"Zadorov is a big, young, physical defenseman who was starting to emerge as one of our top D before his injury last season," said president and general manager Joe Sakic. "He's an important part of our blue line and we expect him to log big minutes this year. We are excited to have him under contract."
Acquired from the Buffalo Sabres as part of the Ryan O'Reilly trade, Zadorov is seen as a big building block for last season's last-place team, and will be given every opportunity to help the Avalanche while improving his stock on a bridge-type contract.
The 22-year-old has appeared in 145 NHL games since being drafted 16th overall in 2013, registering four goals and 24 assists. He was limited to 56 appearances in 2016-17 due to a season-ending ankle injury suffered in a February practice.
Kesler underwent surgery in June to remove bone fragments in his hip, and was given a 12-week timeline to resume activity at the time of the procedure.
For the first time since 2010-11, Kesler suited up in all 82 games last season, and finished second on the Ducks with 58 points.
He'll be sorely missed in the middle of Anaheim's lineup, as he's Randy Carlyle's top shutdown pivot. Last season's Selke runner-up is effective in all three zones, and finished 2016-17 with a remarkable 57.4 faceoff win percentage.
The City of Calgary revealed its plans for building a new arena to house the Flames following a declaration by team ownership earlier this week that a new arena would no longer be pursued following a series of failed negotiations.
Here's the city's proposal in the form of a handy pie chart:
The plan, rejected by the team, was made public following a city council vote spurred by mayor Naheed Nenshi that passed 8-4.
In the city's proposal, the team would be on the hook for 33 percent of building costs while retaining full control of the arena and all revenue streams. The city would also chip in 33 percent while bringing in property tax paid by the club with a guarantee the Flames would remain in Calgary for at least 35 years. The remaining costs would be covered by ticket surcharges paid by fans.
The club's own proposal has not been disclosed, but a Globe and Mail report said it involved the city paying the majority of the funds and the Flames also demanding the team pay neither rent nor property tax.
Understandably, the city turned down the pitch, leaving the two sides in an apparent stalemate, for the time being at least.
Entering his third NHL season after being selected second overall in 2015, the 20-year-old is out to prove he's someone the club can indeed build around.
"I think I have a lot to prove," Eichel said Thursday, per Joe Yerdon of NHL.com. "Actually I think I've proven nothing, so it's a huge year for me personally and as a team.
"If you look at what I've done, it hasn't been a whole lot; two mediocre seasons on a losing team," he added, "so we just need to be better as a group this year, and I think everyone went home with the mindset this summer that we wanted to get better and head into the season and hit the ground running."
In fairness, Eichel did miss a chunk of games last season with an ankle injury suffered late in camp, but registered 24 goals and 33 assists in 61 games. That 0.93 point-per-game average ranked him 11th among players with at least that many appearances.
Still, he and the Sabres are expected to at least be in contention for a playoff spot this season, and Eichel knows it's on him to step up and lead the way, especially as he attempts to secure a long-term, big-money contract extension.
"It's the third year, so if there's ever a time to start winning and being a good team in this league, it's right now. I think all the guys are pretty sick of losing and not playing in the playoffs."
Throughout the month of September, James Bisson and a cast of editors from theScore will share their rankings of the greatest players, teams, and moments in the 100-year history of the National Hockey League. This week's list focuses on the greatest Stanley Cup champions in the NHL era:
The '55-'56 Canadiens were one of the most dominant teams in the NHL to that point, winning the regular season by a whopping 24 points over the second-place Red Wings. Montreal wasn't given a serious challenge in the playoffs, either, rolling past the New York Rangers in five games before dispatching Detroit by the same margin.
19. 1995-96 Colorado Avalanche
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
82
47
25
10
104
+86
Hockey fans in Quebec City might still be brooding over this one. A year after the franchise relocated to Denver, the newly-named Avalanche took the NHL by storm, finishing atop the Pacific Division. A six-game triumph over the heavily-favored Red Wings in the Western Conference Final proved to be the real championship round, as the Avs swept Florida in a one-sided final.
