NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 28, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 28, 2024

Recapping Friday’s eight games and the notable news of the past four days in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Colorado Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen tallied his first career hat trick in a 4-1 victory over the Utah Hockey Club. Nathan MacKinnon collected three assists to become the first player this season to reach 60 points while Mikko Rantanen netted his 20th goal as the Avalanche picked up their fourth straight win. Nick Schmaltz replied for Utah as they’re winless in three straight (0-2-1).

Colorado Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Avalanche also announced on Friday that they signed Mackenzie Blackwood to a five-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $5.25 million. That’s a big raise over his current $2.35 million AAV. The 28-year-old goaltender was due to become an unrestricted free agent in July.

The Avalanche acquired Blackwood from the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 9. He’s won three of his four appearances for Colorado with a .931 save percentage. Nevertheless, this is a significant commitment by Avs management based on a short sample size of his work, raising skepticism among some observers.

In other Avs news, defenseman Cale Makar was the NHL’s first star for the week ending Dec. 22. Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander was the second star and Montreal Canadiens winger Patrik Laine was the third star.

Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner scored a natural hat trick as his club clipped the Detroit Red Wings 5-2. John Tavares had two assists as the Leafs snapped a two-game losing skid. Lucas Raymond and Simon Edvinsson scored for the Red Wings, losing their fourth straight and the first under new head coach Todd McLellan.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McLellan replaced Derek Lalonde, who was fired as Wings head coach on Dec. 26. Assistant coach Bob Boughner was also relieved of his duties. McLellan has considerable NHL head-coaching experience but he’ll need some time to get the struggling Wings on a winning track.

Meanwhile, Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews missed this game. He remains hampered by a nagging upper-body injury that sidelined him for nine games in November. Matthews isn’t expected to be in the lineup for Saturday’s game against Washington.

The Buffalo Sabres got their second straight win by defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 6-2. Alex Tuch led the way with a hat trick while Jack Quinn and Dylan Cozens each had a goal and an assist. Tyler Bertuzzi and Seth Jones scored for the Blackhawks, who pulled goaltender Petr Mrazek following the first period after giving up four goals on 11 shots.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres ended a 13-game winless skid on Dec. 23 by crushing the New York Islanders 7-1. Chicago has lost three in a row.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski collected four assists in a 6-2 upset of the Boston Bruins. Dmitri Voronkov scored two goals and had an assist while Sean Monahan tallied twice for the Blue Jackets, who are 3-0-1 in their last four. Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle were the Bruins’ goal scorers as their five-game points streak (4-0-1) ended.

A four-goal third period powered the Vegas Golden Knights over the San Jose Sharks 6-3. Alex Pietrangelo had three assists while Jack Eichel and Mark Stone were among four players with a goal and an assist each for the Golden Knights, who’ve won nine of their last 10 to take over first place in the overall standings with 51 points. Will Smith and Fabian Zetterlund each had two points for the Sharks, who are winless in their last six (0-5-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This game marked Tomas Hertl’s return to San Jose for the first time since the Sharks shipped him to the Golden Knights at last season’s trade deadline. He was held off the score sheet but received a video tribute from the Sharks before the game. Injuries kept Sharks forward William Eklund and defenseman Jake Walman out of the lineup for this contest.

New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom stopped 29 shots in a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Luke Hughes had a goal and an assist as the Devils won for the sixth time in their last seven contests, sitting atop the Eastern Conference with 51 points. Eric Robinson and Brent Burns replied for the Hurricanes as they’ve dropped four of their last five.

The Minnesota Wild overcame a 2-0 deficit to nip the Dallas Stars 3-2 on an overtime wraparound goal by Brock Faber. Jonas Brodin and Marcus Foligno also scored for the Wild while Filip Gustavsson made 27 saves for the win. Evgenii Dadonov and Wyatt Johnston scored for the Stars as they’ve lost three of their last four (1-2-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov missed this game with a lower-body injury. Stars forward Mason Marchment was taken to a Dallas hospital after being struck in the face by a shot in the first period. There was no update regarding his condition.

St. Louis Blues defenseman Cam Fowler had a goal and two assists in a 7-4 victory over the Nashville Predators. Robert Thomas tallied twice while Jordan Kyrou and Dylan Holloway each had two points for the Blues. Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault each had a goal and an assist for the Predators, who pulled goalie Juuse Saros after he gave up five goals on 15 shots.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: On Dec. 23, the Predators placed forward Cole Smith (lower body) on injured reserve. He’s expected to miss four-to-six weeks.

HEADLINES OF THE PAST WEEK

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is a brief look at some notable news during my holiday break (Dec. 24-27).

The NHL’s holiday roster freeze ended at 12:01 am on Dec. 28.

NHL.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby collected his 1,030 career NHL assist in a 7-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 23. He’s tied with Mario Lemieux for the most assists in franchise history.

SPORTSNET: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin) skated on his regular line with Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas for a portion of Friday’s practice. Sidelined by a fractured fibula since Nov. 18, he could return to the lineup against Toronto on Saturday.

THE PROVINCE: Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes and center Elias Pettersson missed practice on Friday due to injuries. They could miss Saturday’s game against the Seattle Kraken.

OTTAWA CITIZEN: Senators starting goaltender Linus Ullmark could miss the next five games after experiencing tightness in his back in a Dec. 22 game against the Edmonton Oilers.

