Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin insisted Thursday there's no credence to the rumors suggesting forward Jonathan Drouin could be traded.
"I don't know where they come from," Bergevin told the media on Thursday, as relayed by TSN. "Most of those reports are from somebody's basement in Toronto, so I don't pay attention to that, to be honest with you."
Bergevin's comments came after an Eastern Conference executive reportedly texted Sportsnet's Eric Engels on Wednesday to say Drouin's name was "definitely out there."
The 24-year-old Drouin has produced just one assist in three preseason contests so far while seeing limited ice time - something that has also fueled trade rumors.
"He had some good moments, but overall, we need more," Bergevin added. "He's a skill player. He has talent, he has a lot of attributes and I know last year he had a tough finish. He had a good summer. Training camp is training camp."
Drouin tallied 53 points in 81 games last season, but he recorded just four goals and 16 points over his final 30 contests.
In this two-part series, theScore's Josh Gold-Smith and John Matisz evaluate which NHL clubs make for appointment viewing and which teams might have fans changing the channel. Watchability criteria include, but are not limited to: Playing style, expectations, star power, and potential for chaos.
31. Anaheim Ducks
Not even John Gibson's best efforts can make the Ducks watchable, especially after Corey Perry and his occasional antics relocated to Dallas. Anaheim is far and away the least compelling team in the NHL.
30. Minnesota Wild
From a watchability standpoint, average sucks. And average is the Wild's thing right now. They'll ice a decent squad every night, but they don't have a superstar attraction. Nobody will be surprised if they make the playoffs or shocked if they miss the cut. The broadcast is solid yet unremarkable.
29. Detroit Red Wings
Beyond Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha, the 2019-20 Red Wings are likely to be pretty dull. If Filip Zadina can quickly acclimatize to the league, sure, he might be worth watching as well. Overall, there just isn't much to be excited about when it comes to hockey in the Motor City.
28. Los Angeles Kings
Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar are entertaining, but the level of intrigue surrounding the Kings as a whole is rather low. They won't win many games, don't play a particularly fun style, and employ too many over-the-hill guys.
27. Arizona Coyotes
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Phil Kessel's arrival in the desert will make Coyotes games a bit more interesting. But outside of Kessel, Clayton Keller, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson - and despite Arizona's intriguing position in the Western Conference playoff picture - the 2019-20 Coyotes won't move the ratings needle much.
Despite the Islanders' playoff success last season, it's hard to get excited about Barry Trotz's defense-first system - and even that's a mirage. Other than offensively gifted center Mathew Barzal, the Islanders don't boast much must-see talent.
24. Philadelphia Flyers
Alain Vigneault's back behind an NHL bench. Carter Hart's set for his first full season. Gritty's surely got a trick or two up his sleeve. Most importantly, this iteration of the Flyers tends to go on long winning streaks and losing skids. Add it all together and there's some mild national appeal.
23. Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens have an intriguing collection of young talent. Still, they're an average offensive team largely dependent on Carey Price. Brendan Gallagher can be a hoot to watch, but is anybody tuning in just for him?
22. Nashville Predators
The Central Division will feature some of the season's toughest battles and, on paper, the Predators are arguably the team to beat. Mixing the ever-entertaining Matt Duchene with dangler Filip Forsberg and probably the best defense corps in the entire league is a win for viewers.
21. Ottawa Senators
For the most part, the Senators weren't really worth watching last season, but they should be a little more fun this time around. New coach D.J. Smith will have the club playing at a high pace, Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot should continue to develop, and Erik Brannstrom's impending arrival could be another reason to tune in. One way or another, expect goals galore during Sens games.
20. Buffalo Sabres
Joe Hrycych / National Hockey League / Getty
Round 2 of the Jack Eichel-Rasmus Dahlin dynamic duo: Check. Ralph Krueger's return to the NHL coaching ranks: Check. More than a dozen motivated players on expiring contracts: Check. A team desperate to break an eight-season playoff drought: Check. Holding the Sabres back in these rankings is something very important: Their low competitive ceiling.
19. St. Louis Blues
The Stanley Cup champions have a dynamic winger all fans can enjoy in Vladimir Tarasenko and an elite center who does all the little things well in Ryan O'Reilly. But it's hard to dispute the notion that the Blues - a team buoyed by goaltending and defensive prowess - aren't very exciting to watch. They tend to get their business done quietly without a ton of flare.
