NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 29, 2025

by | Aug 29, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 29, 2025

Remembering Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, Mitch Marner talks about leaving the Maple Leafs for the Golden Knights, Kings captain Anze Kopitar talks about the possibility of retirement, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH/CALGARY HERALD: The hockey world is remembering NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, who were killed by an alleged drunk driver one year ago today.

Johnny Gaudreau 1993-2024 (NHL Images).

Johnny, 31, was preparing for his 12th NHL season at the time of his death. He spent nine seasons with the Calgary Flames from 2013-14 to 2021-22 before signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022.

NHL.COM: The Gaudreaus are being remembered by Team USA during its Olympic orientation camp. Defenseman Zach Werenski, Johnny’s teammate with the Blue Jackets, admitted it had been an emotional year, saying he’s learned a lot about himself, about his teammates, friendship, and family.

THE ATHLETIC: The brothers’ parents, Guy and Jane Gaudreau, were briefly hospitalized after learning their sons had been killed. Guy had elevated heart and blood pressure levels, while Jane was in what family members described as a catatonic-like state.

Guy and Jane have since recovered, but continue to deal with the grief as they try to carry on with their lives. Guy is considering coming out of retirement to teach hockey to his sons’ children, while Jane has returned to work as a finance associate at Archbishop Damaino School.

Widows Meredith Gaudreau (Johnny’s wife) and Madeline Gaudreau (Matthew’s wife) formed a charitable foundation to honor their late husbands.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My thoughts are with the Gaudreau family today. A year later, I still cannot adequately put into words the sorrow I feel for their loss.

TSN: In an interview with Mark Masters, Mitch Marner opened up about his bittersweet departure from the Toronto Maple Leafs. After nine seasons with the Leafs, he joined the Vegas Golden Knights on June 30 in a sign-and-trade situation.

Marner said the hardest goodbye was with Leafs captain Auston Matthews. Both joined the team in 2016-17 and spent most of their playing time as linemates. Defenseman Morgan Rielly and winger William Nylander were also Marner’s teammates throughout his tenure in Toronto.

“We really came in together and grew together and really leaned on each other for a lot of things,” Marner said. He admitted it was difficult calling those players to let them know what was happening, but both sides understood it was part of the business.

While Marner and his wife loved living in Toronto full-time and being close to family and friends, they felt it was time for a new chapter. He admitted it was tough sometimes because of the media scrutiny that surrounds the Maple Leafs.

Marner revealed that he hired a mental health coach to help him deal with the grind and the negative comments over the final three years of his Leafs tenure. That included dealing with threats that prompted him to have full-time security at his home for two weeks after the Leafs’ season ended last spring.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s one thing for fans to boo players during the game or be critical of their performance. Heaping abuse on them away from the rink and making threats against them crosses the line.

Whatever you think of Marner as a player or a person, he didn’t deserve what he faced during his final years in Toronto. No player does, and stories like that won’t make it easier for the Leafs to attract talent.

MAYOR’S MANOR: Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar made his first public comment this week regarding retirement. The 38-year-old center told KCAL News that the coming season could be the last of his playing career.

Kopitar is the longest-serving player in Kings’ history, playing a team-leading 1,434 regular-season games. He’s also their leader in career assists (838) and is set to surpass Marcel Dionne’s record of 1,307 regular-season points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kopitar has spent his entire NHL career with the Kings. Entering his 20th season, he’s still their top-line center and their best two-way forward. Nevertheless, he’s in the final season of his contract and in the twilight of his playing career.

SPORTSNET: Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong won’t let the on-ice fistfight that occurred with Team USA during the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February affect the roster construction of its Olympic roster.

