NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 2, 2025

by | Feb 2, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 2, 2025

Recaps of Saturday’s games, the three stars and rookie of the month for January are unveiled, the Sharks trade Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci to the Dallas Stars, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPPING SATURDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak tallied a hat trick and collected an assist in a 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers. Brad Marchand, Matthew Poitras and Pavel Zacha each collected two points for the Bruins (58 points), who sit behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth. J.T. Miller scored twice in his first game with the Rangers since they reacquired him from the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.

Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The loss leaves the Rangers (52 points) six points behind the Lightning. Blueshirts forward Jimmy Vesey was a healthy scratch for the ninth straight game. He recently lamented that his situation left him feeling he had “no role or purpose” with the team but head coach Peter Laviolette insists he remains an important part of the roster.

Meanwhile, the Lightning dropped a 3-2 decision to the New York Islanders. Tony DeAngelo scored in overtime and Adam Boqvist netted his first goal with the Isles since being claimed off waivers from the Florida Panthers. Jake Guentzel and Nikita Kucherov replied for the Lightning (58 points), who cling to the final Eastern wild-card spot with three games in hand over the Bruins. The Islanders (55 points) have won seven straight and are three points back of the Bolts.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Islanders are on a tear despite being walloped by injuries. They announced on Saturday that goaltender Semyon Varlamov remains sidelined indefinitely with a lower-body injury. He joined goalie Marcus Hogberg and defensemen Ryan Pulock, Noah Dobson and Mike Reilly on injured reserve.

Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice collected his 900th NHL win as his club beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-1. Sam Reinhart had a goal and two assists while Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe each picked up two points for the Panthers (65 points), who hold a one-point lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs for first place in the Atlantic Division. Blackhawks forward Logan Slaggert opened the scoring just seven seconds into the game, setting a franchise record for the fastest game-opening goal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Maurice becomes the fourth coach in league history to reach the 900-win milestone. Meanwhile, Barkov joined Jari Kurri and Teemu Selanne as the third Finnish player to record 200 multi-point games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy returned to action after missing 13 games with a groin injury.

The Winnipeg Jets got an overtime goal from Josh Morrissey to nip the Washington Capitals 5-4, giving the Jets 77 points and a two-point lead over the Capitals for first place in the overall standings. Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin tallied his 877th NHL regular-season goal. Morrisey finished the night with two goals while Cole Perfetti and Dylan Samberg each had a goal and an assist for the Jets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin is 18 goals from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894.

Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson had a goal and three assists while goalie Leevi Merilainen made 16 saves in a 6-0 shutout of the Minnesota Wild. Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson each had a goal and two assists for the Senators, who picked up their fourth straight win and sit third in the Atlantic Division with 60 points. The Wild’s three-game win streak ended as they remain third in the Central Division with 66 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wild forward Ryan Hartman received a match penalty for intent to injure Stutzle following a face-off draw when he pushed Stutzle’s head into the ice. The Senators center received treatment for cuts above his left eye and finished the game.

The Toronto Maple Leafs scored three first-period goals and Mitch Marner tallied what proved to be the game-winner in the third as they held off the Edmonton Oilers 4-3. Marner and teammate Auston Matthews each had two points while Joseph Woll kicked out 45 shots for the win. Evan Bouchard and Brett Kulak each had two points for the Oilers, who remain in second place in the Pacific Division with 68 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm missed this game due to illness. Leafs blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson left this contest after the second period with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. Meanwhile, Leafs rearguard Jani Hakanpaa ended his comeback bid for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off as he continues to deal with a lingering knee injury.

Los Angeles Kings winger Kevin Fiala scored twice in a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Phillip Danault and Quinton Byfield each picked up two points for the Kings, who sit third in the Pacific Division with 60 points. Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Eric Robinson scored for the Hurricanes as their seven-game points streak ended, leaving them second in the Metropolitan Division with 68 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Hurricanes’ Brent Burns collected an assist to become the 13th defenseman in league history to reach the 900-point milestone. He’s the only active blueliner on that list. Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov missed this game with an upper-body injury.

The Detroit Red Wings picked up their fifth straight win by dousing the Calgary Flames 3-1. Cam Talbot turned aside 33 shots while Dylan Larkin, Simon Edvinsson and Andrew Copp tallied for the Red Wings (57 points), leaving them one point out of the final Eastern wild card. Nazem Kadri scored for the Flames, who’ve lost three of their last four contests and cling to the final Western Conference wild-card berth with 57 points.

Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 25 shots for his first shutout of the season in a 3-0 victory over the Nashville Predators. Sidney Crosby extended his goal streak to four games, Philip Tomasino scored against his former club for the first time and Bryan Rust netted his 20th of the season. The Predators have dropped four straight.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak, Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson and Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski were the league’s three stars for January 2025. Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf was named Rookie of the Month.

