A quick playoff exit led to a summer of change for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Following a sweep in the opening round to the Nashville Predators - who ultimately advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals - the Blackhawks weren't shy about shaking up a team that failed to deliver last spring. It was a disappointing end for a Chicago squad that finished atop the Western Conference and has won three Stanley Cups since 2010.
"If you look at our season last year, I mean, we had a pretty good season," Blackhawks leading scorer Patrick Kane told Brian Hedger of NHL.com. "We just kind of collapsed there at the end. Disappointing finish, but when that happens, you know there's going to be changes."
The Blackhawks will have a different look when they soon retake the ice, thanks to a busy offseason.
But the Blackhawks aren't without some additions. Joining Saad is another familiar face in Patrick Sharp, who spent an injury-riddled 2016-17 campaign with the Dallas Stars. Sharp could replace Marian Hossa in the lineup, who will sit out the coming season due to a progressive skin disorder.
Asked if the Blackhawks are an improved team, Kane told Hedger, "It's tough to say. I think time will tell, obviously, but I'd like to think on paper we're a better team ... It looks great on paper, but we need to go on the ice and do it."
Kane would know. Not only was he the team's leading scorer last season, he is also just one year removed from winning the Art Ross Trophy as the league's top point-producer, a season in which he was also named the NHL MVP.
Don Maloney is taking on a bigger role with the Calgary Flames.
A year after joining the club as a pro scout, Maloney has been promoted to vice president of hockey operations, the club announced Aug. 3. He'll now work even closer with general manager Brad Treliving, who served as Maloney's assistant for seven of the nine years he spent as GM of the Arizona Coyotes.
NHL clubs are increasingly adopting this team effort mentality with respect to the front office, and Maloney believes it takes a village to raise up a winner in today's game.
"The role of the manager is so big now," Maloney said, per George Johnson of the team's website. "Now it's really a collective effort. I have experience in pretty much every area of management so hopefully I can chip in here and there. This new position is really touching on all areas of hockey operations."
Maloney admits the Flames aren't blazing any new trails by loading up with front-office experience, but it can't hurt, provided everyone is on the same page.
"It's about having a common mindset about what you have to do to be successful," he said. "We're not unique in that. I mean, it's all around the league. There are a lot of hard-working people trying to win. We're no different. But the more good people you have, the better your chances of success.
"Not that we're not going to make our mistakes, but I truly believe the harder you work, the luckier you are. We had a good year last season, a first step to hopefully where we want to take this team over the next few years, which is the Stanley Cup."
One of Calgary's big moves this summer was the addition of goalie Mike Smith, whom both Maloney and Treliving know well from their tenures in Arizona.
In his new role, Maloney will serve as assistant to president of hockey operations Brian Burke.
Sidney Crosby spent his 30th birthday celebrating the Pittsburgh Penguins' latest Stanley Cup win, kicking things off by serving as grand marshal of the Halifax-Dartmouth Natal Day Parade.
"It's special," Crosby said prior to the parade, per Dan Rosen of NHL.com. "Any time you can bring (the Cup) home is special, but back to back, it's so difficult to do. And to be able to share that with everyone is unique. I just try to enjoy it as best as I can."
The truck in which Crosby rode was followed by a float carrying the Conn Smythe Trophy, the Rocket Richard Trophy, the Prince of Wales Trophy, and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey championship trophy, all of which he won over the past calendar year.
Crosby, of course, won both the Cup and the Conn Smythe last year as well, and doesn't appear to get tired of bringing his hardware home.
"You work hard to win it so you want to share with everybody as much as you can," he added.
Crosby grew up in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, and played junior hockey for the QMJHL's Rimouski Oceanic. A visit to the latter is where he's headed Monday afternoon.
"It was kind of a last-minute thing," he said. "My assistant coach from Rimouski was in town and he said that they had some time if we could make it work. They found a way to make it happen. It'll be cool to bring it back there. That's a place that I have a lot of great memories and I am sure people will be pretty happy to see it."
