The Montreal Canadiens signed rookie blue-liner Jordan Harris to a two-year pact with an average annual value of $1.4 million, the team announced Friday.

Harris, 22, was scheduled to become a restricted free agent once his current deal expired.

The Massachusetts native has one goal and 10 assists in 47 games this season while averaging 18:26 minutes per contest, good for the fifth-most ice time among first-year defensemen in 2022-23.

The Canadiens selected Harris in the third round of the 2018 draft.

Montreal still has some decisions to make regarding other restricted free agents, headlined by injured sniper Cole Caufield.

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We're in for a quiet start to the weekend with just four games on Friday night.

Thankfully, there still appears to be plenty of value on the board in the prop market. Let's take a closer look at three players to prioritize.

William Nylander over 3.5 shots (-130)

Nylander is normally a player I prefer to back on home soil, but I'm happy to make an exception on Friday night.

The ultra-talented winger has come through in three straight road games and leads the Maple Leafs in shot attempts and scoring chances since Auston Matthews departed the lineup. With No. 34 sidelined, the Leafs don't have as much pop up front, and more weight falls on players like Nylander.

More important than anything else, though, is the matchup against the Blue Jackets. Only the Ducks have allowed five-on-five shots at a higher clip this season. With so many players sidelined against a high-class opponent, I don't see things getting any better for the Blue Jackets this time around.

Vladimir Tarasenko over 2.5 shots (-120)

Tarasenko is expected to make his Rangers debut alongside Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad on the top line. While Tarasenko isn't quite as dynamic as a couple of years ago, he remains a threatening offensive player who won't be shy about shooting the puck when it comes his way.

I think playing with Panarin will be especially beneficial. Panarin is a pass-first winger in every sense, has played with Tarasenko plenty on the international stage, and they are good friends off the ice.

Panarin will no doubt be looking to find Tarasenko early and often and give him every chance to shine in front of the MSG crowd.

Although the Kraken are a strong shot suppression team, I still like Tarasenko in this spot. Seattle is in the latter half of a road back-to-back, and Tarasenko has hit in three of four games versus the Kraken - including three straight - since their inception.

Seth Jones over 2.5 shots (-140)

Jones is a Coyotes killer. There are a lot of them, I know, but Jones is absolutely among the group.

He has faced the Coyotes five times over the last season and a half. He averaged 3.8 shots per game while going over the total in four of those meetings.

All the data points toward another successful night for Jones this time around. The Coyotes rank 30th in shots against per game versus defensemen, allowing more than all but the Ducks and Jackets.

Jones is also a much more efficient shot-generator on home soil. He has gone over his total 61% of the time in Chicago, a far cry from the 35% hit rate he's managed on the road.

With a mouthwatering matchup to look forward to on home ice, there's every reason to believe Jones is in line for a productive evening.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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There's no point beating around the bush here. Connor McDavid is the obvious MVP front-runner as we move further into the unofficial second half of this NHL season. That's hardly a controversial statement, but let's be real: Everyone else garnering Hart Trophy consideration is clearly just vying to be a finalist at this point.

The four players below him on this list have all been extremely valuable to their clubs and would all have a legitimate shot to win if McDavid wasn't playing like a human video game.

Two other stars would be in the mix if the list was a little longer, too. Jason Robertson remains a fringe candidate, but he's been outplayed lately by a new contender, and Tage Thompson's evolution into a game-changer has been the biggest reason the Buffalo Sabres are within striking distance of a playoff spot.

Here are our top five Hart Trophy contenders at this point in the campaign:

5. Matthew Tkachuk

Tkachuk has provided the Florida Panthers with significant value in his first season with them. We've been reluctant to include him on these lists until now because the Cats have been so disappointing. But the versatile forward's elite play deserves recognition precisely because he's carried an underachieving club, and he's been on fire lately.

The All-Star MVP racked up seven goals and 17 assists in the 15 games since our last edition of these rankings. Tkachuk leads the NHL in both helpers and points in that span. The talented agitator's production relative to that of his teammates has been commendable, too. Tkachuk has 10 more assists and 24 more points than the closest Panthers, all while sitting among the league leaders in both categories.

The 25-year-old's underlying numbers have been sublime. He ranks third in the NHL in wins above replacement and is tied for third in goals above replacement. He also sits third in individual expected goals. Tkachuk is 10th in five-on-five expected goals for percentage among forwards with at least 500 minutes played in those situations, having logged more ice time than all but one forward ahead of him. As a result, the gritty American has an outside shot at being voted a Hart finalist.

