Quinn Hughes won't be turning pro just yet.The Vancouver Canucks' first-round pick in this year's draft has announced he will return to the University of Michigan next season."My heart's obviously still at Michigan," Hughes told Steve Kornacki of MGoBlue.com. "I was heartbroken when we lost to Notre Dame in the Frozen Four last year. I've never really been on a team that cares so much about each other, and I think that's a big reason why I'm coming back, because I love my teammates."I think we have a good team this upcoming year, and I believe in the group. So, for me, I have a lot of goals in my mind. I want to be the best player in college hockey, and I want to win the national championship. I think we can do it with the group and the coaching staff we have, and we believe in each other."Canucks management backed Hughes' decision to return to the Wolverines."We are in full support of Quinn's decision to continue his university career as he further develops as a hockey player and student," Canucks general manager Jim Benning said in a statement. "He now has an opportunity to be a leader at the University of Michigan and represent Team USA at the 2019 World Junior Championship in Vancouver."These are once-in-a-lifetime experiences that will only benefit Quinn's future career."After collecting 29 points in 37 games in his first season with Michigan, the budding blue-liner also impressed against savvy veterans as part of the World Championship.With Michigan, there is also the possibility that Quinn could play alongside his brother, Jack, a dominant center and the projected top pick in the 2019 NHL draft.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tom Wilson got paid on Friday, and Twitter users can't wrap their heads around it.The imposing, physical, reckless forward received a six-year contract with an average annual value of $5.17 million, in the same neighborhood as the deals for recent restricted free-agent signees Jason Zucker, Elias Lindholm, Tomas Hertl, and J.T. Miller.Wilson is coming off a career-high 35-point campaign - a low total for a forward making north of $5 million per year for the next six seasons. Of course, Twitter is up in arms.

The Washington Capitals re-signed forward Tom Wilson to a six-year contract with an average annual value of $5.17 million, the team announced Friday.The deal reportedly includes a modified no-trade clause in its final four years, according to Cap Friendly. For the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, Wilson can submit a 10-team no-trade list, while in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, the no-trade list shrinks to seven teams.Wilson, 24, is coming off a career year in which he tallied 14 goals and 35 points while primarily skating on the Caps' top line alongside Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin. He cemented his breakout season with a stellar performance in the playoffs, contributing 15 points in 21 games.While Wilson made strides offensively last year, physicality remains the name of his game. He racked up 187 penalty minutes and 250 hits last season and has become awfully familiar with the NHL Department of Player Safety over the course of his career.Here's how Wilson's contract compares to similar deals signed by fellow restricted free agents this summer:PlayerPos.AgeCap HitLengthGPGAPElias LindholmC/RW23$4.85M681162844J.T. MillerC/LW25$5.25M582233558Jason ZuckerLW/RW26$5.5M582333164Tomas HertlC/LW24$5.625M479222446Wilson doesn't have the same track record of production as those forwards, but with enforcers essentially extinct in the NHL, a player like him - who strikes fear into the opposition but can still skate and contribute offensively - is a rarity in today's game.With Wilson's signing, the Caps have retained all of their RFAs. They only have $1.095 million in cap space, but they're bringing back the same team that won the Stanley Cup last season, minus fourth-line center Jay Beagle.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Corey Crawford is still on the road to recovery after missing most of last season with reported vertigo-like symptoms."I'm not 100 percent yet, but I've come a long way in the last couple months," he told reporters at the Blackhawks Convention at the Hilton Chicago on Friday, according to Eric Lear of the team's website. "It hasn't been easy, but I'll be back."When exactly Crawford will be back isn't crystal clear. Both general manager Stan Bowman and head coach Joel Quenneville expect him to be back in time for training camp and the start of the season, but Crawford himself isn't as confident."That's hard to say right now, but it's very possible," he told Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. "We've come a long way in the last couple months, and there's a really good chance that could happen."Crawford didn't dive into any specifics regarding his injury or his off-ice workouts, but he did say "treatments are going well and we’re making small steps," according to Lazerus.The 33-year-old hasn't played in a game since Dec. 23, and made only 28 appearances last year. He hasn't been on the ice since he re-joined the Blackhawks for practice in February, before he was shutdown for the remainder of the season.When he did play a season ago, Crawford was brilliant, going 16-9-2 with a 2.27 goals against average and a .929 save percentage. It goes without saying that Crawford's health is a major factor into whether or not the Blackhawks can return to the postseason during the upcoming campaign.Veteran Cam Ward was signed for insurance, and Anton Forsberg is still in the fold, but even with a roster containing future Hall of Famers like Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith, Crawford is arguably the team's most important player.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

NHL training camps won't convene for another two months, but it's never too early to look ahead.Below, we highlight one up-and-coming prospect from every team in the Eastern Conference who's worth keeping an eye on throughout summer tournaments and when things get started in September. The Western Conference edition will be published Monday.Blue Jackets: RW Vitaly Abramov, 20Last season, Abramov became the highest-scoring import player in QMJHL history. Though he'll likely begin the season in the AHL, it shouldn't be long before his elite hockey smarts and superior puckhandling skills make an NHL appearance, and he may even push for a roster spot in September.Bruins: C Ryan Donato, 22Donato is an intriguing name to watch this season. He was excused from the latest Bruins development camp after a season that included an Olympic appearance with Team USA - which saw him net six points, including five goals - and 15 games with Boston, including three in the playoffs. He was also back in the gym alongside Bruins veterans just a week and a half after their postseason elimination. Expect him to contend for a spot with the big club come September.Canadiens: C Jesperi Kotkaniemi, 18When the Canadiens drafted Kotkaniemi third overall in June, it was clear they viewed him as a key part of the solution to their woes at center. Whether he'll be an immediate part of that solution remains to be seen, but Kotkaniemi is smart and dangerous offensively. He held his own against professionals in the Finnish Liiga, and will have the opportunity to prove he can do the same in the NHL.Capitals: G Ilya Samsonov, 21Samsonov, the Capitals' highly touted goalie prospect, is finally coming to North America. While the initial plan was likely to start him in the AHL (which is a good idea), the offseason trade of Philipp Grubauer could shake things up a bit. Either way, finally having Samsonov on this side of the pond is exciting.Devils: RW Joey Anderson, 20Anderson signed his entry-level contract with the Devils in April after winning an NCAA championship with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He's yet to make an appearance for New Jersey, but there are roster spots up for grabs this fall. Anderson is the kind of player to take that opportunity and run with it.Flyers: C Morgan Frost, 19The Flyers still need a third-line center, and reports indicate they're considering filling that spot from within the organization. One intriguing option is Frost, who's just 19 but is coming off a strong season with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He's an incredibly smart player and has added considerable muscle over the last year. Whether he can snag an NHL spot just yet is up in the air, but it should be fun to watch him try.Hurricanes: RW Andrei Svechnikov, 18Saying Svechnikov could completely change the direction of this team is a heavy burden, but it's not far from the truth. For a long while, it's felt like the Hurricanes just needed one thing to put them over the top. With his dynamic, take-no-prisoners style of play, Svechnikov could be it. His 0.68 even-strength goals per game in the OHL last season was an almost comically good rate. Get excited to see how his game translates to the NHL.Islanders: LW Kieffer Bellows, 20Making the switch from the NCAA to the WHL was clearly the right choice for Bellows. It gave him a chance to play a longer season while acclimating to the more intense NHL and AHL pace. He's 20, so he won't have to return to the junior ranks if the Isles send him down. Given the loss of John Tavares and the signing of several depth forwards, however, there's a chance Bellows could play himself into an NHL roster spot at camp.Lightning: RW Taylor Raddysh, 20Who won't be exciting to watch for the Lightning at camp this fall? That's the real question. Taylor Raddysh is probably the one to keep an eye on, however. He finished his OHL career with the Greyhounds, and while the Syracuse Crunch are likely his next destination, it wouldn't be shocking to see him make a few injury call-up appearances this season.Maple Leafs: D Timothy Liljegren, 19There are almost too many exciting Maple Leafs prospects to choose from amid Toronto's impressive turnaround. Timothy Liljegren was a particularly good get on defense at No. 17 in 2017, and while he probably isn't NHL-ready yet, fans will enjoy getting a taste of what the future holds during camp. He had a pretty solid first season with the Marlies, and will only get better.Panthers: C Henrik Borgstrom, 20Borgstrom made his debut in March, playing in four games for the Panthers. It's not a stretch to think he's ready for a full season at the NHL level. The 20-year-old is a dynamic playmaker and brings a high-end offensive skill set that Florida was sorely lacking last season.Penguins: C Teddy Blueger, 23Blueger's been holding his own against NHL regulars in Da Beauty League, a Minnesota-based summer league that's grown rapidly in popularity via social media. He's still got some time in the AHL ahead of him, especially given the Penguins' depth at center, but he's one to keep an eye on during camp and beyond.Rangers: C Filip Chytil, 18Chytil played nine games with the Rangers last season. With New York in the midst of an on-the-fly rebuild, that number will likely be much higher in 2018-19. He's a slick and skilled offensive player who can think the game at high speeds - something new Rangers coach David Quinn will appreciate.Red Wings: RW Filip Zadina, 18Zadina was a tied-with-a-bow gift for the Red Wings at No. 6 overall, and there's a pretty solid chance he'll start this season on their roster. He's also just plain fun to watch, so fans should get excited to see him alongside NHL regulars even if he isn't quite ready yet.Sabres: C Casey Mittelstadt, 19Choosing Rasmus Dahlin as the Sabres' prospect to watch feels like cheating. Fortunately, there's another easy pick in their pool - Mittelstadt. Sure, he's already played in six games and had five points, and he's expected to be a roster mainstay, but he still counts as a prospect, and he's poised to make a splash.Senators: C Logan Brown, 20The Senators are kind of a mess. For some prospects, that might be a golden opportunity. Brown, who's coming off an injury-shortened season that included a bronze medal at the world juniors, is one player who should take advantage of that opportunity. Brown will undoubtedly go into camp with the goal of using his high-end playmaking skills to secure an NHL spot, rather than settling for playing in Belleville.Hannah Stuart keeps a close eye on both drafted and draft-eligible prospects and can usually be found trying to learn more about hockey analytics. She has previously written for FanRag Sports, The Hockey Writers, and Hooked On Hockey Magazine, and can also be found at High Heels and High Sticks. Find her on Twitter at @HockeyWthHannah.(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Mitch Marner may have led the Toronto Maple Leafs in scoring this past season, but he is still looking to carry more weight within the dressing room.The 21-year-old's young complexion has seen him become the subject of jokes among teammates, but going forward he's hoping to shed that persona."I want to be taken more seriously, I guess you could say," Marner said, according to TSN. "I love the jokes about getting called a five-year-old and six-year-old and all that stuff, as I find it very amusing and funny, but obviously I want to be taken a bit more seriously (in the locker room) and taking even more upon myself."I think all young guys do (want to be taken more seriously), we all want to put more pressure on ourselves and be better every single night and going forward that's what we have to do."While Marner would like to have a more prominent role in the dressing room, the hope is that the Maple Leafs will also increase their stature within the league. For them to do so, they will need to advance past the first round of the playoffs, which they've failed to do in each of the last two years."We obviously have a lot to prove this year," Marner said. "(In the past) we were happy with just getting into the playoffs, but after back-to-back first-round exits, it's obviously something we don't want to keep doing and this is the year that we have to step up our game to another level and challenge each other and like I said, we're excited for this moment."The Maple Leafs added John Tavares to the fold in free agency and head coach Mike Babcock has already stated that he expects Marner to play alongside the new star center.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

