NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 9, 2024

by | Oct 9, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 9, 2024

The Panthers, Blues and Utah HC win their season-openers, the Senators sign Linus Ullmark, Panthers re-sign Carter Verhaeghe, the Kraken name their new captain, Igor Shesterkin rejects a hefty offer from the Rangers, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

**BREAKING NEWS**

The Ottawa Senators signed goaltender Linus Ullmark to a four-year contract extension with an average annual value of $8.25 million.

Ullmark, 31, was acquired from the Boston Bruins in June. The 2023 Vezina Trophy winner is earning an AAV of $5 million on his current deal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Earlier reports claimed the Senators wouldn’t pressure Ullmark into signing an extension, preferring to give him time to get established and adjust to his new team and city. There was speculation that this season would be “one and done” in Ottawa, suggesting he’d either get moved at the trade deadline if still unsigned or departing as a free agent next summer. 

This move should provide the stability between the pipes that the Senators have been lacking for some time, provided Ullmark plays up to expectations. While it’s a significant raise in pay, it’s only for four years, encompassing what should be the remainder of his playing prime. 

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Florida Panthers raised their 2024 Stanley Cup banner and scored four first-period goals to defeat the Boston Bruins 6-4. Sam Bennett tallied twice and Sam Reinhart and Evan Rodrigues each had a goal and an assist for the Panthers. Charlie McAvoy had a goal and an assist for the Bruins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo gave up six goals on 35 shots in his first regular-season game with the Bruins. He struggled to contain rebounds but his teammates’ sloppy defense didn’t help.

At one point, Panthers fans trolled the Bruins by chanting “We want Swayman!”, referencing Bruins starter Jeremy Swayman, who missed training camp and preseason over a contract dispute before signing an eight-year deal on Monday. He was the backup for this game.

Panthers defenseman Adam Boqvist left this game after taking a puck to the face during the first period.

Florida Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe (NHL Images).

Following this game, the Panthers announced forward Carter Verhaeghe signed an eight-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $7 million. The AAV of his current contract is $4.16 million.

Verhaeghe, 29, has flourished as a scorer with the Panthers over the past four seasons. He tallied a career-high 42 goals and 73 points in 2022-23 and had 34 goals and 72 points last season.

Dylan Guenther scored the first regular-season goal for the Utah Hockey Club in a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at their inaugural game at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Guenther finished with two goals, Barrett Hayton had a goal and an assist and Nick Schmaltz collected two assists for Utah. Blackhawks center Connor Bedard picked up two assists.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Utah got two goals in the first period and was up 3-0 near the middle of the second period. The Blackhawks made it interesting by narrowing that lead to 3-2 before Utah scored twice within the final minute of the third period.

St. Louis Blues forward Jordan Kyrou scored twice as his club overcame a 2-0 deficit to nip the Seattle Kraken 3-2. Philip Broberg scored his first goal with the Blues while goaltender Jordan Binnington made 30 saves for the win. Vince Dunn and Eeli Tolvanen scored for the Kraken.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Kraken also introduced Jordan Eberle as their new captain during the pregame player introductions. He’s their first captain since Mark Giordano, who was traded to Toronto in March 2022.

Kraken assistant coach Jessica Campbell became the first woman in NHL history to work a regular season game as an assistant, associate, or head coach.

HEADLINES

NEW YORK POST: Igor Shesterkin rejected an eight-year, $88-million contract offer from the Rangers. The $11 million AAV would’ve made him the league’s highest-paid goaltender.

The offer was leaked to the media one day before the Rangers’ season opener on Oct. 9, which is also reportedly the deadline set by Shesterkin’s representatives to get a deal done. The 28-year-old netminder is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next July. He’s reportedly seeking an AAV of $12 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: If an agreement isn’t reached by Oct. 9, the Shesterkin camp could shelve negotiations until the end of the regular season. I’ll have more about this story in today’s Rumors update.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: The Oilers placed winger Evander Kane on long-term injury reserve (LTIR) and signed defenseman Travis Dermott to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775K at the NHL level.

