R.J. Umberger took the high road after parting ways with the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.

Related: Flyers buy out Umberger

The 34-year-old was bought out of the final year of his contract - worth $4.6 million - but still took to Twitter to thank the organization for his time there.

After collecting 18 goals in 74 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013-14, he managed just 11 goals and 26 points in 106 games in his second tenure with the Flyers.

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The Vancouver Canucks signed forward Sven Baertschi to a two-year contract extension on Thursday, the team announced.

The deal will see him make $1.7 million in the first year and $2 million in the second. Baertschi was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1 after inking a one-year, $900,000 deal last year.

The 23-year-old is coming off his first full-season with the Canucks, where he hit career highs, knotting 15 goals and 28 points in 69 games.

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Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka is hopeful that acquiring Alex Goligoski's negotiating rights is just the first of his team's many moves this summer.

"He was the first domino to fall in what we hope are a series of coordinated moves to help our team," Chayka said, according to Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports.

The club sent a 2016 fifth-round pick to the Dallas Stars on Thursday for the opportunity to negotiate a contract with the 30-year-old, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

The next step will be convincing the veteran blueliner to put pen to paper, and Chayka hopes the club's growing core will help sway Goligoski's decision.

"It’s more about the confidence in what we have to sell here with a team that's young and poised to break out," said Chayka.

According to General Fanager, the Coyotes have roughly $37 million in cap space, so they should have no problem inking Goligoski and filling other roster needs.

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The Arizona Coyotes have acquired the negotiating rights to defenseman Alex Goligoski from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a 2016 fifth-round draft pick, the Coyotes announced Thursday.

The deal - which was first reported by ESPN's Craig Custance - will give the Coyotes an exclusive opportunity to sign the 30-year-old, who's set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

The Stars had attempted to re-sign Goligoski, but after failing to come to terms on a deal, they elected to trade his rights rather than losing him for nothing, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.

Goligoski's coming off his fifth full season with the Stars, finishing second to John Klingberg on the club's D-core with 37 points in 2015-16. He also contributed four goals and seven points in 13 playoff games.

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The St. Louis Blues signed forward Dmitrij Jaskin to a two-year contract extension Thursday.

The deal will carry an average annual value of $1 million, ESPN's Craig Custance reports.

"It's great to be part of a group like this," Jaskin said in a statement. "It's great to have the opportunity to be part of this team. To get the Conference Final, it's a big motivation. You want to get there again and in (these) two years, I hope we'll get even further. I'm really excited for next season."

Jaskin recorded 13 points in 65 games this season, adding a goal and an assist in six playoff contests.

The 23-year-old was a pending restricted free agent.

He was named to the Czech Republic's World Cup of Hockey roster last month.

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The Colorado Avalanche will let in-season acquisitions Mikkel Boedker and Shawn Matthias enter the open market July 1, but the club also plans to bid on their services.

"They're going to test the open market and see what's out there," Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic said, according to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post.

"I'd like to have one back for sure, or both, but we'll see where that goes. They have the right to test it so they're going to do that. We'll revisit that early July."

Colorado surrendered veteran Alex Tanguay, a trio of prospects, and a fourth-round draft selection to potentially rent Boedker and Matthias for their stretch run.

One of those prospects is former first-round draft pick Conner Bleackley, who netted the Arizona Coyotes a compensatory second-round selection when it was decided they wouldn't offer him an entry-level deal.

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Zemgus Girgensons is dodging rumors in a way that would make Neo proud.

The Buffalo Sabres forward had an amusing response to a Latvian report claiming he was considering a deal with KHL club Dinamo Riga.

Girgensons is a pending restricted free agent who carried an NHL cap hit of about $830,000 last season.

The 22-year-old had his worst campaign from a production standpoint, posting only 18 points in 71 games.

Girgensons recorded 70 points in 202 contests in his first three seasons with the Sabres, who drafted him 14th overall in 2012.

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Brent Burns has been named one of four finalists for ESPN's Sports Humanitarian of the Year award.

The San Jose Sharks defender is being recognized for his contributions with various organizations that help veterans and active duty members, as well as assisting families with members who died or were injured during their services.

A noted military buff, Burns was motivated to help families affected by service, by his grandfather, who fought in World War II.

Tina Charles of the WNBA's New York Liberty, Carlos Dunlap of the Cincinnati Bengals, and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers are the other nominees.

The winner, announced July 12, will receive a $100,000 grant for their charity.

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As rain delayed Thursday's opening round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont, some players got a close look at the trophy recently captured by the local hockey team.

The Stanley Cup made an appearance in the locker room at Oakmont Country Club just outside Pittsburgh. The hometown Penguins won the franchise's fourth championship Sunday.

Forwards Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel were both present as golfers took photos with the trophy.

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Carolina Hurricanes forward Joakim Nordstrom is doing his part to ensure Sweden and Ireland continue their friendly relations during Euro 2016.

William Keane told Connor Heneghan of JOE.ie that he was at a bar in Paris with some friends watching Sunday's Northern Ireland-Poland match when three Swedish brothers walked by. After some "good-natured taunts" from the Irish, the Swedes decided to join them for a beer.

Related: Irish, Swedish fans sing ABBA's 'Dancing Queen' ahead of match

"The eldest of them, Joakim, happened to mention that he was a hockey player but at the time nothing more was thought of it," Keane said. "After a couple of more songs and a beer, the bar man in Quigley's Point informed us that there was a drink for the house paid for by Joakim.

"As you can imagine, this was met with a huge cheer and everyone went over to thank him for his huge generosity. I estimate the round must have cost him around €500, so it was very generous indeed."

Keane didn't realize how well Nordstrom's hockey career was going until he got a Twitter notification the next day that the Swede was now following him, and had nearly 13,000 Twitter followers of his own.

"No wonder he was able to buy a round for the house," Keane said.

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