The "BasedGod" curse will not extend into the ranks of developmental hockey for now.

Lil B, the rapper who's been known to toy with NBA players including Kevin Durant, James Harden and D'Angelo Russell, spared the Montreal Canadiens' ECHL affiliate Monday.

The Beast missed the playoffs and went 23-38-7-4 in their second ECHL season, so avoiding the curse and getting a response from the social media-savvy performer have to be considered wins for the club.

- With h/t to BarDown

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Paul Bissonnette signed a contract with the AHL's Ontario Reign on July 2, but he'll get a chance to make the parent club - the Los Angeles Kings - in September.

The 31-year-old's been invited to Kings camp on a professional tryout, according to The Globe and Mail's James Mirtle.

Bissonnette played 35 games for the Reign last season, scoring twice, adding an assist, and accumulating 51 penalty minutes. He last played in the NHL in 2013-14 with the Arizona Coyotes (who at the time still officially hailed from Phoenix).

A veteran of 202 NHL games, Bissonnette has seven goals, 15 assists, and a very popular Twitter account to his name.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are giving Brandon Prust a shot, reportedly inviting the forward to training camp on a PTO, according to James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail.

Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello reportedly met with Prust over the summer and sees no downside to the move.

Last offseason, Prust was traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the Vancouver Canucks, where he played 35 games, contributing one goal and seven assists. He also scored seven points in nine games with the AHL's Utica Comets.

Prust will be joined on a PTO by defenseman Raman Hrabarenka, who had five goals and four assists in 47 games in the AHL last season.

Leafs camp is set to begin Sept. 22 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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Carey Price said back in June that he's 100 percent healthy. Over the weekend, he went a little further, much to the delight of Montreal Canadiens supporters.

"I feel like my old self on the ice," Price told InGoal Magazine at a fundraising event in British Columbia.

In other words, the sprained MCL that cost Price his season - and derailed Montreal's - is a thing of the past. Price did admit, though, that he still thinks about the injury, and that he can't wait for the 2016-17 season to begin. Months of rehab and waiting have taken their toll.

"I've been working towards a goal I haven't gotten to yet," he said.

Price was limited to only 12 starts last season. He won 10 of them, thanks to his .934 save percentage. Before he gets back in the Canadiens' net, though, he'll play ultra-competitive hockey at the World Cup, where he'll be Team Canada's No. 1 keeper.

Playing with Shea

While Price, who turned 29 last week, will certainly be thinking about his knee injury as he gets back in the crease, he won't be able to talk about it with one of his good friends: P.K. Subban.

The June 29 trade that sent Subban to the Nashville Predators shocked most in the hockey world, Price included, but he's looking forward to playing with Shea Weber. The two have been skating together in Kelowna, B.C.

Price believes Weber's addition to the team and his adapting to Montreal's system will be seamless, he told NHL.com's Kevin Woodley.

He'll miss P.K., no doubt, but "there's not a team in the NHL that wouldn't want Weber," Price said. And once Canadiens fans see what Weber brings to the table, they'll love him, too, much like they loved Subban.

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Connor McDavid has his eyes set on raising the bar.

Of course, McDavid's bar has been considerably higher than his peers' since he was granted Exceptional Player Status to enter the OHL at 15 years of age, but now 19 years old, the Edmonton Oilers phenom wants to ditch the "kid" narrative heading into his sophomore season.

"I just want to go in and have a good (training) camp and show everyone that I'm not some 18-year-old kid anymore," McDavid told The Canadian Press.

McDavid endured a trying rookie campaign after a shoulder injury sidelined him for 37 games, but recorded 48 points in 45 contests when healthy. As one of the presumed leading candidates for the Oilers' vacant captaincy, McDavid could be bearing larger expectations before even stepping foot on the ice, something he believes he'd be ready for.

"It would mean so much," McDavid said. "It would definitely be an accomplishment that I would be the most proud of. But that's still to be determined and I don't want to talk about it too much or anything like that."

The Oilers changed their identity this offseason, trading 2010 No. 1 pick Taylor Hall and acquiring Milan Lucic via free agency. Without revealing any personal goals, McDavid shared a glimpse of optimism heading into October.

"Definitely have high hopes for this year," he said.

We'll be watching, Connor. No pressure.

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Alexander Radulov has one thing on his mind as he gets ready to embark on his latest stint in the NHL.

One of the newest members of the Montreal Canadiens spoke with the media on Monday and admitted that his decision to return to not just the NHL, but the Canadiens stemmed from a desire to win.

