UFA James Wisniewski is searching for jobs on Twitter

Any team looking to hire a depth defenseman should slide into James Wisniewski's DMs.

The 33-year-old and former 50-point man - as he was sure to point out - tweeted Tuesday that he's still looking for a job:

Wisniewski appears to be open to either an NHL job or possibly elsewhere, hinting that he'd be open to playing at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

He spent last season split between the KHL's Vladivostok Admiral and the AHL's Chicago Wolves. Wisniewksi's last NHL stint came during the 2015-16 season with the Carolina Hurricanes when he was dealt a season-ending injury just 47 seconds into his first game of the season.

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Retirement not on horizon for Chara

Jaromir Jagr may not be a part of the NHL this year, but that doesn't mean hockey fans won't have at least one graybeard to fawn over.

Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara enters the coming campaign as one of just two 40-year-olds - the other being Minnesota Wild center Matt Cullen - and while he's had a prolific 19-year career, Chara doesn't see 2017-18 as his swan song.

"I definitely want to play beyond this season," Chara told Joe Haggerty of CSNNE.com. "It's really hard to put a number on it. Some people do and some people don't. I just obviously want to keep playing beyond this season.

"I love this game too much. I have made no secrets about it. I want to stay here and continue to play."

While Chara may have his sights set on the years ahead, there are no guarantees he'll play beyond 2017-18. That's because he's entering the season on the final year of a seven-year deal he signed in 2011.

Still, earning a contract extension will be only part of his focus this season.

"I love the game. I love everything about it. I love the sacrifice and I love the training. There are so many things that are so positive," Chara added. "At my age, I look at what I can still do and just really enjoy it. I just want to keep improving and play for as long as I can."

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Draisaitl not feeling pressure after inking new contract this summer

Despite a hefty pay bump, Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl expects things to be business as usual.

The 21-year-old was on the ice with many of his teammates for an informal skate Tuesday, where he later stated that his new eight-year, $68-million contract won't add any more pressure than he's already been used to.

"There's always pressure really, it doesn't matter," Draisaitl told reporters. "Last year I had the pressure of it being my contract year and it's the same every year. For me it's not really a matter of the pressure too much. I want to live up to that contract and that's what I'm going to try and do."

Last season Draisaitl had a career year, capitalizing in the final year of his entry-level contract by putting up 29 goals and 77 points in 82 games, finishing second in both categories on the Oilers behind only Connor McDavid.

In the end Draisaitl got paid and his deal appears to have even set the tone for the market, as reports suggest Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak is seeking a similar deal.

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Lightning donate $1M to Harvey relief

Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik announced Tuesday a $1 million donation to the American Red Cross in response to Hurricane Harvey flood relief efforts.

The donation comes six days after the NHL and the NHLPA made a combined contribution of $200,000 to the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity.

"Penny (Vinik) and I stand alongside the wider Tampa Bay Lightning family in expressing support for all victims of Hurricane Harvey," Vinik said in a statement. "We are honored to support our fellow Gulf Coast community and deeply admire the resilience of those affected by this storm. We will keep all residents and first responders in our thoughts as rebuilding efforts commence."

Hurricane Harvey caused recent catastrophic flooding in Houston. It was the first Category 4 hurricane to reach landfall in the U.S. since 2005. Harvey flooded hundreds of thousands of homes, displaced more than 30,000 people, and 66 casualties have been confirmed.

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Athanasiou’s agent: ‘KHL has moved to more of a probability’

Andreas Athanasiou may be ready to walk the walk.

The restricted free agent has been unable to come to an agreement with the Detroit Red Wings, and is fielding offers from at least one KHL club. According to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Athanasiou is believed to have a one-year offer in the range of $2.5 million to $3 million from Ak Bars Kazan.

Therefore, says agent Darren Ferris, "because of the huge disparity, the KHL has moved to more of a probability at this time."

Ferris recently commented on the "considerable difference" between what the Wings were offering and what Athanasiou could earn in the KHL, but up to this point, it seemed as though it was all posturing for the sake of pressuring the club to increase its offer.

Athanasiou scored 18 goals - 17 at even strength - in 64 games while averaging 13:28 of ice time last season.

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Agent: Eichel prepared to enter season without contract extension

The Buffalo Sabres don't appear to be any closer to inking center Jack Eichel to a long-term extension.

In fact, talks between the two sides have recently died down, Eichel's agent, Peter Donatelli, told Matthew Bove of WKBW.

"Right now, Jack is planning on starting the season," Donatelli said. "Whether or not he has a contract extension prior to the season, we do not know and is not his main focus going into camp."