DAILY FACEOFF: Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson will start the season on injured reserve. He suffered the undisclosed injury during training camp and missed all their preseason games.

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler could miss the club’s season opener on Friday against the Vancouver Canucks. He’s been dealing with numbness in his leg after taking a puck to the knee during the Flyers preseason game against the Bruins on Oct. 1.

BUFFALO HOCKEY NOW: Sabres forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel will be sidelined for three to six weeks with a lower-body injury.

SPORTSNET: The Vancouver Canucks placed defenseman Mark Friedman on waivers Tuesday. Others on waivers include Florida Panthers goaltender Chris Driedger and forward MacKenzie Entwistle, and Golden Knights forward Raphael Lavoie.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 25, 2024

by | Sep 25, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 25, 2024

Recapping Tuesday’s preseason action, injury updates on several notable stars, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF TUESDAY’S PRESEASON GAMES

NHL.COM: A five-goal third period rallied the New York Rangers to a 6-4 victory over the New York Islanders. Chris Kreider and Zac Jones each scored twice and collected an assist. Mathew Barzal tallied two goals, and Anthony Duclair collected two assists in his debut with the Islanders.

New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rangers winger Artemi Panarin (lower-body injury) and defenseman Ryan Lindgren (upper body) left this contest. Head coach Peter Laviolette said they were still being evaluated after the game.

The Boston Bruins doubled up the Washington Capitals 4-2. Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo stopped all seven shots he faced for the Bruins in this game.

Montreal Canadiens forward Michael Pezzetta netted two goals as his club blanked the New Jersey Devils 3-0. Samuel Montembeault and Connor Hughes combined for the 24-save shutout.

The Buffalo Sabres downed the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2. Sabres winger Tyler Tullio picked up two assists.

A shorthanded goal by Zack Ostapchuk in the third period lifted the Ottawa Senators to a 2-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jake Sanderson also scored for the Senators.

The Carolina Hurricanes nipped the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on a goal by Aleksi Heimosalmi with 45 seconds remaining in the third period.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was the first time Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour coached his son Skyler in an NHL game. The younger Brind’Amour is attending Hurricanes training camp on a professional tryout offer. He logged over 14 minutes of ice time and went seven-for-10 in the faceoff circle.

The Anaheim Ducks beat the San Jose Sharks 4-3. Carson Meyer and Mark Pysyk each scored a goal and collected an assist for the Ducks.

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Arturs Silovs stopped 18 shots in a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Brock Boeser and Jonathan Lekkerimaki each picked up two assists.

HEADLINES

THE SCORE: Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews left practice on Tuesday with a minor upper-body injury. The injury isn’t considered serious.

SPORTSNET: Leafs forward Calle Jarnkrok is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Oilers winger Evander Kane isn’t expected to return to action until February at the earliest as he recovers from surgery for two sports hernias and four abdominal muscle tears. It’s possible he won’t return until the start of the playoffs in late April.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some conspiracy-minded folks believe this is a ploy by the Oilers to garner cap relief by having Kane and his $5.125 million cap hit on long-term injury reserve, using the savings to add players at the trade deadline.

Kane’s recovery timeline was listed as five to six months. That puts his return as sometime in mid-to-late March, shortly following the trade deadline. If they have him on LTIR and exceed the cap to add players at the deadline, they must be cap-compliant if he’s medically cleared to play, meaning they must shed salary, which could be difficult to do after the deadline.

It’s better for the Oilers cap-wise not to place Kane on LTIR as they can accrue cap space throughout the season to put toward any roster additions by the March 7 trade deadline. That could be difficult as they have less than $1 million in cap space to start this season.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Florida Panthers forward Tomas Nosek is expected to miss weeks with an upper-body injury suffered during Sunday’s preseason game against the Nashville Predators. It was thought he suffered a concussion but that’s not the case.

DAILY FACEOFF: San Jose Sharks center Thomas Bordeleau is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

THE SCORE: Free-agent forward Phil Kessel is willing to sign a professional tryout offer if the fit is right. Kessel, 36, didn’t play last season after going unsigned. He’s the NHL’s reigning Ironman with 1,064 consecutive games. He’s also eight points away from 1,000 for his career.

