Come on, of course Connor Bedard is still in the mix for the Calder Trophy. What, like a little jaw surgery was going to knock him out of the race?

With that being said, there is a new No. 1 on our rankings.

Let's get into it.

5. Samuel Ersson, Flyers

Ersson's arrival on these rankings is the culmination of a few factors.

For one, Adam Fantilli was more or less eliminated from the running thanks to a lacerated calf. Secondly, Ersson's arguably going to have the most on his plate out of all rookie netminders: Joseph Woll is still out with an ankle sprain, while Pyotr Kochetkov has been injured and will likely have less playing time following Frederik Andersen's eventual return for the Hurricanes. Ersson, meanwhile, is currently the No. 1 guy in Philadelphia. The Flyers are in the heat of the playoff race, and a lot of their hopes are now riding on the 24-year-old's shoulders.

No, not all of Ersson's numbers are outstanding and he's lost his last four starts, but he still leads all first-year goaltenders in both wins and shutouts while ranking second in goals above replacement (6.7) and tying Woll in wins above replacement (1.1). Prior to his latest skid, Ersson's 2.26 goals against average ranked sixth among all goalies - not just rookies - to play in at least 10 games.

If the Swede can stay healthy and bounce back after the All-Star break, there's a big chance he can muscle his way into the Calder Trophy conversation down the stretch. Right now, though, Ersson's status as a finalist is in "wait and see" mode.

4. Marco Rossi, Wild

Rossi has been one of the league's most underrated rookies this season, but he's still out here doing his thing. The Wild forward ranks second among all first-year players in goals and third in points, and he owns the fifth-highest point-per-game rate (0.57) out of all rookies to appear in at least 10 games this season.

The 22-year-old's 25 points at even strength are tied with Bedard for the most in the class and with Joel Eriksson Ek for the most on the Wild. Minnesota hasn't been the league's most dominant team at even strength, but Rossi has been key to his team's production in those situations. He's second on the Wild in points per 60 (2.17) and third in goals per 60 (0.99) at five-on-five.

In addition, Rossi has gotten more ice time since his last appearance on these rankings in December. Then, he was eating up just over 16 minutes per game, but he's now pushed that number to a tad under 18 minutes.

Rossi's individual underlying numbers are also some of the best on the team. Out of all Wild skaters with at least 200 minutes of ice time at five-on-five, he places fourth in shot attempts for (51.8%), second in goals for (58.8%), and sixth in shots for (50.1%).

3. Luke Hughes, Devils

Though the Calder Trophy pursuit is more or less a two-horse race by this point, we'd be surprised if Hughes isn't named a finalist come springtime.

He may no longer lead all rookie blue-liners in points after putting up just five in 12 games in January, but he's still on pace for a respectable 45 points. He also still tops all first-year defensemen in goals and goals per game played (0.17), all while putting up the second most shots (67).

The 20-year-old has shouldered a fairly large role in New Jersey all season, and his workload has only increased with Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler on the sidelines. The Devils have been without both members of their usual top pair since Jan. 6, when Siegenthaler went down with a broken foot. Hughes has averaged a team-leading 23:05 minutes of ice time in his last nine games, and New Jersey has controlled 53.1% of the shot attempts and 51.8% of the expected goals with him on the ice at five-on-five over that span.

New Jersey's sputtering power play lacks some serious personnel, which is likely hurting Hughes' offense. Since missing both Hamilton and injured superstar forward Jack Hughes, the Devils' power play has been operating at an awful 8.7% success rate in its last 10 games. Despite the lull, Hughes still leads the class with 12 points on the man advantage.

2. Connor Bedard, Blackhawks

A Bedard-less edition of these rankings just didn't feel right. His Calder Trophy case isn't as airtight as it was before, but there's no doubt the 2023 first overall pick is still a front-runner.

In case you somehow haven't heard, Bedard hasn't played since early January after suffering a fractured jaw. Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson told reporters on Jan. 22 that Bedard is expected to miss at least six more weeks, meaning the phenom might not be able to return to the lineup until early March. The most games a rookie has ever missed in a Calder-winning season is 17 (Russ Blinco in 1933-34 and Steve Vickers in 1972-73); Bedard will likely miss more than that. Connor McDavid didn't take home the hardware after being sidelined for over half of his rookie season, though he was named a finalist.

