Aleksander Barkov doesn't care where, he just wants to see Jaromir Jagr play again.

The second-highest scorer in NHL history remains an unrestricted free agent after playing his second full season with the Florida Panthers, and whether he returns to the team or not, Barkov just wants to see Jagr continue his career.

"I hope he signs somewhere," Barkov said, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "Whether it's the NHL, the KHL or Czech league or anywhere, I just want to see him play."

Related: Jagr didn't expect finding a new team to be so difficult

Jagr admits he's been taken aback that he hasn't been able to find a team. Meanwhile, Barkov - without stepping on management's toes - wouldn't be opposed to having his former linemate back in the fold.

"I would be lying if I say no because he helped me so much and probably I would never be in the same situation without him," Barkov said. "When he came in, I took my game to another level and for sure everybody else on the team did too. He just helped so much everybody on the team and is one of the most important guys in my career."

Over the past two years, Barkov has posted his two most productive NHL campaigns with 59- and 52-point seasons. The 21-year-old credits Jagr with helping to mold him into the player he is now.

"I learned a lot, like playing differently in different situations and working out and living the life like a pro," Barkov said. "I was living the life like a pro (before Jagr joined the Panthers), but he took me to another level too, and to love the game a different way because nobody loves the game as much as he does. When you see him doing his own stuff, you take it from him and try to do the same thing and you see it helps you."

Over the past three seasons Jagr has 60 goals and 159 points in 238 games, good enough for 13th among right wingers, so teams looking to fill out that side of their lineup could certainly do worse.

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The Edmonton Oilers locked down rookie Kailer Yamamoto to a three-year, entry-level contract, the club announced Thursday.

Yamamoto, 18, was selected with the 22nd overall selection in this year's draft.

The diminutive winger (5-foot-8, 153 pounds) registered impressive offensive numbers for the WHL's Spokane Chiefs last season, tallying 42 goals and 57 assists in only 65 games.

This summer. Yamamoto played for Team USA at the 2017 World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Mich.

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Henrik Lundqvist was instrumental in Team Sweden's gold-medal victory at this year's World Championship in May - and he paid the price for it.

The New York Rangers netminder suffered a Grade 1 MCL sprain in his left knee over the course of the 10-game tournament, but the former Vezina winner says he's feeling healthy again.

"I've been skating a few times now and I feel good," Lundqvist told Tom Gulitti of NHL.com on Thursday. "Obviously, I have some work ahead of me, but it's a similar feeling. … When you step on the ice, that's the time for me when I really ramp it up and increase the workload, and I enjoy that."

He added, "You need a few weeks to feel comfortable, but that's just part of the process. It's been like that almost every year. You just take it step by step."

Over his 12 seasons in the NHL, Lundqvist's managed to play in 70 or more games only four times as multiple knee injuries have hampered an otherwise Hall of Fame-caliber career.

Last season was more of the same for Lundqvist and the Rangers: another injury-riddled season that ended without a Stanley Cup parade.

"The highs were as high as any other year. The lows were a little too low," he said. "But I also had a lot of stretches where I felt like I was right there, I was playing the way I can play and should play and need to play. But, obviously, when you're a starting goalie, you can't have too many bumps because then that will affect the overall feeling, the overall rating, I think.

" ... But it's part of the game and also I'm excited to get to know the new guys and see what they can bring and hopefully help us take it to the next level here."

The Rangers haven't won a Cup since 1994. If they hope to end the drought, they will need a healthy Lundqvist to have a bounce-back season.

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Speculation about John Tavares' future hasn't seeped into the New York Islanders' dressing room.

The club's captain will become an unrestricted free agent in July if an extension isn't reached. An unsigned Tavares could mean speculation the likes of which was seen during the 2015-2016 season when Steven Stamkos approached July 1 without a new deal.

Nevertheless, it appears likely - as was the case with Stamkos - that Tavares will return to the only team he's ever known. In fact, teammate Anders Lee is confident that will be the case.

"Johnny's taking his time," Lee said, according to NHL.com's Brian Compton. "There are few times in our careers where we have the power in the situation. I'm not worried about Johnny (returning) in the slightest. He means everything he says, and he's a great teammate and a great player and leader. He's the captain of our team and I don't expect that to change."

Earlier this month, Tavares was candid, suggesting he would like to return to the Islanders, saying he wants his "experience" with the Islanders to continue.

"I think more than anything, the players, we can't worry about that," said Lee. "It doesn't really bother us because we know where Johnny stands and what he means to this team, and how much he cares about our organization.

"At the same time, he's got to do his due diligence and whatever that is, it's good for him and we all support him on that. We can't worry about things we can't control, especially the guys not involved."

Tavares has been team captain since the 2013-14 season and ranks eighth and ninth on the Islanders' all-time goals and points lists, respectively. He's sure to climb those ranks as long as he remains with the club, which Lee obviously expects.

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Craig Ramsay has signed a two-year contract as head coach of the Slovak men's national hockey team, general manager Miroslav Satan announced Wednesday, per the IIHF.

The contract will carry through the 2018 Winter Olympics, the 2018 World Championship in Denmark, and the 2019 World Championship to be played on home ice in Bratislava and Kosice.

Following a successful playing career, Ramsay briefly held three NHL head coaching jobs, serving as an interim bench boss in Buffalo and Philadelphia before one full season as head coach in Atlanta.

