Recapping Monday’s games, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will retire after this season, the three stars of the week are revealed, the NHLPA responds to league commissioner Gary Bettman’s comments about no-trade and no-movement clauses, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF MONDAY’S ACTION

NHL.COM: Ottawa Senators center Tim Stutzle scored two goals and added an assist to lead his club to a 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins. Michael Amadio had a goal and an assist, and Drake Batherson scored on a breakaway for the 2-0-0 Senators. James Hagens replied for the Bruins (2-2-0) as they dropped their second straight game.

Ottawa Senators center Tim Stutzle (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark left this game after the second period for precautionary reasons after suffering what appears to be an undisclosed minor injury. Ullmark will be reevaluated on Tuesday.

Before the game, the Senators announced that defenseman Jake Sanderson is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.

Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger made 13 saves to shut out the San Jose Sharks 5-0. Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen scored their first goals of the season, and team captain Jamie Benn had a goal and an assist as the Stars picked up their first win of the season (1-2-0). Sharks captain Macklin Celebrini missed this game after suffering a lower-body injury during warmups and will be reevaluated on Tuesday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sharks (2-1-0) are a very different team without Celebrini. They cannot afford to have their two-way superstar sidelined for long.

The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1, leaving the latter winless in their first four games (0-2-2). Ilya Mikheyev and Pontus Holmberg each had a goal and an assist, and Nikita Kucherov collected two assists for the 2-1-0 Lightning. Tyson Foerster replied for the Flyers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kucherov has 1,128 career regular-season points, leaving him 10 away from breaking Steven Stamkos’ franchise record of 1,137.

Third-period goals by Alex Iafallo, Adam Lowry, and Cole Perfetti powered the Winnipeg Jets to a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Backup goaltender Clay Stevenson made 30 saves for the 2-0-1 Jets. Declan Carlile and Ben Kindel each had a goal and an assist for the Penguins (2-1-0).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets are off to a better-than-expected start without starting goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who remains suspended without pay by the club for not reporting to training camp last month. If they keep exceeding expectations, it’ll make it easier for general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff to remain patient in his search for a suitable trade offer for Hellebuyck.

HEADLINES

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Long-time Washington Capitals superstar winger Alex Ovechkin announced that he intends to retire at the end of this season.

In a statement, the 41-year-old Capitals captain said he and his family decided this summer that this season would be his last in the NHL. “I love this game so much, but I know in my heart it’s the right decision,” Ovechkin said.

Ovechkin is the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer with 929. He is 11 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record for the most combined goals (regular season and playoffs) in league history.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin is the greatest goal scorer in NHL history and the greatest player in Capitals history, taking that franchise to its greatest heights and turning it into one of the league’s most popular teams. However, critics believe his legacy has been tainted by his affiliation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

NHL.COM: New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin, Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard, and Vancouver Canucks center Paul Cotter are the league’s three stars for the week ending Oct. 4.

THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun reports NHL Players’ Association assistant executive director Ron Hainsey blasted NHL commissioner Gary Bettman over his recent remarks regarding no-trade and no-movement clauses.

In a recent interview, Bettman said that some players were using no-trade and no-movement clauses to force trades to specific teams, suggesting that the league might discuss changes to those clauses with the PA if it became a trend.

Hainsey said the PA believes the no-trade, no-movement clauses are being used as originally intended. “It’s a player’s right to negotiate salary, salary structure, term, as well as a no-move or no-trade with their club if they’re able to do so and bargain in good faith,” Hainsey said. “It’s pretty simple if you’ve negotiated a no-trade. Whether it’s 10 teams or 15 or 32, the club isn’t able to trade you to those teams without your consent.”

“The beginning of this conversation about no-move and no-trade clauses, we do take as an attack on players’ CBA-negotiated rights,” Hainsey said. “And we will treat it as such.”

Player agent J.P. Barry was among several player agents LeBrun spoke with who rejected Bettman’s suggestion about possible changes to those clauses.

“Players give up significant compensation demands to obtain a no-trade clause,” Barry said. “They are ‘purchased’ by the player. If they’re going to try to eliminate no-trade clauses, then we should also discuss elimination of the buyout and the hard cap at the same time.”

Barry pointed out how much the players have given up in previous collective bargaining. “We have no performance bonuses outside of rookie contracts, no player or club options, no renegotiation clauses, and the maximum length of contracts has been ratcheted down to six or seven years.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I knew there would be pushback from the PA but I wasn’t expecting it this quickly.

This topic began this summer because Brady Tkachuk forced a trade from the Ottawa Senators to the Florida Panthers, Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin requested a trade, and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is staging a holdout to try and force the Winnipeg Jets to trade him.

To be fair to Bettman, he said that one summer of such activity doesn’t constitute a trend. He also said that if it became a trend, the league might have to discuss it with the PA in the next round of collective bargaining.

Nevertheless, Bettman’s comments were considered a shot across the bow to the NHLPA, prompting it to return fire.

This could be a tempest in a teapot if other players do not emulate Tkachuk, Larkin and Hellebuyck. Considering the blowback that Larkin’s trade request has generated from Detroit fans and media, and Hellebuyck’s ongoing suspension without pay for not reporting to training camp, it could discourage other players from considering that tactic.

NHL general managers don’t have to wait for the next round of CBA talks to address this issue. In any current or future contract negotiations with players who want no-trade/no-movement clauses, they can simply negotiate what those clauses will look like. It’s what they currently do, as a quick look at the terms of Larkin’s no-trade clause and Hellebuyck’s no-movement clause on PuckPedia can attest.

If a GM doesn’t want a player on a full NTC or NMC to request a trade, he can negotiate that the NTC/NMC be voided or that the player must submit an agreed-upon number of preferred trade destinations.

As I’ve said before, this isn’t a hill the NHL wants to die on in the next round of collective bargaining. I can’t see doing anything that would jeopardize the stunning growth of hockey-related revenue over something that can already be addressed within the current CBA.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers head coach Paul Maurice downplayed speculation that team captain Aleksander Barkov could be sidelined 10-to-12 weeks with a left-knee injury. “Do not bet your hard-earned money on that,” Maurice said, indicating that they’ll have “a more solid answer” on Tuesday.

TSN: The Calgary Flames placed forward Connor Zary and defenseman Brayden Pachal on waivers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Zary’s appearance on the waiver wire raised eyebrows given his status as a first-round draft pick by the Flames. Injuries have hampered his once-promising career, but some observers wonder if another club (like the rebuilding Vancouver Canucks) might be tempted to claim the 25-year-old forward.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Blackhawks defenseman Bowen Byram has returned to the club after returning to Chicago over the weekend to be with his wife as she gave birth to twin girls.

DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of the Blackhawks, forward Andrew Mangiapane is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

CBS SPORTS: Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson (shoulder) is expected to make his season debut on Friday.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Emil Lilleberg is expected to miss a week with an undisclosed injury.