"It's not even close, what they saying." Radulov said Friday, according to TSN's John Lu. "I don't even know how this .. I just don't want to even discuss that because it's nothing I can really control.
"I was sick yesterday, and I got a phone call from my agent, (who said), 'there's something going on, some people talking,' so I was like 'Who's talking? No one knows nothing about it,' so I even talked to Marc (Bergevin) today and it's like someone throw it in the Internet, or whatever it was, and it doesn't make sense."
Reports surfaced this week that the dynamic 30-year-old winger's reps were indeed seeking a maximum-term deal for their client in the midst of his successful return to the NHL this season.
Radulov has provided 15 goals and 32 assists in 65 games on his one-year, $5.75-million contract with Montreal.
He previously spent the better part of the last eight seasons in the KHL.
Less than a month remains in the NHL's regular season, and the playoff hunt is heating up for several teams on the bubble in the East.
With the Bruins owning a four-point cushion over the Maple Leafs for the first wild-card spot entering the weekend, the Leafs have little room for comfort with the Islanders and Lightning trailing just one point behind. The Flyers and Panthers remain alive at six and seven points back, respectively.
For fans looking to be on hand as each team makes its case for a playoff spot, the biggest demand for tickets exists in Toronto. On TicketIQ, Maple Leafs tickets are averaging nearly $300 for remaining games at Air Canada Centre. The Leafs will play their most expensive home game against the Penguins on April 8, where tickets average $465. A March 28 game with the Panthers is the cheapest at a $220 average.
The Islanders continued their see-sawing year on Thursday after dropping a pivotal game to the Jets at home. They'll play five more home games at Barclays Center this season and own the second most expensive prices among all bubble teams in the East. Islanders tickets at home currently average $102, with a March 25 game the most expensive at an average price of $135. A matchup with the Predators two days later is the cheapest remaining at a $72 average.
The Bolts have had a similar year of ups and downs, watching Steven Stamkos fall victim to a long-term injury and looking like a ghost of last year’s team that reached Game 7 of the Conference Finals. They remain on the cusp of the second wild-card spot, however, and tickets at Amalie Arena are averaging $100 through the end of the season. Notable games include a March 27 matchup with the Blackhawks ($176 average) and March 19 against the Hurricanes ($62 average). Additional savings can be found on the TicketIQ app.
Though on the outside looking in, the Flyers and Panthers still remain in the playoff conversation. The two teams are posting relatively cheap prices through the end of the season, with Flyers tickets averaging $88 and Panthers tickets at $77. The Panthers will play the 'Canes on March 21 in the cheapest game of all playoff-bubble teams with tickets averaging just $48.
Each day this week, we published mock expansion keeper lists by division: Atlantic, Pacific, Metropolitan, Central. Based on those lists, we've drafted a mock expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights roster.
So here's the thing about the expansion draft: None of us have a damn clue.
We may have a hunch or tip here and there, but we are ultimately oblivious to the exact motives, intentions, and strategies the NHL's 31 general managers will bring to the table when the Vegas Golden Knights piece together a roster in late June.
You can run through the thousands upon thousands of scenarios over on CapFriendly's expansion tool (which is wonderful, by the way), but countless uncontrolled variables could see you easily whiff on all 30 selections. This was even before George McPhee declared that the Golden Knights' intent is to hold an NHL-wide auction for any player left unprotected.
This process cannot be forecast. It makes the event that much more exciting, because it's a genuine opportunity for all teams to make something happen, but also makes it next-to impossible to see in a crystal ball.
So we attacked the exercise this way: In an attempt to eliminate biases and control some variables, we had four editors determine the protected lists from each division, and a fifth, unaware of each strategy, draft the team "blind," while keeping a few key principles in mind:
The upcoming NHL Draft is weak. There should be opportunities for Vegas to accumulate draft picks (perhaps even firsts) in exchange for unwanted contracts. A few of these, preferably short-term deals, will help the Golden Knights reach the salary floor, but more importantly expedite the process of building the foundation of their prospect base. When possible, we'll choose players under the assumption that a draft pick will be tied to it. Ideally these players are talented enough to flip (at half the salary) down the line.
Defensemen will be the Golden Knights' greatest currency, and it only helps that it's the position that's most vulnerable in the expansion process. McPhee must select a surplus of quality defenders to increase the club's flexibility moving forward. So in coin-flip scenarios, we leaned towards the back end.
Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of opportunity to take ostensibly unwanted contracts from teams looking to shed salary. Plekanec and Gorges fill this criteria, perhaps so too does Ward and Sheahan.
By design, it's an impressive defense corps. There are a few foundational pieces locked up long term in Brodin and Maatta, and other 25-and-under rotation pieces to be excited about in Ellis, Gudbranson, Pysyk, and Wideman. Pulock is a really good prospect, and van Riemsdyk is a nice get as well. Gorges, McNabb, and Schenn will be pending UFAs and potential deadline assets. This group will indeed give McPhee options to help shore up other deficiencies immediately.
