Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi will have a hearing for punching Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Calvert from the bench during Sunday night's game, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Monday.

Every Monday, theScore will offer a weekly fantasy hockey column detailing five moves you should make. Ownership percentages (as of Dec. 2) and position eligibility are courtesy of Yahoo.Pick up Eeli TolvanenTeam: Predators

Warning: Story contains graphic imageArizona Coyotes forward Michael Grabner will be out indefinitely after suffering an eye injury Saturday night against the St. Louis Blues, the team announced Sunday.The injury occurred after Grabner took a high stick from Sammy Blais.On Sunday Grabner shared a picture on his Instagram story of the damage done to his eye.

Los Angeles Kings forward Ilya Kovalchuk will be sidelined for the next four weeks after undergoing an ankle procedure, the team announced Sunday.Kovalchuk is in his first season with the Kings after inking a three-year, $18.75-million pact in the summer.The Russian star sits third in team scoring - 14 points in 25 games - after a strong start to the season during which he picked up four goals and seven assists in 13 games.However, Kovalchuk has seen his ice time reduced and has been benched multiple times since Willie Desjardins replaced John Stevens behind the bench.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Los Angeles Kings claimed forward Nikita Scherbak off waivers from the Canadiens, Montreal announced Sunday.Scherbak, 22, made the Canadiens out of training camp but did not appear in a game this season. He put up one point in five games during a conditioning stint in the AHL before suffering a lower-body injury.The Kings sit in last place with 19 points and had first priority when Scherbak was placed on waivers Saturday.The Canadiens selected Scherbak with the 26th overall pick in 2014.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

"We can and we will."Kyle Dubas uttered those five words in July when asked about the prospect of re-signing Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander in the wake of John Tavares' monster free-agent contract.No qualifiers. No hedging. Just straight to the point. The Maple Leafs' general manager laid it out in plain English: We can and we will.It was the type of comment that - if things go sideways - can haunt a young GM in both the court of public opinion and in future negotiations with agents. Yet, with the first of those three stars signing a long-term deal this weekend, Dubas has begun living up to his promise."I know people were ready to jam that one down my throat," he said Saturday following the announcement of Nylander's six-year, $45-million extension.Mark Blinch / Getty ImagesFor a second, Dubas let that subtle acknowledgment of the famous soundbite linger while sharing a laugh with reporters."But we’ll stick with it and that’s our goal," he continued, essentially doubling down. "We want this group to be together as long as we can possibly keep it together, and we hope that all of these guys can be career Leafs, especially this young core group of players that we have."After a historically long standoff with Nylander, Dubas is understandably joyous. The 19-8-0 Leafs - one of the NHL's best teams through a third of the 2018-19 schedule - just added a difference-making skater coming off back-to-back 61-point campaigns. And it's also a win for Nylander, who stood his ground and will be paid handsomely through his mid-20s. He's set to reunite with his teammates ASAP and could make his season debut as early as Thursday.Beyond that, the deal should have wide-reaching consequences for the Maple Leafs and the league as a whole.What now for the Leafs?By signing Nylander before Saturday's 5 p.m. ET deadline, the Leafs narrowly avoided two suboptimal scenarios: having a valuable asset sit out an entire year, or trading that valuable asset amid a very successful season.Toronto had plenty of salary-cap space available and took full advantage by front-loading the contract so Nylander can cash in a quarter of the money between now and next training camp:YEARSALARYBONUSAAV2018-19$10.00M$2.0M$10.28M2019-20$700K$8.30M$6.96M2020-21$2.50M$3.50M$6.96M2021-22$2.50M$3.50M$6.96M2022-23$2.50M$3.50M$6.96M2023-24$2.50M$3.50M$6.96M(Chart info via TSN's Bob McKenzie and CapFriendly.com)Still, even with Nylander's $10.28 million on the books this season, Dubas can add almost $5.15 million before hitting the upper limit of the cap. After paying out performance bonuses, the remaining money will likely be spent in some way, shape, or form by the Feb. 25 trade deadline."We'll still be able to potentially add to the group," the GM said Saturday, "and if we can strengthen the group, we will."Again, Dubas is laughing in the short term. While it's a reasonable contract for both sides, Toronto's brass effectively won the battle by locking Nylander in at an average annual value of less than $7 million - no small feat considering negotiations stretched into December.The hard work, on the other hand, is just beginning.This coming summer alone, 13 players on the current Leafs roster are scheduled to hit free agency, including restricted free agents Matthews, Marner, and Nylander fill-in Kasperi Kapanen, along with unrestricted free agent Jake Gardiner, the polarizing top-four defenseman.Some negotiations will be easy, while others should be contentious. Matthews and Marner, whose respective camps have put off contract talks until the offseason, will set the tone for the rest of the group. As the franchise's present and future, both will surely command eight figures per year.Kevin Sousa / Getty ImagesRight now, many within the hockey world project Matthews around $12 million and Marner in the neighborhood of $10 million. For argument's sake, let's assume the goal-scoring center and the playmaking winger sign long-term extensions for a combined $22 million. That's a big chunk of the pie.In that scenario, the Big Four - Tavares, Matthews, Marner, and Nylander - would be earning roughly $40 million, or half of the current upper cap limit. And if the '19-20 upper limit falls somewhere between $81.4 million and $85.4 million (as the NHL projects), this hypothetical but entirely realistic situation would leave Dubas with between $3 million and $7 million to fill out next year's roster. In other words, pennies.It could get worse, too.The smart bet is on Matthews (averaging a goal per game this season) and Marner (on pace for 115 points) continuing their upward trajectories. Even after their production inevitably tapers off a bit, the pair of 21-year-olds should still make compelling cases for gigantic, potentially disruptive raises that would likely put a tremendous amount of pressure on Dubas.The Nylander standoff may ultimately be the most difficult negotiation of the three, but deals for Matthews and/or Marner will require some serious finessing by Dubas and assistant GM Brandon Pridham, the club's in-house cap guru.The signing also means that suddenly, two bits of business by former GM Lou Lamoriello - Patrick Marleau's buyout-proof $6.25-million-per-year deal and Nikita Zaitsev's $4.5-million-per-year contract - are major headaches. And Gardiner, who could probably attract offers between $6 million and $7 million per season on the open market, looks as good as gone.Unless, of course, president Brendan Shanahan's team-first mantra gains steam down the stretch and winning is enough to change minds.Does Gardiner take a hometown discount in an effort to finish what he started in Toronto? Would Matthews take fewer dollars, therefore giving Marner a lower benchmark?Maybe. But maybe not. Barring something unforeseen - like a salary-dumping trade - money's going to be hella tight for the Leafs. The potential discounts will be trims; not full financial haircuts. There will be hoops to jump through, and the possibility of an offer sheet (or two?) from another team is lurking in the background.For now, "we can and we will" has legs. Nylander's under contract through 2023-24 and the other key pieces are lodged in position. Come summertime, however, all bets are off. There might even be a sequel to this standoff story.What now for star-studded 2019 RFAs?In the same way it creates a benchmark for the future Matthews and Marner extensions, Nylander's signing should benefit rival stars who are finishing up their entry-level contracts this season.For a while, Jack Eichel's second contract of $10 million per year over seven seasons has been the high-water mark for elite forwards not named Connor McDavid. The next rung is Leon Draisaitl and his $8.5 million per year over eight, then David Pastrnak's $6.67 million over six, and then Nikolaj Ehlers' $6 million over seven.Nylander etched out a new rung after waiting out his team until deadline day. In turn, he raised the bar, and will make roughly $300,000 more per season than his good pal Pastrnak. It may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, but comparables are crucial during future contract talks.Gerry Thomas / Getty ImagesMeanwhile, the 2019 RFA class - headlined by Patrik Laine, Mikko Rantanen, Brayden Point, Matthew Tkachuk, Sebastian Aho, Brock Boeser, Kyle Connor, Timo Meier, Charlie McAvoy, and Ivan Provorov - is stupidly talented and will reap the rewards of Nylander's standoff.All of them have interesting cases, particularly Rantanen, given his offensive explosion this year, and Boeser, due to his injury history. How valuable is Tkachuk to Calgary's success? Will he agree to make north of $7 million but not quite Draisaitl money, establishing yet another rung?One issue is that teams are mostly ill-prepared for this trend of young players earning this much, this soon. Previously, the typical high-end skater had to wait until their third contract to really see their bank account swell. Not anymore in a league dominated by rookies, sophomores, and players in their early 20s.And, as the hockey world was reminded on a seemingly daily basis during the Leafs-Nylander saga, these RFAs don't usually qualify for salary arbitration. So, if the team and player aren't seeing eye to eye, the threat of sitting out - or in Nylander's case, actually sitting out - can become a real problem."I hope that, for the sake of everybody - the players, the teams, the game, in general - that teams and players are able to work together and have everybody there in time for training camp, and get everything sorted and done," Dubas said when asked if the Nylander situation might set a precedent across the league."I think it's great for the fans and it's great for the game, in general, to have every great, young player available and every exciting, young player available to be out here every night. We've deprived the fans of that for two months, so we're happy to get one back."John Matisz is theScore's National Hockey Writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs believes the current front office made a misstep in re-signing William Nylander.Minutes before Saturday's deadline, Nylander and the Maple Leafs agreed to a six-year, $45-million extension, ending a months-long stalemate and avoiding the possibility of the Swedish forward sitting out the remainder of the 2018-19 campaign.But the deal is apparently too rich for Brian Burke, who served as Maple Leafs GM from 2008 to 2013."My objection to the Nylander deal is two-fold. One, he's the sixth-best player on the team," Burke said Saturday on Sportsnet's To The Point. "He's the sixth-best, arguably the seventh-best, on the Toronto Maple Leafs and they paid him all this money."I also think that if they were going to throw this much money at him, they should have done it in August and not had him miss training camp. If you're going to give away the farm like this, do it early and get him in camp."Nylander is the first member of the Maple Leafs' Big Three to reach restricted free agency, with fellow forwards Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews due for new deals next summer. Those contracts, plus the signing of John Tavares last offseason, could force other players to move elsewhere."I do believe (Nylander won the negotiation)," Burke added. "The notion that you'll put more money on the table late, that's a lesson that the agents for these other players are going to learn that with Toronto all you have to do is hold out and they'll up the ante. That's dangerous ground."Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It might've come down to the final minutes of Saturday's deadline, but Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander finally has a deal in place. Although the 22-year-old has yet to play this season due to a months-long contract stalemate with the team, he has no hard feelings on how the process played out."Everything worked out good for both sides, so there is nothing to be bitter about," Nylander said, according to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun. "You want to be playing from the beginning of the season, but things happen for a reason and I am just so happy that it's over."Although there was plenty of speculation as to how the stalemate would end, including a potential trade or bridge deal, Nylander agreed to a six-year deal worth roughly $6.96 million per season with the Leafs."That was something I wanted," he said. "I didn't want a bridge deal. I want to stay in Toronto with all the players that we have, and we have a great team."I didn't want to risk it by signing a bridge deal and not being able to stay, if that was going to happen."Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said Saturday that the team hopes to have the winger back sometime over the next week. Nylander, meanwhile, is eager to rejoin his teammates."I can't wait to be back," he said. "It has been a crazy ride. I wish it would have been done earlier, but I'm very happy to be back with the best fans in the league. I'm very excited."Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL would reportedly prefer the Arizona Coyotes change divisions if Seattle is awarded the league's 32nd franchise, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on Saturday's edition of "Headlines."Friedman did acknowledge that other issues could still arise before the potential new Seattle team begins play in either 2020 or 2021."Just as part of the proposal to vote Seattle in is the official word that they would like to move Arizona to the Central Division, though Nick (Kypreos), there are things that could happen between now and then," Friedman said.The NHL Board of Governors will meet Tuesday, where it's expected a vote will be conducted to either approve or deny Seattle of a franchise.Sportsnet's John Shannon reported Friday that the league's realignment plan will be revealed Tuesday when the Seattle decision is announced.The Coyotes currently play in the Pacific Division. They were moved from the Central to the Pacific before the start of the 1998-99 season.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg has been placed on injured reserve and will miss four to six weeks with an upper-body ailment, the club announced Saturday.NHL.com's Robby Stanley reports Forsberg suffered a hand injury.The 24-year-old Swede came into Saturday's action leading the Predators with 14 goals and 22 points in 26 games.Nashville is already without Viktor Arvidsson, who's been out since Nov. 10 with a broken thumb, P.K. Subban, who hasn't played since Nov. 13 due to an upper-body injury of his own, and Kyle Turris, who was placed on IR last Sunday with an undisclosed ailment.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander have agreed to a six-year contract, the team announced Saturday with minutes to spare before the 5:00 p.m. ET deadline.

