NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 2, 2025

by | Aug 2, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 2, 2025

Hockey Canada invites 42 NHL players to their National Teams orientation camp, a list of the top remaining unrestricted free agents, the Kings re-sign Alex Laferriere, the latest on Leafs winger Nick Robertson, and more in today’s Morning Coffee Headlines.

TSN: Hockey Canada invited 92 players from its’ mens’, womens’, and para hockey teams to attend its National Teams Orientation Camp in preparation for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The camp will be held from Aug. 26-28 in Calgary.

Forty-two NHL players (three goaltenders, 13 defensemen, and 26 forwards) were selected by Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong and his staff:

Goaltenders: Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues; Adin Hill, Vegas Golden Knights; Sam Montembeault, Montreal Canadiens.

Team Canada center Connor McDavid celebrates his winning goal in the 4 Nations Face-Off (NHL.com).

Defensemen: Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers; Noah Dobson, Montreal Canadiens; Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings; Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers; Thomas Harley, Dallas Stars; Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche; Brandon Montour, Seattle Kraken; Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets; Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues; Travis Sanheim, Philadelphia Flyers; Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights; Devon Toews, Colorado Avalanche; MacKenzie Weegar, Calgary Flames.

Forward: Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks; Sam Bennett, Florida Panthers; Quinton Byfield, Los Angeles Kings; Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks; Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning; Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; Brandon Hagel, Tampa Bay Lightning; Bo Horvat, New York Islanders; Zach Hyman, Edmonton Oilers; Seth Jarvis, Carolina Hurricanes; Wyatt Johnston, Dallas Stars; Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers; Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche; Brad Marchand, Florida Panthers; Mitch Marner, Vegas Golden Knights; Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers; Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers; Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning; Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers; Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets; Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights; Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens; John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs; Robert Thomas, St. Louis Blues; Carter Verhaeghe, Florida Panthers; Tom Wilson, Washington Capitals.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Many of these players were part of Canada’s gold-medal squad in last February’s 4 Nations Face-Off. Most of that 4 Nations group will be selected for the 2026 Winter Olympics team.

DAILY FACEOFF: Forward Jack Roslovic, defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, and winger Max Pacioretty remain among the noteworthy players still available in this summer’s unrestricted free-agent market.

Other notables include winger Victor Olofsson, goaltender James Reimer, winger Luke Kunin, netminder Ilya Samsonov, and center Evgeny Kuznetsov.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some of these players will be signed to low-cost, one-year contracts before training camp opens in mid-September. The others will get professional tryout offers (PTOs), or face the choice of retirement or continuing their playing careers in Europe.

MAYOR’S MANOR: The Los Angeles Kings signed forward Alex Laferriere to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $4.1 million.

Laferriere, 23, was a restricted free agent after completing his entry-level contract last season. He enjoyed a promising sophomore campaign in 2024-25, netting 19 goals and 42 points in 77 games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Kings have their full 23-man roster under contract for this season. Management’s focus will shift to signing first-line forward Adrian Kempe to a contract extension. The 28-year-old winger carries a $5.5 million salary-cap hit this season and is UFA-eligible next summer.

Team captain Anze Kopitar is also due to become a UFA next summer, but he intends to finish his career with the Kings.

TORONTO SUN: cited Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reporting there is a $1 million cap between Nick Robertson and the Maple Leafs as they prepare for his arbitration hearing on Aug. 3.

Friedman claims the Robertson camp seeks $2.25 million, while the Maple Leafs are countering with $1.25 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Robertson is the last player scheduled for salary arbitration this summer. The others all reached agreements on new contracts before their hearings.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Former Oilers defenseman and captain Jason Smith was named the new head coach of the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings on July 31.

Smith spent 15 seasons in the NHL, eight of those with the Oilers from 1998-99 to 2006-07. His previous head-coaching job was with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets from 2016 to 2019. He was also an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers’ AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley.

THE ATHLETIC’s Aaron Portzline reported on July 31 that former NHL player Stefan Matteau has joined the coaching staff of the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 27, 2025

by | Jul 27, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 27, 2025

The top remaining unrestricted free agents, the Blackhawks avoid arbitration with Arvid Soderblom, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

DAILY FACEOFF: Matt Larkin listed the notable players remaining on his list of the top unrestricted free agents.

Former Carolina Hurricanes forward Jack Roslovic (NHL Images).

