NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 28, 2024

by | Nov 28, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 28, 2024

Jordan Binnington sets a Blues record, a hat trick performance for the Blackhawks’ Taylor Hall, Hurricanes forward Martin Necas takes over the league scoring lead, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington set a franchise record with his 152nd win by making 31 saves to shut out the New Jersey Devils 3-0. Robert Thomas opened the scoring just nine seconds in to tie the second-fastest goal in franchise history. Dylan Holloway scored the other two goals. Jacob Markstrom stopped 17 shots for the Devils.

St. Louis Blue goaltender Jordan Binnington (NHL Images)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich left the game early with an injury to his right leg after getting knocked to the ice by Devils forward Paul Cotter. He’ll be reevaluated on Thursday with an update expected on Friday.

Chicago Blackhawks winger Taylor Hall netted his first hat trick since Dec. 2013 in a 6-2 upset of the Dallas Stars. Connor Bedard snapped a 12-game goalless drought and Tyler Bertuzzi collected two assists. Colin Blackwell and Matt Duchene replied for the Stars.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stars center Roope Hintz missed this game with an undisclosed injury.

Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas collected two assists to take over the NHL scoring lead with 37 points in a 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers, handing the latter their fourth straight loss. The Hurricanes got unanswered third-period goals from Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jackson Blake for the win. Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin stopped 26 shots while teammate Brett Berard scored his first NHL goal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Necas sits two points ahead of Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon atop the scoring race. Rangers forwards Filip Chytil and Chris Kreider missed this game due to injuries. Kreider and teammate Jacob Trouba are the subject of trade rumors after reports emerged they were among several Rangers veterans made available by management. He said he’s spoken with general manager Chris Drury and admitted there’s “frustration, angst, tension” in the dressing room. “Let’s go through this s**t now and figure out who we are,” he said.

The Minnesota Wild got a 39-save shutout from Filip Gustavsson to blank the Buffalo Sabres 1-0, ending the latter’s three-game win streak. Kirill Kaprizov scored his 14th goal of the season. Ukko-Pekka Luukonen turned aside 28 shots for the Sabres.

An overtime goal by Lucas Raymond lifted the Detroit Red Wings to a 2-1 win over the Calgary Flames. Cam Talbot stopped 24 shots and Alex DeBrincat scored for the Red Wings while Connor Zary replied for the Flames.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Red Wings goalie Alex Lyon missed this game after suffering an undisclosed injury during the morning skate. Teammate Patrick Kane missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury.

The Washington Capitals overcame goalie Charlie Lindgren accidentally scoring into his own net to nip the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4. Lindgren’s own goal in the third period gave the Lightning a 4-3 lead and was credited to Brayden Point, giving him a hat trick. However, Lindgren’s teammates John Carlson and Tom Wilson subsequently scored to give their team the win.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wilson, Aliaksei Protas and Dylan Strome each had a goal and an assist for the Capitals.

Florida Panthers winger Carter Verhaeghe had a goal and two assists as his club ended a four-game losing skid with a 5-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, snapping the Leafs’ four-game winning streak. Panthers forward Sam Reinhart tallied his league-leading 17th goal while Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett each had a goal and an assist. Leafs winger Mitch Marner scored to extend his points streak to five games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Reinhart wasn’t expected to score at the same pace that netted him a career-high 57 goals last season. He could exceed that mark at his current level of production. Meanwhile, Panthers center Anton Lundell missed this game after taking a puck to the face during Monday’s game against Washington.

The Boston Bruins got two goals from Pavel Zacha and Brad Marchand to defeat the New York Islanders 6-3. Elias Lindholm and David Pastrnak each collected three assists for the Bruins. Brock Nelson had two goals and an assist for the Islanders, who are 1-4-1 in their last six games.

Pittsburgh Penguins winger Bryan Rust tallied twice, including the winning goal, as his club held off the Vancouver Canucks 5-4. Rust finished with three points and teammate Erik Karlsson had three assists. Quinn Hughes had a goal and two assists and Elias Pettersson a goal and an assist for the Canucks. The Penguins snapped a three-game winless skid.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Penguins demoted winger Valtteri Puustinen and activated Blake Lizotte off injured reserve.

Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki’s overtime goal gave his club a 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Canadiens winger Juraj Slafkovsky ended a 14-game goalless drought and collected an assist while teammate Cole Caufield scored his 13th goal. Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski extended his points streak to six games with a Gordie Howe hat trick after fighting Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason was furious over the Suzuki goal, believing the Canadiens captain should’ve received a holding penalty on Kent Johnson seconds before.

Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier scored in overtime as his club overcame a 2-1 deficit for a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators. Morgan Frost scored the tying goal with 12 seconds remaining in regulation to set the stage for Couturier’s game-winner. Roman Josi and Ryan O’Reilly scored for the Predators, who’ve won only three games in their last 12 contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Predators announced defenseman Jeremy Lauzon is sidelined week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Colorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin scored the tying goal in the second period and the winner in a shootout to beat the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1. Pavel Dorofeyev scored for the Golden Knights.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo returned to action after missing three games with an upper-body injury. Teammate William Karlsson also returned after missing the previous game to attend the birth of his second child. Before the game, the Avalanche announced that winger Jonathan Drouin was out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

The Los Angeles Kings downed the Winnipeg Jets 4-1. Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe each had a goal and an assist while goaltender David Rittich made 13 saves for his 100th NHL win. Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 29 shots and Gabriel Vilardi scored his club’s only goal.

Anaheim Ducks netminder John Gibson kicked out 42 shots in a 5-2 win over the Seattle Kraken. Trevor Zegras, Alex Killorn and Cutter Gauthier each had a goal and an assist for the Ducks. Eeli Tolvanen and Oliver Bjorkstrand replied for the Kraken.

Ottawa Senators forward Adam Gaudette tallied twice and Tim Stutzle collected three assists in a 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks despite being limited to 11 shots. Sharks rookie Will Smith had a goal and an assist while teammate Macklin Celebrini scored his sixth point in the last four games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sharks forward Barclay Goodrow left this game with an upper-body injury.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 22, 2024

by | Nov 22, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 22, 2024

A 13-goal game between the Blue Jackets and Lightning, Marc-Andre Fleury reaches another career milestone, updates on Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin and Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF THURSDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: The Columbus Blue Jackets and Tampa Bay Lightning combined for 13 goals with the Blue Jackets winning in overtime 7-6.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (NHL Images).

Defenseman Zach Werenski had a five-point night with two goals (including the game-winner) and three assists, Sean Monahan had a goal and three assists and Kent Johnson tallied twice for the Jackets. Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov collected three assists to surpass the 900-point plateau.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blue Jackets have won three of their last four games, snapping Tampa Bay’s three-game win streak. Lightning forward Nick Paul missed this game with an undisclosed injury.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 saves in his 1,000th NHL start in a 5-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Frederic Gaudreau tallied twice and collected an assist for the Wild (13-3-3), holding second overall in the Western Conference with 29 points. Corey Perry had a goal and an assist for the Oilers, who’ve dropped three of their last four (1-2-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fleury also passed Patrick Roy for the third-most games played by a goaltender (1,030) in NHL history. He also shrugged off an embarrassing start when he whiffed on a clearing attempt that became the opening goal just 27 seconds into the game.

Oilers forwards Zach Hyman and Viktor Arvidsson missed this game due to undisclosed injuries. Hyman will miss four to seven days while Arvidsson was placed on injured reserve. Defenseman Darnell Nurse also missed this game due to a concussion.

Colorado Avalanche forward Miles Wood broke a 1-1 tie early in the third period as his club held on for a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. Washington forward Pierre-Luc Dubois opened the scoring but Mikko Rantanen tied it for Colorado in the second period. Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev stopped 28 shots for the win in his first game since Nov. 13 after being sidelined by an injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Capitals announced before this game that captain Alex Ovechkin suffered a fractured fibula and would be out for four to six weeks. That could jeopardize his attempt to break Wayne Gretzky’s goalscoring record (894) this season. Ovechkin needs 27 goals to reach 895.

The New Jersey Devils doubled up the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2. Jesper Bratt scored two goals and picked up an assist while Jack Hughes had three helpers for the Devils. Jack Roslovic and Andrei Svechnikov replied for the Hurricanes. The Devils and Hurricanes each have 28 points but the Hurricanes hold first overall in the Eastern Conference with three games in hand.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Hurricanes announced goaltender Frederik Andersen will undergo knee surgery sidelining him for eight to 12 weeks. Andersen’s last game was an Oct. 26 win over the Seattle Kraken.

