NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 1, 2026

by | Jul 1, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 1, 2026

Reaction to the Devils’ trading Jacob Markstrom to the Panthers, the latest notable free-agent signings, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW/FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: The New Jersey Devils traded goaltender Jacob Markstrom and winger Angus Crookshank to the Florida Panthers for winger Evan Rodrigues, center Jesper Boqvist, and prospect Ben Steeves.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Markstrom and Rodrigues are the main pieces of this trade.

New Jersey Devils trade goaltender Jacob Markstrom to the Florida Panthers (NHL Images).

The Panthers’ acquisition of Markstrom spells the end of Sergei Bobrovsky’s seven-year tenure as their starting goaltender. The 37-year-old netminder is departing as an unrestricted free agent after he and the Panthers failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension.

Some have suggested Bobrovsky might still return if he doesn’t find any suitable offers via free agency. That’s unlikely to happen, considering the Panthers also acquired backup goalie Akira Schmid earlier this week from the Vegas Golden Knights.

The 36-year-old Markstrom is in the first season of a two-year contract with an average annual value of $6 million. He is returning to the club where he began his NHL career in 2010-11, spending four seasons with the Panthers before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks.

Markstrom has had his ups and downs in recent years and is four years removed from being a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2022. Nevertheless, the Panthers appear confident that he’ll regain his form with their solid defensive system in front of him.

The Devils were seeking more depth to their forward lines. The 33-year-old Rodrigues should be a good addition to their middle-six lines. He has a year left on his deal with a cap hit of $3.075 million. Rodrigues steps up in postseason play, tallying 15 points in each of the Panthers’ Stanley Cup runs in 2024 and 2025.

Speaking of the Devils, they re-signed winger Arseny Gritsyuk to a three-year, $9.75 million contract. The average annual value is $3.25 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Gritsyuk, 25, had a promising NHL debut last season with 31 points in 66 games.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL/PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Vegas Golden Knights traded defenseman Kaedan Korczak to the Pittsburgh Penguins for blueliner Parker Wotherspoon. The Penguins are retaining 50 percent of the 28-year-old Wotherspoon’s $1 million cap hit.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This move is primarily a salary-cap dump by the Golden Knights, shedding Korczak’s $3.25 million AAV through 2029-30. The Penguins were willing to part with Wotherspoon for the 25-year-old Korczak because the latter is younger and plays a more physical style of defense.

Meanwhile, the Golden Knights re-signed defenseman Jeremy Lauzon to a six-year extension worth an AAV of $4 million. They also hired former Colorado Eagles head coach Mark Letestu as an assistant coach.

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: The Anaheim Ducks signed forward A.J. Greer to a four-year, $17 million contract. The AAV is $4.25 million. Greer, 29, was acquired from the Florida Panthers in exchange for defenseman Radko Gudas on Monday.

OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports Claude Giroux has informed the Senators that he will test the free-agent market today after their contract talks fell through.

Giroux, 38, has spent the past four seasons with the Senators. He’s left the door open to returning to Ottawa. Meanwhile, the Panthers and Montreal Canadiens could show some interest in him.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Senators re-signed forward Nick Cousins to a two-year, $3.175 million contract extension.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Alexander Steen has officially taken over from Doug Armstrong as the general manager of the St. Louis Blues. Armstrong remains with the Blues as president of hockey operations.

Meanwhile, the Blues bought out the final season of winger Jonathan Drouin’s contract, making him UFA-eligible on July 1.

TSN: The Utah Mammoth signed goaltender Sebastian Cossa to a two-year contract worth an AAV of $2 million. Cossa, 23, was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings on June 26.

The Minnesota Wild re-signed winger Bobby Brink to a one-year, $2.75 million contract.

BUFFALO HOCKEY BEAT: The Sabres hired former NHL winger Milan Lucic as a pro scout.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The immediate reaction to this on social media was, “What does former Sabres goalie Ryan Miller think about this?” Lucic ran over Miller during a game between the Sabres and Boston Bruins in November 2011.










NHL Rumor Mill – April 24, 2026

by | Apr 24, 2026

NHL Rumor Mill – April 24, 2026

The Red Wings could go shopping for help this summer, plus the latest on the Blues in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

RED WINGS TO ATTEMPT MAJOR OFFSEASON ROSTER MOVES

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Bob Duff reports Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman was asked what his club needed to get over the hump and end their decade-long postseason drought.

