Before the team places the Russian forward on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, general manager George McPhee is reportedly seeking assurance from his 30 counterparts that Shipachyov won't be claimed, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels.
If he were to be claimed, that team would pick up the remainder of his two-year, $9-million deal without having to send any assets to Vegas.
The Golden Knights would still be on the hook for a $2-million signing bonus of which Shipachyov has agreed to pay back all but $86,000 once the termination process officially begins.
At present, Shipachyov is in Russia and is hoping to latch on with a KHL club. His only other option is to retire, meaning Vegas would retain his NHL rights for the time being.
In three games with Vegas, Shipachyov recorded one goal and three shots on net.
Few things in hockey are more daunting than attempting to defend against a Pittsburgh Penguins power play.
The Edmonton Oilers learned this the hard way Wednesday by failing to keep Pittsburgh's top unit from scoring the eventual game-winner with less than eight minutes remaining in the third period.
Here's a look at how the Penguins executed their deciding strike with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins helplessly looking on from the penalty box after being called for interference.
The play began with defenseman Kris Letang (No. 58) controlling the puck in the defensive zone and preparing to lead a breakout.
Shortly after crossing the Penguins' blue line, Letang dropped the puck back to Phil Kessel (81) while Evgeni Malkin (71) came alongside at the back end of the rush.
Kessel and Malkin skated through the neutral zone uncontested, and caught up with the rest of the top power-play unit just prior to entering the offensive zone. Sidney Crosby (87) can be seen to the left of Malkin, with Letang and Patric Hornqvist (72) to Kessel's right.
As it became clear that Kessel was going to carry the puck into the zone rather than dump it in deep, the Oilers' penalty killers descended on him and Malkin. On the ice at the time were defensemen Adam Larsson (6) and Darnell Nurse (25), as well as forwards Matt Kassian (44) and Drake Caggiula (91).
Still, a quick pass from Kessel to Malkin could not be stopped, as seen from a different angle.
Malkin was able to cut between Larsson and Caggiula. Left with a clear look at Cam Talbot in net, Malkin made no mistake on the wide-open opportunity.
He promptly deposited the puck into the back of the net with a wrist shot to Talbot's glove side.
The power-play marker was Pittsburgh's 16th of the season, tying the Penguins with the Tampa Bay Lightning for most in the NHL. Both teams have been afforded 54 opportunities, good for a success rate of 29.6 percent. Only the Dallas Stars have been more efficient on the man advantage, scoring 12 goals on 39 chances (30.8 percent).
Malkin's goal gave him nine power-play points on the season, and the assists for Kessel and Letang marked their eighth points respectively on the man advantage.
It's remarkable that Pittsburgh was able to craft such a perfect play with Crosby acting more as a decoy than a participant, and a testament to the star power head coach Mike Sullivan has at his disposal.
Memo to the opposition: Try to stay out of the box.
Jarome Iginla won't crack Canada's Olympic roster solely on merit.
If the 40-year-old wants to play at the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea, he'll need to hit the ice sooner rather than later, according to Hockey Canada president Tom Renney.
"As good a player as Jarome has been, as good a man as he is, if he’s not playing, it’s hard to give yourself opportunity for a fair evaluation, quite honestly, of what he might be able to do in the Olympic Games," Renney said Wednesday, per Luke Fox of Sportsnet.
Iginla went unsigned as an unrestricted free agent during the offseason and is believed to have recently undergone a procedure on his hip.
Canada is set to play at a pre-tournament later this month in Finland, with another set for mid-December in Russia. If Iginla does want to play, one would assume he'd need to make that trip.
Iginla appeared in 80 games last season with Colorado and Los Angeles, recording 14 goals and 13 assists. He last played for Canada at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
The NHL is kicking off this year's Hockey Fights Cancer campaign by naming Nicholle Anderson as official ambassador.
Last November, Anderson - wife of Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson - was diagnosed with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, a rare form of cancer that effects the nose and throat.
After several months of treatment wherein Craig took an extended leave of absence from the Senators, she was declared cancer-free.
In her role as ambassador, "Anderson will be sharing inspirational stories of those impacted by various forms of cancer who are currently undergoing treatment at American Cancer Society and Canadian Cancer Society lodges. These stories and videos will be available on NHL.com, NHL Social, and NHLPA Social platforms."
The campaign will feature ceremonies, observances, and fundraising efforts throughout the month of November, and each of the 31 teams will designate one home game to help further raise cancer awareness.
USA Hockey unveiled three Nike jerseys Wednesday that its 2018 Olympic and Paralympic teams will wear during the upcoming games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Here we see a white "home" jersey, a blue "away" jersey and an old royal third jersey.
The jerseys are being touted as "the fastest looking and brightest jerseys ever during (America's) quest to win gold in the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games."
As described by USA Hockey, jersey highlights include:
The inspirational slogan of Land of the Free - Home of the Brave hidden in the back neck of the jersey
Injected silicone molds make the trim pop
Graphic on the sleeve was inspired by bald eagle feathers and represents the theme of fluid force
The flicker film (rather than heavy twill) base for the crest and numbers increases vibrancy and sparkles under arena lights.
Proceeds from jersey sales will go to grassroots development of hockey and other winter sports organizations, according to Hockey Canada president Tom Renney, per Yahoo Canada.
We all love a good fright on Oct. 31, and there's no shortage of scary statistics through the first few weeks of the NHL season.
Here are four of the most frightening:
Boo-urns
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Last season, Brent Burns led all defensemen in goals (29) and points (76), and the Norris Trophy winner ranked first among all players with 320 shots on goal.
