NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 24, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 24, 2024

The Capitals defeat the Flyers, Blues forward Robert Thomas and Utah defensemen Sean Durzi and John Marino sidelined by injuries, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The Washington Capitals downed the Philadelphia Flyers 6-3 in Wednesday’s only game.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (NHL Images).

Connor McMichael tallied twice, Pierre-Luc Dubois had a goal and an assist and Alex Ovechkin scored his 855th career goal for the Capitals. Owen Tippett and rookie winger Matvei Michkov each had a goal and an assist for the Flyers as they scored three goals after falling behind 4-0 before Dubois and Ovechkin put the game out of reach.

The Capitals have won five straight games while the Flyers have lost six in a row (0-5-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin is 40 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894.

The Flyers are struggling but Michkov has been a bright spot for them. He leads all rookies with seven points in as many games.

STLTODAY.COM: Blues forward Robert Thomas will miss six weeks with a fractured ankle after blocking a shot during Tuesday’s loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

NHL.COM: The Blues activated Oskar Sundqvist (knee) from injured reserve. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blues could find it difficult to replace Thomas’ offense during his absence. He led the club with a career-best 86 points in 2023-24 and is second in points with six this season.

THE SCORE: Utah Hockey Club defensemen Sean Durzi and John Marino will be sidelined for a while. Durzi will miss four to six months following surgery on his right shoulder while Marino will be out three to four months after having a procedure on his back.

Durzi had two points in four games this season before his injury. Marino was acquired from the New Jersey Devils during the offseason but had yet to suit up with Utah because of his back.

In a related move, Utah called up defenseman Maveric Lamoureux.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Utah is 4-2-1 despite the absences of Durzi and Marino. If their right-side defense begins to suffer as the season progresses, they could seek help in the trade market.

SPORTSNET: Montreal Canadiens defenseman Justin Barron is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury following a hit by New York Rangers blueliner Jacob Trouba on Tuesday. There was no penalty on the play and Trouba won’t face supplemental discipline.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: The Lightning placed forward Conor Sheary on waivers. It’s unlikely that another club will claim Sheary and his $2 million annual average value through 2025-26. Instead, he could be demoted to the Lightning’s AHL affiliate in Syracuse.

TSN: Justin Schultz signed a one-year contract with HC Lugano in Switzerland. The 34-year-old defenseman spent 12 seasons in the NHL (2012-13 to 2023-24) with the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals and Seattle Kraken, tallying 71 goals and 324 points in 745 regular-season games and 43 points in 82 playoff contests, winning two Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Schultz reportedly had offers of two-way contracts from some NHL clubs but was waiting for a one-way deal. He was expected to play in Europe if he didn’t get a suitable NHL proposal.

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: The Avalanche assigned forward Calum Ritchie back to the Oshawa Generals of the OHL.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Former NHL goaltender Michael Leighton is among the 2025 inductees into the American Hockey League Hall of Fame. He’s fifth all-time in wins (250) and the league’s all-time shutout leader with 50. He made the All-Rookie team in 2002 and won the Baz Bastien Memorial Award as best goaltender in 2008.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leighton played 110 games in the NHL from 2002-03 to 2016-17 with the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes. He’s best known among NHL fans for backstopping the Flyers to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.










NHL Rumor Mill – June 17, 2024

NHL Rumor Mill – June 17, 2024

More suggested contract buyout candidates plus the latest on Pavel Buchnevich in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

MORE POTENTIAL BUYOUT CANDIDATES

THE ATHLETIC: Thomas Drance and Harman Dayal listed 12 players to monitor when the NHL’s contract buyout window opens following the Stanley Cup Final.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Most players on this list also appeared on Daily Faceoff’s recent buyout candidate list. You can read my take on those here.

The list includes Tampa Bay Lightning forward Conor Sheary, Seattle Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer, New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba, Detroit Red Wings blueliner Justin Holl, and Winnipeg Jets rearguard Nate Schmidt.

