Auston Matthews needs a break.

The Toronto Maple Leafs center and likely winner of the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie decided against representing Team USA at the World Championship, saying he's "exhausted" from the grind of a long season, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.

Here's what his year has looked like:

Matthews is expected to spend some time with his family before getting back to work in the offseason.

The 19-year-old led all rookies with 40 goals and 69 points this season, and recorded an additional four goals and one assist in six playoff games.

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The Minnesota Wild will be standing relatively pat following an early exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

That was the message delivered by general manager Chuck Fletcher on Tuesday, with the caveat that the hockey world is headed for an interesting offseason with the addition of the Vegas Golden Knights and a salary cap that isn't expected to rise all that much.

The Wild were eliminated in five games by the St. Louis Blues, but Fletcher appears to at least somewhat agree with head coach Bruce Boudreau's assessment that the better team lost.

"(We've got) a good group and a good team," Fletcher added, per Chad Graff of The Pioneer Press. "We've just got to keep pushing.

"People don’t want to hear about the regular season, but it’s still an 82-game, six-month picture," he continued. "We were a remarkably consistent team. We took a lot of steps this year."

The Wild finished fifth overall in the regular-season standings with a team-record 106 points.

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Nikita Zaitsev will not represent Russia at the 2017 World Championship in Paris and Germany.

The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman did not gain the necessary medical clearance from team doctors after suffering a head injury, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.

Zaitsev appeared in four of six playoff games against the Washington Capitals, including the final three games, in which he averaged well over 20 minutes of ice time.

He failed to record a point and was a minus-four in the series following a strong showing in the regular season as a rookie.

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It was a rare moment of honesty in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Following a series win over the Boston Bruins, Erik Karlsson admitted to having been playing with two hairline fractures in his left heel.

As the Ottawa Senators now prepare to face off against the New York Rangers in the second round, head coach Guy Boucher was asked if he was concerned about what Karlsson had disclosed, fearing the opposition may target the sore spot.

"It's over," Boucher countered Tuesday, per Ian Mendes of TSN. "That's why he said it. He's perfectly healthy now."

Perhaps a higher power has been at work since Karlsson suffered the injury back in late March:

Despite the foot issue, Karlsson recorded six assists and averaged 30:24 of ice time in the series against the Bruins.

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The Vancouver Canucks are close to finalizing a deal with Travis Green to be the team's new head coach, according to Bob McKenzie of TSN.

The former NHL center has served as head coach of the AHL's Utica Comets since 2013, and although Vancouver's farm team finished outside of the playoff picture this season, Green led the club to success in the past, including a Calder Cup Final appearance in 2015.

Green also coached the WHL's Portland Winterhawks to a league championship in 2013.

As a player, he logged 970 games over 16 seasons, recording 193 goals and 262 assists.

A formal announcement is expected within the next couple of days, per McKenzie.

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It's the matchup that was never supposed to happen.

The Nashville Predators pulled off the mother of all upsets in the first round, knocking out the Western Conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks in a clean sweep. The St. Louis Blues then followed that up with a 4-1 series win over the No. 2-ranked Minnesota Wild.

So here we are.

The Predators and Blues will now battle for a spot in the Western Conference Final. This series looks to be a battle of two defensive specialists, but that's just one of the storylines to keep an eye on heading into this second-round clash.

Will Tarasenko break out?

The Blues just aren't the same team without Vladimir Tarasenko.

No, the Russian forward hasn't been injured, but with just one goal and only two helpers in the previous series, it's clear the Blues will be wanting more from their offensive dynamo.

Tararensko had 16 more goals than his closest teammate and 20 more points during the 2016-17 campaign. He also led his club with nine power-play goals during the regular season and the team could certainly use more of those.

So it's time for him to get back on track. During his playoff career he has averaged at least one goal every other game and that's exactly what the Blues would like to see from the 25-year-old.

The Blues need Tarasenko to be at his best. That being said, if the Predators can keep him in check, they will certainly help their chances of escaping the series with a win.

Rinne vs. Allen

Don't expect any blowouts here.