“I’ve thought quite a bit about that tournament as a whole, and I think the Olympics are going to be played very similar to that, minus (nine) seconds,” said Armstrong. “If you win the front of your net and the front of their net, you have a chance to win the game. We’re going to build a team that can win in those areas, but we’re not going to build a team that can participate in those nine seconds.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: As the article points out, the Olympics will be played under IIHF rules, in which anyone who drops the gloves will be assessed a match penalty. It’s doubtful we’ll see the Tkachuk brothers and J.T. Miller trying to initiate a brawl against the Canadians in that tournament.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Ottawa Senators GM Steve Staios confirmed having positive preliminary contract extension talks with Shane Pinto’s representatives. However, a deal won’t be signed before the start of the upcoming season. He indicated they’ll let the season begin and not have Pinto become distracted with contract talks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Pinto is in the second season of a two-year contract with an average annual value of $3.75 million. The 24-year-old center will be eligible to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next July.

DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of the Senators, the Allen Americans have become their ECHL affiliate.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 15, 2024

by | Mar 15, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 15, 2024

Big multi-point performances by the Lightning’s Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov, the race for the final Eastern Conference wildcard berth intensifies, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point had a career-high six points (three goals, three assists) while Nikita Kucherov had a five-point performance (one goal, four assists) in a 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers. The Lightning (35-25-6) tallied four unanswered third-period goals for the win. They hold the first Eastern Conference wildcard berth with 76 points. Jack Roslovic had a goal and an assist for the Rangers (43-19-4), who sit in first place in the Metropolitan Division with 90 points.

Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kucherov gained some ground (112 points) in the scoring race, sitting three points behind league leader Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche.

Speaking of the Eastern wildcard race, the Washington Capitals (31-25-9) moved to within one point of the New York Islanders for that final berth by nipping the Seattle Kraken 2-1. Connor McMichael snapped a 1-1 tie in the third period for the Capitals, who have 71 points. Oliver Bjorkstrand scored for the 28-25-12 Kraken.

Meanwhile, the Islanders were blanked 4-0 by the Buffalo Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen turned in a 21-save shutout and Zach Benson scored twice for the Sabres (32-30-5) as they moved to within three points of the Islanders (29-22-14) for that final wildcard spot with 69 points. The Isles cling to that berth with 72 points and have dropped two straight games.

The Detroit Red Wings suffered their seventh straight loss as they fell 4-1 to the Arizona Coyotes Connor Ingram stopped 28 shots while Nick Bjugstad and Clayton Keller each had a goal and an assist for the 27-35-5 Coyotes. Lucas Raymond scored for the Red Wings (33-27-6), who sit just behind the Islanders with 72 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Isles hold that berth with a game in hand. The Red Wings have been in disarray since team captain Dylan Larkin was sidelined during a 4-0 loss to the Florida Panthers on March 2.

Three unanswered third-period goals by John Ludvig, Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust lifted the Pittsburgh Penguins over the San Jose Sharks 6-3. Tristan Jarry made 29 saves for the 29-27-9 Penguins (67 points), as they kept their playoff hopes alive by moving to within five points of the Islanders. Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Klim Kostin each had a goal and an assist for the 16-42-7 Sharks.

The New Jersey Devils also stayed alive in the race for that Eastern wildcard berth with a 6-2 win over the Dallas Stars. Jake Allen made 35 saves in his first game with the Devils (32-30-4) since being acquired at last Friday’s trade deadline. With 68 points, they’re four back of the Islanders. Wyatt Johnston and Craig Smith replied for the 40-19-9 Stars, who sit second in the Central Division with 89 points.

Turning to the top of the standings, the Carolina Hurricanes downed the league-leading Florida Panthers 4-0. Frederik Andersen made 21 saves for the shutout, Evgeny Kuznetsov tallied his first goal and Jake Guentzel his first assist with the Hurricanes (40-20-6), who sit second in the Metropolitan Division with 86 points. Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 31 shots for the Panthers (45-18-4) as they remain on top of the overall standings with 94 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kuznetsov was acquired by the Hurricanes before last Friday’s trade deadline. He was named the game’s first star and was moved by the support of the Carolina fans. “I just want to say thanks to the fans. I almost cry a little bit,” he said, acknowledging he’s gone through a difficult stretch on and off the ice in recent years.

Meanwhile, Panthers forwards Sam Bennett and Evan Rodrigues were held out of this game for precautionary reasons due to their lower-body injuries.

