NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 28, 2024

by | Aug 28, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 28, 2024

The latest on Panthers center Sam Bennett, the Canucks’ goalie options if Thatcher Demko is unavailable for training camp, Wild GM Bill Guerin talks about his expectations for this season and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

THE SCORE: Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett offers no apologies for his physical style of play and that of his teammates.

Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett (NHL Images).

“There’s definitely a lot of people that don’t like the way I play,” said Bennett during his appearance on TSN’s “First Up with Korolnek and Colaiacovo”. “I think it goes for a lot of guys on our team. It’s kind of part of what makes us successful, I think. We have so many guys willing to do what it takes to win.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Two straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final and a championship this season speaks to the success of the Panthers’ style of play. However, physicality isn’t the only reason. They have stars like Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart and Sergei Bobrovsky, underrated players like Carter Verhaeghe and Gustav Forsling, and skilled, gritty versatile two-way players like Bennett.

This season could be more challenging for Bennett and his teammates. The Panthers lost Brandon Montour, Vladimir Tarasenko, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Anthony Stolarz, Nick Cousins and Kevin Stenlund to free agency this summer. Meanwhile, injuries have hampered long-time defenseman Aaron Ekblad.

The Panthers face a daunting challenge reaching the Stanley Cup Final for a third straight year. The Tampa Bay Lightning did it in 2022, making them the first team to do so since the 1985 Edmonton Oilers.

THE PROVINCE: Patrick Johnston examined the options for the Vancouver Canucks to shore up their goaltending depth. Starter Thatcher Demko remains questionable for training camp as he rehabs an undisclosed injury.

Netminders Arturs Silovs, Jiri Patera, and Nikita Tolopilo will be in training camp, with Silovs and Patera having some NHL experience.

Options include a professional tryout offer to unrestricted free agent goalies, signing a UFA like Kevin Lankinen to a one-year contract, claiming a netminder off waivers, or making a trade.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The cost of adding another goalie will be a factor. Vancouver is pressed against the $88 million salary cap but can garner some cap relief by placing sidelined defenseman Tucker Poolman and his $2.5 million contract on long-term injury reserve.

THE SCORE: Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin acknowledged the difficulties his club has faced due to the ongoing salary-cap constraints from the contract buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Nevertheless, he’s expecting a bounce-back performance following their disappointing 2023-24 campaign.

Guerin believes injuries were to blame for his club missing the playoffs last season. “If we can stay healthy, we can get back to our 100-point seasons and get back into the playoffs and improve on what we’ve done.”

The Wild GM also believes his scorers must get off to a better start this season. He’s also hoping 2022 draft pick Liam Ohgren can be an impact player and expects promising goalie Jesper Wallstedt will see more playing time.

TSN: Chris Johnston reports the Toronto Maple Leafs have concerns about Jani Hakanpaa’s knee injury.

The Leafs reportedly agreed to terms on a two-year contract with the 32-year-old defenseman. However, Johnston reports he hasn’t signed a deal with them.

Johnston claims Hakanpaa’s knee is “basically bone on bone by this point”. The blueliner believes he can still play but medical opinions suggest otherwise.

The longer this goes, the less likely Hakanpaa will have a contract with the Leafs for the coming season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Johnston noted the last time Leafs GM Brad Treliving spoke about Hakanpaa’s status was during the introduction of Auston Matthews as their new captain two weeks ago.

At the time, Treliving said the situation would be resolved one way or another soon. We’ll likely know by the start of the Leafs training camp on Sep. 22.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Canucks’ AHL affiliate in Abbotsford hired Justin Pogge as their new goaltending coach.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 9, 2024

by | Feb 9, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 9, 2024

The Bruins shut out the Canucks in the battle of the league’s top teams, the Hurricanes’ Martin Necas nets a quick hat trick, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Two shorthanded first-period goals by Brad Marchand and Danton Heinen powered the Boston Bruins to a 4-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in the battle of the league’s top-two teams. Linus Ullmark made 17 saves for the shutout while David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle each had two points for the 32-10-9 Bruins, who sit first in the Eastern Conference and sit second in the overall standings with 73 points. The Canucks (73 points) maintain first overall with two more victories (34-12-5) than the Bruins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet summed it up best following this game when he said the Bruins’ best players turned up to play while those on his club did not. Giving up two shorthanded goals in the first period put the Canucks on the back foot for the rest of the game.

Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas (NHL Images).

A natural hat trick by Martin Necas in the opening 16:51 carried the Carolina Hurricanes over the Colorado Avalanche 5-2. Teuvo Teravainen collected four assists for the Hurricanes (29-16-5) as they sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division with 63 points. Zach Parise scored his first goal of the season for the 32-16-4 Avalanche as they remain in second place in the Central Division with 68 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta with a lower-body injury while defenseman Brett Pesce missed this game due to illness. Meanwhile, Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon was held scoreless and remains in second place in the NHL scoring race with 85 points.

Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny had a Gordie Howe hat trick (a goal, an assist and a fight) in a 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets, leaving the latter winless in five games (0-4-1). Samuel Ersson stopped 28 shots while Ryan Poehling had a goal and an assist for the 27-19-6 Flyers, who remain in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 60 points. Kyle Connor scored for the Jets (30-14-5) as they sit third in the Central Division with 65 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Less than a month ago, the Jets were jockeying for first place in the overall standings. There’s plenty of time for them to pull out of this current skid but this is reminiscent of last season when the Jets stumbled down the stretch following a strong first half of the season and barely made the playoffs.

The Florida Panthers doubled up the Washington Capitals 4-2 on third-period goals by Ryan Lomberg and Eetu Luostarinen. Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and two assists for the Panthers (32-15-4), who sit in second place in the Eastern Conference with 68 points. Alex Ovechkin netted his 11th goal of the season for the 22-20-7 Capitals, who are winless in their last six games (0-5-1).

New York Islanders forwards Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal each had a goal and an assist to thump the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2. Ilya Sorokin turned aside 18 shots for the 22-17-12 Islanders (56 points) as they sit two points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth. Nikita Kucherov scored for Tampa Bay (27-20-5) as he holds a two-point lead over Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon in the scoring race with 87 points. The Lightning hold the first Eastern wild-card spot with 59 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev could be out for the season after undergoing surgery on Thursday to repair a fractured tibia and fibula in his left leg suffered during Wednesday’s game against the New York Rangers.

A three-goal first period enabled the Vegas Golden Knights to hold off the Arizona Coyotes by a score of 3-2. Jonathan Marchessault and Nicolas Hague scored 58 seconds apart for the Golden Knights (31-15-6), who sit second in the Pacific Division with 68 points. Connor Ingram got the hook after giving up three goals on six shots for the 23-23-9 Coyotes.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Coyotes forward Barrett Hayton returned to action after missing nearly three months with an upper-body injury.

The Calgary Flames kept their playoff hopes alive with a 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. Jacob Markstrom kicked out 37 shots, Connor Zary and Andrew Mangiapane each had a goal and an assist and Andrei Kuzmenko tallied his second goal in as many games with the Flames (24-22-5) as they sit one point out of the final Western Conference wild-card berth with 53 points. Ondrej Palat tallied twice and Jesper Bratt had three assists for the 25-21-3 Devils (53 points) as they sit five points out of the final Eastern wild-card spot.

HEADLINES

STLTODAY.COM: Blues defenseman Justin Faulk and Scott Perunovich are listed as week-to-week with lower-body injuries.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Stars forward Mason Marchment was fined $5,000 by the NHL department of player safety for interference against Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe on Wednesday.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson is expected to miss Saturday’s game against the Maple Leafs with a lower-body injury.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: San Jose Sharks winger Anthony Duclair recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new outdoor synthetic ice surface on the campus of Boyd H. Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida.

