The Boston Bruins inked defenseman Brandon Carlo to a two-year contract with an annual cap hit of $2.85 million, the club announced Tuesday.Carlo was a restricted free agent. His new deal buys the team one RFA year and one RFA arbitration year, according to CapFriendly, which adds that he'll be an RFA with arb rights when his new pact expires in 2021.The 22-year-old, now a fixture in the Bruins' top four on the back end, ranked fourth on the squad in average ice time in 2018-19.He's entering his fourth NHL season and his fourth with Boston, which drafted him 37th overall in 2015.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The following players likely won't be fantasy relevant for the 2019-20 season, but could become incredibly valuable in keeper leagues down the road. These NHLers will need to be designated as not active, so be sure to check your league's settings before drafting any of them.Ilya Samsonov, G, CapitalsIcon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyThe Washington Capitals could find themselves in a predicament after the 2019-20 season. Nicklas Backstrom and Braden Holtby are unrestricted free agents, and with both players due for raises, they'll likely only be able to sign one. My money would be on Backstrom. Why? Samsonov.The Capitals used a first-round pick on the Russian netminder in the 2015 draft. After three stellar seasons in the KHL, Samsonov joined the AHL's Hershey Bears last year. He got off to a rocky start in his first season in North America, but finished strong, ending the campaign with a .898 save percentage and a 2.70 goals-against average.Samsonov could be the Capitals' starting netminder as early as next season, giving him plenty of fantasy potential.Rasmus Sandin, D, LeafsStephane Dube / Getty Images Sport / GettySandin put together arguably the best season ever by an 18-year-old defenseman in the AHL a year ago, tallying 28 points in 44 games for the Toronto Marlies. The club's 2018 first-round pick could make his NHL debut as early as this season, although he'd likely be buried on the third pairing barring injury.Morgan Rielly is the Leafs' only NHL blue-liner signed beyond 2019-20. Travis Dermott will get an extension sooner or later, but there are no guarantees that Tyson Barrie, Jake Muzzin, and Cody Ceci will be back in the fold next season.With Toronto's cap crunch combined with Sandin's rapid development and cheap entry-level contract, there's an easy path to top-four minutes and time on the second power play behind one of the league's most dynamic forward groups.Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G, SabresKevin Light / Getty Images Sport / GettyLuukkonen is arguably the best goalie prospect in the world. He underwent offseason hip surgery and will almost certainly start in the AHL when he returns, but there's a chance he could fast-track his way to the NHL much like Carter Hart did a year ago.Neither Carter Hutton or Linus Ullmark is Buffalo's goalie of the future, so Luukkonen could play himself into the No. 1 role by the time 2020-21 rolls around.Kirill Kaprizov, LW/RW, WildAlexander Demianchuk / TASS / GettyThere's a case to be made that Kaprizov is the most dynamic player outside the NHL. The 22-year-old led the KHL with 30 goals last season and has shined on the international stage on numerous occasions with Russia.Minnesota selected Kaprizov in the fifth round in 2015, but he's yet to play in North America. However, his KHL contract expires after this season, and new Wild GM Bill Guerin called Kaprizov's agent to set up a meeting on his first day on the job.If Kaprizov joins Minnesota for the 2020-21 season, he'd be an impact top-six forward from Day 1. Unfortunately, Kaprizov is not in Yahoo's system yet, but if he's available in the fantasy service you use, he's worth scooping up at the end of your draft.Igor Shesterkin, G, RangersMinas Panagiotakis / Getty Images Sport / GettyThe Rangers were finally able to bring Shesterkin over to North America, inking the netminder to an entry-level contract in May. It's clear the KHL had become too easy for him after he posted a 1.11 goals-against average and a .953 save percentage in 28 games with SKA St. Petersburg last season.Shesterkin, 23, will likely spend all of 2019-20 in the AHL, but he could be in the NHL by next season and have the Rangers' No. 1 job by 2021-22 after Henrik Lundqvist's contract expires. It's a long-term investment, but if you're keeper league is deep enough, he's worth stashing.Bowen Byram, D, AvalancheKevin Light / Getty Images Sport / GettyThe chances of Byram making the Avs' roster out of training camp aren't high, but when he eventually arrives in the NHL, he'll play a prominent role for one of the league's up-and-coming teams.Byram is a dynamic talent who should shine the way future teammate Cale Makar did when he was called up a year ago. It'll take a year or two, but Byram is primed for stardom once he steps on NHL ice.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vancouver Canucks have signed restricted free-agent forward Brock Boeser to a three-year deal with an average annual value of $5.875 million, the team announced Monday.Boeser is now signed with the Canucks through the 2021-22 campaign and will remain a restricted free agent when his deal expires."We're very pleased to have Brock re-sign," general manager Jim Benning said. "He's a talented player, a key contributor to our offense, and an important part of our team's future. We look forward to having Brock join the team in preparation for the upcoming season."Boeser recorded 29- and 26-goal seasons in his first two full campaigns with the Canucks. He finished third in team scoring with 56 points in 69 contests in 2018-19.Vancouver selected the Burnsville, Minnesota, native with the 23rd overall pick of the 2015 NHL Draft; he ranks second in goals per game (0.42) among players from that class behind Connor McDavid.The 6-foot-1 winger is the third high-profile restricted free agent to strike a new deal in the past two days. Travis Konecny inked a six-year pact with the Philadelphia Flyers earlier Monday, and defenseman Charlie McAvoy agreed to a three-year contract of his own with the Boston Bruins on Sunday.The Canucks are currently $1.7 million over the salary cap with a 26-player roster, according to CapFriendly. The club will need to assign at least three players to the minors in order to become cap compliant and meet the active-roster limit of 23 before the regular season begins.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

From pop culture references and family shoutouts to logos and skylines, every goalie mask is a true original. theScore recently visited designer David Arrigo in his Orangeville, Ontario studio to learn about the artistic process:The Art of the Mask series also includes sit-downs with a handful of goalies who are passionate about their headgear:

The Philadelphia Flyers have agreed to terms with restricted free-agent forward Travis Konecny on a six-year contract with an average annual value of $5.5 million, the team announced Monday.Philadelphia has secured two of its core players within the past week. It also signed defenseman Ivan Provorov to a six-year contract with an AAV of $6.75 million on Thursday.Konecny is the 10th RFA to hatch a deal since Sept. 9, but 10 players, including Mikko Rantanen, Matthew Tkachuk, Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, and Brock Boeser, still remain unsigned.New Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault was critical of Konecny's contract holdout."I'm very disappointed that T.K. is not here," Vigneault said Friday, according to NBC's Jordan Hall. "It's the start of a new era, a new group, I felt that it was very important for everybody to be here."With my time in the NHL, my experience, anybody that falls behind - whether it's injury or in T.K.'s situation not coming to camp - usually it takes them a little bit of time to get back at it, especially at this time with a new coaching staff and new way of doing things."Konecny, a first-round pick in 2015, tallied 24 goals and 49 points last season.The Flyers have $1.17 million remaining in projected cap space, according to PuckPedia.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

There's no cause to fear an NHL lockout for at least a few more years, as the NHLPA announced Monday that the union declined its option to reopen the collective bargaining agreement after the 2019-20 season.The decision means the current CBA will remain in effect through the 2021-22 campaign."While players have concerns with the current CBA," NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr said in a statement, "we agree with the league that working together to address those concerns is the preferred course of action instead of terminating the agreement following this season. We have been having discussions with the league about an extension of the CBA and expect that those talks will continue."The NHL has gone through two work stoppages within the last 15 years. The entire 2004-05 season was wiped out due to a labor dispute, while a lockout limited the 2012-13 campaign to just 48 games.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL saw an uptick in scoring last season for a variety of reasons. Sure, goaltenders were forced to wear smaller equipment, but the overall speed and skill of the game are at an all-time high - and it's arguably never been more fun to watch.With a new season just around the corner, we rank the top five offenses in the league. If you're a fan of high-scoring hockey, the following teams make for can't-miss TV.GF = Goals For

Mitch Marner's heart was always in Toronto.According to his agent, the Markham, Ontario, native received a pair of offer sheets while he was a restricted free agent this summer, but declined both in hopes of staying with his hometown Maple Leafs, with whom he signed last week."There were two (offer sheets) presented to him in the summer," Darren Ferris told TSN 1050's Michael Landsberg and Carlo Colaiacovo on "First Up" on Monday morning. "Two opportunities, which he declined. He told me 'Darren, I don't want to sign. I want to be a Leaf.' So we declined both those opportunities."Marner echoed Ferris' comments."As soon as Darren mentioned (offer sheets), I told him right away I don't want to explore that option," the forward told TSN's Kristen Shilton. "But I didn't want to miss training camp ... or any games this season, so that's why I really forced the issue with (general manager Kyle Dubas) to get something done and get me here."The details of the offer sheets are unknown, but Dubas was aware of at least one of them. Ferris also suggested that there would have been more on the way."The team had actually told (Dubas) that they had made the overture to Mitch," Ferris said. "There was a very, very strong likelihood there were more being represented once the season started as you know, the cap number gets set and makes it more difficult for a team to match."His goal always was to be Leaf and that was the conclusion. The Leaf organization worked hard, especially Kyle working tireless hours. He and I going back and forth, ups and downs of normal negotiations, finally got the deal done in a timely fashion that he could get to camp, and that's what Mitch wanted."Had Marner signed an offer sheet, it would've been the second in the NHL this summer after nearly six years without one. Hurricanes star Sebastian Aho signed a five-year offer sheet worth $8.454 million per year with the Montreal Canadiens on July 1, but Carolina wasted no time matching it.Marner and the Leafs signed a six-year contract with an average annual value of $10.893 million on Friday. Ferris revealed that the final two digits of the AAV were a tribute to Leafs legend Doug Gilmour, who wore No. 93 during his days in Toronto. During his junior career with the London Knights, Marner also wore No. 93.