NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 23, 2021

by | Apr 23, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 23, 2021

​The Avalanche clinch a playoff berth, a big night for Jakub Vrana, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Colorado Avalanche are the second team to secure a playoff spot by doubling up the St. Louis Blue 4-2. Andre Burakovsky scored twice and Nathan MacKinnon collected three assists for the Avalanche, who were playing their first game since their schedule was postponed by a COVID-19 outbreak last week. They sit two points behind the first-place Vegas Golden Knights in the Honda West Division. Jaden Schwartz scored both goals for the Blues (44 points), who remain one point behind the fourth-place Arizona Coyotes.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jared Bednar surpassed Bob Hartley as the Avalanche’s longest-tenured head coach with his 360th game. He’s now in his fifth season in that role and has done a magnificent job coaching this former bottom-feeding club into a Stanley Cup contender.

Two shorthanded goals by Sebastian Aho carried the Carolina Hurricanes to a 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers. Carolina’s Martin Necas picked up three assists while Florida captain Aleksander Barkov scored twice. The Hurricanes sit in first place in the Discover Central Division with 67 points, two up on the second-place Panthers. They also played without defenseman Brady Skjei as he remains sidelined indefinitely by a concussion.

The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 to sit one point back of the Panthers. Blake Coleman scored twice and Ondrej Palat netted the game-winner.

Detroit Red Wings forward Jakub Vrana (NHL Images).

Detroit Red Wings forward Jakub Vrana scored four goals to lead his club over the Dallas Stars 7-3. Thomas Greiss made 43 saves for the win. The Stars (50 points) remain two points behind the fourth-place Nashville Predators in the Central. The Wings played without captain Dylan Larkin (upper-body injury) and announced Tyler Bertuzzi is done for the season with an upper-body injury.

Auston Matthews tallied his 34th goal of the season as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Winnipeg Jets 5-3. Mitch Marner scored twice and Nick Foligno collected an assist in his debut with the Leafs. Mark Scheifele had two points for the Jets, who lost center Adam Lowry following a headshot from Leafs winger Alex Galchenyuk. The Leafs played without defenseman Zach Bogosian, who’s sidelined for more than a week with an undisclosed injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: With 63 points, the Leafs now hold a six-point lead over the Jets for first place in the Scotia North Division.

Shootout goals by Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov gave the Washington Capitals a 1-0 victory over the New York Islanders. Ilya Samsonov made 26 saves for his second shutout of the season. The Capitals (64 points) hold a one-point lead over the Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins for the top spot in the MassMutual East Division.

Speaking of the Penguins, Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust, Kasperi Kapanen and Teddy Blueger each had a goal and an assist in a 5-1 win over the New Jersey Devils, Kapanen returned to action after missing 13 games with a lower-body injury. The Penguins hold second place over the Islanders with 30 wins.

The Boston Bruins picked up their sixth straight win by beating the Buffalo Sabres 5-1. David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand each had a goal and an assist and Jeremy Swayman kicked out 29 shots. The Bruins sit in fourth place in the East Division with 60 points, three behind the Islanders and eight up on the New York Rangers.

Two power-play goals by James van Riemsdyk powered the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-2 victory over the Rangers. Brian Elliott made 33 saves for the Flyers (49 points), who sit three points back of the fifth-place Rangers in the East Division.

Matt Murray had a 31-save shutout as the Ottawa Senators blanked the Vancouver Canucks 3-0. Drake Batherson had a goal and an assist as the Senators have won four of their last five games.

IN OTHER NEWS…

SPORTSNET: Arizona Coyotes winger Conor Garland is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

STAR-TRIBUNE.COM: The Minnesota Wild re-signed forward Ryan Hartman to a three-year, $5.1 million contract extension. The annual average value is $1.7 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hartman accepted a slight pay cut from his currently $1.9 million AAV for the security of an extra year. Cap Friendly indicates the signing leaves the Wild with $59.6 million invested in 13 players for 2021-22.

TSN: Only four players were on the NHL’s COVID-19 list yesterday. Three of them were the Avalanche’s Joonas Donskoi, Philipp Grubauer and Mikko Rantanen. The fourth was the Devils’ P.K. Subban.

Frank Seravalli reports the NHL and NHLPA have given the International Olympic Committee until the end of May for a financial commitment for the 2022 Winter Olympics because they need to set their schedule for next season.

THE SEATTLE TIMES: The Seattle Kraken are being sued by Seattle’s Kraken Lounge for $3.5 million. The lawsuit alleges the risk of irreparable harm to their brand name due to the team’s name choice and plans to open the Kraken Bar & Grill at their planned training facility.










