It's Alex Galchenyuk versus Jonathan Drouin, as the two forwards will battle it out for the job as top center with the Montreal Canadiens next season.

While there was some uncertainty that Galchenyuk would be back in the fold, the restricted free agent agreed to a three-year extension with the Canadiens on Wednesday.

He'll have a few new teammates in Montreal, most notably Drouin, after the Canadiens acquired the Quebec-born forward from the Tampa Bay Lightning in June.

In their relatively short NHL careers, Galchenyuk and Drouin have both split time between the wing and the dot, and the similarities don't end there. Both players are former third overall picks, with the Lightning drafting Drouin in that spot in 2013, one year after the Canadiens did the same with Galchenyuk.

So far, Drouin has appeared in 164 games, notching 29 goals and 66 assists. As for Galchenyuk, who made the jump to the NHL in 2012-13, he's skated in more than double that amount of contests, with 336 under his belt. He's recorded 89 goals and 115 assists in that time.

Galchenyuk scored a career-high 30 goals in 2015-16, while Drouin's best year came last season with the Lightning when he tallied 53 points, good for third on the team.

Still, despite their respective offensive successes, both players have failed to grab a hold of the center position at the NHL level, with both struggling mightily in the faceoff circle.

Drouin did not become a regular center until last season, and he won just 96 of his 220 draws, or just under 44 percent. As for Galchenyuk, he's taken nearly 1,400 faceoffs combined over the past two seasons, but his 2016-17 finish fell more than five points from the previous campaign, as he slid to 42.7 percent.

Galchenyuk appeared in 61 games last season, and was off to a torrid start with former Canadiens coach Michel Therrien regularly using him as a center. Prior to suffering a knee injury in early December, he'd recorded 23 points in 25 games. However, upon his return, new bench boss Claude Julien used Galchenyuk more often as a winger.

Drouin was in search of a fresh start of his own. While he appeared to have mended fences in Tampa Bay, the Lightning were ready to move on from a player who originally requested a trade in January 2016.

So, what do you say? Does the job as the top center for hockey's most historic franchise belong to Galchenyuk, or should he shift to the side in favor of the new face in Drouin?

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The Tampa Bay Lightning re-signed defenseman Jake Dotchin to a two-year, one-way contract worth $1.625 million on Wednesday.

That works out to an average annual value of $812,500.

Dotchin recorded 11 assists in 35 games for the Lightning last season, his first at the NHL level since being drafted 161st overall in 2012. He ranked fourth among Lightning defensemen in average ice time with 18:25 per contest.

He also helped the AHL's Syracuse Crunch reach the Calder Cup Finals, contributing six assists in 19 playoff games.

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The Montreal Canadiens signed forward Alex Galchenyuk to a three-year extension through the 2019-20 season, the team announced Wednesday.

The deal is reportedly worth $4.9 million per year, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.

Galchenyuk scored 17 goals and added 27 assists in 61 games last season, after posting 30 goals and 26 helpers in 2015-16.

He also missed a stretch of 18 games through December and January this past season after suffering a knee injury. Prior to the ailment, he'd registered 23 points in 25 games.

The Canadiens drafted Galchenyuk third overall in 2012.

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Restricted free agents eligible for salary arbitration had to file by Wednesday's deadline, and 30 players opted to do so, the NHLPA announced:

• Arizona Coyotes forward Jordan Martinook
• Boston Bruins forward Ryan Spooner
• Buffalo Sabres forward Johan Larsson, defenseman Nathan Beaulieu, and goaltender Robin Lehner
• Calgary Flames forward Micheal Ferland
• Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Nieto
• Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Tatar
• Edmonton Oilers defenseman Joey LaLeggia
• Los Angeles Kings defenseman Kevin Gravel
• Minnesota Wild forwards Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter
• Nashville Predators forwards Viktor Arvidsson and Austin Watson, plus goaltender Marek Mazanec
• New York Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan
• New York Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad
• Ottawa Senators forward Ryan Dzingel and Jean-Gabriel Pageau
• Pittsburgh Penguins forward Conor Sheary and defenseman Brian Dumoulin
• St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko
• Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson
• Vancouver Canucks forwards Reid Boucher and Michael Chaput
• Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt
• Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck

Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk and Rangers winger Jesper Fast also filed, but both later signed extensions Wednesday.

NHL clubs can file for team-elected arbitration prior to Thursday's deadline.

Teams and players can continue to negotiate contract extensions in hopes of reaching a deal prior to arbitration. Hearings will be held in Toronto between July 20 and Aug. 4.