New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Lightning are squeezed for cap space for 2024-25, hampering efforts to re-sign captain Steven Stamkos. Buyout out Sheary will only free up $1.4 million in cap space for next season, but every bit helps now.

Buying out Grubauer would save the Kraken over $4.9 million for 2024-25. However, they might not be ready to hand the starter’s job to Joey D’Accord just yet. If D’Accord can carry that burden next season, they can explore trading or buying out Grubauer next year.

The Rangers won’t buy out Trouba. Granted, he’s overpaid at $8 million per season through 2025-26. However, his postseason struggles were likely tied to playing on an injured ankle since March. For a team with Stanley Cup aspirations that needs more toughness, getting rid of their most physical player doesn’t make sense. If they wish to part ways with Trouba, they’d be better off shedding his salary through the trade market.

Buying out Holl now makes sense if the Red Wings can’t find any takers for Holl in the trade market. The authors observed he was a health scratch for 38 games this season. They also pointed out that the Wings have a glut of bottom-three defensemen with Ben Chiarot, Olli Maatta and Jeff Petry signed for next season. The Wings have nearly $30 million in cap space for next season but buying out Holl adds another $2.2 million annually to the kitty for the next two seasons.

The same goes for Schmidt. He has a year left on his deal with an AAV of $5.95 million, which is a lot for a third-pairing defenseman. The Jets have $13 million in cap space. Buying out Schmidt frees up $3.2 million for 2024-25.

LATEST ON PAVEL BUCHNEVICH

DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli included Pavel Buchnevich in his recent Trade Targets list. He wondered if the St. Louis Blues are prepared to pay the 29-year-old winger a big raise on a long-term contract.

Buchnevich has produced 206 points in 216 games with the Blues. The winger has a year left on his contract with an average annual value of $5.8 million. Seravalli expects that he’ll be in line for a raise in the $8 million-plus range.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Seravalli noted that Buchnevich was a hot commodity before the March trade deadline but the Blues’ asking price was three first-round equivalents. That price could drop as the winger would now be a one-year rental unless inquiring teams intend to re-sign him.

There was talk earlier this year that the Blues were interested in re-signing Buchnevich and he wanted to stay. We’ll find out soon enough whether those discussions get serious.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 8, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 8, 2023

The Sharks get their first win of the season, Rangers winger Artemi Panarin extends his points streak, Flames winger Jonathan Huberdeau gets benched, the Oilers place Jack Campbell on waivers, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The San Jose Sharks ended their 11-game season-opening winless skid by holding off the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1. Anthony Duclair and William Eklund scored while Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 38 shots for the 1-10-1 Sharks. Joel Farabee replied for the Flyers as they dropped to 5-7-2.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blackwood was the hero for the Sharks with a stellar performance in this game. It’s just the third game that they managed to score more than once. Meanwhile, Sean Couturier returned to the Flyers lineup after missing the last two games with a lower-body injury while Morgan Frost was a healthy scratch.

New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin (NHL Images).

New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist to extend his season-opening points streak to 12 games as his club clipped the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 5-3. Vincent Trocheck scored twice while Chris Kreider and Erik Gustafsson each had two points as the Rangers (9-2-1) lead the Metropolitan Division with 19 points. Michael Rasmussen, Klim Kostin and Andrew Copp scored for the Red Wings as they slipped to 7-5-1.

The Calgary Flames scored four straight goals to double up the Nashville Predators 4-2. Nazem Kadi and Yegor Sherangovich each had two points for the 4-7-1 Flames while Michael McCarron and Kiefer Sherwood tallied for the 5-7-0 Predators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The surprise of the night was Flames winger Jonathan Huberdeau getting benched for the entire third period as his teammates staged their comeback win. Flames coach Ryan Huska said he made the move because he felt Huberdeau had an off-night.

Huberdeau has been struggling since last season to regain the high-scoring form that earned him an eight-year contract with an average annual value of $10.5 million. Whether this move lights a fire under him remains to be seen.

