Just what the doctor ordered.

San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton is back to perfect health after offseason surgery to repair ACL and MCL tears in his left knee.

"I feel good," Thornton said from Sharks' training camp, per Eric Gilmore of NHL.com. "I rehabbed hard this summer. The knee feels great, to be honest with you. It feels real good.

"It was pretty much just to get my knee strong again. But they feel real strong. I feel a lot of pop out there. They're probably as strong as they've ever been just because I had to rehab that knee so much."

Despite the injury, which he suffered in the final week of the season, Thornton made a remarkable appearance during San Jose's first-round playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers.

"The amount of work he's put in rehab-wise and fitness-wise is such an inspiration to everybody in this organization," added Sharks general manager Doug Wilson. "If we were starting (the season) tomorrow, he'd be ready to go."

The 38-year-old became an unrestricted free agent this summer but quickly re-upped with the Sharks on a one-year, $8-million extension.

Whether the short-term deal is an indication that Thornton sees 2017-18 as his final campaign is an unknown. Still, there is plenty to play for, as the accomplished center remains in pursuit of his first Stanley Cup.

Thornton will have at least one honor to his name this season, as he becomes the NHL's active leader in all-time scoring after free agent Jaromir Jagr was unable to secure a contract.

In 1,446 career games, Thornton has tallied 384 goals and 1,007 assists to sit tied for 22nd in all-time scoring. He can move into the top-10 in the all-time assists category with 33 helpers this year.

Thornton recorded seven goals and 43 assists last season.

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Ron Hextall has called upon a familiar face.

The Philadelphia Flyers general manager has added Dean Lombardi, former GM of the Los Angeles Kings, to his hockey operations department, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

The move to Philadelphia is a reunion of sorts, as Hextall served as assistant GM to Lombardi in Los Angeles before his move to the City of Brotherly Love.

Lombardi was fired by the Kings in April following an 11-year run in the team's front office, a tenure which included Stanley Cup wins in 2012 and 2014.

While LeBrun did not indicate in which formal capacity Lombardi will serve, the appointment marks a return to Philadelphia for the longtime executive.

Prior to joining the Kings, Lombardi was a pro scout for the Flyers for two seasons, most recently in 2005-06, at which time Hextall served as the team's director of player personnel.

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Knowing the depth of each position in fantasy hockey is one of the most underrated, yet crucial, aspects of planning for your draft. Simply selecting the best player available is a fairly lazy strategy. Knowing the scarcity of each position, and when the position group is about to fall off, can go a long way in building a championship roster full of balance.

This article assumes your league uses the following standard roster position setup:

Goaltender

There are only 31 starting goaltenders in the NHL, making it by far the scarcest of all positions. The value of goaltenders can vary depending on the size of your league. If you're in a deep league - with 14 or 16 users - the value of a solid goaltender becomes increasingly high.

Goaltender has very distinct tiers - more so than any other position. The first 15 or so are very reliable. The next six or seven are serviceable, but anyone after that comes with significant red flags.

The best way to exploit the poor goaltending market is drafting more than you need. Supply and demand. At one point or another, someone in your league will be desperate for a goaltender, and will overpay to acquire one. Drafting four or five netminders may seem ridiculous, but it will make your team stronger in the long run.

Defense

Defense is the second-most scarce position in fantasy hockey - especially in standard-league scoring. With that said, building your team around someone like Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, or Victor Hedman is never a bad idea - even if it costs you a first-round pick. There's a slight drop-off after those three blue-liners, but not as steep as at goaltender.

Furthermore, building your team from the net out is arguably the best way to go. If you can draft five defensemen who can each record at least 50 points, you will still be able to land forwards capable of putting up 60 points in the later rounds. Don't hesitate to use four of your first six picks on defensemen.

Left Wing

It may sound crazy, but forwards are the players you should prioritize last, and of them, left wing is the position with the least amount of depth.

In theScore's standard league rankings, nine left-wingers cracked the top 50, compared to 12 right-wingers. In the top 125, there are 25 left-wingers, but 35 right-wingers.

