Sidney Crosby settled into his chair last Friday, gazed at a group of eager reporters, and flashed his patented aw-shucks grin. His plain outfit - white T-shirt, black jeans, comfortable sneakers - matched his tidy mop of hair and scruffy yet short beard. He very much looked like Sid the Kid, only a little older now.

In a stately, unimpeachable kind of way, Crosby is still the NHL's lead ambassador. His play remains elite. His words continue to carry weight. He just happens to be 35 years old and in the middle of his 18th pro season.

At All-Star Weekend in Sunrise, Florida, the Pittsburgh Penguins captain was asked about playoff races, the postseason format, and sharing the ice and a dressing room with longtime frenemy Alex Ovechkin. The conversation eventually turned to 26-year-old Connor McDavid - who surpassed Crosby as the consensus best player on the planet a few seasons ago - then to 17-year-old Connor Bedard.

"I had a chance to skate with him last summer and, yeah, just no weaknesses," Crosby said of Bedard, the next hockey phenom out of Canada. "It's pretty cool to see someone at that age be as dominant as he is."

Survey NHL stars about late-career Crosby and similar responses flow in: It's pretty cool to see someone at that age be as dominant as he is.

"The longevity," Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar said.

"One of the most complete players in the game," said Nathan MacKinnon, Makar's teammate and one of Crosby's closest pals.

"He has that presence when he steps on the ice. You just know he's out there, and there's only three or four guys like that in the entire league," Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said. "He still has that aura."

Added Vegas Golden Knights forward Chandler Stephenson: "He's the captain and the guy you'd want on your team - 10 times out of 10."

Born on Aug. 7, 1987, Crosby is the 42nd-oldest player among the 945 to appear in at least one NHL game this season. Overall, he's tied with Mikko Rantanen for 10th in points (61 in 50 games) and is on pace to record his seventh 100-point season. The only players aged 35 and older enjoying campaigns on par with Crosby's? Ovechkin and Patrice Bergeron.

Crosby has evolved as the sport's skill level and pace of play have ratcheted up during the salary-cap era. As McDavid put it, Crosby has made a habit of introducing "little tweaks" to delay any meaningful decline, seemingly always adjusting before the opposition can key in on a flaw. "Little different things here and there to keep opponents guessing," McDavid said. "He's done that time and time again. It's amazing to see."

In 2023, Crosby is slightly less dynamic and physical than his younger self. Yet the foundation and spirit of his game have barely changed. The two-way center with three Stanley Cup rings, a pair of Olympic gold medals, and a trophy case full of individual awards is still one of the NHL's smartest, most efficient players and a feared, below-the-hash-marks grinder.

"He's like a little bull," Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl said of the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Crosby's low center of gravity. "He's so strong on his skates. You can't knock him over. He's just so balanced."

"He can kill you in so many different areas, whether it's puck protection in the corner or net-front battles tipping pucks," said the 24-year-old Makar, who grew up idolizing No. 87 for his hockey IQ. "You always have to be aware of where he is."

"You could hit him as hard as you want, and he's not getting off that puck," said Adam Fox, a defenseman for the Metropolitan Division rival New York Rangers. Fox later added: "His brain isn't slowing down, either. He's one of the toughest guys to defend in the league."

Concussions disrupted the first half of Crosby's career, forcing him to consider retirement for a stretch in his mid-20s. A decade later, there don't appear to be any red flags surrounding his health. The passion to compete still burns bright, and the motivation to chase a fourth Cup remains alive. He'll be a month shy of 38 when his 12-year, $104.4-million contract expires in 2025.

"The second half of his career, he's stayed really healthy. I don't know when he's going to stop playing," MacKinnon said of Crosby, adding that the fellow Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, native is "a little bit more chill" as a veteran star.

Which part of Crosby's repertoire does MacKinnon nerd out on?

"The way he thinks the game. And that's in his own brain, so you can't really copy that," MacKinnon said. "But he plays at his own pace out there. He really controls the tempo of the game when he's on the ice, which is hard to do. It's not always with his speed or his power, just the way he's always in the right spots."

The relaxed setting of All-Star Weekend offered a rare in-season opportunity to mingle with rivals. Crosby's hockey stick was an item of curiosity for several players. The shaft is short and stiff, and the blade sports hardly any curve. The tool used to pot 1,470 points in 1,158 career games, not to mention the 2010 Olympic golden goal for Canada, is both iconic and an anachronism.

"Anything that had the Crosby name on it, I wanted in my hands," Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner, 25, said of using Reebok sticks as a kid. "It's cool now to be in the locker room with him and be kind of shooting the crap."

Asked if he'd ever use Crosby's stick in a game, Larkin laughed and said "no chance." It simply doesn't have enough whip or flex. Larkin would rather marvel from afar, as would Elias Pettersson.

"When I was like 16, 17," said the 24-year-old Vancouver Canucks forward, "I switched to a more straighter blade. I played my worst hockey. I could barely shoot. I learned my lesson."

Along with Draisaitl and Patrick Kane, Crosby is on the shortlist for best backhand in the NHL. "His backhand and forehand, it's almost the same thing," said David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins. Crosby often combines quick footwork and extreme leg power - his thighs, for one, are legendarily large - to befuddle defenders and then deliver a nifty backhand pass or shot.

"He's competitive as hell," Marner said.

New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson notes Crosby couldn't have maintained a world-class standard for nearly two decades if he didn't obsess over his craft on a daily basis, honing in on the smallest of details. "The fact that Sid is having another big year doesn't surprise me," he said.

McDavid and local favorites Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov attracted plenty of attention last week in South Florida. However, Crosby and Ovechkin, faces of the league for so long, were the true rock stars behind the scenes. They remain untouchables, hockey celebrities to many of their peers.

"You say hi, but at the same time, they are big names. You don't want to bother them too much, right?" said Pastrnak, who's in his ninth NHL season and is fourth in league scoring.

