A former governor and financial contributor to the Canadian Women's Hockey League made a pitch to save it.

Graeme Roustan, the venture capitalist and former chairman of Bauer Hockey, sent a letter to the league's board on Friday, offering to assume control.

"I would like to immediately move forward with replacing all of you as directors/members and bring in my own team of directors/members with the intent of carrying on the CWHL next season and beyond," he wrote, according to TSN.

Roustan requested a response by Friday at noon ET but claimed he didn't get one from CWHL chair Laurel Walzak or vice chair Art Mannarn as of that time.

The league ceased operations Sunday after 12 years.

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Quinn Hughes is officially Slovakia-bound.

The Vancouver Canucks' top defensive prospect will represent the United States at the upcoming World Championship, the club confirmed Friday.

Hughes notched a pair of assists in the Canucks' loss to the Nashville Predators on Thursday night and has three points in his first four NHL games.

He joined the Canucks last month after posting 33 points in 32 contests during his sophomore and final season at the University of Michigan.

Hughes also played for the U.S. at the worlds last year. Vancouver then selected the 19-year-old seventh overall at the NHL draft last June.

His brother Jack, the presumptive No. 1 pick in the next draft, is reportedly likely to take part in the upcoming World Championship as well.

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Quinn Hughes is officially Slovakia-bound.

The Vancouver Canucks' top defensive prospect will represent the United States at the upcoming World Championship, the club confirmed Friday.

Hughes notched a pair of assists in the Canucks' loss to the Nashville Predators on Thursday night and has three points in his first four NHL games.

He joined the Canucks last month after posting 33 points in 32 contests during his sophomore and final season at the University of Michigan.

Hughes also played for the U.S. at the worlds last year. Vancouver then selected the 19-year-old seventh overall at the NHL draft last June.

His brother Jack, the presumptive No. 1 pick in the next draft, is reportedly likely to take part in the upcoming World Championship as well.

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Michael Hutchinson will serve as the Toronto Maple Leafs' backup netminder for at least the next 10 days while Garret Sparks works with the club's goalie coaches, head coach Mike Babcock said Friday, as relayed by The Athletic's James Mirtle.

Sparks, who was chosen as Toronto's backup ahead of Curtis McElhinney at the start of the year, has struggled mightily of late. The 25-year-old lost four of his last five outings and owns a .902 save percentage across 20 appearances this season.

Hutchinson was acquired by the Maple Leafs for a fifth-round pick in late December after the team ran into injury problems. He made five starts, winning two of them with a .914 save clip, before being was sent to the AHL's Toronto Marlies, where he made 23 starts and went 14-5-1.

The Maple Leafs will wrap up their regular season on Saturday in Montreal, where starter Frederik Andersen is expected to be between the pipes. The club will then head to Boston for the start of its first-round playoff series.

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The last time the Carolina Hurricanes made the playoffs, their head coach, Rod Brind'Amour, was the team's captain.

Carolina clinched its first postseason berth since 2008-09 after defeating the New Jersey Devils combined with the Montreal Canadiens' loss to the Washington Capitals on Thursday.

The Hurricanes' nine-year playoff drought was the longest active streak in the league. Ironically, Thursday is exactly 10 years to the day since they clinched their last playoff spot, according to The Athletic's Sara Civian.

The road to the postseason was never a guarantee for Carolina. The Hurricanes sported a lackluster 16-17-5 record at the end of 2018 but have gone 29-12-2 in the new year.

Carolina's first-round opponent is yet to be determined. The Canes could still finish as high as third in the Metro Division and as low as the second wild-card spot.

The Buffalo Sabres now hold the NHL's longest active drought, having not reached the playoffs since the 2010-11 season.

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The Colorado Avalanche locked down the last remaining playoff position in the Western Conference on Thursday by earning a point against the Winnipeg Jets, eliminating the Arizona Coyotes.

Colorado owns the last-place Ottawa Senators' first-round pick, giving the club the rare distinction of competing in the postseason while boasting the highest odds at landing the No. 1 pick at the NHL draft.

The Avalanche will make consecutive postseason appearances for the first time since 2004-2006 and will look for their first series victory since 2008.

Colorado can still move into the first wild-card spot if it wins its final contest and the Dallas Stars lose each of their two remaining games in regulation.

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Nikita Kucherov continues to add to his case for the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player.

With his 40th goal and 126th point of the season Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Tampa Bay Lightning superstar set a new benchmark for points in a season in the salary-cap era.

Dating back even further, Kucherov's 126 points are the most in a season since Jagr's 127 in 1998-99.

Kucherov's 40th tally helped make some team history as well, as the Lightning became the first club since the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins to have three 40-goal scorers, according to FOX Sports Florida.

The Lightning still have one game remaining in their historic season.

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The Washington Capitals are Metropolitan Division champions for the fourth consecutive year after defeating the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

Washington has put itself in an excellent position to make a run at back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. The Caps have guaranteed themselves home-ice advantage through the first two rounds and will open the playoffs against the first wild-card seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Capitals have now racked up a dozen division titles, including nine over the last 12 seasons.

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