The Anaheim Ducks are preparing to trade defenseman Hampus Lindholm after failed extension talks between the two sides, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Lindholm is a pending unrestricted free agent. He and the Ducks reportedly began negotiating a new deal in late February.

Recently appointed general manager Pat Verbeek said he won't let the club's UFA's "walk out the door for free." That group of players includes Lindholm, Rickard Rakell, and Josh Manson, who's already been traded to the Colorado Avalanche.

The Ducks exceeded expectations for much of the season but have since fallen out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference. Anaheim sits five points back of the second wild-card spot with more games played than every fringe team it's chasing.

Lindholm should be a highly valuable piece on the trade market. He can slot into the top four for most contenders and has a palatable $5.205 million cap hit that can be reduced with salary retention.

The 28-year-old was drafted sixth overall by the Ducks in 2012. Lindholm's notched 22 points in 61 games this season while averaging over 22 minutes per night.

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Vegas Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel was ruled out for the remainder of Thursday night's contest against the Florida Panthers with an upper-body injury, the team announced.

Eichel blocked a shot with his arm late in the second period and briefly went to the locker room. He returned to the ice shortly after but didn't come out for the third period.

The Golden Knights have been dealing with a slew of injuries as of late and had lost five straight games entering play. The team currently has a handful of players sidelined, including Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Reilly Smith, Alec Martinez, Robin Lehner, and Brayden McNabb.

Eichel has been one of Vegas' most productive forwards since making his debut with the club last month. Including Thursday's brief outing, he has five goals and four assists in 15 games.

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Robin Lehner wants to set the record straight.

The Vegas Golden Knights netminder took to Twitter to deny a report from Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli that said he has a fractured kneecap and is not expected back anytime soon.

Seravalli reported in February that Vegas was interested in bringing back Marc-Andre Fleury because Lehner had a torn labrum in his shoulder that would eventually require surgery. Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said later that day there was "absolutely no credence to that rumor at all."

The club stated at the time that Lehner was dealing with an upper-body injury. He later returned to the lineup March 1 after missing five games.

Lehner started four more games before landing on injured reserve again, this time with a lower-body injury. He told The Athletic's Jesse Granger on Thursday that he can't disclose information regarding his injury but is hoping to return soon.

Lehner has recorded a .909 save percentage and 2.77 goals-against average in 38 games this season. Vegas has failed to receive reliable goaltending in his absence, as Laurent Brossoit and Logan Thompson both own sub-.900 save percentages.

The Golden Knights are in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

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Seattle Kraken captain Mark Giordano is on the Toronto Maple Leafs' list of targets ahead of Monday's trade deadline, according to TSN's Chris Johnston.

"We know that Mark Giordano is one of the targets that the Maple Leafs have on their list at this point in time," Johnston said on Thursday's edition of "Insider Trading."

He added: "The Seattle Kraken would like to get a first-round pick back in any trade for Mark Giordano; that's expressly what Kyle Dubas has told other teams he doesn't want to do. He's not going to trade his first-rounder, he's told teams, in a deal for a rental player."

The veteran defenseman carries a $6.75-million cap hit and is set for unrestricted free agency after the season. The Kraken selected him from the Calgary Flames in the expansion draft and quickly named him the first captain in franchise history.

Giordano, 38, has inevitably lost a step in his game as he's gotten older, but he can still bring value on the left side of the blue line. He has six goals and 17 assists in 55 games this season and has averaged 21:29 minutes of ice time per game.

If the Maple Leafs were to add Giordano, their blue line combinations could look something like this if and when Jake Muzzin returns to the lineup from LTIR:

The Montreal Canadiens landed a significant package for Ben Chiarot that included a solid prospect, plus first- and fourth-round picks. Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche gave up a second-round pick and one of their top prospects to acquire Josh Manson. The Kraken will surely be looking for a similar package for Giordano.

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Although he's already sold assets ahead of the trade deadline, Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes isn't hanging an "everything must go" sign on his door just yet.

"We're not looking to make a fire sale," Hughes said Thursday, according to TSN.

Montreal shipped defenseman Ben Chiarot to the Florida Panthers on Wednesday for a 2023 first-round pick, a 2022 fourth-rounder, and prospect Tyler Smilanic.

Chiarot was one of several players on expiring contracts on the rebuilding Habs' books. Arturri Lehkonen and Brett Kulak are also rumored to be on the move.

Hughes was named Canadiens GM in January. He's already made a handful of changes, including hiring Martin St. Louis as interim head coach. Since the Hall of Famer took over, Montreal has an 8-6-1 record after starting the season 8-30-7 under Dominique Ducharme.

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Ottawa Senators top defenseman Thomas Chabot will miss the remainder of the season with a fractured hand, head coach D.J. Smith announced Thursday, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.

Chabot sustained the injury in Wednesday's loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets after logging only 8:54.

The 25-year-old was in the midst of another strong campaign, having registered 34 points in 55 games while averaging over 26 minutes per contest. He also recorded 88 blocks and 71 hits.

Chabot is in the second season of an eight-year, $64-million contract extension signed in 2019.

Injuries have held the Senators back all season, and they sit seventh in the Atlantic Division with 47 points through 60 games.

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We have a juicy 10-game slate on the docket Thursday night, which means there's a ton of player props to comb through.

