CHICAGO (AP) The Chicago Blackhawks and free-agent center Carl Soderberg have agreed to a $1 million, one-year contract, bolstering the team’s forward depth after it lost Kirby Dach and Alex Nylander to injuries.

The 35-year-old Soderberg had 17 goals and 18 assists in 70 games for Arizona last season. Soderberg, listed at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, also appeared in nine postseason games, collecting a goal and an assist.

”Carl is an experienced center who plays a strong two-way game and adds an element of size to our group of centermen,” president of hockey operations Stan Bowman said Saturday in a statement. ”He has shown the ability to score and match up, which is critical in today’s game, and he also brings consistency and versatility to the team, evidenced by his usage on both special teams as well as even-strength play.”

Soderberg made his NHL debut in 2013 with Boston. He has 103 goals and 177 assists in 552 regular-season games with the Bruins, Avalanche and Coyotes.

Soderberg finished with at least 35 points in each of the past three seasons. He scored a career-high 23 goals during the 2018-19 season with Colorado.

Soderberg could help make up for the loss of Dach, who injured his right wrist while playing for Canada’s world junior team during an exhibition against Russia on Wednesday night. Dach was headed back to Chicago for evaluation, and there was no word from the team about how long he might be out.

Nylander, another young forward, could miss the entire 2021 season because of a left knee injury. Nylander had surgery Monday to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee.

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CHICAGO (AP) The Chicago Blackhawks and free-agent center Carl Soderberg have agreed to a $1 million, one-year contract, bolstering the team’s forward depth after it lost Kirby Dach and Alex Nylander to injuries.

The 35-year-old Soderberg had 17 goals and 18 assists in 70 games for Arizona last season. Soderberg, listed at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, also appeared in nine postseason games, collecting a goal and an assist.

”Carl is an experienced center who plays a strong two-way game and adds an element of size to our group of centermen,” president of hockey operations Stan Bowman said Saturday in a statement. ”He has shown the ability to score and match up, which is critical in today’s game, and he also brings consistency and versatility to the team, evidenced by his usage on both special teams as well as even-strength play.”

Soderberg made his NHL debut in 2013 with Boston. He has 103 goals and 177 assists in 552 regular-season games with the Bruins, Avalanche and Coyotes.

Soderberg finished with at least 35 points in each of the past three seasons. He scored a career-high 23 goals during the 2018-19 season with Colorado.

Soderberg could help make up for the loss of Dach, who injured his right wrist while playing for Canada’s world junior team during an exhibition against Russia on Wednesday night. Dach was headed back to Chicago for evaluation, and there was no word from the team about how long he might be out.

Nylander, another young forward, could miss the entire 2021 season because of a left knee injury. Nylander had surgery Monday to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee.

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TORONTO (AP) The NHL believes all seven Canadian teams will be able to start the season playing in their home arenas.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said Thursday the league believes it is clear to play in Canada during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic after discussions with the five provincial governments that have NHL teams to try to gain approval to start Jan. 13.

”On the basis of our discussions in the past week, as well as our exchange of correspondence over the last 24 hours, we believe we are aligned and in agreement on the conditions on which each of our Canadian franchises can begin play in their own buildings,” Daly said.

The NHL realigned its divisions for the season so that the North Division – which features all seven Canadian teams – would not have to cross the U.S.-Canada border, which remains closed to non-essential travel until at least Jan. 21.

The league released its schedule Wednesday, with each team playing 56 games instead of the usual 82.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are scheduled to host the Montreal Canadiens, while the Edmonton Oilers are slated to face the visiting Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 13 as part of a five-game schedule on opening night.

The Winnipeg Jets open Jan. 14 against the visiting Calgary Flames, while the Oilers and Canucks meet again in Edmonton.

The Ottawa Senators start their season Jan. 15 against visiting Toronto, the first of two games in two days between the Ontario rivals in the nation’s capital.

Baseball-style series are common as the league attempts to reduce travel. For example, the Canadiens and Senators are each scheduled to play three straight games in Vancouver in January.

TORONTO (AP) The NHL believes all seven Canadian teams will be able to start the season playing in their home arenas.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said Thursday the league believes it is clear to play in Canada during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic after discussions with provincial health authorities.

The league has been involved in discussions with the five provincial governments that have NHL teams to try to gain approval to start play Jan. 13.

The NHL realigned its divisions for the season so that the North Division – which features all seven Canadian teams – would not have to cross the U.S.-Canada border, which remains closed to non-essential travel until at least Jan. 21.

The league released its schedule Wednesday.

CHICAGO (AP) Chicago Blackhawks forward Kirby Dach has been ruled out for the world junior championship after he hurt his right wrist during Canada’s exhibition victory over Russia on Wednesday night.

The Blackhawks said Dach was returning to Chicago on Thursday for further evaluation.

