NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 20, 2025

by | Apr 20, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 20, 2025

The Jets and Avalanche take the opening games of their respective series, the Rangers and Ducks fire their head coaches, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPPING SATURDAY’S PLAYOFF ACTION

NHL.COM: Kyle Connor scored the winning goal with 1:36 remaining in the third period as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the St. Louis Blues 5-3, taking a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven opening round series.

Winnipeg Jets winger Kyle Connor (NHL Images).

Connor and Mark Scheifele each had a goal and two assists as the Jets scored three unanswered third-period goals to overcome a 3-2 deficit. Robert Thomas, Oskar Sundqvist and Jordan Kyrou scored for the Blues. Game 2 is Monday, Apr. 21, in Winnipeg starting at 7:30 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: If Game 1 was anything to go by, this should be a fast-paced, entertaining series. The Blues set a physical tone, outhitting Winnieg 53-33. However, the Jets adapted and took control of the game in the final period.

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon scored two goals and collected an assist to lead his club to a 5-1 win over the Dallas Stars to take a 1-0 lead in their first-round series. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 23 shots for the win in his first-ever NHL playoff game.

Roope Hintz tallied for the Stars to make it 2-1 in the third period before the Avalanche pulled away with three goals. Game 2 is Monday in Dallas at 9:30 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: MacKinnon was outstanding as usual, but Blackwood was the real star of this one for the Avs, coming up with several big saves to frustrate the Stars.

Avalanche forward Ross Colton left this game in the third period with a lower-body injury. An update on his status is expected Sunday. Meanwhile, sidelined Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen attended Saturday’s morning skate and has been upgraded to day-to-day. He’s been out since undergoing knee surgery in late January.

HEADLINES

NEW YORK POST: The Rangers fired head coach Peter Laviolette on Friday. Hired in 2023, Laviolatte guided the Blueshirts to the 2023-24 Presidents’ Trophy, but the club struggled this season and missed the playoffs. They are seeking their fourth head coach since 2021.

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: The Anaheim Ducks relieved Greg Cronin of his duties as head coach after two seasons. The rebuilding Ducks improved by 21 points over last season but missed the playoffs for the seventh straight season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Laviolette firing was expected, given his inability to cope with the turmoil within the team as management attempted to remake the roster during this season. However, the Cronin firing was a surprise because of the Ducks’ notable improvement this season.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk was a full participant in practice on Saturday as his club prepares for Game 1 of their first-round series with archrival Tampa Bay Lightning. The power forward has been sidelined with a groin injury since the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Lightning-Panthers series begins on Tuesday. Barring a setback, expect Tkachuk to return to action in Game 1.

DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of the Lightning, winger Oliver Bjorkstrand will miss that series with the Panthers because of a lower-body injury.

TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jake McCabe were back in their usual spots on the blueline during Saturday’s practice. Both rearguards had been sidelined with injuries heading into the postseason.

DAILY FACEOFF: Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson revealed he played the final 12 games of the regular season with a broken fibula after blocking a shot during a March 25 game against the Seattle Kraken.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Andersson kept playing because he was trying to help his club stay in the playoff race. While those efforts were unsuccessful, his toughness and will to win are among the reasons why management hopes to sign him to a contract extension this summer.

NEW YORK POST: Islanders forward Mathew Barzal and goaltender Semyon Varlamov are expected to be ready for training camp in September. Knee surgeries sidelined both players and their absence was partly responsible for the Isles missing the playoffs.

THE SCORE: Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is expected to miss the start of next season after undergoing arm surgery. His last game of this season was March. 11.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ristolainen’s improved performance before his injury was among the few bright spots for the Flyers this season.

THE BUFFALO NEWS: Sabres defenseman Owen Power won’t require surgery on his injured left knee. He’s been told to stay off the ice for two months, which shouldn’t interfere with his offseason training.

Meanwhile, Sabres forward Josh Norris revealed a torn oblique muscle limited him to just three games with the club following his March 7 trade from the Ottawa Senators.

