NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 6, 2026
The Avalanche take a 2-0 series lead over the Wild, the Maple Leafs win the draft lottery, the Calder Trophy candidates are revealed, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
NHL.COM: Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and two assists to lead his club to a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild in Game 2 of their best-of-seven second-round series. Gabriel Landeskog and Martin Necas each had a goal and an assist while Scott Wedgewood stopped 29 shots for the Avalanche, who hold a 2-0 series lead. Kirill Kaprizov and Marcus Johansson replied for the Wild. This series shifts to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4.
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This wasn’t the high-scoring affair of Game 1, but there were still plenty of offense and scoring chances in this one. The difference was that Colorado did a better job defensively than they did in Game 1, while the Wild continued to struggle in their efforts to contain the Avalanche’s top line.
Filip Gustavsson replaced Jesper Wallstedt in goal for the Wild after the latter had a rough outing in Game 1. However, he was rusty from not playing in nearly three weeks, giving up goals on the first two shots he faced.
Wild defenseman Zach Bogosian missed this game with a lower-body injury. Jeff Petry replaced him in the lineup.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have the first-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft after winning the draft lottery on Tuesday evening. Top prospects in this year’s draft include left wing Gavin McKenna of Penn State University and forward Ivar Stenberg of Frolunda HC in Sweden.
The San Jose Sharks got the second overall pick, while the Vancouver Canucks dropped to third overall.
The Chicago Blackhawks hold the fourth overall pick, followed by the New York Rangers (5), Calgary Flames (6), Seattle Kraken (7), Winnipeg Jets (8), and Florida Panthers (9), with the Nashville Predators rounding out the top 10.
The St. Louis Blues hold the 11th overall pick, followed by the New Jersey Devils (12), New York Islanders (13), Columbus Blue Jackets (14), St. Louis Blues (15th, from the Detroit Red Wings), and the Washington Capitals at 16th.
The remainder of the draft order will be determined over the course of the playoffs.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This result was a ray of hope for the Maple Leafs after a disappointing season and questions about the direction of the club under its new management. They could listen to trade offers if it fetches a player who immediately improves the roster, but they will likely retain it.
The last time a first-overall pick was traded was in 2003, when the Florida Panthers sent it to the Pittsburgh Penguins, who used it to select future Hall of Fame goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
TSN: Speaking of Gavin McKenna, he passed up the chance to play for Canada at the upcoming IIHF World Championship. He’s focused on preparing for the NHL Draft Combine in Buffalo from May 31 to June 6.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Speaking of the World Championship, Edmonton Oilers defensemen Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse, and Calgary Flames blueliner Zach Whitecloud will be part of Canada’s roster.
NHL.COM: Montreal Canadiens winger Ivan Demidov, New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, and Anaheim Ducks winger Beckett Sennecke are this year’s finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy as Rookie of the Year.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Demidov led all rookies this season with 43 assists and 62 points, while Sennecke led in goals (23) and was second in assists (37) and points (60). Both are worthy candidates, but the favorite is Schaefer. The 18-year-old defenseman led all rookies in ice time per game (24:41), tied with Sennecke with 23 goals, and was third in points with 59 while playing for the offensively anaemic Islanders.
TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning captain Victor Hedman revealed Tuesday that his absence since March 19 was caused by a need to address his mental health. He admitted it wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the correct one.
Hedman thanked his teammates, the Lightning organization, his family, and his therapist for their support, saying he was in a “much better place today.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Anyone who has dealt with mental health issues knows how difficult it can be to admit that they need help and to seek it out. Here’s hoping Hedman continues healing and returns to action next season.
SPORTSNET: Jim Rutherford will step down as the Vancouver Canucks’ president of hockey operations following the 2026 NHL Draft (June 26-27). He intends to remain with the team as an advisor and alternate governor.