Maybe Ryan Lacey wasn't blowing smoke.Toronto Maple Leafs fans were abuzz on Twitter just over a week ago when Columbus Blue Jackets fan Ryan Lacey tweeted a photo of himself with Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas ahead of Toronto's game against the Blue Jackets on Nov. 23.In the tweet, Lacey claimed Dubas told him he would have an update on the William Nylander contract situation at 5 p.m. that day.

OTTAWA -- The most anticipated game of the season at Canadian Tire Centre arrives Saturday afternoon when the Ottawa Senators host the San Jose Sharks.It will mark the first return of former Senators captain Erik Karlsson, a two-time Norris Trophy winner and the most talented player in franchise history. He was traded to the Sharks in September, almost 10 months before he's eligible to become an unrestricted free agent. The Senators couldn't risk allowing him to walk and get nothing in return."I feel fairly calm, a little anxious, and obviously it feels a little different," Karlsson, the Senators' first-round draft choice in 2008, said after the Sharks practiced at the University of Ottawa on Friday. "I'm going to try to enjoy it. I've had nothing but great memories here and I'm looking forward to creating more. Saturday afternoon is going to be another one of those great memories."Despite the controversial divorce between the team and its superstar defenseman, Senators players expect Karlsson will get the loudest cheers of the afternoon."Ultimately, he's a friend of ours and one of the best players to every play here," Ottawa's Mark Stone said. "The things he did in my time here were nothing short of spectacular. You remember the good times we had and the playoff run that he carried us on. Those are the things he should get remembered for."Karlsson hype aside, the Senators (11-12-3) will be trying to match a season-high three-game winning streak. Owners of the worst defensive numbers in the league, they'll be coming off a 3-0 win over the New York Rangers that not only marked Craig Anderson's first shutout since December but also tied a season low in shots allowed with 27."Arguably, it was one of our best games, if not our best all year, top to bottom," said center Matt Duchene, who had 21 points in 15 November games. "(Anderson) has seen more rubber than the Michelin Man this year. He deserved this one."Thus far, at least, the Sharks (12-9-5) are not living up to the high expectations placed on them after the Karlsson trade. Three games into a five-stop road trip, they are 0-2-1 and coming off a 5-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs that came with some stark realisms. Namely, that they are not yet at the same level as the best teams in the league."In my personal opinion, I don't think we're close," center Logan Couture told the San Jose Mercury News. "We show spurts and signs that we're capable of it, but we haven't put it together against a top quality team. We've got to figure it out soon."Coach Pete DeBoer can use the 2015-16 season as an example of how things can come together quickly. That season, the Sharks were .500 as late as January, and they went on to reach the Stanley Cup final."I'm a believer that it takes time," DeBoer told the Mercury News. "I'm a believer that it doesn't take 26 games."The Sharks are expected to be without winger Timo Meier, who is dealing with an upper-body injury. Senators rookie defenseman Max Lajoie is doubtful with an undisclosed injury.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Nashville Predators recalled top prospect Eeli Tolvanen from the AHL on Saturday, the team announced.The 19-year-old has tallied four goals and 11 points in 21 games with the Milwaukee Admirals this season.Tolvanen made headlines overseas a year ago while playing with the Helsinki Jokerit, breaking the KHL record for points by a teenager with 36, which was previously held by Evgeny Kuznetsov.Selected 30th overall by the Predators in 2017, many considered Tolvanen to be the steal of the draft following his banner season with the Jokerit.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It appears the William Nylander standoff has come down to one of two possible conclusions: sign or sit.It's "highly unlikely" the Toronto Maple Leafs will trade Nylander before Saturday's 5 p.m. ET deadline, reports TSN's Bob McKenzie.If Nylander doesn't sign a contract before then, he'll be ineligible to play at all this season.If the deadline passes without a new contract, the Maple Leafs could still theoretically deal Nylander's rights this season before Feb. 25, but it would essentially rule out any trade partner with playoff aspirations.Nylander was drafted eighth overall in 2014, and is coming off back-to-back 61-point seasons.The Maple Leafs haven't skipped a beat without the young Swede in the lineup, as they've started the season 18-8-0 and own the NHL's best goal differential.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson will not face supplemental discipline for his hit on New Jersey Devils forward Brett Seney, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.Wilson was assessed a match penalty and was ejected for this check on Friday night.

Alex Ovechkin continued his ascent up the scoring leaderboard and passed a couple of Canadian legends in the process.The Washington Capitals captain buried an empty-netter late in a 6-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Friday night, as the Capitals won their seventh straight game.It was his 626th career goal, and it moved him past Joe Sakic and Jarome Iginla for sole possession of 15th on the NHL's all-time list.Ovechkin is now 14 goals behind Dave Andreychuk for 14th, and 30 markers behind Brendan Shanahan for 13th.The Capitals star accomplished Friday's feat in his 1,028th career contest. Sakic required 1,378 games to collect his 625 goals, and Iginla needed 1,554.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Washington Capitals head coach Todd Reirden didn't agree with the ejection of winger Tom Wilson on Friday night.Wilson was assessed a match penalty for a hit to the head of New Jersey Devils forward Brett Seney late in the second period, but Reirden feels it was hardly worth even a minor penalty."I'm still trying to see how it's a penalty," Reirden said, according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post. "I think any other player, I don't know if -- it's maybe an interference call. Maybe."

Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson was assessed a match penalty and ejected for a check to the head of New Jersey Devils forward Brett Seney on Friday night.The incident occurred late in the second period after Seney made a pass to cycle the puck behind the Capitals' net and was then hit with his back to Wilson.

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock hasn't been shy expressing his belief that William Nylander will return to the team, but he isn't getting desperate as the stalemate nears a potential conclusion.Babcock acknowledged Friday that he has spoken to Nylander this season but said, "We're not begging anyone to be a Leaf. That's not what we're doing at all. It's a privilege to be here, for me and for everybody else," according to The Athletic's Jonas Siegel.Defenseman Morgan Rielly also said Nylander's absence hasn't been a distraction for the team."It's not even anything we think about," Rielly told reporters, including TSN's Mark Masters. "It's not anything we really talk about. If he's here in a few days, then great. If not, we're in the same position we are right now, and we feel pretty good about it so we're not overly worried."Babcock has conveyed his confidence about Nylander multiple times over the last couple weeks. The deadline for the 22-year-old to ink a contract for this season is Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. ET. He'll be forced to sit out the remainder of the campaign if no deal is reached by then.Nylander has yet to appear in a game this season due to the contract impasse.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's still relatively early in the NHL season, but the MVP race is starting to get interesting now that we're past the quarter mark.A couple of obvious candidates still lead the charge, but some talented contenders have stated their case with dominant play of their own.Here are five players deserving of Hart Trophy consideration at this point.5. John GibsonGPW-L-OTLSV%GAAHDSV%GSAA219-8-4.9272.54.87611.07Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images Sport / GettyWhat Gibson is doing to keep the Anaheim Ducks competitive remains remarkable.The Ducks came into Thursday's action allowing the second-most shots against per game (35.9) in the NHL, while averaging the fewest shots for in the league (26.4). They've mustered only 2.22 goals per game, which is also second worst.Despite those unfavorable circumstances, Gibson has the fourth-best save percentage, the fifth-most wins, and is ranked ninth in high-danger save percentage among goalies with at least 10 games played. Plus, only Pekka Rinne and Frederik Andersen have better GSAA figures.Anaheim would clearly be a cellar dweller without Gibson this season, but they're in the early mix for a postseason berth almost entirely because of him.4. Mikko RantanenMichael Martin / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOISCF%CF%2510324220:5652.4350.39Don't dismiss Rantanen's success as a byproduct of playing alongside Nathan MacKinnon. While it's true to a degree, Rantanen has been an absolute force in his own right and deserves some credit for that.The Colorado Avalanche winger is leading the NHL in points, assists, and points per game, with 17 of his helpers coming on MacKinnon goals.You can read the latter point one of two ways: Yes, he's benefited greatly by playing with MacKinnon, but on the other hand, MacKinnon might not have many of his 18 goals if not for his linemate. The Finnish forward's significant value should be acknowledged.3. Jeff SkinnerBill Wippert / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOISCF%CF%261982717:4152.354.09Skinner was held off the scoresheet as the Buffalo Sabres' 10-game win streak was snapped Thursday night, but he's been carrying the NHL's hottest team and what is the best story in the league so far.He's been an incredible acquisition and racked up 10 goals and an assist during the streak, including two game-winners in a three-game span.The winger's 19 goals are more than double that of the next-best teammate, and he's the only Sabres skater in double digits. Skinner has nearly a quarter of Buffalo's goals, and he's figured in on nearly a third of them.Jack Eichel has 25 assists so far and deserves some credit for Skinner's spectacular play, but the first-year Sabre is the biggest reason Buffalo has one of the NHL's best records.2. Nathan MacKinnonMichael Martin / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOISCF%CF%2518234122:0352.7150.31Sure, MacKinnon has been aided by Rantanen's breakout campaign, but the 2017-18 Hart runner-up is the biggest catalyst on arguably the most dangerous line in the NHL.The 23-year-old dynamo poured in four points in a win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night, and he has an eye-popping 15 points in his last six games. All of those were multi-point efforts, and he has nine multi-point performances in his last dozen contests.MacKinnon is the anchor of Colorado's attack. Only four NHL forwards are logging more ice time, and he's the biggest reason the Avalanche have blossomed from a wild-card team a season ago into a legitimate Central Division contender.1. Connor McDavidIcon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPGAPATOISCF%CF%2513213422:3544.5548.39It's evident most Hart voters prefer players on playoff-contending teams, and the Oilers are currently on the outside looking in, but there's no denying McDavid has had the greatest impact on his club's play out of anyone in the league.The 2017 MVP has figured in on half of the Edmonton Oilers' goals (34 of 68), and ranks fifth in the points race despite playing for a club that's tied for fifth-worst in goals per game.McDavid trails only Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov in average ice time among NHL forwards and is the primary reason the Oilers are in the hunt for a wild-card spot.Honorable mentions: Patrik Laine, David Pastrnak, Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin, Elias Pettersson.ATOI = Average time on ice

