The Latest on the first day of NHL free agency (all times local):
10:55 a.m.
The Florida Panthers have agreed on a one-year extension with defenseman Alex Petrovic.
Panthers general manager Dale Tallon says Petrovic “is an important part of our young core and has taken great strides in his development over the past two seasons.”
Petrovic had one goal and 13 assists with the Panthers last season. He has appeared in 161 games, all with Florida.
The Panthers have prioritized keeping their defense mostly intact going into next season, something that Tallon and new Florida coach Bob Boughner have been in concert on since Boughner was hired last month.
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10:50 a.m.
Before the start of free agency, several teams took care of re-signing their own players. The Toronto Maple Leafs re-upped goaltenders Curtis McIlhenney and Garret Sparks for two years.
McIlhenney’s deal is worth a salary-cap hit of $850,000 per season and Sparks’ is worth $675,000.
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10:30 a.m.
Though not a free agent, Ilya Kovalchuk has taken one step closer to returning to the NHL after spending the previous four seasons playing in his native Russia.
The start of the league’s new business year at noon Saturday places the Devils in a position to sign Kovalchuk to have him either stay in New Jersey or – more likely – trade him to another team. The Devils own the rights to the 2001 No. 1 draft pick after Kovalchuk left the team to play in the Kontinental Hockey League.
Since expressing an intention to return to North America in May, Kovalchuk has had the Devils’ permission to meet with teams and negotiate the framework of a contract. New Jersey would then have to sign Kovalchuk to the agreed upon deal and negotiate a trade with the team.
Devils GM Ray Shero has previously said he’s keeping all of his options open regarding the 34-year-old Kovalchuk, who was a nine-time 30-goal scorer in 11 NHL season
The expectation is for Kovalchuk to narrow his options based on what teams might be the best fit for him following the first few days of free agency.
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