NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 5, 2022

by | Dec 5, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 5, 2022

Jason Robertson and Kirill Kaprizov extend their points streaks, Johnny Gaudreau is playing well with the injury-depleted Blue Jackets, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Minnesota Wild overcame blowing a four-goal lead to defeat the Dallas Stars 6-5 on a shootout goal by Frederick Gaudreau. Kirill Kaprizov scored in regulation to extend his points streak to 12 games as the Wild improve their record to 13-9-2. Dallas winger Jason Robertson had two points to extend his streak to 18 games while Roope Hintz tallied a hat trick and Joe Pavelski added three assists. The Stars are 14-6-5 on the season.

Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov (NHL Images).

The Winnipeg Jets scored five unanswered goals to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 5-2. Saku Maenalanen and Nate Schmidt each had a goal and an assist while Connor Hellebucyk made 28 saves for the Jets (15-7-1) while the last overall Ducks drop to 6-17-3.

New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov stopped 21 shots to shut out the Chicago Blackhawks 3-0. Matt Martin, Zach Parise and Brock Nelson tallied for the 16-10-0 Islanders while the Blackhawks fall to 7-13-4.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Earlier in the day, the Blackhawks announced that goaltender Petr Mrazek will be sidelined for at least a week with a groin injury.

The Detroit Red Wings doubled up the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2 to snap a three-game losing skid. Ville Husso kicked out 32 shots while David Perron, Filip Hronek and Olli Maatta each collected two assists for the Red Wings (12-7-5). Boone Jenner had two assists for the 8-13-2 Blue Jackets.

Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Quinn scored twice while teammate Tage Thompson had a goal and an assist and Dylan Cozens collected three helpers in a 6-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks. The Sabres improve to 11-13-1 while the Sharks (8-16-4) have lost six of their last seven contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Thompson’s been drawing considerable attention for his scoring feats but Cozens has also been garnering notice for his production this season. Now in his third NHL campaign, the 21-year-old center’s 24 points in 25 games have him on a path to far exceed last season’s 38 points.

HEADLINES

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Johnny Gaudreau is still producing well despite the high number of injuries depleting the Blue Jackets’ lineup this season. He’s on pace for franchise records in assists (63) and points (93) over a full 82 games. The 29-year-old left winger has drawn praise from Jackets coach Brad Larsen for his production and poise.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s been a disappointing season thus far for the injury-ravaged Blue Jackets but Gaudreau has been among their few bright spots. His production would undoubtedly be higher if he had healthier, consistent linemates. He continues to prove himself as an elite offensive player.

VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: The Golden Knights will be without defenseman Alex Pietrangelo when they face off tonight against the Boston Bruins. It’s the fourth straight game he’s missed due to personal reasons. Meanwhile, Jack Eichel will be a game-day decision as he’s nursing an apparent leg injury suffered during the Golden Knight’s 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Blackhawks forward Andreas Athanasiou was angered at Jacob Trouba after the New York Rangers defenseman laid him out with a high hit on Saturday. Athanasiou was unhurt on the play but accused Trouba of deliberately attempting to injure opponents.

“That’s his game; that’s what he does,” said Athanasiou. “He’s an $8 million man with zero goals, so he has to figure out how to do something when making that much. If you can’t help the team, I guess you try to hurt guys on the other team.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Trouba does have a reputation for high hits, with the most notable examples being those he laid out on Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby last season. The Rangers’ captain has only been suspended and fined once in his career and that was back in 2017 when he was with the Winnipeg Jets.

WASHINGTON HOCKEY NOW: Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper and defenseman Martin Fehervary are both listed as day-to-day with upper-body injuries.

SPORTSNET: Toronto Maple Leafs forward Calle Jarnkrok is expected to miss two weeks with a groin injury.

