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Remember all the hoopla surrounding where Jimmy Vesey would sign last summer?

The former Harvard star and Hobey Baker winner drew rampant speculation ad nauseam with every move he made, before ultimately picking the New York Rangers in August.

Vesey racked up 46 points in 33 games a senior with the Crimson and was expected to add offensive depth to an already-potent Rangers attack. So, how has that all played out?

Lately, not so great, as the rookie was deemed a healthy scratch for Friday's contest with the Penguins after what head coach Alain Vigneault called an "off night" for the forward on Tuesday in San Jose.

Vigneault made it clear Vesey is a part of New York's playoff plans, and perhaps a brief rest is what's best for the rookie at this point.

In his last 20 games, Vesey's recorded just one goal and three assists, averaging 12:55 of ice time. It's entirely possible the 23-year-old has hit the so-called "rookie wall," having never played such a high amount of games in one season, but is there cause for concern with his dwindling numbers?

Among all freshman skaters this season, Vesey ranks 21st with 26 points (15 goals, 11 assists), but beyond point-production, his on-ice impact with the Rangers is underwhelming.

Of all New York forwards with similar minutes, Vesey ranks second last with a corsi-for per 60 rate of 49.45% while playing five-on-five, and has a less-than-desirable corsi-against per 60 of 59.81%. (Corsica-hockey)

In each of his four seasons at Harvard, Vesey's goal totals exceeded his assist numbers, and with decreased production at the NHL level, an improvement in playmaking may be a necessity in order for him to offer true offensive value.

Vesey's 0.64 assists per 60 is the worst among all Rangers forwards in all situations, and while seven of his 11 assists are primary helpers, creating offense hasn't been his strong suit in the pro ranks.

It's far too soon to declare Vesey the latest NCAA free-agent bust, but it's easy to suggest he's underachieved in his debut season.

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Matthew Tkachuk may have answered the bell during his club's Wednesday night tilt with the Los Angeles Kings, but it seems the Doughty drama hasn't yet fully subsided.

The 19-year-old rookie drew the ire of the Kings after escalating a war of words with Los Angeles defender Drew Doughty earlier this week. Those extracurriculars spilled into the teams' game Wednesday - a 4-1 win for the Kings - leaving some of Tkachuk's teammates unhappy with the distraction.

"We got caught up a little bit too much in some of the nonsense out there,” Johnny Gaudreau said after the loss, according to the Calgary Sun's Eric Francis. "It took away from our game and it's ultimately why we lost."

After head coach Glen Gulutzan said Tkachuk has been spoken to about the incident, assistant general manager Craig Conroy provided some insight into the team's displeasure with Tkachuk's off-ice decisions.

"When I heard it, it caught me off guard because we always talk about bulletin board stuff," Conroy said, according to Francis. "You never want to give anybody anything. And (Kings coach) Darryl (Sutter) loves that stuff. He doesn't miss much. It probably gave them a little life last night."

After ruffling a few of his teammates' feathers and potentially firing up the opposition, Tkachuk might be more careful in regards to crossing that line in the future, Conroy suggested.

"He probably didn't know (the consequences) and wanted to see how it played out, but now he realizes it probably wasn't the best thing. He did it and now he sees the repercussions and I don't think it will ever happen again."

It's a particularly useful lesson with the postseason looming.

"The best thing about the whole thing is that it wasn't the playoffs," Conroy said. "Because in a seven-game series you never want to give anything like that."

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A touching moment occurred Friday in Arizona, as Tuscon Roadrunners captain Craig Cunningham laced up his skates for the first time since collapsing on the ice Nov. 19.

Cunningham, 26, had part of his leg amputated after suffering an acute cardiac arrest ventricular fibrillation which nearly ended his life, and has openly shared his positive recovery process.

Since the incident, the hockey community has sent an outpouring of support Cunningham's way, and the Roadrunners will honor their captain April 8 with a pregame ceremony.

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A second Canadian team is through to the postseason following Tuesday night's action.

The video above highlights the return to playoff action for one of Canada's most storied hockey franchises.

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It's hard to believe the Stanley Cup playoffs are less than two weeks away, but here we are.

Ten teams have already clinched postseason berths, but several races remain as the 2016-17 campaign hits the home stretch.

Between now and Sunday night, there could be significant movement among those jockeying for divisional supremacy and teams trying to snag the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

Here's a handful of can't-miss contests in what should be a wild weekend of NHL action:

San Jose Sharks @ Calgary Flames

The Flames have a chance to punch their playoff tickets when they host the Sharks on Friday night.

