News and notes from around the NHL:
- The Los Angeles Kings extended a training camp invitation to Devin Setoguchi, reports FOX Sports LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen. The former NHL winger played in Switzerland last season for HC Davos after flaming out in Calgary the year before and then failing to make the Toronto Maple Leafs roster on a PTO. Setoguchi was drafted 8th overall in 2005, and peaked in 2008-09 when he scored 31G and 34A in 81 games for the San Jose Sharks. He never attained that level again, however, and slowly declined over the next few years. Setoguchi has scored 127G and 122A in 471 NHL games over his career, and he’s looking for another chance to add to the tally.
- Tobias Rieder says that he will not attend the Arizona Coyotes training camp without a new contract, reports Dhiren Mahiban. The Coyotes and Rieder seem far apart on the deal for the yet-unsigned RFA. Rieder cites visa issues as one of the reasons why he will not come to camp sans contract, but it could also be a negotiation tactic to put pressure on the Coyotes organization. The German forward will have a chance to make his case for a better contract offer this September as he suits up for Team Europe in the World Cup of Hockey.
- Columbus Blue Jackets and Team USA coach John Tortorella told ESPN’s Linda Cohn that he would bench a player if they protested during the national anthems—alluding to the NFL’s Colin Kaepernick protesting the American national anthem by sitting, and then kneeling. Tortorella is no stranger to controversy, though, as he has sworn at a reporter on live TV, threw a water bottle at a fan, and tried to fight a fellow coach during an intermission.