As Gemel Smith prepares to make his case for a better deal, he'll now have one more obstacle in his way.The Dallas Stars winger cleared waivers Friday, despite being free for the taking by the league's other 30 clubs. Smith's salary arbitration hearing is set for Wednesday.Whether limited roster spots or lukewarm interest in Smith was the reason he went unclaimed, it may now be more difficult to argue that he's due for much of an uptick in pay heading into his third NHL season.The 24-year-old is coming off a one-year deal worth $650,000, per CapFriendly. The contract also covered $75,000 in AHL salary, but Smith spent the entire season with the Stars, where he picked up 11 points in 46 games.Waiving a player prior to his arbitration hearing hasn't been an uncommon move this offseason, as the Calgary Flames used the same maneuver earlier this month with defenseman Brett Kulak. Kulak also cleared waivers and was later awarded a one-year, $900,000 deal in arbitration.Smith and the Stars will still have a chance to agree on a new contract before Wednesday's hearing.Dallas selected the winger with the 104th pick of the 2012 draft.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

While there may still be uncertainty surrounding Erik Karlsson's future in Ottawa, one thing he won't have to worry about is his health.The Ottawa Senators captain entered last season after undergoing surgery on his ankle to repair tendons. Because of this, he missed the first five games of the campaign and appeared to be a step behind his usual blistering pace. However, while speaking at the Canadian Open Pro-AM this week, Karlsson admitted his ankle feels better than ever."I think it's better now than it was before because you work on it so much," Karlsson said, according to The Athletic's Chris Stevenson. "I'm very optimistic moving forward from here. It shouldn't be an issue for me whatsoever, so that's nice."110 (percent) probably," he added. "It's that good."After the season ended, Karlsson spent time with the doctor who performed the surgery and is now working with a foot specialist to help build his strength."I'm seeing another ankle specialist in Ottawa a lot, too," Karlsson said. "Mostly it's just getting strength back and getting used to the feeling, which takes a bit of time now and that time is past. I've got my new normal again and it feels great."Despite a down season by his standards, Karlsson still tied Mark Stone for the team high in points with 62 in 71 games. With health no longer a concern, the 28-year-old should enter the season, once again, as a potential Norris Trophy candidate.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

