NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 12, 2024

by | Jun 12, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 12, 2024

The latest on the Oilers and Panthers, the fallout from the Capitals’ purchase of Cap Friendly, the latest assistant coach hirings, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

STANLEY CUP NOTEBOOK

EDMONTON JOURNAL: The Oilers are putting on a brave face despite being down 2-0 to the Florida Panthers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. “It’s supposed to be hard and I’m excited to see what our group is made of,” said team captain Connor McDavid. “I’m excited to see us fight through adversity and I’m looking forward to people doubting us again.”

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

The Oilers have had to overcome adversity during the regular season and in this postseason. They sank to 31st overall in November, were on the verge of elimination in their second-round series against the Vancouver Canucks, and were down 2-1 to the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final.

McDavid’s bold words aside, the Oilers face a daunting challenge getting back into this series after the Panthers shut down their vaunted offense in the first two games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Game 3 on Thursday could be the most consequential of this Stanley Cup Final.

If the Oilers win, they’re back in the series and have a chance to tie it in Game 4, building momentum that could carry them to the franchise’s first Cup since 1990.

Should they lose Game 3, however, they face long odds of overcoming a 0-3 deficit. Only four clubs have done that in NHL playoff history and only one (the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs) has done it in the Stanley Cup Final.

TSN: Oilers star Leon Draisaitl avoided supplemental discipline for his high hit on Aleksander Barkov in Game 2 that forced the Panthers captain from the game.

Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said Tuesday that Barkov “wasn’t worse” but will undergo a full assessment on Wednesday. Maurice suggested his captain could play in Game 3 if he continues to progress.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Draisaitl left his feet and struck Barkov in the jaw. It was an uncharacteristic hit by the Oilers star. Nevertheless, he likely would’ve received postgame discipline from the league had the incident occurred during a regular-season game.

SPORTSNET: Oilers forward Sam Carrick was fined $2.2K for slashing Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The NHL’s department of player safety called it “slashing” because they can’t find a formal phrase for “nut shot”.

TORONTO SUN: profiles some of the notable stories in the new book “My Day With The Cup” by author/sportscaster Jim Lang. It profiles stories from many subjects (mostly since 1995) describing their “short and sweet” designated day with hockey’s holy grail. Most stories are about spending time with family and friends that run the gamut from heartwarming to hilarious.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I’ve got this one on my Kindle wish list and look forward to making it part of my vacation reading later this summer.

TSN: A survey by the market research company Leger found that 58 percent of Canadians polled aren’t paying close attention to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. 35 percent aren’t following the series at all while 24 percent said they wouldn’t follow it closely.

Fifty-eight percent of Albertans are the most likely following the series because of the Oilers. 53 percent of Atlantic Canadians are also following the series, 42 percent in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan are interested with 70 percent of Quebecers being the most disinterested.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There is no such thing as “Canada’s Team” when it comes to winning the Stanley Cup. Most Canadian hockey fans prefer to support their favorite team, which for some isn’t Canadian-based. Here in Atlantic Canada, for example, there are a lot of Boston Bruins fans.

The number of Canadian hockey fans interested in the Stanley Cup Final would be higher if the Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens were among the participants. They’re Original Six teams with over a century of hockey history and widespread support throughout Canada.

FALLOUT FROM THE CAPITALS’ PURCHASE OF CAP FRIENDLY

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman offered further insight into why the Washington Capitals purchased the popular Cap Friendly website and why the site won’t remain public following the completion of the sale on July 5. (Stick tap to Sammi Silber for this report).

Friedman said the Capitals purchased Cap Friendly for internal reasons rather than profit. It was cheaper to buy it rather than hire people and invest time and resources in building a hockey salary database.

According to Friedman, the Capitals couldn’t keep the site public even if they wanted to. The NHL frowns on the existence of such sites, even though they should be doing it themselves. “They consider it propriety information,” he said. Nevertheless, he explained some teams are scrambling to find an alternative once Cap Friendly goes dark.

Silber believes alternative salary-cap sites such as Puck Pedia and Sportrac will receive more attention going forward.

