NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 5, 2026

by | Jul 5, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 5, 2026

Mason McTavish looks forward to a fresh start with the Blues; the Capitals are becoming a prime destination for notable talent; and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Lou Korac reports Mason McTavish is looking forward to a fresh start with the St. Louis Blues.

After spending the first five seasons of his NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks, the 23-year-old center was traded to the Blues on June 26.

St. Louis Blues center Mason McTavish (NHL Images)

McTavish struggled last season after his contract negotiations kept him out of last fall’s training camp and the preseason. After signing a seven-year deal, his production dropped to 41 points in 75 games, and he was a healthy scratch in two regular-season games and two postseason contests.

Anxious to put that season behind him, McTavish said he’s motivated and excited about the coming season with his new team. He said he enjoyed his time with the Ducks, but believes this is the right time to move on and experience something different.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McTavish is part of the Blues’ retooling process that began last season under former general manager Doug Armstrong, who handed over the reins to Alexander Steen. He’ll slot in as their second-line center between wingers Pavel Buchnevich and Jake Neighbours.

A bounce-back performance by McTavish could help the Blues reach the playoffs next season. He could also provide a boost to Buchnevich’s sagging production.

McTavish joins winger Connor McMichael and defenseman Brandon Carlo as the Blues’ new additions for this season. McMichael was acquired from the Washington Capitals in the Jordan Kyrou deal, while Carlo was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Sammi Silber reports the Washington Capitals are becoming a desired destination for some of the league’s notable talent.

The Capitals have been busy bolstering their roster this summer. They acquired winger Alex Tuch from the Buffalo Sabres and winger Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues, and signed free agent forward Boone Jenner and defenseman Vincent Desharnais.

Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery is pleased that players want to come to Washington. Tuch said he wanted to play for a club that would be competitive for a long time while he’s in the prime of his career. Jenner is excited to join a team that wants to win at this stage in his career, while Desharnais said he heard good things about the organization and how they treat their players.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: For all the talk of players wanting to go to Sun Belt teams in no-tax states, the comments by Tuch, Jenner, and Desharnais about the Capitals indicate that playing for a competitive club with a strong team culture that treats its players well and wants to win remains the biggest motivating factor in where most of them want to go.

THE TENNESSEAN: The Nashville Predators signed forward Mavrik Bourque to a six-year, $33 million contract with an average annual value of $5.5 million.

Bourque, 24, was a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. The Predators acquired him and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin from the Dallas Stars on July 1 in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 third-round pick.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bourque is getting a significant pay raise after earning $950,000 on a one-year contract last season. A versatile forward who can play center or right wing, he had a career-best performance in 2025-26, scoring 20 goals and 21 assists for 41 points in 82 games. He’s expected to center the Predators’ second line.

TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs signed defenseman Emil Andrae to a two-year contract worth an AAV of $1.55 million.

Andrae, 24, was a restricted free agent. He was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers on June 16.

TSN: The Edmonton Oilers signed defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin to a two-year contract worth an AAV of $1.75 million.

Mukhamadullin, 24, was a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. The Oilers acquired him from the San Jose Sharks as part of the Darnell Nurse trade.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Blue Jackets center Isac Lundestrom is expected to be sidelined until December with a ruptured right Achilles tendon. He suffered the injury during a training session.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 17, 2026

by | Jun 17, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 17, 2026

The latest on the Golden Knights, John Carlson won’t re-sign with the Ducks, the latest trades, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: The Golden Knights announced Tuesday that head coach John Tortorella will not be returning next season.

Tortorella was hired on an interim basis when the Golden Knights fired bench boss Bruce Cassidy on March 29. They went 7-0-1 over the remainder of the regular season to clinch first place in the Pacific Division and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, falling in six games to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Former Vegas Golden Knights coach John Tortorella (NHL.com).

Golden Knights captain Mark Stone credited Tortorella with giving the club “a shot of adrenaline” when they were struggling down the stretch. “I’ve got all the respect in the world for his professionalism and everything he did in his short time here.”

