Erik Karlsson is ready to move past a rocky start to his tenure with the San Jose Sharks, saying injuries are no longer hampering him heading into the 2021 campaign.

"I do feel good now. I don’t think that it should be anything that’s going to be lingering. Like everybody, you evolve, and you get older and you learn new things about yourself and what works and what doesn’t," Karlsson told The Athletic's Kevin Kurz.

"... I’m in the same boat as a lot of the other guys and I think that where I’ve been throughout this quarantine has been a good setup for me, to be able to work out and skate on a regular basis and have everything I need to be as prepared as I think that I could be," he added.

Karlsson's health is also making general manager Doug Wilson feel optimistic ahead of the campaign.

"This might be the first time Erik’s been 100% healthy with us," Wilson said earlier this offseason.

Karlsson landed in the Bay Area after a blockbuster trade from the Ottawa Senators prior to the 2018-19 season. The two-time Norris Trophy winner hasn't shown his previous form, though, appearing in only 109 regular-season games with San Jose due to groin and thumb injuries.

The 30-year-old still managed 40 points in 56 games last season. A bounce back in 2021 would be a major boost for the Sharks, who missed the playoffs for just the second time since 2003 last year.

The Sharks began training camp on Thursday, and they open their season in a realigned West Division on Jan. 14 versus the Arizona Coyotes.

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New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban is holding himself accountable for his down year in 2019-20 and is focused on being a better leader for the budding club this season.

"I think that in some ways maybe I failed in terms of making my teammates better at times," Subban said Thursday, according to NHL.com's Mike Morreale. "I've been very fortunate in my career to have great individual years, whether it's awards or being up for trophies.

He added, "I also understand that not every year is going to be the same and not every situation is going to be the same, but your responsibility is to be a good teammate, push your teammates, make them better."

Subban captured the Norris Trophy in 2013 while with the Montreal Canadiens and was one of the league's most electric blue-liners for much of last decade. Last season, however, Subban recorded a career-low 18 points in his debut campaign with the Devils and looked far removed from his former award-winning self.

The 31-year-old is the third-oldest player on the Devils' roster and understands how important it is to turn his game around in order for the team to maximize its potential.

"I'd like to play in Stanley Cup Playoffs again and, you know, bring this team together and to a place where we can compete for a Stanley Cup again," Subban said.

"I also understand that it's a young team, so that's a process. I still feel I can get better, so I want to continue to work with our coaching staff and my teammates. A big thing, too, is just jelling as a team, getting used to playing with new teammates."

The Devils opened their training camp Thursday after a 10-month layoff.

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Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel missed practice Friday and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, the team announced.

Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger addressed the media after practice and didn't appear concerned about Eichel's status moving forward.

"He will be fine," Krueger said, according to The Athletic's John Vogl. "We are just being cautious in the process. We expect Jack in the next couple days here."

Eichel, 24, sustained the injury while training. The 6-foot-2 pivot tallied a career-best 36 goals and added 42 assists over 68 games last season.

Friday marked the Sabres' first team practice since the NHL suspended the 2019-20 season on March 12.

Training camps for the 24 teams that qualified for last season's expanded playoffs begin Jan. 3. The 2020-21 campaign is set to open on Jan. 13.

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Below, we list the NHL's top 10 lines heading into the 2020-21 campaign. The rankings are based on last season's production and factor in both traditional and advanced stats.

Some sample sizes are relatively small due to the shortened 2019-20 season, but a trio needed to play a minimum of 250 minutes together at five-on-five last year to make the cut.

This exercise also omits lines that were broken up when one member changed scenery. Two prime examples are Evgenii Dadonov leaving Florida Panthers dynamos Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau to join the Ottawa Senators, and Paul Stastny heading north to the Winnipeg Jets after a dominant season centering Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone for the Vegas Golden Knights.

Advanced stats guide:
GF% = Goals for percentage
xGF% = Expected goals for percentage
SCF% = Scoring chances for percentage

10. Alex Ovechkin-Nicklas Backstrom-Tom Wilson

Unit's leading scorer: Ovechkin (48 G, 19A)
Combined cap hit: $23.9 million

Ovechkin and Wilson spent a similar amount of time together flanking Evgeny Kuznetsov last season, but the Capitals' top unit experienced a major boost in production with Backstrom in the middle. This group features a mix of size, scoring, and skill that can often be too much for opposing defenses. If the three had better luck in 2019-20 - an .876 save percentage from Washington's netminders hampered them last year - their goal-share numbers would likely be well into the green.