NHL Rumor Mill – April 16, 2021

by | Apr 16, 2021

NHL Rumor Mill – April 16, 2021

​Expect more three-team trades involving salary retention plus the latest Flyers and Canucks speculation for the offseason in today’s NHL rumor mill.

TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports the NHL had no issue with the three-team trades involving salary retention that took placed leading up to the recent trade deadline. Some team executives weren’t comfortable with a player’s salary being retained by two teams before being acquired by the third team. However, there is no money outside the system, all the salary-cap money is accounted for, and a hockey asset was acquired by the team.

Expect to see more deals in the future similar to the three-team trade that sent Nick Foligno to the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: LeBrun also suggested in The Athletic that teams with salary-cap space acting as third-party brokers in trades between cap-strapped teams will happen more frequently under the flattened salary cap. He feels we can expect to see more teams renting out salary-cap space to acquire draft picks.

Some observers called it salary-cap circumvention but there’s nothing in the collective bargaining agreement preventing teams from doing this. This provides a measure of much-needed flexibility for teams in salary-cap hell because of the unexpected adverse effect of COVID-19 upon hockey-related revenue. I doubt we’ll see this avenue blocked off in the next round of collective bargaining.

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: Jordan Hall believes Philadelphia Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher faces some tough decisions in the offseason to address his club’s shortcomings following this disappointing season. He believes the trade market is the best route for Fletcher because of salary-cap limitations.

They need a top-pairing defenseman and Hall suggests drawing from their forward depth to address that need. Fletcher, however, cautioned that type of player is difficult to find though he’ll see what opportunities present themselves this summer and see how some of the Flyers blueliners perform over the remainder of the season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor shares Hall’s viewpoint that a big move this summer could be required to address the Flyers’ blueline situation.

Trading a forward for a defenseman, however, won’t be easy under the flattened salary cap. Claude Giroux and Kevin Hayes have big cap hits and no-movement clauses. Jakub Voracek and James van Riemsdyk lack no-trade protection but their expensive contracts won’t be easy to move unless a three-team trade similar to those described by LeBrun takes place.

Sean Couturier could be a solid bargaining chip. He’s a year away from unrestricted free agent status but do the Flyers really want to part with the defending Selke Trophy winner? Rival GMs could have more interest in younger, cheaper forwards like Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton, Oskar Lindblom or Joel Farabee. On their own, however, those players won’t fetch a No-1 defenseman.

I’m not saying it’s impossible. Fletcher could address his blue-line need with some creativity in the trade market. Nevertheless, Flyers fans must be realistic with their expectations. Fletcher could opt to shore up his second and third-pairing depth if he can’t land a top-pairing guy.

THE PROVINCE: Patrick Johnston recently reported the Vancouver Canucks have limited salary-cap space for next season after re-signing Tanner Pearson and Thatcher Demko. They’ll also be re-signing restricted free agents Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes this summer, leaving even less room to fill out the remainder of the roster.

GM Jim Benning doesn’t expect to have any salary-cap issues this summer. Johnston speculates winger Jake Virtanen could be traded. Virtanen and forward Antoine Roussel could be bought out with limited impact on next year’s salary-cap total. They could also get some cap relief if center Jay Beagle is sidelined longer than anticipated.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 16, 2021

by | Apr 16, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 16, 2021

​Recaps of Thursday’s action include milestones for Tuukka Rask and Nicklas Backstrom, the Canucks’ Friday game is postponed plus the latest on Steven Stamkos and Jack Eichel in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Taylor Hall scored his first goal with the Boston Bruins and Tuukka Rask picked up his 300th career NHL victory after returning from injury in a 4-1 win over the New York Islanders. Brad Marchand scored twice for the Bruins, who sit fourth in the MassMutual East Division with 52 points. The Islanders are in second place with 58 points.

Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (NHL Images).

The Washington Capitals failed to widen their lead over the Isles as they were upset 5-2 by the Buffalo Sabres. Washington center Nicklas Backstrom picked up an assist in his 1,000th career NHL game. Anders Bjork had a goal and an assist for the Sabres. The Capitals remain atop the East with 60 points.

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin picked up his second straight shutout over the New Jersey Devils with a 4-0 victory. Artemi Panarin scored two goals as the Rangers (48 points) remain four points behind the Bruins and two ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Speaking of the Flyers, they got shootout goals from Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier to nip the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1. Carter Hart kicked out 31 shots for the Flyers. The Penguins are in third place with 57 points, one back of the second-place Islanders.

The Carolina Hurricanes moved into first place in the Discover Central Division by downing the Nashville Predators 4-1. Andrei Svechnikov and Vincent Trocheck each had a goal and an assist to give the Hurricanes 60 points in the standings. The Predators, meanwhile, are in fourth place with 49 points.

