A move west has Antti Raanta paying tribute to his new surroundings.

The Arizona Coyotes goaltender, acquired alongside Derek Stepan from the New York Rangers in a draft-day trade, unveiled his new mask Thursday, complete with artwork representing the historic American southwest.

The design includes one familiar feature, however - Rantanplan, a Belgian cartoon dog who serves as the netminder's nickname. Raanta wrote in The Players' Tribune in November 2016:

Rantanplan is a prison guard dog who helps the sheriff Lucky Luke track down escaped criminals. Except, instead of being really clever like an American cartoon dog, Rantanplan is really slow and he loves food ...

Rantanplan has always been on my masks for a personal reason. When I was 15, my goalie coach had two young children at home, and they loved the cartoon ... My coach loved giving us millions of nicknames. Every practice, he'd give you a new one. So one day, for whatever reason - maybe I was slow that day, or maybe he was just being cheeky with my last name - he starts yelling out, "Raantanplan with the save!"

I have to admit, it was pretty good. It just stuck. He stopped giving me new nicknames. From that day on, I was Raantanplan.

The creation is the latest project of Sweden's David Gunnarsson, who has produced several of the mask designs seen around the NHL.

As for Raanta, he'll have plenty of opportunities to show off his new look this season, as he becomes the Coyotes' new No. 1 netminder, replacing Mike Smith. In 29 games with the Rangers last season, Raanta posted a 16-8-2 record with a .922 save percentage.

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Adam Foote has walked away from his role as defensive coach with the Colorado Avalanche, according to BSN Denver's Adrian Dater.

Dater reports the 46-year-old has left the organization in order to spend more time with his family.

Foote's son, Callan, was a first-round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in June's entry draft. His other son, Nolan, currently plays for the WHL's Kelowna Rockets.

Foote spent 17 years with Nordiques/Avalanche as a player, logging 967 games as one of the league's best stay-at-home defensemen. He was an integral part of both of the franchise's Stanley Cup victories.

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Come opening night, it will be almost 11 months since Brad Richardson last played for the Arizona Coyotes.

The veteran forward suffered a fractured fibula and tibia in a game against the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 17, and he finally feels ready to get back out there after a failed attempt to play late last season due to lingering pain.

"If training camp started tomorrow I'd be out there," he said Thursday, per the team's website. "I feel night-and-day different than I did four months ago. I probably need a little more time on the ice and some reps, but I'm feeling really good and I'm ready to go.

"The hardest thing was trying to get my leg strong and to fire again and be normal. I put a lot of hours in doing that. Realistically it might take me a little bit of time just to get back in and feel confident, but I think it's going to happen. I want to get better and I'm planning on it. I've put the work in to get better."

Richardson was stretchered off the ice after an awkward collision with Nikita Tryamkin, and distinctly recalls when he realized how serious the injury must be.

"When I think about that night it's hard," Richardson said. "I kind of get hot and sweaty when I do because the pain was so unbelievable. When it happened I knew it was really bad right away. I could feel my leg snap. But I can still see that fan in the crowd and see his face vividly. His expression was like 'Oh my God!' and I remember thinking 'Oh boy, I'm in trouble.' Even though I knew it was pretty bad, that fan's face summed up just how bad it really was."

At 32, Richardson enters 2017-18 as the oldest player on the Coyotes' roster, and his 607 games of NHL experience will be counted on to help lead this pack of young desert dogs.

If anything, Richardson is showing his young teammates how to bounce back from a fairly gruesome and possibly career-ending injury.

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The super twins era is winding down in Vancouver.

When the puck drops to begin a new season for the Canucks, brothers Daniel and Henrik Sedin will be 37, and in the final year of their contracts. In regards to the brothers' future in Vancouver and the NHL in general, they're not looking too far ahead, with a more immediate goal in mind.

"We think about our future on a regular basis, and we've said we're going to take it year by year now," Henrik said, according to Tim Campbell of NHL.com. "This year, we want to prove we can still play at a high level, and that's up to us to do. And we know that if we do, it'll be easier to answer those questions later in the year. So that's our mindset."

2016-17 was a down season for both brothers, who produced far below their career averages. The team as a whole is in a retooling phase, but Henrik still believes the team can compete if he and Daniel are at the top of their games.

"For me and Daniel, it's just about being as good as we can. I think we should be able to fight for a playoff spot. That's our goal."

Picked second (Daniel) and third (Henrik) overall in the 1999 NHL Draft, the Sedins are entering their 17th seasons with the Canucks. Each is entering the fourth and final season of respective four-year, $28-million contracts, and both can become unrestricted free agents next summer.

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Brandon Prust believes he has a real shot at cracking the Los Angeles Kings' roster on a professional tryout in training camp.

Kings player assistance director Brantt Myhres extended Prust the offer following a meeting with new general manager Rob Blake, and the belief is the 33-year-old winger can help the club with his rugged style of play.

"Brantt asked what I'd think of coming out on a PTO and I told him I thought it would be pretty sweet," Prust said, per Dave Stubbs of NHL.com. "He said there were some changes in L.A. and they see me fitting in the lineup if I come to camp and put on a good show."

Prust last played in the NHL on Jan. 19, 2016, waived by Vancouver shortly thereafter. He was hindered by a serious ankle injury that season, but he attended Toronto's training camp last year after being fully cleared to resume playing.

He ended up plying his trade in Germany with the Nurnberg Ice Tigers last season, and will consider going back to Europe if this opportunity with the Kings doesn't pan out.

"But my main focus is making the Kings," he said. "I'll take the same approach to L.A. that I had in Toronto. It just didn't end up working out last fall, even though I thought I'd played pretty well. I'll try to do that again."

In 486 career games, he's racked up 40 goals, 75 assists, and 1,036 penalty minutes, an indication of where his skill set lies. That he's on the verge of reaching the 500-game milestone is a testament to his dedication to the game.

Prust added, "I'd probably have played 700 by now if I hadn't had the injuries I've had, but that's the game. I'm definitely proud of what I've accomplished and how far I've come, but you always want more."

Fittingly, the Kings will kick off their preseason schedule with a pair of games against Vancouver in China on Sept. 21 and 23.

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