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.










NHL Rumor Mill – May 23, 2023

by | May 23, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – May 23, 2023

More speculation over Leafs trade and general manager candidates plus the latest on the Blues and Rangers in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

MORE LEAFS TRADE CANDIDATES SPECULATION

TORONTO SUN: Steve Simmons believes the Maple Leafs must re-sign center Auston Matthews. “You can’t win a Stanley Cup without a front-line centre. And you don’t trade away Matthews – or let him walk in free agency – because you can’t replace a player of that calibre.”

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (NHL Images).

Simmons also noted that Matthews agent and good friend Judd Moldaver is close to former Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas but even closer to Dubas’ agent Chris Armstrong. He wondered how much that relationship might affect Matthew’s future with the Leafs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: As Simmons also observed, that’s impossible to know right now without a general manager in place. We’ll find out once the calendar flips to June when the Leafs have a new GM and we learn what their vision is for the club in the future.

I concur with Simmons that the Leafs must re-sign Matthews. He’s their franchise player and they need him if they hope to end their long Stanley Cup drought. The only reasons they should trade him are if he asks to be moved or he’s reluctant to sign a long-term extension.

The next Leafs GM has to decide whether to trade Mitch Marner or Michael Nylander if they won’t stick with the core four. Nylander is the more spectacular player who can change a playoff game. Marner is a better all-around player but has not yet become a postseason game-changer.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Most Leafs observers share Simmons’ take that the Leafs must re-sign Matthews. They also acknowledge John Tavares won’t be traded because of his no-movement clause. That leaves Marner or Nylander if management wants to shake up the roster.

It could come down to which player draws the most interest and the best offers in the trade market. Each has their strengths and weaknesses but they can also fetch a solid return that provides immediate help for the Leafs.

Simmons’ colleague Terry Koshan believes Nylander is the trade candidate, claiming he “still requires a kick in the pants every so often”. However, he feels his best days are still to come and would bring in a top defenseman.

Koshan considers Marner as “the heartbeat of this team” and thinks he can still help the Leafs win the Stanley Cup, pointing out that Steve Yzerman and Alex Ovechkin did so later in their careers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nylander’s contract could also make him easier to move. He’s more affordable than Matthews and Marner with a cap hit of over $6.9 million for next season. While the other two have no-movement clauses that kick in on July 1, Nylander has a 10-team no-trade clause that goes into effect on the same day.

COULD THE LEAFS TARGET BLUES GM ARMSTRONG?

THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun looked at recent conjecture over possible candidates to fill the Leafs’ vacant post of general manager. He claims there have been rumblings linking them to St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong.

LeBrun believes Armstrong had the experience, championship pedigree, confidence and wherewithal to withstand the pressures of the Toronto market. However, he doesn’t believe that the Blues GM has an “out clause” in his contract that runs through 2025-26.

Nevertheless, LeBrun wondered if Blues owner Tom Stillman would be okay with the Leafs approaching Armstrong if that’s what the latter really wanted. “Maybe, maybe not,” he writes. “Pretty hard to know exactly how Stillman would react.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: We can’t rule anything out, but Armstrong is committed to the Blues. He wouldn’t have signed that long-term extension if he wasn’t. Despite the club’s disappointing performance this season, Armstrong has been busy since February laying the groundwork for a quick turnaround on the ice next season.

Speaking of which…

BLUES WILLING TO SHOP FIRST-ROUND PICKS

DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli reports the St. Louis Blues are willing to move their two late first-round picks to improve in the short term. They acquired those picks from the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Seravalli pointed out that Doug Armstrong has done this before. He used first-round picks he acquired by trading away Kevin Shattenkirk and Paul Stastny to bring in Brayden Schenn and Ryan O’Reilly.

It’s believed Armstrong seeks a player or players in their mid-twenties who are under contract.

BACKUP GOALIE OPTIONS FOR THE RANGERS

NEW YORK POST: Mollie Walker looked at some backup goaltending options that make sense for the Rangers.

