Seattle Kraken have made significant changes in their front office, promoting Ron Francis to president of hockey operations and Jason Botterill to executive VP and general manager. Meanwhile, the NHL concluded that there would be no tampering charges against Vancouver Canucks president Jim Rutherford for his recent comments about the Hughes brothers. With the Kraken's new leadership, questions arise about their direction compared to the Buffalo Sabres.

In player news, the Minnesota Wild announced that top prospect Danila Yurov has been released from his KHL contract and is eligible to sign with the Wild. Other injury updates include Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen traveling with the team while forward Jason Robertson is absent. Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk returned to action after a lengthy injury absence, expressing relief and joy to be back on the ice.