The 2021-22 NHL season is being called a return to normalcy. Last season was an unprecedented one for the NHL due to the COVID-19 pandemic: Four geographically realigned divisions, including one solely comprising Canadian teams; teams playing only opponents within those divisions; and a new playoff format that eschewed wild-card teams. But it ended just […]
Continue readingThe NHL opted out of the 2018 Pyeongchang Games because of a funding dispute with the IOC. That upset the players, who negotiated participation in the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympics in their latest collective bargaining agreement. But the league added a caveat to the Beijing Games decision: If there was a material interruption in […]
Continue readingOn Monday, the NHL announced that it was hitting pause on the 2021-22 season through the Christmas break. On Tuesday, the second piece of disappointing news emerged, as the NHL and NHLPA came to an agreement that NHL players would not be participating in the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, after such participation had been […]
Continue readingThe Seattle Kraken are joining the NHL for the 2021-22 season and will play in the Pacific Division. The front office and coaching staff have taken shape, and Climate Pledge Arena is on track to be ready, but the team needs players. The Kraken will select one player each from 30 NHL teams, as the […]
Continue readingThe Canadians, who lost their first three games in the tournament, stunned Russia 2-1 on an overtime goal by Andrew Mangiapane. The other semifinal Saturday will pair defending champion Finland and Germany, which stunned Switzerland 3-2 in a shootout. Finland defeated the Czech Republic 1-0. All four winners played their preliminary round games in Group […]
Continue readingDylan Larkin has a hard time sugar-coating it — last season sucked for him and the Detroit Red Wings. It’s tough to finish with a minus-122 goal differential and 23 fewer points than any other team. Larkin called it “embarrassing” to be on the first Red Wings team to finish dead last in the standings […]
Continue readingThe Pittsburgh Penguins signed the 27-year-old forward to a one-year deal worth $700,000 on Friday, less than two months after Pittsburgh shipped him to Toronto as part of a trade that brought Kasperi Kapanen to Pittsburgh. The Penguins originally acquired Rodrigues from Buffalo in February in a deal that sent Dominik Kahun to the Sabres […]
Continue readingThe word that typically defines free agency in the NHL is “uncertainty.” Players with expiring contracts enter a marketplace unsure of what their next deals will look like or where they’ll next call home. But in the 2020 free-agent frenzy, that uncertainty has reached previously unseen levels for players and teams. There’s a flat salary […]
Continue readingChicago needs to make deals for forwards Dominik Kubalik, who finished third in Calder Trophy voting, and Dylan Strome, and they do not have a frontline goalie under contract. Two-time Stanley Cup winner Corey Crawford is an unrestricted free agent. Buying out the remaining two years of Maatta’s contract was a legitimate option for Chicago, […]
Continue readingThe 2019-20 season was shaping up to be a good one, and there were plenty of positive stories across the league. To cheer you up during this lonely time, we revisited a feel-good story for every team this season: Note: Emily Kaplan handled the Metro and Central divisions, while Greg Wyshynski wrote on the Atlantic […]
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