A judge has upheld the Glendale City Council's vote on an arena lease agreement with a prospective owner of the Coyotes. Judge Dean Fink on Thursday rejected a claim by the Goldwater Institute that the city should have had open bidding on arena operations for Jobing.com Arena, the home of the Coyotes, rather than accept an offer from former Sharks CEO Greg Jamison. "We thought it was the right decision -- there wasn't a strong legal basis for this action at all," Glendale City Attorney Craig Tindall said.

The NHL and NHL Players' Association have agreed on a $70.2M salary cap for this offseason, the league announced Thursday.

The Penguins and Sidney Crosby are finalizing a new contract that will be worth $104.4M over 12 years, according to an ESPN.com report. The Penguins announced the deal Thursday on their website. The contract will carry an average salary of about $8.7M a season, although it will be front-loaded. The new contract would go into effect for the 2013-14 season.

The NHL season could start without a new agreement if both sides agree to continue talks beyond the Sept. 15 expiration date. NHL Players' Association executive director Don Fehr said Wednesday: "The players haven't considered what they would do on Sept. 15 or any other date if no agreement is in place."

Negotiations between the NHL and NHLPA on a new collective bargaining agreement will begin Friday in New York, a source told ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun on Tuesday. Players association executive director Don Fehr said Monday that negotiations on a new CBA will begin "very quickly," perhaps as early as this week.

Brandon Sutter realizes his role as a checking-line center won't be changing with his new team, the Penguins. "I can remember coming into Pittsburgh having to play against Crosby or Malkin, which wasn't always a ton of fun," Sutter said on a teleconference call Monday, three days after being acquired by Pittsburgh in a deal that sent Jordan Staal to Carolina. "I'm looking forward to being on the other side of that now."

New NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr said negotiations will begin after Wednesday's meeting of the NHLPA's executive board, though he did not specify a date, according to an ESPN.com report.

The Lightning have renewed their affiliation agreement with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL today, assistant GM Julien BriseBois announced. Florida will continue to serve as the Lightning's primary ECHL affiliate and they will provide the Everblades with players under both NHL and AHL contracts. "We are very happy to continue our partnership with the Florida Everblades," BriseBois said. "The Everblades and their management have a strong track record of providing a winning environment for our prospects to develop in and we look forward to helping them win another Kelly Cup."

Boston GM Peter Chiarelli said Friday that veteran goaltender Tim Thomas agreed weeks ago to waive his no-movement clause, potentially allowing the Bruins to save a major salary-cap hit next season.

The NHL draft is sticking close to the league's headquarters in New York. The league announced Friday the 2013 draft will be held at the Prudential Center, the home of the Devils in Newark, N.J. The 2014 edition will be at the Wells Fargo Center, home of the Flyers.