NHL free agency roundup: Hurricanes, Rangers turn rivalry into signing frenzyVideo
Don Waddell’s expectations were so low on the chances of improving the Carolina Hurricanes roster to open NHL free agency Saturday, the general manager told his staff they might not even have to come into the office. Some four hours into the signing period, Waddell came away with a big...
Mike Babcock back in NHL as coach of Blue Jackets
Mike Babcock is back in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets, confident he has evolved as a coach in his nearly four years out of a pro job. The 2008 Stanley Cup-winning coach with Detroit finally took over Saturday in Columbus, Ohio, introduced as the person the organization’s brass...
Golden Knights re-sign goalie Adin Hill on eve of free agency
Adin Hill is returning to the Vegas Golden Knights after backstopping them to their first Stanley Cup title in franchise history. The Golden Knights re-signed their playoff hero goaltender Friday to a $9.8 million, two-year deal that carries an annual salary cap hit of $4.9 million through 2025. Hill is...
First Call: Steelers still linked to ILB; ex-Steelers CB has a new team; outlet unimpressed by Penguins’ draft
Friday’s “First Call” takes yet another look at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ inside linebacker position. One blossoming Steeler makes a list of young NFL superstars. And an ex-Steelers defensive back has a new team. Plus the Penguins draft got at least one mediocre review, and we check in on the next...
Flat salary cap, lack of high-profile stars dull start of NHL free agency
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Bill Guerin didn’t need to be reminded of how thin the upcoming crop of NHL free agents is regarded, or how numerous teams already have maxed out their payroll because of a salary cap that’s remained relatively flat since the covid-19 pandemic hit. What the Minnesota Wild...
NHL draft wraps up with 11 picks for Chicago, dearth of trades ahead of free agency
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Chicago Blackhawks acquired their latest generational talent along with a big dose of speed in one of the NHL’s largest draft hauls. They also made another big move for their future Thursday by adding veteran Corey Perry to help teach No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard...
First Call: T.J. Watt slips on list of top NFL edge rushers; NHL’s top pick to start career vs. Pens; Carey Price’s live draft gaffe
Steelers star T.J. Watt loses ground in one offseason ranking. Connor Bedard will make his debut in Pittsburgh against Sidney Crosby. The Pirates will square off against an old friend Wednesday afternoon. We know Duquesne’s Atlantic 10 opponents. And an all-time goaltending great has an all-time televised mishap. All that...
Generational talent Connor Bedard taken 1st in NHL Draft by Blackhawks
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Chicago Blackhawks selected Connor Bedard with the first pick in the NHL Draft on Wednesday night, kick-starting a hopeful new era with a highly skilled offensive forward who’s drawn comparisons to Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby. Bedard became the second No. 1 pick in Blackhawks history,...
Avalanche trade for Ross Colton from the Lightning. They’re expected to lose J.T. Compher
The Colorado Avalanche acquired forward Ross Colton in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, hours before the start of the NHL draft. Colorado sent the 37th pick in the draft to Tampa Bay for the player who scored the Lightning’s Stanley Cup-clinching goal in 2021. The move...
Fresh off playoff appearance, New Jersey Devils re-sign forward Timo Meier to 8-year, $70M contract
NEWARK, N.J. — The New Jersey Devils secured another piece from last year’s team, re-signing forward Timo Meier to an eight-year, $70.4 million contract through the 2030-31 NHL season. General manager Tom Fitzgerald announced the signing of the restricted free agent Wednesday, hours before the start of the league’s draft...
Tennessee State will become the first HBCU to add ice hockey
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee State University announced Wednesday it will become the first historically Black college and university to introduce ice hockey. The school plans to have a men’s team playing at the club level in 2024, with a goal of fielding Division I men’s and women’s teams “in the...
Alex Killorn, J.T. Compher and Ivan Barbashev are among the NHL free agents to watch
Stanley Cup rings have a handful of players set up for big paydays when NHL free agency opens Saturday. Recent champions Alex Killorn, J.T. Compher and Ivan Barbashev, as well as three-time winner Patrick Kane, are among the players available in the free agent market. It includes a handful of...