"Anytime you get to talk to and be in the presence of somebody like that, that's such a legend, it's pretty awesome," Makar said.

"One day they won't be here, and it won't feel like an All-Star Game," MacKinnon said.

Jack Hughes has lost count of the number of times his New Jersey Devils have faced off against Crosby and the Penguins. The teams played each other on eight occasions in the 2020-21 pandemic-shortened season alone. Yet the shine of lining up across from Crosby hasn't worn off.

"He's still got it," the 21-year-old said. "You walk into Pittsburgh, and you're playing Sid. He was the best when I was growing up.

"It's pretty cool he's still doing it at this age."

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Sidelined to start the season thanks to shoulder surgery, Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk watched his team explode out of the gate in October and says half-jokingly that he began to worry.

"Ah, I hope I don't come back and mess this thing up!" a smiling Grzelcyk said Wednesday from his dressing room stall at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

Grzelcyk, of course, didn't mess anything up. Later Wednesday, the Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 to stop a season-long skid at three games and elevate their record to 39-7-5 ahead of the All-Star break.

The Bruins were riddled with uncertainty coming out of the offseason. They had a new coach, an aging core, and injuries to key players. Boston was a popular choice to either miss the Eastern Conference playoffs or barely make them. Toronto and the Tampa Bay Lightning were expected to rule the Atlantic Division, while the Bruins would be chasing down the third spot alongside the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, and Detroit Red Wings.

Now, 51 games later, the Bruins are on pace for a stunning 134 points. That would establish a new NHL record, while their projected 62 wins would tie the 1995-96 Red Wings and 2018-19 Lightning for most all time. None of the factors identified in the preseason have proved to be an issue, while a number of Bruins players - chief among them forward David Pastrnak, goalie Linus Ullmark, and defenseman Hampus Lindholm - are enjoying career years.

"You couldn't have predicted this," Grzelcyk said.

One catalyst for the Bruins' unexpected dominance: Coach Jim Montgomery telling his defensemen to be more aggressive in the offensive zone.

"He showed us a lot of video early on, and he would say, 'Instead of being here, you want to be a little bit lower.' Or, 'Instead of having to play rush defense, why don't you try to keep the puck in?'" Grzelcyk said. "We'll spend 20 extra seconds in the offensive zone now, where the other team is trying to flip the puck out for a change but they just can't. This approach allows you to go right back down their throat, versus always being conscious defensively."

Added Lindholm, who's racked up 33 points in his first full season in Boston: "If you look at the teams that have had success over the years, they have five players involved both defensively and offensively to create that offense."

In Grzelcyk's eyes, the Bruins have two No. 1 defensemen in Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy. "He's 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, and he literally skates like he's 5-foot-7. It's insane," Grzelcyk said of Lindholm. "He's supercompetitive, too. He's played a hard game for us this year - harder than people on the outside probably think - and he takes a lot of pride in shutting the top guys down."

One thing Montgomery didn't have to tinker with was the Bruins' culture. Led by captain Patrice Bergeron and alternate Brad Marchand - who learned from retired Bruins great Zdeno Chara - Boston's veterans set a daily standard of professionalism, focus, and togetherness.

"Everyone holds himself to a certain level and accountability. It starts with our leaders and then works its way down," defenseman Brandon Carlo said. "(Montgomery's) recognized that as well, that it's not necessarily something he needs to be harping on us because we're already hard enough on ourselves."

Lindholm, acquired at last year's trade deadline, joked, "It's not like you come here and you sign a waiver." It's instead obvious what's acceptable and not acceptable, and buying into the culture is a no-brainer.

"If you see your leaders and you see your top guys doing certain things, it makes it easy for you to do it as well, and then you pass it along to whoever comes in after you," he said. "It's fun that way, and you do accomplish things better when you're a big group. No one's valued more in this locker room than anybody else. Everyone's on the same page and fighting for the same thing."

Old man Giordano still thriving

What a career arc for Mark Giordano.

In 2004, he was signed as an undrafted free agent. Two years later, at 22, he made his NHL debut for the Calgary Flames. He didn't earn his first Norris Trophy vote until 30 then won it at 35. At 37, he was an expansion-draft selection by Seattle. He was traded a few months later to Toronto.

Giordano, now 39, is the oldest skater in the league - and a massive bargain. His $800,000 cap hit is money well spent for the Maple Leafs. In Giordano's 830 five-on-five minutes spread across 52 contests this season (he has yet to miss a game), the Leafs have outscored the opposition 35-24.

"He just manages the game really well," teammate Morgan Rielly said last week. To Rielly, experience is a big part of Giordano's game. "He really doesn't chase the game. He's calm. He has a good feel for when things are going well and when things need to change."

Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe was asked what he's learned about Giordano since the high-IQ veteran arrived roughly 11 months ago.

"I just didn't have a great enough appreciation for how much he battles, whether it's the shot blocks and getting in lanes or recovering or competing at the net front or engaging physically to kill plays and kill cycles," Keefe said.

At the All-Star break, Giordano leads the Leafs with 100 blocked shots.

"He makes very good reads to make sure the opposition has to come through him," Keefe said. "Mistakes that he makes are very few. Defensively, there's not a lot of times you notice somebody getting by him or him making a poor read."

Nobody deserves - or needs - the Leafs' nine-day break more than Giordano. Load management down the stretch would be wise, too. If the Leafs are going to finally make some noise in the playoffs, the old man must be well-rested.

Whirlwind continues for Horvat

All-Star Weekend can be a dizzying few days for players. They're pulled in every direction to meet fans, sponsors, and reporters. There's a social aspect to being around 40 of your peers. The on-ice portion is a giant production.

It's safe to say no All-Star will have his head spinning quite like Bo Horvat, who on Monday was traded from the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Islanders. On Thursday, he was fielding media questions from Fort Lauderdale.

"You never think about getting a trade call. Ever," Horvat, 27, said. "To actually get one, it was definitely weird. I really didn't know how to take it. It still hasn't sunk in, really, yet. I think it'll start to more and more when I get (to Long Island) and meet the guys and put on the jersey for the first time."

