NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 14, 2023

by | Nov 14, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 14, 2023

The Oilers get their first win under new head coach Kris Knoblauch, Henrik Lundqvist, Tom Barrasso, Mike Vernon and Pierre Turgeon are inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Third-period goals by Zach Hyman, Connor McDavid and Evander Kane lifted the Edmonton Oilers over the New York Islanders 4-1, giving new head coach Kris Knoblauch his first NHL victory. Leon Draisaitl scored the tying goal for the 4-9-1 Oilers and finished the night with a goal and three assists while McDavid had two points. Mathew Barzal tallied for the Islanders (5-6-3) as they’ve lost four straight games.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Speaking of McDavid, he denied having anything to do with the club’s decision to replace Jay Woodcroft as bench boss with Knoblauch, who coached the Oilers captain during his Junior A days with the OHL’s Erie Otters.

McDavid said he’s aware of a perception that he’s had a hand in the decision to make the coaching change but insisted nothing could be further from the truth. “I woke up to a text, like probably a lot of you guys as well,” he said.

The Colorado Avalanche scored five unanswered goals as they rolled to a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Nathan MacKinnon collected three assists while Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar, Devon Toews and Tomas Tatar each had two points as the Avalanche improved to 9-5-0. Brandon Tanev netted his first of the season for the 5-8-3 Kraken.

HEADLINES

HHOF.COM: Former NHL stars Henrik Lundqvist, Tom Barrasso, Mike Vernon and Pierre Turgeon were officially inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday.

Joining them were former Colorado Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix, former NHL coach Ken Hitchcock and Canadian women’s star Caroline Ouellette.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to the Class of 2024 for their well-deserved induction into the Hall of Fame.

NHL.COM: Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart, Winnipeg Jets winger Kyle Connor and Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander are the league’s three stars for the week ending Nov. 12.

VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: The Golden Knights visited the White House on Monday where they were honored by President Joe Biden on their Stanley Cup win.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy practiced with his teammates yesterday for the first time since undergoing back surgery in late September. He indicated that he’s at least two weeks away from coming off the injured reserve list.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a big step forward for Vasilevskiy and a promising sign that he could be back in action by the end of the month at the earliest.

THE ATHLETIC: Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov’s absence from practice on Monday sparked speculation he’s been nursing an injury. The 26-year-old winger has 15 points in as many games but hasn’t looked like himself for much of this season. Head coach Dean Evason said Kaprizov was a “little banged up” but was vague as to whether it’s been something that’s been bothering him for a while.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Having their best player hampered by an injury could in part explain why the Wild are off to a 5-8-2 start to this season.

DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of the Wild, they placed forward Frederick Gaudreau on long-term injury reserve retroactive to Oct. 24. The move makes him eligible to play for the Wild against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Sweden this weekend. It also allows them to add Jesper Wallstedt to the roster as their third goaltender.

WGR 550: Buffalo Sabres captain Kyle Okposo will play in his 1,000th career NHL regular-season game on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Anaheim Ducks placed center Trevor Zegras (lower body) on injured reserve. He has just two points in 12 games and was sidelined for their last two contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Zegras missed training camp and preseason play due to a contract dispute that wasn’t resolved until Oct. 3. That could account for his slow start and his lower-body injury.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Blue Jackets center Jack Roslovic is out for four to six weeks with a fractured ankle suffered during Sunday’s game against the New York Rangers. The club has recalled defenseman David Jiricek from their AHL affiliate in Cleveland.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A big blow for Roslovic and the Jackets. He had eight points in 14 games before his injury.

THE SCORE: Speaking of the Blue Jackets, rookie Adam Fantilli isn’t happy with his club’s losing skid. The 19-year-old rookie acknowledged they have a young team “but that does not matter,” he said. Fantilli added that he hates to lose and doesn’t want to get used to it. “I’m not happy about the series of losses we’ve had,” he said.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It hasn’t taken long for Fantilli to become a key player for the Blue Jackets. He’s tied for the club lead in scoring with nine points and sits fourth among this season’s rookie scorers.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins winger Milan Lucic suffered a setback rehabbing his injured ankle which has delayed his return to the lineup by a week. He’s been sidelined since Oct. 21 and was placed on long-term injury reserve on Oct. 27.