Crosby won a QMJHL championship with Rimouski in 2005, and will be bringing the Cup to the small Quebec city for the first time.
Sidney Crosby spent his 30th birthday celebrating the Pittsburgh Penguins' latest Stanley Cup win, kicking things off by serving as grand marshal of the Halifax-Dartmouth Natal Day Parade.
"It's special," Crosby said prior to the parade, per Dan Rosen of NHL.com. "Any time you can bring (the Cup) home is special, but back to back, it's so difficult to do. And to be able to share that with everyone is unique. I just try to enjoy it as best as I can."
The truck in which Crosby rode was followed by a float carrying the Conn Smythe Trophy, the Rocket Richard Trophy, the Prince of Wales Trophy, and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey championship trophy, all of which he won over the past calendar year.
Crosby, of course, won both the Cup and the Conn Smythe last year as well, and doesn't appear to get tired of bringing his hardware home.
"You work hard to win it so you want to share with everybody as much as you can," he added.
Crosby grew up in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, and played junior hockey for the QMJHL's Rimouski Oceanic. A visit to the latter is where he's headed Monday afternoon.
"It was kind of a last-minute thing," he said. "My assistant coach from Rimouski was in town and he said that they had some time if we could make it work. They found a way to make it happen. It'll be cool to bring it back there. That's a place that I have a lot of great memories and I am sure people will be pretty happy to see it."
Crosby won a QMJHL championship with Rimouski in 2005, and will be bringing the Cup to the small Quebec city for the first time.
It's Pittsburgh Penguins' superstar center Sidney Crosby's birthday, and to celebrate, here are 30 facts about the greatest hockey player of the NHL's shootout era, and undoubtedly one of the best players of all time.
1. Crosby's jersey number (87) is doubly significant: It represents his birth date (8/7/1987), as well as the yearly cap hit ($8.7 million) on a 12-year, $104.4-million contract extension signed in 2013.
2. He famously honed his shooting skills in his parents' basement, resulting in this banged-up appliance that sits in the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame.
For all my @penguins friend, Sidney Crosby's dryer at the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame at the Halifax Metro Centre pic.twitter.com/kAWPq7EWW9
3. Crosby grew up rooting for the Montreal Canadiens, not only because he's from Eastern Canada, but also because his father, Troy, was drafted 240th overall by the Habs in 1984. The goalie never suited up at the NHL level.
4. "Sidney's favorite player was Kirk Muller and he's had that poster up on the wall in his bedroom for as long as I can remember," Troy said back in 2006.
5. Crosby ranks second in all-time points for the QMJHL's Rimouski Oceanic (120 goals, 183 assists in 121 junior games). He sits behind former NHL center Brad Richards (143 goals, 289 assists in 190 games).
6. Not everything Sid touches is golden: Rimouski won the QMJHL championship in 2005, but lost the Memorial Cup final to a London Knights team that included Corey Perry.
7. Crosby was drafted first overall in 2005, followed by Bobby Ryan, Jack Johnson, Benoit Pouliot, and Carey Price. He was admittedly disappointed when Montreal was awarded the fifth pick in the preceding lottery selection, but things have worked out with the Penguins.
8. In his NHL debut against New Jersey on Oct. 5, 2005, Crosby recorded his first career point, assisting on Mark Recchi's season-opening goal.
9. Crosby scored the first shootout goal in Penguins history, getting the better of Montreal goalie Jose Theodore on Nov. 10, 2005 in his first game against a Canadian team.
10. He's the youngest player to record 100 points in a season (18 years, 253 days), finishing the season with 102 (39 goals, 63 assists).
11. Crosby, however, was denied the 2006 Calder Trophy, won by Alex Ovechkin on the strength of a 52-goal, 54-assist rookie campaign.
