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The stage is set for a new women's hockey league to begin in January. The Professional Hockey Federation was bought out and members of the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association unanimously ratified a collective bargaining agreement and constitution. But the work is just beginning before the puck drops six months from now. Decisions are yet to come on what the league will be called, who will run it and where each of the six teams will play. There's also the question of how much involvement the NHL will have in supporting the endeavor. Read morePlenty to do with new women's hockey league approaching

The Philadelphia Flyers have signed veteran defenseman Marc Staal to a $1.1 million contract for next season. Staal is coming off helping the Florida Panthers reach the Stanley Cup Final. He fills a void expected to open when Philadelphia trades Tony DeAngelo back to Carolina. Elsewhere around the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Max Domi to a $3 million, one-year contract. Domi joins the organization his dad, Tie, played with for more than a decade. Read moreFlyers sign Marc Staal to a 1-year deal; Leafs add Max Domi

The Nashville Predators, defensive defenseman Ryan Graves and some top goaltenders are among the winners in NHL free agency. Most players looking for long-term contracts and much of Western Canada factor among the losers. Nashville signed a top two-way center in hockey and 2019 playoff MVP Ryan O'Reilly, rugged Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Luke Schenn and a winger in Gustav Nyquist who has something to prove. The moves are the start of new general manager Barry Trotz's chance to put his stamp on the Predators. Read morePredators early winners, players seeking long deals losers

The Vegas Golden Knights have re-signed Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Adin Hill to a two-year deal worth almost $10 million. Hill backstopped the Golden Knights to their first championship in franchise history after stepping in as an injury replacement in the second round of the playoffs. He won 11 of his 14 starts and had the best save percentage in the postseason. Read moreVegas Golden Knights re-sign goalie Adin Hill to a 2-year deal on eve of free agency

A new women's pro hockey league will begin competing in North America as early as January. A co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers has purchased the seven-team Premier Hockey Federation. The new league will bring together North America's most accomplished female players, likely alongside talented players from Europe and Asia. Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter has agreed to buy the PHF's assets, paving the way for the new league to launch. It wasn't immediately known how many teams there will be or their locations. The league also opens the door for potential involvement from the NHL. Read moreNew pro women's hockey league to launch in January

A flat salary cap combined with a lack of high-profile players hitting the market could make the start of the NHL's free agent signing period more of a dud on Saturday. Numerous teams are already being challenged to retain their own players. They include the Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston Bruins, who currently have less than $11 million of space and nine roster spots to fill. The bigger headlines are expected to come from teams re-signing their stars to long-term deals, such as the Sabres and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. The Columbus Blue Jackets, meantime, are anticipated to announce the hiring of Mike Babcock as coach after his existing contract with Toronto expires on Friday. Read moreFlat salary cap and lack of high-profile stars hang over free agency

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired their latest generational talent along with a big dose of speed in one of the NHL's largest draft hauls. They also made another big move for their future Thursday by adding veteran Corey Perry to help teach No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard how to be the leader the Blackhawks need to contend for a Stanley Cup. Chicago general manager Kyle Davidson says he couldn't be happier with how this draft worked out with 11 players taken. The Anaheim Ducks added a big Swedish center to their young, talented offense in Leo Carlsson at No. 2 overall. Read moreNHL draft wraps up with 11 picks for Chicago, dearth of trades

The Colorado Avalanche have acquired forward Ross Colton from the Tampa Bay Lightning. The move almost certainly spells the end of J.T. Compher's time with the Avalanche. A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press that Compher is testing the free agent market. Colton scored in the clinching game when the Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2021. He and Tampa Bay lost to Colorado in 2022. Colton is a pending restricted free agent who's expected to get a raise from the $1.25 million he made last season. Read moreAvalanche trade for Lightning's Ross Colton, expected to lose J.T. Compher

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson can begin building up his roster again after spending much of the past year tearing it down. That process is expected to begin with the Blackhawks selecting forward Connor Bedard with the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft on Wednesday. Beyond that is when the intrigue begins. The intrigue revolves around when Russian Matvei Michkov is selected, because he is under contract to play in his native Russia through 2025-26. Another question is when the first defenseman goes off the board in what is a top-heavy class of forwards. Anaheim has the second pick, followed by Columbus, San Jose and Montreal. Read moreBlackhawks set to begin rebuild with Bedard

NEW YORK � The 2023-24 NHL season opens on Oct. 10 with a tripleheader headlined by the Vegas Golden Knights raising their first Stanley Cup banner. Read moreGolden Knights to open title defense versus Kraken

The NHL and NHLPA are launching a new Player Inclusion Coalition aimed at diversifying hockey and making it more welcoming. The 20-member group includes current and former men's and women's players with minority and LGBTQ+ representation. It's the latest step in a process started in the summer of 2020 when the police killing of George Floyd led to a worldwide reckoning on racial matters. It also comes on the heels of several incidents related to Pride nights around the league, when a handful of players refused to wear rainbow-colored jerseys for warmups. Read moreNHL, players unveil inclusion coalition

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Taylor Hall in a trade with the Boston Bruins on Monday, putting the veteran forward in line to play with the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL draft once again. The Blackhawks sent defensemen Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula to Boston for Hall and forward Nick Foligno, creating some valuable salary-cap space for the Bruins heading into free agency. Read moreChicago Blackhawks acquire Taylor Hall in multiplayer deal with Boston Bruins