Take a Bow, Rick.

Rick Bowness has now coached in more games than anyone in NHL history.

The Tampa Bay Lightning associate coach broke Scotty Bowman's all-time record Friday night by working in his 2,165th career game, according to Bryan Burns of the club's official website.

Granted, Bowness has been a head coach for only 463 of them, while Bowman occupied the lead role for 2,141 regular-season contests.

Still, it's an impressive accomplishment for the 62-year-old Bowness, who's been a reliable assistant for more than a decade.

"He knows how to change with the times," Bowman told Burns before Friday's game. "Over the three or four decades, he's kept up. He's got the experience. Nothing's going to surprise him now."

Before becoming one of the league's most dependable associate bench bosses, he served as head coach of the original Winnipeg Jets and the Boston Bruins for less than a season in both locales, spent parts of four campaigns as the head man with the Ottawa Senators, parts of two more with the New York Islanders, then reunited with the old Jets franchise for 20 games with the Arizona Coyotes in 2003-04.

Bowness joined the Vancouver Canucks as Alain Vigneault's associate in 2006-07 and remained there until the end of the 2012-13 season, joining the Lightning for the following campaign under then-first-year head coach Jon Cooper.

To this day, the quest to lift Lord Stanley's mug is still his primary driving force.

"That's my main motivation," he said. "I don't care what the job description is, assistant coach, head trainer, I don't care about that. I just want to win the Stanley Cup. So the drive of trying to win a Stanley Cup is still there. I've never worried about the job description. I just want to go somewhere where you have a legitimate chance to win and to win that Cup."

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Mike Ilitch, the longtime owner of the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers, died Friday at the age of 87.

"My father was a once-in-a-generation entrepreneur, visionary and leader, setting the tone for our organization and our family," Chris Ilitch, president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings, Inc., said in a statement.

"He made such a positive impact in the world of sports, in business and in the community, and we will remember him for his unwavering commitment to his employees, his passion for Detroit, his generosity to others and his devotion to his family and friends," the younger Ilitch added.

"Together my family and the company celebrate the tremendous man he was, and we will continue to work hard to uphold his remarkable legacy. I'm honored to have had the opportunity to work with him to nurture and grow our businesses, but mostly, I'm grateful to have called him my Dad, and I know my siblings feel the same."

Mike Ilitch died Friday afternoon in a local hospital.

He bought the Red Wings in 1982 and purchased the Tigers in 1992.

Under his ownership, the Red Wings won four Stanley Cup championships (1997, '98, 2002 and '08), and they currently hold the longest active playoff streak in professional sports at 25 consecutive seasons.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003, and into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame the following year.

The Tigers won two pennants under Ilitch's watch, in 2006 and 2012, and the MLB club made four straight playoff appearances between 2011-14.

Ilitch was the founder of the Little Caesars pizza empire, and he was a prominent figure in the redevelopment efforts in Detroit.

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By no means was it the biggest trade of the offseason, but the mid-July deal that sent Mika Zibanejad to the New York Rangers in exchange for Derick Brassard and a seventh-round pick is approaching the next stage of development.

Zibanejad is a pending unrestricted free agent, but his contract year had a wrench thrown in it after suffering a broken fibula in November, limiting him to just 29 games this season.

With that in mind, Zibanejad's upcoming negotiations become clouded by a bit of uncertainty. So how do the Rangers approach the situation?

Let's take a look:

His case

In Zibanejad, the Rangers acquired a developing 23-year-old center coming off a career-best, 51-point season with the Senators. He was hand-plucked to serve as a cheaper, younger, perhaps even better alternative to Brassard, and early returns indicate New York general manager Jeff Gorton orchestrated a good deal.

Ottawa selected Zibanejad sixth overall in 2011, and after a few stints in the AHL, he's started to become the player many anticipated he would be. Over his career (310 games) Zibanejad's career points per game rate is 0.55, but since becoming a permanent NHLer in 2014-15, his average sits at 0.62 with 48 goals and 70 assists in 190 contests.

In limited action this season, Zibanejad has 21 points to Brassard's 29, in 23 fewer games.

