NHL Rumor Mill – May 21, 2025

by | May 21, 2025

NHL Rumor Mill – May 21, 2025

Check out the latest on Mitch Marner and Nikolaj Ehlers, plus a look at the Golden Knights’ possible offseason plans in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

THE LATEST MARNER SPECULATION

TSN: Pierre LeBrun noted the contrast between Toronto Maple Leafs forwards John Tavares and Mitch Marner when discussing their futures during Tuesday’s media availability.

Tavares was optimistic about returning with the Leafs next season. However, Marner spoke in the past tense about loving being a Leaf, and his intention to take time with his family to discuss his future.

Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner (NHL Images).

Chris Johnston believes Marner intends to test the free-agent market on July 1. He noted that the 28-year-old winger didn’t want to discuss a contract during this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Marner’s situation has reached the point of no return. He’s a goner to the highest bidder on July 1.

TORONTO SUN: Steve Simmons also believes it’s time for the Leafs and Marner to part ways. He believes the winger’s rights can be traded for next to nothing before July 1 or he leaves in free agency.

Simmons noted the Leafs will have around $22 million in cap space to work with if they don’t re-sign Marner and Tavares. He suggested using that money to get into the bidding for forward Sam Bennett if he doesn’t re-sign with the Florida Panthers before July 1. Simmons also noted that Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad could also be available.

Other free-agent options could include Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets, Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks, Patrick Kane of the Detroit Red Wings and the Panthers’ Brad Marchand.

DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli doesn’t rule out the possibility of the Leafs finding a trade destination for Marner where he wants to pre-negotiate before July 1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs won’t get a big return for Marner if they trade his rights before July 1. The Carolina Hurricanes got a 2025 third-round pick for Jake Guentzel when they traded his rights to the Tampa Bay Lightning last June.

WILL NIKOLAJ EHLERS STAY WITH THE JETS OR TEST THE MARKET?

THE ATHLETIC: Murat Ates looked at what the Winnipeg Jets must address during the offseason.

Sorting out their contract signings is a priority, with Nikolaj Ehlers being the biggest question mark. The 28-year-old winger is UFA-eligible on July 1 and might be inclined to test the market after 10 years in Winnipeg. He wasn’t available at the Jets’ media availability on Tuesday as he departed for the World Championships to play for his native Denmark.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ehlers’ teammates praised him during the media availability, expressing their hope that he’ll re-sign with the Jets. If he hits the open market, he won’t lack for suitors. The Province’s Ben Kuzma believes the Vancouver Canucks will be among the bidders.

UPDATE ON THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS

VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: Hannah Kirkell doesn’t expect Golden Knights management to blow up the roster after their elimination from the second round of the 2025 playoffs.

She acknowledged the Golden Knights’ inability to score against the Edmonton Oilers led to their elimination. Their shallow prospect pool means they don’t have many tradeable assets, meaning they’ll have to turn to free agency to bolster their offense.

The Golden Knights will have over $9.6 million in cap space next season. That’s not enough to add someone like Mitch Marner via free agency. Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers could be just out of their price range, and there will be plenty of suitors for Vancouver’s Brock Boeser.

General manager Kelly McCrimmon will have to get creative. Jack Eichel is the only untouchable on the Golden Knights’ roster. Five of their nine forwards and three of their five defensemen signed through next season have some form of no-trade protection.

Kirkell suggested winger Ivan Barbashev as a trade candidate because he only has an eight-team no-trade list. Their depth at center could allow them to dangle Nicolas Roy as trade bait for a scoring winger.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McCrimmon and the Golden Knights’ front office have a reputation for making surprising moves to improve their roster. It won’t be shocking if they swing a major deal this summer to improve their offense.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 10, 2025

by | May 10, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 10, 2025

The Jets tied their series with the Stars, the Panthers got their first win in their series with the Maple Leafs, seven more skaters are added to the Quarter-Century Team, the latest on a new franchise in Atlanta, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF FRIDAY’S PLAYOFF ACTION

NHL.COM: Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebucyk made 21 saves to shut out the Dallas Stars 4-0, tying their best-of-seven second-round series at a game apiece.

