NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 6, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 6, 2023

Jeremy Swayman, Troy Terry and Vince Dunn are among 22 players filing for arbitration, Vladimir Tarasenko changes agents, Alain Vigneault, Patric Hornqvist, Darren Helm and Michael Stone retire, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHLPA.COM: Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman, Anaheim Ducks winger Troy Terry and Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn are among 22 players who filed for salary arbitration by the 5 pm ET deadline on July 5.

The deadline for club-elected salary arbitration notification is 5 pm ET on July 6.

The salary arbitration period begins on July 20 and ends on Aug. 4. A schedule for those hearings will be released shortly.

Here is the complete list of players who filed for arbitration:

Morgan Barron (Winnipeg Jets)
Will Borgen (Seattle Kraken)
Noah Cates (Philadelphia Flyers)
Ross Colton (Colorado Avalanche)
Brandon Duhaime (Minnesota Wild)
Vince Dunn (Seattle Kraken)
Cale Fleury (Seattle Kraken)
Trent Frederic (Boston Bruins)
Filip Gustavsson (Minnesota Wild)
Brett Howden (Vegas Golden Knights)
Tanner Jeannot (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Philipp Kurashev (Chicago Blackhawks)
Jack McBain (Arizona Coyotes)
Ryan McLeod (Edmonton Oilers)
Ian Mitchell (Boston Bruins)
Drew O’Connor (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Ilya Samsonov (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Brandon Scanlin (New York Rangers)
Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins)
Troy Terry (Anaheim Ducks)
Alexei Toropchenko (St. Louis Blues)
Gabriel Vilardi (Winnipeg Jets)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’ll be surprising if any of these filings end up going to arbitration. Players and teams usually file to use their dates with an arbiter as a deadline to complete their contract negotiations. It’s expected that all of them will agree to new contracts before their scheduled hearings.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman yesterday reported that Vladimir Tarasenko has replaced agent Paul Theofanus with agents Pat Brisson and J.P. Barry. This means the unrestricted free-agent winger has no deal yet with any team and his process of negotiation begins anew.

Vladimir Tarasenko (NHL Images).

NEW YORK POST’s Larry Brooks tweeted that Tarasenko had multiple offers of varying lengths with average annual values between $5.5 million and $6 million from teams ranging from contenders to rebuilding clubs. The Carolina Hurricanes were among those bidders. However, the 31-year-old winger rejected those offers and changed agents.

Brooks also indicated that Tarasenko had wanted to remain with the New York Rangers. However, the club lacks the cap space to make it happen.

THE ATHLETIC: Jeremy Rutherford also reports that it’s back to square one for Tarasenko as his new representatives attempt to find the right fit for the UFA winger. They’ve been reaching out to clubs, including those that previously made offers to Tarasenko.

There were reports Tarasenko was close to signing a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes before changing agents. The Hurricanes declined to comment but Rutherford indicates his new representatives have reached out to the club and are waiting for a reply.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tarasenko remains the best player available in this summer’s thin UFA market. He’s coming off an eight-year contract with an AAV of $7.5 million.

Tarasenko will still generate plenty of interest. However, the high number of clubs with limited salary-cap space could make it difficult for him to find better offers than those he reportedly received before changing agents.

RDS: Former NHL coach Alain Vigneault has no interest in pursuing another head-coaching job. The 62-year-old remains under contract with the Philadelphia Flyers but was fired as their head coach in Dec. 2021. He now considers himself a retiree and wants to move on and enjoy his life.

Vigneault ranks 15th in NHL history for games coached (1,363) and is tenth in wins with 722. He spent 19 seasons as a head coach with the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and the Flyers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Vigneault won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in 2006-07 and guided the Canucks to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final and the Rangers to the 2014 Cup Final. He leads all Canucks coaches with 313 wins. Best wishes to Vigneault in his retirement.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers winger Patric Hornqvist has announced his retirement, citing the concussions he suffered in December that ended his 2022-23 season. He spent 15 seasons in the NHL with the Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins and Florida Panthers.

In 901 games, Hornqvist tallied 264 goals and 543 points, winning back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017. He scored the Cup-clinching goal for the Penguins against the Predators in the 2017 Final.

