In the midst of a career-best season, Anthony Duclair, who's set to hit free agency this summer, is hoping he won't have to leave Ottawa.
"I just want to focus and really end the season on a positive note like I did last year," Duclair said at this weekend's All-Star Game, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox. "Really make a statement to the management and the coaching staff that I want to be a big part of this rebuild. I'm still a young guy."
Despite his desire to re-sign long term with the team, contract extension talks have yet to begin, Fox added.
Duclair, 24, was traded to the Ottawa Senators along with two draft picks at the trade deadline last year in exchange for Ryan Dzingel. After potting eight goals and 14 points in his 21-game run, he signed a one-year extension with the club. This season, he already has a career-high 21 goals and just participated in his first All-Star Game.
"When the change is gonna happen, when Ottawa's gonna become a contender, I want to be part of that," Duclair added. "So I'm working as hard as I can."
The Senators' offseason will be quite a busy one. Of the 20 skaters on their active roster, 13 of them, including Duclair, are set to become restricted or unrestricted free agents. Armed with two potential lottery picks and three picks in the second round in the upcoming draft, this summer can ultimately decide the future of the franchise.
Duclair, who leads the team in both goals and points, is putting together a strong case to make himself a viable piece for the Senators and will look to keep things rolling in the second half of the season.
Wayne Gretzky is keeping a close eye on Alex Ovechkin as he climbs the all-time goals list.
"I'm a big believer that records are made to be broken," Gretzky told NHL.com's Tom Gulitti on Friday. "What I accomplished, I'm very proud of. It's hard to do what I did, and it's really hard to do what he's doing now. But there's no question in my mind that he has a legitimate chance of doing it."
Ovechkin, who tied Steve Yzerman for ninth in league history by scoring goal No. 692 just before the All-Star break, is now 202 tallies shy of reaching Gretzky's mark of 894.
"The two things that you need - you've got to stay healthy, and he's proven that over his career. He plays hard and he stays healthy. And, secondly, you've got to be on a good team - and he plays on a good team," Gretzky added.
"For my success, I had to play with good players. He plays with good players, and that obviously helps."
Gretzky, who turns 59 on Sunday, has a number of seemingly untouchable records. He holds the all-time marks for goals scored in a season (92), points recorded in a campaign (215), and points posted in a career (2,857). However, his record for the most career goals is within Ovechkin's reach.
"I think it would be wonderful for the game," Gretzky continued. "Anything that's positive is always good for the game. ... From the day he came into the game, into the National Hockey League, we knew what he was. He was just a hardworking guy who loved to score goals."
The 34-year-old Ovechkin is currently second in the league this season with 34 goals and will be hoping to add his ninth Rocket Richard Trophy.
Muzzin suffered a fractured foot on Dec. 27 and has missed the club's last 10 games. He's been a key defender for the Leafs this season, leading the team in hits and ranking second in blocks. He's also chipped in offensively with 13 points in 38 contests.
Moore hasn't seen action since Dec. 21 due to a concussion. The 24-year-old has managed three goals and five points in 22 games this season.
The pair suited up for the Marlies on Friday to get back to game speed, with Moore potting a goal in a 5-2 loss to the Cleveland Monsters.
The Maple Leafs will resume play after the All-Star break when they visit the Nashville Predators on Monday.
Gary Bettman is maintaining his stance of wanting to hold the NHL and its players out of Olympic participation.
"From our standpoint, we believe and our experience, both with going to five Olympics and then not going to Pyeongchang, tells us that going is extraordinarily disruptive to the season," Bettman said to reporters at the All-Star Game on Friday, per TSN.
Bettman added, "I know it maintains itself as a priority for the players' association, but having said that, we're very comfortable with not going."
The NHL commissioner has been keen to hold his players out of the Olympics since barring them from participating in 2018. After taking office in 1993, Bettman permitted players to attend each quadrennial tournament from 1994-2014.
