11:19 AM ET Russian NHL players from the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators will be permitted to play games in Prague, despite the Czech government having previously said they weren’t welcome there due to the war in Ukraine. Nashville and San Jose are set to play regular-season games Oct. 7 and 8 at Prague’s
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8:00 AM ET Expansion of the Stanley Cup playoffs is my hill to die on. My last breaths will be spent mouthing the words “play … in … round.” I’ve explained my philosophy and procedures before in this column, but to reiterate: There are now 32 teams in the NHL. In the pre-Gary Bettman expansion
5:30 PM ET ESPN News Services PHILADELPHIA — Veteran forward Sean Couturier will not need surgery on an upper-body injury, the Philadelphia Flyers said on Wednesday. Couturier remains week-to-week with the injury, which was revealed when training camp opened earlier this month. He has not taken part in drills or preseason games. The Flyers have
8:28 PM ET Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares will miss the start of the regular season with an oblique injury. The veteran center will be out at least three weeks, coach Sheldon Keefe said Tuesday. The season opener is Oct. 12 at Montreal. 1 Related Tavares, who turned 32 on Sept. 20, is entering
Sep 22, 2022 NHL Insiders Teams at the bottom see the future as a way to climb higher than their current station. Teams in the middle see the future as a way to break through to reach the elite. Teams at the top see the future as a chance to sustain their success or stave
2:38 PM ET Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser will miss the next three to four weeks after suffering a hand injury, the team announced Monday. The Canucks’ public relations account tweeted Boeser underwent successful hand surgery after injuring himself Saturday during training camp in Whistler, B.C. Boeser, 25, was scratched for both of the split
1:14 PM ET ESPN News Services TORONTO — The Canadian government confirmed Monday that noncitizens entering the country — including professional athletes — will no longer be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 beginning in October. The Associated Press reported last week that the decision was imminent. Removal of the vaccine mandate means unvaccinated Major
7:00 AM ET MATT BOLDY LOVES playing hockey in Minnesota. The way the community supports the sport at all levels. The thousands of fans who watch the Minnesota Wild in warm-ups. And, if he’s being honest, the level of celebrity an NHL player can attain after just 47 games in the show. “It’s crazy. Everyone’s
7:00 AM ET Everything you’re about to read is going to happen in the NHL this season. OK, most of it will. Some of it? At the very least, the thing about the Leafs. Probably. In my first column of the 2022-23 NHL season, I’ve made 32 bold predictions, one for each NHL team. They
Sep 22, 2022 Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Predators have brought back former goaltender Pekka Rinne in a new role as a special alumni adviser. General manager David Poile announced the move Thursday. Rinne is the only player in franchise history whose number has been retired. Rinne, a native of Kempele, Finland, was Finland’s
Sep 22, 2022 Associated Press PRAGUE — The Czech Foreign Ministry has told two NHL teams opening the season in Prague that any Russian players would not be welcome because of the war in Ukraine. It may not amount to an outright ban and league officials downplayed the potential impact, but it added a layer
3:58 PM ET The Vegas Golden Knights announced on Thursday that center Nolan Patrick will miss the 2022-23 season. Patrick played 25 games for the Knights last season, tallying two goals and five assists. He missed significant time due to an upper body injury early in the season and a concussion suffered in February 2022.
3:23 PM ET The Philadelphia Flyers assume that defenseman Ryan Ellis will be out for the 2022-23 season because of a back injury. “Ryan Ellis is out indefinitely — no timetable for his return to play,” general manager Chuck Fletcher said at training camp on Thursday. “I’ll just say that my assumption is that he
2:37 PM ET Patrick Kane is well aware he’s been the subject of rampant trade speculation for months. The Chicago Blackhawks‘ winger just doesn’t believe the hype. “It was all just rumors,” Kane said on Thursday from Chicago’s training camp media availability. “A lot of the rumors are just rumors, maybe people looking for things
6:13 PM ET Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. — Though his rebuilding job is far from complete, Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams signed a contract extension on Wednesday, an indication that ownership believes he has the franchise pointed in the right direction. Terms of the extension were not revealed. Adams, who’s in his third season
3:35 PM ET Associated Press FRISCO, Texas — Young 40-goal scorer Jason Robertson is expected to miss the start of training camp for the Dallas Stars because the team and the restricted free agent haven’t agreed on a new contract. General manager Jim Nill said Wednesday there has been steady, ongoing negotiations over the last
7:00 AM ET Multiple Contributors It doesn’t seem that long ago when the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup, then even more recently Juraj Slafkovsky was drafted first overall in a wild offseason that brought Johnny Gaudreau to the Columbus Blue Jackets, Claude Giroux to the Ottawa Senators and Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers.
9:46 PM ET Associated Press SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Coyotes have signed forward Barrett Hayton to a two-year contract right before the start of training camp. Financial terms of the deal announced Tuesday were not released. Hayton, 22, was a restricted free agent and not initially listed on Arizona’s roster for camp, which begins