Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott explained his decision to use Pride tape Saturday night, becoming the first known player to stand against the NHL's recent ban on the rainbow-colored equipment.

"You don't really want to go against rules that are put in place by your employer, but there's some people who took some positive things from it," Dermott told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports. "That's kind of what I'm looking to impact.

"You want to have everyone feel included and that's something that I have felt passionate about for a long time in my career. It's not like I just jumped on this train. It's something that I've felt has been lacking in the hockey community for a while. I feel like we need supporters of a movement like this; to have everyone feel included and really to beat home the idea that hockey is for everyone."

The NHL sent a memo to all 32 teams in early October prohibiting the use of Pride tape. The decision came months after the league nixed Pride-themed warmup jerseys following controversy surrounding a collection of players who refused to wear them last season.

Dermott included the colorful tape on the shaft of his stick for Saturday's victory of the Anaheim Ducks. The NHL said it will review the situation "in due course," and Dermott committed to his decision expecting backlash.

"I don't want to put my teammates or my coaches or my GMs or the equipment managers in any kind of bad light when it's their job to kind of look out for something like this happening," he said. "It was definitely something that I did just by myself and was prepared to kind of deal with whatever repercussions the league decides to push towards that. I'm not going to back off and say that this battle is won, but we're going to find better ways to do it."

Dermott joined the Coyotes on a one-year, two-way contract in July. He spent the first six years of his career split between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks, recording 55 points in 279 games.

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Joseph Woll is trending upward on the Toronto Maple Leafs' goalie depth chart, and he feels that now's the perfect time to seize the opportunity.

"This year, it just feels like all the experiences I've had recently have prepared me for this. I feel ready," Woll said, per Sportsnet's Luke Fox.

Woll played a huge role in Saturday's comeback win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, stopping all 29 shots he faced after Ilya Samsonov was pulled in the first period. The performance earned Woll the start for Toronto's next game against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.

Woll has been working to this point since being drafted 62nd overall in 2016, but only recently has he felt comfortable with the possibility of being an NHL starter.

"No, I think it's perfectly on time," he said. "I don't think I was ready to be at this point a year ago, two years ago. Every experience I've been afforded has made me ready."

Woll has recorded 13 NHL appearances dating back to the 2021-22 season, posting a 10-3 record with a .928 save percentage and 2.28 goals against average. He also made two starts during the second round of the 2023 playoffs after Samsonov was hurt, winning one of those games.

Samsonov was Toronto's primary starter last season and posted career bests in wins (27), save percentage (.919), shutouts (four), and goals saved above average (17.4). He's been unable to replicate that form in the new campaign, owning a .831 clip and 4.34 goals against average through four showings.

Head coach Sheldon Keefe recently said he welcomes the prospect of his two goalies competing internally.

"Oh, he's pushing," Keefe said of Woll on Saturday. "That's it. That's what you want. You want everybody pushing one another. That's what we got."

The Maple Leafs are 3-2 with an even goal differential (19 for, 19 against) on the season thus far.

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The Canucks got back into the win column on the road, so lots to break down on this Monday edition of the show.  Matt and Blake talk about the breakout game for Andrei Kuzmenko, plus the continued success in the crease for both Canucks goalies. The guys are also joined by Rink WIde: Vancouver host Jeff Paterson who adds his perspective on the road trip so far, the rise of “PDG”, and to the online campaigns in support of Quinn Hughes’ newfound defensive game. All the Canucks news you can handle plus a look at both the Lions and Whitecaps as they head into the playoffs, and both with home games coming at BC Place! Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

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Although the Oilers are 1-3-1 and will be without captain Connor McDavid for one-to-two weeks, head coach Jay Woodcroft isn't declaring his team dead in the water. In fact, he hopes McDavid's absence can provide the jolt Edmonton sorely needs.

"You're always looking for opportunities that present themselves to serve as fuel. This is certainly one of them," Woodcroft said Monday. "We feel (our record) could be different, but it is what it is. ... You couple what the record is with losing your captain, great opportunity for other people to step up."

Woodcroft added that McDavid feels the same way.

"He views (his injury) as the captain of this team and how this could be a really important, positive inflection point for our group," Woodcroft said. "He sees it for the opportunity that it represents."

McDavid suffered an upper-body injury during Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets. He projects to miss the Heritage Classic against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 29, but Woodcroft isn't ruling out McDavid just yet.

"I've learned when it comes to Connor that nothing is off the table," the bench boss said.