The Boston Bruins (39-14-15) moved to within one point of the Panthers with a 2-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Jake DeBrusk scored in overtime and Linus Ullmark made 18 saves for the win. Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki tied his career high with his 26th goal of the season as his club dropped to 25-30-11.

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews tallied his league-leading 55th goal of the season to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 6-2. Matthews, William Nylander, Tyler Bertuzzi, Pontus Holmberg and Timothy Liljegren each had a goal and an assist for the 38-19-8 Maple Leafs (84 points) as they sit in third place in the Atlantic Division. Owen Tippett and Tyson Foerster replied for the Flyers (34-25-8) as they remain in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 76 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Matthews is the first player in Leafs history to reach the 55-goal plateau twice. Meanwhile, his teammate Calle Jarnkrok is expected to miss some time after leaving this game in the second period with an upper-body injury in the second period.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 16 saves to shut out the Anaheim Ducks 2-0. Zach Bogosian and Kirill Kaprizov were the goal scorers for the 33-27-7 Wild (73 points) as they moved to within four points of the Vegas Golden Knights for the final Western Conference wildcard spot. Lukas Dostal made 29 saves for the 23-40-3 Ducks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fleury also reached another career milestone as it was the 75th shutout of his career. He’s 11th on the all-time shutout list, one back of Ed Belfour and Tony Esposito. Meanwhile, his teammate Joel Eriksson Ek missed this game with an undisclosed injury and is expected to be sidelined for a few more.

Speaking of the Golden Knights, they gave up four goals in the third period in a 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames. Blake Coleman scored two goals and Dustin Wolf made 28 saves for the 32-29-5 Flames. Anthony Mantha scored for the Golden Knights (35-24-7) as they hold that final Western wildcard spot with 77 points.

A shootout goal gave the Ottawa Senators a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Anton Forsberg kicked out 35 shots for the 27-33-4 Senators. Boone Jenner scored his 20th goal for the 22-33-11 Blue Jackets.

IN OTHER NEWS…

SPORTSNET: The NHL and NHLPA reached a settlement regarding Corey Perry’s contract termination earlier this season. Exact details are unknown but this case cannot be used as a precedent in future contract termination discussions.

ARIZONA SPORTS: The Coyotes’ hopes of building a new arena in Phoenix remain alive. The Arizona State Land Department Board of Appeals approved the $68.5 million appraisal for a portion of land where the Coyotes intend to build. The department can sell the land at auction but must advertise the date within 10 weeks.

TSN: Canada is expected to name St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong as the GM of its Men’s Hockey Team for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: In the “Strange But True” department, a shipment of 18,000 Jaromir Jagr bobblehead dolls was stolen ahead of a planned giveaway by the Penguins to fans who attended Thursday’s game against the Sharks.










NHL Rumor Mill – December 14, 2023

by | Dec 14, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – December 14, 2023

Are more changes in store for the Blues following their coaching change? What’s the latest Penguins speculation? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

COULD MORE CHANGES BE IN STORE FOR THE BLUES

NHL NETWORK (via KUKLA’S KORNER): Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman looked at other possible moves for the St. Louis Blues following their coaching change.

He noted that general manager Doug Armstrong indicated in his press conference that there was no guarantee that interim head coach Drew Bannister would be in that role for the remainder of the season. Bannister was head coach of their AHL affiliate in Springfield before Berube’s firing.

St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong (NHL.com).

Friedman thinks Armstrong has “specific people he wants to talk to” regarding his club’s head-coaching position. He wondered if one of them could be former Edmonton Oilers bench boss Jay Woodcroft.

Asked if other personnel changes could be in store, he noted that Armstrong isn’t afraid to make bold moves. He pointed out the Blues had a deal in place last summer with the Philadelphia Flyers that would’ve sent defenseman Torey Krug to the Flyers for blueliner Travis Sanheim but Krug invoked his no-trade clause to spike the deal. He also observed that Armstrong tried to trade struggling winger Jakub Vrana before putting him on waivers.

Friedman doesn’t think Armstrong is trying to trade players such as Robert Thomas or Colton Parayko. However, he wouldn’t be surprised if the Blues GM could make some roster changes if things don’t improve soon.

