The Florida Panthers have signed forward Grigori Denisenko to a three-year, entry-level deal, the team announced Tuesday.
"Grigori is an exciting, dynamic, and highly skilled young forward who has been a top player on the international stage and served as captain of Team Russia at the World Juniors," Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said. "We are thrilled for his bright future with the Panthers for years to come."
Florida selected Denisenko with the 15th overall pick in the 2018 draft.
The 19-year-old tallied six goals and 12 points through 38 games in 2019-20 with the KHL's Yaroslavl Lokomotiv.
Serving as the captain for Russia at the 2020 world juniors, Denisenko posted a team-best nine points in seven games to help lead the nation to a silver medal.
The Dirty Bird-era Falcons had a certain swagger about them, and these uniforms helped the cause. With no frills attached, the red trim around the numbers on the black jersey helped things pop, and it all blended perfectly with the simple stripes down the side of the pants. It's a shame Atlanta didn't go back to something similar with its recent redesign.
89. Phoenix Suns (1990s)
Sam Forencich / National Basketball Association / Getty
The Suns' vibrant purple-and-orange color scheme deserves a bold design, and the "sunburst" digs from the Charles Barkley days were the best in franchise history. The giant logo used by Phoenix helped inspire a trend mimicked across the NBA through the '90s, and many of those unis live on today as classics for an entire generation.
88. Arizona Coyotes (1990s)
Robert Laberge / Getty Images Sport / Getty
This uniform just screams '90s, but after relocating from Winnipeg to Phoenix, the Coyotes needed something to stand out from the pack. The Kachina design pays homage to Native American history in the southwestern United States, and the exclusive color scheme looks outstanding on the ice. Modernizing the look and using it as a third jersey beginning in 2018 was a brilliant decision.
87. New Jersey Nets (1970s)
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The Nets have sported some of basketball's best and worst looks across their ABA and NBA history, including an acid-washed monstrosity that lasted just the 1990-91 season. The 1970s jerseys, made famous by Dr. J, are a masterpiece of asymmetrical uniform design.
86. Arsenal (1991-93)
Neal Simpson - EMPICS / PA Images / Getty
As campy and polarizing as anything you'll find on our top 100 list, Arsenal's original "bruised banana" away kit, worn in the early 1990s, earned cult status among supporters, and Adidas recently relaunched a modern version. Even the sponsor's logo on the front (JVC is known primarily for developing the VHS video format) adds to the retro mystique.
85. New York Islanders (current)
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The Islanders have had some truly awful, miserable, and downright atrocious uniform ideas over the years, which is difficult to fathom considering how perfect their current home-and-away set is. This was the look the club rocked during four consecutive Stanley Cups wins in the early '80s, and now that it's back, it should never change again.
84. Denver Broncos (1980s)
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The Broncos' current navy-and-orange set is a rare '90s design that holds up today, but the best the franchise ever looked was in orange tops and royal blue helmets.
83. Hartford Whalers (1990s)
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Adorned with a logo that makes the best use of negative space in sports history (once you see the H sitting on the W, you'll never unsee it), these beauties and their unique color scheme are sorely missed in the NHL.
82. Atlanta Braves (current)
Mike Zarrilli / Getty Images Sport / Getty
The Braves have donned dozens of uniforms over the course of a franchise history that dates back more than a century, but their current style is the best of the bunch. The tomahawk underlining the cursive wordmark is as iconic as it gets in MLB, and the subtle red piping surrounding the buttons and collar provides the perfect finishing touch.
81. Los Angeles Rams (1990s)
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The shades of blue never quite matched between the various elements of the Rams' old uniforms, but the horned helmet is a truly inspired skeuomorphicdesign. Incorporating the same shape into the sleeve striping is a touch of genius.
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Georges Laraque is back home after recovering from the coronavirus.
The former NHL enforcer was discharged from hospital Monday after checking in last week following his diagnosis.
"I was really struggling, but just the fact that since (Sunday) I didn't need extra oxygen to breathe, it was really encouraging because you know, gasping for air is one of the worst feelings when you can't breathe," Laraque told TSN's John Lu following his discharge.
Laraque, who suffers from asthma, thinks he contracted the virus while picking up groceries for seniors in the Montreal area.
"Elderly people don't want to go out of the house to get groceries, so I volunteered for them and I did that for them because it was advised for them to stay at home," he said. "So I just took their list of groceries and went to a couple different grocery stores to pick up stuff for them. And when I did that, you know how contagious this thing is, you could be picking up a product, touch your face after and that's it."