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Every year, there are players fantasy owners avoid for one reason or another. Injury concerns, inconsistency, and adjusting to a new team can all turn a once-dependable name into anything but.Despite those factors, there are always a few players with particularly uncertain futures who are still worth drafting.Here's a trio of risky players to take a chance on this season:Mikael Granlund, C/LW/RW, PredatorsGranlund's late-season slump in 2018-19 has fantasy owners predictably second-guessing him this year. He's currently being drafted around Pick 156 (Round 14) on average, but there are a few reasons to gamble on him at that spot or even slightly higher.Though the Finnish forward managed only one goal and five points in 16 regular-season contests following a February trade to Nashville, Granlund was a solid offensive performer over two-and-a-half campaigns with the Minnesota Wild. He registered 26 goals and 69 points in 2016-17, collected 67 points in 2017-18, and posted 15 goals and 49 points in 63 contests with Minnesota - a 64-point pace over 82 games - before being dealt last season.Granlund, 27, will likely begin the campaign playing alongside Matt Duchene on Nashville's second line. Staying in that role for a full season should work in Granlund's favor, especially if fellow Finn Eeli Tolvanen joins them and unlocks his own potential. Granlund's been an excellent playmaker in the past, and the 3.4 shooting percentage he recorded in his brief introduction to Nashville is bound to return to - and perhaps surpass - his career average of 10.Matt Dumba, D, WildBruce Kluckhohn / National Hockey League / GettyRemember when Dumba was leading all NHL defensemen in goals through the first third of the 2018-19 campaign? Or when he hit the 50-point plateau the season prior? It would be unwise to forget those accomplishments.Granlund's former teammate in Minnesota begins the year as a somewhat undervalued commodity after a torn chest muscle ended his 2018-19 season at 32 games. But Dumba will be a full participant in training camp and was quite durable before that injury, missing only seven combined contests over the three campaigns prior.Dumba's 2018-19 shooting percentage (12.9) is bound to regress, but he's at 8.6 for his career - very good for a blue-liner - and has recorded double-digit goal totals four straight years.The 25-year-old's average draft position in Yahoo leagues is currently hovering around Pick 97 (late in the eighth round), an ideal spot to snag a rearguard who was on a 31-goal, 56-point pace before he got hurt last season.Nazem Kadri, C, AvalancheMichael Martin / National Hockey League / GettyIt's always unclear how a player coming off a down year will fare with a new team. While that's certainly the case with Kadri, he's worth a late-round gamble for a couple of reasons.First, the pesky forward's fantasy value will skyrocket if he can secure a spot on Colorado's top power-play unit alongside the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Gabriel Landeskog.Additionally, while Kadri's offensive production decreased in each of the two seasons following a career 2016-17 campaign, his shooting percentage should rebound closer to his career average of 11.5 after last year's mark of 8.7 - especially if he gets the aforementioned power-play opportunities.Before his 44-point campaign last year, Kadri authored back-to-back 32-goal seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Though regression from that level of production was inevitable, he's not as ineffective as his 2018-19 output might suggest. Kadri is an undoubtedly risky selection, but given both the potential and the track record, he's deserving of a bench spot in all but the shallowest of leagues.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames have inked restricted free-agent forward Andrew Mangiapane to a one-year, two-way contract worth $715,000, the club announced Sunday.After a lengthy impasse, the 23-year-old settled for the original qualifying offer the Flames submitted in June. He will remain a restricted free agent when his deal expires.Mangiapane, a sixth-round pick of the Flames in 2015, tallied eight goals and 13 points in 44 games in 2018-19.Calgary now holds $6.34 million in projected cap space with restricted free agent Matthew Tkachuk the only remaining player in need of a new deal, according to CapFriendly.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock told reporters he believes forward Zach Hyman will miss 14-to-15 games to start the season after offseason knee surgery, according to TSN.Babcock also added that he thinks Travis Dermott will miss 12-to-14 games to begin the year, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton. The defenseman underwent shoulder surgery on May 10.Hyman suffered a torn ACL in the club's first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins. He played through the injury for three games. The 27-year-old was given a six-month recovery period after undergoing surgery on April 29.Speedster Kasperi Kapanen has been practicing in Hyman's place at left wing on a line with John Tavares at center and Mitch Marner at right wing. Kapanen said he's ready to fill the workhorse void left by Hyman."I'll let them do all the nice things and I'll do the dirty work," Kapanen said.Kapanen, Tavares, and Marner spent just over six minutes together at five-on-five a year ago, but the results were impressive in the short sample size. The trio outscored the opposition 3-1 and held a 12-8 shot-attempt advantage, according to Natural Stat Trick.Kapanen, a natural right winger, will be playing out of position. The 23-year-old set career-highs with 20 goals and 24 assists a year ago.Meanwhile, a glut of defensemen, including veterans Ben Harpur, Jordan Schmaltz, Martin Marincin, Kevin Gravel, and Justin Holl, and youngsters Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren, will jostle for minutes in Dermott's absence.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Boston Bruins have re-signed restricted free-agent defenseman Charlie McAvoy to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $4.9 million, the team announced Sunday.McAvoy's new contract comes in just a hair shy of Zach Werenski's three-year, $15-million deal that the Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman signed Monday. Here are the full details:

The NHLPA plans to use a provision in the league's collective bargaining agreement to extend the deadline for its decision on reopening the current CBA until Monday, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.The provision allows the deadline, originally set for Sept. 15, to be moved to the next business day because that date lands on a Sunday.On Aug. 30, the NHL announced its decision not to reopen the CBA, which is set to run through the 2020-21 season. The current CBA will be terminated if the players opt to reopen discussions, potentially resulting in a work stoppage in September 2020.The NHL and NHLPA reached a deal for the current CBA in January 2013 following a prolonged dispute that shortened the 2012-13 campaign to 48 games. The league lost the entire 2004-05 season after the sides failed to come to terms on an agreement prior to that campaign.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes are reportedly among the teams interested in Dallas Stars defenseman Julius Honka, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels and Elliotte Friedman.The 23-year-old blue-liner requested a trade Friday.Selected 14th overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, Honka is a right-handed shot with elite puck-moving ability but was unable to carve out a full-time role in Dallas. He tallied just 13 points in 87 career games across three seasons, was a healthy scratch for the final 35 contests of the 2018-19 campaign, and didn't appear in the playoffs.Montreal may be seeking more mobility and offensive upside on the back end, as Jeff Petry and Shea Weber were the team's only rearguards to top 25 points a season ago.Friedman describes the Hurricanes' interest as dependent on "other things they are considering." The Canes have reportedly been discussing a trade with the Anaheim Ducks involving veteran defenseman Justin Faulk, but it's apparently contingent on Faulk agreeing to an extension beforehand.If Faulk is dealt for a forward, Carolina's third defense pairing would have an opening for a right-handed shot.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Winnipeg Jets forward Patrik Laine will train with SC Bern of the Swiss league during his contract stalemate, the team's head coach Kari Jalonen told Sami Hoffren of Finnish outlet Ilta-Sanomat.Laine is there strictly for training purposes: "He won't play for us this season," Jalonen said.Jalonen, the former bench boss of the Finnish national team, coached Laine at the 2016 World Championship.Laine is one of the many restricted free agents around the league without a contract. That list shrunk by one yesterday after Mitch Marner signed his deal, which could provide a ripple effect throughout the NHL.Laine's countryman and fellow RFA Mikko Rantanen has taken a similar route, skating with Storhamar Dragons of the Norwegian league.The Jets sniper was inconsistent last year, scoring 18 of his 30 goals during a 12 games stretch in November. He said last month he's "prepared for anything" and will play "somewhere" this season.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Minnesota Wild signed defenseman Jared Spurgeon to a seven-year extension with a $7.575-million average annual value, the team announced Saturday.Spurgeon was set to hit unrestricted free agency after the 2019-20 season. The 29-year-old set career highs in goals (14), assists (29), and points (43) last year.The new deal will make him the 11th-highest-paid defenseman in the league in 2020-21, just ahead of teammate Ryan Suter.The 5-foot-9, 167-pound Spurgeon may not have the conventional look of an elite shutdown defender, but that's exactly what he is. Among blue-liners who logged at least 500 minutes at five-on-five last year, Spurgeon allowed the 15th-fewest expected goals and the 11th-fewest high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick. And they aren't soft minutes - Spurgeon matches up against opponents' top lines.The extension marks new general manager Bill Guerin's first major splash with the Wild.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Mitch Marner can breathe a deep sigh of relief.The longstanding public contract negotiation between the star forward and Toronto Maple Leafs is now over after the two sides agreed on a six-year, $65.36-million deal Thursday. After it was all said and done, Marner opened up about how difficult the process was in an interview with TSN's Darren Dreger."Guys talk about the stress and everything like that, but until you go through it you don't really understand it. But I'm happy it's over with," Marner told Dreger.Marner said talks really escalated in the final two days before he signed."(I pushed) pretty hard. I knew we were close so I just wanted to kind of be more a part of it," he said. "In the last 48 hours or so I just made sure that I expressed to (general manager) Kyle (Dubas) a couple times what the feeling was and what we had and what we wanted to do going forward."Marner added that William Nylander's contract stalemate a year ago played a part in his decision to get a deal done. Nylander waited until Dec. 1 to sign and when he returned to the lineup, it took him a while to get back into game shape and find his footing. Marner remembers Nylander telling him how much of a grind the whole process was mentally and physically.However, Nylander was back home in Sweden during his drawn-out negotiation, while Marner, a native of Markham, Ontario - a suburb of Toronto - couldn't escape public scrutiny."I was walking my dog and I had like a 13-year-old kid yelling at me from across the park, screaming at me for not signing," Marner said. "That's the Toronto fan base and it's great to be a part of for another six years."The pressure to sign didn't stop around the neighborhood, as Marner and his family - specifically his father, Paul - took some heat on social media."Social media has its benefits. It's good for certain things, but it's also good for a lot of bad things. People express their hate for people on that. It's something that a lot of athletes go through on social media, is the hate," he said."It was more so seeing all the stuff said about my family that made me disappointed and mad. I expected stuff to come at (agent Darren Ferris) and myself, but I saw a couple comments about my father and stuff like that that nobody is gonna like seeing or reading. It was pretty disappointing to see people express themselves about my family and my family name."Many Twitter users were under the impression Paul Marner was a driving force in his son's negotiations and suggested that he fed information to Dreger throughout the process.With the business side of things now in the past, the 22-year-old can just focus on hockey."I'm super excited," said Marner, who was on his way to the airport to join the team for training camp in St. John's, Newfoundland.