NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 19, 2026
The Oilers get a shutout in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ 1,000th career game, reaction to the Flames trading Rasmus Andersson to the Golden Knights, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPS OF SUNDAY’S GAMES
NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers center forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored in his 1,000th career NHL regular-season game to help his club blank the St. Louis Blues 5-0. Zach Hyman tallied twice and collected an assist while Connor Ingram turned in a 27-save shutout for the 25-17-8 Oilers. Jordan Binnington stopped 23 shots for the Blues, who dropped to 19-22-8.
Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nugent-Hopkins is only the second player in Oilers history to play 1,000 games for the franchise, and the only one to play his entire career in Edmonton. He needs 38 more games to pass Kevin Lowe as the franchise leader. Nugent-Hopkins is also the 10th player in NHL history to score in his first NHL game and in his 1,000th.
Blues winger (and former Oiler) Dylan Holloway returned to action after missing the last 15 games with an ankle injury. His teammate, Oskar Sundqvist, left this game in the third period with an injured left leg.
The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars 4-1. Jake Guentzel and Dominic James each had a goal and an assist for the Lightning (30-13-4), who extended their points streak to 13 games (12-0-1) and regained first place in the Eastern Conference with 64 points. Oskar Back scored for the slumping Stars (27-13-9), who are 2-6-4 in their last 12 contests.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy reached the 20-win plateau for the 10th consecutive season. Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist is the all-time leader with thirteen 20-win seasons.
An overtime goal by Alex DeBrincat lifted the Detroit Red Wings to a 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators. DeBrincat and Andrew Copp each had two points as the Red Wings (30-16-4) have won six of their last seven games. Drake Batherson had a goal and an assist, and James Reimer made 30 saves for the struggling Senators (22-19-7), who are 4-6-3 in their last 13 games.
HEADLINES
VEGAS HOCKEY NOW/CALGARY SUN: The Golden Knights acquired defenseman Rasmus Andersson from the Flames in exchange for defenseman Zach Whitecloud, defense prospect Abram Wiebe, a conditional first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, and a conditional second-round pick in 2028.
PUCKPEDIA: The Flames retained 50 percent ($2.275 million) of Andersson’s $4.55 million cap hit. The conditional second-rounder becomes a first-round pick if the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights did it again, willingly sacrificing futures to acquire a talented player who can help them right away. It also helped that the player they wanted was interested in joining them.
Andersson is the second defenseman the Golden Knights have acquired from the Flames since 2024. That was the year they obtained Noah Hanifin, eventually signing him to a contract extension.
The salary retention by the Flames was necessary to make the dollars fit for the Golden Knights, who moved Whitecloud and his $2.75 million cap hit in this deal. The 29-year-old blueliner is in the fourth year of a six-year contract. This move leaves the Golden Knights with $3.865 million in trade deadline cap space.
It’s a bit of a gamble contract-wise for the Golden Knights, as Andersson would not agree to sign a contract extension. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t re-sign before his eligibility for unrestricted free-agent status on July 1. It wouldn’t be surprising if he does.
As noted in the links provided, the Golden Knights needed an experienced top-pairing defenseman on their right side to replace the sidelined Alex Pietrangelo, who is on long-term injury reserve and whose playing days may be over. This move signals that Pietrangelo won’t return for the playoffs, meaning he’ll be moved to season-ending LTIR at some point, probably at the end of the regular season.
Andersson is a solid all-around defenseman whose puck-moving skills will provide more offense from the blueline for the Golden Knights.
Whitecloud provides the Flames with an experienced shutdown defenseman who can play top-four minutes. He will buy them time to develop promising blueliners Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz. The Brandon, Manitoba native said he’s happy and excited about joining the Flames and playing in a Canadian market, so that’s a promising sign going forward.
How well this deal works out long-term for the Flames depends on the development of college prospect Wiebe and the prospects they select with those draft picks.
NHL.COM: Nashville Predators forward Steven Stamkos was fined $2,500 for unsportmanlike conduct against Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Jeremy Lauzon on Saturday.
TSN: Buffalo Sabres center Josh Norris is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
SPORTSNET: The San Jose Sharks placed defenseman Nick Leddy on waivers.
NHL.COM: Former NHL forward Phil Goyette passed away on Jan. 17 at age 92.
He spent 16 seasons in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, and Buffalo Sabres from 1956-57 to 1971-72. In 940 regular-season games, he had 207 goals and 467 assists for 674 points, along with 46 points in 97 playoff games.
Goyette won four Stanley Cups with the Canadiens from 1956-57 to 1959-60. He won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy with the St. Louis Blues in 1969-70.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Goyette’s family, friends, and former teammates.
I called it! To Vegas Andersson went for Whitecloud, a 1st, and another pick or a prospect I said! But they got another pick AND a prospect.
Quite a haul for the Flames!
Andersson reunites with Hannifin!
Calling a trade to Vegas is like calling the Dodgers on signing a top free agent hahaha.
I kid of course. Good call and a good haul for the flames indeed.
