Mikahil Grigorenko and the Colorado Avalanche have reached a settlement, as the centerman signed a one-year deal, the club announced Wednesday.

In closing a deal, both sides avoid arbitration. Colorado didn't disclose terms, but reports indicate it's worth $1.3 million.

The 22-year-old was traded to the Avalanche in the deal that sent Ryan O'Reilly to the Buffalo Sabres, where Grigorenko was drafted 12th overall in 2012.

In his first season in the Mile High City, Grigorenko notched six goals and 21 assists in 74 contests.

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Milan Lucic made it clear the Connor McDavid factor weighed in on his decision to sign with the Edmonton Oilers on July 1, and as it turns out, the 19-year-old is happy to welcome him into the lineup.

McDavid believes Lucic's impact on the roster will be immediate.

"It means so much," McDavid said, according to Mike Brophy of NHL.com. "It kind of gives us that swagger, that meanness that we have been looking for. We tried to do that a little bit last year in adding a couple bigger bodies and it definitely helped, but now you have the addition of Lucic and those guys we added before. We definitely have that mean streak that other teams won't want to be pushing us around."

Lucic is coming off his fourth career 20-goal season, but his knack for winning appeals to McDavid as well.

"We're a young team and he is a bit of an older guy who has won at every level," McDavid said. "That goes as long way."

The duo are expected to start the season as linemates, with the towering Lucic set to drive the net and create space for the ever-dangerous McDavid.

"I think it's going to be a really good experience, something we can both benefit from. He definitely makes players around him better and for me, if I can get him the puck in good positions around the net, he's going to put it away," McDavid said.

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Two-time Stanley Cup champion and former Conn Smythe Trophy winner Brad Richards has announced his retirement.

The veteran forward played for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, and most recently the Detroit Red Wings in his largely successful 15-year career.

In 1,126 regular-season games, Richards racked up 298 goals and 932 points, which ranks him 101st in NHL history. He also scored 37 goals and 105 points in 10 appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

He won championships with the Lightning and Blackhawks, and appeared in the Stanley Cup Final with the Rangers in 2014.

Richards also won the Memorial Cup in 2000 with the Rimouski Oceanic, and represented Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, World Championship, World Cup, and the Olympics.

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The NHL has dismissed James Oldham, the neutral arbitrator who ruled to reduce Calgary Flames defender Dennis Wideman's suspension for cross-checking official Don Henderson, reports Liz Mullen on the Sports Business Journal.

Though in itself, the NHL having jurisdiction over who delivers third-party decisions drips with irony, it underscores both the power the league wields and its desire to protect officials.

Wideman served nearly the length of the initial 20-game suspension before Oldham's decision was rendered, though he was able to recoup losses. The league then responded by launching a legal suit against the Players' Association in protest of the ruling.

The NHL stated in June that Oldham "exceeded his contractual authority" in slashing Wideman's suspension in half.

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It'll be Kyle Palmieri - not Phil Kessel - replacing Ryan Callahan on the United States' roster for the upcoming World Cup of Hockey.

Palmieri was appointed to the squad Wednesday, augmenting what's been a delightful month for the break-out New Jersey Devils forward. He signed a five-year, $23.25-million extension with his hometown team on July 7, on the heels of his first 30-goal campaign.

U.S. general manager Dean Lombardi said this about Palmieri via USA Hockey's official press release:

"Kyle brings an all-around game that we're confident will fit nicely with the framework we're looking to build. He's coming off an outstanding year in New Jersey and will play an important role with our team."

Though Palmieri's inclusion may come across as another slight at Kessel, who lost a coin-flip decision for the Conn Smythe Trophy last month, it should be noted that the Pittsburgh Penguins sniper recently underwent surgery on his hand.

Callahan was forced to pull out after undergoing a procedure on his hip.

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The Washington Capitals and forward Marcus Johansson avoided a third-party ruling for the second straight summer, agreeing to a three-year, $13.75-million contract extension before meeting with a neutral arbitrator Wednesday.

The deal, which will pay Johansson an average annual salary of $4.583 million through 2018-2019, was agreed upon three minutes before the scheduled hearing, according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post.

Johansson receives a three-year commitment from the Capitals, who drafted him in the first round in 2009, and an $830,000 raise from his arbitrator-ruled $3.75-million salary from last summer.

He also has a five-team limited no-trade clause in the last two seasons of his deal, a source told Khurshudyan.

Johansson scored 17 goals and 29 assists last year, supplying solid middle-six scoring contributions for another season. He's offered a little more than a half-point per game each year since his rookie campaign, most recently providing 0.62 points per contest and 1.74 points per 60 minutes at even strength.

Washington has almost $3.5 million in available cap space with Dmitry Orlov still needing a new deal.

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John Tortorella is an accomplished NHL coach, but he has a new trophy in his sights.

The 58-year-old will coach Team USA at September's World Cup of Hockey in Toronto, and coming away with a win on the international scale would be right up there on the list of Tortorella's accolades, which include the 2003-04 Jack Adams Award and Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"For U.S. to go into Toronto, a Canadian city, fantastic hockey city, what that atmosphere is going to be like," Tortorella told CBS Sports, via NHL.com. "And to go in there and do our business and try to do it the right way, at this point in time in my career, it's going to have to rank as one of the top things because it's your country and it's the U.S. in Canada."

Tortorella, current coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, has experience in this field, earning a silver medal with Team USA at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, but he's ready for another chance.

"Totally honored to be involved with this, to represent your country," Tortorella said. "We're really looking forward to it. I was very fortunate to win the Stanley Cup, (but) to do something in this situation and try to come into a situation and win it, man oh man, I'm not sure where you'd rank that."

Team USA kicks its tournament off Sept. 17 versus Team Europe at the Air Canada Centre.

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The Zibanejads are downsizing.

Mika Zibanejad's move to the New York Rangers came as a surprise to the the former sixth overall selection of the Ottawa Senators, who on Monday dealt him for Derick Brassard. But the first thoughts and emotions that ran through his mind weren't of sadness or elation. Rather, annoyance.

It meant another move.

"It's not convenient, I'll tell you that much," Zibanejad, who recently had a mansion built in Ottawa, told NHL.com's Brian Compton.

But once Zibanejad's mind drifted from boxes, moving trucks, and floor plans, he quickly allowed himself to get excited about playing in a big city and a major market.

"It's an Original Six team," Zibanejad said. "The status of the team is very high anywhere you go. I think as far as the roster goes, it looks really, really promising and really interesting. It's a team that goes for the Cup every year and is a big contender for it. I'm really happy to be a part of this and (I'm) hoping I can add more to that as well.

He added: "I'm happy. I'm really excited to get this thing started."

The thing is, the Rangers have shown in recent seasons that they may be slipping from their perch as perennial title contenders. And in many ways, landing the younger and cheaper Zibanejad is about sustainability and attempting to reverse that downward trend.

Yet, as it is now, he's the less-proven asset and a player that hasn't quite reached his impact-player potential - and that obviously carries risk.

But Zibanejad believes the Rangers have cycled in an asset prepared to hit the offensive totals that Brassard has provided.

"I feel like the whole process of my career is going towards the right way," he said. "I feel like I haven't really got the break yet and I feel like there's a lot more to give. I'm quite excited to be able to get this chance with the Rangers and I feel like I'm at that moment in my career to be able to do that and hopefully break out here."

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