NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 13, 2026

by | Jul 13, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 13, 2026

The salary arbitration schedule is revealed, predicting who will fill 10 vacant team captain positions, former Leafs goalie Dennis Hildeby joining the Lightning, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

PUCKPEDIA has learned the hearing dates for the upcoming 2026 NHL salary arbitration schedule (July 20 to Aug. 1).

Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson (NHL Images).

Monday, July 20: Jamie Drysdale, Philadelphia Flyers; Cole Perfetti, Winnipeg Jets.

Wednesday, July 22: Trevor Zegras, Philadelphia Flyers.

Thursday, July 23: Jet Greaves, Columbus Blue Jackets.

Saturday, July 25: Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars; Connor McMichael, St. Louis Blues.

Monday, July 27: Cole Sillinger, Columbus Blue Jackets.

Tuesday, July 28: Nick Robertson, Pittsburgh Penguins.

Wednesday, July 29: Braden Schneider, New York Rangers; Ronan Seeley, Carolina Hurricanes.

Thursday, July 30: Alex Jeffries, New York Islanders; Kirby Dach, Montreal Canadiens.

Saturday, August 1: Akira Schmid, Florida Panthers; Peyton Krebs, Buffalo Sabres.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: History tells us that most, if not all, of these cases will be settled before their hearing dates. The players and their teams can continue to negotiate up until the date of their hearings.

If a case goes before an arbitrator, the award decision will be announced within 48 hours of the hearing. The team will have 48 hours from the date of the award to accept it. If it is rejected, the player becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Jason Robertson’s case will be most closely watched. He’s the biggest star on this list and is seeking a lucrative long-term contract reportedly worth an average annual value of $14 million. It’s believed the Stars offered up an eight-year deal worth an AAV of $12 million.

At one point, the Stars had a trade in place that would’ve shipped Robertson to the Seattle Kraken, but the deal fell through after he rejected their offer of an eight-year extension worth $15 million annually.

DAILY FACEOFF: Hunter Crowther predicted which players could fill the 10 NHL captain vacancies for 2026-27.

Notable predictions include David Pastrnak taking over the captaincy of the Boston Bruins, Connor Bedard for the Chicago Blackhawks, Bo Horvat for the New York Islanders, Jake Sanderson for the Ottawa Senators, and Macklin Celebrini for the San Jose Sharks.

Crowther noted that Drew Doughty would love to take over as captain of the Los Angeles Kings. However, with the Kings not yet committed to a contract extension for the 36-year-old defenseman, Crowther suggested Adrian Kempe as the safer choice.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Who do you think should take over as the new team captains for those 10 clubs? Let us know in the comments section below.

DAILY FACEOFF: cited a report from Sweden, indicating that former Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Dennis Hildeby is embracing a fresh start with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Hildeby, 24, was traded to the Lightning on July 1. He said he has fond memories of his time with the Leafs organization, but is now looking forward to practicing alongside two-time Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy in Tampa Bay. He’ll be expected to challenge for the backup role this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: If things go well for Hildeby, he could eventually become Vasilevskiy’s successor.

TSN: The Edmonton Oilers signed forward Colton Dach to a two-year contract extension with an AAV of $1.2 million.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators head coach Travis Green was inducted into the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame, joining former NHLers Andrew Ladd and Josh Gorges, NHL official Malcolm Ashford, and broadcaster Daryl Reaugh.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 6, 2026

by | Jul 6, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 6, 2026

In today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines: Stars winger Jason Robertson is among the 15 players who filed for salary arbitration, the Ducks re-sign defenseman Pavel Mintyukov, and the Penguins re-up four players.

NHLPA.COM: 15 players elected salary arbitration before Sunday’s 5 pm ET deadline.

Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson is the most notable player to do so. Others include Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale and winger Trevor Zegras, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves, Winnipeg Jets forward Cole Perfetti, and New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider.

Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson (NHL Images).

