NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 24, 2022

​A scoring milestone for Patrick Kane, the Canucks keep their playoff hopes alive, the fallout for the Golden Knights after the league invalidates the Dadonov trade, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Patrick Kane reached a career milestone with a goal and two assists as the Chicago Blackhawks doubled up the Anaheim Ducks 4-2. Kane reached the 20-goal plateau for the 14th time, tying Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby for second among active players for the most 20-goal seasons.

Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane (NHL Images).

Speaking of Crosby, he scored his 23rd goal of the season as his Penguins dropped a 4-3 decision to the Buffalo Sabres. Tage Thompson scored twice for the Sabres and netted the only goal in the shootout. The Penguins (88 points) picked up a point to move within two points of the first-place Carolina Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division.

The Vancouver Canucks kept their playoff hopes alive by holding off the Colorado Avalanche 3-1. Jaroslav Halak made 32 saves and J.T. Miller scored what proved to be the winning goal. With 70 points, the Canucks are three points behind the Dallas Stars for the final Western Conference playoff berth. The Avalanche, meanwhile, remains atop the league’s overall standings with 95 points.

Shorthanded goals by Ilya Mikheyev and Pierre Engvall gave the Toronto Maple Leafs a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils. Mark Giordano saw over 18 minutes of ice time in his debut as a Maple Leaf following his acquisition from the Seattle Kraken on Sunday. Nico Hischier had a goal and an assist for the Devils. The Leafs (85 points) sit one point ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning for second place in the Atlantic Division.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: The NHL has invalidated the Vegas Golden Knights trade of forward Evgenii Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks. In a statement, the league indicated the trade could not be concluded because the deal didn’t comply with the forward’s modified no-trade clause.

LAS VEGAS SUN: Danny Webster reports the Ducks were on Dadonov’s 10-team no-trade list, which was filed last June 30 while he was a member of the Ottawa Senators. He was acquired by the Golden Knights on July 28. The Golden Knights claimed it didn’t receive Dadonov’s no-trade list and they and the league believed it hadn’t been filed correctly or had expired. However, documentation subsequently revealed it was filed on time.

Moving Dadonov to the Ducks would’ve freed up $3.4 million in cap space, enabling the Golden Knights to activate Mark Stone or Alec Martinez off long-term injury reserve. It’s expected they will attempt to trade Dadonov to a non-playoff club. Teams can still make trades after the deadline but the player becomes ineligible to play for the remainder of the season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reports several NHL clubs would listen to offers by the Golden Knights but the price could be at least a first-round pick.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Sheng Peng reports there’s still no hearing date set for Evander Kane’s grievance against the Sharks for terminating his contract in January. There doesn’t seem to be much of a hurry on either side to get it done during this season.

Kane subsequently signed with the Edmonton Oilers and apparently enjoys playing with them. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent in July. The Sharks need clarity regarding their salary-cap payroll for next season but they don’t really need it until the offseason. A league source told Peng they will try to schedule the hearing before the NHL Draft in Montreal on July 7-8.

THE ATHLETIC: Bill Shea examined this season’s NHL Fan Cost Index by Team Marketing Report, which annually measures the fan costs for the major US sports leagues. The average cost for a family of four to attend an NHL game this season is $462.58, up from $439.91 in part because of the expansion Seattle Kraken joining the league.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have the highest FCI at $697.75 USD while the Arizona Coyotes have the lowest at $314.70 USD. The Kraken has the second-highest at $672.89 USD.

Shea considers the Florida Panthers as the best deal for NHL fans. The top team in the Eastern Conference standings has the second-lowest FCI at $319.74.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bear in mind that teams charge their fans what the market will bear. That’s why it’s so expensive to attend a Leafs game and so affordable to go to a Coyotes or Panthers game.