While there may still be uncertainty surrounding Erik Karlsson's future in Ottawa, one thing he won't have to worry about is his health.
The Ottawa Senators captain entered last season after undergoing surgery on his ankle to repair tendons. Because of this, he missed the first five games of the campaign and appeared to be a step behind his usual blistering pace. However, while speaking at the Canadian Open Pro-AM this week, Karlsson admitted his ankle feels better than ever.
"I think it's better now than it was before because you work on it so much," Karlsson said, according to The Athletic's Chris Stevenson. "I'm very optimistic moving forward from here. It shouldn't be an issue for me whatsoever, so that's nice.
"110 (percent) probably," he added. "It's that good."
After the season ended, Karlsson spent time with the doctor who performed the surgery and is now working with a foot specialist to help build his strength.
"I'm seeing another ankle specialist in Ottawa a lot, too," Karlsson said. "Mostly it's just getting strength back and getting used to the feeling, which takes a bit of time now and that time is past. I've got my new normal again and it feels great."
Despite a down season by his standards, Karlsson still tied Mark Stone for the team high in points with 62 in 71 games. With health no longer a concern, the 28-year-old should enter the season, once again, as a potential Norris Trophy candidate.
Nill is optimistic a deal can get done prior to the Stars' season-opening game on Oct. 4 against the Arizona Coyotes.
"I hope so," Nill told Stars team reporter Mark Stepneski. "But I think I have mentioned from Day 1 that I don't want people to panic if he is not signed when the season starts.
"I think the biggest thing is we need to have a good season - get off to a good start. I hope he is signed by then, but I know if he isn't, we'll get a good year out of him and go from there. But like I said, I am hopeful we can get it done. We'll have to see."
Negotiations with Seguin's camp are ongoing, with Nill classifying the talks as complicated given the nature of a new deal.
"There are a lot of different things that go into this. There are signing bonuses, lockout protections," Nill added. "There are a lot of different angles to these negotiations that come into play. We're just continuing the dialogue and going from there."
Seguin appeared in all 82 games last season, and finished with a team-leading 40 goals, while his 78 points were one shy of captain Jamie Benn for top spot.
The Vancouver Canucks don't plan to make an outside hire in the foreseeable future following the departure of president of hockey operations Trevor Linden.
The Canucks and Linden parted ways Wednesday after four years. Following the news, team owner Francesco Aquilini stated that general manager Jim Benning would take on Linden's responsibilities, and Benning said during a press conference Thursday that he expects to keep the new job for the time being.
"(Aquilini) said he's not looking to hire someone as the president of hockey operations," Benning said, according to The Canadian Press.
Meanwhile, Linden's exit doesn't appear to have caused any change in philosophy within the organization. The Canucks plan to continue with their rebuild, which Aquilini remains supportive of, Benning added.
"He's on board," Benning said. "He doesn't interfere with what we do. He listens to us, he asks questions and then he lets us do what we need to do."
Vancouver hasn't made the playoffs since the 2014-15 season, when the club was ousted in the first round by the Calgary Flames, and have missed the postseason in four of the last five seasons.
Barring massive slips on draft day, avoid the following five big-name players at all costs when selecting your fantasy hockey team.
C/LW Claude Giroux, Flyers
A move from center to left wing did wonders for Claude Giroux in 2017-18, as he set career highs in goals (34), assists (68), and points (102). However, replicating that success seems like a long shot.
Giroux reached the 30-goal plateau for the first time in his career even though his shot total (193) was his lowest over the course of a full season since 2010-11. This led to an inflated 17.6 shooting percentage - seven points higher than his career mark heading into last season.
In terms of assists, he had 35 secondary helpers compared to 33 primary ones, according to Natural Stat Trick. Forwards usually record more primary assists, so Giroux could be due for some regression there as well.
Giroux's first season on the wing wasn't necessarily a fluke - having Sean Couturier as his center gave the Philadelphia Flyers captain far less defensive responsibility, allowing him to think offense first. Considering it'll likely take a first-round pick to obtain Giroux's services, though, it's doubtful he'll provide a good return on investment if he falls back into the 80-point range.
Bust potential: ☠☠☠
C Nicklas Backstrom, Capitals
Nicklas Backstrom has been pushed out of fantasy hockey's circle of elite players by Evgeny Kuznetsov. Backstrom spent more than half of last season as Alex Ovechkin's center, but it was evident during the Washington Capitals' postseason run that Kuznetsov is now the best fit for that role.
That's not to say Backstrom's career success is a direct result of riding shotgun with Ovechkin, but the prospects of a full season apart from the Great Eight are scary. The Swede's 0.88 points per game last season was already the third-lowest mark of his career, and his worst since 2010-11.
Even on the second line, Backstrom will pile up a healthy amount of assists, and with a spot on the top power-play unit, he'll get his fair share of points with the man advantage. Still, Backstrom is virtually useless in half of the offensive categories in standard leagues, he plays the deepest position in fantasy hockey by far, and he'll be drafted higher than he should be due to name recognition. Stay away.
