The Sabres contacted the Canadiens about speaking with Rick Dudley for their GM search, but instead the veteran hockey man has agreed to a contract extension to stay with the Habs as assistant GM, according to an ESPN.com report on Wednesday.

The Red Wings signed defenseman Jonathan Ericsson to a $25.5M, six-year contract Wednesday to keep him off the market in July, according to an ESPN.com report.

"He would've been tough to lose in free agency," Red Wings GM Ken Holland said. 

The NHL says it has reached a 12-year, $5.2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the league's Canadian broadcast and multimedia rights, according to an ESPN.com report on Tuesday.

Rick DiPietro's attempt at making a NHL comeback did not last long, as the goaltender was released from his professional tryout contract with the Hurricanes' minor league team Tuesday. 

According to the Charlotte Checkers' website, it was DiPietro who asked to be released from the contract, not the other way around.

Lightning star Steven Stamkos is walking without crutches or a boot two weeks after breaking his right leg and said Monday he expects to play again this season, according to an ESPN.com report.

For the first time since 1998, when Forbes began estimating NHL team values, three of the five most financially robust franchises are found north of the border.

Forbes tabs the Maple Leafs as the most valuable team in the league at $1.15B, while the Canadiens (at $775M) and the Canucks (at $700M) were third and fourth, respectively, in the list released on Monday.

The Rangers fall at No. 2 on the list ($850M), and the defending champion Blackhawks round out the top five at $625M.

The Rangers will take part in the Coors Light Stadium Series games at Yankee Stadium, against the Devils on Sunday, Jan. 26, and against the Islanders on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

It will mark the second and third time in three seasons the Rangers have been part of a regular-season outdoor game. They played the Flyers in Philadelphia for the 2012 Winter Classic.

This season, though, they're a bit closer to home, which makes it that much more special.

"The game we played in Philly was probably one of the coolest games I've ever played," Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist told NHL.com. 

Prosecutors filed a misdemeanor assault charge Friday against Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov after his girlfriend said he attacked her last month.

Varlamov, 25, faces one count of third-degree assault, according to an ESPN.com report. 

According to Rangers owner James Dolan, GM Glen Sather has a job as long as he wants it.

Dolan, who rarely speaks with the media, opened up in a Q and A with the New York Post about the Rangers, Knicks and Madison Square Garden that appeared in Friday's editions. Dolan, who also owns the Knicks, gave Sather a vote of confidence when asked about his future with the team.

Lightning captain Martin St. Louis skated in his 1,000th career NHL game tonight against the Kings at Staples Center. He became the 286th player in NHL history to reach the 1,000-game milestone.

St. Louis, the franchise’s ninth captain, has played 1,000 career games split between the Flames (69 games) and the Lightning (931 games). He is the 27th active player to skate in 1,000 or more NHL games (not including Chris Pronger) and the 45th college player in NHL history to accomplish the feat. St. Louis also becomes just the 16th undrafted NHLer to reach the 1,000 game plateau since the inception of the universal draft in 1969.