NHL Rumor Mill – March 30, 2023

by | Mar 30, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – March 30, 2023

Could the Rangers re-sign Vladimir Tarasenko or Patrick Kane? What’s the latest on Cam Talbot’s contract talks with the Senators? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

COULD TARASENKO OR KANE RE-SIGN WITH THE RANGERS?

THE ATHLETIC: In his latest mailbag segment, Arthur Staple was asked if Patrick Kane or Vladimir Tarasenko (or both) re-sign a cheap one-year contract with the New York Rangers if they fall again in the Eastern Conference Finals and return for another run at the Stanley Cup.

New York Rangers winger Patrick Kane (NHL Images)

Staple doesn’t see how both players would be back. Of the two, he speculated that Kane might be more likely to accept a discount, especially if he gets off-season hip surgery and isn’t ready for the start of the season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It would have to be a very cheap one-year contract to keep either guy. According to Cap Friendly, the Rangers have $12.3 million in cap space for 2023-24 with 14 roster players under contract.

Defenseman K’Andre Miller and winger Alexis Lafreniere are restricted free agents this summer plus they need to re-sign or replace backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak. That’s going to eat up a significant chunk of their cap space.

IS CAM TALBOT SEEKING JACK CAMPBELL MONEY?

OILERS NATION: Zach Laing cited TSN 1200’s Dean Brown reporting Ottawa Senators goaltender Cam Talbot has been approached twice by the club regarding contract extension discussions. He’s heard the 35-year-old apparently seeks a deal worth close to $5 million annually. If that’s his asking price, Brown believes it’s best for the Senators to walk away.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That average annual value would be comparable to what Jack Campbell currently earns with the Edmonton Oilers. So far, that contract looks regrettable for the Oilers.

No indication in that report if Talbot wants a similar tenure (five years). Regardless of the contract length, $5 million annually is too much for a goalie who’ll turn 36 in July and has been hampered by injuries since last season.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 29, 2023

by | Mar 29, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 29, 2023

A five-point performance for the Oilers’ Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the Flames and Predators gain ground for the final Western Conference wild-card berth, Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews weighs in on his future, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: A five-point performance by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (one goal, four assists) powered the Edmonton Oilers to a 7-4 romp over the Vegas Golden Knights. Connor McDavid collected three assists while Leon Draisaitl had two points for the 43-23-9 Oilers (95 points) as they moved to within one point of the second-place Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division. Jonathan Marchessault tallied twice for the Golden Knights (46-22-6) as they hold first place in the Pacific with 98 points.

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

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nugent-Hopkins is enjoying a career-best 96-point performance this season. He’s four points away from joining McDavid and Draisaitl in the 100-point club, which would be the first time an NHL team had at least three 100-point players in a season since the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins.

Speaking of the Kings, their 12-game points streak ended with a 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom made 33 saves while Andrew Mangiapane and Walker Duehr scored for the 34-26-15 Flames (83 points) as they moved within two points of the Winnipeg Jets for the final Western Conference wild-card berth. Sean Durzi replied for the Kings (43-21-10) as they remain two points back of the Golden Knights with 96 points.

The Nashville Predators also kept pace in the race for the final Western wild-card spot by nipping the Boston Bruins 2-1, preventing the latter from clinching the Presidents’ Trophy for 2022-23. Juuse Saros kicked out 35 shots while Cody Glass and Cole Smith tallied for the Predators (37-28-6) as they sit one point behind the Flames. David Pastrnak tallied his 52nd goal of the season for the 57-12-5 Bruins, who sit atop the overall standings with 119 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Predators and Bruins wore Covenant School stickers on their helmets in support of the Nashville school that was attacked by a shooter on Monday.

Sidelined Bruins winger Taylor Hall is reportedly close to returning to the lineup. That could create a salary-cap headache for the Bruins as they lack the cap space to add him to the lineup.

Speaking of the Jets, they were blanked 3-0 by the San Jose Sharks. James Reimer picked up the shutout with a 41-save effort while Noah Gregor, Kevin Labanc and Martin Kaut scored for the 20-39-15 Sharks. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 27 shots for the Jets as they slipped to 41-31-3 and cling to that final Western wild-card berth with 85 points.

Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 31 shots to blank the Carolina Hurricanes 4-0. Brayden Point scored two goals and collected an assist while Steven Stamkos had a goal and two helpers for the Lightning, who improved to 43-26-6 and hold third place in the Atlantic Division with 92 points. The Hurricanes (47-17-9) remain in first place in the Metropolitan Division with 103 points.

The New York Rangers picked up their ninth win in their last 11 games with a 6-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko each scored for the 44-20-10 Rangers (98 points) as they sit two points back of the second-place New Jersey Devils in the Metro Division. Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and an assist for the 23-43-7 Blue Jackets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Speaking of Tarasenko, the Rangers clinching a playoff berth on Monday means the 2024 fourth-round pick they sent to the St. Louis Blues as part of the return for the winger upgrades to a third-rounder in 2024.

Turning to the Eastern Conference wild-card race, the Pittsburgh Penguins failed to widen their lead for the final spot by falling 7-4 to the Detroit Red Wings. David Perron tallied a hat trick while Dylan Larkin had a goal and two assists for the 32-32-9 Red Wings. Evgeni Malkin and Rickard Rakell each collected two assists as the Penguins (36-28-10) had dropped six of their last eight games as they cling to that wild card berth with 82 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde was ejected from this game in the second period for arguing with an on-ice official after the Penguins tied the game 3-3 on a controversial power-play goal by Jeff Carter, who Lalonde believed interfered with goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic.

Before the game, the Penguins assigned defenseman Taylor Fedun to their AHL affiliate to make room for Jeff Petry, who returned to action after being sidelined for five games with an upper-body injury.

Dallas Stars netminder Jake Oettinger made 17 saves to backstop his club over the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1. Joe Pavelski netted his 22nd goal of the season as the Stars (40-20-14) are tied with the Colorado Avalanche with 94 points, though the latter holds second place in the Central Division with a game in hand and four more wins. The Blackhawks fell to 24-44-6 on the season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews has resumed practicing with his teammates after recovering from the effects of long COVID and chronic immune response syndrome that sidelined him since Jan. 28. He’s hoping to return to action at some point before the end of the season.

Toews acknowledged those could be his final games with the Blackhawks as he faces an uncertain future. The 34-year-old center is an unrestricted free agent this summer but he acknowledged his illness could prevent him from continuing his playing career.

The St. Louis Blues blew a 5-2 lead to the Vancouver Canucks before winning the game 6-5 on an overtime goal by Jakub Vrana, who finished the game with two goals for the Blues. Quinn Hughes and Andrei Kuzmenko each tallied twice and Brock Boeser collected three points for the Canucks. Both clubs have records of 34-34-6.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: After struggling the last two seasons with the Red Wings, Vrana appears reborn in St. Louis. He has eight goals and 10 points in 12 games with the Blues since joining them via trade at the March 3 deadline.

Philadelphia Flyers forward Morgan Frost scored two goals as his club held off the Montreal Canadiens 3-2. Felix Sandstrom stopped 32 shots for the 29-32-12 Flyers, who eliminated the 30-39-6 Canadiens from playoff contention.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canadiens forward Kirby Dach missed this game with an upper-body injury while a lower-body injury sidelined Flyers goalie Carter Hart. Both are believed to be day-to-day.










NHL Rumor Mill – March 18, 2023

by | Mar 18, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – March 18, 2023

A look at some of this summer’s notable unrestricted free agents in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

SPORTSNET: Luke Fox recently examined where things stand with this summer’s top notable NHL unrestricted free agents. Here’s a look at some of the more interesting ones:

Patrick Kane, New York Rangers: He’ll have to take a significant pay cut if he wants to remain with the Rangers beyond this season. New York general manager Chris Drury would also have to make some hard decisions regarding restricted free agents such as K’Andre Miller, Filip Chytil and Alexis Lafreniere.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Cap Friendly shows the Rangers with $16.8 million in cap space with 13 roster players under contract for 2023-24. In addition to re-signing those key RFAs, the Blueshirts must re-sign or replace backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak. I don’t see Kane on Broadway beyond this season unless Drury parts ways with Chytil and Lafreniere or makes a significant cost-cutting trade elsewhere.

Ryan O’Reilly, Toronto Maple Leafs: O’Reilly may be the most coveted center in this summer’s UFA market. He’s quickly fit in with the Maple Leafs but his former club, the St. Louis Blues, hasn’t ruled out bringing him back this summer.