What's more, Zibanejad has assumed the centering role on New York's top line, flanked by Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello, two of the club's top three scorers.

The Rangers' situation

As usual, New York's cap situation is less than enviable.

The Rangers have an estimated $2.2 million in cap space, per Cap Friendly, and don't have any big contracts coming off the books before Zibanejad requires a new deal.

However, the expiring, smaller-scale contracts of Brandon Pirri, Jesper Fast, Matt Puempel, Oscar Lindberg, and Adam Clendening - all RFAs - could create some wiggle room.

That said, New York looks stuck between true contender status and an unavoidable rebuild, and unloading contracts to ensure Zibanejad sticks around could be the safest bet in securing the latter scenario is successful.

What's he worth?

Because it prolongs the overall process, bridge deals are becoming less frequent in toady's NHL, and locking Zibanejad up long term is likely in the Rangers' best interest, especially considering his leg injury could drive down his price.

For comparison's sake, Ducks forward Rickard Rakell, who owns a career points per game of 0.52, and is also 23, netted a six-year extension worth $3.8 annually.

Considering Zibanejad's similar production, and impact on the Rangers' offense in limited action, a deal like Rakell's could be on the horizon.

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The NHL is in a golden age when it comes to young, exceptionally talented prospects proving their worth immediately. And no club has benefited from that shift as greatly as the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Of the top 15 rookie scorers in the NHL this season, six wear Leafs colours. Wind that down to just the top four, and only one isn't a member of the blue and white.

Though the Leafs' youthful dominance has been the story of the season, it looks like Toronto's young guns are on the verge of kicking it up a notch, set to establish themselves as the club's best-ever rookie class.

The Leafs' 206 rookie points through 53 games have been scored by committee, though the heavy lifting has undoubtedly been done by Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, who boast 44 and 46 points, respectively.

William Nylander is just a step behind with 36 to his name, while Nikita Zaitsev, Connor Brown, and Zach Hyman all have at least 23 points in the bag. Nikita Soshnikov and Frederik Gauthier round out the group with a combined 10 points.

There's no question the standout rookies will soon top the franchise benchmark. The Leafs have just under 30 games remaining on the season, with Matthews and Marner both on pace to rack up roughly 25 points apiece over that span.

But the total points mark likely isn't the only franchise record the first-year phenoms will be claiming in 2016-17.

Peter Ihnacak's rookie record-setting mark of 66 points - posted during that 207-point, 1982-83 season - is in danger, with both Marner and Matthews on pace to outscore him at some point over the next couple months.

They're coming for Wendel too.

Leafs great Wendel Clark set the franchise record for rookie goals with 34 back in 1985-86. Matthews already has 25 tallies in the bag, and should be flirting with the 40-goal plateau by this season's end if he continues on his current trajectory.

Suffice to say, Toronto's rebuild isn't just going swimmingly - the Leafs have in fact put together arguably the best rookie class in team history. Bad news for their former rookie record-holders, but fantastic news for the club's promising future.

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The Buffalo Sabres shared the heartwarming story of a family that created its own hockey tradition - building the Eichel Tower - with the player and broadcaster who inspired it.

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Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson is scheduled to undergo surgery on his wrist next week and will miss the remainder of this season, general manager Ken Holland said Friday, according to MLive's Brendan Savage.

Ericsson fractured his wrist when he crashed into the boards due to a shove from behind by Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom on Thursday night.

Backstrom was penalized on the play, but it will not come under scrutiny from the NHL.

Ericsson averaged the third-most minutes among Red Wings defensemen this season, trailing Mike Green and Danny DeKeyser. He's contributed a goal and nine points, and leads the club with 63 penalty minutes.

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Six points behind the Boston Bruins for the second of two wild-card slots, the Buffalo Sabres are technically as close as they've been to a postseason berth at this point in a season in quite some time.

Such is existence in the bunched bottom tier inside the Eastern Conference, where fans and executives, if not careful, can be easily deceived by the false parity tied to more and more games distributing three points.

But the reality is this: the Sabres need to outperform eight teams in the final two months just to earn the right to run into the Washington Capitals' buzz saw in the first round.