Nikolaj Ehlers had two goals and an assist, Dylan DeMelo collected two assists, and Josh Morrissey picked up an assist as he returned to action after missing Game 1 with an injury. Stars goalie Jake Oettinger stopped 21 shots.

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. (NHL Images).

The series shifts to Dallas for the next two games. Game 3 is 4:30 pm ET on Sunday, May 11.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a solid bounce-back performance by the Jets after dropping the first game on the strength of Dallas winger Mikko Rantanen’s hat trick. They dominated the Stars, doing an outstanding job neutralizing Rantanen and his teammates in this contest. Hellebuyck struggled with consistency in the first round, but his Game 2 performance should silence his critics for a little while. However, he must build on it if the Jets are to win this series. 

An overtime goal by Brad Marchand lifted the Florida Panthers to a 5-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 3 of their second-round series.

Marchand is the leader among active NHL players with 14 game-winning goals in the playoffs.

Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe each had a goal and an assist for the Panthers, who narrowed Toronto’s lead in the series to 2-1. John Tavares tallied twice and Matthew Knies had a goal and an assist for the Leafs.

Game 4 will be Sunday, May 10, at 7:30 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs looked poised to take a commanding 3-0 series lead when they got early goals from Knies and Tavares. Aleksander Barkov made it 2-1 but Tavares restored the two-goal lead early in the second. However, Reinhart and Verhaeghe quickly scored to tie it and Jonah Gadjovich gave the Panthers the lead.

It then became a game of bounces involving Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly. His game-tying goal in the third deflected off Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky’s blocker, striking his defenseman Seth Jones, and bounced into the Panthers’ net. Marchand’s goal deflected into the Leafs’ net as Rielly was jostling with Panthers center Anton Lundell.

The hockey gods giveth, and the hockey gods taketh away.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Seven skaters who debuted in the NHL between 2000 and 2010 were named to the league’s Quarter-Century Team.

The new players are former Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, former Detroit Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk, former Chicago Blackhawks and current Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane, Pittsburgh Penguins centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Washington Capitals left wing Alexander Ovechkin, and former Tampa Bay Lightning and current Nashville Predators forward Steven Stamkos.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No surprises here. They were/are the most impactful players of their era. Datsyuk is already in the Hockey Hall of Fame, Bergeron will soon join him, and the others are all future first-ballot Hall-of-Famers once their playing careers are over.

The league will reveal the six skaters who debuted since 2010 on Saturday.

THE ATHLETIC: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league’s two failed attempts to house a franchise in Atlanta would prevent the possibility of a third attempt to bring an expansion team to that market.

Bettman’s comments come days after prospective Atlanta owner Paul Krause said his group was getting closer to making a formal expansion pitch. The commissioner said there is interest in a potential expansion to Atlanta, but no formal timetable.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I predict the league will expand to Atlanta and Houston by the end of this decade, expanding to 34 teams.

Like it or not, billionaires are willing to pony up the increasingly rising expansion fee (likely to be $2 billion) to own an NHL expansion franchise in the United States.

Sorry, Quebec City, you have a devoted fan base and a proper NHL-ready arena, but your market is too small compared to those in the United States, and that’s where the money is. Your best bet is to become an emergency relocation destination for a failing American team like Winnipeg was for the Atlanta Thrashers in 2011.

NHL.COM: Vegas Golden Knights forward Nicolas Roy was fined $7,812.50 for cross-checking Edmonton Oilers forward Trent Frederic during Game 2 of the teams’ second-round series on Thursday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The league explained they fined Roy instead of suspending him because he was reckless with his stick rather than intentionally trying to injure Frederic when he cross-checked the Oilers forward in the face. Frederic remained in the game, which explains why Roy escaped harsher discipline.

