Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson has been suspended one game for serving as the instigator and aggressor of an incident involving Florida Panthers forward Nick Cousins on Sunday, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced.

Gudbranson was given a game misconduct for the altercation, which came in the third period of a heated contest.

Cousins caught Gudbranson with a dangerous hit from behind earlier in the period, prompting the veteran defenseman's response.

The hit was initially called a match penalty but was reduced to a two-minute minor for boarding.

Gudbranson was suspended once earlier in his career - a one-game ban for boarding in 2017. He's eligible to return Saturday against New Jersey Devils.

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Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Rutherford fended off trade speculation surrounding Andrei Kuzmenko, but he acknowledged the club needs to find a way to help the struggling forward get back on track.

"Well, we'll keep an open mind," Rutherford told Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre. "I don't want to just lock ourselves into one answer. But we need to continue to try to help him."

Kuzmenko was one of Vancouver's top players in his debut campaign, racking up 39 goals and 74 points in 2022-23. He was rewarded with a two-year, $11-million extension in January but has had difficulty producing this season with only 15 points in 25 games.

The 27-year-old's ice time is down since the Canucks hired Rick Tocchet, and he's been a healthy scratch twice under the new bench boss. Teams are reportedly circling to see if he could be available via trade as his role in the high-powered Canucks' attack dwindles, but Rutherford wants to remain patient.

"I'm concerned only to the point that now he's feeling the pressure," Rutherford said. "And when you feel the pressure and you start pushing, squeezing the stick harder and passing when you should be shooting and vice versa, you get a little bit concerned.

"I believe in the staff we have and they will continue to work with him. He's a good player. He is a capable player. Is he a guy that's going to score 40 goals again? Maybe not. But certainly, the way he plays, you should be able to project him at 25."

The Canucks' offense has thrived despite Kuzmenko's struggles. J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and Brock Boeser all rank within the top 12 of the NHL's scoring race. Vancouver's arsenal of weapons is a key reason it sits second in the Pacific Division at 18-9-1 and owns the NHL's top goal differential at plus-34.

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Matt and Blake discuss the Canucks' performance vs Carolina, including the return of Elias Pettersson to multi-point efforts, the usage of Andrei Kuzmenko, whether it's time to trade Kuzmenko, the underlying analytics on this Canucks season 1/3 of the way in, the pursuit of Ethan Bear ending, J.T. Miller tracking Tony Tanti's fine 1983-84 season and the return of Pius Suter. Other topics include the best and worst of NFL Week 14, the Seahawks not measuring up, the Lions brining back their entire coaching staff, and the Blue Jays failed Ohtani pursuit and where they go from here.

Jeff Paterson from the Rink Wide: Vancouver podcast stops by to rehash a 4-3 victory over Carolina and why it was an important win, with commentary on the performances from Elias Pettersson, Sam Lafferty, Quinn Hughes, the Myers-Zadorov pair and Phil Di Giuseppe. Jeff talks Kuzmenko, where it goes from here and whether it's time to trade him, as well as options on defence beyond Ethan Bear. Jeff also sets up the week ahead, including when we might see Pius Suter again.

Plus, we hear from you in 'To The People We Go' on Canucks topics, the NFL and Ohtani!

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Last week, we discussed the market movers - up and down - over the first quarter of the NHL season. The Oilers weren't on that list because there was a nightly expectation that a turnaround was imminent, and oddsmakers weren't about to give you a deal betting on Connor McDavid. Their overarching hypothesis was due to Edmonton's even-strength expected goal share (XG%), which is among the best in the NHL and was still among the best even when the Oilers weren't winning. Knowing that metric was in Edmonton's favor didn't make it any easier to lay the high moneyline prices during its current seven-game win streak.

Are there other under-the-radar teams - from both our "movin' up" and "fallin' down" lists - ripe for a turnaround?

