The St. Louis Blues sniper allayed any fears about his status for training camp after suffering a pair of injuries en route to winning the Stanley Cup in June.
"Now everything feels fine," he told NHL.com's Tom Gulitti on Thursday. "I'm still recovering, but I feel strong, I feel good and ready to go."
Tarasenko revealed he sustained a dislocated shoulder early in the Cup Final against the Boston Bruins but continued playing.
"My shoulder popped out in Game 2 in the second period," he said. "They put it back in, and I was able to finish the game."
Tarasenko had surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder last offseason but didn't require a procedure this summer.
He also had a knee scope performed following the championship victory in June.
Despite the two injuries, the 27-year-old winger didn't miss a playoff game in 2019.
The NHL's marketing department is certainly thinking differently, and that may not be a good thing.
A tweet shared by the league's primary account Thursday which clearly referenced Apple's 1997 "Think Different" ad campaign was met with confusion and scorn by Twitter users.
It's ... a play on the Apple ads some people might remember, with hockey cliches? I'm gonna need more explanation here, which is probably not they were going for. https://t.co/jnbBdm63l2
please tell me today is some sort of an anniversary or culturally relevant moment of the apple think different campaign or is my favorite sports league just out here meme’ing something that was last used in 2002 https://t.co/Y9TSuRg6QZ
"Yeah I think so," Horvat told NHL.com from the Player Media Tour in Chicago on Thursday. "First of all, it would be an unbelievable honor to wear the 'C' and to wear any letter, for that matter. But to even be in consideration is definitely humbling. But it wouldn't change who I am."
He added: "It wouldn't change the type of player I want to be. I wouldn't let it affect me that me. I'd just try to be the best leader I can be."
The Canucks didn't have a captain last season, electing against naming a new leader after the retirement of Henrik (and Daniel) Sedin. Horvat was an alternate captain along with Alexander Edler, Brandon Sutter, and Chris Tanev.
The 24-year-old Horvat was drafted ninth overall by the Canucks in 2013. He's coming off the best season of his career, which saw him notch 61 points in 82 games and average nearly 21 minutes of ice time per contest.
Sheahan split last season between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Florida Panthers, collecting 19 points in 82 games while being deployed primarily on the fourth line.
The 27-year-old has totaled 149 points in 447 career NHL games. He was a first-round pick in 2010 by the Detroit Red Wings, who were run by current Oilers GM Ken Holland at the time.
Sheahan is expected to compete with Colby Cave and Kyle Brodziak, who's currently dealing with a back ailment, for Edmonton's fourth-line center job.
Phil Kessel's suburban Pittsburgh home hit the real estate market this summer following his trade to the Arizona Coyotes, and it quickly went viral thanks to a photo of its single-seat theater room.
This is the theater in Phil Kessel’s house. It might be the funniest photo I’ve ever seen. pic.twitter.com/83VRK7KzbJ
Kessel explained during a Tuesday interview with NHL Network that there was a good reason for the emptiness: he never used the room.
"I was selling my house and, you know, there's nothing in there, right? It was used as a bedroom, like a blow-up mattress and everything," Kessel said. "I actually never used that movie room one time, but my realtor's wife thought it was a good thing to put in there one chair or something, look like I used it or something. But, I don't know. I never used it one time there."
Kessel's realtor, Dave Tumpa, said they thought the single chair "would be cute" and highlight the size of the room.
The listing for the house is still up, so it appears it hasn't sold yet.
Krug became eligible to ink an extension on July 1, but the Bruins need to address the contracts of fellow defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo. Both youngsters are currently restricted free agents and training camp is set to open next week.
The lack of extension negotiations doesn't mean Krug and the Bruins won't eventually find common ground. In July, general manager Don Sweeney said it would take a "unique opportunity" to trade away the defender, who's developed into a core piece for the team.
Additionally, following a loss in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, Krug said he wants to stay in Boston forever.
Krug will have a $5.25-million cap hit in 2019-20, the final season of a four-year deal signed in 2016. He should be in line for a considerable raise whenever he puts pen to paper, as he ranks fifth among all defensemen with 163 points in 221 games since inking the contract.
The Carolina Hurricanes youngster, who's taken boxing lessons for the past few years, was asked who the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world is. Rather than choosing a professional fighter, he quickly went with Ovechkin, according to ABC 11's Mark Armstrong.
