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By now, you’ve probably seen the Vancouver Province’s report that a Vegas expansion team is “a done deal,” save for the not-small-at-all task of deciding on an ownership group. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly threw some water on that on Wednesday, telling multiple outlets (as he’s done before) that expansion is “not in our plans.” Expansion would definitely present problems; specifically, the league’s geographical imbalance would only shift from 16 Eastern teams and 14 Western teams to 18-16, and each of the four proposed cities lacks either an arena, an ownership group or both....

The 25-year-old restricted free-agent winger signed a one-year contract worth $2 million on Thursday, two days after going through an arbitration hearing. An independent arbitrator found a middle ground between Rodrigues’ request and Buffalo’s offer, which Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported were $2.65 million and $1.5 million, respectively. NHL FREE AGENCY 2019: Binnington, Heinen, Trouba among 40 to file for salary arbitration Rodrigues set career highs with 74 games played, nine goals and 29 points last season — his first full NHL season — while averaging the fourth-most time ice time among Sabres forwards....

Teams were not supposed to be in talks with players before noon ET on July 13, but clubs were reportedly connected to all sorts of free agents before then. As always, the beginning hours of free agency were expected to be frenzied. Will Johnny Gaudreau stay in Calgary, or leave money on the table to return to the Northeast? Will Evgeni Malkin really sign with another team and not return to Pittsburgh?...

According to the former 14-year NHL netminder, the constant buzz of conversation and story-telling is a product of Weekes’ parents and their outgoing personalities, a character trait that has since been passed down to the NHL veteran. When Sherali Najak — Senior Producer of CBC’s "Hockey Night In Canada" — approached Weekes with the opportunity to do color commentary for "Hockey Night In Canada" in 2009, the decision was relatively easy....

With that extensive timeline comes plenty of history, and one of the most historic aspects of the NHL is the Original Six. Not only is the NHL over a century old, but we are quickly approaching the century mark for four of the Original Six teams. The Canadiens and Maple Leafs have already celebrated the feat, but the Bruins have begun planning for their 100-year anniversary, which will come during the 2023-24 season....

That said, the Presidents’ Trophy champs appear to be one of the safest bets to play into June, intent on finishing what they started a year ago. The Avalanche, who completed one of the more improbable one-year turnarounds in recent sports memory, look to channel some of the magic that helped the Predators pull off a sweep of top-seeded Blackhawks in 2017. Question is: How much do they have left after spending the last two months fighting for their playoff lives?...

While we all start off thinking one team is a sure-fire pick to win it all, one bounce or post or bad bounce can alter a team’s destiny. Is this the year the Tampa Bay Lightning finally get over the hump after making deep playoff runs — including a Stanley Cup Final in 2015 — three of the last four years? Or is the Carolina Hurricanes, and their “bunch of jerks” the Cinderella story of this year’s postseason?...

With this summer’s free-agent market already depleted of noteworthy talent, general managers seeking a top-pairing defenseman could turn to the trade market. They’ll keep a close watch on contract negotiations between the Senators and superstar Erik Karlsson. Eligible for next summer’s UFA market, the 28-year-old Karlsson is a two-time winner of the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman. His annual salary cap hit for 2018-19 is $6.5 million, though in actual salary he’ll earn $7....

Buffalo has contacted the Rangers about acquiring Jimmy Vesey in a deal, according to Sportsnet. Vesey, 26, is coming off of a season in which he scored a career-high 35 points while matching his best goal-scoring output of 17. The lefty winger has one year remaining on the two-year deal he signed with New York in 2018. The Sabres have reportedly been looking around for a second-line center and a winger over the last few weeks....

Plenty of teams that expect to contend both this spring and next season surely will check on Kreider’s availability over the next month, but the Boston Bruins reportedly view him as their top trade target over the next month. NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty cited anonymous hockey sources in his report, which also noted it remains possible that New York could hold on to Kreider for the rest of the season....

