The Marian Hossa situation appears close to being resolved.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed Friday night that the Chicago Blackhawks forward was examined recently, and that the league will soon determine whether he can be placed on long-term injured reserve.
‘‘Marian Hossa underwent an independent medical evaluation several days ago,’’ Daly wrote in an email to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘We are waiting for the report. Once we have that, we should be in a position to determine his proper status.’’
Daily said in July that the Blackhawks didn't wish to put Hossa on LTIR until the start of the season. The NHL was originally expected to decide on his eligibility for that designation by July 1.
Hossa and the Blackhawks revealed in June that the 38-year-old will miss the 2017-18 campaign due to a skin disorder.
The Blackhawks would clearly prefer to see his $5.275-million cap hit come off the books, which is what will happen if the league deems the veteran eligible for LTIR placement.
Chicago is in the red, cap-wise, at the moment, but teams are allowed to go over the cap as long as they get under by opening night.
Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid are the consensus top two picks in fantasy hockey league drafts that consist of the following standard scoring setup: Goals, Assists, Plus/Minus, Penalty Minutes, Power-play points, Shots on goal.
Two of theScore's NHL News Editors, Josh Wegman and Sean O'Leary, will state their case for who they think should be taken with the first overall pick in fantasy hockey leagues.
Wegman: McDavid is the easy choice for me. He led the league with 100 points last year, and no one else even recorded 90. That gap sets him apart from every player in the league - even Crosby.
O'Leary: While McDavid reached the century mark, Crosby ranked second league-wide with 89 points despite playing in only 75 games. Staying healthy is certainly no guarantee for either player, but if both Crosby and McDavid suit up for 82 contests, the gap in production should shrink.
Reaching 100 points in today's NHL is an outstanding feat, and there's no reason to think McDavid can't repeat, or top his Hart-winning season. However, Crosby's averaged a ridiculous 1.31 points per game over his entire career, and has hardly showed any signs of slowing down.
Wegman: I'm giving McDavid a leg up is because his ceiling is higher. At 20 years old, he still has plenty of room for improvement, while Crosby has seemingly peaked (although, peaking as one of the best players of all time is certainly not a bad thing).
McDavid only scored three power-play goals last season. A player with his skill set is obviously capable of more. In fact, he only registered 34 shots on the power play all year. If he opts to be a bit more selfish this time around (something Crosby learned as his career went on) it could result in a 40-goal season, which would further cement his value as the league's top fantasy player.
O'Leary: If you're looking at power-play totals, Crosby holds incredible value. In 2016-17, Sid had 14 goals on the man advantage - good for the third-highest total in the NHL - to go with 25 helpers as the Penguins scored at a 23.1 percent clip for the season while up a man.
That, too, was with Evgeni Malkin missing 20 regular-season games. If Crosby and his partner are available all season, matching, and/or exceeding last season's power-play totals is a virtual guarantee.
Wegman: Sure, Crosby is a much more established player on the man advantage, but McDavid was able to collect 100 points without tearing it up on the power play. His potential is unmatched. Which brings me to my next point.
McDavid's ceiling is higher not only because he's a decade younger, but he'll come into 2017-18 much fresher than Crosby. With back-to-back Stanley Cups, Crosby has played 48 playoff games over the last two years. While I can't question his durability or toughness, he is human, and that workload could take it's toll not only on Crosby, but on the Penguins as a whole.
McDavid is coming into the season hungry for a championship from the get-go, and it will show in the video game numbers he's about to put up.
O'Leary: Age has yet to play a factor in Crosby's production or his desire to win championships. Sid is coming off a year in which he earned the Rocket Richard and Conn Smythe, and anyone that's ever seen Crosby play hockey knows he's planning on doing it again.
McDavid's ceiling may be higher at this juncture, but Crosby's consistently been the best player in the game since he was 18 years old. If it's a keeper league, sure, McDavid at No. 1 is a no-brainer, but presently, Crosby is equally capable of generating gaudy offensive numbers, and should warrant equal consideration as the top overall pick.
Yes, it's only the preseason, but Friday's game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators offered a rare splash of significance in the exhibition slate.
