NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 30, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 30, 2024

Recapping Sunday’s preseason action, Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj was fined, an update on Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

SUNDAY’S PRESEASON RESULTS

NHL.COM: Evgeni Malkin had a hat trick and an assist and Sidney Crosby tallied twice to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Ottawa Senators 5-2 in the Kraft Hockeyville game on Sunday in Sudbury, Ontario. Nick Cousins and Tim Stutzle replied for the Senators.

Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Penguins forward Blake Lizotte was struck in the face by an errant puck while sitting on the bench during the first shift. He missed the remainder of the game. No update was provided regarding his condition.

The Utah Hockey Club rolled to a 6-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche. Dylan Guenther scored two goals and picked up an assist while Clayton Keller scored and set up two others. Justus Annunen made 32 saves for the Avalanche.

Dallas Stars rookie forward Logan Stankoven netted two goals as his club doubled up the Minnesota Wild 4-2. Jesper Wallstedt stopped 25 shots for the Wild.

IN OTHER NEWS…

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: The NHL department of player safety fined Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj $3,385.42 for unsportsmanlike conduct on Toronto Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare on Saturday. Xhekaj pummeled Pare in retaliation for the latter’s knee-on-knee hit on Canadiens winger Patrik Laine.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Edmonton Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard suffered a sore neck from a goal-mouth collision that forced him to leave Saturday’s game against the Seattle Kraken. However, the injury isn’t serious and he’s expected to return to the ice in a few days.

NEW YORK POST: Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey left practice on Sunday with a lower-body injury.

NHL.COM: Tom Gulitti reports Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said forward Sonny Milano’s preseason performance was “just OK”. He’s given the 28-year-old veteran the benefit of the doubt but expects him to ramp up his effort for the regular season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some veterans don’t put forth a full effort in training camp and preseason because they’re already assured of a roster spot but they step it up when the regular season begins. That could explain Milano’s effort thus far He is skating on the Capitals’ third line alongside Hendrix Lapierre and Aliaksei Protas.

NBC SPORTS BOSTON: Top prospect Fabian Lysell was a surprise roster cut by the Bruins yesterday. The 21-year-old was a candidate for the right wing spot on their second line. He had a slow start to training camp but improved as the preseason rolled on.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 29, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 29, 2024

Recapping Saturday’s preseason action, Patrik Laine suffers a knee injury, Jonathan Marchessault and Sean Monahan made impressive debuts with their new teams, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF SATURDAY’S NHL PRESEASON GAMES

NHL.COM: The Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens was overshadowed by what appears to be a serious knee injury suffered by Canadiens winger Patrik Laine following a knee-on-knee hit by Leafs forward Cedric Pare early in the first period. Nick Robertson scored both goals for the Leafs while Kirby Dach replied for the Canadiens.

Montreal Canadiens winger Patrik Laine (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Laine had to be helped off the ice and reportedly left the arena on crutches wearing a knee brace following the game. There was no update on his condition but it’s obvious that the injury is serious.

Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj retaliated against Pare by pummelling the Leafs forward, earning 17 minutes in penalties including a game misconduct.

Laine wasn’t the only Hab to depart with a leg injury. Rookie defenseman David Reinbacher left in the game’s opening seconds after falling awkwardly on his left leg following a check by Leafs forward Marshall Rifai. There was no update regarding his injury after the game as he’ll be re-evaluated on Sunday.

Philadelphia Flyers rookie winger Matvei Michkov scored twice, including the winner in overtime, to defeat the Boston Bruins 3-2. Joonas Korpisalo made 37 saves for the Bruins.

The Edmonton Oilers nipped the Seattle Kraken 5-4 with Raphael Lavoie scoring the game-winner late in the third period. Mattias Ekholm scored a goal and collected two assists for the Oilers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Edmonton goaltender Calvin Pickard left this game following a first-period goal-mouth collision with teammate Noah Philp. Following the game, Oilers coach Kris Knoblach said he’d know more about Pickard’s status on Sunday.

