NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 22, 2021

by | Jun 22, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 22, 2021

The Lightning thump the Islanders to take a 3-2 lead in their semifinal series, updates on the Golden Knights and Canadiens, 18 players exempt from the expansion draft, the latest notable contract signings and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: The Tampa Bay Lightning are one game away from returning to the Stanley Cup Final after crushing the New York Islanders 8-0 in Game 5 of their semifinal series. Steven Stamkos and Alex Killorn each scored twice, Nikita Kucherov collected three assists, Brayden Point scored to extend his goals streak to eight games, and Andrei Vasilevskiy turned in a 21-save shutout.

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos (NHL Images).

Islanders center Mathew Barzal could face supplemental discipline from the NHL department of player safety after receiving a five-minute major and game misconduct for cross-checking Lightning defenseman Jan Rutta, who was shaken up and played just one shift in the third period.

The Lightning holds a 3-2 series lead and can wrap up the series in Game 6 Wednesday on Long Island.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That was the Lightning’s most dominating performance of these playoffs. It was also the Islanders’ worst effort of the postseason. The Bolts jumped from the gate early with three first-period goals, chasing Isles starter Semyon Varlamov from the net. Backup Ilya Sorokin didn’t fare any better, allowing five goals on 26 shots.

This loss isn’t all on the Isles goaltenders. Their teammates seemed caught off guard by the Lightning’s strong start and never really mounted much of a response.

Barzal’s frustration boiled over when he crosschecked Rutta. It could prove more costly to the Isles in Game 6 if his actions result in suspension.

LAS VEGAS SUN: The Vegas Golden Knights’ top forwards are struggling to score in their semifinal series with the Montreal Canadiens. Nicolas Roy has two goals, Mattias Janmark one, and that’s it for their scoring forwards. Their defensemen have accounted for the bulk of their offense.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canadiens have done a good job thus far bottling up Vegas’ top scorers. They’ll have another opportunity to find a way to thwart the Habs’ tight-checking system in Game 5 tonight in Las Vegas.

TSN: Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher believes the longer this series goes the more pressure falls on the heavily favored Golden Knights. “As this series goes on, we get more and more comfortable in these situations and we’re looking forward to it. We’ve shortened this series to a best-of-three,” said Gallagher.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tonight’s game could determine the direction of this series. The winner will have a chance to close it out in Game 6 on Thursday in Montreal.

SPORTSNET: Mark Spector weighs in on the poor quality of officiating in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Mark (no relation) isn’t the only pundit raising questions about the questionable calls and missed penalties in every series thus far. We can expect this issue to be raised by reporters during NHL commissioner Gary Bettman’s annual postseason press conference prior to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

THE PROVINCE: Ben Kuzma expressed concern over the recent positive COVID-19 tests of Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme and Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon. He suspects they contracted the coronavirus in Las Vegas, where transmission rates are six times higher than in Quebec as health guidelines in Vegas have gone from relaxed to non-existent.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Regardless of where Ducharme and McCrimmon were infected with COVID-19, the league and the two clubs must ensure their health protocols for this series remain strictly enforced. An outbreak among the players could put their health at risk and derail their series.

CAP FRIENDLY: 18 NHL players are exempt from next month’s expansion draft due to injury or career-ending illness. They include Anaheim’s Ryan Kesler, Arizona’s Marian Hossa, Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg, Tampa Bay’s Marian Gaborik and Washington’s Henrik Lundqvist.

NBC SPORTS BAY AREA: The San Jose Sharks re-signed forward Matt Nieto to a two-year, $1.7 million contract.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: The Stars re-signed forward Blake Comeau to a one-year, $1 million contract.

ESPN.COM: J.T. Brown has retired from professional hockey to join the expansion Seattle Kraken as a television analyst. He played seven NHL seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild from 2011-12 to 2018-19, finishing with 72 points in 365 games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to Brown in his broadcasting career.

NHL.COM: Minnesota Wild assistant general manager Tom Kurvers passed away Monday from lung cancer at age 58. He was diagnosed in 2019 despite being a non-smoker.

Kurvers spent 11 NHL seasons as a defenseman with the Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders and Anaheim Ducks from 1984-85 to 1994-95, finishing with 421 points in 659 games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Kurvers’ family, friends, former teammates and associates, and the Wild organization.










