RW Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche

Rantanen's quality rookie campaign is being grossly overlooked due to the Avalanche's horrible season as a team and the trade rumors continuously circling C Matt Duchene, RW Jarome Iginla and LW Gabriel Landeskog. Rantanen has racked up 14 goals and 29 points through 53 contests with 10 of those points coming on the man advantage.

While Iginla is sure to be gone ahead of 2017-18, the Avalanche might continue to peddle the services of Duchene and Landeskog throughout the offseason. The loss of any of the three will open up more minutes within the top-six forward group and on the power play for Rantanen.

C Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers

Konecny's own recent knee injury and C Sean Couturier's knee injury earlier this season have tempered Konecny's productivity, but he has still amassed 22 points in 51 games. He has primarily played out of a top-six role on the left side of the second line, and he has racked up three goals and four points in limited power-play usage. The Flyers will have the vast majority of their forwards return for 2017-18, but Konecny has already secured his spot in the top six.

D Ivan Provorov, Philadelphia Flyers

Unlike Konecny, Provorov should see a significantly increased role next season. Ds Mark Streit and Michael Del Zotto are set to become unrestricted free agents, with Shayne Gostisbehere entering the restricted phase. Provorov is already playing 21:38 per game, mostly on the second pairing at 5v5. He has 24 points through 59 games, with just four assists on the power play. He'll be a first-pairing defender next season.

C Pavel Zacha, New Jersey Devils

The Devils have C Adam Henrique signed for two more seasons and C Travis Zajac locked up through the 2020-21 season, both at reasonable cap hits of $4 and $5.75 million, respectively. This could keep the 19-year-old Zacha in a third-line role for another season. His most common linemates at 5v5 this year have been C Jacob Josefson and RW Stefan Noesen, both of whom are RFAs at year end.

With RW P.A. Parenteau a UFA in the summer, Zacha could switch to a top-six winger.

G Jusse Saros, Nashville Predators

Saros sports a 6-5-3 record through 12 starts and 14 appearances for the Predators. He owns a .929 save percentage and a 2.22 goals against average, posting one shutout. His usage is increasing, as he has fully surpassed G Marek Mazanec as the backup to Pekka Rinne, making four starts in each of the past three months.

With Nashville able to protect just one goaltender in the upcoming expansion draft, they could potentially say goodbye to Rinne's $7 million cap hit, or allow Saros to become the future starting goaltender of the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After a whirlwind world tour, James Wisniewski wants to finish his season in North America's top league.

The veteran defenseman began 2016-17 at Tampa Bay Lightning training camp, signed a contract with Admiral Vladivostok in the KHL, left to play in Switzerland for HC Lugano in the Spengler Cup, and is now with the AHL's Chicago Wolves on a minor-league deal.

He hopes he'll be able to catch the eye of NHL general managers now that he's back on this side of the Atlantic.

"I was hoping NHL teams would be like, 'Oh, he's playing games (overseas).' But I came to find out that when you're gone out of North America, you're kind of out of sight, out of mind," Wisniewski told Michael Traikos of Postmedia. "... That's why I'm playing in the (AHL). Hopefully a playoff team recognizes that and takes a chance on me and I can prove everyone wrong once again in my career. I feel like I'm not that far from having a 51-point season."

Wisniewski hit that point total with Columbus in 2013-14, but was bought out by Carolina last summer after missing all but 47 seconds of 2015-16 due to injury.

In three games with the Wolves, he's recorded two goals and one assist, and he could be a savvy addition for a playoff team in need of veteran and offensive experience on the blue line.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Viktor Stalberg appears to have taken his complaining a bit too far.

The Carolina Hurricanes forward took umbrage with a slashing call during Tuesday's game against Pittsburgh, leading the referee to open the penalty box door and remind him who's in charge.

Stalberg was lucky not to have a misconduct penalty added to his record.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

If you've ever wondered what goes into a good mullet, you're in luck.

Two of the greatest to ever wear the cut shared their secrets in an ESPN interview Tuesday night, as Barry Melrose and Mike Gundy had viewers glued to their television sets.

The Oklahoma State head coach still has a long way to go to catch up to Melrose as far as mullet longevity. Melrose's commitment to the craft is unparalleled.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jonathan Toews is officially back.

After a slow start to the season that had many questioning his All-Star Game selection, the Chicago Blackhawks captain is on an absolute tear, having recorded nine goals and 12 assists in his past 13 games.

Related: Toews nets 5 points as Blackhawks down Wild

What's helping Toews is the emergence of consistent linemates, which he seems to have found in gritty Richard Panik and rookie Nick Schmaltz.

The latter, for his part, seemed to know it was only a matter of time before Toews found his game.

"He's always been a great player, he just wasn't getting the bounces there at the start of the year," Schmaltz said, per Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun Times. "He's always worked so hard. You knew at some point, the tides were going to change for him."

Making things easier for Toews is pretty no-look assists from the rookie, who has recorded seven points of his own over the seven games thanks to Toews' resurgence.

Despite the early-season struggles and an injury that kept him out of the lineup for several games, the recent surge has Toews on pace for roughly 60 points, only a bit down from his standard levels of production.

What's more important for the Blackhawks, however, is that the captain has found his game as the playoffs approach, a time of year that has carried much more weight in Chicago over the past decade it.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a position to qualify for the postseason for the time being, but they might not be there much longer if their starting goaltender can't find his groove.

Frederik Andersen was the netminder of record in an overtime victory against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night, but he wasn't on his game from start to finish.

"Early (on), we were good and (Andersen) wasn't and then he made some good saves down the stretch and we won the game," Leafs head coach Mike Babcock told reporters including The Athletic's James Mirtle afterwards.

