From the 1997-98 season through the 2003-04 campaign, hooking, holding, and obstruction - plus silly rules like two-line passes - made it difficult to generate offense in the NHL. For those seven seasons, scoring peaked at 5.52 goals per game in 2000-01 and plummeted as low as 5.14 in 2003-04 (for reference, there were 6.04 goals per contest in 2019-20). Thus, those seven seasons are considered the dead-puck era.

During this time, skill and creativity were not encouraged like they are today. Big, slow defensemen who would've had no business in today's game were able to carve out long careers because they could use their sticks and hands to slow down smaller, speedier players.

This list will highlight 10 skaters from this era who would've benefited most from playing in today's wide-open speed game. Hall of Famers are omitted from this list, as their careers were recognized enough to be enshrined among hockey's greats - this means no Paul Kariya or Pavel Bure.

Additionally, only players who spent the bulk or primes of their careers in the dead-puck era were included. So, stars like Alexander Mogilny or Theo Fleury, who tore up the league in the early '90s, were not considered.

(Statistics are from the 1997-98 season through the 2003-04 season)

Ziggy Palffy

Palffy was not only one of his generation's most talented forwards, but one of the most underappreciated players of all time. He played on some porous New York Islanders and Los Angeles Kings teams, so he rarely received national recognition, playing in just 24 career playoff games (racking up 19 points).

The 5-foot-10 winger played 42 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005-06 before retiring due to a lingering shoulder injury at just 33 years old. He played in the Slovak league - which he tore up - in 2007, but never returned to the NHL. Even though his tenure in Pittsburgh was brief, he left a lasting impression on former teammate Sidney Crosby.

"Ziggy was unbelievable," Crosby said during an appearance on the "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast in August. "He just toyed with goalies, could just knock any puck down. You give him any pass, anywhere, he was incredible. So underrated for how good he was."

Pavol Demitra

Demitra wasn't overly flashy, but he was so smart and skilled. He peaked in 2002-03, posting a career-high 93 points in his age-28 season. The Slovak winger capitalized a bit when the game opened up in the post-lockout era, but by then, he was on the wrong side of 30. Unfortunately, Demitra died in the 2011 Lokomotiv plane crash at just 36 years old.

Markus Naslund

Only three players had more points than Naslund during the dead-puck era: Jaromir Jagr, Joe Sakic, and Mats Sundin. The longtime Vancouver Canucks captain was particularly dominant right before the 2004-05 lockout, putting up 90, 104, and 84 points, respectively, in the three seasons prior.

Naslund was the main driver of the famed "West Coast Express" line, which also featured Todd Bertuzzi and Brendan Morrison. The Swede probably won't end up in the Hall of Fame, but he could've made a more compelling case had he received a chance to shine in a higher-scoring era.

Alex Kovalev

Few players in league history have possessed as much raw skill as Kovalev. He was big, fast, could stickhandle in a phone booth, and had a rocket of a shot. Heck, he could even go top shelf with one hand. However, Kovalev drove many of his coaches mad with his inconsistent effort.

During his time with the New York Rangers, head coach Mike Keenan famously made Kovalev stay out for a five-minute shift as punishment for not changing lines when he should have, but he ended up drawing two penalties and scoring a goal.

Despite being labeled as an underachiever, Kovalev still managed a career-high 44 goals and 95 points in 2000-01 with the Penguins. Perhaps he could've put more seasons like that together had he spent more of his prime years in the modern game.

Patrik Elias

"Elite offensive threat" may not be the first words that come to mind when thinking of Elias. He was known as a versatile, reliable two-way forward in the latter half of his career, reaching the 70-point mark just twice after he turned 30. However, it's easy to forget how dynamic he was in his younger days, as he tallied a career-high 96 points in 2000-01.

While Elias' career year came in a season in which the New Jersey Devils led the league in scoring, they were generally a defense-first team for the duration of his 1,240-game career, and he still managed 1,025 points.

Sergei Samsonov

Samsonov may not be on the same level as the players listed above him, but he was a special talent with a playing style that would've seamlessly transitioned to today's game.

"Mighty Mouse" stood at just 5-foot-8, but he could skate like the wind and had a lethal wrist shot. He had back-to-back 29-goal, 70-plus-point campaigns at age 22 and 23. Unfortunately, a major wrist injury limited him to just eight games in 2002-03 and he was never the same player.

Steve Sullivan

Sullivan was like Samsonov in many ways. The diminutive 5-foot-9 winger was also a tier below most players on this list, but his style of play was tailored to today's game. He was a highly intelligent player with exceptional hands and a nose for the net.

Sullivan was also held back by injuries. After racking up 128 points through his first 126 games in the post-lockout era, he suffered a debilitating back injury that forced him to miss the remainder of the 2006-07 season and the entire 2007-08 campaign. He was never able to top his personal-best season in 2000-01 with the Chicago Blackhawks, when he registered 34 goals and 75 points.

