TORONTO - Waiting isn't Joel Ward's favorite pastime, but it's all he can do right now.

It's late August - professional tryout season - and the 37-year-old right-winger is jobless. An unrestricted free agent since July 1, Ward told theScore Tuesday he's "waiting to hopefully solidify something" before NHL training camps open in mid-September.

The veteran of more than 800 NHL games won't let himself think about life outside the best hockey league in the world. Plan B options, such as playing in Europe or retirement, aren't top of mind.

"Haven't really thought about it," Ward said at the annual BioSteel Camp. "I think we're all fighting for contracts, for sure, so I think the main thing is to stay patient and just be ready."

Ward's three-year, $9.825-million contract with the San Jose Sharks ended in unflattering fashion this spring. First, he was asked to waive his modified no-trade clause at the trade deadline. Then, following an injury-laden regular season in which he posted 12 points in 52 games, head coach Peter DeBoer sat him for all 10 playoff contests.

A good soldier on seven previous NHL playoff squads, Ward admits it was a tough stretch in his professional life.

"I definitely wanted to play ... it was unfortunate, I suffered a pretty tough (shoulder) injury down the stretch and it was hard to get back in (the lineup)," he said. "You always want to be playing, regardless of the sport. You always want to get out there and help your squad win. But, it's part of the game sometimes and it definitely gave me some good fire in the belly to get after it this summer."

Forward Scottie Upshall was in a similar spot during last year's BioSteel Camp. He ultimately signed with his old club, the St. Louis Blues, after Robby Fabbri went down with a season-ending injury in late September. This offseason, Upshall signed a PTO with the Oilers and will fight for a job in camp.

Clubs prioritize speed, skill, and youngsters in the modern NHL. It's abundantly obvious this time of year, when tryout agreements start trickling in. Here's the full PTO list as of Wednesday morning, according to CapFriendly.com:

Now, Ward's willingness to stick it out this late in the summer shouldn't come as a giant surprise. He's been unwanted in the past. The 6-foot-1, 225-pounder went undrafted and didn't make the NHL until his mid-20s, but is sitting on 356 career points and more than $25 million in earnings.

He has strung together a notable NHL career, dressing for 809 regular season and playoff games for the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals, and Sharks. Last season, Ward was one of only two NHLers who honed their craft in the Canadian University ranks (Derek Ryan was the other).

"Looking back, you just hope to play one (NHL) game," he said of a four-year stint at the University of Prince Edward Island. "One turned into a couple more and it just kept going from there. Once you get a taste of it, you want to stay."

Following four years of major junior, another four in university, and three more in the AHL, Ward found a 10-year home in the NHL. Can he squeeze out one more?

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Those in charge of the potential NHL franchise in Seattle will get their chance to impress the league in the not too distant future.

“We now know that in early October we’re going to see the executive committee," Tod Leiweke, the president and CEO of the prospective team, told 950 KJR on Tuesday. "We believe that will be on October 2nd in New York City ... We then go in front of the entire membership of the NHL to make our case, and we’re going to be ready."

Leiweke reiterated that he isn't underestimating the importance of the meeting.

“We are not taking anything for granted," he said. "It would be an incredible honor to be the 32nd franchise, so we’re going to be prepared for that day and that test. We are right now building a spectacular presentation that we’ve been working on for weeks. I’ve never prepared like this for a presentation or meeting, and I’ve had a few in my career. This is an important moment because we owe it to the city to do our best.”

Leiweke left his previous post as the NFL's COO in March and was hired in his current role in April. He joined his brother Tim, the CEO of Oak View Group, which will serve as the team's owners if a franchise is granted.

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The NHL draft brings with it a new crop of rookies and the hype that follows them. And in all that excitement, some young players, who have spent time with an NHL squad but still retain their rookie eligibility, get lost in the shuffle.

Here are four rookies who have already felt the pressure of competing against NHL-caliber players and are ready to make a splash in 2018-19.

Related: Ranking the top NHL rookies for 2018-19

(Position eligibility according to Yahoo)

Lias Andersson, C, Rangers

The seventh overall pick of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft closed out his season with the New York Rangers after splitting time in Sweden and the AHL for the majority of the year. Andersson will now have a chance to make the big club out of training camp and could even compete for the second-line center role behind incumbent No. 1 Mika Zibanejad, who has missed time in each of the last two seasons. Andersson should be flanked by a pair of veteran wingers, which will only help him make the leap from prospect to pro.

