Cole Caufield will join his Montreal Canadiens teammates for training camp after shoulder surgery cut his 2022-23 season short."It feels better than it did before, I can tell you that," Caufield said, according to NHL.com's Sean Farrell. "So, I'm really excited, ready to go, and it feels 100%."He added, "It's been a long summer and I'm just happy to be back."Caufield was injured during a game in December and shut down for the season nearly a month later. He conceded at the time that the operation was the best option for his long-term health but said he would have played through the ailment if the Canadiens were in the playoff hunt.Montreal finished 15th in the Eastern Conference last season with a 31-45-6 record. Caufield tied for the team lead in goals (26) despite only playing in 46 games.Caufield has flourished since Martin St. Louis took over as Canadiens head coach, racking up 48 goals in 83 games. Montreal rewarded the star winger for his offensive breakout with an eight-year, $62.8-million extension that kicks in this season.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vancouver Canucks named defenseman Quinn Hughes the 15th captain in franchise history Monday."It means a great deal to me to be named captain of the Canucks," Hughes said in a statement. "When I came here five years ago, I knew what I was walking into having grown up in Toronto; just a crazy hockey market and a passionate fan base."It has been a pleasure and treat to play for this franchise, and to be the captain is something that is incredibly special and something that I couldn't ever imagine would happen."Hughes succeeds Bo Horvat, who was traded to the New York Islanders in January. The 23-year-old is the first rearguard to don the "C" for the Canucks since 1991 when Doug Lidster shared the honor with Dan Quinn and Trevor Linden. A blue-liner hasn't been the captain of the Canucks on a full-time basis since Kevin McCarthy from 1979 to 1982.Though he's entering just his sixth season in the NHL, Hughes has already built a strong reputation. He became the fastest defenseman to hit 200 career assists in March by accomplishing the feat in just 263 games. Hughes posted a career-high 76 points in 78 games in 2022-23, breaking his own record - set in the previous campaign - for the most points by a defenseman in a single season in franchise history.Hughes served as an alternate captain for the first time last season."Quinn is such a competitor, workhorse, and offseason rink rat," head coach Rick Tocchet said. "There are lot of ways to lead, and Quinn does it by example and by always giving his teammates, coaches, and organization the upmost respect."When he does address the locker room, it is very powerful and his growth and maturation in just the short time I have been here is very impressive. Quinn isn't afraid to get uncomfortable and voice his thoughts during both good and bad times which says a lot about his character and desire to win."The Canucks selected Hughes with the seventh overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. He's amassed 26 goals and 241 points in 283 games dating back to his NHL debut in 2018-19. Hughes' 238 points since 2019-20 - his first full NHL season - are the third most on the Canucks over that span, trailing only Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller.In February, Horvat said Pettersson would get his vote to take over as captain. Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin said the Canucks were "enthusiastic and supportive" of the team's decision to give the mantle to Hughes."He is very well liked and respected inside our dressing room, and we know he will continue to grow and develop his leadership skills in the years to come," Allvin said.Horvat congratulated Hughes on Instagram shortly after the announcement.

The Colorado Avalanche have already ruled out captain Gabriel Landeskog for a second straight regular season due to a knee cartilage transplant but are keeping their fingers crossed that he'll return for the 2024 postseason."We're hoping," Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland recently said when asked about Landeskog possibly returning for the playoffs, per The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. "There's still so much that needs to be gleaned in this, so it's hard to put a timeline on it."However, MacFarland added that Landeskog's recovery is on the right track."He's about four months (into his recovery), and he's doing incredibly well," he said. "We miss so much about what he brings, not just in terms of the goals and assists and power play and penalty kill, but just his presence in the room, being one of our emotional-barometer guys."He's going to miss the regular season, and then I wouldn't bet against Gabriel Landeskog in anything. If there's somebody that's going to deal with what he's dealing with, with the right attitude and determination, it's him. He's our Viking."Landeskog, who turns 31 in November, underwent three knee surgeries in a 15-month span. It remains to be seen how he'll perform coming off back-to-back missed seasons, but he was an impact player the last time fans saw him on the ice.One of the game's premier power forwards, Landeskog recorded 30 goals and 29 assists in 51 games during the 2021-22 regular season before adding 22 points in 20 playoff contests to help the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup. He hasn't played a game since.Landeskog first had knee surgery in March 2022. He missed the final 23 games of the regular season but returned for Game 1 of the playoffs. Landeskog had another knee surgery in October 2022 that was expected to sideline him for only 12 weeks, but he ended up getting shut down and missing the entire season and playoffs. His latest procedure occurred in May.The Swede is entering the third season of an eight-year contract with an average annual value of $7 million. His contract won't count against Colorado's cap during the regular season while he's on long-term injured reserve. With no salary cap in the playoffs, the Avalanche can activate Landeskog to the postseason roster without any cap ramifications if he's ready to go.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nico Hischier is well aware that more eyes will be on his New Jersey Devils in 2023-24 after they broke through in a big way last season."Teams are going to be ready for us," the captain said in a recent interview with NHL.com's Amanda Stein. "It will be a challenge for sure, but a challenge we take with open arms."New Jersey was one of the league's best storylines in 2022-23, emerging as a threat in the Eastern Conference after finishing the season just one point behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. The Devils' 52 wins and 112 points on the season established new highs in franchise history, and they snapped a four-season playoff drought in the process.Hischier is coming off a career year after posting 31 goals and 80 points while appearing in all but one contest. The 24-year-old also improved his two-way game and was voted a finalist for the Selke Trophy for the first time in his NHL tenure.Despite their success, Hischier knows the previous campaign is firmly behind the Devils."The season we had last year doesn't change anything this year," he said. "It's a new season coming up. (We have to) look at the now and not what happened. ... It gives us confidence as a group we took the steps we wanted to take."But we definitely understand that expectations are going to be higher. But that's what we want if we want to end up on the top."Thanks to the work put in by general manager Tom Fitzgerald this summer, New Jersey doesn't look like it'll take a step back in 2023-24.In addition to extensions for Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt, one of Fitzgerald's biggest offseason moves was bringing in Tyler Toffoli, a seven-time 20-goal-scorer who led the Calgary Flames with 73 points in 82 games last season.Those actions haven't gone unappreciated by Hischier, who said the Devils "trust in Fitzy.""You can see the team grow. Management did a great job again with bringing guys into our team," he said. "I think on paper we (look) really (good), but at the end of the day, we've got to go out there and do it."The Devils' high-flying 2022-23 campaign ended on a sour note after the Hurricanes eliminated them in the second round of the playoffs."That taste, it ends, and you want to start again, get to this point again and do better, take another step," Hischier said.The puck drops on the Devils' 2023-24 season on Oct. 12 against the Detroit Red Wings.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After analyzing some of the biggest head-scratching moves of the offseason Friday, we're now breaking down some of the savviest. Below is a list of players who aren't household names and signed on the cheap but could vastly outplay their low-cost deals.Players are listed positionally and then alphabetically.Connor Brown Oilers Scott Taetsch / Getty Images Sport / GettyPosition: RW

Andrew Ladd, a veteran of 1,001 NHL games and a two-time Stanley Cup champion, announced his retirement on Sunday."I'll forever be grateful for how the game shaped me as a person and the people it brought into my life," he wrote.

Devon Levi may be shouldering a ton of pressure as the hungry Buffalo Sabres' projected No. 1 goaltender in 2023-24, but the 21-year-old is feeling "super excited" ahead of his first full season in the NHL."I can't wait to see the guys again and to go out and compete with them," he said in an interview with The Buffalo News' Lance Lysowski. "I'm really just focusing on myself. It doesn't matter if I'm going into a game or into practice or training camp. ... I'm just doing my best to get my game to be the best it can be and keep working on it, keep improving."I don't think you could ever be your best. There's always more, you can keep pushing that level. It's like building up your character in a video game. Just keep leveling up."Buffalo leaned on Levi heavily at the end of the 2022-23 campaign with the team in the thick of the wild-card race. He started seven games - many of which had dire implications for the Sabres' playoff hopes - and went 5-2-0 with a .905 save percentage and 2.94 goals against average.Levi was in net for the Sabres' 6-2 defeat to the New Jersey Devils on April 11, which officially knocked Buffalo out of the playoff picture. He'd played the night before in a spectacular 3-2 shootout victory against the dangerous New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden, but Levi said he still thinks about that crushing defeat in New Jersey."It definitely left a sour taste, but it's a lot of motivation to knowing how close we were in that it's possible. It's right there," he said. "We're really close and the organization has been building up to this for a lot of years now. ... It was like you're a baby with candy in your hands and it was snatched away right before you're about to eat it."The Sabres ended up finishing one point behind the Florida Panthers for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.Levi isn't the only Sabre feeling motivated ahead of the new campaign. In August, young defenseman Owen Power said he and his teammates are "confident" heading into 2023-24 and that he thinks jockeying for a playoff spot in a crowded Atlantic Division is "going to be fun."The Sabres are looking to snap a 12-season playoff drought. Puck drops on their pursuit on Oct. 12 against the Rangers.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Alex DeBrincat's exit from the Ottawa Senators appears to have stemmed from his desire to be higher on the team's depth chart than the cornerstone of the franchise.DeBrincat didn't like his role as a second-line winger behind Brady Tkachuk, sources told Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.On Friday, Senators star Tim Stutzle strongly hinted at DeBrincat's apparent disgruntlement when asked about convincing players to stay during an appearance on Sportsnet's "32 Thoughts" podcast."If he doesn't want to be there, I don't want to make him have to be there," Stutzle said. "That's fine to us. I think the whole group, we've been saying it, we want him to stay. We want him to be part of this group and he's a great guy, great player."If you don't want to be there, then good luck on your way."Tkachuk, the team's captain, posted 35 goals and 48 assists while playing all 82 games last season. He also ranked among the league leaders with 242 hits. DeBrincat collected eight fewer tallies and nine fewer helpers while also suiting up for every regular-season contest.The Senators traded DeBrincat to the Detroit Red Wings in July, and he instantly signed a four-year contract with his hometown squad.Ottawa acquired the previously productive forward from the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2022 draft with one year remaining on his contract. He was a restricted free agent this summer but reportedly wasn't interested in inking an extension with the Senators.DeBrincat racked up 41 goals and 37 assists with Chicago in 2021-22, tying the career high in tallies he established with the Blackhawks in 2018-19, his second NHL season. His 78 points were a personal-best at the highest level, and the 39 helpers he registered last season represented his best total since he entered the league.The 25-year-old poured in 32 markers over 52 contests during the abbreviated 2021 campaign. He's been durable as well, playing every regular-season game in four of his six seasons and all but four contests in that same campaign that was shortened due to COVID-19.Tkachuk is a two-time 30-goal scorer, setting career highs in all three primary scoring categories last season. The Senators signed him to a seven-year, $57.5-million contract in October 2021 after he led the team in points and ranked second in the NHL in hits during the previous campaign.Ottawa named Tkachuk captain not long after the two sides agreed on the extension, handing him the "C" in November of that year. He's now the club's second-highest-paid player behind Stutzle, who signed an eight-year, $66.8-million pact with the Sens in September 2022.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are inviting Colin White to training camp on a professional tryout, the club announced Saturday.White spent last season with the Florida Panthers after playing his first six with the Ottawa Senators. The 26-year-old forward suited up for all 21 of the Cats' playoff games this past spring on their improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final.He collected eight goals and seven assists over 68 games during the regular season, adding a pair of postseason helpers. White averaged a career-low 9:38 of ice time prior to the playoffs, and that figure dipped to 7:25 in the postseason.The Senators drafted the Boston College product 21st overall in 2015. He signed a one-year deal with the Panthers as a free agent in July 2022 and was a pending restricted free agent heading into this summer. The Cats opted not to issue him a qualifying offer, putting him on the open market.White tallied a career-best 14 goals and 27 assists across 71 contests in 2018-19. He then inked a six-year, $28.5-million pact with Ottawa in August 2019, but the Sens placed him on unconditional waiviers and bought him out of the final three years on July 5, 2022.He won gold with the United States at the Under-18 World Championship in 2015, as well as the World Junior Championship two years later. White also helped the U.S. claim bronze at the World Championship in 2018.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Tampa Bay Lightning placed forward Josh Archibald on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, the team announced Saturday."Yesterday, I was informed by Josh's agent, and by Josh himself in a subsequent conversation, that he was not planning on playing hockey for the time being and that he would not be reporting to training camp," general manager Julien BriseBois said in a statement.The Lightning signed Archibald to a two-year deal with a cap hit of $800,000 on July 1. He won't count against Tampa Bay's salary cap.In a corresponding move, the Bolts brought in forward Tyler Motte on a one-year, $800,000 deal Saturday. Motte, 28, split last season between the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers, chipping in with eight goals and 19 points in 62 games.Motte played out last season on a one-year, $1.35-million pact.Archibald spent the 2022-23 campaign with the Pittsburgh Penguins, registering six goals and 12 points in 62 games while averaging almost 10 minutes of ice time per contest.It was Archibald's second stint in Pittsburgh, which selected him in the sixth round of the 2011 NHL Draft.The 30-year-old also suited up for the Arizona Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers, amassing 83 points in 305 career outings.