Artemi Panarin doesn't appear to be opposed to the proposition of a Windy City reunion, as the superstar winger would seriously consider a return to the Chicago Blackhawks if he becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2018-19 season, a source told The Athletic's Scott Powers.
Panarin told the Blue Jackets he's not ready to sign an extension in Columbus, and the club reportedly began to test the market for him in June. The 26-year-old sniper also said he won't negotiate once camp opens Sept. 13, so his future with the organization is largely up in the air at this point.
After going undrafted and spending seven years in the KHL, Panarin chose the Blackhawks as his first NHL club in 2015, finding immediate success on a line with Patrick Kane. He won the Calder Trophy on the strength of a 77-point rookie season, then followed up with 74 points in 2016-17 before Chicago sent him to Columbus in exchange for Brandon Saad.
While the Blackhawks got the cost certainty they were hoping for in acquiring Saad, the trade didn't pan out for them at all in Year One, as Saad recorded just 35 points in 82 games. Meanwhile, Panarin notched 82 points and carried the Blue Jackets to the postseason as the driving force of their attack.
Panarin has one more season remaining at $6 million before he hits the open market, where he's sure to have a litany of suitors.
The Stars previously placed Smith on waivers in July, but he ended up clearing. Dallas now has no outstanding contracts to take care of and will have a projected $5.3 million in cap space, according to Cap Friendly.
Smith, 24, appeared in 46 games for the Stars in 2017-18, recording six goals and five assists.
He'll once again be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, per CapFriendly.
Ceci's initial ask was $6 million, while the Senators countered with $3.35 million. Ottawa also locked down restricted free agent Mark Stone earlier Friday prior to his arbitration hearing with a one-year deal worth $7.35 million.
Ceci was drafted 15th overall by the Senators in 2012, and he recorded five goals and 14 assists in 82 games last season.
The Ottawa Senators and winger Mark Stone have avoided arbitration, as the 26-year-old put pen to paper on a one-year, $7.35-million contract Friday, the team announced.
The agreement makes Stone an unrestricted free agent next summer, though he could sign an extension with the club after Jan. 1. If he opts for the open market, the Senators face the possibility of losing Stone along with fellow pending UFA's Matt Duchene and Erik Karlsson next offseason.
Stone's hearing was scheduled for Friday afternoon, but both sides struck a deal before a third-party determination. His case was one of the most prominent among the 44 players to file for arbitration, and it was reported his initial ask was for a record $9 million, while Ottawa countered with $5 million.
Injuries derailed Stone's impressive 2017-18 season, as he recorded a team-best 62 points in just 58 games. With his new contract, Stone carries the highest cap hit on the Senators' roster, and the sixth-highest number of all right wingers in the NHL.
Brouwer joined the Flames via free agency in 2016, inking a four-year, $18-million contract. Buying him out means he'll cost Calgary $1.5 million in each of the next four seasons, according to Cap Friendly.
The 32-year-old struggled mightily in his tenure with the Flames, registering just 47 points in 150 games.
Clearing Brouwer's salary creates extra space for the Flames to sign restricted free agent Noah Hanifin to an extension, as he's the lone player on the roster without a contract for next season.
The Golden Knights, on the other hand, have offered $3.5 million. Generally, arbiters pick a number in the middle of the two asks, but a third-party decision won't be needed if Vegas and Karlsson can reach an agreement before his hearing on Saturday.
Karlsson was left unprotected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the expansion draft, and after recording just 50 points in 183 career games, the 25-year-old exploded for the Golden Knights, obliterating his previous bests with 43 goals and 78 points in 82 contests. His dream season yielded the Lady Byng Trophy and some consideration for the Selke, but there's concern as to whether Karlsson can even come close to repeating his stunning production, as he led the league with an astronomical 23.4 shooting percentage.
Vegas certainly has the space to provide Karlsson a lucrative deal, as they have a projected $13 million in available money (Cap Friendly) after their summer's work, which was highlighted by signing free-agent pivot Paul Stastny.
If Karlsson were to fetch what he's after, he'd tie Derek Stepan and teammate Stastny as the 20th richest center in the NHL in terms of cap hit, ahead of the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Mark Scheifele, and Sean Monahan.
The Arizona Coyotes are set to pay homage to the longest-serving player in the franchise's history, as longtime captain Shane Doan will have his No. 19 raised to the rafters Feb. 24, the team announced on Wednesday.
Doan's number is the first to ever be retired in Coyotes' team history, and will be honored with the Winnipeg Jets - who drafted him seventh overall in 1995 - in town for the ceremony.
