The feeling around the Buffalo Sabres locker room is that the offseason changes are going to lead to a bounce-back season.
Jack Eichel is one player who feels that way, and he points to the shake-ups made this summer by general manager Jason Botterill as a reason to believe in Buffalo this season.
"There's a lot of new faces in there. So I think a lot of the people with a sour taste in their mouths from the last few years have either gotten over it or aren't in the locker room anymore," Eichel told NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin. "I think it's a good opportunity for us to just prove ourselves to the league and prove ourselves to ourselves."
"I think just the mood around the room and the mood talking to guys is a lot better. I think we're confident that if we do the right things, we can be more successful than we were the last few years. I think it's going to be a good year."
While drafting star blue-liner Rasmus Dahlin first overall was the highlight of the summer for the Sabres, it wasn't the only major move for the club.
It's these sorts of additions that inspire Eichel's positive outlook, even after the Sabres finished with just 62 points last season.
"I think you always have to be optimistic," Eichel said. "You look at teams last year like Colorado, New Jersey, teams that may have struggled the year before but had great years last year with making some changes and obviously I think maybe changing a mindset and creating a different culture. I think that those are some teams that we can try and model our season after."
But before Hanifin, a restricted free agent, can suit up for his new team, he must put pen to paper on a new contract, which is apparently imminent.
While speaking with NHL.com's Dan Rosen, Hanifin said he's "super close" to signing with Calgary and has no qualms about a deal materializing before players report to training camp on Sept. 9.
Flames general manager Brad Treliving appears to share Hanifin's confidence, telling Rosen, "We're very excited to have Noah."
The fifth overall pick of the 2015 draft, Hanifin entered the NHL as an 18-year-old and completed all three seasons of his entry-level contract with the Hurricanes. He led all Carolina defensemen with 32 points last season.
Kyle Dubas delivered a memorable - and prescient - soundbite less than a year into his tenure as assistant general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"Your eyes and your mind are lying sons of bitches in the worst absolute way," Dubas said during a presentation about cognitive bias and personnel decisions at the annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in 2015.
He went on to explain how recency bias and sample-size bias, among other inclinations, can negatively impact decision-making. Basing your opinion of a player on their performance over the last three games versus the previous three years, for instance, is a natural reaction. But it's also suboptimal because it is shortsighted.
Fast forward to this offseason; Dubas, promoted to GM in May, is putting his stamp on the Leafs' hockey operations group by promoting from within and hiring outside help. And efforts to mitigate bias are baked into Dubas' approach.
As the organization sought to add bodies to its scouting department, Dubas introduced an extra layer to the hiring process. Candidates filed scouting reports to an online system that masked their identity. This anonymity gave Dubas and his advisors the latitude to sift through the reports and flag the most qualified candidates without being influenced by things like gender, appearance, ethnicity, and age.
Among the top scorers was Noelle Needham, a former Minnesota State University women's hockey player who had never held an official scouting position in the professional or junior ranks. The reports she filed anonymously elevated her status and ultimately helped earn her a gig with the Leafs.
Needham, the club's new Midwest-based amateur scout, was one of three hires and two promotions announced by the club Thursday. Also joining the Leafs are Ontario-based amateur scout Victor Carneiro, a longtime talent evaluator for the OHL's Soo Greyhounds, and assistant director of player development Hayley Wickenheiser, arguably the greatest women's hockey player of all time.
Asked about hiring two women in hockey ops roles and, intentionally or not, diversifying his staff overnight, Dubas insisted he's merely looking out for the best interests of the Leafs.
"I think that if you're only hiring white males - and I'm saying that as a white male - you're probably leaving a lot on the table in terms of where your organization (is going) and how it can think, and how it can evolve and develop," the GM said on a conference call.
"I don't think we've gone out and said that we want to hire females only, males only - anything like that. We're looking for the best candidates and we're not pushing anybody aside. And I think sports, in general, are moving well in that direction."
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While the Needham hire provides a window into Dubas' methods, the Wickenheiser news hogged the headlines, and deservedly so. You don't reel in a universally revered, four-time Olympic gold medalist and future Hall of Famer and expect the sporting world to turn a blind eye. Especially if you're the iconic Toronto Maple Leafs.