This matchup will feature the two hottest goalies going in Pekka Rinne and Jake Allen. In fact, these two men both arguably won their team's first-round series single-handedly.

Rinne certainly has the edge in the numbers, thanks in large part to the two goose eggs he posted in the first two games against the Blackhawks, but it should be noted that Allen has been the busier of the two, having faced an average of nearly five more shots per game.

That being said, it sure looks like we have the makings of a real goaltending duel on our hands.

Can Blues up their game?

Minnesota dominated St. Louis in their first round series, just ask head coach Bruce Boudreau.

The Wild were the better team, but still the Blues reigned victorious thanks in large part to the man mentioned above. The Blues were out-dueled in almost every aspect of the game and sit in the playoff basement in several important categories.

They rank last among all postseason clubs in shots per game (26.8), shots against per game (38.8), tied for last in power play proficiency (6.7 percent), and rank second-last among teams remaining in goals per game (2.20).

It's becoming quite clear that this is not a winning formula, and while they may have escaped the first round, they cannot depend on Allen to save the day once again.

Mike Yeo must get his club back to controlling some of the play if they are to advance to the next round.

Betting Line

Prediction

As mentioned above, this should be a tight one.

Both teams muscled their way to the second round on the backs of great goaltending and solid play in their own end. However, recent trends in these playoffs suggest the Predators have the edge.

While the Blues got by almost entirely on goaltending, the Predators got both great performances from Rinne and solid offensive contributions in the first round.

The team averaged 3.25 goals per game, good enough for third in the postseason behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks. The Predators are averaging the highest percentage of goals scored at 5-on-5, while just seven of the Blues' 11 goals have come at full strength.

The Predators also own the more well-rounded and versatile defense core. We could see some ugly looking hockey, but when all is said and done, the Predators are likely to prevail.

Schedule

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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And then there were eight.

The first round's in the books, and a good time was had by all. (Well, except the teams that had their seasons end.)

Related: 5 reasons why the 1st round was excellent

theScore's hockey editors are ready for Round 2. Our picks for the four series are below, as well as our first-round prediction performances.

Eastern Conference

Senators vs. Rangers

• Only two editors picked the Senators to beat the Bruins in the first round. They've picked up only one additional believer as they head into the Eastern semifinals against the Rangers.

Capitals vs. Penguins

• We believe it's the Capitals' time, as they prepare to tangle with the Penguins in what is the second round's most exciting series.

Western Conference

Blues vs. Predators

• None of us picked the Predators to upset the Blackhawks. Don't lie, you didn't either. With all due respect to the Blues, we've converted, almost to a man, to believers of Nashville.

Ducks vs. Oilers

• Like Rangers-Senators and Capitals-Penguins, this one comes in at 6-3, as well, in favor of the Ducks. Can't spell spoilers without Oilers, though.

1st-round results

Here's how we did in the Round of 16:

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The Chicago Blackhawks' decision to fire assistant coach Mike Kitchen reportedly didn't sit well with Joel Quenneville.

Kitchen's firing was not orchestrated by the head coach, who was upset by the move, multiple league sources told Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune.

The team didn't include a statement from Quenneville in the news release announcing Kitchen's dismissal.

Related: Blackhawks fire assistant coach Kitchen after playoff sweep

Kitchen's firing is expected to cause more conflict between Quenneville and general manager Stan Bowman, wrote Hine. The two Blackhawks staffers engaged in a power struggle over personnel back in 2012 that was alleviated by the pair of subsequent titles.

Bowman likely fired Kitchen to reassert authority over the organization's personnel and to send everyone, including Quenneville, a message, according to the report.

The GM said Saturday that changes were coming, but the head coach was not going to be let go at this juncture, following a first-round sweep at the hands of the Nashville Predators.

Kitchen was fired Monday after seven seasons with the Blackhawks that began when he was reunited with Quenneville in the summer of 2010.

The two men are "best friends," according to the report, and their time working together dates back to 1998-2003 with the St. Louis Blues.

They also played together with the Colorado Rockies and New Jersey Devils from 1979-83.

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