The Los Angeles Kings signed goaltender Pheonix Copley to a one-year, $1.5-million extension Friday, the team announced.

Copley has emerged as the Kings' most reliable netminder this season, recording a 15-3-1 record with an .897 save percentage and a 2.92 goals against average.

The 31-year-old journeyman has played 51 career NHL games across five seasons, posting an .899 save percentage. In 237 career AHL games, his save percentage is .911.

With Jonathan Quick's eight-year, $58-million contract set to expire after this season, Copley and Cal Petersen - who's currently playing in the AHL in the first season of a three-year, $15-million deal - are Los Angeles' only goalies signed for 2023-24.

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St. Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube said Friday he expects captain Ryan O'Reilly to return Saturday against the Arizona Coyotes, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jim Thomas.

O'Reilly hasn't played since Dec. 31 against the Minnesota Wild due to a broken foot. He played through the injury after blocking a shot during St. Louis' 5-2 loss and logged just over 19 minutes in the contest.

He skated with the team for the first time Thursday.

"It feels good," O'Reilly said afterward, according to team beat reporter Chris Pinkert. "I've been able to skate the last three days, so it's nice to have that first skate with the boys, but it's a little unknown … we have to talk to some doctors and stuff on where we sit, but as of now, it's good."

He added, "If I do force it and rush back, that's what they're concerned about is making the injury bigger. That's why we have to be safe and be cautious as we progress here."

A pending unrestricted free agent, O'Reilly has struggled this season, mustering just 10 goals and six assists in 37 games. However, the 2019 Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe winner is bound to draw attention and could be on the move ahead of the March 3 trade deadline.

O'Reilly said in late January that he hopes to stay in St. Louis.

Berube also said Friday he expects Pavel Buchnevich to return to the lineup versus the Coyotes. Buchnevich, who's recorded 38 points in 38 contests this campaign, has missed the Blues' last four games due to an ankle injury.

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Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato said star forward Tage Thompson will be ready to play in Saturday's afternoon meeting with the Calgary Flames.

Thompson exited the Sabres' 5-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 1 with an upper-body injury. He was considered day-to-day before that contest.

Though it doesn't appear he'll sit out any regular-season games because of the issue, the 25-year-old missed last weekend's All-Star Game. Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin replaced him on the Atlantic Division's roster.

Thompson has been integral to Buffalo's success this season, pacing the team with 34 goals and 68 points in 50 contests.

He's playing out the final campaign of a three-year contract at a $1.4-million cap hit before his seven-year, $50-million deal kicks in next season.

The Sabres sit fifth in the Atlantic Division with a 26-20-4 record and are three points out of the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot.

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Chicago Blackhawks veteran Patrick Kane wasn't ecstatic when he found out the St. Louis Blues had sent Vladimir Tarasenko to the New York Rangers.

"It's not, like, the happiest I've been to hear about a trade," he said Friday, according to NBC Sports Chicago's Charlie Roumeliotis. "I think the Rangers are a team that you definitely pay attention to and definitely are intrigued by, for obvious reasons."

He added, "If things were going to happen, that was a team I was definitely looking at. It seems like they kind of filled their void and went ahead and made a deal, so it is what it is."

The Blues shipped Tarasenko and defenseman Niko Mikkola to the Big Apple on Thursday in exchange for Sammy Blais, low-level prospect Hunter Skinner, a conditional 2023 first-round pick, and a conditional 2024 fourth-round selection.

Kane, 34, is in the final season of an eight-year, $84-million contract and can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. His deal carries a full no-movement clause, but he has yet to inform general manager Kyle Davidson whether he will waive it.

"In fairness to Kyle, I haven't went to Kyle and said, 'I wanted to go here' (or) 'I want to (stay),'" Kane said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Ben Pope. "I haven't gotten to any of that yet. ... I think within the next 10 days or so, we'll probably get a clearer picture of what's going to happen."

The Rangers made their move for Tarasenko once they felt the asking prices for Kane and Timo Meier were too high, sources told ESPN's Emily Kaplan. New York was also reportedly wary of Kane's nagging hip injury. He missed three games in January due to a lower-body ailment.

