NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 24, 2026

by | Jan 24, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 24, 2026

The Golden Knights win as Mitch Marner returns to Toronto, Sharks center Macklin Celebrini achieves a notable scoring milestone, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF FRIDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone extended his franchise-record points streak to 14 games with two goals and an assist in a 6-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jack Eichel had a goal and an assist for the Golden Knights (25-13-12), who lead the Pacific Division with 62 points. Matthew Knies collected two assists for the 24-18-9 Maple Leafs, who are 1-3-2 in their last six games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was the first game in Toronto for former Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner since he joined the Golden Knights last summer. He received a mix of boos and cheers from Leafs fans, but they also gave him a standing ovation following the Leafs’ video tribute honoring his nine seasons in Toronto.

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (NHL Images).

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini tallied twice to lead his club over the New York Rangers 3-1. Will Smith and Collin Graf each picked up two assists for the Sharks (26-21-3). Sam Carrick replied for the 21-25-6 Rangers, who have dropped three straight games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Celebrini became the second-youngest active player (19 years, 224 days) to reach 50 career NHL regular-season goals. Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is the youngest at 19 years, 120 days. The young Sharks center is the fastest player in franchise history to reach 50 goals, doing so in 120 games.

Philadelphia Flyers winger Owen Tippett had a hat trick and picked up an assist in a 7-3 drubbing of the Colorado Avalanche. Matvei Michkov scored twice and collected an assist, and Samuel Ersson stopped 32 shots for the Flyers, who improved to 24-17-9. Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas each had two assists for the league-leading Avalanche (34-6-9, 77 points), who are 3-4-2 in their last nine games.

The Tampa Bay Lightning extended their points streak to 15 games (14-0-1) by nipping the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1. Nikita Kucherov scored in regulation, and Dominic James netted the winning goal during the shootout for the 32-13-4 Lightning, who hold first place in the Eastern Conference with 68 points. Arvid Soderblom made 30 saves in regulation and overtime while Ryan Greene scored for the 21-22-8 Blackhawks.

Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson scored with one minute remaining in the third period for a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Wyatt Johnston had a goal and an assist for the 29-14-9 Stars, who picked up their second win in their last six games (2-4-0). Pavel Buchnevich had a goal and an assist for the 19-24-8 Blues.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stars defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin left this game with a lower-body injury. Blues winger Dylan Holloway missed this game as he returned to St. Louis for an X-ray on his injured ankle. Meanwhile, Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist (ankle) was placed on injured reserve.

Anaheim Ducks winger Cutter Gauthier and defenseman Pavel Mintyukov each had a goal and an assist to double up the Seattle Kraken 4-2. Lukas Dostal made 20 saves for the 27-21-3 Ducks, who extended their win streak to six games. Jared McCann and Jaden Schwartz replied for the Kraken (22-19-9), who are 1-4-1 in their last six games.

Third-period goals by Aliaksei Protas and Alex Ovechkin lifted the Washington Capitals over the Calgary Flames 3-1. Martin Fehervary collected two assists for the Capitals (25-21-6) as they snapped a four-game losing skid. Devin Cooley kicked out 35 shots, and Morgan Frost scored for the 21-25-5 Flames.

The New Jersey Devils held off the Vancouver Canucks 5-4. Cody Glass scored twice and collected an assist while rookie winger Lenni Hameenaho picked up his first NHL goal and assist for the 27-22-2 Devils, who have won three straight games. Linus Karlsson had a goal and an assist for the 17-29-5 Canucks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canucks center Filip Chytil was held scoreless as he returned to action after missing 44 games with an upper-body injury.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 19, 2026

by | Jan 19, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 19, 2026

The Oilers get a shutout in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ 1,000th career game, reaction to the Flames trading Rasmus Andersson to the Golden Knights, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF SUNDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers center forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored in his 1,000th career NHL regular-season game to help his club blank the St. Louis Blues 5-0. Zach Hyman tallied twice and collected an assist while Connor Ingram turned in a 27-save shutout for the 25-17-8 Oilers. Jordan Binnington stopped 23 shots for the Blues, who dropped to 19-22-8.

Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nugent-Hopkins is only the second player in Oilers history to play 1,000 games for the franchise, and the only one to play his entire career in Edmonton. He needs 38 more games to pass Kevin Lowe as the franchise leader. Nugent-Hopkins is also the 10th player in NHL history to score in his first NHL game and in his 1,000th.

