Thatcher Demko saw his 2022-23 campaign derailed by a groin injury that almost required surgery, but the Vancouver Canucks goaltender believes he came out of the experience an improved player.

"It was really my first time being severely hurt like that," he said during a recent interview on the "Frankly Speaking" podcast. "I'd never really been hurt in the middle of a season and had so much time off rehabbing and then had to come back and try to find my game. It was a new experience for me, but it was one that I think builds your character.

"I'm definitely better off for it now, just mentally. If you can kinda come back through that, I think you can get back through anything. ... I feel really good."

Prior to sustaining the ailment on Dec. 1, Demko was struggling to stay afloat despite coming off a successful 2021-22 campaign when he finished seventh in Vezina Trophy voting. He began to look more like himself upon his return almost three months later on Feb. 27.

Demko said he "loved" where his game was at by the end of the season and was aiming to build on that progress in the summer.

The Canucks will need him in tiptop shape to have any hope of accomplishing Demko's goal for the 2023-24 campaign: making the playoffs.

"We've come short of that the last few years. That's something that I know eats at the group. ... It's pretty obvious that it's time to step up," he said. "We know what the pressure is around the team and we know what the expectation is. I don't think anyone's backing down from that."

The Canucks haven't made the playoffs since the bubble in 2020 when they fell to the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round. Vancouver finished a distant 12 points outside of the postseason picture in 2022-23.

Demko, 27, owns a career .910 save percentage and 2.90 goals-against average in 168 appearances, all with the Canucks.

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Another day, another Ottawa Senators first-round pick on the waiver wire.

The Senators waived defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker and forward Egor Sokolov, along with blue-liner Jacob Larsson and winger Matthew Highmore, in order to assign all four to their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, the NHL club announced Monday night.

Ottawa also sent goaltender Kevin Mandolese, rearguards Tyler Kleven and Nikolas Matinpalo, and forwards Zack Ostapchuk and Cole Reinhardt to Belleville. Those five players don't require waivers to be demoted.

The Sens drafted Bernard-Docker 26th overall in 2018. He then spent three years at North Dakota. The 23-year-old has played the majority of his pro career with Belleville, collecting four goals and 11 assists in 99 games over the last two seasons. He's played briefly with Ottawa, registering a pair of helpers in 32 games across three campaigns.

Sokolov, who's also 23 years old, signed a one-year, two-way contract worth the league minimum of $775,000 at the NHL level in September. The Senators selected Sokolov 61st overall in 2020.

On Saturday, Ottawa placed defenseman Lassi Thomson on waivers, and the Anaheim Ducks claimed him Sunday. The Sens chose the 23-year-old 19th overall in 2019.

Ottawa forward Shane Pinto remains without a contract for the upcoming season. The 22-year-old is a "10.2c" player, meaning he hasn't played enough to obtain Group 2 (standard) restricted free-agent status.

Pinto - who played with Bernard-Docker for two years at North Dakota - notched 20 goals and 15 assists while playing all 82 games in his first full NHL campaign in 2022-23. Ottawa picked Pinto 32nd overall in 2019.

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Dylan Cozens has sent a strong message to 31 other NHL teams ahead of the 2023-24 season: The Buffalo Sabres won't be pushed around.

"We're a young team and guys are going to try and take advantage of that, thinking we're soft or whatever, that we're not gonna fight back," the forward said Monday, according to the Buffalo News' Mike Harrington. "We know we have to show that we're not going to get bullied, and we stick up for each other.

"We're not scared of anyone, and we'll do whatever it takes to defend each other."

Cozens offered a preview of his philosophy during a preseason game Saturday after Columbus Blue Jackets forward Dmitri Voronkov knocked down rookie goaltender Devon Levi. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Cozens immediately rushed in to defend his netminder.

Although Cozens admitted Monday that he didn't see what happened, he said he got involved after seeing Levi on the ice and hearing the KeyBank Center crowd going "nuts."

Sabres head coach Don Granato was a big fan of the "ultra-competitive" 22-year-old's feistiness.

"I love the emotion. ... We want to learn how to control our emotion, but we want to play with it," Granato said after practice Monday. "I thought that was more than appropriate to elevate emotionally where he did. I'm OK with him, he's going to ride a line, and I'm OK with him riding the edge."

He continued: "We need our team to play with that, and I think Dylan is a leader in that regard. ... Combine that with the skill he has, we know that's a major asset within our organization."

Cozens, who's entering his fourth NHL campaign, recorded a career-high 31 goals and 68 points in 81 games in 2022-23.