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Check out theScore's 2019-20 fantasy hockey draft kit for all the advice you need leading up to the start of the season.Yahoo fantasy sports (finally) ditched penalty minutes as a category in standard leagues. It's been replaced with hits in head-to-head leagues and blocks in head-to-head points leagues. To account for both styles, these rankings take the following categories into account:SkatersGoaliesGWinsAGAAPPPSV%SOGSOHitsBlocksThese rankings are based on 12-team leagues and factor in positional value. The value of certain positions can change depending on the size of the league. Positional eligibility is courtesy of Yahoo.RankPlayerPos.Team1Alex OvechkinLWWSH2Brent BurnsDSJ3Nikita KucherovRWTB4Connor McDavidCEDM5Nathan MacKinnonCCOL6Auston MatthewsCTOR7Sidney CrosbyCPIT8Steven StamkosCTB9Victor HedmanDTB10David PastrnakRWBOS11Leon DraisaitlC/LWEDM12Tyler SeguinCDAL13Patrick KaneRWCHI14Andrei VasilevskiyGTB15Brad MarchandLWBOS16Gabriel LandeskogLWCOL17Blake WheelerRWWPG18John CarlsonDWSH19Roman JosiDNSH20Filip ForsbergLWNSH21Aleksander BarkovCFLA22Mark StoneRWVGK23Sebastian AhoCCAR24Timo MeierLW/RWSJ25Taylor HallLWNJ26Vladimir TarasenkoRWSTL27Erik KarlssonDSJ28Jake GuentzelLW/RWPIT29Jack EichelCBUF30Kris LetangDPIT31John TavaresCTOR32Evander KaneLWSJ33Johnny GaudreauLWCGY34Mika ZibanejadCNYR35Patrice BergeronCBOS36Mark ScheifeleCWPG37Tyson BarrieDTOR38Alexander RadulovRWDAL39Jacob TroubaDNYR40Mathew DumbaDMIN41Morgan RiellyDTOR42Evgeni MalkinCPIT43Mitch MarnerRWTOR44Ben BishopGDAL45Sergei BobrovskyGFLA46Seth JonesDCLB47Andrei SvechnikovLW/RWCAR48Josh AndersonRWCLB49Jonathan MarchessaultC/LWVGK50Dustin ByfuglienDWPG51Artemi PanarinLWNYR52Frederik AndersenGTOR53Tom WilsonRWWSH54Torey KrugDBOS55Mark GiordanoDCGY56John GibsonGANA57Dougie HamiltonDCAR58Claude GirouxC/LW/RWPHI59Elias PetterssonCVAN60Mikko Rantanen*RWCOL61Marc-Andre FleuryGVGK62Carey PriceGMTL63John KlingbergDDAL64Brendan GallagherRWMTL65Matthew Tkachuk*LWCGY66Thomas ChabotDOTT67Rasmus DahlinDBUF68Oliver Ekman-LarssonDARI69Tuukka RaskGBOS70Matt MurrayGPIT71Patrik Laine*LW/RWWPG72Drew DoughtyDLA73Jonathan HuberdeauLWFLA74Max PaciorettyLWVGK75Brady TkachukLWOTT76Alex PietrangeloDSTL77Pekka RinneGNSH78Elias LindholmC/RWCGY79Carter HartGPHI80Dylan LarkinCDET81Tomas HertlC/LWSJ82Sean MonahanCCGY83P.K. SubbanDNJ84Jordan BinningtonGSTL85Ryan PulockDNYI86Alex DeBrincatLW/RWCHI87Jamie BennC/LWDAL88William NylanderC/RWTOR89Robin LehnerGCHI90Nino NiederreiterLW/RWCAR91Chris KreiderLWNYR92Vincent TrocheckCFLA93Viktor ArvidssonLW/RWNSH94Miro HeiskanenDDAL95Ryan O'ReillyCSTL96Brayden Point*CTB97Shea WeberDMTL98Kyle PalmieriRWNJ99Braden HoltbyGWSH100Philipp GrubauerGCOL101Rickard RakellLW/RWANA102Erik GustafssonDCHI103Keith YandleDFLA104Phil KesselRWARI105Jeff SkinnerC/LWBUF106Devan DubnykGMIN107Petr MrazekGCAR108Evgeny KuznetsovCWSH109Sean CouturierCPHI110Logan CoutureCSJ111Brayden SchennC/LWSTL112Ivan ProvorovDPHI113Antti RaantaGARI114Jakub VoracekRWPHI115Cam AtkinsonRWCLB116Jonathan ToewsCCHI117Kaapo KakkoRWNYR118Martin JonesGSJ119Anders LeeLWNYI120Cale MakarDCOL121Rasmus RistolainenDBUF122Jake MuzzinDTOR123Charlie McAvoy*DBOS124Nicklas BackstromCWSH125Aaron EkbladDFLA126Connor HellebuyckGWPG127Max DomiC/LWMTL128Shea TheodoreDVGK129Josh MorrisseyDWPG130Nazem KadriCCOL131Zach WerenskiDCLB132Brock Boeser*RWVAN133Juuse SarosGNSH134Patric HornqvistRWPIT135Darnell NurseDEDM136Pierre-Luc DuboisCCLB137Clayton KellerLW/RWARI138T.J. OshieRWWSH139Colton ParaykoDSTL140Alex GalchenyukC/LWPIT141Ryan GetzlafCANA142David RittichGCGY143Jacob MarkstromGVAN144Mathew BarzalCNYI145Anze KopitarCLA146Quinn HughesDVAN147MacKenzie BlackwoodGNJ148Cory SchneiderGNJ149Alex EdlerDVAN150Mike HoffmanLW/RWFLA151Jaden SchwartzLWSTL152Evgenii DadonovLW/RWFLA153Teuvo TeravainenLW/RWCAR154Shayne GostisbehereDPHI155Nico HischierCNJ156Alex TuchRWVGK157Anthony ManthaLW/RWDET158Darcy KuemperGARI159Kevin LabancLW/RWSJ160Jake DeBruskLW/RWBOS161Henrik LundqvistGNYR162Semyon VarlamovGNYI163Thomas GreissGNYI164J.T MillerLW/RWVAN165William KarlssonCVGK166Bo HorvatCVAN167Ryan EllisDNSH168Jonathan QuickGLA169Joe PavelskiC/RWDAL170Dustin BrownRWLA171Corey CrawfordGCHI172Justin FaulkDCAR173Jeff PetryDMTL174Micheal FerlandLW/RWVAN175Matt DucheneCNSH176Ryan Nugent-HopkinsC/LWEDM177Dylan StromeCCHI178Ryan SuterDMIN179Nikita GusevLWNJ180Mikhail SergachevDTB181Ryan McDonaghDTB182Ondrej KaseRWANA183Nikolaj EhlersLW/RWWPG184Mattias EkholmDNSH185Mats ZuccarelloRWMIN186Mikko KoskinenGEDM187James NealLW/RWEDM188Kyle Connor*LWWPG189Jack HughesCNJ190Max ComtoisLWANA191Andreas JohnssonLWTOR192Eric StaalCMIN193Wayne SimmondsRWNJ194Adam FoxDNYR195Kasperi KapanenRWTOR196Pavel BuchnevichRWNYR197Blake ColemanLW/RWNJ198Esa LindellDDAL199Corey PerryRWDAL200Elvis MerzlikinsGCLB*Unsigned RFACopyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Warning: Video contains graphic contentThe NHL suspended Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov three games for inappropriate conduct, the league announced Saturday.Kuznetsov will not appeal the suspension.Kuznetsov tested positive for cocaine while representing Russia at the World Championship in May. He received a four-year suspension from the IIHF on Aug. 23.The IIHF considers cocaine a performance-enhancing drug, while the NHL does not.Following the IIHF suspension, the NHL stated that Kuznetsov voluntarily sought help through the league's education and counseling program and would meet with commissioner Gary Bettman face to face. The meeting took place Monday and, according to The Washington Post's Isabelle Khurshudyan, likely focused on Kuznetsov's initial denial of any drug use after a video surfaced in May that showed him sitting next to lines of white powder.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Goaltenders are the most difficult of all positions to project in fantasy hockey, but there are several netminders who - for one reason or another - aren't worth the trouble in 2019-20.Here is a trio of goalies to steer clear of in fantasy drafts:Connor Hellebuyck, JetsHellebuyck was once an excellent fantasy option, but several factors are working against him this time around.For one, the Jets' blue line has been decimated by departures. Jacob Trouba was traded to the New York Rangers for Neal Pionk and a pick, Tyler Myers inked a deal with the Vancouver Canucks, and Ben Chiarot signed with the Montreal Canadiens. So, heading into the upcoming campaign, the Jets' defense is looking rather suspect beyond the top pairing of Josh Morrissey and Dustin Byfuglien.Another bad sign is that Hellebuyck took a step back statistically in 2018-19. Aside from finishing with a respectable 34 wins, the American was fairly average, posting a career-worst 2.90 goals-against average, a .913 save percentage overall, and a .920 mark at five-on-five, the latter of which ranked 18th among goalies with at least 41 games played.He's currently being drafted as the 13th goalie off the board on average in Yahoo leagues, just ahead of Carter Hart, who possesses more upside. Don't be tempted by the Jets' offensive weapons, as their lack of defensive depth is bound to diminish their goaltender's value.Henrik Lundqvist, RangersIcon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyNo one expects Lundqvist to be what he once was, but the Rangers' offseason overhaul may have some fantasy owners hoping the King will drink from the fountain of youth and excel once again.Think again. Yes, the Rangers should be better this season with Artemi Panarin, Kaapo Kakko, and Trouba in the fold, but despite the Broadway Blueshirts' bolstered roster, Lundqvist still isn't a reliable fantasy option.The 14-year veteran will turn 38 in March, and he played his fewest games last season (52) since 2014-15 while posting the worst save percentage of his career (.907). The emergence of Alexandar Georgiev doesn't bode well for Lundqvist, either, as the 23-year-old Bulgarian carved out 33 appearances in 2018-19.David Rittich, FlamesScott Audette / National Hockey League / GettyRittich will get another chance to hold on to the Flames' No. 1 netminding job this season, and that should be easier this season with Mike Smith gone in favor of Cam Talbot.However, just because he has a clearer path to playing time doesn't guarantee he'll be worth owning in fantasy. "Big Save Dave" excelled out of the gate in 2018-19 but faltered down the stretch amid a nagging knee injury and ultimately lost his job to Smith, as a respectable .918 save percentage and 2.47 GAA in 30 games before the All-Star break dropped to marks of .898 and 2.89 in 15 contests afterward.Even if Rittich is given 50-plus starts in 2019-20, the 27-year-old has yet to prove he can handle the workload. If he finds himself in anything resembling a time-share with Talbot, his fantasy value will diminish even more, so either way, he's not worth the gamble.(Analytics courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Exhale, Leafs Nation; the great standoff has ended.Mitch Marner is a very rich young man and the Toronto Maple Leafs have a long-term commitment from one of the best hockey players on the planet. That’s the stripped-down, unemotional truth of Friday evening’s $65.4-million news dump.The Marner-Leafs soap opera is over and both sides, generally speaking, got what they wanted without causing too much damage to egos involved, the on-ice product, or the fan base. It's now go time for the franchise. As the preseason ramps up, the business of hockey can finally be set aside for another day.Marner's six-year extension worth $10.9 million annually is front-loaded. And, in signing on through the 2024-25 season, the 22-year-old forward is now scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at 28.Here’s the breakdown of Marner’s earnings - base salary and signing bonus paid out on July 1 - for each year of the pact, according to PuckPedia.YearBaseBonuses19-20$700K$15.3M20-21$700K$14.3M21-22$750K$9.608M22-23$750K$7.25M23-24$750K$7.25M24-25$750K$7.25MThe extension makes Marner the NHL’s seventh-highest-paid player for the 2019-20 season. In terms of cap hit, he now lives between $11-million teammate John Tavares and a trio of stars - Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Carey Price - making $10.5 million. In short, the 94-point forward who grew up in the sprawling Toronto suburb of Markham is in good company.Now, although Marner’s a terrific, dynamic winger who plays in all situations, he’s probably being overpaid by $1 million to $2 million in the short term. (This is what happens when a team’s brass pushes for more years, and a player’s camp digs its heels in on more money). If Marner can become a 100-point driving force on a consistent Stanley Cup-contending squad, that annual hit will look beyond reasonable by the second or third year.Based on Marner's skill set and resume, the deal is a fairly safe bet.Omar Rawlings / Getty ImagesThe cap hit works for the Leafs because the books have been carefully constructed for it to work. General manager Kyle Dubas proclaimed last July that he would sign Auston Matthews, Marner, and William Nylander, and after countless discussions, he's done just that. It wasn’t easy - two of three deals were partially negotiated in public, Nylander’s shortened 2018-19 season proved fruitless, and Matthews has one of the most player-friendly contracts in hockey - but everything is now in place. Dubas, for all intents and purposes, accomplished what he set out to do.Head coach Mike Babcock has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal, which, although not a new development, is amplified now. The Leafs’ nucleus is firmly six players deep - forwards Matthews, Tavares, Marner, and Nylander, defenseman Morgan Rielly, and goaltender Frederik Andersen - and all six are under contract for at least the next two seasons.With that stability, the pressure’s on Marner and Nylander to perform to their paychecks, Matthews to stay healthy and keep scoring at a near-historic rate, Babcock to make the right coaching decisions, and Dubas to work his magic around the fringes of the roster in order to support the expensive core.In more ways than one, Toronto will act as an interesting case study moving forward. For starters, how will paying a select few players massive amounts of money affect roster construction? Will there be enough dough to go around to make everyone happy in the chase for a Cup?Toronto’s four highest-paid players will account for roughly 50% of the $81.5-million cap in ‘19-20. Eleven players on the current 23-man roster are earning $925,000 or less. That's an incredibly top-heavy payroll.Claus Andersen / Getty ImagesThe Leafs have now locked up not one, not two, but three high-end players coming off entry-level deals. Just about every NHL team has one high-end kid - maybe two. But three - with so much cash and so much term committed to each of them - is rare and, frankly, an excellent problem to have. The Leafs should consider themselves lucky.Then there’s the staggering of expiration dates. The contracts for Matthews and Nylander are up following the 2023-24 season, while Tavares and Marner can test free agency a year later. Ideally, the Leafs likely would have wanted all four attached to a different free-agent class. Dubas did OK, since spreading these future issues over two years is not the worst-case scenario.All of this would be cause for concern if the four players being handed the keys weren’t all under 30, ultra-talented, tailor-made for the modern NHL, and extremely motivated to win the franchise’s first Cup in 50-plus years. Overall, the Leafs are in tremendous shape relative to the past few decades.On Friday, they got some distracting business out of the way prior to the opening game of the exhibition schedule. That should be celebrated, regardless of the financial commitment.The Leafs also finalized something else. Their Cup window is officially set at four years. It could prove to be longer, but that’s the baseline right now. Now, onto the hockey.John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Hockey legend Stan Mikita was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, researchers and his family announced, according to TSN's Rick Westhead.Boston University CTE Center director Dr. Ann McKee revealed the findings for the first time Friday night at the Concussion Legacy Foundation's Chicago Honors dinner."Stan Mikita was diagnosed with (two) neurodegenerative diseases that our research has shown are associated with a long career in contact sports such as ice hockey: CTE and Lewy Body Disease," Dr. McKee said, according to Westhead.Mikita pledged his brain to the research team in Boston before his death in 2018.The late NHL star is now the 11th known former player and the first member of the Hall of Fame to have tested positive for CTE, the disease linked to repetitive brain trauma caused by contact sports.Mikita, who was inducted into the Hall in 1983, died in August 2018 at the age of 78.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs have found common ground.The Leafs agreed to a six-year contract with the restricted free-agent forward that carries an average annual value of $10.893 million, the club announced Friday night.Here's the apparent breakdown:

