The clock is ticking on the career of legendary New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, but he isn't sure if the Big Apple will be the site of his swan song.

"I don't know if I'll stay with the Rangers my entire career," Lundqvist told Swedish outlet Expressen, according to NHL.com's Jon Lane. "I have two years left on my deal and it has always been my goal to stay with the Rangers, but once you get up there in age you never know. I know what I want, but if the club has other ideas I know I'll have to listen. You can't just do your own thing.

"Sometimes the dream might not work out in the end ... we'll see what happens. Right now all my focus is on the upcoming World Championships."

The 37-year-old Lundqvist is signed through the 2020-21 season at an $8.5-million cap hit. He has a full no-movement clause, so he would dictate any potential trade.

A Stanley Cup is the only achievement missing from his Hall-of-Fame resume that includes a Vezina Trophy and an Olympic gold medal. Time is running out for Lundqvist to capture the NHL's ultimate prize, especially with the Rangers in a clear rebuilding stage.

"The season started good," Lundqvist said. "I came in and had a lot of energy. I haven't felt as good in years, physically, mentally, and in terms of technique. I was incredibly pleased with my first month of the season. After that, it turned out to be a lot harder than I thought.

"We lost a lot and it really took its toll on me mentally. Very much a challenge. I've always played to win and every year with the Rangers I've felt like we've had a shot at winning the Cup. But not this season. It was a very strange situation to be in."

Lundqvist's .907 save percentage (the league average was .910) and 3.07 goals-against average this past season were both career lows as the Rangers missed the playoffs for a second straight year.

Rangers ownership executive James Dolan said the club gave Lundqvist the option to be moved prior to the 2018 trade deadline, but King Henrik declined the offer.

If Lundqvist does decide he wants to move on, the Rangers should still be well-equipped between the pipes. Backup Alexandar Georgiev, 23, showed flashes of potential with a .914 save percentage in 33 games. The club also recently signed 2014 fourth-round pick Igor Shesterkin from the KHL after a historic tenure with SKA St. Petersburg.

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Ken Holland is entering a sticky situation after reportedly agreeing to become the general manager of the Edmonton Oilers. He has world-class talents Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at his disposal, but thanks to the previous regime led by Peter Chiarelli, there isn't much else to smile about.

Due to some of the bad contracts Chiarelli signed during his tenure as GM, Holland will have limited spending flexibility throughout his first few seasons at the helm. And even though the Oilers' roster has more holes than a block of Swiss cheese, there's a still a formula Holland can follow to make the Oilers more competitive next season without derailing their long-term contention plan.

Shed contracts via buyout

Milan Lucic provides zero value to the Oilers on the ice. Even though his seven-year, $42-million contract is bonus-heavy, Edmonton is better off buying him out. Here's what it would look like, courtesy Cap Friendly:

It's certainly not ideal, but the buyout would save the Oilers $2.5 million, and give Holland significant cap flexibility in two of the next four seasons.

In addition to Lucic, Holland should also buy out Andrej Sekera's contract. After signing a six-year, $33-million deal in 2015, Sekera enjoyed two solid campaigns with the Oilers. However, a torn ACL in 2017 and a torn Achilles tendon in 2018 have limited the 32-year-old to 60 games over the past two seasons, where he's been a shell of his former self.

The Oilers could buy out Kris Russell instead, but Sekera's durability is a major concern, and his buyout would save the club more money. Here's what it would look like:

In total, it would save the Oilers $3 million while opening a spot for a younger, more mobile defenseman, which brings us to Holland's next task.

Trade Jesse Puljujarvi

This may be a tough pill to swallow for some Oilers fans, but a Jesse Puljujarvi trade seems inevitable at this point. Back in February - after Chiarelli had already been fired - the Oilers were reportedly open to trading him, and Puljujarvi's agent also suggested a change of scenery would be beneficial for both sides. This doesn't necessarily mean Holland will want to deal the former fourth overall pick, but with no prior ties to the restricted free agent, he likely doesn't care about the investment the old regime made in him, and will take the best offer he can get.

Quantifying Puljujarvi's trade value is not easy. He still has upside, but flashes of his potential - although tantalizing - have been few and far between at the NHL level. It isn't often that players of his age and with his draft status get moved after posting such a lack of production.

Former third overall pick Dylan Strome, who was dealt from the Arizona Coyotes to the Chicago Blackhawks this past season, is the most recent example, but even his sample size in the NHL was much smaller than Puljujarvi's.

