Minnesota Wild sensation and restricted free agent Kirill Kaprizov has received a contract offer from CSKA Moscow of the KHL, sources told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.The Wild are aware of the situation and still believe they will retain the reigning rookie of the year with two months until NHL training camps open, LeBrun notes.Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin refuted speculation earlier in July that talks between the club and Kaprizov had stalled.Kaprizov and the Wild reportedly disagree on the length of a potential deal. Minnesota offered Kaprizov an eight-year contract, but he prefers a three-year pact, according to LeBrun.The Wild drafted Kaprizov 135th overall in 2015. He spent five seasons in the KHL - including three with CSKA Moscow - before venturing to North America. He notched 51 points in 55 games during his electric NHL debut to help Minnesota secure a playoff spot.The Wild have over $26 million in offseason cap space to lock in a new deal for Kaprizov, according to CapFriendly. But Minnesota's financial situation gets tighter after next season: The recent buyouts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise will count for over $12.7 million in dead cap space in 2022-23 and more than $14.7 million from 2023-25.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

There are numerous teams interested in trading for Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.The Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets are two of the clubs who have inquired about making a deal for the blue-liner, reports The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.Ristolainen, 26, has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $5.4 million. He'll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2021-22 campaign. He scored four goals and added 14 assists in 49 games last season.The Canadiens are expected to have a big void to fill on their blue line, with captain Shea Weber reportedly in danger of missing the entire upcoming season due to lingering injuries.The Jets are looking to upgrade their defensive core after the team struggled in its own zone last campaign. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said this week that he's looking to add defensemen through trades or free agency, according to NHL.com's Tim Campbell.Winnipeg is in danger of losing defenseman Dylan DeMelo to the Seattle Kraken in Wednesday's expansion draft. The 28-year-old played in the Jets' top four last season, averaging 16:58 of ice time per game.The Sabres selected Ristolainen with the eighth pick in the 2013 NHL Draft. He has 46 goals and 199 assists in 542 career games.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The doctor who performed Vladimir Tarasenko's most recent surgery is certain that shoulder issues won't hold the disgruntled St. Louis Blues sniper back next season."Vlad's shoulder is very stable and strong," Dr. Peter Millett told The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford. "He told me it is more stable and stronger than it has felt in a long while. To me, it feels rock solid. There is no doubt Vlad will be 100% ready for the upcoming season. I am confident he will be ready to play and that he will make a big impact for his team."Tarasenko, 29, recently requested a trade out of St. Louis, where he's spent his entire nine-year NHL career. He's reportedly upset by the Blues' handling of his first two shoulder operations and no longer trusts the organization. Team physicians oversaw Tarasenko's surgeries in 2018 and 2019, but he chose Millett to repair ligament damage in 2020.The Blues left Tarasenko exposed for Wednesday's Seattle Kraken expansion draft. The NHL's 32nd franchise could select the star winger to play in its top six or flip him to another team for assets.Tarasenko has only played 34 regular-season games over the past two years. He was one of the league's top scorers before being hampered by injuries, eclipsing the 30-goal mark in five consecutive seasons from 2014-19.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Everyone working in the OHL will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for the 2021-22 campaign, the league announced Tuesday."The Ontario Hockey League requires that all OHL community members be vaccinated against COVID-19, in accordance with the remainder of this policy at least 14 days prior to the commencement of the 2021-2022 season," the league said in a statement.The new rule applies to all players, as well as others who'll be at training camp, practices, and games. This includes coaches, officials, trainers, staff members, volunteers, and billet families.Anyone ineligible for the vaccines due to age won't be required to be inoculated. Those who can't be vaccinated for medical reasons or lack of availability will be accommodated, but documentation is required.A player who fails to comply may be removed from their club's roster through the end of the pandemic or until the virus is no longer a concern. Team or league employees who fail to adhere to the guidelines can be placed on unpaid leave for the same length of time.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Phillip Danault appears to be on the verge of leaving the Montreal Canadiens.It's highly unlikely the pending unrestricted free agent returns to the team, reports Sportsnet's Eric Engels.Danault is one of the NHL's best defensive forwards. The 28-year-old, who finished sixth in voting for the Selke Trophy this past season, helped the Canadiens make an unexpected run to the Stanley Cup Final.He posted a stellar 57.56 expected goals for percentage while collecting five goals and 19 assists over 53 regular-season games for Montreal. Danault ranked third among the club's forwards in average ice time at 16:52 before leading the group in the playoffs with 18:56.Danault has played the last five full campaigns with the Canadiens, who acquired him in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks in February 2016. The Quebec-born center played 32 games with the latter squad over his first two seasons prior to the deal. The Blackhawks selected him 26th overall in 2011.The Canadiens may have significant turnover next season following their improbable run to the championship round. Team captain Shea Weber could reportedly miss 2021-22 due to several injuries, while goaltender Carey Price has reported health concerns of his own and could be selected by the Seattle Kraken in Wednesday's expansion draft.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

NHL prospect Logan Mailloux has removed himself from the upcoming entry draft after being charged last fall for invasion of privacy for taking an offensive photo without consent during a sexual encounter."Being drafted into the NHL is an honor and a privilege that no one takes lightly," Mailloux wrote Tuesday on Twitter. "The NHL draft should be one of the most exciting landmark moments in a player's career, and given the circumstances, I don't feel I have demonstrated strong enough maturity or character to earn that privilege in the 2021 draft."If I were to ever have the honor of being selected, I would want a fan base to be proud to welcome me to their organization. I know it will take time for society to build back the trust I have lost, and that is why I think it is best that I renounce myself from the 2021 NHL Draft and ask that no one select me this upcoming weekend."I feel that this would allow me the opportunity to demonstrate an adequate level of maturity and character next season with the London Knights in the OHL, and provide all the NHL teams the opportunity to reassess my character toward the 2022 NHL Draft."The photo in question was of a woman performing a consensual sexual act, and Mailloux sent it to multiple teammates, according to The Athletic's Katie Strang and Corey Pronman.“I do not think that Logan has understood the seriousness of his behavior,” the woman wrote in an email to The Athletic in a story published at almost the same time as Mailloux's statement. The woman said all she wanted was a "heartfelt" apology in writing because she wasn't comfortable seeing him in person, adding that he sent her a "text that was no longer than three sentences."On Friday, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reported multiple NHL clubs placed Mailloux on a "Do Not Draft" list after learning the defenseman was charged in November while playing in Sweden.Mailloux was playing for Lejon in the country's third tier at the time because the OHL postponed and ultimately canceled its season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He reportedly paid a fine equivalent to $1,650 USD. The 26 NHL teams that interviewed him prior to the draft asked about the incident, according to Seravalli.TSN's Bob McKenzie projected the 18-year-old, who was 17 in November, as a second-round pick in April.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Rangers and newly acquired winger Barclay Goodrow are working toward a six-year deal with an average annual cap hit of around $3.6 million, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.Goodrow will likely officially sign with New York once the league moratorium is lifted at 1 p.m. ET on Thursday, notes Seravalli. Evolving Hockey projected the pending unrestricted free agent to ink a four-year deal with an average annual value of $3.15 million.The Rangers acquired Goodrow from the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 17 in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.The 28-year-old had 20 points in 55 games during the 2020-21 regular season, adding six points in the playoffs as the Lightning won their second straight Stanley Cup. Tampa scored roughly 64% of the goals with Goodrow on the ice at five-on-five this postseason, according to Natural Stat Trick.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

