Sean Gentille

A new class-action lawsuit is seeking to win increased rights and compensation for players in the Canadian Hockey League, arguing that North America’s largest junior hockey system — and the ’s main source of talent — violates U.S. antitrust laws. The lawsuit, filed on Feb. 14 in New York federal court, names as defendants the NHL and , comprised of the Ontario Hockey League, the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League. Plaintiffs include the North American division of…

Discussion of the ’s trade deadline battle plan begins with . It’s at least possible that it ends with him, too. The Lightning aren’t alone in their pursuit of the 27-year-old defenseman. Every contender could use someone with his size, skating and two-way ability. No doubt, top-four guys don’t often come around. Hanifin is on top of The Athletic ’s — a fringe No. 1 defenseman with a well-rounded game and no glaring weakness. Advertisement Another of those reasons: Hanifin, barring a serious…

Follow the latest news in . get: Defenseman . get: Defenseman Jakub Zboril, third-round pick in 2027. Sean Gentille: It’s not surprising that someone traded for Peeke. He’s a 6-foot-3, right-shot defenseman who plays with some physicality. Some things, as they say, you just can’t teach. The rest of this deal, though, is a little odd. Boston doesn’t have a glaring need for a player on the right side, for one, while the left side (and the forward group) is another story. Beyond that, they’re in a…

The ’s potential return to the Atlanta metro area, , took another step toward reality on Tuesday. A group of investors fronted by former NHL player Anson Carter formally requested “to commence an expansion process,” per a statement from the group, according to multiple reports Tuesday. Smith Entertainment Group, the owners of the ’s Utah Jazz, , with the aim of bringing a team to Salt Lake City. Advertisement The 32-team NHL isn’t formally pursuing expansion, but the last new franchise, Seattle,…

The simplest way to lift the Stanley Cup, outside of going rogue at the Hockey Hall of Fame, is by building a roster around an elite first-line center. Every team wants one. Very few have one. Thirty-two send out their best options at the start of each game — and within that group, there are plenty of important distinctions to be made. Those distinctions are what we had in mind in the creation of our first edition of the No. 1 Center Tiers, a way to classify the top of every team’s depth chart.…

There’s been plenty of relevant action over the last four days, but only one change in the projected . That should serve as a lesson: Three-point games ruin everything. A few top-line items, and then the first-round projections with six days of games remaining. • The might pull it off. A 6-5 overtime win over the — their seventh in nine games — has them in the East’s second wild-card spot by all of one point. Their playoff odds are now at 56 percent, . , Detroit and are tied behind Pittsburg…

The have agreed to a multiyear contract extension with Bill Zito and promoted him to president of hockey operations and general manager, the organization announced Monday. Good afternoon indeed! We have agreed to a multi-year contract extension with Bill Zito and promoted him to President, Hockey Operations and General Manager. 📝 » — x – Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) In hindsight, it seems even sillier that it took Zito — a longtime player agent, then an assistant general manager in Columbus…

It’s hard to say when, exactly, truly began to win some hearts and change some minds on Tuesday night. Maybe it was in the back half of the second period; that was when the , for the first time in their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the , actually managed to hold a lead for more than, oh, two minutes or thereabouts. Maybe it was when the Avs walked into the locker room up 4-2 with 20 minutes to play. Advertisement Maybe it was midway through the third, when a series of saves by…

If Steven Stamkos’ time as a foundational piece of the is destined to end this summer, he did his part on Saturday to make it last a little longer. Stamkos, perhaps the greatest player in franchise history, scored twice in Tampa Bay’s 6-3 win over the in their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series. The Panthers had a chance to secure the sweep and become the first team to advance, but Stamkos and Co. had other ideas, riding a fast start and strong finish to a series-extending win. Advertiseme…

The turnover rate among head coaches over the last year or so has been preposterous. You’re aware of this. You’ve seen the stats. Let’s recount a few before we start our little exercise, though: • There have been 19 head-coaching changes since last season, including Rick Bowness’ retirement, and 12 this season alone. Advertisement • The last coach to lose his job, Sheldon Keefe, was the fifth-longest tenured in the league. He’d just finished his fifth season with the Leafs. • Taking Keefe’s pla…