Warning: Story contains coarse language

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford says he wasn't taking an intentional shot at the Columbus Blue Jackets when he made an assessment about Jack Johnson's usage that didn't sit well with John Tortorella.

“I have nothing but respect for the Columbus Blue Jackets,” Rutherford told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Jason Mackey. “They’ve got a good city, a good franchise, a great owner, and (president of hockey operations) John Davidson to run the franchise. I feel bad that it either (came) out the way it did or it upset people; that certainly wasn’t my intent. They have a very good franchise there, and it’s very well run.”

After the Penguins made the signing of Johnson to a five-year, $16.25-million deal official on the first day of free agency, Rutherford told reporters the following about the veteran defenseman, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline:

"I don't think he had a bad year. He was a healthy scratch at the end of the season. I know the reason why. It wasn't because of how he was playing."

When asked Thursday to clarify what he meant by the latter remark, Rutherford declined to elaborate.

“I don’t think that’s going to do anybody any good at this point,” he told Mackey. “We feel comfortable with the homework that we did on this player.”

Rutherford's initial comments, along with Johnson telling reporters on July 1 that, “I've been really wanting to be a part of a winning culture and a place where the expectations to win are as high as they can be," clearly irked Tortorella at the time.

The always forthright Blue Jackets head coach issued an expletive-laden response in which he said that for Rutherford "to question our decision-making from three hours away, he must be a fucking magician," later adding that the Penguins GM should "shut the fuck up," and that Johnson's statement was "utter bullshit."

Johnson was scratched in all six of the Blue Jackets' playoff games this spring and he collected only 11 points in 77 regular-season contests in 2017-18.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are bringing back defenseman Jamie Oleksiak on a three-year contract worth $6,412,500, the club announced Thursday.

Oleksiak's new pact carries an average annual value of $2,137,500, or more than twice the $964,688 he earned in 2017-18, according to CapFriendly.

He was a restricted free agent.

The 25-year-old chipped in 14 points in 47 games for the Penguins after being acquired from the Dallas Stars in December.

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The Montreal Canadiens are trapped in a no-win situation.

After tumultuous 2017-18 season that yielded just 71 points - their lowest total in a full schedule since the league expanded beyond six teams in 1967 - things don't appear to be getting easier for the Habs. Making things even more uncertain for the team are recent reports that indicate general manager Marc Bergevin wants to trade captain Max Pacioretty as soon as possible, and there won't be any contract negotiations between the two sides.

Pacioretty's name swirling about the trade market is hardly news. He was frequently discussed as an expendable piece at February's deadline, after which he wholeheartedly denied any perceived desire to leave the team. The 29-year-old was also in the mix at the draft, but despite some close calls, nothing ever materialized.

So now, with one miserable season in tow, and another seemingly on the horizon, the Canadiens have the remainder of the offseason to move on from Pacioretty, and are forced to deal him for less than he's worth.

Without coming to terms on a contract extension, Montreal's lost significant leverage with any suitor vying for Pacioretty's services. A sign-and-trade is now off the table, and much like the Erik Karlsson situation in Ottawa, buying teams won't be willing to sacrifice significant pieces for a single-season's worth of Pacioretty in their top six without the guarantee that he'll stick around for the long run. In addition to Pacioretty's diminished value, the idea of Bergevin acting on a deal out of desperation is cause for concern considering how the club has made out in the aftermath of his recent major trades.

At this juncture, it's hard to imagine the circumstances surrounding a Pacioretty trade being much worse. Supplementing the contract extension scenario, Pacioretty is coming off an uncharacteristically poor season, further damaging Montreal's chances at getting a sufficient haul for its best forward.

Pacioretty only appeared in 64 games in 2017-18, accumulating just 37 points - two shy of what he managed in the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign. Before last season's dreary showing, Pacioretty was among the most productive goal scorers across the NHL. In fact, from 2011-12 to last season, the Habs' captain ranks ninth in the entire league with 206 goals in 503 games, all while carrying a remarkably team-friendly $4.5-million cap hit.

