Recapping Friday’s action, the Canadiens and Predators make a trade, injury updates, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF FRIDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: An injury to New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin overshadowed his club’s 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals. Shesterkin left the game in the second period with the score tied at 1-1 after injuring his right leg. He was helped off the ice and replaced by backup Dylan Garand.

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (NHL Images)

Timothy Liljegren, Boone Jenner, and Tom Wilson scored, and Logan Thompson made 21 saves for the Capitals (3-1-0). Alexis Lafreniere tallied for the 4-2-0 Rangers as their four-game win streak ended.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There was no postgame update on Shesterkin’s condition. The former Vezina Trophy winner played a significant role in the Rangers’ strong start, which could be derailed if he’s out for a lengthy period.

Columbus Blue Jackets netminder Cam Talbot stopped 20 shots and made three straight saves in the shootout to nip the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2. Kent Johnson scored the winning goal, Damon Severson had a goal and an assist, and Cole Sillinger collected two assists for the Blue Jackets (2-1-0). Sergei Murashov kicked out 43 shots while Bryan Rust and Evgeni Malkin replied for the 2-2-1 Penguins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Talbot became the first goalie in NHL history to win a game with nine teams. Now in his 13th season, the 39-year-old netminder had wins with the Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, and Los Angeles Kings.

A four-goal second period lifted the Seattle Kraken to a 6-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Frederick Gaudreau tallied two goals, and Ben Meyers had a goal and two assists for the Kraken, who improved to 3-2-0. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard had a goal and an assist as the Red Wings dropped to 1-3-0.

The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5-1. Mikael Granlund, Tim Washe, and rookie winger Judd Caulfield each had a goal and an assist for the 3-1-0 Ducks. Kyle Connor tallied his sixth goal of the season for the Jets (3-1-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey missed this game as he’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

HEADLINES

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: The Canadiens traded defenseman Jayden Struble to the Nashville Predators for a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Struble became the odd man out on the Canadiens’ crowded blueline. Kaiden Guhle is slated to return soon from adductor muscle surgery, and promising Adam Engstrom recently took Struble’s spot in the lineup. The Canadiens now have two second-round picks in next year’s draft, which could be bargaining chips by the March 1 trade deadline.

Struble, 25, should get more playing time with the retooling Predators. An injury to promising blueliner William Trudeau (upper body, week to week) was another reason for this move.

This was the 10th trade by Nashville general manager Chris MacFarlane since he took over the role on June 2.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers winger Brad Marchand will be sidelined for six to eight weeks with a lower-body (knee) injury.

TSN: Ottawa Senators winger William Eklund will be sidelined for an “extended period of time” with an ankle injury.

DAILY FACEOFF: Canadiens goaltender Samuel Montembeault will miss two weeks with a lower-body injury.

TSN: The Minnesota Wild placed goaltender Filip Gustavsson (offseason hip surgery) on long-term injured reserve.

CBS SPORTS: The New Jersey Devils placed center Nick Bjugstad (torn pectoral muscle) on LTIR.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar received a two-game suspension for an illegal hit to the head of New York Islanders captain Bo Horvat.

TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs center John Tavares is expected to miss Saturday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche after returning to Toronto on Thursday to be with his wife as she gave birth to their fourth child, a son named Tucker.

TSN: Darren Dreger reported Thursday that the NHL has put expansion plans on the back burner for now amid concerns from owners regarding competitive balance. Two Texas cities (Houston and Austin) seemed to be the frontrunners for the NHL’s 33rd franchise if expansion occurs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: An interesting development considering recent projections suggesting the league could expand by one or two teams by 2030. It’ll be interesting to see how many owners are concerned and how the league alleviates those worries.

NHL.COM: Defenseman Matt Dumba has announced his retirement after 13 NHL seasons. From 2013-14 to 2025-26, Dumba appeared in 748 regular-season games with the Minnesota Wild, Arizona Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins, scoring 85 goals and 176 assists for 261 points. He also had 15 points in 54 playoff contests.

Dumba spent 10 of his 13 NHL seasons with the Wild, including a career-high 50-point performance in 2017-18.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Dumba was a physical puck-moving blueliner, but he was never the same after tearing his right pectoral muscle in December 2018. Up to that point, he had 12 goals and 22 points in 32 games, putting him on pace for another career-high performance.