St. Louis Blues netminder Jordan Binnington made 22 saves in a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Jake Neighbours netted the winning goal in a shootout. Alexander Wennberg scored both goals for the Sharks while rookie Yaroslav Askarov made 29 saves in his debut with the Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was a milestone victory for Binnington, tying him with Mike Liut for the Blues’ record of 151 wins.

The Boston Bruins got their first win under new head coach Joe Sacco as they nipped the Utah Hockey Club 1-0. Elias Lindholm scored the only goal while Joonas Korpisalo turned in a 21-save shutout. Utah netminder Karel Vejmelka stopped 30 shots.

A third-period goal by Connor Zary lifted the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers. MacKenzie Weegar had three assists while Yegor Sherangovich and Matt Coronato each had a goal and an assist for the Flames. Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin kicked out 46 shots.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flames winger Jonathan Huberdeau reached a personal milestone with his 500th career NHL assist.

The Chicago Blackhawks upset the Florida Panthers 3-1. Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek turned aside 32 shots while Nick Foligno had a goal and an assist. Panthers forward Sam Reinhart netted his 15th goal of the season, tying Ovechkin and Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl for the league lead.

Vegas Golden Knights netminder Ilya Samsonov made 38 saves backstopping his club to a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators, handing the latter their fourth straight defeat (0-3-1). Ivan Barbashev had two assists for the Golden Knights while Linus Ullmark stopped 29 shots for the Senators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo missed this game with an upper-body injury. He’s listed as day-to-day.

The Senators are once again on the brink of falling into a hole in the standings too deep to climb out of. With 17 points, they’re second-last in the Eastern Conference. The good news is they’re only four points out of a wild-card berth but they must string some wins together soon or risk another lost season.

Third-period goals by Jonatan Berggren and Lucas Raymond lifted the Detroit Red Wings over the New York Islanders 2-1. Alex Lyon made 22 stops for the Red Wings while Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, the Red Wings announced that Hall-of-Famer Pavel Datsyuk had signed a one-day contract to retire officially as a Wing. He spent his entire 14-season NHL career with Detroit.

IN OTHER NEWS…

SPORTSNET: The NHL department of player safety released a video clarifying its rule regarding illegal hits to the head after three controversial checks resulted in two suspensions.

Those hits included Los Angeles’ Tanner Jeannot’s hit on Vancouver’s Brock Boeser (three-game suspension), Toronto’s Ryan Reaves on Edmonton’s Darnell Nurse (five-game suspension) and Vegas’s Zach Whitecloud’s hit on Toronto’s Matthew Knies (no suspension).

TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs are cautiously optimistic that Knies won’t miss much time after leaving Wednesday’s game against the Golden Knights following that big hit by Whitecloud.

THE PROVINCE: The Vancouver Canucks returned forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki to their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford. It suggests Brock Boeser may be close to returning to action. Boeser’s been sidelined since that hit by Jeannot on Nov. 7.










NHL Rumor Mill – November 16, 2024

by | Nov 16, 2024

NHL Rumor Mill – November 16, 2024

Could Blues goalie Jordan Binnington move on to a Cup contender? Are the Flyers shopping defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

COULD BINNINGTON MOVE ON FROM THE BLUES?

RG.ORG: James Murphy asked a former St. Louis Blues source if Jordan Binnington might eventually ask to be moved. The source said he wouldn’t be surprised if the 29-year-old goaltender requested a trade.

St. Louis Blue goaltender Jordan Binnington (NHL Images)

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong could become a seller if his retooling club finds itself in another losing skid by the upcoming American Thanksgiving weekend.

Murphy suggested the Carolina Hurricanes would be interested in Binnington if he became available. Veteran starter Frederik Andersen is sidelined again and Pyotr Kochetkov is also banged up. Murphy’s source believes the Hurricanes wouldn’t be the only club interested in the Blues goalie.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Murphy noted Binnington has two years remaining on his six-year contract with an average annual value of $6 million. He also carries an 18-team no-trade list. Both factors would make Binnington difficult to move if he requested a trade. That doesn’t mean he couldn’t be traded but it seems unlikely at this stage.

It would be big news if the Blues were entertaining offers for their starting goalie. Binnington hasn’t given any indication that he wants out of St. Louis and Armstrong’s dropped no hints that he’s available.

ARE THE FLYERS SHOPPING RISTOLAINEN?

