NHL Atlantic

The NHL reportedly interviewed Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Ian Cole on Wednesday over allegations that he sexually abused and groomed an underage girl.

According to ESPN's Emily Kaplan, the interview occurred at the NHL's league office in New York City and lasted for about an hour.

A Twitter user going by the name of Emily Smith tweeted a statement last week in which she said Cole groomed her for four years beginning when she was in high school:

https://twitter.com/emily_smith3333/status/1578464079324205057

Smith said Cole was aware of her status as a minor when he pressured her into sex. She also said he used manipulation tactics in an effort to prevent her from speaking out.

According to Kaplan, the person who posted the statement had not come forward at the time of Cole's interview with the NHL. Kaplan added that sources told her "the league is unable to identify the creator of the account without subpoenaing Twitter or obtaining a court order."

Per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, Cole denied the allegations in a statement, saying: "I take the allegations made against me today in an anonymous tweet very seriously. I look forward to clearing my name and demonstrating to the NHL and the Tampa Bay Lightning that these allegations are unfounded."

Despite Cole's denial, the Lightning announced he was suspended indefinitely with pay, pending the results of an investigation.

Cole made his NHL debut in 2010 for the St. Louis Blues after the Blues selected him with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft.

The Ann Arbor, Michigan, native went on to play in five seasons with the Blues and four seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has also played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild and Carolina Hurricanes during a 12-year NHL career.

Cole won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017, and he has appeared in 670 career regular-season games.

The 33-year-old veteran signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Lightning during the offseason in hopes of filling the spot in the lineup vacated by Ryan McDonagh, who was traded to the Nashville Predators.

Cole was not in the lineup for Tampa's season-opening 3-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday. Kaplan reported the NHL Players Association is likely to file a grievance against the league if Cole remains out of the lineup "for an extended period" without evidence being found to prove the allegations against him.

The Tampa Bay Lightning announced Sunday that they have suspended defenseman Ian Cole, pending the results of an investigation into grooming and sexual assault allegations against him, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

The Lightning said in a statement:

"The Tampa Bay Lightning is aware of the allegations against player Ian Cole and are cooperating fully with the NHL on an investigation. Our organization takes these allegations very seriously. While we continue to gather more details, we have decided to suspend Ian Cole pending the results of an investigation. No members of the organization, including players, will comment further at this time."

Cole also released a statement on Sunday night, per Friedman:

"I take the allegations made against me today in an anonymous tweet very seriously. I completely deny these allegations and will fully cooperate with the NHL and the Tampa Bay Lightning, their officials and legal departments in the forthcoming investigation. I look forward to clearing my name and demonstrating to the NHL and the Tampa Bay Lightning that these allegations are unfounded. I will have no further comment until the NHL's investigation concludes."

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly also said Sunday that the league is aware of the allegations and is looking into it, per The Athletic's Katie Strang.

On Friday afternoon, a woman made a statement on Twitter accusing Cole of sexually assaulting and grooming her over a four-year stretch that began while she was a minor.

The woman said she met Cole while still in high school and that he pressured her into having sex with him. She alleges Cole knew she was a minor at the time and also claims she knew he was having sex with other high school-aged girls in their teens.

In addition, the woman said Cole would "frequently pressure me to do things without consent." She added that he manipulated and humiliated her, bragged about having sex with other women and "would make derogatory misogynistic comments."

"Anyone who truly knows Ian and the way he talks about women will not be surprised by any of this," the woman said in her statement.

One of Cole's former NHL teammates also allegedly told the woman that Cole bragged about having sex with her, sharing details that only the veteran defenseman would have known, she said in her statement.

"Ian felt emboldened to emotionally and sexually abuse me and other women because the NHL fosters a culture of misogyny," the woman said in her statement. "The NHL needs to hold themselves and their players accountable for creating an enabling environment of misogynistic and predatory behavior."

Cole signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Lightning in July after spending the 2021-22 season with the Carolina Hurricanes.

The 33-year-old was selected in the first round of the 2007 NHL draft by the St. Louis Blues. He made his NHL debut with the Blues in 2010 and has also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild.

After negotiations were relatively quiet all summer, it appears David Pastrnak and the Boston Bruins are making progress on a new deal for the superstar winger with training camp well under way.

Contract discussions between the Bruins and Pastrnak are "heating up," TSN's Darren Dreger reported on Thursday's edition of Insider Trading.

Dreger added that "both sides are assessing the market right now" and that Pastrnak is "clearly hopeful" that something will get done sooner rather than later.

The news comes after NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently told Jeff Marek on the 32 Thoughts Podcast (h/t BosHockeyNow's Jimmy Murphy) that Pastrnak's camp was open to contract negotiations during the season.

