Over to you, Mr. Rutherford.

On Thursday, Jim Rutherford - the trade-loving architect of three Stanley Cup-winning teams in the salary-cap era - was named the Vancouver Canucks' new president of hockey operations. The soon-to-be 73-year-old also holds the title of interim general manager while he searches for a permanent replacement for Jim Benning, who was fired Sunday.

Rutherford has yet to speak at length with the media, so it's unclear how he'll attack the search. There are a handful of paths he can take here, including:

• Hiring a former NHL GM
• Hiring a current assistant GM with close ties to Rutherford
• Hiring a current assistant GM with little-to-no ties to Rutherford
• Hiring from within the Canucks' front office
• Hiring an atypical GM candidate

The first option, which winks at the possibility of chasing recently fired Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin, would be counterproductive. Considering Rutherford and his new GM will be leading the hockey ops department in tandem, there should be a diversity of thought and background. Rutherford brings an old-school approach, institutional credibility, and a history of making bold decisions. The Canucks don't need another Rutherford.

As for convincing a familiar assistant GM currently employed elsewhere to come work for the Canucks … well, that's much more palatable. Rutherford's management tree includes several high-profile names, including the Buffalo Sabres' Jason Karmanos and the Seattle Kraken's Jason Botterill. Would the mix of familiarity and differing skill sets (Karmanos and Botterill, both in their 40s, are considered modern execs) make for a solid fit? Probably. Going this route would be relatively safe because Rutherford will know exactly what he's getting.

If you remove the familiarity aspect from the equation, Rutherford's talent pool expands. For instance, the Colorado Avalanche's Chris MacFarland, who's been on the rise for a number of years, is an interesting name. A capologist and scout with a strong belief in analytics, MacFarland could be the type of well-respected executive who's worth taking a chance on. Also, MacFarland presumably wouldn't be a "yes man," which is something Rutherford should want in this arrangement.

There are also a few notable internal candidates. One is interim AGM Ryan Johnson, who, like MacFarland, is on track to become an NHL GM someday. Rutherford could see Johnson as somebody who has the pulse of the club, can be mentored, and won't command a hefty salary from ownership, which is now paying two top hockey ops execs (Benning had handled both roles). Meanwhile, franchise icons and senior advisors Henrik and Daniel Sedin seem destined to become Canucks co-GMs down the road. Do you start the succession plan earlier than planned, or do you let them continue to learn the hockey ops ropes? Probably the latter.

Lastly, Rutherford, who's known for his shocking trades, could hire somebody out of left field, like super agent J.P. Barry or broadcaster Ray Ferraro. This is a highly unlikely scenario, and who knows if either of those guys, or their contemporaries, would even be interested. But, as Rutherford has shown over the years, expect the unexpected when he's in charge.

Lightning striking again

The two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning are on fire, with a 5-0-0 start to December vaulting them into a three-way tie for the Atlantic Division's top spot.

On the surface, of course the Lightning are killing it. After all, over the past five-plus years, no team has accumulated as many regular-season points as Tampa Bay, and the club's enviable core of superstars remains intact.

That said, achieving this level of success through the first quarter of the campaign hasn't been easy, nor was it a foregone conclusion.

For starters, the capped-out squad entered the season with fewer impactful depth pieces. The Lightning lost, among others, all three members of the highly effective Barclay Goodrow-Yanni Gourde-Blake Coleman line. Tampa Bay has also been without the services of Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point for 23 and 10 games, respectively. Neither world-class player is replaceable. And, let's face it, the entire organization must be feeling at least slightly fatigued after competing in an NHL-high 200 total games since the start of 2019-20.

"I've gotta give them credit, they're finding ways to win," Lightning head coach Jon Cooper told reporters Tuesday after his players pulled out a 3-2 comeback victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Two nights later, the Lightning took down the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 while yet another invaluable piece, center Anthony Cirelli, was forced to watch from the press box due to injury.

Ten of Tampa Bay's 26 games have ended in overtime or a shootout. The Lightning have won six, giving them 16 of a possible 20 points in that scenario. Those kinds of early-season tests - and triumphs - are undoubtedly beneficial to a shorthanded group trying to become the first team in four decades to win three consecutive Stanley Cups.

So far, the Lightning's list of standout performers includes the usual suspects: Steven Stamkos up front (32 points, including 13 goals), Victor Hedman on defense (27 points, plus elite defending), and Andrei Vasilevskiy in goal (.927 save percentage). A second tier - namely forwards Ondrej Palat, Alex Killorn, and Corey Perry - has provided ample support, especially of late.

Perry, a former star who signed a two-year deal with Tampa Bay this past offseason, has found a niche as a bottom-six winger. He isn't the first player to be seamlessly folded into the team's winning culture.

"Everything he says makes sense," Cooper said Tuesday when asked about the 37-year-old's emerging voice in the dressing room. "There's no fluff to him. There's no BS."

It turns out there's been no BS, period, around the Lightning this season.

NHL's elite forward lines

We're at the point in the season where it's safe to drop the "it's early but … " caveat. Two months of on-ice action offers a big enough sample size.

Here we go: The Calgary Flames' top forward line of Elias Lindholm between Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau has been the NHL's best trio - by far.

In 324 five-on-five minutes, Tkachuk-Lindholm-Gaudreau has obliterated the opposition to the tune of a league-high plus-17 goal differential and an NHL-high goals-for rate of 87%. Territorially, the line is also a cut above the rest, with an expected goals-for rate of 66.9%, according to Evolving Hockey data.

In other words, the Calgary trio is dominating during the run of play and on the scoreboard, nailing down the process and enjoying the results.

Check out who's challenging them on the leaderboard:

You'll notice neither Connor McDavid nor Leon Draisaitl is mentioned above. Their lines don't stack up well here because these metrics exclude special-teams situations - where both players thrive - but include defensive play. It's no secret the Edmonton Oilers - not necessarily McDavid and Draisaitl, specifically - tend to give up plenty of shots, chances, and goals.

Bonus shoutout to the Anaheim Ducks' No. 1 line of Trevor Zegras between Sonny Milano and Rickard Rakell. The three of them have been on the ice together for only 119 five-on-five minutes this season, but they've churned out excellent numbers - 85.7 GF%, 68.8 xGF%, plus-10 goal differential.

Extra credit: Zegras and Milano hooked up Tuesday for an absurdly nice goal.

Wings prospect's off-ice detour

An oft-forgotten part of the transition to North America for players from places like Sweden is the task of getting from Point A to Point B in a foreign country.

I couldn't help but chuckle last month when Jonatan Berggren, a forward in the Detroit Red Wings organization, confirmed a humorous story about his introduction to life in the U.S. during a chat in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (I was there to report this feature about the Wings' extensive rebuild.)

Berggren, a 21-year-old from Uppsala, Sweden, was sent by the Wings to AHL Grand Rapids in early October after drawing into some NHL preseason action. Standard stuff; he wasn't projected to make the opening-day roster.

He and his girlfriend Tilde, who's also from Sweden, hopped in a rental car, Berggren punched the words "Grand Rapids" into the GPS system, and off they went. Two hours later, the couple arrived safely in Grand Rapids … Ohio, a farming town of roughly 1,000 people located 30 miles southwest of Toledo.

"In Sweden, we never have two places where the name is the same," Berggren said, smiling at the bungle, which made headlines back home. "I was thinking there was only one Grand Rapids in the U.S.A. But I was wrong."

For the record, Berggren and Tilde quickly realized the error, turned around, and had no issues finding the "real" Grand Rapids, which is two hours west of Detroit. Berggren's since settled in, posting 16 points in 20 AHL games.

Parting thoughts

Chris Kreider: The New York Rangers winger is at it again. After finishing with 20-10 in 50 games last season, Kreider is challenging for hockey's (totally pretend) Cy Young Award with a stat line of 17 goals and four assists (17-4). Others in the conversation: Andrew Mangiapane at 17-3 and Brandon Saad at 11-3.

Colorado Avalanche: The Avalanche, a popular preseason Cup pick, own a .652 points percentage through 23 games but rank 29th in goaltending. What gives? Well, they're scoring goals at the same rate as the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins, a team with prime-time Mario Lemieux and peak Jaromir Jagr.

Jomboy: The internet personality Jomboy, best known for his MLB lip-reading videos, is now posting breakdowns of notable hockey moments. His blow-by-blow (bite-by-bite?) accounting of the Brendan Lemieux-Brady Tkachuk incident is must-consume content. Trust me.

Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's biweekly hockey grab bag.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Skates dig into the ice surface. A shot rings off the goalpost. Cursing fills the air after a shooter narrowly misses the net. A coach barks "Gap up! Gap up!" at a defenseman competing in a two-on-two drill.

In this hockey laboratory, there's one coach for every two-and-a-half players. The players' red hockey pants are emblazoned with the Detroit Red Wings' iconic winged wheel logo, but the Grand Rapids Griffins emblem on each helmet serves as a reminder of the present moment. This is the minor leagues.

"Up top, in the NHL, you're just worried about the final product," says Mike Knuble, the former NHL forward who's now an assistant coach for the Griffins. "Down here, it's more so about the process to create the product."

A variation of these sights and sounds can be seen and heard daily in AHL rinks across the continent, from San Diego to Laval, Quebec. All 32 NHL organizations are inherently invested in the development of their prospects - particularly in the AHL, where top affiliates compete not only for the league championship but also for the feeder league's highest graduation rate.

For the Red Wings, a proud Original Six franchise, the significance is amplified.

Amid an extensive rebuild, Detroit hasn't made the postseason since 2015-16, the last hoorah in a 25-year playoff streak that produced four Stanley Cups. Over the past five-plus seasons, the Wings' points percentage ranks 31st in the NHL, ahead of only the expansion Seattle Kraken, who've played all of 23 games.

Even though super rookies Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider have provided a jolt of momentum in 2021-22, the rebuild under general manager Steve Yzerman - also known as the "Yzerplan" - remains far from complete.

Effective and efficient player development is how Detroit intends to advance past the pain of the rebuild and into the competitive stage of the cycle. Eventually, if all goes according to plan, the Wings will start contending for Cups again.

"Every guy you draft isn't going to turn out to be an NHL home-run player. But what you want to do is maximize each guy the best you can," Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill says. "It's something that's been important to our organization for a long time. It's become even more in focus here in the last few years."

With 5:45 left in the third period of the Wings' eighth game this season, ESPN's John Buccigross could barely contain his excitement on national TV.

"That's the craziest sequence I've ever seen!" Buccigross blurted out.

The Wings had just denied eight straight scoring attempts in a whirlwind shift against a then-undefeated Florida Panthers squad. Forwards Adam Erne and Robby Fabbri each blocked two attempts in fearless fashion. Defenseman Danny DeKeyser blocked another, and then, as he tried to fire the puck out of harm's way, watched his stick snap into two pieces. In the thick of the chaos, goalie Alex Nedeljkovic frantically turned aside the three other attempts.

The Shift - as some Wings fans came to call it - was stressful and exhilarating. The boisterous home crowd supplied an appropriate soundtrack, the volume seeming to rise a few decibels after every defensive stop. "Detroit is a blue-collar town," says Knuble, who was drafted by the Wings and played parts of two seasons with them from 1996-98. "They've always liked guys like that - the Darren McCartys, the Kris Drapers, the Kirk Maltbys."

A cynic might suggest The Shift was a single moment in a long, 82-game season, a blip on the radar in the middle of a deep rebuild. Besides, getting hemmed in one's zone for nearly a minute, no matter the degree of sacrifice, isn't exactly conducive to winning. (The Panthers went on to win the game 3-2 in overtime.)

Those inside the organization wouldn't disagree with the cynical viewpoint, but they believe The Shift is also tangible proof the 2021-22 Wings players care a great deal about each other and the team's record. Shot-blockers Erne and Fabbri instantly earned respect and admiration from fans and teammates, as well as players and coaches within the Wings' farm system.

"Stuff like that is infectious. It spreads like wildfire," Griffins head coach Ben Simon says. Grand Rapids' dressing room was buzzing about The Shift the following day, he adds. The coaches didn't bring it up; the players did.

If nothing else, The Shift is daydream material - a playoff-style sequence in an encouraging season. Through roughly a quarter of 2021-22, the Wings are 12-9-3 and occupy the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. For the first time in a while, promise is being turned into progress.

Yzerman, who captained Detroit to three Cups as a player, didn't set a firm timeline for the rebuild when he took over from Ken Holland in April 2019 - an approach that helps manage expectations both internally and externally. Yzerman's previous work as GM of the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning has armed him with additional credibility. Few teams have figured out how to assemble a sustainable winner in the salary-cap era quite like Tampa Bay, and now the Wings have one of the Lightning's masterminds.

Under both Holland and Yzerman, Detroit hasn't been shy about using the trade market to acquire draft capital. The team has selected a whopping 52 players since 2017, which is 17 more than the number normally allotted to teams over a five-year span. They've had horrible luck at the draft lottery, though, receiving a top-five pick only once (Raymond, fourth overall in 2020).

This dynamic - a boatload of picks but none at the very top of the draft - puts the onus on identifying hidden gems and then developing them into NHLers.

