Despite heading toward his potential second arbitration hearing in two years, Mike Hoffman's desire to be an Ottawa Senator has not been swayed.

The 26-year-old - who elected for arbitration - has no hard feelings toward the club that signed him to three consecutive one-year deals, even after leading the team in goals the past two seasons.

"That's obviously my No. 1 goal. I love Ottawa, I love the fans there," Hoffman said, according to the Ottawa Citizen. "We're a great team, great guys, so that's obviously my first priority, to try to get something done with them."

Heading into next season, Hoffman has a little extra motivation as the team's new bench boss, Guy Boucher, is a man he knows all too well from his days with the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL.

"Very good relationship with him. So definitely looking forward to working with him again," Hoffman said.

Hoffman's arbitration date is set for Aug. 4 where he will argue 56 goals and 107 points over the last two seasons warrant more than a one-year contract.

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Phil Kessel is taking the party home.

The Pittsburgh Penguins winger handed the Stanley Cup over to sister and 2016 NCAA national champion Amanda Kessel on Sunday, and, as one is wont to do, she promptly took a sip of an unspecified (but likely adult) beverage out of it.

Amanda Kessel, also an Olympic silver medalist and 2013 world champion, recently signed the largest contract in NWHL history, and will make her pro debut with the New York Riveters in 2016-17.

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Unlike Steven Stamkos in Tampa, there will be no suspense when it comes to whether John Tavares will re-sign with the New York Islanders.

This according to new co-owner Jon Ledecky, who maintains the franchise center and team captain is "not going to be a free agent" when his contract with the Islanders expires at the end of the 2017-18 season.

Instead, he and Scott Malkin will work toward ensuring Tavares is surrounded with enough talent to bring the Stanley Cup to Brooklyn.

"We should be the world-class destination for free agents," Ledecky said, according to Arthur Staple of Newsday. "If you think about a capped world, everybody can spend to the cap, and we certainly have no constraints on our (general manager) and our staff to spend.

"We want to create and continue to progress toward John Tavares lifting that Stanley Cup, so we should be world-class in everything we do."

The Islanders made a splash in free agency this summer by signing winger Andrew Ladd to a five-year, $38.5-million contract. Ladd's $5.5-million cap hit is equal to what Tavares will carry over the next two seasons, but that number is set to rise significantly on his next contract.

Tavares and the Islanders can officially begin negotiating an extension on July 1, 2017.

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P.K. Subban is making his presence felt in Nashville.

After spending part of Sunday touring the Predators' facilities and taking pictures with new, young fans, the recently acquired defenseman hit up a famous local watering hole and busted out a rendition of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues."

If all goes according to plan, Subban will have everyone in Nashville signing anything but the Blues over the coming years.

Meanwhile, some back in Montreal are quietly singing another Cash hit, "I Still Miss Someone."

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With Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman in for the long haul, Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman is doing his best to keep as many pieces of the band together as possible.

Winger Alex Killorn signed a seven-year, $31.15-million extension with the Lightning on Sunday, with Yzerman citing his desire to keep his team's core intact.

"We're very comfortable doing a long-term contract at the right cap number with Alex," Yzerman said Sunday, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. "He's been with us his entire career. He's a high-character young man, tremendously fit and part of the core of our team.

"We're trying to keep the core together as much as we can."

This is where things get a bit more challenging for Yzerman.

With Killorn signed, the Lightning have $8,529,167 in projected salary cap space for 2016-17, with restricted free agents Nikita Kucherov, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Nikita Nesterov still waiting on new deals.

On top of that, Tampa Bay has several players facing free agency in 2017.

Yzerman said Sunday that it's highly likely he'll have to make a move in order for the team to be cap compliant before the beginning of the season, but added that it won't come through another buyout, after having already used one on Matt Carle.

The Lightning were one of the NHL's youngest teams last season, and advanced to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals after losing in the Stanley Cup Final the year before.

It's no wonder Yzerman wants to keep the core together. How much of it will remain intact long term remains to be seen.

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It is indeed real.

P.K. Subban was at Ford Ice Center in Nashville taking photos and chatting with new fans in his new gold-and-navy Predators threads on Sunday.

He also spent time checking out the equipment section.

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Steve Yzerman continues to keep Tampa Bay intact.

The Lightning are reportedly close to signing forward Alex Killorn to a seven-year, $31.15-million contract extension, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Killorn was one of the key restricted free agents for Tampa Bay this season, along with forwards Nikita Kucherov and Vladislav Namestnikov.

In a busy offseason, Yzerman has also managed to retain captain Steven Stamkos, as well as provide defensive-anchor Victor Hedman with a long-term extension.

Killorn, 26, recorded 14 goals and 26 assists in 81 games last season, and added 13 points in 17 playoff contests for the Lightning.

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