BREAKING: #mnwild have finally found a high-scoring right-shot forward Sources say #penguins asst GM Bill Guerin will be named the fourth full-time GM in Wild history STORY>https://t.co/FEIB7biDNk — Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) August 21, 2019

OTTAWA - The Ottawa Senators have signed forward Colin White to a six-year contract. "We've identified Colin as one of our core young players who will help drive our team's success in both the short and long term," said Senators general manager Pierre Dorion. "Colin plays the 200-foot game that is so coveted in today's NHL. He can skate, play on both special teams and is a character player and leader who loves hockey and this city. While he is coming off a season where he finished among rookie leaders in many categories, we also know he is just scratching the surface of his potential in this league. We're very happy that Colin will be a Senator for the next six years." In his first full NHL season, White scored 14 goals and added 27 assists for 41 points in only 71 games. His 41 points were fifth among all NHL rookies, while his 27 assists were third and his 14 goals ranked seventh. He became only the eighth Ottawa Senator in team history to score 40 or more points in his rookie season. via Sens Communications tweet, Colin White’s six-year contract with the #Sens breaks down as follows: $4M in 2019-10, $4M in 2020-21, $4.75M in 2021-22, $4.75 in 2022-23, $4.75M in 2023-24 and $6.25M in 2024-25.

via TSN's YouTube page, OverDrive guest hosts Gord Miller and Mike Johnson rank the top 5 NHL teams they believe had the most productive off-season.  

from Ansar Khan of Mlive, 2019-20 outlook: Ericsson was plagued by injuries at the start and end of the season and struggled with consistency once again. After a good start in the 2017-18 season, he has posted a minus-23 rating in his past 95 games. Ericsson was a healthy scratch for back-to-back games on a couple of occasions, for the first time in his career. He’ll likely start the season alongside Trevor Daley as the third pairing (depending on the unit’s health), but unlike past seasons, Ericsson won’t have a guaranteed spot in the lineup. It’ll depend on his performance. Defense continues to be the weak spot on this team, but coach Jeff Blashill will have other options for the third pairing (Danny DeKeyser, Mike Green, Patrik Nemeth and Filip Hronek are projected as the top four) – including Madison Bowey or Oliwer Kaski. Dennis Cholowski, who started strong last season before fading and being sent to Grand Rapids, also will be competing for a spot. Ericsson is among the veteran defensemen the Red Wings will try to move at the trade deadline (along with Green and Daley, but he’ll need to be healthy and playing reasonably well to draw interest for a draft pick. more

from Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com, The Ottawa Senators will have a much different look when they open the NHL season at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 2, both behind the bench and on the ice. Former Maple Leafs assistant D.J. Smith was hired as Senators coach May 23. He specializes in developing young players and teaching defensive responsibilities, two of the mandates set by general manager Pierre Dorion in an attempt to improve Ottawa. "We're excited about the turnover on our roster," Dorion said. "Not just the young players but the veterans. It's a significant difference, and we're trying to do this the proper way, adding quality, character core guys. Their mentorship can be valuable for our team success moving forward. "We feel D.J.'s the man who can teach our kids and mix in some of the older guys -- the perfect mix for our rebuild." continued Below, watch the preview on the Sens.

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News, Spend a few minutes with Justin Abdelkader and you sense he is approaching this season with urgency. It’s understandable, given the way the NHL is these days. Abdelkader is 32 and entering his 11th season, which in today’s NHL can be dinosaur territory. Abdelkader is also coming off a season in which he scored a career-low six goals, and equaled a career-low with 19 points. There is an urgency to rebound, to show he is still an effective NHL player. “It was frustrating, just frustrating for sure,” Abdelkader said Tuesday after completing the second day of the Spartan Pro Camp at Munn Ice Arena. “In this league there are nights you can go out and feel good about how you played and you’ve had (offensive) chances, but if you’re not contributing offensively and you don’t have those points and continue to look and have zeroes on the scorecard that build up … your confidence can take a hit.” continued

from Bill Burt of the Eagle Tribune, Former Eagle-Tribune executive sports editor and hockey writer Russ Conway has passed away. Conway, 70, was renowned in many circles for his coverage of professional hockey and auto racing. He guided The Eagle-Tribune sports section for three decades. His death was confirmed by his longtime colleague, friend and attorney, Peter Caruso. Among his many honors, Conway was awarded the prestigious Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for journalists in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999. He not only was noted for his coverage of the sport for his entire career, starting with the Boston Bruins in 1967, he was especially praised for his work to expose corruption in pro hockey at the highest levels. continued