"At the end of the day, if you're going to be an organization that has success and wins Stanley Cups, there's gotta be some of those guys," Shawn Horcoff, the Wings' director of player development, says of unearthing future NHLers later in the first round and beyond. "Obviously you need your superstars, your high picks to turn out. But you have to find a way to draft and develop other players that eventually come into the league and become impact players."

At the moment, the Wings' core of young, full-time NHL stars (or, in some cases, potential future stars) features Raymond, Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana, and Filip Zadina at forward; Seider and Filip Hronek on defense; and Nedeljkovic in goal. Interestingly, only Raymond, Vrana, Seider, and Hronek are signed beyond next season, so there's a chance not all of the eight names listed above will be around to see the rebuilding process through.

The rebuild has already cast aside two first-round picks. Yzerman sent forward Anthony Mantha (2013, 20th overall) to Washington at last season's trade deadline for a package that included Vrana and picks. Defenseman Dennis Cholowski, the Wings' 20th overall pick in 2016, was left unprotected and selected in Seattle's expansion draft.

There are plenty of roster spots up for grabs. And once a player makes the big club, he can't rest on the accomplishment. "The minute you get stagnant or too pleased is the moment when you maybe take a step or two backwards," says 22-year-old depth forward Michael Rasmussen, another Holland-era first-rounder. Some of those NHL jobs are expected to be nabbed by blue-chip prospects, such as 2021 top picks Simon Edvinsson and Sebastian Cossa, and others by players acquired via free agency or trade.

The rest? Horcoff and the six-man player development group, in lockstep with the five-man AHL coaching staff headed by Simon, are tasked with guiding the organization's less-polished prospects into the conversation.

In 2015, Joe Veleno became the first player in QMJHL history to be granted "exceptional status," allowing him to enter the league at age 15. Three years later, the Wings scooped up the offensively gifted forward on Day 1 of the draft. A projected top-20 selection, Veleno fell into the club's lap at No. 30.

Veleno attended his first NHL training camp in September 2018, impressing in preseason action. He was trending in the right direction. After the Wings sent him back to the Drummondville Voltigeurs, however, he failed to dominate the QMJHL. He was in his own head, thinking junior was suddenly beneath him.

The big club noticed. Horcoff quickly booked a three-day trip to Drummondville for what Veleno now refers to as "the wake-up call." Horcoff diagnosed and dissected Veleno's on-ice issues while educating the youngster on proper nutrition and sleep habits. They went out for dinner one night and also spent time assessing the setup at Veleno's billet home.

One interaction from Horcoff's visit still resonates. Veleno remembers being greeted by multiple video screens and a bunch of detailed notes when he first walked into Horcoff's hotel room. "I was like, 'Oh god,'" Veleno says, laughing.

"We had a pretty big talk about what I can do better," Veleno adds. "He told me, 'If you want to play in the NHL, you've got to do this, this, and this. It's necessary. The next level, it's just so much different.'"

Even back then, when Veleno had a tendency to cut corners on defense, the Wings believed he could be groomed into a two-way NHL forward. There was no reason the skating ability, hockey IQ, and stick work that made Veleno a dangerous offensive player couldn't be applied to other parts of his game. Luckily for the Wings, he was coachable - a tireless worker who accepted criticism well.

Now 21, Veleno is much closer to a complete, 200-foot player. He turned pro with the Griffins in 2019-20 and spent most of last year with the Malmo Redhawks in Sweden while the AHL was shuttered because of COVID-19. In 2021-22, he's been called up to the Wings on two occasions. (He's currently on the roster but is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.) In nine total games, there have been glimpses of a future in which Veleno slots in as the team's regular second- or third-line center.

Based on the lofty expectations associated with the "exceptional status" label in junior - John Tavares, Connor McDavid, and Aaron Ekblad also earned that distinction - a projection as a top-nine NHL center is underwhelming. For a 30th overall pick, though, a top-nine center would be good value for the Wings and a meaningful role for Veleno.

"I just want to be the best version of myself and be the best player I know I can be," Veleno says. "I definitely know I have that potential to be great, and I've gotta try to figure it out by coming to work every day trying to be better."

Todd Krygier, the Griffins' forwards coach, has assured Veleno multiple times that he's already an NHL-caliber player. The yo-yo between Detroit and Grand Rapids is more or less rooted in one thing: Refining the areas of Veleno's game that will help him contribute every single night, regardless of how confident and dialed in he may feel with the puck on his stick.

"If you don't have your 'A' game, try to find and bring your best 'B' game," Veleno says, reciting one of the Wings' frequent talking points. Winning a defensive zone draw late in the game or backchecking while on a power play are two examples that would apply to Veleno and others trying to permanently bridge the gap between the AHL and NHL.

The Holland-era Wings gained a reputation as a franchise that kept its prospects in the AHL until they were "overripe." That term may not be thrown around in an official capacity within the organization in 2021, but the player development philosophy hasn't changed drastically under Yzerman.

"Dominate down here, marinate down here, and then when you're ready - even when you're over-ready - go up to Detroit. And when you go up, don't come back. That's our goal," Simon says. "Sometimes that happens and sometimes that doesn't happen. The NHL is a hard league."

In Grand Rapids, an AHL/NHL tweener like Veleno assumes a first-line role at even strength and a top-unit spot on both the power play and penalty kill. A revved-up workload and list of responsibilities can test a player physically and mentally, though concrete results rarely arrive overnight. "Part of development is learning by failing," Simon says. "How many times do you get back up?"

So many prospects don't make it to Veleno's stage in the development process because the jump from junior or college to the AHL presents its own set of unique challenges. For a brand-new pro, finding consistency can mean learning how to "become boring," as Simon puts it. "You have a good routine at and away from the rink. You stick with it. You do the little things right."

In his best-selling book "Atomic Habits," author James Clear argues that "you do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." Simon, who's in his fourth season as the Griffins' bench boss, hasn't read Clear's book, but he subscribes to the exact same thought process: the AHL environment should be focused on habit formation and fine-tuning.

"You resort to your training level, you don't rise to the occasion," Simon says in his own parlance. "In practice, it's the coaching staff's job to make sure these guys are doing everything the right way. It's our job to make sure they're attentive to detail and they're ready when that call comes from the Wings."

In an alternative universe, Sam Gagner is a Stanley Cup champion. He would have champagne-soaked memories with Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the fellow first-rounders on those pre-McDavid Edmonton teams. The Oilers, after all, were the up-and-coming club a decade ago.

"It's interesting talking to those guys about it now - what they've learned, what I've learned," says Gagner, who's in his second full season in Detroit.

Individual struggles can easily weigh on young players, Gagner explains, and the pressure only mounts when a team playing in a demanding market decides the best course of action is to lean heavily on a handful of skilled youngsters. Without patience, a cap-era rebuild can spiral out of control.

"I don't think you can expect young players to come in and turn it around all on their own and in a short period of time. They need to be insulated by other good players. It takes a full roster to build out a successful team," Gagner says. He notes he's grateful for the Oilers experience; it's perspective.

Gagner, now 32 and playing on a one-year contract in his 15th NHL season, says he fully intends to stay in Detroit - assuming Yzerman's on board with an extension. A bottom-six forward who leads the team in shorthanded minutes, Gagner's pleased with the niche he's carved out within the Wings' lineup. Off the ice, he's embracing the mentor's role.

"There's 82 games in a season. In some 10-game segments, things are going to feel easy and in others it's going to feel really hard," he says when asked to share a pearl of wisdom. "You need to make sure you go about your business every day in the same way and keep the same mindset. Guys generally work really hard, regardless of the situation, but it's the mindset that tends to change when things don't go exactly the right way."

Gagner was drafted in 2007 and since then the amount of money and resources devoted to NHL player development has skyrocketed. Every franchise now has a specific arm of hockey operations dedicated solely to developing prospects. Also, video and statistical analysis have evolved significantly. The introduction of tracking devices has opened up a whole new world of biometric data. (Wings prospects can volunteer to have their heart rate and energy output, among other things, monitored.)

These investments lead to fully personalized development plans. The plans are only useful, of course, if players take ownership of their own trajectory.

"What do you guys think? How are you seeing it?" Krygier asks rhetorically. "If you're not giving them ownership, I don't think you're going to get the quality of results that you want. You want everybody to take ownership of their game and their situation. When they start to take ownership, they become better."

Blashill adds: "You can push players. You can help provide the right avenue for them to be successful and provide the right resources. But they have to have the inner drive."

In one-on-one video sessions, the Griffins staff will fire up clips of alumni turning a weakness into a strength so current players can relate to the material and advice being passed on by the coaches. For instance, Zadina has been used as a pseudo-template for crafty Swedish forward Jonatan Berggren.

Zadina, drafted sixth overall in 2018, wasn't shooting from dangerous areas of the ice in the early days of his North American career. The sniper had flourished on the perimeter back in the Czech Republic and in junior, but in the AHL and NHL a large portion of goals - 85%, according to Krygier - are scored in the slot and crease areas. Zadina adjusted his approach in time, supplementing his lethal shot with a hungry net-drive game.

Berggren, chosen 27 spots behind Zadina and three behind Veleno in 2018, says he likes to be an "entertainer player." The organization doesn't want to quash what made the 5-foot-11, 195-pound winger productive on the larger rinks in Europe. The Wings just want him to add versatility to his game by deploying his low center of gravity as a weapon.

"I need to have the courage to take my body to the net," Berggren says. "It will hurt, but sometimes you need to just get ugly goals, not the fancy plays."

There are two Calder Trophy front-runners to study, too. Despite being 19 and 20, Raymond and Seider are complete players who play a mature game.

"People see some of the fancy plays he makes," Blashill says of Raymond, the NHL leader in rookie goals (10) and points (22). "But he does it in a way that doesn't take on any unneeded risk. He'd be one of our lowest players in terms of scoring-chance minuses. He does it with very little risk, and I think that's critically important to becoming a winning team."

It's Friday afternoon, the day after Griffins practice, and Blashill is sitting inside a restaurant at Little Caesars Arena. It's at ice level, directly across from the Wings' dressing room. On game nights, fans in the restaurant can watch Detroit players pass within close view on the way to the ice.

The interactive bit might feel tacky elsewhere. In Hockeytown, it hits, because throughout the arena are reminders of the franchise's prestige - a statue depicting the legendary Ted Lindsay in the concourse, framed photos of other all-time Wings greats above each dressing-room stall, a gigantic banner showing Yzerman hoisting the Cup near one of the arena gates.

"Something I believe, and what's certainly been made clear to me by Steve Yzerman, is that we want to create a playing style that's going to win long term," Blashill says. "We want to teach our guys how to play winning hockey, so that when we do have the pieces in place to win, we're ready to win."

Blashill is talking about The Shift within the scope of the entire rebuild.

"We want to have lots of moments like that. They may not all go viral, but we'll see them," says Blashill, who was promoted from Griffins head coach to Wings head coach in 2015.

"We'll know when our sacrifice is to that level. That's the type of culture we're trying to rebuild here. That type of culture of sacrifice, when you'll do anything it takes to win a hockey game, and it doesn't matter if it's in October or April or May, it's the same type of sacrifice. Slowly but surely, we're building that."

Larkin, the captain at age 25 but already in his seventh season, is the heart and soul. Raymond and Seider are cornerstones. Others - from Hronek to Nedeljkovic - are key pieces, too. Veleno and a few of his peers are on their way to full-time duty. What's still to be determined are the timelines for each player and then the team as a whole. Detroit won't rebuild forever.

"Hopefully all of our young guys can be up there together one day," Veleno says. "I think it's sooner than later that it'll happen."

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Friday marks 10 days since the law firm Jenner & Block released a report on its investigation into how the 2009-10 Chicago Blackhawks mishandled and covered up sexual misconduct allegations against ex-video coach Brad Aldrich.

In that time, Kyle Beach revealed himself as "John Doe" in an emotional interview with TSN; Blackhawks executives Stan Bowman and Al MacIsaac left the club; the NHL fined the Blackhawks $2 million; former Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville resigned from his job with the Florida Panthers; the NHL cleared former Blackhawks assistant GM Kevin Cheveldayoff of any responsibility on the matter; Aldrich's name was removed from the Stanley Cup; and the NHLPA announced it's conducting an internal investigation of its own handling of the matter.

This story and its various subplots aren't going away any time soon.

Here are seven key questions that remain unanswered:

1. What will the NHLPA's internal investigation reveal about executive director Donald Fehr's supposed inaction over the past 11 years? Fehr, based on Jenner & Block's investigation, appears to have known about the allegations against Aldrich around 2010 but failed to act. He could be forced to resign.

2. Will former Blackhawks president John McDonough accept blame for his poor leadership? McDonough is believed to be the highest-ranking member of the Blackhawks front office who knew about the allegations against Aldrich back in 2010. Bowman, for one, blamed McDonough in his statement. Yet McDonough hasn't spoken about the scandal in any public forum. It's unlikely he will until it's clear whether the Blackhawks plan to sue him.

