SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 8/2/2021 1218979 Quick look at Arizona Coyotes' new-look roster after recent trades and signings 1218980 Inside the NHL: Chris Drury looking to make Rangers into a tougher team 1218981 Mike Harrington: Jack Eichel's agents are doing him no favors 1218982 Goalie Marc-André Fleury — after contemplating his NHL future — commits to playing for the Chicago Blackhawks 1218983 Marc-Andre Fleury will play for Blackhawks in 2021-22 1218984 If he plays, Marc-Andre Fleury would transform Blackhawks’ goaltending 1218985 'Game changer': Fleury's addition to Blackhawks tilts power in Central Division 1218986 Guest column: Kuemper deal seems better as the days pass 1218987 Blue Jackets Sunday Gathering: Amazing week for Jarmo Kekalainen and staff, Gavin Bayreuther’s time in Seattle 1218988 Yousuf: Stars attacked free agency with aggression but have yet to address all of their needs 1218989 Tyler Bertuzzi: Wedding will wait a year, but he'll be ready for Detroit Red Wings camp 1218990 Red Wings' Jakub Vrana, Adam Erne file for salary arbitration 1218991 Red Wings sign Tyler Bertuzzi to two-year deal 1218992 Bultman: 10 observations on the Red Wings’ prospects at the World Junior Summer Showcase 1218993 Kings depth chart: Should it be Alex Iafallo or Adrian Kempe as the first-line winger? 1218994 LA Kings sign forward Brayden Burke to one-year, two-way contract, $750K AAV 1218995 Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese elects for salary arbitration 1218996 Aston-Reese Files For Salary Arbitration; Talks Continuing 1218997 Projecting New Penguins Lines: Prospects, Friedman and Holes to Fill 1218998 Sharks forward denies wife’s allegations of game-fixing 1218999 Originally drafted by Sharks, Bonino's return marks wild stat 1219000 Sharks' Kane to be investigated on claim he bet on NHL games 1219001 Evander Kane Says He’s Never Bet on Sharks Games, Anna Kane Responds St Louis Blues 1219002 Blues' Sanford files for salary arbitration 1219003 Toronto Maple Leafs sign Brennan Menell to $750,000, one-year contract in a trade with Canucks 1219008 Five things to know about Danila Klimovich, the Canucks' newest top prospect 1219004 Golden Knights say goodbye, give thanks to Marc-Andre Fleury 1219005 Marc-Andre Fleury tells Chicago: ‘Let’s get to work’ 1219006 Marc-Andre Fleury won’t retire, will play for Blackhawks next 1219007 It’s Official: Fleury Will Play for Blackhawks; Returns to Vegas Jan. 8Published 14 hours ago on August 1, 202 Websites 1219009 TSN.CA / A closer look at Canada’s gold-medal drought at the women’s worlds 1219010 USA TODAY / Traded goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will play for Chicago Blackhawks

SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1218979 Arizona Coyotes Gone from 2020-2021: Ekman-Larsson, Alex Goligoski, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Jordan Oesterle, Jason Demers, Jordan Gross*, Aaron Ness*.

Quick look at Arizona Coyotes' new-look roster after recent trades and Initial reaction: Timmins is the player the Coyotes got in last week's signings Darcy Kuemper trade from the Colorado Avalanche, and the feeling is he can contribute consistently at the NHL level at age 23. He will turn that age before the season starts. Chychrun will get more attention after the JOSÉ M. ROMERO | Arizona Republic way he played last season. Beyond the current group, depth has been built at the AHL level with trades and signings going back to last season,

the Coyotes anticipating heavy turnover at the position this offseason. Raise your hand if you were moved to tears or anger when the Short Goaltenders Leash Line was broken up by the trade of former Coyotes forward Conor Garland. Current group: Carter Hutton, Josef Kořenář*, Ivan Prosvetov*, Karel Vejmelka. It's OK. You aren't alone. But the trade of Garland, a major move just by itself, was only part of a larger deal that at the same time saw the Gone from 2020-2021: Darcy Kuemper, Antti Raanta, Adin Hill. Coyotes trade former team Oliver Ekman-Larsson to the on July 23. Initial reaction: The Coyotes surely were thinking ahead to at least the possibility of losing two of their three goalies from last season, and added Garland is gone. The person who coined the "Short Leash Line" moniker, depth with Vejmelka from the Czech Republic. But beyond Hutton, who former head coach Rick Tocchet, is also gone, and if Nick Schmaltz and was with Armstrong in St. Louis for two seasons, Kořenář and Prosvetov Clayton Keller are together on a line again, they will have a new third have only a handful of games of NHL experience. Now that the position man. has seen full turnover, either one of the three beyond Hutton has to emerge as a No. 2, or the Coyotes have to sign a veteran to pair with The Ekman-Larsson/Garland deal set the stage for the Coyotes and Hutton. General Manager Bill Armstrong to conduct an almost complete overhaul of the Coyotes roster. And if you think all of these new faces will be odd to watch on the ice in October when the regular season begins, wait until future years, when current players become free agents and depart, new Arizona Republic LOADED: 08.02.2021 ones sign and perceivably some players from the huge haul of draft picks the Coyotes have stockpiled this month make the jump from the minors to the NHL.

This Coyotes' front office has shown no hesitation in their willingness to part with anyone if it fits the new philosophy of their roster construction. More trades could be made and other free agents could sign, but as you process who is here and who is gone, here's a look at the Coyotes' roster as the calendar turns to a new month.

Forwards

*good portion or all of last season in minors or on taxi squad

Current group: Keller, Schmaltz, , Christian Dvorak, Lawson Crouse, Christian Fischer, Dmitrij Jaskin, Johan Larsson, Loui Eriksson, , *, Ryan Dzingel, Antoine Roussel, Barrett Hayton*, Jan Jenik*, Hudson Fasching*, Liam O'Brien*, Michael Carcone*.

Gone from 2020-2021: Garland, Derick Brassard, Michael Bunting, Tyler Pitlick, Dryden Hunt, John Hayden, Lane Pederson, Michael Chaput.

Initial reaction: Someone, or a few people, will have to make up for the absence of Garland and his production from last season. Jaskin was a big-time scorer in Russia for the past two seasons and could help fill the void. Not all of the forwards will be on the team when the season starts, but there are veterans and young players with upside, many with contracts that will expire at season's end, who might make competition for spots on the wings interesting in training camp.

The perceived upside with veterans like Eriksson, Beagle, Ladd and Roussel is their big-game experience and locker room leadership.

Coyotes General Manager Bill Armstong, on two forwards Coyotes signed Wednesday.

Arizona Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong, with thoughts on new forwards Dmitrij Jaskin and Ryan Dzingel.

ARIZONA REPUBLIC

"The leadership we added to our team, the veteran presence, the Stanley Cup winners, we have guys who have played a lot in the NHL," Coyotes head coach André Tourigny said. "We want our young guys to be surrounded by that kind of experience and winning pedigree."

Defensemen

Current group: Jakob Chychrun, Ilya Lyubushkin, Anton Stralman, Shayne Gostisbehere, Conor Timmins, Victor Soderstrom*, Kyle Capobianco*. 1218980 Buffalo Sabres Wayne Gretzky's career record. He starts his 17th season in October after negotiating his own contract.

Washington now has all three of its longest-tenured players – Ovechkin, Inside the NHL: Chris Drury looking to make Rangers into a tougher team center Nicklas Backstrom and defenseman John Carlson – under contract through at least the 2024-25 season.

Mike Harrington Ovechkin enters the season with 730 goals, one behind Marcel Dionne for fifth all-time. That leaves him 164 shy of Gretzky's record of 894, an Sports Columnist average of 33 per year through the 2025-26 season.

"You never know. I’m going to try my best,” Ovechkin said. “That’s why I want to play five more years. If I have a chance to catch The Great One, Start spreadin' the news? What news is coming out of free agency in why not? If I’m going to be second, that’s a pretty good number as well.” New York, New York? Around the boards We know old friend Chris Drury remains on the trail of Jack Eichel but the Rangers' rookie GM has made some odd roster moves in recent days. • The NHL should just officially endorse an interview period in advance of free agency. Right now, there is none. So how were so many deals so Meanwhile on Long Island, venerable sage Lou Lamoriello is lurking. You quickly consummated on Wednesday? Obviously, teams were talking get the feeling a big trade is coming or some signings are inevitable. The and agreeing to contract terms surreptitiously. It was silly to see. Islanders have been oddly quiet in recent weeks. You would not think that will continue. • When you look at the Atlantic Division on paper right now, Tampa Bay and Florida look to be clear playoff teams with Boston (even though it lost It seems like you can blame Tom Wilson for renting space inside the the returning-home David Krejci) and Toronto the likely teams to grab the Rangers' head. In the wake of his May incident with Artemi Panarin, the other two spots. Montreal was in the Stanley Cup final and looks like it Capitals' gnat has Drury obsessed with making his team harder to play will have a tough time making the postseason next season. against. Drury signed 6-foot-6 Jarred Tinordi, who pummeled Wilson in March in Boston in retribution for a hit on Brandon Carlo, and 6-foot-3 (Tampa Bay) and Philip Danault (Los Angeles) left the Habs defender Patrik Nemeth. in free agency. Shea Weber's career may be over due to a multitude of injuries and now comes Friday's announcement that speedy forward Paul On Thursday, Drury gave up a third-round pick to Vegas to acquire tough Byron had hip surgery last week and might be out until January. That's guy Ryan Reaves, who once said he was "the solution to your Tom another big blow. Wilson problem" and is now reunited with former Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant. Then he signed Reaves to a one-year extension through • The Islanders' 13-game road trip to start the season while construction 2023. is wrapping up on UBS Arena is an NHL record, but another big roadie on the 2021-22 schedule will be endured by Edmonton while the World The Rangers also signed Barclay Goodrow from Tampa Bay to a six-year Juniors return to Rogers Place for the second straight year after last deal worth $3.6 million per season. Yes, six years. Excessive even for a year's tournament was played there without fans. rugged guy who will help your bottom six. And this comes after the Rangers got an underwhelming return for Pavel Buchnevich in a trade The Oilers play eight straight on the road running Dec. 22-Jan. 5. The trip from St. Louis that brought back Sammy Blais and a draft pick. Drury still goes Los Angeles, San Jose, Calgary, St. Louis, New Jersey, Long has to figure out what to do about Mika Zibanejad, who is entering the Island, New York and Toronto. Ouch. final year of his contract at $5.3 million.

On Long Island, the waiting continues for Lamoriello to sign or re-sign veteran Kyle Palmieri. Or perhaps he works a deal with St. Buffalo News LOADED: 08.02.2021 Louis for Vladimir Tarasenko.

The Islanders have more than $17 million cap space (and retiring defenseman Johnny Boychuk's $6 million are headed to long-term injured reserve). Free agency only started July 28, it didn't end then.

This is one team with some key adds still to make, moving into a new arena and coming off back-to-back final four runs.

Big deals go down at draft

The NHL trade deadline has become one big bore and the real interesting trade days now center on Day 1 of the draft and the couple of days preceding it. By contrast, baseball's trade deadline is what hockey fans want and what Canadian television first grabbed on to when it created its daylong live show around the deadline.

The rigors of the cap and GMs who simply overvalue their prospects have made the trade deadline difficult to navigate. Baseball teams quickly tear down their clubs (see what the Cubs and Nationals have done) and don't have fear of dealing prospects, like the Blue Jays did in getting Minnesota's Jose Berrios. In hockey, you need your cheap players on entry-level deals and teams are mostly unwilling to move them for expensive talent that could put them over the hump in a hunt for the postseason or a Stanley Cup run.

I realize Eichel is injured and that colors all trade discussions but the outrage of fans about their team potentially trading their top young players is comical. If the Rangers won't at least ponder Alexis Lafreniere or Kappo Kakko, or the won't include Trevor Zegras or the Los Angeles Kings won't include Quinton Byfield, how do they expect to make a deal for an established NHL talent?

Great Eight signed up for run at 894

Alex Ovechkin's five-year, $47.5 million contract signed last week with the Capitals takes him past age 40 and into realistic territory to pass 1218981 Buffalo Sabres And it sure seemed fishy that the agents' statement comes out Friday night and Prusmack spent roughly 40 minutes extolling the virtues of the disk replacement surgery less than 12 hours later.

Mike Harrington: Jack Eichel's agents are doing him no favors Maybe the agents were involved, maybe they weren't. But the optics of it all were so poor that podcast host Elliotte Friedman, one of the most respected media insiders in the game, took to Twitter shortly after the Aug 1, 2021 Updated 4 hrs ago interview was released to clarify that it was done Friday night before the statement was issued and that he had no knowledge the statement was Mike Harrington coming. Sports Columnist That was an especially salient point to make since it was Friedman to whom Fish and Donatelli pontificated to last weekend saying, "Our expectation is Jack is going to be traded in the near future" after Adams In times like this, maybe Jack Eichel's agents should take heed to one of had said following the draft he had no problem if the Sabres opened John Tortorella's most YouTube-played media rants. training camp with Eichel still on the roster.

It was in 2004 when Tortorella, then coaching Tampa Bay, got agitated For the record, no one believed Adams there. The GM really is in a brutal because Philadelphia coach Ken Hitchcock was allegedly barking at spot. Rehashing the scenarios: Lightning skaters during a playoff game. 1. The Sabres are trying to trade their captain, a $10 million player who The next day, Tortorella lit up Hitchcock to reporters. His main message they feel is one of the NHL's elite. The guy who finished eighth in the Hart was that the coaches weren't on the ice and part of the battle and Trophy balloting in 2020 after piling up 36 goals and 78 points in a Hitchcock had no business talking to Tampa players. shortened season.

"Park your ego. Shove it in your pocket," Tortorella said before delivering 2. Teams feel they're trading for a guy coming off a two-goal season with his infamous punchline: "Shut your yap." an injured neck. There's no shortage of interest but not at the package prices the Sabres are believed to want of a No. 1 draft pick, high That would be my message to Eichel's representatives, Peter Fish and prospects and NHL talent. What owner would approve their GM making Peter Donatelli. Just zip it. that kind of roll-the-dice play on a contract that would cost $50 million That weird, sent-at-9:45-p.m. statement to Buffalo media outlets Friday over the next five seasons? night did your client no favors. The Sabres are dug in hard and if you and What a mess, with no real solution in sight. Eichel has to be furious with your client want a deal out of town, that's not the way to get it done. the entire situation and how it's been handled from all sides. He might Do you really expect Kevyn Adams to cave now after that statement? want to get new agents. These guys have done him no favors. The Sabres GM would lose a ton of credibility if he did. His message has been consistent. He feels no pressure to make a trade until he gets an offer he feels is best for the organization. Translation: Teams have to Buffalo News LOADED: 08.02.2021 pony up. This isn't Ryan O'Reilly Part II.

Both sides agree Eichel is injured and needs surgery. Fans keep wanting to say this is just a ruse to force a trade and it's not. The player is hurt. That's not at issue. The point of contention is the type of surgery to rectify the problem, whether it's a standard fusion surgery or an artificial disk replacement surgery.

Eichel's agents released a statement to the media late Friday night stating that Eichel and his representatives were initially under the impression that Buffalo would approve the surgery Eichel wished to have on the herniated disk in his neck.

