7:15 AM ET The NHL free-agent frenzy was unprecedented this offseason — and not just because it took place when the regular season is usually scheduled to start. The new collective bargaining agreement kept the salary cap flat at $81.5 million. Otherwise, it would have plummeted, just as team revenues have during the COVID-19 pandemic.
NHL News
7:00 AM ET Professional sports have a peculiar way of glorifying underdogs who win championships while being blasé about teams with all-star rosters that win. The 1980 Team USA hockey “Miracle on Ice” is folklore. Cinderella teams are more compelling than No. 1 seeds in March Madness. Unless it’s part of a dynasty, hearing an
7:30 AM ET The dust has finally settled on the 2020 NHL draft. We know the Ducks, Kings and Rangers, in particular, did really well in their selections. But what next for this class? Grading each team’s haul aside, what do the new draft picks mean for each team’s system and future? After gathering my
11:25 PM ET ESPN News Services National Women’s Hockey League founder Dani Rylan Kearney is stepping down as commissioner as part of a restructuring of the league’s governing model, the Associated Press reported. According to the AP, Rylan Kearney will remain involved as president of an ownership group that controls four of the NWHL’s six
2:57 PM ET Veteran forward Tyler Toffoli has signed a four-year deal worth $4.25 million annually with the Montreal Canadiens. Toffoli finished the 2019-20 season with the Vancouver Canucks following a February trade that ended an eight-season run with the Los Angeles Kings. In Vancouver, Toffoli had six goals and four assists in 10 games
7:35 PM ET Left winger Taylor Hall has signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres, the team announced Sunday. Hall, 28, was the most coveted unrestricted free-agent forward available this offseason, and he spent the weekend listening to pitches from at least a half-dozen teams. Choosing the Sabres is a surprising move,
12:49 PM ET Associated Press The Detroit Red Wings signed free agent center Vladislav Namestnikov to a $4 million, two-year contract on Sunday. The Red Wings announced the move on their website. A person with direct knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press the contract’s value on condition of anonymity because it wasn’t revealed
9:12 PM ET Associated Press More than a year after taking a team-friendly contract to help the San Jose Sharks, Kevin Labanc is finally cashing in. Labanc signed an $18.9 million, four-year deal Saturday that carries an annual salary-cap hit of $4,725,000. That’s a significant raise from the $1 million he made last season after
12:14 PM ET The Boston Bruins have signed winger Craig Smith to a three-year contract worth an NHL cap hit of $3.1 million, they announced Saturday. Smith, 31, scored 18 goals and recorded 31 points for the Nashville Predators last season. He has scored 20 or more goals in five of the past seven seasons.
12:45 PM ET NHL Insiders NHL free agency for 2020 is underway! For each key signing, Emily Kaplan, Chris Peters and Greg Wyshynski will be assessing the player’s fit with his new team, weighing whether the terms of the contract make sense, and serving up an overall grade. We’ll be grading the most notable offseason
7:17 AM ET ESPN staff Due to the altered schedule whereby the 2019-20 NHL season was completed quite a bit later than usual — with the Stanley Cup Playoffs lasting until Sept. 29 — free agency will begin on Oct. 9 this year, as opposed to the traditional July 1 starting point. But while the
7:00 AM ET 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
7:53 PM ET The 2020 NHL draft is in the books, with 217 selections made over the course of two socially distanced, Zoom-filled days. There were also 27 trades made, although the vast majority were simple pick swaps, as most of the players rumored to be on the trading block remained with their current teams.
10:00 PM ET The 2020 NHL draft has finally come to a close. It was a long road to this year’s virtual draft, but all 31 teams walk away with an injection of young talent for their respective pipelines and begin to look ahead to this week’s looming free agency. Surprises hit as early as
6:00 PM ET ESPN staff Follow the entire 2020 NHL draft through all seven rounds. We have all 217 picks as they happen, starting with Tuesday night’s first selection overall by the New York Rangers and ending with Wednesday afternoon’s final pick of the draft. Additionally, Chris Peters, Greg Wyshynski and Emily Kaplan provide detailed
11:30 PM ET The first round of the all-virtual 2020 NHL draft had a little bit of everything. It started out as expected with Alexis Lafreniere being selected No. 1 overall by the New York Rangers. Then the Los Angeles Kings made Quinton Byfield the highest-drafted Black player in NHL draft history. The rest of
The Montreal Canadiens have traded forward Max Domi and a 2020 third round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Josh Anderson. The 25-year old Domi was drafted 12th overall in the first round of the 2013 draft by the Phoenix Coyotes. He is an RFA. The 26-year old Anderson was drafted 95th overall in
12:47 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — NHL teams continue to clear salary cap space with free agency starting later this week. The Detroit Red Wings placed forward Justin Abdelkader on unconditional waivers Tuesday for the purpose of buying out his contract. The Montreal Canadiens did the same with defenseman Karl Alzner, who had