Trips to the Olympics have typically caused the NHL to shut down for several weeks in February while teams worry about their players potentially facing injury. When the league last went to Sochi in 2014, John Tavares, Henrik Zetterberg, Aleksander Barkov, and Tomas Kopecky all sustained season-ending injuries.
While Bettman doesn't appear ready to budge on the issue and give in to the players' desires, the NHL is aiming to organize a World Cup of Hockey in 2024 and make it a more regular tournament.
New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal isn't holding any grudges against his coach after he was benched in the third period Tuesday against the New York Rangers.
"As a young guy, I know an example needs to be set," Barzal said at Thursday's All-Star media day, according to Newsday's Laura Albanese. "I was in the wrong."
With the Islanders up by three late in the game, Barzal had a defensive lapse which resulted in a turnover and almost led to a goal. Despite having two assists on the night, head coach Barry Trotz opted to bench Barzal for nearly the last 18 minutes of the contest due to his mistake.
"I'm a competitor and I always want to be on the ice," Barzal added. "At the end of the day, Barry knows what's best for the team. ... We've had games this year where defensive errors have cost us games and he wasn't going to let that happen again.
"I was in the wrong for the play I made. Barry's got my best interests and the team's best interests. He wants to win as bad as anyone and so do I. It's over with now. We got the win and that's all that really matters."
Barzal, 22, is making his second appearance in the All-Star Game. He has 17 goals and 42 points in 49 games this season.
The Islanders will resume play after the All-Star break Feb. 1. They currently sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division with a 29-15-5 record.
2020 NHL All-Star Skills Competition Where: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri When: Friday, Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. ET TV: CBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports (Canada); NBCSN (U.S.)
The time has come for the NHL's biggest stars to put their dazzling talents on display.
The 2020 All-Star Skills Competition will feature two new events, including a three-on-three game that showcases the best of women's hockey. Meanwhile, the winners of the individual events will each earn a $30,000 bonus.
Here's everything you need to know about Friday's action.
Fastest Skater
Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty
Kendall Coyne Schofield of the U.S. women's national team put everybody on notice last year when she participated in this classic event and posted a time of 14.346 seconds that topped Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller.
Coyne Schofield won't compete this year, but eight NHLers will be timed for one full lap around the rink. Each skater can choose which direction they'll go, and they're allowed to begin a maximum of 3 feet behind the starting line.
Eight goaltenders and all 36 skaters will participate in this event, which is a shootout format in which the goalies will compete to make the most consecutive saves.
Each netminder will face nine skaters from an opposing division and a minimum of nine shot attempts. Those skaters will shoot in order of their number, from the lowest to the highest, with the division's captain going last. The round cannot end with a save, so if the goalie stops the captain's shot, the shooters will continue in the same order until a goal is scored.
The goalie with the longest consecutive save streak will be crowned the winner.
If there's a tie, the winner will be the goaltender who made the most total saves. If at least two goalies are still tied, they will compete in a sudden-death round of "Goalie Goals."
Eight of the league's top snipers will duke it out in this accuracy challenge.
The players will be positioned 25 feet from the goal line. They must hit all of the LED targets in the net, and the player who does it the fastest will be the winner.
This brand-new event will treat fans to one of hockey's greatest international rivalries.
The women's three-on-three matchup will include two teams - American All-Stars and Canadian All-Stars - that are each comprised of nine skaters and one goalie. There will be two 10-minute periods with a running clock.
The American squad will include the likes of Brianna Decker, Hilary Knight, Amanda Kessel, and Coyne Schofield. The Canadian team will feature Marie-Philip Poulin, Natalie Spooner, Sarah Nurse, and Meghan Agosta, among others.
Hardest Shot
Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty
Zdeno Chara, who won this competition consecutively from 2007-12, won't be involved this year. However, Shea Weber, who won it three years in a row from 2015-17, will try to take back his crown.