The sheer lack of women employed by NHL teams amplifies the significance of the Wickenheiser-Needham double whammy. Prior to Thursday's announcement, the list of women currently working in full-time hockey ops roles was as follows: Dawn Baird (Arizona Coyotes skating coach), Alexandra Mandrycky (Minnesota Wild hockey ops analyst), Rachel Doerrie (New Jersey Devils player info/video analyst), and Kate Madigan (Devils player/info assistant).
Four women on three of the NHL's 31 teams - that's it.
Graduating to six women on four teams doesn't exactly register as a female invasion, or pose a threat to the old boys club that is so ingrained in hockey culture. But it's undoubtedly a breakthrough, and Wickenheiser's name recognition alone is invaluable.
"There's a 15-year-old girl there, sitting right now and looking at the screen and realizing, 'Oh, maybe I could pursue a career in sports, in the NHL,'" Mandrycky told theScore. "We're seeing it with other sports, too. I think seeing people in the position that you aspire to be in is something that is really important … It's important for someone who is young to know that their dream is possible."
Added Sydney Bell, manager of hockey administration for the Florida Panthers: "It shows that hockey is really growing and it's great to see qualified women (in meaningful roles). The passion that they have for the game can be applied to the NHL now."
Bell, hired full-time by the Panthers this spring, is one of many women across the NHL whose job lands somewhere between business ops and hockey ops, and is thus only loosely tied to the on-ice product. The recent St. Lawrence University grad is involved in some personnel discussions, notably around the draft and free agency, though her primary responsibilities are admin tasks such as player immigration and travel coordination.
But hey, maybe the Leafs will start a trend. Maybe the floodgates open for women, because it's a copycat league - and Toronto, an Original Six franchise that has been on an upward trajectory since Brendan Shanahan was named president in 2014, has provided the template.
Maybe additional part-time roles - like those filled by skating coaches Barb Underhill (Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning) and Tracy Tutton (Colorado Avalanche) - emerge and more women trickle in that way. Maybe more turnover at the GM level is required. It's probably no coincidence that the men employing Wickenheiser and Braid (29-year-old Arizona GM John Chayka) are young, open-minded, and willing to buck tradition.
Mandrycky, who is tasked with translating complicated statistical concepts to members of the Wild's scouting, front office, and coaching staffs, sure hopes so. Although she says she hasn't encountered any "negative experiences" because of her gender since being hired in January 2016, the Atlanta native is conscious of the unusual dynamic.
"In some ways, you do feel a burden knowing that I'm maybe the only woman that this scout or this coach has in their active list in that hockey business or front office aspect," Mandrycky said. "You sometimes feel like your independent successes and failures (are) going to dictate how these people view women in the business, in general. ...
"But, if there's more of us, I think that it becomes more normal. All of a sudden, there won't just be that one girl that someone is talking about. There's a whole collection of not just women but youthful staff members."
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It's the mantra every June at the NHL draft: Select the best talent available.
Whatever's deterring you from drafting the most talented hockey player - whether it's size, position, or nationality - forget it. Acquire the best players, at all costs, and figure out the rest later.
Shouldn't that mentality apply to hockey ops too? Even though the Leafs tapping Wickenheiser and Needham is noteworthy on a cultural level, it's also a business decision about recruiting competent individuals.
“I think Noelle and Hayley didn’t earn those opportunities because they're women," noted Ryan Hardy, GM of the USHL's Chicago Steel. "They earned those opportunities because they're extremely talented in what they do and the work they've put in up to this point has opened doors for them."
Dubas reached out to Hardy early in the process that ended with Needham signing a contract with the Leafs. Hardy put Needham's name forward in part because the 32-year-old doesn't back down from anyone or anything - a trait particularly helpful in a scouting field dominated not only by men, but by white men with similar attitudes.
"Everything she says has value behind it. It's because she's done homework and researched the information," Hardy said of Needham, who was a guest coach at Chicago's minicamp a few months ago. "She can be in a room with Brendan Shanahan and Kyle Dubas and 20 scouts that have opinions and she'll fight the good fight."
Needham has been running Legend Hockey school in South Dakota for nine years while co-founding the Sioux Falls Power Tier I minor hockey club. Now, she steps into the limelight - at least relatively speaking. Scouting isn't a particularly glamorous or front-facing role, but the Leafs brand attracts attention to every nook and cranny of the organization.