That's because Steven Stamkos was on the ice, captaining the Lightning for the first time since suffering a knee injury last Nov. 15 that kept him out for the remainder of the season.
If his debut is any indication, you can expect big things from Tampa Bay's superstar in 2017-18.
No signs of rust
Stamkos, of course, is most recognized for his ability to create offense, and that he did.
It took only 33 seconds for him to find the score sheet, as he recorded the primary assist on Victor Hedman's first-period marker. He added another primary helper to his name with a feed to Nikita Kucherov later in the opening frame.
In the 17 games he played last season, Stamkos recorded 20 points, and he looks determined to pick up where he left off.
The dynamic duo
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Stamkos and Kucherov notched two points apiece in the 3-1 win, and their early chemistry should immediately put the rest of the league on notice.
If they both stay healthy, Stamkos and Kucherov have potential to be the most productive duo in the NHL this season, no questions asked. The Lightning have a chance to deploy two 40-goal scorers on one line. Let that sink in for a minute.
He's finally fully healthy
Stamkos has endured numerous injuries on top of his torn meniscus in the past, including a blood clot and a broken tibia. Now, though, the 27-year-old is fully reset.
Perhaps the most encouraging sign of Stamkos' performance is he played 19:05, which led all Lightning forwards.
Stamkos: “It was nice to just go through a game day, I haven’t done it in a long time... I was glad with how the first one went.” #NSHvsTBL
The Tampa Bay Lightning unveiled the logo for the NHL's 2018 All-Star weekend Friday night, a flashy design that ties into Florida's climate quite well.
This season's festivities take place Jan. 27 and 28.
Mike Babcock made it crystal clear: Zach Hyman will continue to flank Auston Matthews on the Maple Leafs' top line. End of story.
Upon acquiring veteran winger Patrick Marleau this summer, Toronto supporters salivated at the idea of putting the 500-goal man alongside Matthews and William Nylander to create, on paper, one of the most dangerous lines in the league.
But Babcock promptly squashed the pundits' dreams, ensuring he'll do it his way. "Here's what I'm going to do, I'm going to coach the team and you guys are going to write the articles," Babcock said Thursday.
Roger that.
Babcock's assertion may not please all Leafs fans, but changing anything up at this point may not be the right call. Here are three reasons why:
It makes the roster deeper
Let's assume Toronto's forward depth chart looks something like this come the regular season opener on Oct. 4:
LW
C
RW
Zach Hyman
Auston Matthews
William Nylander
James van Riemsdyk
Tyler Bozak
Mitch Marner
Patrick Marleau
Nazem Kadri
Connor Brown
Matt Martin
Dominic Moore
Leo Komarov
By keeping Hyman up top, it allows more balance across all four lines. Marleau can, hypothetically, line up beside Kadri and take on tougher matchups while offering more offensive punch than Hyman or Brown would in the bottom six.
There's no sense in stacking one line in favor of deploying three that can create offense. It was Babcock's strategy last season, and it will be again.
It ain't broke, so don't fix it
(Photo courtesy: USA Today Sports)
Sure, Hyman only had 28 points to Matthews' 69 and Nylander's 61, but there's no denying the effectiveness of the young trio.
Hyman certainly isn't the poster boy for offensive skill, but he's relentless on the forecheck, and excels at retrieving pucks. Defensemen know they're going to be pressured each and every time they go to fetch a puck in their own end, but it's up to the forechekecker to make the proper read and win possession back any way he can.
Who won a battle behind the net to set up Matthews' first NHL goal? Hyman. Who was in first to win the puck and set up the tying goal in Game 3 versus the Capitals? Hyman.
There are countless other examples of little things Hyman does in the offensive zone that makes Toronto's top line one of the most effective in the NHL. And besides, do you think Babcock would prefer Hyman to retrieve the puck for Matthews and Nylander, or Matt Martin and Dominic Moore?
There's untapped potential
For someone who frequents the front of the net as often as Hyman does, it's incredible to think he converted just 6.4 percent of his shots in 2016-17.
