Nhl

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals had their lengthy playoff streaks end last season. The moves they've made this summer show they're willing to sacrifice some of the future to keep winning now. Pittsburgh over the weekend traded several players and two high draft picks to land Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson. That move came on the heels of Washington signing homegrown power forward Tom Wilson to a seven-year contract extension. The aim by each team is to remain contenders despite an aging core of players already with at least one Stanley Cup ring.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired Erik Karlsson in a blockbuster trade with the San Jose Sharks. Pittsburgh traded a 2024 first-round pick, forward Mikael Granlund and defenseman Jan Rutta to San Jose and a 2025 second-round pick, goaltender Casey DeSmith, defenseman Jeff Petry and prospect Nathan Legare to Montreal as part of the deal for the reigning Norris Trophy winner. The Canadiens got involved to make the salary cap work. The Sharks are retaining just over 13% what's left on Karlsson's contract. Karlsson is the first defenseman to be traded fresh off winning the Norris since Doug Harvey in 1961.

The Nashville Predators, defensive defenseman Ryan Graves and some top goaltenders are among the winners in NHL free agency. Most players looking for long-term contracts and much of Western Canada factor among the losers. Nashville signed a top two-way center in hockey and 2019 playoff MVP Ryan O'Reilly, rugged Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Luke Schenn and a winger in Gustav Nyquist who has something to prove. The moves are the start of new general manager Barry Trotz's chance to put his stamp on the Predators.

A flat salary cap combined with a lack of high-profile players hitting the market could make the start of the NHL's free agent signing period more of a dud on Saturday. Numerous teams are already being challenged to retain their own players. They include the Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston Bruins, who currently have less than $11 million of space and nine roster spots to fill. The bigger headlines are expected to come from teams re-signing their stars to long-term deals, such as the Sabres and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. The Columbus Blue Jackets, meantime, are anticipated to announce the hiring of Mike Babcock as coach after his existing contract with Toronto expires on Friday.

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired their latest generational talent along with a big dose of speed in one of the NHL's largest draft hauls. They also made another big move for their future Thursday by adding veteran Corey Perry to help teach No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard how to be the leader the Blackhawks need to contend for a Stanley Cup. Chicago general manager Kyle Davidson says he couldn't be happier with how this draft worked out with 11 players taken. The Anaheim Ducks added a big Swedish center to their young, talented offense in Leo Carlsson at No. 2 overall.

The NHL and NHLPA are launching a new Player Inclusion Coalition aimed at diversifying hockey and making it more welcoming. The 20-member group includes current and former men's and women's players with minority and LGBTQ+ representation. It's the latest step in a process started in the summer of 2020 when the police killing of George Floyd led to a worldwide reckoning on racial matters. It also comes on the heels of several incidents related to Pride nights around the league, when a handful of players refused to wear rainbow-colored jerseys for warmups.

In an NHL draft class dominated by skilled forwards, and led by Connor Bedard, questions arise over who and when the first defenseman will be selected when the first round is held in Nashville on Wednesday night. The leading candidate is considered to be Austria's David Reinbacher followed by Sweden's Axel Sandin Pellikka. Whomever it might be, they'll likely have to wait with forwards projected to be taken with the first five picks. If that happens, this would become the first draft since 2003 when a defenseman was selected outside the top five picks.

The Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers was the scene of street hockey being played by kids outside in the desert and by the Everglades. The series showcased the benefits of ball and roller hockey in many U.S. markets where ice is hard to come by. The NHL earlier this year launched a street hockey program aimed at knocking down barriers to the sport that range from cost and time commitments to many families simply not thinking they belong.

Marty Walsh was less than halfway through his term in the Biden administration as labor secretary when the phone rang with an interesting opportunity. The call was about a job running the NHL Players' Association. The former mayor of Boston and longtime Bruins fan was intrigued, interviewed and earlier this year got the role as executive director.

Vegas Golden Knights fans are expected to jam the Las Vegas Strip for a Stanley Cup victory parade and a rally in front of their home arena to mark the team’s first-ever NHL championship. Hotel security was checking guest room windows overlooking the motorcade route and Las Vegas police were preparing for upwards of 100,000 people for the Saturday night celebration.

 All but one big league team will celebrate Pride Night this season, yet the sport remains hampered by ongoing issues around LGBTQ+ inclusivity. While Seattle slugger Julio Rodríguez was among a group of players who expressed support for the LGBTQ+ community, the Dodgers were criticized for including the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in the team's upcoming Pride Night on Friday. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw said his objection was based on the Sisters' portrayal of religious figures and had nothing to do with LGBTQ+ rights. 

Bruce Cassidy has been the Golden Knights' coach for only a year, but he knows full well the history of the Misfits. So in the game that would win the Stanley Cup for Vegas, Cassidy started five of the original Knights and sent the sixth one in for the second shift of Tuesday's 9-3 victory over the Florida Panthers. The dozen Knights were on the 2017-18 team that dubbed itself the Golden Misfits because it was a collection of players from all over the NHL.

The Vegas Golden Knights are on the verge of winning the first Stanley Cup title in franchise history after holding on to beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 in Game 4 of the final. Vegas leads the series 3-1 and can win the NHL championship on home ice Tuesday. Chandler Stephenson scored twice for the Golden Knights and William Karlsson ended his series-long goal drought to build a three-goal lead.

Major League Baseball was once so concerned about gambling it banned Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays just for working as casino greeters. Now MLB itself and almost all its teams have official casino sponsors. The NCAA railed for decades that paying players would destroy college sports, all while raking in billions off of their unpaid labor. Now schools boast of booster collectives that help recruit top talent to their teams. So when the PGA Tour overcame its indignation and agreed to merge with LIV Golf the flip-flop followed a long-established tradition in sports of flexible attitudes.