Leading up to the start of the 2019-20 season, theScore will be counting down the top 100 players in the game today, as voted on by our NHL editors. We'll reveal 10 players every day until the top 10 is unveiled on Oct. 2.

100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1

30. Mark Stone, Golden Knights

Stone has always been one of the best defensive wingers in hockey, but his positive offensive development has made him a rare commodity. Despite the Golden Knights' first-round playoff exit last season, the 27-year-old exploded for a ridiculous six goals and 12 points in seven games. It will be a treat to see what he can do over a full campaign on one of the league's top clubs.

29. Blake Wheeler, Jets

Wheeler is arguably the league's most underrated playmaker. Only Nikita Kucherov and Connor McDavid have more assists than the Jets captain over the past two years. There's a conversation to be had that he's a top-five NHL winger, but he's also shown the versatility and selflessness to play center when necessary.

28. Mark Scheifele, Jets

Scheifele has been a point-per-game player over the last three years for the Jets, culminating with career highs in goals (38) and points (84) last season. He has the ability to be a difference-maker by either scoring goals or setting up teammates as a playmaker and will be looking to help Winnipeg make another extended playoff run after last season's disappointing first-round exit.

27. Roman Josi, Predators

Josi continues to be one of the NHL's best puck-moving defensemen. The Nashville captain excels at generating offense, consistently maintaining favorable Scoring Chances For and Goals For percentages. He's topped 50 points in four of the last five seasons, and averaged more than 25 minutes of ice time in 2018-19.

26. Ryan O'Reilly, Blues

Could 2018-19 have gone any better for the Ontario native? O'Reilly mustered a career-high 77 points in his first year with the Blues and captured the Selke Trophy, Conn Smythe Trophy, and of course, the Stanley Cup. After such a dominant season, there's no question the 28-year-old is among the best two-way players in hockey.

25. Mitch Marner, Maple Leafs

Marner established himself as one of the game's best playmakers in 2018-19, leading the league with 36 primary assists at five-on-five. While he receives no shortage of attention playing in Toronto, the highly intelligent winger probably doesn't get enough credit for his defensive game. He has an excellent stick and is a threat shorthanded.

24. Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes

Aho was a massive talking point during the offseason after signing an offer sheet with the Canadiens. Carolina quickly matched the offer, which should have come as no surprise considering the 22-year-old is coming off of a breakout season when he led the Hurricanes in goals (30) and points (83).

23. Mikko Rantanen, Avalanche

Rantanen took another step forward last season, collecting 31 goals and 87 points to exceed his 2017-18 numbers despite playing seven fewer games. The Finnish forward benefits from playing on one of the best lines in hockey, but he's proven over the last two campaigns that he deserves a spot on Colorado's explosive top unit.

22. Brayden Point, Lightning

Point enjoyed a breakout third NHL season, notching career bests with 41 goals and 92 points in 79 games. The dynamic, two-way center also proved to be a lethal weapon on the man advantage, leading the entire league with 20 power-play markers.

21. Tyler Seguin, Stars

Only Alex Ovechkin fired more shots on goal than Seguin over the past two years. He's had at least 70 points in every season since joining the Stars in 2013-14, and it's quite possible the best is yet to come.

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

Leading up to the start of the 2019-20 season, theScore will be counting down the top 100 players in the game today, as voted on by our NHL editors. We'll reveal 10 players every day until the top 10 is unveiled Oct. 2.

100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1

20. Johnny Gaudreau, Flames

Johnny Hockey had his best year during the 2018-19 season, setting personal bests in goals (36), assists (63), and points (99). His efforts helped lead the Flames to their best regular season since 1988-89 when they went on to win the Stanley Cup. Gaudreau didn't find the same kind of postseason success with just one point in a five-game first-round loss, so he'll be chomping at the bit for a shot at playoff redemption.

19. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning

The NHL's best goalie was a major reason why Tampa Bay was so dominant in the 2018-19 regular season. Vasilevskiy posted a career-high .925 save percentage en route to claiming the Vezina Trophy for the first time, and he's improved in each of the last three campaigns. Can the 25-year-old get even better this season?

18. Leon Draisaitl, Oilers

The big German went scorched-earth in 2018-19 and became the first Oilers player to record a 50-goal season since Wayne Gretzky in 1986-87. Draisaitl isn't just a goal-scorer, either. His career-best 55 assists ranked second on the club to only Connor McDavid.

17. Taylor Hall, Devils

After he was limited to just 33 games last year, it can be easy to forget that Hall is one of the NHL's most dynamic players. The 27-year-old won the Hart Trophy with 93 points in 2017-18, but next season could be a career year for one of the most powerful skaters in the league after the Devils beefed up in the offseason.

16. Brad Marchand, Bruins

Marchand may not be the most popular player outside of Boston, but his impact on the ice is undeniable. Often known more for his ability to pester the opposition, Marchand took his game to another level last year, reaching the 100-point mark for the first time in his career and then equalling Ryan O'Reilly for the league lead with 23 postseason points.

