One thing is certain when the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets meet: There will be goals, lots of goals.

Wednesday night was no exception, as the Maple Leafs skated to a 7-2 trouncing of the Jets. For both clubs, there was a lot to like and a lot to hate about how they kicked off the regular season.

Here are four takeaways from the 2017-18 season's first game:

Maple Leafs firepower is incredible

It wasn't necessarily a secret, but the Maple Leafs reminded the Jets that their lineup is offensively sound.

The Maple Leafs fired seven pucks past Jets netminders, resulting in six players picking up multiple points, including Auston Matthews and James van Riemsdyk with three apiece.

The Maple Leafs really showed just how offense-heavy their top-nine is, as Zach Hyman was the only member of the top three lines who didn't register a point.

It's not enough to just key in on Matthews and William Nylander.

Jets goaltending still has holes

Earlier in the day, Jets head coach Paul Maurice said that his team would need "average goaltending" this season if they want to improve. Well, they got anything but that Wednesday.

Steve Mason was pulled early in the third period after giving up his fifth goal on just the 20th shot. Connor Hellebuyck entered in relief, but didn't fare much better, giving up two goals on the 11 shots he faced.

The Jets controlled the majority of the play to begin the game, and there's no question the rest of the club must've felt defeated by the goals against.

Heading into the season, goaltending was the Jets biggest question mark and is key to their postseason potential. If tonight's trend continues, it seems the club will be back to square one.

Marleau with a memorable debut

Then there was Patrick Marleau.

In his first regular-season game not with the San Jose Sharks, the veteran looked anything but 38 years old, finishing with two goals, including a dazzling first as a Maple Leaf off a slick feed from Matthews.

Marleau fired five shots on goal, played on both the power play and penalty kill, and even threw his body around. He might be oldest Maple Leafs forward, but he by no means looked out of place.

Andersen helped Leafs weather Jets' barrage

While the Maple Leafs' offense was the story of the night, things could've looked a lot different if Frederik Andersen hadn't had such an amazing game - actually, first period, to be more precise.

The Jets took the game to the Maple Leafs early in the first, thanks in large part to three power-play chances. In all, the Jets hammered 17 shots at Andersen in the first period with nothing to show. Andersen would keep the Jets off the board until late in the third, and finished the night with 35 saves on the 37 shots thrown his way.

Andersen got a full training camp and is injury-free - which wasn't the case last year - and if Wednesday was any sign, it appears to have done the 28-year-old wonders.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames are having talks with the camp of Jaromir Jagr Sunday night, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

LeBrun says there is no certainty that a contract will get signed between the two, but that "it is very possible."

The report comes a day after Jagr tweeted an interesting photo of his cat with a bottle of tequila and a stash of money with the caption: "Look, I just tell my cat, there is a chance to play in NHL this year".

Jagr remains without an NHL contract with the regular season now just three days away. On Friday he told a Czech publication that he would not skate with a Czech league team this weekend as he continues to negotiate a potential NHL contract.

This came after St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong noted his team had internal discussions about signing Jagr earlier in the week.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

This year's second overall selection, Nolan Patrick, has cracked the Philadelphia Flyers opening night roster, according to general manager Ron Hextall.

The news doesn't come as too much of a surprise given Patrick entered this year's draft as the No. 1 rated prospect by NHL Central Scouting. Nevertheless, the 19-year-old had a fairly underwhelming preseason wherein he tallied just three assists in six games with his biggest highlight coming when he dropped the gloves with Boston Bruins forward David Krejci.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Last season, the Pacific Division housed the Art Ross, Hart, and Norris Trophy winners in Connor McDavid and Brent Burns.

The two are among the most thrilling players in the game today, and with the league's newest franchise now in the fold, there is certainly plenty of reasons to keep an eye on the Pacific Division this season.

The Pacific features several cubs looking to build off of last season, but with only eight playoff spots up for grabs, some are sure to be left disappointed.

Here's how things could pan out this year.

