NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 29, 2022

by | Jul 29, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 29, 2022

The Sharks will retire Patrick Marleau’s number, an update on Kirill Kaprizov and Jake Gardiner is ready to return to action after injuries sidelined him last season. Details and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Patrick Marleau will become the first player in San Jose Sharks history to have his number retire. His No. 12 will be raised to the rafters of the SAP Center in San Jose in a ceremony before the Sharks’ game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Feb. 25, 2023.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A well-deserved honor for Marleau. Selected second-overall by the Sharks in the 1997 NHL Draft, he holds the franchise records with 1,607 games played, 522 goals and 1,111 points during his 21 years with the club. He also holds the NHL record for most career games with 1,779.

THE ATHLETIC’s Michael Russo reports via Twitter that Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin remains confident that Kirill Kaprizov will return with the club before the coming season. He indicated it’s a delicate situation and he’d rather not comment on it.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Reports earlier this month claimed Kaprizov was under investigation in his native Russia over accusations that he purchased a fake military ID several years ago.

NHL.COM: Jake Gardiner is ready to return to action after missing all of last season recovering from hip and back surgeries. The 32-year-old defenseman has one year remaining on his contract. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell expects Gardiner will report to training camp in September.

NEW YORK POST: The Rangers signed winger Kaapo Kakko to a two-year, $4.2 million contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some Rangers followers were worried that Kakko might receive an offer sheet from a rival club that the cap-strapped Blueshirts couldn’t match. That he didn’t suggest the 21-year winger wasn’t interested in offers from other clubs or perhaps they didn’t think he was worth it.

OTTAWA SUN: The Senators avoided salary arbitration with Mathieu Joseph, signing the forward to a four-year, $11.8 million contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators have $75.6 million invested in their salary-cap payroll for 2022-23 with winger Alex Formenton and defenseman Erik Brannstrom to sign.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: The Canadiens hired Stephane Robidas as an assistant coach.

NYI HOCKEY NOW: John MacLean is joining the New York Islanders as an assistant coach.

DAILY FACEOFF: Adidas will not return as the NHL’s jersey manufacturer after 2023-24.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 28, 2022

by | Jul 28, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 28, 2022

An update on J.T. Miller’s contract talks with the Canucks, Claude Giroux expects a rough welcome from Philadelphia Flyers fans, the latest on John Klingberg and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

VANCOUVER HOCKEY NOW: Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford told The Bob McCown podcast that his club would like to re-sign J.T. Miller. However, the two sides “remain a long way apart”.

Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller (NHL Images).

Rutherford considered Miller the Canucks’ best player last season and anticipates he’ll be a very good player for a long time. If unable to reach an agreement with the 29-year-old center on a new contract, he said they’ll have to put him “in a place where he’s going to get his contract and where we’re going to get the right assets back that can help the Canucks in the future.”

Asked if there was a timeline and if he saw Miller starting the season in Vancouver, Rutherford said he would start the season with the Canucks if he remains unsigned and no one’s made a suitable trade offer by then. He acknowledged the situation would reach a pressure point for management a month before the trade deadline, saying they don’t want to be in a position where they wouldn’t get anything in return.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Miller is signed for this season at a salary cap hit of $5.25 million. He is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Miller’s agent recently said there was a pathway toward a new contract with the Canucks. Rutherford’s comments suggest that the pathway could be too long, too expensive or both.

There’s still plenty of time for the two sides to negotiate an extension. However, we can expect trade rumors to continue swirling around Miller in the coming season if he doesn’t have a new deal by then.

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: Claude Giroux believes he’ll be booed by Flyers fans when he plays his first game at Wells Fargo Arena this coming season. Giroux was traded by the Flyers to the Florida Panthers at last season’s trade deadline and signed a three-year contract with the Ottawa Senators earlier this month. He thinks they could give him a standing ovation and then boo him.

DAILY FACEOFF: John Klingberg has changed agents two weeks into free agency. The former Dallas Stars defenseman parted ways with longtime agent Peter Wallen and is now represented by Newport Sports Management.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Klingberg was considered the top defenseman in this summer’s UFA class. It appears he and his former agent overestimated his value on the open market. There were reports last season that he sought an eight-year deal from the Stars worth between $62 million and $68 million. He’s certainly not getting that now.

NEW YORK POST: Former NHL forward Bobby Ryan took to Twitter yesterday to thank hockey fans for their support after he was arrested for public intoxication earlier this week at Nashville airport. Ryan, 35, has battled alcohol abuse and received treatment in 2019-20 through the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ryan’s relapse was unfortunate but he appears determined to return to the path of sobriety. Here’s hoping he can find the help he needs to do so. It was heartwarming to see the overwhelming support he received on social media from fans and former teammates.