“Well, the most obvious answer would be we need better players,” Yzerman said. He added that it was “incumbent upon me and my staff to improve the team.”

Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman (NHL.com).

Yzerman made those remarks during his first end-of-season media availability since his club was eliminated from postseason contention last week. Head coach Todd McLellan was seated alongside Yzerman during the presser.

The Red Wings GM indicated that no one on his roster was untouchable, be it a player or a prospect, when it came to trade talks. However, he stressed that he’s not going to get rid of everyone.

Yzerman said the club’s ownership is disappointed with the outcome of this season. However, he said he intends to do his job to the best of his ability and to see this thing through.

Improving the Wings won’t be easy. Duff pointed out that this summer’s free-agent market is thin on the type of talent they need. He speculated that Yzerman could revisit trade talks with the New York Rangers for center Vincent Trocheck, and wondered if the Wings GM would roll the dice on Vancouver Canucks mercurial center Elias Pettersson.

MLIVE.COM: Ansar Khan also noted that Yzerman is prepared to make a major move to improve his club in the offseason, but he wondered if such a move is available.

Khan noted that players such as Trocheck and Pettersson, as well as Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou of the St. Louis Blues, were the subject of trade rumors this season. He speculated that Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs could become the biggest name in this summer’s rumor mill.

Goalscoring is the Red Wings’ biggest need, especially at even strength. Khan believes Yzerman will seek a top-six forward, preferably a center. They must also improve their bottom-six forwards.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Yzerman and McLellan won’t be replaced, but they will be feeling the pressure to bring the Red Wings’ long playoff drought to an end next season.

Most of that pressure will fall on Yzerman, as the past seven years of that 10-year drought occurred on his watch. He could be in real danger of losing his job if the Red Wings fall short next season.

As Duff and Khan observed, finding suitable players to address their roster weaknesses won’t be easy this summer. There’s little available in free agency, and a lot of teams flush with salary-cap space will turn to the trade market, and perhaps even try the offer-sheet route.

Still, Yzerman does have a couple of factors that could work in his favor. The Red Wings have over $32 million in cap space for 2026-27, with 15 active roster players under contract.

Simon Edvinsson is completing his entry-level contract and will get a significant raise. Patrick Kane is the only one of their unrestricted free agents expected to be re-signed. They’ll have plenty of space to add a scorer or two.

Yzerman can also draw on a deep pool of prospects for trade bait. He was reluctant in the past to dangle those players, but his comments on Thursday suggest he understands he must consider that option to address his roster’s pressing needs.

UPDATE ON THE BLUES.

THE ATHLETIC: Jeremy Rutherford believes the St. Louis Blues would be open to moving forwards Pavel Buchnevich, Jordan Kyrou, and Jonathan Drouin this summer.

Buchnevich is signed through 2030-31 with an average annual value of $8 million. He thinks they’re likely regretting that contract because of the 31-year-old winger’s declining production. As a result, it’s hard to imagine there will be much trade interest in him around the league.

Kyrou’s name wasn’t mentioned as much in trade rumors as other Blues, such as Robert Thomas, Colton Parayko, and Jordan Binnington. However, that doesn’t mean they weren’t shopping the 27-year-old winger. There could be more trade talks involving Kyrou this summer. He’s also signed through 2030-31 with an AAV of $8.125 million.

Drouin was acquired as part of the return in the Brayden Schenn deal with the New York Islanders. He has a year left on his contract with an AAV of $4 million and was a healthy scratch in eight of the last 13 games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kyrou’s recent minor knee procedure explained why his production was down this season. There could be clubs seeking offense willing to bet that he’ll bounce back.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 2, 2026

by | Mar 2, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 2, 2026

Milestone performance for Islanders rookie Matthew Schaefer and Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov, the Kings fire head coach Jim Hiller, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF SUNDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: Matthew Schaefer scored two goals, and Anders Lee netted the game-winner with 32 seconds left in the third period to lift the New York Islanders over the Florida Panthers 5-4. Sam Bennett scored twice while Matthew Tkachuk had three assists for the 30-27-3 Panthers (68 points), who sit eight points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth, while the Islanders (35-21-5) hold third place in the Metropolitan Division with 75 points.

