After undergoing season-ending back surgery in March, Dallas Stars center Martin Hanzal was given a recovery timeline of six-to-seven months.

That meant the Czech middleman could potentially return for training camp, but his status has since been pushed back to late November or early December, Stars general manager Jim Nill told Sean Shapiro of The Athletic.

A series of injuries limited Hanzal to just 38 games last season, with his final appearance coming Feb. 21 when he lasted just one period before leaving with a lower-body injury.

The 31-year-old has dealt with a long history of back problems. He underwent surgery with the Arizona Coyotes three years ago and had a herniated disc operation in 2008.

A veteran of 11 NHL seasons, Hanzal has played more than 65 games just four times, including in his first three years in the league.

He's under two contract for two more seasons at an annual average value of $4.75 million, per CapFriendly.

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The Winnipeg Jets have agreed to terms on a one-year, $800,000 deal with forward Marko Dano, the team announced Tuesday.

In signing Dano, the Jets avoid an arbitration date that was set for July 30. Winnipeg now has five restricted free agents left to re-sign, including defenseman Josh Morrissey.

A frequent healthy scratch last season, Dano was limited to just 23 appearances, in which he picked up three points.

Dano was originally acquired in the 2016 trade that sent former Jets captain Andrew Ladd to the Chicago Blackhawks.

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The Winnipeg Jets have re-signed restricted free-agent defenseman Tucker Poolman to a three-year, $2.325-million deal, the team announced Tuesday.

Poolman appeared in 24 games with the Jets last season after making his NHL debut in October. He recorded one goal and one assist while averaging 12:34 of ice time.

Winnipeg selected the 25-year-old in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Draft.

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The Washington Capitals signed defenseman Brooks Orpik to a one-year, $1 million contract on Tuesday, the team announced.

The contract includes another potential $500,000 in performance bonuses.

"Brooks has been a valuable player and a great mentor for our young players and we are thrilled to bring him back to our organization," general manager Brian MacLellan said in a release. "We feel his leadership and competitiveness on and off the ice will be welcomed back to our group."

Orpik was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche at the draft in June along with goaltender Philipp Grubauer. Then the Avalanche bought out the final year of his five-year, $27.5-million contract.

The 37-year-old has played the last four years with the Capitals and helped the club win its first Stanley Cup in franchise history this past spring. He tallied just 10 assists in 81 games during the regular season and added a goal and five points in the playoffs.

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TORONTO - Hundreds of coaches from all levels of hockey gathered at Humber College this past weekend for the TeamSnap Hockey Coaches Conference.

The annual two-day event featured a series of presentations from a diverse list of speakers. This year’s headliners included two former NHL head coaches, Senators associate coach Marc Crawford and Oilers assistant coach Glen Gulutzan.

Related - Q&A: Marc Crawford on millennials, Auston Matthews, and the Senators

Here are four takeaways from the conference:

In vogue: Keep the puck, find the middle man

Industry meet-ups can be useful for identifying tactical trends across the NHL.

From an Xs and Os perspective, the study of different offensive zone entries is definitely in vogue. And coaches are almost exclusively promoting creativity over mundane approaches like the dump-and-chase.

Jets assistant coach Todd Woodcroft broke down the importance of puck management and forcing the opposition to make mistakes when hemmed in their own end.

"Hockey, really, it’s not about scoring," Woodcroft said, quoting his boss, Jets head coach Paul Maurice. "Hockey is about creating offensive zone time, offensive zone pressure, and sustaining it."

Upon entry, the puck carrier has a number of viable options. A popular pick: feeding the puck to a teammate streaking through the middle of the ice. Woodcroft noted that some teams - like the Maple Leafs, Oilers, Sharks, Blackhawks, and Jets - are known as "middle drive" clubs, meaning they nearly always attempt to feed that streaker.

Naturally, Woodcroft used Jets winger Patrik Laine to demonstrate this type of entry. Laine, who has 80 goals in 155 NHL games, is exceptional at hustling to the net while a teammate brings the puck into the offensive zone. The Finnish sniper will find the middle lane and prepare for a scoring chance.

Below are a couple of examples of Laine doing his thing. Notice in these two GIFs how Laine keeps his feet moving through transition, presents himself as a pass target, and reacts instantly when the puck enters his orbit:

Laine's signature move may be his wicked shot, but his willingness to make a B-line for the goalmouth is probably underrated. He loves that middle lane.

Woodcroft, who broke into the NHL in 2000 as a video coach for the Minnesota Wild, says the Jets encourage all of their skaters "to take the ice in front of them at all times." If a defenseman happens to be the puck carrier at the offensive blue line, so be it.

"It used to be that the D were told to hold the blue line - your job is to defend," he said of a league-wide trend toward operating in five-man units. "Now we’re seeing how much the D are involved. Guys like Erik Karlsson - not only are they involved in the rush, they’re leading the rush."

Hartsburg an open book to teens

Mental health awareness is another area of the sport - and society, for that matter - gaining traction.

Chris Hartsburg is doing his part to minimize the suck-it-up attitude prevalent inside dressing rooms. The 38-year-old head coach of the OHL’s Erie Otters has no problem telling players about his battle with depression.

"For me, it’s nothing to be afraid of," Hartsburg said in an interview. "There’s not as much stigma towards it anymore and it’s slowly starting to get to the point where everyone is being very open about it. But, you still have the issues where people are either ashamed, afraid, or they don’t know what’s going on, and I think it’s important to have open dialogue about it."

Hartsburg says he was diagnosed with eight concussions during a playing career that plateaued with five pro seasons. The Colorado College alumnus suffered all eight in his mid-20s, but he didn't start suffering from depression until his 30s.

