NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 19, 2019

by | Dec 19, 2019

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 19, 2019

Game recaps, injury updates, waiver news, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen turned aside 35 shots backstopping his club to a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Brayden Schenn and Mackenzie MacEachern tallied for the Blues, who’ve won eight of the last 11 contests. Oilers netminder Mikko Koskinen made 42 stops as his teammates went 0-for-4 on the power play.

Jake Allen made 35 saves as the St. Louis Blues held off the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 (Photo via NHL Images).

The New Jersey Devils picked up their first win since trading Taylor Hall on Monday, downing the Anaheim Ducks 3-1. Nico Hischier, Kyle Palmieri, and Sami Vatanen were the goal scorers. The Ducks were playing without forwards Troy Terry and Derek Grant. Terry is out 10 weeks with a broken leg while Grant is sidelined four-to-six weeks with a sprained AC joint.

Colorado Avalanche goaltender Pavel Francouz made 31 saves in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog, and Ian Cole each collected two points. The Avs have won nine of their last 11 games. Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith returned to the lineup following a nine-game absence with a sprained groin while Brent Seabrook was a healthy scratch.

HEADLINES

THE NHL HOLIDAY ROSTER FREEZE PERIOD BEGINS AT MIDNIGHT ON DEC. 19 AND RUNS THROUGH DEC. 27.

THE SCORE: In his first press conference since being traded to Arizona, Taylor Hall said he was excited to join the ascendant Coyotes. “That’s one of the great things about what’s going on here is that there seems to be a buzz building,” he said. Hall assisted on the game-winning goal in his first game with the club on Tuesday.

TWINCITIES.COM: After a month-long absence, Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk could return to action tonight against the Arizona Coyotes. He’s been on a leave of absence tending to his ailing wife.

WINNIPEG SUN: Jets center Mathieu Perreault is out indefinitely with a concussion while forward Andrew Copp is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

THE DETROIT NEWS: With Jimmy Howard set to return from injury, the Red Wings placed goaltender Eric Comrie on waivers.

TRIBLIVE.COM: The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward Stefan Noesen on waivers.

CALGARY SUN: Flames assistant general manager Chris Snow has been diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The 38-year-old father of two is enrolled in a clinical trial to treat the disease.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Here’s hoping the treatment works for Snow. Best of luck to him in this fight against this deadly disease.

The Flames placed winger Austin Czarnik on waivers.

TORONTO SUN: Former NHL forward George Ferguson passed away Sunday at age 67. He spent 12 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Minnesota North Stars, tallying 160 goals and 298 points in 797 career games, including four straight 20-plus goal seasons with the Penguins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Ferguson’s family, friends, former teammates, and associates.










2019 Summer NHL Arbitration Update

by | Aug 2, 2019

2019 Summer NHL Arbitration Update

 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 24, 2019

by | Jul 24, 2019

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 24, 2019

The Leafs reacquire David Clarkson’s contract, the Predators re-sign Colton Sissons to a seven-year deal, and an arbiter awards Jets forward Andrew Copp a two-year contract. Details and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs reacquired the contract of David Clarkson from the Vegas Golden Knights last night in exchange for goaltender Garret Sparks. The Leafs also received a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.

The Toronto Maple Leafs reacquired the contract of permanently sidelined winger David Clarkson (Photo via NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas continues to juggle his limited salary cap space. By taking back Clarkson’s dormant contract, Dubas can allocate his $5.25-million cap hit, and that of permanently sidelined Nathan Horton ($5.3 million), toward re-signing restricted free agent Mitch Marner by placing both on long-term injury reserve.

Some suggest the cap-strapped Leafs could start the season without Marner, place Clarkson and Horton on LTIR on the opening day of the regular season, and then re-sign the winger. It’ll be interesting to see how Dubas plays this. 

As for Sparks, he’ll likely start this season with the Golden Knights’ farm club. Having lost the confidence of the Leafs coaching staff, this move gives the goaltender a chance to get his career back on track with Vegas.

LAS VEGAS SUN: Soon after trading Clarkson’s contract to Toronto, the Golden Knights signed defenseman Deryk Engelland to a one-year, bonus-laden contract. He’ll earn a base salary of $700K with performance bonuses that could take him up to $1.5 million. The move gives the Golden Knights a projected $1.025-million in cap space.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights still have restricted free agent Nikita Gusev to re-sign, but it sounds like they’ll instead try to trade his rights. Shedding Clarkson’s cap hit makes it easier for them to make other minor salary moves if necessary without the LTIR hassle.

THE TENNESSEAN: The Nashville Predators yesterday avoided salary arbitration with Colton Sissons, re-signing the winger to a seven-year, $20-million contract. The annual average value is $2.857 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Predators GM David Poile praised Sissons work ethic, versatility, and leadership when announcing this deal. While the cap hit is reasonable, it’s an unusually long term for a role player. Some observers wonder why Sissons would agree to such a lengthy deal with that low cap hit. Perhaps it’s because he’s playing in a city where there’s no state tax. It could just be because he loves living and playing in Nashville.

