The Vancouver Canucks have taken outreach efforts to the next level.
On Monday, the club signed Chinese goaltender Zehao Sun to an amateur tryout contract. The 21-year-old will join the team's training camp as it prepares for the NHL China Games, with a pair of preseason games to be held this week in Shanghai and Beijing.
While Canucks coach Travis Green does not envision Sun seeing exhibition action, he will have the opportunity to take part in the team's camp and work alongside Canucks goalie coach Dan Cloutier.
"The good news is that NHL is coming to China already and bringing a very brilliant game to China, for the Chinese people to know the top players in the world," Sun told Lisa Dillman of NHL.com through an interpreter. "Also, it can help to increase the atmosphere in China, to help people know more about ice hockey."
Sun has previously represented China internationally, most recently as part of the World Championships Division II Group B tournament, in which he posted a 2.40 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in five games to lead China to a division win.
The tournament victory pushed China to Division II Group A, where it will now compete alongside Australia, Serbia, Belgium, Iceland, and the Netherlands.
The NHL China Games are a league initiative to promote the game in the Asian market. The first game of the series comes Thursday in Shanghai before shifting to Beijing on Saturday.
As it turns out, Babcock may have been on to something, as Marleau proved he's still got NHL speed Tuesday night, breaking past the Senators' defense before rifling a perfect shot past Mike Condon in his first preseason showing with Toronto.
The Calgary Flames' new netminder is still working out a few kinks.
Acquired from the Arizona Coyotes in an offseason trade, Mike Smith made his preseason debut with the Flames on Monday, but came up short as he allowed four goals on just 13 shots. He finished the night with just under 29 minutes of ice time.
"If I had a perfect game, I wouldn't have anything to work on for the next couple of weeks," Smith told reporters following the 5-4 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. "It wasn't great, but it was nice to get in a game at least. I kind of have some stuff to work on, but like I said, get the jitters out, get used to a new team. I won't lose any sleep over it. I'll get back to work."
Smith, 35, is the latest goaltender to take over the Calgary crease after the recent failed experiments of Brian Elliott and Jonas Hiller, among others.
"The preseason, you can't look too deeply into it," Smith added. "You just want to get feeling good going into the first game, the ones that matter."
The Flames hope Smith can find his game in short order, with the club set to open the regular season Oct. 4 against the Oilers.
New Jersey Devils forward Brian Boyle announced he's been diagnosed with chronic myleoid leukemia on Tuesday, a form of bone marrow cancer that is treatable with medication.
Boyle assured he plans on returning to the ice soon as possible, and the hockey community subsequently made it known their peer will be heavily supported through it all.
We are all thinking of you and your family @BriBrows22. There is no doubt in my mind that you will beat this
Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has been aggressively trying to acquire Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Duchene, sources told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
While Ottawa's apparently one of the most interested teams in the league, the two sides aren't believed to be close to a deal, Garrioch reports.
Duchene has been on the trading block for well over a year, and showed up to Avalanche training camp last week despite reports indicating both he and GM Joe Sakic are committed to working out a deal.
The 26-year-old is coming off a down year in which he only recorded 41 points in 77 contests, but through eight seasons in Denver, he's averaged a respectable 0.73 points per game.
If the Senators and Avalanche did manage to orchestrate a trade, it would be a huge boost to Ottawa's offensive depth, especially considering lingering injuries to key contributors Erik Karlsson, Derick Brassard, Clarke MacArthur, and, most recently, Colin White.
The NHL's attempt to clean up the faceoff circle is pushing some buttons.
Early in the preseason, referees have been liberal with minor penalty calls for faceoff violations, ranging from failing to line up properly to playing the puck with a glove to slashing hands and sticks.
Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand hasn't played in a preseason game yet, but he's already sure he isn't a fan.
"This faceoff rule is an absolute joke," Marchand said Tuesday, according to Ty Anderson of WEEI. "That’s how you ruin the game of hockey, by putting that in there. They’re gonna have to do something about that because we can’t play this year like that."
Four minor penalties were called in the opening half of a game between the Senators and Maple Leafs on Monday, causing quite a stir on social media.
Marchand believes the crackdown renders many of the skills and responsibilities associated with the center position rather moot.
"You’re also taking a lot of skill away from the centerman by limiting what they’re able to do," said Marchand, who plays alongside one of the best in Patrice Bergeron. "Being a centerman is a skill and guys make a really good living at it. You’re completely taking away the skill of that.
"We might as well start throwing D in there to take draws if this keeps up."
Zdeno Chara lining up for a draw would be quite a sight to behold.
