Some of Arizona's most prominent sports icons will take part in a memorial service for Sen. John McCain, who died Saturday at age 81.

Arizona Cardinals wide received Larry Fitzgerald is one of several people who are scheduled to speak during Thursday's service at North Phoenix Baptist Church, according to Chris Cole of AZCentral.com. Additionally, former Diamondbacks great Luis Gonzalez and ex-Coyotes captain Shane Doan will act as McCain's pallbearers.

Both Gonzalez and Doan released statements about the Senator shortly after his death, according to Cole. Gonzalez said he's "proud to consider (McCain) a dear friend," while Doan called him "a shining example of what a modern leader should be."

Beyond his political career, McCain was well-known for his avid sports fandom, and he was a frequent spectator at home games for all of Arizona's major professional sports teams.

McCain, who ran for president in 2008, had served as Arizona's Senator since 1987.

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Goaltenders around the NHL, consider this a warning.

Even after scoring a career-high 41 goals in 2017-18, Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid is looking for more this coming season.

"I've always said I want to score more," he told reporters at BioSteel camp on Monday, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston. "That's what I want to do. I want to find ways to score. I think I'm a good passer and can make plays and all that, but there's definitely a knack to putting the puck in the net that I seemed to find a little bit later in the year last year and I’m hoping to carry that into this year."

McDavid certainly did find that knack in the second half of the season, and it can be at least partially attributed to a willingness to become more of a volume shooter.

If McDavid shoots at the rate he did in the second half of 2017-18 for the entire upcoming season, he'll surpass the 300-shot mark with ease. In that case, he could very well pot 50 goals. After all, he scored 16 in his injury shortened rookie year, 30 in his Hart Trophy winning 2016-17 season, and 41 last season.

For most of the first half of the season, the wings on McDavid's line were revolving doors. But towards the end of the year, he teamed up with noted playmaker Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Ty Rattie, and the trio found great chemistry together. The unit looks poised to open the season as the club's top line - something McDavid would certainly be open to.

"We juggled the lines a lot last year," McDavid said. "That’s just how it played out. Obviously it would be nice to be able to play with a consistent line and a group, but if that’s not how it works out again then so be it. Obviously I had a lot of fun playing with (Nugent-Hopkins) and (Rattie)."

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The Florida Panthers have signed free-agent forward Troy Brouwer to a one-year contract, the team announced Monday.

The deal is worth $850,000, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

"Troy is a skilled veteran forward with championship experience," Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Dale Tallon said in a statement. "He adds depth to our forward group and his leadership will help our developing young core take the next step this season."

The 33-year-old spent the last two seasons with the Calgary Flames and became an unrestricted free agent in early August after the team bought out the final two years of his contract.

Brouwer tallied six goals and 16 assists in 76 appearances with the Flames during the 2017-18 season.

The Vancouver native has logged 763 career games during stints with the Chicago Blackhawks, Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues, and Flames.

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Darnell Nurse believes his uncertain contractual status will soon be a thing of the past.

The Edmonton Oilers defenseman is coming off his entry-level deal and remains a restricted free agent, but is optimistic about signing a new pact as training camp looms.

Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli shares Nurse's optimism, or at least he did in early August. "He is a player we want to get signed and we will sign," he told 630 CHED, according to Paul Gazzola of the team's website. "... There are just different leverage points and it's no accident that there is a long list of restricted free agents (in the NHL). It happens every year and Darnell is in that group."

Nurse had a breakout season in 2017-18, posting career highs of six goals and 20 assists. The 23-year-old finished second on Edmonton in ice time, seeing more than 22 minutes a night, and projects to be relied upon even more heavily this year following the devastating injury to fellow blue-liner Andrej Sekera.

"We keep a consistent dialogue but there's a little bit of a lull," Chiarelli added. "Generally, they're important players if you look at the list and the teams keep working away at it. It's not really in the limelight and you don't hear about it because it's a bit of a slower process."

The Oilers open the season against the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 6.

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One way to find effective fantasy contributors is to look at a player's advanced stats. These numbers can be prime indicators that a player is ready to either bounce back from a down year or translate under-the-radar contributions into solid fantasy production. Will what bubbled under the surface last year rise to the top in 2018-19?

Here are seven players - four forwards, two defensemen, and one goalie - whose statistical profiles project either a breakout or bounce-back season:

Related: theScore's 2018-19 Fantasy Hockey Draft Kit

Forwards

Vinnie Hinostroza, Coyotes: Hinostroza, who at 24 has dressed for 106 NHL games, is a sneaky-good passer looking primed for success in the desert. The former Blackhawk flashed some serious playmaking potential last season by producing 0.99 primary assists per 60 minutes of five-on-five action. For context, Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Couturier, and Jakub Voracek racked up first assists at a similar rate. The question is, can Hinostroza deliver in a bigger role?

Sonny Milano, Blue Jackets: Hidden gem? Of the 576 NHLers who skated for at least 500 even-strength minutes last season, only Auston Matthews was a more efficient five-on-five goal scorer than Milano. The 22-year-old scored 1.45 goals per 60 minutes while mainly playing alongside Nick Foligno and Oliver Bjorkstrand in a minor role. A bump in ice time could do wonders to Milano's counting stats.

