It's safe to say David Reinbacher was impressed by fellow defensive prospect Lane Hutson after the pair skated together at the Montreal Canadiens' development camp.

"You get the puck, skate it out a little bit, then you give it to him and just start watching," Reinbacher told The Canadian Press. "He's probably the next Cale Makar."

Reinbacher was the fifth overall pick at last week's draft, joining Hutson near the top of Montreal's prospect pool. Hutson was a second-round pick in 2022, and he's coming off an impressive season in which he posted 48 points in 39 games with Boston University. He also represented the United States at the world juniors and World Championship.

The 19-year-old is set for another campaign with the Terriers in 2023-24. Makar played two seasons at UMass before joining the Colorado Avalanche for the 2019 playoffs. He's since won a Calder Trophy, Norris Trophy, Stanley Cup, and Conn Smythe while racking up 246 points in 238 career regular season contests.

Although he may have pinned some huge expectations on Hutson, Reinbacher is hopeful they can patrol the Canadiens' blue line together in the future.

"He's so good on the skates - he can do some crazy stuff on the ice," Reinbacher said. "I would love to play with him one day, make a pairing with him.

"He and me and all the other guys, I guess we have a long journey, a lot of work to do (before) we can play one day for Montreal."

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Matt and Blake are back after digesting the weekend's free agency news. The guys discuss the signings of Soucy, Cole and Blueger and the roster battles shaping up at Canucks training camp. They also take a look at the penchant for penalties from two of three newcomers, and the cap flexibility the club has left themselves going forward. Darren Dreger from the (Ray & Dregs Hockey Podcast) with his last hit of the season tells us that the Canucks said 'no' on a defenceman being pushed by an Eastern club, and informs that all is not as rosy as Patrik Allvin led us to believe Saturday with regards to Tanner Pearson's injured hand. Patrick Johnston addresses a number of Canucks issues including J.T. Miller staying and now having a no-move clause, the signings of free agents and whether there's any room left for upgrades. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

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Hockey Canada has a new leader.

The organization tabbed Katherine Henderson as its CEO and president Tuesday to succeed Scott Smith, who resigned in October.

Henderson spent the last seven years as CEO of Curling Canada. She'll begin her new role with Hockey Canada on Sept. 4.

"Katherine has the track record and experience to lead the ongoing transformation of Hockey Canada," Hugh L. Fraser, the chair of Hockey Canada's board of directors, said.

"With her at the helm, we are confident that we will continue to take the steps necessary to ensure hockey is a safe and inclusive sport and that Hockey Canada benefits from best-in-class governance."

Hockey Canada has been under intense scrutiny since last spring in the wake of two sexual assault scandals.

A woman said eight unnamed CHL players - including members of the 2018 world junior team - assaulted her in June of that year following a Hockey Canada gala event in London, Ontario. The lawsuit was settled in May 2022.

Last July, Hockey Canada reported an alleged group sexual assault from 2003 involving members of that year's national junior team. The organization said it first heard of a rumor about "something bad at the 2003 world juniors" two weeks prior to reporting it.

Hockey Canada then unveiled an action plan to address "systemic issues" and "toxic behavior" within the sport as a result of those allegations.

The Canadian government froze the organization's federal funding in June 2022, and several longtime sponsors pulled their support from the organization. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for "wholesale change" within Hockey Canada in October.

Smith and Hockey Canada's entire board of directors stepped down later in October.

Hockey Canada introduced its new board of directors in December.

During her time with Curling Canada, Henderson was credited with advocating for pay equity for the men's and women's teams, as well as orchestrating a financial turnaround for the organization's business model.

Bauer Hockey announced it would reinstate its partnership with Hockey Canada shortly after news broke of Henderson's appointment, according to CBC's Devin Heroux. The company paused its equipment arrangement with the men's world junior team last year.

The Canadian federal government restored Hockey Canada's funding in April.

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With the NHL draft behind us and free agency well underway, we've passed the eye of the offseason storm.

Although there are still some familiar names on the market - Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews come to mind - most of the notable free agents have found new homes.

Now that a ton of roster shaping has taken place, it's time to start looking ahead to the 2023-24 campaign.

Which teams are getting the most respect in the market? Which teams are heading for a year of pain? Let's take a closer look.

The Avalanche once again find themselves favored to win the Stanley Cup, although the odds are longer than they were at open last year (+425). They've enjoyed a strong offseason to date, replacing J.T. Compher with a cheaper alternative in Ryan Johansen. Colorado pulled off a pair of savvy trades, essentially swapping Alex Newhook for Ross Colton and a first-round pick. The Avs made some noise in free agency as well, adding speed and depth scoring in Miles Wood while also rolling the dice on Jonathan Drouin - Nathan MacKinnon's junior hockey linemate - in hopes of adding cheap production. They look very dangerous once again.

A revamped Maple Leafs squad finds itself on level pegging with the shortest odds. While the Maple Leafs seem set on keeping the Core Four together - at least if they can find a way to re-sign William Nylander - new general manager Brad Treliving sure changed the surrounding mix.

He walked away from Ryan O'Reilly, Michael Bunting, and Alex Kerfoot, replacing them with gritty alternatives in Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, and Ryan Reaves. He also let Justin Holl leave in free agency and signed puck-moving defenseman John Klingberg. Are the Maple Leafs better than a year ago? Worse? It's hard to tell - but they sure are different.

The Edmonton Oilers find themselves third in the pecking order. They moved on from inconsistent depth forwards Kailer Yamamoto and Klim Kostin, intelligently reallocating the resources to snag Connor Brown. He missed most of last season due to injury but averaged 50 points per 82 games in the previous two seasons. Brown adds speed, scoring, and versatility to the Oilers' already strong forward core.

