Watson has one prior suspension for on-ice actions in his eight-year career. He received a two-game ban for boarding in 2017 while with the Nashville Predators.
The 30-year-old has recorded three points in 31 games this season.
Ahcan, 24, was playing in his sixth career NHL game Saturday.
Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews was forced to leave Monday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes late in the third period after taking a knee to the back of his head.
Matthews stayed down for a considerable amount of time before leaving the ice. He did not return for overtime.
Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe offered no postgame update on Matthews' status.
Matthews leads Toronto with 31 goals and 53 points in 40 games this season.
Pierre Dorion's phone has apparently been blowing up lately.
The Ottawa Senators general manager received several calls over the NHL All-Star break as his club gears toward selling at the trade deadline, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
"Teams around the league, I'm told, over the last three or four days, have made Ottawa a popular target for phone calls," LeBrun said Monday. "And I'm told that the Senators were a popular team to reach out to as far as checking out a team that is gonna be a seller."
Ottawa entered Monday 13th in the Eastern Conference in points percentage.
The club also completed interviews with current interim GM Kyle Davidson and Carolina Hurricanes assistant GM Eric Tulsky, the team announced Friday.
Mellanby spent the last decade working in the Montreal Canadiens' front office. He started as director of player personnel before moving up the chain to assistant GM. He resigned in November after learning he was out of the running to become Montreal's next GM.
The 55-year-old spent 21 years in the NHL as a player, suiting up in 1,431 games between the Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues, and Atlanta Thrashers.
Tulsky has worked in the Hurricanes' front office since 2014, beginning as an analyst. He then served as director of analytics, vice president of hockey management, and most recently, assistant GM. The Harvard grad is a widely respected analytical mind in the hockey world.
Davidson became Chicago's interim GM after Stan Bowman resigned from his post in October. He previously served as the team's assistant GM and manager of hockey administration.
The Blackhawks will also reportedly interview former Boston Bruins and Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli.
Chicago is planning to speak to at least five candidates for the job, a source told Powers.
Former Blackhawks players Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, and Eddie Olczyk are assisting CEO Danny Wirtz and president of business operations Jaime Faulkner in the GM search.
Wirtz confirmed the team won't hire a president of hockey operations above the GM. The club has also stated it would like to fill the GM role before the March 21 trade deadline.
The 2022 NHL All-Star Skills Competition is upon us, and theScore has you covered. Below, we explain each event, introduce the participants, and predict the winners.
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas When: Friday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m. ET TV: Sportsnet, TVA Sports (Canada); ESPN (United States)
Fastest Skater
Scott Rovak / National Hockey League / Getty
In one of the marquee events of the skills competition, players will be timed for one full lap around the rink. Each skater can choose the direction of his lap and can start up to three feet behind the starting line.
Participants
Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles Kings
Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals
Jordan Kyrou, St. Louis Blues
Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
McDavid enters as the heavy favorite after winning three consecutive titles from 2017-19. Larkin, however, set the record with a blistering lap of 13.172 seconds in 2016.
2020 winner: Mathew Barzal Prediction: How can you bet against McDavid?
Save Streak
Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty
All eight goalies and 36 skaters will partake in this shootout-style event as the goalies compete to make the most consecutive saves.
Participants
Jack Campbell, Toronto Maple Leafs
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Frederik Andersen, Carolina Hurricanes
Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins
Cam Talbot, Minnesota Wild
Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators
Thatcher Demko, Vancouver Canucks
John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks
2020 winner: Jordan Binnington Prediction: Vasilevskiy, who ranks second behind Linus Ullmark among active goalies in career shootout save percentage.
Fountain Face-Off
Ethan Miller / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty
This is one of two Vegas-inspired events the NHL is unveiling at this year's skills competition. Taking place on the iconic Bellagio Fountains, players will travel by boat to the "rink" and shoot pucks at five targets as quickly as possible. Fountain spray and winds off the Strip should make this extra challenging.
Participants
Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers
Jordan Eberle, Seattle Kraken
Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, former U.S. Olympian
Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens
Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
Prediction: Stone. Why not go with thecrowd favorite?
Hardest Shot
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
One of the most iconic events of the skills competition will see each participant get two attempts to blast the puck into the net from 30 feet away. If a stick breaks, that player gets another attempt. This year's field has shrunk to four.
Participants
Adam Pelech, New York Islanders
Timo Meier, San Jose Sharks
Victor Hedman, Lightning
Tom Wilson, Capitals
Shea Weber and Zdeno Chara won nine of the last 11 titles in this challenge, so there will be a changing of the guard.
2020 winner: Shea Weber Prediction: Hedman, whose 6-foot-6 frame should give him a big advantage.
Breakaway Challenge
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
This event returns for the first time since 2016. It's produced some very memorable moments, many of which featured Alex Ovechkin during his three-year reign as champion from 2008-11 (there was no skills competition in 2010).
Each player will take two shots, and a panel of judges will rate each attempt in what's essentially the NHL's version of the NBA's Slam Dunk contest. Competitors are rewarded for creativity, not effectiveness or practicality.
Manon Rheaume and Wyatt Russell will serve as celebrity goalies.
Participants
Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild
Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks
Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
Alex DeBrincat, Chicago Blackhawks
Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas Golden Knights
All eyes will be on Zegras, who's become a must-watch player after pulling off both a Michigan and a Dishigan as a rookie. He's in Vegas this weekend strictly for this event.
2016 winner: P.K. Subban Prediction: Zegras, but don't sleep on Pietrangelo, who will aim to impress the hometown crowd.
