Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele's future with the franchise has been a hot-button topic all offseason long, but it seems the veteran isn't completely turning his back on the team that drafted him."I've told them I'm open to staying. ... I've been a Winnipeg Jet, this is my 13th camp, so it's been a long time," he told the media Thursday. "I've enjoyed every day of it."Scheifele has one year remaining on his current deal at a cap hit of $6.125 million. The pending unrestricted free agent has been eligible to sign a new extension with Winnipeg since July 1.Scheifele, 30, said his contract status is "not really" on his mind ahead of the new season and that he'd leave the heavy lifting to his camp. However, it doesn't sound like his agent's phone has been ringing off the hook."There haven't really been any talks at all," Scheifele said.Scheifele potted a career-high 42 goals in 81 games last season while ranking third on the Jets with 68 points. His 645 points in 723 contests since his debut in 2011-12 are the second most on the team over that span, trailing only former captain Blake Wheeler.General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff did his part to dispel some of the rumors swirling around Scheifele and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck in early September, saying Winnipeg's "singular focus is winning" with both players on the roster.Like Scheifele, Hellebuyck also has one season remaining on his six-year, $37-million deal. Hellebuyck also didn't rule out a reunion Thursday."I'm not closing the door anywhere," he said, according to TSN's John Lu. "I'm gonna look at anywhere that I think I can win a Cup, and I know this locker room can win a Cup. ... Right from my exit meeting, I was (saying), 'I'm gonna be patient,' so we'll see how everything unfolds in my future, but I'm here. I'm a Jet, and I'm just gonna try and win a Cup with this team."The Jets made the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs by two points over the Calgary Flames. They were eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round.Winnipeg's 2023-24 campaign opens Oct. 11 against the Flames.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Philadelphia Flyers had a pair of familiar faces back in the mix and motivated to play when training camp opened on Thursday.Forwards Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson each missed the entirety of the Flyers' abysmal 2022-23 season due to injuries, and both are eager to bounce back from their forgotten campaigns."I'm ready, I haven't had any setbacks. ... I prepared myself more than I ever have this offseason to be ready to rock and roll and be an impact player," Atkinson said.The 34-year-old underwent neck surgery in December and last suited up for an NHL game on April 12, 2022. He added that his surgeon told him that if he didn't experience any setbacks four months after the procedure he should be good to go.The Flyers are well aware of what Atkinson is capable of when healthy: He ranked second on the team with 23 goals and 50 points in 73 games in 2021-22, his first season in the City of Brotherly Love.Couturier, meanwhile, hasn't played a game since Dec. 18, 2021 due to a back injury. He underwent season-ending surgery in February 2022 and was initially cleared to participate in training camp ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. However, he underwent back revision surgery in October 2022 for his second procedure in less than a year.At his best, Couturier is the Flyers' top center and a premier two-way force. He won the Selke Trophy in 2020 and, prior to the 2021-22 season when his injury woes started, he ranked third on the team with 443 points in 692 games dating back to his 2011 debut.The 30-year-old said he's "definitely" motivated by his detractors ahead of his anticipated comeback campaign."They have their reasons to question or doubt, but I know what I'm capable of and the kind of person I am and the character that I have," Couturier said. "Not only to them but to myself, I want to prove that I'm able to be the player I was, if not better."Atkinson shared a similar sentiment."My whole life I've had to prove people wrong and I've used that to fuel my fire to shove it in your face," he said, per NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "I've got to prove it to myself even more."The Flyers finished in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division last season with a 31-38-13 record. The puck drops on their 2023-24 campaign on Oct. 12 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams is still hoping to sign his two franchise pillar defensemen to long-term extensions before the 2023-24 season gets underway.The sides appear closer to agreements, as Adams said that discussions have become "intense" over the last week, according to the Buffalo News' Lance Lysowski."The key takeaways are that I've explained to their camps and to them individually how important they are to this franchise and how we feel about them, and we want them here long term and just that kind of conversation," Adams said."They've clearly indicated to me and to us that this is where they want to be, and they believe in this team, and they believe in the direction we're headed. So, that's the start, and then you work from there. These are not easy to get done. They're critically important for both sides, and we need to ensure they're right. It needs to be right for both sides."Dahlin, drafted first overall by the Sabres in 2018, is coming off a breakout season in which he finished eighth in Norris Trophy voting after racking up 15 goals and 73 points in 78 games. The 23-year-old has one more year left on his current contract with a $6-million cap hit. Dahlin could hypothetically become an unrestricted free agent in 2025.An extension for Dahlin will likely make him one of the game's highest-paid blue-liners. Evolving-Hockey projects an extension costing the Sabres $10.46 million per season over eight years.Power, 20, is in a bit of a different situation since he's younger and far less experienced. The 2021 first overall pick finished third in Calder Trophy voting last season after producing 35 points in 79 games.Evolving-Hockey projects Power getting a three-year extension with a $5.12-million cap hit. However, if the Sabres want to sign him for longer, the market was set by Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson, who recently signed an eight-year deal with a $8.05-million cap hit. Power and Sanderson share similar pedigree, production, and experience."(Dahlin and Power are) both to me critically important pieces of the puzzle moving forward," Adams said. "And they're guys that can play 25-plus minutes, every situation. And I just think the way the league is right now, if you can really have defensemen like that, that can play the minutes they play in the situations they play, the way the transition game and speed of the game is going, I just think it's critical."The Sabres have $46 million in projected cap space for next season, giving them ample flexibility to get extensions done.Adams said he plans to keep grinding away until pen is put to paper, even if it carries over into the season."I'm not drawing a line in the sand, but I'd like to keep pushing here through training camp to move things along," he said.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It appears Patrick Kane will be on the sidelines for a little while longer.The offseason's biggest unsigned free agent will need at least one more month of rehab as he continues to recover from hip resurfacing surgery, reports TSN's Darren Dreger.Kane underwent the procedure June 1 and was given a recovery timeline of four-to-six months. He'll hit the four-month mark Oct. 1.His agent, Pat Brisson, said in July that he's in "no rush" to sign a new contract. However, the Buffalo Sabres - Kane's hometown team - are among the interested parties, per Dreger.The three-time Stanley Cup champion put up 21 goals and 57 points in 73 contests with the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers last season. That 0.78 point-per-game rate was the lowest clip of his career, but Kane erupted for 26 goals and 92 points in 2021-22.Kane last lifted Lord Stanley's Mug in 2015. He's amassed 451 goals and 1,237 points in 1,180 career regular-season games, as well as 138 points in 143 playoff contests.The 34-year-old won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2013.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

NHL hockey is back ... kind of. A rather lengthy preseason schedule begins this weekend, with games coming in bunches from Saturday until Oct. 7.While there's a perception that you shouldn't bet on meaningless games, per se, there's a big edge in preseason if you know what to look for.Let's dig into some important things to know and consider when betting on preseason action.Lineup depth is keyWhen deciding which teams to back, you generally want your side to have more depth than the opponent. The greater the difference, the better served you'll be.It's important not to see a couple of big names and race to back that team. Star players don't carry the same workload in preseason as the regular season and don't have much to gain from playing. They're not going to compensate for a very thin roster lacking NHL-caliber players.Let's say Team X has nine forwards and four defensemen who are either established NHLers or players on professional tryouts fighting for jobs in camp. That lineup is much more preferable to Team Y dressing one very good line, one pairing, and a bunch of low-ceiling AHL fillers dressed only to gain some experience.Brand names themselves don't matter a ton. You want to find spots where you can back a side with five, six, or seven NHL-level players more than the opponent.Best lineups saved for home fansCoaches tend to save their deepest lineups and best players for home crowds, which makes sense. You don't want to "reward" your fans for buying tickets and coming to games by icing a lineup full of players who will spend little to no time in the NHL throughout their careers.It's important to remember that because there will be plenty of times when you can put two and two together and get out in front of the market.Let me provide an example. Let's say the Ducks are playing in Arizona on Friday night and hosting the Sharks on Saturday night. Meanwhile, the Sharks are hosting the Kings on Friday night before playing in Anaheim on Saturday.You can safely assume the Ducks will send a bunch of prospects, AHLers, and PTO candidates to Arizona, while a much more NHL-heavy lineup will stay back to face the Sharks on Saturday. You can also assume the Sharks will dress a competent lineup versus the Kings, leaving less talent available for the Ducks game.If there are odds where the Ducks may be anywhere close to a pick 'em, it'll often be best to jump on that play before even seeing an official lineup come out. Lines move extremely fast in preseason, and the swings routinely take teams from -120 on open to -250 by close. You need to act fast. Tracking what clubs are doing a day or two in advance is a good way to prepare for that.Follow cutsAs alluded to above, one of the keys - perhaps the biggest - is getting behind lineups with noticeably more NHL-caliber players than your opponent. If you follow cuts closely, you give yourself extra opportunities to do just that.Some teams like to trim the fat early and work only with the cream of the crop for a few games. That means their lineups will be littered with NHL players and those on the bubble.Other teams like to rest their NHL roster as much as possible and carry 30-35-plus players until at or near the end of the preseason schedule. If you follow what teams are doing closely, there are edges to be had.Perhaps Team Y is a big road underdog because home sides traditionally ice the better rosters. But if Team Y only has 26 players in camp (23 of which make the final team), they can't really ice a "bad" lineup.That's a scenario where you can play the road side early. At worst, you're getting a team with a comparably strong lineup priced like the matchup is one-sided.Late nights are your friendsThere can be real value in staying up late. Be it on their main accounts or PR accounts (the latter can be extremely valuable since not as many eyes are on them), teams often tweet out a list of players who will or have already traveled for the next day's game.That provides you valuable information to make a bet at a time when the market will move a lot slower than it usually would.If you don't have an early morning, staying up for those 1 a.m. lineup dumps from West Coast teams can be worthwhile.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Colorado Avalanche blue-liner Devon Toews prefers to ink an extension before his fourth campaign with the club begins in October."I'd rather it not drag on into the season," Toews said Wednesday, per Aarif Deen of Mile High Sports. "My intent is to stay here for the rest of my career. If we're able to get that done, that would be awesome."Toews became eligible to ink a new deal in July. He's under contract for the 2023-24 season at a bargain $4.1-million cap hit and would headline the crop of defensive unrestricted free agents if he were to hit the open market next summer.The 29-year-old is an integral piece of Colorado's core as Cale Makar's primary partner on the club's top pairing. The Avalanche acquired Toews from the New York Islanders before the 2020-21 season, and since arriving in Denver, he ranks second among all-blue liners in GAR (53.2) and WAR (9.3), a metric designed by Evolving-Hockey to measure an individual player's impact on a team's success.Toews notched 50 points this past season and averaged more than 25 minutes per contest. He's collected 29 goals and 109 assists with the Avalanche and played a key role in their run to the Stanley Cup in 2022.Colorado is currently projected to have approximately $10 million in cap space for next season, per CapFriendly, although the $87.5-million threshold estimate isn't a guarantee. The Avalanche's annual pay structure is led by Nathan MacKinnon ($12.6 million) and Makar ($9 million).Toews has a strong case to at least double his current AAV. Zach Werenski ($9.58 million), Charlie McAvoy ($9.5 million), Adam Fox ($9.5 million), Mikhail Sergachev ($8.8 million), and Miro Heiskanen ($8.45 million) are among the notable star defenders to sign extensions over the past few years.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner doesn't believe his team has been left fractured in the wake of the turbulent Mike Babcock saga."I think the past week has really probably brought us together closer," he said, according to NHL.com's Jeff Svoboda."I am proud of the group for that, to be honest. It's a different situation. No one has ever been in this spot."The Blue Jackets found themselves under the NHLPA's microscope in September after podcast host Paul Bissonnette said a player told him newly minted head coach Babcock had asked the team for their phones, scrolled through their camera rolls, and projected the images onto a larger screen.Jenner and Babcock both suggested that the situation was blown out of proportion, with the veteran center saying at the time that it was "a great first meeting" and "good way for (them) to start to build a relationship."The NHLPA and the league were initially satisfied with Jenner's account but reportedly had a change of heart when several of Columbus' younger players said they weren't comfortable with what unfolded, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.The Blue Jackets players had a discussion about the dramatic state of affairs late last week, and defenseman Zach Werenski said he and his teammates left the meeting "united" and "on the same page."Babcock resigned Sunday, saying it'd be "too much of a distraction" for the team if he stayed on as head coach.Earlier in the offseason, Werenski said the Blue Jackets were unfazed by Babcock's controversial reputation, believing that it was all behind him.Pascal Vincent will take over the reins in Columbus. It's his first gig as an NHL head coach."We're going to move on," Vincent said. "I know our players have been working extremely hard this summer. I know what we did as coaches, and our focus right now is we are looking ahead. What can we do today to get ready for tomorrow?"The Blue Jackets' 2023-24 season begins Oct. 12 against the Philadelphia Flyers.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Boston Bruins weren't without a captain for long.Beantown passed the "C" to Brad Marchand on Wednesday, making the forward the 27th captain in franchise history.

No one is more aware of how poorly Jack Campbell's first season with the Edmonton Oilers went than Jack Campbell himself - but the goaltender is eager to turn the tables in 2023-24."I just learned so much last year, my standard for myself is so much higher than that," he said Wednesday, per TSN. "Not to dwell on it, but so much good came from having such a tough year as far as my growth this summer. My focus is getting back to where I know I can be at and even elevating that from what I've done in the past."(I'm) just really excited for the opportunity to write a new script this year."Fresh off of signing a five-year, $25-million deal with the Oilers that painted him as their starter, Campbell fell flat in 2022-23. He owned a respectable 21-9-4 record, but Edmonton has a penchant for outscoring its problems and his individual numbers were less than inspiring.Campbell posted an .888 save percentage and 3.41 goals against average while his minus-18.87 goals saved above expected at all strengths trailed just Kaapo Kahkonen, Spencer Martin, and Elvis Merzlikins for the worst mark in the league, according to Evolving-Hockey.The Oilers leaned on rookie Stuart Skinner as a result of Campbell's struggles and the 2023 Calder Trophy finalist started every playoff game for Edmonton. Campbell performed admirably in four postseason relief appearances, though, registering a .961 save percentage and 1.01 goals against average in just under 120 minutes of action."That's just kinda what I expect to do - forget about the numbers, but how I played," Campbell said of his springtime resurgence. "Just going out and having some fun, doing what I can do. It was nice to get a taste of it, but (it's a) pretty small sample. I'm ready to turn it into something bigger this year."The 31-year-old admitted he has a habit of judging his performance "pretty heavily," which is why he focused on improving his mindset throughout the summer."I still have that standard of wanting to save every shot, but not necessarily losing a week's worth of sleep over it," he said with a laugh.Campbell is set to compete with Skinner for more playing time in 2023-24. The Oilers open the season on Oct. 11 against the Vancouver Canucks.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos is frustrated that he still doesn't have a contract extension as training camp begins.Stamkos, who's entering the last season of an eight-year contract with an $8.5-million cap hit, said that the lack of communication from the front office is upsetting."To be honest, I've been disappointed in the lack of talk in that regard," Stamkos told reporters, per ABC's Kyle Burger. "It was something that I expressed at the end of last year that I wanted get something done before training camp started. There haven't been any conversations."Stamkos added that he's surprised the team hasn't shared the same eagerness to work out a new deal."I'm ready whenever," he said. "That was something I didn't see coming, but it is what it is."

