6:55 PM ET MONTREAL — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said players who are currently in Russia must make “the best possible decisions for themselves and their families” when it comes to returning to North America for next season. “It’s probably not a good idea for us or the clubs to get involved in the politics
NHL
7:30 PM ET Marc-Andre Fleury is returning to the Minnesota Wild, on a two-year, $7 million contract extension announced by the club on Thursday. The 37-year-old Fleury is signed through the 2023-24 season. His new deal also includes a full no-movement clause. Minnesota acquired Fleury at last March’s trade deadline from Chicago for a second-round
4:36 PM ET The Chicago Blackhawks have traded forward Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators for three draft picks, including the No. 7 overall selection on Thursday night, it was announced. The Blackhawks also will get the No. 39 pick in Thursday’s NHL draft (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) in addition to Ottawa’s third-round pick in
4:18 PM ET Associated Press MONTREAL — The Los Angeles Kings hired former goaltender Manon Rheaume as a hockey operations and prospect adviser on Thursday, making her the latest woman to join or be promoted by an NHL team amid a leaguewide push to increase front office diversity. The team announced the move hours before
1:32 PM ET The Colorado Avalanche acquired goalie Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers for three NHL draft picks, as the Stanley Cup champions reshuffle their goaltending for next season. The Rangers added the Avalanche’s 2022 third-round (97th overall) and fifth-round (161st) picks, as well as a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL draft.
1:06 PM ET The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed veteran defenseman Kris Letang to a six-year, $36.6 million extension, general manager Ron Hextall announced Thursday. Letang was a pending unrestricted free agent later this month. His new deal begins in 2022-23 and runs through 2027-28. “Kris epitomizes what it means to be a Pittsburgh Penguin,” Hextall
7:00 AM ET The 2022 NHL draft, to be held at Montreal’s Bell Centre, is scheduled to begin Thursday night at 7 ET (ESPN), with plenty of intrigue from the very top down. While Shane Wright of the Ontario Hockey League has been considered the most likely player to be taken by the Canadiens at
7:34 PM ET MONTREAL — The NHL’s general managers met on the eve of the 2022 NHL draft. What their meeting lacked in rules changes or policy news, it made up for with post-meeting news and buzz on trades, free agents and other league matters. Here’s a glimpse at what was said, and heard, in
9:49 PM ET Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild re-signed defenseman Jacob Middleton to a three-year, $7.35 million contract Wednesday. The 26-year-old Canadian split last season between San Jose and Minnesota, joining the Wild on March 21 in a trade for goalie Kaapo Kahkonen and a fifth-round selection this year. Middleton had
4:28 PM ET The NHL will open its 2022-23 regular season on Oct. 11 with a heavyweight double-header, featuring an Eastern Conference Final rematch between Tampa Bay and the New York Rangers and Pacific Division clash of Los Angeles and Vegas. That and more was revealed Wednesday afternoon when the NHL unveiled its entire schedule