Drew Doughty appears to have had enough of the Los Angeles Kings' recent lack of success."We need to be a winning team this year," the outspoken defenseman told reporters, including the Los Angeles Times' Helene Elliott, on the first day of training camp Friday. "We were embarrassed with the last four seasons ... since we won the last Cup, it's been shit."The Kings finished dead last in the Pacific Division in 2018-19 and have only two first-round playoff exits to show for themselves since last winning the Stanley Cup in 2014.Doughty was instrumental to that championship team as well as the one in 2012, and he's consistently placed among the league leaders in average ice time.The 29-year-old has been a member of the Kings for his entire 11-year career. He won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top blue-liner in 2016 and was drafted second overall by L.A. in 2008.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Anaheim Ducks forwards Ryan Kesler and Patrick Eaves will miss the whole 2019-20 campaign, the club announced Friday.Kesler underwent hip surgery in May, after which he was deemed unlikely to suit up for the following season. He collected eight points in 60 games for the Ducks in 2018-19.Eaves was limited to seven NHL contests last season and also appeared in seven for the AHL's San Diego Gulls.The 35-year-old forwards have been Anaheim teammates for the last three years, with Kesler playing for the club for the last five campaigns after spending 10 seasons with the Vancouver Canucks.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Corey Perry's tenure in Big D isn't starting the way he envisioned.The Dallas Stars forward suffered a small foot fracture and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, general manager Jim Nill said on Friday, according to Mike Heika of the team's website.Perry plans to be ready for the season opener against the Boston Bruins on Oct. 3, he told The Athletic's Sean Shapiro.The 34-year-old veteran signed a one-year, $1.5-million contract with the Stars on July 1 after the Anaheim Ducks bought him out.The former Hart Trophy winner missed the first four months of the 2018-19 campaign following knee surgery in September. He was a shell of his former self after returning, tallying just 10 points in 31 games.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The following five players disappointed last season but are primed to bounce back in 2019-20:William Nylander, C/RW, Maple LeafsNylander never got comfortable last season. He was mired in a contract holdout well into the campaign, ultimately signing minutes before the deadline on Dec. 1. When he finally returned to the Toronto Maple Leafs' lineup, it became clear that he wasn't in game shape, and it took him longer than expected to find his footing.Perhaps the pressures of signing a lucrative deal in an unforgiving market took a toll on the young Swede. He was certainly snakebitten, scoring on just 5.4% of his shots, which was less than half of his 11.1 career shooting percentage entering the season.Nylander and Auston Matthews feed off each other. Both players' underlying numbers are better alongside one another. However, for much of the season, Nylander was either forced to play center due to injuries or was passed over for Matthews' wing in favor of Kasperi Kapanen.Nylander is projected to start on Matthews' right wing, and if he can stay there for the entirety of the season, 80-to-90 points are very much within the 23-year-old's reach.Patrik Laine, LW/RW, JetsJonathan Kozub / National Hockey League / GettyIt's quite amazing that a player who scored 30 goals in his age-20 campaign is primed for a bounce-back season, but Laine set the bar high for himself after scoring 44 times in 2017-18.The Winnipeg Jets sniper set a personal high in shots on goal last season but notched the fewest tallies of his career. His 12.2 shooting percentage was still above the league average, but it was almost 6% less than his career mark of 18% entering the year.Laine scored 18 of his 30 goals during a 12-game stretch in November, meaning he bagged just 12 over his remaining 70 contests. Though he can disappear at times, Laine's shot is simply too good to go in such a slump again. Expect him to score somewhere between 45-to-55 goals in 2019-20 - assuming his contract holdout doesn't play out into the season.Drew Doughty, D, KingsDoughty is the most candid player in the NHL. He isn't afraid to speak his mind, and he usually means what he says. So when he said in August, "I can't put a measure on how personally motivated I am for this season," fantasy players should have been all ears.The Los Angeles Kings didn't make any substantial improvements during the offseason, but under a new head coach in Todd McLellan, the club will be younger and faster.Even with a subpar supporting cast, Doughty is good enough to rack up 50-to-60 points. Considering he won't be won't be drafted as high as he usually is, the former Norris Trophy winner could provide excellent value to your fantasy team.James Neal, LW/RW, OilersIcon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyEven if Neal doesn't end up on a line with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl in his first season with the Edmonton Oilers, being centered by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins against softer matchups is a pretty good consolation prize. Nugent-Hopkins is coming off a career-high 69-point season despite lacking a legitimate running mate for much of the campaign.One thing is certain: Neal will play in Edmonton's top six, which was rarely the case during an abysmal seven-goal season with the Calgary Flames last year. He's also unlikely to finish with a 5.0 shooting percentage again since the sniper is a career 11.6% shooter.Neal should also be well-rested as the Flames were ousted in the first round of the playoffs. He endured grueling postseason runs to the Stanley Cup Final in the two years prior, so an extended offseason should serve the 32-year-old well.A 20-goal season seems to be Neal's floor, but if all goes right, he could pot upward of 30.Jaden Schwartz, LW, BluesSchwartz was also hampered by a low shooting percentage in 2018-19. A career 13.7% shooter entering last season, Schwartz converted on just 6% of his attempts.The 27-year-old proved much of that was just bad luck. He tallied 12 goals - more than he scored during the regular season - in 26 postseason games during the St. Louis Blues' Stanley Cup run. If he can carry this confidence into the 2019-20 season, Schwartz, who's in the prime of his career, could enjoy a banner year in the 30-goal, 70-point range.(Advanced stats courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and restricted free-agent forward Brayden Point are "not remotely close" to agreeing on a new contract, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.LeBrun added that he's sure a deal will get done, but that there's been little progress to date.Point is arguably the most prolific unsigned RFA on the market, though cases could be made for Mitch Marner, Mikko Rantanen, Matthew Tkachuk, and Patrik Laine. The Lightning pivot racked up 41 goals and 92 points in 79 games during the 2018-19 season.The Bolts have $8.48 million remaining in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dallas Stars defenseman Julius Honka is asking for a trade, general manager Jim Nill told reporters on Friday, including Mike Heika from the team's website.The Stars selected Honka 14th overall in the 2014 draft. As a right-handed blue-liner with superb skating and puck-moving abilities, he possesses many qualities teams could covet. However, he's been unable to carve out a full-time role in Dallas, producing only 13 points in 87 career games over three seasons.His underlying numbers have still been impressive though:

The Philadelphia Flyers have re-signed restricted free-agent defenseman Ivan Provorov to a six-year contract with an average annual value of $6.75 million, the team announced Friday.Provorov, 22, is coming off the worst campaign of his three-year NHL career, having posted 26 points and severely negative possession numbers in 2018-19. However, the former seventh overall pick led the Flyers in average ice time for the third straight season and previously flashed offensive potential by recording 17 goals and 41 points in 2017-18.Provorov's deal is the latest in a flurry of blue-liner signings. The Winnipeg Jets inked Josh Morrissey to an eight-year, $50-million extension on Thursday, while the Columbus Blue Jackets signed their own RFA defenseman, Zach Werenski, to a three-year deal with a $5-million annual cap hit Monday.The Flyers now have $6.67 million left in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly, with one unsigned RFA remaining in winger Travis Konecny.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien has been granted a personal leave of absence from the team, the club announced on Friday.Both the reason and duration are unknown at this time, although head coach Paul Maurice told TSN 1290 that Byfuglien is "going to be fine," adding that it's "nothing sinister," according to The Athletic's Murat Ates.Byfuglien was productive during an injury-riddled season in 2018-19, tallying 31 points in 42 games.With fellow defensemen Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers, and Ben Chiarot departing this offseason, the Jets are counting on a big campaign from Byfuglien to help them return to the playoffs.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

TORONTO - Mike Babcock is tired of being slapped around.The Maple Leafs bench boss is proud of his squad's transformation over the past four seasons but could most definitely do without a fourth opening-round playoff exit. Three times is plenty, thank you very much."Let's be honest: We're a really good team in the National Hockey League," Babcock said during his first official media availability of the 2019-20 season. "It's taken us some time to get here, but now we're a team where we feel like we have an opportunity (to go on a deep playoff run) each year."All of those little slappings help you grow," he added, referring specifically to the Leafs' consecutive series losses to the Boston Bruins. "All you gotta do is look at teams that win."Mark Blinch / Getty ImagesBabcock's sentiment was shared by several Leafs personnel Thursday, as the coach, general manager Kyle Dubas, and select players met with the media ahead of the preseason. Evidently, a group of this caliber, with its abundance of star power, has no excuses in Year 5 of the Babcock era.The weird thing is, for how good the Leafs look on paper, so much is up in the air. Understandably, Mitch Marner's contract standoff has been sucking up all the preseason oxygen. (For what it's worth, Dubas said Thursday that he's hopeful team and player can find common ground on an extension before Toronto's regular-season opener Oct. 2.) Yet, there's a slew of other question marks swirling around the Leafs.Who will the powers that be tap for the captaincy? How much will Babcock rely on his backup goalies to keep starter Frederik Andersen fresh? What kind of impact will incoming assistant coaches Paul McFarland and Dave Hakstol have? Will William Nylander rebound from a tumultuous 2018-19 and play to his potential?While the above questions are legitimate, there are actually more timely matters to ponder over the next few weeks. (Yes, there's plenty of intrigue with this team.) After Marner, here are the four biggest questions facing the Leafs:How improved are the top 2 pairings?Of the six defensemen Babcock dressed for last year's final game, only two - Morgan Rielly and Jake Muzzin - are scheduled to line up opposite the Ottawa Senators on opening night.Kevin Sousa / Getty ImagesNikita Zaitsev and Ron Hainsey play for the Senators now, Jake Gardiner is a Carolina Hurricane, and Travis Dermott is expected to miss the first 12-14 games with a shoulder injury.Helping to replace the departed blue-liners are 28-year-old Tyson Barrie and 25-year-old Cody Ceci, both of whom were acquired via trade and are set to become free agents next summer. To start camp, the top two pairings are left-handed Rielly with righty Ceci, and lefty Muzzin with right-handed Barrie.Babcock mentioned the benefit of matching handedness, and how well the offensive minds of Rielly and Barrie should blend with the defensive sensibilities of their respective partners. On the surface, it's a nice mix.The changes, of course, don't guarantee better goal suppression."One of the things we've got to improve most is playing in our own zone," Babcock said. "When you look at it, and where we are strength-wise in the league, offensively, we're better than we are defensively."Barrie, a puck-mover capable of putting up 50-60 points a year, is certainly an upgrade on Zaitsev and Hainsey. He'll be a treat to watch. Ceci, who was much maligned by Ottawa fans, will benefit from Hakstol's tutelage, Babcock says, and "is just scratching the surface" as an NHL defenseman.It's fair to say this top four, which isn't the league's best but absolutely above average, is better suited for the modern game than last year's iteration."I don't know if we're improved yet. I guess we'll find out during the season," Rielly said, before