Instead, the Sabres should look to unload in this season's sellers' market. But what can they realistically accomplish?

Projected cap space: $1.46 million
Current cap space: $4.5 million
Number of contracts: 43/50
Number of pending free agents: 11 (7 unrestricted)

Evander Kane

Since the start of December, when he discovered his form after his return from broken ribs suffered on opening night, only five players have more goals than Kane. It's a bit of an arbitrary point of reference, sure, and his environment is certainly contributing to his performance. But regardless, Kane's value hasn't been as high as it is right now.

Unfortunately, that increase is also affected, in large part, by the fact that he's inching closer to the end of his long-term contract. Kane's known clashes with teammates and problems outside the rink are risks that a would-be buyer is more likely to consider accepting on a short-term basis.

With another season remaining on a contract that pays him a little more than $5 million annually, the Sabres should entertain the discussion, but not shove Kane out the door.

Dmitry Kulikov

The decision to deal Mark Pysyk for the veteran Kulikov hasn't worked out for Buffalo. Pysyk's given the Florida Panthers strong shot-suppressing minutes at the bottom of the rotation, while Kulikov, a pending unrestricted free agent, has been driven back into his own end in his 28 games.

It won't be a good look if Tim Murray accepts a lesser asset than Pysyk at the trade deadline, but it would likely save the club from investing big money in a player trending in the wrong direction.

If there's interest - and there will be - Kulikov should move along.

Brian Gionta

The Sabres' captain is another pending unrestricted free agent, but one less likely to move. Gionta has no-move agreement in his contract, isn't believed to be interested in fleeting affiliation, and simply cannot provide the same value as other potential acquisitions in the same $4-million-plus salary bracket.

Gionta's on track to have his best offensive season since joining the Sabres, and, incredibly, leads the team in production rate. But the ice remains tilted against him more often than not.

If his intangibles interest another executive, the Sabres should present Gionta with the option, gleefully retain salary, and, if they so choose, welcome him back in the summer. But it's a long shot.

Marcus Foligno

Foligno's an interesting case. He has one goal and zero assists in the last 10 games while primarily being deployed with Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart.

He's a player commonly put in situations to produce, but ultimately has failed to boost his value leading into a restricted free-agent summer. In the end, this could be a beneficial situation for the Sabres, who, if the season ended now, would maintain leverage in negotiations this summer.

But if there's a reluctance to award him a raise on his $2.25-million salary, and something of value is served up in return, the Sabres may decide to let another team - one less interested in a strict rental - establish his price moving forward.

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Knowledge is power.

That's why it would appear a handful of NHL general managers are reaching out to the management team of the Vegas Golden Knights, in an attempt to gather as much of it as they can.

At least six teams have made contact with Vegas' brass to try and gain as much information as possible, intelligence that can help determine how a team might approach the trade deadline, according to ESPN's Craig Custance.

Custance explains why such information can be so important for a team:

It's smart, really. If a team thinks they're going to lose a player to Vegas, maybe there's more motivation to make a move now. And what better way to get a sense of the Golden Knights' strategy than to call the Golden Knights?

One GM, who remained anonymous, explained what kind of information teams might be eager to get their hands on.

"Everyone is trying to find the tipping point to dealing assets to protect players," said one GM. "What's it going to cost to have (Vegas GM) George (McPhee) leave a player alone versus trading an unprotected player for assets now?"

As another general manager explains, you could see teams try to - for a lack of a better word - bribe the Golden Knights with assets in order to cover themselves and their own players.

"It all depends on the player," said another GM. "There are going to be teams that go to George and say, 'Don't pick this guy, take this guy, we'll give you a second(-round pick).' Or, 'here's a first, go away.' It's not supposed to be a great draft. He may end up with five first-round picks."

Vegas can start making trades once the final sale of the team is complete, which is expected to be on or around the trade deadline - March 1. After that, things could get very interesting in the Sin City.

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It's no secret the Toronto Maple Leafs need to upgrade their blueline, ideally adding a right-shot defenseman to play the top pairing alongside Morgan Rielly.

