Ray Shero knows at least one thing he'll be doing this summer.The New Jersey Devils general manager is expecting to put pen to paper on a new deal for the team's leading scorer, forward Kyle Palmieri.

What do you do when you have three favorite players and one Florida Panthers jersey?Put the whole top line on a personalized jersey nameplate, of course.Aleksander Barkov + Jaromir Jagr + Jonathan Huberdeau = well, this:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have locked up a trio of forwards for the next two seasons.Bryan Rust, Scott Wilson, and Tom Kuhnhackl have all signed two-year contract extensions, general manager Jim Rutherford announced Monday.The deals begin next seasons and run through 2017-18. Rust's contract has an average annual value of $640,000, while both Wilson's and Kuhnhackl's are for $625,000.As the Penguins pointed out, all three have had an impact on the club when in the lineup this season.PlayerRecord With Him In LineupRecord Without Him In LineupRecord / Pct.Record / Pct.Bryan Rust21-9-3 / .68215-15-5 / .500Tom Kuhnhackl17-8-3 / .66119-16-5 / .538Scott Wilson14-8-2 / .62522-16-6 / .568In Sunday's win over the New York Rangers, Rust and Kuhnhackl were on the ice with Sidney Crosby in the final minute while clinging to a one-goal lead. The pair combined to set up a Crosby goal to seal the win.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Montreal Canadiens will be without P.K. Subban for at least two more games as a result of a neck injury.The star defenseman, who was stretchered off the ice after an awkward collision March 10, has yet to resume skating with the team and will therefore be held out for games Tuesday against Florida and Wednesday in Buffalo, the team confirmed.Subban had not missed a game due to injury in his career prior to Saturday.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A shutout loss to this season's Toronto Maple Leafs will make you rethink some things.That appears to be the case in Detroit, at least, as the reeling Red Wings have recalled prized prospect Anthony Mantha from the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins in advance of Tuesday's huge game against Philadelphia, in which he's expected to play.

Jakub Voracek might be the most invested spectator Tuesday between his Philadelphia Flyers and the Detroit Red Wings.That's because the Flyers are on a roll, and with two games in hand on Detroit, Voracek believes they're well on their way to making up the three-point difference between the clubs in the race for a wild-card playoff spot."The way we’re playing, they’ve got to be more worried about not making the playoffs than us," Voracek said Tuesday. "Because they way we play, everybody knows how good we play right now and everybody watches the games."The Flyers have a 7-2-1 record over the past 10 games as compared to 5-4-1 for the Red Wings, and Tuesday marks the first of two remaining games between them.Voracek has missed the past seven games with a foot injury and said there's no chance he plays against Detroit, but he hopes to return soon.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko, Florida Panthers center Vincent Trocheck, and New Jersey Devils goalie Keith Kinkaid have been named the NHL’s "Three Stars" for the week ending March 13.Here's a look at how they did it:

St. Patrick's Day is a time when NHL teams get extra creative with their uniforms, and that's yielded some terrific results over the years. In the lead up to the big night, theScore counts down the top five St. Patrick's Day uniforms.No. 5: 2002 Toronto Maple Leafs

Robin Lehner won't be bothered if the NHL decides to alter goalie equipment in an attempt to increase scoring.The Sabres goalie fully endorsed reducing the size of goalie equipment Monday while speaking on WGR 550 in Buffalo."I'm a pretty big guy and you have guys weighing around 160 who look bigger than me on the ice," said Lehner, who's listed at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds. "We should be athletes out there, not operating equipment. We should save the pucks, it shouldn't be the equipment that saves the pucks."Lehner has appeared in 20 games for the Sabres this season, posting a 5-9-4 record that belies his sparkling .926 save percentage.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL's general managers aren't wasting any time.During the morning session of the annual meetings taking place in Boca Raton, Fla., it's reportedly been decided that blue line cameras will be installed in the boards of all 16 arenas that will host playoff games this spring, according to Jonas Siegel of The Canadian Press.The hope is this will ensure the right ruling is made when a coach challenges a goal scored on a seemingly missed offside call.Also on the docket is a discussion in regards to whether on-ice officials should make this call, or if it should be reviewed and decided in the league's Toronto-based war room.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

