NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 19, 2024

by | Sep 19, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 19, 2024

The Lightning and Blackhawks name their new captains, the latest on Jeremy Swayman’s contract talks, several notable players are already sidelined by injuries, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: The Lightning named Victor Hedman as their new captain. He replaces Steven Stamkos, who signed with the Nashville Predators on July 1.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No surprise here. Hedman was the logical choice to succeed Stamkos having spent his 15-season NHL career with the Lightning.

CHICAGO HOCKEY NOW: The Blackhawks announced Nick Foligno as the 35th captain in franchise history. He’s the first to wear the “C” since Jonathan Toews from 2008 to 2023.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Foligno has plenty of experience as a team captain. He held that role with the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2015-16 to 2020-21. This move could pave the way for franchise player Connor Bedard to succeed Foligno when the latter’s contract expires in 2026.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman will not be in training camp as he remains unsigned. He and Bruins management still haven’t agreed on a new contract.

Bruins GM Don Sweeney expressed disappointment that the 25-year-old restricted free agent is not under contract in time for training camp. He didn’t forecast when an agreement could be reached but stressed that every day Swayman is absent is detrimental to the goalie and the team.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s believed a wide gap exists between the two sides with Swayman rumored to be seeking an AAV between $8.5 million and $9.5 million while Bruins are said to be offering around $6.2 million annually.

Swayman has until Dec. 1 to sign or become ineligible to play the rest of this season. He doesn’t want to risk that as it’ll cost him a season of work and wages. I’ll have more about this situation in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The Blue Jackets will memorialize Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau this season with helmet stickers featuring the brothers’ last name and their respective jersey numbers. They’ll wear jersey patches with Johnny’s No. 13 once the regular season begins.

The brothers were killed on Aug. 30 by an alleged drunk driver while they were bicycling in Oldmans Township, New Jersey.

SPORTSNET: As expected, Thatcher Demko will miss the start of the Vancouver Canucks’ training camp as he continues rehabbing a nagging knee injury. Checking-line forward Teddy Blueger will be out for a week with a lower-body injury and defenseman Tucker Poolman (migraines) will be placed on long-term injury reserve for the entire season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said Demko will speak to the media on Thursday about his condition. Meanwhile, Poolman also missed last season and hasn’t played since Oct. 2022.

TSN: The Washington Capitals placed winger T.J. Oshie on LTIR for the entire 2024-25 season. Oshie, 37, has been plagued by a chronic back injury that limited him to 52 games last season. The decision was made following his training camp medical.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oshie is in the final season of his eight-year contract with an average annual value of $5.75 million.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Vegas Golden Knights are reviewing their options after goaltender Robin Lehner failed to report for his mandatory training camp medical. Lehner, 33, is expected to miss his third straight season after undergoing hip surgery in Aug. 2022. He’s entering the final season of his five-year contract with an AAV of $5 million and $4.5 million in actual salary.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The report indicates contract termination is among those options, which would remove his $5 million cap hit from the Golden Knights’ books.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Oilers winger Evander Kane reveals he’ll be undergoing surgery to repair two sports hernias and four muscle tears that took him out of the lineup for his club’s final five playoff games last spring.

TSN: Speaking of the Oilers, they’ve signed winger Mike Hoffman to a professional tryout offer (PTO).

THE HOCKEY NEWS: St. Louis Blues defenseman Torey Krug underwent season-ending surgery on his left ankle on Tuesday to address a pre-arthritic condition. Teammate Oskar Sundqvist continues to recover from offseason surgery to repair a torn right ACL. He’s not expected to participate in training camp but should be ready for the start of the season.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Blues announced they’ve signed Scott Harrington, Matthew Peca, Nikita Alexandrov and Sam Bitten to PTOs.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Stars winger Jason Robertson will miss most of training camp after undergoing offseason surgery to remove a cyst from his foot. He’s expected to be ready for their season-opener against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 10.