As the Seattle Kraken evaluate the risks and benefits of choosing Carey Price in the expansion draft, it turns out they may have another legitimate reason to pass on the Montreal Canadiens netminder.Price will see a doctor in New York this week about a knee issue that may require surgery, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun. The goaltender will also have his hip evaluated.Seattle ownership has given the green light to select Price in the draft despite the injury concerns, should general manager Ron Francis see fit, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.Price's situation may explain the caption his wife, Angela, wrote in her Instagram story Saturday. (Courtesy: Instagram/@byangelaprice)The NHL also reportedly told the Kraken and Canadiens it won't allow a transaction that includes Seattle picking Price and then trading him back to Montreal or the Canadiens packaging draft picks and other assets in exchange for the Kraken retaining more of the goalie's salary.The league reportedly views those actions as ways of circumventing the salary cap.Price waived his contract's no-movement clause to allow Montreal to expose him in Wednesday's expansion draft. Price's decision lets the Canadiens protect fellow netminder Jake Allen, who would have been available as teams can only shield one goalie and must protect any player with a no-move clause.Price, who'll be 34 in August, is under contract through 2025-26 at a cap hit of $10.5 million. He struggled in the recently concluded Stanley Cup Final and during the 2021 regular season but played a major role in Montreal making an improbable run to the championship round.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Max Domi's days with the Columbus Blue Jackets may be numbered.The club will expose the forward in Wednesday's expansion draft, reports The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.However, Columbus isn't hoping to lose Domi during the proceedings, according to Portzline, who adds that Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen is betting Domi's injured shoulder will dissuade the Seattle Kraken from taking the six-year veteran.Domi collected only nine goals and 15 assists over 54 games with the Blue Jackets this season. He underwent surgery to repair a labral tear in his right shoulder in June and is likely to be out for the first month or two of 2021-22. He was also made a healthy scratch by then-head coach John Tortorella in April after multiple on-ice outbursts.Columbus acquired Domi in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for forward Josh Anderson in October. The Blue Jackets signed Domi to a two-year contract with a $5.3-million cap hit shortly after landing him.Domi posted career highs with 28 goals and 44 assists while playing all 82 games for the Canadiens in 2018-19.All NHL teams were required to submit their protected lists by 5 p.m. ET on Saturday. The league will release the lists at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The St. Louis Blues aren't protecting Vladimir Tarasenko in the upcoming expansion draft, reports The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford.St. Louis will instead shield forward Ivan Barbashev from being selected by the Seattle Kraken, per Rutherford.Tarasenko reportedly requested a trade earlier this month following his frustration with how the Blues handled two of his three shoulder surgeries and now no longer trusts the club.The former star winger is under contract through 2022-23 at a cap hit of $7.5 million, according to CapFriendly.Tarasenko excelled for the Blues during their Stanley Cup championship run in 2018-19. During that postseason, he collected 11 goals and six assists across 26 games to help St. Louis win the title. However, he's been limited to 34 regular-season games over the last two seasons.He's spent his entire nine-year career with the Blues, who drafted him 16th overall in 2010.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Nashville Predators, Vegas Golden Knights, and Philadelphia Flyers made a three-way trade Saturday.The Predators sent defenseman Ryan Ellis to the Flyers for forward Nolan Patrick and defenseman Philippe Myers, the team announced.Nashville then flipped Patrick to the Golden Knights for forward Cody Glass.Ellis, 30, has six years remaining on his contract with an average annual value of $6.25 million. He figures to step into a prominent defensive role with the Flyers. He had five goals and 13 assists in 35 games last season while averaging 23:46 minutes of ice time per game.Patrick, the second overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, returned to the Flyers' lineup this season after missing all of the previous campaign due to migraine issues. The 22-year-old scored just four goals and added five assists in 52 games.Glass, 22, was once viewed as Vegas' top prospect and projected to serve as an important player. However, he split his time between the NHL and AHL this past season, mustering only four goals and six assists in 27 games with the Golden Knights.Myers, 24, has two years remaining on his deal with an average annual value of $2.55 million. The undrafted defenseman showed he's a dependable blue-liner with the Flyers and had one goal and 10 assists in 44 games last season.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Islanders are following the NHL's expansion draft rules after all, as the club re-signed defenseman Andy Greene to a one-year, $1-million contract, The Athletic's Arthur Staple reports.New York needed to ink at least one defenseman who meets the requirement for exposure by 5 p.m. ET on Saturday. Staple added that the Islanders submitted their list by the deadline, and Greene meets the criteria.Greene who'll be 39 on Oct. 30, has played for the Islanders since they acquired him from the New Jersey Devils in February 2020. He spent his first 13-plus seasons with the Devils.Under the rules for the expansion draft, each NHL team must expose two forwards, one defenseman, and one goaltender who are under contract for 2021-22 and played at least 40 games this past season or 70 combined contests over the last two campaigns.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Islanders have dealt forward Andrew Ladd to the Arizona Coyotes along with the 60th overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft, a conditional second-round selection in 2022, and a conditional third-rounder in 2023.Arizona is absorbing all of Ladd's contract, which will carry a $5.5-million cap hit through 2022-23 if he's healthy. The Islanders buried the deal on long-term injured reserve this season, reducing the cap hit to $4,375,000, according to CapFriendly.Ladd didn't play at the NHL level in 2021 and suited up for just one AHL game due to injury. The 15-year veteran, who'll be 36 in December, has played only 30 NHL contests over the last three campaigns.He'd been with the Islanders since they signed him as a free agent in July 2016. He previously played for the Chicago Blackhawks, the Winnipeg Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise, and the Carolina Hurricanes. Ladd helped Carolina win the Stanley Cup in 2006 and claimed it again with Chicago four years later.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vegas Golden Knights acquired forward Brett Howden from the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman Nick DeSimone and a 2022 fourth-round pick, the teams announced Saturday.Howden put up one goal and six assists in 42 games with the Rangers this season while averaging over 12 minutes of ice time per contest. The 23-year-old center was drafted 27th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2016 and was later traded to the Rangers in 2018. He is set to make $885,000 in 2021-22.DeSimone has spent his professional career at the AHL level. The 26-year-old registered 11 points in 22 games split between the San Jose Barracuda and Rochester Americans in 2020-21. He ended up in Vegas from San Jose via a three-team trade in April.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The San Jose Sharks acquired goaltender Adin Hill from the Arizona Coyotes for netminder Josef Korenar, the teams announced Saturday.The two squads also swapped 2022 draft picks, with the Coyotes getting a second-rounder and the Sharks receiving a seventh-round selection. The move came just before the deadline to submit expansion draft protection lists.Hill had a .913 save percentage and 2.74 goals-against average in 2020-21. He also put up a .909 save percentage in three games while backing up now-former Coyotes teammate Darcy Kuemper at the World Championship, where Canada captured gold.The 25-year-old pending restricted free agent made $800,000 last season. Drafted by Arizona 76th overall in 2015, Hill has been serviceable across 49 games for the Coyotes.Korenar, 23, has started just seven games in his young NHL career and has an .899 save percentage across 10 contests. San Jose signed Korenar to a one-year extension earlier this week and meets the exposure requirements for Arizona in the expansion draft.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Tampa Bay Lightning traded Barclay Goodrow to the New York Rangers in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, the team announced Saturday.Goodrow is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 28.The 28-year-old played a key role in the Lightning winning back-to-back Stanley Cups the last two seasons. Tampa Bay acquired Goodrow at the trade deadline from the San Jose Sharks in 2020 for a first-round pick.Goodrow recorded six goals and 14 assists in 55 regular-season games this past campaign and had six points during the postseason.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vancouver Canucks traded a 2021 third-round pick to the Dallas Stars for forward Jason Dickinson, the team announced Saturday.Dickinson is a defensive-minded center who can help strengthen Vancouver's middle-six forwards. With Dickinson on the ice at five-on-five this season, the Stars controlled 56% of the shot attempts and 57% of the expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick.He led all Stars forwards with 49 blocked shots in 2020-21.

