Coaching is not the Edmonton Oilers' issue in the eyes of general manager Peter Chiarelli.
With his club spiraling out of control, having lost six of its last seven contests, Chiarelli insists he has not considered making changes behind the bench.
"I have no intentions of firing Todd (McLellan). I want to work with the coach, and I think he's a very good coach," Chiarelli said, according to Sportsnet's Mark Spector. "As far as Todd goes, and (his staff), I am not considering firing them. At this point we're going to solve it together."
Of course, with the team currently sitting eight points out of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference - after reaching the second round on the back of the fourth-best record in the West last season - Chiarelli understands that his job could be just as much in jeopardy as the head coach's.
"Everyone is under evaluation, including myself," Chiarelli said. "We've had our challenges from a coaching perspective, and we've had our challenges from a player personnel perspective. We went into the season with certain expectations, and we're not even close to them.
"I see the situation we're in. I see levels of improvement, but I also see the losses piling up," Chiarelli said. "There's a plan in place, and a plan to bring up through the ranks, at the proper time, younger players."
With a potential plan to give a chance to younger players and the coach's job safe for the time being, it will be interesting to see if that means changes will come to the current roster.
Until then this Oilers club will need to figure a way to climb from the depths of the Western Conference if it has any aspirations of salvaging the season.
Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty is trying to focus on what he can control as opposed to the swirling trade rumors containing his name.
"You just live your life and worry about your family," Pacioretty said, according to Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette. "If it happens, it happens. I'm very proud of the past success I've had in Montreal. I've played here for 10 years and I've never gone through something like this. I've gone through ups and downs, but never this low."
Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos reported Saturday that the Canadiens were actively shopping Pacioretty, preferably for a younger goal-scorer.
Head coach Claude Julien says he has not discussed the rumors with Pacioretty - instead, the two have been talking about the 29-year-old's game. Pacioretty has severely tailed off in recent weeks, having scored just once in his last 21 games.
"Rumors are rumors and why fuel the rumor by talking to him about a rumor," Julien said. "You talk to him about his game and you work with him. As I say, a player will always be my player until he's gone. Sometimes, I don't know when that's going to be, and sometimes he's not going to be gone. ... You have to be able to overcome that to be successful. In Max's situation with all the rumors, he's handling it well."
In the meantime, Pacioretty is tasked with trying to get not just himself, but the entire team back on track. The Canadiens kick off the first of a five-game home stand Tuesday night and will look to snap a four-game losing streak.
The Americans and Canadians were separated by the slimmest of margins last year, with a shootout ultimately deciding the tournament as the Americans captured gold.
Heading into this year's edition we could be in for much of the same, with the two North American clubs tightly matched once again.
The two will square off during the first-ever tournament outdoor game on Dec. 29, after each have played their first two preliminary games.
The Group A victor is likely to be one of these two, so in order to gauge who that could be one must first take a look at each's roster makeup.
Forwards
There will be no shortage of talent upfront between these teams with a combined 12 first-round draft picks in the fold.
However, it is worth noting that nine of those first-rounders come from the U.S. side, and that doesn't even include Brady Tkachuk, who is expected to be a top-5 selection.
Another American name to keep an eye on is Casey Mittelstadt. Drafted eighth overall by the Buffalo Sabres this past June, Mittelstadt has shown incredible skill with the puck in his first season at the University of Minnesota.
Factor in players such as Kailer Yamamoto and Logan Brown who have had brief stints with their respective NHL clubs this season (Edmonton and Ottawa) and it's clear the US talent pool is deep.
As for Canada, they are no slouch, but it's hard to ignore the fact that the team left first-round picks Cody Glass (sixth overall), Nick Suzuki (13th overall), and Owen Tippett (10th overall) off the team.
Edge: United States.
Canada should still have enough offense at their disposal to compete, but if it's one against the other, the United States gets the slight edge here.
Defense
Defense should be the Canadians' biggest strength.
Meanwhile, the Americans enter with Ryan Lindgren and Adam Fox as their lone returning defenders from last year's team. The American's other notable defender is Quinn Hughes, a likely top-10 selection in the 2018 draft.
The University of Michigan freshman has great offensive instincts and scored a goal in the team's first pre-tournament win over Belarus.
Edge: Canada.
All things considered, Canada has a stronger all-around defense core. They have looked stellar in their two tune-up games - including limiting Switzerland to just seven shots - and seem to have a knack for creating offense.
Goalies
Heading into this year's tournament it's quite clear that Canada will be backed by returnee Carter Hart.
