NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 21, 2023

by | Sep 21, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 21, 2023

The Bruins name their new captain, Steve Stamkos hasn’t had any contract extension talks yet with the Lightning, plus updates on William Nylander, Mattias Ekholm, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: The Bruins named Brad Marchand as the new captain, replacing Patrice Bergeron who retired in July. Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs praised Marchand’s development over his 15 seasons with the club, noting that he had the opportunity to learn from former Bruins captains such as Bergeron and Zdeno Chara.

Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Marchand’s pesky style of play and his lengthy list of fines and suspensions from earlier in this career had some fans questioning this decision by the Bruins. However, the evolution of his game into an elite scoring winger combined with his lead-by-example performances made him an obvious choice as Bergeron’s successor.

For those who believed defenseman Charlie McAvoy would’ve been a better choice as Bruins captain, his day will come within the next several years. The 35-year-old Marchand will likely retire within the next five years. Marchand is also slated to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025 if he and Bruins management fail to reach an agreement on a contract extension before then.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning captain Steven Stamkos told reporters yesterday that he was disappointed in the lack of contract extension talks with management. “It was something that I expressed at the end of last year that I wanted to get something done before training camp started,” said Stamkos. “There haven’t been any discussions.

Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said having Stamkos finish his playing career with the Lightning was in everyone’s best interest. However, his captain will have to wait until the end of this season before negotiations begin. “Steven and I share the common goal of bringing the (Stanley) Cup back to Tampa,” said BriseBois. “That’s our objective. In order for us to do that in future years, we’re going to need to spend our cap dollars as wisely as possible.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Re-signing Stamkos won’t be easy for the Lightning. They’ve been pressed for cap space in recent years due to the high cost of retaining their best players, resulting in a steady erosion of their overall roster depth.

With the cap projected to rise by $4 million next season, the Lightning have just over $12 million in cap space with 16 players under contract. I’ll have more on Stamkos in today’s Rumors update.

TSN: The Toronto Maple Leafs intend to try William Nylander at center for the coming season. The club also announced that goaltender Matt Murray will soon undergo a “significant surgery” while defenseman Jake Muzzin will remain on long-term injury reserve with a cervical spine injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs experimenting with moving Nylander from the wing is to see if they can add more scoring to their third line while moving David Kampf down to the fourth-line center role. The move also comes with Nylander in a contract year as he’s slated to become a UFA next summer.

Murray will be joining Muzzin on long-term injury reserve with a combined $10.3 million.

DAILY FACEOFF: Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm will miss the start of training camp with his hip flexor injury. There’s no timeline for his return.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Subsequent reports suggest Ekholm won’t be sidelined for long. He regularly skated with Evan Bouchard last season on the Oilers’ second defense pairing.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators general manager Pierre Dorion claimed he and Shane Pinto’s camp are inching toward a new contract for the 22-year-old center. The two sides have reportedly closed the gap in their negotiations but work remains to get a deal done.

Meanwhile, center Josh Norris will be skating with a non-contact yellow jersey as the Senators hit the ice for training camp. Norris tweaked his shoulder during a recent captain’s skate in Ottawa but it isn’t considered a serious injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators aren’t taking any chances with Norris. An injured shoulder requiring season-ending surgery limited him to just eight games in 2022-23.

TSN: Montreal Canadiens center Christian Dvorak will miss the opening month of the regular season as he continues to rehab from his March 15 knee surgery.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That explains in part why the Canadiens brought back Sean Monahan for another series.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Speaking of the Canadiens, Paul Byron announced his retirement as a player and has joined the franchise as a player development consultant. In 521 games over 12 seasons, the 34-year-old two-way winger had 98 goals and 110 assists for 208 points with the Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames. He also had 11 points in 36 playoff games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hip injuries force Byron’s retirement after missing the entirety of last season. His energetic play and leadership made him popular with his teammates and a fan favorite in Montreal, especially during the Canadiens run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: And speaking of players moving on to front-office roles, Patric Hornqvist joined the Panthers’ hockey operations department as a development coach and scout. Hornqvist, 36, announced his retirement in July due to season-ending concussions suffered in December.