THE PROVINCE: Rutherford indicated that the Canucks are down to five candidates in their search for a new general manager. It’s believed Canucks assistant GM Ryan Johnson, former Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion, and Boston Bruins assistant GM Evan Gold.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The news of Dorion being among those candidates has some Canucks followers nervous because of the way his tenure in Ottawa ended. The Senators were forced to forfeit a first-round pick as punishment for trading Evgenii Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights without sharing information about his no-trade list. The forfeiture was later overturned, but Dorion lost his job as a result.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikitin has been cleared to return to action after dealing with a concussion suffered during Game 4 of his club’s first-round series against the Ottawa Senators. Nikitin could return to action on Wednesday for Game 3 of the Hurricanes’ current series with the Philadelphia Flyers.
DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of the Flyers, forward Noah Cates is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury suffered during Game 2 against the Hurricanes.
NHL.COM: The New York Islanders have named Rocky Thompson as their new assistant coach.
OTTAWA SUN: The Senators signed fourth-line center Stephen Halliday to a two-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $1.075 million.
THE MERCURY NEWS: The San Jose Sharks signed depth winger Patrick Giles to a two-year, two-way contract.
When it comes to what the Leafs should do with their 1st overall pick, you can bet there will be suggestions … along with definitive “they must select X or else …” or “they HAVE to trade the pick to increase the quality of their prospect pool” … assertions pouring out of blogs and media outlets in the GTA, starting today.
This is where Chayka starts to earn his stripes. If the decision is to retain the pick, and if you scan the Web with the question “which 2026 NHL draft prospects are considered NHL-ready, this is what you get:
Gavin McKenna (LW, Penn State – NCAA): Considered the consensus top prospect for 2026, McKenna is viewed as a “star” potential forward with top-line ceiling, capable of having an immediate impact similar to top draft picks in recent years. He is a dynamic playmaker who has dominated competition at both the WHL and NCAA levels.
Ivar Stenberg (LW/RW, Frölunda HC – SHL): Often ranked in the top two, Stenberg has an extremely “NHL-ready” profile. As an 18-year-old, he produced significantly in the SHL (Sweden’s top league), indicating his ability to play against men and handle the professional pace immediately.
Keaton Verhoeff (RD, North Dakota – NCAA): At 6’4″ and 212 lbs, Verhoeff is seen as a physical, mature defenseman who has handled top-tier collegiate competition well, with high-end pro potential right away.
Chase Reid (RD, Sault Ste. Marie – OHL): A highly mobile, creative right-shot defenseman with top-pair potential. His speed, vision, and ability to run a top power play make him a candidate for immediate NHL duty.
Alberts Smits (LD, Jukurit – Liiga/Munchen – DEL): Smits has already proven himself against professional men in Finland and Germany, and he even competed in the 2026 Winter Olympics, making him one of the most experienced and ready defensive prospects.
Caleb Malhotra (C, Brantford – OHL): Possesses the 6’2″ frame and two-way skill set to transition smoothly to the professional game.
Viggo Bjorck (C/RW, Djurgardens IF – SHL): Known for his high-end motor and ability to play a complete game against older opponents in the SHL.
Carson Carels (LD, Prince George – WHL): A powerful, two-way defender who has demonstrated NHL-ready physicality and puck-moving abilities.
Be interesting to compare that list with where each of the 8 go on draft day.
If I were a GM and he was still available when my turn came, I think I’d grab big RD Keaton Verhoeff.
With one stroke of the luck of the draw, the Leafs may have found the key to keeping Matthews. McKenna will be the replacement for Marner and gives them more hope for future success. If they bounce back even slightly next season, it may persuade Matthews to extend.
Howard, from everything I’ve been hearing and reading across numerous outlets, the Leafs’ D, as a whole, has been decried as “sluggish” and the position desperately in need of at least 2 high-end puck-moving D to better support their transition game. That’s why we keep hearing Darren Raddysh as probably the premier UFA target ,,, if he tests the waters.
This draft offers at least 2 such D that would make signing Raddysh to an expensive contract as foolhardy.
With all due respect to McKenna, his addition to the roster would no more improve their overall needs any more than Bedard has done so far for Chicago, and so bring them right back into contention.
Maybe Van trades DeBrusk, #3 OA, and 2027 SJ 2nd for #1OA and the Leafs grab Reid or Verhoeff. That might be tempting or something similar.
or Petey ($2M retained) and #3 OA for #1 OA and Morgan Reilly
This would put Trono back into a win NOW mode, or will they be patient and wait for more prospects and trade Matthews for more futures???
