Matt and Blake discuss the opening of Canucks training camp, including whether Pettersson's contract situation matters to fans, where Nils Höglander and Vasily Podkolzin fit; whether Pettersson & Andrei Kuzmenko and J.T. Miller & Brock Boeser are locked-in duos; who plays with those duos; whether Noah Juulsen can be an opening night defenceman with Rick Tocchet preferring lefty-righty pairs. We hear from Höglander, Miller and Tocchet. Rink Wide: Vancouver co-host Jeff Paterson stops by with his assessment of what he's seen in Victoria. Jeff breaks down the opportunities provided to players like Höglander, Podkolzin, Juulsen and local favourite Arshdeep Bains. He talks about the abundance of coaches and goalies on the ice (8 each!), and discusses Pettersson's reluctance to talk about his unresolved contract. John Shannon joins and heartily endorses training camp travelling around B.C. as a marketing effort. He comments on Jim Rutherford's assertion that everything must go right to make the playoffs; Thatcher Demko's take that this season is "do or die" for the core group; and he evaluates the Tanner Pearson-Casey DeSmith trade. Plus, another edition of SvP, where Matt and Blake debate whether Höglander makes the opening night lineup. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

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The Vegas Golden Knights are channeling the same mentality as last year as the team looks to defend its Stanley Cup triumph.

"You look at the players we have, it's pretty ironic that people were writing us off," Golden Knights captain Mark Stone told Las Vegas Sun's Danny Webster. "I almost hope the same thing this year. I hope people write us off. I hope it gives us motivation.

"We want to have that same chip on our shoulder. A lot of people say we can't do it again. We have to use that as fuel to try and get back to where we want to be."

After missing the playoffs in 2022, Vegas stormed its way to the team's first-ever Stanley Cup this spring. The Golden Knights demolished the Florida Panthers in five games to win the Cup and never faced elimination en route to the finals.

"Everyone loves their preseason picks," star forward Jack Eichel said. "Were we anyone's preseason picks last year? No.

"You go out there and prove yourself on the ice every night, and the ultimate goal of our season is a long, long way away, and I think we learned that last year."

Head coach Bruce Cassidy enters his second season behind the bench in Vegas with the task of replicating last year's immense success.

"We're here to win the Cup," Cassidy said. "So are 31 other teams. We feel like we're returning a lot of players that give us that opportunity. We're in that age frame right now where it's not just this year, but next year. All those things bode well for us."

The Golden Knights commence their preseason schedule Sunday against the San Jose Sharks and open their regular season on Oct. 10 against the Seattle Kraken.

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Arizona Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong sees a boatload of potential in Clayton Keller.

"Just being around him, (Keller) is a competitor," Armstrong said, per NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin. "The greatest thing that people don't know about him is that this guy lives and breathes hockey. He's on the ice all summer working on a shot. He's doing all the little things.

"He's one of our best players, and he might be the best Coyote ever, in the end."

Keller enjoyed a career campaign last season, leading the team with 37 goals and 49 assists in 82 contests. His 86 points on the year tied Keith Tkachuk for the most in a single season by a Coyote since the team moved to the desert from Winnipeg in 1996.

That performance is even more impressive given how Keller's 2021-22 season ended. He had to be stretchered off the ice with a broken leg during a contest against the San Jose Sharks on March 30, 2022, and immediately underwent surgery to repair the fracture.

Keller was able to recover in time for the 2022-23 campaign and was named a finalist for this season's Bill Masterton Trophy - which honors perseverance and dedication to hockey - as a result of his efforts.

Now, the talented winger is confident he can be the first Coyote to hit the 100-point mark and the franchise's first player to accomplish the feat since Teemu Selanne in 1992-93 when the team was still in Winnipeg.

"I feel really good, obviously," Keller said. "A full summer of training and skating as opposed to last summer, not much, and a lot of uncertainty going into the season about my health and things like that. I feel great. It's the most excited I've been going into a season."

In order to claim the title as the best Coyote ever, Keller will have to wrestle the mantle away from Shane Doan, who's the team's leader in goals (395), points (955), and games played (1,466) - excluding his debut campaign in Winnipeg when he netted seven goals and 17 points in 74 contests.

At 25 years old, Keller already ranks fifth in goals (133) and points (342) as well as 11th in games played (442) in Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes history.

Keller is entering the fourth season of an eight-year, $57.2-million extension.

The Coyotes' preseason kicks off on Saturday at midnight ET in Australia.

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Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim was aware of his involvement in trade rumors this past offseason - and he wasn't a fan.

"It sucks," Sanheim said, per Flyers Nitty Gritty's Jamey Baskow. "There is a reason I signed here for eight years. I want to be here in Philadelphia."

Sanheim was reportedly supposed to be involved in the trade that sent Kevin Hayes from the Flyers to the St. Louis Blues, but the deal fell apart after Torey Krug refused to waive his no-trade clause to go to Philadelphia. Hayes was eventually shipped to the Blues for a sixth-round pick.

But Sanheim said he had good conversations with president of hockey operations Keith Jones and head coach John Tortorella and is willing to put the past behind him.

"There were no hard feelings on either side," Sanheim said.

Sanheim enters the first season of an eight-year, $50-million extension, which was signed by former general manager Chuck Fletcher in October 2022. Daniel Briere is the club's new GM.

The 27-year-old blue-liner tallied seven goals and 16 assists while averaging 20:24 per game in 81 contests last season. With the departures of both Ivan Provorov and Tony DeAngelo - Philly's two minutes leaders in 2022-23 - Sanheim is projected to take on an expanded role this campaign.

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