NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 6, 2026

by | Aug 6, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 6, 2026

Cale Makar could be next to become the league’s highest-paid player, plus the latest on the Red Wings, Blackhawks, Penguins and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Aarif Deen wonders if Cale Makar will be the NHL’s latest highest-paid player this summer.

The 28-year-old Colorado Avalanche defenseman is in the final year of his contract and eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next July. However, he can sign an extension with the Avalanche now.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (NHL Images)

Deen feels the amount of Makar’s next contract will overshadow the length of the superstar blueliner’s new deal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini is currently set to become the NHL’s highest-paid player after signing a five-year contract extension with a league-leading average annual value of $18.8 million. His new contract eclipsed the offer sheet that Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson signed with the Philadelphia Flyers last month (five years, $18 million AAV), which the Ducks matched.

Celebrini has quickly risen to NHL superstardom, and Carlsson has the potential to join him. However, their respective teams are paying for potential, whereas Makar has the resume that justifies making him the league’s highest-paid player.

In his seven-year NHL career, Makar’s become the league’s top defenseman, winning the Norris Trophy as the top blueliner twice and the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP during the Avalanche’s run to the 2022 Stanley Cup. He also won the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year in 2019-20.

DETROIT FREE PRESS: Helene St. James reports the Red Wings are hiring a search firm to find a new general manager.

The Red Wings announced last month that Steve Yzerman was moving out of the general manager position into the role of senior advisor to team owner Chris Ilitch.

St. James indicated that Ilitch and the search firm will focus on an analytics- and data-driven successor to Yzerman. Assistant GM Shawn Horcoff is handling the day-to-day management duties, but they do not extend to trades.

Whoever replaces Yzerman must deal with center Dylan Larkin’s trade request. According to St. James, Larkin has not changed his mind.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some observers wondered if a new general manager could foster a reconciliation with Larkin. Based on St. James’ report, that appears unlikely. The Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers, and Dallas Stars are reportedly among his list of preferred destinations.

Honoring Larkin’s trade request will have to wait until the new GM is in place, which might not happen until September. Even then, it could be difficult to move him to one of the teams believed to be on his list.

NHL.COM: Finding a new team captain is among the three questions facing the Chicago Blackhawks this season. Bowen Byram’s readiness for top-pairing minutes and making the playoffs are the other questions to be addressed.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Byram’s role as the Blackhawks’ new top defenseman will draw significant interest this season. Acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in June, this will be the 25-year-old blueliner’s first opportunity to play first-pairing minutes on a full-time basis.

The article noted that the Blackhawks have invested heavily in Byram, signing him to a six-year contract extension with an AAV of $12.5 million. He’ll be facing considerable pressure to prove himself worthy of the role and the raise that came with it.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Mark Madden is concerned that there may not be much room for younger players such as Avery Hayes, Rutger McGroarty, and Bill Zonnon to crack the Pittsburgh Penguins’ roster this season. It could potentially stall the club’s rebuilding process.

Ben Kindel will return after his promising rookie performance last season. However, the 19-year-old center will likely see third-line duty behind veterans Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The top power-play unit (Crosby, Malkin, Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell) has an average age of 36.

NHLPA: The NHLPA Goals & Dream program, in conjunction with New York Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, has donated 25 sets of hockey equipment to Hockey Loisir Gatineau through the Hull Minor Hockey Association. It will support children with continued access to the sport of hockey.

DAILY FACEOFF: Kelly Hrudey announced on social media that his contract with Sportsnet has not been renewed. He’d spent 28 years with Hockey Night in Canada following his 18-season NHL goaltending career.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hrudey’s announcement has raised questions about what other changes might be in store for Sportsnet’s NHL coverage, especially with their broadcast and game analyst staff.

NEW YORK POST: Former NHL star Ron Duguay is out of the hospital and recovering after collapsing last week. He is battling Stage 4 colon cancer, which has spread to his liver.

Duguay, 69, was hospitalized after fainting and suffering facial injuries. Doctors determined that he suffered from dehydration after feeling sick and having trouble eating.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My thoughts are with Duguay and his family today.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 27, 2020

by | Aug 27, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 27, 2020

The Lightning crushed the Bruins, the Flyers edge the Islanders in overtime, and the Avalanche get a big win over the Stars. Meanwhile, the NHL faces criticism over its response to protests over the Jacob Blake shooting. The latest in today’s morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Tampa Bay Lightning thumped the Boston Bruins 7-1 to take a 2-1 lead in their second-round series. Nikita Kucherov scored a goal and set up three others while Alex Killorn tallied twice and added an assist. The Bolts chased Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak from the game after he gave up four goals on 16 shots. His replacement, rookie Dan Vladar, didn’t fare any better, allowing three goals on 15 shots.