3. Will we get an outcome from the investigation into Bill Peters? Two years ago, former players Akim Aliu and Michal Jordan accused Peters, the Blackhawks' AHL coach in 2009-10, of racist and abusive behavior. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said earlier this week the investigation had concluded and the parties contacted. Aliu's lawyer stated that it's "news to me and not true."

4. Will the Blackhawks offer Beach a satisfactory settlement? All of this public scrutiny of the Blackhawks began in May when Beach and "John Doe 2" filed lawsuits against the team. Beach's lawyer and the Blackhawks' lawyers had a "respectful and cordial" meeting earlier this week, which is promising.

5. Will the NHL compensate "John Doe 2" in any way? Beach's lawyer, Susan Loggans, is also representing the former Michigan high school hockey player who had been assaulted by Aldrich following his Blackhawks tenure. When asked whether the NHL owed him any consideration this week, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman wouldn't commit to covering the same counseling costs the league had promised Beach.

6. Will an active NHL player finally admit to being aware of the allegations in 2010? There's been a divide among the responses to questions between active NHLers and retired or European-based players. The active players, such as Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith, have essentially claimed innocence, while Brent Sopel (retired) and Shawn Lalonde (Europe) are among those who have said that virtually everybody around the team at least vaguely knew about the allegations.

7. Will Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz and CEO Danny Wirtz ever fully explain themselves? Credit to the Wirtz family for not standing in the way of a thorough investigation and for making its findings public. However, unlike Bettman and Daly and others tangentially involved in this scandal, neither the owner nor the CEO have taken questions from the media. The Block & Jenner report found that the Wirtzes were not aware of the allegations but as the one at the top of the organizational hierarchy, their fans deserve to hear from them.

Unpacking Ovechkin's start

It's rare for Alex Ovechkin to shock us these days. We've watched him terrorize goalies for too long to consider most of what he does to be outlandish.

Yet Ovechkin, in his 17th NHL season and at the ripe age of 36 years old, is off to an attention-grabbing start to the season with 10 goals in 10 games. Which prompts the question: Is Ovi doing something different to maintain this incredible pace?

Checking on the Capitals sniper's shot profile is a good place to start ...

Ovechkin, with 4.8 shots on goal per game, is shooting for volume at a typical rate. He's getting roughly 57% of his shot attempts on target, a rate also comparable to his career average. His shooting percentage, on the other hand, has ballooned to 20.8% from his career average of 12.8%. This uptick suggests he may be benefiting from some puck luck to start the season.

Then again, maybe we should expect Ovechkin to score on a higher percentage of his shots this year (OK, maybe not 21%, but 15% is realistic). After all, he's starting 85.9% of his shifts in the offensive zone, a career high by a significant margin. If Ovechkin's line, with Evgeni Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson, is consistently starting in the O-zone, he will naturally exert his early-shift energy on trying to score a goal.

Ovechkin is not only getting a head start territorially, but he's also playing 21 minutes and 28 seconds a night, which stands as his highest average TOI since 2009-10. The increase is mostly from the power play, where Ovechkin's been hanging out in the Ovi Spot for roughly one additional minute per night.

So, to recap, the changes are subtle and some of what Ovechkin's doing is unsustainable. But one variable (deployment and ice time) is notable.

Regardless, Ovechkin has inched closer to Wayne Gretzky's all-time record for goals scored with this start. He's up to 740, so if he hits 50 in 2021-22, he'll be at 780 - or 114 behind The Great One. He's within striking distance.

Canada's goalie puzzle

According to reports, Carey Price, Marc-Andre Fleury, Darcy Kuemper, Jordan Binnington, Carter Hart, and Mackenzie Blackwood are the goalies on Hockey Canada's "long list" for the Olympics, which are just three months away.

Relative to other medal contenders - namely Russia and the U.S. - Canada lacks both star power and depth between the pipes. Heck, only four of their six options have appeared in an NHL game this season, with the Canadiens' Price in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program (he's rejoining the team on Monday) and the Devils' Blackwood out with an injury.

Among the four active guys, there's a clear divide in performance in the early going. Small sample size alert, but Binnington (Blues) and Hart (Flyers) have significantly outplayed Fleury (Blackhawks) and Kuemper (Avalanche):

There's still time for Kuemper and Fleury - last year's Vezina Trophy winner - to rebound and earn a starting or backup role on Team Canada. Same goes for 2014 Olympic starter Price, assuming he gets in enough games before final Olympic rosters are due.

Right now, though, the three goalie spots are too difficult to project. Binnington and Hart, for how good they've been lately, simply haven't been consistent enough in their young careers to automatically warrant a spot.

Generally speaking, Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong must determine whether it's best to favor the hot hand or the proven veteran. Perhaps he plays it down the middle and mixes the hot hand with the vets.

Sizing up D-men contracts

Earlier this week, Adam Fox became the seventh defenseman since late July to sign a long-term deal with an average annual value of $9 million or higher.

This rush of contracts completely reset the market for elite D-men. It also makes it easier to compare these blue-liners (who are all 28 or under) in both serious and trivial ways. In the spirit of the latter, let's have a little fun by assigning a high school yearbook-style superlative to each new contract.

Cale Makar at 6 years, $9-million AAV: Most Likely To Cash In Big (Again). Already elite of the elite at 23. Deal takes him straight to unrestricted free agency.

Dougie Hamilton at 7 years x $9M: Most Likely To Look Overpaid in Years 6 and 7. Just the nature of aging curves. Will be 35 when the deal expires in 2028.

Darnell Nurse at 8 years x $9.3M: Most Likely To Play The Most Minutes. Workhorse quality to him and Oilers tend to rely heavily on its big-ticket stars.

Seth Jones at 8 years x $9.5M: Most Likely To Regret His Decision. Honestly, given the horrid start to Chicago's season, this superlative may already apply.

Charlie McAvoy at 8 years x $9.5M: Most Likely To Grow Into Fat AAV. Hefty price tag now but the dominant five-on-five player has Norris Trophy in the future.

Adam Fox at 7 years x $9.5M: Most Likely To Look Underpaid Sooner Than Later. Reigning Norris winner. Only 24. May win it again, perhaps this season.

Zach Werenski at 6 years x $9.6M: Most Likely To Remain Team's Highest Paid Player Throughout Term. Blue Jackets don't typically pony up in negotiations with stars and there are no obvious eight-digit paydays coming down the pike.

3 parting thoughts

Carolina Hurricanes: The Bunch of Jerks remain undefeated. On Saturday, Carolina has a chance to tie an NHL record for best start in NHL history. A win over the Panthers, who are 9-0-1 themselves, would improve their record to 10-0-0. The 1993-94 Maple Leafs and 2006-07 Sabres both came out of the gate with 10-game winning streaks. I say the 'Canes win at least 11 in a row.

Detroit Red Wings: Heading into Friday's games, Detroit Red Wings newbies Lucas Raymond (10 points) and Moritz Seider (nine points) sit first and second in rookie scoring. The last time teammates finished atop the leaderboard was way back in 2001-02, when the dynamic duo of Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk debuted for the Atlanta Thrashers. The future's bright in Detroit.

Arizona Coyotes: Based on how thoroughly GM Bill Armstrong has gutted an already-mediocre roster, we knew the Coyotes could be unwatchable this year. But we didn't imagine them recording one measly point through 10 games. The 0-9-1 squad has dug itself a hole so deep that the 2016-17 Avalanche (48 points in 82 games) suddenly look half decent.

Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's biweekly hockey grab bag.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The months-long soap opera starring Jack Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres has finally concluded.

The Sabres traded Eichel and a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft to the Vegas Golden Knights for forwards Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs as well as a top-10-protected first-rounder in 2022 and a second-rounder in 2023.

The blockbuster swap signals the end of an era in Buffalo, while in Vegas, the front office hopes it's hit the jackpot (sorry) with another marquee acquisition.

Let's break down the trade from the perspectives of the three parties involved.

Eichel

Eichel is a gigantic winner here for two chief reasons.

Firstly, the 25-year-old center is getting his way after digging in his heels for almost six months. It was revealed in May that Eichel wanted to undergo artificial disc replacement surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck. However, the Sabres refused to grant permission based on the advice of their doctors, suggesting the 2015 second overall pick have fusion surgery instead. Eichel never relented on his desired procedure - even switching agents during the standoff - and now Vegas will in fact let him do exactly what he wants.

Secondly, Eichel is joining a hockey team that actually wins games on a regular basis. The Sabres were horrible in the six seasons Eichel played, posting a league-worst .444 points percentage. Conversely, the Golden Knights became the most successful expansion franchise in North American pro sports history in 2017-18 and during the three-plus years since that incredible debut have refused to take their foot off the gas.

This season, the Golden Knights own a mediocre 4-5-0 record. The club has been dealing with injuries to key players - most notably Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, and Tuch - and have now added another forward to the list. So it would be disingenuous to say Eichel is walking into an ideal situation where the sky's the limit on Day 1. In reality, the situation has very strong potential, and if 2021-22 ultimately ends up being a dud for Vegas, there's no need to panic. Eichel's contract, which carries an AAV of $10 million, runs through 2025-26.

The Golden Knights haven't broken up William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Reilly Smith for an extended period of time since the team entered the league, so Stone and Pacioretty appear to be the obvious linemates for Eichel once all three are healed. Eichel, who was arguably a top-10 center before getting sidelined, has never played with wingers of Stone and Pacioretty's caliber. Given he's also in the prime of his career, there's no reason to believe Eichel won't flourish in Vegas.

That said, there is a little bit of uneasiness. When will Eichel return to action? Recovery time from artificial disc replacement surgery tends to be measured in multiple months, not weeks. If he undergoes the procedure in the immediate future (which is reportedly the plan) he'll be scheduled to return at some point in early 2022. He last played in March. How will he look after such a long layoff, with his peers so deep into the season?

Unrelated side plot: Eichel is now in the same division as Connor McDavid, the generational talent and draft buddy he's constantly stacked up against.

Golden Knights

Paul Stastny. Pacioretty. Stone. Robin Lehner. Alex Pietrangelo. Eichel.

The Golden Knights' front office, which is led by the one-two punch of president of hockey operations George McPhee and general manager Kelly McCrimmon, has reeled in its sixth big fish. Whether it's via trade or free agency, Sin City's team never settles for the minor move, and owner Bill Foley deserves props for consistently giving management the green light.

This deal could be the most impactful of the bunch considering the one quibble with Vegas' roster construction through its short history has been the absence of an elite center. Eichel, who for his career has averaged 0.95 points a game despite lackluster support, immediately addresses that need. His eventual arrival to the lineup will allow head coach Pete DeBoer to slide Karlsson and Chandler Stephenson into the 2C and 3C roles. If, like in the past, Vegas struggles to bag goals in the playoffs, it won't be management's fault.

Something very important to keep in mind moving forward: The Golden Knights are in a salary-cap bind after the trade. Once their roster is at full health, they'll be well over the $81.5-million upper limit since the Sabres didn't retain salary in the deal. (Tuch and Krebs make a combined $5.6 million.) In other words, a Golden Knights player, or players, of considerable value will likely be shipped out of town. Smith and his $5-million-a-year expiring contract jump off Vegas' CapFriendly page, but he isn't the only option.

Of course, bidding farewell to an asset or two would be par for the course for Vegas, an organization so aggressive in its pursuit for a Cup that trading picks and prospects (Nick Suzuki, Cody Glass, Erik Brannstrom, and Krebs) - to say nothing about outgoing veterans like Marc-Andre Fleury, Nate Schmidt, Stastny, and Tuch - has simply become part of the club's brand and identity.

Sabres

Look, it isn't a joyous day for the 5-3-1 Sabres and their loyal fan base.

Drafting Eichel in 2015 was supposed to be the start of something special. It turned into years of losing games and quality players, Eichel eventually getting stripped of his captaincy, and a decent yet unremarkable return from Vegas.

Tuch, who's 6-foot-4, can skate like the wind and can snipe. He's one of the NHL's most entertaining forwards and will undoubtedly be a fan favorite in Buffalo after he's recovered from an injury. Krebs, meanwhile, is still developing. The 20-year-old's ceiling is a two-way second-line center. If reached, that's an impactful piece. Still, neither Tuch nor Krebs will change the trajectory of the franchise and combined they likely won't bring as much value as Eichel.

The late first-round pick is obviously crucial to the trade's success or failure. The Sabres could conceivably hit a home run with it, especially since the 2022 draft class projects to be quite strong. Yet it's one lottery ticket, not two or three high-end picks. Netting two firsts, or a first and two seconds, would have greatly improved the overall package received by GM Kevyn Adams.

Where the return evolves from "unremarkable" to "decent" is in the context of the situation. It's difficult to criticize Adams too much considering Eichel's displeasure with the organization precedes his tenure as GM. When Adams was hired last June, he inherited a disgruntled captain whose last straw proved to be the disagreement over which surgery was best for his future. The Sabres could have allowed Eichel to have his preferred surgery, but they clearly didn't want to be pushed around (and, let's not forget, the NHL/NHLPA CBA gave them the final call). Once the dispute went public, Adams lost a significant chunk of his negotiating leverage with rival GMs.