21 in '22
NurPhoto / NurPhoto / Getty
The second of two locally inspired events will take place on Las Vegas Boulevard. Players will fire pucks at a deck of oversized cards on a rack and try to achieve a hand of 21 without going over - while taking the fewest shots possible. The player who wins two rounds is crowned "Puck Shark."
Participants
Nazem Kadri, Colorado Avalanche
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
Joe Pavelski, Dallas Stars
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
Prediction: Matthews, who has a flair for the dramatic and a deadly accurate shot.
Accuracy Shooting
Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty
This event was an unmitigated disaster during the last skills competition. The league decided to use digital targets, which proved extremely unreliable and undermined the event.
But hockey fans can rejoice knowing exploding Styrofoam targets are back. The player who hits all four targets the fastest wins.
Participants
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes
Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes
Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins
Troy Terry, Anaheim Ducks
Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames
Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
Jonathan Marchessault, Vegas Golden Knights
This competition requires both an accurate shot and a cool head. In front of a packed house, competitors can get easily rattled in this event.
2020 winner: Jaccob Slavin Prediction: Bergeron, the most seasoned member of the field.
Fans craving a best-on-best international hockey tournament may get their wish in February 2024.
The NHL and NHLPA met last week to start planning the 2024 World Cup of Hockey, and there's a "strong possibility" it could take place in February of that year, sources told TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
The last three World Cups (2016, 2004, 1996) all took place in September - ahead of the upcoming seasons. The 2024 event would be the first World Cup to take place in the middle of a campaign.
There were initially plans for a World Cup of Hockey in 2021, but the league called it off in December 2019 due to a lack of planning time.
The NHL was supposed to attend the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, but COVID-19 derailed those plans.
There hasn't been a best-on-best international hockey tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Canada won that event, sweeping Team Europe in the best-of-three final.
Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz directed a tirade at a pair of reporters Wednesday at a town hall for asking questions about Kyle Beach.
The town hall, which was organized by the team, was the first time the Blackhawks brass had publicly taken questions since reaching a confidential settlement with Beach in December in a negligence lawsuit against the club. Beach said former Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted him while he was a Black Ace for the team during the 2010 playoffs.
"I know we're looking forward here, but I think we have to look back, also. I think much of what happened to Kyle Beach stemmed from a power imbalance between a coach and a player, and the powerlessness of a player in that situation. So, what are the Blackhawks doing, what have the Blackhawks done, what will the Blackhawks do to empower a player in a similar situation to make sure that doesn't happen again?"
Rocky took the question instead and berated Lazerus.
"I think the report speaks for itself," Rocky said. "The people that were involved are no longer here. We're not looking back at 2010, we're looking forward. And we're not going to talk about 2010."
When Lazerus noted he wasn't talking about 2010, Rocky went off again.
"We're not going to talk about what happened," he said. "Were moving forward. That is my answer."
When Danny tried to step in and explain what the team is doing today, Rocky interrupted his son, pointed at Lazerus, and said, "That's none of your business."
When Lazerus countered, Rocky clapped back again.
"You don't work for the company," he said. "If somebody in the company asks that question, we'll answer it. And I think you should get on to the next subject. We're not going to talk about Kyle Beach. We're not going to talk about anything that happened. Now, we're moving on. What more do I have to say. You want to keep asking the same questions?"
Phillip Thompson of the Chicago Tribune then followed up with a similar question. Thompson noted that after the investigation, the team vowed to change its culture and values to protect players in the future, but before he could even complete his question, Rocky interrupted.
The two then engaged in a rather heated discussion.
"I told you, we're moving on," Rocky said. "I think you're out of line to ask this line of questioning. Why don't you ask about something else?"
An independent investigation conducted by law firm Jenner & Block determined that senior leaders, at minimum, knew about allegations of sexual misconduct against Aldrich, did not act immediately, and later allowed him to resign without an investigation.
The Arizona Coyotes' continued rebuild could benefit cap-strapped contenders ahead of the trade deadline.
"The Coyotes have let it be known that they're willing to take on contracts or money in exchange for future assets, just as we saw them do with a few transactions over the summer," TSN's Chris Johnston reported on Tuesday's "Insider Trading."
In Arizona's first offseason under general manager Bill Armstrong, the club took on a bevy of undesirable contracts. The Coyotes traded for Andrew Ladd, Shayne Gostisbehere, Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle, Loui Eriksson, and Anton Stralman without giving much of anything. Instead, Arizona acquired several draft picks and prospects in exchange for taking these unwanted contracts.
Johnston also noted that the length of the contract and the type of player the Yotes are receiving would play a factor in these negotiations. Ladd and Gostisbehere are the only two aforementioned players signed beyond this season, and both their contracts expire after 2022-23.
Arizona currently has $7 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly.
McNabb has been with the Golden Knights since Day 1. The club selected him from the Buffalo Sabres in the 2017 expansion draft, and he's been a stalwart on Vegas' blue line ever since.
The 31-year-old has suited up in 314 games for the Golden Knights - the second-most in franchise history. The squad doesn't count on McNabb for offense, but the 6-foot-4 rearguard is a physical defensive presence on the back end. Through five seasons in Vegas, he's tallied 57 points, 824 hits, and 634 blocked shots while averaging 19:44 per contest.
The Knights also signed forward Michael Amadio to a two-year extension with an AAV of $762,500 and goaltender Logan Thompson to a three-year extension with an AAV of $766,667.
Vegas claimed Amadio off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this campaign. The 25-year-old's produced four goals and three assists over 25 games with the Knights in a fourth-line role.
Thompson, 24, has posted a .928 save percentage and a 2.62 goals against average in 21 contests with the AHL's Henderson Silver Knights this season. He's only appeared in two career NHL games.
