The New Jersey Devils continue to benefit from winning the 2017 NHL Draft lottery.
After his team finished 27th overall last season, general manager Ray Shero was awarded the first pick at the lottery draw on April 29, leapfrogging Arizona, Vancouver, and Colorado - all teams that finished with fewer points - on the draft board.
As a result, Shero walked to the podium and called center Nico Hischier's name on draft day, and the 18-year-old immediately jumped right onto the Devils' roster this season, recording five goals and 13 assists through his first 24 NHL games.
Still, the team was woefully thin on defense even after landing prized free agent Will Butcher, with a hole left gaping from the entirely understandable decision to trade Adam Larsson for Taylor Hall.
Hischier's arrival, then, opened the door for Shero to deal from a newfound position of strength. He subsequently pulled off a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, acquiring defenseman Sami Vatanen in exchange for Henrique and forward Joseph Blandisi, along with a conditional third-round draft pick in 2018.
In Vatanen, the Devils receive an offensively capable, defensively responsible 26-year-old who's under contract through 2019-20 at a decent $4.875-million cap hit. He can jump right in and help solidify the blue line for a club that boasts a plus-4 goal differential despite having a top-ten offense.
Henrique, 27, was a holdover from the previous regime - a center who played a big role in the Devils' run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012 as a rookie. He averaged 0.56 points per game in 455 appearances with New Jersey after being drafted 82nd overall in 2008, and proved to be a driver for a team not previously known for dynamic offense.
Having said that, Henrique - who carries a $4-million cap hit - is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2019, meaning the Devils gained a measure of term on their end as well. Coupled with Blandisi's $680,000 cap hit, the deal is a wash financially, with no salary retained either way.
That in and of itself is a nice bonus for Shero.
And again, this trade likely doesn't occur if the Devils had selected fourth or even third in the draft. Nolan Patrick - who went second to Philadelphia - may have stepped in and produced like Hischier has, but Miro Heiskanen and Cale Makar - defensemen taken third and fourth, respectively - are more long-term projects and would have kept the Devils in more of a transition period for the time being.
Instead, New Jersey has posted a surprising record of 14-6-4, and sits a point back of Columbus for first in the Metropolitan Division. Playoff contention may have been a hope coming into this season, but few expected the Devils to be this good, this soon.
New Jersey has perhaps been riding a bit of a lucky streak, and the underlying numbers suggest some drop-off should be expected. Vatanen, though, will bring some stability to the back end, and this deal signals Shero is intent on maximizing the present around top talents like Hall and Cory Schneider, while developing a promising young core around them.
And he has the hockey gods to thank for a gift in Hischier that keeps on giving.
Jarome Iginla likely won't play at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
The veteran forward will not be ready to suit up at the Spengler Cup and is considered a long shot to play for Team Canada in Pyeongchang, South Korea, sources told TSN's Darren Dreger.
Iginla went unsigned as an unrestricted free agent this past offseason. He reportedly recently underwent a minor procedure on his hip.
In October, Hockey Canada president Tom Renney said that if the 40-year-old wanted to play at the 2018 Winter Games, he'd need to hit the ice sooner rather than later.
The Spengler Cup begins Dec. 26, while the Olympics take place in February.
Iginla - a two-time Olympic gold-medal winner - split last season between the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings, scoring 14 goals and adding 13 assists in 80 games.
Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for the Edmonton Oilers, No. 1 netminder Cam Talbot was placed on injured reserve Thursday, the team announced.
Talbot, who's dealing with an upper-body injury, was hurt during Edmonton's game against the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night.
Talbot had an MRI yesterday which revealed some issues with a previous injury from this season. It’s not believed to be too serious at this point but needs some recovery time.
Talbot will miss at least two weeks, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston, though head coach Todd McLellan said it could be even longer before his starting goalie returns. In a corresponding roster move, the Oilers recalled goaltender Nick Ellis from their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
Edmonton takes on the high-flying Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night, and as it stands, backup netminder Laurent Brossoit will get the nod for McLellan's club.
Through 22 games, Talbot has registered a 10-10-1 record along with a 3.00 goals-against average and .903 save percentage.
The New York Rangers were dealt some bad news Thursday, as the club announced that center Mika Zibanejad is out with a concussion.
Zibanejad was a late scratch for the Rangers' contest against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. The Rangers called the injury an upper-body ailment at the time.
New York made a move earlier Thursday to shore up its forward depth, acquiring veteran pivot Peter Holland from the Montreal Canadiens.
Through 24 games this season for New York, Zibanejad has been nothing short of sensational, leading the team in goal scoring (11) and points (22).
The forward will not return to the Vancouver Canucks' active roster due to both his current condition and the health risks associated with playing, general manager Jim Benning announced Thursday.
Dorsett underwent cervical disc herniation surgery last December and was cleared to return this season, but recently returned to Vancouver with neck symptoms and back stiffness. Upon further evaluation, doctors recommended he seriously consider not playing again after being diagnosed with a separate cervical disc herniation.
