Today marks our first installment of theScore's 2021-22 Calder Trophy Power Rankings. These will be published, along with the other major awards, once a month until the regular season ends.

5. Spencer Knight, Panthers

Small sample sizes were an obstacle for our inaugural rankings, but we feel Knight deserves some recognition for his body of work so far this season. And make no mistake, he's certainly a candidate to move up the list as the campaign progresses.

Between last season's brief NHL stint and this year's hot start, Knight has shown he has all the makings of a true No. 1 for the surging Florida Panthers. Unfortunately for him, and the organization to a degree, Sergei Bobrovsky is on Florida's books for $10 million per season until 2026. Knight will likely need to steal the starting job to have a real shot at the Calder.

4. Dawson Mercer, Devils

Mercer has made a tremendous impression early into his tenure with the New Jersey Devils. The 20-year-old has stepped up to play key minutes down the middle of the ice with Jack Hughes sidelined, and he's delivered some strong results to boot. On top of ranking third in rookie scoring, New Jersey owns 76.25% of the goals and 55.88% of the shot attempts with Mercer on the ice at five-on-five.

3. Bowen Byram, Avalanche

It appears the Colorado Avalanche have another young defenseman ready to dominate the scene. Byram remains rookie eligible in 2021-22 after playing only 19 games last season, and he's off to a roaring start this campaign. Colorado has put the 2019 fourth overall pick with Cale Makar on the top pairing for most of his minutes, and the dynamic duo has influenced a 64.44% expected goals rate when sharing the ice.

Byram ranks second among all rookie blue-liners in points and average ice time, while he also places third in shots on goal.

2. Moritz Seider, Red Wings

It appears Seider is on the fast track to superstardom if the first month of his NHL career is any indication. The 2019 sixth overall pick has flashed potential to be a franchise cornerstone in Detroit's rebuild by contributing offense, physicality, and poise beyond his years.

Seider leads all freshmen in average ice time by almost a full minute and sits second in scoring. He's posted assists in seven of nine games - four of which came as the quarterback on the Red Wings' No. 1 power-play unit - and currently riding a five-game point streak.

1. Lucas Raymond, Red Wings

Steve Yzerman appears to have landed a gem in Raymond, who the Red Wings selected fourth overall in 2020. Raymond has burst onto the NHL scene after spending a development year in Sweden. Now he's showcasing his elite shot and offensive instincts on a nightly basis for a Detroit squad that is routinely surprising its opponents.

Raymond is tied for the rookie lead in goals, highlighted by a hat trick in only his sixth NHL game. He's also the only first-year player to be operating at a point-per-game clip. So far, he's the leader in the clubhouse to bring home some hardware come awards season.

Honorable mentions: Anton Lundell (FLA), Jonathan Dahlen (SJ), Filip Gustavsson (OTT)

(Analytics source: Evolving-Hockey)

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The NHLPA issued a statement following Monday's executive board meeting.

"On the NHLPA’s Executive Board call today, Don Fehr recommended that an independent investigation be commenced by outside legal counsel in order to review the NHLPA’s response to the Kyle Beach matter. The Executive Board is currently voting on this matter."

Voting will likely commence on Tuesday as some players on the call had to leave for their Monday games, ESPN's Emily Kaplan reports.

The call, which featured roughly 80 players and lasted over two hours, was focused on how the NHLPA handled the sexual assault allegations Beach made toward then-Chicago Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010, Kaplan added.

Beach never played an NHL game, but since he was a Black Ace for the Blackhawks' 2010 Stanley Cup run, he was part of the NHLPA membership.

Fehr was contacted twice about the allegations against Aldrich, according to Jenner & Block's 107-page report. He told investigators he couldn't recall the conversations but didn't deny their occurrence.

Upon identifying himself as "John Doe" in the lawsuit, Beach said he reported all details to the NHLPA.

"I know I reported every single detail to an individual at the NHLPA, who I was put in contact with after. I believe two different people talked to Don Fehr," Beach said. "And for him to turn his back on the players when his one job is to protect the players at all costs, I don't know how that can be your leader. I don't know how he can be in charge."

There were no discussions during the call about removing Fehr as the union's executive director, Kaplan added.

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The New York Rangers signed reigning Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox to a seven-year contract extension, the team announced Monday.

The deal's terms weren't officially disclosed, but TSN's Pierre LeBrun reports the average annual value on Fox's new contract is $9.5 million.

Fox was set for restricted free agency at season's end. His new contract is the largest ever for a defenseman coming out of their entry-level deal, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

"We are thrilled that we have agreed to terms with Adam on a contract extension and that he will continue to play for the team he grew up cheering for," general manager Chris Drury said. "In just over two seasons, Adam has consistently shown why he is a cornerstone for our organization and one of the best players in the NHL. It has been a privilege for us, and our fans, to watch Adam showcase his ability on a nightly basis, and we are glad to have that opportunity for seven more years."

Fox is one of the league's top blue-liners, posting elite numbers at both ends of the ice.

