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SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 8/21/2021 Senators 1219544 NHL believes Coyotes will 1219567 Expect to produce proof of double-vaccination to go to see stay near Phoenix the Senators this winter 1219545 Fresh start in Tempe is exactly what the Coyotes need to succeed 1219568 Stick taps to the career of Lundqvist, who was a thorn in Flyers' side 1219546 King Henrik Retires; Bruins D; Yotes; RIP Russ Conway 1219569 5 players to keep tabs on during Flyers development camp 1219547 'Last call' for : Legendary Sabres 1219570 Million Dollar Question: Projecting ’s Next broadcaster will call 20 games and then retire Contract 1219571 Dan’s Daily: Lundqvist Retires, Bettman Defends Lack of Flames Suspensions 1219548 Flames, Zadorov avoid arbitration with one-year, US$3.75-million contract 1219572 Sharks top prospect Eklund makes debut at development Blackhawks camp 1219549 Why Colliton welcomes elevated team expectations 1219550 Q&A with Alex Nylander: On knee injury, rehab process 1219573 Top Kraken pick Matty Beniers will return to University of for sophomore 1219551 Avalanche Notebook: Peter Budaj is back St Louis Blues 1219574 Blues plan to be at full capacity for 2021-22 season 1219552 Stars CEO Brad Alberts on a potential NHL team in 1219575 Blues will retire Pronger jersey on Jan. 17 , TV stalemate and hopes for a ‘normal’ season Maple Leafs 1219576 Where would homeless Coyotes roam? 1219553 Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill to play in Ally Challenge Celebrity Shootout 1219554 Pat Verbeek takes over as Griffins GM, expanding Red 1219582 Discovering a role helped new Canucks centre Dickinson Wings role find a roll Kings 1219555 LA Kings announce Development Camp roster & schedule 1219577 Longtime Rangers retires from NHL Canadiens 1219578 Who will be the Caps' No. 1 goalie by the end of the 1219556 Q&A: Canadiens rookie on receiving the season? Hobey Baker Award, breaking into the NHL and what’s 1219579 What can we reasonably expect from Kuznetsov this next season? 1219580 How many goals will Ovechkin score in 2021-22? 1219557 Why Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros is training Websites with other NHL players in 1219583 The Athletic / Who goes first in a 2018 NHL Draft redo? And how do their pre-draft rankings hold up today? 1219584 The Athletic / By the numbers: Projections for the 1219558 State of the Devils: How a significant offseason Women’s World Championship transformation will affect the defense, now and in the 1219585 .ca / Why Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist is a future lock for Hall of Fame 1219586 Rangers great Henrik Lundqvist announces retirement: Islanders Five-time All-Star goalie played 15 NHL seasons 1219559 Gary Bettman: ‘Fans of the Islanders are going to love UBS Arena’ 1219581 Morrissey leads what could be special blue-line 1219560 Henrik Lundqvist, Star of the Rangers and the City, Retires SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1219561 Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist announces retirement: ‘It’s time’ 1219562 Top five moments in Henrik Lundqvist’s illustrious career 1219563 Rangers to honor Henrik Lundqvist’s brilliant career by immediately retiring number 1219564 Henrik Lundqvist announces retirement after legendary career 1219565 Longtime Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist retires NHL 1219566 Dudes on Ice: A Play About Hockey Tackles Masculinity, Too 1219544 Arizona Coyotes

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman believes Coyotes will stay near Phoenix

BY ARIZONA SPORTS

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said it was his belief that the Arizona Coyotes front office was committed to staying in the greater Phoenix area, despite finding out that the City of Glendale decided against renewing its lease with the NHL franchise.

The news broke in the middle of an interview Bettman was giving to New York-based radio show Carton and Roberts.

“First of all, I don’t think the Coyotes franchise is going anywhere,” Bettman said. “I think the City of Glendale is negotiating. There’s no secret that Alex Meruelo, who is the owner of the Coyotes, is looking at his options to build a new arena somewhere else in greater Phoenix.”

There has been a discussion among the Coyotes and the City of Tempe to build a new facility near the corner of Priest Drive and Rio Salado Parkway.

Bettman thinks the posture by Glendale could be a negotiating tactic as the team and city have been operating on a year-to-year basis regarding the arena lease.

“I think the City of Glendale basically said to the Coyotes ‘You have to sign a 20 year lease or we’re not going to renew,'” Bettman said. “I just think they are just negotiating. I’m not worried about the Coyotes. I think their future stays in the greater Phoenix area.”

In a Twitter thread, Glendale said it informed the Coyotes this year will be its last at the arena that opened in 2003.

The city said its decision was due to “increased focus on larger, more impactful events and uses of the city-owner arena.”

Bettman thinks the posture by Glendale could be a negotiating tactic as the team and city have been operating on a year-to-year basis regarding the arena lease.

Arizona Sports LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219545 Arizona Coyotes Arizona Sports LOADED: 08.21.2021

Fresh start in Tempe is exactly what the Coyotes need to succeed

BY DAN BICKLEY

Arizona Sports

Outside, the temperature peaked at 107 degrees. Inside, blasts of air conditioning greeted the sweating masses, cooling and fueling 17,148 people who poured into the arena for Game 5 of the 2012 Western Conference Finals.

The Coyotes were eliminated a few hours later, losing to the Kings in . But the stage was sublime. The moment was nirvana. It was late May and our NHL team was competing for a , offering some of the finest spectacle in sport as well as sweet relief from the oppressing heat.

It was the high-water mark between the Coyotes and their business partner, the City of Glendale. It was a snapshot of what could’ve been and never was again.

A doomed relationship finally received an expiration date on Thursday. Like a landlord kicking out an unruly, unreliable tenant who doesn’t always pay the rent on time, Glendale announced they were ending their dealings with the Coyotes after the upcoming season.

The reaction was a mixture of gasps and yawns, of fear and apathy.

This does not mean the Coyotes are going anywhere anytime soon. Bottom line: The Coyotes are attempting to relocate to a prime location in Tempe.

Their owner has one of the golden tickets in Arizona, the ability to create a sportsbook for legal wagering. He might have to bend and scramble to fund the deal because no taxpayer relief or political capital is forthcoming. If he thinks otherwise, he is a fool.

But if he can partner up with Tempe on a location near the intersection of Priest Drive and Rio Salado Parkway – building his own entertainment district – it will be worth every penny.

In theory, that would also leave the Coyotes homeless for two seasons, maybe even three. The Suns have made it clear they are not shopping for roommates. To date, Arizona State has also been disinclined to pair up with the Coyotes in their intimate new arena.

But if NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman wants the Coyotes in Arizona, and if Alex Meruelo seduces Tempe city leaders with his proposal, our hockey team will find a way. They could play at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. They could play a chunk of their home schedule at Chase Field. They could change Glendale’s mind by squaring up old debts and increasing rent payments in the short term.

If a new arena becomes a reality, the NHL will help the Coyotes do whatever it takes to forge a new beginning in Arizona. And that’s exactly what they need.

Hockey can work in a desert. is proof.

Hockey can also grow deep in our communities even without a good NHL product, as proven by the spectacular grass roots movement in Arizona that has spawned a college program at ASU and countless young prospects. If anything, the Coyotes’ tenure in Glendale only proves the famous real estate tenet: location, location, location.

The Coyotes have been caught in a vicious circle. They might have a sweetheart lease but their revenue streams are more like kiddie pools. They can never afford premium talent. When they try to sign marquee players, it’s never a long-term commitment because the financial losses are too severe. Even the most successful, wealthy businessmen who try their hand at NHL ownership in Arizona get sick and tired of all the red ink. Nobody likes to lose money.

As a result, the Coyotes have rarely peddled in the giddy currency of playoff hockey, a time when the sport draws in mainstream fans, commercial sponsors and new business opportunities. When a freezing rink and an ice cold beer is exactly what you’re craving on a sweltering day in May. 1219546 Boston Bruins

King Henrik Retires; Bruins D; Yotes; RIP Russ Conway

By Jimmy Murphy

Published 14 hours ago on August 20, 2021

Don’t expect a dramatic reunion on the ice for the Boston Bruins this coming season.

A legend between the pipes, that gave the Boston Bruins and plenty of other teams fits over the years announced his retirement on Friday.

Once again, the Arizona Coyotes are looking for a new home. Poutine anyone?

Two years ago today the hockey media world, the Boston Bruins and the hockey world in general lost a legend.

That and more in the latest Boston Hockey Now Puck Links:

Boston Bruins

Former Boston Bruins Zdeno Chara could still play another NHL game but it’s ‘highly unlikely’ the 44-year-old defenseman will do so for the Bruins. (BHN)

Speaking of defensemen, how will Boston Bruins veteran rearguard John Moore fit into the Bruins’ blue line this season? (BHN)

National Hockey Now

One of the best goalies this puck scribe ever covered retired on Friday. Congrats on a great career King Henrik! (Washington Hockey Now) pic.twitter.com/dKKdNxHc8U

— Henrik Lundqvist (@hlundqvist35) August 20, 2021

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman thinks and NHL fans are going to love the Isles’ new digs when UBS Arena opens in November. (NYI Hockey Now)

Are the Pittsburgh Penguins getting closer to contract extensions for defenseman Kris Letang and forward Evgeni Malkin? (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

What Detroit Red Wings players will be playing in Beijing next February? (Detroit Hockey Now)

Do fans think the Colorado Avalanche addressed their depth issues? (Colorado Hockey Now)

NHL

Can we just relocate the Arizona Coyotes to already? Stop fighting destiny NHL! (The Athletic)

Why did the NHL finally give in and allow ads on their team jerseys? It’s pretty simple really but read this for the detes. (ESPN)

Two years ago today, I lost a mentor and the hockey world lost a hall of fame puck scribe that worked an NHL dressing room like no other. I miss Russ Conway every day and would give anything to just pick up the phone and talk hockey with him right now. Sláinte Russ! Here’s a two- part tribute I wrote on Russ after he passed away. (Part 1 and Part 2)

Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219547 Buffalo Sabres first time in 10 years; "Top shelf where Mama hides the cookies!" for goals that went in under the crossbar; and, arguably his most famous, "Oh now do you believe? Now do you believe? These guys are good! 'Last call' for Rick Jeanneret: Legendary Sabres broadcaster will call 20 Scary good!" after scored a short-handed, overtime games and then retire against the in 2006 to win a second-round series.

Jeanneret began cutting back on his schedule of games 10 years ago when he stopped covering every road game. He was diagnosed with Alan Pergament throat cancer in 2014, and missed part of the 2014-2015 season.

Aug 20, 2021 Updated 8 hrs ago Preisler said the season will give Jeanneret the send-off that he deserves with fans attending games.

While Jeanneret said he expects to do only home games, Dunleavy will Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame play-by-play announcer Rick Jeanneret will call the remaining home games as well as road games from KeyBank work 20 regular season games on cable's MSG and WGR radio in what Center and will not be traveling to road games. will be his 51st and final season in the booth, the team announced Friday morning. The team's plan is to give fans and former players a chance to celebrate Jeanneret’s legendary career throughout the season across all its media Mark Preisler, the executive vice president of Pegula Sports and platforms. Entertainment, declined to give an exact number of “limited games” that Jeanneret would work but the play-by-play announcer said in an In a sense, the celebration will be a replay of last season’s season finale, interview that it will be 20 of the 82 regular season games, all 20 played which did a terrific job celebrating Jeanneret’s 50 years as the team’s at KeyBank Center. broadcaster. He was praised so often that by game’s end he joked that it felt like a eulogy. That’s the same number of games that Jeanneret worked in last season’s abbreviated 56-game season. Of course, the one thing likely missing from Jeanneret’s final season will be the rebuilding Sabres breaking their playoff drought that started after Jeanneret’s 20-game schedule appears to have been a compromise the 2011 season. between the announcers’ desire to do more games and the Sabres desire to give him a good send-off and also give a larger Ever the optimist, Jeanneret disagreed. role in his ninth season as the team’s play-by-play announcer. “No, I don’t look at it like that,” he said, laughing. “I can’t. Stranger things “We bargained a little bit going back and forth but it didn’t take very long,” have happened.” said Jeanneret in a telephone interview. Buffalo News LOADED: 08.21.2021 It is a win-win, with Jeanneret getting a final season to say goodbye and being celebrated in what will be billed as his “last call” and the Sabres avoiding a public relations issue if he wasn’t given a final season.

Dunleavy gave a hint that things would be changing in a recent interview when he said that he sensed he would be working more Sabres games this season than he has in previous seasons. The most games Dunleavy worked before this upcoming season was 42. He might do as many as 55-60 games this season, depending on how many Sabres games will be carried exclusively by the NHL’s new TV partners ESPN, TNT and ABC.

“We are very happy Sabres fans will have the chance to give RJ the send-off he deserves as he calls his 51st season of games,” said Preisler in a release. “During the past few weeks, I have rewatched his greatest calls over and over. They still bring chills.

“Like our greatest players, Rick is ensconced in this team. It’s almost impossible to listen to a Sabres game without thinking of RJ.”

In last season’s finale, Jeanneret, 79, thanked the behind-the-scenes personnel who have worked with him before adding: “I hope to have the opportunity to work with them again.”

He is happy to be getting that chance.

“I’m glad the decision has been made and that I know I am coming back and doing 20 games, which is about one quarter of the season anyway,” said Jeanneret. “It is coming to end. This is the last year, this will definitely be it. I was offered the opportunity and I thought it is one more kick of the can.”

In Friday’s Sabres release, Jeanneret was quoted as saying “to spend 50 years doing any one job is more than a person can ask for, let alone one as special as mine. My interactions with the fans at KeyBank Center have been one of the thrills of my career, one that was sorely missing in the past year. So let’s make it 51. I look forward to seeing you at the rink for one last run.”

Jeanneret's relationship with the franchise is almost as long as the franchise itself, starting in the team's second season. When was "the voice of the Sabres" on TV and radio games, Jeanneret would call the games on radio when Darling did a game on TV. Eventually, Jeanneret segued to TV and when the team decided to games on both mediums, Jeanneret was the voice of both.

Generations of fans know many of his most iconic calls: "La-la-la-la- LaFontaine," when Pat LaFontaine scored; "May Day! May Day!" when 's overtime goal in Game 4 of an opening round series against the Boston Bruins in 1993 sent the Sabres to the second round for the 1219548 the league leaders in total collisions. Offensively, he chipped in one goal and seven assists.

Now entering his eighth full campaign at the highest level, Zadorov won’t Flames, Zadorov avoid arbitration with one-year, US$3.75-million be auditioning only for more term and loot on his next contract. He is also contract on the radar to represent Russia at the 2022 Winter Olympics, as long as the NHL sends its stars to Beijing.

Wes Gilbertson Zadorov made a positive impression at the world championship this past spring, leading all players with a plus-11 rating. Publishing date:Aug 20, 2021 • 8 hours ago “If I would bet, I would bet we’re going to play in Olympics,” Zadorov said of the uncertainty about NHL participation in the upcoming spectacle. “And it’s pretty big. I mean, it’s really big for my country and it would be a Nikita Zadorov doesn’t mind absorbing a thump from an opposing pleasure for me to play in that tournament, especially wearing my flag. forechecker, sacrificing his body to block a 95 m.p.h. slap- or I’m definitely looking forward to have a good season and hopefully, the dropping the gloves to duke it out in a fight. national team coaches will like me.” That’s all part of the job description for the rugged rearguard. With Zadorov and Valimaki signed, the Flames have four remaining The 26-year-old was, however, keen to avoid another potentially painful RFAs — Mackey, plus forwards Dillon Dube, Glenn Gawdin and Justin and unpleasant scenario — a salary arbitration faceoff with the Calgary Kirkland. Flames, the organization that traded for his rights earlier this summer. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 08.21.2021 Zadorov filed for arbitration as a restricted and was scheduled for a hearing next Thursday, but he can now scratch that from his to-do list after scribbling his signature on a one-year contract with a salary-cap hit of US$3.75 million.

“It’s definitely a relief,” Zadorov said after his deal was finalized Friday. “Not many people would like to go (to arbitration), especially with a new team like I have. It’s kind of not a fun process, listening to all the bad stuff about yourself, so it’s nice to get it done and it’s nice to just kind of relax now and focus on the season.”

Flames general Brad Treliving was busy Friday, later inking Juuso Valimaki to a two-year contract with an average annual value of US$1.55 million.

While the 22-year-old Valimaki, despite his growing pains as a rookie this past season, is a definite part of the long-term plan at the Saddledome, it’s possible now that Zadorov’s stay could be a relatively short one. Acquired last month from the in exchange for a third-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft and slated to slide into a top- four role, the new guy in No. 16 will hit unrestricted free agency after this coming campaign.

That gives this physical left-hander one winter to gauge if Calgary is a good fit for him and his family, while the Flames’ plan could hinge on whether any of a hat-trick of young blue-liners — Valimaki, Oliver Kylington or Connor Mackey — proves ready for increased workload and responsibility.

The term of Zadorov’s pact also provides Treliving with extra financial flexibility next off-season, when marquee forwards Johnny Gaudreau, Andrew Mangiapane and Matthew Tkachuk will all be up for new contracts. (Gaudreau is headed toward unrestricted free agency but is already talking extension with the club, while Mangiapane and Tkachuk will be RFAs after 2021-22.)

“We had lots of discussions with different terms and different lengths and, at the end of the day, I think one year is good for everybody,” Treliving said of Zadorov’s deal. “We get to know him, he gets to know us … And it doesn’t necessarily mean we can’t keep the relationship together.

“We’re hopeful that everything goes well and we extend him moving forward. But for now, this felt good for everybody and we’ll go from there.”

“If there is a possibility to stay longer, then we are going to take a look at it definitely,” Zadorov echoed from his home digs in Florida, where he’s been back on the ice for the past six weeks or so as he readies for training camp and the 82-game slate that follows. “But right now, I’m just focusing on the start of the season, get ready for it, play my hockey and help the team to win some games.”

Assuming the Flames stick with the shutdown tandem of Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev, Zadorov will presumably be paired initially with righty Rasmus Andersson.

While it would be unfair to think that the towering Russian can fill the massive void left by the departure of captain and defensive workhorse Mark Giordano, Zadorov will certainly make his presence known at the Saddledome. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 236 lb., he racked up 190 hits in 55 appearances last season with the Blackhawks, finishing seventh among 1219549 Chicago Blackhawks exciting. You want that pressure. That means you have a chance to do something."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.21.2021 Why Colliton welcomes elevated team expectations

BY CHARLIE ROUMELIOTIS

PRESENTED BY NATIONWIDE INSURANCE AGENT JEFF VUKOVICH

The Blackhawks had arguably the busiest summer of any NHL team not named Seattle by upgrading their roster through blockbuster trades and free-agent signings ahead of the 2021-22 season.

We're nearly one month away from the start of training camp and the excitement level within the organization is evident. Just ask head coach Jeremy Colliton.

"The whole summer, it's really exciting when you think about the moves that were made," Colliton said on the latest episode of the Blackhawks Talk Podcast. "To me, it's as excited as I've ever been just thinking about the team the last couple weeks and getting ready for training camp."

The Blackhawks, most notably, acquired winner Marc- Andre Fleury, two-time Stanley Cup champion Tyler Johnson, four-time All-Star defenseman Seth Jones and signed top-four defenseman Jake McCabe.

Jones was the first big fish to land in Chicago, immediately giving the Blackhawks a perennial No. 1 defenseman for years to come.

"We think really highly of Seth,” Colliton said. “There's a lot of hockey left in him. He's still a young guy. He’s done a lot in his career already, so sometimes you forget that he's still got years of ... I think, to me, you can keep developing throughout your career, but he's 26 years old. There's a lot of elite level left in him and just excited to have a chance to work with him.”

Fleury was the other big name to follow. He's going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer one day and is coming off one of his best seasons ever, even at age 36.

Colliton and Fleury were teammates with Team Canada at the 2005 IIHF World Junior Championship that won gold, and the Blackhawks head coach knows his presence alone changes the dynamic of the group both on and off the ice.

"Whoever you talk to about him, old teammates or coaches or whatever, and I was able to have that experience when I was younger, just tremendous character, tremendous work ethic, energy, personality," Colliton said. "He's a great guy to be around. He brings that energy and fire to the team. Really excited about what he can bring to our group and help our other young goalies."

Over the next few weeks, Fleury, Jones and the rest of the team will start trickling back to Chicago to gear up for the season, if they haven't already done so. And you expect a motivated group to report.

"I've talked to almost all the guys — if I haven't talked to everyone, I will soon — and there's a tremendous level of excitement about what's been done," Colliton said. "Stan's done a fantastic job, the rest of the management group's done a fantastic job putting the pieces in place and now it's up to us to come ready in training camp and with excitement and passion and we've got to put it together and perform.

"That's what you want, as a competitor. We're excited to build on last year, but also it's with a bunch of new guys. It's going to be a new group and you want to see how that plays out."

While the moves on paper don't necessarily guarantee the Blackhawks a playoff spot, Colliton welcomes the heightened expectations for the team.

"We should expect more from ourselves and from the group," Colliton said. "Last year we did play a lot of young players. I mean, we still had high expectations within the dressing room and I think for large stretches of the year we played at a really high level. Ultimately what we did is, we found out we've got a bunch of guys who can play at this level. It's just, who can sustain it? What level can they get to? And how long can they sustain it?

"And now with adding a bunch of guys, we've increased the standard, so we should expect ... we should have a higher standard now. And that's 1219550 Chicago Blackhawks What was your communication level like with the team while you were rehabbing? Were you part of the meetings, etc. or were you in your own world rehabbing?

Q&A with Alex Nylander: On knee injury, rehab process At the beginning, it was just focusing on the rehab and get the first six weeks when I was in the crutch and get out of the crutch and start focusing on getting better, walking and stuff like that. BY CHARLIE ROUMELIOTIS And then after that, I was in some of the meetings with the team, see PRESENTED BY NATIONWIDE INSURANCE AGENT JEFF VUKOVICH what they were up to so I was up to date, and obviously had talks with Coach Jeremy [Colliton] and he would just show me things that they had

been working on and looking at my game to see what I can improve on, After missing the 2020-21 season with a knee injury, Alex Nylander is so we had a lot of good talks throughout the time last season. That ready to go and gearing up for training camp in September after signing a actually helped me a lot and now I know the new stuff we have for next one-year extension with the Blackhawks on Monday. season and even for me to get better as a player as well.

In an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Chicago, Nylander opened up When you look at the roster moves that the Blackhawks made this about his meniscus injury, the rehab process, his mindset going into the offseason, it's obviously a crowded group up front. What's your mindset camp and more. going into camp?

Here is the full transcript from the Q&A, which has been lightly edited for I'm going to go in like I have another training camp and be ready, be brevity and clarity: ready 100 percent and be confident. I know we made a lot of trades and all that stuff. We've got a lot of really good depth, we've got a good team First off, congratulations on the extension. How are you feeling and how's now. It's obviously a lot of new faces, for me even, because I missed last your rehab going? year and we had some new faces.

It's been going great. Obviously it took a long time. I've never been I think it could be a really good group. It's going to be very exciting and through something like this, so it was a little bit different, but I feel really I'm just going to go in with the mentality that I want to be where I know I good. I'm back on the ice just like normal and doing everything I did can be on the team and battle and help the team win. Obviously it's going before, so I'm really happy and excited. It feels great to be back on the to be a little bit different coming off an injury, but I don't think that's going ice and doing the thing that I love most. to be a huge difference. I feel really good on the ice now. I'm just excited and happy to be back with the guys and show them what I could do. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the injury happened against Vegas in the bubble. Do you remember the specific play or incident? Blackhawks President/GM Stan Bowman said in the press release that this upcoming season is going to be an important one for you "to perform To be honest, I actually don't know how I got my injury. I don't remember consistently and contribute offensively." How important do you feel that's a hit or anything in the knee. I just had symptoms and stuff, but then I felt going to be for you personally? good and everything. But I don't remember a certain play or anything that happened, it's kind of weird how I got this injury, but it is what it is and Oh, yeah. I think that's going to be huge for me. I know what I can do and now we're back. I know I have to perform consistently and be there every day and work every night, every shift. That's stuff I know I need to do and I can do. Do you know for sure if it happened in the Vegas series or was it before When I move my feet and create stuff out there, I know good stuff will and you just didn't realize it until the Vegas series? happen. I know it's a big season for me and I need to prove a lot. Yeah, it could've been something like that. That's what I would actually Last one for you: Any personal goals for you this season, specifically? love to know: when it happened. But I don't know, it's hard for me to answer that question. But it happened somewhere in the bubble. Obviously you have goals going into the season, you want to be contributing every night offensively but also good in your own end and be Walk me through the process of deciding after the season whether to rest the guy that can be a difference-maker. Obviously you have goals as it or elect for surgery right away. What were the conversations like with points and stuff like that that I want to do and I know I can achieve if I do the doctors and what did you want to do as a player? the things that I've been working on through the summer and through the Well I was getting ready for the season and I was feeling good, and I was season, and be ready every night and the points will come. You want to talking to the doctors and there came a where I started feeling it be one of the top scorers on the team. more. Honestly, I didn't know before the surgery if it was going to be the SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.21.2021 long one or the short one, but we all said it was best for my future career and the best way to go is the longer route. The doctor decides that when he goes into the knee and he said that's what he saw was best for me and how it looks, so he saved my meniscus.

