NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 4, 2026

by | Jun 4, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 4, 2026

Lightning coach Jon Cooper wins the Jack Adams Award, the latest on the Stanley Cup Finalists, plus updates on Anders Lee, Jonathan Toews, Brendan Gallagher, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper is this season’s winner of the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year. The longest-serving active coach, Cooper guided the Lightning to a 50-26-6 record and a second-place finish in the Eastern Conference.

Team Canada head coach Jon Cooper (NHL.com)

Lindy Ruff of the Buffalo Sabres and Dan Muse of the Pittsburgh Penguins were runners-up.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to Cooper on this long-overdue recognition of his coaching abilities. He should’ve won this award much earlier in his NHL career.

Personally, I think it should’ve gone to Ruff or Muse. Their respective teams weren’t expected to do much this season, but they exceeded expectations and qualified for the playoffs. Nevertheless, that shouldn’t detract from this belated acknowledgement of Cooper’s accomplishments.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: The Golden Knights hold a 1-0 lead in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, but they know their 5-4 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 wasn’t their best effort. “We’re going to have to play better,” coach John Tortorella said.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights fell behind 2-0 early in Game 1. They rallied to take 3-2 and 4-3 leads, only to have the Hurricanes tie the score. It took a goal by Tomas Hertl late in the third period to give the Golden Knights the win.

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: The Hurricanes need production from their top line of Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Seth Jarvis if they want to defeat the Golden Knights and win the Stanley Cup. They’ve had the occasional goal and a few dangerous shifts in this postseason, but nothing of the level of offense expected of them.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jarvis has eight points in this postseason while Aho and Svechnikov each have seven points. Half of their production came in the Eastern Conference Final against the overmatched Montreal Canadiens. They had no points in Game 1 against the Golden Knights.

The Hurricanes reached this stage partly because the second line of Logan Stankoven, Taylor Hall, and Jackson Blake offset the offensive struggles of the Aho line. Nevertheless, winning the Cup will be more difficult if the top line fails to regain its form. If they don’t, and if the Golden Knights successfully contain the Stankoven line, the Hurricanes will be in big trouble.

TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports New York Islanders captain Anders Lee is preparing to test the open market. The 35-year-old left wing is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

LeBrun claimed both sides remain far apart in negotiations, though they intend to keep trying.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lee has spent his entire 14-season NHL career with the Islanders. He’s completing a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $7 million. LeBrun recently reported the Isles want to re-sign Lee, but they need to make some other moves first. That could mean one or two cost-cutting trades. They have over $10.6 million in salary-cap space for 2026-27, but would like to add more scoring punch.

LeBrun’s colleague, Darren Dreger, reports Jonathan Toews is leaning toward retirement. The 38-year-old center staged a comeback with the Winnipeg Jets this season after missing the last two seasons recovering from long COVID and Chronic Immune Response Syndrome.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was obvious this season that Toews is well past his playing prime. He played all 82 games, but scored 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points, well below his average of 27 goals and 38 assists for 65 points in his 15 NHL seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Toews’ comeback attempt was understandable. It allowed him to settle any nagging doubts in his mind and to go out on his terms.

DAILY FACEOFF: CHEK-TV’s Rick Dhaliwal reported the Montreal Canadiens have given permission to winger Brendan Gallagher’s agent to speak with other teams to facilitate a possible trade.

Gallagher, 34, has one year remaining on his contract, but he acknowledged on Monday that he’d played his final game with the Canadiens. Dhaliwal is based in Vancouver, where Gallagher played his junior hockey.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Gallagher no longer fits into the Canadiens’ fast-paced system under head coach Martin St. Louis. He indicated that he’d be open to joining the Canucks, but it remains to be seen if they’re interested in acquiring him.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports the Maple Leafs have conducted 15 virtual interviews as they continue their search for a new head coach. Among the candidates were former NHL coaches Peter Laviolette and Patrick Roy.