The Sabres are looking to snap a 12-season playoff drought in 2023-24 after missing the postseason by just one point last campaign.

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Matt and Blake talk Canucks' cuts, the roster battles remaining, the status of Ilya Mikheyev, the continuing conundrum of who plays with Quinn Hughes, and the coach's comments on why Vasily Podkolzin and Akito Hirose were sent down to the minors. Other topics include the Lions clinching a home playoff game, the Caps closing in on a playoff spot, a fiery Ryder Cup and the Jays and Ms going separate ways as the MLB postseason hits. Rink Wide: Vancouver co-host Jeff Paterson joins to tell us what he saw and heard at practice after the cuts. Who plays with Hughes? Is Nils Höglander now a lock? Does Jack Studnicka make it? What is left by way of experimentation in the final two preseason games? And is there any chance they add a defenceman by next week's roster deadline? Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

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The Anaheim Ducks and star forward Trevor Zegras agreed to a three-year contract, the team announced Monday.

Financial terms of the pact weren't disclosed, but the deal carries an annual cap hit of $5.75 million, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Zegras wasn't with the Ducks through training camp or the preseason up to this point as the two sides negotiated. The 22-year-old became a restricted free agent this past offseason when his entry-level contract expired.

Ducks RFA defenseman Jamie Drysdale is still unsigned with the regular season set to begin next week. Anaheim has approximately $10 million to work with after signing Zegras, according to CapFriendly.

Zegras led the last-place Ducks in scoring last season with a career-high 65 points in 81 games. He also set personal bests in assists (42), even-strength goals (19), shots (184), and average ice time (18:50).

Anaheim drafted Zegras ninth overall in 2019. He broke into the NHL toward the end of the 2020-21 campaign and was the runner-up for the Calder Trophy the following season. He's notched 139 points in 180 career games.

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Last season, Connor McDavid claimed his third Hart Trophy - and in the most decisive fashion yet. He didn't just surpass everyone else; he blew them out of the water.

McDavid scored more goals than anybody and, excluding teammate Leon Draisaitl, recorded 40 more points than the next-closest player.

McDavid made a statement that the league is his and left no room for anybody to suggest otherwise.

He rightfully enters this season as a heavy favorite to win another Hart Trophy. That being said, there isn't much value in laying a +100 price for him to do so.

Let's examine a few players worth considering if you choose to dive into the Hart Trophy waters.

Leon Draisaitl (+1400)

Draisaitl is the most productive player in the NHL outside of McDavid. He has only scored three fewer goals than No. 97 over the past three seasons and is nearly 60 points clear of Nathan MacKinnon, the closest non-Oiler to Draisaitl.

He's a lethal finisher, the go-to shooter on a historically dominant power-play unit, and he carries a ridiculously large workload for a forward. Draisaitl doesn't even need to be that efficient to put up huge numbers because of how many minutes he plays seemingly every night.

Just a few years ago, Draisaitl won a Hart Trophy despite playing on the same team as McDavid. It's hardly impossible to think he could do so again - especially if McDavid were to miss any time.

Let's say McDavid misses 15 games, and Draisaitl leads the league in points while carrying the Oilers (as he and McDavid always do). I would think he'd be first in line to get the Hart Trophy, and the odds don't reflect that. At +1400, I think Draisaitl is a strong value.

Jack Hughes (+1600)

Hughes took the league by storm a season ago, producing at better than a 100-point pace. He did so despite spending much of the year on a line with Erik Haula - who couldn't finish anything for the majority of the season - and not getting a ton of help from a mediocre power play.

The picture looks much brighter for Hughes in 2023-24. He'll play with some combination of Jesper Bratt, Tyler Toffoli, Timo Meier, and Dawson Mercer at even strength - he's starting out with the former two - and has a lot more talent around him on the man advantage.

While Hughes has developed into a quality finisher, he didn't have a ton of shooting talent around him on the Devils to finish the chances he created. With 40-goal man Meier expected to be a fixture on the top power play, that should be much less of an issue.

Hughes is one of the most puck-dominant players in the league. He plays on a very strong up-and-coming team and has a lethal supporting cast around him.

If he could produce at a 100-plus-point pace in his age-21 season, it's exciting to think about what he can accomplish with another year under his belt and a better supporting cast around him.

Nikita Kucherov (+2200)

Kucherov is a dark horse I really like. He's averaged 116 points per 82 games the past two seasons, which is about the best production clip you can expect from someone not named McDavid or Draisaitl.

With goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy set to miss at least a couple of months, the Lightning are going to need to score a lot of goals to stay afloat. Simply put, Jonas Johansson and his career .887 save percentage isn't going to be good enough for the Lightning to grind out low-scoring wins.

I expect a heavy workload for Kucherov as Jon Cooper looks to squeeze every bit of juice he can possibly get from the offense.

If the Lightning remain a playoff team despite missing one of their key cogs for a healthy chunk of the season, Kucherov is going to play a big part - and no doubt get a lot of attention as a result.

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

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The top of the 2024 NHL draft class is sure to include plenty of prospects who have yet to introduce themselves to the hockey world on a big stage.

It's a notable difference from the previous two entry drafts. Both Shane Wright and Connor Bedard were known commodities at the start of their draft years as players whom Hockey Canada granted exceptional status.

Unlike last year's draft, where a generational prospect in Bedard and a plethora of forward talent were available, this year's crop lacks the star power at the top of the class and should include a slew of defensemen projected to go early after a trio of forwards.

Here are 11 prospects to keep an eye on entering the 2024 draft year.

Macklin Celebrini, C

Celebrini, a forward from Boston University, is the preseason favorite to go first overall next June.

The Vancouver native decimated the USHL last season, winning Rookie and Player of the Year as a member of the Chicago Steel, and he makes the jump to the NCAA this fall.

Expectations are high for Celebrini after Adam Fantilli's superb freshman campaign last season at Michigan. As a 17-year-old with the Steel in 2021-22, Fantilli scored 74 points in 54 games. Celebrini, at age 16, exceeded that with 86 in 50.

Celebrini followed up his excellent USHL performance by leading Team Canada in scoring at the U18s with 15 points in seven contests. He did so on a roster that featured three forwards taken in the first round of the 2023 draft.

He ticks the boxes of a future top-line center. Celebrini is well-rounded at both ends and combines high intelligence with superb puck skills. He's listed at a sturdy 6-feet and 190 pounds as well. It's a recipe that will make him difficult to bump from the top spot.

Cole Eiserman, LW

The biggest challenger for Celebrini's top spot is American sharpshooter Eiserman.

Once a teammate of Celebrini at Shattuck St. Mary's, Eiserman joined the U.S. National Team Development Program last season and immediately showcased his remarkable shooting talent. Tallying 69 goals in 62 total games, he blew past the NTDP's previous Under-17 single-season goal record of 54 set by Cole Caufield.

Eiserman will be gunning for the all-time record - 72, also set by Caufield - this season.

He scored nine goals at the U18s in the spring to match 2023 fourth overall pick Will Smith for the tournament lead.

Eiserman's tantalizing ability to put the puck in the net makes him such an intriguing talent at the top of the class. He'll have to showcase more than just his shot if he's going to surpass Celebrini to the top spot in 2024, though.

Ivan Demidov, RW

If there's a player who can disrupt the duo at the top, it's Demidov.

The Russian possesses jaw-dropping skill, which was on full display last season in the MHL. The only player to score at a higher rate before their draft year in the league's history is Philadelphia Flyers prospect Matvei Michkov, who tallied 51 points in 28 MHL games two years ago.

Demidov isn't quite at Michkov's level, but there are also fewer questions about his long-term status. Demidov's KHL contract expires after the 2024-25 season, just one year after next summer's draft. Michkov, meanwhile, will remain signed for another season after that.

Waiting just one year post-draft to bring Demidov to North America instead of the three the Flyers have to wait for Michkov is significant. Don't anticipate Demidov to slide down the board in the same way Michkov did.

Artyom Levshunov, RHD

The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim drafted Ruslan Salei ninth overall in 1996, and the rearguard has been the highest-drafted Belarussian since.

That could change in 2024. Levshunov, a 6-foot-2, right-shot blue-liner impressed last season after making the jump from Belarus to North America in the USHL. He earned All-Rookie Team honors and landed on the Third All-Star Team as well.

Levshunov joins Adam Nightingale's rapidly improving Michigan State program this fall. He has NHL size and showcased exciting offensive potential in his maiden North American campaign.

If he can hold his own defensively in the NCAA while producing points in the Big Ten, he'll be a strong candidate to be the first defenseman off the board in June.

Berkly Catton, C

Catton leads the way out West following an impressive showing at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

As captain of the Canadian squad, Catton scored a tournament-high eight goals and 10 points in five games, leading his nation to the gold medal in August.

Catton's listed at a slight 5-foot-11 and 163 pounds, but the Saskatoon native makes up for his lack of weight with his immense offensive talent. He's already off to a flying start in the WHL with the Spokane Chiefs, and a 100-point campaign isn't out of the question.