NEW YORK POST: Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller underwent surgery for an undisclosed injury suffered toward the end of the regular season. He is expected to be ready for training camp in September.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Whether that’s with the Rangers or another team remains to be seen. Miller is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights coming off a difficult season. He could receive an offer sheet from a rival club if negotiations stall with the Rangers. Miller could also be a trade candidate if management decides he no longer fits into their long-term plans.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: The Devils have parted ways with assistant coaches Ryan McGill and Chris Taylor.

DAILY FACEOFF: Former WWE star Brock Lesnar’s son was recently drafted by the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. Duke Lesnar, 14, is a 5’11”, 168-pound forward chosen 115th overall by the Tigers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This isn’t NHL news, but I’m a pro wrestling fan, so this was interesting to share here.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 29, 2023

by | Oct 29, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 29, 2023

Recaps of Saturday’s game, Joe Thornton and Tomas Plekanec announce their retirements, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak scored two goals and added an assist in a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Charlie McAvoy tallied his first goal of the season as the Bruins lead the Eastern Conference with a record of 7-0-1 (15 points). Joe Veleno replied for the Red Wings (5-3-1), who are 0-2-1 in their last three contests and were outscored 8-2 in their last two games.

Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak (NHL Images).

The Vegas Golden Knights extended their season-opening points streak to nine games by nipping the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in a shootout with Jack Eichel netting the winning goal. Logan Thompson stopped 36 shots as the Golden Knights extended their league-leading record to 8-0-1 (17 points). Drew Doughty scored his fourth goal of the season for the Kings (4-2-2).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Golden Knights announced they moved Nicolas Roy on injured reserve.

An overtime goal by K’Andre Miller lifted the New York Rangers over the Vancouver Canucks 4-3. Mika Zibanejad had a goal and two assists while Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox each had a goal and an assist as the Rangers lead the Metropolitan Division with a record of 6-2-0. J.T. Miller potted his fourth goal of the season and Filip Hronek collected two assists for the 5-2-1 Canucks.

The Nashville Predators upset the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on an overtime goal by Roman Josi. Ryan O’Reilly scored twice against his former club while Juuse Saros stopped 33 shots for the 4-4-0 Predators. William Nylander scored his sixth goal of the season for the 5-2-1 Maple Leafs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Earlier in the day, Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said sidelined defenseman Jake McCabe (groin injury) won’t be sidelined for as long as originally feared. He believes McCabe should be back “before too long.”

A shootout goal by Nick Suzuki gave the Montreal Canadiens a 4-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Jake Allen kicked out 42 shots while Kaiden Guhle had two assists as the Canadiens overcame a 3-1 deficit to improve their record to 5-2-1. Adam Lowry netted two goals for the 4-3-1 Jets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was a costly win for the Canadiens as defenseman Mike Matheson suffered a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk tallied twice in a 5-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Joonas Korpisalo turned aside 40 shots while Claude Giroux and Tim Stutzle each collected two assists as the Senators rose to 4-4-0. Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel each scored for the Penguins as they dropped to 3-5-0 and sit last in the Metro Division.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Penguins continued to struggle with the man advantage and have the third-lowest power-play percentage (10%) in the league. That’s a troubling stat for a club with experienced scorers like Crosby, Guentzel, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson and Reilly Smith.

The Anaheim Ducks dropped the Philadelphia Flyers 7-4. Frank Vatrano had a hat trick while Ryan Strome had a goal and two assists for the 4-4-0 Ducks. Travis Konecny tallied twice for the 4-3-1 Flyers.

New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov made 35 saves in a 2-0 shutout of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Kyle Palmieri and Matt Martin scored for the Islanders (4-2-1) while Spencer Martin stopped 31 shots for the 3-3-1 Blue Jackets.

The Florida Panthers overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Seattle Kraken 3-2 on a third-period goal by Nick Cousins. Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves for the win as the Panthers improved to 4-3-0. Joey Daccord made 35 stops for the 2-5-2 Kraken.