Hey George nice list of prospects you have there.
It’s sure has been interesting last 48 hours for leafs fans.
As for the picks I would probably take Gavin he can be the Marner replacement and he has been the consensus #1 for a long time that being said they could try and trade it and move back a few spots and get a D.
The new GM might think he is the smartest man in the room lol.
Heh, Man on TV, that lottery win has certainly put the spotlight squarely on Chayka just days into his new job.
And you’re probably right … he will in all probability take McKenna. The last thing he’d need is to see him become another Celebrini as opposed to another Bedard.
My bias stems from being an adherent to the old philosophy that you build a consistent winner from the back end out. The stronger you are in goal and on the D and its puck-moving/defensive abilities, the easier it is for the Fs to concentrate on the offensive side of the game.
McKenna could very well be the ideal replacement for Marner … but even with Marner, a healthy Matthews, Nylander and Tavares, the Achilles heel for the Leafs when it came to the playoffs was the inability of their D to engage in the fast transition game.
Well what a shocker Leafs win the lottery the night after the Matthews might not come back stories are all over the news.
The Leafs have missed the playoffs 2 times in the last 10 years, both times they missed they won the lottery. Another shocker.
Since the lottery was introduced in 1995 here are the teams that have moved up more than 4 spots to win the top pick,
Islanders (twice)
Blackhawks
Devils
Rangers
Leafs
Pure luck that they are all big market big media locations. The only thing that is easier to predetermine to look random other than sports are elections. The smirk on Bettman’s face tells you all you need to know.
As far as the pick goes if the Leafs are looking for Marner’s replacement Stenberg should be the pick as he drives play from the wing, is good defensively, and kills penalties. However I agree with George and believe a dman should be the pick. Trade down get a player or high end prospect or pick and still get a dman.
In reality, with Trono getting #1, this should trigger a quick rebuild/retool. They could offer up Matthews for younger NHLers and high picks, as well as other vets that wish to move on to quicken a rebuild/retool.
Snold, a lot of circumstantial evidence, for sure! I am sure there is a way to enhance the odds!
I dont think you can draft the D 1st overall in this draft. I think would be a very ballsy move. Particularly for Toronto. (And as much as they need D, Tavares is not getting younger and who knows what happens with matthews).
And SJ complicates things at number 2 as you have to imagine the top D goes off the board with their pick.
So now it becomes are you ok moving down for 2nd best D in the class…And at 3…Canucks are probably expecting things to unfold this way and happy with either forward SJ skips over.
So now if Toronto is looking at dropping down Its Chicago and NYR…Fox? What else are you targeting?
Anyway just my thoughts.
SJ should still take Stenberg or McKenna.
They could trade one of Misa or Graf for an established 1st pairing D. Vince Dunn comes to mind.
George O
I’ve been waiting for you to chime in.
Great assessment of the situation the Leafs find themselves in.
They definitely have a tough choice ahead. It was much easier the last time they had 1st overall.
The elephant in the room is Matthews. If he’s non-committal to staying, the choice for 1st overall changes with it. The other domino to fall if Matthews wants out would be Nylander. He’s stated publicly that he has no interest to stay through a full rebuild.
In this draft, I don’t think you take any of the D men at 1st overall. As much as the Leafs need help on D, unless one of these guys is the second coming of Schaeffer, it’s got to be Stenberg or McKenna.
I’d lean towards Stenberg as he seems like a more complete player. Leafs already have several defensively weak forwards.
Once management sits down and gets a clear picture of Matthews’ intentions,then they’ll be able to chart a course moving forward.
One player is not going to right this ship.
Can’t see Leafs trading back. They’ll never hear the end of it should McKenna become a star player. Needs change every year. Look at NYR. Lafreniere was “that guy”. At the time, NY had no need for a LW. Hard to pass on consensus #1.
After McKenna, there’s been discussions on possibility that Reid could be #2. I could see Sharks and Nucks swapping picks. Seems inevitable that Swedish forward Stenberg ends up in Van