Goaltending is the key for the Winnipeg Jets going forward as far as Blake Wheeler is concerned.

Last season the Jets finished with the fourth-highest goals-against per game (3.11) and the third-worst team save percentage (.900), making it clear that the men manning the crease in Winnipeg have been a large part of the problem.

Last season the Jets were spear-headed largely by Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson, with less than ideal results. Hellebuyck went 26-19-4 in 56 games with a 2.89 GAA and a .907 save percentage, while Hutchinson went 9-12-3 with a 2.92 GAA and a .903 save percentage.

And it's for that reason the club went out and inked former Philadelphia Flyers netminder Steve Mason to a two-year deal to help right the ship this offseason.

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Alexander Kerfoot has put pen to paper with the Colorado Avalanche.

The coveted forward agreed to an entry-level contract with the NHL club Thursday.

It's a two-year deal that carries an NHL rate of $832,000 per season and an AHL rate of $70,000 per campaign, according to Mike Chambers of The Denver Post.

Kerfoot chose to become an unrestricted free agent last week rather than sign with the New Jersey Devils, who drafted him in 2012.

He posted 45 points in 36 games with Harvard this past season in his senior campaign with the Crimson, and his point production improved in all three subsequent college seasons following his freshman year.

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Thanks to an incredible turnaround last season, NHL clubs aren't likely to overlook the Columbus Blue Jackets this year.

The Blue Jackets rose 32 points in the standings from 2016 to 2017 and claimed the fourth-best record in the league, though their season concluded with a first-round loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The club is still looking to improve, but as defenseman Seth Jones suggests, the team won't be able to surprise its opponents anymore.

"I think we need to earn more respect in this league and one year and a playoff appearance doesn't do that," Jones said, according to Sydney McNulty of BlueJackets.com. "I think we caught a lot of teams off guard, and I don't think we are going to catch as many teams off guard this season, so we have to be even better and on top of our game for sure."

What the Blue Jackets hope will make them better, and an even more legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference, is the addition of Artemi Panarin. Jones feels the sniper, acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks, should boost the club's offense.

"I think it is going to add a little bit more creativity offensively," Jones said. "We lost a great player in Brandon (Saad), but, at the same time, we are getting a very awesome player, a very exciting player to watch in Panarin. I think we are really happy with some of the moves we've made, and hopefully that makes the team better."

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Will Butcher might be ready to choose his NHL destination as soon as Saturday or Sunday.

The highly sought-after college free agent is still visiting teams with three or four in the mix, and his decision is expected to be made either this weekend or by the start of next week, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

Butcher reportedly trimmed his list of suitors down from a dozen clubs this week.

He's apparently already spoken with the Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils and Vegas Golden Knights, while Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford confirmed last Wednesday that his team would be making a presentation to the 22-year-old defenseman.

Butcher became an unrestricted free agent last week after choosing not to sign with the Colorado Avalanche, who drafted him in 2013. He won the Hobey Baker Award as the top U.S. college hockey player after helping the University of Denver win the national championship this spring.

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Last year was only the beginning of a budding rivalry between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals.

And at least one player wants to see the clash reach the next level.

"It was fun to come home and kind of play the villain," Capitals winger and Toronto native Tom Wilson told reporters Wednesday. "It will be a fresh start now though. They are going to have another good team and hopefully that rivalry can continue because it was a pretty exciting series."

Lining up in the first round of last year's playoffs, the series matched the Presidents' Trophy-winning Capitals against the eighth-seed Maple Leafs. But the meeting wasn't nearly as lopsided as the teams' regular seasons finishes, as the series extended six games and all but one contest required overtime.

"A series like that is what creates rivalries. There's a lot of emotion, a lot of speed, a lot of skill. They're only going to get better, and keep pushing us to get better. It's probably a rivalry now," said Wilson, who notched three goals in the series, including the overtime winner in Game 1.

While there is no telling if the series will renew next spring, the Maple Leafs and Capitals will at least have a memorable match on the calendar this season. The two sides are set to link up on March 3 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. in the 2018 Stadium Series.

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Owen Tippett believes he can be a star.

The Florida Panthers' first-round pick in this summer's draft, Tippett is a budding winger who starred with the OHL's Mississauga Steelheads last season - a campaign in which he netted 75 points in 60 games.

Of those totals, 44 came as goals, a mark which only four players topped league-wide, and an ability that drew the Panthers' attention.

"Owen is a natural goal scorer with a bright future and he already possesses NHL-ready size and speed," Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said in July. "We're looking forward to watching him compete for a spot on our NHL roster at training camp this fall."

A hulking power forward, Tippett is a prime candidate to make the immediate jump to the NHL, particularly on a Florida roster that has just 10 forwards currently under contract.

"I have the upside of Phil Kessel - the speed, the shot, the way he can make plays," Tippett told Luke Fox of Sportsnet. "I also have some things I need to work on to be a 200-foot player."

Tippett could soon have another attribute in common with Kessel: making the NHL as an 18-year-old. Drafted fifth overall by the Boston Bruins in 2006, Kessel made his NHL debut just four months later, as he appeared in 70 games in 2006-07.

No doubt Tippett will be given every opportunity come training camp to make his best impression.

"I feel I can fight for a spot in Florida," Tippett added. "But at the end of the day, if I'm back in Mississauga, I'll look at it as a chance to develop my game and get stronger and faster."

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That's one way to burst onto the pro hockey scene.

Eeli Tolvanen notched a hat trick and four points in his first KHL game with Jokerit in a 6-1 rout of Dynamo Minsk on Wednesday, becoming the youngest player to collect three goals in a game in the history of the league.

The 18-year-old - whom the Nashville Predators drafted 30th overall in June - signed with the Finnish club last month after failing to meet the admission requirements of Boston College, the school he committed to in June of last year.

Here's his first KHL goal. Safe to say the kid can snipe.

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The New Jersey Devils have invited forward Jimmy Hayes to training camp on a professional tryout, the team announced Wednesday.

The 6-foot-5 right-winger averaged 17.5 goals per 82 games from 2013-14 to 2015-16, but went completely invisible last season with the Boston Bruins, picking up just two goals and three assists in 58 games.

With Kyle Palmieri as the Devils' only notable right winger, it's possible Hayes - who's still just 27 years old - could be given an opportunity as a top-nine forward on a rebuilding team.

Hayes played less than 10 minutes per game last season, and the biggest concern surrounding him is his foot speed - or lack thereof.

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