With the Michael Andlauer era officially underway in Ottawa, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has high hopes for the Senators.

"I don't think there's anybody who should have any concerns about the future of this franchise," Bettman said Friday while officially introducing Andlauer as the team's new owner, per Sportsnet. "In fact, to the contrary, I think everybody can be assured that the best days of this franchise are yet to come."

Andlauer's group reached a deal to buy the Senators for a reported $950 million in mid-June after the team first hit the market in November. The league's board of governors officially approved the purchase Thursday.

"It's been worth the journey," Andlauer said. "I can really say I'm finally home."

As for the Senators' home, Andlauer made clear that a decision on a new stadium for the team will be made with the fans in mind.

"To me, the most important thing is what's important for the fans," he said. "If I can increase the fans' experience, that's what I'm here for. Probably the fans will help me dictate where the best place to be (is)."

The Senators signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Capital Commission (NCC) and other investors to build a downtown arena at LeBreton Flats in June 2022. Ottawa mayor Mark Sutcliffe said in March that LeBreton Flats would be a "great location" but also floated other scenarios for a new rink, per CTV News' Michael Woods.

Andlauer praised LeBreton Flats as "the best piece of land available in any major city in North America" on Thursday, although he also brought up empty federal buildings in Ottawa as another option. In addition, he said he anticipates having to "invest a little bit more" into the Canadian Tire Centre, which is located in the nearby suburb of Kanata, Ontario. Andlauer presumes it'll continue to be the Sens' home for another five years due to construction and government processes.

The Senators missed the playoffs by six points last campaign. However, there's excitement that they'll get over the hump in 2023-24 after an offseason that saw them bring in goalie Joonas Korpisalo and veteran sniper Vladimir Tarasenko.

Andlauer thinks he's capable of doing his part to help Ottawa reach new heights.

"It truly is my passion to win the Cup. ... I believe I can make a difference," he said. "I think I've done it at different levels of hockey, whether it be the AHL or in the OHL. The fundamentals are the same. I'm determined."

The Toronto billionaire also confirmed that former Senators president Cyril Leeder will return to the franchise as CEO.

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As is the case every season, numerous players are within reach of accomplishing major career milestones. Some are even set to etch their name atop their franchise's all-time lists.

Ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, let's look at some notable milestones and team records that are attainable this season.

A duo chase 1,000 career points ... plus a wild card

Two players in very different situations are within striking distance of joining the list of 97 NHLers to have tallied 1,000 career points.

Phil Kessel's the closest active player to the mark. The 35-year-old is only eight points away but remains without a contract through mid-September. Will someone give the NHL's ironman an opportunity to extend his consecutive games streak and reach the 1,000-point crew?

Considering the uncertainty around Kessel as we approach the new campaign, Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares is the most likely new addition to the career 1,000-point scorers table.

The Maple Leafs captain starts the season 25 points shy of hitting the milestone. When he reaches the plateau, he'll be the 15th player to have been drafted first overall to accomplish the feat.

While Kessel and Tavares are the only two with a high percentage chance of reaching 1,000 career points this season, there's one other wild card who can put his name on the list: Connor McDavid.

The Edmonton Oilers superstar begins the 2023-24 campaign with 850 career points. He's 150 points shy of 1,000 - a single-season total seen only once since 1996. Of course, that lone occasion was last year when McDavid hit 153.

Should Tavares and Kessel add their names to the 1,000-point list early in the season, the next player to hit the mark would be the 100th in league history.

A late-season McDavid chasing a second-straight 150-point campaign and 1,000 career points to become the 100th player ever to accomplish the feat? Yes, please.

Two icons seek even more history

As is the case every year, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin will continue to drive their names up all-time lists this season.

No milestone or record chase has garnered as much attention as Ovechkin's pursuit of Wayne Gretzky atop the goal charts. The 38-year-old won't do it this season, as he enters the campaign 72 goals back of 894. But he could put a significant dent in the deficit to put himself within reach for 2024-25.

That said, Ovechkin still has significant totals within reach. He's already the all-time leader in power-play goals, but he'll become the first player to reach 300 tallies on the man advantage with his first power-play goal of the campaign.

Ovechkin also needs only 15 points to become the 16th player to reach 1,500 career points.

