Connor McDavid had an encouraging weekend, but it remains to be seen if he'll be able to suit up for the first game of the season.

The Edmonton Oilers superstar appeared content with his progress following an informal skate with some teammates Saturday as he continues to work his way back from a torn PCL suffered in Edmonton's 2018-19 season finale.

McDavid told the assembled media, including Sportsnet, his knee "felt good right away" during the session and that he's still "working toward" playing Oct. 2 when his team hosts the Vancouver Canucks.

The Oilers captain said he's already passed his team physical, though he hasn't yet been cleared for contact.

"I'm supposed to play hockey and I don't make those decisions," the 22-year-old said of his recovery timeline. "The doc will say when I'm good to go, and that's when I'll go."

The Oilers open training camp next week before hosting the Winnipeg Jets in both clubs' first preseason game Sept. 16.

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Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin says he's not interested in signing veteran defenseman Andrei Markov, as the club is looking to get younger.

“Two years ago, his contract was due, we made an offer,” Bergevin told Marc Denis of RDS on a special edition of “Table d’hote” that aired on Saturday night. “Efforts were made to sign it and he chose another direction that was the KHL. It was two years ago.

“Since that time, things have changed,” Bergevin added. “The player has aged. The organization has changed direction. We have a lot of young people growing up... We really want to give our young people a chance.”

Markov spent 16 years with the Canadiens before inking a deal with Kazan Ak-Bars of the KHL prior to the 2017-18 season. Last month, the 40-year-old who's pursuing an NHL return expressed his desire to play in Montreal again.

Bergevin regards defensemen Noah Juulsen, Victor Mete, Josh Brook, and Alexander Romanov as examples of young, promising prospects he's looking to develop.

Markov is just 10 games shy of becoming the sixth Canadiens player to play 1,000 contests for the team. The Russian rearguard ranks sixth in both games played (990) and assists (453) in franchise history.

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Every season we see a crop of talented players take their production to the next level.

If you missed out on emerging playmakers like Elias Lindholm, Alex DeBrincat, or Mitch Marner last campaign, you won't want to overlook these potential breakout candidates in 2019-20.

Nico Hischier, C, Devils

Although Hischier was mired by injuries in 2018-19, he was on pace for a higher point total than his rookie campaign. The Swiss talent is in the final year of his entry-level contract, giving him more incentive to put together his finest season yet.

Over the last 20 years, there's a steady track record of highly touted talents taking off during their third NHL season, and we expect Hischier to do the same - especially with Taylor Hall healthy.

The duo of Hischier and Hall appeared in only 29 games together last season. With Hall in the lineup, Hischier mustered 0.75 points per game compared to 0.63 without him. The latter mark is still commendable for a second-year center tasked with catalyzing an offensively weak roster while also fulfilling his defensive duties.

The Devils got stronger at both ends of the ice this offseason with the additions of P.K. Subban, Wayne Simmonds, Jack Hughes, and Nikita Gusev. The improved depth should give Hischier more opportunity to capitalize, particularly on the power play. Assuming he stays healthy, Hischier can certainly break the 70-point mark and muster 25-to-30 goals.

Ondrej Kase, RW, Ducks

Kase has shown he's got all the tools to produce at a high level - he just needs more opportunities to contribute. With Corey Perry out of the mix, Kase is a strong option to pair alongside perennial playmaker Ryan Getzlaf on the Ducks' top line.

The 5-foot-11 winger tallied 38 points in 66 games in 2017-18 and was on pace for a 54-point breakout campaign in 2018-19 before injuries derailed his season. When healthy, The 23-year-old has proven to be a consistent offensive threat, ranking second in the league in shots per 60 minutes and 13th in high-danger scoring chances (per 60) last season.

Kase is extremely skilled with the puck. He's among the top players in the league in terms of zone entries and exits, and is far better in this department when compared to Perry. The talented Czech also led the league in rush attempts per 60 minutes, and if he's penciled in on the top unit, he should help Ducks sniper Rickard Rakell return to form.

Philipp Grubauer, G, Avalanche

With longtime starter Semyon Varlamov signing in Long Island this offseason, Grubauer has finally landed the No. 1 role he's earned. The German has quietly been one of the best backup goalies in the league, posting a career 2.39 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage over 138 career games.

When the Avalanche leaned on him during a critical late-season stretch in 2018-19, his play never wavered. Grubauer went 9-2-2 with a .955 save percentage over his last 15 starts to help the club capture the final playoff berth in the Western Conference. He then went on to stifle the top-seeded Calgary Flames in Round 1, allowing just 10 goals in the team's five-game series victory.

Grubauer will likely start 50-plus games for an Avalanche team poised to take another step, which should translate to a high number of wins. A full year of Cale Makar on the back end will help, and the acquisition of two-way center Nazem Kadri also benefits the club defensively.

Andreas Johnsson, LW, Maple Leafs

The argument could be made Johnsson announced his arrival with a 43-point rookie season in 2018-19, but we'll consider him a breakout candidate because we believe he can take his production up another level.

The 24-year-old is likely to start the season on a line with Auston Matthews and William Nylander. That trio spent limited time together last season, but when aligned, posted a Corsi-For of 57.53 and owned a 61.5 share percentage of high-danger scoring chances. With the Tavares line drawing a ton of difficult matchups, expect those three to run wild once again.

Johnsson found the majority of his success (16 goals, 36 points) at even strength, which is a strong indication he doesn't need to rely on the man advantage to be effective. In fact, the electric winger ranked ninth among Leafs forwards in power-play ice time last season, and with the absence of Nazem Kadri, Patrick Marleau, and Tyler Ennis, he should become a staple on the second unit.

With his incredible speed and skill, Johnsson could certainly reach the 30-goal mark and land between 55-to-60 points.

Miro Heiskanen, D, Stars

Heiskanen had a sensational rookie season that landed him in a unique class. Only 12 first-year defensemen have hit the 33-point mark since 2009-10, and none of them scored more goals than the smooth-skating Finn, who tallied 12 last season.

What's more impressive about the then-19-year-old's early production is that he did it for an offensively thin team that finished 29th in scoring. However, the Stars bolstered their attack this offseason with the acquisitions of Joe Pavelski and Corey Perry, and expect more production out of developing talents Roope Hintz and Denis Gurianov.

The rookie logged an impressive 23:07 of ice time per game last season, including 1:39 on the power play. His minutes may not increase dramatically in Year 2, but he should receive an uptick in usage and see more opportunities with the man advantage.

All advanced stats courtesy of NaturalStatTrick / A3Z comparison by CJ Turtoro

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The Los Angeles Kings have signed goaltender Jack Campbell to a two-year contract extension with an average annual value of $1.65 million, the team announced Saturday.

Campbell was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, and his new deal will go into effect at the start of the 2020-21 campaign.

The 27-year-old appeared in 31 games for the Kings in 2018-19 and posted a record of 10-14-1 to go along with a 2.30 goals-against average, a .928 save percentage, and two shutouts.

The 6-foot-2 netminder was acquired by the Kings from the Dallas Stars in June 2016 and has made 38 career appearances.

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