NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 28, 2021

by | Sep 28, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 28, 2021

Key dates for the 2021-22 season are revealed, the league won’t allow unvaccinated players into Canada, plus the latest on Henrik Lundqvist, Cole Caufield and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

SPORTSNET: The key dates for the NHL’s upcoming 2021-22 season were released yesterday. The trade deadline will be 3 pm ET on Monday, March 21, 2022, and free agency begins at noon ET on Wednesday, July 13, 2022.

Dec. 1, 2021, remains the due date for restricted free agents to be signed in order to play this season. Players on one-year contracts can sign contract extensions effective Jan. 1, 2022.

Other notable dates include the last possible date of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs (June 30), the first buyout period opening (July 1), the 2022 NHL Draft (July 7 and 8 in Montreal), and the salary arbitration period (July 27 to Aug. 11, 2022).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli (stick tap to Kukla’s Korner) tweeted out the complete list yesterday. The last day of the regular season is Apr. 30, 2021, the playoffs begin on May 2, and the deadline for qualifying offers is July 11.

THE SCORE: The NHL will not allow unvaccinated players to enter Canada to play in games this season. The league isn’t seeking a National Interest Exemption because so few NHL players remain unvaccinated. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly recently said he expected 98 percent of NHL players will be fully vaccinated by the start of the upcoming season.

The New York Rangers will retire Henrik Lundqvist’s No. 30 on Jan. 28, 2022 (NHL Images).

  NEW YORK POST: The Rangers announced they will retire Henrik Lundqvist’s No. 30 jersey on Jan. 28, 2022, in a pregame ceremony at Madison Square Garden before facing off against the Minnesota Wild. He will become the 11th player to receive that honor in Rangers history.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Canadiens rookie winger Cole Caufield will be sidelined about a week with an upper-body injury. Defenseman Joel Edmundson is expected to join his teammates in training camp on Tuesday or Wednesday after being sidelined by a minor injury. Winger Brendan Gallagher has joined his teammates after missing training camp due to family reasons.

TSN: Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon claims there was no grand scheme behind his club’s successful attempt at signing away winger Jesperi Kotkaniemi from the Canadiens earlier this month. He noted the signing wouldn’t have happened had his club managed to re-sign defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who inked a seven-year deal with the New Jersey Devils on July 28.

“There was no grand plan…we didn’t set out to do this two years ago, even a month ago,” said Dundon. “There’s always lots of options to look at based on the order things happen. When this came up, this one actually worked.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There was speculation the Kotkaniemi signing was made as retribution for the Canadien’s failed attempt at signing Sebastian Aho two years ago. However, Dundon does make a good point about Hamilton.

Had the Hurricanes retained the blueliner, Kotkaniemi would probably still be with the Canadiens because the Canes would’ve lacked the cap space to sign him to a one-year, $6.1 million contract. The Hurricanes’ also attempted to trade for the 21-year-old center before going the offer sheet route, and reportedly gave the Habs a heads-up that they were going to sign him. That was an odd thing to do if revenge for the Aho offer sheet was the goal here.

The Hurricanes got a little petty by tacking the $15.00 onto the end of the $6.1 million (for Kotkaniemi’s jersey number in Montreal) and including a $20 signing bonus (signifying Aho’s jersey number). Still, that’s not proof Dundon was plotting vengeance for the past two years.

THE ATHLETIC’S Tarik El-Bashir reports Washington Capitals forward Lars Eller left practice yesterday with a lower-body injury. They’ll see how he feels today. El-Bashir doesn’t know if it’s connected to last season’s groin muscle strains.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins winger Zach Aston-Reese tested positive for COVID-19 and entered the NHL’s coronavirus protocol.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Penguins GM Ron Hextall last week indicated only one player in the organization was not fully vaccinated but declined to identify him. Aston-Reese’s positive COVID test doesn’t mean he was that player.

ESPN.COM: Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Kevin Lankinen was removed from the COVID-19 protocol list. He’d been held out of the lineup since Friday but that doesn’t necessarily mean he tested positive.

NHL.COM: The department of player safety suspended Washington Capitals defenseman Dylan McIlrath for two preseason games and two regular-season games for an illegal hit to the head of Boston Bruins forward Steven Fogarty.

Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig was suspended for one preseason game and one regular-season game for cross-checking Winnipeg Jets center Pierre-Luc Dubois.

THE ATHLETIC’s Rick Dhaliwal reports Vancouver Canucks defenseman Brady Keeper underwent surgery on Monday for a broken leg.

