The New Jersey Devils have their Hart Trophy candidate back.

Jack Hughes returned to the lineup Saturday with a pair of assists in the Devils' 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Hughes sat out the previous four games due to what the club called an upper-body injury. With an assist on Dougie Hamilton's power-play goal in the second period, Hughes extended his personal point streak to 10 games. He has nine goals and 20 points over that span.

Hughes added his second point setting up Jasper Bratt's third period goal, pushing his season points total to 69.

Devils captain Nico Hischier added two goals and two assists for New Jersey, giving him his first-career four-point game.

The 21-year-old Hughes represented the Devils at the All-Star Game earlier this month. He sustained the injury playing against his brother, Quinn, and the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 6.

Hughes entered Saturday leading the NHL in both wins above replacement and goals above replacement, according to Evolving Hockey.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar is in Saturday's lineup against the St. Louis Blues, head coach Jared Bednar confirmed, according to the Denver Gazette's Kyle Fredrickson.

Makar missed the previous four games due to a head injury.

The reigning Norris and Conn Smythe Trophy winner has racked up 13 goals and 32 assists while leading the NHL in average ice time with a whopping 27:04 in 45 contests this season.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL trade deadline is less than two weeks away, and there's nothing more fun this time of year than arguing over hypothetical swaps.

Here's how this exercise went down: Each of theScore's five NHL news editors (Kyle Cushman, Kayla Douglas, Josh Gold-Smith, Sean O'Leary, and Josh Wegman) submitted a trade to have the other four editors vote on which team they think would say no in that scenario. "Both" and "good deal" were options, too.

Remember, these deals are hypothetical. Editors were encouraged to think outside the box.

Below, I dive into the trades and analyze which aspects make sense and which don't.

Note: There were initially five trades in this exercise, but the one submitted by Douglas - which involved Timo Meier to Toronto - became moot after the Maple Leafs acquired Ryan O'Reilly from the St. Louis Blues late Friday night.

Oilers land Karlsson in blockbuster

Oilers receive: Erik Karlsson (30% retained)
Sharks receive: 2023 1st-round pick, Jesse Puljujarvi, Tyson Barrie, Dylan Holloway

Submitted by: Gold-Smith

Why it could work: Wouldn't this be fun? Imagine Karlsson sharing the ice with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on a power play. That would be lethal.

The Western Conference is wide-open, and the Oilers have been playing excellent hockey lately, so this would be an ideal year to go for it. Karlsson is the Norris Trophy favorite amid a resurgent campaign and could be the missing ingredient on the back end. Getting him at $8.08 million is palatable, too.

Puljujarvi is in dire need of a fresh start, and Barrie's role would be vastly diminished with the addition of Karlsson, so both players are expendable. Their inclusion is also necessary from a cap perspective.

For the Sharks, it's a prime opportunity to sell high on Karlsson and rid themselves of most of his mammoth contract. A first-round pick and Holloway, the 14th selection in 2020, would help the rebuild.

Why it might not: Even with the inclusion of Barrie, Puljujarvi, and Holloway, the Oilers are unable to put forth a cap-compliant roster consisting of 18 skaters in this scenario. So they'd either need the Sharks to retain more than 30%, get a third team to retain a portion, or shed money elsewhere. All three options would be difficult to accomplish in season, making an offseason deal more realistic.

It's also possible the Sharks might not be comfortable retaining $3.45 million annually through 2027, especially when they're already retaining $2.72 million through 2025 for Brent Burns. New general manager Mike Grier seems content to rebuild, but he might think his team can compete again before 2027. And if he's going to retain salary, he might want another asset in return.

Bruins bring in Kane for Cup push

Bruins receive: Patrick Kane (50% retained), Jarred Tinordi
Blackhawks receive: 2023 1st-round pick, Fabian Lysell, Craig Smith, Mike Reilly, Chris Wagner, Jakub Zboril

Submitted by: Wegman

Why it could work: The Bruins are enjoying a historically great campaign. There's no guarantee Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci play beyond this season, and it's also the last year of David Pastrnak's bargain contract before he gets a massive raise. If there was ever a year for a team to push all its chips into the middle, it's the 2022-23 Bruins.

Even in a down year, Kane is one of the best rentals available. It's easy to imagine how he'd be reinvigorated going from the basement-dwelling Blackhawks to the stacked Bruins. He wouldn't be asked to play a major role, either. While the idea of him with Bergeron and Brad Marchand on a line is enticing, playing a middle-six role to provide an offensive punch is probably more realistic. And as good as Boston is, there's no such thing as too much scoring in the playoffs.

The Bruins would also likely be pleased to get Smith, Reilly, and Wagner off their books. Swapping Zboril for Tinordi is the final piece to get the deal to work from a cap perspective, and it gives Boston a more reliable depth option on defense.

