Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin insisted Thursday there's no credence to the rumors suggesting forward Jonathan Drouin could be traded.

"I don't know where they come from," Bergevin told the media on Thursday, as relayed by TSN. "Most of those reports are from somebody's basement in Toronto, so I don't pay attention to that, to be honest with you."

Bergevin's comments came after an Eastern Conference executive reportedly texted Sportsnet's Eric Engels on Wednesday to say Drouin's name was "definitely out there."

The 24-year-old Drouin has produced just one assist in three preseason contests so far while seeing limited ice time - something that has also fueled trade rumors.

"He had some good moments, but overall, we need more," Bergevin added. "He's a skill player. He has talent, he has a lot of attributes and I know last year he had a tough finish. He had a good summer. Training camp is training camp."

Drouin tallied 53 points in 81 games last season, but he recorded just four goals and 16 points over his final 30 contests.

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The NHL has partnered with athlete marketing platform Opendorse, the league announced Thursday. The partnership is said to be an effort to build and promote player brands and increase fan engagement through social channels.

Participating clubs and the league itself will use the platform to help players share highlights, in-game images, and other media to their personal social media platforms.

"As players, we create so many moments on the ice, but rarely have access to it after the fact," Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang said. "With Opendorse, I get back to the dressing room after a win, and boom - there's a post ready to share with fans. It sounds simple, but this partnership is a big win for us as players and for the game itself."

The New Jersey Devils were the first NHL club to partner with the marketing platform in 2017-18. They led all teams in total player engagement and engagement rate that season and also ranked second in player follower growth, having added more than 130,000 followers during that time.

Teams around the league have hosted "social media nights," but the NHL has been criticized in the past for failing to connect its players with the fans on the same level as other leagues like the NBA and NFL.

"We owe it to our players and the fans to make their moments more accessible beyond the broadcast and the in-arena experience," NHL chief marketing officer Heidi Browning said. "Our players have some of the most passionate, engaged fans in all of sports, and we believe we can help them continue to build and capitalize on that connection on social media."

Opendorse is currently used by more than 9,000 athletes around the world.

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Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin's name is apparently circulating in trade rumors.

"His name is definitely out there," one Eastern Conference executive texted Sportsnet's Eric Engels.

Drouin logged a team-low 11:57 of ice time with a roster full of AHL players in the team's 3-0 defeat to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday. He has one assist through three preseason contests.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported earlier this week that the Habs are interested in moving a forward.

Drouin recorded just four goals and 16 points over his final 30 games in 2018-19, and the Canadiens missed the playoffs by two points.

The 24-year-old was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning in June 2017. He has four years remaining on his current deal, which is worth an average annual value of $5.5 million.

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Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said he was not aware of the disorderly conduct charge against forward Auston Matthews until Tuesday.

"I just found out yesterday," Babcock said on Wednesday, according to TSN.

"You're always disappointed. I mean, as the Toronto Maple Leafs we really pride ourselves in doing things right both on the ice and off the ice and treating people (well), so it's an unfortunate situation."

Matthews is a strong candidate to be named the team's next captain. When asked if the incident will impact his ability to be a leader for the team, Babcock said "I don't think so at all."

The charge against Matthews stems from an incident that took place on May 26 in his hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona.

The complainant, a security guard at a Scottsdale condo complex, stated that Matthews and a group of males tried to open her vehicle at 2 a.m as she sat inside doing paperwork.

According to the report, Matthews dropped his pants, bent over, and grabbed his buttocks as he walked away. The complainant said he seemed to keep his underwear on.

The 22-year-old Matthews expressed regret in a statement following the team's skate on Wednesday.

Despite his disappointment, Babcock knows it's his responsibility to support his players as best he can.

"I went to him this morning and this is what I said: 'Are you okay?'

"That's what the coach is here for. I'm here for our players and I'm here to help them become better men and better people and better players."

Matthews is slated to play in the Leafs' preseason contest on Wednesday night against the Montreal Canadiens.

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Hockey Hall of Famer Cammi Granato is the first female pro scout in NHL history after Seattle's franchise hired her as part of its first group of scouts.

The club also announced the hiring of Ulf Samuelsson, Stu Barnes, Dave Hunter, and John Goodwin to round out the staff.

"I've had other NHL opportunities to get back into hockey," Granato said, according to NHL.com's Bob Condor. "Seattle is the right fit for me and an exciting organization to join. It lined up as the perfect opportunity."

Granato was a star talent in her playing days with the women's United States hockey program. She captained the Americans to a gold medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and a silver at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City.

"For me as a player, I recognized hockey IQ when I would give up the puck to a teammate and it didn't go into a sort of black hole," Granato said. "That high-IQ player would make the right decisions with the puck. They know what to do with the puck and without it. They anticipate plays to be made and see peripherally."

Granato and Canadian Angela James became the first females to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November 2010.

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews made a statement Wednesday regarding the disorderly conduct charge filed against him.

"I regret any of my actions that would ever put a distraction on the team or distress any individual," Matthews said. "I take a lot of pride in preparing myself for the season and representing the Toronto Maple Leafs as well as I can."

