The Vancouver Canucks continued to make offseason additions to their roster, inking forward Daniel Sprong to a one-year contract, the club announced Saturday.

The deal is worth $975,000, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Sprong was an unrestricted free agent. He's coming off a one-year, $2-million agreement signed with the Detroit Red Wings on July 1, 2023.

The 27-year-old collected 18 goals and tied his career-high assist total (25) from two seasons ago while averaging exactly 12 minutes of ice time over 76 games with the Red Wings in 2023-24.

Sprong will be suiting up for his sixth team in nine campaigns. He established a personal best at the NHL level with 21 tallies while playing for the Seattle Kraken in 2022-23. Sprong has posted 14 goals in three separate seasons, and 13 in another.

He was the highest-scoring forward left in the UFA pool.

The Canucks inked Jake DeBrusk (another 27-year-old forward) to a seven-year, $38.5-million contract this past July 1. Vancouver also handed out two-year deals to forwards Danton Heinen and Kiefer Sherwood, as well as defenseman Vincent Desharnais that same day.

On Tuesday, the Canucks re-upped restricted free-agent goaltender Artus Silovs on a two-year pact of his own. They retained several other players earlier in the offseason, including Dakota Joshua (four years) and Tyler Myers (three) on June 27.

The day before that, Vancouver traded forwards Ilya Mikheyev and Sam Lafferty to the Chicago Blackhawks and re-signed Teddy Blueger for another two seasons. But the biggest deal the Canucks have handed out since their campaign came to a close was the eight-year, $58-million pact they gave top-pairing blue-liner Filip Hronek on June 18.

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Carolina Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky offered updates Thursday on negotiations with Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis, with one of their futures appearing more certain than the other.

"We're continuing to talk to (Necas') agent, trying to negotiate a deal," Tulsky said, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "Obviously, both sides would prefer that to going to a hearing. ... One way or another, it will get settled."

Necas is scheduled for salary arbitration on Aug. 4.

As for what a contract would look like, Tulsky said Carolina's offers have run the gamut.

"We have put everything on the table from one year to eight years," Tulsky said. "It's a question of figuring out whether there's something that makes sense for both sides."

Necas has been linked to numerous teams in trade rumors since the end of the campaign, including inquiries by the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers.

Tulsky said he's continuing to talk to clubs about Necas and that teams typically have less wiggle room than they did earlier in the offseason. The GM added that it's easier to make trades ahead of July 1 because organizations can still replace what they give up by signing other players before their rosters are mostly set following the free-agent frenzy.

Necas scored 24 goals and 29 assists in 77 regular-season outings this past campaign, adding four tallies and five helpers in 11 playoff contests. The Czechia native established personal bests with 28 goals and 43 assists while playing all 82 games for the first time in 2022-23.

Jarvis' future, meanwhile, seems to be firmly in a Hurricanes jersey.

"It will get done eventually," Tulsky said about re-signing the 22-year-old. "He wants to be here forever. We want him here forever. We just have to agree on what the right number is."

Jarvis enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2023-24, recording 33 goals and 67 points in 81 games to establish new career highs. He added five goals and nine points in 11 postseason contests.

Both Necas and Jarvis were drafted in the first round by the Hurricanes and have spent their entire careers in Carolina.

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Kyle Okposo waited a long time to lift the Stanley Cup, and he had to wait longer than expected to have his full day with it.

The veteran forward's day with the trophy was postponed because of a worldwide IT outage that initially made it impossible to fly the Cup from St. Louis to Pagel Arena in Minnetonka, Minnesota, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo.

"I'm crushed," Okposo told Russo when his original plans had to be canceled. Those in charge of the events attempted to make alternate arrangements so the experienced winger could still enjoy some version of a day with the trophy, and they were ultimately successful.

Okposo, who's now an unrestricted free agent, helped the Panthers win their first-ever championship last month. The 36-year-old suited up for 17 playoff games for Florida en route to the title, chipping in a pair of assists while averaging 8:33 of ice time.

He lifted the Cup for the first time in his 17th season. The Buffalo Sabres traded Okposo to the Panthers just before the trade deadline this past March. He played parts of eight campaigns with the Sabres after spending his first nine with the New York Islanders. The Isles drafted him seventh overall in 2006.

He's a four-time 20-goal scorer who notched a career-best 27 along with 42 assists for New York in 2013-14.

The Cup had been in St. Louis with Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk.

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Jake Guentzel pointed to the Tampa Bay Lightning's status as perennial contenders as the primary factor in his decision to sign with his new club.

"They all know how to win," Guentzel told NHL.com's Jessi Pierce on Wednesday. "There's just a winning pedigree there. (And I) still feel like we have a chance to win."