The problem is: Parity blurs the Stanley Cup playoff picture to a point where many teams may not commit to buying or selling until the final days or even hours leading up to the Feb. 26 deadline. That should make for plenty of wild cards, so expect the unexpected. MORE: Eight players who could be traded before the 2018 deadline This year’s trade bait list features your usual crop of rentals....

Nice are yet to win this campaign. After draws in their first two games, they lost 1-0 at Clermont Foot, thanks to Saif-Eddine Khaoui’s sixth-minute goal. Jean-Clair Todibo and Mario Lemina were sent off in the final ten minutes to add insult to injury for Nice. Marseille, meanwhile, have picked up two wins in their three league games. They returned to winning ways, beating Nantes 2-1 at home, thanks to second-half goals from Chancel Mbemba and Nicolas Pallois’ own goal....

Kristof, a former New York Times journalist, is challenging the state’s Elections Division ruling which disqualified him in the race for governor. The ruling said he did not live in the state for three years prior to the November 2022 election as required by the Oregon Constitution, the State of Oregon newsroom reported. The Oregon Supreme Court began deliberations Thursday. There is no deadline for the justices to rule on the case, but the ballots for May 2022 election are required to be printed by March 17, KOIN reported....

Foles was spectacular in Philadelphia’s unrelenting dominance, with numbers (26-of-33 passing, 352 yards, three TDs) that would have been close to perfect against any defense, let alone one as stingy as Minnesota’s top-ranked unit. Foles was let loose early by coach Doug Pederson, and the QB didn’t ease up until the game was out of reach. Although the current Eagles head coach schemed well for his QB, what Foles did Sunday would not have been possible without his work for Pederson’s predecessor, Chip Kelly, back in 2013 and ‘14....

Gates was injured as he fell to the ground while pass blocking. The injury was so gruesome that NFL Network declined to show a replay of it. MORE: Giants-WFT live updates Gates had his left leg placed in an air cast before he was carted off to the locker room. The veteran smiled at times as he waved to fans who were cheering him in support. The fracture was diagnosed soon after....

Saban’s comments came after Hurts dropped back to pass, only to scramble for a 26-yard gain. After his run, Saban could be heard criticizing the QB. “Without me saying it," he began to say before other audio cut him off. “…two years. I mean the third team quarterback can move the team right down the field throwing the ball.” MORE: Taulia Tagovalioa commits to Alabama and joins older brother Tua...

Morgan Moses is now free to sign with whichever team he decides on and that needs his skills on their offensive line. The five-year veteran, a former third-round pick, was ranked as the sixth best offensive tackle in the National Football League in 2020. 5 Teams that can sign Morgan Moses #1 Cincinnati Bengals With Joe Burrow entering just his second season and already suffering a serious knee injury, the Bengals need offensive line help....

MORE: Get the latest NFL odds & betting advice at Sportsbook Review Los Angeles Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019, 8:20 p. m. ET RingCentral Coliseum, Oakland TV Broadcast: FOX/NFL Opening NFL Odds: PK / 47. 5 Season Record: Chargers (4-5-0) vs Raiders (4-4-0) The Chargers are on the move and the Raiders are coasting under the radar. The Chargers are coming off an upset over the Packers at home, stacking back-to-back wins over the last few weeks....

It’s important to remember that rain and wind impact the game in different ways. Rain is always more noticeable, as you can see it falling while watching the game, see the players slip, or see a dropped pass that a WR usually catches, but statistically it isn’t as important as it may appear. It’s also worth mentioning that the defense has to run and cut on that same slick field, so while it may occasionally cost the offense a play or two, it can also give the offense an advantage at times....

The Vikings and the Bears wrap up the schedule Monday night, but here’s your weekly look at the local headlines from Sunday’s slate of games. MORE: Alex Smith cases proves NFL has long way to go with concussions Norman leaps to Hopkins’ defense — Dustin Hopkins became the latest kicker to be successfully iced as he sliced a 34-yard field-goal attempt wide left in the Redskins’ 27-27 tie with the Bengals, the second tie in as many weeks....