USA HOCKEY: Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin has been named the GM of Team USA for the NHL’s 2025 4 Nations Face-off tournament and the 2026 Winter Olympics.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Former NHL defenseman Janne Niinimaa was recently found guilty by a Helsinki court of tax fraud for failing to report over 300,000 euros in earnings from the United States in 2020. It was determined that he still owes nearly 55,000 euros in income tax in his native Finland. Niinimaa, 48, received a four-month suspended sentence and must pay those back taxes as well as cover the court costs and pay a standard crime victim fee.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 15, 2023

by | Dec 15, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 15, 2023

Lightning stars Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov enjoy milestone performances, the Blue Jackets beat the Leafs after blowing a huge lead, the Canucks honor Roberto Luongo, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos enjoyed his first-ever four-goal game while Nikita Kucherov becomes the first player this season to reach 50 points in a 7-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Andrei Vasilevskiy kicked out 53 shots as the Lightning (14-12-5) sit just outside the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot with 33 points. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had three points and Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist for the 13-13-1 Oilers as their win streak ended at eight games.

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: With 40 points, McDavid now sits 10 behind Kucherov in the scoring race while his Oilers (27 points) are two points out of the final Western Conference wild-card spot. Meanwhile, Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury.

The Columbus Blue Jackets blew a 5-0 lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs but prevailed 6-5 on an overtime goal by Kent Johnson, who finished the night with two goals and an assist. Elvis Merzlikins stopped 43 shots for the 10-16-5 Blue Jackets as he returned to action after missing three games to an illness. Auston Matthews scored twice and added an assist while Mitch Marner had a goal and two assists for the Leafs (15-6-6) as they sit second in the Atlantic Division with 36 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blue Jackets seemed to be cruising to an easy victory entering the third period but the Leafs made it interesting with a five-goal rally. It was a costly win for the Jackets as winger Patrik Laine left this game favoring his left shoulder. Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves departed with a lower-body injury.

After inducting Hall-of-Famer Roberto Luongo into their Ring of Honour, the Vancouver Canucks blanked the Florida Panthers 4-0. Thatcher Demko turned in a 36-save shutout while Dakota Joshua tallied twice for the Canucks, who became the second team to reach 20 wins (41 points) this season and second overall in the Western Conference. The Panthers (17-10-2) sit third in the Atlantic Division with 36 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Demko and his Canucks teammates are starting to look like the squad that Luongo backstopped to five division titles, two Presidents’ Trophies and a run to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final from 2008-09 to 2012-13.

A shootout goal by Bobby Brink gave the Philadelphia Flyers a 4-3 victory over the Washington Capitals. Owen Tippett scored the game-tying goal late in the third period while Morgan Frost collected two points as the Flyers improved to 16-10-3 to sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 35 points. Tom Wilson and Dylan Strome each had a goal and an assist as the Capitals slipped to 14-8-4 (32 points) to sit one point out of an Eastern wild-card berth.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov missed this game due to an illness.

The Carolina Hurricanes nipped the Detroit Red Wings 2-1. Jordan Staal netted the game-winning goal in the second period while Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 25 shots for the Hurricanes (16-12-1), who hold the final Eastern wild-card spot with 33 points based on wins. Ville Husso made 37 saves for the 15-10-4 Red Wings as they hold the first Eastern wild-card berth with 34 points.

Minnesota Wild forward Matt Boldy’s shootout goal gave his club a 3-2 win over the Calgary Flames. Boldy also scored in regulation while Filip Gustavsson turned aside 35 shots for the win as the Wild improved to 11-12-4 (26 points), sitting three points out of the final Western Conference wild-card spot. Yegor Sharangovich had a goal and an assist for the Flames (11-14-5) as they sit two points out of a wild-card spot in the West with 27 points.

The St. Louis Blues doubled up the Ottawa Senators 4-2 in their first game under interim head coach Drew Bannister. Robert Thomas scored twice and set up another while Jordan Binnington made 32 saves as the Blues (14-14-1) snapped a four-game losing skid to move into the final Western wild-card spot with 29 points. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 26 shots for the Senators (11-13-0), who remain in last place in the Eastern Conference with 22 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, Blues forward Jordan Kyrou was asked about the firing of now-former head coach Craig Berube. “I’ve got no comment. He’s not my coach anymore,” said Kyrou.

