Leading up to the start of the 2021-22 season, theScore is counting down the top 100 players in the game today, as voted on by our NHL editors. Injuries affecting players entering the season have been taken into consideration. We'll reveal 20 players every day until the top 20 is unveiled Oct. 11.

100-81 | 80-61 | 60-41 | 40-21 | 20-1

40. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens

There's uncertainty surrounding Price's status after he voluntarily took part in the player assistance program just before the start of the campaign, but the 34-year-old will always be a force to be reckoned with. Price carried the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final last year following a lackluster regular season that saw him author a .901 save percentage in the North Division.

39. Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas Golden Knights

Pietrangelo's production fell last campaign, but he did miss 14 games due to injury. Despite that, the Golden Knights' veteran defenseman ranked 13th in the NHL in average ice time while posting favorable underlying numbers, proving he remains among the league's most reliable rearguards.

38. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings

Kopitar continues to quietly truck along as one of the NHL's best players, hitting the 1,000 point mark last season. The Kings star has shown no signs of slowing down at the age of 34, and with ultra-defensive Philip Danault's arrival in L.A., Kopitar could find himself with even more offensive opportunities this year.

37. Mika Zibanejad, New York Rangers

Zibanejad can be a streaky producer, but when he's on, he's nearly unstoppable. The Rangers' top pivot ranks fifth among all centers with 95 goals since the 2018-19 campaign - trailing four players universally considered the best at the position and that you'll see later on this list.

36. Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars

Heiskanen is one of the most naturally gifted skaters in the entire league - his stride is truly effortless. The Stars blue-liner has already mastered the defensive side of the puck, but don't be surprised if he reaches new offensive heights this season.

35. Marc-Andre Fleury, Chicago Blackhawks

Fleury unexpectedly finds himself on a new team in 2021-22 after Vegas shipped him out. But no matter where he is, the 36-year-old is still the reigning Vezina Trophy winner and will certainly help the Blackhawks take the next step.

34. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

Malkin used to be much higher on this list, but injuries have limited him significantly of late, and his offensive output for the Penguins has declined even when he's been healthy. The 35-year-old will miss at least the first two months of this campaign following knee surgery, but he's still worthy of the top 40 for now.

33. Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins

With Zdeno Chara's and Torey Krug's departures last offseason, all the pressure was on McAvoy to step into their shoes and become the Bruins' top defenseman. The 23-year-old absolutely lived up to the hype, turning in the best campaign of his career and proving he has what it takes to be the team's No. 1 for years to come.

32. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers

Year in and year out, Couturier is one of the league's most dominant two-way centers. The Flyers were wise to ink him to an eight-year extension this past offseason.

31. Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey Devils

Hamilton was worth the dough. Over the last two campaigns, he ranks fifth among NHL defensemen in points per game - all while posting exceptionally advanced metrics at both ends of the ice.

30. Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks

Now that Pettersson has re-signed with the Canucks, he's going to come back with a vengeance after being limited to just 26 contests last season. The 22-year-old is the face of the franchise and is an absolute menace when healthy.

29. Shea Theodore, Golden Knights

Theodore doesn't play as much as Pietrangelo, but he's better than his fellow Golden Knights defenseman. Theodore tied for seventh among rearguards in points last campaign while authoring excellent underlying numbers and averaging a career-high 22:33 of ice time.

28. Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets

Centering the Jets' top line alongside a pair of fantastic wingers, Scheifele has firmly established himself as one of the best pivots in the league. Scheifele ranks 12th in the NHL with 423 points since 2015 as he consistently plays over a point-per-game pace.

27. Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild

What does Kaprizov have in store for his encore season? The Wild's offensive catalyst dazzled in his rookie campaign, greatly exceeding long-awaited expectations and rapidly establishing himself as one of the league's most dynamic talents.

26. Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders

Barzal's career-high 85 points came during his rookie season with the Islanders - before head coach Barry Trotz arrived in Long Island. While Trotz's system is fantastic for team success, it's clearly shackled Barzal's offensive ceiling. On a squad with better linemates that encourages offense, the slick center could be a 100-point player.

25. Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres

Eichel's future with the Sabres is a question mark, as is his physical condition for this campaign. What's not a mystery is what the 24-year-old can accomplish when he is healthy. Before 2021, Eichel was a top offensive talent and led Buffalo in scoring for four straight seasons.

24. Patrice Bergeron, Bruins

Most NHL players start declining when they turn 30, but Bergeron remarkably remains one of the league's absolute best two-way players at the age of 36. Boston's ever-dependable pivot still more than capably centers one of the best lines in hockey while effectively patrolling both ends of the ice.

23. Connor Hellebuyck, Jets

It's no secret that Hellebuyck is one of the NHL's best goalies, but what's most impressive is that he's done so well while playing behind a disastrous blue line in Winnipeg the past few years. The Jets brought in Brenden Dillon and Nate Schmidt to bolster their defense this year, which is scary for anybody trying to score on Hellebuyck.

22. Ryan O'Reilly, St. Louis Blues

O'Reilly is a prototypical franchise cornerstone that somehow seems to elevate his play with each passing year. The 30-year-old set a new career best with 0.96 points per game last campaign while maintaining dominant even-strength possession numbers. There's nothing the Blues captain doesn't bring to the table.

21. Mark Stone, Golden Knights

Stone is, without a doubt, the best defensive winger in the game. He's finished in the top five in Selke Trophy voting each of the last three seasons, with only centers ranking ahead of him. What Stone lacks in speed, he makes up for with intelligence, will, and outstanding stick handling. He also produced at a career-best 90-point pace (over 82 games) this past campaign.

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A slew of NHL players were placed on waivers Sunday as teams around the league make their final cuts ahead of the regular season.

Edmonton Oilers forward Kyle Turris and Vancouver Canucks defenseman Travis Hamonic were among the more prominent names to be made available.

Here's the full list.

Anaheim Ducks: Jacob Larsson, Sam Carrick

Buffalo Sabres: Axel Jonsson-Fjallby

Carolina Hurricanes: Eric Gelinas, Max Lajoie, Josh Leivo, Stefan Noesen, C.J. Smith

Columbus Blue Jackets: Gabriel Carlsson, Mikko Lehtonen, Kevin Stenlund

Chicago Blackhawks: Collin Delia, Malcolm Subban

Colorado Avalanche: Jacob MacDonald

Dallas Stars: Alexander Petrovic

Detroit Red Wings: Riley Barber, Taro Hirose

Edmonton Oilers: William Lagesson, Kyle Turris

Florida Panthers: Lucas Carlsson, Christopher Gibson

Los Angeles Kings: Austin Strand, Austin Wagner

New Jersey Devils: Frederik Gauthier

Nashville Predators: Connor Ingram, Michael McCarron

Ottawa Senators: Andrew Agozzino

Philadelphia Flyers: Nick Seeler

Tampa Bay Lightning: Alex Barre-Boulet, Fredrik Claesson, Andrej Sustr

Toronto Maple Leafs: Adam Brooks

Vancouver Canucks: Justin Bailey, Madison Bowey, Phillip Di Giuseppe, Travis Hamonic

Vegas Golden Knights: Sven Baertschi, Patrick Brown, Gage Quinney

Washington Capitals: Zach Fucale, Garrett Pilon

Winnipeg Jets: Nelson Nogier, Dominic Toninato

Teams have until 12 p.m. ET on Monday to make a claim.

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The Vancouver Canucks have traded defenseman Olli Juolevi to the Florida Panthers for forward Juho Lammikko and blue-liner Noah Juulsen.

Juolevi produced two goals and one assist while averaging 13:13 of ice time in 23 games as a rookie for the Canucks last season. Vancouver drafted him fifth overall in 2016.

The 23-year-old played a single playoff game for the Canucks in 2019-20 before making his regular-season debut the following campaign. Juolevi spent 2018-19 and 2019-20 with Vancouver's then-AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.

Lammikko registered four goals and one assist over 44 contests with the Panthers last campaign. He notched six assists across 40 games with Florida as a rookie in 2018-19 before spending parts of the next two campaigns overseas.