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Mattias Ekholm has been a breath of fresh air for the Edmonton Oilers since his midseason arrival in 2022-23, and few have benefited more from the veteran rearguard's presence than his running mate, Evan Bouchard."As you grow into the league - and now I've been in here for a decade or more - you get to learn stuff, you get to see stuff," Ekholm said during a recent appearance on "Oilers NOW." "It's not the first Evan Bouchard I've seen throughout my years."Early on in my career, I might've just gone on about my business and tried to make myself be as good as I can, but I feel like I've reached a point in my career where I also can make an impact for other guys. ... I just try to talk to them as much as I can."Prior to their first outing together on March 1, Bouchard was playing third-pair minutes, averaging 17:42 per contest while adding three goals and 21 points in 61 outings, which translates to a 0.34 point-per-game pace.With Ekholm by his side for the rest of the season, Bouchard saw almost 21 minutes of ice time per contest - good for a new career high - against tougher competition and added five tallies and 19 points in 21 matchups (0.90 per game)."He was almost trying to do too much," Ekholm said. "He kind of got away from what makes him great. I should give him credit, I think he just realized that he has the offensive upside that not many other guys in this league has."When you do that, you have to play that way and understand that a mistake that goes the wrong way can't affect your next shift. ... It was really fun playing with him, I thought he did a great job, and I thought he had somewhat of a breakout party, at least when I was here."Edmonton heavily dictated play with the Ekholm-Bouchard pairing on the ice at five-on-five, outscoring opponents 27-8 while controlling 61.3% of the expected goals, per Natural Stat Trick.The Oilers acquired Ekholm and a 2024 sixth-round pick from the Nashville Predators in late February in exchange for defenseman Tyson Barrie, a 2023 first-rounder, 2024 fourth-round selection, and forward prospect Reid Schaefer.Barrie's absence in Edmonton also led to a void on the Oilers' top power-play unit, which Bouchard filled perfectly, especially in the playoffs. Despite playing in just 12 postseason games, Bouchard led all defensemen with 17 points, 15 of which came on the man advantage.The 23-year-old signed a two-year, $7.8-million bridge deal as a restricted free agent in August. The Oilers selected him with the 10th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.Puck drops on Edmonton's 2023-24 season on Oct. 11 against the Vancouver Canucks.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Winnipeg Jets' two biggest trade chips appear to be off the market - at least for now.When asked about Connor Hellebuyck on Friday, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said he expects the Jets goaltender to be in the opening-night lineup and isn't seeking to deal him or fellow pending unrestricted free agent Mark Scheifele.The narrative took on a life of its own," Cheveldayoff said, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun and Michael Russo. Obviously we made some changes to our organization and we think we're situated to be in a real good, competitive spot."The GM also said the team and the two players in question have talked over the summer and plan to meet in-person when training camp opens later in September.In June, it was reported Hellebuyck wasn't interested in signing an extension with Winnipeg. Not long after that, another report indicated the Jets had a conversation with the New Jersey Devils about the three-time Vezina Trophy finalist and 2019-20 recipient of the honor.The organizational change Cheveldayoff is referring to began later that month, when he signed and then shipped disgruntled forward Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings for Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, and a second-round pick in next year's draft. A few days later, the Jets bought out former captain Blake Wheeler's contract.Our singular focus is winning," Cheveldayoff said Friday. That's what we're all about. So every challenge that we approach, every opportunity, or every time we get a chance to look at a different situation, it's about putting us in the best perspective, the best place to win. That hasn't changed and it won't change for our organization."Hellebuyck has spent his entire eight-year career with the Jets, who drafted him 130th overall in 2012. The 30-year-old American has been Winnipeg's unquestioned starter since 2016-17. He's been a model of consistency and elite play for much of that time, posting a .916 career save percentage in addition to his frequent appearances on Vezina ballots.Scheifele has been one of the most reliable offensive centers in the league for years in his own right. The Canadian, who's also 30, racked up a career-high 42 goals and added 26 assists over 81 games last season.Hellebuyck's cap hit is $6,166,666, while Scheifele is on the books at $6.125 million, according to CapFriendly.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators superstar Tim Stutzle made his stance on Alex DeBrincat's desire to leave Canada's capital crystal clear in a recent appearance on Sportsnet's "32 Thoughts" podcast."If he doesn't want to be there, I don't want to make him have to be there," Stutzle said. "You know, like, that's fine to us. I think the whole group, we've been saying it, we want him to stay. We want him to be part of this group and he's a great guy, great player."If you don't want to be there, then good luck on your way."DeBrincat entered the offseason as a restricted free agent but was reportedly unwilling to sign an extension with the Senators. He was ultimately traded to the Detroit Red Wings and signed a four-year, $31.5-million contract.The Senators acquired DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2022 draft with one year remaining on his contract. His departure bucked a recent trend for the Senators, who have locked up all their core players to long-term contracts as they look to build a contending roster.The most recent deal given out by general manager Pierre Dorion was for defenseman Jake Sanderson, who earned an eight-year, $64.4-million extension earlier this week. Stutzle signed an eight-year, $66.8-million deal last September.Along with Sanderson and Stutzle, captain Brady Tkachuk, forwards Drake Batherson and Josh Norris, and blue-liner Thomas Chabot are under contract through at least 2027. The Senators are optimistic their young core can lead them to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Connor McDavid, who gathered the Edmonton Oilers together before the official start of training camp this month, says his teammates are raring to go after a disappointing playoff exit last season."I think it says a lot about where our group is at, everybody is dialed in, everybody is super motivated, everybody is determined, and everybody is in it together," McDavid told NHL.com's Derek Van Diest.He added: "I think that's kind of the message I've been feeling just with guys wanting to come back and make sure we're all together for a couple of weeks before camp."The Oilers were one of the league's best teams for the second half of the 2022-23 campaign, but they were eliminated by the eventual champion, the Vegas Golden Knights, in the second round of the playoffs. It was a step back for Edmonton after reaching the Western Conference Final in 2022.McDavid acknowledged there were tiny margins that cost the Oilers the series."Looking back, we're sitting there in Game 5, five minutes left in the second and in a real good place - on the road and up by a goal," he told Sportsnet's Mark Spector. "Feeling good about ourselves. And you find a way to be down two (goals) heading into the third period."It's a collection of mistakes throughout the series that add up to a series loss - something that we'll fix throughout the course of the year."Leon Draisaitl, who lit up the playoffs with 13 goals in 12 games, echoed his captain's sentiments about the Oilers being ready to take the next step this coming season."We're determined, you can see in the fact that everyone is here working hard and trying to get things going early," he said. Obviously there is one goal here, and whether it pans out this way we'll see, but one thing is guaranteed, is that we're going to do everything in our power to achieve that goal and get to that point."Salary-cap restraints limited the Oilers from an overly active summer. The club's offseason was highlighted by the signing of forward Connor Brown and a new deal for burgeoning star defenseman Evan Bouchard.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Florida Panthers may have fallen short of winning their first-ever Stanley Cup championship last spring, but captain Aleksander Barkov said his team grew from the experience despite the "very frustrating" defeat."I think that whole run, it made us stronger," Barkov said during a recent interview for the "NHL @TheRink" podcast. "The core is pretty much the same with the team, and now we've experienced almost everything. ... We know. When you're experienced in something, you know what to expect."After a wildly inconsistent 2022-23 regular season, the Panthers eked their way into the playoff picture, claiming the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference by just one point over the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres.From there, Florida took the league by storm.The Cardiac Cats emerged as unlikely victors against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston Bruins, defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, and - in their first Eastern Conference Final appearance since 1996 - swept a perennial contender in the Carolina Hurricanes."We played in Toronto - probably the biggest hockey market - during the playoffs. We experienced that," Barkov said. "Carolina, the way they play, we experienced that. Then obviously the finals, I feel like it was just a different animal leading up to it."The Vegas Golden Knights ended up taking the Stanley Cup Final in five games to dash the Panthers' dreams of lifting the Cup.Prior to the miracle run, Barkov only had 26 games of playoff experience under his belt and had never made it out of the second round. The 28-year-old was instrumental to Florida's success in 2023, chipping in with five goals and 16 points in 21 postseason games.Florida won't look too different in 2023-24 - its key departures of the offseason were Anthony Duclair, Radko Gudas, and Marc Staal - but the team will likely be starting the new campaign in a tough Atlantic Division without two of its top defensemen. Both Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour are recovering from offseason shoulder surgeries. The former played through the playoffs with a broken foot and torn oblique."Those types of guys are not replaceable at all. ... They were a huge part of our success last year. ... It's a great challenge for us, for everyone to step up," Barkov said.Puck drops on the Panthers' 2023-24 campaign on Oct. 12 against the Minnesota Wild.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's been another eventful offseason in the NHL. Many of this summer's moves can be justified - but some left a lot to be desired.The Toronto Maple Leafs raised eyebrows by signing aging enforcer Ryan Reaves (who'll be 37 in January) to a three-year contract. The Los Angeles Kings shipped promising defenseman Sean Durzi to the Arizona Coyotes - who could flip him to one of the Kings' rivals at the trade deadline - for a mere second-round pick. The Ottawa Senators gave historically mediocre (until last season's small sample) ex-Kings goalie Joonas Korpisalo a five-year deal.Those weren't even the most perplexing decisions made by the league's general managers. Here are five offseason happenings that had us scratching our heads:Sharks get underwhelming return for Karlsson Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyThe fact that the San Jose Sharks traded Erik Karlsson wasn't surprising in the least. The swap had been in the works for months and seemed inevitable by the end of the 2022-23 season. By the time August rolled around, it was simply a matter of where the reigning Norris Trophy winner would end up.What was bizarre about the transaction - once the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens completed it with San Jose on Aug. 6 - was just how little the Sharks got back. San Jose received Mikael Granlund and Jan Rutta from the Pens, Mike Hoffman from the Habs, and a first-round selection in next year's draft that's top-10 protected.The Penguins likely weren't going to pick in the top 10 regardless - especially after landing Karlsson - but still. Landing only that pick was a major disappointment for the Bay Area-based club. In addition, all three players Grier acquired are on the wrong side of 30 and will simply be roster fillers preventing younger players with more upside from getting opportunities to grow on the rebuilding squad.Grier did minimize the percentage of Karlsson's contract the Sharks will retain - they'll only be on the hook for $1.5 million per season through 2026-27. But the Sharks needed to get more prospects and real assets considering they were trading a superstar.Avalanche knock on Wood with 6-year deal Erick W. Rasco / Sports Illustrated / GettyColorado Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland had a solid offseason as a whole, but one of his moves stands out as a real puzzler. The 2021-22 Stanley Cup champions brought in Miles Wood on a six-year pact with an average annual value of $2.5 million. Yes, the AAV is quite digestible, but why does Wood deserve a contract that's two years shy of the maximum term?The answer, apparently, is that Wood is 6-foot-2 and weighs 195 pounds. "I think Miles is a big-body winger that can skate," MacFarland said upon signing him. The GM also noted Wood's "wrecking-ball" style of play and clearly considered physicality up front a team need. But in an offseason where shorter-term deals have been the rule and not the exception, why commit to a one-dimensional player like Wood through 2028-29?Wood's AAV might look good in the future with the cap rising, especially if he excels. His offensive numbers should increase given his new teammates, but this is a player who, in seven full seasons, only scored more than 13 goals twice. His career-high of 19 came six years ago. It's not all about goals and points, but Wood's career best in the latter category is 32, which he posted in that same 19-goal campaign.The Buffalo-born forward has been slowed by injuries at various points in his career. But that's another reason why handing him a six-year contract is a bad idea. We may never see a stranger overpay than the Lightning giving up five draft picks for Tanner Jeannot, but Wood's new deal could come close.What exactly are the Predators doing? Jeff Vinnick / National Hockey League / GettyNo one doubts Barry Trotz's qualifications as a head coach, but his early performance as a GM is about what you'd expect from someone who's never held the job at the NHL level before. He and his Nashville Predators have had a strange summer.However, Trotz isn't solely to blame. Nashville's bewildering offseason actually started before the now-retired David Poile handed him the reins on July 1. One week before free agency opened, the Preds sent Ryan Johansen to Colorado for the rights to Alex Galchenyuk - who they didn't ultimately sign - while retaining half of Johansen's $8-million cap hit for the next two seasons. Then, on June 30, Nashville bought out Matt Duchene, who had the same cap hit but for three more campaigns.So the Predators are rebuilding, right? Well, a team built around Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, and Juuse Saros can't just tear it down. So they signed the still-effective but 32-year-old Ryan O'Reilly to a four-year agreement, another veteran ex-Maple Leaf in Luke Schenn for three years, and Gustav Nyquist (a 34-year-old who was limited to 51 games last season due to injury) to a two-year pact.Nashville needed to improve significantly on paper to return to its status of years gone by as a Stanley Cup contender. But this team appears destined to once again battle for a wild-card spot and face a tough first-round matchup - if it even qualifies for the playoffs.Lamoriello's obsession with term goes too far Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettyNew York Islanders president of hockey operations and GM Lou Lamoriello has no shame. This much we know from following his decades of experience running NHL teams. He's never been shy about locking players into long-term deals, which is fine when it's a star like winger Mathew Barzal (eight years, $73.2 million last October), center Bo Horvat (eight years, $68 million in February), or goaltender Ilya Sorokin (eight years, $66 million on July 1).But someone needed to grab Lou's phone before he inked Pierre Engvall to a seven-year pact on free agency's opening day. Engvall's AAV is only $3 million because of the length of the deal, and again, that will look better with the cap rising. But committing to a bottom-six forward until he's 34 is ill-advised. To make matters worse, Lamoriello also signed Scott Mayfield - a soon-to-be 31-year-old third-pairing defenseman - to a seven-year contract of his own at $3.5 million annually.The Islanders are built around defense, so Lamoriello inking blue-liners Adam Pelech (eight years, $46 million in August 2021) and Ryan Pulock (eight years, $49.2 million two months later) didn't seem as misguided at the time. But New York now has seven players signed through 2028-29, with six of them on the books through the following season and three of them under contract until at least the conclusion of 2030-31. That won't end well if they decline at the typical rate or get derailed by injuries as they age.Red Wings fail to learn from Copp blunder Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / GettySteve Yzerman is not the same GM with the Detroit Red Wings that he was with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The first major hint came in July of last year when he signed overachieving Michigan-born free-agent forward Andrew Copp to a five-year deal at $5.625 million annually.Copp found his game as a multi-positional offensive contributor over parts of two seasons - his final ones with the Winnipeg Jets - before they traded him to the New York Rangers at the 2021-22 deadline. He posted over a point per game with the Blueshirts down the stretch of that regular season and then had a great postseason, too. But after cashing in with the Wings, the local boy collected only nine goals and 33 assists while posting subpar underlying numbers over 82 games last season.Fast-forward to July 1, 2023. Yzerman signed eight players that day, but he gave the most money and longest term (five years, $25.5 million) to J.T. Compher, a similarly versatile but limited forward. Compher came off a career year offensively, having produced 52 points in 82 games with the Colorado Avalanche. He's a fairly dependable second-line center and proved he can play on the top line when necessary.But the Red Wings now pay their middle-six pivots, Compher and Copp, more than $5 million each for five and four more seasons, respectively. Yzerman traded for and extended Alex DeBrincat eight days later, but handing out significant term and money to middle-of-the-lineup players like Compher could haunt the GM if Detroit eventually develops into a contender.