NHL Rumor Mill – October 6, 2021

by | Oct 6, 2021

NHL Rumor Mill – October 6, 2021

​Update on the contract impasse between the Senators and Brady Tkachuk plus the latest on Tomas Hertl, Phil Kessel and Aleksander Barkov in today’s NHL rumor mill.

TKACHUK CONTRACT IMPASSE WITH SENATORS CONTINUES

OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports Senators head coach D.J. Smith is making plans to start the upcoming season without Brady Tkachuk. The 21-year-old left winger’s contract talks with management remain at a stalemate.

Ottawa Senators winger Brady Tkachuk (NHL Images).

Garrioch cites St. Louis broadcaster Andy Strickland reporting Tkachuk wants a three-year contract but the Senators prefer a longer-term. It’s believed they tabled an eight-year deal worth an annual average value of $8 million.

Strickland said Tkachuk loves Ottawa but wants to be cautious and see how the next three seasons unfold. Garrioch said the club has nothing but respect for Tkachuk and doesn’t want these negotiations to get vindicative or personal. However, a bridge deal could adversely affect his chances of being named team captain.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Strickland took to Twitter yesterday reporting a lack of communication from the Senators is a big reason why a deal hasn’t been reached yet, sometimes going several days without reaching out to the winger’s camp. This runs counter to reports out of Ottawa claiming Sens general manager Pierre Dorion is in constant contact with Tkachuk’s representatives. Strickland also points out the Senators have a history of doing this to their best players under owner Eugene Melnyk.

Meanwhile, TSN’s Chris Johnston reports Senators sources said they can reach the salary-cap minimum for this season without Tkachuk under contract. They aren’t feeling pressure to become cap compliant by the league’s 5 pm ET deadline on Monday.

LATEST ON HERTL, KESSEL AND BARKOV

TSN: Pierre LeBrun considers Tomas Hertl an early name to watch for on this season’s trade-bait board. The 27-year-old San Jose Sharks center is slated to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. LeBrun believes the Sharks would’ve loved to extend Hertl’s contract this summer but he wasn’t ready to enter that type of conversation. He could be in play by the trade deadline if the Sharks are out of playoff contention by then and he remains unsigned.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hertl also recently hinted at a willingness to accept a hometown discount but winning also remains a priority. The Sharks’ performance this season could determine his future in San Jose.

Darren Dreger believes the Arizona Coyotes’ Phil Kessel will also be on this season’s trade-bait list. He’s a UFA next summer and doesn’t appear to fit into the rebuilding Coyotes’ plans. The 34-year-old winger wants a fresh start with a competitive team, if not a contending club. He’s got a big cap hit and some no-trade protection. However, the actual salary is only $1 million. He could be a fit elsewhere later in the season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kessel earns $6 million in actual salary but $5 million of it was as a signing bonus which the Coyotes already paid. He could draw interest by the trade deadline from playoff contenders looking for scoring depth.

LeBrun believes Aleksander Barkov will be staying with the Florida Panthers for the rest of his career. There’s been a lot of talks between the 26-year-old center and the Panthers about a long-term contract extension. He doubts Barkov will hit next summer’s free-agent market, suggesting a deal could be struck within the next several weeks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Panthers are a rising force in the Eastern Conference. Barkov plays a critical role as their captain, first-line center and top two-way forward. I’ll be very surprised if they don’t get a long-term extension done.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 2, 2021

by | Oct 2, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 2, 2021

​Update on new contracts for Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes, no players opt-out of the coming season, Robin Lehner speaks out about Jack Eichel’s standoff with the Sabres, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

THE PROVINCE: New contracts for Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson and defenseman Quinn Hughes are expected to be formally announced over the weekend. Pettersson, 22, has reportedly agreed to a three-year contract worth an annual average value of $7.35 million while the 21-year-old Hughes’ new deal is for six years with an AAV of $7.85 million.

Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: General manager Jim Benning is garnering praise from the media for getting both players signed for less than they were seeking. Still, Pettersson and Hughes are being well-compensated as the Canucks’ two best players. They will be in a better position to garner bigger raises on their next contracts.

Speaking of the Canucks, defenseman Travis Hamonic has decided not to opt out of participating in the upcoming season by Friday’s deadline. He remains at home in Manitoba dealing with a personal matter. Benning released a statement indicating the club supports him but didn’t indicate when the 31-year-old blueliner will return to the lineup.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No NHL player took the opt-out option by yesterday’s deadline.

Meanwhile, Canucks winger Brock Boeser is out for at least a week with an undisclosed injury.

