Free-agent defenseman Jack Ahcan is joining the Boston Bruins, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
The 22-year-old posted 25 points in 33 games during his senior season at St. Cloud State.
Ahcan. who served as the Huskies' captain, was never drafted to the NHL.
He produced 103 points in 144 NCAA contests.
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A Colorado Avalanche player tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, the club announced Thursday.
"The player has been at home in isolation since the first symptoms appeared, has recovered, and is back to normal. The Avalanche have notified anyone who has had known close contact with the athlete," a statement said.
Two Ottawa Senators players tested positive for the virus last week.
The NHL initially instructed players to self-quarantine through March 27 before extending that directive to April 4.
The league paused its season on March 12 amid the outbreak.
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Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's national hockey writer.
Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Spotify.
Sean Tierney, the man behind ChartingHockey.ca and the director of hockey analytics for the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs, joins the show to discuss a variety of topics, including:
... and more!
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Hockey players are getting creative with their home workouts and practice routines, and New York Rangers forward Ryan Strome shared a difficult one of his own Thursday.
Just finished working on my game...went 7/7 today! Back to Call of Duty. Goodbye Twitter👋🏼😂 pic.twitter.com/0CB3laNC9R
— Ryan Strome (@strome18) March 26, 2020
Strome has been enjoying the best season of his career in his second campaign with the Rangers, tallying 18 goals and 41 assists before the league halted play. He's spent a lot of his time on the ice with teammate Artemi Panarin, who's amassed 32 goals and a team-leading 95 points.
It wasn't long until Arizona Coyotes forward Taylor Hall took a jab at Strome's routine, jokingly asking if playing with the dynamic Panarin left little need for a more diverse regimen.
Is that all you need to work on if you play with Panarin? 🤣 https://t.co/GReg9eb3td
— Taylor Hall (@hallsy09) March 26, 2020
Hall, who is set to hit free agency this summer, may need to rethink his options if that's all he'll need to practice with the Rangers.
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If all goes according to plan, Nick Foligno will be eating lightning and crapping thunder by the time the NHL resumes play.
The closure of team facilities has forced NHL players to get creative with their workouts, and the Columbus Blue Jackets' captain is no exception.
"You're kind of going back to that 'Rocky' mentality where you're doing push ups and sit ups and punching the cow," he said on a video conference call Thursday, according to Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press.
If you're unfamiliar with 1976 film, unknown heavyweight challenger Rocky Balboa punched raw meat as part of his training routine. While Foligno is obviously exaggerating, other players around the league have also had to alter their training methods.
"I haven't gotten that creative," Sidney Crosby said, according to Pens Inside Scoop's Sam Kasan. "You do the best that you can. I have a bike. Push ups. It's old school at this point. Whatever you can get done you get done. That's what I've been doing."
Devils star P.K. Subban relocated from New Jersey to Los Angeles to better his workout regimen.
"In New Jersey I didn't have much equipment there. I'm just so used to doing all my working out at the rink," he told Devils reporter Amanda Stein. "Here in L.A. I have more gym equipment at my place. I'm trying to stick to as close a routine as I can."
Each player is in a different spot when it comes to knowing what lies ahead. Even if the NHL goes straight to the playoffs, Crosby's Penguins are guaranteed a postseason berth, sitting third in the Metropolitan Division. Foligno's Blue Jackets own the second wild-card spot by points, but would be on the outside looking in if seeding's determined by points percentage. Subban, whose Devils sit third-last in the Eastern Conference, may have played his last game of the season already.
Of course, an expanded playoff format and/or a tournament for lottery teams would change things.
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Sidney Crosby was among several players to share his thoughts on the paused season in video conference calls Thursday, and for his part, the Pittsburgh Penguins star hopes to play as much as possible.
"You try to get in as many games as you can. I wouldn't mind starting right at the playoffs," Crosby said, according to Pens Inside Scoop's Sam Kasan. "But there are a lot of guys in different situations. The more games you can play, the better (the) integrity of it."
