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• Why you shouldn’t cheer for Chicago, by a Boston fan

Flames acquire Corban Knight via trade with Panthers

2013-06-18T17:22:21Z

The Calgary Flames have acquired forward Corban Knight from the Florida Panthers in exchange for a fourth-round draft selection in the 2013 NHL Draft.

Knight was originally selected by Florida in the fifth round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

The 22-year-old British Columbia native has spent the last four seasons playing for the University of North Dakota. He has yet to sign an entry-level contract or make his professional debut. In 161 games played at North Dakota, Knight has accumulated 52 goals, 94 assists and 146 points.

For offseason Flames news visit: Matchsticks and Gasoline

Now that the Flames have acquired Knight's rights, they will need to sign him to an entry-level contract. General manager Jay Feaster stated in a press release that the team will do so when they are permitted after July 5. According to Feaster, Florida permitted the Flames to engage in discussions with Knight after contract negotiations failed to materialize this spring.

After talking to Knight and his agent over the past 10 days, Feaster was convinced that the player is interested in starting his career in Calgary.

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Oren Koules not looking to buy or invest in Devils, according to report

2013-06-18T16:09:19Z

Former Tampa Bay Lightning owner Oren Koules is not attempting to buy a minority stake in the New Jersey Devils, according to Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Record.

Citing sources, Gulitti reports that the tandem of Kroules and Brian Lawton are not looking to buy or invest into the Devils' franchise. While Koules was interested in investing in the Phoenix Coyotes, he is reportedly no longer involved in that situation.

The New York Post originally reported that Devils' owner Jeff Vanderbeek failed to make a $3 million interest payment in April. This comes a few months after Vanderbeek had restructured the team's debt. According to the Post's account, the NHL was looking for minority shareholders to help absolve some of the Devils' debts.

NHL deputy commissioner told Guilitti that the league is not concerned about the long-term stability of the Devils in Newark and denied the accuracy of the report.

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Pavel Datsyuk agrees to three-year contract extension with Red Wings

2013-06-18T15:06:26Z

Detroit Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk confirmed on Tuesday morning that he has agreed to a three-year extension with the team. The confirmation came via Datsyuk's official twitter account.

Signed 3 yr. extension. Detroit, glad to be here for 4 more yrs.Thanks to our fans, friends and Ilitch family @DetroitRedWings @danmilstein
— Pavel Datsyuk (@Datsyuk13) June 18, 2013

Datsyuk was entering the final year of a seven-year, $46.9 million contract and would become an unrestricted free agent next season. That means that the extension won't begin until the 2014-15 season and will carry through until the completion of 2016-17.

The financial terms of the agreement have yet to be released.

Datsyuk's agent, Gary Greenstein, previously told Ansar Khan of MLive.com that the two sides were close to an extension. Greenstein told Khan that he was flying into Detroit on Monday to speak with Red Wings manager Ken Holland. The agent stated that there was a good possibility that an agreement would be reached by week's end.

While Datsyuk tweeted that he has signed the deal, the agreement can't be officially submitted to the league prior to July 5.

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Marian Hossa injury: Blackhawks F was not hurt during warm-up, says coach

2013-06-18T14:47:28Z

Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville denied that Marian Hossa was injured during warm-ups for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night.

Chicago Blackhawks star forward Marian Hossa was unable to play in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins due to an apparent upper-body injury, according to head coach Joel Quenneville during his post-game media availability.

While Quenneville never identified when the injury was sustained, he stated that the decision to scratch Hossa was made after warm-ups.

"It was a game-time decision after the warm-up there," Quenneville said of the situation. "That's when we made the call, after warm-up."

Most accounts have made it seem as though Hossa sustained the injury during warm-ups for the game. This is likely due to a posting on the Blackhawks twitter account. However, Quenneville flatly denied that anything happened to Hossa during warm-ups.

In addition, captain Jonathan Toews stated that the team understood all day on Monday that Hossa might not be available to play that night.

"It's something that we were prepared for all day, that he might not play," Toews said of Hossa. "Sometimes you're missing one of your best players, and you've got to find a way to play without him."

The extent of Hossa's injury is currently unknown. Quenneville stated that Hossa is considered day-to-day and that he hopes to have him available for Game 4 on Wednesday night. Hossa is currently tied for the team-led in points with 15 (seven goals, eight assists).

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Marian Hossa injury: Blackhawks F was not hurt during warmup, says coach

2013-06-18T14:43:40Z

While Quenneville never identified when the injury was sustained, he stated that the decision to scratch Hossa was made after warmups.

"It was a game-time decision after the warmup there," Quenneville said of the situation. "That's when we made the call, after warmup."

Most accounts have made it seem as though Hossa sustained the injury during warmups for the game. This is likely due to a posting on the Blackhawks' Twitter account. However, Quenneville flatly denied that anything happened to Hossa during warmups.

In addition, captain Jonathan Toews stated that the team understood all day on Monday that Hossa might not be available to play that night.

"It's something that we were prepared for all day, that he might not play," Toews said of Hossa. "Sometimes you're missing one of your best players, and you've got to find a way to play without him."

The extent of Hossa's injury is currently unknown. Quenneville stated that Hossa is considered day-to-day and that he hopes to have him available for Game 4 on Wednesday night. Hossa is currently tied for the team lead in points this postseason with 15 (seven goals, eight assists).

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Devils seek minority shareholder, according to report

2013-06-18T14:01:13Z

The NHL is in discussions with former Tampa Bay Lightning owner Oren Koules and retired player Brian Lawton to become minority shareholders in the New Jersey Devils, according to a report by Josh Kosman and Larry Brooks of the New York Post on Tuesday.

This development coincides with a report from Kosman on Monday, which stated that Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek missed a $3 million interest payment in April. The missed payment came four months after Vanderbeek restructured his debt at the end of December. The team's owner struck a deal at the end of 2012, which refinanced the club's debts and allowed him to take over majority control of the franchise from his partners.

In doing so, Vanderbeek combined the debts of Devils Arena Entertainment, which includes a reported $170 million loan owed to lenders. According to Kosman, the team is looking to raise as much as $20 million by taking on a minority shareholder.

That's where Koules and Lawton come into play. The two are debating how much they are willing to contribute to paying off the debt. In addition, Koules and Lawton are believed to have an option to eventually take over majority control of the franchise if they are able to cover the loses incurred by the franchise to a certain point. However, Vanderbeek also has the opportunity to remain in charge in the event that he can turn around the team's finances in the next few years.

Brooks and Kosman were declined comment by the Devils and the NHL, while Koules and Lawton did not respond to requests.

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Logan Couture agrees to contract extension with Sharks, according to report

2013-06-18T13:24:28Z

The San Jose Sharks have come to terms on a contract extension with forward Logan Couture, according to Brodie Brazil of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area on Monday night.

The extension is a five-year, $30 million deal, which will carry an annual average value of $6 million, according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. The deal can't be formally submitted to the league prior to July 5. Brazil's account came shortly after Couture posted this tweet on his personal account:

😃 Big dayyyyy
— Logan Couture (@Logancouture) June 18, 2013

Couture is entering the final year of a two-year, $5.75 million contract. The 24-year-old forward was scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2013-14 season.

Originally selected with the No. 9 overall selection in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Couture has collected 89 goals and 78 assists for 167 points in 232 career regular season games. He completed the '13 playoffs as a point-per-game player (five goals, six assists) and is largely viewed as the Sharks' primary building block heading into the future.

In addition to Couture, Dan Boyle, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are entering the final years of their contracts in 2013-14.

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