THE SCORE: Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner called out the NHL Players Association on Twitter regarding the standoff between the Buffalo Sabres and Jack Eichel. The two sides are locked in a disagreement over medical treatment for a herniated disc in his neck.

A former Sabre and teammate of Eichel, Lehner criticized what he believes to be the PA’s lack of support for Eichel over what the goalie considers an attack on the players’ freedom of choice regarding their health. He also expressed disappointment for what he perceived as his fellow players’ unwillingness to stick up for each other.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The problem is the collective bargaining agreement gives the teams the final say over what treatment players receive for hockey-related injuries. The PA has been involved with the league in trying to find a solution to this standoff. Whether they’ll be part of any further action on Eichel’s part to address this situation remains to be seen.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: The prospect of facing 14-day quarantines following every American road trip convinced Oilers defenseman Duncan Keith to get the COVID-19 vaccination. While not an anti-vaxxer, Keith believed his conditioning as an elite athlete and the steps he’s taken to strengthen his immune system would leave him facing little risk of contracting the coronavirus.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This list of unvaccinated players who missed games last season for COVID-related reasons says otherwise. Not every player on that list contracted COVID-19 but a significant number of them did, missing several games or even undergoing a pause in their schedules as a result. 

WPLG MIAMI: Contract talks between the Florida Panthers and captain Aleksander Barkov are progressing slowly. The 26-year-old center is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next July. Barkov remains confident a deal will get done.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Panthers better be prepared to pay big bucks to keep their best player in the fold. Barkov’s camp could seek $10 million annually on an eight-year deal but Panthers management could try to sell him on Florida’s lack of a state tax as justification to accept a little less than that.

Whatever Barkov gets could leave the Panthers with a cap crunch for 2022-23. Cap Friendly shows them carrying a projected $66.9 million invested in 14 players.

NBC SPORTS CHICAGO: Blackhawks defenseman Calvin de Haan revealed he played through the second half of last season with a fractured left tibia. “I tried my best to stay in the lineup and stay healthy,” said de Haan. “It didn’t feel good”.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: As someone who also suffered a fractured left tibia, I agree with de Haan that it doesn’t feel good. However, I didn’t try to play hockey on it, or anything else for that matter until it fully healed.

ECHL.COM: The Allen Americans have entered into an affiliation agreement with the NHL’s Seattle Kraken.










NHL Rumor Mill – September 2, 2021

by | Sep 2, 2021

NHL Rumor Mill – September 2, 2021

Are the Panthers close to announcing a new contract for Aleksander Barkov? Are there other moves the Islanders and Avalanche could make? Check out the latest in today’s NHL rumor mill.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: With Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier and Carolina Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov getting new contracts last week, George Richards wondered if Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov could be next to sign a lucrative long-term extension.

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov (NHL Images).

Richards reports the Panthers are expected to announce a new contract for Barkov in the coming weeks, perhaps before training camp opens on Sep. 22. It’s believed he’ll get more than the $7.75 million per season that Couturier and Svechnikov will receive. The 25-year-old Panthers star is earning $5.9 million annually on his current deal which expires next July.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Barkov is the Panthers’ top player and among the best two-way forwards in the league. I don’t see them letting him go to market next summer. Richards expects it’ll be an eight-year maximum deal. He could pull in over $10 million per season.

THE ATHLETIC: Arthur Staple looked at what other moves could be in store for the New York Islanders after officially announcing new contracts yesterday for Anthony Beauvillier, Casey Cizikas, Kyle Palmieri and Ilya Sorokin.

The Isles didn’t announce a contract for Zach Parise but the winger will be joining them this season. Staple speculates he’ll get a one-year deal for the league minimum with performance bonuses on a plus-35 deal that could earn him over $2 million for the season.

Staple points out general manager Lou Lamoriello still hasn’t replaced Nick Leddy on the left side of the Islanders’ blueline. The Seattle Kraken has a surplus of left-handed defensemen but there hasn’t been much discussion between the two clubs. He doubts the Columbus Blue Jackets will part with Vladislav Gavrikov and it would take a decent-sized offer to pry Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: As noted in today’s Morning Coffee Headlines, the Islanders are $3.7 million above the $81.5 million salary cap. That will increase once they officially announce Parise’s contract.

They’ll address that overage by placing permanently sidelined Johnny Boychuk and his $6 million cap hit on LTIR. However, it still won’t leave much room to add a defenseman unless it’s a dollar-for-dollar swap or one or two players get demoted.