He complied a career record of 50-63-6-12 in 131 games, but his greatest success came as an assistant, winning the Stanley Cup with John Tortorella and the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004.

Ramsay's latest NHL experience came as an assistant in Edmonton in 2014-15.

His first game behind the bench will come later in August when Slovakia plays a pair of exhibition contests against the neighboring and rival Czech Republic.

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NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly says the league will rethink hosting the 2018 draft in Dallas should a Texas transgender bathroom bill become law.

"We strongly oppose the bill in its original form," Daly told Sportsnet's Mark Spector in an email Wednesday. "We hope and expect that bill in that form will not be passed into law. We would obviously have to reassess the situation in the event that happens."

According to the New York Times, the Senate bill "would require transgender people to use bathrooms in schools and local government buildings corresponding to the gender listed on their birth certificates or state-issued identification cards."

The Stars are the first Texas-based professional sports team to denounce the bill, and the club is ''strongly opposed to any legislation perceived as discriminatory,'' president James Lites said in a statement Wednesday.

"We're thrilled that Dallas will host the NHL draft next year, and we're grateful that the NHL sees the true Dallas that we know and love, a Dallas that is friendly and vibrant," Lites added. "Dallas will be a wonderful host city and we're grateful for the NHL's business. We are proud of our home and want every visitor to feel at home here, too, and that's why we oppose this discriminatory bathroom legislation."

A special 30-day legislative session was called on July 18, and the Senate passed the bill on July 25. With the session ending on Aug. 16, "a narrower one is showing few signs of life in the 150-member House," according to The New York Times.

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NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly says the league will rethink hosting the 2018 draft in Dallas should a Texas transgender bathroom bill become law.

"We strongly oppose the bill in its original form," Daly told Sportsnet's Mark Spector in an email Wednesday. "We hope and expect that bill in that form will not be passed into law. We would obviously have to reassess the situation in the event that happens."

According to the New York Times, the Senate bill "would require transgender people to use bathrooms in schools and local government buildings corresponding to the gender listed on their birth certificates or state-issued identification cards."

The Stars are the first Texas-based professional sports team to denounce the bill, and the club is ''strongly opposed to any legislation perceived as discriminatory,'' president James Lites said in a statement Wednesday.

"We're thrilled that Dallas will host the NHL draft next year, and we're grateful that the NHL sees the true Dallas that we know and love, a Dallas that is friendly and vibrant," Lites added. "Dallas will be a wonderful host city and we're grateful for the NHL's business. We are proud of our home and want every visitor to feel at home here, too, and that's why we oppose this discriminatory bathroom legislation."

A special 30-day legislative session was called on July 18, and the Senate passed the bill on July 25. With the session ending on Aug. 16, "a narrower one is showing few signs of life in the 150-member House," according to The New York Times.

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How exactly does he do it?

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner put on quite a show in the summer training video posted on Twitter by his father, Paul.

It truly has to be seen to be believed, especially the final trick.

Marner registered 19 goals and 42 assists as a rookie with the Maple Leafs last season.

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The Vegas Golden Knights' nickname lives on.

The NHL expansion franchise has received official approval from the United States Patent and Trademark Office to continue to use its nickname for identification and competition purposes, according to Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

That same approval has not yet been granted for the logo, and that specific trademark request is suspended pending further appeal. The team will, however, continue to sell merchandise featuring the logo.

"We’re happy," team owner Bill Foley said. "We got what we wanted. We’ve got ‘Golden Knights’ for hockey and we knew it would work out. We’re not worried about the (logo) issue. That will work itself out in time. But we’re not paying anyone anything."

The nickname approval comes after an appeal filed in June following the denial of an application from Black Knight Sports and Entertainment - Foley's company - because the Vegas Golden Knights trademark was deemed to too closely resemble that of The College of Saint Rose Golden Knights, based in Albany, N.Y.

The club received notification of the ruling on Aug. 4.

Carp adds Golden Knights team merchandise is protected under the league’s trademark banner, and there is indeed nothing preventing the team from using and selling merchandise branded with the team's logo.

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Jaromir Jagr expected to have an NHL job by now.

The 45-year-old unrestricted free agent said there's a couple NHL teams that have shown interest - so has Kladno, his hometown team in the Czech Republic - but he didn't anticipate the process dragging on this far.

"I didn't expect it would be so hard to get a job in the NHL this year," Jagr said from a Czech Republic exhibition game, according to Michael Langr of NHL.com.

"Most important is for me to see some serious interest from the team. Because the more serious it is, the bigger the chance to get a better role on the team," Jagr said.

While he might not be the force he was earlier in his career, Jagr has remained productive as he's aged. Last season with the Florida Panthers, No. 68 suited up in all 82 games, and recorded 16 goals and 30 assists, which was good for fourth on team scoring. His output as the oldest player in the league leads him to believe he can still be used effectively.

"I know very well I'm not the same player like 10 or 15 years ago when I was able to win games by myself," Jagr said. "It's up to the coach what position he wants to use me. Maybe it would be even better for me if I played on a second or third line because I would play against worse players and worse defensemen. I didn't have much luck in my entire career, I always had to face the top defensemen. Even in Florida, I always played against the best, which was always very tough."

While he's steadfast in wanting to play a 24th NHL season, the window to court Jagr is quickly closing, as training camp is set to kick off in mid-September.

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