In what's expected to be a pivotal year for both the team and player, the Toronto Maple Leafs will start William Nylander at center to begin training camp, head coach Sheldon Keefe said Wednesday."We'll commit to it for a bit here," Keefe told reporters, noting that general manager Brad Treliving presented the idea. "Not committing to any sort of specific period of time, but just to say it's not going to be a one-off, or a one-day thing, or one preseason game. We want to give it some time to come together to see what that looks like."Nylander was drafted as a center but has spent most of his NHL career at wing. The Leafs have occasionally tested Nylander out down the middle due to injuries or for other reasons, but it's never lasted for an extended period of time."Willy's been fully on board," Keefe said. "He's totally comfortable playing center. Obviously gets drafted as a center. I coached him playing center with the (AHL's) Marlies."Nylander is in a contract year and, since centers are typically paid more than wingers, the move down the middle could potentially result in a greater payday for Nylander if it proves fruitful.The 27-year-old has won 50.7% of his faceoffs in his eight-year career. He's coming off a season in which he set career highs across the board in goals (40), assists (47), points (87), shots (293), and average time on ice (18:33).With more two-way responsibility as a center, it'll be crucial for Nylander to improve defensively in order to stick down the middle. Evolving-HockeyBut Keefe has no doubt in his mind Nylander is up to the task."I think Willy can do whatever he puts his mind to. He's that good."The initial plan, according to Keefe, is to start all three of Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and Nylander down the middle. Tavares notably spent some time on the wing after the Leafs acquired center Ryan O'Reilly last season. It was the first time Tavares, 33, had been moved off center for an extended stretch in his 14-year NHL career.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Montreal Canadiens forward Christian Dvorak won't make his 2023-24 season debut until November, general manager Kent Hughes announced Wednesday.Dvorak played his last game of the 2022-23 campaign on March 7 and underwent season-ending knee surgery one week later. He was initially expected to make a full recovery before the start of the new season.The 27-year-old put up 10 goals and 28 points in 64 games during his second season in Montreal.Dvorak has two years remaining on his current pact at a cap hit of $4.45 million.The Canadiens acquired Dvorak from the Arizona Coyotes in September 2021 in exchange for a 2022 first-round pick and a 2024 second-rounder.Dvorak has amassed 88 goals and 207 points in 422 career NHL games split between the Habs and Coyotes.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The dynamics of goaltending have changed drastically in the era of the stagnant salary cap. Gone are the days of 70-game workhorses, and a lack of financial flexibility has caused many general managers to pay two decent goalies rather than investing heavily in one.In fact, only three goalies slot within the league's top 50 highest earners on an annual basis. One of them is Carey Price ($10.5 million), who is effectively retired, and another is Sergei Bobrovsky, whose contract was unanimously considered one of the worst in the league before a dominant 2023 playoffs silenced some critics.There are countless cautionary tales of overpaying goalies, so rather than sinking their books at the vital position, teams are deploying tandems between the pipes more than ever. With most starters taking on smaller workloads, reliable backup goaltending is a premium asset.Below, we highlight what we believe are the top five duos across the NHL.It's worth noting that goalie analysis is a volatile task, so much so that only one duo from last year's exercise made the list this time around.Stats from all situations

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson spoke glowingly of Connor Bedard following the phenom's impressive showing at the club's rookie tournament over the weekend."The amount of attention, expectations, not just now but in the past, has been something that is rarely seen," Davidson told NHL.com's Tracey Myers. "I can't speak more highly of how he's handled it, how he's not let it impact his focus and what he thinks is important and the work he needs to put in, both on and off the ice, to perform at the level he expects of himself."He added, "Incredibly mature and impressive for an 18-year-old coming into a very unique situation."Bedard dazzled in his unofficial Blackhawks debut, notching a hat trick against the St. Louis Blues with the lethal wrist shot that helped make him the most hyped prospect since Connor McDavid was drafted first overall in 2015.

The Vancouver Canucks traded forward Tanner Pearson and a third-round pick in 2025 to the Montreal Canadiens for goaltender Casey DeSmith on Tuesday.Pearson was officially activated off long-term injured reserve on Monday, according to Cap Friendly, putting the Canucks over the NHL's $83.5-million threshold with training camp around the corner. After the trade, Vancouver can have roughly $500,000 of wiggle room by placing defenseman Tucker Poolman on LTIR.The 31-year-old is in the final season of his contract and set to earn $3.25 million. The Canucks aren't retaining any salary in the trade.Pearson only appeared in 14 games in 2022-23 due to injury, registering five points. The Canucks conceded after the season that the veteran's ailment wasn't handled properly.Pearson played in parts of five seasons with the Canucks after stints with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2014. He's racked up 272 points in 590 career games and could be an attractive rental at the 2024 trade deadline for teams seeking forward depth if the Canadiens aren't in the playoff race.After landing Pearson, the Canadiens have multiple picks in each of the opening four rounds of the 2025 draft.DeSmith was acquired by Montreal this offseason in the trade that sent Erik Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Canadiens already flipped the other main piece of that deal, Jeff Petry, to the Detroit Red Wings.DeSmith appeared in 38 games last season and owned a .905 save percentage. He should slot in behind Thatcher Demko on Vancouver's depth chart this season.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Anaheim Ducks aren't close to signing Trevor Zegras or Jamie Drysdale with training camp set to open this week, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on Tuesday's edition of "Insider Trading."Both franchise players are restricted free agents. LeBrun noted Zegras and the Ducks are willing to agree on a three-year deal, but there's a sizeable gap when it comes to money.Drysdale's agent is reportedly in Anaheim trying to work out a deal, but nothing is imminent.The Ducks have approximately $16.6 million in available cap space and no other players in need of contracts, according to Cap Friendly.General manager Pat Verbeek said before the 2022-23 campaign that he wouldn't negotiate extensions for either player during the season. Zegras went on to lead Anaheim in scoring with 65 points, while Drysdale was limited to only eight games due to a torn labrum sustained in October.Both players were blue-chip prospects and project to be pillars of Anaheim's current rebuild. Zegras was selected ninth overall in 2019, then Drysdale was drafted sixth overall in 2020.Zegras has notched 139 points in 180 career games and was Calder Trophy runner-up in 2022. The 22-year-old is the Ducks' top-line center and has established himself as one of the NHL's most electrifying players with a long list of highlight-reel plays. Zegras said in August that he hopes to ink a new deal soon.Drysdale hasn't made a name for himself like Zegras yet but is quietly an integral piece of Anaheim's blue line. He set career highs in games played (81), points (32), and average ice time (19:53) in 2022 as a 19-year-old.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Minnesota Wild and Calen Addison have come to terms on an agreement just in time for training camp.The club re-signed the restricted free-agent defenseman to a one-year, $825,000 contract, the team announced Tuesday.Addison was Minnesota's last remaining RFA. He'll be an RFA again after the 2023-24 campaign and is under team control until 2027.In 2022-23, his first full NHL season, the 23-year-old produced three goals and 26 assists while averaging 16:07 of ice time per game in 62 contests. His underlying numbers were stellar offensively - especially on the power play, where he tallied 18 of his assists. Evolving-HockeyAddison is expected to quarterback the top power-play unit once again. At five-on-five, he'll battle with fellow youngster Brock Faber for top-four minutes on the right side of Minnesota's blue line behind captain Jared Spurgeon.The Wild acquired Addison from the Penguins in a 2020 trade that sent Jason Zucker to Pittsburgh. The Pens selected Addison 53rd overall in the 2018 NHL Draft.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Chicago Blackhawks won't have anyone wearing the "C" in the upcoming campaign, general manager Kyle Davidson said Tuesday, according to NBC Sports Chicago's Charlie Roumeliotis.The club will instead use three yet-to-be-named alternate captains to complete the leadership group, the GM added.Jonathan Toews was the Blackhawks' captain for 14 seasons, but they chose not to re-sign him in April when he was on the verge of unrestricted free agency. Last month, the still unsigned 35-year-old said he's not retiring but will be taking time away from the game in 2023-24.The Blackhawks also went without a captain during the abbreviated 2021 campaign, which Toews missed in its entirety due to chronic immune response syndrome and long COVID symptoms.Chicago defenseman Seth Jones said last week he's always wanted to be a captain and that "it would be pretty special" to earn the opportunity with the Blackhawks. The 29-year-old cited his experience learning from veterans like Shea Weber, Blackhawks offseason acquisition Nick Foligno, and Toews himself.However, it's fairly common for rebuilding teams to go without a captain. Chicago tied for the NHL's second-worst record last season and is expected to be among the league's bottom-feeders in 2023-24 despite landing uber-prospect Connor Bedard with the No. 1 overall pick in June's draft.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The St. Louis Blues announced veteran forward Brayden Schenn as the 24th captain in franchise history Tuesday.Ryan O'Reilly last wore the "C" for the Blues until he was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of the 2023 trade deadline.Schenn is entering his seventh season with St. Louis after he was acquired in a trade from the Philadelphia Flyers in 2017. Considered a heart-and-soul player, Schenn has remained productive into his 30s, recording 21 goals and 44 assists in 82 games last season. He also still possesses that trademark grit as he racked up 140 hits.The 32-year-old was part of St. Louis' Stanley Cup triumph in 2019, recording five goals and seven helpers in 26 postseason contests."I don't think it has set in yet, to be honest," Schenn said. "The history of this franchise, the great captains they've had, and now getting your own name added to that extraordinary list, it's a huge honor that I'm thankful for. I'm excited for the opportunity and the challenge this will bring."Seven Blues captains have been inducted into the Hall of Fame: Al Arbour, Bernie Federko, Scott Stevens, Brett Hull, Wayne Gretzky, Chris Pronger, and Al MacInnis.Schenn has five years remaining on his contract with a $6.5-million cap hit. His full no-trade clause becomes a 15-team no-trade list in 2025. If he stays with the Blues and wears the "C" for the remainder of his deal, he'll be the team's longest-tenured captain since David Backes' five-year run from 2011-16. Alex Pietrangelo was captain for four years afterward, while O'Reilly held the role for three campaigns."Schenn is a leader," Blues head coach Craig Berube said. "He's an experienced player, he's done a lot of really good things in St. Louis, and he's been part of a winning team. He shows leadership on and off the ice on a daily basis and he's worked hard since Day 1 when he got here."Forward Robert Thomas and defensemen Colton Parayko and Justin Faulk will serve as assistant captains to round out the club's leadership group for 2023-24.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The following five players are coming off down years, but for a variety of reasons, we believe they're poised to bounce back in 2023-24 and provide value relative to their average draft position in fantasy hockey.Auston Matthews, C, Maple Leafs Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyYou know a player is talented when a 40-goal, 85-point season is considered a down year, but Matthews is capable of so much more. And he's shown it, too.Matthews led the league in goals with 41 in 52 games in 2020-21 and 60 in 73 contests in his Hart Trophy-winning campaign in 2021-22. There are multiple factors that suggest Matthews could return to his prior form.For starters, he played through a hand injury for most of the season, which he admitted in March bothered him. Matthews was still generating offense at a high clip, as he led the league with 1.34 individual expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five. It's also the highest mark of his career.But Matthews' wrister wasn't quite as lethal with his ailing hand, as he shot a career-low 12.2%. For comparison, he shot 17.7% in the two seasons prior and owned a career 16.4% mark entering the campaign.It remains to be seen whether Toronto will be a better team in 2023-24, but the additions of Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, and John Klingberg, plus a full season of rookie Matthew Knies, should result in a more dangerous offensive club.While Connor McDavid deserves to be the No. 1 player off the board in fantasy leagues, a healthy Matthews could easily finish as the second-ranked player. A return to 60 goals is very possible, and if he plays a full 82 games, there's a chance he could even flirt with 70.Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, Flames Jonathan Kozub / National Hockey League / GettyIt was evident early on that Huberdeau did not mesh with head coach Darryl Sutter during his first year with the Flames. A new voice behind the bench in Ryan Huska will be music to the ears of Huberdeau.While Sutter's teams have been highly successful in the past, his system has a certain amount of rigidness to it that can make it difficult for free-flowing offensive players like Huberdeau to adapt. In 2023-24, the Flames are expected to play much more loosely, which could help Huberdeau find his form from 2021-22, when he racked up 115 points and led the league with 85 assists.Reaching those totals again may be unlikely, but a return to a near point-per-game season should very much be in the cards after he was only able to muster together 15 goals and 40 assists last season. He's simply too talented to have another year like that. He'll also likely play far more under Huska than the 16:52 (his lowest ATOI since 2014-15) he averaged under Sutter.Alex DeBrincat, LW/RW, Red Wings G Fiume / Getty Images Sport / GettyDeBrincat's lone season in Ottawa did not go as planned - both for the player and team. A two-time 40-goal scorer, he joined the Senators with monster expectations but managed just 27 goals and 66 points in 82 games.Part of DeBrincat's down year was poor puck luck. His individual expected goals for per 60 minutes was 1.09, which tied the highest mark in his career and was identical to the prior season when he potted 41 goals. However, DeBrincat only converted on 10.3% of his shots - the second-lowest single-season mark of his career. He shot 17.2% in the two seasons prior and entered the campaign with a career clip of 15.5%.DeBrincat should also be extra motivated playing for his hometown Red Wings, where he'll likely ride shotgun on the top line with Dylan Larkin. Detroit expects to make sizeable improvements in 2023-24 after a busy offseason which will only help DeBrincat's fantasy outlook.John Klingberg, D, Maple Leafs David Berding / Getty Images Sport / GettyThe Leafs' signing of Klingberg was met with plenty of skepticism - and rightly so considering he's arguably been the NHL's worst defensive defenseman over the last couple of seasons. But strictly from a fantasy perspective, the offensive-minded Klingberg could thrive with the Leafs.Klingberg spent last season between the Anaheim Ducks and the Minnesota Wild, and it was a disaster. By registering 33 points in 67 contests, he produced the worst points-per-game mark of his nine-year NHL career.But by joining the Leafs, Klingberg will get to play with the best offensive team of his career. And he won't be used in a depth role as he was in Minnesota considering he's making $4.125 million in Toronto.Klingberg will likely start the season on the team's second power play, but if the top unit falters early, the first change would be Klingberg replacing Morgan Rielly. The Leafs showed a willingness to do this in past years with the much less proven Rasmus Sandin getting a crack with the first unit. If Klingberg is able to edge Rielly for PP1 duties, he could easily record 50-60 points - a robust output considering he'll likely go in the second half of most fantasy drafts.Cam Talbot, G, Kings Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyTalbot will be overlooked in many fantasy drafts because he's 36 years old and coming off a poor season with the Senators in which he posted an .898 save percentage in 36 games. But don't be surprised if he has one more good year left in the tank.The veteran proved in the previous two years with the Minnesota Wild that if he has a strong defensive team in front of him, he can still thrive, as he posted a .913 save percentage across those two campaigns. And Talbot couldn't have winded up in a better spot than Los Angeles - an excellent defensive team that allowed the second-fewest expected goals against per 60 minutes at five-on-five last season.He projects to share the crease with journeyman Pheonix Copley, but Talbot is the safer bet to be the more valuable fantasy goaltender of the two. It may be a near 50-50 split to start the season, but with his experience and pedigree, expect Talbot to get more starts as the season goes on. A .910 save percentage with 30 wins is very much in the cards.Josh Wegman has been theScore's resident fantasy hockey expert since 2015. Find him on X @JoshWegman_.(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick)Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Sidney Crosby is insistent the Pittsburgh Penguins don't make a habit of missing the playoffs.The club fell short of the postseason cutline this past spring for the first time since Crosby's rookie season in 2005-06, and getting back into the dance is the future Hall of Famer's primary goal heading into his 19th campaign."Motivation comes from not making the playoffs," Crosby told The Athletic's Rob Rossi."That's a bad feeling when you're watching and you're not in it. To know you were as close as we were - I mean, it was one point, basically, is the difference - you know how tight it is going in. But it's just not fun watching."Pittsburgh's 91 points were one shy of the Florida Panthers, who secured the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. The Penguins controlled their own destiny to close out the year but fell flat in their last two games against the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets - who finished 30th and 31st, respectively, in the league standings.After the failed season, the Penguins fired general manager Ron Hextall and president Brian Burke before hiring Kyle Dubas to run the front office. Dubas was as busy as any executive in the league over the summer, making several prominent free-agent signings and orchestrating a blockbuster trade for reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson.Crosby is encouraged by the new looks across the organization."When there's turnover and change, you just have to be open to it and make sure we're ready to go," he said. "I mean, there's always going to be a learning curve for any new group, but when there's a lot of turnover, that's just part of it."Crosby appeared in all 82 games last season and notched 93 points, both personal bests since 2018-19.