Wickenheiser, on the other hand, frames her move to the Leafs' development staff as "the evolution of myself as someone in hockey." Wickenheiser, 40, retired from playing last year, hanging up her skates after 23 years of brilliance in the women's realm and 55 games split between Finnish and Swedish men's pro leagues. In her post-playing days, she remains one of hockey's ultimate spokespeople.
She also started medical school at the University of Calgary in July. Her new role - which requires Wickenheiser to work with Western Hockey League prospects when they roll through Calgary, and to occasionally fly to Toronto to skate with the Leafs and AHL Marlies - allows her to stay in Alberta. She is intent on juggling school, work, and family life.
"I played at the highest level I could and wanted to stay in the game," Wickenheiser said Thursday. "I enjoy working with players and I love being around people that are the best at what to do.
"If you were to pick a franchise in the NHL to work for, to be able to work for the Toronto Maple Leafs, it's a pretty huge honor and it's a big responsibility that comes with that. I understand well what pressure is - playing for Canada on the world stage - so hopefully some of those experiences that I've had can help some of these players as the team tries to win."
It has been an agonizingly slow burn for women in NHL hockey ops. Laura Stamm worked with the New York Islanders in the 1970s, but there was no subsequent boom. Progress has stalled and built up again over the past 40 or so years, with North America's three other major pro sports leagues currently lapping the NHL.
The NHL is unlike the NBA, which features San Antonio Spurs lead assistant coach Becky Hammon. It lags behind the NFL, which has had a few women coach on the sidelines. It even trails MLB, which has embraced women with various skill sets during the analytics era.
Dubas - and, by extension, Shanahan and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment - believes women can excel in the NHL hockey ops environment. He believes competent people can provide value to his club.
"When we go through any process of hiring people to add to our program," Dubas said Thursday, "we're looking for the best people. Period."
He's really just applying logic to the Leafs' hiring practices: Ignore the status quo, and hire the best people. It's not mind-blowing. But it is necessary.
John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.
After failing to find the proper situation as a free agent in the NHL over the summer, veteran defenseman Tobias Enstrom is heading home to play for Modo of Sweden's second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan league, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
Enstrom suited up for Modo in the Swedish Hockey League from 2002-07 before making his NHL debut with the Atlanta Thrashers.
The 33-year-old has been hampered by injuries throughout his career, particularly over the last four seasons. In 2017-18, Enstrom only appeared in 43 games for the Winnipeg Jets, and he was shut down with a lower-body injury in March before returning for the postseason.
The playoffs didn't end on a particularly happy note, however. Enstrom was scratched before Game 5 of the Western Conference Final versus the Vegas Golden Knights, a decision that reportedly bothered him so much that he didn't show up for the club's exit meetings or locker cleanout.
Enstrom spent his entire 11-year NHL career with the Thrashers/Jets organization, recording 308 points in 719 games.
Tortorella's current contract expires at the end of the 2018-19 season, which will be his fourth with Columbus. Portzline notes this will be the first season of Tortorella's tenure with the Blue Jackets in which the team will pay the entirety of his $2-million salary, as the Vancouver Canucks were responsible for paying $1.25 million of his earnings after letting him go in 2014.
Since joining the Blue Jackets, Tortorella has coached the club to a 129-94-23 record and has qualified for the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history. The 60-year-old won the Jack Adams Award in 2017 for the second time in his career and has a Stanley Cup ring.
Bobrovsky is heading into the final year of his contract, which carries a cap hit of $7.425 million. He will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2019.
It's widely assumed the two-time Vezina Trophy winner is seeking "Carey Price money," Portzline notes. Price signed an eight-year, $84-million extension last summer.
Bobrovsky, who will be 30 years old in September, posted a .921 save percentage and a 2.42 goals-against-average in 65 games last season.
A fantasy manager's view of certain players can become distorted if their opinion is based primarily on real-life performances. Players can be overhyped because of what they do on the ice, and little attention is paid to how that translates to the fantasy box score.
Here's a look at eight players who played well in reality during the 2017-18 season, but they weren't as valuable for fantasy purposes.
Jason Spezza, C, Stars
Jason Spezza's production dropped significantly in 2017-18. He posted 26 points after finishing with 50 points the previous season. He played 78 games in 2017-18 - 10 more than he played in 2016-17 - but averaged just 13 minutes of ice time per game, the lowest average since Spezza's rookie campaign 15 years ago.
