"I can't speak for them (teammates), I can only talk for myself, and obviously I know I've been pretty shit lately," Draisaitl said to reporters on Monday, per TSN. "It happens, those stretches, they happen. Maybe it's a little too long for myself, but you know tomorrow's a new day."
Despite still being second in the league in scoring, trailing only teammate Connor McDavid, Draisaitl has been on a bit of a skid as of late. He's a -18 over his team's last 10 games, of which they've lost eight. During that span, he's recorded three goals and five assists.
"I've always been very good at assessing my own game and I have no problem saying that I haven't been playing to my capabilities," Draisaitl added. "Like I said, those stretches happen and I've always come out of them as a better player and I'm positive that it'll happen this time too."
The 24-year-old had an electric first half of the year, recording 22 goals and 61 points in 41 games. Once atop the Pacific Division, the Oilers now sit in fifth place.
The rosters for the 2020 NHL All-Star Game were announced Monday. The league's annual weekend festivities will take place Jan. 24-25 in St. Louis.
Each club will consist of 11 total players, including nine skaters and two goalies. The NHL will allow fans to vote for the last player to make each team, with voting set to open Jan. 1.
Korpisalo suffered a non-contact injury while facing the first shooter of a shootout on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
A tough scene in Columbus as @BlueJacketsNHL goalie Joonas Korpisalo appears to get injured in the shootout. Backup Elvis Merzlikins came in cold to finish the game. pic.twitter.com/jK3DpJkJ4G
Backup goaltender Elvis Merzlikins was forced to enter the shootout cold and allowed a goal on the Blackhawks' second attempt. The Blue Jackets went on to lose.
Korpisalo, 25, has been one of the league's better goaltenders this year. In his first season as a starter, he holds a 17-10-4 record alongside a .913 save percentage and 2.49 goals-against average.
The 27-year-old was injured in the third period of his team's loss to the Bruins on Friday after colliding with Boston forward David Pastrnak in front of the benches.
Skinner has been suffering through a goal drought, going 11 games without a tally. He sits fourth on the team in goals (11) and fifth in points (19) through 39 contests.
The Sabres will square off against the Bruins on Sunday night to wrap up their home-and-home matchup.
With just one win in his team's last 10 games, San Jose Sharks interim coach Bob Boughner has had enough.
The Sharks are in a downward spiral, the likes of which they haven't experienced in quite some time. San Jose dropped to last place in the Western Conference with Friday night's overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings, and Boughner wasn't pulling any punches postgame.
"Some guys have got to look in the mirror and put it on themselves," Boughner told reporters. "You can't dress 12 forwards and have eight or nine show up. That was the problem tonight."
San Jose entered the third period up 2-0 before the Kings' Martin Frk cut the lead to one early in the frame. After the goal, Sharks forwards Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc skated just three shifts each, and Meier didn't see the ice in the eventual overtime session.
"We had to shorten our bench and we had a couple of guys that were just not sticking with the structure, not playing within the team system," Boughner said. He added: "They know who they are and it's a wake-up call for a couple of guys in that room right now."
The Sharks will look to get back on track when they face the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.
From top to bottom, the NHL boasts arguably the most talent it's had in its history. With players now coming from more leagues around the world than ever, drafting and scouting have become trickier processes than they used to be. It's not always clear who to select with the No. 1 pick, and it gets even murkier as the draft goes on.
Let's take a look at which years have yielded the most talent to date.
5. 2014
The 2014 draft, headlined by Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad going first overall, is one of the most solid of the decade. The Boston Bruins really hit the lottery by scooping up Czech forward David Pastrnak 25th overall. This class has the potential to get even better as some players have yet to break through or hit their peaks.
Top 5 scorers
Player
Team
Pick
GP
Points
Leon Draisaitl
EDM
3
391
373
David Pastrnak
BOS
25
358
338
Dylan Larkin
DET
15
356
235
Sam Reinhart
BUF
2
369
235
Brayden Point
TBL
79
261
228
Notable players: Nikolaj Ehlers, Viktor Arvidsson, Aaron Ekblad, William Nylander, Nick Schmaltz, Jakub Vrana, Alex Tuch
Notable players: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Sean Couturier, John Gibson, Mika Zibanejad, Dougie Hamilton, J.T. Miller, William Karlsson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Vincent Trocheck, Rickard Rakell
3. 2010
The decade kicked off with the great debate about whether Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin should be selected first. The choice still isn't clear ten years later as the pair have become two of the game's biggest stars. Hall has a Hart Trophy on his resume and Seguin's name is inked on the Stanley Cup. While the two lead the class in terms of points, talent oozed throughout the draft. Mark Stone slipped all the way to the sixth round while Brendan Gallagher and John Klingberg lasted until the fifth.