New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was a milestone game for Schaefer, who is the front-runner for the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year.

The 18-year-old defenseman collected an assist for his first three-point NHL game. He also became the youngest defenseman in league history to reach the 20-goal plateau, and the fourth rookie blueliner in league history to reach that mark. Schaefer is only three goals behind Brian Leetch for the most by a rookie defenseman. He also leads this year’s rookie class in goal scoring.

Fun fact: Schaefer is only the second defenseman in Islanders history to score 20 goals in a season. The other is Hall of Famer Denis Potvin.

Meanwhile, Islanders winger Jonathan Drouin missed this game as he’s day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov returned to action for the first time since being sidelined by an injury during the second game of the season.

Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov tied the franchise record for goals (219) in a 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues. Pavel Buchnevich tallied the winning goal while Robert Thomas had a goal and an assist for the 22-29-9 Blues. The Wild (35-16-10) holds third place in the Central Division with 80 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Wild made a minor trade yesterday, acquiring defenseman Roman Schmidt from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for forward Boris Katchouk.

The Pittsburgh Penguins blanked the Vegas Golden Knights 5-0. Arturs Silovs turned in a 22-save shutout, while Ben Kindel, Bryan Rust, and Justin Brazeau each had a goal and an assist for the Penguins (31-15-13), who sit second in the Metropolitan Division with 75 points. The 28-18-14 Golden Knights cling to first place in the Pacific Division with 70 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Golden Knights captain Mark Stone left this game in the first period with an injury to his left arm. There was no postgame update regarding his status.

A shootout goal by Mason McTavish gave the Anaheim Ducks a 3-2 win over the Calgary Flames. Cutter Gauthier scored twice, and Lukas Dostal stopped 32 shots for the Ducks (33-23-3), who sit one point behind the Golden Knights. Joel Farabee and Yegor Sharangovich replied for the 24-28-7 Flames.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Speaking of Calgary, the city is on the short list of host cities for the 2028 World Cup of Hockey. NHL brass, including commissioner Gary Bettman, will be in town on Monday to meet with Flames ownership and tour the construction site of the club’s new arena. Scotia Place is expected to be ready for the 2027-28 season.

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom made 22 saves for his first NHL shutout in a 4-0 victory over the Utah Mammoth. Teuvo Teravainen scored twice for the 23-28-9 Blackhawks as they snapped a three-game losing skid. The Mammoth (31-25-4) holds the first Western Conference wild-card spot with 66 points.

San Jose Sharks rookie Michael Misa scored his first NHL overtime goal to beat the Winnipeg Jets 2-1. Will Smith also scored for the Sharks (29-25-4, 62 points), who sit three points behind the Seattle Kraken for the final Western Conference wild-card berth. Morgan Barron scored for the 23-26-10 Jets.

HEADLINES

LOS ANGELES TIMES: The Kings fired Jim Hiller as head coach and named associate coach DJ Smith their interim coach for the rest of this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hiller was in his second full season as the Kings’ bench boss after taking over the role midway through the 2023-24 season. He led them to a franchise-best record of 48 wins and 105 points last season, but couldn’t replicate that success. They’re struggling to remain in the Western Conference playoff race and are among the league’s lowest-scoring teams.

Smith was head coach of the Ottawa Senators from 2019 to 2023. It will be interesting to see if he can reverse the Kings’ fortunes down the stretch.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: The Oilers placed winger Andrew Mangiapane and defenseman Alec Regula on waivers. If they clear, they will be sent to the club’s AHL affiliate in Bakersfield, clearing over $1.8 million in salary-cap space to use for the upcoming trade deadline.

TSN: Vancouver Canucks defenseman Guillaume Brisebois and St. Louis Blues forward Robby Fabbri were also placed on waivers Sunday.

RG.ORG: Philadelphia Flyers prospect winger Porter Martone sees his move from the OHL to the NCAA this season as a stepping stone on his path toward the NHL. He saw it as an opportunity to sharpen his skills and his physical game.

