NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 31, 2022

by | Oct 31, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 31, 2022

Marc-Andre Fleury sets a league record, Artemi Panarin and Jesper Bratt maintain their hot starts to the season while Jack Eichel and Trevor Zegras are overtime heroes. Get the details in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Marc-Andre Fleury picked up his league-record 62nd shootout victory to backstop the Minnesota Wild (4-4-1) over the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3. Fleury made 23 saves in regulation and overtime, Matt Boldy scored twice in regulation while Kirill Kaprizov and Frederick Gaudreau tallied in the shootout. Alex Stalock made 32 saves for the Blackhawks (4-3-1).

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Blackhawks announced that defenseman Seth Jones is expected to be sidelined for three-to-four weeks with an injured right thumb. It’s a big blow to their defense corps as Jones averaged a team-leading 25:14 of ice time per game.

The New Jersey Devils lifted their record to 6-3-0 with a 7-1 drubbing of the Columbus Blue Jackets, dropping the latter’s record to 3-7-0. Jesper Bratt extended his season-opening points streak to nine games with a goal and an assist while Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes also had two points each. Elvis Merzlikins made 46 saves for the Jackets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jackets have a league-worst goals-against per game of 4.40 but their netminders aren’t getting much help from their defense. They’ve given up the eighth-most shots-against per game (34.5) thus far. They’re also not getting much goal support as their 2.60 goals-per-game sits 28th

New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin had a goal and two assists while Mika Zibanejad’s third-period goal snapped a 2-2 tie to nip the Arizona Coyotes 3-2. It’s Panarin’s third multi-point game thus far, sitting one behind Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid. Coyotes rookie Dylan Guenther collected two assists while goalie Connor Ingram made 36 saves. The Rangers improve to 5-3-2 while the Coyotes fall to 2-5-1.

An overtime goal by Trevor Zegras lifted the Anaheim Ducks to a 4-3 upset of the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was Zegras’ second goal of the game while John Gibson kicked out 33 shots as the Ducks got their second win of the season (2-6-1). Leafs center Auston Matthews tallied his third goal of the season as his club’s record fell to 4-4-2.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Four of the Leafs losses this season have come against rebuilding teams (Ducks, Canadiens, Coyotes) or struggling ones (Sharks). They’re winless in their last four (0-2-2).

Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel tallied in overtime to down the Winnipeg Jets 2-1. Mark Stone scored the tying goal for the Golden Knights (8-2-0) after Adam Lowry opened the scoring for the Jets as they drop to 5-3-1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets got a point out of this thanks to a 46-save performance from Connor Hellebuyck.

IN OTHER NEWS…

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Derian Hatcher and Bob Gainey were formally inducted Sunday into the Dallas Stars Hall of Fame. Hatcher was the Stars captain for nine seasons, including their 1999 Stanley Cup championship. Gainey spent 12 seasons as the Stars coach and general manager, building their Stanley Cup roster by acquiring Ed Belfour, Joe Nieuwendyk, Brett Hull and Sergei Zubov.

TSN: Speaking of the Stars, forward Ty Dellandrea was fined $2,333.33 by the NHL department of player safety for interference on New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin on Saturday.

GOPHNX.COM: Craig Morgan reports sources said the Tempe City Council will likely refer the Arizona Coyotes’ proposed arena and entertainment district to a referendum, leaving the decision up to Tempe voters. The referendum would be held sometime in 2023.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 29, 2022

by | Oct 29, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 29, 2022

The Bruins and Golden Knights get identical shutout victories, Islanders winger Josh Bailey scores in a milestone game, the Hurricanes trade Ethan Bear to the Canucks, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Boston Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark stopped 30 shots for his first shutout of the season in a 4-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, dropping the latter’s record to 3-6-0. David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist to move into first place in the NHL scoring race with 17 points while the Bruins lead the league with a record of 8-1-0.

Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Brad Marchand took a scheduled game off from this one after making his season debut on Thursday. He underwent double hip surgery in May.