Toronto Maple Leafs center Ryan O’Reilly (NHL Images)

Fox speculates O’Reilly could point to Nazem Kadri’s $7 million average annual value with the Calgary Flames as a comparable. He wondered if the 32-year-old center would take a little less to stay in Toronto.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: O’Reilly earned $7.5 million annually on his current contract. The Leafs have $9 million in cap space for next season with 14 roster players under contract but they could get another $5.6 million in wiggle room if Jake Muzzin remains on long-term injury reserve.

That might leave enough to re-sign O’Reilly if he’s willing to accept $5 million annually. However, he might not get that opportunity if the Leafs make another first-round playoff exit.

Vladimir Tarasenko, New York Rangers: Given the Rangers’ cap limitations and the RFAs to be re-signed, Fox believes Tarasenko will be hitting the open market on July 1. He anticipates the 31-year-old winger will be among this summer’s most-pursued UFAs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No argument here.

Matt Dumba, Minnesota Wild: Dumba understands that his tenure with the cap-strapped Minnesota Wild is coming to an end. He was frequently subject to trade rumors with Edmonton, Vancouver and Ottawa kicking tires. However, Wild GM Bill Guerin refused to move Dumba unless he got a comparable return.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Dumba is completing a five-year, $30 million contract. The decline in his performance will affect his free-agent value. He’ll land with another NHL team but I’ll be surprised if he gets a similar contract this summer.

Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, Boston Bruins: Some sources close to the Bruins wouldn’t be surprised if Bergeron and Krejci returned for another season if this one doesn’t end with the Stanley Cup.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I also wouldn’t be surprised. If they decide to return for one more season it’ll only be with the Bruins. Bergeron said last year it was Boston or retirement for him.

Krejci undoubtedly feels the same way. If he doesn’t re-sign with the Bruins, he’ll return to Czechia to finish his playing career.

Tyler Bertuzzi, Boston Bruins: He’s the type of power forward contenders would covet.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That will depend on Bertuzzi’s performance with the Bruins in his first-ever NHL postseason and if the oft-injured winger remains healthy.

Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins: The oft-injured goaltender’s future with the Penguins could depend on his performance in the playoffs. He’s never won an NHL postseason series.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Another first-round exit and Jarry could be heading to the UFA market on July 1 regardless of whether he wants to remain a Penguin.

Michael Bunting, Toronto Maple Leafs: Fox wondered if the Leafs acquisition of Ryan O’Reilly would make re-signing Bunting less of a priority. He also noted that Leafs GM Kyle Dubas would want to see playoff improvement from his free agents.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Dubas might not be in any position to decide Bunting’s future or those of the Leafs’ other free agents if they fail to at least get past the opening round of the 2023 playoffs.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 11, 2023

by | Feb 11, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 11, 2023

Penguins star Evgeni Malkin reaches a points milestone, Vladimir Tarasenko scored in his Rangers debut, the latest on Patrick Kane and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin collected two assists to become the third player in franchise history to reach 1,200 career points in a 6-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Pierre-Olivier Joseph scored twice and collected an assist as the Penguins (26-16-9) vaulted over the Washington Capitals into the first Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 61 points. Mason McTavish had a goal and an assist for the Ducks as they dropped to 17-30-6.

Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, the Ducks placed winger Troy Terry (upper body) on injured reserve.

Vladimir Tarasenko scored in his debut with the New York Rangers as they picked up their fourth straight win by down the Seattle Kraken 6-3. Vincent Trocheck, Kaapo Kakko and Ryan Lindgren each had a goal and an assist for the Rangers, who improved to 30-14-8 (68 points) and sit four points behind the second-place New Jersey Devils in the Metropolitan Division. Oliver Bjorkstrand and Vince Dunn each had two points for the 29-18-5 Kraken as they dropped their third straight game and slipped to third place in the Pacific Division with 63 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: As expected, Tarasenko skated on the Rangers’ top line alongside Mika Zibanejad (who also scored in this contest) and Artemi Panarin (one assist). He indicated that he received no contract offer from the Blues prior to the trade to the Rangers.

Meanwhile, the Kraken and the Edmonton Oilers have identical records. However, the latter moved into second place in the Pacific with 27 regulation wins.

