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Cole’s Notes From Around the League: 8/31/19-9/6/19

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks made no moves this week.

Arizona Coyotes

The Coyotes signed centre Clayton Keller to an eight-year contract extension.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins made no moves this week.

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres made no moves this week.

Calgary Flames

The Flames signed left wingers Tobias Rieder and Zac Rinaldo, and right wingers Devante Smith-Pelly and Alexandre Grenier to professional tryout contracts.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes re-signed defenceman Roland McKeown to a one-year contract. They signed defenceman Jake Gardiner to a four-year contract. Right winger Justin Williams has announced he will be taking a break from hockey.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks signed left winger Brendan Perlini to a one-year contract.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche made no moves this week.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets made no moves this week.

Dallas Stars

The Stars signed right winger Stefan Noesen and centre Corey Elkins to professional tryout contracts.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings made no moves this week.

Defenceman Niklas Kronwall has retired from pro hockey. Drafted in the first round, 29th overall, in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, Kronwall has 432 points (83G, 349A) in 953 games, as well as 47 points (5G, 42A) in 109 games for Detroit (2003/04-2018/19), winning a Stanley Cup in the process. He also won Silver with Sweden at the 1999 World U18s, 2003 and 2014 World Championships, and Gold at the 2006 Olympics and World Championships, making him part of the Triple Gold Club. While Kronwall split the first two seasons of his career between Detroit and the AHL, from 2006/07 onward Kronwall was a star in the NHL and a well-regarded two-way defencemen. While he had no trouble putting up points, his calling card was his propensity for massive open-ice hits. Players getting “Kronwalled” was a regular occurrence despite Kronwall’s modest size. Kronwall reached career-highs of 51 points in 2009, 15 goals in 2012, and 45 assists in 2009, all with Detroit. Kronwall finished his final season with 27 points (3G, 24A) in 79 games for the Red Wings. Kronwall, 38, will join the Red Wings as an advisor to general manager Steve Yzerman.

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers signed centre Riley Sheahan to a one-year contract.

Florida Panthers

The Panthers re-signed right winger Troy Brouwer to a professional tryout contract.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings signed left winger Lance Bouma to a professional tryout contract. They signed centre Adrian Kempe to a three-year contract extension.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild signed right winger Drew Stafford to a professional tryout contract. They re-signed defenceman Louie Belpedio to a one-year contract.

Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens made no moves this week.

Nashville Predators

The Predators made no moves this week.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils made no moves this week.

New York Islanders

The Islanders made no moves this week.

New York Rangers

The Rangers made no moves this week.

Ottawa Senators

The Senators made no moves this week.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers made no moves this week. Right winger Nikolay Zherdev, who last played in the NHL for Philadelphia in 2010/11, has signed in Russia with the VHL’s HK Ryazan.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins made no moves this week.

San Jose Sharks

The Sharks re-signed centre Joe Thornton to a one-year contract.

St. Louis Blues

The Blues re-signed centre Ivan Barbashev to a two-year contract.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning made no moves this week.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs made no moves this week.

Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks re-signed left winger Nikolay Goldobin to a one-year contract.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights signed defenceman Jimmy Schuldt to a one-year contract.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals made no moves this week.

Winnipeg Jets

The Jets made no moves this week.

Centre Jim Slater has retired from pro hockey. Drafted in the first round, 30th overall, in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers, Slater has 138 points (67G, 71A) in 584 games, as well as zero points in eight playoff games, for Atlanta/Winnipeg (2005/06-2014/15). While his reputation deteriorated as his shortcomings as a player became more known and his assets became less desirable for teams, he was a physical faceoff specialist who was well-respected in the room and was a part of the well-regarded “Greek God” line with Chris Thorburn and Eric Boulton towards the end of the franchise’s time in Atlanta, which morphed into the GST Line as Boulton was effectively replaced by Tanner Glass in Winnipeg. Slater has career-highs of 21 points and 13 goals in 2012 and 10 assists in 2006, all with Atlanta/Winnipeg. Slater finished his final NHL season in 2014/15 with 13 points (5G, 8A) in 82 games for Winnipeg and finished his final pro season in 2018/19 with 31 points in 48 games for HC Geneve-Servette of the Switzerland’s National League A. Slater, 36, has been hired as an assistant coach for Michigan State University.

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