The other nine players include Xavier Bourgault of the Ottawa Senators, Kirby Dach of the Montreal Canadiens, Alex Jeffries of the New York Islanders, Peyton Krebs of the Buffalo Sabres, Connor McMichael of the St. Louis Blues, Nick Robertson of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Akira Schmid of the Florida Panthers, Ronan Seeley of the Carolina Hurricanes, and Cole Sillinger of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The deadline for club-elected salary arbitration notification is July 6 at 5 pm ET. Arbitration hearings will be held from July 20 to August 1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Filing for arbitration is usually done by the player or team to set a deadline to reach an agreement on a new contract, rather than having negotiations drag out throughout the summer or into training camp. It’s rare that they actually end up before an arbiter.

Robertson’s case will be closely watched. He’s the biggest name on his list, leading the Stars in scoring with 96 points last season.

It’s believed the two sides are $2 million apart, with the Stars proposing an average annual value of $12 million while the Robertson camp reportedly seeks $14 million. He’s also eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, meaning an arbiter’s decision will be for one year, extending his UFA eligibility unless he and the Stars agree to an extension before then.

If Robertson is awarded a new contract through arbitration, he and the Stars can’t open contract extension talks until Jan. 1.

Because these players filed for arbitration, they are ineligible to receive an offer sheet. If a club files for arbitration today, that player is still eligible to sign an offer sheet.

Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reports that Jeffries’ filing means a second contract buyout window opens for the Islanders exactly three days after Jeffries’ salary arbitration is settled or awarded, and that it applies to players carrying contracts with average annual values of $4 million or more. The same rule applied to the other teams on this list.

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: The Anaheim Ducks signed defenseman Pavel Mintyukov to a five-year contract with an AAV of $7.2 million.

Mintyukov, 22, was a restricted free agent coming off his entry-level contract and lacked arbitration rights. The signing averts the possibility of him receiving an expensive offer sheet from a rival club.

NHL insider Frank Seravalli claimed an incoming offer sheet for Mintyukov accelerated the negotiations between the Ducks and Mintyukov, who wanted to remain in Anaheim.

Meanwhile, Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek must decide if he’ll match the five-year offer sheet signed by center Leo Carlsson with the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday, or let him join the Flyers and receive four first-round draft picks as compensation. He has until this Friday to reach a decision.

Mintyukov’s new contract leaves the Ducks with $10 million in salary cap space, with RFA forward Cutter Gauthier to be signed. Gauthier is ineligible to receive an offer sheet, but the cost of re-signing him has risen due to the $18 million AAV Carlsson will receive on his new contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The threat of an offer sheet for Mintyukov left Verbeek little choice but to get the young defenseman under contract quickly and probably for more than anticipated. Blindsided by the Carlsson offer sheet, the Ducks GM couldn’t risk another one.

Gauthier’s ineligibility to sign an offer sheet still leaves him as an RFA lacking arbitration rights coming off his entry-level contract. That gives Verbeek the leverage in those negotiations, but it will be difficult to justify a low-ball bridge deal if he matches Carlsson’s offer sheet.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins signed winger Egor Chinahkov to a three-year contract with an AAV of $6.25 million. Goaltender Arturs Silovs inked a one-year, $2.8 million contract.

Goalie Joel Blomqvist got a two-year contract, with the first year being a two-way deal. It’s worth an AAV of $875,000 at the NHL level. Center David Gustafsson received a one-year, two-way contract worth $850,000 at the NHL level.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 12, 2024

by | Jul 12, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 12, 2024

Kyle Dubas talks about his biggest mistake as Leafs GM, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour talks about the recent departure of several key players, the latest notable contract signings, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

TORONTO SUN: In a new book by The Athletic’s Craig Custance, Kyle Dubas talked about his biggest mistake while general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The book is entitled “The Franchise: The Business Of Building Winning Teams.”

“The biggest mistake I think I’ve made in my whole time there has been not taking care of the three incumbent contracts,” said Dubas, referring to Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander coming off their entry-level deals. He felt they should’ve been signed to contract extensions on July 1 as they entered the final year of those ELCs.

Dubas also lamented not getting those contracts done before signing John Tavares as an unrestricted free agent in 2018.

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas (NHL.com).

The article noted complications arose getting those three under contract. An unnamed team threatened to sign Nylander to an offer sheet, driving up his price and resulting in his two-month absence early in 2018-19. Marner, meanwhile, staged a brief training camp holdout in September 2019 before signing his deal. Matthews signed his contract midway through the 2018-19 campaign.

