NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 17, 2026
The Jets suspend Connor Hellebuyck; Dylan Larkin to miss the start of Red Wings training camp; Drew Doughty is the Kings’ new captain; and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
TOP HEADLINES
DAILY FACEOFF: The Winnipeg Jets suspended goaltender Connor Hellebuyck for failing to report to training camp. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will speak with the media on Thursday to discuss the decision.
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (NHL Images).
Last month, Hellebuyck released a statement revealing he had requested a trade. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner has four years left on his contract with an average annual value of $8.5 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hellebuyck is trying to pressure Cheveldayoff into trading him. The Jets GM will likely cite breach of contract when addressing this issue today. The suspension will likely be without pay as per the collective bargaining agreement. Hellebuyck won’t feel that right away because NHL players don’t start getting paid until the regular season begins.
It’ll be interesting to hear what Cheveldayoff has to say. If he bends and moves Hellebuyck quickly for a poor return, it could encourage other unhappy players to follow suit. It could also cost him his job.
Given Cheveldayoff’s history of dealing with players who want to be traded, he won’t make a move until he gets a decent offer, something he reportedly hasn’t received yet. That could change if injuries strike any team interested in Hellebuyck. A poor start by one of those teams could make them willing to meet Cheveldayoff’s asking price.
This could backfire on Hellebuyck. Cheveldayoff can afford to wait patiently for better offers. If the Jets struggle in Hellebuyck’s absence, fans will blame him more than the general manager. If the club copes well, that strengthens Cheveldayoff’s position. It could leave the 33-year-old Hellebuyck at risk of missing the entire season, which might not be a good idea at this stage of his career.
ESPN.COM: The Los Angeles Kings named defenseman Drew Doughty as their new captain. He replaced Anze Kopitar, who retired at the end of last season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Color me unsurprised. The 36-year-old Doughty was expected to inherit the “C” from Kopitar. He’s starting his 19th season, all of them with the Kings.
FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers head coach Paul Maurice will not have Matthew and Brady Tkachuk on the same line as the brothers start their first NHL training camp together. Maurice is thinking about putting Brady alongside center Aleksander Barkov and winger Sam Reinhart.
“I don’t want to give everybody what they want with the two Tkachuk brothers together with Sam Bennett up the middle,” Maurice said with a grin. “They’ll be in jail before the puck drops.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Don’t be surprised if the Tkachuks and Bennett wind up on the same line at some point this season.
DAILY FACEOFF: The Carolina Hurricanes released a statement that restricted free agent defenseman Alexander Nikishin will not attend training camp. GM Eric Tulsky said that the 24-year-old Nikishin is not under contract and there would be no further comment at this time.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nikishin requested a trade earlier this summer and hasn’t changed his mind. Tulsky could be working on a sign-and-trade scenario for the sophomore blueliner, who’s been linked to the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators.
EDMONTON JOURNAL: Oilers GM Stan Bowman addressed the pushback from some of the team’s fans for signing Alex Formenton. The 27-year-old winger was among the five former Canadian junior players acquitted last year of sexual assault charges stemming from an incident in 2018 in London, Ontario.
Bowman said he understood that signing Formenton might not be universally accepted by the Oilers fans. He claimed the club conducted due diligence to ensure that signing the winger would be the right decision.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers hiring personnel with controversial histories (including Bowman and new head coach Mike Babcock) has raised concerns from some fans and pundits about the team’s direction and the values of those doing the hiring. Their defenders argue that they deserve a second chance, but they could change their tune if the Oilers perform poorly.
INJURY ROUNDUP
DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Red Wings center Dylan Larkin will miss the start of training camp with an upper-body injury that he suffered during off-ice training.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Is the upper-body injury a jaw wired shut? Okay, I borrowed that one-liner from my Bleacher Report colleague Sara Civian, but it would explain why we haven’t heard Larkin publicly address his messy trade request yet.
Speaking of the Red Wings, interim GM Shawn Horcoff said the club has no desire to rebuild its roster. “We have too many good players in that lineup,” he said, pointing to how close they’ve come to making the playoffs during the last three seasons. Horcoff said his goal, and that of his players, is to keep looking forward.
COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar will miss the start of training camp with a lower-body injury. It’s uncertain when the superstar blueliner will be ready, but head coach Jared Bednar doesn’t believe it’s a cause for concern. He also indicated that Makar’s injury isn’t related to the one he suffered in the postseason.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal will be sidelined for the next two weeks due to inflammation from a previous injury. He could be sidelined for the start of the regular season.
