NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 8, 2019

by | Jun 8, 2019

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 8, 2019

The Sabres re-sign Jeff Skinner, Ivan Barbashev receives a one-game suspension and Patrick Marleau puts his Toronto home up for sale. Details and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines. 

WGR550: The Buffalo Sabres last night reached an agreement with Jeff Skinner on an eight-year, $72-million contract extension. The 27-year-old left winger was slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. His new deal is worth an annual average value of $9 million. 

The Buffalo Sabres re-signed Jeff Skinner to an eight-year contract (Photo via NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Cap Friendly provides the full details of Skinner’s new contract. He’s earned $10 million annually in actual salary through all but the final two seasons of this deal. In 2021 and 2023, he’ll receive $7.5 million in signing bonuses. It also comes with a full no-movement clause throughout.

Critics of Sabres general manager Jason Botterill quickly took to social media saying he overpaid to keep Skinner in the fold. They point to the decline in his goal production over the final two months of this season as a cause for concern.

Botterill, however, had little choice. Skinner established strong offensive chemistry with Sabres captain Jack Eichel. Letting him walk via free agency would’ve sent the wrong message to Eichel and his teammates, as well as the Sabres’ long-suffering fans.

Yes, this could end up being an expensive mistake by Botterill. But if Skinner continues to produce on Eichel’s line and helps turn the Sabres into a playoff contender, it’ll be considered as money well spent. 

STLTODAY: St. Louis Blues forward Ivan Barbashev will miss Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. He received a one-game suspension for an illegal hit to the head of Boston Bruins forward Marcus Johansson during Game 5. Blues GM Doug Armstrong called the punishment “excessive”. 

THE ATHLETIC: Thanks to the solid defense in front of Jordan Binnington, the Boston Bruins are struggling to cash in offensively on the Blues goaltender. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: If the Bruins fail to address this issue in Game 6 on Sunday they can forget about returning to Boston for Game 7. 

TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs winger Patrick Marleau put his Toronto home up for sale. Recent trade rumors have him linked to the Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Marleau is coming off a down season and carries a $6.25-million annual cap hit through 2019-20. Still, he could be moved to a budget club if the Leafs bundle him with a quality draft pick or prospect or perhaps a young NHL-ready player.

It could take until early-July for a potential Marleau deal to go down. Cap Friendly indicates he’ll receive $3 million of his $4.25-million actual salary as a signing bonus on July 1. Interested clubs will likely prefer the Leafs pay that bonus. 

LAUSANNE HC: signed forward Josh Jooris to a three-year contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jooris spent five NHL seasons with the Calgary Flames, New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, Carolina Hurricanes, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He spent this season with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. 










NHL Trade Deadline Tracker – February 26, 2018

by | Feb 26, 2018

NHL Trade Deadline Tracker – February 26, 2018

Today’s trades involving NHL players will be compiled here. Analysis of the notable deals will follow following the 3 pm ET trade deadline the Soapbox.

The New York Rangers have dealt defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Vladislav Namestnikov, prospects Libor Hajek andBrett Howden, 2018 1st round pick and a conditional second round pick.

Edmonton Oilers trade left wing Patrick Maroon to the New Jersey Devils for a third-round pick and college prospect forward J.D. Dudek.

The Detroit Red Wings traded winger Tomas Tatar to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a first-round pick in 2018, a second in 2019 and a third in 2021

The Vancouver Canucks have dealt winger Thomas Vanek to the Columbus Blue Jackets for forwards Tyler Motte and Jussi Jokinen.

The Buffalo Sabres have traded left wing Evander Kane to the San Jose Sharks for “a conditional first-round pick in 2019, a conditional fourth-round pick in 2020 and center Daniel O’Regan. 

The St. Louis Blues trade center Paul Stastny to the Winnipeg Jets “in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, forward Erik Foley and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.” The Blues also retain half of Stastny’s $7 million cap hit. 

The Chicago Blackhawks trade forward Ryan Hartman and a fifth round pick in 2018 to the Nashville Predators for prospect forward Victor Edjsell plus the Predators first- and fourth-round picks in 2018.

The Ottawa Senators trade defenseman Ian Cole to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a third-round pick in 2020 and minor league right wing Nick Moutrey.

The Montreal Canadiens acquire defenseman Mike Reilly from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2019 (previously acquired from Washington).  Canadiens trade defenseman Joe Morrow to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2018.

The New York Islanders trade forward Jason Chimera to the Anaheim Ducks for center Chris Wagner.

The Calgary Flames acquire forward Nick Shore from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a seventh-round pick in 2019. 

The Boston Bruins acquired forward Tommy Wingels from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in 2019.

The Vancouver Canucks trade minor league defenseman Philip Holm to the Vegas Golden Knight for forward Brendan Leipsic.

The Carolina Hurricanes trade forward Josh Jooris to the Pittsburgh Penguins for minor-league forward Greg McKegg.

 











NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 11, 2016

by | Dec 11, 2016



NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 11, 2016

Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty celebrates one of his four goals against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.

Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty celebrates one of his four goals against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.

Game recaps, player safety hearings update & more in your NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHLcom:  Max Pacioretty scored four goals as the Montreal Canadiens buried the Colorado Avalanche 10-1, spoiling the return of Avs captain Gabe Landeskog from injury and Jarome Iginla’s 1,500th career NHL game. The game was over in the first period when the Habs jumped to a 6-0 lead. 