Obviously, it sucks that I was out for that long period, but it happens in the sport and now I'm ready and back and it feels great, so I'm just very happy about that. The rehab has been really good.

So you feel back to 100 percent and you expect to be ready for training camp in September?

Yeah, yeah. That's no problem. I'm feeling really good now and skating just like normal, so I'll be back and no problem for training camp.

How tough was it for you, personally, to watch last season from afar, especially given the youth movement? I'm sure it would've been a good opportunity for you to showcase yourself with all the young players.

Yeah, of course. It's tough when that happens. It was my first time going into surgery, so I didn't know what to expect after. Obviously you want to be with the team and help them win. I saw a lot of games, we had a good season and you want to be out there and help them win those games.

It was a different aspect, but I was being able to see everything, I watched all the games and I think I learned some things coming out of this injury, so I feel like it could be good for me to use going into this season. It would've been a lot of fun playing with those young guys this year, but I'm just excited to be back and ready for this season. 1219551 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche Notebook: Peter Budaj is back

By Adrian Dater

Published 10 hours ago on August 20, 2021

Peter Budaj is officially a member of the Colorado Avalanche organ-i- zation again.

Peter Budaj, who played in goal for the Avs from 2005-11, signed on to become the Avalanche’s “development goaltending coach.” He’s not the main goalie coach, and not even the goalie coach of the Colorado Eagles. He’ll check in on prospect goalies in the organization who play elsewhere.

Nice to see Boods back.

In other news, the Avs also extended the coaching contract of Colorado Eagles head coach Greg Cronin. He got a three-year extension, through the 2023-24 season. That’s a nice accomplishment for Cronin, in a league where coaches don’t usually have too long of a shelf life. The Avs also gave extensions to Cronin’s assistants, such as Brett Clark, Aaron Schneekloth and Ryan Bach.

Cronin has posted a record of 85-60-12 in his first three seasons behind the bench in Colorado.

Avs first-round 2021 pick Oskar Olausson also agreed to sign with the of the Hockey League and play there this coming season. Originally, Olausson said he’d play again in , but the Colts changed his mind.

I think that’s a smart move by Olausson, because I think you want to get used to the North American-sized rinks as quick as you can, if your goal is to play in the NHL eventually.

Plus, after having covered so many players who came up through the ranks, they usually say that it was better for them to challenge themselves more in the developmental stage by not staying too safe and comfortable back home, etc.

I think it will be great for Olausson to not only get used to North American-sized rinks, but to experience a new culture.

Colorado hockey now LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219552 Dallas Stars floated out there, which would give you guys company in the state, what do you think about when you hear that?

There has been no discussion at the league level about a team in Stars CEO Brad Alberts on a potential NHL team in Houston, TV Houston so that’s why I do not think — I know there’s a lot of talk — but I stalemate and hopes for a ‘normal’ season do not think that that’s a reality. Now, obviously, things change and the world changes very fast nowadays so I can’t speak with certainty on that but I do not believe those are the plans. I do not believe the NHL wants By Saad Yousuf to abandon the Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe market. I think they’re going to try to figure out every way to make a franchise work there. Aug 20, 2021 I don’t know that (Houston Rockets owner and billionaire businessman

Tilman) Fertitta down in Houston wants an NHL team. I’ve heard rumors On Thursday, the City of Glendale informed the Arizona Coyotes that it that maybe he does but I don’t know for sure. Hey, if it happened, we will opt out of its joint lease agreement for , meaning the would embrace it and we would embrace the new hockey rivalry in the 2021-22 season will be the club’s final one at the facility. That brought state. I don’t know that I’m pushing for it. I think I like the fact that we’re about public chatter about the potential relocation of the franchise, with the only team (in Texas). We’ll just see how things materialize. I don’t Houston being at the tip of many tongues in speculation. Currently, the know the details behind what happened in Arizona either. … I don’t think Stars are the lone hockey presence in the state of Texas, both in the that Houston is a reality in the short term. Unless something dramatically NHL and the AHL. changes, I don’t see that. We’ll see.

Stars president and CEO Brad Alberts spoke with The Athletic on Friday Houston would be a hypothetical NHL competition situation but last year about the rumors of sharing the state with another NHL franchise and we saw the San Antonio Rampage leave the state and go to as why it’s much different when it comes to the AHL. Alberts also discussed the Henderson Silver Knights. From an AHL perspective, do you prefer the plan for fans in the arena once the regular season begins, where having that close proximity rivalry or like with the NHL franchise, do you things stand for fans wanting to watch games on television and some prefer to be the only hockey team in the area? other topics. No, from an AHL perspective, not having any teams in the state is a real (This interview has been edited for length and clarity.) downer. It’s a problem. Not only from a rivalry perspective but just (with) minor-league travel and expenses, it really stinks. When we put that team We’re approximately two months away from the regular season home () in Cedar Park, there was a team in San Antonio, there was opener. Has there been a decision made on capacity? a team in Houston and there was a team in Oklahoma City, so you had a regional bus tour that made minor-league hockey really feasible and Things are being monitored. As we sit here today, we’re planning on really good. Now, I think the closest team might be in Tucson, Arizona, normal capacity and a normal experience. You and I both know, things which is just kind of unfortunate. When we lost San Antonio, that really change by the day so we’ll continue to monitor it and the league is doing stung. From an NHL perspective, you look at it differently than the AHL. I the same thing. As we get closer to the season, we’ll react and deal with wish we had more (AHL) teams in the region to really support minor- the situation at hand. Right now, we’re preparing for a normal 82-game league hockey down here in Texas and the southwest region. season with a normal attendance. With the NHL allowing ads on jerseys in the future, how much is that Even with normal capacity, will there be things like mask mandates or going to help individual teams to add that revenue, especially coming out requirements to show proof of vaccination or anything like that? of COVID-19? That’s what I don’t have any comment on. We’re just continuing to We’ve all got a year to sell the jersey and that’s what we’ll be doing. The monitor not only what our league is going to require but the obvious announcements that just came out, we’re going to start that sales politics of the situation. process. We’re not going to have that visible on the jersey this year. But Have there been any new developments on the whole television fiasco from a revenue perspective, it’s huge. This is hundreds of millions of concerning and Sinclair? dollars for the league and certainly for all of us teams, it’s a huge revenue source that coming out of COVID is really necessary for all of us. It’s a As far as I know, there have been no changes. We’re going to be dealing very powerful, financial asset for all of us to now try to monetize. with the same things that we dealt with. There is probably a major change coming in how we consume TV here in the future and I think What are you guys going for, as a franchise, when you’re pitching or most companies that are involved in that are working through the making yourself available for companies? dynamic shift to streaming. There’s not much I can do. … I can’t do From my perspective, and really from the league’s perspective, we’re a anything. None of us can. Mark Cuban can’t do anything. I can call global league. We’ve got a lot of international flare and international Sinclair and say, “Hey, we really want you to get this done.” That’s it. It’s players. Just look at our roster. So, I think it’s a global reach. It’s not just not like I can get mad at them. I don’t have any leverage. We have a a DFW company reach. We’re going to be looking for Hispanic contract with them and they pay us a lot of money to broadcast our companies, companies in Europe — we’ve obviously got a number of games and we need that money to field the team. That’s the sausage- European players — and obviously Dallas-Ft. Worth and Texas has a making behind the scenes of how the broadcast television industry great, strong corporate base that we’ll be tapping into. But we’re going to works. You’ve got to let them work it out. It’s unfortunate. I’m with be looking at this from a global perspective, not just a local one. everybody. We’re just as frustrated. It’s just, we can’t do anything other than say, “Guys, this stinks,” which I’ve done. What’s the state of the Stars franchise in terms of the financial situation approximately a year and a half since the pandemic began? How do you view the efforts you guys have put forth, as a franchise, to not just grow the team but the sport of hockey in the state and region and We’re solid. I think we’ve weathered it pretty well. I’m excited to have a what’s next? normal year and sell tickets and have 82 games. Our sponsorship business is really solid. We’re solid and I’m happy with where we’re at I’m very proud of it. I still think we have runway to go. The state of Texas and how we’ve come through it. is vast, it’s big, there are tons of fans here and we want to continue to grow that fan base. You’re going to see us do more of it. We’re really The Athletic LOADED: 08.21.2021 kicking off Hispanic- and Latino-focused marketing initiatives. We want to attract ourselves to the Hispanic consumer, not only in DFW but the state of Texas and ultimately, we want to be Mexico’s team. We want to play an NHL game in Mexico, so that’s something we think about and continue to push when the time is right. We want to do big things and I want this franchise to continue to grow. There is ample growth still there for it and we’re looking to tap into those avenues all the time.

When you see something like what’s happening in Arizona with the Coyotes and the potential of relocating an NHL franchise to Houston gets 1219553 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill to play in Ally Challenge Celebrity Shootout

By Brendan Savage | [email protected]

FLINT – Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill will be teeing it up alongside three Hall of Famers in the Ally Challenge Celebrity Shootout Aug. 28 at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club in Grand Blanc Twp.

Blashill will join Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo in the Celebrity Shootout, which will raise money for six Southeastern Michigan charities.

The nine-hole event will feature a $30,000 purse and will have a new format this year. The players will switch partners every three holes and will play a match-play scramble.

Each team will be playing for a specific charity and each hole will be assigned a dollar value.

“I’m thrilled to join the lineup for the Celebrity Shootout and look forward to raising money for charitable organizations in my home state of Michigan,” Blashill said in a statement.

“Having the opportunity to play alongside golf legends Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino is incredibly exciting and I hope along the way to pick up a few tips to improve my game.”

Blashill is in his seventh season as the Red Wings head coach after previously serving as an assistant to Mike Babcock for one year. He also coached the ’s to the 2013 Calder Cup championship.

The Celebrity Shootout will begin on the back nine immediately after the final group of the second round has completed play on the 10th hole.

Michigan Live LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219554 Detroit Red Wings

Pat Verbeek takes over as Griffins GM, expanding Red Wings role

By Ansar Khan | [email protected]

The Detroit Red Wings will not hire a replacement for Ryan Martin, opting to expand Pat Verbeek’s role.

The club announced Thursday that Verbeek will assume general manager duties for the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins while also continuing his role as Red Wings assistant GM.

Martin, in a surprise move, joined the New York Rangers last week in the same capacity he held with Detroit for eight years.

In his expanded role with the Griffins, Verbeek will be responsible for the team’s day-to-day operations, including personnel decisions, contract negotiations and player movement.

“The Griffins are a first-class organization, and Grand Rapids is a fantastic market for hockey,” Verbeek said in a statement. “Both of those factors are critical in the successful development of prospects in the American Hockey League and the ability to help them get to the next level. I look forward to continuing the winning culture in Grand Rapids and providing our prospects every necessary resource to develop as professionals and become impactful players in the NHL.”

Verbeek, 57, is in his third season as an assistant under GM and his ninth season overall with the organization, including four years as a pro scout (2006-2010) and two years as a player (1999- 2001).

He also worked alongside Yzerman with the for nine seasons as director of professional scouting (2010-12) and assistant GM and director of player personnel (2012-19).

“We’ve been fortunate to win Calder Cups under the leadership of both Ryan Martin and Jim Nill, and we’re excited at the opportunity to now work with Pat in pursuit of our mutual goals of developing players for the Red Wings and winning championships in Grand Rapids,” Griffins president Tim Gortsema said in a statement. “His experience and proven hockey acumen put us in a prime position to continue fielding competitive hockey teams now and into the future.”

Michigan Live LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219555

LA Kings announce Development Camp roster & schedule

By Zach Dooley

15 hours ago

Good Morning, Insiders!

The LA Kings have announced their roster and schedule for 2021 Development Camp, which is slated to begin at Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo on Monday.

The Development Camp roster features 29 players, including 16 forwards, 10 defensemen and three . There are 16 players who are members of the organization, three who are on AHL contracts with the Ontario Reign and 10 players who will attend on an invite basis. Many of these players will go on to participate in the 2021 Rookie Faceoff Tournament next month.

The roster includes four first-round NHL Draft selections (Brandt Clarke, 8th overall, 2021; Quinton Byfield, 2nd overall, 2020; Alex Turcotte, 5th overall, 2019; Rasmus Kupari, 20th overall, 2018). A full roster is shown below –

Camp is scheduled to be held over five days, beginning on Monday, August 23 at 10:15 AM. The first three days will include two sessions per day, one split up between forwards and defensemen, and one with the full group. Thursday’s skate will include only the positional skates in the morning, followed by a scrimmage on Friday morning. A full camp schedule is available below –

Monday, August 23

• 10:15 AM – Forward Group

• 11:15 AM – Defense Group

• 3:00 PM – Full Group

Tuesday, August 24

• 10:15 AM – Defense Group

• 11:15 AM – Forward Group

• 3:00 PM – Full Group

Wednesday, August 25

• 10:15 AM – Forward Group

• 11:15 AM – Defense Group

• 3:00 PM – Full Group

Thursday, August 26

• 10:15 AM – Defense Group

• 11:15 AM – Forward Group

Friday, August 27

• 9:00 AM – Scrimmage

The on-ice sessions will be led by the Los Angeles Kings Player Development Staff, including Mike Donnelly, Matt Greene, Sean O’Donnell and Jarret Stoll.

Development Camp is free to attend for fans, but tickets will be required for all on-ice sessions – Entry can be secured for all sessions HERE. Due to state and county guidelines, all guests must meet the health screening required, including full vaccination or proof of negative test, and approved face coverings must be worn at all times unless actively eating or drinking.

Following Development Camp, the Kings will hold a Future Stars Skills Competition & Open House on Saturday, August 28 at STAPLES Center. More information on that event is available here.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219556 Obviously, a lot of things happened this year, and it all kind of happened so fast that I think, in the moment, I didn’t really get to appreciate it or understand quite what was going on, playing on the biggest stage of Cole Caufield Q&A: Canadiens rookie on receiving the Hobey Baker hockey. I think after I got to go home and see my parents, family, that’s Award, breaking into the NHL and what’s next when I got to really take it all in. But once I started training again, that stuff kind of goes out the window. You learn from your experience and remember how you got there, but now it’s just focusing on the next thing and the next goal. I think last night, again, you got to appreciate that By Arpon Basu there’s a lot of people there supporting you, and that was awesome. That Aug 20, 2021 was a special night that you’ll remember forever. But there’s more stuff to do out there. That’s kind of how my mindset is right now.

It’s been a pretty eventful offseason for Montreal and you’re now going Cole Caufield said it was the best year of his life as he accepted the into your first NHL training camp. It’s pretty wild everything you’ve award that put a cherry on that truly incredible year Wednesday night in experienced without ever having gone through an NHL training camp. Lake Elmo, Minn. How are you looking at this upcoming season, considering how you were able to carve out a place for yourself on this team? How do you view World junior championship gold medallist. Professional hockey debut. what you need to do when you get back to Montreal? NHL debut. First career NHL goal, in overtime. Second career NHL goal, in overtime as well for good measure. First career Stanley Cup playoff I think it’s just your work ethic and trying to be consistent. Obviously, goal coming in the league semifinal. Scoring three more times in that you’re going to have some adversity along the way and you’ve just got to series to help his Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup Final. It was quite a stick with your teammates. The mindset I have is to just keep pushing ride. forward. You can’t really hang your head, especially in the NHL where you can have a pretty tough night one night and then turn it around the And now, at the Royal Golf Club just outside Minneapolis, Caufield was next. Or you can have a couple of games where things aren’t going your officially handed the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s top player. way, but you’ve got to find ways to contribute sometimes. I think that’s Though he won the award while sitting in Joël Bouchard’s office just prior just being consistent, and that’s one of the things that’s on my mind right to that professional debut with the Laval Rocket in Toronto, this was the now. Just keep working every day. We’ve got a lot of guys in the room first time Caufield had seen and touched the trophy. who lead the right way, lead by example, and I think that’s just a really It made the whole thing more meaningful to him. good thing moving forward for our team to have success.

“Everyone pretty much knows what it looks like, but once you see it in Are you looking at training camp like you have to win a job again or do person, it’s a really special trophy,” Caufield said Thursday, the day after you feel secure in the fact that you are on this team? the ceremony. “To see the names that are on it from the past, it’s just I think every year you have to go in to try and earn your spot. really humbling and an honour just to be a part of that list. I think just Everybody’s trying to push, so my mindset is just earning my spot, being able to see it in person is something that I’ll never forget. earning some respect. I’ve got a long way to go, but I want to be a “To have my parents there too and Brock, it meant the world to them. I difference-maker, and I think that will come with me proving myself. know it meant the world to our grandpa. I know he was watching down on That’ll never stop in my career. us last night, and I know he couldn’t be more proud to share that moment I’d be interested to get your perspective on being able to spend time with with us.” last season, just being exposed to him and seeing now what That grandpa is Wayne Caufield, who set this whole train in motion when he’s going through with his injuries. Is there anything you take away from he finished his pro playing career with the Milwaukee Admirals in the the time you were able to spend with him? 1970s and went on to become a member of the Wisconsin Hockey Hall Just everything. Being able to walk into a locker room with guys like that of Fame for his work in youth hockey before passing away in 2018. His in the room, especially Shea; you grew up watching him, and next thing son, Paul, would set records at Wisconsin Stevens Point. And now, you know, you’re having a conversation with him. What I think I took most Paul’s son has won the most prestigious award in U.S. college hockey. from him is just how he carried himself, no matter where he was, and “It was unbelievable, just to have my family there and a couple of friends how much the team aspect of things meant to him. No matter what too,” Caufield said. “A bunch of former winners were there. Hockey’s a happened, all he wanted to do was win. He would do whatever it takes small world, so you just kind of get to know them pretty quick. It was just for the team. I didn’t get to have much time to hang out with him outside a special honour, and we were pretty fortunate to have it in person. It was of the rink, just with everything going on, but he’s just a really great guy. just a great night.” He’ll text me from time to time, FaceTime me. He just loves checking in on guys. That’s something that he doesn’t have to do, but he does, and But Caufield did not celebrate for long. that’s pretty special.

By the time he sat down for this interview with The Athletic less than 24 I’ve spoken to so many guys who talked about when they got to the hours after accepting the award, Caufield had already caught an early- team, Shea was the guy who made sure they were welcomed and a part morning flight from Minneapolis to Detroit so he could head back to of the group. Did you have a conversation like that with him or a moment Plymouth, Mich., where he’s been training for roughly a month at the like that? USA Hockey National Team Development Program’s headquarters with all three of the Hughes brothers — Jack, Quinn and Luke — as well as I think just right away, it was him being really respectful to everybody. He Philadelphia Flyers prospect Cam York. They are in the weight room five made it less stressful for me walking into a room like that, just having a days a week and on the ice three times a week under the watchful eye of guy like that, captain of the team, walk up to you and shake your hand the Hughes brothers’ dad, Jim. and welcome you. I think his presence, no matter where he is, is felt by everybody, and I think that’s what’s so special about him. “It’s a good group. We do a good job pushing each other,” Caufield said. “You couldn’t find a better group of guys to skate with.” Have you and Nick Suzuki chatted at all during the summer, or do you guys generally leave each other alone in the offseason? We caught up with Caufield just after he stepped off the ice in Plymouth to talk about the massive year he just completed, his expectations for Nick and I talk pretty much every day. We’re always keeping in contact, training camp and how he views his official rookie NHL season coming just seeing what’s up. We’ll share some things on social media that we up. think are funny and stuff. We stay in contact pretty often. We’re both excited to get back there and get back to work. Note: Questions and answers have been slightly edited for length and clarity. I get you guys need to stay humble, and that’s a good thing, but when things were rolling for you and Nick and , and considering Now that you’ve had some time to take a step back, how have you how young you and Nick are, is there any point where you tell digested everything that has happened to you over the year, from world yourselves, “This is our time” once you had that responsibility of driving juniors to making the NHL to playing in the Stanley Cup Final and now the offence? And how do you see that carrying over to this season? this award? I think we grew chemistry as we went, and obviously, those two guys are really good players; they taught me a lot, and I think we feed off each other really well. For next year, I think you just have to continue to prove yourself and be consistent. Things happen pretty fast, and if you’re not playing well, things are going to get switched up. To have success, you’ve got to do the right things. I think that’s what I’ve learned from those guys; they’re always playing the same way. The right way. They’re always competing and having fun, and I think as long as we can continue to do that, hopefully I can keep playing with those guys because they’re pretty special players and they make my life pretty easy too.

I think you told me at one point that when you went back to Wisconsin for your sophomore season, that the Hobey Baker Award was a goal of yours, and now you’ve won it. So have you set your sights on the Calder Trophy at all for next season?

Yeah, that’s something that you only get one chance at in your career, so it is a big goal of mine. Obviously, there’s a lot of things that go into that, but it will always be in the back of my mind. I’m not going to worry too much about it because I’m obviously playing to win, but I think that’s something that everybody works for. For me personally, it’s a goal for me that I’ll be hoping to get.

Thanks Cole, enjoy the rest of your summer.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219557 Nashville Predators

Why Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros is training with other NHL players in Helsinki

Mike Organ

Nashville Tennessean

Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros, who signed a four-year $20 million contract earlier this week, has stepped up his offseason training.

With his new deal in hand and veteran Predators goalie Pekka Rinne no longer on the roster, Saros will be counted on more in the upcoming season than ever before.

In preparation for his seventh season with the Predators, Saros, 26, moved from his hometown in Forssa, Finland, to Helsinki, where he is training with several other NHL players.

"It's nice to get the business part over and not have to worry about that situation anymore and focus just on hockey now," Saros said. "I moved to Helsinki a few weeks ago and here I have a better chance to be with all the NHL guys compared to my hometown. I am able to skate with a lot of familiar faces and I think that is going to help me."

In 36 games, Saros, who finished sixth in the Vezina Trophy voting for best goalie, was 21-11-1 with career bests in wins, starts (35), goals- against average (2.28) and save percentage (.927).

Saros is working out in Helsinki with Predators teammates Mikael Granlund and Mattias Ekholm, the Dallas Stars' Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen and the ' Teuvo Teravainen, among others.

"There's about 20-30 guys here that play for different teams in the NHL, so it's fun to see all of them and get to train with them this summer," Saros said.

Saros is braced to take on his greatest responsibility in 2021-22 and being looked to as a team leader surrounded by several young players who will be counted on in key roles.

"I want to be a leader on the team and kind of pick up where I left off from the end of the year," said Saros, who stopped 110 of 117 shots in the playoffs in consecutive overtime wins and set a franchise record with 58 saves in Game 4 against Carolina.

"I'm very excited to start the new season. We had a few big changes on the team, but that is part of this sport. I think we have an exciting young group of guys."

Tennessean LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219558 New Jersey Devils scratches. Coach Lindy Ruff said Butcher’s playing time was affected by Smith making the team and a desire to have more size on the blue line.

Matt Tennyson moved ahead of both of them on the depth chart early in State of the Devils: How a significant offseason transformation will affect the schedule and reached 20-plus games played for the Devils for a the defense, now and in the future second consecutive season. Sami Vatanen was a late addition after lingering on the free-agent market. His return to the club was held up even longer by immigration delays, and his second go-round in Newark By Corey Masisak was not as impactful as when he first arrived in 2017-18.