NHL.COM: The NHL has rescheduled two Nashville Predators games recently postponed by flooding at Bridgestone Arena. Their game against the Blue Jackets which was originally scheduled for Nov. 26 will take place on Jan. 17, 2023 while their contest against the Colorado Avalanche (originally scheduled for Nov. 25) will occur on Apr. 14, 2023.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Former Oilers head scout Barry Fraser passed on Sunday at age 82. He was the architect of the Oilers dynasty of the 1980s as his scouting led to the club selecting such notables as Kevin Lowe, Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri and Grant Fuhr.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Fraser’s family, friends, former co-workers and the Oilers organization.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 4, 2022

by | Dec 4, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 4, 2022

Mitch Marner sets a Leafs record, the Devils set a franchise road record, the Bruins continue their winning ways, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner scored twice to set a franchise record for the longest points streak (19) but his club fell 4-3 in overtime to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Alex Killorn scored the game-winner while Andrei Vasilevskiy made 36 saves for the Lightning (15-8-1). William Nylander also scored for the 15-5-6 Maple Leafs.

Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner (NHL Images).

The New Jersey Devils held off the Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 3-2 to set a franchise record with their 11th straight road victory. Jack Hughes scored what proved to be the winning goal while Akira Schmid kicked out 31 shots for the 20-4-1 Devils as they sit atop the overall standings with 41 points. Travis Konecny and Lukas Sedlak tallied for the Flyers as their record falls to 8-12-5.

Boston Bruins forwards David Pastrnak and Trent Frederic each scored two goals in a 5-1 rout of the Colorado Avalanche. The Bruins (20-3-0) extended their home-record win streak to 14 games and sit one point behind the Devils in the overall standings. Andrew Cogliano scored the only goal for the Avalanche (13-8-1), who lost winger Artturi Lehkonen in the first period to an upper-body injury after being slammed to the ice by Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Avalanche placed defenseman Josh Manson (lower body) on injured reserve.

The Vegas Golden Knights improved to 18-7-1 by dropping the Detroit Red Wing 4-1. Phil Kessel led the way for the Golden Knights with a goal and an assist while Adin Hill stopped 24 shots. Vegas sits atop the Western Conference with 37 points. Oskar Sundqvist replied for the 11-7-5 Red Wings, who’ve dropped three straight games.

Edmonton Oilers forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each collected four points in a 5-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Nick Suzuki tallied his 13th goal of the season for the Canadiens as they fall to 12-11-1 while the Oilers improved to 14-11-0. Draisaitl became the second player to reach 20 goals this season. Canadiens defenseman Joel Edmundson was ejected in the second period for cross-checking Oilers winger Zach Hyman in the head.

Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane collected three points to become the second player in franchise history to reach 1,200 career points in a 5-2 win over the New York Rangers. Max Domi also had three points for the Blackhawks as they improved to 7-12-4 and end an eight-game winless skid. Artemi Panarin and Mike Zibanejad each had two points for the 11-10-5 Rangers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek left this game in the second period with a groin injury. No word as to the severity or how long he might be sidelined. The Rangers, meanwhile, played without Filip Chytil as he’s day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

A hat trick by Kasperi Kapanen powered the Pittsburgh Penguins over the St. Louis Blues 6-2. Bryan Rust had a four-point game while Evgeni Malkin and Jason Zucker collected three points each as the Penguins improved to 13-8-4. Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington got the hook in the second period after giving up four goals on 17 shots and received a 10-minute misconduct for inciting after he yelled some choice words at the Penguins bench. The Blues fell to 11-13-0.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This isn’t the first time Binnington’s lost his temper this season. Blues coach Craig Berube seems to be losing patience with his goaltender’s antics. “It’s got to stop,” he said in a post-game interview. “It doesn’t help anything. Just play goal. Just stop the puck.”

