On the Fly, theScore's NHL roundtable series, returns, and we're making our Stanley Cup predictions this week.

Tampa's Time

Sean O'Leary: After stumbling out of the gate last season, Tampa Bay overcame adversity time and time again to ultimately fall one win shy of its second Stanley Cup Final appearance in as many years.

Nikita Kucherov's contract situation is a major concern at this point, but looking back at Jonathan Drouin's holdout, Steven Stamkos' health and free agency rumors, along with an injury to Ben Bishop in the Eastern Conference Final, you have to believe Steve Yzerman and Co. will find a way to make it work.

Victor Hedman was retained early. Stamkos stayed put. The Lightning remain incredibly tight-knit and equally as talented, and should be poised for another deep run come April and beyond.

Craig Hagerman: As Sean pointed out, the Lightning came within a single win of making their second straight Stanley Cup Final appearance last season, and the club remains stockpiled with elite young talent. That's why 2017 will be Tampa Bay's year.

The club's roster looks similar to last year's, but Kucherov - granted he signs - Tyler Johnson, Drouin, and others all have another year under their belt.

The team will - for the meantime - boast a tandem of Bishop and Andrei Vasilevskiy, who can both get the job done. Drouin is set to build on his emergence after his trade request saga last season.

However, what should make the club a more lethal threat is that - barring unforeseen circumstances - it should have captain Stamkos for more than just one postseason game.

The Lightning won each of their first two playoff series by 4-1 margins and took the Stanley Cup champs to seven games, with Stamkos suiting up just once. The Pittsburgh Penguins may not have visited the White House this week had Stamkos been healthy in the spring.

Ovie's Time

Justin Cuthbert: Oh, how quickly we forget.

The Washington Capitals are bringing back a refined version of the team that won 56 games, racked up 120 points, and were the class of the NHL, wire to wire, in the regular season. And inciting what should be considered the exemplar will be the realization that their current configuration is finite.

Washington will soon have sizable imbalance on its payroll with Evgeny Kuznetsov approaching restricted free agency, meaning that soon there will be no room for luxury assets like Justin Williams and T.J. Oshie, who are unrestricted at season’s end. This awareness, plus the fact that Braden Holtby can do incredible things with career-average numbers, make the Capitals favorites in 2016-17.

Josh Gold-Smith: This is the season the Capitals finally exorcise their playoff demons and hoist Lord Stanley's mug.

Alex Ovechkin knows his window is closing, and that sense of urgency - along with last season's ouster by arch-rival Pittsburgh - will push him to new heights. Kuznetsov broke out in 2015-16, and his ascent should only continue playing alongside Ovechkin and the dynamic Oshie.

Holtby won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie last season, and there's no reason to believe he won't build on that accomplishment. Washington's top-six has always been deep, but its bottom-six is better with Lars Eller now centering the third line.

Washington's only weakness is its defense, and the club has less than $1 million in cap space, but if general manager Brian MacLellan can get creative prior to the trade deadline and bolster the back end while staying under the max, the Capitals will finally be unstoppable.

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Kris Russell's uncomfortable offseason is officially over.

The Edmonton Oilers signed the unrestricted free-agent defenseman to a one-year contract, the club announced Friday night.

Russell and the Oilers were reportedly finalizing the $3.1-million agreement earlier Friday.

The 29-year-old ranked second in the NHL with 210 blocked shots last season after leading the league with 283 in 2014-15.

Russell was traded by the Calgary Flames to the Dallas Stars prior to February's deadline. He appeared in 11 regular-season games and 12 playoff contests for the Stars.

The 29-year-old spent parts of three seasons with the Flames following stints with the St. Louis Blues and Columbus Blue Jackets.

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For Nail Yakupov, it wasn't a case of if he'd be traded, but where he'd be dealt.

Related: Oilers trade Yakupov to Blues

The Edmonton Oilers shipped the former first overall pick to the St. Louis Blues on Friday, a team Yakupov was surprised to find out was in the mix for his services.

"I think it's a good thing for me,"Yakupov said. "I was expecting something. I didn't expect it was going to be St. Louis."

For Yakupov - who hasn't eclipse the 17-goal mark he reached in his rookie campaign - he feels a change of scenery could be just what he needs, especially leaving a team that seldom won hockey games.

"This is first time I've played on really, really good team," Yakupov said, according to Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I think it's awesome, I don't know what winning is.

"It's going to be a great move for me and I get to play with one of the best teams in the league," said Yakupov. "I'm looking forward to it."

Yakupov has amassed 50 goals and 11 points in 252 career games.

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Here are the fantasy repercussions following the news that F Nail Yakupov has been traded to the St. Louis Blues:

After years of disappointment and continually being pushed down the Oilers' depth chart, the Yakupov project in Edmonton is officially over. After four years as an Oiler, the first overall selection in 2012 never accumulated more than 33 points and never scored more than 18 goals in a single season.

