Kral, who signed a three-year pact, racked up 49 points in 53 games with the WHL's Spokane Chiefs this season. The Maple Leafs selected the 20-year-old in the fifth round of the 2018 draft.
Rubins, who agreed to a two-year deal, spent this season with the AHL's Toronto Marlies after splitting 2018-19 between them and the ECHL's Newfoundland Growlers. The 22-year-old joined the Leafs organization when he signed with the Growlers in August 2018.
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Four additional members of the Ottawa Senators organization tested positive for COVID-19, the team announced Wednesday. All players and staff have been self-isolating since March 13, and everyone who tested positive has since recovered.
The newly reported cases are believed to be three players and one staff, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.
With those cases factored in, there are now seven known cases among NHL players - five on the Senators and two on the Colorado Avalanche.
Meanwhile, the NHL on Tuesday reportedly extended its self-quarantine measures until at least April 15.
The NHL campaign remains paused, but more than a few players can still take some solace in the fact they made significant strides this season.
From those who unexpectedly burst onto the scene, to productive youngsters who took their game to the next level, here's a collection of players who broke out in 2019-20.
Dominik Kubalik
Few outside Kubalik's homeland or NHL market had heard of the Czech-born forward at the start of the season, but the 24-year-old rookie - whom the Los Angeles Kings drafted in the seventh round in 2013 before trading him to Chicago for a fifth-rounder in January 2019 - exploded for 30 goals in 68 games. His team boasts some elite playmakers, but Kubalik didn't play with Patrick Kane at even strength often and did much of his damage in a supporting role.
David Pastrnak
Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Yes, Pastrnak was arguably already a star, having authored 30-goal efforts in each of the previous three campaigns. However, he rose to absolute superstardom in 2019-20, pouring in 48 goals and 95 points in 70 games. At the time of the postponement, Kubalik's 23-year-old countryman was tied for the league lead in goals, ranked third among all NHL skaters in points, and was on pace for 56 markers and 111 points over an 82-game span.
Mika Zibanejad
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Like Pastrnak, Zibanejad was coming off a 30-goal season of his own, but he became unstoppable as 2019-20 progressed. The New York Rangers center missed 13 games with an injury early on, but dominated upon returning. He piled up 41 goals and 75 points in 57 games - including a five-goal night in early March - and collected a mind-blowing 23 goals over the final 22 games, besting his 74-point output from 2018-19 in 25 fewer contests.
J.T. Miller
Jeff Vinnick / National Hockey League / Getty
Miller was a solid depth player for the Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning, but his production skyrocketed after the latter club traded him to the Vancouver Canucks in June. Playing alongside Elias Pettersson certainly factored into that, but nevertheless, Miller more than clicked with his new team, establishing career highs with 27 goals and 72 points in 69 games.
Kevin Fiala
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Only Zibanejad was hotter than Fiala down the stretch. The Minnesota Wild winger went on an absolute tear, pouring in 14 goals and 26 points over the final 18 games prior to the pause. Fiala ultimately tied his career high of 23 markers and surpassed his previous best of 25 assists by six in 16 fewer contests, producing 54 points in 64 games.
Tony DeAngelo
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Jacob Trouba was the big addition on the Rangers' blue line entering 2019-20, but DeAngelo nearly doubled Trouba's point total and posted surprisingly stellar offensive numbers in his third season with New York. DeAngelo tied for third among all NHL rearguards with 15 goals and ranked fourth in the league at his position with 53 points in 68 games, surpassing his previous career-bests by far.
Elvis Merzlikins
Kirk Irwin / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Merzlikins was the Columbus Blue Jackets' goalie of the future, but he became the goalie of the present following an injury to starter Joonas Korpisalo in late December. After taking over as the starter, Merzlikins went 13-5-4 with a .935 save percentage with five shutouts in 23 games. He also led all NHL netminders in goals saved above average during that span.
