The Chicago Blackhawks are getting their captain back for the team's first preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings.

Jonathan Toews was forced to miss the 2020-21 campaign due to chronic immune response syndrome. He last suited up for a game on Aug. 18, 2020, when the Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Blackhawks in the playoff bubble.

"We want to get everyone in, and he's one of them. It'll be a step up in the load, being in a real game ... so we'll see," head coach Jeremy Colliton said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Ben Pope.

As training camp opened last week, Toews said he was taking his recovery "one day at a time" and wasn't yet firing on all cylinders.

Chicago positioned Toews between Dominik Kubalik and Philipp Kurashev at practice. Since it's still the preseason, the lines were missing other roster regulars such as Patrick Kane.

The Blackhawks will play six preseason contests, including two games each against the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild. Their preseason slate ends on Oct. 9.

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We recently sought out the best value on the board for teams to miss the 2021-22 NHL playoffs.

Today, we're flipping the script and sharing best bets for teams to reach the postseason.

New Jersey Devils (+170)

Going from the 29th-ranked team to a playoff outfit within a year is quite the jump, but the Devils are capable.

They were a much more competitive team than their record suggested last season. New Jersey ranked 13th in Corsi For rating and 18th in expected goals while often playing opponents pretty evenly in terms of shot and chance generation.

The club's biggest issues - aside from a significant COVID-19 outbreak that caused almost every player on the roster to miss time - were special teams and goaltending.

Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald promptly addressed those concerns this offseason while adding Tomas Tatar, Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Graves, and Jonathan Bernier without losing anyone of note.

Tatar has averaged 61 points per 82 games over the last three seasons. He'll provide a nice offensive boost at even strength and on the power play. The same can be said of Hamilton, who's an elite shot-generator from the back end, and he ranked 13th in five-on-four points from 2019 to 2021.

Last year Graves played more shorthanded minutes than every other player on the powerhouse Avalanche. He can now fulfill a prominent role on a penalty-kill unit that conceded more goals than every team but the Flyers last campaign.

The Devils also look to be in much better shape in goal. Mackenzie Blackwood - now fully recovered from his COVID-19 bout - is a safe bet to rebound behind a more stable defensive core. Meanwhile, Bernier - fresh off posting a rock-solid .914 save percentage with the Red Wings - will give the Devils a high-quality backup they can trust.

Combine all that with the continued improvement of youngsters Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Ty Smith, among others, and it's not unreasonable to think the Devils can make a huge leap in 2021-22.

The Devils are one of the most undervalued teams on the betting market with their implied playoff probability of just 37%.

Seattle Kraken (-130)

The Kraken didn't come away with the optimal expansion draft haul. They passed up some quality players in favor of complete unknowns, and the front office didn't pry free any extra draft capital in the process.

While that rightfully left a bad taste in the mouth of some, Seattle is still well-positioned to be competitive from the get-go.

There might not be much star power up front, but with Jordan Eberle, Jaden Schwartz, Yanni Gourde (once healthy), and Jared McCann leading the way, there's enough to get by offensively, especially with a potent bottom-six behind them.

Defensively, the Kraken look to be in excellent hands. While Mark Giordano is no longer at the peak of his powers, he's still a strong top-four option. Adam Larsson and Jamie Oleksiak are among the league's better defense-first defensemen, and Vince Dunn gives the group much-needed offensive flare.

The Kraken won't make head-scratching defensive blunders very often. When they do, they're in good hands with netminders Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger there to clean up the mistakes.

Grubauer owns a .918 save percentage over the last three years and is coming off a Vezina nomination with the Avalanche. Dreidger hasn't handled nearly the same workload, but his results are even more staggering. He's posted a .931 save percentage since entering the league, which is the best among the 69 eligible goaltenders (2,000-plus minutes played).

It's fine if you're still not sold on Seattle. But you don't need to be bullish on the Kraken to like their playoff chances.

The team plays in an extremely weak division. The Vegas Golden Knights are the obvious favorite to finish up top, but it's a free-for-all after that. There are glaring flaws facing the Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, and Anaheim Ducks.