18. Washington Capitals
We've seen this movie before. It's a good movie, starring the sensational Alex Ovechkin with a strong supporting cast of Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Carlson, and Tom Wilson. The problem is, not much has changed since last year. Or the year before. You can only watch the same movie so many times, right?
17. Dallas Stars
Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov, and a resurgent Jamie Benn should be entertaining as usual, and the Stars are legitimate contenders. Daryl "Razor" Reaugh makes the broadcast enjoyable, too. But Dallas had the NHL's third-worst offense last season and still isn't an especially must-see team, even after adding Joe Pavelski and Corey Perry over the summer.
16. Pittsburgh Penguins
Smack-dab in the middle of our rankings is a squad we've come to know very well over the years. As with Ovechkin's Capitals, this is both a compliment and an insult. Working for the Penguins from a watchability perspective are the presences of can't-miss centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, head coach Mike Sullivan's up-tempo style, and a defensive group and goaltending duo riddled with question marks.
The NHL has partnered with athlete marketing platform Opendorse, the league announced Thursday. The partnership is said to be an effort to build and promote player brands and increase fan engagement through social channels.
Participating clubs and the league itself will use the platform to help players share highlights, in-game images, and other media to their personal social media platforms.
"As players, we create so many moments on the ice, but rarely have access to it after the fact," Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang said. "With Opendorse, I get back to the dressing room after a win, and boom - there's a post ready to share with fans. It sounds simple, but this partnership is a big win for us as players and for the game itself."
The New Jersey Devils were the first NHL club to partner with the marketing platform in 2017-18. They led all teams in total player engagement and engagement rate that season and also ranked second in player follower growth, having added more than 130,000 followers during that time.
Teams around the league have hosted "social media nights," but the NHL has been criticized in the past for failing to connect its players with the fans on the same level as other leagues like the NBA and NFL.
"We owe it to our players and the fans to make their moments more accessible beyond the broadcast and the in-arena experience," NHL chief marketing officer Heidi Browning said. "Our players have some of the most passionate, engaged fans in all of sports, and we believe we can help them continue to build and capitalize on that connection on social media."
Opendorse is currently used by more than 9,000 athletes around the world.
In anticipation of the new season, theScore surveyed a dozen players about a variety of topics recently at the BioSteel camp in Toronto and the NHL/NHLPA media tour in Chicago.
The All-Star panel includes Matt Duchene of the Predators; Mat Barzal of the Islanders; Matt Dumba of the Wild; Derek Stepan of the Coyotes; John Gibson of the Ducks; John Klingberg of the Stars; Tom Wilson of the Capitals; Jaccob Slavin of the Hurricanes; Jonathan Huberdeau and Brett Connolly of the Panthers; and Ryan O'Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko of the Blues.
The interviews, lightly edited for brevity and clarity, were held individually and compiled to form the discussion below.
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The NHL offseason brought a ton of activity. So many GMs, coaches, and players changed addresses. Which division is now the toughest?
Dumba: "You asked this because you know I'm going to say the Central (laughs) … It is the Central, man. Put some respect on it. It's been ridiculous, right? And the whole Central acquired guys for this year, dominant players from other divisions. It's going to be fun. Those are good matchups. It pushes you to be on your game every night, and it definitely helps you with other matchups when you do play teams from the East or the Pacific. Those Central games, they're tough."
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
Duchene: "Geez, you know what, you never know until the season is over. Every year it looks like, 'Oh, this division, that division, whatever,' and then you come out of the year, and it’s like, 'Oh, geez, that one was pretty good this year.' I definitely know our division (the Central) is very tough. That's confirmed. I've played in three of the four (divisions) now and they all have their different attributes and challenges. I don't think there's a toughest or least tough. They're all just different."
Slavin: "Toughest division? I don't say this just because I play in the Metro, but you've got so many talented players in the Metro. ... You've got two of the best players in the game (in Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin), and now Jack Hughes to the Devils, where they have (Nico) Hischier and (Taylor) Hall already. They're going to be a pretty dangerous forward lineup this year."
Stepan: "I mean, it's hard not to say the Central with the Blues being in it. But the Atlantic is really stacked up nicely, too, this year. I think I'm going to go with the Stanley Cup champions (and the Central), just because I feel like that's the safe bet."