THE MONTREAL GAZETTE: Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle will miss the next four to five weeks due to minor surgery this summer to repair an adductor muscle.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Guhle’s injury opens a spot for one of the Canadiens’ promising young defensemen like David Reinbacher or Adam Engstrom to prove they’re ready to make the jump to the NHL.
TORONTO STAR: Maple Leafs forward Max Domi failed his training camp physical and will be sidelined indefinitely. He suffered complications from offseason back surgery.
Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly has a virus and could miss at least their first preseason game. He is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season.
TSN: Buffalo Sabres forward Jason Zucker is expected to miss the start of the season after undergoing sports hernia surgery.
OTTAWA SUN: Sidelined Senators defenseman Artem Zub and winger Warren Foegele won’t be full participants in training camp. That could lead to a free agent like Ben Hutton being signed to a professional tryout offer.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Tampa Bay Lightning center Yanni Gourde (offseason hip surgery) and Dominic James (broken right hand) could miss the start of the regular season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Lightning signed center Luke Glendening to a PTO contract.
IN OTHER NEWS…
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Long-time Blue Jackets president Mike Priest will retire on Sept. 30 after 30 years with the team.
SPORTSNET: The Seattle Kraken hired Chuck Fletcher as a senior advisor to the general manager. Fletcher served as a general manager with the Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, and Philadelphia Flyers.
NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: The Devils named Bryan McCabe as vice president of prospect personnel and assistant GM of their AHL affiliate in Utica. Jessica Campbell was named manager of player development.
TSN: The Boston Bruins signed center Matt Poitras to a one-year, two-way contract worth $850,000 at the NHL level.
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Winger Ryan Reaves announced his retirement.https://apnews.com/article/ryan-reaves-retires-78450b7c42360ea0bcf2f7da0bf927c6
The 39-year-old enforcer spent 16 seasons in the NHL (2010-11 to 2025-26) with the St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, and San Jose Sharks. In 962 regular-season games, Reaves had 140 points and 1,137 PIMs. He also had nine points and 116 PIMs in 113 playoff games.
Picking up Skinner looks like a very solid move by the Jets. It takes any pressure off them to quickly resolve the Hellebucyk situation.
I am ok with players requesting trades but they have to understand that their teams need adequate value in return. Sometimes that is easy, sometimes not. Holding with a signed contract out is poor choice and for me brings into question of character. I hope the jets sit him out all season, not because he requested a trade but because he is not honoring his contract.
As for my Oilers I am happy they are standing firm on the Formenton decision and are not bending to the noise around it. I am proud of my club having the courage to allow look at handing out 2nd chances. As Ray Bark stated a few days ago, I dont disagree that penalties maybe should have extended longer but that is moreso on other parties, not the Oil.
Matt Poitras – I really thought he was going to be a player, but seems to be struggling (still young) at the nhl level.
I chuckle a bit at the off season tweaks and injuries…the guys will play through broken bones and missing teeth but somehow they get injures in the off-season. What they heck are they all doing (i am kidding)
Yes, 1Oiler fan, the Oil should stand by their decision. Oiler fans can’t suck and blow at the same time. They want the team to improve and finally get over the hump and then expect the Oilers to be able to cherry pick amongst their definition of the virtuous and the magnificent. That aisle doesn’t exist.
And I repudiate those who state Formenton deserves a “second chance.” He was found not guilty, and those who respond that doesn’t mean he was innocent are effectively saying: due process be damned, accused = guilt.
LJ, it’s not like you don’t have a point but a not guilty finding means that the prosecution has not proven its case. Standard is beyond reasonable doubt. Not merely the weight of the evidence. Not a light burden. A civil trial may have found differently. I recall that Hockey Canada did pay some money to the accuser. So while I agree he deserves a chance I can understand the fuss.
Howard, being a lawyer you know the bar is lower in a civil suit is lower, but so what? You also know that paying a complainant is not an admission of guilt; it can be a way of getting past negative publicity, particularly motivating if, like Hockey Canada, you are a government funded agency and all that implies.
And you, better than most, know that certain questions about character and past behaviour cannot be asked in a sexual assault trial. So it’s not as if the law in this area favours the accused, meaning a not guilty verdict is significant.
