The Detroit Red Wings appear set to make their 2016-17 season even more difficult.

Center Pavel Datsyuk stated Sunday he intends to leave the NHL at the end of the postseason and head back to Russia for family reasons, according to Mitch Albom from the Detroit Free Press. It leaves the club in a tricky spot, as his $7.5-million cap hit will remain on the books.

Related: Datsyuk 'done playing in NHL' after postseason

While Datsyuk is open to having his rights traded to a cash-strapped team in need of reaching the NHL's cap floor, his agent, Dan Milstein, indicated the Red Wings won't use that option, presumably out of respect for the player's legacy.

Albom writes:

(Datsyuk) also said that if the Wings wanted to trade his rights to another team as a salary cap dump, he would accept that, understanding that it was strictly business (Milstein said the Wings have told him that would not happen).

Datsyuk's cap hit is the highest on the team, and general manager Ken Holland will have to re-sign restricted free agents Petr Mrazek, Danny Dekeyser, Alexey Marchenko, Teemu Pulkkinen, and Riley Sheahan this summer, not to mention the unrestricted free agents on the roster.

That kind of dead cap space is problematic for teams like Detroit, already near or at the ceiling. Trying to replace a player like Datsyuk on top of that would be near impossible.

The only other option is trading the contract (think Chris Pronger to Arizona), which would be curious not to at least explore.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning appear to have warded off another big bite from the injury bug.

General manager Steve Yzerman indicated center Tyler Johnson could be ready for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs after suffering an upper-body injury Saturday in Montreal, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.

The injury came at the hands of Canadiens defenseman Greg Pateryn, who will reportedly not be disciplined for what head coach Jon Cooper called an "egregious" incident.

Johnson remains day to day, with the Lightning set to practice Monday.

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Finishing 29th in the NHL standings doesn't sit well with Connor McDavid, and the young Edmonton Oilers center made that perfectly clear as the team gathered for exit meetings Sunday.

"It eats me alive," he said. "If it doesn't, you shouldn't be here. I'm someone who doesn't handle losing very well."

Unfortunately for both McDavid and the Oilers, the 2015 first overall pick played only 45 games this season after breaking his clavicle back in November, limiting his ability to expedite the forever-stalled rebuilding process.

McDavid did prove to be the brightest of the bunch when it comes to recent Oilers lottery picks, however, recording 16 goals and 32 assists in 48 games, ranking third league-wide in points per game, behind only Patrick Kane and Jamie Benn and ahead of Sidney Crosby.

General manager Peter Chiarelli certainly has some big decisions to make this offseason, and his intentions may not be fully determined until after he finds out where the Oilers will pick in the draft. McDavid, of course, is a lock to remain in Edmonton for as long as possible. For now, he's off to represent Canada at the World Championship next month, where he hopes to regain that winning feeling.

"I'm really excited. It's something to play for." @cmcdavid97 on going for gold with @HockeyCanada at the upcoming #IIHFWorlds tourney

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 10, 2016

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The morning after the Toronto Maple Leafs finished the regular season, questions abound regarding the status of two injured veteran players.

Defenseman Stephane Robidas and forward Joffrey Lupul are already questionable to come off injured reserve and suit up next season, with the former's career seemingly in jeopardy.

Lou Lamoriello says Stephane Robidas's career could be over. Says he doesn't know whether Robidas or Joffrey Lupul will play next season.

— Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) April 10, 2016

Robidas, who didn't play once this season, remains on the books for one more season at a salary-cap hit of $3 million, while the oft-injured Lupul was limited to 46 games and is under contract through 2017-18 at $5.25 million.

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NEWARK, N.J. - Patrik Elias is suddenly thinking about playing an 18th season in the NHL. Whether it's with the New Jersey Devils remains to be seen. A two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Devils and their all-time leading scorer, Elias sa...

A knee injury that kept Nathan MacKinnon out of the Colorado Avalanche's final 10 games was revealed to be a left MCL sprain.

