The New Jersey Devils and forward Jesper Bratt agreed to terms on an eight-year contract worth $63 million on Thursday.

The 24-year-old Swede was slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

"It was always a priority to keep Jesper Bratt here long term and both parties are thrilled that a deal was completed," Devils executive vice president and general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. "I value and commend the commitment Jesper made to this organization.

“We believe that he is a special player and a key member of our core group of talent who will contribute towards the team's long-term success, and organizational goal of bringing the Stanley Cup back to New Jersey."

The Devils selected Bratt in the sixth round (162nd overall) of the 2016 draft, and he made his NHL debut in 2017-18.

Bratt’s last two seasons were his best in the NHL with a career-high 73 points in each campaign. He set a personal best with 32 goals in 2022-23 to rank second on New Jersey.

Captain Mark Stone had a hat trick and the Vegas Golden Knights scored four unanswered goals in the second period in a 9-3 rout of the Florida Panthers on Tuesday to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup title.

Alec Martinez triggered the four-goal outburst midway through the second period in Game 5 before Reilly Smith, Stone and Michael Amadio added goals to extend the lead to 6-1.

Stone completed his second career postseason hat trick with an empty-net goal to help Vegas capture the Stanley Cup in its sixth season. Only the 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers won the Cup in fewer seasons (five).

Florida played without star forward Matthew Tkachuk, who was sidelined with an injury he suffered in Game 3.

Tkachuk, who led the Panthers with 11 goals and 24 points this postseason, went into the NHL’s concussion protocol after he absorbed a crushing hit from Vegas forward Keegan Kolesar in Game 3 and missed much of the third period in Game 4.

Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault won the Conn Smythe Trophy, given to the most valuable player during the playoffs. Marchessault – an original member of the Golden Knights - tied for the postsesason lead with 13 goals and led all players with 25 points. 

The New York Rangers have named Peter Laviolette the 37th head coach in franchise history on Tuesday.

The 58-year-old Laviolette has two decades of head coaching experience in the NHL, has won a Stanley Cup title and is one of just four coaches in league history to lead three different teams to the Cup final.

"We are thrilled that Peter will be the next head coach of the New York Rangers," Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury said in a statement. "With Peter's extensive experience as a head coach in the National Hockey League, as well as the success his teams have had at several levels throughout his career, we are excited about what the future holds with him leading our team."

Laviolette takes over for Gerard Gallant, who mutually parted ways with New York on May 6 after two seasons in charge.

Gallant led the Rangers to the Eastern Conference final in 2021-22, but the team took a step back this season, losing in the first round of the playoffs.

This will be Laviolette's sixth NHL head coaching job - and fifth stop within the Metropolitan Division - after spending the last three seasons behind the Washington Capitals bench.

The Capitals decided against renewing his contract in April after the team missed the playoffs with a 35-37-10 record - the club's worst since Alex Ovechkin's second season in the league in 2006-07.

Although Washington lost in the first round of the playoffs in Laviolette's first two seasons, he has a history of success in the playoffs, guiding the Carolina Hurricanes to the 2006 Stanley Cup title, while also reaching the Cup Final with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and Nashville Predators in 2017.

Laviolette, who began his NHL coaching career with the New York Islanders in 2001-02, has an overall record of 76-72 in 12 trips to the playoffs.

His 752 career wins in the regular season are eighth-most all-time, and first among all U.S.-born coaches.

This will be his second stint as part of the Rangers organisation after appearing in 12 games as a player during the 1988-89 season.

The Calgary Flames hired Ryan Huska to be their next head coach on Monday, opting to stay in-house after missing the playoffs this season.

Huska has coached in the Flames organization since taking over as head coach of Calgary’s American Hockey League affiliate in 2014-15.

He joined the Flames as an assistant coach in 2018.

"Following a detailed search process, today we are proud to introduce Ryan Huska as head coach of the Calgary Flames," said Craig Conroy, who was named Flames general manager last month.

"While continuity and familiarity are a benefit, we have witnessed first-hand Ryan's work ethic; he is a clear communicator who builds trust with his players; and he's a critical thinker with a plan.

"Ryan provides 11 seasons of bench experience as a head coach from the WHL and the AHL and over 20 years coaching in total, including knowledge gained as an assistant coach in Calgary for the past five seasons.