There had been speculation over the summer that the Bruins could trade Pastrnak, but he essentially put those rumors to rest, telling reporters earlier this month that he would love to sign an extension with the Bruins:

"This city is where I got the chance to become the player I am, to become the human being I am. Boston, the organization is an unbelievable part of it. I came here as a kid and now I’m a man. I’m extremely happy. A lot of great memories. I’ve said many times I love it here and it’s an honor to wear this jersey.”

The Bruins selected Pastrnak 25th overall in the 2014 NHL draft, and he's considered one of the biggest steals of that draft class. He signed a six-year, $40 million deal with the Bruins in September 2017, and his deal is expected to expire after the 2022-23 campaign.

With the way the NHL market is trending, Pastrnak will become one of Boston's highest-paid players if he inks a new deal with the franchise, joining star defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who agreed to an eight-year, $76 million deal with the franchise in October 2021.

Since making his NHL debut during the 2014-15 season, Pastrnak has tallied 240 goals and 264 assists for 504 points in 510 games. His best season came during the 2019-20 campaign, when he scored a career-high 48 goals to capture the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer. He also notched 47 assists.

In addition, the 26-year-old has found tremendous success in the postseason despite not yet capturing a Stanley Cup, tallying 30 goals and 44 assists for 74 points in 70 games.

Pastrnak enters the 2022-23 season with high expectations after he tallied 40 goals and 37 assists for 77 points in 72 games during the 2021-22 campaign.

He's expected to be one of Boston's top scorers again alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, though with the return of David Krejci, he could play alongside his fellow countryman and Taylor Hall to begin the season.

The Bruins open the season on Oct. 12 against the Washington Capitals.

The phrase “hot take,” represents a few things these days. To me, it’s still best defined as something that could happen, but isn’t particularly likely to happen.

For reference, if you were to predict any team that landed in the 2021-22 regular season top five as this year’s Stanley Cup Champion, I’d call that a cold take. If you were to predict any of the bottom five this year’s Stanley Cup Champion, I’d consider that a scorching take.

Takes, of course, exist on a spectrum, and you can always tell the difference between a hot take that someone genuinely believes, and a hot take born for the purpose of being a hot take.

With that said, I like to think of my “hot takes” on a scale from one to five fire emojis. One is a relatively mild take that is debatable, five is something I think most people would disagree with. All takes from 1-5 need to be things I genuinely believe, though.

Without further ado, here are my most passionate hot-but-real takes headed into the 2022-23 season

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The Ottawa Senators make the playoffs

The Ottawa Senators have been going through one of the most bizarrely manufactured quasi-rebuilds ever since their last playoff appearance in 2017. You know it’s bad when the only reason I’m even referring to it as an intentional rebuild is because at this time last year, GM Pierre Dorion publicly declared that not only was a rebuild happening, but that the rebuild was already over.

Spoiler alert: It was not. The Senators ended the season 26th in the league.

At least while the NHL club was falling apart through no fault of the players still left, the organization was building a pipeline of some pretty exciting potential stars. And would you look at that, the Senators gave up one of their favorite stars–cap space–and had one of the strongest off-seasons in the league, acquiring Claude Giroux, Alex DeBrincat and Cam Talbot among others.

Is the rebuild actually over now?

I’m not totally sure, and I will never claim to understand the inner workings of the Ottawa Senators, but things are looking good.

New @Senators teammates Claude Giroux (@28CGiroux) and Alex DeBrincat (@Brinksy97) were on the ice together... 👀

(🎥 @BringBackLee) pic.twitter.com/iqLeNuKwIb

— NHL (@NHL) September 1, 2022

Heat check: 1.5 flame emojis 🔥 (editor's note: just imagine a half-flaming emoji with this one)

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Coyotes University isn't an absolute dumpster fire

Listen, the fact that the Arizona Coyotes will spend at least the next few years playing in a college hockey arena with a 5,000-person capacity is an objective failure on multiple levels.

But we get it at this point.

We’ve read all the think pieces, tweeted all our jokes and rolled our eyes at the Canadian media’s pearl-clutching relocation columns.

Now that we’ve accepted the reality of the situation, we can make the best of it. I don’t know about you, but I fell in love with this sport growing up around Boston going to college hockey games. There’s nothing like a tightly packed arena full of a few thousand people who actually want to be there. It kind of feels like one of the best-kept secrets you didn’t even realize you were in on.

Not only could the close-knit environment inspire some young Arizonians to get into the sport, but it might give a team dealing with quite a few setbacks a reason to wake up every morning and try.