The Minnesota Wild got shootout goals by Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy to beat the Anaheim Ducks 5-4. Kaprizov also scored the game-tying goal to extend his points streak to 11 games as the Wild improved to 12-9-2. John Gibson made 46 saves while Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry and Mason McTavish each had two points for the 6-16-3 Ducks as they sit last in the overall standings with 15 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Ducks announced that center Isac Lundestrom will be sidelined for six weeks with a broken finger.

Ottawa Senators winger Claude Giroux scored twice and collected an assist in a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Anton Forsberg stopped 32 shots for the Senators (10-13-1) as they’ve won four of their last five games. Tomas Hertl scored both goals for the 8-15-4 Sharks.

The Calgary Flames (11-10-3) defeated the Washington Capitals (10-12-4) by a score of 5-2. Adam Ruzicka had a goal and two assists, Michael Backlund collected three assists and Andrew Mangiapane tallied twice for the Flames. Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper and defenseman Michael Fehervary both left the game with upper-body injuries in the second period.

Florida Panthers winger Carter Verhaeghe scored twice and Sam Bennett had three assists in a 5-1 win over the Seattle Kraken, snapping the latter’s seven-game win streak. Spencer Knight made 35 saves as the Panthers improved to 12-9-4 while the Kraken (15-6-3) sits in second place in the Western Conference with 33 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas and winger Patric Hornqvist left this game with injuries. Earlier in the day, the Panthers revealed that Anton Lundell would miss this contest with an undisclosed injury suffered during Thursday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.

The Carolina Hurricanes (14-6-5) picked up their fourth straight win by doubling up the Los Angeles Kings 4-2. Martin Necas and Brent Burns each had two points while Pyotr Kochetkov made 31 saves for the Hurricanes. Arthur Kaliyev and Samuel Fagemo replied for the 13-10-4 Kings.

An overtime goal by Bo Horvat lifted the Vancouver Canucks over the Arizona Coyotes 3-2. It was Horvat’s second goal of the game and his 19th on the season. Brock Boeser also scored for the Canucks (10-12-3). Christian Fischer and Jakob Chychrun replied for the 7-11-4 Coyotes.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 24, 2022

by | Oct 24, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 24, 2022

Recaps of Sunday’s games plus the latest on Gabriel Landeskog, Tyler Seguin, Phil Kessel and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Detroit Red Wings extended their season-opening points streak to five games (3-0-2) by downing the Anaheim Ducks 5-1. Dominik Kubalik had a goal and two assists while Ville Husso made 32 saves for the win. Trevor Zegras scored the Ducks’ only goal as they finished their road trip 0-4-1.

Detroit Red Wings forward Dominik Kubalik (NHL Images).

Third-period goals by Tyler Johnson and Jason Dickinson lifted the Chicago Blackhawks to a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Johnson scored twice while Patrick Kane and Seth Jones each had two assists for the Blackhawks (3-2-0) as they staged their third straight comeback win. Jared McCann had a goal and an assist for the Kraken (2-3-2).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek missed this game with a groin strain and was placed on injured reserve.

A third-period goal by Ryan Lomberg enabled the Florida Panthers to hold off the New York Islanders 3-2. Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen also scored for the Panthers (4-1-1) while Anders Lee tallied twice for the Islanders, who drop to 2-4-0.

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov made 30 saves for his first NHL win as he backstopped his club to a 5-1 victory over the New York Rangers. Jakub Voracek, Jack Roslovic and Liam Foudy each collected two assists for the Jackets (3-4-0). Artemi Panarin scored to extend his season-opening points streak to six games as the Rangers are 3-2-1 over the stretch.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rangers center Filip Chytil left the game in the first period about being elbowed in the head by Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger. He’s listed as day-to-day.

San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer turned in a 30-save shutout to blank the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0. Erik Karlsson scored what proved to be the game-winner for the Sharks (2-6-0) while Flyers winger James van Riemsdyk left the game in the first period with an injured hand after blocking a shot. The Flyers are 4-2-0 under head coach John Tortorella.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tortorella wasn’t pleased with the performance of his leading scorers Kevin Hayes and Travis Konecny in this contest. He sent a message by benching them for the entire third period.