“Ryan has earned this opportunity and we are confident he is the right coach for our team."

Huska went 303-164-37 in seven seasons as a head coach in the Western Hockey League and

135-118-27 in four years in the AHL.

He never had a losing record in any of those 11 seasons and reached the playoffs eight times.

"I'm honoured to have earned the trust of Flames ownership, of Craig and the entire management group to coach this team," Huska said.

"My position coming into this is a little different than most as I know our players very well. We have good people in our dressing room, excellent hockey players who want to win.

“My job is to inspire them every single day to help get our team to the next level."

Huska takes over for Darryl Sutter, who led Calgary to a 38-27-17 record last season.

The Flames went 50-21-11 in in 2021-22 to finish with 111 points – the second-most in franchise history - before being eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference semifinals.

The Vegas Golden Knights are one win away from winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in the franchise’s brief history.

The Golden Knights jumped out to a 3-0 lead then held on to beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Saturday, claiming a 3-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final.

On Tuesday, the series will shift back to Las Vegas where the Golden Knights will have the opportunity to hoist the Stanley Cup on home ice.

Chandler Stephenson scored two goals for Vegas, including one just 1:39 into the first period, and the Panthers played from behind the rest of the way.

William Karlsson scored his first goal of the Cup Final midway through the second period to put the Golden Knights up 3-0.

Florida’s Brandon Montour got the home team back in the game with a goal before second intermission, and Aleksander Barkov’s tally 3:50 into the third period closed the deficit to one.

Vegas goaltender Adin Hill stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced and stopped a Carter Verhaeghe slapshot in the game’s final seconds to seal the Game 4 victory.

“Obviously, that was a battle till the last second,” Vegas forward Nicolas Roy told reporters after the game. “They pushed back there. We knew they would. They’ve been doing it all series. But it’s nice to get that one, for sure.”

The Panthers are now tasked with rallying to win three straight games against a favored opponent, a task they accomplished in the first round against the record-setting Boston Bruins.

“We've earned the right to play our best hockey,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “Where we’ve been at our strongest is at the most critical time. I think you’ll see that.”

Carter Verhaeghe scored 4:27 into overtime and the Florida Panthers rallied for a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday to cut their deficit in the Stanley Cup Final to 2-1.

Vegas appeared headed for a 3-0 series lead with a lead late in regulation, but Matthew Tkachuk scored off a rebound with 2:13 remaining to force the extra period.

After the Panthers killed off a penalty to start overtime, Verhaeghe scored on Florida’s first shot of the extra session by firing a wrister from the high slot through traffic and past Adin Hill.

Brandon Montour also scored and Sergei Bobrovksy stopped 25 shots as the Panthers notched their first-ever win in the Stanley Cup Final after they were swept by Colorado in 1996.

Florida improved to 7-0 in overtime in these playoffs, recording more wins in OT than in regulation.

Jonathan Marchessault and Mark Stone had power-play goals for Vegas. Marchessault’s goal was his 13th in his last 13 playoff games and his fourth of the series.  

Florida lost Tkachuk early in the first period after he took a big hit from Vegas’ Keegan Kolesar. Tkachuk missed the rest of the period but returned a few minutes into the second.

Game 4 is Saturday in Florida.

Jonathan Marchessault had two goals and an assist and the Vegas Golden Knights put on another dominant performance en route to a 7-2 rout of the Florida Panthers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday.

Brett Howden also scored two goals as Vegas took a commanding 2-0 series lead and moved within two victories of the franchise's first Stanley Cup title. Four other Golden Knights players finished with two points as the Western Conference regular-season champions recorded at least five goals in a third straight game, a stretch in which they've outscored their opponents by a whopping 18-4 margin.

Vegas also cooled off one of the NHL's hottest goaltenders of this postseason for a second consecutive game, as Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled 7:10 into the second period after yielding four goals on 13 shots.

Bobrovsky entered this series having won 11 of his last 12 starts while compiling a stellar 1.95 goals-against average and .942 save percentage over that time frame.

The Knights got to Bobrovsky early in Game 2 as Marchessault scored on a power play 7:05 in. The forward picked up an assist later in the period on Alec Martinez's goal that staked Vegas to a 2-0 lead entering the first intermission.