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After a hectic postseason, the NHL has revamped its video review process. Is that good? Do you have the patience for more reviews and coach's challenges?
Wilson: "It's a slippery slope for a lot of those calls (in the playoffs). In one of them, there's a hand pass. How far do you go back? If there's a hand pass two minutes ago and there hasn't been a whistle yet, do they (review)? If it directly leads to a goal, that's different, but if there hasn't been a whistle for five minutes since the hand pass, are they going to go play it back and disallow the goal? That's really not the way the sport was meant to be played.
"Every sport's (officials are) in the same place - umpires in baseball - where they have split seconds to make decisions and then there's a video. And if they make the wrong call, they're scrutinized. I think refs probably have some of the toughest jobs in any sport."
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Barzal: "I don't mind it at all. If you're going to (try) to get it right, you might as well get it right (through review). I do feel like the game has certain aspects where not everything's going to be perfect.
"We had a tough bounce against Carolina in Game 1 (of the playoffs last year). I had the goal disallowed with Anders Lee in front of the net. ... On the goal I'm talking about, Carolina's goalie is out of the crease. I don't know what Anders Lee is supposed to do there. He's being pushed in. ... There is a fine line there, where if a goalie is out of the crease, it doesn't make sense to me why a player has to move around himself to accommodate him."
Tarasenko: "I (like) the idea of (when a team requests) an offside challenge and (gets) it wrong you get a two-minute penalty. Goalie interference is important, too. But, I think (all the reviews), just a little bit, kill the dynamics of the game.
"Sometimes there's a break (for review) and we'll follow it with a TV timeout. And if there is no TV timeout by (the 10-minute mark), we get another TV timeout. There's a couple of games where you just sit down for so long."
Huberdeau: "It's still hockey. It's gotta still be a human sport. It can't be all cameras and reviewing everything. Mistakes happen. It was just tough. I feel (last) year everything that was happening was on the refs (in the playoffs). They're human, they make mistakes, it was unfortunate, but they're trying to make a fair deal on the reviews.
"I think for five-minute majors you should have reviews for that. It was not good to see (Joe) Pavelski get hurt like that, but I don't think it was (worthy of) five minutes either. If they were to review it for a bit, I think they would have maybe called two minutes. But, anyway, it's in the past. I think, yeah, there's some plays they should review, but not everything. It slows the game down, and (at some point) it's not going to be hockey anymore."
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NFL quarterback Andrew Luck recently retired at 29 years old in part because he feels "mentally worn down." As a pro athlete, can you relate at all?
O'Reilly: "I don't think I'm retiring anytime soon (laughs) ... Oh gosh, that's a completely different sport. The amount of pressure that's on those guys - what they go through, and what they put their bodies through - is a whole other level. That's tough, but he's an incredible player that gave everything he had. It's a completely different situation. If I'm playing good hockey, I'm not going to get hit too much. I'm not a very physical guy, so you're not taking that abuse as much. And it can be tough, yeah, being a professional athlete. There's so much that goes into it, so many different things that you have to deal with, and that's one of the beautiful things about sports. It's never easy."
Icon Sportswire / Getty Images
Wilson: "I can relate to that, for sure. At 29, he's probably got a fair amount of miles on the body and on the mind. It's not like he's 22. He had a career, he's (dealt with) a lot of pressure, especially for someone at his position. Pretty much every game he plays the outcome rides completely on him. I think a lot of people see athletes, see the money they make, the life that they live, but a lot of times there's other stuff going on. It's a grind. You're working extremely hard, there's a lot of pressure. You hope the best for him for his next chapter."
Connolly: "Everyone deals with dark days (in) their career, there's no question. I think it takes a lot of courage for him to do that. That's not an easy thing. He's obviously thought about it for a long time. When you're not happy doing something, it's (difficult) like any job. I think it just gets amplified because he's a professional athlete, star quarterback. There's so much money around it, so many people that are watching, and so many people that are depending on you to bring a Super Bowl (to the city)."
Gibson: "Honestly, everybody has their own stuff going on. … You've got a life to live after. He made what he thought was the best decision for his health, and his family, and his future. And you can't blame a guy for doing that.
