Eric Staal notched his 30th goal of the season Sunday against the San Jose Sharks, becoming the fifth player in Minnesota Wild history to reach the mark, per The Athletic's Michael Russo.

For Staal, it is the sixth 30-goal season of his career, but his first in seven years.

Staal has built off a bounce-back year in 2016-17 with an even better showing this season. The 33-year-old is now on pace to finish with 40 goals and 38 assists, cementing the three-year, $10.5-million contract he signed prior to last season as one of the most team-friendly deals in the league.

More importantly, the Wild came out victorious on Sunday, padding their lead for the third spot in the Central Division standings.

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One Karlsson in Vegas may not be enough.

According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, the Golden Knights are making a serious pitch for Senators blue-liner Erik Karlsson.

With Ottawa mired at the bottom of the standings, the Senators captain is a top target to be moved ahead of Monday's trade deadline. Karlsson, 27, carries a $6.5-million cap hit that extends through the 2018-19 campaign.

As Garrioch alludes, the Golden Knights could be a preferred destination for Karlsson given the club's available cap space, meaning it could accommodate costly forward Bobby Ryan to facilitate a deal for Karlsson.

Related - Report: Sens could discount Karlsson if team is willing to take Bobby Ryan

Ryan is signed through the next four seasons at a $7.25-million cap hit. As for the Golden Knights, the team has about $33 million available this summer, so adding both Karlsson and Ryan shouldn't be too tricky for general manager George McPhee.

In the preseason, few expected the expansion Golden Knights to be buyers this spring, but as the deadline nears, Vegas sits one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place.

Meanwhile, Karlsson, who is having a "down" year by his standards, has tallied 42 points through 56 games this season. The two-time Norris Trophy winner was a top player in last year's playoffs, registering 18 points in 19 games as he led the Senators to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.

For the Senators, the sell-off has already begun with the team having dealt forward Derick Brassard to the Pittsburgh Penguins and defenseman Dion Phaneuf to the Los Angeles Kings in the lead up to the deadline.

Garrioch also indicates it could take as many as five or six assets to complete a deal and that the Lightning, San Jose Sharks, and Nashville Predators are also believed to be interested in Karlsson.

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The Edmonton Oilers are playing it safe ahead of Monday's NHL trade deadline.

Forward Patrick Maroon, who's been rumored to be on the move, will be a healthy scratch Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks, the team announced.

The impending unrestricted free agent has 14 goals and 30 points in 57 games for the Oilers this season. Last year he scored a career-high 27 goals while playing predominantly alongside Connor McDavid.

Given his knack for scoring and playing with grit, Maroon is one of the top rental wingers available on the trade market.

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In the end, Rick Nash got what he wanted.

Traded to the Boston Bruins on Sunday after spending the past six seasons with the New York Rangers, the deal came to fruition less than three weeks after the club first approached Nash for his trade list.

Carrying a modified no-trade clause, Nash had some say in his destination and could dictate a move to 12 teams of his choosing.

As it turns out, that list did not need to be longer than one team.

"When (the Rangers) first asked me, I was obviously going to go wherever. I wasn't going to hold them hostage," Nash told reporters Sunday. "I wanted to go to a place that wanted me and a place that had a great chance to win. I think Boston fits both of those perfectly."

It was a quick turnaround for Nash, who made his debut with the Bruins on the same day of the deal, as he appeared in Sunday's contest against the Buffalo Sabres.

Against the Sabres, Nash skated for more than 17 minutes but finished with a minus-one rating and five shots on goal.

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Another trade deadline, another possible Thomas Vanek deal.

The Vancouver Canucks veteran forward will not be in the lineup for Sunday's contest against the Arizona Coyotes, in what is likely a precautionary move ahead of Monday's trade deadline.

Through 61 games this season, Vanek has tallied 17 goals and 24 assists, and sits second in team scoring behind only rookie winger Brock Boeser. That sort of production makes him a prime target for the rebuilding Canucks to flip for younger assets.

Related: Vanek would re-sign with Canucks if Sedins also stay

Moving at the deadline has become somewhat of a regular occurrence for Vanek, who was traded from the Red Wings to Panthers a year ago, and from the Islanders to the Canadiens in 2014.

Suiting up for a new team would mark the eighth sweater worn by Vanek, who made his NHL debut in 2005.

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Jean Ratelle is now among the greats.

Prior to Sunday's contest versus the Detroit Red Wings, the New York Rangers honored the former forward by retiring his legendary No. 19.

Ratelle skated with the Rangers from 1960 to 1976. He posted a career-best 109 points in 1971-72, and was recognized with the Lester B. Pearson Award as the NHL's most outstanding player.

His 817 points with the Rangers ranks third in franchise history, trailing only Brian Leetch and Rod Gilbert.