THE SCORE: Former NHL defenseman Sami Vatanen signed a one-year contract with Geneve-Servette Hockey Club in Switzerland. He recorded 200 points in 473 career games with the Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils and Dallas Stars.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 6, 2021

by | Aug 6, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 6, 2021

Salary arbitration schedule set, the latest notable contract signings and an update on the salary cap in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHLPA.COM: The hearing dates have been set for players who selected salary arbitrations last week:

August 11
Adam Pelech (New York Islanders)
Michael McNiven (Montreal Canadiens)
Jakub Vrana (Detroit Red Wings)

August 12
Victor Mete (Ottawa Senators)*

August 13
Neal Pionk (Winnipeg Jets)

August 14
Vince Dunn (Seattle Kraken)
Zach Sanford (St. Louis Blues)*

August 16
Adin Hill (San Jose Sharks)*
Ross Colton (Tampa Bay Lightning)

August 17
Kevin Fiala (Minnesota Wild)

August 18
Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators)

August 20
Dante Fabbro (Nashville Predators)*
Jason Dickinson (Vancouver Canucks)

August 21
Adam Erne (Detroit Red Wings)
Dennis Gilbert (Colorado Avalanche)

August 23
Zach Aston-Reese (Pittsburgh Penguins)*

August 26
Andrew Copp (Winnipeg Jets)
Nikita Zadorov (Calgary Flames)
Travis Sanheim (Philadelphia Flyers)

​*indicates player had settled.

New Jersey Devils sign Tomas Tatar (NHL Images).

  NORTHJERSEY.COM: The New Jersey Devils signed Tomas Tatar to a two-year, $9 million contract. The 30-year-old winger spent the past three seasons with the Montreal Canadiens.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bang goes my theory of the Devils acquiring St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko via trade. Tatar reached or exceeded 20 goals six times between 2014-15 and 2019-20 and 45-plus points five times. He’ll likely slot in alongside Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes on the Devils’ top-two lines. Tatar is the third significant UFA signing by the Devils this summer, joining Dougie Hamilton and Jonathan Bernier.

THE SCORE: Speaking of the Devils, they signed winger Yegor Sharangovich to a two-year, $4 million contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: According to Cap Friendly, these moves leave the Devils with $14.7 million in projected cap space with restricted free agent Janne Kuokkanen to sign. They still have plenty of room to make another significant addition if they so choose.

THE TENNESSEAN: The Nashville Predators avoided salary arbitration with Dante Fabbro, signing the 23-year-old defenseman to a two-year, $4.8 million contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Predators have over $17.6 million in projected cap space with Juuse Saros and Eeli Tolvanen to re-sign. 

TRIBLIVE.COM: The Pittsburgh Penguins avoided arbitration with Zach Aston-Reese, inking the 26-year-old winger to a one-year, $1.725 million deal.

DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli reports the NHL is projecting an increase in the salary cap by $1 million for 2022-23. It will be the first raise in the cap since COVID-19 affected the league’s business operations, delinking the salary cap from revenue and creating a $1 billion debt that players are still working to pay back to the owners.

Seravalli believes the anticipated increase in revenue when the NHL resumes a normal 82-game season in 2021-22 could trigger a “lag formula” agreed upon by the owners and players in the CBA extension. Starting in 2022-23, the cap will increase by $1 million each season until 2025-26, when the players’ debt is expected to be repaid should revenue rebound strongly over that period.

Should the debt be repaid by the end of 2025-26, Seravalli indicates the CBA would automatically extend by one season to 2026-27. The cap would revert back to the usual formula where it is tied to actual revenue projections.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The debt Seravalli refers to stems from the artificially set cap of $81.5 million for last season and this season. League revenue was far less than projected because of the pandemic. The cap would’ve been significantly lowered had it remained tied to revenue, forcing teams to shed salary. That would’ve been almost impossible because most teams would’ve lacked sufficient cap space to acquire those contracts. It also would’ve left a large number of free agents unsigned.

Instead, it was agreed the cap would be decoupled from revenue and artificially set at $81.5 million. That created an imbalance as the players were receiving most of the revenue. Because the CBA mandates a 50-50 split, the players have to pay back the excess via escrow to make the owners whole.

NHL’s coffers should receive a boost from its new broadcasting deals with ESPN and Turner plus the addition of the Seattle Kraken. Nevertheless, it remains largely a gate-driven league. The number of fans returning to the arenas post-pandemic will determine how much revenue increases. As Seravalli points out, short of a revenue bonanza, the cap will only slowly rise over the next five seasons.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 18, 2020

by | Aug 18, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 18, 2020

​The Bruins, Avalanche, and Lightning take commanding leads, the Blues tie their series with the Canucks, an update on Evgeni Malkin, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: A four-goal third-period outburst by the Boston Bruins gave them a 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 of their first-round series and a commanding 3-1 series lead. Jake DeBrusk scored two of those goals as the Bruins held off the Hurricanes’ push in the dying minutes of regulation to tie the game.

Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A big hit by Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy on Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal shifted the momentum of the game. Staal departed and didn’t return. An update on his status could be announced today.

