NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 10, 2022

by | Oct 10, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 10, 2022

Lightning suspends Ian Cole pending an investigation into sexual abuse allegations, Wayne Simmonds and Mike Reilly are among those on the waiver wire, the Blues trade Klim Kostin to the Oilers, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: The Lightning suspended Ian Cole pending the result of a league investigation into allegations against him of sexual abuse.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Ian Cole (NHL Images).

A woman using the alias “Emily Smith” recently took to social media accusing the 33-year-old defenseman of engaging in a sexual relationship with her that started when she was a minor. She claimed Cole had manipulated her over a four-year period.

Cole denied the allegations in a statement on Sunday. He and the Lightning indicated they would fully cooperate with the league’s investigation.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No timetable has been given by the league as to when it will complete its investigation. As the report indicates, this is the latest black eye for the sport as it reels from numerous reports of sexual abuse claims.

Former Chicago Blackhawks forward Kyle Beach came forward last year as the player suing the club for mishandling his allegations he’d been sexually assaulted by their former video coach in 2010.

Hockey Canada is being grilled by a Canadian parliamentary committee over its handling of sexual assault allegations against members of Canada’s 2003 and 2018 World Junior teams. Some of those players may have gone on to NHL careers.

Meanwhile, the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors fired head athletic trainer Chad Drown after he was charged with “contacting a minor to commit a sexual offense”. The Condors are the affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers, who released a statement supporting the decision to fire Drown.

DAILY FACEOFF: Toronto Maple Leafs winger Wayne Simmonds, Boston Bruins forward Nick Foligno and defenseman Mike Reilly are among the notable players placed on waivers Sunday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs also let it be known that Simmonds was available for a trade. I’ll have more about that in today’s Rumor Mill update. Foligno isn’t likely to be claimed given his declining performance and $3.8 million cap hit for this season.

Reilly’s puck-moving skills could see him end up with a different team later today. He hits the waiver wire because sidelined defenseman Matt Grzelcyk is expected to return to action much sooner than expected.

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH: The Blues traded forward Klim Kostin to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Dmitri Samorukov.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A former first-round pick (2017), Kostin struggled to crack the Blues lineup. Perhaps he’ll have better luck with the Oilers as they’re in need of depth on right wing. They also made this move because Kostin carries a slightly more affordable contract. The Blues, meanwhile, are expected to send Samorukov to their AHL affiliate in Springfield.

TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs yesterday signed winger Zach Aston-Reese to a one-year deal worth over $840K.

NEW YORK POST: The Rangers signed winger Jimmy Vesey to a one-year, $750K contract. It’s his second tenure with the Blueshirts as he spent the first three seasons of his NHL career with them.

TSN: The NHL department of player safety fined New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov $5,000.00 for charging Rangers center Vincent Trocheck during a preseason game on Saturday.

ARIZONA SPORTS: The Coyotes claimed defenseman Juuso Valimaki off waivers yesterday from the Calgary Flames.

GOPHNX.COM‘s Craig Morgan reports the Coyotes are expected to release forward Alex Chiasson from his professional tryout offer.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 28, 2022

by | Jul 28, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 28, 2022

An update on J.T. Miller’s contract talks with the Canucks, Claude Giroux expects a rough welcome from Philadelphia Flyers fans, the latest on John Klingberg and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

VANCOUVER HOCKEY NOW: Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford told The Bob McCown podcast that his club would like to re-sign J.T. Miller. However, the two sides “remain a long way apart”.

Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller (NHL Images).

Rutherford considered Miller the Canucks’ best player last season and anticipates he’ll be a very good player for a long time. If unable to reach an agreement with the 29-year-old center on a new contract, he said they’ll have to put him “in a place where he’s going to get his contract and where we’re going to get the right assets back that can help the Canucks in the future.”

Asked if there was a timeline and if he saw Miller starting the season in Vancouver, Rutherford said he would start the season with the Canucks if he remains unsigned and no one’s made a suitable trade offer by then. He acknowledged the situation would reach a pressure point for management a month before the trade deadline, saying they don’t want to be in a position where they wouldn’t get anything in return.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Miller is signed for this season at a salary cap hit of $5.25 million. He is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Miller’s agent recently said there was a pathway toward a new contract with the Canucks. Rutherford’s comments suggest that the pathway could be too long, too expensive or both.

There’s still plenty of time for the two sides to negotiate an extension. However, we can expect trade rumors to continue swirling around Miller in the coming season if he doesn’t have a new deal by then.

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: Claude Giroux believes he’ll be booed by Flyers fans when he plays his first game at Wells Fargo Arena this coming season. Giroux was traded by the Flyers to the Florida Panthers at last season’s trade deadline and signed a three-year contract with the Ottawa Senators earlier this month. He thinks they could give him a standing ovation and then boo him.

DAILY FACEOFF: John Klingberg has changed agents two weeks into free agency. The former Dallas Stars defenseman parted ways with longtime agent Peter Wallen and is now represented by Newport Sports Management.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Klingberg was considered the top defenseman in this summer’s UFA class. It appears he and his former agent overestimated his value on the open market. There were reports last season that he sought an eight-year deal from the Stars worth between $62 million and $68 million. He’s certainly not getting that now.

NEW YORK POST: Former NHL forward Bobby Ryan took to Twitter yesterday to thank hockey fans for their support after he was arrested for public intoxication earlier this week at Nashville airport. Ryan, 35, has battled alcohol abuse and received treatment in 2019-20 through the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ryan’s relapse was unfortunate but he appears determined to return to the path of sobriety. Here’s hoping he can find the help he needs to do so. It was heartwarming to see the overwhelming support he received on social media from fans and former teammates.

THE ATHLETIC: Former Montreal Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme said he was disappointed he didn’t get the opportunity to speak with the club’s new management to discuss their plans for the franchise. Ducharme was replaced last February by Martin St. Louis after the club tumbled to last place in the overall standings. Under St. Louis, the Canadiens showed improvement though they still finished near the bottom of the standings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ducharme was put in a difficult situation by being hired midway through a COVID-shortened season on a struggling team that barely reached the playoffs. He coached them to a surprise run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, saw the wheels come off the following season as injuries to key players and a COVID outbreak ravaged the roster and appeared to have been kept in the dark by the club’s new management.

Nevertheless, the results speak for themselves. The Canadiens played like a team that had lost all confidence under Ducharme last season. There’s no denying their overall improvement under St. Louis.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins signed free-agent forward Danton Heinen to a one-year, $1 million contract.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Carolina Hurricanes avoided salary arbitration with Ethan Bear, signing him to a one-year, $2.2 million contract.

THE SEATTLE TIMES: The Kraken re-signed forward Ryan Donato to a one-year, $1.2 million deal.

SPORTSNET: The St. Louis Blues signed forward Klim Kostin to a one-year, one-way contract worth $750K.

NHL.COM: The Anaheim Ducks signed defenseman Olli Juolevi to a one-year, two-way contract.

The Edmonton Oilers announced the Fort Wayne Comets will be their new ECHL affiliate.

DAILY FACEOFF: Former NHL player Daniel Carcillo released a statement yesterday criticizing Hockey Canada’s top officials for denying systemic and ongoing problems in junior hockey.

Carcillo is spearheading a lawsuit against Hockey Canada, alleging he suffered abuse during his major junior career. Hockey Canada is under scrutiny from Canadian politicians in the wake of two sexual assault scandals involving members of the 2003 and 2018 World Junior teams.