NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 5, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 5, 2025

The Oilers draw first blood in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, Nikita Kucherov wins the Ted Lindsay Award, the Avalanche re-sign Brock Nelson, the Penguins and Bruins have new head coaches, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

OILERS DEFEAT PANTHERS IN THE OPENING GAME OF THE STANLEY CUP FINAL

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl opened and closed the scoring as his club overcame a 3-1 deficit for a 4-3 overtime victory over the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.

Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (NHL Images).

Draisaitl scored early in the first period, but the Panthers rallied on goals by Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand midway through the period. Bennett’s second goal of the game early in the second period gave the Panthers a two-goal lead, but a slapshot by Oilers winger Viktor Arvidson quickly cut that lead to one goal.

Connor McDavid set up Mattias Ekholm for the tying goal at 6:33 of the third period. McDavid also picked up the primary assist on Draisaitl’s game-winner on the power play at 19:29 of overtime.

Game 2 is Friday, June 6, in Edmonton at 8 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Draisaitl tied a Stanley Cup Playoff record with three overtime goals in a single postseason. Teammate Stuart Skinner settled down after giving up three goals, making 24 saves over the rest of the game, including 16 in the second period.

McDavid leads all playoff skaters with 22 assists, holding a one-point lead over Draisaitl (28-27).

Bennett scored his 12th goal to lead all scorers in these playoffs. He also set a franchise record for the most goals in a single postseason. Jesper Boqvist rejoined the Panthers’ lineup for Game 1. He replaced A.J. Greer, who is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

Before this game, Oilers winger Zach Hyman revealed he dislocated and tore ligaments in his right wrist in a collision with Dallas Stars winger Mason Marchment in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final. He’s out for the remainder of the playoffs, but hopes to be ready for training camp in September.

Meanwhile, Aaron Ekblad told reporters he hopes to remain in Florida after this season. The long-time Panthers defenseman is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

I live and breathe for the Florida Panthers,” said Ekblad. “I bleed for the Florida Panthers. I’ve given my body and everything to this team. I want to keep doing it forever, for as long as they’ll let me keep coming to the rink.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ekblad is completing an eight-year contract with an average annual value of $7.5 million. The Panthers must also re-sign Bennett, meaning Ekblad might have to accept a significant pay cut on a shorter term to remain in Florida.

HEADLINES

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov is the 2024-25 winner of the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL’s MVP, as voted by the membership of the NHL Players’ Association. The team surprised Kucherov with the award during a training session on Monday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kucherov previously won this award in 2018-19, the same season he won the Hart Memorial Trophy. He’s up for that award this season with Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl and Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. Kucherov also took home his first Art Ross Trophy in ’18 -’19 and won it this season for the third time.

THE DENVER POST: The Colorado Avalanche signed Brock Nelson to a three-year contract extension with an average annual value of $7.5 million. Acquired from the New York Islanders at the March trade deadline, the 33-year-old center was due to become a UFA on July 1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Re-signing Nelson addresses the Avalanche’s long-term need for a second-line center. However, it leaves them with $1.2 million in cap space, with 19 active roster players under contract for the 2025-26 season. Expect a cost-cutting trade in the coming weeks.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins named Dan Muse as their new head coach. He served previously as an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators and New York Rangers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hiring Muse surprised observers expecting the Penguins to choose a more experienced NHL head coach. Nevertheless, he’s considered a smart bench boss who works well with young players, which should make him a good fit for the rebuilding Penguins.

EISHOCKEY NEWS: The Boston Bruins announced Marco Sturm as their new head coach. “A dream come true,” said Sturm. “I’m proud and super happy that it worked out.” He’s returning to the club that he played for from 2005-06 to 2009-10.  Sturm was the head coach of the AHL’s Ontario Reign for the past three seasons. He’s the first German-born head coach in NHL history. 

NHL.COM: League commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said collective bargaining discussions between the two sides are going well. They didn’t offer a timetable for when an agreement will be reached, but Bettman felt it should be in place before the current agreement expires in September 2026.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Talks are likely to continue throughout the summer.

