NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 4, 2023

by | Sep 4, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 4, 2023

The Stars’ Miro Heiskanen sets his sights on the Norris Trophy, the latest on the Capitals’ Max Pacioretty, Sheldon Keefe’s contract might not be a vote of confidence from Leafs management, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen has his sights set on winning the James Norris Memorial Trophy. “That’s one thing I really want to win,” he said. “I want to be the best defenseman in the NHL”.

Heiskanen, 24, finished seventh in voting for the Norris Trophy last season. He had a career-best 73 points in 79 games with the Stars while logging over 25 minutes of ice time per game. The Stars blueliner felt that he was able to contribute more offensively last season without sacrificing the defensive aspects of his game.

Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen (NHL Images).

While Heiskanen wants to be recognized as the league’s top blueliner, he’s not losing sight of the ultimate goal. “I try to help my team win the Stanley Cup, but if there is a chance to win the Norris as well that would be great.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Heiskanen could be a finalist for the Norris this season and over the next several years. The Hockey News’ Carol Schram has him sitting second to Colorado’s Cale Makar among this season’s top-five Norris candidates.

CBS SPORTS: cited NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti reporting that Washington Capitals winger Max Pacioretty is not expected to be available for the start of the upcoming season. He could miss the opening month or two of the Capitals’ schedule.

The 34-year-old winger suffered two Achilles tendons since last September, limiting him to just five games last season with the Carolina Hurricanes. He signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Capitals in July.

DAILY FACEOFF: Mike McKenna believes we shouldn’t view Sheldon Keefe’s recent two-year contract extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a vote of confidence from management.

McKenna believes Leafs general manager Brad Treliving did the right thing by extending Keefe’s contract. It lifts the pressure from Keefe’s shoulders and allows him to focus on his head coaching duties. However, there’s no certainty that he’ll complete the full tenure of his extension if the Leafs fail to improve.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McKenna pointed out that the deep-pocketed Leafs can afford to eat that two-year extension if Treliving feels a change is needed behind the bench. In his view, Keefe remains on the hot seat this season.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Stefen Rosner doesn’t anticipate the New York Islanders will go the professional tryout offer route to bolster their forward depth for the coming season. He pointed to GM Lou Lamoriello signing Julien Gauthier to a two-year, one-way contract as well as one-year, two-way deals for Karson Kuhlman and Brian Pinho earlier in the summer.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: The Panthers arena will have a new name for the coming season. It will be called the Amerant Bank Arena.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I’m not one to pine for the so-called “good old days”, but I miss when arenas weren’t named for businesses or corporations. If you were an NHL fan in the 1970s, you knew who played at the Montreal Forum, Maple Leafs Gardens, the Olympia or The Spectrum. Today, you’d be hard-pressed to remember the names of half of the arenas because they change them so often to cash in on naming rights.

THE BUFFALO NEWS: The Sabres are reportedly planning to limit the sale of individual game tickets to a certain geographic radius to make it more difficult for fans of nearby opposing teams (especially Toronto Maple Leafs followers) to have a significant presence at Key Bank Center.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Previous attempts by the Sabres to limit the number of Leafs and Montreal Canadiens fans in their arena failed. I don’t expect they’ll have much success this time around.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Blackhawks forward Cole Guttman has fully recovered from the shoulder injury that cut short his 2022-23 season. He played 15 games for the Blackhawks last season and hopes to earn a full-time roster spot in training camp.

STARTRIBUNE.COM: Former Minnesota North Stars defenseman Brad Maxwell died on Sunday at age 66 after battling an aggressive form of lung cancer.

Drafted seventh overall by the North Stars in the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft, Maxwell spent nearly eight seasons in Minnesota from 1977-78 until traded to the Quebec Nordiques during the 1984-85 season. His best season was in 1983-84 with 73 points in 78 games along with 225 PIMs.

Over the following two seasons, Maxwell played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers before returning to the North Stars to finish his playing career. Following his playing career, he ran a cabinet and construction business and also organized and played charity games with the North Stars alumni.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Maxwell’s family and friends as well as his former teammates and coaches.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 31, 2023

by | Aug 31, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 31, 2023

The 2023-24 US national TV broadcast schedule is released, the Maple Leafs extend coach Sheldon Keefe’s contract, an update on Capitals winger Max Pacioretty, Carl Hagelin retires and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The US national television for 2023-24 was released yesterday. It begins with an Oct. 10 tripleheader on ESPN featuring the Chicago Blackhawks and 2023 first-overall pick Connor Bedard facing off against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights will host the Seattle Kraken while the Nashville Predators visit the Tampa Bay Lightning.

