NHL News

12:19 AM ET Flames defenseman Travis Hamonic became the first NHL player to opt out of this summer’s restart. Calgary GM Brad Treliving announced Hamonic’s decision Friday night, just hours after the NHL and NHLPA officially agreed to move forward with a 24-team tournament, scheduled to begin Aug. 1. “Earlier this evening Travis called me

7:00 AM ET My favorite thing about the “return to play” documents released by the NHL and the NHLPA this week — besides the whole “here’s a way to bring hockey back this summer” thing — is the subtle renaming of their “hubs” as the much more heavy metal “Phase 4 Secure Zone,” which sounds

7:20 AM ET Emily Cave Editor’s note: Edmonton Oilers forward Colby Cave died on April 11, after suffering a brain bleed earlier in the week. He was 25. His wife Emily shares her story here, as told to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. When the hockey season paused for coronavirus, Colby and I returned to Canada. He

11:34 AM ET ESPN News Services The New Jersey Devils have hired veteran coach Lindy Ruff as coach of one of the NHL’s youngest teams and removed the interim tag off Tom Fitzgerald’s title as general manager. The Devils have scheduled a 1 p.m. ET conference call. Ruff has been an assistant coach with the

8:35 PM ET The NHL is targeting Dec. 1 as the start of the 2020-21 season, according to a memorandum of understanding obtained by ESPN that is being voted on by NHL players. The league’s board of governors also must approve it. The NHL Players’ Association on Wednesday began a full membership vote on a

7:00 AM ET NHL Insiders The 2020 NHL playoffs will be unlike any postseason that preceded them — and perhaps the last 24-team tourney the league stages for some time. But as with any edition of the Stanley Cup playoffs, goaltending will be a deciding factor on which teams advance, and which teams leave their

5:22 PM ET Associated Press International Ice Hockey Federation chief Rene’ Fasel is encouraged after learning the NHL’s pending labor deal opens the possibility of the world’s best players returning to the Olympics. Aside from the uncertainty raised by the coronavirus pandemic, Fasel told The Associated Press he doesn’t foresee any major stumbling blocks that

7:00 AM ET The NHL’s 24-team tournament this summer promises to be one of the most unpredictable — if not fascinating — postseasons for hockey ever. The paused season due to the coronavirus pandemic provided significant extra time for injured stars to mend, and there are a number of intriguing lineup decisions that could have

6:04 PM ET Associated Press The National Hockey League and NHL Players’ Association have reached a tentative agreement to return to play this season and extend their collective bargaining agreement. 1 Related The four-year extension of the CBA finalized Monday coupled with the sides’ agreement on protocols for training camps and games paves the way

11:19 AM ET Of the 396 NHL players who have reported to their teams for optional training since June 8, 23 have tested positive for the coronavirus, the league announced in a statement on Monday. The league says it is aware of 12 additional positive cases among NHL players in that span. The NHL says

8:20 PM ET The NHL and NHLPA have finalized the protocols for the season to resume this summer in Edmonton and Toronto, a source confirmed to ESPN. As of Sunday night, the sides are still finalizing the details for a memorandum of understanding for a collective bargaining agreement extension. The Phase 3 (training camp) and

7:30 AM ET Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba had found some outlets during the NHL’s pause amid the coronavirus pandemic. Dumba, who is half Filipino, found an outlet for his frustration about the sport he loves as one of several minority players who founded the Hockey Diversity Alliance, an organization with the mission to “eradicate

9:08 AM ET The NHL has shifted its focus to selecting two Canadian hub cities, sources confirmed to ESPN. That would have the NHL resuming its season in Toronto and Edmonton later this summer. Nothing is final until players vote on the return-to-play proposal, which is not expected to happen until later this week. The

11:50 AM ET Associated Press ZURICH — Seven ice hockey players have been suspended during an investigation into match-fixing in the Belarus league. The players — five from Belarus and two from Russia — told a domestic investigation they were paid to help arrange the outcome of a game in November, the International Ice Hockey

11:25 PM ET Multiple members of the St. Louis Blues have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to multiple reports Friday night. The Athletic first reported that Friday’s scheduled Phase 2 workouts for the team were canceled as a result of the positive tests. No workouts were scheduled for this weekend and the report said

6:22 PM ET Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes president and general manager Don Waddell said Wednesday that executive Rick Dudley won’t return and that the team is still in talks with longtime TV play-by-play announcer John Forslund on a new deal. Dudley, 71, had worked as the Hurricanes senior vice president of hockey

3:51 PM ET Associated Press PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom has completed radiation treatments for a rare form of bone cancer. The Flyers tweeted video Thursday showing Lindblom ringing the bell at Abramson Cancer Center at Pennsylvania Hospital, which signifies that he has completed his radiation treatments. The 23-year-old was diagnosed in December

7:00 AM ET The 2020 NHL draft lottery was pure chaos. It wasn’t just that the lowly Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators lost out on the No. 1 pick. Everyone must cope with the fact that “Team E” — a squad that plays in the NHL’s 24-team postseason — gets the chance to draft