The Philadelphia Flyers' 2016 second-rounder fared admirably in his first taste of the tournament last year, claiming the starting role from Connor Ingram, and posting a 2.38 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.
This year he looks to have kicked his play into overdrive, rocking an incredible 1.32 goals-against average and a .961 save percentage with the Everett Silvertips. He was also perfect, turning away all 23 shots in the team's first tune-up against the Czech Republic.
As for the Americans, they also have the potential to have a returnee take the reigns in goal. Toronto Maple Leafs' prospect Joseph Woll returns after playing two games last year, serving up a 1.50 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage.
The other two netminders who will battle for playing time are Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman. All three are currently playing college with Swayman putting up the best numbers at the University of Maine.
Edge: Canada.
Early on Hart looks to be the strongest netminder of the bunch and should give Canada the advantage in goal, a distinction they haven't laid claim to in some time.
His inclusion comes after a whirlwind couple of days where, after Boeser blocked a shot against the Calgary Flames on Sunday night, it looked as though the 20-year-old could be out long term.
However, news broke Monday that Boeser had not suffered a fracture, but a bone bruise, and would be day to day rather than week to week with the injury.
Boeser would miss no time, which is great news for the Canucks as he currently leads the team with 17 goals and 30 points.
Canada's world junior team is unlikely to get a helping hand from the Colorado Avalanche.
Both Tyson Jost - who suited up for Canada last year - and Samuel Girard are eligible to play in this year's tournament, and while neither have discussed being loaned to the team with general manager Joe Sakic, head coach Jared Bednar insists he would oppose the decision.
"It's not up to me, but if it were I'd say no. They're part of our team and we need them," Bednar said, according to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post.
The other big factor is that neither player has discussed playing for Canada - who named their selection camp roster Wednesday - and while it would be an honor, Jost admits he's focused on playing with the Avalanche.
"I’m just getting in my groove after being hurt so long," Jost said. "I want to be here. Hockey Canada, whenever you can represent your country, it's such an honor. I had my chance last year. Right now, honestly, I'm just focusing on playing on the Avs, focusing on earning the coach's trust and put up numbers. Obviously, I haven't been doing that and I'm trying not to get frustrated because I'm getting my chances and getting that opportunity. It will come. That's what I'm focused on right now and just getting in this rhythm."
Last year, Jost scored one goal and four points en route to a silver medal. This year, he's put up a goal and an assist in 11 games with the Avalanche, while Girard has five points in 18 combined games with the Avalanche and Nashville Predators.
For the second time this season, the Vegas Golden Knights apologized for a tweet that was in poor taste.
On Friday night versus the Nashville Predators, the Golden Knights' Twitter account tweeted that when the Predators scored, media members covering the team began clapping.
The tweet was soon deleted, but not before Jim Diamond of the Professional Hockey Writers Association took exception, demanding an apology and retraction of the tweet on behalf of the Nashville media.
I'm writing this on behalf of the Professional Hockey Writers Association chapter of Nashville as well as our entire media corps. We take exception to the irresponsible tweet copied below. It's disrespectful to our credentialed media and we would like a public apology and retraction from the Golden Knights' Twitter account.
Claiming that media is cheering in the press box is a serious issue for journalists, as it can bring up questions regarding their ability to remain fair and unbiased.
The Golden Knights apologized for the tweet Saturday:
The team previously apologized for tweeting out a fake Boston Bruins roster including all girl names in a play on a joke from the movie "Ted," ahead of their game against the club Oct. 15.
The franchise's second-most productive defenseman of all time failed to come to terms with the team on a new contract this summer after becoming a free agent, ultimately deciding to take his talents back to his native Russia.
In an interview with Jonathan Bernier of Le Journal de Montreal, Markov explained that his contract talks with the Canadiens allowed almost no negotiation, and left the former great feeling disrespected by the team.
"As an athlete and as a person who spent 16 years of their life in Montreal, I'd have liked it if they had respected me," Markov said, according to a translation from Sportsnet's Eric Engels. "That's all I was asking for from the team."
Markov was seeking a two-year deal in free agency, but he claims the Canadiens wouldn't give him more than one year.
"I'm going to be honest with you," he said. "There was practically no negotiations with Montreal. I got two or three offers from them and they said, 'Either you sign or you don't sign.'
"No one listened to me and no one wanted to listen to me. That's what happened. So I had the choice to sign on their terms or to leave and find a new team."
Markov agreed to a two-year deal with Ak-Bars Kazan of the KHL. So far, he's put up four goals and 19 points in 39 games with his new club, and while he plans to play out his contract, he hasn't shut the door on a possible return to the Canadiens to hit the 1,000-game plateau (he sits at 990 games played).