At least one NHL general manager wants to limit the opposition's dances with lady luck to once in five years.In advance of this week's general manager meetings in Florida, St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong is talking about reducing the chances of winning the lottery for teams that don't finish in 30th place."The theory is that if you finish last you always have a chance to win the lottery," Armstrong said, according to Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun. "So, if you finish last three years in a row, you can win the lottery three years in a row. But if you didn’t finish last and win the lottery, you can’t do it again for another five years."If you are like Edmonton last year and finished 28th and won the lottery, you couldn’t win it again this year if you didn’t finish last."For Armstrong, the question of teams tanking in order to ensure a last-place finish isn't a concern."For me it’s not a thing of concern because of the parity," he said. "I just don’t think you can make yourself that much better at the (trade) deadline or that much worse at the deadline."Ultimately players have no stake in tanking," he continued. "And when you see the number of young players in the game today, well, usually when a player gets called up, he’s hungrier. It’s almost the reverse philosophy. The logic is that when you trade veteran players you get worse. The reality is, when you trade veterans and bring up younger guys, in a lot of instances you get better. The statistics actually show that."The draft lottery is expected to be one of the main topics addressed at the GM meetings.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Dalton Prout will have a hearing for roughing/sucker punching Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the NHL's Department of Player Safety has announced.The incident occurred during a scrum behind the net, and the punch forced Kucherov to make an early exit from Sunday's game.

Having basically already conquered the NHL's regular season, Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz is weary of his team becoming complacent.Washington has amassed 103 points through 68 games, enough for a 12-point advantage in the race for the Presidents' Trophy.But this is a team with playoff-heavy aspirations, and with a 5-4-1 record over the past 10 games, is trending the wrong way at the wrong time.As a result, Trotz is warning his players not to take their feet off the gas."Everybody we’re playing is in playoff mode. They’re fighting for playoff position and they’re marking us and they’re using us as a little bit of a yardstick based on our record and every game is hard," Trotz said Sunday, according to Chuck Gormley of CSN. "You’ve got to fight for inches and right now we’ve got some guys, they’re playing hard but we’re not fighting for enough inches."You’re going to have to fight for the inches in the playoffs and you’ve got to prepare that way for the playoffs."Of particular note, superstar winger Alex Ovechkin has a single goal in seven March games and dropped only two shots in a 5-2 loss Saturday in San Jose.Trotz's thoughts?"I need all our guys to play at the level they need to play at."Shots fired. Or, rather, more shots need to be fired.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL's 30 general managers are in Boca Raton, Fla. for their annual meetings.Here's a look at the expected talking points, according to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN:

With the last-place Toronto Maple Leafs in town Sunday night, the Detroit Red Wings had a tremendous opportunity to not just jump back ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but to open up a five-point advantage on the surging Philadelphia Flyers.But they couldn't slip one past Jonathan Bernier.Behind 38 saves from the Maple Leafs goaltender, Mike Babcock earned his first win in Detroit since leaving the organization last summer, 1-0.Bernier's clean sheet was his second of the season, and the first shutout by a Maple Leafs netminder in Detroit in more than 15 years.Michael Grabner underscored what was a highly unusual contest, scoring his first goal in 30 games - and the eventual game-winner - with his backside as he slid into Petr Mrazek's crease after being hauled down on a breakaway.It's just one defeat from 82 games, but one the Red Wings may live to regret come mid-April.Babcock led the Red Wings into the playoffs each season in his decade behind the bench, helping extend the organization's longest active postseason appearance streak in North American sports to 24 years. This season, under rookie head coach Jeff Blashill, the Wings will carry a three-point lead over Philadelphia - while conceding two games in hand - into the final month of the campaign after Sunday's loss.And though his team took the points Sunday, Babcock acknowledged he'll be pulling for his former employer down the stretch.

Michael Grabner pulled out a horseshoe.The snakebitten Toronto Maple Leafs winger used the seat of his pants to snap a 30-game goalless drought Sunday night while spilling into the Detroit Red Wings net on a breakaway attempt.Grabner was initially awarded a penalty shot, but after review, it was ruled that the puck did indeed beat his person into the net.He had fun with the goal, an eventual game-winner, on social media after the contest.

