*this was updated ahead of the 2023-24 season Having the “C” stitched onto a jersey has been a tradition in hockey for over a century. Arguably the biggest honor a team can bestow upon a player, the NHL has had many iconic captains over the years from Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux to Scott Niedermayer
Last but not least in our offseason division roundup is the Pacific. It was a relatively quiet summer for Pacific teams, though there were a couple of big moves. But while most clubs didn’t swing for the fences, there’s plenty of talent in the division, which should make it ultra-competitive and the best Western division
Associated Press Aug 23, 2023, 06:52 PM ET The New York Rangers have re-signed Alexis Lafreniere, inking the young winger to a two-year contract worth $4.65 million. Lafreniere will count just over $2.3 million against the salary cap each of the next two seasons as part of the deal completed Wednesday. The Saint-Eustache, Quebec, native
Auston Matthews has put pen to paper on a deal that is set to make him the NHL’s highest-paid player. And the Toronto Maple Leafs — and their fans — can finally exhale. The star centre signed a four-year, $53-million US extension on Wednesday that ties him to the team that selected him first overall at
The Florida Panthers enter their 30th-anniversary campaign with a bitter taste in their mouth. They were only three wins away from claiming their first-ever Stanley Cup but lost in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights. With that in mind, they look to get back to the dance and try once again at Lord Stanley’s
The Toronto Maple Leafs locked up their franchise centre, re-signing Auston Matthews to a four-year, $53 million contract extension. The contract will begin during the 2024-25 season. Matthews was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) at the end of the season. The number-one potential free agent will now stay in Toronto, the city
NHLNetwork: Mike Rupp on William Nylander and where the perfect fit for him could be. ** NHLRumors.com transcription Jamison Coyle: “They’ve got a massive expiring contract coming up next summer in Auston Matthews. We know about the core hour up there. It’s a lot of money and there’s only so much wiggle room when it
Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporterAug 23, 2023, 08:45 AM ET Close Kristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN. The dog days of NHL summer are winding down. Which means it’s time to ramp up speculation about who is still (potentially) destined to be traded before fall is in full swing. Because unless you’re
The Detroit Red Wings have had some incredible goalies don the Winged Wheel over the past 90 years. Many of these masked men rank among the top goaltenders to ever play the game, so narrowing them down to the top three isn’t an easy task. When ranking the top three Red Wings goalies of all-time,
When the Toronto Maple Leafs traded for goaltender Jonathan Bernier on June 23, 2013, there was some hype surrounding the move. Maple Leafs’ general manager Dave Nonis called it a depth move and one that he had been working on for some time. As for what the Maple Leafs gave up in the deal, Nonis
The Rockford IceHogs have signed forward Bryce Kindopp to a one-year American Hockey League contract for the 2023-24 season. Kindopp, 24, played 65 games with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls last season, collecting six goals and three assists for nine points. In 171 games over three seasons with San Diego, Kindopp has recorded 28 goals
Recently I wrote about Sergei Zubov and Bryan Smolinski, two players who appeared in only one season, albeit laudable, with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96. It got me thinking about others who did the same, and it reminded me of two prominent NHLers who also were one-time Penguins whose time in Pittsburgh is not often
Few things can compare to the experience of taking in a sporting event live in person. But in the case of the Buffalo Sabres, watching on television or listening on the radio may have been preferable, and the reason was simple – Rick Jeanneret. One of the greatest broadcasters in the history of professional sports,
Associated Press Aug 22, 2023, 10:30 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Brandon Hagel to an eight-year contract extension worth $52 million. Vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced the deal Tuesday. Hagel will count $6.5 million against the salary cap annually when the new contract kicks in
The Toronto Marlies have signed defensemen David Farrance to a one-year American Hockey League contract. Farrance, 24, played 45 AHL games between the Chicago Wolves and Colorado Eagles last season, totaling three goals and 21 assists for 24 points. As a rookie in 2021-22, he skated in 50 games with the Milwaukee Admirals and tallied
Last summer, Boston Bruins general manager (GM) Don Sweeney made a trade with the New Jersey Devils to acquire Pavel Zacha in exchange for Erik Haula. It was a one-for-one swap and the move ended up working out for both teams. For the Bruins, Zacha was better than they had hoped for as he ended
The 2023-24 Arizona Coyotes are building a new era of hockey in the Valley of the Sun. They boast one of the most talented prospect pools in the league, highlighted by Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley. In the second installment of our prospect spotlight series, where The Hockey Writers give you an in-depth analysis of
Aug 21, 2023, 01:21 PM ET The Philadelphia Flyers signed defenseman Oliver Bonk, their first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, to a three-year, entry-level contract on Monday. The team did not announce any financial terms. Bonk, 18, was the No. 22 overall pick in the June draft, and he took part in the team’s