PITTSBURGH — Three bits of news in seven days, two likely involving the NHL club, and one gigantic question surrounding the Penguins: Why not orient everything they do in 2025-26 toward the idea of hopefully obtaining teenage phenom Gavin McKenna?

Answer: It appears that's exactly what they're doing, even if you won't hear the franchise talk ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Nikolaj Ehlers put the whole players-don’t-want-to-play-here narrative perpetuated by the summary departures of Jake Guentzel and Mikko Rantanen quickly to rest by taking less money to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes.

That was actually the least of what the arrival of the skilled Danish winger did for the Hurricanes last ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Penn State knows a thing or two about landing a top recruit. From Derrick Williams to Christian Hackenberg to Miles Sanders to Micah Parsons, the Nittany Lions have landed their fair share of blue-chippers through the years.

Gavin McKenna might be bigger than them all.

But you won’t find McKenna’s name scrolling through ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — We all had our shopping lists ready as July 1 approached. NHL free agency was near, and Wild President of Hockey Operations Bill Guerin was finally in position to show how he can shape a roster with no salary limitations.

It has been difficult to assess Guerin’s tenure with the Wild since July 2021, when he bought out the ...Read more

DENVER — Brent Burns has lived a full hockey life.

He’s won international tournaments. He’s won the Norris Trophy. He’s been a guest star on one of his favorite television shows. He’s appeared on the cover of a sports magazine in his birthday suit.

He will almost certainly have a plaque in the Great Hall someday at the Hockey Hall of...Read more

CHICAGO — Big-time players are expected to show up in big-time games, and Chicago Blackhawks forward prospect Anton Frondell is the first to admit that he didn’t.

Tournaments such as the IIHF Under-18 World Championship in Frisco, Texas, in May are the kind of showcase where top prospects like Frondell cement their elite status — a ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The Flyers signed Dan Vladar when free agency began Tuesday. A third-round pick of the Bruins in 2015, the Czechia native, who turns 28 next month, just completed his fifth season of an unremarkable career that jump-started when Tuukka Rask left the COVID playoff bubble in 2020 to tend to his sick daughter.

Vladar’s save ...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks hoped they accomplished two things at once Thursday when they added veterans Dmitry Orlov and Nick Leddy to their revamped roster: addressing the shortcomings on defense and increasing the competition for ice time on a suddenly crowded blue line.

The Sharks continued what’s been a busy week as they ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — It took a few extra days, adding to the suspense, but for the Carolina Hurricanes it was worth the wait.

The Canes on Thursday signed free-agent forward Nikolaj Ehlers, a proven point-producer they believe can bolster the lineup and help them better contend for a Stanley Cup.

Ehlers agreed on a six-year contract that will pay...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The spotlight was blinding for Mitch Marner. Like nothing you can imagine.

That’s what it meant for a hometown kid to be playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs over nine seasons.

For being a superstar in such a hockey-centric world.

The intense pressure that comes from wearing a Maple Leafs jersey. The grand expectations of, well...Read more

SEATTLE — The muskie is affectionately referred to as “the fish of 10,000 casts.”

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service attributes that moniker to “their power, size, and difficulty of being caught due to their elusive nature.” On Monday, Jake O’Brien said something similar, three days after the Kraken selected the 18-year-old center ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Out with the old and in with the new seemed to be a Carolina Hurricanes theme Tuesday on the first day of NHL free agency, at least defensively.

Gone are veteran defensemen Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov, who each left Carolina as free agents. Coming to the Hurricanes is 25-year-old defenseman K’Andre Miller, who agreed to an ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Perhaps those speculating, as irritating as it might be every single time it happens, are relying on simple math.

The Penguins missed the playoffs when Sidney Crosby was a rookie in 2005-06 before advancing to the postseason 16 consecutive times. They've missed the past three. This upcoming season doesn't look good. Perhaps 2026-...Read more

DETROIT — For the second consecutive year, the Red Wings and Patrick Kane took negotiations to the eve of free agency.

The Wings and Kane worked something out on Monday night.

The Wings and Kane agreed to a one-year contract with an annual average value of $3 million. Kane, 36, can earn another $4 million per bonuses. Kane can earn $2.5 ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Golden Knights are acquiring Mitch Marner in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to multiple reports Monday.

Marner is set to be the top free agent in this year’s class. The deal gives the Knights an exclusive window to negotiate with the 28-year-old right wing before the market opens at noon ET Tuesday.

The ...Read more

FORT WORTH, Texas — One of the first things Jim Nill did in his tenure as the general manager of the Dallas Stars was to fire head coach Glen Gulutzan.

That was in May of 2013, when Nill was two weeks into the job. On his way out the door, Gulutzan must have said something right in his exit interview.

Multiple NHL sources said that Nill is ...Read more

The Pittsburgh Penguins selected so many players this weekend, including another 10 on the second and final day of the NHL draft, that their full list looked like a CVS receipt.

The Penguins landed 13 total players in the 2025 class. It was their highest number of selections since 1994, when they picked 14 players. Their franchise record for ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — For Ken Holland, the Kings' decidedly old-school general manager, new isn't necessarily better. Take the NHL draft, for example.

Holland presided over more than a quarter-century of drafts with the Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers, and they were generally held in one place, with everyone from the executives doing the ...Read more