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov (NHL Images)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This game was over in the second period as the Lightning scored four goals to take a 6-1 lead by period’s end. The Bruins were undisciplined and the Bolts made them pay with three power-play goals. 

Philippe Myers scored in overtime as the Philadelphia Flyers edged the New York Islanders 4-3 to tie their series at a game apiece. Kevin Hayes scored twice for the Flyers, who blew a 3-0 lead as the Isles battled back to tie the game after replacing goalie Semyon Varlamov with backup Thomas Greiss.

 

 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flyers’ top forwards played significant roles in this game, with Hayes scoring twice, Sean Couturier potting his first of the playoffs and assisting on Myers’ game-winner, while Claude Giroux and Travis Konecny each collected an assist. Nevertheless, the Flyers also learned a three-goal lead isn’t safe against the determined Islanders.

The Colorado Avalanche scored three unanswered third-period goals to defeat the Dallas Stars 6-4 in Game 3 of their second-round series. The Stars lead the series two games to one and were on the verge of taking a 3-0 series lead after rallying from a 3-1 deficit to take a 4-3 lead before the Avs’ staged their comeback. Nazem Kadri netted the winning goal, Cale Makar collected three assists, and Nathan MacKinnon added two helpers. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin tallied for the Stars.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was an entertaining contest that see-sawed back and forth before the Avs rallied for the win. It wasn’t a shining moment for the goalies, as Colorado’s Pavel Francouz and Dallas’ Anton Khudobin looked shaky in this match.

HEADLINES

SPORTSNET: The NHL opted not to postpone Wednesday’s games in the wake of the NBA’s decision to delay its games after players from several of its teams boycotted games in protest over the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The NHL instead staged a moment of reflection before the Tampa/Boston and Colorado/Dallas games.

The NHL’s decision prompted criticism from Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba and San Jose Sharks winger Evander Kane, who are among the members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance fighting racial injustice. Dumba called the move “disheartening” while Kane felt it was disappointing. Both men felt the NHL should do more to acknowledge the situation. 

CBC SPORTS: Hockey analyst Kelly Hrudey shared those sentiments, saying he felt the NHL should’ve postponed those games to show support for their NBA peers and the Black Lives Matter movement. He felt the league was missing out on important discussions about racial injustice.

ESPN.COM: Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning players said they learned about the NBA players boycott just before their game and didn’t have sufficient time to discuss the matter.

Bruins captain Zdeno Chara voiced his support for his peers in other sports who sat out yesterday’s games. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said he would’ve supported his players had they opted not to play. Tyler Seguin and Jason Dickinson of the Dallas Stars and Nazem Kadri of the Colorado Avalanche also voiced support, adding boycotting games isn’t the only way to back the cause.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’ll be interesting to see what transpires for today’s NHL games between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders and the Vegas Golden Knights and Vancouver Canucks. The league could be forced to postpone those games if players from those teams opt not to participate in support of their NBA peers.

THE SCORE: Sharks captain Logan Couture issued an apology after a tweet he made regarding American politics went viral. Couture claimed he was sucker-punched in Toronto after talking about voting for the Republican Party and mentioning US President Donald Trump. He added he didn’t explicitly say he’d vote for Trump but would vote Republican if he was an American citizen. Couture subsequently deleted those tweets after facing considerable criticism. The Sharks issued a statement condemning the use of violence toward Couture.

Vegas Golden Knights winger Jonathan Marchessault issued an apology for lashing out at several fans on Instagram who criticized his play during his club’s 5-2 loss to Vancouver. 

STLTODAY.COM: St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko will undergo a third surgery on his left shoulder and will be sidelined for five months. Meanwhile, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong indicated one-fifth of his squad tested positive for COVID-19 at some point before they departed for Edmonton on July 19. None of those players were asymptomatic, but their fitness levels were affected because they couldn’t train while under quarantine.

ARIZONA SPORTS: The Arizona Coyotes will forfeit its second-round pick in 2020 and its first-round pick in 2021 as punishment for violating the NHL’s combine scouting policy. The league prohibits teams from testing prospects’ fitness before its’ annual draft combine.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Claude Julien expects to return behind the Canadiens bench whenever next season begins. The Habs coach had to leave his club during their first-round series against Philadelphia after experiencing chest pains. He had a stent implanted in one of his arteries and is expected to make a full recovery.

NHL.COM: Defenseman Mike Green announced his retirement after 15 seasons with the Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings, and Edmonton Oilers. He netted 501 points in 880 career NHL games, as well as 37 points in 76 playoff contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Green’s best years were with the Capitals, including back-to-back 70-plus point campaigns in 2008-09 and 2009-10. He was a First Team All-Star and a finalist for the Norris Trophy in both those seasons. Injuries, however, would hamper his performance over the remainder of his career. Best wishes to Green and his family in their future endeavors.