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: Jonathan Bailey cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman recently singling out the improved play this season Rasmus Ristolainen, speculating the pundit might be “planting a seed for a potential Flyers trade down the road.”

Bailey also cited Philadelphia sportswriter Anthony SanFilippo reporting that Ristolainen is gathering trade interest around the league. However, he claims the Flyers haven’t received a suitable offer yet for the 30-year-old defenseman.

SanFilippo believes Ristolainen could be moved between the start of the New Year and June. However, the Flyers would have to retain part of the blueliner’s salary or risk pushing trade talks into the offseason. He carries an AAV of $5.1 million through 2026-27.

THE ATHLETIC: Kevin Kurz also reports the Flyers are fielding calls about Ristolainen. However, they’re not interested in moving him just to clear cap space and they don’t have a price tag attached to him.

Kurz speculates that Ristolainen’s value could rise the closer it gets to the March 7 trade deadline. However, the return could depend on how much salary the Flyers are willing to retain.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bailey points out the Flyers have already used their three salary retention slots for this season on Tony DeAngelo, Kevin Hayes, and Cam Atkinson. DeAngelo comes off the books after this season but Hayes and Atkinson each have a year remaining. (**CORRECTION** The Flyers have two salary retention slots for this season as Atkinson and DeAngelo were bought out. I misread the PuckPedia entry. My apologies for the error.)










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 14, 2024

by | Oct 14, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 14, 2024

The Jets, Stars, Flames and Golden Knights pick up their third straight wins to open the season. Check out the details and the latest injury updates, waiver news and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: An overtime goal by Kyle Connor lifted the Winnipeg Jets past the Minnesota Wild 2-1. Mark Scheifele had a goal and an assist and Connor Hellebucyk made 26 saves for the win. Jake Middleton scored for the Wild while Filip Gustavsson stopped 33 shots.

Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets are 3-0-0 partly because of Scheifele’s red-hot offensive play. He’s second in goals with four and points with six among all NHL skaters.

The Wild played without center Joel Eriksson Ek (broken nose) and defenseman Jared Spurgeon (lower-body injury). They also face a logjam in goal with Gustavsson, Marc-Andre Fleury and Jesper Wallstedt. That could result in Wallstedt bouncing between the Wild and their AHL affiliate for salary-cap reasons because he’s waiver-exempt this season.

The Dallas Stars picked up their third straight win by blanking the Seattle Kraken 2-0. Casey DeSmith turned in a 25-save shutout in his debut with the Stars while Sam Steel and Wyatt Johnston were the goal scorers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stars defenseman Matt Dumba missed this game with a lower-body injury suffered during Saturday’s game against the New York Islanders. He’s listed as day-to-day.

Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson had a goal and two assists in a 4-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Dan Vladar turned aside 25 shots while Anthony Mantha now has four points in his first three games with a goal in this contest. Jeff Skinner scored his first with the Oilers, who are still seeking their first win of the season. They had back-to-back goals called back for goaltender interference and offside.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers remain out of sorts to start the season. They’re struggling partly due to the offseason departures of depth players Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg, Warren Foegele, Ryan McLeod, Vincent Desharnais and Cody Ceci, who all played crucial roles in their march to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

One would expect the Flames to struggle this season after trading away key veterans like Jacob Markstrom, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, Elias Lindholm, Andrew Mangipane and Nikita Zadorov throughout 2023-24. During training camp, center Nazem Kadri boldly stated his team would surprise folks this season. They’re doing just that thus far with a 3-0-0 start.

The Vegas Golden Knights are 3-0-0 after downing the Anaheim Ducks 3-1. Tomas Hertl snapped a 1-1 tie in the third period while Ilya Samsonov made 22 saves in his debut with the Golden Knights. Troy Terry replied for the Ducks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Golden Knights center Jack Eichel collected an assist to sit atop the league’s scoring leaders with seven points.

IN OTHER NEWS…

STLTODAY.COM: Jordan Binnington holds the Blues franchise record for goalies with four season-opening wins. He’s also closing in on some other Blues goaltending milestones.

Binnington is tied with Curtis Joseph for third in games played and for second in starts with 275. With 146 wins, he’s two behind Jake Allen for second place and five away from career leader Mike Liut. He also needs 455 more saves to pass Joseph for second all-time.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hockey-Reference shows Binnington now in sole possession of third place for games played by a Blues goalie with 282.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Detroit Red Wings placed goaltender Ville Husso on waivers. The Montreal Canadiens did the same with forward Alex Barre-Boulet.

