"The competition is so strong," Subban said Thursday. "You can't take anything away from the guys they've already named."
Subban - who played one game for Canada's gold medal-winning squad at the Sochi Olympics - will compete with the likes of Alex Pietrangelo, Brent Burns, Kris Letang, Brent Seabrook, and Mark Giordano for the final three spots on Canada's blue line. He's eager to prove to general manager Doug Armstrong that he belongs on the team.
"When I spoke with (Armstrong), he said I'll have a chance if I just keep playing my game," Subban said. "They want responsible players, players who they can trust, players who play in all situations, players who can play against the best and log big minutes."
The 26-year-old, who leads the Canadiens with 50 points in 65 games, may even take the World Championship in Russia as an opportunity to demonstrate what he can do on an international level.
"I'm always proud to play for my country," said Subban. "If I'm healthy, and if we're not playing in the playoffs, I'd gladly take the opportunity."
The Canadiens will wrap up their season on April 9, but all indications are that Subban will be wearing Canada's jersey - one way or another - very soon.
The 26-year-old left Thursday's loss to the Carolina Hurricanes after just 1:22 of ice time. He has a goal and four assists in 35 games this season.
Maurice also said he would have a better idea about the extent of Nikolaj Ehlers' apparent upper-body injury Saturday. The rookie forward took a puck off his visor, which broke on impact.
Your #NHLJets wrap: Peluso out 3-4 weeks, minimum. Ehlers out until further notice with blood in eyes from cuts caused by broken visor.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Kevin Porter's season has likely come to an end after we underwent surgery on his ankle Friday. He is expected to be out of the lineup for 12 weeks.
Porter was limited to just four shifts Thursday after sustaining the injury early in the game against the New York Rangers.
The 29-year-old has three assists in 41 games this season.
After meeting all of his new teammates Thursday, five days after being traded from the Edmonton Oilers, one of his fellow Penguins got ahold of Schultz's clothes prior to Friday's practice, then suspended them above the ice at Consol Energy Center, spelling out "NEW GUY" on the jacket with tape.
It's been a difficult season from start to finish for the Calgary Flames. Last year's biggest surprise possesses the worst record in the Western Conference, and there's a direct correlation with their atrocious goaltending.
Calgary's struggles in goal have been magnified during a seven-game losing streak in which they've given up 28 goals - an average of four goals against per game. It's easy to pinpoint why the Flames are a serious contender in the Auston Matthews sweepstakes: Despite sitting 11th in shots against per game this season, they're second-last with 203 goals against.
Goalie
Games
Goals Against
GAA
SV %
Karri Ramo
37
94
2.63
.909
Jonas Hiller
24
73
3.41
.885
Joni Ortio
9
23
3.33
.889
The Flames are tied for last with the Arizona Coyotes with a combined 3.21 goals against average. They also possess an .899 save percentage, which could be a lot worse, if not for occasionally good play from Karri Ramo. However, in front of a solid defensive core of Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, and Dougie Hamilton that's definitely limiting scoring opportunities, the aforementioned numbers are unacceptable.
The Flames will have roughly $23 million in available cap space next season. The majority of their cash will be allocated to significant pay raises for pending restricted free agents Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, but outside of a few depth additions - and an entry-level deal for a high-end prospect in the draft - Calgary will need to make acquiring a No. 1 goaltender its biggest priority.
Here are three goalies the Flames should target in the offseason:
James Reimer
Reimer could certainly be a good fit in Calgary, especially when considering his connection to president of hockey operations Brian Burke. The 27-year-old is in the prime of his career, and he's shown he can post good numbers despite playing on the worst team in the league.
With the Toronto Maple Leafs, who sit dead last in the NHL standings, Reimer posted a 2.49 GAA and .918 save percentage in 32 games (29 starts). These are solid numbers - his best since a playoff-bound season in 2012-13 - when considering the team he was playing for.
Although Reimer hasn't had the opportunity to play more than 37 games in a single season, the talent is there. He'll surely be looking for a pay raise this offseason, but there may be no better opportunity to finally receive a shot at being a true No. 1 than in Calgary. That alone should give both sides something to think about come July 1.
Ben Bishop
It will be an interesting summer for the Tampa Bay Lightning. They have roughly $17 million in cap space, but more than half of it will be used to try to resign pending unrestricted free agent Steven Stamkos. If the Lightning can re-sign their superstar, they'll need to make some difficult roster decisions.
With youngster Andrei Vasilevskiy seemingly lined up as their goaltender of the future, Ben Bishop could be a prime offseason target for the Flames. The Lightning likely won't be able to pay him what he's looking for a year from now, and may elect to move away from their No. 1 goalie when he still has a year remaining on his contract at the end of the season.
With a career .920 save percentage in 218 games, and a run to the Stanley Cup finals last season, there's no doubt the 6-foot-7 backstop is a legit No. 1 goalie. He could be everything Calgary needs to take the next step, they just need to find a way to make it happen.
Frederik Andersen
Andersen is enjoying a solid campaign for the Anaheim Ducks, which is certainly a trend in his brief career. However, he's mired in yet another 1A/1B situation with John Gibson. The 22-year-old Gibson is without a doubt the goalie of the future, and the Ducks may certainly look to give him the reins beyond this season. This makes Andersen available on the trade market.
The pending restricted free agent has posted a .919 save percentage in 117 NHL games, and has proven he can perform even when his team doesn't. When the Ducks started the season with a shocking 1-7-2 record, he possessed a 2.05 GAA and .932 save percentage in eight starts.