THE ATHLETIC: Jeremy Rutherford noted Armstrong said making roster changes was difficult to achieve during his press conference on Wednesday. The Blues GM said he’s spoken to teams and seen what’s out there. Nevertheless, he stressed that nobody in their current group should feel safe right now. “I mean player-wise, management-wise.”

If the Blues fail to improve, Armstrong said he’s not against buying players out who carry long-term contracts with no-trade clauses, though he feels that’s not his first course of action. He’s also not against demoting players to the Blues’ AHL farm team if he feels they’re not pulling their weight. He said that nothing can be off the table for management.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blues are just one point out of the final Western Conference wild-card spot. Big changes to the roster probably won’t happen as long as they remain competitive for a playoff berth. If they collapse and tumble down the standings, perhaps more significant moves will be in store.

Those Blues carrying long-term contracts with no-trade clauses include forwards Brayden Schenn and Brandon Saad, defensemen such as Krug, Parayko, Justin Faulk and Nick Leddy, and goaltender Jordan Binnington. Any attempt to move one or more of those players likely won’t happen until next summer at the earliest assuming any of them would waive their no-trade clauses.

LATEST ON THE PENGUINS

THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun noted Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas’ remarks on Monday about deciding on the club’s future by the All-Star break in February. He believes Dubas wants to give his current roster time to overcome their current woes in the standings and prove to him what they have.

Dubas is on a seven-year contract. LeBrun believes that gives him time to implement a long-term vision while hoping to avoid a roster teardown for as long as possible. He also suggested that Sidney Crosby’s contract (which runs through 2024-25) could be the most important target date for Dubas’ plans.

Given the contracts of Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang, it won’t be easy to stage a roster teardown. However, LeBrun points out that Dubas’ acquisition of Karlsson last summer shows where there’s a will there’s a way.

LeBrun doubts those players would block a trade to a contender if Dubas goes into teardown mode. The question then becomes how much salary would the Penguins have to retain to move them.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The acquisition of Karlsson (and that of Reilly Smith) was to provide a short-term boost to the Penguins roster to give their core of Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Jake Guentzel one more opportunity to stage a run for the Stanley Cup before their contracts expire or age catches up with them.

If Crosby wants to stay in Pittsburgh it’ll be interesting to see how long he’ll want to stick around, especially if the Penguins are heading into a rebuild or if it appears to be on the horizon.

Dubas is just trying to put it off for as long as possible until most of those players are finished with their contracts or in the final year of their deals. By that point, the rebuild can begin in earnest.

A roster rebuild is inevitable. It could come much sooner than Dubas or the Penguins’ veteran core expected it to occur.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 3, 2023

by | Jun 3, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 3, 2023

The latest on the Golden Knights and Panthers ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Blues won’t buy out contracts, more changes to the front offices of the Flyers and Penguins, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

TSN: Jack Eichel is making the most of his first-ever NHL postseason as his Vegas Golden Knights prepare for the upcoming Stanley Cup Final.

Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (NHL Images).

“It’s where you want to be as a player and (it’s) been taking a few years for me to get here,” said Eichel. “It’s been a great experience. It’s been a lot of fun sharing with the guys in the room, the emotions, winning and moving on.”

Eichel, 26, is tied for fourth in this postseason with 18 points.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill has been enjoying the ride to the Stanley Cup Final. Hill took over as their starter midway through their second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers, backstopping them to victory in that series and in the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars.

In 11 postseasons appearance, Hill leads all goalies with two shutouts and a sparkling .937 save percentage.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has found his underdog team’s march to the Stanley Cup Final to be “an unbelievable experience.” He’s applied the lessons learned from the disappointments of the past to his performance in the 2023 playoffs. Bobrovsky’s won 11 of his 12 playoff games, including six in overtime.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bobrovsky’s performance has made him a front-runner for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Hill should also be considered a Smythe candidate.

NHL.COM: The Panthers long layoff has benefitted forward Eetu Luostarinen. Sidelined during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final, he has returned to his usual spot with linemates Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart.