Valentin Zykov, LW, Hurricanes

Zykov should be provided with an opportunity to play extended minutes and grow as a player, as the Carolina Hurricanes enter yet another rebuild. The 2013 second-round pick debuted with a two-game appearance in 2016-17, scoring a goal while averaging just over six minutes of ice time. He led the AHL with 33 goals and 54 points last season and could reward Carolina's patience if he's able to stick on the top line for a full campaign.

Dylan Sikura, RW, Blackhawks

Sikura was a top-10 Hobey Baker finalist in his final year at Northeastern. He notched 22 goals and 54 points over 35 games and earned a five-game stint with the Chicago Blackhawks to finish the season. Chicago's roster has recently become rather top-heavy, but the 2014 sixth-rounder could be on the fast track to offensive success if he's able to crack the top six, now that he's fully developed at the NCAA level.

Logan Brown, C, Senators

Brown opened last season on the Ottawa Senators' roster but was quickly returned to the OHL, where he totaled 48 points over 32 games. At 6-foot-6 and 220 lbs, he's the prototypical power forward and should be able to offer fantasy managers value with shots on goal and penalty minutes, even if the point production doesn't come immediately. He's definitely worth a late-round flier in banger leagues, in which he'd be credited with hits and blocked shots, but he could even warrant consideration in deeper standard leagues with ice time so readily available in Ottawa.

Related: 5 rookies who can make a fantasy impact this season

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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Matt Stajan is heading across the pond.

The longtime NHL forward signed a contract with the Munich Red Bulls in Germany, the club announced Wednesday, as reported by Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

Stajan was an unrestricted free agent who spent the last eight-plus seasons with the Calgary Flames after being traded there by the Toronto Maple Leafs in January 2010.

Despite serving in a bottom-six role for most of his career, the 34-year-old played 1,003 NHL games, chipping in 146 goals and 413 points.

He racked up a career-high 40 assists and 55 points with the Leafs in 2008-09. Toronto selected him 57th overall in 2002.

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Franchise icon Martin Brodeur has returned to the New Jersey Devils, rejoining the organization as executive vice president of business development, the team announced Wednesday.

Brodeur spent the last three years as assistant general manager with the St. Louis Blues, resigning from the role Tuesday.

With New Jersey, Brodeur will report to president Hugh Weber and "work across all departments to identify, capitalize, and develop on business opportunities for the Devils, Prudential Center, and the outlying community," per the team's release.

"It feels fantastic to be back home here in New Jersey," Brodeur said. "This unique opportunity will allow me to build on existing relationships in the business community and take on a new challenge in my career. I've been able to work in all facets of the game of hockey and have had a growing interest in the business surrounding the game. Working with Hugh and his team will be beneficial for all of us. Over 20 years in in New Jersey, I was lucky enough to make connections that I can now use to help the Devils grow, not only in this area but beyond."

As a goalie, Brodeur was the face of the Devils for 21 years, winning three Stanley Cups, four Vezina Trophys, and the Calder Trophy in 1994. He had his No. 30 retired by the club in 2016, and will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November.

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The Edmonton Oilers signed veteran defenseman Jason Garrison to a professional tryout, the team announced Tuesday.

Garrison played in only eight NHL games last year with the Vegas Golden Knights, recording one assist while averaging 19:04 ice time per game.

In 58 games with the AHL's Chicago Wolves, the 33-year-old tallied eight goals and 20 assists.

In the wake of Andrej Sekera's Achilles injury suffered during offseason training, the Oilers are bringing in competition for their blue line, as Jakub Jerabek signed a one-year deal with the club last week.

Garrison has a bomb from the point - one that helped him pot a career-high 16 goals from the back end in 2011-12 with the Florida Panthers, but his lack of foot speed has made him ineffective over the past few years.

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TORONTO - Tyler Seguin wants you to know he is disappointed.

Specifically, he is disappointed in the Dallas Stars for not offering a contract of his liking this summer and is unhappy because negotiations have been nonexistent of late.

It was easy to draw these conclusions Tuesday, as Seguin uttered the words "disappointing" and "disappointed" a total of four times in a six-minute media scrum focused mainly on the potential 2019 free agent’s future with the Stars.