(Salary source: CapFriendly)Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Chicago Blackhawks legend and Hall of Famer Chris Chelios will have his No. 7 retired during an on-ice ceremony Feb. 25 prior to a game against the the Detroit Red Wings, the Blackhawks confirmed Thursday.Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder brought his friend Chelios on stage and surprised him with the news during a sold-out show at Chicago's United Center on Thursday night.Chelios will be the ninth player in franchise history to have his number retired. He joins Glenn Hall (No. 1), Pierre Pilote (No. 3), Keith Magnusson (No. 3), Bobby Hull (No. 9), Denis Savard (No. 18), Stan Mikita (No. 21), Tony Esposito (No. 31), and Marian Hossa (No. 81).The 61-year-old Chelios ranks fourth among blue-liners in assists (395) and points (487) and is fifth in goals (92) in club history. He's also the team's all-time leader in penalty minutes (1,495).Defenseman Brent Seabrook also notably wore No. 7 for the Blackhawks and won three Stanley Cups with the franchise.Chelios, who was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013 following a 26-year career, sits eighth among defensemen with assists (763) and 10th in points (948) in NHL history.He also played for the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, and Atlanta Thrashers (now Winnipeg Jets).Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

St. Louis Blues forward Kasperi Kapanen faces alcohol-related driving charges after an incident in Finland in August, the team confirmed Thursday, per NHL.com's Lou Korac."Last month I made an unacceptable error in judgment and take full responsibility for my actions," Kapanen said in a statement. "I offer my apologies to my family, the Blues organization, my teammates, and the fans. I understand the severity of my mistake and am committed to doing everything I can to earn back their trust."Blues general manager Doug Armstrong also commented on the situation."Today we became aware of the incident involving Kasperi and I have spoken with him and his agent," Armstrong said. "We are disappointed in his lapse in judgement and are entrusting him to make the necessary changes to avoid putting himself in a similar situation in the future."The Blues claimed Kapanen off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins last season. He recorded 15 goals and 19 assists in 66 games between the two clubs.An eight-year veteran, Kapanen has also played for the Toronto Maple Leafs in his 387-game career.He has one year remaining on his contract with a $3.2-million cap hit.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Ottawa Senators locked up cornerstone defenseman Jake Sanderson with an eight-year extension carrying an average annual value of $8.05 million, the team announced Wednesday.Sanderson is entering the final year of his entry-level contract, so the extension kicks in next season."Jake's transition to the pro game has been flawless," general manager Pierre Dorion said. "He's a very mature young man who demonstrates a routine and skillful ability to play important minutes with poise. An effortless skater who holds himself to a high standard, he has the talent to be one of the best all-around defensemen in the NHL for years to come. We're very pleased to have another significant member of our core group of players under long-term contract."Sanderson was named to the NHL's All-Rookie Team and finished sixth in Calder Trophy voting last season after tallying 32 points in 77 games. The 21-year-old logged the second-most minutes on the team behind Thomas Chabot, averaging 21:55 per contest. He posted decent underlying numbers, highlighted by a strong penalty differential. Evolving-Hockey"You just see the chemistry in the locker room, it's something that will be here for a while," Sanderson said Thursday, per The Athletic's Ian Mendes. "And I think we're going to win within the next couple years. We know that. And I want to be here for it."Sanderson will be the third-highest paid player on the Senators when his contract kicks in behind Tim Stutzle ($8.35M AAV) and captain Brady Tkachuk ($8.206M AAV).The contract is also on track to make Sanderson the NHL's 14th-highest paid defenseman, although he could be knocked down that list by the time the 2024-25 campaign rolls around. Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power (RFAs), and Devon Toews (UFA) are among those who could surpass Sanderson's AAV.The Senators selected Sanderson fifth overall at the 2020 NHL Draft out of the U.S. National Team Development Program. The Whitefish, Montana, native spent two years at North Dakota before turning pro.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Philadelphia Flyers re-signed restricted free-agent forward Morgan Frost to a two-year contract carrying an average annual value of $2.1 million, the team announced Thursday.He'll be an RFA at the end of the deal and can become an unrestricted free agent in 2026.Frost is coming off a breakout season in which he tallied 19 goals and 27 assists in 81 games while averaging 16:21 per contest.The 24-year-old is projected to center the top line for the rebuilding Flyers this coming campaign, although a healthy Sean Couturier could eat into his ice time.The Flyers selected Frost 27th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft. The Aurora, Ontario, native was a standout for the OHL's Soo Greyhounds before turning pro, producing back-to-back 100-point seasons in junior.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Defenseman Michael Del Zotto announced his retirement from professional hockey in an Instagram post Wednesday."Today is a bittersweet day," Del Zotto wrote. "I was fortunate enough to play 14 years of professional hockey. The blood, sweat, tears, broken bones, triumph, heartbreak, and sacrifice were worth every second."The 33-year-old played 736 games over the course of his 13-season NHL career. He spent the 2022-23 campaign in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers and San Diego Gulls, finishing the year with 41 points in 65 contests.Del Zotto was drafted 20th overall in 2008 by the New York Rangers. The Stouffville, Ontario, native spent five seasons in a Rangers uniform from 2009-14, the longest stint of his career with one team.He burst onto the scene in 2009-10 when he tallied nine goals and 37 points in 80 games as a 19-year-old. Del Zotto landed on the All-Rookie Team and finished eighth in Calder Trophy voting. At the end of the year, he made his lone appearance with Team Canada when he suited up at the 2010 World Championship.After a slight sophomore slump, Del Zotto bounced back in 2011-12 for the best season of his career. He racked up 10 goals and 41 points in 77 contests and finished 12th in Norris Trophy voting.The Rangers traded Del Zotto to the Nashville Predators in January 2014 in exchange for Kevin Klein. He spent 25 games with the Predators, registering five points, and left the team as a free agent that summer, signing with the Philadelphia Flyers.Del Zotto accrued 20 goals and 63 points in 167 contests with the Flyers over three seasons. After joining the team on a one-year pact, Del Zotto signed the biggest deal of his career with Philadelphia in 2015 when he inked a two-year, $7.75-million contract.Following his Flyers tenure, Del Zotto bounced around the league. He was traded twice in the 2018-19 campaign and signed three one-year contracts over a four-year period. The two-year deal he inked during this stretch was bought out by the Ottawa Senators in 2022.Del Zotto appeared in the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice with New York in 2012 and 2013.He was on the St. Louis Blues' roster for the 2019 playoffs. Despite not playing a postseason game with the team, Del Zotto's name was engraved on the Cup after the Blues' victory.In total, Del Zotto accumulated 63 goals and 262 points across stints with the Rangers, Predators, Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Ottawa Senators.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Divisions: Metropolitan | Pacific | AtlanticWith the NHL offseason all but wrapped up, we're handing out comprehensive grades for all 32 teams. The four-part series starts with an in-depth look at each club in the Central Division.Some contract figures are reported. Most players on two-way deals have been omitted.Arizona Coyotes Zac BonDurant / Getty Images Sport / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedUnsignedRookies who could crack the lineupGeneral manager Bill Armstrong said in July that the Coyotes are looking to take the next step in their rebuild in 2023-24.Arizona shed a pair of bad contracts and added multiple legitimate NHLers through trade and free agency without sacrificing long-term salary cap flexibility.All five of the Coyotes' free-agent additions are only inked for two years or less. Not only does that give the club a handful of candidates to flip at the trade deadline for more future assets, but each signing is also a short-term commitment should any underperform.The biggest move of Arizona's offseason was a bit of a surprise when Logan Cooley reversed course and signed an entry-level contract at the end of July. Inking Cooley nullifies any concerns that he might've played out his career at the University of Minnesota and elected free agency. The 19-year-old immediately adds an exciting offensive piece down the middle to the NHL roster.Armstrong completely overhauled the Coyotes' defense. As many as four new blue-liners could be in the lineup for the season opener from what Arizona rostered at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.An offseason featuring moves for the present rather than the future is a much-needed change of pace for the Coyotes. Still, they remain a long shot to contend for a playoff spot. But make no mistake, they're in the right direction and will be fun to watch next season.Grade: A-Chicago Blackhawks Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupThe Blackhawks' offseason strategy significantly changed when they landed the first overall pick in the draft lottery.Adding Connor Bedard legitimately changes the franchise's trajectory. Chicago is still far from contention, but it now has a superstar-level prospect to build around.Every move GM Kyle Davidson made this summer seemed to link back to Bedard. It began two days before the draft when the Blackhawks acquired Taylor Hall and the free agent rights to Nick Foligno. It continued on Day 2 of the draft when Chicago traded for Corey Perry's rights.Chicago made all three additions to help Bedard transition to the NHL. Hall is a former first overall pick and gives the 18-year-old a talented winger to play with. Foligno captained the Columbus Blue Jackets for six years, and Perry is a perennial winner.However, the Blackhawks could've done more to utilize their cap space to acquire future assets rather than spending it to overpay on veteran free agents. They added a 2026 second-round pick to buy out Josh Bailey, but that was their lone move this offseason to add draft capital.That said, Chicago's offseason had a clear direction, which is more than what can be said for others. The Blackhawks will remain a bottom-feeder in 2023-24 while insulating Bedard with experience and skill to make his rookie season as smooth as possible - that's pretty much a best-case scenario for the state of the franchise.Grade: B-Colorado Avalanche Steph Chambers / Getty Images Sport / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupGM Chris MacFarland's job this summer was to find a way to reconstruct the Avalanche's forward depth with six departures in free agency and another by trade. The end result is impressive.Colorado will look to Ryan Johansen to fill its second-line center void that's been empty since Nazem Kadri's departure. But even if the 31-year-old can't reach those heights, adding the veteran pivot at a 50% discount with no assets lost is a worthwhile swing.MacFarland's best work came when he dealt the underwhelming Alex Newhook to the Montreal Canadiens. He used the assets received in the deal to acquire Ross Colton and draft Mikhail Gulyayev, immediately filling the depth lost in Newhook and replenishing the prospect pool.The six-year gamble on Miles Wood is quite risky, though his $2.5-million cap hit is fairly manageable. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the short-term reclamation project in Jonathan Drouin is among the bigger low-risk, high-reward signings of the summer.The decision to bridge Bowen Byram was a necessary evil considering the salary cap, but it could come back to bite Colorado in 2025.The Avs managed to replace J.T. Compher's and Evan Rodrigues' departures and improve the upside of its bottom six while adding draft capital. There's certainly risk involved in a handful of moves, but there's a lot to like in what MacFarland accomplished this summer.Grade: BDallas Stars Christopher Mast / National Hockey League / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupIt wasn't a flashy offseason for Jim Nill after reaching the Western Conference Final. With a contract extension in hand and the core of his roster locked in, the GM's summer consisted of adding a trio of new depth forwards.Dallas' biggest addition was Matt Duchene, who surprisingly became available when the Nashville Predators bought out the skilled veteran prior to free agency. At a very reasonable $3-million cap hit, Duchene gives the Stars another option to play down the middle or on the right wing while bringing significant offensive upside.The 32-year-old scored 22 goals and 56 points in 71 contests in 2022-23 and is only one season removed from a career-high 43 goals and 86 points. The Stars don't need Duchene to be that type of player at a reduced price tag. But if he clicks alongside veterans like Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin or is rejuvenated with a young gun like Wyatt Johnston, Dallas could become among the deepest offensive threats in the league.Re-upping Evgenii Dadonov for $2.25 million after his impressive post-deadline stretch is a solid bit of business, as is bringing in Craig Smith and Sam Steel for minimal cap hits.On the blue line, shipping Colin Miller to the New Jersey Devils opens the door for Nils Lundkvist to take a bigger role in the fall. After spending a first-round pick last year to bring in the skilled Swede, the Stars need Lundkvist to start making his potential a reality.Nill didn't accomplish a lot this summer, but he also didn't need to. The moves he made don't impact the Stars' long-term flexibility and enhance their chances in the short term.Grade: B+Minnesota Wild Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedUnsignedRookies who could crack the lineupHamstrung by an eye-watering $14.7 million of dead cap space thanks to the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts, GM Bill Guerin barely had any room to make additions to his squad this summer.And that shows in the results. Pat Maroon, acquired via trade, is the only player Minnesota brought in who played most of his games last campaign in the NHL.Re-signing Marcus Johansson - a seamless fit alongside Matt Boldy in 2022-23 - was a quality move, as was locking in Filip Gustavsson to a sub-$4-million cap hit following a breakout campaign. But the reliance on internal growth is too significant for a team that has lost in the first round each year under Dean Evason and hasn't won a playoff series since 2015.The Wild boast an impressive prospect pool that'll see Brock Faber take a full-time role after debuting in the postseason. If