It all comes down to this.

On Wednesday night, the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins will do battle in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final - the NHL's first winner-take-all championship contest since 2011 and fourth of the salary cap era.

The Blues fell short of clinching their first-ever Stanley Cup with an underwhelming performance in Game 6, but get another shot at glory. The Bruins, meanwhile, forced a Game 7 on home ice for the second time this postseason and seek their seventh Cup. If they win it, they'll move ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks for the fourth-most championships in NHL history.

Before any hardware gets handed out, let's go over three keys to determining the newest champions of the NHL.

Goaltending battle

Tuukka Rask and Jordan Binnington have gotten their respective teams to this point with displays of dominance throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. While both players will be a major factor in who comes out on top Wednesday, it's nearly impossible to declare who has the edge.

Rask has posted a .938 save percentage across 23 playoff games so far and is a shoo-in for the Conn Smythe if he secures his 16th win of the tournament. The 32-year-old Finn has been at his best with the Bruins facing elimination, allowing only four goals in three games with a .953 save clip.

Binnington is no slouch either, though, and has delivered time and time again with his Blues facing adversity. St. Louis' unflappable rookie netminder is 7-2 - and 2-0 in the Final - coming off a loss this postseason.

Special teams vs. even strength

Penalty trouble immediately sunk the Blues in Game 6, as Brad Marchand's 5-on-3 opener gave the Bruins momentum they never relinquished. It wasn't the first time this series Boston's taken over a game with its lethal power play, doing the same in Game 3 with an absurd 4-for-4 performance. The B's enter Game 7 operating at 33 percent with the man advantage in the Final and will surely look to seize any opportunity handed to them.

The Blues' penalty kill has been torn apart and their power play hasn't been great either, going just 1-for-18 so far against the Bruins. Ensuring the game is played at even strength has to be a major focal point for coach Craig Berube and his squad, who've owned a slight advantage in most metrics.

(Advanced Stats Courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)

Depth production

Anyone can become a hero with a big performance in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and depth scoring can often play a big role in determining the winner of a do-or-die matchup.

The Blues could use some extra production in the season finale, as only eight skaters have scored a goal and just three have recorded more than one. That said, St. Louis will be back at full strength for Game 7 with Ivan Barbashev set to return from a one-game suspension.

The Bruins, on the other hand, have benefited from contributions across the board, with 15 different skaters finding the back of the net in the Cup Final and 21 overall in the playoffs, matching an NHL record, according to Sportsnet Stats.

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The NHL and NHLPA Competition Committee convened Tuesday and released a series of rule recommendations.

The biggest topic of discussion was expanded video review, which both parties agreed needs tinkering.

Commissioner Gary Bettman said just as much during his latest public address in May, declaring the league will work to find the right balance when it comes to replays.

Here's a look at all of the recommendations, as outlined by the NHLPA.

• Expanded video review/coach's challenge: The Committee recommends changes to the coach's challenge and expanded video review, including as it relates to a referee's ability to review some of his own calls on the ice. Recommendations will be prepared for the league's board of governors, general managers, and the NHLPA's executive board.
  
• Helmets off during play: The Committee recommends work on a rule construct for implementation next season that would reasonably require a player to leave the ice in the event his helmet comes off during play.
  
• Goalies unnecessarily freezing puck: The Committee recommends that the defensive team not be permitted a line change when a goalie freezes the puck on any shot from outside the center red line. The offensive team will have the choice of which end-zone dot the faceoff will take place.
  
• Faceoff procedure changes/line changes: The Committee recommends: i) That following an icing, the offensive team will have the choice of which end-zone dot the faceoff will take place. ii) To begin a power play, the offensive team will have the choice of which end-zone dot the faceoff will take place. iii) That no line change be permitted for the defending team if, in the judgment of the official, the actions of a skater of the defensive team caused the stoppage by unintentionally knocking the net off. The offensive team will have the choice of which end-zone dot the faceoff will take place.
  
• Puck out of bounds: The Committee recommends that when the attacking team is responsible for the puck going out of play in the attacking zone, all faceoffs will be conducted at one of the two faceoff dots in the attacking zone.
  
• Regular-season tiebreakers: The Committee recommends adoption of a proposal that would modify existing regular-season tiebreaking procedures and adding additional criteria.

The rule recommendations still require approval by the NHLPA'S executive board and the NHL's board of governors before they can be formalized.

Among those in attendance at the meeting were Connor McDavid, John Tavares, Steve Yzerman, Ken Holland, and Colin Campbell.

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Keith Gretzky will remain with the Edmonton Oilers as the team's assistant general manager, GM Ken Holland announced Tuesday.

Gretzky returns to his previous role after being promoted to interim GM following the firing of Peter Chiarelli in January. Gretzky was a candidate for the GM job, which ultimately went to Holland in May.

The younger brother of Wayne Gretzky will also serve as GM of the club's AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors.

He was hired by the Oilers as assistant general manager in the summer of 2016.

Prior to joining Edmonton's front office, Gretzky worked in the scouting department of several NHL clubs beginning in 2001.

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A Calgary Flames farmhand is reportedly headed overseas with the goal of taking part in the next winter Olympics.

Spencer Foo is joining the KHL's Kunlun Red Star, giving him a chance to play for China in the 2022 Games, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Foo spent this past season with the AHL's Stockton Heat after playing 62 games with the team, and four with the Flames in 2017-18.

The 25-year-old forward posted 17 goals and 38 points over 67 contests with Stockton in 2018-19.

