The Dallas Stars and Carolina Hurricanes have expressed interest in San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported Tuesday.Burns could be dealt by the end of the week, LeBrun added.The 37-year-old has three years remaining on his contract with an average annual value of $8 million. His pact also includes significant no-trade protection, as he can submit a list of three clubs he'd accept a move to, according to CapFriendly. The Stars and Hurricanes are believed to be among those teams.Both clubs are seeking reinforcements on the right side of their blue lines. Dallas appears likely to lose John Klingberg in free agency, and Carolina traded Tony DeAngelo to the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday.Burns isn't the perennial Norris Trophy candidate he was in his prime but is still a threat offensively. He tallied 10 goals and 44 assists in 82 games with the Sharks last season. His underlying offensive numbers were stellar, too. Evolving-Hockey.comThe 2017 Norris Trophy winner has notable ties to Dallas. Burns owns and operates a 420-acre ranch in Texas, which is the home state of his wife, Susan.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Minnesota Wild traded goaltender Cam Talbot to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for netminder Filip Gustavsson, both teams announced Tuesday.Talbot, 35, has one year remaining on a deal that carries a cap hit of just under $3.7 million. Minnesota isn't retaining any of his salary in the trade, according to TSN's Chris Johnston.Gustavsson is also signed for one more season at an average annual value of $787,500. He can become a restricted free agent once it expires, while Talbot can become an unrestricted free agent."Cam is experienced and provides us with greater goaltending stability heading into next season," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said. "He was instrumental in helping Minnesota reach the playoffs in each of his two seasons with the Wild. The tandem of he and Anton Forsberg sets us up nicely for the upcoming year."Talbot held a .911 save percentage and 2.76 goals against average in 49 appearances with the Wild in 2021-22 while boasting a record of 32-12-4. Veteran netminder Marc-Andre Fleury got the bulk of the starting duties in the playoffs after Minnesota acquired him at the trade deadline, but Talbot suited up for Game 6 against the St. Louis Blues and surrendered four goals on 26 shots in the series-ending loss.Gustavsson went 5-12-1 with the struggling Senators this past season, authoring a .892 save percentage and 3.55 goals against average. The 24-year-old has played in just 27 games across two seasons in Ottawa.Talbot's future in Minnesota was called into question once the Wild signed Fleury to a two-year extension last week. The former was reportedly unhappy with the move and his agent George Bazos said general manager Bill Guerin had "a lot to think about."Guerin had a blazing retort to Bazos' comments."I don't have shit to do," Guerin said, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo. "Cam Talbot's under contract. George can say whatever the hell he wants. My team's set right now, and that's the way it goes. We can have all the discussions we want. Cam's a member of our team. We really like Cam. All we're trying to do is win."Shortly after shipping Talbot off to Ottawa, Guerin said the Ontario native didn't demand a trade."Just thinking about it more and more, I didn't want to put our team in an awkward position," Guerin said, according to Star Tribune's Sarah McLellan. "I didn’t want to put Cam or (Fleury) in an awkward position to where it got in the way of our team being successful."The Senators also switched things up in the crease after sending goaltender Matt Murray and two picks to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for future considerations Monday evening.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Pittsburgh Penguins veteran Evgeni Malkin is reportedly expected to hit the open market when free agency begins Wednesday, July 13, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.Malkin, who's spent his entire 981-game NHL career with the Penguins, has never tested free agency before and reportedly wants to explore his options. He just played out the final season of an eight-year deal with a $9.5-million cap hit.As negotiations with Pittsburgh grew tense, the 35-year-old reportedly texted some of his teammates that the Penguins think he's "not good anymore."Malkin missed the first half of the 2021-22 campaign after recovering from knee surgery but still enjoyed a productive season. He logged 20 goals and 21 assists in 41 contests, which was slightly below his career point-per-game clip of 1.17.Malkin won three Stanley Cup championships with the Penguins and ranks third on the franchise's all-time points list with 1,146. He trails only Sidney Crosby for most playoff points in team history, with 180 in 177 career contests.The icon also collected a Conn Smythe Trophy, a Hart Trophy, a Ted Lindsay Award, two Art Ross Trophies, and a Calder Trophy in his 16-year career.The Penguins recently inked longtime defenseman Kris Letang to a six-year deal with a cap hit of $6.1 million.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Scotty Bowman has stepped down as the Chicago Blackhawks' senior adviser of hockey operations."I am no longer working for the Chicago Blackhawks as of July 1 as I decided it was time to move on," the Hall of Famer tweeted Tuesday. "Still love the game and would like to stay involved."His son, Stan Bowman, stepped down as general manager of the Blackhawks in October 2021 following an independent investigation into former Chicago video coach Brad Aldrich's alleged sexual assault of Kyle Beach in 2010."It was a pretty uncomfortable year because of Stan's thing, getting let go, and I stayed on for the year and tried to keep going as much as I could, which I think I did," Bowman told The Associated Press' John Wawrow and Stephen Whyno. "It’s been a good ride. I mean, you don't get the chance to work with your son all the time."Naturally, you have your differences of opinion, but I got to know the personnel on the team, and it was a good ride to be able to see this team develop and everything else."Bowman said he recently spoke with Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson, who asked him to reconsider his decision, according to The Athletic's Joe Smith. Bowman added that his role hadn't been the same within the organization and thought a change would be for the best.He served as head coach for the St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Detroit Red Wings over a career that spanned 2,141 games.The 88-year-old holds the record for most wins as a head coach in NHL history in both the regular season (1,244) and the postseason (223).Bowman captured an NHL-record nine Stanley Cup championships as a head coach, including five with the Canadiens (1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979), one with the Penguins (1992), and three with the Red Wings (1997, 1998, 2002).The two-time Jack Adams Award winner added five more Stanley Cup championships to his resume while serving on an organization's front office. He won three times as senior advisor with the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013, and 2015.Bowman was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 1991.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL draft has passed and the league is on the cusp of its annual pandemonium of free-agent signings. There's no time in the calendar when player agents are busier or more in the spotlight. But agents are more than money men. In this three-part series, John Matisz examines every aspect of the agent's professional life.All three parts are available to be read now. Part 1 explores the dual tracks of acquiring and keeping clients. Part 2 covers a day in the life of Edmonton-based agent Gerry Johannson. Part 3 below looks at the future of the business.The player agent has been part of the fabric of the NHL since now-disgraced Alan Eagleson negotiated a two-year, $70,000 contract for junior phenom Bobby Orr in 1966.There are currently 190 NHLPA-certified agents (187 of whom are men) and an additional 200-plus uncertified pseudo-agents spread across North America. Just like the game itself, the player representation business has grown exponentially over the past 56 years.NHL agent Allan Walsh talks with executive Ray Shero. Dave Sandford / Getty ImagesIt's become standard practice for agencies to cater to players' every need, offering services ranging from financial management to on-ice development. It's rare that a firm doesn't bill itself as "full-service" or a "boutique" (or both) in promotional material."Everyone looks at an agent and they talk about negotiating contracts. That is the tip of the iceberg, the part you can see. There's a huge f------ piece under the water that you can't see," said veteran agent Rick Curran, who arrived on the scene in 1978 and now is co-head of the ORR agency.As the business has matured, agents have continued to find new ways to serve their clients and set themselves apart. Many have become NHL front-office executives, while a few have been ditched by players happy to represent themselves.Differentiating factorsOne agent with 20 years of experience remarked it's virtually impossible to revolutionize the player representation business when its main revenue stream remains commission earned off NHL contracts. Negotiate well, then figure out how to add value elsewhere.That said, the agent acknowledges that standing out from the crowd in some way is imperative to any representative or agency trying to attract and retain NHL clients.Cases in point: Allan Walsh of Octagon Hockey has built up a massive audience online by frequently promoting his clients' on-ice exploits and taking NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to task; Kurt Overhardt of KO Sports has sparked industry-wide conversation by lobbying for what he's called an "Exception Player Rule"; Ian Pulver of Will Sports Group has a unique perspective to offer as a former longtime NHLPA lawyer.Raze Sports, which acquired Uptown Sports earlier this year, says it's taking a "very pragmatic" approach to the player-agent relationship. "What do you need to advance your career? That's what we want to provide to you. What is it?" is the first question president Ritch Winter and partner Todd Reynolds ask new clients.Raze's approach is built upon four pillars: goal setting, visualization techniques, personal coaching, and stick calibration. The first three deal with mental resilience and marrying a player's long-term goals with daily high performance. Former NHLers like Marian Hossa, Jeremy Roenick, and Dominik Hasek are paired with current pros to help guide them through scoring slumps and other obstacles unique to the pro grind.As for the fourth pillar: "I've worked with PGA golfers," Winter said, "and they would go to the moon to have a slight adjustment made to the head of their club. So, what have you done about your hockey stick? Are you using the right lie, the right flex, the right curve?"Raze's clients also go through a "brand discovery workshop," which often includes developing a strategy for the Web 3.0 world of cryptocurrency, NFTs, and the like.Alterno Management will launch an NFT-powered community later this summer. Fans who pay to join the "SINBIN" club will be assigned to a virtual NHL city where an Alterno client plays. In that city, fans can chat with the host player - for instance, Ducks forward Isac Lundestrom in Anaheim - and attend watch parties at a private clubhouse within the metaverse. The hope is that, eventually, players and fans will begin interacting offline in the form of meet-and-greets and charity-driven events."It's a combination of growing fan interaction and creating knowledge and awareness for these types of Web 3.0 investments for our clients," Alterno CEO Peter Wallen said.People gather outside the NFT.NYC conference. Noam Galai / Getty ImagesAllain Roy, president and CEO of RSG Hockey, has considered hiring a crypto expert to educate and help players navigate the "slippery, dangerous world" that is Web 3.0."Guys want to hear about alternative investments. They want to hear about marijuana, esports, all of that. Players are buying land in the metaverse," said Roy, who won a silver medal at the 1994 Olympics as Team Canada's backup goalie. "You have to be able to have those conversations with players and understand what they're telling you. When I go to dinner with these 22-, 23-year-olds, that's what they're talking about. If you, as an agent, are not somewhat knowledgeable, they're going to go somewhere else."In general, Roy believes agents must adjust to this generation's business-savvy player."The smart players are asking the right questions: 'What are you bringing to the table?'" Roy said. "My solution is to give them more, whether it's marketing, protecting them legally, data analytics, player development. There's so many different ways." (RSG is working on a "big biometric, epigenetic application science project," Roy says, though he declined to share details since it's in the beta stage and he wants to be the first to market.)Player development has been a staple of the business for at least a decade, with agencies holding