Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. Since the Vegas Golden Knights’ expansion draft in 2017, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has been the face of the franchise, whether it was on the ice, on billboards, in the media or in the community. And now, in an unceremonious fashion, his tenure with the team appears over. On Tuesday, the Golden Knights agreed […]

Emily Kaplan is ESPN’s national NHL reporter. Alex Ovechkin has signed a five-year, $47.5 million deal to return to the Washington Capitals, it was announced Tuesday. “I’M BACK DC!!!!!” he said on Twitter, with a source close to Ovechkin saying he wanted to pay homage to Michael Jordan’s famous “I’m back” statement on social media. The 35-year-old has played his […]

Emily Kaplan is ESPN’s national NHL reporter. The Vegas Golden Knights and Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a deal that would send three-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to Chicago, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. Pending a trade call, the Golden Knights will receive minor league forward Mikael Hakkarainen, sources told ESPN. Fleury’s agent, Allan Walsh, said his client hadn’t […]

Emily Kaplan is ESPN’s national NHL reporter. Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. A long, long ride is over. The 2021 NHL draft had a bit everything. Consider the blockbuster trades, as stars Seth Jones, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jakub Voracek, Cam Atkinson and Sam Reinhart all changed teams. Consider the history, as one NCAA school had a record-breaking weekend. Consider […]

Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. The first round of the 2021 NHL Draft was like a blockbuster summer movie. There were tantalizing trailers, in the form of three blockbuster trades that preceded the draft and impacted picks — including Rasmus Ristolainen to the Philadelphia Flyers, Oliver Ekman-Larsson to the Vancouver Canucks, and Seth Jones to the Chicago Blackhawks. […]

More than three hours after the NHL began Friday night, the Avalanche finally made its first-round pick and chose Swedish forward Oskar Olausson at No. 28. Olausson, 18, played for two professional leagues in Sweden last season, producing a combined six goals and 10 points in 27 games. He also played juniors for HV 71 Jr., where he contributed 27 […]

Emily Kaplan is ESPN’s national NHL reporter. Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. Draft day is here! You’ve read through our top-50 prospect rankings, checked out the latest projections in Greg’s mock draft, learned more about what makes Owen Power such a great prospect from Emily’s story, and of course, digested the Seattle Kraken’s expansion draft process thanks to […]

It’s NHL Draft time! Beginning Friday night, more than 220 players will be selected across seven rounds by 32 NHL franchises. The Sabres will kick things off Friday and the draft will conclude Saturday when the back-to-back champion Stanley Cup champion Lightning pick No. 224 overall. In between, there will be lots of intrigue and surely a few surprises. One thing that is set […]

Emily Kaplan is ESPN’s national NHL reporter. Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. If it seems to you like the 2020-21 NHL season just ended, you’re not incorrect: The Stanley Cup was awarded on July 7 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. But the league has spun forward to the offseason and preparations for 2021-22 quickly: The expansion draft was […]

After months of waiting, the 2021 NHL Draft is officially here. Over the course of two days, July 23-24, 223 players will find out where they’ll get a chance to pursue their professional hockey dreams. Note that there are 224 slots but the Coyotes had to forfeit their first-rounder. Entering Friday’s first round, the Sabres hold the No. 1 overall pick […]