If Jim Nill has his way, there won't be any Tyler Seguin sweepstakes next summer.That's because the Dallas Stars general manager hopes to ink his franchise center to an extension prior to the start of the coming season.Seguin, 26, is entering the final year of his current six-year, $34.5-million pact and was eligible to sign a new deal as of July 1.Related: An early look at 2019's star-studded free-agent classNill is optimistic a deal can get done prior to the Stars' season-opening game on Oct. 4 against the Arizona Coyotes."I hope so," Nill told Stars team reporter Mark Stepneski. "But I think I have mentioned from Day 1 that I don't want people to panic if he is not signed when the season starts."I think the biggest thing is we need to have a good season - get off to a good start. I hope he is signed by then, but I know if he isn't, we'll get a good year out of him and go from there. But like I said, I am hopeful we can get it done. We'll have to see."Negotiations with Seguin's camp are ongoing, with Nill classifying the talks as complicated given the nature of a new deal."There are a lot of different things that go into this. There are signing bonuses, lockout protections," Nill added. "There are a lot of different angles to these negotiations that come into play. We're just continuing the dialogue and going from there."Seguin appeared in all 82 games last season, and finished with a team-leading 40 goals, while his 78 points were one shy of captain Jamie Benn for top spot.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vancouver Canucks don't plan to make an outside hire in the foreseeable future following the departure of president of hockey operations Trevor Linden.Related: Canucks, president of hockey operations Trevor Linden part waysThe Canucks and Linden parted ways Wednesday after four years. Following the news, team owner Francesco Aquilini stated that general manager Jim Benning would take on Linden's responsibilities, and Benning said during a press conference Thursday that he expects to keep the new job for the time being."(Aquilini) said he's not looking to hire someone as the president of hockey operations," Benning said, according to The Canadian Press.Meanwhile, Linden's exit doesn't appear to have caused any change in philosophy within the organization. The Canucks plan to continue with their rebuild, which Aquilini remains supportive of, Benning added."He's on board," Benning said. "He doesn't interfere with what we do. He listens to us, he asks questions and then he lets us do what we need to do."Vancouver hasn't made the playoffs since the 2014-15 season, when the club was ousted in the first round by the Calgary Flames, and have missed the postseason in four of the last five seasons.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Barring massive slips on draft day, avoid the following five big-name players at all costs when selecting your fantasy hockey team.C/LW Claude Giroux, FlyersA move from center to left wing did wonders for Claude Giroux in 2017-18, as he set career highs in goals (34), assists (68), and points (102). However, replicating that success seems like a long shot.Giroux reached the 30-goal plateau for the first time in his career even though his shot total (193) was his lowest over the course of a full season since 2010-11. This led to an inflated 17.6 shooting percentage - seven points higher than his career mark heading into last season.In terms of assists, he had 35 secondary helpers compared to 33 primary ones, according to Natural Stat Trick. Forwards usually record more primary assists, so Giroux could be due for some regression there as well.Giroux's first season on the wing wasn't necessarily a fluke - having Sean Couturier as his center gave the Philadelphia Flyers captain far less defensive responsibility, allowing him to think offense first. Considering it'll likely take a first-round pick to obtain Giroux's services, though, it's doubtful he'll provide a good return on investment if he falls back into the 80-point range.Bust potential: ☠☠☠C Nicklas Backstrom, CapitalsNicklas Backstrom has been pushed out of fantasy hockey's circle of elite players by Evgeny Kuznetsov. Backstrom spent more than half of last season as Alex Ovechkin's center, but it was evident during the Washington Capitals' postseason run that Kuznetsov is now the best fit for that role.That's not to say Backstrom's career success is a direct result of riding shotgun with Ovechkin, but the prospects of a full season apart from the Great Eight are scary. The Swede's 0.88 points per game last season was already the third-lowest mark of his career, and his worst since 2010-11.Even on the second line, Backstrom will pile up a healthy amount of assists, and with a spot on the top power-play unit, he'll get his fair share of points with the man advantage. Still, Backstrom is virtually useless in half of the offensive categories in standard leagues, he plays the deepest position in fantasy hockey by far, and he'll be drafted higher than he should be due to name recognition. Stay away.Bust potential: ☠☠☠☠C/LW William Karlsson, Golden KnightsWilliam Karlsson was the poster boy for the Vegas Golden Knights' miracle season. A virtually unknown commodity prior to the 2017-18 campaign, he took the league by storm, potting 43 goals after notching just six the season before.The obvious issue with Karlsson is that his league-leading 23.4 shooting percentage - more than tripling his previous career mark - is completely unsustainable.Karlsson could still reach 30 goals, but even then, he'd have to increase his shot total by at least 15. If word gets out on Karlsson and he begins to fall past Round 6 or 7, he could be worth scooping up, but do not draft him in the first five rounds in hopes of another 40-goal season.Bust potential: ☠☠☠☠☠C Nazem Kadri, Maple LeafsJohn Tavares is obviously a boon for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but his arrival hurts Nazem Kadri's fantasy value. Kadri will be relegated to a third-line role, which means less ice time and fewer chances to play alongside Mitch Marner.Marner was moved to Kadri's line midseason last year, and the results were exceptional. Here's a look at some of Kadri's numbers with and without Marner, per Natural Stat Trick.StatWith MarnerWithout MarnerCF/6060.658.1SF/6032.730.5GF/602.832.19SCF/6031.028.9(All stats per 60 minutes. CF/60: Shot attempts team generated with Kadri on ice; SF/60: Shots on goal team generated with Kadri on ice; GF/60: Goals team generated with Kadri on ice; SCF/60: Scoring chances team generated with Kadri on ice)Head coach Mike Babcock has gone on record saying he envisions Marner alongside Tavares and Zach Hyman, likely leaving Kadri with Andreas Johnsson on one wing and either Kasperi Kapanen or Connor Brown on the other. Those players are no slouches, but they pale in comparison to Marner.Kadri will still get his time on the power play, but another 30-goal, 55-point season seems unlikely.Bust potential: ☠☠☠D Rasmus Dahlin, SabresThe chances of Rasmus Dahlin being a real-life bust are awfully slim, but in fantasy, they're quite high. Even though the potentially generational blue-liner has drawn comparisons to both Erik Karlsson and Nicklas Lidstrom, it's best not to get too excited about him from a fantasy perspective - at least in his first season.Some rankings project he'll be drafted as early as Round 6 or 7, and ahead of consistent point producers from the back end like Kris Letang, Dougie Hamilton, Torey Krug, Keith Yandle, and Tyson Barrie. Dahlin would need to get 50 points - or at least close to it - to justify such selection in non-keeper leagues.Only two 18-year-old defensemen have ever cracked the 40-point plateau: Bobby Orr in 1966-67 with 41, and, funnily enough, Buffalo Sabres head coach Phil Housley, who put up 66 in 1982-83.The sky is the limit for Dahlin's career. However, it will take time for him to adjust to not only the NHL but North America in general before he becomes an elite fantasy defenseman.Bust potential: ☠☠☠☠(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Open up the vault, Maple Leafs.Contract talks between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Auston Matthews are underway, the star forward told Sportsnet's Luke Fox.Matthews still has one year remaining on his entry-level contract, which will pay him $925,000 in 2018-19. He will then be a restricted free agent after next season and has been eligible for a contract extension since July 1, 2018.It's unclear how much Matthews will be paid, but an eight-year deal with a cap hit somewhere between Jack Eichel's $10 million and Connor McDavid's $12.5 million seems realistic.The Maple Leafs have another RFA to take care of this offseason, too, in Matthews' linemate William Nylander.In addition to Matthews, Toronto will also have five more RFAs next offseason: Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson, Josh Leivo, and Connor Carrick.Not only would a Matthews extension this summer make the Leafs' plans next offseason simpler and clearer, but a massive 2018-19 campaign and a rising cap could tack on a couple more million if a deal is signed next year instead.Since becoming the first overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Matthews has emerged as one of the league's premier centers, recording 74 goals and 132 points in 144 career games.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Pittsburgh Penguins agreed to terms with goaltender Tristan Jarry on a two-year contract worth an average annual value of $675,000, the team announced.The first year of the contract is a two-way deal, but it becomes a one-way pact in 2019-20.Jarry played in 26 games last season during his rookie year with the Penguins, posting a 2.77 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. The 23-year-old spent the bulk of the 2017-18 campaign in the AHL where he struggled to the tune of a 3.05 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.He will likely compete for the Penguins' backup goaltender job with Casey DeSmith in training camp. DeSmith had better numbers last year and is three years Jarry's senior, so he'll likely have the upper hand.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Barry Trotz has lured another familiar face to accompany him in his new gig with the New York Islanders, as longtime colleague Mitch Korn has joined his staff as the club's director of goaltending, the team announced Thursday.Korn worked with Trotz with the Washington Capitals for the last three seasons, and their relationship spans back to their time with the Nashville Predators.Trotz also brought Lane Lambert to Long Island as an associate coach earlier this month after they worked together on the Capitals' bench for four seasons.Korn will be tasked with rectifying the Islanders' disastrous goaltending situation, as the club ranked dead last with 293 goals allowed in 2017-18. He'll be working with newly acquired goalie Robin Lehner and last season's backup netminder Thomas Greiss in an effort to fix things in the blue paint.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux has put his 17,000-square-foot castle on the market with a price tag of $21,999,066.Built in 2012, the Chateau Fleur de Lys - as the property is known - is located on the flank of Mont-Tremblant in Quebec and overlooks Lake Tremblant. It includes eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms, 17 fireplaces, a home theater, a tennis court, a gym spa, and antique columns imported from an 1800 Indian castle.

The Calgary Flames have re-signed goaltender David Rittich to a one-year deal worth $800,000, the team announced Thursday.Rittich appeared in 21 games for the Flames last season, posting an 8-6-3 record with a .904% save percentage and 2.92 goals against average.The native of Jihlava, Czech Republic went undrafted but was scouted by Calgary after two seasons in the top Czech league. Rittich then stepped into a backup role behind Mike Smith after a 15-11-1 season with Stockton in the AHL.Fans might remember the netminder for his unique pregame ritual. On the morning of starts, Rittich makes the goalie coach fire two shots off his head for good luck. This tradition stemmed from a game in Stockton where he recorded a shutout after being hit in the head twice during morning skate.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vancouver Canucks and president of hockey operations Trevor Linden have agreed to part ways, the team announced Wednesday.Linden is leaving the organization to "pursue different endeavors" after spending the last four years as the team's president of hockey operations, according to the release. In this role, he oversaw all hockey operations areas, including coaching, scouting, player development, and minor-league affiliations and operations.Canucks Sports and Entertainment chairman Francesco Aquilini says general manager Jim Benning will head the hockey operations department and report directly to ownership, but adds that a new president will be named "in due course."Linden issued the following message:

The Florida Panthers have re-signed defenseman MacKenzie Weegar to a one-year contract, the team announced Wednesday. The deal is worth $900,000, according to Cap Friendly.The 24-year-old appeared in 60 games in his first full NHL season, recording eight points and finishing second in hits among Panthers defensemen."We are pleased to have agreed to terms with MacKenzie," said general manager Dale Tallon. "He is a versatile, young two-way defender who made big strides in his development during his rookie season."The 6-feet tall, 212-pound blue-liner was selected by Florida in the seventh round of the 2013 NHL Draft.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Minnesota Wild locked up restricted free-agent forward Jason Zucker to a five-year, $27.5-million contract on Wednesday.Zucker and the Wild were able to agree to the new contract three days before both sides were scheduled to go to arbitration.The 26-year-old is coming off his fourth full season with the Wild which saw him hit career highs in both goals (33) and points (64). He also led the team with seven game-winning goals and 17 multi-point games.With Zucker under contract, the Wild now have their full 23-man roster solidified for next season with just $1.7 million in cap space remaining.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL has implemented a new division-based All-Star Game format and re-ignited the World Cup of Hockey to showcase the world's best players in recent years. But what if the league tried something new?Here, we're going to try a fresh spin, eliminating international and team allegiances to focus on one thing: age. In this hypothetical, the world's best players have been divided into four groups.The teams involved are: The entry-level contracts, players 25 and under, players aged 26-29, and finally, players 30-plus years old. While examples like Connor McDavid could fit in the ELC age bracket, all players were designated based on their contract statuses heading into the 2018-19 season, which bumps the Edmonton Oilers captain up a tier due to his mega extension kicking in.Injuries weren't factored into this exercise, and neither was the pesky salary cap.Let's get started.ELCsLWCRWB. BoeserA. MatthewsM. MarnerK. ConnorM. BarzalP. LaineS. AhoC. KellerM. RantanenM. TkachukN. HischierT. KonecnyLD RDI. ProvorovZ. WerenskiM. SergachevC. McAvoyT. DermottR. DahlinGoalies: Thatcher Demko, Carter Hart