The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired forward Jared McCann from the Pittsburgh Penguins for prospect Filip Hallander and a seventh-round draft pick, the team announced.McCann turned in the most productive campaign of his NHL career with the Penguins this past season, scoring 14 goals and adding 18 assists in 43 games. He has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $2.94 million.Many projected the 25-year-old to be left exposed by the Penguins in next week's expansion draft.Pittsburgh actually selected Hallander with the 58th pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. The Penguins traded him to the Maple Leafs as a part of the Kasperi Kapanen trade last August. He's yet to skate in an NHL game but recorded 24 points in 51 games with Lulea HF in the Swedish Hockey League last season.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Seattle Kraken are expected to sign Florida Panthers goaltender Chris Driedger to a contract, which will, in turn, make him a selection by the team in the expansion draft, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.Driedger is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 28, but the Kraken are allowed to negotiate and sign pending unrestricted free agents, per CapFriendly. If a deal is struck, the player becomes Seattle's pick from that respective team.The 27-year-old emerged as a legitimate starting option with the Panthers over the past two campaigns. He and Sergei Bobrovsky split games nearly evenly last season, but Driedger significantly outplayed his teammate.Driedger went 14-6-3 with a 2.07 goals-against average and .927 save percentage, and Bobrovsky went 19-8-2 with a 2.91 goals-against average and .906 save percentage. Driedger ranked eighth among all goalies with 11.98 goals saved above average, while Bobrovsky managed -1.92.However, the Panthers are committed to Bobrovsky through the 2025-26 campaign with a $10-million annual cap hit. The club also has top goalie prospect Spencer Knight, who played four games last season.Seattle is expected to have a number of talented goalies available in the expansion draft, including Braden Holtby and Ben Bishop.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Dallas Stars signed defenseman Miro Heiskanen to an eight-year contract with an average annual value of $8.45 million, the team announced Saturday.Heiskanen, 21, racked up eight goals and 19 assists in 55 games this past season. The Stars selected him with the third overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft."As an organization, we truly feel that Miro has just scratched the surface of his ability and will be in the Norris Trophy discussion for years to come," general manager Jim Nill said.

When the Seattle Kraken reveal their No. 1 goalie in Wednesday's NHL expansion draft, some people will inevitably compare that player to Marc-Andre Fleury. Maybe this won't be fair. Stanley Cup rings graced three of Fleury's fingers when the Vegas Golden Knights snared him from the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017. Fleury just won the Vezina Trophy and has led the league's 31st club on multiple playoff runs.Pacific Northwest history buffs will have another reference point in mind: Hap Holmes, who manned the crease for the 1916-17 Seattle Metropolitans, the Stanley Cup's first American champion. That momentous season, Holmes was 29 years old and bald. The ball cap he wore in net guarded him from the tobacco that road fans spat at his dome. Powerless to dodge the juice, Holmes was agile and heady with the puck in front of him. Hap was short for Happy, and in life and in victory, a smile was his default expression."Where some goalers are spectacular, he was scientific," the Hall of Fame player Cyclone Taylor, long an opponent of Holmes in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, once said about him. "We always regarded him as a stone wall."Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Holmes' netminding powered Seattle to glory the season before the NHL formed. In the Stanley Cup's earliest years, amateur clubs from Montreal, Ottawa, and Winnipeg hoarded possession of the trophy, fending off challengers that hailed from Rat Portage, Ontario, to Dawson City, Yukon. From 1893-1915, no American team played for the Cup, but in 1916, the Portland Rosebuds fell one goal short of denying the Montreal Canadiens their first title.The Canadiens played in the National Hockey Association back then and Portland and Seattle were PCHA foes, battling the Vancouver Millionaires for supremacy of the pro loop that introduced the goal crease, blue line, and forward pass. The Metropolitans debuted in the league in 1915-16 as a ready-made contender, not unlike Vegas a century later. Some of the era's most fearsome scorers and all-around players returned to Seattle the next fall, nine men poached from across Canada to form what endures as the city's best roster.Three stalwart Metropolitans - Holmes, Jack Walker, and Frank Foyston, the franchise's career goals and points leader - are in the Hall of Fame. Foyston's vision with the puck elevated his teammates. Walker mastered the hook check, whereby he'd backcheck and sink to a knee to dispossess opponents. Imitators spiraled out of position if the move failed, but "Walker never missed," author Kevin Ticen wrote in "When It Mattered Most," his definitive account of Seattle's championship season.The 1916-17 Mets were coached by Pete Muldoon, 29, a regional light heavyweight boxing champ who preached speed and team play on the ice. Muldoon's club could irritate (winger Cully Wilson "played on the edge of rage," Ticen wrote) and dominate (Foyston and Bernie Morris combined to pot 73 goals in 24 games). Helpfully, Holmes was a star, too. He allowed 80 goals that regular season, or 3.33 per night - elite considering that defensemen often played the entire 60-minute game.Operating out of the $100,000 Seattle Ice Arena - the Metropolitan Building Company constructed the barn in 1915 and inspired the squad's name - the Mets went 16-8 against the Millionaires, Rosebuds, and Spokane Canaries. 1916-17 was a lost season for the Canaries, who moved south from Victoria when Canadian authorities commandeered their home rink for war training. Seattle routed Spokane for seven wins, including 14-1 and 7-0 scores to start and end February.When a dirty slash bruised his knee in the 14-1 affair, Morris ignored team medical advice to return the next game. By March 2 at Portland, the last day of the season, he was limber enough to score twice and clinch Seattle the PCHA title. Second-place Vancouver iced its own Hall of Fame trio - Taylor, Gordon Roberts, and PCHA co-founder Frank Patrick - but ran out of time to erase a narrow standings deficit and reach the Stanley Cup Final.There, the Mets got to face the NHA champion Canadiens, who edged the original Ottawa Senators 7-6 in that league's two-leg final. Tied on aggregate goals late in Game 2, Montreal capitalized on an Ottawa goaltending blunder to book passage to Seattle, where the whole best-of-five Stanley Cup clash was to be held. The reigning Cup winners boarded a private train that same night, leaving the trophy behind to project that they'd retain ownership.March 16, 1917. Seattle Star Concern that the cross-continent ride would tank the Canadiens' fitness was offset by the advantages the Habs brought into the final. On average, Montreal's starters outweighed Seattle's, averaging 183 pounds each to the Mets' 156. Habs winger Didier Pitre bagged a hat trick against Portland, and four goals total, in the previous year's Cup victory. Player-coach Newsy Lalonde was hockey's greatest pre-Original Six scorer. Between the pipes was Georges Vezina, whom Fleury's award is named after.These legends rolled toward a city that, as the Cup series neared, "could do nothing but stop, talk, and listen to hockey gossip," Seattle Star reporter Edward Hill wrote. Once a 3,500-person mill town, Seattle became a destination in the 1890s as a gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush, Ticen noted in his book. In a March 1917 Post-Intelligencer newspaper column he unearthed, sports editor Royal Brougham described the magnitude of Montreal's visit: “Seattle will shake the dust of small-town sport from her feet and bust into big-league company."Disembarking the train on Saturday, March 17, the day of Game 1, Canadiens manager George Kennedy paused to contribute to the discourse. Enlivened by Lalonde's presence on the trip - the NHA had cleared the superstar to face Seattle after he had been suspended against Ottawa for high stickwork - Kennedy predicted to reporters an easy Montreal victory. Rust from the journey might spot the Metropolitans the opener, he clarified, but the Canadiens would sweep the remaining matchups.Georges Vezina. Bruce Bennett Collection / Getty ImagesAs it turned out, Kennedy was precisely wrong. Playing Game 1 under PCHA rules, with seven men on the ice per team (a rover included), Montreal shelled Holmes in an 8-4 win, netting softies that he was keen to avenge. That was the Canadiens' last triumph of the season. NHA rules governed for Game 2 the following Tuesday, but Seattle won 6-1, strengthened by Foyston's hat trick and the shutout Holmes preserved for the first 59 minutes. Irked, Lalonde butt-ended an official during a late skirmish, incurring an ejection and $25 fine."The poor Canadiens looked like a bunch of wooden-legged men on skates compared to the flashy speed work of the local lads," Hill opined postgame. Montreal defensemen Bert Corbeau and Harry Mummery "were at sea most of the evening," the Ottawa Journal wrote, wondering from afar if the Habs already were toast.Game 3 confirmed they were. Down 1-0, Montreal squandered an early man advantage - Holmes lunged to knock a Corbeau one-timer wide - and resorted to playing reckless. Billy Coutu bashed Seattle's Roy Rickey twice, sparking a fight on each occasion, and Mummery was penalized 10 minutes for cross-checking Morris on the rush. Swamped by the Mets' pace, breathing heavily in the third period, the Habs conceded three goals within 1:56, permitting a hat trick from Morris this time, and lost 4-1.Unchastened by the result, Kennedy filed a protest to have Game 3 replayed, claiming the officials erred by not allowing Mummery to serve his penalty after Coutu's elapsed. It amounted to a Hail Mary that Patrick, weighing in as PCHA president, shot down.

