Pavelec signed a one-year contract with the New York Rangers last summer to back up Henrik Lundqvist. He suited up in 19 games for the Blueshirts in 2017-18, posting a .910 save percentage.
He finishes his career with 398 appearances, recording 156 wins and 18 shutouts.
As a season filled with uncertainty surrounding Artemi Panarin's future draws near, don't count on Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen rushing to move on from his superstar.
Panarin is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in July 2019, and he's already stated he won't discuss a contract extension during the season. His next move is unclear, but Kekalainen has made it known Panarin isn't on the trade block.
TSN's Darren Dreger said Wednesday on "Insider Trading" that Kekalainen "has no interest in trading him and his principle point of interest is trying to convince him to re-sign."
Panarin arrived in Columbus via trade in 2017 and registered a career-high 82 points in his first season with Blue Jackets before adding seven more in six playoff contests. With him in the fold, Columbus has a significant chance at competing again in the Metropolitan Division but faces the risk of losing him for nothing if he decides to bolt in free agency.
Columbus faces a similar predicament with all-world goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who is also a UFA in 2019 and said at the start of training camp that he's already informed the team of his future plans.
The NHL isn't worried that any behind-the-scenes business factored into Henrik Zetterberg ending his playing career and landing on the Detroit Red Wings' long-term injured reserve for the remaining three seasons of his contract.
The club announced Sept. 14 that the 37-year-old's days on the ice were finished due to his back condition. Zetterberg signed a 12-year, $73-million contract in 2009, which carries a cap hit of just over $6 million until 2021. However, Zetterberg's salary declines to $3.35 million for the 2018-19 season, and then falls to $1 million in real dollars for the final two seasons of his pact.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league investigated the contract when it was initially signed.
"We wanted to understand the motivations, what was discussed, everything about that," Daly told Craig Custance of The Athletic. "We were ultimately very satisfied that there was no precooked deal that after 'Year X' he was going to leave, go into retirement, and the club is going to benefit because of that."
Zetterberg hadn't missed a game in three consecutive seasons, but Daly is also convinced of the severity of the player's back problems. However, he acknowledged the league will likely investigate to make sure the medical issue is legitimate.
"We don't question it by any means," Daly said. "We know he's been suffering and it's been a significant issue for a number of years going back to the Olympics. He couldn't even participate in the Olympics. You know it had to be a serious injury. I have no doubt to the bona fides of the situation. But will we (investigate) to make sure we check the boxes? Probably."
Prior to puck drop last season, the league handled a similar scenario with Marian Hossa, whom the Chicago Blackhawks placed on LTIR due to a skin condition with four years remaining on his contract. After an investigation, the transaction was ultimately approved.
The NHL isn't worried that any behind-the-scenes business factored into Henrik Zetterberg ending his playing career and landing on the Detroit Red Wings' long-term injured reserve for the remaining three seasons of his contract.
The club announced Sept. 14 that the 37-year-old's days on the ice were finished due to his back condition. Zetterberg signed a 12-year, $73-million contract in 2009, which carries a cap hit of just over $6 million until 2021. However, Zetterberg's salary declines to $3.35 million for the 2018-19 season, and then falls to $1 million in real dollars for the final two seasons of his pact.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league investigated the contract when it was initially signed.
"We wanted to understand the motivations, what was discussed, everything about that," Daly told Craig Custance of The Athletic. "We were ultimately very satisfied that there was no precooked deal that after 'Year X' he was going to leave, go into retirement, and the club is going to benefit because of that."
Zetterberg hadn't missed a game in three consecutive seasons, but Daly is also convinced of the severity of the player's back problems. However, he acknowledged the league will likely investigate to make sure the medical issue is legitimate.
"We don't question it by any means," Daly said. "We know he's been suffering and it's been a significant issue for a number of years going back to the Olympics. He couldn't even participate in the Olympics. You know it had to be a serious injury. I have no doubt to the bona fides of the situation. But will we (investigate) to make sure we check the boxes? Probably."
Prior to puck drop last season, the league handled a similar scenario with Marian Hossa, whom the Chicago Blackhawks placed on LTIR due to a skin condition with four years remaining on his contract. After an investigation, the transaction was ultimately approved.
With day two of Leafs training camp underway, the Swedish forward is yet to sign a new contract, and the status of negotiations between him and the club is largely up in the air. Dubas, however, shed a bit of light on the situation Saturday, saying that Nylander's new deal will certainly be within the confines of the Leafs' salary cap restrictions.
"If we want to sustain success here we can't be setting any marketplace records," Dubas said, according to Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star.
"Sometimes players might not like it very much, but I'm sure they'd rather win than be on a team that can't."