An overtime goal by Martin Necas lifted the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Tony DeAngelo and Brady Skjei also scored for the Hurricanes as they improved to 8-5-0. Alex Tuch and Rasmus Dahlin replied for the 6-6-1 Sabres.

The Colorado Avalanche remain unbeaten at home (4-0-0) after defeating the New Jersey Devils 6-3 to move into first place in the Central Division with 16 points. Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar each had three points and Nathan MacKinnon and Miles Wood both had two points for the 8-3-0 Avalanche. Tyler Toffoli and Dougie Hamilton each had two points for the 7-4-1 Devils.

A four-goal first period powered the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Montreal Canadiens by a score of 5-3. Nick Paul tallied two goals while Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman each collected two points for the Lightning (6-3-4). Canadiens goalie Jake Allen was replaced by Sam Montembeault after giving up four goals on nine shots as the Habs sank to 5-5-2 on the season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A tough outing for Allen, who was the club’s Molson Cup recipient as their top star in October. Meanwhile, Lightning forward Conor Sheary left the game in the first period with an upper-body injury.

Third-period goals by Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek gave the Minnesota Wild a 4-2 win over the New York Islanders. Marc-Andre Fleury made 27 shots as the Wild improved to 5-5-2. Noah Dobson and Oliver Wahlstrom replied for the Islanders as they dropped to 5-3-3.

The Winnipeg Jets got two goals from Kyle Connor to beat the St. Louis Blues 5-2. Connor and Mark Scheifele each finished with three points while Alex Iafallo collected four assists for the 6-4-2 Jets. Robert Thomas and Brayden Schenn scored for the Blues as they fell to 5-5-1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Part of the return to Winnipeg in the June trade that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Kings, Iafallo has fit in well with the Jets. He’s third among their scoring leaders with 10 points in 12 games.

A shootout goal by Nick Bjugstad lifted the Arizona Coyotes to a 4-3 win over the Seattle Kraken. Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz each had two points in regulation while Connor Ingram made 35 saves for the 6-5-1 Coyotes. Matty Beniers and Eeli Tolvanen each had two points for the Kraken (4-6-3).

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltenders Tristan Jarry and Magnus Hellberg combined for 32 saves to shut out the Anaheim Ducks 2-0. Radim Zohorna and Sidney Crosby were the goal scorers as the Penguins improved to 5-6-0. John Gibson made 34 saves for the Ducks (7-5-0).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jarry left this game in the third period with a head injury as he suffered a cut over his right eye. There was no update on his condition following the game.

IN OTHER NEWS…

EDMONTON JOURNAL: The Oilers yesterday placed goaltender Jack Campbell on waivers to assign him to their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield. They’re expected to call up Calvin Pickard to back up Stuart Skinner.

Campbell, 31, is in the second season of his five-year, $25-million contract. He’s struggled since last season to establish himself as their starter. The Oilers are dead last in the NHL in save percentage this season with Campbell (.873) having one win in five starts while Skinner (.856) has one win in six starts.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No one is claiming Campbell and his contract off waivers. The Oilers will have to hope that this stint in the AHL helps him regain his form and confidence. They will only get $1.15 million in cap relief by sending him to the minors. 

This move has also sparked speculation that more changes could be coming for the struggling Oilers. I’ll have more on this in today’s Rumors update.










Notable NHL Moves For July 1, 2023

Notable NHL Moves For July 1, 2023

Check in regularly for today’s notable player moves during the opening day of the NHL’s annual free-agent market.

New York Islander sign goaltender Semyon Varlamov to a four-year, $11 million contract. 

Detroit Red Wings sign center J.T. Compher to a five-year, $25.5 million contract.

New York Islanders sign Scott Mayfield to a seven-year, $24.5 million contract. 

Seattle Kraken signed Brian Dumoulin to a two-year, $6.3 million contract.

Colorado Avalanche signs Jonathan Drouin to a one-year, $825K contract.

Pittsburgh Penguins sign Lars Eller to a two-year, $4.9 million contract.

New York Islanders sign Pierre Engvall to a seven-year, $21 million contract. 

