Ice hockey: the main stories of 15.09.2026

Ryan Leonard's eight-year, $84m deal with Washington ties the 21-year-old forward to the club until 2034 and settles the most expensive piece of business in the league this week. The money puts him among the highest-paid forwards on the roster before he has played a full season as a first-line fixture. It also arrives while Alexander Ovechkin, who signed his own extension earlier, says his ambition remains a second Stanley Cup — "that is why I signed" — which makes the succession question at the club a practical one rather than a theoretical one. The captain, for his part, told reporters he is unbothered by younger forwards chasing his spot.

The other Ovechkin story of the day is the campaign film. He appears in an advertisement for United Russia, first reported on 14 September, and the club has now addressed it publicly; the Guardian's account notes his long-standing support for the Russian leader. Separately he described the talk of Russia's return to international hockey as something that makes him feel a bit of a fool, a flatter reading than the one offered by the federation: Vladislav Tretiak called the Universiade the first swallow, and one outlet reports Roman Rotenberg saying he is certain the junior sides will be back shortly. And in the KHL, the league rescinded the diving penalties handed to Yevgeni Kuznetsov and Ruslan Iskhakov — the decision was overturned in both cases.

• Avangard beat Avtomobilist 3:2 in overtime at home, Andrew Poturalski with the winner — video highlights; Guy Boucher said his side sabotaged their own game in the second period.
• Alexander Radulov extended his scoring run to four matches and sits on 7 (2+5) points in 5 games, one behind Semyonov — the 40-year-old also became the third player to reach 300 KHL goals, by all accounts.
• One outlet reports Sean Horcoff has been made interim general manager in Detroit, filling the post Steve Yzerman left in July.
• Joe Sakic will stay on as Colorado's general manager, the Denver Gazette reports; no search will be held.
• Elliotte Friedman reports Ottawa and Drake Batherson are close to an eight-year extension at a cap hit of $10.5m to $11m; Pierre LeBrun expects six years for Cutter Gauthier in Anaheim.
• Columbus and Adam Fantilli remain apart on terms, Don Waddell said, and the forward may miss the start of camp.
• Josh Morrissey on Connor Hellebuyck's trade request: "an element of disappointment" on a personal level.
• Sergei Bobrovsky, now at Toronto on three years at $7m, is glad he no longer has to face Auston Matthews.
• Damir Sharipzyanov said the semi-final loss to Lokomotiv, decided by two goals in 33 seconds, still gnaws at him, and explained how he keeps his temper when younger opponents talk.
• Vladimir Myshkin urged patience over CSKA's three defeats and dismissed the pre-match shootout proposal as a joke.
• Lokomotiv visit Traktor, SKA meet Shanghai Dragons in Tuesday's KHL programme.