National Hockey

EDMONTON — Dave Semenko, who defined hockey's tough guy role as Wayne Gretzky's bodyguard and once went three rounds with boxing legend Muhammad Ali, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 59.

TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed forward Adam Brooks to a three-year entry level contract. The 21-year-old had 43 goals and 87 assists in 66 regular-season games with the Western Hockey League's Regina Pats last season.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Blue Jackets have bought out the final two years of 35-year-old forward Scott Hartnell's contract, opening up salary cap space to possibly sign another free agent. Hartnell would have cost the team $4.

WASHINGTON — Brendan Smith signed a $17 million, four-year deal with the Rangers, solidifying New York's blue line and setting the market for free agent defencemen . Smith will count $4.35 million against the salary cap through the 2020-21 season.

On the same day that Connor McDavid was nearing agreement on an eight-year extension with the Edmonton Oilers, another star was moving elsewhere in the National Basketball Association.

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to terms with a pair of their own pending free agents.

ST. LOUIS — Blues centre Patrik Berglund is expected to be out until December after having surgery to repair a dislocated left shoulder. The Blues say Berglund was injured during an off-season conditioning program in Sweden and flew to St.

DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche have agreed to a two-year deal with Swiss forward Sven Andrighetto. Andrighetto had five goals and 11 assists for the Avalanche after being acquired in a trade with Montreal on March 1.

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators have signed goaltender Mike Condon to a three-year contract extension worth an average annual value of US$2.4 million per season.

Connor McDavid just took home his first NHL MVP award, and now he's on the verge of becoming the league's highest-paid player. The 20-year-old is nearing an extension with the Edmonton Oilers, reportedly worth US$106 million over eight years.