With their market valuation change in parentheses, let's examine those clubs and explore their even-strength expected goal share and high-danger chance conversion rate to see if the market's love is warranted.

The Rangers, Bruins, and Canucks have seen the biggest valuation increase, but all have around a 50-50 expected goal share at even strength. The difference between New York and Boston versus Vancouver is that the Canucks weren't expected to be above average. The Rangers and Bruins could be ripe for a consistent fade as favorites.

The expectations for the Flyers were even lower than the Canucks. But with a 53% expected goal share, Philadelphia's rating bump is as warranted as the Panthers, who are third in the NHL in XG%. Those two and Arizona should be considered bet-on teams based on quality even-strength numbers. Florida's high-danger chance conversion rate is well above the league average of 12.7%. However, teams with more talent should be expected to convert at an above-average rate.

Other than their 4-7 moneyline record over a tough stretch of their schedule, souring on the Stars makes little sense. Of the other clubs that have seen their valuation drop, only the Penguins and Wild have played above average at even strength, with Minnesota seeing better results since a coaching change.

Be careful of the Lightning, Kraken, and Canadiens, as they're surviving on high-conversion rates to offset getting outplayed. At least Tampa can boast the scoring talent to keep its conversion rate up and have a future Hall of Famer returning in goal.

The cheat sheet

The dirty little secret in the betting world is that, while there are no bad bets at the right price, the discovery process of what a good price looks like is hidden.

Each week, we balance market information from regular-season point totals and in-season advanced metrics - with an even-strength focus - to determine the win probability for each team and the moneyline needed to bet on either side. The idea is to remove the cognitive bias of win-loss records, which can be skewed by outliers like special-team results, poor goaltending performances, and other unreliable events.

You can use whatever parameters you like to decide how much of an edge you need to trigger a bet, but here are mine:

• True line favorite of -111 or longer: 1%
• True line between -110 and +110: 2.5%
• True line underdog of +111 or longer: 4%

I also have a 5% win probability consideration for a team playing in the second game of a back-to-back with travel and a 3% consideration for the second leg of a home back-to-back. When it comes to injured players, an estimation is made on the player's impact on their team's win probability.

When the betting markets open up the night before, you can compare those prices with our "price to bet" column to see if you're getting any value with either side's moneyline. There's a possibility that a moneyline moves into a bet-friendly range at some point between the market opening and puck drop.

Matt Russell is the lead betting analyst for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on social media @mrussauthentic.

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Penguins general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas gave longtime head coach Mike Sullivan a vote of confidence with Pittsburgh mired in a four-game winless streak.

"As soon as a team doesn't reach its potential, it seems that right away the attention shifts to coaching," Dubas said Monday.

"What I would say to that is, with Sully, I had my impression of him coming in and my respect for him coming in," he added. "Being with him every day and not only seeing his attention to detail on the systems but also his attention to detail with the players and coaching them individually and personally, I think we're very fortunate to have Mike. And so, do I think that he's the right person for this job now and far into the future? I absolutely do."

The winningest coach in franchise history, Sullivan has won two Stanley Cup championships with the Penguins, but his ninth year behind the bench isn't exactly going to plan.

Heading into Monday's action, the Penguins sit in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division with an 11-12-3 record, ahead of only the Columbus Blue Jackets. Pittsburgh has been outscored 12-6 during its recent skid and has mustered just one goal in each of its last three games.

The Penguins have allowed the third-fewest goals against (68) but rank among the league's eight worst teams in goals for (75) this season. Not helping their lagging offense is the fact that their power play has converted on just 9.5% of its chances.

Pittsburgh is six points outside of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2005-06 last season.

"The responsibility falls to me to chart the course for where we're at and where we're going," Dubas acknowledged. "We can get going in that direction if we just adhere to the No. 1 rule of holes, which is: 'When you're in one, stop digging.'"

Dubas took over the reins in Pittsburgh this past offseason and made a variety of moves - such as acquiring defenseman Erik Karlsson - to try and get his new team over the hump.

