NHL Rumor Mill – April 9, 2022

by | Apr 9, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – April 9, 2022

In today’s NHL rumor mill, more speculation linking Claude Giroux to the Senators, questions about possible offseason moves by the Red Wings and Lars Eller’s future with the Capitals.

THE ATHLETIC: In a recent mailbag segment, Ian Mendes was asked if Kevin Fiala or Claude Giroux would be easier for the Ottawa Senators to obtain in the offseason. He believes it could be Giroux, as the Florida Panthers forward is slated to become an unrestricted free agent whereas the Minnesota Wild winger is a restricted free agent.

Florida Panthers forward Claude Giroux (NHL Images)

Mendes noted Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman recently reported the 34-year-old Giroux is doing some homework on the Senators and their situation in Ottawa. If the former Flyers captain can win a Stanley Cup with the Panthers, it could nudge him toward signing with his hometown club.

Fiala, meanwhile, would prove expensive to acquire via trade and to sign as he also has arbitration rights and is in line for a significant raise.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The uncertainty over the Senators’ ownership situation following the recent death of Eugene Melnyk could affect the club’s efforts to attract free-agent talent. No one knows yet whether Melnyk’s heirs will maintain control of the franchise or sell to another ownership group willing to keep the club in Ottawa.

As for Giroux, I don’t rule out the possibility of him coming home to Ottawa. Nevertheless, it’s not a certainty that’s what he wants to do or that the Senators would be interested in signing him. If the Panthers fail to win the Cup and they’re unable to re-sign Giroux, he could opt to sign with a contender for next season.

THE ATHLETIC: Max Bultman was recently asked by a reader if the entire Detroit Red Wings core had to be remade (except for Moritz Seider). He suggested Filip Hronek could be a good trade candidate if management wanted to shake things up and get a solid return. However, he could prove difficult to replace, making it more worthwhile to keep the 24-year-old defenseman unless someone’s willing to make a big offer for him.

Asked about the future of winger Filip Zadina, Bultman suggested a possible coaching change by the Wings could factor into their decision to keep or trade him. Ultimately, it comes down to their evaluation of the former first-round pick and whether they feel they’ve done all they can to tap into his potential.

Bultman also doesn’t expect Wings general manager Steve Yzerman to pursue a big-ticket UFA such as John Klingberg this summer. A good second-line center option via free agency could be Carolina’s Vincent Trocheck, who wouldn’t break the bank or be a signing that goes over five years.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’ll be interesting to see what Yzerman does this summer. He’s been building patiently with promising youth over the past three years. Nevertheless, the Wings are at a point where he could attempt to accelerate the process via trade or free agency. Then again, he could also decide a coaching change would be more beneficial.

THE ATHLETIC: Tarik El-Bashir was asked if the Washington Capitals might part with center Lars Eller in the offseason. He doesn’t consider it a slam dunk but didn’t rule it out if the Capitals decide to shed some salary and free up a roster spot for promising Connor McMichael. Eller, 32, has a year remaining on his contract with an annual cap hit of $3.5 million.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 7, 2022

by | Apr 7, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 7, 2022

Alex Ovechkin reaches another scoring milestone during Wednesday’s games plus updates on Carey Price, Jason Zucker and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: John Carlson scored twice and set up two others as the Washington Capitals held off the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3. Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist as he became the 21st player in NHL history to reach 1,400 career points. He has 43 goals this season. The Capitals have a firm hold on the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 86 points. The Lightning, meanwhile, sit seven points ahead of the Capitals in the first wild-card spot as they’ve won just four of their last 10 games.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Capitals forward Garnet Hathaway missed this game with a non-COVID-related illness.

Calgary Flames defenseman Michael Stone had a goal and an assist in his 500th career NHL game as his club doubled up the Anaheim Ducks 4-2, handing the latter their 13th loss in their last 14 games. Johnny Gaudreau and Andrew Mangiapane each collected two assists while Elias Lindholm scored his 36th goal of the season. The Flames (93 points) opened a seven-point lead over the Edmonton Oilers atop the Pacific Division standings.

Third-period goals by Jordan Kyrou and Ryan O’Reilly gave the St. Louis Blues a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Ville Husso got the win by stopping 28 shots as the Blues sit one point behind the second-place Minnesota Wild in the Central Division with 90 points.

