1:11 PM ET Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Sabres have returned top prospect Dylan Cozens to his Canadian junior team. The rookie first-round draft pick was assigned to Lethbridge of the Western Hockey League on Thursday after the 18-year-old center had zero points in three preseason games with Buffalo. Cozens was selected with the

7:00 AM ET NHL Insiders You’ve seen our 2019 NHL Rank list, our projection of the top 50 players for the 2019-20 season. And now our experts weigh in on the results. Which player was snubbed? Who was ranked too high or too low? And who is a lock to make the list in 2020?

12:18 PM ET Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky likely will miss the start of the season with a wrist injury. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Wednesday that the 33-year-old Dubinsky is out indefinitely. No other details were provided. Dubinsky is entering his 13th NHL season. Last year he recorded

11:59 AM ET The NHL Seattle franchise has hired its first round of scouts – including former Team USA star and Hockey Hall of Famer Cammi Granato, who will become the NHL’s first female pro scout. Granato’s hiring continues a trend for the NHL’s newest team – scheduled to enter the league for the 2021-22

9:28 AM ET The Calgary Flames have agreed to a three-year contract with restricted free agent Matthew Tkachuk, the team announced Wednesday. The new contract has an average annual value of $7 million, the highest on the team. The 21-year-old was among the top tier of restricted free agents this season. Brayden Point‘s deal with

7:32 PM ET Associated Press TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs say they are aware of a complaint of disturbing the peace against star forward Auston Matthews. The team says Matthews is cooperating with authorities and declined further comment “out of respect for the process involved.” A Scottsdale, Arizona, police spokesman said the department in

4:56 PM ET Associated Press BURNABY, British Columbia — Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser and defenseman Oscar Fantenberg are in the concussion protocol. Neither player was on the ice for practice Tuesday, a day after their injuries during a 6-4 exhibition victory over Ottawa. Fantenberg left Monday night’s game after he was flattened along the

2:27 PM ET The defending Stanley Cup champions made a big move ahead of the 2019-20 season, trading for Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk, and subsequently signing him to a to a seven-year, $45.5 million contract extension. The Blues sent prospect Dominik Bokk, defenseman Joel Edmundson and a 2021 seventh-round pick to the Hurricanes. Along

7:46 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt still cares whether or not you believe he’s a cheater. Almost as much as he cares about never seeing another player go through the humiliation he has endured. “No one in the world can say that they don’t care that people think they’re

5:24 PM ET Associated Press ELMONT, N.Y. — Work has begun on a $1.3 billion arena for the New York Islanders hockey team at Belmont Park. The 19,000-seat arena will also include shops, restaurants and a hotel. Work is expected to be completed in time for the 2021-2022 season. Until then, the Islanders will play