Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin will have a hearing for roughing Tampa Bay Lightning forward Mathieu Joseph in Thursday night's contest, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Friday.

Officials handed Larkin a match penalty for intent to injure after he sucker-punched Joseph during the second period of the game.

Joseph initially hit Larkin from behind along the boards before the Red Wings forward punched him as he was skating away. Joseph was slow to get up and didn't return for the remainder of the game.

Larkin also suffered an injury on the play and wasn't able to practice Friday. Head coach Jeff Blashill said he was "pissed off" that Larkin had to defend himself from the hit and that there was no penalty on Joseph for hitting him "in the numbers," according to the Detroit Free Press' Helene St. James.

Larkin has no suspension history.

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The Ottawa Senators re-signed forward Brady Tkachuk to a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $8.214 million, the team announced Thursday.

"This is an exciting day for the Ottawa Senators," general manager Pierre Dorion said. "Brady possesses a very dynamic skill set and is a prototypical power forward in today's NHL. He scores goals, he plays physical, and (he) exemplifies what it means to be a pro for all players in our organization."

Tkachuk was the NHL's last restricted free agent without a contract.

Contract negotiations lasted throughout the summer between the two sides. It was reported earlier this month that Tkachuk wanted a short-term deal, while the club wanted a seven- or eight-year agreement.

The 22-year-old led the team in points last season for a second consecutive campaign, recording 36. He also ranked second in the league in shots on goal (220), sixth in penalty minutes (69), and second in hits (248) last season.

The Senators selected Tkachuk with the fourth pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs could be rather shorthanded for their season opener against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.

With Auston Matthews already sidelined, Mitch Marner will be a game-time decision, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters Wednesday morning, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton.

Keefe noted that the forward had a positive optional morning skate.

Wayne Simmonds tripped up Marner at practice on Tuesday, according to Shilton, and Marner left the ice not much later. Keefe said after the practice that pulling Marner was "precautionary" and he'd be re-evaluated Wednesday.

Marner paced the Maple Leafs last season with 67 points in 55 games. Toronto was eliminated by its Montreal rivals in the first round of last year's playoffs.

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The Nashville Predators re-signed defenseman Mattias Ekholm to a four-year contract with an average annual value of $6.25 million, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Ekholm was set to become a free agent at the conclusion of the season. The Predators were reportedly shopping him for the majority of last season but a deal never came to fruition. Instead, they shipped veteran blue-liner Ryan Ellis to the Philadelphia Flyers over the summer.

Last season, Ekholm ranked third on the team in time ice (22:52), fourth in shots on goal (110), and fifth in blocked shots (46). He had six goals and 17 assists in 48 contests.

The 31-year-old has spent his entire career with the Predators since making his NHL debut in 2011. He's collected 51 goals and 168 assists in 586 games.

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Rosters for the upcoming 2022 Beijing Olympics continue to take shape, with half of the participating countries naming three players to their rosters.

NHL players return to the Olympics for the first time since 2014. Each country was required to submit a list to the IIHF of three players who - provided they remain healthy - will be included on the final rosters.

Here are the first three players of each team so far:

Canada

Connor McDavid
Sidney Crosby
Alex Pietrangelo

China

To be announced Oct. 8

Czech Republic

David Pastrnak
Jakub Voracek
Ondrej Palat

Denmark

To be announced Oct. 8

Finland

Aleksander Barkov
Mikko Rantanen
Sebastian Aho

Germany

To be announced Oct. 8

Latvia

To be announced Oct. 8

Russian Olympic Committee

To be announced Oct. 8

Slovakia

To be announced Oct. 8

Sweden

Gabriel Landeskog
Mika Zibanejad
Victor Hedman

Switzerland

To be announced Oct. 8

United States

Auston Matthews
Patrick Kane
Seth Jones

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Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk isn't ready to commit to a long-term seven- or eight-year contract with the club, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

It's expected the league's salary cap should be much higher in a few years once the losses from the COVID-19 pandemic are recuperated. The rise would provide Tkachuk with more flexibility and possibilities on a long-term deal.

Tkachuk is one of the final restricted free agents left to be signed in the NHL with the 2021-22 season less than a week away. Head coach D.J. Smith said on Tuesday he must prepare to start the season without his star forward.

The Senators are in the midst of a complete rebuild and boast a considerable amount of youthful talent in the lineup. In September, general manager Pierre Dorion said the rebuild is complete and he feels it's time for the club to start winning again.

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Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid wasn't happy with the officiating in Monday night's 4-3 preseason win over the Calgary Flames.

The play that irked McDavid happened in the third period as he was cutting toward the net before the game-tying goal. Flames defenseman Chris Tanev tripped McDavid up which caused him to crash into Calgary netminder Jacob Markstrom.

As he crashed into Markstrom, a shot from Jesse Puljujarvi ricocheted off McDavid and went in. Despite the goal counting, McDavid voiced his displeasure after the game.

