Manny Malhotra may not be out of the game for long.

The veteran center has reportedly reached the end of his NHL playing career and is seeking work in coaching or player development, according to Jeff Patterson of The Province.

Canucks general manager Jim Benning says the club is looking into hiring Malhotra, who appeared in 159 games for Vancouver from 2010 to 2013.

"He was a good player for the team for a number of years, and he’s a guy who had a special set of gifts that he offered on faceoffs and penalty killing," Benning said. "He was a good leader on those teams that were successful. So we’re currently looking into seeing if there is a fit with our organization."

His career was put on hold due to a serious eye injury suffered weeks before the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the year Vancouver advanced to the final. He last played for the Montreal Canadiens during the 2014-15 season.

Malhotra, 36, appeared in 991 NHL games, recording 116 goals and 295 points. He proved to be most efficient in the faceoff circle and playing without the puck.

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Presented with the opportunity to become hockey's next big insider, Toronto mayor John Tory chose instead not to be the bearer of bad news to his constituents.

A series of emails obtained through a Freedom of Information request reveals Tory's office knew Steven Stamkos had decided against signing with the hometown Maple Leafs - choosing instead to re-up with the Tampa Bay Lightning - before the decision was made public.

When a report emerged stating Tory was present at a meeting between Stamkos and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, his staff clearly wasn't sure how to respond to a series of media inquiries.

From Shawn Jeffords of the Toronto Sun:

"Whoa boy ..." writes Tory’s spokesman Amanda Galbraith to chief of staff Chris Eby upon receiving questions from the Sun.

"Have we decided what we’re saying on this?" Eby replies.

"The Mayor attended an event on Monday," Galbraith writes back. "(Stamkos is) not coming he’s staying in Tampa, that will be out tomorrow."

The mayor's office even emailed MLSE asking for advice on how to handle the questions.

A few hours later, MLSE spokesman Dave Haggith replies to the Mayor’s office by e-mail. He sends a short message with a tweet from a TSN reporter in the body of the message.

"Cancel the Stamkos Sweepstakes, he has decided to return to the Tampa Bay Lightning," the reporter had tweeted.

"This will put an end to the media calls to the mayor’s office on this ... thanks for your help," Haggith writes of the social media message.

In the end, however, Tory did answer a bevy of questions about his involvement in the meeting, saying he was there to say Stamkos would be most welcome in Toronto.

Who says sports and politics don't mix?

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The King is still coming.

New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has debunked reports suggesting he would be skipping the World Cup after suffering an injury at a charity golf tournament.

He did, however, admit to being a little banged up in a recent practice.

"A few days ago I took a puck right to the rib cage when my equipment somehow moved," Lundqvist told Larry Brooks of the New York Post. "I did have some discomfort, and it’s sore and stiff and probably will be for a while, but I’m OK."

Lundqvist has been a force for Sweden at major international tournaments over the years, winning gold and silver at two Winter Olympics and a pair of silvers from separate World Championship events.

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The Philadelphia Flyers have confirmed an injury suffered by Radko Gudas that will likely eliminate the defenseman from participating in the World Cup.

"Gudas sustained an upper-body injury during his offseason training and will be evaluated on a week to week basis," Flyers GM Ron Hextall said in a statement. "We are hopeful and optimistic that he will not miss any regular-season games."

A report earlier Saturday stated Gudas, along with Tomas Hertl, would not be able to suit up for the Czech Republic due to injury.

Gudas signed a four-year, $13.4-million contract extension with the Flyers back in June after ranking second in the NHL last season with 304 hits.

Philadelphia is set to open the regular season Oct. 14 in Los Angeles.

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Steve Moses isn't giving up on the promised land that is the National Hockey League.

Signed to a one-year, $1-million contract by the Nashville Predators last summer after setting the KHL's single-season goals record (35) in 2014-15, Moses was assigned to the team's AHL affiliate and soon returned to Russia after being released from his deal with zero minutes played in the NHL.

Moses is currently playing for SKA St. Petersburg on a contract more lucrative than the one given to him by the Predators, and while he'd like to have another crack at the NHL, he's content earning rubles for the time being.

"I’d like to give the NHL another shot," Moses told Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe. "But on the flip side of things, I am 27 now, and I want to be able to make as much money playing this game as I can. As you get older, that becomes more and more a driving force than the dream of playing in the NHL. So as long as they are going to pay me what they’re paying, I don’t think I’ll leave.

"But that being said, obviously I would still love to prove to myself and others that I can play in the NHL."

What might sting a bit is the fact Artemi Panarin also signed an NHL deal last summer after finishing with 10 fewer goals and just five more points than Moses in 2014-15. He was given a big chance to prove himself with the Chicago Blackhawks, and ended up winning the Calder Trophy.