It's possible, if not likely, the Kraken are a top-two team among that group. Heck, they might be able to finish behind two of those squads and still sneak into the postseason.

Given the quality of their defense and goaltending, I'm happy to take my chances on them making the playoffs in a very underwhelming Pacific Division.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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The NHL has revealed a handful of key dates for the upcoming season, so break out your calendars.

The trade deadline is set for March 21, and the playoffs will kick off on May 2. The 2022 NHL Draft will take place July 7-8 in Montreal, while the free-agency signing period opens on July 13.

Here are the most important events:

The puck drops on the 2021-22 NHL season on Oct. 12. If all runs smoothly, there will be a Feb. 3-22 break for the 2022 All-Star festivities and Winter Olympics.

Take a look at each team's schedule here.

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The Ukrainian Hockey League disciplined Andri Deniskin on Wednesday for a racist gesture he made toward Jalen Smereck during a game Sunday.

Deniskin will sit for three games and then either miss 10 additional contests or pay a fine of 50,000 Ukrainian hryvnia, UHL general manager Eugene Kolychev announced.

The fine is the equivalent of about $1,880 U.S. dollars, or approximately $2,400 Canadian.

The IIHF can still issue an international suspension, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. The governing body condemned the incident Monday, pledging to sanction Deniskin appropriately if necessary. Deniskin has represented Ukraine several times, including twice at the World Junior Championship and three times at the under-18 level.

On Tuesday, Smereck said he wouldn't play another game in the UHL until Deniskin "is suspended and removed from the league."

Deniskin, a forward for HK Kremenchuk, pretended to peel and eat a banana while directing the taunt toward Smereck - an African American defenseman - during Sunday's game against HC Donbass.

The Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine led the investigation into the incident.

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Get ready for your season with theScore's fantasy hockey draft kit.

Here are five players who are unlikely to meet expectations next season relative to the round you'll need to draft them in. This doesn't mean you should avoid these players at all costs if they slide from their average draft positions (ADP), but they may not pan out as well as expected if you grab them too high.

All statistics in charts aside from ADP are from 2021 season

Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres

Eichel is one of the riskiest players entering this year's draft. Since his NHL debut, fantasy GMs have typically selected him in the first or second rounds. However, there's too big of a question mark this year surrounding his health, so it isn't worth the risk of taking him anywhere outside of the bottom rounds.

There's no guarantee the 24-year-old will hit the ice at all this season with a potential major neck surgery on the table. There's also no way to ensure which team Eichel will suit up for. If he somehow sticks with the Sabres, then there won't be much talent surrounding him. Getting traded midseason often doesn't work out either, as it takes time for a player to gel with new teammates in a new system.

Taking Eichel at his current ADP could end up costing you your draft. Some superstar-caliber players are available around his ADP, and there are much safer options who will almost surely outperform him. If he falls a few extra rounds and you can stash him on your IR ... Sure, go for it.

Patrik Laine, Columbus Blue Jackets

It looked like Laine finally figured out his game with the Winnipeg Jets during the 2019-20 campaign when he scored 63 points over 68 games. Getting traded to the Blue Jackets last season could have been one of the worst possible outcomes for the talented but often frustrating winger.

The beginning of Laine's tenure in Columbus didn't go as planned, as he scored 10 goals and added 11 assists across 45 games while also being benched a number of times. The Blue Jackets still don't have a true No. 1 center on their roster, and Laine will likely struggle to produce at a steady rate once again this year.

There are plenty of viable wingers who are typically being drafted later than Laine, such as Teuvo Teravainen, Kevin Fiala, and Dominik Kubalik. You're better off staying clear of Laine until he once again proves he can score goals at a consistent rate.

Darcy Kuemper, Colorado Avalanche

Kuemper's obviously a talented goalie, but his constant battles with injuries are his biggest obstacle from becoming a premier NHL netminder. The 31-year-old is entering his 10th campaign in the league and has appeared in over 30 games in a season just twice.

The Avalanche showed their faith in Kuemper by coughing up a couple of big assets to acquire him from the Arizona Coyotes. The situation couldn't be much better for Kuemper as he'll backstop one of the league's best teams and have a strong defensive core in front of him.