Obviously the Strome trade hasn't looked good for the Coyotes, as he flourished upon his arrival in the Windy City. He was sent to Chicago along with Brendan Perlini in exchange for a quality top-six forward in Nick Schmaltz. As a center with more intrigue, Strome's trade value was higher than Puljujarvi's is now, even though some had already labeled him a bust.

For the Oilers to get their best return on Puljujarvi, it would have to involve a team that has a great incentive to acquire the forward, and perhaps no club possesses this more than the Carolina Hurricanes. After seeing how Strome flourished in a reunion with junior teammate Alex DeBrincat, the Canes could be intrigued by Puljujarvi, who was part of a dominant line for Finland at the 2016 world juniors with Sebastian Aho - Carolina's No. 1 center.

Here's a possible trade that could benefit both sides:

This return is not as sexy as Oilers fans might've hoped for, but it would immediately make them a better team. Wallmark is a high-floor, 23-year-old two-way center who would give Edmonton's next coach more options if he wants to play McDavid and Draisaitl together. He'll be an RFA after 2019-20.

Van Riemsdyk, 27, didn't see significant ice time because of Carolina's deep defense core, but he proved during his days with the Chicago Blackhawks that he's capable of effectively playing top-four minutes. He'll be a UFA after next year, so this hypothetical trade would be attached to a reasonable four-year extension with a $3-million cap hit. He recently underwent shoulder surgery and is expected to miss four-to-six months, meaning, at worst, he'll miss the first month of 2019-20. At best, he'd be ready in time for training camp.

Find value in free agency

With limited cap space, Holland is going to have to find bargains in free agency to fill out the rest of the Oilers' roster. With the defense mostly intact, and plenty of center options, Holland's attention should fall on speedy wingers who can drive possession and complement Edmonton's talent down the middle, and possibly a backup netminder.

Brandon Tanev

Tanev is a speedy, gritty, versatile forward capable of playing either wing up and down the lineup. He would help the Oilers' penalty kill and is coming off a career-high 14-goal season. At age 27, he's likely seeking a multi-year deal, so let's give him a four-year contract worth $3 million per season. The term may seem steep, but that'll likely be the going rate. With a low cap hit, there's minimal risk involved.

Tyler Ennis

Ennis was bought out by the Minnesota Wild prior to the 2018-19 campaign, and inked a one-year prove-it deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Playing a limited fourth-line role, Ennis finished seventh in the entire NHL in goals per 60 minutes (minimum 300 minutes). He proved he still has the skill and quick first step that made him a serviceable top-six forward during his early days with the Buffalo Sabres. We'll give the Edmonton native a two-year deal worth $2.5 million per season, though it's possible he could take less to return home.

Brandon Pirri

All Pirri does is score goals. He's played at a 20-goal pace in his career, and finished last season sixth in goals per 60 minutes (minimum 300 minutes), but has had difficulties carving out an everyday role. He has the offensive upside to flourish alongside the Oilers' high-end talent. Let's pencil him in for a one-year, $1.5-million contract.

Curtis McElhinney

It's tough to upgrade Edmonton's goaltending after Chiarelli unnecessarily handed a three-year, $13.5-million extension to unproven 30-year-old Mikko Koskinen. However, with open cap space available for the 2019-20 season, McElhinney could be a nice fit. He may want the security of a multi-year deal after bouncing around the league, but for the first time in his career he'd enter training camp with a legitimate chance to win the starting job, and may jump at a generous one-year, $4-million contract.

Hire the right head coach

Holland's most pressing task as the Oilers' new GM will be finding a head coach to replace Ken Hitchcock. Four candidates he should target are Toronto Marlies head coach Sheldon Keefe, University of Minnesota Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin, Syracuse Crunch head coach Benoit Groulx, and St. Louis Blues assistant coach Steve Ott.

Keefe, Sandelin, and Groulx are bright, forward-thinking bench bosses who boast impressive winning resumes and seem ready to make the step to become NHL head coaches. Ott is a bit of an outlier, as he's been an assistant coach for just two years since retiring as a player in 2017, but fits the Rod Brind'Amour motivator mold.

This list is subject to change if one of the league's current head coaches became available, but as of now, none of the retreads provide inspiring options.

The end result

After all the proposed changes, the finished product would result in an Oilers team that's younger, deeper, faster, and more skilled without handing out poor, long-term contracts, or giving away draft picks and prospects.