Friedman also reported the Los Angeles Kings could be down to two candidates for their head coach position. One of them is interim coach D.J. Smith, and former Edmonton Oilers bench boss Jay Woodcroft.

Sportsnet’s play-by-play broadcaster Chris Cuthbert is the latest recipient of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster.

Swedish hockey writer and US correspondent Gunnar Norstrom received the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for excellence in hockey journalism.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to Cuthbert and Norstrom. They will officially receive these awards during the Hockey Hall of Fame weekend in November.

YAHOO! SPORTS: With Rasmus Andersson of the Vegas Golden Knights reaching the Stanley Cup Final, a former teammate of Jaromir Jagr has now appeared in the Final in 46 straight seasons.

The notable players include Hall of Famers Bryan Trottier (1980 to 1983), Mark Messier (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1994), Mario Lemieux (1991, 1992), Brendan Shanahan (2002), Mark Recchi (2006, 2011), and Henrik Lundqvist (2014). It also includes future Hall of Famer Aleksander Barkov (2023 to 2025).










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 6, 2026

by | Apr 6, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 6, 2026

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby reaches another scoring milestone, the Canadiens clinch a playoff spot, the Islanders replace Patrick Roy as head coach with Peter DeBoer, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF SUNDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists to defeat the Florida Panthers 5-2. Rickard Rakell tallied twice to extend his goal streak to five games for the 40-22-16 Penguins, who sit second in the Metropolitan Division with 96 points. Cole Schwindt and Carter Verhaeghe replied for the 37-37-3 Panthers.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crosby became the first player in NHL history to record 21 consecutive point-per-game seasons. Meanwhile, Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner missed this game with an upper-body injury.

The New Jersey Devils blanked the Montreal Canadiens 3-0, snapping the latter’s eight-game win streak. Jacob Markstrom turned in an 18-save shutout while Timo Meier, Cody Glass, and Connor Brown scored for the Devils (40-34-8). Jacob Fowler stopped 17 of 19 shots for the 45-22-10 Canadiens, who sit third in the Atlantic Division with 100 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Despite the loss, the Canadiens clinched a playoff berth because the Detroit Red Wings lost to the Minnesota Wild earlier in the day. Speaking of which…

Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov tallied a hat trick to lead his club to a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit stormed back from a 4-1 deficit to tie the game on a goal by Patrick Kane, but Kaprizov scored the winner on the power play with Kane in the penalty box. The Wild (44-21-12) sit third overall in the Western Conference with 100 points, two behind the second-place Dallas Stars. This loss leaves the 40-29-8 Red Wings (88 points) sitting two points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wild defenseman Zach Bogosian missed this game with a lower-body injury.

The Ottawa Senators maintained their hold on that final Eastern wild card by beating the Carolina Hurricanes 6-3. Team captain Brady Tkachuk tallied twice while Tim Stutzle, Shane Pinto, and Dylan Cozens each had a goal and an assist for the 40-27-10 Senators (90 points). Jackson Blake collected two assists for the Hurricanes (49-22-6), who hold first place in the Eastern Conference with 104 points.

Philadelphia Flyers rookie Porter Martone’s first NHL goal came in overtime to lift his club to a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins. Christian Dvorak scored in regulation, and Dan Vladar stopped 18 shots for the Flyers (39-26-12), who moved into third place in the Metropolitan Division with 90 points. Pavel Zacha scored for the 43-26-9 Bruins (95 points), who hold a five-point lead over the Senators for the first Eastern wild-card spot.

The St. Louis Blues upset the Colorado Avalanche 3-2. Robert Thomas netted his first NHL hat trick while Jimmy Snuggerud collected three assists for the 33-31-12 Blues (78 points), who sit three points behind the Nashville Predators for the final Western Conference wild-card spot. Brent Burns had a goal and an assist for the 50-16-10 Avalanche, who hold first place in the overall standings with 110 points.

