The Boston Bruins inked defenseman Brandon Carlo to a two-year contract with an annual cap hit of $2.85 million, the club announced Tuesday.
Carlo was a restricted free agent. His new deal buys the team one RFA year and one RFA arbitration year, according to CapFriendly, which adds that he'll be an RFA with arb rights when his new pact expires in 2021.
The 22-year-old, now a fixture in the Bruins' top four on the back end, ranked fourth on the squad in average ice time in 2018-19.
He's entering his fourth NHL season and his fourth with Boston, which drafted him 37th overall in 2015.
The Vancouver Canucks have signed restricted free-agent forward Brock Boeser to a three-year deal with an average annual value of $5.875 million, the team announced Monday.
From pop culture references and family shoutouts to logos and skylines, every goalie mask is a true original. theScore recently visited designer David Arrigo in his Orangeville, Ontario studio to learn about the artistic process:
The Art of the Mask series also includes sit-downs with a handful of goalies who are passionate about their headgear:
The Philadelphia Flyers have agreed to terms with restricted free-agent forward Travis Konecny on a six-year contract with an average annual value of $5.5 million, the team announced Monday.
Philadelphia has secured two of its core players within the past week. It also signed defenseman Ivan Provorov to a six-year contract with an AAV of $6.75 million on Thursday.
New Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault was critical of Konecny's contract holdout.
"I'm very disappointed that T.K. is not here," Vigneault said Friday, according to NBC's Jordan Hall. "It's the start of a new era, a new group, I felt that it was very important for everybody to be here.
"With my time in the NHL, my experience, anybody that falls behind - whether it's injury or in T.K.'s situation not coming to camp - usually it takes them a little bit of time to get back at it, especially at this time with a new coaching staff and new way of doing things."
Konecny, a first-round pick in 2015, tallied 24 goals and 49 points last season.
The Flyers have $1.17 million remaining in projected cap space, according to PuckPedia.
There's no cause to fear an NHL lockout for at least a few more years, as the NHLPA announced Monday that the union declined its option to reopen the collective bargaining agreement after the 2019-20 season.
The decision means the current CBA will remain in effect through the 2021-22 campaign.
"While players have concerns with the current CBA," NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr said in a statement, "we agree with the league that working together to address those concerns is the preferred course of action instead of terminating the agreement following this season. We have been having discussions with the league about an extension of the CBA and expect that those talks will continue."
The NHL saw an uptick in scoring last season for a variety of reasons. Sure, goaltenders were forced to wear smaller equipment, but the overall speed and skill of the game are at an all-time high - and it's arguably never been more fun to watch.
With a new season just around the corner, we rank the top five offenses in the league. If you're a fan of high-scoring hockey, the following teams make for can't-miss TV.
GF = Goals For PP% = Power Play percentage SCF = Scoring Chances For HDCF = High-Danger Chances For
5. Colorado Avalanche
Michael Martin / National Hockey League / Getty
Stat
Total
League Rank (2018-19)
GF
258
10th
PP%
22%
7th
SCF (5-on-5)
2297
11th
HDCF (5-on-5)
948
12th
Led by arguably the most dominant line in hockey, the Avalanche enter the 2019-20 campaign boasting their deepest forward core in recent memory.
The additions of Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky, and Joonas Donskoi give the club a collection of capable producers further down the lineup, and 2016 first-round pick Tyson Jost looks to build on his career-best 2018-19 season. Kadri, in particular, adds another dangerous option on the man advantage after tallying 28 power-play goals over the past three seasons.
Cale Makar showed what he can do during his playoff stint with the Avs this past spring. The rookie rearguard should be able to contribute at a high level right away and replace some of the offense lost in the departure of Tyson Barrie. Fellow defenseman Samuel Girard ranked first league-wide in defensive zone exits last season, and his elite puck-moving ability should yield increasingly positive results with additional forward talent in the fold.
4. Calgary Flames
Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / Getty
Stat
Total
League Rank (2018-19)
GF
289
T2nd
PP%
19.3%
18th
SCF (5-on-5)
2369
7th
HDCF (5-on-5)
1013
7th
The Flames still need to negotiate a new contract with restricted free-agent forward Matthew Tkachuk, but once that's settled, they'll return the same offense that took the Western Conference by storm last season.
Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan fully showcased their abilities as elite point producers, while the offensive emergences of Tkachuk and Swedish winger Elias Lindholm elevated the Flames to a whole new level; Calgary was the only team with five 70-point scorers in 2018-19, and all five will be with the club in 2019-20.
Headed by Norris Trophy-winner Mark Giordano, the Flames received 198 points last season from a blue line that remains intact. With proven scoring options all over the lineup, expect head coach Bill Peters' club to dazzle offensively once again.
3. San Jose Sharks
Ezra Shaw / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Stat
Total
League Rank (2018-19)
GF
289
T2nd
PP%
23.6%
6th
SCF (5-on-5)
2450
4th
HDCF (5-on-5)
1072
3rd
The Sharks may have lost perennial goal-scorer Joe Pavelski, but the club still enters the 2019-20 campaign with a ton of firepower.
Led by new captain Logan Couture, the Sharks' forward group offers a bounty of speed and skill. Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl, and Kevin Labanc look to take more leaps after breakout campaigns, and the ageless Joe Thornton is back to anchor the third line. San Jose rostered three 30-goal-scorers besides Pavelski in 2018-19 and has 10 returning players who notched double-digit tallies.
On the blue line, the Sharks boast a pair of Norris Trophy talents in Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns, who also happen to be the two best offensive defensemen in the NHL. No team enjoyed more production from its back end last season as Sharks defenders combined for 221 points.
2. Toronto Maple Leafs
Kevin Sousa / National Hockey League / Getty
Stat
Total
League Rank (2018-19)
GF
286
4th
PP%
21.8%
8th
SCF (5-on-5)
2835
1st
HDCF (5-on-5)
1115
2nd
The Leafs were without Auston Matthews for 14 games last season, and play-making winger William Nylander never rounded into form after his prolonged contract dispute. Despite those setbacks, Toronto was still among the top offenses in hockey and its young nucleus has plenty of room to grow.
With Matthews and John Tavares leading the charge up the middle, the Leafs possess one of league's the top duos at center ice and can find scoring options up and down the lineup. Each of their seven 20-goal scorers - a league-high last year - remain in the fold, and newcomer Alex Kerfoot has back-to-back 40-plus-point campaigns to start his career.
The addition of 59-point rearguard Tyson Barrie gives the club another blue-line weapon to compliment an already-potent power play. The Leafs also rounded out their depth by signing Jason Spezza, who will assume fourth-line duties centering a variety of viable wing options.
1. Tampa Bay Lightning
Adam Pantozzi / National Hockey League / Getty
Stat
Total
League Rank (2018-19)
GF
319
1st
PP%
28.2%
1st
SCF (5-on-5)
2433
5th
HDCF (5-on-5)
921
16th
The NHL's juggernaut is back with a vengeance after being swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Lightning owned a historic offense in 2018-19 as their 319 goals were the most in a single season since 1995-96.
The Bolts scored five or more goals in 37 games and were held to one or no tallies just 11 times. Tampa Bay was the only team in the league to roster three 40-goal-scorers (two other clubs had two) and also saw nine players eclipse the 40-point mark.
Out to prove he can still contribute at a high level after a down season with the New York Rangers, Kevin Shattenkirk will be a welcome depth addition to the league's deadliest power play behind Victor Hedman. As soon as the Lightning get restricted free agent Brayden Point signed to a new deal, they'll be unanimous Stanley Cup favorites once again.