Surely his productive past will be Montreal's main selling point, but there doesn't appear to be a way Bergevin and Co. escape this saga without collecting their fair share of criticism - a recurring theme of late in La Belle Province.

Montreal's always under the microscope, but Bergevin's already taken heat for saying "the answer is in that dressing room," after a 2-6-1 start to last season, then followed up his sentiments months later in the club's year-end press conference, saying his team's attitude needs to be better. A failure to accurately assess what went wrong, on top of a handful of questionable personnel decisions over recent years, has Montreal's fan base ready for something positive, and Pacioretty's impending departure isn't that.

The Canadiens have a few glaring needs on their roster, primarily down the middle of the ice and on the blue line, but does Pacioretty currently fetch a roster player that can sufficiently step into either of those roles next season? With no term attached, does he even pull an A-level prospect or a first-round pick? If not, Bergevin will be forced to rummage through the bargain bin of future assets while giving up a player that's eclipsed 30 goals five times since 2012.

Pacioretty is certainly due for a raise next summer, as his career production speaks for itself. And even with a projected $12 million in cap space next season, the Canadiens - who ranked 29th in goals for - are depositing their captain's future into the hands of another team.

Potential avenues for a Pacioretty trade are limitless, and there's always a possibility Bergevin gets creative and finds a way to maximize Montreal's return. But the possibility of Pacioretty succeeding in greener pastures are much greater, and they'll only have themselves to blame if they have nothing to show for him down the line.

(Photos Courtesy: Getty Images)

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The New York Rangers have re-signed rugged winger Cody McLeod to a one-year deal, the team announced Thursday.

Claimed on waivers last season, McLeod skated in 25 games with the Rangers, notching two assists and 39 penalty minutes. He began the season with the Nashville Predators, where he chipped in two points across 23 games.

McLeod spent part of two seasons with the Predators after a 10-year run with the Colorado Avalanche that began in 2007.

The 34-year-old has appeared in 738 games, registering 71 goals, 55 assists, and 1,563 penalty minutes.

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The Chicago Blackhawks and the Arizona Coyotes pulled off a doozy of a trade Thursday.

Chicago traded Marian Hossa's contract, forward Vinnie Hinostroza, defenseman Jordan Oesterle, and a 2019 third-round pick to the Coyotes in exchange for forwards Marcus Kruger, MacKenzie Entwistle, Jordan Maletta, defenseman Andrew Campbell, and a 2019 fifth-round pick, the Blackhawks announced.

Hossa ended his playing career in May.

"I'm done playing hockey," he told Slovak newspaper Novy Cas back in May, as translated by NHL.com. "I have a contract with Chicago for the next three years, but I have to watch my health, and my body says the comeback is not possible."

He missed all of last season due to a progressive skin disorder and the side effects of the medication used to treat it.

Hossa still has three years remaining on his contract with a $5.275-million annual cap hit, though his actual salary is only $1 million for each season. Since he is unable to play, he will only cost the Coyotes $200,000 per year.

A move such as this isn't uncommon, especially for the Coyotes. Inactive contracts they've acquired in the past include Chris Pronger in 2015 as well as Pavel Datsyuk and Dave Bolland in 2016.

By taking on his deal, the Coyotes get an ultra-speedy 24-year-old winger in Hinostroza, and Oesterle, a 26-year-old blue-liner coming off a career year in which he averaged over 20 minutes per night in 55 games. They also move up two rounds in the 2019 draft.

The Blackhawks, meanwhile, gain leadership, some organizational depth, and most importantly, cap room.

What general manager Stan Bowman does with this newfound cap space remains to be seen.

Kruger won two Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015 but was an ineffective fourth-line center with the Carolina Hurricanes last season. He was traded to Arizona on May 3 but didn't see an NHL game. He has one year left on his deal with a $2.775-million cap hit.

Entwistle was the Coyotes' third-round pick in 2017. The right winger collected 38 points in 49 games last year with the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs.

