Jay McClement isn't being brought in to fill out the training camp roster.

The veteran center signed a tryout contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, and general manager Jim Rutherford expects McClement to be in the mix for the opening night lineup.

"He’s had good success killing penalties and winning faceoffs," Rutherford told the Post-Gazette's Jason Mackey. "With what we’re looking for in the way of depth at that position, he’s going to be given a good chance to make the team."

McClement is coming off a poor season with the Carolina Hurricanes where he averaged a career-low 11:23 of ice time, won only 48.2 percent of his faceoffs, and was a negative possession player with a Corsi rating of 45.36 during even strength play.

He was dealing with a knee issue, though, and believes he can help the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions.

"I’ve been feeling really good this summer physically," McClement said. "I got my body back. With the injury, it took a while to get my body back in balance. I’ve been feeling really good. For me, it’s finding that niche with some of the things that I’ve done over my career. Hopefully that can meld into a good team."

Rutherford added he looked at McClement's body of work as opposed to focusing on one season, saying "you hope that he has a good camp and shows what he’s done over his career."

The Penguins will play their first preseason game on Sept. 19.

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Twitter has been consumed by good boys all day Saturday as part of #NationalDogDay, so that got us thinking: Who among hockey circles is most aptly named for the occasion?

From current players to NHL alumni, and even mascots, here are nine figures in hockey whose names or nicknames are perfect for this canine celebration:

Aleksander Barkov

The Florida Panthers forward is clearly the best current player on this list, and even though he has a very appropriate name for this social media holiday, he certainly doesn't dog it out on the ice.

Jay Beagle

The Washington Capitals center is another active player whose family name was made for the day.

He may not be the most offensively gifted forward in the league, but he does have a nose for the puck, and that helped him post career-highs in goals and assists this past season.

Lindy Ruff

The New York Rangers assistant coach's place in this exclusive group is pretty self-explanatory. Formerly the bench boss of the Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars, he's been known to be a little Ruff - err, rough - on his players in the past.

Cam Barker

The third overall pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2004 was a bust in North America, but at 31 years old he's still plying his trade in the KHL, where he's played for the last four seasons.

He won three gold medals with Canada - two at the World Junior Hockey Championships and one at the Spengler Cup - so fortunately for him, his inclusion on this list won't be his only claim to fame.

Curtis Joseph

The former star goaltender, who played most prominently for the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, and Toronto Maple Leafs, doesn't immediately appear to warrant inclusion here.

That is until you remember his nickname, "CuJo", which was obviously inspired by his first and last name, but which also invoked memories of the title antagonist from the Stephen King novel and 1983 horror film.

Joseph embraced the canine connection and featured a dog on many of his masks.

Ray Sheppard

Sure, it's not spelled exactly like the German shepherd his name conjures up in this context, but the longtime NHL winger's moniker is close enough.

Duane 'Dog' Sutter

A prominent member of the famed Sutter family, the three-time Stanley Cup champion earned his nickname because of his penchant for barking at opposing players and officials during games.

'Pup'

Brent Sutter was given this nickname because he was Duane's younger brother, but he carved out a solid career in his own right.

Brent played with Duane during the New York Islanders' heyday in the 1980s and later coached the Canadian world junior team to back-to-back gold medal victories in 2005 and 2006.

Harvey the Hound

We'd be remiss if we didn't include the Calgary Flames' mascot, who also got some love from his team's Twitter account earlier in the day.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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We're officially into the dog days of summer.

NHL clubs got into the spirit of #NationalDogDay on Saturday, filling their Twitter timelines with canine content.

Here's what the teams shared:

Players and reporters also joined in:

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Team Canada isn't lowering the bar.

Despite the fact that NHLers won't partake in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Team Canada general manager Sean Burke feels he can still put together a team that can compete for the top spot.

"We go into Pyeongchang believing gold is realistic," Burke told Andrew Podnieks of IIHF.com. "The last time that Canada wasn't favored was back in 1994, and I played in 1988 and 1992 so I remember those days very well.

"But even then, when the Russians were so powerful and the Czechs weren't far behind, you still went into the Olympics expecting to compete for a gold."

