NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 2, 2025

by | Feb 2, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 2, 2025

Recaps of Saturday’s games, the three stars and rookie of the month for January are unveiled, the Sharks trade Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci to the Dallas Stars, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPPING SATURDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak tallied a hat trick and collected an assist in a 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers. Brad Marchand, Matthew Poitras and Pavel Zacha each collected two points for the Bruins (58 points), who sit behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth. J.T. Miller scored twice in his first game with the Rangers since they reacquired him from the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.

Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The loss leaves the Rangers (52 points) six points behind the Lightning. Blueshirts forward Jimmy Vesey was a healthy scratch for the ninth straight game. He recently lamented that his situation left him feeling he had “no role or purpose” with the team but head coach Peter Laviolette insists he remains an important part of the roster.

Meanwhile, the Lightning dropped a 3-2 decision to the New York Islanders. Tony DeAngelo scored in overtime and Adam Boqvist netted his first goal with the Isles since being claimed off waivers from the Florida Panthers. Jake Guentzel and Nikita Kucherov replied for the Lightning (58 points), who cling to the final Eastern wild-card spot with three games in hand over the Bruins. The Islanders (55 points) have won seven straight and are three points back of the Bolts.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Islanders are on a tear despite being walloped by injuries. They announced on Saturday that goaltender Semyon Varlamov remains sidelined indefinitely with a lower-body injury. He joined goalie Marcus Hogberg and defensemen Ryan Pulock, Noah Dobson and Mike Reilly on injured reserve.

Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice collected his 900th NHL win as his club beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-1. Sam Reinhart had a goal and two assists while Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe each picked up two points for the Panthers (65 points), who hold a one-point lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs for first place in the Atlantic Division. Blackhawks forward Logan Slaggert opened the scoring just seven seconds into the game, setting a franchise record for the fastest game-opening goal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Maurice becomes the fourth coach in league history to reach the 900-win milestone. Meanwhile, Barkov joined Jari Kurri and Teemu Selanne as the third Finnish player to record 200 multi-point games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy returned to action after missing 13 games with a groin injury.

The Winnipeg Jets got an overtime goal from Josh Morrissey to nip the Washington Capitals 5-4, giving the Jets 77 points and a two-point lead over the Capitals for first place in the overall standings. Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin tallied his 877th NHL regular-season goal. Morrisey finished the night with two goals while Cole Perfetti and Dylan Samberg each had a goal and an assist for the Jets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin is 18 goals from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894.

Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson had a goal and three assists while goalie Leevi Merilainen made 16 saves in a 6-0 shutout of the Minnesota Wild. Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson each had a goal and two assists for the Senators, who picked up their fourth straight win and sit third in the Atlantic Division with 60 points. The Wild’s three-game win streak ended as they remain third in the Central Division with 66 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wild forward Ryan Hartman received a match penalty for intent to injure Stutzle following a face-off draw when he pushed Stutzle’s head into the ice. The Senators center received treatment for cuts above his left eye and finished the game.

The Toronto Maple Leafs scored three first-period goals and Mitch Marner tallied what proved to be the game-winner in the third as they held off the Edmonton Oilers 4-3. Marner and teammate Auston Matthews each had two points while Joseph Woll kicked out 45 shots for the win. Evan Bouchard and Brett Kulak each had two points for the Oilers, who remain in second place in the Pacific Division with 68 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm missed this game due to illness. Leafs blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson left this contest after the second period with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. Meanwhile, Leafs rearguard Jani Hakanpaa ended his comeback bid for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off as he continues to deal with a lingering knee injury.

Los Angeles Kings winger Kevin Fiala scored twice in a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Phillip Danault and Quinton Byfield each picked up two points for the Kings, who sit third in the Pacific Division with 60 points. Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Eric Robinson scored for the Hurricanes as their seven-game points streak ended, leaving them second in the Metropolitan Division with 68 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Hurricanes’ Brent Burns collected an assist to become the 13th defenseman in league history to reach the 900-point milestone. He’s the only active blueliner on that list. Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov missed this game with an upper-body injury.

The Detroit Red Wings picked up their fifth straight win by dousing the Calgary Flames 3-1. Cam Talbot turned aside 33 shots while Dylan Larkin, Simon Edvinsson and Andrew Copp tallied for the Red Wings (57 points), leaving them one point out of the final Eastern wild card. Nazem Kadri scored for the Flames, who’ve lost three of their last four contests and cling to the final Western Conference wild-card berth with 57 points.

Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 25 shots for his first shutout of the season in a 3-0 victory over the Nashville Predators. Sidney Crosby extended his goal streak to four games, Philip Tomasino scored against his former club for the first time and Bryan Rust netted his 20th of the season. The Predators have dropped four straight.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak, Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson and Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski were the league’s three stars for January 2025. Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf was named Rookie of the Month.

The Dallas Stars acquired center Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a first-round pick and a conditional third-rounder in the 2025 NHL Draft.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Granlund and Ceci are slated to become unrestricted free agents on July 1. Granlund was reportedly interested in signing an extension with the rebuilding Sharks, but general manager Mike Grier opted to move the pair to stockpile draft picks, giving his club two first-rounders this year.

Dallas made this move to bolster their roster for a potential Stanley Cup run this season. Granlund has 45 points in 52 games, putting him on pace to reach 60 points for the second straight year. Ceci is an experienced right-shot defenseman who’ll provide depth on the right side of the Stars blueline.

The Stars put center Tyler Seguin and defenseman Nils Lundkvist on long-term injury reserve to free up cap space to acquire Granlund and Ceci. Seguin underwent hip surgery in December and could return to action during the playoffs, when salary-cap constraints no longer apply. Lundkvist is done for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.

THE PROVINCE: Vancouver Canucks GM Patrick Allvin met with the media on Saturday to explain why his club traded J.T. Miller to the Rangers on Friday. He felt he had no choice but to move the 31-year-old center for his own well-being and the sake of the club’s culture, which had been upset by a rift between Miller and Elias Pettersson.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Miller got off to a great start in his first game back with the Rangers by scoring two goals. All eyes in Vancouver will be on whether Pettersson regains his scoring touch after struggling through the first half of this season.

DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of the Canucks, they placed winger Philip Di Giuseppe on waivers.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 30, 2023

by | Jan 30, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 30, 2023

Leafs captain John Tavares and Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns pick up wins in their respective milestone games during a quiet Sunday for NHL action. Check out the details in the Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares collected two assists in his 1,000th career NHL game in a 5-1 victory over the Washington Capitals. The Leafs blew the game open in the second period with four goals.

Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares (NHL Images).

Morgan Rielly’s first goal of the season proved to be the game-winner as the Leafs improved to 31-12-8 to sit in second place in the Atlantic Division with 70 points. Nicklas Backstrom tallied his first of the season for the Capitals (26-20-6) as they hold the first Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 58 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leafs defenseman TJ Brodie (rib) was activated off injured reserve for this game. He’d been sidelined since Jan. 9.

Meanwhile, Leafs goaltender Matt Murray missed this game with an ankle injury. He will be sidelined until after the upcoming All-Star break.

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns picked up an assist in his 1,300th career NHL game as his club beat the Boston Bruins 4-1, handing the latter their third straight loss. Sebastian Aho tallied his 21st goal of the season as the Hurricanes (32-9-8) sit atop the Metropolitan Division and second in the overall standings with 72 points. The 38-7-5 Bruins hold a nine-point lead in first overall with 81 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bruins had never lost consecutive games this season prior to the start of this losing skid on Jan. 26 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. They did pick up a point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday.

NOTE: With the All-Star Break approaching on Feb. 2-5, we can expect a light schedule of games up to Wednesday. There’s only one game on Monday, Jan. 30 as the St. Louis Blues visit the Winnipeg Jets.

Three games are slated for Tuesday, Jan. 31 as the Los Angeles Kings visit the Carolina Hurricanes, the Ottawa Senators journey to Montreal to face the Canadiens, and the Columbus Blue Jackets host the Washington Capitals.

On Wednesday, Feb. 1, the Hurricanes head to Buffalo to meet the Sabres while the Boston Bruins will face off against the Maple Leafs in Toronto.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 23, 2022

by | Dec 23, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 23, 2022

The Canucks’ Elias Pettersson had a five-point performance, the Hurricanes’ Brent Burns reaches a points milestone, another record falls to Alex Ovechkin and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines

NOTE: I will be taking my annual Christmas break from Dec. 24 to Dec. 26, 2022. The next update to this site following today will be Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Vancouver Canucks nipped the Seattle Kraken 6-5 on a shootout goal by Elias Pettersson, who also had a five-point performance (two goals, three assists) in regulation play, including his game-tying goal. The Canucks improved to 14-15-3. Daniel Sprong tallied twice for the 18-10-4 Kraken, who sit fifth overall in the Western Conference with 40 points.

Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (NHL Images).

The Boston Bruins overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Winnipeg Jets by a score of 3-2. Nick Foligno broke a 2-2 tie in the third period as the league-leading Bruins improved to 26-4-2 (54 points). They sit six points ahead of the second-place Carolina Hurricanes in the overall standings. The Jets (21-11-1, 43 points) sit one point behind the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars.

Speaking of the Hurricanes, they improved to 21-6-6 (48 points) by dropping the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 on an overtime goal by Jaccob Slavin. Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns’ assist on Slavin’s goal was his 800th career point. Sidney Crosby tallied his 19th goal of the season for the Penguins (19-9-5), who sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 43 points.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin collected two assists in a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Marcus Johansson scored the game-winner in overtime while Ovechkin set an NHL record for career shots-on-goal with 6,211. The Capitals improved to 18-13-4 while the Senators dropped to 14-16-3.

The Toronto Maple Leafs held off the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 with William Nylander scoring a goal and collecting two assists. The Leafs (21-7-6) are unbeaten at home in their last 10 games (8-0-2). They also sit third overall in the overall standings with 48 points as the Hurricanes hold a game in hand. Travis Konecny and Tony DeAngelo each had two points for the 11-16-7 Flyers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Earlier in the day, the Maple Leafs placed defenseman Rasmus Sandin (neck) on injured reserve.

San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson had a goal and three assists to lead his club to a 5-2 upset of the Minnesota Wild. Tim Meier had a goal and an assist for the Sharks (11-18-6). The Wild (19-12-2) remain three points back of the Jets in the Central Division with 40 points.

Three unanswered third-period goals by Barclay Goodrow, Kaapo Kakko and Vincent Trocheck lifted the New York Rangers over the New York Islanders 5-3. Goodrow had a three-point night for the Rangers (19-11-5) as they sit fourth in the Metropolitan Division with 43 points as the Penguins hold a game in hand. Mathew Barzal had a goal and an assist for the 18-14-2 Islanders.

An overtime goal by Adrian Kempe gave the Los Angeles Kings a 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames. Gabriel Vilardi and Blake Lizotte each had a goal and an assist for the Kings (19-12-5) as they sit second in the Pacific Division with 43 points. The Flames dropped to 15-12-7.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Kings activated Brendan Lemieux off injured reserve but he didn’t play in this game.

IN OTHER NEWS…

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: The Bruins announced yesterday that they’ve completed their independent review of their vetting process in the aftermath of the botched Mitchell Miller signing on Nov. 4. The review revealed “no misconduct” by team executives but provided a list of specific recommendations to be implemented to prevent a recurrence of the same mistake.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: As Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli observed, the “independent review” was hardly independent since it was initiated and funded by the Bruins. He also noted that the exact findings and substance of the review were not publicly released, as other teams have done following internal reviews.

As Seravalli’s colleague Matt Larkin observed back in November, the Bruins embarrassed themselves and insulted our intelligence with the Miller affair.

NHL.COM: The Columbus Blue Jackets activated defenseman Adam Boqvist and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo off injured reserve and placed center Cole Sillinger (upper body) on IR.

The New Jersey Devils placed winger Nathan Bastian on injured reserve retroactive to Nov. 26.

The NHL has postponed Friday’s games between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres and the Detroit Red Wings versus the Ottawa Senators due to extreme weather conditions. Both games have been rescheduled for the new year.

DAILY FACEOFF: Canada has revealed its roster for the upcoming Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland. It features such former NHL players as Tyler Ennis, David Desharnais, Brett Connolly, Cody Eakin, Riley Nash and Michael Hutchinson. This is the first Spengler Cup tournament to be staged since 2019 as COVID-19 led to the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 tournament.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 14, 2022

by | Jul 14, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 14, 2022

Analysis of some of the biggest signings and trades from the opening day of free agency, a look at two of the notable free agents still available and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

THE ATHLETIC: Johnny Gaudreau explained why he signed a seven-year, $68.25 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He said the experience of playing at Nationwide Arena and speaking with current and former Columbus Blue Jackets players were motivating factors behind his decision.

