William Nylander has been informed that he won't be shipped out as long as Kyle Dubas is in charge.
"Kyle has told me multiple times that as long as he’s here he’s not going to trade me," the Toronto Maple Leafs forward told reporters, including The Athletic's Jonas Siegel, on Monday.
Dubas all but confirmed Nylander's comment moments later.
"I don't think we want to get in the business of not having excellent young players," the general manager said, according to The Athletic's James Mirtle.
Nylander and the Leafs ended their contract impasse Saturday, coming to an agreement on a six-year deal minutes before the 5 p.m. ET deadline.
Sprong, 21, has been in and out of the Penguins' lineup this season recording four assists in 16 games. The Dutch forward posted 65 points in 65 AHL games last year.
The 22-year-old Pettersson was averaging 14 minutes of ice time for the Ducks. He tallied six helpers in 27 games with four of those assists coming in the last two weeks.
Pettersson is set to become a restricted free agent this summer while Sprong is in the first season of a two-year, $1.5-million deal, according to CapFriendly.
From the moment the Montreal Canadiens selected Jesperi Kotkaniemi third overall in the 2018 draft - bypassing highly touted QMJHL winger Filip Zadina in the process - the talented center has been under the microscope.
But through the first 25 games of the season, it's difficult to find a Habs fan who hasn't been impressed with the 18-year-old phenom.
Kotkaniemi is the youngest player in the league and the first player born in the 2000s to dress for an NHL game. Despite his inexperience, the skilled Finn looks composed every time he takes the ice.
Granted, he's made his share of mistakes, like every other first-year skater. But while some of those other rookies might scramble to recover, Kotkaniemi immediately shakes it off and jumps back into the play, minimizing the effect of his errors.
He's able to do that because of his hockey sense, which feeds into his high-end vision and positioning. Here's a great example:
In this Nov. 19 game against the Capitals, Kotkaniemi (No. 15) spots a loose puck resulting from a Washington turnover. He goes for it immediately, then makes a nifty move to elude the opposing player's poke attempt - and that's not even the most impressive part of the sequence.
After a less-than-optimal pass to Artturi Lehkonen - who overskates and misses the puck - Kotkaniemi retrieves it near the blue line and immediately makes another pass. He isn't just tracking the puck; he's already thinking ahead to where it's going to be and getting himself into position to get it back.
The next night against Vegas, Kotkaniemi used those same instincts to score his third career goal:
Kotkaniemi converts this scoring chance by knowing exactly where he needs to be. First, he positions himself to receive a potential quick pass out of the scrum in the corner. Then he notices that, as the puck drifts behind the net, the Golden Knights have left goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury virtually unprotected. Kotkaniemi gets to the front of the net just in time to receive a Lehkonen pass and tap it home.
He flashed that same awareness and hockey IQ on his first NHL goal, capitalizing on an odd-man transition rush:
It's a simple play - skate up ice, receive the pass, shoot. But it's the simplicity that makes his execution impressive. Kotkaniemi tracks the play and knows exactly where he needs to be for the puck to land on his stick so he can take the shot; he isn't overthinking it, a problem that plagues many young pro hockey players.
This play also offers a good example of his skating ability. Kotkaniemi is a fluid skater, with a good first step and a smooth stride, and he could stand to use that a bit more consistently.
Watching Kotkaniemi's shifts gives you the sense that he's a level or two above his linemates in terms of hockey sense. It's good for him to start his career at third-line center because it eases him into the NHL without the pressure of being in the Canadiens' top six and facing the highest quality of competition. It also provides him with more opportunities to play in the offensive zone (he tends to get fewer defensive-zone starts) and adapt to the NHL pace.
Francois Lacasse / National Hockey League / Getty
Given his hockey IQ, however, it's difficult not to wonder what he could do with more skilled linemates. The Canadiens' roster presents limitations in this respect, but his time on the top power-play unit with guys like Jonathan Drouin shows glimpses of what could happen if he was in a situation where his offensive ability could truly blossom.
What he needs to improve can be summed up in one word: consistency. He's still getting used to the pace and intensity of the league. He could also stand to add muscle and cut down on the number of occasions that he gets caught puck-watching, but these are things we'd ask of any player his age. With time, he should pick up the nuances of the NHL game.
And when he does - which could be soon - perhaps the Canadiens will finally have their No. 1 center.
