NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 23, 2024

by | Mar 23, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 23, 2024

A high-scoring tilt between the Capitals and Hurricanes highlights Friday’s action, Tom Wilson is suspended again, and the latest on the Golden Knights’ Jonathan Marchessault in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines

NHL.COM: A shootout goal by Dylan Strome gave the Washington Capitals a 7-6 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Sonny Milano tallied his first NHL hat trick, Strome collected three assists and Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist for the 34-25-9 Capitals (77 points), who moved within one point of the Detroit Red Wings for the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth.

Washington Capitals forward Sonny Milano (NHL Images).

Sebastian Aho had a hat trick for the 44-20-7 Hurricanes (including his 30th goal of the season) and Jake Guentzel had three assists. With 95 points, the Hurricanes are one point behind the Metropolitan Division-leading New York Rangers and two back of the league-leading Boston Bruins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Capitals played without winger Tom Wilson as he’s serving a six-game suspension for high-sticking Toronto Maple Leafs forward Noah Gregor. This is the sixth suspension in his 11-season NHL career. He’s also been fined three times.

During the first period, the Capitals honored Evgeny Kuznetsov with a video tribute as he received a standing ovation from the fans. He was shipped to the Hurricanes before the March trade deadline after 11 seasons with the Capitals.

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist to help his club defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-1. Mikko Rantanen scored twice and collected an assist for the Avalanche (45-20-5) as they picked up their eighth straight win and took over first place in the Central Division with 95 points. Elvis Merzlikins stopped 45 shots for the 23-35-12 Blue Jackets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: MacKinnon extended his home points streak to 33 games and 17 games overall. He’s in second place in the scoring race with 119 points, three back of Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov.

Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn scored two goals in a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jason Robertson had two assists for the 43-19-9 Stars, who’ve won three straight and sit second in the Central with 95 points. Michael Bunting had a goal and an assist for the 30-30-9 Penguins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ageless wonder Joe Pavelski tallied his 25th goal of the season for the Stars. The 39-year-old winger has reached that milestone 12 times, the third-most among American-born scorers. Keith Tkachuk and Mike Modano are the leaders with 13 seasons.

The Arizona Coyotes nipped the Seattle Kraken 2-1. Dylan Guenther scored in overtime after Clayton Keller tied the game late in the third for the 29-36-5 Coyotes. Ryker Evans scored his first NHL goal for the 28-28-13 Kraken.

ASSOCIATED PRESS: Jonathan Marchessault is enjoying a career-best season in his contract year. He’s in the final season of a six-year, $30-million contract and has a single-season high of 38 goals, just five short of the franchise record.

Marchessault’s agent, Pat Brisson, said he’s had several discussions with Golden Knights management during the season. However, he doesn’t expect anything to happen until after this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Winner of the 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy, Marchessault is an original Golden Knights and their most reliable scorer throughout his tenure in Vegas. The 33-year-old will draw plenty of interest in the free-agent market, though his age could make suitors reluctant to sign him longer than four years.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: St. Louis Blues defenseman Nick Leddy will be suiting up for his 1,000th career NHL regular-season game on Saturday afternoon against the Minnesota Wild.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leddy will be joining an exclusive club. Of the roughly 7,500 players to appear in at least one game in the NHL’s long history, he will become the 391st to have played 1,000 games.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 1, 2023

by | Jun 1, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 1, 2023

The Leafs formally hire Brad Treliving as GM, the Kraken extend GM Ron Francis’ contract, the Rangers get permission to speak to former Predators coach John Hynes, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee headlines.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A reminder that Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights is Saturday, June 3, at 8 pm ET in Las Vegas.

TORONTO SUN: On Wednesday, the Maple Leafs formally announced the hiring of former Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving as their new GM. He replaced Kyle Dubas, who was fired as GM on May 19.

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving. (NHL.com)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I went into detail yesterday regarding Treliving’s tenure with the Flames when the news broke that he was to be hired by the Leafs.

The consensus by the pundits (including the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons, the Toronto Star’s Bruce Arthur and Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin) is that Leafs president Brendan Shanahan’s fate is now in Treliving’s hands. He may be the safe choice but is he the best choice? If he’s not, it will cost Shanahan his job.

Shanahan reportedly hopes to maintain the Leafs “core four” of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and team captain John Tavares. He could also insist on keeping Sheldon Keefe as head coach for another attempt at winning the Stanley Cup. It’s believed that those who were interviewed for the Leafs GM job (including Treliving) had to agree to those conditions.

