5:44 PM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN SEA ISLAND, Ga. — The unanimous decision by the NHL Board of Governors to give Seattle an expansion franchise on Tuesday was a difficult one. Not for the NHL, which had heard the Seattle presentation and voted to approve them for the 2021-22 season within the span of 45 minutes

1. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Col C1 1 2. Auston Matthews, C, Tor C2 10 3. Connor McDavid, C, Edm C3 2 4. Brad Marchand, LW, Bos LW1 3 5. Nikita Kucherov, RW, TB RW1 6 6. Mark Scheifele, C, Wpg C4 7 7. John Tavares, C, Tor C5 5 8. Mikko Rantanen, RW, Col RW2

9:42 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi was suspended for two games without pay by the NHL on Monday for his hit on the Colorado Avalanche‘s Matt Calvert over the weekend. Bertuzzi was sanctioned for roughing and unsportsmanlike conduct for his hit with 7 minutes, 15 seconds left

9:45 PM ET Associated Press SEA ISLAND, Ga. — Things are going well enough that the NHL is ready to expand to Seattle and the salary cap keeps going up. But the league is still dealing with a few uncertain situations on the eve of what should be a slam-dunk expansion vote to bring Seattle

4:43 PM ET Every week, we’ll mine the waiver wire for lesser-owned assets to help your squad, whether you favor dynasty or the redraft format, and we’ll also toss in some tips for DFS players out there. Finally, we will look at some former go-to fantasy assets who may be overvalued — either in the

11:26 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Kings center Adrian Kempe is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Kempe did not play against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. He has three goals and four assists in 26 games this season. A first-round draft pick in 2014, Kempe has 21 goals and 29 assists

9:02 PM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN The puck came to Hershey Bears winger Riley Barber. He fired it into the Binghamton Devils’ net for a power-play goal. Immediately, teddy bears started hitting the ice, and continued to fly from fans’ hands until a new world record was set. The Teddy Bear Toss is one of the

3:32 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Kings forward Ilya Kovalchuk will be sidelined for about four weeks after undergoing a procedure on his ankle. Kovalchuk underwent an ankle bursectomy Sunday, the Kings announced. The veteran Russian forward has five goals and nine assists in 25 games since returning to the NHL

5:58 PM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN Forward William Nylander and the Toronto Maple Leafs ended their contract stalemate with a new six-year deal that was made public minutes before a 5 p.m. ET deadline that would determine his eligibility for this season. Nylander, 22, was a restricted free agent. His new deal pays him $41.77 million

11:13 PM ET Greg WyshynskiESPN It’s time to reset the Tom Wilson controversy clock. Nine games after returning from a lengthy suspension, another one of the Washington Capitals forward’s hits has caused a firestorm. Wilson was ejected from the Capitals’ 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils on Friday night, given a match penalty at