Edmonton Oilers

Led by McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers are primed to be even better than they were last season. The club should benefit from the Jordan Eberle-Ryan Strome trade, and also added Jussi Jokinen, who'll likely provide some added offensive depth.

With another year under their belts, players such as Drake Caggiula and Darnell Nurse are going to be better. If Jesse Puljujarvi can finally step into the lineup, the Oilers should be well on their way to a division title.

Anaheim Ducks

Despite losing Shea Theodore to the Golden Knights in the expansion draft, the Ducks still boast one of the premiere defense corps in the league.

Last season, Anaheim had just the 18th-best offense but still finished with the third-best record in the Western Conference and top spot in the Pacific. One of the team's most glaring issues was Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry combining for just 34 goals - after Perry tallied 34 himself in 2016.

The Ducks will be without Ryan Kesler, Hampus Lindholm, and Sami Vatanen to start the season, but they'll ultimately challenge for another division title, given their depth throughout the roster.

Calgary Flames

The Flames had probably the most productive offseason in the NHL. The team acquired Travis Hamonic and Mike Smith while also re-signing Michael Stone.

Calgary enters the season with the strongest defense corps in the league - now that Ryan Ellis of the Nashville Predators will miss the first couple months of the year - and in a relatively weak division, the Flames will compete for a top-three finish.

San Jose Sharks

The Sharks' window appears to be closing, as Patrick Marleau's move to the Toronto Maple Leafs would hint at.

That being said, the team is still strong with Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, and Brent Burns manning the ship. A playoff spot is expected, but a division title is probably out of the cards.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings restructured their front office and coaching staff this offseason with the hopes of getting back to the postseason. However, they did very little to fix their roster.

The club's lone significant addition was Mike Cammalleri. The 35-year-old should give a boost to the Kings' offense, but fixing last season's 25th-ranked offense on his own is highly unlikely.

Arizona Coyotes

The additions of Derek Stepan, Antti Raanta, and Niklas Hjalmarsson surely give the Coyotes a bump, but don't expect them to skyrocket up the standings.

The club is poised to feature plenty of rookies and young stars. The future is bright, but don't expect the likes of Clayton Keller, Dylan Strome, Christian Dvorak and Co. to be able to make immediate impacts.

Vancouver Canucks

Barring a dramatic turnaround from Daniel and Henrik Sedin, the Canucks are unlikely to have much of a rebound from last season.

The club added Sam Gagner, Thomas Vanek, and Michael Del Zotto this offseason, and while the trio might be an improvement, these three are not going to propel the Canucks up the standings. In the end, the basement of the division is where you can expect to find Vancouver.

Vegas Golden Knights

Hockey is coming to the desert, but don't expect championships or division titles anytime soon.

The Golden Knights should be exciting and competitive with the likes of James Neal, Theodore, and Marc-Andre Fleury, but they still need more time to tool their roster and develop. A last-place finish is their most likely outcome.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Who says preseason games are meaningless?

Sure, results might not be the top priority, but for many players - especially those getting their first NHL tastes - preseason hockey allows players the opportunity to make an impression on coaches and management.

This exhibition season has been no different. Roughly two weeks into training camp, several rookies are putting up strong numbers and have made it hard not to take notice and consider a roster spot.

Here are five rookies who have turned heads this preseason:

Brock Boeser - Canucks

The last two seasons haven't been fun for the Vancouver Canucks. However, if there's one bright spot in the organization it might very well be Brock Boeser.

The former University of North Dakota star signed with the Canucks last season, and after a small nine-game stint at the end of the year - when he scored four goals - he's giving some hope to Canucks fans.

Through three preseason games, Boeser paces the NHL with four goals and six points. The Canucks had the second-worst offense last season, so Boeser looks to be just what the doctor ordered.

Clayton Keller - Coyotes

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Keller has long been on the NHL radar, and a spot on the Arizona Coyotes' roster this season was assumed, but nevertheless the 19-year-old has had an extremely productive preseason.

In two games, Keller has two goals and three assists - tying him for second in preseason scoring - highlighted by a two-goal, one-assist outing in a 5-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks earlier in the week.