Speaking of the Stars, recently retired defenseman Jordie Benn has returned to the club as a player development assistant and AHL scout.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

BUFFALO HOCKEY NOW: Sabres blueliner Rasmus Dahlin left practice on Wednesday. Head coach Lindy Ruff described the injury as “mid-range” when asked if it was upper or lower body. It’s not believed to be serious.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: The Red Wings signed winger Alex Chiasson to a PTO.

NASHVILLE HOCKEY NOW: The Predators signed winger Philip Tomasino to a one-year, $825K contract.

CALGARY SUN: Former Flames forward Matt Stajan has joined the team as a skills consultant.

SPORTSNET: released their preseason broadcast schedule beginning Sept. 21 and running through Oct. 2.

TSN: Bell sold its 37.5 percent interest in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment to Rogers Communication, giving the latter the majority stake in Canada’s most valuable sports empire.

As part of the deal, Bell Media secured access to content rights for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the NBA’s Toronto Raptors on TSN for the next 20 years.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 28, 2024

by | Jun 28, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 28, 2024

The remaining 2024 NHL Awards are handed out, the Predators and Juuse Saros agree to a new contract, the Stars will buy out Ryan Suter, the Flames trade Andrew Mangiapane to the Capitals, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The major remaining NHL Awards were handed out on Thursday.

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (NHL Images)

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon took home the Hart Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player to his team and the Ted Lindsay Award as MVP as voted by the NHLPA membership. It’s the first time MacKinnon won those awards.

Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender. He previously took home that award in 2018-19.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hellebuyck and Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers are the only active NHL goalies to win the Vezina twice.

Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman. It’s the first time Hughes has won this trophy.

Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard won the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to this year’s winners of the NHL Awards.

MacKinnon, Hellebuyck and Hughes were part of the 2023-24 First All-Star Team along with Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov, New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin and Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi.

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid leads the 2023-24 Second All-Star Team. David Pastrnak and Filip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators are the wingers, Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and Adam Fox of the New York Rangers are the defenseman, with Thatcher Demko of the Vancouver Canucks filling the goaltender’s spot.

Bedard headed the All-Rookie Team. The Minnesota Wild’s Brock Faber and New Jersey Devils’ Luke Hughes are the defensemen, Logan Cooley of the Arizona Coyotes (now Utah Hockey Club) and Faber’s teammate Marco Rossi are the forwards, with Pyotr Kochetkov as the goaltender. 

TSN: The Nashville Predators have reached an agreement with goaltender Juuse Saros on an eight-year contract extension with an average annual value of $7.74 million. He is eligible to sign the extension on July 1, the opening day of free agency.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Saros, 29, is coming off a four-year deal with an AAV of $5 million. He was the frequent subject of trade speculation this season, especially with promising Yaroslav Askarov expected to join their roster in 2024-25. How this affects Askarov’s future with the Predators remains to be seen.

At the very least, this ends the baseless speculation suggesting Saros would be part of a trade offer to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Mitch Marner.

SPORTSNET: Jeff Marek reported the Dallas Stars will buy out Ryan Suter’s contract. The 39-year-old defenseman had a year remaining on his deal with a cap hit of $4.3 million. The buyout will count as over $783K against the Stars’ cap for 2024-25 and $1.433 million for 2025-26.

Suter is a plus-35 player but is exempt from the 35-plus buyout rules because his contract was not frontloaded and doesn’t contain a signing bonus beyond the first year of the deal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is the second time Suter has been bought out of a contract. The Minnesota Wild bought out the remaining four years of his deal with them in 2021.

CALGARY SUN: The Flames traded winger Andrew Mangiapane to the Washington Capitals on Thursday evening for a second-round pick in 2025. Mangiapane, 28, spent the past seven seasons with the Flames. He has a year remaining on his contract with an average annual value of $5.85 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The rebuild continues in Calgary as Mangiapane joins Jacob Markstrom, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev and Elias Lindholm among the players traded by the Flames in 2024. Meanwhile, the Capitals continue to bolster their scoring depth, acquiring Pierre-Luc Dubois last week from the Los Angeles Kings.

