NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 20, 2026
The latest on Sabres winger Zach Benson, Ron Francis returns to the Penguins, the Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup win could benefit youth hockey in Carolina, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports sources tell him the Buffalo Sabres are working on a new contract for winger Zach Benson that could be comparable to the deal they signed with winger Josh Doan.
Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson (NHL Images
Benson, 21, is coming off his entry-level contract. He netted a career-best 43 points in 65 games this season, along with five goals and nine points in 13 games.
Doan, 24, signed a seven-year contract extension with the Sabres in January worth an average annual value of $6.95 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Benson garnered plenty of attention with his performance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He’s a sparkplug player who gave his teammates a jolt of energy and timely offense when needed most.
Benson’s pesky ways also got under his opponents’ skin. His slewfoot of Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy in their first-round series showed a level of recklessness that could get him into trouble if he continues with those antics. He’ll need to keep his head on a swivel the next time those two clubs face each other.
Nevertheless, Benson emerged this season as an invaluable part of the Sabres’ roster. He’ll be crucial to their efforts to build on this season’s success.
PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Ron Francis has returned to the Penguins as the Special Advisor, Hockey Operations to president of hockey ops and general manager Kyle Dubas.
Francis won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins as a player from 1991 to 1998. He recently left the Seattle Kraken after spending six years in front-office roles, mostly as their general manager.
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: The Carolina Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup championship run this season could provide a boost to local youth hockey as their first Cup run did twenty years ago.
DAILY FACEOFF: The Toronto Marlies are the AHL’s Calder Cup champions after defeating the Chicago Wolves 4-3 in Game 5 of the Cup Final. It’s the second time they’ve won the AHL championship in eight years.
TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan finished third among the postseason scorers with 18 points, including three assists in the Cup-clinching game.
The Marlies also had the sweater of the late Maple Leafs prospect Radim Amirov in their Calder Cup championship photo. His No. 72 jersey had been hanging in their dressing room and practice facility this season. Amirov was the Leafs’ first-round pick in 2020. He passed away in 2023 from a brain tumor.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to the Marlies for their Calder Cup championship. It was also a classy gesture on their part to honor Amirov’s memory.
Some folks on social media tried to credit the Marlies’ success to newly-hired Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka, but he had nothing to do with it. This team was built by Maple Leafs assistant GM (and Marlies general manager) Ryan Hardy, under the supervision of former Leafs GM Brad Treliving.
RATINGS.ORG: Marco D’Amico profiled prospect defenseman Xavier Villeneuve of the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. He will be playing for Boston University next season.
The 5’11, 162-pound Villeneuve’s size has dropped him in the overall prospect rankings. However, his style of play has drawn comparisons to Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes and Montreal Canadiens blueliner Lane Hutson.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hutson’s size was the reason why he dropped to the second round in the 2022 draft, where the Montreal Canadiens selected him. Considering how Hutson has become a star in Montreal, teams seeking a puck-moving defenseman could keep that in mind to avoid making the same mistake with Villeneuve.
TML fans at least you can hang your hat on the Marlies Which leads me to believe with the record that you had this year,why weren t more of the Marlies in your lineup for an extended period of time?
Sr
I would agree that the Leafs could have utilized their farm team a little better.
Unfortunately, sometimes when players aren’t drafted by, or traded for, by the current regime they aren’t given a serious chance to play for the big club.
With Toronto’s inability to move the puck from the blue line. I’m very surprised that William Villeneuve didn’t get a legitimate shot ahead of guys like Myers or Mermis.
The same can be said for Vinny Lettieri and Bo Groulx. Both of those guys should’ve had a spot ahead of Jarnkrok.
There are a few players I’d like to see get a legitimate shot at making the Leafs instead of the usual Leaf way of signing declining vets to bloated contracts.
A big reason is player development. Do you want a prospect playing bottom half of the line up minutes in the NHL or playing big minutes in important situations in the AHL?
Ed
I understand the player development part.
My issue with the Leafs is the have been drafting players that play a certain style then call them up and expect them to play a different game.
They were struggling with moving the puck from the blue line. Why wasn’t Niemela and Villeneuve given a chance? Instead they sign guys like Mermis and Myers and they get called up. Then, their lack of puck moving skills keeps the Leafs hemmed in their end for long stretches.
Look how they handled Robertson. The kids scored 55 goals in his last year in the OHL and then when they call them up, they stick him on the third line with two guys that couldn’t find the net with a map..
It’s going to be an interesting off season for a few teams.
So, the Raddysh deal includes a full NMC and a full NT clause for the first 6 years before becoming a 16-team NT list for the final 2 years. Some are already viewing that as a real risk should this past season turn out to be a one year phenomenon.
Being a late-bloomer, whose eye-opening breakout season came at age 29/30, is seen by some analysts as largely due to increased ice time and pp minutes and that there is always a risk of regression. That has certainly happened before with some who turned out to be “one-hit wonders” and whose contracts became, almost immediately, virtually unmovable when they could not repeat that output playing in their new environment with different teammates.
Others who experienced that sort of regression after signing new hefty deals based upon 1 great season somewhat well into their careers, include Ville Leino, Jonathan Cheechoo, David Clarkson, Andrew Ladd and Jeff Skinner.