Aug 20, 2021 New Jersey traded a third-round pick to Washington for Siegenthaler before the deadline, taking advantage of Washington otherwise

potentially losing him to Seattle in the expansion draft. His debut with the This is the fourth in a series of stories, State of the Devils, that will take a club was muted a bit after he contracted COVID-19, but he is another short- and long-term view at where the franchise stands after a second defenseman with size and the ability to suppress scoring chances, at weird, pandemic-shortened season and where it is going in the years to least in a small NHL sample to date. come. The Devils had four rookie AHL defensemen playing regularly for Even dating to the days when the interim tag was still attached to his title, Binghamton. One of them, , earned a seven-game stint with Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald was consistent about his New Jersey near the end of the season. messaging when it came to his club’s defensive corps. Traditional stats He wanted the group to be proficient at what the modern NHL demands, PLAYER GAMES GOALS POINTS SOG TOI/G which means being able to transition the team from defense to offense through crisp passing or high-level skating. Fitzgerald also made it clear Damon Severson that he wanted the group to be bigger and tougher to play against. 56 How an NHL GM goes about fulfilling those specific needs can vary widely. There are not enough big defensemen who can pass and skate 3 well to go around, and they are often hard or expensive to acquire. 21

It is a thin needle to thread. Focusing too much on size or toughness 91 might leave a defensive corps lacking in skill. The inverse is true, as well. 22:29 That’s a long preamble to say: Fitzgerald may have now pulled off exactly what he set out to do. The Devils have added three defensemen Ty Smith since April — Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Graves and Jonas Siegenthaler — who are all large humans but are not without the skills needed in a 48 modern defensive corps. 2

Between signing Hamilton, the NHL’s top unrestricted free agent this 23 summer, and drafting Luke Hughes with the No. 4 pick, the Devils landed a present-day No. 1 defenseman and a prospect with the potential to be 69 one. 20:07 The franchise hasn’t had either in a long time, and it’s easy to see there P.K. Subban is considerably more excitement about the short- and long-term outlooks for New Jersey’s defensive corps. 44

(Note: Stats for this series are compiled from Natural Stat Trick, Evolving- 5 Hockey, Hockey Reference and NHL.com. And the Game Score Value Added (GSVA) numbers are courtesy of The Athletic’s Dom 19 Luszczyszyn.) 99 State of the Devils: The Timeline 22:22 State of the Devils: Centers Kevin Bahl State of the Devils: Wingers 7 State of the Devils: Defensemen 0 State of the Devils: Goalies 2 2021 in review 5 Ty Smith made the team during training camp and quickly moved up the 16:55 depth chart. For much of the first half of the season, he and Damon Severson were the club’s top pairing. Both excelled in their roles, but Jonas Siegenthaler returns were diminishing and they finished the season on different pairings. 8

Ryan Murray, the top addition of the previous offseason, had a strong 0 start, followed by a long dip in form, before rallying near the end of the 0 season to play effectively next to Severson. Dmitry Kulikov’s signing earned less fanfare, but he became a solid top-four defenseman for the 4 Devils and one of the bargain deals of the offseason. 17:34 P.K. Subban did not reach the level he’d played at before his final year in Nashville, but he did play better than his first season in New Jersey. He Advanced stats (five-on-five) also appeared to be more comfortable as a veteran leader for a team that PLAYER CF% SCF% XGF% GSVA GAR got much younger as the year progressed. Damon Severson and Connor Carrick were paired for part of training camp, but both were on the outside looking in for much of the season as healthy 52.87 53.26 There were plenty of subtractions as well. Nine defensemen played 11 or more games for the Devils in 2021, and six of them are no longer with the 52.13 organization. Kulikov was traded, and Vatanen was waived before the 0.73 deadline last season. Murray (Colorado), Carrick (Seattle) and Tennyson (Predators) signed elsewhere. Butcher was traded to Buffalo with a fifth- -2.2 round pick attached and nearly $1 million in salary retained. Vatanen remains unsigned. Ty Smith Three big questions for 2021-22 53.55 1. How big of an impact can Hamilton have? 52.54 Here’s a quick synopsis of the best defensemen who have changed 49.95 teams in the salary-cap era, including their age when the move occurred 0.03 and accomplishments with their new club. switched teams before last season, so he was excluded. So was Adam Fox, 0.8 because the circumstances of his movement are much different:

P.K. Subban Zdeno Chara, 29 (OTT -> BOS): Norris Trophy, five-time Norris finalist, Stanley Cup champ, four-time NHL postseason all-star in 14 years 52.58 Scott Niedermayer, 32 (NJD -> ANA): Two-time Norris Trophy finalist, 50.16 four top-10 Norris finishes, two-time NHL postseason all-star, Stanley 50.03 Cup champion, winner in five years

-0.06 , 26 (MIN -> SJS): Norris Trophy, three-time NHL postseason all-star, three-time Norris finalist, four-time top-10 Norris finish in 10 years -1.3 Ryan Suter, 28 (NSH -> MIN): One postseason NHL all-star, one Norris Kevin Bahl finalist, three top-five, five top-10, seven top-20 Norris finishes in nine years 41.18 Chris Pronger, 32 (EDM -> ANA): One postseason NHL all-star, Norris 44.19 finalist, two top-10 Norris finishes, Stanley Cup champ in three years 34.03 , 25 (CHI -> WPG): One top-10, six top-20 Norris finishes -0.22 in nine years

-0.3 Ryan McDonagh, 29 (NYR -> TBL): One top-10 Norris finish, two-time Stanley Cup champ in three years Jonas Siegenthaler Dan Boyle, 32 (TBL -> SJS): One-time NHL postseason all-star, four top- 51.21 20 Norris finishes in six years

58 Seth Jones, 21 (NSH -> CBJ): One top-5, two top-10, four top-20 Norris 54.58 finishes in five-plus years

-0.39 Shea Weber, 31 (NSH -> MTL): One top-10, two top-15 Norris finishes in five years -0.3 P.K. Subban, 27 (MTL -> NSH): One Norris finalist in three years New Jersey’s defensive corps combined for 15 goals in 2021. Two defensemen — Jakob Chychrun (18) and Darnell Nurse (16) — scored Kimmo Timonen, 32 (NSH -> PHI): Three top-20 Norris finishes in seven more than that on their own. Smith became the fourth Devils rookie years defenseman to average more than 20 minutes per game (since official , 29 (BUF/SJS -> CHI): Two top-20 Norris finishes, TOI records have been kept). He joined Severson, Adam Larsson and Stanley Cup champ in three years Paul Martin. , 24 (CGY -> TOR): Two top-15 Norris finishes in seven The Devils had six defensive pairings log 140 minutes or more together years at even strength. The Smith-Severson duo was tops in CF% (56.47), xGF% (54.37) and SCF% (57.25). They also had the worst on-ice , 28 (OTT -> SJS): One top-15 Norris finish in three years shooting percentage (6.17) of the six. , 31 (OTT -> NYR): Sent to the AHL after two seasons of a There were 80 defensive pairings that logged 250-plus minutes together six-year contract in the NHL last year. Of those, Smith-Severson was 11th in shot attempts That is a pretty strong hit rate for the teams that traded for or signed allowed per 60 minutes (CA/60) at 46.17 and 13th in shot attempts for those players. Phaneuf was a disappointment, Redden was a disaster, per 60 (CF/60) at 59.89. and Karlsson is somewhere in between at this point, with time to move in Offseason in review either direction. The rest either worked out pretty well or the club was able to move on quickly (as with Subban and Campbell). The Devils signed Hamilton to one of the largest contracts in franchise history at seven years and $63 million. He was the consensus top free Only three players have won the Norris after changing teams since agent on the market and should anchor the club’s defensive corps well Pronger did it in 2000: Chara, Burns and Fox. Burns wasn’t a full-time into the middle of the decade. defenseman before the , and Fox was still in college when he was traded (twice, including once in a deal for Hamilton). They also traded for Graves, sending Mikhail Maltsev and a third-round pick to the Avalanche. Graves, 26, has played 19 minutes per game for Suter’s path might be a reasonable best-case scenario on an individual Colorado, mostly in its top four, over the past two seasons. Like level — he was a top-20 defenseman for the first seven years of his Siegenthaler and the Capitals, the Avalanche had issues with which contract, and top 10 five times. The Devils would likely be happy with that players they could protect from Seattle in the expansion draft. New kind of return on Hamilton’s contract, though they will hope for more team Jersey also added a depth defenseman by trading for Christian Jaros success than Minnesota had. from San Jose for Nick Merkley, and they signed minor-league free agent 2. Can Smith avoid a second-year slip? Robbie Russo to a two-way contract. Here’s a simple look at all of the defensemen who earned Calder Trophy 13.1 votes from 2016 to 2020. It compares their GSVA and goals above replacement (GAR) in their rookie year with their sophomore season. Mikhail Sergachev

PLAYER YEAR 1 GSVA YEAR 2 GSVA YEAR 1 1.65 GAR YEAR 2 GAR 1.66

Cale Makar 9.2

2.45 6.5

2.59 Zach Werenski

15.8 1.56

16.5 2.31

Quinn Hughes 7.6

2.05 7

0 Ivan Provorov

11.1 0.72

0 2.22

Adam Fox 5.6

2.46 10.1

2.78 Brady Skjei

14.9 1.24

9.8 -0.06

John Marino 14.4

1.71 -5.9

-0.13 Shayne Gostisbehere

15.3 2.08

1.9 0.2

Rasmus Dahlin 13.9

1.54 -6.2

0.91 Colton Parayko

8.5 3.03

4.1 1.75

Miro Heiskanen 22.6

1.53 11.3

2.39 Jaccob Slavin

9.2 0.92

11.3 2.52

Marcus Pettersson 12.8

1.32 21

1 Eight guys out of 16 slipped in one of the two categories, and several did 7.5 in a significant way. That doesn’t factor in myriad factors — changes in role, ice time, injuries, etc. But if you said, “There’s a 50-50 chance that 8.7 Smith will not be as good/productive in his second NHL season” … that sounds about right. Charlie McAvoy Could the additions of Hamilton and Graves help Smith, because he 2.23 might not be subjected to as many tough assignments? Sure. Could the 2.15 addition of Hamilton cut into Smith’s power-play ice time/production? Yeah, that seems like a solid bet, assuming good health for both guys. 10.2 Smith might have a proverbial “sophomore slump.” He might not. It 12.8 probably won’t have much of an effect on his long-term outlook, though it would probably cause some general nervousness/angst in the moment. Will Butcher 3. This could be the best New Jersey defensive corps since …? 2.47 This is a largely unquantifiable question but probably a fun debate 1.22 (although maybe fun is the wrong word for long-anguishing fans). The 12.2 defensive corps has not been a strength of the team for quite some time, but the Devils did have some underrated groups early in the salary-cap The next two seasons, he played more than three minutes per game on era. the PP, most on the team. Carolina’s power play is tied for second in the league over the past two seasons, with a 23.8 percent efficiency. Now, Those teams didn’t have Neidermayer, Scott Stevens or Brian Rafalski Hamilton’s ascension wasn’t the only change — Andrei Svechnikov’s rise anymore, but Martin and Andy Greene were underrated players in their to being a top-three forward on the roster in power-play usage also primes. They’ve also had a couple of guys — early-career Mark Fayne played a part. But clearly, the Devils can and should expect Hamilton to and Will Butcher, in particular — who were darlings. help their power play, which is 24th over the past three years and hasn’t The best group in any one year might be the 2008-09 defensive corps. finished higher than 21st in an individual campaign since the playoff year Four defensemen on that team posted a GAR of 8.0 or better. Martin led in 2017-18. the way with the best season by a New Jersey defenseman according to One wrinkle to sort out after signing Hamilton is that Smith was the PP1 GAR since 2007 (16.4), but Johnny Oduya, Colin White and Mike Mottau quarterback heir-in-waiting pretty much since the day he was drafted and all graded out well, too. certainly since he looked so good there during his first NHL training camp Hamilton is the headliner, but this could be the deepest group, one as an 18-year-old. And guys like Subban and Severson have logged a lot through six, that New Jersey has had in at least a decade. The group as of power-play minutes in their careers. Now at least one, if not two, of a whole could be strengthened even more if Subban improves even a those guys aren’t going to play in that situation. little in a lesser role, and if the Smith-Severson duo can play like it did Graves has played a total of 6:55 on the power play in the past three early in 2021 for a full season. years combined, so that’s at least one guy Ruff won’t have to worry Depth chart analysis about. He will play a lot on the kill, though — he logged 3:19 per game on the PK last year, which was third in the NHL among PAIR 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 defensemen. Hamilton was a second-pairing PK guy in Carolina, and he should be in the top four with New Jersey as well. Siegenthaler should First see plenty of PK time, then Subban or Severson should be the fourth Smith-Severson defenseman when everyone is healthy.

Graves-Hamilton The Devils clearly need both special-teams units to be better. An infusion of talent should help. A little more continuity, particularly up front on the Graves-Hamilton PK, should help. But both units also need to find more consistency, which might be a talent thing, or an adjustments thing, or a “combination of the Smith-Hamilton two” thing. Second Salary-cap watch Kulikov-Subban Subban has one year left on his contract. It’s hard to see him getting Smith-Severson close to what he’s making now on the next contract, whether it is with New Jersey as a veteran depth guy or elsewhere. The swing contracts Smith-Severson here — much like Jesper Bratt, Pavel Zacha and Miles Wood up front — are Severson and Graves. Hughes-Bahl The Devils have two years of control left for both. Severson is nine Third months older and makes $1 million per year more. But both are relative Murray-Vatanen bargains right now, and both will command raises on their next deals, possibly significant ones if they play well in 2021-22. Siegenthaler-Subban Hamilton is locked in at $9 million for the next six years after this one. Siegenthaler-Bahl How much can the Devils pay their Nos. 2-4 defensemen starting in Mukhamadullin-Walsh 2023-24? Smith will also need a new contract for that season, and if it’s a long one to lock him in, it won’t be cheap, either. Extra In the short term, the club’s cap sheet on defense looks very nice, and it Butcher-Carrick will look even better a year from now. But two years from now … how much those three guys beyond Hamilton cost compared with their White-Jaros performance and what they’re projected to be (particularly for Severson Okhotiuk-Walsh and Graves as they move into their 30s) could play a huge role in roster construction during what the Devils hope is the middle of their Stanley Vukojevic-Okhotiuk Cup contention window.

It seemed like an easy fit to put Murray and Severson together before the In the pipeline start of 2020-21 … then they didn’t play together at even strength until late in the season. So keep that in mind while everyone pencils in Graves Luke Hughes became the club’s top defensive prospect as soon as and Hamilton as one pairing and Smith with Severson as the other in the Fitzgerald said his name during the 2021 NHL Draft. He’s the fourth top four. They could easily be flipped (Smith with Hamilton, Graves with defenseman drafted in the top five by the Devils in franchise history. Two Severson), though having the two newcomers handle the toughest of them, Craig Wolanin and Larsson, were traded, for Peter Stastny and assignments while letting Smith and Severson cook against lesser , respectively. The other was Niedermayer. Hughes is going to competition certainly makes sense. spend two years at Michigan like his older brother, Quinn, did.

If everyone is healthy, that leaves Siegenthaler and Subban to handle These are the guys Hughes is going to be compared against, because third-pairing duties, with Jaros as the extra. One of the kids, Bahl in they were all high-level defensemen at the USA Hockey National Team particular, could make a play for a role during training camp, but the top Development Program: six feels more settled than the forward groups at this point. PLAYER DRAFT U-17 U-18 CALDER The Devils did add Vatanen late before last season started, and an injury TROPHY or two during training camp might persuade them to look externally for Luke Hughes further depth. This could be a strong top six, but NHL-ready depth could be an issue. 2021 (4)

Special teams 48GP, 7G, 28P

The Hurricanes finished the 2018-19 season with the No. 20-ranked 38GP, 6G, 34P power play in the NHL. Hamilton played a little less than two minutes per game on the man advantage in his first season with Carolina. N/A Jake Sanderson 2020 (5) Ethan Edwards is one late-round pick to watch. He’s also going to be a freshman at Michigan with Hughes this season. There are a couple of 44GP 4G, 24P Russians to monitor. Yegor Zaitsev is 23 and a multiyear regular in the 47GP, 7G, 29P KHL. Daniil Misyul is 20 and has played in the KHL the past two seasons, but he logged fewer than 10 minutes in 25 of his 46 games for Yaroslavl N/A last season. Projecting when either of them might show up for an NHL training camp, or even at the end of a KHL season, is murky. But either Cam York might be able to play in an NHL lineup someday. 2019 (14) Final assessment 38GP, 5G, 25P There’s legitimate excitement about this group and its big addition in 63 GP, 14G, 65P particular. Hamilton finished fourth in the Norris Trophy voting last season. He’s finished in the top 15 in five consecutive seasons. Critics N/A can dissect his impact, but that’s a strong track record of being one of the best defensemen in the NHL. K'Andre Miller The Devils have not had a defenseman who has earned a single vote for 2018 (22) the Norris Trophy since Rafalski finished 14th in 2007. At first blush, that 54GP, 3G, 17P feels like a long drought. Upon deeper inspection, it’s basically an eternity by NHL voting standards. 58GP, 9G, 29P It is the longest such drought in the league. Buffalo has the second- 12th longest — Tyler Myers received one vote in 2011. Twenty-one teams have had someone earn at least one vote in the past two seasons. Every Quinn Hughes team but Detroit, Buffalo and New Jersey has had someone in the voting 2018 (7) since 2017.

57GP, 7G, 24P Just having one player capable of landing in the top five or 10 of the Norris Trophy voting could be a game-changer for the Devils. Those are 65GP, 10G, 53P the guys who affect everything, from the club’s on-ice performance at 2nd even strength and on special teams, to how opposing teams game plan for you, to how other defensemen slot in and face easier assignments. Adam Fox Severson could have his best season without as many tough shifts on his plate. 2016 (66) Graves can be an impact player as well. Smith can grow into one. 54GP, 4G, 27P Hughes can be one by the middle of the decade. As recently as a few 64GP, 9G, 59P months ago, the Devils’ defensive corps lagged well behind the forwards and goaltenders, in the short- and long-term views. Now it might be the 4th strength of the team, or one of them, as the club pushes closer to becoming relevant again. Charlie McAvoy The Athletic LOADED: 08.21.2021 2016 (14)

54GP, 7G, 19P

63GP, 7G, 40P

5th

One interesting note about that group: They’ve combined to play a total of 12 games in the AHL. York (eight last season, after his college year was over) and McAvoy (four in the same post-college circumstance) got a quick taste of it, though York could start this coming season there if he can’t earn his way onto a crowded Philadelphia blue line. Miller, Hughes and Fox went straight to the big show (though Fox spent a third year in college). Sanderson will be a sophomore at North Dakota this season and looks like a decent bet to skip the AHL or play a handful of games at the end of this season there before making the Ottawa roster in 2022-23, as well.

Bahl, Reilly Walsh, Nikita Okhotiuk and Michael Vukojevic all played for the B-Devils of Newark in the AHL last year. Walsh was going to spend his senior year at Harvard but signed when the Ivy League delayed and eventually canceled its season. Vukojevic was going to play in the OHL but had an exemption to play for Binghamton until the OHL season began, which it never did.

Walsh has the most offensive upside of that quartet, but Bahl’s overall package gives him the highest ceiling. Given how short the AHL season was, all four of them could benefit from further seasoning with Utica in 2021-22. Okhotiuk has limited upside compared with the other three but also plays a style of game that endears him to coaches. All four of them will need to make better, quicker decisions with the puck before they can be NHL regulars.

Shakir Mukhamadullin was a surprise pick in the first round of the 2020 draft, then had a strong start to his KHL season and played a lot at the world junior championship. He’s big and skates very well, but he’s also one of the most polarizing prospects in the league. The Devils expect him to play one more season in the KHL, then sign and join either New Jersey or Utica for the start of the 2022-23 campaign. 1219559 New York Islanders

Gary Bettman: ‘Fans of the Islanders are going to love UBS Arena’

By Christian Arnold

Published 20 hours ago on August 20, 2021

There has been plenty of hype around the opening of the New York Islanders new home at UBS Arena, and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was more than happy to fan the flames some more as the season quickly approaches.

Bettman was making an appearance on Carton & Roberts on WFAN in New York when the conversation shifted towards the Islanders and their new home rink. The NHL commissioner called the new building “sensational.”

“Fans of the Islanders, people who live in the metropolitan area particularly on Long Island, are going to love it,” Bettman said. “It’s just a spectacular arena and has gotten this team extraordinarily competitive. I was in the when fans were allowed back in and during the playoffs. They have been having a great run and it is a really good time to be an Islanders fan.”

The New York Islanders will host their first game at UBS Arena more than a month after the season starts on Nov. 20 against the Calgary Flames. Construction has been ongoing on the new arena and November had been the expected opening date for some time.

The construction does force the Islanders to play their first 13 games of the season on the road before finally getting to step on home ice. Bettman expects everyone to be blown away when they do finally get to skate on the ice at UBS Arena.

“The new building is going to be loud, it’s going to be full and it’s going to be exciting,” Bettman said.

The opening of UBS Arena means that speculation will begin whether the new barn and the Islanders would get to host an All-Star Game in the future. The Islanders haven’t hosted one since the 1983 NHL All-Star Game at Nassau Coliseum.

Bettman told WFAN host Craig Carton that the league tries to get to every arena for an event and added that “having events in the New York, New Jersey Metropolitan area is certainly something that’s on the table.”

While the Islanders inch closer to opening their new home and end decades of uncertainty for the franchise, the Arizona Coyotes drama continued to play out on Thursday after the City of Glendale announced it was opting out of its joint lease agreement with the team for Gila River Arena.

Like the Islanders, the Arizona Coyotes have been trying to resolve its longtime arena issue. Thursday’s news meant that the team would be booted from Gila River Arena. Bettman didn’t appear concerned over the news.

“I don’t think the Coyotes franchise is going anywhere,” Bettman said. “I think the city of Glendale is negotiating. There’s no secret that Alex Meruelo, who is the owner of the Coyotes, is looking at his options to build a new arena somewhere else in greater Pheonix. … I’m not worried about the Coyotes.”

NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219560 New York Rangers seventh round, Lundqvist won 459 games, had 64 and has 61 postseason wins, all Rangers records. and are the only other goalies with 400 victories with one team.

Henrik Lundqvist, Star of the Rangers and the City, Retires For a spell — and not a short one, at that — Lundqvist was the best and The Swedish goalie, who spent his 15 N.H.L. seasons with the Rangers, most popular athlete in New York, though he had the misfortune of indulged New York and was a rare hockey player whose stardom compiling his greatest season, in 2011-12, when he won his lone Vezina eclipsed his sport. Trophy, at a time when the city was gripped by Linsanity, the sudden stardom of Knicks guard , and the Jets’ acquisition of Tim Tebow.

By Ben Shpigel Neither player lasted beyond that season, but Lundqvist did. Finally reaching his first, and only, in 2014, he lay sprawled Aug. 20, 2021 facedown on the ice in Los Angeles after allowing the series-clinching goal in a Game 5 overtime loss. That a player of his caliber went that long before playing for a championship only reinforced that the best This low roar would start in one section or another at Madison Square players on the best teams are rarely rewarded, and Lundqvist never got Garden, the sounds of feet stamping and hands clapping and voices another chance to add a silver chalice to the Olympic gold he won in bellowing, and as the chants spread and spread it felt like the old building 2006. was quaking: HEN-reek, HEN-reek. Lundqvist originally took to the position because he liked the armor, the Down on the ice, Henrik Lundqvist had just stopped a breakaway or mask and pads and blocker, but later he realized how much he relished saved a puck with his head or completed a — or, he had just the attendant pressure, of being the last line of defense: In potential been tending goal, game after game, a source of constant comfort at a elimination games from 2013-15, Lundqvist went 12-3 with a .953 save position that bedeviled other franchises but not, for the better part of 15 percentage, according to Hockey Reference. But as his skills declined, years, the Rangers. so did his playing time, and the Rangers, with the young goalie Igor Shesterkin ascending, decided to buy out Lundqvist. Lundqvist’s splendid career concluded Friday, when he announced his retirement in his native Sweden. A heart condition sidelined him all last He intends to continue living in New York and won’t have to travel far season — he underwent open-heart surgery in January — and when the Rangers retire his jersey at a game at the Garden this season, Lundqvist, 39, told the that, with more inflammation when, presumably, those chants will ring loud and long again. Lundqvist discovered in April, the risks were too great to continue. is a member of that canon of New York athletes identified by their first name — Eli and Derek and Carmelo. Since he never played a game for them, it’s easy to forget that Lundqvist signed with the Washington Capitals in October 2020, less than two And Henrik. Or, HEN-reek. weeks after the Rangers bought him out, and perhaps it’s just as well. Lundqvist played in New York and lived in New York, but he was also of New York Times LOADED: 08.21.2021 New York.

The city in 2005 welcomed this handsome goaltender with great hair (and soon, bespoke suits). And as he led a team that had floundered for seven straight seasons back to the playoffs, it conferred upon him a measure of celebrity unattainable for many a hockey player. He became as recognizable by face as by name. He is a man with varied interests, and there was no better place for him to explore them — music, fashion, culture — or to nurture his whole self.

