Connor McDavid is arguably the best hockey player in the world, but he's also a pretty decent actor, as displayed in the newest series of CCM commercials.

Will we see McDavid set a new career high in shots this year?

This last ad in the series, in which McDavid dresses up as various arena employees, might earn him an Oscar.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

David Rittich is eyeing a larger share of the workload in the Calgary Flames' crease.

The goaltender, who re-signed with the club on a two-year, $5.5-million deal Saturday, made it clear he's focused on playing a bigger role in 2019-20 than he did last season.

"I would like to play more than last year, but it's up to how I play," Rittich told Sportsnet's Eric Francis on Saturday. "I'm working really hard so I think I can play more than 60 games."

Rittich, who suited up for 45 contests while splitting time with Mike Smith in 2018-19, feels his new contract will give him the chance to earn the No. 1 role outright.

"I'm happy with two years," he said. "I can prove I can be a starting goaltender."

Rittich excelled out of the gate this past season, but his performance waned down the stretch, and he ultimately ceded goaltending duties to Smith entirely during the Flames' short-lived playoff run.

Smith left Calgary to sign with the Edmonton Oilers on July 1, and the Flames inked former Oilers goalie Cam Talbot to serve as Rittich's new partner in the crease.

Rittich finished his first full NHL campaign with a .911 save percentage and a record of 27-9-5.

He has a .909 career save percentage in 67 career games across three seasons. Calgary originally signed him out of the Czech Extraliga in June 2016.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After getting a shutout in his NHL debut in 2015, Garret Sparks gave a teary-eyed postgame interview. Fast forward four years, and Sparks remains a goaltender who wears his heart on his sleeve.

Sparks was "still a little emotional" after he was traded by the Toronto Maple Leafs - the only NHL organization he's ever known - to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, according to NHL.com's Tracey Myers.

The 26-year-old is also ready for what he deemed as a better shot at sticking in the NHL.

"All I've wanted is a fair opportunity, come (training) camp, to try and make the team and I think that I'll get a better opportunity (with Vegas) than I would have in Toronto," Sparks told Myers. "At the end of the day, that's what you're looking for as a player."

He'll battle netminders Malcolm Subban and Oscar Dansk for the rights to be Marc-Andre Fleury's backup in Vegas. The Leafs, meanwhile, re-signed goaltender Michael Hutchinson and brought in veteran Michal Neuvirth on a PTO.

Sparks was named the AHL's Goalie of the Year in 2017-18 en route to the Toronto Marlies' Calder Cup title. He beat out veteran Curtis McElhinney for the Leafs' backup job last year but struggled mightily, posting a 3.15 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage in 17 games. Prior to the postseason, Hutchinson was tabbed as the club's No. 2 goalie over Sparks.

Sparks suffered a mid-season concussion after taking a William Nylander shot off the head in practice, which he said impacted his play.

"I felt I was finally starting to build some momentum and get my chance," Sparks said. "I just felt like I got cut down, and it's hard to regrow after you get your progress chopped off like that."

Sparks saw a minimal difference in performance before and after the injury, as his save percentage modestly fell from .905 to .899.

The Elmhurst, Ill. native called his first full NHL season "emotionally taxing."

The 2011 seventh-round pick was briefly the longest-tenured Leaf after the club traded Nazem Kadri to the Colorado Avalanche on July 1.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames have re-signed restricted free-agent goaltender David Rittich to a two-year deal with an average annual value of $2.75 million, the team announced Saturday.

Rittich's 2018-19 campaign - his first full year in the NHL - was a tale of two seasons. Here's a look at his splits before and after the All-Star break:

In total, the 26-year-old finished the season with a 2.61 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage in 45 games. He didn't appear in the postseason, as veteran Mike Smith received the nod with stronger performances down the stretch.

Smith signed a one-year deal with Edmonton on July 1, but former Oilers netminder Cam Talbot was brought in by the Flames this summer to push Rittich for the No. 1 job.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Washington Capitals have inked forward Chandler Stephenson to a one-year deal worth $1.05 million, according to The Washington Post's Isabelle Khurshudyan.

As a result, Stephenson and the Capitals avoid arbitration. A hearing was scheduled for Aug. 1.

CapFriendly first reported the new pact while adding that Stephenson will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights again next summer. Washington will also get a second buyout window that opens in three days and lasts for 48 hours.

Stephenson was the Capitals' final arbitration candidate after Christian Djoos was awarded a one-year, $1.25-million contract Wednesday following his hearing on Monday.

Across 64 regular-season games in 2018-19, Stephenson recorded five goals and 11 points. The 25-year-old was held off the scoresheet in six playoff contests this spring.

Stephenson has spent parts of the last four campaigns at the NHL level with the Capitals, the team that drafted him 77th overall in 2012.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.