TVA SPORTS: Former Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber shed light on the left foot and ankle injuries that ended his career.

“There were days when I couldn’t get out of bed, when I couldn’t walk. I don’t walk to talk about the amount of medication I took because it was adding up,” said Weber. He knew halfway through the 2020-21 season that it would be his last. Team doctors confirmed it following the end of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.

Weber admitted he initially struggled mentally with the premature end of his playing career. He said getting involved in his children’s sports helped him out of his depression.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Weber was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2024 earlier this week.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Washington Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said winger T.J. Oshie is still weighing his options regarding treatment for his chronic back issues. “He’s still in search of a permanent solution, talking to doctors, training staff,” said MacLellan.

Oshie, 37, was limited to 52 games in 2023-24 by recurring injuries, managing 12 goals and 25 points. Over the past several seasons, he was also plagued by back problems.

THE PROVINCE: The Vancouver Canucks signed forward Dakota Joshua to a four-year contract extension with an average annual value of $3.25 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No surprise here. Joshua, 28, tallied a career-high 18 goals last season on the Canucks’ third line and provided a physical presence to the lineup. He thrived under head coach Rick Tocchet.

The Canucks also re-signed Tyler Myers to a three-year contract with an AAV of $3 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Entering this season, it was expected the Canucks would let Myers depart this summer as a free agent. Like Joshua, however, Myers performed well under Tocchet and became a valuable part of their defense corps.

It’s also believed the Canucks are considering bringing back Casey DeSmith to back up starter Thatcher Demko. While Arturs Silovs battled hard during the playoffs replacing both sidelined netminders, he still has some weaknesses in his game to sort out.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: The San Jose Sharks have moved up in the order of the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft. They traded the No. 14 pick (acquired from Pittsburgh last summer in the Erik Karlsson deal) and No. 42 pick to the Buffalo Sabres for the No. 11 pick.

The Sharks also acquired forechecking winger Carl Grundstrom from the Los Angeles Kings for defenseman Kyle Burroughs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sharks general manager Mike Grier is wasting no time making moves in this offseason. He’s facing another busy summer as he continues rebuilding his roster.

STLTODAY.COM: The St. Louis Blues hired Claude Julien as an assistant coach and promoted Steve Ott to associate head coach.

TSN: Former NHL forward Daniel Winnik announced his retirement. He spent 11 seasons in the NHL from 2007-08 to 2017-18 with the Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals and Minnesota Wild. He had 251 points in 798 games.

Winnik spent the past six seasons playing for Geneve Servette in Switzerland.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 1, 2024

by | May 1, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 1, 2024

The Avalanche and Hurricanes advance to the second round, the Leafs and Predators avoid elimination, the Calder Trophy Finalists are announced, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Colorado Avalanche defeated the Winnipeg Jets 6-3 to win their best-of-seven opening-round series four games to one. Mikko Rantanen scored twice and Alexandar Georgiev stopped 34 shots for the Avalanche. They await the winner of the Dallas Stars-Vegas Golden Knights series.

Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Georgiev silenced his critics (including me) with his performance during this series. After giving up seven goals on 23 shots in Game 1, he allowed eight in the next four games with a .931 save percentage.

Winnipeg entered this series tied with the Florida Panthers for the fewest goals-against per game (2.41). Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is a Vezina Trophy finalist who won the Jennings Trophy as the goalie who played a minimum of 25 games for the team allowing the fewest regular-season goals.

However, the Jet couldn’t contain the Avs’ offense, finishing this round with the highest goals-against per game (5.40) while Hellebuyck allowed the most goals (24) among all first-round goalies thus far. They are also the first team in NHL playoff history to allow at least five goals in five straight games in a postseason round.