Living first in Midtown, then , he performed in a band with the tennis legend John McEnroe. He played “Sweet Child of Mine” on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” in 2013 while wearing his No. 30 jersey. He owned a restaurant in Tribeca with his former Rangers teammate , his shopping partner on the road, who used to hear Lundqvist’s black Lamborghini — the Batmobile, Avery called it — coming before he saw it.

“But he doesn’t drive it because he wants to be cool,” Avery said in 2012. “He’s already cool.”

Few pairings of athlete and city have been more fortuitous, and it was luck, in a sense, that Lundqvist even landed with the Rangers. The first six rounds of the 2000 N.H.L. draft passed without his being selected — his identical twin brother, Joel, was taken by Dallas in the third — and the Rangers, as their pick approached in the seventh, were interested in adding a goalie.

Don Maloney, the Rangers’ assistant general manager at the time, sat between two top scouts: Martin Madden, who liked Lundqvist’s skills and makeup but thought he lacked consistency with his Swedish club team, Vastra Frolunda, and Christer Rockstrom, who lived in Sweden and had rated Lundqvist as his No. 1 European goalie.

Maloney happened to turn to his left, toward Rockstrom and his list of prospects, and noticed that Lundqvist’s name wasn’t highlighted. He was still available.

“I knew some of the top-end players, but I had no knowledge of Henrik Lundqvist — I wouldn’t have known him if I tripped over him,” Maloney said in a 2012 interview. “As you get deeper into the draft, you’re basically looking for anyone with a heartbeat who can stand up and skate.”

Going on to become, with the possible exception of the forward Doug Gilmour, the greatest player ever taken in the 1219561 New York Rangers

Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist announces retirement: ‘It’s time’

By ANDY CLAYTON

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS |

AUG 20, 2021 AT 9:51 AM

Henrik Lundqvist kept it simple.

“It’s time.”

The all-time winningest netminder in Rangers history announced his retirement on Friday leading off a social media statement with those two words.

“For the last 30 years, I have devoted my life to the game of hockey... and now it’s time to walk away from the game I love and begin a new chapter,” the 39-year-old Lundqvist added.

Lundqvist who won 459 games between the pipes for the Rangers and led the Blueshirts to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014, had announced in December of 2020 that he was stepping away from the game after he was diagnosed with a heart condition. He underwent open-heart surgery in early January.

He had signed on with the Washington Capitals just months before after exiting Broadway on a one-year, $1.5 million contract after 15 seasons with the Rangers. Although he resumed training with the hopes of joining the Capitals later in the season he experienced inflammation around his heart and announced in April that his “heart isn’t quite ready.” He became an unrestricted free agent on July 28.

He told a Swedish newspaper that he will need another heart procedure.

“We will see how extensive it will be,” Lundqvist told the Goteborgs- Posten, via the Associated Press. “Treatments are getting better, so we will see if they’ll open up the chest or not. But that will be problem for the future.”

The Swedish star’s time in New York ended after the 2019-20 season when the rebuilding franchise opted to buy out the final year of his seven-year contract.

Despite never hoisting the Stanley Cup, Lundqvist’s place among the all- time greats in Rangers history is secure. ‘King Henrik’ holds more than 50 franchise records, including shutouts (64), playoff wins (61), playoff shutouts (10), save percentage (.918) and playoff save percentage (.921).

“Thank you @nyrangers and ,” Lundqvist wrote. “I’m a born Swede but I’ll always feel like a New Yorker thanks to you.”

“It is with mixed emotions that the New York Rangers offer our best wishes and heartfelt gratitude to Henrik Lundqvist on the announcement of his retirement,” the Rangers said in a statement.

“Henrik’s commitment to excellence made him one of the best goaltenders to every play the game of hockey, and we are so fortunate to have witnessed his greatness firsthand for 15 years.”

The Rangers announced they will retire Lundqvist’s No. 30 “and raise his jersey to the rafters at an upcoming game this season.”

“Henrik is, and always will be, a Ranger.”

The Vezina Trophy winner in 2011-12 as the league’s best goalie had a 459-310-96 career record with a 2.43 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. He ranks sixth on the NHL’s all-time wins list. He also led Sweden to the gold medal at the in Turin.

“The future excites me,” Lundqvist said. “I’ve met so many amazing people over the years that will help guide and inspire me in my new journey.”

New York Daily News LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219562 New York Rangers

Top five moments in Henrik Lundqvist’s illustrious career

By Dave Blezow

August 21, 2021 3:06am Updated

Including the postseason, Henrik Lundqvist played in 1,017 games for the Rangers, standing between the pipes for 59,754 minutes. So when trying to identify the top five moments of his career, there’s a lot from which to choose:

5. Jan. 12, 2010: King vs. Marty

Lundqvist had 520 wins between the regular season and playoffs, so why start this list with a loss? On this night at the Garden, Lundqvist went save-for-save with Martin Brodeur in the best individual showdown between the two legendary goaltenders. The game was scoreless for 65 minutes, plus the first seven attempts in the shootout, before Patrik Elias finally put one in for the Devils.

4. May 10, 2015: One-man show

The Rangers came back from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Capitals in the second round of the 2015 , winning Game 7 at the Garden on Derek Stepan’s goal in overtime. But they wouldn’t have reached that point if not for the mini-miracle Lundqvist performed in Game 6. The Rangers had a 4-1 lead in the third period when the Capitals took over … completely. They had all 32 shot attempts in the final 14:41 of the game, but only two of those got past Lundqvist.

3. Feb. 28 and March 2, 2018: Old man winner

In the first two games after the Rangers’ trade-deadline purge, after proclaiming he wanted to stay for the rebuilding, Lundqvist made 50 saves in a 6-5 victory at Vancouver and 50 more in a 3-1 win at Calgary. The latter game was on his 36th birthday as he became the first goalie to win back-to-back games with 50 saves since that stat was recorded beginning in 1955.

2. May 13, 2014: Seven up!

The Rangers’ run to the Stanley Cup finals in 2014 hit a pothole when they fell behind three games to one to the Penguins in the second round. But there were plenty of heroics still to come. Certainly from Martin St. Louis, who famously scored the opening goal of Game 6 on Mother’s Day, three days after the passing of his mom. But mostly they came from inside the crease. Lundqvist made 102 saves on 105 shots in the final three games, including 35 saves in a 2-1 win in Game 7 in Pittsburgh. This was part of The King’s all-time best 6-2 record with a 1.11 goals- against average and .961 save percentage in Game 7s.

3. May 29, 2014: Finally!

Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals was far from his busiest night, as the Canadiens sent just 18 shots his way. But since last hoisting the Stanley Cup in 1994, the Rangers have won exactly one game that sent them back to the finals — and this was it. The King kept the game scoreless with about four minutes to go in the second period with an insane helicopter save on Thomas Vanek. Then, after Dominic Moore scored two minutes later, Lundqvist made that singular goal stand up.

New York Post LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219563 New York Rangers

Rangers to honor Henrik Lundqvist’s brilliant career by immediately retiring number

By Zach Braziller

August 20, 2021 11:14am Updated

Almost immediately after Henrik Lundqvist announced his retirement, the Rangers made an announcement of their own that will no doubt leave their fanbase feeling emotional and thrilled.

The Blueshirts plan to retire goaltender’s No. 30 jersey next season, giving The King a proper sendoff after a brilliant career with the franchise.

“It is with mixed emotions that the New York Rangers offer our best wishes and heartfelt gratitude to Henrik Lundqvist on the announcement of his retirement,” the team said in a released statement. “Henrik’s commitment to excellence made him one of the best goaltenders to ever play the game of hockey, and we are so fortunate to have witnessed his greatness firsthand for 15 years. As we congratulate Henrik on an extraordinary career and a lasting legacy of success, charity and character, we are honored to announce that we will retire his number and raise his jersey to the rafters at an upcoming game this season.

“Henrik is, and always will be, a Ranger.”

The 39-year-old Lundqvist is hanging it up due to heart inflammation following 15 seasons with the Rangers. Last September, the Rangers bought out his contract and he signed a one-year deal with the Capitals. But Lundqvist, the longtime face of the Rangers, required open-heart surgery after an enlarged aorta and leaky valve had been discovered during a pre-camp exam, and he took the year off. He was a five-time All- Star who was named to the NHL’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s and led the Rangers to the Stanley Cup finals in 2014, where they lost in five games to the Kings.

Several Rangers expressed their gratitude to Lundqvist on social media. Perhaps the most touching tribute came from Lundqvist’s successor between the pipes.

“Congratulations Henrik on an unbelievable career! You have always been my inspiration,” Igor Shesterkin wrote on Instagram, accompanied by a photo of Lundqvist. “Not only are you a legendary goaltender but an incredible teammate and person as well. To spend time and learn from you is something I will never forget. It’s an honor to be your teammate and to have the opportunity to follow in your footsteps. You’re one of the greatest to ever play the game and I am sure success will follow you in the next chapter. Thank you KING @hlundqvist35.”

New York Post LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219564 New York Rangers shutouts and led the Rangers to the Stanley Cup finals in 2014. “Of course it is disappointing not to win the Cup, but we had our chances and we had our window. I am grateful for my teammates and to have played Henrik Lundqvist announces retirement after legendary career for those teams.

“There was nothing like the feeling of those big wins at the Garden, those Game 7s with everything on the line, the noise, and the way the building By Larry Brooks would explode after a victory. There was nothing like that feeling.”

August 20, 2021 9:13am Updated Lundqvist played in eight Game 7s, going 6-2 with a 1.11 GAA and .961 save percentage, never allowing more than two goals in any of those

showdown matches. He and the Rangers went an astonishing 15-4 in The King’s speech began just after 3 p.m. on Friday at elimination games from 2012 through 2015. But no Cup. Arena in , Sweden, or a little after 9 a.m. in New York. “Loyalty was so important to me throughout my career,” Lundqvist said. “I “It’s the place where I watched my first real hockey game when I was 6 feel like I left everything I had on the ice in New York. That feels good. years old,” Henrik Lundqvist had told The Post before he made the trip to When I made the decision to stay for the rebuild, loyalty was the most the rink. “That’s where I really started to watch hockey. That’s when my important thing to me. We didn’t win, but I did right by me. Staying meant dream began that one day I would play there for Frolunda.” so much to me.”

That is where it began and that, on Friday, is where Lundqvist’s hockey Henrik Lundqvist makes a save against the Hurricanes. career officially came to an end, the netminder romantically bookending it When the buyout came, Lundqvist ultimately decided to continue his with the announcement that he is retiring at age 39 because of heart career elsewhere — specifically with the Caps —after much thought and inflammation after 15 NHL seasons with the Rangers that followed four in self-examination. But as he told The Post, “My heart wouldn’t let me.” the Swedish Elite League, as it was known then, with Frolunda. The Lundqvists are returning to New York shortly as their two daughters, “When [this] summer started, my plan was still to come back,” said 9-year-old Juli and 6-year-old Charlise, start the school year. This is Lundqvist, who signed with the Capitals in October of 2020 but did not home. play a game for them before undergoing open-heart surgery in early January. “I started working out again and was skating, but without any “It feels almost like normal,” said the King, who will turn 40 next March 2. contact. But there were some setbacks. Too much exertion caused some “And now I’m going to start living a normal life, so to speak, in New York. chest pain. I’m excited for the next chapter.”

“I was hoping I would be 100 percent by this time. But I was told that The next chapter may or may not be hockey-related. “I have a few ideas, inflammation takes a long time to correct and with medication I might be both inside and outside of hockey,” he said. “I love the game and always out of the woods, but it could be another full year before I would be 100 will, so when it’s time, I’ll see if there might be something where I can be percent. involved with that.”

“So I thought about this, talked with my closest friends, my family and my But this does not mean Lundqvist will immediately rejoin the Rangers wife, Therese. This year was probably harder for her than for me. She is organization that will surely host a retirement celebration at the Garden such a strong woman. It came down to how badly I wanted to push it, for No. 30 this season or next. how much of a gamble did I want to take? And I came to the conclusion that there are too many unknowns and too much risk for not enough “I know I am going to reconnect with Jim at some point,” Lundqvist said reward for me to keep playing. of executive chairman and CEO Jim Dolan. “If I’m involved at some point with the Rangers, it would be beautiful in my mind. But I don’t know if “I’m OK with this. I am. I feel like I’m at a very strong place mentally after now is the time. going through all of the challenges of the last year, starting with when the Rangers bought me out,” said No. 30. “For the last eight months or so, “I can say this, though. I’m feeling good, I’m feeling grateful. Never once there has been so much waiting-and-seeing, and I have not been in the have I asked, ‘Why me?’ There have been so many challenges for all of driver’s seat. I’ve been in the passenger’s seat. Now there was a us in the last year. I’m looking forward to the next part of my life. decision to make. “I’m looking forward to being in New York. It has such a big piece of my “It’s all still fresh. I decided only a few days ago. But I am at peace. I look heart.” back at my career, and all I have is gratitude and pride. I am just so New York Post LOADED: 08.21.2021 grateful.”

To recap: Lundqvist and the Rangers were aware that the goaltender had a heart condition that required monitoring following the Swede’s first medical upon joining the organization in 2005. The condition, checked regularly, never reached the point where Lundqvist required medical attention throughout his Broadway run.

But after he was bought out in September of 2020 and thereafter signed a one-year free agent deal with Washington, Lundqvist required open- heart surgery after an enlarged aorta and leaky valve had been discovered during a pre-camp exam.

Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic on Jan. 8 in which Lundqvist received an aortic valve replacement, an aortic root and an ascending aortic replacement, was successful to the degree that the goaltender had gotten back onto the ice in late February and was taking shots while planning to join the Caps for the final weeks of the season and the playoffs.

But Lundqvist was shut down in early April after inflammation was discovered. Then came summer hope before medical reality intruded and put a premature end to one of the great goaltending careers in NHL history and one of the most legendary careers in Rangers history.

“When I look back, there’s so much that goes into winning,” said the goaltender who retires as the sixth-winningest netminder in NHL history at 459-310-96 with a 2.43 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and 64 shutouts. In the postseason, he added another 61 wins and 10 1219565 New York Rangers He told the New York Post from Sweden on Friday that he skated and worked out this summer with the intention of a return to the ice, but that he suffered from setbacks, including chest pain from exertion.

Longtime Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist retires "I was told that inflammation takes a long time to correct and with medication I might be out of the woods, but it could be another full year before I would be 100%," he told the Post. By Neil Best He added, "Of course, it is disappointing not to win the Cup, but we had [email protected] @sportswatch our chances and we had our window. I am grateful for my teammates and to have played for those teams. Updated August 20, 2021 2:35 PM "There was nothing like the feeling of those big wins at the Garden, those

Game 7s with everything on the line, the noise, and the way the building It would have been strange watching Henrik Lundqvist play in an NHL would explode after a victory." uniform other than the one he wore for 15 seasons. Now it is official: He Lundqvist, a native of Are, Sweden who became known as "The King" will not. while playing in New York, won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best The future Hall of Fame goaltender on Friday announced his retirement goaltender in 2011-12 and played in five NHL All-Star Games. And he led from hockey, technically as a former Ranger but now and forever as a Sweden to the gold medal in the 2006 Olympics. Blueshirt. "Thank you to all the coaches and players that helped me throughout my "It’s time," Lundqvist wrote in a social media post revealing his decision, career," Lundqvist wrote on social media. "Thank you to Swedish hockey! which was prompted by a heart problem that derailed his first season From growing up and playing in Sweden to ultimately representing my with the Capitals before it began last winter. country on the world stage. These are some of my proudest moments."

The Rangers said Friday that Lundqvist's No. 30 will be retired and his Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 08.21.2021 jersey will ascend to the rafters at at a game this season.

"It is with mixed emotions that The New York Rangers offer our best wishes and heartfelt gratitude to Henrik Lundqvist on the announcement of his retirement. Henrik’s commitment to excellence made him one of the best goaltenders to ever play the game of hockey, and we are so fortunate to have witnessed his greatness firsthand for 15 years," the Rangers said in a statement. "Henrik is, and always will be, a Ranger."

The Rangers bought out Lundqvist in 2020, and he signed with Washington in hopes of extending his career. But a preseason exam revealed an issue that required open-heart surgery in January.

Video of Lundqvist on the ice in February led to speculation he could return before the end of the season, but he was not ready to do so. He was shut down in April because of inflammation. He hoped to make it back for 2021-22, but it was not to be.

"For the last 30 years, I have devoted my life to the game of hockey," he wrote. "And now it’s time to walk away from the game I love and begin a new chapter.

"The future excites me. I’ve met so many amazing people over the years that will help to guide and inspire me in my new journey. There are many things I love about this game: From the excitement I felt as an 8-year-old at my first practice to the 15 years of butterflies I had every time I took the ice in the greatest city in the world.

"I’m extremely grateful for what hockey has brought me and taught me in life. These lessons will never leave me."

Lundqvist, 39, thanked the coaches and players who have helped him, the hockey community in his native Sweden, the NHL, the Rangers and his adopted home city.

"I’m a born Swede, but I’ll always feel like a New Yorker thanks to you," he wrote.

He closed with, "Lastly, thank you to the game of hockey and its fans! You gave my life purpose and I have loved every single minute of it!"

Lundqvist never won a Stanley Cup as a Ranger, but he helped them become consistent contenders and to reach the Cup Final in 2014 before losing in five games to the Kings.

His regular-season record was 459-310-96, with a 2.43 goals-against average and 64 shutouts. In the postseason, he was 61-67 with a 2.30 goals-against average and 10 shutouts. Lundqvist is the club’s all-time leader in goaltending wins, starts (871), games played (887) and shutouts (64). He also leads the Rangers' franchise in playoff appearances (130), and playoff wins. He retires in sixth place on the NHL’s all-time list for goaltending wins.

Lundqvist had known since 2005 he had a leaky heart valve that at some point likely would require surgery. 1219566 NHL BROOK I don’t think there’s a lot of satire in theater these days. That may be part of it. Also a well-made play is based on things that we should all be able to relate to, like real estate. A lot of them hinge on the Dudes on Ice: A Play About Hockey Tackles Masculinity, Too loss of the family home or whatever — some big events that everyone can agree is a big deal. But people can’t really relate to most obsessions. “Islander,” a skewed look at a New York Islanders season, examines Those people are all on the same page about how important it is — it’s extreme fandom, violence and the thrill of sports. for them, not for us.

BIRKENMEIER Sometimes we underestimate that sports is better theater: It’s so much like a play except you literally don’t know what’s By Elisabeth Vincentelli going to happen and somebody has to win. A hockey game as a Aug. 20, 2021 community event is potentially more exciting than a play.

BROOK Well, most people think that.

Hockey is a brutal game: In what other sport are missing teeth a badge of What was it like researching the show? honor? Not that Liza Birkenmeier and Katie Brook were in any danger of BIRKENMEIER Watching the games at bars, I would sit and take notes losing Chiclets as they stared down a puck: Not only were they playing and men would quiz me. They wouldn’t believe that I was into it. They air hockey instead of the ice-rink version, but they also seemed to prefer would ask, “Who’s your favorite player?” huddling on the same side of the table rather than face each other. BROOK That’s a softball question. Clearly Birkenmeier, a playwright, and Brook, a director, like being on the same team. They started working together almost 10 years ago and their BIRKENMEIER It is, and often they’d be like, “Is your favorite player John fruitful collaboration includes the well-received “Dr. Ride’s American Tavares?” Or ask me what I thought of the last game. Or ask me what I Beach House” and the new “Islander,” a skewed look at the New York thought of the new or old management, or whose contract was going to Islanders’ fateful 2017-18 season, when the team failed to make the be up. playoffs and its star, John Tavares, was about to become a free agent. (The show was originally slated for March 2020 and opens Saturday at BROOK Insulting flirting: They want to show that they’re smarter than HERE Arts Center.) you, but it’s supposed to be a flirtation.

There have been quite a few sports-themed plays by women in recent BIRKENMEIER Oh my God, I never took it as flirtation! I would have years, most notably Sarah DeLappe’s soccer-centric hit “The Wolves” been more flattered. One guy was really excited about the play. and Lydia R. Diamond’s portrait of a barrier-shattering baseball player, Did you go to many games as well? “Toni Stone,” but they have focused on the female athletic experience. BROOK We went to a bunch of games in Brooklyn and no one was “Islander,” on the other hand, zeros in on “dudes doing dude stuff,” as there. After John Tavares left the [Islanders] and joined the [Toronto] Birkenmeier put it. An extreme version of dude stuff: Professional hockey Maple Leafs, I went to Nassau Coliseum at the first game against the is “unhinged and violent and white,” she said. In other words, it provides Leafs and it was horrific. The fans were so angry, they kept yelling “We a fine lens through which to look at modern masculinity and its don’t need you!” every time John came on the ice. It was scary, actually. discontents. It’s not a show about violence but there is a sort of underlying fear that To do so, Birkenmeier, 35, and Brook, 39, pulled lines from game this guy [the narrator] is threatening, somehow. commentary and analysis, and podcasts like “Islanders Anxiety.” Then BIRKENMEIER I generally think it’s important to be funny. It’s very easy those sources were edited into a quasi-monologue for a composite to take this and to take a serious skewering look at it. character referred to simply as Man (David Gould) — so “Islander” is also a sly reflection on solo shows by the likes of Eric Bogosian and Spalding BROOK No one needs to suffer right now. Gray. BIRKENMEIER Let’s have fun, you know? There is a certain affection, too, as Birkenmeier and Brook enjoy watching hockey, not just using it as a decoder ring for male behavior. A New York Times LOADED: 08.21.2021 few days before previews started, the two women turned up at a Brooklyn games emporium for a chat about pucks and violence. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

The show’s narrator is obsessive, whiny, triumphant, analytical, bellicose, despondent — all the stages of fandom. What impression are you trying to create?

LIZA BIRKENMEIER We’re highlighting the ridiculousness of his struggle as opposed to empathizing with it.

KATIE BROOK We’re leaning into the haplessness of it: It’s not a hero’s journey, although he thinks it is. The dance we do is to engage the audience enough that you think you’re going along with him and then you kind of back off.

Do you think professional sports foster a kind of stereotypical masculinity, or do they help channel it so the rest of us are a little bit safer?

BROOK [Laughs] It’s a good outlet but it also reinforces things that I think are bad. Amateur sports are actually wonderful and must be kept separate in some ways, but professional sports, in part just because of the basics of capitalism, have to be violent and extreme. Basketball is not that way.

BIRKENMEIER Or baseball. Hockey really points to a sort of dignity culture: If somebody gets in your goalie’s way, it’s part of the game to go up and punch that guy. It’s part of the sensationalism. I do think it’s very poisonous. The ideas of legacy and dignity and loyalty come up so violently.

Why do you think theater hasn’t really tackled hard-core fandoms, either in sports or pop culture, considering the huge part they play in modern life? 1219567 Ottawa Senators Friday the club would announce its policy for TD Place Stadium sometime next week.

Given the fact Moore has stated that more fans will be allowed if the Expect to produce proof of double-vaccination to go to see the Senators proper restrictions are in place, then the Redblacks will likely follow suit this winter with what the rest of the teams in Ontario are doing.

Outdoor events in Ontario are capped at 15,000, which is why Ottawa, Toronto and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have started their seasons on the Bruce Garrioch road in the West in hopes that the restrictions will be lifted when the club plays a majority of its home games. Publishing date:Aug 20, 2021 • 9 hours ago The confirmed Friday the employees of its

member clubs and fans attending games will have to be double- If you want to see the Ottawa Senators take their slapshots at the vaccinated. Of course, the Ottawa 67’s, which are owned by the Ottawa this season, then you will want to make sure Sports and Entertainment Group with the Redblacks, will have to abide you’ve got your shots of the COVID-19 vaccines. by that policy.

While the Ottawa Senators are still putting the finishing touches on their The OHL has already stated all its players must be fully vaccinated to suit policy for fans in the stands during the 2021-21 campaign — and should up this season. have something in place sometime next week — the expectation is the “The league will be expanding its current vaccination policy which applies organization will only welcome spectators that are double-vaccinated for to members of the OHL community,” the league said in a statement. the novel coronavirus. “This expanded policy will cover all spectators and other attendees at all Though Senators owner and president of business OHL events, including games and practices. operations Anthony LeBlanc are still waiting for word from the province of “Those wishing to gain access to OHL facilities of the 17 Ontario-based Ontario on how many fans will be able to sit in the 18,153-seat building teams will be required to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID- when they start the exhibition schedule next month, there’s little chance 19 and follow any other safety protocols while in the facility. Children anybody who hasn’t received their double-dose will be able to get into the under 12 will be required to be accompanied and supervised by a fully rink. vaccinated adult and will be required to follow all safety protocols.” Melnyk has stated several times publicly during the pandemic that he has Ottawa Sun LOADED: 08.21.2021 no appetite whatsoever to hold a “super-spreader event” and that’s why you can expect the Senators will have the right measures in place to make sure they have as safe an atmosphere as possible at the rink when the exhibition schedule gets under way in late-September.