Forward Jack Roslovic, defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, and winger Max Pacioretty are the top three, followed by winger Victor Olofsson, goaltender James Reimer, winger Luke Kunin, goalie Ilya Samsonov, and center Evgeny Kuznetsov.

Other noteworthy players include goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, winger Robby Fabbri, defenseman Jan Rutta, and winger Conor Sheary.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sheary signed a professional tryout offer with the New York Rangers last week. Nevertheless, he’s still a UFA and can sign a contract with another team.

Sheary is the first player in this summer’s UFA class to ink a PTO contract. Several of the players on this list could follow his lead before training camps open in September.

CHICAGO HOCKEY NOW: The Blackhawks avoided salary arbitration with Arvid Soderblom, as the two sides agreed to a two-year, $5.5 million contract. The average annual value (AAV) is $2.75 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Soderblom’s arbitration hearing was scheduled for July 28.

As of July 6, 11 players had filed for arbitration, and two (Bowen Byram of the Buffalo Sabres and Jack McBain of the Utah Mammoth) were to be taken to arbitration by their teams.

Entering this week, nine of the players and their teams avoided arbitration by reaching agreements on new contracts. Four – Dylan Samberg of the Winnipeg Jets, Conor Timmins of the Sabres, Nicholas Robertson of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Jayden Struble of the Montreal Canadiens – remain scheduled for hearings.

Don’t be surprised if the remaining four end up re-signing with their teams before their scheduled hearings.

DAILY FACEOFF: Michael Remis of Winnipeg Sports Talk doesn’t expect the Winnipeg Jets to make any significant additions over the rest of this summer.

Remis believes the Jets will take a step back this season without Nikolaj Ehlers, who signed with the Carolina Hurricanes earlier this month. They added center Jonathan Toews and forward Gustav Nyquist on one-year contracts.

Toews is attempting a comeback after missing the last two seasons with health issues. Nyquist’s production declined with the Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild last season.

The Jets have lots of salary-cap space, but Remis said he’s heard that they’re not planning to add to the roster over the remainder of the offseason. They’ve set aside money for Toews’ bonuses and a new contract for Dylan Samberg, which could leave them with $4 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff could prefer letting that cap space accrue during the season to address any roster issues that arise before the March trade deadline.

The Jets won the Presidents’ Trophy last season. Losing Ehlers will hurt their offense, but the rest of the roster is mostly intact. They should remain among the top teams in the Western Conference this season.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines and Rumors – August 5, 2024

by | Aug 5, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines and Rumors – August 5, 2024

It’s a holiday Monday in Canada so there’s little hockey news to report. Here’s a brief look at the notable remaining unrestricted free agents plus a look at whether Patrik Laine would be a fit with the Bruins.

DAILY FACEOFF: recently listed the top remaining players in this summer’s unrestricted free agent market.

Right wing James van Riemsdyk tops the list, followed by defensemen Tyson Barrie and Tony DeAngelo.

Former Nashville Predators defenseman Tyson Barrie (NHL Images)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Barrie was in his hometown of Victoria, BC, on Saturday hosting a charity concert featuring Grammy Award winner Sarah McLaughlan. There’s no word if he’s in discussions with any NHL teams for next season.

As for DeAngelo, SI.com cited Hockey News Hub claiming the blueliner was reportedly signing with SKA St. Petersburg. No official word yet from him or the club.

Right wings Tyler Johnson, Kevin Labanc and Mike Hoffman, defenseman Oliver Kylington, left wings Max Pacioretty and Jakub Vrana, and blueliner Justin Schultz rounded out the top 10.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: These players have occasionally surfaced in free agent rumors over the past month as options for NHL clubs seeking affordable depth. However, no reports suggest any of them are close to signing.

Other notables include defenseman John Klingberg, goaltender Kevin Lankinen, left wing Nick Cousins, goalie Antti Raanta, and wingers Cal Clutterbuck and Filip Zadina.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s been no updates on Klingberg since he underwent season-ending hip surgery in December. The latest on Cousins is he’ll be having his day with the Stanley Cup on Aug. 20 but nothing on talks with NHL teams.

THE BOSTON GLOBE: Kevin Paul Dupont pondered the possibility of the Bruins looking into acquiring Columbus Blue Jackets winger Patrik Laine. With the offseason departure of Jake DeBrusk, he believes the 26-year-old Laine could be a good fit among the Bruins’ top-six forwards.