Notable NHL Free-Agent Signings – July 1, 2018

by | Jul 1, 2018

Notable NHL Free-Agent Signings – July 1, 2018

The NHL free-agent market opens today at noon ET. Here’s a list of today’s notable signings, which will be updated throughout the day. 

Toronto Maple Leafs signed center John Tavares to a seven-year, $77-million contract

Toronto Maple Leafs sign John Tavares to a seven-year contract (Photo via NHL Images)

Philadelphia Flyers reportedly signed left wing James van Riemsdyk to a five-year, $35-million contract. 

Tampa Bay Lightning re-signed defenseman Ryan McDonagh to a seven-year contract extension worth $6.75 million per season.

Arizona Coyotes officially announced the signing of defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to an eight-year contract extension worth $8.25 million AAV. They also re-signed defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson to a two-year contract extension worth $5 million AAV, and signed free-agent winger Michael Grabner to a three-year deal worth $3.35 million per season. 

Vegas Golden Knights will sign center Paul Stastny to a three-year contract. The annual average value is $6.5 million. They’ve also signed defenseman Nick Holden to a two-year deal worth $2.2 million annually. 

Pittsburgh Penguins will reportedly sign defenseman Jack Johnson to a five-year, $16.25-million contract. They’ve also signed Matt Cullen to a one-year, $650K contract. 

St. Louis Blues expected to sign winger David Perron to a four-year deal worth $4 million per season. The Blues have also signed center Tyler Bozak to a three-year contract with an AAV of $5 million and goaltender Chad Johnson to a one-year, $1.75-million deal. 

Colorado Avalanche reportedly close to signing defenseman Ian Cole to a three-year contact worth an annual cap hit of $4.25 million.

Chicago Blackhawks sign goaltender Cam Ward to a one-year, $3-million contract with a full no-movement clause. They’ve also signed winger Chris Kunitz to a one-year, $1-million contract and defenseman Brandon Manning to a two-year deal. 

Boston Bruins expected to sign goaltender Jaroslav Halak to a two-year contract worth $2.75 million annually. They also signed winger Joakim Nordstrom to a two-year, $2 million deal and defenseman John Moore to a five-year contract worth an AAV of $2.75 million.

Columbus Blue Jackets sign center Riley Nash to a three-year contract worth $2.75-million per season. 

Buffalo Sabres will reportedly sign goaltender Carter Hutton to a three-year, $8.25-million contract.

New York Islanders have an agreement in place to bring back defenseman Thomas Hickey on a four-year deal worth an AAV of $2.5 million. They also signed forward Leo Komarov to a four-year, $12-million contract.

Detroit Red Wings expected to sign goaltender Jonathan Bernier to a three-year deal worth around $3 million annually and forward Thomas Vanek to a one-year, $3-million contract. 

Edmonton Oilers will sign forward Kyle Brodziak to a two-year deal with an AAV of around $1 million and forward Tobias Rieder to a one-year, $2-million contract.  

Dallas Stars expected to sign forward Blake Comeau to a three-year deal worth $2.4 million per season. They’ve also re-signed winger Valeri Nichushkin to a two-year deal worth $2.95-million annually. Roman Polak is reportedly heading to the Stars on a one-year contract worth $1.3 million.

Vancouver Canucks are expected to sign center Jay Beagle to a four-year contract worth $3 million annually and forward Antoine Roussel to a four-year deal worth $3.25 million per season. 

Calgary Flames expected to sign center Derek Ryan to a three-year deal worth an AAV of $3.125 million and center Austin Czarnik to a two-year deal worth $1.25-million annually. 

Carolina Hurricanes sign goaltender Petr Mrazek to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million. 

Montreal Canadiens are expected to announced the signing of center Tomas Plekanec to a one-year deal worth a base salary of $2.25 million plus bonuses. 

Minnesota Wild will reportedly sign defenseman Greg Pateryn to a three-year contract and signed goaltender Andrew Hammond. 

 











NHL Rumor Mill – January 26, 2018

by | Jan 26, 2018

NHL Rumor Mill – January 26, 2018

Reviewing the latest additions to the TSN trade-bait list plus updates on the Red Wings, Sharks and more in your NHL rumor mill.

Buffalo Sabres forward Sam Reinhart is the latest addition to TSN’s trade-bait board (Photo via NHL Images).

