7:00 AM ET Nikolaj Ehlers is a great example of the “breakout player” life cycle in the NHL. The Winnipeg Jets forward was heralded as a prospect, as the ninth overall pick in 2014. He made a leap in quality from his rookie season in 2015-16 to his second campaign in 2016-17, and then stayed
NHL
4:46 PM ET Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Nashville Predators have signed goaltender Juuse Saros to a four-year, $20 million contract. General manager David Poile announced the deal Monday. “Juuse has proven himself as one of the best young goaltenders in the NHL, and we are very pleased to have him remain our No.
1:34 PM ET Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild have signed Kevin Fiala to a one-year, $5.1 million contract. The team announced the deal with the 25-year-old Swiss forward on Monday. Fiala had 20 goals and 20 assists in 50 games last season with the Wild, leading the team with five game-winning
9:16 PM ET Associated Press TORONTO — Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews had wrist surgery Friday and is expected to need a “minimum” of six weeks to recover. The team said Matthews, who won the Rocket Richard Trophy last season as the NHL’s top goal scorer, had the surgery following “consultations with specialists and
10:44 AM ET Star center Joe Thornton has signed a one-year deal with the Florida Panthers for the 24th season of his legendary career. Thornton, 42, will earn $750,000 on the deal, with no bonuses or incentives. “I think he looked at our roster, and he saw a fit with us, like we saw a
3:13 PM ET Associated Press WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Winnipeg Jets have agreed to terms with forward Andrew Copp on a one-year contract. The deal is worth $3.6 million for Copp, who had 15 goals and 24 assists in 55 games for the Jets last season, adding two assists in eight playoff games. The 27-year-old
6:36 PM ET The Florida Panthers have given their new forward Sam Reinhart a three-year contract, with multiple reports saying it carries an annual average value of $6.5 million. Reinhart, 25, was a restricted free agent. Florida got him from the Sabres last month for a first-round draft pick and goalie prospect Devon Levi. Reinhart’s
1:15 PM ET Associated Press WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Winnipeg Jets have avoided arbitration and signed defenseman Neal Pionk to a four-year contract worth roughly $23.5 million. The 26-year-old Pionk will earn about $5.8 million per year, the team said in a statement Wednesday. The Jets acquired the Nebraska native in a 2019 trade with
6:39 PM ET Hall of Fame goaltender Tony Esposito, who was a fixture for the Chicago Blackhawks, has died at the age of 78. Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz said in a statement that Esposito had a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. Chicago claimed Esposito from the Montreal Canadiens in what was then an intra-league draft
3:53 PM ET When the NHL released its 2021-22 regular-season schedule, it featured a Winter Olympic break from Feb. 7-22 with the caveat that “no final agreement or decision has been made regarding the possible participation of players.” If the NHL doesn’t send its players to the Beijing Games, it would switch to a revised
2:30 PM ET Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Anaheim Ducks have re-signed defenseman Josh Mahura and left wings Max Comtois and Max Jones. Comtois got a two-year contract through the 2022-23 season, and Jones signed a three-year deal through 2024. Mahura’s contract is for two years, and it is a two-way deal in the
2:27 PM ET Associated Press EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Kings have signed top draft pick Brandt Clarke to a three-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract. Clarke agreed to the deal Tuesday after the Kings chose the defenseman with the eighth overall pick last month. The 18-year-old Clarke is expected to play most of
8:54 PM ET ESPN News Services The Washington Capitals re-signed goaltender Ilya Samsonov to a one-year, $2 million contract on Monday. Samsonov, 24, was a restricted free agent after posting a 13-4-1 mark last season with two shutouts. He struggled in the postseason — much like most of the Capitals did — dropping all of
5:26 PM ET Associated Press CHICAGO — Longtime Chicago Blackhawks radio analyst Troy Murray says he has cancer. Murray said Monday he wanted “to let everyone know of the challenge that I’m currently facing.” He said he is confident he will beat the disease and looks forward “to being in the booth calling Blackhawk games
4:19 PM ET Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. — Finnish forward Janne Kuokkanen has signed a two-year contract to return to the New Jersey Devils. General manager Tom Fitzgerald said the 23-year-old restricted free agent will earn $1.6 million this season and more than $2 million in 2022-23. Kuokkanen had eight goals and 17 assists in
7:00 AM ET The NHL free-agency frenzy of 2021 started 27 days later than the usual opening day of July 1, but it was as wild as any in recent memory, with more than $500 million spent on deals on the first day alone. A number of valuable players remain who have yet to make
4:16 PM ET Associated Press EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Oilers on Friday signed defenseman Darnell Nurse to an eight-year contract extension. The deal has an average annual value of $9.25 million and will begin in the 2022-23 season. The 26-year-old alternate captain appeared in all 56 games for the Oilers during the past pandemic-shortened
11:02 AM ET Associated Press EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — The New York Islanders and defenseman Adam Pelech agreed Friday on an eight-year contract. The team did not disclose financial terms. Pelech, who turns 27 this month, had four goals and 10 assists in 56 games last season. He added a goal and four assists in