The Edmonton Oilers may be close to finding a new home for their embattled former No. 1 pick.

The Oilers had previously talked with the Chicago Blackhawks regarding a potential trade involving Nail Yakupov, reports TSN's Bob McKenzie. He said nothing's imminent in terms of a deal, and the Blackhawks are exploring options from within to fill holes in their lineup, but reiterated that Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman may still have interest.

Edmonton would have to take back a portion of Yakupov's $2.5-million salary, McKenzie notes, as the Blackhawks remain up against the salary cap.

The teams are indeed talking, according to Sportsnet's Mark Spector, and the Oilers would reportedly receive minor-league assets in a potential deal.

Yakupov is a high-skill, low-risk forward who Chicago could likely employ at a fraction of his modest salary, and would have options with down the line. There's also familiarity on the roster, with countrymen Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov filling top-six roles for the Blackhawks.

The fifth-year professional's been squeezed from a prominent role in Edmonton, as the team has made a concerted effort to surround its other high draft picks with veterans who serve complementary functions.

Yakupov scored eight goals and 23 points in 60 games last season.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Frederik Andersen is taking on an increased workload for the Toronto Maple Leafs in advance of opening night.

The prized offseason acquisition is expected to make starts Thursday versus the Montreal Canadiens and Saturday versus the Detroit Red Wings, and the expectation is that he'll be ready for the season opener Wednesday versus the Ottawa Senators, Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reports.

Toronto will host Detroit on Friday as it continues through the back-loaded portion of its preseason schedule.

Andersen pulled out of the World Cup after suffering an upper-body injury in an Olympic qualification match early last month.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Anaheim Ducks appear to be in the process of clearing some cap space.

Clayton Stoner has reportedly been placed on waivers, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. The defenseman's entering the third season of a four-year, $13-million contract,

Anaheim has yet to sign restricted free agents Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell, meaning this may be an important move toward resolving those contract issues prior to the start of the regular season.

Stoner recorded a goal and five assists in 50 games for the Ducks last season.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

theScore is previewing each team leading up to the 2016-17 season.

Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin are nearing the end of their fantastic careers, and the Vancouver Canucks are doing their best to ensure the twins are given the chance to appear in the Stanley Cup Playoffs at least one more time.

Loui Eriksson is a solid addition to their right, but whether the rest of general manager Jim Benning's roster is up to par remains to be seen.

Forwards

• Tuomo Ruutu and Jack Skille are attending training camp on professional-tryout offers, while 2012 first-round pick Brendan Gaunce will also be pushing to crack the opening-night roster.

Defense

• Nikita Tryamkin could very well rise above Luca Sbisa on the depth chart, despite the latter sitting as the team's third-highest-paid defenseman.

Goalies

• Ryan Miller is being paid $6 million to tend goal for the Canucks this season, but Jacob Markstrom - who signed a contract extension that kicks in next season - will be given a chance to carry the load at times.

NHL Depth Charts

ANA | ARI | BOS | BUF | CGY
CAR | CHI | COL | CBJ | DAL
DET | EDM | FLA | LA | MIN
MTL | NSH | NJD | NYI | NYR
PHI | PIT | OTT | STL | SJ
TB | TOR | VAN | WSH | WPG

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is honoring the Pittsburgh Penguins at a White House ceremony for winning their fourth Stanley Cup.

Obama says the Penguins victory over the San Jose Sharks in the finals completed one of the most remarkable turnarounds in the history of the National Hockey League.

Obama says he has now been able to celebrate with eight Stanley Cup winners during his presidency, all from the United States and beginning with the Penguins. He says the team's return represents a nice book-end for his presidency.

Related: Obama joins in on the Kessel love

The Penguins, led by Sidney Crosby, overcame a tough start to the season with Obama noting that they were closer to last place than first in December. He credits their persistence and teamwork as critical factors in completing the turnaround.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton will be out three-to-four weeks with a lower-body injury, while defenseman Brandon Manning is considered week to week with an upper-body injury, general manager Ron Hextall announced Thursday.

The injury news comes with the regular season fast approaching, and with a pair of promising, young players - forward Travis Konecny and defenseman Ivan Provorov - vying for roster spots.

The Flyers will kick off 2016-17 with a game in Los Angeles on Oct. 14.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Add the president of the United States to the list of those willing to shove it back in the faces of Phil Kessel's detractors.

Standing in front of the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins during their customary visit to the White House, Barack Obama kicked off his spiel with this crowd-pleaser:

Simple, but most effective.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Raffi Torres may have reached the end of the line.

The oft-suspended veteran winger has been released from his professional tryout with the Carolina Hurricanes, the club announced Thursday.

During the offseason, Torres made it clear he'd likely retire if he was unable to land a job with one of the NHL's 30 clubs.

"I’ve been telling everybody (who asks about my future), it’s probably going to be the show or no," he declared prior to being invited to Hurricanes camp.

He also acknowledged the tryout was probably his last shot, so unless he did enough to catch the eye of another team, his playing days appear to be over.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Florida Panthers could be without Nick Bjugstad for the opening month of their Atlantic Division title defense.

Bjugstad reportedly broke his hand in Tuesday's preseason clash with the Dallas Stars, and is expected to miss four weeks, according to George Richards of the Miami Herald.

Sliding down the depth chart with the emerging talent in Florida, the versatile Bjugstad is coming off the least productive season of his career, scoring 15 goals and 34 points primarily from the third-line center position. He was able to generate some momentum late in the season, production that carried into the playoffs.

Bjugstad led the Panthers in points in his rookie season, earning a long-term contract extension for his contributions. He returned to establish career highs in goals and points the following season.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Phil Kessel's Twitter account continues to blow up with each gem of a post.

This time, the Pittsburgh Penguins winger posted a photo of himself alongside linemates Carl Hagelin and Nick Bonino from the White House, where they were patiently waiting for President Barack Obama to honor the team following the recent Stanley Cup win.

Hopefully POTUS mentions Kessel's infamous tweet posted after USA's failure at the World Cup of Hockey.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.