Technically, Horvat will be putting on New York's jersey for the first time this weekend. He's a member of the Pacific Division All-star Team, which means he'll play alongside former teammate Elias Pettersson one more time. However, the NHL wants him to rock an Isles jersey with his new No. 14.

"Four plus one is five and four minus one is three," is how Horvat and his wife landed on 14 after nine years of 53 in Vancouver. "I really had to concentrate to write '14' instead of '53' today," he said of autographing a jersey in Florida.

Horvat, a pending unrestricted free agent, says he hasn't thought much about a possible extension. He's trying to get through the weekend and then focus on the hockey part of the transition. Who can blame him?

Parting shots

Vincent Trocheck: Count on the New York Rangers winger breaking through offensively after the All-Star break. Trocheck's shooting percentage is 9.5% this season, down from 12.5% last year and 13.8% in 2020-21. He could be due for a rebound. He's also rung 10 pucks off the post and another off the crossbar; his total of 11 is tied with Elias Pettersson (seven post, four crossbar) for most in the NHL.

Trocheck, who's tied for ninth in the league in scoring chances off the cycle per game and tied for 11th in chances off the forecheck per game, lives around the net. He constantly creates high-leverage opportunities. Those posts and crossbars ought to turn into goals sooner than later.

Mini Sticks CO: Tucker Shedd, a defenseman for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL, is just 18 years old but is already giving back. Shedd runs the Mini Sticks Charitable Organization, a nonprofit supporting children who are battling cancer. The program offers tickets to Lancers games, a tour of the club's home rink, a seat on the bench for warmup, a shoutout on the overhead video board, and a care package to take home.

"I've never had to deal with cancer myself, but seeing it from the outside, I understand what they're going through," said Shedd, whose mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when he was 9. (She's doing well now.) "I know distractions can go a long way. It gives them a night off from what's going on in their life." Shedd plans on continuing the program at Michigan State when he starts college hockey in the fall.

Cousinly love: Philadelphia Flyers forward Kevin Hayes grew up around NHL players. His late older brother, Jimmy, played in the league and his cousins Keith Tkachuk and Tom Fitzgerald enjoyed long careers. This led to an interesting dynamic when Keith's kids, Matthew and Brady, started eyeing the pros. Guess who the younger Tkachuks listened to when it came down to hockey tips? "Keith would have me and my brother tell them things that he wanted to tell them," Hayes said with a smile Thursday at media day. "They thought we were really good because we were at Boston College or drafted to the NHL. It was funny, having Keith Tkachuk, (arguably) a Hall of Fame player, ask us about his kids because his kids don't want to listen to him."

Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's biweekly hockey grab bag.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The first domino has fallen ahead of the NHL's March 3 trade deadline.

On Monday, the New York Islanders acquired Vancouver Canucks captain and pending unrestricted free agent forward Bo Horvat in exchange for forwards Anthony Beauvillier and Aatu Raty and a first-round pick in the 2023 draft. (The pick becomes an unprotected 2024 first-rounder if it's in the top 12, while the Canucks retain 25% of Horvat's $5.5-million salary and cap hit.)

Let's look at the midseason blockbuster from the perspectives of Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello and Canucks GM Patrik Allvin.

Islanders' side of deal

Horvat, 27, is a proven goal-scorer and faceoff winner. In just 49 games, he's tied a career-high in goals with 31 (he's now scored 20 or more in six of nine NHL seasons) while maintaining an elite 56% win rate in the faceoff circle.

The Isles rank 25th in goals per game and 15th in faceoff percentage, so it's no guess why Lamoriello pursued Horvat. Even if the team and player can't agree on an extension ahead of July 1, there's a thread of logic to follow here.

Horvat will slot in as a top-six center at even strength. With the man advantage, the 6-foot, 215-pound left shot will likely assume the bumper role. The league's second-worst power play certainly needs fresh blood.

According to the numbers, Horvat isn't a defensive savant, which is OK. The 2022-23 Isles are less structured and tight than any team from the Barry Trotz era. Perhaps this trade is the start of Lamoriello filling his lineup with players better aligned with the riskier style established by new head coach Lane Lambert.

The timing is the curious part. The Isles, who co-lead the league in games played, are two points outside the playoff cutline. In other words, Lamoriello is making what's ostensibly a win-now move in what could be a non-playoff season. The GM has now traded every Isles first-round pick from 2020-23, and none of the previous moves - which brought in Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac, and Alexander Romanov - qualify as a home run.

What we don't know right now: 1) if Horvat is going to re-sign in New York, and 2) if Horvat is, in fact, extended, how much he'll earn and for how long.

If the Isles lock him up on a fair contract that doesn't run into his mid-30s, this trade could look smart even if New York doesn't find playoff success this year. If the Isles win only one round, but Horvat is a rental, it could look alright. If the team misses the playoffs and he's a rental, well, it'll undeniably look abysmal.

Another scenario: New York bows out of playoff contention early and flips Horvat to a contender before the deadline. Wouldn't that be a wild turn of events?

What's interesting about the Isles is they could potentially do serious damage in the playoffs with star goalie Ilya Sorokin (and, to a lesser extent, overqualified backup Semyon Varlamov). That must be a key part of Lamoriello's calculus here - let's push to get in and see what happens.

Overall, the range of outcomes is so wide that I don't love or hate this deal for the Isles. I'd rather not sit on the fence here, but it's true. This deal is risky, yet there's significant upside; it's promising, yet there's significant downside.

Grade: B-

Canucks' side of deal

There's a reason why I focused on the first-rounder in the discussion above - it's the crown jewel of this deal for the Canucks. It would be inaccurate to say Beauvillier and Raty are thrown-ins. At the same time, neither player is an NHL star now or projects to blossom into a star one day.

