While the dog days of summer certainly mean the frequency of NHL news decreases, it doesn’t stop completely. We’ve got two items to dig into early on this week.

Even if the last game in the series that you truly enjoyed was the masterpiece that was NHL 14, you probably still pay attention to what’s going on with EA Sports NHL. 

While Canucks captain Quinn Hughes — along with brothers Jack and Luke — graced the cover of NHL 25, it will be fellow American Matthew Tkachuk who gets the honour for this year’s game.

Tkachuk, who just won his second straight Stanley Cup Championship with the Florida Panthers, becomes the seventh American player to grace the main cover of the game.

Over the weekend, the Toronto Maple Leafs signed winger Nick Robertson to a one-year deal worth $1.825 million. Robertson was a restricted free agent, and it looked like the two sides were going to be headed to arbitration before the deal was announced.

The two sides were actually set to attend an arbitration meeting on Saturday — the day the deal was announced — with the Leafs setting their number at $1.2 million, while Robertson’s camp requested $2.25 million. It was the final NHL salary arbitration decision to be conducted this summer.

Robertson tallied 15 goals through 69 games last season, and 14 goals in 59 games the season prior. He’ll turn 24 next month. Drafted in the second round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft at 53rd overall, Robertson has struggled to carve out a steady role for himself with the Leafs to this point, often bouncing between the bottom six and the press box throughout his tenure.

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