Colorado Avalanche sign winger Miles Wood to a six-year, $15 million contract. 

Pittsburgh Penguins sign defenseman Ryan Graves to a six-year, $27 million contract. 

Pittsburgh Penguins bring back goaltender Tristan Jarry on a five-year, $28.875 million contract.

Anaheim Ducks sign Alex Killorn to a four-year, $25 million contract. 

Arizona Coyotes sign Jason Zucker to a one-year, $5.3 million contract. 

Detroit Red Wings sign Daniel Sprong to a one-year, $2 million contract.

Dallas Stars sign Matt Duchene to a one-year, $3 million contract

Tampa Bay Lightning sign Conor Sheary to a three-year $6 million contract. 

Boston Bruins sign defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk to a one-year, $1 million contract. 

Nashville Predators sign forward Gustav Nyquist to a two-year, $6.37 million contract. 

Detroit Red Wings sign defenseman Justin Holl to a three-year, $10.20 million contract. 

Washington Capitals sign Max Pacioretty to a one-year, $2 million contract.

Vancouver Canucks sign Carson Soucy to a three-year, $9.75 million contract. 

Nashville Predators sign Ryan O’Reilly to a four-year, $18 million contract. 

Carolina Hurricanes sign defenseman Dmitry Orlov to a two-year. $7.75 million contract. 

Carolina Hurricanes bring back goaltender Frederik Andersen on a two-year, $6.8 million contract. 

Ottawa Senators sign goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to a five-year, $20 million contract.

Buffalo Sabres sign defenseman Erik Johnson to a one-year, $3.25 million contract. 

Edmonton Oilers sign winger Connor Brown to a one-year, $4 million contract. 

Anaheim Ducks sign defenseman Radko Gudas to a three-year, $12 million contract. 

San Jose Sharks sign goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood to a two-year $4.7 million contract. 

New York Rangers sign right wing Blake Wheeler to a one-year, $800K salary plus $300K max bonuses.

Boston Bruins sign left wing James van Riemsdyk to a one-year, $1 million contract. 

Boston Bruins sign winger Milan Lucic to a one-year, $1 million contract. 

Los Angeles Kings sign Cam Talbot to a one-year, $1 million contract.

Montreal Canadiens traded defenseman Joel Edmundson to the Washington Capitals for a third-round pick and a seventh-rounder in the 2024 NHL draft.  The Canadiens are retaining 50 percent of his cap hit.

Nashville Predator sign Luke Schenn to a three-year contract with an AAV of $2.75 million

Florida Panthers sign defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to a one-year, $2.25 million contract.

Toronto Maple Leafs sign forward Ryan Reaves to a three-year contract with an AAV of $1.3 million.










NHL Rumor Mill – April 8, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – April 8, 2023

Is Erik Karlsson playing his final games with the San Jose Sharks? What’s the latest on the Capitals? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

IS THIS ERIK KARLSSON’S FINAL SEASON WITH THE SHARKS?

THE MERCURY NEWS: Curtis Pashelka wonders if Erik Karlsson’s home game on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers will be his last with the San Jose Sharks. Eliminated from postseason contention, the Sharks wrap up their season with a three-game road trip ending in Edmonton on Thursday.

San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson (NHL Images).

Karlsson, 33, has said multiple times that he wants to play for a contender. However, the Sharks have missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season and are years away from Stanley Cup contention.

Once this season is over, Karlsson said he’ll meet with management to evaluate where they go from here. Sharks general manager Mike Grier said last fall that he was willing to listen to offers for the two-time Norris Trophy winner. There was speculation prior to the March 3 trade deadline of discussions between the Sharks and the Oilers but Grier said nothing came to fruition.

Karlsson carries an $11.5 million salary cap hit through 2026-27 and also has a full no-movement clause. Nevertheless, the list of possible suitors could grow this summer, especially if the salary cap rises by more than the projected $1 million for next season. Even so, Pashelka believes the Sharks would still have to retain part of Karlsson’s salary to facilitate a trade.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Karlsson’s age, cap hit and the remaining years on his contract are significant obstacles in the path toward a trade. Nevertheless, he’s enjoying a career-best performance that could see him become the first defensemen in 31 years to reach 100 points in a season. He’s also the favorite to win the Norris Trophy for the third time in his career.

