Fear not, Ottawa Senators fans, the team expects Cody Ceci to be on the blue line for opening night.

Ceci is still a restricted free agent, but Senators general manager Pierre Dorion told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun that the team expects to reach a deal with the defenseman soon.

"It's taken a bit longer than I anticipated," Dorion said. "I think maybe (J.P. Barry, Ceci's agent) is trying to test me in my first time as GM, even though I've done quite a (few) contracts before. He'll be playing for us Oct. 12. I think in the next few weeks we'll get something done."

Dorion said recent discussions with Barry have been positive.

"J.P and I exchanged emails (Thursday) and they were really positive emails," he said. "We're still looking at different angles and what we can do for a contract but I have a lot of faith."

Ceci enjoyed a breakout season in 2015-16, notching a career high in goals with 10 and points with 26. The 22-year-old no doubt wants a long-term deal, but, given he just completed his third season and only has 56 career points, the Sens will likely want to be cautious.

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Two tickets to tonight's San Jose Rubber Puckies game. Who wants 'em?

Bash Las Vegas if it ultimately decides on an unoriginal name like the Red Hawks, rather than Knights, Vipers, or Wranglers. But at least it's playing it safe, avoiding the ridicule that comes with an awful team nickname.

With that, here are our top five cringeworthy names that nearly made it into NHL circles:

1. San Jose Rubber Puckies

While not a finalist (that distinction goes to the "San Jose Blades"), the Rubber Puckies was a consideration when the NHL returned to the Bay Area in 1991.

Despite the Blades winning a name-the-team contest, ownership selected the Sharks nickname based on its local connection, unique color scheme, and its inability to be shortened in a headline.

Other possibilities included the Salty Dogs and Screaming Squids, which don't look too bad next to the Rubber Puckies.

2. Phoenix Moon Doggies

It's one thing to move a franchise from the Canadian Prairies to the Arizona desert. It's a whole different animal to ignore the traditions of the sport.

Thankfully, the franchise opted for a regional and likeable name in the Coyotes, still achieving a unique appeal. The name came to be following a name-the-team contest, topping facepalm-inducing votes like the Moon Doggies, Goal Miners, and Phreeze (Yes, with a 'Ph').

Another possibility? The Phoenix Jets. That'd have been interesting!

3. Colorado Extreme

It's a great pick if you're naming an XFL franchise, but this is pro hockey.

The NHL called Denver home from 1976 to 1982, before the Colorado Rockies uprooted for New Jersey. When the NHL returned, the Rockies nickname had been scooped by baseball.

In need of a new name, and with the relocated Nordiques moniker not a fit with the local landscape, the team chose to honor the Rocky Mountains, selecting the Avalanche, ahead of the Big Horns, Black Bears, Explorers, and Storm.

4. Nashville Ice Tigers

Like the Extreme, it's a name generally reserved for the minor pro level. See the AHL's Rockford IceHogs and the ECHL's Orlando Solar Bears.

However, the Predators' history is different than most, with the team named after a saber-toothed tiger fossil that was discovered in downtown Nashville.

When hockey came to the Music City, a saber-tooth logo was drawn up, with a contest asking fans for a name based on the design. Ultimately (and thankfully), the Predators won out, besting the Ice Tigers, as well as the Attack, Fury, and Rage.

5. Hampton Roads Rhinos

Wait, who? In 1997, southeastern Virginia was the subject of an NHL expansion bid, to play in downtown Norfolk.

However, the bid was short-lived, as later that year it was announced that the Hartford Whalers would relocate to Raleigh, N.C., only a short trip from the Virginia city.

In the end, the Hurricanes were born and the Rhinos were sent to the hockey graveyard.

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Alexander Ovechkin likely still has many years ahead of him in the NHL, but the jersey from his first game is already a hot commodity.

The Washington Capitals sniper's sweater from his first game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 5, 2005 recently sold at an auction for $14,340, according to Allan Muir of Sports Illustrated.

Ovechkin didn't even wear the jersey during the game, removing it for a different one following warmup.

The jersey was initially auctioned off for nearly $8,000 by the NHL in 2005, so that's not a bad return on your investment.

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Jimmy Vesey appears destined to become a free agent on Aug. 15, but that doesn't mean he's ruled out the team that currently holds his negotiating rights.

Vesey's agent Peter Fish told Josh Cooper of Puck Daddy that the Buffalo Sabres are still in the mix to sign the 2016 Hobey Baker Award winner.

"I think there’s a lot of things out there that either aren’t true or people are just searching to say things," Fish said. "We’re still talking with Buffalo, who will be part of this process once free agency happens, if it happens, which I assume is going to happen. Jimmy wanted to go to free agency all along. He wanted to see it through and, so Buffalo has always been a team that has interested him, but he wants to compare with a few other teams once it happens on the 15th."

Fish also said Vesey hasn't talked too much about where he wants to go and instead is going to wait to hear all his options.

"Jimmy’s, he really is an interesting kid. He has been very quiet about it. He hasn’t talked much about it," Fish said. "He and I and my other colleague Pete Donatelli, we talk to him maybe every week or so and kind of bounce things off. We’ve had some good discussions with the Sabres, but it’s not something that’s talked about every day. I think Jimmy just can’t wait to see all the options, hear everybody out and make his decision and then move on."

The Sabres have been working to sign Vesey ever since they acquired his rights from the Nashville Predators in the offseason. Vesey was a third round pick of Nashville's in the 2012 draft before he went on to star at Harvard.