Kuemper could very easily end up as one of the NHL's best goalies this year if he stays healthy, but the risk is way too high to take a gamble on him. He's currently going off the board in drafts as one of the top-five goalies and as high as third in Yahoo drafts. It just doesn't make sense to spend a valuable pick in the opening rounds on a No. 1 goalie who could end up playing half of the games this season. If you decide to take the plunge on Kuemper, snatching up Pavel Francouz as a handcuff would probably be worthwhile.

Joe Pavelski, Dallas Stars

Pavelski had one of the best seasons of his career last year after a miserable start to his tenure with the Stars during the 2019-20 campaign. Last season, he led the club with 25 goals and 51 points, and he seemed to have found the spark in his game again.

There are a couple of reasons to think Pavelski will regress this season. His age should start catching up to him as he just turned 37 this summer. On top of that, key contributors Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov are expected to return to full health this year after missing the majority of last season.

Dallas' lineup is extremely deep and defensive-minded. The Stars won't depend on Pavelski to produce on offense as much as they did last year, and his role could be slightly reduced. It's unlikely he'll replicate his fantastic season again as he enters the twilight of his career, so you're better off gambling on younger players in that area of the draft who can put together career years.

Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets

Wheeler's stats from last season make it seem like he produced a great campaign with 46 points over 50 games. However, there's cause for concern after digging a little deeper. His 46.30 Corsi For rating at five-on-five ranked 16th on the Jets, while Wheeler's 43.36 expected goals for percentage ranked 19th.

The 35-year-old looked like he lost a step for most of last season, even catching some flack from local reporters for his lackadaisical effort at times. Wheeler was on the ice for 31 goals for and 46 goals against during five-on-five situations in 2020-21.

He's hovered around a point-per-game average over the last few seasons, but these glaring numbers point to a potential regression as the winger ages. Winnipeg's lineup features a ton of offensive talent, with Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers continuing to establish themselves as stars, and Mark Scheifele and Pierre-Luc Dubois playing down the middle.

It wouldn't be surprising if Wheeler doesn't end up with his usual point total in 2021-22.

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Longtime NHL referee Tim Peel recently opened up about the incident that ended his career this past season.

During a March contest between the Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings, a hot mic caught Peel saying he wanted to give Nashville a penalty early in the second period. Video of Peel's comments immediately went viral, and he was fired the following day.

"I was working with a veteran referee in Kelly Sutherland, who is one of the best in the NHL, and I think it was more my defense mechanism when I went over to the box," Peel said on Daily Faceoff's DFO Rundown podcast. "We take a lot of pride in the penalties that we call to make sure we call good NHL penalties and there's nothing worse than calling a weak penalty against a team and the other team scores on the power play.

"So I think it was my defense mechanism kicking in, more of an embarrassment thing to a guy that I really respected a lot in Kelly Sutherland and I said 'yeah it wasn’t much, I wanted to get a penalty' - which wasn't the case at all. I didn’t want to get a penalty against Nashville, and I just made a mistake. I made a tremendous error in judgement by choosing the words that I did."

Peel apologized to Predators general manager David Poile and head coach John Hynes after the game, but knew he would be facing serious repercussions.

"So I hear my phone vibrating on the corner and I go pick it up and it's my boss, Steven," Peel said. "The first thing I though was 'did we miss a goal?' And he said 'we've got a bigger problem' and he tells me. I didn't even remember it until I watched it. I turned to the (other refs) in the dressing room and went 'I may get fired tonight.'"

Peel was scheduled to retire at the end of the 2020-21 campaign. His career began in 1999 and he officiated over 1,300 games.

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The 2021 NHL season is just around the corner, meaning it's time to kick preview content into high gear.

We'll be combing through plenty of futures markets leading up to opening night. Up first are a couple sides that seemingly have short odds to miss the postseason.

Chicago Blackhawks (+100)

The Blackhawks garnered a lot of hype following a very noisy offseason, and on the surface, it's easy to see why.

