- Yardbarker
Five NHL teams who have improved the most so far this summer
Many mainstream analysts considered the Coyotes a disaster after head coach Dave Tippett parted ways with the organization. However, wunderkind general manager John Chayka masterfully maneuvered his roster into a respectable, veteran-filled team. Bringing in Niklas Hjalmarsson from Chicago for bottom-pair defenseman Connor Murphy and prospect Laurent Dauphin was a much-needed deal bringing a proven winner with excellent puck-possession skills to a talented backend, including Oliver Ekman-Larsson and 19-year-old Jakob Chychrun. Offensively, trading for center Derek Stepan gives new coach Rick Tocchet a top-line player up the middle. Meanwhile, the likes of Clayton Keller, Max Domi, Dylan Strome
- NBC Sports
Weight hopes Eberle can re-discover ‘eye of the tiger’ with Islanders
Jordan Eberle had a difficult season at times in 2016-17. You can understand why having a skilled winger to perhaps play alongside center John Tavares — at least that’s the expectation prior to training camp — would be intriguing for head coach Doug Weight as the new season approaches. “Jordan, to me, is really, really exciting,” Weight recently told the NHL Network.
- Puck Daddy
Henrik Zetterberg may quit in two years, says contract was cap trickery
Henrik Zetterberg is scheduled to make $7 million in base salary in 2017-18, which is down $500,000 from the base salary he’s made in the last four seasons. After that, it’s a slippery slope for his 12-year, $73-million contract he signed with the Detroit Red Wings in 2009. Zetterberg will be 40 by the time it wraps up.
