Brad Marchand will become the eighth Bruin to appear in 1,000 games with the franchise when Boston takes on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, but the captain is more focused on the future than the milestone.

"Feeling very grateful to have experienced all the things that I have and to be a part of so many great teams and be part of the best organization in the world," he said Monday, according to NHL.com's Eric Russo. "The more I think about it, I do know how extremely grateful and fortunate I've been. But at the same time, I still try to not get caught up in it because I feel like I have a lot of time left, still have so many big dreams and goals.

"I still feel like a kid a lot of times, so many things that I want to accomplish with this group and this team. You don't ever want it to end."

One of those dreams is to make the Hall of Fame.

The Bruins selected Marchand in the third round of the 2006 NHL Draft. He's added his name into the organization's record books through 999 games, ranking fifth all-time in goals (397) and points (910) as well as first in shorthanded goals (35). Boston won the Stanley Cup during his first full NHL season in 2010-11, and Marchand currently boasts the second-most postseason goals (53) and points (128) in franchise history.

Bruins head coach John Montgomery said he feels Marchand is worthy of a call to the Hall, and the winger is ready to put in the work.

"Is it achievable? I don't know," Marchand said. "I see the amount of time I feel like I can still play. I don't know what it takes to get there, but I'm going to play every single day and come to the rink every day and try to get better and try to play as long as I can. If it happens, it happens."

Boston will honor Marchand for reaching the 1,000-game milestone in a pregame ceremony on Feb. 19.

"It is special to look back and see how far (I've) come, but hopefully it's just a building block to many more," he said.

The Bruins' 32-11-9 record is the second-best in the league, but they will be looking to rebound from Saturday's listless 3-0 loss to the Washington Capitals when they take on the Lightning.

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Ottawa Senators winger Vladimir Tarasenko isn't ruling anything out when it comes to his future, with the March 8 trade deadline quickly approaching.

"When the talks start, of course we're gonna look at all options," he said Monday, according to Sportsnet. "You guys (the media) like to find something, but there is nothing. Nothing I can give you now. I'm just focused on the game tomorrow, we had a good game last game. It's exciting ... just enjoy the moment."

Tarasenko signed a one-year, $5-million deal with the Senators as an unrestricted free agent in July. He's been a solid fit in Canada's capital city, ranking fourth on the team with 14 goals and fifth with 34 points in 46 games.

With Ottawa facing a steep climb to enter the playoff picture, Tarasenko has heard his name crop up in trade rumors, but he's doing his best to tune out the outside noise.

"I think the biggest part is don't read the experts online, you know?" he said. "I don't go online. I don't really read hockey news. There's many people, there's many opinions. I know a lot of guys like to read it, and they just take it very close to themselves, but I think you have to be focused on yourself mostly and do whatever you can do in your situation, and the rest will take care of itself."

Thanks to his no-trade clause, Tarasenko can decide whether he moves or not, but he made it clear he likes playing in Ottawa.

"A good group of guys," he said. "I enjoy the guys a lot. They're very fun. I think it's a very tight group. I always thought it's not about the place, it's more about the people surrounding you. ... A lot of people willing to help, a lot of people offer help, guys help a lot. Yeah, I'm enjoying it."

The 32-year-old was traded from the St. Louis Blues to the New York Rangers last February. Tarasenko has switched agents twice in the last seven months, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

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Next season's edition of the Battle of Ontario is going to be spicy.

The hockey world has been rife with debate surrounding Ottawa Senators rookie Ridly Greig's empty-net slap shot and Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly's controversial response. Ryan Reaves gave his two cents on the hot-button topic Monday, throwing his support behind his teammate.

"If you rewind to when I came into the league, (Greig is) probably still laying on the ice," the Leafs enforcer said, per The Athletic's Chris Johnston. "I thought (Rielly's response) was appropriate. I don't see how a kid that young thinks it's appropriate to do something like that."

"Make hockey violent again," he added, per Sportsnet. "Get that tattooed on me."

The incident occurred in the dying seconds of the Maple Leafs' 5-3 loss to the Senators on Saturday. Right after pummelling the puck to ice Ottawa's victory, Greig took a cross-check to the head courtesy of an irate Rielly.

"I mean, guy takes a clapper into our net, you gonna go play patty cake with him?" Reaves said. "Like, no, there's got to be a message sent, and I don't think a push is a message, to be honest with you."

Rielly is scheduled to have an in-person hearing for his actions, meaning he could be facing a suspension greater than five games. The meeting is set for Tuesday afternoon.

Greig participated in Monday's practice and declined to speak to the media about the incident.

Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said he was somewhat surprised that Rielly was summoned for an in-person hearing.

"I think there's a history of events that happen in Toronto and with the Leafs that get more attention and more hype that tend to lead to something such as this," he said, per Johnston.

Reaves said he thought Rielly would get a fine or one-game ban at most.

"The kid got up after he saw nobody was on top of him anymore, completely fine, and I think that's got to be taken into account, too," he said.

"These young kids these days, they're playing a different brand of hockey than I'm used to," he added. "The code's changed a little bit, the game's changed a lot. It's unfortunate that a young kid like that can get away with something like that, and one of our best players is going to get suspended for it."

Rielly ranks fourth on Toronto with 43 points (seven goals, 36 assists) in 50 games while averaging a team-leading 24:21 minutes of ice time per contest. He's never been suspended in his 11-year career.

Reaves, meanwhile, is a familiar face to the NHL Department of Player Safety.

The 37-year-old has been suspended three times: He got three games for kneeing in 2016, one game for a check to the head during the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and two games for roughing and unsportsmanlike conduct in the 2021 postseason.

The Leafs currently occupy the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with a 26-16-8 record.

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Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jordan Harris won't return to Sunday's contest against the St. Louis Blues after taking a high hit from forward Sammy Blais.

The scary incident occurred in the first period. Blais made contact with Harris along the boards behind Montreal's net as the rearguard was already falling. Harris struggled to get to his feet and had to be helped off the ice. The Canadiens later ruled him out with an upper-body injury.

Blais was handed a five-minute major and game misconduct for boarding.

Harris logged just under two minutes of ice time before exiting the matchup.

The 23-year-old has registered one goal and six points in 31 games this season.

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Vancouver Canucks defenseman Nikita Zadorov received a match penalty for hitting Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond's head during Saturday's contest.

The collision occurred early in the second period. Raymond remained down for a few moments but managed to skate off the ice under his own power. He returned to the contest before the end of the frame.

Raymond opened the scoring 45 seconds into the contest. He entered Saturday's clash ranked third on the Red Wings with 41 points in 50 games.

Zadorov logged one shot on goal in 6:38 of ice time before being tossed from the matchup.

The 28-year-old had a disciplinary hearing during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs for hitting the head of then-Dallas Stars forward Luke Glendening. The league ultimately didn't suspend Zadorov after determining that contact to the head was unavoidable.

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Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour expects goaltender Antti Raanta to be out "at least a couple of weeks" with a lower-body injury, per team beat reporter Walt Ruff.

Raanta entered Thursday's 5-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in relief of Pyotr Kochetkov, who surrendered two goals in the final minute of the opening frame. Raanta played the entire second period and turned aside all nine shots he faced, but Kochetkov replaced him for the final stanza.

The 34-year-old has had a difficult season, owning an .872 save percentage and 2.99 goals against average across 24 appearances while ranking among the league's worst netminders in goals saved above average (minus-15.31) and goals saved above expected (minus-7.64) at all strengths, according to Evolving-Hockey. The Hurricanes also waived Raanta in December, but he went unclaimed.

Despite Raanta's struggles, he's been Carolina's second-most utilized goalie this season, appearing in one less game and three fewer starts than Kochetkov. Frederik Andersen has been out since early November due to a blood clotting issue, but he was cleared to resume on-ice activity in late January.

Carolina scooped Spencer Martin off waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets in January, and he's since made one start for his new team, a 26-save effort in a 3-2 win against the Boston Bruins.

The NHL's trade deadline is March 8. The Hurricanes currently have just under $6.7 million in projected deadline cap space, per CapFriendly.

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John Tortorella may not be the general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, but that didn't stop the head coach from dishing out his two cents on the upcoming trade deadline.

"When it comes to the deadline, we're going to listen," he said, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jordan Hall. "If we feel it's the right thing to do for the future of the organization, we'll do it.

"Those guys on expiring contracts, everybody's always kind of checking around, so we'll see where it goes. We're not out there shopping Sean Walker, but we'd be dopes if we didn't listen."

The Flyers have been one of the league's biggest surprises of the season, surpassing all expectations by being a fixture in the Eastern Conference's playoff picture.

Walker, a pending unrestricted free-agent defenseman, has been a major part of the Flyers' success during his breakthrough first season in the City of Brotherly Love.

A right-handed shot who can play both sides, Walker ranks second among all Flyers defensemen this campaign with five goals and 19 points in 52 games while averaging 19:31 minutes of ice time per contest. His underlying numbers have been solid, too, with Philadelphia controlling 52.8% of the shot attempts and 53.3% of the expected goals while outscoring opponents 44-35 with Walker on the ice at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.

Combine his performance with his modest $2.65-million cap hit, and the Flyers could have a hot commodity on their hands come March 8.

"It's probably one of the best problems to have, right?" Walker said. "At the end of the day, you're playing really well and teams want you. That is the situation when you come to a place on an expiring contract, the situation I'm in.

"I'll let my agent deal with all those kind of issues and I'll just take it day by day for now. ... I take everything with a grain of salt."

The Flyers' acquisition of 21-year-old Jamie Drysdale as part of January's shocking Cutter Gauthier trade has crowded their blue line. Walker is one of three Philadelphia rearguards on an expiring deal, alongside Nick Seeler and Marc Staal.

During his midseason address, general manager Danny Briere said he was pleased to see growth from his team but noted that he wouldn't be entering "buyer mode" come deadline time.

"We've said for the beginning that we want to build a team that will become a Stanley Cup contender for years to come. ... The eye is still on the future," the executive said, per NHL.com.

Heading into Saturday's action, Philadelphia was in third place in the Metropolitan Division with a 27-19-6 record, nine points behind the New York Rangers for the top spot.

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Come on, of course Connor Bedard is still in the mix for the Calder Trophy. What, like a little jaw surgery was going to knock him out of the race?

With that being said, there is a new No. 1 on our rankings.

Let's get into it.

5. Samuel Ersson, Flyers

Ersson's arrival on these rankings is the culmination of a few factors.

For one, Adam Fantilli was more or less eliminated from the running thanks to a lacerated calf. Secondly, Ersson's arguably going to have the most on his plate out of all rookie netminders: Joseph Woll is still out with an ankle sprain, while Pyotr Kochetkov has been injured and will likely have less playing time following Frederik Andersen's eventual return for the Hurricanes. Ersson, meanwhile, is currently the No. 1 guy in Philadelphia. The Flyers are in the heat of the playoff race, and a lot of their hopes are now riding on the 24-year-old's shoulders.

No, not all of Ersson's numbers are outstanding and he's lost his last four starts, but he still leads all first-year goaltenders in both wins and shutouts while ranking second in goals above replacement (6.7) and tying Woll in wins above replacement (1.1). Prior to his latest skid, Ersson's 2.26 goals against average ranked sixth among all goalies - not just rookies - to play in at least 10 games.

If the Swede can stay healthy and bounce back after the All-Star break, there's a big chance he can muscle his way into the Calder Trophy conversation down the stretch. Right now, though, Ersson's status as a finalist is in "wait and see" mode.

4. Marco Rossi, Wild

Rossi has been one of the league's most underrated rookies this season, but he's still out here doing his thing. The Wild forward ranks second among all first-year players in goals and third in points, and he owns the fifth-highest point-per-game rate (0.57) out of all rookies to appear in at least 10 games this season.

The 22-year-old's 25 points at even strength are tied with Bedard for the most in the class and with Joel Eriksson Ek for the most on the Wild. Minnesota hasn't been the league's most dominant team at even strength, but Rossi has been key to his team's production in those situations. He's second on the Wild in points per 60 (2.17) and third in goals per 60 (0.99) at five-on-five.

In addition, Rossi has gotten more ice time since his last appearance on these rankings in December. Then, he was eating up just over 16 minutes per game, but he's now pushed that number to a tad under 18 minutes.

Rossi's individual underlying numbers are also some of the best on the team. Out of all Wild skaters with at least 200 minutes of ice time at five-on-five, he places fourth in shot attempts for (51.8%), second in goals for (58.8%), and sixth in shots for (50.1%).

3. Luke Hughes, Devils

Though the Calder Trophy pursuit is more or less a two-horse race by this point, we'd be surprised if Hughes isn't named a finalist come springtime.

He may no longer lead all rookie blue-liners in points after putting up just five in 12 games in January, but he's still on pace for a respectable 45 points. He also still tops all first-year defensemen in goals and goals per game played (0.17), all while putting up the second most shots (67).

The 20-year-old has shouldered a fairly large role in New Jersey all season, and his workload has only increased with Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler on the sidelines. The Devils have been without both members of their usual top pair since Jan. 6, when Siegenthaler went down with a broken foot. Hughes has averaged a team-leading 23:05 minutes of ice time in his last nine games, and New Jersey has controlled 53.1% of the shot attempts and 51.8% of the expected goals with him on the ice at five-on-five over that span.

New Jersey's sputtering power play lacks some serious personnel, which is likely hurting Hughes' offense. Since missing both Hamilton and injured superstar forward Jack Hughes, the Devils' power play has been operating at an awful 8.7% success rate in its last 10 games. Despite the lull, Hughes still leads the class with 12 points on the man advantage.

2. Connor Bedard, Blackhawks

A Bedard-less edition of these rankings just didn't feel right. His Calder Trophy case isn't as airtight as it was before, but there's no doubt the 2023 first overall pick is still a front-runner.

In case you somehow haven't heard, Bedard hasn't played since early January after suffering a fractured jaw. Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson told reporters on Jan. 22 that Bedard is expected to miss at least six more weeks, meaning the phenom might not be able to return to the lineup until early March. The most games a rookie has ever missed in a Calder-winning season is 17 (Russ Blinco in 1933-34 and Steve Vickers in 1972-73); Bedard will likely miss more than that. Connor McDavid didn't take home the hardware after being sidelined for over half of his rookie season, though he was named a finalist.

Working in Bedard's favor is the fact that he's an absolute alien. Despite missing the Blackhawks' last 12 games, he still leads his team in points while tying Jason Dickinson for most goals. He holds a four-point and two-goal edge in the rookie scoring race. No one has caught up to him yet, and that's just madness.

However, it's not like the other rookies have been sitting on their hands waiting for Bedard's return. The 18-year-old will need to hit the ground running whenever he returns to reclaim his stranglehold on the Calder Trophy.

1. Brock Faber, Wild

We've been beating the Faber drum for the last couple of months, so it should come as no surprise that he's taken the top spot from Bedard for now.

Faber is now second in the rookie scoring race, and his 13 points in 12 games since Bedard went down are the most among all first-year players. That stretch included two straight multi-point games, meaning Faber has recorded at least two points in six contests this campaign - the most among rookie rearguards.

The Wild are in the throes of a tough season and might miss the playoffs, but it's far from Faber's fault. Minnesota has heaped a ton of responsibility on his plate, and he's handled it more often than not. Faber has over 1,200 minutes of ice time this season, a whopping 200 minutes more than Eriksson Ek, the Wild's second-busiest player. Despite the 21-year-old's heavy workload against the league's top talent, Minnesota has outscored the opposition 42-38 with him on the ice at five-on-five.

Thanks to Faber's recent offensive push, he's on pace for around 48 points. If he can push that number to 50, he'd become the fourth rookie blue-liner to hit the mark since 1992-93, joining Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, and Moritz Seider. Makar and Seider both won the Calder Trophy for their efforts. If Faber keeps up the pace, he'll be doing more than just keeping Bedard's spot warm on these rankings. He could realistically challenge the favorite for the hardware.

Keep an eye on:

• Leo Carlsson, Ducks
• Logan Cooley, Coyotes
• Simon Nemec, Devils
• Dmitri Voronkov, Blue Jackets
• Connor Zary, Flames

(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick, Evolving Hockey)

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Auston Matthews regaled the home crowd Saturday with two goals and four points to earn the 2024 All-Star Game MVP.

After registering just one assist against Team Hughes, the Toronto Maple Leafs captain helped Team Matthews beat back Team McDavid in the final with a dazzling two-goal, three-point performance. His second tally of the contest stood as the game-winner.

The sniper's victory marks the second year in a row where a player representing the host city won MVP. Matthew Tkachuk earned the title in 2023 when the Florida Panthers hosted the festivities.

"I've been lucky to play a couple of these, but never won, so this one feels good to get here in the hometown," Matthews said, per Sportsnet. "The fans (have been) great all weekend, just a great atmosphere."

"Couldn't have written it up any better than this," he added.

Matthews leads the league with 40 goals in 46 games. He won back-to-back Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophies in 2021 and 2022.

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The NHL's bid to make the 2024 All-Star Skills Competition more fun to watch arguably paid off Friday night thanks in part to Connor McDavid's theatrics (though we sorely missed another chaotic appearance from Michael Buble).

The Oilers captain took home the $1-million cash prize after amassing the most points in the revamped, winner-takes-all competition.

Here's how the final standings shook out:

The league previously consulted McDavid for tips on how to improve the Skills Competition, and it ended up working out quite well for the superstar. He stole the show by winning four events: Fastest Skater, Stick Handling, Accuracy Shooting, and the final Obstacle Course.

McDavid will hit the ice again during Saturday's All-Star Game.

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