NHL

4:51 PM ET The Columbus Blue Jackets signed goaltender Elvis Merzlikins to a two-year contract extension on Thursday, the team announced. Financial terms were not disclosed, but according to multiple reports, the annual average value for Merzlikins’ deal is $4 million. The 26-year-old Latvian rookie is tied for second in shutouts (5) and is fifth

2:09 AM ET NHL greats Wayne Gretzky and Alex Ovechkin might not be the greatest when it comes to virtual hockey, but their deadlock Wednesday night left plenty of winners as they helped raise over $40,000 for relief efforts related to the coronavirus pandemic. With over 300,000 watching their EA Sports NHL 20 showdown via

8:30 AM ET NHL commissioner Gary Bettman had a message for his general managers this week. “We don’t live in a world of perfect anymore. We’re going to have to make adjustments,” he said. “If we can’t do ideal, if we can’t do perfect, then we’ll have to figure out what’s next to perfect.” To

8:24 PM ET NHL commissioner Gary Bettman discussed a potential four-arena plan for a season restart, a draft held before the season is completed and fans returning to games during a wide-ranging interview with Sportsnet on Wednesday. “Anything we’re considering doing starts with health and well-being, whether it’s the players or other personnel or fans

7:06 PM ET ESPN News Services New Jersey Devils interim coach Alain Nasreddine is focusing on having his team ready to play, should the NHL resume games after a pause caused by the coronavirus pandemic, rather than whether he will have a job next season. Speaking Wednesday on a conference call, Nasreddine said he is

8:00 AM ET The NWHL is expanding to Toronto for the 2020-21 season, the league announced on Wednesday. Johanna Neilson Boynton, a former captain of the Harvard’s women’s hockey team, is leading the ownership group for the league’s sixth franchise. Margaret “Digit” Murphy, the longtime Brown University and CWHL coach, is the team’s president, while

7:20 AM ET Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka expected to be scoreboard watching in March, with his team in the thick of an extraordinarily tight Western Conference playoff race. Instead, he was packing boxes with emergency kits at St. Mary’s Food Bank, helping out his community during the coronavirus pandemic. “I think people can

7:00 AM ET On Monday, Wayne Gretzky and Alex Ovechkin recorded their first joint interview, and they each had a chance to ask each other a question. Ovechkin wanted to know, if Gretzky was playing right now, how would he stay in shape during the NHL’s coronavirus pause? Simple, Gretzky said. Find a pair of

2:55 PM ET The Montreal Canadiens agreed to terms with goaltender Vasili Demchenko, the team announced on Tuesday. It is a one-year, entry-level contract for next season that would pay Demchenko $700,000 in the NHL if he makes the Montreal roster, and $70,000 if he’s sent to the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate. Demchenko, 26, played 36

9:13 PM ET New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider offered a positive update on his fractured foot Monday, saying during a videoconference that it’s healing well and noting that he should be ready to play if the NHL season resumes. “My foot feels good,” Kreider said, according to NHL.com. “[My] foot was better a few

8:25 AM ET The 2019 Stanley Cup Final was an epic battle between the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins; what better way to finish the clash than a Game 7? We all know how the series ended, but you might’ve missed all the details revealed by the filmmakers responsible for the “Quest for the

6:28 PM ET Wayne Gretzky said he hopes he is the first person to shake Alex Ovechkin‘s hand if Ovechkin breaks his all-time goals record. “I’m rooting for him as hard as anybody,” Gretzky told NBC Sports on Monday, in his first joint interview with Ovechkin. “I think it will be a great, wonderful day

9:45 AM ET It has been 39 days since the NHL hit the pause button on the 2019-20 season, and the cancellations and postponements related to the coronavirus continue to stack up. As players, executives and fans continue to adjust to the new normal, we will provide updates every Monday, answering all the burning questions

2:58 PM ET Associated Press Wayne Gretzky is optimistic the NHL will be able to resume at some point this summer. Gretzky told The Associated Press on Sunday he’s hopeful hockey and other sports will be able to come back from the coronavirus pandemic and serve as a positive sign that conditions are improving. “I

12:48 PM ET NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr on Saturday said he has not yet had any discussions with the NHL about specific neutral-site locations for a potential Stanley Cup playoffs this summer. “Other than the general understanding that they’re looking at all possibilities, which includes neutral sites — neutral being defined as a place

7:57 PM ET Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Blue Jackets signed All-Star goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to a two-year contract Friday worth a reported $5.6 million. Korpisalo, who turns 26 on April 28, set single-season career records in multiple categories — including games played, wins and goals-against average — after taking over as the

3:58 PM ET Calling it an “unbelievable tragedy,” coach Dave Tippett remembered Edmonton Oilers forward Colby Cave, who died April 11 after suffering a brain bleed earlier that week. “Just an outstanding young man that I really feel for,” Tippett said of the 25-year-old Cave on Friday during an NHL media call. “He grew up

12:23 PM ET The Winnipeg Jets and Dustin Byfuglien have mutually agreed to terminate the defenseman’s contract, the NHL and NHLPA announced on Friday. The move also resolves Byfuglien’s grievance against the club. The 35-year-old Byfuglien is now an unrestricted free agent. Byfuglien was suspended by the Jets after failing to report to training camp