There are two things in life you can’t do without; breathing and sleeping. Unfortunately, most people are sleep deprived. This deprivation has led to many unwarranted occurrences such as accidents resulting from fatigue, different kinds of ailments, and in some extreme cases even death. For athletes, getting enough sleep is extremely important if at all they are to be effective in their sport. To elaborate more on this, here are a few ways that proper sleep improves sports performance:

Marner could pay the insurance premium and go to Leafs camp without a contract. What a circus that would be. Trade interest will grow as well as the days go by. https://t.co/5IH1f1TELk — Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) August 20, 2019

Jace Mallory of the Sporting News ranks the home sweaters for all of the NHL teams. The Red Wings come in 3rd. The Detroit Red Wings' uniforms have always been one of the best in the league and it helps that the team is successful, historically, without deviating from their on-ice look. For Original Six teams, tradition plays a major role in their jerseys - and this one really hasn't changed since 1926. the other teams, the NYR take the 1st spot...

from TSN, Jesse Puljujarvi is looking for fresh start this summer away from the Edmonton Oilers and told Finnish television station Laari he's hoping that includes a top-six role with his new team. "I want a team where I get a place in one of the first two lines and where I get to play for 15 minutes per game. Then I could show what I'm going for. That is my main goal," Puljujarvi said, via Google Translate. Puljujarvi's agent, Mark Lehto, has maintained throughout the summer that his client's No. 1 priority is to play in the NHL next season, but has left the door open to playing in Europe if the winger is not traded by the Oilers. The 21-year-old admitted to Laari that he has struggled with English since making the move to North America in 2016. "Language has been a challenge for me. I've always been successful, but it would be fun if things went better," Puljujarvi said. Lehto told Finland's MTV Sports earlier this month that a trade remains possible, or even likely, but moving the former No. 4 overall pick for a return that satisfies the Oilers is proving difficult. continued

Bold. Clean. Canes. https://t.co/c2TprIaLD6 pic.twitter.com/FYp05DUJXy — Carolina Hurricanes (@CanesNHL) August 20, 2019   Promo video is below.

Chris Johnston on a few topics... via Sportsnet's YouTube channel, 0:26 - Patrik Laine's comments on not knowing where he'll play next season 1:19 - Laine and Kyle Connor: who will sign first? 2:47 - Will Mitch Marner be the first RFA to sign? 4:04 - Could the NHL go to a soft salary cap? 5:16 - Is arbitration for RFAs possible in the future? 6:29 - World Cup of Hockey reboot  

from Dan Rosen of NHL.com, The New York Rangers are trying to temper their own hype and expectations despite a busy offseason that featured talent upgrades at key positions. New York signed free agent forward Artemi Panarin, acquired defensemen Jacob Trouba and Adam Fox in separate trades, and selected right wing Kaapo Kakko with the No. 2 pick at the 2019 NHL Draft. Last season, the Rangers (32-36-14) finished 20 points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. "I want people to be excited, but I'm also the voice of reason, or I'm going to try to be," said Rangers president John Davidson, who was hired May 17 to replace Glen Sather. "Two or three players don't make a team, don't make a real good team. We're in a much better spot, I think, than what we were some time ago, and it's going to be exciting, but it's still hard. It's hard to win in this league. It's hard to make the playoffs in this league. We're going to get there, but there's no magical things that you do that make it quicker or easier." continued Below, watch the season preview on the Rangers.

from Ansar Khan of Mlive, 2019-20 outlook: A fixture among the Red Wings’ bottom six forwards for six seasons, Glendening will continue his grinder’s role by leading or being among the team leaders in hits and blocked shots. He is the team’s top penalty-killing forward and has improved considerably in the faceoff circle, so much so that he takes many draws in the defensive zone. Glendening figures to center the fourth line but can play the wing, too. He can match up against the opposition’s top center, as can newly acquired Valtteri Filppula. Glendening can contribute some offense. He didn’t score a goal in his first 51 NHL games but has scored 44 goals in his past 388 games. more