As for Crosby, he begins the year 15th on the all-time scoring list at 1,502 points. If the 36-year-old can play another full season, he could pass Phil Esposito to reach the top 10 in career points. Crosby needs 88 points to move into a tie for tenth with Esposito - a total he surpassed for the first time in four years last season.

20 aim for a silver stick

Ryan O'Reilly, Victor Hedman, Brad Marchand, and Erik Karlsson are among the 20 players who can reach the 1,000-game mark this season.

Though the list of players who can accomplish the feat includes multiple marquee names, none would be as notable as Marc-Andre Fleury reaching the plateau.

Just three goaltenders have reached 1,000 NHL games, and each is in the Hall of Fame - Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, and Patrick Roy. Fleury will add his name to the list with his 15th appearance of the campaign.

Here's the list of players who can earn a silver stick in 2023-24:

Fleury's also within punching distance of second all-time on the wins list. With 544 victories entering the campaign, the 38-year-old's just eight wins away from surpassing Roy for sole possession of the No. 2 spot behind Brodeur.

Even with Filip Gustavsson expected to take more of a starting role after a breakout 2022-23 campaign, there's still plenty of history to be made for Fleury this season.

Trio of coaches close on career marks

Jon Cooper enters his 11th full season behind the bench of the Tampa Bay Lightning on the verge of a major career milestone. The 56-year-old's 20 wins away from becoming the 29th head coach in league history to reach 500 career victories.

Most impressively, every win on his NHL resume has come with Tampa Bay. Barring an unforeseen disaster, Cooper will be just the sixth coach to reach the 500-win mark with a single franchise.

Two veteran bench bosses in the Metropolitan Division will coach their 1,500th games this season. John Tortorella is set to be the seventh coach to reach the milestone in the 35th contest of the campaign, and Peter Laviolette will become the eighth to do so shortly afterward. The New York Rangers' recent hire will accomplish the feat in game No. 70 this season.

Team records up for grabs

• Anze Kopitar can add two more Los Angeles Kings records to his resume in 2023-24. The team's captain will pass Dustin Brown as the franchise's games-played leader after he suits up in just five contests next season. He's primed to do so on Oct. 21 at home against the Boston Bruins. The Slovenian will also pass Marcel Dionne for the most assists in a Kings jersey with his 10th helper of the campaign.

• Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov's primed to take another franchise record early next season. After he plays eight games, he'll surpass former teammate Jonathan Huberdeau as the team's all-time games-played leader. He can set the mark as early as Oct. 30 in Boston against the Bruins.

• Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner will pass Rick Nash as the team's all-time games-played leader after 18 contests. Should he suit up in each game to start the campaign, he'll accomplish the feat in Washington against the Capitals on Nov. 18.

• Steven Stamkos ticked off the Lightning record for goals in March 2019 and points in April 2022. Next up on his list are the team records for games played and assists. He'll set the former after 35 contests to pass Vincent Lecavalier and will accomplish the latter if he manages 48 helpers to knock Martin St. Louis from the top spot in 2023-24.

• Despite being in constant trade rumors for a couple of years, John Gibson remains with the Anaheim Ducks and is primed to become the franchise's games-played leader among goaltenders. He ranks third entering the campaign behind Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Guy Hebert but needs only 17 appearances to claim the top spot. Gibson would need 27 wins on the year to become the winningest goalie in Ducks history - a long shot considering the team won only 23 contests last season.

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Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl are committed to the San Jose Sharks for the time being, but general manager Mike Grier admitted on Thursday that the team would try to accommodate them if either player requested a move in the future.

"I check in with (Hertl and Couture) a lot, and if there ever were to come a time when they felt like they needed or wanted to go somewhere else, it's definitely something I would listen to, and if it made sense for us, I would explore it," Grier said, according to Bay Area News' Curtis Pashelka.

Both Couture and Hertl have spent their entire careers with the Sharks. Couture - the team's captain - has four years remaining on a contract signed in 2018. The 34-year-old has accrued 14 seasons in San Jose and is coming off a 27-goal, 67-point campaign in 2022-23.

Hertl's entering the second season of an eight-year extension signed in 2022. The 29-year-old scored 22 goals and 63 points in 79 games last year and is beginning his 11th campaign with the Sharks.