Laine’s contract, however, is a significant obstacle. He has two years remaining on his deal with an average annual value of $8.7 million. The Bruins currently have $8.6 million in cap space but most of that will be taken up signing goaltender Jeremy Swayman.

To bring Laine to Boston, the Blues Jackets would have to retain some of Laine’s cap hit. Doing so, however, means the Bruins would be forced to ship out equal bucks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Dupont believes Laine will most likely suit up with a club that has the cap room to acquire him. He suggested the San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings as the best bet given their depth of exciting young prospects.










NHL Rumor Mill – April 16, 2020

by | Apr 16, 2020

NHL Rumor Mill – April 16, 2020

Updated unrestricted free agent rankings and how the current season shutdown could affect the UFA market in today’s NHL rumor mill.

THE HOCKEY NEWS/TSN: St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, Arizona Coyotes winger Taylor Hall, and Boston Bruins blueliner Torey Krug are the top three on Matt Larkin’s and Frank Seravalli’s respective lists of this year’s top NHL unrestricted free agents.

St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex PIetrangelo is among this year’s top unrestricted free agents (Photo via NHL Images).

Florida Panthers wingers Mike Hoffman and Evgenii Dadonov, Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Tyson Barrie, Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner, Vancouver Canucks winger Tyler Toffoli, Washington Capitals netminder Braden Holtby, and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sami Vatanen round out Larkin’s top-10.

Seravalli had Vancouver Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom in fourth place (he was 11th on Larkin’s list), followed by Lehner, Hoffman, Dadonov, Toffoli, Holtby, and Barrie. Vatanen was 12th on his ranking.

Other noteworthy players to appear on both lists include Calgary Flames defensemen T.J. Brodie, Travis Hamonic, and Erik Gustafsson, Tampa Bay Lightning blueliner Kevin Shattenkirk, Washington Capitals d-man Brenden Dillon and winger Ilya Kovalchuk, and Florida Panthers forward Erik Haula,

Larkin also included Nashville Predators wingers Mikael Granlund and Craig Smith, Bruins backup goalie Jaroslav Halak and defenseman Zdeno Chara, Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz, Winnipeg Jets blueliner Dylan DeMelo, Capitals rearguard Radko Gudas, New York Islanders netminder Thomas Greiss, Toronto Maple Leafs center Jason Spezza, Vancouver Canucks d-man Chris Tanev, Carolina Hurricanes winger Justin Williams, and Ottawa Senators defender Mark Borowiecki.

Seravalli’s ranking included Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Justin Braun, Hurricanes blueliner Joel Edmundson, Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford, Leafs defenseman Cody Ceci, Blues rearguard Marco Scandella and Dallas Stars netminder Anton Khudobin.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I think most observers will agree where Pietrangelo, Hall, and Krug sit among this year’s top UFAs. I’m sure there will be considerable disagreement over where the others are ranked.

For example, I think Barrie’s struggles in Toronto this season could send his UFA stock tumbling. Remember, some observers (including yours truly) considered Jake Gardiner among last year’s top-10 free agents, and he wound up waiting until September to get a deal that was well below the $6 million annually he was projected to get.

It’s also safe to say some of these players, such as Chara, Crawford, and Williams, are likely to re-sign with their current clubs.

Seravalli reports the effects of the current league shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic has created uncertainty for this year’s free-agent market. One agent expects the players will have a hard time going backward financially, but that’s what’s going to happen because of the pandemic. Should the salary cap remain at $81.5 million next season, many free agents may have to accept significantly less than they expect.

One agent pointed out there won’t be much of a market for top UFA. Only bottom-feeding clubs will have the most money to spend, but they’re usually not attractive destinations for free-agent talent. Seravalli suggests players might accept short-term deals for less money in the hope of trying to cash in later.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Players will still try to get the best deals they can, but I concur most won’t find the lucrative offers they would’ve received in a normal year. I agree with Seravalli that many could accept one- or two-year deals for less money and try their luck again in a year or two, or opt for the security of term over dollars.

The UFA market could also be flooded with additional players if the league and the NHLPA agreed to implement compliance buyouts for this off-season as a means of helping cap-strapped clubs hit hard by the shutdown. That could also drive down prices for free-agent talent.