Former Calgary Flames winger Johnny Gaudreau signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets on July 13. (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I analyzed Gaudreau’s new contract and those of the other noteworthy signings for Bleacher Report yesterday. His decision to go to Columbus generated considerable surprise on social media. It also left Calgary fans bewildered and upset after he rejected a more lucrative offer from the Flames to join the Jackets. Whatever the reason behind his decision, he makes the Blue Jackets a better team and should accelerate their rebuilding process.

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Gaudreau was reportedly interested in signing with the Flyers but their limited salary-cap space meant they weren’t able to make room for him.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flyers’ offseason moves haven’t sat well with their fans who’ve been quite critical on social media. It’ll be interesting to see what general manager Chuck Fletcher intends to do to improve his roster for next season.

NBC SPORTS BAY AREA/VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: The San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights each made significant cost-cutting trades with the Carolina Hurricanes. The Sharks shipped defenseman Brent Burns to the Hurricanes while the Golden Knights sent them winger Max Pacioretty.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Mike Grier, the Sharks’ new general manager, is wasting little time addressing his club’s need for an overhaul following several seasons of decline. The Golden Knights, meanwhile, got nothing in return for Pacioretty. They are paying the price for their pursuit of big-ticket talent over the past couple of years in pursuit of the Stanley Cup.

The Hurricanes, meanwhile, are going for it. Burns has three years left on his contract with the Sharks retaining 33 percent of his $8 million cap hit. Pacioretty is a year away from unrestricted free agent eligibility. Both should provide a welcome boost of experience and offense to their lineup as they attempt to stage a run for the Stanley Cup in 2022-23.

THE DENVER POST: The Colorado Avalanche haven’t given up trying to bring back Nazem Kadri as their second-line center. The 31-year-old Kadri is the biggest name remaining among this year’s crop of unrestricted free agent talent.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Cap Friendly shows the Avs with $3.9 million in cap space. They’ll have to shed some salary if they intend to bring back Kadri.

THE ATHLETIC: The Dallas Stars attempted to re-sign John Klingberg before the defenseman became an unrestricted free agent but weren’t able to reach an agreement. The door appears closed on a return after the club signed blueliner Colin Miller and added winger Mason Marchment.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Klingberg is the top defenseman still available in the UFA market. Speculation linked him to the Seattle Kraken but other clubs could get into the bidding.

OTTAWA SUN: Claude Giroux was all smiles as he met with local media after signing a three-year, $19.5 million contract with the Senators. Giroux makes his offseason home in Ottawa and said he was excited to be joining his hometown club. “They’ve got a lot of talented guys who like to work hard and compete,” said Giroux. “I just like the character of the team, and I’ll fit right in with them.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is the Senators’ most significant UFA signing in years. Giroux was linked to the Sens for months but there was speculation the 34-year-old forward would prefer signing with a Cup contender. He should bring a welcome boost of experience and leadership to their roster.

TSN: The New Jersey Devils have reportedly signed former Tampa Bay Lightning winger Ondrej Palat to a five-year contract with an average annual value of $6 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Devils were in the market for a top-six winger. Palat is a solid two-way forward with considerable playoff experience. He’ll be a solid addition to the rebuilding Devils in their quest to become a playoff contender next season.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: The Bruins made a noteworthy addition by acquiring Pavel Zacha from the Devils in exchange for Erik Haula. They’re also still in talks with Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci on one-year, bonus-laden contracts.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A former first-round pick, Zacha struggled to play up to expectations in New Jersey. Perhaps the move to Boston will help the 25-year-old forward improve his game. As for Bergeron, there have been conflicting reports saying he’s going to return while others claim he’s still pondering his future.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Lightning wasted little time locking up three players eligible for restricted free agent status next summer. Defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak and center Anthony Cirelli were all signed to lucrative long-term contract extensions.

SPORTSNET: The Anaheim Ducks signed former New York Rangers center Ryan Strome to a five-year, $25 million contract on Wednesday evening.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The 29-year-old Strome will fill the Ducks’ second-line center position. This is a good move by the rebuilding club, bringing in some experienced depth to take some of the burden from rising star Trevor Zegas.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman spent just under $20 million via free agency yesterday to make his club more competitive next season. He added forwards David Perron, Andrew Copp and Dominik Kubalik and defensemen Ben Chiarot and Olli Maatta.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Red Wings have patiently rebuilt over the past three seasons. These veteran additions should help them take the next step toward playoff contention next season. Perron, Copp and Chiarot will bring veteran skill and leadership to the Wings roster.