CBS SPORTS: Chicago Blackhawks forward Andreas Athanasiou is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: NHL Players Association Executive Director Marty Walsh expressed his frustration and concern on Monday over the Arizona Coyotes’ search for a new arena.

Walsh cited rumors of the NHL adding two more expansion clubs but felt the Coyotes are like an expansion club because of their arena woes.

“They’re playing right now in a college arena, 5,100 fans that go to those games, and they don’t sell out. I think that’s the first thing we have to do – figure out what is the long-term play on Arizona.”

Walsh said the NHLPA would support a plan for a new arena but noted there is currently no plan or conversation on the matter. “So that, to me, is showing that there’s no urgency on their side.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman recently reassured fans that he and the league are committed to keeping the Coyotes in Arizona. He expressed the hope that the club could announce its new arena plans later this season.

In mid-October, Coyotes president Xavier Gutierrez said the team is hoping to announce a new arena plan within the next 60 days. That suggests they should have something in place by mid-December.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 7, 2023

by | Nov 7, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 7, 2023

Recaps of Monday’s games, the three stars of the week are revealed, and the latest on Frederik Andersen, Nicklas Backstrom, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Jack Hughes and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Vancouver Canucks extended their points streak to eight games by dumping the Edmonton Oilers 6-2. Quinn Hughes had a goal and three assists, Brock Boeser scored twice and Thatcher Demko kicked out 40 shots for the Canucks (9-2-1) as they sit second overall in the Western Conference with 19 points. Mattias Ekholm and Leon Draisaitl replied for the 2-8-1 Oilers, who sit second-last in the conference with five points.

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is not where most observers expected to see these two teams in the standings when this season began. The Canucks are off to their best start in years while the Oilers are enduring one of their worst.

Edmonton’s struggles, however, are garnering more attention than the Canucks’ early-season success. The Oilers’ growing frustration was apparent as Draisaitl received a 10-minute misconduct in the third period while head coach Jay Woodcroft was ejected later in the period for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Oilers’ difficulties are also generating speculation about possible changes. I’ll have more in today’s Rumors update.

Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman stopped 35 shots while rookies John Beecher and Mason Lohrei netted their first NHL goals in a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars. Brad Marchand tallied the game-winner as his Eastern Conference-leading Bruins (21 points) held on to improve their record to 10-1-1. Wyatt Johnston and Joe Pavelski scored for the 7-3-1 Stars.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stars forwards Matt Duchene and Radek Faksa missed this game as they’re still recovering from upper-body injuries. Both are considered day-to-day.

An overtime goal by Calle Jarnkrok lifted the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-5. Jarnkrok and Auston Matthews each scored twice, Mitch Marner had a goal and three assists and Matthew Knies had three points for the 6-4-2 Leafs, who overcame a 4-1 deficit after Joseph Woll replaced Ilya Samsonov in goal. Nikita Kucherov had two goals and two assists and Victor Hedman collected three points for the Lightning as they dropped to 5-3-4.

The Florida Panthers nipped the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4 on an overtime goal by Carter Verhaeghe. Sam Reinhart had two assists and Aleksander Barkov also scored for the 6-4-1 Panthers. The Blue Jackets (4-5-3) overcame a 3-0 deficit as Spencer Martin made 34 saves after Elvis Merzlikins got the hook for giving up three goals on 11 shots.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes, Los Angeles Kings goaltender Cam Talbot and Anaheim Ducks forward Mason McTavish are the three stars for the week ending Nov. 5.

CAROLINA HOCKEY NOW: Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen is out indefinitely after a medical exam discovered a blood clotting issue that requires treatment. The club issued a statement indicating there is no timetable for his return but they are confident he’ll make a full recovery.