An overtime goal by Victor Hedman gave the Tampa Bay Lightning a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers. Alex Killorn had a goal and an assist for Tampa Bay. The Lightning also announced they placed captain Steven Stamkos on long-term injury reserve with a lower-body injury retroactive to April 9. Tampa Bay also has 60 points but sits second in the Central on the basis of games played while the Panthers are one point behind them.

Jakub Vrana scored his first goal with the Detroit Red Wings as they upset the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1. Troy Stecher also scored two goals for the Wings to extend their win streak to three games. The loss leaves the Blackhawks (45 points) four points behind the Predators.

The Dallas Stars kept their playoff hopes alive by dropping the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1. Denis Gurianov scored twice and collected an assist as the Stars are one point back of the Blackhawks.

Two-goal performances by Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connors carried the Winnipeg Jets to a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto center Auston Matthews missed the game with an undisclosed injury and is listed as day-to-day. The Jets (57 points) moved to within three points of the first-place Leafs in the Scotia North Division.

THE PROVINCE: The Vancouver Canucks’ scheduled game tonight against the Edmonton Oilers was postponed because of player preparation concerns. The Canucks last played on March 24 and their schedule was postponed on March 31 by COVID-19.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s speculation Saturday’s game could also be postponed. It wouldn’t surprise me if it takes another week before the Canucks can safely ice a healthy roster. This latest postponement came about after the players raised concerns with the NHLPA that they hadn’t fully recovered in time for Friday’s contest with the Oilers.

WGR 550: Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams denied reports claiming team captain Jack Eichel would soon undergo surgery to repair a season-ending herniated disk in his neck. He said Eichel will continue to rehab the injury and he’ll be reevaluated in May.










NHL ProteauType: It’s Time To Blow Up Flyers’ Core

by | Apr 15, 2021

NHL ProteauType: It’s Time To Blow Up Flyers’ Core

 










NHL Rumor Mill – April 13, 2021

by | Apr 13, 2021

NHL Rumor Mill – April 13, 2021

​In today’s NHL rumor mill: the fallout from yesterday’s NHL trade deadline includes Taylor Hall hoping to remain a Bruin, the Penguins asking about Ryan Getzlaf, and the Flyers, Flames and Red Wings look ahead to the offseason.

NBC SPORTS BOSTON: Darren Hartwell reports Taylor Hall said he’d be willing to sign with the Bruins if things work out with them over the remainder of this season. Hall was acquired by the Bruins in the early-morning hours before yesterday’s 3 pm ET trade deadline.

Boston Bruins left wing Taylor Hall (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That will depend upon his performance and what kind of contract he seeks if he plays well enough to convince Bruins general manager Don Sweeney that he’s worth keeping.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Dan Kingerski cites a well-placed Penguins source saying Brian Burke, the club’s president of hockey operations, contacted the Anaheim Ducks to inquire into the availability of captain Ryan Getzlaf. This was done before the Penguins went on to acquire Jeff Carter from the Los Angeles Kings before yesterday’s trade deadline.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Burke can’t be blamed for inquiring but it’s clear Getzlaf wants to stay in Anaheim and Ducks GM Bob Murray wants to keep him. Kingerski also said Getzlaf and Murray have mutually expressed expectation that the Ducks captain will return for another season.

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Mike Sielski reports Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher has no intention of changing his coaching staff during the offseason. A roster shakeup could be in store in the offseason as Fletcher looks to the long term to address his struggling club’s needs. Sielski calls on Fletcher to make some bold moves this summer to fix his stale roster.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Calling on Fletcher to make big moves in one thing. Pulling them off is another in a flattened salary-cap world.

They’ll need to bring in a younger 1-A goaltender to share the crease with Carter Hart until the latter gets his confidence back. Finding a suitable replacement for the retired Matt Niskanen on the blueline is a must.

As for which players should be moved to breathe some fresh life into a stale roster, Claude Giroux has a year left on his contract but also a no-movement clause and an $8.25 million cap hit. Winger Jakub Voracek lacks no-trade protection but his $8.25 million cap hit through 2023-24 is pretty much a trade deterrent.

Winger James van Riemsdyk has surfaced in trade rumors but his $7 million cap hit through 2022-23 and inconsistent production is tough to move. It seems they’re stuck with one-dimensional defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and his $4.5 million cap hit through 2022-23.

THE ATHLETIC: Hailey Salvian believes the Calgary Flames trading Sam Bennett yesterday to the Florida Panthers could herald more changes to come in the summer following this disappointing season. She wonders if core players such as Johnny Gaudreau or Sean Monahan could be part of those changes.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flames have steadily declined since topping the Western Conference standings two years ago. GM Brad Treliving won’t be making a coaching change after replacing Geoff Ward in midseason with Darryl Sutter. Any roster moves he makes this summer will involve plenty of consultation with Sutter.

