P.K. Subban ‘extremely excited’ about with trade to Devils
NEWARK, N.J. — P.K. Subban wasn’t exactly shocked Saturday when the six-time All-Star defenseman was traded from the Nashville Predators to the New Jersey Devils. “I’ve been through the process before,” Subban said in a conference call with the media Sunday. “There was a lot of talk after the season...
Trades of P.K. Subban, Patrick Marleau overshadow Day 2 of NHL Draft
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — On the second day of the NHL Draft, the salary cap crashed the party. P.K. Subban, Patrick Marleau and J.T. Miller were on the move Saturday as teams tried to get into position to bring back their own players or add to their roster during free...
Devils select US center Jack Hughes with 1st pick in NHL Draft
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — American center Jack Hughes and Finland’s Kaapo Kakko being selected with the first two picks in the NHL Draft hardly was a surprise. The New Jersey Devils opened the draft Friday by making Hughes the eighth American chosen with the No. 1 pick. And the New...
Kaapo Kakko ready for answer if he’s No. 1 or No. 2 in NHL Draft
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — While he spoke quietly and did the best he could to answer in English, Kaapo Kakko was prepared for the attention that came his way when all of the top NHL draft prospects gathered together on a boat sitting dockside in Vancouver Harbor. He was surrounded...
Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov tops Penguins’ Sidney Crosby in NHL MVP voting
Coming into the NHL’s annual postseason awards ceremony Wednesday night, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby didn’t think he had a great shot at winning his third Hart Trophy as league MVP. His assessment was right on the money. Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov, who won the scoring title by 12 points...
NHL notebook: Flyers sign center Kevin Hayes
The Philadelphia Flyers signed center Kevin Hayes to a $50 million, seven-year contract. Hayes becomes the Flyers’ third-highest paid player with a deal worth $7.14 million per season and should step in as their new No. 2 center behind Sean Couturier. General manager Chuck Fletcher announced the signing Wednesday, saying...
NHL salary cap could initiate trade free-for-all
Matt Niskanen wasn’t totally shocked when the Washington Capitals traded him to Philadelphia last week. One look at their salary cap picture explained it. “I know what kind of situation Washington was in, so I knew there was a possibility,” he said. General managers say there is more trade chatter...
Fantasy sports podcast: Penguins lead hockey interest, MLB offense soars, NBA chaos
We’ve moved up our Rotowire fantasy sports podcast for the week. Good timing. There’s a lot to get to in the fantasy sports world with Jeff Erickson. That record-setting Padres-Rockies series over the weekend was reason enough. Then there is the injury to Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard and the improvement...
Sharks re-signing Erik Karlsson sets table for busy NHL offseason
Erik Karlsson had no wanderlust to test the free-agent market before re-signing in San Jose. “I never thought outside that box,” Karlsson said. “I’m happy that it didn’t get to that.” A handful of other teams aren’t so happy because the two-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman would have been the best...
Lightning re-sign Braydon Coburn to $3.4M, 2-year deal
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed defenseman Braydon Coburn to a $3.4 million, two-year deal. Coburn will count $1.7 million against the salary cap in each of the next two seasons. General manager Julien BriseBois announced the contract Tuesday. The 34-year-old had four goals and 19 assists...
First Call: Josh Bell maintains All-Star lead; what could Penguins trade 1st-round pick for?
In “First Call” Tuesday, the Pirates need to get fat against the Tigers. Josh Bell still leads in All-Star voting at first base, but not by much. Draft picks are good currency in the NHL. And Lavar Ball continues to act like a moron. Terrible Tigers Boy, the Tigers are...
Sharks sign D Erik Karlsson to monster 8-year deal
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks have re-signed pending free agent defenseman Erik Karlsson to an eight-year deal. The Sharks announced the deal on Monday, two weeks before Karlsson was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. TSN first reported the deal that is expected...
First Call: Carl Hagelin stays with Capitals; another Carmody commits to Notre Dame
For “First Call” Monday, the Stanley Cup celebration in St. Louis was quite a show. There were a few hockey signings of note for Penguins fans. And another WPIAL star is heading to South Bend. Home for Haggy Carl Hagelin is staying with Washington. The former Penguin played in Pittsburgh,...