TSN: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman dismissed recent rumors claiming the league is preparing to expand to 34 clubs.

“Everything that’s been written in the last week is categorically wrong,” said Bettman. “We’re not going through an expansion process.”. The commissioner said he’ll update the league board of governors on Oct. 1 about places that have expressed an interest, but there’s nothing else going on regarding expansion.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Recent media speculation claimed the league is considering returning to Atlanta and expanding to Houston. It can’t be ruled out but isn’t imminent because of the high expansion fees that could reach $2 billion and the lack of a suitable venue in Atlanta.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 23, 2024

by | Sep 23, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 23, 2024

Recaps of Sunday’s preseason action, the latest on Evander Kane, Arthur Kaliyev, Tony DeAngelo and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAP OF SUNDAY’S PRESEASON GAMES

NHL.COM: San Jose Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini had a goal and an assist in his first NHL preseason game as his club dropped a 4-2 decision to the Vegas Golden Knights.

San Jose Sharks prospect Macklin Celebrini (NHL.com).

The Utah Hockey Club inadvertently scored its first-ever preseason goal into their own net but overcame that blunder to defeat the St. Louis Blues 5-3. Michael Carccone scored twice and Logan Cooley scored the winner on a penalty shot with 1:17 remaining in the third period.

Steven Stamkos scored in his preseason debut with the Nashville Predators but his club fell 6-2 to the Florida Panthers in a split-squad game at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise. The other Panthers squad nipped the Predators 3-2.

The New York Rangers got a goal and an assist from Filip Chytil in a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Chytil is trying to get his career back on track after missing most of 2023-24 with concussion symptoms.

An overtime goal by Carter Yakemchuk lifted the Ottawa Senators to a 6-5 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Max Pacioretty scored twice and collected an assist and John Tavares had three assists for the Leafs.

Philadelphia Flyers rookie winger Matvei Michkov had two assists in his first NHL preseason contest in a 6-2 win over the Washington Capitals. Joel Farabee scored a goal and picked up three assists for the Flyers.

The New York Islanders doubled up the New Jersey Devils 4-2. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom stopped 17 of 19 shots in his preseason debut with the Devils.

Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf kicked out 33 shots as his club crushed the Seattle Kraken 6-1. Matt Coronato scored a goal and added two assists for the Flames.

The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on an overtime goal by Cam Dineen.

HEADLINES

SPORTSNET: Oilers winger Evander Kane is not expected to return to action until January or February 2025. He underwent surgery on Friday to repair both hip abductors, two hernias, and two abdominal tears.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers have over $945K in cap space to start this season. Kane has an average annual value of $5.125 million. They can place the 33-year-old winger on long-term injury reserve to add another player if that addition were to push them over the $88 million salary cap. However, they could try to avoid that as much as possible to accrue cap room during this season to put toward the March 7 trade deadline.

DAILY FACEOFF: Los Angeles Kings forward Arthur Kaliyev is sidelined indefinitely with a fractured clavicle. He suffered the injury during a scrimmage on Friday.

RG.ORG: Sergey Demidov reports Tony DeAngelo has signed a one-year contract with KHL club SKA St. Petersburg. The 28-year-old defenseman appeared in 31 games last season with the Carolina Hurricanes. He’s played 371 NHL games since 2016-17 with the Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and Hurricanes.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: DeAngelo has fine offensive skills but his defensive game needs work. He still carries some baggage from his emotional split with the Rangers in 2021.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Adam Proteau believes the NHL could return to Arizona in a few years. He cited comments by Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly indicating his belief a team could succeed in that market under the right circumstances, those being the location and construction of an NHL arena.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The NHL allowed former Arizona Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo to land an expansion franchise if he located and built a suitable arena within five years. He’s since relinquished his rights to the Coyotes.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 19, 2024

by | Sep 19, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 19, 2024

The Lightning and Blackhawks name their new captains, the latest on Jeremy Swayman’s contract talks, several notable players are already sidelined by injuries, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: The Lightning named Victor Hedman as their new captain. He replaces Steven Stamkos, who signed with the Nashville Predators on July 1.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No surprise here. Hedman was the logical choice to succeed Stamkos having spent his 15-season NHL career with the Lightning.

