It looks as though Montreal Canadiens prospect Jesperi Kotkaniemi has made quite an impression on head coach Claude Julien in his first NHL training camp.
Following the club's 5-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night, Julien discussed where the 18-year-old stands with just one preseason game remaining.
"It's pretty hard to not see him on our roster," Julien said, according to TSN's John Lu.
Clause Julien doubles down in English, basically saying management has a say but if it’s up to him Kotkaniemi is staying.
The 19-year-old is coming off an outstanding 2017-18 that saw him break Evgeny Kuznetsov's KHL record for most points by a player under 20 years old. Tolvanen recorded 36 points in 49 games, surpassing Kuznetsov's mark of 32.
Tolvanen entered camp with hopes of cracking the Predators' roster after he was unable to cement a spot last season. Although he joined the team down the stretch a year ago, the 2017 first-round pick had a rather unimpressive camp, failing to record a point in four preseason contests.
The team also announced that defenseman Brian Cooper was released from his professional tryout, but the club expects to send him to training camp with the Admirals.
Arizona Coyotes forward Alex Galchenyuk is week to week with a lower-body injury and is expected to miss the club's season opener, the team announced Tuesday.
Galchenyuk suffered the injury in the club's preseason tilt against the Los Angeles Kings on Sept. 18. The 24-year-old is getting set for his first season with the Coyotes after being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in June in exchange for Max Domi.
The Coyotes will open the 2018-19 season on Oct. 4 against the Dallas Stars.
As a new season nears, a number of players prepare to chase history.
Here are five players who have the opportunity to reach career milestones, and in some cases, cement their place among the game's best.
Thornton on edge of 400
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Arguably the best passer of this generation, Joe Thornton is about to eclipse a goal-scoring milestone. With just three more tallies, Thornton will reach the 400-goal mark, becoming the 96th player in NHL history to do so - if he gets there before another player on this list.
That's not the only record in reach for the big center. With 40 points, he can pass both Teemu Selanne and Stan Mikita for 14th on the all-time list, and if he manages to collect 34 assists, he'll move up four spots - passing Mario Lemieux, Marcel Dionne, Gordie Howe, and Steve Yzerman - for the eighth-most all time.
Malkin's pursuit of 1,000
Another strong campaign from Evgeni Malkin should see the Russian sniper eclipse the 1,000-point plateau.
The 32-year-old needs 70 points to hit the milestone. That would be a tall order for most players, but Malkin has failed to reach 70 points only three times in his career, and each of those seasons saw him limited due to injuries.
If Malkin can put up 30 goals, he will also reach the 400-goal mark.
Luongo climbing the all-time wins list
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Florida Panthers netminder Roberto Luongo currently sits fourth on the all-time wins list, but he should leapfrog another legendary goaltender for the third spot.
With 14 wins, Luongo will move ahead of Ed Belfour.
While he was limited to just 35 games last season, Luongo put up strong numbers, rocking a .929 save percentage and a 2.47 goals-against average.
Luongo should have no trouble moving into third place, but it remains to be seen whether he has enough in the tank to one day challenge Patrick Roy and his 551 wins for second.
Staal joins Thornton at 400
The pressure will be on Thornton to be the first player this season to reach 400 career goals.
Minnesota Wild forward Eric Staal is also in the hunt for 400 and needs just five goals to do so.
Staal has enjoyed a reawakening in his short time in Minnesota. Over the last two seasons, he's tallied 70 goals, including 42 last season, which were just three fewer than his career high he set back in 2006.
Lundqvist following in Luongo's footsteps
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While Luongo will be focused on reaching third in goalie wins, Henrik Lundqvist will also be looking to make a jump up the all-time ranks.
The New York Rangers netminder currently sits eighth all time with 431 career wins, so with 24 victories, he would overtake Jacques Plante, Terry Sawchuk, and Curtis Joseph for fifth.
Last season, Lundqvist recorded 26 victories, which were the fewest he's managed in a full 82-game season in his career.
Seattle City Council voted unanimously in favor of Oak View Group's proposed arena project, which could house the NHL's 32nd franchise, the Seattle ownership group announced Monday.
The Seattle Center Arena project will see a $700-million renovation to KeyArena, which is now scheduled to break ground this fall.
"Today is a historic day for the future of our city and the New Arena at Seattle Center," OVG chief executive officer Tim Leiweke said. "We are one step closer to transforming an iconic landmark into a state-of-the-art arena that sets a new global standard at no risk to the City or taxpayers, while still preserving the soul, character, and honoring the Champions of an arena that has given Seattle so much."
The news comes with OVG set to make its pitch to the NHL Board of Governors on Oct. 2 in New York City.
"Now it's time to go to work," Leiweke said. "Our team stands ready to begin the next phase of this process and we plan to continue to communicate with our neighborhood and city partners to mobilize towards construction and our groundbreaking. In our conversations with members in communities across Seattle and our region, it has been amazing to see the excitement around this project and we are anxious to take this next step towards making a dream a reality."
While the pitch will be formally made to the NHL next week, a final decision from the league on whether it will grant Seattle an NHL franchise is not expected until at least December.
Domi - who was making his Canadiens preseason debut - was assessed a two-minute minor for roughing and a match penalty after punching an unsuspecting Ekblad early in the third period of Wednesday's preseason contest.
Following the game, Panthers head coach Bob Boughner told reporters that Ekblad was removed from the game by the league to determine if he'd suffered a concussion. The 22-year-old managed to avoid sustaining a concussion, or a broken nose, according to The Athletic's Arpon Basu.
The news comes as a huge relief for the Panthers and their fans as Ekblad has a history of concussions.
As for Domi, he was assessed a match penalty on the play, while the NHL's Department of Player Safety is reportedly reviewing the infraction, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
The forward was given a two-minute minor for roughing and a match penalty after punching Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad less than a minute into the third period of Wednesday's preseason tilt.
The infraction will be looked at by the NHL's Department of Player Safety, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun. As for Ekblad, he did not return to the game, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels.