The executive opted to preach patience despite the Penguins' struggles.

"I'm not going to make any decisions based on how we do this week or next week," Dubas said, per team reporter Michelle Crechiolo. "When we get through the All-Star break and on the other side of that, we'll have a better idea of what we are as a group and where we need to go."

Next up for the Penguins is a clash against the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday.

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Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin is expected to miss "at least a week" with an upper-body injury, head coach Derek Lalonde said Monday.

The Red Wings placed Larkin on injured reserve earlier Monday. Lalonde added that there's no specific timeframe for his return and that the team will know more about his status within the next few days.

Larkin sustained the ailment during a scary sequence in the first period of Detroit's 5-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

Senators forward Mathieu Joseph appeared to catch Larkin in the back of the head with his glove during a netfront battle, knocking the captain into Parker Kelly and onto the ice. Ottawa defenseman Artem Zub then fell on top of Larkin.

Larkin remained motionless for several moments before being helped off the ice without the aid of a stretcher. The 27-year-old has a history of head and neck injuries, but Lalonde didn't disclose if his newest ailment is related to a concussion or any past issues.

"I talked to him last night, he seems to be in good spirits," the bench boss said. "It's a lot, it's been pretty overwhelming and heavy in a lot of ways. ... It was just good to talk to him, hear his voice."

The Red Wings also placed forwards J.T. Compher (retroactive to Dec. 5) and Klim Kostin (retroactive to Dec. 7) on injured reserve. Detroit recalled Zach Aston-Reese, Jonatan Berggren, and Austin Czarnik from the AHL in corresponding moves.

Detroit is still waiting to learn the fate of veteran David Perron, who faces a potential suspension for cross-checking Zub in retaliation for Larkin's injury.

Larkin has chipped in with 11 goals and 25 points in 24 outings this campaign. He's playing out the first season of an eight-year, $69.6-million extension.

"Obviously unfortunate to lose a player of that caliber for an extended period of time," Lalonde said.

The Red Wings take on the Dallas Stars on Monday at 8 p.m. ET.

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The St. Louis Blues are placing struggling forward Jakub Vrana on waivers, reports The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford.

Vrana mustered two goals and six points in 19 games while averaging just over 12 minutes of ice time per contest. He has sat as an occasional healthy scratch throughout the season.

Blues head coach Craig Berube deployed Vrana for a mere 8:59 during Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks after the 27-year-old was on the ice for two goals against in the opening frame.

St. Louis acquired Vrana from the Detroit Red Wings at last season's trade deadline in exchange for forward Dylan McLaughlin and a 2025 seventh-round pick. Detroit retained 50% of Vrana's $5.25-million cap hit in the swap.

Vrana can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

Selected by Washington with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, Vrana helped the Capitals clinch the Stanley Cup in 2018.

Vrana has amassed 110 goals and 209 points in 365 career NHL contests.

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Though we're less than halfway into the season, a handful of teams are already looking ahead to the NHL draft at Las Vegas' Sphere amid disappointing campaigns on the ice.

Our first mock draft of the 2024 cycle takes an initial look at the 16 lottery picks and where the top prospects of the class could go in June.

Selection order is based on points percentage through games on Dec. 10, and no lottery was applied.

Slackin' for Macklin.

That's the slogan for the projected top pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, but it could also describe the 2023-24 San Jose Sharks.

It's been a tough go for San Jose fans already, with the Sharks coming out of the gate 0-10-1 and giving up 10 goals in consecutive games. But the light at the end of the tunnel is a chance to draft in the top three for the first time in 26 years and a 25.5% chance at the franchise's first-ever top pick, should the team finish 32nd.

Celebrini isn't a Connor Bedard-level prospect. But he doesn't need to be that type of player to be a worthwhile first overall selection.