Three unanswered third-period goals gave the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 victory over the New York Islanders to take their first-round series four games to one. Jack Drury scored the winning goal and Seth Jarvis had a goal and two assists for the Hurricanes, who will face the New York Rangers in the second round.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Carolina’s offensive depth proved too much to contain for the Islanders. Credit Isles goaltender Semyon Varlamov for keeping his club in most of these games but his teammates lack the scoring punch to hand with the Hurricanes.

An overtime goal by Matthew Knies lifted the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Boston Bruins 2-1 in Game 5 of their first-round series. Jake McCabe also scored and Joseph Woll made 27 saves for the Leafs. Trent Frederic replied for the Bruins as they hold a 3-2 series lead. Game 6 is Thursday, May 2 at 8 pm EDT.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was the Leafs’ best game of the series. Woll’s steady goaltending gave them confidence and they did a good job containing Boston’s leading scorers. The Bruins at times appeared flat during this contest while the Leafs were fighting to keep their season alive.

The Leafs got the win without top center Auston Matthews, who missed this game with an undisclosed illness.

The Nashville Predators overcame a 1-0 deficit to beat the Vancouver Canucks 2-1 in Game 5 of their first-round series on goals by Roman Josi and Alexandre Carrier. Juuse Saros made 19 saves for the win. Nikita Zadorov scored and Arturs Silov turned aside 20 shots for the Canucks, who hold a 3-2 lead in this series. Game 6 is Friday (start time TBA).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a goaltender’s duel through the first two periods. It looked like the Canucks were going to put this one away following Zadorov’s goal but the Predators refused to quit.

The Predators caught a break on Josi’s goal as the puck squirted behind Silov. The Canucks goalie tried to roll over to cover the puck but was inadvertently pushed during a goalmouth scramble, knocking the puck across the goal line.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber, and New Jersey Devils blueliner Luke Hughes are this season’s finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to the finalists. Bedard is considered the favorite to win but Faber could make this interesting. He enjoyed a strong debut with the Wild, finishing among the rookie leaders in points and sitting among the league’s top-10 skaters in time on ice per game.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: T.J. Oshie said he has much to consider regarding his future as a player. The 37-year-old Washington Capitals winger said he’s been dealing with chronic back issues for years among other ailments.

Oshie has a year left on his contract. He said he’d love to play next season but needs assurances that he can do so without his back giving out. The Capitals winger intends to seek treatment during the offseason.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oshie has never played a full NHL season due to injuries. He saw action in only 52 games in 2023-24.

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: Flyers captain Sean Couturier recently changed agents and is now represented by Pat Brisson. One reason behind the change could be due to his former agent criticizing Flyers coach John Tortorella for benching Couturier for two games. The veteran center took responsibility for his poor play leading to his benching.

Speaking of the Flyers, top prospect Matvei Michkov might be able to join the club next season if the KHL allows him out of his contract with SKA St. Petersburg. Michkov’s contract runs through 2025-26 but SKA chairman Alexander Medvedev said he has a good relationship with the Flyers front office and has regularly spoken with them.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s nothing set in stone here but Medvedev said a decision on Michkov’s future could come by the end of June.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot could undergo wrist surgery in the coming weeks. The recovery time would be between two and three months.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The sooner Chabot has the surgery the more likely he’ll be fully recovered in time for training camp in September.

DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of the Senators, they reportedly interviewed Travis Green for their vacant head-coaching position. Green is currently the interim coach of the New Jersey Devils.