HEADLINES

THE DENVER POST: The Colorado Avalanche will be without team captain Gabriel Landeskog for the next three months as he recovers from knee surgery. They’re turning to leadership by committee to fill the void left by Landeskog’s absence.

NHL.COM: Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin admitted he thought about retirement in January 2021 as he was recovering from hip surgery. “I looked over at my friend and said, ‘I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to play anymore,’” he told Mike Zeisberger. He added that he didn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel at the time.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Seguin would return to play three games late in the 2020-21 season and skated in 81 last season. The 30-year-old current has five points in as many games this season and shows no lingering ill effects from his surgery.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: Golden Knights winger Phil Kessel is set to tie the NHL’s Ironman record for consecutive games played (989) held by Keith Yandle when he skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night. The 35-year-old Kessel can break the record on Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s fitting that Kessel will tie the record against the Leafs in Toronto, where he played six seasons from 2009-10 to 2014-15.

CBS SPORTS: The Los Angeles Kings placed forward Alex Iafallo (lower-body injury) on long-term injury reserve.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins forward Teddy Blueger (undisclosed injury) was placed on LTIR retroactive to Oct. 11.

THE TENNESSEAN: Nashville Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki is resting at home and suffered no major injuries after crashing awkwardly into the boards during Saturday’s game against the Flyers. Borowiecki was stretchered from the ice and sent to a hospital for observation.

WGR 550: With defensemen Mattias Samuelsson and Henri Jokiharju sidelined, the Buffalo Sabres have called up Kale Clague.

Former NHL defenseman Michal Kempny has signed with Czechia club HC Sparta for the next two seasons. His contract with the Seattle Kraken was terminated by mutual agreement after he cleared unconditional waivers last week.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 22, 2022

by | Oct 22, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 22, 2022

Recaps of Friday’s games, why Phil Kessel is poised to break the league Ironman record, the Panthers sign Eric Staal, an update on Jake Guentzel, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Brayden Point scored the game-tying goal in the third period and the game-winner in overtime to lift the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Florida Panthers 3-2. Steven Stamkos also scored for the Lightning, extending his season-opening goal streak to five games and his league-leading total to seven goals. Matthew Tkachuk and Rudolfs Balcers replied for the Panthers.

Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point (NHL Images).

The Seattle Kraken upset the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 as Karson Kuhlman broke a 2-2 tie in the third period. Jaden Schwartz and Jared McCann gave the Kraken a 2-0 lead but the Avs tied it on goals by Evan Rodrigues and Bowen Byram.

An overtime goal by Max Domi gave the Chicago Blackhawks a 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings. The Blackhawks overcame a 3-1 deficit on third-period goals by Philipp Kurashev and Connor Murphy.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was a costly win for Chicago as goaltender Petr Mrazek left the game with an undisclosed injury following the second period. Blackhawks defenseman Jake McCabe made his season debut after recovering from cervical spine surgery that he underwent in September.

HEADLINES

THE SCORE: Vegas Golden Knights winger Phil Kessel is poised to equal the NHL’s 989-game Ironman record held by Keith Yandle on Monday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He can break that record the following night against the San Jose Sharks.

John Matisz and Nick Faris interviewed teammates from each of Kessel’s career stops in the NHL as well as his junior and college years to determine how the 35-year-old winger reached this point.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is a fascinating and insightful look at how Kessel reached this stage in his career. Reticent with the media but outgoing with teammates, the quirky winger’s chunky body doesn’t look like today’s typical NHL player. However, he’s a classic example of the old saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Kessel is also on the verge of scoring his 400th career NHL goal and has 957 career points.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Eric Staal is back as an NHL player, signing a one-year contract worth $750K with the Panthers. He joined the club on a professional tryout offer during training camp. Staal, 37, played four games last season with the AHL’s Iowa Chop and also skated for Canada’s Men’s Hockey team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Penguins winger Jake Guentzel didn’t participate in practice on Friday but traveled with the club to Columbus where they’ll face the Blue Jackets on Saturday. He suffered an upper-body injury during Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings but head coach Mike Sullivan said it wasn’t a concussion.

