Whether it's a case of hitting the "rookie wall," or simply a standard drought that all players go through in an 82-game season, the rookie phenom's most intimidating teammate says he isn't concerned.
“Auston has been - I don’t want to say carrying us all year - but he’s scored a lot of goals for this team,” Matt Martin told The Toronto Star's Kevin McGran. “He’s got 30-plus on the season, he’s been a catalyst offensively all year."
Despite the seven-game slide, Matthews still ranks eighth in the NHL and second among all rookies in goals (31).
The 19-year-old is tied with teammate Mitch Marner for second in points (55) among those in the rookie class. He leads the Leafs in goals and is also tied with Marner for the club lead in points.
Toronto won four of the seven games in which Matthews failed to register a point, and vaulted back into the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot with a shutout win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.
Martin potted a rare goal in the victory, his fifth of the season and first since Jan. 21.
“We’re getting offensive production from other guys when (Matthews isn't) scoring," Martin said. "He’s still playing well. The puck’s not going for him. We have to find ways to win. I’m confident he’ll get back on track.”
The Toronto Maple Leafs have added a body from overseas, announcing the entry-level signing of 23-year-old forward Miro Aaltonen on Friday.
Aaltonen is a former sixth-round draft selection of the Anaheim Ducks. He's spent the last six seasons playing professionally overseas, most recently leading the KHL's 24-and-under class in scoring with 19 goals and 44 points in 59 games with Chekhov Vityaz.
He's 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, and TSN's Kristen Shilton describes the forward as a good puck-mover.
Chris Pronger is the latest on-ice legend plotting a transition to a high-profile managerial role in the NHL.
The Hall of Fame defenseman, who will continue collecting a player's salary from the Arizona Coyotes until the end of this season on top of his role with the NHL's Department of Player Safety, told ESPN's Pierre LeBrun that he wants to assume the role of a general manager down the line.
"I'm very interested one day in becoming a GM," Pronger said. "I have a lot to learn and need to put some work in. But down the road at some point, under the right circumstances, it's definitely something I'm interested in pursuing.''
LeBrun notes Pronger has already sought the advice from former players currently climbing the corporate ladder, like Rob Blake, as well as Steve Yzerman, who the Tampa Bay Lightning hired after a mentorship program with the Detroit Red Wings.
Pronger's experience with Player Safety should help him land an opportunity down the line. Brendan Shanahan became the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs after almost three years in the department.
The NHL playoff picture may not be as tight in the West as it is in the East, but several teams find themselves in the hunt with three weeks left to play. The Predators and Blues control the wild-card seeds entering play Friday, with the Kings trailing just four points behind for the second wild-card slot.
The road ahead will be difficult for the Kings, and fans will be paying up to see the team make its final push to the playoffs. On TicketIQ, Kings tickets are the most expensive among all three teams vying for a wild-card berth. With six home games remaining the team owns a $124 average. They’ll host the Blackhawks on April 8 in their most expensive remaining home game. That matchup owns a $247 average on the resale market.
Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena will be the second most expensive site among all three wild-card competitors in the West. The Predators will play six more home games with hopes of staying alive in the hunt, and Predators tickets on TicketIQ average $118 over that time. They’ll host the Wild in their top game on April 1 ($160 average) and the Flames in their cheapest game on March 23 ($67 average).
Blues fans will get the best bang for their buck over the six remaining games at Scottrade Center. As it stands now the average resale price for Blue tickets is just $94. Their relatively lax schedule may be causing that lack of ticket demand, however, as the Canucks, Flames, Coyotes, Jets and Avalanche will all travel to St. Louis over the next three weeks. Additional savings on tickets can be found by downloading the TicketIQ app.
Steven Stamkos participated in a full practice with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday, but says he's no closer to determining when he'll return to the lineup after undergoing surgery to repair his meniscus back in November.
"I've gone through this stuff before," Stamkos said, according to Lightning beat writer Bryan Burns. "You start setting dates, that's when sometimes you set unrealistic goals."
Stamkos said a return over the last month of the season continues to hinge on continued progression, according to Lightning Insider Erik Erlendsson.
He added that the recovery from the knee injury is more challenging than the road to return from the broken tibia he suffered three years ago.
Stamkos was off to a fantastic start before his injury, scoring nine goals and 20 points in 17 games.
"It's not even close, what they saying." Radulov said Friday, according to TSN's John Lu. "I don't even know how this .. I just don't want to even discuss that because it's nothing I can really control.
"I was sick yesterday, and I got a phone call from my agent, (who said), 'there's something going on, some people talking,' so I was like 'Who's talking? No one knows nothing about it,' so I even talked to Marc (Bergevin) today and it's like someone throw it in the Internet, or whatever it was, and it doesn't make sense."
Reports surfaced this week that the dynamic 30-year-old winger's reps were indeed seeking a maximum-term deal for their client in the midst of his successful return to the NHL this season.
Radulov has provided 15 goals and 32 assists in 65 games on his one-year, $5.75-million contract with Montreal.
He previously spent the better part of the last eight seasons in the KHL.
Less than a month remains in the NHL's regular season, and the playoff hunt is heating up for several teams on the bubble in the East.
With the Bruins owning a four-point cushion over the Maple Leafs for the first wild-card spot entering the weekend, the Leafs have little room for comfort with the Islanders and Lightning trailing just one point behind. The Flyers and Panthers remain alive at six and seven points back, respectively.