Center Jack Eichel said it was “an honor to play for (Tortorella) every day and I think all the guys in the room would agree.” Goaltender Carter Hart spoke of the respect he and his teammates had for Tortorella.

Danny Webster believes all signs point to the Golden Knights promoting Ryan Craig as their next head coach. Craig is currently the coach of their farm team, the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights.

NHL.COM: Golden Knights winger Mitch Marner credited the move to the Golden Knights last summer and his work improving his mental health with helping relieve the stress and pressure he’d felt during his final seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Marner, 29, led all scorers in the 2026 postseason with 29 points in 22 games.

DAILY FACEOFF: Rasmus Andersson said he’d love to return with the Golden Knights. The 28-year-old defenseman was acquired from the Calgary Flames in January and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He’s completing a six-year contract with an average annual value of $4.55 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s rumored that the Golden Knights are waiting until July 1 to re-sign Andersson, as that’s when they’ll be cap-compliant to do so.

However, Shayna Goldman of The Athletic believes his inconsistent play could make Andersson a risky signing. She noted that his current market value is $6.8 million annually.

TSN: Pierre LeBrun reported John Carlson will not be returning with the Anaheim Ducks. The 36-year-old defenseman’s agent informed the Ducks that his client will be testing the UFA market on July 1. Carlson prefers to return to the Eastern Conference to be close to his family.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Despite his age, the puck-moving Carlson had 60 points in 71 games split between the Washington Capitals and the Ducks. He’s completing an eight-year contract with an AAV of $8 million.

TORONTO SUN/PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: The Maple Leafs traded goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit to the Flyers on Tuesday for goalie Samuel Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae, and a third-round pick in 2026.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This move indicates Dennis Hildeby will back up Leafs starter Anthony Stolarz. The rise of promising netminder Artur Akhtyamov made it possible to part ways with Woll to free up some cap space. Ersson could end up with their AHL affiliate if they re-sign the restricted free agent, who has arbitration rights this summer.

Andrae’s puck-moving skills will be seen as an improvement over Benoit for the Leafs. Like Ersson, he’s an RFA with arbitration rights this summer. Both players should be affordable re-signings.

Woll has an injury history, but he should be a more reliable backup for Flyers starter Dan Vladar. Benoit currently slots in as a seventh defenseman, but his physical play could earn him more playing time.

THE TENNESSEAN/THE DENVER POST: The Nashville Predators acquired center Ross Colton and goaltender Isak Posch from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a third-round pick in 2026, a third-rounder in 2027 that originally belonged to the Avalanche, and goaltender Magnus Chrona.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was Chris MacFarland’s first trade since leaving the Avalanche to become team president and general manager of the Predators.

Colton was the obvious prize here for the Predators. The versatile forward is under contract for two more seasons and should provide experienced depth to their checking lines. This move frees up Colton’s $4 million AAV from the cap-strapped Avalanche’s books, which could be put toward re-signing center Jack Drury and defenseman Brett Kulak.

Speaking of the Predators, MacFarland said head coach Andrew Brunette and his staff will be back next season.

CBC.CA: The CBC will no longer broadcast NHL games after it and national rights-holder Sportsnet were unable to agree to a new sub-licensing deal that would’ve allowed the public broadcaster to continue airing games on its Saturday night program Hockey Night in Canada.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s the end of a 74-year era on CBC-TV. Hockey Night in Canada began in 1952 and for seven decades was a cultural institution for millions of Canadians, covering all aspects of the game. Heck, they even mentioned me back in 2007 on an intermission segment about the rise of hockey bloggers, which provided a welcome boost of traffic and new readers to this site.

This day was coming ever since Sportsnet won the bidding for the NHL’s Canadian national broadcast rights in 2014. It seems they no longer want to provide those Saturday night games for free through the public broadcaster.

CBC owns the Hockey Night in Canada brand, but it will no longer be used to televise NHL games. They could use it to broadcast PWHL games or perhaps junior or senior men’s hockey.

NHL.COM: Former NHL forward Kyle Calder passed away on Monday at age 47 following a brief illness.