Why it might not: Kane has been playing through hip issues for at least the last couple of seasons. It didn't seem to affect him last year during a 92-point campaign, but it's likely partly to blame for his poor production this season.

Boston shouldn't hesitate to deal its first-round pick, which, if all goes as planned, will be 32nd overall. But there may be some hangup on moving Lysell, the organization's top prospect, in exchange for a 34-year-old rental. But that might be the cost considering he's the Bruins' only high-end prospect, and it's a similar package to what the Florida Panthers paid for Claude Giroux - who also had a no-movement clause - a year ago.

Kings acquire Demko to solidify crease

Kings receive: Thatcher Demko
Canucks receive: 2023 1st-round pick (top-12 protected), 2024 2nd-round pick, Alex Turcotte, Cal Petersen

Submitted by: Cushman

Why it could work: Goaltending has been the Kings' Achilles' heel this year. They're actually a strong defensive team; they just haven't received any saves. Pheonix Copley, the 31-year-old journeyman, has been their most reliable netminder to this point, but it would be difficult to trust him in a playoff series.

Demko had struggled this year before he went down with an injury, but the Canucks are among the worst defensive teams in the league. It's easy to envision the San Diego native thriving in Los Angeles. He received downballot Vezina Trophy votes a year ago and owns a ridiculous .985 save percentage in four career playoff games.

Petersen had played so poorly this season that the Kings optioned him to the minors. But he was solid in 2021-22, so it's possible the Canucks think he can eventually rebound. But more importantly, Demko and Petersen are signed to identical $5-million cap hits (Demko through 2025, Petersen through 2026) to get the deal to work financially.

The Canucks have been on the hunt for young centers, and Turcotte fits the bill. The 2019 fifth overall pick has yet to live up to his lofty draft hype, but at 21, there's still plenty of time to turn it around.

The Kings have a deep prospect pool, so they can live with dealing Turcotte. And in a year where the Western Conference is wide open, and Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty are getting older but still playing at a high level, this is an ideal time to go for it.

Why it might not: The Canucks may want more than Turcotte and a couple of draft picks considering there's a very real possibility he's a bust. Plus, not only are they giving up Demko, but taking on Petersen's contract warrants assets in return on its own. Perhaps if L.A. adds one of its many right-handed defense prospects - another positional need for Vancouver - a deal could work.

Boeser gets fresh start in Minnesota

Wild receive: Brock Boeser (25% retained)
Canucks receive: 2024 3rd-round pick, Jordan Greenway, David Spacek

Submitted by: O'Leary

Why it could work: Boeser and Greenway are both in need of a change of scenery. Going to the Wild would be a perfect fit for Boeser, a native of Burnsville, Minnesota. And the Wild could desperately use some scoring up front. Boeser has never cracked 30 goals, but at 25, there's still some unlocked potential there.

The Canucks, meanwhile, buy low on a hulking defensive-minded forward in Greenway. They also fill an organizational need on right defense with Spacek, the son of longtime NHLer Jaroslav Spacek. He was only a fifth-round pick in 2022, but his stock is on the rise after a strong world juniors for Czechia, in which he tallied eight points in seven games en route to a silver medal.

Why it might not: If the Canucks are going to retain salary on Boeser, they might want a greater return considering he's under contract through 2025. Retaining $1.66 million isn't an insignificant amount for a cap-strapped team.

Vancouver isn't in a time crunch to move Boeser, so it could wait and see if he heats up before accepting a return without any surefire building blocks coming back the other way.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

TORONTO - Fifty-seven minutes into a goalie battle last weekend, Michela Cava glided to center ice to try to spoil the Montreal Force's afternoon. Montreal led 1-0 when a Toronto Six teammate of Cava's was tackled on a breakaway and limped to the bench in pain.

Cava stepped up to take the ensuing penalty shot and fired a wrister at chest height. Force netminder Tricia Deguire punched it with her blocker to the corner. Montreal players dapped up Deguire at her crease before potting two late insurance goals to swell the margin of victory.

The Force trail Toronto by 20 points in the Premier Hockey Federation standings. The expansion pro team is below the playoff cutline as the regular season wanes. But the dynamic that explains countless Canadiens-Maple Leafs results - eager to drub a rival, the underdog often wins - is taking hold in the women's game.

"Naturally, there's that fight between the two Canadian teams. They're a good team. Maybe not on paper," Toronto forward Emma Woods said about the Force. "But they fight, and they battle, and they play their systems perfectly."

The Toronto-Montreal hockey feud germinated in the NHL. The Canadiens and Leafs have split 37 Stanley Cup titles, though Montreal's responsible for the last 10. Female superstars also plied their trade in both cities until the Canadian Women's Hockey League folded in 2019.

