NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 15, 2026
Check out the latest on Sharks center Macklin Celebrini, Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski, Senators forward Claude Giroux, Flames defenseman Simon Nemec, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
THE MERCURY NEWS: Curtis Pashelka reports San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini is the cover athlete for EA Sports’ NHL 27 video game.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Notable stars who’ve graced the cover of previous EA Sports NHL games include Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (NHL 18), Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL 20, NHL 22), Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (NHL 21), and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche (NHL 24).
San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (NHL Images).
Celebrini is in the final season of his entry-level contract and is eligible to sign a contract extension. His next deal will most likely make him one of the NHL’s highest-paid players, but he told ESPN that he’s not necessarily going to seek every available dollar.
“Obviously, guys want to get paid – as they should, because you’ve got to make a living,” Celebrini said. “There are guys that deserve those numbers that are getting them, but of course, you want to put your team in the best possible spot, where you give a team the ability to make moves necessary to win. I think all that goes into the decision.”
Celebrini also said that there’s no rush to get a deal done because he has a year left on his contract. “I think it’s just whenever it makes sense for both sides.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The maximum average annual value for 2027-28 (the first season of Celebrini’s next contract) is $22.7 million. He could become the league’s first $20 million man after Leo Carlsson got $18 million on a five-year deal from the Anaheim Ducks after they matched the Philadelphia Flyers’ offer sheet last week.
However, it sounds like Celebrini’s open to leaving a little money on the table to give the Sharks some salary-cap flexibility to bolster the club’s overall depth. He could seek an AAV between $18.5 million and $19.5 million on a four- or five-year contract, enabling him to sign a more lucrative deal when he enters the prime of his career.
TSN: Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell continued to downplay the trade rumors that swirled around superstar defenseman Zach Werenski last month.
Waddell claimed the media reports regarding his talks with the Werenski camp were different than what was actually discussed. He pointed out that the two sides cannot discuss a contract extension until next summer, but that was mistaken as the Blue Jackets wanting to trade him and him wanting to be traded.
“It was always discussed that, if there was something that made some sense, I would bring it to him,” Waddell said, referring to a trade offer.
Waddell said it was well known that the Blue Jackets were talking with the Dallas Stars about a trade when he called Werenski’s agent. “Within an hour, I got a call back saying that Zach doesn’t want to go anywhere and he wants to be a Blue Jacket.”
According to Waddell, he subsequently had “a great meeting” with Werenski, who said he’s been with the Blue Jackets for 10 years, wants to get the team back into the playoffs, and is fully committed to the team.
“What the future holds, we’ll figure that out when the time comes,” Waddell said. “But for now, he’s very excited about staying here and taking the team where we need to get back to: the playoffs.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The media wouldn’t have gotten involved if somebody from the Blue Jackets management or the Werenski side hadn’t spoken to them about the situation. The same goes for the trade talks with the Stars. These stories don’t get reported without a reliable source from one side or the other leaking it to a pundit.
Since those stories broke, Waddell and Werenski issued statements claiming the situation was blown out of proportion by the media, stressing the blueliner’s desire to stay in Columbus and help the Blue Jackets win.
I’m not questioning Waddell’s version of events or Werenski’s sincerity about staying in Columbus. However, questions about his future with the Blue Jackets will resurface next June, leading up to his eligibility to sign a contract extension starting on July 1, 2027.
OTTAWA SUN: Claude Giroux said his return to the Senators for another season was a family decision. The 38-year-old forward recently signed a one-year, $2 million contract.
“We just had to talk it over and make sure that we were doing the right thing here,” Giroux said. “When you’ve got three boys, it’s not just about me anymore.”
CALGARY SUN: Kent Wilson believes Simon Nemec’s contract is one of the biggest gambles by Craig Conroy as the Flames’ general manager.
Conroy acquired the promising but inconsistent Nemec from the New Jersey Devils last month, giving up two conditional first-round picks as part of the deal. He subsequently signed the 22-year-old defenseman to a five-year contract with an average annual value of $7.25 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Conroy is betting on Nemec blossoming into the top-pairing, puck-moving blueliner he was projected to become when the Devils chose him second overall in the 2022 NHL Draft.
The Nemec trade could become Conroy’s best move if the young rearguard develops as hoped. It could also cost him his job if Nemec fails to pan out.
PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins avoided salary arbitration with Nick Robertson, signing the 24-year-old winger to a two-year contract with an AAV of $3.25 million.
The Penguins also hired Brandon Pridham as a hockey operations consultant. Pridham spent 12 seasons as an assistant general manager with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’s reuniting with Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas, who was GM of the Leafs for most of Pridham’s tenure in Toronto.
BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: The Bruins hired former Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams as a Senior Advisor to Bruins GM Don Sweeney.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: The New York Islanders’ third-jersey competition for 2027-28 surpassed 65,000 entries from creative fans.
I disagree with the idea that someone close to Waddell or Werenski got the trade rumors started. I’ve been a Jackets fan since the beginning of the franchise and keep several hockey news sites and Jackets blogs bookmarked to catch the latest news about them. And the start of the rumors was Pierre LeBrun asking if Werenski might request a trade because his best friend, Dylan Larkin, had done so. Suddenly, every hockey website was reporting that Werenski had demanded a trade.
In other words, it was all an internet rumor and, as we all know, if it’s on the Internet, it must be true. *rolls eyes*
Agree with you Paul. Unfortunately a lot of journalism today is “click bait”.
Paul, the story about the Stars and Blue Jackets talking trade about Werenski wasn’t an “internet rumor”.
Yes, LeBrun had mused about Werenski requesting a trade. However, he also subsequently reported this on June 26: “Nothing imminent, but the Blue Jackets have started listening to teams calling on Zach Werenski, sources confirm. The CBJ are aware that the Norris Trophy winner is unlikely to extend past his deal. No guarantee he’s dealt this summer but Jackets’ best deal could be now versus waiting a year. We’ll see how it develops.”
This wasn’t “click bait” and it wasn’t “I wonder if Werenski will request a trade?” This is Lebrun reporting sources confirming the Blue Jackets were fielding calls from teams interested in Werenski, adding the Jackets were aware he was unlikely to sign an extension next summer. By the way, he never reported Werenski was demanding a trade.
You’ll notice that I said nothing about the Dallas story or teams inquiring about Werenski. I only discounted the Werenski requesting a trade rumors because, as best as I’ve been able to learn, he never did.
Exactly! And LeBrun never reported Werenski requested a trade. Neither did Darren Dreger, Elliotte Friedman, and Nick Kypreos. They all noted the Blue Jackets were taking calls about the blueliner, and the story that he was unlikely to sign an extension, but they didn’t say he requested a trade.
I don’t think I ever read he requested a trade… just that he wouldn’t sign a contract extension.
“However, questions about his future with the Blue Jackets will resurface next June, leading up to his eligibility to sign an offer sheet starting on July 1, 2027.”
Zach is beyond OS eligibility. Maybe you meant the Russian sniper, Marchenko.
Whoops, I mean contract extension, not offer sheet. Nice catch, Johnny, I’ve corrected it. Cheers!
I am high on Nemec. He was 4th in ice time for NJD Defenseman and had more 5v5 goals than the other 3.
I like him more than Byram(who i also like
Devils fan here. Nemec wasn’t given the same room for growth as Luke Hughes. His play in the Olympics showed when given the opportunity he did well. I think he’ll wind up being very good.
Steve Yzerman is out as GM in Detroit. Should be interesting to see if they go outside of the organization.
Ed – what is equally interesting will be how the new GM deals with Larkin. This could be an opportunity where maybe they can smooth things over and reevaluate next off season. Or does the new GM swiftly deal with it, move em for what they can get and move on.
Been a much more interesting NHL summer than usual to say the least
There will either be a lot of change or very little change. If it’s Draper, he’ll stay the course. If it’s an outside candidate, there could be wholesale changes. Buckle up!!
Yzerman had worse results than Ron Franis in Seattle. Yzerman at least had some elite talent in Larkin, Seider, Raymond..
2 out of 3 of the players you mentioned were Yzerman picks. Seider was his first pick and everyone was shocked by the pick. Considering what he started with, I still think he did pretty well. He had to build from nothing while navigating a salary cap. Neither Holland nor Devellano had that restriction. By the time the salary cap started, Detroit had a great prospect pool.
A good captain should call his GM out after a while of prolonged poor results. Mediocrity is not a result of a great plan. The plan in Tampa was probably more from a great 2nd in command.