The 23-year-old will be the NHL's fourth-highest paid rearguard when his new deal kicks in next season, trailing only Erik Karlsson ($11.5 million), Drew Doughty ($11 million), and Zach Werenski ($9.583 million). Seth Jones, Charlie McAvoy, and Darnell Nurse each carry $9.5-million cap hits as well.

The Calgary Flames drafted Fox 66th overall in 2016. He was then dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes but never signed with the team. The Rangers acquired Fox in 2019, and he's posted 98 points over 134 games on Broadway.

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NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Monday that the league completed its investigation into former Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters and contacted Akim Aliu's representatives regarding "next steps, if any," according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.

Ben Meiselas, the representative for former player Aliu, says the league is lying.

Meiselas provided screenshots of communications with the league from 2020:

In 2019, Aliu said Peters repeatedly directed the N-word toward him while the two were with the Rockford IceHogs, the Chicago Blackhawks' AHL affiliate, in the 2009-10 season. Two teammates independently corroborated Aliu's account of what happened.

Aliu later said that he believes Peters "ruined and deterred (his) career."

After Aliu initially made the allegation, former Hurricanes defenseman Michal Jordan said Peters kicked him and punched another player in the head during a game while the two were together in Carolina. Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour corroborated Jordan's account of the incident.

Peters subsequently stepped down from his post in Calgary. He's been coaching in the KHL for the past two seasons.

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Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson will miss approximately six weeks with a broken foot, sources confirmed to The Athletic's Jesse Granger.

Karlsson was injured blocking a shot in Friday's win over the Anaheim Ducks.

The Golden Knights are already without key forwards Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, and Alex Tuch due to injury. Vegas has managed a 3-4-3 record so far this season.

Karlsson registered three points in eight games before sustaining his injury. He'll be sorely missed in the Golden Knights' lineup, as he logs minutes on the power play and penalty kill.

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Montreal Canadiens forward Cedric Paquette received a two-game suspension for boarding Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras on Sunday, the league announced Monday.

Paquette was handed a five-minute major and game misconduct on the play. This marks the second time the league has suspended him in his nine-year career. The 28-year-old was given a one-game suspension for a boarding hit on Torey Krug in 2017.

Zegras initially left the game but later returned. The 2019 ninth overall pick has recorded a pair of goals and three assists over 10 games this season.

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Montreal Canadiens forward Cedric Paquette received a two-game suspension for boarding Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras on Sunday, the league announced Monday.

Paquette was handed a five-minute major and game misconduct on the play. This marks the second time the league has suspended him in his nine-year career. The 28-year-old was given a one-game suspension for a boarding hit on Torey Krug in 2017.

Zegras initially left the game but later returned. The 2019 ninth overall pick has recorded a pair of goals and three assists over 10 games this season.

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We concluded the week on a high note, as the Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings both came through with victories Saturday night.

We'll now look to pick up where we left off. Let's dive into our best bets for Monday's three-game slate.

Senators (+105) @ Blackhawks (-125)

I was down on the Blackhawks heading into the season. I thought they were very overrated following a few noisy additions in the summer and there was value in betting them to miss the playoffs.

But I never expected a woeful 0-7-2 start. Chicago is one of two teams without a win, and, in many categories, the tanking Coyotes have actually outperformed the Blackhawks. It's bad.

Despite all that, Chicago is a tempting side to back Monday. Patrick Kane (COVID-19 protocol) should return to the lineup in this one, which would provide a much-needed spark to the offense.

And, as poor as Marc-Andre Fleury has played to date, it seems more than reasonable to suggest Chicago has a clear edge in goal over Matt Murray.

Chicago is also flat-out due for a win. You generally don't bet teams because "they're due," but this is the NHL. Even the worst teams, usually, are going to win two or three of every 10 games.

While Chicago has obviously played poorly thus far, the extreme record is undeserved. At five-on-five, expected goals for are 16.82-12.61 in favor of Chicago's opponents. Actual goals: 29-7. The Blackhawks are deserving of a -4 goal differential but instead sit at -22.

Sooner or later, the pendulum is going to swing. This team isn't going to continue shooting 4% at five-on-five, and Fleury isn't going to continue playing like a pumpkin. Eventually, they're going to start finding some level of success.

A home date against an underwhelming Ottawa Senators team seems like a good time for that to happen.

Bet: Blackhawks (-125)

Player prop

There isn't a ton of value to be found on Monday's games themselves, so we're turning to player props.

I'm going right back to Chicago against Ottawa and backing Alex DeBrincat's shot total (2.5) to go over the number. He has attempted 59 shots through nine games, averaging more than 6.5 per contest. He's shooting every chance he gets, and he should see plenty of chances against the Senators.

Ottawa is allowing 61.05 shot attempts per 60 minutes of five-on-five play, good for 30th in the league. This is a dream matchup for a volume shooter like DeBrincat.

Bet: Alex DeBrincat over 2.5 shots on goal (-130)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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