The group hoping to bring an NHL team to Seattle has made further progress.

Oak View Group and Seattle mayor Jenny Durkan announced three new agreements relating to the prospective team's arena deal and revealed several new investors in the potential franchise Wednesday.

A development agreement for the new arena, a long-term lease agreement, and an integration agreement were transmitted by the mayor and introduced to the Seattle City Council for consideration.

The group has already received approval from the city to redevelop KeyArena, the home of the WNBA's Seattle Storm and former home of the NBA's SuperSonics.

Related: Seattle hockey CEO says prospective franchise will make NHL pitch this fall

The new investors are David and Jeff Wright (whose family owns the Space Needle and other local landmarks), Seattle Sounders majority owner Adrian Hanauer, Christoper and Ted Ackerley (sons of former Sonics owner Barry Ackerley), Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy, and Jay Deutsch, the CEO and co-founder of Seattle-based premium merchandise agency BDA.

David Wright will serve as vice chairman of Seattle Hockey Partners, the formal name of the alliance that includes Oak View Group and all of its investors in the Seattle NHL effort.

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The group hoping to bring an NHL team to Seattle has made further progress.

Oak View Group and Seattle mayor Jenny Durkan announced three new agreements relating to the prospective team's arena deal and revealed several new investors in the potential franchise Wednesday.

A development agreement for the new arena, a long-term lease agreement, and an integration agreement were transmitted by the mayor and introduced to the Seattle City Council for consideration.

The group has already received approval from the city to redevelop KeyArena, the home of the WNBA's Seattle Storm and former home of the NBA's SuperSonics.

Related: Seattle hockey CEO says prospective franchise will make NHL pitch this fall

The new investors are David and Jeff Wright (whose family owns the Space Needle and other local landmarks), Seattle Sounders majority owner Adrian Hanauer, Christoper and Ted Ackerley (sons of former Sonics owner Barry Ackerley), Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy, and Jay Deutsch, the CEO and co-founder of Seattle-based premium merchandise agency BDA.

David Wright will serve as vice chairman of Seattle Hockey Partners, the formal name of the alliance that includes Oak View Group and all of its investors in the Seattle NHL effort.

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Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse won't be participating in the club's upcoming training camp without some financial security.

Nurse, the only Oilers player currently without a contract, recently said he's optimistic a deal will get done before camp opens in mid-September, but he confirmed Wednesday he won't be attending if he remains a restricted free agent.

"No, I wouldn't come to camp without a contract, but hopefully we get something done before camp so I can be out there (on the) first day. That's the goal," Nurse told reporters, via Sportsnet.

Nurse is coming off the final year of his entry-level contract and is one of three prominent RFA defenseman across the league in need of a new deal, along with Shea Theodore of the Vegas Golden Knights and Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets.

The Oilers have just under $4 million available in cap space to work out a new pact with Nurse, per Cap Friendly. The 23-year-old is coming off his most productive season at the NHL level, suiting up in all 82 games while registering 26 points and logging over 22 minutes per contest.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs will apparently not have a captain to begin the 2018-19 campaign.

"Not from the outset, I don't think," Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas told TSN's Bob McKenzie in an interview posted Wednesday.

"I want to get into a day to day with these people and see who's best suited to handle that, if we do determine that we need somebody to handle that (and) if we feel we have a void in leadership because we don't have a formal captain, then I think it's something we can address," he said.

The GM added that in studying teams, he found it's best to be patient with naming a captain, rather than rushing a decision and having to correct it.

Auston Matthews recently said he'd be ready to wear the 'C' if called upon but also acknowledged new teammate John Tavares' experience in the role with the New York Islanders.

The Leafs haven't had a captain since Dion Phaneuf was traded to the Ottawa Senators in February 2016.

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One week after Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin voiced his displeasure about not having a contract beyond 2018-19, it appears things are picking up.

The Stars and Seguin's camp had more significant discussions this past weekend about a potential contract extension, a source told The Athletic's Sean Shapiro.

The latest news comes after Seguin told reporters, including theScore's John Matisz, that there hadn't been much in the way of contract talks during the current offseason.

The 26-year-old will enter the 2018-19 campaign in the final season of his six-year, $34.5-million contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Seguin is coming off his fifth consecutive 70-plus-point season in which he hit the 40-goal plateau for the first time. Since the 2013-14 season, he's tied with Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby for the second-most goals in the league.

In the past, Seguin has spoken about his desire to remain with the Stars, so perhaps the latest news will lead to an extension before he hits free agency.

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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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