Kane said the concerns about his injury are overblown.

"I'm not sure what the story is, to be honest with you, but I feel better than I did last year," he explained, per Roumeliotis. "It's just one of those things that maybe the story leaks out and it piles up a little bit."

Kane has nine goals and 26 assists in 46 games this season as the Blackhawks toil in the Central Division basement with a 15-29-5 record.

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With the St. Louis Blues mired in a stagnant 2022-23 season, the team continued closing the door on its 2019 Stanley Cup-winning core with Thursday's trade sending veteran winger Vladimir Tarasenko to the New York Rangers.

"We had a good season last year, we were trying to wring out another year out of this group," general manager Doug Armstrong said shortly after the deal. "I think when you go back to our successful season of '19, we were a veteran team. We won as a veteran team, and we've been able to hang on to that group for three more years.

"This year, obviously, was the end of that era."

Eight players remain from the Blues' championship roster: Ryan O'Reilly, Robert Thomas, Brayden Schenn, Ivan Barbashev, Sammy Blais (whom the Rangers sent back to the Blues in the Tarasenko trade), Colton Parayko, Robert Bortuzzo, and Jordan Binnington.

Tarasenko had been a key piece for St. Louis since making his NHL debut in 2012-13. The six-time 30-goal scorer ranks fifth in franchise history in both tallies (262) and points (553) in 644 games.

The 31-year-old added 11 goals and six assists in 26 playoff contests during the Blues' run to their first Stanley Cup.

Tarasenko's name had been in the rumor mill for some time. He reportedly requested a trade in July 2021 after losing trust in St. Louis over its handling of two of his three shoulder surgeries.

Blues head coach Craig Berube discussed his long-standing relationship with Tarasenko on Thursday.

"Listen, as a coach and a player, you always have battles and things, but it was never personal. ... I respect (Tarasenko) for that because there was a lot of tough moments and conversations that weren't the best, but listen, he never held a grudge and neither did I."

A pending unrestricted free agent, Tarasenko said Friday there was "no chance" he'd remain with St. Louis, according to USA Today Sports' Vince Z. Mercogliano.

"No deal was offered, so I knew I was going to move somewhere," he said. "I talked with Artemi (Panarin), and they wanted me here. ... One of my best friends plays here, and we have a chance to win a Cup again."

Tarasenko skated on a line with Panarin and Mika Zibanejad ahead of his debut in the Big Apple.

O'Reilly said he wishes his former teammate all the best with the Rangers.

"It was weird. It's something that you're never really ready for or expect. ... We've been through so much since I've been on this team," he said of the trade. "He's always been there, such a huge piece for us, and obviously winning together, it's sad to see him go."

The Blues are 23-25-3 on the season and sit nine points out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Tarasenko will get a chance to face his former team on April 6 in St. Louis.

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We have a busy weekend of hockey ahead of us, with 18 games over the next couple of days.

Let's dive into two that stand out from the pack.

Maple Leafs (-250) @ Blue Jackets (+210)
Feb. 10, 7 p.m. ET

For years, the Maple Leafs have played down to their competition and failed to come through when enormously favored. Even without Auston Matthews, I think they're going to buck the trend and pick up a convincing win over the Blue Jackets.

They really seem to be buying what Sheldon Keefe is selling this season, playing a more committed defensive game. That, coupled with strong goaltending, is why only three teams - the Bruins, Hurricanes, and Stars - have done a better job of limiting goals at five-on-five.

That should spell trouble for a Blue Jackets team that has struggled immensely to create offense at five-on-five. Over the last 10 games, they've generated only 9.12 high-danger chances per 60, which is dead last in the league.

While the Jackets have a couple of dynamic stars on the wing, their forward group as a whole is rather shallow. Not to mention, they don't really have players on the back end right now, with Zach Werenski, Jake Bean, and, more recently, Adam Boqvist out of the lineup due to injuries.

I don't see them creating much against a fairly stout Maple Leafs team that should be chomping at the bit following an extended break.