TNT has a doubleheader on Oct 11 with Bedard and the Blackhawks journeying to Boston to face the Bruins while the Los Angeles Kings and Pierre-Luc Dubois host the Colorado Avalanche.

Other games on note on the schedule see the Golden Knights visiting the Seattle Kraken for the 2024 Winter Classic on New Year’s Day at T-Mobile Stadium, the 2024 All-Star Game in Toronto on Feb. 3 and the two-day Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In that series, the New Jersey Devils take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 17 followed by the New York Rangers and New York Islanders on Feb. 18.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Follow the link above for a complete listing of notable games and the full TV broadcast schedule.

TSN: The Toronto Maple Leafs extended the contract of head coach Sheldon Keefe by two years to 2025. Since taking over the role in November 2019, he has a regular-season record of 166 wins, 71 losses and 30 overtime losses. They’ve qualified for the playoffs in each season but have won just one series, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2023 playoffs in six games.

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe (NHL.com).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is a big vote of confidence in Keefe by Brad Treliving, who replaced Kyle Dubas as general manager on May 31. He said that Keefe was “really transparent and honest and accountable for what’s going on here,” praising his coach’s self-critique.

Keefe’s postseason woes are in part due to the way the Leafs were constructed under Treliving’s predecessor. Nevertheless, he’s faced criticism by some fans and pundits for being out-coached at times during previous postseason series. His extended contract won’t provide much protection from his detractors if the Leafs come up short in the playoffs again.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Max Pacioretty officially joined the Washington Capitals on Wednesday as he watched from the stands at the club’s practice facility while his children got in some practice. The 34-year-old winger signed a one-year contract with the Capitals in July.

Pacioretty is still rehabbing from surgery to repair a torn Achilles last season. He expects to be ready to play with the Capitals soon after the regular season begins in October. Pacioretty also said he knows why he suffered the same injury twice in one year but he’s not yet comfortable sharing the details.

WASHINGTON HOCKEY NOW: Speaking of the Capitals, winger Carl Hagelin has announced his retirement citing an eye injury suffered during practice in March 2022 that sidelined him for the entire 2022-23 season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hagelin spent 11 seasons in the NHL with the New York Rangers, Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings and the Capitals. He won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017. In 713 regular-season games, Hagelin scored 110 goals and 186 assists for 296 points. He also tallied 22 goals and 28 assists for 50 points in 141 playoff contests.

CBS SPORTS: NHL defenseman Jason Demers recently informed San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng that he is unlikely to continue his playing career as he pursues a media role with the San Jose Sharks. The 35-year-old defenseman has played 700 regular-season NHL games with the Sharks, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Arizona Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins signed winger Austin Wagner to a professional tryout offer (PTO) yesterday.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Speaking of PTO contracts, the Hurricanes are bringing in forward Nick Shore, who last played in the NHL in 2019-20 with the Winnipeg Jets.

THE SCORE: The WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes have hired former Calgary Flames coach Bill Peters as their new bench boss. Peters re-signed as Flames head coach in November 2019 after it was revealed he used racial slurs toward former NHL player Akim Aliu during their time with the AHL’s Rockford Icehogs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Peters apologized to Aliu during his press conference announcing his hiring with the Hurricanes. The club indicated that he had undergone anti-racism counseling and a coaching certification program. However, Aliu said that Peters has never spoken to him personally, adding that his former coach recently tried to get a third coach involved to speak with Aliu on his behalf to facilitate a conversation.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 30, 2023

by | Jun 30, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 30, 2023

The 2023 Draft is completed, the Blackhawks acquire Corey Perry and Josh Bailey, the Red Wings acquire Klim Kostin and Kailer Yamamoto, plus updates on David Krejci, Tyler Bertuzzi, Jesse Puljujarvi and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

2023 NHL DRAFT NEWS

NHL.COM: The 2023 NHL Draft finished up yesterday with the completion of Rounds 2 through 7. You can see the complete list of each player selected (including Round 1) by following this link.