TORONTO SUN: Wayne Simmonds is expected to make his season debut on Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets. The 34-year-old winger cleared waivers earlier this month but has skated with the Leafs’ injured players.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This could also be an opportunity for the Leafs to showcase Simmonds for a trade. They’ve informed the other clubs that he’s available and they aren’t concerned about the return, hoping instead to do right by the winger by finding a suitable destination for him.

TSN: The Minnesota Wild placed defenseman Andrej Sustr on waivers. Meanwhile, the Kraken bought out the contract of blueliner Michal Kempny after he was placed on unconditional waivers.

THE ATHLETIC: Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis is leading a group considered to be the front-runner to purchase Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals franchise. Leonsis is also the owner of the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the WNBA’s Washington Mystics.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 3, 2022

by | Oct 3, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 3, 2022

Recaps of Sunday’s preseason games, Bruins winger Taylor Hall sidelined longer than expected, Jaromir Jagr could be hanging up his skates and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines

PRESEASON GAMES RECAP

NHL.COM: The Minnesota Wild blanked the Chicago Blackhawks 3-0. Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 12 stops to shut out his former team. Blackhawks netminder Petr Mrazek made 30 saves.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Mrazek is hoping a new stretching routine will improve his flexibility and reduce his injury risk. He’s been frequently sidelined over the past two seasons.

The Blackhawks also learned yesterday that Boris Katchouk will miss four-to-six weeks with a sprained left ankle. The 24-year-old winger suffered the injury during Saturday’s preseason contest against the Detroit Red Wings.

New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield tallied what proved to be the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This game marked John Tortorella’s first of the preseason behind the Flyers bench. He’d spent the previous four contests observing his club’s performance from the coaches box. I daresay Tortorella isn’t too pleased with what he’s seen thus far. The Flyers have won just once in their five preseason contests and scored just five goals.

Boston Bruins winger Taylor Hall (NHL Images).

Jonathan Quick made 24 saves to backstop the Los Angeles Kings to a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Urho Vaakanainen could soon return to the Ducks lineup. The 23-year-old defenseman was stretchered from the ice after crashing into the end boards during Friday’s preseason game against the San Jose Sharks. He was taken to a hospital for observation but was released on the same night.

HEADLINES

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins winger Taylor Hall is listed as week-to-week after suffering an upper-body injury during Saturday’s preseason game against the Flyers. Rookie winger Fabian Lysell also left that game and is listed as day-to-day.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hall could miss the start of the season next week. The Bruins will also be without Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk as they are still recovering from offseason surgeries.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Brian Hedger tweeted that Blues Jackets forward Gustav Nyquist is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

TORONTO STAR: Maple Leafs goaltenders Matt Murray and Erik Kallgren wore specialized goggles during training yesterday. They are designed to reduce their peripheral vision as a puck-tracking technique.

THE MERCURY NEWS: The San Jose Sharks left veterans Alexander Barabonov and Markus Nutivaara behind as they traveled to Czechia for their season-opening games against the Nashville Predators. Injuries sideline both players and questionable to join their teammates for those upcoming games.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: The Lightning returned to Tampa Bay to resume training camp. They moved camp to Nashville last week ahead of Hurricane Ian which battered Florida.