Nashville Predators winger Jonathan Marchessault had a goal and two assists in a 6-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Juuse Saros made 23 saves for the shutout. This was Marchessault’s first game with the Predators since joining them on July 1 as a free agent.

The Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Buffalo Sabres 6-3 with Sean Monahan scoring two goals. Elvis Merzlikins got the win with a 28-save performance. This was Monahan’s debut with the Blue Jackets, having signed a five-year deal with them in July.

St. Louis Blues winger Dylan Holloway’s second goal of the game was an overtime winner in a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, who had a 2-0 lead at one point in this contest.

The Calgary Flames doubled up the Vancouver Canucks 4-2. Ryan Lomberg and Brayden Pachal each had a goal and an assist for the Flames.

Florida Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist was the overtime hero in a 5-4 comeback victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Panthers scored the final four goals of this game after the Hurricanes went up 4-1 early in the second period.

The Los Angeles Kings downed the Anaheim Ducks 3-2. Alex Laferriere scored twice and Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist for the Kings. Lukas Dostal turned aside 30 shots for the Ducks.

IN OTHER NEWS…

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings game scheduled for Saturday was postponed and rescheduled for Monday in Detroit. Mechanical issues prevented their plan from flying to Detroit on Saturday afternoon.

YARDBARKER: Former NHL center Evgeny Kuznetsov suffered an undisclosed injury during a recent game. It’s expected he’ll be sidelined for at least two months.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning owner Jeff Vinik announced the Lightning Foundation will donate $2 million toward relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Helene in Florida.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 29, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 29, 2024

Highlights from the first round of the 2024 Draft, and the latest on Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Sam Reinhart, Sidney Crosby, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE FIRST ROUND OF THE 2024 NHL DRAFT

NHL.COM: The San Jose Sharks selected Macklin Celebrini with the first-overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft at Sphere in Las Vegas on Friday evening. You can see the full list of first-round picks by following the link provided.

Macklin Celebrini (right) poses with Joe Thornton after being chosen first overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2024 NHL Draft (NHL.com).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No surprise here. Celebrini was the consensus top player among prospect evaluators. Sharks general manager Mike Grier has recently mentioned the Boston University center among his top prospects. Celebrini and promising Will Smith should give the Sharks a solid one-two punch at center in the coming years.

The Anaheim Ducks selected Oshawa Generals winger Beckett Sennecke third overall. He projects to be a top-six winger alongside one of the Ducks’ promising young centers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This one was a surprise as most evaluators expected Sennecke to be chosen in the middle of this round. However, a strong second half and postseason bolstered his stock. The Ducks are loaded with young centers like Leo Carlsson, Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish. Sennecke could one day line up alongside one of them.

Russian winger Ivan Demidov was chosen fifth overall by the Montreal Canadiens.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canadiens fans were angry about their club passing over Matvei Michkov in the first round of last year’s draft but they should be pleased with this choice. Demidov was projected to go second overall by many evaluators. However, the Chicago Blackhawks took defenseman Artyom Levshunov with that pick, the Ducks chose Beckett Sennecke and the Columbus Blue Jackets went with center Cayden Lindstrom.

The 18-year-old Russian winger has been compared to Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov. If he develops as projected, the Canadiens could have a scoring superstar on their hands.

The Utah Hockey Club selected Tij Iginla with the sixth overall pick, the first since the teams relocated from Arizona this spring.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Iginla is the son of Hall-of-Famer Jarome Iginla and is a goalscorer like his father. A versatile forward, Iginla can play center or on the wing. He faces heightened expectations because of his famous dad but has the potential to become an NHL star in his own right.

University of Denver defenseman Zeev Buium was chosen 12th overall by the Minnesota Wild. They traded up from 13th overall with the Buffalo Sabres to land him.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This year’s draft was notable for a crop of high-quality defense prospects including Buium, Levshunov, Carter Yakemchuk (chosen seventh by the Ottawa Senators), Zayne Parekh (ninth overall, Calgary Flames), Anton Silayev (10th, New Jersey Devils), and Sam Dickinson (taken 11th by the Sharks).

