NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 4, 2026
The top-20 wingers for 2026-27, Senators coach Travis Green was surprised Brady Tkachuk wanted a trade, the latest front-office changes by the Islanders, Wild, and Maple Leafs, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
NHL.COM: Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins, and Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild are among the NHL Network’s ranking of the league’s top-20 wingers.
Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Follow the link above for the complete ranking and let us know what you think in the comments section below.
OTTAWA SUN: Senators head coach Travis Green admitted he was surprised that Brady Tkachuk wanted out of Ottawa. The Senators traded the 26-year-old left winger to the Florida Panthers in June.
Green said he went through a range of emotions when he learned that Tkachuk wanted a trade, including some anger. However, he said that he spoke with the winger following the trade, had a good conversation, wished him luck, and has moved on. Green was a teammate of Brady’s father, Keith, and said he will maintain a good relationship with the Tkachuk family.
As for the coming season, Green believes the Senators still have plenty of upside, citing the ongoing improvement of young players such as Jake Sanderson, Tim Stutzle, and Ridly Greig.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tkachuk’s departure has some Senators fans believing the club will be better without the distraction over the status of their former captain. It will be interesting to see how they adjust this season and who fills the leadership role.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: The New York Islanders officially announced the hiring of Evan Gold as their assistant general manager. Gold has also taken over as general manager of their AHL affiliate in Hamilton.
Gold has previously spent 11 seasons with the Boston Bruins in various front-office roles.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This hiring was not unexpected as Gold was rumored to be joining the Isles once his contract with the Bruins expired on Aug. 1.
TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs hired Andy O’Brien as their new head of sports performance. O’Brien is the long-time personal trainer of Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, whose clientele also includes Maple Leafs center John Tavares.
A native of Charlottetown, PEI, the 49-year-old O’Brien is founder and president of O’Brien Sports, with 25 years of experience in various athletic performance roles. He’s also been the high- performance consultant for the Florida Panthers since 2021.
DAILY FACEOFF: Former NHL defenseman Alex Goligoski has been moved from player development advisor to player development coach. He was initially hired by the Wild last year after retiring as an NHL player in 2024 following 17 seasons, including three with the Wild.
DAILY FACEOFF: Scott Maxwell recently listed the five most mediocre NHL teams of the past 10 years.
The Detroit Red Wings topped the list, followed by the Arizona Coyotes/Utah Mammoth, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, and Philadelphia Flyers.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: What do you think, folks? Do those clubs belong on this list? Would you re-rank them? Is there another club that should be on this list? Let us know in the comments section.
Ah yes, an award the Wings and the Yzerplan are truly worthy of! Bravo! 😒
I tend to agree with Green’s view that Tkachuk’s abrupt departure will, with veterans Giroux and Chabot and their long-time experience leading the way initially, result in the team becoming even closer.
Eventually, however, I see Sanderson becoming captain, probably in 2027-28. Now heading into his 5th full season in the league, he already shows a maturity beyond his 24 years that has earned him the complete trust of Green, who goes to him consistently in all critical situations.
And unlike the volatile Tkachuk, Sanderson maintains his composure in all such situations.
I would agree with that George, the trade allowed for the arrival of Eklund who will continue to shine minus the noise.
Tkachuk is a good player but there are too many negatives in his game unless he’s in a supporting role, where he can be very effective.
It’s not the Sens I wonder about now, George, It’s the effect on what we might diplomatically call the outsized personalities of the Tkachuks, with Dad hovering in the background, on the Panthers.
And I too think the Sens will in the medium term, be better for Brady’s absence.
Habfan30 – LJ – admittedly, there is a lot of finger-crossing hope in Ottawa that several pundit/analyst observations saying Eklund is “more skilled” in certain offensive aspects of the game than is Tkachuk, turns out to be accurate – those aspects being skating speed, playmaking vision, and transition control. He won’t, of course, replace Tkachuk’s strength as a heavy power F … but this observer will gladly take what he brings to the table over what they lost.
And if, as the chatter has indicated, Cozens moves from 2nd line C to 1st line RW with Eklund and Stutzle, that could turn out to be a solid combination. For the impact of the 2nd line, however – which will have Pinto centering Batherson on the right side and most likely Burakovsky on the left (they didn’t get him at $5.5 mil per to play 3rd/4th line minutes) – that will have to be subject to a wait-and-see approach. More finger-crossing.
That first line sounds pretty darn good George.
George O,I find it hard to think that your Sens lost some much needed sand paper for your group. Brady had many faults but no one dragged his team into the fray more than he did. Your forwards are super skilled but a little soft . plus you play the Panthers 4 times and possibly 7 more if you run into them in the playoffs!
