NHL

2:53 PM ET The NHL and the International Olympic Committee were unable to secure an expanded media rights deal for the 2022 Winter Olympics, but the league still intends to send its players to Beijing, sources told ESPN. In its new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the NHL agreed to let players participate in the 2022 Beijing

7:22 PM ET The NHL has rejected the free-agent contract the Seattle Kraken signed with goaltender Philipp Grubauer, a source confirmed on Sunday. Grubauer, an unrestricted free agent from the Colorado Avalanche, signed a six-year, $35.4-million deal with the expansion team on July 28, with an average annual value of $5.9 million against the salary

8:55 AM ET ESPN News Services San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane on Sunday vehemently denied allegations made by his wife that he bet on his own games and has intentionally tried to lose for gambling profit — claims which are being investigated by the NHL. Kane responded Sunday morning to allegations made the previous

11:55 AM ET Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Marc-Andre Fleury has agreed to play for the Chicago Blackhawks, a source confirmed to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. The Blackhawks posted a flower emoji on their Twitter account early Sunday morning, then multiple reports said Fleury had decided to play for Chicago. The Blackhawks had acquired Fleury from the

7:51 PM ET ESPN News Services The NHL said it will investigate an allegation seemingly made by Evander Kane‘s wife that the San Jose Sharks forward bet on his own games and has intentionally tried to lose for gambling profit. The league said Saturday night on Twitter that it was made aware of the social

10:51 PM ET Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jack Eichel‘s representatives released a statement Friday night saying “the process is not working,” deepening the rift between the Buffalo Sabres captain and the team. In an email to The Associated Press, agents Peter Fish and Peter Donatelli contradicted general manager Kevyn Adams in saying they were

1:55 PM ET One of the NHL’s biggest stars, Alexander Ovechkin, is launching an NFT collection. The longtime Washington Capitals captain signed a five-year, $47.5 million contract on Tuesday to remain with the Caps until he reaches age 40. The Russian superstar was inspired by other major athletes who have dabbled in the digital collectible

1:36 PM ET David Krejci announced he will not return to the Boston Bruins next season, leaving the NHL after 15 seasons to return home to Czech Republic. “Since the end of the season, as I have thought about my future, it has become clear that I need to make a difficult decision for my

12:08 AM ET The New York Rangers acquired Vegas Golden Knights winger Ryan Reaves on Thursday night as they continue to muscle up in the offseason. The Rangers sent a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL draft to Vegas. Reaves, 34, played in 37 games last season for the Golden Knights. He had one goal,

10:31 PM ET Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Blue Jackets signed defenseman Zach Werenski to a six-year, $57.5 million contract extension Thursday through the 2027-28 season. The 24-year-old Werenski, from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and the University of Michigan, has 65 goals and 124 assists in 335 career NHL games, all with the Blue

4:30 PM ET Now that the dust has settled on a frenzied stretch of free-agent signings and steady flurry of offseason trades, let’s take a preliminary view of some new faces in new places through the fantasy-focussed lens. With the goalie carousel operating full-tilt in overdrive this week, that’s a good place to start. For

2:01 PM ET The St. Louis Blues have signed free-agent winger Brandon Saad of the rival Colorado Avalanche. Saad, 28, agreed to a five-year contract worth $22.5 million, for a $4.5 million cap hit. He had 15 goals and 9 assists in 24 games last season, in his only season with the Avalanche. He has

9:00 AM ET For months, we heard about the NHL’s pandemic economy, the flat salary cap and how difficult making deals had become. Then the 2021 free agent market opened, and within 24 hours teams had spent over half a billion dollars. Nature is healing. Second-pairing defensemen are getting $5 million against the cap again.

11:17 PM ET As day turned to night on the first day of 2021 NHL free agency, it appeared that the Colorado Avalanche had missed out on all of their targets in the goalie market. Instead, GM Joe Sakic swung big, landing Darcy Kuemper from the Arizona Coyotes, in exchange for defenseman Conor Timmins, a

12:00 PM ET The NHL free agency signing period for 2021 is officially open. For each key player that signs a deal, we’ll assess the player’s fit with his new team, weigh whether the terms of the deal make sense, and serve up an overall grade for the team. We’ll continue to grade the most

7:17 AM ET Typically, NHL free agency begins on July 1 each offseason: a cherished tradition on Canada Day up north, and a pre-Independence Day festival of commerce for those of us in the United States. On July 1, 2021, the Stanley Cup had yet to be awarded. But 27 days later, we are ready

1:27 PM ET Since the Vegas Golden Knights‘ expansion draft in 2017, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has been the face of the franchise, whether it was on the ice, on billboards, in the media, or in the community. And now, in an unceremonious fashion, his tenure with the team appears over. On Tuesday, the Golden Knights

7:00 AM ET After 16 months of uncertainty, the hockey world is beginning to return to some sense of normalcy as the free-agent market ahead of the 2021-22 NHL season is set to open on Wednesday, July 28. Of course, there’s been nothing too normal about this summer thus far: In an effort to get