The New York Islanders have dealt defenseman Nick Leddy to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for forward Richard Panik and the 52nd overall pick in the upcoming NHL draft.Detroit is retaining 50% of Panik's $2.75-million cap hit. He's under contract through 2022-23.Leddy, who carries a cap hit of $5.5 million, is on the books through next season and will then be eligible for unrestricted free agency. He played the last seven campaigns with the Islanders after spending his first four with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Viktor Arvidsson feels the Nashville Predators didn't deploy him properly in 2021."I feel like I didn’t get seen as the all-around player I was, at the end of the day," the Los Angeles Kings forward told The Athletic's Adam Vingan. "That’s my honest truth about it. I feel like I need to get that off my chest."I didn’t play the (penalty kill). I didn’t play in all situations, which I did for the last six years. I didn’t play five-on-six and so on. I think I can contribute in all those areas."The Predators traded Arvidsson to the Kings for a 2021 second-round pick and a 2022 third-rounder on July 1.Here's how much his ice time decreased on the penalty kill in recent campaigns:SeasonShorthanded ice timeSH ATOITeam rank20211:290:0225th2019-2033:130:3513th2018-1974:111:1710thWhile Nashville may have dealt him with the upcoming expansion draft in mind, the 28-year-old struggled by his standards this past season while collecting 10 goals and 15 assists over 50 games. However, his 6.6% shooting rate suggests misfortune was a factor.Arvidsson amassed 94 goals across three seasons from 2016 to 2019 before his production started to tail off in 2019-20. That's when he tallied only 15 markers and 13 helpers over 57 contests.But he battled through injuries that season after St. Louis Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo hit him hard in November 2019. On Friday, Arvidsson confirmed how seriously he was hurt on the play, which resulted in a four-game suspension for Bortuzzo."I blew both my MCLs out on both legs," Arvidsson said. "I had double MCL sprains, on both (my) left and right knees. I came back from that after five weeks, I think, right before the (2020) Winter Classic, I believe."Arvidsson returned in late December of that year, but he registered only nine goals and four assists over the final 35 regular-season games. However, he did score in three of his team's four playoff games in the Edmonton bubble.The Swedish winger spent his first six full campaigns with the Predators, who drafted him 112th overall in 2014. He ranks sixth in franchise history with 127 goals over 385 matchups.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Braden Holtby is drawing real interest from the Seattle Kraken, The Athletic's Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal report.Holtby is expected to be unprotected in the upcoming expansion draft, but Seattle has inquired about Vancouver potentially retaining some of the veteran netminder's salary in a side deal, according to Drance and Dhaliwal. Holtby carries a $4.3 million cap hit next season but is owed $5.7 million in base salary.The 31-year-old signed a two-year, $8.6 million contract with the Canucks last October, but Thatcher Demko has since emerged as the club's clear goalie of the future.Holtby would be one of the better goalies available for the Kraken in the draft and surely the most established. The Saskatchewan native has made 489 NHL starts and has a Stanley Cup (2018) and Vezina Trophy (2016) on his resume.Despite his reputation and prior accomplishments, Holtby's stats over the past two seasons are cause for concern. In 69 appearances between 2019 and 2021, he's 32-25-9 with an .895 save percentage and minus-29.4 goals saved above average.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks are among the teams pursuing Toronto Maple Leafs pending unrestricted free agent Zach Hyman, according to The Toronto Star's Kevin McGran.The Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, and Detroit Red Wings have also expressed their desire for the gritty winger, but the Western Canadian triad are believed to be the frontrunners, McGran adds.The Maple Leafs have reportedly granted Hyman permission to speak to other clubs so they can explore trading his rights.Hyman will likely be too expensive for Toronto to retain. The Leafs have less than $10 million in cap space this offseason, according to Cap Friendly, and need to add players at every position to fill out their roster.Here's a look at the current cap situations of Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton. However, numbers are bound to change within the next week due to the looming expansion draft.TeamCap spacePlayers signedFlames$13.625 million14Canucks$15.174 million15Oilers$11.204 million19Even if the Flames signed Hyman, they'd still need to add three more forwards to fill out their roster. The Canucks' cap situation is also delicate, as they need to sign restricted free agents Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes before the puck drops in October.The Oilers are the most logical fit of the three on paper, but Edmonton also needs to sign a starting goalie.Hyman is projected to sign a four-year contract with a $5.325 million average annual value, according to Evolving-Hockey.The 29-year-old was the Florida Panthers' sixth-round pick in 2010 but has played all of his 345 NHL games with Toronto. On top of being one of the league's top forecheckers, Hyman has blossomed into a reliable top-six producer. He had 15 goals and 18 assists through 43 contests in 2021, which works out to a 63-point pace over an 82-game season.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler will hit free agency this offseason, his agent Mark Stowe said Friday on CHEK TV's "Donnie and Dhali.""Alex has decided to pursue free agency in lieu of re-signing with the Canucks, and he will test the market pretty soon," Stowe said.Edler, 35, has spent his entire career in Vancouver since debuting in 2006. He recorded eight assists and a team-high 118 blocked shots in 52 games last season while averaging 20:54 of ice time per game.This will be the first time Edler explores free agency in his career. He's coming off a two-year, $12-million deal inked in June 2019.Edler is the highest-scoring defenseman in Canucks history with 409 career points. His 925 games played in Vancouver rank fourth among all players on the team.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Colorado Avalanche have dealt defenseman Ryan Graves to the New Jersey Devils for forward Mikhail Maltsev and the 61st overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft.Graves was a top-four blue-liner for the Avalanche, and while he didn't boast gaudy offensive numbers, his underlying figures proved he was a steady presence on the back end.The 26-year-old produced a 56.37 expected goals percentage and a 57.57 scoring chances for percentage at five-on-five this campaign, according to Natural Stat Trick.Graves collected two goals and 13 assists over 54 regular-season games before adding one marker and five helpers in 10 playoff contests in 2021. He played three seasons for the Avalanche, who acquired him via trade with the New York Rangers in February 2018.The 6-foot-5, 220-pound rearguard is under contract through 2022-23 at a cap hit of about $3.17 million, according to CapFriendly.Colorado was in danger of losing Graves to the Seattle Kraken in the upcoming expansion draft.Maltsev notched six goals and three assists across 33 games for the Devils in 2021. It was the 23-year-old's rookie season in the NHL after he suited up for parts of three KHL campaigns with SKA Saint Petersburg. New Jersey selected him 102nd overall in 2016.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ben Bishop is doing his team a solid.The Dallas Stars goaltender has agreed to waive his no-movement clause for the expansion draft, general manager Jim Nill told Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas Morning News.The decision applies only to the expansion draft and not a trade, Nill confirmed.The Stars are now able to protect fellow netminder Anton Khudobin. Youngster Jake Oettinger is exempt. He split time in the crease with Khudobin this past season.Bishop missed the entire 2020-21 campaign after undergoing offseason surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee, and he played only three playoff games during Dallas' run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020. His status for next season is unclear.There are two years remaining on the 34-year-old's contract, and he carries an annual cap hit of $4.92 million, according to CapFriendly.Bishop has battled other injuries throughout his career, but he's been an elite puck-stopper when healthy. He produced a .920 save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against average over 44 games during the 2019-20 season.The towering 6-foot-7 netminder has been a Vezina Trophy finalist three times, including as recently as 2018-19.