Welcome to the 16th edition of "Looking North," our weekly Friday dive into the all-Canadian division. This installment dates back to April 30.

The rundown

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers continue to separate themselves from the pack, with the former looking to lock up the top spot in the division this week. The Oilers have won five of their last six and are playing their best hockey heading into the playoffs.

In Montreal, the Canadiens followed up their three-game winning streak with a pair of uninspiring losses. On the bright side, the club received a major boost from rookie Cole Caufield, who netted three goals - including a pair of overtime winners - in five games.

The Winnipeg Jets hope to ride the momentum of a decisive 4-0 win over the Calgary Flames to turn their fortunes around. The club may have clinched a playoff spot, but the win ended a tough seven-game slide during which Winnipeg was outscored 28-10. Losing sniper Nik Ehlers was a tough blow, but the Jets need to rediscover their scoring touch if they want to make a serious postseason push.

Meanwhile, the Ottawa Senators continue to show significant improvement as the season wanes on. The club torched Montreal with a 5-1 victory and has collected a division-best eight wins since April 12.

The stars

Forward: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl casually combined for 21 points in four games last week, but Nick Suzuki put on a show of his own. The Canadiens pivot, who had a seven-game point streak snapped Thursday, tallied two goals and six helpers.

Defense: Jeff Petry was on a mission for the Canadiens last week. The 6-foot-3 blue-liner added to his career-best campaign with a goal and six assists through five games to hit the 40-point mark for the third straight season.

Goalie: Mike Smith has quietly had an incredible bounce-back season. The veteran puck-stopper picked up a pair of victories for the Oilers last week, allowing only one goal in each. His .925 save percentage this season is tops in the North Division.

Canadian of the week

McDavid's chase for 100 remains very much in reach, and the Oilers captain is about as hot as he's ever been after another sensational week. He recorded points on 12 of the Oilers' 16 goals last week to bring his total up to 96 with four games remaining.

The moments

What a week for Caufield. The Canadiens rookie was brought in for the stretch run and has delivered in a big way. Caufield buried his first NHL goal in overtime against the Senators on Hockey Night in Canada last Saturday.

In Edmonton, McDavid was up to his old tricks, and his latest all-world highlight mirrored one of Sidney Crosby's most memorable goals from 2007. The resemblance is striking.

Auston Matthews hit the 40-goal mark for the third time in his young career, and he did it in just 49 games this season. The Maple Leafs star is scoring 0.81 goals per game, which is the highest rate since the lockout in 2004-05.

The question

Will the Canadiens catch the Jets? Montreal has occupied the fourth seed for several weeks, but the Jets' recent slip has opened the door for the Habs to move into third. Hockey fans will hope the Canadiens stay put in fourth to set up the first playoff series between Montreal and Toronto since 1978-79.

Games to watch

The Leafs and Canadiens square off for the ninth and final time this regular season on Saturday, with Toronto looking to lock up the top spot in the North.

With McDavid in pursuit of 100 points, all Oilers games are appointment viewing. Edmonton faces Vancouver on Saturday before heading to Montreal for a pair of games with the Habs on Monday and Wednesday.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

New York Rangers owner James Dolan believes his club needs a culture reset.

The Rangers fired team president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton in a surprise move Wednesday, appointing former Rangers forward and assistant GM Chris Drury to both roles.

Dolan explained the changes Thursday.

"I saw a weakness in the team that was not being addressed, and I knew it needed to be," he told Larry Brooks of the New York Post. "I knew that we were missing a key component to us being a Stanley Cup contender.

"And that is the overall spirit and culture that goes with being a team. I believe that as good of a job as JD and Jeff have done, in speaking with them, it is clear to me that Chris Drury was going to be the right guy to lead the team forward."

The firings of Gorton and Davidson came just one day after the Rangers issued a scathing statement calling for George Parros to be removed as head of the NHL Department of Player Safety; Parros did not suspend Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson for his controversial actions in Monday's contest between the Rangers and Capitals.

But Dolan said he began to contemplate a change earlier this season during a critical stretch in which he felt the team failed to meet expectations.

"I started thinking about it 20 or 25 games ago at a time when the team really needed to show heart," Dolan said, according to Brooks. "And we had key games - I won't be specific - where we had to show up and had to come out strong, and even if we lost, it had to be our best effort.

"And we clearly had nowhere close to our best effort."

The Rangers named Gorton as GM in May 2015 and appointed Davidson as president in May 2019. New York has missed the playoffs in three of the past four seasons and was swept out of last year's qualifying round by the Carolina Hurricanes.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL shortened the 2020-21 season to 56 games, but the New York Rangers have still seen several years' worth of high-profile drama crammed into a single campaign.

There have been noteworthy on-ice accomplishments along the way - such as Mika Zibanejad's domination of the Philadelphia Flyers and Adam Fox's Norris Trophy-caliber season - but this timeline chronicles the controversies that have followed the team this season.