Known at the time as the National Women's Hockey League, the PHF was the CWHL's competition. The PHF expanded to Canada to fill the void as it aimed to establish itself as the stable pro league of the future.

The Canadian women's hockey scene is resilient. A year ago Friday, Canada edged the U.S. in the dramatic Beijing Games final, triumphing 3-2 when Marie-Philip Poulin netted her third Olympic golden goal. Fellow CWHL alumna Sarah Nurse paced that tournament in scoring and landed on the NHL 23 cover next to Trevor Zegras.

As of this season, the pro game is back in Canada's marquee markets. Toronto ices an emergent championship contender against a pesky Montreal side whose speed and cohesiveness make every game a toss-up.

Six team president Sami Jo Small described what's on the line when they meet: "Canadian supremacy."

"We see the games. We see the stickwork and pushing after the whistle. The players want to be Canada's team," Force president Kevin Raphael told theScore. "The feistiness that's on the ice - hey, Toronto and Montreal have been like that forever. That's not going to change because it's women's hockey. We carry a legacy of hatred."

The Six entered the PHF in 2020 ahead of the league's sixth season, a six-game campaign waged in a Lake Placid bubble environment at the height of the pandemic. Now a third-year franchise, Toronto's pushing the Boston Pride for the top playoff seed. Small, Canada's three-time Olympic goalie, helms the front office alongside Six general manager Angela James, the sport's first superstar player and a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee.

Active legends of the game - the cores of the Canadian and American national teams - don't play in the PHF. They broke off to create the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association after the CWHL shuttered, training in regional hubs while barnstorming to NHL cities on the weekend to put on showcase tournaments.

The PWHPA doubts the PHF is economically sustainable. Seeking a living wage and amenities around the arena that befit their elite skill, PWHPA players plan to launch their own league as soon as next fall, The Athletic's Hailey Salvian reported.

Separately, the PHF has enhanced its product. All seven franchises are privately owned. Games air online on ESPN+ and TSN Direct; ESPN2 televised last year's Isobel Cup final live. The balanced 24-game schedule pits opponents against each other four times, familiarizing each market with the entire talent pool.

"It's Montreal, Toronto, Boston. Whatever (rivalries) we have in the NHL, we have here," Force captain Ann-Sophie Bettez said. "It's good hockey. That's what we want: to put the best product on the ice, and may the best win."

The pay's improving, too. The PHF salary cap rose from US$150,000 in 2021 to $750,000 this season and is set to climb to $1.5 million in 2023-24. Most players work second jobs, meaning higher salaries would enable them to concentrate on their craft and make "a true pro lifestyle" newly attainable, women's hockey journalist Mike Murphy wrote at The Ice Garden recently.

Capitalizing on the cap's tenfold increase, the Six in January signed University of Wisconsin superstar forward Daryl Watts to a record contract that'll pay her $150,000 next season.

"If I was still playing, I'd be jumping over here to play to make a salary like that," said Six head coach Geraldine Heaney, the Hall of Fame defender who represented Canada at the 1998 and 2002 Olympics.

Watts grew up in Toronto's west end idolizing Mats Sundin and despising the Canadiens, unaware that women's pro teams existed. The NCAA's No. 2 career scorer, Watts planned to retire when her eligibility lapsed in 2022 to study and make a living in commercial real estate. She recommitted to hockey when the PHF cap spiked, publicizing the salary she and her father negotiated with James for transparency and to inspire players.

Awareness of the league is rising. More than 800 fans filled most of the seats last Saturday when the Force blanked the Six on York University's Olympic-sized ice sheet. Pints flowed upstairs in the Wild Wing restaurant as diners eyed the PHF game through floor-to-ceiling windows.

Six goalie Elaine Chuli splayed out to make 31 saves. Deguire, a rookie out of McGill University, recorded 39 stops to preserve the Force's first shutout. Half an hour after the horn blew, Watts and her teammates sat at folding tables in the arena concourse to sign autographs for a procession of girls in minor hockey sweaters.

"The younger, talented generation is starting to shift to this league," Watts said. She pointed out that three recent winners of the Patty Kazmaier Award as U.S. college MVP debuted in the PHF this season: herself and Boston forwards Loren Gabel and Elizabeth Giguere.

"That represents that this is the league of the future."

Both Canadian teams boast a foundational star who left the PWHPA this season. Six forward Brittany Howard ranks second in PHF scoring, behind Gabel, with 15 goals and 24 points in 16 appearances.

One weekend in January, Howard tallied a shootout winner, then teed up Woods for a power-play snipe as the Six beat the Force twice in their inaugural encounters.

"She's got so much skill out there one-on-one. Teams always double up on her because she's that good," Heaney said. "If she gets a scoring chance, it's usually in the net."

