Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Affordable young talent is the lifeblood of a salary-cap league. And ensuring their proper development is critical in converting these assets into NHL talent.

As the season's 10-game mark approaches, so too does a key date for general managers: whether their freshmen talent sticks in the big league or if more seasoning in the minors is required.

Some of those decisions have already been made. The Carolina Hurricanes sent down 2017 first-round pick Martin Necas after one game, and the New York Rangers did the same with Filip Chytil after two contests.

Other rulings will be more of a lay-up. Arizona's Clayton Keller, Philadelphia's Nolan Patrick, and New Jersey's Nico Hischier are going nowhere.

Here is how the remaining big decisions could shake out:

Here to stay

Mathew Barzal, 16th pick in 2015

The New York Islanders made headlines with their recent demotion of forward Josh Ho-Sang, but fans shouldn't expect a similar announcement about Barzal.

After a brief stint with the team last year before being returned to the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds, Barzal appears to be sticking around for good this time. In nine games with the Islanders, Barzal has put together three points and has averaged more than 15 minutes a game in a top-six role.

Pierre-Luc Dubois, 3rd pick in 2016

A surprise pick to stick given his stat line, Dubois was given the good news on Thursday when GM Jarmo Kekalainen informed him he will be spending a little more time with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

That was the lone option for Dubois to play pro this season, as the 19-year-old product of the CHL is not eligible for the minors and could only return to the QMJHL's Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. With the Blue Jackets, Dubois has posted one goal in nine games, while averaging 12:26 in ice time.

Tyson Jost, 10th pick in 2016

Fans of the Colorado Avalanche got an early showing of Jost last season, when the University of North Dakota product played in the final six games of the season, including a game against the Minnesota Wild which saw Jost notch his first NHL goal.

One year later, and through another six games, Jost has picked up two points. An NHL talent who will grow into a bigger role over time, Jost is a key part of the future in Denver, alongside fellow youngsters Mikko Rantanen, Alexander Kerfoot, and 2017 first-rounder Cale Makar.

Luke Kunin, 15th pick in 2016

A late cut in training camp, Kunin got a second audition with the Wild after the team ran into injury concerns earlier this month. So far, he has made the most of it, as he's tallied two assists in four contests.

After netting 38 points in 35 games with the University of Wisconsin last season, Kunin finished the year in the AHL, where he came up with eight points in 12 games. He is already producing as a pro, and his current trial with the Wild should help him secure a full-time roster spot.

See you soon

Gabriel Carlsson, 29th pick in 2015

It's been difficult for the Blue Jackets to get an accurate read on Carlsson, as the young defenseman has been out with an injury for the past five games.

Still, when Carlsson has been in the lineup, he has yet to show his NHL readiness, as he's recorded just one point. Carlsson's ice-time has declined over four contests, falling to less than 10 minutes in his last appearance. The 20-year-old spent last year in Sweden and could benefit from time in the AHL.

Owen Tippett, 10th pick in 2017

Although he was praised by coach Bob Boughner after his NHL debut earlier this month - a contest in which he finished with a team-leading seven shots - Tippett has been a frequent healthy scratch by the Florida Panthers.

That makes him a prime candidate to return to junior, where he can continue to hone his game with the OHL's Mississauga Steelheads. Tippett tallied 44 goals and 31 assists in 60 games in junior last season.

Kailer Yamamoto, 22nd pick in 2017

The Edmonton Oilers face a difficult decision when it comes to the immediate future of Yamamoto.

On a skilled Oilers squad that has struggled to score this season, Yamamoto has been a bright spot, as he helped create three goals through seven games. But banking on the 19-year-old to keep up the offense may be too much too soon. In the meantime, Edmonton has other scoring threats it can turn to while Yamamoto further develops in junior.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton has officially moved into a tie for 20th on the NHL's all-time points list.

The 38-year-old collected his second goal of the season against his former club, the Boston Bruins, to pick up his 1,398th point to bring him level with Edmonton Oilers great Jari Kurri.

Thornton originally looked to have accomplished the feat Monday after recording an assist, but a stat change saw the helper removed to bring him back into 21st.

Thornton needs 11 more points to move up the list again where he will match Dale Hawerchuk and his 1,409 points.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vegas Golden Knights forward Vadim Shipachyov will take reps in the American Hockey League while his future with the club is sorted out.

The 30-year-old will report to the Chicago Wolves while his agent continues to seek a potential trade for his client, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels.

Related: 3 teams that should trade for Shipachyov

On Wednesday Shipachyov and his camp were given permission by the Golden Knights to seek a potential trade. Shipachyov has played just three games with Vegas this season, tallying just one goal while playing under 11 minutes per game.

Shipachyov - who had previously spent the last nine seasons in the KHL - inked a two-year, $9-million contract with the Golden Knights this offseason.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jarome Iginla could still don the red and white one last time.

The unrestricted free agent forward was not named to Canada's roster for the Karjala Cup - a pre-Olympic showcase in Finland next month - but could still represent his home country at the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea, according to Frank Seravalli of TSN.

Seravalli writes:

Iginla, who captured two Olympic gold medals for Team Canada, recently underwent a minor procedure to clean out loose particles in his hip.

It is unclear whether Iginla, now 40, will be invited or has interest in the next step of the evaluation process, which is the Channel One Cup in Moscow from Dec. 12-17.

Team Canada general manager Sean Burke confirmed this past summer that he reached out to Iginla about the possibility of participating if he failed to sign with an NHL club.

The 40-year-old winger recorded 14 goals and 13 assists in 80 games with Colorado and Los Angeles last season.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Current NHL players won't be taking part in February's Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, but that's not stopping a crop of former NHLers from auditioning to make the trip.

On Thursday, Hockey Canada announced its roster for the Karjala Cup, a pre-Olympic tournament that will be used to assess the potential lineup that will represent Canada at the 2018 Games this winter.

Among the 26 names are a group of former NHLers currently plying their trade in pro leagues around the globe, including Wojtek Wolski, Mason Raymond, and Ben Scrivens.

Here's a look at the complete roster for next month's tuneup - one that could end up looking very similar to Team Canada's Olympic roster come February:

The other three nations icing teams in November's pre-Olympic tournament are Switzerland, Sweden, and Finland, with the Swiss and Finns each playing host.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Current NHL players won't be taking part in February's Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, but that's not stopping a crop of former NHLers from auditioning to make the trip.

On Thursday, Hockey Canada announced its roster for the Karjala Cup, a pre-Olympic tournament that will be used to assess the potential lineup that will represent Canada at the 2018 Games this winter.

Among the 26 names are a group of former NHLers currently plying their trade in pro leagues around the globe, including Wojtek Wolski, Mason Raymond, and Ben Scrivens.

Here's a look at the complete roster for next month's tuneup - one that could end up looking very similar to Team Canada's Olympic roster come February:

The other three nations icing teams in November's pre-Olympic tournament are Switzerland, Sweden, and Finland, with the Swiss and Finns each playing host.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The St. Louis Blues have undergone quite an incredible transformation. From 2011 to 2016, they routinely finished near the top of the Western Conference standings, only to fall short in the playoffs. Since that five-year stretch, they have been smacked in the face with adversity, but remain one of the league's best teams.

The Blues (7-2-1) have 15 points, tying them with the Los Angeles Kings for the most in the Western Conference. This comes less than a year after they underwent a coaching change - replacing Ken Hitchcock with Mike Yeo - and were sellers at the deadline, trading Kevin Shattenkirk to the Capitals for draft picks and prospects. And as they moved into the 2017-2018 season, the Blues were dealing with a glut of injuries to various key players.

Alexander Steen missed the first six games of the season, Jay Bouwmeester has yet to play, Patrik Berglund is out until December, and Robby Fabbri is out for the season.

Combine all of this, and the Blues weren't given much of a chance heading into the season, with Bodog giving them 33/1 odds at winning the cup this year. Seventeen teams were given a better chance to win it all.

It's possible the Blues have been playing with a chip on their shoulder because of that disrespect. Nothing ignites a team more than an "us against the world" mentality. However, there's clearly more to it than that.

Since Yeo took over as head coach on Feb. 1, the Blues have put together a regular season record of 29-10-3. Including playoffs, they're 35-15-3 under their new coach. Clearly, getting away from Hitchcock's ultra-defensive system has done wonders for the team. Yeo is getting the most out of his most important players.

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Alex Pietrangelo has always been regarded as one of the league's best defensemen, but he has taken his game to another level since Shattenkirk was sent packing on Feb. 27. In 30 regular-season games since the trade, Pietrangelo has 9 goals and 21 assists. He's producing at an Erik Karlsson-like pace, while remaining an elite defender in his own zone.

The case could be made that Pietrangelo is the very best blue-liner in the world right now, and he is doing so without his longtime trusted D partner, Bouwmeester.

When you have one of, if not the best, defenseman in the league playing nearly half the game each night, it makes your entire team drastically better.

Jaden Schwartz appears to be coming into his own, with seven goals and seven assists in 10 games thus far. Vladimir Tarasenko continues to fill the net with pucks, and offseason acquisition Brayden Schenn is playing at a near point-per-game pace, as is Vladimir Sobotka, who returned to the Blues at the end of last season after a three-year hiatus in the KHL.

All of these players, including Pietrangelo, have one thing in common: all are playing a career-high in average time on the ice. Yeo is trusting in his best players, and they are getting the job done.

However, regular-season success is ordinary for the Blues. They've enjoyed plenty of that. Though, with many new faces on the ice, a new face behind the bench, and a new style of play, this Blues team is certainly different than ones in the past.

Unlike in previous seasons, the expectation isn't "Stanley Cup or bust" for these Blues. Without that burden hanging over their shoulder, maybe this is the year the Blues will reverse their postseason fate.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames made their intention crystal clear over the summer when they dealt three highly valuable draft picks to acquire defenseman Travis Hamonic from the New York Islanders: It's time to win.

Coming off a disheartening first-round sweep at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks, the Flames made it their mission to, first, find a new goalie - which came in the form of a trade for Mike Smith - and second, bolster the depth of a blue line that was already among the league's best.

With a lead pairing of Mark Giordano and Dougie Hamilton, Calgary needed someone to complement talented puck-mover T.J. Brodie, and free him from the shackles of partners that restricted his skill set in the past. Flames brass identified that player as Hamonic, and his move to Alberta rounded out a top four that looked ready to compete with anyone they matched up against.

So, early on, how has Calgary played with Hamonic?

To put it succinctly: not great. A 10-game sample size, especially one that draws from the first 10 games with a new organization in a new conference, doesn't provide a clear enough picture of how things will play out in the long run, but even considering the transition, Hamonic's start to the 2017-18 season has been underwhelming.

(Photo Courtesy: Action Images)

Firstly, the Flames as a whole need to tighten up defensively. They're allowing 34.2 shots against per game (25th) and 60.27 attempts per hour at even strength (23rd).

When digging a little deeper, it's clear the defensive pairing getting hit the hardest is Hamonic's:

(CF%: Corsi-For Percentage, Rel CF%: Corsi-For relative to teammates, xGA: Expected Goals Against. All stats at five-on-five, courtesy Corsica)

The Bartkowski-Stone pairing hasn't been great either, but Brodie and Hamonic have logged nearly 100 more minutes at five-on-five, posing a considerable problem for the Flames each game.

The good news for Calgary, which is 5-5 this season, is that Smith has stood tall amid a massive workload, posting a .928 save percentage through nine starts. And while Hamonic hasn't yet had the effect Calgary imagined, there are 72 games remaining to sort things out.

In saying that, though, the Flames need Hamonic's pairing to sort things out sooner than later, as consistently being outshot always catches up to teams, usually in emphatic fashion.

Calgary's built an offense run on the star power of Johnny Gaudreau, and is getting the goaltending it's sorely missed over the last few years, but it's the newly formed blue line - the area they mortgaged a considerable chunk of their future to upgrade - that, right now, surprisingly stands between the Flames and their goal of taking the next step.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A prominent agent who has a history with Claude Julien is apparently still not a fan of him.

Dan Milstein took a shot at the Montreal Canadiens head coach on Thursday for his handling of the Alex Galchenyuk situation.

Julien demoted the struggling 23-year-old forward to Montreal's fourth line earlier this week, but Galchenyuk did score a power-play goal in the Canadiens' 5-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.

Milstein represents many Russian players in the NHL and KHL - most notably Nikita Kucherov, Artemi Panartin, and Pavel Datsyuk - but Galchenyuk's agent is Pat Brisson.

Also, Galchenyuk isn't even Russian; he was born in Milwaukee to Belarusian parents.

Milstein has two clients, Nikita Nesterov and Alexander Khokhlachev, who have played for Julien.

Nesterov appeared in 13 games with the Canadiens last season after arriving in a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Khokhlachev had a much-publicized feud with the Boston Bruins (where Julien was coaching) in the spring of 2016, which reached a boiling point when Milstein called out the bench boss for not giving his client a chance.

As for Russian players who played under Julien with the Canadiens, Alexander Radulov left to sign a lucrative free-agent contract with the Dallas Stars over the summer, while both Nesterov and Andrei Markov opted to sign in the KHL, and Mikhail Sergachev was traded to the Lightning for Jonathan Drouin.

Milstein later deleted Thursday's tweet.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.