He added: "So it just shows you that you could pretty much get it anywhere and you just have to be really careful."
The 43-year-old revealed his condition Thursday, posting a photo of himself in a hospital bed with a caption reading, "I guess I'm not invincible, just got diagnosed with COVID, since I'm asthmatic, not the best news, will fight it off!"
Laraque said shortly thereafter that he couldn't even get up to brush his teeth without struggling and called it "the worst thing ever."
The former forward spent 12 seasons in the NHL, including eight with the Edmonton Oilers. He retired in 2010.
The Giants have rocked the same style for most of their history - and for good reason. The crisp combination of red, white, and blue represents America's most iconic city perfectly. The Yankees' interlocked "NY" logo is world-famous, but don't overlook the Giants' retro-chic lowercase "ny." The 1980s throwbacks reintroduced as part of the NFL's Color Rush initiative complete one of the league's simplest and most effective uniform sets.
99. Orlando Magic (1990s)
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The Magic's first look was easily their best. The pinstriped black road unis stood out the most, with a blue-and-white script that truly popped. The font is very '90s but in a good way. The team's logo was created after consultation with Walt Disney World artists and consideration of thousands of suggestions submitted by fans.
98. Florida Panthers (1990s)
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Sticking to the Sunshine State, the uniform of the '90s-era Panthers is a forgotten gem. The sharp points in the lines created a unique effect, and the crests on the chest and shoulders tied together a sweater we sorely miss. Every change the Panthers have made since their inaugural scheme has been a downgrade.
97. San Antonio Spurs (current)
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The Spurs always opt for simplicity, and it works. Silver and black is a timeless combination, and San Antonio gets bonus points for its seamless implementation of the logo in the wordmark. Still, is it too much to ask for the Spurs to finally use their "fiesta" logo colors in an alternate uniform?
96. Kansas basketball (1990s)
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While the current iteration of the Jayhawks' jerseys leaves something to be desired, the "circus" number font used in their 90s-era attire helped pull together a college hoops classic.
95. Seattle Seahawks (current)
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Nike got plenty of redesigns wrong after taking over as the NFL's uniform maker in 2012, but the company nailed the Seahawks' digs. Neon green and navy was a previously unexplored combo, and now it belongs exclusively to Seattle. It's the tasteful use of green as only trim that brings this whole set together.
94. Edmonton Oilers (1980s)
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The Oilers have experimented with a few different concepts since their glory days, and it's difficult to comprehend why. The simple blue-and-orange scheme repped by Wayne Gretzky and Co. at the height of the team's powers is the way to go.
93. New York Mets (1980s)
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Aside from their attempt to incorporate black as their primary color in the late 1990s, the Mets have always looked sharp. That said, their getups in the 80s - which featured pullovers instead of button-ups, thick racing stripes down the side, and pinstripes everywhere else - are easily their best.
92. Juventus (1980s)
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While Juve might look like a team of referees to North American soccer novices, their signature black and white stripes are iconic throughout the rest of the world. Worn with only subtle changes for more than a century, these shirts are synonymous with Italian soccer dominance. Imagine if the club had stuck with its original attire: pink shirts with black ties.
91. USA Basketball (1992)
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The 1992 Olympics in Barcelona marked the first time NBAers were allowed to represent their countries at the games. It was also the debut of USA Basketball's logo, proudly displayed front and center on the U.S. national team's jerseys. The new design, tied in with the dominance of "The Dream Team" and its march to gold, created an ageless uniform.
"I don't really know exactly how it's all going to transpire but whatever it is, I like Jersey," Blackwood said, according to NHL.com's Mike Morreale. "I love playing here and I'd love to play here for a long time, so I'm sure we can figure something out and hopefully it can go smoothly."
Blackwood is set to hit restricted free agency at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season. He got his first taste as Devils No. 1 this season after being drafted 45th overall in 2015.
He hopes to be able to grow with the rest of New Jersey's young, talented core.
"I think it would be really exciting if we can all develop together," Blackwood said. "Guys like Jack (Hughes), Nico (Hischier), myself, (Jesper) Bratt, and (Pavel Zacha). If we all can stay together, stay in like a little group here and then as the years go on, we'll get better together and build that bond ... I think that's how you build a winning team.
"I want to be a part of that, and I see myself being a part of that. So it's definitely a place and a situation where I see myself being for a long time."
The 23-year-old netminder appeared in 47 games with the Devils this season, compiling a 22-14-8 record alongside a .915 save percentage and 2.77 goals-against average.
