Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon wasn't shy when discussing his team's offseason plans on Monday.

"We’ve been very close to being a good team for a long time," the veteran executive told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. "It’s just a matter of adding the right pieces this summer. The great thing is our owner Vinnie Viola is committed to being a cap team. He wants to win. He wants us to do what we have to do. It’s a really good situation.

"We’re going to be aggressive this summer."

After February's trade that sent Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann to Pittsburgh, the Panthers project to enter the offseason with roughly $21 million in cap space, and very few of their own players requiring new deals.

The 2019 free-agent class could be one of the better ones in recent memory. Here's a look at the top pending unrestricted free agents:

In February, LeBrun reported that Florida hopes to take a run at Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin.

Being aggressive this summer could also mean more trades, and the potential for a shake-up has at least one player on edge.

"It’s a little nerve-racking," forward Vincent Trocheck said. "A lot of these guys I’ve literally spent my entire career with. We’ve created some great friendships. I couldn’t say a bad word about a single guy in this room. It’s always tough when you see guys go. We had a couple of guys traded earlier the year, I spent my entire career with Bjugstad... But that’s the business side of it and you do what you have to do to become a winning team."

Led by a potent top-six forward group, the Panthers rank eighth in goals for this season, but 29th in goals against.

Trocheck believes a change is necessary.

"I think we need to kind of change our culture," he said. "It seems like every year we look at our personnel and we think, ‘This is a team that should definitely be able to compete in the playoffs.’ And I 100 percent agree. We have all the right personnel to be a great team, to compete in the playoffs. It’s just we need to create a winning identity, a winning culture a little bit more in this locker room.

"It seems like sometimes we kind of feel sorry for ourselves and don’t really do much about it. I think that’s something that’s on me, on (Aleksander Barkov), on (Jonathan Huberdeau), other guys, to create in here."

The Panthers sit 10 points out of a playoff spot with just six games remaining.

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Jason Botterill, Ron Francis, and Ron Hextall will form Canada's management team for the upcoming 2019 IIHF World Championship, Hockey Canada announced Tuesday.

Botterill, the only one of the three who's currently employed by an NHL team, has been the general manager of the Buffalo Sabres since May 2017. He previously served as an associate GM with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Francis served as the GM of the Carolina Hurricanes for four years until the end of last season. He can largely be credited with building a squad on the verge of snapping a nine-year playoff drought.

Hextall was GM of the Philadelphia Flyers for four years before he was fired this past November. He was the GM of Canada's silver-medal winning team at the 2017 World Championship.

The 2019 World Championship will be held in Bratislava, Slovakia from May 10-26. Canada finished fourth at last year's tournament.

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The New York Islanders will be without one of their top-six forwards for the rest of the season.

Andrew Ladd is out for five months or so with a torn ACL and will undergo surgery on the knee this week, Islanders president of hockey operations and general manager Lou Lamoriello told reporters Tuesday.

Ladd was hurt in New York's 2-0 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday.

Earlier this season, the 33-year-old missed more than three months with what the club called a lower-body injury before returning in late February.

Ladd has three goals and eight assists in 26 games in 2018-19.

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Calgary Flames agitator Matthew Tkachuk isn't letting Drew Doughty get under his skin.

The Los Angeles Kings defenseman had some strong words for Tkachuk before Monday's contest between the two teams. Doughty said he had "no respect" for the Flames forward and that many others around the league share the same opinion.

"Doesn't bother me at all," Tkachuk said after the game, according to Flames beat reporter Wes Gilberston. "Doesn't really surprise me. Doesn't not surprise me. It's just another day. I'll sleep like a baby and not worry about that type of stuff, I'll tell you that."

When the two engaged in the third period, Tkachuk did what he does best by agitating Doughty before goading him into a two-minute slashing penalty.

The Flames were shut out on home ice for the first time all season in the 3-0 loss. The two teams meet once more this campaign on April 1 in Los Angeles.

