NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 26, 2022

by | Jul 26, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 26, 2022

Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar are open to long-term deals with the Flames while John Tavares is working on improving his quickness. Details plus the latest contract signings in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

CALGARY SUN: Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar indicated they’re open to signing long-term contracts with the Flames. The pair made those remarks during their introductory Zoom press conferences as the club’s newest members. Both were acquired as part of the return in last Friday’s trade that sent Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers.

Florida Panthers traded winger Jonathan Huberdeau to the Calgary Flames on July 23 (NHL Images).

Huberdeau and Weegar are both slated to become unrestricted free agents next summer. Huberdeau indicated his agent has already begun talking about a new contract with general manager Brad Treliving. Weegar said he’s looking forward to his agent speaking with Treliving and seeing what’s going on.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flames fans may be cautious about believing those comments. After all, Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk professed their love of living and playing in Calgary. The former departed for Columbus via free agency while the latter forced a trade to Florida when he declined to discuss a long-term deal with the Flames.

Huberdeau and Weegar are trying to say the right thing here but they’re still dealing with how quickly their own fortunes have changed. On Friday, they were members of the Panthers and three days later they’re fielding questions from the Calgary media over whether they’re open to signing with their new team.

A lot will depend on how well they adapt to playing with the Flames in the coming season and how much the club is willing to pay to keep them in the fold. If they aren’t a good fit it’s doubtful management will offer up big-money extensions. In that case, the talk will be about where they could be shipped at the February trade deadline and what kind of a return they’ll fetch.

TORONTO STAR: Maple Leafs captain John Tavares is hoping to be leaner and quicker when he reports to training camp in September. He’s been working with the team’s development staff on a new program designed to make him quicker and lighter on his skates.

Tavares said he’s feeling good physically this year. His offseason training last year was hindered by his recovery from a concussion suffered in the 2021 playoffs.

MLIVE.COM: The Detroit Red Wings announced defenseman Mark Pysyk recently underwent surgery to report a torn Achilles tendon. He’s expected to miss four-to-six months. As a result, the Wings signed free-agent defenseman Robert Hagg to a one-year, $800K contract.

NHL.COM: Speaking of the Wings, they signed a five-year extension of their affiliation agreement with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Anaheim Ducks avoided salary arbitration with Isac Lundestrom, signing the 22-year-old forward to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $1.4 million.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Carolina Hurricanes signed free-agent winger Ryan Dzingel to a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K at the NHL level.










NHL Rumor Mill – November 9, 2021

by | Nov 9, 2021

NHL Rumor Mill – November 9, 2021

​The latest on Filip Forsberg and a suggestion for the Penguins to target a Leafs defenseman in the trade market in today’s NHL rumor mill.

THE ATHLETIC: In his latest mailbag segment, Adam Vingan was asked if the Nashville Predators have held any contract talks with Filip Forsberg. His agent, J.P. Barry, told Vingan those discussions have not started but anticipated they could begin at some point in the season.

Nashville Predators winger Filip Forsberg (NHL Images).

Forsberg is in the final season of a six-year, $36-million contract. Vingan speculates Barry could push for his client to become the Predators’ highest-paid forward, exceeding the $8 million annually earned by Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene.

Another reader wondered if Forsberg’s latest injury (upper body, week-to-week) could affect those talks. The 27-year-old winger had already missed a total of 56 games over the previous four seasons to injury. While Forsberg isn’t a reckless player, his latest injury is a reminder of how risky it is for the Predators to sign him to a contract extension.

Vingan suggested Predators general manager David Poile tread carefully in negotiations. He also suggested an argument could be made for Poile to shop Forsberg before the trade deadline.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Poile has indicated his preference to signing Forsberg but I doubt he wants to repeat the mistakes he made with Johansen and Duchene. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Predators GM shops Forsberg if a contract extension isn’t ready before the March 21 trade deadline. Despite his recent history of injuries, Forsberg would draw considerable interest from playoff contenders if he becomes available in March.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Dan Kingerski suggested the Penguins target Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Justin Holl in order to shore up a blueline that has been depleted at times already this season by injuries and COVID-19. Young rearguard Pierre-Olivier Joseph still doesn’t appear while there are questions if Juuso Riikola will reach NHL regular status.

Recent reports out of Toronto indicate the Leafs are shopping a right-side defenseman. While the 29-year-old Holl won’t light up the scoreboard, the 6’4”, 210-pounder is a physical blueliner who can clear traffic around the Penguins net and block shots. He also carries an affordable $2 million cap hit through 2022-23.

The cap-strapped Penguins would have to get creative to acquire Holl but he’d be an immediate upgrade. Kingerski recommended the Penguins offer up goaltender Louis Domingue in return.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kingerski also proposed the Penguins look at the Buffalo Sabres’ Mark Pysyk but he could be harder to acquire as he’s earning second-pairing minutes. Meanwhile, Holl has been a healthy scratch for the past five games.

It remains to be seen if there’s a deal to be had between the Penguins and Leafs regarding Holl. He shouldn’t cost that much to acquire but there doesn’t appear to be much interest in him thus far. The Leafs are also rumored to be willing to entertain offers for Travis Dermott.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 4, 2020

by | Feb 4, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 4, 2020

Game recaps, three stars of the week, plus updates on Frederik Andersen, Carey Price and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: An upper-body injury to Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen overshadowed their 5-3 defeat to the Florida Panthers. Andersen suffered the injury following a first-period collision with Panthers winger Frank Vatrano. Before that, the Leafs goalie was a bit slow getting re-set after being bumped twice. No word yet regarding his status for Wednesday’s game against the New York Rangers. Panthers defenseman Mark Pysyk tallied his first career NHL hat trick. The Panthers (63 points) moved into third place in the Atlantic Division, pushing the Leafs out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen suffered an upper-body injury during Monday’s 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers (Photo via NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs were down 1-0 before Andersen’s injury. They took as 3-1 lead after backup Michael Hutchinson came in, but gave up four straight third-period goals. If Andersen’s sidelined long-term it’ll be a serious blow to the Leafs playoff hopes. It could also push general manager Kyle Dubas into the trade market for help. I’ll have more in the Rumors section.

Stephen Johns scored his first goal in nearly two years as the Dallas Stars downed the New York Rangers 5-3. Johns recently returned to action after being sidelined since 2018 by a head injury. Stars center Joe Pavelski scored twice within 16 seconds in the first period.

Philadelphia Flyers goalie Brian Elliott made 16 saves in a 3-0 blanking of the Detroit Red Wings. Scott Laughton, Kevin Hayes, and Matt Niskanen were the goal scorers. The Flyers (65 points) have won six of their last eight games and hold the first wild-card in the Eastern Conference.

HEADLINES

Edmonton Oilers winger Leon Draisaitl, Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, and Vancouver Canucks winger J.T. Miller are the NHL’s three stars for the week ending Feb. 2.

TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs winger Kasperi Kapanen revealed his recent one-game benching was due to missing practice on Friday because he overslept.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: The flu has sidelined Canadiens netminder Carey Price from tonight’s game with the New Jersey Devils.

CBS SPORTS: Columbus Blue Jackets center Alexander Wennberg (upper body) was placed on injury reserve. He’s expected to miss three-to-four weeks.

TSN: The Chicago Blackhawks claimed defenseman Nick Seeler off waivers from the Minnesota Wild.

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: Local police have cleared Flyers mascot Gritty in the alleged assault of a 13-year-old fan in November.