THE ATHLETIC: Former Montreal Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme said he was disappointed he didn’t get the opportunity to speak with the club’s new management to discuss their plans for the franchise. Ducharme was replaced last February by Martin St. Louis after the club tumbled to last place in the overall standings. Under St. Louis, the Canadiens showed improvement though they still finished near the bottom of the standings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ducharme was put in a difficult situation by being hired midway through a COVID-shortened season on a struggling team that barely reached the playoffs. He coached them to a surprise run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, saw the wheels come off the following season as injuries to key players and a COVID outbreak ravaged the roster and appeared to have been kept in the dark by the club’s new management.

Nevertheless, the results speak for themselves. The Canadiens played like a team that had lost all confidence under Ducharme last season. There’s no denying their overall improvement under St. Louis.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins signed free-agent forward Danton Heinen to a one-year, $1 million contract.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Carolina Hurricanes avoided salary arbitration with Ethan Bear, signing him to a one-year, $2.2 million contract.

THE SEATTLE TIMES: The Kraken re-signed forward Ryan Donato to a one-year, $1.2 million deal.

SPORTSNET: The St. Louis Blues signed forward Klim Kostin to a one-year, one-way contract worth $750K.

NHL.COM: The Anaheim Ducks signed defenseman Olli Juolevi to a one-year, two-way contract.

The Edmonton Oilers announced the Fort Wayne Comets will be their new ECHL affiliate.

DAILY FACEOFF: Former NHL player Daniel Carcillo released a statement yesterday criticizing Hockey Canada’s top officials for denying systemic and ongoing problems in junior hockey.

Carcillo is spearheading a lawsuit against Hockey Canada, alleging he suffered abuse during his major junior career. Hockey Canada is under scrutiny from Canadian politicians in the wake of two sexual assault scandals involving members of the 2003 and 2018 World Junior teams.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 27, 2022

by | Jul 27, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 27, 2022

Jonathan Toews doesn’t seem keen on being part of a Blackhawks rebuild, the Kings intend to honor Dustin Brown and the Sharks hire David Quinn as head coach. Details and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

THE ATHLETIC: Mark Lazerus reports Jonathan Toews said a lengthy rebuild of the Chicago Blackhawks roster “doesn’t sound appealing to me at all.” The 34-year-old center and Blackhawks captain describe the turnover of players on the roster over the past three-four years as “really, really draining” and “exhausting.”

Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews (NHL Images).

Toews and fellow franchise player Patrick Kane are slated to become unrestricted free agents next summer. They each carry an average annual value of $10.5 million and full no-movement clauses on their respective contracts.

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson told Toews and Kane of his commitment to rebuilding the roster and has expressed his hope that both players will be part of it. Toews said he’s learned to be more patient but still finds the potential five-plus year rebuild timeline as “pretty daunting” and “pretty exhausting” to think about. He indicated that he’s uncertain about what he’s going to do or what his future holds.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Toews said he wasn’t speaking for Kane but it wouldn’t be surprising if his long-time teammate feels the same way. Kane has frequently surfaced in trade rumors this offseason as there’s anticipation he’ll seek a trade to a playoff contender at some point in the coming season.

Toews struggled last season after missing the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign with chronic immune response syndrome. Nevertheless, he could draw interest in the trade market if his performance improves in 2022-23.

NHL.COM: The Los Angeles Kings will honor Dustin Brown by retiring his No. 23 on Feb. 11, 2023, before their game with the Pittsburgh Penguins at Crypto.com Arena. The club will also unveil a statue in his honor.

Brown, 37, retired last season after spending his entire 18-season career with the Kings, tallying 712 points in 1, 296 career games. He captained the Kings to their two Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A well-deserved honor for Brown, who is also the club’s all-time leader in games played. However, it’s curious that the Kings haven’t honored Marcel Dionne with a statue. The Hall-of-Famer remains their all-time leader with 757 assists and 1,307 points.

TSN: The San Jose Sharks officially announced their hiring of David Quinn as their new head coach. Quinn coached the New York Rangers from 2018 to 2021. Before that, he spent five seasons as Boston University’s head coach.

PEI SPORTS HALL OF FAME: Former NHL star Brad Richards will be inducted into the PEI Sports Hall of Fame. A native of Murray Harbour, Richards was the most successful hockey player in Prince Edward Island history, going on to win two Stanley Cups plus the Conn Smythe Trophy and Lady Byng Memorial Trophy while netting 932 points in 1,126 career NHL games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to Richards, who will be inducted in a special ceremony at his hometown rink (Northumberland Arena) on Aug. 8.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Former NHL forward Bobby Ryan was arrested for public intoxication on Monday at Nashville Airport after taking several items from an airport store without paying. The store opted not to press charges and Ryan was released following an eight-hour public intoxication hold.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ryan, 35, won the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2020 for perseverance after receiving treatment for alcohol abuse in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. He last played in the NHL in 2020-21. Hopefully, he will receive treatment for his relapse and the help he needs to adjust to life after hockey.

