NHL Atlantic

The Boston Bruins have added another goaltender amid uncertainty as to Jeremy Swayman's contract status heading into the 2024-25 season.

The Bruins claimed goaltender Jiri Patera off waivers from the Vancouver Canucks, the team announced on Wednesday.

Patera spent most of the 2023-24 season with the AHL's Henderson Silver Knights while being called up for six appearances with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Swayman has yet to attend Bruins training camp amid an ongoing dispute over his next contract. Patera is now set to slot in behind Joonas Korpisalo, alongside Brandon Bussi and Michael DiPietro, on the Boston depth chart.

Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said that Korpisalo was slated to get the Game 1 start on Oct. 8 against the host Florida Panthers.

Korpisalo struggled during the 2023-24 season as a first-string netminder for the Ottawa Senators, posting a .890 save percentage while leading a thin Sens roster to a 21-26-4 record.

The Bruins acquired him in a trade for Linus Ullmark, formerly part of one of the NHL's strongest tandems with Swayman, in the hopes that he could bounce back in a more sheltered role as Boston's second option behind Swayman.

But with Swayman, who is currently a restricted free agent, is holding out amid a public dispute between the Bruins and his agent as to what deal has been offered to the star netminder during offseason negotiations.

Bruins president Cam Neely said on Monday that if he was Swayman he would have "64 million reasons why I'd be playing right now," while Swayman's agent Lewis Gross said in a statement that the goaltender's camp had not received any $64 million offers.

Swayman played last season on a $3.48 million cap hit but is due a raise after earning the Bruins' starting job and posting a playoff-best .933 save percentage while leading Boston to the second round this spring.

Swayman's holdout leaves the Bruins without much NHL experience on the goaltending depth chart behind Korpisalo.

Bussi, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Western Michigan in 2022, has developed into Boston's top goaltending prospect ahead of signing a two-way extension this summer. He could be set to make his NHL debut this season.

DiPietro meanwhile found success behind Bussi as the Providence Bruins' second-string netminder last season, posting a .918 save percentage through 30 starts. He previously has made three career NHL starts, all for the Vancouver Canucks.

Patera will join this duo after being selected in the sixth round of the 2017 draft by the Vegas Golden Knights and making his AHL debut in 2020-21. The 25-year-old signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Canucks in July before he was claimed off waivers by the Bruins.

He made 25 AHL starts for the Silver Knights last season, posting a .903 save percentage and allowing 2.99 goals against per game. Patera also has a career save percentage of .902 in the NHL.

The Bruins have two more preseason games to determine where the 6-foot-3 lefthander fits in their depth chart. Patera could be slated to make his first appearance in black and gold on Thursday night at the Los Angeles Kings or Saturday at the Washington Capitals.

Montreal Canadiens winger Patrik Laine will be sidelined for "two to three months" with a left knee sprain, the team announced on Tuesday.

The Canadiens noted the injury will not require surgery.

L'attaquant Patrik Laine souffre d'une entorse au genou gauche qui ne nécessitera pas de chirurgie. Sa période de réadaptation prévue est de deux à trois mois.

Forward Patrik Laine sustained a sprain to his left knee that will not require surgery. His rehabilitation period is… pic.twitter.com/sEPrSPDGHH

— x - Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 1, 2024

Laine posted on social media Tuesday:

“Thank you everyone for the love 🫶🏼 92 will be back 🔥”

Patrik Laine posts for the first time since his injury. pic.twitter.com/sCEx35JVpY

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 1, 2024

The Canadiens traded defenseman Jordan Harris and received a 2026 second-round pick to acquire Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets in August.

The team will open the 2024-25 season without Laine next Wednesday at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Laine suffered the injury on Saturday during a preseason loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Canadiens winger left the contest after suffering a knee-on-knee collision with Cedric Pare early in the first period. He was seen wearing a knee brace and walking on crutches during practice on Monday.