Bettman said the league has had discussions with parties interested in adding new markets, but insisted there are no plans to expand beyond the current 32 teams.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Speculation suggests Houston and Atlanta could become the next destinations for NHL expansion clubs. It won’t be surprising if there are new franchises in those markets by the end of this decade.

Bettman also said an All-Star event will be hosted by the New York Islanders in 2027. The franchise was supposed to host the 2026 All-Star Game, but that plan was scuttled by the success of this year’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

SPORTSNET: The NHL and NHLPA indicated there will be no changes in the upcoming CBA to address any perceived advantages for teams located in no-tax states.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said there are many reasons why a player chooses to play in a certain location, a particular team or a particular coach that have nothing to do with the tax situation in that market.

NHLPA assistant executive director Ron Hainsey pointed out that clubs in higher-tax states like Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston dominated the league between 2008 and 2020. He noted that superstars like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Patrice Bergeron, and Zdeno Chara could’ve made more money playing elsewhere, but stayed put because they were playing for contenders, they liked where they lived, and didn’t want to move.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stick tap to Hainsey for pointing out the blatantly obvious to punch holes in this “issue”.

The notion of teams in no-tax states having an advantage over other clubs has been recently trotted out by critics of the Florida Panthers, insinuating it’s the main reason behind their recent success. It’s the same excuse being used to explain why a Florida-based team has reached the Stanley Cup Final in every season since 2020.

That critique, of course, is nonsense.

The Panthers, and the Tampa Bay Lightning before them, were built by smart general managers and guided by shrewd coaches. To suggest otherwise is insulting to the hard work that those franchises have done to become champions.

THE ATHLETIC: Hainsey confirmed that the league and the PA are working to address the long-term injury reserve loophole in the next CBA. He didn’t get into the details, but said they continue to discuss finding a mechanism to put into place to manage that issue.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: LTIR is legalized salary-cap circumvention because there is no salary cap during the postseason. Every team has used it at one time or another, but some clubs have used it to bolster their rosters in preparation for the playoffs.

The Panthers are the most recent example. Matthew Tkachuk suffered an injury during the 4 Nations Face-Off that sidelined him for the final weeks of the regular season. The Panthers used the salary-cap savings to acquire Seth Jones and Brad Marchand before the trade deadline. Tkachuk returned to action for the start of this postseason, able to rejoin the roster because the salary cap only applies to the regular season.

The Panthers operated within the rules as laid out in the CBA. They did nothing wrong, and they aren’t the only team to have used LTIR to their advantage. Nevertheless, this loophole allowed them to bolster their roster for the playoffs in a way that they wouldn’t have had if Tkachuk had been healthy.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: T.J. Oshie will make an announcement on Monday, in which he is expected to reveal his intention to retire. The 38-year-old Washington Capitals winger missed all of this season dealing with back issues.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oshie tallied 302 goals and 393 assists for 695 points in 1,010 games between 2008-09 and 2023-24. He began his career with the St. Louis Blues before being traded to the Capitals in 2015, and helped the latter win the Stanley Cup in 2018. He had 34 goals and 69 points in 106 playoff games.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 9, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 9, 2024

The Panthers tie their series with the Bruins, the Canucks rally to take Game 1 against the Oilers, the Ted Lindsay Award finalists are announced, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Florida Panthers thumped the Boston Bruins 6-1 in Game 2 of their best-of-seven second-round series. Aleksander Barkov had two goals and two assists, Sam Reinhart collected four helpers and Brandon Montour picked up three points as the Panthers even the series at a game apiece. Charlie Coyle replied for the Bruins and Jeremy Swayman was pulled in the third period after giving up four goals on 23 shots. The series moves to Boston for the next two games with Game 3 on Friday, May 10, at 7 pm EDT.

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a dominating performance by the Panthers. They outshot the Bruins 33-15, forcing them into making costly defensive mistakes.

The intensity between the Bruins and Panthers boiled over in the third period with the two clubs combining for 136 minutes in penalties. There was also a scrap between Bruins winger David Pastrnak and Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk.

Some observers wonder if the Bruins will start Linus Ullmark in Game 3 after pulling Swayman from this contest. I think they’ll return with Swayman given his solid overall performance in this postseason. He shouldn’t be punished for his teammate’s sloppy defense.