15. Steven Stamkos, Lightning

The captain of the NHL's most watchable team is a huge part of its fearsome offensive attack, and he remains one of the league's brightest stars. Stamkos was also a major contributor to linemate Nikita Kucherov's 2018-19 Hart Trophy exploits, pouring in 45 goals and a career-high 98 points.

14. Brent Burns, Sharks

Will Burns ever slow down? It appears the 34-year-old rearguard is only getting better with age. Burns has reached the 60-point mark in five straight campaigns, including a career-high 83 point season in 2018-19. His 101 goals in that span lead all NHL defensemen by a wide margin of 17.

13. Patrice Bergeron, Bruins

Should the Selke just be renamed the Bergeron? The Bruins pivot has been named the NHL's top defensive forward a record-tying four times. He likely could've added to that total, but injuries have held him out of a combined 35 games over the past two years. He may be 34 now, but he's coming off a career-best 79 point season despite skating in just 65 contests.

12. Aleksander Barkov, Panthers

Barkov emerged as a premier two-way player last season after several years as a Selke Trophy contender. The 24-year-old added elite offensive production to his defensive acumen, putting up a career-high 98 points, 18 higher than his previous best, and helping bring a lot of optimism for the future in Sunrise.

11. John Tavares, Maple Leafs

Tavares' first season with Toronto was the best campaign of his career from a production standpoint. The former New York Islanders captain came within three tallies of the 50-goal mark and racked up 88 points while playing every game. Few centers in the NHL possess Tavares' scoring touch, and his quick hands make him very difficult to contain.

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

Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki wasn't very impressed with Auston Matthews' preseason antics.

The Toronto Maple Leafs star trolled Senators forward Scott Sabourin during an exhibition contest between the two sides on Sept. 18, and video of the incident went viral.

"I thought it was a little bit disrespectful, to be honest," Borowiecki said on Tuesday, according to The Canadian Press' Lisa Wallace. "We're not all blessed with Auston Matthews' talent, unfortunately, but I truly wish I was. Some of us have to do it the hard way."

Sabourin, 27, has spent seven years in the American Hockey League and is slated to make his NHL debut this season after cracking the Senators' roster out of camp.

"I'm not sure Auston appreciates what it's like being a fighter down there, it's a role he never had to play," Borowiecki said. "It's really tough when you know you're going to fight double digits every year and ride the bus around and get paid $70,000."

The Leafs host the Senators in their season opener on Wednesday night, which will be the first of four meetings between the two division rivals this season.

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

The Vancouver Canucks aren't sewing a "C" on anyone's jersey just yet, but they will in due time.

Bo Horvat, Alexander Edler, Chris Tanev, and Brandon Sutter have been named alternate captains, the club announced Tuesday.

"We are going to name a captain this season," Canucks head coach Travis Green said. "It's a special moment. Something our fans should be able to witness firsthand. We'll make the announcement Wednesday at our home opener."

Horvat was expected to be given the "C" entering the 2019-20 campaign.

Vancouver hasn't had a captain since Henrik Sedin served in the role from 2010 to 2018.

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

San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane has been suspended three games for violating Rule 40.4 governing the physical abuse of officials, the NHL announced Tuesday.

The incident occurred during a preseason game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.

It's an automatic three-game suspension that the Sharks can appeal, at which point NHL commissioner Gary Bettman could consider a reduction, TSN's Darren Dreger noted.

Kane was ejected from Sunday's heated exhibition contest after an altercation involving Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland and linesman Kiel Murchison. The Sharks winger slashed Murchison in an apparent attempt to whack Engelland, and then shoved Murchison after the official took him down to the ice.

Kane said postgame that the linesman's actions were "an absolute joke."

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

Montreal Canadiens prospects Nick Suzuki and Cale Fleury have made the big club out of camp.

The Habs announced Tuesday that forward Ryan Poehling has been assigned to AHL Laval, meaning Suzuki and Fleury claimed the final roster spots.

Suzuki notched one goal and three assists in five preseason contests while impressing the club with his speed and skill.

The Vegas Golden Knights selected the 20-year-old with the 13th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. The Canadiens acquired him as part of a trade for former captain Max Pacioretty in September 2018.

Montreal selected Fleury in the third round of the 2017 draft. The 6-foot-1 rearguard tallied nine goals and 23 points in 60 AHL games in 2018-19.

Poehling was held to just two exhibition contests after suffering a concussion in the team's preseason opener against the Florida Panthers on Sept. 18.

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

Humans are drawn to neatly packaged, occasionally false narratives.

For instance, some of us have convinced ourselves that in troubled times "everything happens for a reason," or that millennials are destroying the economy, or that if you swallow chewing gum it takes seven years to digest.

We've even convinced ourselves that the 2018-19 St. Louis Blues fell into a championship.