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet, As opposed to the 2016 World Cup, which ran prior to the start of the NHL season, they would be looking at an in-season tournament which takes place over an extended All-Star break in 2021. Of course, the shorter tournament in 2021 would mean fewer teams than they had in 2016 — which included Team Europe and Team North America. “It would be kind of a mini-tournament about a week in length,” Deputy Commissioner Bill Day told Sportsnet. “Tack on a couple of days to the typical all-star break and fit it in an international event.” Obviously, Olympic participation is a more pressing issue for players and fans alike, but we already know which countries field teams in an Olympic tournament. The next World Cup is NHL/NHLPA property, and as such can be sculpted any way the two sides decide. read on

DENVER – The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that the team has signed forward Valeri Nichushkin to a one-year contract for the upcoming 2019-20 season. Nichushkin, 24, played his fourth NHL season with the Dallas Stars in 2018-19 where he tallied 10 points (0g/10a) in 57 games. The right wing has registered 74 points (23g/51a) in 223 career NHL regular-season contests and has recorded three points (1g/2a) in 17 career games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Stars’ first pick in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft (10th overall), Nichushkin has also appeared in five career contests (0g/4a) with Dallas’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Texas Stars, and has dressed in 104 career KHL games (31g/26a) in Russia with Traktor Chelyabinsk and CSKA Moscow. The Chelyabinsk, Russia, native has registered 23 points (10g/13a) in 53 career KHL postseason contests. “Valeri is a big, young winger who adds depth to our roster and brings competition to our training camp,” said Avalanche Executive Vice President / General Manager Joe Sakic.  “He brings NHL experience to our team and we are excited to have him with our organization.”

At this point in time, we have not heard much about Kronwall deciding to retire or play for one more season. No news from the North America media and I just did a scan of the Swedish papers and no mention at all. For reference, Ken Holland announced on September 14, 2018 that Henrik Zetterberg will no longer play due to back issues. So what do you think, will Niklas Kronwall return for one more season or announce his retirement?

from Pat Caputo of the Oakland Press, The bar for Yzerman’s initial season, evidently, is low. Yet, that could be a good development from the standpoint expectations haven’t been raised to artificial heights because of a front office change. It also provides for the possibly the Red Wings could jump-start the new era with a surprisingly good campaign.... Yzerman inherited a lot of dead-weight, overvalued contracts from Ken Holland. Anything the Red Wings get from Mike Green, Trevor Daley, Justin Abdelkader, Jonathan Ericsson or Darren Helm would be unexpected at this stage.... Undoubtedly, there are Red Wings’ fans hoping they tank for a better chance at the No.1 overall pick, which in the 2020 NHL Draft very likely will be winger Alexis Lafreniere, considered a generational-type talent from Rimouski in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. However, this version of the Red Wings is capable of providing a bit more than the last few editions. more

from Greg Wyshynski of ESPN, Your friends at ESPN have put together All-Decade Teams for all 31 franchises. The criteria was simple: Which players had that combination of statistical achievement and historic importance? Which players defined the journey for teams from the 2009-10 season to the present? C: Henrik Zetterberg (154 G, 401 A, 0.85 PPG) LW: Justin Abdelkader (106 G, 143 A, 0.36 PPG) RW: Johan Franzen (104 G, 123 A, 0.73 PPG) D: Nicklas Lidstrom (36 G, 109 A, 0.62 PPG) D: Niklas Kronwall (67 G, 243 A, 0.45 PPG) G: Jimmy Howard (243-168-68, .914 SV%, 2.54 GAA) Coach: Mike Babcock (245-170-67) The past decade has consisted of two starkly different eras for the Red Wings. It began after a Stanley Cup Final loss to Pittsburgh in 2009, in the midst of a playoff streak that would last 25 seasons. Gaze upon the talent on that roster: Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Marian Hossa, Franzen, Brian Rafalski, Tomas Holmstrom, Chris Osgood and so on. That was 10 years ago. It might as well feel like 90, with how the team has fared since. As for the team selected above -- look, Justin Abdelkader isn't everyone's bucket of octopi. You could easily make the case for Tomas Tatar here considering he had better numbers and is a better player. But outside of Kronwall's 693 games, no one played more than Abdelkader's 686 for the Red Wings in the decade. If you're looking to define the past decade for the Red Wings, Justin Abdelkader is part of that definition (for better or worse). the 30 other teams...

from Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province, Shortly after he fired Paul Fenton this off-season, Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leopold laid out his reasons for dismissing his general manager after just one year. “Paul is a really strong, strategic scout, all of that,” Leopold told The Athletic’s Mike Russo. “But there were parts of his role that just weren’t working out to my satisfaction.... In his five years as general manager of the Vancouver Canucks, Jim Benning has demonstrated he has a keen eye for young talent. The draft picks you know about. The secondary wave of prospects you know about. Yes, the jury is still out on some of his selections, but Benning has laid a foundation for the Canucks’ future and he’s been rewarded for his work with a multi-year contract extension. Just waiting for Elliotte Friedman to supply the exact terms of the deal. But, like Fenton, Benning has yet to demonstrate he has the other skills required of his office and, ultimately, that’s how he’ll be judged. read on

from Brian Compton of NHL.com, The New York Islanders know they won't be sneaking up on teams this season. The element of surprise has evaporated after a second-place finish in the Metropolitan Division and a trip to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now it's up to the Islanders, who had home-ice advantage in a playoff series for the first time since 1988 and swept the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference First Round before being swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, to prove what they accomplished last season wasn't a fluke. "Expectations will change and the bar will be raised," said Islanders captain Anders Lee, a forward who signed a seven-year, $49 million contract on July 1. "Good teams have to be able to handle that and all those things that go into becoming a championship team." continued Below, watch the preview on the Islanders.

from Ansar Khan of Mlive, 2019-20 outlook: Bertuzzi’s first full NHL season was a tremendous success. He showed he can be an offensive threat in addition to providing grit, physicality and abrasiveness. He has a knack for being around the puck and he goes to the hard areas, in the corners and in front of the net, making him an ideal complement on the top line with Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha. Bertuzzi has strong hockey sense, the ability to get his stick on pucks on the forecheck and force turnovers. He gets the puck on the net and doesn’t need a high volume of shots to score goals. A second straight healthy off-season, following two injury-plagued summers, should enable Bertuzzi to gain strength and perhaps get a little quicker. more

from Dave Satriano of NGL.com, 20. Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets In three NHL seasons, Werenski has 128 points (38 goals, 90 assists) in 237 games. He had 44 points (11 goals, 33 assists) and averaged 22:54 of ice time last season. The 22-year-old was a finalist for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 2016-17, when he had 47 points (11 goals, 36 assists) in 78 games. Werenski had six points (one goal, five assists) and averaged 26:37 of ice time per game in 10 games in the 2019 playoffs. "He's going to be, within a couple years, top 10, there's no doubt about it," Daneyko said. "… He's a guy that you're going to be able to count on in every situation for a lot of years in Columbus, and a guy that always -- I would expect - [will] be in the top 20 for years to come. 19. Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues Parayko scored an NHL career-high 10 goals and had 28 points and a plus-20 rating (second on the Blues behind center Ryan O'Reilly's plus-22) last season. His 22:47 of ice time per game was second on St. Louis behind Pietrangelo's 24:05. The 26-year-old had 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) and averaged 25:07 of ice time in 26 playoff games to help the Blues win the Stanley Cup. "He brings a lot of different elements, his game has grown tremendously," Daneyko said. "… I'd probably have him even higher. Colton Parayko's playing that well and that good for the St. Louis Blues.". But I expect him to climb." 18 more Below, a short video on the Top 20...

Bob Duff at FEATURD lists Detroit's most important players: Andreas Athanasiou, Filip Hronek and Jimmy Howard. Read all about them.

from Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com, The New Jersey Devils were among the most aggressive teams remaking their roster this offseason, adding several high-profile players, including Jack Hughes and P.K. Subban. The Devils selected Hughes, an 18-year-old center, with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft on June 21 and acquired Subban in a trade with the Nashville Predators on June 22. New Jersey signed right wing Wayne Simmonds (one year, $5 million) on July 1, and acquired left wing Nikita Gusev in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights on July 29. The Devils are looking to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time in the past eight seasons. Hughes, who gives the Devils depth at center, joining Nico Hischier, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, had 112 points (34 goals, 78 assists) in 50 games for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team last season. "Jack has physical tools that are elite," Devils coach John Hynes said. "But the thing that really separates guys with physical tools is their love and passion for the game, the desire to get better. Jack has that component in spades in his personality." continued Watch the season preview below.