The Senators have installed a $10-million ventilation system at the CTC to make the air flow in the rink better and the club has hand-sanitizer dispensers near every section.

You can also expect to have to wear a mask if you’re going to attend a game and that policy just falls in line with the standards across the province for people who are indoors at public places.

The rise of the Delta variant means public health measures must remain in place and there’s no sign that will change anytime soon.

Earlier this week, Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment confirmed it will make proof of vaccination mandatory or a negative COVID-19 test mandatory for all its employees, events and ticket buyers starting in mid- September. MLSE owns the , the CFL’s Toronto Argos and Toronto FC.

The Senators and Leafs have been working with the province on what percentage of fans they’ll be able to have when the season gets under way in mid-October. All the pro teams in Ontario held a technical briefing with the province last week and were told as long as certain thresholds were met they’d be able to have their facilities close to capacity.

Dr. Kieran Moore, the chief medical officer of Ontario, joined The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll on CFRA Thursday and did confirm there will be fans in the seats if all the right measures are put into place by the NHL teams.

“That type of policy (vaccination or testing) is going to best protect those people who go to mass gatherings where you have 15-to-20,000 people in a room,” Moore told Carroll. “It will limit the spread of Delta, plus masking, and those types of best practices will help as we work with them to review to see how they can best protect their clients, their workers and the players themselves.

“We’re willing to work with them because we want them to succeed as well.”

Moore added full arenas and stadiums “are possible if you have the proper protections through immunizations, which is my preference, or you have a recent test to show you’re not carrying the virus.”

Across the country, decisions on a policy are being made on a team-by- team basis.

A spokesperson for the CFL’s Redblacks, who face the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday night in Regina after a bye week, indicated 1219568 Philadelphia Flyers

Stick taps to the career of Lundqvist, who was a thorn in Flyers' side

BY JORDAN HALL

Henrik Lundqvist called it a career on Friday, retiring from the NHL as he focuses on his health and life after hockey.

The longtime Rangers goalie underwent open-heart surgery in January. He signed a one-year deal with the Capitals before last season but was unable to play after being diagnosed with a heart condition in December.

Widely respected for his professionalism, productivity and longevity in New York, where he was known as the king, the 39-year-old Lundqvist announced his decision with a statement on Twitter. pic.twitter.com/dKKdNxHc8U— Henrik Lundqvist (@hlundqvist35) August 20, 2021

Lundqvist had a marvelous career over 15 years, every single one of them with the Rangers. The 2011-12 Vezina Trophy winner started 60 or more games nine times and 50 or more 12 times. He finished with 887 games, 459 wins, 64 shutouts, a 2.43 goals-against average, .918 save percentage, 61 playoff victories and a run to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.

And, boy, did he torture the Flyers during his reign on Broadway.

Lundqvist went 35-19-5 with a 2.58 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and four shutouts in 61 career regular-season games against the Flyers. Martin Brodeur is the only goalie with more wins (50) against the Flyers, while Lundqvist owned more wins against only one other NHL team: the Devils (38). He faced the Flyers seven times in the playoffs, winning four of those games and posting a 2.11 goals-against average. That was in 2014, when Alain Vigneault and the Rangers went to the Cup Final.

The Flyers no longer face Lundqvist when they visit Madison Square Garden, but they will always see his No. 30 in the rafters as the Rangers are set to retire his number this season.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219569 Philadelphia Flyers Zamula, also among the Flyers' top prospects, saw a two-game audition near the end of last season. The 21-year-old defenseman boasts a smooth game predicated on his length, vision and composure.

5 players to keep tabs on during Flyers development camp The undrafted product is slated for Lehigh Valley, where he played 25 games last season, but it wouldn't be surprising if he gets a call-up to the Flyers at some point in 2021-22.

BY JORDAN HALL "I remember telling Provy how I thought this kid's going to be a player," Claude Giroux said in April about when he first saw Zamula. "He's got a

lot of poise with the puck, he's very smart, good stick — he just does For the first time since the summer of 2019, the Flyers are able to hold a everything right." development camp. Tyson Foerster The club's 2021 gathering of prospects will be held Saturday, Aug. 28, Foerster, the Flyers' 2020 first-round pick, opened eyes last season as a through Wednesday, Sept. 1, at Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone in teenager at the pro level. Voorhees, New Jersey. With the 2020-21 OHL season canceled because of COVID-19, the shot- The camp schedule will be released at a later date and fan attendance seeking winger played with the Phantoms. He scored 17 points and for any sessions is to be determined. finished second on Lehigh Valley with 10 goals over 24 games as a 19- While this year's edition is much closer to training camp compared to year-old. past summers, development camp does not revolve around evaluation. "He’s got a lethal one-timer, sets up on the left side there, the big right The five-day session will be about providing younger players with NHL shot and he hammers it," Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said training habits and the opportunity to get better ahead of the 2021-22 last October. "He gets a lot on it, he overpowers goaltenders. He also season. has quick hands, he can make plays in around the net, I think he sees The Flyers have a good majority of their top prospects in this year's the ice really well. He’s a pretty complete offensive player." development camp, players with NHL experience who will be knocking Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.21.2021 on the door this season. Wade Allison is a guy who has an inside track to grab a spot in the Flyers' season-opening lineup on Oct. 15. There will also be four prospects in camp from the club's 2021 draft class, which you can read about here. The camp is too late for the college prospects.

Below is the Flyers' full 2021 development camp roster.

Now let's get into five players to keep tabs on during camp.

Morgan Frost

Frost is always a must-watch player in development camp because of his immense skill and offensive ability. The 22-year-old playmaking center will be raring to go after enduring a shoulder injury that required season- ending surgery in February.

Frost opened last season as the Flyers' 13th forward but suffered the injury in his second game. This season, he'll try to show in training camp that he can help the big club down the middle in their bottom six.

"Tons of potential," Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault said last September. "If he can put it together and figure it out, he’ll be a real good player for us."

Cam York

Like Frost, York is one of the Flyers' top prospects in their system. The 2019 first-round pick is a slick-skating, point-producing defenseman with endless skill and advanced smarts.

The 20-year-old got a three-game taste of the NHL at the end of last season. In 2021-22, he's set for further development at AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley, but he'll be pushing for the Flyers' roster from the get-go.

"He's a smart player, skates extremely well, has the vision, moves the puck well," Ivan Provorov said in May. "This is where the game's going — you have to be able to skate, you have to be able to move the puck, and he's got all the tools."

Samu Tuomaala

Tuomaala will be one of the most interesting players to follow in camp given it's the first glimpse of the 18-year-old Finnish winger.

The second-round pick is the headliner of the Flyers' 2021 draft class. With time, he'll need to develop into a more well-rounded player, but his big-time speed will be fun to see.

"We kind of thought he would probably go at the end of the first or somewhere in the 20s and he fell," Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said in July after the draft. "A real talented winger, great speed, real dynamic speed, he loves to shoot the puck and score goals. Talented kid. He's going to take a little time to get stronger and put on a little weight, but a talented kid that has real good offensive upside."

Egor Zamula 1219570 Pittsburgh Penguins If the Penguins use current salaries as a guide, the defensemen in Letang’s class will make about $8-9 million in their late 30s, which is the expected ceiling.

Million Dollar Question: Projecting Kris Letang’s Next Contract Expected Range: $6.25-$9 million

But the Pittsburgh Penguins Discount?

By Dan Kingerski In 2016, I asked Ben Lovejoy on the eve of his impending free agency if he would take a hometown discount to stay with the Penguins. He smiled Published 16 hours ago on August 20, 2021 and said, “I plan to have a contract to play hockey next year.”

In other words, Lovejoy was going to get paid. Side note, I have never asked that question of anyone again. The Pittsburgh Penguins power skating, minutes eating, decorated defenseman Kris Letang has finished in the top 10 of Norris Trophy What we don’t know, and what Letang has no reason to admit publicly, is voting in two of the last three years, four of the last seven, and powered how much of a discount he will give the Penguins. , Evgeni the Penguins defense to become one of the highest-scoring blue lines in Malkin, and Letang took healthy discounts to keep the team in Stanley the NHL last season. Cup shape. Now that Stanley Cup hopes are fading and careers are short will Letang, and Malkin, ask for their full market value? He is also something akin to a lightning rod for Penguins fans. He is one of the most popular Penguins and one of the most criticized. Of course, The contract term is going to play a significant factor in the annual salary. anyone not named Sidney Crosby is the reason the Penguins don’t Term is also a factor because Letang will be one of those players the annually hoist the Stanley Cup and is subject to criticism. team will have to take his skates away.

Letang will turn 35-years-old near the end of the 2021-22 regular season We can see Malkin becoming frustrated with declining skills and calling it in April, and his next contract will be a 35+ deal that is not the danger it a day, but we don’t see Letang stepping away until he gets the tap. The once was, but the Penguins will not be able to front-load the contract with Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman will be the player who rings every drop money or add extra years to bring the AAV down. This will be a straight- from the rag and, even then, may not walk away. That’s far from an up square deal for a player still at the top of his game. insult. Would you leave something that you love and which defines you?

Last season, Letang scored 45 points (7-38-45) in 55 games, as he Based on market values and comparables, three years and $23.5 million missed only one full game. The season before, he popped 44 points (15- ($7.5 million AAV) would be a proper contract. If Letang wants a longer 29-44) in 61 games. contract, the AAV should come down. A four-year deal and $26 million ($6.5 million AAV) would be fair. If Letang retires, the Penguins are not Former Penguins GM Jim Rutherford once called him “the straw that stirs on the hook for the remainder of the deal. the drink.” On the high end, perhaps Letang forces the Penguins hand if he wants Now, new Penguins Director of Hockey Operations Alec Schall and GM above $7.5 million AAV. He could and should get $8 million if he have a tricky negotiation ahead which could make or break chooses, but the Penguins’ already restrictive would be the Penguins salary cap, or let one of the team pillars bounce via trade or contorted. free agency. Or, on the lowest end, he could take another team-friendly deal in hopes Letang signed an eight-year deal with a $7.25 million AAV what seems the cap space will allow the Penguins one more shot. like a lifetime ago when he was 26. The Penguins had won just one Stanley Cup in the Crosby era, and Letang learned to play in the playoffs Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 08.21.2021 after early struggles. However, the Penguins were amidst a string of playoff failures under head coach Dan Bylsma.

At the time, the $7.25 million was another hometown discount by a Penguins star to stick around and win more Cups. That eventually came to fruition in 2016 and 2017, and Letang posted a Norris-worthy season in 2017 before suffering a severe neck injury.

What is Kris Letang Worth?

Comparables?

Most other defensemen in Letang’s category signed long-term deals in their late 20s. Oddly, three of them are San Jose Sharks, Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

Karlsson and broke the bank around 29-years-old for more than $11 million AAV. Burns, John Carlson, and Alex Pietrangelo carry cap hits at or above $8 million. It seems Letang really let the Pittsburgh Penguins off the hook when he signed his eight-year deal.

Most of the top defensemen have contracts that take them to 37 or 38- years-old, but none are on new deals signed at 35-years-old.

Are the guaranteed salaries of the NHL’s top d-men when they are in their late 30s comparables for Letang to get paid now?

Maybe? One comparable on the low end of Letang’s class is Jeff Petry, 33, whose new four-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens holds a $6.25 million AAV.

Petry has never finished in the top 10 of Norris voting, though last season, he posted 42 points (12-30-42) in 55 games. So, we’ll set Letang’s market-value floor at $6.25 million.

Heck, if Alex Goligoski, 36, is worth $5 million for a one-year deal, the cost for all righties with anything left is high. 1219571 Pittsburgh Penguins Boston: However, sources told Boston Hockey Now that it is “highly unlikely” Chara plays for Boston again.

Detroit: The Red Wings cleared cap space and roster space by buying Dan’s Daily: Lundqvist Retires, Bettman Defends Lack of Tom Wilson out Frans Nielson, who never lived up to his contract. Suspensions Colorado: The Avs Fan Confidence Index is wavering without a good middle-six winger.

By Dan Kingerski San Jose: Who will be the surprise player of the San Jose Sharks development camp? And who is a top-three-round talent but “not a smart Published 20 hours ago on August 20, 2021 player at all.”

UPDATE: Henrik Lundqvist has called it a career.

Some situations are just untenable. For all of the want-to and all of the pic.twitter.com/dKKdNxHc8U “should,” sometimes reality is more powerful than all sentiment. The Arizona Coyotes face a pivotal moment as Glendale terminated their — Henrik Lundqvist (@hlundqvist35) August 20, 2021 lease on Thursday. The Buffalo Sabres couldn’t pry top overall pick Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 08.21.2021 Owen Power out of college, Gary Bettman defended the lack of Tom Wilson suspensions, and we collided head-on with Pittsburgh Penguins questions about putting Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang on the NHL trade market and queries about Jason Zucker’s lineup value.

And Twitter star Joey BagovDonuts extended a generous invite to PHN for Weezer, Fallout Boy, and Green Day at PNC Park. I thank him for the chance to finally see one of my three favorite bands of all time. Green Day didn’t disappoint and had a theme: We’re still here, so let’s celebrate that.

It is so much easier to hold up a cell phone than a Bic lighter. Concert goers in the 1980s were total badasses.

Green Day. Amazing show. pic.twitter.com/Btgs82xlY4

— Dan Kingerski (@TheDanKingerski) August 20, 2021

To hockey…

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The semi-formal, semi-insane PHN Q&A. Could the Pittsburgh Penguins trade Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, or Bryan Rust? Is it time to make a case for Jason Zucker, and are the Penguins done adding?

It is a big fight weekend, Manny Pacquiao will throw mitts and FanDuel is giving PHN readers 30-1 odds.

NHL News & National Hockey Now:

Sportsnet: This is the end? (Their) only friend, the end? The Arizona Coyotes were essentially booted out of the Glendale arena. The team owes the city nearly $1.5 million, and the city’s statements left little wiggle room as they terminated the Coyote’s lease, effective next summer. Uh oh.

WFAN: Gary Bettman was on WFAN shortly after the announcement. He said the city was negotiating, and “I’m not worried.”

Bettman also downplayed the allegations against Evander Kane.

Washington Hockey Now: Bettman also defended his Department of Player Safety and George Parros’ handling of the gong shows between the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals, which began with “Mr. Wonderful” Tom Wilson’s pile drivers on Rangers star players, and ended with a Slapshot-style brawl two nights later.

Bettman is as shrewd as they come. He’s deftly navigated previous relocation issues, including the Pittsburgh Penguins dance with Kansas City. There’s no doubt he will be able to handle the Coyotes and Kane effectively. But the Tom Wilson stuff…in fairness to Wilson, it was more of a Pedigree finisher than a piledriver that merited a lengthy suspension.

Vancouver Hockey Now: The IIHF Women’s World Championships begin today in Calgary, and Team Canada has to break Team USA’s death grip on gold.

Yahoo!: EA Sports put on the cover of NHL22. It’s the second time in three years they’ve put him on the box.

Buffalo News: Lance Lysowski broke the news–first-overall pick Owen Power will return to Michigan for his sophomore season and not join the Buffalo Sabres this year.

Good grief.

TSN: The St. Louis Blues are kicking tires on Zdeno Chara, but he wants to stay on the east coast, closer to his family in Boston. 1219572 San Jose Sharks

Sharks top prospect Eklund makes debut at development camp

BY BRIAN WITT

The Sharks announced Monday that they had signed 2021 first-round pick William Eklund to a standard entry-level contract, and San Jose's new top prospect went right to work.

Eklund, 18, whom the club selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft last month, was in attendance for the first day of Sharks development camp on Monday, and donned the teal sweater for the first time.

First skate in teal @Williameklund72 | #SharksDevCamp pic.twitter.com/OlbgTYFJUM— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) August 16, 2021

Also in attendance was Thomas Bordeleau, the Sharks' 2020 second- round pick and other top prospect. He and Eklund were working on the same line, along with 2020 fourth-round pick Brandon Coe.

"He’s a great player," Bordeleau said of Eklund. "I saw a lot of skills out of him. He’s got good speed, he’s smart with the puck. It’s fun to watch him play. I’m sure (he) can bring a lot (to the Sharks)."

Monday marked the first step in Eklund's stated goal to make the big club out of training camp. In addition to sharing that he'll head back to Sweden after development camp before returning in September for training camp, he confirmed San Jose Hockey Now's report that he is "open" to playing in the AHL if he doesn't make the Sharks’ 23-man roster to start the regular season.

One would imagine Eklund would only play for the San Jose Barracuda this season if he was close to getting called up. Alternatively, he also has the option of returning to Sweden to play for Djurgardens in Stockholm for another year. In any case, he figures to be a major part of the Sharks' future -- if not the present, as well.

The development camp will conclude with a prospect scrimmage on Thursday at 7 p.m., which will be streamed live. That will offer Sharks fans their first chance to see Eklund alongside some of his future teammates.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219573 Seattle Kraken Michigan forward Kent Johnson was drafted at No. 5 by the , and Beniers had hoped all three could rejoin the Wolverines for a shot at a national championship they believe was denied them. It was announced Friday that Johnson is indeed returning, Top Kraken draft pick Matty Beniers will return to University of Michigan enabling the trio to fulfill their wish. for sophomore season Note: The Kraken signed goalie Antoine Bibeau to a one-year, two-way contract ($750,000 average, annual value).

By Geoff Baker Seattle Times LOADED: 08.21.2021 Seattle Times staff reporter

The Kraken won’t have No. 2 overall draft pick Matty Beniers to help with its center depth when training camp opens next month.

The University of Michigan’s official hockey Twitter account stated Friday that two-way centerman Beniers, 18, had joined teammate Owen Power in deciding to return to the school for the 2021-22 campaign. Power on Thursday announced he would return to Michigan rather than join the Buffalo Sabres, who made him the No. 1 overall pick at last month’s NHL draft one slot ahead of Beniers.

Kraken general manager Ron Francis said Friday he’d recently spoken to Beniers’ agent/advisor, Pat Brisson, about the player’s immediate future and they’d agreed this course of action was likely the best. Kraken assistant general manager Jason Botterill had also spoken directly with Beniers at last month’s Team USA World Junior Summer Showcase camp in Plymouth, Michigan — which took place the week immediately following the draft.

“I think the No. 1 priority for us is not to rush somebody,” Francis said. “He’s got a chance to make some gains this year and do something special, try to win a national championship.”

The Kraken enters camp somewhat thin at the center position, with projected top-liner Yanni Gourde out until at least November after shoulder surgery for a torn labrum. Alex Wennberg, a third-line center much of his career with the , is expected to handle the top line in Gourde’s absence.

There had been some thought Beniers might come to camp and possibly help the top two lines, but he now won’t be eligible to join the Kraken until Michigan’s season is done.

Beniers could theoretically play the NCAA season and then join the Kraken as quickly as next spring. Francis said the Kraken will monitor his college progress and then make the call whether to have him join the team for the NHL season’s final weeks, or rest up in time for training camp in September 2022.

��'���������! Owen Power, Matty Beniers and Kent Johnson will return to Michigan for the 2021-22 season.#NotDone #UnfinishedBusiness#GoBlue〽 pic.twitter.com/eT0j3YTbSm

— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) August 20, 2021

The Kraken maintains the rights to Beniers throughout his college career, but this sophomore season will indeed be the last he plays for Michigan ahead of signing a professional contract. Only about a third of NHL players that first play in the NCAA spend all four years at school and top prospects tend to leave after a year or two.

NCAA rules allow players to have agents ahead of the draft, but they can only give career path advice as “family advisors” at a contracted rate not tied to any future pro contract. They can’t make any financial deals for a player or comment publicly on their behalf.

In drafting Beniers, Francis had said immediately afterward that he’d discuss with him whether he felt it best to return to school.

Beniers had expressed interest in doing that, namely given the star- studded Michigan team — with three prospects taken with the first five overall picks — had been denied a chance to play in last season’s NCAA tournament due to players being in COVID-19 protocol.

“I think going back for an extra year, you can keep building confidence,” Beniers said the day he was drafted. “The big thing is, not having a real year last year, not having a full schedule. … I want to really try to make a run at the national championship.”

He added: “Those are some of the perks that I kind of want to do.” 1219574 St Louis Blues

Blues plan to be at full capacity for 2021-22 season

Tom Timmermann

10 hrs ago

Cardboard cutouts will be a thing of the past at Enterprise Center.

After a season that started with a few hundred fans watching the Blues and peaked at 9,000 for the playoffs, the Blues are planning on being back at full capacity for the 2021-22 season that starts in October.

Single-game tickets for the Blues go on sale Friday, Aug. 27, and the plan is to sell all 18,096 seats.

When last season began in January, a crowd of about 300, consisting of first responders and medical personnel were on hand, safely separated throughout the lower bowl. By the second homestand, crowds were up to around 1,400, then 2,000 by mid-February and by the end of March, 4,100. For the Blues’ two playoff games with Colorado, capacity was set at 9,000, about half of Enterprise Center’s 18,096 capacity for hockey.

The last time the Blues had a capacity crowd at Enterprise was March 9, 2020.

The Cardinals went back to full capacity on June 14, though crowds have yet to come close to filling the ballpark.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219575 St Louis Blues

Blues will retire Pronger jersey on Jan. 17

Tom Timmermann

16 hrs ago

In a ceremony that was pushed back a season because of the pandemic, the Blues will retire Chris Pronger's No. 44 on Jan. 17 before a game against Nashville.

The Blues announced in February 2020 that the number of the former Blues captain and Hart Trophy winner as the NHL's MVP, would be retired in the 2020-21 season, with the date to be set when the season's schedule came out.

But that season didn't go off as planned, with the season not starting until January. The Blues never got to full capacity at Enterprise Center during the season because of COVID restrictions, getting as many as 9,000 for their playoff games, and the crowds were much smaller before that, getting in the way of having a ceremony to honor Pronger.

Pronger will be the eighth player to have his number retired by the Blues, joining Al MacInnis (2), Bob Gassoff (3), (5), Barclay Plager (8), (11), (16) and Bernie Federko (24).

The NHL schedule is still subject to change if NHL players don't participate in the Olympics. The league would fill in a three-week gap in February, though it as said it would try to preserve as many dates off the current schedule as possible.

While with the Blues from 1995 to 2004, Pronger played in 598 regular- season games (14th most in franchise history), with 84 goals and 272 assists (ninth most) for 356 points (13th most) and was a four-time All- Star. In 2017, he was named one of the 100 greatest players by the NHL.

His marquee season was 1999-2000, when the Blues won the Presidents' Trophy with their best regular-season record ever (114 points). Pronger had 14 goals and 48 assists and was a plus-52. He joined as the only players to win the Hart Trophy as MVP and the Norris Trophy as best defenseman in the same season.

In a cost-cutting move as Bill Laurie prepared to sell the team, Pronger was traded to Edmonton in 2005. He went on to play for Anaheim and Philadelphia after that, winning the Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007. He was selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015, even though he hadn't officially retired yet. Pronger's seven-year contract with the Flyers ran through 2017, but his playing career was ended by concussions in the 2011-12 season. Technically, Pronger finished his career with the Arizona Coyotes, who acquired him in a trade in 2015 for salary cap reasons even though they knew he wouldn't play.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219576 Toronto Maple Leafs The COVID-19 situation with no fans at the KeyBank Center last year was not the way Jeanneret nor the club thought his remarkable career should end.

Where would homeless Coyotes roam? “To spend 50 years doing any one job is more than a person can ask for, let alone one as special as mine,” Jeanneret said.

His inflection is famous in such calls as ‘May Day!’ when Brad May Lance Hornby eliminated Boston in the 1983 playoffs and ‘La-la-la-la-laFontaine’! Publishing date:Aug 20, 2021 • 10 hours ago whenever Pat Lafontaine had a big goal. The St. Catherines, Ont., native started with signature goal calls of the great French Connection Line, , Rick Martin and Rene Robert.

