Potential candidates for the Flyers’ captaincy, Logan Couture explains why he’s sticking with the Sharks, five Bruin players with something to prove in 2022-23, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Olivia Reiner recently listed the top contenders (in alphabetical order) to take over the Flyers’ captaincy. Cam Atkinson, Sean Couturier, Kevin Hayes, Scott Laughton and Travis Sanheim are her top five to replace Claude Giroux, who held the role for almost nine years until his trade to the Florida Panthers in March.
Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Couturier would be my choice. He’s their best and most versatile two-way forward. As Reiner pointed out, they struggled to replace him following season-ending back surgery in February. Couturier leads by example and always brings his best effort to every game.
THE ATHLETIC: In a recent interview with Corey Masisak, Logan Couture said he didn’t consider the option of getting traded when asked about it by new San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier.
“No, not at this stage of my life and where I’m at outside hockey,” said Couture. “I love this area. I’m getting married in this area next summer. I love being a Shark. So I didn’t think twice about it.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Couture also said he understood when Brent Burns accepted a trade to the Carolina Hurricanes. He indicated he spent a lot of time talking to him, citing that the 37-year-old defenseman wanted to play for a winner while he still could.
Couture said Grier contacted him to discuss his plans for the club. The Sharks captain informed his new GM that he would do whatever he could to help get them back in the right direction.
Assuming Couture wanted a trade, moving him wouldn’t be easy. Cap Friendly indicates the 33-year-old is signed through 2026-27 with an average annual value of $8 million and a three-team trade list.
NBC SPORTS BOSTON: Goaltenders Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark are among Nick Goss’ list of five Bruins with something to prove in 2022-23. Forwards Trent Frederic, Craig Smith, and defenseman Mike Reilly round out the list.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Swayman and Ullmark have the most to prove. The Bruins need both goalies to be at their best to reach the playoffs in a very tough Atlantic Division this season.
WHL.COM: Former NHL defenseman Brent Seabrook will be joining the Vancouver Giants as a player development coach. Seabrook, 37, spent his entire 15-season NHL tenure with the Chicago Blackhawks from 2005-06 to 2019-20, winning three Stanley Cups before injuries ended his playing career.
VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: The Golden Knights reverse retro jersey for the coming season appears to have been leaked.
Game recaps, players and rookie of the month, the Islanders’ schedule resumes following a COVID outbreak, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: Auston Matthews’ hat trick powered the Toronto Maple Leafs to an 8-2 drubbing of the Colorado Avalanche. John Tavares had a goal and two assists while William Nylander and Mitch Marner each collected two points. Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had two assists in his return after missing eight games with a lower-body injury. With 35 points, the Leafs have won five straight games and move into first place in the overall standings.
Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (NHL Images).
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid had a goal and three assists to power his club past the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2. Zach Hyman scored twice and Mikko Koskinen made 32 saves for the win. McDavid has reached 40 points and sits one back of league-leader and teammate Leon Draisaitl in the NHL scoring race.
Quinn Hughes collected four assists as his Vancouver Canucks rolled to a 6-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators, handing the latter their sixth straight loss. J.T. Miller had a goal and two assists for the Canucks.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sitting dead last in the overall standings, it’s increasingly apparent the rebuild isn’t over for the Senators. The defense remains porous and the goaltending atrocious.
Shootout goals by Dylan Larkin and Adam Erne gave the Detroit Red Wings their fourth straight win by nipping the Seattle Kraken 4-3. Lucas Raymond scored his 10th goal for the Red Wings and leads all NHL rookies in goals and points with 22. Fellow Wings rookie Moritz Seider chipped in two assists. Ryan Donato tallied twice for the Kraken. The Wings played without Tyler Bertuzzi, who will miss five games after being placed in COVID protocol.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bertuzzi was the only unvaccinated NHL player.
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin made 33 saves to backstop his club over the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1. Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist for the Rangers as they picked up their eighth win in their last nine games. The Flyers, meanwhile, have dropped seven in a row. They also lost winger Joel Farabee in the first period to an upper-body injury.
Trevor Zegras and Sonny Milano each collected three assists as the Anaheim Ducks held off the Vegas Golden Knights 6-5. Jamie Drysdale had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, who’ve won three of their last four games. Max Pacioretty had a goal and an assist for the Golden Knights.
HEADLINES
Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell and Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri are the NHL’s three stars for November 2021.
Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond was named rookie of the month for November 2021.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Raymond’s teammate Moritz Seider was rookie of the month in October. The duo has quickly established themselves among the Wings’ core players and are playing key roles in the rebuilding club’s improvement this season.