Each player will attempt two shots that are measured in miles per hour, and the higher speed of the two will be recorded.
The players will shoot from 30 feet out. Players can skate toward the puck but can't start from farther away than the blue line. The player who records the fastest shot speed will be the winner.
How about players shooting pucks into targets from an elevated platform above the ice? Sure, why not. We certainly can't blame the NHL for trying something new.
Eight NHLers and one player from each of the American and Canadian women's three-on-three teams will participate. Players will be positioned on the elevated platform 30 feet above the ice and shoot seven pucks at different targets. Protective netting will be installed above the fans.
Targets will have different point values, and players will be allowed to hit them more than once. The player who accumulates the most points will be the winner.
Like many people in the world of hockey, Gerard Gallant was shocked to learn he'd been fired as head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights.
"I was quite surprised, actually, when it happened," Gallant said to the Journal Pioneer's Jason Simmonds. "You don't see something coming like that when you have two-and-a-half years in.
"I was disappointed and surprised, but I understand the hockey business and things have to change sometimes."
Gallant was surprisingly relieved of his duties earlier this week, despite Vegas' current hold on a playoff spot.
The first coach in franchise history, Gallant led the Golden Knights on an incredible run to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season. Vegas made the playoffs for the second time in as many campaigns last year, though the team bowed out in the first round.
"That first year was a magical season. If we could have capped it off winning the Stanley Cup it would have been incredible," Gallant said. "The second year was a really good year, too. We made the playoffs, battled hard.
"Up until I got fired, I had two-and-a-half years of being really happy in Vegas. It's a good organization, a good team, and I was excited."
Gallant was even named to the All-Star Game as head coach of the Pacific Division team, but he has decided to not attend. Arizona Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet will replace him.
"I was an All-Star coach a week-and-a-half ago and we were in first place in our division and then things change and we lose four in a row," Gallant said. He continued: "I talked to the NHL about it and they sort of left it up to me, but I didn't really feel comfortable (going). I just said I'd sooner pass."
The 56-year-old isn't going to let the bad news keep him from getting behind a new bench sometime soon.
"I'm far from done," he said. "I enjoy coaching. If an opportunity comes up I will definitely look at it."
Gallant is one of seven NHL coaches to be relieved of his duties this season, so a number of teams - including the Seattle expansion franchise - could be looking for a new bench boss in the near future.
Alex Ovechkin passed Mario Lemieux on Saturday to claim sole possession of the 10th spot on the all-time goals list with 691.
Ovechkin entered Saturday's contest against the New York Islanders needing just one goal to tie Lemieux. He scored early in the first period, and in the third, Ovechkin managed to bury his second goal of the game to pass Lemieux.
The 34-year-old has been on a tear. He's coming off a hat trick in his last game and has seven goals in his last three contests, bringing him to 33 on the year.
Brad Marchand has had some trouble handling the puck lately, and he's hoping somebody can help him find his hands again.
After overskating the puck on a shootout attempt earlier this week, the Boston Bruins forward fumbled the rubber once again on a clearcut breakaway during Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Marchand had Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry beat, but he simply mishandled the puck and missed out on an easy goal. With 21 tallies and 64 points on the season, mishaps like these are rare for the 31-year-old.
On Friday, Marchand took to Twitter in an attempt to solve his recent woes:
ATTENTION...hands have been lost or stolen, if found please return to TD Garden...thanks
Brad Marchand has had some trouble handling the puck lately, and he's hoping somebody can help him find his hands again.
After overskating the puck on a shootout attempt earlier this week, the Boston Bruins forward fumbled the rubber once again on a clearcut breakaway during Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Marchand had Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry beat, but he simply mishandled the puck and missed out on an easy goal. With 21 tallies and 64 points on the season, mishaps like these are rare for the 31-year-old.
On Friday, Marchand took to Twitter in an attempt to solve his recent woes:
ATTENTION...hands have been lost or stolen, if found please return to TD Garden...thanks