tacking on a more definitive opinion: "I think the way that those guys can move, the way that they can move the puck, it's a step in the right direction, for sure."What's happening with the wingers?Auston Matthews' wingers will likely be Andreas Johnsson and William Nylander to start the season. After that, all bets are off, with the Leafs' forward group in a state of flux.John Tavares is missing both of his regular linemates. Marner - Tavares' playmaking partner in crime who helped him hit a career-high 88 points last season - is unavailable until further notice, and puck-retriever Zach Hyman is nursing a knee injury and probably won’t be ready for the opener.Maddie Meyer / Getty ImagesBabcock had Kasperi Kapanen penciled in as a winger on the third line now centered by Alexander Kerfoot. However, the Finnish speedster has been elevated all the way up to the top line beside Tavares. Meanwhile, the departures of Connor Brown and Tyler Ennis have left the fourth line bare of wingers.Former KHLers Ilya Mikheyev and Nick Shore, AHL grads Trevor Moore and Jeremy Bracco, former Minnesota Wild wingers Matt Read and Pontus Aberg, former Winnipeg Jet Nic Petan, and former New Jersey Devil Kenny Agostino form an eclectic group of pros jockeying for attention and a full-time NHL gig.This all means Tavares, Kerfoot, presumptive fourth-line center Jason Spezza, and Babcock favorite Frederik Gauthier could skate with a revolving door of wingers over the course of the preseason, which includes training camp in Newfoundland and eight exhibition games. Let the competition begin.Who's going to fill the bottom of the roster?On top of the holes at wing and backup goalie, Toronto also lacks a defined third defensive pairing as the Leafs' depth was overhauled this offseason."We've got a big job here. This is as much change as I've seen since I've been in the National Hockey League," said Babcock, who's been behind an NHL bench for 16 seasons since 2002-03.Dermott, let's not forget, will eventually be the left-side defenseman on the third pair. The sixth and seventh spots, on the other hand, seem up in the air.Jordan Schmaltz and/or Ben Harpur, formerly of the St. Louis Blues and Senators, respectively, might make sense. Top prospects Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin will get a long, hard look, too, but may not be ready for the big time. And there’s always Justin Holl and Martin Marincin, two NHL/AHL tweeners Babcock already knows quite well from years past.Some food for thought: Thirteen players on the Leafs' current 23-man roster are each earning less than $1 million in 2019-20. By comparison, the defending Stanley Cup champion Blues have six players earning south of $1 million on their 24-man roster, while the stacked Tampa Bay Lightning have eight within their 21-man group.Most fans wouldn't change that dynamic for the alternative - nothing wrong with paying your stars, right? But it's become very clear that Toronto is a team that'll be forced to flip the bottom of its roster on its head every offseason or two.Will Matthews' usage remain an issue?It's the storyline that won't go away until the results show.Matthews, the projected next captain of the Leafs and arguably the club's best player, met privately with Babcock for the second summer in a row. Fresh off a Game 7 loss against Boston in which Matthews controversially played 18 minutes and 48 seconds, ice time was once again a topic of discussion.Kevin Sousa / Getty ImagesMatthews reports the pair has made "a lot of positive progress," saying Thursday that they're on the same page heading into his fourth season."I think every guy would love to play as much as possible," Matthews said last week at the NHL's player media tour in Chicago. He claims he's not demanding the 23 minutes Connor McDavid skates per game, but wants to be relied upon more often in key moments."If we're up three or four goals, you don't need to be double-shifting (me), but maybe down a goal or two or in a tight game, a comeback game, I'd like to see myself out there more and obviously other guys as well," Matthews noted. "I think it's all situational. Like I've said before, I'm not the one pulling myself out there, so it's kind of a back and forth and trying to find a sweet spot."We'll see if Babcock feels the same way in, say, February. But for the time being, he's not dogging Matthews for speaking his mind and ostensibly making a valid point in the process."He wants to be a driving force. No different than John Tavares," Babcock said. "They want to be the difference-makers, they want to be the guys who (lead their team) to a Cup. Like (Jonathan) Toews, like (Patrice) Bergeron."I think that's what you aspire to as a player, and I think that's your job as a coach to help them. And that's what we try to do. Is it going to be rosy every day? No. But he's an important part of our team, and we understand that."The rosiness of the 2019-20 season starts Friday for Matthews, Babcock, and the Marner-less Leafs.John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. 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Brendan Shanahan is predicting that someone will wear the "C" for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019-20."I like our leadership group," the club's president told the Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons. "I like that we have several different really good options. I'm not speaking out of school, I believe (head coach) Mike (Babcock) and (general manager) Kyle (Dubas) and I, we will have a captain this year. And I think we have several good options. Only one person is going to wear a 'C,' but you need lots of captains."Those options conceivably include Auston Matthews and John Tavares, both of whom have been prodded about the matter throughout the offseason. Shanahan specifically mentioned the younger of the two in his conversation with Simmons."You might be the leader on the ice, another guy might be the leader in the room, another guy might be the leader on the road, there's nothing wrong with lots of leaders," the team president said. "What's Matthews, 22? He's 21, I think. He'll be 22 soon. I feel that all players constantly evolve, you have to succeed. You're never settled. The moment you get settled you start to decline."Matthews posted a career-high 73 points across 68 regular-season games in 2018-19, his third NHL season.Tavares, who wore the "C" for five campaigns with the New York Islanders, tallied 47 goals and 88 points while playing every contest in his first season with the Maple Leafs.The club has gone without a captain since Dion Phaneuf was traded away in February 2016.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

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Age should always be a concern in fantasy, but it shouldn't deter owners from drafting certain players altogether.While most veterans experience a natural decline in production after playing for a decade or so, some remain effective well into their 30s for a variety of reasons. Their success is often due to their respective roster situations as much as their ability to sustain individual skill.Most fantasy hockey owners won't think twice about drafting aging superstars like Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, and Brent Burns, and rightfully so. There are other players of relatively advanced age, however, who will likely have them on the fence. In some cases, such hesitancy is unnecessary.Here are three experienced players primed to overcome Father Time and be more than reliable fantasy contributors in 2019-20:Pekka Rinne, G, PredatorsThe longtime Nashville netminder will turn 37 in early November, and though that is always cause for concern, there are a couple of reasons you shouldn't worry about Rinne this season.Rinne still plays behind one of the stingiest defense corps in the NHL. The Predators allowed the fourth-fewest goals per game in the league in 2018-19 and were a top-10 club in terms of average shots allowed. P.K. Subban is no longer in the fold, but fellow blue-line stalwarts Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, and Mattias Ekholm all return, so look for Nashville to once again be one of the NHL's best defensive clubs.Despite struggling in the playoffs for a second straight year, Rinne was his usual steady self during the regular season, when it obviously matters most for fantasy.Across 56 games, Rinne posted a .930 save percentage at 5-on-5, good for sixth in the NHL among goalies with at least 41 games played. He also authored the league's second-best high-danger save percentage (.875) and sixth-best goals saved above average (13.54) among qualified netminders.Ryan Suter, D, WildIcon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettySuter is never a sexy fantasy pick, but he's as consistent and dependable as any defenseman over the grind of the regular season. The workhorse will turn 35 in January, but don't let that stop you from selecting him where you normally would.The 14-year veteran is currently going off the board around Pick 135 in most Yahoo fantasy drafts. While there are younger, higher-upside blue-liners getting drafted in that range, Suter is a lock for 40-plus points, having averaged 49 over the last two campaigns while leading the NHL in average ice time (26:42) over that span. He's also incredibly durable, missing only four games over the last four seasons despite the heavy workload.Suter is an assist machine who plays more than anyone else in the league and still contributes on the power play. Even if his ice time decreases slightly during the upcoming campaign, you can still bank on the grizzled rearguard as an upper-tier defenseman in most fantasy leagues.Phil Kessel, RW, CoyotesNorm Hall / National Hockey League / GettyKessel will be 32 on opening night, and while not exactly "old," he will be suiting up for his 14th NHL season.The winger's move from a Pittsburgh Penguins roster featuring several all-world teammates to a Coyotes club with fewer offensive weapons will cause some fantasy owners to pass on him in drafts. But Kessel's proven so consistently productive throughout his career, both at even strength and on the power play, that writing him off entirely would be foolish.He won't be surrounded by as much firepower in Arizona as he was in Pittsburgh - a fact which will lead to at least a slight dip in offensive output - but he will be relied upon far more heavily, so he'll likely be more proactive in creating scoring chances. More opportunity should bode well for his overall production and could help offset any significant decrease precipitated by less potent linemates.Though you likely shouldn't draft Kessel as early as you might have in the past, you can still bank on solid RW2 numbers in 2019-20 if you snag him in the middle rounds.(Analytics courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to theScore's ranking of all 31 NHL teams for the 2019-20 season, sorted by tiers.This is the second installment of the two-part series. Part 1, which addresses the bottom 15 teams, can be found here.Playoff troublemakers (4th tier)These teams should make the playoffs, and could go on a deep runCarolina HurricanesAfter a whirlwind year of Storm Surges and an appearance in the Eastern Conference Final, the Hurricanes report to training camp looking relatively different. Jake Gardiner, Erik Haula, Brian Gibbons, Ryan Dzingel, and James Reimer enter the fold while Justin Williams, Micheal Ferland, Calvin de Haan, and Curtis McElhinney depart - and perhaps Justin Faulk, too. All of this leads back to Carolina once again being a shaker in the East.Colorado AvalancheGive it two years and the Avalanche will be in the second or first tier. Yes, they are on that kind of trajectory as Cale Makar, Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky, and Joonas Donskoi join a group headlined by Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen (restricted free agent), Gabriel Landeskog, Sam Girard, and Phillip Grubauer. As for the coming season, Colorado hasn't leaped into serious-contender territory, but it could conceivably win a playoff round or two.Florida PanthersThe Panthers checked off some crucial boxes this offseason: they added a world-class coach and a world-class goalie while making some nice depth signings. Already a decent outfit, Florida now has given the hockey world no reason to believe it won't take a big step forward. Led by superstar Aleksander Barkov, Joel Quenneville's squad should be hanging with the NHL's big boys in 2019-20. The Cats seem destined for a wild-card playoff spot.New York IslandersThe general manager-coach duo of Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz has been a boon for this franchise. Mat Barzal is an absolute stud. The blue line is underrated. The Isles may have switched goalies - Semyon Varlamov for Robin Lehner - but the meat of their roster is returning. Therefore, it would be foolish to cast them aside for a second straight season. New York isn't an obvious Stanley Cup contender, but it deserves our first attention from Day 1.San Jose SharksFor whatever reason, the Sharks instill eternal confidence. Maybe it's GM Doug Wilson's diligent retooling, coach Pete DeBoer's demeanor, Joe Thornton's calming presence, or some combination of the three. Even now - with Joe Pavelski, Gustav Nyquist, and Donskoi all gone - there's no panic. Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, and Logan Couture are set to lead while Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl continue to grow.Winnipeg JetsThere's plenty to be skeptical about with the 2019-20 Jets. Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor remain unsigned, and Jacob Trouba and Tyler Myers are elsewhere. Also, can goalie Connor Hellebuyck return to his peak form? The optimist's take: Winnipeg is still strong enough to snatch a playoff spot. It has a perfect mix of young and old, star and role players. And the sting of last year's first-round exit will be fueling the Jets' engines.Fringe Cup contenders (3rd tier)Elite, but for one reason or another not quite the cream of the cropCalgary FlamesThe Flames, who finished with a Western Conference-high 107 points last year, have undergone only minor personnel changes and, overall, GM Brad Treliving has done an admirable job surrounding his studs with solid complementary players. Sure, there are some question marks - David Rittich's repeatability as a No. 1 goalie, for instance - but Calgary simply brings it on so many levels that it's difficult to ignore its potential.Dallas StarsAfter flailing in the wind for several years as a top-heavy club which would make the playoffs but produce little noise, Dallas has graduated to big-fish status. The addition of Pavelski is huge, while Corey Perry is a low-risk/high-reward bet and Miro Heiskanen is on the verge of stardom. Package all of that with Ben Bishop's excellence between the pipes and a motivated Tyler Seguin-Jamie Benn combo, and the Stars look scary-good.Nashville PredatorsThe 2018-19 Predators were a little discombobulated; something seemed off. Well, the offseason has yielded Matt Duchene and dispelled of P.K. Subban. Will addressing a need while shipping out a former Norris Trophy winner make a big difference? It's hard to say. What's clear, though, is that GM David Poile's roster should be an absolute handful every night. Nashville now has marquee names and depth at every position.Pittsburgh PenguinsPlain and simple, as long as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are starring in the NHL, the Penguins have a fighting chance. Pittsburgh is far from a perfectly constructed team, but with Crosby and Malkin only 32 and 33, respectively, there's still time to squeeze out one or two long playoff runs before pivoting to a new era. Matt Murray's performance is immensely important, too, and it'll be interesting to see how much Phil Kessel is missed.Vegas Golden KnightsThe shine has worn off in Vegas in regard to the novelty aspect of the Golden Knights. Still, at a purely competitive level, GM George McPhee has managed to keep up with the Joneses. Three main storylines to monitor: The effect that full seasons from Mark Stone and Nate Schmidt has; Alex Tuch's ceiling; and, if he makes the NHL roster, the impact of Cody Glass. This team is deep, dynamic, and battle-tested.Washington CapitalsAside from the off-ice news about Evgeny Kuznetsov, the offseason has been fairly quiet for the Capitals. Brett Connolly, Matt Niskanen, and Burakovsky moved on, while Radko Gudas and Richard Panik are new to the roster. Washington has been near the top of the NHL's standings for a decade and, as Braden Holtby and Nicklas Backstrom play out the final year of their respective contracts, you should expect much of the same.Serious Cup contenders (2nd tier)On paper, only one other NHL team has a stronger Cup caseBoston BruinsIgnore the RFA negotiations; Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo will get paid soon enough. The Bruins, who flew under the radar for much of last season due to injury trouble, are a force of nature when everybody is healthy. Coach Bruce Cassidy pushes all the right buttons, Patrice Bergeron between David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand is the best line in hockey, and the tandem of Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak is special.St. Louis BluesThe defending Stanley Cup champions are running it back; Pat Maroon is the only meaningful piece missing from last spring's roster, and he's ultimately replaceable. Now, while it might be easy to label the Blues a one-off, seeing as they sat dead-last in the NHL in January, remember that many were pegging St. Louis as a serious contender ahead of the 2018-19 season. They should be feared, again, even with a target on their backs.Toronto Maple LeafsUnable to win a playoff series three years running, the Maple Leafs haven't necessarily earned a spot in this tier. However, given the raw talent level of this group - elite forwards, an improved blue line, and a top-five goalie - Toronto deserves a boatload of respect. If the Big 5 of Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner (assuming he signs soon), Morgan Rielly, and Frederik Andersen can avoid injury, the NHL is in trouble.Clear-cut favorite (1st tier)All things equal, this team is in a league of its ownTampa Bay LightningYeah, yeah, yeah, they got swept. But have you seen their lineup? GM Julien Brisebois kept a 62-win club on a similar plane by essentially replacing J.T. Miller, Ryan Callahan, Anton Stralman, and Louis Domingue with Maroon, McElhinney, and Kevin Shattenkirk. This exercise of tiering all 31 teams centers around what every club looks like on paper, and there's no denying the Lightning are stacked from top to bottom and, really, a cut above the rest.John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

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Welcome to theScore's ranking of all 31 NHL teams for the 2019-20 season, sorted by tiers.This is the first installment of the two-part series. Part 2, which addresses the top 16 teams, will be published Wednesday.Stripped-down rebuild (8th tier)Nobody is giving this team a chance at even sniffing the playoffsOttawa SenatorsA new coach behind the bench and a handful of new names on the lineup card will not move the needle for the lowly Senators; 2018-19's last-place team is poised for another basement-dwelling season. Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion has collected building blocks - Thomas Chabot, Brady Tkachuk, Erik Brannstrom, and Colin White - but there's no real argument over which NHL city is currently the furthest from throwing a Stanley Cup parade.Baby-steps rebuild (7th tier)These teams aren't hopeless, but 2019-20 is going to be difficultDetroit Red WingsSteve Yzerman's return as GM is a nice distraction for a franchise stalled in rebuild mode. Despite taking small steps forward over the past few seasons, the Red Wings still look to be the seventh-best club in the eight-team Atlantic Division. Among a couple of bright spots, Yzerman is inheriting a handful of cringeworthy contracts and an uninspiring lineup. Once again, Detroit fans shouldn't expect much from this non-playoff team.Los Angeles KingsMore pain is coming. Following a season in which the Kings won only 31 times, scored fewer than 2.5 goals per game, and saw their coach get canned, not much has changed from a player personnel standpoint. This is still Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty's team. And, with veterans like Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown, and Ilya Kovalchuk along for the ride, the retool toward youth and speed clearly isn't coming to fruition overnight.Caught in transition (6th tier)At varying stages of regrouping or regressing, these teams are all rightAnaheim DucksLet's be nice and call 2019-20 a "gap year" for the Ducks. The vets are dropping like flies; Corey Perry is in Dallas and Ryan Kesler is likely out for the entire season. Troy Terry, Sam Steel, and Maxime Comtois, on the other hand, should be joining the full-time forward group, and new bench boss Dallas Eakins knows them well. Goalie John Gibson is the chief reason why this club hasn't bottomed out and will continue to avoid doing so.Arizona CoyotesThe Coyotes are that one team widely believed to be playoff-ready year after year but always find themselves falling short. Injuries and a lack of scoring killed them in 2018-19. GM John Chayka can't do much to fix the former, but he did acquire Phil Kessel to address the latter. Kessel, Clayton Keller, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Antti Raanta form a solid, yet unspectacular, foundation. The entire roster could be described similarly.Buffalo SabresAt some point, this franchise will figure out this rebuilding thing ... right? With the two-headed monster of Jack Eichel and Rasmus Dahlin entering its second season, perhaps this is the year the Sabres finally take a step toward the light. New coach Ralph Krueger has his hands full - Rasmus Ristolainen's apparent discontent would top the priority list - but there's hope. Marcus Johansson and Colin Miller were nice offseason pickups.Columbus Blue JacketsGM Jarmo Kekalainen was rightly lauded for his all-in approach last season. Now, he pays for it. Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Matt Duchene are gone. So, yes, Columbus is objectively worse in 2019-20. However, the floor of this group, which still features Seth Jones, Cam Atkinson, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Zach Werenski, is decently high. Don't completely count out the Blue Jackets; they haven't fallen out of relevancy.Minnesota WildAs per tradition with this club, the Wild are decidedly average. Most of their best players are 30 or older - Jason Zucker is still around despite being nearly traded by former GM Paul Fenton - and the sum of the roster's parts is nothing special. On the flip side, history tells us that Bruce Boudreau-coached squads don't dip below .500, and Fenton's replacement, Bill Guerin, is a smart hire. For 2019-20, and perhaps longer, Minnesota is stuck in purgatory.New Jersey DevilsThe additions of Jack Hughes and P.K. Subban to a lineup already headlined by former MVP Taylor Hall has rocketed the Devils' clout around the league. However, nobody knows how it will all fit together in the early going, or if the club's forward depth and goaltending can hold up their ends of the bargain. Teams jump in and out of the playoffs every year, and while New Jersey is a candidate to re-enter, the supporting pieces don't seem good enough.New York RangersComing off a grand-slam offseason, it's tempting to vault New York into a higher tier. Artemi Panarin, Kaapo Kakko, Jacob Trouba, and Adam Fox have been added to a long-term nucleus led by Mike Zibanejad, Lias Andersson, and a few others. What a start to a transparent rebuild that now feels more like a retool. At the same time, let's not get carried away. Overhauled clubs require a year or two to gel, so expectations should be tempered.Vancouver CanucksDespite GM Jim Benning's summer haul of veterans - defensemen Tyler Myers and Jordie Benn, forwards Micheal Ferland and J.T. Miller - the Canucks are probably still a year away from making the playoffs. The enviable 24-and-under core, led by Elias Pettersson, can only take a team so far if other parts of the roster underwhelm. Vancouver is on a path which leads to the club contending soon if all goes according to plan. Now, though? Nope.Playoff aspirations (5th tier)These teams have playoff potential, but plenty must go their wayChicago BlackhawksThe Blackhawks would like to forget 2018-19. Despite missing the playoffs by only six points, the coaching change was devastating to a retooled Stanley Cup-winning group trying to find its way. Now, with Robin Lehner giving the club what is essentially a second No. 1 goalie, Calvin de Haan and Olli Maatta bolstering the defense, and Erik Gustafsson and Alex DeBrincat maturing, Chicago should bounce back. Jeremy Colliton's squad is firmly a playoff bubble team.Edmonton OilersIf the best player in the world was not on this team, the Oilers would be two tiers lower. Connor McDavid's impact is seismic, especially when he's paired with Leon Draisaitl. Really, it wouldn't be terribly surprising if Edmonton made the playoffs, just as it certainly wouldn't be surprising if they didn't. New bosses Ken Holland and Dave Tippett are hamstrung by previous personnel blunders, and thus must take the long road to fix this capped-out roster.Montreal CanadiensThe Canadiens were one of the better non-playoff teams last year. They can push themselves into the dance this time around if: Shea Weber stays healthy, Jesperi Kotkaniemi continues to level up, and the trio of Max Domi, Tomas Tatar, and Jonathan Drouin recreate their career years. That's a lot of caveats, sure, but Carey Price is an elite goalie and the Habs play a brand of hockey that is conducive to winning in 2019-20.Philadelphia FlyersUnderachievers last year, the 2019-20 Flyers - armed with a new coach in Alain Vigneault, a new top-two center in Kevin Hayes, a new top-four defenseman in Matt Niskanen, and a new full-time starting netminder in Carter Hart - are coming in hot. It's hard to argue against a roster featuring a strong top-six forward group, a solid defense corps, and a goalie tandem of Hart and Brian Elliott. On paper, Philly is a playoff team. Keyword: paper.Coming Wednesday: Tiers 1-4John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. 