Hockey Hall of Fame inductees for 2023 announced, salary cap raised by just $1 million for 2023-24, plus updates on Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Josh Bailey and more at NHL Morning Coffee Headlines today.
The 2023 Hockey Hall of Fame has been announced
NHL.COMFormer NHL players Henrik Lundqvist, Tom Barrasso, Pierre Turgeon and Mike Vernon are among the inductees into the 2023 class of the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Canadian women’s star was Caroline Ouellet, former NHL coach Ken Hitchcock, and former Colorado Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix. Also among the seven recruits. The official induction ceremony will be held in Toronto at the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 13.
Bystander’s Note: Congratulations to all of the recruits on this well-deserved honor.
It was a long overdue recognition for Barrasso, Turgeon and Vernon after being passed over for years. None of them say it’s coming. When Vernon received the call from Hall of Fame President Lanny McDonald, joked He thought MacDonald was inviting him to a game of golf. Meanwhile, Barrasso admitted he wasn’t just sitting by the phone waiting for the call.
Once again, such former NHL stars as Alexander Mogilny, Butch Goring, Patrik Elias, Rod Brind’Amour and Keith Tkachuk have been overtaken. Maybe one of them will get his due next year.
TSN: As expected, the NHL salary cap for 2023-24 will increase by just $1 million, to $83.5 million. The cap has been settled since 2020-2021 as part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to extend the collective bargaining agreement.
Note: As per the MOU, the cap remained at $81.5 million in 2020-21 and 2021-22, and increased to $82.5 million in 2022-23 and $83.5 million in 2023-24. There was some hope of increasing the cap by more than the expected $1 million if the players paid back the guarantee owed in full to team owners resulting from the pandemic-shortened seasons of 2019-20 and 2020-20.
After the 2023-24 season, the salary cap is expected to increase significantly by at least $4 million. It could go even higher given hockey-related revenue increases over the past two years stemming from new broadcast deals and the addition of the Seattle Kraken.
NHL.COM: The Buffalo Sabers are hoping to re-sign Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power to contract extensions and the feeling is mutual. Both men have a year left on their contracts and could re-sign on July 1.
Dahlen is set to become a restricted free agent in July with the arbitration rights to Bridge’s three-year contract revoked. At the same time, Bauer will complete his entry-level contract.
SPECTATOR NOTE: Coming off their best season in years, this is an amazing time for the Sabers and their fans. After years of often painful rebuilding, the club are poised to become play-off contenders thanks to exciting young talents such as Dahlin and Power.
The Sabers already have forwards Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens under reasonable long-term contracts. Acquiring Dahlin and Power through long new deals will ensure this team has a solid base of core talent to build on moving forward.
GOPHNX.COM’s tweeted Craig Morgan Reports that the Arizona Coyotes have an interest in New York Islanders winger Josh Bailey are not true, sources said.
Spectator note: The Coyotes have a history of getting pesky contracts from hooded teams packed with draft picks they stockpiled to build their potential pipeline. Still, the Bailey rumor sounds like some people have been spitting on ways the Islanders can make hood room for next season.
Hockey NewsVancouver Canucks general manager Patrick Alvin said Tanner Pearson is making progress in his recovery from a hand injury that sidelined him for most of last season. He pointed out that the 30-year-old winger is preparing for the training camp next September.
Spectator note: Pearson’s playing career was thought to be in jeopardy after the injury required another surgical procedure.
daily faceFlorida Panthers manager Bill Zito says he has spoken with Spencer Knight and expects the promising 22-year-old goaltender to return to the club next season. Knight played 21 games this season before entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in February and staying there for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs.
New York Post: The Rangers have named Phil Housley and Dan Moss to the coaching staff. Hall-of-Fame defenseman Housley is the former head coach of the Buffalo Sabers.
daily face: Larry Tannebaum, president of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, is set to sell 25 percent of his stake in the company to OMERS, an Ontario municipal employee pension plan.
Dispatch ColumbusThe Blue Jackets have signed forward Mathieu Olivier to a two-year, $2.2 million contract extension.
NHL.COMThe Hershey Bears are the 2023 AHL Champions after a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over the Coachella Valley Firebirds in Game 7 of the Calder Cup Final.
Mike Vecchione collected the winner for the Bears, an affiliate of the Washington Capitals. Conor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre also scored for the Bears.
Bears goaltender Hunter Shepherd was awarded the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as Most Valuable Player.
SPECTATOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to the Bears on winning their 12th Calder Cup in franchise history. The Firebirds deserve a round of applause for reaching the Final in only their first season of operation. They are affiliated with the Seattle Kraken Company.