Chicago acquired Seth Jones in a blockbuster deal with the Blue Jackets, pried Vezina finalist Marc-Andre Fleury from the Golden Knights, and plucked Tyler Johnson from the Lightning in a cap dump. Add in captain Jonathan Toews' return, and there's a lot of name-brand talent being infused into the lineup.

While the team undoubtedly improved, I think the pendulum has swung a little too far.

The Blackhawks ranked 30th in five-on-five Corsi For last campaign, and no club controlled a lesser share of the expected goals. Their underlying numbers were awful, and the squad tied the offensively inept Ducks in terms of five-on-five goal-scoring. The Blackhawks were a really bad team.

Jones is an upgrade for Chicago, yes, but his teams have actually fared better in expected goals share without him on the ice in three consecutive years. He's not the magic elixir for the Blackhawks' play-driving problems.

Johnson doesn't tilt the ice in his club's favor, either, and it's fair to question just how much of a difference Toews - who's 33 and just spent a year out of hockey - will make in that regard.

And even with Fleury in goal, there is reason to believe Chicago will struggle to outscore its problems. With Pius Suter walking in free agency, the Hawks only have three forwards on their roster who a) played in at least 20 matchups last season and b) averaged more than 0.5 points per game.

Brandon Hagel, Philipp Kurashev, Jujhar Khaira, and Ryan Carpenter, among others, are unlikely to provide adequate secondary scoring behind the big guns.

Chicago also plays in a very difficult division. Five Central teams - the Avalanche, Wild, Jets, Blues, and Predators - qualified for the playoffs last year. The Stars were also knocking on the door despite an unfathomable amount of injuries to key players throughout the season.

It's a lot of competition for a club that, while improved, still has plenty of flaws.

New York Rangers (+160)

These odds imply the Rangers have a 38.5% chance of missing the playoffs. Fun fact: The odds are greater than that.

New York missed the postseason last year despite what I'd consider fairly solid team health. Players like Mika Zibanejad, Ryan Strome, Pavel Buchnevich, Chris Kreider, Adam Fox, and K'Andre Miller all missed six contests or fewer. The majority of the Rangers' best pieces were consistently available, and the club still fell short.

And it's not as if the Rangers went out and noticeably improved their roster - quite the opposite. Trading Buchnevich to the Blues in exchange for Sammy Blais and a draft pick was a huge step in the wrong direction.

Buchnevich is an unquestioned first-line talent who sits 21st in five-on-five points over the last two campaigns. Losing him and getting Blais - a role player who has averaged 30 points per 82 games for his career - as the lone player in return is ... not great.

Sure, New York saved a good chunk of cap space with the trade. But the franchise hardly used it optimally, spending big on Barclay Goodrow ($3.64 million per season over six years) and trading for enforcer Ryan Reaves ($1.5-million cap hit).

I do love the star power on this roster. The Rangers have some of the best players in the league at each position - Artemi Panarin on the wing, Zibanejad at center, Fox on defense, and Igor Shesterkin in goal - but that wasn't enough to make the playoffs during the last campaign, and now that they've got a worse supporting cast, New York is getting too much credit from the market.

The Rangers very well might qualify, but it's more of a 50-50 proposition, so I'm happy to take a shot at +160.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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Nazem Kadri isn't concerned about his reputation among his Colorado Avalanche teammates following his costly playoff suspension this past spring.

"They understand who I am as a person and what kind of character I have," Kadri said, per The Athletic's Peter Baugh. "I'd like to think I have everyone's respect in that locker room."

Kadri received an eight-game suspension after he hit St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk in the head during Game 2 of their first-round series. It was the third time in four years Kadri received a multi-game ban in the postseason. The first two instances occurred while he was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

His absence proved costly, as the Avalanche, Cup favorites after earning the Presidents' Trophy, were eliminated in six games by the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 2.

Colorado star Mikko Rantanen backed Kadri heading into the new season.

"There's no trust issues," Rantanen said. "I don't really need to tell him what to do because he's a veteran guy. He's going to get over it for sure."

Kadri has registered 68 points in 107 games since joining the Avalanche ahead of the 2019-20 campaign. The 12-year NHL veteran is an unrestricted free agent at season's end.

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