client-only camps, bringing on high-end skills coaches, and providing video analysis. But the sheer amount of resources being dedicated to that portion of the yearly budget has exploded over the past few years, according to agents from several groups.NHL agent Ray Petkau on the ice with goalie James Reimer. Handout / Alpha HockeyRay Petkau, who runs Alpha Hockey, has carved out a niche by offering a year-round goalie-specific program called NET360. Goalie guru Adam Francilia, Alpha's director of player development, is in constant contact with clients during the season, and every summer the firm hosts a week-long goalie retreat and think tank in British Columbia."Some automotive shops will work on any makes that come in, and others may specialize in Mercedes Benz. So if you have a Mercedes Benz, you might go there instead," Petkau said. "That's how some goalies look at it. We can do some things that maybe other agencies can't. Or maybe they can but it's more difficult to pull off."The newest agency on the scene, the month-old CAL Sports Management, has put player development at the core of its brand. One co-founder, lawyer Joe Caligiuri, handles the suit-and-tie duties of representing players, and the other, former NHLer Matt Calvert, dives deep into on-ice performance in order to "hit them in two different ways.""One thing I thought I was great at in my career was developing relationships with my teammates," said Calvert, who played 600 NHL games split between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche. "Being honest with them but also knowing how to pump them up and help get them past the hurdles of pro hockey - that's what I really want to do with clients. There's so much talent these days, especially in junior hockey."Quartexx Management's NHL client list runs 54 names deep, placing them fifth among all agencies in active contracts on the PuckPedia leaderboard. The firm, which was founded by Canadian billionaire Lino Saputo Jr. and the product of high-profile mergers in 2016 and 2019, owns a state-of-the-art facility in Montreal. At Hockey Etcetera, clients have priority access to a three-on-three ice rink, fully equipped gym, cold tub, osteopathy and acupuncture treatment, and lounge area featuring a pool, ping pong, and food.The facility isn't used exclusively by Quartexx clients but is certainly designed for them."It's expensive and it eats into the profit margins, which is why most agencies aren't getting into it," COO Giordano Saputo said. But, the agent added, "We're really building our business model off being a one-stop shop, all-encompassing agency where we can take care of all aspects of life." That includes in-house marketing and financial management. (Quartexx is looking to build a second facility in Vaughan, Ontario.)Quartexx's Hockey Etcetera 3-on-3 pad in Montreal. Handout / Quartexx HockeyIn late June, Quartexx announced Ottawa Senators assistant general manager Peter MacTavish had joined the agency as a director, senior counsel, and agent. A few days later, Winnipeg Jets amateur scout Max Giese started at CAA Sports. While the player representation business and NHL front offices have shared off-ice talent for years, multiple sources noted the pipeline has been especially active in 2022. Back in January, former Quartexx agent Kent Hughes became general manager of the Montreal Canadiens. A week later, another ex-agent, Emilie Castonguay, was hired by the Vancouver Canucks to be an assistant GM."Teams are smart to talk to agents for hockey operations roles. We touch every aspect of the business," Roy said. "On top of that, if you're a seasoned agent, you're already managing people. You have a staff working under you, you have a lot of different players to service and your finger on the pulse of pretty much the whole hockey world because of how many people you're connected with and the knowledge you have of young players coming up."Existential questionsThe bulk of agencies, from giants like Newport to smaller firms like WD Sports & Entertainment, recruit players who aspire to play in the NHL. The business model hinges on clients earning a living in the sport, whether it's in North America or overseas.There's a much smaller segment specializing in clients whose chances of appearing in even one pro game are microscopic. Often in these deals, a player pays an adviser a few thousand dollars to help him land a roster spot on a junior or college team - and that's it."It's a disturbing trend because I don't understand the value," one NHL agent said.At the other end of the spectrum: established NHL players ignoring a long line of prolific agents to represent themselves during contract negotiations. Veterans Drew Doughty, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alex Ovechkin have hashed out at least one contract without a certified agent in the room. These players will usually lean on a lawyer for legal assistance and reach out to staff members at the NHLPA for marketplace analysis.Drew Doughty during a March 2022 game. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesDoughty negotiated an eight-year, $88-million extension with the Los Angeles Kings in 2018. Shortly after the deal was announced, Doughty told The Athletic that he felt Newport's Mark Guy had "done an amazing job" for him in the past and would be a lifelong friend. However, he continued, "if you punch the numbers in and they take 3%, the amount of money that I saved doing the deal for myself is ridiculous." (For context, 3% of $88 million is $2.64 million.)Self-negotiating an extension, like Backstrom and Ovechkin also did in Washington, is one thing; the player and GM know each other extremely well. When journeyman Anthony Duclair tested the free-agent market without an agent in 2020, though, eyebrows were raised across the industry.After relaying his "side of the story" to multiple GMs, Duclair inked a one-year deal with the Florida Panthers. "I just wanted to take ownership of my own life and my career. I wanted to learn the business side of the game," the forward told Sportsnet. When you have an agent, Duclair said, "sometimes they shield you from the truth a little bit."This small group of players representing themselves isn't shaking the business to its core. It's happened in the past and it'll happen again. Yet, given how many services agents provide to today's NHLers, most crucially, advocacy after an injury, benching, or other tension point between player and team, it is a curious blip on the radar to monitor."I wish all players would just be more demanding as clients," said an NHL assistant GM. "You can have an agent and be really demanding. There's nothing wrong with that."Meanwhile, a veteran NHLer calls Duclair's decision to represent himself "ballsy." Duclair wanted to take full control of the situation and it didn't blow up in his face."I think it crosses every player's mind," the veteran said. "Could you do it on your own?"Part 1: Being an agent is far more complicated than negotiating contracts

The Los Angeles Kings signed defenseman Alexander Edler to a one-year deal with a base salary of $750,000, the team announced Tuesday.Edler, 36, can earn an extra $750,000 in games-played bonuses. He could have become an unrestricted free agent on July 13 after playing out last season on a one-year pact with a $3.5-million cap hit.The veteran potted three goals and 16 assists in 41 games with the Kings in 2021-22 while averaging 18:28 per contest. Edler also chipped in with 56 hits and 70 blocks. He put up two assists in seven games in the playoffs.Edler posted strong underlying numbers during his first season in Los Angeles. The Kings controlled 56.9% of the shot attempts and 58.3% of the expected goals with Edler on the ice at five-on-five during the regular season, according to Natural Stat Trick.Before joining the Kings ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, he spent the first 15 seasons of his career with the Vancouver Canucks.Selected by the Canucks in the third round of the 2004 draft, Edler has 428 points in 966 career NHL games.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

New Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Matt Murray is eager to prove his worth in his new surroundings.The Maple Leafs acquired the two-time Stanley Cup champion from the Ottawa Senators on Monday and will likely make him their No. 1 goalie, with Jack Campbell expected to depart in free agency."I'm extremely motivated. I think I have a lot to prove," Murray said Tuesday, per Sportsnet's Luke Fox.Murray joined the Senators prior to the 2020-21 season, but his tenure in Canada's capital didn't go to plan. He was often injured and only managed an .899 save percentage in 47 appearances. Ottawa retained 25% of his remaining salary in the trade.Toronto is gambling on a bounce back from the 28-year-old, who looked destined for superstardom after helping the Pittsburgh Penguins to back-to-back titles in his first two seasons with the team. Murray hopes his championship pedigree can help the Leafs, who've lost in the opening round of the postseason six years in a row."A huge thing that those Cup runs taught me was it's all about the day-to-day process," Murray said, according to The Leafs Nation's David Alter. "The end result is just exactly that. It's the end result of a continuous, day-to-day endeavor. … That's the approach I've always taken, and that's the approach I intend to take once again to try and push myself."Murray is also excited to suit up for the franchise he rooted for as a kid."It was definitely my favorite childhood team," Murray said, per Fox. "It was my dad's favorite team. We used to watch games together. So just being able to put on that jersey for the first time, I think, is going to be something really special for me."The Maple Leafs traded Petr Mrazek at the draft and will likely seek another netminder to tandem with Murray when free agency opens Wednesday.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Philadelphia Flyers have placed forward Oskar Lindblom on unconditional waivers to buy out the final year of his contract, the team announced Tuesday.Lindblom has one year remaining on his current deal at a cap hit of $3 million."This was a very difficult decision to make and one that we spent a lot of time examining," general manager Chuck Fletcher said in a statement. "No one can question the desire, will, and strength to overcome all that Oskar has been through off the ice in order to return to the game he loves. Further, Oskar's commitment to his teammates and impact in our room has been immeasurable. He is truly an inspiration to us all, and he will always remain a special part of the Philadelphia Flyers family. We wish him all the best as he continues his NHL career."Lindblom was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma - a form of blood cancer - in 2019. He finished treatment and returned to the Flyers, winning the Masterton Trophy for dedication to the sport in 2021.The Flyers also announced Tuesday they'd be donating $100,000 in Lindblom's name to local charities that help families impacted by cancer.Lindblom was a fifth-round pick of the Flyers in 2014. He notched 97 points in 263 games with the club.Philadelphia will save $3.3 million in cap space this season by buying Lindblom out and will owe $666,667 in 2023-24, according to CapFriendly.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The 2022 NHL draft has come and gone. While there was some notable movement - headlined by the Alex DeBrincat trade - a lot of the offseason action is still to come, starting with free agency on Wednesday.Which teams are positioned well to improve their team and, thus, their Stanley Cup chances in the days to come? Let's dive in!TEAM ODDSColorado Avalanche+425Toronto Maple Leafs+900Tampa Bay Lightning+1000Florida Panthers+1100Vegas Golden Knights+1100Carolina Hurricanes+1500Edmonton Oilers+1700Calgary Flames+2000Minnesota Wild+2000New York Rangers+2000Pittsburgh Penguins+2700St. Louis Blues+2700Boston Bruins+3000New York Islanders+3100Los Angeles Kings+3500Dallas Stars+4000Nashville Predators+4000Washington Capitals+4000New Jersey Devils+5000Ottawa Senators+5000Vancouver Canucks+5000Philadelphia Flyers+6000Seattle Kraken+6000Winnipeg Jets+6500Anaheim Ducks+7500Buffalo Sabres+7500San Jose Sharks+7500Detroit Red Wings+7500Columbus Blue Jackets+10000Chicago Blackhawks+10000Montreal Canadiens+10000Arizona Coyotes+50000Pittsburgh Penguins (+2700)The Evgeni Malkin contract situation remains murky but I have a hard time believing the Penguins won't cave and give him the term he wants.Assuming they get him locked up at the rumored price of $6 million per season, that would leave the Penguins with well over $9 million to spend and pretty much an entire roster in place.The one missing piece is a top-six winger to pair with Malkin and provide real support behind Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, and Bryan Rust. There's a lot of noise surrounding J.T. Miller, who would certainly add serious pop to their forward group. Whether they acquire Miller or not, they have the money to chase a big fish like that.The Penguins' defense and goaltending are already good enough; they ranked sixth in expected goals against per 60 and seventh in actual goals against per 60 at five-on-five last season.If they can get their hands on an impact forward, which would give them one of the league's best top-six groupings, this team could flirt with top-five numbers offensively and defensively.New Jersey Devils (+5000)The Devils have some housekeeping to take care of - like extending Jesper Bratt - but they should have plenty of cap space to add an impact player or two, even after taking care of their own.They already improved their league-worst five-on-five goaltending with the acquisition of Vitek Vanecek, who ranked inside the top 10 in five-on-five save percentage, and their young core of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Dawson Mercer, Bratt, and co. should help the team ascend as their growth continues.Even with putrid goaltending behind them, the Devils were a good hockey team when Hischier, Bratt, and Dougie Hamilton were all in the lineup. With better health, better goaltending, and the money and urgency to properly support those key players, this team has high upside.Ottawa Senators (+5000)The Senators still have plenty of holes on their roster. While promoting top prospect Jake Sanderson should help, their defense could still use real reinforcements. Getting a quality, established NHL goaltender to partner with Anton Forsberg - who was quietly excellent last season - is necessary as well.With that being said, Ottawa has the pieces necessary to ice a lethal top-six group. DeBrincat is 24 and has scored 40-plus goals multiple times. He joins a group that already features Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris, Drake Batherson, and Tim Stutzle. That's really good, and there are rumblings of Claude Giroux coming home to plug the hole on line two.Ottawa still needs to extend Norris, which will not be cheap, but even then they could have around $14 million available to chase upgrades. If they're willing to spend anywhere close to the cap to improve the roster, they won't be +5000 in a week or two.