Gaudreau seems the most likely trade candidate as he’s a year away from unrestricted free agent eligibility. His five-team no-trade list doesn’t kick in until July 28. Monahan has two years left on his contract. That could make him more enticing in the trade market but he has a 10-team no-trade list.

MLIVE.COM: Ansar Khan reports Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman will wait until the offseason before making decisions on whether to re-sign his unrestricted free agents or retain head coach Jeff Blashill. He indicated this summer’s expansion draft will also play a part in which players he retains.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 13, 2021

by | Apr 13, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 13, 2021

​Recaps of Monday’s action following the trade deadline, the stars of the week are revealed, the Kings re-sign Alex Iafallo, the Flyers re-up Scott Laughton, and much more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Nathan MacKinnon extended his points streak to 10 games with a goal and an assist as the Colorado Avalanche held off the Arizona Coyotes 4-2. Mikko Rantanen scored twice for Colorado as they’ve won 16 of their last 19 contests. With 62 points, the Avalanche sit atop the Honda West Division and the NHL’s overall standings. The Coyotes (43 points) remain one point back of the fourth-place St. Louis Blues.

Vegas Golden Knights winger Max Pacioretty (NHL Images).

Vegas Golden Knights winger Max Pacioretty netted his 300th career NHL goal as his club scored four unanswered goals to beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-2. The Golden Knights remain four points behind the first-place Avs in the West Division.

A franchise-record 46-save shutout performance by Anthony Stolarz carried the Anaheim Ducks over the San Jose Sharks 4-0. Alexander Volkov scored two goals for the Kings. The loss leaves the Sharks (40 points) four points behind the Blues.

The Montreal Canadiens doubled up the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to snap Leafs goalie Jack Campbell’s 11-game winning streak. Montreal winger Tomas Tatar scored twice while Leafs star Auston Matthews tallied his league-leading 32nd of the season. The Canadiens sit in fourth place in the Scotia North Division with 45 points, 14 back of the first-place Leafs.

Ottawa Senators winger Brady Tkachuk tallied two goals in a 4-2 upset of the Winnipeg Jets. Senators forward Connor Brown extended his goal-scoring streak to eight games. The Jets remain in second place in the North with 53 points.

An overtime goal by Brandon Hagel gave the Chicago Blackhawks a 4-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Patrik Laine scored twice for the Jackets, who sit eight points behind the fourth-place Nashville Predators in the Discover Central Division. The fifth-place Blackhawks, meanwhile, sit just two points back of the Predators.

The Detroit Red Wings spoiled the 1,000th career NHL game of Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal by dropping the Hurricanes 3-1. Wings goaltender Jonathan Bernier made 37 saves as his teammates tallied three third-period goals. The loss leaves the Hurricanes tied with the Tampa Bay Lighting with 58 points but the latter holds first place in the Central Division on the basis of wins.

The NHL postponed Monday’s game between the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild. The game is rescheduled for May 12.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews and Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz are the three stars for the week ending April 11, 2021.

LOS ANGELES TIMES: The Kings signed forward Alex Iafallo to a four-year contract extension worth an annual average value of $4 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Contract talks between the Kings and Iafallo went through most of Monday before an agreement was reached before the 3 pm ET trade deadline. Having traded long-time veteran forward Jeff Carter to Pittsburgh, the Kings cleared sufficient cap room to keep the 27-year-old Iafallo as they continue their rebuild.

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: The Flyers signed forward Scott Laughton to a five-year contract extension worth an annual salary-cap hit of $3 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Like Iafallo, Laughton’s contract talks carried on until close to the trade deadline. Both players were considered potential trade candidates if their respective teams failed to re-sign them before the 3 pm ET deadline. This is an affordable signing by the Flyers, retaining a versatile, energetic 26-year-old player who could help them rebound from this difficult season going forward.

WIVB.COM: Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said Jack Eichel will remain sidelined for a while. The Sabres captain has been out since March 7 with an upper-body injury. With 15 games remaining, this could be season-ending for Eichel.

THE ORANGE COUNTRY REGISTER: Anaheim Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm could miss the remainder of the season with a fractured wrist suffered on Feb. 27 against the Vegas Golden Knights.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins forward Branden Tanev could be sidelined for the rest of the regular season with an undisclosed injury.

OTTAWA SUN: The Senators claimed defenseman Victor Mete off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens.

NJ.COM: The Dallas Stars claimed blueliner Sami Vatanen off waivers from the New Jersey Devils.