NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 20, 2025

by | Feb 20, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 20, 2025

The latest 4 Nations Face-Off news on the eve of the championship game, updates on notable sidelined players as NHL teams prepare for the resumption of the schedule, and much more in today’s Morning Coffee Headlines.

4 NATIONS FACE-OFF NEWS

NHL.COM: The 4 Nations Face-Off championship game between Canada and the United States begins at 8 PM ET on Thursday, Feb. 20 at Boston’s TD Garden. The United States defeated Canada 3-1 during their round-robin game last Saturday at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

TSN: Team USA and Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy remains in a Boston hospital after undergoing “an irrigation and debridement procedure” stemming from an infection in his right shoulder. He is listed as week-to-week.

Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (NHL Images).

McAvoy missed the Americans’ 2-1 loss to Sweden on Monday with an upper-body injury suffered earlier in the tournament and was ruled out of Thursday’s championship game. He is being treated with antibiotics and his condition is reportedly improving.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports the Bruins weren’t pleased with how McAvoy’s condition was handled by Team USA, claiming they felt the blueliner didn’t receive the proper care.

Friedman said McAvoy suffered the injury during Team USA’s game against Finland when he was driven into a goalpost by Finnish forward Joel Armia. An initial diagnosis of the injury may not have revealed the full severity.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bruins were jockeying for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference when the schedule was paused for the 4 Nations tournament. Losing their top defenseman for several weeks could derail their playoff hopes.

THE PROVINCE: Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes received medical clearance to return to practice but not to resume playing. He won’t be traveling to Boston to join Team USA in case another defenseman becomes sidelined before Thursday’s championship game.

An injured oblique muscle sidelined Hughes for four games before the 4 Nations tournament. He was in a non-contact jersey for the second straight day as he practiced with his Canucks teammates.

DAILY FACEOFF: Team USA invited New Jersey Devils defenseman Brett Pesce and Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson to travel to Boston and serve as potential illness or injury replacements ahead of Thursday’s championship game.

SPORTSNET: Matthew Tkachuk and Auston Matthews practiced with Team USA on Wednesday but Brady Tkachuk was absent with an illness.

The trio were sidelined from Monday’s game against Sweden. Team USA head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters on Tuesday that he expected all three to be in the lineup for Thursday’s game against Canada.

NHL.COM: Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington will get the start against Team USA in Thursday’s championship game. He’s played in every game for Canada and is the only goalie in this tournament to play a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final. In 2019, Binnington backstopped the St. Louis Blues to the Cup against the Bruins in Boston’s TD Garden.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fans and pundits have criticized Binnington’s performance but he has the steadfast support of his teammates and Team Canada coach Jon Cooper. A win in the championship game should silence his critics.

HEADLINES

TSN: Evgeni Malkin told The Athletic’s Rob Rossi that he has no plans of playing anywhere except Pittsburgh, ending speculation he could return to Russia to finish his playing career in the KHL.

“I retire with Pittsburgh,” said Malkin. “The Penguins are my team. I love this team. When I retire it’s here.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Malkin’s comments put to rest any talk of him waiving his no-movement clause to accept a trade to another NHL club. The 38-year-old center has one season left on his contract with a full no-movement clause.

NEW YORK POST: Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (upper-body injury) resumed practicing with his teammates on Wednesday. The club intends to ease him back into action.

TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs winger Max Pacioretty left practice on Wednesday after tweaking something during pre-practice drills. Leafs head coach Craig Berube said the injury is not believed to be serious but they’ll learn more after Pacioretty is reevaluated on Thursday.

NYI HOCKEY NOW: Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson (lower-body injury)was in a full-contact jersey during practice on Tuesday but didn’t partake in any drills. He was placed on long-term injury reserve on Jan. 20. The earliest he could return to action is next Tuesday against the New York Rangers.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser expects to return to action on Sunday against the Seattle Kraken. He’s been sidelined since Dec. 12 with a lower-body injury.

DAILY FACEOFF: Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Vejmelka’s status for Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings is uncertain as he deals with an illness. Center Logan Cooley’s status (lower body) has improved to day-to-day.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Alex Wennberg (upper body) and Nico Sturm (right ankle) could be ready for Saturday’s game against the Calgary Flames.

THE SCORE: ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports the NHL recently met with a group interested in bringing an expansion franchise to New Orleans.

Prospective ownership groups from Atlanta and Houston have also expressed interest in landing NHL expansion franchises.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman recently said expansion wasn’t a “front-burner issue” but the league is expected to add two more franchises before the end of the decade.

ASSOCIATED PRESS: NHL Hall-of-Famer Bobby Hull had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when he died two years ago, his widow said in a statement released on Wednesday.