New York Rangers winger Will Cuylle scored his first NHL hat trick in an 8-1 drubbing of the Washington Capitals. Mika Zibanejad had three assists while Adam Fox scored and set up two others for the 33-36-9 Rangers. Connor McMichael replied for the Capitals (39-30-9), who are three points behind the Senators for that final Eastern wild card.

ISLANDERS FIRE ROY AS HEAD COACH, REPLACE HIM WITH DEBOER

NEW YORK POST: The Islanders fired head coach Patrick Roy on Sunday, replacing him with Peter DeBoer. This move came as the Isles struggle to clinch a playoff berth with only a handful of games remaining in the regular season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ethan Sears of the New York Post blames Roy for the Islanders’ recent struggles. While acknowledging management’s recent acquisitions of Brayden Schenn, Carson Soucy, and Ondrej Palat haven’t worked as intended, Sears believes that Roy “lost buy-in from the players,” pointing to his lineup tinkering, the disastrous power play, and the decline in their defensive play, putting the club in danger of missing the playoffs.

Roy has two years left on his contract. He has a record of 97-78-22 over nearly three seasons with the Islanders.

The Islanders reportedly signed DoBoer to a four-year contract. They will be the sixth NHL team he’s coached after stints with the Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars since 2008-09. He guided the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012 and the Sharks to the Cup Final in 2016. DeBoer also coached the Stars to three straight Western Conference Finals from 2023 to 2025.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 24, 2025

by | May 24, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 24, 2025

The Oilers defeat the Stars in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final, the GM of the Year finalists are revealed, Alex Ovechkin wins the Messier Leadership Award, the Islanders name Mathieu Darche as GM, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

OILERS DEFEAT STARS IN GAME 2 OF WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner made 25 saves for his third shutout of this postseason to blank the Dallas Stars 3-0 in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final.

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (NHL Images).

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the winning goal and collected an assist while Brett Kulak and Connor Brown also scored for the Oilers, who tied this series at a game apiece. Jake Oettinger turned aside 22 shots for the Stars.

The series shifts to Edmonton for the next two games, with Game 3 on Sunday, May 25, at 3 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a better team effort by the Oilers, holding the lead in this game after blowing a 3-1 lead in the third period of Game 1. Skinner rose to the occasion again, bouncing back from a shaky performance in his previous start to tie Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky for the most shutouts in this postseason.

Oilers captain Connor McDavid collected an assist, becoming the fourth player in NHL history to record four straight 20-plus point postseasons.

The Stars were furious over a slash by Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse on Dallas center Roope Hintz early in the third period. Hintz left the game and didn’t return but Nurse only received a minor penalty. There was no postgame update on his status.

“We didn’t like it. If that was McDavid walking down the tunnel, I would like to see the result of that,” said Dallas captain Jamie Benn. Head coach Pete DeBoer echoed that sentiment, while Stars winger Mason Marchment said he and his teammates won’t forget Nurse’s actions.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Kevin Cheveldayoff of the Winnipeg Jets, Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars, and Bill Zito of the Florida Panthers are the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award finalists for 2024-25.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nill won it in 2023 and 2024. This is the second time Cheveldayoff has been a finalist and the third straight season for Zito.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin won the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award.

The New York Islanders named Mathieu Darche their new general manager. He had been the assistant GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the past three years.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Isles also named Darche as their executive vice president, indicating in their statement that he will “manage all aspects of the team’s hockey operations.”

The Islanders were permitted to speak with former Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan before they hired Darche. Their statement suggests they won’t be hiring a team president.

Ethan Sears of the New York Post believes Darche’s first order of business should be addressing their head coach position. Patrick Roy currently holds that role on a multi-year contract. If Darche fires Roy, Sears listed Greg Cronin, Peter Laviolette, Mitch Love, Jay Leach, Jay Woodcroft and Kirk Muller as potential candidates.

TSN: Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president Keith Pelley said he wasn’t looking to replace Shanahan as the Leafs’ team president. He indicated he intends to work closely with GM Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube.