If the Leafs stick with their current roster and head coach, Treliving won’t have much room to put an immediate stamp on this club. They have limited cap space so he can’t just go out and sign big-name free agents or make a blockbuster trade to shake things up. He also can’t bring in a new bench boss who might have a fresh approach that turns the Leafs into a Cup contender.

The Leafs should be a playoff team for the foreseeable future. Even by bringing in affordable players to fill out their roster depth, they have the core talent to once again finish among the top-four clubs in the Eastern Conference. It’s how they do in the postseason that will determine whether Shanahan made the right call with Treliving.

Oh, and remember those media rumors linking the Leafs to St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong? It turns out they never even reached out to the Blues to ask permission to speak with Armstrong.

SEATTLE HOCKEY INSIDER: The Kraken signed general manager Ron Francis to a three-year contract extension.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Francis has done a fine job thus far as the Kraken’s GM. This extension was his reward for the second-year NHL club reaching the playoffs this season.

NEW YORK POST: The Rangers sought and were granted permission from the Nashville Predators to speak with former head coach John Hynes, who was replaced yesterday with Andrew Brunette. Hynes was a teammate of Rangers GM Chris Drury at Boston University from 1994 to 1997.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: cited TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reporting Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron remains undecided whether he’ll return for another season or retire. The Bruins aren’t putting any timeline or pressure on Bergeron to reach a decision.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Just like last summer, the Bruins will give Bergeron all the time he needs. He’s earned that right.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Stars winger Joe Pavelski shut down any notion of his retirement following this season. He once thought this season would be his last but his performance and that of his teammates changed his mind. Pavelski signed a one-year contract extension in January.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Pavelski played a significant role in the Stars reaching the Western Conference Final. The 38-year-old winger still has enough left in the tank for another season.

Speaking of the Stars, Max Domi is open to returning with the club. Acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline, he proved to be a solid addition to the Stars. Domi, 28, is slated to become an unrestricted free agent and is seeking stability after playing for six teams in the last seven years.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Stars could find it difficult to retain Domi because of their salary-cap constraints. That could send him into the UFA market on July 1.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: Sidelined Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner and his wife are facing new allegations of fraud tied to the couple’s ongoing Chapter 7 bankruptcy case. A Las Vegas businessman claims Lehner misled him on his ability to repay $4 million in loans provided to the netminder.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Legendary goaltender Dominik Hasek used shopping carts to recently clear out his artifacts from the Czech Hockey Hall of Fame in Prague. He and other famous Czech players had to gather up what they donated to the Hall as it is closing due to economic issues. It’s hoped it will reopen in a new location in the future.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The report indicated Hasek was emotional about this situation. He helped to create the Czech Hockey Hall of Fame and donated numerous artifacts from his playing career.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 26, 2023

by | May 26, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 26, 2023

The Stars stave off elimination in the Western Conference Final, Stanley Cup Final schedule scenarios are revealed plus the latest on Kyle Dubas and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The Dallas Stars avoided being swept from the Western Conference Final in a 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4 on an overtime power-play goal by Joe Pavelski.

Jason Robertson scored twice, Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen each collected two assists while Jake Oettinger made 37 saves for the win. William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault scored for Vegas while Adin Hill stopped 39 shots.

Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski (NHL Images).

The series returns to Las Vegas for Game 5 on Saturday with the Golden Knights leading the series three games to one.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Stars’ best players rose to the occasion in this contest despite the absence of team captain Jamie Benn, who’ll also miss Game 5 as he serves his two-game suspension.

Pavelski tallied his 73rd career playoff goal making him the leader among active NHL players in that category. He also made NHL history by becoming the oldest player (38) to score a postseason overtime goal.

The league also released its Stanley Cup Final schedule scenarios. Depending on the outcome of the Western Conference Final, the best-of-seven series will begin on May 31 or June 3. The winner of this Golden Knights-Stars series will face off against the Florida Panthers for hockey’s holy grail.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas met with Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby at the Penguins’ practice facility on Tuesday night. The Pens received permission from the Leafs to speak with Dubas regarding their vacant GM position.

DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of Dubas, the NHL Players’ Association is reviewing his relationship with his agent for “potential violation of the Certified Agent regulations that govern agent activity.”

Dubas was represented in his recent negotiations with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment by Chris Armstrong of Wasserman Sports, the same agency that also represents Leafs center Auston Matthews.

The PA’s certified agent regulations prohibit agents from representing any officer or employee of an NHL club. Wasserman, however, is currently not a certified NHL agent and is not subject to discipline by the NHLPA.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It has yet to be determined if Dubas and his agent violated those regulations. It’s uncertain how much of an effect this might have on the Penguins’ interest in hiring him as their new GM.

