NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 8, 2025

by | Jun 8, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 8, 2025

Capitals coach Spencer Carbery wins the Jack Adams Award, the winner of the Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy may have been inadvertently revealed, the latest on the Oilers and Panthers, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Spencer Carbery of the Washington Capitals is the 2024-25 winner of the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year. Carbery was surprised with the award by his wife and children in-studio during what he thought was an interview with Capitals play-by-play announcer Joe Beninati.

Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery (NHL Images).

Carbery guided the Capitals to a 51-22-9 record and a first-overall finish in the Eastern Conference.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Carter Brooks reports a slightly out-of-focus photograph circulated on social media Saturday, appearing to show Connor Hellebuyck posing in his backyard with the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Vezina Trophy. The 32-year-old Winnipeg Jets goaltender is a finalist for both awards.

Brooks pointed out that an NHL Media release indicated the winners of those trophies would be officially revealed during its Awards show on June 12.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It won’t be surprising if Hellebuyck won both awards. He had an outstanding regular season and was the most valuable player for his team. He would become the first goaltender to win the Hart and Vezina Trophies since Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens in 2014-15.

NHL.COM: The coaching staff and a cohesive dressing-room environment have contributed to the solid performance of the Florida Panthers’ defense corps. Nate Schmidt, Gustav Forsling and Dmitry Kulikov are among the blueliners who have thrived in Florida.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: David Staples observes that Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse is struggling against the Florida Panthers again. Despite what may be his best regular season, he is having difficulty moving the puck, making unforced icings and turnovers in the first two games of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.

Staples noted that Nurse played his best hockey when paired with Troy Stecher, suggesting reuniting the pair. The return of Mattias Ekholm relegated Stecher to the press box, with Nurse paired with Brett Kulak.

VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: Hannah Kirkell cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas recently discussing the health of Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. They observed he skipped the 4 Nations Face Off in February to prioritize getting his body in the best possible shape for the playoffs.

The pair discussed whether Pietrangelo would be available to play for Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics. They don’t know the extent or the nature of the blueliner’s injury, but they wondered if he’d be ready for the start of next season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Pietrangelo appeared to be playing with a lower-body injury this season. He had 33 points with a plus-minus of plus-11 in 71 games this season and had six points in 10 playoff games. However, the 17-year NHL veteran is 35 years old, and the physical toll of his long career could be catching up with him.

Pietrangelo is signed through 2026-27 with an average annual value of $8.8 million and a full no-movement clause.

NEW YORK POST: Matthew Schaefer endured a season-ending injury and the recent deaths of his mother and billet mother. Nevertheless, how the 17-year-old Erie Otters defenseman handled the injury and his grief displayed a maturity and character that contributed to his rise to the top of the 2025 NHL Draft rankings.

TVA SPORTS: Radim Mrtka said the Montreal Canadiens are the team that has shown the most interest in him. However, the 17-year-old Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman isn’t expected to be available when the Canadiens make the first of their two first-round picks (16th and 17th overall).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Mrtka is a big (6’6”), smooth-skating blueliner who emulates Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Moritz Seider of the Detroit Red Wings. The report noted he was taken to dinner by the Pittsburgh Penguins last week.

I have the Seattle Kraken taking Mrtka with the eighth overall pick in my mock draft, with the Canadiens choosing defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson of the OHL’s Barrie Colts at No. 16.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Penguins forward Vasily Ponomarev is expected to return to the KHL with Omsk for 2025-26. The 23-year-old restricted free agent was part of the return the Penguins received from the Carolina Hurricanes in last year’s Jake Guentzel trade. He has no points in seven games with the Penguins this season and received no guarantees that he’d be in their lineup for 2025-26.

NEW YORK POST: The longest scoring review in NHL history reached its conclusion with former Hartford Whalers goaltender John Garrett receiving an assist on Gordie Howe’s final NHL goal on Apr. 9, 1980.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Trois-Rivieres Lions are the winners of the ECHL’s Kelly Cup for the first time. They are the secondary affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens and the first Canadian-based team to win the Kelly Cup in six years.










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.