6:36 PM ET The Florida Panthers have given their new forward Sam Reinhart a three-year contract, with multiple reports saying it carries an annual average value of $6.5 million. Reinhart, 25, was a restricted free agent. Florida got him from the Sabres last month for a first-round draft pick and goalie prospect Devon Levi. Reinhart’s

1:15 PM ET Associated Press WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Winnipeg Jets have avoided arbitration and signed defenseman Neal Pionk to a four-year contract worth roughly $23.5 million. The 26-year-old Pionk will earn about $5.8 million per year, the team said in a statement Wednesday. The Jets acquired the Nebraska native in a 2019 trade with

6:39 PM ET Associated Press CHICAGO — Tony Esposito, the pioneering Hall of Fame goaltender who played almost his entire 16-year career with the Chicago Blackhawks, has died following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer, the team announced Tuesday. He was 78. Esposito debuted with Montreal during the 1968-69 season and appeared in 13 games.

3:53 PM ET When the NHL released its 2021-22 regular-season schedule, it featured a Winter Olympics break from Feb. 7-22 with the caveat that “no final agreement or decision has been made regarding the possible participation of players.” If the NHL doesn’t send its players to the Beijing Games, it would switch to a revised

2:27 PM ET Associated Press EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Kings have signed top draft pick Brandt Clarke to a three-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract. Clarke agreed to the deal Tuesday after the Kings chose the defenseman with the eighth overall pick last month. Clarke,18, is expected to play most of next season

2:30 PM ET Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Anaheim Ducks have re-signed defenseman Josh Mahura and left wings Max Comtois and Max Jones. Comtois got a two-year contract through the 2022-23 season, and Jones signed a three-year deal through 2024. Mahura’s contract is for two years, and it is a two-way deal in the

1:34 PM ET Associated Press The Detroit Red Wings and winger Jakub Vrana agreed to a three-year contract worth $5.25 million per season Tuesday, avoiding arbitration. Vrana, a 25-year-old Czech skater, had eight goals and three assists in 11 games last season with the Red Wings after they acquired him as part of a major

8:54 PM ET ESPN News Services The Washington Capitals re-signed goaltender Ilya Samsonov to a one-year, $2 million contract on Monday. Samsonov, 24, was a restricted free agent after posting a 13-4-1 mark last season with two shutouts. He struggled in the postseason — much like most of the Capitals did — dropping all of

5:26 PM ET Associated Press CHICAGO — Longtime Chicago Blackhawks radio analyst Troy Murray says he has cancer. Murray said Monday that he wanted “to let everyone know of the challenge that I’m currently facing.” He said he is confident he will beat the disease and looks forward “to being in the booth calling Blackhawk

4:14 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — The New York Rangers have an agreement with restricted free-agent goaltender Igor Shesterkin on a four-year contract. Rangers general manager Chris Drury announced the deal on Monday without disclosing terms. According to a report in the New York Post, the contract carries an average annual value