The Tampa Bay Lightning prevented the cannon from sounding Sunday afternoon in Columbus, but didn't leave Nationwide Arena unscathed.Forwards Nikita Kucherov and Valtteri Filppula both exited with injuries, and did not return to the 4-0 win.There wasn't a firm update after the game, but the Bolts did announce during the game that Filppula suffered an upper-body injury. It's believed Filppula suffered the knock on a hit from Blue Jackets defender Fedor Tyutin.It's unclear what happened to Kucherov, but the top-six forward did not return after he was involved in a scrum midway through the game and took a sucker punch from Dalton Prout.The NHL is expected to review Prout's blow, according to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch.Kucherov has 25 goals and 54 points this season, while the modest-scoring but useful Filppula has 28 points and appeared in every game for Tampa.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Because what's cooler than NHL ice?A small bird ventured from the rafters to cool its toes on the ice at Nationwide Arena during Sunday's matinee between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Though Brad Treliving and his Calgary Flames brass have potentially franchise-defining contracts to broker with restricted free agents Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, the club's priority this summer is to unearth a bona fide No. 1 starter."No ifs, ands, or buts," Treliving confirmed to Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun."We will leave no stone unturned and see where we go. It's obviously a critical position and we'll cast a wide net."The Flames are the only team stopping pucks at a sub-.900 rate this season, and own the fifth-worst team save percentage in the two seasons since longtime starter Miikka Kiprusoff sprung for retirement.Jonas Hiller and Karri Ramo, both pending unrestricted free agents unlikely to be retained, have essentially split duties over that span, each having failed to nail down the starter's role. Joni Ortio, meanwhile, who's made the Flames' last four starts, is a restricted free agent after this season. He could return in a backup role, but owns a sub-.900 save clip for his career himself.Frederik Andersen of the Anaheim Ducks might be the most attractive option available through trade, while the likes of James Reimer and Cam Ward will be free to choose their destination this summer.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Should he choose to take it through to July 1, Steven Stamkos will carry a 30-goal season - at minimum - into unrestricted free agency.The Tampa Bay Lightning captain clapped No. 30 short side on Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky on Sunday, reaching the milestone total for the fifth time in his eight NHL seasons.Stamkos will not challenge his career-best 60 scored in 2011-12, and would need to average one per game down the stretch to top his 43-goal campaign from a season ago.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Edmonton Oilers have added another body to their mix up front, coming to terms on a one-year, entry-level pact with Finnish winger Jere Sallinen.Sallinen, a sixth-round draft pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2009, scored eight goals and contributed 19 points in 50 games this season with Jokerit of the KHL.Though he doesn't offer much offensive upside, Sallinen does possess edge. He led Jokerit with 79 penalty minutes.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After Saturday's announcement that Evgeni Malkin would miss up to two months with injury, the Pittsburgh Penguins called up forwards Conor Sheary and Dominik Simon from the AHL, and the pair made instant impacts Sunday.Sheary scored two goals in the second period and Simon, playing his first NHL game, picked up on assist on Matt Cullen's game-winner to lead the Penguins to a 5-3 win over the New York Rangers."He's a terrific kid," head coach Mike Sullivan said of Sheary. "He works hard. It's great to see a kid like that get rewarded. His effort is inspiring."The 23-year-old even spent some time on the top line early in the third period while Chris Kunitz sat in the box for five minutes after fighting Chris Kreider.Simon, meanwhile, impressed with an assist and a hit in just under eight minutes of ice time.

Following the Florida Panthers' 5-4 shootout victory on Saturday, Jaromir Jagr had no interest in taking some time to rest and relax after a two-point night.The 44-year-old posted a photo of himself on Facebook wearing two weight vests - at 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning with a lengthy message, written in his native Czech.