HEADLINES

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Joe Thornton officially announced his retirement on Saturday. He hadn’t played since the 2021-22 season with the Florida Panthers.

In his 24 seasons (1997-98 to 2021-22) with the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Panthers, Thornton amassed 1,109 regular-season assists to sit seventh on the all-time list in that category. He’s also sixth all-time in games played (1,714) and 12th in points with 1,539. Thornton scored 430 career regular-season goals and had 32 goals and 102 assists for 134 points in 187 playoff contests.

Thornton’s best seasons were the 15 he spent with the Sharks, winning the Art Ross Trophy (125 points) and the Hart Trophy in 2005-06. He was named to the First All-Star Team that season and to the Second All-Star Team in 2002-03 (with the Bruins), 2007-08 and 2015-16.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Thornton was among the greatest playmakers in NHL history. In my opinion, he’s perhaps the greatest player in Sharks history, holding the single-season record for assists (92) and points (114) and the franchise record for career assists with 804. He’s also second in total points (1,055) and third in games played with 1,104.

Thornton was the driving force that turned the Sharks into a regular-season powerhouse from 2007-08 to 2010-11. During that period, they finished atop the Pacific Division four straight times, were first overall in the Western Conference twice and second overall twice, winning the Presidents’ Trophy in 2008-09 with a franchise-record 117 points. He also helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2016.

While a Stanley Cup title eluded Thornton, he was a winner on the international stage for Canada, taking home gold at the 1997 World Juniors and the 2010 Winter Olympics as well as the World Cup of Hockey in 2004 and 2016.

DAILY FACEOFF: Former Montreal Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec also announced the end of his playing career yesterday. Apart from 17 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he played the rest of his 1,001 career NHL games with the Canadiens from 2003-04 to 2018-19, sitting seventh on the franchise’s all-time list of games played with 984. He finished with 233 goals and 375 assists for 608 career regular-season points as well as 53 points in 94 career playoff games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Plekanec was a fan favorite in Montreal for his two-way skills. He’s played in Czechi since 2018-19, spending the past three seasons with the Kladno Knights, where he skated with Jaromir Jagr.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: Devils captain Nico Hischier will miss Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Wild with an upper-body injury.

NHL.COM: Speaking of Hischier, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton received a two-game suspension for an illegal hit to the head of the Devils captain on Friday.

WGR 550: And speaking of the Sabres, goaltender Eric Comrie is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. With Devon Levi still on the mend, the Sabres have called up Devin Cooley to back up Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

THE ATHLETIC: Canada Post issued a stamp to commemorate Willie O’Ree becoming the first player to break the NHL’s color barrier in 1958.

NEW YORK POST: Former NHL player Adam Johnson died on Saturday following a freak accident while playing with the EIHL’s Nottingham Panthers when his neck was cut by a skate blade. He was 29 years old. Johnson played 13 games with the Penguins from 2018-19 to 2019-20.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Johnson’s family, friends and teammates.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 24, 2023

by | Feb 24, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 24, 2023

Connor McDavid and the Oilers humiliate the Penguins, the Bruins acquire Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway from the Capitals, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid scored two goals and collected two assists in a 7-2 drubbing of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Leon Draisaitl scored to extend his goal streak to six games as the Oilers (32-19-9) vaulted into second place in the Pacific Division with 72 points. Kris Letang tallied both Penguins goals as his club dropped its fourth straight game as they fell to 27-21-9 (63 points) to sit one point out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth.

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid now has a career-high 46 goals to lead the goal-scoring race. Teammate Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and an assist to reach 600 career points. As for the Penguins, this high-profile match-up was a disaster, prompting their hometown crowd to vent their unhappiness with general manager Ron Hextall with chants of “Fire Hextall!”