Among the notable numbers emerging from this year’s draft:

PICKS BY POSITION

Defense: 69
Center: 63
Right Wing: 34

Left Wing: 32

Goaltender: 26

PICKS BY BIRTH COUNTRY

Canada: 86
United States: 50
Sweden: 24
Russia: 19
Finland: 15
Czechia: 7
Slovakia: 7

Belarus: 5
Germany: 4
Kazakhstan: 1

France: 1
Switzerland: 1
Norway: 1
Italy: 1
Denmark: 1

Austria: 1

PICKS BY AMATEUR LEAGUE

USHL: 39 (includes NTDP)
OHL: 35 

WHL: 33 

SWEDEN-JR: 22 

RUSSIA-JR: 15 

QMJHL: 12 

FINLAND-JR: 11 

BCHL: 4 

BIG 10: 4 

FINLAND: 4 

HIGH-MN: 4 

RUSSIA: 4 

SWEDEN: 4 

AJHL: 3 

CZECHIA: 2 

ECAC: 2 

GERMANY-JR: 2 

HOCKEY EAST: 2 

RUSSIA-2: 2 

SLOVAKIA: 2 

SWEDEN U-18: 2 

SWEDEN-2: 2 

SWISS-JR: 2 

GERMANY: 1 

GOJHL: 1 

HIGH-CT: 1 

HIGH-IN: 1 

HIGH-MA: 1 

HIGH-ON: 1 

KAZAKHSTAN U-20: 1 

MJHL: 1 

NAHL: 1 

NCHC: 1 

SWISS: 1 

USMAAAE: 1 

Chicago Blackhawks acquire Corey Perry (NHL Images).

The second day of the draft also saw three trades involving NHL veterans:

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired winger Corey Perry from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round draft pick. The Blackhawks subsequently signed Perry to a one-year, $4 million contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Lightning couldn’t afford to re-sign Perry so they shipped out his rights for a draft pick. As for why the 35-year-old winger signed with the rebuilding Blackhawks, the $4 million salary was one reason but the opportunity to play with a potential generational talent like Connor Bedard also likely appealed to him. If Perry plays well, the Blackhawks can peddle him to a playoff contender before next season’s trade deadline.

Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson was reportedly a big fan of Perry’s going back to when he coached the winger in Montreal two years ago. His experience and leadership will be invaluable to this team.

The Blackhawks also acquired winger Josh Bailey and a 2026 second-round pick from the New York Islanders in exchange for future considerations. They placed him on waivers for the purpose of buying out the final year of his contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a straightforward salary dump by the Islanders. Bailey was their longest-serving active player but the cap-strapped club had to offload his $5 million cap hit for 2023-24 to free up space for other moves.

The Blackhawks can afford the buyout, which will count as $2.66 million against their salary cap for 2023-24 and $1.166 million for 2024-25. With 16 active roster players under contract, they’ll be roughly $3.2 million within range of the $61.7 million cap minimum for 2023-24.

Bailey, meanwhile, becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

The Detroit Red Wings acquired forwards Klim Kostin and Kailer Yamamoto from the Edmonton Oilers for future considerations.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was also a cost-cutting move as shipping out Yamamoto clears $3.1 million from the Oilers’ books. Kostin, meanwhile, is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights whom the Oilers evidently believed they couldn’t afford to re-sign. Part of that cap space could be spent on signing UFA Connor Brown on July 1 as well as re-signing RFA defenseman Evan Bouchard.

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff believes Kostin was the main prize for the Red Wings while Yamamoto could be a buyout candidate. If so, the Wings have until 5 pm ET today to do so.

IN OTHER NEWS…

TORONTO STAR: The Maple Leafs have confirmed that Sheldon Keefe will return as their head coach next season. He has a year remaining on his contract but general manager Brad Treliving indicates that an extension will be discussed during this summer.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: cites a report out of Czechia indicating that Bruins center David Krejci remains undecided whether he’ll return to the club for another season. There was speculation he will retire or return to play in Czechia.

SPORTSNET: Speaking of the Bruins, winger Tyler Bertuzzi is expected to head to free agency when the market opens at noon ET on Saturday (July 1).

