Canucks acquire defenceman Brannstrom from Avalanche for Poolman, draft pick

The Vancouver Canucks acquired defenceman Erik Brannstrom from the Colorado Avalanche for defenceman Tucker Poolman and a 2025 fourth-round draft pick.

Brannstrom, 25, had spent his entire six-year career with the Ottawa Senators before signing with the Avalanche in free agency in July. He signed a one-year, $900,000 US deal. The five-foot-10, 185-pounder had three goals and 17 assists in 76 games for Ottawa in 2023-24.

Brannstrom was the 15th overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Vegas Golden Knights. The Swede has seven goals and 62 assists in 266 career games.

Poolman last appeared in an NHL game on Oct. 18, 2023 for the Canucks and has been sidelined since due to a head injury. He skated in three games for Vancouver in 2022-23 and had one assist.

The 31-year-old is expected to miss the 2024-25 season due to injury, according to a release from the Avalanche. Vancouver is retaining 20 per cent of Poolman's salary as a part of the deal.

Bruins sign Swayman for 8 years, $66M

The Boston Bruins signed goalie Jeremy Swayman on Sunday to an eight-year contract that will pay him $66 million US, ending a second straight summer of contentious negotiations just two days before the season opener.

The deal comes a year after the team took Swayman to arbitration and less than a week after Bruins president Cam Neely told reporters: "I have 64 million reasons why I'd be playing right now." Swayman's agent, Lewis Gross, denied that the team had offered the 25-year-old from Alaska $64 million.

But in the end they did, avoiding a holdout that threatened to derail the season for the Original Six franchise that has had six (non-pandemic-shortened) 100-point seasons in a row but hasn't gotten past the second round of the playoffs since 2019.

The $8.25 average annual value makes Swayman, who has never before worked a season as a team's sole top goalie, among the top five highest-paid goalies in the NHL. Only Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky, Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy and Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck make more.

Leafs sign former Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty to 1-year deal

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed veteran forward Max Pacioretty to a one-year contract Monday after he made the team out of training camp on a professional tryout.

The 35-year-old former Montreal Canadiens captain, who will earn a base salary of $873,770 US in 2024-25, had four goals and 23 points in 47 games with the Washington Capitals last season.

Selected with the 22nd pick in the 2007 NHL draft by Montreal, Pacioretty has put up 330 goals and 668 points in 902 career games. He's added 50 points (25 goals, 25 assists) in 78 playoff contests.

Steven Lorentz, meanwhile, will join Toronto to a one-year deal worth US$775,000 following his successful professional tryout. The 28-year-old won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers in June.

The Leafs also signed defenceman Cade Webber to a two-year contract extension that begins in 2025-26. The 23-year-old's agreement worth $825,000 annually in the NHL is a two-way contract next season before becoming a one-way in 2026-27.

Panthers cancel Cup ring ceremony

The Florida Panthers have cancelled plans to receive their Stanley Cup championship rings at a public event Monday night, doing so out of concerns about Hurricane Milton as it bears down on the state.

Fans had been invited to attend the event for a $20 donation that would have benefited the team's foundation, the United Negro College Fund and the United Way. Players will now receive their rings in a private ceremony on Monday, the team said.

For now, the Panthers' opening regular-season game, and Stanley Cup banner unveiling, against the Boston Bruins is scheduled to go as planned on Tuesday night in Sunrise.

Milton intensified Sunday and forecasters expect it will become a major hurricane, one that could approach the Tampa Bay area on the state's Gulf coast by Wednesday. Much of that side of the state is still dealing with the aftereffects of Hurricane Helene.

Hurricane threat cancels Lightning pre-season finale

The Tampa Bay Lightning's pre-season schedule ended earlier than expected, with the team cancelling its home exhibition finale against the Nashville Predators because of ongoing preparations in the region for Milton's arrival.

It was the second time this Lightning-Predators game was called off. The teams were scheduled to play Sept. 27, only to have that moved to Monday because of the effects of Helene.

This time, it will not be rescheduled. Tampa Bay opens its regular season Friday at Carolina.