NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 13, 2025

by | Oct 13, 2025 | News, NHL | 10 comments

The Capitals shut out the Rangers, injury updates on the Penguins’ Kris Letang, the Bruins’ Hampus Lindholm, and the Blue Jackets’ Eric Gudbranson, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Washington Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren made 35 saves to blank the New York Rangers 1-0. Anthony Beauvillier scored the only goal as the Capitals have won two of their first three games of the season. Jonathan Quick stopped 20 shots for the Rangers, who’ve won two of their first four contests.

Washington Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, the Rangers placed defenseman Carson Soucy (upper body) on injured reserve. He suffered the injury during Saturday’s 6-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury suffered during Saturday’s loss to the Rangers.

NESN: Boston Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm (lower-body injury) is unlikely to play in Monday’s matinee against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He’s listed as day-to-day but could return later in the week.

CBS SPORTS: Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson is being evaluated for an upper-body injury suffered during Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

NHL.COM: Utah Mammoth defenseman Ian Cole was fined $2,500.00 by the NHL department of player safety for a dangerous trip against Nashville Predators forward Steven Stamkos on Saturday.

THE PROVINCE: Vancouver Canucks blueliner Tyler Myers was fined $2,500.00 for slashing Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid on Saturday.

TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan will make his NHL debut on Monday against the Detroit Red Wings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Cowan, 20, was chosen in the first round (28th overall) by the Maple Leafs in the 2023 NHL Draft. He’s considered their top prospect.

TSN: The Florida Panthers signed forward Jonah Gadjovich to a two-year contract extension.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: PuckPedia indicates the 27-year-old Gadjovich will receive an average annual value of $905K.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven (upper-body injury) will return to the lineup for Monday’s game against the Predators.

WINNIPEG SUN: Jets blueliner Haydn Fleury is day-to-day with a bruised knee.

THE ATHLETIC: Eric Stephens reports San Jose Sharks owner Hasso Plattner recently raised eyebrows with some pointed comments about previous moves made by his club.

Plattner admitted that letting long-time Sharks forward Joe Pavelski depart to the Dallas Stars as a free agent was a mistake. He said acquiring defenseman Erik Karlsson may have been great in theory but not in practice, admitting he’d been a good player but not a team-friendly one.

The Sharks owner also admitted the long-term contracts for Karlsson, Tomas Hertl, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic put off a necessary rebuild, and that he backed current general manager Mike Grier’s work in building up the roster.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hindsight in 20-20 and those regrets won’t change history. What matters now for the Sharks is that Grier’s rebuilding efforts continue to have Plattner’s support. The Sharks GM completed the teardown two years ago and has done a good job building up the roster with good young players and veteran acquisitions.







10 Comments

  1. Is the NHL schedule maker on peyote dust?

    During the first 7 days of the schedule:

    No games on Friday

    1 Game on Sunday

    4 games starting around the lunch hour on a MONDAY!!!

    How is the schedule so bad, so early on?

    Did they expand knucklehead Parros’ job spec?

    Reply
    • It’s Columbus Day. Lots of people off work. Good time to get a matinee crowd.

      Reply
      • I believe they are concerned that tv ratings would crater if they go directly against Monday Night Football and the start of baseball’s next playoff series.

      • I get the booking/scheduling of SOME of the games early today to avoid as many conflicts with Monday Night Football; but not the Baseball games.

        The MLB games for tonight were booked well after the NHL schedule was set.

        On top of that; they could have had a staggered start of NHL games

        Denverites will be tuning in mid morning to watch the puck drop

        3 games have simultaneous 1 PM (EST) starts

        Yet there is STILL 5 games coinciding with Monday Night Football

        That’s just today!

        Add to that; 4th day of season (a Friday): zero games!!!

        6th day of season (Sunday): 1 game

        Per some in media , they (NHL) planned all along for opening Saturday to have ALL teams play; and that was the reason for no games Friday!? Hunh?