Dubas was criticized for his handling of those negotiations, and for signing Tavares to a seven-year deal in 2018 with an annual cap hit of $11 million. However, Darryl Belfry, who worked in the Leafs’ front office at that time, defended the former Leafs GM by pointing out how COVID-19 resulted in several years with a flattened salary cap.

“Kyle would never say it, but I will,” said Belfry. “You have a world shut down, it’s a flat cap for multiple years and you’re stuck holding the bag on a projection. You didn’t miscalculate, it was an act of nature that beat you.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I credit Dubas for admitting his mistake with his handling of those contracts for Matthews, Marner and Nylander. Belfry is also correct for pointing out how the flattened cap adversely affected the Leafs following those signings. No one could have predicted a global pandemic and its effects on the salary cap.

Nevertheless, I maintain that the Tavares signing was Dubas’ biggest mistake as Leafs GM. I said it when the rumors emerged leading up to the signing and I maintained that position afterward. They invested $11 million on a player they didn’t need.

Even if COVID hadn’t happened and the salary cap kept rising, the Tavares contract still would’ve been a drag on the Leafs’ cap payroll, hampering efforts to address the important roster needs.

The Leafs were the third-highest-scoring team in 2017-18 but needed to shore up their goaltending and defense, especially the right side of their blueline. The investment in Tavares should’ve been used to address those issues.

If no immediate solutions were available, they could’ve invested some of that $11 million in affordable short-term fixes while keeping the rest to use when better long-term options became available through trades or free agency.

THE SCORE: Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour said it was difficult watching several key players depart as free agents earlier this month. Trade deadline acquisition Jake Guentzel, defensemen Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce, and forwards Teuvo Teravainen and Stefan Noesen were among the notables who signed elsewhere.

Brind’Amour signed a contract extension in May. Since then, general manager Don Waddell stepped down and was replaced by Eric Tulsky. Meanwhile, trade rumors swirl about winger Martin Necas.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Hurricanes replaced those departed players with blueliners Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker and forwards such as Jack Roslovic and William Carrier. Still, the effects of that roster turnover will be felt next season, especially on the blueline where Skjei and Pesce were their second pairing.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: The Lightning avoided arbitration with recently acquired defenseman J.J. Moser, signing him to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $3.38 million.

NHL.COM: The San Jose Sharks signed defenseman Ty Emberson to a one-year, $950K contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Moser and Emberson were among 14 players who filed for salary arbitration on July 5. That number shrank to 11 with blueliner Jake Christiansen inking a one-year, $775K deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday.

The arbitration period begins on July 20 and ends on Aug. 4.

TSN: The Utah Hockey Club signed Tij Iginla to an entry-level contract. Iginla was their first-round pick (sixth overall) in the 2024 draft. Tij is the son of Hall-of-Famer Jarome Iginla.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: The Red Wings signed Michael Brandsegg-Nygard to a three-year ELC. He was their first-round pick (15th overall) in this year’s draft.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Iginla, Brandsegg-Nygard and San Jose Sharks defenseman Sam Dickinson (11th overall) signed their ELCs this week, bringing the total thus far to 14.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Andrey Tarasenko, father of NHL winger Vladimir Tarasenko, died suddenly in Russia at age 56. Andrey was the developmental coach and trainer for KHL club HC Siber.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to the Tarasenko family and HC Siber.










NHL Random Takes – July 9, 2023

by | Jul 9, 2023

NHL Random Takes – July 9, 2023

The Montreal Canadiens created a stir among their fans with their selection of Austrian defenseman David Reinbacher as the fifth-overall pick in this year’s NHL Draft. If social media was anything to go by, most of them preferred much-touted – and little-scouted – Russian winger Matvei Michkov, who was chosen seventh overall by the Philadelphia Flyers.

Disagreeing with a team’s first-round draft choice is fair play. No fan worth their salt should blindly accept every decision made by their favorite team at the draft table.

