The New Jersey Devils center learned a lot as a rookie and thanks to an extended off-season, he's been able to build himself up in the gym.

What Chicago GM Stan Bowman wants everyone to understand: the letter didn't signal the start of a rebuild. It shared the progress of a rebuild already underway.

It's looking like a great year for defensemen, while a trio of Michigan Wolverines have the top five in their crosshairs.

The netminder turnover this month has been significant and constant. Which team(s) landed the best upgrades in goal?

Some of the NHL's top prospects are getting into game action as the 2020-21 season has already commenced in several leagues.

What did players do to get their bodies ready for the bubble? What happened to their bodies and minds in the bubble? How do they recover coming out of the bubble? The people who trained them tell the story.

The schedule just dropped for one of the season's must-see events. Even though the kids are playing in a bubble this year, the tournament will still be ferocious.

The Hall of Famer saw it all in a half-century of hockey and now he is stepping away while still at the top of his craft.

So your team hasn't made many major moves so far. Is it cause for concern? It depends on what the team's goals are.

Take a look at the top 10 all-time and top 10 active leaders in NHL games played.

Despite a rich pro hockey career including a title with the Hawks in 2010, Brent Sopel says he gets far more from helping people deal with the disorder that mysteriously haunted him for the first three decades of his life.

Matvei Michkov is just 15, but he's already dominating the Russian junior circuit.

The city doesn't have a Division 1 team, but thanks to the success of the Lightning, it has become a repeat destination for the men's Frozen Four.

Evgenii Dadonov has performed as a true frontline NHLer for three seasons. He should've been worth much more three-year, $15-million contract, but the flat cap of $81.5 million is painting middle-tier UFAs into a corner.

Montreal GM Marc Bergevin has already been one of the NHL's busiest, most aggressive upgraders this off-season. Locking up his top veteran right winger on a long-term deal proves the Habs believe they are ready to start challenging for regular playoff berths and more.

The 2020 first-rounder brings tons of skill and two-way play on the ice as well as great leadership in the dressing room.

A number of veteran free agents have signed two- or three-year contracts without no-movement clauses. Are teams setting them up as shields to keep other players from being claimed by Seattle?

The veteran forward signs up with San Jose for a third tour of duty and a legitimate shot of breaking Gordie Howe's record for games played in the NHL.

A number of top-end UFAs remain available. Who are the best options left at each position?

There's no denying the top UFA defenseman is an elite addition to an already-great Vegas team. But signing him has forced the Golden Knights to remove important pieces from their core.

Who have been the league's best players over the past 10 seasons, from 2010-11 through 2019-20?

The undersized former Bruins defenseman won't give St. Louis everything it had in its captain, but Krug will supply the Blues with plenty of offense and snarl.

Nobody made out better than Jacob Markstrom and nobody was more tortured than viewers in Canada who had to put up with an endless loop of a commercial for eggs.

The Flames are all-in on a push to become more than middling contenders, and they've found their new starting goaltender on a long-term deal. He was great this past season but merely good before then. Which version of Markstrom is the real one?

Follow along with all the big deals with live updates and instant analysis from The Hockey News' senior writers throughout the first day of the NHL's signing season.

The Stanley Cup-winner with Washington comes in with a two-year deal that can help Thatcher Demko - and perhaps Seattle, as well.

Signing 'The King' is a low-risk deal for the Capitals in both term and cap hit and gives them a low-maintenance veteran to back up Ilya Samsonov, who is now their present and future.

The Jets get a badly needed fix at their No. 2 center position, while the Golden Knights appear to be preparing for big game hunting via free agency or the trade market.

The Blue Jackets send the defenseman to New Jersey for a fifth-rounder - but also free up valuable cap space ahead of free agency.

It's too early to tell, but suffice to say it will be a lot different than normal. There could be short-term bubbles, a shorter season and a lot less revenue, depending on the availability of a vaccine.

The USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks are sequestering in a hotel NHL-style for training camp.

The 2020 market lacks the flash of last year's but still offers some marquee names at every position – and tremendous depth.

The Red Wings stocked up on Swedish kids early in the 2020 draft, getting top talents to help their rebuild.

The first few seasons were disastrous for 2016's No. 4 overall pick. But he returns with renewed confidence and a new Edmonton regime that believes in him.

If you're looking for an example of the vagaries of NHL goaltending these days, look no further than the trade that sent the two-time Stanley Cup winner to the Ottawa Senators.

Max Domi expressed major excitement over being traded to the Blue Jackets, but it's not just because of the player personnel. After what he describes as "not a lot of communication" in Montreal, he's eager to play for a straight-shooter coach.

Everyone knew Lafreniere was going first to New York, but the Kings made the first real decision of the 2020 draft by snagging a big, talented center.

The Columbus Blue Jackets went way off the board with their first round pick, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a chance to be a great player. Anyone ever heard of Brayden Point? Artemi Panarin?

Big, tough Josh Anderson is exactly what the Habs need. But that doesn't mean the price was right. Domi was worth more. The fact Montreal kicked in a draft pick is staggering.

The Wild cleared some salary and depth chart space by moving two regulars to the Sharks in separate deals. It's clear Minnesota GM Bill Guerin is making room for a bigger splash.

The franchise went through a radical revision of its hockey operations just months ago and the stakes at the draft are high.

It wasn't that Matt Niskanen didn't want to play hockey anymore, it was the prospect of preparing for another NHL season that is shrouded in uncertainty that caused him to walk away, said his agent.

The Firebirds skated in the NAHL, the league that inspired Slap Shot. And much like the iconic movie, the team's tales verge on unbelievable.

Blackhawks clear cap and roster space for next generation while Kings get some help now.

With Vegas signing Robin Lehner and Pittsburgh inking Tristan Jarry, Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray are left out in the cold. Will one of them end up in Minnesota reunited with GM Bill Guerin? Could Henrik Lundqvist find himself a Golden Knight?

A team-by-team look at every club's highest pick in the past decade – from the 2010 NHL draft through 2019 – plus a peek at their other top-10 selections over the past 10 years.

Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is apparently available, but does that mean teams have to make a potentially franchise-crippling deal in order to get him?

Will Holtby head closer to home and sign with the Flames as a UFA? Will teams reach to get Yaroslav Askarov in the draft? And much more.

Contenders and rebuilders are in good spots, but some franchises are caught in the middle.

On its second try in two weeks, the Quebec League managed to increase its fighting penalties. The payoff? $20 million in pandemic relief from the Quebec government.