Calgary can secure its berth by defeating San Jose in any fashion. The Flames can also get in with a single point against the Sharks and a Los Angeles Kings defeat at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks in any fashion, or simply if the Kings lose to the Canucks in regulation.

So, it could be a big night for the Flames, who are looking to make the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

The Sharks have already clinched a spot, but they're stumbling into the postseason with only three wins in their last 10 games. Still, the matchup carries weight for them as well.

San Jose can - at least temporarily - overtake the Edmonton Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division with a victory.

Minnesota Wild @ Nashville Predators

A Saturday matinee could also serve as a first-round playoff preview.

The Wild are pretty firmly entrenched as the second-place holders in the Central Division, but a single point separates the Predators from the third-place Blues, although St. Louis has that game in hand, along with the edge in regulation or overtime wins.

If Nashville can beat St. Louis on Saturday, it would help the Predators greatly in their quest to occupy third place at season's end, and that would pit them against the second-place Wild in the opening round.

Anaheim Ducks @ Edmonton Oilers

Both the Ducks and Oilers have assured themselves of playoff positions, but that doesn't mean Saturday's tilt will be free of drama.

Even if the Sharks overtake them for second place in the division Friday, the Oilers can reclaim top spot one night later.

That's how tight the Pacific is, and it should make for quite the nightcap.

Nashville Predators @ St. Louis Blues

The Predators have a firm grip on the second Western Conference wild-card spot, but Sunday's game against the Blues is a big one regardless of what happens between St. Louis and Colorado, and between Nashville and the Wild on Saturday.

If Nashville has any hope of stealing the third spot and sending St. Louis into wild-card territory, this game could be their chance to do it.

Washington Capitals @ Columbus Blue Jackets

The Capitals have gained a bit of breathing room over the Blue Jackets in the Presidents' Trophy race, but Columbus can get back in the hunt for the hardware and the Metropolitan Division crown with a win Sunday.

It's the final regulation meeting between the two clubs, and while they've both booked playoff spots, neither wants to face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.

The Blue Jackets would do just that if the postseason began Friday, but it doesn't. If they can beat Washington on Sunday, they could have a shot at taking first place and handing the Capitals the tougher first-round opponent, depending on what happens earlier in the weekend.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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Letdown seasons across the hockey landscape could soon lead to sweeping changes.

While the easiest and often most impactful move is to orchestrate a change behind the bench, these three coaches should be cautious of the hot seat:

Lindy Ruff

A coach is only as good as what he's given, and Ruff hasn't been provided with much in Dallas, particularly in goal.

The Dallas bench boss returned with a coin toss between the pipes this year, rotating between Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi, neither of which has provided stability and own the second-worst save percentage. The Stars' inability to keep pucks out of their own net is the biggest reason for a major step back after capturing the Central Division last season.

Also working against Ruff is the fact that he doesn't have a contract through next season, making it easier for general manager Jim Nill to facilitate a change.

Willie Desjardins

The Vancouver Canucks coach has spent the year under the gun, but with the team's season soon coming to a disappointing close, Desjardins may not avoid the ax much longer.

Desjardins is in his third season with the Canucks, with one playoff appearance to his credit. This year, the expectation in Vancouver was a return to the postseason, but that won't happen. The Canucks are already eliminated from the playoff chase, having collected 69 points in 76 games.

With the Sedins now staring down the back nine and the team inching close to a traditional teardown, the Canucks will continue to rework their roster, and could seek out a new voice behind the bench to boot.

Darryl Sutter

Will two Stanley Cups be enough to save Sutter? The Los Angeles Kings coach arrived in Hollywood in 2012 and guided the franchise to its first Stanley Cup, and then repeated the feat two years later. But the winning ways have been few and far between ever since, with just one playoff series appearance since 2014, as the Kings fell to the San Jose Sharks.

General manager Dean Lombardi opted to build a team to fit Sutter's grinding style, equipping his team with the likes of Dustin Brown, Jake Muzzin, and the recently acquired Jarome Iginla. But that hasn't paid off for Los Angeles this year, with the Kings on the verge of missing the postseason.

Sutter signed a multi-year extension with the club last May, after much deliberation, but the added term may not stop the Kings from changing course, particularly with a viable candidate in assistant John Stevens already in place.

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It’s been quite a week for the Boston Bruins, who have pulled ahead in the race for the second wild-card spot with just over a week remaining in the regular season. They’ll hope to get some help from the home crowd, too, as the B’s play four of their final five games at TD Garden.

