Max Pacioretty appears to have set a deadline on his contract negotiations.

The Montreal Canadiens forward will hold off all talks about a new deal once the regular season begins, sources told Sportsnet's Eric Engels on Wednesday.

Pacioretty, who is a pending unrestricted free agent, will abstain from negotiations not just with the Canadiens, but any other team, a source close to the player's camp told Engels, presumably taking into account the possibility of a trade.

He's entering the final campaign of the six-year, $27-million pact he inked with Montreal in 2012.

The Canadiens reportedly came close to trading Pacioretty at the draft, and general manager Marc Bergevin reportedly told the winger in July that the club would not negotiate an extension with him and was attempting to deal him as soon as possible.

Last week, Pacioretty told reporters at his charity golf tournament that there were no extension talks taking place with the Canadiens at the time.

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Cody Franson became the latest former NHLer to land at Avangard Omsk on Wednesday.

The defenseman agreed to a two-year contract with the KHL club, the league announced.

Franson split last season between the Chicago Blackhawks and their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, contributing seven points in 23 NHL games and racking up 28 points in 37 AHL regular-season contests.

He added six goals and 13 points in 13 playoff games for the IceHogs in the spring, helping them reach the Western Conference Final.

The 31-year-old played for the Blackhawks, Sabres, Predators, and Maple Leafs over parts of the last nine seasons.

He joins forward Kris Versteeg and defenseman Alexei Emelin, who signed deals of their own with Avangard within the last week. The team also includes former NHL forwards David Desharnais and Max Talbot.

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Former Chicago Blackhawks forward Ab McDonald died Tuesday night at age 82, the team announced Wednesday.

McDonald played 15 years in the NHL from 1957-1972 with the Canadiens, Blackhawks, Bruins, Red Wings, Penguins, and Blues. He also played two years in the World Hockey Association with the Winnipeg Jets from 1972-1974.

"We at True North Sports + Entertainment and the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club are saddened to learn of the passing of Mr. McDonald," True North Sports + Entertainment chairman and Winnipeg Jets governor Mark Chipman said in a release. "He was a legend in this city's hockey history as the first captain of the Winnipeg Jets in 1972 and scoring the team's first-ever goal in the World Hockey Association. As a Winnipegger, he made this city proud by also playing 14 seasons in the NHL and capturing four Stanley Cups."

McDonald won four straight Stanley Cups with the Canadiens and Blackhawks from 1958-1961. He concluded his career as a five-time All-Star with 182 goals and 430 points in 762 games in the NHL and another 29 goals and 70 points in 147 games in the WHA.

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Jim Johannson has been posthumously named the 2018 recipient of the Lester Patrick Trophy, the NHL announced on Wednesday.

"The Lester Patrick Trophy is presented for 'service to hockey in the United States.' Jim Johannson's entire playing career and professional life were dedicated to the game of hockey," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a release.

"From his playing days at the University of Wisconsin and for U.S. national and Olympic teams, through his two-decade career at USA Hockey, Jim worked tirelessly to grow our game at all levels in the United States."

Johannson died this past January at his home in Colorado Springs at just 53 years of age. Prior to that, he was a prominent name in American hockey, recently serving as the assistant executive director of USA Hockey and the general manager of the 2018 U.S. men's Olympic team. He was also part of the national team's management at the 2006, 2010, and 2014 Olympic Games.

He played four seasons at the University of Wisconsin and was drafted in the seventh round of the NHL draft by the Hartford Whalers in 1982, although he never suited up in the league.

Johannson will be recognized on Dec. 12, where his wife, Abby, will accept the award on his behalf, and where he'll will be inducted - alongside Red Berenson, Natalie Darwitz, Hago Harrington, David Poile, and Paul Stewart - into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

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NHL fans weren't the only ones sweating in the weeks leading up to July 1 - the day superstar center John Tavares would decide on where to sign in free agency.

David Krejci also felt the heat.

The 32-year-old occupies the Boston Bruins' second-line center position behind Patrice Bergeron, so when the Bruins emerged as one of five teams in the mix to sign Tavares - who ultimately joined the Toronto Maple Leafs instead - Krejci worried about his own future in Boston.

"I had no idea what was going on. My agent didn't tell me (anything) because he said he didn't know anything. I didn't get any phone calls from anyone from the Bruins," Krejci told NBC Sports Boston's Joe Haggerty. "So I was just getting those Instragram messages (telling me to request a trade) in my inbox. I know that I have a no-trade (clause) so they would have to call me (if they did end up signing Tavares).

"Yeah, that wasn't kind of something I enjoyed. But it was over pretty quick. It was a quick couple of weeks. It is what it is."

With just under $3 million in cap space available, the Bruins would have needed to shed salary to sign Tavares. And with Krejci set to earn $7.25 million a year for the next three seasons (the most among all Bruins players), he would have been a likely candidate to move elsewhere, or to drop down to the third line.

Instead, Krejci can now turn his attention to the upcoming season as he prepares to play a key role for the Bruins. He also holds nothing against his club's management for trying to sign Tavares.

"I understand that it's the hockey business that you have to do whatever you have to do to make the hockey team better," Krejci said.

"Obviously I don’t want to go anywhere. But (Bruins GM) Donnie (Sweeney) has got to do what he's got to do. (Hockey is a business) is what I've learned over the years. I love being here and I've got three years left, so for me it was just about getting ready to be the best player I can be. I'm still young and I feel like I still have some of my best years in front of me. Maybe not 70 or 80 points production-wise, but maybe more of a complete player and helping out the young guys grow."

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The Calgary Flames will give a journeyman goaltender a chance to make the team out of training camp.

Jeff Glass is going to suit up for the Flames on a professional tryout contract, the netminder confirmed on the "Bosco Podcast" on Monday.

The 32-year-old split last season between the AHL's Rockford IceHogs and their parent club, the Chicago Blackhawks, posting a .904 save percentage in 28 AHL games and a mark of .898 in 15 NHL appearances.

Glass played for the IceHogs and the Toronto Marlies in 2016-17 after spending seven seasons with six different teams in the KHL. Before his tenure in Russia, he played parts of four campaigns in the AHL and also appeared in 39 ECHL contests.

He was a third-round pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2004.

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Despite a season's worth of turmoil, Matt Duchene isn't rejecting the possibility of signing a long-term deal with the Ottawa Senators.

With one season left on his contract, the forward is eligible to sign an extension at any point, and while he and general manager Pierre Dorion haven't begun negotiations, the 27-year-old is open to committing to the nation's capital.

"I'd love for it to work," Duchene told NHL.com on Tuesday. "(Ontario) is my home province, three hours from home, Canadian city. Would be awesome if things could work out for sure."

Duchene arrived in Ottawa last November via trade after a drawn-out split with the Colorado Avalanche - who surprisingly went on to qualify for the postseason while the Senators tumbled to a 30th-place finish.

Amid the organizational hardships, Duchene managed to play some strong hockey, registering 23 goals and 26 assists in 68 contests with Ottawa.

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