Juulsen played four games with the Panthers in 2021. Florida claimed him off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens in January. Juulsen missed a considerable amount of time due to a vision-related issue while with the Canadiens, who selected him 26th overall in 2015.

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The New York Rangers inked star forward Mika Zibanejad to an eight-year contract extension, the club announced Sunday.

The deal carries an average annual value of $8.5 million, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Zibanejad has one season left on his current pact at a cap hit of $5.35 million, according to CapFriendly.

The 28-year-old led the Rangers and tied for 13th in the NHL with 24 goals while adding 26 assists and playing all 56 games last season. He also led New York forwards and ranked 19th in the league among that positional group in average ice time at 20:06.

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There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the upcoming NHL season, from the superstars who continue to anchor their franchises to big names in new places and an expansion team in the Pacific Northwest.

But many of the league's clubs will be less than enthralling in 2021-22 for one reason or another. Some simply won't be competitive, while others lack game-changing players or confine solid rosters to dull playing styles.

The following list isn't a typical power ranking or sorting of the league's best and worst teams, but merely a look at which squads should be the most entertaining this season.

With that in mind, here are theScore's 16 least watchable NHL clubs in 2021-22. Check back Monday for the season's 16 most watchable teams.

32. Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres were awful even with Jack Eichel and Taylor Hall in the lineup last season. Hall is long gone, Eichel's future with Buffalo is in severe doubt, and the team let talented goalie Linus Ullmark walk over the summer. Not even Rasmus Dahlin and Dylan Cozens can make the Sabres watchable now.

31. Arizona Coyotes

Most of the players on an already limited list of reasons to watch the Coyotes exited amid Arizona's offseason fire sale. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Conor Garland, and Michael Bunting were among those either shipped out or let go, and the Coyotes' biggest remaining draw - Phil Kessel - is reportedly not in their plans going forward. Let the teardown continue.

30. Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings will probably remain one of the NHL's worst teams in 2021-22. They should be slightly more interesting with Calder Trophy finalist Alex Nedeljkovic and 2020 fourth overall pick Lucas Raymond in the fold, but losing Jakub Vrana for four months doesn't help Detroit's watchability.

29. Columbus Blue Jackets

There's virtually no good reason to watch the Blue Jackets on a regular basis anymore. Columbus traded the supremely skilled Seth Jones, leaving Patrik Laine as its highest-potential player. But the Finnish forward struggled after the Blue Jackets acquired him last season, and it remains to be seen if he can rediscover his form on a team largely devoid of talent.

28. San Jose Sharks

The Sharks aren't nearly as compelling as they used to be. The NHL is still investigating Evander Kane on multiple fronts, and some of his teammates reportedly don't want him back. That drama could make watching San Jose games somewhat tempting, but Tomas Hertl's murky future and underwhelming supporting cast leave little cause for excitement.

27. Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks clearly won't be competitive this season, which is hardly surprising for a rebuilding team. Still, with Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale leading Anaheim's youth movement, this club could warrant some viewing once its top prospects get comfortable in the NHL.

26. Los Angeles Kings

The additions of Phillip Danault, Viktor Arvidsson, and Alexander Edler should improve a Kings squad already on the rise. But the loss of prized blue-chip prospect Quinton Byfield to a broken ankle means Los Angeles won't be as watchable as expected - at least until later in the season.

25. Nashville Predators

Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg are still worth watching, but that's about it as far as the Predators are concerned. Juuse Saros is underrated, and Eeli Tolvanen might finally break out in 2021-22, but Nashville is far from appointment viewing.

24. Ottawa Senators

Assuming Brady Tkachuk re-signs relatively soon, the Senators should once again be more watchable than their record suggests. Tim Stutzle, Josh Norris, Drake Batherson, and Shane Pinto give Ottawa a talented young core anchored by the ever-dependable Thomas Chabot. The Senators should be relatively fun to watch even if they underwhelm in the standings.

23. New Jersey Devils

Dougie Hamilton makes the Devils unexpectedly relevant after they surprisingly signed him in free agency. His possession-driving skills should make his new team easier on the eyes, while Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier will likely take strides. Still, New Jersey probably won't be consistently compelling just yet.