Minnesota is to take a step forward, the pressure will be on top-10 pick Marco Rossi to find his form in the NHL after lackluster stretches to this point.Even when considering the cap restraints and solid contracts for Johansson and Gustavsson, only adding a 35-year-old Maroon over an entire offseason makes it difficult to give the Wild a positive grade.Grade: C-Nashville Predators Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupFew teams had as much significant change over this summer as the Nashville Predators.David Poile - the only GM in team history - retired and handed the keys over to first-time GM Barry Trotz. The two-time Jack Adams winner wasted no time making his mark on the roster, retaining 50% of Johansen's salary in a trade and buying out Matt Duchene.Rather than handing roster spots to up-and-comers, Trotz splurged in free agency to add "serial winners." Ryan O'Reilly fills the center void left by Johansen, while Roman Josi may find himself with a new partner in Luke Schenn.But Trotz wasn't done adding, inking Gustav Nyquist and taking a low-risk flier on Denis Gurianov.It's a somewhat confusing offseason, with the Predators undergoing massive change at forward. But Schenn is the lone addition on the back end, and the impressive duo of Juuse Saros and Kevin Lankinen return in net from a year prior.Nashville eats almost $9 million of dead space this season, which balloons to nearly $12 million in 2024-25. Committing $10.45 million over these two campaigns in O'Reilly, Nyquist, and Schenn doesn't necessarily hurt, but it leaves the roster in an awkward spot.None of the trio make the Predators legitimate Stanley Cup contenders and instead leave the team where it's lived since 2018 - good enough to contend for a fringe playoff spot and likely lose in the first round if it makes it.Grade: CSt. Louis Blues Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupFor a time, it seemed like the Blues were working on a blockbuster deal with the Philadelphia Flyers that would alter the makeup of their roster.Instead, Kevin Hayes arrives at a 50% discount for a measly sixth-round draft pick with minimal other notable moves over the summer for GM Doug Armstrong.Hayes is a solid addition to a St. Louis team that underwhelmed in 2022-23. The 31-year-old produced 18 goals and 54 points last season, and he brings much-needed center depth (Kasperi Kapanen, of all players, took reps down the middle for the Blues last season). For about $3.6 million - rather than his $7.2-million ticket in Philadelphia - Hayes can be a beneficial presence in a middle six.However, it remains to be seen whether Hayes' addition - in conjunction with Oskar Sundqvist and Mackenzie MacEachern returning - is enough to push the Blues back into playoff contention. St. Louis still has an old, declining blue line and an overpaid Jordan Binnington in the crease.If the Blues are to bounce back in 2023-24, it'll likely come on the back of a resurgent forward group. While technically not offseason additions, the club acquired the likes of Kapanen, Sammy Blais, and Jakub Vrana around the trade deadline, and those forwards showed signs that they could again be useful pieces.Armstrong started reshaping his forward group ahead of the summer and attempted to shake up the defense before being rebuffed by a no-trade clause. Though his biggest move didn't come to fruition, Armstrong had a decent offseason with no significant losses to the roster.Grade: B-Winnipeg Jets Darcy Finley / National Hockey League / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedUnsignedRookies who could crack the lineupWith rumors swirling about Connor Hellebuyck's and Mark Scheifele's futures, this summer could've turned south quickly for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. However, it ended up being fairly tame - except for two significant moves.It was time for Winnipeg and Blake Wheeler to go their separate ways. Though he was still effective offensively last season, his poor defensive game and a bloated $8.25-million cap hit made him an easy player to move on from after the club's tough end to the campaign.Pierre-Luc Dubois' departure came as no surprise. But it's a strong move for Cheveldayoff to get three NHL players in return - particularly a promising young player in Gabe Vilardi and an established, consistent scorer in Alex Iafallo - for someone widely known to want out of Winnipeg.After dealing with injury concerns, Vilardi broke out for 23 goals and 41 points in 63 games with the Los Angeles Kings last season. He's a versatile forward with underrated size (he's listed at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds) who can slot directly into Wheeler's role.Iafallo rounds out an impressive group of top-nine wingers that sees trade-deadline acquisition Nino Niederreiter return. The primary concern is down the middle, where Vilardi or Vladislav Namestnikov may be required to play as the second-line pivot.Outside of those two transactions, the Jets didn't make many notable moves this summer. Re-acquiring Laurent Brossoit to be Hellebuyck's backup is Winnipeg's only new signing guaranteed to be on the NHL roster.Considering how dire things were when it appeared all of Dubois, Wheeler, Scheifele, and Hellebuyck could be out the door, Cheveldayoff managing to maintain a roster that can compete in the Central Division has to be considered a win.Grade: BCopyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Divisions: Central | Pacific | AtlanticWith the NHL offseason all but wrapped up, we're handing out comprehensive grades for all 32 teams. The four-part series carries on with an in-depth look at each Metropolitan Division club.Some contract figures are reported. Most players on two-way deals have been omitted.Carolina Hurricanes Andrew Lahodynskyj / National Hockey League / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupThe Hurricanes nabbed arguably the top available free agent on July 1 by signing Orlov to a reasonable short-term deal, further strengthening one of the league's top D corps. Carolina has three impressive pairings to roll out each night, which bodes well for the pair of veteran netminders the club re-signed. This summer's netminder market wasn't enviable in the slightest, so we won't fault the Canes for sticking with familiarity. Neither Andersen's nor Raanta's new contracts are financial burdens, and the club has proven it can cruise to the playoffs with that tandem between the pipes.Carolina's big splash up front was signing Bunting, who's fresh off back-to-back 23-goal seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He put up those numbers playing primarily with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, so we're not convinced he's the guy to galvanize the Hurricanes' 15th-ranked offense from a year ago. He's a fine complementary piece, but a bigger splash on the offensive side of things - via free agency or trade - would've made Carolina's offseason near flawless.In addition to some shrewd shopping in free agency, general manager Don Waddell aced some key in-house business. Locking up Aho, the face of the franchise, for max term and less than $10 million is a coup given what the 26-year-old brings to the ice each season. Fair new deals for Staal and Fast also earn passing grades from us as they're two key pieces of Carolina's offensive identity.Grade: B+Columbus Blue Jackets Mitchell Leff / Getty Images Sport / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedUnsignedRookies who could crack the lineupColumbus didn't steal the show in free agency like it did last summer with the Johnny Gaudreau signing, but the Blue Jackets took a step in the right direction this offseason. Mike Babcock's reputation as a head coach is at an all-time low, but he flat-out knows how to guide teams to the playoffs. We're not suggesting the Blue Jackets are a shoo-in for a top-eight spot in the Eastern Conference in 2023-24, but they're likely to play a tighter system than they did under Brad Larsen. Some notable additions on the back end should make the club much more difficult to play against.Severson and Provorov should each slot into Columbus' top four, and their arrivals are sorely needed for a club that ranked 31st in goals against per game (4.01) last season. The Blue Jackets also hardly surrendered any notable assets to add either player. Free-agent splashes don't matter when you can find quality players on the trade market for cheap.Last but not least, the Blue Jackets' biggest acquisition of the summer was at the draft. The club was undoubtedly bummed to lose out on the chance to select Connor Bedard, but Fantilli falling into their laps at third overall is one hell of a consolation prize. The University of Michigan product is an old-school blend of size and skill, and he projects to be able to immediately contribute at the NHL level. Fantilli joining the likes of Kent Johnson, Cole Sillinger, and Jiricek creates one of the league's top young cores.Grade: B+New Jersey Devils Elsa / Getty Images Sport / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupTom Fitzgerald cemented New Jersey's status as an elite NHL team with some tidy work across the board this offseason. The three players listed in the arrivals section came at a minimal cost, and the addition of a perennial 25-goal threat in Toffoli gives the Devils arguably the most dangerous top six in the league that's equally responsible in its own end.Fitzgerald's in-house work is what earns New Jersey the bulk of our praise. The Devils had ample cap space but didn't get carried away with extensions for Meier and Bratt - two of their most important players. Those two, along with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, are locked in together through 2027 for less than 40% of New Jersey's cap. As the salary limit rises in coming years, the contracts for the Devils' big four forwards are likely to age better and better. Fitzgerald has created one of the league's most enviable salary-cap structures and currently projects to have over $21 million available in the summer of 2024 to keep New Jersey in the mix as a Cup contender.If there's one knock on the Devils' offseason, it's that they didn't go out and get a goalie. The club was linked to Jets superstar Connor Hellebuyck, and a move of that magnitude would lock up an A+ from us. New Jersey's incumbent tandem of Akira Schmid and Vitek Vanecek should be good enough to get the club to the playoffs with ease, but they're relatively unproven. That said, the Devils aren't desperately in win-now mode like many other Cup hopefuls, so we can let it slide for now.Grade: ANew York Islanders Mike Stobe / National Hockey League / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupNo one expected the Islanders to be active in free agency after making a big-ticket move with the Bo Horvat trade last season, but Lou Lamoriello found a way to be busy on July 1 with a trio of long-term extensions that left the hockey world mostly confused.We'll start with the good: signing Sorokin for maximum term is a win for the Islanders. As long as he's in the crease, New York will have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs given the Vezina runner-up has proven to be one of the world's best netminders across only two full seasons at the NHL level. Sorokin's age (28) makes this deal risky down the line, but the Islanders' identity has long been goal prevention, and the star goaltender is far and away the most important piece of that puzzle.The Engvall and Mayfield deals make much less sense. Giving term to depth pieces has proven to age poorly time and time again. Though Engvall impressed after a trade from the Maple Leafs, he doesn't have a body of work worth committing to for seven seasons. He turned 27 this summer and has a career high of 35 points. The rising cap makes this deal somewhat palatable for now, but it's difficult to imagine suitors were lining up at Engvall's door with seven-year deals when he hit free agency.Mayfield has been an underrated piece of New York's defensive structure for several seasons, but he's trapped behind Ryan Pulock and Noah Dobson on the right side of the Islanders' depth chart now and throughout the foreseeable future. It'd have been sensible to let Mayfield walk and find a cheaper replacement for the bottom pairing, but Lamoriello opted to give the stay-at-home rearguard $3.5 million until he's 37 - with trade protection to boot. Mayfield isn't a bad player by any means and is by all accounts a prominent leader. That said, it was a major surprise to see him get the longest deal of any free-agent defenseman this summer.Grade: C-New York Rangers Jonathan Kozub / National Hockey League / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupSalary-cap limitations prevented the Rangers from making any signings of financial significance this summer, but Chris Drury was able to pull off a slew of cheap additions to fill out the fringes of the lineup. The most intriguing signing was Wheeler, who should slot into the top six and earn power-play minutes. The 37-year-old has long been one of the game's top playmakers, but after the failed Patrick Kane experiment, it feels a bit odd for the Rangers to target another pass-first veteran without speed. The Blueshirts' lack of pace was a significant problem in the first round against the Devils, and the addition of Wheeler won't fix that.Beyond transactions, the big story out of Broadway this summer was the firing of head coach Gerard Gallant, who reportedly clashed with Drury after the club let a 2-0 series lead slip away to its archrivals. Gallant led New York to the playoffs in each of his two seasons behind the bench, but the Rangers have turned to Peter Laviolette, who's led three different franchises to the Stanley Cup Final through a 21-year career. He didn't find much success during his stint with the Washington Capitals and will face immense pressure off the bat to keep the Rangers in the Metropolitan mix.The Rangers can't receive a completely fair grade until we see how Laviolette's influence impacts the team over the course of a full season, but their collection of low-level signings is enough to earn a middling result.Grade: CPhiladelphia Flyers Christian Petersen / Getty Images Sport / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedUnsignedRookies who could crack the lineupDaniel Briere began what projects to be a long-term rebuild for the Flyers this summer, offloading an array of veterans while staying away from potentially burdensome contracts in free agency. Many felt a fire sale was imminent in the City of Brotherly Love, but the rookie general manager kept things pretty tame in his first offseason in charge.Briere's most significant piece of business was the three-team deal that sent Provorov to the Blue Jackets. The Flyers made out pretty well in the end, recouping two high draft picks and a reliable big-league defenseman in Walker. The deal allowed Philadelphia to add promising blue-liner prospect Oliver Bonk to a development pool that desperately needs an infusion of top-end talent.Speaking of, drafting Matvei Michkov with the seventh overall pick is a resounding win for the Flyers. It signified a much-needed leap of faith for the disgruntled fanbase and was the pick with the most upside. It's up to Briere to keep laying the foundation as Michkov plays out his KHL contract, but the dynamic Russian forward is an outstanding building block and single-handedly raises Philly's grade.Grade: B-Pittsburgh Penguins Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupWelcome to Pittsburgh, Kyle Dubas. The Penguins president and general manager showed no fear or hesitation in his first few months in his shiny new role, renewing optimism for a fanbase and organization that was in the doldrums after missing the playoffs for the first time since Sidney Crosby's rookie season.Dubas managed to swing the biggest trade of the summer by adding Karlsson and shed a series of problematic contracts authorized by his predecessors along the way. Bringing in the reigning Norris Trophy winner isn't without risk, but a puck-mover of Karlsson's caliber should go a long way toward revitalizing a Pittsburgh offense that almost inexplicably ranked 16th league-wide in goals per game and 14th in power-play proficiency last season.Even before the Karlsson blockbuster, Dubas was one of the league's busiest executives. He went to work July 1, dishing out a bevy of contracts to bolster Pittsburgh's depth, which was arguably the club's most prominent flaw a season ago. Eller and Acciari are dependable bottom-six options, and Smith, acquired via trade at the draft, has 25-goal upside. If there's one move that gives us pause, it's the Jarry contract. Five years might as well be a lifetime for a goalie in today's NHL, and the 28-year-old has been unable to find consistency to this point in his career. It's easy to understand why Dubas didn't go elsewhere given the weak market and years of trouble between the pipes in Toronto, but Jarry will need to prove he's worth such a lucrative contract - and fast.Grade: A-Washington Captials Scott Taetsch / Getty Images Sport / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupThe Capitals were tabbed as strong candidates for major changes this summer after missing the playoffs, but they laid low despite reportedly placing a pair of notable forwards - Evgeny Kuznetsov