Nicolas Roy extended the margin to 3-0 when he beat Bobrovsky less than three minutes into the second period. Howden then scored his first of the night just over four minutes later to chase the Panthers netminder.

Anton Lundell got Florida on the board just 14 seconds into the third period, but Marchessault answered with his 12th goal of this postseason - a Vegas franchise record - to push the lead to 5-1 with just over two minutes elapsed in the session.

Michael Amadio put Vegas up by five goals midway through the third. Florida's Matthew Tkachuk responded with his team-leading 10th goal of the postseason just over two minutes later before Howden closed out the scoring with a power-play goal with 2:08 remaining.

Adin Hill finished with 29 saves for Vegas, which will try to maintain its momentum when the series shifts to Florida for Thursday's Game 3.

The Anaheim Ducks have a new man behind the bench, hiring veteran assistant Greg Cronin as head coach on Monday.

The 60-year-old Cronin will serve as an NHL head coach for the first time and comes to the Ducks with 36 years of prior experience as a coach and in player development.

He will be the 11th coach in franchise history.

"While we did cast a wide net in searching for the next head coach, it became clear to me that Greg would be the ideal fit for the position," Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said.

Cronin has 12 years of experience in the NHL as an assistant, working with the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders, and spent the past five seasons as head coach of the Colorado Eagles of the AHL.

He joins an Anaheim team that is in the midst of one of the worst stretches in franchise history, having finished sixth or worst in the division each of the last five years, and had the NHL's worst record this season at 23-47-12.

The Ducks were abysmal on defense, allowing a franchise-worst 335 goals - the most by any NHL team since the 1995-96 San Jose Sharks permitted 357.

Having missed the playoffs each of the last five seasons - the longest such stretch in franchise history - Verbeek believes Cronin has the coaching qualities necessary for a rebuilding team.

"Being a young team, I felt we needed a teacher of the finer points of the game, and someone who has worked extensively over time with talented young players, helping them develop into successful NHL players," he said. "Greg has done all that and more, and we are excited to name him head coach of the Anaheim Ducks."

Cronin replaces Dallas Eakins, who served as head coach the last four years, and inherits a team that will have the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft.

"I'm excited and honoured to be named head coach of the Anaheim Ducks," Cronin said. "This team has a fantastic future ahead, and I'm very grateful to the Samueli family and Pat Verbeek for entrusting me with this amazing opportunity."

The Montreal Canadiens are showing plenty of faith in one of their youngest players, signing the 22-year-old Cole Caufield to an eight-year, $62.8million extension.

The deal, which was announced Monday, will pay the left wing an average salary of $7.85million a year through the 2030-31 season.

After leading the Canadiens with 23 goals in 2021-22, Caufield was tied with captain Nick Suzuki for the team lead in goals in 2022-23 with 26 despite missing nearly half the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.

At the time of his injury through 46 games played, Caufield's goal total was tied for 11th in the NHL.

The 15th overall pick of the 2019 draft, Caufield also notched 10 assists before his season-ending surgery and has 53 goals and 84 points in 123 career games.

Among all players selected in the 2019 draft, his goal total trails only the 87 by New Jersey Devils centre Jack Hughes, who was picked first overall.

Prior to joining the Canadiens, Caufield won the Hobey Baker Award in 2020-21 – the trophy given annually to the top NCAA men’s hockey player – while playing for the University of Wisconsin.

Zach Whitecloud snapped a third-period tie and Adin Hill made a highlight-reel save for one of his 33 stops to lift the Vegas Golden Knights to a 5-2 win over the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Whitecloud’s long-range goal with just over 13 minutes left put Vegas ahead 3-2, and captain Mark Stone extended the lead with 6:19 remaining with a goal that was reviewed for a high stick and confirmed. Jonathan Marchessault and Shea Theodore also scored for the Golden Knights, who rallied for their ninth comeback win this postseason.

The Panthers got goals from Eric Staal and Anthony Duclair as their eight-game road winning streak was snapped.

Hill came up with arguably the save of the playoffs in the second period with Vegas holding a 2-1 lead. He reached across the crease with his stick to make a desperation save on Nick Cousins on what would have been a sure goal.