Ratelle is the ninth Ranger to have his number retired, and the first since the team honored both Harry Howell and Andy Bathgate on Feb. 22, 2009.

Gilbert, on hand for Sunday's ceremony, and whose No. 7 was retired by the club in 1979, announced the team will retire Vic Hadfield's No. 11 next season. Hadfield ranks ninth all time in franchise scoring.

With the Rangers, Ratelle, Gilbert, and Hadfield formed the GAG (Goal-A-Game) line.

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Mike Fisher will officially put pen to paper on a one-year deal with the Nashville Predators on Monday, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Last month, Fisher announced he was rejoining the team, just five months after he declared his retirement. The former Predators captain led last year's squad to the Stanley Cup Final.

A contract must be finalized prior to Monday's trade deadline. The $1-million salary is prorated for the remainder of the season.

Fisher tallied 42 points in 72 games with the Predators last season.

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With no current NHL stars gracing the ice at PyeongChang 2018, the tournament's familiar faces included longtime Detroit Red Wings center, Pavel Datsyuk, elite goal-scorer Ilya Kovalchuk, and up-and-coming talents like Nashville Predators winger Eeli Tolvanen.

As expected, all of those players shined in different moments. However, lesser-known athletes plying their trade in Europe had a chance to showcase their skill sets on the big stage as well. These players may hope a good performance in PyeongChang is what they needed to get noticed by NHL teams.

Here are five relatively unknown Europe-based players who proved their worth, which could pave the way to an NHL job.

Goalie - Pavel Francouz, Czech Republic

Age: 27 | Team: Chelyabinsk Traktor (KHL)

In the Czech Republic's first three group games and quarterfinal matchup against the United States, Pavel Francouz put up a tournament-leading .937 save percentage. It's because of their goalie that the Czechs advanced as far as the semis, before losing 3-0 to the Olympic Athletes of Russia. He was, unequivocally, his country's MVP.

On top of shining at the games, the 27-year-old has put up video-game-like numbers in the past three club seasons. He currently leads all KHL goalies with a .945 save percentage after finishing last season in the same position. With those numbers, his Olympic performance, and his impending free-agent status in mind, he should get plenty of interest in North America.

Centre - Pius Suter, Switzerland

Age: 21 | Team: Zurich SC (Switzerland)

Several prospects generated buzz prior to PyeongChang 2018, none moreso than Rasmus Dahlin and Tolvanen. Switzerland's Pius Suter, a talented but diminutive player that has flown under the radar for most of his professional career, is now deserving of some attention.

Suter, 21, led the Swiss with five points in four games. In 2014-15, as a 17-year-old playing in the OHL, Suter scored 43 goals and 72 points with the Guelph Storm. Now in the Swiss-A league, Suter has accumulated 38 points in 33 games for Zurich. He doesn't have much left to prove, as the NHL should be next.

Winger - Nikita Gusev, Olympic Athletes from Russia

Age: 25 | Team: St. Petersburg SKA (KHL)

Since being drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the seventh round in 2012, Gusev has developed into one of the best young forwards playing overseas. After racking up 71 points in 57 games for St. Petersburg in 2016, he's notched 62 points this season. Gusev will depart PyeongChang as a gold medalist and the tournament's leading scorer with eight points in six games.

Gusev's rights were acquired by the Vegas Golden Knights this past summer, but the Russian will be a free agent if he opts to come to the NHL in 2019.

Winger - Patrick Hager, Germany

Age: 29 | Team: Munich EHC (Germany)

Of all the players to crack the list, Hager transitioning to the NHL seems the most unlikely. That doesn't mean teams won't, and shouldn't, try to convince him.

Germany's run was one of the best stories to come out of PyeongChang, and Hager's play is a key reason his country was able to overcome the odds. The winger led the team with six points in seven games, including three goals. His offensive production was nothing to write home about in the early part of his hockey career, but he has scored more in recent seasons. It wouldn't be surprising if teams pursued Hager in hopes of developing him into an effective bottom-six player.

Defenseman - Maxim Noreau, Canada

Age: 30 | Team: Bern SC (Switzerland)

Noreau is the first Canadian defenseman to accumulate seven points at the Olympics since Serge Roy (seven) and Gord Sherven (eight) did so at Calgary 1988.

The 30-year-old was the biggest and best surprise to come out of Canada's bronze-medal performance. Noreau, who last played in the NHL in 2010-11 when he appeared in five games with the Minnesota Wild, has since proved his worth as an offensive blue-liner, scoring at every other level including the AHL, and now in Switzerland. Despite his age (he'll be 31 in May), Noreau could fast-track to the NHL, potentially as a power-play specialist and, at worst, a bottom-pairing guy.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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