and Anthony Mantha - on the trade block. Nothing materialized on either front, and the Capitals will head into 2023-24 with largely the same lineup that struggled a season ago. General manager Brian MacLellan may be hopeful that health will be the biggest difference, as his club was ravaged by injuries to key players for the majority of 2022-23.Washington's most significant addition was Pacioretty, who was a cheap bet to help provide some offense. He has six 30-goal seasons to his credit, but consecutive Achilles tendon tears could seriously jeopardize what he has left to contribute as a 34-year-old. Acquiring Edmundson at a retained cost was a shrewd move, too, but like Pacioretty, his addition probably isn't enough to move the needle in a highly competitive Metropolitan Division.Despite bringing in some new blood, the Capitals' headliner from the summer was Wilson's mammoth extension. The veteran enforcer is a key piece of Washington's core, but paying him $6.5 million from until age 37 is a dicey decision, especially considering he's fresh off a major knee injury. The Capitals' nucleus is already on the back nine of their respective careers, and it's difficult to imagine where a player like Wilson fits into a potential rebuild.As mentioned in the Rangers section, we can't accurately assess a coaching hire until we see the on-ice product. Spencer Carbery is said to be capable of reviving Washington's offense, which is imperative for the club to get back on track. We commend the Capitals for making a change behind the bench, but their overall lack of action this summer outweighs the swap in our assessment.Grade: CCopyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Divisions: Central | Metropolitan | AtlanticWith the NHL offseason all but wrapped up, we're handing out comprehensive grades for all 32 teams. The four-part series marches on with an in-depth look at each Pacific Division club.Some contract figures are reported. Most players on two-way deals have been omitted.Anaheim Ducks Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedUnsignedRookies who could crack the lineupThe Ducks' offseason isn't done until they give Zegras and Drysdale new deals, but Anaheim got one part of its long-term future locked in by signing Terry to a seven-year, $49-million extension. The 25-year-old is one year removed from a 37-goal season and, while didn't reach those same heights in 2022-23, he did post his second-straight 60-point campaign. Couple his offensive potential with the rising cap, and Terry's pact can look like a steal in the coming years. The immediate question is how his deal will impact Zegras'. The latter is three years younger, led the Ducks in points last season, and can play center - not to mention the fact that he's the current face of the franchise.But enough about the youth movement. GM Pat Verbeek lured in a couple of established players in Killorn and Gudas, who, in all likelihood, will be more useful to the Ducks than veterans they've brought in in the past. Gudas adds a bone-crushing physicality to Anaheim's blue line, while Killorn injects some Stanley Cup pedigree. Sure, four years for an almost 34-year-old Killorn isn't ideal, but his leadership and experience can prove invaluable to a young squad, and he led this crop of UFAs with 64 points.There's also the question of whether the Ducks will part ways with goalie John Gibson. As of now, Anaheim is rolling with Gibson, Stalock, and Dostal in the crease. Dostal, the promising 23-year-old, seems ready to make the leap to full-time NHL action, but picking up Stalock - who was respectable on the struggling Chicago Blackhawks in 2022-23 - gives the team a little insurance.Trying to put it all together is new head coach Greg Cronin, who is a first-time NHL bench boss at age 60. Anaheim will likely make improvements this season, but the playoffs are still a long way out.Grade: BCalgary Flames Derek Leung / Getty Images Sport / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRookies who could crack the lineupThe Flames' offseason strategy probably features GM Craig Conroy repeating this phrase into the mirror daily: "Please, please, please let Jonathan Huberdeau and Jacob Markstrom be better next season."It isn't like Calgary has the cap space to add too much of consequence, anyway, at least not without moving money out - like the Toffoli trade that brought Sharangovich into the mix. Many thought that swap would be the first domino to fall for the Flames, but Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm, and Mikael Backlund - who all have one year remaining on their current pacts and don't appear to be keen on signing extensions - have yet to be moved.For that reason, Calgary's offseason doesn't feel complete, but we can only grade what's happened so far. The Flames' biggest move might have been firing hard-nosed head coach Darryl Sutter, who didn't appear to be vibing with the players - Huberdeau chief among them - after winning the Pacific Division in 2021-22. Taking over is newbie Ryan Huska, who spent the previous five seasons as an assistant with the club.The Flames didn't have a single player averaging over one point per game last season and just dealt their leading scorer in Toffoli. Barring any additional moves, Calgary has to hope that a coaching change will provide enough of a shock to the system to get things back on track.Grade: D+Edmonton Oilers Chris Tanouye / Getty Images Sport / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupThe 2023-24 Oilers won't look much different from last season, and that's OK: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are firmly in their primes, while the club can only benefit from Mattias Ekholm's first full season on the back end.Edmonton's biggest addition was Brown, McDavid's teammate for two seasons in the OHL. Their connection worked out well for the Erie Otters, with the pair combining for 227 points as linemates in 2013-14. With those numbers, it's no wonder McDavid lauded Brown as the "perfect addition" to the Oilers. If Edmonton opts to reunite the duo on the top line, Brown has an excellent chance to rebound from the 2022-23 campaign, when he was limited to just four games due to an ACL injury. GM Ken Holland also pulled off some cap manoeuvres with the signing: Brown carries a cap hit of $775,000, but he can make an additional $3.225 million in performance bonuses. If Edmonton exceeds the ceiling due to those bonuses, the overage won't count against the cap until 2024-25. Just kick that can down the road.Speaking of the cap, the Oilers sacrificed Kostin and Yamamoto for a little wiggle room. Some of that went to retaining rising star defenseman Bouchard on a bridge deal. Getting him to put pen to paper was a must: Bouchard flourished once his role increased down the stretch last year and he proved vital to the power play after joining the top unit in February.Edmonton's biggest question is its goaltending, with Holland running back the tandem of Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner. The former improved as the 2022-23 season progressed, while the latter impressed as a rookie. If they implode, though, the Oilers do have a knack for outscoring their problems.Grade: BLos Angeles Kings Darcy Finley / National Hockey League / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupJust like in 2021-22, the Kings finished in third place in the Pacific Division before getting taken down by the Oilers in the first round of the playoffs. Acquiring Dubois from the Winnipeg Jets in a sign-and-trade helps Los Angeles' chances of avoiding that fate for a third consecutive campaign.The Kings have to hope that the third team is the charm for Dubois, but injecting the seemingly reenergized and motivated 6-foot-4 pivot into a center group that already includes Kopitar and Phillip Danault gives them a deadly one-two-three punch on paper. If this exercise only graded a team's look down the middle, the Kings would get an A+.As much as Dubois' presence can aid L.A.'s dream of seeing the second round, its situation in the crease arguably hinders it. Sure, Talbot and Rittich came to the West Coast on a pair of cheap deals, but they're joining a platoon that features ... Pheonix Copley. Are you filled with confidence? Probably not.On the back end, the Kings will look a little different after shipping out Walker and Durzi, but those moves only open the door for the promising Clarke to step in. Finally, Los Angeles handed Kopitar a two-year, $14-million extension beginning in 2024-25. That's a hefty chunk of change for a player who will be 38 once it expires (it certainly isn't as team-friendly as the one-year, $2.5-million pact Patrice Bergeron signed last summer) but it's well-deserved for the responsible two-way forward just the same.Grade: B-San Jose Sharks Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupLike a particularly daunting final exam, the Karlsson trade is going to make up the bulk of San Jose's offseason grade - and the Sharks didn't ace it.We would've liked to see GM Mike Grier get ... more for the reigning Norris Trophy winner beyond a pair of aging forwards who are declining in efficacy in Granlund and Hoffman (at full price), defenseman Rutta, and Pittsburgh's 2024 first-rounder (top-10 protected). Understandably, Grier didn't want to retain an ample portion of Karlsson's $11.5-million cap hit for the next four seasons, and he accomplished that goal by only taking on 13%. But the return package likely would have improved if he was willing to take on a little more. At the end of the day, losing Karlsson makes the team far, far worse, which is good news for the Sharks' tanking mission, but bad news for people who want watchable hockey in San Jose.Elsewhere in the lineup, we have to applaud the Zadina and Duclair additions. Zadina couldn't put the pieces together in Detroit, and taking a flyer on the 2018 sixth overall pick to the tune of $1.1 million is a savvy, low-risk, high-reward signing for the Sharks. Duclair is one year removed from a 30-goal season and can make the most of an increased role in San Jose, thus making him an attractive trade chip in a few months' time.In the crease, Blackwood's cap hit might seem a bit steep given his struggles and recent run of injuries, but the Sharks only needed to give up a sixth-round pick to acquire his rights.Grade: C-Seattle Kraken Kavin Mistry / National Hockey League / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupThe Kraken are the Western Conference's most-improved club after rebounding from an abysmal inaugural season. Consider us not shocked that Seattle opted to stay the course (including new deals for GM Ron Francis and head coach Dave Hakstol), enjoying a quiet summer that kept the team's chemistry largely intact.The crown jewel of the Kraken's offseason was signing the 26-year-old Dunn to a four-year, $29.4-million extension, rewarding the cornerstone of their blue line after a breakout season that saw him post a career-high 64 points in 81 games while leading the team in average ice time (23:40). Borgen and Fleury join Dunn as rearguard returnees while Dumoulin replaces Soucy. Francis revealed that he only wanted to sign Soucy or his replacement to a two-year deal so they wouldn't block top prospect Evans' progress. Mission accomplished.The larger changes in Seattle came in goal and up front. The Kraken lost Jones, who started the lion's share of the games last season, so the pressure is on Philipp Grubauer to stay healthy. Free agency took a bite out of the Seattle's fourth line, with Donato, Geekie, and Sprong all signing elsewhere on $2-million cap hits. The Kraken brought in Yamamoto and Bellemare to offset the loss while saving some cash.All eyes will be on 2022 fourth-overall pick Wright to see if he can convincingly claim one of those bottom-six forward spots after struggling in 2022-23. Also vying for a spot is Kartye, who impressed in the playoffs.Grade: BVancouver Canucks Derek Cain / Getty Images Sport / GettyKey arrivals Key departures Re-signedRookies who could crack the lineupThese moves certainly don't have us penciling Vancouver into the playoff picture, but the Canucks were smart and responsible with their signings this summer and they've earned some props.The Canucks cleaned up their blue line, and buying out the final four years of Ekman-Larsson's contract was just the cost of doing so. He'll be on their books until 2031, but Vancouver will save a combined $12 million over the next two years. Entering the mix in his stead is veteran Cole and stay-at-home rearguard Soucy, who join Filip Hronek (acquired in March) as the newest members of the Canucks' defense. At 34 years old, Vancouver was wise to sign Cole to a one-year pact. Soucy, 29, inked a three-year, $9.75-million deal, which shouldn't raise too many eyebrows: Justin Holl (three years, $10.2 million), Gudas (three years, $12 million), and Connor Clifton (three years, $10 million) all signed for more on July 1.In addition to Soucy and Cole, Blueger's acquisition will also do well to fix the Canucks' penalty kill, which can use all the help it can get after finishing dead last in the league in 2022-23. Suter caps off the new notable additions and could slide in as the Canucks' third-line center on a tight $1.6-million cap hit for the next two seasons. Vancouver was hurting for forward depth, so that was an astute addition in our books.To truly make Vancouver's offseason a home run, we would have liked to see an extension for Elias Pettersson, who can become a restricted free agent next summer, but it appears those talks have been tabled.Grade: B+Vegas Golden Knights Ethan Miller / Getty Images Sport / GettyKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupAfter winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history, Vegas' summer motto came through loud and incredibly clear: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Keeping the band together is a tonal shift from an organization that's more known for its aggressive roster-building than its loyalty, but the strategy makes sense.Instead of injecting any new, substantial talent into their roster, the Golden Knights re-signed Hill and Barbashev - their biggest free agents - rewarding them for their integral roles in Sin City's championship run. Original Golden Knight Reilly Smith was a victim of those signings, though, as he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a third-rounder to clear cap space.Barbashev's pact may raise some eyebrows seeing as he's only hit the 60-point mark once in his career, but he built up incredible chemistry with Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault and was a beast in the playoffs, amassing 18 points while ranking second on the team with 64 hits in 22 games.Hill's deal may be a bit of an overpay for a goalie who has never started more than 25 games in a single regular season, but he was downright heroic in the playoffs. Even if Hill can't replicate that performance, Vegas only signed him for two years, so they aren't locked into long-term trouble. Waiting in the wings if Hill can't hack it is Logan Thompson, who was outstanding in his rookie season when he was healthy. Unlike last summer, Vegas enters the new season with a clear-cut tandem. Score one for consistency.Grade: A-Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Divisions: Central | Metropolitan | PacificWith the NHL offseason all but wrapped up, we're handing out comprehensive grades for all 32 teams. The four-part series concludes with an in-depth look at each Atlantic Division club.Some contract figures are reported. Most players on two-way deals have been omitted.Boston Bruins Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupIt was a tough offseason in Boston watching two franchise icons retire and several key players depart with very little coming back in return. Regression was always expected after a 65-win campaign, but the Bruins undoubtedly got significantly worse this offseason.General manager Don Sweeney did make some nice bargain signings. Geekie, a 25-year-old 6-foot-3 center, in particular, has some untapped potential. JVR still has a nose for the net, too.The Bruins could've benefitted by shedding the final season of Derek Forbort's $3-million cap hit and using that money to help bolster a forward group that's sorely lacking right now - especially at center.Grade: DBuffalo Sabres Bill Wippert / National Hockey League / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupConsidering the financial resources available, it's been an extremely disappointing offseason in Western New York. Even after spending $6.58 million on the blue line and $7 million to retain a trio of forwards, the Sabres have $8.7 million in cap space.Wanting to avoid sizable long-term commitments was understandable given that Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and others are set for big raises next year (side note: the Sabres lose marks for failing to get extensions done with their two star defensemen). But they should've capitalized on a glut of one-year deals several of the top free agents took this offseason. If you're going to overpay on a one-year deal in free agency, do it for a high-end player, not Johnson, who's on the last legs of his career.Perhaps the Sabres are playing the long game for some of the UFAs still out there, such as Patrick Kane. Regardless, GM Kevyn Adams failed to use