The questions facing the Mammoth this season, the latest on Canadiens defenseman Noah Dobson, Chicago Blackhawks blueliner Kevin Korchinski, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Logan Cooley’s performance and those of offseason additions Vincent Trocheck, Anders Lee, and Sebastian Cossa are among the questions facing the Utah Mammoth this season.

Utah Mammoth center Logan Cooley (NHL Images).

The biggest question is whether the 22-year-old Cooley will have his breakout season. He seemed poised to do so entering the 2025-26 campaign, but a lower-body injury limited him to 54 games.

Trocheck could help Cooley reach that goal. The Pittsburgh natives train together during the offseason. Trocheck, 33, and the 37-year-old Anders Lee will bring experience and leadership to the young Mammoth roster.

Cossa, 23, is a highly touted goaltender acquired from the Detroit Red Wings. He’s almost guaranteed to fill the backup role behind starter Karel Vejmelka, and has the potential to take over that spot one day.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Mammoth are among the promising young teams poised to rise in the Western Conference. After reaching the playoffs and throwing a scare into the Stanley Cup finalist Vegas Golden Knights last spring, they could challenge for a top-four Conference spot if Cooley stays healthy and Trocheck, Lee, and Cossa have a positive impact on their roster.

THE MONTREAL GAZETTE: Stu Cowan profiled Canadiens defenseman Noah Dobson’s Prince Edward Island roots. The 26-year-old Dobson returns to his Summerside, PEI hometown every summer for his HockeyFest fundraiser billed as the world’s largest street hockey event.

The fourth annual event, held over three days in June, attracted 167 teams and raised $45,000 for Community Connections, a non-profit organization in Summerside that provides support for adults with intellectual disabilities.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Chicago Blackhawks signed defenseman Kevin Korchinski to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $1.325 million.

Korchinski, 22, split last season between Chicago and their AHL affiliate in Rockford, playing 13 games with the Blackhawks.

TSN: The Edmonton Oilers hired Misha Donskov as a coaching consultant on Thursday.

Donskov joined the Vegas Golden Knights as director of hockey operations before their 2017-18 inaugural season. He was one of their assistant coaches when they won the Stanley Cup in 2022-23. He spent the next two seasons as an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars.

Donskov was part of the coaching staff for Canada at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

THE ATHLETIC: NHLPA executive commissioner Marty Walsh believes it won’t be difficult to convince NHL players to participate in future Winter Olympics. He believes the experience of the 2026 Winter Games was so positive that it will convince all stakeholders to work out a deal in time for the 2030 Games in France.