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: Jonathan Bailey cited Friedman listing several teams he believes have backup plans when Cap Friendly goes offline. “Seattle…New Jersey, Carolina, I heard Chicago…Islanders…Toronto…Columbus, and Pittsburgh.”

TORONTO STAR: Bruce Arthur believes the NHL’s unwillingness to make player salary information available on their website shows how the league’s brain trust is out of touch with today’s hockey fans.

Arthur cited league commissioner Gary Bettman’s comments in 2015 dismissing the notion of the league running a salary-cap website, expressing his belief that fans weren’t that interested. The popularity of Cap Friendly and its predecessor CapGeek suggests otherwise.

Because of the NHL’s hard salary cap, fans want to know how their favorite teams spend their money. The media also uses that information to write better-informed pieces about the NHL.

“Allowing high-information fans and media to understand the league leads to more and better conversation about the league,” writes Arthur. “That’s good for the game, too.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is what happens when dinosaurs run your professional sports league. The NHL is still controlled by an old-boy network whose ideology remains rooted in the previous century. They take their fans for granted, refusing to believe they’re interested in salary information despite all the contrary evidence.

The NHL may prefer salary information be kept private, but they have themselves to blame for the fans’ desire to know more about it. They killed an entire season to implement their hard cap system. As Arthur pointed out, how your favorite team spends its salary-cap payroll each year is integral to how well they can compete. Fans naturally want to know if their teams can afford to acquire or retain players.

IN OTHER NEWS…

CALGARY SUN: The Flames hired former Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Brad Larsen as an assistant coach.

NHL.COM: Former Chicago Blackhawks bench boss Jeremy Colliton joins the New Jersey Devils as an assistant coach.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins are reportedly hiring David Quinn as an assistant coach. He spent the past two seasons as head coach of the San Jose Sharks. Before that, Quinn spent three seasons as the New York Rangers’ bench boss.

TSN: The sexual assault case of five former members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior team is set to return to court on Aug. 13 to potentially set a date for trial.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 9, 2024

by | Jun 9, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 9, 2024

The Panthers shut out the Oilers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, highlights from Gary Bettman’s latest “State of the League” press conference, and updates on Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

STANLEY CUP FINAL – GAME 1 RECAP

NHL.COM: The Florida Panthers drew first blood in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final by blanking the Edmonton Oilers 3-0 in Game 1. Sergei Bobrovsky turned in a 32-save shutout, Carter Verhaeghe opened the scoring with his 10th goal of the postseason, and Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov collected two assists.

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bobrovsky flat-out stole this game for the Panthers, especially in the first period when they were outshot 13-4 and out-chanced 8-3 at five-on-five. The 35-year-old became the oldest goaltender in Stanley Cup Final history to record a shutout.

Edmonton controlled the play for most of this game, garnering plenty of quality scoring opportunities. At times, the ice seemed tilted in the Panthers’ zone as the Oilers pressed but couldn’t beat Bobrovsky.

Almost all of Edmonton’s quality scoring chances were to the bottom part of the net but Bobrovsky shut that area down. Hockey Night in Canada noted that most of the goals scored against him in this postseason were high glove or high blocker. The Oilers will have to work on that for the rest of this series.

Florida made the most of their few quality scoring chances but the Oilers would’ve won this game if Bobrovsky hadn’t been on top of his game. Expect a better effort defensively by the Panthers going forward in this series.

This game will likely be the last time in this series that the Oilers pair up defensemen Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci. They had been separated during the Western Conference Final but were reunited for this contest. They were on the ice for the first two Panthers goals.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM GARY BETTMAN’S LATEST “STATE OF THE LEAGUE” ADDRESS

THE ATHLETIC: Chris Johnston and Pierre LeBrun highlighted the key points from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman’s latest “State of the League” press conference before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

The league and the NHLPA announced the salary cap for 2024-25 will rise to $88 million, an increase of $4.5 million and the biggest jump in the cap since 2019. The cap had been flattened from 2020-21 to 2023-24 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath.