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The Philadelphia Flyers and restricted free-agent forward Travis Konecny remain at a standoff.While the Flyers are reportedly working hard Thursday to reach an agreement with fellow RFA Ivan Provorov, they are not close to a new deal with Konecny, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.The Flyers are apparently basing their offer on the fact that Konecny has averaged under 15 minutes of ice time during his first three seasons. However, the 22-year-old argues that he's been one of the most productive goal-scorers at even strength for his age, McKenzie adds.Konecny ranks ninth among players age 23-and-under with 43 even-strength goals during the past two seasons. He sits 21st in total goals and 28th in points within that same group.The Ontario native finished 2018-19 with a career-high 49 points and matched his goal total of 24 from the prior campaign.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore revealed Thursday in an article on The Players' Tribune that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer during the offseason.In an entry titled "To My Golden Knights Family," the 24-year-old revealed he had surgery to remove the affected area and has made a full recovery. He will, however, continue to be monitored closely.Theodore's cancer was discovered when he took a drug test while playing for Canada at the World Championship in May.Before the quarterfinal game, the British Columbia native was informed that he failed his test due to the discovery of a hormone called hCG, which is typically found in pregnant women. Doctors told him, though, that it can also be a sign of testicular cancer.Theodore returned home following the tournament to see his doctor and officially received the diagnosis.After sharing the news privately, Theodore received support from family and friends, including fellow NHLer Phil Kessel, who faced his own battle with testicular cancer in 2006.Theodore is entering his fifth NHL season and third with the Golden Knights. He didn't reveal whether he will have to miss any time but is currently included on Vegas' training camp roster.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Winnipeg Jets inked defenseman Josh Morrissey to an eight-year, $50-million contract extension, the team announced Thursday.Morrissey's new deal will carry an average annual value of $6.25 million. He's entering the final year of his current deal, which carries a $3.15 million cap hit, and was set to become a restricted free agent after this season.The 24-year-old recorded career highs with 25 assists and 31 points in 59 games during 2018-19, his third full season with the Jets. The 6-foot rearguard also finished third on the club in average ice time (22:24), and third in blocks with 107.The Alberta native is now one of six Jets players signed through the 2023-24 season, joining captain Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers, Bryan Little, and netminder Connor HellebuyckSelected by Winnipeg with the 13th overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft, Morrissey has contributed 19 goals and 77 points in 223 career contests.With Morrissey's new deal not hitting the books until the 2020-21 campaign, the Jets hold $15.45 million in projected cap space for the upcoming season with restricted free-agent forwards Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor in need of new contracts, according to CapFriendly.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The San Jose Sharks have named forward Logan Couture as their captain for the upcoming season, the team announced Thursday.Couture succeeds Joe Pavelski - who signed with the Dallas Stars this offseason - to become the 10th captain in franchise history."Logan has grown up within that environment and evolved into someone who not only plays his best hockey when it matters the most, but who also leads by example off the ice," head coach Peter DeBoer said. "He knows what it takes to win and his performance in our recent playoff runs reflects that. Most importantly, Logan has the respect of his teammates and we're extremely proud to name him as the 10th captain of the San Jose Sharks."The club also announced the rest of its leadership group, as Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, Joe Thornton, and Tomas Hertl will serve as alternate captains.Couture is entering his 11th season with the Sharks, which makes him the third-longest-tenured player on the club after Thornton and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.The 30-year-old recorded 27 goals to go along with a career-high 70 points last season. He was then sensational in the playoffs, leading all players with 14 goals and finishing third with 20 points in 20 contests.Couture ranks sixth in Sharks franchise history in games played (663), fourth in goals (240), fourth in points (507), and third in game-winning goals (43).Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Restricted free-agent defenseman Ivan Provorov is seemingly close to re-signing with the Philadelphia Flyers.The two sides are working hard Thursday to finalize a contract, with three- and six-year deals still on the table, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.Provorov recorded seven goals and 26 points in 2018-19, which was a significant step back from his production two seasons ago when he notched 17 goals and 41 points. The Russian rearguard led all restricted free-agent defensemen in ice time, however, logging 25:07 per game.The Columbus Blue Jackets came to terms with restricted free-agent defenseman Zach Werenski on a three-year, $15-million deal on Tuesday.Philadelphia is set to begin its training camp on Friday in Voorhees, New Jersey.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL is one of the most unpredictable leagues in professional sports, as the playoff landscape is ever-changing. Such volatility also makes it difficult on sportsbooks to adjust lines year-to-year, and it would be rude of us not to take advantage.So, who's going to be in the playoffs this season? With a revolving door of contenders every year, it's a great market to find value. Here are some spots to exploit ahead of the 2019-20 season:Winnipeg Jets: No playoffs (+150)The Jets were outplayed significantly during the second half, as they closed out the regular season with a 13-14-2 record and made a premature first-round playoff exit. Their underlying numbers support that record, too. Connor Hellebuyck took a step back and resembled the goalie he was in 2017 more than he did the Vezina nominee we saw in 2018. Now, In three years as a starter, he's been average twice. Which season sounds like the outlier here?Injuries exposed Winnipeg's lack of depth on defense, and that's going to be a major area of concern for the club after losing Jacob Trouba and Tyler Myers. Bryan Little wasn't nearly as effective, suggesting he may no longer be suited as a second-line center, which leaves the Jets thin down the middle after Mark Scheifele. Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine remain unsigned, and the Jets will be right up at the cap when - or if - they agree to a deal, leaving the team little room to add pieces during the campaign. In the toughest division in hockey, Winnipeg is a lot closer to being a 90-point team than a 100-point one.Carolina Hurricanes: Yes playoffs (-160)Unlike Winnipeg, the Hurricanes were one of the NHL's best teams over the second half. They already boasted one of the deepest defensive units in the league before signing Jake Gardiner. With that addition, they have an embarrassment of riches on the back end, which should help goalie Petr Mrazek build off what was his best season since 2016. Carolina has an elite group of young forwards and should be a lock to make the playoffs this year. If sophomore Andrei Svechnikov takes the leap toward becoming the elite scorer he was expected to be when he was drafted, this team could be looking at a division title.Patrick Smith / Getty Images Sport / GettyCalgary Flames: No playoffs (+180)Every year we see a team go from the top of the division to close to the bottom the following season. Anaheim did it last year. Montreal, Chicago, and Edmonton the year prior. The season before that, Dallas and Florida. And the Flames look like the next team to be added to that list.They need to clear out cap space before they can sign Matthew Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane, which could result in T.J. Brodie being traded. Can they really absorb such a blow on the back end? How will David Rittich handle a bigger workload with Mike Smith gone? Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm, and Mark Giordano all set career highs in points last year, surpassing their previous best totals by a wide margin. Can they really sustain that sort of production? Is this the team that won its division with 107 points, or the one that was bounced in five games in the playoffs without so much as a whimper? It feels safer betting on the latter.New York Rangers: No playoffs (-150)There's no doubt that the Rangers were offseason winners, but that's hardly a harbinger for immediate success. Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba, and Kaapo Kakko should have fans excited in the Big Apple, but let's all settle down on anointing the Rangers as a playoff team. They were awful after trading Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes, posting a 5-10-5 record without them. The production gained from the recently acquired players will have to be otherworldly to mitigate those losses. They missed the playoffs by 20 points last year, and that was with more than half a season from the aforementioned duo.This team is also very weak down the middle. Mika Zibanejad is excellent, but behind him are Filip Chytil, Lias Andersson, and Brett Howden. Howden is the oldest of that group at 21. New York might have the weakest crop of centers in the NHL. It's a young team that, despite the hype, is looking at a developmental season, not a return to the playoffs in a tough Eastern Conference.Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Rangers agreed to a new one-year contract with restricted free agent forward Brendan Lemieux, the club announced Wednesday.Lemieux, the son of former NHLer Claude Lemieux, produced three goals and three assists in 19 games with the Rangers last season, after notching nine markers and 11 points in 44 contests with the Winnipeg Jets in 2018-19.The 23-year-old winger was part of the package sent to New York in exchange for Kevin Hayes in a late February deal before the deadline.Lemieux spent parts of two seasons with the Jets after being dealt by the Sabres, who drafted him 31st overall in 2014. He did not play a game for Buffalo.Tony DeAngelo is now the Rangers' lone unsigned RFA.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

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The Edmonton Oilers are going to play it safe with their superstar captain.Oilers general manager Ken Holland told reporters Wednesday that he doesn't believe Connor McDavid will see much, if any, game action this preseason as the forward continues to work his way back from a leg injury suffered in the team's 2018-19 season finale."I think if he was healthy, probably ... two or three, but obviously it's a unique situation, so either one at most or very likely zero," Holland said. We've got three weeks to go and ... we're going to be conservative, (I'd) rather be safe than sorry. If he's not ready for opening night, he's not ready for opening night."McDavid has been skating with his teammates in the lead-up to the exhibition schedule."He's scrimmaging and he's doing things three-on-three down low, so I think he's in a great spot, but we might as well be conservative and safe," Holland added.McDavid said after Saturday's session that he felt good but cautioned that it's up to the team's medical staff to determine whether he'll be cleared to play in the season opener Oct. 2 against the Vancouver Canucks.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A familiar face is reuniting with the Calgary Flames at a discounted rate.The club signed defenseman Michael Stone to a one-year, $700,000 contract Wednesday, about five weeks after buying out the final year of his previous deal.In addition to his new salary, Stone will earn $3.5 million in 2019-20. He inked a three-year, $10.5-million pact with Calgary in June 2017.He'll now count for $1,866,667 against the cap, which includes the original buyout hit of $1,166,667 plus his new cap hit.The 29-year-old was limited to 14 games in 2018-19, collecting five points.Calgary is in need of blue-line depth with Juuso Valimaki out indefinitely due to a torn ACL.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