The Golden Knights are in the final for the second time in its six years of existence after making it in the inaugural 2017-18 season.

Florida also has reached the final for the second time but first since it was swept by Colorado in 1996.

Game 2 is Monday in Las Vegas. 

THE VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS HAVE TAKEN A 1-0 LEAD IN THE STANLEY CUP FINAL!!!!!!! #UKnightTheRealm pic.twitter.com/Hk9ImREfdb

— z - Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 4, 2023

Three-time Stanley Cup-winner and pending free agent Patrick Kane underwent a hip resurfacing procedure and is expected to be sidelined four-to-six months.

His agent Pat Brisson told this news to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Thursday.

Brisson told Friedman that the surgery was a success and that Kane “wants to play for a long time.”

Doctors are optimistic that will happen.

The 34-year-old Kane has been playing with an ailing hip the past few seasons and told the New York Rangers during his recent exit interview that it slowed him during the team’s first-round playoff exit against the New Jersey Devils.

Kane, who was acquired by the Rangers from the Chicago Blackhawks on February 28, had a goal and five assists in the seven-game series.

"I look at that series and I know it’s like, if I felt a little bit better, I can like, help us win that series, you know?" Kane said. "It’s almost like disappointing and depressing in a way, but that’s just kind of how I feel about it."

Set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 after concluding an eight-year, $84million contract he signed in 2014, Kane played the final 19 games of the 2022-23 season for the Rangers, tallying five goals and seven assists after Chicago shipped him to New York for a pair of 2023 draft picks.

Kane left the Blackhawks as one of the greatest players in franchise history.

He was instrumental to their dynasty in the 2010s, helping the club to Stanley Cup titles in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He scored the championship-clinching goal over the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime of Game 6 of the 2010 Final, while winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs in 2013.

He had spent his entire 16-season NHL career with the Blackhawks after being selected first overall in the 2007 draft.

The nine-time All-Star ranks second all-time in franchise history with 1,225 points, while his 446 goals are third most by a Blackhawk. He also ranks third in franchise history in games played (1,161) and fourth in power-play goals (122).

As a 19-year-old rookie in 2007-08, Kane made an immediate impact in the NHL, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s top first-year player.

Eight years later in 2015-16, Kane won the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP as well as the Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion.

He finished the 2022-23 season with 21 goals and 57 points in 73 games – his fewest points since registering 55 in just 47 games during the strike-shortened 2012-13 season.

A pair of eliminated playoff teams announced front-office moves Wednesday, as the Seattle Kraken signed general manager Ron Francis to an extension and the Toronto Maple Leafs hired Brad Treliving as their next GM.

Francis received a three-year extension through the 2026-2027 season, while Treliving joined Toronto after spending the previous nine seasons as GM of the Calgary Flames.

Francis was named the first GM in Kraken history in July 2019 and the team posted a 27-49-6 record in its inaugural NHL season in 2021-22. Seattle then went 46-28-8 this season to reach the playoffs.

The Kraken upset the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the postseason before losing in seven games to the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference semifinals.

"Ron has done remarkable work over the last four years and deserves this recognition," Kraken co-owner Samantha Holloway said.

"He has built a tremendous team, putting Seattle hockey on the map. He is building for long term success and is dedicated to our city, our fans, and our community."

Treliving, meanwhile, left the Flames last month after they missed the playoffs with a 38-27-17 record.

That came after Calgary had 111 points last season – the second-most in franchise history – before being eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the West semis.

The Flames made the playoffs five times in Treliving’s nine seasons as GM.

Treliving takes over for Kyle Dubas, who was fired less than two weeks ago after Toronto won a playoff series for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign.

The Maple Leafs were ousted by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers in five games in the semis, extending the Original Six franchise’s Stanley Cup drought to 56 years.

"I'm very pleased to welcome Brad into the Maple Leafs organization," Maple Leafs president and alternate governor Brendan Shanahan said.

"Brad brings a wealth of knowledge from his years of experience as a general manager and hockey executive in Calgary, Arizona and beyond.

“He has earned tremendous respect amongst his peers throughout his years in the NHL and has built excellent relationships at all levels within the game.