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Columbus Blue Jackets majority owner John McConnell isn't planning to punish the club's front-office staff for the Mike Babcock debacle - at least not right now."Our ownership group is deeply frustrated and disappointed by the events of the past week," McConnell said in a statement Monday. "We have been in contact with (president of hockey operations) John Davidson, (general manager) Jarmo Kekalainen, and our management team throughout this process and were in full agreement with Mike Babcock stepping down and Pascal Vincent leading our team as head coach."We had candid conversations with our leadership after last season about our goals and expectations for growth and progress on the ice in 2023-24. Those expectations are still in place and can still be achieved, so we do not anticipate further changes to our hockey leadership team at this time. Additional disruptions would be detrimental to our players and coaches as they prepare for the opening of training camp in two days. We will continue to have regular communications with our hockey leadership and are looking forward to an exciting season."Kekalainen and Davidson addressed reporters shortly thereafter, and the latter executive admitted they erred in hiring Babcock."We got it wrong, and that's on us," Davidson said, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.Davidson said those who were critical of the Babcock hiring from the beginning may have been justified, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.Kekalainen took responsibility individually for the decision."I believe that Mike Babcock deserved another opportunity to coach. Obviously, that was a mistake, and that responsibility's mine," the GM said, according to The Associated Press' Stephen Whyno.Kekalainen confirmed some of the Blue Jackets' players weren't comfortable with Babcock's methods, before adding the ex-head coach asked him for his phone as well."Personally, I had no problem with it, but I can see how it might put someone in an uncomfortable situation," Kekalainen said. The GM also mentioned that he apologized to the team Monday for the hiring.Kekalainen and Davidson are now under the microscope after Babcock resigned Sunday amid an NHLPA investigation into allegations that he forced players - including Jackets captain Boone Jenner - to hand over their phones, scrolled through their camera rolls, and AirPlayed photos onto a larger screen.The Blue Jackets issued denials from Babcock and Jenner shortly after podcast host Paul Bissonnette cited the allegations made to him by an unnamed player Tuesday. The NHL and NHLPA then began looking into the matter, as representatives from the latter organization travelled to Columbus to investigate.The NHLPA was reportedly initially satisfied with explanations from Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau, but later changed course after hearing some of Columbus' younger players were uncomfortable with Babcock's actions.Kekalainen has been the Blue Jackets' GM since February 2013, when Columbus made him the first European-born individual to occupy the role in NHL history. He's now the third-longest tenured current GM in the league despite the fact that the Jackets have won only one playoff series in his 10 full seasons at the helm.Davidson hired Kekalainen in 2013. The former goaltender resigned as team president in May 2019 to take the same job with the New York Rangers and then returned to Columbus in his current capacity after the Blueshirts fired him in the spring of 2021.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Buckle up, everyone. The tense scraps for wild-card spots and heavyweight bouts for the top place in each division are almost upon us. Ah, we missed the gut-wrenching anxiety and excitement that the hockey season brings.We know nothing comes easy in the NHL, but we've gone ahead and ranked the divisions anyway, going from weakest to strongest.4. Central AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images / Denver Post / GettyTeam2022-23RecordGoal Diff.PlayoffsAvalanche51-24-7+54Lost in 1st roundStars47-21-14+67Lost in conference finalsWild46-25-11+21Lost in 1st roundJets46-33-3+22Lost in 1st roundPredators42-32-8-9Did not qualifyBlues37-38-7-38Did not qualifyCoyotes28-40-14-71Did not qualifyBlackhawks26-49-7-97Did not qualifyThere's no debate about who the top two squads are in the Central. The Avalanche and Stars both project to be fearsome contenders in 2023-24.Colorado finished one point ahead of Dallas for the No. 1 spot in the division last season despite an inordinate number of injuries to key players. The Avalanche had to retool parts of their lineup this summer and will once again be without Gabriel Landeskog, but the mere presence of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar makes them the favorites to finish atop the division for a third straight year. The Stars already checked all the boxes you need to go Cup chasing - a dynamite top line (Joe Pavelski, Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson), a stud defenseman (Miro Heiskanen), and a great goalie (Jake Oettinger) - but they got even scarier by adding Matt Duchene, who fell into their lap after the Predators bought him out.Minnesota sits in the Central's next tier. The Wild will in all likelihood take the third spot, but they are really feeling the constraints from the pricey Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts from two years ago. With around $14.7 million in dead cap space, Minnesota could only add Pat Maroon this summer with the team basically stuck in a holding pattern.The drop-off from here ranges wildly, which is why we put the Central in the No. 4 spot. The Jets are listing toward hot-mess territory after another inconsistent campaign and could get even worse if they move on from pending unrestricted free agents Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck during the season. Plenty of noise is expected to surround the team again, but that's becoming the norm for Winnipeg. The Predators are difficult to predict after an interesting first offseason under GM Barry Trotz where they parted ways with Duchene while adding the likes of Ryan O'Reilly and Luke Schenn. Depending on how things shake out, we could see both teams in the race for a wild-card spot, but it won't be easy given the stiff competition from the Central's Western Conference counterparts.The Blues had a midseason fire sale in 2022-23, and now only six players remain who won the Stanley Cup in 2019: Robert Thomas, Brayden Schenn, Sammy Blais, Colton Parayko, Robert Bortuzzo, and Jordan Binnington. St. Louis had a quiet summer, adding just Kevin Hayes, Oskar Sundqvist, and Mackenzie MacEachern, and the club may be stuck outside the playoff picture again if the likes of Thomas, Binnington, Parayko, and Jordan Kyrou don't step up.Finally, for the first time in what feels like forever, the Coyotes and Blackhawks will at least be exciting to watch, albeit not as surefire playoff threats. Arizona has more potential to surprise, though, after adding a large new cast of players, including Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba, not to mention youngster Logan Cooley. 2023 first-overall pick Connor Bedard, meanwhile, will make sure the media spotlight shines bright on Chicago all season.3. Pacific Ethan Miller / Getty Images Sport / GettyTeam2022-23RecordGoal Diff.PlayoffsGolden Knights51-22-9+43Won Stanley CupOilers50-23-9+65Lost in 2nd roundKings47-25-10+23Lost in 1st roundKraken46-28-8+33Lost in 2nd roundFlames38-27-17+8Did not qualifyCanucks38-37-7-22Did not qualifySharks22-44-16-87Did not qualifyDucks23-47-12-129Did not qualifyThere's a thin margin separating the Pacific and the No. 2 division on this list, but we ended up giving the bronze to the reigning Stanley Cup champions and Co.The Golden Knights will be virtually the same team as last year - sans Reilly Smith, Laurent Brossoit, Phil Kessel, and Teddy Blueger - which certainly isn't a wrong move given they're just three months removed from lifting Lord Stanley's Mug. The Oilers are the other major threat in the Pacific thanks to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Our money is on Vegas and Edmonton duking it out for the top spot.The Kings, meanwhile, are an interesting case. They boast a fearsome one-two-three punch down the middle in Anze Kopitar, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Phillip Danault, but you can't say the same about their goalies. The trio of Pheonix Copley, Cam Talbot, and David Rittich doesn't feel structurally sound, especially in a division that features two of last season's top-five offenses.The first one is easy to guess - Edmonton led the league with 325 goals. The Kraken, however, ranked fourth with 289 while rebounding from their abysmal inaugural season. Seattle got it done by committee thanks to strong team chemistry and was largely able to keep the gang intact this summer. Like the Kings, goaltending is the Kraken's biggest concern, with much of the responsibility riding on Philipp Grubauer's shoulders.There are a couple of wild cards in the mix out west, too. The Canucks revamped their defense by buying out Oliver Ekman-Larsson and bringing in Carson Soucy and Ian Cole. That should help goalie Thatcher Demko, who struggled last season, but we aren't rushing to pencil Vancouver into a playoff spot. No one can be certain what the Flames will look like - any number of Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm, and Mikael Backlund could still be moved - but a shift away from ex-coach Darryl Sutter's hard-nosed style could positively impact Calgary's place in the standings.Finally, we've got a pair of stragglers in California. We think the Ducks are going to be better than they were last season, but the Sharks will be worse. San Jose finally moved on from reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson, while Anaheim improved its ranks by being active on the veteran UFA market with the additions of two-time Stanley Cup champion Alex Killorn and heavy defenseman Radko Gudas.2. Atlantic Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyTeam2022-23RecordGoal Diff.PlayoffsBruins65-12-5+128Lost in 1st roundMaple Leafs50-21-11+57Lost in 2nd roundLightning46-30-6+29Lost in 1st roundPanthers42-32-8+17Lost in Stanley Cup FinalSabres42-33-7-4Did not qualifySenators39-35-8-10Did not qualifyRed Wings35-37-10-39Did not qualifyCanadiens31-45-6-75Did not qualifyIt feels like the Atlantic Division is usually a lock for the No. 1 spot, but not this time. This isn't to say that it isn't filled with heavyweights, it's just that a few of the usual suspects have taken a step back.The Bruins were dealt not one but two crushing blows after the retirements of Selke Trophy king Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Barring any other moves, Boston is entering the season with Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha as its top two centers. That's quite the drop-off for the reigning Presidents' Trophy winners, but they still boast at least one bona fide star in each of their position groups thanks to David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Linus Ullmark. The Bruins' spot in the playoffs isn't guaranteed, but this team can still compete.The Lightning, meanwhile, saw their point percentage dip below the .600 mark for the first time since 2016-17 last season, and they're at risk of a further slide after a tight salary-cap situation forced them to lose key supporting players in Killorn, Maroon, Ross Colton, and Corey Perry. Staying in Florida, the Panthers are coming off a miracle run to the Stanley Cup Final, which was astounding given the way they struggled in the regular season. We project the Cardiac Cats to come back down to earth a little bit in 2023-24, with the main determining factor being Sergei Bobrovsky; Matthew Tkachuk may be confident that Bobrovsky will be the same game-breaking goalie he was last spring, but we aren't as convinced. Florida will also be without top defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour to start the season.Rounding out the Atlantic's typical top dogs are the Maple Leafs, who could very well be the most realistic option to take the No. 1 spot at this point. Toronto is returning with its talented-yet-much-criticized core, but new GM Brad Treliving has altered his team's identity by injecting some "snot" in the form of Ryan Reaves, Max Domi, and Tyler Bertuzzi.Now this is where the division starts to get really interesting. The Sabres, Senators, and Red Wings could all conceivably force their way into the playoffs after making strides in 2022-23. Buffalo was just one point away last year, and the young group is hungry to take the next step, while Ottawa is hoping new No. 1 goalie Joonas Korpisalo will have better luck getting the club over the hump. Detroit was the furthest from the postseason picture of the trio last season but made the most additions this summer, including Alex DeBrincat, J.T. Compher, Jeff Petry, and Shayne Gostisbehere.Finally, the Canadiens ... are there. Someone has to finish eighth in the division, and we assume it'll be them.1. Metropolitan Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyTeam2022-23RecordGoal Diff.PlayoffsHurricanes52-21-9+53Lost in conference finalsDevils52-22-8+65Lost in 2nd roundRangers47-22-13+58Lost in 1st roundIslanders42-31-9+21Lost in 1st roundPenguins40-31-11-2Did not qualifyCapitals35-37-10-10Did not qualifyFlyers31-38-13-55Did not qualifyBlue Jackets25-48-9-116Did not qualifyThe Eastern Conference is stacked, and we predict the Presidents' Trophy will head to the Metropolitan Division.This isn't a hot take: If it weren't for the Bruins having a historically good campaign, the Hurricanes would've been the league's best regular-season squad last year. However, don't count out the Devils. Only one point separated New Jersey and Carolina in the standings, and neither team took a step back this summer. The Hurricanes added gritty forward Michael Bunting, who gained experience playing with elite talent in Toronto, and they added to the league's best defense corps by bringing in Dmitry Orlov. The Devils will be getting a full season with Timo Meier, and they added Tyler Toffoli, who led the Flames with 34 goals and 73 points last season.We have the Rangers pencilled into the No. 3 spot in the Metropolitan Division simply because it would take a gargantuan effort by new head coach Peter Laviolette and his squad to supplant the Canes or Devils. New York will be good again, buoyed by goalie Igor Shesterkin, top defense pair Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren, and a strong forward group featuring Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibinejad, and Chris Kreider. The Islanders didn't change at all following a first-round exit at the hands of the Hurricanes, but they'll go as Ilya Sorokin goes. He could very well drag them into the playoffs again.Similar to the Atlantic, the Metro's middling, non-playoff teams from last year will draw plenty of intrigue. The Penguins heavily underperformed in 2022-23, but new GM Kyle Dubas did his part to ensure Sidney Crosby and Co. will be back in the dance this spring by reeling in reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson. As for Pittsburgh's biggest rivals, we refuse to believe the Capitals will be as injured as they were in 2022-23, so a return to the postseason for Washington is viable. Helping the Caps' case is Max Pacioretty, who, like many others on the team, will be looking to rebound from an injury-riddled campaign.We have hope for one of the Metro's 2022-23 bottom-feeders. The Blue Jackets will have top defenseman Zach Werenski back, and they made some intriguing additions on the back end with Damon Severson and Ivan Provorov. Hopefully, they can make life easier for goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, who had a hell of a time last season. We don't, however, have hope for the other bottom-feeder. At least top prospect Cutter Gauthier should be fun for Flyers fans to watch if he comes over once the NCAA season ends.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Mike Babcock is out as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets without serving behind the bench for a single game.The 60-year-old resigned from the position Sunday, with associate coach Pascal Vincent taking over the role, the club announced."Upon reflection, it has become clear that continuing as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets was going to be too much of a distraction," Babcock said in a statement issued by the team. "While I'm disappointed to not have had the opportunity to continue the work we've begun, I know it's in the best interest of the organization for me to step away at this time. I wish everyone in the organization well in the upcoming season."Babcock came under NHLPA scrutiny Tuesday when podcast host Paul Bissonnette claimed a player told him the bench boss had repeatedly asked players - including Columbus captain Boone Jenner - for their phones, scrolled through their camera rolls, and projected the images onto a larger screen.The veteran coach denied doing so shortly thereafter, and Jenner said they simply exchanged family photos.The league and the NHLPA looked into the matter and were initially satisfied with Jenner's explanation, as well as a similar one from teammate Johnny Gaudreau, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. However, the league and the players' union reportedly changed their minds when several of Columbus' younger players said they weren't comfortable with what happened to them.Among the most serious concerns for the NHLPA was a meeting that occurred away from team facilities that included several minutes of looking through a phone, multiple sources told Friedman."Our players deserve to be treated with respect in the workplace," NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said in a statement regarding Babcock's resignation. "Unfortunately, that was not the case in Columbus. The club's decision to move forward with a new head coach is the appropriate course of action.""This was a difficult decision on everyone's part, but one we felt necessary to ensure our focus remains on the players and the team's upcoming season," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement. "On behalf of the entire Blue Jackets organization, we want to thank Mike for his hard work and the professionalism he has shown in working together on a plan to step down."Vincent, soon to turn 52, has been an associate coach in Columbus since 2021. Prior to joining the Blue Jackets' staff, the Laval, Quebec native spent five campaigns as an assistant on the Winnipeg Jets' bench and five seasons as head coach of the AHL's Manitoba Moose. He was named the AHL's Coach of the Year in 2018."This is a difficult day, but I am looking forward to this opportunity and appreciate the organization's confidence in me to lead this team," Vincent said in a statement. "We have a great group of guys that have been working very hard to prepare for the season. My focus will be to work with our staff to help them get better every day and be ready for what we believe will be an exciting season."Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin is hoping his club can ride last season's strong finish into a hot start for the 2023-24 campaign."It definitely feels different because I feel that we're more aligned from the top to the bottom," Allvin told Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre Friday when asked about the organizational changes over the last year. "I think we're all preaching the same message. We know the players. And there was definitely a big momentum boost after last year when we did the coaching change."The Canucks were a long shot to make the previous postseason after an 18-25-3 start to the 2022-23 campaign under head coach Bruce Boudreau. Vancouver missed the playoffs by 15 points, but Allvin took solace in the club's strong finish, going 20-12-4 after Rick Tocchet replaced Boudreau.Allvin said he believes that a full training camp under Tocchet will prepare the team better to avoid the poor starts that torpedoed them in past seasons."The approach Toc has and how he wants to play the game, you need to be fit to play," he said. "And I think that's what he emphasized to the players - the fitness level in order to be able to play the right way. That's where I give the leadership group a lot of credit because the players came together and sent out the texts, and everybody showed up earlier than ever before."After the Canucks finished 25th in the league in goals against and owned the NHL's worst penalty kill last season, Allvin made a cognizant effort to improve the club's defensive play for the upcoming campaign.In addition to signing Carson Soucy and Ian Cole to help shore up the blue line, Vancouver also brought in defensive-minded centers Pius Suter and Teddy Blueger to improve the overall team defense.Allvin said those additions and a full season under Tocchet will help the Canucks win the close, low-scoring games they couldn't last season."You don't need to win games 6-5, 7-5," he said. "You can win games 2-1 by playing the right way and being a very, very consistent team. I think that's what we (strive for), being very consistent in detail."Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Sidney Crosby is open to handing Connor McDavid the reins should the two ever suit up together for Team Canada.The NHL and NHLPA recently announced plans to kick-start a regular international tournament schedule in 2025, and Crosby said he'd be thrilled to suit up alongside McDavid - even if it means sacrificing his usual position."I'll go there," Crosby said on Sportsnet's "32 Thoughts" podcast. "I'll play my off-wing, no worries. Listen, I've skated with him and I've played both, so I think I'm good either way with playing center or wing, whatever he wants to do. He can carry the mail. I'll just find the opening."The NHL hasn't held a best-on-best international tourney since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. Crosby captained Canada to the title, but McDavid suited up for Team North America - a blend of Under-23 players from both Canada and the United States that took the tournament by storm but didn't advance past the group stage.While nothing is finalized, the NHL hopes to host a World Cup in 2025 before returning to the Olympics in 2026. The league's intention is to hold World Cups on the even years between the Winter Games going forward.Crosby will turn 38 in 2025, but age is unlikely be a consideration when Canada assembles its next team. He captained the country to gold at the Sochi Games in 2014, scored the winning goal at the Vancouver Games in 2010, and also has world junior and world championship gold medals on his resume.McDavid hasn't represented Canada since the 2018 world championship, where he wore the "C" and captured a gold medal. The 26-year-old has also won world junior and Under-18 gold.A Crosby-McDavid partnership would make Canada a clear-cut favorite in the eyes of many, but Crosby doesn't think it's that simple."Seeing all the other countries, you look at their lineups. I mean, it's pretty tight," Crosby said. "I mean, there's no real favored team. It's easy to say Canada because we've had success at Olympics and that sort of thing. But, I mean, the hockey is incredible. And from my experience, it doesn't really get any better than that, when you're looking at the lineups and you're looking to players that are assembled."Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After falling just one point off the mark last year, New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes thinks he can become the first player in franchise history to have a 100-point season."I'm a competitive person, so definitely a little like, 'Damn,' you know?" Hughes said of his 99-point effort during a recent appearance on the "32 Thoughts" podcast. "I wanted that because I'm competitive."You're so close, and you dream of being a star and you want to be a 100-point guy. ... I believe I will be. I just gotta stay on the path I'm on and keep my nose to the grind. I should get there."Though he's only 22 years old, Hughes enjoyed a long-awaited breakout season in 2022-23. His 99 points in 78 games were the most in a single campaign in Devils history, and his 43 tallies were the most since Zach Parise's 45-goal season in 2008-09.Hughes amassed just 108 points in 166 games through his first three NHL seasons after being drafted first overall in 2019. He acknowledged back in May that he was happy to silence critics who'd labeled him as "the biggest bust ever."The Devils also took a step forward last season, rattling off 52 wins and 112 points to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18. Expectations will be higher in New Jersey in 2023-24, which Hughes admitted is a nice change of pace for his team."In previous years ... you're walking into camp (thinking), 'What's going to happen this year? What pick are we going to get? Who are we dishing at the deadline?'" Hughes said with a laugh."Even last year, we were like, 'Alright, it's time to take a step. We're no longer the young team that can use that as an excuse every year.' ... At what point is it like, 'Maybe Hughes, Hischier, (Jesper Bratt) - maybe they aren't the guys if they can't win any hockey games, it doesn't matter how young they are.' Last year was crazy because we just exploded, and no one saw it coming."Hughes' renewed pursuit of the century mark will begin Oct. 12 versus the Detroit Red Wings.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

HENDERSON, Nev. - Connor McDavid, a household name in the hockey world before he could legally drive, has been fielding questions of all kinds from reporters and fans over the past decade. He knows the routine.Holding court with reporters Wednesday, a week before his ninth training camp with the Edmonton Oilers, McDavid highlighted one particular question."I come to this event all the time and everyone's like, 'When are you going to win? When are you going to win?'" a relaxed McDavid said at the annual player media tour hosted by the NHL and NHL Players' Association. Andy Devlin / Getty ImagesMcDavid understands why people associate the Edmonton Oilers with the Stanley Cup, and why they wonder when's it all going to come together for this group, if ever. McDavid, who turns 27 in January, and Leon Draisaitl, who'll be 28 in late October, aren't kids anymore. The learning should be over.At the same time, as Draisaitl put it, "We're not the only team trying to chase something here." In the parity-filled, 32-team NHL, it's a long, tough slog to the top of the mountain."We have a training camp that we have to get through," McDavid said. "We've gotta get off to a good start. And there's 82 full games before you even get back to the same position. This is a marathon, and it takes everybody. It takes a little bit of good fortune as well."Not only are they in the primes of their careers, but Draisaitl's current deal has two seasons left and McDavid's is done in three. Both could re-sign, sure, but it's also possible this group has a limited window. Andy Devlin / Getty ImagesThe most productive duo since Mario and Jagr has a combined four Hart, five Pearson, and six Art Ross trophies. Last year saw McDavid amass an absurd 64 goals and 153 points, while Draisaitl recorded "just" 52 goals and 128 points. They've both been dominant for stretches in the playoffs, too, leading the Oilers to a total of four series victories. Yet, they don't have any Stanley Cup Final appearances."We're at that stage where we all want to win, we're ready to win. And we're ready to do whatever it takes to win, more importantly," Draisaitl said, later noting how back-to-back losses to the eventual Cup champions (Colorado in 2022, Vegas in 2023) should be considered "invaluable" experiences.General manager Ken Holland barely touched the roster in the offseason. Middle-six winger Connor Brown - McDavid, a former junior teammate, called him "tenacious, relentless on the puck" - was the club's biggest addition. All eyes will be on the team's defense, which is led by relatively new defenseman Mattias Ekholm, and the goaltending tandem of Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell."We believe in them. They're two very capable goalies," McDavid said. "Skinny is a young guy who has a ceiling as high as he wants to make it, really. He's got all the tools. I really believe that he is going to be a great goalie in this league. And Soup: I feel like he's going to bounce back."Hello, Atlantic Division gauntlet Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesEvery year at this time, pundits and fans size up each conference and division. In those evaluations, there tends to be a clear divide between the haves and have-nots. For instance, the Central Division has two Cup contenders in Colorado and Dallas ... and then six clearly inferior teams.You can't say the same about the Atlantic, though. It's going to be a gauntlet.All four 2022-23 playoff teams - Boston, Toronto, Tampa Bay, and Florida - are more than capable of punching a ticket to the postseason again. However, Ottawa, Detroit, and Buffalo are far enough along in their competitive cycles to believe a playoff berth is finally an attainable goal.That's seven of eight teams (sorry, Montreal) vying for a maximum five spots."It's like hell," a laughing Red Wings center Dylan Larkin said."Biased, but I would say it's the best division right now," said Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk, who's coming off a Hart Trophy finalist nod and MVP-caliber performance during Florida's unexpected march to the Cup Final.That magical 20-game run for Tkachuk featured 11 goals, four of them game-winners, and 24 points. To Matthew's proud younger brother Brady, the Senators' captain, this past spring "showed the hockey world what myself and the rest of my family already saw in Matthew - and that's a superstar."The Tkachuks, 23 and 25, are both locked into long-term deals, so their on-ice rivalry is just beginning to heat up as Florida and Ottawa butt heads in the standings. South Florida embracing the Panthers' run helped fuel Brady's offseason. The power forward wants to see Ottawa go bananas. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesThe Sens have a burgeoning superstar of their own in Tim Stutzle. The German leads an offense that's suddenly deep, with Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Claude Giroux, Josh Norris, and Vladimir Tarasenko up front, and Thomas Chabot and Jakob Chychrun pacing the back end."We got a taste of that in the playoff push in February, March, and April," Brady said of 2022-23, as Ottawa missed the playoff cut line by six points."When we were going through that, we were riding the highs and we were in the lows a little too long. But towards the end of it, we learned it's a new day the next day. You can't focus on anything else but the task at hand, whether it's being dialed in at practice or the game. We've learned and we're ready to show everybody what we've learned and we're ready for that next step."Detroit and Buffalo are on a similar trajectory following a lean period. The Sabres' fan base, which has endured the NHL's longest playoff drought, is uniquely tortured. Sniper Tage Thompson was 13 when the club last made it."We were knocking on the door last year and missed the playoffs by a point," said Thompson, now 25 years old and chasing his first 50-goal season. "That left a bitter taste in all our mouths. Now we know what we're capable of."Anything short of making the playoffs is definitely a letdown."Praising Patrice 'Mr. Perfect' Bergeron Boston Globe / Boston Globe / GettyThere aren't many NHLers with a 100% approval rating among other players.But Patrice Bergeron, who retired in late July after 19 glorious seasons with the Bruins, is undoubtedly on that very short list. Like retired goalie Henrik Lundqvist, Bergeron gives off Mr. Perfect vibes: a Hockey Hall of Fame-level talent who's described as a kind, genuine, universally respected person off the ice and just so happens to also have GQ cover-model looks."He's just perfect," Bruins teammate Charlie McAvoy said. "There's no such thing. It doesn't exist. But we can let it exist (for a moment)."Bergeron's arguably the greatest two-way player of all time, having set a record for Selke Trophies. He claimed Nos. 5 and 6 in his final two seasons. Brian Babineau / Getty ImagesRivals gush about his hockey IQ and defensive timing, three-zone chemistry with longtime linemates Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, and nightly habit of dominating in the faceoff circle. The right-handed center, listed at 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds, finished with a 58.9% success rate on 22,447 draws."Every time we'd play Boston, my back was so sore from faceoffs. He's just so strong," Larkin said. The divisional foe later noted Bergeron "was never out of position. He always had Marchand and Pastrnak flying. And then he's just such a nice guy. He's a class act.""I don't think I ever made him mad, but he'd be one of those guys where if you'd piss him off you'd want to apologize because he's so nice," Larkin said.Bergeron's a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and he's probably deserving of another honor. "They might as well just rename the Selke," said Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar, himself twice crowned the NHL's best defensive forward.McAvoy put it simply: "Change the Selke Trophy to the Bergeron."Parting shotsSmilin' Mario: The player media tour is a trip for rookie attendees. Players bop from station to station for promotional video shoots, social-media content creation, and sit-downs with reporters. There's a ton of smiling, which created a conundrum for San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro. "I'm in the process of trying to get it fixed," a grinning Ferraro said when asked about missing multiple front teeth. "I was supposed to have surgery last week, but I held it off. I wanted to make sure my face wasn't blowing up for the interviews." Ferraro isn't the first NHLer to lose a few then gain notoriety for the old-school look (see: Brent Burns, Drew Doughty). The repair work is more complicated than you'd think. "If you put the (replacement) teeth in and you get hit again, it can actually break your jaw," Ferraro said.

Much like in the NHL, goaltending can make or break a fantasy hockey season. There's a premium on difference-makers between the pipes and, with that in mind, we're going to identify some netminding options to target and avoid leading up to your drafts.We omitted some obvious choices - the Andrei Vasilevskiys and Igor Shesterkins of the world, among others - because it goes without saying that rostering top-calibre goaltenders is an obvious recipe for success.Jake Oettinger, Stars Ethan Miller / Getty Images Sport / GettyOettinger has been a hidden gem for the past two fantasy seasons, but his highly impressive resume makes him one of the top up-and-coming goaltenders in the NHL. Although the 24-year-old is much more well-known than he was a year ago, he still falls behind the league's veteran superstars in most rankings. If the usual suspects go off the board in the opening rounds of your draft, make Oettinger your first goalie pick and reap the benefits throughout the season.On top of respectable raw stats - he posted 37 wins, a .919 save percentage, a 2.37 goals against average (GAA), and five shutouts en route to finishing fifth in Vezina voting last season - Oettinger's situation as Dallas' No. 1 is highly attractive. The Stars are bonafide Stanley Cup contenders and play in a Central Division that, outside of the Colorado Avalanche, lacks firepower. Oettinger went 13-2-3 with a .927 clip within his division in 2022-23 and should replicate his success this season as one of the most dependable goaltenders in the league.Linus Ullmark, Bruins China Wong / National Hockey League / GettyThere isn't a clearer regression candidate in the entire league. We aren't suggesting Ullmark suddenly isn't a quality goalie anymore, but it will be virtually impossible for him to improve on his Vezina-winning season. The Bruins' stalwart led the league in wins, save percentage, GAA, and goals saved above average to backstop a record-setting Boston squad in 2022-23, but we're admittedly frightened at what the wholesale changes in Beantown might do to Ullmark's fantasy stock.The Bruins lost a ton of talent throughout the roster, and it remains to be seen how difficult life in the post-Patrice Bergeron era will be. Boston tends to prove naysayers wrong, but a step back after the best regular season in league history is all but guaranteed. Just how far the Bruins fall in a deep Atlantic Division is the million-dollar question, and the uncertainty makes Ullmark a significant gamble this fantasy season.Ullmark's rocky playoff against the Florida Panthers is also cause for concern. And backup Jeremy Swayman is likely as motivated as ever to take the No. 1 role after going through arbitration this summer.Filip Gustavsson, Wild Tom Pennington / Getty Images Sport / GettyGustavsson wrangled Minnesota's starting gig from future Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury last season and is the Wild's no-doubt No. 1 heading into 2023-24. The club rewarded the Swede's strong campaign - which included a .931 save percentage - with a three-year contract this summer, and the 25-year-old is certainly a player to watch.His small sample size may scare some fantasy managers away, but Gustavsson proved he's a legitimate game-changer last season with 31.3 goals saved above average in only 39 games, a total that trailed only Ullmark and New York Islanders superstar Ilya Sorokin. Gustavsson was a primary reason Minnesota reached the playoffs this past spring and should be again as the Wild have the inside track on the third seed in the Central. Taking Gustavsson in the middle of your draft, or in the later rounds if you're lucky enough to tandem him with another No. 1, is a surefire way to get an upper hand.Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers Josh Lavallee / National Hockey League / GettyBobrovsky made the hockey world take notice with a Herculean playoff run this past spring, but the veteran's magical performance fell three wins shy of the Stanley Cup and we reckon it won't carry into the 2023-24 campaign. The Panthers' netminder posted a .935 clip in the first three rounds of Florida's surprise effort, then an extended break before the final seemed to crater Bobrovsky's momentum as he went 1-4 with an .844 save percentage against the Vegas Golden Knights.That playoff run surely took a ton out of the 34-year-old, and he's much more likely to perform near the .905 save percentage he's mustered through four seasons in Florida than at the level he performed at in the postseason. Making matters worse, the Panthers will likely be without Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour for the early stages of the year. Although Bobrovsky showed flashes of his old two-time Vezina-winning self in the playoffs, we don't feel he's a safe bet as a fantasy starter entering his 14th NHL campaign.Devon Levi, Sabres Kevin Hoffman / Getty Images Sport / GettyLevi shouldn't be an early-round target in your drafts this fall but he should be at the top of every manager's mind later on - especially in keeper leagues. The 21-year-old is one of the top goaltending prospects in the world and the up-and-coming Sabres didn't bring in any veterans to stand in Levi's way between the pipes.He only made seven appearances as a rookie last season, going 5-2 with a modest .905 save percentage. However, Levi's sterling collegiate and international careers made him a can't-miss prospect for a reason, as he's shown all the tools to become a quality NHL starter in short order. It's safe to expect a learning curve - as is often the case with young netminders - but drafting Levi this season has scintillating upside potential.Darcy Kuemper, Capitals Gregory Shamus / Getty Images Sport / GettyKuemper's been a sought-after commodity in fantasy for several seasons, but a rocky debut campaign in D.C. made him a red flag for 2023-24. He registered an .898 save percentage across his final 25 appearances last season, and the Capitals are trending in the wrong direction in a top-heavy Metropolitan Division. Despite hiring a new, offensive-minded coach in Spencer Carbery, the Caps' roster simply doesn't appear to have enough support outside of Alex Ovechkin to make Kuemper worth drafting high.The 33-year-old won only nine of 21 divisional matchups last year, and the Hurricanes, Devils, and Penguins all made big-ticket offseason moves to get deeper. Washington seems to be stuck in the middle of wild-card contention and rebuilding and, while injuries were a big issue for the club in 2022-23, the Caps hardly addressed last year's weaknesses over the summer. Kuemper has long been one of the most talented goalies in the NHL, but the roster turmoil surrounding him makes him a pass for us this year.