To be very clear, had the 5 been found guilty I would have opened the jail door and ushered them in. But as I have just posted in a reply to Dark G, there is a dangerous authoritarian undercurrent to all this. Call it cancel culture, call it this generation’s version of McCarthyism; it needs to be denounced. After all, Howard, your profession would be redundant if we sink to mob rule.
I agree with you LJ. I would give the guys a second chance because of that decision and no one but those involved truly know what happened, but I also believe in free speech and people have a right to protest. It is what it is. I’m a Sens fan and see why Staois wanted to distance himself from it. A distraction a team trying to win don’t really need.
Owen … LJ … the “other side” no doubt strongly believes that they are right as much as those advocating they are wrong. ‘Twas ever thus.
LJ, as I said, I believe that Formenton deserves another chance. And a not guilty verdict is certainly significant and binding. But given the relatively high burden necessary for conviction, it is understandable why there would be controversy. I agree that some people are protesting just to make noise but there are some with serious concerns. The court found reasonable doubt. Not absolute doubt. And playing professional sports is not an absolute protected right. There are obviously people who reasonably don’t want someone like him playing in their city.
The Oilers don’t care what the twitter mob says. They are a small minority.
LJ, “cancel culture” isn’t a form of McCarthyism, it’s more free speech. McCarthy was using the power of the US government and comparing that to some well-to-do latte sipping 20 something looking for attention on Twitter is a more than a stretch.
Twitter warriors can’t fire someone or cancel their speech. They only have power if you let them. They are simply annoying, and it was so stupid it isn’t even a real thing any more.
What is happening down south these days and that type of pressure, including the use of the FCC and DOJ. That is McCarthyism because it is the government doing it.
The guy did his time, and deserved to be suspended. Should have been longer IMO. But it’s over, he can play.
People can choose to be mad or not, these debates are a waste of time and like HF30 states below, a way of projecting.
Plenty to focus on these days and letting this get you fired up seems like a waste of energy. No one in Edmonton is even talking about it, like out in the real world, not SM.
George, to be clear, I strongly support peoples’ right to have differing opinions. What I don’t like is the segment who brook no disagreement and the attendant cancel part of the equation. Well, that and the segment who are protesting about a roster decision and have zero interest in hockey.
But we are sooo close to the puck dropping and having more convivial topics. I particularly look forward to more of Ray Bark’s disdain for the Habs, and the bon vivant manner in which he expresses them.
Do you think he is a closet Habs fan and has a Lane Hutson poster in his man cave?
LJ, you made me look up what bon vivant meant, so well played.
French folks, they have a different word for everything! I’ll take it as a compliment.
What Bruins stuff I have displayed in case your interested, which you likely are not. 1 large Orr print(my favorite), one large autographed picture of him hugging the cup, a personalized/autographed smaller framed picture, a Cheevers personalized autographed picture, a Bourque rookie card, a bruin clock, a Bourque action figure (it’s not a doll!), an Orr one and an Esposito one.
I had a dog named Ray Bark, my current dog is named Bob.
The only Hab stuff that ever gets into that space are my annoying Hab fan friends, of which I have too many.
It was reported that Chevy already received at least one solid offer from Buffalo and turned it down. Didn’t the player ask management (not the media) for a trade after the season? Several mos have passed and the situation remains unresolved.
Now it seems like you want to punish the player, but remember other players are watching.
In the old days players would just sit and relax in the summer. Now, players have a rigorous off season training schedule. And injuries happen. Maybe players are better off relaxing and letting their bodies heal after a tough season.
But unlike the old days players don’t get a long pre-season to play themselves into shape.
NHL veterans who have played 100 or more career regular-season games are allowed to play a maximum of 2 pre season games.
That’s understandable because getting to the third round in the playoffs can mean playing 100 games. And more than ever, younger players are nipping at the heels of those already in the league. Darwin on ice.
I could almost understand all of this if Formenton was some absolute force or a total gamechanger… he isn’t.
If the Oilers are hoping an average player who has spent time in an inferior league for the past few years will change their direction, I may need to on long term injury reserve for cracking my ribs laughing.
Makar tweaked his back carrying all his money in a wheel barrowing incident
the Formenton stuff will die down when he is sent to the AHL.
If Chevy continues to play hard ball with Helly, no FA will ever want to come to Winny. Oh wait, what FA wishes to go to Winny other than a washed-up Toews??
Agreed – cut the deal and move on. Or he should have cut the deal at the draft when it sounded like a good one.
Agreed – cut the deal and move on. Or he should have cut the deal at the draft when it sounded like a good one.
