There are currently five head coaching vacancies in the NHL. The following list ranks each vacancy from most attractive to least attractive. The criteria is largely made up of the talent and age of the roster, but management stability and location were also factored in.

Top dog: Florida Panthers

The Panthers have two things every coach covets: A true No. 1 center and a franchise defenseman. Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad are legitimate organization cornerstones - and they're both just 21 years old.

In addition to Barkov and Ekblad, Vincent Trocheck and Nick Bjugstad provide nice depth down the middle, while Jonathan Huberdeau and Jonathan Marchessault provide solid top-six talent.

There is some work to be done on the back end behind Ekblad, and there are question marks between the pipes with the aging Roberto Luongo and his massive contract, but the young core will be appetizing enough for any head coach.

In addition to the roster, Dale Tallon was just reinstated as the club's general manager. Knowing there won't be turnover in the front office anytime soon is a big deal when it comes to recruiting a coach. Oh, and who wouldn't want to live in sunny Florida, where there is very little market pressure?

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Second fiddle: Dallas Stars

The dynamic duo of Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn makes the Stars gig a very appealing one. Few teams ice such a prolific offensive tandem.

The team also boasts some young players with upside, such as defensemen John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, and Julius Honka and forwards Devin Shore, Radek Faksa, and Remi Elie.

There is a glaring weakness between the pipes, but both Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi will come off the books after the 2017-18 season.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Middle of the pack: Los Angeles Kings

Any coach would be thrilled to coach one of the best defenseman in the game, Drew Doughty, who is still just 27. That will be the major selling point for coaches considering the Kings' gig.

In addition to Doughty, the Kings have what many would consider two first-line caliber centers in Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar, though the latter certainly didn't play like one this past season.

Even though Jonathan Quick is on the wrong side of 30, he is still one of the best goaltenders in the NHL.

On the negative side, the team is on the hook for some very bad contracts. Rob Blake in charge as the new GM indicates stability for the head coach, but it also means a rebuild could be on the horizon.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Bad, but not the worst: Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks have been in semi-rebuilding mode for a few years now. They do have some young talent on the roster, but nothing earth-shattering. Bo Horvat is a nice player, but he doesn't project to be the type of center you can build your entire team around.

The club's best prospect is goaltender Thatcher Demko, who should be NHL-ready within the next few seasons.

One of the negatives of taking the Vancouver job is dealing with media pressure in a hockey-crazed market. It's not Toronto- or Montreal-type crazy, but it's up there.

(Photo courtesy: @SinBinVegas/Twitter)

Last and definitely least: Vegas Golden Knights

The least appealing has to be the Golden Knights. Coaching an expansion team is never easy. With the exception of Jacques Lemaire in Minnesota, most inaugural head coaches of expansion teams don't last more than three or four seasons.

Vegas can be a great city to live in for the right person, but's hard to take a job with an organization whose only current player is Reid Duke.

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

Ken Holland's job with the Detroit Red Wings is safe.

Owner Chris Ilitch gave Holland a vote of confidence Tuesday, praising him for his work with the club.

"He is an excellent general manager and executive," Ilitch told reporters, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. "We have a lot of confidence in him in the future."

Holland has served as the club's GM since 1997, helping the Red Wings capture three Stanley Cups - most recently during the 2007-08 season.

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

Twitter legend and AHL hockey player Paul Bissonnette was at it again Tuesday.

As expected, the next five tweets were hilarious. Vintage Bissonnette.

Bissonnette played 202 games between the Penguins and Coyotes from 2008-2014, and has spent the last two seasons playing for the Kings' AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. The world needs more people like him.

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

Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin missed the last 13 games of the regular season with a shoulder injury, but will be good to go for Game 1 on Wednesday against Columbus, head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed to Wes Crosby of NHL.com.

Sullivan also said goaltender Matt Murray is ready to play Wednesday.

What's more, there's a "real chance" speedy left winger Carl Hagelin could play in this series, according to Sullivan. Hagelin hasn't played since March 10 due to a lower-body injury.

The Penguins are looking to be the first team to win back-to-back Stanley Cups since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998.

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

The Toronto Maple Leafs should have their No. 1 goalie back between the pipes when they kick off their opening-round matchup Thursday against the Washington Capitals.

Frederik Andersen took part in practice Tuesday, after which head coach Mike Babcock said he should be ready for Game 1, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.

Andersen left Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins early in the second period after a collision with Tom Sestito. He subsequently missed the team's final game of the season against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

As for defensemen Nikita Zaitsev and Roman Polak, both left Sunday's game with injuries and were not present at practice. They are progressing, but there's no guarantee they will return for Thursday's contest, Babcock said, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton.

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

Lou Lamoriello's notorious clean-shaven rule may be a point of contention in the Toronto Maple Leafs' dressing room ahead of their playoff run. But for one player, it likely won't make a difference.

