BILL GUERIN

Evgeni Malkin is returning to the Pittsburgh Penguins after all.

Executives around the NHL expect plenty of movement before free agency opens Wednesday.

The Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues were two of the best teams in the NHL down the stretch of the regular season, with these long-running rivals locked in a relentless heavyweight fight for second place in the Central Division. After nudging ahead of the Blues by winning their last two games, the Wild earned the extra home game in the first round. “We’re going to play a very good hockey team — experienced, skilled — and they’re playing one, too,” Wild general manager Bill Guerin said.

The combination of jumbled standings in the Western Conference and a flat salary cap has stalled much of the trade market around the NHL.

Moving on from the past is the early theme of the NHL offseason.

The Minnesota Wild are buying out the contracts of veteran stars Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.

(AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker, File)The Minnesota Wild traded goalie Devan Dubnyk and forward Ryan Donato to the San Jose Sharks in two separate deals on Monday, continuing their makeover under general manager Bill Guerin. For Donato, the Wild received a third-round pick in the 2021 draft. The Sharks sent their fifth-round pick in the 2022 draft for Dubnyk and also received Minnesota's 2022 seventh-rounder in return. The Wild now own two 2021 picks from the Penguins, who traded next year's first-rounder to Minnesota for forward Jason Zucker. Donato, who is the son of former Bruins stalwart Ted Donato, has 29 goals and 28 assists in 130 career NHL games.