Derek Dorsett's playing days appear to be over.

The forward will not return to the Vancouver Canucks' active roster due to both his current condition and the health risks associated with playing, general manager Jim Benning announced Thursday.

Dorsett underwent cervical disc herniation surgery last December and was cleared to return this season, but recently returned to Vancouver with neck symptoms and back stiffness. Upon further evaluation, doctors recommended he seriously consider not playing again after being diagnosed with a separate cervical disc herniation.

The veteran of 515 NHL games offered the following response:

Dorsett scored seven goals in 20 games this season, tying his career high set through 79 games back in 2014-15. Drafted in the seventh round by Columbus back in 2006, he racked up 51 goals, 76 assists, and 1,314 penalty minutes since entering the NHL in 2008.

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Derek Dorsett's playing days appear to be over.

The forward will not return to the Vancouver Canucks' active roster due to both his current condition and the health risks associated with playing, general manager Jim Benning announced Thursday.

Dorsett underwent cervical disc herniation surgery last December and was cleared to return this season, but recently returned to Vancouver with neck symptoms and back stiffness. Upon further evaluation, doctors recommended he seriously consider not playing again after being diagnosed with a separate cervical disc herniation.

The veteran of 515 NHL games offered the following response:

Dorsett scored seven goals in 20 games this season, tying his career high set through 79 games back in 2014-15. Drafted in the seventh round by Columbus back in 2006, he racked up 51 goals, 76 assists, and 1,314 penalty minutes since entering the NHL in 2008.

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In the second period of Tuesday's 5-4 victory over the New York Rangers, Florida Panthers winger Jonathan Huberdeau gave fans a glimpse of what he does best - and showed off a new wrinkle that has helped transform him into one of the game's most dangerous forwards:

First, the familiar: After corralling an arcing pass near center ice and gaining the zone as the lead on a 3-on-2, Huberdeau flicked a backhand feed into no-man's land above the slot - and right onto the stick of an in-stride Michael Matheson, who wound up with a whole lot of real estate to work with.

In the past, Huberdeau would have deferred at this point - letting his linemates do the dirty work while he collects a secondary assist. But not this time. Huberdeau instead parked himself at the right edge of the net, collected a loose puck in front of Henrik Lundqvist, and flipped the puck past the prone Rangers netminder on his third try to give Florida a 4-1 lead.

It was a superstar rush from start to finish. And it was the perfect snapshot of a new and improved Huberdeau - a player who is finally fulfilling the promise he showed when the Panthers made him the third overall pick in 2011.

"It's amazing how effortless everything looks for him out there," Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said prior to Tuesday's win. "He's always been that way, and I think he's getting better and better.

"He makes the game look easy. He's solidified now as a top one-two forward on our team, and in the league when it comes to each team. He's established himself as a scoring threat all over the ice. He's a great passer, and all those things come into play."

Getting to this point was supposed to come more easily to the Saint-Jerome, Quebec native, who enters Thursday with eight goals and 17 assists in 24 games. His profile exploded when he took home Memorial Cup MVP honors as a 17-year-old while leading the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to the 2011 Canadian junior title.

But after winning the Calder Trophy with 32 points in 48 games during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, Huberdeau hit a wall with just nine goals and 19 assists in 69 games the following year - and all of a sudden, the electrifying forward found himself facing major confidence issues.

"To get into the league, it's the toughest league to play in, and you're there at 19 or 20 years old in your second, third year, and things aren't going your way, how do you get through that?" Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said.

Huberdeau rededicated himself to the things that worked for him in junior, and followed up his worst season with back-to-back 50-point campaigns. But before he had the opportunity to break out further, he suffered a torn left Achilles tendon in the Panthers' final 2016-17 preseason game. He subsequently underwent surgery and was out until February that season.

To his credit, Huberdeau returned with vigor, recording 26 points in 31 games despite playing at less than 100 percent. And having shown flashes of what he was truly capable of, Huberdeau worked harder than ever this past offseason to make sure he was completely healthy going into the season.

"I wanted to work on getting my strength back," Huberdeau told theScore. "With the Achilles injury, my left leg was a little weaker. The summer was huge for me to get stronger and feel good for the season."

It would have been easy for Huberdeau to simply fall back on what made him a household name as a teenager - silky soft hands that delivered the puck exactly where he wanted it to go. But both he and head coach Bob Boughner wanted more, particularly at the other end of the ice.