 

   

Ryan O’Reilly scored twice and set up another as the St. Louis Blues downed the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 in Game 4 to tie their series at two games apiece. Blues goalie Jake Allen made 22 saves for the win.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was the Blues’ best effort of the postseason as they showed why they’re defending champions. O’Reilly remains in Conn Smythe Trophy form with his hardworking two-way play.

The Colorado Avalanche took a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Arizona Coyotes in Game 4 with a convincing 7-1 victory. Nazem Kadri scored twice and set up another, Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog had two assists and Cale Makar a goal and an assist. The Avs limited the Coyotes to just 15 shots.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was only a matter of time before the Avalanche broke through in this series. The Coyotes have relied on goalie Darcy Kuemper and a tight-checking defensive system, but the Avs’ talented depth couldn’t be contained in this game. MacKinnon also got into a rare tussle, rag-dolling Coyotes forward Christian Fischer after the latter cross-checked him during a scrum.  

 

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves as the Tampa Bay Lightning held off the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead in their opening-round series. Barclay Goodrow and Yanni Gourde scored for the Bolts while Cam Atkinson replied for the Jackets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bolts are playing a more grinding style against the Jackets compared to last year’s opening-round series. If the Jackets can’t find a solution, their postseason will end on Wednesday.

SPORTSNET: For the third straight week, the NHL reports no positive COVID-19 tests.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Evgeni Malkin and Zach Aston-Reese recently underwent surgery. Malkin went under the knife for an elbow injury and is expected to require three-four weeks to recover. Aston-Reese had shoulder surgery and is expected to be sidelined for six months.

ESPN.COM: The NHL is finalizing plans that would allow family members to join players in the conference finals bubble in Edmonton. Family members would have to quarantine in their hotel room away from the player upon arrival for four days until they’ve passed four COVID-19 tests, after which they’ll be allowed in the same hotel room as the player. They would also be subject to daily testing.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 19, 2020

by | Feb 19, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 19, 2020

Sidney Crosby has a four-point game, an update on Jay Bouwmeester, the Senators honor Chris Phillips, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby picked up four points in a 5-2 victory over the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs. Bryan Rust collected three points as the Penguins (80 points) moved into first place in the Metropolitan Division. Auston Matthews tallied his league-leading 43rd goal of the season for the Leafs (70 points), who cling to third place in the Atlantic Division. Penguins center Evgeni Malkin was a late scratch due to illness. Earlier in the day, the Penguins also revealed forward Zach Aston-Reese is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby led his club to a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs (Photo via NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Not to take anything away from the Penguins’ dominant performance, but that was a pathetic effort by the Leafs in a must-win game. They’ve dropped six of their last nine and remain in danger of slipping out of a playoff spot.

St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington made 17 saves to shut out the New Jersey Devils 3-0, snapping his club’s five-game losing skid. It was their first victory since Jay Bouwmeester suffered a cardiac incident last week in Anaheim. Bouwmeester released a statement yesterday indicating he’s on the road to recovery. With 76 points, the Blues hold a two-point lead over the Dallas Stars for first place in the Western Conference. Devils’ Will Butcher and Nick Merkley left the game with injuries.

The Ottawa Senators honored former defenseman Chris Phillips by retiring his number and thumping the Buffalo Sabres 7-4. They tallied four goals in a 3:29 span in the first period and sealed the two with two third-period goals. Jean-Gabriel Pageau led the way with two goals and two assists while Artem Anisimov also scored twice. Brandon Montour scored twice for the Sabres, who remain eight points behind the Leafs in the Atlantic.

Travis Konecny had a three-point performance as the Philadelphia Flyers rolled to a 5-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, leaving the latter winless in their last six games. The Flyers (73 points) vaulted over the New York Islanders and the Blue Jackets into third in the Metropolitan Division.

Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho scored to extend his points streak to 10 games in a 4-1 win over Nashville Predators. The Hurricanes (72 points) hold the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, while the Predators (65 points) remain three points out of a Western Conference wild-card berth.

Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers each had three points as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Los Angeles Kings 6-3. With 67 points, the Jets are one point out of a Western Conference wild-card spot.

The Montreal Canadiens blew a 3-1 lead to fall 4-3 to the lowly Detroit Red Wings, who swept their four-game regular-season series. Andreas Athanasiou scored twice for the Wings, handing the Habs their fifth straight defeat.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: And with that, we can close the book on the Canadiens’ playoff hopes for 2020. Earlier in the day, they traded defenseman Marco Scandella to the St. Louis Blues for two draft picks. More moves are likely in store leading up to the Feb. 24 trade deadline. The Wings, meanwhile, won 15 games thus far this season. Four of those came against the Canadiens.