THE TENNESSEAN: Nashville Predators winger Jonathan Marchessault was critical of head coach Andrew Brunette’s offensive system. “Clearly, it didn’t work,” he said, adding that there had to be adjustments before next season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Predators were among this season’s worst offensive teams despite the additions last summer of scoring forwards Marchessault and Steven Stamkos. That inability to score occasionally sparked speculation over Brunette’s job security.

TSN: The Edmonton Oilers signed defenseman Ty Emberson to a two-year, $2.6 million contract extension.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 29, 2024

by | Oct 29, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 29, 2024

The Leafs end the Jets’ win streak, the Sharks long losing skid is over, the Lightning honor former captain Steven Stamkos, and Oilers captain Connor McDavid suffers an injury against the Blue Jackets. Get the details on these and other stories in the NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Winnipeg Jets 6-4, ending the latter’s season-opening win streak at eight games. John Tavares had a hat trick while William Nylander and Max Pacioretty each picked up three points for the Leafs. Jets winger Kyle Connor had two goals and two assists.

Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs outshot the Jets 36-23, including 19-6 in the first period. Winnipeg made it interesting as Mark Scheifele and Connor scored third-period goals to cut the Leafs lead to 5-4 before Tavares put it out of reach with an empty-net goal.

The Leafs announced defenseman Jake McCabe agreed to a five-year contract extension with an average annual value of $4.51 million. McCabe, 31, was slated to become an unrestricted free agent next July. He’s earning an AAV of $4 million on his current deal.

The cap hit is alright from the Leafs’ point of view. However, the concern is whether McCabe will still be worth that AAV in the latter years of the contract. He’ll be 32 when it goes into effect next season and will soon reach his mid-thirties when a player’s skills usually decline.

The San Jose Sharks snapped a nine-game losing skid with a 5-4 victory over the Utah Hockey Club on an overtime goal by Alexander Wennberg. They overcame a 4-1 deficit with three unanswered third-period goals by Fabian Zetterlund, Mikael Granlund and Tyler Toffoli to force the extra frame. Zetterlund finished with two goals and Granlund with three points. Matias Maccelli tallied twice for Utah.

An overtime goal by Nick Paul lifted the Tampa Bay Lightning past the Nashville Predators 3-2. Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel each had two points and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 35 shots for the win. Predators forward Steven Stamkos picked up two assists against his former club.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was an emotional return to Tampa Bay for Stamkos. The Lightning honored his 16 seasons with the club with a three-minute video tribute as he took to the ice acknowledging the crowd, who greeted him with a lengthy standing ovation.

The Columbus Blue Jackets thumped the Edmonton Oilers 6-1. Sean Monahan scored twice and Cole Sillinger had a goal and two assists for the Blue Jackets. Oilers captain Connor McDavid left the game after suffering a lower-body injury during the opening shift.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid injured his left foot falling awkwardly into the boards as he was tripped while chasing the puck. He skated off and was on the bench for several minutes before leaving. McDavid returned to Edmonton for treatment and will miss the remaining two games of the Oilers’ current road trip.

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov returned from a lower-body injury with a two-point performance in a 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe also had two points in this contest for the Panthers. Jason Zucker and Rasmus Dahlin replied for the Sabres.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, the Sabres placed forward Zach Benson (lower body) on injured reserve.

The Chicago Blackhawks ended a four-game losing skid by beating the Colorado Avalanche 5-2, snapping the latter’s five-game win streak. Ryan Donato led the way for the Blackhawks with two goals and an assist. Avalanche stars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar each picked up a point to extend their season-opening points streaks to 10 games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Avalanche forward Ross Colton will miss some time recovering from a lower-body injury after blocking a shot in the first period. He played through the second period before leaving this contest.

Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho scored in overtime for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Martin Necas had a goal and an assist as the Hurricanes took a 3-1 lead before the Canucks battled back to tie it on third-period goals by Quinn Hughes and Pius Suter.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen missed this game dealing with an undisclosed injury. It is unrelated to the blood clots that sidelined him for most of last season.

