The Penguins are set to rock "Pittsburgh gold" both home and away.
Having worn the vintage black-and-gold jerseys at home all throughout the 2016 playoffs, the Stanley Cup champions will don a similar look on the road beginning next season.
The Pittsburgh gold jerseys will be on full display at this weekend's NHL draft.
2016 NHL Draft Where: First Niagara Center, Buffalo, N.Y. When: Friday, June 24 at 7 p.m. ET TV: NBC Sports Network, Sportsnet Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
Here we go.
The NHL Draft is finally upon us. The fortunes of 30 teenagers and 30 NHL clubs will be altered Friday night.
Auston Matthews thinks he should be drafted first overall. Patrik Laine disagrees; he thinks he's the best player available. Ask Jesse Puljujarvi and he'll tell you Jesse Puljujarvi is the top talent on the board.
While Toronto is in dire need of a franchise center, making Matthews all but a slam dunk selection with the first pick, there's been chatter that Laine at No. 2 isn't so cut and dry. His fellow Finn Puljujarvi could hear his name announced second.
We'll find out Friday night. Once the first three dominos fall, the real fun will begin. Pierre-Luc Dubois, Matthew Tkachuk, and Alexander Nylander will all be going in the top 10. We're finally about to find out where.
Canada's time
The playoffs were about the NHL's American teams. The draft is all about the north.
Five of the league's seven Canadian teams will draft in the top six, six in the top 10, and all seven by pick No. 12.
The Jets are the only Canadian team with two picks in the first round; they'll select at No. 22 as well.
Let's make a deal
The Oilers are dangling the fourth overall pick for a defenseman. Seemingly every team has called the Canadiens about P.K. Subban - including the Oilers and Canucks.
The Blue Jackets have called the Maple Leafs and Jets about potentially moving up.
Anaheim Ducks d-man Cam Fowler may be on the move, potentially to Buffalo for their eighth overall pick. The Flames are exploring all avenues to acquire a goalie, and they've been linked to some heavy hitters in Marc-Andre Fleury and Ben Bishop.
In other words: there are a ton of balls in the air. With all 30 general managers and their staffs on the same floor at the same time, there will be action.
The NHL Draft never disappoints. Sit back and enjoy.
Terms of the deal weren't disclosed by the club, but it's believed to be worth $44.45 million, carrying an average annual valuation of $6.35 million, according to Craig Custance of ESPN.
That makes him the Panthers' highest-paid player, for the time being at least.
"We are thrilled to have signed Keith to a multi-year contract," said general manager Tim Rowe. "He is a highly skilled and experienced defenseman who will be a tremendous asset on our blue line and in our dressing room. We look forward to Keith’s contributions to our team both on the ice and in the South Florida community."
The Panthers acquired his rights from the New York Rangers for a pair of draft picks, one of them conditional on Yandle signing with Florida. Upon signing him, the Panthers sent their fourth-round pick in 2017 to New York.
Yandle, who will turn 30 in July, has averaged 0.56 points per game over the course of his career, with an additional 31 points in 51 playoff games.
This past season, he recorded five goals and 42 assists for the Rangers, while continuing a career trend of being a positive possession defenseman.
With Aaron Ekblad eligible for a contract extension July 1, the Florida Panthers aren't going to waste any time locking up the star defenseman long term.
The Panthers are reportedly preparing to sign the 20-year-old to an eight-year extension worth around $60 million, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
Drafted first overall in 2014, Ekblad won the Calder Trophy in his rookie season after a 39-point campaign. He followed that up with a career-high 15 goals this past season, helping lead his team to their second division title in franchise history.
An Ekblad extension would further solidify the team's blue line for the foreseeable future, after announcing the signing of Keith Yandle to a seven-year deal Friday.
"It was a dream of mine to come back to the State of Hockey (where he played college hockey) and I got to fulfill that, but obviously not the way I hoped," Vanek told Russo. "I think I can score 25, 30 goals in the right situation. As disappointing as it is ... the focus is to find the right fit."
A buyout will free up $5 million in cap space for the 2016-17 season, while costing the Wild $2.5 million against the cap in 2017-18.
Vanek, who signed a three-year, $19.5-million contract with the Wild in 2014, is coming off one of the worst statistical seasons of his career, recording 18 goals and 23 assists in 74 games.