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Calgary Flames agitator Matthew Tkachuk isn't letting Drew Doughty get under his skin.

The Los Angeles Kings defenseman had some strong words for Tkachuk before Monday's contest between the two teams. Doughty said he had "no respect" for the Flames forward and that many others around the league share the same opinion.

"Doesn't bother me at all," Tkachuk said after the game, according to Flames beat reporter Wes Gilberston. "Doesn't really surprise me. Doesn't not surprise me. It's just another day. I'll sleep like a baby and not worry about that type of stuff, I'll tell you that."

When the two engaged in the third period, Tkachuk did what he does best by agitating Doughty before goading him into a two-minute slashing penalty.

The Flames were shut out on home ice for the first time all season in the 3-0 loss. The two teams meet once more this campaign on April 1 in Los Angeles.

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John Tavares had himself quite a night versus the Florida Panthers on Monday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs superstar registered the first four-goal game of his career and reached several impressive milestones in the process.

His dominant effort in the Leafs' 7-5 win pushed him to 45 tallies on the season, good for second in the NHL. It's also a franchise record for most goals by a player in his first season with the Maple Leafs, according to NHL Public Relations.

"It's obviously nice to get rewarded like that, it's always a good feeling," Tavares said postgame. "But you know, I think we still feel we can be a little better with some of the opportunities we gave up and eventually went in our net.

"All in all, obviously, I think mostly it was a good night and we'll build on the good stuff."

Toronto's marquee offseason addition also established a new record for goals scored by a former unrestricted free agent in his debut season with a new team, according to Sportsnet's JD Bunkis. Marian Gaborik, the previous record-holder, scored 42 goals in 2009-10 after signing as a UFA with the New York Rangers.

Tavares' 45 goals this season are the most by a Maple Leafs player since Dave Andreychuk in 1993-94 (53). He's also matched his career high in points at 86 with six games to go.

So far, Tavares' new contract looks like money well spent for Toronto.

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The Nashville Predators officially secured their spot in the postseason with a victory over the Minnesota Wild on Monday night.

With the win, the Predators head to the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, which is the third-longest active streak in the NHL.

Nashville has won its first-round matchup in three straight postseasons. Only the Washington Capitals have a longer run, as they've emerged victorious from their last four opening rounds.

Peter Laviolette's club joins the Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, and San Jose Sharks as the only Western Conference teams to book their ticket thus far.

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The Philadelphia Flyers' slim playoff hopes took what was perhaps the final blow Sunday with a 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals, and forward Jakub Voracek was critical of his team's recent performances after the game.

"We had a good push, but unfortunately, anytime we got close - three points, five points - and we played those big teams in front of us (in) those four-point games, we choked," Voracek said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Sam Carchidi. "We couldn't find a way to win those big games, and that's why we are where we are right now."

The Flyers attempted to reverse course this season after a sluggish start, as they won 18 of 24 contests from Jan. 14 to March 11. However, Philadelphia since dropped five of its last seven games, all to teams above it in the standings.

It sits eight points back of the final wild-card spot with six games remaining heading into Monday's action. When asked what the team can learn from this season, the 29-year-old was rather blunt in his response.

"I don't want to take anything out of this season, to be honest," said Voracek. "I had way higher expectations. I think everybody did before we walked into the locker room in training camp. It's really disappointing. We have to have a good look in the mirror and straighten some things out before we come in next year."

Outside of reacquiring forward James van Riemsdyk last summer, the Flyers didn't make any major changes to their roster heading into the season. Voracek said he's focusing on his own game when asked what the team can do to improve for next year.

"Tough to say. It's not my decision," Voracek said. "I've got to prepare myself in the summer and come in here in shape and be a better player, more experienced. Hopefully, we won't have to focus on digging ourselves out of a hole by December."

The Flyers host the Maple Leafs on Wednesday after back-to-back losses on the weekend.

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