NASHVILLE HOCKEY NOW: A DUI criminal charge against Predators head coach Andrew Brunette has been dropped. Brunette was accused of driving his golf cart under the influence in Florida earlier this year.

THE PROVINCE: The Vancouver Canucks confirmed defenseman Tucker Poolman will not play this season due to ongoing migraine symptoms plaguing him since 2021-22.

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Saku Maenalanen has been released by the Avalanche from his professional tryout offer after failing his training camp medical.

ARIZONA SPORTS: The Coyotes signed forward Jan Jenik to a one-year, two-way contract.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 31, 2023

by | May 31, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 31, 2023

Leafs to hire Brad Treliving as general manager, Predators fire John Hynes and hire Andrew Brunette as head coach, the Capitals hire Spencer Carbery as their new head coach, the latest Stanley Cup Final news and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

TSN: Darren Dreger broke the news that the Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to hire Brad Treliving as their new general manager. Treliving spent nine seasons as GM of the Calgary Flames before stepping down last month.

Former Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving. (NHL.com)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs were reportedly seeking someone with management experience to replace former GM Kyle Dubas. Treliving certainly has that but whether he can succeed where Dubas failed in terms of ending the Leafs’ 57-year Stanley Cup drought remains to be seen.

Under Treliving, the Flames reached the playoffs five times and finished atop the Pacific Division in 2018-19 and 2021-22. During his tenure, he drafted Matthew Tkachuk, Adam Fox, Sam Bennett, Andrew Mangiapane, Rasmus Andersson, Oliver Kylington and Dillon Dube. Treliving also traded for Dougie Hamilton, Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, Tyler Toffoli, Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Milan Lucic and Travis Hamonic.

However, the Flames also missed the playoffs four times and only reached the second round twice while Treliving was their general manager. He’s also had his share of failures, such as losing Johnny Gaudreau to free agency while the jury remains out on his swap of Tkachuk for Huberdeau and Weegar.

Treliving faces some significant issues with the Leafs. Topping the list is signing Auston Matthews to a contract extension. He must also determine the futures of Leafs stars John Tavares, Mitch Marner and William Nylander and the fate of head coach Sheldon Keefe.

THE TENNESSEAN: The Nashville Predators fired head coach John Hynes on Tuesday, replacing him with Andrew Brunette. An assistant coach this season with the New Jersey Devils, Brunette was a 2021-22 finalist for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year after guiding the Florida Panthers to their first-ever Presidents’ Trophy.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Predators incoming general manager Barry Trotz is facing some criticism for leaving Hynes twisting in the wind while he sought new head-coaching candidates given his own history as a long-time NHL head coach.

Nevertheless, Trotz has signaled that change will be afoot for the Predators. He obviously wanted his own man behind the bench and was going to take his time to find him. Now that he has his new bench boss, his focus could shift toward making some roster changes this summer.

WASHINGTON HOCKEY NOW: The Capitals have hired Spencer Carbery as their new head coach. He spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the Maple Leafs leading their power play. Before that, he spent three seasons as head coach of the Capitals’ AHL affiliate in Hershey.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Carbery will be under pressure to quickly reverse the aging Capitals’ fortunes after they missed the postseason for the first time since 2013-14. He’ll be reunited with defenseman Rasmus Sandin, who played under Carbery in Toronto until acquired by the Capitals before the March trade deadline. Meanwhile, Capitals assistant coaches Scott Allen and Bryan Murray will be returning next season. 

TSN: The Calgary Flames reached out to former New York Rangers coach Gerard Gallant, who is interested in their vacant head-coaching job.

LAS VEGAS SUN: The Vegas Golden Knights’ ongoing success is attributable in part to two former Florida Panthers. The Golden Knights selected Jonathan Marchessault in the 2017 expansion draft when the Panthers left him unprotected. Around the same time, they acquired Reilly Smith in a trade with the Panthers.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Patric Hornqvist has been sidelined since December by a concussion but he remains a valuable member of the Panthers. He’s been on the ice in a non-contact jersey during practices, peppering goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky with shots while providing guidance and encouragement to other teammates.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hornqvist remains out for the season and the future of his playing career is murky right now. For the time being, he’s like another assistant coach for the Panthers.