Jan. 16 - DeAngelo scratched vs. Islanders

Tony DeAngelo had a breakout season in 2019-20, ranking fourth among NHL defensemen with 53 points in 68 games. The Rangers rewarded him with a two-year, $9.6-million contract in the offseason.

But in his first game of the 2020-21 campaign, DeAngelo took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, was assessed an extra two minutes for slamming the door of the penalty box, and later ended up on the wrong end of the highlight reel when New York Islanders star Mathew Barzal waltzed past him for a goal.

Rangers head coach David Quinn decided to send a message, scratching DeAngelo in only the second game of the season.

Jan. 22 - DeAngelo returns to lineup

DeAngelo sat for an additional game but suited up in the Rangers' next five contests.

Jan. 31 - DeAngelo placed on waivers after altercation with teammate

DeAngelo reportedly got into an altercation with Rangers backup goalie Alexandar Georgiev on Jan. 30 following an overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. New York placed the blue-liner on waivers the next day.

DeAngelo was apparently sour about Quinn's decision to scratch him earlier in the season, but Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton had previously told the defenseman that New York would place him on waivers "if his name came up in anything at all." Gorton stayed true to his word.

Feb. 1 - DeAngelo finished with Rangers

Gorton announced DeAngelo had played his last game for the Rangers and that the team would seek to trade him after he went unclaimed on waivers. But DeAngelo's $4.8-million cap hit wouldn't be easy to move, and he had a history of off-ice issues.

DeAngelo was suspended twice during his junior career with the Sarnia Sting for violating the OHL's harassment, abuse, and diversity policy. In one instance, he was accused of directing an offensive slur toward a teammate.

The defenseman has also been criticized for his outspoken nature on Twitter, where he propagated controversial statements regarding COVID-19 and former U.S. President Donald Trump's false claims about the security of the 2020 presidential election.

Feb. 2 - DeAngelo reportedly generates a 'ton of interest' on trade market

Narrator: He did not.

TSN's Darren Dreger reported that DeAngelo was generating a "ton of interest" from teams around the league and "could be moved within the next few days."

No trade materialized.

Feb. 2 - Penguins eye Drury for GM vacancy

Three days after Penguins GM Jim Rutherford abruptly resigned from his post, the Rangers reportedly granted Pittsburgh permission to interview Chris Drury - New York's assistant GM at the time.

Drury had already been a sought-after executive. During the 2019 offseason, the Rangers denied the Minnesota Wild's request to speak to Drury about their GM position that eventually went to Bill Guerin.

Feb. 3 - Drury withdraws from Penguins' GM search

A day after he was set to interview with Pittsburgh, Drury reportedly withdrew his name from the running. Six days later, the Penguins announced Ron Hextall as their new general manager.

Feb. 5 - Rangers change Drury's title

Two days after Drury withdrew from Pittsburgh's GM search, the Rangers promoted him from assistant general manager to associate general manager.

Feb. 22 - Panarin takes leave of absence

The Rangers announced superstar Artemi Panarin was taking a leave of absence after his former KHL coach, Andrei Nazarov, publicly claimed that the winger had been involved in a physical altercation with an 18-year-old woman in Latvia in 2011.

The Rangers called the allegation a "fabricated story." Panarin had publicly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past and had voiced support for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

"This is clearly an intimidation tactic being used against him for being outspoken on recent political events," the Rangers said.

Feb. 23 - Ex-KHLers question assault claim

Two of Panarin's former KHL teammates, Jon Mirasty and Kip Brennan, disputed Nazarov's claim.

"I'm pretty sure I would have heard something like that, you know, being one of the older veteran players there," Mirasty said.

Brennan added: "I didn't know or hear that something like that ever happened."

Two other anonymous teammates concurred with Mirasty's and Brennan's assessments.

Feb. 24 - KHL confirms no complaint against Panarin

The KHL said in a statement that it had "not been aware of or received a complaint in relation to any incident involving Artemi Panarin in December 2011."

No victim ever came forward, and no evidence to support Nazarov's claim was ever presented. There were also no court or police records corroborating the allegation.

March 10 - Panarin rejoins Rangers

Panarin rejoined the Rangers and made his return to the lineup three days later. He missed nine games in total.

March 16 - Panarin says he'll address allegation after season

Questioned by reporters about the allegation, Panarin said he would wait until after the season to address it.

"It's probably not the time to discuss it right now," he said. "I have nothing to hide. I will address everything after the season, but right now, the focus is on the game and not these discussions."

March 27 - Rangers trade Lemieux to Kings

More than two weeks before the trade deadline, the Rangers shipped 25-year-old winger Brendan Lemieux to the Los Angeles Kings for a fourth-round pick. The son of longtime NHLer Claude Lemieux recorded just two goals and five assists with New York during the 2020-21 campaign, though he did provide the team with an element of toughness.

It was the only trade Gorton made during the 2020-21 season.