18. 2001-02 Detroit Red Wings
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
82
51
17
14
116
+64
How imposing were the '01-'02 Red Wings? They were the only team in the West to exceed 100 points, and that was despite going on an 0-5-2 run to end the regular season. Detroit survived a significant challenge from Colorado in a seven-game Western Conference Final, and was too much for the Carolina Hurricanes to handle in the Stanley Cup Final, prevailing in five games.
17. 1973-74 Philadelphia Flyers
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
78
50
16
12
112
+109
The 1974 Stanley Cup Final appeared preordained, at least going into the playoffs; the Flyers were the clear team to beat in their division, while the Bruins were equally dominant in theirs. The two teams bulldozed their way into an entertaining final, in which Bobby Clarke's six points and Bernie Parent's sensational goaltending led the Flyers to their first Cup win.
16. 1974-75 Philadelphia Flyers
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
80
51
18
11
113
+112
A rejigging of divisions didn't do anything to quell the Flyers' dominance; they were the class of the Campbell Conference, outdistancing the competition by an absurd 25 points. Philadelphia needed seven games to eliminate the New York Islanders in the conference final, but had enough left to send Buffalo packing in six games and repeat as Stanley Cup champion.
15. 1938-39 Boston Bruins
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
48
36
10
2
74
+80
This edition of the Bruins had plenty of star power, but none shone as brightly as netminder Frank Brimsek, who posted a 33-9-1 record with an incredible 1.56 goals-against average and 10 shutouts to pace the league's best goal-prevention unit. The Bruins outlasted the Rangers in seven games, then cruised past Toronto 4-1 to claim their second NHL championship.
14. 1940-41 Boston Bruins
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
48
27
8
13
67
+66
Boston's second Cup title in three years looked eerily similar to the previous one. The Bruins relied on balanced scoring and an airtight defense to finish atop the regular-season table, then needed seven games to get past a pesky Toronto Maple Leafs team in the semifinals. But Boston found an extra gear in the final, sweeping the Red Wings while allowing just six goals.
13. 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
48
36
7
5
77
+53
With parity the norm these days, what the Blackhawks did during the lockout-shortened '12-'13 season is nothing short of astounding. Chicago earned points in 41 out of 48 games, topping the Western Conference scoring list while allowing the fewest goals. A seven-game win over Detroit in the second round was the Blackhawks' only stumble en route to their fifth title.
12. 1951-52 Detroit Red Wings
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
70
44
14
12
100
+82
One quick look at their resume, and this team easily could have ranked within the top 10. Detroit finished 22 points clear of the runner-up Canadiens in the standings, easily pacing the league in goals for and fewest goals allowed. And if that weren't enough to cement its place among the all-time greats, the Wings swept both playoff series, outscoring Montreal and Toronto 24-4.
11. 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
80
49
20
11
109
+103
The 1985 Stanley Cup Final pitted two incredible performers against one another: On one side, a vaunted Oilers offense that produced more than 400 regular-season goals. On the other, Philadelphia netminder Pelle Lindbergh, who won the Vezina Trophy while leading the Flyers to the best record in hockey. In the end, Edmonton's firepower led to a five-game final rout.
10. 1978-79 Montreal Canadiens
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
80
52
17
11
115
+133
The last of Montreal's four straight Stanley Cup titles in the late-1970s almost never happened. The Habs had another dominant regular season, but found themselves down 4-3 with 1:14 left in Game 7 of the conference final against Boston. Guy Lafleur tied the game, Yvon Lambert scored in OT and the Habs went on to make history with a five-game final win over the Rangers.
9. 1971-72 Boston Bruins
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
78
54
13
11
119
+126
Of all the powerhouse Boston teams that steamrolled opponents in the late 1960s and early 1970s, this one was the most complete. Led by legends Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr, the Bruins recorded the second-most wins and points in franchise history. And unlike the previous season, when they lost in the first round, the B's rolled to a 12-3 playoff record en route to the Cup.
8. 1988-89 Calgary Flames
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
80
54
17
9
117
+128
With The Great One bound for La-La Land, the rest of the NHL saw an opportunity - and it was the Oilers' provincial rival that took full advantage, putting together the best season in franchise history. Calgary won the Campbell Conference by 26 points, survived a seven-game first-round encounter with Vancouver, and downed Montreal in six games in the final.