In scouting out who could make up the final roster, Canada played six exhibition games as part of the Sochi Hockey Open and the Nikolai Puchkov Tournament held in Russia.

Canada came away with a 4-2 record, posting wins against Metallurg Magnitogorsk and SKA-Neva St. Petersburg, plus two victories against HK Sochi, while falling to SKA St. Petersburg and the Russian "B" team.

"We know there's a lot of work to do and that things are different," Burke added. "We have to build our team differently. We'll be as prepared as we can possibly be when we go into Pyeongchang to compete for a gold, and that will give us a chance to win."

Participants in the exhibition games included former NHL netminder Ben Scrivens, in addition to defensemen Cam Barker, Carlo Colaiacovo, and forwards Derek Roy, Mason Raymond, and Ryan Garbutt.

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Tyler Seguin had his heart set on the Olympics.

The NHL won't participate in the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, and it's a missed opportunity for at least one member of the Dallas Stars.

"It's a bit heartbreaking for sure," Seguin told reporters Friday. "Growing up as a kid, for myself at least, and I'm sure a lot of guys in the league, it was a dream to play in the NHL and win the Stanley Cup, and also represent your country. That's the pinnacle of sports and the pinnacle for a hockey player."

Seguin last represented Canada at the 2015 IIHF World Championships, when he netted a tournament-leading nine goals in 10 games to help push Canada to a gold-medal victory. It marked Canada's first gold at the worlds since 2007.

The NHL has been involved in the past five Winter Olympics, beginning in Nagano, Japan in 1998. However, in April, the league announced it would not break for South Korea in the coming season.

"It's definitely not something I really support, not going. I wish we could," Seguin added. "But at the end of the day, you've got to go about the business."

As for Seguin, he's entering his fifth campaign suiting up for the Stars, a club that underwent a major offseason makeover in a bid to return to the playoffs after failing to qualify for the 2016 postseason.

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NHL 18, the latest in the video game series produced by EA Sports, released a sneak peak of its player ratings Friday, with some of the grades taken tongue-in-cheek by NHLers:

As per EA Sports, player ratings are based by position, then further categorized by individual talent. No player rates lower than 75 overall, a grade given to some fourth-liners, spare defensemen, and backup goalies, while the maximum mark comes in at 99.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid will headline the latest version of the video game franchise, which launched its first hockey title in 1991. The game hits shelves Sept. 15.

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There's no resting on laurels when you play for a last-place team.

Joe Colborne's first season with the Colorado Avalanche was one to forget, as the center followed up an opening night hat trick with one goal over the next 61 games and was often scratched altogether.

As a squad, the Avs earned only 48 points in the standings, finishing with the lowest point percentage in the shootout era.

Quite simply, Colborne knows there is plenty of room for improvement all around.

"The only way you can take anything positive out of that was, it was a learning experience," he told Mike Chambers of the Denver Post. "I don’t think any of us had ever been through the hardship that we went through. Part of being a pro is putting that season behind you as much as you can and realize that every single one of us has to be better. There wasn’t one guy who can honestly say that was something you can be proud of."

Nathan MacKinnon led the team with 53 points, while only Matt Duchene also eclipsed 40. The lack of offense and porous defense amounted to a league-worst goal differential of minus-112, with Arizona ranking 29th at minus-63.

"It hurt," Colborne added of the embarassment, "and being a professional, being someone who’s proud of themselves, none of us are happy with it and it’s up to each of us to come back and make sure that we’re a lot better."

Unfortunately for Colorado, the arrival of the Vegas Golden Knights means there actually is somewhere else to go but up.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins signed veteran center Jay McClement to a professional tryout contract, the team announced Friday.

McClement spent the past three seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, serving as a valuable penalty killer. He's also quite proficient in the faceoff circle and contributed 15 goals and 40 points in his past 224 games.

Related: Penguins GM seeking 3rd-line center

The Stanley Cup champions are on the hunt for depth at center following the departures of Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen via free agency, thereby giving McClement a good shot at cracking the opening night lineup.

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