Those remarks didn’t sit well with Blues fans as they booed Kyrou during this game. He was visibly upset afterward, saying he respected Berube and was only trying to say that he was focusing on his future and helping the team win. Overcome by emotion, Kyrou said, “I love playing here, so it’s tough hearing the fans boo me.”

Speaking of coaching changes, one wonders how much longer the Senators front office will remain patient with bench boss D.J. Smith as the losses mount and another season starts to slip away.

The Seattle Kraken thumped the Chicago Blackhawks 7-1, ending Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard’s 10-game road points streak. Kailer Yamamoto tallied twice while Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and two assists for the 10-14-7 Kraken, who also sit just outside the final Western wild-card spot with 27 points. The Blackhawks, meanwhile, remain mired in last place in the overall standings a record of 9-19-1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, the Kraken indicated goaltender Philipp Grubauer is sidelined week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

HEADLINES

THE ATHLETIC: Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin was the focus of an investigation following a human resources complaint by a team employee alleging verbal abuse in the workplace.

The alleged incident took place in late November. Two team sources claim the investigation is completed and determined Guerin did not commit a fireable offense.

The Wild aren’t commenting on the matter but released a statement indicating they conducted two separate investigations into alleged violations of their code of conduct and took appropriate steps to address those issues. This news comes a day after the club and assistant general manager Chris O’Hearn “mutually agreed to part ways”. Team sources say it was coincidental that the two investigations were concluded almost simultaneously.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said he and league commissioner Gary Bettman had been briefed about the investigations and were satisfied with the results.

SPORTSNET: Oilers winger Zach Hyman is calling for the eradication of antisemitism. Hyman is Jewish and the grandson of Holocaust survivors. “We live in Canada, in the US, where these things (antisemitism) shouldn’t be happening. And we can’t turn a blind eye to it,” he said. “Being a Jewish person doesn’t feel comfortable right now, and that’s a scary feeling.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No one should be the target of hate because of their religion. Freedom of religion is among the rights guaranteed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and under the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Buffalo Sabres placed winger Jeff Skinner (upper body) on injured reserve.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy and center Pavel Zacha were placed on injured reserve.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Arizona Coyotes center Nick Schmaltz (undisclosed injury) will be a game-day decision for Friday’s matchup against the San Jose Sharks. Sean Durzi (lower body) has missed the last two games and is doubtful to face the Sharks.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 20, 2023

by | Nov 20, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 20, 2023

William Nylander extends his points streak as the Leafs win again in Sweden, tough times for the Blue Jackets and Wild, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander extended his season-opening points streak to 17 games with the overtime winner in a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild in the NHL Global Series in Stockholm, Sweden. Nylander and Auston Matthews each had a goal and an assist while Morgan Rielly had a goal and two assists for the 10-5-2 Maple Leafs. Mats Zuccarello had a goal and an assist for the Wild as they slid to 5-8-4 on the season.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nylander remains the Leafs’ best player this season, leading them with 27 points and sitting among the league’s scoring leaders.

The Wild, meanwhile, have been struggling this season, prompting general manager Bill Guerin to express his unhappiness over the club’s performance during a team meeting with players and coaches.

Guerin recently attempted to bolster his blueline by shipping Calen Addison to the San Jose Sharks and adding Zach Bogosian from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Handcuffed by over $14 million in dead cap space due to buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter two years ago, there’s little the Wild GM can do to help his cap-strapped club.