"I think people think that (athletes are) immune to everyday problems, or problems in general. People can criticize, but you don't know what's going on in his life or his health or his family. ... We're human beings too, just like everybody else."
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Teammate or opponent, who's your pick for breakout player in 2019-20?
Connolly: "This is going to be probably not the answer a lot of people are expecting but: Tom Wilson. He got suspended last year. You look at his numbers, and he had (22 goals in 63 games). That's not easy to do. He's had a great summer. He’s been playing with the same linemates. He's going to play a little power play. He's a very hungry guy. I would say that he would be a guy whose numbers are going to jump out at you."
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
Dumba: "I skated with him in Florida (in late August, early September), and he's already established, he's a really good player, but I think he could do some real damage this year. That's Matty Barzal."
Gibson: "I keep referring to our young guys, but I think one of them's going to break out. Whether it's Troy Terry, or Max Jones, or (Maxime) Comtois. … With the more games they played (last year), it looked like they got more comfortable. You look at those three, in particular, (and) two of them are going to get a chance to play probably with some good players. I think one of them's going to take the ball and run with it."
Klingberg: "I think Roope Hintz is going to be really good. We saw just a glimpse of him in the playoffs. But the guy is a helluva player. He's fast, he's strong, he's got a good sense of the game as well. I think that guy is going to be really huge for us in the top six. With guys like (Tyler Seguin), (Jamie) Benn, Pavelski, (Corey) Perry, and those guys maybe getting shut down some games, I think you're going to see Roope Hintz take off as well."
"His name is definitely out there," one Eastern Conference executive texted Sportsnet's Eric Engels.
Drouin logged a team-low 11:57 of ice time with a roster full of AHL players in the team's 3-0 defeat to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday. He has one assist through three preseason contests.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported earlier this week that the Habs are interested in moving a forward.
Drouin recorded just four goals and 16 points over his final 30 games in 2018-19, and the Canadiens missed the playoffs by two points.
The 24-year-old was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning in June 2017. He has four years remaining on his current deal, which is worth an average annual value of $5.5 million.
Leading up to the start of the 2019-20 season, theScore will be counting down the top 100 players in the game today, as voted on by our NHL editors. We'll reveal 10 players every day until the top 10 is unveiled Oct. 2.
Parayko was a key contributor during the Blues' Stanley Cup run, playing over 25 minutes per game during the postseason, second-most on the team behind only Alex Pietrangelo. At 26 years old, Parayko is set to enter his prime. While he may have registered a career-low 28 points last season, his value as a shutdown defenseman will continue to rise.
79. Marc-Andre Fleury, Golden Knights
Fleury will turn 35 in late November, but he's still quite dependable. The Vegas goaltender started 61 games last season - his most since 2014-15 - and finished fourth in Vezina Trophy voting. Fleury will likely shoulder a big workload again this season, but he's proven to be one of the league's most reliable netminders.
78. Timo Meier, Sharks
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Meier had an incredible breakout campaign in his third NHL season in 2018-19. The 2015 first-round pick notched a career-high 30 goals and 66 points and ranked third among Sharks forwards with 99 hits. The 22-year-old is already a savvy two-way forward and will play a significant top-line role in San Jose for years to come.
77. Pekka Rinne, Predators
Even at 36 years old, Rinne remains one of the NHL's most reliable goalies. He's registered a save percentage of .918 or better in four of his last five seasons. Perhaps the most underrated part of his game is his ability to handle the puck, which might only be bested by Mike Smith.
76. Miro Heiskanen, Stars
The former third overall pick made an impressive debut last year during his rookie season, as he finished fourth in Calder Trophy voting and led all rookie defensemen with 12 goals. Heiskanen beefed up during the summer, adding eight pounds of muscle; the added strength should help elevate his play to another level.
75. Brock Boeser, Canucks
With a new contract signed, Boeser can now focus on helping the Canucks continue to progress in what will be his third full campaign with Vancouver. The talented American winger has already shown a knack for scoring, even though we haven't seen him play more than 69 games in a season.
74. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Coyotes
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The Coyotes captain is a premier blue-liner with significant offensive upside. Ekman-Larsson ranks third among defenseman in goals (102) since the 2012-13 campaign and has reached double digits in that department in six straight seasons. The 6-foot Swede has only missed 13 games over his nine-year career and has logged 24:20 of ice time per contest since his sophomore campaign.