DAILY FACEOFF: The New York Rangers traded defenseman Patrik Nemeth and two draft picks to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for defense prospect Ty Emberson.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a straightforward salary dump by the Rangers, freeing up cap space to put toward re-signing RFA winger Kaapo Kakko.

SPORTSNET: The Calgary Flames brought back defenseman Nikita Zadorov on a two-year contract with an average annual value of $3.75 million.










Notable NHL Free Agent Signings and Trades – July 13, 2022

by | Jul 13, 2022

Notable NHL Free Agent Signings and Trades – July 13, 2022

The following is a list of notable NHL free-agent signings and trades during the opening day of free agency. This list will be updated throughout the day as details become available. I’ll also be doing live grades of today’s biggest signings on Bleacher Report.

Columbus Blue Jackets sign Johnny Gaudreau to a seven-year, $66.5 million contract.

Seattle Kraken sign defenseman Justin Schultz to a two-year, $6 million contract.

Vegas Golden Knights trade winger Max Pacioretty and defenseman Dylan Coghlan to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for future considerations.

Ottawa Senators trade winger Connor Brown to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a second-round pick in 2024.

San Jose Sharks sign center Nico Sturm to a three-year, $6 million contract.

Detroit Red Wings sign David Perron to a two-year, $9.5 million contract.

Detroit Red Wings sign Dominik Kubalik to a two-year, $5 million contract.

Seattle Kraken sign Andre Burakovsky to a five-year, $27.5 million contract.

Detroit Red Wings sign Ben Chiarot to a four-year, $19 million contract.

Pittsburgh Penguins sign Jan Rutta to a three-year, $8.25 million contract.

Florida Panthers sign Eric and Marc Staal to identical one-year, $750K contracts.

Colorado Avalanche sign winger Artturi Lehkonen to a five-year, $22.5 million contract.

Dallas Stars sign winger Mason Marchment to a four-year, $18 million contract.

Tampa Bay Lightning sign Ian Cole to a one-year, $3 million contract.

Washington Capitals sign Charlie Lindgren to a three-year, $3.3 million contract.

Columbus Blue Jackets sign Erik Gudbranson to a four-year, $16 million contract.

Tampa Bay Lightning sign Mikhail Sergachev to an eight-year, $68 million contract extension effective 2023-24.

The Lightning signed center Anthony Cirelli to an eight-year, $50 million contract extension effective 2023-24.

The Lightning signed defenseman Erik Cernak to an eight-year, $41.6 million contract extension effective 2023-24.

Washington Capitals sign goaltender Darcy Kuemper to a five-year, $26.26 million contract.

San Jose Sharks trade defenseman Brent Burns and center Lane Pederson to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for winger Steven Lorentz, goaltender Eetu Makiniemi and a conditional 2023 third-round pick. The Sharks also retain 33 percent of Burns’ $8 million annual average value through 2024-25.

New York Rangers sign center Vincent Trocheck to a seven-year, $39.38 million contract.

Detroit Red Wings sign forward Andrew Copp to a five-year, $28.13 million contract.

Vancouver Canucks sign winger Ilya Mikheyev to a four-year, $19 million contract.

Chicago Blackhawks sign forwards Max Domi and Andreas Athanasiou to one-year contracts worth $3 million apiece.

St. Louis Blues re-sign defenseman Nick Leddy to a four-year, $16 million contract.

Ottawa Senators sign forward Claude Giroux to a three-year contract with an annual cap hit of $6.5 million.

Edmonton Oilers signed goaltender Jack Campbell to a five-year contract with an annual salary-cap hit of $5 million (as per TSN’s Darren Dreger).

Buffalo Sabres re-sign restricted free agent winger Victor Olofsson to a two-year contract with an annual average value of $4.75 million.

Toronto Maple Leafs sign goaltender Ilya Samsonov to a one-year, $1.8 million deal (as per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli).

New Jersey Devils trade winger Pavel Zacha to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Erik Haula (as per TSN’s Darren Dreger and Daily Faceoff).

Colorado Avalanche signed defenseman Josh Manson to a four-year contract with an annual average value of $4.5 million (as per TSN’s Pierre LeBrun).

St. Louis Blues sign forward Robert Thomas to an eight-year, $64 million contract extension (as per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli).










