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Laine could be traded by Jets, GM says – NHL.com

Published

4 years ago

October 2, 2020

Patrik Laine could be traded by the Winnipeg Jets as they attempt to reshape their roster for the future, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said Friday.

“So we’re looking at all our options, including potentially trading different players,” Cheveldayoff told NHL.com when asked about recent reports that the forward could be traded.

Laine, selected by the Jets with the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, has one season left on a two-year, $13.5 million contract ($6.75 million average annual value) he agreed to Sept. 27, 2019.

The 22-year-old scored 63 points (28 goals, 35 assists) in 68 games this season. He sustained a hand injury in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers against the Calgary Flames and didn’t play again in the postseason. The Jets lost the best-of-5 series in four games after finishing ninth in the Western Conference (37-28-6, .563 points percentage).

Laine said before the season that he wanted to play more with the top line and was looking for more on-ice responsibility. He did see some time with first-line center Mark Scheifele but played with center Cody Eakin and left wing Nikolaj Ehlers late in the regular season and during the postseason.

Laine increased his point production — he had 13 fewer points (50; 30 goals, 20 assists) in 14 more games last season — and his average ice time was up by more than two minutes per game, from 17:14 to 19:25, the highest of his four NHL seasons.

Video: WPG@EDM: Laine one-times goal from the slot

Some of that may have been out of need; the Jets lost 325 man-games to injuries this season and were without center Bryan Little for all but seven games because of a head injury.

Winnipeg also struggled with a revamped defenseman group after veterans Tyler Myers (Vancouver Canucks) and Ben Chiarot (Montreal Canadiens) left via free agency, Jacob Trouba was traded to the New York Rangers, and Dustin Byfuglien took a personal leave of absence before training camp began. Byfuglien missed the entire season. He and the Jets mutually agreed to a contract termination April 17.

“If you look at our team and what has happened to our team over the last little bit, we’ve got the Bryan Little situation and we’re trying to understand what the long-term prognosis is going to be,” Cheveldayoff said. “Essentially a year ago now, Dustin decided to walk away from the game. Unfortunately, we lost our No. 1 defenseman, and our No. 2 center hasn’t been able to be with us since Nov. 5 of last season, when he got hurt.

“And given the decisions we had to make during the summer last year, absent of knowing any of those things we were going to be facing, we have some holes that need to be filled in our organization. We have some prospects coming. Is it fair to everybody to say, ‘We’ll just put those guys in?’ Some people may say that’s the way to go. Some people may say not.”

In order to fill some of those voids, the Jets may consider trading Laine, who has 138 goals since entering the NHL in 2016. That is tied for seventh in the League over that four-season span; he trails Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (181), Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs (158), David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins (155), Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning (153), Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers (147) and Connor McDavid of the Oilers (146).

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Edler to sign one-day contract to retire as a Vancouver Canuck

Published

8 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.

The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.

He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.

The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.

Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.

“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”

Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

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Sixth-ranked Canadian women to face World Cup champion Spain in October friendly

Published

14 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.

Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.

The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.

In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.

Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.

Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.

The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.

Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.

It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.

Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.

FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.

And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.

“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024

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Maple Leafs announce Oreo as new helmet sponsor for upcoming NHL season

Published

18 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.

The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.

The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.

Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.

The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.

Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

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