4. Mikko Rantanen

The injury-riddled Colorado Avalanche are getting healthier, so they're no longer relying as heavily on Rantanen. Still, the Finnish forward continues to provide the defending champions with tremendous value.

Rantanen leads all NHL forwards - yes, even McDavid - in average ice time and ranks second in the league in even-strength goals. He's racked up eight tallies and five assists in the 13 games since our last edition. His xGF% is the least flattering of anyone in this top five, but he's helping Colorado control a greater share (55.23%) of the scoring chances when he's been on the ice at five-on-five.

The Avalanche star is outscoring his closest teammate by 19 goals while outproducing the second-best Avalanche skater by six points. Injuries have factored into that, but those disparities continue to illustrate how critical Rantanen has been in keeping his injury-ravaged team afloat.

3. Jack Hughes

Hughes is now considered week-to-week due to injury, but New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff expects his absence to be on the shorter end. In addition, Hughes deserves to be recognized for how critical he's been to his team's success so far. The club's catalyst leads the league in both WAR and GAR, sits atop the NHL in even-strength goals, and ranks second in even-strength points - all astounding trends for a player who's turning 22 in May.

His terrific underlying figures don't end with his WAR and GAR, either. Among forwards with at least 500 minutes logged at five-on-five, Hughes' xGF% ranks 12th, and his SCF% (59.7) slots in at 10th.

Hughes has collected 14 more goals and 15 more points than his closest teammates, and he registered 11 goals and 10 assists in the 11 games since our previous edition. The American sits third in shots on goal among all NHL skaters, and he ranks among the league's best in the Maurice "Rocket" Richard and Art Ross Trophy races. Hughes has been exceedingly valuable, and he'd be the clear Hart runner-up at this point if not for the injury that could keep him out for a handful of games or more.

2. David Pastrnak

Pastrnak has been in MVP contention all season long - not just because of how good he's been, but because of how much better he's played than his Boston Bruins teammates. That's a remarkable feat considering those teammates are Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and Charlie McAvoy, along with Linus Ullmark, the clear Vezina Trophy favorite.

Pastrnak racked up 11 goals and nine assists in the 13 games since we last evaluated this race, with a whopping 20 more goals and 26 more points than any other Bruins skater. He was stellar when Marchand and McAvoy missed time due to injuries at the start of the campaign, and he hasn't slowed down since.

The Czech playmaker sits second in the NHL in goals and fourth in points. At even strength, Pastrnak is joint fourth in goals and joint eighth in points. He also leads the league in shots on goal. Ullmark's sterling campaign and the Bruins' status as the NHL's best team have hurt Pastrnak's Hart bid to a degree, but his consistently potent play - especially relative to his team - makes him a serious contender.

1. Connor McDavid

Everyone knows there's more to hockey than goals, assists, and points. But when a player like McDavid has an 18-point lead while pacing the league in tallies and ranking joint second in helpers, it's important not to overthink when it comes to MVP voting.

It's not just his conventional stats that warrant recognition, either. Only two players have more WAR than McDavid this season, and only four have more GAR. His SCF% (56.13) is nearly identical to his xGF%, and he sits fifth in the NHL in individual expected goals.

Other contenders have excelled with less support than the Edmonton Oilers captain has had (having Leon Draisaitl helps), but no one's done more, and that can't be ignored. McDavid has simply been too dominant to place him anywhere but in the top spot.

(Analytics sources: Natural Stat Trick, Evolving Hockey)

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Vegas Golden Knights netminder Logan Thompson departed Thursday's game against the Minnesota Wild after suffering an apparent injury.

Thompson appeared to hurt himself on a non-contact play. He didn't put any weight on his left leg as he exited the ice.

Backup goalie Adin Hill replaced Thompson in the contest.

Thompson has been stellar for Vegas this season. The 25-year-old rookie entered Thursday's game sporting a .913 save percentage with a 19-13-3 record and was the Golden Knights' representative at the All-Star Game.

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The New Jersey Devils and the Carolina Hurricanes are among several teams interested in San Jose Sharks winger Timo Meier, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Meier was previously reported to be the top deadline target of the New York Rangers, but with the Blueshirts landing Vladimir Tarasenko on Thursday, they're likely out of the running for Meier.

The 26-year-old power forward has recorded 30 goals, 21 assists, 232 shots, and 109 hits in 52 games with the Sharks this season. He carries a $6-million cap hit this year and is a pending restricted free agent. His qualifying offer will be $10 million this summer, and he could walk to unrestricted free agency in 2024. With San Jose well out of the playoff picture, the team is expected to move Meier.

The Canes and Devils rank first and second, respectively, in the Metropolitan Division.

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