NHL fines Canucks $50,000 for GM comments ahead of draft

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) The NHL has fined the Vancouver Canucks $50,000 for tampering after general manager Jim Benning mentioned specific players the team might be interested in.

Benning noted the Canucks' interest in Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban and Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos last week during a radio interview before the NHL draft in Buffalo, New York.

NHL rules bar teams from discussing their interest in players who are under contract. The one exception is during a window of opportunity that opened on Saturday, when all teams are allowed to contact pending free agents, but not allowed to sign them until July 1.

Benning commented two days before that window.