He'll be able to sign with any of the NHL's 29 other teams come July 1.
The Las Vegas expansion franchise is set to hit the ground running in its search for a general manager.
Awarded a team upon approval by the NHL's board of governors Wednesday, the franchise's GM interviews could begin within the next week, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
Garrioch writes:
The word is the people in Vegas won't waste any time, which means former Vancouver assistant GM Laurence Gilman, former Washington GM George McPhee, Pittsburgh assistant GM Jason Botterill, former Arizona GM Don Maloney and Montreal executive Scott Mellanby are considered to be at the top of the list.
Owner Bill Foley said he has already received applications from seven current NHL assistant general managers, as well as three or four from former NHL GMs, adds Frank Seravalli of TSN.
The expansion draft is scheduled for June 20, 2017.
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Not once in a career that spans nearly three decades has Lou Lamoriello held the No. 1 overall pick at the NHL draft.
The Maple Leafs general manager picked as high as second overall 29 years ago when his New Jersey Devils sel...
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But, with Las Vegas expansion now officially on the horizon and executive teams now required to lay plans to protect the future, there's certainly more to ponder on the draft floor in Buffalo.
You'd think one of these considerations, and perhaps most pressing, would be team defenses. Because as per the rules that will govern the expansion draft, teams will have to protect eight skaters, not the maximum 10, in order to ensure more than three roster defenders.
For this reason, and the perpetual obligation to supplement this position, we expect a run on defenseman in the front half of the first round once the elite forwards come off the board.
Here's our final mock draft:
1. Maple Leafs - Auston Matthews, C, Zurich
A complete three-zone center and as NHL-ready a prospect that's arrived in recent years, Matthews is now charged with igniting Toronto's turnaround.
GP
G
A
P
36
24
22
46
2. Jets - Patrik Laine, RW, Tappara
Winnipeg has plenty of quality prospects, though none with a toolbox like Laine. The anomalous Finn will soon have the MTS Centre reaching a whole 'nother decibel.
Considered by some as the blue-liner with the highest ceiling, Sergachev outshone first-round talents from all corners of the OHL in being named the league's most outstanding defenseman. It stays this way draft night.
GP
G
A
P
67
17
40
57
6. Flames - Pierre-Luc Dubois, LW, Cape Breton
Dubois is highly capable in all offensive facets and will bring much needed size and strength to a young top six.
GP
G
A
P
62
42
57
99
7. Coyotes - Olli Juolevi, D, London
Arizona has an exciting collection of forward prospects but aren't exactly brimming with talent at the back end. The steady Juolevi is as good as a lock to be a factor at the next level.
GP
G
A
P
57
9
33
42
8. Sabres - Alex Nylander, LW, Mississauga
One of the highest-skilled forwards available for choosing, the Sabres keep adding pieces to their top six with lottery selections. The Nylander brothers, meanwhile, remain connected by highway.
GP
G
A
P
57
28
47
75
9. Canadiens - Logan Brown, C, Windsor
A 6-foot-6 center, he wouldn't be considered the classic Canadien, but to go along with his size, Brown has top-end play-making capabilities, vision, and comparative speed.
GP
G
A
P
59
21
53
74
10. Avalanche - Jakob Chychrun, D, Sarnia
It would not be surprising to see a team acquire this selection from the Avs, but it fits nonetheless. Chychrun has can't-miss, next-level talent, even if he didn't show it consistently throughout his draft season.
GP
G
A
P
68
11
38
49
11. Devils - Clayton Keller, C, USA U-18
Keller was without question the most dominant point producer in USA Hockey's developmental program this season. He'll help to satiate an obvious need in Jersey.
GP
G
A
P
23
13
24
37
12. Senators - Dante Fabbro, D, Penticton
With two defenders making almost $15 million, the Senators must continue funneling capable back line help into the system. They find one in Fabbro, who will make the jump from Junior A to the NCAA and Boston University next season.
GP
G
A
P
45
14
53
67
13. Hurricanes - Tyson Jost, C, Penticton
Carolina has added some quality pieces up front under Ron Francis, but it has spent its lottery selection on defense. Jost could be that game-breaking talent the Hurricanes plainly lack.
