NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 31, 2025

by | May 31, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 31, 2025

The Oilers and Panthers prepare for their upcoming Stanley Cup Final rematch, the Senators will begin contract talks with Claude Giroux, the Sabres add Jarmo Kekalainen to their front office, the Islanders make two signings, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said his club spent seven months preparing for this return to the Stanley Cup Final. While they’re proud of what they’ve accomplished thus far, Knoblauch indicated they’re focused on the ultimate goal of winning hockey’s greatest prize.

“We said last year right after Game 7 that we’d be back,” said winger Corey Perry. “And we’re back.”

Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (NHL Images).

Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl knows what his club has to deal with facing the defending champion Florida Panthers again. “We know what they’re about, we played them seven times,” he said. “They’re a good team. We’re a really good team, as well. It’s nice to get a shot at getting some revenge, but we’re a long way from that.”

Knoblauch pointed out that his team must play its best hockey to achieve a different result from last season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Zach Hyman was the first player following Game 7 to guarantee they would return to the Final this season. His prophecy came true, but an injury suffered in the Western Conference Final has sidelined him from the Cup Final.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk praised the Oilers during his appearance on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show, calling them “a hell of a team”. He believes the rematch between his two clubs will make for “an incredible series”, calling the two clubs the best in the NHL.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: We have to wait several days for that series to begin. Game 1 is Wednesday, June 4, in Edmonton. Game 7 (if necessary) will be in Edmonton on Friday, June 20.

OTTAWA CITIZEN: Bruce Garrioch reports the Senators will sit for face-to-face contract discussions next week with Claude Giroux.

The versatile 37-year-old forward is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Both sides have already found common ground because he wants to stay in Ottawa and the Senators are interested in keeping him.

Garrioch cited insiders suggesting Giroux’s next contract should have a base salary of $3 million with achievable performance bonuses that could take him up to between $4.5 million and $5 million. The biggest decision could be whether he gets a one or two-year contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I’ll be surprised if they don’t get a deal done. Giroux is eager to complete his career in Ottawa, and the Senators appreciate his skills, experience and leadership.

THE BUFFALO NEWS: The Sabres hired former Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen as a senior advisor to GM Kevyn Adams.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kekalainen has the most experience of anyone in the Sabres front office. He should be a valuable addition as they attempt to improve their roster and bring an end to their 14-year playoff drought next season.

NYI HOCKEY NOW: Mathieu Darche made his first two contract signings as Islanders general manager, inking winger Kyle Palmieri to a two-year extension and defenseman Adam Boqvist to a one-year deal.

Palmieri will earn an average annual value of $4.75 million. He also has a full no-trade clause for 2025-26 and a 16-team no-trade clause for 2026-27. Boqvist will earn $850K next season.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Carolina Hurricanes winger Seth Jarvis revealed he reaggravated the right labrum/rotator cuff injury he suffered last season. He’s leaning toward another summer of rehabbing the injury rather than undergoing surgery, explaining that the procedure wouldn’t do much for his game. It would also sideline him for an extensive period.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jarvis played through the injury this season, scoring a team-leading 32 goals.

Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield confirmed he suffered a hip injury midway through the second-round series with the Washington Capitals. He won’t require surgery and will be ready for the start of the season. Blueliner Sean Walker reaggravated a shoulder injury in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final.

SPORTSNET: The Seattle Kraken signed defenseman Josh Mahura to a two-year, one-way contract extension with an AAV of $907,500.

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: The Flyers signed blueliner Helge Grans to a two-year, $1.575 million contract.

TSN: Francois Gagnon will receive the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for excellence in hockey journalism. Daryl Reaugh will receive the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster. They will accept their awards at the Hockey Hall of Fame NHL Media Awards Luncheon in Toronto on Nov. 10.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to Gagnon and Reaugh for their well-deserved awards.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 13, 2024

by | Nov 13, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 13, 2024

Connor McDavid is on the verge of 1,000 points, the Jets win again, candidates for the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2025, the Penguins trade Lars Eller to the Capitals, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: A four-point performance lifted Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid to within one point of 1,000 for his career in a 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders. McDavid had a goal and three assists for 999 career regular-season points, including the primary assist on the overtime goal by Leon Draisaitl, who tallied twice in this game. Evan Bouchard had three points for the Oilers. Anders Lee scored two goals for the Islanders, who got a 38-save performance from goaltender Ilya Sorokin.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid can become the fourth-fastest and fourth-youngest player to reach the 1,000-point plateau when the Oilers faced the Nashville Predators on Thursday. Draisaitl has 12 goals, tying Montreal Canadiens winger Cole Caufield and Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart for the league lead.