Working in Bedard's favor is the fact that he's an absolute alien. Despite missing the Blackhawks' last 12 games, he still leads his team in points while tying Jason Dickinson for most goals. He holds a four-point and two-goal edge in the rookie scoring race. No one has caught up to him yet, and that's just madness.

However, it's not like the other rookies have been sitting on their hands waiting for Bedard's return. The 18-year-old will need to hit the ground running whenever he returns to reclaim his stranglehold on the Calder Trophy.

1. Brock Faber, Wild

We've been beating the Faber drum for the last couple of months, so it should come as no surprise that he's taken the top spot from Bedard for now.

Faber is now second in the rookie scoring race, and his 13 points in 12 games since Bedard went down are the most among all first-year players. That stretch included two straight multi-point games, meaning Faber has recorded at least two points in six contests this campaign - the most among rookie rearguards.

The Wild are in the throes of a tough season and might miss the playoffs, but it's far from Faber's fault. Minnesota has heaped a ton of responsibility on his plate, and he's handled it more often than not. Faber has over 1,200 minutes of ice time this season, a whopping 200 minutes more than Eriksson Ek, the Wild's second-busiest player. Despite the 21-year-old's heavy workload against the league's top talent, Minnesota has outscored the opposition 42-38 with him on the ice at five-on-five.

Thanks to Faber's recent offensive push, he's on pace for around 48 points. If he can push that number to 50, he'd become the fourth rookie blue-liner to hit the mark since 1992-93, joining Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, and Moritz Seider. Makar and Seider both won the Calder Trophy for their efforts. If Faber keeps up the pace, he'll be doing more than just keeping Bedard's spot warm on these rankings. He could realistically challenge the favorite for the hardware.

Keep an eye on:

• Leo Carlsson, Ducks
• Logan Cooley, Coyotes
• Simon Nemec, Devils
• Dmitri Voronkov, Blue Jackets
• Connor Zary, Flames

(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick, Evolving Hockey)

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Dan and Sat are joined by Iain MacIntyre to dive into what Canucks practice looked like and what outlook is for a five game road trip as everyone returns from the All-Star break. The guys discuss the depth down the middle the Canucks now posses and which wingers and combinations could create the best fit. Don Taylor as well joins the show to further break down what could be the biggest in season trade in Canucks history with the addition of Elias Lindholm trade and what moves if any could be next.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Dan and Sat are back and dive into what Elias Lindholm brings to table in terms of being able to play ion all types of situations. The guys break down how Mikheyev can be better in the home stretch of the season and which other players may be able to fill out the top six for forwards.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

The NHL has told the Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, and Philadelphia Flyers they'll be granted salary cap relief for the players on leave amid the 2018 world junior sexual assault case, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed to The Athletic's Ian Mendes and Chris Johnston.

Dillon Dube of the Flames, Cal Foote and Michael McLeod of the Devils, and Carter Hart of the Flyers have all been charged with one count of sexual assault in the police investigation into an alleged incident involving members of Team Canada's junior squad at a London, Ontario hotel. McLeod is also facing an additional sexual assault charge.

All four players requested and received leaves of absence from their clubs in January. Those players, along with ex-NHLer Alex Formenton, separately surrendered to police.

London police chief Thai Truong publicly apologized Monday to the woman who said she was sexually assaulted for the length of time it took to complete the investigation. The initial probe was closed in 2019 and reopened in 2022.

Hockey Canada said Monday that all 22 players on Canada's 2018 world junior team remain suspended from any international competition where the governing body has control over the roster. That doesn't include the recently confirmed 4 Nations Faceoff in 2025, which is an NHL/NHLPA event.

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Boston Bruins superstar and Czechia native David Pastrnak voiced his displeasure about his country being excluded from next year's 4 Nations Face-Off.

The NHL and NHLPA announced the tournament last week. Scheduled for February 2025, the nine-day event will only feature Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Finland.

"It's a huge disappointment. … Definitely not happy about it," Pastrnak said, per Boston.com's Conor Ryan. "I understand that it's a quick turnaround. It's next year. They probably didn't have much time to make it a bigger tournament.

"But Czech isn't there. So it's always a lot of players left out, so I'm not gonna watch the tournament, to be honest. So just happy that the Olympics got accepted. Yeah, (it) definitely stings a little bit."