New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist stopped 12 of 13 first-period shots Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but none as pretty as the one on Sidney Crosby in the frame's dying moments.After stopping a Chris Kunitz slapper, the Penguins captain kicked the puck to his stick and attempted to shoot it into an empty net, but was denied by Lundqvist's left pad.The 34-year-old netminder shut out the Penguins on Feb. 10Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland announced Sunday that defenseman Niklas Kronwall will miss one-to-three weeks with a knee injury, Ansar Khan of MLive reports.Kronwall was helped off the ice and left Saturday's game after an awkward fall in front of the Red Wings' net. Holland said an MRI showed just a "slight sprain."The 35-year-old already missed over a month of action earlier this season with a separate knee injury.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With Evgeni Malkin sidelined for up to two months, Pittsburgh Penguins fans got their first look at Czech prospect Dominik Simon, who was recalled Saturday and will make his NHL debut Sunday against the New York Rangers.The 21-year-old Simon, a fifth-round pick in last year's draft, has impressed in his first AHL season with 18 goals and 20 assists in 54 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.The team also recalled Conor Sheary, who will join Simon and veteran Eric Fehr on the team's fourth line, according to Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It appears Ilya Kovalchuk's tenure with SKA St. Petersburg has come to an end - for a second time - during the KHL postseason.After leaving his club and being stripped of his captaincy during their first-round series, the 32-year-old surprisingly returned for SKA's second-round series. But after going pointless in the first three games, the winger has been benched once again, Russian sports writer Slava Malamud reports.He was not in the lineup for Game 4 of the series Sunday, which his team went on to win 4-0.Malamud added that there's about a 50 percent chance SKA will buy out the remainder of Kovalchuk's contract, before listing the most likely options for his future.

The Boston Pride captured the first championship in NWHL history Saturday, by beating the Buffalo Beauts 3-1 to finish a two-game sweep, to win the Isobel Cup.The win was dedicated to injured forward Denna Laing, who suffered a spinal injury during the Outdoor Women's Classic in January. Her No. 24 was prominent in the team's championship photo:

Though they eventually lost to the Florida Panthers in a shootout, the Philadelphia Flyers picked up an important point as they continue to push toward a playoff spot, and it was their rookie defenseman who, once again, came through when it mattered most.Shayne Gostisbehere, a native of south Florida, scored the game-tying goal in Sunrise with under two minutes left in the third period, sending the game to overtime."When the game is getting tighter, he elevates his game," captain Claude Giroux said, per Philly.com.Though the end result didn't go the way he hoped, the 22-year-old certainly won't forget his goal in front of 50 relatives and friends at BB&T Center."That was awesome," said Gostisbehere. "Of course, we wanted a better result at the end, but it's kind of a dream come true. You grow up watching all the games in this building, and to go out there and score a goal is pretty cool."It was the 15th goal of the season for "Ghost," which leads all rookie defensemen. Incredibly, all 15 have either tied a game or given his team the lead - including his rookie-best four overtime winners, which only trails the five scored by Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews league-wide.

Mike Smith didn't miss a beat in his first appearance in the Arizona Coyotes' cage after more than three months of inaction Saturday in Edmonton, making 44 saves on Oilers shooters to record his second shutout of the season.His 44 saves - which serves as the second-most required for a clean sheet among goalies this season - came 40 games after having to undergo surgery to repair an abdominal muscle.

With the promise of increased minutes since his promotion to the top line with the Sedin twins, Jake Virtanen jumped at the opportunity to exchange punches with the skilled Filip Forsberg just moments into Saturday's clash.Virtanen landed a flurry of unanswered blows on the unlikely aggressor, handing the second-year Nashville Predators forward a loss in the first official bout of his career.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Stop us if you have heard this before: There's been a turnover in Montreal.This time, it's Mike Condon to blame. The goaltender committed an egregious giveaway Saturday night, finding the tape of Nino Niederreiter with an attempt to clear for the first of two goals against through 20 minutes.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin will miss six-to-eight weeks with an upper-body injury, general manager Jim Rutherford announced Saturday.Malkin was injured after a collision with defenseman Dalton Prout behind the Blue Jackets' net during his team's 3-2 win over Columbus on Friday.He will not require surgery to repair the damage, which appeared to be to his left hand or wrist.His 27 goals and 58 points trail only Sidney Crosby on the Penguins this season. The team went 5-4-1 during a 10-game stretch in February that the Russian missed due to a lower-body injury.