Matthews' absence is unlikely to be problematic in this game as well. The Leafs have generated 2.90 expected goals per 60 since he left the lineup, which is directly in line with their season average of 2.86.

They should have no problem facilitating chances - and finishing them - against a Blue Jackets team that allows 3.83 goals per 60 minutes.

Bet: Maple Leafs -1.5 (-105)

Devils (TBD) @ Wild (TBD)
Feb. 11, 8 p.m. ET

The Devils are on a 9-1-1 run but haven't played nearly as well as the results indicate. Not even close.

At five-on-five, they have controlled just 44.2% of the expected goals, putting them bottom-five in the NHL during that span.

The only teams that have performed worse - and not by much in that category - are the Blackhawks, Ducks, Canadiens, and Blues: four bad teams that'll be selling everything they can at the deadline.

In terms of strictly scoring chances, the Devils have posted a minus-60 differential at five-on-five during this hot streak.

So, how have they been winning? The recipe is simple: Jack Hughes, goaltending, and overtime luck (they've won five of six).

Hughes missed Thursday night's affair - another in which the Devils were noticeably out-chanced - but prior to that, he accumulated 18 points over a 10-game period. Every time the Devils needed a play, he came up with one.

The Devils don't currently have the budding superstar available to bail them out. That's a huge factor.

It's also fair to expect a dip in goaltending performance sooner rather than later. With respect to Vitek Vanecek, who I really like, and Mackenzie Blackwood, they're not Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin. It's not reasonable for them to shave an average of a goal off the expected output each time out, which has been the case of late.

I know the Wild haven't exactly been lighting it up of late and are dealing with some problems of their own.

But the Devils' underlying metrics are even worse. With Hughes out of the lineup and the goaltending likely due for a spell of lesser play, this feels like a spot where their issues will catch up to them.

Bet: Wild (likely in the -125 range)

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

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The All-Star break is in the rearview and we've turned it up a notch, going to twice per week for the NHL betting guide so that we can be as accurate as possible in evaluating each team, especially with significant players in and out of the lineup. A quick price comparison from Monday to Thursday would have produced nine bets in total. With 20/20 hindsight, here's how that looked.

That there was a mix of favorites and underdogs - both short and long - is an even better sign than the small sample size of a 7-2 (+7.7 units) stretch. Finding value at various prices - and in some cases, both for and against teams like the Golden Knights - can indicate we're doing well to not overreact to the ebbs and flows of the betting market.

With our new biweekly schedule, we can react to things like injuries to Aleksander Barkov and Cale Makar early in the week, the market's game-to-game adjustment to the Maple Leafs without Auston Matthews against good teams like the Bruins before their break and a home-and-home with the likes of the Blue Jackets after it, and the Canucks' and Islanders' value after the Bo Horvat trade.

Much to Devils fans' chagrin, we get our first guess as to how the betting market will react to Jack Hughes' absence. We'll start with an assumption that New Jersey is 5% less likely to win an individual game without Hughes, who sits third in the NHL in goals. Meanwhile, we'll take a wait-and-see approach on any boost the Rangers get after their addition of Vladimir Tarasenko.

The recipe

We started the campaign using regular-season point totals as a baseline for rating teams since it's our best measurement. Throughout the campaign, we adjust club ratings using on-ice metrics to remove the cognitive bias of win-loss records, which can be skewed by outliers like special-teams results, poor goaltending performances, and other unreliable events.

The cheat sheet

There are no bad bets at the right price, but how do we know what a good price is?

The following includes my fair price on the games (true moneyline) and the moneyline price I'd need to bet either side. I only need a 1% edge for a favorite if we're getting better than a fair price on the team more likely to win. For the underdog, I'll need 4% or better to make it a bet. For games I project to be closer to a coin flip, a 2.5% edge is enough for a worthwhile wager. I also have a 5% win probability consideration for a team playing in the second game of a back-to-back with travel and a 3% consideration for a team on the second leg of a back-to-back without travel. When it comes to injured players, I do my best to estimate the impact on their team's win probability.

