. But that means being able to play a complete game. Not sure any of those boys can at the Pro level.
After that, she’s slim pickins with the exception of Hagen and some bottom pairing defensive prospects.