NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 2, 2026
Questions facing the Capitals this season, the Ducks retiring Ryan Getzlaf’s number, an update on Flames winger Jonathan Huberdeau, the Predators trading Luke Evangelista to the Devils, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
NHL.COM: How the defense holds up until Rasmus Sandin returns to action, where Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou play, and Alex Ovechkin’s role are the three big questions facing the Washington Capitals in 2026-27.
Sandin remains sidelined recovering from his April knee surgery, with a recovery timeline of six to nine months. The addition of Vincent Desharnais and re-signing of Timothy Liljegren should help, while promising blueliner Cole Hutson could play a significant role.
Tuch was acquired in a sign-and-trade move from the Buffalo Sabres, while Kyrou arrived in a trade with the St. Louis Blues. Given the Capitals’ depth on right wing, Tuch or Kyrou could shift to the left side.
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (NHL Images).
Ovechkin turns 41 this month as he approaches his 22nd NHL season. His place as the league’s all-time goal-scoring leader is assured, but his ice time has declined in recent years, and he might not play the full two minutes on the power play this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Capitals were among the league’s busiest teams during this offseason as they attempt to rebound from last season’s disappointing performance. How they answer those three questions will determine how successful their bounce-back efforts will be.
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: The Anaheim Ducks will retire Ryan Getzlaf’s No. 15 during a ceremony on Jan. 30 before the club’s game against the Nashville Predators.
Getzlaf spent his entire 17-season NHL career with the Ducks from 2005-06 to 2021-22. He’s the franchise leader in regular-season games played (1,157), assists (737), and points (1,019), and he holds the club’s single-season assist record with 66. He also helped the Ducks win their first Stanley Cup in 2007 and is their longest-serving captain, serving 12 seasons from 2010-11 to 2021-22.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: A well-deserved honor for one of the greatest players in Ducks history.
DAILY FACEOFF: Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy said Jonathan Huberdeau might not be ready when the club’s 2026-27 regular-season schedule begins.
Huberdeau underwent season-ending hip resurfacing surgery in March 2026. Conroy said the 33-year-old winger suffered “a little bit of a setback” about two weeks ago with his skating. He added that they will give Huberdeau the time to fully recover.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Huberdeau’s production had been in steady decline since his career-best 115-point performance in 2021-22 with the Florida Panthers. He played through pain last season before undergoing hip resurfacing in March, a procedure that few NHL players fully recover from.
NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW/THE TENNESSEAN: The Nashville Predators traded winger Luke Evangelista to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for the Colorado Avalanche’s conditional 2028 first-round pick, and their own second-round pick in 2028.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Trading a young winger like Evangelista for two draft picks prompted puzzled reactions on social media. Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin acknowledged the Devils paid a high price for the 24-year-old winger, but wondered if this was a precursor to a bigger deal by the Predators, such as pursuing Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin.
Predators general manager Chris MacFarland told Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean that he’s not ruling out using those two picks to acquire more immediate help. It remains to be seen who they might target in the trade market and when they’ll make that move.
The Predators are not among the teams on Larkin’s narrow list of preferred destinations. Unless that changes, they’ll have to look elsewhere for a top-six center.
NHL.COM: Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin was back on the ice this week as part of the captain’s skate. The 34-year-old Seguin last played on Dec. 2, when he tore the ACL in his right knee.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Seguin is in the final season of his eight-year contract with a $9.85 million cap hit. Injuries have limited him to 20 games in 2024-25 and 27 games last season. His performance in 2026-27 could determine if he’ll continue his NHL career after his contract expires.
NEW YORK POST: The Rangers are closing in on a one-year contract with winger Eeli Tolvanen worth $1.5 million. He completed a three-year deal worth $3.475 million annually with the Seattle Kraken.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tolvanen, 27, was among the youngest players still available in this summer’s unrestricted free-agent market. A versatile forward who can skate at either wing, he spent most of the last four seasons with the Kraken. He reportedly sought a multi-year contract, but had to settle for a significant pay cut on a one-year deal.