The veteran of 515 NHL games offered the following response:
“What I can say for certain right now is that I left it all out on the ice. I gave my heart and soul to the teams I played for and never backed down from a challenge, including this one." - Dorsett (@Twigy15) pic.twitter.com/10OmlCFotb
Dorsett scored seven goals in 20 games this season, tying his career high set through 79 games back in 2014-15. Drafted in the seventh round by Columbus back in 2006, he racked up 51 goals, 76 assists, and 1,314 penalty minutes since entering the NHL in 2008.
The forward will not return to the Vancouver Canucks' active roster due to both his current condition and the health risks associated with playing, general manager Jim Benning announced Thursday.
Dorsett underwent cervical disc herniation surgery last December and was cleared to return this season, but recently returned to Vancouver with neck symptoms and back stiffness. Upon further evaluation, doctors recommended he seriously consider not playing again after being diagnosed with a separate cervical disc herniation.
The veteran of 515 NHL games offered the following response:
“What I can say for certain right now is that I left it all out on the ice. I gave my heart and soul to the teams I played for and never backed down from a challenge, including this one." - Dorsett (@Twigy15) pic.twitter.com/10OmlCFotb
Dorsett scored seven goals in 20 games this season, tying his career high set through 79 games back in 2014-15. Drafted in the seventh round by Columbus back in 2006, he racked up 51 goals, 76 assists, and 1,314 penalty minutes since entering the NHL in 2008.
In the second period of Tuesday's 5-4 victory over the New York Rangers, Florida Panthers winger Jonathan Huberdeau gave fans a glimpse of what he does best - and showed off a new wrinkle that has helped transform him into one of the game's most dangerous forwards:
First, the familiar: After corralling an arcing pass near center ice and gaining the zone as the lead on a 3-on-2, Huberdeau flicked a backhand feed into no-man's land above the slot - and right onto the stick of an in-stride Michael Matheson, who wound up with a whole lot of real estate to work with.
In the past, Huberdeau would have deferred at this point - letting his linemates do the dirty work while he collects a secondary assist. But not this time. Huberdeau instead parked himself at the right edge of the net, collected a loose puck in front of Henrik Lundqvist, and flipped the puck past the prone Rangers netminder on his third try to give Florida a 4-1 lead.
It was a superstar rush from start to finish. And it was the perfect snapshot of a new and improved Huberdeau - a player who is finally fulfilling the promise he showed when the Panthers made him the third overall pick in 2011.
"It's amazing how effortless everything looks for him out there," Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said prior to Tuesday's win. "He's always been that way, and I think he's getting better and better.
"He makes the game look easy. He's solidified now as a top one-two forward on our team, and in the league when it comes to each team. He's established himself as a scoring threat all over the ice. He's a great passer, and all those things come into play."
Getting to this point was supposed to come more easily to the Saint-Jerome, Quebec native, who enters Thursday with eight goals and 17 assists in 24 games. His profile exploded when he took home Memorial Cup MVP honors as a 17-year-old while leading the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to the 2011 Canadian junior title.
But after winning the Calder Trophy with 32 points in 48 games during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, Huberdeau hit a wall with just nine goals and 19 assists in 69 games the following year - and all of a sudden, the electrifying forward found himself facing major confidence issues.
"To get into the league, it's the toughest league to play in, and you're there at 19 or 20 years old in your second, third year, and things aren't going your way, how do you get through that?" Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said.
Huberdeau rededicated himself to the things that worked for him in junior, and followed up his worst season with back-to-back 50-point campaigns. But before he had the opportunity to break out further, he suffered a torn left Achilles tendon in the Panthers' final 2016-17 preseason game. He subsequently underwent surgery and was out until February that season.
To his credit, Huberdeau returned with vigor, recording 26 points in 31 games despite playing at less than 100 percent. And having shown flashes of what he was truly capable of, Huberdeau worked harder than ever this past offseason to make sure he was completely healthy going into the season.
"I wanted to work on getting my strength back," Huberdeau told theScore. "With the Achilles injury, my left leg was a little weaker. The summer was huge for me to get stronger and feel good for the season."
It would have been easy for Huberdeau to simply fall back on what made him a household name as a teenager - silky soft hands that delivered the puck exactly where he wanted it to go. But both he and head coach Bob Boughner wanted more, particularly at the other end of the ice.
"He wants me to be a good player defensively and offensively, as well," Huberdeau said. "I try to be a two-way player, and I think that's what I've been doing. For him, it's just about playing hard every shift on the ice."
Boughner has rewarded Huberdeau's dedication the best way a coach can - by keeping him on the ice as much as possible. Huberdeau entered Thursday ranked 23rd among forwards at just under 20 minutes of ice time per game - nearly two minutes higher than his previous career best.