At the end of the day, the relationship between player and team was frayed beyond repair and Adams waited out the market long enough to fetch a decent return (and the Sabres aren't retaining salary). Decent, under these circumstances, which calls for a grade of B-. And now a new era begins in Buffalo.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Heading into Wednesday's slate of games, with two weeks of action wrapped up, four NHL clubs remain undefeated - the Edmonton Oilers (5-0-0), Florida Panthers (6-0-0), St. Louis Blues (5-0-0), and Carolina Hurricanes (5-0-0).

Naturally, almost everything is going right for these teams. After all, you don't just stumble into a lengthy season-opening winning streak in a league obsessed with parity. But we've tried to identify what's been unsurprising and what's been surprising about each blazing-hot start.

(Note: All advanced statistics collected from Evolving Hockey.)

Edmonton Oilers

Unsurprising: Connor McDavid is good at hockey. To start his sixth NHL season, McDavid leads the league in points with 13 in five games, which is a 213-point pace over 82 contests. (Maybe 150 isn't a pipe dream?) Meanwhile, super sidekick Leon Draisaitl isn't far behind with 11 points. McDavid, Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman, the new winger on McDavid's line, account for seven of the Oilers' league-leading eight power-play goals.

Hyman is fitting in perfectly with Edmonton, doing exactly the kinds of things he was doing in Toronto alongside Auston Matthews. On top of scoring, Hyman's regularly retrieving pucks, screening goalies, issuing body checks, and attending to his defensive responsibilities.

Surprising: A combination of blah goaltending and a lack of defensive depth had many pundits, myself included, questioning the Oilers' ceiling in 2021-22. Edmonton's final scores so far: 3-2, 5-2, 6-5, 5-1, 5-3.

Aside from the 6-5 game, the Oilers are holding down the fort defensively. Backup goalie Mikko Koskinen owns a .943 save percentage in 148 minutes, while starter Mike Smith (who's currently injured) has a .920 mark in 156. Darnell Nurse, who has a league-high average ice time of 27:37 a night, has steered the defense corps toward respectability. Originally paired with Tyson Barrie, Nurse is now dominating with Evan Bouchard. As for polarizing offseason acquisition Duncan Keith, well, he's been fine, which might be good enough from a 38-year-old.

Florida Panthers

Unsurprising: Last season, the Panthers finished tied for fourth in goals scored. It's been much of the same this year: They're tied for third in goals per game while outscoring the opposition 27-12. Florida plays an uptempo style, and so far, no other team is generating more five-on-five shot attempts per 60 minutes than the Panthers' 68.1.

As expected, a couple of recent additions up front are making a tangible impact, with Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett ranking first and second, respectively, among Panthers forwards in individual five-on-five shot attempts for. Together, they've chipped in 12 points. Also of note: Blue-liner Aaron Ekblad, shelved for most of 2020-21, has been terrific in his return. He and rising star MacKenzie Weegar make an elite top pairing.

Surprising: How real this dominance appears. The Panthers have defeated the Penguins, Islanders, Lightning, Avalanche, Flyers, and Coyotes, who are the only pushover in that group. Another significant positive: arguably the biggest question for this team - goaltending - has been more of an exclamation mark.

The much-maligned Sergei Bobrovsky, for one, has been nothing but steady, earning a quality start (when the goalie achieves at least the league's mean save percentage in a game) in each of his four starts, according to Hockey Reference. There's been no drop-off when 20-year-old Spencer Knight takes the net, either. The vet-rookie tandem has teamed up for a .937 save percentage.

St. Louis Blues

Unsurprising: There are two predictable developments with respect to the Blues. The first is David Perron once again producing at a high rate with little fanfare outside of St. Louis. The 33-year-old winger has accumulated six goals and two assists in five contests for a 1.60 points-per-game rate. Will he keep up that pace? Probably not. But he's in damn good shape to meet, or improve upon, his career average of 0.68 points per contest.

The second is the penalty kill stymying opposing power-play units, allowing only one goal on 16 opportunities for a league-leading 93.8% kill rate. In 2020-21, the Blues ranked 25th in penalty-kill percentage, but the results never seemed to align with the plethora of penalty-killing talent, namely Justin Faulk, Colton Parayko, and Ryan O'Reilly.

Surprising: The Blues have used 20 skaters thus far, and all 20 have recorded at least one point. That's impressive given that St. Louis' secondary players aren't world-beaters, at least on paper. The club's 26-and-under forwards (Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Pavel Buchnevich, Jake Neighbours, Klim Kostin, Ivan Barbashev) have all found success in the early going, contributing a combined nine goals and 12 primary assists.

The veterans aren't being left behind, though. Vladimir Tarasenko, fresh off an offseason trade request and scuttlebutt about his long-term health, has been excellent. The same goes for two-way wizard O'Reilly.

Carolina Hurricanes

Surprising: In the offseason, the Hurricanes turned over nine spots on their 23-man roster. It's typical (and understandable) for teams with such a high volume of changes to struggle out of the gate. So, Carolina's strong start, with so many new faces, is borderline shocking.

Frederik Andersen, who's manned the pipes every game so far, is headlining the fresh-faced standouts. The 6-foot-4 Dane currently boasts a .946 save percentage while sitting atop the NHL leaderboard in a couple of advanced goalie stats: goals saved above average and goals saved above expected. Forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored a goal against his former team, the Montreal Canadiens, last week. Defensemen Ethan Bear, Tony DeAngelo, and Ian Cole have looked solid in Dougie Hamilton's absence.

Unsurprising: Not to contradict the spirit of the above paragraphs, but even with the turnover, Carolina was primed to contend for the Metropolitan Division title. For a few years now, the franchise has been knocking on the door as a fringe Stanley Cup contender; it's not like Rod Brind'Amour, the club's wildly popular head coach, has changed his tactics.

The 2021-22 Hurricanes are still a team that dictates the flow of action most nights, ices a lethal power play, and employs a handful of game-breakers. One of those high-impact players, winger Andrei Svechnikov, is so far living up to his fat contract extension with five goals and four assists in five games. Captain Jordan Staal, more of a meat-and-potatoes kind of player at age 33, continues to post stellar underlying numbers, such as a 56.3% expected goals for percentage. Same old.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Chicago Blackhawks took a small measure of responsibility on Tuesday by backing a report that outlined how a group of senior team leaders appear to have valued a Stanley Cup run in 2010 over protecting a player who warned of a predator on their coaching staff.

Those who've followed the sexual assault scandal involving disgraced former Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich were probably already disgusted by the team's handling of the matter. The results of the independent investigation by the law firm Jenner & Block - revealed first on Tuesday through a press briefing by the team and then through the full report - confirmed a lot of what had become mostly common knowledge through the work of various media outlets.

Yet the findings managed to evoke an extra layer of disgust. It laid out how 11 years ago a group of seven men - some of whom continue to be highly influential in the hockey world - put their own interests ahead of the well-being of an employee who reported inappropriate sexual behavior by Aldrich. Their selfishness set off a chain of events that ultimately led to further abuse by Aldrich at subsequent jobs.

That group includes former Blackhawks team president John McDonough; Stan Bowman, who resigned on Tuesday as president of hockey operations and general manager; Al MacIsaac, the vice president of hockey operations who also left the club on Tuesday; former executive VP of business operations Jay Blunk; former mental skills coach James Gary; former assistant general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, who's now GM of the Winnipeg Jets; and former head coach Joel Quenneville, now head coach of the Florida Panthers.

The months-long investigation, which drew from interviews with 139 witnesses, determined a sexual encounter between Aldrich and a Blackhawks minor-league player occurred shortly before the club won the 2010 Stanley Cup. (The player said the encounter wasn't consensual, which Aldrich disputes. The matter hasn't been heard in a court of law.)

McDonough, Bowman, MacIsaac, Blunk, Gary, Cheveldayoff, and Quenneville discussed the matter during a meeting following the Western Conference finals. However, for the next three weeks, nothing was done to address the situation. The team was chasing a championship, a pursuit that group deemed far more important than anything or anyone else.

"Bowman recalled that during the meeting, McDonough and Quenneville made comments about the challenge of getting to the Stanley Cup Final and a desire to focus on the team and the playoffs," the 107-page document notes.

During this period of inaction by the Blackhawks higher-ups, Aldrich continued to work for and travel with the team. He was in the presence of the player who made the complaint. And he then allegedly made an unwanted sexual advance toward a young intern following a night of celebration with members of the team, according to the report.

A few days after the Cup victory, Aldrich's alleged misconduct was finally brought to the attention of the team's human resources department. He resigned and received a severance package and playoff bonus. The team allowed his name to be engraved on the Cup, presented him with a ring, provided him with a personal day with the Cup, and invited him to attend a banner-raising ceremony. The report found that the lack of an investigation went against the team's written policy.

Three years later, Aldrich - having faced no repercussions for his actions in Chicago, despite the team having a sexual harassment policy - pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct with a minor while volunteering as a coach at a Michigan high school. There have been multiple allegations of further abuse at other stops in his travels.

Elizabeth Jeglic, a professor of psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, whose research focuses largely on sexual violence prevention, told theScore on Tuesday she isn't "entirely surprised" by the findings of the investigation.

Jeglic said the reaction of Blackhawks management after being told of the complaint against Aldrich was similar to that of the leadership at Penn State when Jerry Sandusky's behavior came to their attention: They "passed the buck." By letting Aldrich leave without an immediate investigation, he was free to abuse elsewhere.

"A lot of people knew and nobody said anything. The time frame is shorter here, and it involves adults versus children, but a lot of the same dynamics come into play," Jeglic said of similarities between the two cases.

"It shows where people's priorities lie and where their values are," she added. "I understand they're a sporting organization, but first and foremost you have to care about the people who belong to your organization. If you're not going to take these allegations seriously and follow your procedures seriously, you're sending a message that's (essentially saying), 'This isn't something that's important or a priority.'"

Bowman, who on Tuesday also stepped down as GM of the United States men's Olympic hockey team, issued a statement that more or less pinned the lack of an investigation on McDonough, whose tenure with the team ended in April 2020. Bowman also didn't take responsibility for his inaction or apologize to the player.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in his own statement that any of the disgraced Blackhawks executives wishing to re-enter the league must meet with him "in order to determine the appropriate conditions under which such new employment might take place." As for Cheveldayoff and Quenneville, Bettman added that he'll meet with each of them soon to "discuss their roles in the relevant events as detailed in the report."

Cheveldayoff previously denied knowing about Aldrich's misconduct in Chicago until "just prior" to the latter's departure from the team. Quenneville denied he knew anything until lawsuits filed by the Blackhawks player and by the Michigan high schooler were reported by media outlets earlier this year. Jenner & Block's findings contradict their assertions.

The league also punished the Blackhawks - a franchise worth an estimated $1 billion - with a $2-million fine, half of which will be "directed to fund local organizations in and around the Chicago community that provide counseling and training for, and support and assistance to, survivors of sexual and other forms of abuse."

Jenner & Block found both Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz and CEO Danny Wirtz were unaware of Aldrich's misconduct until recently.

"I believe one of the beautiful parts of our game is the focus on team success over individual achievements and accolades," Danny Wirtz said Tuesday. "But that cannot come at the expense of individual safety and well-being. It is clear that in 2010, the executives of this organization put team performance above all else."

The player they failed, Wirtz added, "deserved better from the Blackhawks."

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's less than two weeks into the season and Chicago is already underwater.

On Thursday night, the Blackhawks' record wilted to 0-4-1 following a 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Through five games, they've been outscored 21-9. The gap widens if special teams are excluded, with the opposition outscoring Chicago 17-3 during five-on-five action. Yikes.

The heat is on fourth-year head coach Jeremy Colliton, and fingers are being pointed in all directions for not only the dreadful early-season record but also the process by which the Blackhawks arrived at this unsavory point.

It may all seem dramatic - there are 77 games to go - but, in reality, it's not. Chicago aggressively retooled this past offseason with the goal of returning to the playoffs and, really, none of the significant moves have panned out so far.

Not Marc-Andre Fleury, nor Tyler Johnson, nor Jake McCabe. Seth Jones certainly hasn't either.

Jones, a three-zone defenseman who finished fourth in Norris Trophy voting a few years ago, was acquired via trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets in July. Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman sent promising blue-liner Adam Boqvist, two first-round picks, and a second-rounder to Columbus in exchange for Jones, a lower first-round selection, and a sixth-rounder. Then Bowman turned around and handed Jones, now 27, an eight-year contract extension (which doesn't kick in until 2022-23) at $9.5 million annually.

The Jones trade-and-sign was mocked by many, especially the analytics-savvy, because of the quality of assets Bowman sent to Columbus after Jones flat-out stunk in 2020-21. Jones' loyalists rebutted with the fact that he'd been an all-star-level defenseman the previous four seasons, and the last 18 months of pandemic life haven't been easy on anybody. Naturally, intrigue and expectation levels were high coming into Jones' first year in Chicago.

Paired with veteran Calvin de Haan, Jones has been getting carved up too often through five games. It's true, Jones has flashed some brilliant play - especially in the club's overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils, where he was arguably the best player on the ice - but the overall body of work ain't pretty.