April 12 - Rangers to reportedly buy out DeAngelo after season

It was reported on the day of the trade deadline that the Rangers would buy out the final year of DeAngelo's contract after this season. Here's how the buyout will affect the Rangers' salary-cap situation if it occurs on June 15, according to CapFriendly:

It was also reported that the Rangers were willing to terminate DeAngelo's contract before the deadline to allow him to sign with another team as a free agent. The Montreal Canadiens apparently showed interest, but DeAngelo seemingly rejected New York's offer.

May 3 - Wilson sucker-punches Buchnevich, rag-dolls Panarin

In the second period of Monday's game between the Rangers and Washington Capitals, Tom Wilson sucker-punched a defenseless Pavel Buchnevich - causing all hell to break loose.

After Ryan Strome pulled Wilson off Buchnevich, Wilson started throwing punches at Strome before Panarin jumped on Wilson's back. Wilson engaged the Rangers superstar and continued to attack him after Panarin had lost his helmet.

Wilson received a four-minute roughing penalty and a 10-minute misconduct. Buchnevich, Panarin, and Capitals defenseman Brenden Dillon were all issued roughing minors.

May 4 - Wilson avoids suspension, Rangers rip NHL

Wilson avoided suspension for his antics and instead received a $5,000 fine for roughing Buchnevich.

The same day, the Rangers announced Panarin would miss the final three games of the season due to injury.

The Rangers issued a blistering statement on Wilson's punishment, saying they were "extremely disappointed" that Wilson - who has a lengthy history of disciplinary issues - wasn't suspended. They added that George Parros, the head of NHL Department of Player Safety, "is unfit to continue in his current role."

May 5 - Rangers fire Gorton, chaos erupts in rematch

Rangers owner James Dolan dropped a bombshell Wednesday, firing Gorton and team president John Davidson. The team promoted Drury to immediately take over both roles. The firings were reportedly unrelated to the Rangers' statement on Wilson and Parros.

Ahead of Thursday's rematch with the Capitals, Rangers legend Mark Messier criticized Gorton's team-building philosophy.

"In my opinion, if you're going to win, you got to be able to win in the street and the alley," the Hall of Famer said. "I, particularly, would not have built the team that didn't have answers in this regard."

As expected, the rematch was full of fireworks. There was a line brawl off the opening faceoff, followed by three more fights - including a tilt between Wilson and Brendan Smith - in the opening period.

The animosity didn't end there, though, as Buchnevich cross-checked Anthony Mantha in the face during the second period.

May 6 - Rangers fined, Buchnevich suspended

The NHL fined the Rangers $250,000 for their fiery statement.

"Public comments of the nature issued by the Rangers that were personal in nature and demeaning of a league executive will not be tolerated," commissioner Gary Bettman said.

"It is terribly unfair to question George Parros' professionalism and dedication to his role and the Department of Player Safety."

For those keeping score at home, the Rangers' fine is 50 times greater than Wilson's. Still, it's pocket change for Dolan, who has a net worth of $2.5 billion.

Buchnevich, meanwhile, had a hearing for high-sticking Mantha and was suspended one game. He was already set to miss the final two contests of the season due to an injury.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

New York Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich has been suspended one game for high-sticking Washington Capitals forward Anthony Mantha in the face during Wednesday's contest, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced.

Buchnevich was assessed a game misconduct on the play.

Wednesday's contest between the Rangers and Capitals was littered with fights and penalties from the opening whistle, with 141 penalty minutes handed out during the game.

During a matchup earlier in the week, Tom Wilson injured Rangers star Artemi Panarin in a postwhistle scrum and also took shots at Buchnevich. The winger avoided suspension and was fined $5,000 for the antics.

Regardless of the suspension, general manager Chris Drury announced Buchnevich is set to miss the final two games of New York's season due to injury, according to USA Today's Vince Z. Mercogliano.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vancouver Canucks' AHL affiliate will be playing closer to home starting next season.

The AHL's board of governors approved relocation for the Canucks-owned franchise from Utica, New York, to Abbotsford, British Columbia, beginning in the 2021-22 campaign, the league announced.

Vancouver's new affiliate will play out of Abbotsford Center, but the details of the team's name, logo, and brand are still unknown.

In a corresponding move, the AHL franchise owned by the New Jersey Devils will move from Binghamton, New York, to Utica beginning next season.

The Utica Comets announced a 10-year affiliation deal with the Devils. The organization will keep the same name but will reveal new jersey designs and colors later in the year.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

ESPN has approached Wayne Gretzky about a broadcasting role, sources told The Athletic's Sean Shapiro.

There's no indication of The Great One's interest level but he hasn't declined ESPN's advances, Shapiro adds. Gretzky is currently the Edmonton Oilers' alternate governor.

ESPN and the NHL reached a seven-year broadcast deal reportedly worth over $2.8 billion in March. The pact gives ESPN exclusive broadcast rights to four Stanley Cup Finals between 2022 and 2028, representing its first foray into the NHL since the 2004-05 lockout.

Turner Sports also inked a seven-year deal with the NHL and will split broadcast rights with ESPN.

Both networks are in the process of finding on-air personalities for next season.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.