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Logan Thompson made 29 saves for his league-leading second shutout of the season to blank the Anaheim Ducks 4-0. Reilly Smith and William Karlsson each had a goal and an assist for the Golden Knights, who are 7-2-1 thus far this season. The Ducks, meanwhile, fell to 1-6-1.

New York Islanders winger Josh Bailey scored in his 1,000th career NHL game in a 6-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Brock Nelson tallied twice and Ilya Sorokin made 33 saves for the Islanders, who improved their record to 4-4-0. Brent Burns scored his first goal for the Hurricanes, who are 4-2-1 in their first seven games.

An overtime goal by Blake Wheeler gave the Winnipeg Jets a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes, spoiling the latter’s home opener at the 5,000-seat Mullet Arena in Tempe. The Coyotes (2-4-1) opened the scoring on two goals by Christian Fischer but the Jets (5-3-0) rallied on goals by Cole Perfetti and Mark Scheifele to set the stage for Wheeler’s winner.

Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat scored twice to lead his club over the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1. Spencer Martin turned aside 34 shots to give the Canucks their second win of the season (2-5-2) while the Penguins (4-3-1) have dropped three straight games.

The New Jersey Devils got a 24-save shutout from Vitek Vanecek and a goal from Jack Hughes to upset the Colorado Avalanche 1-0. The win moves the Devils to 5-3-0 while the Avs drop to 4-3-1. The Avalanche were without winger Valeri Nichushkin, who is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. 

IN OTHER NEWS…

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: The Carolina Hurricanes traded defenseman Ethan Bear and prospect forward Lane Pederson to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2023. The Hurricanes also retained 18 percent of Bear’s $2.2 million salary for this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This move wasn’t unexpected. The Hurricanes had been shopping Bear for several weeks as he became the odd man out on their deep defense corps. The Canucks were in the market for a right-side defenseman and were reportedly quite interested in Bear.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: The NHL department of player safety suspended Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen for two games for high-sticking Boston Bruins center David Krejci, who is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

NEW YORK POST: Rangers center Filip Chytil has resumed practicing with his teammates but is still expected to miss the next two games with what is believed to be a head injury.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators defenseman Artum Zub is out for one-to-two weeks with an upper-body injury.










NHL Rumor Mill – October 26, 2022

by | Oct 26, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – October 26, 2022

In today’s NHL Rumor Mill: the latest Patrick Kane speculation, updates on the Canucks and Wild, and Barry Trotz hints he might be interested someday in coaching an Original Six franchise.

LATEST PATRICK KANE SPECULATION

SPORTSNET: ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski appeared on the Jeff Marek show last week where the future of Patrick Kane was among the topics of discussion.

Marek speculated the Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes and Calgary Flames could come calling if the long-time Chicago Blackhawks winger becomes available in this season’s trade market. He and Wyshynski ruled out the Florida Panthers given their lack of draft capital to use as trade bait.

Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t doubt Kane could attract interest from some or all of those clubs if he’s willing to be moved before the March 3 trade deadline. The problem, of course, is salary-cap space. Leaving aside Kane’s full no-movement clause, his $10.5 million cap hit would be difficult to move even in a year when teams had plenty of salary-cap room.

According to Cap Friendly, the Lightning will have $3.5 million in trade deadline cap space. The Panthers will have $5.27 million, the Hurricanes $6.8 million, the Avalanche $1.4 million, and the Flames $6.05 million. That’s assuming they don’t have to dip into their respective cap space between now and deadline day to replace key players sidelined by injuries or use it to address other roster needs.

The Golden Knights, meanwhile, have no projected deadline cap space so I don’t them getting involved in any bidding for Kane. Those other teams, meanwhile, must either clear significant cap room (which they can’t afford to do without weakening their roster depth) or convince the Blackhawks to retain up to half of Kane’s cap hit. Even then, that won’t free up enough for some of them to acquire him.

