The Lightning and Blackhawks name their new captains, the latest on Jeremy Swayman’s contract talks, several notable players are already sidelined by injuries, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
TAMPA BAY TIMES: The Lightning named Victor Hedman as their new captain. He replaces Steven Stamkos, who signed with the Nashville Predators on July 1.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: No surprise here. Hedman was the logical choice to succeed Stamkos having spent his 15-season NHL career with the Lightning.
CHICAGO HOCKEY NOW: The Blackhawks announced Nick Foligno as the 35th captain in franchise history. He’s the first to wear the “C” since Jonathan Toews from 2008 to 2023.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Foligno has plenty of experience as a team captain. He held that role with the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2015-16 to 2020-21. This move could pave the way for franchise player Connor Bedard to succeed Foligno when the latter’s contract expires in 2026.
BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman will not be in training camp as he remains unsigned. He and Bruins management still haven’t agreed on a new contract.
Bruins GM Don Sweeney expressed disappointment that the 25-year-old restricted free agent is not under contract in time for training camp. He didn’t forecast when an agreement could be reached but stressed that every day Swayman is absent is detrimental to the goalie and the team.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s believed a wide gap exists between the two sides with Swayman rumored to be seeking an AAV between $8.5 million and $9.5 million while Bruins are said to be offering around $6.2 million annually.
Swayman has until Dec. 1 to sign or become ineligible to play the rest of this season. He doesn’t want to risk that as it’ll cost him a season of work and wages. I’ll have more about this situation in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The Blue Jackets will memorialize Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau this season with helmet stickers featuring the brothers’ last name and their respective jersey numbers. They’ll wear jersey patches with Johnny’s No. 13 once the regular season begins.
The brothers were killed on Aug. 30 by an alleged drunk driver while they were bicycling in Oldmans Township, New Jersey.
SPORTSNET: As expected, Thatcher Demko will miss the start of the Vancouver Canucks’ training camp as he continues rehabbing a nagging knee injury. Checking-line forward Teddy Blueger will be out for a week with a lower-body injury and defenseman Tucker Poolman (migraines) will be placed on long-term injury reserve for the entire season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said Demko will speak to the media on Thursday about his condition. Meanwhile, Poolman also missed last season and hasn’t played since Oct. 2022.
TSN: The Washington Capitals placed winger T.J. Oshie on LTIR for the entire 2024-25 season. Oshie, 37, has been plagued by a chronic back injury that limited him to 52 games last season. The decision was made following his training camp medical.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oshie is in the final season of his eight-year contract with an average annual value of $5.75 million.
DAILY FACEOFF: The Vegas Golden Knights are reviewing their options after goaltender Robin Lehner failed to report for his mandatory training camp medical. Lehner, 33, is expected to miss his third straight season after undergoing hip surgery in Aug. 2022. He’s entering the final season of his five-year contract with an AAV of $5 million and $4.5 million in actual salary.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The report indicates contract termination is among those options, which would remove his $5 million cap hit from the Golden Knights’ books.
EDMONTON JOURNAL: Oilers winger Evander Kane reveals he’ll be undergoing surgery to repair two sports hernias and four muscle tears that took him out of the lineup for his club’s final five playoff games last spring.
TSN: Speaking of the Oilers, they’ve signed winger Mike Hoffman to a professional tryout offer (PTO).
THE HOCKEY NEWS: St. Louis Blues defenseman Torey Krug underwent season-ending surgery on his left ankle on Tuesday to address a pre-arthritic condition. Teammate Oskar Sundqvist continues to recover from offseason surgery to repair a torn right ACL. He’s not expected to participate in training camp but should be ready for the start of the season.
DAILY FACEOFF: The Blues announced they’ve signed Scott Harrington, Matthew Peca, Nikita Alexandrov and Sam Bitten to PTOs.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Stars winger Jason Robertson will miss most of training camp after undergoing offseason surgery to remove a cyst from his foot. He’s expected to be ready for their season-opener against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 10.
Speaking of the Stars, recently retired defenseman Jordie Benn has returned to the club as a player development assistant and AHL scout.
TRIBLIVE.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
BUFFALO HOCKEY NOW: Sabres blueliner Rasmus Dahlin left practice on Wednesday. Head coach Lindy Ruff described the injury as “mid-range” when asked if it was upper or lower body. It’s not believed to be serious.
DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: The Red Wings signed winger Alex Chiasson to a PTO.
NASHVILLE HOCKEY NOW: The Predators signed winger Philip Tomasino to a one-year, $825K contract.
CALGARY SUN: Former Flames forward Matt Stajan has joined the team as a skills consultant.
SPORTSNET: released their preseason broadcast schedule beginning Sept. 21 and running through Oct. 2.
TSN: Bell sold its 37.5 percent interest in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment to Rogers Communication, giving the latter the majority stake in Canada’s most valuable sports empire.
As part of the deal, Bell Media secured access to content rights for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the NBA’s Toronto Raptors on TSN for the next 20 years.