The Lightning won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021 and reached the final again in 2022. They were eliminated in the first round in both subsequent seasons, but they've made the playoffs in seven consecutive campaigns.

"There's a lot of high-end players, elite players on the team, and just an unbelievable opportunity for me and my family to go do something else on our own," Guentzel said. "It's going to be fun for us. It's going to be different, it's going to be challenging, but it's going to be something that we're looking forward to."

Guentzel won the Cup as a rookie with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017, helping his former squad repeat as champions themselves. The potent forward, who'll turn 30 around the time the 2024-25 season begins, produced at a high clip for the Carolina Hurricanes down the stretch of 2023-24 after being traded by the Penguins in March.

The American winger notched eight goals and 17 assists over 17 regular-season games with Carolina before adding four tallies and five helpers across 11 playoff contests.

He signed a seven-year, $63-million pact with the Lightning on July 1.

Tampa Bay lost longtime captain Steven Stamkos to the Nashville Predators in free agency, but the club still boasts the likes of Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Brayden Point, and Andrei Vasilevskiy.

"It's a new team, a new division, and a new opportunity," Guentzel said. "Last year was a really different year for me with injury and being traded and what not, but I learned a lot, too. I think heading into this season with Tampa is going to be really exciting just to see what we can manage to do together with all the high-end talent there is."

Guentzel was limited to 50 games with the Penguins this past season. However, he posted over a point per game with 22 goals and 30 assists before being dealt. Guentzel is a two-time 40-goal-scorer who buried 36 over 78 games in 2022-23.

He played parts of eight campaigns with Pittsburgh, which drafted him 77th overall in 2013.

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Dave Cameron will return as Canada's head coach for the 2025 World Junior Championship after occupying the role three years ago, the country's governing body of hockey announced Thursday.

Cameron led Canada to gold at the 2022 tournament. Dennis Williams took over the following year and guided the team to another victory in the final. Alan Letang took the reins in 2024, but Canada fell to bronze-medalists Czechia in the quarterfinals.

Cameron's the head coach of the OHL's Ottawa 67s. He also guided the Ottawa Senators from December 2014 to April 2016. The 2025 world juniors will be held in Canada's capital, 16 years after the city last hosted the event.

The veteran bench boss, who turns 66 on July 29, will be assisted by Sylvain Favreau, Mike Johnston, and Chris Lazary, along with goaltending consultant Justin Pogge and video coach James Emery.

Favreau is the head of the QMJHL's Drummondville Voltigeurs. Johnston (not to be confused with the TSN NHL analyst) is a former NHL bench boss and the current head coach of the WHL's Portland Winterhawks. Lazary serves the same role with the OHL's Saginaw Spirit.

Pogge is a former journeyman netminder who played seven NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 2025 world juniors begin on Dec. 26. The tournament runs through Jan. 5.

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Nikita Zaitsev is leaving the NHL and returning to his homeland.

The veteran defenseman is signing a four-year contract with SKA Saint Petersburg in the KHL, the club announced Thursday.

Zaitsev was an unrestricted free agent. He played parts of the last two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks after spending parts of four campaigns with the Ottawa Senators and his first three in North America with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 32-year-old posted career highs in assists (32) and points (36) during his 2016-17 rookie campaign but failed to collect more than 13 and 17, respectively, over the rest of his NHL tenure.

Zaitsev averaged over 20 minutes of ice time in each of his first five seasons. But his playing time fell below that mark in the campaigns that followed, and he was also beset by injuries. The Russian blue-liner logged 15:56 per night this past season while playing only 38 games.

He played only 46 contests in 2022-23, suiting up for 28 with the Senators before they traded him to the Blackhawks in February 2023.

The Maple Leafs signed Zaitsev as an undrafted free agent in May 2016. He played four seasons with the KHL's Sibir Novosibirsk and three more with CSKA Moscow before heading to North America.

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Nikita Zaitsev is leaving the NHL and returning to his homeland.

The veteran defenseman is signing a four-year contract with SKA Saint Petersburg in the KHL, the club announced Thursday.

Zaitsev was an unrestricted free agent. He played parts of the last two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks after spending parts of four campaigns with the Ottawa Senators and his first three in North America with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 32-year-old posted career highs in assists (32) and points (36) during his 2016-17 rookie campaign but failed to collect more than 13 and 17, respectively, over the rest of his NHL tenure.

Zaitsev averaged over 20 minutes of ice time in each of his first five seasons. But his playing time fell below that mark in the campaigns that followed, and he was also beset by injuries. The Russian blue-liner logged 15:56 per night this past season while playing only 38 games.