Shooting percentages that low rarely carry over for consecutive seasons, so it's reasonable to think Hyman can up his production if he continues to occupy high-danger areas of the ice.
Based on this chart from Micah Blake McCurdy of hockeyviz.com, you can see the majority of Hyman's five-on-five shots come from within the goalmouth and slot. Alongside two high-volume shooters in Matthews and Nylander, Hyman should see plenty of opportunities to bang in loose pucks and convert chances close to the goal, ultimately boosting his offensive value.
When bold predictions and bets run rampant with who we think will be the last teams standing in this year's edition of the NHL.
While odds for who is favored to win the Stanley Cup have already been revealed by Vegas handicappers, today, numbers for division winners were released.
Here are the odds for top team by division, according to Bodog.
Team
Odds to win Atlantic Division
Tampa Bay Lightning
11/5
Toronto Maple Leafs
13/5
Montreal Canadiens
17/4
Boston Bruins
7/1
Ottawa Senators
7/1
Buffalo Sabres
10/1
Florida Panthers
10/1
Detroit Red Wings
25/1
If Steven Stamkos can remain healthy atop Tampa's lineup, the Lightning will be a very dangerous team and a legitimate contender coming out of the Eastern Conference.
Anchored on the back end by No. 1 D-man Victor Hedman and starting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Lightning are most definitely bona fide favorites to win the Atlantic Division.
Team
Odds to win Metropolitan Division
Pittsburgh Penguins
2/1
Washington Capitals
5/2
New York Rangers
7/2
Columbus Blue Jackets
6/1
New York Islanders
12/1
Philadelphia Flyers
12/1
Carolina Hurricanes
14/1
New Jersey Devils
25/1
Pittsburgh is the obvious pick in the Metropolitan following back-to-back convincing Cup victories. But, the Penguins would be wise to not rest on their laurels, as the Capitals, Rangers, and Blue Jackets are three teams to consider sprinkling a wager on.
Team
Odds to win Pacific Division
Edmonton Oilers
9/5
Anaheim Ducks
13/5
Los Angeles Kings
4/1
San Jose Sharks
17/4
Calgary Flames
6/1
Arizona Coyotes
33/1
Vancouver Canucks
33/1
Vegas Golden Knights
33/1
With Connor McDavid leading the charge for the Oilers, laying a bit of loot on them to be the team lifting Lord Stanley's Mug come June becomes a very intriguing option.
Edmonton will face stiff competition for the division crown from the Ducks and the revamped Kings, but expect McJesus and the boys to be the toast of the Pacific Division.
Team
Odds to win Central Division
Chicago Blackhawks
11/4
Minnesota Wild
11/4
Dallas Stars
13/4
Nashville Predators
13/4
St. Louis Blues
13/2
Winnipeg Jets
12/1
Colorado Avalanche
25/1
While Chicago and Minnesota are pegged as the odds-on favorites, this is probably the most wide-open division in the NHL today, with predicting the winner of the Central being no easy task - so tread lightly.
Despite there being obvious value in betting on two perennial playoff threats in the Nashville and St. Louis, the Dallas Stars look to be the most juicy play on this board. With the additions of starting netminder Ben Bishop and top-line winger Alexander Radulov, the Stars have quickly gone from pretenders to contenders.
When you're in northern China and have an off day, you visit the Great Wall.
That's what members of the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings did, at least, between their preseason matchups in 2017 NHL China Games.
While the teams arrived at the same time, they traveled on separate buses from Beijing to the Great Wall, and took in the sights as individual groups.
"It's something you don't want to miss," Canucks head coach Travis Green said, according to Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com. "It's an experience worth missing a practice, for sure."
"You hear about it and you see pictures, but it really doesn't do it justice until you get a chance to actually see it in person," Vancouver forward Sam Gagner said. "We're all pretty excited to be here. It's pretty amazing."
He admitted it was unusual but fun to share part of the excursion with the the Canucks' opponents.
"Last night we're in battle, and again tomorrow, but today it's kind of everyone in it together," Gagner said. "Got a chance to talk to those guys a little bit. We're both enjoying this experience. It's been a lot of fun."