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Avalanche forward Darren Helm is calling it a career after 16 NHL seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and the Avalanche. In 823 games, Helm tallied 119 goals and 266 points as a checking-line center, winning a Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2018 and with the Avs in 2022.

CALGARY SUN: Defenseman Michael Stone has announced his retirement and is joining the Flames as part of their player development team. He played 552 games and netted 145 points skating with the Arizona Coyotes and the Flames.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to Hornqvist, Helm and Stone in their future endeavors.

WINNIPEG SUN: The Jets signed restricted free-agent defenseman Dylan Samberg to a two-year, $2.8 million contract.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Philadelphia Flyers signed defenseman Victor Mete to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775K at the NHL level.

NHL.COM: David Reinbacher signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens. The 18-year-old Austrian defenseman was chosen fifth overall by the Canadiens in the 2023 NHL Draft.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: The Red Wings promoted Kris Draper to assistant general manager. He will still retain his title of director of amateur scouting.










NHL Rumor Mill – May 20, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – May 20, 2023

Who could become the next general manager of the Leafs? Where could former Leafs GM Kyle Dubas end up? Check out the latest in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

WHO COULD REPLACE DUBAS AS LEAFS GENERAL MANAGER?

SPORTSNET: Sonny Sachdeva looked at potential replacements for former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas. He noted that team president Brendan Shanahan indicated that he’ll be open-minded in his search but will put the onus on experience.

Shanahan intends to rely heavily on assistant GM Brandon Pridham as the club conducts its search. He confirmed that Pridham will be in the running for the job.

Former Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving (NHL.com)

Sachdeva wondered if Brad Treliving might be among the candidates. He stepped down last month from the Calgary Flames after nearly a decade as their general manager.

TORONTO SUN: Pridham and Treliving are also among Terry Koshan’s list of potential candidates. Former Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin, Carolina Hurricanes assistant general manager Eric Tulsky, former Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli, Tampa Bay Lightning assistant GM Mathieu Darche, and former Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman were among other notables on his list.

DAILY FACEOFF: Matt Larkin’s list included Detroit Red Wings assistant GM Kris Draper, Edmonton Oilers assistant GM Steve Staios and Ray Whitney, who spent over half a decade as a director for the department of player safety and narrowly lost out to Mike Grier for the role of San Jose Sharks general manager.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It would make sense to promote Pridham given his experience with the Leafs organization. If Shanahan opts for someone else, perhaps Tulsky, Darche, Draper, Staios or Whitney would be better choices to bring a fresh perspective to the job.

Whoever gets the job faces some big questions that must be addressed soon.

Do they replace head coach Sheldon Keefe and his staff?

Do they shake up the “Core Four” (Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner and William Nylander) by trading one of them? Will they re-sign Matthews and Nylander to contract extensions or trade one of them or maybe put both on the block? Will it be Mitch Marner who becomes a trade chip?

Can they make oft-injured goalie Matt Murray’s contract disappear? How will they replace their unrestricted free agents if Ryan O’Reilly and Michael Bunting hit the open market?

Who do you want to see as your club’s new general manager, Leafs fans? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

WHAT NEXT FOR DUBAS?

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Nick Horwat suggests not closing the door on the speculation linking Dubas to the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier in the postseason. While the now-former Leafs GM said earlier this week that he’d step away for a while if he didn’t return with Toronto, his firing by Shanahan could leave the door ajar for the Penguins if he’s interested.

THE ATHLETIC: Kevin Kurz wonders if Dubas might be a match for the New York Islanders given the uncertainty over Lou Lamoriello’s future as their general manager. Dubas and Lamoriello have a good relationship stretching back to their time working together in Toronto.

CALGARY HOCKEY NOW: Steve MacFarlane wonders if Dubas’ availability might affect the Flames’ search for a new general manager.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Dubas said that this season was difficult on his family and he wouldn’t put them through a move if he didn’t return with the Leafs. With a bit of time to reflect, however, maybe he’ll change his mind provided his family is fine with it.

We’ll find out soon enough what the immediate future holds for Dubas. Any club that is interested in hiring him will want to do so as soon as possible with the 2023 NHL Draft (June 28-29) and the start of free agency (July 1) on the horizon.