The Ottawa Senators assigned defenseman Erik Brannstrom to the AHL on Thursday, the team announced.

Brannstrom had recorded a pair of assists in 23 games while averaging 13:35 per game.

The 20-year-old Swede was the centerpiece return chip in the deal that sent Mark Stone to the Vegas Golden Knights at last season's trade deadline. Vegas drafted Brannstrom 15th overall in 2017.

Brannstrom totaled 32 points in 50 AHL games a season ago.

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A Minnesota judge ruled Wednesday that a former member of the "Miracle on Ice" 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, Mark Pavelich, is mentally ill and dangerous, according to Pam Louwagie of the Minnesota Star Tribune.

The judge ordered the 61-year-old committed to a secure treatment facility.

Pavelich faced criminal charges that he beat a friend with a metal pole after accusing him of "spiking his beer." His friend suffered cracked ribs, a bruised kidney, and a fractured vertebra.

Judge Michael Cuzzo deemed Pavelich incompetent to stand trial based on an expert report, concluding that he was "incapable of participating in the defense due to mental illness or deficiency." The case was put on hold while the state moved to civilly commit him to treatment.

Pavelich's family is convinced he suffers from CTE after repeated concussions and blows to the head sustained during his hockey career. They started to see changes over the last few years but he has refused help. CTE can only be diagnosed after death.

A pair of clinical psychologists who examined Pavelich found him to have post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as other conditions, according to the judge's order. Both psychologists considered him to be mentally ill and dangerous.

Psychologist Chris Bowerman found Pavelich to have delusions and paranoia, including a delusion that family, friends, and neighbors tried to poison him.

Psychologist Jacqueline Buffington found he suffers from "mild neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury with behavioral disturbance (psychotic symptoms, aggression)," and believes his condition is likely related to head injuries suffered over his lifetime.

Pavelich had seven points in seven games during the 1980 Olympics. He assisted on Mike Eruzione's game-winning goal during the U.S.'s famous 4-3 upset victory over the heavily favored Soviet Union. The Americans then went on to defeat Finland to win gold.

Pavelich played five seasons for the New York Rangers and one apiece with the Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks. He tallied 329 points in 355 career games and fought nine times, according to hockeyfights.com.

The NHL agreed to a maximum settlement of just under $19 million in its concussion lawsuit last year involving hundreds of players. The league didn't admit to any wrongdoing, however.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs will turn to Frederik Andersen in goal for the second consecutive night when they take on the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.

Andersen started Tuesday's 6-1 loss in Philadelphia, but head coach Sheldon Keefe said the netminder asked to suit up again in order "to be in the fight with the guys," according to NHL.com's Dave McCarthy.

The Leafs crumbled in the third period versus the Flyers, allowing five goals after tying the score at 1-1 midway through the final frame. Following the embarrassing defeat, Auston Matthews said the team "just folded."

Toronto initially planned to start backup Michael Hutchinson, who is 0-5-1 this season with an .876 save percentage and a 4.55 goals-against average.

Andersen is 13-6-3 with a .917 save percentage in 22 games played.

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Mitch Marner is on the verge of a return to the lineup, as the Toronto Maple Leafs activated him from injured reserve Wednesday.

Marner missed the last 11 games with an ankle injury. He was hurt during a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 9.

The Maple Leafs went 4-7-0 in his absence. That interval includes the team's sixth consecutive loss Nov. 19, after which the club fired Mike Babcock and replaced him with Sheldon Keefe.

Toronto placed Marner on long-term injured reserve with an expected initial recovery timeline of four weeks on Nov. 10. He was eligible to be activated off LTIR as of Wednesday.

The 22-year-old ranks third among Leafs skaters in assists (14) and fifth in points (18) this season despite his absence from the lineup.

Toronto hosts the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.

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Last week, we dove into advanced stats to find value in the current Stanley Cup market, identifying four buy-low teams that have had bad puck luck and are due for positive regression. I sincerely hope you locked in your Vegas Golden Knights tickets, because they're about to go on a run.

This week, we shift gears and examine three teams being offered well below what their market values should be. These teams sport better records than their underlying numbers indicate or have seen any value in their Stanley Cup odds sapped by public perception. Such clubs need to be avoided in the futures market, at least until their odds lengthen appropriately.

St. Louis Blues (10-1)

Let's start by making one thing clear: The Blues are a very good hockey team and are capable of repeating as Stanley Cup champions. To suggest otherwise would be foolish. There's your disclaimer. Now let's pick apart the defending champs.