Beauvillier, 25, is a speedy puck hound with 457 games of experience. A change of scenery may unlock another level. However, it's more likely Beauvillier is what he is at this point: a 30-to-40-point middle-six winger. His $4.15-million cap hit through next season made the money work between capped-out teams.

Raty, 20, was arguably the Isles' top prospect - though that said more about the club's lack of blue-chip prospects than Raty's NHL ceiling. The 6-foot-2 Finnish winger is armed with a tremendous shot but is a work in progress. The consensus among draftniks is he'll settle in as a third-line center.

Look, I don't want to completely dismiss Beauvillier and Raty. There are older players and worse contracts the Canucks could have acquired from the Isles or another team interested in Horvat. Yet there's also no "wow" factor here.

Back to the first-rounder. The condition of the pick is super intriguing because there's a non-zero chance the veteran-laden Isles implode over the next year and the Canucks end up with a lottery pick in 2024. That, of course, is the best-case scenario. Picking outside of the top 12 in 2023 is still pretty good.

Vancouver is desperate to restock the prospect cupboard. Trading Horvat not only gives the club another pick in one of the next two drafts, but it also worsens the current squad, which should lead to fewer wins and better 2023 lottery odds. It'll snowball as other veterans are traded before the deadline.

Casting a cloud over the return for Horvat is how the Canucks found themselves in this situation in the first place. Instead of fully committing to a rebuild/retool years ago, if not this past offseason, they went ahead and signed Brock Boeser, Ilya Mikheyev, J.T. Miller, and Andrei Kuzmenko to multi-year deals. The overhaul will be long and painful, even if Allvin sticks to the plan.

It took them forever to get there, but the Canucks appear to be finally accepting reality and looking toward the future. Marks for progress - I guess?

Grade: B

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

When the NHL announced its Reverse Retro series for the 2022-23 season in October, there was a rush to rank the 32 new jerseys. The New York Islanders' entry - a remix of an infamous 1990s look - graded well, ranked fifth, 11th, 12th, 15th, and 17th by various media outlets, including theScore.

The Islanders would have dominated the competition if the rankings had been based on origin story instead of aesthetics. The "Fisherman 2.0" alternate, which will be worn for the sixth and final time Saturday night, is a throwback to one of the worst (and shortest) runs for a major pro sports logo and jersey.

The original Fisherman, a quintessentially '90s graphic with a burly seafarer, three-dimensional lettering, and wavy stripes, was worn for only the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons due to a "comedy of errors." That's how Nick Hirshon, a longtime Isles fan and author of the 2018 book "We Want Fish Sticks: The Bizarre and Infamous Rebranding of the New York Islanders," describes it.

The critical "error" was the logo leaking months before the planned unveiling. The New York Daily News printed it alongside an article ripping the Isles for departing from their classic look and pointing out that the logo's grimacing fisherman closely resembled the mascot for Gorton's frozen seafood. At the time, the club was only a decade removed from four straight Stanley Cups, yet failing miserably under general manager and head coach Mike Milbury.

The Daily News article established a mocking narrative around the rebrand.

"I don't know if the fan base would have embraced the logo anyway. There would have been comparisons to the Gorton's fisherman by other people," Hirshon said. "That said, the Islanders made a lot of mistakes. They did not have focus groups or fan interviews before they finalized the logo. They also didn't really have a good sense of how the fan base felt about the original logo or that fans would be really upset about seeing the departure from tradition."

According to Hirshon, the Isles' market research was limited to minority owner Stephen Walsh asking his young son for his opinion of a mockup of the fisherman logo (thumbs-up) and a front-office executive holding up an early version of the jersey for a group of college students (50-50 approval).

Sports branding in the '90s wasn't as sophisticated as it is now. Plenty of franchises skimped on research. However, the Isles cut too many corners in order to save money, Hirshon notes, and generally approached the rebranding exercise from a delusional vantage point. For instance, they opted for a loud jersey in hopes that rappers might wear it in music videos on MTV. The front office also thought Billy Joel - the Long Island native who wrote songs about the area, including one about fishermen, "The Downeaster 'Alexa'" - might suddenly become an Isles fan.

"Jack Nicholson doesn't sell a lot of L.A. Lakers tickets. Spike Lee is not the one selling New York Knicks tickets," Hirshon said of the team's odd fascination with Joel, who didn't have an official relationship with the Isles, even after the rebrand. "You don't go to games because a celebrity is going to be there."

Fast-forward 25 years and the approval rating is significantly higher for Fisherman 2.0. The logo and jersey are sharper - the crest really pops off the sweater, for starters - and enough time has passed since the mid-'90s debacle that the once-maligned brand is a source of pride within the fan base. It certainly helps that the franchise is on better footing, both on and off the ice.

"Right now, some people, especially the younger generation, just view the Fisherman as cool and retro," said Hirshon, who did some historical research as a consultant for a branding agency that helped the Isles with the relaunch. "It does have a very '90s, in-your-face kind of feel. It's unabashedly a fisherman, someone from Long Island, who has this big grimace on his face."

As for the other 31 teams ...

theScore asked designer and sports branding expert Todd Radom to identify his five favorite looks from this season's Reverse Retro collection. Radom, co-author of the 2020 book "Fabric of the Game: The Stories Behind the NHL's Names, Logos, and Uniforms," volleyed back with six very different styles.

San Jose Sharks

Inspired by the 1974 California Golden Seals, the Bay Area's first NHL team, the Sharks went for a "super-inventive" look with this "deep dive into history."

"It all makes sense from a delivery perspective," Radom said. "You're teaching people something without slamming it over their heads. It's educational and cool-looking, and those colors and that word mark - the fact it says 'Sharks' instead of 'Seals' - makes it incredible. I give them huge props. Love it."

Florida Panthers

Radom sees some NBA City Edition uniforms, an NBA equivalent to the Reverse Retro, and questions some of the color choices. He'll ask himself, "Why are the Detroit Pistons in gray?" No such question was required here.

