The Ottawa Senators have re-signed forward Rudolfs Balcers to a one-year, two-way contract. Balcers, 23, recorded 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points along with a plus-20 rating in just 33 games with the AHL’s Belleville Senators in 2019-20, earning his second trip to the AHL All-Star Classic in three seasons. He had a
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news on Zdeno Chara and the chances he returns, not only to the Boston Bruins, but the NHL. There is news on Taylor Hall as his agent came out and revealed some detail about the free agency process before he signed with the Buffalo Sabres. There are rumors
Players within the Greater Toronto Hockey League are free agents, now that the Ontario Hockey Federation has temporarily lifted a ban on so-called outlaw leagues. Minor hockey players whose sanctioned leagues are not operating during the COVID-19 pandemic — like the GTHL — can play in unsanctioned organizations until their regular leagues return to the
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed 41-year-old forward Joe Thornton to a one-year contract worth $700,000 US. Thornton, a six-time all star and the winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP in 2006, is a veteran of 1,636 career NHL regular-season games between the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks. He has recorded
Legendary Boston Bruins defensemen have a history of ending their careers in other teams’ sweaters. Bobby Orr, the most storied Bruin, played his final two seasons as a Chicago Blackhawk. Boston traded five-time Norris Trophy winner Ray Bourque to the Colorado Avalanche so he could chase a Stanley Cup. Zdeno Chara might join them as
The 2020 NHL Entry Draft saw 216 young men selected to possibly play in the NHL some time down the road. Some we may see as early as this coming season; some may never hit the ice in an NHL jersey. Shortly after the draft, I had the opportunity to speak by telephone with the
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed veteran centre Joe Thornton to a one-year contract at a league minimum $700,000. Thornton is coming off a one-year, $2 million contract he signed with the San Jose Sharks. To get him at that price is great value for a centreman who can still be very effective. Before signing
2:20 PM ET The Calgary Flames have re-signed restricted free agent Andrew Mangiapane to a two-year, $4.85 million contract, the team announced Friday. Mangiapane played in 68 games for the Flames last season, recording career highs with 17 goals and 15 assists. He added two goals and three assists in the postseason as Calgary was
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed defenseman Gabriel Carlsson to a two-year contract extension through the 2021-22 season. The deal is a two-way contract for the 2020-21 season and a one-way NHL contract in 2021-22. Carlsson, 23, matched his career highs with two goals, 10 assists and 12 points in 41 games for the AHL’s
This time, he’ll be around longer than 19 games. This time, the Jets didn’t have to give up a first-round pick. This time, they already know the addition is going to work. Those are three reasons why the Jets acquiring Paul Stastny from the Vegas Golden Knights was a shrewd move. Jets’ Search for Second-Line
If there was a moment in the early days of Nick Kypreos’s 21-year run as a Sportsnet hockey broadcaster that illustrated the minefield-laden existence of an ex-NHLer paid to critique NHLers, it came in the form of an intermission phone call. On the occasion in question Kypreos, who had only recently retired as a Maple
With the future of professional women’s hockey in flux, a trio of Canadians are set to strap on their skates to compete in CBC’s Battle of the Blades. Meghan Agosta, Jennifer Botterill and Jessica Campbell will make their figure skating debuts next Thursday when the sixth season of the show premieres. While toe picks and
The Washington Capitals have been active in free agency this offseason. They acquired a new backup goalie in Henrik Lundqvist and added some defensive depth that they did not have previously. Although these were necessary moves, the solutions to their problems have created new issues that must be dealt with before the Capitals resume play
NHL 21 is finally out and available to play for fans of the franchise looking for an updated version of one of their video games. The circumstances surrounding the release this year are different than they’ve been in the past but that shouldn’t hinder the experience for fans whatsoever. Typically, the game would release in
10:20 AM ET The biggest lie NHL free agents tell themselves is that their team is their family. The dressing room can be a band of brothers. Lifelong friendships are forged through daily routines and long playoff runs, through wives and children bonding with others in the organization. All of this is true, and all
The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Steven Lorentz to a two-year, two-way contract through the 2021-22 season. Lorentz completed his third pro season and first full AHL campaign in 2019-20, recording 23 goals and 23 assists for 46 points in 61 games with the Charlotte Checkers. He also ranked eighth in the AHL in plus/minus
It’s official, the Vancouver Canucks have now lost all of their key free agents to different teams. Chris Tanev and Jacob Markstrom are with the Calgary Flames, Troy Stecher is with the Detroit Red Wings and now Tyler Toffoli is a member of the Montreal Canadiens. General manager Jim Benning has since traded for Nate
So here we are in mid-October and nobody’s playing hockey. Actually, that’s not entirely true. Joe Thornton is voting with his feet and is off to skate with Davos in the Swiss league. It’s really here in North America where the days of fall seem pretty empty without the beginning of a new hockey season.