With rumors and speculation running rampant among the masses, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock decided to clear the air Friday on his relationship with general manager Kyle Dubas.

The spotlight on their partnership grew intense following the club's 3-0 loss in Nashville on Tuesday, after which Babcock said other teams around the NHL have done a better job playing through injuries than the Leafs. Some took the comment as a shot at Dubas, but Toronto's veteran coach insisted he meant no harm.

"We've talked about this since this happened," Babcock said Friday, according to NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger. "How would I say it? If any of my comments in any way - because then I read the article and I don't read it that way, at all - but if any of my comments in any way hurt anyone, it (wasn't intended)."

Babcock is in his fourth season as the Leafs' coach, but Dubas is in his rookie season as Toronto's GM, which Babcock believes is a factor in the duo's growing relationship.

"(Dubas) and my relationship isn't as good as it will be four years from now," Babcock said. "Mine with (Detroit Red Wings GM) Ken Holland wasn't as good in my first (season) as in my 10th or Bryan Murray in my first (with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim) as in my third. It takes a while to build."

Toronto currently sits sixth in the NHL with 93 points and is all but locked into a playoff spot for the third consecutive season with Babcock at the helm.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

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

Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Play, and Spotify.

In this episode, John's joined by Jonathan Willis of The Athletic to bounce around the league as the regular season winds down. Topics include:

• Which team(s) should scare the juggernaut Lightning?
• Load management, bad PR, and the Edmonton Oilers
• Mark Stone and other smart trade deadline deals
• Surprises, insights from the recent NHLPA Player Poll

... and more!

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Although Edmonton Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson apologized for publicly criticizing Tobias Rieder's play this season, the Oilers forward sounded off on the incident Friday.

"You kind of can't believe it. I feel like it's disappointing and I'm offended by it," Rieder said, according to TSN's Ryan Rishaug. "I'm the first one to admit I haven't had a good year."

Nicholson went off on a tirade at a breakfast for season-ticket holders Thursday, directly blaming Rieder's individual lack of production for the team's precarious playoff position.

The German forward was surprised to hear such critical commentary from the front office with the team sitting five points out of a playoff position with eight games remaining.

"It went a little too far and Bob knows that ... I thought the timing was a bit weird, we're still fighting for the playoffs. I'm still going to do my best," Rieder added.

Rieder's agent, Darren Ferris, also voiced his displeasure regarding the comments, calling Nicholson's remarks "unacceptable." As for Rieder's teammates, the 26-year-old says everyone's on the same page regarding the issue.

"We talked before the game and they don't think it was right either ... it's good to know they have my back," Rieder said, according to Rishaug. The NHLer added that he accepts Nicholson's apology.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby will not be in attendance Monday when his teammates visit the White House as Stanley Cup champions.

"I've got to stay true to my values, and I'm going respectfully decline the offer," Holtby said Friday, according to The Washington Post's Isabelle Khurshudyan.

"In saying that, it's a tough situation for everyone to be in, to be forced to make a decision of that standing," he added. "You're a team and you want to stick together no matter what, so I hope everyone kind of blows it away and that we don't worry about who goes and who doesn't."

Capitals forward Brett Connolly already declined the invitation, citing his support for Devante Smith-Pelly. Smith-Pelly, who played a crucial role in Washington's championship run but is currently with the AHL's Hershey Bears, has previously spoken out against President Donald Trump and will also skip the visit.

“For me, it's just a personal thing," Holtby said. "I believe in what I believe in, and in order to stick to those values, I think I have to do what I feel is right. But that doesn't make a difference (in) everyone else's decision.

"We stick by every single teammate we have and their decision. That's about it."

Holtby is an active supporter of the LGBTQ community. He's marched in D.C.'s Pride Parade and was the Capitals' "You Can Play" ambassador for the past two seasons. That involvement factored into his decision.

"My family and myself, we believe in a world where humans are treated with respect regardless of your stature, what you're born into," the 29-year-old said. "You're asked to choose what side you're on, and I think it's pretty clear what side I'm on. I believe that this is the right decision for myself and my family."