TSN: An arbiter awarded Winnipeg Jets forward Andrew Copp a two-year, $4.56-million contract. The annual average value is $2.28 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Copp sought a one-year, $2.9-million contract while the Jets pitches a two-year deal worth $1.5 million annually. The arbiter split the difference. This will affect the Jets’ efforts to re-sign Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor. I’ll have more later today in the Rumors section.

THE DENVER POST: The Colorado Avalanche signed defenseman Anton Lindholm to a two-year, two-way contract.

TWINCITIES.COM: Former NHL forward Alex Tanguay is joining the Iowa Wild as an assistant coach.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: The Oilers added Brian Wiseman to their coaching staff. Wiseman spent several seasons as an assistant coach with the University of Michigan.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 20, 2019

by | Jul 20, 2019

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 20, 2019

The aftermath of the Milan Lucic-for-James Neal trade, plus the latest on Artemi Panarin, Connor McDavid, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines. 

CALGARY SUN: Milan Lucic is looking forward to a fresh start with the Flames. He was traded yesterday to Calgary for winger James Neal. The Oilers agreed to pick up 12.5 percent of his $6 million annual average value and also included a conditional 2020 third-round pick in the deal. 

Milan Lucic is looking forward to a fresh start with the Calgary Flames (Photo via NHL Images).

“I just think a fresh start is exactly what I needed,” Lucic said. “I think going to a team that was first in the West last year helps, too, because I know going into the season that we’ll be playing some meaningful games throughout the whole year.”

SPORTSNET’s Mark Spector last night tweeted the two conditions that must be met for the Oilers to sent that third-rounder to the Flames. “James Neal has to record at least 21 goals and Lucic scores at least 10 fewer goals than Neal.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: If those conditions are met I doubt Oilers fans will complain about giving up that third-round pick. Follow this link for my take on this trade.

SPORTSNET: The Flames also reached a tentative deal yesterday with the city of Calgary for a new arena. Eric Francis reported the investment by Flames ownership would be “significantly more” than that of Daryl Katz in the Oilers’ arena in Edmonton. “Flames would run the arena, which will be owned by the city. Again, the parameters of the deal are all subject to council vote.” The cost of the new arena could reach between $550 – $600 million. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flames’ need for a new arena and the sometimes contentious negotiations with Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi sparked worries the club would relocate if an agreement couldn’t be reached between the two sides. I’ll be surprised if this tentative deal fails to receive council approval. 

NEW YORK POST: Rangers winger Artemi Panarin elaborated on his recent criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He felt big cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg are thriving at the expense of the small towns. Panarin pointed out that’s not the case in the United States, singling out Columbus (where he played for two seasons) as an example.

“I lived in Columbus, which isn’t even in the top 10 American cities, but look at the pictures and you will see how nice it looks. Everything is clean, safe, everyone is calm. It’s great. American cities are developing thanks to local taxes which stay in the state. But here, a lot of money goes to Moscow, so people everywhere work for Moscow’s benefit. I always thought it’s unfair.”

NBC SPORTS: An Edmonton man has been charged with forging the signature of Oilers captain Connor McDavid on team jerseys and selling them for big profits. 

WINNIPEG SUN: Jets forward Andrew Copp is seeking a one-year, $2.9-million contract via arbitration. The club is countering with a two-year deal worth $1.5-million annually. His arbitration hearing is set for Sunday in Toronto. 

MONTREAL GAZETTE: The Canadiens avoided salary arbitration with forward Charles Hudon, re-signing him to a one-year, one-way, $800K contract.

NHL.COM: The Florida Panthers re-signed goaltender Sam Montembeault to a one-year, two-way contract. 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 25, 2018

by | Nov 25, 2018

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 25, 2018

A big night for Patrik Laine tops today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: A five-goal outburst by Patrik Laine powered the Winnipeg Jets to an 8-4 win over the St. Louis Blues. With 19 goals (11 in the last four games), Laine has taken over the lead among NHL goal scorers. Jets winger Kyle Connor collected four assists. Winnipeg forward Andrew Copp missed the game with a concussion and is sidelined indefinitely.

Patrik Laine’s five-goal game powered the Winnipeg Jets to an 8-4 win over the St. Louis Blues (Photo via NHL Images)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Laine can be a streaky scorer but when he goes on an offensive tear there are few better in the league right now.  With seven career hat tricks, he’s second to Wayne Gretzky (12) for the most hat tricks by an NHL player before age 21. 

A first-period hat trick by Andreas Johnsson carried the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 6-0 drubbing of the Philadelphia Flyers. Leafs goalie Garret Sparks kicked out 34 shots for the shutout.

Jake Guentzel tallied a hat trick as the Pittsburgh Penguins doubled up the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2. Jackets winger Cam Atkinson extended his goal-scoring streak to seven games. The Penguins played without winger Patric Hornqvist, who’s sidelined by a concussion suffered during Friday’s loss to the Boston Bruins.

Sam Reinhart’s shootout goal extended the Buffalo Sabres’ winning streak to nine games as they edged the Detroit Red Wings 3-2. Reinhart’s teammate Jeff Skinner tallied his 18th goal of the season. 