MAYOR’S MANOR: Marc Bergevin is staying on as an advisor to Los Angeles Kings GM Ken Holland.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bergevin was among the finalists for the Isles GM job.

RG.ORG: The New York Rangers could add Russian goaltending coach Rashit Davydov to their coaching staff. He’s closely connected to Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin and has also worked with goalies like Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers, and Ilya Sorokin of the Islanders.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The International Ice Hockey Federation has reportedly banned Russian teams from competing in the men’s and women’s ice hockey tournaments in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That will affect NHL stars such as Washington’s Alex Ovechkin, Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy and Nikita Kucherov, the Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin and Artemi Panarin, the Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky, Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild.










NHL Rumor Mill – April 25, 2025

by | Apr 25, 2025

NHL Rumor Mill – April 25, 2025

Check out the latest on the Islanders and Penguins in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

ISLANDERS’ NEW GM MUST ADDRESS SOME BIG QUESTIONS

NEW YORK POST: Ethan Sears looked at the critical questions facing the Islanders after parting ways with now-former general manager Lou Lamoriello earlier this week.

Head coach Patrick Roy and his staff are in limbo until Lamoriello’s replacement is found. His future behind the Islanders’ bench could depend on whether he has a rapport with the new GM.

Lamoriello was working on a contract extension for veteran winger Kyle Palmieri. That is likely on hold until the new general manager is in place. The 34-year-old is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson (NHL Images).

Sears also wondered if the new Isles GM will entertain trade offers for veteran forwards Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Both are a year away from UFA eligibility. He also brought up the possibility of contract buyouts for forward Pierre Engvall and defenseman Scott Mayfield.

The new GM must also decide if he sees Noah Dobson as a true No. 1 defenseman. The 25-year-old is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights starting on July 1. They must also decide if they trust aging Semyon Varlamov as their backup goaltender.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Islanders are expected to conduct a thorough search for Lamoriello’s replacement. They should have someone in place by the end of May to suitably address these issues, as well as prepare for the draft at the end of June.

Dobson and Palmieri’s free-agent eligibility makes them a priority. There’s no rush to move Lee and Pageau, but it would be worthwhile to have that new GM in place before the draft to at least gauge their value in the trade market.

LATEST ON THE PENGUINS

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Dan Kingerski reported earlier this week that Penguins GM Kyle Dubas called out defenseman Erik Karlsson over his performance and his comments about his disappointment with the club’s play this season.

“Erik, I think, is and will forever be a polarizing figure. While I don’t know his exact comments, my view would be that we expect him to be one of the people who pulls us from where we’re at and into contention,” Dubas said. “I had a long meeting with Erik on Friday. My push to him would be that his actions have to match his ambitions. That’s in consistency, preparation, and training, like every other player on the team.”

Based on Dubas’ comments, Kingerski believes trade possibilities for Karlsson have “greatly diminished.” He suggested it might not be Karlsson’s choice if he remains with the Penguins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Karlsson has a full no-movement clause and an expensive contract that runs through 2026-27. Nevertheless, he surfaced frequently in the rumor mill in recent weeks, with some reports suggesting the Penguins might find a suitor for the expensive, inconsistent blueliner if they retained part of his cap hit.

The Penguins carry nearly $10 million of his average annual value while his former club (San Jose Sharks) carries the remaining $1.5 million.

Based on Dubas’ remarks, it sounds like Karlsson will return with the Penguins next season.

Meanwhile, Dave Molinari doesn’t expect the Penguins to part ways with head coach Mike Sullivan. Dubas indicated Sullivan is under contract for next season and intends to return behind the Penguins’ bench.










Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – April 13, 2025

by | Apr 13, 2025

Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – April 13, 2025

Check out the latest on the Canucks, Islanders and Lightning in the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup.

CANUCKS

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports the Vancouver Canucks have some business to take care of when they head into the offseason by the end of this week.

