Mike Futa may or may not be in the mix for the Buffalo Sabres' vacant general manager position, but if he isn't, he still has a decent consolation prize.
The longtime Los Angeles Kings executive no longer appears to be under heavy consideration for the Sabres job, Fox Sports West's Jon Rosen reported after talking to Futa twice and to another team source Thursday.
Futa was promoted to assistant general manager of the Kings last month when former GM Dean Lombardi was fired.
He told Rosen multiple times that he's "excited" about his new role with the Kings, speaking passionately about the feeling in the organization after the elevation of Luc Robitaille to team president and Rob Blake to GM.
Futa said he was "thrilled" to interview with the Sabres, adding that the experience was "gratifying."
He's spent 10 years with the Kings in various roles, the last three of which as the club's vice president of hockey operations and director of player personnel.
Bryan Bickell is happy to be starting the next phase of his life.
The former Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks forward, who retired after the regular season due to multiple sclerosis, is settling in to life after hockey.
"I'm feeling a lot better now that I'm not playing hockey. Slowing the heart rate down, slowing the body down, and slowing the mind down definitely helps me feel a lot better. From the get-go to a month afterward and then working my way back, I got better," Bickell told Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago. "I feel comfortable now. I can do a lot of things that, that month, I couldn't really do."
Bickell was diagnosed with MS in November, but was intent on making a return, which started in the AHL and eventually led him back to the Hurricanes' lineup for four games to close out the regular season.
Here's what happened on Day 1 of the World Hockey Championship in Paris, France and Cologne, Germany.
Germany 2 - USA 1
The host Germans put on a show for their home crowd, winning their tournament opener and defeating Team USA for the second consecutive year thanks to a 42-save effort from Thomas Greiss.
Germany got a goal from Tobias Rieder in the first, and the game-winner came from Patrick Hager 13:58 into the third period.
As Giroux was innocently skating by after a whistle, Gudas struck him with a right jab to the chin. Gudas was involved in a verbal confrontation with Nathan MacKinnon at the time, and seemingly punched Giroux without even looking at him.
Gudas apparently has no regard for his Philadelphia teammates, let alone his captain, while representing his home country, the Czech Republic.
Despite the talks, McPhee admitted he was still unsure if Vegas would be able to sign Dadonov to a deal or if the 28-year-old was even going to come to the NHL.
Dadonov is coming off his third season with St. Petersburg - the same club Shipachyov played for - where he finished fourth in the league in goals and fifth in points with 30 and 66, respectively.
Dadonov was originally drafted in the third round in 2007 by the Florida Panthers where he played 55 games over three years before returning to the KHL during the 2012-13 campaign.
"It's hard to say," Crosby told TSN's Mark Masters. "I'm not going to sit here and guess, but it's not one that happens often."
By "guess," Crosby is likely referring to the widespread debate as to whether Niskanen intentionally cross-checked Crosby in the face during Game 3, or whether it was an accident. Unsurprisingly, Crosby didn't offer his opinion.
Alex Ovechkin's slash, which happened seconds before Niskanen's cross-check, has also been a topic of discussion. Crosby was fairly forgiving of his rival.
"The slash, he's trying to prevent a goal," Crosby told Masters. "That's a pretty common play for the most part."
Crosby's Penguins will have a chance to eliminate the Capitals in Game 5 on Saturday in Washington, though No. 87's status remains up in the air after missing Wednesday's Game 4.
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby participated in his first full practice on Friday since sustaining a concussion, but his status for Game 5 remains up in the air.
Crosby said he's feeling better, but that the ultimate decision on his return will come from the club's medical staff.
"I feel good. You know, right now just kind of following what I'm told to do. I feel good," Crosby said, according to TSN's Mark Masters. "We'll see. I don't want to rule it out. It's not really up to me."
Having missed just one game since suffering the concussion, a return for Game 5 would be a quick turnaround for such an injury. Still, Crosby suggests he knows his body well enough.
"Having gone through this, I'd like to think I'm pretty aware of my body at this point," Crosby said. "I understand the importance of making sure you're good before you come back ... I trust (medical staff), I trust the process."
