Although then-Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban said Sidney Crosby told him his breath smelled bad during the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, it was Crosby who was left with a bad taste in his mouth.

The Pittsburgh Penguins superstar recently admitted to being bothered by Subban's accusation following the Predators' Game 3 win of that series.

"Yeah, I was a little irritated by it," Crosby said on Barstool Sports' Spittin' Chiclets podcast. "I mean, I think you could tell at the time when I was doing the interviews. It was just the last thing I wanted to be talking about. But I mean, maybe that was part of it.

"(Subban) had said something to (Jake Guentzel while) leaving the ice, and I just went to kind of get in the middle and try to break them up. He kind of kept saying stuff, and him and I went at it. Nothing was said even remotely close to that, but then to read that after, it was like, 'Oh okay, I'm going to have to answer (questions) about this.'"

Crosby, at the time, denied making fun of Subban's breath. In February 2018 of the following season, the blue-liner admitted to making the whole thing up.

The Penguins defeated the Predators in six games in 2017 to give Crosby his third-career Stanley Cup victory. The win likely helped the recently-turned 32-year-old to look back and laugh about the incident.

"He still jokes about it - we were just at the awards and he was still joking around about it. I mean, it is what it is. … That's just mind games, it's nothing. Me and him had some good run-ins throughout the whole series, I was playing a lot against him. I don't have anything against him for that. I just was kind of annoyed that I had to answer about it."

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Dylan Larkin would welcome wearing the "C" for the Detroit Red Wings, but he's trying not to fixate on the possibility.

"I feel ready for it," Larkin told TSN's Mark Masters on Tuesday. "I think it's something that I can't focus on. I can't lose sleep about it. I can't control it. I just try to be myself and play the game that I love and play with a lot of passion and everyone in the NHL has been a leader at some point in their careers. I'm lucky that we have great veteran leadership and it's taken a lot of pressure off me."

The talented forward, who turned 23 last week, understands the significance of possibly captaining one of the most storied clubs in the league but isn't dwelling on it.

"A letter is a letter, but being a captain of a franchise like the Detroit Red Wings would mean a lot to me," he said. "If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, I still get to play for the Detroit Red Wings and I get to play in the NHL and I'm going to try to play my best."

The Red Wings went without a captain this past season after longtime leader Henrik Zetterberg was placed on long-term injured reserve due to a back condition in September 2018.

Larkin led by example in 2018-19, pacing Detroit with 32 goals and 73 points in 76 games.

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Tom Dundon wants to end the speculation about Don Waddell once and for all.

The Carolina Hurricanes owner said his general manager will remain in the role despite recently interviewing for the vacant Minnesota Wild GM position.

"To me, he's employed by the Carolina Hurricanes," Dundon told NHL.com's Tom Gulitti on Wednesday. "He's employed and he's not going anywhere as far as I'm concerned."

Dundon confirmed Tuesday that Waddell spoke to the Wild about their job and that the Carolina GM's contract expired earlier this summer.

"So the whole contract thing, I don't understand it," Dundon said Wednesday. "I have found this weird since I got into the hockey business that the business people all have contracts. I never had contracts with the people that worked for me. It was just, 'If you do a good job (and) I like you, you'll work here, and I'll treat you fair.'"

The owner said Tuesday that he would have allowed Waddell to interview with the Wild even if the GM was still under contract with the Hurricanes.

In May, Waddell said he and Dundon had already agreed he would be back as Carolina GM despite his contract situation.

The 60-year-old executive was a finalist for the General Manager of the Year Award that ultimately went to Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney in June. Waddell built a Carolina club that returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2009 and reached the Eastern Conference Final this past spring.

Minnesota fired former GM Paul Fenton last week after one campaign at the helm.

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It's safe to say Chris Drury won't be the next general manager of the Minnesota Wild.

The Wild reportedly asked the New York Rangers for permission to speak with the latter club's assistant general manager about Minnesota's vacant GM position, but the Rangers said no, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

It's the second time New York has "politely rebuffed" a team that wanted to talk to Drury after the Buffalo Sabres made the same request, adds Friedman. Buffalo hired Jason Botterill as its GM in May 2017.

Drury, a former NHL forward who retired as a player in 2011, was hired as Rangers director of player development in 2015. He was promoted to assistant GM in the fall of 2016.

Minnesota has been active in its search for a new GM after firing Paul Fenton last week. The Wild reportedly interviewed Ron Hextall, Peter Chiarelli, and Don Waddell, received permission to talk to Bill Guerin, and asked to speak with Scott Mellanby.

Fenton was fired last Tuesday after one season on the job.

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If Andrei Markov had his way, he'd be reunited with the Montreal Canadiens and playing in North America. However, he understands it's not entirely up to him.

"Yes, but it's not just my decision," the longtime defenseman told the Montreal Gazette's Stu Cowan when asked if he hopes to play in the NHL next season. "I'm trying to prepare myself for that, but we'll see what's going to happen, you know."

Markov, who spent the last two seasons with the KHL's Ak Bars Kazan, said he'd prefer to return to the Canadiens - the club with which he spent all 16 of his NHL campaigns - over playing with any other team.

"That's my dream, you know. But, like I said, it's not up to me. We'll see … we'll see what's going to happen. I'm not kind of in a rush. I'll try to train hard and prepare myself."

As far as the term he's seeking, the 40-year-old isn't looking for a long-term deal.

"Most probably it's going to be my last year," he said. "I'm looking for a one-year contract and (would) try to enjoy that and give my all."

The Canadiens would obviously have to be open to bringing Markov back, which general manager Marc Bergevin wasn't interested in doing when the two sides went their separate ways in 2017.

“I was looking for (a) two-year contract (back then)," Markov told Cowan. "I don't want to go back (and revisit that) … there's no point to go back. Whatever happened at that time, it happened. They have their view, I have my view, that's it."

Markov helped Ak Bars win the Gagarin Cup, the KHL championship, in 2018. He ranks sixth in Canadiens history with 990 games played and also sits sixth on the franchise's all-time assists list (453) to go along with 572 points.

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