9. Teuvo Teravainen-Sebastian Aho-Andrei Svechnikov

Unit's leading scorer: Aho (38 G, 28 A)
Combined cap hit: $14.78 million

Carolina experimented with many variations of its top six last season, but the club would be wise to stick with this trio going forward. Teravainen, Aho, and Svechnikov are all immensely skilled in different ways, and this dynamic collection of young Hurricanes forwards can easily become one of the league's best lines with some more time together.

8. Kailer Yamamoto-Leon Draisaitl-Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Unit's leading scorer: Draisaitl (43G, 67A)
Combined cap hit: $15.39 million

The Oilers surprisingly struck gold last season after separating Draisaitl from Connor McDavid and surrounding the 2020 MVP with Nugent-Hopkins and Yamamoto. The line outscored opponents 28-8 in the regular season and produced tremendous underlying numbers despite featuring in only 27 games. Most importantly, the established presence of a capable second line in Edmonton created some attacking balance behind the captain.

7. Reilly Smith-William Karlsson-Jonathan Marchessault

Unit's leading scorer: Smith (27G, 27A)
Combined cap hit: $15.9 million

The line that carried Vegas to the Stanley Cup Final in the club's inaugural season is still getting the job done two campaigns later. None of these skaters are necessarily prolific scorers or highly publicized superstars, but Smith, Karlsson, and Marchessault are all relentless on the puck and create chances at a dominant rate. The trio gives up a few more goals than it scores, but its on-ice save percentage should improve this season with Robin Lehner expected to take over as the Golden Knights' starting netminder.

6. Brendan Gallagher-Phillip Danault-Tomas Tatar

Unit's leading scorer: Tatar (22 G, 39 A)
Combined cap hit: $11.63 million

Based on name value, including the Canadiens' top line on a list filled with superstars may be a surprise to some. But there's no denying this Habs triumvirate belongs. The group's advanced stats are off the charts, and individually, Gallagher (third), Tatar (fifth), and Danault (sixth) were all top 10 in the NHL in expected goals last season. The three sometimes struggle to convert their chances, but with an uptick in puck luck, they won't fly under the radar much longer.

5. Zach Hyman-Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner

Unit's leading scorer: Matthews (47 G, 33 A)
Combined cap hit: $24.77 million

The Maple Leafs also plugged in Marner alongside Matthews and John Tavares for significant minutes last season, and while both combinations are dangerous - and extravagantly expensive - this one is especially lethal. Marner's ability to set up teammates, Matthews' goal-scoring prowess, and Hyman's everlasting persistence in puck battles combine to make this trio one of the league's most productive and entertaining.

4. J.T. Miller-Elias Pettersson-Brock Boeser

Unit's leading scorer: Miller (27 G, 45 A)
Combined cap hit: $12.05 million

Adding Miller to the Canucks' top six last season helped the club take serious strides, and pairing him with Pettersson and Boeser vaulted Vancouver's top line to another level in terms of actual results and some key underlying metrics. Pettersson is undoubtedly the driver of the line, and his elite two-way presence makes him the type of superstar-caliber player who can succeed with anyone beside him. His partners do their part, though; Miller's playmaking added a new layer to Vancouver's attack, and Boeser is always a threat to score.

3. Gabriel Landeskog-Nathan MacKinnon-Mikko Rantanen

Unit's leading scorer: MacKinnon (35 G, 58 A)
Combined cap hit: $21.12 million

Both Rantanen and Landeskog dealt with injuries last season, but when this group is at full strength, it's a buzzsaw. Led by MacKinnon, who ranks third among all NHL skaters in points since 2017-18, the Avalanche's top line is a nightmare for opponents. The perennial MVP candidate's blend of speed, playmaking, and scoring ability is unmatched across the league, and he gels tremendously with Rantanen - another high-skill player who can dish the puck with precision or put it in the net himself. Landeskog provides some sandpaper to create balance and complete the trifecta, but he's capable of racking up points, too.

2. Ondrej Palat-Brayden Point-Nikita Kucherov

Unit's leading scorer: Kucherov (33 G, 52 A)
Combined cap hit: $21.55 million

Steven Stamkos has featured prominently with Kucherov in recent years, but when the Lightning captain went down with injury again this past season, head coach Jon Cooper thrust Point into top-line duties. The move paid incredible dividends. The trio of Kucherov, Point, and Palat only allowed 10 goals at five-on-five in the regular season before delivering even more dominant numbers across the board in a playoff run that culminated in a Stanley Cup. This line's recent postseason success is the key reason it ranks so high on the list, even with Kucherov projected to miss the 2020-21 regular season.

1. Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Pastrnak

Unit's leading scorer: Pastrnak (48 G, 47 A)
Combined cap hit: $19.66 million

The Bruins' top trio is dubbed "The Perfection Line" for a reason. No other unit has enjoyed as much consistent cohesion or success over the past few years as Boston's go-to combination. Marchand and Pastrnak are both on the short list for the best players in the world at their positions, and the 35-year-old Bergeron remains an elite center at both ends of the ice. Current injuries to Marchand and Pastrnak could see the group's claim to top-line supremacy take a hit this season, but until then, this trio deserves to be recognized as the NHL's best.

(Stats courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)

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The Winnipeg Jets invited forward Trevor Lewis to training camp on a professional tryout contract, the team announced Friday.

Lewis, 33, has spent his entire 11-year career with the Los Angeles Kings. He tallied six goals and six assists while averaging 11:54 of ice time over 56 games last season.

The 6-foot-1 grinder has amassed 70 goals and 163 points over 674 contests and captured a pair of Stanley Cups with the Kings in 2012 and 2014.

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The NHL plans to stage a two-game "Outdoor Weekend" showcase at Lake Tahoe in Nevada during the 2020-21 season, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

The event will see the Colorado Avalanche take on the Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 20 before the Boston Bruins face the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 21, reports Friedman.

Both games will reportedly take place at Edgewood Tahoe Resort, which hosts a popular celebrity golf tournament, and will be played around the 16th, 17th, and 18th holes.

Fans will not be permitted to attend the event, which will be limited to about 400 people including players, team staff, and workers, notes Friedman. He adds that this will give TV broadcasters a unique opportunity to use devices such as drone cameras during game coverage.

The NHL has reportedly been looking to stage an event at an aesthetically pleasing venue during an unusual season. Lake Louise in Alberta was one option that was considered, according to Friedman, as was Park City, Utah.

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Rookies are unlikely to fly off the board early in your drafts, but they can have a significant impact on your championship aspirations as the depth pieces that push your roster over the top. Below, we highlight five NHL freshmen worth keeping an eye on this fantasy season.

1. Alexis Lafreniere, LW, Rangers

It goes without saying, but the No. 1 pick in this year's draft is a player to watch for this fantasy season. Lafreniere is the most NHL-ready prospect on the planet and is joining a team much deeper than those who typically win the lottery. The Rangers boast a strong offense, but Lafreniere should still feature prominently in New York's top-six and on the power play during his pursuit of the Calder Trophy and your pursuit of a title this fantasy season.

2. Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Wild

Kaprizov is finally going to make his much-anticipated NHL arrival nearly six years after being drafted by the Wild 115th overall. The 23-year-old has played the past three seasons with CSKA Moscow and has led the KHL in goals during his two most recent campaigns. Kaprizov is a dynamic offensive talent that has plenty of professional experience, and given Minnesota's desperate need for offense, he could earn himself a major role in the club's attack.

3. Igor Shesterkin, G, Rangers

Shesterkin had his first taste of the NHL last season but is still rookie eligible since he only appeared in 12 games. The goaltender's debut on Broadway couldn't have gone much better, with the young Russian posting a 10-2 record along with a .932 save percentage - almost single-handedly carrying the Rangers into playoff contention before the league put the season on hold. Shesterkin is New York's undisputed No. 1 with Henrik Lundqvist now out of the picture, and all signs point toward The King's successor becoming one of the NHL's premier netminders as he gains more experience.

4. Tim Stuetzle, LW, Senators

Stuetzle will have a youthful roster surrounding him in Ottawa but still projects to receive ample ice-time and opportunities to succeed as a first-year player while the Senators continue their rebuild. The German phenom has an NHL-ready skillset and may transition to the league better than most of his rookie peers - he competed professionally in his native country last campaign, racking up an impressive 34 points in 41 games in the DEL despite starting the season as a 17-year-old.

5. Quinton Byfield, C, Kings

Byfield is already set up for success in Los Angeles and should be a player to have on your fantasy radar. The 18-year-old has NHL size and an offensive toolkit that should see him steadily collect points. Perhaps most importantly for Byfield's fantasy outlook is he'll likely slot in behind Anze Kopitar, who will eat up the more difficult matchups. Give Byfield some looks against middle-pairing defenders - along with some power-play time versus some weak competition in the re-aligned West Division - and he could become a factor in your fantasy league rather quickly in his first campaign.

Honorable mentions: Ilya Sorokin, G, Islanders; Joel Kiviranta, RW, Stars; Trevor Zegras, C, Ducks; Nick Robertson, LW, Maple Leafs; Alexander Romanov, D, Canadiens

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