THE ATHLETIC: In a recent mailbag segment, Peter Baugh was asked if the Colorado Avalanche might add a free agent or two to their bottom-six forwards. He believes they could offer someone like Tyler Bozak a cheap one-year contract or a tryout offer but they aren’t desperate to add someone before training camp.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Baugh’s column was published before the Avalanche signed defenseman Jack Johnson to a professional tryout offer yesterday. They could do the same for a UFA forward like Bozak though there’s no certainty they will. GM Joe Sakic could see how things unfold in training camp before seeing if he needs another veteran for his bottom-six.










NHL Rumor Mill – August 18, 2021

by | Aug 18, 2021

NHL Rumor Mill – August 18, 2021

Is there a date the Florida Panthers could consider trading Aleksander Barkov? What’s the latest on the Stars logjam between the pipes? Check out the latest in today’s NHL rumor mill.

ESPN: Greg Wyshynski reports Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is entering the final year of his six-year contract. He asked Panthers general manager Bill Zito if there was a date when he’d have to consider trading the 25-year-old center.

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov (NHL Images).

Zito said there isn’t one, expressing confidence they’ll get a deal done. He expects an extension will “probably” come before the start of the upcoming season.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: George Richards doesn’t see Barkov going anywhere. He reports contract extension talks have been ongoing for some time and are going well. It’s believed they’re close to a deal or have already reached an agreement.

Richards feels the reason why it hasn’t been done yet is there’s no rush. Barkov is still training in Finland but Richards believes the deal will be announced when he returns to South Florida to gear up for the coming season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some teams like to announce the re-signing of core players right away. Others, like the Panthers, prefer to wait until their players are in town to make the formal announcement.

The Panthers are a team on the rise with the potential to become a legitimate Stanley Cup contender for the next several seasons. Barkov is a crucial piece of those plans. He’s their franchise player who won his first Selke Trophy last season leading his club to their best performance in years.

Barkov will remain a Florida Panther. The only questions are for how long and for how much. I’m guessing an eight-year deal worth over $9 million annually.

NHL.COM: In a recent mailbag segment, Mike Heika was asked how the Dallas Stars will address their logjam in goal if Ben Bishop should return to action at some point this season. He remains sidelined recovering from surgery last fall.

The Stars also have Anton Khudobin and Braden Holtby under one-way contracts while promising Jake Oettinger is on a two-way deal that doesn’t require waivers. If Bishop returns, Khubodin or Holtby could be traded. For now, they don’t appear interested in moving a goalie before the start of the season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bishop missing all last season recovering from surgery factored into their decision to sign Holtby. They want to ensure they’ve got sufficient depth if he can’t return and if Khudobin or Oettinger struggle this season. Sitting $4.9 million over the cap, they’ll get some relief if necessary by placing Bishop’s $4.916 million annual cap hit on long-term injury reserve.

Unless Oettinger outperforms Khudobin and Holtby in training camp and preseason, he’s likely headed back to the farm to start the season.

NHL.COM: David Satriano believes the Stars could seek another veteran forward this season rather than relying on young players in their system.










NHL Rumor Mill – August 9, 2021

by | Aug 9, 2021

NHL Rumor Mill – August 9, 2021

​What can the Leafs do to address their short- and long-term salary-cap issues? What’s the latest on the Panthers? Find out in today’s NHL rumor mill.

TORONTO SUN: Steve Simmons took note of young defensemen such as Edmonton’s Darnell Nurse, Colorado’s Cale Makar, Chicago’s Seth Jones and Dallas’ Miro Heiskanen landing long-term deals worth over $8 million. He believes the going rate for a 27-year-old blueliner like the Leafs’ Morgan Rielly is around $8 million per season, which is a big raise over his current $5 million annual cap hit.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (NHL Images).

He believes the Leafs face a challenging decision with Rielly. Do they re-sign him? Do they let him depart via free agency next summer? If they re-sign him, how will they clear sufficient cap space for his new contract?

Complicating things further is goaltender Jack Campbell will also become eligible for unrestricted free agent status next summer. Simmons speculates it could the Leafs $6 million they don’t have to keep them both.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That’s why some observers believed the Leafs could trade Rielly this summer rather than risk losing him next summer for nothing. However, management is sticking with its core (which includes Rielly, their best puck-moving defenseman) for the coming season.

Cap Friendly shows the Leafs with $67.78 million invested in 14 players for 2022-23. Assuming the cap rises that season by $1 million, that’ll leave the Leafs with $14.7 million in projected cap space. If they re-sign Rielly for $8 million annually, they’ll have only $6.7 million left to re-sign Campbell and promising blueliner Rasmus Sandin, leaving nothing to fill out the rest of the roster.

