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DALLAS — There were a couple teams in the first round of the draft that seemingly benefited from what was an unpredictable first couple picks, and one of them was the Devils. With the No. 17 overall selection, they took defenseman Ty Smith on Friday night. Smith, 18, is a bit undersized, but he was […]

Russian forward Ilya Kovalchuk has agreed to a three-year, $18.75 million deal to return to the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings. The club announced the deal Saturday with Kovalchuk, who is back in North America after a five-year absence. Kovalchuk was the No. 1 pick in the 2001 NHL draft by the Thrashers. He […]

DALLAS — This always seemed inevitable, but now that it’s clear John Tavares is going to meet with five teams during the free-agent courting period, which starts Sunday, the ground on which the Islanders stand is starting to shake just a little. Tavares made his declaration about the meetings Saturday during the second round of […]

DALLAS — Surely, albeit too slowly to protect athletes currently at risk, change is coming to the way the NHL addresses hits to the head. That is the most significant takeaway from the general managers’ meeting that was held Thursday in advance of the draft. According to several sources in attendance, a notable number of GMs […]

DALLAS — Just like everyone else at this relatively sleepy NHL draft weekend, Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton had a lot fewer trade conversations than he anticipated. And so Gorton went about his business, making all three first-round picks he had on Friday and finished having made 10 picks overall, leaving with his roster players […]

DALLAS — Somehow, the Islanders got another bit of good luck. Following a week of nothing but things breaking right for them, the Islanders had first-round talent Bode Wilde fall to them in the second round, and they took the right-handed defenseman with the 41st pick on Saturday afternoon. “Yeah, a little surprised, but it […]

DALLAS — The dealing lies ahead for the Rangers, who left the entry draft Saturday night with the same NHL personnel they had stored in the carry-on bin on their flight to Texas on Tuesday. So while Kevin Hayes — relieved enough not to be dealt Friday that he posted a link to a “Not […]

Regarding the Rangers: 1. The critical decision confronting general manager Jeff Gorton is not choosing Kevin Hayes or Vlad Namestnikov to sign to a contract extension, it is whether to trade Hayes or Mika Zibanejad. We reported Sunday that Hayes is seeking a five-year deal for upward of $5.5 million per year. At first blush, […]

Like most teams, the Rangers are anxious to see what they left Dallas with after this weekend’s draft. And like most teams, they’re not waiting very long as they open prospect development camp at their Westchester training facility Monday morning. Good news for the Rangers is that their first selection at No. 9 overall, 18-year-old […]

The John Tavares Sweepstakes have fully taken off, with five teams represented at his agent’s office in Los Angeles set to make their in-person pitches through Wednesday, and possibly one or two more set up with phone conversations. The group includes the Maple Leafs, Sharks, Stars, Bruins and Lightning — plus the Islanders. This is […]