The Sabres haven't said anything since Thursday. I get it. That's when Adams said the team is in control of the process because it has a player under contract and that was quite a message to Team Eichel, too. For their part, the meandering statement of Fish and Donatelli indicated the Sabres initially approved of the disk replacement surgery, which seems far-fetched. Eichel himself, remember, talked of the "disconnect" between the team and his side back in May and it was already known the team was not in favor of the surgery, which has never been done on an NHL player.

Eichel's real problem should lie with the CBA and not his team. It's right there in black and white. The issue is Section 34.4 between the league and the players, which was amended last July as part of the overall extension of the CBA that goes through the 2025-26 season.

It allows players to get a second medical opinion but the amendment simply says: "The Club Physician shall determine the diagnosis or course of treatment (including the timing thereof) after considering any report or other records received from the Player’s physician and after giving due consideration to their recommendations."

Dr. Chad J. Prusmack characterized the disk replacement surgery as a likely "one-and-done" scenario and that 10-year follow-up visits show 4.8% of patients need a new surgery.

Eichel went to Colorado weeks ago to seek a second opinion on his situation from Dr. Chad Prusmack, and the suburban Denver doctor recommended the disk replacement surgery, as he chronicled on Sportsnet's "31 Thoughts" podcast released Saturday morning. The Sabres aren't willing to be guinea pigs here with their $10-million-a-year asset. 1218982 Chicago Blackhawks

Goalie Marc-André Fleury — after contemplating his NHL future — commits to playing for the Chicago Blackhawks

By JOHN WAWROW

ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUG 01, 2021 AT 2:24 PM

Goalie Marc-André Fleury has committed to playing for the Chicago Blackhawks this season, setting aside his reservations about leaving Vegas.

“Hey, Chicago. It’s Marc. Just want to let you know I’m in. Let’s get to work,” Fleury said, standing in front of a small jet, in a video the Blackhawks posted on their Twitter account Sunday. The Hawks also announced a video news conference featuring Fleury and team President Stan Bowman on Monday.

This season’s Vezina Trophy winner spent a few days contemplating his future after being traded to the Hawks on Tuesday. He had been with the Golden Knights since becoming their highest-profile selection in the 2017 expansion draft.

The Hawks first hinted of Fleury’s decision by posting an image of a flower — Fleury’s nickname — on Twitter earlier Sunday.

The 36-year-old, who won three Stanley Cups during his first 13 NHL seasons in Pittsburgh, considered Las Vegas his home and the place where he wanted to end his career, and he had reservations about relocating his family. Fleury also had developed a bond with Golden Knights fans and team owner Bill Foley.

The Golden Knights traded Fleury to free much-needed salary-cap space, with the goalie counting $7 million against the cap in the final season of his contract. Vegas also has a starter in waiting in , who split duties with Fleury last season and has four years remaining on his contract.

The Hawks have been rebuilding, and acquiring Fleury puts them in win- now mode.

“The opportunity to acquire a Vezina-winning goaltender is rare and one you cannot pass up,” Bowman said last week. “Marc-André improves our goaltending, strengthens our team defense and will have a huge impact on the overall development of the Blackhawks. Having a goaltender like this on our team will put the talent we currently have on our roster in a better position to achieve sustained success.”

Fleury went 26-10-0 with a 1.98 goals-against average and .928 save percentage last season and was voted the Vezina winner by GMs. He started 16 of the Golden Knights’ 19 playoff games over Lehner, who finished the postseason as the starter after a gaffe by Fleury late in Game 3 of the semifinals against the altered the series and led coach Peter DeBoer to switch back and forth. Vegas was eliminated in six games.

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 08.02.2021 1218983 Chicago Blackhawks

Marc-Andre Fleury will play for Blackhawks in 2021-22

By Ben Pope@BenPopeCST

Aug 1, 2021, 10:38am CDT

There’s nothing flowery anymore about the Blackhawks’ ambitions for 2021-22.

Reigning Vezina Trophy-winning goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has told the Hawks he will play for them this coming season, a source confirmed.

“Hey, Chicago . . . I’m in,” Fleury said in a brief video posted on social media Sunday. “Let’s get to work.”

Fleury’s decision comes after four days of contemplating whether to continue his career. He was blindsided Wednesday when the Golden Knights, his team for the last four seasons, traded him to the Hawks after he’d settled down in Las Vegas with his wife and three young kids.

But Fleury, 36, will honor the final year of his contract after all instead of retiring or forcing a trade to the Penguins, his team for his first 13 years.

Fleury went 26-10-0 for the Knights last season, ranking third in the NHL with a .928 save percentage and fourth with 20.2 goals-saved-above- average. He’s a three-time Stanley Cup champion and one of the most accomplished goalies of his generation, although his numbers had been tailing off in recent years until his explosive 2020 resurgence.

He will instantly form one of the league’s better goalie duos alongside Kevin Lankinen. Fleury will presumably operate as the “1A” and Lankinen the “1B” rather than a traditional starter-backup divide, keeping Fleury’s workload manageable for his age and Lankinen’s workload manageable for his lack of experience.

The Hawks’ once-cautious rebuilding plans have been thrown out the window this summer by the acquisitions of Fleury, Seth Jones, Jake McCabe and others, indicating the team intends to contend immediately.

With Brandon Hagel and Alex Nylander still needing new contracts, general manager Stan Bowman will need to be creative — and possibly active again in the trade market — to fit Fleury’s $7 million cap hit.

The odds of a trade involving Calvin de Haan or Dylan Strome instantly increase, even with Andrew Shaw bound for long-term injured reserve. The Hawks might be able to make everything work just by burying Brett Connolly in the AHL, but that would cut it close and be less than ideal for Connolly.

Goalie Malcolm Subban likely will be shopped, too.

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 08.02.2021 1218984 Chicago Blackhawks But it all depends on Fleury’s willingness to come. As tantalizing as it is to imagine Fleury’s tremendous impact on the Hawks, it’s equally easy to picture a situation unfolding like ’s ill-fated Devils stint, If he plays, Marc-Andre Fleury would transform Blackhawks’ goaltending which didn’t survive one week of training camp.

For now, Fleury’s mindset remains a mystery.

By Ben Pope@BenPopeCST

Aug 1, 2021, 6:30am CDT Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 08.02.2021

As the Blackhawks’ 2021 goaltending duo, Kevin Lankinen and Malcolm Subban held their own far better than expected.

But if Marc-Andre Fleury joins Lankinen as half of the 2021-22 duo, the Hawks wouldn’t just enjoy surprisingly competent goaltending. They’d boast one of the best goaltending units in the NHL.

Whether or not the 36-year-old reigning Vezina Trophy winner will do that remains to be seen. The Hawks acquired Fleury and his $7 million cap hit last week for essentially nothing, aware of the possibility Fleury could choose to retire (and forgo his cap hit) rather than uproot or leave his Las Vegas-based family for a year in Chicago.

The Hawks have yet to receive a definitive answer, although the odds of Fleury playing for them do seem more promising than they initially did. Fleury’s agent, Allan Walsh, said Saturday there “should be some clarity soon.”

Update: Per multiple reports Sunday, Fleury has informed the Hawks he will play for them in 2021-22.

Despite the cap casualties it probably would cause, including trading at least one of Calvin de Haan or Dylan Strome, the Hawks would love to hear a “yes” from Fleury. One quick look at the data shows why.

After declining somewhat in 2018-19 and 2019-20 — albeit understandably, given his age — the three-time Stanley Cup champion delivered one of the best performances of his career in 2021. His 26-10-0 record, alongside ex-Hawks goalie Robin Lehner’s 13-4-2 mark, helped an already-stacked Golden Knights team win the William Jennings Trophy (fewest goals allowed) and nearly claim the Presidents’ Trophy.

Detailed statistics further demonstrate Fleury’s dominance. At even strength, he ranked eighth (among 67 goalies) in overall save percentage and 10th in save percentage against high-danger shots. Lankinen ranked 17th and 24th, respectively, and Subban 57th and 63rd.

For a more holistic analysis, consider goals saved above average (GSAA), which compares a goalie’s performance with how an average goalie would have performed against the same quantity and quality of shots.

At even strength, Fleury ranked fifth in GSAA at plus-13.0, part of an elite group of six goalies — including the Predators’ Juuse Saros, Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, Islanders’ Semyon Varlamov, Hurricanes’ Alex Nedeljkovic, Panthers’ Chris Driedger and himself — to finish in double digits. Lankinen finished 11th at plus-7.3 and Subban 53rd at minus-5.8.

Goaltender ranks (at even strength) in 2020 season

Statistic Fleury Lankinen Subban

Save Percentage 8th 17th 57th

High-Danger SV% 10th 24th 63rd

GSAA 5th 11th 53rd

Fleury was just as dominant on the kill, ranking ninth in save percentage and sixth in GSAA. By comparison, Lankinen struggled mightily on the penalty kill (ranking 56th and 58th, respectively), while Subban finished near the middle (19th and 22nd).

The Hawks’ previously porous, now reconstructed defense probably won’t give Fleury quite the same protection he enjoyed with Vegas, which — combined with his advancing age — probably will equate to some regression toward the mean. Even factoring that in, though, the Hawks still could expect Fleury to deliver top-10 overall results.

He also would be able to mentor Lankinen, sharing the lessons of 17 NHL seasons while keeping Lankinen’s workload — which tired out the young Finn in the final month of last season — manageable over an 82- game schedule. 1218985 Chicago Blackhawks "Every pro athlete doesn't stay where they are without adversity," Weekes said. "But I don't know too many more Hall of Fame goalies that I've played with and/or against that have had to deal with as much as 'Game changer': Fleury's addition to Blackhawks tilts power in Central him. And he keeps moving, continues smiling, continues persevering, Division continues greatness -- and not only greatness from a performance standpoint -- but greatness as a person.

"Bringing that to the room every day, bringing that to the rink every day -- John Dietz the selflessness, the professionalism, the infectious positivity, exemplary work ethic, fun personality and somebody teammates want to play with Follow @johndietzdh and in front of -- that's rare. Updated 8/1/2021 5:10 PM "He's a Hall of Fame lock when it's all said and done. The fact that he still gets doubted at times -- and as a result of that comes adversity -- that tells you everything you need to know about him." The first time NHL analyst and former goaltender Kevin Weekes saw Marc-Andre Fleury warming up before a game in Pittsburgh he almost couldn't believe his eyes. Daily Herald Times LOADED: 08.02.2021 Fleury, 18 at the time, was zipping from one post to the other with such quickness and speed that Weekes was doing double takes. And triple takes.

"I knew that I was really fast and really quick," said Weekes, who played 348 NHL games from 1997-2009. "That guy looked like he was on double fast forward."

Almost two decades later, that speed demon -- one who has now won the third-most games in league history and is a three-time Stanley Cup winner -- is officially coming to Chicago to backstop the Blackhawks.

"Hey, Chicago, I'm in," Fleury said in a video released by the Blackhawks. "Let get to work."

GM Stan Bowman, who acquired Fleury from Vegas last week, will speak with the media at 3 p.m. Monday, while Fleury will talk Wednesday.

It cannot be understated how big of an acquisition this is for the Hawks. It's not quite Tom Brady to the Bucs worthy -- but it's in the neighborhood.

Fleury, 36, was just named the best goaltender in the league after going 26-10-0 with a .928 save percentage and 1.98 goals against average for the Golden Knights last season. His numbers in four seasons in Vegas are similarly impressive -- 117-60-14, .917 and 2.41.

The additions of Fleury, No. 1 defenseman Seth Jones and top-six forward Tyler Johnson have elevated the Hawks from a mediocre-at-best team to a legit playoff contender.

"Give the Hawks credit for being aggressive in trying to upgrade a position ... and pouncing on an opportunity," Weekes said in a phone interview Sunday afternoon. "There are other teams that you could ague that certainly need him as much or maybe even more. And some of those teams chose to go in a different direction. ...

"(The Hawks aren't) a Cup contender quite yet the way Vegas is at this point, but ... you can't argue the fact that the Chicago Blackhawks are a better team with Marc-Andre Fleury. Certainly this does swing the balance a little bit in the Central and in the West in general. No question. It's a game changer."

The Hawks still have holes. The defense remains suspect, and there are plenty of questions among the forwards -- not the least of which revolves around Jonathan Toews and his ability to return.

But Fleury will win his team games they have no business winning and keep them in others while they fight, scratch and claw for 2 points.

Of all Fleury's impressive physical attributes -- which there are many -- what has impressed Weekes over the past few years is the Quebec native's mental toughness.

He's dealt with the emergence of new goaltenders in Pittsburgh (Matt Murray) and Vegas (Robin Lehner). He lost his dad in November 2019. He watched Lehner sign a five-year deal with the Golden Knights on Oct. 3, 2020.

And he sat three times during this season's -- including Montreal's series-clinching victory in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup semifinals.

Through it all, Fleury's stayed strong. 1218986 Colorado Avalanche in at least two of those seasons. Kuemper faced around 800 more shots in three years, had a 2.35 GAA and .924 Sv% while Grubauer held a 2.38 GAA and a low .911Sv%.

Guest column: Kuemper deal seems better as the days pass See the chart below and you’ll see that from 2018-2021 the likelihood of scoring on Grubauer had much higher concentrations areas than Darcy Kuemper allowed. Published 13 hours ago on August 1, 2021 Conor Timmins is going to have a stellar NHL career and it is going to By Adrian Dater start in Arizona where they are starting to build a young defense that will be great for a long time. Why would you want to give up a player with so