Ron Hextall didn't see it coming.Fired by the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, to say the former general manager was caught off guard by his dismissal may be an understatement."I was shocked," Hextall told Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I was hoping to finish my career here."Hextall had been on the job since 2014, a tenure which saw him reshape the team's salary cap situation and twice qualify for the playoffs.He believes internal pressure to take the team to the next level - before it was ready - was ultimately his undoing. The team described Hextall's approach as "unyielding" upon his dismissal."I didn't feel we were at go-time," Hextall added. "I didn't feel (like) the Winnipegs and Nashvilles and the Tampas, that we were quite there."While Hextall was methodical in his attempt to rebuild the Flyers, he rejected the idea that he didn't look at bigger moves to help the team climb the ladder. In fact, those discussions were happening as recently as the days leading up to his firing."Was I open to moving prospects and/or young players who could help us this season and beyond? Absolutely," Hextall said. "We had some talks in the works at the time. Whether something would have happened, I don't know. I can assure you I was being aggressive."With Hextall ousted, the Flyers have begun an extensive search to find his replacement. Former GMs Chuck Fletcher, Ron Francis, and Dave Nonis are reportedly among the candidates.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Another day, another candidate in the mix to become the next Philadelphia Flyers general manager.The Flyers have received permission to speak with Dave Nonis about their opening, TSN's Bob McKenzie reports. Nonis is currently a consultant with the Anaheim Ducks and previously served as GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks.Nonis was promoted to Maple Leafs GM in 2013 and oversaw one playoff appearance in three seasons. His notable moves included long-term extensions for Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf, plus the free-agent signing of David Clarkson. Nonis was fired following the 2014-15 campaign.In addition to Nonis, the Flyers are also reportedly interviewing Buffalo Sabres assistant GM Steve Greeley, former Carolina Hurricanes GM Ron Francis, Columbus Blue Jackets assistant GM Bill Zito, and ex-Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher, who is now a senior advisor with the New Jersey Devils.The Flyers are in search of a new GM following Ron Hextall's firing Monday.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Could Valentin Zykov be the latest winger to ride shotgun with Connor McDavid?We'll know soon enough, as the Edmonton Oilers claimed the 23-year-old forward off waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday.In his first full season with the Hurricanes, Zykov was expected to be a big contributor after leading the AHL with 33 goals last season.However, that production hasn't translated to the next level just yet. The Russian winger was limited to three assists through 13 games with Carolina this season.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Add Bill Zito's name to the list of candidates who could become the next general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, as TSN's Pierre LeBrun reports the club has received permission to speak with the seasoned executive.Zito has served as the assistant GM of the Columbus Blue Jackets since 2013-14, and has doubled as GM of the AHL's Cleveland Monsters since 2015-16. The 54-year-old was also the GM of Team USA at the 2018 World Championships, where the American squad finished with the bronze medal.It's not the first time Zito has been considered for GM opportunities. Last offseason, he reportedly sat down with the Minnesota Wild before the job ultimately went to Paul Fenton, then of the Nashville Predators.Zito is one of at least four candidates interviewing with Philadelphia. Steve Greeley, the assistant GM of the Buffalo Sabres, former Carolina Hurricanes GM Ron Francis, and Chuck Fletcher, a senior advisor with the New Jersey Devils and former GM of the Wild, are also reportedly under consideration.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien has been diagnosed with a concussion and will be placed on injured reserve, head coach Paul Maurice announced, according to Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun.The injury occurred during Tuesday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins following a collision with defenseman Jamie Oleksiak. Byfuglien briefly left the game as part of the concussion protocol, but later returned.