Calgary Flames blue-liner Brett Kulak has been awarded a one-year, $900,000 contract by an arbitrator, the team announced Wednesday.Kulak's hearing was on Monday, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, who reported the 24-year-old was seeking $1.15 million per season, while the club was offering a two-way contract worth $650,000 at the NHL level.In 2017-18, Kulak appeared in 71 games for the Flames, recording eight points in just under 13 minutes per contest.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In light of Jarome Iginla's retirement announcement, it's only fitting to reflect on the top moments from his legendary career.Iginla was drafted 11th overall by the Dallas Stars in 1995, but was traded to the Calgary Flames before ever suiting up in the NHL. The Alberta native spent 16 seasons in Calgary before stops in Pittsburgh, Boston, Colorado, and Los Angeles.In the end, Iginla suited up in 1,554 games, registering 625 goals and 675 assists while winning two Rocket Richards, the Art Ross, the Lester B. Pearson (now the Ted Lindsay), and two Olympic gold medals.Undoubtedly, Iginla will end up in the Hockey Hall of Fame as soon as he's eligible, and it's moments like these that defined his remarkable tenure in the NHL.Ousting the Canucks in Game 7In Round 1 of Calgary's memorable 2004 playoff run, a tooth-and-nail battle led to Game 7 versus the Vancouver Canucks. The Flames captain rose to the occasion, burying two goals before assisting the clinching goal in overtime to send his team through.A heroic Game 5After the Canucks, Calgary improbably eliminated the Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks, the two top seeds in the Western Conference. Iggy and the Flames then met the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final.Deadlocked at two games apiece, Iginla took over in Game 5, ripping the go-ahead goal off the post and past Nikolai Khabibulin in the second period. He went on to cement his signature performance with a helmetless rampage during a near two-minute shift in overtime, ultimately setting up Oleg Saprykin's game-winner to bring the Flames one win shy of a championship. He finished the 2004 playoffs with 22 points in 26 games.Point No. 1,000Would you expect Iginla to score his 1,000th point any other way? His patented leg kick and laser beam of a wrist shot terrorized opposing goalies throughout his entire career.600-goal clubIt wasn't his prettiest highlight, but Iginla became the 19th player to join the illustrious 600-goal club in January 2016. As it stands now, he's tied with Joe Sakic for 15th all time on the NHL's goal list.Setting up the Golden GoalThe sound bite is permanently etched into the minds of Canadian hockey fans: "Iggy!"Of course, it was Sidney Crosby who shouted it right before Iginla set him up for the unforgettable goal, which clinched 2010 Olympic gold for Canada on home ice.Iginla had a knack for stepping up for his country on the biggest stage, as he also potted two goals and an assist in the deciding game of the 2002 Olympics.Bonus: Fighting LecavalierAs prolific of a scorer he was, Iginla was also as tough as they come. His fight versus fellow superstar Vincent Lecavalier in the 2004 Stanley Cup Final embodied everything that he was capable of and instantly created an all-time moment.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vancouver Canucks re-signed forward Jake Virtanen to a two-year, $2.5-million contract, the team announced on Wednesday."We're pleased to sign Jake to an extension," general manager Jim Benning said in a release. "He adds physical presence and speed to our lineup and can help create offensive chances when going hard to the net. We look forward to seeing Jake take the next step in his game and consistently contribute to the team's success."The 21-year-old receives a slight cut following his previous three-year, $5.325-million contract that carried an annual average of $1.775 million per season.Virtanen - who was drafted by the Canucks sixth overall in 2014 - played his first full season with the club this past season, posting 10 goals and 10 assists in 75 games.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Dallas Stars have agreed to a one-year, $2.3-million deal with forward Mattias Janmark, the club announced Wednesday.The 6-foot-1, 196-pound center skated in 81 games with the Stars last season, recording a career-high 19 goals and 34 points. Janmark missed the 2016-17 campaign due to a knee injury after tallying 29 points in his rookie year."Mattias is a strong and versatile player who always makes his presence felt when he is on the ice," Stars general manager Jim Nill said. "His intelligence and determination have built the foundation of a tremendous, young player, and we are thrilled to have him returning as a member of the Stars."The Danderyd, Sweden native was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the third round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and was acquired by the Stars in 2015.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A 37-year-old man is facing charges after police say he posed as the owner of the Boston Bruins.Jeffrey Jacobs, a native of White Plains, N.Y., who lives in Wilton, Conn., is accused of impersonating 78-year-old Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs to get out of paying a tree service company, according to Pat Tomlinson of The Hour.The owner of the tree company, who told police he's an avid Bruins fan, was called to Jacobs' home during a storm last year after a tree fell on the house. He later sent a bill for $5,100 to Jeremy Jacobs.Wilton police were made aware of the incident in May 2017 after receiving a call from Delaware North, a hospitality and food service company chaired by the Bruins owner. Jacobs was already known to police, as he allegedly told a similar lie while trying to get out of a traffic ticket.Jacobs was arrested July 20 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. after police pulled him over for using his phone while driving. He was charged with criminal impersonation and released on $5,000 bond.(Photo courtesy: Wilton Police Department)Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Nashville Predators have added another piece to their already loaded defense corps, signing unrestricted free agent Dan Hamhuis to a two-year, $2.5-million contract on Wednesday.The 35-year-old joins the Predators after spending the last two seasons with the Dallas Stars. Last season, he put up three goals and 24 points while playing an average of 20:11 a night, the fourth-most minutes on the team.Hamhuis will likely slot on the Predators' third pairing alongside Yannick Weber, and joins a stacked blue line that already includes Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, P.K. Subban, and Mattias Ekholm.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames will host a press conference on July 30 when former captain Jarome Iginla will retire from the NHL, the team announced on Wednesday."In a sense, I grew up there,'' Iginla told George Johnson of calgaryflames.com. "I started playing for the Flames at 19 but even in minor hockey I remember traveling to Calgary for tournaments, from St. Albert, and I imagined playing in the Saddledome."It's been a fun adventure, for my family and I. Some great cities, great people. To be back in Alberta, though, will feel like home."The 41-year-old was drafted 11th overall in 1995 by the Dallas Stars. But then he was traded to the Flames in a deal that sent Joe Nieuwendyk to Texas before Iginla ever stepped on the ice for the Stars.Iginla went on to play 16 seasons with the Flames, finishing his time in Calgary as the franchise's leader in games (1,219), goals (525), points (1,095), power-play goals (161), game-winning goals (83), and more.The two-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner spent the final six seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, and Los Angeles Kings.Iginla finishes his career ranked 15th all-time in goals with 625, and he sits 34th on the all-time points list with 1,300.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