The short end of the Canadiens' projected recovery timeline puts Laine on track to miss about 20 games and return at the beginning of December.

He last played a full season during his 2018-19 campaign with the Winnipeg Jets, and has not played more than 60 games in a season since his midseason trade from the Jets to the Blue Jackets in 2021.

Laine was limited to 18 appearances for the Blue Jackets last season prior to requesting a trade from his former team.

He last skated in regular-season NHL action on Dec. 14 before he was sidelined by a broken clavicle, then joined the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Jan. 28. He subsequently underwent shoulder surgery this summer.

Laine was cleared to return from the player assistance program on July 26, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, and told reporters he had been cleared to skate as of August 19.

The rebuilding Canadiens were expecting to give Laine a shot on the second line alongside Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook in hopes that the Canadiens could build out their top six, while Laine would receive power-play opportunities and hopefully recover the sharpshooting abilities the former No. 2 pick demonstrated early in his Jets career.

Instead Laine will work on recovering, while the Canadiens will spend the remainder of the preseason experimenting with different line combinations.

Options for the right side of the second line could include dividing the top line of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky, or moving fellow right-handed shooter Josh Anderson into the top six while using rookie Emil Heineman to fill in for him on a lower line.

The Canadiens will get their next chance to experiment with their lineups on Tuesday night during a home preseason contest against the Ottawa Senators.

Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman was offered a contract worth $64 million, according to team president Cam Neely.

Neely said that Swayman has "$64 million reasons" to be playing, per Matt Porter and Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe.

Swayman, a restricted free agent, has not shown up to training camp as he awaits a new deal.

Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said that goaltender Jonas Korpisalo is set to open the season for Boston, via Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com.

Swayman played the 2023-24 season on a one-year, $3.475 million contract following a salary arbitration hearing.

He thrived alongside Linus Ullmark, the winner of the 2022-23 Vezina Award. Ullmark and Swayman helped the Bruins maintain an average of just 2.70 goals allowed per game last season, the fifth-best mark among all NHL teams.

A well deserved goalie hug for Jeremy Swayman who put up a 32-save performance in Toronto 🫂 pic.twitter.com/NsmPtnUJZv

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 5, 2024

Ullmark was traded to the Ottawa Senators in June, seemingly paving the way for Swayman to become the new No. 1 goalie.

However, the Bruins are approaching their regular-season debut on Oct. 8 without a contract agreement with the 25-year-old. If Swayman isn't signed by Dec. 1, he won't be eligible to play during the 2024-25 season.

"He has chosen to wait, and rightfully so, until a contract is settled," Sweeney said on Sept. 18, per Benjamin. "It's our intention to continue to negotiate a contract. I'm disappointed that when you set things as a priority in the general manager spot that you do your best to try and accomplish that and I haven't been able to do that yet."

"At the end of the day I'm optimistic because I think we'll find a landing spot before December 1st," he added.

A potential $64 million deal would make Swayman the fifth-highest paid goaltender in the NHL in terms of overall contract value, per Spotrac.

With no agreement in place, the Bruins appear ready to enter the regular season without the netminder.

Calder Trophy-winning defenseman Moritz Seider is set to anchor the Detroit Red Wings' blue line for the next seven seasons.

The Red Wings signed Seider to a seven-year, $8.55 million deal that will keep him in Detroit through his age-30 season in 2030-31.

IT’S MO-TOWN, BABY 🙌

The #RedWings have signed Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract with an AAV of $8,550,000. pic.twitter.com/WuZRSGRC3z

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 19, 2024

The 23-year-old was previously a restricted free agent.

Seider has played 246 straight games since his NHL and Red Wings debut in 2021. He recorded nine goals and 33 assists for 42 points while averaging over 22 minutes of ice time in 82 games last season.

The blueliner previously became the first Red Wings player since Roger Crozier in 1965 to win the Calder after leading all rookies with 43 assists during this 2021-22 campaign.

His shutdown defense was a key reason Detroit came within one point of making the playoffs last spring, which would have marked the team's first postseason berth in eight seasons.