They could let Rielly walk or shop him before the trade deadline. However, that will leave a big hole on their blueline that could prove difficult to fill.

Simmons also observed the Maple Leafs are above the salary cap but don’t have to be cap compliant until the start of the regular season. He wonders which players will be waived in training camp or whether Alex Kerfoot will be moved in a cost-cutting trade.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs are 1.394 million over the $81.5 million cap. They also have 15 forwards under contract. Rather than trade Kerfoot, they’ll likely attempt to demote two or three of those extra forwards or see one or two of them claimed by other clubs via waivers.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: In a recent mailbag segment, George Richards was asked about how things stand with new contracts for Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart. He anticipates new deals for both could be announced later this summer.

Regarding rumors linking the Panthers to Zdeno Chara, Richards believes they want to add another veteran defenseman but he’s not sure if Chara is the right fit. He also acknowledged the trade rumors about winger Frank Vatrano before the expansion draft. While nothing came of them, he didn’t rule out the possibility of a training camp deal.

Richards also predicted Sergei Bobrovsky could be moved out in 2023 “one way or another” but it won’t be a contract buyout.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bobrovsky will have just three years remaining on his contract following 2022-23. However, he must waive his no-movement clause first. The Panthers will also have to pick up a healthy chunk of his $10 million annual average value to facilitate a trade. Even then, they won’t get much interest in Bobrovsky if his performance doesn’t improve by that point.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 19, 2021

by | Jun 19, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 19, 2021

The Canadiens stun the Golden Knights with a Game 3 OT win, Aleksander Barkov win the Selke Trophy, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Montreal Canadiens winger Josh Anderson scored the tying and winning goals in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 3 of their semifinal series. Anderson made it 2-2 late in the third period when Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury mishandled the puck beside his net, giving Anderson a wide-open net for an easy goal. Canadiens goalie Carey Price made 43 saves for the win. Game 4 goes Sunday night in Montreal.

Montreal Canadiens winger Josh Anderson (NHL Images).

The Golden Knights opened the scoring in the second period as Nicolas Roy cashed in on an errant pass by Canadiens center Eric Staal. Cole Caufield quickly tied it with his second goal of the playoffs. Alex Pietrangelo restored the Golden Knights’ lead early in the third period before Fleury’s blunder cost them the game.

Canadiens assistant coach Luke Richardson made his NHL head-coaching debut filling in for Dominque Ducharme after the Habs bench boss tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the day. All of his players tested negative for the coronavirus. Ducharme appears to be asymptomatic but is expected to be sidelined for the next 10 days.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The hockey gods were smiling on Montreal in this game. Vegas should’ve easily taken it after outshooting the Habs 45-27 and controlling most of the play throughout this contest. It’s becoming repetitive to type this, but Price was the difference once again. Still, the Golden Knights appeared poised to skate away with a narrow victory until Fleury’s costly turnover changed the script.

Questionable officiating continues to plague the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. A prime example was the referees missing Jonathan Marchessault high-sticking Montreal’s Corey Perry in the face during overtime, cutting the Habs forward and forcing him from the game for repairs.

The Golden Knights played without center Chandler Stephenson, who was also a late scratch from Game 2. He’s listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury believed to be concussion-related symptoms.

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is the 2021 winner of the Frank J. Selke Trophy.

NEWSDAY: Oliver Wahlstrom could be in the New York Islanders’ lineup tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning for Game 4 of their semifinal series. Wahlstrom was sidelined during Game 5 of the Isles’ first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Islanders need something to give them an offensive lift after their offense was stifled by the Lightning in the last two games.

WGR 550: Former Buffalo Sabres star Rene Robert is in a Florida hospital after suffering a severe life-threatening heart attack yesterday. Few details have been revealed as Robert’s family has requested privacy.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Here hoping Robert, 72, makes a full and swift recovery. He was a member of the Sabres’ famed French Connection Line with Gilbert Perreault and the late Richard Martin in the 1970s.

OTTAWA SUN: Goaltender Marcus Hogberg has signed a four-year contract with Linkoping HC in Sweden after the Senators informed him last month that they wouldn’t qualify his rights. He spent three seasons with the Sens from 2018-19 to 2020-21.

ARIZONA SPORTS: The Coyotes signed forward Liam Kirk to a three-year entry-level contract. He’s the first player born and trained in England to be drafted by an NHL team.