Cross the Tampa Bay Lighting off the list of potential destinations for college free agent Will Butcher.

The Lightning are not among the clubs pursuing the 22-year-old defenseman, reports Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.

Butcher was originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the fifth round in 2013. After playing out his four years at the University of Denver - capping off his NCAA career by winning the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey - he elected not to sign with the Avalanche and became an unrestricted free agent.

Related: 3 teams that should pursue Will Butcher

Butcher racked up 28 goals and 103 points in 158 games during his tenure with the Pioneers, who won the Frozen Four in his final season.

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Jack Eichel believes the Buffalo Sabres are bound to take a big step forward after last season's disappointment.

Despite bringing in Kyle Okposo and Dmitry Kulikov last summer, the Sabres finished with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. Eichel insists the Sabres are still confident in themselves and expects this offseason's changes at the top to help.

"We think we can be really good," Eichel said, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "We think we can be a playoff team. That's what's important. We have to go into training camp with the right mindset, get the season off and running, put our best foot forward."

The Sabres fired general manager Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma in April, replacing them with Jason Botterill and former Nashville Predators assistant coach Phil Housley, respectively.

"We have a new GM, new coaches, so it's a new situation for all of us and we have to look at it with the right mindset," Eichel said. "No bad relationships. No opinions. It's important for a lot of guys who might have been on the wrong foot."

At the time of the firing, there were reports that Eichel told management he wouldn't sign an extension if Bylsma remained the team's head coach, though Eichel denied the report.

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Last season, NHL viewers were blessed with an extraordinary rookie class. Right from the get-go, 2016 top picks Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine led the way while emblazoning their identities as superstars.

While Matthews' 40-goal campaign ultimately won him the top prize, Laine, along will fellow rookies William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Zach Werenski, and Matthew Tkachuk, each put forth seasons worthy of Calder consideration.

And although 2017's top draft choices, Nico Hischier (New Jersey) and Nolan Patrick (Philadelphia), will surely garner their fair share of buzz in the Rookie of the Year race, we're going to devote our attention - for now - to five candidates capable of leapfrogging the favorites.

Clayton Keller - Arizona Coyotes

After notching 45 points in 31 games with Boston University last season, Keller played a three-game stint with the Coyotes, recording two assists.

The 19-year-old continued his stellar developmental year with Team USA at the World Championship, scoring five goals and adding two assists in eight contests.

The ultra-dynamic winger oozes skill, and a full NHL campaign on a seemingly improved Coyotes roster could put the 2016 seventh overall pick firmly on the map.

Charlie McAvoy - Boston Bruins

Another Boston University product, McAvoy showed promise on several platforms in his first year as Bruins property.

First, the 19-year-old anchored Team USA's blue line at the world juniors, where he played a pivotal role in capturing the gold medal. From there, he virtually assured himself a spot on the Bruins' roster with a promising showing in the first round of the playoffs, during which he averaged an astonishing 26:12 of ice time per night.

McAvoy showed incredible poise in his first taste of the pros, and should put voters on notice in his official rookie season.

Tyson Jost - Colorado Avalanche

Jost earned a six-game stretch with the hapless Avalanche as last season concluded, tallying one goal.

The forward also recorded 35 points in 33 games as a rookie with North Dakota in 2016-17, and should play a prominent role in Colorado's offense.

Jost possesses legitimate offensive talent and a developing two-way game. He could very well be the centerpiece that helps Joe Sakic and Co. turn things around in Denver.

Thomas Chabot - Ottawa Senators

While McAvoy walked away with the gold, Chabot earned MVP honors and the top defenseman award at the 2017 world juniors, leaving Senators supporters salivating at the idea of their prized prospect teaming up with Erik Karlsson for years to come.

Chabot, a 2015 first-rounder, has all the makings of an NHL workhorse, and looks to have outgrown the junior level, where he recorded 45 points in 47 games with Saint John last season.

Mikhail Sergachev - Tampa Bay Lightning

As one of the top defensive prospects in the NHL, Sergachev has a tremendous chance to make an immediate impact on the league should he shine with the Lightning - a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

He was the main piece in Tampa Bay's return for Jonathan Drouin, and a campaign alongside - or even just learning under - All-Star Victor Hedman could easily fast-track his development.

(Photos Courtesy: Getty Images)

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The 2016-17 NHL campaign was very peculiar.

Two of the league's basement-dwelling clubs from 2016 - the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs - rocketed up the standings and into the postseason.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the coin, many of the league's top talent had downright putrid seasons statistically. Seasons so off it would be a near-guarantee the 2017-18 season will see a rebound.

Here are 10 such players who should do just that:

Anze Kopitar

Fifty-two points in a season doesn't sound too bad, but considering Kopitar had never tallied fewer than 61 points in a full 82-game season prior to 2017, it's certainly a downer.

The Los Angeles Kings captain also scored a career-low 12 goals while posting a career-low shooting percentage. A new coaching staff and team dynamic should give Kopitar the jolt he needs to get back to being the player we know he is.

Joe Thornton

Thornton scored seven goals last season. Seven! And three of those were empty-netters. Sure he's more of a passer and is getting older, but that's just bizarre.

