It doesn't appear Patrick Marleau will return to the San Jose Sharks after all.

Marleau's agent, Pat Brisson, told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on Wednesday that the fit is not there between the player and team. However, he said Marleau still wants to play and will pursue other opportunities around the league.

The Toronto Maple Leafs traded Marleau this summer to the Carolina Hurricanes, who proceeded to buy him out. Marleau waived his no-trade clause to allow the move with the expressed intent on returning home to the west coast.

Marleau, 39, hasn't missed a game since the 2008-09 campaign, but he tallied just 16 goals with the Leafs last season, which was his lowest total since his rookie year in 1997-98.

The Sharks have $4.68 million in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly. They're still expected to bring back Joe Thornton, who remains a UFA.

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The Arizona Coyotes have signed forward Clayton Keller to an eight-year contract extension, the team announced Wednesday.

The deal reportedly carries an average annual value of $7.15 million, a source told The Athletic's Craig Morgan.

Keller is entering the final year of his entry-level contract and was set to hit restricted free agency next summer.

The 21-year-old finished as a Calder Trophy finalist in 2017-18, recording 65 points in 82 games. He endured a sophomore slump, but still managed to lead the offensively starved Coyotes with 47 points in 82 contests last season.

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Phil Kessel is determined to help the Arizona Coyotes return to the postseason.

"You want to prove to people that you want to be better than you have in the past," the productive winger told reporters at his introductory news conference Tuesday, according to Alex Kinkopf of the club's official website.

"I want to make this team into a playoff team, I want to do that, I have that in my gut to try and make that happen, and I'm going to do whatever I can to make that happen."

Kessel, who the Coyotes landed in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forward Alex Galchenyuk in late June, said Tuesday he's optimistic about his new squad.

Arizona finished four points out of a playoff berth in 2018-19 despite losing starting goaltender Antti Raanta to a season-ending injury midway through the campaign.

"I think this is a good group of guys, a good young team, and as of last year you can see that they're building something here. I want to be a part of that," Kessel continued. "My time in Pittsburgh was coming to an end, I felt that, and I think this is a great situation for me and I want to help this team any way I can."

He played four seasons for the Penguins before being dealt after spending six campaigns with the Toronto Maple Leafs and his first three with the Boston Bruins.

Kessel had a brief message for Coyotes fans at Tuesday's event:

Can you feel the excitement?

For those in a calendar-marking mood, Kessel will make his return to Pittsburgh on Dec. 6.

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One can debate whether Sidney Crosby is still the NHL's best player, but judging by jersey sales, he's still the most popular.

The Pittsburgh Penguins captain topped the list of the league's most purchased sweaters from 2018-19 after finishing second to Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews in 2017-18.

Here are the top 15 best-sellers from last season:

Notably, two members of the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues cracked the list, while veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury remained popular, boasting the fourth-most sold jersey after finishing third in 2017-18.

Alex Ovechkin rose from fifth to second this past season on the strength of a 51-goal campaign and his NHL-record eighth "Rocket" Richard Trophy.

Connor McDavid slipped from No. 2 to 10 despite a 116-point season after his Edmonton Oilers missed the playoffs for the second straight year.

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Cam Talbot knows who he's gonna call whenever he needs new headgear.

The Calgary Flames goaltender is sticking with the "Ghostbusters" theme for his new mask, courtesy of renowned artist David Gunnarsson.

(Image courtesy: Calgary Flames)

While there's nothing particularly "spoky" about it, the spooky new equipment continues Talbot's run of referencing the classic 1984 film.

The 32-year-old signed with the Flames as a free agent July 1. The Edmonton Oilers traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers for Anthony Stolarz in February.

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Ron Francis is bringing in a familiar face to help lead the NHL's newest franchise.

Seattle's expansion team named Ricky Olczyk assistant general manager, the club announced Tuesday.

The 49-year-old's responsibilities will include managing the salary cap and contracts, overseeing player transactions, and advising Francis - Seattle's GM - as part of the scouting team.

Olczyk, the younger brother of former NHLer and longtime broadcaster Ed Olczyk, served as assistant GM of the Carolina Hurricanes under Francis from 2014-18 after occupying the assistant GM role with the Edmonton Oilers from 2009-14.

Last season, Ricky Olczyk was a pro scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Seattle's hockey operations department now boasts three employees: Francis, Olczyk, and director of hockey administration Alexandra Mandrycky, who specializes in analytics.

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