The Capitals announced there would be no official ceremony or media availability during their visit. They will receive a tour of the White House and meet President Trump in the Oval Office, reports Khurshudyan.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The truck driver who caused the deadly crash with the Humboldt Broncos' bus was sentenced to eight years in prison Friday, according to Bre McAdam of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.

Jaskirat Singh Sidhu of Calgary, Alberta, pleaded guilty earlier this year to 29 counts of dangerous driving.

Judge Inez Cardinal said Sidhu's remorse and guilty plea were mitigating factors, but she had to consider the number of people who were killed or seriously injured as a result of the crash.

In April 2018, Sidhu drove through a stop sign at a rural Saskatchewan intersection and collided with the junior hockey team's bus. Sixteen people were killed and 13 were injured.

The judge noted that Sidhu will be deported after serving his sentence because he's a permanent resident and not a Canadian citizen.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Yanni Gourde will have a hearing Friday for an illegal check to the head of Carolina Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced.

Here's a look at the play, which took place in the first period of Thursday's contest:

Gourde was handed a 10-minute match penalty and a game misconduct for the hit. The 27-year-old has never faced supplemental discipline from the league.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk joined CFRA's Bill Carroll for a radio interview on Friday morning and voiced strong opinions on a number of topics, including the Toronto Maple Leafs' rebuild, his own team's trades, and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson.

While discussing the challenges of building and maintaining a championship contender in the salary cap era, Melnyk was quick to take a jab at how the Leafs have allocated their salaries.

"They're going to have a tough time winning the Stanley Cup without defense," Melnyk said, "because they're hitting the cap, they can't bring anybody new in so they're stuck, and that's where you have to be extremely careful. ... They collapse their team, say we gotta do a rebuild, but you know, mistakes were made and somebody forgot about defense."

When talking about his own rebuild with the Senators, Melnyk insisted he needed to trade away Ottawa's budding stars to accommodate the younger talents of the future.

"A lot of people were really upset about us trading away the three in the end, (Matt) Duchene and (Mark) Stone and (Ryan) Dzingel, and if you think about it, they're all looking for a seven- or eight-year contract at the age of 27," Melnyk said.

"Five or six years from now, they're all going to be in their almost mid-30s and you're going to have all these kids coming up."

In a later discussion regarding the contentious RendezVous LeBreton proposal to build a new downtown arena west of Parliament Hill, Melnyk openly ridiculed Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson after Carroll noted how critical Watson has been of Melnyk throughout the process.

"He is so lucky that I keep my mouth shut, he should keep his," Melnyk said of Watson. "I have a lot to say but I don't say it, but you know what, I'd be very careful I was him and walking around mouthing off. With him opening up like that, you know all he does is the NHL offices, they look at it and say, 'Hey do we really want to bring more events to this city?'"

Melnyk concluded the radio hit by calling out the Ottawa media, specifically stating that one particular reporter was "bush league" for asking general manager Pierre Dorion to listen to a taped call of an upset Senators fan.

TSN's Ian Mendes immediately took to social media, tweeting, "So, Eugene Melnyk just called me 'bush league' on the air. So there's that." Soon after, Mendes' colleagues began speaking out in his defense.

The Friday radio hit came just one day after Melnyk joined Sportsnet 590 The Fan and stated that the Senators need to identify their "real fans."

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tobias Rieder's representative is not pleased with Bob Nicholson.

Darren Ferris expressed as much on Thursday night, hours after the Edmonton Oilers CEO criticized Rieder at a breakfast for season-ticket holders.

“I am totally astonished and disappointed that the president of an NHL team can make such a callous and reckless statement about a player," Ferris told TSN's Ryan Rishaug. "This is unacceptable.”

Nicholson apologized to Rieder, according to TSN's Darren Dreger, and later told Sportsnet's Mark Spector he "screwed up."

The executive told fans that the Oilers would probably be a playoff team if Rieder had 10-to-12 goals, and that the 26-year-old winger won't be re-signed for next season.

Oilers head coach Ken Hitchcock had Rieder's back after Thursday's victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Rieder has no goals and 11 points in 60 games this season. The Oilers signed him to a one-year, $2-million deal on July 1.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.