Those clubs can try to include a third team in the deal to spread Kane’s cap hit around and make it more affordable. Doing that, however, means having to sweeten the deal for the Blackhawks and the third team to make it worth their while.

I’m not suggesting it can’t be done. Nevertheless, such a move could seriously deplete a club’s depth in draft picks and prospects to add an expensive playoff rental player.

WHAT WILL THE CANUCKS AND WILD DO?

TSN: Darren Dreger reports that the Vancouver Canucks aren’t about to hit the panic button over their poor start this season. However, he feels they’re getting “dangerously close to having to put everything on the table.”

One option would be a “hefty renovation” involving shipping out key players for draft picks. Another is a short-term fix involving a trade but there’s no guarantee the right player will be available in a timely fashion. The third could be replacing Bruce Boudreau as head coach.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I touched on this subject yesterday. What usually happens this early in the season is the coaching change. It’s the easiest move to make and sometimes it can quickly reverse a struggling team’s fortunes. Canucks management could surprise us and go with the other two options but I think replacing Boudreau is their likely choice.

Pierre LeBrun cited remarks made by Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin in a recent interview with The Athletic’s Michael Russo regarding his club’s slow start. Guerin had said, “We’re not going to trade our way out of this,” putting the onus on his players to improve. The Wild GM stuck by his remarks when LeBrun contacted him.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Wild have since shown signs of improvement by going 2-0-1 after losing their first three games.

TROTZ IS INTRIGUED ABOUT COACHING AN ORIGINAL SIX CLUB

NHL.COM: During an appearance on the “Cam and Strick” podcast on Tuesday, former NHL head coach Barry Trotz said he’d be intrigued by the notion of coaching an Orignal Six franchise if the opportunity presented itself.

For now, Trotz said he’s not quite ready yet to return to the NHL coaching ranks. He was fired by the New York Islanders on May 9. He spent 23 seasons with the Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals and the Islanders, winning the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018 and guiding the Isles to consecutive conference finals appearances in 2020 and 2021.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 26, 2022

by | Oct 26, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 26, 2022

Recaps of Tuesday’s games including the Golden Knight’s Phil Kessel setting the league’s Ironman record and the Wild’s Marc-Andre Fleury reaching a goaltending milestone, plus the latest on the Canadiens’ Carey Price and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Phil Kessel set the NHL’s Ironman record by playing his 990th consecutive game and scored his 400th career goal as the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-2. Shea Theodore had a goal and an assist while Adin Hill made 29 saves for the win as the Golden Knights improved their record to 6-2-0 while the Sharks drop to 2-7-0.

Vegas Golden Knights winger Phil Kessel (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to Kessel on setting a league record for consecutive games and reaching the 400-goal milestone.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves to backstop the Minnesota Wild over the Montreal Canadiens 3-1. It was Fleury’s 944th career game, moving him past Curtis Joseph into sixth place on the all-time games-played list for NHL goaltenders. Joel Eriksson Ek scored twice for the Wild as their record improves to 2-3-1 while the Canadiens fall to 3-4-0.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Habs winger Cole Caufield tallied his fifth goal in seven games.

New Jersey Devils winger Jesper Bratt scored twice and collected an assist as his club defeated the Detroit Red Wings 6-2, handing the latter their first regulation loss of the season. Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton and Ryan Graves each had two points for the Devils (4-3-0) while Dylan Larkin and Dominik Kubalik replied for the Red Wings (3-1-2).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Devils winger Ondrej Palat missed this game with a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day.

Colorado Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev kicked out 44 shots against his former club in a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers. Mikko Rantanen and Evan Rodrigues scored in the shootout as the Avs record moves up to 4-2-1. Adam Fox scored for the Rangers (3-2-2) in the third period to send the game into overtime and the shootout.

The Boston Bruins got goals from David Pastrnak, Taylor Hall and Patrice Bergeron to down the Dallas Stars 3-1. Linus Ullmark made 30 saves as the Bruins improve to 6-1-0 while the Stars fall to 4-2-1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen missed this game with an undisclosed injury and is listed as day-to-day. Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo returned to action after missing four games with a concussion.

Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri scored twice and added an assist while Jacob Markstrom stopped 32 shots in a 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jonathan Huberdeau also scored for the Flames (5-1-0) while Evgeni Malkin replied for the Penguins (4-2-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Penguins winger Jake Guentzel missed his third straight game with an upper-body injury while Jason Zucker is with a suspected right-hip injury suffered during their loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 24.

Jonathan Quick made 23 saves while Gabriel Vilardi had a goal and an assist as the Los Angeles Kings doubled up the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 to improve their record to 4-4-0. The Lightning (3-4-0) got goals from Nikita Kucherov and Brandon Hagel.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Lightning appear to be feeling the effects of a long 2021-22 season and a shortened offseason after their third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

Patrick Kane tallied his first goal of the season and added an assist as the Chicago Blackhawks upset the Florida Panthers 4-2. Alex Stalock stopped 29 shots for the 4-2-0 Blackhawks. Matthew Tkachuk was one of the goal scorers for the Panthers (4-2-1).

The Seattle Kraken improved their record to 3-3-2 by downing the Buffalo Sabres 5-1. Daniel Sprong had a goal and two assists while Martin Jones made 15 saves for the win. The Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin saw his record-setting, season-opening goal streak for defenseman end at five games while his club’s record drops to 4-2-0.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer missed this game as he was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.

Three-point performances by Shayne Gostibehere (two goals, one assist) and Clayton Keller (three assists) powered the Arizona Coyotes (2-4-0) over the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-3, dropping the latter’s record to 3-5-0.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blue Jackets winger Patrik Laine was held scoreless as he returned from injured reserve. Earlier in the day, the Jackets announced forward Justin Danforth will be sidelined for six months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum.

HEADLINES

THE ATHLETIC: Canadiens goaltender Carey Price revealed his battle with alcoholism pushed him to seek help through the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program last fall.

The 35-year-old said it was the combination of coming so close to his goal of winning the Stanley Cup in 2021, followed by knee surgery and the realization that he’s in the latter stages of his career. “I was not a happy person, I wasn’t being a good father. I was drinking a lot,” he said.

Price also admitted the pressure to perform game in and game out was not easy to handle and became a weight on his mind.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Price isn’t ready to retire and continues to explore treatment for his injured knee. What’s most important is his life and health beyond the rink. He recognized he had a problem and sought treatment voluntarily. Best wishes to Price in his ongoing sobriety.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Toronto Maple Leafs placed Jake Muzzin on long-term injury reserve due to a neck injury. It provides the Leafs with an additional $5.625 million of cap relief.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: We don’t know how long Muzzin will be sidelined. If he’s out for the season they could use it to bolster their roster. If he’s not, they’ll have to ensure they’re cap compliant when he returns to action.

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: Flyers winger James van Riemsdyk will undergo surgery on Friday to repair a fractured finger.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A tough break (no pun intended) for van Riemsdyk, who was off to a good start with five points in his first six games of this season.

THE ATHLETIC: The St. Louis Blues placed forward Pavel Buchnevich on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 25, 2022

by | Oct 25, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 25, 2022

Milestones reached by Alex Ovechkin, Phil Kessel, and Shane Pinto, the Canucks’ winless streak continues, the three stars of the week are revealed, Carey Price talks publicly about his future, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin scored what proved to be the winning goal in a 6-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils. Ovechkin moves past Gordie Howe into second place on the all-time game-winning goals list with 122. Goaltender Charlie Lindgren got the win with a 38-save performance while Devils netminder Mackenzie Blackwood got the hook after giving up five goals on 18 shots.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jaromir Jagr is the all-time leader in NHL game-winning goals with 135. The Capitals are 4-3-0 while the Devils drop to 3-3-0.

