Highlight Nov. 12 in your calendar if you enjoy rivalries in the NHL.

That's when the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks - and Ryan Johansen and Ryan Kesler - square off for the first time since the two players exchanged jabs on Twitter earlier this summer.

It all began with this tweet from Kesler:

Johansen didn't directly reply to that message, but tweeted this a few hours later:

Johansen was asked about the beef in an interview with The Athletic's Adam Vingan on Monday.

"I don't know what he was doing that day," Johansen said. "Clearly I don't think he was thinking right because he made a little bit of a fool of himself."

The rivalry dates back to the 2017 Western Conference Final, during which Kesler hit Johansen with an elbow in Game 2.

Johansen discussed the play with the media after the game.

"He just blows my mind. I don't know what's going through his head out there. His family and friends watching him play, I don't know how you can cheer for a guy like that," he said, according to 102.5 The Game. "It just doesn't make sense how he plays the game. I'm just trying to go out there and play hockey and it sucks when you have to pull a stick out of your groin every shift."

In their first meeting the next season, the two centers dropped the gloves. Kesler "won" and then proceeded to mock Johansen's turtling on his way to the box.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL's collective bargaining agreement can be terminated in September 2019, and players haven't forgotten what happened the last time the CBA expired.

"We will be having lots of discussions with players over the course of the ensuing season, starting in the fall, about what that means and how we approach it and what's on players' minds and so on," NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr told The Athletic's Katie Strang. "And players are cognizant of the fact that in the last negotiations they made a series of significant concessions. And we'll sort of leave it at that."

Triggering the CBA's opt-out clause would end the current agreement following the 2019-20 season, two years ahead of its September 2022 expiration. The league and the players' association each have the right to opt out on different dates next September.

Fehr, who has been the head of the NHLPA since 2010, led the players through negotiations - and a lockout - five years ago. A deal was finally reached in January 2013, resulting in an abbreviated 48-game season and several changes to the CBA. Those changes included an even split of hockey-related revenue (players received 57 percent in the previous arrangement), a reduction in the maximum length of contracts, and a cap on salary variance through each year of a contract.

While the players may seek some modifications to the agreement, owners could be comfortable continuing down the current path. In November 2016, the NHL offered to extend the CBA through 2025 in exchange for allowing players to participate in PyeongChang 2018. The proposal was ultimately rejected.

However, at least two major issues could make the NHL more amenable to a deal this time.

The first is the potential entry of a Seattle expansion team, which could begin play in 2020-21. The new club would have to pay a $650-million fee, which is not included in the current calculation of hockey-related revenue. Those new dollars would be evenly split among the owners of current franchises, excluding the Vegas Golden Knights.

Additionally, several players' contracts include significant signing bonuses during the 2020-21 season. These must be paid regardless of whether or not a season is played, and it's difficult to imagine owners being thrilled to write those checks if league revenue streams are stopped by another lockout.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Edmonton Oilers have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with free-agent defenseman Jakub Jerabek, the team announced Monday.

Jerabek joins the Oilers after splitting last season between the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals. The 27-year-old appeared in two playoff games for the Stanley Cup-winning Capitals, picking up one assist.

A native of the Czech Republic, Jerabek signed with the Canadiens this past offseason as an undrafted free agent after spending the previous year in the KHL. He's tallied two goals and six assists across 36 career NHL games.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames pulled off a minor deal Monday.

Kerby Rychel is heading from the Canadiens to the Flames in exchange for Hunter Shinkaruk, the clubs announced.

Both forwards are unsigned restricted free agents, and both were selected in the first round of the 2013 draft, with Rychel going 19th to the Columbus Blue Jackets and Shinkaruk selected five picks later by the Vancouver Canucks.

Rychel was traded to the Canadiens by the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the deadline deal for Tomas Plekanec. Rychel scored a goal and added an assist in four games with Montreal. He spent most of the campaign in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies (with whom he produced 30 points in 55 contests) and the Laval Rocket (12 points in 16 games).

Shinkaruk played in the AHL for the full season, notching 17 goals and 32 points in 63 contests with the Stockton Heat.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Rangers have agreed to terms with goaltender Dustin Tokarski on a one-year pact, the club announced Monday.

He'll compete with Marek Mazanec and Alexandar Georgiev for the backup job, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen.

Tokarski has played only 34 games at the NHL level over six seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, and Anaheim Ducks.