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Brian Burke is denying the notion that his Pittsburgh Penguins never presented Evgeni Malkin with a four-year contract offer.“We were unable to reach a deal,” the team's president of hockey operations told the Tribune-Review's Seth Rorabaugh. “We made an offer that we were comfortable with. There are stories out there that we never offered a four-year deal. That’s completely false. But as far as the mechanics and the amounts, we never talk about that stuff.”It was reported Monday that Malkin is expected to hit the open market Wednesday for the first time in his 16-year career. Burke confirmed as much but didn't close the door on bringing him back."The window is still open. But the timing is problematic,” the executive said. “Once free agency opens, we have to commit to what we need to do to improve our hockey club. So the timing may not work. But certainly, there’s no reaction on our part that, ‘Oh, we don’t want Evgeni back.’ Or, ‘This is horrible. What’s he thinking?’ None of that. It’s more, that store window is going to open and we’ve got to go to the store.”Malkin is a pending unrestricted free agent coming off an eight-year pact that carried a $9.5-million cap hit. He said in January he'd be willing to take a pay cut, but the sticking point in talks, by all accounts, has been term rather than money. The Penguins' latest offer was apparently for three years at $6 million per season. Malkin would've reportedly taken the same average annual value over a four-year agreement.The longtime superstar forward's negotiations with the Penguins have not gone smoothly. In late June, it was reported the two sides hadn't spoken regularly since their initial talks at season's end. Then, this past weekend, the forward apparently told teammates he believes the club doesn't think he's good anymore and also said he's wondered whether the Pens still want him.Malkin will turn 36 on July 31, but he'll be one of the biggest names available in free agency.The three-time Stanley Cup champion, 2012 Hart Trophy winner, and 2009 Conn Smythe Trophy recipient is coming off an injury-shortened campaign in which he produced 20 goals and 22 assists over 41 games. He missed most of the first half of the campaign while recovering from offseason knee surgery.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

General managers and agents are glued to their phones. The rumor mill is in overdrive. Yes, the opening of the 2022 free-agency period is almost here. To set the scene ahead of Wednesday, theScore is reading the tea leaves to offer realistic landing spots for seven high-profile unrestricted free agents.Evgeni Malkin, C Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesMalkin was the subject of a Monday bombshell. TSN reported the future Hall of Famer has decided to hit the open market for the first time in his career.Four years at $6.1 million per season was the last deal tabled by the Penguins, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. (Later Monday, the club signed winger Rickard Rakell to a six-year extension carrying a $5M AAV.)Malkin, who recorded an average of one point per game over the past two seasons, has spent 16 straight years with Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang. Crosby is locked in for three more years while a few days ago Letang re-upped for six. None of them are at the peak of their powers in 2022. However, it's understandable why Penguins brass would try to keep all three around.And, let's be clear, just because Malkin says he's going to market on Wednesday doesn't mean A) he can't be persuaded to sign with the Pens on Tuesday, and B) he can't circle back to the Pens after seeing what's out there.Despite Washington being a Pittsburgh rival, the Capitals should be intrigued by this Malkin news, given Nicklas Backstrom's uncertain status. Same goes for Boston and Patrice Bergeron, who has yet to commit to another season with the Bruins. There's about 10 other teams who could conceivably be interested in bringing on an icon like Malkin, who still has plenty of juice left.Best guess: Pittsburgh on a four-year deal (and slightly higher AAV).Johnny Gaudreau, WGaudreau is in his own tier, which is saying something because this is an above-average UFA class. The career-long Calgary Flame is the only player expected to net an AAV of $10 million or higher during this free-agency period.It won't be undeserved, either. Gaudreau, who's 29 in August, recorded a whopping 115 points last season to finish second in scoring. He was fourth on the MVP ballot, and 2021-22 wasn't some flash in the pan: the diminutive winger potted 99 points in 2018-19. Simply put, a player of his caliber very rarely becomes available to the entire league in and around their prime.The Flames can swoop in with one last eight-year offer on Tuesday, so there's a solid chance Gaudreau never even makes it to Wednesday's market opening. Not only can he get the extra year with Calgary and nowhere else, as well as comparable money to other clubs based on reports, but Gaudreau and the Flames' other core members have unfinished business. During his tenure, the team has never made it past the second round of the postseason.The New Jersey native is constantly being linked to the Devils and Philadelphia Flyers, and as of late the New York Islanders have been tossed around as a potential landing spot. As it currently stands, there might not be many suitors. The cap is virtually flat, so you can count on one hand the number of teams with enough flexibility to table a $10 million AAV deal.Best guess: Calgary on an eight-year deal.Nazem Kadri, C Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesKadri, who's been on a bargain contract for years, is about to hit the jackpot.He's coming off a career-high 87 points in 71 games; he changed the narrative around his playoff career, going from annual liability to hero on a Stanley Cup-winning squad; he's the type of edgy, two-way center GMs drool over.The only thing working against Kadri is his birth certificate. He's looking for a lucrative long-term deal (think $50 million), but he'll be 32 by early October.The Seattle Kraken have the cap space and could use a veteran to shepherd young centers Matty Beniers and Shane Wright. The upstart Detroit Red Wings have room on the books, too, and Kadri is from nearby London, Ontario. The contending New York Rangers could use a center behind Mika Zibanejad. Heck, maybe the Flames or Bruins get in the mix if top forwards Gaudreau and Bergeron sign elsewhere.Best guess: Detroit on a six-year deal.Claude Giroux, C/WWhile still an effective two-way forward, Giroux's no longer producing at a superstar level in his quest to finally earn a Cup ring. In other words, his next cap hit won't even be in the ballpark of his just-expired $8.275 million AAV.Still, Giroux is looking for a new home because the Florida Panthers are currently up against the cap. He's been linked in reports to three other teams: the Ottawa Senators, Edmonton Oilers, and Carolina Hurricanes.Finally, the Senators appear committed to being competitive; the team picked up 40-goal man Alex DeBrincat via trade last week. And that's great, but the club's timeline to contend for the Cup - not just sneak into the playoffs - doesn't quite line up with Giroux's final few productive years in the NHL. It's been well-documented that Giroux has a personal connection to the Ottawa area. Are the Sens pursuing him hard for both the playmaking and presence?Meanwhile, the Oilers and Hurricanes are both in win-now mode and shuffling the deck at forward. Giroux preferred to stay on the east coast at the trade deadline, so it may require a whopper of an offer to send him to Edmonton.Best guess: Carolina on a two-year deal (Giroux signs in Ottawa in two years).Jack Campbell, G Mark Blinch / Getty ImagesWith Marc-Andre Fleury, Ville Husso, Alexandar Georgiev, Vitek Vanecek, Casey DeSmith, and Matt Murray all recently on the move, Campbell is in a position to cash in while also staring down a dwindling goalie market.Campbell had a roller coaster 2021-22 season in the Toronto Maple Leafs' crease, his first as an NHL starter. It began very well, then he battled through an injury, returned, and more or less struggled down the stretch. The result: a .914 save percentage in 49 games. (He was OK in a first-round playoff loss.)Nevertheless, the 30-year-old fan favorite should command at least $3 million more than the $1.65M AAV attached to his last deal. The Capitals, who traded Vanecek and chose not to extend a qualifying offer to Ilya Samsonov all within a few days, should be in the running for Campbell's services. Edmonton will be right there, too. They find themselves in a similar spot as Campbell's old team - with a roster heavy on star forwards and a GM desperate for a reliable starting goaltender. The Oilers could move out enough money to reel in Campbell, and who doesn't want to play with McDavid and Draisaitl?Best guess: Edmonton on a three-year deal.Darcy Kuemper, GKuemper is a pretty desirable UFA goalie: at 32, he's not too old for a netminder; with a .918 save percentage through 299 games, he's a proven starter; he's fresh off backstopping the Colorado Avalanche to a Cup.The buyer beware tag comes into play when you realize Kuemper posted a pedestrian .902 in 16 playoff games, and shortly after the Cup was handed out Avs management acquired Georgiev to be Pavel Francouz's partner. Georgiev's cheaper, sure, but the Avs clearly don't think highly of Kuemper.The Saskatchewan native is reportedly looking for something similar to the six-year, $35.4-million deal signed a year ago by old partner Philipp Grubauer. The goalie market being what it is, Kuemper's dream likely becomes reality.The Oilers and Capitals top the list of obvious suitors. There are surely additional clubs tossing out proposals. Maybe the Devils enter the conversation if they can get off Mackenzie Blackwood's deal? And what's stopping the Buffalo Sabres from making a statement to jolt the rebuild?Best guess: Washington on a five-year deal.John Klingberg, D Jeff Vinnick / Getty ImagesKlingberg is the top UFA defenseman - and it isn't particularly close.The soon-to-be-30-year-old Swede is a defensive liability at times, yet not many blue-liners across the NHL possess better offensive tools. Klingberg is hungry for a big ticket following what felt like an entire year of trade rumors as his seven-year, $29.75-million contract with the Dallas Stars wound down.The Kraken, who lack mobility on the back end, can certainly afford him. The Hurricanes are itching to improve their defense corps and, after trading Tony DeAngelo to Philadelphia, don't have a quintessential puck-mover. That said, Carolina is famous for avoiding long-term commitments to older free agents regardless of the player's pedigree. The Senators have also been connected to Klingberg, though it would be an odd fit. (On the other hand, it would be fascinating to watch him skate with Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson.)Best guess: Seattle on a seven-year deal.John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Overpayments during the NHL's signing season have become commonplace, with general managers seeking quick fixes to flawed rosters and doling out lucrative contracts they live to regret. We expect this summer's frenzy to be no different.In no way, shape, or form are we suggesting the following five players won't be useful for a portion of their new contracts, and we're also open to the possibility they prove us wrong.However, it's important to remember overpayments can be made in both term and money. Committing to a deal that runs too long is just as lethal as shelling out too much money in today's stagnant salary cap world.Let's get to this year's list.Ilya MikheyevPrevious cap hit: $1.65 million

The Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed forward Rickard Rakell to a six-year extension with an average annual value of $5 million, the team announced Monday.Rakell could have become an unrestricted free agent on July 13 after playing out the final season of a six-year deal worth $22.8 million."Rickard proved that he is a great addition to our team this season," Penguins general manager Ron Hextall said. "He brings versatility and offense to our lineup, and we know he will be an impactful player for us going forward."Pittsburgh acquired the 29-year-old from the Anaheim Ducks at the trade deadline. Rakell logged four goals and nine assists in 19 regular-season games with the Penguins.The winger was injured for the majority of Pittsburgh's first-round matchup against the New York Rangers after a questionable hit from defenseman Ryan Lindgren forced him to exit Game 1.Rakell was able to return for Game 7, but the Penguins were ultimately eliminated.The longtime Duck spent the first 10 seasons of his career in Anaheim. He logged a combined 20 goals and 21 assists in 70 games during the 2021-22 season.Selected by the Ducks in the first round of the 2011 draft, Rakell has 352 points in 569 career NHL games.The signing occurred shortly after news broke that Penguins icon Evgeni Malkin is expected to hit the open market on July 13.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A handful of notable players who didn't receive qualifying offers before Monday's 5 p.m. ET deadline have now become unrestricted free agents.As expected, forward Dylan Strome didn't receive a qualifying offer from the Chicago Blackhawks, which would have been worth $3.6 million, according to CapFriendly. Strome was a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. The 25-year-old pitched in with 48 points in 69 contests and potted a career-high 22 goals this past season.The Washington Capitals opted not to qualify goaltender Ilya Samsonov, who would have been owed an offer of $2 million and was eligible for arbitration. Samsonov, 25, authored a .896 save percentage and 3.02 goals against average through 44 appearances in 2021-22.Washington also traded netminder Vitek Vanecek to the New Jersey Devils last week.The Pittsburgh Penguins didn't tender a qualifying offer to forward Danton Heinen, who was due an offer of $1.1 million and had arbitration rights. Heinen scored a career-high 18 goals in 76 games during his first season in Pittsburgh.Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs didn't qualify forward Ondrej Kase, who was also arbitration-eligible and would have been owed $1.25 million.Kase, 26, didn't receive a qualifying offer from the Boston Bruins last offseason, either, after injuries limited him to just nine appearances across two campaigns in Beantown. He enjoyed a solid bounce-back season in Toronto, putting up 14 goals and 13 assists in 50 contests.Here are more notable players who passed the deadline without receiving a qualifying offer from their clubs:PlayerTeamF Sonny MilanoANAF Sam SteelANAF Dominik KubalikCHIF Nicolas Aube-KubelCOLF Brendan LemieuxLAKF Rem PitlickMTLD Kale ClagueMTLF Adam GaudetteOTTD Victor MeteOTTF Ryan DonatoSEAD Haydn FleurySEAF Jonathan DahlenSJSD Nicolas MelocheSJSF Matthew HighmoreVANF Evgeny SvechnikovWPGEven though these players will hit the open market on Wednesday, a deal can still come to fruition with their respective teams beforehand.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Ottawa Senators traded goaltender Matt Murray and two picks to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for future considerations, both teams announced Monday.Murray has two more seasons on his deal at a cap hit of $6.25 million, but Ottawa will retain 25% of the 28-year-old's salary as part of the agreement. He will cost just under $4.69 million against the Leafs' books per season.Toronto will receive the Senators' third-round selection in 2023 and a seventh-round pick in 2024.Murray won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017, becoming the first goaltender to accomplish the feat as a rookie in the process. He owns a sterling .921 save percentage and 2.18 goals against average in 51 career playoff appearances.However, he was unable to live up to expectations after signing his current four-year, $25-million contract with the Senators in October 2020. Injuries marred his two-season tenure in Ottawa: Murray was only able to suit up for 47 games in Canada's capital, where he authored a .899 save percentage and 3.23 GAA.Murray saw a slight uptick in performance this past season after logging a career-worst 3.38 GAA in 2020-21. He sported a .906 save percentage and 3.05 GAA in 2021-22 while putting up one shutout in 20 showings.A non-COVID-19 illness sidelined him to begin the campaign, kicking things off on the wrong foot. He then suited up for two games before sustaining a head injury. Murray eventually returned to action for another three contests before testing positive for COVID-19.Then the team placed him on waivers and sent him to the AHL in November. At the time, Murray said he felt the Senators were making him the scapegoat for their early-season struggles."I do, yeah. I also think that's part of what you sign up for as a goalie. I think that comes with the territory," he said. "I don't think I've been bad, but I haven't been good enough to win."Murray returned to the crease in the NHL in January and improved markedly before being forced to miss the Senators' remaining 29 games of the season. He rocked a 2.96 GAA and .912 save percentage during his final 14 appearances of the campaign.The Penguins' third-round selection in 2012 owns a career 2.77 GAA and a .911 save percentage in 246 NHL games.Murray played junior hockey with the OHL's Soo Greyhounds under current Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas and head coach Sheldon Keefe.The Maple Leafs will reportedly be hunting for another cheaper goaltender, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun. Pending unrestricted free-agent goaltender Jack Campbell was Toronto's starter in 2021-22, and he'll now almost certainly hit the open market on July 13.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Colorado Avalanche signed pending unrestricted free-agent forward Valeri Nichushkin to an eight-year extension, the team announced Monday.The deal carries an average annual value of $6.125 million, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.Nichushkin enjoyed a breakout season in 2021-22, logging a career-high 25 goals and 27 assists in 62 contests during his third campaign with the Avalanche.The 27-year-old went on to dazzle in the playoffs, putting up 15 points and two game-winning goals in 20 games while helping Colorado clinch the Stanley Cup. He also led the Avalanche with four goals in the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning."Signing Val to a long-term deal was a top priority for us this offseason, as he would have been one of the most sought-after forwards on the open market," Avalanche president of hockey operations Joe Sakic said."Val is a big, strong, fast, tenacious winger who is relentless on the puck. ... He is such an important player in our lineup and a huge reason why we won the Stanley Cup."He also boasted strong underlying numbers. The Avalanche controlled 61.4% of the shot attempts and 62.8% of the expected goals for with Nichushkin on the ice at five-on-five in the postseason, according to Natural Stat Trick.Nichushkin could have hit the market on July 13 after playing out the final season of a two-year deal with a $2.5 million cap hit.The Avalanche acquired him as a free agent in August 2019. Originally the Stars' 10th overall selection in the 2013 draft, Nichushkin has 174 points in 405 career NHL games split between Dallas and Colorado.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Arizona Coyotes signed forward Christian Fischer to a one-year contract, the team announced Monday.The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed by the team, but the pact reportedly carries a cap hit of around $1.126 million, according to CapFriendly."We are very pleased to sign Christian," Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong said. "He is a hard-working forward and a great teammate who is well-respected in our dressing room. We look forward to having him back next season."Fischer, 25, logged five goals and five assists in 53 contests in 2021-22. He also pitched in with 91 hits and 22 blocks while averaging just over 13 minutes per game.Selected by the Coyotes in the second round of the 2015 draft, Fischer has spent his entire NHL career with the franchise.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Montreal Canadiens are bringing back forward Michael Pezzetta on a one-year deal worth $750,000.Pezzetta was a pending restricted free agent. He collected five goals and six assists over 51 games in 2021-22, his rookie season. The 24-year-old spent all but eight contests in the NHL this past campaign after playing exclusively in the AHL and ECHL over the previous three seasons.The Canadiens drafted him 160th overall in 2016.Pezzetta played 2021-22 on an identical one-year, $750,000 pact coming off his entry-level contract.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Stanley Cup champs are restructuring their front office.The Colorado Avalanche promoted Chris MacFarland to general manager while naming Joe Sakic president of hockey operations, the team announced Monday.Colorado opted to promote MacFarland rather than allow him to interview with other teams, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.MacFarland was hired by the Avalanche as assistant general manager in 2015. He previously spent 16 years in the Columbus Blue Jackets' hockey ops department.Sakic was named general manager of the franchise he captained to two Stanley Cups in 2013. He successfully rebuilt Colorado into a powerhouse and won General Manager of the Year last week after a slew of trades helped the Avalanche to the title.MacFarland and Sakic have a big offseason ahead. Key players Nazem Kadri, Darcy Kuemper, Valeri Nichushkin, and Andre Burakovsky all become unrestricted free agents on Wednesday, while superstar Nathan MacKinnon is also eligible for an extension.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Free agency is set to open at noon on Wednesday, and while every team will be active in some capacity, there are five clubs in particular NHL fans should pay close attention to.These teams aren't necessarily just the ones with the most cap space - though, that does help - but the ones that could make the biggest splashes due to their trajectory. We're also keeping an eye on one squad, in particular, that's in jeopardy of losing its franchise player.Here we break down the five most interesting teams entering free agency:New Jersey Devils Scott Taetsch / Getty Images Sport / GettyThe Devils are ready to get over the hump. They have a deep crop of young forwards, a stellar defense core, and most importantly, lots of cap space with no bad contracts.They have $25 million in projected cap space, and while Jesper Bratt and a few other restricted free agents will take up a decent chunk of that room, there's plenty of flexibility to make a splash - especially considering the only three players signed beyond next season are Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Dougie Hamilton, whose seven-year, $63-million signing last offseason is evidence this ownership isn't afraid to spend.Needing an upgrade in goal after posting a league-worst .886 save percentage last season, the Devils opted to go the cheap route by acquiring Vitek Vanecek from the Washington Capitals on Friday. While a tandem of MacKenzie Blackwood and Vanecek is far from comforting, it leaves the Devils lots of flexibility to make a serious splash.No pending free agent makes more sense for the Devils than Johnny Gaudreau, who grew up in Carney's Point, New Jersey. Gaudreau, who's coming off a career-high 115-point campaign, would form a dynamic duo with Hughes to push the Devils over the top.Washington Capitals Scott Taetsch / Getty Images Sport / GettyThe Capitals are usually cap-strapped entering an offseason, but this summer is different. They currently project to have $9 million in cap space with a roster of 13 forwards and five defensemen. They traded away Vanecek, so it's clear they're looking for an upgrade in the crease even though 2015 first-round pick Ilya Samsonov is still in the fold (albeit as an RFA). They'll also need to add at least one blue-liner - ideally a left-hander who can play in their top four.Washington may also need a top-six center. Nicklas Backstrom underwent a hip resurfacing surgery in June and while there's no exact timeline, he's set for a lengthy recovery process. This procedure has effectively ended careers in the past (see: Ryan Kesler). GM Brian MacLellan said Backstrom intends to play at some point next season, but that hardly seems like a sure thing.