"He wants me to be a good player defensively and offensively, as well," Huberdeau said. "I try to be a two-way player, and I think that's what I've been doing. For him, it's just about playing hard every shift on the ice."

Boughner has rewarded Huberdeau's dedication the best way a coach can - by keeping him on the ice as much as possible. Huberdeau entered Thursday ranked 23rd among forwards at just under 20 minutes of ice time per game - nearly two minutes higher than his previous career best.

"He's a guy that works hard every day, and he's just got so much skill, and he's so good in tight with the puck," Boughner said. "We ask a lot of him, and we've got to make sure that he's playing the right way as well: get the pucks deep, make your plays when you have a chance and you have numbers, but if not, he's got to be disciplined like everybody else and put the pucks behind. That's something we've been working with him on and he's been better at."

But any elite forward will tell you that he can't do it alone. And in that regard, Huberdeau considers himself blessed to be on a line with fellow high draft pick Aleksander Barkov; he, too, is on his way to a career season with 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) through 24 games.

"We've been playing together for two, three years," Huberdeau said. "You just find chemistry. I know where he's going to be, and he knows where I'm going to be. He's such a good player, and he's really good defensively, so that helps for us getting the puck back. I'm just fortunate to play with a guy like him."

Barkov says the feeling is mutual.

"We don't really understand each other when we speak, but on the ice, we have the chemistry," Barkov said. "He's a highly skilled player and I love to play with those guys. He's the best guy I've ever played with, and it's fun to play with him. This season, we haven't been our best yet, but it's coming."

Boughner raved about the pairing prior to Tuesday's game.

"You could see the little plays they make in tight, and the little give-and-gos around the net, with the experience there," he said. "They sort of know where each other's gonna be, especially when they use the back of the net. They're real good at finding each other.

"His chemistry with Barkov is pretty obvious out there, and when they're on, they're a pretty scary line. They're not going to score every night, but they're going to be an offensive threat and spend a lot of time in zone."

Huberdeau emerged as a legitimate scoring threat in junior, but it was never part of his game in the NHL until this season. Huberdeau's eight goals put him on pace to top the career-best 20 he potted in 76 games in 2015-16 - but he isn't looking to become the South Florida version of Alex Ovechkin.

"I know a lot of people say 'You've got to shoot a little bit more,' and I've been shooting a little bit more this year," he said. "But it's not in my head that I have to shoot every puck. I try to do the right play every time. If it's shooting, it's shooting. But I don't tell myself I have to shoot at every opportunity."

Shooting isn't the only way you can score - and nobody is more aware of that than Huberdeau, who has become a tip-in master. His 13 tips rank him third in the NHL, and his four tip-in goals put him behind only Pittsburgh Penguins mega-star Sidney Crosby and New York Islanders forward Anders Lee.

Huberdeau admits it's something he has prioritized this season.

"That was one of the things I wanted to work on, and that's what I've been doing," Huberdeau said. "I'm more in front of the net on the power play this year, too. I've had some tips this year, but you have to be at the right place at the right moment."

Tallon, who drafted Huberdeau six years ago, is proud of how the 24-year-old has taken on more of a leadership role this season.

"He's maturing and becoming a man in front of our eyes," Tallon said. "These kids start at 18, 19 years old, and it takes time. It's just a matter of experience and understanding, being more professional in your approach and attitude, and becoming a man."

Yet, as well-rounded as Huberdeau has become, he doesn't believe he's reached his peak. Though, he hopes he's close.

"As a player, you always want to get better," he said. "And I still need to get better; I want to have a healthy year, get stronger. Sometimes injuries slow you down, but from 24 to 27, 28, you get to your peak. Hopefully I'll get there."

(Jesse Spector contributed to this feature.)

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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The New Jersey Devils acquired defenseman Sami Vatanen from the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday in exchange for forwards Adam Henrique and Joseph Blandisi, as well as a conditional third-round draft pick in 2018, the club announced.

Vatanen immediately slots into New Jersey's top four blue-liners along with rookie Will Butcher and Co.

"In acquiring Sami, we bring on a right shot, top-four defenseman who can play in all situations," Devils general manager Ray Shero said in a team release.

"This move also gives us contract certainty on the back end for the next two-plus years. When acquiring a defenseman like Vatanen, you have to give back quality assets or players in return."

Anaheim addressees a glaring need of its own by adding some offensive help in Henrique. The team is dealing with injuries to top-six forwards Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, and Patrick Eaves.