TORONTO - Dave Barr has a rule about video meetings: players must leave the room feeling good about themselves."I don’t want them feeling like they’re a piece of s---. I don’t want them going, ‘Jesus, f--- me, Dave doesn’t believe in me,’" explained Barr, the colorful San Jose Sharks assistant coach, during a presentation about post-game analysis and analytics at this past weekend's TeamSnap Hockey Coaches Conference."What I want them doing is, I want them feeling good. So, I might say, ‘Look at this clip here. Where is your stick?’ And he’s like, ‘It’s in the air.’ ‘Exactly, stick on the ice, stick on the ice.’ And I’ll have another clip ready to go - (from) the game before or maybe that (same game) - and I’ll say, ‘Look at your stick here, look at what happened to the puck, look at what happens in the play. Big difference.’"We use post-game video a lot of times to support good things. You want that."Photo courtesy: Getty ImagesThe Sharks, still hunting for that elusive first Stanley Cup championship, are returning a similar lineup for the 2018-19 season. They lost the John Tavares sweepstakes, but re-signed some key forwards - Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, Chris Tierney, and Tomas Hertl - and will once again contend for the Pacific Division title.Following his presentation, theScore caught up with Barr - a 57-year-old ex-NHL winger who's been on the coaching payroll for six teams - to talk all things Sharks.Note: This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and length.theScore: You mentioned in your presentation that you were originally a skeptic of hockey analytics. How or why were you won over?Barr: "I think, because of all the work that we do with video, we have a pretty good idea of what’s going on by a game-by-game basis. What I think helps us - how we can use analytics - is that it covers a lot of categories and a lot of things that happen during a game. You might miss an area or two, where it says that we’re doing this very well and we’re not doing this very well. ..."Say it’s turning pucks over off the forecheck and the other one that you were doing extremely well was breakouts. You want to understand why you’re doing the breakouts well - what you were doing, what was the reason - and why your forecheck was not very effective."There’s so many things to cover - especially in the NHL, when you’re playing 82 games and you’re back to back a lot and three games in four nights - so it’s hard to cover every single category. Analytics help us do our jobs better. It’s not the end-be, be-all … whatever the hell that saying is."theScore: Be-all and end-all.Barr: "Thank you. Insert that, please!" (laughs and points to recorder)"(Analytics) is not everything but, at the same time, it certainly helps us. I know it has helped us this (past) year. I run the PK so I use it for penalty kill as well."theScore: It’s a marriage, right, of video and whatever is being counted.Barr: "That’s a perfect description."theScore: Speaking of the penalty kill, Tierney (two-year contract) and Hertl (four-year contract) recently signed deals. You must be happy.Barr: "They are very cerebral players, very smart players. Two of my better PKers, for sure. Offensively, they’re very good on the PK and at the same time they know where the puck’s going most of the time. Tommy’s a great worker. Chris is a very smart player - knows where to be, where not to be. We’re very fortunate to get them signed and playing for us again."theScore: What’s the No. 1 skill required for a forward on the PK? Is it good stick work, good positioning?Barr: "Probably positioning, coupled with stick (work). If you’ve got your stick in there, it doesn’t matter if you’re in position or not. A little bit of it is the ability to get there quickly, get from A to B quickly. If you have slower PK players, especially forwards, they can be three feet short of getting a stick on the puck and all of a sudden that shot or that pass gets through. Quickness is a big element. …“(Joe) Pavelski is one of our best penalty killers and he’s not a fast player. But, because he knows where to go and how to get there as quick as he can get there, he’s a very effective player.”theScore: It helps with that great hand-eye coordination. Pavelski can knock pucks out of the air easily.Barr: “Oh, it’s incredible. He works at it, too. That’s why he can do it: He’s a talented guy who works at it.”theScore: And he’s a good golfer.Barr: “He came third! I was watching (the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship) on TV and he had a chance to go into extra holes. Didn’t make the putt, unfortunately.”theScore: You brought up Justin Braun in your presentation, calling him an underrated NHLer. What is it about his game that people maybe don’t appreciate?"Watch his body positioning."He worms his way into getting here on guys." (Barr reenacted Braun’s ability to maneuver around opponents and gain the inside track.)"It’s unbelievable. You’ll have position on him, and this guy will figure out a way to get there. Unbelievable."theScore: Have you ever asked him about that "worming" talent and where it may have originated?"Oh, I don’t want him to be conscious of that. And he is the nicest kid. He’s a great kid."theScore: You told a fun story about Jagr in your presentation. Do you have anything to share about Thornton, another beloved veteran?"I can just tell you that he is one of the most fun, positive, energetic (players around). Every single day he brings energy to the dressing room. The guys love him. At the same time, he holds players accountable in a great fashion."He’s honest, straightforward. (He’ll tell players), ‘We need you to be better.’ He’s absolutely fantastic. I’ve got nothing but praise for him."theScore: There’s a theory out there about Evander Kane and why he’s been such a nice fit in San Jose. Do you think the leadership group welcoming him with open arms has contributed to his success?"For sure. I think it helped a lot that he felt really good about where he was. Within five-10 games, he was part of the team. He wasn’t the new guy; he was part of the team. He got a lot of minutes playing on the power play, the penalty kill a little bit, tons of minutes at 5-on-5. He made a difference, he scored goals, so that really helped him feel good about himself."At the same time, I think we have strong leadership. Brent Burns, Joe Thornton, and Pavelski, for sure. Especially Thornton and Pavelski - their resumes speak for themselves, they come to play every day in practice, they come to play every day in games."(Kane) is just a good kid. He’s a good kid who has a little bit of celebrity in him - if you want to call it that - but at the same time there’s nothing wrong with that. He comes to play every day. He’s a real help to our team. … He’s sharp, he gets it."(Feature photo courtesy: The Coaches Site/F10 Sports Photography)Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames and forward Mark Jankowski have settled on a two-year, $3.35 million contract, two days before the 23-year-old's scheduled arbitration hearing, the team announced Wednesday.Jankowski, drafted 21st overall by the Flames in 2012, reached the conclusion of his entry-level deal at the end of the 2017-18 season, his first as a regular in the NHL.Jankowski scored 17 goals and added eight assists while averaging over 13 minutes per contest in 72 games during the 2017-18 season. With him signed, the Flames have two remaining restricted free agents to secure: Garnet Hathaway and the recently acquired Noah Hanifin.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Lets face it - if you're not quick on the trigger in your fantasy league, it will be difficult to draft a Vezina-caliber goalie.But even though the Bobrovskys and Vasilevskiys are sure to go early, you can still find value in later rounds. Here are five goalies who could outperform expectations and be fantasy studs in 2018-19:Keith Kinkaid, DevilsKinkaid is coming off a season in which he posted an absurd 26-10-3 record for New Jersey while playing in nearly half the team's games due in large part to Cory Schneider's injury woes.The 29-year-old certainly proved that he's capable of being a No. 1, as he posted a .913 save percentage and a 2.77 goals-against average - both of which were better than Schneider's marks.Kinkaid actually started the first two games of the playoffs before Schneider took over, and you can expect the latter to be on a shorter leash next season while Kinkaid could eventually retake the starting job.Antti Raanta, CoyotesRaanta was limited to 47 appearances last season due to various injuries, but excelled in that time, finishing second among all netminders who played at least 30 games in both save percentage (.930) and goals-against average (2.24).Additionally, Raanta posted those stellar numbers on a struggling team, as the Coyotes finished last in the Western Conference with just 70 points despite some improvements down the stretch.In 2018-19, the goaltender should have a better roster in front of him, as Arizona acquired Alex Galchenyuk, Michael Grabner, Vinnie Hinostroza, and Jordan Oesterle this offseason, while seeing less impactful players like Luke Schenn and Max Domi leave.That means Raanta could be in line for a big season if he can stay healthy and sustain his strong play.Philipp Grubauer, AvalancheGrubauer was arguably the most coveted goaltender who was expected to be on the market this offseason before being traded to Colorado, where he subsequently signed a three-year deal.The 26-year-old served as Braden Holtby's second-in-command in Washington over the past three years, and briefly stole the starting role last season with a series of dominant performances before watching Holtby backstop the team to the Stanley Cup.Through his career to date, Grubauer has dressed in 101 games while going 43-31-11 with a 2.29 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage.Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic has stated that he hopes both Grubauer and Semyon Varlamov will challenge for the No. 1 spot. If he earns the job, Grubauer could see much more playing time than he's ever had, which could make him a great late pickup for your fantasy team.Scott Darling, HurricanesDarling was simply terrible last season, as he posted the worst save percentage of any goalie to play at least 25 games (.888), while giving up 3.18 goals per contest.However, some of Darling's struggles can be attributed to the quality of shots he faced. The Hurricanes actually allowed the fewest shots in the league, but 42.5 percent of the ones they allowed at five-on-five were of the high-danger variety, the fifth-highest percent in the NHL.In 2018-19, Carolina should have a stronger blue line following the acquisitions of Dougie Hamilton and Calvin de Haan.Meanwhile, the Hurricanes said goodbye to Cam Ward in free agency and brought in career backup Petr Mrazek, suggesting they're likely hoping to give Darling another chance to be the No. 1. And considering Darling had rocked a 2.37 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage over his career prior to his disastrous 2017-18, he could be a value pick late in drafts if he recaptures his form.Carter Hutton, SabresThis season will be Hutton's first big test in the NHL.After serving as a backup to Pekka Rinne in Nashville and then to Jake Allen in St. Louis - where he stole the show when he played in 2017-18 - Hutton signed with the Buffalo Sabres, where he's expected to be the starting netminder as the team searches for stability between the pipes.Last season, Hutton quietly paced the entire league with a .931 save percentage and a 2.09 goals-against average in 32 appearances. His numbers aren't expected to be as rosy in Buffalo - which finished last in the NHL in 2017-18 - but the Sabres added depth this offseason by acquiring Conor Sheary, Patrik Berglund, and Vladimir Sobotka, while bringing in a generational talent in No. 1 overall draft pick Rasmus Dahlin.Hutton could be a steal late in your draft, as he's talented and will be given every chance to succeed in his first starting role.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After undergoing season-ending back surgery in March, Dallas Stars center Martin Hanzal was given a recovery timeline of six-to-seven months.That meant the Czech middleman could potentially return for training camp, but his status has since been pushed back to late November or early December, Stars general manager Jim Nill told Sean Shapiro of The Athletic.A series of injuries limited Hanzal to just 38 games last season, with his final appearance coming Feb. 21 when he lasted just one period before leaving with a lower-body injury.The 31-year-old has dealt with a long history of back problems. He underwent surgery with the Arizona Coyotes three years ago and had a herniated disc operation in 2008.A veteran of 11 NHL seasons, Hanzal has played more than 65 games just four times, including in his first three years in the league.He's under two contract for two more seasons at an annual average value of $4.75 million, per CapFriendly.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Winnipeg Jets have agreed to terms on a one-year, $800,000 deal with forward Marko Dano, the team announced Tuesday.In signing Dano, the Jets avoid an arbitration date that was set for July 30. Winnipeg now has five restricted free agents left to re-sign, including defenseman Josh Morrissey.A frequent healthy scratch last season, Dano was limited to just 23 appearances, in which he picked up three points.Dano was originally acquired in the 2016 trade that sent former Jets captain Andrew Ladd to the Chicago Blackhawks.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Winnipeg Jets have re-signed restricted free-agent defenseman Tucker Poolman to a three-year, $2.325-million deal, the team announced Tuesday.Poolman appeared in 24 games with the Jets last season after making his NHL debut in October. He recorded one goal and one assist while averaging 12:34 of ice time.Winnipeg selected the 25-year-old in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Draft.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Washington Capitals signed defenseman Brooks Orpik to a one-year, $1-million contract Tuesday, the team announced.The deal includes another potential $500,000 in performance bonuses.

