NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 18, 2026

by | Feb 18, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 18, 2026

The quarterfinal matchups are set for Olympic Men’s hockey, Jeff Skinner becomes a free agent, Patrik Laine is injured again, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS SET FOLLOWING QUALIFICATION ROUND ACTION

NHL.COM: Switzerland blanked Italy 3-0 in qualification round action on Tuesday to advance to the quarterfinal round against Finland.

Nico Hischier had a goal and two assists while goaltender Leonardo Genoni made 20 saves for the shutout. Damian Clara stopped 48 shots for Italy.

Sweden will meet the United States in the quarterfinal after defeating Latvia 5-1.

Team Sweden winger Lucas Raymond (The Hockey News).

Lucas Raymond had three assists, while William Nylander, Mika Zibanejad, and Gabriel Landeskog each had a goal and an assist for the Swedes. Eduards Tralmaks replied for Latvia.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Following Tuesday’s action, Raymond sat second to Canada’s Connor McDavid in tournament scoring with eight points. The Swedes raised eyebrows by scratching defenseman Rasmus Andersson and Jesper Bratt from this game. Some observers believe they’re saving them for the quarterfinal.

Germany beat France 5-1 to face Slovakia in the quarterfinal.

Leon Draisaitl had a goal and two assists, and Philipp Grubauer stopped 30 shots for the Germans. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored for France in what proved to be his final game as the former NHL forward announced his retirement following this contest.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: As I write this, Germany is down 4-1 to Slovakia after two periods in their quarterfinal game.

Bellemare’s teammate Pierre Crinon faces prosecution back home in France for punching a goaltender in the face during a game last November. Earlier this week, he was suspended from the remainder of the tournament by the French National Olympic and Sports Committee for fighting Canada’s Tom Wilson during Sunday’s games between the two nations.

Czechia will face Canada for the second time in this tournament after holding off Denmark by a score of 3-2.

Martin Necas and Roman Cervenka each had a goal and an assist while Lukas Dostal turned aside 24 shots for Czechia. Frederik Andersen made 28 saves for Denmark.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Czechia forward Radek Faksa suffered an upper-body injury in this game and will not be in the lineup for today’s game against Canada.

OLYMPIC MEN’S HOCKEY NOTES

TSN: Team Canada forwards Nathan MacKinnon and Sam Bennett skipped practice on Tuesday. Head coach Jon Cooper said they were taking time for maintenance, adding that there wasn’t any cause for concern. Both players are expected to be in the lineup for their quarterfinal game against Czechia.

DAILY FACEOFF: Team USA winger Kyle Connor is expected to be a healthy scratch from today’s game against Sweden. His ice time steadily diminished in his first two games, and he was scratched from their game against Germany.

IN NHL NEWS…

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Jeff Skinner is no longer with the Sharks. He cleared unconditional waivers on Tuesday, resulting in his contract being terminated by mutual agreement. The 33-year-old winger is now an unrestricted free agent.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’ll be interesting to see if he signs with another NHL club this season. He’ll have to do so before the March 6 trade deadline to be eligible to skate in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson resumed practice with his teammates on Tuesday. He’d missed their last seven games before the Olympic break with a lower-body injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Edvinsson, 23, has been an invaluable part of the Red Wings’ blueline. As the article observed, they’re 3-5-2 in the 10 games he’s missed during this season.

TSN: Patrik Laine missed practice on Tuesday as he’s listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The 27-year-old Montreal Canadiens winger has been sidelined since Oct. 16 after undergoing core muscle surgery.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Laine has surfaced recently in the rumor mill as a trade candidate. However, his ongoing injury issues could ensure that he finishes the season in Montreal.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 17, 2026

by | Feb 17, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 17, 2026

The qualification round of the Olympic Men’s hockey tournament goes on Tuesday, the Hurricanes sign goalie Brandon Bussi to a new contract, the Sharks terminate Jeff Skinner’s contract, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

OLYMPIC MEN’S HOCKEY NEWS

NHL.COM: The qualification round for Olympic Men’s ice hockey goes today. France takes on Germany, Italy faces Switzerland, Denmark meets Czechia, and Latvia faces off against Sweden.

The winners of this round advance to the quarterfinal on Wednesday. France or Germany will go on to face Slovakia, Italy or Switzerland will meet Finland, Denmark or Czechia will play Canada, and Latvia or Sweden will go up against the United States.

Czechia winger David Pastrnak (NHL.com).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Most media predictions have Germany, Switzerland, Czechia, and Sweden advancing to the quarterfinal.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Czechia winger and Bruins star David Pastrnak said he felt that his performance must be better as his club entered the qualification round. Pastrnak had a goal and two assists in the preliminary round as Czechia went 1-0-1-1. Avalanche winger Martin Necas led Czechia with two goals and three assists.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Czechia needs more production from Pastrnak if they hope to win a medal in this tournament.

DAILY FACEOFF: The boards at Santagiulia Arena will be a lighter color when the men’s qualification round begins Tuesday. This color change comes following feedback from teams and national Olympic committees.

The previous darker color of the boards may have contributed to United States goaltender Jeremy Swayman giving up a goal from center ice during his club’s game against Denmark in the preliminary round.

SPORTSNET: The French Ice Hockey Federation suspended defenseman Pierre Crinon of France from further competition in this tournament, citing his “provocative behavior” during France’s 10-2 loss to Canada on Sunday.

Crinon fought Canadian winger Tom Wilson during that game, resulting in both players receiving match penalties. They did not receive supplemental discipline for their actions from the International Ice Hockey Federation.

A statement released by Pierre-Yves Gerbeau, president of the French Ice Hockey Federation, claimed that Crinon’s actions were “a clear violation of the Olympic spirit and also undermines the values of our sport.”

NHL HEADLINES

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Carolina Hurricanes signed goaltender Brandon Bussi to a three-year, $5.7 million contract extension.

Bussi, 27, was claimed off waivers from the Florida Panthers at the start of this season. He’s become one of the biggest stories of the regular season, sporting a record of 23-3-1 with a .908 save percentage and two shutouts.

To celebrate Bussi’s new contract, the Hurricanes have made a $10,000 donation to the Autism Society of North Carolina. Bussi’s younger brother, Dylan, has autism.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bussi became the fastest goaltender to win 20 games in an NHL season, doing so in 24 games.

The average annual value of his new one-way contract is $1.9 million. That’s an affordable move by the Hurricanes while still giving Bussi a nice raise over the $775,000 cap hit on his current two-way deal. This is also an insurance move, given that oft-injured starter Frederik Andersen is UFA-eligible this summer and questions over Pyotr Kochetkov’s development.

TSN: The San Jose Sharks placed winger Jeff Skinner on unconditional waivers on Monday with the intention of terminating his contract by mutual agreement. Skinner, 33, will become an unrestricted free agent once he clears waivers on Tuesday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Skinner signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Sharks last summer. He has 13 points in 34 games this season, and has been a healthy scratch since Jan. 15. It will be interesting to see if he lands with another NHL club.