Vancouver Canucks winger Conor Garland scored the winning goal to cap a four-goal rally in a 5-4 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round series. Zach Hyman scored twice as the Oilers surged to a 4-1 lead in the second period. However, Elias Lindholm, J.T. Miller and Nikita Zadorov scored to set the stage for Garland’s game-winner. Game 2 is on Friday starting at 10 pm EDT.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers had 14 shots on goal when they took a 4-1 lead. They only had four more over the rest of the game as Vancouver outshot them 24-18. The Canucks maintained their poise despite being dominated early in this game. Lindholm’s goal late in the second period cut the Oilers’ lead to 4-2, providing the spark for the Canucks third-period surge.

It was a big game for Canucks forward Dakota Joshua as he had a goal and two assists. This is the fifth straight win for the Canucks over the Oilers as they also swept the regular-season series 4-0.

Oilers forward Adam Henrique missed this game with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. He was replaced in the lineup by Connor Brown.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov, Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews are the finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award as this season’s outstanding player as voted by NHLPA members.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to the three finalists. Kucherov won the Lindsay in 2018-19 while Matthews took home the award in 2021-22. This is MacKinnon’s first time as a finalist for this award.

TSN: Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce (lower-body injury) has yet to resume skating and is listed as indefinitely out of the lineup.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Pesce’s absence is one reason the Hurricanes are down 2-0 in their second-round series against the Rangers. They miss his presence on their blueline.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot underwent successful surgery for a nagging wrist injury. The recovery period is two months and he’s expected to be ready for training camp in September.

The Senators decided to retain their first-round pick (seventh overall) in this year’s draft. The club will instead forfeit their first-rounder in 2025 or 2026. That’s punishment for former GM Pierre Dorion gave the Vegas Golden Knights the wrong information about Evgenii Dadonov’s 10-team no-trade list after trading the winger to Vegas in July 2021.

TSN: Utah’s NHL team will debut its name, logo and team colors in 2025-26. They will have jerseys with the name “Utah” on them for next season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: They’re currently being called the Utah franchise. Why not make that their team name going forward? Just kidding, of course. The new ownership intends to take its time coming up with the right name, logo and colors. That’s understandable given how quickly the franchise relocation from Arizona took place.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 11, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 11, 2023

The Leafs avoid elimination by the Panthers, the Oilers tied their series with the Golden Knights, the Ted Lindsay Award finalists are announced, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Toronto Maple Leafs staved off elimination in their second-round series with the Florida Panthers with a 2-1 victory in Game 4. William Nylander and Mitch Marner scored while Joseph Woll made 24 saves for the Leafs. Sam Reinhart replied for Florida while Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 23 shots. Game 5 goes Friday in Toronto with the Panthers up three games to one.

Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was the best defensive effort by the Leafs in this postseason. They didn’t get rattled when the Panthers cut their lead to 2-1 in the third period and gave as good as they got with their physical play. Woll handled himself well in net in a must-win game while Nylander and Marner silenced their critics (for one game anyway) with their play.

The Edmonton Oilers evened their series with the Vegas Golden Knights at two games apiece with a 4-1 win. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and an assist, Connor McDavid collected two assists and Stuart Skinner kicked out 25 shots for the Oilers. Nicolas Roy replied for the Golden Knights. The series returns to Vegas for Game 5 on Friday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a dominant win by Edmonton in a game that got increasingly nasty as it went along, especially in the third period. The clubs combined for 111 minutes in penalties.

Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo got a five-minute major and a game misconduct for a lumberjack-style slash on Leon Draisaitl, prompting Oilers captain Connor McDavid to call for Pietrangelo to be suspended for a deliberate attempt to injure.

Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse could face a one-game suspension after receiving an instigator penalty for starting a fight with Vegas defenseman Nicolas Hague in the final minute of the game. Golden Knights forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson each received misconducts as did Oilers forwards Evander Kane and Kailer Yamamoto.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, and Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak are the finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award for the NHL’s outstanding player as voted by the fans.