When the betting markets open up the night before, you can compare those prices with our "price to bet" column to see if you're getting any value with either side's moneyline. There's also a possibility that a moneyline moves into a bet-friendly range at some point between market open and puck drop.

Matt Russell is a betting writer for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.

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The Montreal Canadiens signed rookie blue-liner Jordan Harris to a two-year pact with an average annual value of $1.4 million, the team announced Friday.

Harris, 22, was scheduled to become a restricted free agent once his current deal expired.

The Massachusetts native has one goal and 10 assists in 47 games this season while averaging 18:26 minutes per contest, good for the fifth-most ice time among first-year defensemen in 2022-23.

The Canadiens selected Harris in the third round of the 2018 draft.

Montreal still has some decisions to make regarding other restricted free agents, headlined by injured sniper Cole Caufield.

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We're in for a quiet start to the weekend with just four games on Friday night.

Thankfully, there still appears to be plenty of value on the board in the prop market. Let's take a closer look at three players to prioritize.

William Nylander over 3.5 shots (-130)

Nylander is normally a player I prefer to back on home soil, but I'm happy to make an exception on Friday night.

The ultra-talented winger has come through in three straight road games and leads the Maple Leafs in shot attempts and scoring chances since Auston Matthews departed the lineup. With No. 34 sidelined, the Leafs don't have as much pop up front, and more weight falls on players like Nylander.

More important than anything else, though, is the matchup against the Blue Jackets. Only the Ducks have allowed five-on-five shots at a higher clip this season. With so many players sidelined against a high-class opponent, I don't see things getting any better for the Blue Jackets this time around.

Vladimir Tarasenko over 2.5 shots (-120)

Tarasenko is expected to make his Rangers debut alongside Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad on the top line. While Tarasenko isn't quite as dynamic as a couple of years ago, he remains a threatening offensive player who won't be shy about shooting the puck when it comes his way.

I think playing with Panarin will be especially beneficial. Panarin is a pass-first winger in every sense, has played with Tarasenko plenty on the international stage, and they are good friends off the ice.

Panarin will no doubt be looking to find Tarasenko early and often and give him every chance to shine in front of the MSG crowd.

Although the Kraken are a strong shot suppression team, I still like Tarasenko in this spot. Seattle is in the latter half of a road back-to-back, and Tarasenko has hit in three of four games versus the Kraken - including three straight - since their inception.

Seth Jones over 2.5 shots (-140)

Jones is a Coyotes killer. There are a lot of them, I know, but Jones is absolutely among the group.

He has faced the Coyotes five times over the last season and a half. He averaged 3.8 shots per game while going over the total in four of those meetings.

All the data points toward another successful night for Jones this time around. The Coyotes rank 30th in shots against per game versus defensemen, allowing more than all but the Ducks and Jackets.

Jones is also a much more efficient shot-generator on home soil. He has gone over his total 61% of the time in Chicago, a far cry from the 35% hit rate he's managed on the road.

With a mouthwatering matchup to look forward to on home ice, there's every reason to believe Jones is in line for a productive evening.

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

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There's no point beating around the bush here. Connor McDavid is the obvious MVP front-runner as we move further into the unofficial second half of this NHL season. That's hardly a controversial statement, but let's be real: Everyone else garnering Hart Trophy consideration is clearly just vying to be a finalist at this point.

The four players below him on this list have all been extremely valuable to their clubs and would all have a legitimate shot to win if McDavid wasn't playing like a human video game.

Two other stars would be in the mix if the list was a little longer, too. Jason Robertson remains a fringe candidate, but he's been outplayed lately by a new contender, and Tage Thompson's evolution into a game-changer has been the biggest reason the Buffalo Sabres are within striking distance of a playoff spot.

Here are our top five Hart Trophy contenders at this point in the campaign:

5. Matthew Tkachuk

Tkachuk has provided the Florida Panthers with significant value in his first season with them. We've been reluctant to include him on these lists until now because the Cats have been so disappointing. But the versatile forward's elite play deserves recognition precisely because he's carried an underachieving club, and he's been on fire lately.