As you've heard repeatedly, the Blues were dead-last in the NHL standings on Jan. 3, before rallying to win the Stanley Cup. Enthralled by this worst-to-first plot, the general public has forgotten the full scope of the matter. St. Louis had been considered a fringe Cup contender heading into the year. All things considered, nobody should be blown away by their achievement.

"The big thing with the St. Louis story is that they were underperforming half the season and then they start playing as good as they can play. That's why they turned it around," Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist said earlier this month at the NHL's annual preseason media event in Chicago.

"It's not like they came from nowhere. They had the team to play like that, and that's the difference between a really good team underperforming (and) maybe a bad team playing their best."

Keep Lundqvist's words in mind as the new NHL season opens. The Blues are icing a nearly identical lineup, should again be viewed as a Cup threat, and are one of four very strong clubs in the Central Division.

The Atlantic may ultimately produce the Cup winner - the Lightning are favored, with the Maple Leafs and Bruins on their heels - but it's the potency of the Central that will define the season. No other division has a higher concentration of talent, or as many intriguing storylines.

"There's so many things we learned from winning that we need to hold on to and find a way to channel. But also we know we're not going to surprise anyone," Blues center and reigning Conn Smythe winner Ryan O'Reilly said. "It's going to be a whole different feel for us. 'OK, how can we elevate our game?' We're not going to catch teams by surprise."

The Nashville Predators have made the playoffs five years in a row, the longest such streak among Central teams. They lost in the 2017 Cup final and haven't really been the same since. In the offseason, general manager David Poile removed defenseman P.K. Subban and his $9-million cap hit and added Matt Duchene and his $8-million cost for an upgrade at center, a seemingly eternal position of need for the franchise.

Duchene, a hot commodity on the free-agent market, cited Nashville's Cup window and the presence of incumbent top-line center Ryan Johansen as key reasons why he signed with the Predators.

"I think we have an opportunity to be a 1A-1B situation, where you have two top lines that … compete every night to be the best line," Duchene said of Johansen and the depth chart. "And when you have that internal competition, it pushes each other and it makes you better, and you root for each other within that competition."

Jim Nill, Poile's counterpart in Dallas, faced a similar offseason predicament. With goaltending and defense largely taken care of, it was time to upgrade the Stars' offense. The signings of 30-somethings Joe Pavelski and Corey Perry could do the trick for a forward group that in the past has relied on Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, Alexander Radulov, and not much else.

"You look at Perry's track record. He's pretty much won every trophy you can win in hockey," Dallas goalie Ben Bishop said.

"Pavelski is going to be huge for us," defenseman John Klingberg said, citing the former Sharks captain's leadership. "I think that's something we really thrived on last year. After we got going, I think more voices in the locker room started speaking. Getting him in there is going to help us even more."

The surging Colorado Avalanche, meanwhile, have no issues filling the leadership quota or scoresheet. Captain Gabriel Landeskog, superstar Nathan MacKinnon, and $9.25-million man Mikko Rantanen form arguably the league's best line. Nazem Kadri, a battle-tested soon-to-be 29-year-old, will take over the No. 2 center spot after an offseason trade with Toronto. Joonas Donskoi and Andre Burakovsky, added from San Jose and Washington, respectively, were quality free-agent depth acquisitions by GM Joe Sakic. His defense, while still a work in progress, is mobile and effective.

"I think we should have high expectations with the group that we have," Avs defenseman Cale Makar said. "It's a special time. It's such a young team that honestly the sky's the limit."

The division's pecking order dips a bit after the top four teams. The Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Wild, and Chicago Blackhawks are all capable of making the playoffs this season. Each team is more talented than an average NHL group, but each also has major question marks, ranging from the Jets' depth issues on defense, the Hawks' troubles preventing goals, and the Wild's lack of game breakers.

"Everybody can win on any given night," Bishop said. "I'd like to see somebody trying to predict the standings of the Central Division."

Only five Central teams can qualify for the playoffs, if they claim both Western Conference wild-card spots. Maybe one of the Cup contenders falters, because sports can be unpredictable. Maybe a lower-end team sneaks up on the hockey world. The variety of outcomes is what makes this division such a murderer's row.

John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer.

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

Buffalo Sabres assistant coach Don Granato has been hospitalized with severe pneumonia and will be taking a medical leave from the team, the club announced on Tuesday.

Chris Taylor, the head coach of the Sabres' AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, will assist the Sabres' coaching staff in the interim. Meanwhile, Americans assistant coach Gord Dineen will serve as head coach of the AHL squad.

Granato, 52, joined Ralph Krueger's staff with the Sabres in June following two seasons as an assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks. He previously served as associate coach at Wisconsin and spent seven campaigns as head coach of the St. Louis Blues' AHL affiliates.

He also won the ECHL's Kelly Cup as head coach of the Peoria Rivermen in 2000 and led the U.S. National Team Development Program from 2013 to 2016.

Granato is the brother of former NHL forward and current University of Wisconsin bench boss Tony Granato, as well as U.S. women's hockey legend Cammi Granato.

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