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: Various sources report the Philadelphia Flyers intend to hire Keith Jones as their new president of hockey operations. Jones played three of his nine NHL seasons with the Flyers and is the lead color analyst for their TV broadcasts. He has no front-office experience.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jones has carved out a long, successful career as a hockey broadcaster and maintained ties with the club. However, his lack of front-office experience could become an issue as the Flyers attempt to rebuild.

This move also confirms that Daniel Briere will become their full-time general manager. Unlike Jones, Briere worked within the Flyers organization since 2017.

NBC SPORTS CHICAGO: The Blackhawks signed goaltender Arvid Soderblom to a two-year contract extension. The average annual value is $962,500.

TSN: A study of NHL players shows that enforcers who spent a lot of time in fights during their playing careers die 10 years younger than their fellow players. Researchers at Columbia University in New York reached that conclusion after studying data from over 6,000 players from 1967 to 2022.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 14, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 14, 2022

The Panthers eliminate the Capitals while the Rangers and Stars extend their respective first-round series to Game 7, the Ted Lindsay Award finalists are announced, Bruce Boudreau returns as Canucks coach and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: For the first time since 1996, the Florida Panthers are advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Carter Verhaeghe’s overtime goal lifted Florida to 4-3 victory over the Washington Capitals in Game 6 to take their first-round series four games to two. Claude Giroux had a goal and two assists while Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 34 shots for the win. Washington’s T.J. Oshie scored to force overtime in the third period after his Capitals squandered 1-0 and 2-1 leads.

Florida Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Verhaeghe was the Panthers’ most valuable player in this series, leading them with six goals and six assists for 12 points and tallying three straight game-winning goals.

Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin shared the view of his teammates that they gave away the series after blowing a 2-1 series lead and failing to hold leads in the final three games. “It’s on us. It’s on me, on Backy (Nicklas Backstrom), on Osh (Oshie), on Carly (John Carlson), it’s on everybody. Kind of a f**ked up situation,” said Ovechkin.

The absence of power forward Tom Wilson was another contributing factor to the Capitals’ loss. He was sidelined by a lower-body injury in Game 1 and never returned to the series.

There will be a seventh and deciding game in the opening round series between the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins. Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider each scored twice and Adam Fox collected four assists in Game 6 as New York rallied to beat Pittsburgh 5-3. The Penguins led 2-0 after the first period but fell behind 3-2 before Evgeni Malkin tied it before the end of the second. Kreider got the game-winner late in the third and Andrew Copp added the insurance goal. Game 7 goes Sunday in New York.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby missed this game with an upper-body injury and remains questionable for Game 7. Rickard Rakell remained out of this contest as he’s still recovering from a concussion suffered in Game 1.

With starter Tristan Jarry finally healthy, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan must decide if he’ll put him in for that final game or stick with Louis Domingue, who’s carried the load since taking over for a sidelined Casey DeSmith during overtime in Game 1. Jarry is the better goalie but he hasn’t played since suffering a foot injury in mid-April. Domingue’s done his best but he has given up some questionable goals for the Penguins.

The Dallas Stars ensured there will be a seventh game against the Calgary Flames with a 4-2 victory in Game 6 of their series. Jake Oettinger kicked out 36 shots, Roope Hintz got a goal and an assist and Miro Heiskanen scored the game-winner for the Stars. Flames defenseman Michael Stone had a goal and an assist. The series returns to Calgary for Game 7 on Sunday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Stars got it done by outshooting the Flames 30-20 in the final two periods and another outstanding performance by Oettinger, especially in the third period. Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov could face supplemental discipline after he laid out Stars forward Luke Glendening with an elbow to the head.

HEADLINES

NHLPA.COM: Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi, Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews and Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid are the 2022 finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award as this season’s most valuable player as voted by the NHLPA membership.

THE PROVINCE: Bruce Boudreau will return next season as the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. Boudreau explained the delay in exercising the option year of his contract was due to personal arrangements, including the well-being of his 90-year-old mother in Toronto.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Oilers star Leon Draisaitl could be nursing an injured right ankle or knee as he and his teammates prepared to face the Los Angeles Kings in Game 7 of their opening-round series tonight.