The Vancouver Canucks kept their slim playoff hopes alive by dropping the Vegas Golden Knights 5-1, snapping the latter’s five-game win streak. Elias Pettersson scored twice and set up two others, J.T. Miller and Oliver Ekman-Larsson each collected two points and Thatcher Demko kicked out 33 shots. With 76 points, the Canucks sit six points back of the Golden Knights, who are one point behind the Dallas Stars for the final Western Conference wild-card berth.

Detroit Red Wings forward Sam Gagner scored twice (including his 500th career point) as his club upset the Winnipeg Jets 3-1. Thomas Greiss got his first win since Feb. 17 with 32 saves. The Jets are tied with the Canucks but have lost three straight.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks and Jets have little room for error in their quest to secure a playoff berth. Both clubs have 11 games remaining and must win almost all of them while the clubs ahead of them (Golden Knights, Stars and Nashville Predators) will have to lose most of their remaining contests.

HEADLINES

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Carey Price is traveling with the Canadiens during their current two-day road trip to New Jersey and Toronto. However, he will not be playing in those games. Rookie defenseman Justin Barron remained in Montreal as he’s nursing a leg injury suffered during Tuesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Price seems to be getting closer to returning to action for some of the Canadiens’ remaining games in the schedule. He’s expected to continue practicing with his teammates during this road trip.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jason Zucker returned to full practice yesterday with his teammates. He’s listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury but was skating on the second line with Evgeni Malkin. The oft-injured Zucker was hurt during a game last week and had to be helped from the ice.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports the NHL Players Association held its first meeting with player agents in three years.

PA executive director Donald Fehr remains confident the players will be protected against potential revenue losses from the Arizona Coyotes temporarily moving to a 5,000-seats venue starting next season. He also agreed with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman’s prediction that the players could fully repay their escrow debt to the owners by 2024-25.

The PA and the league will also continue conversations about filing no-trade lists with NHL Central Registry.

OTTAWA SUN: It’s believed Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, who passed away on March 28, signed off on entering a bid to build a major events center at LeBreton Flats before his untimely death. The area is located 10 minutes from downtown Ottawa. The deadline to submit bids to the National Capital Commission was Feb. 28. An update is expected today.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: The Blackhawks are unveiling a new season-ticket membership program reducing the cost for 84 percent of seats under that plan after conducting surveys and receiving feedback from fans. The Blackhawks’ average attendance (18,418) is the NHL’s fifth-highest but the club’s long sellout streak ended earlier this season.










NHL Rumor Mill – April 6, 2022

by | Apr 6, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – April 6, 2022

In today’s NHL rumor mill, a look at some potential offseason goalie targets for the Oilers while Ilya Samsonov faces an uncertain future with the Capitals.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Jim Matheson recently suggested the Oilers could be among the teams interested in Ville Husso if the St. Louis Blues goaltender tests this summer’s free-agent market. Husso, 27, has outplayed Jordan Binnington this season for the Blues’ starting goalie job.

THE ATHLETIC: Husso was also on Allan Mitchell’s recent list of possible UFA goaltending targets for the Oilers this summer. Other options could include the Colorado Avalanche’s Darcy Kuemper and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Jack Campbell.

St. Louis Blues goaltender Ville Husso (NHL Images).

Mitchell believes all three will be expensive. He wondered if Oilers general manager would be able to sign Husso for less than $4.5 million annually over three years.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers are expected to let Mikko Koskinen walk via free agency this summer. Aging veteran Mike Smith is signed through next season with a $2.2 million cap hit.

Husso would be the most affordable of the three UFA goalies listed by Mitchell. However, his value in the free-agent market could rise significantly if a growing number of clubs were to consider him a more cost-effective option than Kuemper and Campbell. He’s also only been in the NHL for two seasons and that could make some suitors leery of investing in him.

The Blues could try to re-sign Husso and part ways with Binnington, whose performance has been in decline since backstopping the club to the Stanley Cup three years ago. However, he’s signed through 2026-27 with an annual cap hit of $6 million and a full no-trade clause. A buyout would stretch through 2031-32.

THE ATHLETIC: In a recent mailbag segment, Tarik El-Bashir wrote he doesn’t see the Washington Capitals going into next season with their current tandem of Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov. The former is fumbling his opportunity to seize the starter’s job while the latter has inspired much confidence.

