Josh Leivo just wants to play hockey, plain and simple.
The Toronto Maple Leafs forward has served largely as a healthy scratch this season - dressing in just 12 games - and hasn't seen game action since Dec. 31. Subsequently, he's reportedly requested a trade, Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos said Saturday during Hockey Night in Canada's "Headlines" segment.
Leivo's agent Ian Pulver wouldn't confirm the report, but noted that the 24-year-old wants to get back to playing regularly, per The Athletic's Jonas Siegel.
"Josh is a player who would stand in front of a train for the Toronto Maple Leafs," Pulver said. "Josh was drafted by the Leafs and he wants to be a long-time Leaf. He would love to be in the lineup Monday night, and every night thereafter. Having said that, he hasn't been in the lineup for a long time, and hasn't played much in the past two seasons. He has reached a point in his career where he simply needs to play regularly.
"Lou Lamoriello has had open lines of communication with Josh on this issue. Not unexpectedly, the Maple Leafs in general and Lou in particular have been nothing but first class."
Leivo has struggled to become a regular for the Maple Leafs, having suited up for 53 games during his five-year career, and just 25 since the start of last season.
The Innisfil, Ontario native is signed through next season, when he will earn $925,000.
Rielly has missed the Maple Leafs' last six games with an upper-body injury, while Hainsey returns after a two-game absence with an illness.
The two will join a club that is currently playing some of its best hockey of the season. The Maple Leafs have won four straight and are coming off back-to-back shutouts on consecutive nights with 5-0 and 4-0 victories over the New York Islanders and New York Rangers.
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock hopes his team's on-ice play can motivate management to do some wheeling and dealing.
Following the team's morning skate Wednesday, the club's bench boss said he hopes his team can play well enough in the coming weeks to put general manager Lou Lamoriello under pressure to make a trade at the deadline, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
"It's our job, as a team, to put as much pressure as we can on Lou to help us," Babcock said, according to TSN's Mark Masters. "... The better you play and the more you look like you got a chance, the more opportunity you have for your GM to help you.
"Always could use help. Never been on a team that didn't need more."
The Maple Leafs currently hold down the third spot in the Atlantic with a comfortable 15-point cushion over the next team in the division, the Florida Panthers.
It's no secret that any such deadline deal would likely be intended to bolster the Maple Leafs' blue line. With Nikita Zaitsev back in the lineup Wednesday and Morgan Rielly appearing close to a return as well, however, the team's defensive corps should get a big boost regardless.
The trade deadline is set for 3:00 p.m. ET on Feb. 26.
Auston Matthews may have had ulterior motives during the weekend's All-Star festivities.
This season the discussion about what Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty will do following next season - when he becomes an unrestricted free-agent - has run rapid throughout the league.
With no clear-cut decision yet, the Toronto Maple Leafs forward admitted he at least attempted to try and sell the reigning Norris Trophy-winner on the potential to play alongside him in Toronto.
"I recruited him a little bit. He didn't bite," Matthews said, according to Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star. "I said: 'Hey, how's it going?' He said: 'Good.' I said, 'Are you coming to Toronto?' He just laughed and skated away."
With Doughty not budging for now, Matthews might have to turn his attention to Erik Karlsson.
The hometown fans got a show as Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov scored a hat trick to lead the Atlantic All-Stars to a 7-4 win over the Metropolitan Division to set up a spot in the final against the Pacific Division.
After Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin combined for four points in the first period, giving the Metropolitan Division a 3-2 lead, the Atlantic Division came alive in the second.
The club outscored the Metropolitan 5-1 in the final period on the back of two of Kucherov's three goals. Jack Eichel and Erik Karlsson also collected a trio of points in a game that saw every member of the Atlantic squad tally at least one point.
The Atlantic will now take on the Pacific All-Stars in a battle for the $1-million prize.
2018 NHL All-Star Skills Competition Where:Amalie Arena, Tampa Bay, Fla. When: Saturday, Jan. 27, 7 p.m. ET TV: NBCSN (U.S.); CBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports (Canada)
There's more than bragging rights on the line at this year's All-Star Skills Competition.
This time, the winners of each event will take home a cool $25,000. It's the first of many steps taken to move the focus of the competition from the best team back to the best players.
Players will be handpicked for each event by the NHL's Department of Player Safety, and it won't be based on what division they play for.
Fans will be treated to a couple of new events and some tweaks to past competitions.
With that said, here's a rundown of what you can expect Saturday night:
Save Streak
This new one is for the goalies.
Five goalies and all 36 skaters will take part in a shootout competition in which goalies will look to make the most consecutive saves.
Each one will face the nine skaters from one division. Players will shoot in order of their numbers from lowest to highest, with team captains shooting last. If the captain fails to score, they'll go again in the same order until a goal is scored.
If two or more goalies are tied for the longest streak, the goalie who made the most overall saves will be crowned the winner.
Passing Challenge
Who can feather the most accurate saucer pass? That'll be the focus for the newly minted passing challenge.