DAILY FACEOFF: Jaromir Jagr is mulling retirement from hockey. The 50-year-old forward has spent the past five seasons playing for the Kladno Knights in Czechia. He also owns the club and helped them play their way into Czechia’s top league.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jagr’s last NHL season was in 2017-18 with the Calgary Flames before being loaned to Kladno midway through that campaign. He’s one of the greatest players in hockey history but hasn’t been elected into the Hall of Fame because he’s still maintained his playing career.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 8, 2022

by | Jul 8, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 8, 2022

The aftermath of a chaotic first round of the 2022 Draft, Joe Sakic was named GM of the Year, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: The Montreal Canadiens surprised the hockey world and made history by selecting winger Juraj Slavkovsky with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, making him the first player from Slovakia to go first overall. The Canadiens bypassed center Shane Wright of the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs, who had been ranked as the top prospect by NHL Central Scouting.

Further history was made when the New Jersey Devils chose defenseman Simon Nemec with the second-overall selection. Slavkovsky and Nemec are the first Slovakians to become the top-two players selected in an NHL draft.

Center Logan Cooley of the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP) was selected by the Arizona Coyotes with the third-overall pick. Wright was chosen fourth overall by the Seattle Kraken.

The Canadiens also chose Slovakian winger Filip Mesar with the No. 26 pick. Meanwhile, the Coyotes selected center Conor Geekie (11th overall) from the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice and Maveric Lamoureux from the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs at No. 29.

After starting Thursday with no picks in the first round, the Chicago Blackhawks wound up with three after shipping winger Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators, center Kirby Dach to the Canadiens and acquiring goalie Petr Mrazek as part of a return from the Toronto Maple Leafs. They chose defenseman Kevin Korchinski from the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds at No. 7, center Frank Nazar from the USNTDP at No. 13 and defenseman Sam Rinzel from Chaska High School at No. 25.

With two picks in the first round, the Columbus Blue Jackets selected Czechia defenseman David Jiricek sixth overall and blueliner Denton Mateychuk from the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors with the No. 12 pick.

The Buffalo Sabres had three selections in the first round, choosing Winnipeg Ice center Matthew Savoie ninth overall, Swedish center Noah Ostlund with the No. 16 selection and Czechia center Jiri Kulich at No. 28.

With two first-rounders, the Anaheim Ducks selected Pavel Mintyukov of the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit at No. 10 and center Nathan Gaucher of the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts at No. 22. The Minnesota Wild used their two first-round picks to choose Swedish winger Liam Ohgren at No. 19 and Russian winger Danila Yurov at No. 24.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: You can see the full results from the first round by following the link above.

That was one of the wilder drafts regarding surprising selections and player movement via trades. You can read my take on those moves involving NHL players here.

Slafkovsky was as surprised as most in the Bell Centre by his selection as the first-overall pick. The big winger has the potential to become a scoring star in the NHL. He was named tournament MVP in the 2022 Beijing Olympics helping Slovakia win its first-ever medal (bronze) in men’s hockey with a tournament-leading seven goals.

Wright, meanwhile, admitted he’ll have a chip on his shoulder from this outcome which he intends to use as motivation in the future. His style of play drew comparisons to Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron. The Kraken will have a future Selke Trophy center on their hands if he plays up to projections.

Rounds 2 through 7 will be held today at the Bell Centre in Montreal at 11 am ET.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Center Jagger Firkus of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors, defenseman Ryan Chesley of the USNTDP and blueliner Calle Odelius of Djurgardens in the Swedish Hockey League are among Tony Ferrari’s top-five prospects remaining after the first round. Center Jack Hughes of Northeastern University in the NCAA and winger Julian Lutz of EHC Munchen in Germany round out his list.

Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche is the 2021-22 winner of the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A well-deserved honor for Sakic who did a fine job building the Avalanche into the 2022 Stanley Cup champions.

TSN: Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland said he’s given defenseman Duncan Keith until Saturday whether he intends to play next season or retire. Keith, 38, has one year remaining on his contract. His retirement would free up $5.54 million in salary-cap space.

TSN: The Los Angeles Kings hired former goaltender Manon Rheaume as a hockey operations advisor focusing on prospect development. She’s among several women hired to prominent positions among NHL teams in recent weeks.