P.K. Subban had nothing but kind words for Nathan MacKinnon after their first-round playoff series ended Sunday night.
The Nashville Predators defenseman gave a long answer lauding the Colorado Avalanche forward after the Predators' 5-0 victory that eliminated the Avalanche in Game 6.
"You guys know I'm biased about (Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne), but in my opinion, (MacKinnon) was the best player in the league this year," Subban said, according to NHL.com's Tracey Myers.
"That's not to take anything away from other guys like Taylor Hall who have had great years," Subban continued.
"But I think for (MacKinnon) and what he's done with this team, a team that's been up and down ... He's just come into his own and he's a phenomenal hockey player. He's so tough to handle, so fast, strong and shifty. My expectation for him as a player is to be a Hall of Famer by the end of his career. He understands that. (I have) just tremendous respect for him. I just told him I hope he takes home that trophy that he deserves as the MVP. He deserves it."
Subban was referring to this conversation they had in the handshake line:
MacKinnon will almost certainly be named one of the three finalists for the Hart Trophy when they're announced Friday.
He tied for ninth in the NHL in goals and placed fifth in points while being limited to 74 games, helping the Avalanche rebound from the worst record in the salary-cap era last season to clinching a playoff berth in 2017-18.
With the Flyers carrying a 4-2 lead midway through Game 6, Neuvirth allowed five unanswered goals en route to an 8-5 loss that sealed the opening-round series for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
So what can the Flyers do to end their goaltending curse?
Moves to make
In order to upgrade, the crease rotation must be cleaned up.
Both Elliott ($2.75 million) and Neuvirth ($2.5 million) are signed through next season, while Mrazek is a restricted free agent. However, considering Mrazek's steep qualifying offer - $4.15 million, according to CapFriendly - it's likely the Flyers will walk away from the netminder they acquired in February.
That leaves Elliott and Neuvirth, and one of them would still need to be moved to make room for a new face. Considering their recent struggles and undesirable contracts, the Flyers may need to retain salary to facilitate a deal, but that shouldn't be a hiccup for one of hockey's most affluent clubs.
So, with a bit of cap space, who should they consider adding?
Look no further than Washington Capitals backup Philipp Grubauer, who performed well enough this season to unseat - at least temporarily - a former Vezina Trophy winner in starter Braden Holtby and convince bench boss Barry Trotz to start him in Washington's playoff opener.
Grubauer stepped up in key games this season, and he owns a .923 save rate across a career-high 35 appearances, making him the latest second-stringer to be ready for full-time duty after Edmonton's Cam Talbot and Arizona's Antti Raanta.
And while Washington may not be keen on moving its steady backup, cap concerns give them little choice. Grubauer is a pending restricted free agent, and an extension - which would likely come with a decent raise - may not be possible given the team's coming cap constraints.
Look for the Capitals to save dollars on their backup netminder and invest their resources elsewhere, like in contract extensions for restricted forward Tom Wilson and unrestricted blue-liner John Carlson - arguably the top right-shot defenseman who could be available in free agency.
In making a deal with the Flyers, the Capitals could bite on a familiar face in Neuvirth, who suited up in Washington from 2008-2014. That will be a better possibility if the Flyers retain dollars on Neuvirth's deal and offer up another valuable asset.
Why not sign a free agent?
Why should the Flyers move assets for Grubauer when there are options in free agency? Quite simply, the names who could be available aren't inspiring.
With Grubauer holding down the fort, there will be more help on the way in 19-year-old goaltending prospect Carter Hart, but he's at least a year away from regular NHL duty.
Hart was a wall this season with the WHL's Everett Silvertips, winning 31 of his 41 games while posting a .947 save percentage and 1.60 GAA. The world juniors star will begin his pro season next year with the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Why now?
Here's another reason why the Flyers need an immediate change between the pipes: The rest of the team deserves it. Captain Claude Giroux had a bounce-back season, Jakub Voracek remains one of the NHL's most underrated scorers, and center Sean Couturier has finally reached his potential. Meanwhile, the Flyers boast one of the league's best young pairings on the blue line in Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov.
It's a core that deserves a chance at success, but that won't come without an upgrade in the crease.
A 5-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 6 sealed the series, with five different scorers chipping in for Nashville.
The Preds will now face the Winnipeg Jets in the second round, marking the first-ever playoff series between the two teams. The Jets eliminated the Minnesota Wild in five games in the opening round.
Nashville took three of five regular-season contests against the Jets.
Sidney Crosby brewed up the perfect response Sunday when asked about fans at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center who tossed cups of beer onto the ice in the final minute of Sunday's season-ending 8-5 defeat to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"Those things were full. What a waste," Crosby quipped to The Athletic's Josh Yohe. "Guess they have to be full to throw them that far."
Fans started throwing objects onto the ice before Penguins forward Bryan Rust scored into an empty Flyers net to seal the victory, and play was delayed while the arena staff cleared the debris.
The big rig keeping rusty safe from flyer fans throwing beer cans... we should all have someone like this in our life to protect us... pic.twitter.com/9qpSorK7PR
Couturier said he won't need surgery, but it would have required a four-week recovery if it had occurred during the regular season.
The talented two-way center notched a hat trick and added a pair of helpers in the Flyers' season-ending 8-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 on Sunday, after scoring the eventual winning goal in Philadelphia's 4-2 victory in Game 5 on Friday.
Couturier went down in practice on Tuesday after a nasty collision with teammate Radko Gudas, and missed Game 4 of the first-round series before returning for Games 5 and 6.
A 8-5 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday sealed the victory for the Penguins, who took the series in six games.
The Flyers held a 4-3 lead late in the second period before Penguins forward Jake Guentzel scored late in the frame. He then added three straight goals in the closing period.
The Philadelphia Flyers center's thunderous check on the Pittsburgh Penguins winger midway through the second period forced Hagelin to the dressing room.
Malkin appeared to injure his leg in the first period of Game 5 as he got tangled up with Jori Lehtera and went down awkwardly. He did play the rest of the game, however.
The good news for the Penguins is that Patric Hornqvist returns to the lineup after missing the past two games with an upper-body injury. He will play alongside Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel on the team's top line.
Vancouver Canucks' Brock Boeser, New York Islanders' Mathew Barzal, and Arizona Coyotes' Clayton Keller were named the three finalists for the 2018 Calder Trophy.
If you're a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, you've likely tried everything you possibly can to erase the memory of the first-round playoff collapse against the Boston Bruins in 2013: A series Toronto seemingly had in the bag with a 4-1 lead in the third period in Game 7.
Everyone knows how that played out, with the Buds blowing the game and, in turn, the series. So, on Saturday night, when the Leafs built another late 4-1 lead, some Toronto players like Jake Gardiner couldn't help but think back. "We had a lead similar to the one we had five years ago," Gardiner said with a smile, according to TSN's Mark Masters.
"Glad we got over that curse so that’s out of our minds now."
While there is no telling what will happen in Game 6 (or a possible Game 7), Gardiner already feels the Leafs are a more composed team than the one that coughed up that juicy lead five years ago.
"During that series it was pretty tense on the bench when they scored to make it 4-3," said Gardiner, per Masters. "It was a lot more tight on the bench (while) last night we just tried to relax and stay calm and keep playing."
Curse or not, the Leafs will try and push the series to a seventh and deciding game with a victory on Monday night.
