The latest on the Oilers and Panthers on the eve of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Capitals to purchase CapFriendly, the players will get back this season’s escrow payment, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
STANLEY CUP NOTEBOOK
SPORTSNET: Mark Spector reports Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch could tinker with his lineup before Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. Defense pairing Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci were reunited in Game 1 but continued to struggle as they were on the ice for two of the Florida Panthers’ three goals. Meanwhile, winger Evander Kane remains hampered by a sports hernia.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: We’ll find out before Game 2 what Knoblauch has in store for his lineup.
Mark speculates that Knoblauch could sit Ceci if he reactivates Vincent Desharnais. He’s been a healthy scratch since Game 4 of the Western Conference Final. He also suggested Sam Carrick coming in to center the fourth line while replacing Kane on Leon Draisaitl’s line with Ryan McLeod.
FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: The Panthers aren’t resting on their laurels following their 3-0 victory over the Oilers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. They know there is more they must do to improve. “I think we can definitely be better,” said winger Carter Verhaeghe after his club was outshot 32-18 in Game 1.
TORONTO STAR: Speaking of Verhaeghe, he and Oilers winger Zach Hyman are former Maple Leafs playing big roles for their current clubs throughout this postseason. Verhaeghe was a Leafs castoff while Hyman (who was drafted by the Panthers) was not offered a new contract by the Leafs three years ago.
Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Other former Leafs in this series include Connor Brown, Cody Ceci, Sam Carrick and Jack Campbell with the Oilers and winger Evan Rodrigues and head coach Paul Maurice with the Panthers.
SPORTSNET: The Calgary Tower will be lit up in Blue and Orange on June 10 to support Action Anxiety Day. Its “X” account assured Calgarians it was not to show support for the Oilers.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The intense NHL rivalry between the two cities burns brightly.
IN OTHER NEWS…
SPORTSNET: The Washington Capitals agreed to purchase the popular CapFriendly website.
CapFriendly will remain publicly available and independently operated until at least July 5, when the sale is expected to be officially announced. After that, the site will go dark and terminate its arrangements that existed for several years with multiple NHL clubs that bought into its API (Application Programming Interface).
THE ATHLETIC: CapFriendly’s tools and functions will become part of the Capitals’ in-house operations. Several NHL clubs were interested in purchasing the site and a source claimed its owners had held talks with other teams before reaching its agreement with the Capitals.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: CapFriendly came in after CapGeek was shuttered in 2015 following the death of its owner, Matthew Wuest. It quickly filled the void, becoming popular with fans, pundits, and NHL teams for its accuracy and up-to-date information in tracking player salaries and team payrolls.
Some fans took to social media on Sunday lamenting the sale, with some accusing CapFriendly’s owners of “selling out.” However, this is a business move and I don’t fault the site’s ownership for cashing in on an offer too good to refuse. I’d do the same thing if I were in their shoes.
The NHL doesn’t have a salary cap tracking site. In 2015, league commissioner Gary Bettman said he didn’t see the need to do so because he wasn’t sure fans were as focused on how much players were making as they are about their on-ice performance. He later questioned the accuracy of such sites as CapFriendly.
On both counts, Bettman couldn’t have been more wrong. It subsequently emerged that the league engaged in a “back-and-forth” regarding the creation of a league-operated cap site but some teams were against it.
For those lamenting CapFriendly’s imminent demise, I recommend PuckPedia. I’ve linked to their player and team salary info on my Rumors page for several years. Sportrac is another good option.
DAILY FACEOFF: NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh announced on Saturday that NHL players are on track to have nearly all of this season’s escrow payments returned to them. The players had six percent of their salaries withheld by escrow as per the 2020 CBA Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That’s because hockey-related revenue exceeded projections for this season. Otherwise, that escrow money would’ve been returned to the teams to offset any potential losses.
SPORTSNET: During Sunday’s “32 Thoughts: The Podcast”, Elliotte Friedman reported some player agents believe the NHL Draft should be shortened to four rounds. Friedman said most players who don’t get contracts are selected in the later rounds. They believe it holds up a player from beginning their NHL careers by having their rights held by a team for two to four years only for them not to receive a contract.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Any changes to the draft will have to be negotiated during the next round of collective bargaining in 2026.
Those agents are arguing that those who would normally be chosen in the fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds should instead become free agents able to sign with whomever they choose. While they make a good point, some late-round players went on to great careers with the teams that chose them.
SPORTSNET: The 2024 NHL Draft Combine results have been released. It was held last week in Buffalo.