He believes the Capitals will have to settle on one of them and bring in a veteran capable of being a starter to pair with Vanecek. Samsonov could be shipped to a club that might see the 6-foot 3, 200-pound former first-round pick as an enticing reclamation project. He’d heard rumors before the trade deadline linking Samsonov to the Montreal Canadiens but couldn’t confirm them.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Samsonov’s promising rookie performance in 2019-20 emboldened the Capitals to part ways with long-time starter Braden Holtby. However, he struggled to make the starter’s job his own and wound up sharing time with Vanecek, who has looked the better of the two since last season.

I also heard those rumors tying Samsonov to the Canadiens but they didn’t last long. Maybe the Canadiens were considering shopping Jake Allen before the trade deadline and saw Samsonov as a possible short-term backup replacement. Maybe there was nothing to this rumor at all. It’ll be interesting to see if it resurfaces in the offseason.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 27, 2022

by | Mar 27, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 27, 2022

The Flames and Oilers combine for 14 goals, Marc-Andre Fleury gets the win in his debut with the Wild, Jonathan Huberdeau sets a Panthers record and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Johnny Gaudreau collected five assists as his Calgary Flames downed the Edmonton Oilers 9-5. Matthew Tkachuk scored twice and added two assists while Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund each tallied two goals. Leon Draisaitl had a hat trick and an assist and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins netted four points for Edmonton. With 88 points, the Flames hold a seven-point lead over the Los Angeles Kings for first place in the Pacific Division while the Oilers cling to third place with 77 points.

Calgary Flames left wing Johnny Gaudreau (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin collected two assists as he became the fifth-youngest defenseman in NHL history to play 500 games.

Speaking of the Kings, they doubled up the Seattle Kraken 4-2. Cal Petersen made 23 saves for the win, Adrian Kempe picked up two assists and Jordan Spence scored his first NHL goal, becoming the first Australian-born player to do so.

Marc-Andre Fleury kicked out 23 shots in his Minnesota Wild debut as he backstopped them to a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jared Spurgeon scored in overtime after Kirill Kaprizov tied the game with his second of the night and 35th of the season. The Wild sit in second place in the Central Division with 82 points.

Jonathan Huberdeau collected an assist in his franchise-record 655th career game with the Florida Panthers in a 4-3 shootout win over the Ottawa Senators. Aleksander Barkov scored the winner and also tallied the game-tying goal. Claude Giroux collected two assists for the second straight game with the Panthers. Anton Forsberg had 46 saves in a losing cause for the Senators. The Panthers sit atop the Eastern Conference standings with 94 points.

Carolina Hurricanes forwards Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis each tallied twice in a 7-2 romp over the St. Louis Blues, handing the latter their fifth loss in their last six games. Pavel Buchnevich netted both goals for the Blues. The win leaves the Hurricanes one point behind the Panthers while the Blues (79 points) are three behind the Wild for third place in the Central Division.

The Boston Bruins picked up their fourth straight win with a 6-3 victory over the New York Islanders. Brad Marchand and Taylor Hall each had a goal and two assists for the Bruins, who sit in second place in the Atlantic Division with 87 points. Islanders center Brock Nelson reached the 30-goal plateau for the first time.

An overtime goal by Brayden Point lifted the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Steven Stamkos scored the tying goal late in the third period as Tampa Bay sits one point behind the Bruins in third place in the Atlantic. Before the game, the Lightning announced defenseman Ryan McDonagh is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.

A 49-save performance by Jake Allen carried the Montreal Canadiens over the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2. Nick Suzuki, Paul Byron and David Savard each had two points for the Canadiens while Auston Matthews potted his 47th goal of the season for the Leafs, who sit one point behind the Lightning in the first Eastern Conference wild-card berth.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Earlier in the day, the Canadiens revealed Jeff Petry (lower body) and Jonathan Drouin (wrist) are sidelined indefinitely while assistant coach Luke Richardson entered COVID protocol.

The Washington Capitals got three third-period goals to hold off the New Jersey Devils 4-3. Alex Ovechkin scored his 42nd of the season while Nicklas Backstrom had a goal and an assist on the night he was honored by his club for reaching 1,000 career points. Washington sits one point back of the Leafs in the final Eastern wild-card spot.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Capitals fans littered the ice with small rubber apples commemorating Backstrom’s 1,000 points in appreciation of his third-period goal.

