Last year saw a few expected names in Connor McDavid (Hart Trophy), Auston Matthews (Rocket Richard Trophy) and Aleksander Barkov (Selke Trophy). There were a bunch of surprises, such as Marc-Andre Fleury winning his first Vezina (then getting traded) and sophomore defenseman Adam Fox winning the Norris. A couple of winners went wire to wire, including Kirill Kaprizov’s Calder Trophy twirl. What the upcoming season will bring is anyone’s guess, but expect those names mentioned above — and a couple more — are in the conversations....

This winter’s Games will be the first without NHL players since 1994. That means rosters for the United States, Canada and other international hockey powerhouses will be stocked entirely by minor leaguers, collegians and others playing overseas. A gray area surrounded those playing in the AHL or ECHL on a two-way deal, with the NHL yet to rule definitively on a possible exemption. MORE: Tony Granato a perfect choice to coach U....

A great way to avoid (or at least delay) a 500th round of questions about your size, if you’re 5'11 and 155 pounds: Wrap a scary, gigantic reptile around your neck. Like, one twice as large as you. That’s what Marner pulled off Thursday at the Everglades. It was a python. And it was gigantic. MORE: No. 1 NHL Draft picks | NHL trade rumors | Expansion coming? So, a few hours later, when the second-leading OHL scorer (126 points), sixth-ranked North American skater and possible top-five pick faced up with the media later in the day, word had gotten out....

By the end of the weekend, thanks to the flat cap and free agency around the bend, there was moving and shaking among quite a number of teams, with the vast majority involving draft picks. A number of big-name players entered the morning of Day 1 on the block, and while Seth Jones, Rasmus Ristolainen, Sam Reinhart, Jakob Voracek and Cam Atkinson were moved — as well as a bunch of guys between the Canucks and Coyotes — Jack Eichel is still a member of the Sabres....

By now, you’ve probably seen the Vancouver Province’s report that a Vegas expansion team is “a done deal,” save for the not-small-at-all task of deciding on an ownership group. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly threw some water on that on Wednesday, telling multiple outlets (as he’s done before) that expansion is “not in our plans.” Expansion would definitely present problems; specifically, the league’s geographical imbalance would only shift from 16 Eastern teams and 14 Western teams to 18-16, and each of the four proposed cities lacks either an arena, an ownership group or both....

The 25-year-old restricted free-agent winger signed a one-year contract worth $2 million on Thursday, two days after going through an arbitration hearing. An independent arbitrator found a middle ground between Rodrigues’ request and Buffalo’s offer, which Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported were $2.65 million and $1.5 million, respectively. NHL FREE AGENCY 2019: Binnington, Heinen, Trouba among 40 to file for salary arbitration Rodrigues set career highs with 74 games played, nine goals and 29 points last season — his first full NHL season — while averaging the fourth-most time ice time among Sabres forwards....

Teams were not supposed to be in talks with players before noon ET on July 13, but clubs were reportedly connected to all sorts of free agents before then. As always, the beginning hours of free agency were expected to be frenzied. Will Johnny Gaudreau stay in Calgary, or leave money on the table to return to the Northeast? Will Evgeni Malkin really sign with another team and not return to Pittsburgh?...

But, before the games get underway, TNT will have a pregame studio show beginning at 7 p.m. with a panel that will include “The Great One” Wayne Gretzky. Also on set will be Anson Carter, Rick Tocchet and Paul Bissonette. On Wednesday afternoon, TNT announced that Charles Barkley will be a special guest during the pregame show that will be aired without commercials. While there are sure to be some fireworks from the pregame show, the first game of the night should be the equivalent of the showstopper at the end of Macy’s 4th of July show....

According to the former 14-year NHL netminder, the constant buzz of conversation and story-telling is a product of Weekes’ parents and their outgoing personalities, a character trait that has since been passed down to the NHL veteran. When Sherali Najak — Senior Producer of CBC’s "Hockey Night In Canada" — approached Weekes with the opportunity to do color commentary for "Hockey Night In Canada" in 2009, the decision was relatively easy....

