[ad_1] 10:48 AM ETEmily KaplanESPN The still-unnamed Seattle franchise is two years away from debuting in the NHL, but the league's 32nd team has its first GM. That's Ron Francis, the Hall of Fame player who spent four years as the Carolina Hurricanes GM before being demoted, then fired, under new owner Tom Dundon in 2018.Francis landed a coveted job in Seattle and has about 27 months before the 2021-22
[ad_1] 9:10 AM ETGreg WyshynskiESPN If I were one of the executives hiring Ron Francis as the first general manager of the Seattle Whatevers -- and I'm still all-in on the "Sasquatch" or "Kraken," for the record -- my first question would have been a simple one:"How much of that was your fault?"Under Francis, the Carolina Hurricanes had a record of 137-138-53 with Bill Peters behind the bench, the only
[ad_1] 11:05 PM ETKelly CohenESPN If you ever wanted to know what some of your favorite athletes will look like in 50 years, look no further than Twitter and Instagram today.By using FaceApp's old age feature, anyone can see what they'll look like decades from now, and everyone from Steph Curry to Dwyane Wade to JuJu Smith-Schuster to Yasiel Puig joined in on the viral craze. Even some teams participated
[ad_1] While hundreds of free agents have signed with NHL teams this summer (at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars in total), some notable names remain on the market. Will they re-sign with their 2018-19 clubs, or move on to new opportunities? Our panel debates the 2019-20 destinations for five of the biggest names left:2018-19 team: Toronto Maple Leafs2018-19 cap hit: $4.05 millionGreg Wyshynski, senior NHL writer: The
[ad_1] 4:25 PM ETGreg WyshynskiESPN The St. Louis Blues' Stanley Cup championship run had a ubiquitous soundtrack to it: Laura Branigan's 1982 disco classic "Gloria," which became the team's postgame victory song, while "Play Gloria!" became a rallying cry found on T-shirts, hats and other trinkets sold inside and outside the arena during the postseason.The Philadelphia bar that inspired the Blues' "Gloria" craze believes it's only fair that it share
[ad_1] 10:30 AM ETGreg WyshynskiESPN The NHL free-agent feeding frenzy has been reduced to a few nibbles. Team executives have absconded to their cottages. Hockey insiders are firing up their blenders for frozen beverages rather than Twitter for breaking news.So, as hockey reaches its contemplative stretch of summer, what exactly have we learned from the last few weeks of the offseason? Here are 10 lessons, harsh or otherwise:1. Offer sheets
[ad_1] 11:35 AM ETGreg WyshynskiESPN This is the velocity of an offer sheet.Within a span of 24 hours, Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin went from lauded maverick to short-sighted dupe. Sebastian Aho, the 21-year-old Carolina Hurricanes center he signed to a five-year, $42.27 million contract offer sheet, went from traitorous opportunist to naïve soul manipulated by his nefarious agent. The Carolina Hurricanes went from a poaching ground for an
[ad_1] 7:00 AM ETEmily KaplanESPN The dawn of NHL free agency was crazy, including tons of player movement, a few high-profile trades and the greatest NHL unicorn of them all -- a signed offer sheet.You might be wondering what exactly an offer sheet is and why the Montreal Canadiens applied one on 21-year-old Canes center Sebastian Aho. Here's a quick explainer:What is an offer sheet?Offer sheets can be fun. Offer
[ad_1] 8:25 PM ETEmily KaplanGreg WyshynskiThe first day of NHL free agency saw a flurry of moves, as the Columbus Blue Jackets' big three of Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Duchene all found new homes. What's more, we finally saw another offer sheet tendered and signed, as the Carolina Hurricanes now have seven days to decide whether to match the Montreal Canadiens' offer on budding superstar Sebastian Aho.But these
[ad_1] Artemi Panarin, arguably the top free agent this offseason, has chosen the New York Rangers.Panarin signed a seven-year, $81.5 million deal with the Rangers, general manager Jeff Gorton confirmed. The 27-year-old was reportedly also pursued by the New York Islanders and Florida Panthers."We know he definitely wants to be here in New York, specifically with the Rangers," team president John Davidson said. "It's a perfect fit."Panarin now has the