much upside? Frankly, Colorado could not really afford to keep him with What to make of the Grubauer-Kuemper situation? I’ve tossed and the cap that is set for the season. Even a 1-yr deal could cost a couple turned a lot on this one. million and Sakic and the Avalanche just don’t have the cap room for that after resigning both Makar (far more important) and Landeskog to long- To be honest, I was a little bit shocked when I saw this trade as well. term deals. Mackinnon is also due a contract extension that will probably Why on earth would you trade that for Darcy Kuemper? Couldn’t you start talks after this season ends, as well as Burky and Kadri coming up have found another goaltender that is younger with upside? Timmins was at the end of the 2021-22 season. Colorado already trades Graves to going to be a stud for the Avalanche, this move is ridiculous! I have been ensure Donskoi was unloaded to Seattle and Arizona was in the market an Avalanche fan since I was 7 years old, I have not seen my team win for a young defenseman that can eventually help fill the loss of OEL. the Cup as an adult (I was about 13 in 2001) and I am frankly sick of Outside of cap space, Colorado doesn’t have the room for Conor to having these goalies that just can’t get the job done. I thought Grubauer expand in his talent and would have left him in a position of not playing was the answer and how dare Sakic not offer him longer term and more much. With Johnson returning, Makar, Toews and Girard, Timmins would money even with the cap! How dare I think logically about this at all! be left sitting in the bottom 6 spot for at least two more seasons. Even if Then, it hit me and I realized… Grubauer isn’t the guy/player I thought he one of those guys leave, it is projected that Byram would be the one to was. move up which leaves Timmins the odd man out again. Furthermore, Timmins’ concussion history is not favorable. After missing an entire AHL Let’s go backward from Grubauer’s last season in Colorado to his first, a season, Timmins fought his way back to get into the NHL where he whopping three years. A Vezina finalist 30-9-0-1, stellar 1.95 GAA and a struggled quite a bit. He was injured again in the 2020 playoff bubbles .922Sv% – Facing just under 1,000 shots against at 993. These numbers and then again in the 2021 regular season. Which makes it easier for the were absolutely fantastic for any NHL goaltender but what bothers me Avs to move him out based on their uncertainties of health. the most is that these were his numbers during the regular season with a top 3 defense in front of him. What happened in the playoffs? 6-4-0 2.61 So why add a first-round pick? Well, Arizona held the key that the GAA .914Sv% – with that same defense. In 10 games, Grubauer allowed Avalanche wanted. The Avs already had made it known at the trade 26 goals, which would put him on pace to allow 104 goals against in the deadline that Darcy was a potential target and the Yotes knew it. With same 40 game span that he saw this season, where he allowed 77 goals. Grubauer making no-brainer decisions, Arizona knew they could He also would have faced around 200 shots more at the same pace. You probably get exactly what they wanted for the Avs who seemed to be can argue that the team was not as defensively sound in the playoffs as “desperate.” To be honest, Colorado could have potentially looked to the they had been during the regular season. But how, with a similar Rangers and paid a similar payment to get Georgiev (who has asked for defense, were his numbers in the playoffs so much better the year a trade) but they lose that veteran experience going with a young guy like before? Where he was 7-5-0-1 with a 1.87 GAA and .922Sv% – because Alex. Simply in the mind of many Cup-contending GMs, a 1st round pick if you look at the playoffs in both 2020 and 2021, the team’s defense for a Vet keeper isn’t always that bad of an idea. You must be 100% played fairly similar. When you also look at the playoff series against the certain that the injuries aren’t an issue, first. You absolutely do not make Knights, the defense got better in front of Grubauer in terms of shots this trade if you feel there is an issue that is going to continue and cause against, where he was peppered with around 120 shots in games 1-3, your club harm down the line. If that checked Sakic’s box (which clearly it allowing 10 GA but only 47 in games 4-5 combined, allowing 8 GA. did) giving up what you presume to be a late first-round pick, really is not that big of an issue. Sure, you chance the team completely imploding and Prior to his Vezina-worthy top 3 defense, Grubauer was slightly losing a lotto pick, but when you look at the lineup… Colorado is virtually questionable as the starter for the Avalanche. 36-21-0-9 over 73 the same team today (minus Gru) as they were last season. You lose appearances in net – injuries though the 2019-2020 season that saw some depth guys, but you had plenty of depth guys filling roles last Francouz come into his own as a savior for the season. But numbers are season that you’re ok with what you have lost. You didn’t lose so much not everything, the mindset of a goaltender can be a window to their that that first-round pick needs to be held onto. season. Grubauer worked to get healthy and outside of Covid in 2020- 2021, he was beyond exceptional. While over three seasons, Grubauer Ok ok, so why the 3rd Round Conditional Pick? If you’re a GM and you showed he was capable of being a starting keeper for a team, one good, are being asked to hold $1M dollars of a player’s contract, you want to be Vezina-worthy season shouldn’t sell you on over-terming and overpaying compensated for that. This 3rd round pick was purely for Arizona to hold for a goaltender. Sure, he won the Cup as a backup in Washington, but onto that $1M allowing the Avs to sign Tyson Jost and adding a depth D one great season, a great shouldn’t qualify you for an extensive contract. in Jordan Gross. Obviously, you don’t want to give that 3rd up for just them paying out the money, wisely, the condition was also added which When you look at his comment, “It was a no-brainer” for him to sign with basically says – if we take our 1 in 32 chance and win the Stanley cup, Seattle, you see two things. One, it’s about the money. Two, it was we will give you that 3rd BUT that’s ONLY if the player you send us is the always about the money. one playing more than 50% of the games to win the Cup. At the end of Why would Sakic replace him with an injury-prone goaltender like Darcy the day, IF the Avs win the cup – everyone will see this trade as Sakic Kuemper? When you look at the free agents that were available here is just doing Sakic things and being a genius! If the Avs don’t win the cup, what I saw; every goaltender that was #1 worthy were all coming off of well, we will determine how Kuemper did at that point and if the trade either Injury or struggling for several years with their previous team and was worth it – but you also got cap space for free and get to tuck that 3rd have lost a lot of confidence, maybe keepers that are moving into a Round pick back into your pocket. backup role as they begin their downward trend (insert Jones, call me Long story short, Kuemper is a SOLID goaltender that was WELL worth crazy but I don’t see Jones being a #1 again unless there is an injury.) the price based on the position the team was in, the veteran experience, Andersen, injury. Mrazek, Injury (came back in playoffs). Rask, retiring? a happy out-going goaltender that WANTS to be in Denver. When a Holtby, can he find it again? Whatever happened to him? Why waste player WANTS to be somewhere you usually get their best, injuries and money on these situations? Arguments, well Kuemper is injury prone so illness happen and if DK goes down with either we know Frankie will be what’s the difference? His numbers and clean bill of health seem to be back and hope he can pick up where he left off before the 2020 bubble. the thing for me here. We can’t forget about Johansson either, the kid came in and played well Over the same three seasons that Grubauer was in Denver, Darcy was in for Colorado after a miserable start to his NHL career. I am sure we will Arizona. Though injured, Darcy still only played two fewer games during see him at some point in the season (I feel like it’s inevitable the way the regular season. Not by insane amounts, Kuemper had BETTER goaltenders must play the game today.) We know he is more than numbers combined over three years than Grubauer and that is with a capable of backing up. defense that never broke the top ten! Where Colorado broke the top ten I don’t know about you, but I have great vibes with Kuemper coming to Colorado – I remember when he Kuemper signed with the LA Kings. I was really hoping he would sign with the Avs to back up Varlamov. Then when his name came up at the trade deadline last season, I was hoping to pick him up, but the price was too high for Joe at that time. Sometimes, when something is meant to happen, it happens and truly, this is the best thing to happen to Colorado this offseason. Fans want players that WANT to be with their team, they don’t want the ones that just want the money. Especially Avalanche fans, after watching Matt Duchene “want to win” but not want to win with the Avs, why would you want to keep Grubauer when it was s No Brain move to sign for the big bucks on an expansion team that is not expected to do ½ as good as VGK.

Colorado hockey now LOADED: 08.02.2021 1218987 Columbus Blue Jackets Lastly, the Blue Jackets talent pipeline had slowed to a trickle in recent years for a variety of reasons. They traded first-round picks in 2017 (expansion draft) and 2019 (trade deadline) and spent other top picks on Blue Jackets Sunday Gathering: Amazing week for Jarmo Kekalainen Russian players who have stayed home to develop. and staff, Gavin Bayreuther’s time in Seattle Winger Yegor Chinakhov, the first-round pick last season, will play in North America this season, either AHL Cleveland or Columbus.

By Aaron Portzline And now, after three first-round picks — No. 5 center Kent Johnson, No. 12 center Cole Sillinger and No. 25 defenseman Corson Ceulemans — Aug 1, 2021 the pipeline looks promising. (The Jackets will not be ranked No. 27 in the team prospect rankings this year.)

The Blue Jackets still have a flawed roster, and it might take a couple of COLUMBUS, Ohio — A collection of notes, insights, ruminations, and seasons to fix it properly, but the moves the organization was able to pull did-you-knows gathered throughout the week that was for the Blue off this summer may have shaved two years off the process. Things Jackets: appeared to fall in place as scripted. Item #1: A remarkable week “We have a lot of interesting parts coming in,” Kekalainen said. “Once we Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen was on his way to play get going here, we’ll see. But the process of trying to improve the team tennis early Saturday afternoon, declaring the weekend to be a two-day never ends.” break after an exhaustive stretch for the hockey operations staff. There are questions at center, though. Is able to hang It’s hard to begrudge any of them a breather. between Laine and Voracek? Will Jenner or Alexandre Texier work between wingers Gustav Nyquist and Oliver Bjorkstrand while Max With the expansion draft (July 21), the entry draft (July 23-24), and the Domi’s shoulder recovers? Does Kuraly center the third line? Who’s in start of free agency (Wednesday) crammed into an eight-day span, it’s the middle of the fourth? Kevin Stenlund or Justin Danforth? been a chaotic time for most of the NHL’s franchises. The defense pairs are a mystery, too. Who’s on the right side of But it’s hard to imagine a club that’s undergone more sweeping changes Werenski in Jones’ old spot? Is it Bean? Does Boqvist pair with shutdown than the Blue Jackets over the last 10 days, and it’s difficult to believe partner Vladislav Gavrikov? There’s a lot to sort out on the third pair, too. that any general manager has done more to improve the mood that surrounds his franchise than Kekalainen. “We’ll probably have to go through some growing pains,” Kekalainen said, “but we’re prepared to do that.” “I’m always going to approach this like it’s a never-ending process,” Kekalainen told The Athletic on Saturday. “But I do think we can take a The Blue Jackets will be one of the youngest clubs in the NHL again next little breather here and not do any knee-jerks in the next little while.” season. They’ll face stiff odds against making the playoffs in the stacked Metropolitan Division. But a growing sense of hopelessness has been Three weeks ago, Blue Jackets fans were bracing for the worst and replaced by a tinge of optimism. wondering when the bleeding might stop. That seemed almost impossible two weeks ago. Another player wanted out, this time defenseman Seth Jones, one of the best players in franchise history. There were concerns that other players Item #2: To Seattle and back might follow, that the Blue Jackets were due to take their lumps over the There was an obvious first question for Gavin Bayreuther this week after next several seasons in a rebuilding process that is not always a truly wild turn of events for the 27-year-old? “How was your time with guaranteed to work quickly (Detroit) or work at all (Buffalo). the Seattle Kraken?” But the Blue Jackets instead assumed an aggressive stance. “You know, it was great,” Bayreuther joked. “It was short-lived but I had a “We all agreed, let’s build this the right way,” Kekalainen said. “We were great time!” able to turn around and restock the cupboards pretty good. But the Bayreuther was a surprise pick by Seattle in the expansion draft on July process continues. We have two first-round draft picks next year, too, 21, with Kraken GM Ron Francis opting to pass over more obvious and we’ll see where they’re at. choices — Domi, Dean Kukan and others — for a blueliner with 28 NHL “But the goal is to be competitive and get into the playoffs and see where games to his credit. it goes. We have some top-end offensive prospects that we drafted, “I got a call from (Blue Jackets director of player personnel) Chris Clark in some top-end offensive prospects that are close to really helping our the morning saying that Seattle picked me as their guy,” Bayreuther said. team.” “I was as shocked as anybody. I have no idea why. It was a cool feeling, Losing Jones is going to be a blow to the blue line, no question. But the but at the end of the day, I still don’t know exactly why. Blue Jackets essentially acquired two NHL defensemen in the Jones “They passed on some pretty good other Blue Jackets players.” trade. Adam Boqvist came directly from Chicago in the deal while the second-round pick (2022) was immediately shipped to Carolina for Jake The Kraken gave him a courtesy welcome-to-Seattle call, and there was Bean. a brief conversation between Kraken management and Bayreuther’s agent, Brian Bartlett. But there was never really a chance Bayreuther With a group of top-six forwards that was heavy with shooters, was sticking in Seattle. He never even traveled there. Kekalainen made his most difficult trade, shipping Cam Atkinson to Philadelphia for Jakub Voracek, one of the NHL’s top playmaking “They liked me, they said, but — like anyone can see — they drafted 12 forwards over the last decade. Maybe Patrik Laine just got better. defensemen, and I’m in a position where I’m 27 and I need to go where I feel like I have an opportunity,” Bayreuther said. “As cool as it would The Blue Jackets plunged into free agency, too, signing Sean Kuraly — a have been to be in the Seattle organization in their first year, it just didn’t gritty, bottom-six center — away from the Boston Bruins. That move feel like an opportunity for me.” gives the Blue Jackets another leader in the room, not to mention stability at a soft position. So Bayreuther kept his plans to become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday, exactly one week after he was picked by Seattle. Then came a flurry of contract extensions. Boone Jenner signed on for four more years, but the most noteworthy was a whopping six-year, “After the year I had (split between AHL Cleveland and Columbus), I $57.5 million extension to defenseman Zach Werenski. knew I could get something going (contract talks) with Columbus,” he said. “And that’s exactly what happened.” No move thrilled Blue Jackets fans more than this one, because no player was deemed a bigger future flight risk than Werenski. Finally, an The Blue Jackets signed Bayreuther to a two-year contract on elite player with options decided to sign on with the Blue Jackets. Wednesday. The first year of the contract is a two-way deal, paying him $750,000 in the NHL and $300,000 in the AHL. The second year (2022- Werenski acknowledged watching the moves Kekalainen was able to 23), though, is a one-way deal worth $750,000, the first one-way contract make and deciding that he was ready to commit long term. of Bayreuther’s career “In the back of my head, I knew that if I came back to Columbus — no Obviously, parents naming their babies after celebrities, athletes or matter what kind of contract I had — that if I came to (training) camp in others they admire is not new. It’s not even new to the Blue Jackets. shape and ready to go, that I’d have a shot to make the team,” Bayreuther said. In the early days of the franchise, fans were allowed to congregate under the stands in the practice rink and get autographs and such from the “I’ve got a little family going now so that stability is very important for me. players as they left the ice. One day, in 2003 or 2004, was particularly To get an NHL one-way is truly a dream come true. I heard from five or memorable. six teams. A lot of them saw me as a guy who would go straight down to the minors, but I have higher expectations for myself than that. That’s A family who moved to Columbus from Japan to work at the Honda another reason Columbus was a good fit.” Marysville Auto Plant fell in love with hockey and were big fans of Rick Nash. Bayreuther and his wife, Erin, have a one-month-old daughter, Brooke. They live just outside Portland, Maine, just a mile from the ocean where The mother was waiting under the stands, baby in arms, when Nash — a Bayreuther swims each morning. shy 19-year-old — came through the line of fans. She got his attention and thrust the baby toward him, saying, “His name is Nasher!” “We’re having so much fun,” he said. Snacks It was a wild week. And yet nothing really happened. He’s back with the Blue Jackets as if the expansion draft never even happened. The Blue Jackets have cleared the path for an entirely new group of dressing room leaders, with David Savard, Jones and “The best part was the publicity I got out of it,” Bayreuther said. “I’m not Atkinson all traded in a 105-day span from mid-April to late July. Jenner, used to all that. Werenski, and Bjorkstrand will all take on bigger roles, but Kekalainen also believes Voracek and Kuraly can be leaders. As for a captain? Many “I do want a Kraken jersey, though. I don’t know what number I would assume the ‘C’ is bound for Jenner’s sweater, but Kekalainen tapped the have been, but I think that would be a good thing to hang in the man brakes on that. “We’re not in any rush,” he said. “Time will tell. We’ll have cave.” a lot of internal conversations about it. We already have. But the answer Your move, Francis. is usually obvious in time; somebody rises above the others and makes the decision for you. But sometimes you may have to wait for a little bit.” Item #3: How Ceulemans got his name Put another way: Every room has its own dynamic, and the Blue Jackets don’t want to establish a hierarchy until they see how this one gets Like all good stories, this one starts in a bar. Blue Jackets fans learned organized. Corson Ceulemans’ name last week when the promising young defenseman was selected No. 25. All three of the Blue Jackets’ first-round picks — Johnson, Sillinger and Ceulemans — spent the week at Team Canada’s offseason world junior But how he came to be called Corson deserves a telling. preview camp. “We’ve talked, yeah, just reflected on how cool that Friday Colin Ceulemans, a pharmaceutical salesman at the time, was having a night (of the draft) was, how exciting it is that we’ll all be playing together nightcap with work friends at the Four Seasons hotel in Toronto during down the road in Columbus,” said Ceulemans. Johnson is headed back fall/winter 2002, when a group seated just a couple of tables away caught to the University of Michigan for his sophomore season and Ceulemans his eye. will head to Wisconsin as a freshman, meaning they’ll face each other this season in the Big Ten. Sillinger, if he doesn’t make the Blue Jackets There were three Maple Leafs players — Shayne Corson, Tie Domi and out of camp, would head back to WHL Medicine Hat. Travis Green — and NHL super agent . Johnson and the Blue Jackets insist that he’s a center. Some scouts “I was a huge Shayne Corson fan, just really liked the way he played,” wonder if he won’t be a better NHL fit on the wing, owing to the fact that Ceulemans said. “My buddy said, ‘Well, why don’t you go say hello?’ So I he played mostly wing as a freshman at Michigan. As for Team Canada? did. They think he’s a center. More specifically, a No. 1 center. That’s where he’s played all week in their camp. “I walked up, introduced myself. We stood there and had a quick chat over a beer, and he could not have been more gracious. Just really kind Get ready for a host of “welcome back” videos in Nationwide Arena this and engaging. It was a really good chat, and I walked away even more season. The profound roster turnover since the end of 2019, plus the impressed.” limited regular-season schedule last season, should make for some interesting responses during the first TV timeouts. We’ll go in Later that night, Ceulemans called his wife, Charla, and told her about his chronological order here: Pierre-Luc Dubois and Riley Nash (Winnipeg) brush with greatness. Corson played 1,156 games for Montreal, will return to Columbus on Nov. 24; Jones (Chicago) on Jan. 11; Foligno Edmonton, St. Louis, Toronto and Dallas, scored 273 goals and piled up (Boston) on March 5; Atkinson (Philadelphia) on April 7; Savard and Josh 2,357 penalty minutes. Anderson (Montreal) on April 13. Ryan Murray will return at some point, Fast forward a few months to the spring and the Ceulemans were but he’s still available via free agency. The Blue Jackets aren’t going to searching for baby names, with their firstborn set to arrive in early May. “Joey” anybody on their first trip back to town, right? Those dates are tentative, as the NHL might rework the roster if the league pulls out of the “My wife is a school teacher, so she’s taught kids with all kinds of names Olympics. and there’s an association there, right?” Ceulemans said. “So names like Jason and Michael … those all have a connotation. We wanted The last Blue Jackets roster player that needs a new deal for next something different. season is defenseman Andrew Peeke, who is a restricted free agent. The Blue Jackets and Peeke’s agent, Serge Payer, are expected to talk again “We were talking one night at dinner, and she said, ‘What about this week. Peeke is a promising young talent, but he has very little Corson?” She’d remembered the conversation. It stuck with her.” leverage this summer. He’s not eligible for an offer sheet — those rarely happen anyway, right? — because he hasn’t accrued enough games Corson Ceulemans was born on May 5, 2003. played to qualify for Group 2 status. But with the trade of Jones and “I was probably 7 or 8 years old, and my dad had a framed hockey card Savard off the right side of the Blue Jackets’ defense, Peeke’s of (Shayne Corson),” Corson Ceulemans said. “I asked him one day, development is crucial. ‘Who is this guy?’ And my dad said, ‘That’s the guy you’re named after.” We should all take a moment to thank a website that is so ubiquitous in Last Sunday, two days after the draft, Shayne Corson sent Corson hockey coverage that it would be easy to take it for granted. But media, Ceulemans a message on Instagram: fans and NHL front offices have come to rely on CapFriendly as an incredible resource. Yes, they often rely on beat writers and front-office “That was so cool,” Corson Ceulemans said. “Just really cool of him.” types for the contract information they compile, but we all get so much Two years ago, before the draft, Colin more from them in return. Ceulemans struck up a conversation with Brett Hopwo, a scout for the A great CapFriendly nugget: The amount of money promised to free WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. Hopwo’s son, Corson Hopwo, plays for agents via contracts signed beginning Wednesday is likely to surpass $1 Medicine Hat. billion at some point Sunday. Through Saturday, the fourth day of free “Yep, same thing,” Ceulemans said. agency, clubs had signed 239 contracts worth $985,121,625. Staggering. After a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the NHL prospects tournament returns to Traverse City, Mich., from Sept. 16-20, but with slightly different plans. Five teams will participate instead of eight, meaning there will be two games per day (with one team off each day), not four games per day. Columbus, Dallas, St. Louis, Toronto and host Detroit are all back. Chicago, the and Minnesota are out.