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Florida Panthers re-signed forward Anthony Duclair to a three-year contract, the team announced Thursday.The deal carries an average annual value of $3 million, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.Duclair, 25, recorded 10 goals and 22 assists in 43 regular-season games with the Panthers during his first season with the club. He signed a one-year, $1.7-million contract with the team in December."Anthony brought great speed and skill to our club this season," general manager Bill Zito said. "We look forward to seeing him continue to be a creative playmaker for us on the ice and a valuable member of our community. We are thrilled to have him as a part of the Panthers family for years to come."The Panthers also bought out the final two years of Keith Yandle's contract and inked defenseman Gustav Forsling to a three-year extension reportedly worth $8 million on Thursday.Duclair has appeared in 396 career contests with the Panthers, Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks, and New York Rangers. He's amassed 89 goals and 105 assists.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Matiss Kivlenieks was thinking only about others in his final moments, according to teammate Elvis Merzlikins.The Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender, who died in a fireworks accident on July 4, sacrificed his own life to save others, Merzlikins said.Kivlenieks died due to chest trauma from a fireworks mortar blast. The mortar tube tilted and started firing toward a hot tub. Merzlikins and his pregnant wife were nearby."He saved, not just many lives, but when it happened, I was standing 20, 30 feet back of him," Merzlikins said at Kivlenieks' memorial service on Thursday. "And I was hugging my wife. He saved my son, he saved my wife, and he saved me. My son's second name is going to be Matiss."If that wasn't me or my wife or son, that would be 50 other people. He died a hero. And that's not me saying it. That was the doctor saying it. If he would just sit, it wouldn't have happened. As Sabrina said, he saved his last puck. I just wanted to let you know that he was a hero. He saved a lot of lives."Kivlienieks lived in Merzlikins' guest room, and the two Latvian netminders formed a tight bond."Matiss, he wasn't my friend. Matiss was my little brother," Merzlikins said.The incident occurred at goaltending coach Manny Legace's house in Michigan to celebrate his daughter's wedding. Kivlienieks first lived with Legace during the summers after joining the Blue Jackets organization."I love you. I always will love you," Legace said. "You were my son. And you were a great friend to everybody here."Kivlienieks was 24.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Florida Panthers have found use for their newfound cap space.Shortly after buying out blue-liner Keith Yandle on Thursday, the club announced it has re-signed pending restricted free-agent defenseman Gustav Forsling on a three-year deal.The contract carries an annual cap hit of $2.66 million, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.Forsling registered five goals and 12 assists in 43 games this past season while averaging 19:57 per contest. He was a favorite of head coach Joel Quenneville after the two spent parts of three seasons together with the Chicago Blackhawks.The 25-year-old posted strong underlying numbers this past year and projects to fill a top-four role with the Cats moving forward: Evolving-Hockey.comThe Panthers are expected to protect Forsling as their No. 3 defenseman behind Aaron Ekblad and MacKenzie Weegar in the upcoming expansion draft, according to FloridaHockeyNow's George Richards.Florida claimed Forsling off waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes in January.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Florida Panthers have bought out defenseman Keith Yandle, the club announced Thursday.Yandle had two seasons remaining on his contract with an average annual value of $6.35 million. He signed the seven-year, $44.45-million deal with Florida in 2016."While a decision of this kind is never an easy one to make, we believe that this shift is necessary as we look towards the 2021-22 season and our club's future," Panthers general manager Bill Zito said.Here's a breakdown of the salary-cap implications of Yandle's buyout, according to CapFriendly:SeasonInitial cap hitNew cap hit2021-22$6.35M$2.34M2022-23$6.35M$5.39M2023-24$0$1.24M2024-25$0$1.24MThe 34-year-old appeared to fall out of favor with the Panthers at times this past season. It was reported in January that he wasn't in the team's plans moving forward and would begin the campaign as a healthy scratch. But he ended up playing in all 56 regular-season games, recording 27 points.Florida scratched Yandle for two games during its first-round loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.Yandle owns the second-longest ironman streak in NHL history, having played in 922 consecutive regular-season games. The blue-liner has 600 points in 1,032 career contests.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It appears Zach Hyman's time in Toronto is coming to an end.The Maple Leafs have granted the pending unrestricted free-agent forward permission to speak to other teams so the club can explore trading his rights, sources told TSN's Darren Dreger.Hyman, 29, is coming off the best two-year stretch of his career after tallying 36 goals and 70 points over his last 94 games. He's also proven to be an effective play-driver and a responsible two-way forward over the last three seasons. Evolving-Hockey.comToronto has less than $10 million in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly, and may not be able to pay Hyman his market value while addressing other needs.Evolving-Hockey is projecting Hyman will sign a four-year deal with a $5.325-million annual cap hit this offseason.Hyman has spent the majority of his Maple Leafs tenure playing alongside elite talent. The workhorse winger has played almost exclusively on the club's top line with some combination of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares, and Mitch Marner.Hyman was originally a fifth-round pick of the Florida Panthers in 2010. The Maple Leafs traded for him in 2015 in exchange for Greg McKegg. The native of Toronto has played 345 games across six seasons with his hometown club.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The dust has settled on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the NHL is rapidly approaching an avalanche of transactions, with the entry draft, expansion draft, and free agency all occurring before the end of July.With so much action on the horizon, we ask five pressing questions surrounding key talking points for what promises to be a high-octane offseason.1. Will Jack Eichel be dealt? Sara Schmidle / National Hockey League / GettyRegardless of what may occur this offseason, no event will be as seismic as a potential trade involving the Buffalo Sabres captain. It's highly unlikely to happen before the expansion draft, but until Eichel pulls a Sabres jersey over his head again, the hockey world will be wondering when and where he's playing next.The state of Eichel's neck injury is still largely unknown, and while he and the team are working towards a solution - whatever that may mean - the forward's incendiary comments towards the organization at the end of the year led many to believe bridges have been burned for good. And as much as it may sting for Buffalo and its loyal fans, now is the best time to trade him. Eichel's market will shrink considerably after the coming season, as a full no-move clause kicks in for the final four years of his contract starting in 2022-23.Do the Los Angeles Kings dip into their deep pool of assets to accelerate their rebuild with a new No. 1 center? Is there a contender, say Vegas or Boston, lurking for Eichel's services? It's hard to predict now, but one thing is clear: Once the Seattle Kraken's draft concludes and the initial wave of free agency is wrapped up, Eichel watch will be in full force.2. Who will be Seattle's biggest get? Brian Babineau / National Hockey League / GettyThe Kraken will have their fair share of depth options to choose from, but will they end up with any stars? The Vegas Golden Knights targeted skilled, cost-effective players with upside when they picked their squad in 2017, and they have since blossomed into foundational pieces. But Marc-Andre Fleury - easily the biggest name available in that draft - instantly became the face of NHL's 31st franchise.Could P.K. Subban be that guy in Seattle? The Devils are likely to expose Subban, and the defenseman would instantly provide the Kraken with a recognizable household name. The 32-year-old's $9 million cap hit would also help reach the cap floor and is easily affordable for one season.If not Subban, Braden Holtby, Mark Giordano, Jakub Voracek, and Washington state native Tyler Johnson could be among the biggest names on Seattle's radar.3. Who will Lightning have to cut loose? Scott Audette / National Hockey League / GettyAfter winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in unprecedented circumstances, the Tampa Bay Lightning are facing a significant roster reset. This isn't to say the club is approaching a full-scale rebuild - Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman, and