Calgary signed Foo out of Union College as an undrafted free agent in June 2017. He was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, an annual honor given to the NCAA's top men's hockey player, following a stellar 2016-17 campaign.

The NHL didn't participate in the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, and it's unclear whether the league's players will be allowed to return to the grandest international stage for the Beijing games in 2022.

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Entering the offseason, a Phil Kessel trade appeared to be a foregone conclusion. But now, it appears the 31-year-old forward will be staying with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"I think that's the way things are headed at this point in time," Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford told The Athletic's Josh Yohe. "I expect Kessel will probably play for Pittsburgh next season."

Kessel's contract includes a list of eight teams of his choosing he can be traded to. He reportedly flexed those muscles last month when he nixed a move to the Minnesota Wild due to concerns over the team's competitiveness.

"You have to understand that he has a no-trade clause and a lot of leverage," Rutherford said of Kessel. "In situations like this, it usually doesn't work out so well for the team. That’s just the way it is."

Kessel's name first popped up in rumors last summer due to a reported rift between him and head coach Mike Sullivan. The Penguins then tested the market again in December.

Despite Kessel's productivity over the past two seasons and his integral role in Pittsburgh's back-to-back Stanley Cups, moving out his $6.8-million cap hit (through the 2021-22 season) would create much-needed financial flexibility. The Pens are set to have just $3.2 million in cap space this summer, while defenseman Marcus Pettersson will headline a short list of RFAs due for raises.

"Well, we're going to have to move some people to clear up cap space," Rutherford said. "A couple of players, probably."

With Kessel likely staying put, the GM hinted that someone from Pittsburgh's stable of defensemen could be on their way out.

"I think it’s fair to assume that there will be different people there," Rutherford said, referring to the blue line. "It’s something we have to consider. We just have some extra bodies there right now. So it's fair to suspect that there will be changes on the blue line."

Overall, while the Penguins may not make the kind of splash that was expected this offseason, Rutherford was adamant that there will be roster turnover.

"Changes are coming," he said. "Changes are in order, for sure. At this point in time, I don’t know exactly what they are going to be. It’s hard to say right now, but changes are coming. I’ll say this, though. I don’t think we’re going to make any changes that I would refer to as massive. I'd say I'm looking to retool more than anything."

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Throughout June, theScore will be projecting contracts for the star-studded restricted free-agent class. In this edition, we project Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor's new deals.

The players

Laine and Connor became dynamic offensive weapons for the Winnipeg Jets while playing out their entry-level contracts. Between them, they've given the Jets five 30-goal seasons. Connor was selected 17th overall in the 2015 draft, while Laine was chosen second overall the following year.

Laine:

Laine has quickly evolved into one of the game's premier goal-scorers, but he's proven to be rather inconsistent. During the 2018-19 season, he scored 18 of his 30 goals during a 12-game stretch in November. He then found twine just four times at even strength over his final 58 contests and looked disengaged in more than a handful of those outings.

He silenced some of his critics with a stellar postseason performance, though the Jets were bounced by the St. Louis Blues in the first round.

Connor:

Connor has become an effective complement to Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler on the Jets' top line. He's smart, quick, blessed with soft hands, and has a nose for the net. His ceiling may not be as high as Laine's, but his floor and shift-to-shift consistency are significantly greater.

The team

As punishment for years of successful drafting, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff finds himself in a significant cap crunch this offseason. In addition to Laine and Connor, the Jets have a long list of pending free agents, and only $25.37 million in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly.

Trouba is a safe bet to be traded, but the Jets would probably like to re-sign at least a handful of the players listed above.

Obviously, Laine and Connor are top priorities, but the cap situation could affect how their contracts are constructed. Eight-year contracts, which require higher cap hits, seem to be out of the question.

The comparables

Here's a select list of wingers to sign extensions out of restricted free agency over the last few years:

CH% = Cap hit percentage, based on cap ceiling when the contract was signed

* - Nylander's cap hit in 2018-19 was prorated to $10.2 million because of time missed in negotiations

Nylander's deal will likely be viewed as the best comparison for Connor in negotiations. The Swede had 122 points in the two seasons before his new contract, while Connor had 123.

A comparison for Laine is tougher to find. He's never reached the 77 points Draisaitl accumulated in his contract year and doesn't offer the versatility of playing center like the Edmonton Oilers forward does. Tarasenko's deal, although outdated, is interesting. His contract year (37 goals, 73 points) is similar to Laine's 2017-18 season (44 goals, 70 points).

However, Laine's third-year slump creates an interesting debate. Should he be paid as the player he was in 2017-18 or 2018-19? That could be a point of contention during negotiations.

The projections

For Connor, a six-year deal seems to be the most likely scenario. It provides long-term stability but wouldn't break the bank for the Jets. At this term, a cap hit would likely fall somewhere between $6.5 million and $7.5 million.

Laine's contract is more difficult to predict. He and his agent may prefer a bridge deal so they can return to the negotiating table in two or three years. The cap hit could range from $5 million to $7 million. If Laine's camp wants to get a long-term pact done in the six-to-eight-year range, then his AAV could potentially fall between $7 million and $9 million.

Connor verdict: 6 years, $43 million ($7.167M AAV, 8.63 CH%)
Laine verdict: 7 years, $54.6 million ($7.8M AAV, 9.4 CH%)

Others in this series:

• Zach Werenski
• Charlie McAvoy
• Sebastian Aho
• Timo Meier
• Mikko Rantanen
• Brock Boeser
• Brayden Point (June 12)
• Matthew Tkachuk (June 13)
• Mitch Marner (June 14)

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