The All-Star MVP racked up seven goals and 17 assists in the 15 games since our last edition of these rankings. Tkachuk leads the NHL in both helpers and points in that span. The talented agitator's production relative to that of his teammates has been commendable, too. Tkachuk has 10 more assists and 24 more points than the closest Panthers, all while sitting among the league leaders in both categories.

The 25-year-old's underlying numbers have been sublime. He ranks third in the NHL in wins above replacement and is tied for third in goals above replacement. He also sits third in individual expected goals. Tkachuk is 10th in five-on-five expected goals for percentage among forwards with at least 500 minutes played in those situations, having logged more ice time than all but one forward ahead of him. As a result, the gritty American has an outside shot at being voted a Hart finalist.

4. Mikko Rantanen

The injury-riddled Colorado Avalanche are getting healthier, so they're no longer relying as heavily on Rantanen. Still, the Finnish forward continues to provide the defending champions with tremendous value.

Rantanen leads all NHL forwards - yes, even McDavid - in average ice time and ranks second in the league in even-strength goals. He's racked up eight tallies and five assists in the 13 games since our last edition. His xGF% is the least flattering of anyone in this top five, but he's helping Colorado control a greater share (55.23%) of the scoring chances when he's been on the ice at five-on-five.

The Avalanche star is outscoring his closest teammate by 19 goals while outproducing the second-best Avalanche skater by six points. Injuries have factored into that, but those disparities continue to illustrate how critical Rantanen has been in keeping his injury-ravaged team afloat.

3. Jack Hughes

Hughes is now considered week-to-week due to injury, but New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff expects his absence to be on the shorter end. In addition, Hughes deserves to be recognized for how critical he's been to his team's success so far. The club's catalyst leads the league in both WAR and GAR, sits atop the NHL in even-strength goals, and ranks second in even-strength points - all astounding trends for a player who's turning 22 in May.

His terrific underlying figures don't end with his WAR and GAR, either. Among forwards with at least 500 minutes logged at five-on-five, Hughes' xGF% ranks 12th, and his SCF% (59.7) slots in at 10th.

Hughes has collected 14 more goals and 15 more points than his closest teammates, and he registered 11 goals and 10 assists in the 11 games since our previous edition. The American sits third in shots on goal among all NHL skaters, and he ranks among the league's best in the Maurice "Rocket" Richard and Art Ross Trophy races. Hughes has been exceedingly valuable, and he'd be the clear Hart runner-up at this point if not for the injury that could keep him out for a handful of games or more.

2. David Pastrnak

Pastrnak has been in MVP contention all season long - not just because of how good he's been, but because of how much better he's played than his Boston Bruins teammates. That's a remarkable feat considering those teammates are Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and Charlie McAvoy, along with Linus Ullmark, the clear Vezina Trophy favorite.

Pastrnak racked up 11 goals and nine assists in the 13 games since we last evaluated this race, with a whopping 20 more goals and 26 more points than any other Bruins skater. He was stellar when Marchand and McAvoy missed time due to injuries at the start of the campaign, and he hasn't slowed down since.

The Czech playmaker sits second in the NHL in goals and fourth in points. At even strength, Pastrnak is joint fourth in goals and joint eighth in points. He also leads the league in shots on goal. Ullmark's sterling campaign and the Bruins' status as the NHL's best team have hurt Pastrnak's Hart bid to a degree, but his consistently potent play - especially relative to his team - makes him a serious contender.

1. Connor McDavid

Everyone knows there's more to hockey than goals, assists, and points. But when a player like McDavid has an 18-point lead while pacing the league in tallies and ranking joint second in helpers, it's important not to overthink when it comes to MVP voting.

It's not just his conventional stats that warrant recognition, either. Only two players have more WAR than McDavid this season, and only four have more GAR. His SCF% (56.13) is nearly identical to his xGF%, and he sits fifth in the NHL in individual expected goals.

Other contenders have excelled with less support than the Edmonton Oilers captain has had (having Leon Draisaitl helps), but no one's done more, and that can't be ignored. McDavid has simply been too dominant to place him anywhere but in the top spot.

(Analytics sources: Natural Stat Trick, Evolving Hockey)

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