from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, - How have NHL stars been penalized by the league’s salary cap? Before the cap, 15 years ago, Peter Forsberg was the NHL’s highest paid player at $11 million a season. Now, it’s Connor McDavid at $12.5 million. That’s less than a 1% increase per year increase for the sport’s greatest player. Over the same period of time, the value of the Maple Leafs as a franchise has gone from $265 million to $1.4 billion. Up more than 500%. In other words, ownership wins once again. - The NHL must be just a little concerned that Pittsburgh Penguins majority owner, Ron Burkle, is being mentioned as a former associate of Jeffrey Epstein, the scandal ridden American who apparently killed himself behind bars. a few more hockey blurbs...

from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe, Be it in the studio alongside Keith Jones in Stamford, Conn., or in a broadcast booth with the likes of Mike Emrick, ex-Bruins defenseman Mike Milbury is about to embark on his 13th season as part of NBC’s NHL coverage.... The ever-blunt Milbury, 67, fills a more versatile broadcast role than the more narrowly defined life he led on the Boston blue line for a dozen seasons (1975-87), which had him cast in a stay-at-home and slug-it-out role (1,552 penalty minutes in 754 games). During his tenure with NBC, Milbury has been the guy in the cast most likely to say whatever pops into his head, albeit with a tiny bit more self-restraint and censoring than his ex-coach, Don Cherry, who made a fortune the last 30-plus years as Canada’s premier loose cannon during NHL broadcasts. For the upcoming season, the NHL plans to mine a massive amount of player data through its new Puck and Player Tracking system. Just how NBC or any of the league’s other broadcast entities plan to integrate the data treasure trove remains to be seen. Milbury sounds like a guy who still would prefer to wrap his hands around an opposing forward’s neck than to, say, dive into a fresh load of numbers about puck possession or speed of the puck as it rockets off a player’s blade. “I have zero interest in it,” Milbury said this past week, reached by telephone at his home in the Boston suburbs. “I know they’re counting on it, but I’ve made my feelings known. No thanks. I mean, every move measured and calculated . . . what the [bleep] is the fun in that?! I guess I could be wrong, and there’ll be something in all of it that will catch my eye, but..." more plus other hockey topics...

from Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, Al MacIsaac first heard of analytics approximately 4,500 miles away from his spacious United Center office. Shortly before the Blackhawks’ 2009-10 season opener in Finland, MacIsaac sat down alongside Stan and Scotty Bowman to meet a stranger in Helsinki’s grand Hotel Kamp for a brief presentation.... “It started as a project that we were going to build on,” MacIsaac told the Sun-Times this week. “Now we have analytics for everything. ... It’s evolved from that first chance meeting in 2009 to something that we feel proud of and that our staff have come to embrace.” The term ‘analytics’ itself is mentioned nowhere in MacIsaac’s job description, and it takes quite a bit of scrolling down the Hawks’ front office directory to find Andrew Contis, the lone listed member with it in his title. But MacIsaac will disclose there’s a whole team of employees — “young people,” he calls them — who compose the Hawks’ analytics department, collecting and analyzing data and looking for new areas to explore. “Our ideas can’t be cascading down from the senior guys like me and Stan,” MacIsaac said. “We want ideas cascading upwards, and that comes from guys like Andrew Contis and a number of others.” read on

from Robby Stanley at NHL.com The Nashville Predators hope bolstering their forwards will be enough to win the Central Division for a third consecutive season and make a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Predators signed center Matt Duchene to a seven-year, $56 million contract (average annual value $8 million) on July 1. In order to clear space under the NHL salary cap and sign Duchene, Nashville traded defenseman P.K. Subban to the New Jersey Devils on June 22. "Let's call it like it is: If we don't make the Subban trade and get rid of his money ($9 million AAV), it's going to be much more difficult to get into the Duchene sweepstakes, if you will," Predators general manager David Poile said. "Maybe we could have, and we'd be over the [salary cap] today and we'd being having a player or players that we'd have to move. That really, I guess you would say, took the pressure off in terms of doing this. "So Subban for Duchene sounds like a reasonable way to say it. The good news is with [defenseman Dante Fabbro] coming in, that we feel like maybe he can't replace [Subban] right away but he certainly has the potential of being a top-four defenseman. With [Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis] there as our top three, I think we still have a really good defense." continued Watch the season preview on the Preds below.

Kris Draper, has indeed been promoted to the Red Wings’ director of Amateur Scouting. Ryan Rezmierski, formerly of Nashville, and Jesse Wallin, formerly of St. Louis, are the new Chief Scouts. — Max Bultman (@m_bultman) August 16, 2019   The Wings' website has Draper listed as Director of Amateur Scouting too.