One is re-signing Jaroslav Halak provided he’s willing to accept a pay cut from the $1.55 million he earned this season. They also have an in-house option in Louis Domingue, who spent this season with their AHL affiliate in Hartford.

Other low-cost options could include Tampa Bay’s Brian Elliott, Detroit’s Alex Nedeljkovic, St. Louis’ Thomas Greiss, Winnipeg’s David Rittich and Vegas’ Jonathan Quick.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 26, 2021

by | Sep 26, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 26, 2021

The Blues sign GM Doug Armstrong to a new contract and make a trade with the Senators, the Wild name Matt Dumba and Marcus Foligno alternate captains, and the latest on Sergei Bobrovsky, Anders Lee and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

STLTODAY.COM: The Blues signed general manager Doug Armstrong to a five-year contract extension.

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

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No surprise here. In announcing the signing, Blues owner Tom Stillman pointed out the club has made nine postseason appearances during Armstrong’s tenure, including three division titles, a conference title and their first-ever Stanley Cup in 2019.

The Blues also made a trade yesterday, shipping forward Zach Sanford to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for center Logan Brown. They’ll also receive a fourth-round pick in 2022 from the Senators if the 26-year-old Brown doesn’t appear in 30 games this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A St. Louis native, Brown was the Senators’ first-round pick (11th overall) in the 2016 NHL draft but he struggled to crack their rebuilding roster, appearing in just 30 games over the past four seasons. He’ll get a great opportunity to reset his NHL career with his hometown club.

Sanford, 26, developed into a good defensive winger with the Blues. He should be a solid fit on the Senators’ checking lines.

This was also a much-needed cost-cutting move for the Blues. As per Cap Friendly, by exchanging Sanford’s $2 million cap hit for Brown’s $750K, they’re just under the $81.5 million salary cap.

TWINCITIES.COM: The Minnesota Wild named defenseman Matt Dumba and winger Marcus Foligno as their new alternate captains. They replace Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, who were bought out of their contracts during the offseason.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky hopes to put last season’s disappointing playoff performance behind him. He’ll be sharing the goaltending duties this season with promising Spencer Knight.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bobrovsky’s going to face a real challenge hanging onto the starter’s job. Knight is a highly-touted young netminder seen as Bobrovsky’s eventual replacement.

NYI HOCKEY NOW: The Islanders are likely to keep left winger Anders Lee out of their first few postseason games. Their captain is returning from surgery to repair a torn ACL that ended his 2020-21 season last March.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: They want to ensure Lee is fully up to speed before putting him into game action. No sense rushing him in meaningless preseason games and risk a setback.

THE ATHLETIC: Philadelphia Flyers center Kevin Hayes recently expressed his gratitude to the hockey community at large for the support he and his family received following the sudden death of his older brother (and former NHL player) Jimmy Hayes.

Among the notables to reach out with support were Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations Brian Burke and team captain Sidney Crosby, former New York Rangers teammates Ryan McDonagh and Kevin Shattenkirk, as well as New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Pat Maroon.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The past several weeks have been difficult for Hayes. He also recently underwent abdominal surgery that will sideline him for the entirety of training camp.

TSN: Montreal Canadiens winger Mike Hoffman could miss up to four weeks with a lower-body injury suffered during offseason training.

THE DETROIT NEWS: Red Wings forward Jakub Vrana’s first day in training camp didn’t last long. After being delayed joining his teammates by visa issues, he left practice yesterday with a shoulder injury.

SPORTSNET: Vancouver Canucks defenseman Brady Keeper was stretchered from the ice during practice on Saturday with an apparent leg injury. No update was provided on his condition.

TSN: Goaltender Curtis McElhinney took to Instagram yesterday to announce his retirement. During his 13 NHL seasons, the well-traveled McElhinney appeared in 249 career games with the Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Arizona Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning.

McElhinney finished his career on a high note, winning two straight Stanley Cups with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021. He finishes with a record of 94 wins, 95 losses and 20 overtime losses, with a 2.83 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage and 12 shutouts.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to McElhinney and his family in their future endeavors.