22. Calgary Flames

Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk are usually worth tuning in for, especially considering the latter's ability to get under opponents' skin. But the Flames have been less entertaining since Darryl Sutter returned as head coach. Calgary's offseason additions mostly suit the bench boss' grinding style, and Blake Coleman doesn't move the entertainment needle much either.

21. Montreal Canadiens

It's not clear when Carey Price will return from the NHL's player assistance program, Shea Weber's career may be over due to injury, and offseason signing Mike Hoffman is also hurt. Calder Trophy favorite Cole Caufield will likely dazzle, but this Canadiens lineup is otherwise severely depleted compared to the one that reached the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.

20. St. Louis Blues

The Blues have been consistently competitive in recent years, but they don't play the most exciting brand of hockey. St. Louis was seventh-worst in the NHL in expected goals for percentage at five-on-five last season, with a middling offense and a defense that ranked in the bottom half of the league in all situations. Pavel Buchnevich and Brandon Saad are solid additions, but this team doesn't scream entertainment.

19. Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers may be better this season after a disappointing effort in 2020-21. But while Philadelphia remains deep up front, it lacks an elite game-breaker despite Sean Couturier's talents. Goaltender Carter Hart should bounce back behind a revamped blue line, but the Flyers don't project as one of the NHL's most watchable squads.

18. Vancouver Canucks

Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes are must-watch players for the Canucks, and Brock Boeser is highly skilled in his own right. Vancouver should make gains this season with Conor Garland and Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the fold, and the team will be worth watching to see if its offseason overhaul pays dividends.

17. Pittsburgh Penguins

With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin injured to start the campaign and Jake Guentzel and Zach Aston-Reese recovering from COVID-19, watching the Penguins won't be as enjoyable as usual. Even when Crosby and Malkin return, the aging duo isn't guaranteed to be as explosive as it once was - and the same holds true for the team itself.

(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick)

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Vegas Golden Knights president of hockey operations George McPhee claims agent Allan Walsh attempted to prevent the team from trading Walsh's client, Marc-Andre Fleury.

After the Golden Knights dealt the reigning Vezina Trophy winner to the Chicago Blackhawks in July, it was reported Fleury found out on Twitter. Walsh tweeted at the time that Fleury hadn't heard from the Golden Knights and the netminder needed time to "seriously evaluate his hockey future."

Vegas didn't deny Saturday that Fleury found out on social media but stated the club talked to his camp in the lead-up to the swap. However, the Golden Knights stopped communicating when Walsh began seeking to "sabotage the trade" by informing other clubs the goaltender planned to retire, McPhee told the Las Vegas Review-Journal's David Schoen.

McPhee praised Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon for how he navigated the ordeal and insisted the team isn't fabricating what happened.

"Kelly couldn't have handled it better," McPhee said. "(Walsh and Fleury) knew they were being traded. If you're doing what's right for the organization and you're honest with the players, you've got nothing to apologize for. Ever. And again, we're telling the truth."

Fleury reportedly didn't initially warm to the idea of joining the Blackhawks because he was reluctant to move his family to an unfamiliar city. Four days after the trade, he confirmed his intent to suit up for them.

The three-time Stanley Cup champion was arguably the face of the Golden Knights franchise after leading Vegas to the Cup Final in its inaugural 2017-18 season. But his playing time decreased after the Golden Knights acquired Robin Lehner in February 2020.

Walsh infamously tweeted an image of Fleury playing the puck with a sword through his back during the 2019-20 postseason. Walsh was apparently implying Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer stabbed Fleury in the back by turning more to Lehner during those playoffs.

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Alex Ovechkin doesn't appear to be seriously hurt after his early exit from the Washington Capitals' final 2021-22 preseason game Friday.

The superstar forward is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, the club announced Sunday, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Ovechkin departed midway through the first period of Washington's 5-3 win and didn't return after awkwardly hitting Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny. The Capitals said at the time that Ovechkin would be re-evaluated.

The 36-year-old signed a five-year contract extension with Washington in July. Earlier Friday, the Russian Olympic Committee named him to its team for next year's Beijing Olympics.

The Capitals will open their regular-season schedule when they host the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.

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