Auston Matthews has arrived.
The first overall pick in June's draft scored his first goal as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, and he did it in impressive fashion.
Matthews wired a short-side shot past Carey Price on the power play to cut the Montreal Canadiens' lead to 2-1 in preseason action Thursday night.
We get the feeling it was the first of many from No. 34.
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Four teams remain in the Kris Russell sweepstakes, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
The free agent defenseman continues to weigh offers, with interested clubs keeping cap space open to sign the veteran defender. LeBrun believes Russell will sign prior to the season opening Oct. 12.
The Ottawa Senators, one of the teams pursuing Russell, confirmed Thursday to no longer be in the running. However, Russell's former club, the Calgary Flames, are believed to still be in the mix.
Russell, 29, split last season between the Flames and Dallas Stars, recording four goals and 15 assists through 62 games.
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I guess I'm natural...so fun to play pic.twitter.com/o0dHPQCDaX
— Evgeny Kuznetsov (@Kuzya92) October 6, 2016
Evgeny Kuznetsov's celly game is already in midseason form.
The Washington Capitals forward ran away from the green and threw his club in the air after sinking a putt with his buddies watching Thursday.
It's not the FIFA flapping bird, but it'll do.
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The NHL expansion team in Las Vegas won't begin play until 2017-18, but in the meantime, the Los Angeles Kings will host a pair of games on the strip.
The T-Mobile Arena will be home to two exhibition games this weekend as part of the Frozen Fury series, with the Kings and Dallas Stars facing off Friday, while the Colorado Avalanche take on the Kings on Saturday.
"It's going to be fun," Kings winger Tyler Toffoli told Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I'm anxious to see the building. I hear it's beautiful."
The Frozen Fury, an annual event since 1997, was previously held at the nearby MGM Grand Garden Arena. The Kings have participated in the event every year.
The NHL first came to Las Vegas in 1991 as part of an outdoor game played before Caesars Palace, with Wayne Gretzky and the Kings defeating the New York Rangers in front of 13,000 spectators.
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P.K. Subban believes the trade that sent him to the Music City had more to do with his personality than his game.
Dealt to Nashville in an offseason blockbuster deal that returned former Predators captain Shea Weber to the Montreal Canadiens, the outspoken Subban didn't hold back in discussing the trade with Alex Prewitt of Sports Illustrated.
"People said it was a hockey trade. I think it's the furthest from that. I think it was a personality trade," Subban told Prewitt, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.
The trade has continued to make headlines in both markets, with Canadiens goalie Carey Price saying Weber is a better fit with the Habs, and Subban quickly becoming a fan favorite among the Predators faithful.
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Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg will draw into the lineup when the team closes out its preseason schedule Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The 35-year-old Zetterberg had been sidelined with a knee injury, which kept him out of the recent World Cup of Hockey.
Zetterberg appeared in all 82 games last season, recording 13 goals and 37 assists. The veteran forward is signed through the 2020-21 season.
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A major incoming storm doesn't scare Jaromir Jagr.
The Florida Panthers forward says he's prepared for Hurricane Matthew to make landfall in Florida.
"I'm okay," he told George Richards of the Miami Herald on Thursday."(Some) people have to survive two weeks without water, (so) I can try for two days."
As millions of Floridians began evacuating under Gov. Rick Scott's orders, Jagr tried his best to lighten the mood, telling Richards - with tongue planted firmly in cheek - that he isn't going to back down from the hurricane.
"I have to test my body, I want to see how strong I am." Jagr said.
"Everything's sold out. It's a great business for the U.S.," the NHL's elder statesman joked. "Maybe they're just saying that (there's a storm because) they just want to sell everything in the shopping (centers)."
On Wednesday, the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning postponed their preseason game because of the storm, and on Thursday President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Florida.
More than 100 people have died in Haiti as a result of the hurricane, according to The New York Times.
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First-round pick Matthew Tkachuk will start the regular season with the Calgary Flames, getting up to nine NHL games before a decision is made on the rest of his season.
Tkachuk will start the season with the #Flames, according to Gulutzan. "You all know the magic number."
— Aaron Vickers (@AAVickers) October 6, 2016
The magic number, of course, is ten - the number of appearances needed to lock a rookie into the first year of their entry-level contract.
Tkachuk was selected sixth overall from the OHL's London Knights, for whom he recorded 30 goals and 77 assists in 57 games last season. He would return to London should the Flames ultimately decide he needs further development.
For the time being, however, he's a Flame, based on a very strong showing at training camp.
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The New York Islanders' 2014 first-round picks will continuing waiting for their opportunity to break into the NHL.
Fifth and 18th overall picks Michael Dal Colle and Josh Ho-Sang, respectively, were sent to Bridgeport of the American Hockey League on Thursday as the Islanders announced their latest round of cuts.
Dal Colle and Ho-Sang are still young, and more than likely will contribute at the NHL level, but it should be noted that Mathew Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier - New York's pair chosen in the 2015 first round - remain in camp.
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Sean Monahan is set to make his preseason debut Thursday against Vancouver after being sidelined since early September with a back injury.
"I'm ready to go and I'm looking forward to it." - Sean Monahan on tonight's game in Vancouver. He says he's 100%. pic.twitter.com/RbA6RlGsF2
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) October 6, 2016
The Calgary Flames center, who signed a seven-year contract worth $44.6 million back in August, was forced to sit out the World Cup due to the ailment.
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