NHL Pacific

The New York Rangers have "recently inquired" about a potential trade for Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller, according to The Athletic's Arthur Staple and Peter Baugh.

Miller last played on Nov. 17 before the Canucks announced he was taking "indefinite leave for personal reasons."

Staple and Baugh called the inquiry "a long shot" due both to Miller's leave and his contract. The 31-year-old forward is currently in the second season of a seven-year, $56 million deal he signed with the Canucks in 2022.

The Rangers also pursued Miller ahead of the 2021-22 trade deadline, but the deal fell apart because New York was unwilling to trade Braden Schneider, per Staple and Baugh.

New York is set to spend $22 million against the cap to pay Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, Mika Zibanejad and Jacob Trouba next season, per Spotrac. If pending UFA Igor Shesterkin gets an extension, the Rangers are on track to dedicate more than 50 percent of the 2025-26 cap to their top five players.

Add in Alexis Lafrenière, Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck and the Rangers already have their core locked in for at least one more season.

That could be a problem for general manager Chris Drury, who Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on Nov. 25 has "made it very clear they are interested in making moves and shaking up their roster."

"Among the names indicated are Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba, although other options will be considered," Friedman wrote.

The New York Post's Mollie Walker then reported that Drury "sent a memo to all 31 of his NHL counterparts announcing that the Rangers are open for business."

The memo listed "multiple players as available" other than Kreider and Trouba, Walker reported.

Zibanejad would make the most sense to move out if the Rangers took a swing at a top-line center like Miller.

But Zibanejad has almost a full no-movement clause on his contract, which has him locked in with the Rangers through 2029-30, per Spotrac. Panarin and Trocheck have similar restrictions.

The NHL trade deadline isn't until March 7. With two thirds of the regular season still remaining, other teams may be planning to wait until their playoff hopes— or lack thereof— are clearer before agreeing to a major trade. That will present a challenge to Drury's apparent hopes of securing a significant deal this calendar year.

At 12-8-1, the Rangers sit fourth in the Metropolitan Division and in an Eastern Conference wild card spot through 21 games.

Vancouver Canucks center J.T. Miller is taking an indefinite leave of absence "for personal reasons," the team announced Tuesday.

"Right now, our sole focus is making sure that J.T. knows the entire organization is here to support him," general manager Patrik Allvin said in a statement. "Out of respect to J.T., we will have no further comment at this time."

Miller is in his sixth campaign with the Canucks and 13th in the NHL. He had recorded six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in 17 games this season.

Most recently Miller skated a season-low 11:41 during Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators.

His final shift of the night ended with 14:40 remaining in regulation. He did not return to the ice, despite a late goal from Kiefer Sherwood that put Vancouver within one tally of tying the contest with six minutes left.

"Didn't think he was one of the guys that could get us back in the game," head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters on Sunday night when asked about Miller's limited ice time in the third period (h/t Sportsnet 360's Josh Elliott-Wolfe.)

When asked if Miller's limited play was related to an injury, Tocchet answered, "No."

As the Canucks' top-line center, Miller provided a veteran presence between Pius Suter and rookie Jonathan Lekkerimäki.

Elias Pettersson could move up to anchor the first line in his absence, which will test the Canucks' center depth as well as the team's penalty kill and power play.

Miller is playing in the second season of a seven-year, $56 million contract with the Canucks. Last season he cleared the 100-point plateau for the first time in his career while helping lead Vancouver to the second round.

In 381 regular-season games Miller has recorded 269 assists for the Canucks, good for the tenth most in franchise history.

Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid will return to the ice for Wednesday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights.

He told reporters he "feel(s) good" and is "looking forward to going and getting back in there."

McDavid has been out of action since Edmonton's 6-1 defeat to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 28 due to an ankle injury.

The Oilers initially set his timeline to return at two to three weeks, so coming back by Wednesday beats even the most conservative estimates.

"I certainly did, I felt not very good about it," he said of his initial concerns over the injury. "Ultimately, sometimes it can feel bad and swell up and stuff, but it can clear up pretty quick."

Having the 27-year-old is a massive boost for Edmonton, which has regained its footing after a 2-4-1 start to the 2024-25 season. The team has won four of its last six games and is only one point behind the St. Louis Blues for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Despite the time missed because of his ankle injury, McDavid is second on the Oilers in points (10) with three goals and seven assists.

After a dazzling performance in his NHL debut, Macklin Celebrini is going to miss time due to a lower-body injury.

The San Jose Sharks announced on Saturday that the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft has been placed on injured reserve, with Jack Thompson being recalled from the AHL to take Celebrini's spot on the roster.

Per NHL rules, a player on injured reserve must sit out for a minimum of seven days. A player who is expected to miss at least 10 games and 24 days during the season can be placed on long-term injured reserve.

