While the Ottawa Senators first-round pick might sit outside the top 10, the club still feels it holds value.
The Senators hold the 12th selection, and with the value placed on picks at the top of this year's draft, general manager Pierre Dorion admits he'll have to be blown away by an offer if he's to move it.
"For us to move away from No. 12, it will take a significant trade," said Dorion, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. "I doubt it. That’s why I say if I had to bet, I’d bet on No. 12."
As for the pick itself, Dorion admits he likely won't do anything out of the norm.
"Unfortunately, I am going to go with the same boring line of best player available," Dorion said. "Let’s say we had a need on defence and we passed on a forward that could be outstanding and helped us down the road then we’d really feel bad about it.
"I’m extremely comfortable at No. 12," Dorion said. "I’m extremely comfortable with taking the player that we’re going to take. I really am comfortable. The thing is, if you’re picking closer to No. 1 that player has a better chance of playing right away, when you’re closer to No. 12 that player might be a year away."
Friday will tell who exactly that player will be.
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The Florida Panthers have themselves a replacement for Brian Campbell.
The club agreed to terms with pending free agent Keith Yandle on a seven-year, $44.45-million contract, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.
The deal includes a no-movement clause through the first six seasons, and a limited no-trade clause in the final season, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
The Panthers acquired Yandle's rights from the New York Rangers on Monday for a pair of draft picks, one of them conditional on Yandle signing with Florida. With the deal, the Panthers' fourth-round selection in 2017 is now guaranteed to New York.
Yandle is the second big-ticket defenseman who was scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency but didn't make it, joining Alex Goligoski who was traded to and subsequently signed by the Arizona Coyotes.
A thin blueline free-agency crop is now that much thinner.
Yandle will be 30 when next season begins and is coming off a productive year. He scored five goals and had 42 assists in 19:58 of ice time per game. He had a 50.3 Corsi For rating, according to Hockey Reference.
He'll quarterback the power play in Florida with his left-handed shot and strong passing ability. Three times in his career he's put up 50 or more points in a season.
Panthers co-owner Doug Cifu on Yandle:"Keith wants to win the Stanley Cup in Florida. That's why we were his top priority and vice-versa.''
— Harvey Fialkov (@hfialkov) June 23, 2016
With the move, the Panthers are clearly showing they don't expect their Atlantic Division-winning season to be a one-hit wonder. As for Rangers fans, they're probably going to be talking a lot about Dan Girardi in the coming days.
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Sidney Crosby didn't win the Hart Trophy on Wednesday night, but he did take home a consolation prize.
Related: Patrick Kane becomes 1st American-born player to win Hart Trophy
The Pittsburgh Penguins captain was named to the NHL's First All-Star Team, which recognizes the best players at each position over the entire 2015-16 season.
Here's the entire first team:
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| G | Braden Holtby | Washington Capitals |
| D | Drew Doughty | Los Angeles Kings |
| D | Erik Karlsson | Ottawa Senators |
| LW | Jamie Benn | Dallas Stars |
| C | Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| RW | Patrick Kane | Chicago Blackhawks |
A pair of San Jose Sharks made the Second All-Star Team:
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| G | Ben Bishop | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| D | Brent Burns | San Jose Sharks |
| D | Kris Letang | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| LW | Alex Ovechkin | Washington Capitals |
| C | Joe Thornton | San Jose Sharks |
| RW | Vladimir Tarasenko | St. Louis Blues |
Voting for the 2015-16 All-Star and All-Rookie team is conducted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association at the end of the regular season.
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The NHL announced its All-Rookie Team for the 2015-16 season, and it was headlined by the three Calder Trophy finalists: Shayne Gostisbehere, Connor McDavid, and Artemi Panarin.
Panarin won the Calder on Wednesday night.
Here's the full squad:
| Player | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
| John Gibson | Goalie | Anaheim Ducks |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | Defenseman | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Colton Parayko | Defenseman | St. Louis Blues |
| Jack Eichel | Forward | Buffalo Sabres |
| Connor McDavid | Forward | Edmonton Oilers |
| Artemi Panarin | Forward | Chicago Blackhawks |
Gibson was an All-Star in 2015-16 and finished with a .920 save percentage. He's the Anaheim Ducks' undisputed No. 1 goalie after the trade of Frederik Andersen to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Gostisbehere was integral to the Philadelphia Flyers' turnaround last season, and finished with an impressive 46 points. He scored four overtime goals, and finished second in Calder voting.
Colton Parayko had a strong season for the St. Louis Blues, finishing second among rookie defensemen in goals (nine) and points (33).
Jack Eichel, the second overall pick by the Buffalo Sabres at least year's draft, finished second among rookies with 24 goals and 56 points.
McDavid's exploits with the Edmonton Oilers were well documented. He was better than a point-per-game player in his freshman season, and had a five-point night against the Maple Leafs in February.
Panarin was a force with the Chicago Blackhawks, finishing first in every major statistical category among rookies. That's why he took home the trophy.
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The Vancouver Canucks are ready to go shopping July 1.
TSN's Darren Dreger has the details:
As we discussed on Sportscentre...and really no surprise, consider Lucic and Eriksson high priority for Canucks. They want at least 1 of 2.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 23, 2016
Earlier Wednesday, Milan Lucic and the Los Angeles Kings confirmed that the 28-year-old will hit the free-agent market. Born in Vancouver, Lucic had 20 goals and 35 assists in his one and only season on the west coast.
Related: 3 potential landing spots for Lucic
Lucic played out the final season of a three-year, $18-million contract in 2015-16.
Loui Eriksson, meanwhile, had 30 goals and 33 assists in 82 games this past season with the Boston Bruins. The winger will turn 31 on July 17, and wrapped up a six-year, $25.5-million contract.
The Canucks finished second-last in the Pacific Division and third-last in the Western Conference last season, and scored only 191 goals, the fewest in the West and second-fewest in the NHL. It's no surprise that they're looking for offense.
With the Sedin twins under contract for another two seasons, the Canucks want to try and compete while the two are still around.
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Patrick Kane made history Wednesday night.
The Chicago Blackhawks forward won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas, becoming the first American-born player to receive the honor.
Kane won it over Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn.
The voting for the Hart trophy as selected by @ThePHWA pic.twitter.com/GKTd1mAOjW
— PHWA (@ThePHWA) June 23, 2016
He is the first Blackhawks player to win the award since Stan Mikita won his second straight Hart Trophy in 1968.
Kane claimed the Art Ross Trophy this season, leading the NHL with a career-high 106 points while appearing in all 82 regular-season games.
He authored a franchise-record 26-game point streak between Oct. 17 and Dec. 13, which was the longest such stretch by an American-born player.
Kane also received the Ted Lindsay Award as the league's most oustanding player as voted on by his peers.
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