The initial critique was about the Canadiens choosing a defenseman in a draft filled with promising young scorers. Many correctly pointed out that the Habs haven’t had a scoring superstar since Guy Lafleur in the 1970s or a 50-goal scorer since Stephane Richer in 1990. “We’re starving for a scorer!” was the refrain.

Montreal Canadiens prospect defenseman David Reinbacher (NHL.com).

Nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately, some of the numpties among the Canadiens faithful decided to take out their outrage on the 18-year-old Reinbacher via Twitter and Instagram with some vile comments. The type of gutter talk that pathetic fools spew from behind the safety of anonymity and distance on social media because they lack the courage to say it to the person’s face.

Some Twitter trolls masquerading as “insiders” tweeted that Reinbacher received “thousands” of direct threats (nowhere close), that he didn’t want to suit up for the Canadiens (which he did just two days following the draft ahead of their prospect development camp) and was so upset that he didn’t want to sign a contract with the Habs (which he did following the development camp).

It’s a reminder that, contrary to popular belief, Twitter is not the real world. Several Canadiens fans preferred Michkov but most seem fine with the player dubbed the top defenseman in the 2023 draft.

*****

Late in the 2012-13 season, goaltender Roberto Luongo bemoaned that his expensive contract was to blame for hurting his chances of the Vancouver Canucks trading him before the 2013 trade deadline.

I wonder if Erik Karlsson feels the same way a decade later. The 33-year-old Norris Trophy-winning defenseman would prefer a trade to a contender and the San Jose Sharks are trying to accommodate him. So far, however, no deal has emerged, mostly because of Karlsson’s $11.5 million AAV through 2026-27 and his full no-movement clause.

There’s reportedly legitimate interest in Karlsson from several playoff contenders but they cannot afford to take on his full contract. Those clubs would prefer if the Sharks retained half of his annual cap hit but they’re reportedly only willing to pick up between 20 and 30 percent.

Thanks to a flattened salary cap for 2023-24, there aren’t many teams that can comfortably afford to take on the entirety of Karlsson’s remaining cap hit, let alone pay what’s expected to be an expensive asking price by the Sharks.

Unless San Jose general manager Mike Grier is willing to retain more of Karlsson’s cap hit, or somehow swing a three-team trade where everybody takes on a third of it, Karlsson will be suiting up next season with Los Tiburones.

*****

Twenty-two players filed last week for salary arbitration. Among the notables were Anaheim Ducks winger Troy Terry, Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman, Toronto Maple Leafs netminder Ilya Samsonov and Winnipeg Jets forward Gabe Vilardi.

The period for their hearings is between July 20 and Aug. 4. However, don’t be surprised if all of them end up re-signing with their clubs before their soon-to-be-appointed dates with the arbiter.

It’s a rare occurrence when players and teams end up making their case before an arbitrator. In the past, the two sides would in most instances reach an agreement within the 48-hour period before the arbiter’s decision was rendered. That option, however, was removed in the 2020 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the NHL and NHL Players Association extending the collective bargaining agreement to 2026.

Most players file as a means of setting a deadline for hammering out agreements on new contracts rather than have them drag on throughout the offseason or into training camp. That’s also usually the motivation for teams that take players to arbitration.

That number has already dropped by two with the Seattle Kraken re-signing defensemen Will Borgen and Cale Fleury. The others will likely follow suit in due course.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 6, 2023

by | Jul 6, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 6, 2023

Jeremy Swayman, Troy Terry and Vince Dunn are among 22 players filing for arbitration, Vladimir Tarasenko changes agents, Alain Vigneault, Patric Hornqvist, Darren Helm and Michael Stone retire, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHLPA.COM: Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman, Anaheim Ducks winger Troy Terry and Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn are among 22 players who filed for salary arbitration by the 5 pm ET deadline on July 5.

The deadline for club-elected salary arbitration notification is 5 pm ET on July 6.

The salary arbitration period begins on July 20 and ends on Aug. 4. A schedule for those hearings will be released shortly.