"I look at that beautiful blue color," Radom said of the Panthers' throwback, "and I say to myself, 'Geez, it looks just like South Florida.'"

Mix in the beautiful crest, which was originally a shoulder patch, and it's easy to picture a sandy beach. The club's embracing its status as a nontraditional market. "Maybe this couldn't have happened 10, 15 years ago. It sure wouldn't have happened 20 years ago," Radom said. "But the timing is right."

Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights, a franchise only six years old, emphasized city over team with the diagonal lettering. The glow-in-the-dark feature is a fitting add-on.

Radom calls it "original," "very cool," and "ingenious," a dessert to the Golden Knights branding meal, seeing as he loves the team's home and away jerseys.

"It looks legit," he said. "It's got some gimmicks within it, but it's in a fun way and it works. It's Vegas. It should have some pizazz and sizzle and all of that."

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings made a huge nostalgia play and were smart about it, Radom says.

"The Kings played in yellow sweaters at home and purple on the road back in the day," he said. "To see it in white is awesome. It's something you'd think would have happened in 1967 but in fact didn't. It has relevance, it grabbed my attention, and all it took was that one little tweak to make it work."

It doesn't hurt that the crown crest is intricate yet not too noisy. It's regal.

Colorado Avalanche/Minnesota Wild

Radom grouped these two Western Conference fits together.

On the Avalanche's state flag crest: "I know there's people in Colorado who think the flag has been done to death. But I don't live in Colorado. I look at this and go, 'It's neat.' It's very bold and it gives me a good sense of place."

On the Wild's vintage color obsession: "I like how the Wild have stealthily transformed themselves into the North Stars. (laughs) Man, I just love the colors so much, and this is just something so unexpected overall. I mean, you're seeing a recolored Wild logo, which I think is very underrated."

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

When the NHL announced its Reverse Retro series for the 2022-23 season in October, there was a rush to rank the 32 new jerseys. The New York Islanders' entry - a remix of an infamous 1990s look - graded well, ranked fifth, 11th, 12th, 15th, and 17th by various media outlets, including theScore.

The Islanders would have dominated the competition if the rankings had been based on origin story instead of aesthetics. The "Fisherman 2.0" alternate, which will be worn for the sixth and final time Saturday night, is a throwback to one of the worst (and shortest) runs for a major pro sports logo and jersey.

The original Fisherman, a quintessentially '90s graphic with a burly seafarer, three-dimensional lettering, and wavy stripes, was worn for only the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons due to a "comedy of errors." That's how Nick Hirshon, a longtime Isles fan and author of the 2018 book "We Want Fish Sticks: The Bizarre and Infamous Rebranding of the New York Islanders," describes it.

The critical "error" was the logo leaking months before the planned unveiling. The New York Daily News printed it alongside an article ripping the Isles for departing from their classic look and pointing out that the logo's grimacing fisherman closely resembled the mascot for Gorton's frozen seafood. At the time, the club was only a decade removed from four straight Stanley Cups, yet failing miserably under general manager and head coach Mike Milbury.

The Daily News article established a mocking narrative around the rebrand.

"I don't know if the fan base would have embraced the logo anyway. There would have been comparisons to the Gorton's fisherman by other people," Hirshon said. "That said, the Islanders made a lot of mistakes. They did not have focus groups or fan interviews before they finalized the logo. They also didn't really have a good sense of how the fan base felt about the original logo or that fans would be really upset about seeing the departure from tradition."

According to Hirshon, the Isles' market research was limited to minority owner Stephen Walsh asking his young son for his opinion of a mockup of the fisherman logo (thumbs-up) and a front-office executive holding up an early version of the jersey for a group of college students (50-50 approval).

Sports branding in the '90s wasn't as sophisticated as it is now. Plenty of franchises skimped on research. However, the Isles cut too many corners in order to save money, Hirshon notes, and generally approached the rebranding exercise from a delusional vantage point. For instance, they opted for a loud jersey in hopes that rappers might wear it in music videos on MTV. The front office also thought Billy Joel - the Long Island native who wrote songs about the area, including one about fishermen, "The Downeaster 'Alexa'" - might suddenly become an Isles fan.

"Jack Nicholson doesn't sell a lot of L.A. Lakers tickets. Spike Lee is not the one selling New York Knicks tickets," Hirshon said of the team's odd fascination with Joel, who didn't have an official relationship with the Isles, even after the rebrand. "You don't go to games because a celebrity is going to be there."

Fast-forward 25 years and the approval rating is significantly higher for Fisherman 2.0. The logo and jersey are sharper - the crest really pops off the sweater, for starters - and enough time has passed since the mid-'90s debacle that the once-maligned brand is a source of pride within the fan base. It certainly helps that the franchise is on better footing, both on and off the ice.

"Right now, some people, especially the younger generation, just view the Fisherman as cool and retro," said Hirshon, who did some historical research as a consultant for a branding agency that helped the Isles with the relaunch. "It does have a very '90s, in-your-face kind of feel. It's unabashedly a fisherman, someone from Long Island, who has this big grimace on his face."

As for the other 31 teams ...

theScore asked designer and sports branding expert Todd Radom to identify his five favorite looks from this season's Reverse Retro collection. Radom, co-author of the 2020 book "Fabric of the Game: The Stories Behind the NHL's Names, Logos, and Uniforms," volleyed back with six very different styles.

San Jose Sharks

Inspired by the 1974 California Golden Seals, the Bay Area's first NHL team, the Sharks went for a "super-inventive" look with this "deep dive into history."

"It all makes sense from a delivery perspective," Radom said. "You're teaching people something without slamming it over their heads. It's educational and cool-looking, and those colors and that word mark - the fact it says 'Sharks' instead of 'Seals' - makes it incredible. I give them huge props. Love it."

Florida Panthers

Radom sees some NBA City Edition uniforms, an NBA equivalent to the Reverse Retro, and questions some of the color choices. He'll ask himself, "Why are the Detroit Pistons in gray?" No such question was required here.

