Buffalo Sabres acquire Haag; schedule announced

The Buffalo Sabres have acquired defenseman Robert Hagg, a first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft (14th overall) and a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.

Haag averaged 15:40 of ice time over 34 games in 2020-21, recording five points (2 goals, 3 assists) and led Philadelphia defensemen with 100 hits. He played all 82 games for the Flyers in 2018-19 and established career highs in goals (5), assists (15) and points (20).

Haag ranks fourth among Flyers defensemen since 2018-19 with 38 points (10/28) in 165 contests. He Represented Sweden at three consecutive IIHF World Junior Championships (2013 to 2015) and captured a silver medal in both 2013 and 2014.

(Image courtesy of the Buffalo Sabres)

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Schedule

On Thursday, the National Hockey League announced the 2021-22 season schedule.

The NHL’s 2021-22 regular season will commence Tuesday, Oct. 12, with a doubleheader, highlighted by the Tampa Bay Lightning raising their third Stanley Cup championship banner before facing the Pittsburgh Penguins at Amalie Arena.

The second game on the opening night of the 2021-22 season will feature the NHL’s 32nd franchise, the Seattle Kraken, who will play their first regular-season game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. The Kraken will play their first home game on Saturday, Oct. 23, when they play host to the Vancouver Canucks at Climate Pledge Arena.

After closing Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum last season, the New York Islanders will open their new home, UBS Arena, on Saturday, Nov. 20, against the Calgary Flames.

A rematch of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final will take place Tuesday, Dec. 7, when the Montreal Canadiens play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Bell Centre.

The 2022 NHL Winter Classic will feature the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild at the home of MLB’s Minnesota Twins, Target Field, in Minneapolis on Jan. 1, 2022. The outdoor game, originally scheduled for New Year’s Day 2021, continues the tradition the League established in 2008 of hosting a regular-season outdoor game at the onset of the new year, with the 2022 edition marking the 14-year anniversary of the first NHL Winter Classic in Buffalo.

The 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend will take place in Las Vegas at the home of the Vegas Golden Knights, T-Mobile Arena, on Feb. 4-5. The 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend will include the 2022 NHL All-Star Skills on Friday, Feb. 4, and the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Saturday, Feb. 5, and will feature various hockey-themed events, entertainment and activities.

On Feb. 26, the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series will visit the home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, Nissan Stadium, in Nashville, where the Nashville Predators will play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning. It will be the second regular-season outdoor game for the Predators and first such game for the Lightning, who will become the 27th NHL team to participate in a regular-season outdoor game.

The 1,312-game regular-season schedule – 82 games per team – will conclude Friday, April 29, when 30 of the League’s 32 teams take to the ice.

Olympic Break: No final agreement or decision has been made to this point regarding the possible participation of NHL Players in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Talks remain ongoing. Subject to reaching agreement with the NHL Players’ Association and the International Ice Hockey Federation on all outstanding issues, including appropriate COVID-19 insurance for NHL Players, the League has agreed, per the collective bargaining agreement, to pause from Feb. 7-22, 2022 to accommodate NHL Player participation in the Olympic Games. The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association will retain full authority to decide not to participate should COVID-19 conditions worsen or otherwise pose a threat to the health and safety of NHL Players, or for any other reason that may warrant such decision.

In the event NHL Players participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics, the NHL regular season will resume Wednesday, Feb. 23. If, for whatever reason, there is no NHL Player participation in the Olympics, a revised regular season schedule will be released which, to the greatest extent possible, will adopt the dates and games reflected in the schedule contemplating Olympic participation.

ESPN, Turner Sports, Sportsnet and TVA Sports are the NHL’s national broadcast partners for the 2021-22 season and will provide comprehensive coverage throughout the season.