STLTODAY.COM: Don’t expect the Blues to go the buyout route to free up some salary-cap space this summer. “I don’t see us buying out players, no,” said general manager Doug Armstrong. “I’m not sure this is the summer for substantial changes for us. We talked about that at the end of the year. We want to see internal growth from some of the guys.”

Armstrong also said he was flattered to learn that his name was mentioned by Toronto sports media as a potential candidate to become the GM of the Maple Leafs. He said he was glad he was in Europe when those rumors came out. “My intentions, I’m a St. Louis Blue,” he said.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Those rumors appear to be based on pundits thinking out loud and spitballing potential candidates for the job. It turns out the Maple Leafs never reached out to the Blues to speak with Armstrong, who’s under contract through 2025-26.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The shakeups continue in the Penguins’ front office. Their latest departures include director of pro scouting Kerry Huffman, senior vice president of integrated performance Teena Murray and director of hockey operations Alec Schall. No replacements have been named yet.

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: The Flyers have parted ways with senior advisor to the general manager and player development Mike O’Connell and player development coaches John Riley and Kjell Samuelsson.

They named Alyn McCauley as assistant GM, Riley Armstrong as director of player development and Nick Schultz as assistant director of player development.

THE SCORE: Player agent Kurt Overhardt doesn’t anticipate any problems reaching an agreement with the Minnesota Wild on a new contract for client Filip Gustavsson. “I don’t think it’s a matter of getting something done. It’s just a matter of when it’s done. It’s only June 2. So there’s still a lot of time.”

Gustavsson is completing a two-year contract with an average annual value of $787, 500. He’s a restricted free agent this summer with arbitration rights. The 24-year-old Swedish goaltender appeared in 39 games with the Wild, starting 37 of them. He ranked second in save percentage (.931) among goalies with at least eight games played this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Gustavsson has taken over the starter’s job from the aging Marc-Andre Fleury, who has one season remaining on his contract.

OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports Toronto billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos is considered the front-runner in the bidding to purchase the Senators. He had the highest bid ($1 billion USD) and is thought to be in the driver’s seat because he has what’s considered to be the “cleanest” bid.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: In other words, Apostolopoulos hasn’t had to get outside investors involved to come up with the money to purchase the team. Garrioch indicated that his partners are his two brothers and his bid isn’t heavily leveraged with debt.

TSN: The Montreal Canadiens have signed checking-line forward Michael Pezzetta to a two-year, $1.625 million contract. The average annual value is $812,500.

NHL.COM: The Carolina Hurricanes are mourning the loss of Bob Brind’Amour, father of head coach Rod Brind’Amour. Bob passed away on Thursday in Campbell River, BC, surrounded by family and friends.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to the Brind’Amour family.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: Bark-Andre Furry, the beloved Jack Russell terrier who became the furry friend of the Vegas Golden Knights, passed away on Friday at age 14. Bark was named after former Golden Knights star Marc-Andre Fleury in 2018 and frequently appeared at their home games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Condolences to the Golden Knights and to Bark’s owners.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 1, 2023

by | Jun 1, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 1, 2023

The Leafs formally hire Brad Treliving as GM, the Kraken extend GM Ron Francis’ contract, the Rangers get permission to speak to former Predators coach John Hynes, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee headlines.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A reminder that Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights is Saturday, June 3, at 8 pm ET in Las Vegas.

TORONTO SUN: On Wednesday, the Maple Leafs formally announced the hiring of former Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving as their new GM. He replaced Kyle Dubas, who was fired as GM on May 19.

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving. (NHL.com)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I went into detail yesterday regarding Treliving’s tenure with the Flames when the news broke that he was to be hired by the Leafs.

The consensus by the pundits (including the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons, the Toronto Star’s Bruce Arthur and Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin) is that Leafs president Brendan Shanahan’s fate is now in Treliving’s hands. He may be the safe choice but is he the best choice? If he’s not, it will cost Shanahan his job.