"Obviously they have the right to defend their net and defend me trying to get in there but when the stick kinda comes into the feet there like Tanev's did it's a dangerous play for me and for the goalie," he said. "I don't want to go flying in there, the goalie doesn't want me to go flying in there. And the guy that's left safe is the defenseman that was sloppy with his stick.

"I think you'd like to see that called a little bit more."

McDavid suffered a devastating knee injury in the final game of the 2018-19 season against the Flames when he was tripped into the net on a similar play.

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Monday the league is monitoring Jack Eichel's stalemate with the Buffalo Sabres but didn't offer much insight on a potential resolution.

"We're pretty up to speed in terms of what's going on," Bettman said on Sportsnet's "The Jeff Marek Show" on Monday. "And there's a legitimate disagreement among doctors as to what the course of treatment would be best both in the short term and the long term, and that's something everybody's wrestling with."

Eichel and the Sabres have been at odds for the past several months over treatment for the star center's ailing neck. Eichel has been adamant in his desire to undergo an artificial disc replacement procedure, but the club has denied his request and wants him to undergo spinal fusion surgery.

The 24-year-old's preferred surgery has been proven to yield better long-term results than spinal fusion, but there is extremely limited research on its viability for active athletes in contact sports. Artificial disc replacement has never been performed on an NHL player.

"It's a terrible situation. I don't think it's fair to point the finger at anybody in terms of who's right or who's wrong," Bettman said. "I think everybody's approaching this with the best intentions, and the injury is complex both in its diagnosis and its treatment, and I think people need to be a little more patient."

Eichel fired his agents Peter Fish and Peter Donatelli in late August after a trade from the Sabres failed to materialize; Fish and Donatelli originally anticipated a deal by the start of free agency in mid-July. Eichel is now represented by Pat Brisson of CAA.

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner - one of Eichel's former Sabres teammates - voiced his displeasure this past weekend with the National Hockey League Players' Association's handling of the situation, calling the stalemate an attack on Eichel's "freedom of choice."

The Sabres stripped Eichel of his captaincy on Sept. 23 after he failed his physical. With the 2021-22 season set to begin Oct. 12, it remains unclear if Eichel will be able to suit up at any point during the coming campaign.

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Philadelphia Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault doesn't agree with Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner's criticisms of his leadership.

Lehner tweeted about several issues in the NHL, including the allegedly widespread improper distribution of prescription drugs, which drew the attention of the league. He took aim at Vigneault specifically on Saturday night.

Vigneault addressed Lehner's comments Monday.

"Well, I don't know the young man. Two things he said about me were that I was a dinosaur - I consider myself experienced. You could say with experience you become a dinosaur maybe," Vigneault said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Sam Carchidi. "I do know I've been coaching a few years and I am tough. I am demanding. But I care about my players. I want their best. Through the years probably there are some guys that have liked me and some guys maybe a little bit less, but I've done it with the best intention and with respect, and, like I said, I don't know the young man that said that.

"As far as the other thing, with me pushing pills, I don't need another income. I have no idea where that comes from ... I don't know what else to say."

Lehner said Monday that he didn't mean to accuse Vigneault of distributing drugs to players, and he was instead trying to communicate that the coach's overall treatment of players is unacceptable, according to ESPN's Emily Kaplan.

The NHLPA reached out to Lehner, and the two sides spoke Sunday and had a "good call," Kaplan added.

"We take (Lehner's) comments seriously," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told Sportsnet's Jeff Marek, adding that the league wants to meet with Lehner soon to discuss them, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox.

Vigneault began his head coaching career in 1997 with the Montreal Canadiens. He's coached 1,341 games with the Canadiens, Flyers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver Canucks but never coached Lehner. He's been with the Flyers organization since 2019.

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The Canadian men's hockey team for the Beijing Olympics is starting to take form.

Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, and Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo are the first three names submitted to be part of the Canadian team, general manager Doug Armstrong confirmed, according to NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger.

Participating teams were asked to each declare three players last month.

"It goes without saying that Sid is Sid, Connor is Connor, and Alex has got a wealth of experience from the (2014 Sochi Olympics) team, to the (World Cup of Hockey 2016) team, to the captain of a Stanley Cup champion (St. Louis Blues in 2019)," Armstrong said Friday. "Those guys are at the top of their game in the league, too, and they're proven winners."

This will be Crosby's third time playing for Canada at the Olympics. He delivered the memorable golden goal at the 2010 Winter Games and led the team to gold again in 2014 as its captain.

Armstrong didn't go as far as to name Crosby the captain of this year's team, but he sees him as the undisputed leader.

"He'll lead our team. He'll be a great help to the coaching staff by delivering their message to the rest of the players," Armstrong said. "To me, he's just Sidney Crosby. He's the best player on the planet for more than a decade."

McDavid, 24, has yet to play on an Olympic team after the NHL didn't send players in 2018. This will mark Pietrangelo's second appearance after playing in 2014.

The next item on the agenda for Armstrong and Team Canada's management group is to submit a list on Oct. 15 of 55 players who will be candidates to make the team in Beijing, which begins on Feb. 4.

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