THE ATHLETIC: And speaking of New Jersey, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas denied speculation that head coach Mike Sullivan could become the next Devils head coach. Dubas said the Devils haven’t sought permission to speak with Sullivan nor have they been granted permission.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This sounds like another example of the hockey media “telephone” game. A pundit wonders whether Sullivan would be interested in coaching the Devils because he’s friends with their general manager. People start talking about it and it morphs into Sullivan trying to get out of his contract with the Penguins to coach the Devils.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: Canadiens winger Juraj Slakovskiy is undergoing some medical procedures in Montreal. It will delay him joining Slovakia at the upcoming World Championships in Czechia but isn’t expected to prevent him from playing in the tournament.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 29, 2024

by | Apr 29, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 29, 2024

The Rangers sweep the Capitals while the Avalanche, Canucks and Oilers are on the verge of advancing to the second round. Check out the details in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The New York Rangers became the first team in the 2024 postseason to advance to the second round with a 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals to sweep their best-of-seven series 4-0. Artemi Panarin broke a 2-2 tie in the third period, Jack Roslovic netted the insurance goal and Igor Shesterkin made 23 saves for the win. Martin Fehervary and Hendrix Lapierre replied for the Capitals. The Rangers await the winner of the Carolina Hurricanes-New York Islanders series.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Rangers’ roster depth and special teams proved too much for the Capitals.

For the first time in his long career, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin was held pointless in a playoff series. The Rangers did a fine job limiting his scoring opportunities.

Following Game 4, Capitals forward Dylan Strome revealed teammate T.J. Oshie played with a broken hand. Oshie faces an uncertain future after dealing with a concussion and lingering back issues during the regular season.

I’ll have more about the Capitals in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser (NHL Images).

A hat trick by Brock Boeser set the stage for Elias Lindholm’s overtime goal as the Vancouver Canucks overcame a 3-1 deficit in Game 4 to defeat the Nashville Predators 4-3. Boeser scored twice in the final three minutes of regulation after the Canucks pulled goaltender Arturs Silovs for an extra attacker. Silovs made 27 saves and J.T. Miller collected three assists for the Canucks to take a 3-1 lead in the first-round series. Mark Jankowski, Gustav Nyquist and Filip Forsberg scored for the Predators. The Canucks can wrap up the series in Game 5 on Tuesday, Apr. 30 at 10 pm EDT in Vancouver.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Silovs got the start as Casey DeSmith was dealing with an undisclosed injury. He’s the third goalie to start for the Canucks in this series as Thatcher Demko is sidelined for the series with a knee injury.

Colorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin scored a hat trick in a dominant 5-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 4 of their opening-round series. Nathan McKinnon had two assists while Cale Makar scored a highlight-reel end-to-end goal for the Avalanche, who can wrap up this series in Game 5 in Winnipeg on Tuesday starting at 9:30 pm EDT.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: After dropping the opening game, the Avalanche have dominated the Jets in this series. They’ve controlled the game with speed, two-way play and special teams.

Jets forward Vladislav Namestnikov left the game early in the third period after being struck in the face by a shot from teammate Nate Schmidt. He was helped off the ice and was taken to a hospital. There was no postgame report about his condition.

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner turned in a 33-save shutout to blank the Los Angeles Kings 1-0 in Game 4 of their first-round series. Evan Bouchard scored the only goal for the Oilers, who hold a 3-1 series lead as the series returns to Edmonton for Game 5 on Wednesday, May 1 (start time TBA). Connor McDavid collected an assist to become the first player in this postseason to reach 10 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Kings outplayed the Oilers but the latter put up a stingy defense around their net. Skinner earned this shutout but his teammates did a good job limiting the number of high-danger shots sent his way.

PLAYOFF NOTEBOOK

TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs are giving center Auston Matthews as much time as he needs to recover from an illness that forced him to leave Game 4 of their first-round series with the Boston Bruins. Head coach Sheldon Keefe didn’t indicate what type of illness Matthews has but said it’s gotten worse when he’s playing. Game 5 of their series takes place on Tuesday in Boston with the Leafs on the verge of elimination.