The Edmonton Oilers tendered qualifying offers to pending restricted free-agent forwards Jesse Puljujarvi, Kailer Yamamoto, Ryan McLeod, and Tyler Benson, the team announced Sunday.Brendan Perlini, Filip Berglund, and Ostap Safin didn't receive qualifying offers and will become unrestricted free agents.Puljujarvi, Yamamoto, and Benson each have arbitration rights. If they reject their qualifying offers, they'll remain restricted free agents, and the Oilers will retain their negotiating rights.Player2021-22 Cap HitQualifying OfferProjected ContractJesse Puljujarvi$1.175M$1.41M$4.132 x 4 yearsKailer Yamamoto$1.175M$1.175M$5.248 x 5 yearsRyan McLeod$834.167K$813.75K$1.354M x 2 yearsTyler Benson$750K$787.5K$750K x 1 year(All figures courtesy of CapFriendly and Evolving-Hockey.)Puljujarvi's name has recently popped up in trade rumors. Oilers general manager Ken Holland was noncommittal on the 24-year-old's future in Edmonton after the Colorado Avalanche bounced the team from the Western Conference Final."The second half of the year, it was a real struggle. ... I think (Puljujarvi) lost his confidence," Holland said. "Then when he lost his confidence, he obviously was in the top six, and then he worked his way down to the bottom six. ... I've gotta sort out Jesse."Puljujarvi logged 14 goals and 22 assists in 65 games last season, while Yamamoto put up 20 tallies and 21 helpers in 81 outings.Holland recently said that acquiring a goaltender is his No. 1 priority as the offseason rages on.The deadline to submit qualifying offers is July 11. Free agency officially kicks off on July 13.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Colorado Avalanche signed goaltender Alexandar Georgiev to a three-year extension, the team announced Sunday.The deal carries an average annual value of $3.4 million, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.More to come.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators have intensified discussions about a trade for goaltender Matt Murray, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.The Sens were reportedly in deep talks to send Murray to Buffalo this week, but the Sabres were on the netminder's 10-team no-trade list and he was unwilling to waive.Part of Murray's reasoning for not waiving his no-trade clause is because he apparently wants to go to Toronto or the Edmonton Oilers, according to Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.Murray still has two years remaining on his contract with a $6.25-million cap hit. The Senators were reportedly willing to retain a portion of his salary in the trade to the Sabres.The 28-year-old's tenure in Canada's capital has not been kind. He was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in October 2020 for a second-round pick and a prospect, and two days later he signed a four-year, $25-million pact. But Murray's battled injuries in Ottawa and struggled when healthy, registering an .899 save percentage across 47 appearances in two seasons with the Sens.However, Murray was once one of the game's most promising, young goalies. He helped lead the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, posted a .917 save percentage in his first four NHL seasons, and owns a lifetime .921 mark in 51 playoff games.The Thunder Bay, Ontario, product has ties to the Leafs organization, too. He played his junior hockey with the OHL's Soo Greyhounds under current Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas and head coach Sheldon Keefe.Toronto's No. 1 offseason priority is finding a goalie. The club traded away Petr Mrazek at the draft to clear salary, and although they met with pending UFA Jack Campbell yesterday, they don't appear to be close to an agreement.Erik Kallgren and Joseph Woll are Toronto's only two goalies under contract for next season.The Senators gave journeyman netminder Anton Forsberg a three-year, $8.25-million extension in March after he provided some much-needed stability to their crease last season. Filip Gustavsson, 24, appears ready for a backup role, too.The Leafs and Senators are provincial rivals, but Dubas and Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion have pulled off significant trades in the past, including a six-player deal involving Connor Brown, Nikita Zaitsev, and Cody Ceci back in 2019.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Los Angeles Kings extended Adrian Kempe on a four-year contract with an average annual value of $5.5 million, the team announced.The 25-year-old, who was a pending restricted free agent, enjoyed a breakout season in 2021-22. He led the Kings with 35 goals and ranked second with 54 points over 78 games.Kempe is coming off a three-year deal with a $2-million cap hit. The Swede has played six seasons with the Kings, who drafted him 29th overall in 2014.Los Angeles now has approximately $12 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly. The team has seven more RFAs, including promising defenseman Sean Durzi, along with four UFAs, including Alexander Edler and Andreas Athanasiou.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With his hockey hair spilling out of a new Arizona Coyotes baseball cap and his draft-day fit overlaid by a crisp black No. 22 Kachina jersey, the approachable yet camera-shy Logan Cooley flashed a smile."It still feels like a dream," Cooley said Thursday in the bowels of the Bell Centre, mere minutes removed from being selected third in the NHL draft.Because Cooley didn't go off the board at first or second, and because presumptive top pick Shane Wright immediately became the draft's top story after sliding to fourth, Cooley got lost in the shuffle during the draft in Montreal. He was an afterthought despite being in the running for the No. 1 pick. Dave Sandford / Getty ImagesBut, make no mistake, Cooley is no consolation prize.In fact, he's a foundational piece for Arizona - a 5-foot-10, 174-pound forward who models his game after NHLers Brayden Point and Patrick Kane. Cooley, who led the U.S. National Team Development Program in scoring this past season with 1.47 points per game, is widely considered the most dynamic player in the class. He's an elite skater with new-age flair and plus defending."He's exactly what we need, and he has a chance to be a No. 1 center in the National Hockey League," Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong said."He's the guy you're going to see on highlight reels," NTDP teammate Cutter Gauthier, the No. 5 pick, said of Cooley. And Gauthier's not just pumping his buddy's tires; in April, Cooley pulled off a gorgeous lacrosse-style goal.With help from Cooley - who sat down with theScore at the NHL scouting combine in June - and a handful of people who know him and his game well, let's take a look at three clips that really illustrate the 18-year-old's skill set.Clip 1 - Deception and competitivenessThis sequence from a game against the University of Notre Dame displays Cooley's innate ability to process plays at a rate that matches his foot speed.He receives a pass in the neutral zone and makes a clean zone entry with only one teammate and one opponent in sight. Then, instead of going wide on the defender in a fast-paced two-on-one scenario, he attacks the middle of the ice by changing speeds and directions near the hash marks."On the cutback," Cooley said, "I think I threw the defenseman off." YouTube / ScreenshotA toe drag and two sweeping dekes causes the defender to spin away from Cooley and the goaltender to guess on his shot. "I like to be a deceptive player," Cooley said. "Here, I'm looking one way and then doing another thing that they're not exactly expecting.""One of his greatest attributes," Armstrong said, "is just how he's got an engine. He's really a dynamic skater. He pushes the pace to the middle of the ice and you either have to take him or he dishes the puck."NTDP teammate Rutger McGroarty calls Cooley "the total package" - someone with wheels, silky hands, a lethal shot, and an edginess not always present in high-skill players. "He's ridiculous, man. He just attacks the game," said McGroarty, noting Cooley isn't afraid to initiate contact himself.Seamus Casey, another teammate the past two seasons, praises Cooley's competitiveness. "Anytime in practice, if you're battling and you take a puck from him, you better be ready. He'll hunt you down," the defenseman said.Clip 2 - Speed and smartsThis sequence starts with a teammate shuffling the puck to Cooley on the wing. A few strides later, the forward is zooming past a Finnish defender.As Cooley carries the puck past the hash marks, his inner Kane takes over. "I was thinking backhand on the shot," Cooley said. "At the last second, the puck was rolling so I tried to get it onto my forehand to throw the goalie off." Kane, the fantastically skilled and improvisational Chicago Blackhawks superstar, is a master of switching from backhand to forehand, and vice versa.To go short side here, with such little room to maneuver, is impressive."Cooley's pretty hard to defend," said first-round defenseman Owen Pickering, who's played against him during international competition. "You've got to always stay between the dots on him. He's a very smart player. You've got to get stick on puck. I never felt overwhelmed, but he was difficult." YouTube / ScreenshotA U.S.-based NHL scout who's familiar with Cooley's game pointed out how the Pittsburgh-area teen has long legs, long arms, and a short torso. This suggests Cooley has room to grow. Could he shoot up an inch or two?The scout also predicted that adding muscle at the University of Minnesota will only enhance his skating next season and beyond. "Logan's going to get faster. His edges, his glide, his stride - everything is beautiful, his skating is near-perfect. But he doesn't really have any power. It's all graceful mechanics.""I'm not saying he's Connor McDavid," the scout added. "But we watch all the time how McDavid's moving and playing faster than everybody on the ice. It's incredible and very unique. Well, I think there's going to be times in the NHL where you're going to see Cooley do some similar stuff."Clip 3 - Vision and creativityCooley's a playmaker before he's a scorer, a visionary before he's a finisher. Case in point: in 57 total games against junior, college, and international competition in 2021-22, he racked up 30 goals and 55 assists for 85 points.As this clip shows, the idea of Cooley shooting causes the defense to misplay the power-play rush. Notice how Cooley's head and legs are in shooting positions as he starts skating downhill. Without fully turning his body, he then feathers a no-look pass to a flanked teammate. Boom, one-timer and a goal.Again, deception and creativity from Cooley, this time as a distributor. YouTube / ScreenshotAsked if the NHL needs to loosen up and allow for players like lacrosse-goal enthusiast Trevor Zegras to flourish without criticism, Cooley said this: "Yes and no. The NHL's a business and guys are trying to win. You're going to have the vets who play the 'right way' and then you have the Zegrases who are trying the Michigan and trying to score with a shot between their legs. Having a little bit of both in your game can help you become a really impactful player."In other words, it's about knowing when to lean on the highlight-reel tools and when to rely on a straightforward game - which is something Cooley is still working on, according to the scout. Regardless, he's the type of player who will sell tickets locally (the Coyotes need the help) and on the road."When he's physically mature and rolling in his prime," the scout said, "all 17,000 people in the building will be on the edge of their seat watching his every move."John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It appears there's serious tension between pending unrestricted free agent Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins' front office."Do they want me?" Malkin wrote in a text to The Athletic's Rob Rossi.The Pens have already locked up two of their biggest pending UFAs in Bryan Rust and Kris Letang, but Malkin still remains. Malkin reportedly sent congratulatory texts to Letang, Rust, and backup goalie Casey DeSmith after inking their new deals. Each player asked him if his new contract was next."They think I'm not good anymore," Malkin responded to them, according to Rossi.Negotiations have stalled primarily because of contract term, not average annual value. The Penguins' latest offer was a three-year, $18-million deal, sources told Rossi, though a four-year pact with the same AAV would work for Malkin.Pittsburgh gave Letang, 35, a six-year deal. Malkin turns 36 on July 31.The situation is reportedly so delicate that Sidney Crosby recently paid a visit to Malkin at his home in South Florida."Sid didn't go to convince Malkin to sign," a source told Rossi. "He wanted to check on his friend. He was worried about how hard this is on Geno with Geno not feeling wanted anymore."For his part, Penguins GM Ron Hextall recently said, "I'd like to bring Geno back and I strongly believe Geno wants to come back."Malkin is coming off a highly productive campaign despite missing most of the first half while recovering from offseason knee surgery. The 6-foot-3 center recorded 20 goals and 22 assists in 41 games - an 84-point pace over 82 contests.He ranks third on Pittsburgh's all-time points list with 1,146 in 981 games, trailing only Crosby and Mario Lemieux. He's won three Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe Award, a Hart Trophy, a Ted Lindsay Award, two Art Ross Trophies, and a Calder Trophy during his 16 years with the Penguins.The Penguins still have $15.3 million in projected cap space, but Rickard Rakell and Evan Rodrigues are also still UFAs, while Kasperi Kapanen and Danton Heinen are RFAs.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Filip Forsberg is staying in Nashville, as the Predators agreed to terms with the star winger on an eight-year contract.The pact carries an average annual value of $8.5 million, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports.Forsberg was a pending unrestricted free agent who would've been one of the best players available had he tested the market.The Swede established career highs with 42 goals and the same number of assists over 69 games this past season. Forsberg did produce an inflated shooting percentage of 18.6, nearly 6% higher than his career average (12.9). But only Matt Duchene scored more goals among Predators skaters in 2021-22, and he needed nine more contests to tally one more goal and one more assist.Forsberg, who'll turn 28 on Aug. 13, has spent his entire 10-year career in Nashville. The Washington Capitals drafted him 11th overall in 2012 before infamously trading him to the Predators for Martin Erat and Michael Latta in April 2013.