Yakupov's career actually began on a high note. In 2012-13's shortened season, the top pick potted 17 goals and 14 assists in just 48 games. Since then, he's played at least 60 games in each of the following three years but failed to top 33 points in any one.

This lack of productivity led Yakupov to ultimately assume a bottom-six role with the continually rebuilding Oilers. Last year, he averaged just over 14 minutes of ice time. It was the third time in four years that he failed to see 15 minutes of action.

His role with the Blues

Opportunity and environment are significant factors in any player's production. Last season, the Blues scored only 20 more goals than Edmonton and sported a power play 3.4 percentage points superior to that of the Oilers. Yes, Yakupov is moving to a superior offensive team, but not a drastically better one.

In terms of fitting in, Yakupov should be expected to assume a third-line role with St. Louis. This would likely place him alongside winger Robby Fabbri, who picked up 37 points last season. This doesn't improve Yakupov's fantasy profile too much, but it should hold it steady in terms of five-on-five productivity.

The real factor in Yakupov's progression could come on the power play.

St. Louis lost David Backes and Troy Brouwer this offseason, and Jaden Schwartz and Alex Steen are dealing with early-season injuries. This could open a door for Yakupov to see time with the man advantage, potentially alongside fellow countryman Vladimir Tarasenko.

For his career, Yakupov has notched 16 goals and 16 assists on the power play. Incorporating him into either the first or second power-play unit shouldn't be too difficult for head coach Ken Hitchcock. If he can work his way onto the top unit, alongside Tarasenko, fantasy players should reconsider the written-off 23-year-old winger.

Astute fantasy players in both season-long and DFS formats should keep an eye on this development, as it could cause a rapid increase in Yakupov's productivity.

Draft day

An ADP of 245 will leave Yakupov off most draft boards, and rightfully so. But should the winger develop some chemistry alongside Fabbri and see time on the power play, he'll be worth keeping an eye on to begin the season.

Look to Yakupov as either a late-round flier or an early-season waiver wire addition, with his appeal being dependent on early productivity and his special teams role.

In deeper leagues, Yakupov should be afforded a late-round selection in hopes that he develops some early-season chemistry. However, he shouldn't be held for too long if he continues to disappoint.

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Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Auston Matthews aren't the only prospects who can finish for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The team was in Hamilton, Ont. on Friday for a preseason tilt against the Detroit Red Wings where Colin Smith and Brendan Leipsic put on a show.

The two combined for a stunning top-shelf goal when Smith - while falling - sent a pass to Leipsic, who finished with a wicked wrister.

So many prospects, so few roster spots.

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The Edmonton Oilers are working late on a Friday night.

Moments after trading former first overall pick Nail Yakupov to the St. Louis Blues, the Oilers were linked to free-agent defenseman Kris Russell:

Friedman added the deal might not be made official until Saturday, but is expected to be a one-year pact at $3.1 million.

Four teams, including the Calgary Flames, were reportedly in the mix to sign Russell as of Thursday night.

Russell was traded by the Flames to the Dallas Stars before last season's trade deadline. He posted 19 points in 62 games between the two clubs, appearing in 11 contests with Dallas following the deal.

The 29-year-old spent parts of three seasons with Calgary after playing two years with the Blues and five campaigns with the Columbus Blue Jackets, who made him a third-round pick in 2005.

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The St. Louis Blues have acquired forward Nail Yakupov from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Zach Pochiro and a conditional 2017 third-round pick, the Blues announced Friday.

The trade comes after reports surfaced that the Oilers discussed a potential Yakupov deal with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Yakupov was drafted first overall by the Oilers in 2012, but hasn't lived up to his potential. The 23-year-old had a commendable 17 goals and 31 points in 48 games during his rookie campaign, but never managed more than 14 goals and 33 points in a season since.

Despite Yakupov's middling career so far, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong feels he can be a strong addition to the club.

"He's got the skill to complement our group, and the game is trending to younger and faster players," Armstrong said.

In Pochiro, the Oilers get the Blues' fourth-round pick in 2013. The 22-year-old spent the majority of last season with the ECHL's Quad City Mallards, with whom he posted nine goals and 26 points in 44 games.

As for Yakupov, he's expected to arrive in St. Louis on Saturday, according to Armstrong, where he'll sit out the club's game against the Blackhawks, but will practice with the team Monday.

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A pair of rookies have reportedly made the Montreal Canadiens' opening-night roster.

Mikhail Sergachev and Artturi Lehkonen will begin the season with the NHL club, TVA's Renaud Lavoie reported Saturday.

RDS' Francois Gagnon corroborated the fact that Sergachev has made the team, adding details about his status.

The 18-year-old defenseman notched a pair of assists and five shots on goal in four preseason games.

Lehkonen, a 21-year-old Finnish forward, scored twice and added an assist in five exhibition contests.

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