The Vegas Golden Knights blanked the Calgary Flames 5-0. Keegan Kolesar and Nicolas Roy each had three points and Adin Hill made 16 saves for the shutout. Dan Vladar turned aside 33 shots for the Flames, who’ve dropped three straight games after starting the season 5-0-1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flames are mourning the passing of former equipment manager Gus Thorson, who died in Calgary on Saturday at age 65. Thorson was the Flames head equipment manager from 1999 to 2010. My condolences to Thorson’s family, friends and the Flames organization.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone, Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros and Dallas Stars center Matt Duchene are the league’s three stars for the week ending Oct. 27.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is preparing for his final game in front of Pittsburgh Penguins fans. Fleury, 39, intends to retire at the end of this season. He spent the first 13 seasons of his NHL career with the Penguins, helping them win three Stanley Cups. The Wild face the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Speaking of the Penguins, winger Bryan Rust was still be evaluated on Monday for an injured right leg suffered during Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.

CBS SPORTS: The Montreal Canadiens placed defenseman Kaiden Guhle (upper body) on injured reserve.

STLTODAY.COM: The Blues will send forward Mathieu Joseph back to St. Louis to receive treatment for a lower-body injury suffered during Saturday’s game against the Canadiens.

NEW YORK POST: The Rangers recalled forward Matt Rempe from their AHL affiliate in Hartford.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 25, 2024

by | Oct 25, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 25, 2024

Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky reaches a significant milestone, the Jets remain unbeaten, the Golden Knights re-sign Shea Theodore, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Sergei Bobrovsky became the fastest goaltender to reach 400 career wins (707 games), stopping 24 shots in a 3-1 victory over the New York Rangers, handing the latter their first regulation loss of the season. Anton Lundell, Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett scored for the Panthers while Alexis Lafreniere replied for the Rangers.

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bobrovsky is the 14th goaltender to reach the 400-win milestone. He’ll soon move past Chris Osgood (401), Grant Fuhr (403) and Glenn Hall (407) and should overtake Tony Esposito (423) later this season to move into 10th overall as he burnishes his case for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Earlier in the day, the Rangers demoted popular enforcer Matt Rempe to their AHL affiliate in Hartford as he struggled to secure a full-time roster spot. They also placed defenseman Chad Ruhwedel on waivers.

The Winnipeg Jets extended their season-opening win streak to seven games as Nikolaj Ehlers scored in overtime to give his club a 4-3 win over the Seattle Kraken. The Jets held a 3-1 lead early in the third period but the Kraken battled back to force overtime. Nino Niederreiter scored two goals for the Jets as did Kraken center Matty Beniers, whose second goal tied the game late in the third.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets are the only team that hasn’t suffered a loss this season.

Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov had his fourth straight multi-point game (2 goals, one assist) as his club doubled up the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2. Marc-Andre Fleury made 23 saves for his first win of the season as the Wild extended their points streak to seven games (5-0-2).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The sale of the Lightning to a pair of Wall Street investors was made official on Thursday. Former majority owner Jeff Vinik will retain a minority stake in the franchise and will continue to run the team until 2027.

The Detroit Red Wings got third-period goals from Patrick Kane and Michael Rasmussen in a 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. Cam Talbot kicked out 37 shots for the win. Nico Hischier tallied twice for the Devils.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kane’s game-winner was the 77th of his career, tying him with Bill Guerin for fourth all-time among American-born skaters and tying him with Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand for fifth among active skaters.

Colorado Avalanche stars Nathan MacKinnon (one assist) and Cale Makar (one goal) extended their points streaks to eight games as their club defeated the Utah Hockey Club 5-1. Casey Mittelstadt had a goal and two assists and Ross Colton tallied his seventh of the season. Lawson Crouse had the only goal for Utah.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Colton left the game in the second period after being slashed on the hand. There was no postgame update on his condition.

The Dallas Stars defeated the Boston Bruins 5-2, handing the latter their fourth loss in their last five games (1-3-1). Matt Duchene and Tyler Seguin each had a goal and two assists for the Stars, who sit third overall in the Western Conference (6-2-0). David Pastrnak and Justin Brazeau replied for the Bruins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Penalties were costly for the Bruins. The Stars blew the game open with three straight power-play goals in the second period.