As I keep pointing out, Sr, Staios can’t be finished dealing since, no matter how you try and configure the F lines, and assuming Halliday cracks the line-up as the 4th line C to start the season (which he is fully expected to do based upon internal assessments), there are at least 1 and possible two from among Grieg, Foegele, Zetterlund and Cousins who could be hard-pressed to find an everyday slot.
So, perhaps that deal – if and when it indeed goes down before the season start – could bring in that “sandpaper.” Time will tell.
Meanwhile, with most of the “intimidating” nature of the games, these usually occur early in a season, and if there’s any anticipation of that, you can bet MacDermid will slot in somewhere … and not many will be anxious to take him on.
Greig, Kleven and Cousins can also handle that crap if needed.
Where Florida is concerned, I hope for their sake that Zito has assembled a top pk unit because all indications point to a long, steady parade to the penalty box.
The “sandpaper” element isn’t something that concerns me right now.
If the list was mediocre past 40 years you’d have to put Philly number one. 😝
You mean that team that outscored the Penguins 16 – 11 – with 2 shut-outs – in knocking them out of the last playoffs 4 – 2? 🙂
When was the last time they Flyers won the cup? Remind us. Just so we know.
George- even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then
Hah. Good analogy Ed. I was just trying to yank Chrism’s chain … he has such a deep-rooted dislike of the Flyers. Not that I can blame him – having a classless nimrod like Booby Clarke as their captain … and then to compound things by appointing him GM …. will – and did – evoke intense dislike,
Bobby Clarke, the original rat. At least in my lifetime. Man I hated the Flyers as a little kid due the battles with the Bruins in the early 70’s.
But he sure could play. Best info I could find has him with 36 fighting majors, not sure how accurate that is as they didn’t track that stuff well back then. Not many “agitators” fight that often anymore, especially one who could play like Clarke. The guy was good.
His slash on Khalamov in the Canada Soviet Series is as about a brutal a hack as you will ever see. And was huge for Canada as he was the Soviets best player, and he never really came back to the series after that. No confirmation that he broke his ankle, but wouldn’t surprise me in the least with the old leather skates back then.
Trip down memory lane for us Canadians:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRlnqthpTbM
Yeah those flyers that haven’t won anything asides from beating the penguins who won 3 cups….
Mixed feelings about that slash, Ray. Back then, caught up in the high drama, way to go Clarkie. But now, in retrospect, that was one cheap slash that would earn a suspension today.
And by the way, I join you in a hatred of the Flyers and Clark that lasts to this day. At one point Serge Savard lamented the decline in hockey given the Flyers’ goon style of play.
Perhaps you hold just a bit of appreciation that the Habs took it to them? You can say it, it will be liberating 😉
Ya LJ, it was a different time when it comes to international hockey. Although that series was an anomaly as there wasn’t some governing body that could have stepped in on a play like that.
I watched a documentary on it a few years ago, flippin’ nuts. Mahovolich going into the stands to grab Eagleson from the police or whoever those government dudes were is something else I will never forget.
As much as as I root against the Habs, there was always a grudging respect for them which is about as far as I can go!
See, Ray, didn’t that feel good!
I have you, George and SOP as just on the edge of conversion.
And I still hope the Oil win the Cup this coming season.
Some very healthy appropriate distain for the cryers. But I’ll be kind. There isn’t another city in the world that can duplicate those cheesesteaks. A guy selling one on the curb off a cart in Philly is giving you a better steak than any restaurant in North America. It’s unfair.
No LJ, it did not feel good.
Oil vs Habs final isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Yes Brady did get traded and to there just like I said … been away for a while
No one needed a crystal ball to determine WHERE he’d demand to go if and when he did make the demand. Blood is thicker than water, Joe.
Welcome back, by the way.
On the topic of top wingers in the NHL,no one has played with more mediocre centers than Pasta the last 3 years since the retirement of Bergeron and Krecji.Boston owes it to him to see if the could pry Larkin out of Detroit,Mcavoy make a call and help this guy out. Boston does have the pieces to make it work!
Boston lost 3 good people in their organization in Gold,Langenbrunner and their Providence head coach who s name escapes me. Feels like they are boxed out by the old boy network in Sweeney and Neely.In fairness to them they brought in Kevyn Adams who was fired in Buffalo this year. The same guy who traded Eichel and Rinehart .
Lightning have good wings.
Couple of good centers.
A Dman or two.
And goaltending.
And a first round curse to overcome.
See y’all in the playoffs.