Svechnikov knows better than anyone not to trifle with the Washington Captials legend, as the two fought in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series in April. It didn't go well for the rookie.
The 2019-20 fantasy hockey season is fast approaching, and after a summer filled with roster moves throughout the NHL, it's important to keep tabs on all the new faces in new places as you gear up for your draft.
With that in mind, here are four players set to excel on their new teams.
P.K. Subban, D, Devils
John Russell / National Hockey League / Getty
One of the more offensive-minded blue-liners in the league should be able to flex those tendencies even more with the burgeoning New Jersey Devils. Subban battled injuries during 2018-19 and finished with his lowest points per game total since 2011-12, a mark he'll surely be hungry to redeem.
The Devils' 21st-ranked power play last season wasn't disastrous for an offensively thin team already without its best player, Taylor Hall, for the majority of the season. In 2019-20, Subban will likely quarterback a man advantage that will feature a combination of talented options, including Hall, Jack Hughes, Wayne Simmonds, Nico Hischier, Kyle Palmieri, and Nikita Gusev.
Subban's always been confident with the puck on his stick, and his ability to move it efficiently is something the Devils' blue line has lacked. The 6-foot rearguard is in the 95th percentile among defensemen in possession zone exits per 60 minutes over the last three campaigns. Combined with the Devils' added speed and skill at forward and a healthy Hall, Subban's ability should help the team's attack off the rush.
Alex Galchenyuk, C/LW, Penguins
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Galchenyuk recorded his poorest statistical output last season since his sophomore campaign. However, he still amassed 19 goals and 41 points for the Arizona Coyotes while playing predominantly with up-and-comer Clayton Keller and rookie winger Conor Garland.
A fresh start with the Pittsburgh Penguins offers the former third overall pick a new world of opportunity.
Nick Bjugstad will likely occupy the third-line center role, which means Galchenyuk should find himself alongside either Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby, two premier-level talents that the 25-year-old has never had the privilege of playing with. Galchenyuk - who's totaled nine power-play goals in three of the last four seasons - should also have an opportunity to play a valuable role on the Penguins' man advantage.
He may not have the ability to drive a line on his own, but when aligned with talented running mates, Galchenyuk possesses the raw talent to be very effective.
Kevin Shattenkirk, D, Lightning
Jared Silber / National Hockey League / Getty
Shattenkirk was on pace for 41 points in his first campaign with the New York Rangers in 2017-18 before sustaining a season-ending injury in January. The 31-year-old struggled to reinsert himself as a top-pair option the following season, but he also wasn't put in a great position to do so.
In 2018-19, he was most frequently paired with Frederick Claeson, who's at best a bottom-pair rearguard in the NHL. On the Tampa Bay Lightning, Shattenkirk is one of two regular right-shot options on the blue line, and thus could find himself playing alongside Victor Hedman. Veteran Ryan McDonagh, who's still a far stronger overall player than Claeson, could also be a potential partner.
Shattenkirk will also get the opportunity to do some damage on the power play. The 6-foot defenseman possesses a heavy shot and ranks fifth in power-play points and seventh in goals at his position since 2011-12.
The veteran also brings the banger stats. Shattenkirk ranked third on the Rangers last season in blocked shots and hovers right around one hit per game for his career. If you're concerned about plus/minus, no Lightning defenseman finished as a minus last season, and none of their top-four blue-liners finished lower than a plus-12.
James Neal, LW/RW, Oilers
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Sometimes NHL fans and pundits can have an extremely short memory. Neal's been written off by many after a forgettable 2018-19 season with the Calgary Flames, but the 31-year-old hit the 20-goal mark in each of his previous 10 NHL campaigns.
Last season, Neal recorded the fourth-worst shooting percentage among forwards with a minimum of 100 shots on goal with a mark of 5% - less than half his career average of 11.6%. The Ontario native also logged the least amount of average ice time of his career and was limited in power-play opportunities.
The Edmonton Oilers offer Neal a chance at redemption. He'll likely find himself in the team's top-six forward group to start the year and should get a chance to prove himself as a scoring threat playing alongside the world's top talent in Connor McDavid or, at worst, a 69-point man in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
Neal spent most of the 2018-19 season on the Flames' third line paired predominantly with center Mark Jankowski, whose below-average career assist rate of 0.79 per 60 minutes pales in comparison to McDavid's ridiculous mark of 2.37.
Advanced stats courtesy of NaturalStatTrick, A3Z tool by CJ Torturo