St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington made 40 saves in a 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Dylan Holloway scored two goals and Jordan Kyrou picked up two assists for the Blues. Oliver Ekman-Larsson had the Leafs’ only goal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This lopsided loss came after Toronto dropped a 6-2 decision to the Columbus Blue Jackets in their previous contest. This was Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube’s first game against his former club. Leafs winger Max Pacioretty missed this game as he’s day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

The Carolina Hurricanes got a goal and an assist from Martin Necas as they held off the Calgary Flames 4-2, ending the latter’s six-game season-opening points streak. Dan Vladar stopped 39 shots for the Flames.

Los Angeles Kings winger Warren Foegele tallied twice in the first period as his club nipped the San Jose Sharks 3-2, handing the latter their eighth straight loss (0-6-2) as they remain the only winless team in the league. Mikael Granlund scored two goals for the Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Kings activated goaltender Darcy Kuemper from injured reserve before this game. He’s expected to return to action against Utah on Saturday.

HEADLINES

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: The Golden Knights signed defenseman Shea Theodore to a seven-year contract extension with an average annual value of $7.425 million. Theodore, 29, was slated to become an unrestricted free agent next July.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Theodore’s future in Vegas seemed in doubt after they acquired and signed defenseman Noah Hanifin last season. The departure of winger Jonathan Marchessault stoked speculation that Theodore would be next out the door due to salary-cap constraints.

Theodore is an important part of the Golden Knights’ roster core, providing them with a reliable source of offense from the blueline. He is also one of only three original members still with the Golden Knights, along with William Karlsson and Brayden McNabb.

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid believes Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby should captain Canada’s team at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.

“It’s just how it should be,” said McDavid. “He’s Sidney Crosby and he’s been there so many times and he’s the guy. It’s not like I thought about it a lot, it’s just such a no-brainer.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crosby’s international record speaks for itself. He’s a member of the elite Triple Gold Club, winning gold in the World Juniors (2005), the World Championships (2015), and the Olympics (2010, 2014). He also captained Canada as they won the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. Crosby was named to the IIHF All-Decade Team for 2010-2020.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins sent goaltender Tristan Jarry back to Pittsburgh to work with one of the club’s goalie coaches on an individual level. Jarry has struggled this season, prompting the Penguins to go with Alex Nedeljkovic and Joel Blomqvist as their current tandem.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jarry’s struggles have made him the subject of trade speculation. However, his performance and contract ($5.375 million AAV through 2027-28) make it unlikely he’ll change teams.

NEW YORK POST: Islanders winger Anthony Duclair is expected to miss four to six weeks with a lower-body injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That’s a relief for the Isles and Duclair. It was feared he would be laid up for months recovering from that injury.

RG.ORG: James Murphy reports NHL Players’ Association Executive Director Marty Walsh hopes to discuss expansion fees with the league during the next round of collective bargaining.

Expansion fees have been split among existing NHL owners. Walsh wants to discuss the possibility of the players receiving a cut of future expansion monies.

Walsh has yet to discuss this topic with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. He’s also under no illusions that the 32 club owners could willingly share any of the profits stemming from future expansion. Nevertheless, he’s hoping to have that conversation with the league.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That proposal could receive a hard no from the NHL owners. However, Bettman could also use that subject as leverage to gain something else for the owners.










NHL Rumor Mill – June 21, 2024

by | Jun 21, 2024

NHL Rumor Mill – June 21, 2024

What’s the latest on Patrik Laine? Could Martin Necas sign an offer sheet? Will the Ducks finally trade John Gibson? Are the Avalanche shopping Ross Colton? Check out the latest in the NHL Rumor Mill.

THE LATEST ON PATRIK LAINE

TSN: Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell hopes to find a “hockey trade” for Patrik Laine. Earlier this month, the Blue Jackets and the Laine camp agreed to look for a trade.