TORONTO - Hundreds of coaches from all levels of hockey gathered at Humber College this past weekend for the TeamSnap Hockey Coaches Conference.The annual two-day event featured a series of presentations from a diverse list of speakers. This year’s headliners included two former NHL head coaches, Senators associate coach Marc Crawford and Oilers assistant coach Glen Gulutzan.Related - Q&A: Marc Crawford on millennials, Auston Matthews, and the SenatorsHere are four takeaways from the conference:In vogue: Keep the puck, find the middle manIndustry meet-ups can be useful for identifying tactical trends across the NHL.From an Xs and Os perspective, the study of different offensive zone entries is definitely in vogue. And coaches are almost exclusively promoting creativity over mundane approaches like the dump-and-chase.Jets assistant coach Todd Woodcroft broke down the importance of puck management and forcing the opposition to make mistakes when hemmed in their own end."Hockey, really, it’s not about scoring," Woodcroft said, quoting his boss, Jets head coach Paul Maurice. "Hockey is about creating offensive zone time, offensive zone pressure, and sustaining it."Todd Woodcroft (The Coaches Site/F10 Sports Photography)Upon entry, the puck carrier has a number of viable options. A popular pick: feeding the puck to a teammate streaking through the middle of the ice. Woodcroft noted that some teams - like the Maple Leafs, Oilers, Sharks, Blackhawks, and Jets - are known as "middle drive" clubs, meaning they nearly always attempt to feed that streaker.Naturally, Woodcroft used Jets winger Patrik Laine to demonstrate this type of entry. Laine, who has 80 goals in 155 NHL games, is exceptional at hustling to the net while a teammate brings the puck into the offensive zone. The Finnish sniper will find the middle lane and prepare for a scoring chance.Below are a couple of examples of Laine doing his thing. Notice in these two GIFs how Laine keeps his feet moving through transition, presents himself as a pass target, and reacts instantly when the puck enters his orbit:

Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor domestic assault charge Tuesday after admitting to pushing his girlfriend at a gas station in June, according to Natalie Neysa Alund of The Tennessean.Watson will be placed on probation, and any violation could result in up to a year in jail. Among the conditions of his probation, Watson is ordered to complete 26 weeks of a batterer intervention course.

The Anaheim Ducks and defenseman Brandon Montour will avoid an arbitrator's decision after agreeing to a two-year contract on Tuesday, the team announced.The two sides came to the agreement during their arbitration meeting in Toronto, according to The Athletic's Eric Stephens. Both sides worked to hammer out a deal all day Monday and into the night.

A contract dispute has ended Carolina Hurricanes radio play-by-play announcer Chuck Kaiton's time with the franchise after 39 years, according to Luke DeCock of The News & Observer.Kaiton's agent countered Carolina's initial offer, which included a significant pay cut, but Hurricanes' new owner Tom Dundon wouldn't budge."I was hoping for a reasonable offer to stay but obviously the offer was an invitation to leave," Kaiton said."It's his decision to offer what he offered and it was quite a substantial decrease. It really basically told me they weren't that interested in keeping me. That's life. It's his team."Dundon has made a series of changes within the Hurricanes' organization since taking over in January, including replacing general manager Ron Francis with Don Waddell and hiring Rod Brind'Amour as head coach.

The St. Louis Blues and Joel Edmundson have saved themselves from the uneasiness of arbitration.St. Louis announced that the two sides agreed to a one-year, $3-million contract ahead of Wednesday's scheduled hearing.The 25-year-old is coming off his third season with the Blues that saw him post career highs in both goals (seven) and points (17).Edmundson ranked third on the team in ice time this past season, behind only Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko, averaging 20:44 a night, while also leading all Blues skaters in blocked shots per game.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's not all doom and gloom for the New York Islanders, according to one New York Islander.Despite proclamations of the team's inevitable decline following John Tavares' departure in free agency, defenseman Johnny Boychuk says there is still a lot to like."I've already seen some people pegging us as being in the bottom. That's just a slap in the face when I see it," Boychuk told Arthur Staple of The Athletic. "Our team is really good. I think we're going to show them we are a good team."It's been an offseason of major moves for the Islanders, beginning in the front office, where legendary executive Lou Lamoriello succeeded longtime general manager Garth Snow and veteran bench boss and Stanley Cup champion Barry Trotz was recruited to take the coaching reins from Doug Weight.When Tavares left for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs, Lamoriello used the cap space to ink Leo Komarov, Valtteri Filppula, and Jan Kovar in free agency, and re-acquired tough customer Matt Martin. The team also signed Robin Lehner in hopes of solving its goaltending woes.On Monday, New York re-signed restricted free agent Brock Nelson to a one-year deal. The veteran center is expected to be a top-six pivot for the Islanders this season alongside reigning Calder Trophy winner Mathew Barzal.That group has Boychuk confident that New York will prove its doubters wrong as the team aims for its third playoff appearance in the past five seasons."People shouldn't be worrying about one person. In hockey, one person does not make a team. At all," Boychuk added. "One guy can't carry a whole team, be the whole team. It was an important player for us but there's 23 players on a team and you have to hold 23 players accountable to win a season, a championship."If you play bad as a team, one player can play good all year but you're still gonna lose. That's why it's a team sport."Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Islanders have agreed to terms with forward Brock Nelson on a one-year extension, the team announced Monday.The new contract reportedly carries a $4.25-million cap hit, according to The Athletic's Arthur Staple.Re-signing the restricted free agent allows the Islanders to avoid an arbitration hearing that was set for Aug. 3.Nelson is coming off a three-year agreement that carried a $2.5-million average annual value.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