The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2, handing the latter their ninth straight loss. Ryan Poehling had a goal and two assists for the Flyers (10-7-1) as they extended their win streak to five games. Blues Jackets winger Patrik Laine was a healthy scratch as his club fell to 4-11-4. Jackets defenseman Damon Severson left this game during the second period with an upper-body injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jackets have tied their franchise record for the longest losing streak in a season. The Athletic’s Blue Jackets beat writer Aaron Portzline wondered who’ll take the fall for this club’s poor performance. He doesn’t see head coach Pascal Vincent getting the axe less than two months after being hired. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen has been criticized by Jackets fans but he still has the support of team president John Davidson.

The Flyers, meanwhile, placed goaltender Felix Sandstrom on waivers after taking him off injured reserve.

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic returned to the lineup with a 38-save performance to shut out the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0. Ryan Graves, Noel Acciari and Evgeni Malkin scored as the Penguins improved to 9-8-0. Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill stopped 30 shots as his team remains on top of the Western Conference with a record of 13-4-2 (28 points).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jeff Carter returned to the Penguins’ lineup as Vinnie Hinostroza is sidelined by a lower-body injury. The Golden Knights activated Nicolas Hague off injured reserve for this game.

The Buffalo Sabres snapped a three-game losing skid by nipping the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2. Rasmus Dahlin had a goal and two assists for the 8-9-1 Sabres. Philipp Kurashev has a goal and an assist for the Blackhawks as they fell to 5-11-0.

St. Louis Blues netminder Joel Hofer had a 30-save performance in a 3-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks, handing the latter their third straight loss. Pavel Buchnevich scored what proved to be the game-winner as the Blues moved to 9-7-1. John Gibson stopped 28 shots and Mason McTavish scored for the 9-9-0 Ducks.

IN OTHER NEWS…

THE BOSTON GLOBE: Bruins winger Milan Lucic will appear in a Boston court on Monday to face a charge of assault and battery on a family member. Lucic was arrested on Saturday morning following a domestic incident and is on an indefinite leave of absence from the Bruins.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is listed as day-to-day with a knee injury and will miss Monday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 26, 2023

by | Jul 26, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 26, 2023

Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron announced his retirement, Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz has passed away, Wild GM Bill Guerin named the club’s president of hockey operations, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron announced his retirement yesterday through a statement on the club’s website.

Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron announced his retirement(NHL Images).

Bergeron, 38, thanked the many people who supported him during his 19-season NHL career spent entirely with the Bruins. They included the club’s ownership, management, coaches and teammates, as well as his family, his agents and the fans.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: In my opinion, Bergeron was the greatest two-way forward in NHL history and among the great players in Bruins history. He was also one of the classiest and most-respected players to lace up skates in the NHL and should be a first-ballot inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Bergeron was a finalist for the Selke Trophy as the league’s top defensive forward in 12 straight seasons (2011-12 to 2022-23), winning it a record six times. He’s third among the Bruins’ franchise leaders in total games played (1,294), goals (427) and points (1040) and fourth in assists with 613. He helped the Bruins reach the Stanley Cup Final three times (2011, 2013 and 2019), winning the Cup in 2011 and captaining them to 65 wins and 135 points (both NHL records) in 2022-23.

In addition to his NHL success, Bergeron was also a winner on the international stage. He won gold playing for Canada at the 2004 World Championships, 2005 World Junior Championship, and the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. He was also part of Canada’s Spengler Cup win in 2012 and the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Shukri Wrights wondered who will replace Bergeron as the Bruins’ captain. He mentioned long-time winger Brad Marchand and top defenseman Charlie McAvoy as possible candidates.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Replacing Bergeron as team captain will be a difficult task. Finding someone to fill his role as their first-line center is a much bigger challenge. I’ll have more on that in today’s Rumor Mill.

CHICAGO HOCKEY NOW: Rocky Wirtz, the chairman of the Blackhawks since 2007, passed away on Tuesday at age 70. Taking over following his father William’s death, he was responsible for the club’s ascension from an also-ran into a Stanley Cup contender, winning three championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: As The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus observed, Wirtz leaves behind a mixed legacy. While he resurrected the Blackhawks following years of stagnation during his father’s tenure as team owner, he was also the club’s chairman when Kyle Beach was allegedly sexually assaulted in 2010 by the team’s video coach at the time.