THE ATHLETIC: Hollywood producer Neko Sparks’ ownership group has been seeking additional investors in their bid to purchase the Ottawa Senators. They have reportedly secured international funds for their bid but are seeking additional Canadian investors.

The Sparks group is one of four finalists hoping to purchase the Senators alongside Toronto businessmen Michael Andlauder, Steve Apostolopoulos and the Kimel family.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sparks group’s scramble for additional investors at this late stage could adversely affect their efforts for a successful bid.

A judge recently ruled that Evander Kane could walk away from most of his outstanding debt in his Chapter 7 bankruptcy case. The judge ruled in Kane’s favor against Centennial Bank, which made an $8 million loan to the Edmonton Oilers winger, who has a self-described gambling addiction.

Kane’s former girlfriend Hope Parker also has an outstanding lawsuit within the bankruptcy process. She alleges Kane owes her $3 million for abortions she agreed to. He also has another lender with an active claim.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: New Jersey Devils assistant coach Andrew Brunette was interviewed by the Columbus Blue Jackets for their vacant head-coaching job.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blue Jackets are still talking with other prospective coaches. A decision could be reached after May 29 when general manager Jarmo Kekalainen returns from scouting the IIHF World Championship.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 14, 2023

by | May 14, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 14, 2023

The Kraken push their series with the Stars to a seventh game, the Islanders expected to re-sign Lou Lamoriello, Alex Pietrangelo calls out Oilers for premeditated hits, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: There will be a seventh and deciding game between the Seattle Kraken and Dallas Stars as the Kraken rolled to a 6-3 victory in Game 6 of their second-round series. Jordan Eberle and Eeli Tolvanen led the way with three points each for the Kraken to even the series at three games apiece.

Seattle Kraken winger Jordan Eberle (NHL Images).

Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger got the hook early in the second period after giving up four goals on 18 shots. Stars forward Joe Pavelski scored his eighth goal of this series to set a single-series franchise record and tied a postseason record for most goals by a player 38 or older. Mason Marchment also scored for the Stars after missing Game 5 with an upper-body injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Game 7 of this series goes Monday in Dallas. It’s fitting that this closely contested series goes the distance. The winner will face either the Edmonton Oilers or Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Finals starting later this week.

NEWSDAY: Andrew Gross reports the New York Islanders have decided to offer general manager Lou Lamoriello a three-year contract extension. Lamoriello, 80, has been in that role for the past five seasons.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No word yet as to whether Lamoriello has accepted though it’s expected he will. A formal announcement will be made by the club when he does.

VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said his two-handed slash on Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl late in Game 4 was retaliation for what he considered to be premeditated hits on himself and his teammates by the Oilers. Pietrangelo’s actions earned him a one-game suspension. He returns to the Golden Knights lineup for Game 6 tonight in Edmonton with his club leading the series three games to two.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: The Carolina Hurricanes are geographically restricting tickets to their upcoming Eastern Conference Finals series with the Florida Panthers. Tickets can only be purchased by those with credit card billing within North Carolina, South Carolina and parts of Virginia.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Panthers employed a similar tactic in their second-round series with the Toronto Maple Leafs to limit the number of Leafs fans in their arena.

THE DENVER POST: Medical experts say the long-term effects of Gabriel Landeskog’s knee cartilage transplant are difficult to predict due to the rarity of such procedures among professional athletes. While the surgery will ensure a return to a good quality of life for the average person, it remains to be seen if it can help a pro athlete like Landeskog resume his career and regain his previous level of performance.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Landeskog is expected to miss the entirety of next season recuperating from this procedure. Time will tell if he’ll be able to return to his playing career.

NHL.COM’s Mike Morreale reports New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton revealed that he was dealing with a wrist injury during his club’s second-round series with the Hurricanes.

NEW YORK POST: Former NHL defenseman Gerry Hart died Saturday at age 75. The cause of death was not revealed. He spent 15 seasons in the NHL from 1968-69 to 1982-83 with the Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders, Quebec Nordiques and St. Louis Blues.

One of the original Islanders, Hart played seven seasons with the franchise from 1972-73 to 1978-79, becoming a fan favorite for his gritty play. He finished with 179 points and 1,240 PIMs in 730 career NHL regular-season games and 15 points in 78 playoff games.

