"There was no chance I'd sign an extension with (them)," the Florida Panthers goaltender told Russian outlet Sport24's Daria Tuboltseva, as translated by Sport-Express' Igor Eronko. "I felt I need (a change of) scenery. And it's not just because of tensions with the Jackets."
Bobrovsky signed a seven-year contract with the Panthers on July 1 following a season with Columbus in which he wasn't named the team's starter on opening night and was forced by the club to sit out a game after being pulled in January.
"I was suspended by the team, there were some conflicts in the team, a lot of meetings and some of them just because of me," Bobrovsky told Tuboltseva on Wednesday, according to Eronko. "I didn't feel myself comfortable. And still, the Jackets tried and tried to extend me all season long."
The two-time Vezina Trophy winner added that the team offered him a psychologist, which he described as "weird" because he's been going to one since he was 21.
Bobrovsky spent the last seven campaigns with the Blue Jackets after playing his first two NHL seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers.
The netminder, who'll turn 31 in September, signed with Florida as an unrestricted free agent for a reported $70 million.
Phil Kessel has always been considered a rather unique individual, and a glimpse into the home he's put up for sale certainly validates that notion.
Now that he's a member of the Arizona Coyotes, the veteran forward's suburban Pittsburgh home has officially been listed, and the pictures include this head-scratching photo of his TV room:
The obvious question here: Was the home theater merely staged this way for the listing, or are we to believe Kessel actually watches TV and movies like this?
If this is indeed how the two-time Stanley Cup winner enjoys himself, it's really kind of admirable.
The ad contains 25 photos of Kessel's three-acre property, which features five beds, seven-and-a-half bathrooms, and a large wine cellar.
The Calgary Flames have signed forward Sam Bennett to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $2.55 million, the club announced Wednesday.
Bennett was a restricted free agent and had a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for July 27. He gets a slight raise on his previous pact, which carried a $1.95-million annual cap hit, according to CapFriendly. Bennett signed that two-year agreement in September 2017.
The 23-year-old produced 13 goals and 27 points in 71 regular-season games with the Flames this past season, adding five points in five playoff contests.
Selected fourth overall by the Flames in 2014, Bennett has spent his entire five-year career with Calgary. He appeared in a single regular-season game and 11 playoff contests during his rookie campaign in 2014-15.
An arbitrator determined the terms of the contract Tuesday after Copp filed for the third-party hearing earlier this summer.
The Jets were looking to sign the restricted free agent for two years at $1.5 million annually, while Copp was seeking a one-year contract worth $2.9 million, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported last week.
Copp will still be an RFA when this contract expires.
The 25-year-old has been a solid middle-six player for the Jets over the past few seasons. He registered a career-high 11 goals and added 14 assists in 69 games in 2018-19.
Winnipeg still has a pair of RFA contracts to sort out this offseason, as forwards Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor are in need of new deals. The Jets have roughly $17 million in available cap space, according to CapFriendly.
Wilson contributed eight points in 50 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season and added one goal in four playoff contests. The 28-year-old was selected by the Florida Panthers with the 107th overall pick of the 2009 NHL Draft.
Aberg, 25, appeared in 37 games with the Anaheim Ducks in 2018-19, tallying 11 goals and 19 points before being traded to the Minnesota Wild, where he recorded six points in 22 contests.
The 26-year-old Shore spent last season with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL. The 6-foot-1 forward previously spent four seasons in the NHL and recorded 53 points over 236 career games.
Wilson contributed eight points in 50 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season and added one goal in four playoff contests. The 28-year-old was selected by the Florida Panthers with the 107th overall pick of the 2009 NHL Draft.
Aberg, 25, appeared in 37 games with the Anaheim Ducks in 2018-19, tallying 11 goals and 19 points before being traded to the Minnesota Wild, where he recorded six points in 22 contests.
The 26-year-old Shore spent last season with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL. The 6-foot-1 forward previously spent four seasons in the NHL and recorded 53 points over 236 career games.
The NHL season is a grind, and even some of the top talents are bound to endure a mediocre year or two. Several factors can result in a player taking a step back, including injuries, coaching, or just sheer bad luck.
Here are five players whose pedestrian 2018-19 seasons should be followed by a strong campaign to end the decade:
William Nylander
Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
G
A
P
ATOI
54
7
20
27
15:31
This time around, Nylander's season will begin in October with the rest of his teammates. The talented winger didn't join the Maple Leafs until December last season following a prolonged contract negotiation, and he didn't score until Jan. 3.
Nylander's late start proved costly, but the lack of production that followed wasn't entirely on him. The then 22-year-old wasn't put in the best position to succeed while spending a head-scratching amount of time playing alongside inferior teammates on the Leafs' bottom-six forward group. His average ice time decreased both at five-on-five and on the power play, and his hapless 5.4 shooting percentage is likely to balance out.