While Eichel seems fully prepared to enter 2017-18 on the final year of his entry-level deal, he hasn't closed the door on negotiating once the puck drops. That's a different tune from some players, who prefer to avoid the distraction of in-season contract talks.

"I have no problem playing the year out," Eichel told Paul Hamilton of WGR 550, according to Bove. "I'm adamant about staying a Sabre, I want to bring some new excitement to this town and the contract thing will take care of itself.

"I look at myself to be one of the leaders on this team and a guy that's going to push this organization to the next level. So I've got to be a guy that everybody leans on and I've got to be better on and off the ice."

Last month, Jason Botterill, the first-year general manager of the Sabres, noted he'd like to re-sign Eichel for eight years, the maximum contract term permitted by the NHL.

The second overall pick in the 2015 draft, Eichel finished first on the Sabres in scoring last year with 57 points, despite missing the first 21 games of the season after he suffered a high-ankle sprain.

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Stamkos: ‘I haven’t looked this forward to a training camp in a long time’

Steven Stamkos has an extra spring in his stride.

The Tampa Bay Lightning captain, who suffered a torn meniscus that required surgery early last season, has begun skating with teammates ahead of training camp following a failed attempt to return for a playoff push in the spring.

It's hard to say whether he's game-ready at this point, but he's certainly chomping at the bit to find out.

"When you've been through the tough stretch that I've been through in the last four or five years, it's tough to know what 100 percent is," he told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. "I don't think I will know, but like I said it's the best its felt since the surgery, way better than where I ended the season off before the season ended when I was on the ice with the guys.

"It's just been getting better and better every day and I can see it continually doing so. It's just exciting. I haven't looked this forward to a training camp in a long time. I feel like I've put in the work and am seeing the results."

Stamkos added he believes his meniscus was partially torn prior to succumbing to the season-ending injury and going under the knife, and that it was the toughest rehabilitation process of all his injuries.

He missed a large chunk of 2013-14 with a leg injury, as well as the majority of the 2016 playoffs with a blood clot.

In 17 game prior to the injury, Stamkos scored nine goals and added 11 assists.

"My expectations are that I'm going to get back to that player," he said, per Smith. "Hopefully it's right away. That's the plan. We'll see how it goes."

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Hurricanes to name captain after training camp

The Carolina Hurricanes will have a new leader for the 2017-18 season, as general manager Ron Francis expects to name a new captain at the conclusion of training camp, according to Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer.

It will mark the sixth captain since the Hurricanes arrived in Raleigh in 1997.

Eric Staal is the longest-serving captain in Hurricanes history, an honor he held from 2010-16, when he was traded to the New York Rangers.

While Francis, who captained the Hurricanes from 1999-2004, did not reveal who will get the "C," candidates could include Justin Faulk, Victor Rask, Jordan Staal, and Jeff Skinner, all of whom served as alternate captains last season.

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Report: Pastrnak using Draisaitl as comparison in extension talks

David Pastrnak has his eye on a particular price point.

The winger and his representatives are using Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl as a comparison in contract extension talks with the Boston Bruins, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

The Oilers, who drafted Draisaitl third overall in 2014, recently gave the young forward an eight-year deal worth $68 million, or $8.5 million per season. Per a recent report, Boston offered Pastrnak a deal worth $6 million.

Based on last season's numbers, Pastrnak's ask is not out of line.

Player Games Goals Assists Points Shots
Leon Draisaitl 82 29 48 77 172
David Pastrnak 75 34 36 70 262

There's a disparity in games played, but the end result is Draisaitl averaging 0.94 points per game as compared to 0.93 for Pastrnak.

With training camp set to start next week, the Bruins and Pastrnak are running out of time to find common ground in time for the preseason.

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Rangers add Brian Leetch, Brad Richards to hockey operations

The New York Rangers added a pair of former hockey stars to help build the current club.

Brian Leetch and Brad Richards have been named hockey operations advisors and the pair will assist in both hockey-related decisions as well as off-ice player and prospect development.

Leetch was a longtime Rangers defenseman, winning the Calder and Norris Trophies. He helped the team win a Stanley Cup in 1994, earning playoff MVP honors. He also served as team captain from 1997-2000 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009.

Richards played center for three seasons in New York before his contract was bought out. The team owes him $1,055,556 through 2025-26 as a result of that decision, per Cap Friendly. He too won a Cup and the Conn Smythe, but as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004. Richards retired following a stint with Detroit in 2015-16.

This will mark the first bit of front-office experience for both gentlemen.

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