CAP FRIENDLY: A $100K performance bonus for Tyler Bozak has pushed the St. Louis Blues salary-cap bonus overage to $1.1 million. Bozak could earn another $150K bonus if the Blues reach the conference final.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bonus overages are applied to next season’s salary-cap payroll.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 3, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 3, 2021

The Avalanche take a 2-0 series lead over the Golden Knights, the Canadiens beat the Jets in their second-round series opener, the Sabres win the draft lottery, the Ted Lindsay Award finalists are announced, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Mikko Rantanen’s overtime power-play goal lifted the Colorado Avalanche to a 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights and a 2-0 lead in their second-round series. Brandon Saad and Tyson Jost also scored for Colorado while Alec Martinez and Reilly Smith replied for Vegas. Avalanche netminder Philipp Grubauer made 39 saves. Marc-Andre Fleury returned to the Golden Knights’ net after being the backup in Game 1.

Colorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Vegas coach Peter DeBoer wasn’t happy with the officiating on the slashing call on Rielly Smith that led to Rantanen’s PP goal. “Just a soft call”, he said, going on to accuse the Avalanche players of embellishment throughout the game.

The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5-3 in Game 1 of their second-round series. Eric Staal had a goal and an assist while Carey Price made 27 saves for the win. Their victory, however, was overshadowed by a dangerous hit by Jets center Mark Scheifele on Habs center Jake Evans as the latter was scoring an empty net. Evans was stretchered from the ice while Scheifele received a major penalty for charging and a game misconduct.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was out of character for Scheifele, who has no history of supplemental discipline. He let his emotions get away with him and could face a suspension. Evans, meanwhile, was evaluated by the Canadiens’ medical staff. John Shannon reported he was back at the team hotel following the game, where he was described as doing fine, alert but shaken.

It should be noted that Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers protected the prone Evans during the ensuing scrum. He also called for additional medical attention for the fallen Hab. “In a situation like that, you don’t want anyone falling on top of him,” said Ehlers. “I was just trying to keep everyone away.”

Winnipeg center Paul Stastny missed this game with an undisclosed injury. Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo left the game early in the first period with a lower-body injury.

The Buffalo Sabres won the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft Lottery yesterday. The expansion Seattle Kraken won the second-overall pick while the Anaheim Ducks will select third.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres could select University of Michigan defenseman Owen Power. He’s listed as this year’s top prospect by NHL Central Scouting.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, and Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid are the finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award.

TORONTO STAR: Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan defended his team’s top-four players during the club’s end-of-season press conference. He did, however, acknowledge the club lacked a “killer instinct” that must be addressed.

SPORTSNET: Leafs captain John Tavares said he’s doing “really well” in his recovery from the traumatic head injury suffered during Game 1 against the Canadiens. Tavares missed the rest of the series with a concussion and a knee injury. He said he has no memory of the incident and doesn’t intend to watch the replay.

TSN: Leafs winger Mitch Marner denied a report that he refused to play a goal-line role on the club’s power play. “It’s a complete lie,” he said.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Don’t expect Marner, Tavares, Matthews or William Nylander to be traded this summer if Shanahan’s comments are anything to go by. However, that hasn’t stopped the speculation among the Toronto media. I’ll have more in today’s Rumor Mill.

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: Carolina Hurricanes center Vincent Trocheck’s status for Game 3 tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning remains uncertain. He was still being evaluated yesterday following his ankle-to-ankle collision with teammate Warren Foegele in Game 2.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins winger Craig Smith could return to the lineup for Game 3 tonight against the New York Islanders. He missed Game 2 with a lower-body injury suffered during the previous game.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ron Hextall said he’d be comfortable returning with the same group of players next season. He defended beleaguered starting goaltender Tristan Jarry, lauded the coaching staff and expects core players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang to return next season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hextall and president of hockey ops Brian Burke intend to bring some size and toughness to the line next season. There will be some changes but those will likely involve their secondary players. They could also acquire an experienced backup as a mentor for Jarry.

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: Flyers center Kevin Hayes underwent successful sports hernia surgery last week. His expected recovery period is five weeks.

 










NHL Betting: A Quick Update On The Other NHL Awards

NHL Betting: A Quick Update On The Other NHL Awards