Bust potential: ☠☠☠☠
C/LW William Karlsson, Golden Knights
William Karlsson was the poster boy for the Vegas Golden Knights' miracle season. A virtually unknown commodity prior to the 2017-18 campaign, he took the league by storm, potting 43 goals after notching just six the season before.
The obvious issue with Karlsson is that his league-leading 23.4 shooting percentage - more than tripling his previous career mark - is completely unsustainable.
Karlsson could still reach 30 goals, but even then, he'd have to increase his shot total by at least 15. If word gets out on Karlsson and he begins to fall past Round 6 or 7, he could be worth scooping up, but do not draft him in the first five rounds in hopes of another 40-goal season.
Bust potential: ☠☠☠☠☠
C Nazem Kadri, Maple Leafs
John Tavares is obviously a boon for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but his arrival hurts Nazem Kadri's fantasy value. Kadri will be relegated to a third-line role, which means less ice time and fewer chances to play alongside Mitch Marner.
Marner was moved to Kadri's line midseason last year, and the results were exceptional. Here's a look at some of Kadri's numbers with and without Marner, per Natural Stat Trick.
Stat
With Marner
Without Marner
CF/60
60.6
58.1
SF/60
32.7
30.5
GF/60
2.83
2.19
SCF/60
31.0
28.9
(All stats per 60 minutes. CF/60: Shot attempts team generated with Kadri on ice; SF/60: Shots on goal team generated with Kadri on ice; GF/60: Goals team generated with Kadri on ice; SCF/60: Scoring chances team generated with Kadri on ice)
Head coach Mike Babcock has gone on record saying he envisions Marner alongside Tavares and Zach Hyman, likely leaving Kadri with Andreas Johnsson on one wing and either Kasperi Kapanen or Connor Brown on the other. Those players are no slouches, but they pale in comparison to Marner.
Kadri will still get his time on the power play, but another 30-goal, 55-point season seems unlikely.
Bust potential: ☠☠☠
D Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres
The chances of Rasmus Dahlin being a real-life bust are awfully slim, but in fantasy, they're quite high. Even though the potentially generational blue-liner has drawn comparisons to both Erik Karlsson and Nicklas Lidstrom, it's best not to get too excited about him from a fantasy perspective - at least in his first season.
Some rankings project he'll be drafted as early as Round 6 or 7, and ahead of consistent point producers from the back end like Kris Letang, Dougie Hamilton, Torey Krug, Keith Yandle, and Tyson Barrie. Dahlin would need to get 50 points - or at least close to it - to justify such selection in non-keeper leagues.
Only two 18-year-old defensemen have ever cracked the 40-point plateau: Bobby Orr in 1966-67 with 41, and, funnily enough, Buffalo Sabres head coach Phil Housley, who put up 66 in 1982-83.
The sky is the limit for Dahlin's career. However, it will take time for him to adjust to not only the NHL but North America in general before he becomes an elite fantasy defenseman.
Matthews still has one year remaining on his entry-level contract, which will pay him $925,000 in 2018-19. He will then be a restricted free agent after next season and has been eligible for a contract extension since July 1, 2018.
It's unclear how much Matthews will be paid, but an eight-year deal with a cap hit somewhere between Jack Eichel's $10 million and Connor McDavid's $12.5 million seems realistic.
The Maple Leafs have another RFA to take care of this offseason, too, in Matthews' linemate William Nylander.
Not only would a Matthews extension this summer make the Leafs' plans next offseason simpler and clearer, but a massive 2018-19 campaign and a rising cap could tack on a couple more million if a deal is signed next year instead.
Since becoming the first overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Matthews has emerged as one of the league's premier centers, recording 74 goals and 132 points in 144 career games.
The first year of the contract is a two-way deal, but it becomes a one-way pact in 2019-20.
Jarry played in 26 games last season during his rookie year with the Penguins, posting a 2.77 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. The 23-year-old spent the bulk of the 2017-18 campaign in the AHL where he struggled to the tune of a 3.05 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.
He will likely compete for the Penguins' backup goaltender job with Casey DeSmith in training camp. DeSmith had better numbers last year and is three years Jarry's senior, so he'll likely have the upper hand.
Barry Trotz has lured another familiar face to accompany him in his new gig with the New York Islanders, as longtime colleague Mitch Korn has joined his staff as the club's director of goaltending, the team announced Thursday.
Korn worked with Trotz with the Washington Capitals for the last three seasons, and their relationship spans back to their time with the Nashville Predators.
Trotz also brought Lane Lambert to Long Island as an associate coach earlier this month after they worked together on the Capitals' bench for four seasons.
Korn will be tasked with rectifying the Islanders' disastrous goaltending situation, as the club ranked dead last with 293 goals allowed in 2017-18. He'll be working with newly acquired goalie Robin Lehner and last season's backup netminder Thomas Greiss in an effort to fix things in the blue paint.
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