THE PROVINCE: Former Vancouver Canucks forward Brandon Sutter continues to feel the effects of long COVID over a year after he first contracted the virus. Now an unrestricted free agent, he missed the entirety of last season due to COVID-related symptoms that affect his breathing.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Here’s hoping Sutter can eventually recover to where his quality of life improves if he’s unable to continue his playing career. One wonders how many other NHL players are affected by long COVID symptoms.

TSN: The New Jersey Devils signed Jonas Siegenthaler to a five-year, $17 million contract extension. The 25-year-old defenseman will earn an average annual value is $3.4 million.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: The Oilers avoided arbitration with Jesse Puljujarvi as they reached an agreement on a one-year, $3 million contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Puljujarvi’s new contract prompted some observers to suggest this could be a “sign-and-trade” situation. I believe the Oilers intend to keep him in the hope that he achieves his long-awaited breakout. If he doesn’t, they could peddle him at some point during the coming season.

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: Promising Flyers forward Bobby Brink will miss about five months recovering from recent hip surgery. The 21-year-old winger suffered a torn labrum in his left hip.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: A jury in the British Columbia Supreme Court found former NHL player Jake Virtanen not guilty of sexual assault on Tuesday.

ARIZONA SPORTS: The Coyotes have hired John Madden as an assistant coach. A former NHL player and three-time Stanley Cup champion, Madden’s last NHL coaching role was as an assistant with the Florida Panthers from 2013 to 2016. He also spent three seasons as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets AHL affiliate in Cleveland until 2019.

TSN: Former NHL defenseman Mark Stuart was named to the Edmonton Oilers coaching staff.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 26, 2022

by | Jul 26, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 26, 2022

Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar are open to long-term deals with the Flames while John Tavares is working on improving his quickness. Details plus the latest contract signings in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

CALGARY SUN: Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar indicated they’re open to signing long-term contracts with the Flames. The pair made those remarks during their introductory Zoom press conferences as the club’s newest members. Both were acquired as part of the return in last Friday’s trade that sent Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers.

Florida Panthers traded winger Jonathan Huberdeau to the Calgary Flames on July 23 (NHL Images).

Huberdeau and Weegar are both slated to become unrestricted free agents next summer. Huberdeau indicated his agent has already begun talking about a new contract with general manager Brad Treliving. Weegar said he’s looking forward to his agent speaking with Treliving and seeing what’s going on.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flames fans may be cautious about believing those comments. After all, Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk professed their love of living and playing in Calgary. The former departed for Columbus via free agency while the latter forced a trade to Florida when he declined to discuss a long-term deal with the Flames.

Huberdeau and Weegar are trying to say the right thing here but they’re still dealing with how quickly their own fortunes have changed. On Friday, they were members of the Panthers and three days later they’re fielding questions from the Calgary media over whether they’re open to signing with their new team.

A lot will depend on how well they adapt to playing with the Flames in the coming season and how much the club is willing to pay to keep them in the fold. If they aren’t a good fit it’s doubtful management will offer up big-money extensions. In that case, the talk will be about where they could be shipped at the February trade deadline and what kind of a return they’ll fetch.

TORONTO STAR: Maple Leafs captain John Tavares is hoping to be leaner and quicker when he reports to training camp in September. He’s been working with the team’s development staff on a new program designed to make him quicker and lighter on his skates.

Tavares said he’s feeling good physically this year. His offseason training last year was hindered by his recovery from a concussion suffered in the 2021 playoffs.

MLIVE.COM: The Detroit Red Wings announced defenseman Mark Pysyk recently underwent surgery to report a torn Achilles tendon. He’s expected to miss four-to-six months. As a result, the Wings signed free-agent defenseman Robert Hagg to a one-year, $800K contract.

NHL.COM: Speaking of the Wings, they signed a five-year extension of their affiliation agreement with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Anaheim Ducks avoided salary arbitration with Isac Lundestrom, signing the 22-year-old forward to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $1.4 million.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Carolina Hurricanes signed free-agent winger Ryan Dzingel to a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K at the NHL level.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 25, 2022

by | Jul 25, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 25, 2022

Patrik Laine is happy he’s staying with the Blue Jackets while the Canadiens’ Paul Byron assists in a plane crash rescue. Details and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Patrik Laine is happy to have a new contract with the Blue Jackets and excited about the club’s recent signing of winger Johnny Gaudreau.

Columbus Blue Jackets winger Patrik Laine (NHL Images).

Laine learned of the Gaudreau signing while negotiations were ongoing for his own contract. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited to play hockey and maybe be able to play with this kind of guy,” he said.