The Winnipeg Jets beat the New York Rangers 6-3, becoming the fastest team in NHL history to reach 15 wins while extending their winning streak to seven games. Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor each scored two goals, Neal Pionk had three assists and Connor Hellebuyck stopped 33 shots for the league-leading Jets (15-1-0, 30 points). Will Cuylle had a goal and an assist for the Rangers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets announced earlier in the day that defenseman Logan Stanley was placed on injured reserve with a middle-body injury. They also claimed goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche.

New Jersey Devils netminder Jacob Markstrom kicked out 34 shots in a 4-1 win over the Florida Panthers. Jesper Bratt and Dougie Hamilton each had two assists for the Devils. Sam Reinhart tallied for the Panthers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Panthers center Sam Bennett missed this game with an upper-body injury.

Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak scored with 1:47 remaining in the third period to lift his club over the St. Louis Blues 3-2. The Bruins overcame a 2-0 deficit on goals by Morgan Geekie and Charlie McAvoy, setting the stage for Pastrnak’s winner. Brayden Schenn and Oskar Sundqvist scored for the Blues, who’ve lost three in a row.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was a costly win for the Bruins as defenseman Hampus Lindholm left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury. There was no postgame update on his condition.

Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmark made 27 saves in a 3-0 shutout of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Josh Norris, Tim Stutzle and Michael Amadio were the goalscorers and Artem Zub picked up two assists for the Senators. Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz turned aside 38 shots.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators dominated the Leafs in this game. They would’ve won by a wider margin if not for Stolarz’s performance in the Leafs net.

Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson had a goal and an assist to defeat the Calgary Flames 3-1. J.T. Miller picked up two assists and Kevin Lankinen made 28 stops for the Canucks. Justin Kirkland replied for the Flames, who got a 29-save effort from goalie Dan Vladar.

A four-goal second period carried the Seattle Kraken to a 5-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jared McCann and Jordan Eberle each had two assists and Joey Daccord made 38 saves for the Kraken. Sean Kuraly and Zach Aston-Reese each had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, who’ve dropped three in a row.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Zdeno Chara, Joe Thornton, Duncan Keith, Carey Price and Ryan Getzlaf highlight the first-year eligible candidates for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025. The Hall’s bylaws allow the selection of four male inductees per year.

Other potential NHL player first-year eligible candidates include Tuukka Rask, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal and Dustin Brown.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Chara, Thornton and Keith should be locks for next season. Price and Getzlaf could get in for 2026.

Jarome Iginla and Ed Olczyk will join the Hall of Fame selection committee commencing with 2025 nomination and election proceedings.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins traded center Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder originally from Chicago.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Eller previously spent nearly seven seasons with the Capitals (2016-17 to 2022-23), helping them win the Stanley Cup in 2018. He’ll help them shore up their third-line center position for this season. Eller is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent in July.

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said he’d been working on trading Eller since the spring. He added that this move brought in additional assets while freeing up space on their roster for a younger player.

Does this trade signal a fire sale in Pittsburgh? I’ll have more about that in today’s Rumors update.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Anaheim Ducks placed Robby Fabbri (lower body) and Cam Fowler (upper body) on injured reserve and listed center Mason McTavish as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. They also placed veteran goaltender James Reimer on waivers.

NHL.COM: Former Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland has joined the league’s hockey operations department as a consultant.

SPORTSNET: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league could look at playing more games overseas in the coming years as it continues to grow its brand globally.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 10, 2024

by | Sep 10, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 10, 2024

The Blue Jackets, Flames, and NHL dignitaries pay respects to the Gaudreaus, Sidney Crosby is optimistic he’ll get a new contract with the Penguins, the latest on the Senators, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The Blue Jackets, Calgary Flames and the NHL joined the Gaudreau family in memorializing Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau during the funeral for the brothers on Monday in Philadelphia.

An alleged drunk driver killed the brothers while they were riding bicycles on Aug. 29.

Columbus Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau (NHL Images).

Groups from the Blue Jackets and Flames attended the funeral along with NHL dignitaries including league commissioner Gary Bettman and former Blue Jackets Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic. Pallbearers included new Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan and former Blue Jackets Eric Robinson.

Johnny’s wife Meredith revealed she is pregnant with the couple’s third child as she eulogized her late husband.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The tragic, senseless deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau has been a blow to the hockey world, but the grief and pain that their loved ones are going through is unimaginable. Once again, I send my sincere condolences to the Gaudreau family.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Sidney Crosby remains optimistic he’ll have a new contract in place soon with the Penguins.