Seems to me, Johnny, Hellybuyck is playing hard ball with Chevy. He’s refusing to report to camp, in hopes of forcing a trade. There is nothing in Hellybuyck’s contract that says: I get to quit on my team. And Chevy is not obligated to accept a bad deal to move him.
And this doesn’t make Winnipeg any less attractive. It’s a small market team in a cold place. Unfortunate but it is what it is.
Or maybe FAs will appreciate that Chevy is doing what he feels best for the team. Regardless of what Helly does, Chevy cannot trade him for scraps. The return must make sense.
😂 so what you’re saying is Chevy should continue standing firm? Be interesting to see who blinks first.
Might as well move the team back to Atlanta.
If the Wings are indeed looking forward, they would have accepted prospects and futures in a Larkin trade to the Wild. You are not going to get a #1 C in return for a guy who was a #1 C by default. And anyone saying that they should is fooling themself.
How many of these liberal woke signatures are actual hockey fans. Sounds like a big nothing. Let the oilers hire who they want.
Hugh. Smh……What if you found out that a bunch of them were hard hitting, tatted up, RAM driving Albertans who love Amurica and want to be the 51st state of North Texas.
But they also might be or know people who have been sexually exploited and don’t want this guy around their hockey team or neighborhood.
Or, far more likely they are part of the cancel culture, Dark G. Those who are not content just to disagree but want those they disagree with to be banished. And yet in their self righteousness they fail to see the connection to fascist or ideologically intolerant religious regimes like the Taliban.
Which, by the way Hugh, is the opposite of liberalism. You are confusing your ideologies.
I simply believe they as a team should be able to hire who they want without having people with a hidden agenda dictating who they can and cannot hire. Too much cancel culture, and I say liberal woke because most of these woke identify as liberal. I understand people may have been hurt in a similar situation. But from what I’ve read in the court room this girl seems to be more of an amber heard.
you lost me at using the words “liberal woke”
Formenton is an issue whether you like it or not, regardless of which side of opinion you stand.
Oilers have a loupe on them for a number of valid reasons, do they need another one?
For a guy projected 4th line at best, probably Bakersfield do you need the distraction?
Don’t you think the Oil anticipated the backlash? And yet they thought Formenton was worth the gamble to improve their hockey team. Not to be sarcastic, but they are not the John Howard society.
That doesn’t mean their evaluation of what he could bring is wrong, but it tells me they were very confident in it.
Have to agree there. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the “second chance” mantra, Bowman HAD to know there would be flak from that not-inconsiderable side of society that disagrees. He already had some adverse feelings ,,, and distraction … about the signing of Babcock, He need more surrounding a guy who will, as you point out, probably wind up in the AHL?
His 18 goal season with Ottawa came 5 seasons ago when he skated primarily with Stutzle and Connor Brown, 5 of which were short-handed efforts. So I suppose Bowman figured it wouldn’t hurt to see if he still has that skill-set. Ottawa didn’t see any merit in retaining him.
LJ,
The Oilers have made a number of questionable decisions in the past few years that
I’m pretty sure they had full confidence in.
Expecting the backlash is even more reason not to make the choice on a player who isn’t seen as a reclamation project who might be a top 6 player.
This is a high risk/low return decision that is a distraction to add on top of the other distractions the Oilers chose this off season..
Some teams run smoothly and seem to be ahead of the others seam to keep missing the boat.
This move is a further example of which type the Oilers are now.
Controversial decisions do not mean poor ones, HF30. And the questionable Oiler roster decisions to date have had nothing to do with such controversy. They have been questionable all by themselves.
And I disagree that this is a distraction. I bet the Oiler players are prepping and focused on winning while their window is still open with zero attention to this save when they have to answer a media question. Babcock’s game plans will not include discussing this. Fans will attend games as soon as the puck is dropped. And if the Oil win the Cup there will be jubilation in Edmonton- with or without Formenton in the line up.
And I’m betting a healthy % of the on line petition signers also rail against JK Rowling and have zero interest in hockey.
In short, I see zero risk in this for the Oilers. Let’s watch the attendance in Edmonton and see who’s right.
I’ve had my say on this, so last word to you and others here.
Distraction to whom?
The fans?
You can agree, disagree with the decisions they have made but they are not a distraction to this roster or the individuals making those decisions. The players signed off on babcock and i am sure they didnt bat an eye at formenton especially since he is the 3rd player from the group returning and not the 1st returning the NHL.