The NHL is taking the patient route regarding a decision on when to hold the 2020 draft.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Sunday it could happen as early as June 5. But despite holding a board of governors meeting Monday to discuss the possibility, the league has yet to make a decision, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
"We think it’s more important to get the right decision than to get a quick decision," NHL deputy commissioner Billy Daly told LeBrun via email.
While a vote from the board of governors is not required for the league to hold a June draft under these circumstances, LeBrun said that commissioner Gary Bettman wanted to hear from teams before the league ultimately makes a decision by the end of the week.
When the idea for a June draft was initially brought up a couple weeks ago, LeBrun polled all 31 GMs for their opinion. There were six yes votes, 15 no votes, eight maybes, and two nonresponses.
The league is considering holding the event earlier than usual because if the season resumes this summer, it would leave little time this offseason to hold a lottery and a draft before the 2020-21 campaign begins, according to Friedman.
If the draft is held in early June, the league will reportedly revert to the old lottery format.
The draft was originally scheduled for June 26-27 in Montreal, but it was postponed on March 25 due to the COVID-19 crisis.
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British Columbia's provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is on board with the idea of Vancouver potentially being used as a hub city to host NHL games if the season resumes.
"There are ways that we can do it safely. I think it's an interesting idea," Dr. Henry said, according to The Daily Hive's Rob Williams. "I think there are ways that we could look at having games being played, perhaps in B.C. Hockey would be one that we could certainly look at.
She continued: "I would not see there being an (in-arena) audience for example, but we could broadcast the games. And there's ways that players can take precautions to ensure there's physical distancing."
The Canucks were reportedly one of several teams to make a pitch to the league to offer its city. The league has been considering the idea of using up to four cities to act as hubs to host games for a number of teams.
"When we think of hockey, which I love, people are wearing face masks. There's ways that players are protected when they're on the ice," Dr. Henry continued. "I absolutely think that these are the types of things that we need to think about how we can do them safely during this summer."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday that for the time being, anyone entering Canada would have to abide by quarantine guidelines amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The league is currently in the process of reviewing the proposals.
If the NHL does indeed hold its draft in early June, the league said it will revert to the old lottery system that was last used in 2012, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.
In the old lottery system, only the league's bottom five teams have a chance to get the No. 1 pick. Teams outside that group can still win the lottery, but they can move up a maximum of four slots in the draft order.
Here's a look at the current projected draft order based on points percentage among the bottom 15 teams that would be eligible for the lottery.
Rank
Team
1.
Detroit Red Wings
2.
Ottawa Senators
3.
Ottawa Senators (via SJ)
4.
Los Angeles Kings
5.
Anaheim Ducks
6.
New Jersey Devils
7.
Buffalo Sabres
8.
Montreal Canadiens
9.
Chicago Blackhawks
10.
New Jersey Devils (via ARI)
11.
Minnesota Wild
12.
Winnipeg Jets
13.
New York Rangers
14.
Florida Panthers
15.
Columbus Blue Jackets
In the old lottery system, only the Red Wings, Senators, Kings, and Ducks would have a shot at getting the first overall selection.
Additionally, there would only be a draft lottery for the No. 1 pick, meaning Detroit could do no worse than the No. 2 selection, and the furthest Ottawa could slide back is to Nos. 3 and 4. In recent drafts, the top three selections have been lottery picks, which is why the Colorado Avalanche picked fourth in 2019 despite holding the best odds to land the No. 1 selection.
With only one lottery pick, the Red Wings' odds to "win" would remain at the 18.5% mark used in recent years instead of the 25% used in 2012, reports McKenzie. In actuality, though, the Red Wings' chances of drafting first overall get a bigger boost, because if a team outside the top five "wins" the lottery, Detroit holds onto the top selection.
The draft lottery switched to the more random format used in recent years to discourage tanking.
The reasoning for moving the draft to early June is complex. As Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Friday, the Stanley Cup wouldn't be awarded until early or mid-September at the earliest if the season resumes this summer. This would leave little time for a lottery and draft to be held before the 2020-21 season begins, which would be as late as December.
The NHL is reportedly moving forward with the altered lottery odds partially in order to ensure a team cannot win the lottery and also win the Stanley Cup. "While the league considers that a total long shot, it is prepared to concede the point and prevent the occurrence," Friedman wrote.
The 2020 NHL Draft was originally scheduled for June 26-27, but the event was postponed March 25 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
