PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins are keeping hockey's best one-two punch together through their primes and beyond.
A day after signing coach Dan Bylsma to a two-year contract extension, the Penguins and star forward Evgeni Malkin agreed to an eight-year deal that will keep the 2012 NHL MVP and franchise cornerstone Sidney Crosby in the fold well into the next decade.
The $76 million deal begins with the 2014-15 season and will carry an average salary cap hit of $9.5 million, a little bit less than the $10.6 million Crosby will average over the first nine years of the 12-year extension he signed last summer.
It's a matter of semantics, really, for two of the game's biggest stars.
"I think it's good," Malkin said. "I like to play with him. I think he is the best player in the world."
A title the 26-year-old Malkin has toyed with at times during his seven seasons in Pittsburgh.
The second overall pick behind Alex Ovechkin in the 2004 NHL draft won the Rookie of the Year in 2007 and has twice captured the Art Ross Trophy given to the NHL's leading scorer. He was named league MVP in 2012 when he collected 109 points and helped carry the Penguins as Crosby continued to recover from concussion-like symptoms.
Canucks interview John Tortorella
Former New York Rangers coach John Tortorella is in Vancouver interviewing with the Canucks, multiple sources confirmed to ESPNNewYork.com Tuesday.
Coincidentally, Alain Vigneault, who was fired by the Canucks last month, is interviewing for Tortorella's old job with the Rangers, also on Tuesday.
Vigneault is in La Quinta, Calif., to speak with Rangers brass at the team's annual organizational meetings.
The Rangers gave Vancouver permission to speak with Tortorella, who still has two years remaining on his contract with New York. Before his somewhat unexpected dismissal less than two weeks ago, Tortorella had signed a contract extension during the season.
Tortorella also is on Dallas' radar as the Stars conduct a coaching search to replace Glen Gulutzan. As of Monday, the Stars had not requested permission to speak with Tortorella, though the Rangers are not expected to stand in his way should they make that request.
The fiery Tortorella led the Rangers to the Eastern Conference finals last season, but saw his team make a disappointing second-round exit this spring. Rangers general manager Glen Sather declined to explain why he chose to fire Tortorella, though it is believed that his brash, abrasive coaching style took its toll after four years in New York.
Alain Vigneault is expected to interview with the New York Rangers for their vacant coaching job Tuesday, a source confirmed to ESPNNewYork.com.
The New York Post first reported Vigneault's interview with the Rangers.
The 52-year-old Vigneault was fired by Vancouver after the Canucks were swept by San Jose in the first round of the playoffs. The Quebec native arrived Monday in California, where he will have an audience of Rangers executives and staff members as they hold their annual organizational meetings at general manager Glen Sather's compound.
Vigneault made the trek to La Quinta, Calif., after speaking with the Dallas Stars, multiple sources confirmed. He is considered to be a top coaching candidate for both the Rangers and the Stars.
Sather said after dismissing John Tortorella that he'd like to have a new coach in place by the NHL draft, which is to be held on June 30 in Newark, New Jersey.
In addition to Vigneault, the Rangers also obtained permission to speak with former Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff and Dallas Eakins, who is no longer available after being named head coach of the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
The Rangers' own Mark Messier, who is in La Quinta as an executive within the organization, also has expressed interest in New York's coaching job. The iconic captain led the Rangers to a Stanley Cup championship in 1994, though he has no NHL coaching experience.
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AP Photo/The Canadian Press/Jason FransonDallas Eakins, who spent the last four seasons coaching the AHL's Toronto Marlies, was introduced Monday as the Oilers' new coach.EDMONTON, Alberta -- The Edmonton Oilers have hired Dallas Eakins as their new coach, replacing the fired Ralph Krueger.
Eakins is the fourth coach in the past five seasons for the Oilers, who have not made the playoffs since reaching the Stanley Cup finals in 2006.
"This isn't about winning one game or winning one season," Eakins said. "We want to be in the mix every year to win."
The 46-year-old Eakins spent the past four seasons with the AHL's Toronto Marlies, reaching the Calder Cup final in 2012. That's when Edmonton general manager Craig MacTavish, who was coaching the Chicago Wolves at the time, first noticed Eakins' coaching acumen.
After interviewing Eakins at a Toronto hotel, MacTavish said Monday, he quickly realized it would make more sense to hire him as a head coach than an associate on Krueger's staff.
Eakins was considered an up-and-coming name in NHL coaching circles. He reportedly drew interest from the Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks, and MacTavish knew he had to move quickly.
"He had too much polish and pedigree not to land one of the NHL jobs available," MacTavish said.
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Source: Stars eye John Tortorella
Recently-dismissed New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella is on the radar as the Dallas Stars conduct their search for a new head coach, a source told ESPNNewYork.com.
The Stars have yet to seek permission from the Rangers to speak with Tortorella, however.