Karlsson will remain a hot topic for trade conjecture once the playoffs end in June. The most likely window for a move is the last half of June when teams have more salary-cap space and willingness to invest in big-name talent. The more the Sharks are willing to retain in salary, the more interest they’ll get.

LATEST ON THE CAPITALS

THE ATHLETIC: Tarik El-Bashir recently looked at which members of the Washington Capitals will be staying and those that will be going during the upcoming offseason.

He feels the Capitals might be willing to listen on Evgeny Kuznetsov and Anthony Mantha. Kuznetsov was recently the subject of a rumor out of Russia claiming he requested a trade. He shot it down but his situation could bear watching this summer.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: As I’ve noted before, this isn’t the first time Kuznetsov has popped up in the rumor mill but he rebounded from a disappointing 2020-21 season to put up solid numbers last season. With two years remaining on his contract at an annual average value of $7.8 million, he’s probably not going anywhere unless the Capitals retain some salary in the deal.

Mantha’s disappointing performance could see his future linked to that of head coach Peter Laviolette. El-Bashir doesn’t see a contract buyout happening.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Mantha’s stock has likely plummeted in the trade market. Signed through next season at a cap hit of $5.7 million, he’ll be tough to move unless there’s salary retention involved on the Capitals’ part.

As for Laviolette, it felt like he would get a contract extension. However, the situation feels much more tenuous now after two no-show losses to the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I think a coaching change is coming. On the one hand, the Capitals were walloped by injuries to key players this season. Laviolette can’t be faulted for that. On the other hand, if he was going to get a contract extension, it probably would’ve happened by now.

Conor Sheary is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July. It’s hard to know whether he has a future in Washington. At this stage, it seems like he’ll be playing elsewhere next season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: El-Bashir’s colleague Eric Duhatschek believes the Capitals will look to retool this summer rather than rebuild. He expects the four extra draft picks they received in their trade deadline deals (two third-rounders in 2024 and two second-rounders in 2025) will be used as trade chips this summer.










NHL Rumor Mill – March 11, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – March 11, 2023

Check out the latest on the Capitals and Sharks in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

WASHINGTON HOCKEY NOW: Sammi Silber recently cited Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan telling a local radio show that one of his off-season goals will be to bring in a top-six winger.

Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan (NHL.com).

Silber noted that Alex Ovechkin is the only Capital to reach the 20-goal plateau with a team-leading 36. T.J. Oshie is second with 16 goals. MacLellan intends to use some of the draft picks acquired before the trade deadline to potentially make some moves in the offseason. Free agency could also provide some options.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Cap Friendly indicates the Capitals have over $10 million in projected cap space for 2023-24 with 15 roster players under contract. All of their core players are under contract but adding a top-six winger could eat up a big chunk of that cap space. MacLellan could include a salaried player in a trade packaged with a draft pick to bring in that scoring winger.

Silber also reported that Conor Sheary was relieved that he wasn’t moved at last Friday’s trade deadline. An unrestricted free agent on July 1, Sheary hopes to re-sign with the Capitals but said there hasn’t been much progress on a deal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sheary is completing a two-year deal with an AAV of $1.5 million. He should be an affordable re-signing but that could depend on how much cap space the Capitals have if they find that aforementioned top-six winger.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Sheng Peng cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman recently indicated that an unnamed team made a “real, legit offer” for Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro. Despite struggling at times this season, the 24-year-old remains a talented and competitive blueliner. Sharks GM Mike Grier is said to have set a high asking price for Ferraro.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ferraro is also in the first season of a four-year contract with a cost-effective $3.25 million AAV. He would be a valuable trade chip if the Sharks intend to engage in a complete roster rebuild. Then again, Grier could see him as a valuable part of a rebuilding roster.