A recent report stated that Vesey had cut his list down to six teams, and Fish confirmed the Chicago Blackhawks are one of the teams the 23-year-old wants to speak to.

Vesey's father is a scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins aren't far from his hometown in Massachusetts, so one would think those two teams would be in the mix as well.

That being said, Fish noted his client isn't someone who craves the spotlight of a big hockey market.

"I think he would prefer to be under the radar," Fish said. "He’s not the type of kid who enjoys necessarily being talked about all the time. He’s a good teammate, he’s a good kid. He’s pretty quiet and quietly goes about his business as a hockey player. He’s not afraid of the spotlight or anything like that. He’s a kid that probably prefers to fly under the radar a bit."

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The market for Antoine Vermette appears to be hot.

Vermette currently has offers from five teams and will be making a decision on his new destination sometime on Monday, according to his agent Allan Walsh.

The 34-year-old was bought out by the Arizona Coyotes earlier this month in somewhat of a surprising move. Vermette posted 17 goals and 21 assists in 76 games last season, but it's clear the Coyotes want to disperse ice time to younger players.

A strong faceoff man, Vermette is the type of veteran that could add some solid depth to a contender. Just ask the Chicago Blackhawks, who picked up Vermette for their 2014-15 Stanley Cup run, and watched him post seven points in the postseason while recording a sparkling 58.7 percent mark in the faceoff circle.

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Erik Gudbranson's no longer a member of the team, but he's still mindful of how the Florida Panthers do business.

Traded to the Vancouver Canucks for Jared McCann in late May, Gudbranson's still in South Florida working out in preparation for the season, and made a point to take off his hat when he met with the Miami Herald's George Richards.

"(Team president) Dale (Tallon) would kill me if I wore a backward hat on camera," Gudbranson said.

The 24-year-old was drafted by the Panthers in 2010, third overall. Florida's the only club he's ever known. A lot of emotions come with a trade, especially to a city about as far away as one can get from Miami, and especially after the Panthers had their best-ever season.

"There's a buzz around hockey here now and I'd like to think that, as part of the Panthers the past few years, we created it," Gudbranson said. "It's sort of sad to leave, but hopefully this thing continues to grow and hockey becomes the prominent sport down here."

But, hey, to new beginnings: Gudbranson's from Ottawa, Ontario, and he's looking forward to playing in a market that breathes hockey.

"I was surprised about the trade, but Vancouver is a huge hockey market and I'm excited to be going there," he said. "It was a shock to be traded, I didn't see it coming. But it's a business. I'll keep going."

Gudbranson's under contract for one year at $3.5 million, a deal he signed as a Panther before being traded. He'll play an integral role on Vancouver's blue line this coming season and will be a restricted free agent on July 1, 2017.

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In life, it's important to have dreams. To dream big, in fact.

Nick Bonino had a dream. The Pittsburgh Penguins forward told his mom about it.

"Nick would say, 'If we ever win the Stanley Cup, we're eating pasta out of it,'" his mother Joanne told the Hartford Courant's Jeff Jacobs.

Well, Bonino's dream came true Thursday. He and his grandparents, who are both in their 90s, ate pasta out of the Cup. Tuna fish with angel hair, if you were wondering. Secret family recipe.

Jacobs chronicled Bonino's day with the Cup, and the quote Bonino's mother remembered - "If we ever win ..." - provides a window into the character of the 28-year-old. Bonino didn't win the Cup - his entire family did. His hometown did. His boarding school, Avon Old Farms, did.

An estimated 5,000 people showed up at Avon Old Farms to celebrate the Cup with Bonino, an experience he called "very humbling." Yet after a miracle playoff run - in which Bonino had four goals and 18 points in 24 games and became an internet sensation thanks to Hockey Night Punjabi's "Bonino! Bonino! Bonino!" calls of his goals - it's watching his grandparents enjoy the Cup that will stay with him forever.

"I think that's the one memory I will cherish the most," he said. "My nana and poppa kissing the Cup and eating pasta out of it is something I will never forget."

How could he?

Family and big dreams. That's what Bonino's all about.

"I dreamt of it. It's tough to think of it as reality."

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Martin St. Louis, NHL insider. At least, he is to Derick Brassard.

Brassard, traded from the New York Rangers to the Ottawa Senators in July for Mika Zibanejad, learned of the deal in a text message from St. Louis, writes NHL.com's Chris Stevenson.

"I think Ottawa is an up-and-coming team," St. Louis told Brassard. "I think it's going to be good for you."

Brassard was confused. "I was like, 'What is he talking about?' After that, my phone started blowing up."

Brassard met with the Ottawa media for the first time Friday, wearing his new jersey, which bears No. 19. He's excited to be a Senator, and likes the mix of skill, size, and toughness on the Senators roster.

Turning 29 in late September, Brassard was born in Hull, Quebec, across the river from Ottawa. He's essentially playing at home.

"Playing in front of my friends and family is going to give me another edge to my game," Brassard said.

A former first-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Brassard has been a productive NHLer throughout his career. And he's come into his own - his last two seasons were his best. He had 60 points in 2014-15 and scored a career-high 27 goals last season on Broadway, finishing with 58 points.

Brassard heads to Ottawa with playoff experience, something general manager Pierre Dorion wanted. And much like in New York, Brassard's projected to be the team's No. 2 center.

"I want to show everyone (the Senators) made a good choice," Brassard said.

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