Crosby holds several other "youngest to" NHL records thanks to a tremendous amount of success from his rookie season through to the beginning of 2011, when an unfortunate string of injuries issues began. They include:
12. Youngest player to record 200 career points (19 years and 207 days).
13. Youngest player to record two consecutive 100-point seasons and youngest player to lead the NHL in scoring, recording 120 points in 2006-07 (19 years, 215 days).
14. Youngest player to lead the Stanley Cup playoffs in scoring (27 points in 2008 at 20 years, nine months, and 28 days).
15. Youngest captain to win a Cup (2009, aged 21 years, 10 months, and five days). He did hold the record for youngest permanent captain in NHL history, but has since been bumped by Gabriel Landeskog and Connor McDavid.
Crosby has also taken home a plethora of individual and team awards over the years:
16. Two Art Ross trophies (most points): 2007, 2014.
17. Two Maurice "Rocket" Richard trophies (most goals): 2010, 2017.
18. Three Lester B. Pearson/Ted Lindsay awards (voted best player by peers): 2007, 2013, 2014.
19. Two Hart Memorial trophies (regular-season MVP): 2007, 2014.
20. Two Mark Messier Leadership awards: 2007, 2010.
21. Four Prince of Wales trophies (Eastern Conference Champion): 2008, 2009, 2016, 2017.
22. Three Cups: 2009, 2016, 2017.
23. Two Conn Smythe trophies (playoff MVP): 2016, 2017.
24. Only Ovechkin has recorded more points than Crosby since the beginning of 2005-06 (1,035 to 1,027), but due to injuries, Crosby has appeared in 139 fewer games, giving him a big advantage in points per game (1.31 to 1.12).
25. He's reached 50 goals once in his career (51 in 81 games in 2009-10). His career high in assists is 84 (2006-07).
Crosby has also been incredibly successful on the international stage, too.
26. At the World Junior Hockey Championship, Crosby won silver (2004) and gold (2005), with 14 points in 12 games over the two tournaments.
27. Crosby has won two Olympic gold medals (2010, 2014). He scored the overtime game-winner against USA in Vancouver to give Canada the gold in one of the country's greatest sports moments.
28. A gold medal win at the 2005 World Championship put him in the famed Triple Gold Club, a group of 27 players who have won Olympic and World Championship gold in addition to the Cup.
29. Crosby led all players with 10 points in six games at the 2016 World Cup, adding yet another international win at the senior men's level.
30. In short, if Crosby retired today, he should be inducted into the Hall of Fame tomorrow.
This time next year, Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will very likely be in the books as one of the top picks from the 2018 NHL Draft, if not the first overall selection.
For now, Dahlin is heading back to Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League for his second season as a pro, where he'll continue to hone an already sparkling skill set.
The 17-year-old isn't concerned about the pressure that comes with being an expected top pick, and, according to Adam Kimelman of NHL.com, Dahlin will focus his energy in the gym to add strength, as well as work on all areas of his game on the ice with emphasis on improving his shot.
"All I can do is play my game and be myself," he said. "All I can do is train and be better every day. Then we'll see."
Despite falling prey to illness, Dahlin put in a strong showing at last week's World Junior Summer Showcase in Michigan, and is a lock to represent Sweden at the 2018 World Junior Hockey Championship in Buffalo.
"We're going to go with the best players, doesn't matter if they're young or old," said Swedish coach Tomas Monten. "We're just looking for the players that can make our team better. For sure he's one of them."
Monten adds Dahlin is on track to be great at both ends of the ice.
"He's always going to be recognized for his puck movement and his skating," the coach said. "He made some nice plays on the blue line as well. We feel that in Rasmus we have a player that can play both ends of the ice. He's going to play on our penalty kill. He's great at the man-on-man play down low. I think he could be a complete defenseman."
Dahlin registered one goal and two assists in 26 games for Frolunda last season.
For the third time in his career, Sidney Crosby brought the Stanley Cup to his home province of Nova Scotia, and the Pittsburgh Penguins captain made sure the entire community was involved in the celebration.
First, Crosby visited a veteran's retirement home:
