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One of the fixtures of international hockey could be missing from the next Olympic competition.

Russia's participation in the 2018 Olympic hockey tournament in Pyeongchang is in question, sources told Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

As many as 20 Western-based national anti-doping committees and some IOC members are believed to be pushing for a ban of all Russian athletes from the upcoming Games, and fears were raised in international hockey circles this week that such a ban could be coming, according to the report.

The IOC has been investigating evidence of state-sponsored doping by Russian athletes who took part in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, following the findings of the McLaren Report in 2016.

On Saturday, KHL president Dmitry Chernyshenko threatened to "respond accordingly" if all Russian athletes are banned from Pyeongchang, presumably by preventing all KHLers from taking part, which would affect more than just the Russian roster because the league also features players from Canada, the United States, and elsewhere.

However, IIHF president Rene Fasel said a KHL withdrawl is prohibited under the IIHF rules the league has agreed to.

The 2018 Olympic tournament will already be without NHL players, and if the Russian squad or all KHL players - or both - are absent from South Korea, it would further reduce the level of talent at the already depleted tournament.

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Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A resolution has reportedly been reached in the Vadim Shipachyov saga.

The Russian forward will file retirement papers with the NHL to ensure his departure from the Vegas Golden Knights, via Sportsnet's Eric Engels.

Once the 30-year-old retires, his NHL rights will belong to Vegas until he's 35, Engels adds.

TSN's Pierre LeBrun was first to report that the NHL and NHLPA had agreed to a solution to facilitate Shipachyov's exit, and he added that it's expected to come Monday.

The NHLPA reportedly got involved in the process because it did not want Shipachyov to repay his $2-million signing bonus in the event he was claimed on waivers or signed by another NHL club.

He apparently went back to Russia after the Golden Knights suspended him for leaving their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.

Vegas signed Shipachyov to a two-year, $9-million contract in May.

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The winner of the 2018 draft lottery will earn the right to add a franchise talent - and right now, that talent is projected to be blue-liner Rasmus Dahlin.

The Swede got top billing in the top 31 draft rankings that ISS Hockey issued for November. Here's a look at all five players currently atop the 2018 class.

Rasmus Dahlin

Turning heads since he was 16 years old, Dahlin is the undisputed selection to lead off the 2018 draft. The 6-foot-2 defender plays in all situations and is already making his mark in the ultra-competitive Swedish League as a teenager.

"He defends like (Nicklas) Lidstrom. He skates like (Erik) Karlsson," TSN's Ray Ferraro told Viasat. "His potential is limitless."

North American hockey fans got their first look at Dahlin in last year's World Junior Championship, where he picked up a goal and an assist across seven games. He's an exceptionally dynamic talent who could quickly become a franchise's most valuable player.

Andrei Svechnikov

A natural goal-scorer, the hulking Russian winger (and the brother of Detroit Red Wings prospect Evgeny Svechnikov) led the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks with 29 goals and 58 points in 48 games in 2016-17. He's now skating in his second season in North America with the OHL's Barrie Colts.

However, scouts won't have an opportunity to get another look at him until at least December as he recovers from a broken hand. He was tied for second in league scoring at the time of the injury.

Brady Tkachuk

The bloodline picks could continue at No. 3, as the son of Keith and the brother of Calgary Flames winger Matthew Tkachuk is another projected top selection.

In fact, Brady could have followed in Matthew's footsteps by lacing up for the OHL's London Knights, but he later committed to Boston University. The NCAA club has developed a handful of upper-echelon talents in recent years, including Charlie McAvoy, Clayton Keller, and Jack Eichel.

The 18-year-old Tkachuk missed last year's draft cutoff date by one day, but that offers him more time to build his game. With his gritty style, he has the makings of a budding power forward.

Filip Zadina

The Halifax Mooseheads have produced no shortage of talent in recent seasons, from Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon to more recent selections Nikolaj Ehlers and last year's No. 1 pick, Nico Hischier.

The dynamic Zadina's had little trouble adjusting to the North American game after spending the past two seasons in the Czech League. The junior rookie has taken the Quebec League by storm and holds a seven-point lead on the second-highest scoring freshman.

Zadina's ability to create high-level offense will make his selection a priority as scouts prepare for the 2018 draft.

Oliver Wahlstrom

Rising star Wahlstrom could ultimately be the top center available in this year's class. A powerful skater with an impressive ability to carry the puck, Wahlstrom is built to play the possession-based game the NHL has moved toward.

The Massachusetts native also holds Swedish citizenship, but attended Team USA's world junior summer showcase and is a good bet to make the final cut come December. The National Team Development Program skater is committed to Harvard for 2018-19.

The 2018 NHL Draft will be held June 22-23 in Dallas.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Talks on a proposed three-way trade that would have sent Matt Duchene to the Ottawa Senators ended with no deal, TSN's Darren Dreger reports.

Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has been pursuing Duchene since mid-September and discussions heated up in the last couple of weeks, according to Dreger.

More to come.

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For general managers planning to get in on the John Tavares sweepstakes this coming summer, the beginning of the 2017-18 season has been bittersweet.

The New York Islanders captain has been on a goal-scoring rampage over the last couple weeks. He has positioned himself among the hottest players in the league through the first month of the season, which is sure to raise his asking price this offseason.

Tavares has already tallied two hat tricks and in all has collected 12 goals and 17 points in 13 games in a contract year. His hot start - whether or not he maintains this torrid pace - puts him in a good position to not just surpass last season's totals of 28 goals and 66 points, but also his career year in 2014-15 when he finished second in league scoring with 38 goals and 86 points.

The Mississauga, Ontario native is in the final season of a six-year, $33-million contract that has seen the Islanders get tremendous bang for their buck.

However, Tavares is soon to get his due. He will be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career - unless he re-ups with the Islanders - and given his body of work and the current contracts of the game's best centers, he could very well score one of the league's wealthiest deals.

Connor McDavid is, of course, at the top of the totem pole. His $12.5-million cap hit over eight years trumps all deals, but it might not be far off from what Tavares could command.

At 27 years of age, wisdom would suggest Tavares is in his prime and likely to demand a max eight-year deal - and rightfully so. As for what his cap hit should look like, consider the five top-earning centers in the league as of next season:

Since breaking into the league, Tavares has paced Evgeni Malkin, Jonathan Toews, and Anze Kopitar in points. Additionally, Tavares plays all situations, wins more than half of his faceoffs, and boasts a Corsi For rating of 53.12 this season.

At his current pace, Tavares would tally 75 goals and 107 points in 82 games. That number is sure to drop, at least in the goal-scoring department as he is currently rocking a shooting percentage of 26.1 percent, more than double his career average.

He's on course to take a career-high 290 shots, and even if Tavares regresses to his career average shooting percentage the rest of the way, that would still see him record 43 goals - the highest mark of his career.

Tavares is on pace to finish well below his average assists total, but given that he's averaged 41 helpers over the last four seasons, chances are he will finish with a respectable number. If he can come close to that total, a career year may be in the cards.

Given that teams tend to overpay in free agency - should Tavares get there - it's reasonable to expect Tavares to put pen to paper on an eight-year, $80-million contract, especially if his blistering pace continues.

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