TWINCITIES.COM: After spending several seasons with the Minnesota Wild as an assistant coach, Brett McLean is taking over as head coach of their AHL affiliate in Iowa.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Former Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg said he has no interest in joining their front office. Inducted on Sunday into the IIHF Hall of Fame, Zetterberg is spending his days as an unofficial consultant with the Wings as well as with his former Swedish club (Timra) and the Swedish national team. His only active hockey work is helping out with his son’s practices as he puts his focus on his family and a life outside of hockey.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 26, 2023

by | May 26, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 26, 2023

The Stars stave off elimination in the Western Conference Final, Stanley Cup Final schedule scenarios are revealed plus the latest on Kyle Dubas and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The Dallas Stars avoided being swept from the Western Conference Final in a 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4 on an overtime power-play goal by Joe Pavelski.

Jason Robertson scored twice, Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen each collected two assists while Jake Oettinger made 37 saves for the win. William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault scored for Vegas while Adin Hill stopped 39 shots.

Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski (NHL Images).

The series returns to Las Vegas for Game 5 on Saturday with the Golden Knights leading the series three games to one.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Stars’ best players rose to the occasion in this contest despite the absence of team captain Jamie Benn, who’ll also miss Game 5 as he serves his two-game suspension.

Pavelski tallied his 73rd career playoff goal making him the leader among active NHL players in that category. He also made NHL history by becoming the oldest player (38) to score a postseason overtime goal.

The league also released its Stanley Cup Final schedule scenarios. Depending on the outcome of the Western Conference Final, the best-of-seven series will begin on May 31 or June 3. The winner of this Golden Knights-Stars series will face off against the Florida Panthers for hockey’s holy grail.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas met with Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby at the Penguins’ practice facility on Tuesday night. The Pens received permission from the Leafs to speak with Dubas regarding their vacant GM position.

DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of Dubas, the NHL Players’ Association is reviewing his relationship with his agent for “potential violation of the Certified Agent regulations that govern agent activity.”

Dubas was represented in his recent negotiations with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment by Chris Armstrong of Wasserman Sports, the same agency that also represents Leafs center Auston Matthews.

The PA’s certified agent regulations prohibit agents from representing any officer or employee of an NHL club. Wasserman, however, is currently not a certified NHL agent and is not subject to discipline by the NHLPA.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It has yet to be determined if Dubas and his agent violated those regulations. It’s uncertain how much of an effect this might have on the Penguins’ interest in hiring him as their new GM.

THE ATHLETIC: Hollywood producer Neko Sparks’ ownership group has been seeking additional investors in their bid to purchase the Ottawa Senators. They have reportedly secured international funds for their bid but are seeking additional Canadian investors.

The Sparks group is one of four finalists hoping to purchase the Senators alongside Toronto businessmen Michael Andlauder, Steve Apostolopoulos and the Kimel family.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sparks group’s scramble for additional investors at this late stage could adversely affect their efforts for a successful bid.

A judge recently ruled that Evander Kane could walk away from most of his outstanding debt in his Chapter 7 bankruptcy case. The judge ruled in Kane’s favor against Centennial Bank, which made an $8 million loan to the Edmonton Oilers winger, who has a self-described gambling addiction.

Kane’s former girlfriend Hope Parker also has an outstanding lawsuit within the bankruptcy process. She alleges Kane owes her $3 million for abortions she agreed to. He also has another lender with an active claim.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: New Jersey Devils assistant coach Andrew Brunette was interviewed by the Columbus Blue Jackets for their vacant head-coaching job.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blue Jackets are still talking with other prospective coaches. A decision could be reached after May 29 when general manager Jarmo Kekalainen returns from scouting the IIHF World Championship.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 18, 2023

by | May 18, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 18, 2023

The fallout from the Coyotes’ failed arena bid, Eastern Conference Finals starts Thursday, plus the latest on Lindy Ruff, Ken Holland, Mike Sullivan and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

WHAT NEXT FOR THE COYOTES?