Sandis Ozolinsh

Ozolinsh was a prototypical offensive defenseman. With his speed and 6-foot-3 frame, he would've shined in just about any era, but his aggressive, offense-first nature certainly would've been more embraced in today's game.

Prior to 1997-98, Ozolinsh had seasons of 64, 54, and 68 points, respectively, before his scoring decreased. Even after the fact, he still maintained impressive production, putting up the ninth-most points among defensemen in the dead-puck era, even though injuries limited him to 100 fewer games than leader Nicklas Lidstrom.

Bryan Berard

Berard is mostly remembered for suffering a severe eye injury from a high stick just after he turned 22 while a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The injury, which left the blue-liner without vision in his right eye, overshadowed how good of a player he was, and how great he could've been.

The first overall pick in 1995 by the Ottawa Senators, Berard could absolutely fly and loved joining the rush. He won the Calder Trophy with the Islanders and produced 158 points in 290 games before his injury. He missed the entire 2000-01 season but still wound up having some productive years. He recorded 47 points in 58 games (with basically one eye, mind you) in 2003-04, which stands as the NHL's lowest-scoring season since 1955-56.

Oleg Tverdovsky

Tverdovsky's prime and his career altogether were short-lived, but he was a superb offensive talent in his heyday. He tallied three 50-point seasons as a defenseman before his 25th birthday, but never surpassed 32 points again.

Perhaps if he spent his prime years in today's game, we would've seen more goals like this spin-o-rama beauty (but without the Luc Robitaille water-skiing).

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Blake Wheeler has one word for Donald Trump.

On Saturday, the Winnipeg Jets captain responded directly to the U.S. president's plea to end Minnesota's lockdown on Twitter.

Wheeler's ties to Minnesota run deep. He was born in Plymouth and grew up in nearby Robbinsdale, both of which aren't far from Minneapolis. The 33-year-old also spent three years at the University of Minnesota before beginning his NHL career.

Trump, who's repeatedly expressed his goal of reopening the U.S. economy in spite of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, fired off a series of "liberate" tweets Friday. They were an apparent attempt to put pressure on Minnesota, Michigan, and Virginia legislators to lift stay-at-home orders put in place to slow the spread of the virus.

On Friday afternoon, following the president's tweets, a few hundred protesters assembled outside Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's house in St. Paul, according to NBC News. One sign reportedly read, "If ballots don't free us, bullets will."

The gathering followed similar ones in New York, Michigan, and Ohio, among others.

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Veteran defenseman Dustin Byfuglien is officially a free agent after he and the Winnipeg Jets resolved their lengthy dispute by having his contract terminated Friday.

Whether or not the 35-year-old is looking to continue playing in the NHL remains to be seen. If he is, Byfuglien will likely garner a fair amount of interest from teams looking to bolster the back end for 2020-21. His fate could also depend on what teams are willing to pay him, especially with next season's salary cap up in the air due to revenue losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Assuming Byfuglien is healthy and wishes to continue his NHL career, and that any team signing him will exercise caution by giving him a one-year "show me" deal, here are a few spots where the blue-liner would fit best.

Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens need to add a difference-maker following another mediocre campaign, and a healthy Byfuglien could help the middling club go from a playoff hopeful to a team capable of a deep postseason run.

Here's an example of what the Habs' blue line could look like with Byfuglien in the mix:

Alongside Shea Weber and Jeff Petry, Byfuglien would give the Canadiens an embarrassment of riches at one of the most coveted positions in the league: right defense. Each of those three is at least 6-foot-3 and over 200 pounds, so the addition of Byfuglien could make that side of the ice an absolute nightmare for Montreal's opponents. With his strong offensive game and cannon of a shot, Byfuglien would also provide another much-needed weapon for the club's 22nd-ranked power play.

The Canadiens should be able to make things work financially, as each of the top four defensemen listed above is already under contract through next season. The only core players in need of new deals for 2020-21 are Victor Mete and forward Max Domi, who will both be restricted free agents this summer.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Byfuglien would help the Maple Leafs improve their two most glaring weaknesses: defensive depth on the right side and a lack of physicality. Assuming Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci find new homes in free agency, the Leafs will also have a heightened need for a right shot on the blue line.

Here's a rough idea of how Toronto's defensive unit could stack up in 2020-21 if the team takes a chance on Big Buff:

The 6-foot-5 rearguard would immediately become the Leafs' most intimidating presence, and though he isn't the fastest skater, he could also fit the club's offensive blueprint thanks to his savvy awareness in that end. Byfuglien should also appeal to Toronto's analytics-driven approach: His teams have owned the advantage in Corsi For rating, expected goals percentage, and high-danger scoring chances with Byfuglien on the ice at five-on-five during nearly every season of his career.