After Toronto's practice Tuesday, rookie Mitch Marner admitted he's not likely to grow much of a playoff beard.

"Maybe some chin hairs, but that's it," he said, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton.

On Sunday, team president Brendan Shanahan noted the Maple Leafs are allowed to grow playoff beards, but questioned whether much of the team would be able to.

For Marner, a trip to the Stanley Cup Final might be his only chance.

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

Detroit Red Wings bench boss Jeff Blashill will coach Team USA at the World Championship in May, USA Hockey announced Tuesday.

"We're extremely pleased to have Jeff lead our men's national team at the World Championship," assistant executive director of hockey operations Jim Johannson said. "He's been successful at every step of his career and we know our team will be well prepared when the puck drops."

It will mark the first time Blashill coaches the national team, though he previously worked as the goaltending coach for the U.S. world juniors in 2009.

Earlier Tuesday, it was reported that Florida Panthers forward Nick Bjugstad would represent the Americans. On Monday, the Winnipeg Jets confirmed Andrew Copp, Jacob Trouba, and Connor Hellebuyck would also play.

The Americans will look to end a gold-medal drought at the tournament that extends back to 1960.

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

It's worth repeating that the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild will tangle in the playoffs this week. Because of all the first-round matchups, this one is getting the least attention.

The season series was almost dead even. The Blues edged the Wild, going 3-2-0 in five games, yet the Wild outscored St. Louis 14-11.

This series doesn't have the allure of a No. 1 club or a Connor McDavid-esque superstar, but it still has a lot to offer, and shouldn't be counted out. Here's why:

Vladimir Tarasenko

Despite his club's roller-coaster play, Vladimir Tarasenko finished tied for the fourth-most goals in the league (39), and recorded a career-high 75 points.

He has quickly emerged as one of the most electrifying players in the game, and is a good enough reason on his own to tune into this series.

If you aren't convinced, consider he has 19 goals and 26 points in just 33 career playoff games.

As for his production against the Wild, in 19 regular-season games, he has eight goals and 15 points against Minnesota - the third- and fourth-most against any team over his career in those categories.

It's also worth noting that during the teams' only other series, in 2015, Tarasenko scored six goals and recorded seven points in his team's 4-2 series loss. He feeds off the Wild.

Wild fans go crazy come playoff time

They might not get the respect they deserve, but best believe the Minnesota Wild fans are as rambunctious as they come.

The crowd at Xcel Energy Center certainly lives up to the team's moniker, and appears to love seeing its club score goals more than anybody else. Watch a snippet of the video below from the 2015 postseason, and you'll notice the crowd gets fired up anytime a scoring chance is even remotely imminent.

You'll feel the energy through your TV screen. The excitement of fans at this time of the year is just part of what makes playoff hockey unlike anything else, and the Wild certainly do it right.

Both teams have something to prove

Both the Wild and Blues have unfinished business entering the postseason.

The Blues reached the third round for the first time since the 2001-2002 season last year before being trounced by the San Jose Sharks. The Wild, meanwhile, are hoping just to make it past the first round for only the fourth time in their history.

The clubs have had interesting seasons, to say the least.

The Blues appeared on the brink of missing the playoffs after a poor stretch in which they dismissed head coach Ken Hitchcock and promote Mike Yeo midway through the season. They got back on track, though, to nail down the third spot in the Central.

As for the Wild, their season appeared to be in cruise control heading into the All-Star break, until they hit a speed bump down the stretch. They went an ungodly 1-8-1 from March 12-28, due in large part to a Devan Dubnyk slump.

Both teams appear to have corrected things in the final week, and enter the postseason on multi-game winning streaks. The season will start over now, and you can expect they'll come out flying. Keep an eye out.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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

Despite whispers he might fall from his throne, the NHL announced Tuesday that Nolan Patrick is the top draft-eligible player for the upcoming draft.

The league's rankings have the Brandon Wheat Kings forward - despite being limited to just 33 games this season - still in the top spot. The 18-year-old had a strong third season with the Wheat Kings, finishing with 20 goals and 46 points in 33 games.

Swiss forward Nico Hischier of the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads took the second spot. Hischier had an impressive world junior tournament and posted 38 goals and 86 points in 57 games as a rookie with the Mooseheads.

Filling out the top-five North American skaters are forwards Casey Mittelstadt, Gabriel Vilardi, and Michael Rasmussen.

Klim Kostin - a forward with Dynamo Moscow - and Elias Petterson of Timra were named the top international skaters.

Finally, Jake Oettinger of Boston University was named the top North American goaltender, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen of HPK's junior team earned the international honor.

The 2017 NHL Draft takes place June 23-24 at the United Center in Chicago.

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