The 26-year-old has also been near unbeatable in 2016, posting an impressive record of 11-1-2 in his last 14 starts. Equipped with a big frame at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Andersen - who is just entering the prime of his career - would definitely be a sound, and perhaps cheaper, addition in Calgary.
Lundqvist left during the second period of Thursday's game to treat neck spasms after a collision with defenseman Ryan McDonagh, but was apparently well enough to throw the net off its moorings in frustration shortly after the collision.
Hellberg, 24, is sporting a 22-16-2 record with a .919 save percentage in 40 games with Hartford this season.
Jagr reached point No. 1,850 in fewer games than both Howe and Messier - No. 2 all-time - but like both, reached the milestone past age 40. The No. 1 player is a completely different story - as Wayne Gretzky caught Mr. Hockey at age 28 in 1989.
Reaching 1,850 points
Player
Age
Games
Seasons
Gretzky
28
780
11
Jagr
44
1611
22
Messier
42
1691
25
Howe
51
1767
26
While Gretzky, in most cases, remains an outlier - the longevity of the other three players' careers is one of the biggest factors in their scoring success. Despite all having long careers, the oldest all four players finished an NHL season at the same age was at 36. Although Gretzky clearly outpaced the others during his 20s, it's striking how all four produced at a similar pace later in their careers.
Age 36 season
Player
Year
GP
G
A
P
Howe
1963-64
69
26
47
73
Gretzky
1996-97
82
25
72
97
Messier
1996-97
71
36
48
84
Jagr
2007-08
82
24
46
71
Howe may be most famous for playing at an advanced age, retiring at age 51, but that came after a nine-year absence from the NHL. He retired from the Detroit Red Wings in 1971, but signed in the WHA in 1973, and went on to rack up 508 points over six seasons while playing with sons Mark and Marty.
Most Goals After Turning 44 - NHL History Gordie Howe 15 Chris Chelios 5 Jaromir Jagr 4 Doug Harvey 1
It's hard to say how many more points a healthy Howe would've added in another nine seasons, but you can ask a similar question about Jagr. He missed prime-production years due to three separate lockouts during his career, and took a three-year stint in the KHL from 2008 to 2011.
Taking retirement seasons out of the equation, it's hard to equate the impact of the production lost by NHL games missed due to work stoppages and/or playing in rival leagues for all four legendary forwards.
Player
Potential Games Missed
Howe
478 (WHA -1973-79)
Jagr
396 (KHL - 2008-11; Lockouts - 1994/2004-05/2012)
Messier
114* (WHA - 1978-79; Lockout - 1994)
Gretzky
114 (WHA - 1978-79; Lockout - 1994)
* - Messier announced retirement following 2004-05 lockout, but was believed to be retiring after 2003-04 season.
But enough about the past, the question now becomes how high Jagr's totals can climb. The Czech Republic native has repeatedly stated he doesn't want to retire, and even if he's only half as productive next season, he would still likely catch Messier's mark of 1,887 points.
Projections based on points per game
Season
PPG
Proj. Pts
Career Total
2015-16
.787
62
1864
2016-17
.394
32
1896
With or without a sharp decline, becoming just the second player to reach the 1,900-point mark seems incredibly realistic for the winger, barring injury. If Howe could rack up multiple, 100-point seasons in the WHA in his late 40s, would a few more 50-point campaigns out of Jagr be that far-fetched?
If NHL games were 40 minutes long, the Vancouver Canucks would be one of the best teams in the league.
Vancouver blew a 2-0 lead Thursday night, and a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes, losing their third straight game, a 3-2 decision to the San Jose Sharks. The Canucks have now lost 11 games when leading after two periods, according to The Province and Canucks Army's Jeff Paterson.
And Vancouver's home struggles continue in a big way:
#Canucks 2-8-1 in last 11 here at Rogers Arena. Visitors now 20-9-3 on the season (43 of 64 possible points)
Vancouver's 11 home wins are better than only the Toronto Maple Leafs' nine. Not good. And, once again, the Canucks couldn't muster much offense. They scored two or fewer for the third straight game, and have two goals or fewer in seven of their past nine games. It's bleak:
#Canucks have been held to 2 or fewer goals in 40 of 63 games
With 60 points in 63 games, the Canucks are only four points out of the Western Conference basement.
Meanwhile, goaltender Ryan Miller, obviously frustrated with a lack of support, was furious after the game because he believed Sharks forward Tomas Hertl's goal in the second period, which got San Jose on the board, was deflected with a high stick.
"That's 100 per cent a high-stick on their first goal, I just watched the replay. Big game for us and they call that a goal" - Miller
With the Minnesota Wild picking up two points Thursday in Toronto, the Canucks are now 10 points back in the wild-card race. It's possible, but becoming more unlikely by the day.
Everything was looking good, P.K. Subban had the puck at center ice. He inexplicably lost his footing - it happens - and saw Los Angeles Kings forward Dwight King poke the puck past him, through his legs.
King had a partial breakaway, Alex Galchenyuk racing off the bench to try and cut him off. King beautifully faked a slap shot, getting Canadiens goalie Ben Scrivens to his knees, and then went five-hole to score.
It was the game-winning goal. Of course. The Kings won 3-2.
Subban had a goal and an assist and played a game-high 28:48. But nobody will be talking about that.