TORONTO - Marc Crawford is at the point in his career where he's game planning to beat teams built by his former players.The 57-year-old Senators associate coach won a Stanley Cup with Avalanche GM Joe Sakic as his captain. He was the final head coach during Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin's playing career. Crawford also walked the bench behind Kings GM Rob Blake as well as two assistant GMs in Tom Fitzgerald (Devils) and Craig Conroy (Flames).Which means Crawford - whose NHL coaching resume spans 16 seasons, five teams, and countless outbursts - has been forced to evolve."I've lost a lot of jobs because of how I have been and how I have been perceived," Crawford said this past weekend during a presentation about interacting with millennials at the TeamSnap Hockey Coaches Conference.“This generation,” Crawford added, “really thrives (on) and wants communication. They want interaction, they want a little bit of control over things, and when you meet with people and you talk with people, those sorts of things happen.”Crawford chatted with theScore on Saturday about millennials, working with Auston Matthews overseas, and his mindset ahead of Senators training camp.Note: This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and length.theScore: It feels like millennials and Generation Z’ers get a bad rap. You’re a champion for them. Why?Crawford: "You have to be. It's your job as a coach to try to be understood, to try and get your message across, and to try and help people get to the next level. I think this generation has a lot of wonderful qualities, and I think it's important that we look at the positive aspects of their personalities or the things that they have been through. They’ve been through a lot."I didn’t have to worry about having a cell phone when I was a kid. It was a big thing to sit in the back room of my parents' house and talk on the phone to my girlfriend and say, 'Hey, what are you doing? Hey, how 'ya doing?' That sort of thing. Now they’re texting that to one another (and are hooked on social media). The generations haven't changed a lot, it's just different platforms that they're using."These guys have so many new skills. Their ability to multi-task, their ability to accept information is pretty important. I think, for us (coaches), if you can help them with retaining it, if you can help them with coping mechanisms for the sport - how to combat anxiety, how to combat some of the things that maybe we did a little bit more naturally, because we played a lot more in younger generations, whether it be road hockey or whether it be in the backyard, that sort of thing - this group is really good. They're the best-coached generation that I've seen. The skill that they come into the league with now is amazing. And that's a product of them working with skills coaches and a lot of them having a lot of individual attention in their upbringing. Again, I think it's positive. They're more ready for what we're ready to give them than maybe previous generations.”(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)theScore: You have lived two NHL coaching lives ...Crawford: "Maybe three or four." (laughs)theScore: Fair. You had a long run, then you spent five years in Europe, four of them coaching in the top Swiss league. What was the biggest change when you returned to the NHL in 2016?Crawford: "One of the things that changed a lot for me was that when I went to Switzerland I had a smaller staff, just one assistant coach, so I had to do a lot more. That was great for my own personal development - it got me back a little bit more to my roots. But the other thing that was important when I went to Europe was my social group … I didn't have one. I had the players, I had their families, so I started to socialize a lot more with players and their wives. My wife and I did some babysitting for players, that sort of thing. I got to know the hockey people in our organization, too, and that became my social network."In the past, when I was coaching in the NHL, I really didn't want to become that close with players, because I was a guy that had to be hard, I was a guy that had to be demanding. I think what I found - and it was a big change for me - is that I really liked the interaction of being around the players. It changed me, because I didn't want to lose that connection that I had with them, I didn't want to lose their trust. So, maybe I started to frame my messages a little bit better - and, really, that's personal growth. I felt the personal growth coming out of Europe was very important, and it's shaped me for dealing with this new culture of players. …“It is simple common-sense communication that is at the forefront of everything. If you can talk to a person face to face, if you can listen to them as much as you're speaking with them, if you can talk with them and not at them - I think you're getting a platform where players feel comfortable about giving input and I think that's what they want."theScore: A big part of that Switzerland experience was taking in an 18-year-old Auston Matthews. Now that you’ve seen him develop over the past two years in the NHL, which areas of his game would you say have improved the most?Crawford: "The NHL forces your team game to become a lot better. Watching him protect the puck - he's taken it from a level where he was very good to a level where you just can't get the puck off him. His ability to understand what to do when he doesn't have the puck is at a higher level. He's always had a great capacity to work, he's always been a guy that is first on the ice and is a tireless worker. He's taken ownership and control of his career from a very early age. He's got great parents. He's very respectful. I love Auston. I feel so fortunate for having been around him for a year and I love seeing the success that he has (earned).“The night he scored four goals against us in Ottawa, I was secretly cheering for him (laughs). I was so glad when we ended up winning the game in overtime because we got the best of both worlds. Now, his team game and his team understanding has gone to a different level, and his puck-protection skills have gone to a new level from when I had him in Zurich.”theScore: Matthews has a crafty takeaway move where he lifts the opponent’s stick to steal the puck and transitions into attack mode instantly, avoiding a penalty. Did he have that mentality in Europe?Crawford: "From a very early age, he's the guy who's had the puck the most. If you watch videos of him as a kid, that was the case. I've seen him play at the U18 level, and at the U20 level. It gets a little harder as you go up, but he was still the best player in Zurich and he was still the guy who had the puck the most."In the NHL, it gets that much harder and you see that element taken to a different level. (Mike Babcock's) coaching (promotes) being a real aggressive puck-pursuit guy when you don't have it, and Auston was so ready to hear that information, so ready to employ it. The Leafs have done a great job of taking his game to the next level and there’s way more to come."theScore: Training camp is coming up in a month and a half. With the current state of the Senators - Erik Karlsson trade rumors, Craig Anderson trade rumors, Randy Lee's legal situation, etc. - what kind of messages can you, head coach Guy Boucher, and the rest of the staff deliver to an unsettled team?Crawford: "The biggest thing is that we have to improve upon our performance last year. Hockey, it's a great sport because it does have an outcome for every game. Every game you come out and you say, 'Hey, did we do well or did we not do well?' And that's easy, because a lot of businesses don't have that type of scorecard, if you will, or that type of evaluation. The one thing that we're going to try to do is, we want to have the same response whether we win or whether we lose. We want to be a team that is about improving every day."As I said in my session today, communication is really at a high level and a high premium. We place a high priority on having good communication with our players and creating the right type of environment where we can have success and focus as a team. Again, we're going to concentrate this year on being great teammates. If we're great teammates then we've got a chance to be a great team. If we're a great team then we're going to have a chance to have results on the scoreboard and everything takes care of itself."That’s really our message this year: Let's take care of the things that we can (control), let's make sure we're always being positive and putting our best foot forward and we're trying to do the things that will help us to improve every day.”(Photo courtesy: The Coaches Site/F10 Sports Photography)Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Chelios will join the Chicago Blackhawks as a team ambassador, the club announced Monday."Through multiple generations of players and fans, Chris Chelios will forever be etched into the history of the Chicago Blackhawks. His contributions to our organization and the overall sport of hockey stand tall," Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz said in a statement. "We are proud to welcome Chris and his family back home to the United Center and we are honored to call him an ambassador."Chelios joins Blackhawks legends Tony Esposito, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, and Denis Savard, who will represent the organization at events in the Chicago area.He suited up in 664 games over nine seasons with the Blackhawks, recording 487 points and winning two of his three Norris Trophies.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vegas Golden Knights have re-signed forward William Carrier to a two-year, $1.45-million deal, the team announced Monday.Vegas selected Carrier from the Buffalo Sabres in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. The 23-year-old recorded three points in 37 games during the Golden Knights' historic inaugural season.In 78 career games, the LaSalle, Quebec native has tallied 11 points.The St.Louis Blues selected Carrier in the second round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Today's NHL is all about finding value.Mega-contracts are certainly out there - Connor McDavid and John Tavares, for example, are set to count for $12.5 million and $11 million, respectively, next season, but there remains a handful of superstars across the league locked into highly valuable team-friendly deals.Here are 10 players who are assisting their teams both on the scoresheet and the payroll.Nikita Kucherov, LightningCap Hit: $4.76M (2018-19)

Nathan Oystrick, a retired pro hockey player who skated in more than 500 games, shook behind the podium at Elgar Petersen Arena as he spoke about taking over for a local hero."I did not know Darcy Haugan, but, like so many people in this world today, I wish I had," Oystrick said during a news conference July 3, with Haugan's family sitting feet away.Oystrick added, "I believe in his commitment to not just developing skilled hockey players but to developing great human beings. And I hope that I can make him proud while doing this job."Haugan, the general manager and head coach of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League's Humboldt Broncos, died April 6 in the bus crash that also killed 10 players, an assistant coach, an athletic therapist, a broadcaster, a statistician, and their driver.The Broncos were en route to a playoff game when a semi-trailer truck collided with their bus near Armley, Saskatchewan, in the heart of the prairies."I've played in that league for half a year. I played in Humboldt, whether it was hockey or baseball. It definitely hit home," Oystrick, of Regina, told theScore later in July."A hockey team on a bus traveling on a road that we've all ridden on thousands and thousands of times in our lives - it definitely struck, hard."Along with his wife, Lindsay, and their dog, Wiley, Oystrick left Highlands Ranch, Colo. - their home since 2011 - to settle this week in Humboldt, a farming town of fewer than 6,000 whose name now resonates across Canada and beyond.The GM-coach role Oystrick has assumed is heavy - perhaps the heaviest such role in all of hockey right now. It's a job in sports that, at the same time, is not about sports at all.The position's multi-layered responsibilities require investment, honesty, and compassion from a certain type of person: somebody who's not only triumphed but failed, too; somebody who can relate - at least on a basic level - to those still healing from an unthinkable event."At times, it feels like it happened yesterday," Broncos vice president Randy MacLean said, pausing to collect his thoughts on the wreck that changed the course of so many lives, including his own. "At times, it feels like it happened many years ago."Broncos president Kevin Garinger and MacLean combed through more than 60 applications for the GM-coach position. MacLean says the club ultimately extended an offer to Oystrick because it was clear the former Atlanta Thrasher "wants to be part of something bigger than hockey."The hiring process was atypical for the Broncos after losing Haugan, the program's face inside and beyond the rink. The job itself is atypical, given the delicate situation. And Oystrick's story, though typical of a hockey lifer in some ways, is not so typical in others.* * * * *(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)While growing up in a modest part of Regina, Oystrick and his neighbor Chris Lewgood spent virtually every hour of the day obsessing over the game.They played hockey before school, practicing shooting in the basement. They daydreamed about hockey in the classroom. They played hockey with mini sticks during recess and lunch. They played hockey after school on the street, the pond, or the rink. They watched hockey on TV at night or played hockey video games.Oystrick's childhood birthday gifts, presented in a shoebox, rarely changed from year to year: the latest edition of Don Cherry's "Rock 'Em Sock 'Em" series and spending money in the form of two-dollar bills.When he was in Grade 5, along with his coveted VHS tape, his parents gave him something new: his adoption papers.Oystrick remembers his parents telling him on several occasions that he'd been adopted. However, this was different. The documents laid out in no uncertain terms that his birth name was Jordan Robert and that he'd been the subject of a closed adoption when he was 2 months old.The idea lived in the back of his mind from that day forward, but roughly 15 years passed before Oystrick connected with his biological mother. They met in 2009. His mom attended his wedding and is now a big part of his life, though he says he has no desire to contact his biological father."I'm happy I have this awesome story because a lot of people don't have a story like this," Oystrick said. "It's been really cool."* * * * *As Oystrick moves back to Saskatchewan after nearly 20 years away, Lewgood is already established there as manager and coach of the Estevan Bruins in the same league."There's a little more stress involved with running an SJHL program than playing Blades of Steel on Nintendo," Lewgood said, "but at the end of the day if you love what you're doing and you're passionate about it, it just happens."Plenty of emotional and practical challenges face Oystrick in the early going. Training camp opens in late August. The Broncos will play two exhibition games in Haugan's hometown of Peace River, Alberta, over Labor Day weekend. Their regular-season home opener Sept. 12 will be broadcast nationally. The team's first road game is two days later. The Broncos still have staff openings for an assistant coach and an athletic therapist/equipment manager.Meanwhile, thirteen crash survivors continue to recover. The record-breaking nearly $15 million in GoFundMe donations has yet to be distributed. The parents of one of the players killed in the crash recently sued the truck driver, bus company, and bus manufacturer. The truck driver, who wasn't hurt in the collision, has been charged with 16 counts of dangerous driving causing death and 13 counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.In short, this is a moving story, and there is no handbook."It's part of the process of redefining what the new normal looks like while ensuring that we're respecting the legacy," MacLean said of the various post-crash firsts. "Don't lose sight and lose thought of what happened, but at the same time, don't live in it."Haugan was posthumously honored with the NHL's inaugural Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award in June. Oystrick, Broncos brass, and those close to the action in Humboldt make it abundantly clear that the new coach is replacing Haugan in title only. Not only are the demands of the role different, but Oystrick doesn't have the same type of personality."They're completely opposite people on the surface," Lewgood said. "Darcy was very reserved, always well thought-out, and quiet in nature. Nathan is extremely emotional - very passionate and fiery. He speaks his mind at all times. From that standpoint, they're very different. The one thing that is the same in both of them is probably the most important element that you could have in junior hockey. It's their hearts."* * * * *A 2002 seventh-round pick whose EliteProspects.com profile lists him at 5-foot-11 and 214 pounds, Oystrick split his NHL tenure between the Atlanta Thrashers (53 games), Anaheim Ducks (three), and St. Louis Blues (nine). He also patrolled blue lines in the KHL, ECHL, and AHL. Former coaches and teammates describe him as a versatile "throwback" defender who blended skill with physicality. The crowning achievement of his playing career was winning the 2008 Calder Cup as a key member of the Chicago Wolves.(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)He landed a player-coach role with the ECHL's Elmira Jackals in 2015-16, and then stepped behind the bench full time as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Gladiators for the '16-17 season.Despite being four months older than Oystrick, Gladiators captain Derek Nesbitt has always looked up to him. "He's such a gamer," Nesbitt said. "The bigger the situation, the better he is. At all times. He just relishes that. ..."You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who wouldn't go to bat for Oystie. From knowing him on and off the ice, as a player and a person, he's just an easy guy to follow."In the 2009-10 AHL season, Oystrick blocked a deflected point shot with his face. His broken jaw had to be wired shut for six weeks, and he lost 11 pounds."It actually pushed two of my teeth under my tongue and, in the training room, our team dentist took a scalpel and cut my two teeth out," Oystrick explained.Then-Wolves goalie Peter Mannino had a front-row seat for the gory sequence."He’s a winner and he'll want these guys to win," Mannino said. "But he cares. He's the ultimate teammate and ultimate leader."Through his relationships in hockey, Oystrick has also experienced loss.Justin Kinnunen, a teammate and roommate of Oystrick's at Northern Michigan University, was struck and killed by an SUV in August 2016. The former AHLer was 35, the age Oystrick is now.Seeing Kinnunen's parents at the funeral was particularly heart-wrenching for Oystrick, who broke down multiple times. "Losing a close, close friend was not easy," he said.Oystrick added: "I think back to my playing career and some of the things that I went through and the ups and downs and adversity that I got through - not only on the ice but off the ice ... I learned a lot from all of those situations. It's nothing of this magnitude, but I thought that in some way I could help."MacLean said, "He has lived a life. And with that comes experience and resiliency. He can sit there and have conversations and understand where kids are coming from, where parents and billets are coming from."Last season, Oystrick took on a challenging assignment that turned out to be very relevant to his current role. As head of hockey with the Colorado Academy Mustangs, he was tasked with reviving a dormant program for high schoolers of varying skill levels.(Photo courtesy: Colorado Academy)"When I interview people for jobs, I don't have many of them show up with missing teeth," laughed Mike Davis, the academy's head of school. "He came in and within moments of my first meeting with Nathan it was so clear that he was a guy who had a successful career and now he wants to give back."* * * * *Only four names from the Broncos' organizational depth chart last year - two roster players and two affiliated players - are set to return. Oystrick's lineup card will largely be filled through June's SJHL draft and a flood of trades, and every acquisition is bittersweet."This is not like the Vegas Golden Knights. We're not an expansion franchise," MacLean said. "This is a situation where, when we hired Nathan, we had zero returning players cleared to play."Humboldt will be "a team that plays a high-pressure game and who competes every single night, does all the small things well," Oystrick said. "It's a blank slate for everyone. I've never seen them play and they've never had me as a coach."Everyone's going into it with the same opportunity and a chance to keep building the organization and moving forward. I want to win. I'd love to win a championship in these three years. But we're starting off in rebuild mode."Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar was raised in Humboldt and coached Oystrick in the AHL. He knows what he'd do if he were headed home to run the Broncos."The very first thing and the most important thing is that you have to go in there with the players' best interests as your No. 1 (priority)," Bednar said. "You have to protect them, shield them, help them focus on hockey and life and schooling, and try to move forward in a respectful way. …"I think he can really help those kids and that organization get back on its feet."* * * * *Hockey lifers do plenty of moving. The 16-hour drive almost straight north for a new job was the kind of thing Oystrick and his wife are used to.What unfolds from here is much less predictable."I don't know if you can totally prepare for September 12th," Oystrick said. "I can pretend to know what's going to happen, but until that day comes and it's the first game and the building's full, I just … have absolutely no idea."Lewgood suggests his childhood friend will figure out how to handle it, saying, "He's one of these guys who doesn't think about what he's doing. It just comes to him naturally. He leads by example."Oystrick also leads by the example of the person who preceded him. At his news conference, he promised to leave up the Broncos' core covenant that Haugan put on the wall outside the team's dressing room. It reads, in part: "Always give more than you take."