Now that Seider is locked in for the long term, the Red Wings' focus will turn toward settling on a defensive partner to join him on the top pairing this fall.

Seider spent the majority of last season skating alongside Jake Walman, who was traded to the San Jose Sharks in June.

Veteran blueliner Ben Chiarot, who has played alongside Seider for stretches of both his seasons in Detroit, is a likely option. Chiarot finished out the 2023-24 campaign with Seider when Walman was injured.

The Chiarot-Seider pairing has been separated in the past after struggling to limit high-danger chances against, however, so the Red Wings could also test out other options including 21-year-old Simon Edvinsson on the first pairing.

Edvinsson, the 2021 No. 6 pick, will need to earn a roster spot after being limited to 25 appearances through his first two NHL seasons. The 6-foot-6 defender would add even more size and shot-blocking potential to a pairing already dominated by 6-foot-4 Seider, and Seider told reporters in April he hopes to someday get the chance to play with Edvinsson.

The Red Wings could start testing out these pairing options during training camp, which began Thursday in Traverse City, Michigan.

Seider was not present for the first day of camp, which captain Dylan Larkin told reporters was "strange" to see. Now that he is set to return to the ice, the Red Wings can start finalizing the defensive depth chart ahead of next Wednesday's preseason opener on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Defenseman Victor Hedman has been named captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning ahead of his 16th season with the team.

Hedman will be the 11th captain in Lightning franchise history. Forward Nikita Kucherov and defenseman Ryan McDonagh will join him as alternate captains.

He replaces Steven Stamkos, who wore the "C" from 2014 until he left to join the Nashville Predators in free agency this offseason.

Introducing our 11th captain in franchise history: Victor Hedman ⚡️

➡️ https://t.co/F3rrfXA6Zo pic.twitter.com/pcbbvJ5mr3

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) September 18, 2024

A leader on and off the ice. pic.twitter.com/OxTvLFusQX

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) September 18, 2024

Hedman won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defender in 2018 and earned the Conn Smythe for his role in leading the Lightning to the first of back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020. He has served as an alternate captain in Tampa Bay since the 2018-19 season.

Having played for the Lightning since the team selected him with the No. 2 pick in the 2009 draft, Hedman is the only Tampa Bay defenseman to skate in more than 1,000 games with the team.

Should he appear in 31 more games with the Lightning this season, he will move past Stamkos to become the franchise's all-time leader in games played.

In 15 seasons, Hedman has established himself as the franchise's all-time defensive leader with 728 points, 1,132 hits, 1,613 blocked shots and 529 takeaways.

He also is the team leader among defensemen in most postseason categories, leading Lightning blueliners with 23 goals, 94 assists and 117 points in 165 playoff games.

The 10 goals Hedman scored during the Lightning's 2020 Cup run ranked third only to Hall of Famers Paul Coffey and Brian Leetch for the most goals by a defenseman in a single playoff run in NHL history.

Earlier this offseason the Lightning announced they had signed the 33-year-old blueliner to a four-year, $8 million AAV extension that is set to kick in before the 2025-26 season. The deal is set to keep Hedman in Tampa Bay through the 2028-29 campaign.

McDonagh, who was acquired this spring in a trade with the Predators, spent three prior seasons as alternate captain while playing with the Lightning from 2018 to 2022.

Kucherov, who is heading into his 11th season with the team, will meanwhile continue the role he first held in 2022.

Behind a leadership team comprised of three players with key roles in the 2020 and 2021 championships, the Lightning will look to start out the post-Stamkos era as potential Cup contenders once more.

The Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday revealed why the team removed the letter "O" from their social media accounts and Scotiabank Arena signage.

The change was a marketing campaign for the announcement of Oreo cookies as the Leafs' helmet sponsor for the 2024-25 season.

CASE CLOSED - We found the Missing Os at the practice rink!