“I don’t know what day specifically, but it’s been really positive and hasn’t been a difficult process,” said the Penguins captain.

Crosby remains hopeful that the Penguins can be a playoff contender, pointing to the club’s strong finish last season despite missing the cut. He believes they can get over the hump if they can gain consistency in a few areas of their game.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The lack of news over the status of Crosby’s contract extension negotiations with the Penguins has sparked rising speculation about his future with the retooling club. His comments on Monday provide some clarity to the issue but no timetable for when a deal could be done.

TSN: Ottawa Senators center Tim Stutzle denied rumors that his change of agents during the offseason is related to any desire to be traded. “I love being in Ottawa,” he told reporters during the club’s charity golf tournament on Monday.

The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports the change is related to marketing opportunities in Europe for the German forward.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The rebuilding Senators’ difficulties in ending their long postseason drought have some observers wondering how long core players like Stutzle are willing to stick around. That’s why his changing agents gave rise to those trade rumors. Another struggling effort this season will only prompt more questions about their futures in Ottawa.

DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of the Senators, Thomas Chabot admitted a wrist issue hampered him for the past two seasons. The 27-year-old defenseman said he took care of it during the offseason and is fully healthy for the coming season. He appeared in just 51 games last season. Injuries have prevented Chabot from playing a full season during his seven-year NHL career.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A healthy Chabot will be crucial to the Senators’ playoff hopes this season.

THE PROVINCE: Vancouver Canucks center Brock Boeser will be taking preventative measures to prevent another blood-clotting issue like the one that caused him to miss Game 7 of his club’s second-round playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers last spring.

Boeser is now off blood thinners and has resumed contact training. His condition will be carefully monitored, including getting up and moving every hour during flights rather than sleeping and wearing compression socks.

DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli reports the Seattle Kraken are close to signing Adam Larsson to a four-year contract extension worth between $5 million and $6 million. The 31-year-old defenseman is in the final season of a four-year, $16 million contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the AAV on Larsson’s extension will be $5.25 million. It’s expected to be announced on Tuesday.

NASHVILLE HOCKEY NOW/THE TENNESSEAN: The Predators signed forward Juuso Parssinen to a one-year, one-way contract worth $775K. They also signed defenseman Marc Del Gaizo to a one-year, two-way deal.

DAILY FACEOFF: Goaltender Alexei Kolosov is not expected to attend Philadelphia Flyers training camp. If so, his contract will likely be tolled forward to allow the Flyers to retain Kolosov’s rights at the same details and pay.

TSN: Mike Gartner will succeed Lanny McDonald as Chairman of the Board for the Hockey Hall of Fame after McDonald’s 10-year term limit next June.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 26, 2024

by | Jun 26, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 26, 2024

Pavel Datsyuk, Shea Weber, and Jeremy Roenick are among seven new Hockey Hall of Fame inductees, the Avalanche sign Casey Mittelstadt, the Jets re-up Dylan DeMelo, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Pavel Datsyuk, Shea Weber and Jeremy Roenick were the former NHL stars elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Pavel Datsyuk and Shea Weber have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (NHL.com)

Former United States women’s national team forwards Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell-Pohl were also inducted in the player category.

Former Nashville Predators general manager David Poile and current NHL senior executive vice-president Colin Campbell were elected into the builder category.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to the inductees for this well-deserved honor.

Meanwhile, Alexander Mogilny’s ongoing snub by the Hall of Fame is getting ridiculous.

Many of Mogilny’s former Vancouver Canucks teammates have called for his inclusion. He was a five-time All-Star, earning an appearance on all four NHL teams he played for in his career (Buffalo, Vancouver, New Jersey, Toronto). He’s among a handful of players to score over 70 goals in a season.

For whatever reason, Mogilny continues to be passed over. Maybe he’ll get his due next year.

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: The Avalanche signed center Casey Mittlestadt to a three-year contract extension with an average annual value of $5.75 million. Mittestadt, 25, was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres before the March trade deadline. He was slated to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Mittestadt was coming off back-to-back 50-plus point seasons. He quickly fit well within the Avs’ lineup. The young center was coming off a three-year deal with an AAV of $2.5 million.

This is a win for both sides here. Mittelstadt gets a significant raise and an opportunity to become an unrestricted free agent at age 28 when he’ll still be in his playing prime. The Avalanche, meanwhile, look up their second-line center at a reasonable rate. They also buy some time to grow more cap room to attempt to re-sign him down the road.