Besides, who wouldn’t want to attend a hockey game at a place called Mullett Arena?

Heat check: 4 flame emojis 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

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Matt Murray succeeds in Toronto

I’ll start this out by saying the word “succeed” in the context of the Toronto Maple Leafs means different things to different people. This is not a “will-they-won’t-they exit the first round” prediction, and for the record I don’t define a second-round exit as success. (I don’t think they do, either!)

This is more about the trajectory of Murray’s career and the role he could play with the Leafs. Murray has had a few tougher seasons after his strong start with the Penguins, and he hasn’t been able to return to the Cup-winning performance he twice put up. Obviously sharing a net with Marc-Andre Fleury and generally being part of the Penguins dynasty greatly contributed to said Cup-winning performance, but Murray was no passenger in that endeavor.

He’s had a down few years on the Senators, but who among us can blame him? He was also very open about how hard the loss of his father was in 2018. He’s clearly shown us he can handle the spotlight, and the Leafs look better than ever.

This feels like the best chance 28-year-old Murray has at righting the course of his career, and I think he can do it. I don’t think he (or anybody) will single-handedly lift the Leafs past the first round, but I think he will be low on the Totem Pole of blame if they can’t get it done.

Heat check: 4 out of 5 flame emojis 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

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Moritz Seider wins the Norris

This is a good example of a mild take that I believe in so much that it becomes sort of hot. Yes, Seider won the Calder last year and he’s on everyone’s radar. Yes, he’s only expected to get better.

I’m sure he’s on most people’s pre-season Norris watch lists, but how many people think he’s going to win it all? Count me in as one.

We’re in a golden age of young defensemen who can put up points, and let’s be real, the Norris winner has become a defenseman who can score a lot of points. I think Seider is going to be the perfect medium between the modern high-scoring defenseman and the big, gritty shot-blocker, and everyone can agree on a player like that.

Heat check: 1.5 out of 5 flame emojis 🔥

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Elias Pettersson has the best or worst season of his career

Is this multiple hot takes stacked on top of each other in a trench coat? Maybe. After a rough start and a lingering wrist injury last season, 23-year-old Pettersson ended with career highs in games played (80), goals (32) and points (68) in 2021-22. He dipped below his usual point-per-game stats, but he exploded towards the end of the season, which bodes well for 2022-23.

But the Canucks aren’t playing around next season, and they’ve got some healthy competition down the middle with the season J.T. Miller had in 2021-22. Perhaps the Canucks get Pettersson away from top defensive matches on the second line and he flourishes, perhaps the competition works in his favor and he wins the first-line center role then flourishes. Or perhaps Pettersson fades away with less ice time.

There are so many varying possibilities when it comes to his upcoming season, and that’s why I think it’s absolutely crucial for him to have a career year.

Heat check: 3 out of 5 flame emojis 🔥🔥 🔥

Zdeno Chara's 25-year NHL career will come to an end Tuesday.

Chara announced on Instagram he will sign a one-day contract with the Boston Bruins to officially retire with the team he spent the bulk of his career playing for.

Zdeno Chara announces on Instagram that he is retiring after 25 seasons in the NHL.

He is signing a one-day contract to officially retire as a Boston Bruin. pic.twitter.com/NtOujBkUPl

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) September 20, 2022

Amid speculation about his future early in the offseason, Chara's agent, Matt Keator, told Matt Porter of the Boston Globe in June the 45-year-old was "going to take the summer with his family and assess where he's at physically, where his family's at, and make a decision in September."

A third-round draft pick by the New York Islanders in 1996, Chara made his NHL debut in 1997. He played for four different teams: the Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Bruins and Washington Capitals.

Chara was one of the best defensemen of his era. He made six All-Star appearances from 2003 to 2012, won the Norris Trophy in 2009 and won a Stanley Cup title with the Bruins in 2011.

After he spent 14 seasons in Boston from 2006 to 2020, the team informed him in his last year that he would not be re-signed. Chara decided to continue his playing career by signing a one-year contract with the Capitals.

However, he wasn't much of a factor with 10 points in 55 games. It was his lowest-scoring season since putting up nine points in 2000-01 with the Islanders.

The Isles brought Chara back on a one-year deal for the 2021-22 season.

Chara was named to the NHL's All-Decade second team for the 2010s. Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic wrote this about the Slovakian star when he was named to the outlet's All-Decade squad:

"His career high of 52 points did come in 2011-12, but that's not what puts Chara in this elite company. It was his innate ability to completely shut down opponents using his long stick, smart positioning and knowing how to toe the line. He was a problem other teams had to solve, and it led to the Bruins scoring 57 percent of the 5-on-5 goals while he was on the ice in the 2010's, a mark unmatched by any of the other five defenders listed here."