In addition to acquiring a perennial 20-goal, 40-plus-point threat in Henrique, the Ducks also add Blandisi, a 50-goal man with the OHL's Barrie Colts only three seasons ago.

Blandisi has yet to suit up for the Devils this season, while Henrique has four goals and 10 assists in 24 games played.

Vatanen has four points in 15 games for Anaheim since returning from offseason shoulder surgery.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are prepared to ride the kids while Matt Murray's sidelined.

The team's starting goalie is considered week to week with a lower-body injury, leaving netminding duties to Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith, who bring a combined six NHL appearances to the table.

For the moment, general manager Jim Rutherford isn't seeking any further stopgap solutions.

"We'll watch it close, but we'll go with our two young guys that haven't played a lot of NHL games," Rutherford told reporters, including theScore, at the Hockey Hall of Fame on Wednesday. "Jarry's played well for us and he's a very capable goalie. So we'll just keep an eye on it, how long Murray's going to be out, how the goaltending's doing, how the team's doing, but I'm not actively trying to do something right today."

Rutherford said he's always listening and open to suggestions on the trade market.

The GM - along with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang - was at the Hall of Fame to donate the Stanley Cup ring from the team's 2017 championship run, in which Murray played a vital part.

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Nathan MacKinnon is finally living up to the billing of a first overall pick.

The Colorado Avalanche center, the top selection at the 2013 NHL Draft, scored the overtime winner against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday. He added an assist to bring his point total to 28 (eight goals, 20 assists) through 23 games.

This marks a massive uptick in production over last season - a campaign MacKinnon and the Avalanche are more than ready to forget. He appeared in all 82 games for the last-place team, recording only 16 goals and 37 assists to lead Colorado with 53 points.

At his current pace, he's on track for 29 goals and 71 assists, both of which would be career highs and would amount to an impressive 100-point season. MacKinnon's shooting percentage sits at 12.5, up from his career average of 8.4. He's also not recording as many shots as last season, suggesting his scoring may fall off a bit as the season wears on.

Still, with Matt Duchene's departure via trade to the Ottawa Senators and captain Gabriel Landeskog sitting out a few games due to suspension, MacKinnon's emergence is timely, and the Avs are in contention for a playoff spot as a result.

Quite a turnaround for both player and team after last year's disastrous results.

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Sidney Crosby has little, if anything, left to prove, though he hopes he gets another chance to take the biggest international stage in hockey.

Standing in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins captain fit right in; his career accomplishments to date are already worthy of induction.

He was there along with Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and general manager Jim Rutherford as the Penguins' 2017 Stanley Cup ring was added to a display celebrating current and past champions. It marked Crosby's third trip to Toronto for this purpose, having previously won the Cup in 2009 and 2016.

The championships represent just a portion of Crosby's achievements. He's also collected a bevy of individual awards - including the Art Ross, Maurice Richard, Ted Lindsay, Hart, and Conn Smythe trophies - and shone in international play. He won a pair of Olympic gold medals with Canada, highlighted by the famous "golden goal" at the Vancouver Games in 2010.

But as the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea draw near, the hockey world is still coming to terms with the reality that NHL players won't participate for the first time since 1998, meaning Crosby won't get the chance to add a third gold medal to his three Cup rings.

He said it's not top of mind at the moment, but the disappointment will become more pronounced as the opening ceremony approaches.

"It's something you probably don't think about as much now, but I think as it starts to approach and you start talking about it a little more, it's something you probably think about," Crosby told theScore. "It's too bad, it's unfortunate, but maybe the next time. Hopefully it works out that we get there another time."

The next Olympics are scheduled for 2022 in Beijing, China, a location that would make sense for the NHL. The league played a pair of preseason games in China this year, and exposing top-tier NHL talent to a vast, untapped market would help grow the game on a global stage. Crosby will be 34 then, and ideally he'll have plenty of hockey left.

In lieu of making the trip to South Korea, he'll join a throng of Canadians who'll tune in from afar, cheering on whoever takes the ice for his country.

"Oh absolutely, yeah," Crosby said when asked if he'll be watching. "I'll be glued to obviously hockey, but all the events. You're pulling for your country and pulling for everyone to do well there."

In the meantime, Crosby will try to help the Penguins improve upon a 13-10-3 start - a record that has them clinging to a wild-card playoff spot - with a view to returning to the Hall of Fame this time next year as a three-time defending Cup champion.

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Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.