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL draft has passed and the league is on the cusp of its annual pandemonium of free-agent signings. There's no time in the calendar when player agents are busier or more in the spotlight. But agents are more than money men. In this three-part series, John Matisz examines every aspect of the agent's professional life.All three parts are available to be read now. Part 1 below explores the dual tracks of acquiring and keeping clients. Part 2 covers a day in the life of Edmonton-based agent Gerry Johannson. Part 3 looks at how the business is growing and innovating.An NHL player - we'll call him Player X - grabbed lunch with his brother a few weeks ago. Between bites on a restaurant patio, the subject of player representation came up.The brother wanted to know about these agent characters. What's their deal, anyway?"The agent works for the player," Player X explained. "But you take advice from them because they know the business. That's why you have an agent. In a way, you're kind of each other's bosses."Although he's only in his early 20s, Player X has experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly of the agent business. He verbally committed to a big-name agent in junior, but the agent stopped communicating when Player X's ice time dried up. A friend then introduced Player X to an up-and-coming agent, who proceeded to do nothing but criticize his play. Eventually, Player X found a fit: a mid-tier agent "with high integrity." Eliot J. Schechter / Getty ImagesPlayer X made massive strides on the ice this past season. All of a sudden, even though he was perfectly happy with the mid-tier guy, rival agents started pitching him on the sly."If you're trying to take me from another agency, what kind of shit are you going to be doing while I'm with your agency?" Player X said, clearly still irritated by the manner in which one agent tried to poach him on a game day.theScore recently spoke with 40 people in the hockey world - including 22 agents, a handful of players, and a mix of managers, coaches, and others who regularly interact with agents - to better understand player representation. Agents are hugely influential in a number of different ways, yet fans, like Player X's brother, don't know much about them.The recruiting jungle Brent Lewis / Getty ImagesPlayer X was a late bloomer, so he wasn't approached by an agent until his late teens. Someone seen as an elite talent, on the other hand, is nowadays recruited by multiple agencies at the age of 14, 15 at the latest. A few will pitch families of can't-miss players at 13 or even 12.There are 190 agents certified by the NHL Players' Association and at least another 200 uncertified "bird dog" recruiters. Not all of them frequent cold youth hockey rinks in search of prospective clients, but enough do to affect behavior across North America. The player representation space is so saturated and cutthroat in 2022 that the recruiting trail has become, as longtime agent Steve Bartlett of Bartlett Hockey put it, "the wild, wild west.""It just keeps evolving where we're all talking to kids way younger than I would prefer or would like. The landscape keeps pushing it younger and younger," said Bartlett, who broke into the industry in the mid-1980s and now works alongside his sons Brian and Scott."I absolutely hate it," added Ray Petkau, an agent and CEO of the Alpha Hockey group. "What the heck are we doing? As an industry, we shouldn't be representing players at that young of an age. Preteens sometimes have agents, and I think it's ridiculous."A veteran agent based in the northeastern United States laughed when the topic was broached. "I'd use nothing but a whole bunch of profanities to get into the recruiting thing," he said.These reactions aren't in the minority. Plenty of agents are torn over the idea of not only recruiting but also representing a player who's four, five, or six years away from the NHL draft. But ignoring the trend is bad for business.By all accounts, three main forces have driven down the recruitment age.For one, getting in front of a player and his family before everyone else can be pivotal to bringing them on as a client. If nobody's paying attention to the 12-year-old who's been dominating his peers for the past five years and an ambitious wannabe agent starts expressing interest in the kid, the parents will probably bite at the sight of an offer.One agent still trying to get established, who last month scouted a showcase of peewee-aged players, said: "The landscape being what it is, it makes you operate in a world you don't want to operate in."Secondly, players of a certain skill level materially benefit from partnering with an agent at a young age. In Western Canada, for instance, the best eligible 14- and 15-year-olds are chosen in the annual WHL draft, and a player loses his NCAA eligibility the moment he signs a contract or plays an exhibition game with a major-junior team. It's a fork-in-the-road moment."They have a tough decision to make, and they need somebody to point out the differences between major junior and NCAA and what lines not to cross," Bartlett said.The third driving force: parental pride."It becomes a bit of a status symbol for some of them," said Todd Reynolds, partner at recently formed Raze Sports. "It's a bit of clout, and in their minds it will assist them or one-up them over their kid's teammates because they're with a certain agent or agency."SICO, the players' union in Sweden, bans its agents from contacting a player or his family until Jan. 1 of the player's 16-year-old season. Punishment in the form of a fine or license suspension can be levied against agents who disobey. Enforcement is achievable in Sweden because its hockey community is relatively small compared to the U.S. or Canada. Bill Wippert / Getty ImagesThe NHLPA doesn't regulate recruiting practices, in part because it would be extremely difficult to monitor and enforce throughout North America. Several sources pointed out that if the PA decided to ban its certified agents from recruiting players under the age of 16, recruiters with no official ties to the PA would continue to operate.This conundrum - to police the recruiting trail or leave it be - is a divisive issue."I just don't see how you could regulate it," one agent said. "Having the NHLPA hire 10 to 12 investigators at $80,000-$100,000 a pop? Which is going to increase all our agent fees by how much? Just do the math. I don't want to pay $15,000 in agent fees." (Annual fees are currently $2,100 plus tax.)"There will be abuses, no question," 44-year veteran Rick Curran of the ORR agency said of instituting rules. "But I absolutely believe this has gone way out of whack. This has created so many misperceptions. It's so unfortunate because you have an environment now where too many kids and too many parents out there are of the understanding that if they don't have an agent by the time their son is 14 or 15 then there's something wrong, or they've done something wrong, or their son isn't good enough."Introducing legislation, Curran added, "would give the player and the parents an opportunity to focus on what they should be focusing on. Which is to just play hockey."According to an NHLPA spokesperson, the union is "in the process of reviewing agent regulations and hope to have something to present to the executive board in the coming months." Recruiting is among the issues being discussed.The player-agent dynamic Bill Wippert / Getty ImagesPlayer X relies on his agent to rise to the occasion in contract negotiations. That's the foundation of the relationship between the two parties. However, Player X and many of his peers expect additional services from their representatives, who typically receive commission rates of 3%-5% on NHL contracts and 15%-20% on endorsement deals.It depends on the sophistication and size of the agency, but many provide help with various matters such as tax filing, disability insurance, estate planning, personal branding, medical opinions, media training, off-ice workouts, and on-ice development."Lots of people have a false impression of what it's like being an adviser or agent," said an NCAA Division I coach who deals with them daily. "You're a babysitter, you're a butler, you're a concierge, you're a ticket finagler, you're an organizer of events …"Jordan Neumann of Edge Sports Management notes that an important part of the gig involves both reacting to and anticipating a client's needs as a player and person."Sometimes you've got a player you know really well and you know something's not right, whether it's mental health or physical health, and the player's just playing and doing what he does and not asking for help. It's an opportunity for you to intervene and be a wellness protector," said Neumann. Along with partner George Bazos, he represents more than 20 NHLers, including Thatcher Demko and Cam Atkinson.Judd Moldaver of Wasserman Hockey considers himself the CEO of his clients' careers."Each client is their own business," said Moldaver, who represents Auston Matthews and Roman Josi, among others. "Every player and family is unique. What does any good CEO do for their business? They strategize and organize positions like CFO, COO, CMO, and so on. The agency is synchronized and there's a plan. We try to provide proactive updates, not just reactive updates, and represent with consistency. You're overseeing the player's business, and inside of that is advocacy, negotiation, strategic planning, and all kinds of support."In the best-case scenario, a player stays with an agent for his entire career. Through the draft, contracts, trades, strong seasons, poor seasons, marriage, kids - everything life throws at a pro - player and agent can become remarkably close. One NHLer in his mid-30s who met his agent at 15 framed it this way: "He's like my second dad." Ethan Miller / Getty ImagesPlayer and agent don't always click, of course, and players can switch representation at any time. Jack Eichel, Dylan Larkin, Nazem Kadri, Mackenzie Blackwood, Alexandar Georgiev, Philippe Myers, Cody Glass, and Mikhail Sergachev have all moved to a new agency over the past 12 months.Common reasons for wanting to fire an agent include poor negotiating skills and lack of communication. The switch may have more to do with what another firm can offer, such as a lower commission rate or a better menu of services. "Probably the No. 1 reason for switching is non-professional, which is really just friendship," one agent said. "Honestly, guys a lot of times want to join agencies that represent their friends."There's a difference, though, between pitching a player who's openly looking for new representation and pitching a client who's still on another agency's active roster. In most circles, the former is viewed as ethical while the latter tips toward unethical."I've always said, 'I'm happy to date a divorced woman, but I'm not going to have an affair with you,'" Bartlett said. "That's how I differentiate it. If someone is unhappy and has made a decision to change agencies, then you're free game and anybody can pitch.""Compared to most businesses where everybody can work their asses off and grow a market, you're not likely to wake up tomorrow or next week or next year and suddenly have 1,400 NHL players. You're going to have 800 for the foreseeable future," Bartlett added. "So you have a set pie, and people scramble to split the pie. For some agents, their way of doing it is trying to steal your client by whatever means or methods."Bartlett recalls years ago a client receiving a text message from a rival agent in the middle of the draft. The rival claimed the player could get drafted higher if he dropped Bartlett and joined his group. "It was one of the more blatant things I've ever seen," Bartlett said. "The player showed it to me and he goes, 'What, are these guys nuts?!'"An assistant GM for an NHL team sees how delicate a balancing act it can be for agents to serve their clients honestly."You've got to recruit him, retain him, make him happy," the executive said. "But you also want to challenge him at times, because if their play isn't lining up with the contract demands, the agent's got to tell him that. 'You think you're going to make X million but really you're probably a Y million guy.' That's hard to do, because now you're risking the relationship. Is this guy going to go to an agent who's going to tell him what he wants to hear?"No matter how ethically sound an agent may be, if you're around long enough, a client is bound to leave for another firm. The agent's role requires 24/7 commitment, says Alterno Management's Peter Wallen, so getting fired stings, regardless of circumstances."It doesn't just ruin my day, it ruins my week. It can take a week, 10 days to get out of it," Wallen said. "They're dismissing me as a person, because this is not a job, it's a lifestyle. I put all of my life into this."Wallen, who moved his family from Sweden to Washington, D.C., in 2015 to be closer to his clientele, has a stable of NHLers, including Victor Hedman and Gabriel Landeskog. He still thoroughly enjoys scouting, recruiting, and negotiating. What he doesn't love is pitching 14-year-olds and their families.But he's also not going to let the best pass him by."That would be the day I quit my job and do something else," he said.Part 2: The inner workings of a business day at a prominent agency

