The Score has inked a deal with the National Hockey League to show video highlights and other content on its website for the first time.

The digital rights deal is effective immediately and will be in place for the duration of the playoffs. The sportscaster does not currently air NHL games and primarily holds rights to games from the NBA, NCAA and English Premier League.

While The Score’s digital NHL rights are not as expansive as those of TSN, Rogers Sportsnet or CBC, the channel has a large digital audience that’s not tied to its cable channel, according to VP of digital Jonathan Savage.

‘The NHL is hugely popular in Canada and a massive traffic driver, so even a non-insignificant amount of content drives a lot of traffic and awareness,’ he tells Playback Daily.

Savage adds that the deal is a test-run through the playoffs with the possibility of an extension.

‘We want to see what we can do with NHL content on our site because we’re traditionally a basketball property,’ he explains.

The deal includes a widget on The Score’s site through which the NHL can serve its own content, while the sportscaster can also use NHL footage each week in the form of features or lists. The lists could take shape as ‘the 10 worst teams in the NHL, ‘or ‘five free agents you want know,’ explains Savage.