DAILY FACEOFF: Toronto Marlies forward (and former Leaf) Kyle Clifford went after Belleville Senators winger Bokondji Imama in the handshake line after the Senators won the best-of-three playoff series. It’s unclear what sparked Clifford’s angry reaction but the two players have a history of ill will toward each other.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Marlies play-by-play man Todd Crocker claimed what precipitated the exchange was Imama saying “some horrible things” to Clifford on the bench during Game 2. It remains to be seen if the Marlie will file a protest to the AHL or if the league will investigate the incident.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach J.D. Forrest and assistant coach Kevin Porter will not have their contracts renewed. The club is the AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 12, 2024

by | Mar 12, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 12, 2024

Recaps of Monday’s games, the three stars of the week are revealed, and injury updates on Thatcher Demko, Gabriel Landeskog, Aaron Ekblad and Josh Norris. Get the details on these and other stories in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves for his fourth shutout of the season to blank the Washington Capitals 3-0. Neal Pionk, Alex Iafallo and Kyle Connor were the goalscorers for the 41-18-5 Jets, as they sit in second place in the Central Division with 87 points. Charlie Lindgren made 26 stops for the 30-24-9 Capitals as they remain three points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 69 points.

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hellebuyck also reached the 30-win plateau for the fifth time in his NHL career. Capitals forward T.J. Oshie returned to action after missing seven games with an upper-body injury. However, teammate Tom Wilson missed this game with an upper-body injury.

Speaking of that final Eastern wild-card spot, the New York Islanders slipped out of it after a 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Adrian Kempe, Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore scored for the Kings (33-20-11) as they sit third in the Pacific Division with 77 points. Ilya Sorokin turned aside 22 shots for the 29-21-14 Islanders, who sit behind the Detroit Red Wings with 72 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE The Islanders and Red Wings have the same number of points, but the Wings hold the wild-card berth with more wins (33).

New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad scored his first even-strength goal in 30 games as his club downed the New Jersey Devils 3-1. Jonathan Quick made 19 saves for the 42-18-4 Rangers (88 points) as they hold first place in the Metropolitan Division and sit fifth in the overall standings. Simon Nemec scored for the Devils (31-30-4), who remain six points out of the final Eastern wild-card spot with 66 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Zibanejad became the fifth player in Rangers history to score at least 20 goals in seven straight seasons, joining Jean Ratelle, Rod Gilbert, Vic Hadfield and Andy Bathgate. Meanwhile, Rangers forward Matt Rempe could face supplemental discipline after being ejected during the second period for elbowing Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler in the head.

The St. Louis Blues upset the Boston Bruins 5-1 with Kasperi Kapanen scoring a goal and collecting two assists. Joel Hofer kicked out 36 shots for the 33-29-3 Blues (69 points) as they moved to within six points of the final Western Conference wild-card berth. David Pastrnak tallied his 41st goal of the season for the Bruins (38-14-15) as they remain one point behind the first-overall Florida Panthers with 91 points.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, Boston Bruins forward Pavel Zacha, and Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko are the NHL’s three stars for the week ending March 10, 2024.

THE PROVINCE: Speaking of Demko, he’ll be sidelined for two to three weeks after suffering a knee injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’ll be interesting to see how well the Canucks handle the loss of their starting goaltender over that period. A healthy Demko is a crucial part of their Stanley Cup aspirations.

TSN: Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said team captain Gabriel Landeskog could return to action with what he called the “playoff timeframe.” The 31-year-old winger has been sidelined by a knee injury since the end of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. Bednar stressed that Landeskog won’t be rushing his timetable to return.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That timeframe could be the start of the playoffs next month or the Stanley Cup Final in June if the Avalanche get that far.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators center Josh Norris will miss the rest of the regular season after undergoing a third surgery on his left shoulder following an injury on Feb. 27. He’s expected to be recovered in time for training camp in September.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is a significant setback for Norris. Whether the 24-year-old center will be able to continue his playing career or be as effective as he once was remains to be seen.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad will be sidelined for at least two weeks with a knee injury. Head coach Paul Maurice said the blueliner didn’t suffer any long-term damage.