Top 5 scorers
Player
Team
Pick
GP
Points
Tyler Seguin
BOS
2
710
615
Taylor Hall
EDM
1
596
539
Jeff Skinner
CAR
7
699
461
Ryan Johansen
CBJ
4
628
431
Vladimir Tarasenko
STL
16
507
428
Notable mentions: Evgeny Kuznetsov, Mark Stone, Brendan Gallagher, Jaden Schwartz, John Klingberg, Justin Faulk, Cam Fowler, Frederik Andersen
2. 2013
It was debated all year long who should be taken atop the 2013 draft, as there wasn't a consensus No. 1 pick right until draft day. The Colorado Avalanche ended up going with Nathan MacKinnon, who's blossomed into one of the league's most dangerous players. Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Drouin and Seth Jones were the next three selections, and they all proved to be game-changing players in their own regard.
Top 5 scorers
Player
Team
Pick
GP
Points
Nathan MacKinnon
COL
1
493
457
Sean Monahan
CGY
6
510
393
Aleksander Barkov
FLA
2
449
385
Elias Lindholm
CAR
5
494
294
Bo Horvat
VAN
9
415
250
Notable mentions: Seth Jones, Max Domi, Jonathan Drouin, Jake Guentzel, Rasmus Ristolainen, Anthony Mantha, Anthony Duclair, Andre Burakovsky, Shea Theodore
1. 2015
For years, people predicted that Connor McDavid would be the first overall pick of the 2015 draft and one of the league's generational talents. He has surpassed all expectations that were set of him, dominating the league since his rookie season. What wasn't anticipated, though, was how good the rest of his draft class would be. With only a handful of seasons under their belts, nine players selected in 2015 have already reached the All-Star Game, including second-round steal Sebastian Aho. A number of players have already secured lucrative long-term deals with their teams, meaning we'll see a ton of action from this draft class for years to come.
Top 5 scorers
Player
Team
Pick
GP
Points
Connor McDavid
EDM
1
327
434
Jack Eichel
BUF
2
323
310
Mitch Marner
TOR
4
268
259
Mikko Rantanen
COL
10
260
234
Sebastian Aho
CAR
35
279
231
Notable players: Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor, Brock Boeser, Zach Werenski, Thomas Chabot, Ivan Provorov, Timo Meier, Dylan Strome, Travis Konecny, Noah Hanifin, Jake DeBrusk
From top to bottom, the NHL boasts arguably the most talent it's had in its history. With players now coming from more leagues around the world than ever, drafting and scouting have become trickier processes than they used to be. It's not always clear who to select with the No. 1 pick, and it gets even murkier as the draft goes on.
Let's take a look at which years have yielded the most talent to date.
5. 2014
The 2014 draft, headlined by Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad going first overall, is one of the most solid of the decade. The Boston Bruins really hit the lottery by scooping up Czech forward David Pastrnak 25th overall. This class has the potential to get even better as some players have yet to break through or hit their peaks.
Top 5 scorers
Player
Team
Pick
GP
Points
Leon Draisaitl
EDM
3
391
373
David Pastrnak
BOS
25
358
338
Dylan Larkin
DET
15
356
235
Sam Reinhart
BUF
2
369
235
Brayden Point
TBL
79
261
228
Notable players: Nikolaj Ehlers, Viktor Arvidsson, Aaron Ekblad, William Nylander, Nick Schmaltz, Jakub Vrana, Alex Tuch
Notable players: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Sean Couturier, John Gibson, Mika Zibanejad, Dougie Hamilton, J.T. Miller, William Karlsson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Vincent Trocheck, Rickard Rakell
3. 2010
The decade kicked off with the great debate about whether Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin should be selected first. The choice still isn't clear ten years later as the pair have become two of the game's biggest stars. Hall has a Hart Trophy on his resume and Seguin's name is inked on the Stanley Cup. While the two lead the class in terms of points, talent oozed throughout the draft. Mark Stone slipped all the way to the sixth round while Brendan Gallagher and John Klingberg lasted until the fifth.
Top 5 scorers
Player
Team
Pick
GP
Points
Tyler Seguin
BOS
2
710
615
Taylor Hall
EDM
1
596
539
Jeff Skinner
CAR
7
699
461
Ryan Johansen
CBJ
4
628
431
Vladimir Tarasenko
STL
16
507
428
Notable mentions: Evgeny Kuznetsov, Mark Stone, Brendan Gallagher, Jaden Schwartz, John Klingberg, Justin Faulk, Cam Fowler, Frederik Andersen
2. 2013
It was debated all year long who should be taken atop the 2013 draft, as there wasn't a consensus No. 1 pick right until draft day. The Colorado Avalanche ended up going with Nathan MacKinnon, who's blossomed into one of the league's most dangerous players. Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Drouin and Seth Jones were the next three selections, and they all proved to be game-changing players in their own regard.
Top 5 scorers
Player
Team
Pick
GP
Points
Nathan MacKinnon
COL
1
493
457
Sean Monahan
CGY
6
510
393
Aleksander Barkov
FLA
2
449
385
Elias Lindholm
CAR
5
494
294
Bo Horvat
VAN
9
415
250
Notable mentions: Seth Jones, Max Domi, Jonathan Drouin, Jake Guentzel, Rasmus Ristolainen, Anthony Mantha, Anthony Duclair, Andre Burakovsky, Shea Theodore
1. 2015
For years, people predicted that Connor McDavid would be the first overall pick of the 2015 draft and one of the league's generational talents. He has surpassed all expectations that were set of him, dominating the league since his rookie season. What wasn't anticipated, though, was how good the rest of his draft class would be. With only a handful of seasons under their belts, nine players selected in 2015 have already reached the All-Star Game, including second-round steal Sebastian Aho. A number of players have already secured lucrative long-term deals with their teams, meaning we'll see a ton of action from this draft class for years to come.
Top 5 scorers
Player
Team
Pick
GP
Points
Connor McDavid
EDM
1
327
434
Jack Eichel
BUF
2
323
310
Mitch Marner
TOR
4
268
259
Mikko Rantanen
COL
10
260
234
Sebastian Aho
CAR
35
279
231
Notable players: Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor, Brock Boeser, Zach Werenski, Thomas Chabot, Ivan Provorov, Timo Meier, Dylan Strome, Travis Konecny, Noah Hanifin, Jake DeBrusk
Justin Williams may be coming back to the NHL after a season-long hiatus.
The 38-year-old, who was captain of the Carolina Hurricanes last season and spent two years with the club, is in contact with the team about potentially returning.
"There has been talk back and forth between his camp and the Carolina Hurricanes," TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on Tuesday's edition of "Insider Trading." "That certainly would be the team of choice, the front-runner for Justin Williams, if he decides to come back."
During the offseason, Williams decided that he was going to step away from hockey, but the forward did not formally announce his retirement from the NHL.
"It's not 100 percent decided at all, but he's been ramping up his skating, skating by himself the last three-to-four weeks," LeBrun added.
Williams recorded 23 goals and 53 points with the Hurricanes last season and helped guide them to the Eastern Conference Final.
"There are too many red jerseys here," Roussel said, according to TSN's Jeff Paterson. "It pisses me off the way they feel like it's their home. It's our home. Get the hell out of here."
Roussel, a native of France, spent six seasons with the Dallas Stars before signing a four-year, $12-million deal with the Canucks in 2018. He has three goals and one assist in six games this season.
The 30-year-old has appeared in 11 career games against Montreal, recording one assist with two fights.
The Canadiens will face the Canucks in Vancouver on Tuesday.
Ilya Kovalchuk's tenure with the Los Angeles Kings officially lasted for just under a year and a half after the forward cleared unconditional waivers Tuesday, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun. Kovalchuk signed a three-year, $18.75-million contract with L.A. in 2018 and appeared in just 81 games for the Kings, recording 19 goals and 43 points.
He wasn't living up to his $6.25-million cap hit, but Kovalchuk can still score and produce to a certain extent, and he should draw some interest if he wants to continue playing in the NHL. Now that he's an unrestricted free agent, here are three teams that could benefit from bringing in the 36-year-old on a cheap deal.
Boston Bruins
Ethan Miller / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Despite sitting atop the Atlantic Division with a dominant nine-point lead on the Buffalo Sabres, the Boston Bruins could use some secondary scoring.
Their top line of Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, and Patrice Bergeron has a combined 56 goals, accounting for 49% of Boston's total goals scored. The prospect of playing for one of the league's top contenders could attract Kovalchuk, and the Russian could slot into the team's second line alongside David Krejci and help bolster the team's second power-play unit.
Edmonton Oilers
Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty
After a high-flying start, the Edmonton Oilers have started to skid. They're 3-6-1 in their last 10 games with just 23 goals in that span. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl remain the league's two leading point-getters, but goals have otherwise been hard to come by for Edmonton lately.
Kovalchuk could provide some much-needed support for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the team's third line. Adding another scorer could also allow Draisaitl to return to McDavid's line, where the two have created magic together all season long.
Montreal Canadiens
Andre Ringuette / National Hockey League / Getty
It seems like the Montreal Canadiens could always use an injection of offense. This season, they rank in the middle of the league at 17th in goals for with 105. Goals are spread throughout their group of forwards, led by Brendan Gallagher, who has 14.
With Jonathan Drouin expected to be on the shelf for several more weeks after undergoing wrist surgery in November, bringing in another scoring winger could help the Canadiens stay afloat in the competitive Atlantic Division. Montreal has a plethora of cap space, so a low-cost deal for Kovalchuk wouldn't carry much risk.