Shanahan reportedly hopes to maintain the Leafs “core four” of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and team captain John Tavares. He could also insist on keeping Sheldon Keefe as head coach for another attempt at winning the Stanley Cup. It’s believed that those who were interviewed for the Leafs GM job (including Treliving) had to agree to those conditions.

If the Leafs stick with their current roster and head coach, Treliving won’t have much room to put an immediate stamp on this club. They have limited cap space so he can’t just go out and sign big-name free agents or make a blockbuster trade to shake things up. He also can’t bring in a new bench boss who might have a fresh approach that turns the Leafs into a Cup contender.

The Leafs should be a playoff team for the foreseeable future. Even by bringing in affordable players to fill out their roster depth, they have the core talent to once again finish among the top-four clubs in the Eastern Conference. It’s how they do in the postseason that will determine whether Shanahan made the right call with Treliving.

Oh, and remember those media rumors linking the Leafs to St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong? It turns out they never even reached out to the Blues to ask permission to speak with Armstrong.

SEATTLE HOCKEY INSIDER: The Kraken signed general manager Ron Francis to a three-year contract extension.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Francis has done a fine job thus far as the Kraken’s GM. This extension was his reward for the second-year NHL club reaching the playoffs this season.

NEW YORK POST: The Rangers sought and were granted permission from the Nashville Predators to speak with former head coach John Hynes, who was replaced yesterday with Andrew Brunette. Hynes was a teammate of Rangers GM Chris Drury at Boston University from 1994 to 1997.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: cited TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reporting Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron remains undecided whether he’ll return for another season or retire. The Bruins aren’t putting any timeline or pressure on Bergeron to reach a decision.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Just like last summer, the Bruins will give Bergeron all the time he needs. He’s earned that right.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Stars winger Joe Pavelski shut down any notion of his retirement following this season. He once thought this season would be his last but his performance and that of his teammates changed his mind. Pavelski signed a one-year contract extension in January.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Pavelski played a significant role in the Stars reaching the Western Conference Final. The 38-year-old winger still has enough left in the tank for another season.

Speaking of the Stars, Max Domi is open to returning with the club. Acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline, he proved to be a solid addition to the Stars. Domi, 28, is slated to become an unrestricted free agent and is seeking stability after playing for six teams in the last seven years.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Stars could find it difficult to retain Domi because of their salary-cap constraints. That could send him into the UFA market on July 1.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: Sidelined Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner and his wife are facing new allegations of fraud tied to the couple’s ongoing Chapter 7 bankruptcy case. A Las Vegas businessman claims Lehner misled him on his ability to repay $4 million in loans provided to the netminder.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Legendary goaltender Dominik Hasek used shopping carts to recently clear out his artifacts from the Czech Hockey Hall of Fame in Prague. He and other famous Czech players had to gather up what they donated to the Hall as it is closing due to economic issues. It’s hoped it will reopen in a new location in the future.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The report indicated Hasek was emotional about this situation. He helped to create the Czech Hockey Hall of Fame and donated numerous artifacts from his playing career.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 24, 2023

by | May 24, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 24, 2023

The Golden Knights are one game away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final, the Flames officially introduce Craig Conroy as their new general manager, former Leafs GM Kyle Dubas is moving on, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The Vegas Golden Knights are on the verge of reaching the Stanley Cup Final following a 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final, taking a 3-0 lead in this best-of-seven series.

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill (NHL Images).

Vegas got three first-period goals by Jonathan Marchessault, Ivan Barbashev and William Carrier to take an early stranglehold on this game. Alex Pietrangelo made it 4-0 in the second period. Adin Hill stopped 34 shots for his first career NHL playoff shutout.

Stars captain Jamie Benn received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for cross-checking Golden Knights captain Mark Stone at 1:53 of the first period shortly after Marchessault’s goal. Goaltender Jake Oettinger was pulled following Carrier’s goal. The Stars also lost winger Evgeni Dadonov to a lower-body injury following a collision with teammate Roope Hintz.

