When the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Scott Darling from the Chicago Blackhawks, it signaled the end of an era in Carolina.

The club later inked Darling to a four-year contract and now the man who backed up Corey Crawford will take the reigns in Carolina. Cam Ward would certainly like to keep his net in light of the acquisition, but he understands the move and will do whatever he can to help his new goalie counterpart.

"I'm realistic," Ward said, according to Chip Alexander of the News Observer. "I understand the situation. I know he was brought in here to sign a four-year deal for pretty good money not to be a backup.

"I know where I am in my career. … Certainly I’m a competitive guy and I still want to be able to play and I’ll do whatever I can to earn that ice time, but I'm hopeful he can make that next step. He deserves that."

In 2016-17 Ward posted his worst save percentage and goals-against average in three years with .905 and 2.69 marks respectively. Meanwhile, Darling posted a save percentage of a .924 and a goals-against average of 2.38 - albeit in a smaller sample size.

It's likely part of the reason why Ward admits he was very supportive when he caught wind of the Darling trade.

"I thought it was a great move," Ward said. "I've heard nothing but good things about Scott Darling. … I look at a guy who’s ready to take that next step.

"I've been very fortunate to be here as long as I have and to be a No. 1 guy for over a decade, so I think I have something to offer to him. I think I can offer him my experience and give him the support he needs to make that next step."

Ward will turn 34 this season, while Darling turns 29 this coming December. Ward has 11 full seasons under his belt and knows his game is not at the level it once was.

"I'm getting toward the end," Ward said. "I hate to say that but it's realistic. I'm not in the first-half of my career; I'm in the second half.

"You learn to appreciate the game a lot more, your time with your teammates and trying to help them out. I'm looking forward to meeting Scott. I think we’ll be a good partnership."

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While training camp is now just a few weeks out, Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving remains confident the team will get restricted free agent Sam Bennett signed to a new contract.

"We’re going to get Sam signed," Treliving said, according to Eric Francis of the Calgary Herald. "Every contract is unique and takes its own course. We’re working away at it and we think Sam is going to be a good player in this organization for a long time. He’s growing and I know he’s had a good summer. We’ll keep banging away at it."

Bennett just finished his second full season with the Flames, although it was a year in which he saw his stats take a hit. After tallying a respectable 18 goals and 18 assists in 2016, he potted just 13 goals and notched 13 assists this past year.

Bennett is coming off of his entry-level deal and the Flames still have over $7 million in cap space, so a deal is surely forthcoming.

Meanwhile, with a year away until he becomes an unrestricted free agent, the team must also start considering what to do with Mikael Backlund. The 28-year-old is coming off a career-year, contributing 22 goals and 53 points - good enough for third on the club - while playing a huge role with the Flames.

"We’ve got lots of time and he’s a good player and a good man," said Treliving. "We’ll see where that goes."

Treliving is sure to be a busy man in the coming weeks.

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Patrick Maroon gives all the credit for his breakout campaign last season to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

The Edmonton Oilers forward demolished his previous career high of 11 goals - tallying 27 last season while also putting up a career-best 42 points - largely playing alongside one or both of McDavid and Draisaitl.

"Obviously without those two I wouldn't have the success I did, but sometimes you've got to give yourself some credit too," Maroon said, according to NHL.com's Louie Korac. "Those two are very tremendous players, and for me I've just got to keep doing what I'm doing to stay with them.

"Obviously Todd McLellan had a really big part in that. He gave me an opportunity to play with those two. For me, I've just got to continue what I did last year, come (to training camp) in really good shape again and hopefully good things fall into place again."

Given the incredible talent both youngsters have shown in such a short time, Maroon knows it's up to him to do some of the dirty work when he is on the ice alongside the two - going to the net, banging away at pucks, and getting into the open areas.

"Playing with Connor and Leon Draisaitl last year, a lot of people don't give Leon enough credit because there's always Connor there," Maroon said. "But I think with both of them together really helped me out last year. They obviously see things that certain players don't see. So for me, I think I was trying to do my part, be big and strong, go to the net hard and hoping for them to find me and hopefully clean up the mess if they got a shot or whatever."

In all, Maroon proved to be a vital part of the Oilers' offense during the regular season and the playoffs - where he tallied another eight points in 13 games. There is certainly renewed confidence in Edmonton and, while Maroon and Co. will look to improve on last year's performance, the big winger understands that nothing is guaranteed.

"I think for us, we can't expect to just do it again," Maroon said. "We've got to start out of the gate hot and play how we're capable of playing and go into the season with confidence and a swagger that we are a good hockey team.

"I think everyone's excited to get this season started. Last year was a tough fall to Anaheim, but we've bounced and we came a long way. It was a proud moment not only for the organization but the players to see how far we came from the year before to doing that. I think the guys are really excited and anxious to get the season started. We know what we're capable of and we know what we have to do to make the playoffs again."