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Each year, late-round selections pop off to become the backbone of a fantasy hockey championship squad.Whether it's a player primed for a new opportunity, someone whose performance the previous season flew under the radar, or a young player ready to take the next step, identifying these sleepers before your draft - rather than playing catch up on the waiver wire weeks into the season - can be the difference between competing for your league title and battling on the playoff bubble.Here are six NHLers with significant upside that are currently available in late rounds to keep in mind as your board starts to wither on draft day:Jamie Drysdale, D, Ducks Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettyA torn shoulder labrum limited Drysdale to just eight games and no points last season, leaving the promising blue-liner in an awkward spot this offseason.The 2020 sixth-overall pick clearly possesses an exciting offensive upside. After all, he scored 32 points as a 19-year-old defenseman in 2021-22 with the Anaheim Ducks. Unlike his draft counterpart Jake Sanderson, Drysdale's yet to come to terms on an extension this offseason. He remains a restricted free agent only days from the start of training camp.Should the two parties agree to a new deal before the season, Drysdale becomes one of the most intriguing late-round fliers among defensemen in fantasy.When Drysdale was healthy in 2021-22, he led the Ducks' defenders in power-play minutes. Drysdale should slide back into those prime minutes on an Anaheim top unit that could feature Troy Terry, Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, and Alex Killorn.The lone threat to Drysdale's power-play upside is if either Pavel Mintyukov or Olen Zellweger, the Ducks' top prospects, make the roster out of camp - or if both of them do. But general manager Pat Verbeek told NHL.com's Nicholas Cotsonika that the team plans to be patient with the duo, indicating the two are likely to start in the AHL.Should Drysdale continue his pre-injury upward trajectory, he'll be a strong candidate to outperform his current 11 percent ownership in Yahoo leagues.Sean Durzi, D, Coyotes Harry How / Getty Images Sport / GettyIf Drysdale's boom-or-bust potential isn't your style, Durzi's a safer bet to solidify himself as a fantasy lineup regular this season.The Arizona Coyotes made a statement when they traded Montreal's 2024 second-round pick to the Los Angeles Kings for the blue-liner. Expect Durzi to get ample opportunity at Mullett Arena, particularly on the offensive side.Durzi quarterbacked the Kings' second power-play unit last season - registering 16 points on the man advantage - but had no realistic shot of usurping Drew Doughty on PP1. That completely changes in Arizona, where Durzi's competition on the top unit comes in J.J. Moser and Juuso Valimaki.The Coyotes' other marquee addition on defense this summer, Matt Dumba, only played 10:13 on the power play last season in Minnesota and hasn't tallied double-digit points on the man advantage since the 2018-19 campaign.Don't underestimate Arizona's offensive upside this season either. Clayton Keller ranked fourth in league scoring in the final 30 games of the season, while Nick Schmaltz produced at a point-per-game rate over the same stretch. Factor in an electric young playmaker in Matias Maccelli and a Calder candidate in Logan Cooley, and the Coyotes could have a sneaky good power play in 2023-24.Durzi's likely to play significant minutes with those point producers on the ice and, at only 33 percent ownership in Yahoo, he makes for a quality target deep in drafts.Wyatt Johnston, C, Stars Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyAll Johnston has done since returning to action after the canceled 2020-21 OHL season is score goals.He annihilated the OHL two years ago to the tune of 46 goals and 124 points in just 68 games and made the jump to the NHL last campaign despite not even being old enough to play in the AHL.Johnston's 24 goals matched Calder Trophy winner Matty Beniers as the most by a rookie in 2022-23. He was superb for the Stars down the stretch, tallying 10 goals and 15 points in 22 games from March through the end of the regular season.Though his scoring prowess didn't translate to the same degree in the playoffs, Johnston's four postseason goals were the most among rookies and his 16:59 average ice time was second to Beniers among rookie forwards.The Stars' addition of Matt Duchene won't take opportunities from Johnston, either. Duchene essentially replaces Max Domi in Dallas' lineup and gives the Stars scoring depth through three lines. Whether Johnston slots in as a second-line center or third-line wing, he'll have talented offensive players around him and produce points alongside.Johnston's only rostered at 16 percent in Yahoo leagues and though he's only listed as a center at the moment, could provide flexibility if right wing is added to his positions at a later date.Casey Mittelstadt, C, Sabres Bill Wippert / National Hockey League / GettyMittelstadt brushed aside the draft bust tag that was beginning to be placed on him when he tallied 15 goals and 59 points last season.To say the end of his campaign was a hot streak would be an understatement. Mittelstadt scored 31 points in 33 contests after Feb. 1, which included 17 in his final 11 games of the campaign.The Sabres are an exciting up-and-coming team that is finally turning the corner. Though Mittelstadt won't get the headlines Tage Thompson or Rasmus Dahlin will, he projects to be a vital component of the team's success, particularly early in the season.Jack Quinn sustained a ruptured Achilles in June and will be out for six months. That puts Mittelstadt firmly in the Sabres' top six to start the year, where he'll have every chance to build on his momentum at the end of 2022-23.Mittelstadt's superb stretch to end last season combined with his opportunity to solidify his spot in Buffalo's top six isn't reflected on Yahoo yet. He's rostered in just 13 percent of leagues, making him a great value selection late in drafts.Tommy Novak, C, Predators John Russell / National Hockey League / GettyWhat do Novak, Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, and Brady Tkachuk have in common? All four players scored 32 points after Feb. 1.Now, nobody is claiming Novak is a first-round candidate like the other three. But Novak's scoring wasn't limited to just this stretch, either. He tallied 17 goals and 43 points in 51 contests after making his season debut in mid-December.Combine his out-of-nowhere production with a new offensive-minded head coach in Andrew Brunette, and Novak becomes a highly intriguing late-round option for fantasy.The Predators are entering a new era with Brunette behind the bench. Barry Trotz also took over as general manager and made significant changes to the forward group this summer. Even with Ryan O'Reilly's addition, Novak remains a projected top-six center for Nashville with the departures of Ryan Johansen and Duchene.Novak's scoring rate will likely regress - he had an 18.3 shooting percentage a year ago - but he should receive more minutes that can counteract an expected drop in how often he finds the back of the net. He averaged 14:39 last season but played 17:16 in the final month of the campaign, indicating more frequent usage higher in the lineup in the fall.Playing on a non-playoff team and a lack of name value results in just six percent ownership of Novak in Yahoo leagues. He should be available in most drafts very late - take advantage before he becomes more widely known.Gabe Vilardi, C, Jets Ronald Martinez / Getty Images Sport / GettyVilardi was the marquee piece added by the Winnipeg Jets in return for Pierre-Luc Dubois this summer. After breaking out with 23 goals and 41 points in 63 contests last season with the Los Angeles Kings, Vilardi should see even more opportunity in Manitoba.Regardless of whether Vilardi ends up at center or right wing, he'll almost surely feature in the Jets' top six. He'll do so likely alongside an excellent passer in Cole Perfetti or Nikolaj Ehlers - possibly even both.He started the 2022-23 campaign remarkably well with 10 goals and 15 points in as many games before levelling out the rest of the way. On the whole, Vilardi operated at a 30-goal pace last season but, as has been the case for much of his career, health will be a deciding factor in the heights he can reach.In 152 career NHL games, Vilardi has a 16.6 shooting percentage. He's consistently scored at an above-average rate, though he's very likely to regress from his 18.9 percent clip in 2022-23.Still, Vilardi is a worthwhile swing considering the caliber of offensive talent he'll be playing with and his upside as a goal scorer. Factor in a measly nine percent ownership in Yahoo leagues, and Vilardi will be one of the highest upside goal scorers available late in drafts.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Count Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey among those who are relieved that Winnipeg's anticipated offseason exodus was more or less kept to a minimum."To have (Mark Scheifele) and (Connor Hellebuyck) back is massive," he said Thursday, according to the Winnipeg Sun's Paul Friesen. "Outside of this year, who knows? ... But to have them here and to have the mindset that we're here to do some damage this season is what it's all about."Scheifele and Hellebuyck are both pending unrestricted free agents who've been eligible for extensions since July 1. Hellebuyck, in particular, has had his future with the franchise called into question.Reports surfaced in June that the Jets discussed Hellebuyck with the New Jersey Devils after the 2020 Vezina Trophy winner apparently wasn't interested in re-upping with Winnipeg.However, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff recently stated his team's "singular focus is winning" with Scheifele and Hellebuyck. He expects both players to be in Winnipeg's opening-night lineup Oct. 11 against the Calgary Flames.That was music to Morrissey's ears."The fact they're both here, I'll be the first guy in line to welcome them in the door," he said. "As a guy that's signed here for five years, I don't want any part of a rebuild at this time in my career."The Jets' summer wasn't totally without seismic shifts, though. Winnipeg bought out former captain Blake Wheeler and shipped the beleaguered Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for forwards Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, and a 2024 second-round pick.The Dubois trade in particular stood out to Morrissey."The organization made it clear to us ... they aren't going the route of acquiring draft picks," he said. "They made a statement in acquiring players that are really good and are going to help us try to win games right now. That message coming from the team was awesome."Morrissey enjoyed an emergent 2022-23 campaign in which he more than doubled his career high in points from 37 to 76. He also led the team in average ice time (24:14) by over two minutes. Morrissey tied Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes for the second-most points by a defenseman league-wide, trailing only Erik Karlsson. He finished fifth in Norris Trophy voting.The 28-year-old signed an eight-year, $50-million extension with the Jets in September 2019.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Ottawa Senators signed forward Josh Bailey to a professional tryout Thursday.Bailey, 33, tallied eight goals and 25 points in 64 contests last season with the New York Islanders and averaged a career-low 15:08 minutes of ice time. He was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in June and subsequently bought out of the final year of his contract. Bailey was set to cost $5 million against the cap prior to his buyout.The 15-year veteran has played his entire career with the Islanders since the team drafted him in 2008. He amassed 184 goals and 580 points in 1,057 contests on Long Island.Bailey's best season came in 2017-18 when he scored 18 goals and 71 points in 76 games. He signed a six-year, $30-million contract after his career campaign.The Senators have $895,953 of cap space should the team opt to sign Bailey, according to CapFriendly.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Colorado Avalanche are looking at goaltending options amid concerns over Pavel Francouz's availability to begin the season, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reports.Francouz underwent adductor surgery in the offseason after starting just 16 games with the Avalanche last year. The 33-year-old posted an 8-7-1 record with a .915 save percentage in that span.The Avalanche have four other netminders under contract - starter Alexandar Georgiev, plus prospects Justus Annunen, Arvid Holm, and Trent Miner.Should Francouz miss time, only one of Colorado's backup options - Annunen - has NHL experience. The 23-year-old has played four games with the Avalanche over two seasons with a .859 SV%.Jaroslav Halak, Brian Elliott, and Michael Hutchinson are the only goaltenders who remain free agents and played notable minutes in the NHL last season.Halak, 38, backed up Igor Shesterkin with the New York Rangers in 2022-23. He had a 10-9-1 record in 25 appearances with a .903 SV%.Elliott, also 38, was Andrei Vasilevskiy's No. 2 for the Tampa Bay Lightning over the past two seasons. Last year, Elliott started 22 games and had a .891 SV%. The 16-year veteran played part of the 2010-11 campaign with Colorado.Hutchinson, 33, returned to NHL action after he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets prior to the trade deadline last year. He played 16 contests with the Blue Jackets, going 2-6-3 with a .875 SV%. Hutchinson notably played four games with the Avalanche in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Dallas Stars.Colorado has $525,000 of cap space with Gabriel Landeskog's $7-million cap hit on long-term injured reserve, according to CapFriendly. The Avalanche would gain an extra $2 million of room if Francouz is out long enough to be placed on LTIR.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Andrei Kuzmenko has forgone the sweet life in hopes of improving on his first campaign in North America."Last season was so bad for me, my weight," the Vancouver Canucks forward said this week, according to Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre. "Now, I lose weight. Last summer, I (ate) a lot of waffles."Kuzmenko wasn't just eating waffles with maple syrup, either."No, (it's) worse," he said, layering his hands, one above the other. "Waffles, then Nutella, then strawberries, then bananas."So the Russian winger cut them out of his diet and some other tempting treats."Waffles are not good for me," Kuzmenko added. "I like (them), but (they're) not good for me. This summer, (the) rules for me (were): No chocolate, no Nutella, no ice cream in my freezer. You want ice cream, then go to the market. But I (stayed) home."Kuzmenko arrived at the Canucks training camp last fall noticeably out of shape after signing a one-year, $950,000 contract with Vancouver as a coveted free agent out of the KHL last July. The team's training staff placed him on an individual workout regimen that often forced him to stay later than his teammates after practices.The 27-year-old racked up 39 goals and 35 assists while playing all but one regular-season game. However, Kuzmenko posted an inflated shooting percentage of 27.3, which led the NHL among players who suited up for at least 10 contests.The Canucks inked Kuzmenko to a two-year contract extension at $5.5 million annually in January.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The St. Louis Blues signed forward Nick Ritchie to a professional tryout, the team announced Thursday.Ritchie split the 2022-23 season with the Arizona Coyotes and Calgary Flames, amassing 13 goals and 26 points in 74 outings. His best statistical season came in 2018-19 when he collected 31 points in 60 games with the Anaheim Ducks.The Ducks selected him with the 10th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. Ritchie spent the first five seasons of his career in Anaheim, but he's moved around quite a bit in recent years and suited up for four different teams - the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Coyotes, and Flames - over the last three campaigns.Ritchie and his older brother, Brett, were traded for each other at the deadline in March, with Nick heading to Calgary from the desert alongside defenseman Troy Stecher.The 27-year-old has scored 84 goals and 186 points in 481 career NHL games.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion hopes to ink restricted free-agent forward Shane Pinto to a new deal within the week."All the pieces are in place; most of our young core, except for one, is signed," Dorion said Thursday, per Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch. "We're working on that one and we're hoping to see (Pinto) in camp next week."The Senators currently have less than $900,000 in cap space, according to CapFriendly. Evolving-Hockey projects that Pinto will sign a two-year pact with a $1.78-million cap hit.He isn't the only restricted free agent remaining on Ottawa's books: Winger Egor Sokolov also needs a new contract.Pinto pitched in with 20 goals - the fourth most in the rookie class - and 35 points in 82 contests during his first full NHL campaign last season, rebounding from a tough 2021-22 season in which he was limited to just five games due to a shoulder injury.The 22-year-old was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month in October after erupting for six goals in his first eight games of the 2022-23 season.The Senators selected Pinto in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

NHL players, like most athletes, will try to use anything they can as motivation. An opponent even mildly downplays them while talking to reporters? Instant bulletin-board material.But players' motivations go far beyond petty rivalries, of course. Some have to justify their status as a high draft pick, and previous top picks who haven't quite panned out eventually have to prove themselves, too. Some superstars may feel they have to live up to a hefty contract, especially when it's among the richest in the game.Some are on the verge of a new deal as pending unrestricted free agents, and the lure of a more lucrative pact often brings out the best in them. In addition, players who've struggled recently while making a significant amount of cash need to prove both that they're worth their contracts and that they can return to the stellar form that made signing them for big money and term worthwhile.Here are the five NHLers with the most to prove in the 2023-24 campaign:Connor Bedard Brian Babineau / National Hockey League / GettyBedard doesn't really have to justify that he was worthy of the No. 1 overall pick in June's draft - at least not right away. Most people know that was warranted given his utter dominance at the junior level and on the international stage. He was the best player available, and anyone who disputes that has some explaining to do.But that doesn't mean Bedard has nothing to prove entering his rookie season. He does need to show he's capable of adapting to the speed and physicality of the NHL - in other words, he's dealing with the same pressure all No. 1 picks endure. He's also the new face of the Blackhawks franchise, and they're now shaping the roster around him. So he has to justify his status as the cornerstone of the new era in Chicago, one of the largest and most storied markets in the league.Then there are the inevitable Connor McDavid comparisons, which he's already shrugging off. "I'm not him. I'm my own person and my own player," Bedard said recently about his namesake. So that's yet another thing he'll be out to prove. Given his body of work and the skills he's consistently displayed, it won't be surprising if Bedard doesn't need much time to start living up to the sky-high expectations. But he'll clearly be motivated to show he's worth being labeled a generational player and one that can singlehandedly alter the trajectory of a franchise.Auston Matthews Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyWe all know Matthews is one of the NHL's absolute best scorers who's developed an impressive two-way game. But the Toronto Maple Leafs superstar will be the league's highest-paid player starting in 2024-25 after signing a four-year extension for a record $13.25 million annually last month.Matthews is also coming off a down year by his ultra-lofty standards, though he played through a hand injury and still managed to notch 40 goals and 45 assists in 74 games. Even so, he needs to prove he's worth the unprecedented new contract by getting back into the Hart and Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy conversations. If he stays healthy, it stands to reason that will happen, but he needs to rediscover the form that earned him hardware in both previous seasons before 2022-23.Throw in the fact that the Maple Leafs are coming off yet another humiliating end to a season despite finally winning a series, as well as the fact that Toronto remains one of the toughest markets in the league in which to play, and there may be more pressure on Matthews in the upcoming campaign than he's ever faced during a regular season since he first arrived in the league.William Nylander Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyMatthews' teammate will be under the microscope for different reasons, but Nylander has plenty to prove in 2023-24 in his own right. The pending UFA has a track record of consistent production - both in the regular season and the playoffs - even matching Matthews with a team-high 40 goals last season (albeit in eight more games). Nylander will be playing for a new deal and a sizeable raise on his current cap hit of just under $7 million.The question is how much higher should his next average annual value be. Nylander's performance this season could go a long way in determining that. Earlier in the summer, he was reportedly looking for an AAV in the $10-million range, which would put him closer to fellow core pieces Mitch Marner ($10.903 million) and captain John Tavares ($11 million).Nylander's extension talks haven't gone swimmingly so far, but it's early, as he can sign an extension at any time until next July 1. If he doesn't have a new deal by the time the upcoming campaign begins in October, he'll be out to prove he's worthy of getting paid like some of his most talented teammates. If Nylander does agree to a new contract before the start of the season, he'll be in the same boat as Matthews in terms of having to prove he deserves it.Jacob Markstrom Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images Sport / GettyMarkstrom needs to prove last season was an anomaly, not his new normal. The Calgary Flames goaltender was terrible in 2022-23. His minus-19.6 goals saved above average at five-on-five ranked fourth worst in the NHL (96th out of 99 netminders), and his minus-5.88 goals saved above expected in the same situations placed 83rd. He posted a .892 save percentage, a career low for him in seasons in which he's played more than 16 games.The Flames disappointed as a team last season, but Markstrom's underlying numbers show he deserved a good chunk of the blame. The Swede used to be one of the league's most dependable puck-stoppers, authoring a .914 save percentage over the 328 games he played from 2015-16 through 2021-22. That past consistency is what earned him the six-year, $36-million contract he inked with Calgary in October 2020.Markstrom, who has three years left on that deal, will turn 34 around halfway through the upcoming campaign Jan. 31. Players, and particularly goalies, typically decline at his age. But even if Markstrom never rediscovers his prime form, he can't afford to once again be one of the league's absolute worst netminders.Alexis Lafreniere Jared Silber / National Hockey League / GettyNot every No. 1 overall pick becomes a star immediately upon stepping into the NHL, but Lafreniere is now entering his fourth season having collected just 47 goals and 44 assists across 216 games. The New York Rangers winger racked up 112 points in 52 contests during his third and final QMJHL season, but his game hasn't translated to the NHL the way many expected it would when the Blueshirts called his name first in 2020.Lafreniere will turn 22 on Oct. 11, so he's still relatively young. He's also still under contract until 2025. The Quebec-born forward has shown flashes of his skill at times over his first three seasons. However, he hasn't established the consistency, let alone the elite level of play, one would hope a first overall pick with his resume would provide.At some point, Lafreniere must start producing at a higher clip. It's been hard for him to carve out more ice time because Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin are ahead of him on the depth chart. But if he plays better in his lesser role, head coach Peter Laviolette will surely find a way to get him more minutes. It's still too early to call Lafreniere a bust, but he has to lot to prove this season to ensure that characterization doesn't become the consensus.(Analytics source: Evolving Hockey)Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

