CALGARY, Alberta — The Calgary Flames have signed defenseman MacKenzie Weegar to an eight-year, $50 million extension, the team announced Friday. Weegar came to Calgary on July 25 along with Jonathan Huberdeau in a trade that sent Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers. Weegar would have become an unrestricted free agent next year. “This is going to be fun,” Weeger […]

Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. The NHL didn’t exactly have goalie tandems last season. It was more like gaggles of goaltenders. Due to COVID-19 absences, injuries and ineffectiveness, a record 119 goalies appeared in 2021-22 regular-season games, from Akira Schmid to Zach Fucale. As a result, NHL scoring numbers climbed to their highest levels in nearly 30 years. […]

Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. In hockey, it’s hard to go from the outhouse to the penthouse, because playoff contenders refuse to move out. Of the 16 teams that made the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, 12 of them were in the midst of multiyear postseason appearance streaks. If you include the COVID-19 bubble qualification series in 2020 — […]

Teams at the bottom see the future as a way to climb higher than their current station. Teams in the middle see the future as a way to break through to reach the elite. Teams at the top see the future as a chance to sustain their success or stave off the inevitability of potentially returning to the bottom. This […]

MONTREAL — Several of Quebec’s major party leaders say new Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki needs to learn French. Coalition Avenir Québec leader François Legault said the Habs made an “excellent choice,” describing the center as one of the team’s best players, before adding that Suzuki now has to learn French. The Canadiens announced the appointment of the 23-year-old Ontario […]

Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. Matthew Tkachuk says he’s ready for the Battle of Florida after waging the Battle of Alberta for the first six years of his NHL career. “I hate Edmonton, but I hate Tampa more now,” said Tkachuk, who was traded by the Calgary Flames to the Florida Panthers in a blockbuster deal on Friday […]

Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. The San Jose Sharks were finalizing details on Thursday night to make David Quinn their next head coach, sources told ESPN. No formal announcement was expected Thursday from the team. Quinn, 55, was previously the head coach of the New York Rangers from 2018 to ’21, amassing a record of 96-87-25 in 208 […]

Kristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN. Johnny Gaudreau shocked the hockey world when he signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets on the opening day of NHL free agency Wednesday. But according to Gaudreau — who was one of this year’s most coveted unrestricted free agents — the decision to agree on a seven-year, $68.25 million pact with […]

Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. The Vegas Golden Knights traded star winger Max Pacioretty to the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday in a salary clearing move. Pacioretty and defenseman Dylan Coghlan were moved to the Hurricanes for future considerations, sources confirmed to ESPN. Pacioretty, 33, played the last four seasons with the Golden Knights. He spent the first 10 […]

Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. The Carolina Hurricanes have acquired All-Star defenseman Brent Burns from the San Jose Sharks, ESPN has confirmed. He goes with forward Lane Pederson for center Steven Lorentz, goalie prospect Eetu Makiniemi and a conditional 2023 third-round pick. The Sharks will retain 33% of Burns’ cap hit. Source: Read Full Article