the abundance of cap space and trade bait at his disposal to make significant improvements to the roster for a 2023-24 campaign in which anything other than a playoff berth will be viewed as a failure.Grade: D-Detroit Red Wings Chris Tanouye/Freestyle Photo / Getty Images Sport / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupThe Red Wings were among the busiest teams in the NHL this offseason, and we love Steve Yzerman's pursuit to help his squad take the next step. The Compher and Holl contracts could wind up being regrettable one day, but they're not egregiously bad.The DeBrincat addition is an obvious home run. This team needed more star power up front, and locking up the two-time 40-goal scorer at a fair cap hit through his prime years without sacrificing the future was some tidy business. The 25-year-old hailing from Michigan is a plus, too.Adding Petry, another Michigan native, at a reduced cap hit was another savvy move. He's 35 now, but he's still a capable top-four defenseman. We also like the high-upside bargain signings of Kostin and Sprong - both of whom flashed potential in depth roles last season.It remains to be seen if this'll be enough to propel the Red Wings to the postseason, but they're headed in the right direction.Grade: A-Florida Panthers Michael Martin / National Hockey League / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupFollowing a miracle run to the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers are intent on getting back. It won't be easy with their top two defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour likely out to start the year, so there was clearly a focus on improving the blue-line depth to help in the early going.None of the defensemen acquired provide much reason for optimism, though. Mikkola brings size but not much else, Kulikov is near the end of his career, and OEL and Reilly are both reclamation projects. Of the four, Reilly might have the best chance of flourishing in Florida's system thanks to his strong puck-moving skills. They're all upgrades over Staal, though, so that's a win, at least.Up front, we love the addition of Rodrigues, a perennially underrated player who's a bargain at $3 million per year. Lorentz and Stenlund will bring size and defensive acumen to the bottom six on the cheap.Overall, Florida improved its roster, but the blue line is still concerning.Grade: CMontreal Canadiens Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupThe Canadiens' front office appears to have a good gauge of where the team stands: Montreal is probably the worst team in the division. But that's OK - the Habs are better off continuing the rebuild and collecting another high draft pick in 2024 than trying to compete this year.While the front office waits for the poor contracts for aging veterans signed by the previous regime to expire, it's continued to collect young talent on cost-friendly deals - as it did with Newhook this offseason.But Montreal's best move of the summer was undoubtedly locking up Caufield. He's scored 48 goals in 83 games since Martin St. Louis took over as head coach. If he scores anywhere near that clip in 2023-24, his contract will immediately be a steal. As the cap rises and Caufield, 22, rounds out his game, it could become one of the most team-friendly contracts in the league.Grade: B-Ottawa Senators Josh Lavallee / National Hockey League / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedUnsignedRookies who could crack the lineupHaving to part with DeBrincat just a year after acquiring him was a tough blow. The Sens weren't able to fully recoup the quality of package they surrendered to get him, but GM Pierre Dorion did pretty well considering the circumstances, netting a first-rounder, a fourth-rounder, prospect Donovan Sebrango, and Kubalik.While keeping DeBrincat would've been ideal considering his upside, Tarasenko alone may be able to replicate DeBrincat's production from last season considering the down year. Kubalik is a solid middle-six winger, giving the Sens the option to roll out three stellar lines.But as with many teams, the Senators' success will determined by what kind of goaltending they get from Korpisalo. A five-year deal is risky considering he's looked like one of the league's worst goalies in a few seasons. But Ottawa is banking on the 2022-23 version of the Finnish netminder, which was one of the game's best.With a stellar blue line in front of him (remember the Jakob Chychrun addition last season?), Korpisalo is set up for success. His play will be the difference between playoffs and disappointment.Grade: B-Tampa Bay Lightning Mark LoMoglio / National Hockey League / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupThe Lightning once again had very little to spend this offseason. They had to let a core piece in Killorn walk as an unrestricted free agent, although given the four-year, $25-million deal the 33-year-old got from the Ducks, parting ways was the right move. Having to deal Colton was unfortunate, but getting an early second-round pick to draft Ethan Gauthier was a solid return.The versatile Sheary and the mysteriously overlooked De Haan are the best of the bargain offseason additions. Re-signing Eyssimont could prove to be fruitful, and Hagel's extension should age quite well over time.The Lightning didn't make any poor decisions this offseason, but they also didn't do anything great enough to warrant a higher grade.Grade: CToronto Maple Leafs Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyKey arrivalsKey departuresRe-signedRookies who could crack the lineupThe Maple Leafs' offseason is a bit of a mixed bag so far. A lot of talent walked out the door, and while it would've been nice to re-sign O'Reilly and Schenn, in particular, they both received fairly rich contracts from Nashville, which justified letting them walk.The Bertuzzi signing should be a home run - for both the player and team. Look for him to have a career year if he can stick on the top line then cash in next summer. Domi should also bring a nice mix of offensive upside, positional versatility, and toughness that the Leafs have lacked over the years.While toughness was needed, it wasn't needed in the form of Reaves, who will make the team's fourth line dysfunctional. Even though the contract could easily be buried, the cap hit and term were too rich for the 36-year-old enforcer. The Klingberg signing is curious as well. As arguably the worst defensive defensemen in the NHL the last couple of seasons, he's not the style of blue-liner Toronto needed.It was great to get an extension done for Matthews (even though four years is less than ideal for the team), and finalizing it before training camp helps raise this grade significantly. However, William Nylander still remains without an extension, and that'll undoubtedly be a distraction in hockey's biggest market if it lingers into the season.Grade: C+Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Matthew Knies may be biased, but he believes his Toronto Maple Leafs teammate Auston Matthews is the top player in the game."He's not just the best goal-scorer in the NHL, but he plays defense, too," Knies said Tuesday at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "He's kind of the best overall player (in the NHL) in my eyes."The two teammates go way back: Both natives of Arizona, Knies' older brother, Phil, grew up playing with Matthews.Matthews is coming off a down year with 40 goals and 45 assists in 74 contests. But he led the league in goals in each of the prior two campaigns and won the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award in 2021-22 when he potted 60 goals and added 46 helpers in 73 contests. He also received downballot Selke Trophy votes in each of the last four years.Knies' opinion runs contrary to the general consensus that Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid is the best player in the game. McDavid has won three straight Art Ross Trophies and captured the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award this past season after recording 64 goals and 153 points.Knies, who's only skated in three NHL regular-season games and seven playoff contests, will get his first taste of McDavid when the Leafs visit the Oilers on Jan. 16.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Arizona Coyotes signed general manager Bill Armstrong to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Wednesday."For the past three years, Bill has done an excellent job restructuring our hockey operations department and rebuilding our hockey team," Coyotes owner, chairman, and governor Alex Meruelo said in a statement. "He has acquired elite talent through the draft, trades, and free agency and has established a winning culture by adding a great coaching staff and other key hockey operations personnel.""I am confident that under his leadership, the Coyotes will soon become a perennial playoff team, and we will continue to work towards our goal of bringing a Stanley Cup to the Valley," Meruelo continued.Armstrong was hired as the Coyotes' GM in September 2020. Arizona's 77-116-27 record is the second-worst in the NHL since Armstrong took over.The 53-year-old had one year and an option left on his original contract, according to PHNX Sports' Craig Morgan. The Coyotes picked up his option and subsequently signed him to a new deal that runs through the 2028-29 campaign, Morgan reports."Being the general manager of the Arizona Coyotes is an honor and a privilege and I am very proud of all the hard work that our hockey operations staff, coaching staff, and players have done to improve our organization," Armstrong said in a statement. "We still have a lot of work to do but I firmly believe that we are on the right track to becoming a playoff-caliber team for years to come. We have a very bright future here in Arizona."Prior to joining the Coyotes, Armstrong was a member of the St. Louis Blues organization for 16 seasons. The Richmond Hill, Ontario native worked his way from an amateur scout to assistant GM by the end of his tenure with the Blues. He won a Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2019.Arizona signed head coach Andre Tourigny to a three-year contract extension in August.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed forward Noah Gregor to a professional tryout, the team announced Wednesday.Gregor, 25, tallied 10 goals and 17 points in 57 games last season with the San Jose Sharks. He became an unrestricted free agent when the Sharks didn't tender him a qualifying offer in June.The Edmonton, Alberta native was drafted by San Jose in the 2016 fourth round. In 178 games over parts of four seasons with the Sharks, Gregor collected 26 goals and 51 points.Gregor played for Canada at the 2022 World Championships, where he scored two goals and three points. Shane Doan - who's now a special advisor with the Maple Leafs - was Canada's general manager for the tournament.Zach Aston-Reese participated in Toronto's training camp and preseason in 2022-23 on a professional tryout before earning a contract. He played 77 games with the Maple Leafs last season.Toronto's over the cap by $2.9 million with a 23-man roster, according to CapFriendly. The Maple Leafs have three contract slots available.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Pittsburgh Penguins hired former San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson as senior advisor of hockey operations, the team announced Wednesday."Doug will serve as a source of both experience and wisdom to our entire hockey operations department," president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas said in a statement. "His ability to maintain high standards of performance and professionalism over two decades with the Sharks is the type of consistency we all aspire to in these positions."Doug will provide me and our entire program with a great resource and tremendous benefit as we get rolling."In his new position, Wilson will provide counsel to all levels of the Penguins' hockey operations branch and will join the team at various points during the season.Wilson served as the Sharks' general manager for 19 seasons dating back to 2003, but he stepped down in April 2022 to focus on his health after spending the bulk of the 2021-22 season on medical leave.Under his direction, the Sharks earned 14 playoff berths, five division titles, and one Stanley Cup Final appearance. Only Boston and Pittsburgh won more regular-season games than the Sharks during Wilson's time at the helm, and only the Bruins, Penguins, and Tampa Bay Lightning won more postseason contests.Wilson, 66, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame for his 16-year playing career in 2020.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Danton Heinen is looking to take a second tour of duty with the Boston Bruins. The club announced they signed the veteran forward to a professional tryout on Tuesday.The Bruins drafted Heinen in the fourth round in 2014 and he spent the first four years of his career in Boston. His most productive season came with the Bruins in 2017-18 when he tallied 47 points in 77 games.Heinen recorded eight goals and 14 assists while averaging 10:45 per game in 65 contests with the Pittsburgh Penguins this past season. He posted decent defensive underlying numbers, though: Evolving-HockeyThe Bruins are thin up front after losing several key forwards in the offseason, so Heinen, 28, will compete for a bottom-six role.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Becoming captain of the Boston Bruins isn't on Brad Marchand's radar as he gears up for the 2023-24 campaign."It's not something that I really think about too much," he told reporters Tuesday. "Obviously, it's a big honor to be in the leadership group in this organization when you look at the guys that have been there before."We've always done it collectively as a group so regardless of who wears it, it's a collective thing. Even guys without letters step up a lot of times throughout the year."Patrice Bergeron's retirement this offseason created Boston's vacancy. The six-time Selke Trophy winner took the "C" over from Zdeno Chara for the 2020-21 campaign.Marchand, an unrestricted free agent in 2025, is seen as a logical candidate to succeed Bergeron as the Bruins' longest-tenured player. The 35-year-old is about to begin his 15th season with Boston and has been an alternate captain each of the past five campaigns.David Pastrnak, Brandon Carlo, and David Krejci - who retired this summer as well - also wore an "A" for the Bruins last season. Boston hasn't played without a captain since the 2001-02 campaign, the year before Joe Thornton was named the club's leader.Former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy gave Marchand a vote of confidence in August after Bergeron retired, saying the winger has the qualities to be Boston's next captain.Marchand was drafted 71st overall in 2006 and has suited up in 947 regular-season games with the club to go with 146 playoff appearances. He's amassed 862 career points and helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2011.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After a notable jump in the standings last season, superstar Tim Stutzle believes the playoffs are on the horizon for the Ottawa Senators."At first, when I came to Ottawa, the playoffs were so far away," Stutzle told NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "Now, I think we're making a lot of steps in the right direction, and you can just tell the playoffs are coming closer and closer every year."He added: "We are in a really good age group right now that we have a chance to be good, and now is the time to show our fans and give the fans something back. They have been waiting for a long time."The Senators haven't qualified for the postseason since they lost in Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Final. However, Ottawa has undergone a recent resurgence that's largely been accelerated by the arrival of Stutzle, who was drafted third overall in 2020.The German-born winger broke out in a big way in 2022-23, leading the Senators with 39 goals and 90 points at 21 years old. Although Stutzle's established his reputation as a young star, his focus heading into the upcoming campaign is helping Ottawa build a sustainable team culture rather than individual accolades."It's just more about winning games, playing winning hockey," he said. "The tradition we're building in Ottawa is playing winning hockey. Even if you're a skilled guy, you've got to be able to close out games and make the right play in the right situation."The Senators racked up 86 points last season, the highest total of their playoff drought. Still, they finished six points back of the second wild-card spot.Ottawa's 2023-24 campaign begins Oct. 11 against the Carolina Hurricanes.