On a separate call, Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin admitted he would hope to go straight to the postseason, although Anders Lee, who was on the same call, sits right outside of a playoff spot with the New York Islanders.
"For us it is better for playoffs to start right now. We don't want to play extra games," Ovechkin said, according to the Washington Post's Samantha Pell. "I would rather play playoffs right away. Sorry, guys."
Philadelphia Flyers forward Giroux was on a similar page as Crosby in hoping to get in more regular-season games.
"It would be good to get a few games before playoffs," Giroux said. "Especially for teams fighting for a spot. Whatever is most fair for everyone.”
The Capitals occupy the first spot in the Metropolitan Division, the Flyers the second spot, and the Penguins the third. If the league does decide to go straight into the playoffs, it would potentially set up a first-round matchup between the Flyers and Penguins.
Over the coming days, every team will have a player represent it on a media conference call, according to The Hockey News' Matt Larkin.
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Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.
A day before the 2019-20 NHL season began, we gave out 12 fearless value bets for the campaign. It was essentially a "bold predictions" article.
Let's revisit all of those predictions, working our way from the worst of the bunch to the best.
Not only were the Sharks NOT going to win the Cup this season, but they were in pole position to finish last in the Western Conference.
A broken thumb cut Karlsson's season short, but he wasn't anywhere near the Norris conversation through 56 games.
Why do I get the feeling that while Sergei Bobrovsky struggled on the ice, his handicap drastically improved away from it?
I led this section off by writing, "I have nothing but respect and admiration for Blues coach Craig Berube." I proceeded to bet against him. That was foolish.
Show this pick to the next person who tells you to bet on talent over opportunity. Gibson is one of the most talented goalies in the world, yet the Ducks made him look like Robert Esche.
I mean, it still could have happened, right? This is all Tristan Jarry's fault.
The Coyotes were on track for the playoffs before a trade for Taylor Hall curiously derailed their season. Something tells me Hall and Phil Kessel could be joining Bobrovsky on the PGA Tour soon.
The Hurricanes weren't on track to win the division, but if the season eventually resumes, I still think they're capable of big things.
I think at least two of these bets would have cashed if the season wasn't suspended, but the point of this was to show I was higher on the Canucks and lower on the Flames and Jets than most, and I'm feeling pretty good about all of that right now.
MacKinnon was having an MVP-caliber season and was all the way down to +250 in the Hart Trophy odds. If not for Leon Draisaitl, he would have been a lock.
The Islanders could still have thrown a wrench in this, but for the first time since 1965-66, it was looking like no New York-area team was going to make the playoffs.
Matthews had closed the gap behind David Pastrnak and Alex Ovechkin to just one goal, and given the recent pace, I think he would have claimed this honor over the final 12 games.
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
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Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews will commit $100,000 to the Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund through his personal foundation, the team announced Thursday.
Toews has spent 13 seasons in Chicago, including 12 as the Blackhawks' captain. His donation is intended to match the first $100,000 raised by the team's fans, a figure the club has also matched.
New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and Montreal Canadiens netminder Carey Price have also made generous donations to help combat the pandemic.
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Following Monday's rundown of the Eastern Conference, here's every Western Conference squad's most valuable player to this point in the season:
Pick: Adam Henrique
There hasn't been a whole lot to cheer for this season in Anaheim, and with usual team backbone John Gibson putting together a campaign well below his typical standards, Henrique earns the honor for the Ducks. The 30-year-old leads the club in points to go along with a career-high 26 goals.
Pick: Darcy Kuemper
The Coyotes were comfortably in contention for a top-three spot in the Pacific before Kuemper went down with an injury, and their season cratered once he hit the shelf. During his 28-game absence, Arizona managed an 11-13-4 record. Kuemper's numbers for the season are Vezina-like - a .928 save percentage and 2.22 goals-against average in 29 games.