Adam Fantilli not worried about being overshadowed at NHL DraftVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In a different year, this NHL Draft might have been considered the chase for Adam Fantilli as the top pick rather than the Connor Bedard sweepstakes. Fantilli’s got the size at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds as well as a proven ability to put the puck in the...
Sharks acquire goalie Mackenzie Blackwood from Devils, working to trade Erik KarlssonVideo
While the San Jose Sharks have acquired a goaltender, they’re still looking to trade their best player. The Sharks acquired goalie Mackenzie Blackwood from the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. They’re still looking to deal Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson to a contender. “He would like the chance to have...
Blackhawks set to begin rebuild with anticipated selection of Connor Bedard in NHL DraftVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson arrived for the NHL Draft in Music City this week reflecting on the teardown job he began conducting a summer ago by trading away Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach. And that was before Davidson essentially completed the process by dealing away...
Pierre-Luc Dubois acquired by Kings in sign-and-trade deal with JetsVideo
The Los Angeles Kings acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois in a major sign-and-trade deal with the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday. The 25-year-old center was a restricted free agent but told the Jets this month that he didn’t plan on re-signing with them. Dubois agreed to an eight-year extension worth $8.5 million annually...
Kevin Hayes traded from Flyers to Blues for 6th-round pick in 2024Video
PHILADELPHIA — The St. Louis Blues acquired center Kevin Hayes from the Philadelphia Flyers for a sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft. The teams announced the trade Tuesday, the day before the first round of the draft. The Flyers are retaining half of Hayes’ $7.14 million salary cap hit for...
NHL, players unveil inclusion coalition they hope will help make hockey more diverse and welcoming
The NHL and NHLPA are launching a new inclusion committee made up of current and former men’s and women’s players, with minority and LGBTQ+ representation, aimed at diversifying hockey and making the sport more welcoming. The NHL Player Inclusion Coalition unveiled Tuesday is the latest step in a process started...
Chicago Blackhawks acquire forward Taylor Hall in multiplayer trade with Boston Bruins
CHICAGO — Taylor Hall knows a lot about being the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft. That should come in handy for Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. Hall was traded from Boston to Chicago on Monday, clearing some valuable cap space for the Bruins and giving the Blackhawks...
Connor Bedard broke windows, records in becoming NHL Draft’s presumptive No. 1 pick
The tales of how much time Connor Bedard devoted to developing his precise and productive puck-shooting skills while growing up in the secluded neighborhood of Lynn Valley, tucked amid Vancouver’s North Shore mountains, have become the stuff of lore. Marred floors, broken windows, the thud of shots keeping neighbors up...
Hurricanes re-sign Jordan Staal to a 4-year, $11.6 million contract
RALEIGH, N.C. — Jordan Staal is staying with the Carolina Hurricanes after signing a four-year contract worth $11.6 million. The team announced the deal with their captain Sunday, less than a week before Staal would have become an unrestricted free agent. He’s not going anywhere, sticking around to try to...
NHLPA launches a new program to help players prepare for retirement, life after hockey
Early in his time in the NHL, Darnell Nurse says he did not notice a lot of players talking about what to do after hockey. Going into his ninth season, the chatter is now normal. “People are curious as to what there is outside the game and what you can...
Mark Madden: The NHL is broken. Here’s how to fix it
UFC impresario Dana White offered a candid assessment of the NHL: “They are all old, dumb (expletive) people that have no idea what’s going on. They have no idea where this younger generation is, how you reach them.” (There’s a Van Halen lyric in there somewhere.) White pointed out that...
Vegas-Florida Stanley Cup Final shows the value of street hockey in many U.S. markets
Music blared from speakers outside the Vegas Golden Knights’ practice facility while kids ran around with hockey sticks, batting a ball into a couple of nets. Pizza was available nearby. A similar scene played out a week later steps from the Florida Panthers’ arena before Stanley Cup Final games, with...
First Call: T.J. Watt still beating himself up over pec injury; Craig Patrick endorses Penguins’ hire of Kyle Dubas
Monday’s “First Call” features some personal introspection from Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt. Kyle Dubas gets a hearty endorsement from a former Penguins general manager. A precedent is set for NHL buyout candidates. And an ex-Pirates player makes an interesting decision. Full ‘Watt’ age in 2023? Former NFL Defensive Player of...