ARIZONA SPORTS: The Coyotes will play in Mullett Arena for 2023-24 amid uncertainty over the club’s future in Arizona after their bid to construct a new arena in Tempe was rejected in a public referendum.

Coyotes president and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez released a statement to season-ticket holders indicating the franchise has “started re-engaging with local officials and sites for solidify a new permanent home in Valley.”

GOPHNX.COM: Craig Morgan examined possible “Plan B” options for the Coyotes.

Arizona Coyotes (NHL.com).

One would be partnering with the Phoenix Suns and moving back to their old arena, now called Footprint Center. However, they would be a tenant in someone else’s building leaving them with the same revenue issues that forced them to leave in 2003. He doesn’t see them building a new downtown venue and thinks it’s a stretch that Suns owner Mat Ishbia would purchase the Coyotes.

Mesa is another possibility though that would also require a public vote of approval. Reservation lands is an option but could be complicated given the state’s gaming laws plus they wouldn’t own the land. Morgan does not see the Coyotes returning to Glendale.

Morgan believes it would take a while to facilitate one of those options and time is not on the Coyotes’ side. He pointed out that the NHL Board of Governors isn’t happy with the club’s current arena arrangement and its effect on hockey-related revenue while the NHL Players Association is unhappy over the players competing and training in substandard facilities.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Coyotes’ time in Arizona appears to be running out. Unless a suitable local arena option can be found quickly they’ll have no choice but to relocate within the next couple of years.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Ryan Kennedy wonders if Salt Lake City might be a destination for the Coyotes. It’s been a minor-league hockey town for decades.

Ryan Smith, the owner of the NBA’s Salt Lake City Jazz, recently said he’d met with Bettman about the possibility of bringing an NHL franchise to his city. The Coyotes could play in Vivint Arena, home of the Jazz.

SPORTSNET: Salt Lake City topped Paul D. Grant’s list of five potential destinations for the Coyotes. Houston, Sacramento, Kansas City and Oklahoma City are also on the list. He considers Quebec City to be a pipe dream.

THE SCORE: Sean O’Leary included Milwaukee, Atlanta and Toronto on his list.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The best hockey market would be Quebec City with its 18,000-seat state-of-the-art arena and a strong hockey fan base. However, it would also be the NHL’s second-smallest market and that’s not enticing to league commissioner Gary Bettman and the league’s board of governors.

The only reason the NHL returned to Winnipeg (the league’s smallest market) is that there was no local buyer to take on the financially ailing Atlanta Thrashers and no other potential owners in larger markets willing to purchase the club at the time. True North Sports & Entertainment had quietly lobbied for an NHL franchise for several years. They were in the right place at the right time.

That’s not the case now. The success of expansion franchises in Las Vegas and Seattle could draw bids from potential owners in several of the American-based cities listed above if the Coyotes have to relocate.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers starts tonight in Raleigh at 8 pm ET.

TSN: New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald confirmed Lindy Ruff will return as the club’s head coach next season. Ruff is in the final season of his current contract but he’s already in the midst of negotiating a new deal with the Devils.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Oilers general manager Ken Holland said he intends to honor the final season of his contract. “I’m enjoying the challenge, I have a year to go and I have unfinished business,” said Holland, who dismissed conjecture suggesting that he might hand over the GM reins to assistant GM Steve Staios. “I’m not sure where all the speculation comes from,” he said.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sometimes it comes from well-connected insiders within the media. Sometimes it comes from pundits musing out loud (“I wonder if…”). And sometimes it comes from questionable sources.

NEW YORK POST: Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed he’s not a candidate for the Rangers’ vacant coaching job. “I am under contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, here for the long haul,” he said in a phone interview with Mollie Walker.