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk is firmly in support of NHLers returning to the international stage at the Olympics."There's so many great Americans in the league now, it's a shame that we haven't had a chance to show off," Tkachuk said on the "Cam and Strick Podcast." "It's crazy that, you know, Auston (Matthews) and (Nathan) MacKinnon and (Connor) McDavid, these guys haven't played in one (Olympics). It's sad.""I think that every single player that could be in a position to play is beside themselves that there hasn't been one," he added.NHL players haven't appeared at the Olympics since 2014. It was anticipated that NHLers would return at the 2022 Games in Beijing before plans were canceled in December 2021 due to a rise in COVID cases.The league plans to send its players to the 2026 Games in Italy. The NHL and NHLPA agreed on Olympic participation at the 2022 and 2026 Games in July 2020.Tkachuk's yet to make his senior debut with the United States. Representing his country alongside younger brother Brady is high on his hockey bucket list."My No. 1 dream is to win a Stanley Cup. My No. 2 dream is to win a gold medal with my brother for Team USA," Tkachuk said.Tkachuk donned the red, white, and blue at the U17 and U18 levels, as well as at the 2016 world juniors. He also played two seasons with the U.S. NTDP before moving to the OHL's London Knights."Even playing in the U.S. national team when I was 15 or 16, however old I was, wearing that jersey, there's something about it that you just can't replicate," he said.Olympic participation runs in the Tkachuk family. Matthew's father, Keith, played at four Games and holds the American record for Olympic games played with 23."He said there's nothing like it," Tkachuk said.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dallas Stars workhorse Miro Heiskanen is gunning to be the top defenseman in the NHL - and he wants the hardware to back it up."That's one thing I really want to win," he told NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "I want to be the best defenseman in the NHL."Heiskanen finished seventh in Norris Trophy voting in 2022-23, a personal best. He broke out offensively with a career-high 73 points in 79 games while averaging a whopping 25:29 per contest - the sixth-highest total of all rearguards league-wide."I kind of knew that it is there, that I can score more points and be more involved offensively," he said. "I think I was able to put it all together. It didn't take away the defense by playing more offense."Prior to this past season, Heiskanen's career high in points was 36. Despite the offensive surge, he finished behind Erik Karlsson, Cale Makar, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Morrissey, and Dougie Hamilton on the final Norris ballot.Heiskanen has been tabbed as a franchise defenseman since being drafted third overall in 2017. He broke into the NHL at 19 and has registered 204 points in 354 career games while never averaging fewer than 23 minutes per game over an entire season.Although he's motivated to be recognized as the NHL's top blue-liner, he won't let his individual goals overshadow the Stars' championship aspirations."It's the thing I want to win, but I don't think about it too much during the season," he said. "It's like I always say, I try to help my team win the Stanley Cup, but if there is a chance to win the Norris Trophy as well that would be great. Hopefully next year."The Stars reached the Western Conference Final this past spring and are expected to be in the mix again with a deep roster that added Matt Duchene in free agency.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves is giddy about the opportunity to suit up with two of this generation's greatest players come October.Graves, who joined the Penguins in free agency this summer on a six-year, $27-million contract, praised Pittsburgh's acquisition of superstar blue-liner Erik Karlsson."It's exciting," Graves told NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "You're adding the reigning Norris Trophy champion. He had an historic season last year, and he was unbelievable on a San Jose team that struggled. He was virtually like all of their offense. So, adding a piece like that is super exciting."Pittsburgh's defensive pairings are far from set in stone, but Graves could be a logical fit in the top four alongside the right-handed Karlsson."Especially for a guy like me that's a left-handed shot and a defense-first kind of D-man, you never know who you're going to play with. But even if it's not your partner, things get shuffled, and you get shifts with guys," Graves said. "I think it's cool to have a guy like that around, and he's going to make our team much better."The other player Graves is eager to team up with, predictably, is captain Sidney Crosby. Graves said he's already felt the influence of Crosby's leadership before even playing a game together."I'm only imagining just the way he runs a team just from seeing how dialed in he is off the ice and how he takes care of his body, and how seriously he takes his craft," Graves said."What is he, 36 now? And he looks like he's 30 years old. He still moves well. He's still putting up crazy numbers and he's still an elite forward in the League, so just learning from the way he takes care of his body, he's so serious about it, and the way he leads by example."Pittsburgh missed the playoffs for the first time since Crosby's rookie season - 2005-06 - this past spring. The club then brought in Kyle Dubas as general manager and president of hockey operations and made plenty of roster changes in hopes of returning to contention.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Forward Filip Zadina is excited to begin anew with the San Jose Sharks after a disappointing five-season tenure as a member of the Detroit Red Wings."Right now, I just feel differently, and I'm not even there yet," Zadina said at the NHL European Player Media Tour, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "So, we'll see. I just feel excited about that season coming up and the competition battling for a spot and stuff like that."Zadina signed a one-year contract worth $1.1 million with the Sharks on July 10 after he and the Red Wings mutually terminated the remaining two seasons of his contract.The 2018 sixth overall pick requested a trade from Detroit and was subsequently placed on waivers when the team couldn't find a deal. He forfeited $4.56 million in salary upon his contract's termination."It just didn't go the way that I guess we both wanted," Zadina said of his time in Detroit. "Going as a kid into that rebuild situation didn't help much as well. It just didn't work out."I got hurt almost every single season. ... It kept adding up each season, and last season was the worst one. I just said that I didn't know what's going to be the next season if I stay."Zadina played just 30 games last campaign due to a fractured fibula, recording seven points. The 23-year-old reached career-high totals in 2021-22 when he tallied 10 goals and 24 points.Highly touted for his immense offensive skill set coming out of the QMJHL, Zadina's looking forward to battling for minutes in San Jose to prove he can be a contributing presence in an NHL lineup."I said, 'I would do anything for a chance,' and (Sharks head coach David Quinn) said if I work hard and deserve that spot, I will get the chance I never got. So, I'm really excited about that.""I've just got to stay healthy," Zadina added. "Once I stay healthy the whole season, for the future, it will come. I believe I'm a good player. I'm strong and fast. I can shoot the puck. I can pass the puck. I have the tools that I needed to have, and it's just about staying healthy and play hockey and have fun."Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm doesn't seem to be turning his back on Stampede City entirely as he enters the final year of his contract."I am willing to stay," he told Swedish outlet Hockeysverige, as translated by Uffe Bodin. "My agent and Calgary will handle most of it. There's a lot we have to agree on, but I've said that I can consider staying."He added: "I have one year left, but if things don't go as I've planned, then I'll become a free agent. Nothing strange about that. We'll see what happens."Lindholm was initially more non-committal about staying in Calgary after a disappointing 2022-23 campaign that saw the team miss the playoffs by two points. When asked in April if he'd be open to discussing an extension, he said, "We'll see what happens."Lindholm will likely be due a substantial raise from his current $4.85-million cap hit. He posted 22 goals and ranked second on the team with 64 points in 80 outings last campaign.The 28-year-old Swede is one season removed from a stellar 2021-22 campaign that saw him chip in 42 goals while being named a Selke Trophy finalist for the first time in his career.Lindholm is far from the only Flame to have a cloudy future ahead of the 2023-24 season. Mikael Backlund, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov are all entering the final seasons of their deals as well.The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported in June that Hanifin isn't keen on signing an extension with Calgary, making a trade likely. The Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, and Pittsburgh Penguins were apparently among the interested parties earlier this summer, but there's since been no movement on that front.Backlund, meanwhile, expressed his desire to win a Stanley Cup once the Flames' 2022-23 season ended, adding that he "might want to see what this group can do" before making a decision.Calgary traded Tyler Toffoli - another pending UFA - to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forward Yegor Sharangovich and a 2023 third-rounder back in June.The Flames fired veteran head coach Darryl Sutter in May, replacing him with newbie Ryan Huska. Puck drops on Calgary's 2023-24 season Oct. 11 against the Winnipeg Jets.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Professional Women's Hockey League announced its inaugural general managers Friday.Natalie Darwitz (Minnesota), Pascal Daoust (New York), Gina Kingsbury (Toronto), Michael Hirschfeld (Ottawa), Danielle Marmer (Boston), and Daniele Sauvageau (Montreal) were named the first six GMs in league history.Darwitz, 39, starred at the University of Minnesota from 2002-05. Her 114 points in 2004-05 with the Golden Gophers remain the team's single-season record. The Eagan, Minnesota, native was a member of the U.S. national team from 1998 to 2010 and was the American captain from 2007-10. Darwitz has been an assistant coach with the Golden Gophers' women's team for the past two seasons.Daoust was GM of the QMJHL's Val-d'Or Foreurs from 2016-2023. He was previously an assistant coach with the University of Montreal's women's hockey team, where he helped win two national titles.Kingsbury, 41, played for the Canadian national team from 2000-2010 and appeared in both the CWHL and WWHL. She was an assistant coach with the CWHL's Calgary Inferno for three seasons before joining Hockey Canada's hockey operations department in 2018, where she has managed the women's team. Born in Saskatchewan and raised in Quebec, Kingsbury was promoted to Hockey Canada's vice-president of hockey operations in March. Her stacked resume includes two Olympic gold medals and three World Championship titles as a player. She has an Olympic gold, two Women's World Championships, and a World Championship as an executive.Hirschfeld has been the executive director of the NHL Coaches' Association since 2016. A former Bay Street corporate lawyer, Hirschfeld was in the running for the Philadelphia Flyers' president role that went to Keith Jones, according to reports in May.Marmer was a scouting assistant for the Boston Bruins last season and also worked in the team's player development department. Prior to joining the Bruins, she was the director of hockey operations for Quinnipiac University's women's hockey team.Sauvageau, 61, has been a coach and executive in women's hockey since 1996. After becoming the first female coach in the QMJHL in 1999-2000, Sauvageau led the Canadian national team to gold as a head coach at the 2001 World Championships and 2002 Olympics. The Montreal native was the GM of the University of Montreal's women's hockey team from 2010-18, where she captured national titles in 2013 and 2016. Sauvageau was an associate head coach and GM in the PWHPA last season.The PWHL's 24-game regular season will begin in January.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Buffalo Sabres are exploring ways to give local supporters an advantage when buying tickets for their games.A new experiment by the club will likely give preference to in-market fans based on their ZIP code, according to The Buffalo News' Mike Harrington."Obviously, last year, there were a handful of games where we saw the wrong color blue or the wrong color red coming into the building, depending on the jersey we were wearing," Sabres vice president of sales and service Frank Batres-Landaeta told Harrington. "It's something that we've been talking about and discussing and trying to figure out: How do we get tickets in the hands of Buffalo fans?"The Sabres won't fully restrict people from other areas from purchasing tickets to Buffalo's KeyBank Center, but the team's goal is to put them behind locals in line."There will be a presale for Buffalo-area fans within our database to go in and purchase tickets before any other fans outside of our dedicated marketing area will get access," Batres-Landaeta said. "We're hopeful this experiment will work. It's part of the conversations with (Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams), and making sure we're having that dialogue is important."Fans from cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Pittsburgh frequently flock to Buffalo because - particularly in the first two cases - getting tickets to the opponent's building is easier and cheaper.Whether the Sabres' plan, which isn't official yet, will succeed remains to be seen. But it's often failed in other cities when teams try to keep visiting fans out during the playoffs."It's not going to work," Nick Giammusso, the Buffalo-based owner of ticket reseller VIP Tix, told The Toronto Star's Kevin McGran. "Season-ticket holders are used to selling their tickets to fans from southern Ontario. It's a big payday. It ends up helping them pay their season-ticket bill to the Sabres."The Sabres' home record ranked 27th in the NHL last season at 17-20-4. However, they won 25 of their 41 road games. The home struggles included a 6-3 loss to the Maple Leafs on Feb. 21, in which Toronto fans dominated the crowd and cheered wildly when their team exploded to an early 4-0 lead. Applause also overwhelmed the booing as the teams skated off for the first intermission.Buffalo is expected to compete for a playoff spot this season with an emerging core led by Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Cozens, and Owen Power.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Calgary Flames forward Andrew Mangiapane is expected to be ready for training camp after undergoing shoulder surgery in April."I have to get cleared for kind of the physical contact and doing all that stuff, but as far as on the ice, I'm shooting, passing, practicing like I normally would, and working out like I normally would," Mangiapane said Monday, per NHL.com's Aaron Vickers. "Still have to keep up with the physio and making everything stronger, but it's looking good right now. Everything is going as planned. The medical team and the surgeon is saying it's looking great."I'm excited to go back out and just play, and now I'm 100% fully healthy and everything like that. It's just more exciting to go back and be ready for camp and start the ball rolling for me."Mangiapane said he suffered the ailment in October but gutted it out and still managed to suit up in all 82 games."It was kind of a weird injury," Mangiapane said. "I didn't really think anything was going on that was too serious and all that, but it happened early on, and it just kept bugging me throughout the whole season. Some games were worse than others."The 27-year-old winger's production took a hit as a result. After racking up 35 goals and 20 assists in 2021-22, he managed just 17 goals and 26 helpers this past season.Mangiapane has no doubt he can return to his previous form."I don't see any reason why I can't get back to that or do better," he said. "It's there for me. I've done it in the past. I think for me, I've just got to go out there and play my game, be tenacious and hardworking, and the scoring opportunities and the goals will come for me."The Flames drafted Mangiapane in the sixth round in 2015 and signed him to a three-year contract carrying a $5.8-milion cap hit during the 2022 offseason. In parts of six seasons in Calgary, he's averaged 23 goals and 19 assists per 82 games.