And for fans looking to take in the final push towards a playoff spot, there are deals to be had on Bruins tickets through next Saturday.

On search engine TicketIQ, the average resale price for Bruins tickets over the team’s four remaining home games is $158. That’s on par with the season average of $160 across all 41 games at TD Garden, which indicates that no premium is being placed on the Bruins’ final homestand.

Tuesday’s game against the Lightning will be the cheapest remaining Bruins home game to attend this year. As it stands now the average resale price for tickets is $112 with a get-in price of just $45. The B’s welcome the Senators two days later in their second cheapest game, with tickets averaging $128 and starting from $55 each.

Should the Bruins still have ownership over the second wild-card slot come next Saturday, their matchup with the Capitals will be an early look into their first-round playoff series. Tickets to the game currently average $241, making it the Bruins' ninth most expensive game on average this season (a New Year’s Eve battle with the Sabres averaged a season-high $669 ticket). The cheapest available ticket is fetching for $90.

Expect prices to jump should the Bruins clinch a wild-card berth. Over three potential home games in the first round, Bruins playoff tickets are averaging $345 on TicketIQ. The team’s first home playoff game owns the cheapest tickets at $155 each. Additional savings on all Bruins games can be found on the TicketIQ app.

TicketIQ is a leading event ticket search engine with one simple goal: providing consumers with the most transparent and affordable buying experience. We aggregate listings from hundreds of certified sellers across every major sporting, music and theater event - including deals from Ticketmaster's Official Exchanges and our Low Price Guarantee listings. Start discovering and saving now.

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Auston Matthews isn't the only young NHL star with his own theme song.

Cadence Weapon dropped a new track dedicated to Connor McDavid on Wednesday, and it also features plenty of nods to the phenom's teammates.

The Edmonton-based rapper, whose real name is Roland "Rollie" Pemberton, told CBC News' Wallis Snowdon that the inspiration to write about the Oilers captain came back in December.

"I felt the energy when I was in Edmonton over the holidays and it was like a fever pitch," he said. "People were going so crazy about Connor McDavid and the Oilers and I wanted to harness that energy in a song, and it feels like the timing is perfect now."

Edmonton clinched its first playoff berth in over a decade Wednesday night, and McDavid now leads the league in both assists (63) and points (91).

If that doesn't deserve a tribute, we don't know what does.

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Only a few more weeks until Reid Duke has some new teammates.

Duke, the first play to sign with the Vegas Golden Knights, appeared in a video Friday, poking fun at the franchise that has not yet compiled its roster.

The former Brandon Wheat Kings forward is the only player on the Golden Knights after joining the team as a free agent.

Duke showcased that independence by taking part in a pregame tradition, even though he was short a few participants.

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Patrik Elias and the New Jersey Devils were synonymous with success.

The franchise's all-time leading scorer and the chart topper in several other categories, Elias' 18-year run with the Devils was decorated with winning, and the Czech winger played a major role during the team's dominant years.

Eliminating the Flyers

On the road to the franchise's first Stanley Cup, the Devils ran into some stiff competition, matching up against divisional foes the Philadelphia Flyers. The two sides squared off in a seven-round bout, with the deciding game appearing destined for overtime.

Enter Elias. After opening the scoring in the first frame, only for Philadelphia to tie it in the second, Elias fired home the game-winner with just over two minutes remaining in the third period, beating a sprawling Brian Boucher and clearing the Devils' path to the Stanley Cup Final.

Creating the overtime winner

Elias captured his first Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2000, and did so in style. Ahead 3-2 in the series and with the silver mug in their sights, the Devils battled the Dallas Stars through a double-overtime Game 6, a contest that went into the early hours in Dallas.

Midway through the second bonus frame, with Elias positioned in the corner, he fed a no-look, backhand pass into the slot. Jason Arnott buried the setup past goaltender Ed Belfour to bring New Jersey its first Stanley Cup.

Taking down the Ducks

Fast forward three years and Elias was competing for his second Stanley Cup, this time against the then-Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Riding red-hot netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere to hockey's final round, it appeared Lord Stanley was headed to Disneyland, but the Devils had plans of their own.

Elias scored 20 points during the team's 2000 Cup run, but wasn't nearly as dynamic three years later. Luckily, he seemed to save his show for the Final. There, Elias once again came up clutch, posting seven of his 13 playoff points from that run - including another game-winner - as New Jersey claimed its second Stanley Cup in four seasons.

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