NHL

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

2:20 PM ET Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon signed the richest contract for the NHL salary cap era on Tuesday, agreeing to an eight-year contract extension worth $100.8 million. That’s an average annual value of $12.6 million for the 27-year-old center, higher than that of Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid or anyone else in the

7:00 AM ET The boundaries between fantasy hockey and NHL reality felt like they were melting last season. The 2021-22 regular season had a per team, per game average of 3.14 goals. That was the highest offensive output since the 1995-96 season. The final score of some games resembled that of a pro lacrosse league

6:32 PM ET Associated Press PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier suffered an undisclosed injury and will be reevaluated during training camp, the team said Monday. He is considered week-to-week. The Flyers did not say when Couturier was injured. Couturier underwent back surgery in February and missed the rest of the season. He signed

9:00 AM ET As is usual this time of year, the future is about to morph into the present for a host of talented, young stars in the NHL. In turn, many members of this gaggle of fresh pro faces are equally ready to make an impact within the fantasy fold. Here’s our annual round-up

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff HENDERSON, Nev. — It was an eventful offseason for NHL players, with high-profile trades and surprising free-agent signings. Not to mention those weddings, bucket list golf outings and scooter rides along the Amalfi Coast. ESPN reporters Ryan Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski caught up with over a dozen stars

2:02 PM ET The Winnipeg Jets have stripped Blake Wheeler of the team’s captaincy and will enter the 2022-23 season with a collection of alternate captains instead, the team announced Friday. Those players are still being determined. “It is our goal to expand the leadership base within our hockey team,” Jets coach Rick Bowness said