I expected Buium to be chosen among the top 10. He helped Denver win the Frozen Four tournament and was part of Team USA’s gold-medal squad at the 2024 World Juniors. This pick could end up becoming a steal for the Wild.

The New York Islanders selected Cole Eiserman of the USNTDP with the 20th overall pick.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Concerns about Eiserman’s defensive play sent the young scoring winger’s stock tumbling. However, this could work out well for the Islanders as they attempt to restock their depleted prospect pool. Eiserman broke Cole Caufield’s record for most goals in a USNTDP career. This kid has the potential to become an NHL scorer.

History was made in this draft as two Norwegians were chosen in the opening round for the first time. The Detroit Red Wings selected winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygard with the 15th overall pick while the Ducks chose defenseman Stian Stolberg at No. 23.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I love it when players from smaller hockey nations get chosen in the opening round of the NHL Draft. It shows how much the game is growing internationally.

Several notable prospects projected to go in the first round remain available heading into Day 2 of the draft on Saturday beginning at 11:30 am ET. They include KHL forward Igor Chernyshow, Prince Albert Raiders forward Ryder Ritchie, Medicine Hat Tigers winger Andrew Basha, Swedish defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius, and Brandon Wheat Kings defenseman Charlie Elick.

HEADLINES

TAMPA BAY TIMES: After 16 seasons, Steven Stamkos could be leaving the Lightning. General manager Julien BriseBois said Friday morning he’s uncertain if a deal can be done to keep the 34-year-old winger from heading to the free-agent market on Monday.

The issue is limited salary-cap space. The Lightning have 18 players under contract for 2024-25 with $5.335 million in cap space. That alone isn’t enough to re-sign Stamkos, let alone fill out the rest of the roster.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports Stamkos’ agent said his client is heading to market on July 1. It will be remembered that he appeared to be going to market in 2016 before signing an eight-year extension at the last minute. That doesn’t seem likely this time unless the Bolts free up sufficient cap space to make it happen.

BriseBois seems more optimistic about signing Victor Hedman to a contract extension. The 33-year-old defenseman has a year remaining on his contract with an average annual value of $7.875 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: If Stamkos departs, it will be interesting to see how that affects the Lightning’s efforts to re-sign Hedman.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: George Richards cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Panthers could have a deal in place to re-sign Sam Reinhart. It’s expected to be worth $9 million annually and would have to be announced on June 30 if it’s to be for a maximum of eight years.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Negotiations between the Reinhart camp and Panthers management have been ongoing for months. The 28-year-old winger has repeatedly expressed his wish to remain in Florida. It appears he’ll get his wish, taking one of the biggest names off this summer’s free-agent market.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Sidney Crosby indicated preliminary contract extension discussions with Penguins management have begun. The 36-year-old Penguins captain has one year remaining on his contract. He declined to elaborate but said they’ve had some conversations.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crosby’s not going anywhere. He’ll likely get a four-year deal for around his current annual cap hit of $8.7 million and finish his career as a Penguin.

NHL.COM: The initial 24 players for the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face Off were announced on Friday.

Penguins center Sidney Crosby, Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand, and Lightning forward Brayden Point make up the first six of Canada’s roster.

Team USA’s first six players include Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk, Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes, Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel, New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox, and Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy.

Sweden’s first six include the Lightning’s Victor Hedman, Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander, Nashville Predators winger Filip Forsberg, New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad, Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson and Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling.

Panthers center Aleksander Barkov, Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen, Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho, Predators goaltender Juuse Saros, and Dallas Stars defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell are Finland’s first six players.

The rest of the rosters will be announced between Nov. 29 and Dec. 2. The tournament will be held in Montreal and Boston from Feb. 12-20, 2025.

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: The Flyers will buy out the final year of Cam Atkinson’s contract. 

THE PROVINCE: Vancouver Canucks defenseman Nikita Zadorov will head to free agency on July 1.

