The Carolina Hurricanes have granted president and general manager Don Waddell permission to speak to other teams as his current deal will soon, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

LeBrun added that Waddell interviewed with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. Columbus has been trying to find a new GM since firing longtime executive Jarmo Kekalainen in February.

Waddell joined the Hurricanes as team president in 2014 and was named general manager in 2018.

Carolina has made the playoffs in each of Waddell's six seasons as GM and advanced to the conference finals twice, though both of those ventures ended in four-game sweeps.

The Hurricanes have also been one of the league's top regular-season teams during Waddell's tenure, winning three consecutive divisional titles from 2021-23.

The Hurricanes failed to clinch a playoff spot for nine straight years before Waddell's time at the helm.

Carolina's 2023-24 campaign ended at the hands of the New York Rangers in the second round last Thursday. Waddell attempted to get his team over the hump by acquiring pending unrestricted free-agent star Jake Guentzel before the trade deadline, a big in-season swing typically uncharacteristic of the GM.

Waddell and the Hurricanes inked head coach Rod Brind'Amour to a reported five-year extension on Sunday.

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It's been quite the eventful month for Arturs Silovs, and the Vancouver Canucks' rookie goaltender had the time to process his breakthrough playoff performance during Thursday's end-of-season media availability.

"It was a great opportunity for me, just going from a (third-string) goalie (to) getting all the games after Game 3," the netminder said. "It was phenomenal getting all the experience."

He added: "I tried to do my best every single time I was in the crease to help the team win. It's an exciting time to play, everyone wants to win, everyone's desperate to win, so you have to give everything."

The Canucks were forced to turn to the youngster in the fourth contest of their first-round series against the Nashville Predators because of injuries to starter Thatcher Demko and usual backup Casey DeSmith. Before that appearance, Silovs had nine games of NHL experience.

He made 27 saves on 30 shots in his playoff debut to help Vancouver take a 3-1 series stranglehold, and the crease belonged to him for the remainder of his team's time in the postseason.

Silovs (and his iconic dress shirt) established himself as a fan favorite on the run. He posted an .898 save percentage and 2.91 goals against average across 10 games, recording five wins - including a series-clinching shutout against the Predators - before the Canucks were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the second round Monday.

The 23-year-old performed admirably during Vancouver's season-ending loss, turning aside 26 out of 29 shots.

Despite the Canucks' early exit, Silovs acknowledged that "it feels great" to prove he can step up in big moments.

"I was proving to myself that I can play here, I can make key saves to help the team to win," he said.

DeSmith is a pending unrestricted free agent, so the door is open for Silovs to take over as Demko's regular backup.

Silovs said he's looking forward to working with the Vezina Trophy finalist next season.

"I think it'll work good," Silovs said. "(Demko's) an experienced goalie. For me, I can learn a lot from him and try my best to show I can be the second guy to help the team."

First, though, Silovs needs a new contract as a pending restricted free agent. He's projected to sign a one-year pact worth $775,000, per Evolving-Hockey.

The Canucks selected the Latvian in the sixth round of the 2019 NHL Draft.

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Locker cleanout day for the Canucks! The entire roster met with the media today, so lots of emotion and many a quote to break down for Matt and Blake. The guys hear from players like Myers, Lindholm, Zadorov and Joshua on their futures, and whether they want to be back with the team. Injuries took centre stage too, so a full look at the comments of Demko, Pettersson, Boeser and Hronek on the extent of their ailments, whether real or perceived.

Sara Civian of Bleacher Report & Elite Prospects outlines her latest piece on Jason Botchford and how he would have viewed and relished the Canucks run in the playoffs. Plus, we let you listen in on the comments of the coach and GM as well! Presented by @ApplewoodAutoGroup.

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Czechia eliminated the United States from the 2024 World Championship with a 1-0 victory in Thursday's quarterfinals.

Pavel Zacha put the host nation ahead with a power-play goal in the second period, and goaltender Lukas Dostal stood on his head for a 36-save shutout.

Many expected the United States to compete for gold this spring, as the deep American roster features Brady Tkachuk, Cole Caufield, Matt Boldy, and Johnny Gaudreau, among others. Instead, the country's tournament championship drought is now up to 92 years.

Czechia hasn't won the event since 2010. The 2022 team was the last to finish on the podium, collecting a bronze medal.

Canada, Switzerland, and Sweden also advanced Thursday and will join the host country in the next round. Both semifinal games will take place on Saturday.

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