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Here’s a breakdown on which players may be available and what organizations may do as July 1 approaches. Forwards With the New York Rangers re-signing winger Chris Kreider and the New York Islanders acquiring and re-signing center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, two of the notable free-agent forwards came off the board. Taylor Hall still tops the list as the best forward and sole superstar among this summer’s UFAs. The decline in his production this season, possibly linked to season-ending knee surgery a year ago, could adversely affect his free-agent value....

The 2018 NHL free agency period begins Sunday, July 1, at noon ET, and should bring with it a healthy dose of rumors, trades and bone-headed signings that usually accompany the first day of the new league year. Not to mention, this year’s class includes perhaps the biggest star to hit the open market in the NHL’s salary cap era. NHL DRAFT 2018: Team-by-team grades | Winners and losers...

The league and the U.S.-based TV station have agreed to a seven-year deal beginning in 2021-22 through the 2027-28 season, ESPN announced on Wednesday. Here are the details from the joint press release: ESPN said it will announce plans for additional studio programming at a later date to join “In The Crease,” a daily NHL highlights show on ESPN+ featuring Linda Cohn and Barry Melrose. It is highlighted by: exclusive coverage of the Stanley Cup Final on ABC in four of the seven years of the agreement, with the ability to simulcast/megacast on ESPN+ and additional ESPN networks; the return of live NHL action to ESPN networks with 25 exclusive national regular-season games on ABC or ESPN; 75 national regular-season games per season produced by ESPN that will stream exclusively on both ESPN+ and Hulu; half of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on ABC and ESPN each season; and coverage annually of NHL’s Face-off (opening night games), the NHL All-Star Game and Skills Challenge, plus other NHL special events each season....

Draft analysts have had extra time to tinker with their lists for all 31 teams, although there has always been one constant — Alexis Lafreniere. The winger from Canada has been the consensus No. 1 overall pick for close to two years and it’s expected the Rangers will add the generational talent. That, or they’ll trade away the pick. MORE: When is the NHL Draft 2020? | Who is Alexis Lafreniere?...

Columbus had scored three goals in a three-minute, 25-second stretch in Game 5 before falling short 4-3 in Game 5. Rask, however, didn’t hear what Tortorella said. MORE: Full NHL playoff schedule, bracket, TV channels “You should know by now I don’t read the comments,” Rask said. “It’s the playoffs. The mind games, always.” Columbus did not make a dent in Game 6 at Nationwide Arena. The Bruins turned away four Blue Jackets power plays, and Rask had 39 saves in a 3-0 shutout that closed out the series at 4-2 and sent Boston to the Eastern Conference finals....

Keep an eye on the Islanders, Predators and Golden Knights, who all move up the list, and on the Senators, Ducks and Canucks, who head the opposite direction. Here is the complete breakdown of Sporting News’ NHL power rankings for Week 8. PREVIOUS POWER RANKINGS: Preseason | Week 1​ | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 NHL Power Rankings 8....

The NHL has had to do a balancing act between the stricter Canadian COVID-19 regulations and the looser U.S. regulations after it moved its season into Canada six months ago. “We have always had the issue of differing rules in different jurisdictions, so it’s not a new challenge,” Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told the Associated Press in an email. “(We are) navigating choppy waters the best we can,” Daly added....

As the hockey world discussed next destinations for Mike Hoffman, Erik Karlsson and the like, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Tuesday that the Blue Jackets have begun “testing the market” on a potential trade of their high-scoring winger, yet another name that could re-shape the NHL landscape in the coming weeks. Panarin, without a contract after the 2018-19 season, won’t consider signing an extension with Columbus when eligible July 1, the report said, leading to speculation the team will look to offload him and recoup assets, rather than meet a high asking price....

Jax opened up in detail about her in-ring disaster with Charlotte Flair last year while speaking with Renee Paquette. When the latter asked if anything resembling the Charlotte incident had happened before, Jax shared some spicy gossip. Speaking on the latest edition of Renee Paquette’s podcast, Jax recalled a particular female star had been giving her a tough time. The star apparently wasn’t happy with Jax’s push. However, the former RAW Women’s Champion confronted the female star at a live event and “handled her....