Andrei Vasilevskiy remain a formidable core. However, the depth that played such a crucial role in each championship is going to take a major hit.The Lightning were a well-documented $18 million over the salary limit in the playoffs, and they now carry a combined $85 million hit heading into the 2021-22 campaign, according to Cap Friendly. The financial squeeze likely means goodbye for pending unrestricted free agents David Savard, Barclay Goodrow, and Blake Coleman, and more bodies will have to go for Tampa to become cap compliant.The Bolts are bound to lose a key player in the expansion draft regardless of the format they choose. If the franchise protects seven forwards, it risks losing Ryan McDonagh or Erik Cernak on the back end. If Tampa chooses to keep the blue line intact and protect eight total skaters, Johnson, Yanni Gourde, Alex Killorn, and Ondrej Palat will likely be available for the Kraken.Will Julien BriseBois be able to swing a trade to minimize damage, or are the defending champs going to have to face this offseason head-on as the unit navigates a retooling?4. Is Dougie Hamilton done in Carolina? Jamie Sabau / National Hockey League / GettyThe Carolina Hurricanes put the NHL on notice by permitting Hamilton to explore the free-agent market shortly after their playoff run ended. Carolina's unorthodox move could result in an enormous loss for a team that appears on the cusp of a major playoff run. There's a reasonable chance the Canes retain the star defender, but Hamilton deserves a hefty payday regardless of who provides the contract.Hamilton ranks first among all defensemen with 42 goals and third with 609 shots since joining Carolina in 2018. The 28-year-old is also a possession monster, pacing every blue-liner that has at least 2,500 minutes logged with a 57.73 expected goals rate at five-on-five, according to Evolving Hockey. There are plenty of clubs across the league that could use his presence in their top four.The seven-year, $61.6 million ($8.8 million average annual value) contract Alex Pietrangelo inked as last season's prized UFA defenseman is a fair comparison for Hamilton to shoot for, given he's younger and more productive offensively. If that's too steep for the Hurricanes, the Hamilton sweepstakes should be one of the stories of the summer.5. How will RFA landscape shake out? Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyOne of this offseason's less-publicized talking points is the incredibly deep group of restricted free agents coming off their entry-level contracts. Cale Makar, Kirill Kaprizov, Elias Pettersson, Miro Heiskanen, Quinn Hughes, Andrei Svechnikov, and Patrik Laine are all stars who need new deals.It's fair to assume Makar will come out of the negotiating period with the most lucrative contract, as he's the most established youngster of the group. Evolving Hockey predicts he could earn a whopping $10.34 million per season on an eight-year commitment, and it's tough to deny he's worth every penny. While Makar's impending negotiations with the Colorado Avalanche seem relatively straightforward, there's far less certainty with the rest of the crop.How much can the Minnesota Wild afford to pay Kaprizov with Ryan Suter's and Zach Parise's bought-out cap hits handcuffing the club for the next four campaigns? And is the young Russian dynamo willing to sign long-term if there's limited flexibility to surround him with good players?Can the Vancouver Canucks find a way to bridge both Pettersson and Hughes? Or will the franchise sink the majority of its cap space into the two young stars before their value inflates down the road?These scenarios cover just the tip of the iceberg in what could be a monumental summer for some of the game's brightest young guns.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Shea Weber's future is suddenly uncertain as he continues to deal with several ailments.The Montreal Canadiens captain may not play in 2021-22 due to knee, ankle, and thumb injuries, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun, who adds the Habs haven't decided whether to protect Weber in the upcoming expansion draft.The Canadiens, NHL, NHLPA, and Weber are all looking into the longtime defenseman's medical status and its implications, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.The soon-to-be 36-year-old played through the recently concluded Stanley Cup Playoffs with a thumb injury, which forced him to miss time at the end of the regular season.Weber has also dealt with nagging left foot damage that previously kept him out of action. The 16-year veteran was originally projected to miss four-to-six weeks in February 2020, but he returned after just a two-week absence. Weber underwent surgery to repair tendons in his foot in March 2018.Based on the situation, the league wants to determine the appropriate status for the blue-liner's contract, according to Friedman. Weber is on Montreal's books through 2025-26 at a cap hit of about $7.86 million, according to CapFriendly.The team only has to pay out $12 million in cash due to his deal's front-loaded nature, but Weber's former club, the Nashville Predators, would be on the hook for a significant bill should he hang up his skates. The Canadiens' cap recapture penalty would be much more reasonable in that scenario.

One day after Pat Maroon was seen holding a damaged Stanley Cup, the Tampa Bay Lightning forward confessed to being the culprit.Maroon, who won his third consecutive title last week, blamed the weather for the incident, which occurred during the team's championship celebration Monday."It was obviously raining and it was wet," he told St. Louis-based radio station 101 ESPN on Tuesday. "I went to lift it and I went ... backwards with it. I slipped, (my brother) Phil held me up, and the Cup went back on its end."Maroon defended the Lightning's treatment of the trophy."People were saying we disrespected the Cup," he said. "(That's) such B.S., because if they had half a brain, you know it's wet outside. You think we'd be throwing the Cup around? No, we didn't disrespect it. It was a complete accident, and we both got hurt. My back has been hurt all day (Tuesday). But yeah, that's what happened. Nothing crazy."The 33-year-old added that Phil Pritchard, the Hockey Hall of Fame's "Keeper of the Cup," reassured Maroon that it wasn't an issue."(Pritchard) said, 'It's OK, don't worry about it.' I'm sure way worse things have happened to the Cup besides me just falling," Maroon said. "So they said it's an easy fix."He added that the Cup will be back in Tampa on Thursday.A Lightning fan first posted a screenshot of Maroon holding the dented Cup from a video of Monday's festivities.

Patrik Laine was benched during his fourth game with the Columbus Blue Jackets after being heard making a disrespectful comment toward then-assistant coach Brad Larsen, according to Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch.The 23-year-old sat out for nearly half of the Jackets' 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 8. His last shift came with just over six minutes remaining in the second period, and he missed all of the final frame.Former head coach John Tortorella didn't get into the specifics of the reason for the benching at the time, instead emphasizing that all Blue Jackets players need to understand the "culture."Tortorella and the Jackets agreed to part ways at the end of the season, with Larsen taking his place to become a first-time NHL head coach.Though Larsen declined to comment about whether he's patched up his relationship with Laine, a source told Hedger the incident was dealt with swiftly.In January, the Winnipeg Jets traded Laine and center Jack Roslovic to the Jackets for star forward Pierre-Luc Dubois and a third-round pick in 2022. Laine then produced just 10 goals and 11 assists over 45 games with the Jackets, a far cry from the Finnish sniper's typical output. He's enjoyed 30-plus goal seasons three times during his young career.Laine shouldered the blame for his offensive woes in May, but in a recent interview with Finnish publication Aamulehti, he seems to have changed his tune."Tortorella did not give freedom to anyone. Forwards want to create offensively," Laine said, as translated by The Columbus Dispatch.“I do not even want to be like everyone else," he continued. "I am who I am and I do things my way. Everyone should be given the opportunity to be themselves. Then, of course, you have to play within the team's system. I think it’s stupid not to use my potential."Laine added that he understands the need for a "tight system," and the winger did as he was told in Tortorella's scheme, which prioritized responsible two-way play.He's a pending restricted free agent.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed restricted free agent forward Teddy Blueger to a two-year contract worth $2.2 million per season, the team announced Wednesday.Blueger posted a career-best 0.51 points per game last campaign while averaging nearly 15 minutes across 43 contests. However, the 26-year-old is valued more for his defensive prowess.

Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller announced his retirement on Wednesday at the age of 33.