Researchers at Boston University’s CTE Center found that Hull had stage 2 CTE when he died in 2023 at age 84. He suffered short-term memory loss and impaired judgment during the final decade of his life. He chose to donate his brain for research after seeing former teammate and fellow Hall-of-Famer Stan Mikita decline during the final years of his life.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hull and Mikita suffered repeated blows to the head during their careers. Mikita became one of the first NHL players to don a helmet in Dec. 1967 after an errant shot tore off a piece of his ear, which was later stitched back on.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Former Penguins broadcaster Mike Lange died Wednesday at age 76. He was the voice of the Penguins beginning in 1974-75, leaving after that season but resuming his duties in 1976-77 on television and radio until health issues forced him to step down in 2021.

Lange gained widespread recognition for his colorful play-by-play and unique catch-phrases, including “Scratch my back with a hacksaw”, “Buy Sam a drink and get his dog one, too,” and, after every Penguins victory, “Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has just left the building.” He received the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Foster Hewitt Award in 2001.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I first became aware of Lange during the Penguins’ back-to-back Stanley Cup runs in the early 1990s, enjoying his unique, entertaining play-by-play. He narrated the franchise’s greatest highs and lowest lows in a style that will never be equaled – my condolences to his family, friends, and the Penguins organization.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 10, 2021

by | Aug 10, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 10, 2021

New deals for Igor Shesterkin and Carter Hart top yesterday’s notable contract signings and the contract standoff between Kirill Kaprizov and the Wild intensifies. Details on these and other stories in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NEW YORK POST: The Rangers signed goaltender Igor Shesterkin to a four-year contract worth just over $5.66 million annually. It’s the largest second NHL contract signed by a goaltender.

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is a reasonable deal for both sides. The Rangers kept Shesterkin’s annual cap hit under $6 million and the 25-year-old goaltender qualifies for UFA status in four years times. He’s shown considerable promise as an elite netminder in his brief NHL career. This contract will look quite affordable if he reaches his full potential.

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: The Flyers signed goalie Carter Hart to a three-year contract worth an annual average value of $3.95 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hart might’ve earned himself a deal comparable to Shesterkin’s had it not been for his struggles last season. That worked in favor of the Flyers, inking the 23-year-old to a cost-effective bridge contract. He’ll be in line for a considerable raise in three years’ time if he regains his promising form from 2019-20.

WASHINGTON HOCKEY NOW: The Capitals re-signed netminder Ilya Samsonov to a one-year, $2 million contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Like Hart, Samsonov’s inconsistent performance last season hurt his efforts for a more lucrative deal. The 24-year-old also displayed some immaturity by testing positive twice for COVID-19 and getting scratched for disciplinary reasons late in the season for missing a team function.

DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli reports Kirill Kaprizov has a tentative agreement with KHL club CSKA Moscow for a one-year deal worth 8 figures in US dollars if a new deal with the Minnesota Wild doesn’t materialize.

The Wild initially sought a seven- or eight-year deal for the Calder Trophy winner. They’re willing to discuss a medium-range deal but the Kaprizov camp claims no offer has been made since April.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: An interesting development in the contract standoff between Kaprizov and the Wild. I’ll have more in today’s Rumor Mill update.

MLIVE.COM: The Detroit Red Wings and Jakub Vrana are reportedly far apart in contract negotiations as his Wednesday arbitration hearing approaches. Acquired from the Capitals at last season’s trade deadline, the 25-year-old winger seeks $5.7 million annually while the Red Wings are offering $3.65 million. He’s completing a two-year contract valued at $3.35 million per season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The two sides could agree to something around $4.4 million before tomorrow’s arbitration hearing.

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: The Anaheim Ducks signed Max Comtois, Max Jones and Joshua Mahura to new contracts. Comtois got a two-year, $4.075 million deal, Jones agreed to a three-year, $3.885 million contract, and Mahura a two-year, $1.5 million deal.

SPORTSNET: The New Jersey Devils re-signed winger Janne Kuokkanen to a two-year, $3.65 million contract.

TSN: The Tampa Bay Lightning inked forward Ross Colton to a two-year deal worth $1.125 million annually.

THE PROVINCE: The Vancouver Canucks signed defenseman Olli Juolevi to a one-year, $750K extension.

CALGARY SUN: The Flames signed blueliner Oliver Kylington to a one-year, two-way deal worth $750K at the NHL level.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Tampa Bay Lightning bench boss Jon Cooper was named head coach of Canada’s Men’s Olympic hockey team for the 2022 Beijing Games in February. His assistant coaches will be the New York Islanders’ Barry Trotz, the Vegas Golden Knights’ Peter DeBoer and the Boston Bruins’ Bruce Cassidy.

