The Buffalo Sabres want their two cornerstone defensemen to stay with the team for years to come, and there appears to be mutual interest.

General manager Kevyn Adams revealed Wednesday that the Sabres are discussing contract extensions with Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. Both players are eligible to re-up with the club on July 1.

"The first conversation was with both of them individually right after the season to say, 'Hey, I just want you guys to know ... we believe in you guys and think you're really important players for us moving forward,'" Adams said. "And there was an excitement from both of them and a clear message to me that they both want to be here long term, so that's the most important first step."

Adams added that he and several other members of the Sabres' management group then sat down with the agents for Dahlin and Power during the NHL combine, which took place in Buffalo earlier in June. The GM said the team and the players' representatives are now "in the process of working our way through it."

"We made clear to them we see them as really important people and pieces of our franchise moving forward, and they've made it clear to us they want to be here, so we'll keep working at it," Adams said. "But I'm excited about those guys."

Dahlin tied for fourth among NHL blue-liners with 73 points in 78 games last season. His goal (15), assist (58), and point totals were all career highs, and the 23-year-old ranked third league-wide in average ice time with 25:48. The 2022-23 campaign was his fifth in the NHL after the Sabres drafted the Swede first overall in 2018.

He's under contract through next season with a $6-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly. Dahlin will be a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights if he doesn't sign a new deal before next summer.

Power, who Buffalo also drafted with the No. 1 pick three years after Dahlin, enjoyed a promising first season. The 20-year-old collected four goals and 31 assists in 79 contests while averaging 23:48 in ice time. He led all rookie defensemen in assists, points, and even-strength points, while pacing the entire class in average ice time.

The Canadian rearguard was voted a Calder Trophy finalist for his efforts. The NHL Awards will take place later this month in Nashville.

Power is entering the final season of his entry-level contract, which carries a cap hit of $916,667.

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The Arizona Coyotes are parting ways with a couple of veterans, waiving forward Zack Kassian and defenseman Patrik Nemeth for the purpose of buying them out, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

Kassian had one season left on the four-year, $12.8-million deal he signed with the Edmonton Oilers in January 2020. The Oilers traded him to the Coyotes last July.

Arizona will now pay him $766,667 in each of the next two campaigns, with a cap hit of approximately $1.67 million next season and $766,667 in 2024-25, per CapFriendly.

Nemeth also had one year left on his contract. The New York Rangers inked him to a three-year, $7.5-million pact before Arizona acquired him in July 2022 - six days after the Kassian trade.

The Coyotes will pay $1,166,667 to Nemeth for each of the next two seasons at a cap hit of $166,667 in 2023-24 and $1,166,667 in 2024-25.

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The Montreal Canadiens are bringing back Sean Monahan on a one-year, $1.985-million contract extension, the club announced Tuesday.

Monahan was limited to 25 games this past campaign due to injury. He sustained a season-ending lower-body ailment against the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 5.

The 28-year-old collected six goals and 11 assists in 2022-23 while winning a career-high 55.1% of his faceoffs, albeit in the small sample size.

Monahan played his first season with the Canadiens after the Calgary Flames traded him to Montreal along with a conditional first-round pick in 2025 for future considerations last August.

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The Golden Knights celebrated their first Stanley Cup victory in true Vegas fashion, parading down the strip on a Saturday night amongst a huge crowd of fans.

The NHL's title celebrations typically take place during the day, but the evening start and iconic backdrop made this one truly unique and memorable.

Here are the most indelible moments from a Cup parade like no other:

Nic Hague was absolutely loving life while holding the hallowed trophy early in the festivities.

Adin Hill channeled his inner Ricky Bobby by questioning his hand placement.

Keegan Kolesar got up close and personal with the fans and made sure they were hydrated.

Team captain Mark Stone brought the Cup back down to street level before handing it off to the three original members of the "Misfit" line - Reilly Smith, Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault, and William Karlsson.

Not everyone in attendance was in a celebratory mood, but the rest of the nearby fans responded just like they would inside the arena when the opposing team takes a penalty.

Karlsson had a slight mishap once the team made its way to the stage.

Less than 20 minutes later, the Swedish forward gave this "speech."

Warning: Video contains coarse language

The players may have a hard time remembering the celebration when they wake up Sunday, but it was an event befitting of America's biggest party town.

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Timo Meier and the New Jersey Devils appear to be on the same page in their contract negotiations.

Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald revealed Friday that the pending restricted free agent's camp is seeking a long-term pact, just like the team is.

"Timo knows since I spoke to him (on June 15)," Fitzgerald said, according to NHL.com's Mike G. Morreale. "He knows how much we want to continue this relationship, long term, and he's reiterated that to me ... this is where he wants to be.

"He sees himself as a Devil and has asked his agent to negotiate an eight-year deal with us," Fitzgerald continued. "It's music to my ears, and we'll continue to kind of chip away at it, but the goal is to have Timo Meier in a Devils uniform for the next eight years."

On June 7, Fitzgerald said contract talks with the winger would start that week and that "we would love nothing better (than) to tie him up long term."

On Thursday, the Devils reportedly filed for arbitration with Meier, who's one season away from unrestricted free agency. The two sides can still come to an agreement before the yet-to-be-scheduled hearing, which would take place this summer.

He's also eligible to sign an offer sheet any time before July 5 at 5 p.m. ET.

