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Seattle Kraken expansion draft protected lists, available players
The 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 readingNHL Playoffs Daily: Vegas Golden Knights, Marc-Andre Fleury seek Game 4 rebound
The Vegas Golden Knights had Game 3 in their hands until one bad mistake from goalie Marc-Andre Fleury opened the door for the Montreal Canadiens to force overtime and ultimately prevail. As their goalie moves past that gaffe, the Knights are wondering how to get pucks past Carey Price to avoid a huge deficit in […]
Continue readingNew York Islanders’ Barry Trotz calls out refs for missed call in Game 2 loss
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s Ondrej Palat had just scored to give his team a 2-1 lead in Game 2 of their Stanley Cup playoff semifinal series on Tuesday night. He did so as the referees and linesmen missed that the Lightning had seven skaters on the ice at the same time, which should have stopped […]
Continue readingTampa Bay Lightning lament mental mistakes in Game 1 loss to New York Islanders
TAMPA, Fla. — The New York Islanders were mentally prepared for Game 1 of their Stanley Cup semifinal series. The Tampa Bay Lightning were not. “Our work ethic was there. Our compete [level] was there. Our minds weren’t there,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper, whose team lost 2-1 on Sunday afternoon. “Some of our decisions […]
Continue readingNHL Power Rankings: 1-31 poll, plus the midseason MVP for every team
How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff submits selections ranking teams 1 to 31 — taking into account game results, injuries and upcoming schedule — and those results are tabulated in the list featured here. Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to our Week 7 edition, published on March 10. Points percentages are […]
Continue readingThe NHL’s best and worst this week: The New York Islanders are an under-the-radar force once again
Death, taxes, and discounting the New York Islanders until they go on a run that forces you to pay attention. It’s been a yearly tradition for the Isles in the Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz era. But as a rival player told me recently: “The Islanders have the strongest team identity in the league.” One […]
Continue readingNew York Islanders’ Johnny Boychuk makes ‘life choice’ to retire from NHL after eye injury
“I don’t even think it was a decision. When you play with it and realize there’s something wrong, and then you go and get tests, it really wasn’t a decision; it was a life choice, I guess,” Boychuk said in a news conference. “If I was to go and play again and not able to […]
Continue readingWhat we know right now about the NHL and COVID-19
(Especially during a championship celebration, it turns out …) Months later, we clearly don’t know enough about COVID-19 in aggregate, but professional sports leagues have learned plenty, using various methodologies to start, restart and complete their seasons. “At this point, we know how the virus is transmitted. We know how to create safe environments to […]
Continue readingNHL free agency 2020 preview: Team needs, trade targets, cap space, key dates
The 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 readingLou Lamoriello believes New York Islanders can stay mostly intact this offseason
In saying he is exploring every possible option, Lamoriello on Tuesday wouldn’t completely rule out what he called “a last resort” of having to part ways with a core player or two. Without going into detail, he added: “But I’m reasonably comfortable that we’ll be able to accomplish what we want to accomplish and have […]
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