NHL News:

NHL OKs Kovalchuk's new deal with Devils (AP) - The New Jersey Devils did more than sign Ilya Kovalchuk to a $100 million contract. A byproduct of the revised 15-year deal was that the Devils helped the NHL and its players union reach an agreement on long-term contracts that will define how much money will count toward salary caps. "That is exactly what just transpired with the amendment," Devils president and general manager Lou...

Sharks sign Stanley Cup-winning G Niemi (AP) - The San Jose Sharks signed the goalie who helped knock them out of the playoffs, agreeing to a one-year, $2 million deal with Antti Niemi on Thursday. Niemi joins fellow Finnish netminder Antero Niittymaki in San Jose as the replacements for longtime starter Evgeni Nabokov. Niittymaki signed a two-year, $4 million deal on the first day of free agency in July.

Canadiens re-sign G Price to 2-year deal (AP) - The Montreal Canadiens have re-signed restricted free-agent goalie Carey Price to a two-year contract. The 22-year-old goaltender signed the new contract on Thursday, ending two months of negotiations with the Canadiens. Price has spent his entire career in Montreal after being selected fifth overall in the 2005 NHL draft.