Forwards: $43.5M

It remains to be seen whether the new coach would want to play McDavid and Draisaitl on the same line or not, but for the sake of this projection, we've kept the dynamic duo together. Nugent-Hopkins would be flanked by two skilled wingers with 25-goal potential. Benson, a 21-year-old former second-rounder, produced nearly a point per game in the AHL this year. It's easy to see either him or Yamamoto playing their way up the lineup out of training camp.

Defense: $20.7M

Nurse would be the biggest beneficiary of the Puljujarvi trade, as he'd have a mobile, positionally sound partner who can help move the puck. Bouchard was the OHL's top defenseman this year, but if he's not ready to break with the team out of camp, some AHL seasoning could serve him well. In that case, Benning would become the sixth defenseman.

Goalies: $8.5M

McElhinney will push Koskinen for starts, and serves as a nice stopgap until Shane Starrett, who posted a .918 save percentage in the AHL last year, is NHL ready.

Buyout cap hit: $7.75M
Buried cap hit: $1.175M
Total cap hit: $81.64M
Projected 2019-20 salary cap: $83M

Notable departed players: Puljujarvi (trade), Lucic (buyout), Sekera (buyout), Alex Chiasson (UFA), Tobias Rieder (RFA), Ty Rattie (RFA), Alex Petrovic (UFA), Kevin Gravel (UFA), Anthony Stolarz (UFA).

This new squad is still far from perfect, but it would give the Oilers their best shot at making the playoffs in 2019-20, and set them up better long term. Plus, if this postseason has been any indication, anything can happen once the playoff ticket is punched - especially with team-carrying stars like McDavid and Draisaitl.

(Advanced stats courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)

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The Edmonton Oilers have narrowed their general manager search to one of the most decorated executives of all time.

The Oilers and Detroit Red Wings senior vice president Ken Holland have conducted extensive negotiations for Edmonton's general manager vacancy, sources told Sportsnet's Mark Spector. Holland will have full autonomy to hire and fire at will if he takes the job, Spector added.

Essentially, Holland can take complete control of Edmonton's hockey operations if he wants the job.

Mark Hunter, Sean Burke, and current interim GM Keith Gretzky reportedly remain contingency candidates if Holland declines the position.

The Red Wings won three Stanley Cups during Holland's 22-year run as general manager. But Detroit named Steve Yzerman its new GM and executive vice president on April 19, removing Holland from his position of ultimate hockey operations authority in the process.

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If anyone on the Carolina Hurricanes knows how rowdy the crowd at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on Long Island can get, it's former New York Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan.

The Hurricanes haven't been forced to contend with such an atmosphere during their second-round series against the Islanders, as the first two games were played at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

De Haan, who spent his first five NHL seasons with the Islanders before signing a four-year contract with the Hurricanes last summer, believes the change in venue is to the detriment of his former club.

"It's great for us," De Haan told Newsday's Andrew Gross on Thursday. "It's good for the away team. It kind of negates the home-ice advantage to a certain extent. I've played there (the Coliseum) and it's loud and you do feed off of that. Whether you think of it or not, you do feed off the momentum of the crowd and it seemed to elevate everybody on the bench. But it is what it is. That's Mr. Bettman's decision, so, whatever."

The Islanders split their home games between the two arenas during the regular season. It was announced that their first-round playoff series would be played at the Coliseum, but the remainder of their postseason would take place at the Barclays Center, citing that "Nassau Coliseum does not qualify as an NHL major-league facility."

Playing the one series at the Coliseum required a letter from Nassau County executive Laura Curran to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. The Islanders took full advantage of the two contests played on Long Island, sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins to begin the playoffs.

Here's a look at the team's arena splits during the regular season:

New York opened its second-round series against the Hurricanes by dropping two games at the Barclays Center and now finds itself trailing 3-0 with Game 4 slated for Friday in Raleigh.

The Islanders moved to the Barclays Center in 2015 despite the arena being built primarily for basketball. Obstructed seating views and a lengthy commute from Long Island have drawn the ire of fans, while players have complained about poor ice conditions.

Nassau Coliseum, the Islanders' sole home between 1974 and 2015, underwent renovations prior to the 2017-18 season. A $2.1-billion development project at Belmont Park, which includes a 19,000-seat arena for the Islanders, is expected to be ready by 2021.