Blues winger (and former Oiler) Dylan Holloway returned to action after missing the last 15 games with an ankle injury. His teammate, Oskar Sundqvist, left this game in the third period with an injured left leg.

The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars 4-1. Jake Guentzel and Dominic James each had a goal and an assist for the Lightning (30-13-4), who extended their points streak to 13 games (12-0-1) and regained first place in the Eastern Conference with 64 points. Oskar Back scored for the slumping Stars (27-13-9), who are 2-6-4 in their last 12 contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy reached the 20-win plateau for the 10th consecutive season. Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist is the all-time leader with thirteen 20-win seasons.

An overtime goal by Alex DeBrincat lifted the Detroit Red Wings to a 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators. DeBrincat and Andrew Copp each had two points as the Red Wings (30-16-4) have won six of their last seven games. Drake Batherson had a goal and an assist, and James Reimer made 30 saves for the struggling Senators (22-19-7), who are 4-6-3 in their last 13 games.

HEADLINES

VEGAS HOCKEY NOW/CALGARY SUN: The Golden Knights acquired defenseman Rasmus Andersson from the Flames in exchange for defenseman Zach Whitecloud, defense prospect Abram Wiebe, a conditional first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, and a conditional second-round pick in 2028.

PUCKPEDIA: The Flames retained 50 percent ($2.275 million) of Andersson’s $4.55 million cap hit. The conditional second-rounder becomes a first-round pick if the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights did it again, willingly sacrificing futures to acquire a talented player who can help them right away. It also helped that the player they wanted was interested in joining them.

Andersson is the second defenseman the Golden Knights have acquired from the Flames since 2024. That was the year they obtained Noah Hanifin, eventually signing him to a contract extension.

The salary retention by the Flames was necessary to make the dollars fit for the Golden Knights, who moved Whitecloud and his $2.75 million cap hit in this deal. The 29-year-old blueliner is in the fourth year of a six-year contract. This move leaves the Golden Knights with $3.865 million in trade deadline cap space.

It’s a bit of a gamble contract-wise for the Golden Knights, as Andersson would not agree to sign a contract extension. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t re-sign before his eligibility for unrestricted free-agent status on July 1. It wouldn’t be surprising if he does.

As noted in the links provided, the Golden Knights needed an experienced top-pairing defenseman on their right side to replace the sidelined Alex Pietrangelo, who is on long-term injury reserve and whose playing days may be over. This move signals that Pietrangelo won’t return for the playoffs, meaning he’ll be moved to season-ending LTIR at some point, probably at the end of the regular season.

Andersson is a solid all-around defenseman whose puck-moving skills will provide more offense from the blueline for the Golden Knights.

Whitecloud provides the Flames with an experienced shutdown defenseman who can play top-four minutes. He will buy them time to develop promising blueliners Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz. The Brandon, Manitoba native said he’s happy and excited about joining the Flames and playing in a Canadian market, so that’s a promising sign going forward.

How well this deal works out long-term for the Flames depends on the development of college prospect Wiebe and the prospects they select with those draft picks.

NHL.COM: Nashville Predators forward Steven Stamkos was fined $2,500 for unsportmanlike conduct against Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Jeremy Lauzon on Saturday.

TSN: Buffalo Sabres center Josh Norris is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

SPORTSNET: The San Jose Sharks placed defenseman Nick Leddy on waivers.

NHL.COM: Former NHL forward Phil Goyette passed away on Jan. 17 at age 92.

He spent 16 seasons in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, and Buffalo Sabres from 1956-57 to 1971-72. In 940 regular-season games, he had 207 goals and 467 assists for 674 points, along with 46 points in 97 playoff games.

Goyette won four Stanley Cups with the Canadiens from 1956-57 to 1959-60. He won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy with the St. Louis Blues in 1969-70.

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










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 8, 2025

by | Oct 8, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 8, 2025

Recapping the opening night of the regular season, Kyle Connor and the Jets are getting closer to a contract extension, an update on Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF THE OPENING NIGHT GAMES

NHL.COM: Nathan MacKinnon collected two assists and Martin Necas scored twice to lead the Colorado Avalanche to a 4-1 season-opening victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Cale Makar also had two assists, and Artturi Lehkonen had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche. Kevin Fiala replied for the Kings.