CBS SPORTS: Red Wings forward Christian Fischer will miss Monday’s game against the New York Rangers with an upper-body injury. He’s listed as day-to-day.

BUFFALO HOCKEY NOW: The Sabres announced that the 2024-25 inductee into their Hall of Fame is former player and broadcaster Rob Ray. He spent 14 seasons and 889 regular-season games with the Sabres. He’s been part of their broadcast team since 2003-24.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to Ray on receiving this honor. During his 16 NHL seasons with the Sabres and Ottawa Senators, he was a popular enforcer, amassing 3,207 PIMs in 900 total NHL regular-season games.

YARDBARKER: Former NHL forward Riley Sheahan announced his retirement at age 32. Sheahan spent 12 seasons in the NHL with the Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, Oilers, Sabres and Kraken, amassing 74 goals and 120 assists for 194 points in 637 regular-season games and seven points in 33 playoff contests.










NHL Rumor Mill – April 24, 2024

by | Apr 24, 2024

NHL Rumor Mill – April 24, 2024

The latest on Pavel Buchnevich, Trevor Zegras and Brock Faber plus updates on the Blue Jackets, Canadiens and Kraken in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

LATEST ON THE BLUES

SPORTSNET: In his latest “32 Thoughts” column, Elliotte Friedman reported the St. Louis Blues are expected to “try and extend” Pavel Buchnevich. The 29-year-old winger will be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2025.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Buchnevich was the subject of trade speculation leading up to the March deadline. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong wasn’t actively shopping the winger but set a high asking price for clubs that came calling about him.

St. Louis Blues winger Pavel Buchnevich (NHL Images)

Buchnevich carries an average annual value of $5.8 million with a 12-team no-trade list. He’s been a reliable scorer for the retooling Blues, netting over 25 goals and 60 points per season since his acquisition from the New York Rangers in 2021.

It could cost the Blues an AAV of $8 million on a long-term deal to keep Buchnevich in the fold. He’ll be 30 when that new contract begins.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Lou Korac reported the solid goaltending of Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer kept the Blues in the playoff race until the final week of the regular season.

They formed one of this season’s best goalie tandems. It’s the one area of the Blues roster that is the least of their worries going forward. The duo also have a good relationship and push each other in the right areas.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I’m mentioning this because Binnington was the subject of some season-ending trade chatter because of his improved play and calmer demeanor. Based on Korac’s report, it’s unlikely the Blues intend to break up this tandem.

DUCKS FACING A DECISION ON ZEGRAS?

Friedman noted that Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras had eight points in his last 10 games. Sorting out his future could be “the most fascinating summer decision in the NHL”.

The Ducks challenged Zegras to show them something when he returned from injury and he did. However, Friedman believes there’s “a nagging sense not everyone’s comfortable with each other here”, referring to the relationship between the Zegras camp and general manager Pat Verbeek.

THE ATHLETIC: Eric Stephens reported Zegras has been linked to the Montreal Canadiens in speculation stretching back to midseason. The young forward said he’s seen it and it’s taken some of the fun out of social media for him. He also hasn’t spoken to Verbeek about it.

Stephens also noted that Zegras sees the composition of the Ducks and wonders where he fits into the picture and the club’s plans.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The rumors about Zegras will likely persist, especially after Verbeek said he’ll be shopping for a top-six right-shot forward and a top-four right-shot defenseman in the offseason. He could use the young winger as a trade chip to address one of those needs in the trade market.

UPDATE ON THE WILD

Friedman believes the Minnesota Wild will throw Jake Sanderson money at Brock Faber following the rookie defenseman’s stellar performance this season. He has one year remaining on his entry-level contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That would be an eight-year, $64 million contract with an AAV of $8.05 million. Don’t be surprised if it ends up being close to $9 million annually.

Filip Gustavsson wonders if he’s going to be traded.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Wild re-signing Marc-Andre Fleury to a one-year deal could set the stage for a Gustavsson trade if they believe Jesper Wallstedt is NHL-ready.

The Wild’s priority could be to find more scoring help for superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov. He’s two years away from UFA eligibility.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Wild currently have just $5.9 million in projected cap space with 19 active roster players under contract next season. Trading Gustavsson and his $3.75 million cap hit for next season could help provide some additional wiggle room to add another scoring forward.