NBC SPORTS CHICAGO: Former Blackhawks center and current radio analyst Troy Murray has been diagnosed with cancer. He intends to continue calling games while battling this disease.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to Murray for a speedy and full recovery.

TRIBLIVE.COM: After 46 seasons in the broadcast booth, Mike Lange has called his last game for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 73-year-old is stepping down from play-by-play duties, though he’ll continue to provide commentary and voiceover work for the club’s radio network.

Famous for his colorful style and signature catchphrases, Lange has been scaling back his broadcasting duties since 2017. In 2001, he received the Foster Hewitt Award for broadcasting from the Hockey Hall of Fame.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Listening to Penguins’ games will never be the same. Best wishes to Lange in his retirement.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 9, 2021

by | Jan 9, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 9, 2021

​COVID-19 strikes the Stars and Blue Jackets, plus updates on Henrik Lundqvist, Corey Crawford and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: The Stars’ training facilities are closed indefinitely and the club’s practices canceled after six players and two staff tested positive for COVID-19. The NHL is revising the Stars’ regular-season schedule with the expectation the club won’t be able to play until Jan. 19 at the earliest. That means their season-opener on Jan. 14 and their following two games (Jan. 15 and Jan. 17) will be rescheduled.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Stars and the league haven’t revealed which players tested positive for the coronavirus. The report noted forwards Jason Robertson, Joel L’Esperance and Tye Felhaber and defensemen Joel Hanley were missing from the Stars’ last practice but it’s unknown if those absences were injury- or illness-related.

While the Stars’ facilities are closed indefinitely they could reopen soon. As the report observed, the St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning had several players test positive before the start of the 2020 playoffs, but their facilities opened several days later.

Despite the NHL’s health and safety protocols, it was inevitable COVID-19 would make its presence felt. Unlike the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, the upcoming regular season isn’t being held in hub cities under strict quarantine conditions.

The coronavirus also affected Major League Baseball and the National Football League this season but those leagues managed to complete their seasons. This outbreak won’t prevent the start of the NHL’s overall schedule, but it means the Stars’ 56-game schedule has become more compressed.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The Blue Jackets yesterday held 17 players out of practice for precautionary reasons. Most were regular roster players, including team captain Nick Foligno, forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand and Max Domi and defensemen Seth Jones, Vladislav Gavrikov and David Savard. The Jackets didn’t indicate if any of the absent players had tested positive for COVID-19.

Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: We’ll find out during this weekend if those players will remain sidelined and if the Jackets will be carrying on with their practice sessions. Their season-opener is Jan. 14. The report observed the Jackets dealt with an outbreak last month during small-group workouts that closed their practice facilities for a week.

NHL.COM: Henrik Lundqvist took to social media on Friday to report he is recovering well from his recent five-hour open-heart surgery. Lundqvist had signed with the Washington Capitals but his heart condition sidelined him for the entire season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to King Henrik for a swift and full recovery.

NJ.COM: Corey Crawford is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the New Jersey Devils for personal reasons. The 36-year-old goalie signed a two-year deal with the Devils in October. There’s no timeline for his return. The Devils are expected to turn to Scott Wedgewood as Mackenzie Blackwood’s backup.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Here’s hoping things are okay for Crawford and his family and he returns to action soon.

WGR 550: The Buffalo Sabres signed center Riley Sheahan to a one-year, $700K contract. Sheahan was attending Sabres’ training camp on a professional tryout offer.

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: Anaheim Ducks defenseman Brendan Guhle suffered a sprained right knee during a collision with another player. He’ll be sidelined for six weeks.

CAP FRIENDLY: Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, New York Rangers blueliner Adam Fox, Pittsburgh Penguins rearguard John Marino, Washington Capitals goalie Ilya Samsonov and Ottawa Senators winger Brady Tkachuk are among several players within five games of losing their waiver-exempt status.

ESPN.COM: Long-time Pittsburgh Penguins play-by-play man Mike Lange, 72, is sitting out the start of the 2020-21 season as a precaution due to COVID-19.

TSN: The province of Manitoba has given approval for the Winnipeg Jets to stage games in their home arena.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: All seven Canadian teams have the approval of their respective provinces to play in their home cities this season.

THE MERCURY NEWS: Growing number of COVID-19 cases in California’s Santa Clara County is casting doubt on whether the San Jose Sharks can return to the SAP Center early next month as scheduled. The Sharks are starting the season on the road because of the county’s current restrictions on sporting events.