Pick: Matthew Tkachuk
Calgary's stars have taken a significant step back in terms of production, and Tkachuk emerged to lead the team in points and rank second in scoring. Between his highlight-reel goals, overall offensive development, and agitating on-ice antics, Tkachuk is quickly becoming the face of the Flames.
Pick: Patrick Kane
"Showtime" continues to rack up the points. The 31-year-old Kane ranks eighth in league scoring with 84 points - 24 more than Jonathan Toews, who's second on the Blackhawks. There's much to be desired about Kane's defensive impact, but where would Chicago be without his offensive contributions?
Pick: Nathan MacKinnon
Apart from a couple of Edmonton Oilers stars, it's hard to make a case that anyone is more deserving of the Hart Trophy than MacKinnon is. The Avalanche have been without key players all season, but it hasn't slowed him down, as he's registered 93 points - an incredible 43 more than the second most for Colorado - in 69 contests.
Pick: Ben Bishop
The Stars have struggled mightily to score goals this season, so it's a good thing they have Bishop to hold down the fort. The 33-year-old posted a .920 save percentage along with a 21-16-4 record. It's worth noting backup Anton Khudobin has a .930 clip to help form one of the best goaltending duos in the NHL.
Pick: Connor McDavid
The Oilers are one of the only teams that have two legitimate MVP candidates. Both McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have been sensational this season, but the captain gets the edge. Draisaitl has been magnificent and may have saved Edmonton's season with his Herculean performances while McDavid was out with an injury. But then No. 97 casually put up 16 points in nine games when he returned to bring his total to a fitting 97 in 64 games.
Pick: Anze Kopitar
This one's a layup. The Kings occupied last place in the West for the majority of the season, but Kopitar has been solid the entire campaign. The captain leads the team in scoring by a landslide with 62 points in 70 games and logs over 21 minutes per night against top competition.
Pick: Kevin Fiala
Many wondered what former Wild general manager Paul Fenton was thinking when he flipped Mikael Granlund for Fiala at last year's trade deadline, but the 23-year-old forward has come into his own this season. Fiala leads the club in scoring with 54 points in 64 games, including 29 in 24 once the calendar flipped to the new year.
Pick: Roman Josi
A lock to be a Norris Trophy finalist for the first time in his career, Josi's marvelous season being halted is among the more disappointing consequences of the NHL's postponement. The Swiss defender leads the Predators with 65 points and ranks second among all blue-liners in scoring. Josi also sits third at his position with a whopping 25:47 of average ice time.
Pick: Brent Burns
Burns has been the constant during a trying and injury-plagued season for the Sharks. The veteran blue-liner has managed 45 points in 70 games - a decrease from his normal pace but still 11th among all defensemen - while averaging over 25 minutes per contest.
Pick: Alex Pietrangelo
The Blues have a few worthy candidates, but it's difficult to imagine the defending champions leading the Central Division if Pietrangelo missed any significant time. The captain is on pace to set a career high with 60 points and already set a new personal benchmark with 16 goals.
Pick: Jacob Markstrom
Much like Kuemper in Arizona, an injury to goaltender Markstrom was a devastating blow to the Canucks' pursuit of a playoff spot. Before going down, he posted a .918 save percentage and 11.4 goals-saved above average in 43 starts.
Pick: Mark Stone
Stone has been a perfect fit in Vegas, and his first full season with the Golden Knights was going swimmingly before a lower-body injury caused him to miss the final handful of games before the league paused. Stone has developed tremendous chemistry with Max Pacioretty on the second line and has 63 points in 65 games while dominating at both ends of the ice.
Pick: Connor Hellebuyck
The defensively porous Jets hold the West's top wild-card spot primarily because of Hellebuyck's contributions in goal. The 26-year-old netminder is 31-21-5 with a .922 save percentage and remarkable 22.4 goals-saved above average.
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