Mike Babcock isn't letting up on his prediction that William Nylander will be returning to the Toronto Maple Leafs.The Leafs head coach once again expressed confidence about the holdout forward's future, and this time, he implied that he believes Nylander will be around for the long haul."(General manager) Kyle (Dubas) and I talk about this every day, so I'm up-to-date on what's going on," Babcock told reporters, including TSN's Mark Masters, after Thursday's practice. "There's lots of opinion out there, and let's not confuse opinion and facts. We think Willy's going to be here. We think Willy's going to be here for a long time, and we think he's going to be a career Leaf. That's what we think."Babcock prefaced his remarks by making it clear that "this is what I think." When asked who the "we" referred to in his subsequent comments, he clarified that he meant himself "and the organization."The Leafs bench boss previously stated that he was confident and hopeful that Nylander would re-sign with Toronto. When the Leafs were missing both Nylander and Auston Matthews, after the latter was injured, Babcock said significant pieces weren't there but that "they will be here."Nylander and the Leafs face a deadline of Saturday at 5 p.m. ET to come to an agreement on a new deal. If they don't reach one, he'll be ineligible to play for the rest of the season.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas is making sure he has all his ducks in a row leading up to Saturday's 5 p.m. ET deadline to sign restricted free agent William Nylander.Dubas still plans to sign the 22-year-old, but the first-year GM is asking for trade specifics from teams interested in acquiring Nylander, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun."The Leafs remain in wait-and-see mode when it comes to the player's response to the offer that they made since last week," LeBrun said on SportsCentre. "But in the meantime, they can't just sit there and make sure they put all their eggs in that basket. Our information is that, over the last 24 hours, the Leafs have reached out to some teams to say 'we know you're interested, well now we want to know what exactly you would specifically give up in a potential trade for William Nylander.'"If Nylander does not agree to a contract with the Maple Leafs or a team that trades for him by the deadline, he will be forced to sit out for the remainder of the 2018-19 season.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We use emojis every day to express our feelings or to illustrate a point.Feeling confused? 😕 Defiant? 💀 Entertained? 🍿 Ready for adventure? 🏍️With the 2018-19 season rolling past the quarter mark, it's time to use our emoji vocabulary to once again describe the NHL's 31 clubs.Here is one emoji taking the early-season temperature of each team.Anaheim Ducks - 😫Someone save John Gibson. No other goalie is being worked into the ground like the 25-year-old Ducks starter. Gibson, who is an absolute bargain at $2.3 million, has faced the most high-danger shots, second-most shots, and has played the third-most minutes among goalies. The 2011 second-rounder may not be standing by Christmas.Arizona Coyotes - 💁The Coyotes' offense doesn’t make a ton of sense. At even strength, they're shooting an abysmal six percent en route to a league-low 35 goals. On the power play, where teams are supposed to shine, they’ve produced only 11 goals. On the penalty kill: 10 goals to go along with an 89.2 percent kill rate. Such a weird contrast for a team with 23 games played.Boston Bruins - 🔧In preseason, it felt like a virtual guarantee that the Bruins would snag one of the Atlantic’s three playoff spots. A wild-card team right now, they’re by no means in trouble, but a series of injuries, particularly to defensemen, have thrown a wrench into their plans. Charlie McAvoy has missed 17 games, Torey Krug 11, Brandon Carlo eight, and Zdeno Chara six.Buffalo Sabres - 🛫Hands down the best story in hockey, Buffalo's rebuild is finally taking flight. Three newcomers - Jeff Skinner, Carter Hutton, and Rasmus Dahlin - have taken center stage, while Jack Eichel (one point ahead of Skinner for the team lead) is flourishing in his fourth season. At 17-6-2, the Sabres are back in business. What a time to be alive.Gerry Thomas / Getty ImagesCalgary Flames - ✋In a division filled with so many passengers, the Flames have raised their hand and challenged for the Pacific’s No. 1 position. At the micro level, someone is stepping to the fore as well, with David Rittich supplanting 36-year-old starter Mike Smith between the pipes. Rittich, a second-year NHLer, owns a .924 save percentage through 13 games.Carolina Hurricanes - 🎡From the Viking clap, to the glass jump, to the sassy Twitter account, to the winning, the Hurricanes are the NHL’s version of a carnival. Not only are they sitting in a playoff spot with a 12-9-3 record, they also boast excellent underlying numbers. It has been a very long time since this team was relevant on the national scene. They are now.Chicago Blackhawks - 🤹Rookie head coach Jeremy Colliton is tasked with juggling the demands of a brand-new role and the demands of having brand-new players under his watch. Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman acquired Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini earlier this week, just 20 days after naming 33-year-old Colliton as Joel Quenneville’s replacement. Make your mark, kid.Colorado Avalanche - 🎮Colorado's first line is the closest thing hockey has to a video game experience. Nathan MacKinnon between Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen fills highlight reels and scoresheets. A lightning-fast wrecking ball of a trio, they have amassed 26 goals for and allowed just 11 against in a league-high 323 minutes together at five-on-five. Incredible.Columbus Blue Jackets - ☔It can’t be easy being GM Jarmo Kekalainen right now, but through two months he has managed to fight off the Artemi Panarin-Sergei Bobrovsky storm. The big-ticket pending free agents are in limbo, having both stated publicly they are undecided on their futures. This situation had "distraction" written all over it, yet Columbus is 14-8-2. Winning helps.Dallas Stars - 💎Whether it’s the southern market, the position, or his playing style - a combination of factors are keeping rookie gem Miro Heiskanen out of the spotlight. Despite skating for 22:57 a night against high-quality competition and pitching in the odd point (11 in 26 games), the 19-year-old Finn isn’t garnering a lick of attention outside of the Stars' orbit.Dave Reginek / Getty ImagesDetroit Red Wings - 😖That’s Jeff Blashill’s head exploding. A tad dramatic at first blush; however, no team has a worse balance of special teams than Detroit, which must drive the head coach nuts. Over the course of the young season, the Red Wings have been shorthanded for 146 minutes and on the power play for 107. Thirty-nine minutes is a gigantic gap this early.Edmonton Oilers - ⏲️Peter Chiarelli is on the clock. Once a GM fires his coach - like Chiarelli did last week with Todd McLellan - the attention shifts. And given that most of the Oilers' issues can be traced back to roster construction, Chiarelli’s seat is blazing hot. If Connor McDavid can drag his teammates into the playoffs, the narrative changes. If he can't ...Florida Panthers - 🏎️It’s time to step on the gas and catch up to the pack. A popular preseason pick to return to the playoffs, the Panthers have faltered in the early going. Goaltending has been a huge issue, with James Reimer (15 games), Roberto Luongo (nine), and Michael Hutchinson (four) posting save percentages of .894, .902, and .839, respectively.Los Angeles Kings - 🐢The Wild may technically be the oldest squad in the NHL, but the Kings feel the oldest. Firing John Stevens has done nothing to solve L.A.’s woes in the short term. If anything, it has exasperated their on-ice issues: They’re still slow moving, incapable of generating offense, and, for reasons unknown, Ilya Kovalchuk is now toiling on the fourth line.Minnesota Wild - 🥕An interesting early-season trend: Minnesota dangling a carrot to other teams and then taking it away. The Wild have allowed the first goal in 16 of 24 games but won nine of those contests. Clearly slow-starting, Bruce Boudreau’s group has a minus-3 goal differential in the first period, plus-10 in the second, and plus-4 in the third.Francois Lacasse / Getty ImagesMontreal Canadiens - 🏙️There is something about the bright-lights, big-city environment of Montreal that has Max Domi reinvigorated. With 11 goals and 15 assists in 25 games, the 23-year-old center is on pace to smash career highs. Prior to being traded to the Canadiens in June, Domi looked ordinary in Arizona. In hockey Hollywood, he has looked extraordinary.Nashville Predators - 💼Business as usual in Nashville. With a .700 points percentage and plus-22 goal differential, the defending Presidents’ Trophy winners once again find themselves in the hunt for the regular-season crown. Pekka Rinne, 36, leads all goalies in save percentage (.936), and Filip Forsberg's 14 goals put him just outside the top 10 in scoring. Ho-hum, right?New Jersey Devils - 💪According to Hockey Reference's strength of schedule metric, the Devils have endured one of the hardest opening stretches in the league. Yet, the worst is still to come. Over a 10-game span starting Friday, New Jersey will face the Capitals, Jets, Lightning, Sharks, Predators, Maple Leafs, and Blue Jackets. Time to flex those muscles.New York Islanders - 🍪Does anybody actually believe in these Islanders? Their 12-9-2 start is a nice, cookie-sized treat for a fan base abandoned by John Tavares, but that’s about all it is - nice. At five-on-five under Barry Trotz, New York ranks 27th in the NHL in both shot attempts and scoring chances, and owns an unsustainably high shooting percentage of 10.5 percent.New York Rangers - 🎯GM Jeff Gorton’s hiring of David Quinn was right on the money, with the latter leading the rebuilding Rangers to a 13-10-2 record. Special teams are middling and the underlying numbers aren’t great, but there’s a lot to like about this squad, including strong starts from Henrik Lundqvist (.921 SV%) and Mika Zibanejad (21 points).Ottawa Senators - ⛲The fountain of youth can be found in Canada’s capital. A total of nine rookies have suited up for the Senators. The club has three of the NHL’s top eight first-year scorers in forwards Brady Tkachuk (16 points in 14 games) and Colin White (16 in 24) and defenseman Max Lajoie (11 in 25). Sophomore Thomas Chabot has been stellar, too, with 29 points in 25 contests.Philadelphia Flyers - 🌐The world-wide search is on for the Flyers’ next general manager. President Paul Holmgren and Co. are looking for someone from outside the organization who has a "bias for action." While nothing has been decided and others are in the mix, former Wild GM Chuck Fletcher reportedly has the inside track.Pittsburgh Penguins - 📱Jim Rutherford is surely working his cell phone each and every day. The displeased Penguins GM already shipped out Carl Hagelin and appears motivated to pull the trigger again. Rutherford’s main message through 24 games: Pittsburgh needs more from its complementary players. Full stop.Brandon Magnus / Getty ImagesSan Jose Sharks - 🔓Twenty-six games in, the Sharks are still trying to unlock the true potential of the Erik Karlsson acquisition. The transition has been fine, good, but the electricity everyone expected has just not been there. Fortunately for San Jose, the season is young and the courting process is ongoing. Karlsson isn’t an unrestricted free agent until July 1.St. Louis Blues - 😬It’s been difficult to watch the 2018-19 Blues. This season was the year public perception changed around the club, yet it sits 30th in the entire league in points percentage. Ryan O’Reilly has been tremendous, collecting 27 points in 23 games, but other offseason acquisitions - namely Patrick Maroon and Tyler Bozak - have been quiet.Tampa Bay Lightning - 🤗So many celebratory hugs. To nobody’s surprise, Tampa is scoring a boatload of goals, averaging 3.69 per game to trail only Colorado. Jon Cooper’s team attacks in waves, bagging four or more goals in 13 of 25 games. Top snipers Brayden Point, Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, and Yanni Gourde are all on pace for 30-plus markers.Toronto Maple Leafs - 🕺One of the NHL’s most potent offenses has welcomed back superstar center Auston Matthews. On deck is William Nylander, assuming the restricted free agent comes to terms on a new deal in the next 48 hours. It’s crazy to think a Leafs lineup without Matthews and/or Nylander has scored 93 goals in 26 games. Sky's the limit moving forward.Vancouver Canucks - 🎨What Elias Pettersson produces between the boards for the Canucks is pure art. The stat line - 13 goals and eight assists in 21 games - is commendable. Watching him create, though? That’s the real treat. He’s such a slippery player and, at least thus far, the NHL has failed to contain him. At the moment, it’s Pettersson, Brady Tkachuk, and then everybody else in the Calder discussion.Vegas Golden Knights - ⚙️Following a 5-6-1 October, the gears have slowly but surely begun moving in the other direction for the Golden Knights. Led by the Jonathan Marchessault-William Karlsson-Reilly Smith line, the reigning Western champs have regained some of their swagger, winning four straight. The return of Nate Schmidt, sidelined by suspension, has fueled the ascent.Washington Capitals - 🥁Tom Wilson's suspension and overall rocky start aside, everyone in Washington seems to be marching to the same beat under new head coach Todd Reirden. The Metro Division-leading Capitals returned largely the same roster and don’t look disjointed at all with Trotz’s old assistant in charge.Winnipeg Jets - 🎶Is that Patrik Laine's music? Hoo boy, the Finnish finisher has been on an absolute tear as of late. Eleven goals in four games last week - five of which came in one showing - bring his season total to 19. Not everything has gone swimmingly for the 13-8-2 Jets (see: so-so five-on-five goal production), but Laine should be exempt from the blame game.John Matisz is theScore's National Hockey Writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn. Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Arizona Coyotes claimed goaltender Calvin Pickard off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.The move comes with Arizona's top two netminders, Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper, both listed as day to day with lower-body injuries.Pickard was in his first season with the Flyers after being claimed off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this year. Through 11 games, he owns a 4-2-2 record with a .863 save percentage.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In the second edition of theScore's Vezina Trophy Power Rankings, last year's winner is making a strong case to repeat, but other contenders remain in the mix with more than fourth months left to play. You can read October's edition here.* Goalies must have played at least 10 games to be considered.