DAILY FACEOFF: Colorado Avalanche owner Stan Kroenke and his ownership group have acquired a controlling interest in the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball.
CALGARY SUN: Tickets for the Flames’ final game at the Saddledome on April 10, 2027, sold out in minutes on Monday morning. The Flames are moving to the Scotia Place arena next season, and the iconic Saddledome is slated for demolition once the move is complete.
I’m surprised Tolvanen didn’t get a longer, better contract somewhere else.
I like him as a player, but didn’t really see the need for him on the NYR given they are already chock-full of bottom 6 talent.
He’ll probably slot in on the 3rd like with Cuylle-Laba-Tolvanen which could be a fun line.
But the NYR now have a log jam of players for the 4th line (Kartye, Veleno, Raddysh, Sykora, Chemlar, Rempe).
I know Sykora & Chemlar can be sent down, but hopefully Drury can unload Raddysh and Rempe before the season starts, otherwise this was an odd use of roster/cap space. I’d rather the NYR sat on their cap space to leverage it later in the year.
Tolvanen – I was just about the day the same thing. Hard to imagine why he has sat available for so long.
nevermind the Preds, Sunny Mehta in NJ is stocking up on forwards, Mantha, Rodrigues and now Evangelista. They have a LOT of forwards on NHL contracts, looks for a trade soon, maybe for a goalie? I would think the Evangelista pickup was meant as a playmaker for Meier and Hischier, meaning Dawson Meyer might now be in play
Mikep, I wonder if NJ is loading up for a Hughes trade. Guerin would want players over draft picks to compete right now!
Maybe Hellebuyck?
What is behind the Angels sell off. Is Moreno moving on or running out of money?
$4B sure is enticing as a reason to sell the Angles, who had no success at all under Moreno’s ownership.
The Evangelista trade was a smart move by Nashville as they have a number of RFA/UFA contracts to deal with and his relationship was testy. His last contract was ugly, he left to Canada and signed just before training camp.
They got a 1st and 2nd for a guy who they know was unhappy.
In
Bourque locked in for 5 years
Lyubushkin RFA
1st
2nd
Out
Evangelista RFA
2nd
3rd
At the end of the day they got Bourque, Lyubushkin and a 1st for Evangelista and a 3rd.
makes sense, wonder if they are going to use some of the saved $$$ by acquiring a 1st/2nd line center, such as Larkin (if DET ever hires a GM)
When comparing Washington’s record this past season to the one in 2024-25, the reason for their drop of 16 points, leading to their missing the playoffs, can be traced directly to their road records for each season.
Overall Records For Each Season
2024-25 – 51 22 9 111 .677 288gf 232ga +56
2025-26 – 43 30 9 95 .579 263gf 244ga +19
Home & Away Records For Each Season
2024-2025
H 26 9 6 58 136gf 120ga +16
A 25 13 3 53 152gf 112ga +40
2025-2026
H 25 11 5 53 141gf 111ga +30
A 18 19 4 40 122gf 133ga -11
So, why the precipitous drop in road performance?
I may have found part of the answer. In 2024-25 they led the NHL with 25 “comeback” wins, a fair number of them while on the road. That more or less disappeared this past season as the team struggled when trailing on the road. And a good portion of that can be explained by their pp efficiency which dipped to just below 18% from the previous season’s 23.5% rating. Injuries didn’t help either, especially that of Dubois, compounded by a lack of secondary scoring and defensive shortcomings.
The additions of Jordan Kyrou, Alex Tuch and Boone Jenner to the top 6 plus Brodzinki, Holl, Desharnais should help balance out the scoring and get the pp back on track.
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I think some of you will like what you see.
Poor Seguin, the guy’s has a rough 5 years or so. Just can’t stay healthy. I’m willing to bet that he will not be back with the Stars next year. Which means that Benn will also retire as two are Besties and it’s seems like Jamie was only sticking around long enough for Seguins contract to play out….I would be shocked if they both came back for league minimum. Benn will retire, Seguin will get signed as a reclaimation project for league minimum and Robertson gets his payday.