HEADLINES

SPORTSNET: Colorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen received some good news when an MRI on his upper-body injury revealed no requirement for surgery. He’s expected to return before the end of the regular season.

TSN: Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser will be sidelined eight weeks with a rib cartilage fracture.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks already made a significant move to address Boeser’s absence by acquiring Tyler Toffoli earlier this week. They might not be done dealing.

CBC.CA: A shoulder injury will sidelined Edmonton Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom for the next two-to-three weeks.

SPORTSNET: The New York Rangers acquired minor-league winger Julien Gauthier from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for minor-league defenseman Joey Keane.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 23, 2019

by | Jul 23, 2019

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 23, 2019

The latest contract signings, an update on the Calgary arena deal, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines. 

TORONTO SUN: Former Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Michal Neuvirth told a Czech newspaper he’s accepted a professional tryout offer with the Maple Leafs. 

Goaltender Michal Neuvirth agreed to a PTO with the Toronto Maple Leafs (Photo via NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Looks like the Leafs are seeking an insurance policy in case Garret Sparks and Michael Hutchinson fail to measure up as backups for starting goalie Fredrik Andersen. Neuvirth’s a good goalie when healthy but he’s been plagued by injuries in recent years. 

NORTHJERSEY.COM: The New Jersey Devils avoided salary arbitration with Mirco Mueller. The 24-year-old defenseman agreed to a one-year, $1.4-million contract. 

TRIBLIVE.COM: The Pittsburgh Penguins avoided arbitration with winger Zach Aston-Reese, inking him to a two-year, $2-million deal. 

RDS.CA: Former Montreal Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec will play another season for HC Kometa Brno in the Czech Republic. 

THE ATHLETIC’s Joe Smith reports the Tampa Bay Lightning have reached a settlement with former defenseman Jake Dotchin regarding his grievance over his terminated contract with the club. 

CALGARY SUN: Former Flames star Theo Fleury headlines the 2019 Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame class. Kevin Lowe is also being inducted. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to Fleury and Lowe for this well-deserved honor. 

THE SCORE: The city of Calgary officially announced an agreement with the Flames on a new arena project. The agreement was first reported last Friday. It goes before a city council vote on July 29. If approved, the three-year construction will begin in July 2021. 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 1, 2018

by | Mar 1, 2018

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 1, 2018

Game recaps, latest contract signings plus updates on Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, Nick Foligno and more in your NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: The New York Islanders suffered their fourth straight loss, falling 3-1 to the Montreal Canadiens. Jonathan Drouin scored and set up another while Antti Niemi made 27 saves. The Isles (65 points) are four points out of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Jason Pominville’s overtime goal gave the Buffalo Sabres a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning (Photo via NHL Images).

Jason Pominville’s overtime goal lifted the Buffalo Sabres to a 2-1 upset over the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bolts collected a point to become the first team this season to reach 90 points. 

The St. Louis Blues snapped a seven-game losing skid by edging the Detroit Red Wings 2-1. Blues goalie Carter Hutton kicked out 35 shots. For the first time in three years, Blues forward Patrik Berglund was a healthy scratch. 

A four-goal second period carried the Colorado Avalanche to a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames. Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Barrie each had a goal and an assist for the Avs, who moved into a tie (73 points) with the Flames and sit one point out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference. 

John Gilmour scored in overtime to give the New York Rangers a 6-5 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Vladislav Namestnikov had a goal and an assist in his debut with the Rangers. Brock Boeser scored twice for the Canucks. Earlier in the day, the Canucks re-signed defenseman Alex Biega to a two-year contract worth $825K per season. 

STARTRIBUNE.COM: Minnesota Wild center Eric Staal credits playing for a veteran-laden playoff contender for the increase in his scoring this season. His production has risen since joining the Wild as a free agent in 2016. Staal’s 33 goals this season are the fourth-highest among NHL scorers and the most he’s scored in a season since reaching 33 in 2010-11. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Staal is the Wild’s leading scorer and most valuable player this season. The 33-year-old center is on pace to tally over 40 goals and 80 points this season. He previously reached 40 goals in 2008-09 and the last time he hit 80 points was 2007-08. The Wild are using him as a first-line center, resulting in an increase in his shooting percentage. 

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal issued a statement yesterday thanking fans, friends and the hockey community for their support following the recent death of his infant daughter to a terminal birth defect. 

CBS SPORTS: The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated forward Nick Foligno off injured reserve.

NBC SPORTS: The San Jose Sharks re-signed goaltender Aaron Dell to a two-year, $3.8-million contract extension.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Zach Aston-Reese is sidelined “longer term” with an upper-body injury.

TSN: Should the city of Seattle make a successful bid for an NHL franchise, league commissioner Gary Bettman said the expansion draft process is expected to be similar to that used by the Vegas Golden Knights.