The NHL, NHLPA, and IIHF also announced commitments to the 2026 and 2030 Olympics after missing out on the past two Winter Games. The 4 Nations Face-off is the first event of a new-look international calendar that's scheduled to stage best-on-best tournaments every two years following the Milan Olympics.

The NHL hasn't participated in a best-on-best event since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Pastrnak last represented Czechia at the 2022 World Championship, helping his country to a bronze medal with 10 points in seven games. Although he's disappointed he can't suit up next year, he said he's "so pumped" for the Olympics.

"Obviously very frustrating for me, I missed two of them already," Pastrnak said. "So looking forward to (it). I'll be 30, I hope I make the team. But I'm super excited and pumped that the deal got done. It is a couple years away from now, but once the news came, I definitely was happy."

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Matt and Blake discuss All-Star weekend, including J.T. Miller choosing to shoot on Jeremy Swayman and Thatcher Demko snubbing Swayman's hug request. Does this re-ignite the rivalry with the Bruins? Plus, the skills competition, Nikita Kucherov's bringing everyone down, Frank Vatrano playing on Team Hughes with Elias Pettersson and a potential trade fit with the Ducks winger. They also discuss Elias Lindholm's first practice on right wing with Pettersson in the middle, as well as his fit as the net-front guy on PP1, Chris Tanev's market heating up, Other topics include the Lions one week away from CFL free agency and with two Canadian starters now free to talk with other clubs during the negotiating window, and BC Place hosting seven World Cup matches in 2026.

Rink Wide: Vancouver host Jeff Paterson stops by to talk about Lindholm's fit with Petey, Ilya Mikheyev's struggles and whether Nils Höglander might replace him in the top-6, the internal competition comment from Rick Tocchet, Phil Di Giuseppe's return to skating with the group and whether he fits anywhere in this much-change lineup, Vatrano as a trade target and the rivalry with the Bruins.

Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini joins the show in advance of their Champions Cup match against Tigres at Starlight Stadium on Vancouver Island. Vanni tells us about their training camp in Spain, the new additions, and looks forward to a May match against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami at B.C. Place. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

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Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov will be out indefinitely while he receives care from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, the league and the union jointly announced Monday.

Kuznetsov will be eligible to return to the team once the program's administrators clear him for on-ice competition.

The 31-year-old missed practice Monday for personal reasons. Washington recalled forward Michael Sgarbossa to fill Kuznetsov's roster spot.

Kuznetsov has six goals and 11 assists in 43 games this season. The Russian is in his 11th campaign with the Capitals, who drafted him 26th overall in 2010.

He's the third player to enter the program in the last three weeks. Patrik Laine of the Columbus Blue Jackets did so on Jan. 28 after Valeri Nichushkin of the Colorado Avalanche entered 13 days before that.

St. Louis Blues forward Jakub Vrana and Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price joined the program in October 2022 and 2021, respectively. Vrana is now playing in the AHL, while Price returned to the team after a month but hasn't played since 2021-22.

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Hockey Hall of Famer Lanny McDonald sustained a cardiac event on Sunday, he announced on Instagram.

McDonald, 70, suffered the health scare at Calgary's airport after spending the weekend in Toronto for the NHL All-Star Game. He's currently recovering in hospital.

The Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs legend credited two nurses who happened to be passing by for jumping into action. "I owe them my life," McDonald wrote in his statement.

McDonald played 1,111 games in the NHL from 1973-89. He began his career with the Maple Leafs, quickly becoming a perennial 40-goal-scorer in the late 70s.

After seven seasons in Toronto and a three-year stint with the Colorado Rockies, McDonald made his way to Calgary, where he would enjoy the prime of his career. He racked up a career-best 66 goals and 98 points in 1982-83.

McDonald is remembered most for his postseason heroics. With the Maple Leafs, he netted a Game 7 overtime winner against the New York Islanders in the second round of the 1978 playoffs. As captain of the Flames, he won the 1989 Stanley Cup in his final season, scoring in the decisive Game 6 against the Montreal Canadiens.

Currently, McDonald is chairman of the board for the Hockey Hall of Fame. Before taking the role, he served nine years on the selection committee for the Hall.

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