Matthews didn't take any questions due to the ongoing investigation.

The charge against Matthews stems from a May 26 incident in his hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona.

The complainant, a security guard at a Scottsdale condo complex, stated that Matthews and a group of males tried to open her vehicle at 2 a.m as she sat inside doing paperwork.

According to the report, Matthews dropped his pants, bent over, and grabbed his buttocks as he walked away. The complainant said he seemed to keep his underwear on.

Matthews wasn't arrested. He has a pretrial conference Wednesday morning but isn't required to appear in court.

The Maple Leafs begin their season Oct. 2 and have been widely expected to name Matthews as their next captain.

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The Calgary Flames have inked restricted free-agent forward Matthew Tkachuk to a three-year deal worth an average annual value of $7 million, the team announced Wednesday.

The contract gives Tkachuk the largest annual cap hit on the team. He will be a restricted free agent when it expires.

The 21-year-old will make $9 million in the third season of the contract, according to TSN's Darren Dreger. That ensures he'll receive a qualifying offer of at least that amount for a potential fourth year, should the sides fail to agree to a new deal before that time.

Tkachuk had a breakout campaign in his third NHL season in 2018-19. The Scottsdale, Arizona, native tallied career bests with 34 goals and 43 assists for 77 points. He also ranked third on the Flames with 104 hits.

The Flames now have key core pieces Tkachuk, Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm, Mark Giordano, and Noah Hanifin signed through the 2021-22 campaign.

Tkachuk is the fifth high-profile player from this summer's restricted free-agent class to sign a bridge deal with their respective club. Most recently, Brayden Point inked a three-year contract with an average annual value of $6.75 million with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Calgary now sits $658,000 above the cap with a full active roster, which means the team will need to shuffle some pieces around to become compliant before the start of the regular season, according to CapFriendly.

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The St. Louis Blues have acquired defenseman Justin Faulk from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for rearguard Joel Edmundson, forward prospect Dominik Bokk, and a seventh-round pick at the 2021 NHL Draft, the Blues announced Tuesday.

St. Louis also acquired a fifth-round pick in 2020 in the deal.

The Blues signed Faulk, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, to a seven-year, $45.5-million extension after the trade.

Faulk was reportedly involved in a potential trade with the Anaheim Ducks earlier in September, but the sides couldn't come to an agreement on a contract extension.

The 27-year-old is a valuable right-shot defenseman with plenty of offensive upside. He's hit the 30-point mark in six straight seasons and ranks seventh among all blue-liners with 67 goals since the start of 2014-15.

Faulk recorded 11 goals and 35 points in 82 games for the Hurricanes in 2018-19 and added one goal and eight points in 15 playoff contests.

The 26-year-old Edmundson played an important role in helping the Blues capture their first-ever Stanley Cup in June. The 6-foot-4 rearguard contributed 11 points in 64 regular-season contests and recorded one goal and seven points through 22 postseason games.

Edmundson was awarded a one-year, $3.1-million contract with the Blues by an independent arbitrator Aug. 6. He's set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Bokk was selected by the Blues with the No. 25 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old has played the past two seasons in the Swedish Hockey League.

Both the Blues and Hurricanes are currently above the cap and will need to shuffle some roster pieces to become compliant by the start of the regular season, according to CapFriendly.

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The Montreal Canadiens are interested in shopping a forward, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest edition of 31 Thoughts.

The Canadiens training camp has been very competitive, with offensive prospects Nick Suzuki and Ryan Poehling showing serious NHL potential.

Six Montreal forwards are playing on an expiring contract this season. Max Domi, Nick Cousins, and Charles Hudon are set to become restricted free agents next summer, and Dale Weise, Matthew Peca, and Nate Thompson will be unrestricted free agents.

General manager Marc Bergevin said he made an offer to Jake Gardiner before the defenseman signed with the Carolina Hurricanes. The club has also reportedly been linked to Dallas Stars blue-liner Julius Honka in trade talks.

The Canadiens hold $4.04 million in projected cap space, but they're two players over the 23-man active roster limit and need to make a pair of transactions before the regular season begins to become compliant, according to CapFriendly.

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Restricted free-agent forward Brayden Point could have a new contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning sooner rather than later.

The two sides have apparently made serious progress and are getting closer to a deal, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun. It's believed an agreement, if one comes to fruition, would be for a three-year bridge contract, LeBrun adds.

Reports earlier this month suggested that Point and the Lightning remained far apart in negotiations, but with training camp in full swing and the regular season beginning next week, it seems like significant progress has been made in a short period of time.

Several other highly-prized restricted free agents inked bridge deals with their respective clubs this summer, including defenseman Zach Werenski with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Charlie McAvoy with the Boston Bruins, and forward Brock Boeser with the Vancouver Canucks.

Point totaled a career-high 41 goals and 92 points in 79 contests in the final year of his entry-level deal in 2018-19 and finished third on the Lightning in scoring.

Tampa Bay holds $8.47 million in projected cap space with Point the only player in need of a new deal for 2019-20, according to CapFriendly.

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