With that extensive timeline comes plenty of history, and one of the most historic aspects of the NHL is the Original Six. Not only is the NHL over a century old, but we are quickly approaching the century mark for four of the Original Six teams. The Canadiens and Maple Leafs have already celebrated the feat, but the Bruins have begun planning for their 100-year anniversary, which will come during the 2023-24 season....

That said, the Presidents’ Trophy champs appear to be one of the safest bets to play into June, intent on finishing what they started a year ago. The Avalanche, who completed one of the more improbable one-year turnarounds in recent sports memory, look to channel some of the magic that helped the Predators pull off a sweep of top-seeded Blackhawks in 2017. Question is: How much do they have left after spending the last two months fighting for their playoff lives?...

With Toronto hosting the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of their first-round series on Wednesday, Drake could be spotted in a private box sporting a blue Leafs jersey with the No. 6. Photos and video of the 32-year-old immediately started to spread on social media, with most referencing the so-called “Drake Curse” that befalls any team or athlete that the rapper shows support for. The curse seemed to be for real on Wednesday, with the Leafs going down 2-0 within the first 6:38 of the game....

More to the point, the seemingly missed handpass that led to the Sharks’ game-winning goal in overtime vs. the Blues on Wednesday. The four on-ice officials — referees Dan O’Rourke and Marc Joannette and linesmen Matt MacPherson and Jonny Murray — didn’t see or didn’t judge that Timo Meier’s right hand directed the puck to teammate Gustav Nyquist. Nyquist then fed Erik Karlsson, who beat Jordan Binnington to give San Jose a 5-4 win in Game 3 and a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference finals....

While we all start off thinking one team is a sure-fire pick to win it all, one bounce or post or bad bounce can alter a team’s destiny. Is this the year the Tampa Bay Lightning finally get over the hump after making deep playoff runs — including a Stanley Cup Final in 2015 — three of the last four years? Or is the Carolina Hurricanes, and their “bunch of jerks” the Cinderella story of this year’s postseason?...

With this summer’s free-agent market already depleted of noteworthy talent, general managers seeking a top-pairing defenseman could turn to the trade market. They’ll keep a close watch on contract negotiations between the Senators and superstar Erik Karlsson. Eligible for next summer’s UFA market, the 28-year-old Karlsson is a two-time winner of the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman. His annual salary cap hit for 2018-19 is $6.5 million, though in actual salary he’ll earn $7....

Other notables inking new contracts during this period include Toronto Maple Leafs right winger Mitch Marner, Boston Bruins defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo, Vancouver Canucks right wing Brock Boeser and Philadelphia Flyers winger Travis Konecny . With the curtain rising on the 2019-20 regular season on Oct. 2, Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen, Calgary Flames left wing Matthew Tkachuk and Winnipeg Jets wingers Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor still haven’t re-signed....

A 2018 first-round draft pick, defense prospect Ryan Lindgren and forwards Ryan Spooner and Matt Beleskey are included in the package headed to New York. The Rangers also agreed to retain 50 percent of Nash’s $7.8 million salary cap hit, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie. TRADE TRACKER: Rumors, reported deals ahead of 2018 deadline Nash, 33, spent the past six seasons in New York after the Rangers acquired him via trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets....

Buffalo has contacted the Rangers about acquiring Jimmy Vesey in a deal, according to Sportsnet. Vesey, 26, is coming off of a season in which he scored a career-high 35 points while matching his best goal-scoring output of 17. The lefty winger has one year remaining on the two-year deal he signed with New York in 2018. The Sabres have reportedly been looking around for a second-line center and a winger over the last few weeks....

This year’s crop includes a healthy mix of rental options as well as players with term. Depending on team need, there’s plenty out there to help a contender mount a run to the Stanley Cup. But parity in the standings could also mean some general managers will show a reluctance to pay the high asking price for the biggest names. Only time will tell how the market develops. Here’s our list of the top 10 players most likely to be traded before the 3 p....

The problem is: Parity blurs the Stanley Cup playoff picture to a point where many teams may not commit to buying or selling until the final days or even hours leading up to the Feb. 26 deadline. That should make for plenty of wild cards, so expect the unexpected. MORE: Eight players who could be traded before the 2018 deadline This year’s trade bait list features your usual crop of rentals....