GP
G
A
P
48
42
62
104
14. Bruins - Jake Bean, D, Calgary
Bean can grow into the competent puck-moving, possession-driving blue-liner that the Bruins are largely without.
GP
G
A
P
68
24
40
64
15. Wild - Charlie McAvoy, D, Boston University
The Wild defense ought to change over the course of the next 12 months. As such, adding a sure-skating transition defender in McAvoy - the youngest player in Division I this season - would be a quality investment.
GP
G
A
P
37
3
22
25
16. Red Wings - Kieffer Bellows, LW, USA U-18
Yet another talented scorer will fall to the Red Wings in the mid-to-late first round. Bellows is an exuberant scorer with a little sandpaper to him as well.
GP
G
A
P
23
16
16
32
17. Predators - Michael McLeod, C, Mississauga
McLeod isn't the most skilled prospect, but his size, motor, and defensive acumen will see him have a lasting impact at the next level. This would be a value pick for the Predators and one at an area of need.
GP
G
A
P
57
21
40
61
18. Flyers - Max Jones, LW, London
Jones is a forceful, strong-skating, talented scorer, and a complete terror to line up against. Sounds like a Flyer, don't it?
GP
G
A
P
63
28
24
52
19. Islanders - Luke Kunin, C, Wisconsin
Kunin won't "wow" with isolated individual skills, but all together, he was a dominant attacking force in his draft season.
GP
G
A
P
34
19
13
32
20. Coyotes - German Rubstov, C, Russia U-18
Rubstov's the wild card in the draft, as information pertaining to the center is limited, in that Russia was disqualified from the U18 World Championship. Arizona may be that progressive organization who can tune out the noise and pluck a two-way center with lottery potential.
GP
G
A
P
28
12
14
26
21. Hurricanes - Julien Gauthier, RW, Val d'Or
Gauthier's a tireless worker off the ice but may need some drilling on it. He hasn't quite figured out how to be a consistently dominant player despite having all the attributes. Still, Carolina nabs another very intriguing prospect with the selection of Gauthier here.
GP
G
A
P
54
41
16
57
22. Jets - Rasmus Asplund, C, Farjestad
To pair with the second ranked European-bred Laine, the Jets will grab the fourth and two-way center Asplund. With two seasons of pro hockey already to his credit, he should be quite polished when he comes over down the road.
GP
G
A
P
46
4
8
12
23. Panthers - Alex DeBrincat, RW, Erie
DeBrincat piled up 102 goals in two seasons with the Erie Otters. Florida's new-look, stat-minded brain-trust doesn't have to flip through too many spreadsheets to be sold on the young American forward.
GP
G
A
P
60
51
50
101
24. Ducks - Vitali Abramov, RW, Gatineau
A highly successful debut season in North America, in which he led QMJHL rookies with 93 points, vaults Abramov into the first round.
GP
G
A
P
63
38
55
93
25. Stars - Kale Clague, D, Brandon
With Alex Goligoski gone, and Jason Demers and Kris Russell to follow, Dallas is turning to its system to defend the zone next season. Replenish.
GP
G
A
P
71
6
37
43
26. Capitals - Riley Tufte, LW, Blaine
A towering kid with the skill typically reserved for diminutive types, Tufte was named Minnesota's Mr. Hockey in his senior season, scoring 47 goals and 78 points in 25 games.
GP
G
A
P
25
47
31
78
27. Lightning - Tyler Benson, LW, Vancouver
Benson was limited in his 30 games as a draft-eligible prospect, but with the potential to grow into a top-six NHL forward when healthy, Tampa might get value here.
GP
G
A
P
30
9
19
28
28. Blues - Libor Hajek, D, Saskatoon
With a puck-moving defenseman believed to be on the move, the Blues add one of the draft's premier skaters. Hajek has a lot of areas to shore up but has the base most conducive to future success.
GP
G
A
P
69
3
23
26
29. Bruins - Nathan Bastian, RW, Mississauga
Bastian makes it a trio of Mississauga Steelheads linemates chosen in the first round, joining Nylander and McLeod.
GP
G
A
P
64
19
40
59
30. Ducks - Dennis Cholowski, D, Chilliwack
With its second pick in the opening round, Anaheim continues to recognize that defense is the greatest currency, selecting a bit of a project puck mover in Cholowski.
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