Chara's history as a defenseman who is capable of scoring made him an intimidating presence on the ice for more than two decades. He will almost certainly be inducted into the Hall of Fame as soon as he is eligible.

Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion announced Wednesday that the team signed Tim Stützle to an eight-year extension worth $8.35 million annually.

In just his second season in the NHL in 2021-22, Stützle had 22 goals and 36 assists in 79 games.

"Reaching a long-term agreement with Tim represents another significant step forward for this organization," Dorian said. "Tim is a dynamic offensive player who utilizes an exceptional blend of speed and skill to be a consistent difference-maker. He's electrifying and has quickly become a fan favorite for good reason."

After the Senators finished next to last in the Atlantic Division last year, the GM has been aggressive in making sure Ottawa not only makes the playoffs in 2022-23 but also is set up for the long term.

The team acquired Alex DeBrincat, who turns just 24 in December, from the Chicago Blackhawks and added more veteran experience by trading for Cam Talbot and signing Claude Giroux.

The deal for Stützle also follows fellow forwards Brady Tkachuk (seven years, $57.5 million), Josh Norris (eight years, $63.6 million) and Drake Batherson (six years, $29.9 million) getting long-term deals within roughly the last calendar year. Defenseman Thomas Chabot is tied down with an eight-year, $64 million contract as well.

The Senators are already seeing Dorion's aggressive approach pay some dividends.

"I can tell you that the season-ticket membership is the highest it's been in years," team president Anthony LeBlanc told Sportsnet's Wayne Scanlan. "We've seen a significant, significant increase—and it all started, really, around the time when Pierre started making some trades."

LeBlanc said Wednesday season-ticket sales have climbed 60 percent.

The Senators still need to see all of their young talent make a breakthrough together, but it's impossible not to get excited about the future of the franchise.

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price is expected to miss the entire 2022-23 season because of a knee injury that has not responded well to treatment, general manager Kent Hughes told reporters Thursday.

Hughes added that it's unlikely Price can return to action by just rehabbing his knee and that an operation would be required. The veteran netminder will likely be placed on long-term injured reserve, per Eric Engels of Sportsnet.

Price underwent offseason knee surgery in the summer of 2021 and, while recovering, announced that he had voluntarily entered the NHL and NHLPA's player assistance program in October:

"Over the last few years, I have let myself get to a very dark place and I didn't have the tools to cope with that struggle. I made the decision to enter a residential treatment facility for substance abuse. Things had reached a point that I realized I needed to prioritize my health for both myself and for my family. Asking for help when you need it is what we encourage our kids to do, and it was what I needed to do."

Due to a number of setbacks in his recovery, Price missed all but five games of the 2021-22 season. He went 1-4-0 in his return to the lineup with a 3.63 goals-against average and .878 save percentage.

Since putting pen to paper on an eight-year, $84 million contract in July 2017, Price has not lived up to expectations, posting a 91-86-24 record with a 2.77 GAA, .908 save percentage and 10 shutouts in 203 games, including 200 starts.

Through the first 10 years of his career, he was one of the best in the NHL, posting a 270-175-55 record with a 2.40 GAA, .920 save percentage and 39 shutouts in 509 games (500 starts).

Price also won the 2014-15 Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender, won the 2014-15 Hart Trophy as the MVP and was also selected to the All-Star team in 2014-15. He hasn't finished among the top three in Vezina Trophy voting since the 2016-17 campaign.

The British Columbia native has four more years on his contract with an average annual value of $10.5 million. Placing him on LTIR will give the Canadiens more salary cap flexibility, which is greatly needed following the acquisition of Sean Monahan from the Calgary Flames.

According to CapFriendly, the Habs are currently over the salary cap by $6.1 million.

With Price expected to be sidelined in 2022-23, the Canadiens will have to rely on a combination of Jake Allen and Samuel Montembeault in goal.

Allen started 35 games for Montreal last season and posted a 9-20-4 record with a 3.30 GAA and .905 save percentage. Montembeault, meanwhile, started 30 games for the Habs and posted an 8-18-6 record with a 3.77 GAA and .891 save percentage.

Montreal finished the 2021-22 season with a 22-49-11 record and the team isn't expected to compete for a playoff spot this coming season either despite selecting Juraj Slafkovsky first overall in the 2022 NHL draft.

The Bruins and captain Patrice Bergeron have agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million deal to keep him in Boston for his 19th season, the team announced Monday.

Bergeron can earn another $2.5 million through performance-based incentives.

Boston wasn't done, as the team also announced it signed center David Krejci to a one-year, $1 million deal that features an additional $2 million in performance-based bonuses.