Keep your eyes on Keller, as it looks like he could be in the running for the Calder Trophy this season.

Kailer Yamamoto - Oilers

It might be early, but it looks like the Edmonton Oilers may have snagged a steal in this year's draft.

Yamamoto - plucked with the 22nd overall pick - is quietly making a solid impression in his first taste playing against men. In three preseason contests, Yamamoto shares the league-lead in goals (four) with Boeser, and also has an assist.

He might still be a stretch to crack the Oilers' roster at just 18 years old, but he's certainly put the club on notice.

Logan Brown - Senators

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

Other than defenseman Thomas Chabot and arguably Colin White, the Ottawa Senators' prospect with the biggest upside is 2016 first-round pick Brown, and this preseason he's proving why.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder has the body to be a menacing power forward and he looks to have the hands to be effective in tight. Thanks to a two-goal, one-assist performance Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens, Brown has a respectable three goals and four points in two games.

Derick Brassard is out with a shoulder injury, and while his return appears to be imminent, Brown is proving he can challenge for a center spot.

Tomas Hyka - Golden Knights

Tyler Wong might have gotten most of the spotlight after scoring three goals and an assist in the Golden Knights first preseason contest, but Hyka has been equally impressive.

In two games, Hyka has three goals and four points, with two multi-point contests.

He was one of the Golden Knights' first free-agent signings in June after coming over from the Czech Republic, and unlike many rookies, has age on his side at 24 years old.

Hyka has the hands and offensive awareness to jump to the NHL, and with more experience playing against older competition, he should have an edge on many other first-year players.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

This year's free-agent class won't go down as the strongest that's for sure, but that doesn't mean there aren't some quality players to be had.

Related - Ranking the top 80 unrestricted free agents: 10-1

Topping the list - especially after the signing of T.J. Oshie on Friday - is defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. The 28-year-old is in his prime and has become one of the premiere offensive defensemen in the league over the last couple seasons.

He should garner a raise from his previous $4.25-million annual average, but who stands the best chance at landing the right-hander? Let's take a look.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning look to be among the teams getting ahead of the game, making their pitch to Shattenkirk.

On the first day of the negotiating window with potential free agents, the Lightning reportedly reached out to Shattenkirk. The Lightning certainly fit the bill as a potential landing spot for the veteran D-man.

They have over $23 million in cap space and, as they sit on Monday, have just three defensemen locked up to deals. Joining Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman would certainly help further bolster the club's blue line.

The Lightning had the sixth-most potent power play this past season, but with Shattenkirk at their disposal, they could challenge for top spot.

New York Rangers

The New York Rangers right away appear to be the front-runner to land Shattenkirk.

The team has the need for Shattenkirk and his services, while it has also become known around the league that the former Washington Capitals defender would like to play in the New York area to be closer to home. In fact, a quick glance at Shattenkirk's Twitter profile will tell you just how special that would be to him.

The Rangers recently freed up a bunch of cap room by buying out Dan Girardi's contract and by shipping both Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to the Arizona Coyotes. They have the space and after Rick Nash's $7.8 million comes off the books following the 2017-18 season things will fit even nicer.

New Jersey Devils

Just a short skip across the pond is New Jersey, another club that would certainly fit the bill for Shattenkirk.

The New Jersey Devils would provide Shattenkirk that close-to-home prospect, while Shattenkirk would also be able to walk in as the team's undisputed No. 1 D-man.

Shattenkirk's 56 points this season were 25 more than Damon Severson, who led all Devils blue-liners with 31 points. The Devils also possessed the 22nd-ranked power play, a spot where Shattenkirk and his 27 power-play points could also lend a hand.

Columbus Blue Jackets

If the Columbus Blue Jackets could swing Shattenkirk it could help give them one of the stronger defense corps in the league.

The club is fairly solid for the time being with Seth Jones, David Savard - who continues to improve - Jack Johnson, and Calder Trophy nominee Zach Werenski.

