Dmitry Kulikov may be the odd man out on the Florida Panthers' blue line.

With Keith Yandle officially locked up on a long-term deal and Aaron Ekblad reportedly nearing one of his own, several teams are reportedly calling to see if Kulikov could be had in a trade.

The Boston Bruins are reported to be one of the teams most interested in trading for Kulikov.

The 25-year-old has one year remaining on a contract that carries an average annual valuation of $4,333,333, and can become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

The Panthers, however, are believed to also be talking to Kulikov about a possible a contract extension.

Kulikov was drafted 14th overall by the Panthers in 2009, and has averaged 0.30 points per game with a 49.2 Corsi For rating in all situations in 460 career regular-season games, according to Hockey Reference.

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The Colorado Avalanche re-signed forward Andreas Martinsen to a one-year contract, the team announced Friday.

The deal is worth a reported $640,000, according to Terry Frei of the Denver Post.

After coming to the NHL from Germany's DEL last year, Martinsen recorded four goals and seven assists in 55 games as a rookie. He also finished fifth among first-year NHLers with 155 hits.

A native of Norway, the 26-year-old represented his country at the recent IIHF World Championship, recording two goals and an assist in seven games.

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The Penguins are set to rock "Pittsburgh gold" both home and away.

Having worn the vintage black-and-gold jerseys at home all throughout the 2016 playoffs, the Stanley Cup champions will don a similar look on the road beginning next season.

The Pittsburgh gold jerseys will be on full display at this weekend's NHL draft.

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2016 NHL Draft
Where: First Niagara Center, Buffalo, N.Y.
When: Friday, June 24 at 7 p.m. ET
TV: NBC Sports Network, Sportsnet
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

Here we go.

The NHL Draft is finally upon us. The fortunes of 30 teenagers and 30 NHL clubs will be altered Friday night.

Related: NHL Mock Draft

Here are three storylines to follow:

Who's No. 1?

Auston Matthews thinks he should be drafted first overall. Patrik Laine disagrees; he thinks he's the best player available. Ask Jesse Puljujarvi and he'll tell you Jesse Puljujarvi is the top talent on the board.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will draft first, followed by the Winnipeg Jets, and Columbus Blue Jackets. The projections are Matthews first, Laine second, and Puljujarvi third.

While Toronto is in dire need of a franchise center, making Matthews all but a slam dunk selection with the first pick, there's been chatter that Laine at No. 2 isn't so cut and dry. His fellow Finn Puljujarvi could hear his name announced second.

We'll find out Friday night. Once the first three dominos fall, the real fun will begin. Pierre-Luc Dubois, Matthew Tkachuk, and Alexander Nylander will all be going in the top 10. We're finally about to find out where.

Canada's time

The playoffs were about the NHL's American teams. The draft is all about the north.

Five of the league's seven Canadian teams will draft in the top six, six in the top 10, and all seven by pick No. 12.

Picks No. 4, 5, and 6 belong to the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, and Vancouver Canucks. The Montreal Canadiens will draft ninth, and the Ottawa Senators 12th. Each team is drafting high enough to add an impact player and each team can't afford to screw this one up.

The Jets are the only Canadian team with two picks in the first round; they'll select at No. 22 as well.

Let's make a deal

The Oilers are dangling the fourth overall pick for a defenseman. Seemingly every team has called the Canadiens about P.K. Subban - including the Oilers and Canucks.

The Blue Jackets have called the Maple Leafs and Jets about potentially moving up.

Anaheim Ducks d-man Cam Fowler may be on the move, potentially to Buffalo for their eighth overall pick. The Flames are exploring all avenues to acquire a goalie, and they've been linked to some heavy hitters in Marc-Andre Fleury and Ben Bishop.

In other words: there are a ton of balls in the air. With all 30 general managers and their staffs on the same floor at the same time, there will be action.

The NHL Draft never disappoints. Sit back and enjoy.

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The Florida Panthers have signed defenseman Keith Yandle to a seven-year contract.

Terms of the deal weren't disclosed by the club, but it's believed to be worth $44.45 million, carrying an average annual valuation of $6.35 million, according to Craig Custance of ESPN.

That makes him the Panthers' highest-paid player, for the time being at least.

"We are thrilled to have signed Keith to a multi-year contract," said general manager Tim Rowe. "He is a highly skilled and experienced defenseman who will be a tremendous asset on our blue line and in our dressing room. We look forward to Keith’s contributions to our team both on the ice and in the South Florida community."

The Panthers acquired his rights from the New York Rangers for a pair of draft picks, one of them conditional on Yandle signing with Florida. Upon signing him, the Panthers sent their fourth-round pick in 2017 to New York.

Yandle, who will turn 30 in July, has averaged 0.56 points per game over the course of his career, with an additional 31 points in 51 playoff games.

This past season, he recorded five goals and 42 assists for the Rangers, while continuing a career trend of being a positive possession defenseman.

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With Aaron Ekblad eligible for a contract extension July 1, the Florida Panthers aren't going to waste any time locking up the star defenseman long term.

The Panthers are reportedly preparing to sign the 20-year-old to an eight-year extension worth around $60 million, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Both Ekblad and his agent declined comment.

At an average annual value of $7.5 million per year, the two-time All-Star would become the fifth-highest paid defenseman in the league behind only P.K. Subban, Shea Weber, Dustin Byfuglien, and Ryan Suter, per CapFriendly.

Drafted first overall in 2014, Ekblad won the Calder Trophy in his rookie season after a 39-point campaign. He followed that up with a career-high 15 goals this past season, helping lead his team to their second division title in franchise history.

An Ekblad extension would further solidify the team's blue line for the foreseeable future, after announcing the signing of Keith Yandle to a seven-year deal Friday.

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Thomas Vanek is headed to free agency.

This according to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, who reported and confirmed the veteran forward has been informed his contract will be bought out by the Minnesota Wild.

"It was a dream of mine to come back to the State of Hockey (where he played college hockey) and I got to fulfill that, but obviously not the way I hoped," Vanek told Russo. "I think I can score 25, 30 goals in the right situation. As disappointing as it is ... the focus is to find the right fit."

A buyout will free up $5 million in cap space for the 2016-17 season, while costing the Wild $2.5 million against the cap in 2017-18.

Vanek, who signed a three-year, $19.5-million contract with the Wild in 2014, is coming off one of the worst statistical seasons of his career, recording 18 goals and 23 assists in 74 games.

He'll be able to sign with any of the NHL's 29 other teams come July 1.

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The Las Vegas expansion franchise is set to hit the ground running in its search for a general manager.

Awarded a team upon approval by the NHL's board of governors Wednesday, the franchise's GM interviews could begin within the next week, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.

Garrioch writes:

The word is the people in Vegas won't waste any time, which means former Vancouver assistant GM Laurence Gilman, former Washington GM George McPhee, Pittsburgh assistant GM Jason Botterill, former Arizona GM Don Maloney and Montreal executive Scott Mellanby are considered to be at the top of the list.

Owner Bill Foley said he has already received applications from seven current NHL assistant general managers, as well as three or four from former NHL GMs, adds Frank Seravalli of TSN.

The expansion draft is scheduled for June 20, 2017.

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