Because of the late draft and shortened summer, the Blue Jackets won’t hold a summer development camp for the second straight year. Kekalainen said the club will hold an informal gathering for prospects in the days leading up to Traverse City, but top prospects like Johnson (Michigan) and Ceulemans (Wisconsin) will already be back in school. The Jackets prospects will likely head north to Traverse City on Sept. 15.

Sunday Gatherings will be taking a rest-of-August hiatus. Time to reconnect with family, friends, music and Mother Nature. We’ll still cover the news and keep pumping out the Blue Jackets stories, but the notes are going to take a break while the league goes quiet for a few weeks before training camp. This column has been really well-received, so a hearty thank you to everybody who makes it part of their Sunday. We’ll gather again in September.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.02.2021 1218988 Dallas Stars Then, there are the younger players. Hintz has battled injuries, from a broken foot in 2019 to the groin injury that lingered not just all of this past season but since the Stanley Cup Final in 2020. Faksa’s injury from that Yousuf: Stars attacked free agency with aggression but have yet to time also never healed and he played through it all of last season. The address all of their needs hope is that a full offseason gets him back to full strength. Gurianov didn’t deal with an injury, but his performance took a dip for a good chunk of this past season. Robertson is on the rise but he is still just 22 years old.

By Saad Yousuf This isn’t to poke unnecessary holes in the Stars’ current group. As mentioned, those eight players are rightfully inked into the lineup. Injuries Aug 1, 2021 are unpredictable, and maybe the hockey gods will compensate for last season by providing a clean bill of health next season. It’s possible, but not guaranteed. Dallas has talent along most of its forwards group, which In the two offseasons prior to this one, the Stars displayed contrasting is why there wasn’t any need to retool in a drastic way. approaches. In 2019, there was a big-splash signing (Joe Pavelski) and a bargain deal that paid dividends later (Corey Perry). That season ended But this is a team that has struggled to find consistent scoring overall, in the Stanley Cup Final. In 2020, the Stars had a lot of in-house and particularly from its forwards. The Stars ranked 24th in the NHL last business to take care of, and the only “splash” they made, if one can call season in goals scored. Outside of the lethal line of Robertson, Hintz and it that, was signing Mark Pysyk. That season ended even before the Pavelski, there wasn’t much consistency from the forwards. The overall regular season officially ended. scoring also gets a bump from Klingberg’s offensive prowess as well as from Heiskanen rebounding and growing offensively, but the forwards Entering a pivotal 2021-22 season, the Stars needed to approach free group still needed to be enhanced. It didn’t have to be a top-six talent but agency with the aggressiveness of 2019. They needed to avoid the a middle-six talent felt high on the priority list. complacency of 2020. Somehow, they managed to mix both. They made the necessary moves on defense and in goal but, thus far, have failed to Instead, the Stars signed a couple of fourth-liners/potential healthy sufficiently upgrade the forwards. scratches in Michael Raffl and Luke Glendening. Whereas the approach to defensemen and goaltending mirrored the aggression of 2019, the Bringing in Ryan Suter was the Pavelski-type signing that has the approach to forwards smells of the complacency of 2020. That’s nothing potential to show promising results, particularly for the upcoming season, against Glendening or Raffl, but those players are who they are. if not necessarily for the life of the four-year contract. In 2019, the Stars allowed to walk in free agency a few months after “A fourth-line center role,” Glendening said when asked about the role acquiring him at the trade deadline. Looking back, Dallas made the that’s envisioned for him in Dallas. “They’ve got great pieces. If I can be a correct decision, given how he has performed compared to Pavelski and small piece to this puzzle, that’s what I want to do. (Nill) had just spoken the types of contracts each player got that offseason. about, just bring your work ethic and the things that you do well. You guys probably know, I’m not a prolific goal-scorer or anything like that, A few months ago, Stars general manager Jim Nill was adamant about but I’m going to bring the work and compete ethic every day and we’ll Jamie Oleksiak’s future in Dallas. While it wasn’t completely in Dallas’ see what happens.” control, given the dynamics of the expansion draft, the Stars made the correct decision to not compete with the five-year, $23 million contract Glendening should be fine in his role and he’s great at faceoffs. But Oleksiak got from the Kraken. Like Zuccarello, Oleksiak is a good player winning faceoffs feels a lot less valuable when possessing the puck and was good to have around. However, he’s in the tier of players in doesn’t end with the puck going in the net. It’s no secret that the Stars which there is a financial ceiling attached. Suter could be a slight are a defensive team, so an emphasis on goaltending and defenseman, upgrade or may be a slight downgrade but, more or less, he should fill and acquiring defensive forwards, isn’t too surprising. It is, however, a that void in the top four admirably and will do it for $1 million less than risk. Oleksiak. In the flat-cap world and with Dallas’ talented core of special Even though the names remain, the Stars don’t have the goaltending on defensemen — John Klingberg and Miro Heiskanen — that means this roster that they did in 2018-19 and 2019-20. Bishop might not play something. again and even if he does, thinking he will return to Vezina-caliber play is Suter wasn’t the only signing on defense, though. Jani Hakanpää should naïve. Khudobin had a tough bout with COVID-19 and maybe he will not just enhance the “Finnish Mafia” but will fit in on the third pairing and rebound, but his career resume doesn’t inspire unwavering confidence. provide a reliable presence. Andreas Borgman and Alexander Petrovic Holtby has been a good goaltender, but his last couple of years haven’t provide organizational depth and solid leadership in the AHL, which been great. (Granted, the situation in front of him wasn’t ideal either.) might be where young star Thomas Harley spends at least part of the Oettinger is talented but is still young and learning. The Stars hope he upcoming season, if not more. can grab the No. 1 spot this season. They aren’t thinking about him being around the No. 1 spot in the league. The aggression didn’t stop on defense, either. There was the surprise signing of goaltender Braden Holtby. While there were known question The Stars know that the forwards group, as it stands now, isn’t where it marks surrounding the Stars’ goaltender situation, it didn’t seem to be at needs to be. the level of addressing it in free agency with a financial investment. The “When you look at where our team sits today, and then with the young Stars, given Ben Bishop’s health, Anton Khudobin’s performance and kids that are knocking on the door, we’ve got some great young kids Jake Oettinger’s development, clearly felt differently. Bishop clearly looks knocking on the door,” Nill said. “We’ve talked about (Riley) Damiani, to be headed to long-term injured reserve, and then there will be the AHL Rookie of the Year. Ty Dellandrea got his feet wet last year. (Adam) matter of sorting out Holtby, Khudobin and Oettinger, but that’s Mascherin, (Nicholas) Caamano, Rhett Gardner and then we’ve got manageable. It may be a head-scratcher in the moment but, again, the some young players coming over from Europe. We’ve got Fredrik approach of aggression beats the alternative. Karlström coming over, Jacob Peterson coming over.” Speaking of the alternative, that brings us to the forwards. The Stars Nill also noted an element of the unknown with those prospects and how have eight spots inked in when everyone is healthy: Tyler Seguin, Jamie long it might take them to adjust to pro hockey in the AHL. Those Benn, Alexander Radulov, Roope Hintz, Denis Gurianov, Jason prospects may eventually be ready for the NHL in a few years, but what Robertson, Radek Faksa and Joe Pavelski. Add in Joel Kiviranta and that about the Stars’ third line this season? Players like Caamano and gives the Stars nine forwards out of the 12-man lineup. While that’s a Gardner are solid, but they come with a ceiling. Damiani, Dellandrea and solid group, the “when healthy” caveat is important. Is it realistic to Mascherin are promising, but it’s unlikely that they will break into reliable assume that those nine players will make it through an 82-game NHL players at the same time. In fact, the Stars consistently have been schedule and then a full playoff run unscathed? limited to a player or two breaking through each season of late, including Radulov played 11 games last season before surgery shut him down. Hintz three years ago, Gurianov two years ago and Robertson last He’s 35 years old. Seguin played three games late last season following season. a serious rehab that took seven months. He’ll turn 30 before the midway The Stars aren’t necessarily finished. They’re approximately $2 million point of next season. Benn just turned 32 and Pavelski is just turned 37. over the cap right now, an indication that Bishop will probably end up on While both have been relatively healthy, older bodies don’t respond the LTIR at some point. His cap figure is $4.9 million, so the Stars should same way as they once used to. Again, ask Radulov. have more room to work with. The question is, does Bishop go on LTIR before or after the season begins? If it’s before, the well of difference- makers on the open market already is dry. If it’s after, that could make for an intriguing trade deadline, when the Stars would have financial flexibility.

The Stars are not done with roster construction. Having four goaltenders on the NHL payroll is screaming proof of that. They did a good job of not sitting back when it came to the goaltending and blue line. Both situations are better, if not at least more secure, than they were a week ago. But the forwards group didn’t see an upgrade, leaving the feeling that the Stars’ free-agency aggression left some meat on the bone.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.02.2021 1218989 Detroit Red Wings “I never thought I’d say I’m excited for training camp, but I am,” Bertuzzi said. “Traverse City, we didn’t go last year, but it’s a fun way to get all the new guys involved — go golfing, go fishing, whatever. It’s an awesome Tyler Bertuzzi: Wedding will wait a year, but he'll be ready for Detroit Red time up there and we love it.” Wings camp

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 08.02.2021 HELENE ST. JAMES

Tyler Bertuzzi was chatting with a couple of his Detroit Red Wings teammates when the subject shifted to the coming season.

Enthusiastic anticipation came easily to Bertuzzi, Dylan Larkin and Robby Fabbri, who are central to the Wings' rebuild. General manager Steve Yzerman signaled Bertuzzi’s importance to the team with a two- year, $9.5 million contract agreed to Saturday, which comes on the heels of a number of dealings and doings. Over the past month, Yzerman has traded for goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic and defenseman Nick Leddy, added forward Pius Suter and defenseman Jordan Oesterle in free agency, and re-signed veterans Sam Gagner and Marc Staal.

“It’s some good players coming — a mix of older veterans that will bring a lot to the team and be there for the younger guys, and then a few young guys that are really good in the league already,” Bertuzzi said Saturday. “I’m very excited. I talked to Larks and Fabs yesterday, we’re all very excited for this year.”

The first half of 2021 was challenging for Bertuzzi: He had a great start to the season with five goals and seven points in nine games, then a back injury caused him so much pain he ended up missing the rest of the season. He underwent surgery in April, and happily reports everything looks good for being ready for training camp, which begins Sept. 23.

“Last year was very, very tough, physically and mentally, being in pain every day,” Bertuzzi said. “But everything is going as planned. Pretty much all restrictions are lifted in the gym. Been skating. No setbacks. Everything is going really well. I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing.”

