DposNews

The rebuilding process for the Devils was accelerated a little bit faster than most anticipated. They broke a five-year playoff drought before losing to the Lightning in a five-game first-round series this past season. It was all sparked by the Hart Trophy-winning campaign of Taylor Hall — his acquisition from the Oilers in exchange for […]

Forget the Big Splash, at least for this year. Even if there were a deep pool into which to dive, the Rangers wouldn’t do it. Next year, maybe … next year, probably … next year, definitely. When the NHL’s free-agent, cash-and-carry market opens at noon Sunday, the rebuilding Blueshirts — get used to it, folks, […]

It isn’t like it was back in the day, when writers were part of a team’s traveling party, hung out at the local watering hole with players and their wives or girlfriends, and got to know the people we covered pretty well. Now, we get snippets. Five minutes here and there in the room. Mass […]

After so much good fortune, it seems like the Islanders have now suffered one of the worst blows in franchise history. Captain John Tavares was not announced as signing a new deal as of late Saturday night, and once it got to midnight and the calendar changed to July 1, he was going to be […]

It came like the slow ripping of a Band-Aid, and now the wound will bleed out all over Islanders fans for years to come. A dark day in Islanders history arrived Sunday when captain John Tavares decided to become a free agent and then sign a sentimental deal with his hometown Maple Leafs. The seven-year, […]

Scott Malkin takes the hit for the franchise’s latest debacle. For it was the principal owner who allowed John Tavares to hold the Islanders hostage throughout a season in which No. 91 refused to commit to an extension even while the clock mercilessly ticked off the final year of his contract. Whether a representation of […]

The roster features a decent amount of skill but a striking absence of jam. That is the imbalance general manager Jeff Gorton must address as the Rangers move forward into this rebuild 2018-19. Signing Day came and went without the Blueshirts making more than the teeniest ripple on the free-agent market. Defenseman Fredrik Claesson, late […]

see also Devils have the money to keep momentum going in free agency The rebuilding process for the Devils was accelerated a little… Like most teams not in Toronto, the Devils didn’t make much of a splash once free agency opened at noon Sunday. Their biggest signing was veteran defenseman Eric Gryba, who inked a […]

John Tavares deciding on Sunday to sign with the Maple Leafs leaves a void in the Islanders roster that is impossible to fill. But now, they have to try to do something to stay competitive, made more difficult by being late to the free-agent party. At this point, team president Lou Lamoriello has to be […]

One look at the cost of doing business Sunday reveals this truth as self-evident: If Kevin Hayes reaches the open market next July, the recently turned, 26-year-old center can expect a payday of around $30 million over five years, if not more. So the choice confronting the Rangers and general manager Jeff Gorton over the […]