Escrow looms as biggest issue in upcoming NHL CBA talks
Jonathan Toews said he just wants his contract to be worth what it says on paper. Right now, it’s not that simple. Under terms of the collective bargaining agreement, NHL owners and players divide hockey-related revenue 50/50, and if player salaries exceed that split a certain percentage is withheld in...
Capitals trade Niskanen to Flyers for Gudas, clear cap space
The Flyers acquired Matt Niskanen from the Capitals for Radko Gudas on Friday in a one-for-one swap of defensemen that upgrades Philadelphia’s blue line offense and gives Washington much needed salary-cap space. Niskanen provides the Flyers with an offensive-minded, right-handed shot who can also help on the power play. Philadelphia...
Heartache turns to triumph for St. Louis sports fans
ST. LOUIS — At age 100, Marge Kirchhoefer is among the oldest St. Louis Blues fans and now that they are Stanley Cup champions, she knows exactly how she will celebrate. “It’s too good to be true,” Kirchhoefer said. “I have friends and we all party together. We’re going to...
Blues win Stanley Cup title in Game 7 road victory over BruinsVideo
BOSTON — Ryan O’Reilly scored for the fourth straight game, and rookie Jordan Binnington stopped 32 shots in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins and their first NHL championship. Alex Pietrangelo added...
Eric Lindros backing anti-concussion efforts in native Canada
TORONTO — Hockey Hall of Famer Eric Lindros is hoping a new campaign launched across Ontario will help amateur athletes, parents and coaches better identify the signs and symptoms of a concussion after his career was cut short by repeated blows to the head. “You see anything that’s off or...
NHL competition committee recommends expansion of instant replay
After several controversial calls sparked outrage during the Stanley Cup playoffs, the NHL/NHLPA competition committee has recommended an expansion of instant replay. The committee called for changes to the coach’s challenge system as well as the expansion of a referee’s ability to review calls on his own. The committee did...
Steelers’ Sutton Smith, ex-hockey player and Blues fan, breaks down Stanley Cup Final
It’s Blues vs. Bruins on Wednesday in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. So I turned to the best possible hockey expert in Pittsburgh for analysis for our podcast today. Look out, Bob Errey and Phil Bourque. Step aside, Colby Armstrong and Mike Rupp. This is Sutton Smith’s time...
Blues hoping for 1 last bit of road magic in Game 7 at Boston
BOSTON — If the St. Louis Blues beat the Boston Bruins in Game 7, perhaps Steve Hatze Petros should get his name on the Stanley Cup. He is the NHL schedule-maker, making him the most responsible for a January-March stretch when the Blues didn’t play more than one consecutive home...
Bruins’ consistency faces final test in Stanley Cup Final vs. BluesVideo
ST. LOUIS — The strains of Jay-Z and Linkin Park’s “Numb/Encore” mashup emanated from a small speaker on the hallway floor outside the visiting locker room following the Boston Bruins’ morning skate. “I don’t know what you’re expecting of me … put under the pressure … of walking in your...
Ex-Penguins defenseman Robert Bortuzzo draws ire of Boston fans with punch, wink
Former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Robert Bortuzzo has become a hated man among Boston sports fans. In the waning moments of Sunday night’s 5-1 St. Louis Blues win over the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, Bortuzzo and forward Noal Acciari had words. Bortuzzo caught Acciari with...
Big, bad Bruins are back, force Cup Final Game 7 vs. BluesVideo
ST. LOUIS — Punch, counterpunch, Game 7. Just when it looked like the Boston Bruins were down and out, they remembered they can throw their weight around, too. Boston showed it can play St. Louis’ physical style of hockey and then some, and the Stanley Cup Final is tied at...
Brett Hull appeared inebriated at the Stanley Cup Final and the internet was quick to point it outVideo
Brett Hull appeared a little tipsy just before the start of the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday and he was quite popular on the internet. Hull joined former St. Louis Blues players Bernie Federko and Bob Plager as they were ramping up the crowd just before Game 6 against the...