The 28-year-old spent all of last season with the Philadelphia Flyers' AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, posting a .915 save percentage in 39 contests.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With a potential logjam in the Toronto Maple Leafs' crease, the club is reportedly shopping Calvin Pickard, according to James Mirtle of The Athletic.

Pickard is set to battle Curtis McElhinney and Garret Sparks for the backup role this season.

McElhinney has served as Frederik Andersen's second in command for the last season and a half and has fared admirably, posting a 17-12-1 record, a .925 save percentage, and a 2.45 goals-against average in 32 games.

Meanwhile, Sparks is coming off a stellar season in the American Hockey League where he was awarded the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as the league's most outstanding goaltender. He also led the Marlies to a Calder Cup championship.

Pickard also had a solid year in the AHL, going 21-9-1 with a .918 save percentage and a 2.31 goals-against average. The 26-year-old does have NHL experience, largely spent with the Colorado Avalanche, and holds a career record of 28-44-7 in 87 games.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

There is more to fantasy than evaluating the skill of individual players. Overall team success, coaching, and perhaps most importantly, the quality of linemates all play a major role in determining one's fantasy value.

Here are five unheralded forwards who will benefit from playing on a star-studded line this season:

LW/RW Travis Konecny, Flyers

Konecny's inclusion is a mix of his top-line status and his projected growth as a player. Heading into his third NHL campaign, the 21-year-old spent the bulk of the last season on the Flyers' top line with Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux and potted 24 goals, 13 more than in his rookie year.

He finished the campaign on an especially encouraging note:

The production and ice time increase were largely due to his promotion to the team's first line, and he has earned the right to stay there. The former first-round pick is highly skilled and plays with intensity and ferociousness despite his small stature.

He could score 30-35 goals and finish with around 60 points in a full season with Couturier and Giroux.

LW Zach Hyman, Maple Leafs

Hyman spent the bulk of his first two NHL seasons playing alongside Auston Matthews and William Nylander, but Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock plans on lining him up with John Tavares and Mitch Marner this season.

The 26-year-old was a serviceable offensive player last year, but his 15-goal, 40-point season wasn't quite enough to put him on the fantasy radar in most leagues. However, he accomplished that feat with limited time spent on the man advantage.

James van Riemsdyk and Leo Komarov are both gone, which opens up space on the Leafs' power play. Babcock may look to Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen to fill the vacancies, but Hyman could get a shot if those options don't work.

Hyman can likely be selected in one of the final rounds and should be taken if available. It's entirely possible he scores 25 goals this season, and while they may not be the prettiest, they'll count just the same.

C/RW J.T. Miller, Lightning

If playing with Tavares and Marner is Park Place on a Monopoly board, then skating alongside Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov is Boardwalk: prime first-line real estate for Miller.

He's more heralded than most players on this list, totaling 58 points last year and 56 in the season prior. However, he should smash both of those totals this campaign. Of his 58 points a year ago, 18 came in the 19 games after being traded to the Lightning and playing with Stamkos and Kucherov, and nearly half of his goals (10 of 23) came in Tampa.

Miller will need to be drafted before the middle rounds, but his 35-goal, 70-point potential is worth the price.

RW Ty Rattie, Oilers

With only 49 career NHL games under his belt with minimal production, Rattie is easily the most unheralded player on this list. However, in the final 12 games last year, he scored five goals and added four assists while primarily flanking Connor McDavid on the Oilers' top line.

His spot alongside McDavid isn't guaranteed, but with the way he finished last year and the lack of wingers Edmonton added in the offseason, the top-line job is seemingly his to lose.

Rattie was a prolific scorer in junior and produced in the AHL, so it's possible the 25-year-old is just a late bloomer. He's worth a pick in the final round, as McDavid's presence gives him 25-goal potential.

RW Tom Wilson, Capitals

Wilson's breakout 14-goal, 35-point season resulted in a six-year contract with a $5.17M average annual value, and there are two men who played massive roles in his big payday: linemates Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov.

Wilson will get a chance to line up beside the two superstars once again this season. It's realistic to expect him to score 20-25 goals for 40-50 points, considering he was still playing in the team's bottom-six for the first couple of months last year.

Power-play time remains unlikely, but considering he's bound to be among the league leaders in PIMs and hits, he's still worth a late-round pick as long as one of those categories is included in your league.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.