7. 1972-73 Montreal Canadiens
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
78
52
10
16
120
+145
A team with just 15 losses in 89 regular-season and playoff games ranked outside the top five? That just speaks to how dominant the Canadiens were in the 1970s (as you'll see below.) Boston's five-game loss to the Rangers in Round 1 made Montreal's path to the championship even easier - not that the Canadiens were challenged to begin with, going 12-5 in the postseason.
6. 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
80
59
10
11
129
+176
You might think, after destroying the rest of the NHL in back-to-back seasons, that the '77-'78 Canadiens would feel slightly less motivated to repeat the feat. Nope. Montreal followed a 60-win campaign with just one fewer victory, while posting the second-best goal differential of any Stanley Cup champion. We'll get to the No. 1 team in that regard in just a moment.
5. 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
50
38
5
7
83
+125
Before the Montreal dynasties of the late-1950s and late-1970s, there was the '43-'44 edition of the Canadiens, which makes a strong argument for being one of the most dominant of all-time. That +125 goal differential stood as the league record among Cup champions until 1972 - and was achieved in just 50 games. Montreal capped its amazing season with an 8-1 playoff mark.
4. 1981-82 New York Islanders
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
80
54
16
10
118
+135
Everything came together for the Islanders in '81-'82. They put together a 15-game winning streak in the middle of the season and didn't lose consecutive regular-season games after Dec. 30. A first-round scare at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins didn't deter New York, which went 12-2 over the final three rounds for its third straight Stanley Cup crown.
3. 1975-76 Montreal Canadiens
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
80
58
11
11
127
+163
March 20 and 24. Those dates marked the only time all season this Canadiens team lost consecutive games - and Montreal promptly righted the ship in dominant fashion, finishing the regular season 4-0-1 before trampling the competition with 12 victories in 13 playoff games. It was the start of what would become the most dominant post-expansion dynasty in league history.
2. 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
80
57
18
5
119
+132
What's not to love about the '83-'84 Oilers? No team in history has put more pucks in net in the regular season; Edmonton's 446 tallies included a whopping 36 shorthanded tallies, including 12 from Gretzky. A seven-game slugfest in a second-round Battle of Alberta aside, the Oilers weren't given much of a test en route to their first-ever Stanley Cup crown.
1. 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens
GP
W
L
T/OT
PTS
+/-
80
60
8
12
132
+216
This isn't just the most dominant team in NHL history - it's one of the most incredible single-season performances in pro sports. Montreal won its 60 games by an average margin of nearly four goals per game; only one other team even averaged that many goals per game on the year.
Add in a 12-2 playoff record, a 16-6 goal differential in a final sweep of Boston, and nine players who would go on to appear in the Hall of Fame, and there is no comparison. This is far and away the best Stanley Cup champion in the history of the league.
General manager Jim Rutherford revealed that the forward had a "procedure" done on his hand in the summer and is expected to join the team on the ice before the end of camp.
There's no indication as to whether the procedure was related to the broken finger Hornqvist played through during the Stanley Cup Final, an injury that didn't keep him from scoring the series-winning goal.
Hornqvist recorded 21 goals and 23 assists last season, and chipped in five goals and four assists in 19 playoff games.
In a lot of ways, hockey players are just like us. They put their pants on one leg at a time, go to the office every morning, and occasionally profit off the hard work of others.
Across the NHL, a number of players have the distinct advantage of playing next to a guy who makes all his teammates better, and that's resulted in some big-time increases in point totals.
Here are three players to target in your draft who will continue to benefit from playing next to a star:
Patrick Maroon - Edmonton Oilers
Playing on a line with arguably the best player in the world is bound to do wonders for your offensive output. Such was the case last season for Maroon, who saw his goal and point totals skyrocket once he became a regular on Connor McDavid's wing.
In the three years prior to playing alongside McJesus, Maroon totaled less combined goals (21) than during his one year with him (27). McDavid's ability to dish the puck and create quality scoring chances allowed Maroon to develop his offensive game to the point where he's become a quality addition to any fantasy squad.
That's especially true considering he also contributes with penalty minutes, hits, and shots on goal.
Presuming Edmonton's top line of McDavid, Maroon, and Leon Draisaitl are broken up this season - with Draisaitl dropping to the second unit to fill one of the Oilers' holes up in the middle - Maroon's production may dip slightly.