Before hockey fans in Houston, Kansas City or even Quebec City get Dan Dunleavy will continue to transition to the full-time play-by-play hopes up as a new home for the Arizona Coyotes, expect the team to position. take the temperature in nearby Tempe. ICE CHIPS If the Coyotes are true to their word to being “one hundred per cent committed to finding a long-term arena solution in Arizona”, then pulling For a team that hasn’t won a playoff round its last five tries, elements of the plug at Gila River Arena next year — announced Thursday by the Maple Leafs are still getting some love. This week, leading scorer politicians in the Phoenix suburb — is not a death knell. Auston Matthews was named cover star of EA’s 2022 NHL video game for the second time in three years, and Friday, the betting web site Many expect team ownership will use the final season of the Glendale playcanada.com ranked Carlton The Bear as the NHL’s best mascot. lease to pursue a new arena deal in Tempe, a 20-minute drive East and Polling 2,000 fans across the country and the U.S., Carlton ranked first a little closer to Phoenix than Glendale, an intention known long before with an average score of 3.81 out of five, the only Canadian character to Thursday. The team is trying to partner with Tempe on a new make the top 10. Buffalo’s Sabretooth was second, with Stinger of the entertainment district surrounding the rink, like the one that gradually Columbus Blue Jackets last at 2.83. Fans in Columbus and Vancouver appeared in Glendale. (Fin The Whale) tied for rating their own mascots as the worst. Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers’ edgy orange ogre, was voted ‘most obnoxious’ … Commissioner Gary Bettman did not see the team remaining in Glendale The Detroit Red Wings are buying out the contract of 37-year-old forward in a year-to-year lease agreement, but insists he wants it to stay in-state, Frans Nielsen … Calgary signed Nikita Zadorov to a one- given how much work went into propping up the Coyotes already since year extension for $3.75 million US and defenceman Juuso Valomaki to the 1990s and based on early success on the league’s other desert two years at $1.55 million … Winnipeg signed forward Evgeny team, the . Svechnikov to a one-year AHL deal. The former Detroit first rounder But the Coyotes have not had much on-ice success and were behind in missed a full year with major knee surgery … The Ontario Hockey some payments to Glendale, prompting that city to give notice it will League has announced strict COVID-19 requirements for this season, pursue another anchor tenant. If the Coyotes do leave Arizona after ’21- proof that all players, team members and spectators in its 17 provincial 22, the league would likely want a Western U.S. venue to maintain its rinks are double vaccinated and have proof. newly created balance of two 16-team conferences. If Tempe is a go, the Toronto Sun LOADED: 08.21.2021 Coyotes will have to find a temporary digs until a new venue is built. That could be troublesome as the Phoenix Suns basketball team and the University of Arizona reportedly are cool to sharing space.

KING LEAVES HIS THRONE

Henrik Lundqvist retired Friday, his No. 30 headed straight to the rafters of Madison Square Garden.

The great goaltender, so much a part of the New York Rangers for 14 years, made his announcement in Frolunda, Sweden, where he began club hockey and was unearthed in the draft by the Rangers, 205th overall in 2000. Arriving in the NHL five years later, he was a five-time All Star and won the Vezina Trophy in 2011-12.

After being one of the Big Apple’s most recognized pro athletes, he was squeezed out of a job and tried a one-year deal with the Washington Capitals last season. He was unable to play after open-heart surgery. Ongoing discomfort in summer workouts convinced him to hang up the pads.

Lundqvist’s record is 459-310-96 in 887 career NHL games, a save percentage of .918 and 64 shutouts. He’s the Rangers’ franchise leader in those categories, but made just one Cup final appearance in 2014 when New York was beaten by Los Angeles. The club announced it will retire his sweater this coming season.

“Thank you Rangers and New York City,” Lundqvist wrote. “I’m a born Swede, but I’ll always feel like a New Yorker. Thank you NHL, this league was everything I dreamed of and more. Lastly, thank you to the game of hockey and its fans. You gave my life purpose and I have loved every single minute of it.”

LAST DAYS OF MR. ‘MAY DAY’

Rick Jeanneret’s 51st season behind the microphone for the Buffalo Sabres will be his last, working 20 of the team’s 82 regular season games, all at home, on MSG cable and WGR radio.

“This will definitely be it,” the 79-year-old Hall of Fame play-by-play man told the Buffalo News, after handling 20 games last year in the shortened season. “I was offered the opportunity and I thought it is one more kick of the can.” 1219577 Washington Capitals

Longtime Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist retires from NHL

BY ETHAN CADEAUX

One of the NHL's most legendary netminders in recent memory is hanging up the skates.

Longtime New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is retiring from professional hockey. He announced his decision during a press conference in Gothenburg and later confirmed on Twitter.

"For the last 30 years I have devoted my life to the game of hockey," Lundqvist wrote. "Now it is time to walk away from the game I love and begin a new chapter." pic.twitter.com/dKKdNxHc8U— Henrik Lundqvist (@hlundqvist35) August 20, 2021

The Swedish goaltender was originally drafted by the Rangers in 2001 but didn't make his NHL debut until 2005. He immediately established himself as one of the best netminders in the sport, finishing with 30 wins and breaking the Rangers rookie record.

Over the next decade and a half, Lundqvist was annually one of the best at his position. He was named to the NHL All-Star team five times and awarded the Vezina Trophy, given to the NHL's best goaltender, in 2012.

In 2020, after 15 seasons with the Rangers, the two sides announced they'd be moving on from one another. Lundqvist signed with the Washington Capitals on a one-year deal, but would never take the ice for his new team due to a heart condition that required open-heart surgery in January. Lundqvist remarkably returned to practice one month later, but then said he would not be returning between the pipes for the rest of the season.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219578 Washington Capitals

Who will be the Caps' No. 1 goalie by the end of the season?

BY J.J. REGAN & ANDREW GILLIS

Believe it or not, summer is winding down and it is time to think about the 2021-22 hockey season. Andrew Gillis and JJ Regan will discuss the biggest questions surrounding the Caps heading into the new season.

Today's topic: Who will be the Capitals' No. 1 goalie by the end of the season?

Andrew: I am a believer in Ilya Samsonov and I say it’s him. Vitek Vanecek is a good option to have as a No. 2 goalie, especially on a cheap deal, but this team shouldn’t rely on him to be a true No. 1 just yet.

In Samsonov’s first season in the NHL in 2019-20, he had a .913 save percentage in 26 games. He regressed last season to a .902, but I think he can regain his form once again with a system that is favorable toward defense.

I do think, however, this can be a make-or-break year for Samsonov with both he and Vanecek on one-year deals. If Samsonov gets outplayed, the Capitals could elect to ride with Vanecek for the future. There's some pressure there and that should serve as motivation.

Over the final 32 games of the regular season last year, both Vanecek and Samsonov posted .906 save percentages in nearly identical time on ice (just 35 minutes of difference). Samsonov was better at five-on-five, with a .918 save percentage in that timeframe.

Of course, a lot of last season’s ire toward Samsonov was drawn to his gaffe in Game 3 behind the net that led to the Bruins’ game-winning goal in double overtime, a moment that turned the series in Boston’s favor. That’s not to be lost here, but the Capitals likely wouldn’t have been in that spot had Samsonov not been stellar in the first overtime period. The glimpses of his talent are there, however fleeting they may be.

If Samsonov is able to regain his 2019-20 form, and slowly improve, I think the 24-year-old goalie could turn into what the Capitals thought they were getting when they made him a first round pick in 2015.

JJ: Whether the answer is Vanecek or Samsonov, the person who is going to decide this is ultimately Samsonov.

Of the two goalies, Samsonov has the higher ceiling. His size, skill and athleticism make him a potential NHL starter, but the inconsistency on and off the ice is a concern. Vanecek is a fine backup, but I just do not see him as a starter at the NHL level.

Samsonov is going to decide the answer to this question by what he does on and off the ice. I know that part of why he only got a one-year contract was the team's cap situation. In another year, he can negotiate for a bigger contract. Having said that, this is also very much a prove-it deal.

Samsonov suffered an ATV injury that kept him out of the 2020 postseason, he tested positive for COVID-19 in January and was found to be in violation of the NHL's COVID health and safety protocols. He was later benched for a game for being late to a team function and went back on the NHL's absence list to start the playoffs.

Another season like that and I think the team will strongly consider moving on. But if Samsonov is able to focus on his game and show a bit more consistency between the pipes, he should absolutely be the No. 1 by season's end.

It's all up to him.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219579 Washington Capitals

What can we reasonably expect from Kuznetsov this season?

BY J.J. REGAN & ANDREW GILLIS

Believe it or not, summer is winding down and it is time to think about the 2021-22 hockey season. Andrew Gillis and JJ Regan will discuss the biggest questions surrounding the Caps heading into the new season.

Today's topic: What can we reasonably expect from Evgeny Kuznetsov this season?

Andrew: Evgeny Kuznetsov wasn’t moved as some Capitals fans wanted/expected this offseason. That could’ve been due to the fact that he’s currently valued at pennies on the dollar, or that he’s a talented player the Capitals still can extract value from.

Kuznetsov, in a year marred by two trips to the COVID-19 list, still scored 0.71 points per game last season. Those players don’t grow on trees just anywhere and are certainly not cheap to try to replace.

I think with a more defensively responsible and play-driving player like Anthony Mantha on his wing, he can settle into a nice role where he’s used in optimal offensive situations like coach Peter Laviolette did last year. Kuznetsov took a whopping 74.46% of his faceoffs in the offensive zone, and I would expect him to be at the top of that once again.

I also think his success is partially dependent upon Nicklas Backstrom's success. If Backstrom can keep up as a top-line level center, then the pressure isn't solely on Kuznetsov to be the best center on the roster. If teams don't worry about Backstrom, then Kuznetsov will face tougher defensive pairs.

With a good supporting cast on his wings, I think Kuznetsov can be about a 55-60 point player with decent (albeit a tad skewed) underlying metrics. That’s certainly good enough for the Capitals as they look to bring him back to his elite level of play from a few years ago. Anything else would be an extra bonus.

JJ: This becomes a question that gets asked heading into every season as if we don't know the type of player Evgeny Kuznetsov is. In truth, we know exactly the kind of player he is.

You may think Kuznetsov is inconsistent, but he's not from season to season. Here is a look at his rate of production per 60 minutes in each of the past five seasons.

2016-17: 0.8 goals, 1.7 assists, 2.5 points

2017-18: 1.1 goals, 2.3 assists, 3.4 points

2018-19: 0.9 goals, 2.1 assists, 3.0 points

2019-20: 1.0 goals, 1.8 assists, 2.8 points

2021: 0.8 goals, 1.8 assists, 2.6 points

We have been waiting for 2018 Kuznetsov, the Kuznetsov who scored 32 points in 24 postseason games, to reemerge and dominate the league. But I look at his numbers and his play the last few years and I don't think he has underachieved, I think that 2017-18 was the anomaly.

As great as 2018 was, if that was the level to which Kuznetsov was able to play on a consistent basis, we would see that reflected more than once every five years. It's the other four years that we should focus on because that's the real Kuznetsov.

So, for me, this question is simple. Kuznetsov is going to play like the best player in the world in limited moments, but for the most part, he will perform like a 1st/2nd line center. In terms of production, we should expect him to score in the range of 0.8 to 1.0 goals, 1.7 to 2.1 assists (probably closer to a 1.7 to 1.8 range) and 2.5 to 3.0 points all per 60 minutes. The 2019-20 season appears to be a good comparison in which he scored 19 goals, 33 assists and 52 points. That's about what I would expect in 2021-22.

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How many goals will Ovechkin score in 2021-22?

BY J.J. REGAN & ANDREW GILLIS

Believe it or not, but summer is winding down and it is time to think about the 2021-22 hockey season. Andrew Gillis and JJ Regan will discuss the biggest questions surrounding the Caps heading into the new season.

Today's topic: How many goals will Alex Ovechkin score?

Andrew: Up until the 2020-21 season, Alex Ovechkin never had many injuries to speak of. And, if he did, they weren’t serious enough for him to miss time.

Previously, it was easy to pencil him in for around 80 or so regular- season games, which is a large reason why he’s still reasonably in the chase for Wayne Gretzky’s mark of 894 goals (Ovechkin is currently at 730).

Now, that longevity is no longer guaranteed. He was injured at the end of last season and will be 36 years old in a month. Even for the Russian Machine, injuries and aging fatigue will happen eventually.

Still, if we can say Ovechkin will play in 75 regular-season games this season (which would be his lowest per-team-game average since the 2009-10 season), we can start to give a best guess.

Ovechkin’s lowest goals-per-game mark of his career was 0.40 in the 2016-17 season, but he followed that up with marks of 0.60, 0.63, 0.71 and 0.53 over the next four seasons. If he scores at a rate of 0.55 goals per game this upcoming season, that leaves him at 41.25 goals over 75 games.

So I’m going to say that Ovechkin scores just below that, with 41 goals in the 2021-22 season. That almost assuredly wouldn’t get him another Rocket Richard Trophy, but it would leave him with 771 career goals — 123 goals behind Gretzky and in third place above Jaromir Jagr, Brett Hull and Marcel Dionne.

Meaning, over the final four years of Ovechkin’s contract, he’d need an average of 31 goals to pass Gretzky’s all-time mark. The Great Eight isn’t done being great just yet.

JJ: Ovechkin's 0.53 goals per game in 2021 is the lowest rate he has scored since 2016-17. Because he is 35 and will turn 36 before the season starts, every dip in production will be met with questions as to whether Ovechkin is starting his inevitable decline. There is no denying that he just did not look like himself for much of last season, but I am not ready to downgrade him to a 20-goal scorer just yet.

The 2021 season did not allow players to train the way they usually train and the schedule was more condensed allowing less time for recovery. Ovechkin missed a week early in the season while on the NHL's COVID- related absence list and he suffered injuries later in the season which is extremely rare for him.

All these factors made for a difficult season, but they are also unique to 2021 so I do not look at last year as necessarily being the beginning of the end. With a relatively normal amount of time to train and a more normal season format, I believe Ovechkin will look like his normal self, at least initially.

While I think his skill has not deteriorated, I do wonder if his durability has. That makes me nervous about his possible Olympic participation. We have seen Ovechkin bow out of the All-Star Game for extra rest, but in 2021-22, he could potentially travel to China in the middle of the NHL season to play even more hockey.

I believe we will see Ovechkin score at a higher rate than in the bizarre 2021 season, but I would not be surprised if we see him miss some games again. I have zero doubt he knows he needs to average 33 goals per year over the five years of his contract to catch Gretzky and I think he reaches that mark comfortably, but I do not see him threatening for 50 goals or for a Rocket Richard. I will put his goal total somewhere in the range of 37 to 42 goals.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219581 Winnipeg Jets breakouts and move the puck. It will come together over time, but honestly, I'm really excited about how our team is shaping up."

Morrissey had a terrific first-round playoff series against Edmonton, when Morrissey leads what could be special blue-line he and DeMelo helped keep Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl mostly in check during a four-game sweep. But he and his teammates struggled to keep that going in the second-round, when they were quickly wiped out by Montreal in four games. Losing DeMelo to an injury on the first Mike McIntyre shift of Game 1, and Mark Scheifele to a suspension at the tail end, 8/21/2021 certainly didn't help.

Morrissey has changed his personal strength trainer this summer and believes the new program will translate to more effective play on the ice, You could excuse Winnipeg Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey if he took a especially after such an unusual, abbreviated off-season last year due to look at a 2018 team photo and wonders if it was something he said. After the pandemic. all, the turnover on the blue-line is stunning, both in terms of quantity and quality. "It's been nice to have a full off-season of work. I'm really happy with how it's going and the results that I'm getting," he said. Gone are Dustin Byfuglien, Toby Enstrom, Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers, Ben Chiarot. Dmitry Kulikov, Joe Morrow and, most recently this summer, Morrissey also applauded other recent Jets move, including the return of Tucker Poolman. Last one out the door shut off the lights? Just three fully vaccinated fans to the downtown rink for the coming season, last years later, Morrissey is literally the last man standing from a talented week's announcement of a statue in True North Square group that went all the way to the Western Conference final. and the use what he described as the "stunning" Heritage jerseys as the club's full-time third sweater. "It was really not a gradual progression. It was sort of zero-to-100 in a hurry," Morrissey told the Free Press this week in a candid, wide-ranging "It's hard to believe that nine or 10 months ago we were trying to figure phone conversation from his summer home in Calgary. "I think looking at out how we would make (last) season work to now being here. We're all that team and that blue-line, we had depth. That's such a key thing on the hoping things can keep moving in the right direction. I can't imagine what blue-line, not just for injuries, but in-game management." it will be like to play in front of a full arena again. It's been a long year- and-a- half for everybody," said Morrissey. Trying to fill all those holes has not been easy, nor has it been quick or painless. And the 26-year-old first-round draft pick (13th overall in 2013) "Watching on TV throughout the season, we were envious of the teams admits his own game has taken a hit, with a rotating cast of new partners that were able to that. It was kind of cool, or at least fitting, for (Tampa to break in and plenty of inconsistent play along the way. There's also Bay) to win a Cup in the pandemic bubble and do it in an empty building, been increased pressure and scrutiny, the result of an eight-year, US$50 but then able to do it this summer in a full arena in that fashion. It just million contract extension signed in September 2019 along with being seems right on some level. Hopefully it can be us next year." named an alternate captain that fall. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 08.21.2021 "It was a pretty daunting task. Almost within the blink of an eye, you go from being the young guy and looking up to the other guys and different things, to all of a sudden it changed pretty quick," said Morrissey. "It was definitely a big change for me these last couple years."

But hope springs eternal, and Morrissey believes the group that will hit the ice this fall has the potential to truly be something special. Neal Pionk and Logan Stanley are back, armed with shiny new contracts. Dylan DeMelo returns, too, after being spared in the Seattle expansion draft. Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon are now in the fold, the product of big off-season trades. And promising young skaters such as Ville Heinola, Dylan Samberg and Johnathan Kovacevic are all ripening on the vine.

"To be honest, I couldn't be more excited about that and the opportunity to build something," said Morrissey. "There's a lot of great pieces there. Since the transition has happened, it's the most depth that we've had."

So just what might it all look like when the puck drops in October? Morrissey will likely be in his familiar top-pairing role, but his partner has yet-to-be determined. There's a good chance it could be Schmidt, the 30- year-old obtained from Vancouver in exchange for a third-round draft pick as part of a Canucks salary dump.

"It's a small world, we all kind of all have friends on all the teams. From talking to guys he's played with in Washington and Vegas and certainly Vancouver, everyone just speaks volumes of his character, the type of player he is," said Morrissey.

"I've never met him in person, but it kind of feels like you know him. He's got this energy and excitement level. Any media I've seen him do over the years he's always got a big smile going and when you ask anyone about him, that smile goes on their face as they're explaining what kind of character he is. You can never have too many guys like that around."

It's also possible Morrissey gets another look with either Pionk or DeMelo after stints with both at times last season. He's also thrilled with the addition of fellow left-shooting rear-guard Dillon in a similar salary-dump trade with Washington. The two often skate together during the summers under the guise of former NHLer turned skills coach Adam Oates.

"I was super excited when I saw we acquired Dilly. He's an absolute beast of a guy. He can really move out there," said Morrissey. "As a back end, we will find our own identity as time goes on. Looking at it, we have a mix of size and a lot of guys who can move and skate and make 1219582 Vancouver Canucks Centre or wing? Best cheat meal? What about the favourite movie? Get to know #Canucks forward Jason Dickinson as he answered your

questions and talked about signing a new deal when he joined Discovering a role helped new Canucks centre Dickinson find a roll #ThePeoplesShow @danriccio_ | @RandipJanda

Ex-Dallas Stars pivot is also keen on coming to Vancouver because of its LISTEN: https://t.co/kWxbxlyCjO young core, explaining that "you hear those young names and you know — Sportsnet 650 (@Sportsnet650) August 16, 2021 they’re right there. This is a team that’s ready to win.” He says he also understands the expectations and pressure playing in a

hockey-crazed market like Vancouver. Steve Ewen “The team had that (Stanley Cup Final) run in 2011 and the fans feel Publishing date:Aug 20, 2021 • 10 hours ago like they haven’t had anything like it since. They’re yearning for success and I get it, because I really hate to lose,” Dickinson said.

Dickinson went No. 29 overall in the 2013 NHL Draft after recording 18 For new Vancouver Canucks centre Jason Dickinson, something clicked goals and 47 points for the OHL’s Guelph Storm that regular season. The in spring 2018. following campaign, he put up 26 goals and 78 points in league play and He had just been sent back to the Texas Stars, reassigned to the AHL then eight goals and 24 points in 20 playoff matchups to help Guelph team by the NHL-parent Dallas Stars. A 2013 first-round draft and a make the championship tournament.They lost the final to scorer in junior hockey, Dickinson was having trouble getting traction in the Edmonton Oil Kings coached by Laxdal. the Dallas lineup. He had played 27 games for them that season, got That Guelph side was coached by former Canucks winger Scott Walker, 8:32 of ice time on average per game and had statistics over that time of and his assistants included Todd Harvey, who’s now Vancouver’s no goals and two assists. director of amateur scouting. Harvey maintains that Dickinson was Dickinson had a heart-to-heart talk with Texas coach Derek Laxdal. He always responsible defensively in junior. He also believes that he can had played more of an offensive role for Laxdal — 16 goals in his first 36 find more of a scoring touch at the NHL level. games — but told the coach he wanted to fully embrace that dependable, “You’re getting a guy who has a real good hockey IQ, plays hard every trustworthy, third-line centre role. He suggested that Laxdal put him with night and is low-maintenance,” Harvey said. “He also has enough skill two wingers of that mindset and give the trio tough matchups for the and brains to play with really offensive players. I think he’s figured out playoffs. Dickinson thought it would add depth to the team’s lineup too. what kind of player he is and that’s a valuable player, since he’s that Laxdal did just that, and Dickinson was a key contributor to a Texas team versatile and able to play up-and-down a lineup.” that lost in seven games in the AHL championship to the No. 1-seeded Dallas used that No. 73 selection they got from Vancouver for Dickinson Toronto Marlies after having the AHL’s 12th-best record in the regular to pick forward Ayrton Martino, 18, who started last season with the season. Dickinson has been an NHL regular ever since. BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs but jumped to the USHL’s Omaha Lancers Worried that they would lose him for nothing to the Seattle Kraken in the midway through the year when the BCHL was shut down due to COVID- NHL expansion draft, Dallas swapped Dickinson to the Vancouver 19. He’s slated to play this season with Clarkson University. Canucks at the July 17 roster freeze, receiving a third-round pick (No. 73) Vancouver Province: LOADED: 08.21.2021 in this year’s entry draft July 24 in return. The 26-year-old Dickinson is expected to drive Vancouver’s third line this season.

“When a Jason Dickinson comes to have that conversation with you, you know he’s not doing it just because he thinks it’s the right thing to do. He wants to get better, he wants to be a player who can play in the NHL,” Laxdal, who’s now a Dallas assistant coach, said earlier this week. “Like most players, he was having to learn how to play the pro game, having to learn how to play the 200-foot game.

“Unless you’re an especially gifted offensive talent, and there are only so many of those guys around, you’re going to have to do that to make it in the NHL. There are only so many guys who are going to get power- play time and those extra minutes. If you’re willing to accept a role and embrace that role, you’ve got a chance to stick.”

The 6-foot-2, 200 pound Dickinson says Canucks fans can expect someone who “brings it every night” and strives to be “hard to play against” and “relentless on the PK.”

He came to the Canucks as a restricted free agent and last week signed a three-year extension with a cap hit of US$2.65 million per season. He’s currently Vancouver’s sixth-highest-paid forward, with the contract extension for restricted free agent centre Elias Pettersson still pending. Dickinson got a raise from his cap hit of US$1.5 million.

He was sixth in ice-time-per-game (16:12) with Dallas last season among forwards who played 15 or more games. He was third in penalty-kill minutes per game (1:41) in that same group. He had seven goals and 15 points in the 51 games.

His production was similar to both 2018-19 (six goals, 22 points, 67 games) and 2019-20 (nine goals, 21 points, 65 games), while his ice time has jumped (13:22 per game the first year, 14:59 the second).

He says he had an inkling he may be traded before the expansion draft and that he had a “big smirk” when it was Vancouver, because he’s keen on their core group led by Pettersson and defenceman Quinn Hughes.