The podcaster took to messaging app Telegram on Tuesday in response to an NBC News report that said far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos had created a “trap” for Trump. That trap was reportedly a dinner at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence that was attended by the former president, West (who has legally changed his name to Ye), Fuentes and Trump 2016 adviser Karen Giorno. NBC News national political reporter Michael Caputo shared his article to Twitter along with a series of tweets about the events surrounding the Mar-a-Lago dinner, including that Yiannopoulos said he was the “architect” of the trap and sent Fuentes “just to make Trump’s life miserable....

“Nick informed us Friday night of his decision to step away from basketball and we agree that it is in his best interest and the best interest of Iowa State for us to mutually part,” said coach Steve Prohm in a statement. “We appreciate his effort when he was with us and wish him and his family the best in the future.” MORE: Best college programs of the century | Indiana, Louisville agree to three-game series...

As such, he seems to have remained with the team for trading purposes. Here are three teams that are likely to indulge in discussions with the Bears about acquiring the former Super Bowl MVP. Three landing spots for Nick Foles #1 - New England Patriots One trick most often repeated in the NFL is bringing in pieces that put them to the sword. For instance, the New York Jets got beat by head coach Adam Gase when he was with the Miami Dolphins, then chose to bring him on board....

In the second quarter of Saturday’s Bengals-Raiders wild-card playoff matchup, Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow tossed a touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd that came with drama: a whistle was blown as the ball was in the air before it reached Boyd’s hands, which may have indicated that a sprinting Burrow was out of bounds before the ball was thrown. After lots of confusion and a discussion by the officials, the play stood and the touchdown counted, much to the dismay of the Raiders and their fans....

See below for a complete TV guide of game times and broadcast locations (all times ET): MORE: Michael Sam clears waivers | Texans make Watt highest-paid defensive player | NFL GM rankings NFL Week 1 schedule Thursday, Sept. 4 Green Bay at Seattle | 8:30 p.m. | NBC Sunday, Sept. 7 New Orleans at Atlanta | 1 p.m. | FOX Minnesota at St. Louis | 1 p.m. | FOX...

There will be 11 games taking place during the early and late-afternoon slate in Week 13. That represents the most teams we’ll see on Sunday until the final week of the season when every team plays on Sunday. Until then, viewers will have to make do with an 11-game slate. This week’s slate features some excellent-looking matchups. CBS will air the doubleheader this week, meaning that they will broadcast six of the 11 games on Sunday....

Before we break down the Week 16 forecast, here’s a reminder that if you have any questions about sports weather or how weather could impact play (and, potentially, your fantasy, DFS, and gambling decisions), don’t hesitate to reach out on Twitter @KevinRothWx or check our hourly NFL weather forecasts on RotoGrinders. To take your game to the next level, subscribe to RotoGrinders’ exclusive WeatherEdge tool and see how different weather conditions have impacted historical scoring....

Week 18 Sunday has so many games available that both CBS and Fox will be granted doubleheader rights. That allows the NFL to balance its schedule and create maximum drama for viewers who are hoping to watch multiple games. This week is all about figuring out the final playoff teams and playoff seedings. So, expect the games with playoff implications to get prime billing (though the Jaguars and Lions could get some attention as they vie for the No....

The Chiefs – powered by the accurate arm of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a host of skilled offensive players and an aggressive defense – are the most well-rounded team in the NFL right now. In fact, they look even more dominant this season than they did in their championship run a year ago. Following their 35-9 decimation of the hapless New York Jets on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs now stand at 7-1, easily holding the top spot in the AFC West....

“I think 6 was definitely way too high – A.J. Green or no A.J. Green,” William Hill U.S. director of trading Nick Bogdanovich told The Linemakers on Sporting News. “I like 3.5 better than 4 even.” Green sustained a concussion in Sunday night’s loss to the Steelers. The Colts were just 3-point favorites when they hammered the Bengals 27-0 at Lucas Oil Field back in Week 8. Bogdanovich opened Indy -4 after seeing the market price on the game Monday morning....

On Friday, the three-member U.S. Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal of the union’s suit against the NFL, and opened the door for it to re-start its argument that the league had agreed on a so-called “secret” salary cap during a collectively-bargained uncapped season in 2010. The original suit asked for $1 billion in damages. The union, in a statement, quickly made it clear that it was looking forward to finding out exactly what the NFL might have done that year, and why how owners Dan Snyder and Jerry Jones were punished for violating the league’s alleged unwritten salary cap rules....