Thornton scored 12 fewer goals and 32 fewer points than in 2016. One big reason is he managed just over one shot per game. If Jumbo Joe can get a little more selfish in his old age he could still get close to the 20-goal mark.

Matt Duchene

You'd be hard-pressed to find a single member of the Colorado Avalanche who had a strong 2017.

Duchene is no exception. The 26-year-old finished the year with 18 goals and 41 points, after scoring a career-high 30 in 2016. Duchene has the talent to be better and should have the motivation to try to either fix the situation in Colorado or up his value so he can be more easily traded.

Andrew Ladd

Ladd only managed four goals in the first 32 games of the 2017 season, but the New York Islanders forward rallied in the second half, finishing with a respectable 23 goals.

That said, Ladd still only managed eight assists in 78 games. Prior to that, Ladd hadn't had fewer than 21 assists since 2007-08. So you can bet he'll be better next season.

Dylan Larkin

After a strong rookie season, Larkin failed to impress during his sophomore campaign.

After 45 points in his first season, he put up six less goals and 13 fewer points.

There's no denying his talent and his speed are among the NHL's best, so Larkin will get it together and be better in 2018.

Chris Kunitz

The 2016-17 season was the worst of Kunitz's career, with just nine goals and 29 points in 71 games.

The 37-year-old is clearly nearing the end of his career, but in the previous two years he still managed 17 goals in each, so one might think he could manage those kind of numbers next season.

Perhaps a change of scenery in Tampa will help get him back on track.

Bobby Ryan

Ryan tallied almost as many points in the playoffs as he did during the regular season.

After just 13 goals and 25 points in 62 games (both career-lows in a full 82-game season) Ryan was arguably the Senators best player in the postseason, putting up 15 points in 19 games.

If he can rekindle that playoff scoring prowess, then he's sure to have a great 2018.

Patrick Sharp

Sure, Sharp was limited to just 48 games last season, but just eight goals and 10 assists is absurdly low.

Sharp ran into some bad luck, connecting on just 5.5 percent of his shots, while the Dallas Stars were just plain bad. Returning to his former team in Chicago with the potential to reunite with Patrick Kane should allow him to rebound.

Nick Bjugstad

Bjugstad's brutal season is just one of the reasons why the Florida Panthers took a giant tumble backwards last season.

Two seasons after a career-high 24 goals and 43 points, Bjugstad had just seven goals and seven assists in a injury-riddled 2017. He's still young, skilled, and the Panthers look to have sorted out their coaching staff, so expect more than a measly 14 points next season.

Anthony Duclair

It's inconceivable that Duclair won't score more than five goals next season. The fact he scored 15 fewer goals last season than in 2016 is outrageous.

His shooting percentage dropped over 12 percent from 2016, which is unlikely to happen again. Factor in the addition of Derek Stepan and a healthy Max Domi and it would be unlikely that Duclair doesn't improve next season.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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Defenseman Alexey Marchenko has decided to return to his homeland of Russia, his agent, Dan Milstein, confirmed Tuesday.

Marchenko hopes to return to the NHL someday in the future, Milstein added.

The Toronto Maple Leafs placed the 25-year-old on unconditional waivers Monday for the purpose of a buyout. They claimed Marchenko on waivers from the Detroit Red Wings last February.

He played a combined 41 NHL games between the two teams last season, notching one goal and seven assists.

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David Pastrnak isn't going anywhere, according to Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney.

In light of a report from NHL Network's Brian Lawton suggesting Pastrnak could be traded due to stalled contract negotiations, Sweeney came out and said it's not happening, per Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe.

"Not trading Pastrnak," was Sweeney’s terse comment in an email to a Globe reporter Monday night.

Sweeney's last update on contract talks with the restricted free agent came two weeks ago, wherein he stated the process was in a holding pattern. Still, goaltender Tuukka Rask, who traveled to China with the winger earlier this summer, is sure the two sides will reach an agreement.

Pastrnak, 21, finished in a tie for the seventh-highest goal total last season (34), and added 36 assists for 70 points in 75 games.

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Here are the top 250 skaters and goalies ranking in descending order based on their value in 10- or 12-team "banger leagues." A typical banger league consists of the following categories:

The key difference from a banger league and a standard league is the addition of hits and blocked shots. Though two additional categories may seem like a minor difference, it can have a major affect on the value of players.

Positional eligibility may vary by fantasy site. Some players may be eligible at multiple positions, but only their primary position is considered here.

Top 250

These rankings will be updated throughout the lead-up to the season.

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The Will Butcher sweepstakes will officially begin Wednesday.

The 2017 Hobey Baker Award winner remains property of the Colorado Avalanche, who drafted him 123rd overall in 2013, through to the end of Tuesday, agent Brian Bartlett confirmed.

The 22-year-old defenseman couldn't come to an agreement with the Avalanche on an entry-level contract, meaning he'll be free to sign one with any of the NHL's other 30 teams as an unrestricted free agent once that window opens at midnight.

Related: 3 teams that should pursue Will Butcher

Butcher was named the top player in men's college hockey last season and captained the University of Denver to the national championship. He registered 28 goals and 75 assists in 158 career NCAA games.

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