Head coach Rick Tocchet’s contract is up at the end of this season. The Canucks have a club option for one more year but they seem to have cooled on that, preferring to sign him to an extension. Neither side wants this situation to drag on too long into the offseason.

Friedman believes contract term is the big issue regarding Brock Boeser’s contract talks. Last week, the 28-year-old winger said it seemed unlikely that he’ll sign a contract extension. He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Luke Fox doesn’t see the Canucks offering Boeser more than their earlier proposal of a five-year contract with an average annual value of $8 million.

Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser (NHL Images).

Fox suggested Boeser might fare better on the open market given the rising salary cap and lack of UFA scorers in their twenties. Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner is the biggest name, but once he’s gone, players like Boeser and Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets will be courted.

The Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames want to rebuild on the fly. The Anaheim Ducks, Utah Hockey Club, Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres are under pressure to improve and they have the cap space this summer to do so. The New York Islanders could shake things up this summer to add more scoring punch.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tocchet seems more likely to get an extension than Boeser, but there are still over two months to go before the UFA market opens. A lot can happen between now and then.

The current Canucks management returned to the bargaining table with J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson when it seemed unlikely but neither player was weeks away from UFA eligibility like Boeser. Still, we can’t dismiss that possibility. We should have get a better idea of where things stand near the start of free agency on July 1.

As Fox pointed out, Boeser won’t lack for suitors if he hits the open market this summer. One of those teams he listed will sign him if the Canucks don’t.

ISLANDERS

NEW YORK POST: Ethan Sears believes the Islanders face crucial offseason decisions after missing the playoffs this season.

The biggest is determining the future of head coach Patrick Roy and general manager Lou Lamoriello. Questions surrounded Lamoriello for most of this season but the spotlight shifted to Roy as the Islanders imploded down the stretch. His handling of several players (Pierre Engvall, Samuel Bolduc, Tristan Lennox) prompted speculation of a rift between him and Lamoriello.

Meanwhile, Lamoriello faces criticism for running it back with his aging core once too often. It’s reasonable to ask if he’s the right person to overhaul the roster.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Islanders fans have been calling for new management but Lamoriello is so entrenched that convincing him to give up the reins won’t be easy.

If Lamoriello gives up the management role he’ll still have considerable influence as president of hockey operations, especially with his son Chris being an assistant GM and a possible candidate to replace him.

LIGHTNING

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Eduardo A. Encina wonders if the Lightning might end up trading top prospect Isaac Howard.

The 21-year-old left wing is the 2025 winner of the Hobey Baker Award as the top US college player, but he’s indicated he’s returning to Michigan State University next season as contract talks with the Lightning remain stalled.

Howard becomes eligible for unrestricted free-agent status on Aug. 15, 2026.

The Lightning have a tried-and-true development process involving some service with their AHL affiliate. Current Lightning stars Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Brayden Point were products of that process.

Encina believes it’s clear to Howard that he sees no direct path to the NHL with the Lightning, who aren’t interested in bringing him in at this stage of the season to burn a year of his entry-level contract. If the Lightning think he’s unsignable, they could use him as a trade chip this summer or next season to bring more immediate help to their roster.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s still time for both sides to meet and try to sort this out. Nevertheless, this could end up like it did last summer with Rutger McGroarty and the Winnipeg Jets.

McGroarty wanted to join the Jets right away but they wanted him to get some AHL seasoning first with their farm team. He was concerned about what his future in Winnipeg would look like, resulting in his trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins last August.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 17, 2024

by | Sep 17, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 17, 2024

Sidney Crosby talks about his new contract with the Penguins, the Red Wings re-sign Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren, plus the latest on Ilya Sorokin, Alex Ovechkin and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Sidney Crosby spoke to the media on Monday after signing a two-year contract extension worth $8.7 million per season with the Penguins.

Crosby claimed the negotiations went smoothly. The 37-year-old center indicated the number of years on the deal was the sticking point on his part given the difficulty in determining how much longer he’ll be playing, adding he wanted it to make sense for himself and the team.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (NHL Images).