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News, ... It’s coming back from that injury, having gone through the long, tedious rehabilitation, that’s pushing and motivating Svechnikov. Hearing the doubters say that maybe Svechnkov will not be able to come all the way back, maybe will not ever be the same player again – that’s what stirring him. “I just want to go out there and show my name,” Svechnikov said. “I’m Evgeny Svechnikov, I was drafted for a reason and I’m here for a reason. I want to be part of the future, and I want to do that for myself and the fans and for everybody. “I’m looking forward to doing it.” Svechnikov appeared to be headed toward fulfilling his goal of reaching the NHL full-time, showing why he was a first-round draft pick, last training camp. Svechniko was one of the better Red Wings through camp and had two winning goals during the exhibition season before tearing his knee in a puck battle along the boards against Toronto. more

from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, Patrik Laine says contract talks with the Winnipeg Jets have been non-existent all summer and he isn’t sure what it means for his future with the team. As one of several prominent NHL restricted free agents still without a new deal, the sniper is currently entering the late stages of summer training under a cloud of uncertainty. Speaking before the Finnish Alumni All-Star Game about an hour north of Helsinki, Laine told Sportsnet that he’s confident he’ll playing "somewhere" next season. He just doesn’t know if that somewhere will be Winnipeg. "Well you never know. It’s still business, you’ve got to be prepared for anything," Laine said Friday. "But yeah, you never know where you’re going to play next year so I’m just prepared for anything." continued

from Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, The Buffalo Sabres have dubbed it the Golden Jersey. The team announced its alternate jersey for the 2019-20 season through a Twitter video Friday morning, and the white sweater with gold striping will be worn for 13 dates during the 50th anniversary season. The crossed swords crest will be displayed in fluorescent gold and navy blue, rather than white and blue. Five stripes -- one representing each of the franchise's decades -- are embroidered on both sleeves as well as the jersey's bottom. Four are gold and one wider one is in blue. Two unique features of the uniform is an inner neckline to the sweater that features logos from throughout the team's history, and white gloves that will be worn for the first time in franchise history and look similar to those that have been worn the last two years by the Vegas Golden Knights. continued, includes pictures and below, watch a video from the Sabres on the sweater...

"Maybe in the past people overlooked us, but right now, I would say we go into this year as the team to beat. With the players we've brought in and the core we have established, I mean, if we don't (win), you know things are going to go sideways pretty quick. We have to realize and know if we want to stay together, we have to win." -Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers.  NHL.com has more.

from Andrew Gross of Newsday, “You know how big it is,” Lamoriello told Newsday on Thursday. “Without a new arena, there would not be the Islanders on Long Island. I think that says it all.” Lamoriello was able to re-sign the team’s key unrestricted free agents this offseason except for goalie Robin Lehner and third-line center Valtteri Filppula. The previous summer, former captain John Tavares left for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs for a seven-year, $77 million deal that was less than the Islanders offered. The Islanders will continue to split games between NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum and Barclays Center in Brooklyn for a second straight season. Their new building is scheduled to open for the 2021-22 season and Lamoriello knows uncertainty about the Islanders’ arena situation was a factor when talking to free agents. “I think that’s always something behind someone’s mind, including our own free agents,” Lamoriello said. “But they have the confidence in believing in our ownership’s commitment to getting the arena.” read on

from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, Deputy commissioner Bill Daly says he’s “cautiously optimistic” about the direction of collective bargaining talks with the NHL Players’ Association and believes the sides are committed to staging the next World Cup in February 2021 if they can extend or renew the current agreement before it expires. The league and players have met regularly throughout the summer and are due to sit down together again next week. The discussions are being held with each side facing a decision inside the next month about whether to trigger an early termination to the current CBA. However, it remains to be seen if either will pursue the reopener option at a time when there appears to be much more labour harmony than strife. “The general state of things, there seems to be a lot of agreement on,” Daly told Sportsnet during the NHL’s European player media tour. “It’s very kind of amorphous right now but there doesn’t seem to be like a huge sticking point on the issues we’ve talked about. I think there’s general agreement kind of directionally. Where we should be going. “I think both sides have been open that the agreement’s not a perfect agreement and could be improved, but nobody’s holding out for a home run.” continued