On the cusp of a new season, Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev said he's still "pissed off" about Tampa Bay's first-round exit at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs this past spring."In my head, we should've won the Cup," Sergachev said, per Sportsnet's Luke Fox. "Every year, we should win the Cup."He added: "We don't want to be the team that Toronto finally (beats to get) to the second round."Toronto squeaked past Tampa Bay in six games to earn its first series win since 2004. The Lightning had reached the Stanley Cup Final in three consecutive seasons before the loss, winning the title in 2020 and 2021.The Maple Leafs and Bolts have met in the playoffs for two straight years as the second and third seeds in the Atlantic Division. Tampa Bay won the first matchup in 2022 in seven games. The 2023 showdown marked the first time the Lightning failed to win a series since 2019, when they were infamously swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets despite winning the Presidents' Trophy as the league's top regular-season team.Setbacks have been rare for Sergachev and the Lightning in recent years, but the blue-liner is adamant the club will use the loss to Toronto as fuel in 2023-24."We'll see when camp starts how pissed off we are. The guys are very competitive even now," he said."Usually before camp, we skate (together). We'll do five drills and play a game. Usually it's like beer-league hockey. Now, it's intense. Some hitting, too. It's great. Competitive. No one is going to let me walk them on the blue line. It's not acceptable anymore."Sergachev, 25, set personal highs in assists (54), points (64), shots (156), and average ice time (23:49) last season. This coming campaign is the first of an eight-year, $68-million extension he signed last summer.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With Jonathan Toews no longer under contract and taking time away from the sport in 2023-24, the Chicago Blackhawks have a captain vacancy, and defenseman Seth Jones would love to fill the void.Jones believes playing under some of the game's most respected leaders has helped him prepare to wear the "C.""I've always wanted to be a captain," Jones said Tuesday, per NHL.com's Tracey Myers. "I've learned from some great leaders - Shea Weber, Nick Foligno, Jonathan Toews - I mean, I played with some of the greatest captains that we've seen. It would be pretty special."It's unclear if the Blackhawks will even name a captain. It's not uncommon for rebuilding teams to go without one, and Chicago projects to be one of the NHL's worst clubs yet again."I understand where the organization is at," said Jones, who turns 29 in October. "I'm focused on going and just playing my game and leading whether I have a 'C,' an 'A,' or nothing on my jersey. I don't think that should change."Jones, a 10-year NHL veteran, was traded to the Blackhawks in 2021. He has seven seasons remaining on his contract, which carries a $9.5-million cap hit and a full no-movement clause.He led all Blackhawks skaters in average time on ice (24:27) last season and finished fourth on the club with 37 points in 72 games. His underlying numbers were strong, too, despite his minus-38 rating. Evolving-HockeyThe Blackhawks added some veteran leaders this offseason, including Jones' former captain in Columbus, Foligno."He's a special guy, a special human," Jones said of Foligno. "He cares so much about the players he plays with, the organization he's on, and the community. Big family guy. He's got beautiful kids and he's just a great guy to have in the locker room. He knows how to lighten the room up a little bit when need be, crack a good dad joke. He's the king of dad jokes. He's just great, a great guy."But Foligno is 35 and signed a one-year deal. Triple Gold Club member Corey Perry, 38, joined Chicago on a one-year deal as well.The Blackhawks could also wait it out while eyeing Connor Bedard, 18, as the team's next captain. The 2023 No. 1 pick enters the NHL with a comparable level of hype to Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid as rookies, and they both became captains at age 19.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Defenseman Noah Hanifin clarified his stance in contract negotiations with the Calgary Flames.Hanifin said Wednesday that he's open to inking an extension but will wait for the upcoming season to play out, according to TSN's Salim Nadim Valji. The blue-liner added that he told Flames management in the summer he needed time to process the disappointment of Calgary's concluded campaign.A report in June indicated Hanifin wasn't expected to sign an extension with the Flames, making a trade likely. But Flames general manager Craig Conroy said Wednesday that Hanifin only expressed that he didn't want to re-sign this summer.Hanifin is entering the final season of the six-year deal signed with Calgary in 2018. The pact carries a cap hit of $4.95 million and contains a clause allowing him to submit an eight-team no-trade list, according to CapFriendly.The 26-year-old collected seven goals and 31 assists while ranking second on the club in average ice time at a career-high 22:39 across 81 games last season. Hanifin also authored favorable underlying numbers, including a 54.93% expected goals rate at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.Hanifin has played the last five campaigns with the Flames, who acquired him in a blockbuster trade with the Carolina Hurricanes at the draft in 2018. He spent his first three seasons with the Canes, who selected him fifth overall in 2015.The Boston-born rearguard is one of many pending unrestricted free agents on the Flames' roster. That list includes forwards Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund and six of Calgary's eight NHL defensemen.The Flames missed the playoffs last season after winning the Pacific Division title and advancing to the second round in 2021-22.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

This is part one of a two-part series ranking all 32 NHL teams by tiers for the 2023-24 season. Part 2, which addresses the top 16 teams, was published Wednesday.Keep in mind this exercise is rolling out roughly 10 days before training camps open, and the tiers are based on personal projections for the 2023-24 season only, not the long-term trajectories of each franchise.Worst of the worst (Tier 8)In a league of their own - and not in a good waySan Jose SharksThe Sharks, who recently traded Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson, will miss the playoffs for a fifth straight year. Heck, they're tracking toward a miserable 50 points and a minus-100 goal differential.It seems harsh, but the bleakness comes after taking one look at the goaltending tandem (Kaapo Kahkonen and Mackenzie Blackwood) and a blue line devoid of top-pair talent.The Sharks' fall from grace also sent Timo Meier and Brent Burns out of town - and the teardown is unfinished. For one, veteran forwards Kevin Labanc, Mike Hoffman, Anthony Duclair, Alexander Barabanov, and Oskar Lindblom all enter the season on expiring contracts.General manager Mike Grier and head coach David Quinn have both been on the job for just over a year. There's zero pressure, internally or externally, to switch gears and skip steps in the rebuild.Instead, one of the most competitive teams of the past quarter century set itself up to tank for the 2024 draft prize, Macklin Celebrini. The next generation of Sharks, led by 2021 and 2023 picks William Eklund and Will Smith, has potential. But the team lacks a franchise-altering prospect - someone like Celebrini.Head barely above water (Tier 7)Rebuilding with the inside track on prime draft-lottery oddsAnaheim Ducks Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesThe hockey world didn't talk enough last season about how atrocious the Ducks were. They ranked 32nd in points, 32nd in goals against, 31st in goals for, 31st in power play percentage, 31st in penalty kill percentage, and - here's the kicker - allowed the most shots on goal per game ever.The Ducks landed here for two reasons. First, it's reasonable to expect all three of the team's young leaders - Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, and Jamie Drysdale - will reach new heights. (We'll see if second overall pick Leo Carlsson sticks around for the full year.) Second, it's highly unlikely the Ducks perform worse defensively under rookie head coach Greg Cronin, who took over for Dallas Eakins.Forward Alex Killorn and defenseman Radko Gudas count as notable offseason additions. The duo will help elevate the Ducks' floor, as will bounce-back years from wingers Ryan Strome and Jakob Silfverberg. Speaking of Silfverberg, the pending UFA could be a desirable midseason trade chip. The same goes for defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin and forward Adam Henrique.Arizona CoyotesArizona's still very much in the brick-by-brick stage of the rebuild process. Its roster features a handful of longtime Coyotes (Clayton Keller, Lawson Crouse, etc.), a bunch of hired guns (Jason Zucker, Matt Dumba, etc.), and a few stud youngsters (Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, etc.).As a group, the Coyotes aren't particularly dangerous offensively or scary defensively. Even if less heralded 20-somethings Matias Maccelli and Karel Vejmelka build on strong 2022-23 showings, the team won't be overly competitive in the Central Division. Think 80 points - about 15 from the playoff cutline, but still a nice bump from last year's 70 points.While arena issues continue to dominate headlines, Cooley's arrival is a welcome distraction. A top-six center role awaits the 19-year-old highlight machine, and many believe he possesses the offensive firepower to challenge for the Calder Trophy.Squint hard and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel for the NHL's laughingstock franchise.Chicago Blackhawks Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesBedard. Bedard. Bedard.Everything the Blackhawks are doing right now revolves around making Connor Bedard's transition to the NHL as seamless as possible - while simultaneously keeping the roster substandard in order to increase draft lottery odds. It's a delicate balance but, at least on paper, general manager Kyle Davidson has threaded the needle so far. Case in point: savvy vets Corey Perry, Nick Foligno, and Taylor Hall were signed to short-term deals in the offseason, yet the gaping hole between the pipes went unaddressed.Chicago already owns two first-round picks in both 2024 and 2025. The team's books are relatively clean, with $12.9 million available in cap space and only Seth Jones under contract past 2025-26. So, despite the infusion of a once-in-a-generation phenom, plus blue-chip prospects Lukas Reichel and Kevin Korchinski, the Blackhawks remain firmly in rebuild mode.Philadelphia FlyersNow that Keith Jones, Daniel Briere, and John Tortorella have settled in as president, general manager, and head coach, the Flyers organization appears to be embracing a show-me-whatcha-got phase.Owen Tippett, Joel Farabee, Noah Cates, Morgan Frost, and Wade Allison are all between 23 and 25 years old and should be given ample opportunity to take the next step in their careers. Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson, two former All-Stars coming off injuries, need to prove themselves all over again. Goalies Carter Hart and Cal Petersen fall into this category, too.It was a smart long-term play to bid farewell to defensemen Ivan Provorov and Tony DeAngelo in the offseason. Still, there's no doubt Philadelphia's thinner on the back end year over year. Meanwhile, the biggest addition up front was Matvei Michkov, who won't be playing in North America for a few seasons.That last sentence alone says a lot about the current state of the team.Notch below playoffs (Tier 6)2023-24 doesn't project to be a banner season, for various reasonsColumbus Blue Jackets Jason Mowry / Getty ImagesThere's nowhere to go but up for the Blue Jackets. Last season's 59-point output was the byproduct of countless injuries and absences, underwhelming performances, and poor coaching.Patrik Laine and Zach Werenski, who played a combined 68 games in 2022-23, are now healthy. The promising Alexandre Texier is returning to Columbus after dealing with an injury and taking a family-related leave of absence. Provorov and Damon Severson were added to the defense corps. Longtime head coach Mike Babcock is ready to redeem himself.Adding to the intrigue: Third overall pick Adam Fantilli turned pro, and the University of Michigan product might find a season-long home on a line with star Johnny Gaudreau.In short, there's a ton to be excited about in Columbus. That said, the positivity is countered by a deep Eastern Conference, unreliable goaltending, and special teams in dire need of an overhaul. A step forward, yes, but the playoffs are probably out of reach in Babcock's debut season.Montreal CanadiensIn January 2022, Kent Hughes inherited a middling Canadiens roster with far too many onerous contracts from Marc Bergevin. The new general manager has done an admirable job of ridding the club of some poor deals. That middling roster, meanwhile, is still under construction.That's not to say Montreal will be a walkover. They'll be competitive most nights and should definitely improve upon last year's 68 points. The question is, which players see the end of the rebuild? Who's a long-term core piece beyond Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and a few others?The Canadiens have made a habit of giving second chances to young players who aren't performing to their full potential elsewhere. Kirby Dach is the biggest success story to date, while Alex Newhook, fresh off signing a four-year extension, is the next developmental case study.It'll be fascinating to see how the club's sophomores - Juraj Slafkovsky and Arber Xhekaj, for starters - fare under the tutelage of Martin St. Louis and his coaching staff.Nashville Predators Richard T Gagnon / Getty ImagesThe Predators are a difficult team to gauge at the moment.On one hand, new general manager Barry Trotz made it known that the status quo will not be tolerated after Nashville's playoff streak ended at eight seasons. Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen were jettisoned in the offseason while Stanley Cup winners Ryan O'Reilly and Luke Schenn were welcomed into the fold.On the other hand, a team that boasts Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, and Juuse Saros - three surefire NHL stars - won't bottom out anytime soon. Trotz may opt to cut deeper, triggering a full-fledged rebuild. Or he may attempt to retool around the stars.Time will also tell if Andrew Brunette is an upgrade from John Hynes behind the bench, though young forwards Cody Glass, Juuso Parssinen, Phil Tomasino, and Luke Evangelista should benefit from a new voice. Elsewhere on the roster, pending unrestricted free agents Tyson Barrie, Thomas Novak, Yakov Trenin, Alexandre Carrier, and Kevin Lankinen are all potential trade bait.Standings purgatory (Tier 5)Legitimate chance at playoff spot, but stars must alignBoston BruinsThis is the least confident I feel about a team's slot. The Bruins compiled a record 135 points last season. How could I possibly place them in Tier 5 with the rest of the borderline playoff teams?It comes down to center depth. With Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci gone, Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha are Boston's top-six centers. No offense to either player, but it's hard to envision a scenario in which they can replace the value lost by those retirements.Also gone in the offseason: wingers Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi, and defensemen Dmitry Orlov and Connor Clifton. That's a ton of talent sucked out of the 2022-23 roster. And let's not gloss over the fact that goalie Linus Ullmark's chances of once again dominating the regular season are slim.On a sunnier note, David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, and Ullmark still make up a stellar core. The blue line, in general, remains a real strength. So Boston hasn't become irrelevant since we last saw them. They're just less relevant to the Cup conversation - for now, anyway.Detroit Red Wings Dave Reginek / Getty ImagesThe Red Wings went on a spending spree in the offseason, acquiring Alex DeBrincat and Jeff Petry via trade, and signing free agents J.T. Compher, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Justin Holl, among others. General manager Steve Yzerman was similarly busy in the summer of 2022.All of this activity raised Detroit's floor. They are no longer the club trying to move on from the glory years of a 25-year playoff run.The Red Wings still need at least two more offensive drivers, as the drop-off from catalysts Dylan Larkin and DeBrincat to Lucas Raymond, Compher, Andrew Copp, and David Perron is, frankly, too steep. Meanwhile, the efficacy of the blue line is still to be determined. Moritz Seider and Jake Walman should be terrific again, but none of the others - Gostisbehere, Petry, Holl, Ben Chiarot, and Olli Maatta - instill a ton of confidence. As for the tandem behind them, well, Ville Husso with James Reimer is fine but nothing special.Detroit will continue to climb the standings but it likely won't be enough for the playoffs.New York IslandersThe Islanders are, in a word, solid. Their floor is relatively high thanks to a stable of veteran skaters and high-end goaltending. But a lack of game-breaking talent keeps their ceiling relatively low.This dynamic leaves the Isles somewhere in the middle of the league. It wouldn't be shocking if they earned a spot in the postseason. However, the depth of the East guarantees absolutely nothing.What's interesting about New York: General manager Lou Lamoriello doubled down on his well-tenured group in the offseason, handing Ilya Sorokin, Scott Mayfield, and Pierre Engvall long-term extensions. The most loyal executive in the NHL wisely locked up Sorokin, one of the three best goalies on the planet. The commitment to Mayfield and Engvall is dicier, given their on-ice values and ages.Last season, the Islanders finished 22nd in goals and 30th in power play percentage. It's critical Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, who's entering his first full season on Long Island, produce at first-line levels. Burgeoning star defenseman Noah Dobson must continue to level up.Ottawa Senators Andre Ringuette / Getty ImagesWith Jake Sanderson re-signing last week, the Senators have five difference-making under-27 players locked up for five seasons or more at a combined $40.6-million cap hit. The upper limit is expected to rise significantly over the next few years, so Ottawa's in fantastic shape financially.But those good vibes don't necessarily lead to massive gains in the standings.I thought about slotting the Sens in the fourth tier, reserved for probable playoff teams. But, given the competition in the Atlantic Division, a ton needs to go Ottawa's way for them to break a six-year playoff drought, starting with the bet on Joonas Korpisalo in net.Nevertheless, new owner Michael Andlauer made a shrewd investment. The Sens lineup is beginning to look formidable. The top half of the forward group, led by Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk, is frightening, and the left side of the blue line, led by Sanderson and Thomas Chabot, is enviable.St. Louis BluesSt. Louis is coming off a disappointing season, but things could get worse.The main issue is a lack of high-end talent. Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou - forwards on matching contracts running through 2030-31 - have played elite hockey for stretches of their young careers. But neither seems destined for superstardom. The next candidate is 2023 first-rounder Dalibor Dvorsky, who's still a work in progress.All of that said, this version of the Blues, who have a hard-driving coach in Craig Berube, could sneak into the playoffs because of their abundance of B-level players. Kevin Hayes, Brayden Schenn, Justin Faulk, and Torey Krug are all proud veterans who should have enough left in the tank to avoid a freefall in the standings.If the season goes south early on in the year, though, general manager Doug Armstrong would be smart to embark on a more aggressive reshaping of the roster. Krug, Marco Scandella, Robert Bortuzzo, Jakub Vrana, Sammy Blais, and Oskar Sundqvist could all help playoff teams at the trade deadline.Vancouver Canucks Jeff Vinnick / Getty ImagesIn a perfect world, the Canucks find stability in 2023-24.Right now, there are layers of instability surrounding the club, ranging from Elias Pettersson's contract extension to goalie Thatcher Demko's ability to bounce back from an injury-plagued year to the talent level and cohesiveness of a revamped blue line.Vancouver won't win a division title. It won't lose 50 games, either. The roster, even after marginal upgrades in the offseason, is very much mid-level, beyond offensive catalyst J.T. Miller, captain and top defenseman Quinn Hughes, and Pettersson, who's a legitimate two-way superstar.It wouldn't be a miracle if the Canucks earned a playoff spot for the first time since 2019-20. But there are more than a handful of teams in the West who look better on paper.Washington CapitalsThe 2022-23 trade deadline was a turning point for the Capitals, who were obvious sellers before the team missed the playoffs for just the second time in 16 years.Fast forward and Spencer Carbery, not Peter Laviolette, is running the bench. Carbery's main objective is as straightforward as it is daunting: Get this team back in the postseason so Alex Ovechkin and his contemporaries - Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, and Tom Wilson, among others - can chase a second Stanley Cup before it's too late. The awkward thing is that, based on the average age of the core, it may already be too late.If newcomer Max Pacioretty can stay healthy, if Evgeny Kuznetsov can rediscover his championship form from 2018, and if Anthony Mantha can finally reach his 30-goal potential, the Caps' offense should be in a pretty good spot. Their blue line and goaltending are both average.Winnipeg Jets Jonathan Kozub / Getty ImagesThe Jets won't challenge for the Central Division title, let alone the Stanley Cup. Nor will they challenge for favorable draft lottery odds. As currently constructed, they're in the Western Conference's murky middle, having only partially turned the page on an old core of players.The conversation changes if Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck leave Winnipeg midseason. Depending on the return for the two pending unrestricted free agents, the Jets could shift toward either a lengthy rebuild or a quick-fix retool. Either way, the club will look and feel markedly different.For what it's worth, I loved Kevin Cheveldayoff's work on the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade. The package of Gabe Vilardi, Rasmus Kupari, Alex Iafallo, and a second-round pick is more than enough for a guy who was unwilling to re-sign. Vilardi's trajectory is the key - can he blossom into a No. 1 center?It'll also be fun to watch how blue-liner Josh Morrissey follows up his brilliant 2022-23 season.John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

This is the second part of a two-part series ranking all 32 NHL teams by tiers for the 2023-24 season. Part 1, which addresses the bottom 16 teams, was published Tuesday.Keep in mind this exercise is rolling out roughly 10 days before training camps open, and the tiers are based on personal projections for the 2023-24 season only, not the long-term trajectories of each franchise.Moderately dangerous (Tier 4)Probable playoff teams unlikely to go on a deep runBuffalo SabresOf the three risers in the Atlantic Division - Buffalo, Ottawa, Detroit - the Sabres have the best chance to break through. The calculus on the playoffs is pretty simple: If Buffalo can repeat last year's offensive output and take a step forward on defense, the team should make it.While the Sabres didn't lose any key forwards in the offseason, Jack Quinn, who showed flashes of brilliance as an NHL rookie, is sidelined with an injury for approximately half the year. Rookie Jiri Kulich should fill the void just fine.Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson, and newcomer Connor Clifton lead the blue line. How the skaters insulate goalies Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen - as well as the goalies' individual performances - will go a long way in determining the Sabres' fate.Overall, everything's gone according to plan under general manager Kevyn Adams and coach Don Granato. They've started to reap the rewards of their slow-burn build. With fans getting antsy for postseason hockey, surely the team will deploy the $8.8 million in available cap space to upgrade the roster midseason.Calgary Flames Terence Leung / Getty ImagesCalgary is one of the most fascinating teams in the league and also one of the most difficult clubs to get a firm handle on.Last year was such a perfect storm of roadblocks, headlined by horrible years from starting goalie Jacob Markstrom and highest-paid skater Jonathan Huberdeau, 17 overtime or shootout losses, and coach Darryl Sutter losing the room. So you have to take missing the playoffs with a grain of salt. Yet properly evaluating the team right now is just as hard: Top goal-scorer Tyler Toffoli was traded, Ryan Huska is moving from assistant to head coach, and the futures of Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund, and Noah Hanifin - all in the final years of their current contracts - are hanging in the balance.The flip side: the chaos dies down, the players get into a groove, and next thing you know, the Flames are in the Pacific Division race. I think, at worst, a Western Conference wild-card spot is theirs if they want it.Minnesota WildThe Wild are in salary-cap hell, with the buyouts for Ryan Suter and Zach Parise eating up $14.7 million a year through 2024-25. They have enough talent to make the playoffs for the 11th time in 12 years but don't have a roster that screams "deep run." In other words, not much has changed.The club's biggest strength is playing as a unit under bench boss Dean Evason. Beyond the amazing Kirill Kaprizov - who's arguably a top-10 NHL player - there's a serious lack of offensive punch. (Matt Boldy's trending in the right direction, and Marco Rossi may get there by season's end.)A sturdy blue line and the goaltending tandem of Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury take some pressure off the score-by-committee approach.Prediction: The Wild snag the third spot in the Central Division.New York Rangers Rich Graessle / Getty ImagesBowing out in the first round certainly wasn't the Rangers' plan after going all-in at the most recent trade deadline. Boy, does it feel like 2023-24 is an extra-important season.General manager Chris Drury brought in Peter Laviolette, an intense coach who might wear on players over a long period but has a track record of getting results early on. Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, and Vincent Trocheck are all in their 30s. The veteran roster hasn't been overhauled; the biggest offseason shuffle is up front, with Blake Wheeler and Nick Bonino subbing in for Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko. Everybody's wondering if 2020 first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere will ever pop and, as usual, what's in store for Kaapo Kakko, now entering his fifth season.Igor Shesterkin broke out as a world-class goalie in 2021-22 and then regressed last year. If the Rangers want to get past New Jersey and Carolina in the playoffs, Shesterkin can't be just OK. He needs to steal a game or two.Seattle KrakenThe Kraken finished with 100 points last year. Let that sink in for a moment. After seemingly botching the expansion draft and missing the playoffs by 37 points in Year 1, Seattle hit triple digits in points as a second-year team.Coach Dave Hakstol deserves a ton of credit. The Year 2 squad shot from the prime scoring areas far more often and also became a threat off the rush. The attacking approach, mixed with better injury and puck luck, enabled six forwards to record 20 goals, including Jared McCann's 40-snipe explosion.Seattle didn't alter its roster a whole lot in the offseason, which is OK. I like how general manager Ron Francis is focused on building a sustainable winner.If Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger can provide decent goaltending, Shane Wright can find his footing, and Matty Beniers doesn't slump as a sophomore, the Kraken are 100% a playoff team. However, a Cup isn't within reach - yet.Tampa Bay Lightning Mark LoMoglio / National Hockey League / GettyThe Lightning accomplished the unthinkable from 2019-22: two Stanley Cup victories and a third Cup Final appearance in a flat salary cap world.We began to see the impact of those long playoff runs last season. The roster looked less intimidating as the cap crunch forced another round of important depth pieces to be jettisoned. Meanwhile, the decorated core of Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Brayden Point collectively ran out of gas. Losing in the first round was predictable.A real summer break will be hugely beneficial, but the team again failed to retain depth dudes like forwards Ross Colton, Alex Killorn, and Corey Perry.Are the third and fourth forward lines and third defenseman pairing too thin? Can new backup goalie Jonas Johansson shoulder enough of the regular-season load to ensure Vasilevskiy is fresher come playoff time? Does Hedman bounce back in 2023-24 following a down season by the Swede's lofty standards?The Bolts are undoubtedly still a playoff team. But there's so much up in the air.Scary at full potential (Tier 3)Cup win not out of question, though a lot must fall into placeFlorida PanthersThe good news: the Panthers are icing roughly the same team as last year. Led by coach Paul Maurice and Hart Trophy finalist Matthew Tkachuk, the reigning Stanley Cup finalist from the East is skilled, hardened, and cohesive.The bad news: Florida's icing roughly the same team that was the eighth seed going into the playoffs. Yes, a few notable changes to the lineup mean the squad that caught fire after barely squeaking into the postseason will be an underdog of sorts again. Complicating matters, stud defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour are both question marks to start the season thanks to offseason surgeries.Who knows what kind of goaltending they'll get. For all of his brilliance in the 2023 playoffs, veteran starter Sergei Bobrovsky can be super inconsistent. Spencer Knight, the netminder of the future, missed a huge chunk of 2022-23 after entering the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. The 22-year-old is back at the rink, which is fantastic, though expectations should be tempered.The Panthers don't have a first-round pick in 2024 or 2025 or a second in 2024. That lack of draft capital could handcuff general manager Bill Zito's ability to improve the club ahead of the trade deadline.Los Angeles Kings Juan Ocampo / NHL / Getty ImagesIt's safe to say the rebuild initiated by general manager Rob Blake, which led to last and second-last finishes in the Western Conference to end the 2010s, has accomplished half its mission. The Kings have dutifully become an annual playoff team again - but a Cup win has yet to materialize.In fact, a playoff series win has yet to materialize since the Kings won the Cup in 2014. This season, then, is about taking a step forward in the postseason. Winning a round or two would be huge for LA, a club now boasting arguably the best one-through-four center depth in the league: Anze Kopitar, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Phillip Danault, and Blake Lizotte.All 32 teams could really benefit from their prospects and young NHLers leveling up in 2023-24, but it's especially true for the Kings considering how important Quinton Byfield, Arthur Kaliyev, Alex Turcotte, Brandt Clarke, and Jordan Spence are to what they're all building toward.Franchise pillars Kopitar and Drew Doughty start the season aged 36 and 33, respectively. Their clocks are ticking.Pittsburgh PenguinsRealistically, the Penguins have two or three good years left of magic between Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. The organization is highly motivated to throw caution to the wind to squeeze out every possible win and then start from scratch once Crosby retires.Kyle Dubas was appropriately bold in his first offseason as hockey operations boss in Pittsburgh, reeling in Erik Karlsson and Ryan Graves for the blue line and Reilly Smith, Lars Eller, and Noel Acciari for the forward group. The 2023-24 roster is undeniably improved. Karlsson, who posted a ridiculous 101 points for a terrible San Jose team last season, will bring much-needed mobility while eating up enough minutes to give Letang a lighter load.The Pens have an excellent coach and a top-10 roster. Their X-factors are the health of the Big Three - Malkin is 37, Crosby and Letang are 36 - and the performance of goalie Tristan Jarry.Toronto Maple Leafs Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / GettyCenter Auston Matthews, fresh off signing a monster contract extension, will be hungry after scoring "only" 40 goals last year. Winger Mitch Marner will be chasing his first 100-point season (99 last year). Goalie Ilya Samsonov will be out to prove any remaining doubters wrong.General manager Brad Treliving brought in a mixed bag of newcomers. The Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi signings were home runs. The John Klingberg and Ryan Reaves deals were questionable. If you add 20-year-old Matthew Knies to the newcomer list, just about the same amount of talent exited Toronto: Ryan O'Reilly, Luke Schenn, Michael Bunting, Justin Holl, and Acciari.So, in a lot of ways, it's status quo in Leafs land.As usual, the Leafs look dangerous on paper. They should be considered the favorite to finish first in the Atlantic.As usual, nothing matters except playoff performance in the eighth season of Matthews-Marner.Secondary Cup favorites (Tier 2)Elite title-contending team with minor concernsDallas StarsDallas has basically everything you'd want in a contender.A premier talent at forward (Jason Roberton), defense (Miro Heiskanen), and in goal (Jake Oettinger) - check. A mix of proven vets (like Joe Pavelski) and promising kids (such as Wyatt Johnston) throughout the lineup - check. Good coaching - check. Recent deep runs (including six-game losses in the 2023 conference final and 2020 Cup final) - check.General manager Jim Nill signing Matt Duchene to a one-year, $3-million deal shortly after the 32-year-old's buyout is one of the offseason's sharpest moves. Otherwise, the Stars are returning a similar roster, which is, generally speaking, a positive but also brings us to Dallas' minor concern.If Nils Lundkvist, 23, and Thomas Harley, 22, aren't the solution to a relatively thin blue line beyond the top pair, Nill will be forced to go shopping for a midseason upgrade or two.Edmonton Oilers Andy Devlin / NHL / Getty ImagesBelieve it or not, this is Year 9 of the Connor McDavid-Leon Draisaitl era. The greatest forward duo since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr destroys the regular season with prolific production each year. They've often carried their teammates in the playoffs, too. But no Cup rings to date.In fact, the Oilers haven't even made a Cup final with McDavid and Draisaitl, which means anything short of a conference final win in 2023-24 will disappoint. It took forever to get to such a place, but this group is fairly deep beyond the big dogs. I loved the no-risk Connor Brown signing in the offseason. Evan Bouchard is just scratching the surface as a top-pair defenseman. Mattias Ekholm, acquired prior to last year's trade deadline, is exactly what the blue line needed.Expect the Oilers' historically effective power play to slow down, though only slightly. There's no reason why, with the same personnel, it can't continue to strike fear into penalty killers everywhere.The minor concern for the Oilers is - yep - goaltending. The wild-card tandem of Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell is really the only reason why the Oilers are slotted in Tier 2 versus Tier 1.New Jersey DevilsLast year, the Devils announced themselves as legitimate with a franchise-high 112-point regular season. This year, they're primed to go on the first deep playoff run of Jack Hughes' career.General manager Tom Fitzgerald has assembled a tantalizing top six: Hughes and Nico Hischier down the middle, with Toffoli, Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, and Ondrej Palat or Dawson Mercer on the wings. The defensemen aren't too shabby, either, even after letting Graves and Damon Severson walk in free agency. Every night, it's Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, John Marino, Colin Miller, Luke Hughes, and one of Simon Nemec, Brendan Smith, or Kevin Bahl."Potential" is the word for New Jersey. Potential division winner. Potential midseason acquisitions thanks to a wide-open contention window and assets to flip. Potential for greatness.As is the growing trend across the league, the Devils are hoping an unheralded, low-salaried goaltending tandem can stand tall in the playoffs. That uncertainty keeps them in Tier 2 for now.Primary Cup favorites (Tier 1)Star-studded and deep - simply a cut above the restCarolina Hurricanes Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesThe Hurricanes have made the playoffs in each of Rod Brind'Amour's five seasons behind the bench, advancing as far as the third round twice. Over that span, the club's clever front office has managed to ice Cup-contending teams while keeping future flexibility.This year's squad might be the most talented of the Brind'Amour era. Brent Burns, Jaccob Slavin, Dmitry Orlov, and Brett Pesce lead the NHL's best blue line. Carolina's closest thing to a superstar, elite two-way center Sebastian Aho, is in his prime. Sniper Andrei Svechnikov is healthy and hungry. Early-20s forwards Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis have untapped potential. New winger Bunting should excel in Brind'Amour's forecheck-heavy system.Versatile and deep, the Canes now need their goal-scorers to finish and for the three-headed goaltending crew of Frederik Andersen, Antti Raanta, and Pyotr Kochetkov to hold down the fort come playoff time. General manager Don Waddell has plenty of draft capital and some enticing prospects to package should Brind'Amour need some reinforcements ahead of the trade deadline.Colorado AvalancheWhat initially jumps off the page about Colorado's roster is the immense star power. Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon are consensus top-five players. Mikko Rantanen sits in the 15-20 range.Everything trickles down from the three cornerstones: the championship standards, the modern playing style preached by coach Jared Bednar, and the usage and deployment. And yet the Avalanche aren't even top-heavy. Their versatile second tier consists of Valeri Nichushkin, Ryan Johansen, and Artturi Lehkonen up front, Devon Toews and Bowen Byram on the back end, and Alexandar Georgiev between the pipes. (Gabriel Landeskog would normally be listed here, but a knee injury will keep the team captain on the shelf for the entire regular season.)On paper, Dallas is Colorado's only competition in the Central. From there, with home-ice advantage through at least two rounds, the Avs can really do some damage - especially if general manager Chris MacFarland tinkers around the edges at the deadline or Landeskog returns.Vegas Golden Knights Jeff Bottari / National Hockey League / GettyAside from trading Reilly Smith for salary-cap relief, the defending Cup champions are running it back. So there's no need to overthink it: Vegas has a realistic shot at repeating.The Golden Knights are well-coached, their blue line is gigantic and mobile, and, as we saw this past spring, the forward group is clutch. How does Jonathan Marchessault follow up his Conn Smythe Trophy-winning postseason? Is this the year No. 1 center Jack Eichel records 100 points? To what degree does the Nic Hague-Zach Whitecloud defense pairing dominate its inferior opponents? Those are all questions of privilege in an NHL system that can be unforgiving.A less rosy question pertains to captain Mark Stone. Can his health hold up over the entire year?Vegas gained a reputation for not sitting on its laurels even before winning the Cup. I highly doubt it will now. From Stone and Marchessault to Alex Pietrangelo and Alec Martinez, the roster is littered with grizzled veterans who embody the so-called killer instinct that's elusive to so many.John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price appears to have come to grips with the reality that his playing days are almost certainly behind him."Barring a miracle," Price told the media Tuesday, including TSN. "I'm still under contract and I still hold on hope to the fact that maybe I could play again, but the probabilities are falling by the month."Price missed the entire 2022-23 campaign after making only five appearances the year prior. He underwent knee surgery in the summer of 2021 after leading the Habs' march to the Stanley Cup Final.His knee has recovered to where he can live comfortably day-to-day, but Price admitted it can't handle the physical demands of an NHL season."The honest thing is right now, it's just not going to happen," Price told The Athletic's Arpon Basu. "To take the stress of the goaltending position, (the knee) is not where it needs to be. So for now, I'm just going to continue to try and rehab my knee to a position where it's fit for life in general."Price said last October that he didn't have plans to retire. The 36-year-old is under contract for three more seasons at $10.5 million per year but is likely to spend the remainder of the deal on long-term injured reserve.He mentioned he's open to the idea of joining the Canadiens' front office in some capacity down the road."I'm probably not going to be in a full-time role soon; I've got a young family that I want to see grow up. I want to be present for that," he said. "But I'm definitely keeping that option open in the future when they're at an age that they don't want to hang out with dad anymore."Montreal drafted Price fifth overall in 2005, and he went on to establish franchise records in games played by a goaltender (712) and wins (361). Price owns a lifetime .917 save percentage, and won the Vezina and Hart Trophy in 2015.