Anmelden » by Montreal defenseman Jeff Petry deep in his

John Tavares needed to post only one picture on his Twitter account to explain the grip the Maple Leafs have had on him since he was a youngster growing up in suburban Toronto.The photo featured a not-yet-10-year-old Tavares in bed Jimmy Hayes Jersey Womens , asleep on a pillowcase and under a blanket adorned with Maple Leafs logos, and accompanied by a note that read: ”Not everyday you can live a childhood dream.”In bidding farewell to the New York Islanders, where he was the captain and face of the franchise since being drafted with the No. 1 pick in 2009, Tavares chose Toronto and agreed to a seven-year, $77 million contract about an hour after the NHL’s free-agency signing period opened Sunday.The 27-year-old Tavares spent last week assessing offers from the Islanders, San Jose, Toronto, Dallas, Tampa Bay and Boston. He called his decision the toughest of his life in choosing between staying in New York or taking ”a calculated leap of faith into an opportunity I believe will be special to me and my family.”In the end, he was unable to avoid the lure Toronto presented, and informed the Maple Leafs he had chosen them late Saturday night.”I just felt this opportunity was just so rare, the timing of where the organization’s at, and obviously the connection being from here,” Tavares said. ”I really believe there’s a big window here to win, to be part of something special. It just felt right.”Tavares Chris Bigras Jersey Womens , whose 306 points over the past four seasons rank sixth among players over that span, was the highest-profile player to hit the market since the Minnesota Wild signed both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to matching 13-year, $98 million contracts.Tavares’ signing led to a domino effect in player movement.Toronto lost two forwards in free agency. James van Riemsdyk left the Maple Leafs after six seasons to return to Philadelphia, where he signed a five-year, $35 million contract. The Leafs also lost center Tyler Bozak, who signed a three-year, $15 million contract with St. Louis, which later on beefed up down the middle by acquiring Ryan O’Reilly in a blockbuster trade with the Buffalo Sabres.Some of money the Lightning saved by not landing Tavares was spent on signing defenseman Ryan McDonagh to a seven-year, $47.25 million extension, which kicks in next summer.Paul Stastny caused another ripple of moves in the Western Conference. He left Winnipeg to sign a three-year, $19.5 million contract with the Stanley Cup finalist Vegas Golden Knights – a spot left open after David Perron returned to St. Louis by signing a four-year, $16 million deal.Vegas forward James Neal is among the more high-profile free agents still unsigned.In Nashville, the Predators will turn their attention to negotiating a contract extension with defenseman Ryan Ellis, who is entering the final year of his contract. The Ottawa Senators are expected to do the same with their captain, Erik Karlsson.Tavares’ signing has the potential of shifting the balance of power in the Eastern Conference.He joins a young Jack Johnson Jersey Womens , talented group that already features Auston Matthews, the 2016 draft’s No. 1 pick, a veteran presence in Patrick Marleau and a top coach in Mike Babcock.The Leafs, who haven’t won a championship since their last Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1967, have made strides in three years since Babcock’s arrival. Toronto has made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons after qualifying just once in the previous 11. And yet, they have not advanced past the first round since 2004.Tavares specifically referenced Matthews and 21-year-old center Mitchell Marner, who led the Leafs with 69 points last season as reasons to be optimistic.”They’ve accomplished so much in such little time. You can only think about the trajectory they’re on, and that’s what gets me excited,” Tavares said.The Islanders experienced struggles even with Tavares by qualifying for the playoffs just three times in nine seasons.Now they face a daunting uphill climb minus their unquestioned leader and point-a-game producer. In a bid to retain Tavares, the team underwent an organizational makeover in recent months. They hired Lou Lamoriello as president of hockey operations and fresh Stanley Cup winner Barry Trotz as coach.”The New York Islanders would like to thank John Tavares for everything he has done for the franchise throughout his nine seasons,” Lamoriello said in a statement released by the team. ”We wish him and his family all the best.”Bruins GM Don Sweeney expressed one lament in losing out on signing Tavares.”I would have preferred it not be in our division,” Sweeney said, referring to Tavares making the switch from the Metropolitan to Atlantic Division. ”We put our best foot forward. It just didn’t fall our way.”Other notable deals:-Veteran defenseman Jack Johnson signed a five-year, $16.25 million contract with Pittsburgh. The 31-year-old Johnson is a 12-year NHL veteran, who spent the past six-plus seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets.-The Colorado Avalanche added two former Blue Jackets in signing defenseman Ian Cole and forward Matt Calvert to three-year deals. Cole gets $12.75 million and Calvert gets $8.4 million.-The Sabres filled a need at goaltender by signing former St. Louis Blues backup Carter Hutton to a three-year Brett Howden Jersey Womens , $8.25 million deal. Hutton will share the starting duties with Linus Ullmark, who is pegged to make the jump to Buffalo after three seasons in the minors.-The Arizona Coyotes signed All-Star defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to an eight-year contract extension that averages $8.25 million per year.-The San Jose Sharks announced a $64 million, eight-year extension with center Logan Couture.-The New York Rangers agreed to sign restricted free-agent forward Vladislav Namestnikov to a two-year, $8 million deal.—AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen, in Boston and freelance writer Denis P. Gorman contributed to this report.— MONTREAL (AP) — The Montreal Canadiens lost their game to the Minnesota Wild, but not their captain.Mikael Granlund scored, Devan Dubnyk stopped 32 shots for his first shutout of the season and the Wild defeated the Canadiens 1-0 Monday night.The Canadiens got good news about Shea Weber, who was hit in the face with the puck while blocking a shot in the first period.The Canadiens’ captain will travel with the team on a two-game trip, starting Tuesday night in Detroit.It’s a major break for the Canadiens, who have lost two games in a row and are struggling get back in a playoff position in the Eastern Conference.“He’ll go on the road trip with us,” Montreal coach Claude Julien said. “The tests were positive. I assume he will play (on Tuesday) but I can’t guarantee it.”Weber blocked a shot by Granlund and the puck rode up his own stick and hit him on the left cheek.Weber winced in pain on the bench but played seven more shifts and finished the first period. He did not return for the second.The 33-year-old already missed the first 24 games of the season with foot and knee injuries dating to last season.Defensemen Petry, Victor Mete and Jordie Benn were forced to carry the load of Weber’s absence, playing 26 minutes, 40 seconds, 21:15 and 21:12 Paul Carey Jersey Womens , respectively.“Obviously that’s a big loss in the first period,” said Petry. “You never want to lose a guy. It’s about guys playing in different roles and playing a little more than normal. It does shake things up a little bit.”Montreal was also without forward Kenny Agostino for most of the game. Agostino was given a game misconduct just 2:28 in because of a late hit on Minnesota’s Eric Fehr, who left the game after hitting his head on the edge of the players’ bench. Fehr did not return.The depleted roster took its toll in the third period as Granlund netted his first goal since Nov. 29.“We were in it the whole time,” Julien said. “We had better scoring chances than they did. One mistake ended up costing us the game.”Carey Price stopped 24 shots for the Canadiens, who have dropped two in a row.With the win, the Wild have won three straight games, all on the road.“It was a fairly sloppy game overall,” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. “It seemed like the ice was so fast that pucks were spinning like a curling rock every time it hit somebody’s stick. The best pass was the one they gave Granlund.”Granlund scored the game’s only goal at 6:58 of the third period after pouncing on a no-look pass giveaway by Montreal defenseman Jeff Petry deep in his own zone.Granlund scored his 12th of the season when he waited out Price, who was partially blocked by players in front of the net.The Wild have won eight consecutive games against the Canadiens dating to Nov. 8, 2014. Granlund has at least a point in each of those victories.The Canadiens failed to avenge a 7-1 loss in the teams’ last meeting. It was Montreal’s worst defeat of the season.NOTES: The Wild took a season-high 23 penalty minutes in the first period. . The Canadiens announced Monday that Price will not attend the NHL All-Star Game due to “a nagging injury.” … Montreal placed defenseman David Schlemko on waivers.UP NEXTWild: At Boston on Tuesday.Canadiens: At Detroit on Tuesday.