"It's a step I'd like to accomplish, but I didn't get to do it in Montreal," he said. "Maybe that will happen at some point, but not at the moment.
"No matter what, I still don't regret my decision to come back to Russia. We made the choice that was in the best interest of my family, and right now that's the most important thing in my life."
If everything continues to go according to plan, Seattle will be the next city to house an NHL franchise.
The heavy lifting is being sorted out with KeyArena in the process of getting a major facelift, and a formal bid likely to be pitched, but one thing has yet to be considered - the team's roster.
It's hard to gauge exactly how the expansion draft will work and what players will be made available. However, what can be determined is which players will become free agents during the summer ahead of the 2020-21 season - the year Seattle is projected to join the NHL.
With that, here are five players who will hit the open market and could garner Seattle's attention:
Corey Crawford
Age entering 2020-21 season: 35
Crawford has been a staple on the Chicago Blackhawks for nearly a decade. He has backstopped the club to two Stanley Cup wins and has earned the William M. Jennings Trophy twice (given to the goalie or goalies of the team who allow the fewest goals against in a season).
In the 2020 offseason, Crawford will be coming off a six-year, $36-million contract. It's unlikely he will be able to ink a deal anywhere near that term or dollar amount at his age, especially with the Blackhawks.
As for Seattle, Crawford could be a solid option and provide leadership to a group that one would project to be young, much like the way Marc-Andre Fleury has done with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Nicklas Backstrom
Age entering 2020-21 season: 32
If Crawford is to Seattle what Fleury is to Vegas, then maybe Backstrom can play James Neal in this situation.
The Washington Capitals center is among the elite setup men in the league and will head into the 2020 offseason as a free agent barring a contract extension.
He's an offensive catalyst, the perfect linemate for young, talented wingers, and could even serve as team captain. Of course, he will have to be pried away from Alex Ovechkin.
Brayden Schenn
Age entering 2020-21 season: 29
Schenn finally looks to be molding into the player many expected he could become when he was drafted fifth overall in 2009 by the Los Angeles Kings.
He's tearing it up with the St. Louis Blues and is on his way to a top-10 finish in league scoring. Unlike Backstrom, Schenn will be younger when he enters the 2020-21 season - 29 - and will likely be just exiting his prime.
The Blues could have their hands full financially as captain Alex Pietrangelo will be up for a new contract the year prior, and Schenn could be in line for a raise from his $5.125-million cap hit if his current play persists. St. Louis might have to let him go, which is good news for Seattle.
Tyson Barrie
Age entering 2020-21 season: 29
Barrie may very well top the list of available high-end defensemen.
Despite enduring some rather painful years with the Colorado Avalanche, the 26-year-old has remained one of the most consistent producers in the league from the back end with 160 points in 258 games over the last three-plus seasons.
Given that he grew up just a stone's throw away from Seattle, in Victoria, British Columbia, the opportunity to be closer to home could also be attractive.
Braden Holtby
Age entering 2020-21 season: 31
If Seattle could ever find a way to nab Holtby, it would be the steal of a lifetime.
The Capitals netminder has been arguably the best goalie in the league over the last handful of seasons, but as fate would have it, he will become an unrestricted free-agent following the 2019-20 campaign.
The Capitals could ink him to a long-term extension before he gets to free agency, but given that Holtby is sure to command top dollar, and with budding goaltending prospect Ilya Samsonov in the fold, the team could decide to save money on Holtby and use it elsewhere.
It would cost Seattle a pretty penny, but as the Golden Knights have proven in the two-plus months of their inaugural season, goaltending is key to success.
With P.K. being five years older than Malcolm, the two were previously never able to play with or against each other in competition, making Friday's game that much more special.
"No we weren't (able to play together), when I left the OHL that's when he came in and I know he got to play with my brother Jordan," P.K. said. "I've never had the opportunity to play against any of them so it'll be pretty special seeing him on the other side tonight."
The pair's father, Karl, will also be in attendance, and will be rocking a Golden Knights jersey as he's supporting Malcolm during the Golden Knights' first father's trip.
"For sure it's pretty special," P.K. said of having Karl in attendance. "Just like any other brothers that have ever played with each other or played against each other, it's a pretty special moment when you do it and for him (Malcolm) I think he's worked really, really hard to get to the NHL and the start of his career's been great. So just going to take in the whole moment."
“Hopefully not once.” — Malcolm Subban when asked about the once in a lifetime chance to face his brother.
As fate would have it, both the Predators and Golden Knights enter Friday riding hot streaks that sees Nashville with an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games, while Vegas is 7-3-0.