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










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 12, 2023

by | May 12, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 12, 2023

The Hurricanes advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Stars push the Kraken to the brink of elimination, the Vezina Trophy finalists are announced, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Carolina Hurricanes advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals with a 3-2 overtime victory over the New Jersey Devils to win their best-of-seven second-round series in five games. Jesper Fast tallied the game-winner, Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns scored in regulation and Frederik Andersen stopped 27 shots for the Hurricanes. Dawson Mercer and Timo Meier tallied for the Devils, who got a 36-save performance from Akira Schmid.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Hurricanes await the winner of the Florida Panthers-Toronto Maple Leafs series. The Panthers hold a 3-1 lead in that best-of-seven series and could wrap things up with a win tonight in Toronto.

This was the most closely-contested game of the series following four lopsided contests between these two clubs. The Devils dominated the play for long stretches and had several opportunities to break the game open but failed to cash in on their scoring chances.

Steady goaltending from Andersen, a solid defense corps and experience made the difference in this series for Carolina. Depth forwards such as Fast and Jordan Martinook also stepped up offensively for the Hurricanes in this series.

The Devils may be disappointed over the outcome of this series but it doesn’t overshadow their significant improvement this season. They reached the playoffs for the first time since 2018, finishing third overall with a franchise-record 112 points. They also won their first playoff series since 2012 by eliminating the arch-rival New York Rangers in the first round. Led by young stars like Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, the Devils have a bright future ahead.

Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski (NHL Images).

Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz scored twice and collected an assist in a 5-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken to take a 3-2 lead in their second-round series. Jason Robertson collected three assists while Joe Pavelski tied Chris Drury for the most career game-winning playoff goals (17) by a US-born player. Adam Larsson and Jared McCann replied for the Kraken. Game 6 goes Saturday evening in Seattle.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The 38-year-old Pavelski also became the oldest player to score at least seven times in a playoff series. Stars winger Mason Marchment missed this game after taking an elbow to the head in Game 4.

This game was much close than the score suggests as the Kraken narrowed Dallas’ 3-0 lead to 3-2 before Hintz put the game out of reach in the third period. The Stars should anticipate a tough battle from the Kraken in Seattle.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders and Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins are this season’s finalists for the Vezina Trophy, which is awarded to the NHL’s best goaltender.

The department of player safety handed down one-game suspensions to Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and Edmonton Oilers blueliner Darnell Nurse.

Pietrangelo’s punishment was for slashing Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl in Game 4 of their second-round series on Wednesday. Nurse’s is for instigating a fight with Vegas defenseman Nicolas Hague with less than five minutes remaining in Game 4.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nurse was suspended because he instigated a fight within the final five minutes of Game 4. However, Hague reportedly asked the Oilers’ defenseman for the fight. I guess the thinking here is that Nurse could’ve refused but didn’t.

Pietrangelo made a deliberate attempt to injure with his lumberjack slash on Draisaitl. It was uncharacteristic of him and was apparently provoked by his anger over uncalled infractions during the game. Nevertheless, that doesn’t excuse what he did. While Draisaitl wasn’t injured on the play, Pietrangelo’s action should’ve merited more than a one-game suspension.

TSN: Joseph Woll will get the start again for the Toronto Maple Leafs when they face off tonight against the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of their second-round series. Ilya Samsonov remains sidelined by an upper-body injury. Matt Murray will serve as Woll’s backup.

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: As expected, the Flyers formally announced Keith Jones as their new president of hockey operations. They also confirmed that Daniel Briere is now their full-time general manager after serving in the role on an interim basis since March.

OTTAWA SUN: Actor Ryan Reynolds and the Remington Group won’t be submitting their $1 billion bid for the Senators. They reportedly sought exclusive negotiating rights with the National Capital Commission and the City of Ottawa to get a deal to build a new arena.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There are seven other groups that are anticipated to make bids for the Senators by the anticipated May 15 deadline.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Karl Subban, the father of former NHL defenseman P.K. Subban, has joined the group Ban Ads for Gambling to get ads for sports betting removed from hockey broadcasts. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has also called for a ban on the use of celebrities to sell sports betting.

A former school principal, Subban is concerned about children being exposed to gambling ads involving celebrities and NHL players.

CALGARY HOCKEY NOW: The Flames have reportedly blocked former general manager Brad Treliving from interviewing with other teams before his contract expires at the end of June.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 3, 2023

by | May 3, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 3, 2023

The Stars fall to the Kraken despite Joe Pavelski’s record-setting performance, the Panthers draw first blood against the Leafs, the Selke Trophy and Lady Byng Trophy finalists are announced, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Seattle Kraken blew a 4-2 lead to the Dallas Stars but emerged with a 5-4 overtime victory in Game 1 of their best-of-seven second-round series. Stars winger Joe Pavelski set an NHL record as the oldest player (38) to score four goals in a playoff game. Yanni Gourde tallied the game-winner and Jordan Eberle had a goal and an assist for the Kraken. Game 2 is Thursday in Dallas.

Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The previous record was held by Maurice “Rocket” Richard, who was 35 when he scored four goals in a playoff game in 1957. It was Pavelski’s first game since being sidelined by a concussion during Game 1 of the Stars’ first-round series against the Minnesota Wild.

Six goals were scored in the first period with the Kraken taking that early two-goal lead. I don’t think we’ll see another period like that as both teams become more familiar with each other as this series rolls along.

Kraken winger Jared McCann did not make the trip with his teammates to Dallas. He’s expected to miss both games there. The Kraken’s leading scorer in the regular season, McCann’s been sidelined by an undisclosed injury after being hit by Cale Makar in Game 4 of the Kraken’s first-round series with the Colorado Avalanche.

Speaking of blown two-goal leads and recovering to win, the Florida Panthers doubled up the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening game of their second-round series. The Leafs overcame a 2-0 deficit with two second-period goals but Carter Verhaeghe tallied what proved to be the winning goal. Matthew Tkachuk collected three assists while Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 34 shots. Leafs rookie Matthew Knies netted his first-ever NHL goal. Game 2 is Thursday in Toronto.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Panthers had little time to rest and recuperate from their first-round upset of the Boston Bruins. Nevertheless, they showed plenty of jump in this game while the Leafs at times seemed to struggle to get up to speed. I expect we’ll see a better effort from the latter in Game 2.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron, New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier and Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner are this year’s finalists for the Frank J. Selke Trophy as this season’s top defensive forward.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is the 12th consecutive season that Bergeron has been a finalist for the Selke. He won it last season for a record-setting fifth time and could be the sentimental favorite given the uncertainty over whether he’ll return for another season. This is the first time Hischier and Marner have been finalists for this award.

New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes, Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar and Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point are finalists for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy awarded to the NHL’s most gentlemanly player.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kopitar is a three-time finalist who won the award in 2015-16. This is the first time that Hughes and Point are been named as finalists.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy said he dealt with minor injuries and didn’t give himself sufficient recovery time. He believes that affected his play down the stretch and in their first-round series against the Leafs.

TSN.CA: Speaking of the Lightning, Victory Hedman dealt with a hip impingement suffered in Game 1 against the Leafs. Brayden Point suffered a rib cage cartilage fracture in that series. Defenseman Erik Cernak is making progress in his recovery from a concussion suffered in Game 1 as a result of an illegal hit to the head by the Leafs’ Michael Bunting. Winger Tanner Jeannot was in and out of the lineup with a high-ankle sprain.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark played coy over a report suggesting that he suffered from a debilitating injury that affected his movement during his club’s first-round series against the Florida Panthers. Asked several times if he was hurt in that series, he replied, “No. Yes and no.” He said he wasn’t going to clarify his status until he completed his end-of-season physical.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Speaking of the Bruins, Dmitry Orlov expressed interest in returning to the Washington Capitals but isn’t sure if that’s possible given their salary-cap constraints. The 32-year-old defenseman is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He spent his entire career with the Capitals until acquired by the Bruins before the March 3 trade deadline.

TSN: Darren Dreger reported there’s a chance Joel Quenneville could return to the NHL coaching ranks if he receives clearance from the league this summer.

Quenneville stepped down as head coach of the Florida Panthers in 2021 after specifics were revealed of how the Chicago Blackhawks mishandled allegations that player Kyle Beach was sexually abused by a member of their coaching staff in 2010. Quenn3ville was the head coach of the Blackhawks at that time.

TWINCITIES.COM: The Minnesota Wild signed forward Marcus Johansson to a two-year, $4 million contract. He was eligible for UFA status on July 1.

NBC SPORTS WASHINGTON: The Capitals signed defenseman Alex Alexeyev to a two-year, $1.65 million contract extension. He was due to become a restricted free agent on July 1.

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: The Flyers signed defenseman Egor Zamula to a one-year, $775K contract.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Red Wings prospect Simon Edvinsson underwent surgery on his left shoulder on Monday. His recovery time is four-to-six months.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Former first-round draft pick Henrik Borgstrom has signed with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Chosen 23rd overall by the Florida Panthers in 2016, the 25-year-old Borgstrom struggled to earn a regular roster spot in the NHL. He bounced between the big league and the minors with the Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks and the Capitals since 2017-18, netting 13 goals and 26 points in 111 NHL games.