TSN: The Edmonton Oilers signed backup goaltender Calvin Pickard to a two-year contract extension with an AAV of $1 million.

STLTODAY.COM: The St. Louis Blues acquired Alexandre Texier from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 2025 fourth-round pick. The Blue signed the 24-year-old forward to a two-year contract with an AAV of $2.1 million.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 2, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 2, 2020

The standoff continues between the league and the players as speculation persists over what the 2020-21 season will look like. Details and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

TSN: Darren Dreger reports of speculation of the NHL owners canceling season if they decide they can’t go in 2020-21. The NHLPA could challenge that move in federal court as an illegal lockout but Dreger said force majeure (unforeseeable circumstances preventing the fulfillment of a contract; in this case, the collective bargaining agreement) would be applied by the owners because of the pandemic. He also said the league believes the spirit of the existing agreement provides them with cancellation protection. The owners also wouldn’t have to pay the players. However, Dreger points out neither side wants to cancel the season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Player agent Allan Walsh took to Twitter yesterday disputing the force majeure idea. He claims if the owners cancel the season because the players won’t give another $300 million in concessions that it would be considered a lockout, “which is expressly prohibited by CBA article 7.1 (b).” In Walsh’s opinion, that would leave the owners at risk of facing billions of dollars in potential damages if the PA took them to court.

Walsh accused the league of soft-pedaling force majeure to the media. Maybe the owners are trying to frighten the players into making more concessions. Perhaps it’s being done to lay the groundwork against any potential media/fan backlash over a potential cancellation.

With reports claiming the NHL and the PA remain determined to stage a season, this could be just posturing by the league. We’ll find out for sure in a couple of months. There might not be a season at all if there’s no puck drop by mid-February.

Pierre LeBrun reports the PA has stuck to its guns that it hasn’t agreed to anything beyond the terms of the memorandum of understanding and the CBA extension. That could change but for now, they believe the league should stick to the terms of the agreement.

LeBrun adds the PA’s return-to-play committee has held regular conference calls but there’s some frustration on their part over a perceived lack of urgency on the league’s part.

Frank Seravalli reports the preference for both sides is opening the season in all 31 NHL arenas for revenue purposes as well as allowing players to spend more time with their families. The league recognizes it will have to be flexible with the schedule and locations because of the rising COVID-19 cases throughout North America, which could result in potential neutral-site games. Hybrid bubbles are also a backup option but not a preferred one.

LeBrun said the temporary realignment of divisions, including a Canadian division, remains locked in. However, a firm decision hasn’t been reached yet over what the three American divisions would look like.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I think most of those issues will be quickly sorted out once the standoff between the NHL and NHLPA over the league’s request for increased escrow and salary deferral rates is resolved. The framework for those decisions appears to already be in place.

FOX SPORTS’ Andy Strickland reports some NHL players are delaying returns to their respective NHL cities. He believes we’re destined for a 48-game schedule hopefully beginning in late January or early February.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That’s pretty much the consensus among NHL pundits and most fans.

DETROIT FREE PRESS: The Red Wings loaned minor-league goaltender Calvin Pickard to the Vienna Capitals in Austria. He’s the 10th player the Wings have loaned overseas and could be a sign the league’s proposed Jan. 1 start date is increasingly unlikely.

SPORTSNET: The Edmonton Oilers have 20 players loaned to European clubs, including Jesse Puljujarvi and Tyler Benson.

TSN: The ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears announced they’ve agreed to terms with free-agent goaltender Garret Sparks for the remainder of the 2020-21 season. Sparks spent parts of three seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It wasn’t that long ago Sparks was considered the logical backup to Leafs starter Frederik Andersen.

Calgary Flames assistant general manager Chris Snow is in good spirits following surgery on Monday to insert a feeding tube into his stomach. Snow was diagnosed with ALS in June 2019 but continues in his role with the Flames.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to Snow in his battle against that terrible disease.

NBC SPORTS: The Dallas Stars revealed their all-white Reverse Retro uniforms over the weekend.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Great camouflage tactic by the Stars.