"The first goal is I want to win," Radulov said, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels. "I want to win every night. It doesn’t matter who’s going to score and put up the points; we want to win. It’s a team game and I think if the team is going to be successful, everyone will be successful.

"Marc (Bergevin) was saying it’s a special place to play," said Radulov. "I hate losing. I hate when something goes not our way. I just want to win and I think this is the place and I’m ready for it."

The decision by the Canadiens to take a chance on Radulov has always been one met with scepticism. This is largely due to the impression he gave after he was suspended by the Nashville Predators back in 2012 for violating a team curfew policy and ultimately returned to the KHL.

However, Radulov feels that part of his life is in the rear-view mirror and he has since become a leader on and off the ice, thanks in large to his general manager in CSKA Moscow, Sergei Fedorov.

"Thanks to Sergei for that," Radulov said. "I was there playing and we had a pretty young team and I had that thing that I was a leader and playing a lot of minutes. I tried to live as an example in the locker room, off the ice and on the ice. It’s helped me a lot. It’s changed my vision of the way I have to work and I have to be."

Radulov is now married with a son and understands that for his sake and theirs, he must act accordingly.

"I’m getting older," Radulov said. "I know I gotta take care of myself and be in shape and be 100 per cent every day. I know how to do that and I really like that I’m here right now."

During his last four years in the KHL, Radulov has amassed an astounding 78 goals and 238 points in 181 games.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs signed free-agent goaltender Jhonas Enroth to a one-year, $750,000 contract on Monday, the team announced.

The 28-year-old spent last season serving as Jonathan Quick's backup in Los Angeles. While he only appeared in 16 games for the club, he put up better numbers than Quick with a 2.17 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage.

Enroth is sure to serve as backup once again, this time to Frederik Andersen, who the Maple Leafs acquired from the Anaheim Ducks before inking to a five-year contract back in June.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs promoted Mark Hunter to the role of assistant general manager on Monday, the team announced.

Hunter joined the Maple Leafs in 2014 and had been serving as the team's director of player personnel, largely spending his time overseeing the club's scouting.

"Mark's new title is essentially a formality as these are duties he’s already been performing," Maple Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello said in a release. "Brendan and I have been discussing this change of title since last season - as it’s a more appropriate recognition of Mark's role with the organization since joining the Maple Leafs. There are no changes to Mark or Kyle’s duties, or to that of Brandon Pridham, assistant to the general manager."

Hunter will continue to work alongside assistant general manager Kyle Dubas where he will further oversee the club's scouting, player evaluation, and the team's player development.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs promoted Mark Hunter to the role of assistant general manager on Monday, the team announced.

Hunter joined the Maple Leafs in 2014 and had been serving as the team's director of player personnel, largely spending his time overseeing the club's scouting.

"Mark's new title is essentially a formality as these are duties he’s already been performing," Maple Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello said in a release. "Brendan and I have been discussing this change of title since last season - as it’s a more appropriate recognition of Mark's role with the organization since joining the Maple Leafs. There are no changes to Mark or Kyle’s duties, or to that of Brandon Pridham, assistant to the general manager."

Hunter will continue to work alongside assistant general manager Kyle Dubas where he will further oversee the club's scouting, player evaluation, and the team's player development.

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While they may lack experience, Team North America surely doesn't lack confidence.

The team, comprised of players age 23 and younger from Canada and the United States, will enter next month's World Cup of Hockey as one of the unlikely squads to capture the title, but don't tell that to the players.

"There is a lot of speed and a lot of talent on our team," Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said, according to NHL.com's Mike Brophy. "I think it all comes down to how we jell as a team led by (coach) Todd McLellan (Edmonton Oilers) and the rest of the coaching staff. I think we'll do fine."

The team will enter the tournament with five of the past six No. 1 draft picks, most notably Oilers' standout Connor McDavid who shares the same confidence as Ekblad, suggesting the team shouldn't be ruled out.

"It's exciting," McDavid said. "There are a lot of good young players that have a lot of speed and skill. I think we have the ability to surprise some teams.

"We haven't been all together yet. But in talking with some of the guys, I think everyone has a quiet confidence. At the same time, I think we all understand we're the young bucks, the young guys, and nobody is really expecting too much from us. We'll see how it goes, but I think everyone is excited."

Team North America will get their first chance to prove their might when they open the tournament on Sept. 18 against Finland.

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