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The Vancouver Canucks are taking a chance on Thomas Vanek.

The club signed the 33-year-old to a one-year, $2-million contract on Friday, the team announced.

"Thomas has been a prolific scorer throughout his career and we're excited to add his offence and experience to help with the continued growth of our forwards," general manager Jim Benning said in a release. "His skill and ability to contribute on the scoresheet, combined with his lead-by-example style will help our team this year, and will benefit our younger players as they continue to develop their game."

Vanek is coming off an interesting year that saw him post a respectable 15 goals and 38 points with the Detroit Red Wings, before being dealt to the Florida Panthers where he failed to replicate the same kind of offense, chipping in just two goals and 10 points in 20 games.

The Canucks will be Vanek's seventh NHL club of his career and his seventh stop in just a four-year span.

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On Wednesday following his retirement, it was reported that the Calgary Flames were among handful of teams that had shown some interest in veteran Shane Doan.

Doan ultimately decided to hang up the skates, but that didn't halt rumors that the Flames might be in the market for a veteran forward as whispers then turned to unrestricted free agents Jarome Iginla and Jaromir Jagr.

The rumors hit such a chord that general manager Brad Treliving went on record with some confusion as to where they came from.

"I don’t know where all this talk comes from - we certainly never made a statement saying we’re looking at so-and-so," Treliving said, according to Eric Francis of the Calgary Herald. "Both are Hall of Famers. Nobody has done more as a player in Calgary than Jarome Iginla. You can’t help but respect them. But this notion we’ve been in contract talks with them is rumor and I’m not going to comment on them."

While Treliving declined to speak to the rumors themselves, he did suggest that the club could still look to make some acquisitions before training camp opens.

"Are we going to go to camp with the group we have? Good chance," said Treliving. "Are we poking around at a few things and could there be additions before camp? Yes. Is that a guarantee? No. I wouldn’t say there’s anything significant on the horizon, but we look at everything every day."

Last season Iginla split time between the Colorado Avalanche and the Los Angeles Kings, tallying 14 goals and 27 points, while Jagr amassed 16 goals and 46 points with the Florida Panthers.

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On Wednesday following his retirement, it was reported that the Calgary Flames were among handful of teams that had shown some interest in veteran Shane Doan.

Doan ultimately decided to hang up the skates, but that didn't halt rumors that the Flames might be in the market for a veteran forward as whispers then turned to unrestricted free agents Jarome Iginla and Jaromir Jagr.

The rumors hit such a chord that general manager Brad Treliving went on record with some confusion as to where they came from.

"I don’t know where all this talk comes from - we certainly never made a statement saying we’re looking at so-and-so," Treliving said, according to Eric Francis of the Calgary Herald. "Both are Hall of Famers. Nobody has done more as a player in Calgary than Jarome Iginla. You can’t help but respect them. But this notion we’ve been in contract talks with them is rumor and I’m not going to comment on them."

While Treliving declined to speak to the rumors themselves, he did suggest that the club could still look to make some acquisitions before training camp opens.

"Are we going to go to camp with the group we have? Good chance," said Treliving. "Are we poking around at a few things and could there be additions before camp? Yes. Is that a guarantee? No. I wouldn’t say there’s anything significant on the horizon, but we look at everything every day."

Last season Iginla split time between the Colorado Avalanche and the Los Angeles Kings, tallying 14 goals and 27 points, while Jagr amassed 16 goals and 46 points with the Florida Panthers.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets signed forward Alexander Wennberg to a six-year contract on Friday, the team announced.

Per club policy, the terms of the contract were not disclosed, but according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, the deal will pay Wennberg an annual average of $4.9 million for a total of $29.4 million.

"We are excited to have signed Alexander to a long-term contract through the 2022-23 season," general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a release. "He has shown steady improvement throughout his young NHL career and is coming off a very good 2016-17 campaign. At just 22-years-old, he has tremendous opportunity to become an integral player for our organization for years to come."

The deal makes Wennberg the the fourth-highest paid forward on the Blue Jackets behind Artemi Panarin, Brandon Dubinsky, and Nick Foligno.

Wennberg is coming off his third season with the club where he posted career highs in all offensive categories, finishing with 13 goals and 59 points in 80 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.

Top 250

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

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Attention fantasy hockey commissioners - the following article is the most important one you'll ever read. Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but arguably the most pivotal aspect of running a head-to-head fantasy league (the best and most common format for hockey) is choosing the correct categories.

What you should include

• Goals: This is obvious. You need goals to win games in real hockey, and you should need them in fantasy. Plus, goals are fun. Who doesn't like goals? Only goalies and Jacques Lemaire.

• Assists: Assists are also very obvious. Sure, goals can be scored unassisted, but most great ones stem from even greater passes, and those should be rewarded in fantasy.

• Shots on goal: As Wayne Gretzky once said, "You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take." You need shots to score, so who are we to argue with The Great One?

