NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 11, 2025
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 11, 2025
The Stars trade Matt Dumba to the Penguins, the Avalanche re-sign Josh Manson, Ilya Sorokin’s agent reacts to recent trade rumors, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins acquired defenseman Matt Dumba and a 2028 second-round pick from the Dallas Stars in exchange for defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a salary dump by the Stars, who were sitting over the salary cap before this deal took place. It clears Dumba’s $3.75 million cap hit from their books, giving the Stars $1.955 million in cap space with 21 active roster players under contract for this season, with no notable players to re-sign.

The Dallas Stars trade Matt Dumba to the Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL Images).
The Athletic’s Josh Yohe considers this move more about the second-round pick for the rebuilding Penguins, continuing management’s theme of taking on bad contracts in the short term to add solid future assets.
Dumba’s performance has declined in recent years, but he won’t make the Penguins’ defense corps any worse than it already is. He’s also in the final season of his two-year contract, and he could be dealt at the March trade deadline for another draft pick if he has a decent performance this season.
Yohe also suggests Dumba can provide depth on the right side of the Penguins’ blueline if they trade Erik Karlsson.
COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: The Avalanche signed defenseman Josh Manson to a two-year contract extension with an average annual value of $3.95 million beginning in 2026-27. It’s a slight discount from his current AAV of $4.5 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Manson, 33, has been plagued by injuries in recent years. When healthy, however, he provides the Avalanche with a physical, right-shot presence on their blueline. It would cost them much more to replace him had he gone to market next summer.
TSN: Player agent Dan Milstein, who represents Ilya Sorokin, took to social media on Thursday to swat down recent trade rumors swirling around the 29-year-old New York Islanders goaltender.
Milstein reminded everyone that his client has a full no-trade clause, claiming Sorokin “has never been part of any trade discussions – not at any point.” He went on to scold those who originated the rumors. “There’s a difference between reporting facts and creating buzz about yourself.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before Milstein’s comments appeared, NYI Hockey Now’s Russ Macias dismissed the Sorokin speculation, citing his no-movement clause and why the Islanders have no reason to move him.
FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: The Panthers signed restricted free-agent forward Mackie Samoskevich to a one-year, $775,000 contract.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This deal generated some buzz yesterday as some readers questioned why Samoskevich accepted less money than the AAV of his entry-level contract ($925,000).
The Panthers were already over the salary cap before re-signing Samoskevich, who had little leverage coming off his entry-level contract. Given their cap situation, it wouldn’t be surprising if management convinced the 22-year-old forward to accept this reduction with the promise of a more lucrative deal next summer, when the Panthers have over $23 million in cap space.
This signing leaves the Panthers sitting above the cap by $3.725 million. They’re allowed to exceed the cap by 10 percent during the offseason, but must be cap compliant when they begin the regular season.
It’s been rumored that Matthew Tkachuk could miss the start of the season if he undergoes surgery this summer to repair a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia. In that case, the Panthers would place him on long-term injury reserve, enabling them to remain above the cap when the season begins. However, they’ll have to shed salary or find another way to become cap-compliant if he returns to action during the regular season.
SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW/TORONTO SUN: The Sharks traded defenseman Henry Thrun to the Toronto Maple Leafs for winger Ryan Reaves.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sharks cleared a logjam on defense following their recent acquisitions of Dmitry Orlov and Nick Leddy. Reaves hasn’t fit within the Leafs’ roster for the past couple of years.
Thrun, 24, will be a decent depth addition to the Leafs’ blueline. Reaves could provide the Sharks with some muscle to ensure rival clubs don’t take liberties against their promising youngsters like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith.
SPORTSNET: The new NHL-NHLPA collective bargaining agreement (CBA) contains a provision that will allow NHL teams to place one CHL player in the AHL per season. This would enable teams to transition a promising young prospect into professional hockey sooner. Players who are 18 years old would be ineligible for the new rule, which begins in 2026-27.
DAILY FACEOFF: London Knights head coach Dale Hunter has been selected by Hockey Canada to coach its 2026 World Junior team. His brother, Mark Hunter, will be part of the management group.
THE PROVINCE: Patrick Johnston weighs in on Sportsnet’s recent announcement that it is hiking its fees for its subscription-only service from $75.00 (Canadian) to $324.99.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t use Sportsnet’s subscription-only service, but if I did, this significant rate increase would probably have me considering other options. Johnston believes fans aren’t currently getting their money’s worth, citing on-air quality and the degrading of the Hockey Night in Canada brand.