McDavid's absence leaves a gaping hole in the Oilers' lineup. The superstar has taken home the Art Ross Trophy for three straight seasons, and he's mere months removed from becoming the first player to score 150 points in a single campaign since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96.

"Obviously, nobody's going to fill his shoes," Evander Kane said. "Tough to lose a player like that and how much he means to our group and how he's an integral part of kind of all phases of our game. Hopefully, he'll be back soon. We've gotta settle up for him while he's gone."

Without McDavid in the mix, Kane was promoted to the top power-play unit in practice Monday. The veteran winger, who remains goalless through the first five games of the season, said he viewed it as a "great opportunity."

Kane stirred up some attention during Saturday's game when he made a quip about his limited ice time in an intermission interview. He addressed the moment Monday, saying his comments were taken out of context and that he was just "laying out the facts."

Woodcroft, meanwhile, viewed Kane's comment as a positive thing.

"I see it as someone who's passionate and wants to get in a rhythm and wants to play," he said.

The Oilers' first McDavid-less game will come Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild.

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Taylor Hall's roller-coaster 2023-24 campaign continues.

The Chicago Blackhawks forward is again listed as week-to-week after aggravating his shoulder injury, head coach Luke Richardson announced Monday, according to NBC Sports Chicago's Charlie Roumeliotis.

Hall initially sustained the ailment on Oct. 11 in Boston after taking a hit from Bruins defenseman and former teammate Brandon Carlo. Chicago labeled Hall as week-to-week at the time, but the veteran winger returned to the lineup after missing just one game.

The 31-year-old suited up for the Blackhawks' next three contests but didn't practice Monday after irritating his injury Saturday against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Here's what happened on both plays that put Hall on the sidelines:

Hall has logged two assists through five games this campaign.

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Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness is taking a leave of absence from the team after his wife, Judy, was hospitalized following a seizure on Sunday evening, the team announced Monday.

Judy Bowness is currently undergoing further testing. Associate coach Scott Arniel will take over behind the bench on an interim basis while Bowness is away.

The Jets own a 2-3-0 record on the season and will take on the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.

Bowness was hired as Winnipeg's head coach before the 2022-23 campaign. The Jets finished last season in fourth place in the Central Division with a 46-33-3 record and were eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the playoffs.

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We're not even two weeks into the 2023-24 NHL campaign and we're already starting to see meaningful shifts in the futures market.

The landscape for the Hart Trophy, in particular, looks quite different than it did to begin the month. Let's take a closer look.

Note: Only listed players 60:1 or shorter

Connor McDavid is still the favorite to win the Hart, but his implied odds have dropped from 50% to 36.4%. That's a massive change in such a short period of time.

The fact there are 14 players with at least as many points as McDavid is a factor. McDavid getting injured and missing three-to-five games is also a factor. However, the biggest is the play of New Jersey Devils superstar Jack Hughes.

Hughes was one of my best bets to win the Hart Trophy at the beginning of the month. At +1600, the odds implied less than a 6% chance of him taking home the hardware. Fast forward and his chances are nearly four times as high, as Hughes' +350 odds imply a 22.2% chance.

That's an extremely large adjustment, and it was made for good reason. Hughes couldn't have started the season any better, as he has 10 points, all primary, through four games.

Only Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin have more primary points than Hughes. They both sit one ahead, but they've played two more games.

On a per-game basis, nobody has outproduced Hughes. He's averaging more than five shots on goal per contest, creating a ton of offense for his linemates (as evidenced by his six assists), and carrying a McDavid-esque workload, averaging more than 22 minutes a game.

Given the immense talent of the former first overall pick - as well as the crazy usage and strong supporting cast - there's no reason to believe Hughes' outputs are smoke and mirrors.

So long as he stays healthy, he should be one of the league's top scorers on a Devils team expected to contend for a Metro Division title. That'll put him firmly in contention for his first Hart.

Although Hughes is the biggest mover to date, he's not the only one rising up the leaderboard.

A pair of early hat tricks have seen Auston Matthews' odds go from +1100 to +650. Leon Draisaitl has also seen a slight boost. His per-game outputs are actually a little better than McDavid's, and he'll have an extra chunk of games to gain separation.

In terms of fallers, Jason Robertson is the most noteworthy name still on the board. He has just two points through four games (zero goals) and hasn't generated shots or chances at anywhere close to the level we're accustomed to seeing.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.

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