Waddell hopes that retaining salary won’t be necessary to move Laine. “We want to make a hockey trade if we can and certainly exhaust every opportunity and every team that potentially has interest,” he said.

The Jackets GM admitted there’s a chance the 26-year-old winger won’t be moved during the offseason. “If the options are limited or there’s no options that make sense, then we’ll have to deal with that,” said Waddell.

Laine has two seasons remaining on his contract with an average annual value of $8.7 million and a 10-team no-trade list.

SPORTSNET: Sammy Sachdeva listed the Seattle Kraken, Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins among eight possible trade destinations for Laine. The others include the Utah Hockey Club, Anaheim Ducks, Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: These clubs could use additional scoring for one reason or another. Whether they’re interested in Laine or can afford his contract or the Blue Jackets’ asking price remains to be seen.

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: Matt Vensel believes Laine is one big-name trade target that makes sense for the Penguins.

Vensel proposed the Penguins offer winger Reilly Smith in exchange for Laine. Like the Jackets forward, Smith could use a change of scenario after struggling this past season.

Columbus Blue Jackets winger Patrik Laine (NHL Images).

The Jackets would get cap relief by swapping Laine’s $8.7 million for Smith’s $5 million cap hit for 2024-25, plus they could ship Smith to another club if they wish. If Laine doesn’t regain his scoring touch in Pittsburgh, taking on his contract wouldn’t adversely affect the Penguins’ long-term flexibility. Also, they wouldn’t have to give up a draft pick or prospect to get him.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That could be the type of hockey trade Waddell is referring to, unloading Laine for a player with a more affordable short-term contract that could be enticing to another club.

SPORTSNET: Eric Engels was asked if Laine would be a good fit with the rebuilding Montreal Canadiens. He believes it would depend on what the Blue Jackets want in return, if Laine will accept a trade to Montreal and if the Jackets retain some salary in the deal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Engels thinks the Canadiens could consider it if the asking price isn’t too prohibitive. However, they could be considering other trade options that are less costly and carry less baggage.

COULD MARTIN NECAS SIGN AN OFFER SHEET?

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported on social media yesterday that a few teams wonder if an offer sheet for Martin Necas is plausible if the Carolina Hurricanes’ asking price remains high.

The Hurricanes are entertaining trade offers for the 25-year-old winger. However, they’re said to want “star power” in return.

LeBrun admits it’s a “long shot play” but feels it’s something worth keeping in mind.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Necas is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights on July 1. Rival clubs can send him offer sheets but it’s up to him whether he’ll sign.

It’s a little-used tactic that rarely succeeds. Of the 10 offer sheet signings since 2005-06, only two (Dustin Penner in 2007 and Jesperi Kotkaniemi in 2021) were successful.

WILL THE DUCKS TRADE JOHN GIBSON THIS SUMMER?

THE JEFF MAREK SHOW: Elliotte Friedman thinks some teams are looking at Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson.

Friedman said the Devils looked into Gibson before they acquired Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames. He isn’t sure if the Ottawa Senators would be a fit. The Ducks aren’t keen to retain salary so that could complicate things.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Gibson is signed through 2026-27 with an AAV of $6.4 million and a 10-team no-trade list. Recent reports suggest the Senators are more interested in Boston Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark. He has a year left on his deal with a $5 million cap hit and a 16-team no-trade list.

COULD THE AVALANCHE SHOP ROSS COLTON?

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Evan Rawal cited Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli speculating the Avalanche might peddle Ross Colton to gain some salary-cap flexibility.

The 27-year-old center was traded to Colorado from the Tampa Bay Lightning last summer, signing a four-year contract with an AAV of $4 million. He has a no-trade clause for next season beginning on July 1.