Let's celebrate @OREO as our new helmet partner. Stay Playful this Season Leafs Nation! pic.twitter.com/7agm2Liprt

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) September 17, 2024

The sponsorship will take the form of a white "Oreo" logo across the top of the blue helmet.

Oreo is the third helmet sponsor the Leafs have partnered with since the NHL approved helmet ads in 2021. Toronto helmets began displaying the TikTok logo during the 2021-22 season before advertising the Canadian pizza chain Pizza Pizza in 2023-24.

Players are set to debut the new helmets on Sunday during a preseason home game against the Ottawa Senators.

The Oreo logo is set to pair with the "Milk" jersey patches the Maple Leafs have worn since the 2022-23 season as part of a multi-year agreement with the Dairy Farmers of Ontario.

After finishing the 2023-24 season with 100 points and a ticket to the playoffs for the third time in as many years, the Leafs will now look to bring their new helmets along on the team's first deep postseason run of the Auston Matthews era.

Toronto isn't the only team that will be debuting new uniform ads for the 2024-25 season.

The Washington Capitals recently announced players will don the TikTok logo as a jersey patch, while the Los Angeles Kings will wear a patch advertising IT solutions company Iron Bow Technologies on the team's away jerseys.

Several other teams have established new partnerships with sportsbooks prior to the season. The Chicago Blackhawks are introducing their first home jersey patch sponsor through a partnership with the Vegas-based sportsbook Circa Sports, while the Edmonton Oilers will display the logo of the sportsbook Play Alberta on their jerseys and advertise Alberta's responsible gaming program GameSense on their helmets.

Fans are likely to continue seeing more helmet and jersey sponsor partnerships in the future. Team sponsorship revenue in the NHL rose to $1.4 billion in 2023-24, a 10 percent increase over the season prior, per SponsorUnited and Sportico.

Montreal Canadiens winger Cole Caufield will wear No. 13 this season in honor of late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau.

Caufield, who has worn No. 22 for his four seasons with the Canadiens, announced the change Tuesday on Instagram.

Cole Caufield announced he’s changing his jersey number to 13 to honor Johnny Gaudreau. ❤️

“I wore #13 at a point in my career because of Johnny and now I will be wearing it again to honor him. He paved the way for smaller players and proved we had a future in this game at the… pic.twitter.com/yqj6CZH5lP

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) September 4, 2024

Caufield wrote:

We all lost an amazing person, both on and off the ice, in last week's tragedy. My deepest condolences go to the entire Gaudreau family, especially Johnny's wife and two kids, who I had the pleasure of meeting. Nothing will be able to fill the void in their families and loved ones hearts, but I hope it provides some comfort to know how these two positively impacted the lives of so many. They will truly be missed.

Getting to play with your hero is something that most people only dream of. I was lucky enough to be Johnny's teammate this past summer and it didn't take long to realize how great of a person he was. He was the most welcoming, genuine, and funniest guy I have ever met. He was someone everyone gravitated towards and I took every chance I could to be around him. Not only was he an amazing hockey player and teammate, but he was down to earth and truly cared about every person he encountered.

The last few years playing as #22 have been some of the best years of my life. It truly has been a dream come true and I will forever hold those memories and that number close to me. I wore #13 at a point in my career because of Johnny and now I will be wearing it again to honor him. He paved the way for smaller players and proved we had a future in this game at the highest level. I will forever be grateful to him for inspiring me and others.

Rest in Peace, Johnny hockey.

Gaudreau, who wore No. 13 for eight seasons with the Calgary Flames and two with the Columbus Blue Jackets, died Thursday at age 31.

He was survived by his wife, Meredith, and their two children.

Caufield and Gaudreau played together on the United States men's national ice hockey team during the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Czechia.

The two were also each Hobey Baker Award winners as the best players in college hockey, with Gaudreau claiming the trophy with Boston College in 2014 before Caufield earned the honor in 2021 with Wisconsin.