Dach, who turns 20 on Jan. 21, was injured on what seemed like a harmless bodycheck in the neutral zone in the third period. After the hit, the Canada captain pulled off his glove, skated off the ice and went directly to the locker-room area in Edmonton, Alberta.

Dach was selected by Chicago with the No. 3 pick in the 2019 draft. He had eight goals and 15 assists in 64 games during his rookie season with the Blackhawks.

Dach’s injury is another tough blow for rebuilding Chicago after it announced Wednesday that Alex Nylander, another young forward, could miss the entire 2021 season because of a left knee injury. Nylander had surgery Monday to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee.

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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) The New Jersey Devils have agreed to terms with center Dawson Mercer on a three-year entry-level contract.

General manager Tom Fitzgerald announced the tentative deal with Mercer, who was the 18th pick overall in the recent draft. He was the Devils’ second of three first-round picks.

Mercer is currently representing Canada at the 2021 World Junior Championship in Edmonton, Alberta. He is one of six returning players who won gold at the 2020 tournament.

Mercer had 69 goals and 88 assists in 176 junior hockey league games.

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Leading playoff scorer Nikita Kucherov is expected to miss the entire regular season because of a hip injury that requires surgery, a blow to the Tampa Bay Lightning that also comes with a silver lining for the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Kucherov won’t be available for the 56-game NHL season that’s scheduled to run from Jan. 13-May 8. General manager Julien BriseBois is optimistic the 27-year-old will be back for the playoffs and said Kucherov’s absence will allow the Lightning the long-term salary relief to be salary-cap compliant with the rest of their key players under contract.

”Those are the cards that we’ve been dealt,” BriseBois said on a video call Wednesday. ”It’s our job as a group – players, coaches, management – to get ourselves into the playoffs so that we give Kuch an opportunity to compete this year and help us defend this Stanley Cup championship as we’re chasing another one.”

Kucherov had a postseason-best 27 assists and 34 points despite playing through a groin injury. BriseBois said Kucherov reported discomfort in early December, tried a rehab regimen with a cortisone shot and only decided to have surgery next week after none of that alleviated his pain.

”No one loves playing hockey more than Nikita Kucherov,” BriseBois said. ”I know how much it pains him that he will be missing the regular season. I also know how hard he’s going to work to get back as soon as possible.”

Before helping the Lightning win the Cup last season in the bubble, Kucherov won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 2018-19, leading the league with 128 points.

Being able to put Kucherov and his $9.5 million cap hit on long-term injured reserve will allow Tampa Bay to re-sign its final key restricted free agent, center Anthony Cirelli. BriseBois said Tampa Bay had the framework of a contract in place with Cirelli, and agent Pat Morris said the sides are working on it.

The Lightning are making the most of the bad injury news by getting other signings done this week. On Tuesday, they re-signed Erik Cernak to an $8.85 million, three-year deal and brought back fellow defenseman Jan Rutta for $2.6 million over two years. On Wednesday, they re-signed forward Mathieu Joseph for $1.475 million over two years and Alex Volkov for $700,000 this season.

”I will still be exploring opportunities to unload some salary and create a little more flexibility for us,” BriseBois said. ”But at least as of now I know that worst case we can go into the season, we’re going to be cap compliant, we’ve been able to sign everyone we wanted to have signed and we’re going to be able to ice a really competitive hockey team this year and chase another championship.”

Without Kucherov’s injury, Tampa Bay likely would have needed to trade a key player to get under the $81.5 million salary cap that’s flat in light of the pandemic. The team put veteran forward Tyler Johnson on waivers in October to clear his $5 million off the books, but he went unclaimed by the league’s other 30 teams.

BriseBois said Johnson understood the situation and was professional during conversations after last season. The Lightning tried to work out a trade with a team interested in acquiring Johnson, but the financial picture didn’t work out.

”If Tyler Johnson is on my team to start the year, I think that’s a good thing because Tyler Johnson’s a good player,” BriseBois said. ”He’s going to help us win hockey games, and ultimately that’s what I want to do.”

That’s more difficult without Kucherov and is more urgent with fewer games during the regular season. Just four out of eight teams in the temporarily realigned Central Division will make the playoffs.

”Every year, we have good teams that miss the playoffs,” BriseBois said. ”It’s not going to be easy. It wasn’t going to be easy even with Kuch in the lineup, and now it’s more of a challenge.”

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The Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Chicago Blackhawks in one of five games to open the NHL’s coronavirus pandemic-shortened 2021 season on Jan. 13.

The league released a first-of-its kind schedule Wednesday featuring four realigned divisions based on geography and limited to division play only. Each team will play 56 regular-season games, which will be squeezed into what’s tentatively scheduled as a 116-day stretch ending on May 8.