from Ansar Khan of Mlive, 2019-20 outlook: Hronek was expected to win the competition between young defensemen and earn an NHL roster spot out of training camp but wasn’t ready, so he was demoted after playing six games as an injury replacement. He returned to Detroit in mid-December and was sent back to Grand Rapids for a couple of weeks in February before joining the Red Wings for good on Feb. 17. He improved defensively during his time in the AHL and was much better the final seven weeks of the season. He cut down on mistakes and odd-man rushes against by not stepping up as much in the neutral zone while still contributing offensively. Injuries forced the Red Wings to play the rookie more than they would have preferred – he logged more than 22 minutes in a stretch of 13 out of 15 games. He saw more time on the penalty kill. He played against top lines more often. Barring a significant regression, Hronek will start the season in the Red Wings’ top four, paired with either Danny DeKeyser or (more likely) Patrik Nemeth. The club would like to keep him around 20 minutes per game while having him man the point on one of the power-play units and still see some time on the penalty kill. more

from Sean Farrell at NHL.com, The Montreal Canadiens are confident they can make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2016-17 with largely the same lineup that narrowly missed out last season. The Canadiens finished with 96 points, after they had 71 in 2017-18, but wound up two points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. "I think this is a team that is trending towards the playoffs and was very close last year," said defenseman Ben Chiarot, who signed a three-year, $10.5 million contract (average annual value of $3.5 million) with Montreal on July 4 after playing 305 games with the Winnipeg Jets. "All the pieces are here and a little bit reminds me of where we were in Winnipeg a few years ago with some of the young pieces and the leadership of guys like [defenseman Shea] Weber and [goalie Carey] Price. I think all the pieces are here for us to be successful, and I'll bring what I bring and I think we should be trending in the right direction." continued Below, wateh the preview for the Habs....

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News, ... But after participating Thursday in the PEP Power Edge Pro Camp at USA Hockey Arena, Larkin was already thinking ahead to camp, and his anticipation surrounding this Red Wings' season. “You get to the dog days of August where you’re sick of being in the gym and you want to be back with all the guys,” Larkin said. “More guys are coming back into town and it’s good seeing them. "It was a good break. But with our finish to last season (8-2-0) fresh in the mind, gaining confidence winning games, plus we added some good pieces – it’s exciting.”... Larkin believes there’s much hope for this season, as well. “We can be very competitive every night and go on hot stretches,” said Larkin, adding there’s one important ingredient: “Get off to a good start.” more

New season. New numbers. pic.twitter.com/GRWeGS1FpH — Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 15, 2019

from NHL.com, The NHL hopes to announce preseason games in China for next season soon, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said Thursday. "We hope to be in a position to announce the game earlier than we have in prior years, coming up in the next couple of months," Daly said during the NHL European Player Media Tour in Stockholm. "Hopefully we continue to develop and deepen our ties in China, and that means more games, more players, more teams, more League activities in China." The NHL will not be sending teams to China this fall because of logistical issues with booking arenas. The NHL had two preseason games in China each of the past two seasons. continued

from Max Bultman of The Athletic, Svechnikov said he has met new general manager Steve Yzerman only briefly, and that he mainly just wanted to know about the knee. But he’s not concerning himself much with what exactly the team’s brass is expecting or looking for from him when Traverse City arrives. His goals are singular. “I have no idea,” he said. “I don’t really care what they’re looking at (with) me, you can put it that way. Because I just want to go out there and take my spot. That’s really it. Doesn’t matter last year if I was hurt or (not). And I don’t really expect, from them, anything. Obviously they want to expect from me, they want to see what it’s like, but at the same time they know I was injured. To me, it doesn’t matter. I just want to go out there and take my spot and make the team.” more (paid), he has been living with Larkin over the summer...