Here is the complete list of players who filed for arbitration:

Morgan Barron (Winnipeg Jets)
Will Borgen (Seattle Kraken)
Noah Cates (Philadelphia Flyers)
Ross Colton (Colorado Avalanche)
Brandon Duhaime (Minnesota Wild)
Vince Dunn (Seattle Kraken)
Cale Fleury (Seattle Kraken)
Trent Frederic (Boston Bruins)
Filip Gustavsson (Minnesota Wild)
Brett Howden (Vegas Golden Knights)
Tanner Jeannot (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Philipp Kurashev (Chicago Blackhawks)
Jack McBain (Arizona Coyotes)
Ryan McLeod (Edmonton Oilers)
Ian Mitchell (Boston Bruins)
Drew O’Connor (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Ilya Samsonov (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Brandon Scanlin (New York Rangers)
Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins)
Troy Terry (Anaheim Ducks)
Alexei Toropchenko (St. Louis Blues)
Gabriel Vilardi (Winnipeg Jets)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’ll be surprising if any of these filings end up going to arbitration. Players and teams usually file to use their dates with an arbiter as a deadline to complete their contract negotiations. It’s expected that all of them will agree to new contracts before their scheduled hearings.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman yesterday reported that Vladimir Tarasenko has replaced agent Paul Theofanus with agents Pat Brisson and J.P. Barry. This means the unrestricted free-agent winger has no deal yet with any team and his process of negotiation begins anew.

Vladimir Tarasenko (NHL Images).

NEW YORK POST’s Larry Brooks tweeted that Tarasenko had multiple offers of varying lengths with average annual values between $5.5 million and $6 million from teams ranging from contenders to rebuilding clubs. The Carolina Hurricanes were among those bidders. However, the 31-year-old winger rejected those offers and changed agents.

Brooks also indicated that Tarasenko had wanted to remain with the New York Rangers. However, the club lacks the cap space to make it happen.

THE ATHLETIC: Jeremy Rutherford also reports that it’s back to square one for Tarasenko as his new representatives attempt to find the right fit for the UFA winger. They’ve been reaching out to clubs, including those that previously made offers to Tarasenko.

There were reports Tarasenko was close to signing a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes before changing agents. The Hurricanes declined to comment but Rutherford indicates his new representatives have reached out to the club and are waiting for a reply.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tarasenko remains the best player available in this summer’s thin UFA market. He’s coming off an eight-year contract with an AAV of $7.5 million.

Tarasenko will still generate plenty of interest. However, the high number of clubs with limited salary-cap space could make it difficult for him to find better offers than those he reportedly received before changing agents.

RDS: Former NHL coach Alain Vigneault has no interest in pursuing another head-coaching job. The 62-year-old remains under contract with the Philadelphia Flyers but was fired as their head coach in Dec. 2021. He now considers himself a retiree and wants to move on and enjoy his life.

Vigneault ranks 15th in NHL history for games coached (1,363) and is tenth in wins with 722. He spent 19 seasons as a head coach with the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and the Flyers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Vigneault won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in 2006-07 and guided the Canucks to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final and the Rangers to the 2014 Cup Final. He leads all Canucks coaches with 313 wins. Best wishes to Vigneault in his retirement.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers winger Patric Hornqvist has announced his retirement, citing the concussions he suffered in December that ended his 2022-23 season. He spent 15 seasons in the NHL with the Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins and Florida Panthers.

In 901 games, Hornqvist tallied 264 goals and 543 points, winning back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017. He scored the Cup-clinching goal for the Penguins against the Predators in the 2017 Final.

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Avalanche forward Darren Helm is calling it a career after 16 NHL seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and the Avalanche. In 823 games, Helm tallied 119 goals and 266 points as a checking-line center, winning a Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2018 and with the Avs in 2022.

CALGARY SUN: Defenseman Michael Stone has announced his retirement and is joining the Flames as part of their player development team. He played 552 games and netted 145 points skating with the Arizona Coyotes and the Flames.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to Hornqvist, Helm and Stone in their future endeavors.

WINNIPEG SUN: The Jets signed restricted free-agent defenseman Dylan Samberg to a two-year, $2.8 million contract.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Philadelphia Flyers signed defenseman Victor Mete to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775K at the NHL level.

