The Carolina Hurricanes have an agreement in place to sell the team, and Gary Bettman is adamant that they're not going anywhere.
The NHL commissioner confirmed that the club's signed a purchase agreement with its prospective new owner, Dallas-based businessman Tom Dundon, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
Bettman added that the sale won't be officially closed for a few weeks, but insisted "this is not a team that will be moved," according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
Dundon signed the purchase agreement with longtime Hurricanes chairman Peter Karmanos on Wednesday night. Dundon is the chairman and managing partner of Dundon Capital Partners, a private investment firm.
Under the new agreement, Dundon will own 52 percent of the team, while Karmanos will own 48 percent, and Dundon will have an option to buy out Karmanos' share in three years' time, LeBrun added.
Karmanos has owned the franchise since the Hartford Whalers days, purchasing it along with Compuware partner Thomas Thewes and now-Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford in 1994.
Here's the full list of how fans have cast their votes so far:
Atlantic Division
1. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning 2. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning 3. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs 4. Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators 5. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
Central Division
1. P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators 2. Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues 3. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks 4. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche 5. Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
Metropolitan Division
1. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals 2. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins 3. John Tavares, New York Islanders 4. Phil Kessel, Pittsburgh Penguins 5. Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets
Pacific Division
1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers 2. Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames 3. James Neal, Vegas Golden Knights 4. Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights 5. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
Fans have until 11:59 p.m. ET on Jan. 1, 2018 to make their selections. The All-Star Game, which will once again consist of a three-on-three tourney between the divisional squads, takes place Jan. 28 at Amalie Arena.
Price missed the last 10 games with an injury the club both initially and subsequently deemed "minor."
Much like the team itself, Price struggled before sitting out with the ailment, going 3-7-1 with an .877 save percentage and a goals-against average of 3.77.
As the Montreal Canadiens continue to underperform, it's impossible not to look back at the P.K. Subban-for-Shea Weber trade as the most glaring of Marc Bergevin's ill-advised moves, and the one that precipitated the club's descent.
Subban will host the Canadiens for the first time Wednesday, when his Nashville Predators - winners of seven of their last 10 games - meet a Montreal squad that's lost four in a row and now has the NHL's fifth-worst record.
While it's not productive to fixate on the past, the matchup is yet another reminder of the controversial blockbuster and the fact that it's a major reason the Canadiens are where they are at the moment.
And yes, Carey Price's latest injury has exposed the Canadiens' flaws and once again forced them to forge ahead without their star goaltender.
But nearly 17 months after the Subban-for-Weber trade, the swap still stands out as an inescapable factor in Montreal's downfall.
The Canadiens undoubtedly appreciate Weber's blistering slap shot, his ability to score goals, and his experience, but they're a slower team without Subban, who's producing at a higher per-game clip than Weber on the offensive end and providing the Predators with further defensive stability.
Nashville's previously steady blue line transformed into the NHL's best last season with the addition of Subban, who helped the Predators reach the Stanley Cup Final after the Canadiens were bounced out of the first round by the New York Rangers.
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Now that the Canadiens' situation has only gotten worse more than a quarter of the way into the 2017-18 season, Montreal's recent slide only further underscores that they were the losers in the deal.
It not only hurt Montreal in both the short and long term (have a look at their respective contracts for evidence of the latter), but it was also the most blatant example of how Bergevin's misguided vision for retooling the roster only made it worse.
That strategy, namely valuing physicality and strength over speed and skill, is arguably the biggest reason why the Canadiens have taken a significant step backward, and the Subban-for-Weber move was the largest in a series of actions Bergevin took to mold the team in that way.
Weber is dealing with an injury and may not play Wednesday, but the game will be compelling regardless. It's a reminder that the Canadiens gave up on Subban, and that they're worse off in so doing.
Once the 30-year-old retires, his NHL rights will belong to Vegas until he's 35, Engels adds.
TSN's Pierre LeBrun was first to report that the NHL and NHLPA had agreed to a solution to facilitate Shipachyov's exit, and he added that it's expected to come Monday.
The NHLPA reportedly got involved in the process because it did not want Shipachyov to repay his $2-million signing bonus in the event he was claimed on waivers or signed by another NHL club.
Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has been pursuing Duchene since mid-September and discussions heated up in the last couple of weeks, according to Dreger.
Vadim Shipachyov is apparently willing to repay the signing bonus he was given by the Vegas Golden Knights, but the NHL Players Association reportedly wants him to keep it if he lands elsewhere.
Shipachyov has agreed to pay back most of his $2-million bonus even if he's claimed by - or eventually signs with - another club, but the NHLPA is fighting that, multiple sources indicated to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
The issue isn't the repayment of the bonus in general, but rather whether he should have to do so if he becomes a member of a different NHL team, Friedman writes.