He played only 46 contests in 2022-23, suiting up for 28 with the Senators before they traded him to the Blackhawks in February 2023.

The Maple Leafs signed Zaitsev as an undrafted free agent in May 2016. He played four seasons with the KHL's Sibir Novosibirsk and three more with CSKA Moscow before heading to North America.

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The Detroit Red Wings signed Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $4.75 million, the club announced Wednesday.

Tarasenko was arguably the best unrestricted free agent remaining.

The 32-year-old is fresh off winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers. It was his second championship in five years after he helped the St. Louis Blues win it all in 2019.

Tarasenko posted six goals and eight assists in 19 games down the stretch of the regular season with the Panthers before adding five tallies and four helpers over the 24 games of their title run.

Before the trade deadline in March, the Ottawa Senators dealt Tarasenko to Florida for a fourth-round pick in this year's draft and a 2025 third-rounder. The Russian winger collected 17 goals and 24 assists across 57 contests for the Senators in 2023-24.

Tarasenko averaged less ice time (14:48) in the regular season than any other campaign except his rookie year with the Blues in 2012-13. That dipped to 13:22 in the playoffs.

He's coming off the one-year, $5-million contract he signed with the Senators last July. Ottawa retained 50% of that figure when the team traded the veteran forward to Florida, per CapFriendly.

Tarasenko played his first 10 seasons and part of another with the Blues, who shipped him to the New York Rangers in February 2023.

The Red Wings brought back veteran forward and fellow UFA Patrick Kane earlier in free agency, agreeing to a one-year, $4-million pact plus $2.5 million in bonuses on Sunday.

Moments after signing Tarasenko, Detroit traded forward Robby Fabbri and a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick to the Anaheim Ducks for 22-year-old minor-league goaltender Gage Alexander.

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The Seattle Kraken made history Wednesday by tabbing Jessica Campbell to join head coach Dan Bylsma's staff.

Campbell will be the first-ever full-time female assistant coach on an NHL bench and only the second full-time female assistant coach in league history.

The Washington Capitals hired Emily Engel-Natzke as the first female video coordinator in June 2022.

Campbell spent the last two seasons as an assistant on Bylsma's staff with the Kraken's AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. She became the first-ever woman behind a bench in that league when the Firebirds hired her in 2022.

The 32-year-old helped guide Coachella Valley to Calder Cup Final appearances in both of her campaigns with the farm club. She oversaw the team's forwards and power play. The Firebirds led the AHL with 252 goals this past season.

"I had to trust myself," Campbell said Wednesday, per team writer and broadcaster Alison Lukan. I'm a big believer in being prepared to do the job every day and own my own voice ... and not hold back in ways I can help and make a difference."

Campbell added that she's looking forward to watching how the Kraken evolve under Bylsma.

"Mostly I'm excited to see how the team is going to become a better version of the Seattle Kraken under his leadership style," she said.

Bylsma sung Campbell's praises in a press release Wednesday.

"During our tenure in Coachella Valley, I saw firsthand Jessica's commitment to player development," Bylsma said. "Her ability to establish relationships with her players, specifically Tye Kartye, Shane Wright, and Ryker Evans, was an important factor in this hire. I'm looking forward to continuing to work with her at the NHL level."

In late May, Bylsma said upon being hired that Campbell would be considered for an NHL assistant job.

Campbell served as an assistant and skills coach with the Nurnberg Ice Tigers of the DEL, the top men's league in Germany, in 2021-22.

The Canadian played professionally with the CWHL's Calgary Inferno and the Malmo Redhawks in Sweden's Damettan, now known as the NDHL. She also spent four years at Cornell beginning in 2010-11.

Campbell represented Canada at the 4 Nations Cup, the Under-18 Worlds, and the World Championship. She won gold and silver at the first two tournaments and silver at the 2015 World Championship.

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The Ottawa Senators are bringing forward Shane Pinto back on a two-year, $7.5-million contract, the club announced Tuesday.

The NHL suspended Pinto for the first 41 games this past season for breaking the league's rules on gambling. He produced nine goals and 18 assists over the final 41 contests.

Pinto was a restricted free agent. He signed a one-year contract for the league minimum ($775,000) with Ottawa in January once he was eligible to play again.

The American forward, who'll turn 24 in November, represented his country at this year's World Championship in May. He posted two goals and seven assists over eight games in the tournament, though the U.S. finished fifth.

Pinto and the Senators came to a negotiating stalemate before the 2023-24 campaign, forcing him to miss all of training camp. The league then suspended him on Oct. 26.

Ottawa drafted Pinto 32nd overall in 2019.

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