• Power-play points: In reality, if a team has a poor power play, chances are it won't make the playoffs. In fantasy, a team that accumulates points with the man advantage should be rewarded.

• Hits: Who doesn't love a good body check? Hits may not be a conventional fantasy stat, but including them as a category expands the player pool and creates more back-and-forth weekly matchups. Moreover, players who puts up offensive numbers and play a physical game are rare, so guys like Alex Ovechkin would be rewarded accordingly.

• Blocked shots: With shots on goal such an important part of analytics these days, the blocked shot has become increasingly crucial, too. Putting your body on the line to help your team takes great courage, and players who do so regularly should be rewarded in fantasy. Like hits, this category also increases the player pool, and makes a guy like Erik Karlsson that much more valuable.

What you shouldn't include

• Points: You already have goals and assists. Having a sum of the two is just redundant.

• Plus/Minus: Oliver Ekman-Larsson is one of the game's brightest stars, but he's an annual contender for the Green Jacket (worst plus/minus). In fantasy - where it's about what a player can do on his own - he shouldn't be valued less because he plays on a bottom-feeding team.

• PIMs: In real life, when you get a penalty you're sent to the penalty box for two minutes and your team is left shorthanded. Remind me why we reward players in fantasy for hurting their actual team? We're not in 1998 anymore.

• Faceoff wins: While faceoff wins are certainly an important aspect of real hockey, there's no place for them in fantasy. The winner of this category is usually the team with players who simply took the most combined faceoffs, even if they lost more than they won.

• Shorthanded points: This category is usually won by a score of 1-0, 2-0, or, in high-scoring affairs, 2-1. Accumulating one or two shorthanded points in a week shouldn't be worth as much as winning the category of goals by a score of 17-15.

• Game-winning goals: Game-winning goals are also usually decided by a low score. Some people love the "clutch" factor, but is it really clutch when a player scores his team's fourth goal in a 6-3 win? Especially if that fourth goal made it 4-0 at the time? I don't think so.

Options that should be available

• Takeaways: Possession means so much in today's NHL, so a player who gets his team the puck with a stick lift or poke check should be rewarded in fantasy. Mark Stone and Jaccob Slavin are two of the league's best takeaway artists, but they're much better in real life than fantasy. The option to include the category would change that.

• Primary assists: If a defenseman simply chips the puck in deep - versus a forward down low who spins around an opponent and delivers a perfect cross-crease pass for a tap-in - it's clear which assist meant more to the goal. Primary, or first assists, are usually a stronger indicator of elite passing ability.

• Even-strength points: Yes, power-play points are good to have, but recording points at even strength is even more impressive. It might be a bit much to have both, but fantasy hockey providers should at least have the option.

• Negative PIMs: As previously mentioned, players should not be rewarded for hurting their team. Instead, fantasy hockey sites should give the option for negative PIMs, in which the team with the least amount of penalty minutes wins the category. This stat would value disciplined players like Johnny Gaudreau and Oscar Klefbom.

Goaltender categories

• Wins
• Goals-against average
• Save percentage
• Shutouts

The standard goaltender categories don't need to be altered. Sure, shutouts are usually decided 1-0, but when a goalie gets one in real life he literally steals a win for his team. Shouldn't he be able to steal you the category, too?

Saves can be added to provide another counting category that credits a goalie who takes less games off and faces more rubber than others, but that's about it. Goals against, games started, and losses don't have a place in fantasy hockey.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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You've heard this before: The Toronto Maple Leafs are on the come up.

Touting one of the finest young crops of players in the NHL, the Leafs are no longer a pushover club. A lot of that rejuvenation has to do with rookies like Mitch Marner.

Marner recognizes that in a hockey-crazed market like Toronto, an improved on-ice product means expectations off the ice are heightened: "Everyone just keeps telling me how many wins they want," Marner told Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun.

"But, it will be fun coming in here, believing in each other, believing in the one beside us. We do that and play the way we can, we’re going to be better than last year."

While Marner turned heads league-wide last season with his slick hands and offensive ability (19 goals and 42 assists), he realizes he'll need to become more of a two-way player in order for Mike Babcock to play him at crucial moments.

"You want to be out there to get a game tied so you can win it in overtime," said Marner. "You want a bigger role, go out on every shift like it’s your last. "Defense has always been important to me, it was always taught first. You’re always trying to see the guy coming in so they can’t back-door us."

Following a year in which Toronto qualified for the playoffs only one season removed from finishing dead last, the Leafs won't be surprising teams during this campaign compared to last.

That fact isn't lost on Marner.

"Last year, people didn’t know how we were going to," Marner said. "Now, we have to expect a hard game every night and that people will bring their 'A' game against us. We have to be ready."

The rest of the hockey world will find out if the Leafs are indeed "ready" when they kick off their regular-season schedule Oct. 4 with a visit to Winnipeg to take on the Jets.

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