The underlying data suggests Jones isn't playing anywhere near his career-best right now. Yet five games is a tiny sample size, so it's more than possible Jones rebounds. Heck, he's earned the benefit of the doubt for at least a couple of months, seeing as in the past he's proven he can be a dominant NHL player.

So, unlike some, I'm not ready to give up on the 2013 fourth overall pick. My confidence in Jones has assuredly eroded, but adjusting to a new city and learning a new system can take time. He deserves a little breathing room here.

The tricky thing is that Jones' nightly influence - good or bad - is outsized on this Blackhawks team. Because he plays nearly 26 minutes a night between strength and the power play, and also tends to figure out a way to be heavily involved in the action every single shift - again, good or bad - Chicago will go as he goes. In other words, Jones is the Blackhawks' most important player.

To be clear, that's most important to righting the ship in 2021-22 and most important over the long term as the franchise attempts to win a fourth Stanley Cup this century. Oh boy, what a predicament Bowman has put himself in.

Are we witnessing a Kyrou breakout?

Shortly after the St. Louis Blues drafted forward Jordan Kyrou in 2016, Derian Hatcher, the ex-NHLer and Kyrou's junior coach, touched base with Blues general manager Doug Armstrong. He had valuable insight to pass along.

First, Hatcher expressed to Armstrong how shocked he was that Kyrou was still available to the Blues at No. 35. Hatcher strongly believed the dynamic star of the OHL's Sarnia Sting was a first-round talent. Then, Hatcher explained to Armstrong how much Kyrou, an elite skater whose speed actually increased with the puck on his stick, reminded him of an old teammate.

"Mike Modano was the same way," Hatcher, who played with the Hall of Famer for 11 seasons in Dallas, told theScore this week. "Mike was able to make plays at full speed, which not many people can do in the NHL."

If the early returns of the Blues' season are any indication, Kyrou may well live up to the Modano 2.0 label soon. The 23-year-old right-winger has been electric, accumulating seven points (two goals, five primary assists) in three games despite ranking eighth in ice time (13:53) among St. Louis forwards.

His starring moment came Monday in a 7-4 victory over the Arizona Coyotes:

Yes, the Coyotes are terrible. Yet only a certain caliber of player can make a highlight-reel tally look so effortless. Here, Kyrou is audacious enough to dangle multiple opponents, and he possesses the requisite patience and skill to execute.

This is technically Kyrou's fourth NHL season, though he split time between the AHL (63 games) and NHL (44) in the first two. Last year, he posted a respectable 35 points in 55 games before signing a two-year, $5.6-million extension. So far, in 2021-22, he's taken even-strength shifts with center Brayden Schenn and either Jake Neighbours or Pavel Buchnevich.

Overall, Hatcher is pleased with what he's seen from Kyrou since the 6-foot-1, 196-pounder left Sarnia to turn pro. However, he does have one criticism.

"Mentally," Hatcher said, "he still has to figure it out."

In which ways?

Daily attitude and preparation, the junior bench boss replied. Rounding out his game, Hatcher added, will also be key to Kyrou's growth. "Some guys don't realize how hard it's going to be on a daily basis," he said. "It takes time."

OK, we'll hold off on printing "Kyrou Breakout SZN" T-shirts. But for the Blues' sake, Kyrou reaching star status ASAP would be a boon. As one of the NHL's oldest squads, they're in desperate need of young difference-makers.

Early impressions of the Kraken

Necessary disclaimer: The Seattle Kraken, an expansion team that's played a grand total of five games, are obviously still very much figuring things out.

That said, here are a few first impressions of the 1-3-1 club.

Seattle's goaltending and defense corps may look solid, if not good, on paper. However, the Dave Hakstol-coached group has been overwhelmed while trying to defend rush chances. Another major issue: turnovers galore. Sure, well-paid starting goalie Philipp Grubauer hasn't held up his end of the bargain (-4.56 goals saved above average), but he's also received little help.

Apparently, the Kraken like to tussle. Surprisingly, Seattle leads the league in fighting majors (six), putting the club on pace for 98 fights over 82 games. The willingness to throw down so often is notable, although it's probably just early-season noise. Last year's co-leaders, the Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning, finished with 23 fights in 56 games, or a 34-fight pace over 82.

On a positive note, the Kraken seem to be establishing an identity up front. There's some noticeable greasiness in the attack, and the majority of the team's 11 goals have been scored within a few feet of the goal line. Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Brandon Tanev, for one, has been an animal around the crease.

Lundqvist taking to broadcast role

Hockey fans in the United States have been blessed with a number of different faces on national TV broadcasts. From Wayne Gretzky and Paul Bissonnette on TNT to Mark Messier and John Tortorella on ESPN, there's now some high-end influencers breaking down the game - a nice upgrade from the NBC days.

It's easy to understand why. The league's new TV partners have invested in their product and swung big on talent, especially in Gretzky's case.

All of this national buzz has overshadowed the debut of Henrik Lundqvist on MSG Networks. The 39-year-old future Hall of Famer - who retired from playing last month - found a comfy landing spot between old goalie partner Steve Valiquette and veteran host John Giannone on New York Rangers broadcasts.

There've been no hiccups in the chemistry department:

Lundqvist is as polished as you could reasonably expect from a rookie analyst. He's articulate, poised, willing to laugh at himself, and if we're being completely honest, it absolutely doesn't hurt that he's impossibly handsome.

"When I was playing, I was always interested in media," Lundqvist said on a recent conference call. "I've done a lot of different projects throughout my career, mostly overseas, but some stuff here in New York. It's a little bit of my creative side." The NHL's all-time wins leader among European goalies added that he expects to mostly dig into the player mindset for his on-air analyses.

3 parting thoughts

Why I love this sport: There was a flurry of feel-good stories during the first 10 days of action: Jonathan Drouin scoring in his return from personal leave; Brian Boyle scoring after missing the entire 2020-21 season due to health issues; LTIR mainstay Andrew Ladd competing again; the Columbus Blue Jackets winning 8-2 on Matiss Kivlenieks night; and the Minnesota Wild coming back to win 6-5 in overtime on Tom Kurvers night.

Evander Kane: The polar opposite of a feel-good story. On Monday, the NHL suspended Kane for 21 games for violating COVID-19 protocol, which, based on reports, centers around submitting a fake vaccination card. He also has myriad financial issues and recently has been investigated for various off-ice allegations, including gambling on NHL games. (The NHL found no evidence he had done so.) Watching from afar, the escalation of Kane's troubles has been perplexing and, mainly, sad.

NHLer sons: Ready to feel old? NHL Central Scouting released its "players to watch" for the 2022 class, which reminds me that those eligible for the upcoming draft were born in either late 2003 or 2004. The familiar names on the list add more shock value. Defenseman Josh Niedermayer (dad Scott), and forwards Marek Hejduk (Milan), Cole Knuble (Mike), Jakub Kopecky (Tomas), and Landon Sim (Jon) are some of the prospects who have NHLers for fathers.

Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's biweekly hockey grab bag.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Are you ready for the first full NHL season since 2018-19? We've cooked up 22 predictions - some complete long shots, others pretty realistic - to preview the 2021-22 campaign. OK, here goes nothing:

1. Lightning almost three-peat, lose to Avalanche in Cup Final

The Tampa Bay Lightning, along with the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche, are a popular Stanley Cup pick. Frankly, the two-time defending champions are probably the most talented team in the Eastern Conference and watching them go on another lengthy playoff run would not register as a surprise. Still, there's a reason why no franchise has won three titles in a row since the early 1980s: burnout. Too much hockey. Coach Jon Cooper also lost his entire third line this past summer, which is no minor development given the trio's contributions to Tampa's Cup wins. It says here either the Golden Knights or Avalanche will meet the Lightning in the Cup Final, and my money's on Nathan MacKinnon-led Colorado winning for the first time since 2001.

2. McDavid destroys regular season, collects 150 points

Mario Lemieux was the last NHLer to record 150 points, doing so in 1995-96 when he put up an absurd 161 in 70 games. Connor McDavid, who's in the prime of his career at 24 years old, is more than capable of hitting 150 if he can play all 82. This is the year. I don't think people realize the historical relevance of his 2020-21: McDavid's 105 points in 56 games sits ninth all time on Hockey-Reference.com's era-adjusted ranking. A regular offseason with no rehab will help. The cross-checking crackdown will, too. Having puck retrieving wizard Zach Hyman on his wing won't hurt. Most of all, McDavid has been getting progressively pissed off every time the Edmonton Oilers are bounced early from the playoffs. He's on a mission here. Speaking of the Oilers, they may not be better overall after a busy offseason but the forward group is unquestionably deeper. Which, again, will help McDavid in his quest for 150.

3. Flames' Gaudreau-Monahan era ends

Since forwards Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan first donned Calgary Flames jerseys back in 2013-14, the team has won a grand total of two playoff series. It's looking unlikely Calgary will add to that tally in 2021-22. On an individual level over that time, both players have neither greatly exceeded expectations or completely disappointed the fan base. All of that context, combined with the fact their playing styles don't mesh perfectly with how coach Darryl Sutter prefers to play, points toward a major shakeup in Flames land. Maybe Gaudreau, a pending unrestricted free agent, is gone by this time next year. Maybe it's Monahan, the goal-scorer. Maybe both leave. There will be a market for two pillars of a Flames core that's already lost Dougie Hamilton, TJ Brodie, Sam Bennett, Mark Giordano, and others in recent years.

4. Theodore wins Norris Trophy

Shea Theodore has never finished higher than sixth in Norris voting, so this prediction is relying heavily on the Vegas Golden Knight's upward trajectory. Theodore, who's 26 years old and entering his sixth NHL season, has the prototypical modern defenseman's toolkit, plus size. His mobility and vision are elite. He's leveled up the past two seasons in terms of point production and his ice time is slowly creeping up to the 25-minute mark. Award voters are analyzing blue-liners with greater sophistication today than, say, 10 years ago, and Theodore boasts excellent underlying numbers. Yes, Cale Makar, Dougie Hamilton, Victor Hedman, and a few others might have better betting odds for the Norris. But Theodore's a guy who still has another gear or two.

5. Kraken finish bottom-five in goals scored

If I had magical powers I'd make sure the Seattle Kraken are one of the 16 teams competing in the 2022 playoffs. Expansion teams are undeniably intriguing and easy to root for. Obviously, I don't have magical powers - which sucks because I just don't believe in the Kraken. It's hard to envision them snagging a Western Conference playoff spot when they're on track to trot out Yanni Gourde, Jared McCann, Alex Wennberg, Morgan Geekie, and Riley Sheahan at center. (Making matters worse, McCann is in COVID-19 protocols and Gourde is injured right now.) Seattle is set in net and the defense corps is strong. A serious lack of goal-scoring will be their undoing.

6. Laine rebounds, gets traded - again

Patrik Laine is coming off the worst statistical season of his career. Yet he's too young (23) and too dazzling in spurts (see this?) to be labeled a bust. This year, he should garner plenty of ice time on a talent-light Columbus Blue Jackets team. New coach Brad Larsen is a breath of fresh air after John Tortorella. Time to showcase Laine, who's still chasing down a spot on the Finnish Olympic team. If all goes well, how does Laine, a pending restricted free agent, not get flipped ahead of the trade deadline? He doesn't scream "Columbus lifer" and the rebuilding Jackets can easily retain salary.

7. Knight wins Calder Trophy, earns Vezina votes

Spencer Knight, the Florida Panthers' 20-year-old goalie, doesn't boast a robust pro resume (six total games). And yes, partner Sergei Bobrovsky's annual salary is 10 times greater. But this Knight kid is unshakeable in the crease. He possesses all of the requisite skills to be a franchise goalie in the modern NHL, and GM Bill Zito and coach Joel Quenneville - who weren't around for the Bobrovsky signing debacle - aren't tied to the other guy. Knight will get starts and Florida will provide him with more than enough support, defensively and offensively. Fellow rookies Cole Caufield, Trevor Zegras, and Quinton Byfield (currently injured) are terrific talents, and I expect them to put up impressive numbers. Knight's arc, though, should win him the hardware.

8. Cringeworthy race to bottom of standings

With Connor McDavid up for grabs in the 2015 NHL Draft, the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes took tanking to the extreme. The race for last culminated when Sabres fans cheered for the visiting Coyotes during a late-season matchup. It wasn't a great look, to say the least. This coming season, with the Coyotes, Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and to a lesser extent, Columbus Blue Jackets, all actively trying not to win, expect a similar vibe down the stretch. (Those goaltending tandems in Buffalo and Arizona are, uh, something.) The grand prize in 2021 is Shane Wright, another can't-miss center prospect.

9. Canucks nab Pacific Division playoff spot

On paper, the Pacific can be divided into three tiers. At opposite ends are the Stanley Cup-contending Vegas Golden Knights and the basement-dwelling San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks. In the chaotic middle are the Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Seattle Kraken, Calgary Flames, and Los Angeles Kings. The Oilers should finish second. The Canucks, meanwhile, hold the slight edge for the third spot. Vancouver's forward group is scary, from Elias Pettersson and Conor Garland to Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser, and so on. Goalie Thatcher Demko is an absolute stud. And the Canucks are due to bounce back after getting hammered by COVID-19 in 2020-21.