Back injuries can be tough to bounce back from. Defenseman Danny DeKeyser, five years older than Bertuzzi, hasn’t looked as effective since undergoing back surgery in December 2019. Bertuzzi’s style is in-your- face — he loves to mix it up with opponents, and has a knack for scoring goals around the net, where shoves and crosschecks run rampant. But Bertuzzi sounds determined that to be just as big of a pest as he was. That element of his game was a big part of his appeal when the Wings drafted him in the second round in 2013.

Bertuzzi's rehabbing pal is Larkin, who left the Wings' April 20 game in obvious pain after Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn shoved his stick into Larkin’s neck. Larkin was hospitalized and had to wear a neck brace. Yzerman said last week Larkin is progressing well, and Bertuzzi said his and Larkin’s training has included working with skating coaches.

“We’re all working out at the rink,” Bertuzzi said. “I see Larks every day. We’re working out side by side, we’re both getting better, skating together. When more guys come to town, we’ll skate with them.”

Bertuzzi delayed his wedding planned for this summer to next summer. (Travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada made it challenging to book a date this year.) But otherwise he’s having a good offseason, especially after gaining job security for two years. Bertuzzi already had established his value with 21-goal seasons in 2018-19 and 2019-20. Unlike last year, when his camp filed for arbitration that led to a one-year, $3.5 million deal, this year the process went very smoothly.

“No one wanted to go to arbitration,” Bertuzzi said. “We knew we’d get something done and come to even ground.

“This works out for both sides. Coming off a back injury, it gives me time to get back and prove myself and make sure that everything is good, just be as healthy as I can. It gives them time to look at me and say, 'OK, he’s still healthy, he’s good.' ”

The time to prove himself begins in September, when the Wings return to Traverse City. (They held camp in Detroit last season because of COVID-19 concerns.) It’ll be nearly a week of multiple practices a day, but after the challenges imparted by the pandemic and the injury, even that sounds delightful. 1218990 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings' Jakub Vrana, Adam Erne file for salary arbitration

TED KULFAN | The Detroit News

Detroit — Two Red Wings have filed for salary arbitration, slated for later this month.

Restricted free-agent forwards Jakub Vrana and Adam Erne filed before Sunday's deadline.

Agents for the two players can now continue to negotiate with general manager Steve Yzerman, and if no agreement is reached, an arbitrator will make a determination of each player's salary next season.

Vrana, 25, completed a two-year, $6.7 million ($3.35 million salary cap hit) last season. Vrana had 19 goals and 17 assists while with Washington and the Wings, including eight goals and three assists (11 points) in 11 games with the Wings.

Erne, 26, completed a one-year, $997,500 contract. Erne is sure to get a bump in salary, after leading the Wings with a career-high 11 goals, with nine assists, for 20 points in 45 games.

We're offering a great deal on all-access subscriptions. Check it out here.

Team and players typically don't want to go to arbitration and talk negatively about either side, so a majority of cases are usually worked out with a contract agreement before cases are heard.

The Wings and Tyler Bertuzzi did have an arbitration case heard last season — though the two worked out a two-year contract Saturday.

Salary arbitration hearings will be held from Aug. 11 to Aug. 26.

Defenseman Filip Hronek and forward Giviani Smith also are restricted free agents, but neither yet has salary arbitration rights.

Detroit News LOADED: 08.02.2021 1218991 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings sign Tyler Bertuzzi to two-year deal

Updated Jul 31, 11:36 AM; Posted Jul 31, 11:24 AM

By Ansar Khan | [email protected]

The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward Tyler Bertuzzi to a two-year contract valued at $4.75 million a season.

Bertuzzi, 26, got off to a strong start last season with five goals and seven points in nine games before being idled by a back injury that eventually ended his season and required surgery on April 30.

He has begun offseason training and is expected to be ready for the start of training camp.

Bertuzzi posted back-to-back 21-goal seasons in 2018-19 and 2019-20, when set career highs in 27 assists and 48 points and was selected for the All-Star Game.

He was coming off a one-year, $3.5 million contract awarded in arbitration. He will be an unrestricted free agent when this deal expires in 2023.

Bertuzzi has appeared in 208 games over parts of five seasons, picking up 54 goals and 72 assists. He was drafted 58th overall in 2013.

The Red Wings have five remaining restricted free agents: Jakub Vrana, Adam Erne and Chase Pearson are arbitration eligible while Filip Hronek and Givani Smith are not. The deadline for filing for arbitration is Sunday at 5 p.m.

Michigan Live LOADED: 08.02.2021 1218992 Detroit Red Wings “I liked him a lot,” U.S. coach Nate Leaman said at the end of the week. “Obviously relied a lot on him — we gave him a lot of penalty kill minutes to see how he was going to process that. He made some plays. Played Bultman: 10 observations on the Red Wings’ prospects at the World him a little bit in the bumper of the power play. I think he’s definitely a guy Junior Summer Showcase in the mix.”

Being “in the mix” would seem to indicate Mazur has a legit shot to make the World Junior team, which would be a strong outcome for the local kid. By Max Bultman 4. Mazur opened the tournament with a game-winning goal that he called Aug 2, 2021 “probably the greasiest goal” of his career, jamming it through the crease. Later on, he showed he can score from distance too.

Mazur more than tripled his point total in the USHL from the 2019-20 It did not take long to see why the Red Wings liked left-handed season to 2020-21 — surely a big reason he was drafted as a re-entry defenseman Shai Buium enough to trade up for him at the top of the prospect. That’s a massive jump and one that he chalked up in part to second round in last weekend’s NHL Draft. adding weight. The day after he saw his name called, Buium — a 6-foot-3 blueliner who “I felt like that was kind of huge in the USHL, because you’re playing split this past season between Shattuck St. Mary’s and Sioux City against kids that are 190, 200 pounds,” he said. “So I felt like that was (USHL) — headlined a group of seven Red Wings prospects competing something that really helped me evolve my game into how I play.” at the World Junior Summer Showcase up the road in Plymouth, Mich. The annual showcase serves as a great checkpoint for competing He notably led the league in short-handed points, and unsurprisingly, countries (this year, the U.S. hosted Sweden and Finland) to get a feel killing penalties is an area of the game the Denver commit said he takes for their potential World Junior rosters. And this year, it also served as an “big pride” in. immediate opportunity to get meaningful looks at three newly-drafted Detroit prospects, as well as an updated look at four members of the “Carter is very much a team-first guy,” Carle said. “Does not care about 2020 draft class. individual accolades or results. We had that experience numerous times throughout the year, where they maybe lose a game but he plays well or 10 thoughts on what I saw over the course of the week: he scores a couple goals, and you reach out to him and he could care less about it. The only thing he cares about is winning.” 1. Buium will play next season at the University of Denver, so before the showcase started, I reached out to Pioneers coach David Carle to ask Mazur also didn’t seem like one to back down from conflict, which really what stood out about the big blueliner’s game. fits with the overall aura of his game.

“I think it’s his brain, his vision, his deception with the puck,” Carle said. “Honestly I love doing that,” he said. “I feel like when you get under “He breaks pucks out well, he transitions pucks (through) neutral ice well, people’s skin, that’s kind of when I’m at the best of my game, and it and he’s really dynamic on the offensive blue line. He asserts himself in makes the game more fun to me, in a way. I feel like when people are his transition and offensive game very well, and I think for that it makes coming after you, you just embrace it more and become better from it.” him really hard to play against.” 5. Detroit’s fourth-round pick last weekend, NTDP center Red Savage, All of that showed up in Plymouth. His hands were better than I realized, didn’t play in the early parts of this tournament as he worked back from too, and he certainly showed a real inclination to activate offensively. an illness. Savage said he practiced just about every day of the week, There’s a nice prospect here. though, bag skating himself with Matty Beniers to get themselves back in shape. It must have worked: Savage was able to return Friday and For me, his skating played up when he had the puck — perhaps because Saturday and showed well. It certainly helped that he scored in the first of his size, perhaps because of his hands and smarts, but either way, he period of his first game back, but really that entire shift showed the just looked dangerous with possession. There’s still room for completeness of his game. improvement in his skating overall, though, particularly in order to defend speed in transition. I saw at least two instances where a player got by It started on a hard backcheck, cleanly poking the puck off first-round him by chipping the puck off the wall and beating him to it for a chance pick Isak Rosén’s stick to a teammate. On the ensuing breakout, he off the rush. Certainly, that’s understandable for a player who stands 6- helped along the zone exit by chipping a puck up to his teammate, then foot-3, 214 pounds, and adding more strength will help Buium there — as made the offensive zone entry for the U.S., curling and shooting the puck he gains more muscle in his legs, his stride should get more powerful. deep, then reappearing in the slot for the goal. It was a strong sequence.

Going the college route gives him tons of time to spend in the gym Later in the game, he added an assist on the penalty kill, when he got to between games. But there’s already an exciting tool kit here. a loose puck just outside the defensive blue line, beating a retreating defender for it and springing a 2-on-0. 2. I also wanted to share Carle’s description of how Buium compares and contrasts with the other Red Wings defense prospect he coaches: 2019 At the end of the showcase, Leaman had really positive things to say second-round pick Antti Tuomisto. about Savage’s intelligence, citing a specific read he made while short- handed (in the third period of Savage’s second game) to break up a “They do it a little bit differently,” Carle said. “I think we’re going to see chance for Finland. Antti take really big steps this year. Our internal analytics, he rates very high and he’s had a very good summer thus far. … They’re both very He’s a good skater with obviously strong defensive traits, and as he gets smart hockey players. I would say Shai does it by attacking a little bit to Miami (Ohio) this year, there’s a chance he’s able to pop for more more and asserting himself, where Antti likes to kind of let people come offense. to him a little bit more and look people off — does it maybe a little bit more cerebrally. Maybe not quite as flashy as what Shai might be when “I think a lot of my offense stems off of my tenaciousness and my work you talk about their offensive game. ethic,” Savage said. “I think I work for a lot of my goals and a lot of my points. Whether it’s being hard in corners and trying to break away from “And then from their size perspective, I would expect Shai to go through guys or stealing pucks in the neutral zone like I did yesterday and going a similar transition on the defensive side as Antti went through this year. down, I think it all just stems off my work ethic and speed.” He’s a big man, it’s a step up with the pace and the level that way. But the way we play, I think, and the brain that Shai has, he’s going to 6. The Red Wings prospect I had no idea what to make of entering the assimilate himself very well.” tournament was U.S. forward Cross Hanas, who had a rocky draft-plus-1 season in the USHL and was a late add to the showcase roster. 3. Another prospect who made a strong impression throughout the week: Third-round pick Carter Mazur, who not only killed penalties (as one Early in the tournament, I did ask Hanas about his 2021 season, just to would expect from a prospect whose favorite player growing up was see what he made of it. Here’s what he said: Darren Helm) but also played on the power play at various points for “I think I had a little bit of a rough year, a little bit of a rough patch. But I Team USA (the Americans had two teams, Blue and White, and Mazur think it was good for me just to go through some adversity for kind of the spent most of the week with the Blue). first time in my life. You never know when that next adversity’s going to come, and I kind of know how to deal with it now.” The Athletic LOADED: 08.02.2021 All told, I’d describe his showcase showing as “solid.” I don’t think he’s going to push for a roster spot in December, but he didn’t look out place throughout the week, and he played a decidedly different kind of role than I was expecting. Hanas showed flashes of skill and had three assists in five games, but he was used in more of a defensive capacity. He was on the penalty kill in every game, while getting power-play reps in just two.

If you’ve seen his WHL highlight reel, you’ll know why that was an interesting development.

There weren’t many memorable plays like those that caught my attention in Plymouth, but he did seem to be competing hard, and as he tacks on strength, that could open some dimensions in his game to complement his hands. It’s still really in the development timeline for Hanas.

7. I’d say that “solid” descriptor also applies to fellow 2020 second-round pick Theodor Niederbach. You still saw his skill, smarts and elusiveness with the puck. He also looked bigger than I expected. But he finished the week with only one point, part of an overall down week for Sweden, which won just one game over the course of the showcase.

The Swedes went 0-5 in their first five games, scoring just eight goals in that span before breaking through for a 7-1 win in their final game, and considering Niederbach is one of their returners from last year’s World Juniors, it brings up a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg question between his down scoring week and the team’s.

“He’s strong on the puck and you can play him in all situations, but he needs to get a little bit quicker with the puck,” Sweden coach Tomas Montén said. “I think he can slow the game down, but you’ve gotta play the high-paced game. But he’s been good, he’s been solid.”

Of note: Niederbach played on the wing in Sweden’s final game, and it sounds like that’s where he’ll play with Frölunda this coming season.

8. Defenseman William Wallinder, meanwhile, still moves really well, but overall he underwhelmed, especially early in the tournament.

Sweden was playing Wallinder as a penalty killer and bottom-pair defender, which certainly meant some challenging defensive situations. And he’s long been labeled more of a long-term project. But it appears that a lot of that work remains.

Wallinder did get a bit better as the week went on, finishing with three points in his last two games.

“I think he got more physical, he looked stronger (Friday and Saturday) and I think (he had a) really good game (Saturday),” Montén said.

9. The Swedish team was missing two highly-rated Red Wings prospects in Simon Edvinsson and Lucas Raymond, neither of whom were at the camp (nor were fellow recent top-20 picks Alexander Holtz, William Eklund and Jesper Wallstedt). I assume Edvinsson will be on the team when it’s time for the actual tournament, but it’s a little less clear with Raymond, who has already played at the tournament twice in his career.

That’s similar to the situation Moritz Seider was in entering last year’s tournament, and he ultimately did not attend with Germany.

There’s no doubt Raymond would have a spot on the Swedish team if he’s available, though.

“We would love to have him,” Montén said.

10. It was a shorter-than-planned week for 2020 third-round pick Eemil Viro, who missed the later games of the showcase for Finland after getting banged up (the early word was it was nothing serious).

Partly as a result of that short tournament, I don’t know that any opinions of Viro will have changed from this tournament one way or the other: He continued to show the positive traits he has, with his strong skating, defending and competitiveness, while not putting up much offense (one big shot aside).

He will be competing with a crowded group of prospects on the Detroit blue line as he continues to climb the ladder, so the more offense he can develop, the better.

Defense is Viro’s first job, though, and Finland’s staff spoke highly of him throughout the week. Mobile defensemen who can defend well and kill penalties never go out of style, and it’s a great foundation to have. 1218993 Los Angeles Kings Before the Kings signed Danault, I thought it might be worth trying Moore at 2C, based on how well Moore performed in the middle at the World Championships for Team USA. With Byfield poised to play his first full Kings depth chart: Should it be Alex Iafallo or Adrian Kempe as the first- NHL season, there would be a little less pressure on him with Moore line winger? having the ability to also take faceoffs.

There is plenty of defensive responsibility on the fourth line with Lizotte’s grit and Anderson-Dolan’s all-around game. Anderson-Dolan was By Lisa Dillman showing more of an offensive component to his game before he suffered a shoulder injury during this past season. I could also see Andersson in Aug 1, 2021 the middle with Anderson-Dolan and Vilardi to give the fourth line a bit more pop.