As expected, the forward group is fairly weak. Silfverberg has the most term on his deal with just two seasons before reaching unrestricted free agency. Namestnikov, Lowry, Anderson, Ritchie, and Rychel are the other potential core players on the roster. Seven forwards require new contracts over the summer, but most are under control for many seasons. There are a few useful bodies scattered throughout.
In net, Grubauer and Raanta each have a plus-.920 save percentage in supplementary roles this season. This tandem might serve best in a split-duty function. There were other options available, but it's best to be patient in the goaltending market.
PITTSBURGH - The depleted Pittsburgh Penguins defense has taken another hit. Coach Mike Sullivan says defenseman Ron Hainsey is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
The Penguins acquired the 35-year-old Hainsey just before the trade deadline. Hainsey has one assist in 10 games since joining Pittsburgh. The Penguins called up Derrick Pouliot from their AHL affiliate in Wilkes Barre/Scranton ahead of Friday night's game against New Jersey to fill in for Hainsey.
Pittsburgh is already missing injured defensemen Kris Letang, Olli Maatta and Trevor Daley, though all three are expected back by the playoffs.
Sullivan said center Evgeni Malkin will sit out Friday with an upper-body injury. Sullivan added Malkin, who is fifth in the league in scoring with 72 points, had been dealing with the injury for some time.
On the heels of the NHL100 Classic announcement, the Canadian government designated the Stanley Cup as a National Historic Event in front the collection of dignitaries in Ottawa on Friday.
Though it has long held that distinction within Canada's collective conscious, as MP Catherine McKenna eluded to in her announcement, it will now officially be recognized as one of "Canada's most treasured prizes."
The Stanley Cup routinely tours the country during the summer months, but it's coming up on a quarter-century since a Canadian franchise won Lord Stanley's mug.
Wilkins: Who needs a rebuild when you have David Pastrnak?
After dipping his toe into the harbor last season with 15 goals in 51 games, the Boston Bruins winger has made a bigger splash in his third pro season, recording 31 goals and sitting just shy of a point-per-game pace.
Not bad for a player selected 25th overall. Among his fellow 2014 draftees, only Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl has outpaced Pastrnak, coming up with 118 points to his 115, but doing so in 18 more contests. Still, no player has tallied more often than Pastrnak, who has collected 55 goals since making his NHL debut in 2014-15.
This season, Pastrnak has found a home on the Bruins' second line alongside veteran center David Krejci. The 20-year-old sits second in team scoring and has emerged as a key cog in the next wave of talent in Beantown.
Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf get most of the attention in Anaheim, but it's Rakell who leads the club with 30 goals, and he's done it in only 59 contests. His goals per game (0.51) is fifth-best in the NHL among qualified players, fractionally trailing the NHL's leading scorer Brad Marchand.
Rakell's production has increased every year since entering the league in the 2012-13 season, but few predicted he'd be on pace to net 36 goals in an abbreviated 2016-17 campaign.
The Ducks rank in the league's bottom third in scoring, so the fact that he's provided one-sixth of the team's 180 goals further underscores how important his offensive explosion has been.
Mikael Granlund
Hagerman: Maybe it's the new coach, maybe it's some newly found confidence, or maybe it's simple development, but Mikael Granlund is having a monstrous season.
Through just 69 games, the Minnesota Wild forward sits 11th in league scoring and has already smashed his previous career bests set last season. He's put up 11 more goals and 21 more points in 13 fewer games, and at his current pace should score four more goals and 12 more points before the year is out.
It doesn't end there. He's put up career highs in power-play goals and points, shorthanded goals and points, and his 15.6 shooting percentage is nearly twice as high as his previous best. In fact, his 65 points are already more than any Wild player has posted in a season since 2009-10, when Mikko Koivu paced the club with 71.
Factor in that Granlund also ranks third among the club's forwards in takeaways, fourth in shots, fourth in blocks, and second in shorthanded time on ice and it's clear that not only has he been lethal on the scoreboard, he's been the complete package for the Wild.
Jack Eichel
Cuthbert: Rejoining a non-contender after missing the first six weeks of the season due to injury, Jack Eichel's sophomore campaign would be readily glossed over if it weren't so impressive.
Eichel has not just outshone the vast majority of last season's monster rookie class in his second year - he's been one of the league's most productive players since he's returned from a high ankle sprain.
With 27 points in 22 games since the beginning of last month, Eichel has increased his overall count to 20 goals and 48 points in 50 games, a historic near-point-per-game rate for a 20-year-old.
He fashioned the second-longest point streak this season, marking the scoresheet in 11 consecutive games, and he's sandwiched in between James van Riemsdyk and Jeff Carter in terms of all-situations points rate, ranking 21st in the league.
The NHL officially announced Friday that the Ottawa Senators will host the Montreal Canadiens at Lansdowne Park on Dec. 16 in the next installment of the league's outdoor series: the 2017 Scotiabank NHL100 Classic.
"By bringing the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens together, outdoors at Lansdowne Park, we recreate - and reimagine - a matchup of founding NHL franchises who launched 100 years of remarkable history for our league and our fans," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said.
"The 2017 Scotiabank NHL100 Classicwill serve as another signature event in our Centennial celebration, will set the stage for the next 100 years of NHL excitement, and will contribute a unique sports moment to Canada's sesquicentennial."
The outdoor showcase will be staged three days before the 100th anniversary of the first NHL game in Ottawa.
Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.
Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Friday, March 17 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockeyand apply to 5v5 situations):
Dynamic Duos
C Sidney Crosby (99K) & LW Conor Sheary (48K), Penguins (vs. Devils): New Jersey will be playing its second game in as many nights. Crosby and Sheary play together at 5v5. With Evgeni Malkin sitting out Friday, it's possible Sheary will be promoted from PP2 to PP1.
C Sean Monahan (52K) & LW Johnny Gaudreau (62K), Flames (vs. Stars): Calgary's winning streak came to an end, Wednesday, against Boston. Nonetheless, this duo should have no problem picking up where they left off. Dallas has the second-highest xGA60 (expected goals against per 60 minutes) in the NHL.
C Rickard Rakell (44K) & RW Patrick Eaves (44K), Ducks (vs. Sabres): It's a shame Rakell is listed as a center even though he plays LW. You have to choose between he and Ryan Getzlaf, but it's an easy choice considering the latter costs nearly twice as much. Rakell has 30 goals on the year. He and Eaves could each have multi-point nights against a Sabres team playing the second half of a back-to-back.
Bargain Plays
RW Michael Grabner (32K), Rangers (vs. Panthers): When you rely heavily on breakaways to score, your production isn't going to be consistent. However, 32K for a player with 27 goals provides outstanding value, even if Grabner is a complete boom-or-bust player.
LW Remi Elie (25K), Stars (at Flames): Elie is 11th among NHL skaters with 4.45 iSCF60 (individual scoring chances for per 60 minutes). He has played only six games, but he has a goal and two assists in his last four. If LW Jamie Benn (upper body) can't go, Elie will likely slot in on Dallas' top line with Cs Jason Spezza and Tyler Seguin.
G Anders Nilsson (75K), Sabres (at Ducks): There's a good chance Nilsson get's the call between the pipes on the second night of a back-to-back. It's not an ideal scenario, but he has been a reliable backup netminder this season and the Ducks offense ranks in the bottom half of the league in terms of goals per game.
Top Fades
LW Jamie Benn (67K), Stars (at Flames): It's unclear whether Benn is going to suit up or not. Even if he does, he isn't worth rostering against the red-hot Flames.
RW Corey Perry (67K), Ducks (vs. Sabres): Perry has been relegated to a third-line role and isn't even on the top power-play unit anymore. At 67K, better value can be found elsewhere.
D Dennis Wideman (29K), Flames (vs. Stars): Wideman has been in and out of the lineup these days and doesn't play significant minutes when he does suit up. Even with a bargain salary and a juicy matchup, don't roster him.
Contrarian Options
C Tyler Seguin (72K), Stars (at Flames): Seguin will likely be faded with a tough matchup and a high salary, but there is a chance Brian Elliott (illness) won't be at 100 percent if he does play, Friday. This could open the door for a big night from one of the league's most talented players.
G Brian Elliott (96K), Flames (vs. Stars): On the flip side, Elliott's status on Squad Up is considered questionable, which will leave him with little ownership even though he was on the ice for Thursday's practice. Obviously if you roster Seguin, or any other Stars, don't roster Elliott.
D Rasmus Ristolainen (42K), Sabres (at Ducks): Ristolainen will have low ownership with a matchup against the defensive juggernaut Ducks. However, he can return value without scoring. He is capable of putting up 5-plus shots, hits and blocks in a single game.
Through the remainder of the regular season, we'll take a look at how the night's action impacts the playoff race, highlighting which teams' postseason odds went up or down significantly.
Another dramatic swing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Two days after relative catastrophe - with every result from Tuesday night's schedule hurting their playoff chances - the Maple Leafs bounced back to smash the Lightning in their latest most important game of the season. In doing so, Toronto saw every other competitor in the race for the final few seeds in the Eastern Conference postseason come up empty.
The Islanders, Panthers, Senators, Bruins, Flyers, and Lightning, of course, all suffered regulation losses, allowing the Maple Leafs to sneak back into the eighth seed.
Over in the West, the Kings collected two points in their win over the Sabres. But their postseason chances took a hit, as the Oilers, Predators, and Blues were all winners as well.
