Per the release, Smith tested positive for a category S6.a stimulant, defenseman Andrei Konev tested positive for a category S6.b stimulant, and forward Danis Zaripov tested positive for a category S6.b stimulant and category S5 diuretics and masking agents.
In accordance with the tests, Smith has been suspended until Sept. 2, 2018, Konev until Nov. 19, 2017, and Zaripov was dealt the biggest suspension, which will see him banned until May 22, 2019.
Per Rene Fasel Danis Zaripov, who's been suspended for 2 years today for anti-doping rules violation, could still play in the NHL
By all rights, Thomas Vanek should be signed by now.
And yet, as August approaches, and despite a solid bounce-back season that should have earned him a measure of job security, the 33-year-old winger remains without a contract for 2017-18.
After being bought out by the Minnesota Wild last summer, Vanek signed a one-year, $2.6-million contract with the Detroit Red Wings, for whom he registered 15 goals and 23 assists in 48 games.
Vanek was flipped to the Florida Panthers prior to the trade deadline, and added two goals and eight assists in 20 games to his point total. Overall, his 48 points in 68 games last season ranks him first among all remaining unrestricted free agents.
Clearly he still has some gas left in the tank, and what he lacks in speed, he makes up for in net-front presence, deft passing, and sharp shooting.
Here, then, are three teams that should not let him remain unemployed.
San Jose Sharks
Patrick Marleau's departure left a hole in the Sharks' lineup that could be handily filled by a dexterous winger like Vanek.
While playing for a pair of non-playoff teams last season, Vanek recorded two more points than Marleau, and in 14 fewer games played. And over the course of their respective careers, Vanek has, on average, outproduced the former Shark.
Player
Games
Goals/GP
Assists/GP
Points/GP
Marleau
1493
0.34
0.38
0.72
Vanek
885
0.38
0.57
0.79
Vanek will no doubt come much cheaper than the $6.25-million cap hit Marleau will carry with the Toronto Maple Leafs over the next three seasons, and could be equally, if not more, effective on the ice.
Montreal Canadiens
Vanek's previous run with the Canadiens was brief but effective.
Traded to Montreal by the New York Islanders prior to the 2014 deadline, Vanek scored six goals and added nine assists in 18 regular-season games, and contributed five goals and five assists in 17 playoff appearances for the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge.
Much like in San Jose, a roster spot opened up after Alexander Radulov decided to move to Dallas, and Vanek's 0.71 points per game average last season matched that of the Russian, who's only 2.5 years younger.
Radulov will make Marleau money with the Stars, and could be replaced on the cheap with a player who's proven to be able to succeed on one of hockey's biggest stages.
Sure, the Canadiens did add Ales Hemsky on a low-risk deal earlier this summer, but could further shore up the forward ranks with a familiar face.
Nasvhille Predators
Still yet to re-sign top center Ryan Johansen, the Western Conference champion Nashville Predators have worked their cap situation to perfection, with over $13.4 million in available funds to strengthen a fairly complete roster.
Scott Hartnell was signed to a one-year deal worth $1 million, but he managed only 37 points in 78 games last season. Vanek is younger and better, and after coming so close to winning the Stanley Cup, the time is now for Nashville to add as many contributing pieces as possible.
The Predators' injury issues during this year's playoff run proved the team could use some depth, and Vanek's veteran experience, and more importantly, his skill set, could help ensure a return to the Stanley Cup Final and hopefully a win next time around.
Wherever Vanek signs, he's no doubt been on the market for too long.
By advancing all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, and subsequently dishing out numerous team-friendly contracts in the evaluation period that followed, the Nashville Predators have firmly staked their claim as a perennial threat in the Western Conference.
Since seeing their captivating playoff run end two wins shy of the ultimate prize in June, general manager David Poile has brought in Nick Bonino and Scott Hartnell to solidify his forward corps, and handed out new contracts to five restricted free agents, most notably Viktor Arvidsson and Austin Watson.
However, one roster player remains without a contract for 2017-18, and it's a big one - Ryan Johansen.
Below, we dive into what the star center might earn as he awaits a new deal.
His background
Johansen is coming off his first full year with the Predators, a successful campaign in which he proved his worth by finishing the season tied for the team lead with 61 points. He carried his success into the playoffs with 13 points in 14 games, but was stunningly shut down after emergency thigh surgery.
On July 31, Johansen will turn 25 years old, and the end of the 2016-17 campaign signaled the conclusion of his three-year, $12-million extension signed in 2014, then with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Johansen infamously held out before signing said deal, and his rocky relationship with the club that drafted him fourth overall in 2010 ended with a trade to Nashville in exchange for defenseman Seth Jones last January. However, after fitting in nicely atop the Predators' center depth chart, it's unlikely any similar problems emerge as Johansen and Poile work to reach an agreement.
Comparables from around league
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
After playing out his bridge deal, Johansen should be reasonably inclined to expect a long-term contract, and here are some comparable pacts recently signed by forwards across the NHL.
Through 433 career games, Johansen's per-game production rate sits at 0.66. Last season, he owned a remarkable Corsi-For percentage of 55.9 percent in the regular season, and further boosted his value by winning 54.6 percent of his faceoffs.
Poile's magic, and a verdict
That Poile has managed to keep just over $13 million in cap space with only Johansen left to sign is wizardry in itself, and there's no reason to believe the veteran executive won't strike a deal that doesn't greatly benefit the future of his club.
Somehow, Nashville's core of Arvidsson, Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, and Ryan Ellis combine for only $20.5 million in annual salary, and Poile's knack for locking down his players at reasonable rates before they hit their peaks has paid great dividends in affording the financial flexibility to build a championship-worthy roster.