At their disposal, the Maple Leafs have a prime winger in James van Riemsdyk to offer up for that much-needed piece. With that in mind, here are three teams who boast the defensive depth but could use a boost to their scoring ranks to make such a move possible:

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks own arguably the league's deepest blueline, headlined by Hampus Lindholm, Cam Fowler, and Sami Vatanen.

The 25-year-old Fowler is in the midst of career year, already with 11 tallies on the season, while Lindholm remains the team's top defender on the left side. At the same time, young and affordable blue-liners like Shea Theodore and Brandon Montour are pushing for more minutes, and moving out another defender like Vatanen could create that space.

With just 147 goals on the season, ranking 19th league-wide, the Ducks lack secondary scoring, and could cash in on offense if the team is willing to strip a piece from its blueline. Adding van Riemsdyk could reinvigorate Anaheim's scoring punch, as his 19 tallies would be the best on the Ducks behind only Rickard Rakell.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild are too good for their own good. That's because the team faces a crunch ahead of the summer expansion draft, when the Vegas Golden Knights will get to pick off a piece of the Wild roster.

Teams can protect either three defensemen and seven forwards from the expansion, or a combination of eight skaters, the latter option being likely for Minnesota, given that the Wild have at least four blue-liners they will want to keep in the fold. Ryan Suter is an automatic, plus he has a no-movement clause, while the likes of Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, and Marco Scandella are also worth keeping around. That means the odd man out could be young defenseman Matt Dumba.

Up front, Minnesota has three more no-move deals, but could the team approach a veteran winger like Jason Pominville to waive his clause ahead of the expansion to give the team some more flexibility? Doing so would give the Wild another two protection slots, one it will need for Finnish forward Mikael Granlund, while the other could go to van Riemsdyk, should he be acquired from Toronto.

New York Islanders

It's been a turnaround season for the Islanders, where after months of sub-par play the team has found its game under new bench boss Doug Weight.

While early season losses displayed some of the Islanders' weaknesses, one area where the team is strong is its blueline, featuring a depth of talent including Johnny Boychuk, Nick Leddy, and Travis Hamonic. A season ago, Hamonic asked for a trade to be closer to his Manitoba home, and while that request has since been rescinded, the Islanders may still be open to a move.

While the team's blueline is strong, New York's forward ranks aren't nearly as deep, where the club has shuffled through a host of players to skate alongside captain John Tavares, a free agent after next season. In recent weeks, the captain has paired with Anders Lee and Josh Bailey, though neither player is on the same level as van Riemsdyk. This season, the Maple Leafs winger sits just one point shy of Tavares, who has 44 points on the year.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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What may have cost Ken Hitchcock his job is now making Mike Yeo look like a genius.

After a tailspin down the standings that forced general manager Doug Armstrong to take action, the St. Louis Blues' goaltenders have pulled the chutes and helped the club go 4-1-0 in five games since Hitchcock was dismissed.

The Blues' offense has also awoken after a stretch of five games that saw the team average 2.6 goals per game while going 1-4-0 prior to Yeo's promotion. Since then, the team has put an average of 3.2 goals past opposing netminders.

The biggest change in the team's play, though, has clearly been on the other side of the puck, where - compared to the five games that preceded Hitchcock's firing, which saw the Blues give up 4.4 goals per game - the goalies have allowed just 1.2 per game.

Jake Allen and Carter Hutton have been stellar. Other than a 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the club hasn't allowed more than a single goal per game, shutting out the Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators.

The stretch of strong play has helped the Blue not only pump the breaks on their previous skid, but also edge out the Nashville Predators for third spot in the Central Division.

Of course, it shouldn't go without mentioning that on the day Yeo took over as bench boss, future Hall of Fame netminder Martin Brodeur extended his duties beyond assistant general manager, taking over as a goalie coach alongside former 'tender Ty Conklin.

Not a bad voice to have in one's ear.

Allen holds a 2.69 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage, while Hutton has posted 2.65 and .902 marks, which both need to improve going forward. But if the goalies can continue to kick out pucks at a similar clip, the Blues, who give up the fifth-fewest shots against per game and boast a top-10 offense, might not be in trouble after all.

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