"I look at that beautiful blue color," Radom said of the Panthers' throwback, "and I say to myself, 'Geez, it looks just like South Florida.'"

Mix in the beautiful crest, which was originally a shoulder patch, and it's easy to picture a sandy beach. The club's embracing its status as a nontraditional market. "Maybe this couldn't have happened 10, 15 years ago. It sure wouldn't have happened 20 years ago," Radom said. "But the timing is right."

Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights, a franchise only six years old, emphasized city over team with the diagonal lettering. The glow-in-the-dark feature is a fitting add-on.

Radom calls it "original," "very cool," and "ingenious," a dessert to the Golden Knights branding meal, seeing as he loves the team's home and away jerseys.

"It looks legit," he said. "It's got some gimmicks within it, but it's in a fun way and it works. It's Vegas. It should have some pizazz and sizzle and all of that."

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings made a huge nostalgia play and were smart about it, Radom says.

"The Kings played in yellow sweaters at home and purple on the road back in the day," he said. "To see it in white is awesome. It's something you'd think would have happened in 1967 but in fact didn't. It has relevance, it grabbed my attention, and all it took was that one little tweak to make it work."

It doesn't hurt that the crown crest is intricate yet not too noisy. It's regal.

Colorado Avalanche/Minnesota Wild

Radom grouped these two Western Conference fits together.

On the Avalanche's state flag crest: "I know there's people in Colorado who think the flag has been done to death. But I don't live in Colorado. I look at this and go, 'It's neat.' It's very bold and it gives me a good sense of place."

On the Wild's vintage color obsession: "I like how the Wild have stealthily transformed themselves into the North Stars. (laughs) Man, I just love the colors so much, and this is just something so unexpected overall. I mean, you're seeing a recolored Wild logo, which I think is very underrated."

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

As of 3:12 p.m. PST on Tuesday, or 72 minutes after the Western Hockey League's annual trade deadline, Everett Silvertips general manager and head coach Dennis Williams hadn't fully collected his thoughts following a whirlwind week.

"I've barely taken a breath," Williams said over the phone from the team bus.

Last Thursday, Williams guided Team Canada to a gold medal at the World Junior Championship in Halifax. He flew across the continent Friday, then spent four sleep-deprived days negotiating trades, eventually finalizing four.

One of Williams' deals looked like something drummed up by a fanatical NHL 23 gamer. Everett sent NHL prospects Olen Zellweger and Ryan Hofer to the Kamloops Blazers in exchange for a brain-breaking 14 assets - four players, Kamloops' first-round pick in each of the next four drafts, and six other picks (one conditional).

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the picks," Williams said of either using or flipping them. "But we'll have options and options are good to have."

He's far from the only executive with "options" after a rush of trade activity in Canada's major-junior leagues. The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League approved 34 trades involving 32 players and 61 draft picks in the week leading up to its Jan. 6 trade deadline. The Ontario Hockey League registered 29 trades involving 47 players and a whopping 94 picks in its final week. The WHL greenlit 23 deals involving 44 players and 56 picks.

In 11 of the 86 total trades, the scope of the deal stretched to seven or more pieces. These super blockbusters aren't new to junior hockey. However, as Jim Hulton, GM of the QMJHL's Charlottetown Islanders, put it, trade packages have "escalated rapidly" over the past five years. Super blockbusters have become normalized, expected.

theScore spoke with eight GMs about the forces driving these trade markets. Here's what we learned.

'Bit of a high-wire act'

The most publicized trade of the past week is a fitting place to start.

Shane Wright, the 19-year-old captain of Canada's gold medal-winning squad and a veteran of 13 games at the NHL and AHL levels, was traded with a conditional 14th-round pick to the Windsor Spitfires for two players and a host of draft picks: a second, a third, two fourths, a sixth, and conditional fifth- and sixth-rounders.

Wright, who was granted exceptional player status to join the OHL as an underager in 2019, is purely a rental. He'll be a full-time NHLer next year.

Still, the Spitfires were willing to fork over valuable assets to the Kingston Frontenacs, including young building block Ethan Miedema, in part because a star player in junior tends to have a greater impact on wins and losses than a star in the pros. Windsor's ceiling rose significantly with the Wright addition.

"You just don't see players who are at their peak at a certain level - who can really, truly dominate - being traded in pro leagues," Soo Greyhounds GM Kyle Raftis said. "You rarely see an NHLer at his absolute peak being traded."

While teams in the WHL and QMJHL are allowed to swap first-round picks, OHL teams are not. Years ago, the league introduced the restriction to disincentivize long, winding rebuilds, Barrie Colts GM Marty Williamson said. Theoretically, it "protects" GMs from going all-in at every deadline.

Taking first-rounders off the table upgraded second-round picks to top trade chips. Yet when it comes time to actually draft players, a second is still a second. This dynamic leads to larger packages. For instance, instead of pairing a first with a second and a prospect - three pieces - a buying team might offer three seconds with three thirds and a prospect, or seven pieces.

"It looks like a lot, but it's the standard," Frontenacs GM Kory Cooper said of the Wright haul. Spitfires GM Bill Bowler, who's "ecstatic" Wright's a Spitfire, added: "It may look steep, but in my opinion it was a fair deal."

Cooper didn't know if Wright would be sent back to junior until after the gold-medal game last Thursday. Armed with a no-trade clause in his contract, Wright held the power, so he and his agent narrowed down the market for Cooper. The list of interested parties started at around seven and dwindled to four, then two, before the "exhausting" process concluded Monday.

Cooper characterized attempting to align the interests of the Frontenacs with the interests of Wright's camp, his NHL team in Seattle, and the Spitfires as "a bit of a high-wire act."

"It's like buying a house," Bowler said. "One person thinks it's worth this and the other person has another opinion. You look at history, you look at comparables, and you try to come up with what you think makes the most sense. You have to find a partner who can get on the same page."