It's no secret the Leafs are tight against the salary cap, and with next season's upper limit still in question, it's currently impossible to determine whether Byfuglien would be a realistic option. Letting Barrie and Ceci walk would free up nearly $7 million in cap room, though, and a one-year deal for Byfuglien wouldn't threaten Toronto's ability to re-sign players beyond next season. The Leafs are in a plug-and-play situation as they look to surround a pricey core with cost-effective supplementary pieces. Byfuglien could be a fit - depending on his asking price.

St. Louis Blues

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong had himself a busy week with a slew of signings. Most noteworthy was a four-year extension for defenseman Marco Scandella - a deal that's put pending unrestricted free agent Alex Pietrangelo's future with the team into further question.

St. Louis is also likely to re-sign restricted free-agent rearguard Vince Dunn, who's proven to be a valuable contributor at just 23 years of age. Unless the Blues move a core player with a high-end cap hit, keeping their captain doesn't seem realistic. But what if Byfuglien - who'd undoubtedly come far cheaper than Pietrangelo - could fill that spot on the right side for at least one season and help the Blues push for another Stanley Cup?

Let's assess what a Blues back end featuring Byfuglien might look like:

The following graphs illustrate the respective on-ice impacts of Pietrangelo and Byfuglien since 2016.

Pietrangelo: 76 total games tracked from 2016-19

Byfuglien: 124 total games tracked from 2016-19

It's highly unlikely, of course, that Byfuglien ever again comes close to his previously elite level of play, but these numbers prove the veteran's game was recently on par with Pietrangelo's in many respects.

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Calgary Flames goaltender Cam Talbot believes he's proven himself this season and can return to being a starting goaltender next year.

"I knew that if I came to camp healthy and in the right situation, I was confident I was going to be able to get back to that form," Calbot said, according to Sportsnet's Eric Francis. "I think I played through some stuff that maybe I shouldn’t have played through the year before, and toward the end of the year before that, so that had a lot of mitigating factors behind my declining play those years.

"But I think my record shows that when I'm healthy and on top of my game, I can be one of the best in the league."

Talbot signed a one-year deal with the Flames last summer after posting a .892 save percentage over 35 games during a disastrous 2018-19 season split between the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers.

The 32-year-old appeared in just 26 games this season, while teammate David Rittich played in 48. Talbot managed a respectable 12-10-1 record with a .919 save percentage and 2.63 goals-against average. Rittich, meanwhile, posted a .908 save percentage and 2.97 goals-against average.

Talbot, a pending free agent, believes his numbers were good enough to earn him a starting job in the future, potentially outside of Calgary if need be.

"I obviously wouldn't mind coming back here either. I loved it here. It's a great situation, a great locker room and, obviously, I have a really good relationship with Ritter and Siggy (goalie coach Jordan Sigalet)," Talbot said. "So I mean, I wouldn’t rule out coming back, but, obviously, my goal coming here was to show the rest of the league that I still have it in me to be a starting goalie and I think I accomplished that."

Talbot added he would be open to a return if he could get "a fair chance off the bat" to be the starter, something he felt he didn't receive this season.

Rittich is signed through the 2020-21 campaign.

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Some of the greatest moments in sports history have been immortalized through iconic photos. But how much do you know about the stories behind these legendary events? Take our quiz below to find out.

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This week, theScore's hockey editors are evaluating the best captains from each current NHL club since the 2000-01 season. The selections are based on individual and team success, as well as popularity and character.

Pacific Division | Metropolitan | Central

Boston Bruins

When the Bruins signed Zdeno Chara as a free agent in 2006, the team immediately handed him the "C." Though they missed the playoffs in his first season as the team’s leader, there’s been nearly nothing but success since.

As Boston's captain, Chara has led the Bruins to the postseason 10 times, including one Stanley Cup victory and three Cup Final appearances. While he trails franchise legend and former captain Ray Bourque in most statistical categories for defensemen, Chara's impact with the Bruins has been incredible. A towering menace on the ice who's instilled fear into opponents for quite some time, he's shown himself to be a gentle giant off of it and as good of a leader as they come.

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres have had a remarkable 16 captains since the turn of the century, but none brought more success than Chris Drury and Daniel Briere, who both shared the "C" from 2003-04 to 2006-07. The pair put up the best numbers of their respective careers while leading the club to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals, highlighting a brief but exciting era in Buffalo. Their tenure ended bitterly, as both players departed as free agents in the same summer, leaving a hole that wasn't filled until the arrival of Jack Eichel in 2015.