"He's a guy that works hard every day, and he's just got so much skill, and he's so good in tight with the puck," Boughner said. "We ask a lot of him, and we've got to make sure that he's playing the right way as well: get the pucks deep, make your plays when you have a chance and you have numbers, but if not, he's got to be disciplined like everybody else and put the pucks behind. That's something we've been working with him on and he's been better at."
But any elite forward will tell you that he can't do it alone. And in that regard, Huberdeau considers himself blessed to be on a line with fellow high draft pick Aleksander Barkov; he, too, is on his way to a career season with 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) through 24 games.
"We've been playing together for two, three years," Huberdeau said. "You just find chemistry. I know where he's going to be, and he knows where I'm going to be. He's such a good player, and he's really good defensively, so that helps for us getting the puck back. I'm just fortunate to play with a guy like him."
Barkov says the feeling is mutual.
"We don't really understand each other when we speak, but on the ice, we have the chemistry," Barkov said. "He's a highly skilled player and I love to play with those guys. He's the best guy I've ever played with, and it's fun to play with him. This season, we haven't been our best yet, but it's coming."
Boughner raved about the pairing prior to Tuesday's game.
"You could see the little plays they make in tight, and the little give-and-gos around the net, with the experience there," he said. "They sort of know where each other's gonna be, especially when they use the back of the net. They're real good at finding each other.
"His chemistry with Barkov is pretty obvious out there, and when they're on, they're a pretty scary line. They're not going to score every night, but they're going to be an offensive threat and spend a lot of time in zone."
Huberdeau emerged as a legitimate scoring threat in junior, but it was never part of his game in the NHL until this season. Huberdeau's eight goals put him on pace to top the career-best 20 he potted in 76 games in 2015-16 - but he isn't looking to become the South Florida version of Alex Ovechkin.
"I know a lot of people say 'You've got to shoot a little bit more,' and I've been shooting a little bit more this year," he said. "But it's not in my head that I have to shoot every puck. I try to do the right play every time. If it's shooting, it's shooting. But I don't tell myself I have to shoot at every opportunity."
Shooting isn't the only way you can score - and nobody is more aware of that than Huberdeau, who has become a tip-in master. His 13 tips rank him third in the NHL, and his four tip-in goals put him behind only Pittsburgh Penguins mega-star Sidney Crosby and New York Islanders forward Anders Lee.
Huberdeau admits it's something he has prioritized this season.
"That was one of the things I wanted to work on, and that's what I've been doing," Huberdeau said. "I'm more in front of the net on the power play this year, too. I've had some tips this year, but you have to be at the right place at the right moment."
Tallon, who drafted Huberdeau six years ago, is proud of how the 24-year-old has taken on more of a leadership role this season.
"He's maturing and becoming a man in front of our eyes," Tallon said. "These kids start at 18, 19 years old, and it takes time. It's just a matter of experience and understanding, being more professional in your approach and attitude, and becoming a man."
Yet, as well-rounded as Huberdeau has become, he doesn't believe he's reached his peak. Though, he hopes he's close.
"As a player, you always want to get better," he said. "And I still need to get better; I want to have a healthy year, get stronger. Sometimes injuries slow you down, but from 24 to 27, 28, you get to your peak. Hopefully I'll get there."
Vatanen immediately slots into New Jersey's top four blue-liners along with rookie Will Butcher and Co.
"In acquiring Sami, we bring on a right shot, top-four defenseman who can play in all situations," Devils general manager Ray Shero said in a team release.
"This move also gives us contract certainty on the back end for the next two-plus years. When acquiring a defenseman like Vatanen, you have to give back quality assets or players in return."
Anaheim addressees a glaring need of its own by adding some offensive help in Henrique. The team is dealing with injuries to top-six forwards Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, and Patrick Eaves.
In addition to acquiring a perennial 20-goal, 40-plus-point threat in Henrique, the Ducks also add Blandisi, a 50-goal man with the OHL's Barrie Colts only three seasons ago.
Blandisi has yet to suit up for the Devils this season, while Henrique has four goals and 10 assists in 24 games played.
Vatanen has four points in 15 games for Anaheim since returning from offseason shoulder surgery.
The team's starting goalie is considered week to week with a lower-body injury, leaving netminding duties to Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith, who bring a combined six NHL appearances to the table.
For the moment, general manager Jim Rutherford isn't seeking any further stopgap solutions.
"We'll watch it close, but we'll go with our two young guys that haven't played a lot of NHL games," Rutherford told reporters, including theScore, at the Hockey Hall of Fame on Wednesday. "Jarry's played well for us and he's a very capable goalie. So we'll just keep an eye on it, how long Murray's going to be out, how the goaltending's doing, how the team's doing, but I'm not actively trying to do something right today."
Rutherford said he's always listening and open to suggestions on the trade market.
The GM - along with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang - was at the Hall of Fame to donate the Stanley Cup ring from the team's 2017 championship run, in which Murray played a vital part.