Maletta, 23, is coming off a rough season in which he tallied just five assists in 29 AHL contests.

Campbell, 30, has 42 NHL games under his belt but will likely be looked upon to provide leadership for Chicago's AHL team.

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Restricted free agents eligible for arbitration will make their case beginning July 20.

Leading off the offseason proceedings includes Montreal Canadiens center Phillip Danault, San Jose Sharks forward Chris Tierney, Dallas Stars winger Devin Shore, and Winnipeg Jets blue-liner Jacob Trouba.

The four are among the 37 players whose arbitration dates were announced by the NHLPA on Thursday. Initially, 44 players filed, but seven have already settled, counting Trevor van Riemsdyk, Matt Nieto, Dmitrij Jaskin, Oskar Sundqvist, Colin Miller, Alex Lyon, and Connor Hellebuyck.

Teams and players can continue to negotiate up until their scheduled hearing. Last year, only one arbitration case - involving Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt - went through with a hearing, where he was awarded a two-year, $4.5-million agreement.

Here's the full schedule of hearings this summer:

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Nazem Kadri first donned a Maple Leafs jersey on a stage at the Bell Centre in Montreal when he was drafted seventh overall by the club in 2009. Now, almost a decade later, John Tavares - his friend, former London Knights teammate, and longtime Leafs fan - will be joining Kadri in Toronto.

Kadri was drafted at one of the lowest points in the Maple Leafs' illustrious history. The team failed to reach the postseason in seven consecutive seasons from 2005-12. Finally cracking the playoff picture in 2012-13, Toronto suffered the most heartbreaking of exits in an epic Game 7 collapse against the Boston Bruins in the first round. The Leafs didn't return to the playoffs again for another four years.

Over the past nine seasons, Kadri, the longest-serving current Leaf, has witnessed restructuring and a total rebuild within the Maple Leafs organization, which he says helped land the biggest free agent in recent history.

"I don't think a player like (Tavares) would have wanted to sign in Toronto eight, nine years ago," Kadri said to the Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan. "That's the culture we have been trying to rebuild, is trying to acquire those free agents and try to make Toronto a destination where players want to come and win. Johnny realized something special we had here and I think he made the right choice."

The buzz of adding one of the league's top centers brought restored faith to an organization that spent years trying to become a consistent Stanley Cup contender. Even though the addition of Tavares knocks Kadri down to a third-line role, his focus remains on bringing a championship to Toronto.

"You know what, winning is the most important to me." Kadri shared. "I don't care where I play, I don't care what role I play."

Few teams will be able to match Toronto's depth at center this upcoming season, sporting a trio threatening enough that Vegas oddsmakers favor the Leafs for the 2019 Stanley Cup.

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Cory Schneider continues to recover from offseason hip surgery, and there are no assurances he'll be ready to go when the season kicks off in October.

The New Jersey Devils netminder underwent hip surgery in early May and was given a five-month recovery period, meaning his return to the ice will cut it close with the start of the regular-season schedule.

The Devils' first game comes Oct. 6 against the Edmonton Oilers, but it will be hosted in Sweden as part of the NHL Global Series.

"Whether it's September or October, we are not going to rush Cory," Devils general manager Ray Shero told Mike Morreale of NHL.com. "We have Keith Kinkaid, and that's why we re-signed Eddie Lack.

"(Schneider) played through (the injury), but at the end of the year it was something he had to have done. Unfortunately, it's a common injury with goalies nowadays. It was affecting other parts of his game. Hopefully everything is taken care of and put in the rearview mirror when he does return."

A nagging groin injury - coupled with impressive play from backup Kinkaid - limited Schneider to just 40 appearances last season, in which he posted a 17-16-6 showing and a .907 save percentage.

Kinkaid then got the start in the postseason against the Tampa Bay Lightning before Schneider stepped in for Game 2. In the playoffs, Schneider's play was much more formidable, as he finished with a 1.78 goals-against average and an incredible .950 save rate across four games.

Schneider, 32, is signed through the next four seasons at a $6-million cap hit.

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