        What the Freaky Deaky?

        Teams can’t play Friday night & Sat night??? Or just one game (two teams) playing Sat/Sun?

        Back2Backs happen for every team; all through the season

        Travel concerns on B2B’s????

        How about last Friday and Saturday: OR Sat/Sun B2B’s of:

        Kings v Ducks

        Isles v Rangers

        Habs v Sens

        Panthers v Lightning

        Oilers v Flames

        That’s 5 games at least extra on Friday & Sunday total (that WAS just 1!) with no border crossing; same time zone both B2B’s; minimal travel time

        They could also add B2B : Pens/Jackets

        And for short hop flights (but with border crossing):

        Krakken/Canucks

        Leafs/Sabres

        Literally zero excuse for having no games Friday; and only one yesterday

        I’m convinced Parros’ type wisdom was used here

    • No idea why there were no Friday games, but Canadian Thanksgiving is a factor in the Sunday/Monday schedule.

      Reply
  2. Re Platner saying “He said acquiring defenseman Erik Karlsson may have been great in theory but not in practice, admitting he’d been a good player but not a team-friendly one.”

    I wish Dubas would have thought in those terms before taking on that $10 M in Cap hit

    Reply
    • I’d say that Dubas was trying to appease the older core players who thought they could make another cup run!

      Reply
      • Sorry Johnny

        I was not trying to infer that getting EK (at the time) was necessarily improper

        Getting him at $10 M Cap hit was

        Let’s not forget that Grier was saying (pre trade) during time of finding a trading psrtner , that he may have to retain 30%

        Stating that typically means he might go higher than 30%

        Yet Dubas made a deal with only 13% retained; and still overpaid in the deal

        That was my issue

        30% retention would mean EK on books now ag just $8.05 M

  3. I hope, for the kid’s sake, that the Leafs don’t repeat past mistakes by rushing and expecting too much at the outset from Easton Cowan just because he was a 1st round pick (28th overall) in 2023.

    He was a force with London in the OHL and I saw him fairly often in games against the 67’s where he dominated. But there have been other late 1st Round picks who similarly dominated at the Major Junior level and who bombed out once they reached the NHL.

    In fact, from 2000 to 2019 (way too early to pass judgement on the 2021 to 2025 picks), 11 of those taken at # 28 can only be described at busts – roughly 51% of this chosen): 2001 Adrian Foster (N.J.), 2002 Jonas Johansson (Colorado), 2007 NickPetercki (San Jose). 2008 Viktor Tikhonov (Arizona), 2009 Dylan Olson (Chicago), 2011 Zach Phillips (Minnesota), 2013 Morgan Klimchuk (Calgary), 2014 Josh Ho-Sang (NYI), 2016 Lucas Johansen (Washington), 2017 Shane Bowers (Ottawa), 2019 Ryan Suzuki (Carolina).

    Four in that span (or 20%) can best be regarded as solid bottom half picks: 2004 Mark Fistrik (Dallas), 2015 Anthony Beauvillier (NYI), 2018 Nils Lundqvist (NYR), 2020 Ridley Greig (Ottawa).

    Six (or 29%) can legitimately be regarded as good picks: 2000 Justin Williams (Philadelphia), 2003 Corey Perry (Anaheim), 2005 Matt Niskanen (Dallas), 2010 Charlie Coyle (San Jose), 2012 Brady Skjei (NYR), 2016 Nick Foligno (Ottawa).

    Reply
    • So, in effect, based on averages, Cowan has an almost 50-50 chance of becoming anywhere from a complete bust to a good, bottom-half player or a very good pick.

      That will also apply to the others taken between 2021 and 2025: 2021 Oskar Olausson (Colorado), 2022 Jiri Kulich (Buffalo), 2024 Matvei Gridin (Calgary), 2025 Sascha Beumedienne (Winnipeg).

      Reply

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