Pavel Datsyuk has a golden goal of a different sort.
The veteran forward's agent, Dan Milstein, told Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press that his client's plan is to play until 2018 to be part of Russia's pursuit of Olympic glory.
“Pavel wants to play well and he wants to help the team,” Milstein said. “Very likely, he will play for two years, to be part of the next Olympics, because he has unfinished business. He wants to help Russia win a gold medal.”
Datsyuk is waiting on transfer paperwork that will facilitate his departure from the NHL and the Arizona Coyotes, who took on the final year of his contract in a draft night trade with the Detroit Red Wings.
Milstein said the documents should arrive shortly, and his client will sign with a KHL club as soon as they're processed.
The 24-year-old Finnish winger underwent shoulder surgery in early June, according to MLive.com's Ansar Khan, and will be out four-to-six months.
Pulkkinen had six goals and six assists in 36 games last season. He has 11 goals and nine assists in 70 career NHL games. He's currently in need of a contract as a restricted free agent.
Khan also reports defenseman Alexey Marchenko underwent a procedure on his wrist during the offseason, and is expected to be healthy for puck drop on the 2016-17 campaign.
Thomas Chabot made an impression at development camp, but it wasn't a good one.
The Ottawa Senators' prized defensive prospect drew criticism from assistant general manager Randy Lee after the summer sessions concluded Monday.
"I thought Thomas should have been a bit more intense, I thought Thomas should have dominated,” Lee told Ken Warren of the Ottawa Sun, adding he felt Chabot had an "average" camp.
"I think Thomas should look at the landscape and see we’ve got six signed defencemen (to NHL contracts)," Lee said. "Thomas and I have talked about it.”
Chabot, the Senators' 18th overall pick in 2015, knows he missed an early opportunity to prove he belongs in the NHL.
“I’m their first pick from last year, they expect a lot from me," he said. “I don’t think I did what they expected from me. They only have six defencemen signed, so, for sure, I want to work as hard as I can this summer to work for a spot (next season).”
Senators GM Pierre Dorion said last week that Chabot will have a shot to make the team out of training camp in the fall, but his development camp performance doesn't do him any favors.
“I think he realizes it,” Lee said. “He’s a very special player and he worked so hard last year. I just thought the impact he would have made on this camp would have been a bit more.”
Chabot posted nearly a point per game in his third season with the QMJHL's Saint John Sea Dogs, adding 21 points in 17 playoff contests.
It appears the Calgary Flames couldn't be happier with their first-round draft pick.
Matthew Tkachuk - selected sixth overall in June's draft from the London Knights - is hopeful to make an impact as Calgary's development camp gets underway.
"I want to show where I've come as a player and how much I'm willing to buy into the fact that I want to play soon and just make sure I'm ready," Tkachuk said, according to Aaron Vickers of CalgaryFlames.com.
As for Calgary's brass, it believes the addition of Tkachuk to an already skilled, youthful lineup will provide a great benefit, as the 18-year-old brings a different complexion to the team.
"When you talk about sandpaper, great around the net, and a proven winner ... that's one thing," Flames assistant GM Craig Conroy said. " Everybody says, well, he's got to play with all these other guys. It's hard to play with good players. Not everybody can play with good players. He's a great compliment ... if you want to call him that. A lot of nights he does a lot of dirty work in front of the net, in the corners, to free up space for other guys.
"To have a guy like that ... we have have a lot of guys with skill but we don't have a Tkachuk-like guy on our team right now."
Tkachuk scored the Memorial Cup-winning goal in overtime for the Knights in May, and is coming off a 107-point season. Although he still needs to earn a roster spot on the Flames, it looks like he's off to a good start.
July 1 was a busy day in the NHL, with more than 100 players signing new contracts and a number of unrestricted free agents finding new homes in the hours after the signing period began.
But several teams are still yet to lock up their restricted free agents, and Tuesday marks another important point in the offseason, as it's the final chance for players to file for salary arbitration.
While many notable players are eligible, here are three to keep an eye on before the 5 p.m. ET deadline:
Mike Hoffman, Ottawa Senators
Coming off a career-best 29-goal, 59-point season, the 26-year-old forward could be headed to salary arbitration for the second consecutive year with the Senators.
Last year, Hoffman was awarded a one-year, $2-million contract, and he is sure to get a significant raise once again with his continued improvement. With this in mind, the Senators are hoping to get a contract done prior to arbitration, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
Tyson Barrie, Colorado Avalanche
Though Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic had expressed his hope to sign the 24-year-old defenseman to a long-term deal last month, it appears the two sides will be heading to arbitration.
With trade rumors swirling around the blue-liner for weeks, Tuesday's deadline may be the last chance for Sakic to make a deal before Barrie is awarded a contract for one more year. Last season, he recorded 13 goals and 36 assists, with almost half of his production coming on the power play.
Petr Mrazek, Detroit Red Wings
There's no doubt who the goaltender of the future is in Detroit, and, after losing the starting job at the end of the season only to grab it back from Jimmy Howard in the postseason, Mrazek is ready to earn a starter's salary.
If Mrazek heads to arbitration, it's likely he'll be awarded a salary close to that of new Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen, with whom he shares similar career numbers. Andersen signed an extension following his trade from the Anaheim Ducks that will earn him $5 million per year through 2021.
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After a disappointing second season with the Calgary Flames, the 30-year-old had the final year of his contract bought out by the club last week, making him a free agent.
Raymond recorded just five points in 29 games with the Flames last season, eventually being sent down to the AHL's Stockton Heat, where he scored at a point-per-game pace in 15 appearances.
He originally signed a three-year contract worth $9.45 million with the Flames following a surprising 45-point campaign in 2013-14 with the Toronto Maple Leafs - where he played under current Ducks bench boss Randy Carlyle.
Despite being offered a top-six role on a playoff team, Hobey Baker Award winner Jimmy Vesey decided not to sign with the Nashville Predators after his college career ended in order to become a free agent in August, which is an option available to college players after their senior season.
The Predators have since traded the former Harvard forward's rights to the Buffalo Sabres, and general manager David Poile acknowledged the rule makes dealing with prospects in the NCAA more complicated.
"It's not a perfect situation," Poile said, according to Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. "I guess if you're on our side, that's a loophole that the college players can run the gamut on four years and then be a free agent like Jimmy Vesey. I think it's a bad rule.
"I hope we can change it because now you see a lot of teams, because of the Vesey thing and a couple of other players, you see teams taking their players out of college maybe a year early to try to entice them with a contract, and so they don't have to face that situation."
Vesey was a 2012 draft selection of the Predators. Under the current CBA, a team holds exclusive rights to a drafted college prospect for four years, as long as the player stays a student the entire time.
The situation with Vesey hasn't deterred Poile from drafting college-bound players, though, as the Predators selected defenseman Dante Fabbro in the first round of this year's draft. Fabbro will play at Boston University this coming season.
