Wayne Gretzky is confident that his Edmonton Oilers will bounce back from a dreadful campaign.

After winning their first playoff round since 2006 the season before, the Oilers managed just 78 points en route to a 23rd-place finish in 2017-18. Gretzky, the vice-chairman of Oilers Entertainment Group, expects things to change this time around.

"Our defense will be better, of that you can be assured," Gretzky said, according to Robert MacLeod of The Globe and Mail. "I expect that Cam (Talbot, last year's No. 1 goaltender) will bounce back from the struggles that he had. I think last year was just an outlier for him.

"Add that to the addition of the Finnish goalie (Mikko Koskinen), I think we have a solid two-goaltender system ready to roll."

While Gretzky is confident in Edmonton's defense, the Oilers will head into the season having made no roster moves to bolster their blue line, with defenseman Andrej Sekera potentially lost for the campaign due to an Achilles injury, and with restricted free-agent defender Darnell Nurse still in need of a contract.

Meanwhile, Edmonton's goaltending will need to play a key role for the team to make the playoffs. Talbot posted a career-low .908 save percentage in 2017-18, and the Oilers since added Koskinen, who posted a .937 clip across 29 KHL starts last season.

The Oilers will look to start delivering on Gretzky's expectations when they kick off their season against the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 6 in Sweden.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

If George McPhee paid too high of a price to add Tomas Tatar at last season's trade deadline, credit the Vegas Golden Knights general manager for quickly cleaning up that decision.

Parting with first, second, and third-round draft selections to acquire Tatar, the former Detroit Red Wings winger proved to be a flop with the Golden Knights, managing just six points in the 20-game stretch toward the postseason. His lagging production made him an easy scratch for all but eight games of the Golden Knights' run to the Stanley Cup Final.

While Tatar may have bounced back over a full season in Vegas - he's under contract for the next three years - he'll now have that opportunity in Montreal after an early Monday deal sent the Slovak forward, prospect Nick Suzuki, and a second rounder to the Canadiens for Max Pacioretty.

It was a short stint for Tatar in Sin City, and a possible shot at a redemption wasn't enough to hold up a deal for a perennial 30-goal scorer in Pacioretty.

"The (Tatar) deal we did last March was market driven. That was the price," McPhee told reporters Monday. "We did it to help our hockey club. We can't allow what we did months ago to affect a good decision today."

In acquiring Pacioretty, the Golden Knights add to an offensive collection that had no trouble finding the back of the net last year - Vegas' 272 goals were the third-most last season. The team will have a new look this season after James Neal and David Perron signed elsewhere, but summer additions like Pacioretty and Paul Stastny will help fill the void.

For Tatar, he'll have a shot to skate in the Canadiens' top six and rediscover the scoring touch he had in Detroit before his trade to Vegas. Prior to the 2017-18 campaign, Tatar averaged 25 goals and 49 points across three seasons with the Red Wings.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In the wee hours of Monday morning, the much-publicized uncertainty surrounding Max Pacioretty's future in Montreal came to an end, as the Canadiens dealt their captain to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for forward Tomas Tatar, prospect Nick Suzuki, and a 2019 second-round draft selection.

In addition, Pacioretty inked a four-year, $28M extension to complete the deal, while Montreal retains 10 percent of his 2018-19 salary ($4.5M), and Vegas holds on to $500,000 of Tatar's ($4.91M) until 2021.

Now that the dust has settled on arguably the biggest trade of the offseason, let's asses each team's haul.

Golden Knights

Vegas appears adamant on remaining a threat in the Western Conference, and adding Pacioretty to its top six should help their quest to prove last season's impossible run to the Stanley Cup Final wasn't a fluke.

It would be ludicrous to split up the top line of William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Reilly Smith after their showing last year, meaning Pacioretty can slot in on the second line alongside fellow newcomer Paul Stastny - an elite playmaker far superior to any pivot Montreal was able to run out over the course of Pacioretty's tenure there.

Given Stastny's passing prowess, there's a logical connection between him and Pacioretty - one of the best shooters in the NHL. Since 2011-12, only eight players league-wide have outproduced his 206 goals, and his struggles last season are more than likely an anomaly, as injuries limited him to 64 appearances and he shot just eight percent compared to his career average of 11. Given a fresh start and easier competition down the lineup, it's easy to picture Pacioretty returning to the 30-goal mark he's eclipsed five times in his career.

Even after giving up three assets for one player, Vegas escapes the deal in pretty good shape. The acquisition of Tatar at last season's trade deadline was a mistake from the get-go, as general manager George McPhee parted with first, second and third round picks for six points in 20 regular season games, and a seat in the press box for most of the Golden Knights march to the finals.

Most GMs would have such a regrettable deal pinned on them for years, but even after tying on another draft pick to move Tatar out of town after just six months, McPhee still owns five picks in the first three rounds in each of the next two drafts, and a much better player to supplement his attack.

Suzuki's departure takes away one of Vegas' top prospects, but that's the cost of business, and McPhee could afford it with blue chippers Cody Glass, Lucas Elvenes, Nikita Gusev, Erik Brannstrom, and Nicolas Hague still in the farm system.