Colorado faces a bit of a cap crunch this summer. There is uncertainty over the futures of forwards Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin. Restricted free agent center Casey Mittelstadt is in line for a significant raise and they’re also trying to re-sign pending UFA Jonathan Drouin.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Colton could draw attention in the trade market. However, the Avalanche must act quickly before his NTC begins on July 1.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 9, 2023

by | Nov 9, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 9, 2023

Anze Kopitar reaches a milestone goal as his Kings extend their road wins streak, a four-point night for the Senators’ Tim Stutzle, and the Wild make two trades. Get the details on these and other stories in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar scored his 400th career goal as his club beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-1 to extend their season-opening road win streak to seven games. Kopitar and Adrian Kempe each had a goal and an assist while Cam Talbot made 37 saves as the Kings improved to 8-2-2. William Karlsson scored for the Golden Knights (11-2-1) as they’ve lost two straight but remain on top of the overall standings with 23 points.

Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Kings are road warriors but they’ve won only once (1-2-2) on home ice. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights were without center Chandler Stephenson as he is sidelined with an upper-body injury. He’s expected to miss one more game.

The Ottawa Senators defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3. Tim Stutzle had a goal and three assists, Claude Giroux and Dominik Kubalik each tallied twice and Mathieu Joseph collected three assists for the 5-6-0 Senators. William Nylander had a goal and an assist to extend his season-opening points streak to 13 games but his Leafs dropped to 6-5-2.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators were short three regular defensemen for this game with Thomas Chabot, Artem Zub and Erik Brannstrom sidelined. However, it was the Leafs who struggled defensively in this contest.

An overtime goal by Sam Reinhart lifted the Florida Panthers to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Capitals. Reinhart, Aleksander Barkov, Evan Rodrigues and Oliver Ekman-Larsson each had a goal and an assist as the Panthers improved to 7-4-1. Anthony Mantha tallied two goals for the 5-4-2 Capitals.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Speaking of the Capitals, they placed center Nicklas Backstrom (hip) on long-term injury reserve. He’s taken time away from the team and isn’t expected to return to action this season.

HEADLINES

STARTRIBUNE.COM: The Minnesota Wild made two trades on Wednesday. They shipped defenseman Calen Addison to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for winger Adam Raska and a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. They also acquired defenseman Zach Bogosian from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a 2025 seventh-round pick.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bogosian is in the final season of a three-year contract with an average annual value of $850K while Addison is on a one-year deal worth $825K.

The Wild wanted an experienced physical presence on their blueline. They traded away Addison to free up room and salary-cap dollars to take on the 33-year-old Bogosian, who appeared in just four games this season with the Lightning. Raska is a 22-year-old winger with eight games of NHL experience who is likely heading to the Wild’s AHL affiliate.

Addison could use a fresh start after struggling with the Wild over the past two years. The 23-year-old blueliner should get plenty of opportunities to get his NHL career back on track in San Jose.

THE SEATTLE TIMES: Kraken winger Jordan Eberle suffered a deep cut from a skate blade to the upper part of his leg during practice on Wednesday. General manager Ron Francis said Eberle appeared to avoid serious injury but was taken to a hospital for an MRI to determine if there was any tendon damage. The Kraken have called up Shane Wright as an emergency replacement.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Francis believes Eberle “dodged a bullet” but they won’t know for certain until they get the results of the MRI. An update on his condition could be released today.

NEW YORK POST: Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick joined starter Igor Shesterkin on the “day-to-day” list. They’ve recalled netminders Louis Domingue and Dylan Garland.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Rangers are being cautious with Shesterkin and Quick, who have experienced “soreness” from recent play. Shesterkin participated in an optional practice on Wednesday so he could be ready for their matchup tonight with the Wild.

NHL.COM: League commissioner Gary Bettman has upheld the four-game suspension of Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Speaking of the Bruins, forward Morgan Geekie is listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Defenseman Derek Forbort (undisclosed) remains questionable for Thursday’s contest with the New York Islanders.

TSN: Edmonton Oilers goaltender Jack Campbell cleared waivers yesterday and has been sent to their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield. The Oilers are expected to recall netminder Calvin Pickard.

DAILY FACEOFF: Colorado Avalanche forward Ross Colton was fined $5,000.00 by the department of player safety for crosschecking New Jersey Devils winger Timo Meier on Tuesday.

Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott is expected to miss some time with an undisclosed injury.