The Dallas Stars acquired center Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a first-round pick and a conditional third-rounder in the 2025 NHL Draft.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Granlund and Ceci are slated to become unrestricted free agents on July 1. Granlund was reportedly interested in signing an extension with the rebuilding Sharks, but general manager Mike Grier opted to move the pair to stockpile draft picks, giving his club two first-rounders this year.

Dallas made this move to bolster their roster for a potential Stanley Cup run this season. Granlund has 45 points in 52 games, putting him on pace to reach 60 points for the second straight year. Ceci is an experienced right-shot defenseman who’ll provide depth on the right side of the Stars blueline.

The Stars put center Tyler Seguin and defenseman Nils Lundkvist on long-term injury reserve to free up cap space to acquire Granlund and Ceci. Seguin underwent hip surgery in December and could return to action during the playoffs, when salary-cap constraints no longer apply. Lundkvist is done for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.

THE PROVINCE: Vancouver Canucks GM Patrick Allvin met with the media on Saturday to explain why his club traded J.T. Miller to the Rangers on Friday. He felt he had no choice but to move the 31-year-old center for his own well-being and the sake of the club’s culture, which had been upset by a rift between Miller and Elias Pettersson.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Miller got off to a great start in his first game back with the Rangers by scoring two goals. All eyes in Vancouver will be on whether Pettersson regains his scoring touch after struggling through the first half of this season.

DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of the Canucks, they placed winger Philip Di Giuseppe on waivers.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 28, 2025

by | Jan 28, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 28, 2025

Recaps of Monday’s games, the Sharks unveil their Quarter-Century Team, the mid-season Rookie All-Stars are revealed, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPPING MONDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond had a goal and three assists as his club overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Kings 5-2. Marco Kasper tallied twice and collected an assist as the Wings (53 points) sit two points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth. Kevin Fiala and Quinton Byfield scored for the slumping Kings (58 points), who hold third place in the Pacific Division but have dropped six of their last eight games.

Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a big night for Detroit forward Dominik Shine. The 31-year-old forward made his NHL debut after spending nine seasons with the Red Wings AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids. He saw 9:50 minutes of ice time and logged two hits and a blocked shot.

Kings defenseman Drew Doughty hopes he’ll get an opportunity to replace Alex Pietrangelo for Team Canada in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. Doughty’s been sidelined with a fractured ankle since preseason but hopes to return to action in time for the tournament. Pietrangelo withdrew citing an injury.

The Vancouver Canucks got two goals from Conor Garland in a 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Quinn Hughes picked up two assists while Tyler Myers and Pius Suter had two points each as the Canucks (54 points) moved to within one point of the Calgary Flames for the final Western Conference wild-card spot. St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington gave up three goals on 18 shots and was replaced by Joel Hofer in the second period. The Blues have lost three straight and sit four points back of the Canucks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, the Blues traded Scott Perunovich to the New York Islanders for a conditional fifth-round pick in 2026. The 26-year-old defenseman played sparingly for the Blues as injuries and inconsistent play frequently sidelined him. The Isles hope a change of scenery will improve his performance as they bring him in to replace Ryan Pulock, who is on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.

Meanwhile, Canucks forward Kiefer Sherwood missed this game as he’s day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid scored in his return from a three-game suspension to double up the Seattle Kraken 4-2. Mattias Ekholm had a goal and an assist for the Oilers, who’ve won seven of their last nine games to sit atop the Pacific Division with 67 points. Eeli Tolvanen and Vince Dunn replied for the Kraken.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (75 points) collected an assist to move within two points of Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon for the league lead in the points race.

The Philadelphia Flyers got a two-point performance from Scott Laughton (one goal, one assist) in a 4-2 upset of the New Jersey Devils. Travis Konecny and Rasmus Ristolainen each had two assists while Samuel Ersson stopped 31 shots as the Flyers (52 points) moved within three points of the final Eastern wild-card berth. Dougie Hamilton and Timo Meier scored for the Devils, who are third in the Metropolitan Division with 62 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flyers captain Sean Couturier missed this contest due to illness.

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini snapped a 1-1 tie to nip the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1. Mikael Granlund also scored and Yaroslav Askarov made 29 saves as the Sharks snapped a six-game losing skid. Sidney Crosby replied for the Penguins, who’ve lost seven of their last nine and are seven points behind the Lightning.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Penguins placed sidelined center Evgeni Malkin (undisclosed) on injured reserve and recalled winger Jesse Puljujarvi. Meanwhile, Fenway Sports Group is reportedly looking to sell a minority stake while retaining a controlling stake in the team.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: The Sharks unveiled their Quarter-Century Team on Monday.

Forwards Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski highlight the First Team, which includes defensemen Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic and goaltender Evgeni Nabokov.

The Second Team features forwards Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl and Owen Nolan, defensemen Erik Karlsson and Dan Boyle, and goaltender Martin Jones.

Sharks center Macklin Celebrini and Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf are among the players chosen for the NHL’s midseason Rookie All-Star Team. The roster also comprised Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, Philadelphia Flyers winger Matvei Michkov, Dallas Stars forward Logan Stankoven, and Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Nolan Allen.

Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak, Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish, and Utah Hockey Club forward Barrett Hayton are the NHL’s three stars for the week ending Jan. 26.

TSN: Mikko Rantanen said he was blindsided by the blockbuster trade that sent him from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. The pending unrestricted free-agent forward said he was willing to accept a significant discount from his market value to stay with the Avalanche.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rantanen’s discount wasn’t significant enough to keep him in Colorado. Pierre LeBrun reported the two sides discussed a contract extension but the club believed the gap between them couldn’t be breached, leading to the trade.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Washington Capitals signed goaltender Logan Thompson to a six-year, $35.1 million contract. The average annual value is $5.85 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Thompson’s getting a significant raise over the $766,667 he’s earning this season. He’s been outstanding for the Capitals since his acquisition from the Vegas Golden Knights last summer. Management must also decide the fate of backup goalie Charlie Lindgren, who is UFA-eligible and playing well in his contract year.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning defenseman Emil Lilleberg received a two-game suspension from the department of player safety for an illegal hit on Detroit Red Wings forward J.T. Compher on Saturday.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: An immigration issue is delaying Oilers defenseman John Klingberg from joining the team. He’s expected to make his season debut later this week.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Buffalo Sabres placed winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel on waivers.

TSN: The NHL and NHL Players’ Association have informed the International Ice Hockey Federation they intend to move forward on the 2028 World Cup of Hockey without IIHF involvement. They hope to announce the World Cup during the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off in February.

OTTAWA SUN: The Senators created a furor among their fans when team mascot Spartacat donned a jersey that was half-Senators and half-Quebec Nordiques as part of the club’s announcement it would play two preseason games this fall in Quebec City.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The outrage among Sens fans reached the point where team president Cyril Leeder took to social media to apologize for their mascot’s split jersey and allay concerns that the club might be relocating.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 31, 2024

by | Jul 31, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 31, 2024

Eric Staal retires as a Hurricane, the Rangers avoid arbitration with Ryan Lindgren, the Canadiens re-sign two defensemen, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

TSN: The Carolina Hurricanes announced Tuesday that Eric Staal signed a one-day contract to retire with the team that drafted him second overall in the 2003 NHL Draft. They will also retire his No. 12 later thishttps://www.tsn.ca/nhl/carolina-hurricanes-to-retire-eric-staal-s-no-12-1.2155886 season.

Former Carolina Hurricanes captain Eric Staal (NHL.com).

Staal spent 12 of his 18 NHL seasons with the Hurricanes, sitting second among their franchise leaders with 332 goals and 453 assists for 775 points, and third in games played with 909. He led all playoff scorers in 2006 with 28 points in 25 games during the Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup run.

Traded to the New York Rangers in 2016, Staal also played for the Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers. From 2003-04 to 2022-23, he scored 455 goals and 608 assists for 1,063 points in 1,365 games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Staal is the Hurricanes’ all-time leading scorer since the franchise relocated from Hartford. He appeared in six All-Star Games and was a Second Team All-Star in 2005-06. His most productive seasons were with the Hurricanes from 2005-06 to 2011-12 where he enjoyed seven straight 70-plus point seasons, including a career-high 100 points in ’05-’06. He also won a Gold Medal as a member of Canada’s 2010 Men’s Olympic hockey team.

NEW YORK POST: The Rangers avoided salary arbitration with Ryan Lindgren, signing the 26-year-old defenseman to a one-year, $4.5 million contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lindgren plays the shutdown role alongside Adam Fox on their top defense pairing. He is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next July. He and the Rangers can begin contract extension talks in January but that could depend on his performance and the club’s by that point.

THE MONTREAL GAZETTE: The Canadiens signed restricted free-agent defensemen Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron to two-year contracts. Xhekaj’s is worth $2.6 million ($1.3 million average annual value) and Barron’s is $2.3 million ($1.15 million AAV).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Xhekaj, 23, thrilled Canadiens fans with his physical style and offensive contributions from the blueline. However, he’s also undergone surgeries on both shoulders over the past two seasons. Xhekaj said he won’t change his style but intends to play smarter and take fewer penalties.

The 22-year-old Barron split the past two seasons between the Canadiens and their AHL affiliate in Laval. He’s a puck-moving blueliner who has struggled to find consistency at the NHL level but is still young enough to develop his game.

TSN: The New Jersey Devils signed goaltender Nico Daws to a two-year, $1.6 million contract with an AAV of $812,500 at the NHL level. The first season is a two-way deal and the second year is one-way.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Daws, 23, showed some promise as a call-up behind a porous Devils defense corps last season. He’ll be their third-string netminder behind Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen this season but could become Markstrom’s backup during the second year of his contract.

CALGARY SUN: The Flames signed goaltender Dustin Wolf to a two-year, $1.7 million contract with an AAV of $850K at the NHL level. It’s a two-way deal for 2024-25 and one-way for 2025-26.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wolf is expected to challenge for the starter’s job with the rebuilding Flames this season.










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.