If his NCAA season ends on March 29, he would be eligible to sign his entry-level contract with the Flyers, which could lead to his NHL debut in April.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 11, 2025

by | Oct 11, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 11, 2025

Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns to play a milestone game, the Sabres could host the 2028 Winter Classic, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns is one shift away from becoming the 23rd player in NHL history to play 1,500 regular-season games. He’ll join that illustrious group during Saturday’s game against the Dallas Stars.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns (NHL Images).

Burns, 40, played his first NHL game 22 years ago, making his debut with the Minnesota Wild in 2003-04. He also holds the active Ironman streak (927 games and counting), sitting fourth all-time among NHL skaters.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Burns will also become the eighth defenseman to reach that milestone, joining Zdeno Chara (1,680), Chris Chelios (1,651), Scott Stevens (1,635), Larry Murphy (1,615), Raymond Bourque (1,612), Nicklas Lidstrom (1,564), and Ryan Suter (1,526).

The report claimed Burns faced the Avalanche for the first time in his third NHL game. According to NHL.com, it was actually his fourth game. Nevertheless, he did face off against future Hall of Famers Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya, and Rob Blake in that game.

ESPN.COM: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said there was “a good chance” that the Buffalo Sabres would host the 2028 Winter Classic.

The Sabres hosted the first Winter Classic in 2008. Bettman said discussions are underway about the league staging the 20th anniversary Winter Classic Game at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, the new home of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, which is scheduled to open next July.

THE BUFFALO NEWS: Speaking of the Sabres, they’re awaiting word on the severity of Josh Norris’ upper-body injury suffered during Thursday’s season-opening game against the New York Rangers.

Defenseman Owen Power (illness) and forward Zach Benson (facial laceration) didn’t skate on Friday, but could be in the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Boston Bruins.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: The Oilers placed Jake Walman on injured reserve on Thursday. The move frees up a short-term roster spot for forward Jack Roslovic, who signed a one-year contract with the Oilers on Wednesday.

Walman, 28, missed most of the preseason with an undisclosed injury. He signed a seven-year contract extension with the Oilers on Monday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Walman’s injury isn’t serious, and he could return to action by this time next week.

NEW YORK POST: Islanders winger Jonathan Drouin received a one-game suspension by the league’s department of player safety for cross-checking Pittsburgh Penguins forward Connor Dewar in the face on Thursday.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators winger Drake Batherson could return to the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Florida Panthers. He missed Ottawa’s season opener with a pulled muscle suffered during practice on Sept. 24.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov was placed on injured reserve after suffering an upper-body injury during Thursday’s win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Uvis Balinskis will be his replacement.

TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs moved up the start time of Monday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings from 4 pm ET to 2 pm to avoid conflicting with Game 2 of the ALCS between the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners at the Rogers Centre.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 1, 2025

by | Sep 1, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 1, 2025

The latest on Bruins center Elias Lindholm, Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey, Canadiens blueliner Mike Matheson, and more in this Labor Day edition of the NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

DAILY FACEOFF: Elias Lindholm is determined to have a bounce-back performance following his disappointing 2024-25 performance with the Boston Bruins.

Lindholm signed with the Bruins last summer, but managed only 17 goals and 47 points as they missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years. The 30-year-old center blamed his poor start to a nagging back injury, which kept him out of training camp and hampered his performance.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A healthy season could enable Lindholm to regain his solid two-way game. Improvement on his part could also help the Bruins stay in the hunt for a playoff berth this season.

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS: Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey recovered from the knee injury that sidelined him from last spring’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, taking his place last week with the other 44 invitees to Canada’s Olympic orientation camp in Calgary.

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey (NHL Images).

Morrissey, 30, indicated that the injury wasn’t too severe. He’d also dealt with a similar injury to his other knee during the 2023 playoffs, so he already had a template on how to rehab and recover.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Morrissey played a key role in the Jets winning their first Presidents’ Trophy last season. The puck-moving blueliner was also part of Canada’s gold-medal team at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, potentially giving him an inside track to secure a spot on Canada’s Olympic team.

RDS.CA: Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson and New York Islanders winger Jonathan Drouin are among five players whose jerseys will be retired by the Lac St-Louis Lions of the Quebec U18 AAA Development League on Sept. 5.

Anaheim Ducks winger Alex Killorn, Islanders forward Anthony Duclair, and former San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic will also have their jerseys retired.

