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• Why you shouldn’t cheer for Chicago, by a Boston fan

Stanley Cup Final 2013: Marian Hossa 'expected' to play, Jonathan Toews reunited with Patrick Kane

2013-06-19T16:48:37Z

Chicago Blackhawks star forward Marian Hossa is expected to play against the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night, according to head coach Joel Quenneville.

Hossa was a game-time scratch for Game 3 on Monday night due to an undisclosed upper-body injury, but was considered day-to-day and "likely" to play in Game 4. The forward did not participate in practice Wednesday morning, but that apparently will not play a factor in his availability for the actual game because every member of the organization who commented about Hossa's status after practice stated that he was expected to play.

Quenneville would not directly comment on his line combinations, but morning skate rushes indicate that Hossa will likely be paired with Michal Handzus and Patrick Sharp while Bryan Bickell is expected to be paired with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Quenneville mentioned that Kane and Toews played well together in the Western Conference Final and hopes they can re-gain a similar amount of success.

Bruins head coach Claude Julien is expected to ice the same lineup as Game 3. And, considering the amount of success the Bruins have achieved with those combinations, it's a wise decision by the Bruins' bench boss.

Boston will carry a 2-1 series lead into Game 4 on Wednesday night.

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• Why you shouldn’t cheer for Chicago, by a Boston fan

Slava Voynov agrees to contract extension with Kings

2013-06-19T14:42:37Z

The Los Angeles Kings have come to terms on a contract extension with defenseman Slava Voynov, the team announced on Tuesday evening.

The team announced that the deal is six years in length but did not include the financial terms of the contract. According to Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times, Voynov will earn a total of $25 million over the course of the agreement, which amounts to a $4.1 million average annual value against the salary cap.

Voynov completed the final year of his entry-level contract in 2013 and was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer. His new deal will begin in 2013-14 and will carry through the 2018-19 season. At that time, he will be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent.

The 23-year-old defenseman has accumulated 14 goals and 31 assists for 45 points in 102 career regular season games. In 18 games during the 2013 playoffs, Voynov scored six goals, which matched his total through 48 games in the regular season.

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• Why you shouldn’t cheer for Chicago, by a Boston fan

Kris Letang's agent to meet with Ray Shero on Wednesday

2013-06-19T14:06:39Z

Pittsburgh Penguins manager Ray Shero is expected to meet with Kris Letang's agent Kent Hughes on Wednesday, according to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.

Hughes and Shero were expected to meet given that the 26-year-old defenseman has one year remaining on his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent next summer. By most accounts, the quality of the meeting could determine whether Letang has played his final game in a Penguins uniform.

Previous reports have indicated that Letang is seeking a $7 million annual average salary over the length of a deal lasting five to eight years, with his preference leaning toward an eight-year deal with a no-movement clause. Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes that Pittsburgh is seemingly in a position to offer Letang a $6 million annual salary with a limited movement clause.

Letang is entering the final-year of a four-year, $14 million contract that carries an annual average value of $3.5 million against the salary cap. His current contract does not include any kind of movement protection. With this in mind, Shero would seemingly look to trade Letang in the event that an extension can't be negotiated. This was the case with forward Jordan Staal at last summer's draft.

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• Why you shouldn’t cheer for Chicago, by a Boston fan

NHL Draft 2013: Avalanche will not select Seth Jones with No. 1 overall selection

2013-06-19T13:27:29Z

The Colorado Avalanche will not be using the No. 1 overall selection in the 2013 NHL Draft to select defenseman Seth Jones, executive vice president of hockey operations Joe Sakic told Adrian Dater of the Denver Post.

Jones has generally been considered the top prospect in this year's class, finishing the year atop Central Scouting's final rankings. In addition, Jones has preexisting ties to the Colorado organization, as he first came into contact with the sport while living in Denver when his father, Ronald "Popeye" Jones, was a member of the Denver Nuggets.

Despite this, Sakic states that Colorado believes the forwards available at the top of the draft are too talented to pass up, via the Denver Post:

"If we do pick first, we're leaning more toward one of those three forwards.

"We feel those three forwards are just too good to pass up."

Alexander Barkov, Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon are the candidates being considered, according to Dater.

Of course, that is if Colorado retains the selection. Head coach and vice president of hockey operations, Patrick Roy, stated during his introductory press conference that the team is considering trading the pick. As of this week, reports indicated that the Calgary Flames offered Colorado the No. 6, No. 22 and No. 28 overall selections in the draft for the first-overall pick. The Avalanche rejected the offer.