CHICAGO HOCKEY NOW: The Blackhawks announced Nick Foligno as the 35th captain in franchise history. He’s the first to wear the “C” since Jonathan Toews from 2008 to 2023.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Foligno has plenty of experience as a team captain. He held that role with the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2015-16 to 2020-21. This move could pave the way for franchise player Connor Bedard to succeed Foligno when the latter’s contract expires in 2026.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman will not be in training camp as he remains unsigned. He and Bruins management still haven’t agreed on a new contract.

Bruins GM Don Sweeney expressed disappointment that the 25-year-old restricted free agent is not under contract in time for training camp. He didn’t forecast when an agreement could be reached but stressed that every day Swayman is absent is detrimental to the goalie and the team.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s believed a wide gap exists between the two sides with Swayman rumored to be seeking an AAV between $8.5 million and $9.5 million while Bruins are said to be offering around $6.2 million annually.

Swayman has until Dec. 1 to sign or become ineligible to play the rest of this season. He doesn’t want to risk that as it’ll cost him a season of work and wages. I’ll have more about this situation in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The Blue Jackets will memorialize Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau this season with helmet stickers featuring the brothers’ last name and their respective jersey numbers. They’ll wear jersey patches with Johnny’s No. 13 once the regular season begins.

The brothers were killed on Aug. 30 by an alleged drunk driver while they were bicycling in Oldmans Township, New Jersey.

SPORTSNET: As expected, Thatcher Demko will miss the start of the Vancouver Canucks’ training camp as he continues rehabbing a nagging knee injury. Checking-line forward Teddy Blueger will be out for a week with a lower-body injury and defenseman Tucker Poolman (migraines) will be placed on long-term injury reserve for the entire season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said Demko will speak to the media on Thursday about his condition. Meanwhile, Poolman also missed last season and hasn’t played since Oct. 2022.

TSN: The Washington Capitals placed winger T.J. Oshie on LTIR for the entire 2024-25 season. Oshie, 37, has been plagued by a chronic back injury that limited him to 52 games last season. The decision was made following his training camp medical.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oshie is in the final season of his eight-year contract with an average annual value of $5.75 million.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Vegas Golden Knights are reviewing their options after goaltender Robin Lehner failed to report for his mandatory training camp medical. Lehner, 33, is expected to miss his third straight season after undergoing hip surgery in Aug. 2022. He’s entering the final season of his five-year contract with an AAV of $5 million and $4.5 million in actual salary.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The report indicates contract termination is among those options, which would remove his $5 million cap hit from the Golden Knights’ books.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Oilers winger Evander Kane reveals he’ll be undergoing surgery to repair two sports hernias and four muscle tears that took him out of the lineup for his club’s final five playoff games last spring.

TSN: Speaking of the Oilers, they’ve signed winger Mike Hoffman to a professional tryout offer (PTO).

THE HOCKEY NEWS: St. Louis Blues defenseman Torey Krug underwent season-ending surgery on his left ankle on Tuesday to address a pre-arthritic condition. Teammate Oskar Sundqvist continues to recover from offseason surgery to repair a torn right ACL. He’s not expected to participate in training camp but should be ready for the start of the season.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Blues announced they’ve signed Scott Harrington, Matthew Peca, Nikita Alexandrov and Sam Bitten to PTOs.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Stars winger Jason Robertson will miss most of training camp after undergoing offseason surgery to remove a cyst from his foot. He’s expected to be ready for their season-opener against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 10.

Speaking of the Stars, recently retired defenseman Jordie Benn has returned to the club as a player development assistant and AHL scout.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

BUFFALO HOCKEY NOW: Sabres blueliner Rasmus Dahlin left practice on Wednesday. Head coach Lindy Ruff described the injury as “mid-range” when asked if it was upper or lower body. It’s not believed to be serious.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: The Red Wings signed winger Alex Chiasson to a PTO.

