The Toronto Maple Leafs have locked up a pair of core, young players.
Defenseman Morgan Rielly and forward Nazem Kadri have signed six-year contracts, the club announced Wednesday.
Rielly's deal is worth $30 million ($5-million cap hit), while Kadri's is set at $27 million ($4.5-million cap hit), according to Bob McKenzie of TSN.
Both players were set to become restricted free agents this summer.
A six-year deal buys up two of Morgan Rielly's potential UFA years and four of Nazem Kadri's.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) April 13, 2016
Rielly, 22, led all Toronto defensemen with a career-high 36 points (nine goals, 27 assists) while appearing in all 82 games this year. Drafted fifth overall in 2012, he's recorded 92 points (19 goals, 73 assists) in 236 regular-season games.
Kadri, 25, led the Maple Leafs with 45 points (17 goals, 28 assists) in 76 games this season. A seventh overall pick in 2009, he has amassed 197 points (81 goals, 116 assists) in 326 regular-season games with the club.
The new deals will keep the pair in Toronto through to the end of the 2021-22 season.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
The NHL playoffs can turn lifelong friends into temporary enemies, but one thing every hockey fan can agree on is how great it is watching a grizzled veteran hoist the Stanley Cup, knowing the chance may never come again.
From 36-year-old Calgary Flames co-captain Lanny McDonald lifting the trophy for the first time in 1989, to Ray Bourque finally winning the championship with the Colorado Avalanche to end his 22-year career, there have been plenty of memorable Cup moments involving veteran players.
Here's a trio of experienced NHLers who are likely taking their last shot at claiming hockey's Holy Grail in 2016.
The 37-year-old Detroit Red Wings forward says he hasn't decided whether to return to Russia or remain in the NHL next season, after admitting he's considering going home to finish out his career.
Datsyuk doesn't have much left to prove in North America, with a pair of Stanley Cup championships, three Selke trophies and four Lady Byng awards in a 14-year NHL career.
The Magic Man still has his moments, though, and his revelatory statements over the weekend make it more evident than ever that it's time to savor every one of them while we still can.
The Los Angeles Kings forward plans to retire at season's end, so unless he has a Datsyukian change of heart, this is it for Lecavalier.
The former Tampa Bay captain won the Cup with the Lightning in 2004, but it's eluded him since.
The Kings are always a threat to win come playoff time, and Lecavalier has shown occasional flashes of his former dominance since being traded to L.A. by the Philadelphia Flyers in January.
The Florida Panthers captain hasn't played in months due to concussion symptoms that may force him into retirement.
Mitchell is skating with the team every day, and if he's able to play this spring, his mere presence will provide the Panthers' young core with some added motivation.
The 38-year-old won the Cup twice with the Kings, in 2012 and 2014, and could ride off into the sunset with a third championship if Florida is able to keep its regular-season momentum going with a title run.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
Alex Khokhlachev is frustrated.
The 22-year-old center, a second-round pick of the Boston Bruins in 2011, has appeared in only nine NHL games despite posting strong numbers for the team's AHL affiliate over the past three seasons.
According to his agent, Bruins coach Claude Julien is to blame.
Alex Khokhlachev's agent blames Julien for not giving a chance to his client,says #Bruins disrupted all the possible deals involving Koko1/2
— Igor Eronko (@IgorEronko) April 13, 2016
Khokhlachev expressed anger over his situation before the season even began.
"Boston should make a decision with me," he told reporters during training camp. "I've waited for my chance already. Two years. I'm just still waiting. We'll see. They should make a decision. Give me a chance, or I don't know. We’'ll see (what) they'll do."
In 57 AHL games this season, he scored 23 goals and added 43 assists, but was held pointless in the five appearances he was afforded at the NHL level.
His agent wouldn't comment on whether Khokhlachev, a restricted free agent, would look to return to Russia this summer, but he didn't rule out the possibility.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
Russian defenseman Nikita Zaitsev appears set for a move to Canada.
CSKA Moscow general manager Sergei Fedorov said Wednesday the 24-year-old has committed to joining the Toronto Maple Leafs.
GM of #CSKA Sergei Fedorov to @rsportru: 'Right from the start of the season we knew Nikita Zaitsev agreed to terms with #MapleLeafs'
— Igor Eronko (@IgorEronko) April 13, 2016
Zaitsev met with the Maple Leafs in Toronto last summer and said he was "pleasantly shocked" by the reception. It was reported in January he'd sign an entry-level deal with the Maple Leafs.
In 46 KHL games this season, Zaitsev scored eight goals and added eight assists.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.