The Penguins’ loss was good news for the Detroit Red Wings as they leaped into the final Eastern wild-card berth by downing the New York Rangers 4-1. Andrew Copp led the way with a goal and two assists against his former team while Ville Husso made 30 saves for the 28-21-8 Red Wings (64 points). Vincent Trocheck replied for the Rangers (33-16-9) as they remain in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 75 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Rangers sat out Vitali Kravtsov and Jake Leschyshyn from this game, prompting speculation they could be close to acquiring Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane. I’ll have more about that later today in the Rumors section.

Boston Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk scored the game-winner with 1:38 remaining in the third period for a 6-5 victory over the Seattle Kraken. David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Krejci each had a goal and an assist for the league-leading Bruins (44-8-5), who’ve won five straight and hold a nine-point lead over the Carolina Hurricanes in the overall standings with 93 points. Matty Beniers, Vince Dunn and Jamie Oleksiak each had a goal and an assist for the 32-20-6 Kraken as they dropped into the first Western Conference wild-card berth with 70 points.

The Vegas Golden Knights overcame a 3-1 deficit to burn the Calgary Flames 4-3 on an overtime goal by Alex Pietrangelo. Jack Eichel had a goal and an assist as the Golden Knights improved to 35-18-5 to hold a three-point lead over the Oilers for first place in the Pacific Division with 75 points. Mikael Backlund and Jakob Pelletier each had a goal and an assist for the Flames (27-20-12) as they sit one point behind the Colorado Avalanche for the final Western Conference wild-card berth with 66 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Golden Knights center Nicolas Roy missed this game as he’s listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

An overtime goal by Dawson Mercer lifted the New Jersey Devils over the Los Angeles Kings by a score of 4-3. Mercer finished the night with two goals and an assist while Nico Hischier sent the game to overtime with 39 seconds remaining in the third period. The Devils improved to 38-15-5 and sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division with 81 points, three back of the first-place Carolina Hurricanes. Anze Kopitar, Kevin Fiala and Sean Durzi each had two points for the Kings (32-19-8) as they sit in third place with 72 points in the Pacific Division.

The Buffalo Sabres upset the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-5 on an overtime goal by Ilya Lyubushkin. Tage Thompson had his fourth hat trick of the season for the Sabres as they improved to 29-23-4 (62 points) to sit two points out of the final Eastern wild-card berth. Brayden Point had a goal and three assists for the Lightning (36-17-4) as they sit two points behind the second-place Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division with 76 points.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 30 saves to shut out the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-0. Brandon Duhaime and Kirill Kaprizov scored for the Wild (32-21-5) as they sit in third place in the Central Division with 69 points, two back of the second-place Winnipeg Jets. The Blues Jackets sank to 18-35-5 on the season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Wild placed defenseman Jonas Brodin (lower-body) on injured reserve.

The Nashville Predators got two-goal performances from Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter in a 6-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Matt Duchene collected three assists as the Predators improved to 28-22-6 (62 points) to sit five points out of the final Western Conference wild-card berth. The Sharks dropped to 18-30-11.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Predators got some bad news before the game as they announced that center Ryan Johansen underwent emergency surgery on his right leg on Wednesday after being cut by a skate blade during Tuesday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks. He’ll be sidelined for 12 weeks.

Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson kicked out 41 shots in a 4-2 upset of the Washington Capitals. Troy Terry scored as he came off injured reserved after being sidelined since Feb. 6 as the Ducks (18-34-7) ended a six-game losing skid. Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin was held scoreless as his club dropped its sixth straight game and sit two points out of the final Eastern wild-card spot with a record of 28-26-6 (62 points).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Ducks placed center Adam Henrique on injured reserve before this game.

The Vancouver Canucks downed the St. Louis Blues 3-2 on an overtime goal by Elias Pettersson, who finished the game with three points. J.T. Miller scored his 20th goal of the season for the 23-30-5 Canucks. Jordan Binnington made 38 saves for the Blues as they fell to 26-28-4. Pavel Buchnevich and Brandon Saad were activated off injured reserve for this game

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blues are 0-3-1 in the four games since trading Ryan O’Reilly to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Blues head coach Craig Berube criticized his top players following this game, accusing them of not caring about the team.