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov turned in a 30-save shutout in a 3-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. John Tavares scored twice for the 32-13-8 Leafs (72 points) as they widened their lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning for second place in the Atlantic Division by four points. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 38 shots for the Blue Jackets (15-33-4) as they remain mired at the bottom of the overall standings.

An overtime goal by Caleb Jones lifted the Chicago Blackhawks over the Arizona Coyotes by a score of 4-3. Andreas Athanasiou had a goal and two assists for the 16-29-5 Blackhawks. Coyotes forward Clayton Keller also had a goal and two assists as his club dropped to 17-30-6.

HEADLINES

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane wasn’t pleased when he heard that the Rangers acquired Vladimir Tarasenko on Thursday. “It’s not like the happiest I’ve been to hear about a trade,” he said. Kane indicated the Rangers were a team he was interested in if he was going to be traded.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kane’s comments are an indication that he’s leaning toward accepting a trade before the March 3 deadline. He and teammate Jonathan Toews are reportedly supposed to make a decision by mid-February whether they’ll waive their no-movement clauses. It sounds like Kane already has a list of preferred trade destinations with the Rangers probably at the top.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond could miss Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks after suffering a lower-body injury during practice on Friday. Defenseman Jake Walman is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning defenseman Ian Cole was fined $5,000.00 by the NHL department of player safety for kneeing Colorado Avalanche forward Andrew Cogliano during Thursday’s game.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: The Canadiens re-signed defenseman Jordan Harris to a two-year, $2.8 million contract extension. The average annual value is $1.4 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some Canadiens followers went on social media suggesting this was more than what Harris deserved. Perhaps they initially confused that $2.8 million as his new annual cap hit. On his current two-year contract (entry-level), the 22-year-old blueliner is earning an AAV of $842,500 (not counting performance bonuses). $1.4 million is a reasonable raise.

LA HOCKEY NOW: The Kings signed goalie Pheonix Copley to a one-year, $1.5 million contract extension.

TSN: The Florida Panthers signed defenseman Josh Mahura to a one-year, one-way contract extension. Cap Friendly indicates his new deal is worth $925K.










Blues Trade Vladimir Tarasenko To The Rangers

by | Feb 9, 2023

Blues Trade Vladimir Tarasenko To The Rangers

The St. Louis Blues traded winger Vladimir Tarasenko and defenseman Niko Mikkola to the New York Rangers in exchange for winger Sammy Blais, minor-league defenseman Hunter Skinner, a conditional first-round pick in 2023 and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2024.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Cap Friendly indicates the Blues retained 50 percent of Tarasenko’s $7.5 million cap hit ($3.75 million). The Blues will receive the latter of the Rangers’ 2023 first-round pick and the 2023 first-rounder they acquired from the Dallas Stars. If the Rangers make the playoffs in 2023, the fourth-rounder in 2024 becomes a third-round pick.

St, Louis Blues trade winger Vladimir Tarasenko to the New York Rangers (NHL Images)

We shouldn’t be surprised that the Blues traded Tarasenko rather than re-sign the pending unrestricted free agent. The 30-year-old winger first surfaced in the rumor mill in July 2021 after it was revealed he requested a trade over his unhappiness with the medical treatment that he received from the Blues medical staff for a nagging shoulder injury.

The Blues couldn’t find any suitable trade offers and retained Tarasenko, who played well for them in 2021-22 with a career-best 82-point performance. However, it was rumored last summer that he hadn’t rescinded his trade request. His production is down from last season’s pace (29 points in 38 games) but that’s in part attributable to missing 13 games to illness and an injured hand.

The Rangers were among the recent rumored destinations for Tarasenko. They were lacking an established first-line right wing. A six-time 30-goal scorer, he should mesh well alongside Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin on the Rangers’ top line. He could also be a good fit on the second line with Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck.

Mikkola, 26, is also due to become a UFA this summer. The 26-year-old is a third-pairing defenseman on a one-year, $1.9 million contract. He’ll provide the Rangers with some experienced depth down the stretch and in the playoffs, especially if injuries should strike their blueline.

Blais is returning to the Blues after being shipped to the Rangers in exchange for Buchenich in 2021. He suffered a serious knee injury last season that limited him to just 14 games and saw limited action in 40 games this season with the Blueshirts.