The Penguins captain also received assurances from general manager Kyle Dubas that the ownership was committed to building a winning franchise.

“You want to try to find every way possible to get back in (to the playoffs) and make sure we compete for the Stanley Cup,” said Crosby. “So I think that was reassuring to hear, and that helped.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crosby’s comments indicate Penguins management will keep retooling the roster rather than rebuild. The focus this summer was adding more youth to the lineup and restocking their depleted prospect pool.

The Penguins captain made Dubas’ job easier by accepting less than market value, maintaining his usual average annual value of $8.7 million. Speculation out of Pittsburgh earlier this summer suggested Crosby could get a three-year extension with an annual cap hit of $10 million.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: The Red Wings signed winger Lucas Raymond to an eight-year contract with an AAV of $8.075 million.

Raymond, 22, was a restricted free agent coming off his entry-level contract. He led the Wings last season with a career-high 72 points. The young Swede was red-hot down the stretch, scoring seven goals and five assists in the Wings’ final eight games and 14 goals over their final 18 contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Raymond bounced back from a disappointing 45-point sophomore season in 2022-23 following his promising 57-point debut. His performance last season suggests bigger things ahead for the skillful young winger.

Raymond’s new contract puts him just below captain Dylan Larkin’s team-leading AAV of $8.75 million.

The Wings still have Moritz Seider to re-sign but his new deal should be announced before they hit the ice for training camp on Thursday. He’ll also likely get an eight-year contract while his AAV could be just under Larkin’s.

TSN: The Wings also signed defenseman Jonatan Berggren to a one-year contract worth $875K.

NEW YORK POST: Islanders head coach Patrick Roy inadvertently revealed starting goaltender Ilya Sorokin underwent offseason back surgery.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That’s why Sorokin struggled in 2023-24 following strong performances over the previous three seasons, including being named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy in 2022-23.

Isles GM Lou Lamoriello recently said Sorokin is expected to miss only a few days of training camp. Nevertheless, he’ll now be under increased scrutiny by fans and pundits as the start of the season approaches.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin left Monday’s informal skate with his teammates after several minutes in apparent discomfort and didn’t return.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No word from the team or Ovechkin regarding his condition. The report indicates he’s scheduled to speak with the media on Thursday. His early departure may have been for precautionary reasons.

Ovechkin turned 39 today.

TSN: Winger Cutter Gauthier is looking forward to his first full season with the Anaheim Ducks and putting behind the drama that led to his midseason trade from the Philadelphia Flyers.

Gauthier, 20, forced the trade after telling the Flyers he wouldn’t play for them. He claimed he and his family received death threats in the weeks and months following the trade.

“At the end of the day, I don’t really care what other people think,” said Gauthier. “It’s what I think and feel as a person and what my family thinks. I can’t let all the outside noise distract me or else I’m going nowhere.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Being upset that a promising young player doesn’t want to play for your team is one thing. Feel free to voice your displeasure by booing him whenever he plays the Flyers in Philadelphia.

Making death threats is beyond the pale.

If you’re that triggered over Gauthier spurning the Flyers, step back, take some deep breaths, and seriously evaluate where you are in your life right now. That rage has no place in our game or society.

And if that friendly advice upsets you, leave this site and don’t come back.

TSN: Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach said he’s fully recovered from the knee injury that ended his 2023-24 campaign just two games in.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A healthy Dach will be crucial to the Canadiens’ hope of significant improvement this season. The 23-year-old could be reunited with Juraj Slafkovsky or recently-acquired winger Patrik Laine could be a linemate.

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Avalanche forward Logan O’Connor said he’s good to go after undergoing season-ending hip surgery in March.

THE PROVINCE: The Canucks recently signed journeyman goaltender Dylan Ferguson to a professional tryout offer (PTO). He has three NHL games under his belt (one with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18 and two with the Ottawa Senators in 2022-23. The 25-year-old spent last season with KHL club Dinamo Minsk.