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: MacKinnon moved past Joe Sakic to become the Avalanche’s franchise points leader (1,017) since the club relocated to Colorado from Quebec City in 1995. Sakic remains the all-time leader in points (1,641), goals (625), assists (1,016), and games played (1,378).

Florida Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist snapped a 2-2 tie in the third period to give his team a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Mackie Samoskevich collected two assists for the Panthers, who raised their second straight Stanley Cup banner in a pregame ceremony. Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight made 34 saves against his former team, while teammates Frank Nazar, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Teuvo Teravainen each collected two points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Panthers also signed forward Noah Gregor to a one-year, two-way contract.

The Pittsburgh Penguins got a 25-save shutout from goaltender Arturs Silovs to blank the New York Rangers 3-0. Justin Brazeau scored two goals, and Evgeni Malkin had two assists for the Penguins. Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin allowed one goal on 27 shots before being pulled for an extra attacker.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was Silovs’ first NHL regular-season shutout. He had one in the 2024 playoffs with the Vancouver Canucks. This was Mike Sullivan’s first game as head coach of the Rangers, and his first against his former team.

HEADLINES

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports the Winnipeg Jets and winger Kyle Connor are moving closer to a contract extension. The 28-year-old winger is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next July. It’s believed the new deal will be a long-term one with an average annual value in the $12 million range.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That would be a substantial raise over Connor’s current AAV of $7.142 million. He’s earned it, sitting eighth among NHL scorers with 282 goals since his breakout performance in 2017-18.

Friedman also reported that the Vegas Golden Knights have announced that Alex Pietrangelo will not play during the 2025-26 regular season and playoffs. The 35-year-old defenseman is taking time away to deal with a nagging hip injury. The Golden Knights will be eligible for full salary-cap relief on his $8.8 million cap hit for this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Pietrangelo had suggested last month that he wasn’t ruling out a possible return to the lineup this season. This news puts that possibility to rest.

VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: Speaking of the Golden Knights, they signed restricted free agent forward Alexander Holtz to a two-year contract with an AAV of $837,500.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Dallas Stars placed captain Jamie Benn on long-term injury reserve (LTIR). He suffered a collapsed lung last month and is expected to miss the first month of the season. They also recalled defenseman Lian Bichsel and signed free-agent forward Adam Erne to a one-year, two-way contract.

TSN: The Edmonton Oilers placed winger Zach Hyman on injured reserve (IR) to start the season. He is still recovering from a dislocated wrist suffered during the 2025 playoffs.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Minnesota Wild placed winger Mats Zuccarello on IR with a lower-body injury. He could be sidelined until well into November.

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH: Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. They also announced that forward Milan Lucic will remain in St. Louis to rehab an injury. The Blues haven’t ruled out signing the 37-year-old winger to another professional tryout offer (PTO).

THE PROVINCE: The Vancouver Canucks placed defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph (groin injury) on IR and recalled defenseman Victor Mancini.

DAILY FACEOFF: Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, Anaheim Ducks goalie Ville Husso, and Utah Mammoth forward Kevin Rooney are among the five players placed on waivers on Tuesday.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 25, 2025

by | Jan 25, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 25, 2025

Recaps of Friday’s games, how the three-team trade that sent Mikko Rantanen to the Hurricanes went down, the Islanders unveiled their Quarter-Century Team, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPPING FRIDAY’S ACTION

NHL.COM: A hat trick by Cole Perfetti powered the Winnipeg Jets to a 5-2 win over the Utah Hockey Club, snapping the latter’s three-game win streak. Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and two assists as the Jets (69 points) moved within three points of the league-leading Washington Capitals. Nick Schmaltz and Barrett Hayton scored for Utah with team captain Clayton Keller picking up two assists.

Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a milestone game for Ehlers, becoming the first Dane in NHL history to reach the 500-point plateau.

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov scored in overtime and collected two assists in regulation play to down the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3. Nick Paul and Jake Guentzel scored two unanswered goals as the Lightning overcame a 3-1 deficit. Frank Nazar and Louis Crevier each had a goal and an assist for the Blackhawks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was Kucherov’s 100th career multi-point game. The win moved the Lightning into third place in the Atlantic Division with 55 points.

Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson tallied twice in a 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. Wyatt Johnston, Matt Duchene and Evgenii Dadonov each collected two assists for the Stars, who moved ahead of the Minnesota Wild into second place in the Central Division with 61 points. Jack Eichel scored two goals for the Golden Knights, who’ve lost five of their last six games and cling to first place in the Pacific Division with 64 points.

The New York Islanders picked up their third straight win by defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1. Brock Nelson had a goal and an assist while Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves for the Islanders (47 points), who sit six points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth. Tyson Foerster replied for the Flyers (50 points), who remain three points behind the Blue Jackets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Islanders announced yesterday the signing of Tony DeAngelo to a one-year contract for the remainder of this season. This move suggests Isles blueliner Noah Dobson will be sidelined for the rest of the season. DeAngelo must first clear waivers before he can join the Islanders.

HEADLINES

The NHL world is still buzzing over Friday night’s blockbuster trade that saw the Colorado Avalanche ship Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in a three-team deal involving the Chicago Blackhawks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Follow this link for trade details and my reaction. The Hurricanes also acquired prospect forward Nils Juntrop from the Blackhawks in the deal.

THE ATHLETIC: Chris Johnston reports the Hurricanes may have been the only suitor for Rantanen given the Avalanche’s asking price. He revealed Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky was involved in trade talks with the Vancouver Canucks involving Elias Pettersson earlier this month and J.T. Miller earlier this week before shifting to Rantanen.

According to Johnston, the origins of this trade go back to last June when the Hurricanes were at an impasse in contract talks with Martin Necas. The Avalanche raised the issue at the time but a deal didn’t take place. The discussions resumed two months ago and eventually grew more serious.

League sources told Johnston that there were no advanced discussions with the Rantanen camp about a contract extension before the deal went down. The 28-year-old forward is UFA-eligible on July 1. Johnston claims Rantanen was blindsided by this move by the Avalanche.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports the Blackhawks brokered this deal between the Avalanche and Hurricanes. If Rantanen hits the open market on July 1, Friedman wouldn’t be surprised if the Blackhawks pursued him.

THE DENVER POST: Corey Masisak believes the Avalanche replaced Rantanen in the short term with a very good player in Necas. However, he noted that the 26-year-old lacks Rantanen’s track record of success, especially in the postseason.

Masisak also observed the move gave the Avalanche some salary-cap wiggle room for the rest of the regular season and possibly much more in the offseason.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Rantanen deal was the biggest in-season NHL trade in the salary-cap era since the Boston Bruins shipped Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks 20 years ago. It could open the floodgates to more creative moves involving big-name talent before the March 7 trade deadline. I’ll have more about that in today’s Rumor Mill update.

NHL.COM: The New York Islanders revealed their Quarter-Century Team on Friday.

The First Team comprises forwards Brock Nelson, John Tavares and Josh Bailey, defensemen Nick Leddy and Adam Pelech, and goaltender Ilya Sorokin.

The Second Team features forwards Anders Lee, Mathew Barzal and Frans Nielsen, defensemen Kenny Jonsson and Ryan Pulock, and goalie Semyon Varlamov.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Derek O’Brien cites reports from several Swedish media sources indicating Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson was defrauded by a Swedish real estate broker who is now in prison.

Pettersson lost the deposit on a luxury villa north of Stockholm that was revealed to have many flaws that required repairs. He successfully sued the broker to have the mortgage contract cancelled but it’s unlikely he’ll ever get the deposit back.

DAILY FACEOFF: Carolina Hurricanes winger William Carrier underwent surgery to repair a lower-body injury and is expected to be sidelined for at least two months.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: If Carrier is out for the season the Hurricanes could place him on long-term injury reserve and use the salary-cap savings to add another player before the trade deadline. He’s in the first season of a six-year contract with an AAV of $2 million.

Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman is expected to return to action on Saturday against the Avalanche. He missed the Bruins’ 2-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday with a minor upper-body injury.

Pittsburgh Penguins winger Bryan Rust is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

NHL.COM: St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist was fined $2,000.00 for embellishment by the department of player safety.

TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs recalled goaltender Matt Murray and returned Dennis Hildeby to their AHL affiliate.

CALGARY SUN: The Flames assigned little-used defenseman Tyson Barrie to their AHL affiliate for conditioning. He’s appeared in nine games this season, the last being on Nov. 12.

THE BUFFALO NEWS: Sabres center Ryan McLeod is expected back in the lineup when his club faces the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. He missed the last three games with a nagging injury.