Vegas Golden Knights winger Phil Kessel tied the NHL’s Ironman record by appearing in his 989th consecutive game as his club downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1. Kessel also picked an assist on the Golden Knights’ game-opening goal. Chandler Stephenson and Michael Amadio scored in the third period to give Vegas the win.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kessel appeared to have scored his 400th career goal in this game but it was overturned as offside by a coach’s challenge. Leafs captain John Tavares briefly left the game after being struck in the leg by a shot but returned and finished the contest. The Golden Knights improved to 5-2-0 while the Leafs are 4-3-0.

Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto set a franchise rookie record during a 4-2 victory over the Dallas Stars. Pinto scored to extend his goal streak to five games while teammate Brady Tkachuk scored and collected an assist. Stars forward Denis Gurianov was a healthy scratch. The Senators’ record is now 4-2-0 while the Stars are 4-1-1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Senators backup Magnus Hellberg made 29 saves as starter Anton Forsberg sat out this game with an undisclosed injury. Before this game, they learned center Josh Norris could be sidelined for at least two weeks with an injured shoulder.

The Vancouver Canucks’ winless streak extended to 0-5-2 as they fell 3-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes(4-1-1). Third-period goals by Sebastian Aho and Jesper Fast snapped a 1-1 tie while J.T. Miller scored twice for the Canucks and teammate Thatcher Demko made 36 saves.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The score flatter the Canucks as they were dominated by the Hurricanes for most of this game. They managed just 16 shots on goal while Demko was peppered by the Canes. The loss capped a lousy day for the Canucks as they learned defenseman Quinn Hughes is week-to-week with a lower-body injury while winger Brock Boeser is day-to-day with an undisclosed ailment.

Leon Draisaitl had a goal and two assists to rally the Edmonton Oilers from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3. Evander Kane, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman each had a goal and an assist for the Oilers while Penguins Rickard Rakell and Jason Zucker each had two points. The Oilers improved to 3-3-0 while the Penguins are 4-1-1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oilers captain Connor McDavid left the game after crashing awkwardly into the Penguins’ net but would return to action.

Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves to shut out the St. Louis Blues 4-0, handing the latter their first loss of the season (3-1-0). Mark Scheifele tallied what proved to be the game-winning goal as his club improved to 3-3-0. Jets head coach Rick Bowness sat out this game as he’s still feeling the after-effects of his bout with COVID-19. 

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk and New Jersey Devils goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood are the NHL’s three stars for the week ending Oct. 23, 2022.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: Canadiens goaltender Carey Price said he has no plans to retire despite a career-threatening knee injury that is expected to sideline him for the entirety of this season.

The 35-year-old netminder admitted it’s been an emotional roller coaster to go from the 2021 Stanley Cup Final to where he is today. He acknowledged the possibility of undergoing another surgery but knows it has a 50 percent success rate and could come with risks to his quality of life away from the game. Price is signed through 2025-26 with an average annual value of $10.5 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Price revealed the possibility of another surgery to The Athletic’s Arpon Basu but this is the first time he’s spoken publicly about it. He hasn’t given up hope of resuming his career but he seems fully aware that it could be a long shot.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Speaking of the Canadiens, rookie winger Juraj Slafkovsky is considered day-to-day after undergoing tests for an upper-body injury.

THE ATHLETIC: Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo is getting close to returning to the lineup after suffering the fifth concussion of his career during an Oct. 15th game against the Arizona Coyotes. He indicated that his vision went black in one of his eyes and he couldn’t follow the play following the hit so he went to the locker room where he was diagnosed with a concussion.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Carlo is aware of the risk of accumulating concussions but insists he still feels very good from a hockey aspect. Nevertheless, he’s reached a worrying level of concern with these injuries that could become career-threatening.

NEW YORK POST: Rangers center Filip Chytil will miss the next four games with a suspected concussion.

TSN: Tyler Ennis has signed with SC Bern of the Swiss National League. The 33-year-old forward scored 144 goals and 202 assists in 700 games over 13 NHL seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators.