In the meantime, Crosby is considered day to day, according to head coach Mike Sullivan.
Sullivan on Crosby: "We trust our doctors ... when they tell us he's OK then we have confidence that Sid's good"
As for forward Conor Sheary, he also returned to practice on Friday after sitting out Game 4 with a concussion, but unlike Crosby appears to be a little more confident about a potential return for Game 5.
"As long as today goes well, I think I'll be a game-time tomorrow," Sheary said.
The Penguins can advance to the Eastern Conference Final with a win in Game 5 over the Washington Capitals.
Though practice lines can often be a smokescreen, Ovechkin said head coach Barry Trotz told him he wants to spread out the offense, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti.
Ovechkin seemed to have no problem with it and said he hoped it works, Gulitti added.
Trotz backed up his move by saying that with 11 forwards (Washington has dressed seven D since Karl Alzner returned) Ovechkin could very well double shift in the do-or-die game. He added that this is not based on Ovechkin's Game 4 performance, according to Gulitti.
Washington will try to stave off elimination in Game 5 on Saturday against Pittsburgh.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have been one of the most prolific offensive duos in the entire league this year, but it's time for Edmonton Oilers head coach Todd McLellan to split up the band.
The tandem has combined for an impressive 10 points in this series, but separating their two best players will give the Oilers the best chance to win the series. Edmonton was able to win the first two games, but the Ducks have stormed back, evening the series at two games apiece.
Here is how the Oilers have lined up for most of the series:
A major reason why the Ducks have been able to even the series has been the outstanding play of Ryan Getzlaf. The hulking center has eight points in the series, including three goals and three assists in Anaheim's two victories.
With Edmonton's current line configuration, they have no "shutdown" line. Nugent-Hopkins has been given the task of playing against Getzlaf, but he has clearly failed. Getzlaf, who stands at 6-foot-4, 221 pounds, has been able to impose his will physically on the 6-foot, 196-pound Nugent-Hopkins.
Aside from the obvious physical mismatch, Getzlaf's dominance in the faceoff circle has allowed the Ducks to control the play, forcing Nugent-Hopkins' line to play in its own end far too often. Getzlaf has won 57.6 percent of his faceoffs this series, while Nugent-Hopkins has only been able to win 37.7 percent of his.
Given that Draisaitl (6-foot-1, 216 pounds) is a natural center and, at 49 percent, was a better faceoff man than both McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins this season, McLellan would be smart to shift him back to the middle of the ice. Here is a lineup he could send out for Game 5:
LW
C
RW
Maroon
McDavid
Letestu
Lucic
Draisaitl
Kassian
Caggiula
Nugent-Hopkins
Eberle
Pouliot
Desharnais
Slepyshev
Even though Game 5 will be played in Anaheim and McLellan won't have last change, this lineup would give him much more balance and depth. McDavid and Draisaitl are skilled enough to carry their own lines offensively.
The proposed Draisaitl line would give Edmonton enough physicality to play with Getzlaf's line. Lucic also has the ability to put the puck in the net, so Draisaitl's playmaking wouldn't be put to waste.
Letestu obviously doesn't have anywhere near the talent that Draisaitl does, but he scored 16 goals this year and showed good chemistry with McDavid on the power play. He can also step in and win a draw (50.4 percent this season) to support McDavid (43.2 percent).
McDavid's line, of course, would still draw the attention of one of the league's best defensive forwards, Ryan Kesler. This would allow Nugent-Hopkins' line to face Anaheim's third or fourth line.
Nugent-Hopkins and Eberle have combined for zero goals and five assists so far in the postseason, so giving them an opportunity to skate against lesser players could get them going. Their secondary scoring is crucial to Edmonton's chances in this series.
The IIHF unveiled its power rankings as the World Championship opens Friday, and it's hard to debate the rationale behind them.
The hockey body's rankings seem accurate, with Canada and Russia placed No. 1 and 2, respectively, and the tongue-in-cheek descriptions of each country's merits make for enjoyable reading.
