NHL

Flames acquire Milan Lucic from Oilers for James NealCALGARY, Alberta (AP) The Calgary Flames acquired forward Milan Lucic from the Edmonton Oilers on Friday for forward James Neal and a conditional third-round pick in the 2020 draft.Edmonton will retain 12.5% of the remaining salary on the seven-year, $42...

Associated PressRon Francis has big hopes as GM of Seattle's new NHL clubBy CHRIS TALBOTTSEATTLE (AP) Ron Francis has all kinds of eye-popping statistics attached to his Hall of Fame career. He averaged more than point a game, is second in NHL history in assists behind Wayne Gretzky...

Associated PressRon Francis is general manager of Seattle NHL expansion clubBy CHRIS TALBOTTSEATTLE (AP) Seattle's NHL expansion team has announced its general manager - Ron Francis, a Hall of Famer and a two-time Stanley Cup winner.He will have complete control of operations under Seattle Hockey Partners CEO Tod...

Connor McDavid's signature forged on Oilers jerseysEDMONTON, Alberta (AP) A man has been charged with forging the signature of Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid on team jerseys and then selling them for big profits.Edmonton police say the 23-year-old man in April 2018 contacted several people on Facebook, claiming...

Capitals' Alex Ovechkin to make summer trip to ChinaWASHINGTON (AP) Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will go to China as part of the NHL's continued outreach in that country.Ovechkin will visit Beijing in early August as a league ambassador. He's expected to take part in youth hockey clinics, interviews...

Avalanche forward J.T. Compher signs four-year dealDENVER (AP) J.T. Compher has signed a four-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche that runs through the 2022-23 season.The 24-year-old forward had 16 goals and 16 assists for Colorado last season. He added four goals and two assists in a dozen playoff...

Report: Police say Greg Johnson's death an apparent suicideDETROIT (AP) A police report says the death of former Nashville Predators captain Greg Johnson was an apparent suicide, according to the Detroit News.The paper said Wednesday it had obtained a Rochester Police report, and that Johnson was found by...

Red Wings re-sign D Joe Hicketts to 2-year dealDETROIT (AP) The Detroit Red Wings have re-signed defenseman Joe Hicketts to a two-year contract.The team announced the move Wednesday. Hicketts played in 11 games with the Red Wings in 2018-19. He also had 27 points in 64 games with...

Report: Police say Greg Johnson's death an apparent suicideDETROIT (AP) A police report says the death of former Nashville Predators captain Greg Johnson was an apparent suicide, according to the Detroit News.The paper said Wednesday it had obtained a Rochester Police report, and that Johnson was found by...

AP Hockey WriterCapitals re-sign winger Jakub Vrana in 2-year dealBy STEPHEN WHYNOARLINGTON, Va. (AP) The Capitals have re-signed winger Jakub Vrana to a $6.7 million, two-year contract, the biggest item left on Washington's offseason checklist.The 23-year-old restricted free agent set career highs with 24 goals, 23 assists and...

AP Hockey WriterCapitals re-sign winger Jakub Vrana in 2-year dealBy STEPHEN WHYNOARLINGTON, Va. (AP) The Washington Capitals took care of their biggest remaining offseason priority Tuesday by re-signing winger Jakub Vrana to a $6.7 million, two-year contract.Vrana had been a restricted free agent and will count $3.35 million...

Blackhawks trade center Artem Anisimov to Ottawa for SmithCHICAGO (AP) The Chicago Blackhawks traded Artem Anisimov to Ottawa on Tuesday in exchange for Zack Smith, a swap of 31-year-old forwards.Anisimov played four seasons for the Blackhawks, scoring 77 goals and adding 78 assists in 291 games, including 15...