Montreal leans on Bettez, the rare 35-year-old who still lights the lamp professionally. An offensive dynamo at McGill and with Montreal's CWHL franchise (Poulin was her linemate), Bettez suited up for Canada at the 2019 world championship but never stuck with the national program long term.

Financial planning is her day job. She ranks fifth in goals (10) and eighth in points (17) this season as the PHF's oldest player.

"She's the most underrated player to ever play this game," said Raphael, a TV personality who interviewed Bettez on his French-language talk show when she starred in the CWHL. "She's always been viewed as the second fiddle. Now she gets the chance to be the one. Now she gets the chance to be the top dog. She carries the team on her back every shift."

Bettez hugged Raphael and handed him the goal puck when she scored in a shootout in her hometown of Sept-Iles, situated 900 kilometers north of Montreal in remote Quebec.

Bettez shining there is a quirk of the expansion season. The Force played their first home game in Montreal's Verdun borough, a short drive from the Bell Centre, and then set out to contest the remainder in barns spread around the province as a brand-building exercise.

The Force hosted the Six in Rimouski - Sidney Crosby's QMJHL home - and split a weekend series with the Pride in Riviere-du-Loup, whose crowd noise gave Raphael goosebumps. Following road contests in Boston this weekend, the Force face the Buffalo Beauts in Quebec City next Saturday and Sunday afternoons. They wrap up the regular season in New Jersey, home of the Metropolitan Riveters, on March 4-5.

"It's difficult on the body. We're traveling basically every week. But it's like going to a different party with people who are so happy to see you," Raphael said. "They're welcoming us like we're gods in their town. It's riveting to see and to feel that."

Toronto fans got to take in a bonus set of games this winter. The PHF held its recent All-Star tournament at the former Maple Leaf Gardens, where the Leafs and Habs of yore clashed in five NHL championship series. Portraits of the city's Stanley Cup heroes - think Bill Barilko and Punch Imlach - grace a wall of the grocery store that adjoins the rink.

Droves of players have expressed their interest to James and Small about signing with the Six next season.

"There will be a lot of jostling for positions. It's a whole new world for us in women's hockey," Small said. "With the doubling of the salary cap, I think we can see - I hope we see - some of the best players in the world wanting to play here in Toronto."

Unless the Force surge into the playoffs, the Canadian rivalry is done for the season. Toronto won three one-goal games against Montreal, prevailing 2-1 last Sunday - Cava assisted on Six captain Shiann Darkangelo's ice-breaker - to avenge the previous day's shutout defeat. Four players took body-checking penalties, including Watts and Force defender Taylor Baker, a Toronto native who competes for the Hungary national team.

Their cities have met in spirited games before. Initially known as the Stars and then as Les Canadiennes, Montreal's powerhouse CWHL squad won four Clarkson Cup titles and appeared in eight of the league's 11 championship matchups. Montreal beat Toronto 5-0 in the 2011 final, coasting to victory even though Small, a CWHL co-founder and Toronto's goalie at the time, stopped 46 shots.

Small was reluctant to work in the PHF after the CWHL folded. The pang of that loss prompted her to retreat from the industry. However, she kept watching games on either side of the PHF-PWHPA divide. Dipping her toe back in, she was a guest coach at last year's PHF All-Star showcase.

Ultimately, she agreed to run the Six to help elevate the sport. The same aim drives Montreal's first group of players. Force head coach Peter Smith said, "They want to establish something that's going to live on in perpetuity."

"They want to be recognized as the peak of hockey," Raphael said, adding another source of motivation. "If you're the peak of hockey in Canada, you're the peak of hockey in the world."

Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Los Angeles Kings goalie Pheonix Copley was handed a match penalty against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday for throwing blocker punches during a scrum.

Ducks netminder John Gibson skated out to center ice in anticipation of a goalie fight, but the officials put a stop to it.

Copley has come out of nowhere to become Los Angeles' No. 1 goaltender this season. The 31-year-old journeyman had just 31 NHL games under his belt entering the campaign, but entered Friday with a 17-3-1 record and a .903 save percentage this season.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's Connor McDavid's 56th game of the season, and he already has 100 points.

The Oilers superstar reached the milestone for the sixth time in his eight-year career on Friday against the New York Rangers, notching a secondary assist on an Edmonton power-play goal.

McDavid is the first player to reach the century mark in points this season. He entered Friday with a 19-point lead over teammate Leon Draisaitl for the NHL scoring race.

The only seasons in which McDavid didn't reach 100 points were his rookie year in 2015-16 when he posted 48 in 45 games, and 2019-20 when he registered 97 in 64 contests.

This is the second-fewest amount of games McDavid has needed to reach 100 points, as he required just 53 in 2020-21.

McDavid is the 16th player in NHL history with at least six 100-point seasons, tying Sidney Crosby for the most among active players.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.