“You hear those young names and you know they’re right there,” Dickinson, who’s from Georgetown, Ont., said. “This is a team that’s ready to win.” 1219583 Websites It’s always a good thing when you can take your guy again. There are various points on this list where some of the teams would still defend their selections and vouch for their player over the one I’ve got them taking. But it’s another thing altogether when that player’s merits in that The Athletic / Who goes first in a 2018 NHL Draft redo? And how do their spot are unimpeachable against the views of outsiders, too. It was a clear pre-draft rankings hold up today? 1-2 at the time, so the Hurricanes don’t get too much credit for taking the right player and having him pan out, but they still get some. Svechnikov

has 118 points in his last 140 combined regular season and playoff By Scott Wheeler games over the course of the last two seasons. That’s a 0.84 points per game clip, or a nice 69 points a season across 82 games from age 19- Aug 20, 2021 21. And he has done it while scoring just 45 goals (or 26 per 82 games) during that stretch, which is encouraging to me because I still see clear

30-goal upside in his ability as a natural scorer who can get to the middle A scout’s job is not an enviable one. NHL teams and their scouts do their of the ice. I think he’ll break a point per game at some point soon. work under a constant internal and external microscope, where review 3. Montreal Canadiens: LHD and criticism of their choices determine their livelihood. When they stick their neck out for a prospect, it comes with real consequences if that Actual draft pick: No. 1 (change: -2) to Buffalo player doesn’t pan out. It’s a cutthroat business where every kid’s odds of not making it are greater than their odds of NHL success. My final ranking: No. 1 (change: -2)

My job is much easier. Though it comes with its own form of public Dahlin’s current prognostication is tough because we’ve seen real signs criticism, the stakes just aren’t as high. While I get into the same rinks, of the offensive dynamo everyone believed he could come (there aren’t a watch the same tape, and talk to the same people about these kids lot of 18-year-old defencemen who’ve ever posted 44 points in the NHL!) before building my own list, sure. But I don’t actually have to step up to but he plays for the Sabres (it’s sad that “but he plays for the Sabres” is a the podium and make the picks. legitimate excuse), there have been some bumps in the road, and the defensive game just hasn’t quite come around yet. I still think he’s going But I still have to earn your trust. That’s especially important at The to become the true top pairing, Norris contending defenceman he’s Athletic, where you’re paying to subscribe no different than you would for absolutely capable of becoming. If he does — if he puts it all together — cable TV or tickets. And if you’re going to spend your money to read our he may well end up where he was picked when it’s over: No. 1. But it’s work, you deserve to know that you can count on it to be not only well- hard to give him the edge over Hughes and Svechnikov at this point with sourced and researched but also transport. That’s why, over the last the way things went last season and some of the clear faults that remain several years, I’ve tried to open up my process alongside the actual in his game without the puck (and with it in his decision-making at times). finished products. The rankings and evaluations you read are only as good as the time, energy and purported expertise that fuels them. 4. Ottawa Senators: LW Brady Tkachuk

To be as transparent as possible about my work, I produce a series of Actual draft pick: No. 4 (change: none) to Ottawa annual articles that are intended to keep me honest, force me to own My final ranking: No. 8 (change: +4) past mistakes, and learn. One of those pieces is a scouting guide, which I update yearly to give you, the reader, more insight into how it all comes If you were to survey a group of NHL scouts and ask them to re-do the together, the things I look for, and my potential blind spots or biases. 2018 draft, I’d guess that Tkachuk ends up as the near-unanimous No. 4. Some scouts would probably make the case for him over Dahlin, but the Each summer, I also do a re-draft of a past draft class which includes a majority would likely order things the way I’ve got them here. So credit review of my ranking at the time. where credit’s due: The Senators got this one right. You could argue then The goal is to not only provide you with my updated evaluations of the as you could now about the merits of taking Quinn Hughes fourth top players in the draft class of three years earlier, but measure where I instead. I would have then and now. But Hughes was the only player I was at on each of those kids relative to how the NHL draft actually played preferred over Tkachuk at that spot who has gone on to have a greater out to determine what I got right and what I got wrong. impact in the NHL thus far. As a result, the reality is that I was too low on Tkachuk at the time. And not because he has become a better player While three years out isn’t the finish line for these kids and I will continue than I thought he would. He has actually become the exact player that I to re-evaluate the draft and myself in the years ahead, I believe this is the pegged him as at the time. So this wasn’t a matter of me getting his most reasonable — and earliest possible — point in their careers to profile wrong, or misevaluating him as a player. It was a matter of me begin to draw real conclusions about these players. They are almost all being too high on other players, which ultimately meant that I was too low now 21 or 22 years old and either established as NHL players or on him by proxy. approaching the end of their prospect lifecycle. At this point, I also have enough viewings and enough data on these players to feel extremely 5. Arizona Coyotes: LW confident in my understanding of where they’re at and where they’re trending. Actual draft pick: No. 14 (change: +9) to Philadelphia

1. Buffalo Sabres: LHD Quinn Hughes My final ranking: No. 10 (change: +5)

Actual draft pick: No. 7 (change: +6) to Vancouver This is the point in the list where the 2018 draft begins to reveal itself as a quite weak class. When I re-drafted the 2015 class, there were still My final ranking: No. 4 (change: +3) names like Mitch Marner, Zach Werenski, Mikko Rantanen, Kyle Connor, Thomas Chabot, Brock Boeser, and Sebastian Aho, among others, to I think there’s a clear top-three that has emerged from the 2018 class consider for this range and beyond. When I did the 2016 class, players (followed by a clear fourth), and there are probably still arguments for like Pierre-Luc Dubois, Alex DeBrincat, Charlie McAvoy, and Adam Fox each to be ordered in several ways here. But Hughes has had the best were still around at No. 5. Last summer, when I re-did 2017, which itself career of the bunch to date and I think there’s a little more cost certainty was still a weaker draft than the previous two, Nick Suzuki went fifth. No with him moving forward than there is with the next two names on this disrespect to Joel Farabee, who I’m a huge fan of (see: the No. 10 list. If there are 31 No. 1 defencemen in the league, he’s already one of ranking from my list at the time) and who is a fabulous player, but he’s them. And if he doesn’t win a Norris Trophy at some point in his career, I not any of those guys. I do, however, think he’s the fairly clear choice suspect you’ll see him nominated several times. I’m proud of where I was once you get past the big four names from the 2018 group. He’s not at on Hughes at the time. I stuck my neck out for him throughout that going to be a star-level player, but I suspect he’ll have an excellent year, defended his defensive maturity for his size, and had him ranked as career in the tier just below that as a 50-60 point impact guy. high as third at various points (loyal readers will remember that I nearly ranked him third on that final list, too). 6. Detroit Red Wings: RHD Adam Boqvist

2. Carolina Hurricanes: LW Andrei Svechnikov Actual draft pick: No. 8 (change: +2) to Chicago

Actual draft pick: No. 2 (change: none) to Carolina My final ranking: No. 6 (change: none)

My final ranking: No. 2 (change: none) This is where things got really tough because I think you could take any year too (though Sanderson has never had issues with his decision- of the eight players I have slotted from 6-13 in this exercise and re-order making, his offensive touch left me a little lower on him despite the them any way you’d like. I think there are realistic outcomes for each (in obvious translatable tools he had in his athleticism, strength, length and either direction) that finish their career at the top of that group or the skating). So this is definitely something to learn from in that way. I still bottom, too. So I don’t consider this some huge victory for my board don’t think Miller’s ever going to be a particularly productive defenceman, because I was a little higher on Boqvist than where he was drafted at the but you don’t have to be a good one (sometimes all you need is skating- time, because he still hasn’t clearly shown that I was right. His 29 points power-length blend to do what teams covet most: defend and then in his first 76 games is a strong start for an offensive defenceman built in advance the puck from A to B) and his tools inside the offensive zone are his mould, especially when you consider that he was one of the youngest strong enough that he can still make plays there. players in the 2018 draft and he did all of that at 19 and 20 (he only just turned 21 on August 15). I think the age piece of his puzzle also has to 10. : C Jesperi Kotkaniemi extrapolate into his new projection, too. It certainly makes me more Actual draft pick: No. 3 (change: -7) to Montreal comfortable slotting him here because I suspect the best is yet to come at both ends. He’s never going to be a go-to guy defensively. That’s just My final ranking: No. 9 (change: -1) not really what he was ever about. But I think he’ll continue to become a Late in the 2017-2018 season, as the draft approached, Kotkaniemi more serviceable, regular shift even-strength defender while taking huge emerged as a top-five guy in many scouting circles (though he was sixth leaps offensively when the minutes, usage and confidence come. He’s on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of the draft’s top European still not playing the aggressive, attacking style that he’s capable of players, he was fifth by the time Bob McKenzie’s final scouting survey playing. I won’t be the least bit surprised when he does in Columbus, dropped). The way it played out relative to my board was a little ironic though, and when he becomes the 10-plus goals, 40-plus point because I was much higher on him than most for much of that draft year defenceman he’s capable of becoming, mans the top power play, and (he was 13th on my preliminary list when he wasn’t in that range almost creates more than he gives up at 5-on-5. He’s got talent that the rest of anywhere else publicly and he was 11th on my midseason list, when I these players don’t and the runway to tap into it. went as far as to call him my favorite prospect in the draft and when he 7. Vancouver Canucks: LHD Ty Smith was ranked ninth in Europe by NHL Central Scouting) but I finished the year as a big opponent of him as high as third. That was because he Actual draft pick: No. 17 (change: +10) to New Jersey looked too much like a good player to me, and not enough like the kind of My final ranking: No. 14 (change: +7) first-line player teams should be targeting that high. In hindsight, I think I settled in about the right place all along. He’s a good player who is still Smith didn’t have a second half to match his first half, but his rookie finding ways to consistently be that guy, which is fine at his age. He was season in the NHL was still a success by any measure a year ago (I probably taken too high and probably rushed, though, and he’s not going wasn’t among the 100 PHWA members selected to vote on awards this to be a great player. year, but he would have been fifth on my Calder ballot had I been). Smith’s another kid I was slightly higher on then versus where he was 11. New York Islanders: RW/LW Filip Zadina taken and have continued to believe in since. I see clear top-four traits Actual draft pick: No. 6 (change: -5) to Detroit across the board, including most of the offensive tools you expect out of a productive 5-foot-11 defender and many of the defensive tools you My final ranking: No. 3 (change: -8) maybe don’t. You’ll rarely see Smith make a mistake or misread the play If I was right about my reluctance in ranking Kotkaniemi in the top five, I (on either side of the puck). He won’t cheat to create his offense either was wrong about slotting Zadina there in retrospect. Zadina was the but has always produced like the talented defencemen that force the player who bounced between third and fourth on my list with Hughes and issue anyway. My evaluation of Smith is one I’m confident I got right at I was pretty firm in my belief that they were the best two prospects after this point, even without the benefit of the NHL sample size usually Dahlin and Svechnikov were picked. I got one of those players right and required for me to feel that way about non-top 10 picks. the other wrong. I still think Zadina has one of the more high-end skill 8. Chicago Blackhawks: RHD Noah Dobson packages at the time but I should have been more cognizant of the troubles his pace and decision-making would present him as he Actual draft pick: No. 12 (change: +4) to the Islanders progressed beyond the junior level and he wasn’t able to hang onto the My final ranking: No. 12 (change: +4) puck quite like he was accustomed to. I still think he’s going to settle in as an offensively gifted middle-six forward who can do some damage on Dobson’s a tricky one because, although he has played the seventh-most the power play. But I believed he was on a 60-70 point player trajectory NHL games out of the draft class to date, with 28 points across 100 and that now looks very unlikely. games spanning two full seasons with the Islanders, I don’t feel like I know what exactly he is as an NHLer quite yet — and I’m not sure he or 12. New York Islanders: RHD Evan Bouchard the Islanders do yet. He still hasn’t been given the reins to play the Actual draft pick: No. 10 (change: -2) to Edmonton dominant transition style he played in the QMJHL. Part of that is because he plays on a team that last year dedicated over 21 minutes a night to My final ranking: No. 7 (change: -5) each of Ryan Pulock (over 22, actually), Adam Pelech and Nick Leddy. Bouchard, like Zadina, is another kid who I should have been a little bit Part of it is playing for Barry Trotz, who doesn’t want his defencemen to lower on due to concerns about pace and decision-making, so that might be quite as eager to involve themselves in the rush as Dobson is used to be another combo to be wearier of in the future than I have in the past being. But Dobson has still become a consistent, possession-driving (though I still think the value of skating is overstated in today’s game and defenceman at an early age while often playing between 16-19 minutes a results in its fair share of mistakes at the other end of the spectrum). I’m night. And when you’re as big as he is at 6-foot-4 and as strong as he is still confident that those things aren’t going to prohibit Bouchard from as a skater, the sky’s the limit if your skill and confidence can match becoming a good offensive defenceman in the NHL as early as the next those two things. Dobson has the skill (though I wouldn’t say he’s a couple of seasons (though if the Oilers keep signing veterans to fill those dynamic, game-breaking type, he’s unquestionably talented). The holes, they’ll eventually live to regret it when Bouchard doesn’t progress confidence will come and he’ll become a staple of the Islanders’ top four like he’s capable of). He’s got legitimate power play upside, he has at both ends. Every team wants righties with his makeup. improved upon some of the skating and lackadaisicalness that was there, 9. New York Rangers: LHD K’Andre Miller and he’s got pro tools present in his frame and skill set. During the prime of his career, I expect him to be highly productive offensively and reliable Actual draft pick: No. 22 (change: +13) to the Rangers enough defensively to play regular minutes on a second pairing. That still My final ranking: No. 57 (change: +48) has major value.

This is probably my ranking’s most egregious L from the 2018 class. I 13. Dallas Stars: RHD Nils Lundkvist always liked Miller’s power, and presence, and skating, and strength, and Actual draft pick: No. 28 (change: +15) to the Rangers his ability to defend the rush. He was also beloved by NHL scouts. But I worried about his decision-making, his pivots, and his feel for the game in My final ranking: No. 50 (change: +37) the offensive half of the ice in terms of ranking him inside the first round. Lundkvist is the first player to appear on this list who hasn’t yet played an It’s not the first time I’ve been too low on a player of similar makeup, NHL game and in doing so appears in front of players who have, which either. I was a little too low on Sens first-round pick Jake Sanderson last speaks to the promise he has shown in the SHL since he was drafted. debate when some in the public and private spheres were crowning him He’s also the second Rangers’ first-round pick from the 2018 draft that I as the best D prospect in the world a couple of years ago. But I was was too low on at the time. I saw an efficient, smallish defenceman who absolutely on the wrong side of it in his draft year, when I believed he projected as a third-pairing NHL guy who can play an effective, was more of a late-round pick than the second-round selection the calculating game but wasn’t particularly dynamic on the puck for his size. Canadiens used on him. In hindsight, though I still think the concerns I I’ve gone back to do tape on him from his draft year to see if there were have about his playmaking and offensive talent were warranted and he’s pieces of the skill level and aggressiveness he now shows inside the not going to become the player many believed he would be, I should offensive zone that I’d missed, or whether the progression has just been have recognized that he was a better prospect at the time than I gave the rapid, exceeded-expectations kind since. In that process, I concluded him credit for, based on his skating, smarts and athleticism alone. that it’s a little bit of both (I was a little off on his skillset but that’s because the mentality wasn’t there so he wasn’t using it quite as 18. Columbus Blue Jackets: LW Jonatan Berggren confidently as he now does). He’s got clear second-pairing upside for me Actual draft pick: No. 33 (change: +15) to Detroit now and has turned me into a real fan. My final ranking: No. 20 (change: +2) 14. Philadelphia Flyers: RW Oliver Wahlstrom It’s no secret that I’ve been a huge fan of Berggren since his draft year, Actual draft pick: No. 11 (change: -3) to the Islanders and a huge believer in his prospects as a play-creation top-nine winger if My final ranking: No. 5 (change: -9) he could ever stay healthy and get a full season in. Last year, in the SHL, he finally did that, posting 45 points in 49 games to lead Skellefteå in Wahlstrom’s a bit of an enigma in that his career has looked, for a good scoring, finished sixth in the league in the third-best pro league in the portion of the time since he was drafted like it was headed in the wrong world in points (as well as second in assists). And he did it all as a 20- direction. But he was always going to be a player who was at his best year-old, leading the under-21 age group in points by 13. Those are all surrounded by talent at the NHL level and not having to do things himself uncommon feats for a player his age, especially one who has lost the (he’s a little too slow to be a one-man show at the pro level in the same kind of development time that he has lost. And at this point in the re-rank, way he was growing up). Last season, that began to reveal itself at the where you’re projecting defencemen into 4-5 roles and forwards into NHL level, to the tune of a 22-goal, 40-point pace in just 12:23 time on middle-six ones, I’ll take the most purely talented of the bunch, with the ice per game. I got a couple of messages from NHL scouts who knew I highest chance of playing in the top-six instead of the middle-six. At the was a big fan of his in his draft year as a result. And while he’s not going time, I had several scouts question how high I was on Berggren to be the player I believed he could be, there is a renewed belief within throughout the year. And though I’m not sure those scouts would take the Islanders and externally in Wahlstrom’s prospects as a top-six goal him quite this high in a re-draft, he’s a first-rounder in the 2018 class scorer in the prime of his career, which would still make him one of the today for sure. class’ better forwards. 19. Philadelphia Flyers: RHD Calen Addison 15. Florida Panthers: LHD Rasmus Sandin Actual draft pick: No. 53 (change: +34) to Pittsburgh Actual draft pick: No. 29 (change: +14) to Toronto My final ranking: No. 21 (change: +2) My final ranking: No. 39 (change: +24) Addison, like Berggren, is a smaller kid who I’ve been a big believer in, This is likely going to be the year that Sandin finally earns a full-time job. and who ranks higher here than some of the bigger, more prototypical There’s an opening on the Leafs’ third pairing, the team’s brass has pro players because of the upside I believe he has as an offensive expressed they’d like to give him a longer look, and he has shown in the defenceman who should put up 30 points without trouble and break 40 previous 42 games he has so far played that he’s more than capable of during the prime of his career. Like Berggren, Addison has also playing those minutes and running one of the power plays. In time, I developed some needed strength to his frame that will allow him to hold suspect he’ll step into a top-four role with the Leafs as well. But that’s not his own off the puck enough to earn regular minutes and drive play in the immediate future this season barring injury. Either way, his offensively in a role that I’d bet will place him on a second pairing instead selection looks like a good one for the Leafs three years later. He of a third in time. He never should have lingered as long as he did. became a star prospect in his age group and has proven that he can rise to the physical and skating challenge at the NHL level, which didn’t 20. Los Angeles Kings: RW/LW Vitali Kravtsov always look guaranteed. He always had the poise to project as the third- Actual draft pick: No. 9 (change: -11) to the Rangers pairing type, but he has turned into a slightly more gifted offensive defenceman than the one I’d pegged at the time. My final ranking: No. 15 (change: -5)

16. Colorado Avalanche: RW/LW Yegor Sharangovich For as wrong as I was about Miller and Lundkvist, I still believe the reservations I’ve held onto about Kravtsov are warranted, as well as that Actual draft pick: No. 141 (change: +125) to New Jersey excitement about him drifted a little too far from the reality of his game My final ranking: Not ranked (change: N/A) after his strong 2018-19 season. Kravtsov is big and talented in possession, and that combination is going to make him a full-time NHLer Sharangovich’s 2020-2021 season kind of came out of nowhere. He’d who can contribute offensively while giving a line something a little been a good AHL forward in the two seasons prior but he wasn’t good different. He’s probably going to be a middle-six guy who is the second or enough to earn a single NHL audition and I don’t think anybody, the third best player on his line. But he never had star power, nor the skating Devils included, expected him to go to the KHL, have the sort of year that or dynamic quality needed to warrant a top-10 selection or project as a he did, and then return to become play at a 24-goal, 46-point pace as a first-line guy. And even if he has the kind of career it looks like he’s going rookie in the NHL. His age still has to be a part of his projection here to, which will be a good one, it probably won’t be enough to go ninth (you’ll notice he’s ranked lower than kids who’ve accomplished less in overall in a re-draft 10 years from now when it’s all said and done. the NHL), though, because he was a double overager in 2018 and he’s now 23, a couple of years older than almost all of these other kids. But 21. San Jose Sharks: LW John Leonard we also know that he’s a full-time, top-nine forward for the Devils now Actual draft pick: No. 182 (change: +161) to San Jose and he’s got the two-year, $2-million-a-year contract extension to show for it. That makes him the first of two players who didn’t appear in my top My final ranking: Not ranked (change: N/A) 100 and wasn’t drafted in the top 100 to appear in this first-round do- Not only is Leonard the second and last player who was taken outside over. the top 100 and not ranked in my top 100, but he was also, like 17. New Jersey Devils: LHD Alexander Romanov Sharangovich, an overager in 2018. So while this can’t really be counted as a win or a loss due to just how late he was drafted, there is still Actual draft pick: No. 38 (change: +21) to Montreal something to be learned from it, which is that I should probably be paying My final ranking: Not ranked (change: N/A) closer attention to overaged draft eligibles in my scouting process. There were some overagers on my 2018 board in Sean Durzi (who was This is my third real whiff so far. I’ve always been really reluctant to give selected by the Leafs in the second round), Zach Solow (who was Romanov the flowers that some were quite eager to throw his way after passed over again), and Linus Nyman (also passed over again), but they some strong international showings. I think I was on the right side of the typically account for a smaller percentage of my list than of the actual draft. Leonard was a late bloomer who posted nine points in the USHL in This is the point in the re-draft where the players start to become mostly his true draft year and 34 points in his overaged season before breaking interchangeable. It’s also the point in the list where you’re talking about out at UMass to get drafted in his third crack at it, so I’m not going to give complementary pieces who become impact types only in their best-case myself too hard a time here. But the theme is nonetheless illuminating scenario, and more likely settle in as contributors. No matter how you because he became one of college hockey’s most dangerous offensive slice up the two dozen or so names that could realistically order in the zone players and then emerged to make the Sharks directly out of mid-20s and early 30s, though, Kurashev’s in that group. I’m proud of my college at age 22. He’s got more to give offensively than he was able to evaluations of him over the years, too. They always saw a kid who was show in his 11:15 a night last year, and more to offer as a scoring than more talented and more noticeable on the ice than his production his 5 percent shooting percentage indicated. If I had to bet, he’s going to indicated. He makes things happen out there and there’s an art to that. be a good top-nine finisher who can add a scoring threat to PP2 and give the Sharks a 20-goal guy. It’s always a good thing when you can re-draft 26. Ottawa Senators: LW/RW Grigori Denisenko a player you took in the sixth round in the first round, too. Actual draft pick: No. 15 (change: -11) to Florida

22. New York Rangers: RHD Ryan Merkley My final ranking: No. 42 (change: +16)

Actual draft pick: No. 21 (change: -1) to San Jose If Kurashev was the kid whose OK production I saw and still thought My final ranking: No. 11 (change: -11) more highly off than most based on what I saw on the ice, Denisenko’s the kid whose OK production I saw and thought less of than most. That’s On talent, I thought about ranking Merkley a little bit higher here. But not because the skill isn’t there. It is. That’s maybe the problem. He’s Merkley’s projection has never just been about talent, I’ve probably put more naturally gifted than a player like Kurashev. But much like too much stock in his over the years, and given his tumultuous journey to Romanov, that hasn’t always been supported by the data outside of this point, nothing is going to be handed to him anymore. He’s going to some strong showings with the Russian national team. He’s got quick have to earn his NHL opportunity by playing better than he did as a hands, and a dangerous wrist shot, and an impressive work ethic. But he rookie in the AHL last year. Still, though, he’s probably the last player left also gets carried away out there with and without the puck trying to force who has a dynamic skillset and projects to play on PP1 if he makes it. the issue. I felt he was selected too high at the time and I think that And while there are risks inherent in him as a kid and him as a player that remains true today, but I’d also be lying if I didn’t acknowledge that my could prevent him from reaching his ceiling, that ceiling is higher than the early second-round ranking also made me too low on him (probably more field at this point, his handedness will help him, and he only just turned so than the Panthers being too high on him). Denisenko’s not going to be 21 due to his August 14 birthday. Even if he does figure it all out and a top-of-the-lineup, line-driving creator. But he looks like he’s going to be become the offensively-gifted NHL defenceman he’s capable of a top-nine guy who plays hard and flashes skill between checks. becoming, though, I got a little too carried away by his skill at the time (knowing full well the challenges he had on the ice 27. Chicago Blackhawks: LW/RW Liam Foudy defensively/effort/temper-wise, as well as the ones he’d had off the ice Actual draft pick: No. 18 (change: -9) to Columbus with his teammates and coaches in Guelph). My final ranking: No. 78 (change: +51) 23. : RW Kirill Marchenko Foudy, like Denisenko, is another kid who I still think was taken too high Actual draft pick: No. 49 (change: +26) to Columbus but I was also still much too low on. I have ongoing concerns about My final ranking: No. 58 (change: +35) Foudy’s ability, skill level, east-west game, and sense when the games slows down. He was always a brilliant skater with rare athleticism who I debated re-drafting Marchenko as high as No. 21. There’s a case to be was going to be able to forecheck effectively, penalty kill, win races, made for him as a better NHL prospect than Merkley and a better future create the odd breakaway for himself, and turn defenders in transition. player than Leonard. But I gave Leonard the benefit of the doubt as a guy But his processing didn’t always keep up with his feet and I worried then who is already playing at the level, and Merkley the continued benefit of as I worry now that he’d top out as a bottom-six guy, or that if he were the doubt (for now) on his skill level. Marchenko just looks like he’s going playing higher than that in the lineup it would be as the third-best player to be a good, multi-faceted middle-six winger who can play up and down on his line. I still think that’s his outcome but those players do have value the lineup at this point. There’s nothing in his game that worries me. He and in a re-draft of a weak draft, just becoming a serviceable full-time ’s got an NHL frame, he can make plays as a shooter and passer NHL who adds speed to a lineup and can play a role to a tee makes you (though he’s more impressive in the former area), he’s strong along the a first-round pick. I’ve got to take the L on this one, though I’m not sure cycle, he’s talented for his size in possession, and so on. He’s not ever it’s reason to believe in player types built in Foudy’s mould as first-round going to wow you or change the makeup of a team significantly, but it’s picks, if only because we’ve still more often seen those guys selected too not hard to imagine him contributing 20-plus goals and 40-something higher for their skating than too low (see: Michael McLeod, Zach points as an important piece of the puzzle. Senyshyn, etc.).