The St. Louis Blues traded goaltender Ville Husso to the Detroit Red Wings for the 73rd pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, the team announced Friday.Husso, a pending unrestricted free agent, signed a three-year contract with Detroit following the trade, the Red Wings announced.His contract will carry an average annual value of $4.75 million, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.The 27-year-old netminder appeared in 40 games for the Blues in 2021-22, posting a 25-7-6 record with a .919 save percentage.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Cam Talbot doesn't appear to be thrilled at the idea of sharing the crease again next season.The veteran netminder shared his displeasure with Wild brass after Marc-Andre Fleury signed a two-year deal Thursday to remain with the club, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported during the draft Friday."Cam Talbot's representatives have met with (Wild general manager) Bill Guerin a couple times on the weekend, and Guerin has said publicly he wants to bring them both back. ... Talbot, he hasn't spoken yet, but the word is, he's definitely unhappy and the message has been conveyed," Friedman said.Talbot's agent, George Bazos, didn't confirm his client is upset but did say they've talked to the Wild about the situation."We both stated our positions," Bazos told TSN's Pierre LeBrun. "Billy has a lot to think about."Guerin had a fiery response to Bazos' comments."I don't have shit to do," Guerin said, per The Athletic's Michael Russo. "Cam Talbot's under contract. George can say whatever the hell he wants. My team's set right now, and that's the way it goes. We can have all the discussions we want. Cam's a member of our team. We really like Cam. All we're trying to do is win."Talbot was Minnesota's starter for most of the 2021-22 season, going 32-12-4 with a .911 save percentage. He started just one playoff game in the first round against the St. Louis Blues, allowing four goals in a loss.The Wild acquired Fleury prior to the trade deadline. The three-time Stanley Cup champion went 9-2 with a .910 clip in the regular season for Minnesota but struggled to a .906 save percentage and 3.06 goals-against average in the playoffs.Talbot, 35, is under contract for one more season at a $3.66 million cap hit. Fleury will receive $3.5 million per year on his new deal.If Talbot wants out, there should be a strong market for his services. Several teams across the league are seeking goaltending reinforcements, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, and Washington Capitals, among others.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

MONTREAL - NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was booed relentlessly. Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis was cheered endlessly. Fans serenaded first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky with chants of "Ole! Ole! Ole!" as he walked through the Bell Centre en route to a broadcast set.We knew the city of Montreal had been waiting on bated breath for the 2022 NHL Draft, but Thursday night was something else. It was like attending a professional wrestling event, except the entertainment was a bunch of middle-aged men saying the names of teenagers into a microphone on a giant stage.The Canadiens' activity on the draft floor is what took the event to the next level; they didn't just show up, make the safe pick at first overall, chose again at No. 26, and call it a day. No, they made hosting the draft count, seizing an opportunity with the Slafkovsky pick and making two trades, the second of which included the acquisition of Chicago Blackhawks center Kirby Dach."We were looking to improve, get a little bigger, faster in the middle of the ice," general manager Kent Hughes said of the trade for 21-year-old Dach. "There's also, in a perfect world, an age component to it so he can grow with our young core. He fit that description for us." Dave Sandford / Getty ImagesBased on custom T-shirts and vanity signs littered inside the arena, the fanbase wanted the Habs to select Shane Wright. He was the consensus top player in the draft class for most of the 2021-22 season and, generally speaking, a safer bet. He was sitting right there, and Hughes said no thanks.Wright may develop into a first-line center, though most talent evaluators believe he'll top out as a strong second-line pivot. In other words, kind of an unsexy pick. The 6-foot-4 Slafkovsky - with his soft hands, nose for the net, and already impressive international resume for Slovakia - has higher bust potential. Yet the best-case scenario is a franchise-changing player."We were leaning towards Slafkovsky I'd say at some point Wednesday morning," Hughes said, before adding: "His desire to be a difference maker. You see it. You see it in the way he plays. You see it when you speak to him."The type of conviction Hughes showed Thursday is what ownership hoped it was getting when it hired the longtime player agent with no previous hockey operations experience back in January. Like the Slafkovsky pick, the hire came with some risk. While he has plenty left to do this offseason, Hughes looks well-equipped for the gig. With 10 more picks on Day 2, Habs fans were able to rest easy knowing their GM seems like a guy with a plan.Patrick Kane's future uncertainOh, to be in Patrick Kane's head Thursday.Seriously, what was going through the Blackhawks superstar's mind when GM Kyle Davidson pulled the trigger on trades that swapped two-time 40-goal scorer Alex DeBrincat, who's just 24, and 2019 third overall pick Dach for a combined five draft picks?Kane is well aware Chicago is retooling, resetting, rebuilding - whatever you want to call it. But did he know Davidson would be cutting this deep? If he did, he can't be pleased with the absence of prospects and NHLers in the return packages. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesSeventh overall pick Kevin Korchinski (DeBrincat trade), No. 13 pick Frank Nazar (Dach trade), and 25th overall selection Sam Rinzel (a third Chicago trade involving the acquisition of overpaid goalie Petr Mrazek) could blossom into impact players at some point. Sure. But that point isn't anytime soon.There was already speculation Kane could be on the move before his contract expires next summer. One would think his appetite to be a good soldier is nonexistent now. (Captain Jonathan Toews, who's openly wondered what it'd be like to change teams, is probably as good as gone if there's a taker.)Kane's agent told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun midway through the first round that neither Kane nor his camp will "make any decisions or comments" right now.Faller Wright fueled upThe disappointment of not being drafted first overall can impact Wright in two different ways. It can motivate him, or it can break his confidence.Given what we know about his maturity and competitive fire (and what he said in his media availability Thursday), the slight will surely be nothing more than a bump in the road for the new face of the Seattle Kraken franchise.Draft slot aside, Wright landed in a tremendous spot. Seattle is an excellent hockey market. The organization is - by all accounts - top-notch, and he and 2021 first-rounder Matty Beniers have the potential to do some serious damage as a one-two punch down the middle over the next decade.Let's just say it's a better landing spot than the Arizona Coyotes, who passed on Wright with the No. 3 pick.Picks from everywhere Thursday night was truly a testament to hockey's reach across the world.Kids from Slovakia went off the board first and second. Then, two Americans (one from Pennsylvania, the other from Arizona) sandwiched a Canadian to round out the top five. From there, a Czech, a second Canadian, an Austrian, a third Canadian, and a Russian completed the top 10.At the end of the first round, the tally stands at nine Canadians, seven Americans, four Swedes, three Russians, three Slovaks, two Czechs, two Finns, one Austrian, and one Swiss.Player to watch: Jagger Firkus Joe Hrycych / Getty ImagesFirst of all, elite name. Secondly, fantastic mustache. More importantly, however, Firkus is arguably the draft class' most creative player on the ice.What's not to like?Firkus, who many analysts projected would go off the board in the first round, was probably passed over due to his paper-thin 5-foot-10, 151-pound frame. It doesn't help that scouts are concerned about his skating.The Moose Jaw Warriors winger does own a bullet of a shot, and he used his aforementioned artistic flair to score a lacrosse-style goal in the WHL playoffs. Firkus finished with 42 total snipes in 76 regular-season and postseason games in 2021-22. And he's no slouch on the playmaking front."His hockey sense is great," teammate Denton Mateychuk said. "He can come into the zone, and he'll make it look like he's going to shoot, and then he'll slide a pass across everybody. He picks his spots really well with his shot, too."Bonus: The Irma, Alberta, native has a tremendous nickname - the Firkus Circus.Player to watch: Tristan Luneau Chris Tanouye / Getty ImagesThe consensus among scouts is that Luneau's pro ceiling isn't particularly high, which is likely why he didn't hear his name called on opening night.That's not to say the two-way, no-frills defenseman can't make a GM look smart a few years down the road. Luneau moves the puck well and doesn't make a ton of mistakes. The knock is that he doesn't boast one elite skill.There's a solid chance Luneau enjoys a long career as a bottom-pair NHL blue-liner, and truthfully, that'd be decent value for a second-rounder.Luneau comes from an athletic family. His mom was a competitive figure skater, his dad played high-level hockey and football, and his siblings excelled at various sports - from hockey to gymnastics - while growing up in Quebec. In his spare time, Luneau studies world-class athletes through biographical books on the likes of Nicklas Lidstrom, Sidney Crosby, Rafael Nadal, and Kobe Bryant."Every single action he was doing was to get better at basketball," Luneau said of Bryant during a recent interview. "That's incredible to me."This burning desire to learn and turn written lessons into action will serve Luneau well as he transitions from prospect to project for an NHL club.Player to watch: Ty Nelson Chase Agnello-Dean / Getty ImagesIf you're looking for one guy to root for on Day 2, look no further than Nelson.While hockey is in many ways a rich person's sport, Nelson has blue-collar roots and the work ethic to go along with it. His dad a factory worker, Nelson couldn't afford sessions with personal skills coaches at an early age like many of his peers. Instead, he cherished every minute in practice to supplement his development."That's what separates me from some other kids," Nelson said. "I've had to work for everything in my life, and that's my mentality."Also of note, Nelson is a stocky 5-foot-10, 199-pounder. The mohawk-wearing North Bay Battalion defenseman can fire it. He literally split a puck in half by ringing it off the crossbar during an OHL game this past season.A tenacious player with wheels, Nelson models his game after Cale Makar (offensive ability), Morgan Rielly (first pass), and Ryan Ellis (defensive skills).John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland is well aware that acquiring another goaltender should be his priority this offseason."I need one. I've got to get one. It's as simple as that," Holland said Friday following the 2022 NHL Draft, according to NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger. "There's a lot of things we'd like to get done, but none of that can really be addressed until the goalie situation gets ironed out. That's the focus."Edmonton's outlook in the crease has thinned out considerably. Backup netminder Mikko Koskinen is headed overseas after signing with Lugano in Switzerland's National League. Starter Mike Smith's future is uncertain after injuries limited him to just 28 regular-season appearances in 2021-22.One option is youngster Stuart Skinner, who authored a .913 save percentage and 2.62 goals-against average in 13 showings last season. However, Holland isn't ready to put all his eggs into the inexperienced Skinner's basket."We're pleased with the way Stuart has developed and played," Holland said. "But he's the only goalie we've got right now, and at best, he's a 1B."A few potential targets were taken off the board over the past two days. Marc-Andre Fleury re-upped with the Minnesota Wild, while Ville Husso signed with the Detroit Red Wings. But, pending unrestricted free agents Darcy Kuemper and Jack Campbell may still be available when the market opens on July 13.The Oilers gained some extra wiggle room after shipping Zack Kassian and his $3.2-million cap hit to the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday. Veteran defenseman Duncan Keith is reportedly set to retire, so his cap hit of $5.534 million would also come off the books.Edmonton has decisions to make on pending restricted free agents Kailer Yamamoto, Jesse Puljujarvi, and Ryan McLeod, while Evander Kane and Brett Kulak are set to become unrestricted free agents.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov was recently denied entrance into the United States on two occasions, reports The Athletic's Michael Russo.The Russian star reportedly attempted to enter the U.S. from Dubai but was turned away. He later tried to cross the ocean by way of the Caribbean Islands but still wasn't permitted entry. Kaprizov then returned to Russia.The Athletic previously reported that many European players participated in the 2021-22 NHL season without work visas after the league negotiated with the U.S. government to provide exceptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Earlier this week, general manager Bill Guerin refuted a report that Kaprizov returned to the U.S. after Philadelphia Flyers prospect Ivan Fedotov was reportedly detained in Russia on charges of intending to forgo military service.Guerin said Kaprizov was doing well and was staying with friends and family in Russia, adding that the team is trying to find out more about his situation.Fedotov's agent, J.P. Barry, said the goaltender is at a remote military base in northern Russia.NHL commissioner Gary Bettman remained tight-lipped on the situation with tensions mounting between the United States and Russia as the conflict in Ukraine continues."I don't want to say anything that could be misconstrued or cause an inflammation of a sensitive situation," Bettman told reporters ahead of the 2022 NHL Draft on Thursday, per The Athletic.He added: "We probably don’t have the full story as to what’s going on in terms of what each player's relationship is in Russia with respect to the government, and we're going to have to respect the process as to what goes on."Kaprizov, 25, led the Wild with 108 points in 81 games in 2021-22.