Draft picks rule the day

Another reason why draft picks dominate these super blockbusters: Buying teams are often desperate to add a star talent but unwilling to part with a sought-after 16- or 17-year-old player.

"If you can't move a young player, we're going to have to compensate with more draft picks," Saginaw Spirit GM Dave Drinkill said. "That's where it blew up to the deal we decided on involving Pavel."

Drinkill is referring to Pavel Mintyukov, the NHL first-round defenseman who's having a fabulous sophomore season in the OHL, amassing 55 points in 38 games. The Ottawa 67's, who sit atop the overall standings, sent Saginaw nine picks, three of them seconds, for Mintyukov.

The Spirit are 24-11-2, tying them for second place in the Western Conference. Drinkill believes the club can make a run in the postseason. Why trade Mintyukov?

"There's a breaking point as a GM where the offer's too good and you have to look at the future as well," Drinkill said. "It stings a little bit now, but the draft capital allows us to have some flexibility moving forward, whether it's in the summertime or next year at the deadline."

The market for Mintyukov began with around seven teams "kicking tires," Drinkill said, and "by the end maybe four or five" were serious suitors. The group of deadline buyers, or tire kickers, is usually five teams deep, not seven, according to Raftis, who's been running the Greyhounds since 2014.

This year's seller's market, coupled with the fact that Saginaw is one of four OHL teams bidding to host the 2024 Memorial Cup (Raftis' Soo is another), dulls the initial shock of the Mintyukov deal. Only highly competitive teams are chosen to host, so Drinkill must keep next season top of mind.

Leagues also restrict which picks can be swapped. In the QMJHL, teams can trade picks a maximum of three years into the future, while OHL and WHL teams can trade picks a maximum of four years out. This, like the prohibition on trading firsts in the OHL, limits the number of tradable assets at any given time and, to use Williamson's word, "protects" GMs from themselves.

"It handcuffs us from being too out of control," Drinkill said of the four-year timeline. "That's a weird thing to say because you look at some of the deals and you go, 'That's a little out of control.' But I like the rule."

"These picks," Cooper said, "are our currency at the end of the day."

Some offers can't be refused

The consensus among the GMs interviewed is that historically, deadlines have played out something like this: One contender goes full-tilt in the QMJHL, stacking its roster with multiple marquee names. Several teams split the stars in the OHL. And trade activity in the WHL is relatively tame.

This year, the WHL's wow factor intensified as competition for trade targets grew fierce. In the final week of trading, the Blazers, Seattle Thunderbirds, and Winnipeg Ice all pulled off super blockbusters, while the Portland Winterhawks and Red Deer Rebels reeled in impact players via smaller packages.

The Vancouver Giants were one team that never intended to sell but ultimately did. GM Barclay Parneta told rival executives all year that captain Zack Ostapchuk wasn't available. Shortly after winning gold, though, Ostapchuk became a hot commodity. Even so, only a "crazy" offer would satisfy Parneta.

Three teams submitted unsolicited mega offers over the final few days, and Parneta felt compelled to share them with the Giants' majority owner and their head of business operations. "'Guys, this is insane,'" Parneta told them. "'This is something we might have to consider.' Then it just grew from there."

The eventual deal with Winnipeg - four players, three first-round picks, and a fifth-round pick for Ostapchuk - brought both new players and picks to Vancouver. It wasn't exclusively a short-term or long-term move, which was ideal for Parneta. "I'd love to say I'm a genius GM …" he said of his good luck.

"People might think this will be something normal," Parneta cautioned of this year's WHL deadline. "I think it's very unique with the circumstances of the Memorial Cup being held in Kamloops, other teams feeling like they can do something special, and there not being many sellers."

GMs across Canada brought up an overlooked factor affecting teams' deadline choices: Owners in all three leagues are anxious for playoff revenue after taking massive financial hits during the pandemic. That eighth-place team, for example, is buying or staying put - not selling - because the priority is securing home playoff games.

Today's GMs can also draw on better data to support extreme decisions.

"Years ago, there was enormous value put on your first-round pick. Then you start running the numbers, the analytics on draft picks, and how many of these are hits?" Hulton, the QMJHL GM, said. "You start doing the math on firsts, seconds, thirds, whatever, and they go to their owner and say, 'I'm confident that we can recover from this, and here's our recovery plan.'"

Hulton said some folks in the QMJHL believe the league's recent success at the Memorial Cup - champion at three straight tournaments - can at least in part be traced back to the top team's aggressive approach at the deadline.

At the same time, like many of his peers and those of us on the outside, Hulton is prone to raise an eyebrow when a super blockbuster comes across his feed.

"We've had conversations behind closed doors about where the prices are going," he said. "Where does it stop?"

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Technically, Thomas Hickey hasn't retired from pro hockey. The longtime New York Islanders defenseman has yet to file the paperwork to make it official.

For all intents and purposes, though, Hickey is retired, and he's already a few months into a second career, having transitioned to a studio analyst role with MSG Networks following his release from the New Jersey Devils during training camp. He works Islanders broadcasts alongside host Shannon Hogan on the pregame, intermission, and postgame shows.

For a rookie analyst, Hickey, 33, is polished and especially adept at translating on-ice tactics into plain English. His biggest challenges at the moment are learning TV industry lingo and presenting the right body language to the camera. It took a minute, but he has managed to reframe the Isles in his brain.

"I remember saying 'we' early on, and somebody was in my ear going, 'OK, watch the we. You don't want to say we,'" Hickey, an Islanders player from 2012-2022, said Thursday during a phone interview. "And I know (that's the proper approach) because I don't play for the team. ... It's something you try to snap out of."

After our conversation, the Isles lost 4-2 to the Edmonton Oilers, dropping their record to 22-16-2, points percentage to .575, and goal differential to plus-18. New York, which failed to make the postseason in 2021-22, is the Eastern Conference's second wild-card team heading into Friday's games.