NASHVILLE HOCKEY NOW: The Predators signed winger Philip Tomasino to a one-year, $825K contract.

CALGARY SUN: Former Flames forward Matt Stajan has joined the team as a skills consultant.

SPORTSNET: released their preseason broadcast schedule beginning Sept. 21 and running through Oct. 2.

TSN: Bell sold its 37.5 percent interest in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment to Rogers Communication, giving the latter the majority stake in Canada’s most valuable sports empire.

As part of the deal, Bell Media secured access to content rights for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the NBA’s Toronto Raptors on TSN for the next 20 years.










NHL Headlines and Rumors – September 15, 2024

by | Sep 15, 2024

NHL Headlines and Rumors – September 15, 2024

Several Capitals face pressure this season, Oilers winger Evander Kane to undergo surgery, plus the latest on the Canucks and Blue Jackets in today’s NHL Headlines and Rumors.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Adam Proteau believes Washington Capitals forwards Alex Ovechkin, Pierre-Luc Dubois and defenseman Jakob Chychrun will feel the heat entering this season.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (NHL Images)

Ovechkin is chasing Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record of 894. Dubois seeks a bounce-back performance after a lackluster 2023-24 campaign with the Los Angeles Kings led to his trade with the Capitals. Meanwhile, Chychrun hopes to re-establish himself as a top-pairing defenseman in his contract year after being traded by the Arizona Coyotes and Ottawa Senators in successive years.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin is already well-established as a future Hall of Famer and the greatest player in Capitals history. Few fans and pundits will fault the 39-year-old winger if it takes him a couple of seasons to break Gretzky’s goal record.

Dubois and Chychrun have much more at stake. They must silence the growing criticism about their recent performances and prove they still belong among the league’s best players.

THE SCORE: Edmonton Oilers winger Evander Kane is scheduled to undergo sports hernia surgery within the next 10 days or so.

Kane, 33, played through the injury last season. It affected his performance, limiting him to 24 goals and 20 assists in 77 games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kane has a $5.125 million annual salary cap hit through 2025-26. He could end up on long-term injury reserve to start the season. The Oilers could use that cap relief to bolster their roster during his absence but must be cap-compliant when he’s ready to return to action.

CHEK-TV’s Rick Dhaliwal reported Friday that the Vancouver Canucks offered a one-year contract to free-agent goaltender Kevin Lankinen. However, it’s believed worth under $1 million, which is less than the $2 million the 29-year-old netminder earned last season with the Nashville Predators.

THE PROVINCE: Patrick Johnston reports the Canucks also reached out to free-agent goalie Antti Raanta but the 35-year-old is not interested in playing in the NHL anymore.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks seek a veteran insurance policy between the pipes in case starter Thatcher Demko hasn’t recovered from a nagging undisclosed injury when the season opens next month. They’re bumping against the $88 million cap ceiling and don’t want to go into LTIR to address the issue. Perhaps they’ll consider a trade if a dollar-in, dollar-out deal can be found.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH’s Brian Hedger reports Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said he’s down to 10 healthy forwards with Justin Danforth seeing a doctor on Monday for a wrist/hand issue that required offseason surgery.

Waddell indicated he’ll look at pursuing unsigned free-agent veterans to fill the void at forward.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports Waddell wants to sign players to actual contracts and not professional tryout offers. Portzline listed James van Riemsdyk, Kevin Labanc and Kyle Okposo among the notable UFA forwards still available. He also noted Phil Kessel is looking for an opportunity to play in the NHL after going unsigned last season.

Portzline also noted that Waddell could sign free agents currently on PTO contracts with other clubs.

Waddell also said he’s spoken with the league and the NHL Players’ Association for guidance about how to measure the Blue Jackets’ salary-cap figure for this season following the death of Johnny Gaudreau last month.