That being said, their defense could use another right-handed defenseman and Shattenkirk is just that. His offense would certainly be a welcome, but on a young back end, Shattenkirk could also be a nice veteran addition.

Up front the Blue Jackets are pretty solid - especially with the acquisition of Artemi Panarin. Meanwhile, Sergei Bobrovsky manning the back isn't bad either. Adding Shattenkirk could make the Blue Jackets a serious contender in the East.

Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres are close to New York and they are in desperate need of some help on defense, so of course Shattenkirk makes sense.

Outside of Rasmus Ristolainen the Sabres' defense lacks any real offensive threat. Meanwhile, their back end as a whole remains largely inexperienced.

What could also bode well for both parties is that - surprisingly - the Sabres led the league in power-play proficiency last season with a 24.5 percent success rate and Shattenkirk should only make them better.

It's also worth noting that the Sabres have the most cap space available of any team.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The 2017 NHL Draft has come and gone, and all 31 teams will exit Chicago with varying degrees of satisfaction regarding their respective hauls.

• Draft Grades: Central Division
• Draft Grades: Pacific Division
• Draft Grades: Atlantic

While we can't truly know how they all fared for a few years yet, we've assessed how each club made out at first glance.

Here's our take on the teams in the Metropolitan Division:

Carolina Hurricanes

Draft picks

Grade: B+

The Carolina Hurricanes were able to nab four picks in the first three rounds. Leading the pack is Martin Necas, who ranked fifth among all European skaters by NHL Central Scouting. He's a skilled Czech forward with leadership qualities - nothing not to like here.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Draft Picks

Grade: C-

The Columbus Blue Jackets didn't make a selection in the first round after dealing their pick to the Vegas Golden Knights for expansion draft considerations.

They used their top two picks on forward Alexandre Texier and goaltender Daniil Tarasov. Given that Tarasov didn't play a single game this season, he looks to have been a huge risk for the club.

Luckily, with Artemi Panarin now in the picture, the team's prospect pool might not be the Blue Jackets' top priority for the time being.

New Jersey Devils

Draft picks

Grade: A-

The New Jersey Devils got a bit of quality and a lot of quantity.

With the first overall selection, the team nabbed Nico Hischier from the Halifax Mooseheads. The super skilled forward should be able to step right into the NHL.

In all, the Devils made 11 selections in the two days, stocking their prospect pool as they look to rebound from a poor 2016-17 season.

New York Islanders

Draft picks

Grade: D

There's a reason why New York Islanders GM Garth Snow wanted two first-round picks for Travis Hamonic.

The club didn't have a selection until midway through the second round, which they used on defenseman Robin Salo. Early on, he looks to be a stretch of a pick after being ranked 20th by Central Scouting among European defenders.

New York Rangers

Draft picks

Grade: B+

Getting two selections in the first round is certainly a win for the Rangers.

Lias Andersson has great size and the tools to be very effective around the net, while Filip Chytil models his play after Auston Matthews, according to NHL Central Scouting.

Philadelphia Flyers

Draft picks

Grade: A

Given that many mock drafts, and even NHL Central Scouting, had Nolan Patrick as the No. 1 player in the draft, the Philadelphia Flyers are certainly pleased with how things worked out Friday.

The club went a little bit off the board with its next pick, selecting Morgan Frost in the first round, but made up for that by trading up to grab Isaac Ratcliffe of the Guelph Storm.

In all, the Flyers got some great offensive options, and grabbed a solid goaltender in Kirill Ustimenko.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Draft picks

Grade: D

The Pittsburgh Penguins elected to use their lone first-round pick to acquire tough customer Ryan Reaves from the St. Louis Blues on Friday night.

Zachary Lauzon, whom the club snagged with its first pick at No. 51, was ranked 143rd among NHL Central Scouting's top North American skaters, meaning he clearly did something to impress the Penguins brass.

Washington Capitals

Draft picks

Grade: D

There's a price to pay for winning the last two Presidents' Trophies.

