The Hockey News

Find out who landed where and what it means in our Meet The New Guys Issue. Inside, you'll see features on Connor Bedard, Erik Karlsson, P-L Dubois and many, many more. Plus, we look at the impact of the new Professional Women's Hockey League, and we remember Rodion Amirov, Rocky Wirtz and Brian O'Neill.

UP OR DOWN, HAVE A PLAN

MASTHEAD

THANK YOU, BRIAN O’NEILL

SECRETS, AGENT MAN? • OK, maybe it’s not spy-level inside intelligence, but former agents bring unique team and player perspectives. That’s why they’re coveted for management roles

BEHIND THE MASK

JERSEY HOUND

SPLASHING CASH-O-METER • Free agency is a prime time to perform roster surgery, and as any plastic surgeon would surely tell you, even the worst facelift is going to cost a bit of money. So, which NHL GM spent the most in an attempt to give his club a makeover?

IN THE CARDS

THE COUNTDOWN • Entering what should be the final season of the (nearly) flat-cap era, which teams spend the biggest percentage of their cap space on their top five earners?

PUCK CULTURE

REMEMBERING ROCKY • Rocky Wirtz put his Blackhawks back on track, but he complicated his legacy with a 2022 outburst

HONOUR, PRIDE, COURAGE • Amirov was unassailable in his ability to make those around him smile, and to maintain his own, even when faced with an unimaginably cruel fate

GAME ON! • AT LONG LAST, THE BEST WOMEN’S HOCKEY PLAYERS IN THE WORLD ARE SET TO ALL PLAY IN THE SAME LEAGUE. THE NEW, SIX-TEAM PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S HOCKEY LEAGUE WILL OPEN IN JANUARY 2024, PUTTING AN END TO YEARS OF INFIGHTING, RIVAL LEAGUES AND LOST OPPORTUNITY. THE FUTURE FOR THE WOMEN’S GAME HAS NEVER LOOKED BRIGHTER

IT’S OUR TURN TO PLAY • Tennessee State becoming the first HCBU to introduce a hockey program is great news – but it brings up some complicated emotions

CHICAGO HOPE • AS ONE ERA ENDS FOR THE BLACKHAWKS, ANOTHER ERA BEGINS. THE ARRIVAL OF CONNOR BEDARD – AS PATRICK KANE AND JONATHAN TOEWS EXIT – HAS FANS IN CHICAGO DREAMING ABOUT THE TEAM’S NEXT STANLEY CUP DYNASTY

PEAK PITT • IN CASE IT WASN’T ALREADY OBVIOUS, PITTSBURGH’S ACQUISITION OF ERIK KARLSSON MAKES IT BLATANTLY CLEAR: AS LONG AS CROSBY, MALKIN AND LETANG ARE AROUND, THE PENGUINS ARE ALL-IN TO WIN

FREE TO BE ME • PIERRE-LUC DUBOIS IS ON HIS THIRD TEAM IN FOUR YEARS, AND HE’S BEEN DOGGED BY QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS PLAY AND PASSION FOR MUCH OF HIS CAREER. FAIR? PROBABLY NOT. BUT EITHER WAY, HE DOESN’T CARE. HE HAS A NEW START IN LOS ANGELES, WHERE HE PLANS TO JUST BE HIMSELF – AND WIN MULTIPLE STANLEY CUPS

MIKE CHECK • MIKE BABCOCK WASDONE. BUT AFTER NEARLY FOUR YEARS AWAY, THE CONTROVERSIAL COACH IS BACK. HAS HE LEARNED FROM HIS MISTAKES? YES. BUT IS HE SORRY? WILL WE SEE A CHANGED MAN? THOSE ARE MORE COMPLICATED QUESTIONS. AND IF HE CAN GET THE BLUE JACKETS BACK ON TRACK, THE ANSWERS LIKELY WON’T MATTER

FINDING THEIR CHILL • THE MAPLE LEAFS’ BIG FREE-AGENTADDS – TYLER BERTUZZI, MAX DOMI AND RYAN REAVES – MAY NOT QUITE HAVE THE TEAM’S NEW GM HARKENING BACK TO HIS DAYS IN THE ECHL, BUT THEY BRING SOME MUCH-NEEDED BRASH AND CRASH TO A CUP-STARVED GROUP

OLD BEGINNINGS • FAMILIAR TEAM. COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ROLE. AFTER SERVING AS NASHVILLE’S BENCH BOSS FOR THE FRANCHISE’S FIRST 15 SEASONS, BARRY TROTZ IS BACK – BUT THIS TIME AS THE GM. HE DIDN’T THINK HE WAS READY FOR THE FRONT OFFICE QUITE YET, BUT IT WAS THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE OVER A CLUB THAT’S CLOSE TO HIS HEART IN A PLACE HE LOVES

NO RUSH TO JUDGMENT • FOR THE ARIZONA COYOTES, THE DRAFT ETHOS IS SIMPLE: ‘PICK THE BEST PLAYER.’ AND THAT’S JUST WHAT THEY DID AT THE 2023 PROSPECT CALL, EVEN IF THEY HAD TO ENTER INTO THE UNKNOWN TO DO SO

NO TIME YET FOR A SUNSET • His post-hockey plan hasn’t changed, but after Killorn...