"Some nights, Freddy picks us up," Babcock added. "Tonight, we picked him up."

It wasn't just the one game. Andersen has struggled to find his rhythm over the last month or so.

Since notching his second straight shutout on Jan. 25, Andersen is 3-3-2 with a 3.67 GAA and a .878 save percentage. He allowed at least four goals in five of those nine games, at least five goals in three of them, and he gave up six in a loss the New York Islanders on Feb. 6.

Here's how his basic numbers this season compare to his performance in his three previous campaigns with the Anaheim Ducks:

Sure, there are other issues. Toronto is the NHL's seventh-youngest team, and while it is one of the league's most exciting squads, that youth often makes things a little more difficult for Andersen.

The Leafs have the best power play in the league and boast the sixth-most productive offense in terms of goals per game (3.14), but they also allow the third-most shots per contest in all situations (32.5), and that's a big reason they're giving up the eighth-most goals per game (2.9).

Not all of that is on Andersen, but the Leafs need him to be better than he's been lately if they hope to avoid being knocked out of the playoff picture for good.

Tuesday's win bumped their postseason chances up to 64.5 percent, according to Sports Club Stats, but their grip on a potential playoff berth is by no means secure.

The Florida Panthers now sit one point behind them with a game in hand, and both the Boston Bruins and the Islanders are also a point back of the Leafs with equally resurgent clubs since making in-season coaching changes.

It won't get any easier for Andersen and the Leafs, either. They host the New York Rangers on Thursday, the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, then embark on a three-game Pacific road swing that begins against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.

Leafs management has a well documented long-term vision and this season's results aren't of the utmost importance, but the No. 1 goaltender needs to rediscover his form if the club's short-term goal involves giving this exciting, young group its first taste of playoff experience.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Prior to Tuesday's game between the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild, Xcel Energy Center played host to a wedding between rival fans.

Sadly for the bride, her Wild came out on the losing end, falling 5-3 to the Blackhawks.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL trade deadline is set for March 1, and at this point, most teams should have a clear sense of what the plan is.

Even though the playoff race remains tight, the Metropolitan Division has clear buyers and sellers.

Here's a look at the needs of each of the eight teams.

Carolina Hurricanes

Need: Top-line center

The Hurricanes sit at the bottom of the division, but have a bright and promising future, with plenty of young talent already on the roster.

Defense is a clear area of strength, and general manager Ron Francis recently admitted he'd be willing to consider using that depth to address an area of weakness.

Carolina's biggest flaw is down the middle, where it lacks a top-line scoring center. That kind of deal, however, may have to wait until the offseason.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Need: Backup goalie

Basically a lock to at least earn a wild-card playoff spot, the Blue Jackets' biggest need is someone to ease Sergei Bobrovsky's load down the stretch.

With 24 games remaining on the schedule, the star goalie is 11 starts short of his career high (58), and current backup Joonas Korpisalo hasn't proven reliable enough to trust with more than the odd spot start.

New Jersey Devils

Need: Sell

Forward P.A. Parenteau, defenseman Kyle Quincey, and goalie Keith Kinkaid are all set to become unrestricted free agents at season's end, and are therefore prime candidates to be moved prior to the deadline.

GM Ray Shero might also like to dump the contract of recently scratched forward Mike Cammalleri, but, with two years and $10 million remaining on the deal, that's probably easier wished for than done.

New York Islanders

Need: Reason for John Tavares to stay

After a disappointing start to the season, the Islanders are in the thick of the playoff hunt, and should be looking for any and every opportunity to make sure they get in.

Tavares, the face of the franchise, can hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent in 2018, and Garth Snow can ill afford to have his team take a major step backward after a second-round appearance in 2016.

The Islanders have the pieces to pull off a big deal, and, according to Arthur Staple of Newsday, have been on Matt Duchene's trail since November.

That'll play.

New York Rangers

Need: Scoring D, veteran experience

The Rangers, like every team in the NHL, would love to add a scoring, top-pair defenseman. They pulled off a deal like that in 2015 for Keith Yandle, who was not sufficiently replaced after being dealt to Florida before hitting UFA status.

What's more attainable is veteran depth up front, and a player like Brian Boyle - who spent five seasons with the Rangers earlier in his career - would be a wise addition to New York's young crop of forwards.

Philadelphia Flyers

Need: Sell

The Flyers could be a target for teams in need of help on the blue line, with Mark Streit, Michael Del Zotto, and Nick Schultz all playing on expiring contracts.

Both goalies - Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth - are set to become UFAs, and could fetch decent returns on the trade market, while depth forwards like Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Chris VandeVelde could also be moved.

In short, GM Ron Hextall should remain patient and resist any temptation to trade prospects for a seeming quick fix.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Need: Defense, scoring winger

The Penguins are currently down three defensemen, with Justin Schultz, Olli Maatta, and Trevor Daley all out with various injuries. Bringing in help on the blue line, then, is key for GM Jim Rutherford.

At the same time, Sidney Crosby - who's recently been playing with Chris Kunitz and Jake Guentzel - could use a winger who's a bit closer to his level, but that's an old song in Pittsburgh and he always seems to get the job done regardless.

As an aside, the Penguins also have to make a decision on Marc-Andre Fleury, but that likely won't happen until after the postseason.

Washington Capitals

Needs: None, really

The Capitals boast a roster built to win now, with no apparent weaknesses.

Washington already added Tom Gilbert on defense, and could look to further shore up that position. Up front, the Capitals added depth last summer, and seem set to enter the playoffs with the current mix.

Change is afoot in the offseason either way, as the club has several free agents to deal with. For now, it'll be hit or miss with the current group.

(Photos courtesy: USA TODAY Sports)

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.