10. Toews plays his way into Olympic conversation

Predicting Jonathan Toews' inclusion on Team Canada would be the truly bold take. Given Canada's enviable forward depth and how far Toews must come over the next few months just to be in the conversation for an Olympic roster spot, it's simply a bridge too far after the Chicago Blackhawks captain missed all of last season. That said, I'm willing to predict Hockey Canada will strongly consider him. The 33-year-old has looked fantastic in preseason action. Kirby Dach's emergence as Chicago's No. 1 center will give Toews easier matchups, and there's a compelling case for selecting a two-time Olympian like Toews, even if it's in a depth/leadership role. At any rate, let's hope Toews' health continues to hold up so he can reach the 1,000-game milestone (57 games shy) and earn a Bill Masterton Trophy nomination.

11. Avalanche thrive in net despite losing Grubauer

In one of the offseason's biggest splashes, Philipp Grubauer left Colorado and signed a six-year deal with the expansion Seattle Kraken. Avalanche GM Joe Sakic reacted by inking former Arizona Coyotes netminder Darcy Kuemper to a one-year pact. Not only will the Avs survive the perceived downgrade in goal (remember, Grubauer is a reigning Vezina Trophy finalist), but they'll thrive with Kuemper between the pipes. The Avalanche are underrated defensively. They are absolutely capable of insulating Kuemper, who through 242 NHL games has mustered an impressive save percentage of .917. Kuemper's issue has been nagging injuries, not performance. Here's to a clean bill of health for the Saskatchewan native because he's now in the goalie-friendly environment that helped lift Grubauer.

12. Poile becomes first coach/executive fired

It ceases to amaze that David Poile has been GM of the Nashville Predators for the entirety of the franchise's existence. Since 1997, the Preds have made the playoffs a respectable 14 times, including seven straight years coming into 2021-22. Less impressive? The lack of postseason success (aside from a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2017) and the current roster Poile has constructed. Nashville's in an awkward stage. They aren't officially rebuilding yet not close to contending, with bloated contracts on the books and a pipeline that isn't bursting at the seams with premier talent. Clearly, the Preds' ownership group has been incredibly patient with Poile over the years. It's time to move on, though, and see what somebody else can do in the GM role.

13. Coyotes flip Kessel early in season

The Arizona Coyotes' CapFriendly page is something to behold. Only seven of 23 players on the NHL roster are under contract for the 2022-23 season, and just three of those seven (Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Jakob Chychrun) are committed for 2023-24 and beyond. It's remarkable what GM Bill Armstrong is doing, stripping the team down to the studs. And forward Phil Kessel, at a $6.8-million cap hit, should be the next asset flipped for futures. Timing is the unpredictable part. There's a case to be made for an early-season Kessel trade, however. Give him a month to strut his stuff, then get on with it. The acquiring club gets a proven sniper for the vast majority of the season and Arizona can facilitate by retaining half of his salary. There's absolutely no reason to wait until the trade deadline next March.

14. More NHLers come forward with their stories

In the last few weeks alone, Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin has gone public with his battle with anxiety, Vegas Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner has called out the NHL for alleged medical malpractice, and Canadiens goalie Carey Price has voluntarily entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. Each situation is unique, but there is a binding theme: Players are ostensibly becoming increasingly comfortable speaking out and prioritizing their personal health. This isn't an overnight phenomenon, mind you; players have put themselves out there previously. However, it does feel like there's been a destigmatization over time, which is very encouraging, and it wouldn't be a shock if the vulnerability and candor continue throughout this coming season.

15. Leafs pursue proven goalie midseason

Look, the Toronto Maple Leafs' goaltending tandem of Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek could be fine, even good. Those are two netminders who have shown flashes of being a quality NHL starter. But is there enough reliability and security? There is simply too much riding on this Leafs season for so many people in the organization - namely GM Kyle Dubas and coach Sheldon Keefe - to be gambling, in any way, on the most important position. It won't be easy from a salary cap perspective, but the names John Gibson (Anaheim), Tuukka Rask (free agent), and Anton Khudobin/Ben Bishop (Dallas) come to mind immediately as possible upgrades, assuming their respective situations allow for a change of scenery. If 2020-21 was "All or Nothing" for Toronto, 2021-22 is "Win or Big Changes." Dubas must do everything he can to ice the best possible squad heading into the playoffs, and that includes goaltending.

16. Kuznetsov-Capitals drama escalates

Reports out of Washington Capitals training camp suggest everything is hunky-dory with respect to top-six center Evgeny Kuznetsov. And, hey, maybe team and player can get back on the same wavelength in 2021-22. But let's not forget 2020-21 was an unmitigated disaster for Kuznetsov, who was suspended for breaking COVID-19 protocols, twice tested positive for the virus, became a healthy scratch after showing up late to a team function, and failed to produce offense at a rate worthy of his hefty contract. The offseason rumor mill had Kuznetsov firmly on the trade block. What changed, if anything? Is the preseason optimism legitimate or simply a function of a new beginning? Here's a theory that makes some sense: Kuznetsov is on a short leash, and one more misstep will trigger the end of his Caps tenure. Another theory: Kuznetsov is Plan B for teams who ultimately don't land Jack Eichel via trade.

17. Eichel resolution farther away than it appears

Nobody really knows when the months-long staredown between the Buffalo Sabres and Jack Eichel will end. Pat Brisson, Eichel's new agent, is one of the most powerful figures in hockey, so this thing should be headed in the right direction. That said, because of the risk inherent in acquiring an injured $10-million player, I have a hunch this complex situation drags on all the way past the Beijing Olympics and bumps up against the trade deadline. By then, hopefully Eichel has finally healed (whether through surgery or rehab) and can be showcased for a handful of games in a Sabres uniform. The former captain last played this past March. He might not get traded until March 2022.

18. Svechnikov scores 40 goals

This is the year Andrei Svechnikov exchanges the "future all-world sniper" tag for "all-world sniper." In 82 games as a rookie, the Russian potted 20 goals, all at even strength. Then, in the past two shortened seasons, he scored 24 in 68 contests, for a pace of 29 over 82 games, and 15 in 55, for a pace of 22 over 82. Armed with a long-term contract and a proper offseason to polish his game, watch Svechnikov pop playing alongside superstar center Sebastian Aho. Svechnikov has the tools - that wicked shot, specifically - and now the reps. A 40-goal breakout is next.

19. Maurice wins Jack Adams Award

Predicting the coach of the year is tough because voters tend to gravitate toward bench bosses of teams who far exceed expectations. Paul Maurice's Winnipeg Jets received a decent amount of preseason buzz based on a productive offseason. Yet seemingly nobody is talking about the possibility of the Jets finishing first in the Central Division. If that happens (they'd have to usurp the Colorado Avalanche, which is unlikely but doable), Maurice will no doubt be in contention for the Jack Adams. The league's broadcasters make up the voting body, and Maurice is arguably the NHL's most media-friendly coach. In general, he's well-respected in hockey circles, a 54-year-old with oodles of experience who manages to evolve with the times.

20. COVID-19 continues to dominate headlines

Reports indicate around 99% of NHLers are vaccinated. Huge props to the NHL, NHLPA, and the players themselves for buying into the greater good. Of course, a vaccinated person can still contract COVID-19, so, as we saw in the preseason, players and coaches will miss games to adhere to the league's strict protocols. A number of teams had their seasons completely derailed last year. I don't foresee that happening again, yet we're not out of the woods with this stubborn pandemic. For that reason, and the fact that the players are assuming all of the COVID-19-related insurance risk of going to the Olympics, COVID-19 will, unfortunately, remain a top storyline in 2021-22.

21. Senators finish higher than Canadiens in Atlantic Division

It's fair to say the Montreal Canadiens' run to the Stanley Cup Final was a half mirage. They ran hot after finishing 18th in the league standings. Now, they're starting the 2021-22 season without No. 1 goalie Carey Price while captain Shea Weber is expected to miss the whole year. The Habs have decent fill-ins (Jake Allen for Price; David Savard for Weber) and could score more goals with the emergence of Cole Caufield. However, the Ottawa Senators are rising and the potent mixture of a nothing-to-lose mentality and growth among a promising young core could very well vault them above Montreal in a top-heavy division. It will be super close - I'm not predicting a playoff spot for the Sens - but Ottawa is primed to surpass the Habs in points.

22. Jersey ads the tip of the iceberg

First, helmet decals. Now, starting this season, small jersey advertisements. And, like with the decals, we'll accept the visual change in due time. Even the sport's purists will forget about it after a while. Both of these have been introduced and accepted in part because the pandemic has decimated league revenue. Saying they're necessary would be a stretch but there's certainly a strong business case. Placing ads on helmets and jerseys creates a gateway to other pieces of equipment. Goalie pads are prime real estate. Are they next? Could shin pads be a bridge between jerseys and goalie pads? Maybe tricked-out skates first? At any rate, Pandora's box has been opened. There's no going back with these non-traditional ads. Just forward.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

"You know what," he said softly into a microphone, pausing for dramatic effect. "I'm not leavin'. I'm not leavin'." He continued, yelling now. "I'm not f-----' leaving!"

The audience, which included Colorado Avalanche teammates Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen, and others, erupted in celebration.

"The show goes on! This is my home! They're going to need a f-----' wreckin' ball to take me out of here!"

OK, to be clear, Landeskog didn't actually say any of those things in real life.

However, his big-head avatar did in an amusing "The Wolf of Wall Street" parody video posted to his Instagram account in late July. Landeskog drummed up the idea while Lee Blair of Altitude TV, the Avalanche's local television rights holder, took care of the production. "It's such a great scene in the movie, and there was no better time to post it," Landeskog told theScore earlier this week.

One day before posting the video and hours from the opening of free agency, the 28-year-old Stockholm native agreed to an eight-year, $56-million contract extension with the only NHL club he's known. "Gabe is the heart and soul of this team," Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic said in a press release announcing the deal, which will keep Landeskog in Denver until his mid-30s.

Drafted second overall in 2011, then named captain in the fall of 2012, Landeskog is entering his 11th NHL season and 10th with the "C." It's been a topsy-turvy decade within the Avs organization, a period characterized by extremes - high and low - that's also featured stretches of mediocrity.

So, why did Landeskog earn the captaincy so early into his career? How has he coped with the roller coaster? And what has he learned about leadership?

Be yourself

Landeskog was far from a mystery when he arrived in Denver for his first training camp. Not only had he developed into an NHL-ready power forward in the junior ranks as a member of the OHL's Kitchener Rangers, but he also was stunningly mature for his age.

At 16, he dug in and earned the highest mark in English class among the six or seven Rangers still in high school despite English being his second language. At 17, he was named captain - Kitchener's first of European descent - and the coaches felt it was a no-brainer.

The phrase "mature beyond his years" is used haphazardly in hockey circles, especially ahead of the NHL draft. With teenaged Landeskog, though, it was entirely accurate then and with the benefit of hindsight.

"He's a guy who's at the top end of the top end of those types of people," said Jeff Skinner, the Buffalo Sabres forward and one of Landeskog's teammates in Kitchener. "I think a lot of people - just in general, not even in sports - spend a bunch of time trying to figure out who they are. He seemed to have that figured out pretty early on."

That self-assuredness is a fundamental reason why the Avs felt comfortable giving Landeskog the "C" at the age of 19 years and 286 days, which, at the time, made him the youngest captain in NHL history. He was pulled into a meeting and informed of the decision by Milan Hejduk, the longtime Av who captained the squad in 2011-12, Landeskog's Calder Trophy-winning campaign. The news left Landeskog stunned, nervous, and humbled.

"Don't try to be anybody else. Just be yourself," Tony Landeskog, a former pro hockey player and captain in Sweden, told his son as the family processed the honor. "They chose you to be the captain for a reason. That's the only way to do this."

"For me," Landeskog said, "the most important thing was to just realize I wasn't going to be Joe Sakic or I wasn't going to be some of my childhood idols in Mats Sundin or Nicklas Lidstrom or (Henrik) Zetterberg or (Daniel) Alfredsson."

Landeskog's tenure began in awkward fashion thanks to the NHL lockout. He played 17 games in Sweden before returning to Denver for the shortened 2012-13 season, which turned out to be a nightmare for all involved. He accumulated just 17 points in 36 contests, and the Avs - who had relatively high expectations after overachieving the year prior - finished 29th out of 30 teams.

In one well-documented players-only meeting that season, Landeskog's voice shook as he addressed the group. He came to understand it's one thing to be 19 and playing a regular NHL shift, and it's another to carry the weight of a disappointing season around with you every day, wondering if this captaincy stuff is too much, too soon.

Defenseman Shane O'Brien, then 29, noticed Landeskog had stopped going out with the guys after being handed the captaincy. That didn't jibe with the veteran. "I said, 'You be you. You be Gabriel Landeskog. Just because they put that 'C' on your chest doesn't mean you have to turn into some kind of different person,'" O'Brien said. "But we were losing. He took it personally. It was a long year for Landy, and looking back now, it probably made him a better captain. For that year, though, for a 19-year-old, 20-year-old kid, I felt for Landy."

