The Jets suspend Connor Hellebuyck; Dylan Larkin to miss the start of Red Wings training camp; Drew Doughty is the Kings’ new captain; and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

TOP HEADLINES

DAILY FACEOFF: The Winnipeg Jets suspended goaltender Connor Hellebuyck for failing to report to training camp. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will speak with the media on Thursday to discuss the decision.

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (NHL Images).

Last month, Hellebuyck released a statement revealing he had requested a trade. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner has four years left on his contract with an average annual value of $8.5 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hellebuyck is trying to pressure Cheveldayoff into trading him. The Jets GM will likely cite breach of contract when addressing this issue today. The suspension will likely be without pay as per the collective bargaining agreement. Hellebuyck won’t feel that right away because NHL players don’t start getting paid until the regular season begins.

It’ll be interesting to hear what Cheveldayoff has to say. If he bends and moves Hellebuyck quickly for a poor return, it could encourage other unhappy players to follow suit. It could also cost him his job.

Given Cheveldayoff’s history of dealing with players who want to be traded, he won’t make a move until he gets a decent offer, something he reportedly hasn’t received yet. That could change if injuries strike any team interested in Hellebuyck. A poor start by one of those teams could make them willing to meet Cheveldayoff’s asking price.

This could backfire on Hellebuyck. Cheveldayoff can afford to wait patiently for better offers. If the Jets struggle in Hellebuyck’s absence, fans will blame him more than the general manager. If the club copes well, that strengthens Cheveldayoff’s position. It could leave the 33-year-old Hellebuyck at risk of missing the entire season, which might not be a good idea at this stage of his career.

ESPN.COM: The Los Angeles Kings named defenseman Drew Doughty as their new captain. He replaced Anze Kopitar, who retired at the end of last season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Color me unsurprised. The 36-year-old Doughty was expected to inherit the “C” from Kopitar. He’s starting his 19th season, all of them with the Kings.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers head coach Paul Maurice will not have Matthew and Brady Tkachuk on the same line as the brothers start their first NHL training camp together. Maurice is thinking about putting Brady alongside center Aleksander Barkov and winger Sam Reinhart.

“I don’t want to give everybody what they want with the two Tkachuk brothers together with Sam Bennett up the middle,” Maurice said with a grin. “They’ll be in jail before the puck drops.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Don’t be surprised if the Tkachuks and Bennett wind up on the same line at some point this season.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Carolina Hurricanes released a statement that restricted free agent defenseman Alexander Nikishin will not attend training camp. GM Eric Tulsky said that the 24-year-old Nikishin is not under contract and there would be no further comment at this time.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nikishin requested a trade earlier this summer and hasn’t changed his mind. Tulsky could be working on a sign-and-trade scenario for the sophomore blueliner, who’s been linked to the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Oilers GM Stan Bowman addressed the pushback from some of the team’s fans for signing Alex Formenton. The 27-year-old winger was among the five former Canadian junior players acquitted last year of sexual assault charges stemming from an incident in 2018 in London, Ontario.

Bowman said he understood that signing Formenton might not be universally accepted by the Oilers fans. He claimed the club conducted due diligence to ensure that signing the winger would be the right decision.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers hiring personnel with controversial histories (including Bowman and new head coach Mike Babcock) has raised concerns from some fans and pundits about the team’s direction and the values of those doing the hiring. Their defenders argue that they deserve a second chance, but they could change their tune if the Oilers perform poorly.

INJURY ROUNDUP

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Red Wings center Dylan Larkin will miss the start of training camp with an upper-body injury that he suffered during off-ice training.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Is the upper-body injury a jaw wired shut? Okay, I borrowed that one-liner from my Bleacher Report colleague Sara Civian, but it would explain why we haven’t heard Larkin publicly address his messy trade request yet.

Speaking of the Red Wings, interim GM Shawn Horcoff said the club has no desire to rebuild its roster. “We have too many good players in that lineup,” he said, pointing to how close they’ve come to making the playoffs during the last three seasons. Horcoff said his goal, and that of his players, is to keep looking forward.

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar will miss the start of training camp with a lower-body injury. It’s uncertain when the superstar blueliner will be ready, but head coach Jared Bednar doesn’t believe it’s a cause for concern. He also indicated that Makar’s injury isn’t related to the one he suffered in the postseason.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal will be sidelined for the next two weeks due to inflammation from a previous injury. He could be sidelined for the start of the regular season.

THE MONTREAL GAZETTE: Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle will miss the next four to five weeks due to minor surgery this summer to repair an adductor muscle.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Guhle’s injury opens a spot for one of the Canadiens’ promising young defensemen like David Reinbacher or Adam Engstrom to prove they’re ready to make the jump to the NHL.

TORONTO STAR: Maple Leafs forward Max Domi failed his training camp physical and will be sidelined indefinitely. He suffered complications from offseason back surgery.

Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly has a virus and could miss at least their first preseason game. He is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season.

TSN: Buffalo Sabres forward Jason Zucker is expected to miss the start of the season after undergoing sports hernia surgery.

OTTAWA SUN: Sidelined Senators defenseman Artem Zub and winger Warren Foegele won’t be full participants in training camp. That could lead to a free agent like Ben Hutton being signed to a professional tryout offer.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Tampa Bay Lightning center Yanni Gourde (offseason hip surgery) and Dominic James (broken right hand) could miss the start of the regular season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Lightning signed center Luke Glendening to a PTO contract.

IN OTHER NEWS…

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Long-time Blue Jackets president Mike Priest will retire on Sept. 30 after 30 years with the team.

SPORTSNET: The Seattle Kraken hired Chuck Fletcher as a senior advisor to the general manager. Fletcher served as a general manager with the Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, and Philadelphia Flyers.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: The Devils named Bryan McCabe as vice president of prospect personnel and assistant GM of their AHL affiliate in Utica. Jessica Campbell was named manager of player development.

TSN: The Boston Bruins signed center Matt Poitras to a one-year, two-way contract worth $850,000 at the NHL level.

ASSOCIATED PRESS: Winger Ryan Reaves announced his retirement.https://apnews.com/article/ryan-reaves-retires-78450b7c42360ea0bcf2f7da0bf927c6

The 39-year-old enforcer spent 16 seasons in the NHL (2010-11 to 2025-26) with the St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, and San Jose Sharks. In 962 regular-season games, Reaves had 140 points and 1,137 PIMs. He also had nine points and 116 PIMs in 113 playoff games.