Emily Kaplan is ESPN’s national NHL reporter. Alex Galchenyuk is entering the NHL and NHLPA’s player assistance program after being arrested last week, sources told ESPN, and has apologized to police for his “deeply disrespectful and despicable behavior.” Galchenyuk was arrested July 9 in Scottsdale, Arizona, for a hit and run incident that resulted in the Arizona Coyotes terminating his […]

Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. The possibility of Alex DeBrincat being traded this summer had been a topic of discussion for weeks. On Sunday night, the Detroit Red Wings were the team to offer the right package in return for the talented winger, sending forward Dominik Kubalik, defenseman Donovan Sebrango, a conditional first-round pick in the 2024 draft […]

Miles Wood was paying attention to the contracts. He noticed how most of them were shaking out Saturday around the NHL. “This free agency, a lot of one- and two-year deals were handed out,” the new Avalanche wing said Monday. He didn’t want that. He had spent his entire eight-year career in the same organization, experiencing the virtues of familiarity. […]

Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. The New York Islanders had one of the biggest signings on July 1 – and he wasn’t even a free agent. Franchise goalie Ilya Sorokin has agreed to a new eight-year contract extension that starts in the 2024-25 season. It carries an average annual value of $8.25 million against the salary cap. Sorokin […]

Colorado’s first move in NHL free agency Saturday was a daring one. The Avalanche and Miles Wood have agreed to a six-year contract, a source told The Denver Post. Wood, a fourth-round draft pick in 2013, has spent his entire career in the Devils’ organization as a bottom-six wing, accumulating 148 points in 402 games for New Jersey. He scored […]

Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. We were spoiled last summer. The 2022 unrestricted free agent class featured star players like Johnny Gaudreau, Filip Forsberg, Claude Giroux, Nazem Kadri, Darcy Kuemper and Marc-Andre Fleury — not to mention two-thirds of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ core in Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. The 2023 free agent class is … not like […]

Ryan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN. Blake Wheeler is no longer a member of the Winnipeg Jets, with the team announcing Friday they placed their former captain on unconditional waivers for the purpose of buying out the final year of his contract. Wheeler’s future with the Jets had been in question for some time. Prior to the […]

Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Matvei Michkov had one wish granted when the Philadelphia Flyers selected him seventh overall in the 2023 NHL draft Wednesday night. But he has another wish for his NHL career: To honor his late father by lifting the Stanley Cup. Michkov’s father, Andrei, died in April at the age of […]

Welcome to the 2023 NHL draft. Well, almost. The draft, which begins Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville (7 ET, ESPN and ESPN+), is a starting point both for the prospects and the teams that pick them. One thing to remember is that some players will go higher than they were projected, others will go lower and still others won’t […]

Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. Holding the No. 1 overall pick in this week’s NHL draft, the Chicago Blackhawks provided likely first overall selection Connor Bedard with a skilled, veteran running mate as he begins his pro career. On Monday, the Boston Bruins traded Taylor Hall and the rights to pending unrestricted free agent forward Nick Foligno to […]