The Carolina Hurricanes placed veteran goalie Scott Darling on waivers Thursday, general manager Don Waddell confirmed, according to Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News and Observer.Darling is in the second season of a four-year, $16.6-million deal he signed in May 2017. A no-trade clause in his contract allows him to list 15 teams to which he'd accept being moved.After a strong showing in his previous stint with the Chicago Blackhawks, the Hurricanes hoped Darling could take their top job, but he's struggled.Darling finished last season with 13 wins and an .888 save rate across 43 games. So far this season, the 29-year-old owns a 2-4-1 record with a .892 save percentage and a 3.14 goals-against average.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's National Hockey Writer.Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play.On this monster episode, John is joined by TSN's Travis Yost and the Washington Post's Isabelle Khurshudyan to break down the latest headlines and trends.Topics include:

Auston Matthews stole the show with two goals and an assist in his return to the lineup Wednesday night, but an unlikely source provided another crucial helper that didn't show up in the boxscore.Toronto Maple Leafs assistant equipment manager Bobby Hastings chipped in by handing Mitch Marner a new stick on the fly to facilitate John Tavares' late first-period goal in a 5-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks."Third assist!" Matthews joked postgame to reporters, including TSN's Mark Masters. "Put it on the scoresheet. That was unbelievable. The second that puck hit Mitch's stick (Hastings) had (a new stick) right over my head ready for him."Here's a look at how it unfolded:

He's back.Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews returned to the lineup against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday after missing the last 14 games due to a shoulder injury.The Maple Leafs went 9-5-0 during the 14-game stretch. Despite his prolonged absence, Matthews sits tied for second on the club with 10 goals, and fifth with 16 points.Fourth-line center Frederik Gauthier was pushed out of the lineup with Matthews' return.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New Jersey Devils have given the Philadelphia Flyers permission to speak to executive Chuck Fletcher about their general manager vacancy, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.Fletcher's name was linked to the Flyers role almost immediately after Philadelphia dismissed former general manager Ron Hextall on Monday. He is the frontrunner at this point, McKenzie adds.Fletcher joined the Devils' brass as a senior advisor in June after being dismissed from his nine-year tenure as general manager of the Minnesota Wild.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It didn't take long for Dylan Strome to show the hockey world that he can still be a valuable NHL player.Strome was a force in his Chicago Blackhawks debut, scoring once and adding an assist in Tuesday's 8-3 home loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. While the game result wasn't what Chicago fans wanted, they couldn't have been much happier with how Strome performed just two days after coming to the Windy City in a three-player deal with the Arizona Coyotes.Despite skepticism in some circles, the distinct possibility remains that Strome will not only stick in the NHL but become a valuable part of a team. It’s not a given; it will take dedication on his part, and patience on the part of his new organization.But the window isn’t closed, as Tuesday emphatically revealed.Three-plus years after drafting him third overall, the Coyotes closed a difficult chapter for Strome, who had just 16 points in 48 games and spent more time in the minors than he did in the NHL.We could rehash his entire Coyotes tenure, but there are three particularly noteworthy things to consider about Strome's fortunes thus far:Strome's most common Coyotes linemates this season were Nick Cousins and Lawson Crouse. No knock on those two, but Strome’s ideal style of play is a far cry from the grit-and-energy mindset of an NHL fourth line. Young skilled players don’t often succeed in a bottom-six role when they’re used to creating offense. (Much like last season, he didn’t see any consistent line partnerships, but those two names showed up more often than others.)His development was harmed by the CHL-NHL agreement that allows teams to keep players in major juniors until their 20-year-old season. Strome would have benefitted from adjusting to the AHL's tougher style of play and higher pace a year or two earlier, rather than being allowed to run roughshod over the OHL. He had 75 points in just 35 games in his final junior season. That looks great on paper, and the Erie Otters most certainly appreciated his contribution to their OHL title. But how much did Strome actually learn from that experience that he could carry to the NHL?Strome isn’t entirely innocent, either. Valid criticisms of his play include a lack of drive in specific situations. It could be explained to an extent by Strome playing out of his comfort zone and his frustration at a lack of top-six opportunities. Whether or not this contributed to his stagnant development, these excuses simply won't fly at the NHL level.With all that in mind, the only question that matters now is this: what does Strome bring to the Blackhawks?Chase Agnello-Dean / National Hockey League / GettyThe trade is a risk on Chicago’s part, for sure, but that risk is mitigated in part due to Strome's impressive skill set. He's an incredibly intelligent player with great hands. His high hockey IQ and fantastic vision allow him to read the ice - knowing what his options are and which teammate he needs to support at a given moment - and identifying the dangerous areas to shoot or make plays.But none of that will matter if Strome can't improve his skating.While Strome has the raw skill to succeed at the top level, he needs to be able to use his talents at an ever-increasing NHL speed. He's the kind of player who likes to slow the game down for himself, but he must learn to do that mentally while improving his skating speed. When he attempts to slow down proceedings, opponents often take advantage and recover the puck.He also needs to improve his overall stamina. One way he can help himself out is by building up his lower-body strength. Regular criticism suggests that Strome gets bodied by other players; he gets knocked off the puck; he doesn’t battle enough. Adding strength in his lower half would give him a better, lower center of gravity. That doesn’t just make him harder to push around - it gives his skating more power.To get up to NHL speed, a player needs a consistent run of games. Strome has yet to play even half a season at the NHL level. Provided he does the work to remain on the Blackhawks’ roster and out of the press box all season (and he should), that could go a long way toward improving his consistency. His AHL results are promising, as he sat just above a point per game last season.Strome didn’t seem out of place in his first game with the Blackhawks on Tuesday night. While there were moments when it was clear that his skating was behind some of his teammates, he never fell behind the pace of play in a way that would’ve made him a liability. He looked a bit coltish - as if his legs were too long for his body and he was still unsure how to move them properly - but overall, he didn’t look out of place.The Blackhawks have set lofty expectations for Strome. General manager Stan Bowman’s wish is for him to be their No. 2 center. Bowman knows Chicago needs to rebuild its depth if it wants to get another Stanley Cup run out of the core of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Corey Crawford. Bowman believes Strome can help get them there."Obviously, with Dylan, we have a need at center ice and he has that profile of being a dominant player at every level he's been in," Bowman told team insider Chris Wescott. "Even last season in the American League, to average over a point per game in the AHL is pretty impressive. You look at all of our guys who have come through our system, to make it to Chicago, they weren't able to do that at that age."He had a really good season last year, he just didn't get a lot of NHL time. This year, he's working his way up. I think in the minutes he's had, he's done pretty well. He wasn't in a higher profile (spot), they've got a lot of good, young forwards in Arizona. I think sometimes it's just a situational thing where guys might get a good opportunity here that they didn't have elsewhere."Strome found himself on the second line Tuesday, reuniting with former Erie Otters teammate Alex DeBrincat in a savvy move by head coach Jeremy Colliton. The players' skill sets complement one another well; DeBrincat’s hockey sense is as high as Strome’s, and he has a dangerous shot.While it’s not as easy to recreate juniors magic at the NHL level, these two don’t just have chemistry - they’re intimately familiar with one another’s playing style. And it was only fitting that DeBrincat was partly responsible for Strome's first goal as a Blackhawk, leading the rush that led to Strome banging in a loose puck from in close:

In the second edition of theScore's Norris Trophy Power Rankings, three blue-liners under the age of 25 enter the fold. You can read October's rankings here.ATOI = Average time on ice

Home-ice advantage doesn't always make the difference in hockey, but a truly intimidating atmosphere can have a major impact, especially come playoff time.Here are the three most difficult arenas to play in around the NHL:Bridgestone ArenaJohn Russell / National Hockey League / GettyThe Nashville Predators' home rink is without a doubt the toughest barn in the league for opposing clubs to visit.A raucous, fun-loving crowd fills the building for every home game, and whether they're chanting "it's all your fault" at visiting goaltenders at a deafening volume or throwing catfish on the ice, the Music City faithful do everything they can to make it an unpleasant experience for the other team.If there was any doubt about Bridgestone Arena's status, it was named the toughest building to play in by 61 of the NHL's best players in a recent poll.Bell MTS PlaceJonathan Kozub / National Hockey League / GettyAnyone who watched the Winnipeg Jets' postseason run last spring will agree that their home facility belongs on this list.The scene at Bell MTS Place during the Jets' drive to the Western Conference Final was consistently a sight to behold, with the "White Out" painting the capacity crowd in Winnipeg's colors and the decibel level cranked up to extreme proportions.Jets fans are among the most passionate in the NHL. The fact that Winnipeg is now also among the league's most competitive clubs gives its fans even more incentive to create an intimidating setting, even during the regular season.Amalie ArenaMike Carlson / Getty Images Sport / GettyMuch like the other two rinks listed here, the Tampa Bay Lightning's abode is energized by a perennially successful team, and that's helped make it one of the toughest destinations in the league.These days, it's rare to watch a game at Amalie Arena and not witness an electric atmosphere, both literally and figuratively. After all, the building uses actual Tesla coils to fire up the fans, and to say it works would be an understatement.Given the talent it boasts on the ice, it's no surprise Tampa Bay has one of the best home records in the NHL, nor is it a shock the Lightning are among the leaders in home attendance. That boisterous crowd and some dynamic in-game effects make the building one of the league's most imposing.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded defenseman Andrew Nielsen to the Calgary Flames for forward Morgan Klimchuk, the team announced Tuesday.Nielsen, 22, was drafted in the third round by the Maple Leafs in 2015 and has registered three assists in eight games this season for the AHL's Toronto Marlies. He's a left-handed shot and brings considerable size to the table, coming in at 6-foot-4, 228 lbs.Klimchuk has appeared in just one NHL game since being drafted 28th overall by the Flames in 2013. The left-winger has spent this season in the minors, where he's nabbed three goals and five assists.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jimmy Howard is reportedly being monitored by a Central Division club plagued by poor goaltending."My sources tell me that the St. Louis Blues have paid considerable attention to Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings," TSN's Darren Dreger stated Tuesday on "Insider Trading."Dreger added that representatives of the Blues were at Monday's game between the Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets, but cautioned that Howard would come at a "considerable cost" to St. Louis.The 34-year-old Howard is having a solid season, posting a .922 save percentage and a 2.68 goals-against average in 17 appearances.He's a pending unrestricted free agent in the final campaign of the six-year, $31.75-million deal he signed with the Red Wings in April 2013.The Blues' netminders, Jake Allen and Chad Johnson, entered Tuesday's action ranking 38th and 39th in save percentage this season with marks of .896 and .895, respectively.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber is back in the lineup versus the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night, marking his first NHL action in nearly a year.Weber hadn't suited up since Dec. 16, 2017. He missed the remainder of last season due to a tendon tear in his left foot.The veteran blue-liner was expected to make a full recovery over the offseason, but a knee injury kept him sidelined for the first 24 games of the 2018-19 campaign.Weber returns with Montreal holding down the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. It's his first appearance for the Canadiens since being named the 30th captain in franchise history.The 33-year-old finished last season with 16 points in 26 games.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Columbus Blue Jackets winger Artemi Panarin may not be willing to negotiate a contract extension with the season underway, but that apparently isn't stopping him from discussing his future with his agent.Panarin and his agent, Dan Milstein, will sit down and discuss business during the club's bye week in January, Milstein told Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch."Artemi and I are going to discuss business when he is ready," Milstein said. "He is genuinely happy with the way things are going this season."The Blue Jackets don't play a single game from Jan. 20 to 29 thanks to the combination of their bye week and All-Star Weekend.Panarin is likely set for a raise from his current $6-million salary, and the organization faces a similar scenario with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who privately laid out his future plans with the team in September.The Blue Jackets sit one point off the Metropolitan Division lead through 24 contests this year. Panarin leads the team with 26 points.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Former Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall showed a high level of loyalty to head coach Dave Hakstol. So much so that Hextall preferred to keep Hakstol instead of pursuing the second-most winningest coach in league history.Joel Quenneville's name immediately came up after he was fired by the Chicago Blackhawks but Hextall wanted to stick to his plan, Flyers CEO Dave Scott revealed during a Tuesday press conference, according to USA Today's Dave Isaac.Team president Paul Holmgren already stated Hakstol's fate will be determined by the club's new GM.Buffalo Sabres assistant GM Steve Greeley, former Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher, and ex-Carolina Hurricanes GM Ron Francis are among the early candidates for the Flyers' front-office vacancy. Francis and Quenneville were Hartford Whalers teammates in the 1980s.Philadelphia would need permission from the Blackhawks before speaking to Quenneville about a potential coaching job.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Philadelphia Flyers may not wait until the general manager's chair is filled before looking for some insurance between the pipes.That was the message from team president Paul Holmgren - the Flyers' GM from 2006 to 2014 - at a Tuesday press conference following Monday's firing of Ron Hextall."If I can make our team better, I'd be foolish not to look at it," Holmgren said when asked if he's interested in adding short-term goaltending help, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.GoalieRecordGAASPBrian Elliott6-7-02.59.911Calvin Pickard4-2-24.01.863Michal Neuvirth0-1-06.00.727Anthony Stolarz0-0-02.52.943Alex Lyon0-1-012.00.667To say it's been a challenging campaign in the Philadelphia crease would be an understatement. Starter Brian Elliott has missed the past two weeks with a lower-body injury and backup Michal Neuvirth has been limited to a single appearance due to an undisclosed ailment.Those injuries have forced the Flyers to reach deep down their depth chart; Calvin Pickard, Alex Lyon, and Anthony Stolarz have all been called upon through 23 games this season.Carter Hart remains the team's future in goal though the 20-year-old has struggled in his first pro season, posting a 3.61 goals-against average and an .884 save percentage in 12 AHL games.