The “Who says no?” exercise is among my favorites to do at The Athletic. FORWARDS (V.2.0)

You sent many trade proposals and I evaluated them in April. I especially Adrian Kempe enjoyed re-reading the Johnny Gaudreau suggestions and the Jake Bean Anze Kopitar section. Viktor Arvidsson Alas, the Bean-to-L.A. dream is dead for now. Alex Iafallo There weren’t any mentions of winger Viktor Arvidsson, center Phillip Danault or defenseman Alex Edler. Yet, those are the three players the Phillip Danault Kings acquired in less than a month during this offseason. Arvidsson was acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators on July 1, and the cost Andreas Athanasiou was two draft picks, one in 2021 and another in 2022. Danault and Edler Trevor Moore arrived on Wednesday via free agency. Quinton Byfield All this transpired without the Kings having to subtract meaningfully from the lineup or sacrifice a prized prospect or a first-round draft pick. Dustin Brown

We did a projected depth chart last year but that was before the 2020 Lias Andersson draft and free agency. Blake Lizotte This one takes into account the recently completed NHL Draft (hello, Brandt Clarke) and the Kings’ signings on the opening day of free Gabriel Vilardi agency. There could be additional changes before training camp opens Extras: Anderson-Dolan, Grundstrom, Rasmus Kupari in September, but Kings general manager Rob Blake indicated that those would likely be smaller moves. Wild card: Frk.

Since the Kings have far more options up front than in previous years, This lineup takes into consideration a couple of suggestions from a coach I’m going to offer two different lineups and let you vote on your favored on an NHL staff. In my mind, it has a slight edge over lineup 1.0. top 12 forwards and combinations. I like the thought of Kempe and his skill with Kopitar and Arvidsson. It is Forwards close to being an All-Swedish line, and we like to joke that Kopitar is an honorary Swede, having played there before arriving in the NHL and FORWARDS (V.1.0) again during the lockout.

Alex Iafallo There is a good balance in the top six. With the presence of the puck- Anze Kopitar retrieving Iafallo and the defensively responsible Danault, the Kings can afford to deploy Athanasiou, who has some defensive deficiencies, on Viktor Arvidsson the line and take advantage of his speed to swiftly counterattack.

Adrian Kempe It could be one of those units on which chemistry instantly develops. Athanasiou is a rarity in that he’s strong enough to fend off pursuing Phillip Danault defensive players and fast enough to break into the clear. If he has a Andreas Athanasiou couple of complementary, high-IQ players with him, he could see his offensive numbers jump. Trevor Moore The reality is, if you’re trying to win in the NHL, your second line just can’t Quinton Byfield be strictly a checking line. It has to have an offensive component as well.

Dustin Brown Frk is worth discussing because of his previous chemistry with Vilardi and, well, the fact that he shoots the puck harder than practically anyone Jaret Anderson-Dolan else in the world. He was injured before last season started and re- Blake Lizotte injured his groin in his first game back.

Gabriel Vilardi Defense

Extras: Lias Andersson, Carl Grundstrom, DEFENSE

Wild card: Martin Frk Mikey Anderson

Everything pivots around Arvidsson, who is capable of playing both sides. Alex Edler Arvidsson played his best hockey in Nashville on the right side and he’s a Sean Walker right-handed shot but he’s the type of player who can swing over to the left side if you need to shake up the lines and change the tenor of a Tobias Bjornfot game. Matt Roy Brown, who turns 37 in November, will have to play further down in the lineup as time passes. As difficult as it is to separate Kopitar and Brown, Extras: Olli Maatta, Christian Wolanin it has to happen at some point. It could be sooner than we think. As opposed to the forward group, which has a variety of mix-and-match possibilities, the defense should be pretty straightforward. Walker finished the year strongly and a combination of Edler-Walker or Maatta- Walker provides a better balance. We didn’t see much of Wolanin after he joined the Kings in March via a trade with Ottawa — getting in three games — but there were positive building blocks based on his performance with Team USA at the World Championships.

Goaltenders

GOALTENDERS

Cal Petersen

Jonathan Quick

The goaltenders will continue the trend that we’ve seen ever since Jack Campbell joined the Toronto Maple Leafs. Petersen’s role is gradually going to increase until the point at which he is the Kings’ legitimate starter. Quick, one of the four remaining players from the Kings’ Stanley Cup championship teams, will be a good complementary piece because he remains intensely competitive and is a good teammate. The key is that Petersen needs to continue to develop and become more confident as his workload grows. They’ve created a clear opening for him to show he’s a No. 1 starting goaltender in the NHL and he’s showed signs of growing into that. With goaltending, it always comes down to consistency and earning the trust of a coach and teammates. Just as, when Kings were in the heart of their Stanley Cup window, Quick got glowing testimonials from his teammates, eventually, you want to start hearing that sort of language about Petersen. That’s when you know he’s arrived.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.02.2021 1218994 Los Angeles Kings

LA Kings sign forward Brayden Burke to one-year, two-way contract, $750K AAV

By Zach Dooley

The LA Kings have signed forward Brayden Burke to a one-year, two- way contract extension with an average annual value (AAV) of $750,000 at the NHL level.

Burke, 24, was acquired via trade from the Arizona Coyotes on Day 2 of the NHL Draft. He recorded 14 points (1-13=14) in 28 games last season with the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL). He skated in three full seasons with the Roadrunners, posting 99 points (35-64=99) in 146 games. In 2019- 20, the Edmonton, Alberta native paced all Tucson skaters with 52 points (21-31=52) and 21 goals in 51 games, as he was selected to represent the Pacific Division at the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic, hosted by the Ontario Reign.

Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Coyotes, the 5-10, 165-pound winger played five seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the Red Deer Rebels, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Moosejaw Warriors. In 238 regular-season WHL games, he registered 338 points (85-253=338) and a plus-67 rating while adding 30 points (13-17=30) and a plus-2 rating in 26 postseason outings.

Following Andersson’s signing, the Kings have three unsigned restricted free agents remaining – Kale Clague, Jacob Moverare and Austin Strand.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 08.02.2021

1218995 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese elects for salary arbitration

SETH RORABAUGH

Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021 7:04 p.m.

In 45 games last season, Penguins forward Zach-Aston-Reese scored 15 points (nine goals, six assists).

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese, a restricted free agent, elected for for salary arbitration.

The Players’ Association announced Aston- Reese was one of 17 players to do so Sunday.

Aston-Reese, 26, recently completed a two-year contract that carried a salary cap hit of $1 million. Last season, Aston-Reese appeared in 45 games and scored 15 points (nine goals, six assists).

Arbitration hearings are scheduled to be held between Aug. 11 and 26.

In the NHL, this process typically is a formality in getting a new contract agreed to as teams and players want to avoid hearings and rarely reach that point.

As a restricted free agent in 2019, Aston-Reese and the Penguins reached an agreement on a new contract before a scheduled hearing.

Tribune Review LOADED: 08.02.2021 1218996 Pittsburgh Penguins

Aston-Reese Files For Salary Arbitration; Talks Continuing

Published 8 hours ago on August 1, 2021

By Shelly Anderson

Pittsburgh Penguins winger Zach Aston-Reese is one of 17 NHL players who have filed for salary arbitration after the team earlier extended the restricted free agent a qualifying offer.

He is the only Penguins player who has filed for arbitration. He does not have a hearing date at this point. Salary arbitration hearings will be held Aug. 11-26.

However, players who file for arbitration often reach agreement on a new contract before those hearings, and in fact a source with knowledge of Aston-Reese’s situation indicated that talks are progressing.

In a similar situation two years ago, Aston-Reese and the Penguins avoided an arbitration hearing — barely — when he signed a two-year, $2 million contract.

Given factors such as his production, a flat salary cap and the Penguins’ cap situation, a reasonable estimate might be that Aston-Reese’s value is in the $2 million cap hit range or perhaps a little more.

Aston-Reese, 26, who has had some injury trouble over the years, had a career-high nine goals, 15 points in 45 games during the pandemic- shortened 2020-21 season. He had a goal and an assist in six playoff games. His value is heightened by his defensive play.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 08.02.2021 1218997 Pittsburgh Penguins We await the tweaks.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 08.02.2021 Projecting New Penguins Lines: Prospects, Friedman and Holes to Fill

Published 17 hours ago on August 1, 2021

By Dan Kingerski

There were only three free-agent signings across the NHL on Saturday. Teams have picked clean the meaty buffet, and mostly green beans and burnt rolls remain before the bill comes. The Pittsburgh Penguins stayed within budget with a four-year deal to Brock McGinn to provide down-line physicality and speed, but a few lineup holes are visible as we layout the Penguins lines.

The Penguins also signed talented but soft winger Danton Heinen, formerly of the Boston Bruins and Anaheim Ducks. Heinen scored 14 points (7-7-14) last season in an Anaheim sweater, and his presence is probably tenuous at best. Heinen will need to show the competitiveness that dots head coach Mike Sullivan lineups.

It looks more and more like the Penguins, and GM Ron Hextall may rely on in-house solutions to fill spots in the Penguins lineup, and a few of the Penguins prospects will have short paths to NHL ice.

We’ll finish up our video reviews of Sam Poulin and Filip Hallander as the two most likely prospects to get into the lineup. Our scouting reports have been pretty spot-on, if I do say so myself. Of course, our network of scouts and professionals has helped tremendously.

It’s probably too aggressive to pencil Poulin or Hallander into the October lineup, but it isn’t out of the question to see Poulin by mid-season. Poulin is often a cautious starter. He eased himself into his first Penguins training camp and hasn’t yet elbowed his way past others, but it’s just about time for him to try.

We certainly know Nathan Legare will go all-out in camp, but he likely needs a bit of AHL seasoning. But we do like his attitude.

For the moment, we’ll do the lines without Malkin, with an assumption Malkin isn’t ready for the start of the season. However, we should note the Penguins have not put a timetable on Malkin’s return and only committed to him missing the start of training camp.

Also, you’ll notice Malkin’s absence creates a fourth-line center hole. Minnesota lured Frederick Gaudreau away with a two-year deal with a $1.2 million AAV. That looks like a bigger loss now than it did on July 28.

The only current roster or non-roster player who could fill the spot is Evan Rodrigues. Expect the Penguins to find a depth center, but as you can see, the Malkin-less Penguins’ fourth line is a mishmash of talent.

Tristan Jarry is the goalie. The offseason chatter became bigger than we expected, but chatter won’t change the situation. Penguins President of Hockey Operations was firm in support of Jarry, and all-but-guaranteed he will be the starting goalie next season.

Transcription from Andrew Filipponi of 93-7 the Fan:

“Tristan is the reason why we won the division. He’s going to be really good here in the future. He’s going to be just fine.”

PHN has not been able to verify contact with any of the RHD UFAs, including the popular Erik Gudbranson. The Penguins have Mark Friedman, who showed well in very limited time, but he’s unproven at best.

WIthout the traded Jared McCann and the expansion selected Brandon Tanev, the Penguins need scoring and physicality in their lineup. McGinn will help, but the Penguins need Heinen to reclaim his 40-point form.

That’s a big ask, but the Hextall didn’t risk much money ($1.1 million).

Perhaps the Pittsburgh Penguins can find some green beans and rolls to fortify their “win now” lineup. As of Aug. 1, much will fall on Jason Zucker to produce more offense than previously in his Penguins tenure.

“We would like to tweak some things, and we’re going to continue to monitor the free-agent market to see what’s out there and see if we find any fits that are upgrades for us,” Hextall said last week. 1218998 San Jose Sharks “I’m embarrassed in every way that things are public,” she later wrote, “and I hope one day you realize that your GAMBLING is the problem. Not an ex-wife or anyone else.”

Sharks forward Evander Kane denies wife’s allegations of game-fixing Sharks get assist from Joe Pavelski in landing free agent: ‘I trust his opinion’

NHL free agent frenzy: Who (or what) is on Doug Wilson’s wish list? By CURTIS PASHELKA | [email protected] | Bay Area News Group Questions about Kane’s betting surfaced in 2019 when The Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas sued him in regard to PUBLISHED: August 1, 2021 at 7:08 a.m. | UPDATED: August 1, 2021 $500,000 in unpaid gambling debts. The suit was dropped in April of last at 3:38 p.m. year.

In January of this year, Kane filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy listing assets totaling just over $10.2 million and his liabilities at over $26.8 million. Sharks forward Evander Kane on Sunday denied allegations made by his According to the petition, he lost $1.5 million due to gambling “at casino wife that he gambled on or tried to throw hockey games, including his and via bookie (sports betting).” own team’s games, and said he would cooperate with the National Hockey League’s investigation. Kane, who turns 30 on Monday, has four seasons remaining on the seven-year, $49 million deal he signed with the Sharks in May 2018. This A day after Anna Kane used her Instagram account to say her husband past year was among his best in the NHL, as he led the Sharks in goals bet on Sharks games, Evander Kane responded with two statements on (22), assists (27) and points (49). his Twitter account, one to refute allegations of betting on his own team and another to address her claim that he has been a poor father to the couple’s young daughter. San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 08.02.2021 “I have NEVER gambled/bet on Hockey, NEVER gambled/bet on a Sharks game, NEVER gambled/bet on any of my games and NEVER thrown a hockey game,” Kane wrote on Twitter. “The facts are I personally had my best season of my career last year and was the most consistent I’ve been throughout any season, I’m proud of that. I love the game of Hockey and would never do any of what was alleged.

“I look forward to cooperating fully with the league’s investigation, having my name cleared and looking forward to this upcoming season.”

According to ESPN, league officials will meet Monday to begin to decide who will conduct the investigation and what it will involve. The investigation, according to the network, is expected to be completed in September before the start of training camp.

The NHL on Saturday said it was aware of posts made by Anna Kane that alleged Kane’s gambling on hockey games, including one that read, “How does the NHL let a compulsive gambling addict still play when he’s obviously throwing games to win money? Hmm maybe someone needs to address this.

“Can someone ask (Commissioner) Gary Bettman how they can let a player gamble on his own games? Bet and win with bookies on his own games?”

After the NHL said it would launch an investigation, the Sharks issued a statement saying they had been in contact with the league about the matter and were supportive of its decision “to maintain the integrity of the game and consistency with our team values.”

In her posts, Anna Kane also alleges that her husband has abandoned her and their infant daughter and forced her to sell her wedding ring in order to meet her expenses. Their home has been foreclosed, she said.

Evander Kane said he and Anna are divorcing.

“I love my daughter,” Evander Kane wrote. “I will and always have taken care of my daughter in every way possible. I have always made sure her mother has had everything she’s needed and more. I have tried to de- escalate our divorce issues and be as civil and calm as anyone in this position could.

“I have tried to set up FaceTime calls but not every day as I would like to because of being restricted by her mom. She has refused me to see her and had unfortunately tried to use my daughter as leverage. I will continue to always take care of my family, that goes without question.”

Evander Kane added, “I would encourage people to realize that someone who goes to this length to try and jeopardize someone’s career with lies is mentally unwell. I hope this is the last time I will be publicly addressing any further misrepresentations of me as a father.”

Anna Kane fired back Sunday morning on her Instagram account, writing, “Everything Evander says is a calculated lie to make me look “crazy” I think mental help is needed after you lose every dollar you ever made gambling but continue to gamble and do not think you have a problem, and refuse any kind of therapy and continue to lie to the therapist who the Sharks force you to talk too! (sic). 1218999 San Jose Sharks

Originally drafted by Sharks, Bonino's return marks wild stat

BY BRIAN WITT

SHARKS

The Sharks were busy on the opening day of free agency, and it involved the return of a player who should be familiar to the fan base -- for more than one reason.

No, not goaltender James Reimer, who signed a two-year contract with San Jose after a brief stint with the team in 2016. We're talking about veteran center Nick Bonino, whom the Sharks drafted in the sixth round in 2007.