Evgenii Dadonov was the Vegas Golden Knights’ hero for the second straight game in their 5-4 defeat of the Chicago Blackhawks. Coming off a three-point performance in a win over the Nashville Predators, Dadonov scored the overtime goal in this contest as the Golden Knights cling to the final Western Conference wild-card berth with 76 points. Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat each had two points for the Blackhawks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Vegas defenseman Alec Martinez returned to action for the first time since suffering facial injuries on Nov. 11 against the Wild. Golden Knights center Brett Howden didn’t suffer serious injuries after being stretchered out of Thursday’s game against the Predators but will be sidelined indefinitely.

The Vancouver Canucks kept their playoff hopes alive by dropping the Dallas Stars 4-1. Elias Pettersson scored two goals and Thatcher Demko made 35 saves for the win. Vancouver sits three points behind Vegas with 73 points while the Stars remain one back of the Golden Knights. Canuck winger Matt Highmore missed this game as he remains sidelined with an upper-body injury.

San Jose Sharks winger Timo Meier picked up a hat trick in a 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks, handing the latter their ninth straight loss.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 26, 2022

by | Mar 26, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 26, 2022

Cale Makar sets an Avalanche record, Johnny Gaudreau reaches a goal-scoring milestone, the ongoing fallout from the overturned Dadonov trade, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Cale Makar set a Colorado Avalanche record in his club’s 6-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Makar scored twice to set the club’s single-season record for most goals by a defenseman with 24. Nazem Kadri had a goal and two assists for the Avalanche, who’ve won five of their last six games and sit atop the overall standings with 97 points. Flyers winger Travis Konecny missed this game with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (NHL Images).

Calgary Flames winger Johnny Gaudreau scored his 200th career goal in a 4-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes. Gaudreau also had two assists while Matthew Tkachuk had two points for Calgary (86 points), who hold a seven-point lead over the Los Angeles Kings for first place in the Pacific Division. Flames center Sean Monahan was a healthy scratch.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Monahan hasn’t been the same since struggling through a hip injury last season which ultimately required surgery last May. It generated speculation the Flames could attempt to trade him before the recent trade deadline.

The New York Rangers downed the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1. Chris Kreider scored twice to tie the Edmonton Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl for second place in the goal-scoring race with 44. Andrew Copp tallied his first goal since the Rangers acquired him at the trade deadline from the Winnipeg Jets. Pittsburgh (88 points) hold a one-point lead over the Rangers for second place in the Metropolitan Division. Penguins center Evgeni Malkin missed the game with an undisclosed illness.

Speaking of the Jets, they kept their playoff hopes alive with a 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, spoiling Patrik Laine’s return to Winnipeg for the first time since being traded to the Jackets last year. Nikolaj Ehlers scored the winner in overtime while teammate Kyle Connor netted his 41st goal of the season. Laine was held scoreless. With 72 points, the Jets are three points behind the Dallas Stars for the final wild-card berth in the Western Conference.

Shootout goals by Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin lifted the Washington Capitals over the Buffalo Sabres 4-3. Ovechkin also scored in regulation and has 41 on the season while Jeff Skinner scored twice for the Sabres. The Capitals (82 points) sit two points back of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

HEADLINES

TSN: Pierre LeBrun believes the NHL is going to push for changes to the submission process of a player’s no-trade list. This comes after the league overturned a trade that would’ve sent winger Evgenii Dadonov from the Vegas Golden Knights to the Anaheim Ducks following confusion about whether Dadonov filed his no-trade list on time last summer.

Under the current system, the list is submitted solely between the player’s agent and the club. The NHL and the NHLPA don’t keep track of no-trade lists. LeBrun believes the league seeks a change whereby the NHL Central Registry and the PA each get copies of the lists.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I find the current setup unusual given how a modified no-trade clause gives a player a measure of control over possible trade destinations. It’s surprising it took this long before a screw-up (like what happened to Dadonov) took place.

THE SCORE: Speaking of Dadonov, he admitted having “a stressful couple of days” awaiting a decision by the league. The Ducks were on his no-trade list that the Golden Knights and the league mistakenly believed hadn’t been filed on time. He had felt “upset” at the time but “wasn’t really mad” about the situation.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Following the league’s decision, Dadonov received a big cheer from Golden Knights fans on Thursday after being named the second star in their 6-1 win over the Nashville Predators.

CAP FRIENDLY: The Golden Knights placed winger Reilly Smith on long-term injury reserve yesterday. His annual cap hit is $5 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights attempted to trade Dadonov to free up salary-cap space in order to eventually take Alec Martinez or Mark Stone off LTIR before the end of this season. It was assumed they might have to make a cost-cutting trade with a non-playoff club. Putting Smith on LTIR could address that problem provided he’s out for the remainder of the regular season.