That's just the way it goes sometimes, Moses says.

"In sports, timing can kind of be everything," he said. "Artemi and I were the two top scorers in the KHL that year. He ended up being Rookie of the Year (in the NHL). I didn’t play a single game. So, like I say, timing can be everything - it didn’t work out.

"When it doesn’t work out, you can be left banging your head against the wall, thinking, 'What if I’d done something different?' But I’ve come to the point where I realize in sports you never know what’s going to happen and you deal with it."

Moses began the new KHL season playing on a line with Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk, which is not only a decent consolation prize compared to a job in the NHL, but also a plum assignment when it comes to potentially putting up big numbers and catching the eye of general managers back in North America.

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Todd McLellan may have the opportunity to name Connor McDavid as team captain twice in the span of just one month.

The head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, who will double as the bench boss for Team North America at the World Cup, McLellan hasn't ruled out the possibility that McDavid could sport the "C" for both squads.

"The captain of the Oilers? We’ll figure that out at training camp," McLellan told Michael Traikos of Postmedia. "The captain at the World Cup? We’ll find out this week."

McDavid, who was previously the captain of his junior team, the Erie Otters, brings a list of accolades to the international tournament, including three gold medal victories - most recently from the 2016 World Championship.

McLellan referred to McDavid as a "tremendous player and an even more tremendous person". The budding superstar had 48 points in 45 games with the Oilers last season.

"Connor’s obviously a focal point,” McLellan added. "I know what type of person he is and how he can play. If he can just bring that every day, we’ll be fine."

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The injury woes continue for Team Czech Republic, as winger Tomas Hertl and defenseman Radko Gudas have passed on the World Cup, reports TV NOVA Sport's Roman Jedlicka.

Hertl continues to rehab a knee injury suffered during last year's playoffs, while Gudas is dealing with a wrist ailment.

It's a tough blow for a Czech team that's already lost top center David Krejci, who was replaced by Czech league forward Roman Cervenka.

No replacements have been named for Hertl and Gudas.

The Czech Republic's first game of the World Cup comes Sept. 8 vs. Team Russia.

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The Las Vegas Sand Knights is a no go, says team owner Bill Foley.

Foley commented Friday on the names leaked in recent weeks to Nicholas J. Cotsonika from NHL.com.

"It's creating a lot of excitement in Las Vegas," Foley said. "I mean, all I do is get harassed every day by people who have a name idea or, 'Use this name,' or, 'What's the name going to be?'

"It's in the news all the time, so we're front of mind."

Las Vegas has trademarked Silver Knights, Golden Knights, and Desert Knights, while registering domains for Red Hawks and Desert Hawks, though Foley added he's grabbed a few decoy names as a means of misdirection.

Earlier this offseason, Foley secured Nighthawks as a secondary option. The first choice remains unknown, and Foley intends to keep it a secret until the team's mid-October unveiling.

Still, Foley added the Sand Knights nickname, revealed earlier this week, "never was" a possibility, though his preference remains for a two-word name.

As it stands, the NHL has just three two-word named teams: the Blue Jackets, Red Wings, and Maple Leafs.

Foley also discussed some of the names submitted by fans.

"Aces is pretty good," Foley said. "We could produce some pretty interesting logos. I was kind of focused on a little different direction than Aces.

"A lot of people like Scorpions, but the scorpion is a defensive animal. We're not going to be defensive. So I didn't want that."

While the NHL has denied gambling-related names, Aces could depict the fighter jets at Nevada's Nellis Air Force Base.

From the beginning, Foley - a graduate of West Point, the U.S. Military Academy - has preferred a name that reflects his military background.

"My goal is to really have a culture that has a military origin to it, of loyalty, strength, perseverance," he said. "We never stop trying. We never give up. We never give in. That kind of culture."

Team representatives will continue to meet with NHL officials and NHL jersey manufacturer, Adidas, in finalizing the design, color scheme, and logo.

The hope remains the team will have merchandise available by the start of the regular season.

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Team Czech Republic has tabbed center Roman Cervenka to replace the injured David Krejci at the World Cup of Hockey.

Cervenka, 30, spent the past season with the Chomutov Pirati of the Czech Republic's top hockey league. Cervenka led the team in scoring with 61 points in 49 games.

Krejci will miss the tournament as he recovers from offseason hip surgery.

"David Krejci was supposed to be one of our key players, but his health condition makes it impossible for him to participate," Czech Republic coach Josef Jandac said in a statement.

In 2012-13, Cervenka appeared in 39 games with the Calgary Flames, scoring 17 points over that stretch.

Cervenka won gold with Team Czech Republic at the 2010 World Championships.

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