Joe Thornton has been around plenty of good players during his time with the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, and Canadian Olympic teams, but like many Toronto Maple Leafs fans, the 41-year-old is in awe of Auston Matthews.

"He's on a different level," Thornton said after Toronto's 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, according to The Hockey News' David Alter. "He just competes so hard. I think he should be up for ... the Selke, Hart, Rocket.

"He does so many things and he just plays the game the right way. I really enjoy watching him play and playing alongside him. He's the complete package."

Matthews extended his lead in the race for the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy with his NHL-best 14th goal in his 16th game of the season Wednesday.

The 23-year-old phenom may have a legitimate case for the Hart Trophy - awarded to the league MVP - as his 9.6 expected goals above replacement entering Wednesday was the best in the NHL, according to Evolving Hockey. Connor McDavid currently leads the league in points and ranks just two spots behind Matthews with 7.2 xGAR.

The Frank J. Selke Trophy is awarded to the league's best defensive forward. Matthews has made strides defensively and is tied for third in the NHL with 14 takeaways, but his offense constitutes all of his positive xGAR value (9.7 xOff, -0.8 xDef).

Sergei Fedorov is the only player in NHL history to win the Selke and Hart in the same season (1993-94). No player has won the Selke while leading the league in goals since the league began awarding the "Rocket" Richard in 1998-99.

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Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid tallied his 500th career point Wednesday against the Winnipeg Jets, becoming the eighth-fastest player in NHL history to do so.

McDavid accomplished the feat in his 369th career game - the same total Sidney Crosby needed to reach the 500-point mark.

Gretzky, Lemieux, Stastny, Bossy, Kurri, and Trottier all had the benefit of playing in the 1970s and 1980s when scoring rates were much higher.

McDavid reached the milestone in style, too, delivering a perfect pass to Jesse Puljujarvi.

McDavid said earlier Wednesday he would be proud to match Crosby's 500-point pace.

The 24-year-old entered the game with an NHL-leading 30 points.

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New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba is out four-to-six weeks due to an upper-body injury, the team announced Wednesday.

Trouba's unspecified injury occurred in Tuesday's clash with the New Jersey Devils, in which he played just 13:11 in the defeat.

The Rangers acquired the 26-year-old from the Winnipeg Jets via trade in 2019. Trouba's notched three assists in 14 games while averaging over 21 minutes per contest in his second season on Broadway.

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Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid enters Wednesday's matchup with the Winnipeg Jets on the precipice of a significant career milestone that would only strengthen the link between him and his childhood hero if it's accomplished.

McDavid currently sits at 499 career points in 368 games, and he'll reach the 500-mark in the same number of contests as Sidney Crosby if he finds the scoresheet against the Jets.

The incredible coincidence has caught McDavid's attention.

"That's pretty cool. A guy I grew up watching," McDavid said, according to Sportsnet's Mark Spector. "He's done a couple of other things I'm trying to do, with all of his Cups and stuff. That stuff is more important, but if (500) happens, great.

"He's done everything I want to do - he's a great guy to follow. He's done everything he has set his mind to."

If McDavid matches Crosby, they'll tie as the eighth-fastest players in NHL history to notch 500 points. Here's how No. 87 and 97 stack up all-time:

McDavid, who leads the NHL in scoring this season with 30 points in 17 games, has 26 points in 17 career games against Winnipeg. While matching Crosby in this specific stat seems likely, McDavid has a long way to go to match Sid The Kid's overall resume.

Crosby had earned two Art Ross trophies, an MVP, a Rocket Richard, and two Stanley Cup Finals appearances that yielded one championship through the first five seasons of his career - McDavid is currently in the early stages of his sixth NHL campaign.

In the years since, Crosby has added one more Art Ross, an MVP, and a Rocket Richard, along with two more Cups and two Conn Smythe's to his trophy case.

McDavid has claimed an MVP and two scoring titles to date.

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The time's come to crown sports' greatest dynasty.

Sixteen contenders enter our bracket, with regions broken down by league: MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL. Vote below, and vote all week!

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The Arizona Coyotes denounced an article from The Athletic's Katie Strang published Tuesday reporting a great deal of financial and interpersonal turmoil within the organization under owner Alex Meruelo, who took over in July 2019.

"We are very disappointed that The Athletic, for several months, has condoned a harassment campaign against Mr. Alex Meruelo, the Arizona Coyotes, the Meruelo Group, and dozens of current employees and former employees," part of a statement from the Coyotes read.

"We question the potential reliance by The Athletic on disgruntled ex-employees who have proven to be untrustworthy and lacking in candor on confidential non-public information, and on vendors with whom the club secured negotiated settlements to undo years of financial mismanagement under prior ownership and club leadership."

Seyfarth Shaw law firm met with Coyotes employees this year to investigate potential financial irregularities, workplace culture, and at least one case of alleged sexual harassment, Strang reports.

Law firm representatives reportedly inquired about the accuracy of the financial documents the Coyotes provided to third parties and the NHL, allegations of intimidation and threats against employees, and COVID-19 protocols and compliance.

The team was also reportedly late in paying several players' signing bonuses in 2020 and didn't issue per diem payments in the playoff bubble as mandated by the CBA, leading the NHLPA to become involved.

According to Strang, Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong, who was hired in September, emailed hockey operations staff warning that any "unauthorized distribution of any club information will not be permitted and is grounds for disciplinary action, up to immediate termination."

The email was obtained by The Athletic, and Armstrong later told Strang he believed that files had been stolen from his computer and the person responsible would be going to jail.

Eight vendors also told Strang that the Coyotes had outstanding or overdue balances or had negotiated a reduction in their debt.

The Coyotes declined interview requests for Strang's story.

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The Arizona Coyotes denounced an article from The Athletic's Katie Strang published Tuesday reporting a great deal of financial and interpersonal turmoil within the organization under owner Alex Meruelo, who took over in July 2019.

"We are very disappointed that The Athletic, for several months, has condoned a harassment campaign against Mr. Alex Meruelo, the Arizona Coyotes, the Meruelo Group, and dozens of current employees and former employees," part of a statement from the Coyotes read.

"We question the potential reliance by The Athletic on disgruntled ex-employees who have proven to be untrustworthy and lacking in candor on confidential non-public information, and on vendors with whom the club secured negotiated settlements to undo years of financial mismanagement under prior ownership and club leadership."

Seyfarth Shaw law firm met with Coyotes employees this year to investigate potential financial irregularities, workplace culture, and at least one case of alleged sexual harassment, Strang reports.

Law firm representatives reportedly inquired about the accuracy of the financial documents the Coyotes provided to third parties and the NHL, allegations of intimidation and threats against employees, and COVID-19 protocols and compliance.

The team was also reportedly late in paying several players' signing bonuses in 2020 and didn't issue per diem payments in the playoff bubble as mandated by the CBA, leading the NHLPA to become involved.

According to Strang, Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong, who was hired in September, emailed hockey operations staff warning that any "unauthorized distribution of any club information will not be permitted and is grounds for disciplinary action, up to immediate termination."

The email was obtained by The Athletic, and Armstrong later told Strang he believed that files had been stolen from his computer and the person responsible would be going to jail.

Eight vendors also told Strang that the Coyotes had outstanding or overdue balances or had negotiated a reduction in their debt.

The Coyotes declined interview requests for Strang's story.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.