Bonino, 33, has yet to play in a game for the franchise that drafted him. But he already has factored into one of the biggest games in Sharks franchise history in a major way. He scored the game-winning goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins with 2:33 remaining in Game 1 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals.

It will be tough for Bonino to score a bigger goal in his career, but the Sharks certainly hope he'll do so for them after signing him to a two-year contract on Wednesday. He seems like a lock to center the third line in the season opener on Oct. 16, and when he does, it will mark the end of one of the longest stretches of its kind throughout NHL history.

Bonino has played in 681 career games. According to SportsRadar, there are only two other players in NHL history who appeared in at least that many games before eventually playing for the team that drafted them: Ron Wilson (783 games) -- the center, not the defenseman/former Sharks head coach -- with the Montreal Canadiens and Brad Boyes (762 games) with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Though Bonino's name should be familiar to those in San Jose, there aren't a ton of faces in the Sharks' locker room that will be familiar to him. One obvious exception, though, is winger Andrew Cogliano, who signed a one-year contract with San Jose on Wednesday. Cogliano and Bonino were teammates on the Anaheim Ducks in 2013-14.

Based on what Doug Wilson said Wednesday, the Sharks' general manager has had his eye on both veterans for some time now.

"I think them coming into the room ... the presence that they have and the success they've had and the respect that they both have around the league, bringing that into our dressing room is just a huge bonus," Wilson said. "I do know they talked a lot amongst each other. All I can say is I'm really, really happy. I've been trying to acquire both of them for several years."

Bonino surely imagined he would make his Sharks debut long before he actually will. He took a circuitous route, but now he's back where it all began.

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Sharks' Kane to be investigated on claim he bet on NHL games

BY ALI THANAWALLA

SHARKS

The NHL said in a statement Saturday that it plans to investigate an allegation that Sharks winger Evander Kane gambled on NHL games.

The League was made aware this evening of a post on social media alleging that San Jose Sharks Player Evander Kane bet on NHL games. The integrity of our game is paramount and the League takes these allegations very seriously. (1/2)— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 31, 2021

We intend to conduct a full investigation and will have no further comment at this time. (2/2)— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 31, 2021

Shortly after the league’s announcement, the Sharks issued a statement to The Athletic's Kevin Kurz, saying they support a "full and transparent investigation."

The allegation came to light earlier Saturday, when an unverified Instagram account attributed to Kane's wife, Anna, claimed in a post that he had left her and their two young children to go on a vacation in Europe while their home was being taken by a bank. In a subsequent post, Anna Kane tagged the NHL and told the league to ask commissioner Gary Bettman how he can let a player bet "on his own games."

Anna Kane, wife of San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane, has posted some damning stuff on her Instagram. This includes a question to Gary Bettman on “how they can let a player gamble on his own games?” pic.twitter.com/lKGYKWt6bF— Mark Scheig (@markscheig) July 31, 2021

Kane, 29, has played four seasons with the Sharks and 12 total seasons in the NHL, also spending time with the , and Buffalo Sabres. He’s entering the fourth year of a seven-year, $49 million contract he signed with San Jose in 2018.

In November 2019, The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that The Cosmopolitan was suing Kane for $500,000 in unpaid gambling markers that were extended to him beginning in April of that year. Court documents showed in April 2020 that The Cosmopolitan dropped the lawsuit against Kane, though a reason wasn’t given.

In January, The Athletic’s Dan Kaplan reported that Kane had filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and claimed nearly $27 million in debt, including $1.5 million in gambling losses over the preceding 12 months. Kaplan reported that Kane was facing six active "lawsuits, court actions and administrative proceedings with lenders," and confirmed reporting by San Jose Hockey Now's Sheng Peng that a lawsuit had been filed by Centennial Bank in federal court in Florida seeking $8.3 million from Kane and the Sharks.

In the bankruptcy filing, Kane listed $26.8 million in liabilities and $10.2 million in assets, while listing seven dependents.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.02.2021 1219001 San Jose Sharks

Evander Kane Says He’s Never Bet on Sharks Games, Anna Kane Responds

Published 15 hours ago on August 1, 2021

By Sheng Peng

“I have NEVER gambled/bet on hockey, NEVER gambled/bet on a Sharks game, NEVER gambled/bet on any of my games and NEVER thrown a hockey game.”

That’s what Evander Kane fired back with on Twitter this morning, in response to his wife Anna Kane’s allegations that he had gambled on San Jose Sharks games.

Anna Kane also alleged, among other things, that she had been forced to sell her wedding ring to meet expenses and “buy my daughter baby formula.” Evander Kane is currently going through Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

In the last hour or so, Anna Kane countered with these Instagram Stories:

Anna Kane did not add to her accusation that Evander Kane has bet on NHL or San Jose Sharks games, but wrote: “I think mental help is needed after you lose every dollar you ever made gambling but continue to gamble and do not think you have a problem and refuse any kind of therapy and continue to lie to the therapist who the Sharks force you to talk too [sic]!”

She added: “I hope one day you realize that your GAMBLING is the problem. Not an ex wife or anyone else.”

San Jose Hockey Now reached out to the San Jose Sharks for comment about today’s events, receiving this response: “The Sharks will not be commenting further at this time.”

This was how the San Jose Sharks and the NHL responded yesterday to Anna Kane’s allegations:

San Jose Hockey Now LOADED: 08.02.2021 1219002 St Louis Blues

Blues' Sanford files for salary arbitration

Jim Thomas

Blues restricted free agent Zach Sanford has filed for salary arbitration.

Sunday was the deadline for eligible RFAs to file for arbitration, and Sanford was among 17 players throughout the NHL to do so according to the NHL Players’ Association. Former Blues’ defenseman Vince Dunn, now a member of the Seattle Kraken via the expansion draft, also filed for arbitration.

Hearings will be held from Aug. 11-26.

Sanford was one of five Blues to file for arbitration two years ago after the team's Stanley Cup season, but settled on a two-year contract worth $1.5 million a year prior to his scheduled hearing.

The 26-year-old forward from Salem, Mass., had a career year in 2019- 20, with 16 goals and 14 assists in 58 games. His plus-minus differential of plus-13 was second-best on the team.

But he slipped to 10 goals and six assists this past season in 52 games, and was a team-worst minus-13.

The Blues have two other unsigned restricted free agents in forwards Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, but neither player is eligible for arbitration.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 08.02.2021 1219003 Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs sign Brennan Menell to $750,000, one-year contract in a trade with Minnesota Wild

1-2 minutes 8/1/2021

Matthew Putney/The Associated Press

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenceman Brennan Menell to a one-year, two-way contract.

The hockey club announced the news Sunday, saying the contract carries an NHL salary of $750,000.

The 24-year-old was acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.

The Woodbury, Minn. native played with the Kontinental Hockey League’s Dinamo Minsk last season, finishing with 38 points (five goals, 33 assists) in 47 regular-season games and seven points (one goal, six assists) in five playoff games.

He has also previously skated in five NHL games with Minnesota while recording 116 points (15 goals, 101 assists) in 199 AHL games with the Iowa Wild.

Menell had originally signed with Minnesota as a free agent on Sept. 26, 2017.

Globe And Mail LOADED: 08.02.2021 1219004 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights say goodbye, give thanks to Marc-Andre Fleury

By Rochelle Richards Las Vegas Review-Journal

August 1, 2021 - 9:56 am

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After trading Marc-Andre Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, the Golden Knights thanked Fleury in a full-page ad that ran in the Review-Journal on Sunday.

The Knights thanked the 2021 Vezina winner for all his contributions to the Southern Nevada community both on and off the ice including his passion for his game, his infectious smile and helping Las Vegas heal after the Oct. 1, 2017, shooting that left 60 dead.

Here is the entire statement from the Knights:

“June 21, 2017.

‘From the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Vegas Golden Knights select Marc- Andre Fleury.’

The first time you brought the Fortress to its feet.

Since you surprised us all by walking on stage during the Expansion Draft, you have delivered more incredible memories to this city than we could have ever imagined.

The inaugural season playoff run. The Superman save. The Gold Pads. The acrobatics in the crease. The way you would subtly thank the post after a shot clanged the iron. Pets were named after you and life-size sculptures of chocolate were built for you. And who could forget all the doughnuts? The passion you played with and your love of the game was infectious. After a huge win on home ice, the smile through your mask was big enough to be seen from the Strip all the way to Sorel.

The stats? They speak for themselves. First ballot, no doubt. But you know what’s even more impressive? The contributions you made to our community off the ice. Those were equally — if not more — impressive than your contributions on it. You were there during our city’s darkest time. You gave hope when it was needed most. You gave us reasons to cheer. You helped us persevere. You and your family continually found ways to give back and make our home a better place.

When your name was called on that Wednesday night in late June of 2017, we ultimately landed a player and a person that would leave an indelible mark on our franchise and our entire city. It truly was an honor having you a part of the Vegas Golden Knights our first four seasons and an even bigger honor having you a part of our Southern Nevada community.

The Dude is — and always will be — the Man.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 08.02.2021 1219005 Vegas Golden Knights

Marc-Andre Fleury tells Chicago: ‘Let’s get to work’

By Ben Gotz Las Vegas Review-Journal

August 1, 2021 - 8:53 am

Marc-Andre Fleury’s Hall of Fame hockey career isn’t over yet.

The goaltender plans to play for the Chicago Blackhawks next season, after taking time to think about his future following his Tuesday trade from the Golden Knights. Fleury revealed his decision in a Twitter video for the Blackhawks on Sunday.

“Hey Chicago, it’s Marc. Just wanted to let you know I’m in,” Fleury said. “Let’s get to work.”

Fleury had stayed quiet after the trade other than a statement thanking his fans and teammates for his four-year tenure in Las Vegas. The 36- year-old’s agent, Allan Walsh, said Tuesday his client “will be taking time to discuss his situation with his family and seriously evaluate his hockey future at this time.”

Fleury has one year left on his contract with a $7 million cap hit. He won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender last season and shared the Jennings Trophy for fewest goals allowed with teammate Robin Lehner.

The Knights host the Blackhawks on Jan. 8 and March 26 and play in Chicago on April 27.

Fleury is joining a Chicago team that made serious efforts to improve this offseason after finishing 20th in points percentage. Along with getting Fleury, the Blackhawks made a blockbuster trade for defenseman Seth Jones and added two-time Stanley Cup-winning center Tyler Johnson.

Sunday’s news gives Fleury a chance to be a franchise icon thrice over. He was a beloved member of three Stanley Cup-winning teams in Pittsburgh before joining the Knights in the 2017 expansion draft. He won fans over quickly in Las Vegas with his highlight-reel saves, charming personality and willingness to embrace his new community.

The Knights purchased a full-page advertisement in Sunday’s Review- Journal to thank Fleury for his contributions.

“He was the most popular player I’ve ever seen in sports,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said after the trade. “He’s had a tremendous impact on our organization, he’s had a tremendous impact on our city.”

The Knights decided to move on from Fleury this offseason to save cap space. The team had another No. 1 goaltender on its roster in Lehner, who is six years younger, costs $2 million less against the cap and is under contract for four more seasons.

The Knights were active on the first day of NHL free agency Wednesday after the trade, announcing a three-year extension with defenseman Alec Martinez, acquiring right wing Evgenii Dadonov from Ottawa, signing backup goaltender Laurent Brossoit and bringing back left wing Mattias Janmark.

“Our backs are against the wall in terms of the cap,” owner Bill Foley said Tuesday. “We operated almost all of last year with 20 guys suited up, sometimes five D-men, sometimes 11 forwards. The scouts and Kelly and (president of hockey operations) George (McPhee) felt like we just had to get some cap space, we had to get some room. I finally capitulated. I said, ‘OK, I understand. I get it.’”

Fleury said after winning his first Vezina Trophy that he wants to keep playing as long as he enjoys it.

“I still feel like if I still have fun playing, or if I don’t have fun playing, then that will be it,” Fleury said June 29. “If I still can help my team and enjoy what I do every day and come to the rink, have fun, have a smile and be with the guys, that’s what’s going to dictate when I hang them up or keep playing.”

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 08.02.2021 1219006 Vegas Golden Knights

Marc-Andre Fleury won’t retire, will play for Blackhawks next season

By Justin Emerson (contact)

Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021 | 8:45 a.m.

Marc-Andre Fleury will play next season after all.

Despite reports the 36-year-old goalie might retire instead of playing out the last year of his contract following his trade from the Golden Knights, Fleury will indeed suit up for them next season, according to multiple reports.

Fleury was reportedly “totally shocked” the Golden Knights moved him that he “doesn’t want to play there,” according to the Athletic.. Fleury’s agent, Allan Walsh, said Fleury would take some time to “evaluate his hockey future at this time” after the trade.

Fleury has one year remaining on the three-year extension he signed with the Golden Knights in 2018 with a cap hit of $7 million. Vegas moved him, essentially for nothing, on Tuesday in order to gain cap space, which they used to trade for Senators winger Evgenii Dadonov and sign backup goalie Laurent Brossoit.

The move was tough for Golden Knights fans, as Fleury had become a beloved figure in his four years in Las Vegas. He helped lead the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018, then won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goalie last season.

The Golden Knights will play the Blackhawks three times next season, on Jan. 8 and March 26 in Las Vegas and on April 27 in Chicago.

LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 08.02.2021 1219007 Vegas Golden Knights

It’s Official: Fleury Will Play for Blackhawks; Returns to Vegas Jan. 8Published 14 hours ago on August 1, 2021

By Owen Krepps

After being unexpectedly traded from the Vegas Golden Knights to the Chicago Blackhawks on July 27, the agent for Marc-Andre Fleury announced that Fleury would need some time to evaluate his career. That time is over and it ended as you may have expected.

Fleury will report to Chicago and play the 2021-22 season.

Cmon, Fleury is too good of a person to play diva games.

After Fleury was traded, Fleury’s agent Allan Walsh tweeted the following.

“While Marc-Andre Fleury still hasn’t heard from anybody with the Vegas Golden Knights, he has apparently been traded to Chicago. Marc-Andre will be taking time to discuss his situation with his family and seriously evaluate his hockey future at this time.”

There were persistent rumors from the Athletic, which the outlet later reversed, that the Pittsburgh Penguins were trying to acquire Fleury. Still, rumors persisted Fleury could refuse to play for the team that has its own share of problems to deal with and potentially returning to Pittsburgh in the final year of his contract.

None of these rumors had any legs though. The 36-year-old goaltender officially announced today that he will join the Blackhawks for the upcoming season. This was first reported by Barstool Chief on Friday.

Fleury spent four years with the Vegas Golden Knights. He was an original expansion draft selection from Pittsburgh. He led the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018. He won a Vezina and Jennings trophy in 2021 and was a fan-favorite among all Golden Knights fans.

“He wanted to play in Vegas,” Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon said of his trade conversations with Fleury.

But with the team up against the salary cap and still looking to win a Stanley Cup, Fleury and his $7 million cap hit were shipped out.

In exchange for Fleury, the Knights got low-level minor leaguer Mikael Hakkarainen from Chicago as well as cap space used to bring in Evgenii Dadonov, Laurent Brossoit, and bring back Mattias Janmark.

The Golden Knights also traded fan-favorite in Ryan Reaves to the New York Rangers for a third-round pick to clear additional cap space, though the team remains over the cap.

After Alex Tuch’s shoulder surgery, LTIR cap space can be utilized until Tuch returns in January or February, but one or more moves to open additional space are likely.

Fleury will return to Vegas on Saturday, Jan. 8 when the Blackhawks come to T-Mobile Arena.

Vegas Hockey Now LOADED: 08.02.2021 1219008 Vancouver Canucks “We did that (contract) right way so we have more control over his future and where he’s going to play,” Benning said last week. “We want to control where he goes to junior or goes back home and plays. We’ve talked about Abbotsford (AHL), but we’ll see where he’s at when he Five things to know about Danila Klimovich, the Canucks' newest top comes to training camp.” prospect Klimovich has an $886K salary cap hit, which works out to a $925K Annual Average Value (AAV).

Mike Raptis Should he play nine games or less with the big club, his ELC will slide back to the 2022-23 season. Klimovich can play AHL games without it Publishing date:Aug 01, 2021 affecting the status of his ELC.

His agent, Dan Milstein, told Rick Dhaliwal on Thursday that while RIGA, LATVIA - JUNE 1: Belarus’s Danila Klimovich #90 controls the Klimovich is coming to Vancouver to make the team, the AHL is more puck under pressure from ROC’s Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi #57 in likely where he’ll end up. preliminary round action at the 2021 IIHF World If Podkolzin’s rollercoaster ride in Russia was any indication, it was a Championship at Olympic Sports Centre on June 1, 2021 in Riga, Latvia. smart, proactive move by management to get the player signed. With the Vancouver Canucks drafting forward Danila Klimovich 41st Klimovich can still play in the KHL or even the QMJHL, where he was overall in the 2021 NHL entry draft, here are five things to know about the drafted by Rouyn-Noranda before the start of last season, which was Belarusian sniper: wiped out by COVID-19. A vaulted ceiling The difference now is that the Canucks have the final say on where he There’s so much potential packed into this second-round pick. plays.

Dangerous with the puck. A heavy, accurate shot. And a willingness to Russia’s Dmitry Orlov (L) and Belarus’s Danila Klimovich in a 2021 IIHF play a hard, effective game inside the faceoff circles. World Championship game between Russia and Belarus at the Olympic Sports Centre. The on-ice tools that Klimovich possesses have vaulted the 6-foot-2, 202-pound forward to the top of the Canucks’ prospects heap, with From Belarus, with love forward Vasily Podkolzin and defenceman Jack Rathbone expected to Still a bit of a hockey outpost, Belarusians are getting used to their make the team’s opening night roster this coming season. names being called at the NHL draft. But it’s up to the 18-year-old to put it all together to reach the heights he’s Three Belarusians were taken in the first three rounds of the 2021 draft, capable of. with Klimovich being the first one selected. “He’s a big guy, powerful and we think there’s a lot of upside. We were The took goalie Alexei Kolosov 78th-overall while the looking for high-end skill,” Canucks director of amateur scouting Todd Winnipeg Jets went with defenceman Dmitri Kuzmin with the 82nd pick. Harvey said on draft day. “With his size and determination, it really sold it for me.” Since 1988, 35 Belarusians have been selected by NHL teams, with the most prolific being Mikhael Grabovski, who had 296 points (125 G, 171 While he only scored one goal in six Belarusian men’s league games this A) in 534 games over an 11-year career with the Montreal Canadiens, past season, Klimovich turned heads at the Under-18 world Toronto Maple Leafs, and . championship this spring with six goals in five games, including a hat trick. The greatest Belarusian to ever play in the NHL is defenceman Ruslan Salei, whose consistency and toughness allowed him to log 917 games, He also piled up 52 points (28 G, 24 A) in 37 games last season in the mostly with the Anaheim Ducks. top Belarus junior league and added 14 playoff points (9 G, 5 A). Salei, tragically, was killed in the infamous Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane Looking past the talent left on the table, Klimovich brings some intrigue. crash in 2011, of which 44 out of 45 passengers on board died. The -High-end offense. flight’s mechanic, Alexander Sizov, was the only survivor.

-Solid compete level - admittingly, I have yet to witness his noted Klimovich, who was born in the historic city of Pinsk, Belarus (pop. character flaws (getting my first look). 138,415) and was raised in the capital city of Minsk, told sports.ru last week that he’s thrilled to be coming to Vancouver. -Needs a polish, but overall, a swift skater. “I am very glad that I was drafted, grateful to Vancouver… I worked hard The knock on Klimovich, a right winger who can also play centre, is his to achieve this,” he said. “Vancouver is a very beautiful city with a very decision-making with the puck. He’s got great hands, but his confidence good team.” to take on multiple defenders can get him into trouble and lead to turnovers. That swagger

Still, this is a player who, after some fine-tuning and professional Cockiness, confidence — whatever it is, it’s oozing out of him on and off coaching, has a realistic shot of not only making the Canucks down the the ice. road, but making an impact. Whether it’s pulling the puck between his legs on a breakaway or using Signed, sealed and delivered brute force to plough through a defender, Klimovich possesses an arrogance that can insulate the youngster from Vancouver #Canucks GM Jim Benning announced today that the club has signed their 41st overall pick in the 2021 @NHL Draft, Danila “I’m a sniper. I love to shoot pucks. I think Vancouver fans will be happy Klimovich, to a three-year entry level contract. with my performance,” he told sports.ru last week. “I want to show myself in the pre-season training camp.” With the possibility of Klimovich signing and playing in the KHL, the Canucks knew they had to act fast. Danila Klimovich (#canucks) has some things to work on.

Klimovich had a tryout with Dinamo Minsk recently and had a goal and With a player that sure of himself, there could be some red flags. But an assist in his first exhibition game. aside from the odd ill-advised penalty, there doesn’t appear to be any for Klimovich. His coach in Belarus is even said to have compared him to Make that a goal and a primary assist. another mercurial sniper, Alex Ovechkin — only meaner.

That’s why Canucks GM Jim Benning pulled the trigger on a three-year A player with Klimovich’s temerity could fit in nicely alongside other entry-level deal with the Belarusian last week, prickly players like Podkolzin and resident hot-head J.T. Miller — especially come playoff time. A team needs temperamental balance — and for all the goodwill that young core players like Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat exhibit on and off the ice — one or two extra firebrands in the lineup can only help the Canucks overcome nasty teams like the Vegas Golden Knights.

Vasily Podkolzin of Russia in action during the Ice Hockey International Friendly game between Switzerland and Russia at Tissot-Arena on May 1, 2021 in Biel, Switzerland.

The Podkolzin factor

The Canucks said they wanted to add another Russian player to the lineup, to help blue-chip prospect Podkolzin along as he settles into a new life in North America.

Does Belarusian count?

Klimovich and Podkolzin will be at Canucks training camp together in late September in Abbotsford before the team kicks off a seven-game pre- season schedule, which begins on Sept. 26 in Spokane, Wash. against the expansion Seattle Kraken.

While Klimovich and Podkolzin are working on their English, the majority of Belarusians speak Russian — so they should be able to form a bond and, hopefully, become fast friends.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 08.02.2021 1219009 Websites But Canada battled back in a high-scoring second period, falling behind 5-2 before notching three unanswered goals to tie things up. With the game up for grabs in the final frame, the United States ultimately prevailed on goals from Brianna Decker and Kendall Coyne Schofield. TSN.CA / A closer look at Canada’s gold-medal drought at the women’s worlds “Our team showed a lot of heart,” said Natalie Spooner. “We were down a lot of goals and we came back… It’s really tough to have lost that game.”

By Meaghen Johnson Canada had a lot of new faces on the roster, which had an average age of just over 24. Wickenheiser, the team’s all-time leading scorer, missed

the tournament after undergoing foot surgery. Poulin, then 24, served as It’s been almost a decade since Canada’s women’s hockey team last team captain for the first time at a world championship. won gold at the IIHF Women’s World Championship. It was also the last game in Ouellette’s storied career. She was originally For a team that has been synonymous with winning, it’s difficult to left off the roster but was brought on to replace an injured Haley Irwin. believe that 2012 was the last year the Canadians had gold draped “I’m just sad that I couldn’t win for this team,” a very emotional Ouellette around their necks. Hardly any players from that roster remain on the said. “We had a great group, we played for one another. I’m proud of team. Sarah Fillier, one of Canada’s current young stars, was a few everyone. Hopefully they use this as motivation to get better, because we months shy of her 12th birthday the last time Canada was crowned world need to get better if we want to beat that U.S. team.” champions. 2016 So, what happened to Canada over the past five tournaments? In a nutshell: four straight losses to the United States in gold-medal games Result: Silver and a shocking upset at the hands of Finland in 2019 has left Canada mired in its longest gold-medal drought at the world championship. (The Head Coach: Laura Schuler tournament wasn’t held in 2014 and 2018 due to the Olympics, and last In a reversal of the offensive explosion from the previous year, the final in year the event was cancelled because of COVID-19.) 2016 was a tight battle, with both teams unable to break the scoreless But with the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship set to kick off on deadlock for three periods. American forward Alex Carpenter scored 12 August 20 in Calgary, let’s take a closer look at Canada’s results at the minutes into overtime, finding the loose puck that had bounced behind tournament since the team’s last championship run. goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer, who finished with 33 saves in the game. 2013 “Maschmeyer – what can you say about her? She played unbelievable. Result: Silver She kept us in the game. Unfortunately, it was a lucky bounce at the end,” said Poulin. Head Coach: Dan Church The U.S. spoiled Wickenheiser’s final world championship and another With the world championship taking place in Ottawa – the first time the potential home-ice celebration for Canada, with the tournament taking tournament was held in Canada in six years – the Canadians were place in Kamloops, B.C. hoping for a boost from the home crowd, but ultimately fell 3-2 to the Americans in the gold-medal match. “It was electric out there,” said Maschmeyer. “The fans picked us up when we needed it and they kept us going for the entire game.” The score would imply a close game, but the U.S. outshot Canada 30-16 and largely dominated. Goaltender Shannon Szabados kept Canada in Maschmeyer, then 21, was a breakout star for Canada. She was named the match until Amanda Kessel scored the winning goal in the third the tournament’s best goaltender after posting a 1.25 goals-against period. average and a .956 save percentage.

“It’s really hard,” Caroline Ouellette told TSN after the game. “We’re in 2017 our country, in front of a great crowd. We wanted to be proud of our effort. I don’t have that feeling right now. I thought we were outplayed, Result: Silver outshot, out-chanced, and it’s not a good feeling.” Head Coach: Laura Schuler Canada had dominated in the run-up to the final. They finished atop their With the tournament shifting to Plymouth, Mich., Canada had a chance to group with three wins, including a 3-2 overtime victory against the repay the U.S. and take the gold on the Americans’ home turf. However, Americans. The Canadians finished the preliminary round with a +22 goal another overtime winner – this time from Hilary Knight on an odd-man differential, 16 more than the U.S. Canada routed Russia 8-1 in their rush – gave the United States a 3-2 victory and their fourth consecutive semifinal, while the United States had a much closer 3-0 victory over gold medal, and first on home ice. Finland in their semi. “It’s all too familiar to us right now,” said Brianne Jenner. “We want it All the signs indicated a Canadian gold medal, but ultimately the really bad. We just have to figure out what that one missing piece is.” Americans won their fifth world title in seven years. “Simply put, they score more goals than we do,” said Irwin. “We have to “It feels like a bad dream,” Hayley Wickenheiser said following the loss. generate way more offence.” 2015 Poulin was the only Canadian to finish in the top 10 in tournament Result: Silver scoring, with six points in five games. Canada finished third in both scoring efficiency (10.49 per cent) and power play percentage (22.73 per Head Coach: Doug Derraugh cent), and had just one goal from their defencemen in the entire tournament. Canada didn’t wake up from the bad dream in 2015, losing 7-5 to the United States in the highest-scoring gold-medal game in tournament The 2017 women’s worlds was both a continuation of a disturbing trend history. for Canada as well as a concerning sign of things to come. Not only did the Canadians lose to the Americans in the preliminary round – the third The Canadians were coming off a 3-2 overtime win against their rivals to straight year where they were defeated twice by their rivals in a single claim gold at the Sochi Olympics, a game in which they erased a two- tournament – Canada also fell 4-3 to Finland in its second group game. goal deficit in the final four minutes of the third period. Marie-Philip Poulin provided the heroics, scoring the tying goal and the overtime winner. It was the first-ever victory for Finland over Canada, but it wouldn’t be the last. While Canada was feeling confident after winning a fourth straight Olympic gold, it was the Americans who jumped out to a 3-0 lead just a 2019 little over 10 minutes into the start of the gold-medal game at the 2015 women’s worlds. Result: Bronze Head Coach: Perry Pearn

After losing to the United States in the gold-medal game at the PyeongChang Olympics in 2018, it was more frustration for Canada at the 2019 IIHF Women’s World Championship. Without their captain Poulin, who aggravated a knee injury in a game against Russia, Canada would face a worst-ever finish.

Following another loss to the Americans in the preliminary round – Canada’s eighth straight loss to their rivals at the women’s worlds – the Canadians were set to face Finland in the semifinals. Canada had posted a comfortable 6-1 win over the Finns in the group stage, and after the Canadians jumped to an early 1-0 lead just over two minutes into the semifinal, it seemed like another inevitable Canada-U.S. showdown in the gold-medal match.

But Finland would take a 2-1 lead thanks to a pair of power-play goals. Loren Gabel would tie it for Canada, but the Finns, bolstered by thousands of fans on home ice in Espoo, would not be deterred, and would retake the lead before the end of the second period on a shot from Susanna Tapani that snuck through a screened Szabados.

Goaltender Noora Räty would shut the door the rest of the way, recording 43 saves in a 4-2 win. After the final whistle, Finnish coach Pasi Mustonen kissed the ice at Espoo Metro Areena.

“These other countries are catching up. They want to beat us every time they play us,” said Jenner.

Although Canada would take home a medal after easily beating Russia 7-0 in the bronze-medal match, it was still the team’s worst-ever finish at a major tournament, and the U.S. would go on to claim a fifth straight gold medal, albeit in controversial fashion.

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USA TODAY / Traded goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will play for Chicago Blackhawks

Mike Brehm

USA TODAY

Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Marc-Andre Fleury has agreed to play for the Chicago Blackhawks this season after his trade.

The Blackhawks’ Twitter account dropped hints about the decision Sunday by tweeting an emoji of a flower, Fleury’s nickname. The team later released a video of the goalie on a tarmac, saying, "Hey Chicago, it's Marc. So I'm letting you know I'm in. Let's get to work."

Fleury, who played the last four seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights, was dealt to the Blackhawks on July 27 for minor league forward Mikael Hakkarainen.

He had told the Golden Knights that he wanted to stay in Las Vegas because his family enjoyed the city. After the trade, he wanted to discuss the situation with his family, and they will join him in Chicago.

Fleury, 36, was voted the top goaltender last season after going 26-10 with a 1.98 goals-against average and .928 save percentage. He and Robin Lehner shared the Williams Jennings Trophy for the lowest team goals-against average.

In Chicago, he’ll bolster a revamped team that added defensemen Seth Jones, Caleb Jones and Jake McCabe and forwards Tyler Johnson and Jujhar Khaira. Captain Jonathan Toews also plans to return from a season-long ailment.

Fleury, who ranks third in all-time victories (492) and has won three Stanley Cups, has one year left on a contract that pays him $7 million this year.

USA TODAY LOADED: 08.02.2021