Anaheim Ducks

Former Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg is signing a one-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks that is expected to be worth around $7 million, according to The Athletic's Eric Stephens and ESPN's Kevin Weekes.

The news comes after Klingberg parted ways with his longtime agent, Peter Wallen, earlier this week. He is now represented by Newport Sports Management.

Klingberg, arguably the top defenseman available this summer, had been testing the free agent market since it opened on July 13. The Athletic's Saad Yousuf suggested last week that the market wasn't what Klingberg and his camp were expecting.

That said, it's no surprise Klingberg agreed to a one-year contract with the Ducks. He'll now have the opportunity to re-enter free agency next summer in hopes of signing a larger, long-term deal.

Klingberg had spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Stars, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL draft. He burst onto the scene in 2014-15 and was named to the All-Rookie Team after notching 11 goals and 29 assists in 65 games.

In 552 games in Dallas, the 29-year-old tallied 71 goals and 303 assists. He also had a decent 2021-22 campaign, notching six goals and 41 assists in 74 games.

It's unclear how the Stars plan to replace Klingberg this summer.

Ryan Suter and Miro Heiskanen figure to be Dallas' top-pairing defensemen in 2022-23, but things get a little dicey beyond the duo with Esa Lindell, Jani Hakanpaa, Thomas Harley and Colin Miller expected to fill out the remainder of the defense.

The Stars are projected to have $11.5 million in cap space, per CapFriendly. Some defensemen still available include P.K. Subban, Calvin de Haan, Michal Kempny, Ryan Murray, Dean Kukan, Keith Yandle and Jack Johnson.

However, none of those players are likely to make up for the loss of Klingberg.

As for Anaheim, the Ducks will have an impressive defensive unit in 2022-23. In addition to Klingberg, the franchise also boasts a group of blue liners that includes Cam Fowler, Jamie Drysdale, Urho Vaakanainen, Kevin Shattenkirk, Simon Benoit and Josh Mahura.

Before signing Klingberg, the Ducks were projected to have nearly $26 million in cap space, per CapFriendly. They'll still have plenty of room to take a shot at some of the other top free agents available if they wish, including Nazem Kadri.

Last week, Trevor Zegras, the Anaheim Ducks' star young forward, set up linemate Sonny Milano with an unreal pass to score a lacrosse goal in Buffalo.

In case you also missed it over the weekend, former coach and current ESPN analyst John Tortorella had an awful take on that goal: It's bad for the game.

There is an argument to be made for not giving a bad take attention, but I'm taking the alternate route and explaining why that opinion is actually what's bad for the game.

It's difficult to describe just how difficult a goal like that is to pull off, so I'll just drop the video here.

Tortorella displayed an exceptionally outdated mindset, essentially saying that flash and panache have no place in hockey games. It's a strange take considering it's a game, and games are supposed to be fun.

"It's tremendously skilled," Tortorella said on Friday's ESPN broadcast. "For Sonny Milano even to yell 'Michigan' in the middle of a play, in a game, is a skill. That's a skilled play. My position, though is, is it good for the game? I hear Ray [Ferraro] ... like, all the kids are doing it now in practice and stuff like that. I'm not so sure.

"I'm not trying to be a fool here, I'm just not so sure it's great for the game. If you did that back in the 2000s, late '90s, you would get your head taken off. It's cool; it's cool to watch and all that, but I'm not so sure it's good for the game. And I stand by that."

The 63-year-old former coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks and Tampa Bay Lightning is known for his old-school ways. A lot of players will tell you he's difficult to work with, but they usually say he has their backs. 

But it doesn't sound like he would have the back of Zegras, a burgeoning star in this league, if he were coaching that team. He may have even condoned someone on the Sabres taking a shot at Zegras on the ice. Hockey has previously had an unwritten system of checks and balances in place to make sure young players like Zegras don't try audacious plays like the one he pulled off against the Sabres. Usually, it's been on-ice enforcers sending a message through physical intimidation.