NHL Rumor Mill – July 13, 2022

by | Jul 13, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – July 13, 2022

The annual free-agent market opens at noon ET today. Check out the latest on Johnny Gaudreau, Nazem Kadri, Claude Giroux, Brent Burns, Darcy Kuemper, Jack Campbell and many more in today’s NHL rumor mill.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman believes the Philadelphia Flyers must clear cap space if they’re to pursue a top free agent such as Johnny Gaudreau. They could attempt to move winger James van Riemsdyk in a cost-cutting trade. He’s been linked to the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres and Seattle Kraken.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: van Riemsdyk has a year left on his contract with an annual average value of $7 million, though in actual base salary he’ll earn $4 million. He also lacks no-trade protection.

NEW YORK POST: Ethan Sears believes the New York Islanders need a winger like Johnny Gaudreau to maximize center Mathew Barzal’s talent. Limited salary-cap space, however, could hamper their efforts to sign the 28-year-old left winger.

TSN: Chris Johnston reports Claude Giroux appears to be in the crosshairs of the Ottawa Senators. Pierre LeBrun reports this morning the Senators appear to be the front-runners for the versatile 34-year-old forward.

Florida Panthers forward Claude Giroux (NHL Images).

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports the Senators could also target Giroux’s Florida Panthers teammate (and Ottawa native) MacKenzie Weegar. The Panthers are looking to shed some salary. They’d like to re-sign Giroux, who could also draw interest from the Carolina Hurricanes.

LeBrun believes the Edmonton Oilers are the front-runners for goaltender Jack Campbell while netminder Darcy Kuemper appears headed to the Washington Capitals

San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns could be traded by the end of this week. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports the Dallas Stars and Carolina Hurricanes are believed to be on his three-team trade list. He also claimed the Hurricanes have “kicked tires” on the 37-year-old blueliner as well as Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sharks will likely have to retain part of Burns’ $8 million annual cap hit through 2024-25 as the Stars and Hurricanes can’t afford to take on his full contract. Otherwise, they will have to take back a contract of equal value or perhaps attempt a three-team trade to spread Burns’ cap hit around.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: Jimmy Murphy cites a rumor from Radio-Canada columnist Martin Leclerc claiming the Montreal Canadiens almost acquire Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Winnipeg Jets at last week’s NHL draft in Montreal. Leclerc claims those trade discussions between the two clubs about the 25-year-old restricted free agent are ongoing.

Murphy also cited RDS’s Renaud Lavoie claiming the Canadiens were very active in trade talks and a deal could come before free agency begins today.

Pierre LeBrun reports the Canadiens are interested in bringing back pending UFA Brett Kulak. They traded the 28-year-old defenseman to the Edmonton Oilers before the March trade deadline.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has quickly established a reputation as a wheeler-dealer. Dubois is rumored to be interested in joining the Canadiens when he becomes eligible for UFA status in 2024.

The Canadiens, however, have limited cap space for 2022-23 so they’ll have to ship out some salary to take on Dubois, Kulak or whoever else Hughes might have his eye on. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun claimed the Carolina Hurricanes have been linked to Habs defenseman Jeff Petry, who’s earning $6.25 million per season through 2024-25.

NEW YORK POST: Larry Brooks reports the Rangers remain linked to Nazem Kadri but it could prove difficult to sign him. The 31-year-old center could command $7 million per season on a six-year contract on the open market. Brooks suggests the Rangers attempt a sign-and-trade scenario involving a third club like the Arizona Coyotes or Chicago Blackhawks to spread the cost of Kadri’s new contract around.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Creative, but unlikely to happen, though it would be quite the accomplishment by Rangers GM Chris Drury if he could pull that off.

WINNIPEG SUN: Scott Billeck reports the Jets are still trying to move team captain Blake Wheeler. He anticipates they’ll have to retain a portion of the 35-year-old winger’s $8.25 million cap hit through 2023-24. It seems doubtful they’ll move Nate Schmidt given the defenseman’s contract.

TORONTO SUN: Terry Koshan reports Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas has limited free-agent options to add a backup goaltender with just $6.3 million in cap space and RFAs Rasmus Sandin and Pierre Engvall to re-sign. “Perhaps Ilya Samsonov or Eric Comrie will be a fit.” Koshan believes Dubas’ options could improve if he shed a contract such as Justin Woll ($2 million) or Alex Kerfoot ($3.5 million).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Weakening depth at one position to improve depth at another isn’t going to improve the Leafs’ chance of winning a playoff round next season or bring their 55-year Stanley Cup drought to an end.