The New York Islanders returned to practice yesterday after having two games postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak. They’re scheduled to face the San Jose Sharks tonight. Five players who were in COVID protocol (Anders Lee, Josh Bailey, Ross Johnston, Andy Greene and Adam Pelech) practiced with their teammates yesterday.
MONTREAL GAZETTE: Mathieu Darche and Daniel Briere appear to be leading candidates for the general manager role with the Montreal Canadiens. Hall-of-Famer Patrick Roy has openly expressed interest in the job but it doesn’t appear he’s on the Canadiens’ shortlist.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: With all due respect to Roy, his mercurial temperament could clash with executive VP of hockey operations Jeff Gorton. The last thing the Canadiens need is a media circus with Roy stirring the pot.
Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reports the Tampa Bay Lightning will not stand in Darche’s way if he agrees to interview for the Habs job. He’s currently the Lightning’s assistant GM.
TVA SPORTS’ Renaud Lavoie reports Martin Brodeur isn’t looking to leave the New Jersey Devils even if his name is out there as a candidate for the GM job in Montreal.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Brodeur, Roberto Luongo and Luc Robitaille were all mentioned as possible management material for the Canadiens. I don’t see any of them leaving their current roles with their respective teams for Montreal.
The WHL’s Vancouver Giants announced former Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook has joined their club as an interim volunteer assistant coach.
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The death of Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks on July 4 has been ruled accidental and no criminal charges will be sought.
TSN: The Los Angeles Kings reclaimed defenseman Christian Wolanin off waivers from the Buffalo Sabres, who had claimed Wolanin from the Kings back in October.
On the eve of the free-agent market, the Avalanche re-sign Gabriel Landeskog, the Lightning trade Tyler Johnson to the Blackhawks and the Canucks ship Nate Schmidt to the Jets. Get the details plus other signings and trades in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.
THE DENVER POST: The Colorado Avalanche re-signed Gabriel Landeskog to an eight-year, $56 million contract. The annual average value is $7 million.
The Colorado Avalanche re-sign captain Gabriel Landeskog (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: A big name off the market just hours before free agency begins at noon ET today. The cap hit isn’t too bad but the term is lengthy for a forward turning 29 in November. Still, it should be worthwhile during the first half of the deal if Landeskog’s performance doesn’t decline during that period. It could get costly over the latter half of the contract if his skills deteriorate.
Landeskog is the Avs’ captain and their first-line left-winger. They need his skill and leadership to remain a Stanley Cup contender over the next four years. His cap hit, however, leaves the Avs with $12.3 million in cap space for 2021-22. That could make it difficult to re-sign goaltender Philipp Grubauer and to fill out the remaining roster spots.
TAMPA BAY TIMES/NBC SPORTS CHICAGO: The Tampa Bay Lightning trade winger Tyler Johnson to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for defenseman Brent Seabrook’s contract and a second-round pick in 2023.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Lightning were expected to trade Johnson this summer to free up salary-cap space. By taking on the permanently sidelined Seabrook’s contract, they’ll free up around $5 million in cap space by placing him on long-term injury reserve. That contract is worth an annual average value of $6.875 million through 2023-24.
Johnson’s contract also expires in ’23-’24 and he carries a $5 million annual cap hit. The Blackhawks now have around $2.5 million in cap room, though they can get $3.9 million more if necessary by placing permanently sidelined forward Andrew Shaw on LTIR.
THE PROVINCE/WINNIPEG SUN: The Vancouver Canucks trade defenseman Nate Schmidt to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a third-round pick in 2022.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: A salary dump by the Canucks, shedding $5.95 million through 2024-25 from their books. With over $26 million in cap space, they have sufficient room to re-sign young stars Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. It should also allow them to fend off any offer sheet attempts for Pettersson.
The Jets, meanwhile, add their second defenseman in as many days after acquiring Brenden Dillon from the Washington Capitals. A lack of depth among their top-four blueliners was an area of concern last season. Schmidt and Dillon should help them address that issue.
THE ATHLETIC: The Seattle Kraken are expected to sign winger Jaden Schwartz when the free-agent market opens at noon ET today.
SPORTSNET: Patrik Laine is accepting the Columbus Blue Jackets’ $7.5 million qualifying offer for 2021-22.
BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: The Bruins are reportedly closing in on a new contract for center David Krejci.
NBC SPORTS BOSTON: The Bruins have re-signed defenseman Mike Reilly to a three-year deal worth $3 million per season.
MONTREAL GAZETTE: The Canadiens re-signed forward Joel Armia to a four-year, $13.6 million contract. The annual average value is $3.4 million.
FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: The Panthers are reportedly re-signing defenseman Brandon Montour to a three-year deal worth $3.5 million per season.
NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: The Flyers are expected to sign defenseman Keith Yandle to a one-year, $900K contract. Yandle was bought out of his former contract by the Florida Panthers.
NEW YORK POST: The Carolina Hurricanes are expected to sign former Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo.
WGR550.COM: The Buffalo Sabres re-signed forward Drake Caggiula to a one-year, $750K contract.
TSN: The Winnipeg Jets re-signed goaltender Eric Comrie to a one-year, $750K deal.
THE PROVINCE: The Canucks bought out the final season of goaltender Braden Holtby’s contract.
NBC SPORTS BAY AREA: The San Jose Sharks bought out the remaining three years of goaltender Martin Jones’ contract.
EDMONTON JOURNAL: The Oilers bought out the remaining two years of winger James Neal’s contract. They’re also believed to be working on a four-year contract extension for defenseman Darnell Nurse.
THE DENVER POST: The Avalanche acquired defenseman Kurtis MacDermid from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a 2023 fourth-rounder.
The Sabres are reportedly open for business plus the difficulty in trading Carey Price or moving Brent Seabrook’s contract in the Sunday NHL rumor roundup.
Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said Eichel had not requested a trade. However, it wouldn’t be shocking if Adams was at least listening to calls about his captain. Given Eichel’s status among the league’s elite players, he would fetch a significant return. However, that type of move usually takes place during the offseason when teams have the cap space and available assets to move.
Reinhart could also fall into the category of an offseason move but we can’t dismiss the possibility he could be shopped at the April 12 trade deadline. The 25-year-old winger is on a one-year, $5.2 million contract and has arbitration rights this summer.
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (NHL Images).
Staal, Hall and Montour are slated to become unrestricted free agents this summer. Hall has indicated he’s willing to discuss a new contract with the Sabres. Given his poor performance this season, however, Adams could peddle him at the trade deadline if he’s willing to waive his no-movement clause.
Staal must submit a 10-team no-trade list but I daresay he’d be open to going to a contender. Montour lacks no-trade protection.
COULD THE HABS TRADE PRICE THIS YEAR?
SPORTSNET: In a recent mailbag segment, Eric Engels was asked if there was any possibility of the Montreal Canadiens trading goaltender Carey Price to the Seattle Kraken. Price is from British Columbia and lives in Kelowna during the offseason with his family. His wife is from Washington State and Price played his junior hockey there with the Tri-City Americans.
Engels points out the difficulty in moving Price’s contract. His no-movement clause means the Canadiens must protect him in the Seattle expansion draft. If Price agreed to waive that clause a trade would be difficult to pull off due to salary-cap implications, the current economic climate, and the way Price’s contract is structured.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: So, short answer: no.
Price’s struggles this season have prompted some Canadiens followers to suggest the Habs try to expose him in the Seattle expansion draft or trade him to the Kraken this summer. Engels does a nice job breaking down why that’s not going to happen. Sure, anything’s possible and perhaps a complex deal could be made to trade Price, but there are simply too many factors working against it.
COULD THE BLACKHAWKS ATTEMPT TO TRADE SEABROOK’S CONTRACT?
THE ATHLETIC: Scott Power looked at the Chicago Blackhawks options with Brent Seabrook’s contract. The 35-year-old defenseman announced the end of his playing career last week due to injuries but he hasn’t officially retired. He has three years remaining on his contract with an annual average value of $6.875 million.
Because he cannot play anymore due to injuries, the Blackhawks cannot buy him out. They will place Seabrook on long-term injury reserve. They could attempt to trade the contract to a budget team that needs to reach the salary-cap minimum but Powers suspects the $15.5 million in actual salary remaining on that deal make it difficult to move. The flattened salary cap would be another stumbling block.
Powers suggested shopping Seabrook’s contract to a team already in salary-cap hell that could use his LTIR status to garner some extra cap room. It could also cost the Blackhawks a first-round pick to tempt a team into taking that contract off their hands.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Moving Seabrook’s contract would be easier if this were a normal time when the salary cap was guaranteed to rise by $3 million or $4 million each year. But it’s not, and there might not be many teams willing to do so now.
Recaps of Friday’s games, Brent Seabrook retires, Sabres GM speaks about his club’s poor performance and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: Brad Marchand scored twice and set up another to lead the Boston Bruins over the Washington Capitals 5-1. Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom collected an assist to give him 700 for his career. Capitals winger Tom Wilson could face supplemental discipline after he drilled Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo in the head during the first period. Wilson was unpenalized on the play while Carlo left the game and was taken to hospital for his injury.
Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wilson has a history of questionable hits stretching back to 2015. His previous antics earned him four fines and three suspensions totaling 23 games.