24. : C Barrett Hayton 28. New York Rangers: LHD

Actual draft pick: No. 5 (change: -19) to Arizona Actual draft pick: No. 45 (change: +17) to St. Louis

My final ranking: No. 24 (change: None) My final ranking: Not ranked (change: N/A)

Well-roundedness, detail, effort, leadership and B-level skill and You can add Perunovich to the list of overagers I missed on in the 2018 athleticism can only take you so far. Those things can make you a good class. I made an effort to watch Perunovich, and he had the Minnesota NHL player. Hayton will probably still become one. But they should never hockey scene buzzing about his legitimacy as a top prospect, but I wrote make you a top-five, or even a top-10 pick. I took some heat from some at the time that I just couldn’t wrap my head around ranking a 20-year- folks who became big believers in Hayton and didn’t think Arizona’s old, 5-foot-9, 160-something-pound defenceman in my first three rounds selection was a huge reach at the time. Though most agreed it was a (believing he was more of a 5-6 round guy for me), even after he’d had reach and he ranked ninth in North America by NHL Central Scouting that brilliant freshman season with the Bulldogs. As fate would have it, and 11th on Bob McKenzie’s list, I argued that even those rankings were the more I watched him the more I liked him. He’s the exact kind of a little generous. You just can’t lack a dynamic quality if you’re going to modern-day defenceman I’m drawn to, so I really don’t know what I didn’t go that high. It’s hard to evaluate the kids on that Roadrunners team see on this one. He’d probably rank higher here had he not missed all of because it was so bad last year (and he has battled injuries), but Hayton last season due to shoulder surgery. He’s going to have a bit of a tough always looked like a kid who projected as a good third-line guy and that’s path now because the Blues still have six guys they like on their blueline about what he looks like now if all goes well. I’d sooner rank him closer to and he’s going to have to start in the AHL to get his game back instead of 30 than any closer to 20 here. maybe making the direct leap. But that’s nothing new for him and I’d bet on his talent level winning out in the end. He’s got legitimate second- 25. St. Louis Blues: C/LW Philipp Kurashev pairing upside long-term if things fall back into place for him.

Actual draft pick: No. 120 (change: +95) to Chicago 29. Toronto Maple Leafs: C Jack Drury

My final ranking: No. 37 (change: +12) Actual draft pick: No. 42 (change: +13) to Carolina

My final ranking: No. 35 (change: +6) Drury turned me into a huge believer in the second half of the 2017-18 Jesperi Kotkaniemi season with Waterloo in the USHL and I’m glad I ranked him where I did as a result because it was a real sign of him hitting the steep trajectory 4 that has since followed at Harvard and then in the SHL last year, where Brady Tkachuk he was one of the best players for his bracket at both levels. He’s not going to wow you with the hardest shot on the ice, or the quickest feet, or Quinn Hughes the strongest frame, or the most creativity, but he has each of those tools Brady Tkachuk in spades and they’re built upon a strong, intelligent on-ice foundation. He knows his way around the ice, he anticipates play at a high level, and 5 he’s really talented across the board without having a single really distinguishing trait. I see a clear middle-six future for him and he’ll be Joel Farabee able to play with a variety of linemates while factoring in on one of the Oliver Wahlstrom power plays. Barrett Hayton 30. Detroit Red Wings: C/RW Rasmus Kupari 6 Actual draft pick: No. 20 (change: -10) to Los Angeles Adam Boqvist My final ranking: No. 23 (change: -7) Adam Boqvist There was a time when Kupari’s game screamed “good, straight-lines, second-line player” and while it more likely screams “good, straight-lines, Filip Zadina third-line player” now, he still has the pro-moulded game that endeared him to so many scouts as a teenager. I debated a handful of other 7 players in the honorable mentions at this point in this list, but Kupari’s Ty Smith game still feels too translatable to doubt, even if he hasn’t followed a perfect trajectory in the AHL chapter of his young career. Evan Bouchard

31. Washington Capitals: LHD Nicolas Beaudin Quinn Hughes

Actual draft pick: No. 27 (change: -4) to Chicago 8

My final ranking: No. 34 (change: +3) Noah Dobson

After an up-and-down first year at the pro level, Beaudin looked like the Brady Tkachuk player I expected he would last season, controlling play offensively in the AHL and looking right at home in the NHL. His profile lacks Adam Boqvist explosiveness/power for his size (in his physicality, his shot, and his 9 skating), but he plays such a smooth, effortless puck-moving style that his play with the puck is always reliable and then he’s able to defend at a K'Andre Miller high enough level with his mobility and reads. He may just settle in as a PP2/third-pairing guy who plays a possession-driving game in 15-19 Jesperi Kotkaniemi minutes a night, but I think there might be slightly more than that in there Vitali Kravtsov too. 10 Honorable mentions: Jacob Bernard-Docker, Riley Damiani, Jan Jenik, Akil Thomas, Ty Dellandrea, Kevin Bahl, Joe Veleno, Martin Fehervary, Jesperi Kotkaniemi Ryan McLeod, David Gustafsson, Martin Kaut, Mattias Samuelsson, Isac Lundestrom, Alexander Khovanov, Filip Hallander, Dominik Bokk, Serron Joel Farabee Noel, Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Ivan Morozov, Tyler Madden, Sampo Ranta, Evan Bouchard Lukas Dostal, Joey Keane. 11 Takeaways Filip Zadina Before I dive into my self-evaluation, here’s what the results look like for a sense of how both my ranking and the actual choices made by NHL Ryan Merkley teams in 2018 fared. Oliver Wahlstrom The wins (green) and losses (red) are measured by the proximity of my 12 board versus the actual NHL draft order, relative to the re-draft. The misses (black) are players in my top 31 or the actual draft’s top 31 who Evan Bouchard didn’t land in the re-draft’s top 31. Noah Dobson RANK RE-DRAFT MY RANKING (THEN) 2018 NHL DRAFT Noah Dobson

1 13

Quinn Hughes Nils Lundkvist

Rasmus Dahlin Joe Veleno

Rasmus Dahlin Ty Dellandrea

2 14

Andrei Svechnikov Oliver Wahlstrom

Andrei Svechnikov Ty Smith

Andrei Svechnikov Joel Farabee

3 15

Rasmus Dahlin Rasmus Sandin

Filip Zadina Vitali Kravtsov Grigori Denisenko Nicolas Beaudin

16 28

Yegor Sharangovich Scott Perunovich

Isac Lundestrom Dominik Bokk

Martin Kaut Nils Lundkvist

17 29

Alexander Romanov Jack Drury

Johnny Tychonick Martin Kaut

Ty Smith Rasmus Sandin

18 30

Jonatan Berggren Rasmus Kupari

Akil Thomas Ryan McLeod

Liam Foudy Joe Veleno

19 31

Calen Addison Nicolas Beaudin

David Gustafsson Allan McShane

Jay O'Brien Alexander Alexeyev

20 I have also included a side-by-side of the seven players who weren’t in either top 31 but found their way into the re-draft, for additional context Vitali Kravtsov on how I did with some of the top late-round picks.

Jonatan Berggren PLAYER MY RANKING (THEN) 2018 NHL DRAFT

Rasmus Kupari Yegor Sharangovich

21 NR

John Leonard 141st

Calen Addison Alexander Romanov

Ryan Merkley NR

22 38th

Ryan Merkley John Leonard

Jack McBain NR

K'Andre Miller 182nd

23 Kirill Marchenko

Kirill Marchenko 58th

Rasmus Kupari 49th

Isac Lundestrom Philipp Kurashev

24 37th

Barrett Hayton 120th

Barrett Hayton Scott Perunovich

Filip Johansson NR

25 45th

Philipp Kurashev Jack Drury

Bode Wilde 35th

Dominik Bokk 42nd

26 And here are the final scores for both sides.

Grigori Denisenko WINS LOSSES MISSES

Filip Hallander My Ranking (Then)

Jacob Bernard-Docker 13

27 13

Liam Foudy 13

Jacob Olofsson 2018 NHL Draft 13

13

9

After doing this project for four draft classes (and consequently four of my own rankings) now from 2015-2018, this is probably the least happy I’ve been with how my board has performed on the whole. It still stands up fine. You’ll notice how close things were in the final grades.

But I was really happy with how my board stood up in 2015 and 2016, where I think they both have clearly won out over the field so far and will into the future. And while I was a little less thrilled with my early results from 2017, which left me with 16 wins to the field’s 13, as well as eight misses to the field’s 10, I was still ultimately happy with how I stacked up there. So this is the first time where I think it can be argued I lost out on the whole.

Though the wins and losses were equal, a greater number of players in my top-31 didn’t make the re-draft than did the NHL clubs’ selections (including being too high on Joe Veleno, Isac Lundestrom, Jonny Tychonick, Jack McBain and Allan McShane in particular).

On the flip side, though, there were a series of other players I think I got right that weren’t discussed in any context here, too. Jay O’Brien, who the Flyers took 19th and hasn’t progressed like that kind of player, slotted 69th on my final ranking, for example. Filip Johansson, who the Wild infamously selected 24th overall, was an honorable mention left out of my top 100.

I’m really proud of where I was at on the kids at the top of the re-draft, though, with wins on Hughes, Farabee, Smith and co. I think trumping my losses on Tkachuk, Miller, Lundkvist and co.

I’m also happy I stuck with my evaluations on Kotkaniemi, Hayton, and Kravtsov, even when the consensus differed in pretty strong ways.

Further down the re-draft, I think I’ve come out ahead on a lot of the kids too, including Berggren, Kurashev, and Addison.

But I also overlooked some overagers and was ultimately too high on all of Zadina, Wahlstrom and Merkley, and too low on Romanov.

All told? More of a mixed bag than I’d like, even if I don’t hate it.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219584 Websites A USA-Canada gold-medal game is no longer a certainty, and to dismiss Finland would be a mistake particularly when they almost won the previous World Championship in 2019 (their overtime goal was disallowed and the U.S. won in a shootout). Michelle Karvinen and Jenni The Athletic / By the numbers: Projections for the Women’s World Hiirikoski are without a doubt two of the best players in the history of the Championship women’s game.

While they are ranked third in all three statistical categories, Finland poses a serious threat to the U.S. and Canada. The core of Finland’s By Alyssa Longmuir team is an aging one and this tournament might be one of their last Aug 20, 2021 chances to seriously compete for a gold medal.

The Czech Republic might be the ultimate underdog pick in this tournament. Coming through Group B, they won’t see any of the real After almost two and a half years of cancellations and postponements in powerhouses until the semifinals but should experience a strong run the international women’s game, combined with the fact that the before then. With players like Denisa Krizova leading them upfront, the Olympics are mere six months away, there is potentially more riding on Czech Republic has one of the deepest lineups in Group B and even the outcomes of the World Championship than any other since 1994. But heading into the medal rounds is a team to watch out for. with it being almost 30 months since the last meaningful international women’s game, one could be forgiven for not knowing what to expect or The projections to look for, especially with a huge crop of players hoping for their Now onto the projections, as mentioned we used an adapted GSVA international debut. system alongside WHKYe to account for the wide variety of first-time Here we will be looking at the team by the numbers, analyzing not just players and ran it through with 50,000 simulations. Let’s take a look at past national team results but also their performance in the past two those numbers and then break down what they mean for your team. years in their respective domestic leagues. Similar to Dom Luszczyszyn’s Canada – Despite my earlier qualms about Canada, they perform quite NHL projections, we will be using a Game Score based model which was strongly in the model largely due to that extremely strong goaltending adapted for women’s hockey by Mike Murphy, in combination with the group. With the highest chance of making the final at 65 percent and a 40 recent WHKYe model developed by Mikael Nahabedian, John Bouchard percent chance of taking home the goods, we are looking at Canada as and Holly Morrison, in order to calculate and simulate 50,000 potential the statistical favorite in this tournament. outcomes for the women’s world championship. United States – In the opposite situation to their cross-border rivals, the The favorites U.S. is largely hampered by their goaltending. The U.S. has a 60 percent First up with we have the favorites, the USA and Canada. The historical chance of making the finals and a 34 percent chance of winning their nature of the women’s worlds place a certain importance on these two sixth straight major international tournament. This also gives us a 40 teams with every major international gold medal to date being won by percent chance of a Canada-USA gold-medal game. one of these two, and while there are definitely other contenders (which Finland – With a 43 percent shot at making the final, Finland’s chances of we will cover later), it would be a fair assumption to assume that at least a repeat or better of 2019 are fairly strong. Hiirikoski was awarded one, probably two, of these teams will be in the gold-medal game. tournament MVP in 2019 and is yet again set to be a force for them There’s not a tournament in women’s hockey history in which Canada alongside a strong forward group. hasn’t been a major competitor (including the first unofficial world Russia – While one of the weaker teams in regards to goaltending, championship in which they sent multiple teams, talk about a depth). This Russia is still there with a 27 percent chance at making the finals. The year’s roster is not the strongest group they have ever put forward, with absence of Sweden has left a void that the Russian team will be eager to several players making their national team debut. The addition of players step into. like Sarah Filler and Victoria Bach are sure to boost the Canadian team if not at this world championship than in six months at the Olympics and Switzerland – Despite having one of the most exciting first lines in the well into the future. sport right now, it’s going to be a tough year for Switzerland after being moved to Group A due to the absence of Sweden. With weaker Alongside the youngsters is a veteran group with players like Rebecca goaltending than they have historically had due to the retirement of Johnston and Marie-Philip Poulin. Poulin, Bach and Blayre Turnbull are Florence Schelling, there will be a lot of pressure on Alina Müller and among the Top 10 offensive forwards according to WHKYe ratings. Lara Stalders to produce offensively. Canada doesn’t have the most offensively powered roster but what they Czech Republic – The clear top team coming out of Group B, the Czechs may be lacking in goal scoring they make up for in goaltending with a trio should be looking to gain momentum and keep it rolling with a 31 percent of Emerance Maschmeyer, Kristen Campbell and Ann-Reneé Desbiens chance of making the semifinal being a huge opportunity and one that easily being the strongest in the tournament. they will not be taking for granted. Assuming that their offensive producers can step up, Canada have a Japan – Another strong contender from Group B, Japan will be leaning good chance of going all the way, winning not just their first major on their goaltending to support their forward group who have one of the tournament on home soil since the Vancouver Olympics but also their lowest GSVAs in the tournament. With a nine percent chance of making first World Championship since 2012. the semifinals and a likely matchup against either the U.S. or Canada in Despite the break in competition, the U.S. is coming away from the last the quarters, it won’t be an easy road for the Japanese side as they look five major tournaments with gold medals around their necks. The forward to improve on their eighth-place finish from 2019. core of Kendall Coyne-Schofield, Brianna Decker and Hilary Knight is Hungary – The newcomer to the top division, having been promoted from genuinely one of the most terrifying I have ever seen. Retirements have Division 1A in 2019, Hungry will be looking to impress, avoid relegation taken their toll on the U.S. blue line but this is Cayla Barnes’ big chance and earn their highest placing ever at this tournament. Teenager Emma to step up and take command of the defensive cores despite this only Kreisz is a player to look out for with one of the highest WHKYe ratings being her third major tournament. on the team despite her age. From a pure stats perspective, the skaters on this team are a nightmare Germany – With only a 32 percent chance of making the quarterfinals, for almost anyone else to deal with. Germany is amongst the teams skating to avoid relegation. While their The struggle for Team USA comes at the backend with a somewhat goaltending trio may be one of the stronger ones in Group B, they are still significantly weaker goaltending trio than Canada. The loss of Maddie one of the weaker teams overall and will be facing an uphill battle as they Rooney to an injury has opened the door for Aerin Frankel who might just look to avoid those bottom two places. be the fix they need if the numbers from her most recent season at Denmark – Similar to Germany, Denmark’s fate will be largely decided by Northeastern are anything to go by. their goaltending performance. Josefine Jakobsen is a player to look out The contenders for upfront but with only a six percent chance of making the quarters, Denmark will be playing to avoid relegation. The Athletic LOADED: 08.21.2021 1219585 Websites years in a row from 2003-2005 then capped off his time in the by winning the coveted and Guldhjälmen – the Swedish equivalent to winning both the Hart and Ted Lindsay in the NHL. Sportsnet.ca / Why Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist is a lock for Hall of Fame In the midst of his NHL rookie campaign, Lundqvist backstopped his country to Olympic gold in 2006. That loaded Swedish roster also featured Hall of Famers Nicklas Lidstrom, , , plus potential future Hall of Famers Daniel and , Daniel Mike Johnston@MikeyJ_MMA Alfredsson and . August 20, 2021, 8:12 PM Lundqvist won a silver medal at Sochi 2014 where he was named to the tournament All-Star team. He also has a world championship gold (2017), two world championship silvers (2003, 2004) and a World Cup of King Henrik’s reign over creases in NHL arenas has come to an end. Hockey bronze (2016) in his collection.

Longtime New York Rangers star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist officially A LIFETIME RANGER announced his retirement from professional hockey Friday after more than 15 years in the NHL. Not only are his 459 NHL victories are the most from a netminder born outside Canada, that win total is also the most ever from a goalie that Lundqvist hadn’t played since the 2019-20 campaign. Ultimately, it was a played every game in their career with the same team. heart condition that spelled the end of a career worthy of praise. He signed a one-year contract with the Washington Capitals in October "For the last 30 years, I have devoted my life to the game of hockey and of 2020 after the remainder of his contract was bought out by the now it's time to walk away from the game I love and begin a new Rangers but his heart condition prevented him from ever suiting up with chapter,” the 39-year-old wrote on social media. the Caps.

The outpouring of support from the hockey world is an indication of just Lundqvist, unsurprisingly, is the Rangers franchise leader in games how highly respected the Are, Sweden native has become since debuting played, wins, shutouts and saves among other categories. in North America during the 2005-06 season. Not bad for a seventh-round selection in the 2000 NHL Draft. There have only been six goaltenders inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame so far in the 21st century but it would appear Lundqvist is a shoo-in No Rangers player will ever wear the No. 30 again. for enshrinement – perhaps even on the first ballot. “It is with mixed emotions that the New York Rangers offer our best Even though he lacks that coveted Stanley Cup ring, here’s a quick look wishes and heartfelt gratitude to Henrik Lundqvist on the announcement at why Lundqvist shouldn’t have to wait very long before he gets the Hall of his retirement,” a statement from the team read. of Fame call once he’s eligible to receive it. “Henrik’s commitment to excellence made him one of the best NUMBERS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS goaltenders to ever play the game of hockey, and we are so fortunate to have witnessed his greatness firsthand for 15 years. As we congratulate Lundqvist saw action in 887 NHL regular-season games, going 459-310- Henrik on an extraordinary career and a lasting legacy of success, 96 with a .918 save percentage, 2.43 goals-against average and 64 charity and character, we are honoured to announce that we will retire his shutouts. He currently ranks sixth all-time in regular-season wins, number and raise his jersey to the rafters at an upcoming game this seventh in total saves, eighth in games played, ninth in starts and 17th in season. shutouts. “Henrik is, and always will be, a Ranger.” A model of consistency, Lunqvist is the only goalie in NHL history to win at least 30 games in each of his first seven seasons. He finished top-six Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 08.21.2021 in Vezina Trophy voting as the league’s top goalie on 10 separate occasions and won the award in 2011-12.

No goalie in the cap era has spent more time between the pipes than the 51,816 minutes and 51 seconds Lundqvist did during the regular season. Marc-Andre Fluery is the only goalie with more cap-era wins and shutouts than Lundqvist, while Kari Lehtonen is the only goalie with more assists than Lundqvist since 2005-06. Lundqvist’s cap-era save percentage ranks third and cap-era GAA ranks fourth among netminders with at least 500 appearances.

Lundqvist shone in the post-season as well. He saw action 130 times during the Stanley Cup Playoffs where he had a 61-67 record with a .921 save percentage, 2.30 GAA and 10 shutouts.

Despite never hoisting the Cup, Lundqvist often elevated his performance to the highest level when it meant the most.

His overall playoff record was sub-.500, however he was particularly special in Game 7s where he boasted a 6-2 record, .961 save percentage and 1.11 GAA. In fact, his team went 15-4 in elimination games between 2012 and 2015 when Lundqvist was at his peak and the Rangers were viable Cup contenders in the East, yet they fell short of a championship. The Rangers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014 but lost in five games to the Los Angeles Kings and haven’t made it back since.

INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS

Although his NHL resume speaks for itself and is Hall of Fame worthy all on its own, Lundqvist’s international accomplishments are the cherry on top.

Lundqvist had a successful tenure with the Frolunda program in Sweden prior to debuting in the NHL. He was named Sweden’s junior player of the year in 2002, won the Honken Trophy as Sweden’s top goalie three 1219586 Websites

Rangers great Henrik Lundqvist announces retirement: Five-time All-Star goalie played 15 NHL seasons

Jimmy Hascup

USA TODAY

Henrik Lundqvist, the New York Rangers' winningest goalie, announced his retirement Friday after 15 seasons in the NHL.

In a post on social media, the future Hall of Famer said he has "devoted my iife to the game of hockey ... and now it's time to walk away from the game I love and begin a new chapter." He recalled his first practice as an 8-year-old to the butterflies he had "every time I took the ice in the greatest city in the world."

Lundqvist was taken by the Rangers in the seventh round of the 2000 draft, becoming a fixture in net for New York beginning in the 2005-06 season. In his career, the 39-year-old, started 752 regular-season games, posting a 459-310-96 record. He is the sixth-winningest goalie in NHL history and the only netminder to record 30 wins in each of his first seven seasons. He ends his career with a 2.43 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in the regular season. Lundqvist, a five-time All-Star, ranks seventh all time in saves (23,509), eighth in games played (887) and 17th in shutouts.

Dubbed "The King" by fans, Lundqvist won the Vezina Trophy given to the league's top goalie in 2012 after notching a 24-16-3 record, 1.97 GAA and .930 SV%. He finished top three in the voting four other times.

While he never won a Stanley Cup, Lundqvist helped the Rangers advance to the playoffs 12 times, recording a 2.30 GAA and .921 SV% in 130 games. The Rangers reached the Stanley Cup Final once in his career, losing in the 2014 series to the Los Angeles Kings.

A stalwart for Sweden in international play, Lundqvist helped his country win gold at the 2006 Olympics and earn the silver medal in 2004. Sweden won the world championships in 2017 with Lundqvist in net.

Lundqvist signed with the Capitals entering the 2020 season after having his contract bought out by the Rangers but never played a game in Washington because he needed open-heart surgery. He tried to come back, but ultimately "I came to the conclusion that there are too many unknowns and too much risk for not enough reward for me to keep playing," he told the New York Post.

"This league was everything I dreamed of and more ... (hockey) gave my life purpose and I have loved every single minute of it!" Lundqvist said to end his message.

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