What Celebrini's doing right now at Boston University is remarkable, considering his age. We've seen draft-eligible freshmen like Adam Fantilli and Jack Eichel dominate over the past decade, but we haven't seen it from someone as young as Celebrini in decades.

Fantilli and Eichel both turned 18 in October of their draft seasons. Celebrini doesn't celebrate his 18th birthday until June.

He's the only 17-year-old in the NCAA this season. The last under-18 NCAA player to score at Celebrini's current rate was Craig Simpson back in 1985.

Sure, Celebrini isn't Bedard. But with 10 goals and 25 points in just 15 games at Boston University, he's making sure whoever gets the top pick won't be disappointed with who they're landing.

Nine of 10 NHL scouts polled by TSN's Bob McKenzie in September slotted Celebrini atop the 2024 class. The only other player receiving a first-place vote was Eiserman.

Sure, the gap has widened with Celebrini's exceptional start to the campaign. But that doesn't mean Eiserman should be overlooked.

The 6-foot winger is going to crush every goal record at the U.S. NTDP. He has 26 goals in 22 games after tallying 69 in 62 contests a season ago. He's eyeing Cole Caufield's single-season mark of 72 goals and looks to cruise past both Phil Kessel and Caufield to be the top goal-scorer in NTDP history.

The Blackhawks adding that level of shooter alongside Bedard should be a terrifying thought for NHL goaltenders.

One of the rapid risers early in the season, the Ducks snag an elite power forward in Lindstrom to add to their abundance of exciting, young talent.

The Chetwynd, British Columbia, native is a physical freak. He's listed at 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, but doesn't lack speed and agility. Lindstrom can fly and is agile, too - a deadly combination when paired with his size.

Lindstrom's taken a huge step this year with Medicine Hat, posting 24 goals and 40 points in 29 games. He's also got a league-leading 64 penalty minutes - a reminder of the mean streak he can tap into at a moment's notice.

He may not have started the year as a projected top-five guy, but it's becoming increasingly likely we'll hear Lindstrom's name called on draft day exceptionally early.

First and foremost, Demidov isn't in the same situation as Matvei Michkov was a season ago.

Demidov's contract with SKA St. Petersburg expires after the 2024-25 campaign, one year after he'll be drafted. Michkov will still be on a KHL contract for another full season after Demidov can sign an entry-level contract.

He's not the best player in the class, but Demidov may very well be the flashiest. He's a human highlight reel, combining silky smooth hands with quality shooting and playmaking.

The Blue Jackets haven't shied away from drafting talent out of Russia, and they do so once again in this mock, landing another immense offensive talent to pair with Fantilli down the road.

Dickinson ticks every box a general manager could hope for in a potential minute-munching blue-liner that can anchor a team's top pairing for the foreseeable future.

The London Knight has an excellent frame, listed at 6-foot-3 and 194 pounds. His defensive acumen has been lauded as some of the best in the class. He's been part of leadership groups with Hockey Canada at the under-17 and U18 levels. His skating is a standout trait, and he's tapped into more of his offensive side this season in the OHL.

In a class rife with talent on the back end, Dickinson stands above the rest at this stage of the cycle. The Kraken are ecstatic to add a left-shot defenseman with his potential in this mock with their unexpectedly high pick.

The Sabres have a plethora of young, exciting talent on the roster and in the pipeline at forward. With yet another top-10 pick, Buffalo adds a high-upside right-shot defenseman to potentially pair with Rasmus Dahlin or Owen Power in the future.

Levshunov is on track to make Belarusian hockey history on draft day. The 6-foot-2, right-shot rearguard is in contention to be the first player from his nation to be drafted in the top five.

Taking a unique path from Belarus to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to East Lansing, Michigan, Levshunov has been exceptional everywhere he's played. He landed on the USHL's All-Rookie Team a year ago and has been among the NCAA's best freshman defenders this season, recording 18 points and a plus-16 in 18 contests at Michigan State.