CBS SPORTS: San Jose Sharks defenseman Jacob MacDonald could be out for at least a week with an undisclosed injury.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins placed forward Andreas Johnsson on waivers to terminate his contract. Johnsson, 28, is expected to return to his native Sweden.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Johnsson tallied a career-best 20 goals and 43 points with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018-19 but never regained those heights again.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 18, 2023

by | Jul 18, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 18, 2023

Connor Bedard signs his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks, Ross Colton inks a four-year deal with the Avalanche, Anton Stralman is no fan of today’s NHL, and more in today’s Morning Coffee Headlines.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Chosen first overall by the Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL Draft, Connor Bedard celebrated his 18th birthday on Monday by signing his three-year entry-level contract.

Chicago Blackhawks prospect Connor Bedard (NHL.com).

The deal earns Bedard a maximum average annual value on entry-level deals of $950K. However, he could earn up to $4.45 million annually in performance bonuses.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bedard is the most highly touted prospect since Connor McDavid was drafted first overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2015. He’s also the latest first-rounder in this year’s draft class to sign their entry-level contract, bringing that number up to nine thus far.

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: The Avalanche avoided arbitration with Ross Colton by signing him to a four-year, $16 million contract with an average annual value of $4 million. The Avalanche acquired the 26-year-old forward from the Tampa Bay Lightning on June 28.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Colton is coming off a two-year contract with an AAV of $1.125 million. He’s also getting a full no-trade clause for 2024-25 and a modified no-trade for the final two seasons. This deal is a significant raise for Colton and an indication of how highly Avalanche management thinks of him. He could be slated for a larger role than the third-line spot he filled with the Lightning.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Anton Stralman is not a fan of how his NHL career ended because of the salary cap. “It’s not a dream employer regarding how you are treated and all that; it is a cut-throat business,” said the 37-year-old defenseman, who will play this season with HV71 in the Swedish Hockey League.

Stralman also cited the “difficult dynamic” of balancing a family with his NHL career. “No, there is no glamor in it really. It’s hard work and no glamor at all in being an NHL player.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stralman is coming off a 16-season NHL career, tallying 293 points in 938 career regular-season games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Arizona Coyotes and Boston Bruins.

There’s no question that it took a lot of hard work for Stralman to maintain a long NHL career. The movement involved in playing for seven teams combined with the games away from home would be stressful for his family. Nevertheless, the money Stralman earned during his NHL career should provide him some measure of comfort. Cap Friendly indicates his total career earnings at over $47 million.

NYI HOCKEY NOW: Islanders winger Oliver Wahlstrom has signed his qualifying offer. It’s a one-year contract worth $875,125.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It had been reported that Wahlstrom had rejected his QO from the Islanders when there was no indication that he’d accepted it by Saturday’s 5 pm ET deadline. However, there was no deadline for the club to make the announcement.

TSN: Ondrej Kase has signed with HC Verva Litvinov in Czechia. He’d played 258 NHL games with the Anaheim Ducks, Bruins, Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes, netting 124 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A series of injuries, including concussions, derailed Kase’s once-promising NHL career.

WINNIPEG SUN: The Jets avoided arbitration with forward Morgan Barron as they agreed to a two-year contract with an AAV of $1.35 million.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Martin Kaut has decided to play for HC Dynamo Pardubice in the Czechia Extraliga rather than re-signing with the San Jose Sharks. He claimed that, during his tenure with the Sharks AHL affiliate, their coaches encouraged him to fight opponents as a way of getting into the NHL. The Sharks released a statement denying Kaut’s claim.

CBC NEWS: Nike announced it will permanently end its sponsorship of Hockey Canada in the wake of its handling of a high-profile alleged group sexual assault case.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Losing a major sponsor like Nike should be a major shot across the bow for Hockey Canada to get its act together and address its toxic culture.

As the report noted, it had used money drawn from player registration fees to quietly pay $8.9 million to 21 complainants since 1989. The entire board of directors and CEO all resigned last fall following months of public scrutiny.

The results of an NHL investigation into the alleged sexual assault involving members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior team are expected to be released this month. Several of those players may have gone on to NHL careers.