Beginning the year as the No. 2 center available behind Celebrini, Catton will have a chance to solidify a place in the top five and be the first CHLer to hear his name called.

Sam Dickinson, LHD

Dickinson's the latest top prospect to come through the London Knights.

The Toronto native played his way into a top-four role on a good Knights team last season - no easy feat for a 16-year-old. He excelled in the postseason, posting eight points and a plus-12 rating in 21 contests.

With Montreal Canadiens prospect Logan Mailloux graduating to the professional ranks, Dickinson will not only see more responsibility at even strength but will also take on a much greater role on the man advantage. Expect a significant jump from the 23 points he put up a year ago.

Dickinson's tools are obvious. He's listed at 6-foot-3, skates very well, and moves the puck just as effectively. He has all the makings of a minute-munching top-four defenseman.

Konsta Helenius, C

Finland hasn't produced a top-10 pick since the New York Rangers took Kaapo Kakko second overall in 2019. That looks set to change with two candidates in 2024.

Helenius demolished the Finnish junior league last season, producing at a rate slightly better than Kakko at the same age, albeit in half the games.

His performance earned him a spot in the top Finnish men's league after returning from the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in November. Helenius finished the campaign with 33 games in Liiga, a total that hasn't been reached by a 16-year-old in the league since the 1970s.

Already featuring as a top-six center in a men's league, Helenius will challenge Catton to be the second pivot off of the board should he take another step with Jukurit.

Aron Kiviharju, LHD

Kiviharju was one of the first 2024 draft-eligible prospects to pop up on the radar. He's dominated the Finnish junior ranks, but after struggling in his first stint at the pro level, his stock has fallen behind others at the top of the class.

He's already played at two U18s and has matched Miro Heiskanen's record of 13 career points by a Finnish defenseman at the event. Kiviharju's done so in fewer games, and if he plays at a third U18s in the spring, he'll blow past that mark.

Despite his success at the junior level and internationally, he had a disappointing season overall, which led to him being cut from Finland's world junior squad. He failed to make an impact in Liiga, which resulted in him moving to a new team.

After years in the TPS system, Kiviharju moves to HIFK for his draft year - the same team that developed Heiskanen into a No. 3 pick in 2017. Kiviharju doesn't have the same physical traits as the Dallas rearguard - he's listed at just 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds - but has outproduced Heiskanen at each level so far.

If Kiviharju figures it out with HIFK, there's a good chance he can vault himself back up the board and into the conversation to be the top blue-liner in the class.

Anton Silayev, LHD

To say that Silayev has burst onto the scene as a potential top pick in the draft would be an understatement.

After scoring only eight points in the Russian junior league last season, the defenseman has already tallied six points in the KHL early in the campaign. His output would be impressive for a forward, let alone a blue-liner.

Silayev is listed at 6-foot-7 and 207 pounds, and he's mobile too. There are kinks to be worked out with his puck-handling and decision-making, but the tools are clear as day.

Considering 6-foot-6 Dmitry Simashev went sixth overall after going without a point in 18 KHL contests a year ago, it's likely we'll hear Silayev's name called very early if he maintains his spot in the KHL.

Adam Jiricek, RHD

The younger brother of Columbus Blue Jackets prospect David Jiricek, Adam ticks a lot of the same boxes.

Just like David - who was taken sixth overall in 2022 and appeared in four NHL games last season - Adam is a right-shot blue-liner with an impressive frame at 6-foot-2. He plays an aggressive style and has the makings of a two-way force.

We got a glimpse of Jiricek's potential in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold-medal game, where he logged 32:07 against Canada's best before Czechia lost in the dying seconds of the first overtime period.

He's expected to make the full-time jump to the Czech pro league this season with HC Plzen and should feature in a prominent role at the world juniors.

Cole Hutson, LHD

Jiricek isn't the only top-ranked defense prospect in the 2024 class with a familiar surname.

Cole Hutson - the younger brother of Canadiens prospect and Boston University phenom Lane - bears a resemblance to his older sibling as well.

Listed at 5-foot-10, Cole was more productive than Lane at the same age with the NTDP and possesses similar exhilarating skating and puck skills that have made the elder Hutson a hot topic in the prospect sphere over the past year.

Despite the high-octane offensive game Lane played at the NTDP, he still dropped to the end of the second round in the 2022 draft. It's highly unlikely teams make the same mistake with the third Hutson brother, especially if he exceeds Lane's totals from the 2021-22 campaign.

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