Boasting similarities to his older brother and Blue Jackets top prospect David Jiricek, Adam is a quality two-way defender. He's shown an ability to chip in offensively at the junior level while also being an effective rush defender.

His results in the Czech pro league have underwhelmed to this point, but expect Jiricek to help his stock at the world juniors later this month.

Securing one of the top right-shot defensemen in this mock is a boost to an aging group of blue-liners for the Wild.

Many were surprised when the Arizona Coyotes took Dmitriy Simashev sixth overall in June. Silayev is taller, similarly mobile, and has produced more than Simashev; he's going early in the 2024 draft.

Silayev is a unicorn. He's 6-foot-7, but his skating is a plus trait, and you don't even have to grade on a scale for his size. He's playing regular minutes on a nightly basis for a good Torpedo squad. And he's been able to get on the scoresheet, already boasting the most points by a draft-eligible defenseman in KHL history.

He's far from a perfect prospect - Silayev's decision-making particularly stands out as an area for improvement - but the tantalizing upside of his defensive ability, given his size, reach, and mobility is too much for the Flames to pass on at No. 8 in this mock.

Note: The Penguins traded their first-round pick to the Sharks in the Erik Karlsson trade. As it's top-10 protected, Pittsburgh retains the selection in this mock.

A highly intelligent forward, the Penguins snag Helenius after an early run on defensemen.

The Finn's resume is impressive: He became a Liiga regular as a 16-year-old and was a key member of Finland's under-18 squad as an underage forward in the spring. Helenius' 20 points in 28 games in Finland's top league ranks as the fifth-best scoring rate by a draft-eligible forward over the past 25 years.

Not out of the question as a top-five candidate, Catton slips to the end of the top 10 with the aforementioned run on blue-liners.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and a slight 163 pounds, the Saskatoon native has dazzled in the WHL the past two seasons. After captaining Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Catton's been as advertised with 19 goals and 41 points in 27 games.

Note: The Senators have the option to forfeit this pick as punishment for their role in the invalidated Evgenii Dadonov trade.

Norway isn't exactly known as a hotbed for top NHL prospects; the country has never produced a first-round pick, after all. Brandsegg-Nygard looks primed to change that fact as Norway returns to the world juniors for the first time since 2014.

A forechecking menace with scoring ability, it's not hard to see Brandsegg-Nygard excelling down the road alongside the elite talent the Senators have in the top six.

The Oilers lack high-end talent in the prospect pool and need options on the back end. Edmonton addresses both with the selection of Parekh in this mock.

An electric offensive defenseman, Parekh scored a record-setting 21 goals for a 16-year-old OHL blue-liner last season. He's followed it up with 40 points in 27 games, making for the highest scoring rate by a draft-eligible defenseman in the league since Ryan Ellis in 2008-09.

Connelly is one of the most skilled forwards in the draft. His blend of puck handling, skating, and ability in transition gives him clear top-six upside when he's on his game. A recent Providence Friars commit, a social media incident in March 2022 could impact where he ultimately goes on draft day.

Note: The Blackhawks acquired this pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Brandon Hagel trade. It is top-10 protected.

Buium, a native of San Diego, has blown away expectations as a freshman at the University of Denver. With 25 points and a plus-13 in 18 games, he's been the best defenseman on a top-five-ranked Pioneers team, vaulting himself into the conversation as a potential top-10 pick. The left-shot blue-liner will look to earn a spot on USA's world junior team over the next two weeks at selection camp.

The Hurricanes dip back into the Russian pipeline as they've done so often in recent years to snag Artamonov in this mock. Artamonov's 14 points in 30 games rank behind only Vladimir Tarasenko and Michkov among draft-eligible forwards in the KHL's history.

An excellent start on a poor Windsor squad has pushed Greentree up rankings in the early going. Without much help, the Oshawa native has produced 19 goals and 39 points in 26 games to rank second among draft-eligible OHLers in points per game.

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