"Nothing’s really going on," he said when asked for an update on extension talks between his camp and the club. "Pretty much haven’t been talking much this summer. It’s been a little disappointing. I thought I’d have some exciting news to talk about at BioSteel camp, especially this late in the summer, but ..."

Seguin, who has been eligible to re-sign in Dallas since July 1 and will almost certainly make north of $10 million per year on his next deal, trailed off for a moment but quickly reverted back to his main point.

"It’s been disappointing," the 40-goal scorer added, "but at the end of the day I’ve always had one year left here, so I’m focused on that, I’m focused on BioSteel camp right now, and I’m excited to get back to Dallas and I look forward to a good year."

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

OK, we’ve established Seguin is not completely thrilled. The elite center also revealed Tuesday that, although talks haven’t materialized to any great extent since late June, he isn’t exactly counting down the days to July 1, 2019.

Asked if he is curious at all about the free-agency process, Seguin replied, "I guess I’m not really there yet." In other words, unless the player-team relationship goes really south, Seguin would like to stay put.

"Dallas has been home. I’ve been comfortable in Dallas since I got down there," the former Boston Bruin said. "At the end of the day, I want to win, I want to be successful, I want to get back into the playoffs."

The Stars, for what it’s worth, are staying out of it. (Citing a team policy of not speaking publicly about negotiations, a spokesperson on Tuesday afternoon politely declined a request to interview general manager Jim Nill.) Regardless, it's safe to assume the Central Division squad is intent on retaining a 26-year-old who enters play this fall tied with Sidney Crosby for the second-most NHL goals since 2013-14, Seguin's first season in Dallas.

Seguin’s comments - which appear genuine and from a good place but could easily be a form of posturing to nudge the Stars into a deal - are mighty interesting. While the 2010 second overall pick seems confident that the two sides will come to an agreement at some point, he is making it seem like the Stars blindsided him by stalling as the offseason progressed.

Is Seguin comfortable negotiating during the season? "Honestly, it hasn’t really been much of a thought," he said. "I wasn’t really expecting this, so I’ve been taking it (as it comes). Normal training, normal summer. Same as last year and the year before."

Stars training camp, which opens Sept. 14 in Boise, Idaho, will be packed with intrigue. There’s this Seguin drama, the introduction of rookie NHL coach Jim Montgomery and his systems, the return of Russian winger Valeri Nichushkin, and the highly anticipated North American debut of Miro Heiskanen.

A longtime empty threat in the Central, Dallas has not advanced past the second round of the playoffs in 10 seasons, missing the postseason entirely in 2016-17 and '17-18. Still, its roster features a legitimate top-five NHL center in Seguin, one of the sport's top power forwards in captain Jamie Benn, and a dynamite young blue-liner in John Klingberg.

Oh, and two other things: Nill grabbed the attention of John Tavares during the prized 2018 free agent's courting period, and the Stars have been linked to trade rumors involving all-world defenseman Erik Karlsson.

"At the end of the day, I think it’s great for our organization and our city and team that players do want to go (to Dallas)," Seguin said. "Even if we didn’t have long negotiations with Tavares, at least he called and said that he was interested. So, it says something (about) our team and our organization and it’s all positive."

Seguin's expression of disappointment Tuesday shows he is frustrated, maybe even annoyed. It probably doesn't help that the club has won one playoff series since Nill acquired Seguin six summers ago. Above all, he's hungry for a Stanley Cup and would prefer to challenge for a title in Stars green.

"I envision giving my all this year and getting back into the playoffs," he said. "It’s been a long few summers of no deep runs. The goal since I touched down in Dallas is to get deep in the playoffs and hopefully win."

John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.

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Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg confirmed his back issues will force him to miss training camp and the start of the season, he told Swedish newspaper Sportbladet, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

"I have not been able to train and I cannot play NHL matches without being well prepared, especially not at my age," Zetterberg said.

Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill told MLive's Ansar Khan on Sunday that if Zetterberg wasn't ready to play by opening night, it's likely he won't feature at all this season.

Though a comeback shouldn't be completely ruled out, it's possible that the NHL has seen the last of Zetterberg, who will turn 38 in October. He does, however, have three years remaining on his contract with an average annual value of $6.083 million.

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