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Florida Panthers signed forward Eetu Luostarinen to a two-year contract extension, the team announced Friday.The deal carries an average annual value of $1.5 million, according to CapFriendly. Luostarinen was a pending restricted free agent.Luostarinen scored nine goals and 17 assists in 78 games while averaging 13:26 of ice time per contest with the Panthers in 2021-22. He chipped in with two points in 10 playoff games before Florida was swept out of the postseason by the Tampa Bay Lightning.The Panthers acquired the 23-year-old's services from the Hurricanes at the 2020 trade deadline as part of the swap that sent Vincent Trocheck to Carolina.Selected by the Hurricanes in the second round of the 2017 draft, Luostarinen has 35 points in 130 career NHL games.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Duncan Keith is hanging up his skates.The future Hall of Famer decided to retire from the NHL after 17 seasons, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.Keith is one of the most decorated players of his era. He won three Stanley Cups, two Norris Trophies, and a Conn Smythe Award with the Chicago Blackhawks as well as two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada.The 38-year-old finishes his career with 646 points in 1,256 games. He added 91 points in 151 postseason contests.Chicago drafted Keith 54th overall in 2002. He spent the first 16 years of his career in the Windy City but was traded to Edmonton last offseason.Keith had one year left on his contract with a $5.538-million cap hit, so the Oilers suddenly have additional flexibility to play with. The Blackhawks, meanwhile, are hit with the following cap recapture penalty, per CapFriendly.SeasonCap hit2022-23$5.538M2023-24$1.938MThe rebuilding Hawks have ample cap space, so this penalty shouldn't drastically alter their plans.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Nashville Predators traded forward Luke Kunin to the San Jose Sharks for forward John Leonard and a 2023 third-round pick, the teams announced.Kunin recorded 13 goals and nine assists in 82 games with the Predators last season while averaging 13:50 per contest. He's played center in the past but spent most of 2021-22 on the wing.The 24-year-old is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. His qualifying offer will be for $2.3 million.The Minnesota Wild originally drafted Kunin 15th overall in 2016. He's averaged 15 goals and 16 assists per 82 games across five NHL seasons between the Preds and Wild.Leonard, 23, has tallied four goals and 11 assists in 58 career NHL games. He also added 32 points in 45 appearances with the AHL's San Jose Barracuda last season.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vancouver Canucks drafted Elias Pettersson with the 80th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.Yes, you read that right. No, Vancouver's superstar forward did not re-enter the draft five years later. Instead, The Canucks picked a Swedish blue-liner with the exact same name as the fifth overall pick from 2017.The new Pettersson entered the draft as Central Scouting's 37th-ranked European Skater. The 6-foot-2 rearguard suited up for Orebro's under-18, under-20, and top-flight squads this season. He was most productive at the under-20 level, racking up 18 points in 37 games. Pettersson also won a gold medal with Sweden at the under-18s.The 18-year-old says he's never met Vancouver's incumbent Elias Pettersson.It's hard to blame the Canucks for their strategy Friday. Historically, Elias Petterssons have been terrific for the franchise, with the first winning a Calder Trophy and racking up 221 points in 245 career games.We can only hope the two Petterssons share the ice someday.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames used their first pick of the 2022 NHL Draft on Topi Ronni, selecting the Finnish center 59th overall.Ronni, listed at 6-foot-1 and 181 pounds, entered the draft as Central Scouting's 31st-ranked European skater. He bounced around the Finnish ranks this past season but was most productive with Tappara's Under-20 squad, scoring 29 points in 30 games.The 18-year-old also shined at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, registering six points in five games.The Flames shipped their 2022 first-rounder to the Montreal Canadiens in February as part of the Tyler Toffoli deal. Barring a trade, Calgary will only make two more selections Friday - one in Round 5 and one in Round 7.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Carolina Hurricanes traded defenseman Tony DeAngelo to the Philadelphia Flyers for a trio of draft picks, the teams announced.The Canes will receive a 2024 second-round pick, a 2023 third-round pick, and a 2022 fourth-round pick. The Flyers are also getting a 2022 seventh-rounder.Philadelphia is also signing DeAngelo, a restricted free agent, to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $5 million, according to LeBrun.DeAngelo, 26, recorded 51 points in 64 games with the Canes last season - his lone campaign in Carolina. He's regarded as a talented offensive defenseman, but he struggles defensively. Evolving-Hockey.comBefore joining the Canes, DeAngelo spent the previous four seasons with the New York Rangers before they bought out his contract. DeAngelo was infamously involved in a skirmish with Rangers teammate Alexandar Georgiev in 2020-21 and was placed on waivers the next day.DeAngelo now joins a Flyers blue line that projects as follows:LDRDIvan ProvorovRyan EllisTravis SanheimTony DeAngeloCam YorkRasmus RistolainenHowever, Ellis missed all but four games last season, and his status for 2022-23 is still in question.The Hurricanes, meanwhile, will need reinforcements on their blue line. The team only has Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, and Jalen Chatfield signed for next season. Ethan Bear is an RFA, but his return isn't guaranteed. Both Ian Cole and Brendan Smith are UFAs.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs selected Kamloops Blazers center Fraser Minten with their first pick, 38th overall, in the 2022 NHL Draft.Minten recorded 20 goals and 35 assists in 67 games with the Blazers last season. He also added 16 points in 17 playoff contests.The Athletic's senior draft writer, Corey Pronman, ranked Minten as his No. 64 prospect."Minten can make things happen with the puck," he wrote. "He has a good enough stick, he can move pucks into seams and make plays under pressure. He also has a very good wrist shot and can score from the circles."Minten's skating is OK. He lacks quick burst but with his size, he's able to get around guys enough. He competes well enough but can draft too much to the perimeter, though. I think he plays games but he'll need to add dimensions to carve out a regular NHL role."The Vancouver native is listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Montreal Canadiens selected forward Owen Beck 33rd overall Friday to begin the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft.Beck is a 6-foot-1 center who recorded 51 points in 68 games in his first season with the OHL's Mississauga Steelheads in 2021-22. He added six points in 10 playoff contests.The Canadiens have been one of the league's busiest teams at the draft. They selected Juraj Slafkovsky first overall Thursday, then used their second first-rounder on Filip Mesar. Rookie general manager Kent Hughes also swung a deal to acquire Kirby Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks.Montreal has one more pick in the second round followed by eight selections across Rounds 3-8.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Washington Capitals traded goaltender Vitek Vanecek and the 46th pick in the 2022 NHL Draft to the New Jersey Devils for the No. 37 and No. 70 selections, the Devils announced on Friday.Vanecek appeared in 42 games for the Capitals in 2021-22. The 26-year-old posted a 20-12 record with a 2.67 GAA and .908 save percentage. He also recorded four shutouts.There have been a number of moves involving netminders in recent days. On Friday, the Detroit Red Wings acquired Ville Husso from the St. Louis Blues, which followed trades involving Petr Mrazek and Alexandar Georgiev on Thursday.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs dealt goaltender Petr Mrazek and the 25th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft to the Chicago Blackhawks for the 38th selection.The Blackhawks used the 25th choice to take high-school defenseman Sam Rinzel.Mrazek is under contract through 2023-24 with a $3.8-million cap hit. Toronto isn't retaining any of his salary in the deal, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said the move will allow Toronto to explore more possibilities in the crease."With the cap space we have now, every option is available to us, whether that's (Jack Campbell) or the others (in free agency) or via trade," he said, according to The Athletic's Jonas Siegel. "I think it opens up a lot for us."Dubas added that he's comfortable with allowing young goaltenders Joseph Woll and Erik Kallgren to duke it out for the backup role, per Sportsnet's Luke Fox. The executive is set to meet with Campbell in the coming days.Mrazek, 30, went 12-6-0 with an .888 save percentage in 18 games with the Leafs this past season. It was his first campaign with the team after signing a three-year pact last July.He's a 10-year NHL veteran who's also played for the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, and Carolina Hurricanes.The Leafs now have approximately $10 million in cap space with pending unrestricted free agents including Campbell and Ilya Mikheyev, along with potential RFAs Rasmus Sandin, Pierre Engvall, and Ondrej Kase.Chicago's two other NHL goalies, Kevin Lankinen and Collin Delia, are pending UFAs.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Edmonton Oilers traded veteran forward Zack Kassian, the 29th overall pick, a 2024 third-rounder, and a 2025 second-rounder to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for the No. 32 selection, both teams announced Thursday.The Coyotes went on to take Canadian defenseman Maveric Lamoureux with the 29th overall pick. The Oilers used the 32nd selection to grab forward Reid Schaefer from the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds.Kassian, 31, logged six goals and 13 assists in 58 contests last season while averaging just under 12 minutes of ice time per game. He pitched in with two goals and two assists in 16 games during the Oilers' run to the Western Conference Final.He has two seasons remaining on his deal with an average annual value of $3.2 million, per CapFriendly. The Oilers aren't retaining any of his salary, according to TSN's Chris Johnston.Drafted 13th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2009, Kassian has 201 points in 610 career NHL games.Lamoureux spent last season with the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL. The 6-foot-7 blue-liner posted four goals and 20 assists in 54 games.Schaefer ranked third on the Thunderbirds with 32 goals in 66 games in 2021-22.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Arizona Coyotes selected Conor Geekie with the 11th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.Arizona traded up to acquire Geekie's services, sending the 27th, 34th, and 45th overall picks to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for the No. 11 selection.Conor GeekiePosition: Center

The New York Rangers have traded goaltender Alexandar Georgiev to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for 2022 and 2023 third-round picks and a 2022 fifth-rounder, the team announced.Georgiev posted a career-worst .898 save percentage in 33 games with the Rangers last season while backing up Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin. The 26-year-old owns a .908 save percentage in 129 appearances over his five-year career.Darcy Kuemper, who helped lead the Avalanche to the 2022 Stanley Cup, will now test free agency, as the club didn't have the cap space to keep him, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.Georgiev projects to share the Colorado crease with Pavel Francouz next season. In fact, Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic said during the first round of Thursday's draft that he acquired Georgiev to be the team's No. 1 goalie, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen.However, Colorado will need to sign Georgiev first. The Bulgarian backstop is a restricted free agent that carries a qualifying offer of $2.65 million. He can become a UFA in 2023.The Avalanche currently don't own a draft pick until the sixth round.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Winnipeg Jets drafted Rutger McGroarty with the 14th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.Rutger McGroartyPosition: Center/Right wing

The Seattle Kraken put a stop to Shane Wright's fall in the 2022 NHL Draft, nabbing the Kingston Frontenacs star with the fourth overall pick.Many projected Wright to be taken first overall, but the Montreal Canadiens selected Juraj Slafkovsky in that spot. The New Jersey Devils then took Simon Nemec second, and the Arizona Coyotes chose Logan Cooley third."I'm definitely going to have a chip on my shoulder from this, that's for sure," Wright said after being selected, according to the Seattle Times' Geoff Baker.However, the OHL standout tried to take a positive approach to the outcome."I was drafted by an NHL franchise," Wright added. "I was drafted by a team with a lot of potential. It's a great city with a great fan base. Obviously, you want to go first. It’s definitely something every guy wants to be able to do going into the draft."But I couldn't be happier with being in Seattle. I couldn't be happier with being a (member of the) Kraken. I'm really excited about the future I have in Seattle."Shane WrightPosition: Center

Colorado Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic took home the 2021-22 Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award, the league announced Thursday during Round 1 of the 2022 NHL Draft.Sakic beat out the Tampa Bay Lightning's Julien BriseBois and the New York Rangers' Chris Drury for the honor.The award is voted on by the league's 32 general managers, a panel of NHL executives, and the media after the second round of the playoffs.Sakic earned the lion's share of the first-place votes and appeared on 29 out of 42 ballots. Here are the full results:

The Vancouver Canucks selected Jonathan Lekkerimaki with the 15th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.Jonathan LekkerimakiPosition: Left wing