Calgary wanted the deal with bruins that is why they allowed them to speak to Anderson in regards to an extension. Without the extension bruins said sorry can’t do it. Vegas will probably be able to sign him IMHO so he can play with his old partner Hanafin. Long term.
Agree MB4.
Have to say I’m happy this trade to Boston didn’t happen. IMO it would have solidified them in the playoffs, but still doesn’t get them to the ultimate goal. Although if they stay on this heater much longer I’ll be forced to re-evaluate.
Happy that Sweeney wasn’t willing to spend quality assets on a rental, and perhaps he views this season somewhat similarly to how I do. Or he just isn’t trading firsts for rentals anymore. Which I get too.
Also Elliotte confirmed it was a 27 1st. Not a 26 1st which is good to know that Sweeney knows the 26 rd 1 picks value in this very good draft year
Well, at least Ottawa didn’t get their butt waxed like I predicted yesterday … but what the Hell is it with going into OT for the second night in a row and giving up the winning goal in the first 30-odd seconds? And I think that has also happened in at least one other OT game so far this season.
Maybe Green is sending out the wrong 3 players to start? I don’t know ….
They certainly can’t point the finger at 37 year-old Reimer who played more than reasonably well in his first NHL game in almost a year.
Your Sens still had the 1st scoring chance in OT!
True … but unfortunately you get squat for failed chances.
As I say, Reimer played reasonably well, but unless Ullmark gets back into action soon, their next 4 games could effectively bury them for the season:
in Columbus tomorrow – both with identical records
in a suddenly -resurgent Nashville Thursday
home to another back-to-back vs Carolina next Saturday and Vegas on Sunday.
Brady isn’t right, and doesn’t have the speed to be on in OT at the moment. But…there he was with TIm on the OT goal.
I didn’t mind Reimer’s game. A couple of great saves in the 3rd but he’s not making that save in OT
Got to agree on Tkachuk … nowhere near back to his top sped and so should not be out there 3-on-3 against the likes of Caufield or the Detroit speedsters.
Reimer, while probably never going to have many – if any – so-called “game-stealer” performances again, is still infinitely better than Merilainen’s performances this season for the most part.
Saw this take today, George, and felt you might appreciate it: “The Senators right now look like a crap hockey team by results, but they’re an elite defensive team that’s creating enough offence being betrayed by an inability to get a f**king save when they need it.”
LOL. That sums it up very well. Thanks Lyle.
Reminds me of that infamous line by Tortorella when he was coaching Tampa before they finally won a Cup, in response to a media question about what he thinks the ream need … “a save would be nice!”
Back to back shutouts by the Oilers, by 2 diffefent goalies, in back to back games while scoring 11 goals in those two games without Leon.
I dont care who it was against it is still nice to see.
The support scoring without Draisaitl is very incraging to see as well. 2 goals by Podkolzin, 2 goals by Roslovic, 2 goals by Kapanen, and a goal by Mangiapane over the weekend. Hoping Kapanen is okay after going into the boards awkordly.
Yeah Kap has had some crap luck this season and his play since coming back was nothing short of fantastic in relation to what one would expect from the guy.
As some of us will recall, with Donnie Marshall’s passing about 15 months ago, none of the 12 players who played on all 5 of the Habs 5 straight Cup wins of the late 1950s are still alive. With Phil Goyette’s passing, only one player who played on any of those Cup winners is still alive. That’s Andre Pronovost, who, like Goyette, was not on the 1956 team but played on the next 4. Pronovost, incidentally, is not related to the three Pronovost brothers – Marcel, Claude and Jean – who played in the NHL during the 50s, 60s and 70s. But he’s the grandfather of current NHLer Anthony Mantha.
Yep, Howard … time definitely takes its toll. For the record, the Magnificent 12 were: Maurice Richard, Henri Richard, Jean Beliveau, Dickie Moore, Bernard Geoffrion, Doug Harvey, Tom Johnson, Donnie Marshall, Bob Turner, Claude Provost, Jean-Guy Talbot, Jacques Plante
One other who played on the last 4 of the 5 straight was another great plugger – Marcel Bonin.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think, too, that Marcel, Claude, and Jean Pronovost are Anthony Mantha’s great uncles.
Who he is not related to are Sylvio and either of the Moe Manthas.
Sylvio played 13 seasons with the Habs from 1923-24 to 1935-36 before finishing his career with the Bruins in 1936-37, while Moe Mantha spent 16 seasons with the Jets, Penguins, Oilers, North Stars, Flyers from 1980-81 to 1991-92. His father, also known as Moe, never made it to the NHL but did play 16 pro seasons in the AHL, WHL, and other minor leagues between 1954 and 1970. He later became a Canadian Member of Parliament.
George according to Wikipedia Andre is not related to the 3 Pronovost brothers
I think we both took a wrong turn at Albuquerque, Howard – lol.
You’re absolutely right that Andre Pronovost is not related to Marcel, Claude and Jean. I was referring to your mention of his being Anthony Mantha’s grandfather, which makes Marcel, Claude and Jean his great uncles.
Goyette and Marshall were original Sabres too. Punch like having veterans around.
Wasn’t Goyette also the first coach of the NY Islanders?