Despite the acknowledgment from Grier, he made it clear that neither player is interested in a move away from San Jose at the moment.

"They're all in," Grier said, according to San Jose Hockey Now's Sheng Peng. "They enjoy working with (head coach David Quinn) and the coaching staff. They're excited by some of the young players."

Should either Couture or Hertl want to play elsewhere, both have a significant say over where they can be traded. Hertl holds a full no-move clause through 2025, while Couture has a 29-team no-trade clause, according to CapFriendly.

Grier's no stranger to obliging a trade request. Erik Karlsson wanted a move this summer after he won the Norris Trophy, and Grier found him a new home with the Pittsburgh Penguins in a complex transaction involving 12 pieces.

Couture's currently unavailable on a week-to-week basis with a lower-body injury. He confirmed there's no timetable for him to get back on the ice, per Pashelka.

"I'm doing everything that I possibly can," Couture said of being ready for opening night on Oct. 12, according to Peng. "That's all I can give you."

The Sharks commence their preseason schedule on Sunday against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights.

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Michael Andlauer officially has the keys to the Ottawa Senators.

The Toronto billionaire's purchase of the NHL franchise was unanimously approved by the league's board of governors, the NHL confirmed Thursday.

Andlauer, who reached a deal to buy the team for a reported $950 million in June, will be introduced with his partners on Friday at Canadian Tire Centre.

The 57-year-old's prior experience with the league and owning a hockey team were apparently key parts of his success in landing the franchise. He owns the OHL's Brantford Bulldogs and was a minority shareholder of the Montreal Canadiens.

Former Senators president Cyril Leeder will join the club's front office under Andlauer, Garrioch added.

The Senators went up for sale in November. Keeping the team in Ottawa was the only condition for prospective buyers. Anna and Olivia Melnyk, the daughters of the late previous owner Eugene Melnyk, kept a 10% legacy stake in the team.

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Training camp begins! The Canucks finally hit the ice for the 2023 edition of the training camp and we are on the scene as Jeff Paterson joins the scrums and we hear from Elias Pettersson for the first time in a long time. Hear about EP40’s offseason training, his thoughts on the captaincy of Quinn Hughes, and his expectations for the season. New/returning Canucks broadcaster Dave Tomlinson stops by with his takes on the season to come and the thrill of returning to the Canucks booth. Plus, Rob Williams with his usual brand of sidebars on the Canucks, including the possibility of a Canucks goalie wearing number 1 again? Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

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Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury isn't going to rush into deciding on his retirement ahead of his 20th NHL campaign.

"I just told myself I would give myself the season. See how it goes, see how I feel physically, mentally, and if I still can stop the puck and just make a decision at the end," he told the media Thursday. "I don't want to think about it too much every game, you know, (like), 'Oh, it's going good, I'll play again' or 'Oh, it's going bad, I don't want to play anymore.'

"There'll be ups and downs this season. I just want to get through it and then make a decision at the end."

Fleury similarly wasn't ready to make a definitive decision in April when the Dallas Stars eliminated the Wild in the first round of the playoffs. The iconic netminder said after the series that he planned to play in the 2023-24 season, but "that might be it."

Whenever Fleury decides to hang 'em up, he'll end his career as one of the most beloved goaltenders in league history and a surefire bet to make the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Fleury ranks third on the NHL's all-time wins list with 544 victories and can supplant Patrick Roy (551 wins) for second place in 2023-24. He owns a career .913 save percentage and 2.58 goals against average in 985 contests and will have a chance to become just the fourth goaltender to suit up for 1,000 games this season.

The three-time Stanley Cup champion split the crease with Filip Gustavsson last campaign, posting a 24-16-4 record with a .908 save percentage. Those are certainly admirable numbers for the veteran Fleury, but the 25-year-old Gustavsson broke through in a big way for Minnesota with a sterling .931 save percentage across 39 appearances.

The Wild gave Gustavsson five out of six starts in the playoffs, but Fleury told reporters in May that he wanted to stay in Minnesota even if it meant having a diminished role moving forward.

Fleury spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he's also suited up for the Vegas Golden Knights and Chicago Blackhawks.

The 2021 Vezina Trophy winner has one season remaining on his current deal at a cap hit of $3.5 million. Fleury turns 39 years old in November.

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