Hannah Stuart keeps a close eye on both drafted and draft-eligible prospects and can usually be found trying to learn more about hockey analytics. She has previously written for FanRag Sports, The Hockey Writers, and Hooked On Hockey Magazine, and can also be found at High Heels and High Sticks. Find her on Twitter @HockeyWthHannah.
Leivo, 25, played in 27 games this season for the Leafs, collecting four goals and two assists. He's set to become a restricted free agent at the end of this season.
The trade came soon after William Nylander ended his standoff and signed a long-term deal with Toronto, making Leivo expendable.
Carcone, 22, has yet to play a game in the NHL. He has six goals and 11 assists for the Utica Comets in his third season in the minors and will now join the Toronto Marlies. He was signed by the Canucks as an undrafted free agent in 2016.
The multi-year agreement makes Fletcher the eighth man to serve as GM in franchise history. His hiring comes after the team fired Ron Hextall in November.
The 51-year-old was most recently a senior adviser with the New Jersey Devils. He was also GM of the Minnesota Wild for nine seasons until April 2018.
His tenure in Minnesota included six playoff appearances and was highlighted by the team's big-ticket free-agent signings of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.
The scuffle occurred midway through the third period when Bertuzzi held Calvert's stick from the bench and proceeded to throw punches while the Avs forward tried to pull it loose.
Here is the incident under review:
Matt Calvert tries to get his stick from the Red Wings bench and gets clocked by Tyler Bertuzzi pic.twitter.com/5AOhSukeTQ
Every Monday, theScore will offer a weekly fantasy hockey column detailing five moves you should make. Ownership percentages (as of Dec. 2) and position eligibility are courtesy of Yahoo.
The Predators recalled top prospect Eeli Tolvanen on Saturday and it paid immediate dividends, as the 19-year-old registered a goal and an assist in his first game this season.
Tolvanen's AHL numbers weren't overly encouraging (four goals, 11 points in 21 games), but the young Finn is skating on Nashville's top line with Ryan Johansen and Kevin Fiala in the absence of Filip Forsberg.
Last season, Tolvanen scored 19 goals and added 17 assists in 49 games overseas with the Helsinki Jokerit, setting the KHL record for points by a teenager - a mark previously held by Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Buy low on Evander Kane
Brandon Magnus / National Hockey League / Getty
Team: Sharks Position: LW Ownership: 94 percent
Evander Kane has endured some bad luck in his first full season in the Bay Area. He sits fourth in the NHL with 107 shots, his 83 individual scoring chances at 5-on-5 are the most in the league, and his 39 individual high-danger scoring chances are third-most. Despite all of this, he has just seven goals - the result of a 6.5 shooting percentage - and 16 points to show for.
Kane could seemingly explode and start filling the net at any point, but a frustrated owner may be willing to trade him for 50 cents on the dollar.
Drake Batherson's rookie campaign is off to a nice start. He's tallied three goals and seven points in nine games while riding shotgun with Matt Duchene on the Senators' top line. He earned his promotion after tallying 20 points in 14 AHL contests.
Heading into the season, nobody predicted that the Senators would be a strong source of fantasy value, but they've played the most high-event hockey in the league, as they sit tied for third in goals per game, but dead-last in goals against per game.
Head coach Guy Boucher's new offense-first system could help Batherson sustain some of his productivity as long as he remains alongside Duchene.
Drop Cam Talbot
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Team: Oilers Position: G Ownership: 61 percent
The Oilers are 4-1-1 under Ken Hitchcock and Cam Talbot was in goal for the lone regulation loss. It's clear Mikko Koskinen is the guy in Edmonton.
Any hope of Talbot regaining the No. 1 role is just a pipe dream at this point. Even if your team's goaltending situation is shaky, you're better off streaming backups than wasting a roster spot on Talbot.
Start your rebuild in keeper leagues
It's time to start being realistic about your team's chances this season if you're in a keeper league. If you're near the bottom of the standings, it's probably a good time to start your rebuild.
If you begin selling off assets now, you should be able to acquire the best available keepers/draft picks to put you ahead of the curve next season. If you wait, your league's contending teams may move their best trade chips, and you'll be left with a lackluster team for this season without much hope for 2019-20.
The injury occurred after Grabner took a high stick from Sammy Blais.
On Sunday Grabner shared a picture on his Instagram story of the damage done to his eye.
Coyotes forward Michael Grabner just posted this photo on Instagram. It's ugly and it's clearly his left eye that took the brunt of Blues forward Sammy Blais' stick. No official update yet from the Coyotes on his prognosis: pic.twitter.com/zhEdu0XBBv