Quality goaltending is crucial to success in fantasy hockey, and choosing the wrong goalie can torpedo your season. So avoid these three netminders in your upcoming drafts:Corey Crawford, BlackhawksCorey Crawford was brilliant when healthy during the 2017-18 season, posting a .929 save percentage and a 2.27 goals-against average in 28 games. However, he didn't play beyond Dec. 23 with what the team classified as an upper-body injury, but vertigo-like symptoms was reportedly the issue. Those symptoms also sidelined him for a month during the 2015-16 season.Crawford is apparently expected to be ready for training camp, but there's no guarantee his vertigo-like symptoms won't return. Even if they don't, can he once again shoulder the load with a team in front of him that's filled with question marks?Here's Chicago's projected 2018-19 lineup, according to Daily Faceoff:LWCRWBrandon SaadJonathan ToewsAlex DeBrincatNick SchmaltzArtem AnisimovPatrick KaneVictor EjdsellDavid KampfDylan SikuraChris KunitzMarcus KrugerJohn HaydenLDRDDuncan KeithBrent SeabrookErik GustafssonConnor MurphyBrandon ManningJan RuttaThere's a lot of holes in the team's bottom-six forward group and on the back end. If Crawford isn't as sharp after such a long absence, his goals-against average could balloon, and his save percentage could plummet.Carey Price, CanadiensAnyone expecting a bounce-back season from Carey Price should think again. The Hart Memorial Trophy winner in 2014-15 is on the wrong side of 30, has a long history of lower-body injuries, and the dreadful team in front of him hasn't done anything to improve.While it's clear the Canadiens' roster does impact his play, those who point to that as the sole reason for Price's decline are simply in denial. In the 2017-18 season, Price ranked second last in the NHL among qualified goalies with a -17.77 goals saved above average at five-on-five. GSAA measures goals allowed below the expectation based on shot danger faced, according to Corsica.Price will likely still be an early fantasy draft pick because of his name value. Even if he falls, you're better off letting someone else deal with the headache of owning him all season.Marc-Andre Fleury, Golden KnightsThere's something suspicious about a goalie having a career-year at age 33. In his 14th NHL season, Marc-Andre Fleury posted career bests in save percentage (.927) and goals-against average (2.24), and it's highly unlikely he matches those marks again.Fleury was sensational during his first 20 games in 2017-18, riding the Golden Knights' early momentum to a .942 save percentage. In his final 26 games, however, he posted a .916 save percentage, which was much more in line with the veteran's career mark of .913.Fleury doesn't come with as many red flags as the other two goalies. Even though Vegas could deal with some regression, the Golden Knights are still likely a playoff team.However, in the first five rounds - where you'll likely have to draft Fleury to obtain his services - there will be skaters and goalies available with higher floors and ceilings.(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Winnipeg Jets re-signed forward Brandon Tanev to a one-year contract worth $1.15 million, the team announced Sunday.By inking the restricted free agent, the Jets avoided an arbitration hearing that was set for Wednesday. Winnipeg teammate Jacob Trouba was awarded a one-year, $5.5-million deal in arbitration Sunday.Tanev tallied eight goals and 10 assists in 61 appearances with the Jets last season. It marked his first full season with Winnipeg after he split the 2016-17 campaign between the Jets and the AHL.Following Tanev's signing, the Jets still have more than $11 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly, with seven restricted free agents still left to sign, including forward Marko Dano and defensemen Josh Morrissey and Tucker Poolman.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Arbitration could be necessary to close the gap between the Anaheim Ducks and defenseman Brandon Montour in contract talks.The two sides will go before an arbiter Tuesday. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports that Montour's seeking a one-year deal worth $4.75 million, while the Ducks want a two-year pact that pays $1.5 million per season.The 24-year-old Montour is a restricted free agent coming off a three-year, entry-level contract that carried a $925,000 average annual value.Ducks general manager Bob Murray said Saturday that the two sides were working toward a two-year extension after failing to agree on a long-term deal.In 80 appearances last season, Montour tallied nine goals and 32 points, good for second among Anaheim blue-liners.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba was awarded a $5.5-million salary for the 2018-19 season in arbitration, the team announced Sunday.The arbitrator's decision comes right in the middle of the original requests from the Jets and Trouba, which Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Wednesday were $4 million and $7 million, respectively.