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: Flyers center Ryan Johansen is believed to be battling an injury or ailment that has prevented him from playing for their AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley. Johansen also hopes to reconcile with Flyers coach John Tortorella as the two clashed when they were with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

ESPN.COM: The Carolina Hurricanes signed forward Brendan Lemieux to a one-year, $775K contract extension.

SPORTSNET: The Arizona Land Department’s Board of Appeals will meet on Thursday to discuss a Phoenix site where the Coyotes hope to build a new arena.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 27, 2024

by | Feb 27, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 27, 2024

Oilers captain Connor McDavid reaches two milestones, the three stars of the week are unveiled, Valeri Nichushkin returns to the Avalanche, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid collected two assists in a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings to reach the 90-point plateau for the eighth consecutive season. Evan Bouchard, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had a goal and an assist for the 34-20-2 Oilers, who sit third in the Pacific Division with 70 points. Trevor Moore and Alex Laferriere replied for the Kings (29-18-10) as they hold the first Western Conference wild-card berth with 68 points.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid is the sixth player to reach 90 points in eight straight seasons, sitting in a tie for the third-most all-time with Jari Kurri, Dale Hawerchuk and Marcel Dionne. Wayne Gretzky is the all-time leader with 13 followed by Mike Bossy with nine.

The Oilers’ superstar also netted 70 assists for the fourth straight season to become the sixth player to reach that milestone. Gretzky is the all-time leader in that category with 13, followed by Bobby Orr (six), Adam Oates (five) Peter Stastny and Guy Lafleur (four each).

By the way, McDavid also stretched his home points streak to 23. With 91 points, he’s third among this season’s leading scorers.

The Seattle Kraken upset the Boston Bruins 4-3 on a shootout goal by Kailer Yamamoto. Philipp Grubauer made 29 saves for the Kraken as they improved to 25-22-11 (61 points) and sit five points out of the final Western Conference wild-card spot. David Pastrnak scored twice and collected an assist for the Bruins (34-12-14) as they collected a point to move into second place in the overall standings with 81 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is the sixth straight game that has gone to overtime or a shootout for the Bruins, winning just two of those. Speaking of the Bruins, defenseman Derek Forbort was a healthy scratch after missing a team meeting.

An overtime goal by Bo Horvat gave the New York Islanders a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars. Ilya Sorokin kicked out 30 shots for the 24-20-14 Islanders. Rookie Logan Stankoven scored his first NHL goal and collected his first assist for the Stars (35-16-9), who hold first place in the Central Division with 79 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Stars announced that forward Tyler Seguin is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

The Washington Capitals defeated the Ottawa Senators 6-3. Hendrix Lapierre tallied twice while Aliaksei Protas had a goal and two assists for the 27-21-9 Capitals. Brady Tkachuk and Shane Pinto each had a goal and two assists for the 25-28-3 Senators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Capitals’ John Carlson reached a franchise milestone by moving past Calle Johansson into first place for most games played by a defenseman with 984. He’s also third all-time on their games-played list behind Alex Ovechkin (1,401) and Nicklas Backstrom (1,105).

Earlier in the day, the Capitals announced winger T.J. Oshie is week-to-week with an upper-body injury while Nic Dowd (upper body) is day-to-day.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov, Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner, and New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin as the league’s three stars for the week ending Feb. 25, 2024.

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Valeri Nichushkin has been cleared to return to practice with the Avalanche. The 28-year-old winger entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program on Jan. 15 and is now in the follow-up care phase.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No word yet as to when Nichushkin will be cleared to resume playing but it’s good news for the Avalanche that he’s a step closer to doing so.

STLTODAY.COM: The Blues activated defenseman Justin Faulk (lower body) off long-term injured reserve. He could be in the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets.

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale is reportedly week-to-week with an upper-body injury.