Restricted free-agent forward Brock Boeser isn't worried about his future with the Vancouver Canucks.

"I feel confident we're going to get the deal done and everything's going to work out," Boeser said, according to Jessi Pierce of NHL.com. "I love Vancouver. The organization, the city, the fans, everything's great there, and I want to be there for a long time."

Boeser finished as runner-up for the 2017-18 Calder Trophy after breaking onto the scene with 29 goals in 62 games during his rookie campaign. The 22-year-old marksman followed that up with 26 goals and a career-high 56 points last season.

Vancouver has just over $5 million in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly, and may need to get creative in order to accommodate Boeser.

On the plus side, the Canucks won't have to worry about any outside pressure from opposing teams. The 6-foot-1 winger is not eligible to receive an offer sheet from another club because he played fewer than 10 games in 2016-17.

"He's a core player and a building block for our group," general manager Jim Benning said. "We have a plan in place and we're going to continue to talk with Brock and his agent and get that figured out.

"If we can move players, it makes it easier, but if we can't move players we still have a plan in place to be (cap) compliant. One option is to go into (long-term injury reserve) with (Antoine) Roussel because with his injury he is probably not going to be back until November, December."

The Canucks selected Boeser 23rd overall at the 2015 draft.

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The Anaheim Ducks and defenseman Michael Del Zotto have reportedly agreed to a one-year, $750,000 contract, according to TVA Sports' Renaud Lavoie.

Del Zotto began the 2018-19 season with the Vancouver Canucks before being traded to the Ducks in January. He was flipped again to the St. Louis Blues at the Feb. 25 trade deadline.

The 29-year-old was selected by the New York Rangers with the 20th overall pick at the 2008 NHL Draft. He's recorded 221 points in 608 career games.

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Longtime Philadelphia Flyers executive Paul Holmgren is stepping down as team president and will transition into a position as a senior adviser, the team announced Thursday.

General manager Chuck Fletcher will add president of hockey operations to his title and report directly to chairman and CEO Dave Scott.

Holmgren just completed his 40th year with the organization. He played for the Flyers from 1975-84, was an assistant coach from 1985-88, head coach from 1988-92, general manager from 2006-14, and president from 2014-19.

"It's been an honor to serve this franchise in many different roles throughout my life and I look forward to this next chapter," said Holmgren. "I approached Dave about my idea to step aside to spend more time with my family. I have complete confidence in Chuck in his new role, leading the Flyers to great things."

The Flyers missed the playoffs just twice under Holmgren's reign as general manager, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2010.

Holmgren was unafraid of big moves - for better or worse. In 2009, he signed Chris Pronger to a massive seven-year extension. On June 23, 2011, he shook the hockey world by trading away core pieces Mike Richards and Jeff Carter and signed Ilya Bryzgalov to a nine-year contract. He also inked Shea Weber to a 14-year, $110-million offer sheet in 2012, which the Nashville Predators matched.

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The Montreal Canadiens and forward Artturi Lehkonen have agreed to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $2.4 million, the team announced Thursday.

Lehkonen was a restricted free agent and had an arbitration hearing scheduled for Aug. 3.

The 24-year-old set career highs with 20 assists and 31 points in 82 games with the Canadiens last season. Selected by Montreal with the 55th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, Lehkonen has tallied 41 goals and 80 points in 221 career contests.

The Habs also inked forward Joel Armia to a two-year deal Thursday and now have $4.84 million in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly.

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Nazem Kadri's departure from the Toronto Maple Leafs stands as one of the biggest moves of the 2019 offseason, but his former club had a deal in place with another team before shipping him to the Colorado Avalanche.

The Leafs sent Kadri to the Avs on July 1 along with Calle Rosen and a third-round pick in exchange for Tyson Barrie, Alexander Kerfoot, and a sixth-rounder. In the aftermath of the trade, it was reported the former Leafs pivot turned down a move that would have sent him to the Calgary Flames.

He confirmed as much on the latest edition of Sportsnet's "31 Thoughts: The Podcast."

"So what happened is they had a deal in place and they wanted me to move my no-trade clause," the 28-year-old said. "But you know, obviously, for me, it was no disrespect to Calgary or the Flames organization. I love their team and I love the direction they’re headed.

"I just figured that had I declined, I would have had a better opportunity of being a Maple Leaf next year and that's really what it came down to. I wanted to play for the Leafs next year. I wanted to be a part of that. In declining that trade, I had aspirations of being a Leaf and we know, clearly, that didn't happen."

Kadri's contract includes a 10-team no-trade list, along with a $4.5-million cap hit for the next three seasons.

"They had other plans," he added. "I'm just happy to be moving to a great city with a great team, a great group of guys. I've talked to everybody in the (Colorado) organization and they're ecstatic to have me so it's nice to be wanted."

Drafted seventh overall by the Leafs in 2009, Kadri amassed 357 points in 561 games across 10 seasons with the club.

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The New York Rangers have signed prized prospect Kaapo Kakko to an entry-level contract, the team announced Thursday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

New York drafted Kakko with the second overall pick in June's draft. He's expected to make an immediate impact at the NHL level for the rebuilding Rangers.

Kakko had a gigantic draft year, setting a Finnish league record for goals by a player aged 18 or younger. He also scored the golden goal to lead Finland to a world junior title and dominated the World Championship in May, posting six goals in 10 games en route to another gold medal.

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The Montreal Canadiens have signed restricted free agent Joel Armia to a two-year contract worth $5.2 million, the team announced Thursday.

Armia had an arbitration hearing scheduled for July 20 if a deal wasn't struck before then.

The 26-year-old winger played his first season with the Canadiens in 2018-19 and set a career high with 13 goals while adding 10 assists in 57 contests.

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The Dallas Stars have signed forward Jason Dickinson to a two-year contract with a $1.5 million average annual value, the team announced Thursday.

Dickinson, a restricted free agent, had an arbitration hearing scheduled for July 20.

"Jason is a conscientious player who plays a very detailed, 200-foot game," said general manager Jim Nill. "As last season progressed, he began impacting games night in and night out, and he really established himself during the playoffs. We fully expect him to continue to build upon that and be a big part of our team for years to come."

The former 29th overall pick recorded 22 points in 67 games during his first full NHL season in 2018-19. The 24-year-old added five points in 13 playoff games with the Stars.

The Stars now have just under $1 million in projected cap space with a roster of 22 players, according to CapFriendly. Defensemen Julius Honka and Niklas Hansson are the club's remaining RFAs.

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