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sports Friday 15 July 2022
NHL free agency: Devils sign Palat, Capitals add Strome

By JOHN WAWROW and round pick.
STEPHEN WHYNO Ottawa also stayed busy,
AP Hockey Writers following up on signing for-
A day after the New Jersey mer Flyers captain Claude
Devils missed out on the top Giroux by locking up third-
prize in NHL free agency, year center Josh Norris
they landed two-time Stan- through the 2029-30 season
ley Cup champion Ondrej with a $63.3 million, eight-
Palat on Thursday. year deal.
The Washington Capitals, The spree of signings that
meanwhile, continued their occurred during the first
busy offseason by agreeing day of free agency slowed
to terms with former Chi- to a trickle on Thursday,
cago Blackhawks forward with forward Nazem Kadri
Dylan Strome, according to and defenseman John
a person with knowledge Klingberg the most notable
of the move who person names still on the market.
spoke to The Associated The reigning champion
Press on condition of ano- Colorado Avalanche have
nymity because the deal said they would like to bring
had not been announced. back Kadri, who helped
The Devils signed Palat to them win it all. The Dallas
a $30 million, five-year con- Stars all but ruled out keep-
tract. The left-winger had Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Ondrej Palat (18) controls a puck during the first period of Game ing Klingberg, who could
52 points in 71 games dur- 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals against the Colorado Avalanche on June 22, 2022, in still sign one of the biggest
ing Tampa Bay's three con- Tampa, Fla. contracts of the offseason.
secutive trips to the Cup Associated Press The Senators continued
Final. He finished sixth in building on what could be
Conn Smythe Trophy voting lli to eight-year extensions ton Capitals getting Cup- signed Darcy Kuemper to the most promising offsea-
as playoff MVP this year. through 2031. winning goaltender Darcy be their starting goalten- son in the franchise's 30-
Tampa Bay attempted to The Devils landed Palat Kuemper and Giroux leav- der and Charlie Lindgren to year history with Norris' sign-
keep the 31-year-old from after losing the Johnny ing Florida for Ottawa. be their backup, re-signed ing.
Czechia and defenseman Gaudreau sweepstakes to Strome is Washington's lat- winger Marcus Johansson Selected 19th in the 2017
Jan Rutta, who signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets. est addition after Chicago and defenseman Matt Ir- draft, the 23-year-old from
Pittsburgh, but couldn't Gaudreau signed a $68.25 decided against a quali- win, and replaced Justin Michigan is considered a
make the salary cap num- million, eight-year contract fying offer to keep him Schultz on the blue line with key fixture on a young, de-
bers work. Instead, general with Columbus after de- around. The 25-year-old another Blackhawks cast- veloping team. He's com-
manager Julien BriseBois ciding to leave Calgary. scored a career-high 22 off, Erik Gustafsson. They ing off a season in which
signed defensemen Mikhail His decision came after goals last season and add- acquired winger Connor he scored a team-leading
Sergachev and Erik Cernak an initial frenzy of signings, ed 26 assists in 69 games. Brown from the Ottawa 35 goals and 55 points in 66
and center Anthony Cire- including the Washing- The Capitals previously Senators for a 2024 second- games.q

Pidcock wins Alpe d'Huez stage, Vingegaard keeps Tour lead

ALPE D'HUEZ, France (AP) other than the Alpe d'Huez catch the breakaway. The
— In his first Tour de France, in the Tour de France." daunting 165-kilometer
22-year-old Tom Pidcock For his first day in the yellow (102.5-mile) Stage 12 from
became the youngest win- jersey, Vingegaard finished Briancon featured three
ner of a stage on the iconic three minutes, 23 seconds tough climbs so difficult
Alpe d'Huez mountain after behind Pidcock to keep that they are classified as
crossing the line solo at the his overall lead intact. The "beyond category" — the
ski resort on Thursday, when Jumbo-Visma team leader Col du Galibier, the Col
Jonas Vingegaard kept the was in a group including de La Croix de Fer and the
overall lead. defending champion Tadej climb to Alpe d'Huez.
The mountain bike Olympic Pogacar and 2018 Tour At the foot of the final
champion from Britain at- winner Geraint Thomas. climb, the five remaining
tacked on the ascent, and Pogacar, who cracked on breakaway riders — Louis
his frenetic pace up the Thursday in the first big Al- Meintjes, Froome, Pidcock,
legendary 21 hairpin bends pine stage, tested his rival Neilson Powless and Giulio Stage winner Britain's Thomas Pidcock celebrates as he crosses
was too fast for his break- twice in the last three kilo- Ciccone — had a lead of the finish line of the twelfth stage of the Tour de France cycling
race over 165.5 kilometers (102.8 miles) with start in Briancon
away companions. meters but Vingegaard re- more than six minutes on and finish in Alpe d'Huez, France, Thursday, July 14, 2022.
"That was certainly one of sponded with ease. the group including all the Associated Press
my best experiences in cy- Vingegaard leads Poga- main contenders.
cling," said Pidcock, a jack car by two minutes, 22 sec- Amid the sound of cow- Meintjes and Froome Pidcok beat the record of
of all trades who also owns onds, with Thomas third, bells and flares lit by some stayed in contention a Colombia's Lucho Herrera,
a cyclocross world title. "It's 2:26 off the pace. of the hundreds of thou- bit longer but Pidcock at- who was 23 when he won
unreal when you're literally Pidcock and four-time sands of fans lining the tacked again to dash on Alpe d'Huez in 1984.
slaloming through people's champion Chris Froome road, Pidcock accelerated Froome's hopes of claiming Meintjes was second at the
flags, fists and God knows had joined forces earlier with 10.5-kilometer left as a first win since the crash top, 48 seconds behind,
what else. You can't expe- in the day in the downhill he dropped Powless and that nearly ended his ca- and Froome completed
rience that anywhere else of the Col du Galibier to Ciccone. reer three years ago. the stage podium.q