TSN: Jesse Puljujarvi will become a UFA as the Carolina Hurricanes will not issue him a qualifying offer. The 25-year-old winger recently underwent double hip surgery and could be sidelined for some time.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This could also spell the end of Puljujarvi’s NHL career. The fourth overall pick by the Oilers in the 2016 draft struggled to play up to expectations as a scoring winger.

DAILY FACEOFF: Buffalo Sabres rookie forward Jack Quinn will be sidelined for four to six months following surgery to repair his Achilles tendon. The 21-year-old winger suffered the injury during training this week.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Patric Hornqvist’s NHL playing career appears to be over following two concussion injuries this season. However, the Florida Panthers are hoping to bring him back in another role.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 28, 2023

by | Jun 28, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 28, 2023

The 2023-24 schedule is released, the Leafs and Senators will retain their head coaches for next season, Bruins are preparing for life without Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, plus more news heading into the 2023 Draft in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NOTE: The 2023 NHL Draft opens tonight at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville with the first round starting at 7 pm ET.

Follow this link for my take on yesterday’s notable trade activity.

NHL.COM: The league released its schedule for 2023-24 starting with a tripleheader on Oct. 10 featuring the Vegas Golden Knights’ 2023 Stanley Cup banner raising before facing off with the Seattle Kraken at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Also on that night, the Nashville Predators will meet the Tampa Bay Lightning while the Chicago Blackhawks journey to Pittsburgh to square off against the Penguins.

All seven Canadian teams will be in action on Oct. 11 with the Montreal Canadiens against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Ottawa Senators facing the Carolina Hurricanes, the Winnipeg Jets meeting the Calgary Flames, and the Edmonton Oilers meeting the Vancouver Canucks.

Notable dates include the Tim Hortons Heritage Classic between the Flames and Oilers on Oct. 29 at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium, the Jan. 1 Winter Classic between the Golden Knights at Kraken at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, and the NHL All-Star Weekend from Feb 1-4 in Toronto.

The regular-season schedule ends on Apr. 18.

TORONTO STAR: Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving confirmed that Sheldon Keefe will return as head coach for 2023-24. He also expressed confidence in getting Auston Matthews and William Nylander signed to contract extensions this summer.

Keefe has a year remaining on his contract. Treliving said he’s open to signing him to an extension.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators GM Pierre Dorion confirms head coach D.J. Smith and his coaching staff will be back for 2023-24.

Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The performances of both clubs will determine if those coaches will remain in those jobs beyond 2023-24. Another early playoff exit will likely spell the end of Keefe’s tenure behind the Leafs bench while another missed postseason will see Smith receive his walking papers.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: The Bruins are preparing for next season under the assumption that centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci will retire at some point this summer. Team president Cam Neely said they’ll give both players the time they need to reach their decisions but the club has to press on with their offseason plans.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bruins created salary-cap space by trading Taylor Hall to Chicago but most of that will be taken up attempting to re-sign or replace key players. If Bergeron and/or Krejci decide to return it’ll be on low-cost one-year contracts provided the Bruins can still squeeze them in.

DAILY FACEOFF: Teams that have met and interviewed Matvei Michkov have come away impressed by the young Russian prospect. Stories have circulated about the 18-year-old KHL winger questioning his attitude. Michkov is considered the best Russian prospect in years and could be chosen among the top 10 in this year’s draft.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Any NHL club that selects Michkov will have to be patient. He’s signed with KHL team SKA St. Petersburg through 2025-26. It could be worth the wait if he follows in the footsteps of Washington’s Evgeny Kuznetsov and Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov, who quickly matured into NHL stars following their KHL tenures.

CHICAGO HOCKEY NOW: The Blackhawks signed Nick Foligno to a one-year, $4 million contract. They acquired the 35-year-old forward the day prior from the Bruins. He was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Foligno wouldn’t have gotten that much money on a one-year deal on the opening market. If he has a good season the rebuilding Blackhawks can attempt to move him to a contender at the trade deadline for a draft pick. This signing also helps the Hawks reach the $61.7 million salary-cap floor for 2023-24.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: The Stars re-signed winger Evgenii Dadonov to a two-year, $4.5 million contract. The average annual value is $2.25 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Dadonov struggled through most of last season with 18 points in 50 games skating with the rebuilding Montreal Canadiens. He regained his scoring touch after being acquired by the Stars on Feb. 26 with 15 points in 23 regular-season games along with 10 points in 16 playoff contests.

