Wild sign ROY runner-up Brock Faber to 8-year, $68M extension
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin saw more than enough potential in Brock Faber’s rookie season to sign the defenseman to an eight-year, $68 million contract extension Monday. The deal doesn’t kick in until the 2025-26 season once Faber’s rookie contract expires. It comes after the...
Flyers sign All-Star Travis Konecny to an 8-year extension worth $70 millionVideo
The Philadelphia Flyers signed All-Star Travis Konecny to an eight-year extension worth $70 million, committing to him being a long-term part of their core as they seek to shift from rebuilding mode to contending. The deal announced Thursday keeps Konecny under contract through 2033. He will count $8.75 million against...
Oilers hire Bowman as GM less than 3 years since he resigned after Blackhawks sexual assault scandal
EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Oilers hired Stan Bowman as general manager and executive vice president of hockey operations on Wednesday, making him the first former Chicago Blackhawks executive re-hired by an NHL team since the team’s 2010 sexual assault scandal came to light in recent years. The league reinstated...
Buffalo Sabres avert arbitration by agreeing to sign forward Beck Malenstyn to a 2-year contract
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres averted salary arbitration by agreeing to sign newly acquired forward Beck Malenstyn to a two-year, $2.7 million contract on Tuesday. The 26-year-old Malenstyn was a restricted free agent and had opted for salary arbitration earlier this month. The Sabres acquired the hard-hitting left winger...
Columbus Blue Jackets hire Dean Evason as coach
The Columbus Blue Jackets hired Dean Evason as coach Monday, filling the NHL’s final vacancy two months before training camps open. Evason, 59, will be Columbus’ third coach in as many seasons not counting Mike Babcock being hired and resigning on the eve of training camp last September. The team...
First Call: Overlooked Steelers angle before training camp; love for Paul Skenes, not much for NHL
After a week off at “Breakfast With Benz,” there is plenty of catching up to do. We have a lot to preview as NFL training camps begin and the Pittsburgh Pirates get back into divisional play this week. For our initial “First Call” back from break, let’s get recalibrated by...
Capitals promote Chris Patrick to GM, Brian MacLellan remains president of hockey operations
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Washington Capitals named Chris Patrick as their general manager on Monday with longtime GM Brian MacLellan remaining president of hockey operations. Patrick, 48, who was also named as a senior vice president, has worked for the Capitals in various capacities since 2009 and served as assistant...
Buffalo Sabres acquire forward Ryan McLeod in a trade with Edmonton
The Buffalo Sabres acquired forward Ryan McLeod in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers on Friday, getting an established NHL player who just experienced a long playoff run in exchange for one of the organization’s top prospects. Buffalo received McLeod and minor leaguer Tyler Tullio from the Western Conference champions...
Red Wings sign 2-time Stanley Cup champion Vladimir Tarasenko away from the Panthers
The raiding of the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers continued Wednesday with the Detroit Red Wings signing winger Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million. Tarasenko, 32, is the sixth player from Florida’s Game 7 lineup to leave in free agency, not an uncommon theme around the NHL...
Jessica Campbell will be the first woman on an NHL bench as assistant coach with the Seattle Kraken
SEATTLE — Jessica Campbell will become the first woman to work on the bench of an NHL franchise after the Seattle Kraken hired her as an assistant coach Wednesday. Campbell has spent the past two seasons working as an assistant coach for Seattle’s AHL affiliate in Coachella Valley alongside head...
After whirlwind stretch, Dan Bylsma settles into first few days as Kraken head coachVideo
SEATTLE — At some point, Dan Bylsma will get a semblance of an offseason and a little downtime. Right now, it seems like nonstop chaos for the new coach of the Seattle Kraken. “It’s good to get here and kind of get focused on just the Kraken,” Bylsma said. “The...
States with no income tax have NHL free agency advantage
When the Tampa Bay Lightning made moves at the NHL Draft to clear salary cap space, general manager Julien BriseBois hoped a variety of factors would entice players to sign as free agents. One, of course, was the organization’s penchant for winning and the talent already on the roster. Another,...