DETROIT - It's early August, and the sun is beating down on Clark Park, a multipurpose community center just west of the bridge connecting Michigan and Ontario. Local pro Jalen Smereck moves through a scattered group of ball hockey players, striking up casual conversations.Smereck grew up 12 miles from Clark Park. This is his community, and he sees himself in these kids. One mom asks if Smereck minds taking a photo with her shy 12-year-old son, a black hockey player who is new to the sport. She also has a question: What kind of advice does Smereck have for him?"It was crazy because when I was with my black friends, I was a white boy, but when I was with my white friends, I was a black boy," he replies. "So, it was kind of weird … "Nick Roy / theScorePoke your head into arenas across the continent and it's not hard to see that hockey is a predominantly white, affluent sport. In Detroit's core, there isn't much in the way of money, and less than 15% of Detroit residents are white (Smereck's dad, Gary, is one of them). While the home of the Red Wings might be nicknamed Hockeytown, it's decidedly a basketball, baseball, and football city.This is the environment in which Smereck came of age and, as the 2019-20 hockey season begins, still grapples with. Nothing's ever been easy, the 22-year-old Arizona Coyotes prospect said in a recent interview, but these are the cards he's been dealt. There's plenty of work - on and off the ice, for his community and for himself - left to be done.––––––––––Two slices of white bread, a spoonful of mayonnaise, a piece of bologna, and a square of processed cheese. It's an assembly line of sandwiches earmarked for Detroit's homeless - or, as Smereck and his close friend insist on calling them, the less fortunate.Once, twice, or even three times a week this summer, Smereck and De'Maurio Ratliff sat at the Smereck family dinner table and got to work. Lay out the bread, spread the mayo, place the bologna, plop the cheese, flip the other piece of bread on top, zip the plastic bag. Repeat, repeat, repeat.After stuffing the trunk of Smereck's Dodge with other goods, such as fruit, chips, and water, the pair would then hop into the car and hand-deliver the food. "He's like the backbone of the whole operation," Ratliff says of Smereck. "He'll pull up to a homeless shelter, they see his blue Charger - 'It's time to eat! Jalen here!'"Each outing costs Smereck $40-$50, no small expense for a father of 2-year-old twins making a minor-league hockey salary as a defenseman with the Coyotes' AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. It can also be seen as an investment in his own mental health; he's battled depression "a few times." He struggled as he grieved a friend's death in 2017; he felt hopeless while his parents dealt with major medical issues while he was away from home playing hockey; and he's dealt with racism, both casual and targeted, throughout his life."I still have some bad days," Smereck says. "Sometimes you think about things." He pauses. "That's one of the reasons I like to get out, see the less fortunate, talk and meet with those people. It helps you. It brings you a different side of life, positive energy."Smereck, who's entering the final year of an entry-level deal that pays him $60,000 a season, believes it's his civic duty to extend a hand. As a young man who avoided substance abuse, crime, and incarceration, and who makes a decent living playing a sport, he believes it would be false-hearted to ignore what's transpiring literally in front of his family home, on the next street over, and all around."The biggest thing to me is drug abuse, or simply they go to jail and come out with nothing," he says of the people he interacts with outside the homeless shelter and on the streets. "Someone will come out with no family, haven't talked to anybody in years. … It's already hard to find a job, even if you're a normal person, even if you have a degree. You can imagine how hard it might be for someone who's just come out of prison for 15-20 years."Smereck, inspired by his older brothers Dwayne and Joe, first slipped on a set of skates at the age of 2 inside Jack Adams Memorial Arena, one of the few rinks inside Detroit's city limits. Gary quickly moved him to a learn-to-skate program in the suburb of St. Clair Shores. By age 5, a coach had convinced Gary to drive out to Troy for a better opportunity. He played for a couple of different minor hockey organizations, calling a variety of Detroit-area rinks home before making the jump to the junior ranks at 17.And though the on-ice intensity has naturally ratcheted up as he's climbed the sport's ladder, Smereck's off-ice compassion has never waned."If he saw his big brother crying, he'd give me a donut. He ain't got no bad bone in his body," Joe says, chuckling at the childhood memory."You can't have a better soul than Jalen," says Brian Felsner, his minor hockey coach.––––––––––Smereck caught the outreach bug at 15 and has kept a steady pace, volunteering locally and in his adopted hockey cities in the OHL, ECHL, and AHL, often without alerting the teams' community relations staff. In Flint, Michigan, he found an ally in Rico Phillips, who was honored during June's NHL awards ceremony for outstanding community service. The duo teamed up on multiple occasions to enhance the free hockey program Phillips founded.As in his Clark Park visit, Smereck tries to avoid beating around the bush when he interacts with young black kids. Like those before him, including his idol P.K. Subban, he's encountered racism at just about every level of his sport. It can come at you from multiple angles - teammates, parents, opponents - starting at an impressionable age.Dennis Pajot / Getty Images"I've had the n-word," Smereck says. "'You should be playing basketball or baseball.' 'You don't deserve to be on the ice.' I've had it all."San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane recently talked to ESPN about feeling like an outsider in hockey circles. Smereck's had the same experience. "Sometimes I've been so angry and you can't do anything about it," he says, “and it's brought tears to my eyes. It was pretty painful."Smereck, who says he's yet to encounter racism at the pro level, will never forget two incidents during the 2016-17 OHL season. Then with the Flint Firebirds, he says an opponent from the Oshawa Generals and another from the Saginaw Spirit directed racial slurs at him. The league investigated both incidents, though in both cases the accused players denied uttering a slur. Video footage provided little insight, and on-ice officials couldn't verify Smereck's side of the story, according to OHL vice president Ted Baker. Neither opponent was suspended."We are compassionate, we are sympathetic," Baker says, "but (we) also need to have the information to make a determination - especially when you're dealing with supplemental discipline."Smereck, meanwhile, received a five-game ban for unsportsmanlike conduct in February 2017 after confessing to his own verbal attack in retaliation for the alleged slur in Saginaw. Reflecting on the transgression two-and-a-half years later, he brings up the Jackie Robinson biopic "42" and its depiction of Robinson breaking bats in response to a taunt from an opponent."It was giving himself a bad name," Smereck said. "Even though they weren't right, you're still putting yourself in a bad situation by reacting to it. I try not to react to it so nobody can pin that on you and look down on you and say, 'This guy has a bad attitude,' or this and that. I try to keep all of that inside and away from the rink."Witnessing Detroit's poverty and violence up close - about half of the homes on his street are either abandoned or decrepit, and he says two of his friends were shot and killed in the past few years - taught Smereck about the value of positive role models and the blessing of opportunities. Detroit had the second-highest rate of violent crime among big U.S. cities in 2017, according to FBI data analyzed by the Detroit News. The Red Zone, a notorious gang territory, is a five-minute drive from the Smerecks' east-side home.The sandwich project, which is a component of a fledgling nonprofit organization they're calling A Gr8ter Detroit, has allowed Smereck to feel like he's part of the solution."Detroit is not the best place right now. You could be in the right place and still be in the wrong, you know what I mean?" Smereck says of navigating the city. "So, it happens. You have to catch yourself and watch your surroundings. We've been in tough spots, but you have to think quick and react fast so you can get out of there."––––––––––On the ice, Smereck's greatest attributes are his offensive instincts, athleticism, and competitiveness. He's most effective when he's working his skate edges to escape traffic, finding teammates with a nifty pass, or using his stick to reclaim the puck from the opposing team.Dennis Pajot / Getty ImagesHis game is far from polished, but his raw tools have earned him a pro contract and one preseason NHL game, despite his draft history. He was the last pick, 299th overall, in the 2013 OHL draft. He was undrafted by the NHL. The odds are long for a 22-year-old with his resume to carve out a long NHL career, but at this point, it seems naive to bet against Smereck."It's never over until you say it's over," says Eric Wellwood, his former OHL coach, noting Smereck's perseverance and "gamer" mentality. "He's a kid who's trying to prove something. Not just to himself but to, I think, everybody who overlooked him."Last week, Smereck participated in the Coyotes' rookie camp in Glendale, Arizona, followed by the prospect tournament in Anaheim, which wrapped up Tuesday. On Thursday, Smereck will be back in Glendale for medicals and fitness testing ahead of main camp.Entering his second full season as a pro, he has his sights set on a consistent gig in Tucson. The club's outlook aligns with Smereck's. He split last season between the AHL and ECHL. He compiled five goals and 33 points in 44 ECHL games, earning an All-Star nod, but only recorded one assist in 16 AHL games while primarily playing third-pairing minutes."He's always been a talented player. He just has to learn how to round out his game and develop some pro habits," Coyotes player development coach Alex Henry says. "He's been doing really well with that. There hasn’t always been a lot of opportunity for him, but I expect that he’ll take a step and doors will open."When Jalen was young, Gary had a well-paying job but had to provide for four kids. His wife, Jearlene, wasn't able to work steadily because of her health. The family's financial situation was "mediocre," Jalen says; not as dire as some of his neighborhood friends, yet a broken stick would cause headaches and registration fees were not always paid in full. Ice hockey is one of the world's most expensive sports, according to a 2018 survey by the Aspen Institute. Even now that he's making his own money, there isn’t much extra to support the advancement of his career.Smereck has never really had a skating or skills coach in the summers. He'll jump on the ice for unofficial sessions with Felsner (his minor hockey coach), scrimmage here and there, or skate with fellow pros, but unlike many other elite hockey players, he doesn't have an expert on call.Nick Roy / theScoreHenry recognizes Smereck's current circumstances, with toddlers and parents to support and strong ties to his community. The Coyotes coach also identifies a central complication in Smereck's life as the blue-liner chases his hockey dream."There's priorities in life, and if you want to make it to the NHL, it's so hard. You've got to do everything possible." Henry says. "But at the same time, your family comes before anything."How does somebody in his position make that decision? It's not that easy. I don't think that it has to be mutually exclusive, either. It's not one or the other. I'm sure there are ways that Jalen can do a little bit of both - live at home, train with some pros. But … it's not up to (the organization) anymore. If Jalen's proven he can be a man in certain regards, then he needs to make those decisions for himself."––––––––––Hockey is Smereck's passion, and he is going to fight like hell to make the NHL. Yet it's not the entirety of his identity or his sole focus in life. If he weren't so far down this path, he'd probably be in law enforcement. When he retires, policing is his fallback.In the short term, having a healthy, productive season and ultimately earning a second pro contract - "whether it's here, or Switzerland, or France, or wherever" - are Smereck's top priorities. "As long as I'm able to play the game of hockey," he says, "still play the game that I love - enjoy myself, provide for my family - I'd like to come back here in the summer and take bigger steps with these nonprofits. … Take them further, get out there and experience. Help people."If all goes according to plan, next offseason he'll work with Ratliff to expand A Gr8ter Detroit while launching another nonprofit aimed at exposing city kids to sports they may not be able to afford. It always circles back to the east end of Detroit, where Smereck was raised, learned how to skate, and came of age. And where his little ones, Julian and Jaleya, are growing up now.All of this fuels him to hand out sandwiches to strangers on the street and offer words of encouragement to a 12-year-old and his mom on a hot August day at Clark Park."Stay with it," Smereck says towards the end of their exchange."Don't let nobody tell you you can't."John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Minnesota Wild re-signed restricted free-agent forward Kevin Fiala to a two-year, $6-million contract, the team announced Wednesday.Fiala was acquired in a deadline deal with the Nashville Predators in exchange for Mikael Granlund. The trade was made by ex-Wild general manager Paul Fenton, who had previously been the assistant GM in Nashville.In 83 games split between the two clubs, Fiala registered 12 goals and 39 points in 2018-19. This marked a bit of a down year compared to his 23-goal, 48-point output in 2017-18.The 23-year-old will compete for top-six minutes in his first full campaign with the Wild.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.