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Colton Parayko's name was a regular feature in the rumor mill last season, but the St. Louis Blues defenseman is tuning out the noise."The last few years, I've always been in the (trade talk) mix," he said in a recent interview with The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford. "I personally never heard anything around here, but obviously people are talking. That's part of the gig. It's pro sports and people are traded and obviously where we were last year at the deadline, things are always getting talked about. I don't think much about it. This is where I want to play."Last season, the Blues moved on from several players who helped the franchise win its first Stanley Cup in 2019. St. Louis shipped away Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O'Reilly, and Ivan Barbashev - who were all pending unrestricted free agents - prior to the trade deadline, and Parayko reportedly drew some interest too.The 30-year-old is under contract for seven more seasons and carries a cap hit of $6.5 million, according to CapFriendly. His pact includes a full no-trade clause, however, and he's aware that any potential deal is "always going to run through" him.Parayko chipped in with four goals and 27 points in 79 contests last season for the lowest points-per-game rate of his career (0.34). St. Louis struggled en masse in 2022-23, finishing 14 points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18.After a low-key offseason that saw the team add Kevin Hayes and Oskar Sundqvist, St. Louis may well be on the outside of the postseason picture again in 2023-24.Parayko, however, is focused on improvement. He said he would lie awake after some losses last season in an attempt to figure out why things went wrong, which only made things more "frustrating individually.""I just want to show that I'm going to put in the effort and be the best version of myself and help out as much as possible," he said. "Obviously it's fun to have the fans and the city behind you."They spend a lot of money to come watch us play and win hockey games, so they have the right to say whatever they feel. This is a chance to get people excited, and I guess if we're talking individually, see me play again, and hopefully I can have a good season."The puck drops on the Blues' new season Oct. 12 against the Dallas Stars.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Unrestricted free-agent forward Phil Kessel wants to continue his career in 2023-24 and is willing to sacrifice his ironman streak in order to find a fit, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.Kessel established an NHL record by playing in his 990th consecutive game last October. His run reached 1,064 contests by the end of the regular season, but he only made four playoff appearances for the Vegas Golden Knights as they marched to the Stanley Cup.The soon-to-be 36-year-old winger joined Vegas on a one-year, $1.5-million contract late last summer. Kessel managed 14 goals and 22 assists in Sin City while averaging 12:49 per contest - the lowest total of his 17-year career.A reunion with the Golden Knights doesn't seem likely, as the defending champions only have approximately $850,000 in cap space when factoring in long-term injured reserve designations, according to Cap Friendly.Kessel has also suited up for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Arizona Coyotes since being drafted fifth overall in 2006. He's registered 413 goals and 992 points in 1,286 career games while winning three titles.The Wisconsin native hasn't missed a regular season game since 2009-10.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Any friction between Boston Bruins management and forward Jake DeBrusk appears to be in the past. Entering the final year of his contract before he can become an unrestricted free agent, DeBrusk says he's hoping to sign an extension with the only team he's ever played for."I'm hoping to stay (with the Bruins). It's the only team that I know and the team that I grew up with," DeBrusk said Tuesday, per NHL.com's Derek Van Diest. "Hopefully, it goes in that direction, and we'll see how it goes. That's why I have an agent, and I told him I wanted to stay out of this one, and in time, it'll be nice when it all gets done."DeBrusk requested a trade from the Bruins during the 2021-22 campaign, but he rescinded the request the following offseason after inking a two-year deal."It's not my first time going through this. It's my third time my contract is up with them," DeBrusk said. "I kind of know what to expect, although it's a little bit different with now being a UFA. I'm not too focused on that. I've kind of tested the waters before, and I'm just going to focus on hockey."But DeBrusk is line to receive a sizeable raise from his current $4-million cap hit. Evolving-Hockey projects he'd receive an eight-year deal carrying a $7.05-million cap hit if he signed an extension with the Bruins.The winger, who turns 27 in October, tied his career high with 27 goals last season and posted a new personal best with 50 points in 64 games."If I stay healthy, I think I can score 30 this season," he said. "I've knocked on the door twice with 27, and I have 25 in there as well. I think if I stay healthy, that's obviously the goal, to finally get to that 30 mark."DeBrusk will be counted on even more heavily this coming year after the Bruins lost a glut of forwards this past summer, including Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to retirement, Tyler Bertuzzi to free agency, and Taylor Hall via trade.The Bruins drafted DeBrusk 14th overall in 2015 with one of the club's three consecutive first-round picks.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Charlie Coyle knows the Boston Bruins are going to feel the losses of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci in 2023-24, but the veteran center is raring to step up in the wake of their departures."They're world-class players and we're going to miss them," Coyle said during a recent appearance on WEEI's "The Gresh & Fauria Show." "We all wish they could play. ... But those are job opportunities right now, right? That gets me fired up, it only gets our team fired up."He added, "It's a team effort. I like our team. ... If we need to claw our way a little more this year, so be it. That's going to help us in the long run come playoff time."Bergeron, a six-time Selke Trophy winner as the league's premier defensive forward, retired after 19 NHL seasons in late July. He stepped away with 427 goals and 1,040 points in 1,294 career regular season contests and ranks third in franchise history in both categories. Krejci followed suit in August, capping off a 16-season tenure with his ninth career 50-point campaign.Without them, Boston is down its usual top two centers for 2023-24. The Bruins are tight against the cap with less than $500,000 in space available, making any substantial additions difficult. Coyle is expected to slot in between Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk to start the season, while Pavel Zacha is set to play with David Pastrnak and newcomer James van Riemsdyk to round out the top two lines, head coach Jim Montgomery told the Boston Herald's Steve Conroy.Coyle has spent the past five seasons in Beantown and posted 16 goals and 45 points in 82 games last campaign while averaging almost 17 minutes of ice time per contest, good for his best year as a Bruin.The 31-year-old said the Bruins will notice Bergeron and Krejci's absences off the ice, too."We want to solidify that culture that those guys brought," Coyle said. "That's why our organization - our team - is good, because of that culture. ... So when those guys are gone, how do we emulate that? ... You can't replace those guys individually ... but we can all put our hand in and make sure we pull the rope a little more."The Bruins enjoyed a historic campaign during Bergeron and Krejci's final year in the NHL, setting new records for wins (65) and points (135) in a single season. But that success didn't translate into the playoffs, as Boston was upset by the underdog Florida Panthers in the first round."It was fun, every day we came to the rink we had such a blast. It felt like we barely lost. ... It was a very special team," Coyle said.He continued, "Of course, our end goal, we didn't meet that. ... We've gotta use that as fuel to fire us, and I think we are."Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed head coach Sheldon Keefe to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Wednesday.The pact is for two seasons through 2025-26, general manager Brad Treliving confirmed, according to TSN's Chris Johnston."Since I've joined the Maple Leafs, I've been very impressed with Sheldon," Treliving said. "He has shown great leadership skills with his staff and our players and has a clear vision for this team and where it needs to get to. Sheldon has established himself as one of the top coaches in the league, and I look forward to working alongside him as we head into the upcoming season."Keefe replaced Mike Babcock as Leafs' head coach in November 2019. He previously spent four years leading Toronto's AHL affiliate. Keefe has guided the Leafs to a 166-71-30 regular-season record since taking over, guiding them to the playoffs in each year. Toronto won its first series since 2004 this spring - a six-game victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning - before falling in a five-game drubbing against the eventual Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers.Keefe's future with the Leafs was in question following the elimination, and his status was even more uncertain when the club moved on from former GM Kyle Dubas. The pair had ties dating back to their OHL days with the Soo Greyhounds."Coaching this team has been a great privilege, and I'm truly excited at the opportunity to continue building towards our ultimate goal," Keefe said. "I'm thankful for the support from MLSE and its ownership, along with Brendan Shanahan and Brad Treliving, who I've really enjoyed getting to know and work with this offseason. We have so many great players and people within our organization that I'm grateful to work with, and together, our commitment to team success remains steadfast."The Maple Leafs' 2023-24 campaign begins Oct. 11 against the Montreal Canadiens.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A top-level hockey tournament in Europe is set to experiment with some new rules for the upcoming season.The Champions Hockey League will implement three changes involving penalties for its 2023-24 season:

Warning: Story contains offensive languageThe WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes hired former Calgary Flames bench boss Bill Peters as their new head coach, the team announced Wednesday.Peters resigned as head coach of the Flames in November 2019 during an investigation into his misconduct, including directing racial slurs at Akim Aliu during their time with the AHL's Rockford IceHogs.Aliu, who is Black, said Peters "dropped the N-bomb several times towards me in the dressing room in my rookie year because he didn't like my choice of music." Aliu played under Peters with the Chicago Blackhawks' AHL affiliate in 2008-09 and 2009-10.The former NHLer expanded on the incident in an interview with TSN."He walked in before a morning pregame skate and said, 'Hey Akim, I'm sick of you playing that n----- shit,'" Aliu said. "He said, 'I'm sick of hearing this n-----s f-----g other n-----s in the ass stuff.'"He then walked out like nothing ever happened," he continued. "You could hear a pin drop in the room. Everything went dead silent. I just sat down in my stall, didn't say a word."Two players who were in the room at the time, Simon Pepin and Peter MacArthur, corroborated Aliu's account.Peters acknowledged the incident and said he "meant no disrespect" for his "offensive language" shortly after Aliu came forward. However, Aliu condemned Peters' statement as "misleading, insincere, and concerning."Prior to Lethbridge's hiring announcement Wednesday, Aliu said a current NHL head coach reached out to him last week to try and broker an apology on Peters' behalf. Aliu tweeted his response to the unknown third party, adding that he was "curious" about the timing of the attempt.

Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar believes a longer-than-usual offseason will bode well for his club heading into the 2023-24 campaign.Makar and the Avalanche won the 2022 Stanley Cup after a postseason run that nearly went into July. This time, the club is rested after a shock first-round upset against the Seattle Kraken in late April."I know a lot of the guys are itching to get back to camp. ... A lot of the guys will get in a couple weeks before camp, so it should be awesome," Makar told NHL.com's Dan Rosen on Tuesday.The blue-liner added that the players would've "wanted a little bit (more) time to make sure" they could recover mentally and physically after their successful 2022 run."It's a win-lose scenario, but one of the things for us as a team being unfortunately eliminated early is it gave us a little more rest time," he said. "For a team that was so banged up this past year and had so many man-games lost, I think that was huge. I think a lot of guys really took advantage."It mentally can give us a little bit of a break and clear it; guys can reset a little bit. Everything felt like it was in superspeed mode last summer."Injuries limited Makar to 60 games last season. He still managed 66 points while averaging over 26 minutes per night and was a Norris Trophy finalist for the third consecutive year.Colorado's roster depth underwent plenty of turnover this summer. The team lost Evan Rodrigues, Alex Newhook, J.T. Compher, Lars Eller, and Erik Johnson, while adding Ryan Johansen, Ross Colton, Miles Wood, and Jonathan Drouin.Prior to the Round 1 loss to the Kraken, the Avalanche had reached at least the second round of the playoffs each season since 2018-19.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Despite matching first names and sharing similar generational hype before ever playing in the NHL, Connor Bedard isn't buying into the comparisons to Connor McDavid.The Chicago Blackhawks phenom has been training with the reigning Art Ross and Hart Trophy winner recently but wants to temper expectations from those who think Bedard can challenge the world's best player with his rookie season around the corner."You never want to be like, 'Oh, I can't do this.' I don't really think that mindset is great," Bedard said, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "But I'm not him. I'm my own person and my own player. I think he's kind of the pinnacle right now. And you're like, 'This guy is the best, or one of the best, (so) how can I get closer to him?'"McDavid authored one of the best individual seasons in recent memory in 2022-23 with 153 points, which led the league by 25 and locked up his fifth scoring title and third MVP in eight NHL campaigns.Bedard dominated junior this past season with 71 goals and 72 assists in 57 regular-season games as a member of the WHL's Regina Pats. The 18-year-old also became the most prolific scorer in Canadian world junior history en route to capturing his second gold medal at the tournament in January.While it's easy to see the similarities in Bedard's and McDavid's offensive production in junior, this year's No. 1 overall pick doesn't have his heart set on matching the Edmonton Oilers captain in the pros just yet."I think that's such a great thing in sport. You're always competing against guys. For me to get to spend some time with him on the ice and just try to compete with him ... he's obviously unbelievable. You can barely talk about his stats because they're so ridiculous. But for me, it's just trying to be my own player. Be the best I can be," Bedard added.Bedard does have a chance to accomplish something McDavid never did in his rookie year, though: win the Calder Trophy. A shoulder injury limited McDavid to 45 games in his debut season, and Bedard is the odds-on favorite entering 2023-24.Bedard and McDavid are set to clash for the first time on Dec. 12 in Edmonton.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson is prepared for whatever the 2023-24 campaign brings after a whirlwind offseason for the franchise."I'm ready to embrace the chaos," Andersson said, per Sportsnet's Eric Francis.He added: "When you play in a Canadian market you can't have a quiet year. There's a lot of media and passionate fans evaluating everyone. You can't hide from it. You've just got to embrace it and stick with it, and believe in guys in management."The Flames missed the playoffs this past spring, one year after winning the Pacific Division with 111 points. Failure to meet expectations prompted the club to part ways with general manager Brad Treliving and head coach Darryl Sutter.On top of changes to the staff, the direction of Calgary's on-ice future was in question as core players Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, and Mikael Backlund - all unrestricted free agents next summer - were common subjects in trade rumors with their desire to play in Alberta reportedly waning. The club traded last season's leading scorer Tyler Toffoli after he said he wasn't interested in an extension."We all know what happened last year, and I get all the speculation with people," Andersson said about his teammates on the trade block."A year left on their deals, with Connie (GM Craig Conroy) and (coach Ryan) Huska coming in, a new coaching staff - I get it, there are a lot of questions, and rightfully so. Lots of people question what kind of team we can be."The Flames are no strangers to offseason drama. In 2022, the club traded Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers and saw Johnny Gaudreau walk in free agency. Andersson believes the departures of the two leaders held Calgary back last season."There were a few new players, and the dynamic of the team changed quite a bit when Matthew and Johnny left - everyone kept looking around the room, wondering, 'who's gonna be the guy?' instead of just grabbing it."The Flames collected 93 points in 2022-23 and missed the Western Conference playoff cutline by two points. Their effort included a league-leading 17 overtime losses.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.