Detroit Red Wings

You can't really go wrong when choosing between "Stevie Y" and perhaps the best defenseman to ever grace an NHL blue line, but if we're talking 2000s, Nicklas Lidstrom takes the cake for Detroit. The Hall of Fame rearguard earned the Norris Trophy three times during his run as captain and led the Red Wings to consecutive Stanley Cup Finals in 2008 and 2009, capturing the championship in the former year.

Dominant at both ends of the ice, the Swedish sensation led all blue-liners in points during his tenure with the "C," and his plus-152 rating during that span was 51 better than the next-closest defenseman.

Florida Panthers

While the Panthers didn't have much team success with Olli Jokinen as captain, he almost takes this spot by default. Jokinen is the only Panther to serve as captain for more than two seasons since 2000, and he had some pretty impressive individual years over that span. He posted 89 points in 2005-06 and followed that up with a career-high 91 points the next season. Aleksander Barkov will likely take over this spot in a few seasons, but for now, Jokinen stands tall.

Montreal Canadiens

Tied with Jean Beliveau as the longest-tenured captain in franchise history, Saku Koivu holds a special place in the hearts of Canadiens fans. From 2000-01 until his departure in the summer of 2009, Koivu led the Canadiens to the postseason five times.

One of the most enduring memories of Koivu was when he made an unexpected and remarkable comeback in 2002 after being diagnosed with cancer. Originally set to miss at least the entire season, he returned for the Habs' third-last game of the campaign and fans gave him an emotional eight-minute standing ovation. One of hockey's greatest moments illustrated what Koivu meant to the city of Montreal. His resilience and dedication to the Canadiens make him one of the best captains of all time for the historic franchise.

Ottawa Senators

Daniel Alfredsson is a shoo-in choice, as he captained the Senators for the majority of the last two decades. From 2000 until his departure in 2013, Alfredsson led the Senators to the playoffs 10 times. That didn't include a Stanley Cup victory, but he got extremely close in 2007 before losing in the final.

He's the franchise leader in goals, assists, and points, while sitting in second for games played, trailing Chris Phillips by just one game. Alfredsson also became the first player in modern Senators history to have his jersey retired. He left his mark in Ottawa over his 17 seasons there and will forever be enshrined in the rafters because of his accomplishments as captain.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Steven Stamkos has personified the perennial powerhouse Lightning since breaking out in his second NHL season back in 2009-10. The superstar forward - who was named captain in 2014 after Martin St. Louis was dealt for Ryan Callahan - has authored by far the best offensive numbers of any Bolts captain since 2000-01. He's also worn the "C" for Tampa Bay for longer than anyone else since that campaign.

While the team won the Cup in 2004 with captain Dave Andreychuk and reached the Eastern Conference Final led by Vincent Lecavalier in 2011, Stamkos helped the club reach the playoffs in five of six seasons prior to this year, including two conference final berths and a trip to the Cup Final in 2015.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The all-time leader in goals (420), points (987), game-winners (79), and much more for the 102-year-old Maple Leafs, Mats Sundin is a lock. The towering Swedish pivot and Hall of Famer was the face of the franchise for its most successful era in a generation, and despite a lack of competent linemates, he continued to produce big numbers when Toronto entered a decline after the 2005 lockout.

Sundin served as captain for 10 seasons, and in the seven campaigns applicable to this exercise - at ages 29-36 - he ranked eighth among all players with 533 points in 539 games.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to a two-year contract extension, the team announced Friday.

The deal carries an average annual value of $2.8 million, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.

Korpisalo, 25, set career highs in wins and games played in 2019-20 and was set to become a restricted free agent this summer. He compiled a 19-12-5 record with a .911 save percentage and 2.60 goals-against average in 37 games for Columbus during his first year as a starter.

The Finnish netminder was selected to the 2020 All-Star Game but was forced to bow out due to a knee injury that also sidelined him for 25 regular-season games.

"Joonas had the opportunity to play a lot of games for us early in the season before he was injured and responded by playing at an All-Star level," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement. "He is a young, talented goaltender with a great work ethic and desire to succeed and we are very excited to see his continued development and improvement moving forward."

Originally selected by the Blue Jackets in the third round of the 2012 NHL Draft, Korpisalo has put together a 60-43-14 record with a .908 save percentage and 2.80 goals-against average in 127 career games.

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No one can say Doug Armstrong is slacking during the NHL's hiatus.

The St. Louis Blues general manager finalized his third signing in as many days Friday, inking forward Mackenzie MacEachern to a two-year deal with an average annual value of $900,000. It's a one-way contract that begins in 2020-21.

MacEachern, who was a pending restricted free agent, collected seven goals and 10 points in 50 games before the pause. The 26-year-old is in his second season with the Blues, who drafted him 67th overall in 2012.

St. Louis signed defenseman Marco Scandella to a four-year extension Thursday after agreeing to a new two-year pact with forward Sammy Blais on Wednesday.

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