LATEST FROM TSN’s INSIDERS

TSN: New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh, St. Louis Blues prospect Jordan Kyrou, Buffalo Sabres winger Sam Reinhart, Colorado Avalanche winger Blake Comeau and Winnipeg Jets centre Nic Petan are the latest additions to Frank Seravalli’s list of trade bait heading toward the Feb. 26 NHL trade deadline.

Seravalli claims “multiple teams” have expressed interest in McDonagh, though he anticipates the Rangers could wait until the summer to make such a significant move. McDonagh also carries a 10-team “no-trade” clause. While the Blues could be reluctant to part with the promising Kyrou, he could be what’s required to land them a scoring winger such as Buffalo’s Evander Kane at the trade deadline. Seravalli said the Jets seek a center or winger to plug into their top-two lines which is why Petan makes the list.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bear in mind Seravalli isn’t saying those players are definitely available or being shopped. Regarding McDonagh, there’s lots of chatter the Rangers could listen to offers but there’s also no guarantee he’s a goner at the deadline.

If the Blues were to part with a quality prospect such as Kyrou, they might prefer landing someone with term remaining on his contract. If they went after a pending UFA like Kane, they could seek assurances he’ll re-sign with them before agreeing to part with a significant prospect. 

Reinhart’s name has occasionally surfaced in the rumor mill amid talk Sabres management are disappointed with his regression this season. However, it might be better to remain patient with him and see if he can rebound next season.

The Jets could wait until Mark Scheifele’s return next month before reaching a decision on potential deadline moves. I expect they’ll be buyers this season.

Not sure the Avs would move Comeau. He’s a pending UFA but with the club playing well of late there’s no reason for them to become sellers. 

TSN: Pierre LeBrun speculates the San Jose Sharks might get more aggressive searching for a scorer in the trade market after learning center Joe Thornton is sidelined indefinitely following arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Before Thornton’s injury, they were in the market for a fourth-line center. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: What the Sharks do will depend upon how they adjust to Thornton’s absence and their position in the standings over the next two-three weeks. Pickings are slim for quality centers potentially available in the trade market. Montreal’s Tomas Plekanec, Edmonton’s Mark Letestu, Ottawa’s Jean-Gabriel Pageau and the New York Rangers’ David Desharnais are the notables kicking around the rumor mill. Speaking of Letestu and Pageau…

LeBrun also reports it’s believed Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford seeks a bottom-six center and has kicked the tires on Letestu and Pageau. 

Darren Dreger reports former Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov is interested in returning to the NHL but he faces a lengthy process to do so. His application for reinstatement isn’t expected until the conclusion of the KHL season. It would also coincide with the expiration of his contract with the LA Kings, who hold his NHL rights. There’s also immigration issues to sort out. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Voynov returned to Russia with his family in Sep. 2015 as a result of his legal issues stemming from domestic violence charges. That could make it difficult for him to return to the United States. 

LATEST ON THE RED WINGS

THE ATHLETIC: Craig Custance reports an NHL source said the Detroit Red Wings have informed potential trade-deadline buyers that they’re ready to sell now. Unrestricted free agent defenseman Mike Green is the obvious trade candidate but there are others they could move.

The Wings came close last fall to trading goaltender Petr Mrazek to Edmonton but the return at that time wasn’t much, believed to be a mid-round pick. His improved play of late may increase his value. Veteran netminder Jimmy Howard, meanwhile, could also be available. The problem with moving Mrazek or Howard is there isn’t much of a market for goaltenders right now.  

Custance speculates the Vegas Golden Knights could be a destination for Green. Golden Knights GM George McPhee knows Green well from their days with the Washington Capitals. If there’s an interest in a Wings’ forward with term remaining on their contract, such as Tomas Tatar or Gustav Nyquist, a trade would be entertained if a deal makes sense now. 

Only the Wings young players, such as Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou, are considered untouchable. Detroit’s blueline must also get younger and better. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Green is one for certain. He’s got a full no-trade but I can see him waiving it to go to a playoff contender. The Golden Knights are playing well but they could benefit from a rental addition to their blueline. Green’s puck-moving abilities could make him a good fit there if the price is right. So far, however, the Wings haven’t yet approached him about waiving that clause. 

A playoff bubble team in dire need of a goaltending upgrade (hello there, New York Islanders) could express interest in Mrazek or Howard. I think Howard might be more enticing to a playoff club. Yes, Mrazek is playing well this month but his previous inconsistency could hurt his value.