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Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Petr Mrazek isn't expected to return from his lower-body injury for Game 4 against the New York Islanders on Friday night.

"When he's 100 percent we will get him back in there," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said Thursday, according to NHL.com's Kurt Dusterberg. "But until then, you can't. There's no point."

The Hurricanes hold a 3-0 series lead over the Isles, and veteran backup Curtis McElhinney owns a .957 save percentage since relieving an injured Mrazek in Game 2, providing little incentive to rush the starter back between the pipes.

"We can't rush a goalie back," Brind'Amour said. "He can't play with an injury. There's a difference with a goalie, I think. (Skaters) can kind of baby it a little, hide it. A goalie can't. He has to be 100 percent in order to feel good about making his moves and exploding."

Mrazek and McEhlinney formed an admirable platoon during the regular season, but both netminders have elevated their play in the postseason.

McElhinney, 35, became the oldest goalie to make his first playoff start in Game 3 and now has a chance to punch Carolina's ticket to the conference finals Friday.

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Hockey Hall of Famer Red Kelly died Thursday at the age of 91, his family announced.

Kelly spent the first 13 years of his career as a Detroit Red Wings defenseman, winning four Stanley Cups, three Lady Byng trophies, and one Norris Trophy, and collecting 472 points in 846 games along the way.

The Simcoe, Ontario native played the next eight years with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs moved him to center and he succeeded after the position change, tallying 351 points in 470 games while adding another Lady Byng and four more Stanley Cups to his resume.

Kelly won more Stanley Cups than any player in NHL history to not play for the Montreal Canadiens.

He also enjoyed a 10-year coaching career. The legend even dipped his toes into politics before his playing days ended, as he was elected to the House of Commons in 1962.

Kelly was named to the "100 Greatest NHL Players" list in 2017. Both the Maple Leafs and Red Wings have retired his No. 4.

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Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews underwent a procedure Thursday to remove surgical hardware from a 2014 surgery, the team announced. The procedure won't disrupt his summer on-ice program.

Matthews suffered a broken femur from a knee-on-knee collision while playing for the USA Hockey U17 National Team Development Program in September 2013. The injury eventually required surgery.

The 21-year-old center recently declined an invitation to play for the U.S. at the upcoming World Championship.

Matthews tallied 37 goals and 73 points in 68 games in his third NHL season. He added five more goals and an assist in seven postseason contests against the Boston Bruins.

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The New York Rangers have acquired defense prospect Adam Fox from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 2019 second-round pick and a conditional third-round pick in 2020, the Rangers announced Tuesday.

The third-rounder becomes a second-round selection if Fox plays at least 30 games for the Rangers next season, the Hurricanes stated in their release.

Fox racked up 48 points in 33 games for Harvard this past season and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's top player. Originally a third-round pick of the Calgary Flames in 2016, he was traded to Carolina along with Dougie Hamilton and Micheal Ferland in exchange for Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin this past summer.

The Rangers are in the process of finalizing an entry-level deal for the 21-year-old, TSN's Bob McKenzie reports.

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After taking the first two games on the road to open their second-round series against the New York Islanders, the Carolina Hurricanes have been given the best odds of winning the Stanley Cup, according to Jeff Sherman of SuperBookUSA.

The three other conference semifinal series are deadlocked at one game apiece.

The Hurricanes finished the regular season as the Eastern Conference's first wild-card team before upsetting the defending champion Washington Capitals in the opening round.

Despite barely squeaking into the playoffs, the Hurricanes boasted some of the league's most favorable possession metrics throughout the course of the regular season, and that has continued into the postseason.

Carolina also opened the 2018-19 campaign as a +6000 long shot to win the Stanley Cup after missing the playoffs in nine straight seasons, according to Bovada.

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Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said Thursday it's "imperative" to get Mitch Marner signed before July 1, according to The Athletic's Jonas Siegel.

If the Leafs don't sign Marner to a contract before July 1, he would be left exposed to restricted free agency, where another team could sign him to an offer sheet. This would prove problematic for the salary-cap crunched Maple Leafs, who would be forced to match the offer in order to retain Marner's services.

The Maple Leafs project to have roughly $13 million in cap space for next season, and Marner could potentially demand an annual figure north of $10 million. Key forwards Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen are also RFAs this summer.

Marner is coming off a breakout 94-point season, which led the Leafs and ranked 11th in the NHL.

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