Tristan Jarry
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Jarry began this season as the Pittsburgh Penguins' backup goalie, but he snatched the No. 1 job from Matt Murray and held onto it for a while after outplaying the two-time Stanley Cup champion. Jarry faltered right before the pause and effectively lost the starting gig, allowing 18 goals combined in four straight losses. However, he excelled beforehand, posting a .931 save percentage in 29 appearances prior to the four-game slide.
Bryan Rust
Harry How / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Rust was another Penguins player who enjoyed a breakout season. The 27-year-old forward had never registered more than 18 goals or 38 points in one campaign. However, he needed only 55 games to squash those career highs in 2019-20, piling up 27 markers and 56 points. He had some help from Evgeni Malkin, but it was an impressive campaign nonetheless.
Travis Konecny
Len Redkoles / National Hockey League / Getty
The Philadelphia Flyers were one of the NHL's best teams before the postponement, and Konecny played a significant role in that resurgence. The 23-year-old needed 15 fewer games to match his career-high 24-goal output, and bested his previous high of 49 points - achieved in 82 contests - with 61 in only 66 games. He was on pace for 73 points, which would have been a 24-point improvement over his 2018-19 production.
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Home-ice advantage is a term that's thrown around a lot in sports. While it's important to be aware of home/road splits when it comes to betting, they don't offer much of an edge, as oddsmakers generally factor them heavily into the lines.
Still, some teams did a much better job than others of defending home ice this season. If you had bet $100 on every home team this year, here are the profits that the most successful ones would have earned.
1. Philadelphia Flyers, +$1,272
No team came close to rivaling the Flyers' success at home this season. With a 25-10 straight up record, their 71.4% win percentage was the league's best. Oddsmakers never did quite adjust. Philadelphia had an average line of just -137 at Wells Fargo Center this season - 15th among home rinks - netting the $100 bettor a hefty $1,272 in profits.
2. Los Angeles Kings, +$674
Despite only having the league's 12th-best home record, the Kings rewarded their backers with a nice return, largely thanks to an average line of +112 at the Staples Center - only the Ottawa Senators (+124) and Detroit Red Wings (+165) had lower lines on home ice. What really bumped the Kings up this list, however, was rattling off six successive home wins before the season was suspended. Los Angeles earned the $100 bettor $780 in profits over that stretch, heading into it with a negative ROI on the campaign.
3. Vancouver Canucks, +$520
Home ice was kind to the Canucks this season, who sported a 22-13 SU record at Rogers Arena - only five teams had a better win percentage. Like the Flyers, oddsmakers didn't show Vancouver the respect they should have, as the Canucks sported an average line of -129 at home, which was 18th in the NHL.
4. Buffalo Sabres, +$392
The Sabres were solid at home but far from spectacular. Buffalo posted a 20-15 SU record at KeyBank Center, netting a profit thanks to its success as a home underdog. The Sabres were 10-8 as 'dogs this season, netting $397 in profit. As home favorites, however, they lost bettors $5.
5. Pittsburgh Penguins, +$361
Despite boasting the NHL's second-best home record this season, the Penguins place fifth on this list thanks to an average line of -175. Interestingly, the Pens sported the same SU record on home ice as the St. Louis Blues (23-12), who had a lower average line (-167). Pittsburgh still netted a marginally higher profit, as it picked its spots well.
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
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The regional government of Primorsky Krai, where the city of Vladivostok is located, has pulled funding from its sports teams in an effort to help combat the COVID-19 virus. Admiral's main private sponsor "is also experiencing crisis" and likely couldn't make up the shortfall, the team's statement said, meaning the club wouldn't be able to meet the KHL's minimum-wage requirements.
Many KHL teams won't be able to survive without government funding, according to TSN's Rick Westhead, and Szemberg describes Admiral as the "first club in (a) European league to be (a) victim of the pandemic."
The KHL officially canceled its playoffs March 25 after initially postponing them until April 10.