The five have each played at least 600 NHL games. Matheson, Drouin, and Duclair were teammates in 2010-11 with the Lions.

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH: Jimmy Snuggerud is expected to be one of the young building blocks for the Blues.

The 21-year-old winger joined the club late last season, averaging 15:28 of regular-season ice time and finishing with four points in seven games.

In the playoffs, he logged over 17 minutes of ice time per game with two goals and two assists in seven games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Snuggerud is one of the notable rookies worth watching this season. A strong performance on his part will improve the Blues’ chance of securing a playoff spot. It could also make him a contender for the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year.

ESPN.COM: Greg Wyshynski recently listed the best NHL draft pick ever at every slot from No. 1 to 224.

Wyshynski had Pittsburgh Penguins great Mario Lemieux at No. 1, but acknowledged a trio of generational players (Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, Sidney Crosby of the Penguins, and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers) complicates the debate.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lemieux remains the greatest first-overall pick of all time, but like Wyshynski, I acknowledge that a case can be made for the other three. Feel free to weigh in on that topic in the comments section below.










Notable NHL Signings and Trades – July 1, 2025

by | Jul 1, 2025

Notable NHL Signings and Trades – July 1, 2025

 Anaheim Ducks sign unrestricted free-agent forward Mikael Granlund to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $7 million.

The New York Rangers signed winger Will Cuylle to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $3.9 million. Cuylle was a restricted free agent completing his entry-level contract.

Buffalo Sabres re-sign center Ryan McLeod to a four-year contract with an average annual value of $5 million. McLeod was a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.

The San Jose Sharks signed John Klingberg to a one-year, $4 million contract. He was an unrestricted free agent.

 

Defenseman Ryan Lindgren signed a four-year contract with the Seattle Kraken with an average annual value of $4.5 million.

The Utah Mammoth signed defenseman Nate Schmidt inked a three-year contract ($3.5 million AAV) and forward Brandon Tanev to a three-year contract ($2.5 million AAV).

The Los Angeles Kings signed defenseman Cody Ceci to a four-year contract with an AAV of $4.5 million, blueliner Brian Dumoulin to a three-year deal with a $4 million AAV, and winger Corey Perry to a one-year, $2 million contract.

Winger Jonathan Drouin agreed to a two-year contract ($4 million AAV) with the New York Islanders.

Forward Radek Faksa inked a three-year contract ($2 million AAV) with the Dallas Stars.

 

The Vancouver Canucks brought back Brock Boeser, signing him to a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $7.25 million.

The New York Rangers sign defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to a seven-year deal with an AAV of $7 million.

The Los Angeles Kings sign forward Joel Armia to a two-year contract with a $2.5 million AAV.

The Boston Bruins signed forward Tanner Jeannot to a four-year deal with an AAV of $3.5 million.

The New Jersey Devils sign forward Connor Brown to a four-year contract with an AAV of $3 million.

The Philadelphia Flyers sign goaltender Dan Vladar to a two-year contract with a $3.35 million AAV.

The San Jose Sharks sign winger William Eklund to a three-year deal with an AAV of $5.6 million. Eklund, 22, was a restricted free agent.

The Philadelphia Flyers signed center Christian Dvorak to a one-year, $5.4 million contract.

The Montreal Canadiens trade defenseman Logan Mailloux to the St. Louis Blues for forward Zachary Bolduc.

Logan Stankoven signs an eight-year contract extension ($6 million AAV) with the Carolina Hurricanes. The 22-year-old forward was slated to become an RFA next July.

Jake Allen re-signed with the New Jersey Devils. The 34-year-old goaltender agreed to a five-year contract with an AAV of $1.8 million.

The Edmonton Oilers trade winger Viktor Arvidsson to the Boston Bruins for a fifth-round draft pick in 2027. This move frees up $4 million of salary-cap space for the Oilers.

Thatcher Demko signs a a three-year contract extension with the Vancouver Canucks worth an average annual value of $8.5 million. The 29-year-old goaltender was eligible for UFA status next July.

The Canucks also confirmed that Conor Garland signed a six-year contract extension with an AAV of $6 million. Like Demko, he was slated to become a UFA next July.

Martin Fehervary signed a seven-year contract extension with the Washington Capitals worth an AAV of $6 million. The 25-year-old defenseman was a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.