But, playing next to a generational talent like McDavid still makes him a solid selection in most formats.
Anders Lee - New York Islanders
While Lee may have more natural offensive talent than Maroon, that doesn't change the fact that he's greatly benefited from playing next to New York Islanders captain John Tavares.
During the 2016-17 campaign, Lee totaled impressive offensive numbers while playing with Tavares on New York's top line, as Johnny T assisted on 34 percent of Lee's 35 goals.
The pair also clicked on the power play last season, combining for 32 points while playing on the Islanders' No. 1 unit. Factor in the offseason addition of sniper Jordan Eberle, and Lee's offensive output stands to increase even more, as Eberle's scoring touch and playmaking should open up more opportunities on the man advantage.
Regardless of Eberle's impact, Lee playing with Tavares makes him a player to target for those in need of scoring depth.
Conor Sheary - Pittsburgh Penguins
When you play on Sidney Crosby's line, you automatically become an offensive asset for any fantasy squad. And while Penguins rookie Jake Guentzel could have also made this list, Sheary is much more likely to play with Sid in 2017-18, as Guentzel could be needed at his natural position of center further down the Pens' lineup.
With that in mind, Sheary is certainly a winger you should be targeting, especially when you look at his offensive production across only 61 regular-season games last campaign.
Sheary notched 23 goals and 30 assists while playing just under 16 minutes per night. Factor in that Crosby assisted on 11 of Sheary's 23 goals, and the 25-year-old forward becomes a very intriguing late-round grab.
In a lot of ways, hockey players are just like us. They put their pants on one leg at a time, go to the office every morning, and occasionally profit off the hard work of others.
Across the NHL, a number of players have the distinct advantage of playing next to a guy who makes all his teammates better, and that's resulted in some big-time increases in point totals.
Here are three players to target in your draft who will continue to benefit from playing next to a star:
Patrick Maroon - Edmonton Oilers
Playing on a line with arguably the best player in the world is bound to do wonders for your offensive output. Such was the case last season for Maroon, who saw his goal and point totals skyrocket once he became a regular on Connor McDavid's wing.
In the three years prior to playing alongside McJesus, Maroon totaled less combined goals (21) than during his one year with him (27). McDavid's ability to dish the puck and create quality scoring chances allowed Maroon to develop his offensive game to the point where he's become a quality addition to any fantasy squad.
That's especially true considering he also contributes with penalty minutes, hits, and shots on goal.
Presuming Edmonton's top line of McDavid, Maroon, and Leon Draisaitl are broken up this season - with Draisaitl dropping to the second unit to fill one of the Oilers' holes up in the middle - Maroon's production may dip slightly.
But, playing next to a generational talent like McDavid still makes him a solid selection in most formats.
Anders Lee - New York Islanders
While Lee may have more natural offensive talent than Maroon, that doesn't change the fact that he's greatly benefited from playing next to New York Islanders captain John Tavares.
During the 2016-17 campaign, Lee totaled impressive offensive numbers while playing with Tavares on New York's top line, as Johnny T assisted on 34 percent of Lee's 35 goals.
The pair also clicked on the power play last season, combining for 32 points while playing on the Islanders' No. 1 unit. Factor in the offseason addition of sniper Jordan Eberle, and Lee's offensive output stands to increase even more, as Eberle's scoring touch and playmaking should open up more opportunities on the man advantage.
Regardless of Eberle's impact, Lee playing with Tavares makes him a player to target for those in need of scoring depth.
Conor Sheary - Pittsburgh Penguins
When you play on Sidney Crosby's line, you automatically become an offensive asset for any fantasy squad. And while Penguins rookie Jake Guentzel could have also made this list, Sheary is much more likely to play with Sid in 2017-18, as Guentzel could be needed at his natural position of center further down the Pens' lineup.
With that in mind, Sheary is certainly a winger you should be targeting, especially when you look at his offensive production across only 61 regular-season games last campaign.
Sheary notched 23 goals and 30 assists while playing just under 16 minutes per night. Factor in that Crosby assisted on 11 of Sheary's 23 goals, and the 25-year-old forward becomes a very intriguing late-round grab.