Calder spent 10 seasons in the NHL from 1999-2000 to 2009-10 with the Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, and Anaheim Ducks. In 590 regular-season games, he tallied 114 goals and 180 assists for 294 points, and three points in 18 playoff games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Calder’s family, friends, and former teammates.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 22, 2026

by | Apr 22, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 22, 2026

The Avalanche take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series, the Lightning, Bruins, and Mammoth tie their respective series, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPPING TUESDAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES

NHL.COM: An overtime goal by Nicolas Roy lifted the Colorado Avalanche to a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, and a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round series. Gabriel Landeskog scored the tying goal while Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves, including one on a penalty shot by Los Angeles center Quinton Byfield. Artemi Panarin opened the scoring for the Kings, who got a 34-save effort from goaltender Anton Forsberg.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The game was delayed following Wedgewood’s save on Byfield to replace a pane of glass behind the Kings’ bench that shattered from the force of excited Avalanche fans pounding on it.

This series shifts to Los Angeles for Games 3 and 4, with Game 3 on Thursday at 10 pm ET. If those games are anything like the first two, we can expect them to be physical, close-checking, low-scoring affairs. The Kings must find a way to generate more offense without sacrificing their defensive play in Game 3, or they’ll be facing elimination this weekend.

The Tampa Bay Lightning overcame a 2-1 deficit to nip the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on an overtime goal by JJ Moser, tying their first-round series at a game apiece. Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov also scored for the Lightning, while Lane Hutson and Josh Anderson tallied for the Canadiens.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The first half of this game was a greasy physical affair with numerous scrums, including a fight that saw Hagel drop Canadiens winger Juraj Slafkovsky. Once the shenanigans were over, the game settled into a close-checking contest in which the Lightning’s experience made the difference, with Kucherov’s tying goal the result of a blueline turnover by Slafkovsky. The Canadiens were tentative in overtime, failing to generate a shot while the Lightning peppered Habs goalie Jakub Dobes with nine shots.

Speaking of the Lightning, they announced that team captain Victor Hedman is doubtful to play in this series, which moves to Montreal for Games 3 and 4. The third game will be on Friday at 7 pm ET.

Boston Bruins winger Viktor Arvidsson tallied twice as his club doubled up the Buffalo Sabres 4-2, tying their series at one game apiece. Jeremy Swayman made 34 saves while David Pastrnak collected two assists for the Bruins. Bowen Byram and Peyton Krebs replied for the Sabres. This series shifts to Boston for the next two games, with Game 3 on Thursday at 7 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres fell too far behind to stage another rally as they did in the first game. It was a disastrous outing for Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, giving up four goals on 19 shots, including a backhander from center ice by Bruins winger Morgan Geekie that bounced past him. Alex Lyon replaced Luukkonen after Arvidsson made it 4-0, and Sabres coach Lindy Ruff hinted that Lyon might get the start in Game 3.

Utah Mammoth center Logan Cooley (NHL Images).

The Utah Mammoth got their first playoff win since relocating from Arizona by defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2, squaring their first-round series at a game apiece. Logan Cooley snapped a 2-2 tie while Dylan Guenther had a goal and an assist for the Mammoth. Mark Stone and Ivan Barbshev scored for the Golden Knights. This series moves to Utah for Games 3 and 4, with Game 3 on Friday at 9:30 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The speedy Mammoth out-played and out-shot the Golden Knights as this game went along. Led by young stars such as Cooley and Guenther, they’re proving to be a handful for the veteran-laden Golden Knights.

HEADLINES

DAILY FACEOFF: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league has no plans to change its regular-season points system.

The issue arose as the Los Angeles Kings made the playoffs despite tying for the second-fewest regulation wins this season, playing in a record 33 overtime games. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Flyers clinched third place in the Metropolitan Division despite winning 10 fewer regulation games than the Washington Capitals, while the New York Islanders won 43 games but missed the playoffs with five overtime/shootout points.