In 11 games this season, however, the San Jose Sharks standout has fired 51 shots on goal without a single tally to show for his efforts.
To put that in perspective, Burns is on pace to obliterate his shot total from last season. He's averaging 4.6 per game, which would amount to 380 over a full season. At that rate, if he were to return to the 9.1 shooting percentage reached in 2016-17, he'd be good for close to 35 goals by season's end.
If the pucks starts bouncing his way, this Shark will bite hard.
Jackets firing blanks
Columbus have jumped out to a respectable record of 8-4-0, a bit of a miracle considering how bad the power play has been.
The Blue Jackets have converted on only three of their 35 opportunities, giving them a success rate of 8.6 percent and putting them well at the bottom of the league rankings.
The next most futile teams on the man advantage are the Oilers and Ducks, both of whom have made good on 12.1 percent of their power plays. Even last year's woefully bad Avalanche managed to hit 12.6 percent, finishing 30th.
In 2016-17, Columbus finished with 108 points and boasted a power-play percentage of 19.9. The Blue Jackets are currently tied for the fourth-best point total despite their poor efforts with an extra man, and will be a force to be reckoned with when this stat begins to correct itself.
Porous Penguins
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Much has been made of the holes in the Pittsburgh Penguins' back end this season, and for good reason.
Their 50 goals allowed is the second highest among all teams, and only one less than an Arizona team that just won its first game.
The reasons for this are many: Injuries on the blue line, a complete and utter lack of backup goaltending, Matt Murray's .903 save percentage, and a vicious schedule that features 19 back-to-back scenarios.
There's time to fix some of the above, but in the meantime, any and all talk of a threepeat should be put on hold.
Another rough October for Andersen
Thanks to an offense that can't be stopped, the Toronto Maple Leafs are seen by many as a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference. For them to be taken truly seriously, though, Frederik Andersen will need to once again shake the October blahs.
Much like last year, he's gotten off to a shaky start, but the hope is he'll once again find his form as the season goes on.
October Save%
Rest of Season Save %
2016-17
.876
.922
2017-18
.896
TBD
The Leafs' sticks have been covering for deficiencies in net and of those directly in front of Andersen, but this treat will turn into a trick real fast if not tidied up.
We all love a good fright on Oct. 31, and there's no shortage of scary statistics through the first few weeks of the NHL season.
Here are four of the most frightening:
Boo-urns
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Last season, Brent Burns led all defensemen in goals (29) and points (76), and the Norris Trophy winner ranked first among all players with 320 shots on goal.
In 11 games this season, however, the San Jose Sharks standout has fired 51 shots on goal without a single tally to show for his efforts.
To put that in perspective, Burns is on pace to obliterate his shot total from last season. He's averaging 4.6 per game, which would amount to 380 over a full season. At that rate, if he were to return to the 9.1 shooting percentage reached in 2016-17, he'd be good for close to 35 goals by season's end.
If the pucks starts bouncing his way, this Shark will bite hard.
Jackets firing blanks
Columbus have jumped out to a respectable record of 8-4-0, a bit of a miracle considering how bad the power play has been.
The Blue Jackets have converted on only three of their 35 opportunities, giving them a success rate of 8.6 percent and putting them well at the bottom of the league rankings.
The next most futile teams on the man advantage are the Oilers and Ducks, both of whom have made good on 12.1 percent of their power plays. Even last year's woefully bad Avalanche managed to hit 12.6 percent, finishing 30th.
In 2016-17, Columbus finished with 108 points and boasted a power-play percentage of 19.9. The Blue Jackets are currently tied for the fourth-best point total despite their poor efforts with an extra man, and will be a force to be reckoned with when this stat begins to correct itself.
Porous Penguins
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Much has been made of the holes in the Pittsburgh Penguins' back end this season, and for good reason.
Their 50 goals allowed is the second highest among all teams, and only one less than an Arizona team that just won its first game.
The reasons for this are many: Injuries on the blue line, a complete and utter lack of backup goaltending, Matt Murray's .903 save percentage, and a vicious schedule that features 19 back-to-back scenarios.
There's time to fix some of the above, but in the meantime, any and all talk of a threepeat should be put on hold.
Another rough October for Andersen
Thanks to an offense that can't be stopped, the Toronto Maple Leafs are seen by many as a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference. For them to be taken truly seriously, though, Frederik Andersen will need to once again shake the October blahs.
Much like last year, he's gotten off to a shaky start, but the hope is he'll once again find his form as the season goes on.
October Save%
Rest of Season Save %
2016-17
.876
.922
2017-18
.896
TBD
The Leafs' sticks have been covering for deficiencies in net and of those directly in front of Andersen, but this treat will turn into a trick real fast if not tidied up.
In a 3-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings, Kucherov scored his league-leading 12th goal and recorded the primary assist on Stamkos' fourth as both players extended their season-opening point streaks to 11 games.
Stamkos and Kucherov rank first and second in total points among all players, and life is good for head coach Jon Cooper.
Cooper with a laugh when asked about having 86 and 91: “What’s it like? It’s a huge benefit. They’re exceptional players.” #DETvsTBL
"I've played a decent amount of games in the NHL (843) and its nice to get 300," Kessel said. "I’m just happy to help my team win."
Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins making things happen
The Edmonton Oilers are desperately in need of a scoring boost, and Leon Draisaitl is providing just that since returning from a concussion.
The young forward registered three assists in a big 5-4 win over the Dallas Stars, including the primary helper on defenseman Matt Benning's late third-period game-winner.