The Hurricanes also signed goaltender Jaroslav Halak to a professional tryout offer and recalled netminder Pyotr Kochetkov from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Here’s hoping Andersen completely recovers and resumes his playing career.

TSN: Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said it’s unlikely Nicklas Backstrom will play again this season. The 35-year-old center stepped away from the team last week citing ongoing issues with his surgically-repaired left hip. Backstrom is expected to go on long-term injury reserve soon.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I hope I’m wrong but I believe Backstrom’s playing career is over. No NHL player has successfully returned to form following a hip resurfacing procedure.

TSN: Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper said starting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is on track to return to action later this month. Vasilevskiy underwent lower back surgery in late September and is expected back soon after American Thanksgiving on Nov. 23.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Lightning have made do thus far with backup Jonas Johansson filling in for Vasilevskiy. Nevertheless, they’ll be looking forward to his return between the pipes as they attempt to stage another run for the Stanley Cup this season.

DAILY FACEOFF: It’s been confirmed that New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes injured his right shoulder when he exited Friday’s game against the St. Louis Blues.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hughes is listed as week-to-week with some observers indicating he could be sidelined for three-to-four weeks. His condition is unrelated to the upper-body injury that he suffered during the playoffs.

MLIVE.COM: Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin (upper body) is questionable for Tuesday’s game against the New York Rangers. Winger Robby Fabbri is expected to return from a lower-body injury that sidelined him for the past 10 games.

CBS SPORTS: New York Islanders center Bo Horvat is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: Penguins forward Jeff Carter has accepted that he’ll be in and out of the lineup this season. He was a healthy scratch on Saturday against the San Jose Sharks for the first time in his NHL career.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The 38-year-old Carter has had a long, productive NHL career but his performance has been in decline over the past two years. He indicated that he’s not going to be a “grumpy old guy” about his situation and will continue to support his teammates when he’s not playing.

NBC SPORTS BAY AREA: San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier held a meeting with his players to address the club’s woeful 0-10-1 start to this season. Grier acknowledged he expected growing pains for his rebuilding roster but found their effort in their last two games (in which they gave up 10 goals in each contest) to be “unacceptable”.

Grier told the press that everyone on the team (including himself) had to be accountable for this situation. He refused to lay all the blame on the shoulders of head coach David Quinn. The Sharks GM indicated he’d been evaluating the club’s performance in the coming weeks, adding that changes could be coming if things didn’t improve.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s little that Quinn can do with the gutted roster he was given for this season. Trading away Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier last season took away two talented core players plus they’ve been missing the skills and experience of sidelined captain Logan Couture.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 30, 2023

by | Oct 30, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 30, 2023

The Oilers defeat the Flames in the Heritage Classic, an update on Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Edmonton Oilers snapped a four-game losing skid with a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames in the 2023 Heritage Classic before over 55,000 fans at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium.

Edmonton Oilers winger Evander Kane (NHL Images).

Evander Kane had a goal and two assists, Connor McDavid collected an assist in his return from injury while Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman each collected two points for the 2-5-1 Oilers. Nazem Kadri and A.J. Greer replied for the 2-6-1 Flames as they’ve dropped five straight games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a much-needed win for the Oilers as they hope to put their poor performance through October behind them. The Flames, meanwhile, continue to struggle as they’ve been outscored 20-6 over the past five games.

New Jersey Devils winger Jesper Bratt scored two goals and collected an assist as his club held off the Minnesota Wild 4-3. Luke Hughes had two assists as the Devils improved to 5-2-1. Pat Maroon had a goal and an assist for the Wild as they slipped to 3-4-2.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Devils placed defenseman Colin Miller (lower body) on injured reserve and recalled center Justin Dowling from their AHL affiliate in Utica.

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 23 saves for his first NHL shutout in a 4-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche (6-2-0). JJ Peterka, Casey Mittlestadt, Tyson Jost and Rasmus Dahlin were the goal scorers for the 4-5-0 Sabres.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar left the game in the second period with an apparent leg injury when he was shoved from behind into the end boards behind his own net by Sabres forward Kyle Okposo. There was no penalty on the play. Makar returned in the third period and finished the game.