The Washington Capitals didn't have a selection until late in the fourth round, largely due to the trade they made to acquire Kevin Shattenkirk, which included their first-round pick in this year's draft.

The Capitals had just four picks over two days - among the fewest in the league.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Islanders have traded defenseman Travis Hamonic to the Calgary Flames, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday morning.

On Friday, Islanders general manager Garth Snow was seeking two first-round picks in exchange for Hamonic, league sources told Arthur Staple of Newsday.

The 26-year-old is signed to a very manageable contract that has three years remaining with a cap hit of just $3,857,143.

Hamonic was limited to 49 games this past season and posted just three goals and 11 assists - his lowest totals since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign.

More to come.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Thursday's trade ahead of the NHL expansion draft pushed over the first domino in what's expected to be a frenzy of moves.

The Montreal Canadiens acquired budding star Jonathan Drouin from the Tampa Bay Lightning for prospect Mikail Sergachev, with a couple of conditional draft picks swapped as well.

The trade appears to be driven by the fear of losing a strong roster player to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft, which the Lightning had with Drouin and their abundance of riches at forward.

With the deal finalized, both teams will have to tweak their strategies as they head into next week's draft. Here are some adjustments likely to be made, and the implications of the deal, for each team:

Lightning

Off the hop, it appears likely it was the Lightning driving the bus in this deal.

Heading into the expansion draft, Tampa was faced with a bit of a conundrum up front: they had more than seven forwards they wanted to protect.

*Has no-movement clause.

Of course, prior to the deal, you could also add Drouin and his 53 points to that list. As it stands, it's fair to assume the Lightning will go the 7-3-1 route in terms of protecting players, with the forwards likely being Steven Stamkos, Ryan Callahan (due to his his no-movement clause), Nikita Kucherov, Alex Killorn, Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson, and Vladislav Namestnikov.

With Drouin in the mix, the club would likely elect to hang on to him, meaning one of the seven above would have to be exposed, lest a side deal was made with the Golden Knights. So the trade means Vegas will walk away with a significantly less skilled player than they would have pre-trade.

The deal allows the Lightning to safely protect their core forwards, while Sergachev will remain ineligible for the draft given he's still a rookie, so the team won't have to protect an extra defenseman.

Canadiens

For the Canadiens, the Drouin deal won't shatter any expansion draft plans, but certainly adds a wrinkle.

With Drouin in the mix, Montreal has another forward that will need protecting, meaning someone who might have thought they'd be protected going into the draft no longer will be.

Joining Drouin among Canadiens forwards likely to be protected would be Max Pacioretty, Andrew Shaw, Brendan Gallagher, Phillip Danault, Alex Galchenyuk, and Alexander Radulov.

That would leave the likes of Tomas Plekanec, Torrey Mitchell, and Paul Byron as those likely to be made available to the Golden Knights. However, that's without considering the team's defense, which will have three spots available to protect Shea Weber, Jeff Petry (who has a no-movement clause), Alexei Emelin, Brandon Davidson, Jordie Benn, Nathan Beaulieu, and, potentially, Andrei Markov.

This is the type of deal we all expected would come when the expansion draft parameters were laid out. Teams will try to find a way to make sure they won't lose one of their more valuable players for nothing.

Steve Yzerman and Co. were quick to notice that, and chances are they aren't the only team in that boat.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It didn't take long for the Montreal Canadiens and Jonathan Drouin to put pen to paper.

The Canadiens and Drouin agreed to a six-year contract worth a reported $33 million, according TVA Sports' Renaud Lavoie.

The contract caps off a wild couple hours for both parties after Drouin was acquired by the Canadiens in a trade for prospect Mikhail Sergachev and a swap of conditional draft picks.

Related - Big win in Montreal: Bergevin redeems himself by landing Drouin

The deal locks up Drouin for the foreseeable future at an average cap hit of $5.5 million per season. The 22-year-old was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1.

The contract also makes Drouin the second-highest-paid forward on the Canadiens' roster behind only Tomas Plekanec who is on the books for one more season at $6 million.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.