THE SCORE: Speaking of the Penguins, the Calgary Flames rejected their request for permission to speak to former Flames GM Brad Treliving, who stepped down from the role last month. Treliving remains under contract with the Flames until the end of June.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm said that he played with a fractured foot during the playoffs as well as the final few weeks of the regular season. It’s why he declined an invitation to join Sweden in the IIHF World Championships.

DAILY FACEOFF: Andrew Brunette, Spencer Carbery and Mike Velluci are among the candidates for the Anaheim Ducks’ coaching gig.

WASHINGTON HOCKEY NOW: The Capitals are also believed interest in Carbery, an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

DAILY FACEOFF: Former NHL defenseman Ron Hainsey has been promoted to NHLPA assistant executive director. Hainsey was part of the search for the group’s appointment of Marty Walsh as their new executive director.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 2, 2023

by | Feb 2, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 2, 2023

The Bruins and Hurricanes head into the All-Star break on a winning note, the three stars and the top rookie for January are revealed, Golden Knights captain Mark Stone undergoes a second back surgery, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Boston Bruins ended a three-game winless skid by dropping the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2. Pavel Zacha scored twice and Linus Ullmark made 33 saves for the Bruins (39-7-5) as they sit atop the overall standings with 83 points. Mitch Marner and Calle Jarnkrok replied for the 31-13-8 Leafs as they sat third overall with 70 points.

Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho scored for the sixth straight game in a 5-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Brent Burns also scored to extend his points streak to seven games as the Hurricanes (34-9-8) picked up their seven straight win to sit second overall with 76 points. The Sabres slipped to 26-20-4 and remain one point back of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot with 56 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sabres scoring leader Tage Thompson left this game in the second period with an upper-body injury. He’s slated to play in Saturday’s All-Star Game so it’ll be interesting to see if he still attends or ends up replaced. These were the final games before the All-Star break which begins today

HEADLINES

New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes (NHL Images)

 NHL.COM: New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes, Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak and Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn are the league’s three stars for the month of January 2023. Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was named the rookie of the month for January.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: Golden Knights captain Mark Stone is sidelined indefinitely after undergoing successful back surgery on Tuesday. It’s the second time in nine months that the 30-year-old right winger has had back surgery, having missed 45 games last season. He didn’t miss a game this season until getting injured on Jan. 12 against the Florida Panthers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights have gone 1-5-2 since Stone was sidelined. His ongoing absence could send management into the trade market in search of help. I’ll have more about that in today’s Rumor Mill update.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Blue Jackets winger Gustav Nyquist has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a left shoulder injury. It’s the same shoulder he has surgically repaired in November 2020 but he won’t have to go under the knife this time.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports Nyquist is hoping to return before the end of this season. While the current injury hurts the winger’s trade value, Portzline suggests that it doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t be moved before the March 3 trade deadline. He points out the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired a sidelined Riley Nash two years ago, who ultimately played in two playoff games for the Leafs.

THE SCORE: New Jersey Devils associate coach Andrew Brunette was arrested early Wednesday morning in South Florida while driving home from a bar in his golf cart. He was charged with driving under the influence and two counts of disobeying a stop or yield sign. Brunette was released on $500.00 bond. In a statement, the Devils indicated that they’re aware of the situation and were gathering additional information.

OTTAWA SUN’s Bruce Garrioch reports the expectation for Cam Talbot is the sidelined Senators goaltender will resume skating next week when the club reconvenes following the All-Star break.

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL: NHL viewership on ESPN and TNT is down 22 percent heading into the All-Star break compared to the same time last year.

The main reason is both networks doubled the number of games they carried compared to last season. Bigger schedules tend to hurt average viewership.

TNT is also affected by local blackouts affecting big markets in Boston, Pittsburgh and New York whereas last season they had no blackouts. ESPN’s numbers were hurt by scheduling six games on Sunday up against the NFL whereas the network had no Sunday games at this point last season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Critics seized on that ratings drop as an opportunity to rail against the issues they believe are hurting the game’s popularity. The Athletic’s Sean Gentille acknowledged that those issues are real and long-standing but aren’t applicable to the real reasons (noted above) behind those ratings decline. Gentille pointed out that those numbers could improve once ABC’s 20-game coverage during the remainder of the regular season is included in the final equation.

