Drew Doughty might just make enemies with all of Western Canada before the 2019-20 season is through.

The Los Angeles Kings blue-liner was asked for his thoughts after Wednesday's 8-2 waxing at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks, and again raised eyebrows with another candid assessment.

"I mean, I ain't gonna park it, it's just embarrassing," Doughty said, per Kings insider Jon Rosen. "I mean, a team like that should not be beating a team like ours 8-2. There's actually no way. I know they had a lot of energy right off the bat because it's their home opener and they had their whole ordeal with the captain and whatever. But we had chances to come back, and then we just gave up a goal right after we scored a goal. It was a bad team effort by everyone on this team, I thought."

Doughty's been under the microscope all week due to his rivalry with Matthew Tkachuk and his performance versus the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. Doughty had three points, including the overtime winning goal, and said he wanted to "shove it in their faces" with a spirited celebration after being incessantly booed all night.

Wednesday's game didn't go as well for the 29-year-old, as he finished minus-3 in over 23 minutes in the loss that brought Los Angeles' record to 1-2.

Doughty's comments about the Canucks aren't exactly easy to justify, as Vancouver finished 10 points clear of the Kings in 2018-19.

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Carolina Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook will miss the next six-to-eight weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a core muscle injury on Friday, the team announced.

Martinook's registered one point in Carolina's scorching 4-0 start to the 2019-20 season, averaging just under 12 minutes per night for the Metropolitan Division leaders.

The 27-year-old signed a two-year, $4-million contract with the Hurricanes in January and was named an assistant captain prior to the current season.

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Disgruntled Dallas Stars defenseman Julius Honka has signed with JYP Jyvaskyla of the Finnish league, the team announced Thursday.

Honka is a restricted free agent, and his Finnish deal includes an opt-out clause that runs until Dec. 1 - the deadline for RFAs to sign an NHL contract this season.

Dallas drafted Honka 14th overall in 2014, but despite a promising skill set, he's yet to establish a consistent role on the blue line. Honka only appeared in 29 games with Dallas last season, and he was a healthy scratch for the club's final 35 contests and its entire playoff run.

However, he's put up strong underlying numbers during his stints in the big leagues, and he's produced multiple prolific offensive campaigns with the AHL's Texas Stars.

Honka asked the Stars for a trade in September The Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes were among the teams that reportedly showed interest in acquiring the 23-year-old right-handed shot.

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The Vancouver Canucks named Bo Horvat the 14th captain in team history prior to Wednesday's home opener against the Los Angeles Kings.

Horvat succeeds Henrik Sedin, who captained the Canucks for eight seasons before retiring at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.

"They choose captains because of who you are," Sedin said, according to Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre. "That's why they didn't name a captain right away; they wait and see what kind of person a guy is and how he handles different situations.

"That's why they picked Bo."

The club previously named Alexander Edler, Chris Tanev, and Brandon Sutter alternate captains on Oct. 1.

Horvat established career highs with the Canucks last season, recording 27 goals and 61 points.

Vancouver selected the 24-year-old with the No. 9 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.

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New Jersey Devils forward Wayne Simmonds doesn't feel his efforts were fully appreciated by the Philadelphia Flyers.

The 31-year-old, who makes his return to Philadelphia on Wednesday night, opened up about his departure from the club after nearly seven seasons.

"I put so much time and sweat and tears into this organization," Simmonds said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Sam Carchidi. "I thought I did everything I could possibly do to at least get a bit of an extension."

Following a career-best 32-goal, 60-point season in 2015-16, the 6-foot-2 winger saw his point total decline in each of the past three campaigns. With Simmonds on an expiring contract in 2018-19, the Flyers traded him to the Nashville Predators at last season's deadline instead of offering him a new deal.

The Toronto native became an unrestricted free agent this past summer and signed a one-year, $5-million pact with the Devils on July 1.

Simmonds recorded 203 goals and 378 points over 584 career games with the Flyers.

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After spending 19 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Patrick Marleau is happy to be back in the Bay Area.

"The emotion I felt when that phone call came from Doug was just overwhelming," Marleau said on Wednesday, according to Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. "I'm just very grateful to be back."

The Carolina Hurricanes bought out the veteran forward from the final year of his contract in June after the Toronto Maple Leafs traded him.

Marleau will make his season debut on Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks after practicing on the Sharks' top line alongside Logan Couture and Timo Meier, according to The Athletic's Kevin Kurz.

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It appears more dominos could fall after Patrick Marleau became the first veteran unrestricted free agent to find a home during the season.

There is "significant interest" from a number of teams in 34-year-old center Brian Boyle, TSN's Bob McKenzie reported on Tuesday's edition of "Insider Trading."

Boyle split last season between the New Jersey Devils and the Nashville Predators, scoring 18 goals - the second-highest mark of his career - and adding six assists in 73 games. The 6-foot-6, 245-pounder also threw 145 hits and won 51.1% of his faceoffs, although he doesn't move around the ice as quickly as he used to.

The 40-year-old Marleau returned to the San Jose Sharks on a reported one-year deal for the league minimum ($700K) on Tuesday. In addition to Boyle, veteran names such as Dion Phaneuf, Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek, Andrew MacDonald, Jamie McGinn, Adam McQuaid, and Scott Darling all find themselves unemployed with the season underway.

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