For years, Nashville's missing ingredient was a top-line center, and now the club has a chance to secure a young, prospering two-way pivot in Johansen. With P.K. Subban raking in $9 million per season, Johansen surely won't leave his negotiations as the Predators' highest-paid skater, but he's well in line to earn second spot on the list, ahead of Filip Forsberg's forward-leading $6 million.
In his contract year, Johansen adequately demonstrated his importance to the Predators, and his absence in the postseason left a glaring, perhaps insurmountable hole in the lineup. Now, it's time to pay him, and a deal, let's say, for seven years and $7 million annually, fits more than comfortably in Nashville's books, and is cost-comparable to several of Johansen's peers across the league.
Chuck Greenberg, who's reportedly in the market to purchase the Carolina Hurricanes, spent some time Monday checking out the team's practice facility as part of a fact-finding trip, according to Chip Alexander of the News & Observer.
On July 13, Bloomberg News reported Greenberg was close to purchasing the club for approximately $500 million in a deal that would keep the team in North Carolina. The Hurricanes later confirmed owner Peter Karmanos Jr. is indeed considering an offer to sell.
Alexander added Greenberg would not discuss the details of his visit, nor comment on the reported sale. The potential ownership group, however, is believed to include local investors.
Greenberg is the former CEO of the Texas Rangers and remains involved in the ownership of three minor-league baseball teams.
Dumoulin was initially injured in Game 5 of the first round versus the Columbus Blue Jackets after blocking a slap shot. After keeping it a secret and hoping to let it heal, Dumoulin's hand was broken multiple times as he suited up in all 25 of the Penguins' postseason contests.
"It would get better for a little bit," Dumoulin said. "I'd do a cross-check then it would break again. It was a process."
The 25-year-old led Pittsburgh by logging 21:59 per game in the playoffs, and chipped in six points along the way despite the ailment.
"It was tough to play with it, but obviously everybody had injuries," he said. "It's all healed up now. They were deciding on surgery or not at the end of the season, but doctors so a little bit of healing."
Dumoulin said he doesn't know how many times he broke and re-broke his hand, but clearly the injury wasn't debilitating enough to prevent him from hoisting his second Stanley Cup in as many years - or stop him from putting his signature on a fresh contract that will pay him $4.1 million per season until 2023.
"It's been an interesting few months for me to say the least."
That's how Buffalo Sabres winger Kyle Okposo began an open letter posted on the team's website in which he thanked all those who reached out during his time away from the ice and shed some light on the illness that forced him to be hospitalized and miss the end of the regular season.
It all started, Okposo explained, with a hard bump from a routine hit in practice, and climaxed following a game against the Florida Panthers on March 27, his last of the season.
Okposo had been losing sleep, and, after being removed from the lineup for a game the next night due to a lack of appetite, went to the hospital with the hope that doctors could help him get some rest.
He was given sleep medication that caused a negative reaction - including continued lack of sleep and rapid weight loss - and was later admitted to the Neuro Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Buffalo General in order to be stabilized.
After prioritizing time with family following his release, he's now on the road back to the Sabres' lineup, beginning with a stint in this summer's Da Beauty League.
I've worked with a lot of different people - concussion experts and people who have dealt with concussions themselves - and I feel confident in the fact that I can play hockey again. In fact, I know I can play again.
I know I can play and not worry about hitting my head, which is a major hurdle for someone who's dealt with this. If I didn't feel 100 percent right now, that probably wouldn't be the case.
Okposo added he feels great after playing in the Minnesota-based summer league, and can't wait to get back to Buffalo to begin preparing for the team's first season under new general manager Jason Botterill and new head coach Phil Housley.
The whole ordeal, however, has changed his outlook on his place in the game.
Dealing with an injury like this can change your perspective on life. It makes you evaluate what's truly important. Hockey, of course, is extremely important to me. It's my job, and it's what I've done my whole life. But in saying that, I also don't want hockey to define me as a person. I want to be somebody who is known as a good person first and foremost.
Okposo has six years remaining on his contract with the Sabres, and will carry a salary cap hit of $6 million through to the end of 2022-23.
The New York Islanderssigned the 22-year-old defenseman to a four-year extension Monday, a deal which runs through the 2020-21 season.
Pelech split last season between the Islanders and the AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He tallied 10 points in 44 games with the Islanders, plus five points in 13 minor-league contests.
"Adam has proven at a very young age that he's capable of playing an important defensive role on our team," Islanders president and general manager Garth Snow said in a statement. "He will be an important piece of our defensive core moving forward and I'm excited to watch him continue to develop at the NHL level."
The 35-year-old, who tallied nine points in 52 games last season, could take home an additional $1.25 million should he meet certain ice-time and games-played requirements, and if the Senators qualify for the postseason.
But it wasn't about the money for Oduya. Rather, it was the opportunity to win, something the two-time Stanley Cup champion is acutely familiar with.
"He wanted to go to a team that had a chance to win," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion told TSN 1200 on Monday. "I know for a fact that a team offered him more money and he chose to go to (the Senators) just for the reason that he felt it was a better fit and they have a better chance to win."
The Senators proved to be tough competition in last year's playoffs, as they advanced to the conference finals, but came up one goal short against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
The hope is that Oduya can help build on last year's squad, much of which will return in 2017-18, minus top-pairing defenseman Marc Methot who was lost in the expansion draft. Methot played alongside Senators captain Erik Karlsson last season, a duty that could shift to Oduya in the coming campaign.
Dorion noted that Oduya's experience allows him to fit anywhere on the blue line, but in any event, was happy to get him signed as the two sides had been in contract talks since July 2, just after free agency opened.
"This was the one defenseman that we were really on from the start," Dorion added. "Just what we're looking for, for the right fit for our team."