An investigation cleared Wirtz but several key front-office personnel were fired, including general manager Stan Bowman and team president John McDonough. He angrily shouted down his son and two reporters for mentioning Beach during a disastrous town hall event in February 2022. Wirtz subsequently issued an apology but was rarely seen at Blackhawks events after that.

STAR-TRIBUNE.COM: The Minnesota Wild named general manager Bill Guerin as their new president of hockey operations.

NYI HOCKEY NOW: The New York Islanders are still awaiting a decision from Zach Parise if he’ll retire or return for another season. Parise, 38, completed his 18th NHL season, playing in all 82 games and scoring 21 goals while seeing time on their power-play and penalty-killing units.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: The Panthers signed Eetu Luostarinen to a three-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $3 million. The 24-year-old forward is earning $1.5 million on his current contract which expires at the end of this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Luostarinen made significant progress in his three seasons with the Panthers. He saw top-six minutes last season, netting a career-best 17 goals and 26 assists for 43 points.










NHL Rumor Mill – February 21, 2022

by | Feb 21, 2022

NHL Rumor Mill – February 21, 2022

​Will the Lightning or Wild make moves at the trade deadline? Which Sharks could become trade candidates? Find out in today’s NHL rumor mill.

WILL LIGHTNING OR WILD BECOME TRADE DEADLINE BUYERS?

THE ATHLETIC: Joe Smith recently examined whether the Tampa Bay Lightning will make any moves by the March 21 trade deadline. General manager Julien BriseBois indicated nothing was off the table if a move could be made to improve their chances of winning the Stanley Cup for the third straight year.

Complicating things, however, is the fact that the Lightning has no cap space for this season and very little for next season. Making additions would mean subtracting someone from their roster and they’ve already got some very good value contracts. They also like the additions they made last summer in Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Corey Perry and Zach Bogosian.

If BriseBois makes a move, Smith believes it’ll be for depth players along the lines of his acquisitions of Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow two years ago. He thinks the Bolts GM would part with multiple high picks if it means landing an impact player, especially one who could become a replacement for pending unrestricted free agent winger Ondrej Palat.

Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin (NHL.com).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: BriseBois could be a buyer if one or more of his players carrying a significant cap hit winds up on long-term injury reserve for the remainder of the regular season. While that worked to their advantage last season when Nikita Kucherov missed the entire 2020-21 regular season recovering from hip surgery, they might not get a similar opportunity again. If he makes an addition, it’ll be an affordable depth player. The Lightning still has a very talented roster that could make a run for a third Cup.

Pierre LeBrun last week reported Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin is remaining patient and examining his options as the trade deadline approaches. He’d prefer to retain his draft picks because he’s still building up the club’s prospect pipeline. His club’s lofty position in the Western Conference standings also allows him to take time to evaluate his roster’s needs.

Guerin downplayed the notion his club needs depth at center. He’s also reluctant to tinker too much with the Wild’s tight team chemistry. It’s possible he trades for a depth forward than a high-end piece like Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux, Dallas’ Joe Pavelski or San Jose’s Tomas Hertl.

The Wild GM also has to keep in mind the cap constraints he faces after this season as a result of buying out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter last summer.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I’d still keep an eye on the Wild, especially if they start to wobble over the next few weeks. Still, there won’t be much reason to make a big addition if they continue playing well leading up to March 21.

LATEST ON THE SHARKS

NBC SPORTS BAY AREA: Sheng Peng examines which San Jose Sharks players could become trade candidates (besides Tomas Hertl) if the club becomes a seller by the March trade deadline. They could include Andrew Cogliano, Nick Bonino, James Reimer, Matt Nieto and Alexander Barabanov.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Peng spoke with two NHL scouts and a league executive about the possible returns for those players. It appears they would fetch third-to-fifth-round picks. Bonino, Nieto and Reimer each have a year remaining on their contracts.