Right Wing

The difference between left wing and right wing isn't as dramatic as some of the other positions, but it should simply be used as a tiebreaker if you're stuck between picking a left-winger or a right-winger in the early rounds.

Right wing has slightly more talent than left wing, but it isn't even close compared to center.

Center

Center is like the quarterback position in fantasy football, or the outfield in fantasy baseball. There's a countless number of productive players that you can really afford to wait on.

In theScore's standard league rankings, 18 centers cracked the top 50, 33 made the top 100, and 72 made the top 200.

Unless you're in a position to draft Connor McDavid or Sidney Crosby, you can really afford to wait on your centers until the end of the draft. There will be tons available. If a player like Jack Eichel or Auston Matthews begins to fall well below their ADP, then obviously draft them, but there is no point in reaching on a center.

Furthermore, even if the centers you take at the end of your draft get off to rough starts, there will be a plethora available on the waiver wire ready for the taking. The same can't be said for any other position in fantasy hockey.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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When the Atlanta Thrashers drafted Zach Bogosian third overall in 2008 - one spot behind Drew Doughty and one ahead of Alex Pietrangelo - many observers would have been hard-pressed to believe that in 534 NHL games, he'd have just 169 points.

Here was Bogosian, a towering 18-year-old defenseman who could skate like the wind. He had 61 points in 60 games as a 17-year-old in his final year of junior for the Peterborough Petes. However, his NHL career high is 30 points, and he's coming off a career-low 11 in 2016-17.

Bogosian is hoping that the Buffalo Sabres' new bench boss, Hall of Fame defenseman Phil Housley, will help him rediscover the offensive side of his game that made him such a coveted prospect.

"I'm looking forward to getting up in the play and making sure I'm that second layer of offense," Bogosian told Bill Hoppe of the Buffalo Times Herald. "He wants us to get up there. Everyone that's playing defense on our team can skate, so it's going to bode well for us."

Housley made a living rushing the puck up ice and piling up points during his illustrious career, and spent the last four seasons as assistant coach of the Nashville Predators, primarily working with their blue-liners. Anyone who watched the Preds during the postseason is well aware that Nashville liked to activate its defensemen.

Under previous Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma, though, seeing a Buffalo rearguard join the rush was akin to seeing a solar eclipse. Only one D-man - Rasmus Ristolainen - topped 20 points. That's set to change under Housley.

"He seems to be part of that new group with the skating and getting up in the play on the offensive side of things," Bogosian said. "Guys are looking forward to playing that style."

Housley seems just as excited about the prospect of coaching a player with Bogosian's skill set.

"He's in great shape," said the first-year head coach. "You can see him out there, he's explosive, he's enjoying himself.

"He can be part of the rush. I can definitely see him pinching down the walls and keeping pucks in, and when you say that, it means you have to get up ice."

Both Housley and Bogosian are hoping the new, aggressive style of play will help end the Sabres' six-year playoff drought. If they succeed, it would be the first playoff appearance of Bogosian's nearly 10-year career.

"It's been frustrating the last few years in Buffalo," said Bogosian, who was acquired from the Jets in a 2015 blockbuster trade along with Evander Kane. "We're getting sick of not making the playoffs. There's no way of getting around that. It sucks when you're sitting around watching good teams that you know you can try to compete with."

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The grueling chase of the Stanley Cup has taken its toll on a few clubs. Three of the league's final four teams from the 2017 postseason are dealing with significant injury issues heading into the 2017-18 campaign.

Here is how these injuries will affect those clubs moving forward.

Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators' magical run to the Eastern Conference final has come with serious consequences. Erik Karlsson carried the team despite having one good foot, but it doesn't appear he will take such risks to begin the season. Karlsson told TSN's Ian Mendes that he will come back when he's "100 percent, whether that's in October or November."

That obviously doesn't sound promising. Karlsson is the straw that stirs the Senators' drink. Without him, Ottawa's defense projects to look something like this:

Given how competitive the Atlantic Division looks this year, a slow start could significantly hamper the Sens' playoff chances. It only makes matters worse that Clarke MacArthur's career is potentially over, and second-line center Derick Brassard could miss a month.