NHL schedule features Stanley Cup rematch on Dec. 16, Stamkos’ homecoming on Oct. 28Video
Newly relocated free agents Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault had big reasons to circle their calendars when the NHL released its full regular-season schedule Tuesday. So, too, did newly hired coaches in Craig Berube, Sheldon Keefe and Dan Bylsma. As for the Stanley Cup Final rematches, the defending champion Florida...
Analysis: Big spenders across the NHL made winners out of free agents across the league
Brad Treliving kept hearing the message from agents he talked to at the start of NHL free agency. “The cap’s going up,” the Toronto Maple Leafs general manager said. “They reminded me the cap was going up.” The salary cap went up significantly for the first time in several years...
First Call: What the Steelers are worth vs. other NFL teams; lots of ex-Penguins on new teams
Tuesday’s “First Call” compares the value of the Pittsburgh Steelers versus the rest of the NFL. We also preview the upcoming Pirates-Cardinals series, recap some team-hopping from a bunch of ex-Penguins, and get news about a Robert Morris hockey player who is getting a look from one of the NHL’s...
NHL reinstates Bowman, Quenneville after being banned for their role in Blackhawks assault scandalVideo
The NHL lifted its ban on longtime coach Joel Quenneville and executives Stan Bowman and Al MacIsaac on Monday, clearing the way for their return to the league more than two years after they were punished in the fallout from the Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault scandal. “For more than the...
Predators make free agency splash by signing 2023 playoff MVP Jonathan Marchessault
The Nashville Predators made a huge splash when NHL free agency opened Monday by signing Stanley Cup champion forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault as part of a jaw-dropping series of moves topping $100 million that made Smashville the center of attention across hockey. Stamkos left Tampa Bay after 16...
Tampa Bay Lightning acquire the rights to Jake Guentzel on the eve of free agency
The Tampa Bay Lightning got a head start on free agency by acquiring the rights to high-scoring winger Jake Guentzel on Sunday. The Lightning sent a 2025 third-round draft pick to Carolina. The move allows the Lightning to sign Guentzel before he hits the open market on Monday. Guentzel is...
Lightning, Capitals make significant trades on NHL Draft’s 2nd day
It is retooling time around the NHL before the start of free agency, and a handful of teams in the Eastern Conference used the second day of the draft to shake up their roster for next season and beyond. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals were the most active,...
Utah Hockey Club makes splash, trades for for Mikhail Sergachev, John MarinoVideo
LAS VEGAS — Whether it’s owner Ryan Smith’s contagious drive, the excitement of adding two centers in the first round of the NHL Draft, or the new blue suit, tie and Utah Hockey Club pin on his lapel he wore, general manager Bill Armstrong woke up energized Saturday. “I woke...
Avalanche draft Peters Township’s Christian Humphreys in 7th roundVideo
LAS VEGAS — Christian Humphreys wasn’t at the NHL Draft in Nevada. There were profound reasons to be elsewhere. He was on vacation with his family in the Turks and Caicos. “Whatever happens, happens,” Humphreys said by phone earlier this month. “It’s going to be great to spend family time....
San Jose Sharks select Boston University’s Macklin Celebrini with No. 1 pick in NHL Draft
LAS VEGAS — Macklin Celebrini headlined an NHL Draft by going first overall to the San Jose Sharks on a night hockey and Las Vegas royalty mixed company under the visual spectacle the Sphere on Friday night. French-Canadian chanteuse Celine Dion and longtime boxing announcer Michael Buffer shared the stage...
Stars, Flyers buy out Suter, Atkinson as NHL teams clear space for offseason moves
Buyout season is underway around the NHL as teams clear salary cap space for upcoming moves. The Dallas Stars on Friday bought out the final year of veteran defenseman Ryan Suter’s contract after his disappointing playoffs. The Philadelphia Flyers are moving in the same direction with underproducing winger Cam Atkinson,...
Mark Madden: As always, NHL fails to recognize the value of star power
Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final drew 7.7 million TV viewers in the U.S., the NHL’s biggest audience in five years. The WNBA game between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese this past Sunday, thought of as a breakthrough for women’s pro basketball, was watched by 2.3 million. It was...
Intrigue of NHL Draft expected to begin after top pick
LAS VEGAS — San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier is trying to keep whom he’s selecting with the first pick in the NHL Draft on Friday a mystery, even after he more than hinted at his intentions last month. After excitedly noting the big opportunity it was for a...