WINNIPEG SUN: The Jets signed Dylan DeMelo to a four-year contract extension with an AAV of $4.9 million. The 31-year-old defenseman was completing a four-year, $12 million contract and was due to become a UFA on July 1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: DeMelo was a key part of the Jets blueline corps pairing with the puck-moving Josh Morrissey.

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: On Tuesday, the Flyers officially announced that top prospect Matvei Michkov had officially terminated his contract with KHL club SKA St. Petersburg. The 19-year-old winger will join the Flyers for the 2024-25 season.

TSN: The Detroit Red Wings traded defenseman Jake Walman and a 2024 second-round draft pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for future considerations. Walman, 28, has two seasons remaining on his contract with an AAV of $3.4 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Can you say, “salary dump”, kids? I knew you could!

SPORTSNET: Hockey Canada officially named Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper as head coach of Canada’s team at the NHL’s 4Nations Face-Off next February and of its Men’s Olympic team in 2026.

SPORTICO: Arizona Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo has told his remaining executives he is dissolving what’s left of the franchise. He will no longer pursue the construction of a new NHL-worthy arena in the Phoenix area. The franchise should be disbanded within a month.

The hockey operations and players were sold to Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith in April and moved to Utah, where they will play the 2024-25 season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: And with that, the Coyotes saga comes to a close. Some observers still believe the NHL will one day return to Arizona. That won’t occur until a suitable arena is constructed and that’s not happening in the foreseeable future.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 25, 2024

by | Jun 25, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 25, 2024

The Panthers are the 2024 Stanley Cup champions, Oilers captain Connor McDavid named playoff MVP, selections for the 2024 Hall of Fame class are to be made today, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

FLORIDA PANTHERS ARE 2024 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS

NHL.COM: The Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup champions for the first time in franchise history.

Sam Reinhart snapped a 1-1 tie in the second period as the Panthers held off the Edmonton Oilers for a 2-1 victory in Game 7. Carter Verhaeghe also scored for the Panthers and Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves for the win. Mattias Janmark replied for the Oilers, who had overcome a 3-0 series deficit to force the seventh and deciding game.

The Florida Panthers are 2024 Stanley Cup Champions (NHL.com).

Panthers center Aleksander Barkov became the first Finnish captain in NHL history to lead his team to the Stanley Cup.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to the Panthers on winning the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. They faced adversity in this series, becoming the first team in 79 years to blow a 3-0 series lead in the final. However, when it mattered most, they regained their focus, shutting down the Oilers with a solid defensive effort.

This is a historic moment for the Panthers. It wasn’t long ago they were considered a laughingstock, overshadowed by their rivals in Tampa Bay and regularly near the bottom of the league in terms of the standings and attendance. They’ve now emerged from the Lightning’s shadow as a league powerhouse in their own right.

Fun fact: since 2020, a Florida-based team has played in the Stanley Cup Final, winning hockey’s holy grail three times.

Panthers head coach Paul Maurice ended 25 years of futility with the first Stanley Cup championship of his long coaching career. Following the game, he gave a shout out to his former club, the Winnipeg Jets. “If I could have one more thing, it would be for the Winnipeg Jets to win the next Stanley Cup.”

Meanwhile, Oilers captain Connor McDavid was named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. McDavid led all postseason scorers with 42 points, becoming only the third player in Stanley Cup playoff history to exceed the 40-point plateau. McDavid also set a single postseason record with 34 assists. He is the sixth player on a losing team to win the Smythe and the first since 2003.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid received criticism on social media for not accepting the award. He was crushed by his club’s loss in Game 7 after rallying back from a 3-0 deficit. The Oilers captain spoke with the media following the game, acknowledging the honor but still coming to grips with the game’s outcome.

This was a heartbreaking end to the Oilers’ Stanley Cup dream. They will try to follow the example of the Panthers, who were thumped by the Vegas Golden Knights in last year’s Final but returned to win it all this year.

IN OTHER NEWS…

The Boston Bruins traded goaltender Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators before the start of Game 7. You can read the details and my take here.

NHL.COM: Former Detroit Red Wings star Pavel Datsyuk is among the first-time candidates for the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2024. Others include Patrick Marleau, Shea Weber, Pekka Rinne, and Ryan Miller.

The vote will take place on Tuesday morning with the results to be announced in the afternoon.

ARIZONA SPORTS: Alex Meruelo is reportedly walking away from ownership of the Coyotes with no plans to pursue a future arena. This comes after a land auction the Coyotes expected to win as the first step toward building a new arena was canceled last week.