Anaheim Ducks

Kesler is arguably the second-most important player on the Ducks, behind Ryan Getzlaf. As one of the league's best defensive centers, he plays all the tough minutes against the opposition's top lines. In his absence, Rickard Rakell will attempt to fill the void, but it's a tall task considering he spent most of last season playing wing.

Lindholm and Vatanen are Anaheim's second and third-best defensemen, respectively, behind Cam Fowler. Luckily, it's better equipped to handle this loss than most teams. Francois Beauchemin and Korbinian Holzer will have to jump into the lineup full time, while youngsters Brandon Montour and Josh Manson will be asked to play larger roles.

Even with these key losses, the Ducks are still a playoff team, but they could fall behind enough to draw a tough road matchup in the first round. For a team with a "championship or bust" mentality, this would certainly decrease its chances at hoisting the Stanley Cup.

Nashville Predators

Nashville's core-four on defense has suddenly become the big three. Newly acquired Alexei Emelin will be asked to play a top-four role until Ellis returns. He is a physical defender, but lacks the offensive skills and puck-moving ability of Ellis.

With only one dangerous scoring line, Nashville relies heavily on the offense it generates from the back end, so it will dearly miss Ellis for the first half of the season.

Bonino was brought in to replace Mike Fisher as the teams' second-line center. His status remains uncertain for the season opener, but it's hard to imagine he'll be thrown right into action if he doesn't skate in a single preseason game. The combination of Calle Jarnkrok and Colton Sissons should be able to temporarily fill the second-line void just fine.

By now, some may forget that Nashville squeaked into the playoffs as the league's 16th-seed. It could be another uphill battle to get into the postseason this year.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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Chicago Blackhawks veteran defenseman Michal Rozsival has failed his training camp physical, announced general manager Stan Bowman.

The 39-year-old has continued to battle post-concussion symptoms after he was punched by Anaheim Ducks winger Nick Ritchie last season. Ritchie was suspended two games as a result of the incident.

As for Rozsival, he was limited to just 22 games last season, often scratched or out of the lineup due to injury. The Czech blue-liner was used sparingly by coach Joel Quenneville, rotated into the lineup on an as-needed basis.

Rozsival has spent the past five seasons with the Blackhawks, winning the Stanley Cup with the team in 2013 and 2015. He inked a one-year extension with the Blackhawks in February, a deal which carries a $650,000 cap hit, according to CapFriendly.

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Steve Yzerman's offseason report card came up aces.

While the Tampa Bay Lightning were disappointed after failing to qualify for last year's postseason - the Lightning missed the playoffs by a single point - the summer changes initiated from the general manager's office received a top grade from team owner Jeff Vinik, per Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.

It was a busy offseason for the Lightning, which kicked off the summer by bringing in young and highly-regarded blue-liner Mikhail Sergachev from the Montreal Canadiens, whose acquisition cost the team former third overall pick Jonathan Drouin.

With training camp now underway, the expectation is Sergachev will compete for a spot on the team's bottom defensive pairing. A first-round pick by the Canadiens in 2016, the 19-year-old made impressive strides upon returning to junior last season, scoring 43 points in 50 games with the OHL's Windsor Spitfires and played a major role en route to a Memorial Cup victory.

Related - Sergachev thrilled for chance with Lightning: 'They asked for me'

With Sergachev in the bank, Yzerman continued to make moves as the offseason progressed, agreeing to terms with veteran free agents Chris Kunitz and Dan Girardi. Both players will bring an added layer of experience to a Lightning squad that many pundits see as a Stanley Cup favorite.

While the new faces should help push the Lightning to the next level, Yzerman also went to work in retaining the club's core pieces, signing center Tyler Johnson to a seven-year extension and later coming to terms with Ondrej Palat on a five-year deal.

For now, Yzerman is the offseason champion. But will his moves be enough to live up to his summer grade and lead the Lightning to the franchise's second Stanley Cup?

Fans will know soon enough, as the chase begins Oct. 6, when Tampa Bay opens its season against the in-state rival Florida Panthers.

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