The Vancouver Canucks named Bo Horvat the 14th captain in team history prior to Wednesday's home opener against the Los Angeles Kings.

Horvat succeeds Henrik Sedin, who captained the Canucks for eight seasons before retiring at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.

"They choose captains because of who you are," Sedin said, according to Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre. "That's why they didn't name a captain right away; they wait and see what kind of person a guy is and how he handles different situations.

"That's why they picked Bo."

The club previously named Alexander Edler, Chris Tanev, and Brandon Sutter alternate captains on Oct. 1.

Horvat established career highs with the Canucks last season, recording 27 goals and 61 points.

Vancouver selected the 24-year-old with the No. 9 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.

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New Jersey Devils forward Wayne Simmonds doesn't feel his efforts were fully appreciated by the Philadelphia Flyers.

The 31-year-old, who makes his return to Philadelphia on Wednesday night, opened up about his departure from the club after nearly seven seasons.

"I put so much time and sweat and tears into this organization," Simmonds said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Sam Carchidi. "I thought I did everything I could possibly do to at least get a bit of an extension."

Following a career-best 32-goal, 60-point season in 2015-16, the 6-foot-2 winger saw his point total decline in each of the past three campaigns. With Simmonds on an expiring contract in 2018-19, the Flyers traded him to the Nashville Predators at last season's deadline instead of offering him a new deal.

The Toronto native became an unrestricted free agent this past summer and signed a one-year, $5-million pact with the Devils on July 1.

Simmonds recorded 203 goals and 378 points over 584 career games with the Flyers.

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After spending 19 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Patrick Marleau is happy to be back in the Bay Area.

"The emotion I felt when that phone call came from Doug was just overwhelming," Marleau said on Wednesday, according to Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. "I'm just very grateful to be back."

The Carolina Hurricanes bought out the veteran forward from the final year of his contract in June after the Toronto Maple Leafs traded him.

Marleau will make his season debut on Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks after practicing on the Sharks' top line alongside Logan Couture and Timo Meier, according to The Athletic's Kevin Kurz.

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It appears more dominos could fall after Patrick Marleau became the first veteran unrestricted free agent to find a home during the season.

There is "significant interest" from a number of teams in 34-year-old center Brian Boyle, TSN's Bob McKenzie reported on Tuesday's edition of "Insider Trading."

Boyle split last season between the New Jersey Devils and the Nashville Predators, scoring 18 goals - the second-highest mark of his career - and adding six assists in 73 games. The 6-foot-6, 245-pounder also threw 145 hits and won 51.1% of his faceoffs, although he doesn't move around the ice as quickly as he used to.

The 40-year-old Marleau returned to the San Jose Sharks on a reported one-year deal for the league minimum ($700K) on Tuesday. In addition to Boyle, veteran names such as Dion Phaneuf, Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek, Andrew MacDonald, Jamie McGinn, Adam McQuaid, and Scott Darling all find themselves unemployed with the season underway.

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Drew Doughty was the center of attention Tuesday night in Calgary, and he made the most of it.

The Los Angeles Kings defender was booed relentlessly by the Saddledome fans as a result of his ongoing feud with Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk, but he delivered a three-point performance that included the overtime winner and then a spirited celebration. Afterward, Doughty said he relished the opportunity to send the fans home with a loss.

"Oh yeah. As much as I love getting booed every time I touch the puck, you kinda wanna shove it in their faces," he said in the locker room, via TSN. "And before that overtime started I knew I had a great opportunity and I was like, 'Every time I get that puck I'm ripping it.'"

The rivalry between Doughty and Tkachuk dates back two seasons from when the Flames star was suspended two games for an elbow to the head of the former Norris Trophy winner. The animosity between them has been persistent ever since, and Doughty fueled the fire ahead of Tuesday's game by saying, "We both know who the better player is" when asked for his thoughts on Tkachuk.

Tkachuk also had a big game on Tuesday, as he registered three points, including a late equalizer that sent the contest to overtime.

He and Doughty won't have to wait long to renew hostilities, as their clubs will clash on Oct. 19 in Los Angeles.

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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, and Spotify.

This week, ex-NHL winger Mike Cammalleri joins the show to discuss a wide range of topics:

• Why he's helping to create a CBD-infused sports drink
• Origins of BioSteel, a popular supplements company
• Why 5-foot-9 forwards like Mike fit well in the modern NHL
• The story behind a mid-game trade from Montreal to Calgary
• Playing with Iginla, Giordano, Kopitar, McDavid, etc.

...and more!

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