With NHL training camps well underway, the league's second-leading all-time point-scorer remains without a contract for 2017-18.
That would be Jaromir Jagr, who recorded 16 goals and 30 assists in 82 games for the Florida Panthers last season while playing on a one-year deal that amounted to $5.515 million. That followed a 2015-16 campaign in which he led the team in points.
Jagr turned 45 in February, two months after he surpassed Mark Messier with his 1,888th career point, and now sits behind only Wayne Gretzky in the ranks of the game's scoring legends.
The man can still clearly play at a high level, so unemployed and seemingly unwanted is not how Jagr should go out.
Here's a look at how he can perfectly flip the script.
Start in Europe
Earlier this month, Jagr admitted the possibility of staying in his hometown of Kladno and beginning the season with the local Czech club, for which he's played in the past.
It's a perfect landing spot, seeing as he's a part owner and his father serves as club president. This would allow Jagr to remain in game shape on a lighter schedule, and be able to dictate the terms of his release.
And the team already has his jersey ready to boot.
There's likely be some interest from KHL clubs as well, which would give Jagr the opportunity to make more money than he would, well, working for himself.
Getting out of such a deal could be a bit more complicated, however, while remaining with Kladno would help keep things flexible for the next phases of this master plan.
Go to Pyeongchang
Starting the season in Europe would allow Jagr to do what no NHL player can this year: Represent his country at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
It can't be ruled out, but barring an ever-deeper dive into the fountain of youth, Jagr is unlikely to suit up at the 2022 Games at age 50, meaning this is probably his last chance to add another Olympic medal, of which he has two - gold from Japan in 1998, and bronze from Turin in 2006.
The Czech Republic isn't quite as strong a hockey nation as it used to be, but seeing as the field will be leveled out due to the lack of NHLers, a medal isn't out of the question.
Certainly, a player like Jagr would boost his nation's chances, even at this stage of his career. If anything, donning his country's jersey one last time would be something special to watch.
Head back to NHL
At that point, Jagr could still play in the NHL for the balance of the regular season and playoffs.
The Olympics end on Feb. 25, with the men's gold-medal hockey game typically falling on the final day. The NHL's trade deadline is reported to be Feb. 26, giving Jagr a small window through which to sign with a team of his choosing.
The advantage is that he'll be able to better assess the legitimate Stanley Cup contenders at that latter point in the season, while teams can add him at a prorated deal that won't be as detrimental to the salary cap as one signed now.
In the event a professional or former professional Player plays in a league outside North America after the start of the NHL regular season, other than on loan from his club, he may thereafter play in the NHL during that playing season (including playoffs) only if he has first either cleared or been obtained via waivers.
A similar situation played out back in 2011, when goaltender Evgeni Nabokov - who began the season in the KHL - signed a bargain-basement deal with the playoff-bound Detroit Red Wings. Nabokov, however, was claimed by the last-place New York Islanders, refused to report, and was subsequently suspended for the balance of the season.
Barring that kind of mischief on the part of the NHL's lesser teams, imagine Jagr joining Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Edmonton, or Nashville for a long playoff run.
An Olympic medal and a shot at the Stanley Cup? There isn't much more a player can ask for in any given season.
Yes, it's odd and disappointing not to see Jagr at a training camp right now, but if all goes well, he could end up having one of the best hockey years of his storied career.
"I'm really excited," Josi said in a release. "It's obviously a huge honor, and I've had some really good guys to learn from with former captains Shea Weber and Mike Fisher in the time I've been here. It's definitely a huge honor, and I know we have a great leadership group, a great group of guys, so I'm really excited."
Josi steps into the role after the club's previous captain Mike Fisher announced his retirement this offseason. With the designation, Josi also becomes the
The St. Louis Blues will likely be without workhorse defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to start the season. The veteran blue-liner suffered a left ankle fracture during a team scrimmage and will be re-evaluated in three weeks, the team announced Tuesday.
Bouwmeester's offensive ability has diminished in recent years, as he's failed to crack the 20-point mark in three consecutive seasons. The former third overall pick by the Florida Panthers is 33 years old, but remains an exceptionally smooth skater for someone who stands 6-foot-4.
His skating ability is what's allowed him to average 22:43 minutes per night during the past three seasons. He and captain Alex Pietrangelo form the Blues' shutdown defense pairing.
In Bouwmeester's absence, fellow left-handed shooting defensemen Joel Edmundson and Carl Gunnarsson will likely be asked to pick up the slack.
The Blues also announced that Zach Sanford, who was vying for a spot as a bottom-six winger, will miss five-to-six months with a dislocated left shoulder.