THE ATHLETIC: The New York Rangers raised eyebrows by scratching winger Chris Kreider from their Dec. 23 games against the Devils.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That led to speculation that Kreider could be traded once the NHL’s holiday roster freeze ended. So far, there’s no indication a deal is afoot.

SPORTSNET: Jets defenseman Haydn Fleury is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Tampa Bay Lightning forward Conor Geekie is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

THE MONTREAL GAZETTE: The Canadiens called up goaltender Jakub Dobes and intend to place Cayden Primeau on waivers Saturday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Primeau was expected to share the goaltending duties this season with starter Sam Montembeault. However, his shaky performance led to Montembeault starting the last 10 games. The Canadiens carried three goalies last season because they were concerned a rival club would pluck Primeau off waivers. This move indicates they’ve lost confidence in him as a backup.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 1, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 1, 2022

The Avalanche stage their Stanley Cup victory parade, the Lightning working on trading Ryan McDonagh and signing Nick Paul, the Red Wings hire Derek Lalonde as head coach, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines

THE DENVER POST/COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: The Colorado Avalanche held their Stanley Cup victory parade on June 30 in Denver. During the parade, defenseman Bowen Byram briefly jumped from the fire truck he was riding to mingle with fans along the route. He was nearly prevented from rejoining his teammates by a policeman who thought he was one of the fans.

In other highlights, head coach Jared Bednar gave an emotional speech thanking the Avalanche organization for giving him the opportunity to prove himself at the NHL level. He also praised his players and fellow coaches and thanked the fans for sticking with the club after his difficult first season in 2016-17.

Cale Makar thanked his “underappreciated” defense partner Devon Toews, Mikko Rantanen apologized for “forgetting” how to speak English following the Cup win and drank from a shoe with Artturi Lehkonen, and Nathan MacKinnon joked about finally winning something in his ninth NHL season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: In short, a good time was had by all.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman cites multiple sources claiming the Tampa Bay Lightning are working on a trade with Ryan McDonagh. It’s not a move they want to make but may have to for salary cap reasons. The 33-year-old defenseman is signed through 2025-26 with an annual average value of $6.75 million and a full no-trade clause.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDonagh is still an effective defenseman but won’t be easy to move given his age and contract. The Bolts might have to include a draft pick or prospect to make the deal work.

They’ve also got less than two weeks to pull this off. Free agency begins on July 13 and most teams with available cap space interested in acquiring McDonagh could consider more affordable free-agent options if trade talks fall through.

TSN: Darren Dreger reports that the Lightning are closing in on a multi-year contract with Nick Paul. The 27-year-old forward was acquired from the Ottawa Senators prior to the March 21 trade deadline.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Paul’s new contract could be one reason why the cap-strapped Lightning are trying to trade McDonagh. He fit in well with the Bolts, especially during the postseason. He reportedly rejected a four-year, $10-million contract offer from the Senators before he was traded. It’ll be interesting to see what he gets from the Lightning.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: The Red Wings have hired Derek Lalonde as their new head coach. He spent the past four seasons as an associate coach with the Lightning and is a former ECHL coach of the year.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: We shouldn’t be surprised that Wings general manager Steve Yzerman went with a former Lightning coach. He’s the one who hired Lalonde during his tenure as the Bolts GM.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: A Bruins source indicated former Dallas Stars head coach Jim Montgomery could become their new bench boss. ESPN.com’s Kevin Weekes reports he’s been offered a three-year contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A formal announcement could come as early as today (July 1). Montgomery spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues.

WINNIPEG SUN: The Jets are reportedly targeting Rick Tocchet as their new head coach. They’ve made him an offer but a deal had yet to be finalized. Tocchet is a former head coach of the Lightning and the Arizona Coyotes.

SPORTSNET: The Toronto Maple Leafs are open to trading the rights of pending UFA defenseman Ilya Mikheyev.

TSN: The Buffalo Sabres signed goaltender Craig Anderson to a one-year, $1.5 million contract. He was slated to become a UFA on July 13.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The Blues Jackets acquired gritty forward Mathieu Olivier from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2022 fourth-round pick that the Jackets acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs last year.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: The Stars signed goaltender Scott Wedgewood to a two-year contract extension worth $1 million per season. He’ll serve as Jake Oettinger’s backup.

SPORTSNET: Ottawa Senators defenseman Victor Mete released a statement on social media yesterday indicating he was not present at the Hockey Canada gala in 2018 that is now the focus of sexual assault allegations.

Mete, a member of Canada’s World Junior team in 2017-18, said he was deeply troubled by the allegations. He indicated he was vacationing in Jamaica with his family at the time of the alleged incident and only learned about the situation recently through media reports. He added he’d be willing to fully cooperate if requested by those investigating the matter.

Agents for NHL players Cal Foote and Dante Fabbro recently issued statements saying their clients also weren’t involved in the incident.

TSN: Speaking of the Senators, they’ve informed forward Adam Gaudette that he won’t be receiving a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent on July 13. The club also announced they’ve hired Trent Mann and Ryan Bowness (son of former Stars coach Rick Bowness) as assistant general managers.

WASHINGTON HOCKEY NOW: The Capitals have promoted Emily Engel-Natzke as their new NHL video coordinator. She becomes the first woman to be hired as part of the full-time coaching staff of an NHL club.