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each scored twice to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jonathan Drouin also scored two goals in a losing cause. Crosby had left the game with an apparent head injury but returned in the second and showed no ill effects. 

Brayden Schenn tallied a hat trick as the Philadelphia Flyers doubled up the Dallas Stars 4-2, giving the Flyers their eighth straight win. Stars defenseman Jamie Oleksiak faces a disciplinary hearing for an illegal hit to the head of the Flyers’ Chris VandeVelde.  

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flyers hold the top wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference, but they’re only two points out of first place in the tight Metropolitan Division. 

Dougie Hamilton scored twice and set up another as the Calgary Flames scorched the Winnipeg Jets 6-2. Mikael Backlund and Matt Tkachuk also had three-point performances and Johnny Gaudreau collected two assists. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: After stumbling through the opening month of the season, the Flames are now red hot. They’ve won six in a row and eight of their last 10, climbing into first place in the Pacific Division. 

Cam Atkinson, Seth Jones and Jack Johnson each collected a goal and an assist as the Columbus Blue Jackets thumped the New York Islanders 6-2. It was the Jackets’ sixth consecutive victory. 

Trevor Lewis had a goal and an assist as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Ottawa Senators 4-1. Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki faces a disciplinary hearing for boarding Kings forward Tyler Toffoli. 

Aleksander Barkov tallied a goal and an assist as the Florida Panthers held on to a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. 

Patrick Marleau scored 12 seconds into the game and Paul Martin netted his first of the season as the San Jose Sharks edged the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3. 

Frederik Andersen made 32 saves as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Boston Bruins 4-1. 

Rookies Brendan Perlini and Lauren Dauphin scored to give the Arizona Coyotes a 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators. Earlier in the day, the Coyotes placed winger Max Domi (upper-body injury, week-to-week) on injured reserve. 

SPORTSNET’s Chris Johnston reports the New York Rangers placed center Josh Jooris on waivers. 

NHL.COM: Bill Dineen, former NHL player and coach, member of the AHL Hall of Fame and father of former NHL players Gord, Peter and Kevin Dineen, passed away Saturday at age 84. Dineen won two Stanley Cups as a player with the Detroit Red Wings in 1954 and 1955. He also won two Avco Cup titles coaching the WHA’s Houston Aeros and guided the AHL’s Adirondack Red Wings to two Calder Cup championships. He was coach of the Philadelphia Flyers from 1991 to 1993. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to the Dineen family. 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 28, 2016

by | Oct 28, 2016



NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 28, 2016

Mitch Marner collected three assists in the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers.

Mitch Marner collected three assists in the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers.

 Notable game recaps, waiver updates, latest on Craig Anderson, David Pastrnak & more in your NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.com:  With a 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders, the Montreal Canadiens picked up their sixth straight win. 

Petr Mrazek made 31 saves backstopping the Detroit Red Wings to a 2-1 shootout victory over the St. Louis Blues, giving the wings their sixth consecutive win.

Mitch Marner collected three assists and Tyler Bozak scored twice as the Toronto Maple Leafs edged the Florida Panthers 3-2.

Patrik Laine’s two power-play goals helped the Winnipeg Jets double up the Dallas Stars 4-2. 

Sidney Crosby snapped a 2-2 tie with the game-winning goal as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the New York Islanders 4-2. 

Minnesota Wild goale Devan Dubnyk made 38 saves to collect his second straight shutout in a 4-0 blanking of the Buffalo Sabres. 

Tomas Hertl scored twice as the San Jose Sharks downed the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1. 

Jeff Carter scored in overtime to lift the Los Angeles Kings to a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators, giving the Kings their fourth straight victory. 

The Arizona Coyotes edged the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 to snap a five-game losing skid. Before the game, the Flyers honored such notable former stars as Bob Clarke, Bernie Parent and Eric Lindros in a pregame ceremony as part of the franchise’s 50th anniversary.

 

TSN: Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak faces a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety regarding an illegal check to the head of New York Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi in a recent game. 

OTTAWA SUN: Senators goalie Craig Anderson has taken a leave of absence to attend to a personal matter. 

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: Having re-sign defenseman Hampus Lindholm, the Anaheim Ducks placed forward Nate Thompson (ruptured Achilles tendon, $1.6 million annual average salary) on long-term injury reserve and demoted Shea Theodore Emerson Etem. The moves were made to ensure sufficient salary-cap room for Lindholm’s new contract.

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS:  The Rangers placed defenseman Dylan McIlrath on waivers. Forward Josh Jooris (Grade 2 AC joint separation) is out three-to-four weeks. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Rangers reportedly tried unsuccessfully to trade McIlrath. It’ll be interesting to see if he clears waivers later today.

STLTODAY.COM: The Blues placed winger Magnus Paajarvi on waivers. 

TSN’s Darren Dreger reports free-agent defenseman James Wisniewski signed with the KHL’s Vladivostok Admirals. His contract contains an NHL out-clause. 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE:  The Blackhawks have the worst early-season penalty kill since STATS started tracking such stats in 1987-88. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: One reason for that woeful penalty kill could be the slow but steady departure in recent years of key players for salary-cap purposes. 

THE GLOBE & MAIL:  Prejudice and the rise of the KHL are contributing to a declining number of Russian players in the NHL.