The Blue Jackets have signed left wing Kerby Rychel of the OHL’s Guelph Storm to a three-year entry level contract, club GM Jarmo Kekalainen announced today. Rychel was the club’s second of three first round picks in the 2013 NHL Draft, selected 19th overall.
“Kerby is a hard-nosed player who is very competitive and possesses a mixture of skill, the ability to score goals and grit,” said Kekalainen. “We believe he will be an important part of our organization for years to come as he continues to grow and develop as a player.”
Rychel, 19, has tallied 17 goals and 28 assists for 45 points with 17 penalty minutes to go along with five power play and four game-winning goals in 30 games with Windsor and Guelph this season.
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David Nonis, Senior Vice President and GM of the Maple Leafs, announced Tuesday that the club has signed Captain Dion Phaneuf to a seven-year contract extension that will commence at the start of the 2014-15 NHL season.
“Dion is our team leader and has been a pillar in our building process,” said Nonis. “He has proven to be a very durable and reliable defenceman in all facets of the game. He plays big minutes in every situation for us and we’re pleased to have him under contract for the next seven seasons.”
“This is a very proud day for me and my family,” said Phaneuf. “I’m very honoured to be the captain of this historic franchise and to maintain the opportunity to play and represent the Toronto Maple Leafs for many years to come. We have passionate fans and a dedicated ownership group. I have great teammates and look forward to growing with them and achieving our goal of winning.”
Phaneuf, 28, has played 39 games for the Maple Leafs this season, registering 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists) with 50 penalty minutes.
In 639 career NHL games with Calgary (2005-06 to 2009-10) and Toronto (2009-10 to present), the native of Edmonton, Alberta, has amassed 110 goals, 245 assists, 355 points and 851 minutes in penalties.
The Flames acquired forward Kevin Westgarth from the Hurricanes on Monday for minor league forward Greg Nemisz, according to an ESPN.com report.
Westgarth, in his fifth NHL season, has no points this season in 12 games with the Hurricanes. Overall, he has played in 133 NHL games with Los Angeles and Carolina, posting three goals and six assists.
The Blues placed forward Alex Steen on the injured list Saturday because of a concussion and are cautiously optimistic, according to an ESPN.com report.
GM Doug Armstrong said the NHL's No. 2 goal scorer will be out indefinitely.
Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee, the team announced on Saturday.
Seidenberg's expected recovery time will be six to eight months, according to an ESPN.com report.
The Maple Leafs are close to signing Dion Phaneuf to a seven-year contract extension, a source confirmed to ESPN.com Saturday, although there remains details to iron out before the deal gets done.
TSN's Darren Dreger reported Saturday that the deal being negotiated is worth $49M in total.
Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma says forward Pascal Dupuis could miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, according to an ESPN.com report.
Bylsma said Friday after the team's game-day skate that Dupuis will have surgery "in a couple of weeks" to repair his anterior cruciate ligament.
The upper-body injury that Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson suffered Monday night against the Islanders turned out to be a couple of fractured ribs.
Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock told the Detroit Free Press on Tuesday that if he had to guess, Ericsson will be sidelined three to five weeks.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced Tuesday he has upheld the 15-game suspension for Bruins forward Shawn Thornton, according to an ESPN.com report.
Thornton now can appeal to an independent arbitrator.
Sharks forward Tomas Hertl will undergo right knee surgery next week, sidelining the rookie for more than a month, according to an ESPN.com report.
GM Doug Wilson said Monday that the team will know more about how much time Hertl will miss following the surgery.