As the season progressed, Nylander slowly began to return to form. He tallied 20 points over his final 33 games - a 54-point pace during a full regular season that would have nearly mirrored his 61-point output in each of the previous two campaigns.
The Leafs would be wise to reunite the dynamic duo of Nylander and Auston Matthews. Since entering the league, Nylander has been an elite puck-possession player, and pairing his skill set with a natural goal-scorer like Matthews has led to favorable results.
Jamie Benn
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
GP
G
A
P
ATOI
78
27
26
53
18:14
The Stars' captain saw his production plummet by 26 points in 2018-19, and he missed the 30-goal mark for just the second time in the last six seasons. Benn recorded just 321 shot attempts, his lowest total over a full regular season since 2010-11.
The 29-year-old's poor season can largely be attributed to low output and opportunities with the man advantage. The Stars received the third-fewest power plays in the league last season, and Benn's 11 power-play points mark his worst total in six campaigns.
Despite that regression, the 2014-15 Art Ross Trophy winner has been consistent throughout his 10-year career, and the Stars' improved offense should help him bounce back.
Benn and Tyler Seguin have carried much of the load for a Dallas team that's lacked forward depth recently. But signing premier goal-scorer Joe Pavelski and veteran winger Corey Perry this offseason bolstered the offense.
The Stars are now better equipped to match up against opposing shutdown lines, and Benn should get more room to operate. The two new additions should also boost the club's ailing power play, as Pavelski's 12 goals in 2018-19 with the man advantage would have led the Stars last season.
Patrik Laine
Darcy Finley / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
G
A
P
ATOI
82
30
20
50
17:14
On the surface, it's tough to criticize a 30-goal season, but Laine's inconsistent play throughout the 2018-19 campaign was remarkable. The Finnish sniper exploded for 18 goals in November, putting him at 21 come Dec. 1. But then he struggled throughout the latter half of the season while scoring just nine goals, with only four coming at even strength over the Winnipeg Jets' final 58 contests.
The 6-foot-5 winger isn't the strongest skater, but his ability to find open areas in the offensive zone and beat netminders with his lightning-quick release makes him special. Laine is a finisher, and most players of his ilk need a reliable playmaker alongside them to maximize their potential.
Last season, the pairing of Laine and declining center Brian Little was almost an exclusive fixture for Winnipeg. Laine played with Little at five-on-five for 623 minutes - 168 more than in 2017-18. The Jets owned a share of just 41.07 percent of high-danger scoring chances when Laine was on the ice - an ugly mark for a team's best natural scorer. Giving him more opportunities alongside blue-chip center Mark Scheifele, or even the young and promising Jack Roslovic, could help lift Laine's production next season.
The 21-year-old began to produce in the playoffs this past spring, scoring three goals in typical fashion and adding one assist over six contests. Following the season, Laine revealed he was battling a back injury for most of the campaign, which could have hindered his performance more than his critics realized.
James Neal
Gerry Thomas / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
G
A
P
ATOI
63
7
12
19
14:57
Neal signed a five-year, $28.75-million deal with the Flames ahead of last season. The veteran scorer then slotted in nicely beside Sean Monahan on the Flames' top line, but the emergence of newcomer Elias Lindholm, combined with Neal's rough start, bumped him down the lineup and into unfamiliar territory as a depth forward.
For the first time in his 11-year career, Neal failed to reach the 20-goal mark, and he logged under 15 mins per game. In the playoffs, Neal, who had appeared in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals as a member of the Nashville Predators and Vegas Golden Knights, watched from the press box as a healthy scratch in Game 5 of Round 1 when his team was eliminated.
The 31-year-old posted a career-low shooting percentage of 0.05 while spending most of last season on a line with depth center Mark Jankowski and seeing limited power play time with the top unit. Slotting him into a power play featuring McDavid, the world's top talent, could be invaluable for both Neal and the Oilers.
Rickard Rakell
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
GP
G
A
P
ATOI
69
18
25
43
18:29
Rakell notched 33 goals in 2016-17 and followed up his breakout season with a career-best 34-goal, 61-point campaign. In 2018-19, however, Rakell battled through injuries, and his goal total was cut nearly in half during a season to forget for the Anaheim Ducks.
Following a dismal 2-15-4 stretch, Randy Carlyle was relieved of his head coaching duties, and general manager Bob Murray took over behind the bench. Rakell scored just nine times in his first 54 contests of the season, mostly under Carlyle, but then he matched that total with Murray as the bench boss over his final 15 games. The Ducks hired Dallas Eakins as their new head coach this offseason, offering Rakell a much-needed fresh start.
The 6-foot-1 winger also missed his co-stars last season. Corey Perry didn't join the team until February following knee surgery, and captain Ryan Getzlaf missed 15 games with injuries of his own. With Perry out of the picture and a young core getting its chance to emerge in Anaheim, Rakell should be able to bounce back in a larger role.