The forward, who attempted to return to the lineup for a final playoff push, said he wouldn't have been able to suit up for postseason action even if the team qualified.

"It's not feeling great at all right now," MacKinnon told reporters Saturday. "You've got to be careful, because it could really mess up your knee if you push it."

MacKinnon won't require surgery, and would be interested in playing for Canada at the World Championship in May, health permitting of course.

"If I can, I'd definitely be interested. But I definitely want to be pretty cautious," he said.

The 20-year-old appeared in 72 games this season, recording 21 goals and 31 assists.

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Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise is listed as day to day with an undisclosed injury that forced him to sit out the regular-season finale.

As coaches are wont to do this time of year, John Torchetti wouldn't comment on whether the winger would be ready for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs later this week.

Minnesota is set to play the Dallas Stars in the opening round, and will need all hands on deck in order to keep up with that high-flying offense.

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There were no easy choices in the NHL awards race this season. From the Jack Adams to the Hart Trophy, every field featured a slew of quality contenders. Here's a breakdown of who could come away with the hardware this year: Jack Adams ...

With the playoffs now just days away, players and extreme fans will now embark on the greatest of sports traditions, the playoff beard.

However, before we get to bask in some beautiful Viking-style beards and whatever Sidney Crosby grows, lets take some time to recognize some of the most beautiful flows that came from the heads of NHL greats.

Here are this season's five best flows:

Jaromir Jagr

This season Jaromir Jagr really turned back the clock.

While the Florida Panthers star - at 44 years old - lead his team with 66 points and finished second with 27 goals, he has also brought back his signature mullet which he made so famous in the early 90s.

Pure beauty.

Matt Martin

Matt Martin's hair is a hit, fitting for the man who leads the NHL in that very category.

The New York Islanders bruiser has locks that go on for days, but his rough play has not made his flow any less memorizing. Especially while Martin has participated in 11 fights this season, second amongst all skaters.

Henrik Lundqvist

Look at Henrik Lundqvist, and now look in the mirror... sorry. The main man on Broadway is one good looking specimen and his most deadly attribute - next to stopping pucks - is his hair.

Lundqvist fittingly has a flow fit for a king. The New York Rangers goaltender is never out of any game and that is because his flow always comes to play.

Braden Holtby

It must be a goalie thing.

While the Washington Capitals goaltender matched Martin Brodeur's single-season record with 48 wins, there is something Braden Holtby does have the Brodeur never did, a luscious flow.

Holtby's hair is one of the newest and easily one of the game's best. The secret obviously being the strange amount of water he seems to always be dowsing it with.

Brent Burns

What do you get when you cross "beauty" with "terror"? Bear, and that is exactly what Brent Burns immortalizes with his impeccable beard-flow combo.

While his beard garners most of the conversation - and anything else it comes into contact with - his flowing hear atop his head is almost just as impressive. It's quite easy to see why he has been recreated in chia pet form.

Honorable Mentions

Sonny Milano

William Nylander

Both Nylander and Milano stepped into the NHL this season and have looked good doing it. Both still have much to learn about the league and what it takes to stick with their respective clubs.

But lets be honest many veterans could learn a thing or two from these rookie dews.

*Note Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson and Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang were not considered due to some unfortunate hair cuts.

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Brooks Laich believe he'll be back with the Toronto Maple Leafs next season.

The veteran forward, who's contract has one year remaining, met with management Sunday and is pretty sure his services will be retained after receiving positive feedback about his time in Toronto.

Whether he'll be able to stomach watching the Washington Capitals fight for the Stanley Cup remains to be determined, however.

Brooks Laich says he's going to try not to be glued to the #caps games in playoffs. "I don't know how that's going to go yet."

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) April 10, 2016

Laich was sent to Toronto by Washington prior to the trade deadline. He recorded one goals and six assists while averaging a shade under 14 minutes in 21 games with the Maple Leafs.

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