ESPN: Emily Kaplan reports the NHL Players Association’s executive board will meet this week in Florida to discuss the possible appointment of US Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh as its new executive director. Walsh has emerged as the leading candidate to replace current PA director Donald Fehr, who is stepping down after 12 years.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 16, 2022

by | Jul 16, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 16, 2022

The Devils believed they were a destination for Johnny Gaudreau, plus the latest on Ondrej Palat, Mitch Marner, Vladimir Tarasenko, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

SPORTSNET: New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald believed Johnny Gaudreau was going to sign with his club before shocking the hockey world by joining the Columbus Blue Jackets. Gaudreau, who grew up in Carney’s Point, N.J., was reportedly looking to sign with a club closer to home.

Fitzgerald said he thought he’d really connected with Gaudreau and his wife during his conversation with them. He also cited a personal connection as his son played with Gaudreau at Boston College.

“We put our best foot forward,” said Fitzgerald. “He chose to go to Columbus for the reasons he chose. He could have gone anywhere. We wish him all the best.” The Devils GM subsequently signed former Tampa Bay Lightning winger to a five-year, $30 million contract.

THE ATHLETIC: Speaking of Palat, he admitted to feeling sad over leaving the Lightning after 10 seasons. “I was kind of preparing myself there was a chance I was leaving Tampa,” he said. “But it’s a business and now when I signed with New Jersey, I’m not as sad.”

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Ondrej Palat (NHL Images).

Palat admitted the past several weeks had been an emotional roller coaster, going from losing in the Stanley Cup Final to the Colorado Avalanche to free agency. However, he’s excited about bringing his experience to a promising team with younger talent.

TSN: Speaking of the Devils, they hired former Florida Panthers interim coach Andrew Brunette as an associate coach for Lindy Ruff.

SPORTSNET: Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner admitted he endured flashbacks of being carjacked in May. He and his fiancee were unhurt in the incident but he said there were a couple of weeks where it came back to him whenever he was driving.

“We were lucky enough to have people around that we can talk to and have these stories to tell and get feedback,” said Marner. “So, definitely mental health is something important to me and my family – and something that we really take serious.”

TORONTO SUN: Speaking of the Leafs, they signed forward Calle Jarnkrok to a four-year contract worth an average annual value of $2.1 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some Leafs fans see Jarnkrok as a replacement for Alex Kerfoot should GM Kyle Dubas trade him during this summer or in the regular season. Kerfoot has been rumored as a cost-cutting trade candidate for some time.

STLTODAY.COM: Blues GM Doug Armstrong isn’t going down the trade-rumor rabbit hole with Vladimir Tarasenko like last summer. Despite Armstrong’s recent claim that the winger’s “trade demand” was no longer an issue, a report emerged during the 2022 NHL Draft indicating that Tarasenko hadn’t rescinded the request. “He’s under contract and I expect (to have) him,” said Armstrong.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tarasenko becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer. He carries a $7.5 million average annual value but will earn $5.5 million in actual salary. He also carries a full no-trade clause.

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Mike Sielski doesn’t buy into the theory among Flyers fans that their club went downhill after team owner Ed Snider passed away and Ron Hextall became general manager followed by Chuck Fletcher. He believes the rot within the front office extends back to 2006, long before Snider’s death and before Hextall and Fletcher came along.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Whatever the reason, there’s no denying the Flyers are a mess. Another poor performance by this club will mean the end of Fletcher’s tenure as general manager. However, the on-ice product won’t change much unless ownership charts a new, clearer direction and hires the right people to make it happen.

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: On the topic of the Flyers, they signed former first-round pick Morgan Frost to a one-year, $800K contract.

TSN: The Nashville Predators signed forward Zach Sanford to a one-year, $850K contract.

THE DENVER POST: The Colorado Avalanche signed defenseman Brad Hunt to a one-year, $800K contract.