DAILY FACEOFF: More bad news for the Golden Knights as winger Max Pacioretty suffered a setback in his recovery from an undisclosed injury and isn’t available in the near future.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Pacioretty could become another LTIR candidate if the setback was serious.

SPORTSNET: Montreal Canadiens winger Jonathan Drouin is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury while teammate Brendan Gallagher is out one week with a lower-body injury.

The Edmonton Oilers are suing four of their insurance companies over unreimbursed losses suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic.










NHL Rumor Mill – March 21, 2022

by | Mar 21, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – March 21, 2022

​The Trade Deadline is 3 pm ET today. Check out the latest in this morning’s NHL rumor mill.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: With so many notable names already moved in recent days, there’s not much in terms of rumors involving noteworthy trade candidates. Here’s a quick roundup of this morning’s speculation.

THE ATHLETIC: Fluto Shinzawa believes the Boston Bruins will look at acquiring a forward before today’s trade deadline. Targets could include the Winnipeg Jets’ Andrew Copp, the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Max Domi, the Vancouver Canucks’ J.T. Miller and the New Jersey Devils’ Pavel Zacha.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s believed the Canucks are unlikely to move Miller today. Anything can happen, of course, but the extra year on his contract means they could keep him and perhaps try to sign him this summer to a contract extension.

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: Jordan Hall reports the Flyers are getting lots of calls on defenseman Justin Braun. Winger James van Riemsdyk could also be available as he has a year remaining on his contract with an annual average value of $7 million.

Anaheim Ducks winger Rickard Rakell (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Braun seems more likely to move than van Riemsdyk considering the latter’s cap hit. Braun is due to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and carries an affordable $1.8 million annual average value.

NEW YORK POST: Larry Brooks reports the Rangers are believed to be interested in Jets forward Andrew Copp. Meanwhile, talk around Anaheim Ducks winger Rickard Rakell seems to have quieted. Rangers GM Chris Drury could also bring in a defenseman. Options could include the Chicago Blackhawks Calvin de Haan, Montreal Canadiens Brett Kulak, the Flyers’ Justin Braun and the Buffalo Sabres’ Colin Miller.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek has made good on his vow to trade his pending UFAs rather than risk losing them for nothing this summer to free agency. He already shipped out Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson. I expect Rakell will be on the move before today’s deadline.

THE PROVINCE: Ben Kuzma ponders the trade possibilities for several Canucks. They appear willing to remain patient with pending restricted free agent Brock Boeser while Conor Garland’s speed and reasonable contract still make him a good fit in Vancouver. Pending UFAs Tyler Motte and Luke Schenn are more likely to move.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Boeser could be moved today but I think that’s more likely an offseason move if they can’t reach an agreement on a contract. Garland is reportedly drawing lots of interest but I think it’ll take a significant offer (first-round pick?) to pry him away from the Canucks.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: Jimmy Murphy reports the Los Angeles Kings have expressed interest in Canadiens forward Artturi Lehkonen and defensemen Jeff Petry and Brett Kulak. The Edmonton Oilers have also been linked to Kulak.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Petry’s $6.25 million annual cap hit through 2024-25 and his 15-team no-trade clause could make him difficult to move today. That could be an offseason transaction.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Kurt Leavins believes the Oilers would like to add a defenseman. His suggested options include the Seattle Kraken’s Carson Soucy, the Ottawa Senators’ Nick Holden, and the Canadiens’ Brett Kulak.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leavins also included the New Jersey Devils’ Ryan Graves on his list but I don’t believe he’s available.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Sharks goaltender James Reimer is garnering some interest.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Nick Leddy could be the next Red Wing to depart before today’s deadline. Vladislav Namestnikov and Marc Staal could also be available.

NBC SPORTS WASHINGTON: It appears the Capitals will continue to make calls for a goaltender and a middle-six forward.

CALGARY HOCKEY NOW: The Flames could add an affordable defenseman. Targets could include the Flyers’ Justin Braun, the Canadiens’ Brett Kulak, the Kraken’s Carson Soucy, the Sabres’ Colin Miller, the Red Wings Marc Staal and the New York Islanders’ Zdeno Chara.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t see Chara going anywhere today. It seems like he’s willing to finish the season with the Isles.