Emily Kaplan is ESPN’s national NHL reporter. Jack Eichel knows his return to Buffalo will be “awkward” and says he doesn’t know how Sabres fans will react — though he hopes they focus on some positives. “I think about my time in Buffalo, it obviously ended a little bit messy,” Eichel, the former Sabres captain, told ESPN ahead of his […]

The Avalanche is looking to add a player or two before the March 21 NHL trade deadline. A top-six scoring forward, a gritty depth forward and/or a depth defenseman are the potential targets. One spot where the Avs won’t likely be looking for an upgrade? In goal, where goaltenders Darcy Kuemper and Pavel Francouz will remain the top two options […]

Peter McNab, the longtime Avalanche color analyst with Altitude, said he was told by his doctor on Thursday that his cancer is in remission. He announced the good news pregame Friday on Altitude’s Twitter handle. “You can only imagine my emotions yesterday and today, but as exciting as this is, the overwhelming emotion I have is gratitude,” McNab said in […]

Kristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN. Zdeno Chara stands alone. The New York Islanders blueliner set a record for most games played by an NHL defenseman after he skated in his 1,652nd career contest Thursday in San Jose. Hall of Fame defender Chris Chelios had held the previous mark since 2010, when he retired after 26 seasons […]

Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. The old adage in the NHL is that “you can’t fire the players.” I mean, there are so many of them. It’s much easier to fire just one person, which is why the head coach usually pays for the team’s on-ice sins. Theoretically, firing the head coach is a surefire way to change […]

NEW YORK — Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn has been fined $5,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct after squirting water from the bench into the face of an opponent. The fine was announced by the NHL on Saturday, a day after Benn squirted water at Blackhawks wing MacKenzie Entwistle as he skated past the Dallas bench late in the third period at […]

Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. Mike Modano started his Hall of Fame NHL career with the Minnesota North Stars. They were a blast to watch back in the 1980s, with players like Neal Broten and Dino Ciccarelli scoring copious amounts of goals, until Norm Greed … er, Green … stole them from the “State of Hockey” and moved […]

Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, consider Trevor Zegras quite flattered. Ever since the Anaheim Ducks rookie sent a pass over the Buffalo Sabres’ net to teammate Sonny Milano for a goal on Dec. 7 — on a move heretofore known as “The Zegras” — he’s been inundated with messages, links […]