Last season, 25 players were involved in the arbitration process, but 24 of the cases were settled without going to a hearing.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie's case was the outlier, but the two sides reached an agreement prior to the announcement of the arbitrator's verdict. Barrie signed a four-year, $22-million deal.

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Connor McDavid was unwavering in his commitment to stay with the Edmonton Oilers for the long haul.

That was the message delivered by general manager Peter Chiarelli upon announcing the eight-year, $100-million contract extension signed by the NHL's reigning MVP and high-scorer, a deal that will keep him in Edmonton for the next nine seasons.

At the same time, however, it's clear McDavid didn't push for the maximum possible value on the deal, allowing Chiarelli a better chance to build a winning team around the superstar captain.

"I compare this magnitude of contract to a partnership," Chiarelli said at a press conference Wednesday. "In order for a partnership to work, both sides have to benefit. They have to share in the success together. Conversely, they have to share in the challenges together also.

"This may be one of the largest contracts ever given in the NHL, but I assure you, it easily could have been a lot higher in value and shorter in term. Building a team to win the Stanley Cup was a constant discussion point in this negotiation."

In an ensuing interview with Sportsnet's Gene Principe, McDavid stopped short of saying he left money on the table, but he did echo Chiarelli's desire to win.

"It's hard to say you can make more than $100 million, that's a lot of money. Ultimately, you want to have a good team, you want to be competitive, and you want to make sure that there is a little bit of wiggle room.

"Could there have been a chance to take ... whatever, it doesn't matter how we got here. It's important that we have a good team and I think we'll be able to do that."

Theoretically, McDavid could have commanded $15 million per season on his new deal, as the maximum allowable salary cap hit is 20% of the ceiling, currently set at $75 million. A report on June 28 suggested McDavid was set to sign an eight-year deal in the ballpark of $13.25 million per season, meaning his actual contract came in at $750,000 under that number on an annual basis.

In the end, it's a deal both sides are happy with, and even more so if a Cup or two is won over the next nine years.

Next up on Chiarelli's to-do list is a contract extension for restricted free agent Leon Draisaitl, which also won't come cheap.

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The Buffalo Sabres announced they have hired Davis Payne as an associate coach to serve under bench boss Phil Housley.

The 46-year-old Payne spent the past five seasons in an associate role with the Los Angeles Kings, and previously served as head coach of the St. Louis Blues for parts of three seasons, leading them to a 67-55-15 record between the 2009-10 and 2011-12 campaigns.

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Connor McDavid is the $100-million man.

The Edmonton Oilers captain put pen to paper on an eight-year extension with the club Wednesday on a deal set to kick in for the 2018-19 season.

The new contract will see McDavid soon lay claim to the NHL's highest salary cap hit, a title currently held by Chicago's Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, and, most recently, Montreal netminder Carey Price, all of whom carry a $10.5-million AAV.

News of McDavid's new mega deal, and its potential impacts, wasn't lost on social media:

The fact that McDavid's extension came in a shade lower than the previously reported $13.25-million figure was also picked up on by puckheads:

The question is now how the deal will impact players around the league, particularly McDavid's teammate Leon Draisaitl:

No doubt McDavid's extension will also come up when the Buffalo Sabres sit down with Jack Eichel, who was drafted second to McDavid in 2015:

McDavid wrapped his second season with the Oilers with 100 points in 82 games, a campaign which saw him take home the Art Ross Trophy, the Hart Trophy, and the Ted Lindsay Award.

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Brent Burns and Joe Thornton had their turn to get naked, now the U.S. Women's national hockey team is baring it all for ESPN's Body Issue.

The team has made plenty of hockey-related headlines in the last few months.

First, for launching - and, eventually winning - a highly publicized boycott with USA Hockey over fair wages, and then taking home gold at the world championships in April.

The American women made headlines once again Wednesday, this time by posing nude for the popular ESPN magazine issue.

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The Edmonton Oilers signed center Connor McDavid to an eight-year, $100-million contract extension Wednesday, the club announced.

McDavid's deal carries an annual average of $12.5 million, and will take effect for the 2018-19 season.

Signing McDavid to a long-term deal is obviously a huge win for the Oilers and their front office, as McDavid is arguably the best player on the planet with his most productive years still in front of him.

Over the last two campaigns and 127 regular-season games, McDavid has registered 46 goals and 102 assists to go along with the Hart and Art Ross Trophies he won this year.

McDavid's deal puts him in a tie for the fourth highest-paid player in NHL history.

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