The Devils landed Meier in a swap with the San Jose Sharks five days before this past season's trade deadline. The highly coveted forward fit in well with his new club down the stretch of the regular season, notching nine goals and five assists in 21 games. But he was less effective in the playoffs, collecting two goals and two assists in 11 contests.

The 26-year-old Swiss skater turns 27 on Oct. 8, around the time next season begins. Meier racked up a career-high 40 goals to go along with 26 assists combined with the Devils and Sharks in 2022-23, coming off a 35-goal, 76-point campaign with San Jose the previous season.

On Thursday, New Jersey also signed forward Jesper Bratt to an eight-year contract at an average annual value of $7.875 million. The Devils have approximately $26 million in cap space but have 11 non-injured pending free agents (RFAs and UFAs) to sign.

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The Vancouver Canucks are paying Oliver Ekman-Larsson a hefty sum to join another team.

Vancouver plans to buy out the highly paid defenseman, his agent Kevin Epp told CHEK's Rick Dhaliwal. Ekman-Larsson will become an unrestricted free agent as a result.

The veteran blue-liner has four years remaining on the eight-year pact he signed with the Arizona Coyotes on July 1, 2018. It carried an $8.25-million cap hit before the buyout. The Canucks will now pay him nearly $20 million over the next eight years.

The Canucks acquired Ekman-Larsson and forward Conor Garland in a July 2021 trade with the Coyotes. Vancouver sent Arizona three draft picks, including a first-rounder that become Dylan Guenther, plus forwards Loui Eriksson, Jay Beagle, and Antoine Roussel.

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The Erik Karlsson trade talks appear primed to rev up once again.

The San Jose Sharks and their star defenseman are on the same page about working out a swap after his representatives met with management last week, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported Thursday on "Insider Trading."

Karlsson wants to play for a contender, while the Sharks are looking to rebuild, added LeBrun.

There's no guarantee a trade materializes given the Swedish veteran's hefty contract and full no-movement clause, but a few teams have reportedly inquired about his availability in recent days.

Karlsson is the favorite to win what will be his third Norris Trophy for his sublime efforts on the lackluster Sharks this season. After enduring several injury-plagued campaigns, the 33-year-old racked up 25 goals and 76 assists for San Jose while suiting up for all 82 games in 2022-23.

He became the oldest blue-liner ever to notch at least 100 points in a season, only the sixth rearguard to ever accomplish the feat, and the first since Brian Leetch in 1991-92.

San Jose explored dealing Karlsson before the trade deadline, reportedly engaging in talks with the Edmonton Oilers at multiple junctures.

The former Ottawa Senators captain is under contract for another four seasons with an $11.5-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly. The no-move clause extends for its duration.

Karlsson inked his eight-year pact with the Sharks almost four years ago to the day on June 17, 2019.

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Vegas is shutting down the strip for the Stanley Cup.

The Golden Knights' championship parade will take place Saturday night on Las Vegas Boulevard, the team announced Wednesday.

The parade route will start at Flamingo Road at 7 p.m. PT and extend to Tropicana Boulevard, with both sides of Las Vegas Boulevard closed for the festivities. The event will conclude with a rally at Toshiba Plaza in front of T-Mobile Arena approximately two hours later.

Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's champagne and cognac company, Sire Spirits, will be a co-sponsor of the parade. The Golden Knights entered into a multi-year partnership with the brand earlier Wednesday.

The Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup for the first time in their sixth season when they vanquished the Florida Panthers with a 9-3 rout in Game 5 on Tuesday night.

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The Montreal Canadiens don't appear satisfied with their position in the first round of the upcoming draft.

The Canadiens are doing whatever they can to move up from fifth overall, reports The Athletic's Arpon Basu. Montreal is reportedly trying to trade places with the San Jose Sharks at No. 4 and has reached out to the Anaheim Ducks about the cost of moving up to No. 2.

The likelihood of a swap isn't high, but Montreal is definitely making an effort, Basu adds.

While the Chicago Blackhawks are virtual locks to select Connor Bedard with the No. 1 overall pick, the Ducks are almost as likely to take Adam Fantilli second. The reigning Hobey Baker Award winner is the consensus second-best player in this draft, and he'd be the projected first pick in most other years.

The Canadiens could end up with a promising player at No. 5, like Winnipeg Ice standout Zach Benson or KHL phenom Matvei Michkov. But moving up would give them a chance at an even more tantalizing prospect, like USNTDP star Will Smith or even the likes of Fantilli or Swedish center Leo Carlsson.

Montreal - led by general manager Kent Hughes and executive vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton - chose Slovak forward Juraj Slafkovsky first overall last year.

The 2023 draft is scheduled for June 28 and 29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

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The Calgary Flames are making an internal hire, promoting assistant coach Ryan Huska to the top job, reports ESPN's Kevin Weekes.

Huska spent the previous five seasons as an assistant on the Flames' coaching staff. This is his first NHL head coaching opportunity, but he guided Calgary's AHL affiliate for four seasons before joining the big club. He also led the WHL's Kelowna Rockets to a Memorial Cup berth in 2009.

The 47-year-old most recently oversaw the Flames' penalty kill, which ranked sixth in the league this past season.

Calgary fired Darryl Sutter on May 1. The Flames missed the playoffs in two of Sutter's three campaigns behind the bench in his second tenure with the team. Calgary won the Pacific Division but bowed out in the second round of the postseason in 2021-22.

Former New York Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant was reportedly a "prime candidate" for the Flames' job before Huska emerged as the front-runner.

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