With John Tavares now part of the Toronto Maple Leafs, questions about the team's open captaincy appear to be building.

The club has not had a captain since Dion Phaneuf was dealt to the Ottawa Senators in 2016. Many believe Auston Matthews will step into the role after getting a few seasons under his belt. However, Tavares - who served as captain of the New York Islanders for five seasons - could now be in line to assume the captaincy instead.

It's a dilemma likely being overblown in Toronto. Bobby Orr, whose agency represents Matthews, said the 20-year-old isn't worried about who will be named captain.

"The team is going to be a little different," Orr told reporters, according to TSN. "A very good team with JT there and he is thrilled. Again, this bull about being upset about this and being upset about that, the captaincy. That's so wrong, shouldn't be happening. They are a good team, they are going to be a very good team and John puts them closer to their goal and that's what Auston is concerned about."

Meanwhile, Matthews is now eligible to sign a contract extension with the Maple Leafs. But as Orr said, there isn't a rush to put pen to paper.

"I don't think it's (about) money," Orr said, according to TSN's Gino Reda. "It's like John Tavares' free agency. He wants to play in Toronto, and if it doesn't happen this year before the season starts, he still has a year left to fulfill his contract and we'll see what happens."

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The Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators are working on a trade for defenseman Erik Karlsson, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

Dreger notes that the New York Rangers may also be involved in some capacity as the Lightning will need to free up cap space if they are to bring on Karlsson's $6.5-million cap hit.

Karlsson will become an unrestricted free agent after this season and is expected to sign a contract similar to that of Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings, who just fetched an eight-year, $88-million extension.

Another challenge for the Lightning is that a number of their players have no-trade clauses.

Earlier this week, it was reported the Dallas Stars had become the front-runners to land Karlsson. The Columbus Blue Jackets had also reportedly shown interest, but the asking price was believed to be too high from their perspective.

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The Carolina Hurricanes have locked up defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, agreeing to terms on a two-year, $4.6-million contract, the team announced Thursday.

"Trevor was a steady presence on our blue line last season," general manager Don Waddell said in a release. "He's shown progression each year of his NHL career, and is a well-liked player in our locker room."

News of the signing comes shortly after it was announced that Van Riemsdyk filed for arbitration. The 26-year-old elected for arbitration prior to Thursday's 5 p.m. ET deadline, before agreeing to the new contract, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.

Van Riemsdyk put up three goals and 16 points in his first campaign with Carolina after spending his first three seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning re-signed forward Cedric Paquette to a one-year, $1-million contract on Thursday, the team announced.

The 24-year-old is coming off his fourth season with the Lightning. He finished 2017-18 with five goals and four assists over 56 games. Paquette also recorded a goal and an assist in 17 playoff games this spring.

The fourth-round pick in 2012 was a restricted free agent, and he received a slight raise from his previous two-year deal that carried a cap hit of $812,500.

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A group of NHL stars are looking for a raise.

Thursday afternoon was the deadline for restricted free agents to file for salary arbitration. Ottawa Senators forward Mark Stone and Vegas Golden Knights 40-goal scorer William Karlsson headline a list of filing players that includes quite a bit of firepower.

Of course, the majority of arbitration cases are often settled before a meeting with a third-party arbitrator occurs.

Nevertheless, here is the full list of players filing for arbitration:

In total 44 players elected to go to arbitration, which is 14 more than last year, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

Friday at 5 p.m. ET is the deadline for team-elected salary arbitration lists. Arbitration hearings will take place from July 20 to Aug. 4 in Toronto.

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The Detroit Red Wings and forward Andreas Athanasiou agreed to a two-year contract worth $6 million on Thursday, according to MLive.com's Ansar Khan.

The 23-year-old is coming off his third season with the Red Wings, during which he put up a career-best 33 points in 71 games.

Athanasiou missed the first 10 games of the season and elected to skate in Switzerland after he and the Red Wings failed to come to terms on a new contract to begin the year. Ultimately, the two sides agreed to a one-year, $1.3875-million contract on Oct. 20.

In 172 career games, Athanasiou has tallied 43 goals and 76 points while averaging 13:16 of ice time.

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The Dallas Stars are seen as the front-runners in the Erik Karlsson sweepstakes, but the Columbus Blue Jackets have also contacted the Ottawa Senators about a potential trade for the superstar defenseman, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.

League sources told Portzline that the Blue Jackets are unlikely to do a deal unless the Senators lower their asking price.

With reports claiming that forward Artemi Panarin has declined to speak about a potential contract extension with the Blue Jackets, he would make sense as a piece in a potential trade for Karlsson. The Senators, however, reportedly aren't interested in Panarin because he'll be a free agent at the end of next season.

If the Blue Jackets land Karlsson, they would add a star to an already deep blue line that already includes Zach Werenski and Seth Jones.

Columbus currently has over $14 million in cap space and will have over $36 million next season, enough to ink a potential contract extension with Karlsson.

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The Carolina Hurricanes signed free-agent defenseman Calvin de Haan to a four-year, $18.2-million contract on Tuesday, the team announced.

"Calvin is a solid, puck-moving defenseman who will bring a veteran presence to the blue line," general manager Don Waddell said in a release. "He is a strong two-way player who is capable of shutting down opponents' top lines, and he will help solidify the left side and upgrade our defense."

The 27-year-old had been among the most coveted free-agent defensemen on the market.

De Haan gets himself a deal with an annual average of $4.55 million despite being limited to just 33 games this past season after undergoing shoulder surgery in late December.

In his limited action, de Haan managed 12 points while averaging 18:45 of ice time per night, fourth among all Islanders defenders.

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The St. Louis Blues re-signed forward Robby Fabbri to a one-year contract on Tuesday, the team announced.

Fabbri, who was a restricted free agent, missed the entire 2017-18 season following ACL surgery in October. It was the second time he underwent an ACL procedure, but Luckily for the 22-year-old, on Tuesday he was also medically cleared to return to hockey-related activities.

In his first two NHL seasons, Fabbri recorded 29 goals and 66 points in 123 games. He was drafted 21st overall in 2014.

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The NHL draft and free-agent frenzy may be in the rear-view mirror, but the rumors surrounding a potential Erik Karlsson trade appear to be heating up.

On Monday, it was reported that the Ottawa Senators had given permission to interested clubs to discuss a potential contract extension with Karlsson. Signs certainly point to a potential departure from Ottawa, but if former Sens captain Daniel Alfredsson has his way, Karlsson will stick around.

"I think it's a difficult situation for everybody," Alfredsson said, according to TSN's Brent Wallace. "No question he is a generational talent and the best player to ever wear the Senators jersey. Then we'll see what happens. I know for me personally I hope he stays."

Related: Senators offer extension to Karlsson

As for if Alfredsson thinks Karlsson will be moved, he has no idea.

"To be honest I don't know what to think at this moment," Alfredsson said. "You know, what could happen? I heard at the deadline it was close. I heard after that it was close. I'm sure he'll call me if something happens."

Karlsson - who's set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer - is coming off a tough season with the Senators that saw the club finish with the second-worst record in the league, involved off-ice drama surrounding his family and former Senator Mike Hoffman, and seemingly featured never-ending rumors regarding the stability of the franchise in Ottawa with regards to owner Eugene Melnyk.

Still, the two-time Norris Trophy winner managed 62 points in 71 games and remains one of the elite defensemen in the NHL.

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