Earlier in the day, the Sabres placed goaltender Eric Comrie (lower body) on injured reserve as he’s expected to be sidelined for several weeks.

Three unanswered third-period goals by Dylan Strome, Tom Wilson and Evgeny Kuznetsov gave the Washington Capitals a 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks, who remain winless in nine games (0-8-1). Alex Ovechkin and John Carlsson each collected two assists while Darcy Kuemper kicked out 31 shots for the 4-3-1 Capitals. Luke Kunin scored for the Sharks.

HEADLINES

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy took part in his first light on-ice workout with the Lightning since undergoing surgery on a herniated disc in his back a month ago. He remains weeks away from returning to action.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The earliest Vasilevskiy might return to action is late November. Given how well backup Jonas Johansson has held the fort, he won’t have to try to accelerate his return.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reporting that the NHL is expected to hand down punishment to the Ottawa Senators this week regarding the club’s trade of Evgeni Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021.

At the time, the Knights thought that Dadonov lacked no-trade protection because it was believed that he didn’t submit his no-trade list to the Senators by July 1, 2021. He was dealt to the Golden Knights on July 28, which was allowed because they weren’t on his no-trade list.

However, it turned out that Dadonov’s list was still in effect. As a result, the Knights’ attempt to trade him a year later to the Anaheim Ducks was overturned by the league.

THE ATHLETIC: Ian Mendes writes that the Senators appeared to have been cleared of any wrongdoing following the NHL’s initial investigation into the matter in March 2022.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This could end up costing the Senators one or two draft picks. It also might not endear general manager Pierre Dorion to the club’s new ownership.

CBS SPORTS: St. Louis Blues forward Alexei Toropchenko is sidelined with a lower-body injury.










NHL Rumor Mill – September 29, 2023

by | Sep 29, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – September 29, 2023

How will the Lightning replace sidelined starting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun believes Andrei Vasilevskiy’s absence leaves the Tampa Bay Lightning between a rock and a hard place. The 29-year-old goaltender will be sidelined for eight to ten weeks following surgery this week to repair a herniated disc in his lower back.

LeBrun believes Lightning management is considering every option to replace Vasilevskiy given the limited experience (35 games) of backup Jonas Johansson. However, their salary-cap limitations will affect what they can do. They’re already pressed against the $83.5 million salary cap and want to ensure they’re in the best shape cap-wise when Vasilevskiy returns.

Vasilevskiy carries an average annual value of $9.5 million. He’s eligible to go on long-term injury reserve but the Lightning must ensure they have sufficient cap space when he returns to action.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s believed the Lightning are prepared to go with Johansson and Matt Tompkins as their tandem. However, general manager Julien BriseBois reportedly didn’t rule out considering his options for replacing Vasilevskiy. Finding a suitable one that fits within their cap limitations could be challenging.

The most obvious option is via free agency where Jaroslav Halak and former Lightning backup Brian Elliott remain available. The Bolts could also wait until other clubs put their No. 3 goalies on waivers for the purpose of sending them to the minors. LeBrun mentioned Toronto’s Martin Jones, Pittsburgh’s Magnus Hellberg and Florida’s Anthony Stolarz as possibilities.

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Halak, Elliott and Jones have starter experience though they’re now past their prime in that department. However, they would only have to fill that role with the Bolts until Vasilevskiy’s return. Stolarz put up decent numbers with the Ducks while Hellberg had mixed results in his 23 NHL games.

DAILY FACEOFF: Matt Larkin also mentioned Elliott and Halak as free-agent options. He also pointed out that the Vancouver Canucks placed Spencer Martin on waivers yesterday. Trade options could include Buffalo’s Eric Comrie and Calgary’s Dan Vladar.