Regarding his own new contract, Laine said he enjoys playing in Columbus and is happy he’s staying put. “Personally, I don’t know why guys, big names, have left before,” he said. “For me, that was never in my head that I wanted to go somewhere else.” Laine went on to say Columbus feels like home and there was no place he’d rather play in the NHL.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Laine’s new four-year contract and Gaudreau’s seven-year deal with the Blue Jackets is changing the impression of Columbus as a city that NHL stars prefer to avoid or leave at the first opportunity. It could become a prime destination for future stars if Gaudreau and Laine can help to turn the Blue Jackets into a contender.

SPORTSNET: Montreal Canadiens forward Paul Byron was part of a group of people who rescued the pilot of a seaplane that crashed in Lac des Sables in the Laurentians on Sunday.

Byron downplayed his role, crediting Serge Labelle with rescuing the pilot, who was the only person on the plane. He also praised his father-in-law, brother-in-law and a friend who also assisted in the rescue.

TSN: The Seattle Kraken avoided salary arbitration with forward Morgan Geekie, signing him to a one-year, $1.4 million contract. Geekie, 24, had seven goals and 22 points in 73 games with the Kraken last season. He’s among the group of players selected by the Kraken in last summer’s expansion draft.

CBS SPORTS: Speaking of the Kraken, they signed Michal Kempny to a one-year, $750 contract. The 31-year-old defenseman spent over three seasons with the Washington Capitals, helping them win the Stanley Cup in 2018.

GOPHNX.COM‘s Craig Morgan reports former Arizona Coyotes winger Loui Eriksson hopes to continue his playing career. The 37-year-old is looking at opportunities in Sweden and Switzerland for 2022-23.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Eriksson’s NHL career appears to be over after 16 seasons. His most productive campaigns were with the Dallas Stars with three straight 70-plus point seasons from 2009-10 to 2011-12. He also had a 63-point season with the Boston Bruins in 2015-16.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 24, 2022

by | Jul 24, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 24, 2022

The aftermath of the Matthew Tkachuk trade plus the latest contract signings and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

SPORTSNET: Eric Francis reports Matthew Tkachuk explained his refusal to sign a long-term contract with the Calgary Flames. At the time, the 24-year-old winger was a restricted free agent who was a year away from unrestricted free agent eligibility.

Calgary Flames traded winger Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers on July 22. (NHL Images).

Tkachuk indicated he knew when he inked his previous contract in 2019 that there was a chance that it would be time to leave when the deal was over. He said there wasn’t any single reason behind his decision.

He explained that he wanted to re-evaluate where he was at that point in his career. The winger stated that he didn’t know what his choice would be until after he spoke with several teams.

His decision forced the club to trade him on Friday night to the Florida Panthers in a multi-player deal that sent winger Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar to the Flames. He agreed to an eight-year deal worth $9.5 million per season with the Panthers.

Tkachuk indicated it wasn’t an easy decision, dismissing speculation that he was motivated by the recent departure of former linemate Johnny Gaudreau to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He said he was sad to be leaving Calgary, insisting that he enjoyed living and playing there. He explained why he choose the Panthers, saying he was drawn to their competitiveness and their prospects for success in the future.

CALGARY SUN: Flames general manager Brad Treliving said the offer he received from the Florida Panthers for Matthew Tkachuk was the best deal available “by a long shot.”

Treliving made the trade after Tkachuk informed the Flames that he wasn’t interested in signing a long-term contract. Huberdeau and Weegar are slated to become unrestricted free agents next summer.

The Flames GM said it was important for everyone to take a breather after everything that’s happened before moving on to the next round of challenges. That includes attempting to re-sign Huberdeau and Weegar.

Treliving also he was “pissed off” about the media narrative that suggests Calgary isn’t a good place to live and play for NHL players. He praised the community and defended his club, insisting that it will be competing every year to be a Stanley Cup contender.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tkachuk was a restricted free agent and within his rights under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement to determine where he wanted to play. Informing the Flames that he wouldn’t sign beyond the coming season gave him considerable leverage to force a trade wherever he wanted to go.

Treliving got the best deal he could under the circumstances. In the short term, it should keep the Flames competitive for 2022-23 despite the absence of Gaudreau. Whether it works out over the long term depends on whether Huberdeau and Weegar are willing to sign contract extensions.

NHL.COM: The Los Angeles Kings signed forwards Gabriel Vilardi and Jaret Anderson-Dolan to contract extensions. Vilardi’s is a one-year, one-way deal worth an annual average value of $825K. Anderson-Dolan’s is a one-year, two-way deal worth $750K at the NHL level.

NBC SPORTS BOSTON: The Bruins signed center Jack Studnicka to a two-year, two-way contract extension with an average annual salary of $762,500 at the NHL level.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: The Stars signed defenseman Will Butcher to a one-year, two-way deal worth an AAV of $750K.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: The Blackhawks recently announced new initiatives to help educate the public about the cultures of Native peoples.