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs star center Auston Matthews says he's feeling well enough to return to game action, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.Matthews has yet to be medically cleared but hopes to be in the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the San Jose Sharks.The 21-year-old has been sidelined for the past 14 games after he suffered a shoulder injury against the Winnipeg Jets in late October. He still sits fifth in team scoring with 16 points in 11 games despite the missed time.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Philadelphia Flyers dismissed Ron Hextall on Monday, ending his four-and-a-half-year run as general manager after a particularly ugly 6-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs two days earlier.Hextall became an icon for the franchise with his fiery temperament, but his approach to his GM work was significantly different. The 54-year-old preferred a patient, draft-and-develop-internally mentality that felt foreign in tumultuous Philadelphia.Reflecting on his tenure with the Flyers, here are four blunders that played a major role in his firing.Dealing Brayden Schenn for Jori Lehtera and two 1st-round draft picksLen Redkoles / National Hockey League / GettyTo be fair to Hextall, not many of his trades were disastrous for the Flyers. But this one - which sent Schenn, a big-bodied, skilled forward to the St. Louis Blues for Lehtera - seemed to go egregiously against the spirit of Philly and its NHL team.Here, you had Schenn, a talented youngster who had scored 25 goals for the Flyers in his final season with the club, traded for Lehtera, who had never scored more than 14. Sure, there was a salary-cap element that slightly favored Lehtera - he had one fewer year on his contract, which was about $400,000 less costly than Schenn’s deal - but did that really offset the production differential?While the Flyers did acquire a pair of first-round picks in the deal - selecting center Morgan Frost and winger Joel Farabee - both players are still not close to contributing with the NHL club. And Hextall won't be around to see how they make out.You have to give him credit for untangling the Flyers from their previously messy cap situation. But in the process, Hextall may have squeezed a little too tightly on the Schenn/Lehtera deal and wound up hurting Philadelphia’s ability to be a true offensive juggernaut.Lehtera - with one goal and three points this year - hasn't been the answer in that department, while Schenn’s eight assists and 13 points in 18 games would've been a welcome sight in Flyers land. And although one bad trade isn't enough to fire any NHL GM, Hextall’s most notable deal evidently did not work out as he’d envisioned.Refusing to go with a proven No. 1 goaltenderDebora Robinson / National Hockey League / GettyFor years, if not decades, the Flyers’ adventures in goaltending have been a story that could be filed in either the horror, comedy, or tragedy section of a bookstore. Things haven't changed this season: due to injury or substandard play, Philadelphia already has had five different goalies play at least one game, and not one of them has stepped up to claim the starter’s role.Indeed, in the last game Hextall served as GM - when Philly was in Toronto - the Flyers were sunk less than halfway through the first period by poor goaltending. The fact Hextall - one of the top goalies of his generation - failed to acquire a netminder who could carry a team is an ongoing mystery.That's not to say he needed to pull off some blockbuster trade for Carey Price. For example, Carter Hutton was languishing in the backup role in St. Louis until Sabres GM Jason Botterill plucked him out of there and made him Buffalo’s top netminder. Goaltending matters, and Hextall’s biggest mistake may have been his inability or refusal to acquire a goalie capable of being elite.Hiring Dave HakstolBill Wippert / National Hockey League / GettyWhen Hextall brought in Hakstol to coach the team in May 2015, it was clear the Flyers were about to be a more defensive-minded group. He was successful at the NCAA level, but that doesn’t always translate to the NHL.Though Hakstol has guided the Flyers to a playoff appearance in two of three years on the job, he has yet to coach Philadephia to a playoff series win and has begun this season 10-11-2. Although a coach is only as good as his goalie, the reality is, in a pressure-cooker environment like Philly, coaching four seasons without notable success (or even clear progress) usually doesn’t end well, and certainly doesn’t signal multiple future contract extensions.Standing by Dave HakstolEliot J. Schechter / National Hockey League / GettyHextall's firing could ultimately come down to his decision to stick with Hakstol.In the statement announcing Hextall’s dismissal, Holmgren mentioned philosophical differences - those differences could have included Hakstol remaining behind the bench.Hockey can be a cold game, and sometimes you have to take the road less traveled if you wish to survive. It appears Hextall chose his relationship with Hakstol over his employment as GM. And while that’s his decision, it ultimately means he won't be able to see out his vision in Philadelphia.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A potential NHL expansion franchise in Seattle will have a building to play in by 2020 - at least according to mayor Jenny Durkan."We think it can (be ready) and so does (Oak View Group). Every major project there's surprises, things you don't plan for and can't expect, and we know that and try to build in those contingencies. But our plan is to open in 2020," Durkan said, according to King 5's Chris Daniels. "We want it; they want it. I think we are going to have the best arena - I think in America."KeyArena is currently undergoing a $700-million renovation in preparation for an NHL expansion team. It's home to the WNBA's Seattle Storm and is the former residence of the NBA's now-defunct Seattle SuperSonics.A vote to grant an expansion franchise to Seattle and prospective owner Oak View Group is expected to take place at the league's board of governors meeting next week. It's uncertain whether the potential team would play its inaugural season in 2020 or 2021; the league may lean towards the former if the arena is ready for action.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement, but Dave Hakstol's performance behind the Philadelphia Flyers' bench was given a light vote of confidence by team president Paul Holmgren at Tuesday's press conference."Under the circumstances, Hakstol has done a decent job," Holmgren said, according to Dan Gelston of the Associated Press.Holmgren was speaking following Monday's dismissal of general manager Ron Hextall, who'd been at the helm since 2014. On Tuesday, he noted that one of the reasons leading to Hextall's firing was his unyielding approach."(Hextall) had his plan and he was sticking to it," Holmgren said.As for Hakstol, he remains on as head coach, though his future will be determined by the incoming general manager."I'd hate to say Dave Hakstol's fate is in the hands of the new GM, but it is," Holmgren said, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.Hakstol's in his fourth year with the Flyers and owns a 132-97-40 record. He's made the playoffs in two of the past three seasons.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dean Lombardi won't be the next general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, and apparently, it won't be Chris Pronger either.Team president Paul Holmgren said Tuesday that Lombardi is not interested in filling the GM vacancy, according to Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Lombardi guided the Los Angeles Kings to Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014 and currently serves as senior adviser with the Flyers.Former Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger isn't a candidate for the job, a source told Carchidi. Pronger's spent the past two seasons as senior adviser with the Florida Panthers.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.