73. Filip Forsberg, Predators
Forsberg uses a combination of strength, speed, and skill as one of the league's best players at driving to the net. This ability attracts defensemen's attention, which creates time and space for him and his linemates. He's yet to reach 35 goals or 70 points, but that will change soon. It's still mind-boggling that he was traded for Martin Erat and Michael Latta.
72. Matt Duchene, Predators
Duchene joins his fourth team in three years, though it appears he's found a home in Nashville. The Predators inked Duchene to a seven-year, $56-million contract after he scored a career-high 31 goals last season and are counting on him to spark an offense that was in the bottom half of the league a year ago.
71. Gabriel Landeskog, Avalanche
Playing on arguably the best line in hockey certainly isn't a bad gig, but Landeskog has proven he belongs alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. The Avalanche captain set career-highs in goals, assists, and points in 2018-19 while playing more than 21 minutes per contest for the first time in his career.
Leading up to the start of the 2019-20 season, theScore will be counting down the top 100 players in the game today, as voted on by our NHL editors. We'll reveal 10 players every day until the top 10 is unveiled Oct. 2.
Slavin's game isn't very flashy, but it's extremely effective, making the 25-year-old one of the most underrated players in the game. He's led the Hurricanes in blocks in three straight campaigns and ranks 19th among all NHL defensemen in that department since his debut in 2015-16. The 6-foot-3 rearguard has also posted positive possession numbers in each of his four NHL seasons and has hit the 30-point mark three times.
69. Jeff Skinner, Sabres
After eight seasons in Carolina, Skinner finally got his chance to play with an elite playmaking center in Jack Eichel. It resulted in his first 40-goal campaign, and if he sticks with Eichel, it probably won't be his last.
68. Charlie McAvoy, Bruins
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Despite being only 21 years old, McAvoy has already proven himself to be a high-value defenseman, as he led the Bruins in average time on ice with over 22 minutes last season, and then upped that total to over 24 minutes per game in the postseason. He was rewarded with a new deal and should help cement Boston's blue line for a long time.
67. Torey Krug, Bruins
Speaking of Bruins defensemen, Krug is a key member of one of the best defensive corps in the NHL. He topped the 50-point plateau for the third straight campaign in 2018-19 despite being limited to 64 games and proved more than worthy of slotting in on Boston's second pairing.
66. Tuukka Rask, Bruins
Rask showed that he's still one of the elite netminders in the game with another dominant performance in 2018-19. The 32-year-old ranks eighth among active netminders in wins and his career goals-against average of 2.28 is good for 11th all time among goalies with at least 150 NHL starts.
65. Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres
Dahlin didn't receive as much national recognition for his rookie season as he should've. He became just the third defenseman ever to record 40 points or more as an 18-year-old, joining Bobby Orr and Phil Housley. The comparisons to Nicklas Lidstrom and Erik Karlsson are lofty, but the 2019-20 season may show us why he's being measured against two all-time greats.
64. Jamie Benn, Stars
Last year, Benn recorded his lowest point total in a full season since he was a rookie, but there's still plenty left in the tank for the former 40-goal scorer. The Stars captain remains a threat whenever he steps on the ice and should be able to top the 30-goal mark again on a strong Dallas roster.
63. Frederik Andersen, Maple Leafs
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Like many goaltenders, Andersen has endured inconsistency at times, but the Toronto netminder has been steady overall, posting save percentages of .918, .918, and .917 in his three seasons with the Leafs. His 15.86 goals saved above average at five-on-five ranked fifth among all NHL goalies in 2018-19.
62. Matthew Tkachuk, Flames
Tkachuk broke onto the scene last season as one of the toughest yet most effective players in the league. The 6-foot-2 forward finished second among Flames forwards with 104 hits while also chipping in career highs of 34 goals and 77 points. Tkachuk has all the makings of an NHL captain, and with current leader Mark Giordano turning 36 in October, he could be next in line for the role.
61. Patrik Laine, Jets
In terms of playing a complete 200-foot game, Laine is far too high on this list. He may be one of the league's most lethal goal scorers when he's going, but when he's not, he can be virtually useless. The Jets sniper scored 18 goals in November last year, but no more than four in any other month. He has annual 50-goal potential, but he's also a major defensive liability.