A shootout goal by Philipp Kurashev lifted the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Alex DeBrincat scored twice, Patrick Kane collected two helpers and Malcolm Subban made 39 saves for the win.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blackhawks have proven to be a handful for the Lightning in this series compared to their previous one earlier in the season. It’s indicative of how much the Hawks have improved since the opening weeks of the schedule.
David Perron’s game-tying goal late in the third period set the stage for Mike Hoffman’s overtime winner as the St. Louis Blues edged the Los Angeles Kings 3-2. Perron scored twice while Ryan O’Reilly assisted on every Blues goal. The Kings have dropped four straight.
The Colorado Avalanche got an overtime goal by Valeri Nichushkin to nip the Anaheim Ducks 3-2. Avs center Nathan MacKinnon remained sidelined by an apparent head injury suffered during Wednesday’s game against San Jose. He received clearance to play but was a late scratch to avoid further injury. Head coach Jared Bednar believes MacKinnon could miss a couple of more games.
A three-goal first period powered the Minnesota Wild to a 5-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes. Jordan Greenway and Mats Zuccarello each had a goal and an assist while Kirill Kaprizov and Marcus Foligno both collected two assists.
Max Pacioretty scored in overtime as the Vegas Golden Knights downed the San Jose Sharks 5-4. Pacioretty scored twice and added an assist. Vegas goalie Oscar Dansk made 24 saves to pick up his first win since 2017.
HEADLINES
NBC SPORTS CHICAGO: Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook announced his playing career is over due to injuries. The 35-year-old blueliner’s last game was Dec. 15, 2019, after which he underwent surgery on both of his hips and right shoulder. He then suffered a back injury during the opening day of training camp in January. Seabrook finishes his career with three Stanley Cups (2010, 2013, 2015), an Olympic Gold Medal (2010) and 464 points in 1,114 games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Seabrook spent his entire 15-year NHL career with the Blackhawks and played a crucial role in their rise from league laughingstock to three-time Stanley Cup champion. He hasn’t officially retired, however, as he has three years and $15 million in actual salary remaining on his contract. He’ll remain on long-term injury reserve, which will provide the Blackhawks with a measure of salary-cap relief.
WGR 550: Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams expressed his unhappiness yesterday over his club’s poor performance. He called where the team was at this time “unacceptable”, criticized what he called a lack of competitiveness by the players, emphasized he has “full authority on hockey decisions,” indicated “everything is being evaluated” when asked about head coach Ralph Krueger’s status and claimed team captain Jack Eichel has not requested a trade.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Adams’ statement seemed to be the club’s attempt to mollify Sabres fans upset with the club’s lack of progress. Talk is one thing, action is another. The fans are more interested in what, if anything, the current management intends to do to end this team’s decade of mediocrity.
MONTREAL GAZETTE: Former Canadiens goaltending coach Stephane Waite said the club expected starting goalie Carey Price would struggle in January and February as he adjusted to sharing his workload this season with backup Jake Allen. Price was expected to improve as the season wore on and saw more starts.
Waite also said the long-time Habs netminder isn’t at 100 percent physically but he can still play. “He’s not hurt but he has some stiffness. He has to learn to play with the pain and that’s why we need a very good backup and that’s what we have in Montreal right now.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This will further stoke debate among Canadiens fans over whether Price will ever regain his once-dominant form on a consistent basis.
THE SCORE: Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning said he’s not looking to make a coaching change. Bench boss Travis Green is in the final season of his contract but Benning believes Green and his staff “have done a good job with our group”. As for trades, the Canucks GM said his struggling team has to figure this out from within as new players would have to quarantine for two weeks and regain their conditioning.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: So, no Jake Virtanen to the Anaheim Ducks for Danton Heinen as rumored a week ago?
NEW YORK POST: The Rangers are breathing a sigh of relief as they learned goaltender Igor Shesterkin suffered a mild groin strain during Thursday’s win over the New Jersey Devils. He had to be helped off the ice at the end of the third period when he was unable to put weight on his right leg. He’s listed as day-to-day.
STARTRIBUNE.COM: Former 1980 Team USA forward Mark Pavelich, 63, was found dead in a Minnesota treatment facility. Pavelich helped Team USA upset the powerful Soviet Union squad on route to winning Olympic gold in 1980. He went on to spend six seasons in the NHL with the New York Rangers, Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks, tallying 329 points in 355 games.
Pavelich was arrested in 2019 and charged with a violent assault on his neighbor but was found mentally incompetent to stand trial. Family and friends believe his condition was linked to head trauma suffered during his playing career. He was receiving treatment for his condition and was believed to be making progress at the time of his death.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Pavelich’s family, friends and former teammates.
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