NHL Rumor Mill – October 21, 2022

by | Oct 21, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – October 21, 2022

In today’s NHL Rumor Mill: the latest Canadiens speculation, a look at which defensemen the Canucks might target, and the Golden Knights owner weighs in on how his club could invest next season’s cap space.

LATEST ON THE CANADIENS

SPORTSNET: In his latest mailbag segment, Eric Engels was asked how the Montreal Canadiens might address the void in goal if Carey Price’s knee injury brings an end to his playing career.

The club will likely try to identify future starting goalies in the 2023 draft while attempting to develop the prospects within their system. However, Engels anticipates a trade is the most likely way to bolster that position.

With Jake Allen signed for two more seasons, Engels felt there was no immediate need to address that position. Given the type of team they’re trying to develop, they might not need to depend on a goalie the way they did in the past with Price.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: In other words, they might only need a reliable goalie who can rise to the occasion in big-game situations rather than one who can dominate at that position.

That strategy worked for the Colorado Avalanche last season as well as the St. Louis Blues in 2019 and the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. Those clubs, of course, were loaded with stars at other positions. They needed a good goaltender, not a great one.

Montreal Canadiens center Sean Monahan (NHL Images).

However, it’s also worth noting that the star-studded Tampa Bay Lightning won two straight Stanley Cups in part because they also possess a superstar netminder in Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Asked about Sean Monahan’s future with the Canadiens, Engels believes it’ll be a short one. He speculated the Habs could get a first-round pick for the 28-year-old center at the trade deadline if he stays healthy and plays well.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Monahan’s looked good in the early going for the Canadiens. He could fetch a first-rounder at the trade deadline from a playoff contender provided he maintains his current level of performance throughout this season.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: Marco D’Amico recently reported the Canadiens are still searching for a right-shot defenseman despite the recent addition of Jonathan Kovacevic off waivers. They’re still seeking a veteran presence on the blueline for at least the short term.

D’Amico believes they’re not going after a big fish like the Arizona Coyotes’ Jakob Chychrun. They are exploring various options as their lineup is too congested at forward to provide any roster flexibility.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Maybe they’ll consider shopping Monahan for that defenseman? Or perhaps Jonathan Drouin if he also has a healthy and productive early season? Granted, their respective cap hits make them expensive to move at this point in the season. Monahan’s is $6.375 million while Drouin’s is $5.5 million.

WHICH DEFENSEMEN COULD THE CANUCKS TARGET?

SEKERES AND PRICE: TSN analyst Darren Dreger was asked which defensemen the Vancouver Canucks might target in the trade market.

Dreger said the problem is so many teams are looking at the same type of defenseman, namely the Coyotes’ Jakob Chychrun. However, Chychrun is currently unavailable as he’s still recovering from off-season surgery. Teams will want to see him play before making offers but the Coyotes are still setting a high asking price.

Short-term options could include Danny DeKeyser, Thomas Hickey or Jason Demers. In the long-term, perhaps Chychrun becomes more affordable at the trade deadline. The Anaheim Ducks’ John Klingberg could be another deadline option as well as the Ducks’ Kevin Shattenkirk or Dmitry Kulikov, the Coyotes’ Shayne Gostisbehere and Troy Stecher, the Seattle Kraken’s Carson Soucy, and the New Jersey Devils’ Damon Severson.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It doesn’t appear as though there are any quality options available right now to the Canucks or any other club in the market for blueline help. Many of those players Dreger rattled off could certainly become obtainable at the deadline but that could be too late to help the struggling Canucks.

HOW WILL THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS INVEST THEIR FUTURE CAP SPACE?

THE ATHLETIC: Jesse Granger recently interviewed Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley. At one point, Granger indicated that next season’s salary cap could rise by $4 million and asked Foley how that might affect the club’s plans.

The Golden Knights owner replied that it would give them the opportunity to pursue “another really quality forward.” He felt they were fine at center but could use more depth among their top-nine forwards.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Something for Golden Knights fans to keep in mind if the cap does rise by $4 million next summer.