"I am extremely grateful to be the first Coyotes player to have his jersey retired," said Doan. "I am so proud to have played my entire career for the Coyotes because loyalty and commitment mean everything to me. I want to thank the entire Coyotes organization for this incredible honor. It means so much to my family and me. I have so many great memories wearing the Coyotes jersey and I look forward to celebrating this special night with friends, family, and all our great Coyotes fans. I can't wait."
Doan retired in 2017 after 21 seasons with the organization, doing so leading virtually every major offensive category in the team's record books, including games played (1,540), goals (402), assists (570), points (972), and game-winning goals (69).
Barry Trotz has lured another familiar face to accompany him in his new gig with the New York Islanders, as longtime colleague Mitch Korn has joined his staff as the club's director of goaltending, the team announced Thursday.
Korn worked with Trotz with the Washington Capitals for the last three seasons, and their relationship spans back to their time with the Nashville Predators.
Trotz also brought Lane Lambert to Long Island as an associate coach earlier this month after they worked together on the Capitals' bench for four seasons.
Korn will be tasked with rectifying the Islanders' disastrous goaltending situation, as the club ranked dead last with 293 goals allowed in 2017-18. He'll be working with newly acquired goalie Robin Lehner and last season's backup netminder Thomas Greiss in an effort to fix things in the blue paint.
The NHL has implemented a new division-based All-Star Game format and re-ignited the World Cup of Hockey to showcase the world's best players in recent years. But what if the league tried something new?
Here, we're going to try a fresh spin, eliminating international and team allegiances to focus on one thing: age. In this hypothetical, the world's best players have been divided into four groups.
The teams involved are: The entry-level contracts, players 25 and under, players aged 26-29, and finally, players 30-plus years old. While examples like Connor McDavid could fit in the ELC age bracket, all players were designated based on their contract statuses heading into the 2018-19 season, which bumps the Edmonton Oilers captain up a tier due to his mega extension kicking in.
Injuries weren't factored into this exercise, and neither was the pesky salary cap.
The ELCs have a strong forward group, spearheaded by two elite finishers in Auston Matthews and Brock Boeser. Kyle Connor and Patrick Laine have some familiarity on line two, while the bottom six features plenty of speed and skill.
On the blue line, the ELCs have an inexperienced but promising core of defenders. However, Charlie McAvoy has the only right-handed shot of the bunch, which could lead to some problems. In goal, the ELCs will need one of the two top-tier prospects to play out of their minds to have any real chance of competing.
The 25-and-under team has some serious firepower up front, as the top line alone combined for 305 points in 2017-18. Down the lineup, a strong group of centers surrounded by highly talented wingers makes this squad dangerous no matter who's on the ice. Both Nathan MacKinnon and Sean Monahan were shifted to the wing from their natural center position. Based on this team's supporting cast, that should have a minimal impact on their production.
On defense, the 25-and-under team has a remarkable blend of size, mobility, and puck-moving skills. All six defensemen are capable of logging big minutes, and they can contribute at either end of the ice, making life easier for a pair of all-star netminders.
On the first line, there are a pair of MVPs centered by a two-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner. Next, a powerhouse Russian trio that wreaked havoc on the opposition as teammates at the 2011 world juniors, followed by a bottom six consisting of players cemented in high-minute roles on their NHL clubs.
If the forward corps isn't imposing enough, just take a look at the blue line. Is it even possible to assemble a better group of six defenders?
To top it off, Sergei Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, anchors the crease, barely sneaking under the team's cutline while set to turn 30 in September.
The eldest team of the group is filled with champions and future Hall of Famers. Taking them down would be a tall task for any squad. Sidney Crosby, Brad Marchand, and Patrice Bergeron displayed magic chemistry at the World Cup in 2016, with the three finishing atop the tournament's scoring leaderboard.
Behind them, the roster features six players in the top 11 of last season's scoring race, and the team benefits from some familiarity between its Capitals and Penguins superstars.
If there's a weakness for this group, it's a lack of mobility on the blue line. But you can count on that unit to understand positioning and make the right play more often than not.
(Photos Courtesy: Getty Images) (Salary cap info courtesy: CapFriendly)
Kulak's hearing was on Monday, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, who reported the 24-year-old was seeking $1.15 million per season, while the club was offering a two-way contract worth $650,000 at the NHL level.
In 2017-18, Kulak appeared in 71 games for the Flames, recording eight points in just under 13 minutes per contest.
