The regular-season schedule resumes on Wednesday. Check out the latest on the Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck, the Oilers’ Connor McDavid, the Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
ESPN: Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck will be presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for backstopping the United States to its first gold medal in Olympic Men’s hockey since 1980.
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (NHL Images).
Hellebuyck and several of his Team USA teammates, including Jack and Quinn Hughes, and Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, attended the annual State of the Union address to Congress in Washington on Tuesday at the request of President Donald Trump, who met with the players in the Oval Office earlier in the day.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hellebuyck is believed to be the first hockey player to receive this award.
THE ATHLETIC: Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is expected to rejoin his teammates for Wednesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He will fly from Washington to Tampa Bay following a visit to the White House and celebrations with Team USA. Matthews was the captain of the United States Olympic Men’s hockey team.
EDMONTON JOURNAL: Oilers captain Connor McDavid will be a game-day decision for Wednesday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks. McDavid is with the team as they begin their post-Olympic road trip. The club would like to rest him from this game as it is the first of a back-to-back with the second game being against the Los Angeles Kings, but the decision will be up to him.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers want to ensure McDavid is well-rested and ready to return to action after the Olympics and the long journey from Italy to rejoin his teammates. They sit second in the Pacific Division with 64 points, but are only four points ahead of the Kings, who sit just outside the final Western Conference playoff berth.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Stars winger Mikko Rantanen is expected to miss the next two weeks due to the injury he suffered during the Olympics. He was placed on injured reserve on Monday.
The Stars also placed winger Radek Faksa on injured reserve. He suffered an upper-body injury during the Olympics.
THE WINNIPEG SUN: Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neil Pionk and winger Nino Niederreiter will be sidelined for roughly two weeks. Pionk suffered an undisclosed injury during practice, while Niederreiter aggravated an undisclosed injury that he was dealing with before the Olympics.
The Jets are also dealing with the absence of defenseman Josh Morrissey, who was injured playing for Canada in the Olympics.
They did get one piece of good news, as winger Kyle Connor skipped the invitation to the White House and the State of the Union to rejoin the injury-depleted Jets.
THE ATHLETIC: Speaking of the Jets, Jonathan Toews shot down any notion that he might be willing to move at the trade deadline.
“I wouldn’t consider going anywhere,” Toews said. “I want to keep playing for this team.” The 37-year-old winger has a full no-movement clause.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Given the Jets’ fading playoff hopes, some pundits floated Toews as a trade candidate. There was no indication that he would request to be moved to a contender, nor were there reports of serious inquiries about his availability.
COLORADO HOCKEY NOW/PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Colorado Avalanche traded defenseman Samuel Girard and a 2028 second-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Brett Kulak.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is the first significant post-Olympic trade. It could set the ball rolling for more moves with the March 6 trade deadline fast approaching.
This is a tidy piece of work by Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas. He flipped Kulak, a 32-year-old shutdown defenseman who is UFA-eligible on July 1, for the speedy, puck-moving, 27-year-old Girard, who is signed through 2026-27.
This deal reflects Dubas’ ongoing efforts to make the Penguins competitive while building up for the future by adding younger players. It could also reflect the need to address the decline in Kris Letang’s performance.
The Avalanche is in “win-now” mode. Kulak’s physical defensive style and playoff experience should make him a good rental addition as they push for the Stanley Cup this spring.
This trade gives them over $10 million in projected trade-deadline cap space, so they’re not done making trades before next Friday’s deadline. Their next target could be an experienced third-line center.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: The New York Islanders acquired forward Matt Luff from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward Julien Gauthier.
DAILY FACEOFF: The Seattle Kraken signed depth centers Ben Meyers and Ryan Winterton to two-year contract extensions.
NEW YORK POST: The family of former NHL star Ron Duguay announced he’s battling cancer. His daughters have launched an online fundraiser seeking $50,000 to deal with his rising treatment costs.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Follow this link if you’d like to contribute.