SPORTSNET’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Anaheim Ducks are unlikely to give winger Max Comtois a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A once-promising young winger, Comtois’ production has declined since his 33-point performance in 55 games during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. The 24-year-old could become an affordable reclamation project.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Speaking of the Ducks, they’ve named former captain Ryan Getzlaf a player development coordinator.

DAILY FACEOFF: Seattle Kraken defenseman Carson Soucy intends to test the free-agent market on July 1.

SPORTSNET: The New Jersey Devils have given winger Miles Wood permission to speak with other clubs. Wood, 27, is scheduled to become a UFA on July 1.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 17, 2023

by | Jun 17, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 17, 2023

The Canucks buy out Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Timo Meier seeks a long-term deal with the Devils, the Leafs will discuss a contract extension with head coach Sheldon Keefe, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

THE PROVINCE/CAP FRIENDLY: The Vancouver Canucks are buying out the contract of defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

The Canucks acquired Ekman-Larsson from the Arizona Coyotes in 2021. He had four seasons remaining on his contract with an average annual value of $8.25 million. Vancouver was carrying $7.26 million while the Coyotes retained the remainder. The buyout will affect the salary-cap payrolls of both clubs for the next eight seasons.

Vancouver Canucks buy out Oliver Ekman-Larsson (NHL Images).

This move was made to free up much-needed cap space for the Canucks, who were sitting above next season’s projected $83.5 million salary cap. It provides $7.1 million in cap room this summer and $4.9 million in 2024-25.

They’ll face a cap hit of over $4.7 million annually in 2025-26 and 2026-27 before dropping to over $2.1 million annually over the remaining four years.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks had no choice. They had to create cap room to become cap compliant at the start of next season and to improve their roster after missing the playoffs over the past three years. They obviously couldn’t find any takers for Ekman-Larsson in the trade market because of his contract and the decline in his performance over the past few years. He now becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

The Coyotes’ cap hit isn’t as harsh. It’s $20K in 2023-24 and $320K in 2024-25, rising to $650K in 2025-26 and 2026-27 and dropping to $290K for the final four years. However, they lose one of their three retained salary slots over the eight-year period of the buyout.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: NHL teams can only have three contracts with salary retained on their books at any one time. The Coyotes now have two slots remaining.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: The Devils filed to take Timo Meier to arbitration but the club could soon have an agreement on a new contract with the 26-year-old winger. General manager Tom Fitzgerald indicated that Meier has instructed his agent to negotiate an eight-year contract with the Devils.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Devils filed for arbitration to set a date to reach an agreement with Meier on a new contract rather than have it drag out throughout the offseason. The move also prevents the winger from signing his qualifying offer and prevents a rival team from swooping in with an offer sheet.

This report indicates there’s a mutual desire to get a long-term contract done. Fitzgerald indicated both sides are in constant communication.

The arbitration period is from late July into early August. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if the two sides hammer out a new deal by the end of this month.

TSN: The Toronto Maple Leafs and head coach Sheldon Keefe are expected to discuss a contract extension later this summer. Keefe’s current contract expires at the end of 2023-24.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: So much for Keefe losing his job. It appears the only significant shakeup for the Leafs this summer took place in the management office.

Keefe and Brad Treliving, the Leafs new general manager, are currently interviewing candidates to replace former assistant coach Spencer Carbery, who’s now the head coach of the Washington Capitals.

YAHOO! SPORTS: cited NHL insider Chris Johnston reporting the Leafs are unlikely to re-sign pending unrestricted free agents Michael Bunting, Alex Kerfoot and Justin Holl.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bunting is the most notable of this trio after exceeding expectations on a two-year deal worth $1.9 million. He’s evidently priced himself out of Toronto.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: It appears the Red Wings are unlikely to re-sign any of their pending UFAs. They reportedly made contract offers to Pius Suter and Alex Chiasson but both players passed on those offers.

NEW YORK POST: The Rangers re-signed defenseman Zac Jones to a one-year, two-way contract worth $800K in the first season and $825 K in 2024-25.