Next up are a pair of Metropolitan Division teams: the Devils and Hurricanes. The former, in particular, are universally loved right now - and rightfully so. The Devils finished third in the league this past season and have retained all of their best young players. A full year with Timo Meier, newcomer Tyler Toffoli, and the promotion of top prospects Luke Hughes and (eventually) Simon Nemec can only benefit the club. The only question mark lies in goal.

The Bruins and Golden Knights find themselves in the next price tier, just outside the top five.

The Bruins will look a lot different in October. They let go of Bertuzzi, Taylor Hall, and Dmitry Orlov due to cap constraints. They're also still awaiting retirement decisions from Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. The Bruins made some affordable depth adds - most notably James van Riemsdyk and Morgan Geekie - but they look worse on paper.

Meanwhile, the Golden Knights seem poised for a strong defense of the Stanley Cup. They had to deal Reilly Smith to re-sign Ivan Barbashev, but the majority of the team remains intact.

Moving further down the list, the Flames and Senators are Canada's next-best - albeit distant - hopes for the Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, neither team finds itself in a great spot.

The Flames already moved on from Toffoli, and there are rumors Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund, and Noah Hanifin are unlikely to stay and perhaps looking to depart sooner rather than later. How new GM Craig Conroy navigates that largely determines how competitive the Flames will be next season.

Meanwhile, the future of Alex DeBrincat looms large over the Senators. Will he have a change of heart and re-sign with Ottawa? What kind of return could he garner? How will trading DeBrincat help in the here and now? Suffice it to say, Pierre Dorion has his hands full.

It'll be interesting to see how the next wave of activity impacts the market. We'll take a closer look before the puck drops in October.

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

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Travis Hamonic is sticking around in Ottawa.

The Senators re-signed the unrestricted free-agent defenseman to a two-year extension, the team announced Tuesday.

His new deal carries an average annual value of $1.1 million and includes a no-move clause, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Hamonic chipped in with six goals and 15 assists in 75 contests with the Senators this past season, his first full campaign in Canada's capital. He was free to hit the open market this summer after playing out the final campaign of a two-year, $6-million pact.

Ottawa acquired his services from the Vancouver Canucks prior to the 2022 trade deadline in exchange for a third-round pick.

The 33-year-old spent the bulk of his time on a pairing with rookie Jake Sanderson in 2022-23.

The Senators now have $9.17 million in cap space after signing Hamonic with two restricted free agents - Alex DeBrincat and Shane Pinto - left on their books.

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Brad Treliving's vision for the Maple Leafs arguably became clearer one day after free agency opened, with Toronto's new general manager signing gritty forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi to one-year deals.

"There's a DNA in them that we need, a little more snot to our game," the executive said Monday, according to the Toronto Sun's Lance Hornby.

"I feel better about our team (than after July 1). We were cognizant about trying to replace some offense, but there are also specific skill sets we're looking for."

The Maple Leafs lost some snarl in free agency, with defenseman Luke Schenn and forward Noel Acciari departing for the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins, respectively. Schenn led the entire league with 318 hits in 70 games this past campaign, while Acciari placed among the top 10 forwards with 244 hits during the regular season.

Acciari took his physical game up a notch in the playoffs, ranking fourth among all skaters with 78 hits in 11 games. The three players ahead of him - Keegan Kolesar, Sam Bennett, and Radko Gudas - all skated in at least 20 contests and appeared in the Stanley Cup Final.

Bertuzzi and Domi are also accustomed to physicality - the former threw 54 hits in 50 games in 2022-23, while the latter amassed 82 penalty minutes in 80 contests. However, both come with more offensive upside that will fit the Leafs' profile well.

"The game never changes," Treliving said. "We need players, and they need to be able to play at the most important times when the rink shrinks and you need courage. ... You can't just have players with piss and vinegar if they can't play."

Domi eclipsed the 20-goal mark for the second time in his career this campaign while playing for the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars. Two hand injuries hampered Bertuzzi during the regular season, but he came alive in his first taste of playoff action, putting up five goals and five assists in seven contests with the Boston Bruins.

Toronto also added prolific enforcer Ryan Reaves to its ranks Saturday.

The Maple Leafs are $8.8 million over the $83.5-million cap with one restricted free agent - goalie Ilya Samsonov - on their books, per CapFriendly. Toronto can get just over $5.6 million in relief by placing defenseman Jake Muzzin on long-term injured reserve.

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Alex DeBrincat's agent, Jeff Jackson, refuted a report that his client's contract demands are holding up a trade from the Ottawa Senators.

Jackson told The Athletic's Ian Mendes the claim is "entirely false and without merit."

DeBrincat is a restricted free agent and is widely expected to be traded this offseason after telling the Senators he isn't interested in signing a long-term extension to remain in Ottawa. General manager Pierre Dorion said recently a sign-and-trade to get max value for the two-time 40-goal scorer would be ideal, but a move doesn't appear to be close.

"As far as I have been advised, there has been no agreement of any kind on an actual trade involving Alex, and I would require that before entering into an actual negotiation," Jackson said. "We are waiting patiently for that to happen."

He added: "Agents and players don’t make trades … that's the GM's job."

The Senators filed for arbitration with DeBrincat last month. If a trade doesn't materialize, the two sides could agree on a short-term contract. Ottawa currently has approximately $10.2 million in cap space to accommodate a deal to retain him, according to Cap Friendly.

DeBrincat is eligible for unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2024 if he signs for one year.

Ottawa acquired DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2022 draft for the seventh and 39th overall picks, as well as a 2024 third-round selection. The 25-year-old recorded 27 goals and 39 assists across 82 games this past season.

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