The Toronto Maple Leafs played their season opener Wednesday night with one key piece missing from the lineup: William Nylander.

The forward remains in Sweden, without a contract, as he and the Maple Leafs continue to try to work out a deal that pleases both sides.

"In the end I have to take care of myself and do what I and my agent thinks is right," he told Swedish outlet Aftonbladet, as translated by Sportsnet. "Especially if it's about several years to come. I need to think long term. It's my own future it's about."

By dragging the holdout into the regular season, Nylander is now forfeiting more than $30,000 in pay each day he remains unsigned, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

Nylander has said he's seeking a long-term contract rather than a bridge deal.

While Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas has gone on record to say he also prefers Nylander sign a long-term deal, the team insists all of its top players take less money to keep the squad together under the salary cap, just as John Tavares did this summer, taking $11 million per year when he likely could've received more elsewhere.

Related: Dubas confirms Maple Leafs don't want to trade Nylander

"It wasn't (Tavares') responsibility to set a new bar or to please other people with other interests," team president Brendan Shanahan said Wednesday. "He's a hockey player. He wanted to come here and win hockey games. He wanted to be treated fairly and he is. And yes, that is what is we would hope and expect from our players as we go forward."

Nylander said he's been left in the dark during most of the negotiations.

"Right now, I do not know more than all the rest of you," Nylander told Aftonbladet. "I have not received any messages and have no contact with Toronto. It’s my agent who takes care of everything."

Johnston notes that Nylander's eventual long-term contract is expected to compare similarly to Nikolaj Ehlers' seven-year, $6-million AAV with the Jets, and David Pastrnak's six-year, $6.67-million AAV with the Bruins.

Related - Dubas: 'We can, and we will' retain Matthews, Marner, Nylander

Nylander has been working out and skating regularly in Sweden, but a return date to Toronto - where a spot on the team's top line with Matthews and Patrick Marleau is being kept warm by Tyler Ennis - still remains unclear.

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The New York Islanders have found their successor to John Tavares, naming Anders Lee the team's captain on Thursday.

Lee is coming off a career year, scoring 40 goals during the 2017-18 season.

The 28-year-old is no stranger to wearing the "C," as he was the captain during his junior year at Notre Dame.

Josh Bailey, Cal Clutterbuck, and Andrew Ladd will serve as the team's alternate captains.

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The Carolina Hurricanes own the NHL's longest active playoff drought at nine years, and for many of those seasons, goaltending was at the root of their issues.

For his part, general manager Don Waddell believes some improvement between the pipes would be enough to finally crack the postseason.

"I think the biggest thing, and I hate to put on too much pressure, but if our goaltending can be average or above I think that’ll give us a really good chance of making the playoffs," Waddell said in a Q&A with The Athletic's Sara Civian.

The Hurricanes ranked last overall with an .893 save percentage last season despite allowing the fewest shots in the entire league. They haven't ranked better than 26th in save percentage since 2013-14.

Scott Darling was acquired prior to last season after three strong campaigns as Corey Crawford's backup in Chicago, but struggled to the tune of an .888 save percentage and a 3.18 goals-against average.

Coincidentally, longtime Hurricanes netminder Cam Ward left Carolina as a free agent this summer, inking a one-year deal with the Blackhawks to serve as Crawford's No. 2.

That prompted Waddell to survey the goaltending market, where he had an interesting discussion with free-agent netminder Petr Mrazek.

"The first day we could talk to free agents I called him (Mrazek) and we talked for about half an hour. He said 'Don, I know things didn’t go well for me last year. I want a chance to prove to be a number-one guy. I want just a one-year contract, $1.5 million,'" Waddell recalled. "He could’ve been like the rest of those guys asking for two-to-three million for two or three years, but he was more worried about the opportunity to prove himself than he was the money."

Mrazek is coming off a disappointing campaign in which he was non-tendered by the Flyers after posting a .902 save percentage and a 3.03 goals-against average in 39 games split between Philadelphia and Detroit.

He isn't a stranger to NHL success, though. In the first 94 games of his career Mrazek looked like one the league's up-and-coming young goaltenders, recording a .920 save percentage, a 2.29 goals-against average, and nine shutouts with the Red Wings. The 26-year-old hasn't been able to regain that form since, but will get an extended chance to grab a hold of the No. 1 job in Carolina with Darling out for two weeks to begin the season.

Mrazek's first test will come Thursday night at home against the New York Islanders as the Hurricanes begin their quest to end their postseason drought.

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After he was hammered with a 20-game suspension Wednesday, more than a few teammates came to the defense of Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson.

Among the most vocal was fellow winger Devante Smith-Pelly, who told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, "Honestly, I think it's garbage. We watched a video from the league saying what hits are good, and which ones aren't. They showed some hits that were way worse than that ... maybe not in force, but as it regards to the head, that were so-called 'allowed.' I guess he just has a different rule book, and I think it's garbage, honestly.

"You can't just (suspend) because it's him. We all feel he went through the shoulder. The guy has a separated shoulder. Just because it's him, you don't have to make a statement."

Wilson was issued the ban following a head hit to St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist during preseason action. The suspension also comes on the heels of his three-game ban as a result of head hit in last year's playoffs.

A decision has yet to be made on whether Wilson will appeal the suspension.

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Warning: Story contains coarse language

Brad Marchand certainly has a way with words.

Following a 7-0 blowout loss to the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals, the Boston Bruins agitator summed up his feelings with some colorful language.

"It's fucking one game," Marchand told Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. "It's nothing. We'll let it go and worry about tomorrow tomorrow."

In the team's season opener, the Bruins found themselves in an early hole after netminder Tuukka Rask allowed five goals before the midway point of the second period.

While the Bruins were shutout, Marchand wasn't entirely held off the scoresheet, as he ended the night with an instigator penalty and a game misconduct after fighting the Capitals' Lars Eller.

Eller picked up the seventh tally for the Capitals but his reaction following the goal didn't sit well with Marchand.

"His celebration was unnecessary," Marchand told Whyno. "He took an angle in front of our bench and celebrated in a 7-0 game. So I just let him know."

The Bruins will have little time to dwell on the defeat as the squad is back in action Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres.

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Erik Karlsson confirmed that he received a contract offer from the Ottawa Senators before being traded to the San Jose Sharks, but feels he would have been dealt even if he'd accepted Ottawa's proposal.

The defenseman expressed that sentiment in an interview with Sportsnet's Christine Simpson Wednesday, telling her that negotiations with the Senators didn't progress to the final stages.

"I don't think it ever got to the point where I had an option to sign anything," Karlsson said. "It never even got close to that, and even if I would have signed, they probably would have traded me anyways, and I would have been somewhere else."

Karlsson also revealed that, for all intents and purposes, his fate was initially sealed last winter.

"They had me traded in February already at the (trade) deadline," he said. "We were told we were pretty much gone, and that was very tough to hear."

The superstar blue-liner said it was Senators general manager Pierre Dorion who informed Karlsson that a trade was imminent as training camp was on the verge of opening.

"(He) called me in the morning and told me not to come into camp (on) the first day, and that's when I probably realized that it was going to go down pretty quickly."

Karlsson was traded to the Sharks on Sept. 13 along with forward Francis Perron for forward Chris Tierney, defenseman Dylan DeMelo, prospects Rudolfs Balcers and Josh Norris, a pair of draft picks, and another conditional pick if Karlsson re-signs with the Sharks.

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The Carolina Hurricanes' push to host an outdoor game is moving in the right direction.

Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon revealed as much to the Raleigh News & Observer's Luke DeCock on Wednesday. He said the NHL's events team visited Carter-Finley Stadium, home of the NC State Wolfpack, in September.

Dundon called the league's evaluation of the site "progress," while conceding that the potential open-air affair won't have the fanfare or branding of a Winter Classic game. Instead, it will be a team-organized event done with NHL approval.

“Traditionally, the Winter Classic is more for a national audience," Dundon said. "We’re not ready for that. We haven’t earned it.”

He didn't seem too concerned about not having the branding.

"The NHL is excited and we’re excited and then we’re not dealing with national perception," Dundon said. "Because we’re not doing it for them. We’re doing it for us and our fans.”

An NC State spokesperson told DeCock that the university and athletic department support the idea and would be willing to cooperate with the league and the Hurricanes.

Back in January, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said an outdoor game at Carter-Finley was "not out of the question."

The football facility, which has a capacity of over 57,000, is directly across the street from PNC Arena, home of the Hurricanes.

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Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson has been suspended 20 games for his hit on St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist, the department of player safety announced on Wednesday.

This marks Wilson's fourth suspension over his last 105 games, including preseason and postseason contests.

Wilson, who signed a six-year, $31-million contract with the Capitals this offseason, will forfeit $1.26 million during his suspension.

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