Eight players will take part in a three-part challenge that will include passes to targets, passes to players as part of four give-and-goes, and passes over a barricade into mini nets. Each player must complete the first part of the challenge before moving on.
The fastest total time wins.
Accuracy Shooting
This year's accuracy contest will be noticeably different from previous editions.
Eight players will take their usual spot (25 feet out from the net), but unlike previous years, they'll have five LED targets that light up randomly for three seconds, instead of the stationary foam targets. The players have to hit the lit-up target in that time before it moves. They keep going until all five targets are hit.
The player who hits all five in the fastest time, wins.
Fastest Skater
It's exactly as it sounds.
Eight skaters will race to clock the fastest lap around the rink. Players can decide what direction they want to go in, and have the chance to start a maximum of three feet behind the starting line (center line), with their time starting once they cross the line.
Puck Control Relay
The puck control relay is the puckhandling version of the passing challenge.
Eight players will go through three stations: 1) Stickhandling through a series of pucks in a straight line, 2) Stickhandling through a series of pylons in a zig-zag, and 3) Shooting or guiding the puck through a lit-up rung at the gate.
The player to complete the course the fastest wins.
Hardest Shot
Six players will have two rounds of two shots each from 30 feet out to muster up their hardest shot.
Following the first round, players will shoot again in order of slowest to fastest shot, with the hardest shot taking all the glory.
With no Shea Weber or Zdeno Chara in attendance this year, the field should be wide open.
Brian Boyle's unlikely trip to the All-Star Game this weekend will provide the veteran with many firsts.
The New Jersey Devils forward was named as the replacement on the Metropolitan squad for teammate Taylor Hall - who will miss the festivities due to a thumb injury. While this marks Boyle's first-ever All-Star nod, it will also give him the opportunity to finally play some 3-on-3 hockey.
"I've been dying to try 3-on-3 since it started," Boyle said, according to Chris Ryan of NJ.com. "This will be a good taste. Kind of ease me into it against the best in the world."
Boyle has been one of the year's feel-good stories. He was forced to miss training camp and the first month of the season after being diagnosed with leukemia, before making his Devils debut on Nov. 1. He's since tallied 11 goals and 17 points in 38 games, including two three-point contests. While he knows he won't bring Hall's sort of skill, he plans to cherish the moment.
"I don't really know what to expect," Boyle said. "It's cool of them to think of me. I'm not naive to the fact that there's a lot more skill there than what I can bring. But I'm going to enjoy every minute of it."
It looks as though the 2018 All-Star Game might have its latest feel-good story after John Scott took over the 2016 installment.
In doing so, Ovechkin became just the 10th player in NHL history to record 13 or more 30-goal seasons and the sixth skater to tally 13 consecutive 30-goal campaigns.
#Caps Alex Ovechkin joins Mike Gartner (15) and Wayne Gretzky (13) as the only players in NHL history with at least 13 consecutive 30-goal campaigns to begin their careers. Worth noting, Ovechkin did that with a lockout-shortened season in there too
Ovechkin is now just three goals shy of matching his output from last season and continues to pace the league in that category as he chases his seventh "Rocket" Richard Trophy.
Prior to Sunday's game, the Lightning had occupied the first overall position since Nov. 28.
With its 31st win on the season, the Golden Knights also reached the third-highest win total by a team in its inaugural season, matching the Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers, who each did so during the 1967-68 season. Two more wins, and they will tie the record of 33 victories currently held by the Anaheim Ducks and Florida Panthers, who achieved the mark during the 1993-94 campaign.
In losing to the Golden Knights, the Hurricanes also became the ninth team to lose their season series against Vegas this term.
Team
Record Against
Lightning
2-0-0
Stars
2-1-0
Predators
2-1-0
Hurricanes
1-0-1
Panthers
1-0-1
Maple Leafs
1-0-1
Coyotes
4-0-0
Ducks
3-0-0
Blackhawks
2-0-0
Let's face it: this Golden Knights team is for real.
It's all just noise as far as Erik Karlsson is concerned.
Trade rumors surrounding the Ottawa Senators captain have picked up this week, especially after general manager Pierre Dorion went on record Thursday stating that while the team plans to keep the two-time Norris Trophy winner for life, he would still listen to trade offers.
In fact, Dorion made sure to point out even Wayne Gretzky was traded in his prime, seemingly comparing the two players and situations despite Karlsson not fully understanding why.
"This isn't close to that," Karlsson said of the comparison, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. "I don't know why that parallel is being drawn."
As for the speculation, Karlsson insists he isn't worried about potentially being traded. For the time being, his focus remains solely on the ice.
"This isn't something I can control. I'm going to do the job I've done," said Karlsson. "I'm going to do the best I can to help this team. When the time comes to make a decision, I will make one."
In a down season, Karlsson still ranks tied for eighth in scoring among all NHL defensemen with 31 points in 39 games.
