NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 4, 2022

by | Oct 4, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 4, 2022

Recaps of Monday’s noteworthy preseason games, Flames coach praises Jonathan Huberdeau, Senators goalie Cam Talbot sidelined, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

PRESEASON GAMES RECAP

NHL.COM: Roman Josi scored two goals to lead the Nashville Predators to a 4-3 victory over SC Bern in the NHL Global Series Challenge in Switzerland on Monday.

Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi (NHL Images).

Edmonton Oilers rookie Dylan Holloway collected a hat trick to lead his club over the Vancouver Canucks 7-2. Warren Foegele tallied twice and Zach Hyman had a three-point game.

The Carolina Hurricanes thumped the Columbus Blue Jackets 8-1. Martin Necas led the way with two goals and two assists while Derick Brassard and Brent Burns each collected three points. Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce left the game with a lower-body injury.

William Nylander and Alex Kerfoot each scored two goals as the Toronto Maple Leafs romped to a 5-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens.

New Jersey Devils goaltender Vitek Vanecek kicked out 24 shots to shut out the Boston Bruins 1-0. Tomas Tatar tallied the only goal.

The Pittsburgh Penguins nipped the Detroit Red Wings 3-2. Casey DeSmith picked up the win with a 36-save performance.

Colorado Avalanche winger Artturi Lehkonen scored twice in a 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars. Avs goalie Pavel Francouz made 38 stops.

Jacob Markstrom made 21 saves as the Calgary Flames downed the Seattle Kraken 4-1.

HEADLINES

CALGARY SUN: Flames head coach Darryl Sutter had high praise for Jonathan Huberdeau. He called the 29-year-old left winger “probably the best passer that this team has had in maybe ever.” Sutter compared his playmaking to that of Hall-of-Famer Denis Savard. Huberdeau was acquired from the Florida Panthers in July.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That also seemed like a bit of a shot against Johnny Gaudreau, who departed the Flames in July for the Columbus Blue Jackets as a free agent. Gaudreau sits fifth on the Flames’ all-time assist list with 399.

Speaking of the Flames, they claimed forward Radim Zohorna off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

OTTAWA SUN: The Senators goaltending depth suffered a blow as Cam Talbot will be sidelined five-to-seven weeks with a suspected broken rib. The 35-year-old netminder suffered the injury during a recent practice. Senators general manager Pierre Dorion claimed goalie Magnus Hellberg off waivers from the Seattle Kraken.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Talbot was supposed to share the goaltending duties with Anton Forsberg for this season. Hellberg has just five games of NHL experience since 2013-14.

TSN: The Columbus Blue Jackets released winger James Neal from his professional tryout contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The 35-year-old Neal has 269 goals and 559 points in 869 career NHL games. However, he saw limited playing time over the past two seasons and missed 15 games in 2021-22 with an upper-body injury. This could be the end of his NHL career if no other club takes an interest in him.

GOPHNX.COM: Nick Schmaltz is among three Arizona Coyotes players listed as day-to-day with lower-body injuries. Speaking of the Coyotes, ARIZONA SPORTS reports they’ve hired Kurtis Foster and Jeff Shantz as player development coaches.

CBS SPORTS: Vegas Golden Knights forward William Carrier remains sidelined with an upper-body injury suffered during Sunday’s preseason game against the Avalanche.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Seattle Kraken signed winger Daniel Sprong to a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K at the NHL level.

ESPN.COM: The NHL is debuting digitally enhance dasherboards (DEDs) this season. It is a digital replacement of camera-visible arena dasherboard ads within local, national and international NHL game broadcasts. It will allow broadcasts to erase ads on all boards visible to TV cameras and replace them with their own advertisements.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This move is part of the NHL’s push to expand its revenue streams. In an interview with Sports Business Journal, league commissioner Gary Bettman said the potential revenue growth from DEDs will be in the tens of millions and could reach hundreds of millions over time.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: The Panthers are donating all proceeds from ticket sales to their Thursday preseason game against the Tampa Bay Lightning to the ongoing Hurricane Ian relief efforts.

STLTODAY.COM: The St. Louis Blues announced they’re establishing a Hall of Fame to honor and pay tribute to the legends of the franchise. Eight former players – Al MacInnis, Bob Gassoff, Bob Plager, Barclay Plager, Brian Sutter, Brett Hull, Bernie Federko and Chris Pronger – will be automatically inducted.