HEADLINES

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: The Bruins acquired defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals in a three-team trade involving the Minnesota Wild.

The Capitals receive forward Craig Smith, a 2023 first-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick. The Capitals also retain 25 percent ($2.5 million) of Orlov’s $5.1 million annual cap hit. The Wild retained 25 percent ($1.2 million) of the remainder of Orlov’s cap hit after the Bruins sent them a 2023 fifth-rounder and prospect Andrei Svetlakov. The Bruins pick up the remaining $1.2 million of Orlov’s cap hit.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bruins general manager Don Sweeney continues his impressive streak of making significant moves before the trade deadline to bolster his roster for the playoffs. Orlov will provide an experienced physical shutdown presence to the left side of the Bruins’ defense corps while Hathaway will bring additional grit and depth to their checking lines.

This move might not seem as significant as Sweeney’s previous acquisitions of Taylor Hall and Hampus Lindholm. Nevertheless, the additions of Orlov and Hathaway make the Bruins a tougher team. That’s crucial for the postseason when the games get more physical. It’s also bad news for whoever faces them in the 2023 playoffs.

Orlov and Hathaway are slated to become unrestricted free agents this summer. Capitals GM Brian MacLellan explained he made this move to “acquire draft capital, infuse youth and restock the system”. It’s also a clear sign that MacLellan doesn’t believe his club can win if they reach the playoffs. This may not be the start of a rebuild for the Capitals but it’s at least the start of a roster retool that could continue during the offseason.

This is the second time in as many weeks that Wild GM Bill Guerin has used his cap space to be a third-party trade broker, having done the same in last week’s Ryan O’Reilly deal. He can only make this type of move once more as teams are only allowed to have three retained salaries on their books.

Cap Friendly indicates the Wild have $11.5 million in projected trade deadline cap space so Guerin might not be done as a third-party broker. He could also make a move that directly benefits his roster for the remainder of this season.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: The Canadiens claimed forward Chris Tierney off waivers yesterday from the Florida Panthers. They also announced that center Kirby Dach’s non-COVID-related illness symptoms were in fact related to a lower-body injury.

OTTAWA SUN: Former Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson indicated he’d like to meet with whoever becomes the club’s new owner to discuss a potential front-office job.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Former San Jose Sharks captain Patrick Marleau is in discussions with the club about rejoining the organization in a front-office role.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 19, 2022

by | Nov 19, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 19, 2022

The Canucks defeated the Kings plus updates on Auston Matthews, Philipp Grubauer, Scott Wedgewood and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The Vancouver Canucks got two-goal performances from Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser to defeat the Los Angeles Kings 4-1. Thatcher Demko made 37 saves for the Canucks as their record improves to 6-9-3. Blake Lizotte replied for the Kings as they drop to 11-8-1. Prior to this game, the Canucks activated Curtis Lazar off injured reserve.

Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks need their young stars like Pettersson, Boeser and Demko to step up if they hope to get back on a winning track and rise in the standings. This performance was a good start but they’ll need more of this on a consistent basis.

TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews is okay after limping off the ice during practice yesterday when he took a shot off his foot.

THE SEATTLE TIMES: The Kraken have activated goaltender Philipp Grubauer off injured reserve. He’d been sidelined since Oct. 21 with a lower-body injury.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Stars goalie Scott Wedgewood is listed as day-to-day and could resume practice today. He was stretchered from the ice during Thursday’s game against the Florida Panthers with a back injury. However, he did not need to go to a hospital and was walking around following the game.

WGR 550: The Buffalo Sabres have called up netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to replace Eric Comrie, who is expected to be sidelined for weeks with a lower-body injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Luukkonen was tabbed as the Sabres’ future starter but he’s had difficulties seizing the role. His recall comes at a time when the club is once again fading from a hot start to the season.

VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: Golden Knights forward Nicolas Roy has a lower-body injury that could keep him out of their next two games against the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks.

OTTAWA SUN: Some good news for the Senators blueline as defenseman Artem Zub could return to action on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils. He’s been sidelined since Oct. 27 with an upper-body injury and has gone 2-6-1 without him in the lineup.

CBS SPORTS: Speaking of Senators’ defensemen, Nikita Zaitsev cleared waivers on Nov. 10 and was sent to their AHL affiliate in Belleville on Friday.

OTTAWA SUN: Staying on the topic of Ottawa blueliners, former Senator Wade Redden will be the first player inducted into their Ring of Honour on Dec. 11. Redden, who now works for the club in a development role, played 838 games in 11 seasons with the Sens from 1996-97 to 2007-08. He is fifth all-time among their scorers with 410 points and their all-time leader in plus-minus at plus-159.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 9, 2022

by | Aug 9, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 9, 2022

The Bruins sign Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Pavel Zacha, the Rangers will reportedly name Jacob Trouba as their new captain, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: The Bruins were very busy on Monday as they announced centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci will be returning for 2022-23.

Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron (NHL Images).

Bergeron, 37, signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract along with $2.5 million in performance bonuses. The 36-year-old Krejci inked a one-year, $1 million deal with $2 million in performance bonuses.

The Bruins also avoided arbitration with Pavel Zacha, signing the 25-year-old forward to a one-year, $3.5 million contract.

All three will be eligible for unrestricted free agent status next July.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A tidy bit of work there by the Bruins. It was widely assumed that Bergeron and Krejci would be returning for the coming season. Zacha’s arbitration hearing was scheduled for Aug. 11.

Bergeron told reporters there was no chance he was going to play for another NHL team, dousing rumors suggesting his former agent Kent Hughes might attempt to sign him now that he was the general manager of the Montreal Canadiens. He indicated Hughes did not approach him, adding the Habs GM knew the Bruins were the only team he wanted to play for.

Puck Pedia indicates the trio’s base salaries push the Bruins above the $82.5 million salary cap by $2.2 million. They can garner cap relief by demoting players to the minors and/or placing sidelined players like Charlie McAvoy and/or Matt Grzelcyk on long-term injury reserve to start the season.

If Bergeron and Krejci achieve their performance bonuses they could carry over against the Bruins’ 2023-24 salary cap if the club remains over the cap at the end of the coming season.

Zacha’s signing opens up a second buyout window but they’ll have 48 hours from the final day of the arbitration period (Aug. 11) to do so. Puck Pedia indicates only players who were on the roster at the last trade deadline carrying an annual cap hit of at least $4 million can be bought out.

RDS.CA: cites ESPN’s Kevin Weekes’ report on Twitter claiming the New York Rangers will name Jacob Trouba as their new captain today.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Trouba would become the first Rangers captain since Ryan McDonagh in 2018. I felt alternate captain Chris Kreider was the favorite for the role in part because he’s the longest-serving active Ranger.

ARIZONA SPORTS: The Coyotes reached an agreement on a new contract with forward Lawson Crouse ahead of his scheduled arbitration hearing scheduled for Monday. It’s a five-year, $21.5 million contract with an annual average value of $4.3 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crouse, 25, is coming off a career-best performance last season of 20 goals and 34 points in 65 games. After shedding contracts last summer, Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong has been signing current young veterans this year that he believes will be key players in the club’s future.

VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: The Golden Knights signed forward Nicolas Roy to a five-year, $15 million contract. The average annual value is $3 million.

DAILY FACEOFF: A case that claimed Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a former Boston Ballet dancer has been withdrawn because it was confirmed she was not a minor at the time of the alleged relationship. Katz denied the claim, as did Sage Humphries, the dancer with whom he was allegedly involved.

NHL.COM: The Seattle Kraken named Dave Lowry as an assistant coach. Lowry was the Winnipeg Jets’ interim coach last season. He spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the Jets, Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings.