The Toronto Maple Leafs are inching closer to signing Auston Matthews to a contract extension.

On Tuesday, general manager Kyle Dubas said that the two sides have made progress on a new deal, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston. Dubas added that he'd like to get an extension done as soon as possible for long-term clarity before the Feb. 25 trade deadline.

Contract talks between Matthews and the Leafs began last July.

The 21-year-old is a pending restricted free agent in the final year of his entry-level pact. He ranks second on the club in goals (20) and fourth in points (42) despite being limited to 34 games this season due to injury.

Fellow Leafs forward Mitch Marner is also a pending RFA, but Dubas said the club isn't negotiating with Marner at the request of the winger's agent, Darren Ferris, who told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun earlier this month that his client "100 percent" doesn't want to engage in contract talks until season's end.

Dubas insisted Tuesday that he isn't pressuring Matthews or Marner to sign quickly, but said that's his preference.

"Yes, it would be selfishly for me beneficial," the GM told reporters, according to Johnston. "But for the players, I think they have to make sure they're fully comfortable in going into any arrangement."

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Micheal Ferland's days as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes appear to be numbered.

The club is "very likely" to move the pending unrestricted free-agent forward, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

Ferland's on a team-friendly expiring contract carrying a $1.75-million cap hit, and he'd been thriving on the Hurricanes' top line alongside Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen before suffering a concussion in November.

The 26-year-old returned from the concussion in late December, but is now dealing with an unspecified injury.

Last Wednesday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Vancouver Canucks were among the teams interested in Ferland. One day later, the Hurricanes landed forward Nino Niederreiter from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for fellow forward Victor Rask.

Meanwhile, teams are calling Carolina about defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce, according to LeBrun, who added that the Hurricanes are willing to move a top-four blue-liner in exchange for a top-six forward with offensive skill.

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It appears Andre Burakovsky's time in D.C. could potentially be nearing its end.

The Washington Capitals are listening to offers for the Swedish forward, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

Burakovsky possesses a rare blend of size (6-foot-3), speed, and skill, but has apparently fallen out of favor with the Capitals. He's posted just 11 points in 42 games this season, is averaging a career-low 11:32 of ice time per contest, and has been a healthy scratch on multiple occasions.

The 23-year-old was selected 23rd overall by the Caps in the 2013 draft. He's shown flashes of promise, scoring 17 goals as a 20-year-old during his second NHL season in 2015-16.

Many expected Burakovsky to break out following the departures of top-six forwards Marcus Johansson and Justin Williams before last season, but he couldn't carve out a prominent offensive role and was eventually passed by rookie Jakub Vrana in the pecking order.

Burakovsky's currently in the final year of a contract with a $3-million cap hit and will become a restricted free agent on July 1.

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For the first time in his career, Alex Galchenyuk will skate under the bright lights of the Bell Centre as a member of the visiting team on Wednesday night.

Selected third overall by the Montreal Canadiens at the 2012 NHL Draft, the then 18-year-old star was labeled as a blue-chip prospect that many thought would undoubtedly be a part of the team's long-term plan.

Despite posting 108 goals and 255 points in 418 career games for hockey's winningest franchise, Galchenyuk had trouble taking the next step in Montreal, a city that expects excellence from the Habs.

"I never felt pressure from the media," Galchenyuk told the Canadian Press. "It was just normal. I thought it was like (how) it's supposed to be."

Six years later, the Sarnia Sting product found himself traded from one of hockey's hotbeds to one of hockey's hottest cities. The Arizona Coyotes acquired Galchenyuk from Montreal in exchange for winger Max Domi.

The swap has granted both players a fresh start, but as is the case with many trades, the two have become inexorably linked - a notion that Galchenyuk is quick to dismiss.

"Everybody's their own player," he said. "Max is doing great and I'm happy for him, but we're two completely different players. I can't really compare myself to what he's doing."

In 38 games for the Coyotes, Galchenyuk has tallied eight goals and 25 points, despite a 16-game goal drought in which he recorded just four assists.

"I always put pressure on myself to be productive," Galchenyuk said. "That's my job, to create offense. When I came to Arizona, it stayed the same."

Galchenyuk is unsure of the response he will receive from the crowd at the Bell Centre, but he has no hard feelings towards his former club and the success they've found this season.

"I have a lot of great friends in Montreal," he said. "I'm definitely happy they're doing good."

Despite hovering around the .500 mark, the Coyotes find themselves just four points out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference heading into Wednesday's action.

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The Edmonton Oilers signed rookie goaltender Mikko Koskinen to a three-year extension worth an average of $4.5 million per year, the team announced Monday.

The contract includes a 15-team no-trade list, according to Cap Friendly.

The 30-year-old Koskinen has made quite the impression since joining Edmonton on a one-year, $2.5-million deal last May. In 27 appearances for the Oilers this season, the Finn owns a 14-10-1 record with a 2.78 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.

The netminder's latest flash of brilliance came Saturday night against the Calgary Flames when he put forward a candidate for save of the year.

Koskinen made four appearances for the New York Islanders during the 2010-11 season. Eight years later, he's officially found a home in the NHL.

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Some of the stars of "The Mighty Ducks" reunited in New York on Sunday to cheer on the Anaheim Ducks against the Islanders.

In attendance were Danny Tamberelli, Kenan Thompson, Colombe Jacobsen-Derstine, Garette Ratliff Henson, and Vincent Larusso, all wearing jerseys with their characters' names on their backs.

Tamberelli, who played Tommy Duncan in the original film, also shared some photos of the group on the ice at the Islanders' practice facility.

"The Mighty Ducks" was released in 1992 and spawned two sequels - 1994's "D2: The Mighty Ducks" and 1996's "D3: The Mighty Ducks." A new television series based on the franchise is reportedly in development.

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Amid escalating frustration from the Edmonton Oilers' fan base over the team's recent struggles, Connor McDavid insists he and his teammates are all on the same page.

"We hear the boos and we hear the stuff that's going on," the superstar forward told the assembled media, including TSN, at practice Monday. "We understand the fans are frustrated. We expect better out of ourselves, and they obviously expect better of us, so we need to be better. But the only people that seem to believe in us are the guys in the locker room, and we need to rally behind that."

When asked if part of the challenge is that some of the players don't think "those 23 guys" in the Oilers' locker room can turn things around, McDavid dismissed the notion.

"Well, if there are guys that believe that, then they should ... get out of the room," he said. "If you don't believe in this group and you're in the locker room, then you need to leave. I don't get that sense. I don't feel that way. I think that everyone in there believes in each other and believes we'll get it done."

The Oilers dropped both games of a back-to-back on home ice over the weekend, falling 5-2 to the Calgary Flames on Saturday and losing 7-4 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.

Edmonton is 5-5-0 in its last 10 games, sitting three points out of a playoff position entering Monday's action.

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The Edmonton Oilers placed forwards Ryan Spooner and Ty Rattie on the waiver wire Monday, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Spooner was acquired by the Oilers from the New York Rangers in November in exchange for Ryan Strome, who Edmonton originally received from the New York Islanders in the Jordan Eberle deal in 2017. Spooner is on the books for this season and the next at a cap hit of $3.1 million. He has only two goals and an assist in 24 games with Edmonton.

Rattie began the season on the Oilers' top line alongside Connor McDavid but suffered an injury in mid-October and has been a frequent healthy scratch since his return. He's a pending restricted free agent carrying a cap hit of $800,000. Rattie has two goals and six assists in 29 contests.

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