Former NHL defenseman Brent Sopel said Tuesday that most of his Chicago Blackhawks teammates were aware of sexual assault allegations against former video coach Brad Aldrich during the team's 2010 Stanley Cup run.An unnamed former Chicago player sued the Blackhawks in May, saying that Aldrich had sexually assaulted the player and a teammate. Then-skills coach Paul Vincent said the two players informed him around the time of the 2010 Western Conference Final. Former Blackhawks assistant coach John Torchetti said in June that team management met at the time to discuss the matter but never brought it to police.According to Sopel, players discussed the topic in the dressing room during the playoff run that culminated in the first of three Blackhawks championships in six seasons."I'd say pretty much every player said, 'Holy shit' and was shocked by it," Sopel told TSN's Rick Westhead. "We were all in the same dressing room. It was something that was discussed for at least two or three days. (Then-head coach Joel) Quenneville was in the same office as (Aldrich). We heard about it."Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said in June he was "annoyed" after an anonymous former Blackhawks player told The Athletic that "every single guy on the team knew." Toews added that he didn't believe the statement was accurate.Quenneville, now the head coach of the Florida Panthers, told Westhead on Tuesday that he didn't find out about the alleged sexual assaults until this summer.The Blackhawks announced following Torchetti's comments that they've hired a former federal prosecutor to lead a team-financed, independent review of the matter.Sopel is calling on those who were with the team at the time to speak truthfully."I understand doing the right thing is hard," he said. "A lot of those guys who were on the 2009-10 team are still with the Blackhawks getting paid, and they're either still playing or in broadcasting or coaching, management, or scouting, or being an ambassador for the team. That's why they're not saying anything."Guys want to protect their jobs. But they should still be doing the right thing and telling the truth publicly about what happened."Sopel played three seasons with the Blackhawks, the last being the 2010 championship campaign. He also spent time with the Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, and Atlanta Thrashers over a 12-year NHL career.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In 2017, Vegas Golden Knights general manager George McPhee took full advantage of the expansion draft rules, making several side deals that immediately helped establish his team among the NHL's elite.While most GMs have likely learned that it might be best to let an expansion team take one player instead of giving a new club multiple assets, there's still a handful of franchises for which side deals make sense. And Seattle Kraken GM Ron Francis is surely licking his chops at the prospect of fleecing a few teams the way McPhee did.Below, we examine three clubs that might be eager to work out a handshake agreement with the Kraken ahead of the July 21 expansion draft.Tampa Bay Lightning Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyObjective: Get rid of Tyler JohnsonEveryone is aware of the Lightning's cap crunch. It was temporarily alleviated this season with Nikita Kucherov landing on LTIR, but Tampa is in a bind once again. The defending champions will enter the offseason sitting nearly $5 million over the ceiling, according to CapFriendly.The best way for the Lightning to get under the cap is to get rid of Tyler Johnson's contract, which carries a $5-million AAV through 2024. But that won't be easy after the 30-year-old went unclaimed on waivers before the start of the 2020-21 campaign - his worst NHL season. Plus, Tampa's protection list will leave several other valuable assets exposed.The Bolts are likely going the 4-4-1 route, protecting the following:Pos.PlayerFNikita Kucherov*FBrayden PointFSteven Stamkos*FAnthony CirelliDVictor Hedman*DRyan McDonaghDMikhail SergachevDErik CernakGAndrei Vasilevskiy* indicates no-movement clauseThis format would leave Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Yanni Gourde, and Alex Killorn exposed up front - Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow are pending unrestricted free agents - while 2017 first-rounder Cal Foote would be available on defense.Johnson's contract is the only undesirable one of the bunch, meaning the Kraken will be in the driver's seat for any side deal involving him.In exchange for taking Johnson, Seattle could ask for the Lightning's first-round pick in 2022 or a player (likely Foote, Palat, or Killorn) and a 2021 third-round pick. Either deal would seem to benefit both sides, though it's possible the Kraken could demand even more.Johnson would fit nicely with Seattle. Not only is he a native of Spokane, Washington, but he's also certainly capable of a bounce-back season in a more prominent role. The Kraken need to reach the cap floor and will have difficulty securing quality centers in the expansion draft.Colorado Avalanche Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyObjective: Protect Ryan GravesAvalanche general manager Joe Sakic has built such a deep and talented roster that it's almost a foregone conclusion Colorado will lose a valuable piece in expansion. Fortunately, Erik Johnson will waive his no-movement clause. The veteran defender has two years left on his deal at $6 million per season and missed all but four games in 2020-21 due to a concussion.Here's how the Avalanche's projected protection list shakes out:Pos.PlayerFNathan MacKinnonFMikko RantanenFNazem KadriFAndre BurakovskyFTyson JostFValeri NichushkinFJoonas DonskoiDCale MakarDDevon ToewsDSamuel GirardGPhilipp GrubauerThis scheme would leave J.T. Compher and Ryan Graves as the most valuable assets available to the Kraken. Colorado surely doesn't want to lose Graves - young, affordable, 6-foot-5 defensemen don't grow on trees. But going 4-4-1 and exposing a valuable forward to protect the 26-year-old seems out of the question.The Avalanche could offer Donskoi, Compher, and one of their many prospects (perhaps someone like Sampo Ranta) to keep the Kraken from choosing Graves. Seattle would get two proven NHL forwards and a prospect, while Colorado would clear cap space and keep a valuable defenseman. It could be a win-win.Nashville Predators Jeff Vinnick / Getty Images Sport / GettyObjective: Get rid of Ryan Johansen or Matt DucheneThe Predators appear to be entering a transition period after shipping Viktor Arvidsson to the Los Angeles Kings for a pair of draft picks. GM David Poile was poised to be a deadline seller this past season before changing course amid his team's red-hot second half.Nashville's two underachieving, high-priced centers have played big roles in the team's inability to get over the hump over the last two seasons. Ryan Johansen, 28, is signed for four more years with an $8-million annual cap hit and has 58 points in his last 116 games. Matt Duchene, 30, is signed for five more years at $8 million per season and has 55 points in 100 games since joining the Predators.Poile would surely love to get one of those big contracts off his books, but it won't be easy. Nashville's protection list projects as follows:Pos.PlayerFFilip ForsbergFColton SissonsFLuke KuninDRoman Josi*DRyan EllisDMattias EkholmDDante FabbroDAlexandre CarrierGJuuse SarosThis setup leaves forward Calle Jarnkrok, who has one year left on his deal, as the most desirable exposed asset.Nashville could perhaps offer Seattle a package of Fabbro, Jarnkrok, and one of its two 2021 second-round picks to take Duchene or Johansen. Fabbro, a 2016 first-round selection, seemingly fell out of favor with the Predators this postseason when they scratched him for the entirety of their first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes. But the 23-year-old right-handed blue-liner could still become a valuable building block for the Kraken.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Boston Bruins have signed pending restricted free-agent defenseman Brandon Carlo to a six-year deal carrying an annual cap hit of $4.1 million, the team announced Wednesday.Carlo, 24, has never reached the 20-point mark in a single season but is known more for his shutdown abilities. The 6-foot-6 blue-liner has posted strong defensive metrics over the past three campaigns: Evolving-Hockey.com"The Bruins are very pleased to have extended Brandon on a long-term deal," said Boston general manager Don Sweeney. "Brandon is a player who has grown into a foundational defenseman with our team while also emerging as an important leader on and off the ice."The Bruins have over $26 million in projected cap space after signing Carlo, according to CapFriendly. But they have two remaining RFAs in Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase, as well as several key pending unrestricted free agents in Taylor Hall, David Krejci, Mike Reilly, Tuukka Rask, and Jaroslav Halak.