SPORTS MEDIA WATCH: Game 5 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights was the least-watched Game 5 in 29 years. That game was the Cup-clincher for the Golden Knights as they won the series in five games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Critics of the NHL’s expansion into non-traditional markets have pounced on this as proof that hockey fans don’t want to see Stanley Cup Finals involving Sun Belt teams. UFC president Dana White believes it’s because the league is run by “old dumb f**king people who have no idea what’s going on” when it comes to marketing their product.

White’s salty assessment of NHL marketing isn’t without its merits. However, the ratings for Game 1 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final saw an increase of 11 percent compared to the average Cup Final viewership from 2017-21 and was the second-most watched Stanley Cup Final game ever on cable.

I’d argue that the low ratings for Game 5 had more to do with how lopsided this series became as the Golden Knights dominated the underdog Panthers. Three of their five wins were by a margin of at least three goals, with Game 5 a 9-3 blowout in which Vegas was up 6-1 by the end of the second period.










NHL Rumor Mill – May 27, 2023

by | May 27, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – May 27, 2023

Are the Rangers waiting for Sheldon Keefe or Mike Sullivan to become available as coaching candidates? Could the Golden Knights buy out Robin Lehner? Will the Sharks attempt to trade Kevin Labanc? Check out the latest in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

ARE THE RANGERS WAITING FOR KEEFE OR SULLIVAN?

NEW YORK POST: Larry Brooks wondered why the Rangers’ search for a new head coach is on hold.

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe (NHL.com).

One possibility is Rangers general manager Chris Drury is waiting to see what happens to Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe once that club hires a new GM. Another could be what happens with Pittsburgh Penguins’ bench boss Mike Sullivan if former Leafs GM Kyle Dubas becomes their new general manager.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: If Drury is waiting on Keefe he might not be the only general manager doing so. Other clubs, such as the Calgary Flames, Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals, are also in the market for a new head coach.

By his own admission, Brooks isn’t letting Sullivan’s possible availability go despite him telling his colleague Mollie Walker that he’s not going anywhere. His initial theory was Dubas would bring Keefe with him if the Penguins hired him but that’s not a certainty. For now, we just wait and see.

Brooks shot down the possibility that they’re waiting for Joel Quenneville to be reinstated by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. He claimed there’s “no expectation within the industry” that Quenneville (under indefinite suspension since 2021 for his role in the Kyle Beach sexual assault saga) would be reinstated in a timely manner that would make him a candidate for any open head-coaching job “in this current search cycle”.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: In other words, not during this offseason.

COULD THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS BUY OUT LEHNER?

VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: Dan Kingerski points out that Adin Hill is making a strong case to stick with the Golden Knights with his strong performance during their current playoff run. He wondered if they might consider buying out Robin Lehner’s contract and use part of the savings to sign Hill to a long-term deal.

The 27-year-old Hill is slated to become an unrestricted free agent. He’s completing a two-year deal with an average annual value of $2.175 million.

Lehner, 31, has missed the entire 2022-23 season recovering from potentially career-threatening hip surgeries. He has two seasons remaining on his contract with an average annual value of $5 million.

Kingerski suggests buying out Lehner would make sense if the Golden Knights can’t keep him on long-term injury reserve for 2023-24. His cap hit would then be reduced to $750K for 2023-24, rising to $2.25 million for 2024-25 and then falling to $1.75 million for the remaining two years of the buyout.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lehner must be medically cleared to play in order for Vegas to buy out his contract. So far, there’s no indication yet that he will receive that clearance during the buyout period in late June.

WILL THE SHARKS SHOP LABANC?

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Max Miller noted that trade rumors are starting to swirl about Kevin Labanc. The San Jose Sharks winger is a year away from unrestricted free-agent eligibility. With the club carrying so many high-salaried players with no-trade/no-movement clauses (Erik Karlsson, Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl), the 27-year-old Labanc could become a prime cost-cutting trade candidate.

Given Labanc’s offensive struggles since his career-best 56-point performance in 2018-19, Miller doesn’t expect the Sharks would get much in return for him. Maybe a team seeking some offensive depth such as the New York Islanders might take a chance on him.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Speculation over whether the Sharks will trade Karlsson has dominated the Sharks rumor mill. Nevertheless, we can’t rule out the possibility that GM Mike Grier can find a taker for Labanc. Given his salary and with just a year left on Labanc’s contract, Grier might be more receptive to retaining part of his cap hit to facilitate a trade than he would for Karlsson.