Landeskog regained his composure and sense of self in short order. The uptight start to his tenure as captain proved to be a blip on the radar. Today, he feels as though he has a much stronger grasp on the "be yourself" aspect of effective leadership.

"That's something that I constantly think about," he said of his dad's advice. "It's about just trying to get back to who I am and who I want to be. That's what we all try to do. People see right through you if you try to be someone or something you're not."

Do your job

Bill Belichick, the legendary no-nonsense head coach of the NFL's New England Patriots, has a wonderfully succinct mantra: Do your job.

While he didn't mention Belichick as an influence or idol, Landeskog definitely buys into the same mentality. Be a professional by taking care of yourself - on the ice and off it - before putting time and energy into helping others.

"It sounds like you're contradicting the whole captaincy thing, but you have to do your job," said Landeskog, who's appeared in a combined 736 regular-season and playoff games. "That's your No. 1 priority. And you have to do your job to the best of your ability. You have to be ready to play. You can't be asking other guys to be doing things that you aren't able to do or aren't willing to do. And that, for me, has been all about working hard and sticking to my style."

For Landeskog, "do your job" involves being the connective tissue on arguably the NHL's top forward trio. His linemates, MacKinnon and Rantanen, are the offensive catalysts, the pace-pushing creatives. Landeskog, while extremely skilled too, relishes in a two-way, blue-collar role - short passes off the half-wall, puck retrievals, a thorny presence in front of the opposition's net, occasional faceoff duty, the odd fight, and the like.

He's 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, and a rare forward who's both extremely versatile and very consistent. "The accountability is there," former Avs goalie Devan Dubnyk said. "Because if a guy like that is going to go out there and walk the walk, everyone else has to do the same thing."

Jared Bednar, Colorado's bench boss since 2016-17, added: "It's become clear over the last few years that it's about winning, not just about being a good team and getting into the playoffs. As our team has progressed, I think Landy's been the guy pushing that forward and really trying to hold our team to a new standard."

Bednar made those remarks in May, shortly after Landeskog led the Avs to a dominating four-game sweep over the St. Louis Blues. In Game 1, he recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick (goal, assist, fight) and finished the series with eight points. It was an example of how Landeskog's leadership is not just intellectual. He told reporters that a pre-series comment from Blues captain Ryan O'Reilly ("We're going to have some fun, we're going to beat them") provided him and the rest of the Avs with a little extra motivation.

Landeskog insists that setting standards is never a solitary pursuit.

"I've got a great group of guys in that locker room that help me out, whether that's Nate or (defenseman and longest-serving Av Erik Johnson) or Mikko or whoever it might be," he said proudly. "It's been a blast. We're all pulling the rope in the same direction."

Stay neutral

In contrast to his rowdy "The Wolf of Wall Street" avatar, Landeskog is not the rah-rah type. He's certainly not shy or quiet, or someone who leads solely by example, yet he isn't naturally as emotional or fiery as MacKinnon.

"When I was younger, I was trying to be more of a vocal guy, but I've realized as the years have gone along that that's not what it's all about," Landeskog said. "You don't have to be the loudest guy. It's a long season. It gets exhausting if that's not your personality."

Landeskog is a cerebral hockey player, and in his personal life, he's a bit of a bookworm. Mind you, as a father of two kids under 2 years old, quietly unwinding has become difficult of late. When he does have leisure time, like during the NHL's COVID-19 hiatus in 2020, he tends to read about leadership and culture in and out of sports. He's a fan of written work by John Wooden, the legendary college basketball coach, and loved "It Takes What It Takes" by Trevor Moawad, quarterback Russell Wilson's late mental conditioning coach.

"Whether things are going well or aren't going well, you always have to get back to neutral and you should stay objective in that way to remember the task at hand," Landeskog said when asked for a takeaway from Moawad's book. "That's not maybe so much about leadership, specifically, but I think it relates as far as how I behave and how I act around the room or during games or during a tough stretch or during a good stretch of the season. To try to stay neutral as best as I can. And that's easier said than done."

Landeskog seeks out others for guidance and knowledge, including athletes, business owners, CEOs, and his parents. It could be through a book, documentary, or in-depth conversation. "I think it's important to be open and not think you have all the answers yourself," he said.

Peter Wallen, Landeskog's agent and the CEO of Alterno Global Management, has always admired his client's ability to take a step back from the chaos. For instance, after the Avs hit rock bottom in 2016-17 with a putrid 48 points in 82 games, the rumor mill was in overdrive. It seemed inevitable that a member of the core - Landeskog, center Matt Duchene, somebody else - was getting shipped out of town.

"Gabe and I were talking about it and I asked him, 'Hey, do you want to get traded or do you want to stay?'" Wallen said. "He said, 'If Sakic thinks it's better for the Avalanche if they trade me, I get that and it's not a problem. But if I can choose, I'd rather stay and be part of the solution than getting traded.' That's where he is. He doesn't shy away from a challenge, at all."

Sakic opted to send Duchene to the Ottawa Senators, but the rest of the core has, with a few exceptions, stayed intact. That said, even though the Avs have taken off since that dreadful '16-17 season, finishing 17th, 17th, third, and first in the league standings, playoff success remains elusive. The club has been bounced in the second round three years in a row; Colorado is a Cup contender that hasn't broken through.

In the modern NHL, reaching the top of the mountain can be an excruciating pursuit - until it's not. Just look at the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning, who for a half-decade were Cup contenders in the lead-up to their first title in 2019-20.

So, what's Landeskog's message to the squad heading into 2021-22?

"We're going in looking to establish ourselves again," he said. "That's what this league is: You have to establish yourself every single year. Play well every single year and give yourself a chance to get into the dance. There's a lot of hockey that needs to be played before then and, for us, we want to continue to build. We know how crucial home-ice advantage is in the playoffs and it's something that we're going to continue working on."

Read the room

Psychology Today defines emotional intelligence as "the ability to identify and manage one's own emotions, as well as the emotions of others." The emotionally intelligent "are able to shift gears and lighten mood, both internally and externally."

Daniel Briere played more than 1,000 NHL games spread across five franchises. He's shared the ice with a ton of people, including Landeskog for a season in 2014-15. Landeskog, Briere says, fits the description above.

"People assume that being a captain is grabbing people by their throats and throwing them against the wall when they don't do their job. It doesn't work that way," said Briere, a co-captain in Buffalo for three seasons. "Maybe, I don't know, it worked like that in the '60s or '70s, but nowadays it doesn't work that way. Emotional intelligence is, I think, a key in being able to understand other players, to rally them to be together."

Briere knew in an instant that Landeskog had the "it" factor. Guess who was the first person to approach Briere, then 36, when he walked into Colorado's dressing room? "He came directly to me, shook my hand, looked me in the eye, and said, 'Danny, welcome to the Colorado Avalanche.' I was so impressed by that," Briere said, emphasizing it's both a small thing and a big thing for a captain to be so on point with the intangibles of the role. "I was so impressed that a 21- or 22-year-old at the time felt strong enough to get up in front of everybody and come and welcome somebody new to the team."

Lightning defenseman Fredrik Claesson says reading the room is in his childhood friend's DNA. "Honestly, it's kind of scary. He's a born leader." Within the team bubble, it can go deeper than that, too. Teammates of all ages watch a captain's body language, looking for cues on how to act. For the most part, it's subconscious and unnoticed, yet it happens every day.

"He just knew when to turn it on and turn it off," Ben Fanelli, a junior teammate and close friend, said of Landeskog's social instincts. "He just had this ability, and still does today, to show his loving side and enjoyment for life but can also dial it in and flip the switch and get into action mode. I think that's one of his many gifts."

Landeskog admitted he can feel uncomfortable talking about his captaincy. "Ultimately, I'm not the one that's judging my leadership." Well, MacKinnon, the Avs' superstar, has lauded Landeskog on multiple occasions for being the "perfect captain."

And, luckily for MacKinnon and the Avs, Landeskog isn't f-----' leavin', either.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A middle-aged man having lunch near the fireplace extends his hand to Trocheck and asks the Carolina Hurricanes forward how he's doing. He works in real estate here in the Raleigh-Durham area. Trocheck tells him he'll buy a home, no question, if he signs a long-term extension. Right now, in early September, with a season left on his deal, the Trocheck family is fine renting.

Trocheck takes a seat one table over. While scarfing down a quesadilla, waffle fries, and a beer, he gushes over head coach Rod Brind'Amour's impact on his experience so far in Carolina. In fact, he says, he's never played for a better coach. Brind'Amour and Trocheck hooked up for a round of golf the other day. They talked a little business - including the recent addition of young forward and potential future linemate Jesperi Kotkaniemi - but mostly chatted about non-hockey matters.

To Trocheck, Brind'Amour and the Hurricanes were just another rival and the laid-back Raleigh-Durham area was just another stopover as recently as 18 months ago. In the early going of trade deadline day last February, Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon called Trocheck to deliver the news that he'd been traded to Carolina for four lesser-known skaters. The GM and player met in the Panthers' Vegas hotel to discuss why Tallon had parted with the core piece. The conversation grew into a heart-to-heart.

"We talked more about life than the trade," Trocheck says. He's now on the Old Chatham driving range, whistling between swings. A few minutes ago, as Trocheck walked across the parking lot connecting the clubhouse and range, a few teammates chirped him from their vehicles, wondering where he'd been for the past 30 minutes.

Trocheck, who, at the moment, is the only Hurricanes player with a membership at the club, hosted about a dozen of them for 18 holes and lunch but left the group to eat inside with a guest. It's abundantly clear by the way teammates interact with Trocheck that he's a cultural catalyst, a 5-foot-10, 183-pound bridge between up-and-comers and veterans.

On the ice, Trocheck is a top-six center for a squad that, despite a polarizing offseason, believes it's on the cusp of something special. The 28-year-old has appeared in just 19 playoff games since breaking into the league in 2014. He needs more.

"Winning's been everything since Day 1," Trocheck says. "Since I was 3 years old."

Around the Hurricanes organization, the names Tom, Don, and Rod are attached to every conversation relating to the on-ice product. There's no siloing between owner Tom Dundon, president and general manager Don Waddell, and Brind'Amour, the NHL's reigning coach of the year.

Dundon is so heavily involved in the day-to-day activity that he's drawn comparisons to the Dallas Cowboys' Jerry Jones. Waddell holds the final vote on trades, signings, and draft picks and also presides over the business arms of the Hurricanes and PNC Arena. Brind'Amour is the rare coach who both chats one-on-one with ownership on a regular basis and serves as a consultant to the GM on personnel decisions.

For a moment in the spring, it looked as if the trio might be on the verge of becoming a duo. But, following months of negotiations, Dundon and Brind'Amour came to terms on a deal to keep the face of the franchise behind the bench for three more years. From there, the Hurricanes got after it, turning over nine spots on the 23-man roster.

"That part is not ideal. I'll be honest with you; I didn't want to make any changes," Brind'Amour says during a lengthy interview at the Hurricanes' practice facility. "Why would we? We had the (third)-best record in the NHL. We lost to Tampa. Tampa's the best team in the league. We're knocking on the door. Part of the reason why we had so much success last year is, if you go back to a year ago, we had one change. One player."

In the next breath, Brind'Amour concedes that to expect little to no year-over-year changes would be foolish with the salary cap flattened by the pandemic. Key people are bound to move on, he says, referring to Dougie Hamilton, the Norris Trophy-caliber defenseman who, on the first day of free agency, inked a seven-year, $63-million contract with the New Jersey Devils.

Free-agent signee Tony DeAngelo and trade acquisition Ethan Bear are tasked with filling the Hamilton-sized hole on the right side. Waddell believes Carolina's revamped blue line, which also features incumbents Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, and Brady Skjei, and newcomers Ian Cole and Brendan Smith, should be better defensively in 2021-22. But, the GM admits Hamilton's offensive punch will be difficult to replace.

If anybody is capable of moving the puck, joining the rush, or running a power play close to Hamilton's standards, it's DeAngelo. (He tied for fourth in points among NHL defensemen in 2019-20.) Conversely, if anybody is capable of disrupting a dressing room and dividing a fan base, it's DeAngelo. His past is checkered with incidents in which he harassed teammates and abused on-ice officials. The New York Rangers benched him for maturity issues and then, after a physical confrontation with a teammate, placed him on waivers for the purpose of buying out the remainder of his contract. On social media, DeAngelo has downplayed COVID-19's impact and fought with other users over hot-button political issues.

The Hurricanes say signing DeAngelo to a one-year, $1-million contract wasn't an impulsive decision. They did their homework. Brind'Amour had multiple probing conversations with DeAngelo and the team interviewed numerous ex-teammates and coaches, including David Quinn, Jesper Fast, and Skjei, all formerly of the Rangers.

According to Waddell, the main takeaway from the process was that DeAngelo has "learned his lesson" and is "remorseful" about his past. "He also knows that, hey, we have high standards here. I go to the contract. He's probably, what, a $4-million player? If we paid him $4 million, I couldn't say all of these things. We paid him $1 million. We said, 'Tony, you come in and prove to us. Forget about the playing side. That's going to take care of itself. But prove to us that you can be the person that this organization wants to move forward with. And if you do that, everything's going to work out fine.'"

