The latest on the Golden Knights, John Carlson won’t re-sign with the Ducks, the latest trades, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: The Golden Knights announced Tuesday that head coach John Tortorella will not be returning next season.
Tortorella was hired on an interim basis when the Golden Knights fired bench boss Bruce Cassidy on March 29. They went 7-0-1 over the remainder of the regular season to clinch first place in the Pacific Division and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, falling in six games to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Former Vegas Golden Knights coach John Tortorella (NHL.com).
Golden Knights captain Mark Stone credited Tortorella with giving the club “a shot of adrenaline” when they were struggling down the stretch. “I’ve got all the respect in the world for his professionalism and everything he did in his short time here.”
Center Jack Eichel said it was “an honor to play for (Tortorella) every day and I think all the guys in the room would agree.” Goaltender Carter Hart spoke of the respect he and his teammates had for Tortorella.
Danny Webster believes all signs point to the Golden Knights promoting Ryan Craig as their next head coach. Craig is currently the coach of their farm team, the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights.
NHL.COM: Golden Knights winger Mitch Marner credited the move to the Golden Knights last summer and his work improving his mental health with helping relieve the stress and pressure he’d felt during his final seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Marner, 29, led all scorers in the 2026 postseason with 29 points in 22 games.
DAILY FACEOFF: Rasmus Andersson said he’d love to return with the Golden Knights. The 28-year-old defenseman was acquired from the Calgary Flames in January and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He’s completing a six-year contract with an average annual value of $4.55 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s rumored that the Golden Knights are waiting until July 1 to re-sign Andersson, as that’s when they’ll be cap-compliant to do so.
However, Shayna Goldman of The Athletic believes his inconsistent play could make Andersson a risky signing. She noted that his current market value is $6.8 million annually.
TSN: Pierre LeBrun reported John Carlson will not be returning with the Anaheim Ducks. The 36-year-old defenseman’s agent informed the Ducks that his client will be testing the UFA market on July 1. Carlson prefers to return to the Eastern Conference to be close to his family.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Despite his age, the puck-moving Carlson had 60 points in 71 games split between the Washington Capitals and the Ducks. He’s completing an eight-year contract with an AAV of $8 million.
TORONTO SUN/PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: The Maple Leafs traded goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit to the Flyers on Tuesday for goalie Samuel Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae, and a third-round pick in 2026.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This move indicates Dennis Hildeby will back up Leafs starter Anthony Stolarz. The rise of promising netminder Artur Akhtyamov made it possible to part ways with Woll to free up some cap space. Ersson could end up with their AHL affiliate if they re-sign the restricted free agent, who has arbitration rights this summer.
Andrae’s puck-moving skills will be seen as an improvement over Benoit for the Leafs. Like Ersson, he’s an RFA with arbitration rights this summer. Both players should be affordable re-signings.
Woll has an injury history, but he should be a more reliable backup for Flyers starter Dan Vladar. Benoit currently slots in as a seventh defenseman, but his physical play could earn him more playing time.
THE TENNESSEAN/THE DENVER POST: The Nashville Predators acquired center Ross Colton and goaltender Isak Posch from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a third-round pick in 2026, a third-rounder in 2027 that originally belonged to the Avalanche, and goaltender Magnus Chrona.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was Chris MacFarland’s first trade since leaving the Avalanche to become team president and general manager of the Predators.
Colton was the obvious prize here for the Predators. The versatile forward is under contract for two more seasons and should provide experienced depth to their checking lines. This move frees up Colton’s $4 million AAV from the cap-strapped Avalanche’s books, which could be put toward re-signing center Jack Drury and defenseman Brett Kulak.
Speaking of the Predators, MacFarland said head coach Andrew Brunette and his staff will be back next season.
CBC.CA: The CBC will no longer broadcast NHL games after it and national rights-holder Sportsnet were unable to agree to a new sub-licensing deal that would’ve allowed the public broadcaster to continue airing games on its Saturday night program Hockey Night in Canada.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s the end of a 74-year era on CBC-TV. Hockey Night in Canada began in 1952 and for seven decades was a cultural institution for millions of Canadians, covering all aspects of the game. Heck, they even mentioned me back in 2007 on an intermission segment about the rise of hockey bloggers, which provided a welcome boost of traffic and new readers to this site.
This day was coming ever since Sportsnet won the bidding for the NHL’s Canadian national broadcast rights in 2014. It seems they no longer want to provide those Saturday night games for free through the public broadcaster.
CBC owns the Hockey Night in Canada brand, but it will no longer be used to televise NHL games. They could use it to broadcast PWHL games or perhaps junior or senior men’s hockey.
NHL.COM: Former NHL forward Kyle Calder passed away on Monday at age 47 following a brief illness.
Calder spent 10 seasons in the NHL from 1999-2000 to 2009-10 with the Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, and Anaheim Ducks. In 590 regular-season games, he tallied 114 goals and 180 assists for 294 points, and three points in 18 playoff games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Calder’s family, friends, and former teammates.