Canucks acquire forward Ilya Safonov from Blackhawks for future considerations
Safonov had 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists), 22 penalty minutes and a plus-22 rating in 51 games for Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in 2024-25.
He added another five points (three goals, two assists) in 13 post-season games.
In 263 career KHL games across parts of seven seasons, the 24-year-old has 95 points (49 goals, 46 assists).
The six-foot-four, 205-pound Russian centre has yet to play in the NHL.
Safonov was a sixth-round pick (172nd overall) of the Blackhawks in the 2021 NHL Draft.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025.
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New York Times
27 minutes ago
- New York Times
Getting a new CBA without a lockout is bad, actually: The Contrarian returns
It's late July, we're two months away from games that matter, and NHL GMs have apparently taken the rest of the summer off. Let's get Contrarian. This is the feature where you send in your most obvious takes, and I tell you that you're wrong, whether I believe it or not. In the past, we've made the case that Mark Messier was a great Canuck, Ray Bourque's Cup win was bad, but Brett Hull's crease goal was good and Bobby Orr's flying goal photo is overrated. Last time, we made the case for Alex Ovechkin being an overrated bum, and also for Alex Ovechkin being an underrated legend, because we're flexible like that. Advertisement This time, we've got a new CBA, an old legend and everything in between. Let's dive in. Note: Submissions have been edited for clarity and style. The NHL and NHLPA agreeing on a new CBA quickly and without any work-stoppage drama is a good thing. — Kevin S. On the contrary, Kevin S., you twit. Unless, of course, you're an owner. Are you an owner, Kevin? Are you? Because if not, you should be concerned about what we just saw play out. We had the two sides of this multibillion-dollar industry come together, and the result was a one-sided victory for the owners, one that appeared to come with next to no resistance from the players. Sure, they got a few minor concessions in the form of payroll taxes and an increased playoff fund. But in today's NHL, those 'wins' represent pennies on the dollar. Meanwhile, the owners got more games, shorter contracts and smaller bonuses. And they'll keep all the coming expansion money, a multibillion-dollar windfall that the players didn't even seem to try to get a piece of. And sure, you can see why it played out that way. After all, this is Gary Bettman's NHL, where history shows us how these things usually go. If the players try to stand up for themselves, even a little, Bettman shuts everything down. 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And when it comes to marketing this sport in the USA, only one result moves the needle. And Team Canada winning — again, like they always do — isn't it. Short of a Team USA win, this year's tournament delivered everything you could ask for, including a signature moment: The infamous Nine Seconds from the round robin, the rare hockey game that seemed to take over the sports discourse for days. Fans of other sports were hooked because what they were watching didn't look anything like the leagues they were used to. Unfortunately, it didn't look much like the modern NHL either, meaning that wild night in Montreal couldn't draw in new fans on its own. The tournament needed the right outcome, and it didn't get it. American sports fans will dip in to sample best-on-best hockey, as the record ratings for the 4 Nations final show. But they want to see a happy ending. They didn't get it this year, just like they didn't in 2002 or 2010 or any other year beyond 1996, which is too long ago to matter. And that's why they don't stick around. Less than four months later, we got a Stanley Cup Final featuring a rematch between Connor McDavid, who scored the OT winner, and Matthew Tkachuk, who worked hard to make himself the face of Team USA. Nobody watched. Advertisement (Well, they watched in Canada, as they always do. But the NHL has been clear over the years: When it comes to Canada, the only priority is to cash as big a check as possible from Sportsnet every decade or so. Beyond that, they couldn't care less.) The bottom line: There's a reason that the typical American sports fan still thinks a round-robin upset from 1980 is the most important hockey game ever played. Until a Team USA can deliver that sort of moment again, nothing is going to be a 'success' for the NHL, in any way that matters to league leadership. 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Yahoo
2 hours ago
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GB's Thorpe & Tomblin win world synchronised bronze
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New York Post
5 hours ago
- New York Post
Rangers' Brett Berard played with shoulder tear for most of season
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