Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's National Hockey Writer.

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John is joined by Jonathan Willis of The Athletic to answer five burning questions from across the league. Topics of discussion include:

• Is 90 points a reasonable expectation for the McDavid-led Oilers?
• Are the 'Canes legit or is their early-season success a mirage?
• Which top PP unit would you take: Leafs, Capitals, or Sharks?
• Did we overrate the Sabres, or will they finally right the ship?
• What would you do if you were Gary Bettman for a day?

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For many years, Sidney Crosby was widely considered the best player in hockey, but the Pittsburgh Penguins veteran admits the torch has been passed and says Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid now deserves the distinction.

"I think McDavid has set himself apart just based on the awards and the accolades he's gotten and the consistency he's had," Crosby told NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger on Wednesday. "I think it's fair to say it's an easy pick just because of that."

Crosby added that several other young players aren't too far behind, including Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche sniper Nathan MacKinnon.

"There are so many different guys," Crosby said. "Matthews has emerged this (season) and it really looks like he's taken even another step. I think there's a lot of guys in the conversation. But it's hard to argue (McDavid). He's been really consistent. He's won scoring titles, MVPs. So yeah, that's an easy one to pick."

McDavid won the Hart Trophy in 2016-17, and secured both the Art Ross Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award in each of the last two seasons.

Crosby's resume includes three Stanley Cup championship rings, and he's a two-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner, a two-time Hart Trophy recipient, a two-time Art Ross Trophy winner, a two-time Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy recipient, and a three-time winner of the Ted Lindsay Award.

"(My motivation) is always to be my best," Crosby said. "That's allowed me to be in the conversation of the guys who are considered to be the best. I think that's the way I've always looked at it. I've always wanted to get the best out of myself. Wherever that puts me, that's where it's put me."

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Montreal Canadiens defenseman Karl Alzner made his season debut Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues after he was a healthy scratch for the first five games of the season.

Alzner saw his 622-game iron-man streak come to a surprising end when he was held out of the lineup for the season opener. The steady blue-liner signed a five-year, $23.125-million contract with the Habs in July 2017 after nine seasons with the Washington Capitals.

Victor Mete is the odd man out on Montreal's blue line Wednesday against the Blues.

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Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford says he plans to make his long-awaited return between the pipes Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes.

"It feels good to be back to myself," Crawford told ESPN's Emily Kaplan following Wednesday's practice, per Kaplan. "I'm feeling clear."

Head coach Joel Quenneville wasn't quite as definitive when discussing Crawford's return, but said "we expect him to play."

The star netminder hasn't played since Dec. 23, 2017 due to lingering concussion symptoms.

Crawford was enjoying arguably the best season of his career before it was cut short. In 28 games he was 16-9-2 with a .929 save percentage and 2.27 goals-against average.

The Hawks have jumped out to a surprising 3-0-2 start this season despite receiving poor goaltending from veteran Cam Ward.

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Florida Panthers defenseman Mike Matheson has offered his point of view on the hit he delivered to Vancouver Canucks super rookie Elias Pettersson that resulted in a concussion for the 19-year-old and a two-game suspension for himself.

"I've watched the clip numerous times and I definitely understand what they saw and why they thought it was worth two games ... but it wasn't my intent," Matheson said, per Jason Botchford of The Athletic. "It's two-fold. I see why people think it was malicious and deserving of (a) suspension. I see that point of view. But I know how I was feeling in the moment and it wasn't that."

Here's the play, which occurred Saturday:

Prior to the collision, Pettersson had scored a goal - the fifth of his debut season in just five games.

"He's a skilled player," Matheson said. "He makes good plays. When you're in a battle with someone, you want to play them hard and make sure they can't beat you back to the net. There was no point in my frame of mind where I was thinking 'I got to injure this guy.'"

Matheson added that he reached out to Pettersson via text to apologize and ensure he's OK.

The Panthers blue-liner is eligible to return from his ban Saturday, while an exact timetable for Pettersson's recovery isn't yet clear.

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The Anaheim Ducks have signed defenseman Jake Dotchin to a one-year contract, the team announced.

The contract is worth $800,000, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Dotchin will need to clear waivers on Thursday to join his new club, LeBrun adds. The Tampa Bay Lightning placed the 24-year-old on waivers in September for the purpose of contract termination.

Dotchin has recorded three goals and 19 assists over 83 NHL games.

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The Detroit Red Wings claimed forward Jacob de la Rose off waivers Wednesday, the team announced.

The Montreal Canadiens originally selected De La Rose 34th overall in the 2013 NHL Draft. He tallied four goals and eight assists in 55 games with the Habs last season. The Swede has good size (6-foot-3, 216 lbs) and speed, but has yet to cement himself as an everyday NHLer.

De La Rose suffered a cardiac episode two weeks ago and has yet to play a game this season.

The Red Wings are 0-4-2 to begin the 2018-19 campaign.

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Ottawa Senators rookie forward Brady Tkachuk will miss about a month with a torn ligament in his leg, the team announced Wednesday.

The fourth overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft has been an offensive catalyst for the Sens thus far, as the 19-year-old already has three goals, three assists, and 14 shots through his first four NHL games.

The timing of the injury isn't ideal for the Senators, as the club is already without Ryan Dzingel, Alex Formenton, and Cody Ceci due to various ailments.

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Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas is in Switzerland to meet with restricted free agent William Nylander and his representatives, reports Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun.

Throughout his contract impasse, Nylander's been training in his native Sweden while the Maple Leafs have begun the 2018-19 season with a 6-1 record.

Speculation has run wild about what lies in Nylander's future with the organization, but both sides have stated they'd prefer to come to a long-term agreement rather than a bridge deal.

The Maple Leafs currently have over $11 million in projected cap space for this season, per CapFriendly, but will face a significant squeeze beginning next year when the entry-level contracts of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner expire.

In his first two full campaigns in the NHL, Nylander recorded back-to-back 61-point seasons.

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When the best player in the world does something the league has never seen before, it's going to draw some attention. Just don't bring it up to him.

With a showstopping four-point effort Tuesday night, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid set an NHL record by scoring or assisting each of his team's first nine goals to start a season, but he's not particularly thrilled of his latest feat.

"You know what? It's whatever," McDavid told Sportsnet's Gene Principe. "I'm not overly proud of it. I don't think it's a stat we should be proud of either. And we found a way to get a goal there at the end, so we don't ever have to talk about it again."

After scoring his third goal of the campaign in the first period, McDavid added another tally and two assists in the final frame to erase a 4-1 deficit against the Winnipeg Jets. His most recent surge brought his early total to four goals and five assists through four games.

His remarkable streak ultimately ended when Darnell Nurse potted the overtime winner to secure Edmonton two much-needed points.

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