THE SCORE: Josh Wegman also mentioned Elliott, Halak, Stolarz, Jones and Martin among his 10 suggested goalie options. The others included Montreal’s Sam Montembeault or Cayden Primeau, Detroit’s Alex Lyon, Anaheim’s Alex Stalock and the New York Rangers’ Louis Domingue.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Martin carries a bargain-basement $762,500 cap hit but he struggled last season backstopping a porous Canucks defense. Comrie could be available if the Sabres stick with Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as their tandem. He also had his difficulties last season behind a shaky Sabres blueline.

I don’t see the Canadiens parting ways with Montembeault as he’s likely to be their starter this season. Given Primeau’s inexperience, I doubt the Lightning will have much interest in him.

Lyon is affordable ($900K) and helped carry the Florida Panthers into the 2023 playoffs. However, consistency is an issue. The same goes for Stalock ($800K) and Domingue ($775K).

The Calgary Flames could attempt to trade Vladar as they want to make room for promising Dustin Wolf. However, he’s in the first season of a two-year contract with an AAV of $2.2 million. He could prove too expensive for the cap-strapped Lightning.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Max Miller suggested San Jose Sharks netminder Kaapo Kahkonen. He pointed out that the 27-year-old Finnish goalie was linked to the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the Erik Karlsson trade in August.

Kahkonen carries a $2.75 million cap hit for this season. The Lightning will be able to fit him under the cap with Vasilevskiy going on LTIR.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bolts need to be cap-compliant when Vasilevskiy is ready to return. Kahkonen’s cap hit could become a significant burden. However, there might be a way for them to pull off a deal for a goalie like Kahkonen or Vladar…

PUCKPEDIA: Suggested the Lightning waive and demote Philippe Myers and Logan Brown to the minors, trade for Vladar and submit an opening-night roster with Brent Seabrook on LTIR and 20 healthy players, which is $22,000 away from optimal LTIR.

They could then put Vasilevskiy on LTIR and call up extra players. When he’s ready to come off LTIR, they could demote Johansson and have a 21-man roster.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: BriseBois is known for getting creative to free up cap space for the Lightning. It could take that type of salary cap gymnastics to address this issue. We’ll find out in due course what he’s got in mind.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 29, 2023

by | Sep 29, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 29, 2023

Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is sidelined by back surgery, Connor Bedard makes his preseason debut with the Blackhawks as does Erik Karlsson with the Penguins, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to miss the opening two months of the season following surgery to repair a herniated disk in his lower back. General manager Julien BriseBois said the injury is unrelated to those Vasilevskiy played through last season.

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (NHL Images).

BriseBois indicated the club has no plans to seek an external option to replace Vasilevskiy but he didn’t rule out the possibility. Their current goaltending tandem of Jonas Johansson and Matt Tompkins possess limited NHL experience.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is a major blow to the Lightning to start the season. Vasilevskiy is among the league’s elite goalies, winning the Vezina Trophy in 2019 and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2021. He was the backbone of their three consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances from 2020 to 2022 and their back-to-back Cup wins in 2020 and 2021.

Losing Vasilevskiy could put the Lightning into an early-season hole too deep to climb out of if Johansson and Tompkins aren’t up to the task. Despite the Bolts’ intention of sticking with their current tandem, there’s plenty of speculation that BriseBois could go shopping for help. I’ll have more about that in today’s NHL Rumor Mill update.

NHL.COM: Chicago Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard picked up two assists in his NHL preseason debut as his club beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1 in overtime. The 18-year-old center set up Andreas Athanasiou’s game-winner and finished with nine shot attempts and five shots on goal while winning 10 of 16 faceoffs and logging over 21 minutes of ice time.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Despite his impressive performance in this game, Bedard felt that he could’ve played better. If he performs as well in regular-season play as he did in this game, the Blackhawks will have a future superstar on their hands.

Erik Karlsson made his preseason debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Acquired from the San Jose Sharks in a blockbuster trade last month, he had one shot on goal and logged over 19 minutes of ice time. Drew O’Connor tallied two goals for the Penguins.