Bettman also said that future league expansion fees could exceed $1 billion. He based it on the growth of league revenue and other factors. Atlanta and Houston have been rumored as potential destinations for future expansion franchises.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan said sidelined center Roope Hintz didn’t travel with the team to Minnesota for the next two games of their first-round series. A lower-body injury has sidelined Hintz since March 6.

Gulutzan was unfazed over comments by Minnesota forward Marcus Foligno that the Stars “couldn’t hang” with the Wild in even-strength situations. Two of the goals the Stars scored in their 4-2 victory over the Wild in Game 2 came on the power play.

SPORTSNET: Speaking of the Wild, winger Mats Zuccarello is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Edmonton Oilers forward Adam Henrique will miss Game 2 of their series with the Anaheim Ducks after suffering a lower-body injury in the first game.

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Emil Andrae will miss Game 3 of his club’s series with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

THE ATHLETIC: The Vancouver Canucks have requested permission to speak with former Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams about their vacant GM position.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: New Devils GM Sunny Mehta said everything is under evaluation from the coaching staff to new contracts for Nico Hischier and Simon Nemec. He also indicated that the Devils will be spending to the salary cap.

Mehta spent three seasons as an assistant general manager with the Florida Panthers before taking over as Devils GM last week.

TSN: Former NHL superstar Ilya Kovalchuk was named president of KHL club Shanghai Dragons.










NHL Rumor Mill – October 9, 2025

by | Oct 9, 2025

NHL Rumor Mill – October 9, 2025

The Flyers are monitoring the trade market, an update on Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov, and the latest on the Oilers in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

FLYERS SHOPPING FOR A DEFENSEMAN

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: William James cited a report by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicating that the Philadelphia Flyers are monitoring the trade market for a defenseman.

The Flyers are short two top-four defensemen with Cam York and Rasmus Ristolainen on injured reserve to open the season. James also pointed out that their third pairing is a serious weak spot.

James noted that the Flyers have $6.6 million in salary-cap flexibility after trading permanently sidelined blueliner Ryan Ellis to the San Jose Sharks earlier this week.

DAILY FACEOFF: Anthony Di Marco also believes that the Flyers intend to use their newfound cap space to bolster their blueline. He cited sources who felt they would use it to improve their top-four defense positions.

Philadelphia Flyers winger Owen Tippett (NHL Images).

The Flyers had an interest in Bowen Byram before he signed a two-year contract extension with the Buffalo Sabres. He wondered if they might revisit their interest in Byram by dangling forward Owen Tippett and young defenseman Emil Andrae. Di Marco also mused about the possibility of pursuing Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes, citing Hughes’ good relationship with Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet.

Di Marco stated that he was merely spitballing with those suggested trade targets, adding that the Flyers have nothing imminent in the works to address their defense issues. However, if or when they do, it’ll be for an impact player.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flyers might not get Byram or Hughes during this season. They might become available at the trade deadline at the earliest if their respective clubs are out of playoff contention by March 6. However, by that point, other options may become available that prove more realistic.

CHINAKHOV A HEALTH SCRATCH FOR THE BLUE JACKETS

THE ATHLETIC: Aaron Portzline reports Yegor Chinakhov is expected to be a healthy scratch when the Columbus Blue Jackets open their season in Nashville on Thursday.

Chinakhov, 24, requested a trade in July, citing a lack of opportunity under head coach Dean Evason. The two sides seemed to have smoothed things over after having a meeting at the start of training camp.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Chinakhov recently changed agents, but he hasn’t rescinded his trade request. His situation will continue to be worth monitoring as the season progresses.

OILERS TALKING CONTRACT WITH KULAK

TSN: Ryan Rishaug reports the Edmonton Oilers have had some contract extension talks with defenseman Brett Kulak, but nothing is imminent.

Kulak, 31, is eligible for unrestricted free-agent status next July. He’s in the final season of a four-year, $11 million contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Since signing superstar Connor McDavid to a short-term extension at a considerable bargain, the Oilers have wasted little time re-upping other key players, such as defensemen Mattias Ekholm and Jake Walman. They also inked UFA forward Jack Roslovic to a one-year deal.