“We are confident that Brad's leadership and strategic vision will elevate the Maple Leafs in our continued pursuit of a championship."

The Nashville Predators have suddenly made a change at coach, firing John Hynes on Tuesday and reportedly replacing him with Andrew Brunette.

The Predators announced Hynes' firing, as well as assistant coach Dan Lambert, and multiple media outlets are reporting Brunette will take over.

Hynes, 48, spent part of the last four seasons with the Predators, replacing Peter Laviolette in 2019-20 and helping the team to the playoffs the first three years.

Each of those playoff trips ended with first-round exits, however, and Nashville missed the playoffs this season for the first time since 2013-14.

"John Hynes is a good man and a good hockey coach," incoming general manager Barry Trotz said. "He did an outstanding job after the trade deadline with our team, especially with our young players, and he is a well-prepared, hard-working coach who will continue to grow in the NHL. After our year-end meetings and some additional evaluation, it was time to change the voice and time to go in a different direction."

Brunette’s only previous head coaching experience came in 2021-22, when he served as interim head coach of the Florida Panthers following the resignation of Joel Quenneville.

The 49-year-old led the Panthers to a 51-18-6 record and the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s top regular-season club, but after the team was swept in the second round of the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Lightning, GM Bill Zito decided to hire Paul Maurice as the full-time coach.

Brunette spent this past season as an associate coach for a New Jersey Devils team that advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2011-12.

A 16-year NHL veteran as a player, Brunette will be Nashville's fourth coach in franchise history and serve under Trotz, who will take over when longtime GM David Poile retires in July.

Poile has been the only GM in franchise history, while Trotz served as the club’s first coach, working behind the bench from 1998-2014.

Brunette played under Trotz for the 1998-99 expansion Predators, and scored the franchise’s first goal.

Brunette, who made his NHL debut in 1995-96, scored 268 goals and registered 733 points in 1,110 career games before retiring in 2011-12.

The Washington Capitals hired Spencer Carbery as the 20th head coach in franchise history on Tuesday.

"We are extremely pleased to name Spencer as our new head coach," Capitals senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan said. "Spencer is one of the best young coaches in the game who's had success at every level at which he has coached.

“We feel his leadership, communication skills, ability to develop players and familiarity with our organization will be a tremendous asset as he makes this next step in his coaching career."

Carbery, 41, was the head coach of the Capitals’ American Hockey League affiliate – the Hershey Bears – from 2018-21 and went 104-50-9-8 overall.

Hershey led the AHL with a 24-7-2-0 record in his final season behind the bench in 2020-21, earning Carbery the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL's most outstanding coach.

Following that season, Carbery joined the Toronto Maple Leafs as an assistant coach.

"It's a tremendous honor and privilege to be named the head coach of the Washington Capitals," Carbery said.

"I would like to thank the Capitals organization for affording me the opportunity to lead this team. I look forward to working with this group of talented players and building upon the winning culture in place.

“I would also like to thank the Toronto Maple Leafs organization for all their support over the past two years and wish them all the best in the future."

Washington did not bring Peter Laviolette back as head coach after going 35-37-10 this season and missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign.

Ty Dellandrea picked the perfect time for his first career multigoal game, scoring two quick goals in the third period to lift the Dallas Stars to a 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 of the Western Conference final.

Luke Glendening and Jason Robertson had the other goals as the Stars escaped elimination again and trimmed the series deficit to 3-2.

Game 6 is in Dallas on Monday and Stars captain Jamie Benn will return after he served a two-game suspension for cross-checking Vegas skipper Mark Stone in Game 3.

The Stars are attempting to become the fifth team in NHL history to rally from a 3-0 series deficit. Current Knights defenseman Alec Martinez was a member of the last team to accomplish that – the 2014 Los Angeles Kings.

Stars' game-winner Dellandrea, who had just one point in his first 13 games this postseason, snapped a 2-2 tie at 10:35 of the third period when he ripped a shot under Adin Hill's arm from the right circle.

Dellandrea put a loose puck past Hill from the slot 87 seconds later to extend the lead.

Jake Oettinger was solid with 27 saves and has stopped 64 of 68 shots since he was pulled early in a Game 3 loss.

Ivan Barbashev and Chandler Stephenson scored for Vegas.