LATEST ON THE BLUE JACKETS, CANADIENS AND KRAKEN

Friedman noted the Columbus Blue Jackets took a hard look at veteran centers earlier this season. He wondered if that might still be a priority.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It should be, the Jackets have lacked skilled depth at center for a long time.

Turning to the Canadiens, Friedman anticipates they’ll attempt to sign winger Juraj Slafkovsky and defenseman Kaiden Guhle to contract extensions.

Friedman noted the recent speculation about Dave Hakstol’s future as the Seattle Kraken’s head coach. He’ll be shocked if Hakstol is fired. “That’s not (GM) Ron Francis’ way, and the coach was rewarded after last season’s playoff win with an extension.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Francis left open the possibility of some changes behind the bench in his recent remarks to the media about his offseason plans. He’s said he’s still examining what happened with his team this season.










NHL Rumor Mill – April 18, 2024

by | Apr 18, 2024

NHL Rumor Mill – April 18, 2024

What’s in store during a long offseason for the Devils, Kraken and Wild? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

DEVILS FACE A BUSY OFFSEASON

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: James Nichols looked ahead at what could be a busy offseason for Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald.

First and foremost, Fitzgerald needs to hire a new head coach. Potential candidates could be former NHL bench bosses like Craig Berube and Todd McLellan or two-time NCAA Frozen Four champion David Carle.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That means interim head coach Travis Green reverts to associate coach or moves on to another club.

Fitzgerald must also address his goaltending. He addressed part of the problem by acquiring Jake Allen last month at the trade deadline. The Devils GM made it clear he intends to go “big-game hunting” this summer. He could revisit his interest Calgary’s Jacob Markstrom or turn to other options like Boston’s Linus Ullmark, Nashville’s Juuse Saros or St. Louis’ Jordan Binnington.

SPECTOR’S NOTE:  Binnington seems the least likely to be available. Ullmark is the most likely candidate, followed by Markstrom and Saros.

The Devils also need to add a defenseman. Nichols suggested someone like Dallas’ Chris Tanev.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tanev’s shutdown defensive game will make him a popular free-agent target for several teams this summer. However, his age (34) and injury history could make Fitzgerald seek other options for his blueline.

Seattle Kraken center Shane Wright (NHL Images).

PROPOSED OFFSEASON TRADE CANDIDATES FOR THE KRAKEN

THE SEATTLE TIMES: Geoff Baker believes the Kraken must improve by bringing in an elite performer. Finding one means giving up a player other teams want.

Baker believes defensemen like Vince Dunn, Will Borgen and Adam Larsson and goaltender Joey Daccord would be enticing trade chips. If the Kraken believes young center Shane Wright is a good complementary piece rather than a future star, the time to sell high is now.

Kate Shefte noted that Brandon Tanev and Jamie Oleksiak are being mentioned as trade candidates. She doesn’t see Wright getting shopped but wondered if they might offer up promising prospect Jagger Firkus.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’ll be interesting to see what Kraken general manager Ron Francis has in store for his club this summer. He could remain patient with his club and maybe make depth additions. Perhaps he considers a coaching change rather than a big trade. Francis has made big splashes via free agency and could go that route again. Or he could surprise us with a big trade.

I agree with Shefte regarding Wright but they could consider moving another prospect like Firkus for more immediate help. 

LATEST ON THE WILD

STARTRIBUNE.COM: La Velle E. Neal III noted the Minnesota Wild’s youth movement, bringing up promising Jesper Wallstedt and forwards Liam Ohgren and Marat Khusnutdinov late in the season. They join a core of 20-something talent that includes Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi and Brock Faber.

The Wild have one more season of carrying over $14.7 million in dead cap space from buying out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. That will give him the cap flexibility needed when those young players are ready for new contracts.

Neal also suggested the Wild move on from goaltender Filip Gustavsson and defenseman Alex Goligoski. Trading Gustavsson would make room for Wallstedt, who would benefit from being an apprentice to Marc-Andre Fleury next season. Goligoski, 39, is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Neal’s suggestion to trade Gustavsson is interesting considering the Wild signed Fleury on Wednesday to a one-year contract extension. Maybe Wild GM Bill Guerin is looking at a Fleury-Wallstedt tandem for next season.