Stars forward Max Domi received a 10-minute misconduct for cross-checking Vegas defenseman Nicolas Hague with 26 seconds remaining in the second period. Unhappy Dallas fans littered the ice with debris, forcing officials to send both teams to the dressing room until the ice was cleaned up. Golden Knights netminder Hill was showered with popcorn as the teams returned to finish the period.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Star imploded early in this game and never recovered. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong as the Golden Knights swiftly took advantage to take what should be an insurmountable lead in this series. Their frustration from the previous two games boiled over in this contest, all but scuttling any hope they had of reaching the Stanley Cup Final

Benn’s undisciplined penalty and ejection following Marchessault’s game-opening goal seemed to rattle his teammates. Everything devolved after that with Domi’s stupid penalty and Dallas fans showing their displeasure by littering the ice marking an ugly climax to a crappy night for the Stars.

The Stars defended Benn’s action following the game by claiming he “made a mistake.” No, this wasn’t a mistake. He’s not some inexperienced youngster who let his emotions get away from him. It was a boneheaded move by a veteran player and team captain who’s supposed to know better. He hurt his team at a time when they needed his leadership. It’ll be interesting to see if Benn received supplemental discipline from the league.

Meanwhile, Stars coach Peter DeBoer must decide if he’ll go with Oettinger for Game 4 or with backup Scott Wedgewood. Pulled three times in this postseason, Oettinger’s best save percentage in this series was .892 in Game 1.

The Golden Knights, meanwhile, received solid goaltending from Hill, picked apart a Dallas defense in disarray and quickly capitalized on their opponent’s many mistakes. They can put this series away in Game 4 on Thursday in Dallas and return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2018.

CALGARY HOCKEY NOW: The Flames yesterday formally introduced Craig Conroy as their new general manager. They also introduced Dave Nonis as senior vice-president of hockey operations and assistant GM, promoted Brad Pascall to VP of hockey ops and assistant GM, and promoted Chris Snow to VP of data/analytics and assistant GM.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Conroy offered up no timeline for when he’ll name the Flames new head coach but indicated it’s high on his priority list. There’s a report suggesting former New York Rangers bench boss Gerard Gallant could be a “prime candidate” for the job. For now, Conroy’s immediate focus is on amateur scouting meetings ahead of the upcoming NHL Draft Combine (June 4-10).

TORONTO SUN: Former Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas released a statement yesterday declining to get into the details of his recent firing. Instead, he thanked the organization for the opportunity to work with them over the past nine seasons. He offered up no information about his future plans, concluding his statement by saying he and his family “will roll from here.”

The Maple Leafs have given the Pittsburgh Penguins permission to speak with Dubas regarding their vacant general manager position.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Speaking of which, former Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka has emerged as a “strong candidate” for the job. Dubas, however, is considered the front-runner. The Penguins have reportedly informed “multiple candidates” that they were no longer in the running.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Dubas’ sudden availability had a significant effect on the Penguins’ search for a new general manager. It was rumored for weeks that he was their preferred choice if he and the Leafs failed to agree to a new contract. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s soon announced as their next GM.

TSN: Darren Dreger reports a source close to the St. Louis Blues is dismissing rumors of general manager Doug Armstrong becoming a candidate for the Leafs GM job. The “high-ranking source” said all of the talk “seems to be fabricated.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Armstrong has declined to comment on these rumors which have originated in the Toronto media. He would make a prime candidate for that job but this speculation seems to be based more on pundit musing than any hard fact.

Some Toronto talking heads think the Blues might let Armstrong interview for the job if the Leafs were to ask permission or if he told Blues owner Tom Stillman that he was interested in that role. So far, however, there’s no indication that either situation has unfolded.

It wouldn’t make sense for the Blues to let Armstrong go at this stage of the offseason with the draft and free agency a little over a month away. He’s also two years into a five-year contract which lacks an “out clause” allowing him to move on to other management jobs elsewhere.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said he’s optimistic that team captain Aleksander Barkov will be in the lineup for Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Final with the Carolina Hurricanes. Barkov left Game 3 on Monday with a lower-body injury but Maurice indicate his absence was “as much precautionary as anything sinister.”

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The New Jersey Devils will host the Philadelphia Flyers as part of the 2024 NHL Stadium Series at Metlife Stadium next February.