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall is expected to miss time after suffering a suspected knee sprain, but should return before the conclusion of the regular season, Sportsnet's Damien Cox reports.According to Cox, Kronwall had an MRI on the injured joint after twisting to the ice awkwardly, and underneath teammates, in Saturday's win over the New York Rangers.The veteran defenseman told MLive's Ansar Khan that he did not believe the injury was serious.A further update is expected Sunday.He's already missed 15 games with a knee injury this season.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With a number of athletes testing positive for banned substances in recent weeks, including, most notably, tennis star Maria Sharapova, many are beginning to ponder if sanctions on athletes caught using performance-enhancing drugs should become even more harsh.Among those who want to see harsher penalties is retired NHL legend Teemu Selanne, who discussed doping in a blog post published Wednesday on his website, Selanne.com."I think the only way that would make athletes think long and hard about using banned substances is an automatic life-time ban for serious doping offences," Selanne wrote. "I'm sure that would at least make a person stop and think whether it’s a chance worth taking."His words came in response to reports the NHL blocked the World Anti-Doping Agency in September from testing athletes during the lead up to the World Cup of Hockey. The 45-year-old Selanne is a member of Team Finland's executive staff for the tournament.Selanne also mentioned the highly anticipated alumni game he will participate in between former members of the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers."And finally, I can’t even express how excited I am about the alumni game at the NHL Heritage Classic outdoor game in my beloved Winnipeg next October," he wrote, later adding the game will "surely be interesting" with Wayne Gretzky playing in just his second alumni game.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Arizona Coyotes goalie Mike Smith will be back between the pipes against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday after missing the last 40 games, head coach Dave Tippett announced.

The Philadelphia Flyers announced Saturday that goaltender Michal Neuvirth has a stomach virus, and as a result recalled fellow goalie Anthony Stolarz from the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms.Neuvirth won three consecutive starts before losing his most recent outing, March 3 against the Edmonton Oilers. He has a 16-8-4 record this season with three shutouts.With the Czech Republic native sidelined, Steve Mason will start for the second day in a row after making 18 stops Friday in a 3-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After missing 20 games, New York Rangers forward Rick Nash returned to the lineup Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings, head coach Alain Vigneault announced.

With five points in his last seven games, including an assist on Markus Granlund's overtime winner Wednesday against the Arizona Coyotes, the Vancouver Canucks have rewarded rookie Jake Virtanen by placing him on the first line alongside Henrik and Daniel Sedin."It is pretty sweet," the 19-year-old said Friday, per Brad Ziemer of the Vancouver Sun. "I haven't really played with them since pre-season … I am looking forward to playing with those guys, they are world-class players."Since a disappointing 2015 World Junior tournament, with just one point in four games and a pair of late penalties in Canada's quarterfinal loss to Finland, the forward admits his game has turned around."I came back from world juniors, I don't know exactly what happened, but everything felt a lot slower," Virtanen said. "I was seeing plays happen and reading plays better. I am feeling a lot more confident every game by making plays and stuff."

Set to begin a four-game road trip Tuesday, the Boston Bruins will play their final game before St. Patrick's Day on Saturday, but they won't miss their chance to celebrate the holiday.The Bruins tweeted out a photo of the jerseys they'll being donning during warmups, prior to their afternoon game against the New York Islanders.The green jerseys feature plaid shoulders, complete with clovers:

TORONTO - If there's anyone on the Toronto Maple Leafs who knows how quickly things can turn around, it's recently acquired forward Milan Michalek.He was 27, in his third season with the Ottawa Senators. The team had come off a disappointing 32-40-10 season and was in rebuild mode heading into 2011-12. Expectations were low and many predicted the Senators would finish last in the NHL.But the Senators were an interesting crew, and put together a memorable season. A bunch of young prospects in their early 20s, plus a motley crew of unproven talent and established veterans cobbled together a surprising second-place finish in the Northeast Division. Michalek played a big part, scoring a career-high 35 goals.The Senators' ability to fight back from deficits and overcome adversity quickly earned the club praise from media and fans. They were dubbed the "Pesky Sens.""Those were some great years,” Michalek said, ahead of his first visit back to Ottawa on Saturday since being traded last month.The tradeOn Feb. 9, Toronto and Ottawa completed a blockbuster nine-player trade, headlined by now-former Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf. Toronto didn't necessarily intend to take veteran players in return - that doesn't jive with the rebuild - but Phaneuf’s $7-million annual salary-cap hit meant some money had to go the Maple Leafs' way. Enter Michalek and his $4-million cap number through 2016-17. His inclusion in the deal became a financial necessity, and he became the most notable veteran to head to Toronto in the trade.Michalek had been out of the lineup since Jan. 22, after he broke a finger in what ended up being his last game as a Senator. When he arrived in Toronto, he was no longer trying to recover in time to help a bubble playoff team. Instead, he was on a team that had essentially relinquished any playoff aspirations back in training camp."The bag skates were really tough but I wasn't feeling rushed at any point in my recovery," Michalek said, when asked if the pressure was off with respect to getting into his new team's lineup. "You don’t want to go through those so I was just trying to get back in time to avoid doing those.”The futureAlthough healthy, it's going to take time for Michalek to get his conditioning back to where it needs to be, in order for him to try to produce like he has in the past. He's settled in Toronto, living in an apartment that's his until the end of the season. With one year left on his contract, Michalek realizes anything is possible.And given the injection of new blood, it's not out of the realm of possibility to expect a substantially improved Maple Leafs team in October 2016."There's a lot of young guys with skill, it's really fun to be here," Michalek said. "I'm not really looking ahead," he added. "I mean, I'm really looking at this season and want to play my game and help the team any way I can. Help the young guys and show them along."A little older and more established, the Maple Leafs will need a veteran or two around as the younger players continue to perform - and when they eventually struggle.What's left?Now 31, Michalek's production has dropped incrementally over the years. Injuries cost him more than half of the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign after his career-best season, and he scored 17 goals in 82 games in 2013-14. Last season, he had 13 goals in 66 games, and he arrived in Toronto with six goals in 32 games. It's unlikely he'll hit the 20-mark again, but he should be good for 10-15 goals if healthy."He's obviously got good hockey sense, we just have to get him skating and moving and getting in shape and getting his confidence back,” head coach Mike Babcock said. "He's a big guy who looks like he can make a play and has had success in the league."Michalek's hockey sense is ultimately what could decide his fate in Toronto. If he can prove in the final month of the season that he can make other players around him better, management may be inclined to keep him around.The Senators haven't been referred to as "pesky" in quite a while. In acquiring Michalek, the Maple Leafs are hoping to add some "pesky" to their game in 2016-17, which wouldn't be such a bad thing.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After being called up from the Toronto Marlies on Friday, defenseman Rinat Valiev is set to become the ninth rookie to make his NHL debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season when they visit the Ottawa Senators on Saturday."I've been waiting for this moment all my life," the 20-year-old told Terry Koshan from the Toronto Sun on Friday."I am just so excited to be here. Little bit nervous."The Maple Leafs selected Valiev in the third round of the 2014 draft. After playing the last two seasons in the Western Hockey League, the Russian has three goals and 18 assists in his first season with the Marlies.Valiev will join Brendan Leipsic, Byron Froese, Zach Hyman, Kasperi Kapanen, Viktor Loov, William Nylander, Nikita Soshnikov, and Garret Sparks as Maple Leafs to play their first NHL games this season.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's been more than six weeks since Dennis Wideman cross-checked linesman Don Henderson, and the situation continues to intensify after an arbitrator recently made a decision to reduce the defenseman's suspension from 20 games to 10.While Wideman was thankful for the sentence reduction, the NHL Officials' Association isn't happy with the decision, releasing the following statement Saturday:

After a "chaotic" six-plus weeks and 19 games lost while in limbo, Dennis Wideman spoke for the final time about his now infamous Jan. 27 incident - and the since-reduced suspension - for cross-checking linesman Don Henderson.And he stuck to his guns, of course."I'm happy that it was reduced to 10 games," Wideman said. "But I still maintain that it was completely accidental, and I had no intent on hitting Donny at all."Wideman thanked the Flames, the club's staff, his coaches, teammates, and the NHLPA for support throughout. And though he acknowledged that it was "precedent-setting," he hopes that next time, the process will move along quicker.Wideman will receive compensation for the needlessly lost time, but it will be impossible to repay both the player and organization the nine additional games he was forced to sit.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jason Spezza scored in a fifth straight game and for the 26th time on the season Friday and in the process reached, then later surpassed, the 50-point plateau for an 11th time in his career.So naturally, and nearly two seasons after the fact (and conveniently while he's on a tear), it's time to revisit the trade he helped engineer from the Ottawa Senators.And boy, it ain't pretty Senators fans.For those who need a reminder:Dallas receives: Jason Spezza, Ludwig Karlsson