Tortorella was fired less than two weeks ago after the Rangers' disappointing second-round exit from the playoffs.
The polarizing Tortorella, whose brash, aggressive coaching style is believed to have worn thin after four years as coach of the Rangers, is still under contract with New York. Tortorella signed a contract extension during the 2013 season.
Because of the time and salary remaining on Tortorella's deal, which remains in effect as long as he doesn't coach somewhere else, the Rangers are not expected to stand in his way of taking another job.
The Stars have also received permission from Vancouver to speak with Alain Vigneault, who is considered to be among the front-runners for the Rangers job as well.
The Stars, who finished 22-22-4, dismissed second-year coach Glen Gulutzan last month, a few weeks after former Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill replaced Joe Nieuwendyk as general manager of the Stars.
"All signs are pointing to the Edmonton Oilers having another Press Conference tomorrow to officially announce Dallas Eakins as the new coach ..."
Rumor has it the Oilers parted ways with Krueger because of Eakins' availability.
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DALLAS -- The Dallas Stars acquired defenseman Sergei Gonchar from Ottawa on Friday for a conditional sixth-round draft pick this year.
Gonchar had 15 goals and 76 assists in 186 games over three seasons for the Senators. He led Ottawa defensemen in scoring with 27 points -- three goals and 24 assists -- this season, the last of a three-year, $16.5 million contract.
The 39-year-old Gonchar was set to become an unrestricted free agent July 5. However, he signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Stars on Monday. TSN earlier reported the agreement Saturday.
Gonchar has 217 goals and 558 assists in 1,117 games over 18 seasons. The Russian spent his first nine seasons with Washington and also played for Boston and Pittsburgh.
Information from ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun and The Associated Press was used in this report.
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AP Photo/LM OteroThe Dallas Stars unveiled a new logo and jersey in a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the franchise's move to Texas.DALLAS -- The Dallas Stars are going green -- something closer to the Minnesota green they wore before the NHL team moved to Texas 20 years ago.
The Stars unveiled a new logo on Tuesday with a redesigned jersey heavy on the green that retired franchise icon Mike Modano donned after the Minnesota North Stars made him the top overall draft pick in 1988.
Modano, who spent 20 of his 21 seasons with the franchise that drafted him, was wearing No. 9 again when the team celebrated the new look by announcing that his number will be retired when the Minnesota Wild visit Dallas on March 8.
"It's a good color," said Modano, the highest-scoring U.S.-born player in NHL history, who is now a franchise consultant. "No one else has it. That's the way it was with the North Stars. It's kind of unique and different. It shows good on TV. When you see it, you know it's us."
The Stars had a darker shade of green when they moved to Dallas in 1993, but drifted toward a base of black and white through the years. Now they have combined the two greens from their history to come up with what they are calling "Victory Green" -- a choice made among more than 250 options considered.
The move back to the franchise's Minnesota roots is coming with a bunch of other changes. The Stars have a new general manager in Jim Nill, who said Tuesday he is "very close" to naming a new coach after he fired Glen Gulutzan.
Under NHL realignment, Dallas will be in a division mostly with teams in the Central time zone for the first time. That means fewer of West Coast start times than they had in the Pacific Division.
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Last week, we discussed some prospects who had a great season and really elevated their prospect stocks in 2012-13. This week, we're looking at the flip side, profiling some top prospects who either encountered some bumps or performed below expectations.
These notes are based on my observations and discussions with industry sources.
D Cody Ceci, Ottawa Senators (Owen Sound-OHL): Ceci was actually named an OHL second-team All-Star and ranked second among OHL defensemen in scoring. Even with that in mind, scouts I talked to came away with mixed feelings about Ceci's play this season. While his offensive ability is not at all in question, his play at the other end of the rink left some concerns. "His defense looked very average, if not bad," one scout said.
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Ruff a top candidate for the Dallas job? 
The Dallas Stars don't plan on rushing as they look to replace Glen Gulutzan. But some names are surfacing as possible candidates to become the seventh head coach in team history, and longtime Buffalo bench boss Lindy Ruff seems to be near the top of that list.
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UPCOMING GAMES
| W-L | PF | PA | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FLA | 0-0 | .0 | .0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | W0 | |
| DAL | 0-0 | .0 | .0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | W0 |
| W-L | PF | PA | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAS | 0-1 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | L1 | |
| DAL | 0-0 | .0 | .0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | W0 |
| W-L | PF | PA | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | 0-0 | .0 | .0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | W0 | |
| WPG | 1-0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | W1 |
DALLAS CALENDAR: Sep 28
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final 11 Oklahoma St 21 West Virginia 30 
Final SMU 17 TCU 48 
Final 10 Texas A&M 45 Arkansas 33 
Final 14 Oklahoma 35 22 Notre Dame 21