DAILY FACEOFF: The San Jose Sharks signed center Colin White for the remainder of the season on a two-way contract. He began this season on a minor-league deal with their AHL affiliate.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 24, 2024

by | Oct 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 Morning Coffee Headlines – March 28, 2024

by | Mar 28, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 28, 2024

Recaps of Wednesday’s games, Martin Brodeur believes today’s goaltenders are babied, the players could have half of their escrow returned to them for this season, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Boston Bruins 3-1. Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point each scored their 42nd goal of the season for the 40-25-7 Lightning (87 points). They hold the first Eastern Conference wildcard berth and sit two points behind the third-place Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division. Danton Heinen replied for the 42-17-15 Bruins (99 points) as they slipped into third in the overall standings, one point behind the league-leading New York Rangers.

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kucherov regained sole possession of the points lead with 124, one up on Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon. The Lightning improved to 8-1-1 in March.

A five-goal first period gave the Ottawa Senators a 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Shane Pinto had a goal and three assists while Joonas Korpisalo made 34 saves for the Senators (31-36-4). JJ Peterka tallied his 25th goal of the season for the Sabres as they slipped to 34-34-5.

HEADLINES

THE ATHLETIC: In an interview with Pierre LeBrun, Martin Brodeur lamented how NHL clubs handle their goaltenders.

“I think we baby our goalies,” said Brodeur. “I see it. I’m part of it. It’s like, my goalie coach will say, ‘He’s played five games in the past eight days.’ I’m like, ‘So?’”

The Hall-of-Fame goalie is now the executive vice president of hockey operations for the New Jersey Devils. He played 70 or more games 12 times during his 22-year NHL career.

Brodeur acknowledged the game has changed and so has the position. He noted how volatile it has become in recent years where a netminder can be the top goalie one year and struggle the next. He blames the 1A and 1B system that result in split workloads.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: We discussed this Wednesday night on the Face Off Hockey Show. The decline in quality goalies in recent years could be another reason as there are fewer standout starters compared to Brodeur’s era. The increase in the game’s speed and the skaters’ improved scoring skills are other potential factors.

DAILY FACEOFF: With this season’s NHL revenue projected to reach $6.2 billion, the players can expect to receive half of the escrow withheld from the contracts returned to them after final accounting and auditing.

The salary cap for next season is projected to rise to $87.5 million. With revenue projections higher than expected and the players’ $1.1 billion in debt from pandemic-related losses repaid to the owners, there is a window to negotiate a higher cap for next season provided both sides are willing to agree to this. If not, the cap will continue to rise by five percent with escrow remaining at six percent annually as agreed under the 2020 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that extended the CBA to Sept. 15, 2026.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The cap could reach $92 million for 2025-26, the final year of the CBA. The players could receive another escrow refund next season if revenue growth remains robust.

THE PROVINCE: The Canucks placed goaltender Thatcher Demko on long-term injury reserve. However, he remains on track to return from a lower-body injury sometime around April 6.

Meanwhile, Canucks center Elias Lindholm missed practice yesterday after being scratched from Monday’s 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Head coach Rick Tocchet said he wasn’t concerned, claiming it was “something a little nagging, that’s getting better every day.” Still, there’s no timeline for Lindholm’s return.

STLTODAY.COM: Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist will miss the remainder of the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee during Monday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights. He will undergo surgery and be reevaluated in six months.

NYI HOCKEY NOW: Speaking of season-ending injuries, Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield recently underwent successful surgery to treat a lower-body injury. He’s expected to make a full recovery.

CBS SPORTS: Anaheim Ducks winger Brock McGinn underwent disc surgery on his back and will be sidelined for four months. He’s expected to be recovered by late July but it remains to be seen if he’ll be ready for training camp in September.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Washington Capitals defenseman Ethan Bear entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. He will be out indefinitely, returning to on-ice competition once cleared by the program administrators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to Bear. Here’s hoping he receives the treatment he needs that enables him to continue his career and lead a more fulfilling life.

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Earlier this week, the Avalanche signed goaltender Justus Annunen to a two-year, one-way contract extension with an average annual value of $833K.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: An arena deal that would’ve moved the Washington Capitals and the NBA’s Washington Wizards to Virginia has fallen through. The clubs’ ownership reached an agreement on a publicly-funded arena deal with the city that will keep them in Washington until 2050.