Despite public statements to the contrary, Elliotte Friedman of CBC stated that the top-four selections in the draft did not appear as though they were going to trade out of their positions. However, activity on draft day could pick up and change the landscape.

The 2013 NHL Draft is scheduled to take place on June 30, with all seven rounds being held on that day.

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Danny Briere to be bought out by Flyers, Ilya Bryzgalov's future remains unclear

2013-06-19T12:50:41Z

The Philadelphia Flyers have informed forward Danny Briere that he will be administered a compliance buyout, according to multiple reports on Tuesday night.

Pierre LeBrun of ESPN was the first to cite a league source who stated that Philadelphia manager Paul Holmgren met with Briere last week in oder to inform him that the club intended to buy him out. LeBrun states that there are no hard feelings about the decision and that Briere believes Holmgren handled the situation with class.

Per the rules of the collective bargaining agreement, teams are eligible to officially submit compliance buyouts to the league office 48 hours after the deciding game of the Stanley Cup Final. This season's buyout period will conclude at 5 p.m., ET on July 4. Free agency is scheduled to begin on July 5.

With the salary cap upper-limit lowering to $64.3 million next season, the Flyers need to clear space in order to become compliant. Including Briere and the reported contract agreement with defenseman Mark Streit, the Flyers are currently on the hook for $75 million next season.

Briere is presently the highest-paid player on the Flyers roster (in terms of salary cap allocation), counting for $6.5 million annually against the cap. He has two years remaining on the term of his contract. Once the Flyers formally file the paperwork, Briere will become an unrestricted free agent and will be able to sign with any team of his choosing (Philadelphia is not permitted to sign him this offseason).

What remains unclear is how the Flyers plan to become compliant. The team has one compliance buyout left and many believe it will be used on goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov.

Bryzgalov's agent, Ritch Winter, contacted Holmgren in response to the amount of speculation that had been generated about his client and a potential buyout. Winter was informed by Holmgren that Bryzgalov was one of the Flyers best players in 2013, according to Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News.

In addition, Seravalli states that Winter is under the impression that Holmgren said Bryzgalov would not be bought out.

However, Holmgren denies that he said that, via the twitter feed of Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia reporter Tim Panaccio:

Paul Holmgren to CSN: "I didn't assure Ritch Winter of anything. When the time comes to do our business we will do whatever is best for our hockey team."

Bryzgalov will be entering the third year of a nine-year, $51 million contract in 2013-14, which carries an average annual value of $5.6 million against the salary cap.

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• Why you shouldn’t cheer for Chicago, by a Boston fan

Marian Hossa injury: Blackhawks forward 'likely' for Game 4

2013-06-18T18:43:20Z

Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa is likely to play against the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night, according to head coach Joel Quenneville on Tuesday.

Hossa missed Game 3 on Monday night due to an undisclosed upper-body injury. Despite taking part in warmups, Hossa was a game-time scratch. This led to speculation that the forward had been injured during warmups, with some under the impression that he had been struck by an errant puck.

However, Quenneville denied that the injury took place in warmups. Captain Jonathan Toews later stated that the team was already aware for a good portion of Monday that Hossa might not be available later that night. The extent of Hossa's injury is currently unknown. Quenneville previously stated that Hossa is considered day-to-day.

Hossa is currently tied for the team lead in points this postseason with 15 (seven goals, eight assists).

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Flames acquire Corban Knight via trade with Panthers

2013-06-18T17:22:21Z

The Calgary Flames have acquired forward Corban Knight from the Florida Panthers in exchange for a fourth-round draft selection in the 2013 NHL Draft.

Knight was originally selected by Florida in the fifth round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

The 22-year-old British Columbia native has spent the last four seasons playing for the University of North Dakota. He has yet to sign an entry-level contract or make his professional debut. In 161 games played at North Dakota, Knight has accumulated 52 goals, 94 assists and 146 points.

For offseason Flames news visit: Matchsticks and Gasoline

Now that the Flames have acquired Knight's rights, they will need to sign him to an entry-level contract. General manager Jay Feaster stated in a press release that the team will do so when they are permitted after July 5. According to Feaster, Florida permitted the Flames to engage in discussions with Knight after contract negotiations failed to materialize this spring.

After talking to Knight and his agent over the past 10 days, Feaster was convinced that the player is interested in starting his career in Calgary.

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• Why you shouldn’t cheer for Chicago, by a Boston fan