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog has all but confirmed the rumors of a contract impasse."I can't help but be honest with you that I'm a little bit disappointed that it's gotten this far and it's had to come to this point," Landeskog said of his negotiations with the Avalanche, according to The Athletic's Peter Baugh.Landeskog, 28, is set to hit unrestricted free agency on July 28. It was reported Tuesday that his camp and Colorado are "not even close" in contract discussions."We'll see what happens," Landeskog said. "I'm still hopeful that we can agree on something and come to terms. But if it was up to me, I would have liked it to be done eight months ago, 10 months ago."The Avalanche selected Landeskog second overall in the 2011 draft and named him captain at just 19 years old. He has 512 points in 687 games over 10 seasons with Colorado and is coming off the best three-year stretch of his career, which culminated with 52 points in 54 contests this campaign. The rugged winger also added four goals and nine assists in 10 playoff tilts.But the Avalanche must also re-sign stud restricted free-agent defenseman Cale Makar and Vezina Trophy finalist and unrestricted free-agent goalie Philipp Grubauer. The club has more than $25 million in projected cap space with a roster of only 11 skaters, according to CapFriendly.Evolving-Hockey projects Landeskog will sign a seven-year deal with an annual cap hit of $8.79 million.Landeskog will have no shortage of suitors should he test the open market. The St. Louis Blues are reportedly preparing to make a "full-pitch effort" if he hits free agency.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Hockey Hall of Famer Sergei Fedorov is taking his talents behind the bench.The 51-year-old is taking over as head coach of the KHL's CSKA Moscow, the league announced Wednesday.Federov has been the team's general manager since 2012-13.The 6-foot-2, two-way center was one of his generation's best players, winning three Stanley Cups, two Selke Trophies, a Hart Trophy, three World Championship gold medals, and a world junior gold medal. His best years came with the Detroit Red Wings, but he also enjoyed stints with the then-Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Washington Capitals.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Colorado Avalanche and captain Gabriel Landeskog are struggling to find common ground in contract negotiations with free agency nearing, TSN's Darren Dreger reported during Tuesday's edition of "Insider Trading.""I'm told the two sides are not even close in their negotiations to extend Landeskog," Dreger said. "The position of the Colorado Avalanche is going to have to change significantly, according to sources, or absolutely Landeskog will go to market."Dreger added, "(It's) early in the process, there's no doubt about that, but the position on both sides doesn't look very strong right now."Landeskog is set for unrestricted free agency come July 28 if he doesn't strike a deal with Colorado, which drafted him second overall in 2011.The Avalanche have a projected $25 million in cap space this summer, according to Cap Friendly, but also need to strike new deals with goaltender Philipp Grubauer and star defenseman Cale Makar. Additionally, perennial Hart Trophy nominee Nathan MacKinnon is eligible for a contract extension after the 2021-22 season.The St. Louis Blues are reportedly preparing a "full pitch effort" to sign Landeskog if he hits the open market.The 28-year-old is bound to have plenty of suitors, as he led all impending UFA forwards with 52 points in 2021. Landeskog also has 45 points in 49 career playoff games and plays a physical brand of hockey that many general managers and coaches covet.Landeskog's last contract paid him $5.57 million per season.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Minnesota Wild are buying out defenseman Ryan Suter and forward Zach Parise, the team announced Tuesday.The pair signed matching 13-year, $98-million contracts as free agents in 2012. The buyout for each player will go as follows, per CapFriendly:SeasonInitial cap hitNew cap hit2021-22$7.54M$2.37M2022-23$7.54M$6.37M2023-24$7.54M$7.37M2024-25$7.54M$7.37M2025-26$0$833K2026-27$0$833K2027-28$0$833K2028-29$0$833KCombining the two buyouts, the Wild will receive significant cap savings for the 2021-22 season but not much afterward.Season(s)Annual cap savings2021-22$10.3M2022-23$2.3M2023-25$300K2025-29-$1.7MThe move also frees up two protection spots for the expansion draft. Both players had to be protected by Minnesota unless they waived the full no-movement clauses in their contracts.Suter registered three goals and 16 assists in 56 games this campaign. His average ice time of 22:11 was his lowest by over two minutes since joining the Wild.Parise was a healthy scratch at times this season and tallied just seven goals and 11 assists in 45 contests. His 0.40 points per game tied his career-low mark.Both players still drove offense this past year in their age-36 seasons. However, Parise - and to a lesser extent, Suter - didn't post strong defensive metrics. Evolving-Hockey.comMinnesota missed the postseason just once in nine campaigns during the Suter-Parise era, but it never made it out of the second round.Suter finishes his Wild career ranked second in franchise history in assists (314) and fourth in games played (656) and points (369). Parise ranks third in goals (199) and points (400) and seventh in games played (558).Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Montreal Canadiens officially named Dominique Ducharme the 31st head coach in the team's history Tuesday after signing him to a three-year contract extension.Montreal promoted Ducharme from assistant coach to interim bench boss in February after relieving Claude Julien from his duties. The 48-year-old compiled a 15-16-7 record during the regular season before guiding the Habs to the Stanley Cup Final."Dominique has managed to set his system in place and establish himself as a head coach in a very unusual season with challenging circumstances," general manager Marc Bergevin said. "While our team has gone through its fair share of adversity, he has shown a lot of control over the situation as well as showing calm and great leadership. These are important qualities that we look for in a head coach, and he fully deserves the chance to lead our team and take it to the next level."Ducharme coached Canada's world junior team for two years, winning gold in 2018 before joining Montreal as an assistant.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Islanders have placed defenseman Nick Leddy on the trade block, sources told The Athletic's Arthur Staple.The Isles are reportedly looking to move the veteran so they don't risk losing him in the expansion draft for nothing.Leddy recorded two goals and 29 assists in 56 games this past season while averaging 21:35 per contest. He added six points in 19 playoff games during New York's run to the final four. His underlying numbers have been poor, though.

The NHL announced plans during Monday's general manager meeting to have almost everything back to normal for the 2021-22 campaign.The league is planning for a full 82-game season. The schedule, which will be released before the start of the NHL draft on July 23, is currently being drawn up in two forms: one that includes an Olympic break and one that doesn't. The league and IOC are still working on an agreement.Fully vaccinated players will be allowed to return to pre-COVID-19 conditions. That means those players can travel without protocols and work out on and off the ice without being tested for COVID-19 or group size limitations. Those changes are contingent on North American vaccination rates continuing to rise and the Canadian federal government loosening travel restrictions.Procedures for unvaccinated players have yet to be determined.The league will also return to its pre-2020-21 alignment with the Metropolitan and Atlantic Divisions in the Eastern Conference and the Central and Pacific Divisions making up the Western Conference. Each team will play every other team at least twice. Canadian travel restrictions forced the league to create a division consisting entirely of clubs based in Canada last season.With the Seattle Kraken joining the league, the Arizona Coyotes will move from the Pacific to the Central as planned.The GMs also spent 45 minutes of the meeting focusing on the officiating standard for cross-checking. No rule change is planned yet, but there will be further discussions Tuesday.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The best goaltender in Nashville Predators franchise history is hanging up his pads.Pekka Rinne, 38, announced his retirement Tuesday after 15 NHL seasons - all of which he spent in the Music City."For more than 15 years, I've been on an incredible, life-changing journey with the Nashville Predators that has taken me to more places than I could have ever imagined and given me more than I could ever hope to give back," Rinne said. "This decision wasn't easy, but I know this is the right one at the right time."Rinne was one of the best goaltenders of his generation. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2018 and was a finalist for the award in 2011, 2012, and 2015. He finishes his career with 369 wins - the fifth most in the salary-cap era behind Marc-Andre Fleury, Henrik Lundqvist, Roberto Luongo, and Ryan Miller. His 60 career shutouts are the third most during that span.The 6-foot-5 netminder helped carry the Preds to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017 as the lowest-ranked team in the playoffs. He was instrumental in pulling off upsets over the Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, and Anaheim Ducks before the club fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. He ended that postseason with a .930 save percentage and 1.96 goals-against average in 22 contests.Rinne also ends his career with the most wins ever by a Finnish-born goalie, edging out Miikka Kiprusoff, Kari Lehtonen, and Tuukka Rask."As I announce my retirement, I'm thankful for my parents, sisters, fiancé Erika, everyone in the Predators organization - management, coaches and trainers - my teammates, and my youth coaches back in Finland," Rinne said. "Last but not least, I'm thankful for the people of Nashville. Each of you helped me grow into the man, father, and person I am today."The Preds drafted Rinne in the eighth round in 2004.Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.