With PyeongChang 2018 now in the history books, the conversation in regards to NHL player participation at the 2022 Winter Olympics in China begins.

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly is leaving the door open for NHL talent to be featured next time around after sitting out the recent tournament.

"I’m not making any news today, (but) I will say certainly it’s a possibility,” Daly said while speaking at SXSW in Austin, TX, per The Associated Press. "We have (a couple) of years to kind of make that decision."

There's plenty of factors to be weighed out, he added.

"In South Korea, we felt ultimately there were a lot more negatives than positives than going," Daly said. "I expect we’ll go through the exact same process (before 2022) ... There may be more positives to participating in Beijing."

China, of course, is the world's most populous country, with close to 1.4-billion people and is a relatively untapped market from a hockey perspective.

The current collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and its players will expire later in 2022, but either side can choose to opt out in 2019. The Olympics will certainly be a point of contention next time around, helping to resolve this issue one way or another.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL's current goal leaders are set to go head-to-head in Washington on Monday.

Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets scored his 40th goal of the season in a loss to Philadelphia Saturday, remaining red hot and drawing even with Alex Ovechkin for a share of the league lead.

For his part, Ovechkin failed to hit the back of the net in a win in San Jose later in the day.

Up next for the the two star wingers is a Monday showdown as the Jets visit the Capitals.

They may or may not share the goals lead by that point as Evgeni Malkin - who sits on 38 - plays Saturday and Sunday.

For the time being, Laine and Ovechkin are the only two players to reach 40 goals this season, and have a couple days to work out how to gain an advantage over the other.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Anthony Duclair will miss one-to-two weeks of action after being injured in a collision with Brad Marchand on Saturday, Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said, according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Duclair left the game, while Marchand received a minor penalty for interference on the play.

Duclair scored two goals and added six assists in 22 games for Chicago this season. He could be out of the lineup for several games, while Marchand may miss Sunday's rematch against the Blackhawks should he receive a call from the NHL's Department of Player Safety.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Anthony Duclair left Saturday's game against the Boston Bruins following a collision with Brad Marchand midway through the first period.

Marchand hit Duclair up high while seemingly trying to avoid him, and Duclair's right leg appeared to buckle as he was falling.

The Bruins' talented agitator was assessed an interference minor, and Duclair was later ruled out for the rest of the game.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Joel Quenneville made some history by showing up for a matinee against the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

By virtue of working his 1,608th regular-season game, the Chicago Blackhawks bench boss moved into sole possession of second place on the NHL's all-time list, passing the late legendary former New York Islanders head coach Al Arbour, who he tied Thursday night.

Quenneville already ranks second on the league's all-time coaching wins list, but trails Scotty Bowman by a considerable amount in both categories, entering Saturday's contest needing 533 more games and 364 more victories to catch him.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vegas Golden Knights will be without one of their top point producers for the rest of their road trip.

Reilly Smith has returned to Nevada and, as a result, is out of the lineup Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres, as well as Monday versus the Philadelphia Flyers.

Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant referred to Smith's ailment as an upper-body injury Saturday, according to Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The forward missed Thursday night's win over the Detroit Red Wings and played fewer than 11 minutes in Tuesday's loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

He is in a three-way tie with William Karlsson and David Perron for second among Golden Knights skaters with 60 points, and sits in the top five in team goal scoring with 22 in 66 games.

Smith was named the NHL's third star of the month for February.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tampa Bay Lightning fans will finally get to see their prized trade deadline acquisition in action Saturday as defenseman Ryan McDonagh makes his Bolts debut against the Montreal Canadiens, head coach Jon Cooper confirmed to Bryan Burns of the team's official website.

McDonagh was sent to Tampa Bay from the New York Rangers on Feb. 26, along with J.T. Miller, in exchange for Vladislav Namestnikov, two prospects, and two first-round picks, but has been out since Feb. 7 with an upper-body injury.

The veteran rearguard has 26 points in 49 games this season and should help stabilize an already stellar blue line.

Ironically enough, McDonagh's debut comes against the organization he began his career with. The Habs drafted him 12th overall in 2007 but traded him to the Rangers two years later as a part of a haul to acquire Scott Gomez.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Philadelphia Flyers are banged up on the back end, but there is a silver lining.

Travis Sanheim will get another shot at the NHL level as a result, having been recalled by the club under emergency conditions Friday.

Those circumstances were revealed Saturday: Blue-liner Robert Hagg will miss the next two weeks and veteran rearguard Johnny Oduya is day to day, each with injuries the team would only classify as lower-body ailments.

Sanheim failed to make a major impact in 35 games with the Flyers earlier this season, but he's produced nearly a point per game (16 in 18 contests) with the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

The 21-year-old will look to prove he belongs with the big club after spending parts of the last three seasons in the AHL and nearly three full campaigns in junior.

Hagg was playing in the Flyers' top four alongside Andrew MacDonald before his injury. Oduya hasn't played since Sunday's loss to the Florida Panthers, when he was on the ice for only nine seconds of the third period.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.