The team was sold to a group led by Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith in April and moved to Utah. A condition of the sale was that Meruelo would have an opportunity to bring an expansion franchise back to Arizona if a new NHL arena could be constructed within the next five years.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: If Meruelo is out the dream of bringing the NHL back to Arizona goes with him unless someone else steps up and succeeds in getting a new arena constructed.

BOSTON HERALD: The Bruins signed goaltender Brandon Bussi to a one-year, two-way contract with a cap hit of $775K.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This signing was made before the Bruins traded Ullmark to Ottawa for Joonas Korpisalo. He’ll be spending next season in the minors unless the Bruins trade Korpisalo.

THE MERCURY NEWS: San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier said his club was not tendering a qualifying offer to Calen Addison. The 24-year-old defenseman will be eligible for unrestricted free-agent status on July 1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Addison was once considered a promising puckmoving defenseman. He could become a reclamation project for another club seeking affordable blueline depth.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Hershey Bears won the AHL’s Calder Cup for the second straight year with a 5-4 overtime victory over Coachella Valley in Game 6. Hendrix Lapierre was named playoff MVP.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to the Bears on becoming back-to-back Calder Cup champions.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 28, 2022

by | Jun 28, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 28, 2022

The Sedin Twins, Roberto Luongo and Daniel Alfredsson headline the 2022 Hockey Hall of Fame inductees, the case for Alexander Mogilny’s induction, Corey Perry sets a playoff record and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Roberto Luongo and Daniel Alfredsson head the 2022 Hockey Hall of Fame inductees. Finnish female star Riikka Sallinen and former minor league and senior league star Herb Carnegie are also among the class of 2022.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to the Class of 2022 for their well-deserved honors.

The Sedin Twins and Roberto Luongo are among the 2022 inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame (NHL.com).

The Sedins were the two greatest players in Vancouver Canucks history, becoming their franchise leaders in several offensive categories. Henrik won the Art Ross Trophy and the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2009-10 while Daniel won the Art Ross and the Ted Lindsay Award in 2010-11. Luongo is second all-time among NHL goaltenders in games played (1,044) while his 489 career wins rank fourth overall.

Luongo and the Sedins helped turn the Canucks into a Western Conference powerhouse from 2006-07 to 2012-13. The club finished atop the Northwest Division six times and won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2011 and 2012. They also advanced to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.

Alfredsson spent all but one of his 18 NHL seasons with the Ottawa Senators. He’s their franchise leader with 426 career goals, 682 assists and 1108 points. He’s also their longest-serving captain (1999-2000 to 2012-13) and led them to the 2007 Stanley Cup Final. Under Alfredsson’s leadership, the Senators topped the Northeast Division three times and won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2003.

THE SCORE: Josh Gold-Smith points out the Hall of Fame has snubbed former NHL star Alexander Mogilny for the 13th straight year since he became eligible for induction. He makes a convincing case for Mogilny’s induction, noting that he was the first player ever to defect from the Soviet Union directly to the NHL.

Mogilny amassed 473 goals and 559 assists for 1,032 points, including a 76-goal performance in 1992-93, and continued to produce solid numbers over the final years of his career despite chronic hip issues. Gold-Smith observed that his goal rate and goal total is higher than several of his contemporaries already in the Hall, including Steve Yzerman, Teemu Selanne, Joe Sakic, Pat Lafontaine, Peter Stastny and Pavel Bure.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Gold-Smith suggests one reason for Mogilny’s exclusion could be his potential reluctance to engage in the induction festivities. However, that’s not a reason for the Hall not to honor his career and accomplishments. In my opinion, he belongs there.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Former Stars winger Corey Perry became the first player in NHL history to lose three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals with three different teams. He skated for the Cup Finalist Stars in 2020, the Montreal Canadiens in 2021 and the Tampa Bay Lightning this year.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Perry will have to console himself with the Stanley Cup he won with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: The Bruins officially confirmed signing general manager Don Sweeney to a multi-year contract extension.

TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs signed Timothy Liljegren to a two-year contract worth $1.4 million per season. The 23-year-old defenseman was slated to become a restricted free agent on July 13.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Cap Friendly indicates the Liljegren signing leaves the Leafs with $6.4 million salary-cap space for 2022-23 with 18 players under contract. I’ll have more about that in the Rumors section.

TSN: Maxim Mamin is reportedly returning to the KHL after spending a season with the Florida Panthers. The pending unrestricted free agent forward had 14 points in 40 games.

ARIZONA SPORTS: The Coyotes have been awarded the Colorado Avalanche’s third-round pick in the 2024 draft. It was part of the conditions of the trade that sent goaltender Darcy Kuemper to the Avalanche last summer.