For fans looking to be on hand as each team makes its case for a playoff spot, the biggest demand for tickets exists in Toronto. On TicketIQ, Maple Leafs tickets are averaging nearly $300 for remaining games at Air Canada Centre. The Leafs will play their most expensive home game against the Penguins on April 8, where tickets average $465. A March 28 game with the Panthers is the cheapest at a $220 average.
The Islanders continued their see-sawing year on Thursday after dropping a pivotal game to the Jets at home. They'll play five more home games at Barclays Center this season and own the second most expensive prices among all bubble teams in the East. Islanders tickets at home currently average $102, with a March 25 game the most expensive at an average price of $135. A matchup with the Predators two days later is the cheapest remaining at a $72 average.
The Bolts have had a similar year of ups and downs, watching Steven Stamkos fall victim to a long-term injury and looking like a ghost of last year’s team that reached Game 7 of the Conference Finals. They remain on the cusp of the second wild-card spot, however, and tickets at Amalie Arena are averaging $100 through the end of the season. Notable games include a March 27 matchup with the Blackhawks ($176 average) and March 19 against the Hurricanes ($62 average). Additional savings can be found on the TicketIQ app.
Though on the outside looking in, the Flyers and Panthers still remain in the playoff conversation. The two teams are posting relatively cheap prices through the end of the season, with Flyers tickets averaging $88 and Panthers tickets at $77. The Panthers will play the 'Canes on March 21 in the cheapest game of all playoff-bubble teams with tickets averaging just $48.
Each day this week, we published mock expansion keeper lists by division: Atlantic, Pacific, Metropolitan, Central. Based on those lists, we've drafted a mock expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights roster.
So here's the thing about the expansion draft: None of us have a damn clue.
We may have a hunch or tip here and there, but we are ultimately oblivious to the exact motives, intentions, and strategies the NHL's 31 general managers will bring to the table when the Vegas Golden Knights piece together a roster in late June.
You can run through the thousands upon thousands of scenarios over on CapFriendly's expansion tool (which is wonderful, by the way), but countless uncontrolled variables could see you easily whiff on all 30 selections. This was even before George McPhee declared that the Golden Knights' intent is to hold an NHL-wide auction for any player left unprotected.
This process cannot be forecast. It makes the event that much more exciting, because it's a genuine opportunity for all teams to make something happen, but also makes it next-to impossible to see in a crystal ball.
So we attacked the exercise this way: In an attempt to eliminate biases and control some variables, we had four editors determine the protected lists from each division, and a fifth, unaware of each strategy, draft the team "blind," while keeping a few key principles in mind:
The upcoming NHL Draft is weak. There should be opportunities for Vegas to accumulate draft picks (perhaps even firsts) in exchange for unwanted contracts. A few of these, preferably short-term deals, will help the Golden Knights reach the salary floor, but more importantly expedite the process of building the foundation of their prospect base. When possible, we'll choose players under the assumption that a draft pick will be tied to it. Ideally these players are talented enough to flip (at half the salary) down the line.
Defensemen will be the Golden Knights' greatest currency, and it only helps that it's the position that's most vulnerable in the expansion process. McPhee must select a surplus of quality defenders to increase the club's flexibility moving forward. So in coin-flip scenarios, we leaned towards the back end.
Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of opportunity to take ostensibly unwanted contracts from teams looking to shed salary. Plekanec and Gorges fill this criteria, perhaps so too does Ward and Sheahan.
By design, it's an impressive defense corps. There are a few foundational pieces locked up long term in Brodin and Maatta, and other 25-and-under rotation pieces to be excited about in Ellis, Gudbranson, Pysyk, and Wideman. Pulock is a really good prospect, and van Riemsdyk is a nice get as well. Gorges, McNabb, and Schenn will be pending UFAs and potential deadline assets. This group will indeed give McPhee options to help shore up other deficiencies immediately.
As expected, the forward group is fairly weak. Silfverberg has the most term on his deal with just two seasons before reaching unrestricted free agency. Namestnikov, Lowry, Anderson, Ritchie, and Rychel are the other potential core players on the roster. Seven forwards require new contracts over the summer, but most are under control for many seasons. There are a few useful bodies scattered throughout.
In net, Grubauer and Raanta each have a plus-.920 save percentage in supplementary roles this season. This tandem might serve best in a split-duty function. There were other options available, but it's best to be patient in the goaltending market.
PITTSBURGH - The depleted Pittsburgh Penguins defense has taken another hit. Coach Mike Sullivan says defenseman Ron Hainsey is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
The Penguins acquired the 35-year-old Hainsey just before the trade deadline. Hainsey has one assist in 10 games since joining Pittsburgh. The Penguins called up Derrick Pouliot from their AHL affiliate in Wilkes Barre/Scranton ahead of Friday night's game against New Jersey to fill in for Hainsey.
Pittsburgh is already missing injured defensemen Kris Letang, Olli Maatta and Trevor Daley, though all three are expected back by the playoffs.
Sullivan said center Evgeni Malkin will sit out Friday with an upper-body injury. Sullivan added Malkin, who is fifth in the league in scoring with 72 points, had been dealing with the injury for some time.
On the heels of the NHL100 Classic announcement, the Canadian government designated the Stanley Cup as a National Historic Event in front the collection of dignitaries in Ottawa on Friday.
Though it has long held that distinction within Canada's collective conscious, as MP Catherine McKenna eluded to in her announcement, it will now officially be recognized as one of "Canada's most treasured prizes."
The Stanley Cup routinely tours the country during the summer months, but it's coming up on a quarter-century since a Canadian franchise won Lord Stanley's mug.