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Florida Panthers superstar Matthew Tkachuk says he's completely recovered from a broken sternum sustained during the Stanley Cup Final in June."I am feeling great," Tkachuk told NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "It's been a very short summer, the way I want it to be every year going forward. The worst timing for the injury. ... I had the summer to get ready. I definitely improved on some things. The injury allowed me to work on some parts of fitness and conditioning, and that is in the best form right now possible, and I just improved on some strength, which was my goal."Tkachuk was injured by a hit from Vegas Golden Knights forward Keegan Kolesar in Game 3. Tkachuk scored later in the contest and labored through the injury in Game 4 but was unable to suit up for the series finale.The Hart Trophy finalist revealed after the series that his brother Brady had to help him get dressed and bring him to the rink for Game 4. The elder Tkachuk said he had no regrets trying to gut it out in pursuit of a championship and is clear of any long-term ramifications from the injury.Tkachuk led the Panthers with 109 regular-season points and was the club's offensive catalyst during its unlikely run to the final. The 25-year-old managed 11 goals - including four game-winners - and 13 assists in 20 playoff contests.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Mike Babcock denied allegations made by a podcast Tuesday that he forced players to show them photos on their phones and then projected them onto a larger screen.Paul Bissonnette, the former NHLer and current TV analyst and host of "Spittin' Chiclets," mentioned claims from an anonymous player about Babcock previously making the request and a recent one pertaining to the Blue Jackets."This player who texted me said he has about 20 stories exactly like the one I'm about to tell you ... (Babcock) called in players from his team and he'll say, 'Let me see your phone. Open up your photos and I want to see who you are as a person,'" Bissonnette said on Tuesday's show."So the players in the past have obviously handed over their phone, they plug it in - I think the video coach plugs it in - and then they bring it up on a flatscreen and he goes through the camera roll on your phone."Bissonnette said one of the first things Babcock did upon getting to Columbus was ask team captain Boone Jenner to show the bench boss his phone for that reason.Later on Tuesday, Babcock acknowledged requesting photos from players but denied how the process was portrayed on the podcast."While meeting with our players and staff I asked them to share, off their phones, family pictures as part of the process of getting to know them better," the head coach said in a statement. "There was absolutely nothing more to it than that."The way this was portrayed on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast was a gross misrepresentation of those meetings and extremely offensive. These meetings have been very important and beneficial, not only for me but for our players and staff as well, and to have them depicted like this is irresponsible and completely inaccurate."Jenner said Babcock asked for family photos, which he says they exchanged, and the player characterized their first encounter as a positive one."While meeting with Babs he asked me about my family and where I'm from, my upcoming wedding and hockey-related stuff," Jenner said in a statement of his own. "He then asked if I had pictures of my family and I was happy to share some with him. He showed me pictures of his family."I thought it was a great first meeting and good way for us to start to build a relationship. To have this blown out of proportion is truly disappointing."Bissonnette responded emphatically and skeptically to the statements from Babcock and Jenner, claiming he's "had tons of players confirm" the version of the events he described.NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed both the league and the NHLPA looked into the matter, according to NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika. Daly said Bissonnette's characterization of what occurred "isn't consistent" with what players are telling the players' association and added none of them felt their interactions with Babcock were inappropriate.The Blue Jackets hired Babcock on July 1 after firing Brad Larsen in April. Babcock had been out of the NHL - coaching at the University of Saskatchewan before resigning after one season - since November 2019, when the Toronto Maple Leafs fired him.Babcock has an apparent history of humiliating players. Mitch Marner confirmed in 2019 that when he was a rookie with the Leafs, Babcock asked him to rank his teammates based on work ethic, and the head coach later shared the list with the team.Chris Chelios claimed on "Spittin' Chiclets" in 2019 that Babcock berated Johan Franzen to the point where the Detroit Red Wings forward had a nervous breakdown during the 2012 playoffs.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Could the third time be the charm for the NHL in Atlanta?Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league doesn't have any imminent relocation or expansion plans, but it believes the Georgia capital could be a viable location for a new team 12 years after the Thrashers moved to Canada."I think some of the challenges that we've seen in the past in Atlanta can be overcome," Daly told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski on Tuesday.He added: "I think times have changed pretty dramatically and the market demographics have changed pretty dramatically since the first time we went there and then again in 1999. I think a lot of bigger businesses are in Atlanta (now)."The NHL first ventured to Atlanta in 1972, where the Flames played until 1980 before relocating to Calgary. The Thrashers entered the league in 1999 but became the Winnipeg Jets in 2011.The recent success of the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken - the NHL's 31st and 32nd teams - has generated more interest from potential owners, Daly noted."There are potential markets that may be suitable for NHL hockey, so our policy is really an open-door policy," he said. "If you are interested and have a plan, come see us and certainly we'll evaluate it from there. If it becomes something our owners are interested in, we can pursue it. Nothing has risen to that level currently, but that could change."Daly pointed to the Atlanta Braves' 2017 move from near downtown Atlanta to suburban Cobb County as a model the NHL could borrow."I also think that rink location will be important with any decision to locate a franchise in Atlanta," he said. "I think if you use the Braves as an example, they struggled, as I understand it, attendance-wise for years, even though they had a very successful team on the field. Their latest stadium is in a perfect location and sells out regularly."Salt Lake City has also been tabbed as a potential future NHL destination after Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith said in June that he's keen on bringing a franchise to the area. His comments came in the wake of the Arizona Coyotes' failed bid to secure a new arena deal in Tempe, an issue that has yet to be resolved.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Colorado Avalanche signed Tomas Tatar to a one-year contract Tuesday, the team announced.The pact is worth $1.5 million, reports The Athletic's Peter Baugh.Tatar scored 20 goals for the seventh time in his 12-year career last season for the New Jersey Devils. He added 28 assists and averaged 15:07 of ice time while playing all 82 games for the fourth time.The veteran forward, who turns 33 on Dec. 1, spent the last two campaigns with the Devils. He played the previous three with the Montreal Canadiens after splitting the 2017-18 season between the Detroit Red Wings and Vegas Golden Knights.The Golden Knights shipped him to Montreal in the trade that also sent Nick Suzuki to the Habs and Max Pacioretty to Vegas.Detroit traded Tatar to the Golden Knights for three draft picks in February 2018. The Slovakian winger played his first six seasons with the Wings, and then 62 games in the next campaign before they traded him to Vegas. Detroit drafted him 60th overall in 2009.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Winnipeg Jets handed Adam Lowry the "C" on Tuesday, making him the 10th captain in franchise history and the third since they relocated from Atlanta.Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey will remain alternate captains for the Jets. They wore "As" last season, along with Lowry, while Winnipeg went without a captain."As a teammate, Adam has become one of the most respected players by his peers by how he plays the game on the ice and for all that he brings to the team off of it," Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said in a statement Tuesday.Winnipeg head coach Rick Bowness was equally effusive in his praise for Lowry."He's a true professional, he has total respect from every player on the team, every player around the league, and certainly from the coaching staff as well," Bowness said. "We just feel at this point it's the right time to name Adam as our captain."Lowry has spent his entire NHL tenure with the Jets, who drafted him 67th overall in 2011. The 30-year-old forward isn't known for his offense, but he contributed 13 goals and 23 assists while averaging 15:39 of ice time and playing all 82 games for the second time in his career last season. That workload was his highest since 2016-17, when he averaged 16:03.The gritty Canadian - who was born in St. Louis when his father, Dave, played for the Blues but grew up north of the border - also won 50.4% of his 1,180 faceoffs in 2022-23.Lowry is entering his 10th season with the Jets, who stripped Blake Wheeler of the captaincy last September. Winnipeg then bought out Wheeler's contract June 30.Wheeler had been the Jets' captain since 2016. He succeeded Andrew Ladd, who the then-Atlanta Thrashers named captain in 2010 before moving to Winnipeg prior to the 2011-12 season.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A whopping 11 players hit the 100-point plateau last season, and we think the not-so-exclusive club will admit even more members in 2023-24. Yeehaw!We've broken out our crystal ball and tarot cards (that's a thing, right?) to guess the top five scorers of the new season about seven months in advance. The picture was a little cloudy, so please don't be too mad if we're wrong - we are but novices in the future-predicting game.Let's get started.Honorable mention: Erik Karlsson Joe Sargent / National Hockey League / Getty2022-23:GPGAPP/GPPPPATOI8225761011.232725:37We know it's highly doubtful that Karlsson will post back-to-back 100-point seasons as a defenseman - Paul Coffey was the last to do it in 1988-89 and 1989-90 - but this exercise is supposed to be fun, right? The podium of this list is filled with the usual suspects, so we're trying to keep it fresh with one honorable mention - sue us.The reigning Norris Trophy winner became the first blue-liner to hit the 100-point mark in a single season since Brian Leetch in 1991-92. And Karlsson pulled it off on a crappy San Jose Sharks squad that tanked its merry way to the bottom of the league's standings. Karlsson is now taking his skills to the Pittsburgh Penguins, who - let's face it - are more well-endowed in the talent department than the Sharks.Instead of Karlsson's most common teammates on the ice being Tomas Hertl, Jaycob Megna, and Logan Couture, he'll now share the frozen sheet with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel, and Kris Letang. He'll also likely take over duties on Pittsburgh's top power-play unit. Despite an improved supporting cast, Karlsson won't end the season as one of the top five scorers. However, he's got a shot to lead all blue-liners in points for the second campaign in a row.5. Jason Robertson Jeff Bottari / National Hockey League / Getty2022-23:GPGAPP/GPPPPATOI8246631091.334118:50Excuse this admittedly very tacky pun, but Robertson is the Dallas Stars' biggest ... star, and we expect astronomical things from him in 2023-24.That might not seem fair given that Robertson just enjoyed a career year that saw him hit the 100-point mark for the first time, but the young talent has a knack for outdoing himself. In each of the last two campaigns, he's seen his offensive output increase by at least 30 points from the previous season. Oh, and he's coming off his second consecutive 40-goal campaign. Oh, and he's only 24 years old.You may wonder why we opted to put Robertson on this list over, say, Boston Bruins sniper David Pastrnak or Tampa Bay Lightning stud Nikita Kucherov, considering both had four more points than him last season. It wasn't an easy decision, but the argument is sound. Pastrnak will no longer have Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to play with in 2023-24, while Robertson will again be rocking with Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz to form Dallas' dynamite top line. Kucherov averaged more than one full minute of ice time per game than Robertson last season, but the Stars winger beat him in points per 60 minutes (4.23) at all strengths.4. Matthew Tkachuk Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty2022-23 stats:GPGAPP/GPPPPATOI7940691091.383620:26Tkachuk was arguably the most electrifying skater in the playoffs, so we'll ride the hot hand and bank on him to carry that momentum into the 2023-24 regular season.The talented agitator is three months removed from ranking third in postseason scoring with 24 points in 20 games. He also led the league with four game-deciding goals, three of which were overtime winners. Determining the "clutch gene" isn't an exact science, but it's clear that Tkachuk has it in spades. Playoffs aside, putting Tkachuk on this list shouldn't raise any eyebrows. He's coming off his second consecutive 100-point campaign and was named a Hart Trophy finalist for the first time in his career.Tkachuk clearly didn't need any time to adjust to his new surroundings, posting the second-most productive season in Florida Panthers history during his first year in the Sunshine State (trailing only Jonathan Huberdeau's 115-point campaign in 2021-22). And now we're excited to see what steps he takes in Year 2 after tying Robertson for sixth place in the scoring race in 2022-23. Tkachuk has spent his offseason recovering from a broken sternum sustained in the playoffs. He can certainly crack the top five if the injury doesn't hold him back.3. Nathan MacKinnon Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images / Denver Post / Getty2022-23 stats:GPGAPP/GPPPPATOI7142691111.563422:19A 100-point season had previously eluded MacKinnon, but he only needed 71 games to accomplish the feat in 2022-23. That's just efficient, epic stuff from the 2022 Stanley Cup champion.MacKinnon posted the league's third-highest point-per-game clip last season - trailing only that pair of Edmonton Oilers freaks - and it's the fifth-best rate in a single season in Colorado Avalanche history when accounting for players who skated in at least 20 games. Since MacKinnon's first point-per-game season in 2017-18, his 553 points (including 366 at even strength) in 409 contests are the third most in the NHL. He's been unbelievably, terrifyingly consistent, and it's for that reason he cracks the podium of this list.The 28-year-old will be the highest-paid player in the league in 2023-24 now that his eight-year, $100.8-million extension is set to kick in. It might seem impossible since he's already so good, but we feel pretty safe saying MacKinnon will find a way to elevate his game further to match his new price tag. We wouldn't be surprised if he hits the 50-goal mark this season for the first time in his career.2. Leon Draisaitl Zak Krill / National Hockey League / Getty2022-23 stats:GPGAPP/GPPPPATOI8052761281.606221:44Between Draisaitl and the first-place guy on this list (who could it be?!), the Art Ross Trophy is almost definitely staying in Edmonton for the fifth straight season in 2023-24.The German superstar has finished in the top five in league scoring for five seasons running, and we bet that he's about to make it six. Draisaitl reached a new level last campaign, potting a career-high 128 points, which would be a team high on any other squad except his own. Poor guy, but he's probably used to that by now.Almost exactly half of Draisaitl's points and all but 20 of his goals came on the power play in 2022-23 as Edmonton set a single-season record with a 32.4% success rate on the man advantage. As long as the Oilers continue to draw penalties and he doesn't lose his marksman touch, there's no reason Draisaitl can't hit the 50-goal and 100-point plateaus for the third straight campaign. However, wrestling the Art Ross Trophy from the No. 1 player on these rankings is an entirely different story.1. Connor McDavid Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty2022-23 stats:GPGAPP/GPPPPATOI8264891531.877122:23The "scoring race" is more or less a battle for second place by this point. Apologies to the also-rans on this list, but it's true. We'd like to extend an early congratulations to McDavid for winning the 2023-24 Art Ross Trophy and maybe all of the scoring titles for the foreseeable future.What other choice do we have? You'd be hard-pressed to find a single soul who didn't expect him to win his third consecutive Art Ross Trophy in 2022-23. But the Oilers superstar went ahead and shattered his already lofty expectations by becoming the first player to hit the 150-point mark since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96. Oh, and he added world-beating goal-scorer to his list of skills by picking up his first Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy while eclipsing his previous career high in goals by a whopping 20 tallies. No biggie.What everyone should be learning every year with McDavid is never to doubt the heights he can reach, seeing as he's constantly re-establishing his own bar. Will he become just the third skater in NHL history to hit the 160-point plateau in the new season? Probably, if he stays healthy. Seventy goals aren't out of the question, either - he only missed it by six last campaign. At the very least, if McDavid posts his second consecutive 150-point season in 2023-24, he'll become the third-fastest skater to hit 1,000 career points, trailing only Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.Just missed the cut:

New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello confirmed unsigned veteran Zach Parise won't be with the club for training camp this month but didn't rule out reuniting with the winger later in the season."Zach will be with his family," Lamoriello told NHL.com. "We will see how the rest of the season goes, but right now, it's important for him to be there. He's spent a couple of years away, and so that is the decision at this point."He added: "To my knowledge, he is not retiring. In fact, I don't feel he will at this point."Parise acknowledged his uncertain future after New York was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes, saying he'd likely play for the Islanders or retire.The 39-year-old hit unrestricted free agency this summer after signing one-year deals with the Islanders each of the past two seasons. Parise was bought out by the Minnesota Wild in the summer of 2021 with four seasons remaining on the monster 13-year, $98-million contract he signed to suit up in his home state in 2012.The Islanders are roughly $486,000 over the salary cap with just over a month until their first regular season game, according to Cap Friendly.Parise appeared in all 82 games in both seasons with the Islanders, putting up a combined 69 points.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.