Let's take a closer look at three of my favorites.

Brendan Gallagher over 2.5 shots (-106)

Brendan Gallagher is always an attractive option on home soil. He has registered at least three shots in 59% of his home games, compared to a 45% success rate on the road.

There's plenty of reason to believe he'll hit again Thursday night. With Josh Anderson out of the lineup due to injury, Gallagher finds himself with more weight on his shoulders to provide offense on the right wing.

The matchup is also surprisingly good. Miro Heiskanen is out for the Dallas Stars, and they've given up shots at a much higher rate since he went down.

John Carlson over 2.5 shots (-118)

The Columbus Blue Jackets are one of the best teams to target with shot props, especially for defensemen. Only the Arizona Coyotes have allowed more shots and shots per game to blueliners.

Offensively gifted rearguards continue to find success against the Blue Jackets on a nightly basis. We saw that firsthand Wednesday as Thomas Chabot recorded five shots in eight minutes of ice time before leaving with an injury.

It's not reasonable to expect that level of efficiency again in this contest. However, a talent like John Carlson is worth backing in such an advantageous matchup.

Anze Kopitar over 2.5 shots (-106)

The San Jose Sharks have conceded shots at an alarming rate for quite some time. I figured getting some players healthy - such as Erik Karlsson - might help, but the Sharks continue to struggle defensively.

No matter the stretch you focus on - be it 15 games, 10 games, or five - San Jose ranks dead last in five-on-five attempts allowed per 60 minutes. They're giving up a ton of volume each and every night.

Anze Kopitar figures to be one of the prime beneficiaries. He has gone over the number (2.5) in 68% of his home contests this season and is taking on an even larger role with so many key players missing for the Los Angeles Kings.

He's also going up against one of the worst teams at defending against centers. Only seven clubs have allowed more shots per game to the position, and the Sharks find themselves moving further down the list every week.

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

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Wednesday night was a good one on the ice. We successfully backed the Calgary Flames to pick up a multi-goal victory over the New Jersey Devils while splitting our +100 player props.

We'll look to turn 2-1 into 3-0 as we dive into our best bets for a jam-packed Thursday slate.

Hurricanes (-110) @ Maple Leafs (-110)

The Carolina Hurricanes enter this game playing some of their best hockey of the season. They're on a 7-2-1 run and have absolutely dominated opponents during that stretch, controlling 58.26% of the shot attempts (first) and 56.14% of the expected goals (fifth) at five-on-five.

Beating a team like the Hurricanes is difficult enough, but when you factor in their elite special teams - headlined by arguably the league's best penalty kill - and high-end goaltending from Frederik Andersen, they're a miserable opponent for any side. I don't think they're getting the respect they deserve.

Considering the Toronto Maple Leafs have home ice, I'd understand pricing this game at essentially a coin flip - if they were just dealing with goaltending issues. That's not the case. Not only are the Maple Leafs starting a third-string netminder, but they're playing without a legitimate Hart Trophy candidate in Auston Matthews.

I don't see Toronto getting the better of the five-on-five play without Matthews. Its special teams are no better than Carolina's, and it's at a big disadvantage in goal with Erik Kallgren going up against a potential Vezina Trophy finalist.

The Hurricanes have plenty of edges in this game. With an implied winning percentage of around 52%, there's real value backing them.

Bet: Hurricanes (-110)

Stars (-190) @ Canadiens (+155)

The Montreal Canadiens have quietly played solid defensive hockey of late. No, seriously.

Over the last 10 games, they rank 10th in attempts against and expected goals against per 60 minutes of five-on-five play. They really haven't given opponents much.

Now they're getting a big jolt in the arm with Jake Allen expected back Thursday night. His play has dipped this season, but Allen still has around 0.30 more goals saved above expected than Sam Montembeault per start - and he carries a higher floor and ceiling.

Put simply, the Canadiens are not giving up many chances. Upgrading in goal should really help them limit teams on the scoreboard.

On the flip side, the Dallas Stars are a competent defensive team with one of the league's hottest netminders. Jake Oettinger has started 17 of the last 20 games, posting a remarkable .927 save percentage in that span. Montreal's offense has been better under Martin St. Louis, but Oettinger still has a good chance of slowing it.

I think this total should be considerably juiced to the under. Since it's not, I'll happily take the value.

Bet: Under 6 (-110)

Capitals (-205) @ Blue Jackets (+170)

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been a team to target all season long - and nothing's happened to give any pause for change.

Columbus has dropped six of the last 10, posting miserable numbers in the process. Its share of the five-on-five shot attempts during that spell was just 43% and, somehow, it looks even worse by expected goals. Its expected goals for percentage is below 40%, which is mind-numbingly bad.

The Washington Capitals are starting to get healthy and desperate for points to get out of a wild-card spot. Winning would be a difficult proposition for Columbus at the best of times. Doing it with Joonas Korpisalo makes it nearly impossible.

OK, that might be a bit of an exaggeration - emphasis on "might." Korpisalo owns a putrid .883 save percentage this season. Of all netminders with at least 19 appearances (Korpisalo's number), only three allow more goals above expected per start.

The Blue Jackets play a style that's heavily reliant on their goaltender stealing games. That's a disastrous recipe with Korpisalo between the pipes.

Bet: Capitals in regulation (-129)

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

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