Now, I am NOT suggesting that that IS going to happen with Raddysh. Even if he doesn’t put up quite the same numbers as this past season in Toronto, something between his previous 82-game averages over 176 gp of 6g 28a 34 pts and this past season’s 22g 48a 70 pts will still be worth the deal.
But I think we also all know the possibility is surely going to have the fan base and local media scrutinizing every aspect of his game right from the get-go, and that that sort of pressure in Toronto is unmatched anywhere else.
I wish him all the luck.
As I alluded to yesterday, they also gave him bonuses every year that make it buyout proof. Salary goes down last few years but bonuses limit cap savings to just over 2m.
George,
The talk about a breakout year at 30y/o after “only” 3 years in the NHL, glosses over 6 unremarkable years in the AHL.
This may end up well as the game is played on the ice not the internet but there is no reason to see him as the outlier- there never is though.
This is an extremely high risk move for a player this old. I’m better TB jumped for joy when Tor made the offer. Kuch was the primary assist guy on 80% of his goals and his playoff stats are horrible. Tir doesn’t have a good play maker.Tor taking a shot on this guy at this price is crazy. I have no issues with it personally as I’m a Bruins fan lol but had the Bruins made this move I’d be heavily concerned. This signing is not gonna age well considering his age high salary and 8 years. I’m not seeing the potential in this guy.
George, good post, skeptical but not cynical. While out for a short drive yesterday morning, I was listening to Toronto sports radio. Someone who knew Darren and the family had high praise – down to earth, easy going, will integrate well into the locker room. Kind of makes sense given that Raddysh was undrafted and worked his way through the minors, playing for 3 different organizations over the course of 6 years..
Although Raddysh had a great year, the 2024-25 season wasn’t bad
6 goals, 31 assists, 37 points and plus nine.
He was called up for good late in 2022-23, with phenomenal stats in Syracuse
50 games – 13 goals, 38 assists, 51 points and plus 19.
The signing is definitely a risk, but at least half a dozen other teams were also prepared to accept that risk.
Re other teams prepared to accept that risk … you can bet on it Hammer_of_the_Gods. And there’s no doubt in my mind that those NM/NT protection clauses were uppermost in his mind when dickering on the contract. If Chayka hadn’t agreed, some of those other teams would have in UFA negotiations.
Like them or not, it’s just the cost of doing business these days … with top UFAs anyway.
George, you’re correct in suggesting that its the environment that may mean more than the hockey.
In Tampa he “saved the season”, had a new a cute baby, had bald eagle T-shirts, and had the benefit of the impression of paying his dues and being a real bargain. In short, absolute adulation, and much of what he did was unexpected and much appreciated.
I think he is mature enough to handle the pressure and deliver a good season. I sincerely hope that good is good enough. I’d also suggest that he has the suggestion that unfounded expectations really hurt his brother in Chicago…he was traded for Hagel and cold never do enough to justify that move.
Even Chayka says the deal is “not without its risks.” But let’s face it, there were definitely other teams that would have been after him had he tested the UFA waters, especially being a RD. Chayka got out in front of the pack for the cost of a 5th round pick …. and, of course, those movement-protection/bonus clauses on top of a lengthy to-the-end-of-career deal.
Here’s a couple of articles on the move:
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/maple-leafs-blockbuster-move-blows-200201256.html
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7342581/2026/06/09/darren-raddysh-free-agency-breakout-season-contract-ufa/
We all know signing Raddysh to a contract like that based on one good season on an expiring contract comes with risk.
But risk is different than foolhardy.
And let’s be honest: part of the reason Chayka signed him was to turn the page on his controversial hiring.
This deal could look like the deal Boston gave Elias Lindholm. Keep in mind the players in TB that played with Raddish and helped him pad his statistics. Does Toronto find a guy like Kucherov to set him up at the point.
A simple search on some raddish goals will show you there wasn’t anything special trick passes from Kuch to Raddish but you can’t deny that bomb from the point.
I don’t think anyone thinks he’s a solid defender that is good and has a shot. No one is thinking he’s anything more than a guy this team hasn’t had in a long time, defensively good puck mover with a shot. If he can bring that he’ll be more than good.
Ron
8.5 for 8 years 30 years old and you also left out his terrible playoff stats. I’m pretty sure this is the most sizable risk Iv seen in hockey. If he doesn’t produce the fans and media will turn on him quickly. This could be a huge disaster and as a Bruins fan I wouldn’t be upset. If Bos did this I’d be concerned about everything from performance to cap to front office. So I’m not just crapping on Tor either
The thing with raddysh on the pp is 86 was the QB not Raddysh. You also have to look at he was 4th option u worried about point in the bumper then guentzel and kuch. Moser covered so many of his d lapses also.Year knocked out by Toronto he was horrible boxing out and was on the ice for so many of leafs tips & rebounds. That said nice guy great story, nice to see a guy stick with it and hit magical contract year
Everybody’s different and everyone’s the same.
Re Raddysh’s age, I coached a young man (high school basketball) who was a city all-star and had an excellent career in college ball. We coached together some years after that and he told me that it wasn’t until age 25 that he actually “got” the game, actually could see the floor and make sense of how the game should be played. Those comments have stuck with me – I’m sure pro athletes could identify with them.
Could it be that Raddysh has figured the game out and knows instinctively now how to play?
Only the players and maybe their coaches know for sure. As with all things, big risks comes big rewards/grave loses. 😀
Are we entertained?