"You’re in a dark place. You don’t feel like getting out of bed," said the son of former NHL head coach Chris Hartsburg. "You just sit there and don’t do anything and, fortunately, my wife was a big turning point for me and helping me feel better about myself. She pushed me to get help, see a therapist, and find the medication that works for me. Those are the types of things that I found worked.

"I can’t control my depression, unfortunately. It’s going to be there and, potentially, it could get worse. I can combat it. I’m active, I did as much as I can to get outside and enjoy the outdoor life. But it wasn’t fun and it’s something that I don’t allow to control me anymore."

Where is the love for goalies?

Steve Briere of the Maple Leafs made a valid point during his presentation outlining a development plan for goalies - North Americans don’t give netminders enough TLC.

Through work trips overseas, the renowned goalie coach has noticed some countries - namely goalie factories Sweden and Finland - place a greater emphasis on building up the position and the people playing it from an early age.

"The No. 1 thing they do is they praise goaltenders," Briere said of Finland, home to NHL starters Pekka Rinne, Tuukka Rask, and Antti Raanta.

Briere feels that parents and coaches in Canada and the U.S. tend to make excuses for why young players shouldn’t be goalies. He constantly hears about kids being too skilled or too tall or too fast to strap on the pads.

Also grinding his gears: "Goalies only try to work on the mental side of the game when they start struggling. The problem with (that strategy is that) it’s too late. You talk to a goalie when he’s struggling and he doesn’t hear half of the things you’re saying to him. OK? So that’s something we need to work on every day."

Briere, as you can imagine, is the ultimate goalie spokesperson.

"Everything I have in my life is from being a goalie. I’m a midget. I’m a short, fat, bald guy from Winnipeg," he said. "I’ve got a masters degree, a beautiful wife, beautiful kids, I’ve been around the world - all from being a goalie. It was the greatest gift I’ve ever been given."

Jagr apparently a man of his word

Finally, an anecdote about the man, the myth, the legend - Jaromir Jagr.

Presenter Dave Barr, who coached the future Hall of Famer in both New Jersey (2013-14, 2014-15) and Florida (2015-16), relayed an amusing story from an undisclosed assistant coach.

"There’s a knock at the door. He’s the closest coach to the door so he goes to the door and it’s Jagr," started Barr, now an assistant coach for the San Jose Sharks.

"Jagr says, 'Tell the (head) coach that I feel great tonight. I feel great, tell the coach I feel great. I get points, I get goals for sure tonight. Tell him!'

"So, he goes, 'OK, I’ll tell him, I’ll tell him.' (Jagr) goes away."

"Coaches meeting is a half hour later and the head coach, at the end, says 'Anybody got anything?' Assistant coach says, 'Yeah,' he goes, 'Jagr came by and said he feels great tonight, can you give him a few extra shifts?' Head coach goes, 'OK, I’ll squeeze him in, I’ll give him a few extra shifts.'

"That game: two and two. Jagr: two goals, two assists. And they win.

"Next game, knock on the door - this is a true story ... same assistant coach goes to the door, opens it, 'I feel good again, I’m telling you I feel great. Tell the coach to play me!'

"He gets three and one.

"So, this goes on for a little bit ...

"Another knock on the door - this is a couple of weeks later now. Assistant coach (thinks it’s) Jagr again. Opens the door, it’s Jagr.

"Jagr says, 'Tell the coach I just got back from Vegas, I feel like s---! Don’t play me too much tonight!'"

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Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor domestic assault charge Tuesday after admitting to pushing his girlfriend at a gas station in June, according to Natalie Neysa Alund of The Tennessean.

Watson will be placed on probation, and any violation could result in up to a year in jail. Among the conditions of his probation, Watson is ordered to complete 26 weeks of a batterer intervention course.

If convicted, Austin faces up to 11 months and 29 days in jail, and up to a $2,500 fine.

The 26-year-old was free on $4,500 bond, and the Predators released the following statement after his arrest.

Watson signed a three-year, $3.3-million contract with the Predators last summer, and had 19 points in 76 games in 2017-18.

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The Anaheim Ducks and defenseman Brandon Montour will avoid an arbitrator's decision after agreeing to a two-year contract on Tuesday, the team announced.

The two sides came to the agreement during their arbitration meeting in Toronto, according to The Athletic's Eric Stephens. Both sides worked to hammer out a deal all day Monday and into the night.

On Sunday, it was reported the gap was $3 million, with Montour seeking a one-year pact at $4.75 million and the Ducks countering with a two-year contract worth roughly $1.5 million per season.

The 24-year-old is coming off his first full season with the Ducks that saw him post a respectable nine goals and 32 points in 80 games.

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A contract dispute has ended Carolina Hurricanes radio play-by-play announcer Chuck Kaiton's time with the franchise after 39 years, according to Luke DeCock of The News & Observer.

Kaiton's agent countered Carolina's initial offer, which included a significant pay cut, but Hurricanes' new owner Tom Dundon wouldn't budge.

"I was hoping for a reasonable offer to stay but obviously the offer was an invitation to leave," Kaiton said.

"It's his decision to offer what he offered and it was quite a substantial decrease. It really basically told me they weren't that interested in keeping me. That's life. It's his team."

Dundon has made a series of changes within the Hurricanes' organization since taking over in January, including replacing general manager Ron Francis with Don Waddell and hiring Rod Brind'Amour as head coach.

Kaiton won the Hockey Hall of Fame's Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for broadcasting excellence in 2004. His career began with the Hartford Whalers during the team's inaugural season in 1979-80, and he had been with the club ever since.

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