People close to Montreal Canadiens restricted free agent Jesperi Kotkaniemi predicted that the forward had played his last game for the club following a healthy scratch in the Stanley Cup Final, according to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger.

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Restricted free agent Jesperi Kotkaniemi has agreed to an offer sheet with the Carolina Hurricanes, the team announced Saturday. 

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In his prime, Jason Demers was a capable second pairing defenseman that was reliable in his own end and could contribute a little bit offensively.  Those days have come and gone but the veteran can still make a case to be brought in as a serviceable option on the third pairing.

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The Boston Bruins continue to monitor the NHL trade market and like so many NHL teams, they’re still paying attention to the Jack Eichel saga with the Buffalo Sabres. Could a trade for the second overall pick at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft occur earlier than expected now?

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The Philadelphia Flyers will hold off on negotiating a new contract for Claude Giroux until the 2021-22 campaign ends.

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The President of the Kontinental Hockey League, Alexei Morozov, spoke about the holding of matches between the KHL and NHL teams.

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The Philadelphia Flyers have signed center Sean Couturier to an eight-year contract extension worth an average annual value (AAV) of $7.75M, according to President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Chuck Fletcher. The contract will go into effect beginning with the 2022-23 season.

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With the off-season coming to a close, we’re now looking way ahead to next summer’s free agency, which promises to be a pretty good one with a lot of big names. 

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The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Andrei Svechnikov to an eight-year, $62 million contract extension with an average annual value of $7.75 million.

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Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith hopes his club will have a new leader in time for the 2021-22 season.

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The second his name was on a contract for him to sign, Alex Goligoski was crowned as one of the Minnesota Wild’s top defensemen. Not in terms of actual ability on the ice, but with just a one-year, $5-million contract signed (and a somewhat lucrative verbal agreement to have a multi-year extension with less salary if everything works out) it seems that he’s going to take over the role next to captain Jared Spurgeon in the top four.

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The Seattle Kraken have added some more depth on defense, signing Gustav Olofsson to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will be worth $750K at the NHL level. Olofsson reached Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer after his most recent one-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens expired. GM Ron Francis released a short statement on his newest player. 

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While first-overall pick Owen Power made his decision to return to Michigan official last week, he informed the Buffalo Sabres of his plans back in July.

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Sometimes, they're game-changers.

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San Jose Sharks’ star winger Evander Kane has had multiple off-ice issues this year: He filed for personal bankruptcy, endured the very public and messy ongoing divorce from his wife and the public learned through a report in The Athletic that teammates disliked him so much that they wanted him to be traded. Now, a new concern: A federal bankruptcy judge gave the go-ahead for discovery in a lawsuit filed by Hope Parker, who alleges Kane reneged on a promise to pay her at least $2 million if she aborted their pregnancy.

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‘Tis the season for signing draft picks, and the Blues have signed their top priority. The team announced today that they have signed their 2021 first round pick, Zach Bolduc, to an entry-level contract. Bolduc, who has spent the last two seasons with the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL, was selected by the Blues 17th overall at this year’s NHL Draft.

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The Minnesota Wild have exactly one restricted free agent to sign, but it’s a big one. Kirill Kaprizov, the reigning Calder Trophy winner and arguably the most exciting player to ever play for the franchise, currently doesn’t have a contract for the 2021-22 season. With everyone else signed the team has an exact number they could work up to but it is still unclear on what kind of deal the two sides will eventually land on.

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The temptation of adding a player like Eichel is always going to be there, and according to Sportsnet’s Mike Futa — during an appearance on Tim & Friends — at least two dark-horse teams could have a shot at landing the 24-year-old star.

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A familiar face is heading back to Denver. Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater reports that Peter Budaj has been hired by the Colorado Avalanche as the “development goaltending coach.” Budaj returns to the NHL organization responsible for his own pro development to assist with the same for the Avs’ goaltending prospects. Dater states that Budaj will primarily be responsible for communicating with and advising Colorado’s goalies outside of the pro ranks. He will likely have a major presence at development and training camps, and he could have input into drafting goaltending prospects as well.

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Things have fallen sharply for veteran forward James Neal since his storybook season with the inaugural Vegas Golden Knights. After scoring 25 goals and 44 points in 2017-18 to mark his 10th consecutive season of scoring 20 or more goals, Neal signed a now-infamous five-year, $28.75MM deal with the Calgary Flames on the second day of free agency in 2018. He only lasted one season in Calgary on that contract, however, scoring just seven goals and 19 points, sometimes serving as a healthy scratch.

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Following a massive first day of free agency late last month, not to mention several more signings since, it may seem that there aren’t many big-name free agents left on the market. Yet, quietly there is still and abundance of quality players left unsigned. This includes ten of PHR’s Top 50 UFA’s i.e. 20% of the players that we believed were the best available. It also includes another 13 players who played in 40+ games out of 56 this past season. There’s also Bobby Ryan, who was on pace for 22 points in 53 games before season-ending injury, which would have made him the highest scoring player still unsigned, and Artem Anisimov, whose nine points in 19 games is the second-best per-game mark among remaining UFA’s. With a nice round number of 25 top players still unsigned, which still ignores plenty of other capable NHLers, how many of these can be expected to play in the NHL next season? Time is running out and so are roster spots. Late-offseason signings are not impossible and a fair number of PTO’s are expected in camp this year, but realistically how many of these players will be able to land an NHL deal?

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The Anaheim Ducks' firepower could use a shot in the arm, and Trevor Zegras is looking to provide that boost.

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The Philadelphia Flyers find themselves at the top of the news cycle today after signing defenseman Travis Sanheim to a new deal prior to arbitration. It’s an important deal for the team, as they’ve assured one of their best young players is under contract for the next two seasons.

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The Calgary Flames have signed defenseman Nikita Zadorov to a one-year deal worth $3.75 million, the team announced Friday.

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Chris Pronger will have his No. 44 retired by the St. Louis Blues before their game against the Nashville Predators on Jan. 17.

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