Of Spezza's 26 points, 21 were primary, and 13 of those were assists, showing that he needs more help from his linemates. His shot total dropped for a fifth consecutive full campaign, and he had a career-low shooting percentage of just 5.8. Spezza also finished with a poor plus-minus rating of minus-12 while producing few penalty minutes or hits, and only 11 power-play points.
Cam Atkinson, RW, Blue Jackets
Cam Atkinson took a step back after his breakout 2016-17 season while being limited to just 65 games last year. He averaged 2.14 primary points per 60 minutes in all game situations two seasons ago, but that number dipped to 1.95 in his most recent campaign, when 40 of his 46 points were primary.
Atkinson took more shots per game last season, but he still has little to offer in penalty minutes and saw a significant dip in his special-teams production. The 29-year-old has never finished a season with more assists than goals.
Without above-average outputs in multiple categories, fantasy managers will need Atkinson to return to his elite 2016-17 form when he scored 35 goals.
Anthony Mantha, RW, Red Wings
The Red Wings have eased Anthony Mantha, their 20th overall pick of the 2013 draft, into NHL action thus far. He played his first 80-game season last year and averaged a career-high 17:18 of ice time. That resulted in a 24-goal, 24-assist campaign.
He's been a reliable source of modest penalty-minute totals, recording 50-plus minutes in each of the past two seasons. But Mantha's plus-minus rating is significantly limited while playing in front of Detroit's weak defense.
Mantha averaged 1.85 points per 60 minutes of full-strength play last season. Now, fantasy managers need to hope the Red Wings increase his ice time, allowing him to capitalize on that stellar rate of production.
Kyle Turris, C, Predators
Kyle Turris isn't selfish enough for fantasy hockey. He registered just 119 shots on goal over his 65 games with the Predators last season, scoring only 13 times. However, he did supply 29 assists, bringing his point total to an adequate 42. But he won't give you many penalty minutes and has limited power-play exposure.
Turris had an excellent possession rating of 55.3 percent Corsi For during the 2017-18 season, but Nashville's sudden wealth of young goal-scorers is limiting the forward's upside and taking away his need to shoot.
Kevin Labanc, RW, Sharks
Kevin Labanc stayed on the Sharks' NHL roster for 77 games last season after he played just 55 games in 2016-17. He was still kept to only 14:21 minutes of ice time per game. Limited opportunities meant he couldn't capitalize on his 1.27 points per 60 minutes at full strength.
The 22-year-old had a minus-6 rating while recording just over two shots on goal per game to go with 32 penalty minutes. Labanc had nearly three times as many assists as goals last season, but his ice time needs to increase for him to offer much in either category.
Micheal Ferland, LW, Hurricanes
Micheal Ferland recorded his first 40-plus-point season in 2017-18, scoring 21 goals with 20 assists. He finished with a modest plus-5, only 24 penalty minutes, and fewer than two shots per game.
He averaged a career-best 15:01 in ice time, but had limited power-play opportunities, scoring just six goals with no assists on the man advantage. A big part of Ferland's offensive success last season came from being alongside Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau for 15 percent of the Flames' even-strength shifts. He's likely to play on the Hurricanes' second line in 2018-19 and may experience a decline.
Ryan Suter, D, Wild
Ryan Suter is in an interesting position as a fantasy defenseman. He doesn't offer the elite point production of the top fantasy draft picks at the position, and he also doesn't provide enough in the secondary categories to make him a quality late-round option.
Suter has had two 51-point campaigns over the past three seasons, which sandwich a 40-point year in 2016-17. A year after leading the NHL at plus-34, Suter showed how volatile that category can be with his minus-1 rating in 2017-18.
He also registered just 149 shots on goal and a disciplined 34 penalty minutes in 2017-18, leaving fantasy managers in both head-to-head and rotisserie formats wanting more.
Mike Smith, G, Flames
A veteran of 529 regular-season games, Mike Smith owns a .913 career save percentage. The veteran topped that number with a .916 save percentage last season, but he earned just 25 wins while playing for a Flames team that fell well short of expectations. He also finished with a goals-against average of 2.65.
As fantasy managers experienced when Smith played with the Coyotes over the previous six seasons, his quality save percentage isn't enough to compensate for a low win total and a GAA inflated by the volume of shots he'll face.