Jaden Schwartz, Blues: Schwartz passes the eye test with flying colors, and his underlying numbers don't disappoint either. The Blues - who revamped their forward group this summer - were a 57 percent puck possession team that dominated scoring-chance (58.6%) and goal (61.8%) differentials when Schwartz was on the ice at five-on-five in 2017-18. Though he already hovers around 60 points a year, Schwartz’s true coming-out party might be upon us.

Jeff Skinner, Sabres: How poor/unlucky were the Hurricanes when three-time 30-goal scorer Skinner was on the ice last year during five-on-five play? Simply put, they couldn’t score (5.25 shooting percentage) or stop the other team from scoring (.901 save percentage). A change of scenery and a chance to play with an elite center (either Jack Eichel or Casey Mittelstadt) should help reverse Skinner's fortunes.

Defensemen

Duncan Keith, Blackhawks: Even the most cynical analysts are sympathetic towards Keith. The two-time Norris Trophy winner is coming off a season in which he flat-out couldn't beat NHL goaltenders, scoring two goals on 187 shots for a ridiculous shooting rate of 1.1 percent. The 35-year-old may be past his prime, but he remains effective as a minutes-munching defenseman, finishing 2017-18 with a 52.4 percent Corsi rating and 30 assists.

Darnell Nurse, Oilers: Nurse, one of the brightest young defenseman in the game, was between the boards for 310 high danger shot attempts during five-on-five play last season. That number tied him with Brady Skjei for sixth among regular NHL blueliners. Connor McDavid can make anybody look effective, but Nurse (six goals, 20 assists in 82 games) should see his goal/assist totals soar. Realistically, the Oilers should cash in on more goalmouth chances than they did last year.

Goalie

Carter Hutton, Sabres: Despite seeing limited action, Hutton was a reliable option for the 2017-18 Blues. He ranked first among NHL goalies (minimum 30 appearances) in quality starts percentage by boasting a save percentage on par or greater than the league average in 19 of 32 appearances. If Buffalo can provide decent support, Hutton should produce middle-of-the-road win, goals-against average, and save percentage numbers.

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Auston Matthews is under contract for only one more year, and that could still be the case when the Toronto Maple Leafs open the regular season on Oct. 3.

The superstar forward was eligible to sign a new deal as of July 1, and while he's indicated that negotiations have begun, he's mostly remained in the background of those discussions.

"I don't know if I'll sign a new contract before the season or not," Matthews told NHL.com's Dave Hogg. "I'm not really involved with the talks. That's something being dealt with by my agents and team management. They've told me that it will get done when it gets done, and that's fine."

What that new contract could look like remains unknown. However, Matthews and his camp have a few comparables at their disposal, including Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel ($10 million), Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid ($12.5 million), and Maple Leafs summer addition John Tavares ($11 million).

While there is no doubt that a Matthews extension is a priority for Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, the team also has a more pressing matter at hand: the contract status of fellow young forward William Nylander, who remains a restricted free-agent.

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Just like Mary J. Blige, Ottawa Sentaors goaltender Craig Anderson wants no more drama.

Responding to a report Sunday that the Senators were looking to deal Anderson early in the summer, the veteran netminder reiterated that he's happy in the nation's capital, barring anymore drama.

"I love Ottawa, I love playing in Ottawa," the 37-year-old told reporters. "I'm too old for drama. I don't want anything to do with drama. Hopefully we've resolved all of that. I got no interest in going anywhere else as long as we can clean up what was going on this summer."

Anderson is likely referring to the situation this offseason where it was revealed that Erik Karlsson's wife, Melinda, applied for a peace bond against Mike Hoffman's girlfriend, Monika Caryk, over an alleged harassment campaign.

Melinda Karlsson accused Caryk of "over 1,000" negative and derogatory comments, including wishing her unborn child dead, wishing her dead, and saying that someone should take out Erik Karlsson's legs and end his career.

Related: Erik Karlsson's wife accuses Hoffman's girlfriend of harassment campaign

"I've been there for eight years now and that's my home," Anderson said. "I've got no interest in going anywhere else as long as we can clean up what was going on this summer."

The situation appears to mostly have been wiped clean after Hoffman was dealt to San Jose, then flipped by the Sharks to the Florida Panthers, in June.

However, that was far from the only drama the Senators experienced this offseason. The team's assistant general manager Randy Lee was charged for harassment in June before eventually resigning a week ago, general manager Pierre Dorion admitted the dressing room was "broken" last season, a much-needed arena deal is far from imminent, owner Eugene Melnyk has been heavily criticized, and to top it off, the inevitable departure of Karlsson is still looming over the team's head.

Anderson stayed out of all of the off-ice drama, but his play between the pipes last year wasn't satisfactory. He posted an .898 save percentage and a 3.32 goals-against average in what was by far his worst season as an NHL starting netminder.

Winning is one way to make everyone forget about the drama, and Anderson's play in goal is certainly vital to Ottawa's success.

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