Did the decision to sign hart, decisions to fire cassidy, hire torts somehow distract the knights last season?
The only thing this club is trying to do is win and whether they will or wont remains to be seen. but I dont see how decisions supported within the organization are a distraction to said organization. The only thing that matters is the results of those decisions.
Time will tell, I have nothing to add, my opinion stands and I understand differing ones.
Truth is we don’t know what goes on in the room or who is exposed to media and/or impacted by it.
We can only project our own reactions and that and a $ won’t buy a coffee at Tim’s
Makes you wonder how this Hellebuyck situation evolved. Signed his contract and the 1st season of it and the team wins the President’s trophy and he was the best player in the league. It should also be noted other stars on the team re -signed.
Last season the team was mediocre and the team fell out of the playoffs while also playing in a division with 3 powerhouse teams. Hellebuyck ends up having a rough season other then the Olympics.
So is it fallout from him talking with the players on the Olympic team? Is it the coach? Management not doing enough to improve the team? The sell off of players while fighting for a playoff spot? Discourse in the locker room?
Lots of speculation as to why Hellebuyck wants a trade. I wonder if he or the Jets come out and give his reasons for a trade request.
It was Nikolaj Ehlers leaving.
Well, partially………..😉
Gary, if you look closely at the Jets historic collapse last season, you see a number of contributing factors, not the least of which was the addition of old-and-slow (Toews, Nyquist, Pearson) to replace younger and faster (Ehlers, Appleton, Brandon Tanev), and suddenly they became one of the oldest and slowest rosters in the entire league.
That alone completely screwed up Arniel’s system that counts upon intense forechecking and backchecking speed throughout the line-up.
Mainstays like Scheifele, who amassed 103 points, and Connor and his 92 points, kept the top 2 lines dangerous … but the rest of the F complement just disappeared. Nor did Sambereg’s preseason injury or Hellebuyck’s arthroscopic knee surgery in mid-season do anything to help a struggling team. And even when Hellebuyck came back he just wasn’t the same, posting an 0.888 save % over the bulk of the second half.
And if all that wasn’t bad enough, they then embarked upon a franchise-record 11 game losing skid over the holiday season into the New Year that wound up burying them so deep – and with so many teams to pass just to get within site of a playoff spot – that the heart went completely out of the team.
How much of that disaster lies at the feet of long-time GM Cheveldayov?
George,as I stated,did management do enough to improve the Jets ?If that is Hellebuyck ‘s reason, stating the obvious, the fans should be disappointed and furious. I am quite sure that on every team that doesn’t win the cup,players ask did management do enough to improve the team? I find that a poor reason to request a trade after 1 season that did not reach expectations. I think there is more to the story the story . Especially after 2 seasons into a 7 year contract. It was also a year after they were the best team during the regular season.
After Hellebuyck is moved,you will here the Jets thank him for his years of service. Hellebuyck will thank the team and fans. The fans will in turn give Hellebuyck the Bronx cheer every time he comes into Winnipeg.
There are three things that never happened to me during my working days. I never had a job where my employer could trade me to another team/city, and I never made FU money so I could say no. I was never part of a close-knit group at work anything like a good hockey team can get to, only to se it broken up. I think this impulse to gain control is very strong in players, and I submit as evidence the transfer portal in the NCAA, where the four year “contract” is gone, and players with talent can shop their services every year. Think this attitude is permeating the community.
The comment section today saved me from my daily self flagellation of reading the Fox News comment section after an article written and designed specifically to piss off boomers.
First pre-season games between Habs/TML happen this Saturday night.
Two games, one in Toronto and one in Montreal, both starting 7:00 EST.
Both televised, Toronto game- TSN2/TSN4
Montreal game Sportsnet One
Obviously split rosters and no word yet on who will play in which city.
For Hab fans, another lineup wrinkle in practice:
Caufield-Suzuki-Kreider
Demidov-Kapanen-Slafkovsky
Something more elevating to respond to, for Hab fans at least.
How’s this for food for thought:
Juraj Slafkovský has 31 goals, 44 assists and a plus-minus of +12 in 84 games with Ivan Demidov in his career.
Habfan30, with that talent you can throw them in a blender and sit back and watch!
The guy was acquitted.
What a country.
Helly had to beef up security for him and his family once he returned from the Olympics. The Canadian fanatics were threatening his family! Now you know, and you want him to stay where they are unsafe?
Reprehensible, plain and simple. No wonder he wants out.