Shortly after signing free agent John Tavares to a seven-year, $77 million deal, Dubas was asked how he plans to manage the next contracts of Toronto's group of young stars. He responded by saying "we can, and we will" retain Nylander, Mitch Marner, and Auston Matthews long-term.
Both men signed big-money extensions in September 2017, with the former agreeing to a seven-year, $42-million deal, and the latter inking a six-year, $40-million pact.
The Maple Leafs have an estimated $13.3 million in available cap space for 2018-19, according to Cap Friendly.
With the NHL preseason kicking off in China on Saturday, commissioner Gary Bettman believes regular-season games in the Pacific are the next logical step.
Gary Bettman said he envisions the NHL eventually playing regular season games in China, that that would be the next step. They are in discussions about coming back next year to play preseason games. There are a number of teams interested in coming, he said.
The Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames are set to participate in two exhibition contests overseas with an eye toward growing the popularity of the game in the Chinese market. Last season, the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings were chosen to do the same as the debut participants of the multi-year deal signed by the NHL in 2017.
Regular-season games outside North America have occurred in the past, though never in China. This season, the NHL Global Series features an Edmonton Oilers-New Jersey Devils game in Sweden in October, and two games between the Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers in Finland in early November.
Without a deal in place, the 23-year-old hasn't yet reported to the club's training camp.
Theodore joined the Golden Knights via the expansion draft from the Anaheim Ducks, and emerged as an important piece of the blue line while the team marched to a Western Conference title.
In 61 games last season, Theodore chipped in 29 points and averaged more than 20 minutes per night. He's expected to be a key member of the defense once again, especially with Nate Schmidt facing a 20-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use.
Theodore is the lone player on Vegas' ledger who's currently without a contract, and the club has roughly $9.4 million in available cap space to work with, per Cap Friendly.
Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford revealed to reporters Friday that he's been sidelined by a concussion he suffered last year. He also said he believes he's close to a full recovery as the team begins its training camp.
Crawford's final game of the 2017-18 season came on Dec. 23. He was initially ruled out with vertigo-like symptoms without a clear timeline on a potential return.
Corey Crawford said he suffered the concussion before his last game on Dec. 23. "It was something before that and things just kept getting progressively worse. It just got to a point where it was time to sit out, and things never really got better."
The 33-year-old was on the ice with the Blackhawks' goalie coach prior to practice Friday, but Crawford reaffirmed he's not 100 percent yet.
"It's hard to say right now, but things have been progressing really well," Crawford told ChicagoBlackhawks.com's Chris Wescott. "It's really hard to put a timeline on it right now. It's nice to be on the ice and it feels like I didn't miss that much time, compared to being out this long. I was moving pretty good."
Crawford was outstanding when healthy last season, managing a .929 save percentage across 27 starts.
With training camp here, Bobrovsky, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2018-19 season, spoke with media about his murky status going forward.
"After last season, I told the situation to the management of the Blue Jackets, so they know everything," Bobrovsky said, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. "They know my plans for the season. They know my plans for the future. They know everything.
"They know exactly what we're going to do."
Predictably, Bobrovsky declined to offer any specifics, but he did say he won't negotiate a new contract during the season - matching the sentiment of teammate and fellow 2019 UFA Artemi Panarin.
Bobrovsky is undoubtedly Columbus' most important player. Since joining the club in 2012-13, the 29-year-old has won 176 games with a .923 save percentage and 24 shutouts to go with two Vezina Trophies and two first-team All-Star selections.
After months of waiting for the hammer to fall, the league's top blue-liner was dealt to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for an immediately underwhelming package of six assets Thursday in a deal that shook the hockey world off its axis.
Karlsson wraps up his Senators tenure as one of the greatest players in franchise history, and certainly the best defenseman. While he'll continue his trajectory toward the Hockey Hall of Fame elsewhere, it would be unjust to discount all that occurred and all he accomplished over his nine-year career in Ottawa.
Let's reflect.
June 20, 2008 - Sens draft Karlsson
Ottawa hosted the 2008 draft, and after brokering a trade with the Nashville Predators to move up two spots, the late Bryan Murray drafted a tiny, dynamic blue-liner out of Frolunda 15th overall.
The hometown fans weren't overly receptive to the decision to take the slender Karlsson, but Murray was investing in his upside, and when you consider Zach Bogosian, Luke Schenn, and Colten Teubert were among the six defenders selected earlier, Karlsson landing in the nation's capital was an absolute steal.
Dec. 19, 2009 - First NHL goal
Karlsson returned to Sweden for one season after he was drafted but made the Senators out of camp in 2009-10. He was briefly sent down to the AHL early on but returned to the big club and buried his first NHL goal - a booming one-timer - versus the Minnesota Wild.
Karlsson completed his rookie campaign suiting up in 60 games, registering five goals and 21 assists.
