For the first time in five NHL seasons, Keith Yandle won't be suiting up for the Florida Panthers next year, and the veteran is excited to write his next chapter.

The defenseman was bought out by Florida earlier this offseason and signed a one-year, $900,000 deal with the Philadelphia Flyers almost two weeks later. A major selling point to draw the ironman to Philly was young netminder Carter Hart.

"He's a stud," Yandle recently said, according to Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. "He's a guy when you think of young goalies in the league, you think of him - a guy that I'm definitely excited to play in front of."

That's high praise from the 34-year-old Yandle, who has played alongside iconic goaltenders such as Henrik Lundqvist and Roberto Luongo.

"You hear that he carries himself like he's a 10-year vet," Yandle continued. "Definitely one of those guys that when you look at signing with the Flyers, you see how good of a goalie they have - that's a big thing."

For Hart's part, he's excited to turn the page on a rough season and recently signed a three-year, $11.9-million pact with the Flyers.

"The past is in the past," Hart told reporters after signing the deal Monday. "We're going to have a great locker room. Just looking forward to getting started."

Hart referred to the Flyers' new additions as "beauties" and said it'll be "fun" to play behind a new blue line that includes the likes of Ryan Ellis, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Yandle.

General manager Chuck Fletcher's offseason acquisitions have impressed Yandle as well.

"I think seeing what Chuck's done even before free agency and making moves, making big moves, just helping the team get better - I thought it was a no-brainer for me," Yandle said. "It just seems like it's a win-now situation, and that's something that I'm all about. I thought it was the best fit."

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vancouver Canucks restricted free-agent forward Elias Pettersson remains confident a deal is going to get done with the club that drafted him.

Pettersson weighed in on the discussions between his camp and the team with a Swedish news outlet on Wednesday.

"My agents do all the talking (with the Canucks), and then they inform me about what’s going on. Right now, we're not in an agreement, but I'm not worried that we're not going to solve it eventually," Pettersson said, as translated by Hockeysverige's Uffe Bodin. "Both parties need to be happy in order to find a solution, but I'm not worried about that."

The 22-year-old was limited to just 26 games this past season due to an upper-body injury and registered 21 points. A two-time All-Star already in his young career, Pettersson put up 66 points in his previous two seasons in Vancouver.

"I want to stay there (Vancouver) now, but I also want to play for a team that's winning and has the chance to go far into the playoffs every year. I feel like we've got a chance to do that next year," he said. "If we have that chance when my next deal expires … I don’t know. I just wanna play where there's a chance of winning."

Pettersson has made the playoffs once with the Canucks so far.

Vancouver currently has a little over $13 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly. They still have to pay fellow restricted free agents Jason Dickinson and defensive dynamo Quinn Hughes.

The Swedish talent is considered a top offer sheet target this offseason.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Winnipeg Jets and restricted free agent blue-liner Neal Pionk avoided arbitration and settled on a four-year contract, the team announced Wednesday.

The deal carries an average annual value of $5.875 million.

Pionk signed a two-year, $6-million contract in 2019 after joining the Jets in a trade from the New York Rangers. Winnipeg also recouped a first-round pick in the deal that sent Jacob Trouba the other way.

The 26-year-old has emerged as a key piece on the Jets' back end. Pionk has logged over 20 minutes per night in each of his two seasons in Winnipeg and recorded 32 points across 54 games in 2020-21.

The Jets have made an effort to revamp their defense corps this offseason, bringing in veterans Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillion.

With Pionk signed, forward Andrew Copp is the only player on Winnipeg's books needing a new deal.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Chicago Blackhawks franchise icon Tony Esposito died Tuesday at the age of 78 following a short battle with pancreatic cancer, the team announced.

The Hall of Fame goaltender played all but one of his 16 NHL seasons in the Windy City, and he remains the all-time franchise leader in shutouts (74) and career wins (418). Three Vezina Trophies (1970, 1972, 1974) and one Stanley Cup victory with the Montreal Canadiens in 1969 punctuated Esposito's decorated career. The Blackhawks retired his No. 35 in 1988.

"Tony was one of the most important and popular figures in the history of the franchise as we near its 100th anniversary," team chairman Rocky Wirtz said in a statement. "He was tireless, reliable, and a great teammate."

Esposito authored a career .906 save percentage and was awarded the Calder Trophy in 1970 for his stellar rookie campaign. Esposito's 423-306-151 career record ranks 10th in NHL history.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman also mourned the death of the "fierce competitor."

"It was Esposito’s style, charisma, and heart that endeared him most to hockey fans not only in Chicago but across the NHL," Bettman wrote in a statement. "The hockey world will miss him greatly. The NHL family extends its deepest sympathies to his wife, Marilyn, sons Mark (Kim) and Jason, and grandchildren Lauren and Kamryn."

Esposito retired from the league in 1984 and was enshrined into the Hall of Fame just four years later. The brother of star NHL forward Phil Esposito, "Tony O" had been working as Chicago's team ambassador since March 2008.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Newly hired goaltending coach Dusty Imoo will no longer be joining the Toronto Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate, president Brendan Shanahan announced Tuesday in a statement.

The Toronto Marlies hired Imoo on Sunday and promoted former goalie coach Jon Elkin into a goaltender evaluation and development role.

"We made a mistake by not thoroughly following our organizational protocols when considering this candidate for the position of goaltending coach for the Toronto Marlies," Shanahan wrote.

Fans expressed concern about the hiring on social media, pointing to Imoo's liked Tweets which included anti-vaccination and election conspiracy comments. Soon after, Imoo deactivated his Twitter account.

Imoo spent time on the Los Angeles Kings' goaltending development staff and is largely credited with helping Leafs netminder Jack Campbell get his career back on track.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Detroit Red Wings and restricted free agent Jakub Vrana avoided arbitration while settling on a three-year contract extension, the team announced Tuesday.

Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but it carries an average annual value of $5.25 million, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

The arbitration hearing was scheduled for Wednesday. Vrana's initial request was for about $5.7 million annually, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.

Detroit acquired Vrana from the Washington Capitals in a blockbuster trade-deadline deal that sent Anthony Mantha the other way. The Red Wings also received Richard Panik, a first-round pick in 2021, and a second-rounder in 2022.

Vrana, 25, is a top-six scoring threat who generates five-on-five chances at an elite rate.

The Capitals drafted him 13th overall in 2014, and he won a Stanley Cup with the franchise in 2018. Vrana notched 36 points over 50 games this past season, 11 of which came during his 11 contests with Detroit after the trade.

Forward Adam Erne and defenseman Filip Hronek are Detroit's remaining RFAs. The club holds approximately $20 million in cap space, according to Cap Friendly.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.