The Bergeron deal came as no surprise, as he has spent his entire career with the Bruins, helping the franchise win the Stanley Cup in 2011. However, there was some speculation about Bergeron's future in Boston as he made it clear in September that he would wait until after the 2021-22 campaign to decide his fate.

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said at the time that he had talks about a contract extension with Bergeron and that however long he wanted to remain in Boston was up to him.

The Bruins selected Bergeron in the second round of the 2003 NHL draft, and he has gone on to become one of the greatest players in franchise history. The 37-year-old tallied 400 goals and 582 assists for 982 points in 1,216 games.

Bergeron is still one of the most consistent players on the team. During the 2021-22 season, he tallied 25 goals and 40 assists for 65 points in 73 games. It was his ninth straight season with at least 20 goals.

In addition to winning a Stanley Cup in 2011, Bergeron is a five-time Selke Award winner, with last season being his most recent honor. He also won the 2012-13 King Clancy Trophy and 2020-21 Mark Messier Leadership Award.

The Bruins named Bergeron their captain on Jan. 7, 2021, after the franchise let Zdeno Chara leave in free agency.

With Bergeron and Krejci locked up, the Bruins will have stability and familiar faces down the middle for 2022-23.

Krejci also helped the team win its sixth Stanley Cup and has eight seasons with 50 or more points. The most recent came in 2018-19 when he tied his career best of 73 points on 20 goals and a career-high 53 assists.

He appeared in 51 games in 2020-21 and finished with 44 points on eight goals and 36 assists.

The 36-year-old spent the 2021-22 campaign in the Czechia league for HC Olomouc and represented Czech Republic at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. He is now returning to the United States to the only NHL team he has ever played for.

The Calgary Flames and Matthew Tkachuk are parting ways after six seasons as part of a blockbuster deal with the Florida Panthers.

Tkachuk was traded to the Panthers and immediately agreed to an eight-year contract extension with his new organization, the team announced Friday night.

GM Brad Treliving with us says Friday’s Matthew Tkachuk trade was the first ever sign and trade in NHL history.

Calgary, Florida, and Tkachuk’s camp negotiated a contract. Tkachuk then signed the deal with Calgary before a trade was made with the Panthers. #Flames

— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) July 23, 2022

In return, the Flames received All-Star winger Jonathan Huberdeau, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt, a lottery-protected 2025 first-round draft pick and a conditional fourth-round pick.

The Flames announced Monday that they filed for club-elected arbitration with Tkachuk, which provided them "the opportunity to continue to work with his representatives towards a contractual resolution while removing the possibility of an offer sheet."

However, The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford and Hailey Salvian reported Wednesday that Tkachuk informed the team he didn't intend to sign a new deal with the club.

The St. Louis Blues, Vegas Golden Knights, Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars were among Tkachuk's preferred trade destinations along with the Panthers, per Rutherford and Salvian.

Tkachuk played out the final year of a three-year, $19 million bridge deal he signed in 2019 during the 2021-22 campaign and was a restricted free agent this offseason.

The Flames selected Tkachuk with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 NHL draft. He has been a consistent scorer over his six-year career but took a significant leap forward during the 2021-22 season.

The 24-year-old finished with a career-high 42 goals and 62 assists for 104 points in 82 games. His performance helped Calgary finish first in the Pacific Division with a 50-21-11 record.

In 431 career games in Calgary, Tkachuk notched 152 goals and 230 assists for 382 points. He'll now look to replicate that success with the Panthers.

After losing Claude Giroux in free agency to the Ottawa Senators, landing Tkachuk is huge for Florida in its pursuit of a Stanley Cup title.

There's a good chance he plays on the top line alongside Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart, but he could go on the second line with Sam Bennett and Patric Hornqvist to give the Panthers two dangerous scoring lines.

Meanwhile, the Flames deserve credit for receiving a lucrative return package despite the limited leverage because of Tkachuk's contract situation.

Huberdeau is one of the NHL's best play-driving wingers. He recorded a career-high 115 points (30 goals and 85 assists) across 80 appearances last season.

Weegar has improved his point total in each of his six NHL seasons, too. He tallied 44 points (eight goals and 36 helpers) in 80 games this past season, and there's still more offensive upside if he gets additional playing time on the power play in Calgary.

While the Flames secured other assets in Schwindt and the draft picks, the key to the trade will be re-signing Huberdeau and Weegar. They are both potential unrestricted free agents following the 2022-23 campaign.

All told, the trade sent shockwaves throughout the NHL and it could ultimately be a win-win deal for both sides if Calgary retains all the assets it received.