NHL Rumor Mill – August 15, 2024

by | Aug 15, 2024

NHL Rumor Mill – August 15, 2024

In today’s NHL Rumor Mill: the latest on John Tavares, more speculation over how the Oilers will counter the offer sheets to Broberg and Holloway, and some suggested offer-sheet targets for the Flyers.

LATEST ON TAVARES

SPORTSNET: Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said that John Tavares no longer wearing the captaincy won’t affect his contract talks. The 33-year-old center is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next July.

Treliving said any talk about Tavares’ contract status will remain behind closed doors. He also believes the veteran center still has plenty of good hockey left in him. Tavares indicated his desire to stay but also said those discussions are private.

Toronto Maple Leafs captains John Tavares (NHL Images).

During his “32 Thoughts Podcast” on Wednesday, Elliotte Friedman felt that a contract extension for Tavares could remain in play. He thinks it’s been discussed and is something both sides are considering.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tavares turns 34 next month and it’s clear that his best seasons are behind him. He could be effective as a middle-six forward if that’s a role he’s willing to accept to remain with the Leafs. He must also accept a shorter deal and a significant pay cut from his $11 million annual cap hit.

HOW WILL THE OILERS COUNTER THE OFFER SHEETS FOR BROBERG AND HOLLOWAY?

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Jim Matheson looked at how the Oilers could counter the offer sheets signed by defenseman Philip Broberg and winger Dylan Holloway with the St. Louis Blues. The Oilers have seven days from the date the contracts were signed (Tuesday) to match. Otherwise, both players will belong to the Blues.

The offer sheets push the Oilers above the $88 million cap by over $7.5 million. They could get some cap relief by placing winger Evander Kane and his $5.125 million cap hit on long-term injury reserve if he requires surgery for a sports hernia. However, there’s no guarantee Kane would miss the entire season, meaning the Oilers would have to free up cap room for his return.

Trading defenseman Cody Ceci ($3.5 million) or blueliner Brett Kulak ($2.75 million through 2025-26) are other options. Trading either one could mean attaching a sweetener to the deal.

Broberg has the higher ceiling talent-wise but Holloway’s offer sheet is the easiest to match. Matheson speculates the Oilers will keep Holloway and let Broberg go.

Matheson also brought up the possibility of retribution by the Oilers against the Blues by signing winger Jake Neighbours next summer when he’s a restricted free agent.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Much of Matheson’s piece on the Oilers’ options is a rehash of what he wrote the previous day but it’s still worthwhile to review them.

The Oilers could attempt to sign Neighbours next summer to an offer sheet but that’s unlikely. Neighbours would have to be willing to sign it and he could prefer staying in St. Louis.

More importantly, the Oilers lack the cap space to pull it off. They’ll open the vault to re-sign Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard, leaving little money to pursue Neighbours, whose stock will rise if he builds on last season’s promising performance.

Matheson’s colleague David Staples believes the Oilers have a trump card if Kane ends up on LTIR. He cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman saying the 32-year-old winger could be sidelined for months if he undergoes surgery for his sports hernia and/or hip issues.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers are over the cap by $7.225 million. Kane’s cap hit is $5.125 million. The Oilers would still be over the cap by $2.1 million, meaning a trade of Ceci or Kulak to make the dollars work if they hope to retain Broberg and Holloway.

THREE SUGGESTED OFFER SHEET CANDIDATES FOR THE FLYERS

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: The Blues signing Broberg and Holloway to offer sheets prompted Jonathan Bailey to look at offer sheet targets that could benefit the Flyers in the short and long term. He felt the Seattle Kraken’s Matty Beniers, the New Jersey Devils’ Dawson Mercer, or the Winnipeg Jets’ Cole Perfetti could fit the bill.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A retooling club like the Flyers could go the offer sheet route with one of those three, but it’s unlikely they will.

Beniers, Mercer and Perfetti would have to be receptive to an offer sheet, and it would have to be expensive to pique their interest. The Kraken, Devils and Jets also have more salary cap space to match such offers than the Oilers have with Broberg and Holloway.