In other preseason action:

Kiril Kaprizov scored twice as the Minnesota Wild doubled up the Colorado Avalanche 4-2.

Tyler Toffoli scored in his preseason debut with the New Jersey Devils in a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers. Toffoli was acquired by the Devils in June from the Calgary Flames.

Washington Capitals rookie Ivan Miroshnichenko collected two assists while veteran winger Tom Wilson had a goal and an assist in a 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

The Seattle Kraken defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 on two goals by winger Eeli Tolvanen.

TSN: Calgary Flames assistant general manager Chris Snow remains on life support while arrangements for organ donation are made, his wife Kelsie announced. Snow became unresponsive on Tuesday and went into cardiac arrest on Tuesday, resulting in a catastrophic brain injury. He’d been battling ALS since 2019.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Snow’s family.

DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of the Flames, the club intends to keep promising goaltender Dustin Wolf in the AHL to start the season if a trade of backup Dan Vladar doesn’t materialize. GM Craig Conroy indicated that Wolf is exempt from waivers this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wolf won’t be in the AHL for long. I daresay we’ll see him join the Flames on a permanent basis at some point during this season.

WINNIPEG SUN: Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers acknowledged he’s been unlucky recently when it comes to injuries. The 27-year-old winger has been frustrated over the spate of various injuries that have sidelined him over the past two years. The latest is neck spasms that have kept him out of preseason action thus far.

CBS SPORTS: Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk suffered a cut above his eye during practice on Wednesday. He required several stitches and will miss Friday’s preseason matchup with the Jets. Tkachuk is expected to be good to go for the club’s season opener next month.

SPORTSNET: Vancouver Canucks goaltender Spencer Martin and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rem Pitlick and defenseman Ty Smith were the notable players placed on waivers yesterday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The report also indicated Martin was the subject of some trade discussions. We’ll find out this afternoon if he ends up claimed by another team.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 25, 2023

by | Sep 25, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 25, 2023

Attainable milestones for the upcoming season plus the latest on Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, Rangers center Mika Zibanejad and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: has a complete roundup of Sunday’s preseason action.

THE SCORE: Several NHL players are in line to reach league milestones this season.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is within one goal of becoming the first player in league history to tally 300 career power-play goals. He’s also just 15 points away from reaching 1,500 career points.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (NHL Images).

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby needs 88 points to tie Phil Esposito for 10th on the all-time points list. Esposito has 1,590 points.

Phil Kessel, the league’s reigning Ironman record holder, is just eight points away from reaching 1,000 career points. That’s assuming the 35-year-old unrestricted free agent finds a new contract with an NHL club. Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares is 25 points away from 1,000.

Twenty players, including Nashville’s Ryan O’Reilly, Minnesota’s Marc-Andre Fleury, Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman, Vegas’ Alex Pietrangelo, Boston’s Brad Marchand and Pittsburgh’s Erik Karlsson, could reach 1,000 career games.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has yet to suit up for training camp as he deals with an undisclosed injury. Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said Vasilevskiy is “wrestling with some things right now physically” and is considered day-to-day.

NEW YORK POST: Rangers center Mika Zibanejad is listed as day-to-day after leaving scrimmage on Sunday with an upper-body injury.

CAP FRIENDLY: The Seattle Kraken have officially removed winger Andre Burakovsky off injured reserved. He’d been on IR since Feb. 9.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Kraken managed to adjust to Burakovsky’s absence as they reached the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Nevertheless, he helped set the stage for that success with 39 points in 49 games before suffering a torn groin.

WASHINGTON HOCKEY NOW: Capitals defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk will be evaluated today after leaving Sunday’s preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres. He was struck in the right arm by a shot in the third period, left the game and didn’t return.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Alex Nedeljkovic is hoping a fresh start with the Pittsburgh Penguins will help reset his career after two unsatisfying seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. He was a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2020-21 with the Carolina Hurricanes but struggled to replicate that success after getting traded to the Red Wings.