THE GLOBE & MAIL: Several years after Hockey Canada drew on player registration fees to set up a fund to cover sexual assault claims and other lawsuits, it channeled a significant portion of those fees into a second multi-million dollar fund for similar purposes. Hockey Canada did not disclose this fund during testimony before a Parliamentary committee this summer.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: How much longer will this Hockey Canada shit show roll on before its’ leadership is finally brought to account? How much more toxic does the culture have to get? How many more people have to be hurt? How much more money must be poured into secret accounts to cover the legal costs of lawsuits? How much more damage must be done to an organization supposedly dedicated to growing the game of hockey in Canada? How much more trust must be eroded? What more does it take?










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 2, 2022

by | Sep 2, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 2, 2022

The Stars sign Jake Oettinger to a three-year contract, an update on the Canadiens’ contract talks with Kirby Dach, Rangers defenseman Nil Lundkvist requests a trade, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: The Stars signed Jake Oettinger to a three-year contract worth $4 million annually. The 23-year-old goaltender was a restricted free agent coming off his entry-level contract.

Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (NHL Images).

Oettinger took over as their starting goaltender midway through last season. He backstopped them to the seventh game of the first round of the 2022 NHL playoffs, making a franchise-record 64 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s a reasonable bridge deal, giving Oettinger a well-deserved raise that doesn’t break the bank for the Stars. It also sets him up for a more lucrative new contract if he can build upon last season’s promising performance.

SPORTSNET: Eric Engels reports the Montreal Canadiens are discussing a new contract with Kirby Dach. The 21-year-old restricted free agent was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in July. One of the options being discussed is a four-year contract with an average annual value of around $3.5 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Dach, a third-overall pick of the Blackhawks in 2019, struggled through injury and inconsistency in his years in Chicago. However, he still has plenty of time to regain his promising form. Perhaps the move to the rebuilding Canadiens will help.

Habs management could be banking on it if they’re willing to sign him to a four-year deal. The $3.5 million wouldn’t be extravagant but it could be argued that he hasn’t earned that pay level yet.

NEW YORK POST: Multiple sources claim the Rangers are attempting to trade Nils Lundkvist. The 22-year-old defenseman informed management that he’s unlikely to report to training camp in the absence of a deal.

Rangers general manager Chris Drury is working with Claude Lemieux (Lundkvist’s agent) to find a trade to a club that will give his client an opportunity to see top-four minutes and powerplay time. It’s believed Drury is seeking a young, top-nine center who can grow within the Rangers’ organization.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The report adds that Lundkvist has no issues with the Rangers. He just doesn’t see an opportunity to develop on their deep blueline.

This situation resembles Vitali Kravtsov’s standoff with the Rangers last season when he went to Russia to await a trade rather than report to their AHL affiliate. He still remains with the Rangers, however, and will try to earn a roster spot in training camp.

Time will tell if Lundkvist suffers the same fate. He could have more value in the trade market than Kravtsov given his position as a puck-moving, right-shot defenseman. Perhaps the Vancouver Canucks, Arizona Coyotes or Detroit Red Wings will be among his suitors.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Columbus Blue Jackets signed James Neal to a professional tryout offer. Neal, 34, spent most of last season with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Neal has reached or exceeded the 20-goal plateau 10 times in his NHL career. However, his best seasons are now well behind him. This is probably his last chance to stay in the big league.

THE ATHLETIC/WINNIPEG SUN: Leah Hextall is speaking about her difficult first season calling nationally televised NHL games for ESPN. She was subjected to sexist and misogynistic threats on social media and phone messages.

The worst came from someone threatening to track her down in her hometown of Winnipeg to sexually assault and kill her. “It was that shocking, more than anything, that someone would have that much anger towards me because I was calling a hockey game,” she said. “A hockey game. I’m not saving lives here. I’m just calling a hockey game, and you were willing to threaten my physical and sexual safety?”

Despite the abuse, Hextall will be returning behind the mike this season with ESPN. She wants to inspire girls and women who hope to one day follow her path into hockey broadcasting. She also hopes hockey will bring more women into the game.

Hextall has been covering the NHL since 2012 with several major sports networks before joining ESPN’s NHL broadcast team last season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I encourage everyone to read the links attached for the full details of Hextall’s story.

It’s one thing to be critical of how someone reports or broadcasts the game. I’ve faced it myself and it’s part of the job.

However, the abuse and threats Hextall faced, mainly because she’s a woman, were uncalled for and shocking. There’s no need for it at all and no one should have to face that.

I hope Hextall perseveres and becomes a role model for everyone who wants to get into the industry.