NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 18, 2025
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 18, 2025
The Florida Panthers repeat as Stanley Cup champions as Sam Reinhart ties an NHL playoff scoring record, Sam Bennett wins the Conn Smythe Trophy, Predators captain Roman Josi reveals a medical condition related to a concussion, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
PANTHERS WIN STANLEY CUP, BENNETT NAMED PLAYOFF MVP
NHL.COM: The Florida Panthers won their second straight Stanley Cup, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 to win the best-of-seven Final in six games.
Sam Reinhart tied a Stanley Cup playoff record by scoring four goals in the Cup-clinching game, becoming the first player to do so since Babe Dye with the Toronto St. Pats in 1922.

2025 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers (NHL.com).
Matthew Tkachuk also scored, Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves, Carter Verhaeghe had three assists and Aleksander Barkov had two helpers for the Panthers. Vasily Podkolzin scored for the Oilers and Stuart Skinner stopped 20 of 23 shots.
Panthers forward Sam Bennett won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, leading all scorers in this postseason with 15 goals.
DAILY FACEOFF: Following the game, Tkachuk shed light on the lower-body injury that sidelined him from the end of the 4 Nations Face Off tournament in February to the end of the regular season. He said he tore an adductor muscle “off the bone”, adding that he’s also dealing with a sports hernia.
Barkov sliced his hand in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final and ripped the sutures out twice before the wound was glued. Reinhart was dealing with a Grade 2 MCL tear that he suffered during the Eastern Conference Final.
This was the first Stanley Cup championship for Panthers defenseman Seth Jones. Acquired in early March, this was the first time in his 12 NHL seasons that he played for a team that advanced beyond the second round.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to the Florida Panthers. This series had the air of inevitability since their lopsided victory in Game 3.
The Oilers tried their best, but the Panthers did an outstanding job of smothering their offense. They also picked apart Edmonton’s defense and received superb goaltending from Bobrovsky.
Bennett’s clutch scoring and agitating style earned him the Conn Smythe Trophy, but the case could’ve also been made for trade-deadline acquisition Brad Marchand. Bennett praised Marchand’s performance, leadership, and work ethic throughout the postseason.
After the game, Oilers captain Connor McDavid gave credit to the Panthers, praising their forecheck and shutting down his club’s momentum. “We kept f**king trying to do the same thing over and over again, just banging our heads against the wall.” He also cited the Panthers’ roster depth as a difference-maker in the series.
McDavid also praised his teammates for overcoming adversity and injuries to return to the Final. “I don’t think people thought we were gonna make it this far,” said McDavid. “We obviously believed. We just came up a bit short again.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I’ll have more about the Oilers in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
Corey Perry’s stretch of Stanley Cup futility continued. He appeared in five Stanley Cup Finals since 2020 with the Oilers (2024, 2025), Dallas Stars (2020), Montreal Canadiens (2021) and Tampa Bay Lightning (2022).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That’s quite a stretch of Cup Final disappointment, but he can draw consolation from the Stanley Cup he won with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007.
PREDATORS CAPTAIN JOSI REVEALS MEDICAL CONDITION
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi told a Swiss publication that he’s dealing with Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). It’s a condition that typically causes someone’s heart rate to increase quickly when standing up from sitting or lying down.
The 35-year-old defenseman hasn’t played since suffering a concussion on Feb. 25. He indicated he was scared that he may have suffered brain damage. Josi underwent tests and an MRI that revealed nothing wrong with his brain, but he was subsequently diagnosed with POTS.
Doctors acknowledged that his condition could be related to his past concussion injuries. The condition could also explain the fainting spells he suffered as a child.
Josi is preparing to return to action next season, having undergone intensive therapy over the last eight weeks, which also includes taking beta blockers. He said he’s been feeling much better and believes he’ll be 100 percent fit to rejoin the Predators and to play for Switzerland in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: A healthy Josi is crucial to the Predators’ hopes of bouncing back quickly from their disappointing 2024-25 performance.
IN OTHER NEWS…
RG.ORG: James Murphy reports Ken Holland expects trade activity will increase around the league leading up to the NHL Draft on June 27-28 in Los Angeles. He was hired as the general manager of the Los Angeles Kings on May 14.
Holland said the success of the Florida Panthers will affect other teams’ offseason decisions. He hasn’t ruled out making trades if they make sense for the Kings. Holland also indicated he’ll begin talking soon with Anze Kopitar’s agent regarding a contract extension. The 37-year-old Kings captain has a year remaining on his current deal.
TRIBLIVE.COM: The Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed forward Joona Koppanen to a one-year, $775K contract.
THE SEATTLE TIMES: The Kraken announced the hiring of assistant coaches Chris Taylor and Aaron Schneekloth and goaltending coach Colin Zulianello.
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The Blue Jackets have revealed their 25th anniversary patch.