Bettman predicted the cap will continue to rise in the coming years, anticipating robust growth in the salary cap.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The cap was projected to increase by $4.2 million to $87.7 million. Both sides agreed to round it up to $88 million, which is welcome news for cap-strapped clubs as well as players slated to become free agents on July 1.

More details were revealed regarding the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament in 2025 involving Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States.

The league and NHLPA announced it will be held from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston instead of the All-Star Game. The four countries will play each other twice in Montreal before moving to Boston for the final game of the round-robin and the championship game.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Follow this link for further details on tournament scheduling.

Bettman said there is nothing new regarding expansion despite rumors of putting clubs in Atlanta and Houston and a possible return to Arizona. He acknowledged that the league continues to deal with expressions of interest, noting at least half a dozen cities are interested in the NHL product.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I believe we’ll see NHL franchises in Atlanta and Houston by the end of this decade at the latest. A return to Arizona depends on whether former Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo can secure funding to build an NHL arena in the Phoenix area.

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said he’s received feedback from many (but not all) NHL general managers regarding possible changes to long-term injury reserve rules. Under the current system, the salary cap doesn’t count during the postseason. While there is some appetite for change, Daly said it would have to be negotiated with the PA during the next round of collective bargaining in 2026.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The NHL cannot adjust the current LTIR rules without the agreement of the NHLPA. I daresay we’ll see it tweaked in the next CBA.

Bettman and Daly were asked if the league had any advice for teams with players charged in the 2018 Team Canada sexual assault case regarding qualifying offers to retain their rights by June 30. The commissioner said it will be up to the individual clubs to decide if they’ll qualify those players based on the current rules outlined in the CBA.

The players involved are Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers, Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils, and Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Alex Formenton of the Ottawa Senators was also charged. He’s on the Senators’ reserve list because they qualified his rights in 2022. He spent the past two seasons playing in Switzerland.

Bettman stated that former Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman and former head coach Joel Quenneville remain ineligible to apply for jobs in the NHL. This is a result of their failure to react responsibly in connection with the Kyle Beach sexual assault case. He said both have reached out seeking an opportunity to return, but it’s something he has to consider.

IN OTHER NEWS…

NHL.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas isn’t providing any details or updates regarding contract extension talks with captain Sidney Crosby. “We want to keep that as quiet as possible and go through it,” he said, adding that this was being done out of respect for Crosby and what he means to the organization.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I predict Crosby will re-sign with the Penguins before training camp opens in September.

CHICAGO HOCKEY NOW: Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson recently shot down any possibility of a reunion with Patrick Kane. He indicated that he was happy to see the former Blackhawks winger had a good year with the Detroit Red Wings. However, he doesn’t foresee them bringing him back to Chicago.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 28, 2024

by | Mar 28, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 28, 2024

Recaps of Wednesday’s games, Martin Brodeur believes today’s goaltenders are babied, the players could have half of their escrow returned to them for this season, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Boston Bruins 3-1. Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point each scored their 42nd goal of the season for the 40-25-7 Lightning (87 points). They hold the first Eastern Conference wildcard berth and sit two points behind the third-place Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division. Danton Heinen replied for the 42-17-15 Bruins (99 points) as they slipped into third in the overall standings, one point behind the league-leading New York Rangers.

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kucherov regained sole possession of the points lead with 124, one up on Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon. The Lightning improved to 8-1-1 in March.

A five-goal first period gave the Ottawa Senators a 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Shane Pinto had a goal and three assists while Joonas Korpisalo made 34 saves for the Senators (31-36-4). JJ Peterka tallied his 25th goal of the season for the Sabres as they slipped to 34-34-5.

HEADLINES

THE ATHLETIC: In an interview with Pierre LeBrun, Martin Brodeur lamented how NHL clubs handle their goaltenders.

“I think we baby our goalies,” said Brodeur. “I see it. I’m part of it. It’s like, my goalie coach will say, ‘He’s played five games in the past eight days.’ I’m like, ‘So?’”

The Hall-of-Fame goalie is now the executive vice president of hockey operations for the New Jersey Devils. He played 70 or more games 12 times during his 22-year NHL career.

Brodeur acknowledged the game has changed and so has the position. He noted how volatile it has become in recent years where a netminder can be the top goalie one year and struggle the next. He blames the 1A and 1B system that result in split workloads.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: We discussed this Wednesday night on the Face Off Hockey Show. The decline in quality goalies in recent years could be another reason as there are fewer standout starters compared to Brodeur’s era. The increase in the game’s speed and the skaters’ improved scoring skills are other potential factors.

DAILY FACEOFF: With this season’s NHL revenue projected to reach $6.2 billion, the players can expect to receive half of the escrow withheld from the contracts returned to them after final accounting and auditing.

The salary cap for next season is projected to rise to $87.5 million. With revenue projections higher than expected and the players’ $1.1 billion in debt from pandemic-related losses repaid to the owners, there is a window to negotiate a higher cap for next season provided both sides are willing to agree to this. If not, the cap will continue to rise by five percent with escrow remaining at six percent annually as agreed under the 2020 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that extended the CBA to Sept. 15, 2026.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The cap could reach $92 million for 2025-26, the final year of the CBA. The players could receive another escrow refund next season if revenue growth remains robust.

THE PROVINCE: The Canucks placed goaltender Thatcher Demko on long-term injury reserve. However, he remains on track to return from a lower-body injury sometime around April 6.

Meanwhile, Canucks center Elias Lindholm missed practice yesterday after being scratched from Monday’s 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Head coach Rick Tocchet said he wasn’t concerned, claiming it was “something a little nagging, that’s getting better every day.” Still, there’s no timeline for Lindholm’s return.

STLTODAY.COM: Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist will miss the remainder of the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee during Monday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights. He will undergo surgery and be reevaluated in six months.

NYI HOCKEY NOW: Speaking of season-ending injuries, Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield recently underwent successful surgery to treat a lower-body injury. He’s expected to make a full recovery.

CBS SPORTS: Anaheim Ducks winger Brock McGinn underwent disc surgery on his back and will be sidelined for four months. He’s expected to be recovered by late July but it remains to be seen if he’ll be ready for training camp in September.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Washington Capitals defenseman Ethan Bear entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. He will be out indefinitely, returning to on-ice competition once cleared by the program administrators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to Bear. Here’s hoping he receives the treatment he needs that enables him to continue his career and lead a more fulfilling life.

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Earlier this week, the Avalanche signed goaltender Justus Annunen to a two-year, one-way contract extension with an average annual value of $833K.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: An arena deal that would’ve moved the Washington Capitals and the NBA’s Washington Wizards to Virginia has fallen through. The clubs’ ownership reached an agreement on a publicly-funded arena deal with the city that will keep them in Washington until 2050.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 5, 2023

by | Dec 5, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 5, 2023

The Lightning defeat the Stars during a milestone game for Victor Hedman, the Jets re-sign Nino Niederreiter, the latest projection for next season’s salary cap, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Tampa Bay Lightning celebrated Victor Hedman’s 1,000th career NHL game with a 4-0 victory over the Dallas Stars. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves for the shutout and Anthony Cirelli scored twice as the Lightning (11-10-5) snapped a four-game losing skid. Jake Oettinger stopped 19 shots for the 14-6-3 Stars.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (NHL Images).

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Laurent Brossoit kicked out 42 shots as his club held off the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1. Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers each had a goal and an assist as the Jets improved their record to 14-8-2 (30 points) to sit one point back of the second-place Stars in the Central Division. Martin Necas replied for the 14-9-1 Hurricanes.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Earlier in the day, the Jets announced the signing of Nino Niederreiter to a three-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $4 million. It’s the same AAV on the 31-year-old winger’s current contract. Acquired from the Nashville Predators last season, Niederreiter quickly fit in well with the Jets. He’s got 14 points in 24 games on their third line.

A five-goal first period carried the Arizona Coyotes to a 6-0 drubbing of the Washington Capitals. Nick Schmaltz tallied two goals, Alex Kerfoot had three assists and Connor Ingram turned aside 26 shots for the shutout as the Coyotes (13-9-2) picked up their fifth straight win. The Capitals made Evgeny Kuznetsov a healthy scratch from this game following a disappointing performance in a 4-1 loss on Saturday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Coyotes hold the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 28 points. Meanwhile, their ongoing saga for a new arena could be testing the patience of some of the NHL governors, who are currently meeting in Seattle.

As long as league commissioner Gary Bettman supports the Coyotes’ efforts to remain in the Phoenix area and has the support of the majority of league governors, it won’t matter if a handful of the others are growing weary of this situation.

An overtime goal by Pavel Buchnevich lifted the St. Louis Blues over the Vegas Golden Knights by a score of 2-1. Jordan Binnington made 33 saves while Alexey Toropchenko also scored for the Blues as they improved to 13-10-1. Jack Eichel scored for the Golden Knights (16-5-5), who remain in first place in the Western Conference with 37 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights played without defenseman Shea Theodore (upper body) as he was placed on long-term injury reserve on Saturday. The earliest he could return to action is Dec. 17.

The Philadelphia Flyers nipped the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 on an overtime goal by Sean Couturier. Carter Hart stopped 31 shots, Tyson Foerster also scored and Travis Konecny collected two assists for the 13-10-2 Flyers. Sidney Crosby scored for the Penguins as they fell to 11-10-3.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Penguins played without forward Matt Nieto (lower body) as he was placed on injured reserve on Saturday.

Montreal Canadiens center Sean Monahan scored two goals as his club doubled up the Seattle Kraken 4-2. Sam Montembeault stopped 31 shots while Josh Anderson finally tallied his first goal of the season as the Canadiens boosted their record to 11-11-3. Vince Dunn had a goal and an assist for the 8-12-6 Kraken.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Earlier in the day, the Canadiens loaned defenseman Arber Xhekaj to their AHL affiliate in Laval. He’d been sidelined since Nov. 16 with an upper-body injury.

HEADLINES

DAILY FACEOFF: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman informed the league Board of Governors yesterday that the salary cap is on track to reach $87.7 million for 2024-25. The cap is currently at $83.5 million and has been flattened since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The $4.2 million increase is in line with the “lag formula” contained in the 2020 Memorandum of Understanding between the NHL and NHL Players Association coming out of the pandemic. The two sides can negotiate for a higher formula, something NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh hinted at during a recent interview with Frank Seravalli.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The PA could push to have it increased to between $88 million and $89 million. As Seravalli indicates in his report, however, achieving that goal would mean the PA having to make a concession, something the league isn’t planning on based on their report on Monday to the Board of Governors.

NHL.COM: Arizona Coyotes goaltender Connor Ingram, New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal and New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes are the league’s three stars for the week ending Dec. 3.

CALGARY SUN: Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom left practice yesterday after suffering an injury to his right hand. An update on his condition could be made today.

CBS SPORTS: Anaheim Ducks forward Mason McTavish did not travel with his club for their upcoming two-game road trip. He suffered an upper-body injury during Saturday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche.

THE MERCURY NEWS: The San Jose Sharks placed forward Ryan Carpenter and defenseman Ty Emberson on injured reserve.

NHL.COM: The 2024 IIHF World Junior U-20 Championship begins on Dec. 26, 2023, and will end with the gold medal game on Jan. 5, 2024 The tournament opens with the United States facing off against Norway while defending champion Canada meets Finland in preliminary round action. Slovakia will also face Czechia while Sweden takes on Latvia.

Speaking of the IIHF, all players participating in their tournaments will be mandated to wear a neck laceration protector.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 5, 2023

by | Oct 5, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 5, 2023

Recapping Wednesday’s preseason action, the salary cap is projected to rise significantly in 2024-25, plus some notable injury updates and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

PRESEASON GAMES RECAP

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid had a goal and three assists to thump the Calgary Flames 7-2. Connor Brown tallied twice for the Oilers while Dan Vladar made 35 saves for the Flames.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Flames announced that forward Kevin Rooney suffered what is considered to be a long-term upper-body injury in practice earlier this week.

The Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-3. Jackets rookie Adam Fantilli’s first-ever NHL preseason goal was also the winning goal while teammate Patrik Laine collected his fourth goal of this preseason. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 28 shots for the Sabres.

New Jersey Devils forwards Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer each had a goal and an assist in a 5-2 victory over the New York Rangers. Ondrej Palat picked up three assists for the Devils. Adam Fox and Will Cuylle replied for the Rangers.

The Detroit Red Wings nipped the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 with James Reimer making 21 saves for the win. Simon Edvinsson and Daniel Sprong scored for the Wings while Xavier Ouellet tallied for the Penguins. Former Wings goalie Alex Nedeljkovic made 22 stops against his former team.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Earlier in the day, the Red Wings announced that they had released forward Artem Anisimov from his professional tryout.

Seattle Kraken winger Eeli Tolvanen scored the winning goal to down the Vancouver Canucks 2-1.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: League Commissioner Gary Bettman made his preliminary projection for next season’s salary cap following yesterday’s Board of Governors meeting. With revenues up and stable team ownerships, he anticipates the cap could rise to between $87 million and $88 million for 2024-25.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The salary cap is $83.5 million for this season. It has been flattened since the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season because of the players’ $1 billion escrow debt to the owners as a result of the premature end of the 2019-20 season due to the start of the COVID pandemic. Bettman indicated there is $50 million of escrow debt remaining and it is expected to be paid off by the end of this season.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators center Josh Norris suffered another setback in his efforts to return to action from the shoulder surgery that prematurely ended his 2022-23 season. Head coach D.J. Smith remains hopeful that Norris, who’s been practicing with his teammates for the past eight days, will be able to play in the Senators’ final preseason game on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Senators center Shane Pinto remains out of training camp as his agent and Senators general manager Pierre Dorion continue to negotiate a new contract. The two sides have reportedly made progress in recent days. There’s talk around the league that the 22-year-old Pinto could accept a two-year deal with an average annual value of $2.35 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators now have $1.7 million in cap space after four players, including Jacob Bernard-Docker and Egor Sokolov, cleared waivers yesterday and were sent to their AHL affiliate in Belleville. Nevertheless, they’ll still have to shed more salary to get Pinto under contract and be cap-compliant when their season opens next week.

NEW YORK POST: Winger Kyle Palmieri has rejoined the Islanders after missing the opening weeks of training camp with an undisclosed injury. It’s unclear if he’ll participate in the Isles’ final two preseason games but should be good to go for their season opener next week against the Buffalo Sabres.

THE MERCURY NEWS: San Jose Sharks forward Mikael Granlund returned to practice yesterday after missing a week with an undisclosed injury. He’s expected to be in their lineup for their season opener next week, replacing sidelined captain Logan Couture (lower-body, week-to-week).

TSN: Los Angeles Kings forward Arthur Kaliyev will face a disciplinary hearing for kneeing Anaheim Ducks forward Chase De Leo on Tuesday.

ARIZONA SPORTS: Diamond Sports Group, the bankrupt operator of Bally Sports Arizona, wants out of its contract to broadcast Arizona Coyotes games. They made the request in the Southern Texas Bankruptcy Court on Wednesday. Both sides are awaiting the court’s decision.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Another day, another crisis for the Coyotes. It’s too bad because they actually have a promising roster led by rising star Clayton Keller that could surprise some folks this season. Sadly, few sports fans in Arizona will be able to watch them unless the team can find a new broadcaster.

DAILY FACEOFF: Former NHL coach Kevin Constantine has been suspended indefinitely as head coach of the WHL’s Wenatchee Wild for making derogatory remarks of a discriminatory nature.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 22, 2023

by | Jun 22, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 22, 2023

The 2023 Hockey Hall of Fame inductees are announced, salary cap only rising by $1 million for 2023-24, plus updates on Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Josh Bailey and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

2023 HOCKEY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES ANNOUNCED

NHL.COM: Henrik Lundqvist, Tom Barrasso, Pierre Turgeon and Mike Vernon were the former NHL players among the inductees in the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023. Canadian women’s star Caroline Ouellette, former NHL coach Ken Hitchcock and former Colorado Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix were also among the seven inductees. The formal induction ceremony will be held in Toronto at the Hockey Hall of Fame on Nov. 13.

Tom Barrasso is among the seven inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023 (NHL.com).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to all the inductees for this well-deserved honor.

It was long-overdue recognition for Barrasso, Turgeon and Vernon after being passed over for years. None of them say it coming. When Vernon got the call from Hall of Fame chairman Lanny McDonald, he joked that he thought McDonald was inviting him for a golf game. Barrasso, meanwhile, admitted he wasn’t sitting by the phone awaiting the call.

Once again, deserving former NHL stars such as Alexander Mogilny, Butch Goring, Patrik Elias, Rod Brind’Amour and Keith Tkachuk were passed over. Perhaps one of them will get their due next year.

TSN: As expected, the NHL salary cap for 2023-24 is going to rise by just $1 million to $83.5 million. The cap has been flattened since 2020-21 as part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for extending the collective bargaining agreement.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: As per the MOU, the cap remained at $81.5 million in 2020-21 and 2021-22, rising to $82.5 million in 2022-23 and $83.5 million in 2023-24. There was some hope that the cap would increase by more than the projected $1 million if the players had fully repaid the escrow owed to the team owners resulting from the pandemic-shortened seasons of 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Following the 2023-24 season, the salary cap is projected to significantly increase by at least $4 million. It could rise even higher given the boost to hockey-related revenue over the past two years arising from new broadcasting deals and the addition of the Seattle Kraken.

NHL.COM: The Buffalo Sabres hope to re-sign Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power to contract extensions and the feeling is mutual. Both defensemen have a year remaining on their respective contracts and can re-sign on July 1.

Dahlin is slated to become a restricted free agent next July with arbitration rights coming off his three-year bridge contract. At the same time, Power will be completing his entry-level contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Coming off their best season in years, this is a heady time for the Sabres and their fans. After years of often painful rebuilding, the club is on the cusp of becoming a playoff contender thanks to exciting young talent like Dahlin and Power.

The Sabres already have forwards Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens under reasonable long-term contracts. Getting Dahlin and Power locked up to lengthy new deals will ensure this team has a solid base of core talent to build on going forward.

GOPHNX.COM’s Craig Morgan tweeted that sources said there is no truth to reports suggesting the Arizona Coyotes have an interest in New York Islanders winger Josh Bailey.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Coyotes have a history of taking troublesome contracts from cap-strapped teams packaged with draft picks which they’ve stockpiled to build up their prospect pipeline. However, the Bailey rumor sounds like some folks were spitballing for ways that the Islanders can free up cap space for next season.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Vancouver Canucks GM Patrik Allvin said Tanner Pearson is making progress in his recovery from a hand injury that sidelined him for most of last season. He indicated that the 30-year-old winger is preparing himself for training camp in September.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Pearson’s playing career was thought to be in jeopardy after an infection set in requiring another surgical procedure.

DAILY FACEOFF: Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito said he’s spoken with Spencer Knight and expects the promising 22-year-old goaltender to be back with the club next season. Knight played 21 games this season before entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in February and remained there for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs.

NEW YORK POST: The Rangers have hired Phil Housley and Dan Muse to their coaching staff. A Hall-of-Fame defenseman Housley is the former head coach of the Buffalo Sabres.

DAILY FACEOFF: Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment chairman Larry Tannebaum is set to sell 25 percent of his stake in the company to OMERS, a pension plan for Ontario municipal employees.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The Blue Jackets signed forward Mathieu Olivier to a two-year, $2.2 million contract extension.

NHL.COM: The Hershey Bears are the 2023 AHL champions following a thrilling 3-2 overtime win over the Coachella Valley Firebirds in Game 7 of the Calder Cup Final.

Mike Vecchione tallied the winner for the Bears, who are the affiliate of the Washington Capitals. Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre also scored for the Bears.

Bears goaltender Hunter Shepard was awarded the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to the Bears on winning their 12th Calder Cup in franchise history. The Firebirds deserve a round of applause for reaching the Final in just their first season of operation. They’re the affiliate of the Seattle Kraken.