Grade: A

Canadiens

After holding on to Pacioretty through the trade deadline and draft - though a deal did come close - Marc Bergevin lost major leverage, and made matters worse when he went public in saying he wants to trade his captain ASAP and wouldn't negotiate an extension.

Montreal's return can't be properly determined until we get a clearer picture on what Suzuki can become at the NHL level. He's the primary piece of the Habs' return, and has scored 196 points in his last 129 games with the OHL's Owen Sound Attack. Suzuki immediately becomes one of the Canadiens' top prospects along with 2018 No. 3 pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi, but is likely a year or two away from making any significant impact on an NHL roster.

In Tatar, the Habs fill out their lineup with a player touted for his offensive ability, but who has issues with consistency. The 27-year-old racked up 34 points last season - the lowest mark of his career since becoming a regular NHLer. Montreal ranked 29th in goals last season and the addition of Tatar alone isn't going to do much to change that.

With training camp set to begin later this week, Bergevin was running out of time to orchestrate a deal for another piece of the Canadiens core. Since the 2015-16, he's cut ties with P.K. Subban, Alex Galchenyuk, Mikhail Sergachev and now Pacioretty via trade. The return on this most recent deal didn't induce the same level of immediate angst as his previous ones, mainly because he recouped multiple assets instead of another one-for-one exchange.

Still, a small-impact roster replacement, a promising prospect and an additional second-round lottery ticket isn't as much as it could have been for one of this era's most consistent scorers and captain of the NHL's oldest franchise, had Montreal played its hand more efficiently.

Grade: B-

(Photos Courtesy: Getty Images)

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A common occurrence in hockey circles is for unsigned players to avoid the ice - and potential injury - while awaiting a new contract.

But that's not the case with Buffalo Sabres forward Sam Reinhart. The 22-year-old remains a restricted free agent, but has been skating alongside teammates in the lead up to training camp on Thursday.

That willingness to participate has general manager Jason Botterill feeling optimistic that a deal can soon be reached with Reinhart.

"I'm excited that Sam's in town here working out with our guys, being a part of things," Botterill told Bill Hoppe of Buffalo Hockey Beat. "We continue our dialogue with his agent and (we are) still very hopeful to get a deal done."

Reinhart is coming off of his three-year entry level deal and is likely due for a sizable raise after finishing last season with career highs in both goals (25) and points (50).

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Journeyman forward Jussi Jokinen has signed a professional tryout offer with the Detroit Red Wings, he announced via Instagram on Monday.

The 35-year-old suited up for the Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings, and Vancouver Canucks in 2017-18, contributing five goals and 12 assists in 60 combined games.

If Jokinen finds a spot with the Red Wings, they'll be his 10th NHL team.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A management group that is pushing for an NHL franchise in Seattle is seeking a general manager, even though the league is yet to offically grant the city an expansion team.

According to Dave Tippett, senior advisor with the Seattle hopefuls, the aim is to begin the GM search next spring and to have the right candidate in place by the draft.

"I think it happens probably around the draft next year - a year out. Vegas hired George McPhee about 15 months out from when they started," Tippett told 950 KJR. "We'll have a good list of candidates. Some may be working through the draft with the team. There might be somebody available before that. We'll see how it goes, but by next spring we'll start digging into that."

Tippett, who last served as head coach and executive vice-president of hockey operations of the Arizona Coyotes in 2016-17, hasn't ruled out the possibility of serving as Seattle's first coach, but will be looking for an experienced hand for the GM's chair.

"I've been lucky to touch a lot of different parts of the game, (and as) an advisor in a lot of those different roles," Tippett added. "(The) general manager I think is somebody who has done that job at the NHL level before. I really think that's important in an expansion team."

Of course, before Seattle hires a GM or begins assembling its roster, it must first be granted a franchise. When that announcement could come remains unknown, as an expansion vote won't be on the agenda for October's meeting of the NHL board of governors.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Edmonton Oilers have signed veteran forward Alex Chiasson to a professional tryout offer, the team announced Monday.

Chiasson appeared in 61 games with the Washington Capitals last season, netting nine goals and nine assists. He added another two points en route to the Capitals' Stanley Cup championship.

The 27-year-old has skated in 381 career games with the Dallas Stars, Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames, and Capitals.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vegas Golden Knights will continue to play without a captain, general manager George McPhee confirmed Monday, according to The Athletic's Lisa Dillman.

Instead, the team will proceed as it did during its inaugural season with a number of alternate captains. Last year, Deryk Engelland, Jason Garrison, James Neal, David Perron, Luca Sbisa, and Reilly Smith were named alternate captains, with three serving as home alternates and three on the road.

The Golden Knights will have to either dress fewer alternates or redistribute letters to other players, as the club saw Garrison, Neal, Perron, and Sbisa all depart this offseason.

As for the newly acquired Max Pacioretty, McPhee made it clear he would not be named captain despite donning the "C" for the Montreal Canadiens the past three seasons.

"Max can come here and just play hockey now," McPhee said, according to NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika. "Doesn't have to be a captain. Won't be the captain. We have 23 captains."

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.