Sportsnet's Eric Engels reported earlier Thursday that the Golden Knights want to be sure no other club in the league will claim the Russian forward if he goes on waivers, and Friedman added that the expansion club also wants assurances that Shipachyov won't sign with another NHL team if his current contract is voided.
The NHLPA's position is that if Shipachyov gets claimed, Vegas loses the right to be repaid, and the union apparently doesn't want to set a precedent of players returning "money earned," according to Friedman.
Vegas signed the KHL veteran to a two-year, $9-million contract in May.
Another jam-packed Saturday is in store, too, with 12 games on the schedule, and then three more contests are set for Sunday night.
Here are three other games you don't want to miss this weekend:
Nashville Predators @ Chicago Blackhawks
It's always compelling when these Central Division foes clash, and Friday night's affair should be no different.
They met for the first time this season a couple of weeks ago, as Brandon Saad scored the overtime winner to give the Blackhawks a (small) measure of (regular-season) revenge after the Predators swept them out of the first round of the playoffs last spring.
Saad has been great so far in his return to the Windy City, leading the Blackhawks with six goals in 10 games, while Filip Forsberg scored Nashville's lone goal in the first meeting and has been on an absolute tear, piling up seven goals and 12 points in nine contests.
Columbus Blue Jackets @ St. Louis Blues
The Blues have quietly been one of the NHL's best teams so far this fall, and they've been fun to watch.
Some were skeptical about the Blue Jackets' chances of duplicating their superb 2016-17 regular season, but they've looked solid early on as well.
The Blues (7-2-1) and Blue Jackets (6-3-0) meet Saturday night in what should be an entertaining clash featuring electric talent, including Vladimir Tarasenko and Artemi Panarin.
Panarin's been making plays early in his Blue Jackets tenure, with nine assists in his first nine games, but he's been held to only one goal. Busting out against a solid Blues defensive corps is going to be tough, but it should be an entertaining tilt regardless.
Alex Ovechkin has a talented supporting cast in Washington, but the Capitals are 4-5-1 through 10 games.
Both dynamic forwards will be looking to make a statement and continue shouldering the load for their respective squads in Saturday's nightcap, and that should make it worth staying up for.
Antti Niemi's tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins could very well be over, but his potential departure raises questions for more than one NHL team.
The veteran goaltender was placed on waivers Monday, possibly putting an end to a Penguins' experiment that went awry in a hurry.
Here are three burning questions that have to be asked following Pittsburgh's decision to expose Niemi to the other 30 NHL clubs.
Is he done?
It certainly looks that way.
The Penguins are apparently cutting bait with their backup netminder - at least at the NHL level - after less than three full games, but he was indisputably terrible in those three outings.
Niemi allowed 16 goals in only 129 minutes, including all seven in a 7-1 loss Saturday to the Tampa Bay Lightning, all five in a 5-4 loss Oct. 12 to the Lightning, and four goals on 13 shots in a 10-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on the second night of the season.
He's 34 years old, and clearly, his best days are in the rearview mirror.
Niemi's last respectable campaign came in 2014-15 with the San Jose Sharks, when he was still a capable starter, but he hasn't proven worthy of shouldering a heavy workload, let alone serving as an NHL backup, since then.
He struggled in a platoon role over the last couple of seasons with the Dallas Stars before joining the Penguins on a one-year, $700,000 deal on July 1.
There are several teams that could use goaltending depth, but he might not be worth the risk.
Should the Golden Knights claim him?
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
One of those clubs is the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, who've had some bad luck with goalie injuries in the early going.
That's hardly ideal, and Golden Knights general manager George McPhee has to ask himself if it makes more sense to bring in a washed up but seasoned Niemi or let his inexperienced duo attempt to hold down the fort until Fleury and Subban are ready to return.
It wouldn't be surprising if McPhee simply stayed the course, because while both injuries are concerning, neither appears to be season-ending. Still, is Niemi more of a solution or a problem to have on the roster?
What is Pittsburgh's backup plan?
Meanwhile, the Penguins appear interested in moving on from the Niemi gamble, but where do they go from here?
Matt Murray is off to a bit of a rocky start, but the unquestioned starter's numbers will improve. Still, he's going to need some nights off here and there, and the fact he's been average while being forced to play in seven of the first nine games further illustrates the fact that the Penguins need a reliable second-stringer.
If Niemi goes unclaimed by noon Tuesday, the short-term move would likely be to call up Tristan Jarry from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, assuming Niemi accepts a demotion or is granted his release.
Jarry, a Penguins second-round pick in 2013, posted a .925 save percentage in 45 AHL games last season. He's allowed 12 goals in three games this fall, but Pittsburgh may feel he's ready for the NHL backup role.
Casey DeSmith, the affiliate's other netminder, is a 26-year-old undrafted veteran in his third AHL campaign. He's another candidate to be called up, but Penguins GM Jim Rutherford said "nothing is set in stone," according to The Athletic's Josh Yohe.
Whatever happens, it certainly appears the Penguins are going to get younger in the interim.