Brind'Amour brings up an anecdote involving his wife. "She just kind of looked at me and said, 'Well, if you don't give him a chance - he's admitted to (indiscretions), things he's not proud of - who's going to give him an opportunity? Are you just going to throw him out and be over at (25) years old?' Well, that doesn't make a lot of sense either. To have a willingness to let people change or show that they've changed seems kind of easy."

Amazingly, DeAngelo wasn't the signing that attracted the most national attention during Carolina's hectic offseason. The late-August offer sheet to Kotkaniemi counts as the biggest splash, especially since Kotkaniemi's old team, the Montreal Canadiens, ultimately chose not to match the one-year, $6.1-million deal. (Mind you, the social media pettiness associated with the offer sheet - which we'll discuss later - certainly supercharged outside interest in the transaction.)

The Hurricanes also traded their Calder Trophy finalist, goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, in late July, and then replaced him and his veteran partners with two goalies with recent injury issues, Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta. That would normally be a spicy talking point coming into a season, but aside from the initial reactions to the additions and subtractions, the goaltending overhaul has largely flown under the radar. The DeAngelo and Kotkaniemi signings have commanded almost all of the oxygen.

Carolina's offseason has left many observers puzzled. Some are skeptical or cynical, or a combination of both. For example, the Hurricanes garnered the No. 1 spot on one publication's league-wide list of "most bizarre offseasons"; finished first with a 9.6 (out of 10) rating on an offseason "bizarro-meter ranking"; and inspired a frank question, "Did the Hurricanes outsmart themselves?"

Dundon, a Texas billionaire, became sole owner of the franchise this past June. He originally purchased a majority stake in the franchise in late 2017, which means the 2021-22 campaign will be Tom, Don, and Rod's fourth full season running the show. So far, the team has made the playoffs every year, winning four postseason series in total.

While Waddell says the upcoming 82-game slog will be the proving ground, the GM is confident they've built the "most talented" roster of the young but eventful Dundon era.

A day after his latest round at Old Chatham, Trocheck is sitting on a couch in his living room staring at the assembly instructions for a miniature hockey game. It's early afternoon and the work day - time in the gym and on the ice - has already wrapped.

Within arm's reach are Lennon, 10 months and sporting a stained shirt, and Leo, an inquisitive 3-year-old obsessed with hockey. Leo asks if he can place sticker logos of both the Hurricanes and Panthers on the plastic game. Dad allows it. Romeo, an overly friendly Goldendoodle, and Porter, a docile Golden Retriever, trot around the humans.

The Trocheck residence is simultaneously chaotic and quiet. This is life as a young dad.

"I love the friendship aspect of it," Trocheck says of fatherhood. "Leo's now my best friend. I can hang out with him." Of Lennon, he says she's "the most chill, happy baby on the planet." It's still a thrill for him to see her face light up when he comes home from the rink.

Trocheck and his wife, Hillary, met roughly a decade ago in a high school economics class in Saginaw, Michigan. Trocheck, who was born and raised in Pittsburgh, moved to Detroit at 12 to play in a more competitive minor hockey loop. He then spent his entire junior career with Michigan-based OHL teams in Saginaw and Plymouth. It wasn't until he turned pro that he left the state, splitting his rookie season between AHL San Antonio and NHL Florida, which drafted him in the third round, 64th overall, in 2011.

Trocheck, like every NHLer, will never forget his first big-league call-up in March 2014. Along with the delight of skating in the world's best league and sharing the ice with legends Roberto Luongo and Ed Jovanovski, he can vividly recall the presence of the late Jimmy Hayes; specifically, how Hayes, who was new to the team too, made him feel welcome.

"He was the first one to come knock on my door and ask me to go to dinner with the guys - like I had known him for 20 years," Trocheck says of Hayes, who died in August. (Trocheck was one of hundreds from the hockey community to attend Hayes' funeral in Boston.) "That always stuck out to me as something that made me feel more comfortable in my first few games," he adds. "It's tough for guys coming into the league. You're nervous, don't want to say too much, too little, and he made it a seamless transition."

Trocheck posted a solid 30 points in his first 70 NHL games. He leveled up in 2015-16, with 53 points in 76 contests, and has never looked back. He blossomed in Florida alongside franchise cornerstones Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Aaron Ekblad. Team success was a problem, though, as the Panthers made the postseason only once during Trocheck's tenure. He played for five different head coaches in seven years.

Despite the lack of success, Trocheck looks back fondly on his Florida days. He could have done without the injuries - chiefly the broken right fibula he suffered in 2018. Trocheck and an opponent had been battling for position when his leg pretzeled. His chilling screams filled the arena as play came to a halt and a stretcher arrived.

At that exact moment, all Trocheck could think about was Alex Smith. The NFL quarterback had recently suffered such a severe injury, and doctors were considering amputating Smith's leg because of an infection. "I was just hoping it wasn't serious enough that I was going to be done for my career," Trocheck says. Luckily, tests showed he had no ligament or muscle damage. The surgeon inserted a plate and some screws. Otherwise, he would be alright.

Trocheck faced another setback in 2019, cracking his left tibia blocking a shot. Somehow, he still suited up in 55 contests for the Panthers prior to the trade deadline, recovering fully only when the NHL went on its COVID-19 hiatus. There's more: In the 2020-21 playoffs, he suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in Game 2 of the Hurricanes' second-round meeting with the Tampa Bay Lightning. By Trocheck's estimation, he was at 30% health when he returned to the lineup for the fifth and final game of the series.

Not requiring surgery on his knee, Trocheck rehabbed this summer and felt 100% prior to training camp. In camp, he's missed two practices due to a "middle-body" injury, though Brind'Amour has told reporters he should be all set for the season opener next Thursday. The center position was barely touched in the offseason, so his spot in the lineup is unchanged: Sebastian Aho remains the top guy, Trocheck is the 2C, Jordan Staal is 3C, and veteran Derek Stepan is the new 4C.

What makes Trocheck so effective as a center is how he's able to blend a low center of gravity and elite strength with speed, offensive instincts, and a pesty streak. He possesses the toolbox of a finesse player and the mentality of a grinder. The first thought to pop into Staal's head when Carolina acquired Trocheck was how much he hated playing against him. "Those are the guys that you want on your team, right?" Staal says.

Adds Brind'Amour: "The competitive nature of this group is really good and you have to have that. Troch is a ringleader in that. That's part of his deal."

Trocheck, who is mellow off the ice, admits to being some kind of a pest on it.

"Sure, I like to get under people's skin," he says on his back patio, as Hillary handles childcare duties inside. "It's just my competitive nature. I can't really hold it back."

The Philadelphia Flyers traded Brind'Amour to Carolina in 2000. It didn't take the future Hall of Famer long to spot the difference between a traditional and nontraditional market.

"I asked for directions to get to the arena here, and the people I asked didn't know what or where the arena was," Brind'Amour says. Over two-plus decades, though, he's watched the franchise - which arrived from Hartford in 1997 - come of age alongside the fan base. "Night and day would kind of be an understatement," he says.

Brind'Amour breaks it down: In the early years, before the salary cap was implemented in 2005, the Hurricanes "were doing the best" they could. Great, committed people. However, ownership lacked financial might, so the player payroll was low, staffing budget was tight, and facilities were subpar. Internal expectations were relatively low. (With arena construction delayed, the team actually played its first two seasons in a minor-league rink located 80 miles west of Raleigh.) In 2001-02, the Hurricanes finally broke through on the ice, making the Stanley Cup Final. The powerhouse Detroit Red Wings - whose payroll was essentially twice as large - disposed of them in five games.

The cap's introduction helped level the playing field with big-market teams for a while. Yet it became painfully obvious over time that teams spending to the upper limit would have a far greater chance of maintaining success than those who don't. According to CapFriendly, The Hurricanes were in the bottom three in cap spending for the three seasons before Dundon acquired controlling interest in the team from original owner Peter Karmanos.

Dundon increased spending the past two seasons and is projected to hit the upper limit in 2021-22. "Now, all of a sudden ...," Brind'Amour says before snapping his fingers. "That, to me, is the biggest thing. People talk about all of (these other factors), but at the end of the day, you've got to have the players. That's it. If you don't, you have no chance."

Dundon, a hockey outsider who made his money in subprime automobile lending, has brought a fresh outlook to the boardroom. North Carolina is a college basketball state. The ACC schools - Duke, North Carolina, NC State, and Wake Forest - dominate the sports landscape, and the Hurricanes won't change that anytime soon. What they can do is appeal to fans by developing a brand that prioritizes entertainment.

"We're in a market that we feel like we have to continue to sell the game. Not just on the ice, we have to sell it off the ice," Waddell says during a sit-down at PNC Arena. "We've put a lot of effort into and really ramped up our social team a few years ago."

Ah, yes, social media. The Storm Surge celebration doesn't become a phenomenon in 2018-19 without it going viral. The "Bunch of Jerks" nickname (and merchandise jackpot) doesn't persist if the Hurricanes don't embrace grumpy Don Cherry's commentary about the player-led Storm Surge. The David Ayres story of 2019-20 - remember him, the cuddly emergency backup goalie in Toronto? - isn't part of the NHL news cycle for a week straight if Carolina doesn't take full advantage of the moment.

This offseason, the Hurricanes doubled down in the wake of the Kotkaniemi acquisition. The offer sheet was partly revenge for the Canadiens presenting an offer sheet to Aho two years ago, so, of course, there was a cheeky $20 signing bonus baked into Kotkamiemi's deal, a reference to Aho's jersey number. There was also a "people don't forget" tweet; reverse Uno card tweet; matching press release quote; and French-language signing announcement. It was obnoxiously passive-aggressive, and Dundon signed off on all of it. "There's a lot of decisions we can make and move on," Waddell says of Dundon chiming in. "Something this big, everybody was involved."

Two days before the Kotkaniemi offer sheet was tabled, the team announced an eight-year extension for star forward Andrei Svechnikov. Fans apparently responded positively to all of the buzz, with a team spokesman confirming 2021-22 will be the Hurricanes' best year for season-ticket sales since 2007. (Carolina won its only Cup in 2006.)

Brind'Amour, the captain of the '06 team, is one of the organization's prized assets. At the rink, he is the tone-setter not only with respect to Xs and Os, but also culture building and work ethic. (Famously, the 51-year-old stays in game shape, continuing to keep his "Rod the Bod" nickname relevant.) He seems to be universally adored by his players, too. "I wouldn't say there's been a lot of times where a coach has been make-or-break for a team I've played on," Trocheck says. "But I think Roddy really puts us over the edge."

A part of the appeal with Brind'Amour is that he's refreshingly authentic. There's absolutely no fluff. A multimillionaire several times over from his playing days, he drives an old GMC Sierra truck. And he'll drill cliches into his players' brains not because he feels that's what a coach should be doing, but because he really does swear by phrases like "Earn it" and "Win the day 1-0." Both are displayed prominently inside the team's practice facility.

"We were always an OK team, a good team, and we're now moving towards being the best," says Staal, a Hurricane since 2012. "That's the bar that we've raised here."

Trocheck is big on family. The black ink on his left arm is permanent proof.

Among a full sleeve of intricate tattoos are number sets for his parents' birthdates; music notes for his dad's saxophone- and piano-playing skills; haircut shears for the multiple hairdressers in his extended family; and grapevines for his Italian heritage.

The Hurricanes view themselves as a family, which helps explain, at least in part, why Trocheck has meshed so well. He's a dressing room DJ. He's slowly making a name for himself as a legitimately good singer on the karaoke mic. And over the past month, he's brokered club memberships between five eager teammates and Old Chatham.

Every player on Carolina's roster and staff is fully vaccinated, so the fast-approaching season should be as normal as possible in terms of being able to bond on the road. These interactions pay dividends, Trocheck says. One example: The 2015-16 Panthers' 12-game winning streak followed a trip to New York City and the annual rookie party. "Things like that, it brings people together," he says. "You get close with the guys. If it's not the same team that it was the year prior, those are times you get to know everybody, really."

The new-look Hurricanes will have plenty of mingling to do on and off the ice. They must come together in short order, too, with the Metropolitan Division boasting five other strong but imperfect teams in the New York Islanders, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, and Flyers. Carolina possesses one of the NHL's deepest forward groups and a formidable defense corps, even without Hamilton. The fate of the Hurricanes' season may rest on the shoulders of a high-risk, high-reward goalie tandem.

Trocheck, who's coming off an excellent season in which he tied his career high in points per game, has been lining up alongside Kotkaniemi and Teuvo Teravainen in preseason action. The trio might not stay together - preseason is for experimenting - yet Trocheck will nonetheless receive top-six minutes at even strength and a starring role on the power play. The pending free agent has an outside chance of making Team USA for the Beijing Olympics, as well.

"We're going to sit down at some point here and talk to (his representative) about a long-term deal," Waddell says. "He's a piece that, for multiple reasons, we'd like to keep around."

Trocheck loves it in North Carolina. He says the contract is not on his mind on the eve of the season, but he would consider signing long term. You can bet his coach is on board.

"He fits with what we expect out of a Carolina Hurricane," Brind'Amour says.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.