The Blues really haven't missed a beat since winning the Cup in June. They continue to rack up signature wins, beating Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, and Dallas within the last week despite injuries to a number of top players; it seems they're again the cream of the crop in the west. Remind me why I'm advising against backing them, again? Oh right, the underlying numbers.

Teams are scoring on just 11.62% of their high-danger scoring chances against the Blues this season, the lowest mark in the league. St. Louis has posted the league's second-highest SCSV% (percentage of scoring-chance shots against that weren't goals) and second-lowest HDCF% (rate of high-danger scoring chances for versus against). They're bottom 10 in xGF (expected goals for) and among the 10 worst in xGA (expected goals against), yet just five teams have allowed fewer five-on-five goals.

St. Louis is certainly due for regression, but it's hard to doubt this team. If anything, the Blues are a prime example of advanced stats telling only part of the story. They have a deep roster, a great goalie, and perhaps an even better coach. Still, it would be naive to throw these stats out the window. This isn't to say bettors should back off the Blues entirely, but they should exercise caution, especially at such a short price.

Toronto Maple Leafs (12-1)

As was expected, Mike Babcock's departure - and Sheldon Keefe's subsequent arrival - galvanized the Maple Leafs, who won their first three games under Keefe and outscored opponents 14-4 over that stretch. But the honeymoon has ended, and for all of Babcock's shortcomings as a person, fans will soon realize this team's issues didn't simply start and end with its former coach.

The roster has some obvious weaknesses that general manager Kyle Dubas continues to neglect. Until he does, it doesn't matter who's behind the bench. The Maple Leafs lack physicality, energy, and depth - not a recipe for playoff success. Even more concerning is their inability to play in their own end. No team has allowed more high-danger goals at five-on-five this season.

Toronto has allowed the sixth-most high-danger chances (HDCA) and the fifth-most goals at five-on-five. Those figures are right in line with the team's xGA, so they can't be chalked up to bad luck. It's simply bad hockey. It doesn't matter how talented the Maple Leafs' top two forward lines are - though they're still middle of the pack in xGF - if they can't keep the puck out of their own net.

Defensive breakdowns and mental lapses have become far too commonplace to even consider backing Toronto at a very unfavorable 12-1. The Maple Leafs currently sit outside of a playoff spot and have shown nothing to warrant a price in the same region as the Blues, Washington Capitals, or Colorado Avalanche.

Winnipeg Jets (20-1)

If you haven't jumped ship on the Jets yet, you'll probably live to regret it. Nothing about their underlying numbers flatters them. Winnipeg ranks 12th in the league in five-on-five goals and has allowed the ninth-fewest against. Those are respectable marks, but both are due for considerable regression: The Jets are fourth-last in xGF and own the highest xGA mark in the NHL. And that's only scraping the surface.

Winnipeg ranks sixth in SCSV%, fourth in HDCA, and fifth in both HDSH% (high-danger chances that resulted in goals for) and HDSV% (high-danger chances against that did not result in goals). They also have the worst HDCF% in the league. Even with the help of these unsustainable rates, the Jets currently hold just a four-point cushion for a playoff spot. That has to concern even the most optimistic of fans.

You could do a lot better than Winnipeg at 20-1; the Jets have no business being priced alongside the likes of the Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, or Philadelphia Flyers.

*all stats above courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and only include 5v5

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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Nazem Kadri acknowledges Mike Babcock's behavior wasn't always ideal.

The Colorado Avalanche forward didn't say no when asked if some of his former bench boss' tactics to get the best out of players crossed a line.

"Sometimes," Kadri told the assembled media, including Sportsnet, after Colorado's morning skate in Toronto ahead of the center's highly anticipated return.

"I think Babs is a good coach. I just ... sometimes his methods, I think, weren't the greatest. That's just the fine line between players and coaches. I think as a coach, you've got to take that responsibility to kind of have your players' backs, and that's when you get the best out of them."

The Maple Leafs fired Babcock on Nov. 20 after suffering their sixth consecutive loss the night before.

Less than a week later, the Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan reported Babcock had shamed a rookie in 2016-17 by asking him to rank his teammates by work ethic and then sharing the list with the team. The Athletic's Ian Tulloch later reported the rookie was Mitch Marner.

On Monday, former NHLers Chris Chelios and Johan Franzen came forward with unflattering accounts of Babcock's tactics during his tenure with the Detroit Red Wings.

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