There is no indication at this point how long Celebrini is expected to be out of action.

Head coach Ryan Warsofsky told reporters that Celebrini was being evaluated for a lower-body injury that had been bothering him during training camp and preseason.

There was no indication from the first game of the regular season that anything was wrong. Celebrini scored his first career goal seven minutes into the first period against the St. Louis Blues.

Celebrini assisted on Tyler Toffoli's goal late in the first period. The Sharks would go on to lose the game 5-4 in overtime, but the 18-year-old phenom offered the franchise a strong glimpse of what the future will look like with him as the centerpiece.

The Boston University alum was on the ice for a total of 17:35 in the opener. He was selected with the top pick in June's draft after becoming the youngest player ever to win the Hobey Baker Award as the nation's top college player.

Celebrini finished with 64 points in 38 games during his freshman campaign for the Terriers.

The earliest date Celebrini will be able to return is Oct. 19. The Sharks will play four games between now and then, starting with Saturday's matchup against the Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center in San Jose.

The first game that Celebrini would be eligible to play is against the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 20.

It's a new era in Anaheim.

The Anaheim Ducks showcased their new rebranded look on the ice on Thursday at the Upper Deck NHLPA Rookie showcase.

Ducks rookie Cutter Gauthier was the featured player as he was shown possessing the puck mid-stride as well as celebrating after a goal. The new uniforms feature a throwback to the team's "Mighty Ducks" logo as well as a switch to orange as the dominant color. The old Ducks logo is featured on the shoulders of the jersey.

In addition to orange, the scheme also features some black, white and gold. This is the Ducks first rebrand since 2005, when the team changed from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. That era of the team was based on the Disney movie The Mighty Ducks and featured a white, green and purple color scheme.

The 2005 rebrand switched to black, orange and gold but the orange was more of an undertone. Now, orange takes over as the main color.

The Ducks have not reached the postseason since 2018 and have been at the bottom of the NHL for the last several season. However, players like Gauthier, Leo Carlson, Olen Zellweger and 2024 No. 3 pick Beckett Sennecke represent a bright future and a rebrand around the young talent shows that improvement is coming soon.

The Ducks will officially debut the new look in the regular season on Oct. 12 against the San Jose Sharks. The first look at the home jerseys in action will come on Oct. 16 against Utah.

The Edmonton Oilers made superstar center Leon Draisaitl one of the most highly paid players in NHL history with a contract extension Tuesday.

The Oilers announced that they agreed to an eight-year, $112 million deal with Draisaitl, which will pay him $14 million annually.

Per Frank Seravalli, that makes Draisaitl the highest-paid player in NHL history in terms of average annual value, although the total value of his deal is behind the 13-year, $124 million contract Alex Ovechkin signed with the Washington Capitals in 2008.

Per SI.com's Karl Rasmussen, the 10 largest contracts in NHL history in total value are now as follows:

1. Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals): $124 million
2. Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers): $112 million
3. Shea Weber (Nashville Predators): $110 million
4. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins): $104.4 million
5. Ilya Kovalchuk (New Jersey Devils): $102 million
6. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche): $100.8 million
7. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers): $100 million
8. Ryan Suter (Minnesota Wild): $98 million
9. Zach Parise (Minnesota Wild): $98 million
10. Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks): $92.8 million

Before signing his new deal, Draisaitl was set to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2024-25 season.

His new contract sets the Oilers up to continue deploying one of the league's best center lineups. Edmonton's captain, Connor McDavid, is currently signed through the 2025-26 campaign, but he figures to set the record for largest contract in NHL history when he gets his new deal.

Draisaitl's re-signing comes after both he and McDavid expressed hope he would sign an extension in postseason interviews.

"I love being an Oiler more than anything," Draisaitl said June 26 after the Edmonton's Stanley Cup Final loss to the Florida Panthers, per Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Journal.

Draisaitl will now continue being an Oiler, while Edmonton will hold on to a player who in 2023-24 recorded 40 goals and 100 points for the fifth time in six regular seasons.

He added 10 goals and 21 assists through 25 playoff games to help the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006.

Draisaitl, the No. 3 pick of the 2014 draft, is heading into his 11th season in Edmonton. He spent the past six campaigns as one of the most consistent producers in the NHL.

Since the beginning of the 2018-19 season, Draisaitl has established himself as arguably the best German NHL player of all time by racking up 272 goals and 643 points in his last 450 regular-season contests.

Only McDavid has more points, and only Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews has more goals, over that span.

Draisaitl's connection with McDavid has helped the Oilers maintain the most dangerous power play in the NHL over those six seasons, while his ability to succeed on his own at 5v5 has allowed Edmonton to deploy their two most efficient scorers on separate lines.

The Oilers will continue leaning on Draisaitl to drive the second line as Edmonton looks to earn redemption from their Cup Final loss with a championship in 2025.

Draisaitl's extension could also help the Oilers entice McDavid to stick around in Edmonton when the captain becomes eligible to sign a new contract next summer.

After leading the Edmonton Oilers to a Stanley Cup Final appearance last season, Leon Draisaitl has agreed to a contract extension that will make him the highest-paid player in the NHL.

The Oilers announced on Tuesday that Draisaitl will sign an eight-year deal worth $14 million per season.

The $14 million annual salary for Draisaitl is the highest in NHL history. The total value of $112 million is the second-richest in league history, trailing only Alex Ovechkin's 13-year, $124 million deal that was signed in January 2008.

Draisaitl is just the seventh player who has receive a contract extension worth at least $100 million. He is the first player to get one since the Colorado Avalanche signed Nathan MacKinnon to an eight-year, $100.8 million deal in September 2022.

Edmonton now has two players who have signed $100 million deals. Connor McDavid has two years remaining on his eight-year, $100 million extension that was signed back in July 2017.

The Draisaitl-McDavid pairing has formed one of the most impactful duos in NHL history. Since they joined forces starting with the 2015-16 season, they have combined for 1,843 points in 1,327 games.

Prior to selecting Draisaitl with the No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft, the Oilers had missed the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons. They finished last in their division five times during that span.

The Oilers have made the postseason in six of the past eight seasons, including each of the previous five years. They advanced to the Stanley Cup Final last season for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign.

Edmonton became just the third team in NHL history to force a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final after falling behind 3-0 in the series. The last time it happened was 1945 when the Detroit Red Wings did it against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Oilers were unable to complete the historic comeback with a 2-1 loss at Florida in the decisive seventh game.

Draisaitl racked up 31 points in 25 games for the Oilers during that postseason run. The 28-year-old has put up at least 40 goals and 100 points in five of the past six seasons.

The Seattle Kraken have locked in Matty Beniers through the 2030-31 season.

The Kraken and Beniers agreed to a seven-year extension worth $7.14 million per year, the team announced Tuesday.

Beniers, the 2022-23 Calder Trophy winner and No. 2 pick of the 2021 draft, was previously a restricted free agent.

The 21-year-old recorded 15 goals and 37 points in 77 games for the Kraken last season.

Beniers spent most of the 2023-24 campaign skating on the Kraken's first line between veteran wingers Jared McCann and Jordan Eberle.

With Eberle signed through 2026 and McCann locked in until 2027, the extension will allow the Kraken to keep that trio together for a third straight season.

Beniers, a former University of Michigan standout, made his NHL debut in April 2022. He played 10 games for the Kraken that season before joining the roster full-time in 2022-23.

Because Beniers spent the first year of his three-season rookie contract at Michigan, the Kraken had just two full NHL seasons to evaluate when negotiating his extension.

In those two seasons, Beniers recorded 42 goals and 61 assists for 103 points in 167 career games, adding three goals and four assists for seven points in 14 games during the Kraken's two-round playoff run in 2023.

Beniers missed time due to an upper-body injury and saw a drop in his shooting percentage in 2023-24, a combination of factors that led to him falling short of matching the 24-goal rookie campaign that earned him the Calder Trophy.

He took a similar number of shots in both campaigns, however, so the Kraken have reason to hope Beniers' scoring will rebound as he looks to climb back over the 50-point threshold this fall.

Beniers' offensive production will be critical for the Kraken as the team looks to return to the playoffs for the second time in four years of franchise history with him as their first-line center.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and his wife Lauren Kyle were married this summer in Ontario, Canada.

The two celebrated their wedding on Lake Muskoka, which is located about two hours north of Toronto, according to new photos published by Vogue Australia.

McDavid had proposed to Kyle at the pair's cottage in the same area the summer prior.

Kyle told Vogue Australia's Will Lennox that McDavid's vows were "an unexpected element of the wedding."

"He is usually more reserved and quiet about his emotions but his vows were so emotional and heartfelt—it was really special to share that in front of all of our friends and family," Kyle said.

McDavid and Kyle, who have been dating since 2015, announced their engagement in June 2023. The two have a miniature bernedoodle together.

Kyle runs Kyle & Co. Design Studio, an interior design company based in Edmonton, while McDavid is heading into his 10th season with the Oilers.

McDavid, who is one of five NHL players to record 100 assists in a single season following his 132-point 2023-24 campaign, led the Oilers to within one win of the Stanley Cup in June. By the time he and his wife celebrate their first wedding anniversary, he will hope to have earned redemption with a championship in 2025.