2011-12 - A star emerges
In his third NHL season, Karlsson's path toward superstardom was clear.
He paced all rearguards with 78 points in 81 games, 25 points ahead of Dustin Byfuglien and Brian Campbell in second place. Karlsson averaged over 25 minutes per night, led all blue-liners in shots, and ranked second with 28 power-play points en route to his first Norris Trophy and a first-team All-Star selection. By earning top defenseman honors, he joined legends Bobby Orr and Denis Potvin as the only players to win the award before turning 23 years old.
After his breakout season, Karlsson signed a seven-year, $45.5-million contract with Ottawa.
Feb. 13, 2013: The Cooke incident
Joe Sargent / National Hockey League / Getty
After managing 10 points through the first 14 games of the lockout-shortened season, Karlsson saw his campaign derailed after Pittsburgh Penguins pest Matt Cooke rode him into the boards, lacerating his Achilles tendon with an errant skate blade.
The debate over Cooke's intentions was highly controversial at the time, and while the perpetual agitator avoided suspension, Karlsson was given a recovery timeline of four-to-six months. However, in superhuman (typical Karlsson) fashion, No. 65 returned to the ice after missing only 10 weeks and put up eight points in 10 playoff games before the Sens were eliminated by Cooke's Penguins in Round 2.
Oct. 2, 2014 - Karlsson named captain
Prior to puck drop on the 2014-15 season, Karlsson was named the ninth captain in Senators history, succeeding the recently traded Jason Spezza.
Karlsson was coming off a season in which he recorded 74 points for the 21st place Senators, yet inexplicably finished seventh in Norris voting. But in his follow-up act, he simply continued being his dominant self and was accordingly awarded his second Norris Trophy at season's end.
In his first campaign with the "C" on his chest, Karlsson once again paced all at his position with 66 points, 292 shots, and 30 power-play points. He also finished third in ice time, logging 27:15 per contest as the Senators made their way back to the postseason.
2015-16 - His best yet
Jana Chytilova / National Hockey League / Getty
Karlsson's 2015-16 season was one for the history books.
He appeared in all 82 games and established a new career high in points with 82 - good enough to finish in a tie for fourth in the league scoring race with Joe Thornton. Karlsson also established a new NHL record for points in a season by a Swedish blue-liner, eclipsing the great Nicklas Lidstrom's benchmark of 81 in 2005-06. If that's not enough, he became the first defenseman since Paul Coffey in 1985-86 to finish in the top five in scoring, and the first since Orr in 1974-75 to lead the league in assists (66).
In spite of his earth-shattering showing, Karlsson was again snubbed in Norris voting, this time coming in behind Drew Doughty - who he topped in virtually every statistical category - for second place.
Spring 2017 - The playoff run
The most memorable stretch of Karlsson's tenure in Ottawa came during the 2017 playoffs when the Senators defied all odds and came within one goal of their second Stanley Cup Final appearance.
Karlsson played a huge role in Ottawa's unlikely success, leading the club with 18 points in 19 games and routinely torturing opponents with highlight-reel setup after highlight-reel setup. His performances thrust him onto the Connor McDavid-and-Sidney Crosby-led shortlist of the world's best players and even garnered a Conn Smythe vote despite missing out on the finals.
Perhaps most impressively, Karlsson still managed to dominate while nowhere near 100 percent healthy. Once the curtain closed on his club's miracle run, Karlsson promptly underwent surgery to repair torn tendons in his foot and had half his ankle bone removed in the procedure.
2017-18: The unraveling
Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photo / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Optimism was high in Ottawa entering last season, and it's truly unbelievable how quickly things came crashing down. Earth's most decorated historians will struggle to fully document all that went wrong with the 2017-18 Senators, but here we'll try to encapsulate Karlsson's presence among the turmoil.
Karlsson misses the first five games of the season as he continues to recover from surgery
Dec. 1: Karlsson says he's going to get what he's worth on his next contract
Dec. 11: In the midst of a one-win-in-12-game stretch, Karlsson says he wants to win in Ottawa
July 5: Sens and Lightning reportedly work on trade, though nothing materializes
Aug 24: Karlsson denies report of being unwilling to sign a contract with a Canadian team
Sept. 13, 2018 - Dealt to San Jose
So there we have it. The Sharks add the best defenseman in the world to a group that already features fellow Norris winner Brent Burns and the ever-consistent Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Meanwhile, the Senators are set to embark on a scorched-earth rebuild without their best and most iconic player at a juncture when the disconnect between the organization and its fan base is at an all-time high.
Karlsson finishes his Senators career with 518 points in 627 games (0.82 points per game) to go with (somehow only) two Norris Trophies and four first-team All-Star selections. He ranks third in franchise history in both points and assists and sits eighth in games played now that it's all said and done.