Gaudreau was also connected to Caufield through his role in promoting undersized forwards as a draft target for teams.

Listed at 5'6" and 137 pounds heading into the 2011 NHL draft, Gaudreau did not expect to hear his name called by any NHL team (h/t The Athletic's Hailey Salvian) before he was selected in the fourth round by the Calgary Flames.

Gaudreau went from being a fringe draft pick to a full-time NHL player and 20-goal scorer during the 2014-15 season. That was the beginning of a career that would lead Gaudreau to record 40 goals and 115 points for the Flames in 2021-22.

Five years after Gaudreau had established himself in the NHL, Caufield, listed at 5'7", entered the 2019 draft and was selected at No. 15 by the Canadiens.

After having No. 22 assigned to him as a rookie, Caufield will now honor Gaudreau's legacy during his fifth NHL season.

Caufield's jersey change is not the only way members of the NHL community are paying tribute to Gaudreau. The Flames and Blue Jackets are both hosting candlelight vigils on Wednesday evening in honor of Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew Gaudreau.

Before reaching the pinnacle of success in their respective professions, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk were childhood friends in St. Louis.

The duo reunited for Sunday's game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers, where they showed off their respective trophies, threw out the first pitch and recreated their viral childhood photo:

How it started ➡️ How it's going.

Jayson Tatum and Matthew Tkachuk reunited with childhood classmate Jacob B. to recreate their famous bus photo at the ballpark today!#ForTheLou pic.twitter.com/Y0ty2mIdf0

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 18, 2024

The champs are here! 🏆

STL's own Jayson Tatum and Matthew Tkachuk bringing the hardware back to The Lou today!#ForTheLou pic.twitter.com/BvKnaMQSrp

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 18, 2024

St. Louis's own! Matthew Tkachuk and Jayson Tatum enjoy a warm welcome home and throw the ceremonial first pitches together. #STLCards pic.twitter.com/ahLri7ynKa

— FanDuel Sports Network Midwest (@FanDuelSN_MW) August 18, 2024

Tatum and Tkachuk's former classmate, Jacob, who is also in the viral photo of the two star athletes, joined them at the ballpark on Sunday as they threw out the first pitch:

Meet Jacob — classmate of Jayson Tatum and Matthew Tkachuk who is pictured in this viral photo.

He joined Tatum and Tkachuk at the ballpark today as the two threw out the first pitch as champions. #ForTheLou pic.twitter.com/tYmy8Su9h2

— Tamar Sher (@tamar_sher) August 18, 2024

Tatum and Tkachuk both attended Chaminade Prep in St. Louis. They even appeared in a video together about why they chose the school:

Tkachuk joined the U.S. National Development Team and left Chaminade after the ninth grade.

Fast-forward to 2024, and Tatum led the Celtics to the NBA championship and Tkachuk helped lead the Panthers to the Stanley Cup. It's the first championship of both their careers, respectively.

Tkachuk discussed the bond he still shares with Tatum and the support they received from their hometown before Florida's Stanley Cup victory.

"Yeah it's actually really cool when you think about it," Tkachuk told Tracey Myers of NHL.com. "Everyone from St. Louis, whether they were going to watch or not, with having both of us in, I'd say there's a lot of people, especially the kids we grew up with and families and people who know us, they're pulling for both teams. It's super cool to have that support back home for not only myself, but for the Celtics as well."

Tatum is also coming off a gold medal run with Team USA at the Paris Olympics this summer, the second Olympic gold medal of his career.

The former high school classmates will continue to be motivated by one another as they chase more success in their respective careers.

Auston Matthews has been named the 26th captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He is the first American-born player to captain the 107-year-old franchise.

Introducing the 26th captain of your Toronto Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews pic.twitter.com/ebD5kYK6vG

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) August 14, 2024

Matthews will replace John Tavares, who took over the role in October 2019. The position had previously been vacant for more than three years.