“Last year’s just gone, out of the books, really, except for maybe taking some stuff that I learned. I look forward to dominating. “I’m confident in how I am as a player, so I’m not too worried about it.” -William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Chris Johnston of Sportsnet has more.

from TSN, Joe Thornton announced his intentions to return for a 22nd NHL season in June and according to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, it is only a matter of time before the veteran re-signs with the San Jose Sharks. Kurz writes that "Thornton is not going anywhere and will re-sign with the Sharks at some point in the near future," though he may wait until Sharks general manager Doug Wilson is done shaping his roster for this season. Thornton, who posted 16 goals and 35 assists in 73 games, said in June he believes he could play up to five more seasons. The 40-year-old was pictured in full gear at the Sharks training facility on Monday along with former teammate Patrick Marleau. Marleau, who was bought out by the Carolina Hurricanes in June, has also been linked to the Sharks this off-season, but Kurz reports there's "much more uncertainty" around his future. The 39-year-old desired a move from the Toronto Maple Leafs after last season in order to be closer to his family in San Jose, but Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun wrote last week that the Sharks "don't want" the veteran. continued

from Ansar Khan of Mlive, 2019-20 outlook: Howard posted the worst statistics of his career, due in large part to the weak defense in front of him. He was fairly consistent. Without him, the Red Wings would have finished even lower than 28th, which might not have been a bad thing, giving them a higher chance at the first overall pick. If Howard stays healthy, he can expect another heavy workload. But if the Red Wings are out of the playoff picture midway through the season, Howard could be dealt for a draft pick. The market for goalies likely will be better earlier in the season than at the Feb. 24 trade deadline, when more teams are out of the playoff picture. The Red Wings might also opt to sign Howard to another one-year extension, since Jonathan Bernier might not be capable of handling the starting job in 2020-21 and top prospect Filip Larsson probably won’t be NHL-ready by then. But they could also move Howard during the season and re-sign him on July 1. more

from Jessi Pierce at NHL.com, The Minnesota Wild are a team in transition this season. Not only are they looking to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they're also searching for a general manager. Paul Fenton, the third GM in Wild history, was fired July 30, 14 months after he was hired; assistant GM Tom Kurvers is serving as GM until a replacement is found. The Wild reportedly interviewed Pittsburgh Penguins assistant GM Bill Guerin and former Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall for the job. "Our organization and our culture were a little different than the way [Fenton] wanted to handle things," Wild owner Craig Leipold said. "We just felt this was the time to do it and we were going to move forward in a different direction. "We need to get recharged, refocused on who we are as a team and don't let the outside elements distract us." continued Below, watch the season preview on the Wild.

from Ryan Pyette of the London Free Press, Logan Couture helped San Jose eliminate Vegas with the benefit of an infamous major penalty call in Game 7. Then, his Sharks went up 2-1 in the Western Conference final against St. Louis thanks to a missed hand pass. After that, they lost three straight to the Blues. “I think it probably hurt us in the end,” said the star forward, who plays host to his third All-In for Brain Research charity casino Thursday night at Centennial Hall. “After that hand pass, which was obviously a mistake and the goal shouldn’t have counted, I felt like in the next couple of games if there was a close call, the other team got the benefit of the doubt. “So in that aspect, it went against us. Obviously, it helped us win that game. But the rest of the series — and this is just my personal belief because I know the refs don’t go out to favour any team — when it comes to a 50-50 call, the other team is getting that benefit.”... “You feel bad for the refs because they’re trying to do the best they can,” he said. “The steps the league is taking are going in the right direction. That (hand pass goal) call should have been reviewed. The call against Vegas that made it a major penalty, that’s something that needs to be fixed. “Whatever they can do to make the right call, that’s all you can ask for as a player and fan.” read on

TORONTO (Aug. 14, 2019) – The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) will host its 11th annual NHLPA Rookie Showcase Sunday, Aug. 25 at MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va., with 28 NHL® prospects and rookies scheduled to attend. This unique event provides Upper Deck – the official trading card partner of the NHLPA and the NHL – with an opportunity to capture photographs and videos of many of the game’s top young prospects and rookies in their official NHL team uniforms. The content collected will be used for upcoming Upper Deck trading cards, memorabilia products and digital video posts. The following 28 NHL prospects and rookies are scheduled to be in attendance for the 2019 NHLPA Rookie Showcase:

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News, They are the hope, the beacon of light as the Red Wings dwell in this current rebuild. Young forwards Andreas Athanasiou, Tyler Bertuzzi, Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha are the foundation the Wings are building around. All four had career-best offensive seasons, and gradually began taking over leadership of the team. If the Wings are headed anywhere this season, or in the near future, this is the core that will likely take them there. “Can they carry a hockey team to wins? That’s a big question they’ll answer on a nightly basis next year,” coach Jeff Blashill said late last season. “It’s a heck of a responsibility. I don’t think there’s very many young players in the league that are able to carry their team. “We’re going to ask that group of four up front to be a huge piece to carrying this team. continued