It includes an NHL first: An all-Canadian North Division made up the nation’s seven teams will play each other nine or 10 times. The three remaining eight-team divisions have all U.S. teams, which will face each division foe eight times.

Though the playoffs are set to open May 11, that date could be pushed back in the event the league is required to reschedule games amid the pandemic.

Though the schedule is set, much remains undetermined, including game times. A much bigger question is whether the NHL receives approval from Canada’s provincial and federal health officials to allow the nation’s teams to play in their home cities.

The San Jose Sharks, meantime, will open training camp Dec. 31 in Scottsdale, Arizona, and their season with two games at the Coyotes. Like the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers who are closing out their season at Arizona, the Sharks are temporarily without a home after Santa Clara County banned contact sports through at least Jan. 8.

The NHL took into account the possibility of the ban being extended by having the Sharks open with eight straight road games. Their home opener against Vegas isn’t scheduled until Feb. 1.

There are numerous quirks in the schedule, which will feature at least one game a day over an 868-game season, and has teams playing mostly two-game sets against the same opponent in the same city to reduce travel:

– The Sharks have three stretches in which they will play the same opponent four consecutive times, twice at home and twice on the road.

– Vancouver will play three-game home sets against Montreal, Ottawa and Calgary, and a three-game set at Toronto.

– The Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks will face each other five consecutive times from April 20 to May 1.

”The back-to-backs are more like baseball,” Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said. ”You are going to do a lot of prep and then going to have a very good knowledge of where that team is at after you play that first game.”

Geography benefits the eight teams of the realigned East Division, made up of Boston, Buffalo, New Jersey, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington.

The Islanders for example, will close the season playing nine of their final 11 games within the state of New York, with the exception of games at nearby New Jersey and Philadelphia.

In the North, Ottawa has a stretch of 15 games in which the Senators will play 12 at home, with two trips to nearby Montreal and a game at provincial rival Toronto.

On the other hand, the St. Louis Blues, members of the realigned West, have a 12-game stretch in which they will play 10 times in the state of California.

Arizona’s schedule features the Coyotes playing a league-high 10 consecutive home games, though the Coyotes will also play eight straight on the road at one point.

The realigned Central is the NHL’s most wide-spread U.S. division and made up of Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Nashville and Tampa Bay. The schedule features the non-Florida teams doubling up on playing two-game road sets against the Panthers and Lightning on the same trip.

”I think you need to get off to a good start. I think every game is going to be intense,” MacLellan said. ”I expect high-intensity games throughout the whole schedule.”

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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) The Buffalo Sabres signed forward Casey Mittelstadt to a one-year, $874,125 contract Wednesday, a little over a week before the team opens training camp.

Mittelstadt was a restricted free agent entering his fourth NHL season after being selected with the eighth pick in the 2017 draft. The 22-year-old from Minnesota has struggled with inconsistency after being pegged as a potential top-two-line center.

Mittelstadt managed 12 goals and 25 points in 77 games with the Sabres during his rookie season in 2018-19. He split last between Buffalo, where he had four goals and nine points in 31 games, and the minors to develop his game. He finished with nine goals and 25 points in 36 games with Rochester of the American Hockey League.

The Sabres open training camp on Dec. 31, when Mittelstadt will have to compete to earn a regular role on a revamped team that incudes the offseason additions of Taylor Hall and Eric Staal, who is projected to fill the second-line center spot.

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Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov is expected to miss the entire regular season because of a hip injury that requires surgery.

General manager Julien BriseBois ruled out Kucherov on Wednesday for the 56-game season that begins Jan. 13 and ends May 8. Kucherov played through a groin injury in the playoffs on the way to helping the Lightning win the Stanley Cup in late September. He complained of the hip problem in early December.

Losing the 2019 NHL MVP and leading scorer from the 2020 playoffs is a major blow to the defending champions, but they’ll be able to use long-term injury relief from Kucherov’s $9.5 million salary-cap hit to re-sign their final key restricted free agent, center Anthony Cirelli. BriseBois said Tampa Bay had the framework of a contract in place with Cirelli.

Kucherov, 27, had a postseason-best 34 points on seven goals and 27 assists in the NHL bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta. He led the league in scoring with 128 points in the 2018-19 season to earn Hart Trophy honors.

The Lightning are making the most of the bad injury news by getting other signings done this week. On Tuesday, they re-signed Erik Cernak to an $8.85 million, three-year deal and brought back fellow defenseman Jan Rutta for $2.6 million over two years. On Wednesday, they re-signed forward Mathieu Joseph for $1.475 million over two years and Alex Volkov for $700,000 this season.

Without Kucherov’s injury, Tampa Bay likely would have needed to trade a key player to get under the $81.5 million salary cap that’s flat in light of the pandemic. The team put veteran forward Tyler Johnson on waivers in October to clear his $5 million off the books, but he went unclaimed by the league’s other 30 teams.

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