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury picked up his league-leading fifth shutout backstopping his club to a 6-0 win over the San Jose Sharks. Max Pacioretty scored twice for the Golden Knights. Sharks winger Evander Kane was ejected for “abuse of officials” following a questionable hit on Vegas forward Tomas Nosek.

The Washington Capitals picked up their fifth straight victory by defeating the New York Rangers 5-3. John Carlson collected three assists while Brett Connolly scored the game-winner.

Elias Pettersson’s tie-breaking goal in the third period helped the Vancouver Canucks snap an eight-game losing skid by downing the Los Angeles Kings 4-2. Pettersson leads all NHL rookies with 13 goals and 21 points.  Earlier in the day, Canucks winger Antoine Roussel was fined $5,000.00 for biting San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic on the hand on Friday. 

The Colorado Avalanche picked up their fourth straight win by edging the Dallas Stars 3-2. Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen scored a goal and set up another to remain atop the NHL’s leading scorer board with 38 points. 

A costly double-minor penalty by Montreal Canadiens winger Jonathan Drouin late in the third period led to John Moore’s power-play goal lifting the Boston Bruins to a 3-2 win.

Erik Gustafsson’s overtime goal completed a three-goal rally for the Chicago Blackhawks in their 5-4 win over the Florida Panthers, snapping the Blackhawks’ eight-game road losing skid.

Josh Bailey had a goal and an assist in the New York Islanders 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, ending the Hurricanes’ three-game winning streak. Hurricanes defenseman Haydn Fleury missed the game due to a concussion suffered during Friday’s game against the Florida Panthers. 

EDMONTON JOURNAL: On the request of new head coach Ken Hitchcock, the Oilers recalled winger Jesse Puljujarvi from their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Puljujarvi’s been a disappointment thus far for the Oilers. The recently hired Hitchcock believes he can help the young winger reach his potential, which could go a long way toward improving Edmonton’s fortunes. 

SPORTSNET: Former NHL referee Mick McGeough passed away late Friday night after being taken off life support following a stroke, He was 62. McGeough officiated 1,083 regular-season games and another 63 playoff contests from 1987-88 to 2007-08. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to McGeough’s family, friends, and colleagues.  

 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 13, 2017

by | Jul 13, 2017

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 13, 2017

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby wins his eighty ESPY Award as the NHL’s top player.

Latest on Sidney Crosby, Jaccob Slavin, Mark Streit and more in your NHL morning coffee headlines. 

TSN: Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby won the ESPY Award as the top NHL player, beating out Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, Toronto’s Auston Matthews, Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine, Chicago’s Patrick Kane and Columbus’ Sergei Bobrovsky. It’s the eighth time Crosby’s won the award. 

NBC SPORTS: Speaking of Crosby, he said he wasn’t paying attention to those in the media questioning his health after he suffered a concussion during the second round of the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Penguins captain said he was focusing on helping his team win the Cup. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t doubt Crosby wasn’t following the media during the playoffs. But given how he was constantly questioned by reporters about his health after his return to action, he wasn’t oblivious to it. His concussion history ensures his physical well-being will remain a topic of interest among fans and pundits. 

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: And speaking of the Penguins, they re-signed Derrick Pouliot to a one-year, one-way contract worth $800K and Josh Archibald to a one-year, one-way deal worth $675K.

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: The Carolina Hurricanes announced they re-signed defenseman Jaccob Slavin to a seven-year, $37.1 million contract extension. The annual average value is $5.3 million and begins in 2018-19. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I love this signing by the Hurricanes. In just two seasons, the 23-year-old Slavin became an elite NHL defenseman and an invaluable core player for the Canes. They now have him under contract throughout his playing prime at a reasonable price. At his current rate of development, this new contract could turn into a bargain for Carolina. 

MONTREAL GAZETTE: The Canadiens have offered unrestricted free agent defenseman Mark Streit a one-year, $1.5 million contract. The 39-year-old began his NHL career in Montreal, playing three season with the Habs. He split last season between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Looks like Habs GM Marc Bergevin’s getting a little desperate in his search for an experienced defenseman. This could also cast further doubt upon the possibility of Andrei Markov returning to Montreal. 

WINNIPEG SUN: The Jets re-signed versatile forward Andrew Copp to a two-year deal worth $1 million per season.  

OTTAWA SUN: Former Senators forward Viktor Stalberg signed a two-year deal with EV Zug in Switzerland. 

TSN: Toronto Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello said his club are using the offseason long-term injured reserve. That will give them sufficient salary-cap space to re-sign Connor Brown. 

ARIZONA SPORTS: The Coyotes named Steve Patterson as their new president, CEO and alternate governor. General manager John Chayka was also named their president of hockey operations. 

THE BUFFALO NEWS: Former Sabres coach Ted Nolan was named coach of Poland’s national team. 

TORONTO SUN: Former Maple Leaf Tod Sloan passed away at age 89. He played 13 seasons in the NHL, 10 of those with the Leafs. He was a member of two Stanley Cup champions, one in Toronto in 1951 and the other with Chicago a decade later. He had 482 points in 765 games, including two 30-goal seasons in 1951 and 1956. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Sloan’s family, friends and former teammates.