But that's not always the case anymore as enforcers have fallen by the wayside. Teams have to walk a fine line between protecting young players without sacrificing skill in the lineup. 

The problem with Tortorella saying along the lines of "Back in my day…" is that it's not his day anymore. 

Unfortunately, it's the same people—and let's face it, mostly white men—who have seemingly been running hockey for decades while the players on the ice have changed. Last week, the Vancouver Canucks fired general manager Jim Benning and coach Travis Green and replaced them with two NHL retreads in Jim Rutherford and Bruce Boudreau. Last year, Rutherford stepped down as the GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the organization hired two executives from the same mold in Brian Burke and Ron Hextall. 

I have nothing against any of those men, and it is a great opportunity for someone like Boudreau, an affable players' coach, to get back in the game. But hockey hires the same people over and over again, which leads to exactly the type of stale thinking expressed by Tortorella. 

This conservatism in hockey culture creates barriers to entry. Women and people of color are often excluded from front offices and coaching staffs because they aren't the traditional "hockey guys." How do you know that someone like Angela James couldn't run a hockey operations department? The NHL loves nothing more than to play it safe and continually hire the same rotating cast of characters.

More diverse hires with different backgrounds and differing points of view would be healthy for the game and bring it in line with the society surrounding it. Instead of discouraging creativity and ingenuity like the Zegras play, why not welcome voices that see the benefits of highlighting it?

It's now leading to a generational divide between the men who think hockey should be played one way and the kids who are actually playing it at the highest levels today. The NHL has become a younger league in the past few seasons and getting farther and farther away from the old-school mindset that Tortorella champions. 

These players grew up playing video games, making their players score garish highlight-reel goals that would make the hockey dinosaurs blush. They're more candid, open and willing to share their lives off the ice thanks to having grown up in the age of social media. 

In the past, executives and coaches might have told players like Zegras to fall in line or sit on the bench, but that's not always possible in the salary-cap era. Zegras, who is all of 20 years old, is still on his entry-level contract through next season. He makes less than $1 million, and it allows a team like the upstart Ducks to have cap flexibility when trying to improve the roster. 

Zegras is also the second-leading point scorer on a team that leads the Pacific Division. I doubt coach Dallas Eakins is about to bench him. 

The "Michigan" goal will be an even bigger part of the NHL game in about five years. It's the signature move of Russian phenom Matvei Michkov, a forward who could be a top-five pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. He could be good enough to go No. 1 overall ahead of presumptive favorite Connor Bedard, but his contract with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL runs through the 2026 season.

What will Tortorella think the first time Michkov scores a Michigan goal for an NHL team? What will Michkov's general manager or head coach think? Is a coach going to pull a rookie from a game for…scoring a goal that is well within the rules?

The fans and their enjoyment are the two items that should be the priority for the NHL. They're buying tickets and watching the broadcasts. "Fun" should be an f-word that everyone in the game of hockey can get behind.

"I'm not trying to be difficult about it. It's fun to watch. It's really cool, but I just think our game has gone so far away from what the game should be," Tortorella said. "A hard game. An honest game. It's almost gotten too showman."

It's not Tortorella's game anymore. The game is dictated by the players on the ice. It's dictated by players like Zegras and soon Michkov. There are veteran captains such as Zegras' own, Ryan Getzlaf, who will guide young players and make sure there is a culture of accountability.

But, ultimately, hockey needs to continually find ways to reach new fans and keep them for life. Lacrosse goals will build interest, grab attention and grow ticket revenue. Flashy play hasn't hurt the NBA or the NFL. 

It's time for hockey to evolve and let the kids play.

Anaheim Ducks general manager Bob Murray resigned Wednesday and will enter an alcohol treatment program amid an investigation into alleged misconduct.