NHL.COM: David Reinbacher signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens. The 18-year-old Austrian defenseman was chosen fifth overall by the Canadiens in the 2023 NHL Draft.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: The Red Wings promoted Kris Draper to assistant general manager. He will still retain his title of director of amateur scouting.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 22, 2022

by | Jul 22, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 22, 2022

The list of arbitration dates is released, the Penguins re-sign Kasperi Kapanen, the Predators sign Nino Niederreiter and the Sharks name David Quinn as head coach. Get the details and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHLPA.COM: The list of salary arbitration hearing dates has been released:

July 27
Isac Lundestrom (Anaheim Ducks)

July 29
Jesse Puljujarvi (Edmonton Oilers)

July 30
Matthew Phillips (Calgary Flames)

August 1
Mathieu Joseph (Ottawa Senators)
Steven Lorentz (San Jose Sharks)

August 2
Yakov Trenin (Nashville Predators)

August 3
Jesper Bratt (New Jersey Devils)

August 5
Andrew Mangiapane (Calgary Flames)

August 6
Miles Wood (New Jersey Devils)

August 7
Kailer Yamamoto (Edmonton Oilers)

August 8
Ethan Bear (Carolina Hurricanes)
Lawson Crouse (Arizona Coyotes)
Zack MacEwen (Philadelphia Flyers)

August 9
Maxime Lajoie (Carolina Hurricanes)

August 10
Keegan Kolesar (Vegas Golden Knights)
Oliver Kylington (Calgary Flames)

August 11
Mason Appleton (Winnipeg Jets)
Morgan Geekie (Seattle Kraken)
Tyce Thompson (New Jersey Devils)
Matthew Tkachuk (Calgary Flames)
Jake Walman (Detroit Red Wings)
Pavel Zacha (Boston Bruins)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tkachuk’s hearing being held on the final day of the arbitration schedule provides the Flames with some time to work out a trade for the restricted free agent. He recently informed them that he wasn’t interested in signing a long-term contract, sparking reports claiming a trade was imminent.

Pittsburgh Penguins winger Kasperi Kapanen (NHL Images).

Clubs with an interest in Tkachuk will want assurances he’ll sign a long-term deal with them. Depending on when he’s traded, the Aug. 11 arbitration date could give his new team some wiggle room to hash out the details of a new contract with him.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins avoided salary arbitration with Kasperi Kapanen by signing the restricted free agent winger to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $3.2 million. Kapanen, 26, was slated for an arbitration hearing on July 30.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kapanen’s getting the same AAV as he was on his previous contract. This signing puzzled some Penguins followers given the winger’s disappointing performance last season and the frequency he surfaced in the rumor mill.

THE TENNESSEAN: The Nashville Predators signed winger Nino Niederreiter to a two-year, $8 million contract. The average annual value is $4 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Predators needed secondary scoring depth. Niederreiter, 29, has tallied 20-plus goals six times in his 11-season NHL career. He took a pay cut to go to Nashville down from $5.25 million per season on his previous deal.

This move should put to rest recent speculation suggesting Predators general manager David Poile would pursue a big-ticket scorer such as Matthew Tkachuk via trade or center Nazem Kadri through free agency. With $4 million in cap space and 21 players under contract for 2022-23, it appears that Poile has made his significant roster additions for this summer.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: The Sharks have hired David Quinn as their new head coach. Quinn was head coach of the New York Rangers from 2018-19 to 2020-21.

VANCOUVER HOCKEY NOW: J.T. Miller’s agent reveals there haven’t been any contract talks with the Canucks since the 2022 NHL Draft two weeks ago.

Brian Bartlett said previous discussions were amicable but the two sides aren’t particularly close to a deal, nor does he believe a trade is imminent. He said his client likes playing in Vancouver and is open to signing a contract extension.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canucks management could be taking a breather after a busy two weeks involving the draft and free agency. With Miller under contract for the coming season, both sides have plenty of time to continue contract talks.

PHILADELPHIA HOCKEY NOW: Carter Hart’s attorney said his client was not involved in the sex scandal involving players from Canada’s 2018 world junior team. A woman has accused eight players from that team of sexually assaulting her during a Hockey Canada gala and golf tournament in 2018.

TSN: The Winnipeg Jets named Brad Lauer and Marty Johnston as assistant coaches.