Skinner is a 21-year-old defenseman who was a fourth-round pick of the Rangers in 2019. Since 2020-21, he’s spent time with their AHL affiliate in Hartford and the ECHL with the Utah Grizzlies and Jacksonville Icemen.

The Tarasenko trade could be viewed as a roster teardown by the Blues but I consider it more of a retool.

They still have a decent core with Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Pavel Buchnevich, Colton Parayko, Justin Faulk, Brayden Schenn and Torey Krug. They could re-sign Ryan O’Reilly if he’s willing to accept a pay cut and a shorter-term contract. Meanwhile, the conditional picks from the Rangers can be put toward restocking their prospect pipeline.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 3, 2023

by | Feb 3, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 3, 2023

The player assignments for Friday’s All-Star skills competition are revealed, Vladimir Tarasenko is uncertain of his future in St. Louis, Rasmus Dahlin replaces Tage Thompson in the All-Star Game and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines

NHL.COM: The league announced the player assignments for the All-Star skills competition at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida starting at 7 pm ET.

Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby will be teaming up in the Breakaway Challenge. Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak and Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner will also take part in this event.

Ovechkin will also be among those participating in the hardest shot challenge.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers will participate in the accuracy shooting competition. Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar and Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov are among those who’ll take part in the fastest skater competition.

Former Vezina Trophy winners Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets and Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers are among eight goaltenders participating in the “Tendy Tandem” competition.

St, Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko (NHL Images)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Follow the link above for the complete list of skill events and competitors.

SPORTSNET: Vladimir Tarasenko acknowledged this season could be his last with the St. Louis Blues. The 31-year-old winger is in his 11th season with the Blues and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Tarasenko acknowledged that this weekend’s All-Star Game could be his last in a Blues sweater as a trade is possible following this week. He deferred any questions about his future in St. Louis to Blues general manager Doug Armstrong.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I think Tarasenko’s a goner, if not following this weekend then at some point before the March 3 trade deadline.

He requested a trade in May 2021 because of his unhappiness over the quality of treatment he received for multiple shoulder injuries from the Blues’ medical staff. He reportedly never rescinded that request. He was also left exposed in the 2021 NHL expansion draft but was passed over by the Seattle Kraken.

Tarasenko remains a productive scoring winger when healthy. I can see a contender in need of experienced scoring depth pursuing him as a playoff rental.

WGR 550: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin takes the place of teammate Tage Thompson in this weekend’s All-Star Game. Thompson suffered an upper-body injury during Wednesday’s loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There is no indication about how long Thompson might be sidelined. The Sabres’ next practice is on Feb. 9.

TSN: Vancouver Canucks forward Ilya Mikheyev underwent successful knee surgery and will soon begin his rehab process. He will be sidelined for the remainder of this season.

THE ATHLETIC: A poll of participants at this year’s All-Star Game revealed most of them favored extending the 3-on-3 overtime format from five minutes to 10 to reduce the number of games decided by a shootout. Of the 16 participants, 12 would like to see the overtime period expanded.

Fourteen of those 16 participants don’t favor expanding the playoff format to an NBA-style “play-in” format involving the 7-10 seeds in each conference.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Those All-Stars seem in line with most fans and pundits about extending the overtime format. They also share NHL commissioner Gary Bettman’s opinion that there is no need to expand the postseason format. It would be interesting to see the poll results if those questions were posed to the full membership of the NHL Players Association.

OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports the sale of the Senators could be about to enter its final stages. Interested groups are expected to make their formal bids before mid-February. If all goes as planned, the front-runner could be known as early as March.

It’s believed Hamilton businessman Michael Andlauer and Toronto billionaires Jeffrey and Michael Kimel remain the front-runners. Vancouver-born actor Ryan Reynolds will also be in the thick of the bidding.

Speaking of the Senators, they relieved Troy Mann of his duties as head coach of their AHL affiliate in Belleville. Assistant coach David Bell takes over the head-coaching role on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.

DETROIT FREE PRESS: The Red Wings sent winger Filip Zadina to their AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids on a conditioning stint after activating him from injured reserve. Zadina hasn’t played since Nov. 5 after blocking a shot during a game against the New York Islanders.