"I want to apologize to anyone adversely affected by my behavior," Murray said in a statement. "I vow to make changes to my life, starting with enrolling in a treatment program. I want to thank Henry and Susan Samueli, and Michael Schulman, as working for them has been one of the highlights of my career. As I step away from the Ducks, I will focus my attention on where it should be: improving my life for the betterment of my family and friends."

Jeff Solomon will serve as the club's interim general manager. The Ducks placed Murray on leave Tuesday after hiring an independent firm to investigate allegations of misconduct.

The NHL released a statement saying it supports Murray's decision to resign and "there is no excuse and there is no place" for his behavior, which was reported to the league's hotline. Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli said they would "not stand for abuse of any kind" in their organization.

Murray had been with the team since 2005.

No details were provided on the allegations. Greg Wyshynski of ESPN reported Murray has been accused of verbal abuse against staff and cultivating an "abusive culture."

There was no timetable for the investigation's completion.

The NHL is currently dealing with the fallout of an independent investigation that found the Chicago Blackhawks mishandled sexual assault allegations made by former forward Kyle Beach against former video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010.

The Blackhawks were fined $2 million in the aftermath of the investigation, and president Stan Bowman and director of hockey administration Al MacIsaac announced their resignations. Florida Panthers coach Joel Quenneville, who was the coach of the Blackhawks during the 2009-10 season, also announced his resignation.

The Anaheim Ducks placed general manager Bob Murray on administrative leave as the team investigates allegations of improper conduct.

"We recently became aware of accusations of improper professional conduct against Bob Murray," the team said Tuesday in a statement. "After internal review, we enlisted Shephard Mullin to perform an independent investigation. Upon recommendation from their initial findings, we have decided to place Bob on administrative leave pending final results. In the interim, Vice President of Hockey Operations and Assistant General Manager Jeff Solomon will assume the role of Interim General Manager. We will have no further comment until the investigation is complete."

No details on the allegations were given.

The NHL is currently enveloped in controversy after an independent investigation found that the Chicago Blackhawks mishandled former player Kyle Beach's sexual assault allegations against former video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010.

The NHL fined the Blackhawks $2 million, and president Stan Bowman and director of hockey administration Al MacIsaac both resigned. The fallout also included the resignation of Florida Panthers coach Joel Quenneville, who was the coach of the Blackhawks during the 2009-10 season.

Bowman, MacIsaac and Quenneville were all part of a meeting in 2010 to discuss the allegations, after which nothing was done for three weeks.

Murray has been with the Ducks organization since 2005. He has been the team's general manager since 2008.

Buffalo Sabres star Jack Eichel could be on the move this offseason, and TSN's Darren Dreger has identified three teams that are "in the mix" to land the 24-year-old.

In an appearance Friday on WGR 550, Dreger said the Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings are among potential landing spots for the forward. The Sabres captain said last month that "there's been a bit of a disconnect" between him and the organization that drafted him at No. 2 overall in 2015. 

Eichel appeared in 21 games in 2021, scoring two goals and logging 16 assists before a herniated disk in his neck ended his season prematurely. 

According to Jenna Lemoncelli of the New York Post, Eichel wanted to have surgery to repair his neck injury—which he suffered on the ice on March 7—but the Sabres did not support that decision. 

"I have a lot of thinking to do in this offseason," he said in May. "I think that there’s a lot that I have to consider. But for now, obviously, I’m here." 

The center has five years and $50 million remaining on his current contract, with a no-trade clause in effect in 2022. 

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported Monday that the Sabres were having conversations with other teams and those negotiations were "getting more intense and serious."

In addition to Los Angeles, Anaheim and Columbus, LeBrun tabbed the Minnesota Wild, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers as possible destinations, noting that he thinks general manager Kevyn Adams is hoping to land a first-round pick in this year's draft in exchange for Eichel. 

With the draft coming up on July 23, that puts any interested team on the clock, something that was reflected when WGR 550's Jeremy White said Thursday that he expected a move to be made within "days."