In the eight seasons since the Leafs selected him with the No. 1 pick of the 2016 draft, Matthews has established himself as arguably the top even-strength goal scorer in the league. He won his third Rocket Richard Trophy by racking up a career-high 69 goals last season.

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Matthews, who was born in California and grew up in Arizona, said during the press conference announcing his captaincy that he hoped to finish out his NHL career in Toronto.

"I think that's the goal, is to be a Leaf for life, to win here with my teammates for this city," Matthews said. "I think those are always things that you kind of keep in the back of your mind, but they're also things that are kind of in the future as well.

"I've loved every minute of being a Toronto Maple Leaf. Like I said, it's such a tremendous honor, and you kind of take it one day at a time, but I hope that's the case."

"That's the goal— to be a Leaf for life." - Auston Matthews pic.twitter.com/DEwoPxgXBm

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) August 14, 2024

Matthews, who turns 27 in September, is currently under team control through the 2027-28 season. Keeping him in Toronto will be key to the Leafs' hopes of building a Stanley Cup contender.

Tavares' future with the Leafs is less clear. The veteran center is currently set to become an unrestricted free agent at age 34 in 2025.

The captaincy change marks the potential end of Tavares' career as an NHL captain, which spanned a full decade between his tenure with the Leafs and his five seasons captaining the New York Islanders.

The Athletic's Chris Johnston reported prior to the Leafs' announcement that Tavares was "involved" in discussions regarding the captaincy change and that he "is believed to have supported the handoff to Matthews."

Tavares' children even attended the press conference dressed in Matthews jerseys, per Lindsay Dunn of CityNews Toronto.

Tavares passes the ‘C’ to Matthews pic.twitter.com/iG1ZmVdWnS

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) August 14, 2024

Passing the torch 👏 pic.twitter.com/1RVsYhY1xo

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) August 14, 2024

Matthews will enter the 2024-25 season as the fifth-youngest captain in the NHL behind only the Ottawa Senators' Brady Tkachuk, Vancouver Canucks' Quinn Hughes, Montreal Canadiens' Nick Suzuki and New Jersey Devils' Nico Hischier.

He is set to face enormous pressure in his first campaign as the team's official leader as the Leafs look to make it past the second round for the first time since drafting Matthews in 2016.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are working to sell the team at a valuation near $2 billion, Elliotte Friedman reported for Sportsnet.

The reported buyer is Doug Ostrover, CEO of New York City-headquartered investment company Blue Owl Capital, per Friedman.

Friedman wrote that sources say "the deal is not done yet" and current owner Jeff Vinik is anticipated to retain control over team operations "for the next several years." Vinik will also keep "a significant ownership stake" in the team, Friedman reported.

Vinik confirmed to The Athletic's Joe Smith that he is in discussions to sell the team:

#tblightning owner Jeff Vinik statement on report of being in process of sale. https://t.co/nTdjv3dt5x pic.twitter.com/n86L6Rgnem

— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) August 13, 2024

Vinik purchased the Lightning in 2010 for a reported valuation of around $170 million. The new valuation of $2 billion would dwarf the $950 million Michael Andlauer paid for the Ottawa Senators last September as the most valuable team sale in NHL history.

Since Vinik's purchase of the team, the Lightning have won two Stanley Cups and attended two more Stanley Cup Finals.

The new sale will take place in a "multi-stage" process, sources told Friedman.

The Lightning sold a minority stake in the franchise to Arctos Sports Partners in June 2023 at a franchise valuation of $1.4 billion, Scott Soshnick and Kurt Badenhausen reported for Sportico.

Forbes listed the Lightning as the 13th-most valuable franchise in the NHL at $1.25 billion as of December 2023. That marked a 31 percent increase over the year prior, per Forbes.

Only the Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs were estimated to have values of $2 billion or higher by Forbes.

The Lightning were one of 16 NHL teams with an arena filled to capacity during the 2023-24 regular season. Even with former captain Steven Stamkos having departed for the Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay will expect similarly high attendance in 2024-25.