NHL

7:15 AM ET Three months ago, Alexis Lafreniere completed his run as “hockey’s next big thing” by being drafted at No. 1 in the 2020 NHL draft by the New York Rangers. But now, with the 2020-21 season upon us and the 2021 NHL draft just under seven months away, we’re turning the page to

7:00 AM ET An NHL player can get a lot done in 56 games. Pittsburgh Penguins rookie defenseman John Marino earned a long-term contract extension in 56 games last season. Anaheim Ducks star Ryan Getzlaf tallied 61 points in 56 games in the 2017-18 season. The NHL’s 2020-21 regular season has been shortened to 56

3:03 AM ET Associated Press EDMONTON, Alberta — John Muckler, who coached four NHL teams and won five Stanley Cup championships with the Edmonton Oilers, has died. He was 86. The Oilers confirmed Muckler’s death Monday night. No cause was given. Muckler was part of the staff that put together the Oilers dynasty of the

10:00 AM ET To bounce back a player has to fall off. So any discussion around players that may or may not return to form in the 2020-21 (should we just call it 2021?) season has to begin with identifying who fell off in 2019-20. The new default scoring system for ESPN.com makes comparing statistics

Dec 8, 2020 If given the option, you should not differentiate between centers, left wings and rights wings in your fantasy league. Grouping all forwards into one position is the default option for ESPN leagues, and it’s the better way to play the game. There, I said it. Why? The line has become too blurred.

5:47 PM ET The Chicago Blackhawks and center Dylan Strome have agreed to a two-year, $6 million contract extension, the team announced Sunday. Strome, 23, had 12 goals and 26 assists for the Blackhawks last season, a drop from career highs of 20 goals and 37 assists in 2018-19, when he was traded from the

5:26 PM ET Associated Press VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Canucks received provincial approval Sunday to play in British Columbia this season. British Columbia Premier John Horgan announced the decision on Twitter, saying he had spoken to team owner Francesco Aquilini about the NHL’s return-to-play plans and believes the enhanced health measures mean games can

10:15 AM ET The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman John Marino to a six-year contract extension, general manager Jim Rutherford announced Sunday. The deal has an average annual value of $4.4 million and ties Marino, who is entering the final year of his entry-level contract, to the Penguins through the 2026-27 season. “We are very

12:06 PM ET The NHL is planning to have a set of outdoor. games in Lake Tahoe in February. The Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers will each play games in a two-day event hosted by Edgewood Tahoe Resort, league sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday. Sportsnet was the first to

4:12 PM ET Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio — Center Pierre-Luc Dubois, who led Columbus in goals, assists and points during the playoffs, signed a two-year, $10 million contract extension Thursday that keeps him with the Blue Jackets through the 2021-22 season. Dubois, who was a restricted free agent, will earn $3.35 million during the upcoming

11:50 AM ET Associated Press The Canadian government, citing “national interest grounds,” gave its approval Thursday for the start of NHL training camps. It issued an exemption to the mandatory 14-day quarantine period for NHL players and team staff to return to the country. The five provinces with NHL franchises, however, must give their approval

1:46 PM ET Zdeno Chara isn’t ready to retire, doesn’t want to play a reserve role, and that’s why he’s no longer the Boston Bruins captain. After 14 seasons with the Bruins, Chara, 43, signed a one-year, $795,000 contract with the Washington Capitals as a free-agent defenseman on Wednesday. He captained three Boston teams that

7:25 AM ET It has been an extremely weird year for NHL prospects, with many playing shortened seasons and/or taking long hiatuses between competitive gameplay. That takes a toll on player development. But while it is a bit more difficult to do so than in normal years, we’re ranking every pool and identifying each franchise’s

7:00 AM ET Trends change fast in the NHL. One year’s boom is the next year’s bust. But enough about the San Jose Sharks … As is tradition, we now present “what’s in and what’s out for hockey in 2021,” a look at old trends being superseded by new ones. Feel free to disagree with

3:04 PM ET NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr doesn’t believe the NHL will back out of its plan to allow players to return to the Olympics in 2022. “Assuming the Olympics go forward in the ordinary course, you can always envision scenarios in which something would happen that would change the equation,” Fehr told ESPN

6:01 PM ET Associated Press GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Coyotes have signed veteran forward Derick Brassard to a one-year contract. Terms of the deal announced Wednesday were not disclosed. The 33-year-old Brassard had 10 goals and 22 assists in 66 games with the New York Islanders in 2019-20. Brassard has six 40-point seasons during

4:23 PM ET Zdeno Chara is leaving the Boston Bruins after 14 seasons and signing a one-year free-agent contract with the Washington Capitals. Chara, 43, will make $795,000 against the salary cap with Washington. He said the Bruins decided to go in a different direction, and the unrestricted free agent was not in their plans.

6:16 AM ET Associated Press EDMONTON, Alberta — Trevor Zegras had two goals and three assists as the United States beat the Czech Republic 7-0 on Tuesday to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals of the world junior hockey championship. Bobby Brink had two goals for the U.S., and Spencer Knight made 22 saves. The