"This team is where they deserve to be," Hickey said, before adding that it'll be a "fight until the very end" in the Metropolitan Division. The Isles are in fifth place with 46 points, four behind the third-seeded Rangers.

"It's clear that the bedrock of the team is goaltending, and the team will go as far as the goalies will take them," Hickey said of Vezina Trophy contender Ilya Sorokin (.925 save percentage) and backup Semyon Varlamov (.919). "Through 40 games, they've proven that's not going to be an issue and that's something you can rely on. And they've also proven they can score, too."

The Isles are icing essentially the same roster as last season, but first-year bench boss Lane Lambert has installed a less conservative system than that of Barry Trotz, the coach behind trips to the conference finals in 2020 and 2021.

Backstopped by elite goaltending, Lambert's Islanders are fine with exchanging more scoring chances and goals against for more chances and goals for. The results are promising: The Isles are up to 15th in the league from 23rd last year in goals per game - a 12th-ranked power play helps - while sitting eighth in goals against per game, the same as last year.

To Hickey, the starkest change from Trotz - who he played for - to Lambert, previously an assistant, can be seen in "the aggression in the offensive zone."

"Barry was conservative in the sense that when you're trying to win games 2-1 or 3-2, you don't need to risk having the defenseman pinch down the walls in the O-zone when it's maybe a 60-40 play," Hickey explained. "That's 60% you will get the puck, 40% you won't, and that 40% can really bite you.

"This year, it's a go-for-it mentality, and it's become somebody else's responsibility to fill in at the (vacant) point. You can create so much more offensive-zone time when you do take those educated risks and bets, keep a puck in, and then play in the other team's zone for 40, 50, or 60 seconds."

Lambert encouraging his blue-liners to pinch, and, as Hickey points out, to also join or lead the rush on the breakout, has the Isles ranking first in the league in goals by defensemen, with 25. Last year, New York's rearguards combined for 32 goals over 82 games, which tied them for 21st.

"The team is understanding that, after playing such a conservative game for so long, you can add risk and still win hockey games," Hickey said.

"What's the right amount of risk? I think they're still finding that out."

McDavid's underappreciated tear

Let's talk about Connor McDavid. More specifically, let's talk about the damage he's been inflicting on opponents night after night since October.

McDavid, who turns 26 next Friday and is now in his eighth NHL season, has amassed 33 goals and 42 assists for 75 points in 40 games. The Edmonton Oilers captain leads the NHL in points by 15, primary points by six, and points per game by 0.30. (Teammate Leon Draisaitl is second in all three categories.)

McDavid has been held off the scoresheet only five times all year and has factored in 53% of all Oilers goals. To truly understand what McDavid's been up to over the past three months, consider this: The Chicago Blackhawks have 80 goals in 37 games - just five more goals than McDavid has points.

McDavid's been comically hot for a while now, and I don't think he's getting enough attention. But I get it; McDavid's greatness is nothing new. And like LeBron James, he's never not been great, so we're a bit numb to it.

Assuming McDavid stays healthy, here are three plausible second-half scenarios:

Scenario 1: Continues current pace

McDavid, who hasn't missed a game this season and is nearly averaging a career high in ice time at 22:46, is on pace for 68 goals and 86 assists for 154 points. His best comparable in recent history is Mario Lemieux, who piled up 69 goals and 92 assists for 161 points in 70 contests in 1995-96.

Lemieux recorded 150 points or more three other times. Wayne Gretzky did it on nine occasions, while Steve Yzerman, Phil Esposito, and Bernie Nicholls all hit 150 once. That's it; five 150-point guys in NHL history. And only nine players have ever hit the 68-goal mark.

Scenario 2: Reverts back to career pace

It's possible McDavid loses his momentum in the second half and over his final 42 games produces at his career averages heading into the season.

If that's the case, he'll accrue 21 more goals (0.50 goals-per-game average) and 40 more assists (0.96), bringing his 2022-23 totals to 54 goals and 82 assists for 136 points. He'll still establish career bests in all three categories and likely win his fifth Art Ross, third Hart, and fourth Ted Lindsay trophies.

Scenario 3: Produces below career pace

While less likely, it's possible McDavid struggles. For argument's sake, let's say "struggles" means the superstar produces at half of his career averages.

Under these terms, 0.25 goals per contest over the final 42 games will lead to 11 more goals, while 0.48 assists per contest will yield 20 additional assists. His totals: 44 goals (ties career high) and 62 assists for 106 points in 82 games.

So, McDavid will still eclipse 100 points for the sixth time if everything falls apart from January onward. What a phenomenal first half.

Kings' Kaliyev slowing evolving

Arthur Kaliyev's calling card has always been his ability to fire the puck. The Los Angeles Kings, despite being well aware of on-ice red flags that were turning other teams away, drafted him 33rd overall in 2019 precisely for his goal-scoring.

However, Kaliyev's howitzer can take him only so far. When the puck isn't going in, for whatever reason, the 21-year-old winger must find subtler ways to make a positive impact. His transition to the pro ranks hasn't been seamless, but prior to going down with a lower-body injury on Dec. 20, Kaliyev had been flashing glimpses of a well-rounded game.

"He's realized the stats will come if you do all of the other things," Kings head coach Todd McLellan said recently. "He's added an element of physicality to his game that wasn't there. He's bigger, he's stronger, he's fitter. He's been able to improve his engine so that he can play more minutes at a higher pace. The improvement in his game has been noticeable over the last year."

Kaliyev, who's spent time on every forward line this season, is averaging just 12 minutes of ice a night. He's been active during his shifts, though, leading L.A. in shot attempts per 60 minutes (20.93, 146 total attempts) and sitting second in goals per 60 (1.29, nine total). Both rates are upgrades on last year's numbers when Kaliyev played 80 games as a wide-eyed NHL rookie.

As McLellan mentioned, Kaliyev has ratcheted up his physicality, going from 1.84 hits for per 60 and 6.29 against per 60 last season to 4.01 for and 7.45 against this season. It's a key development, as a lack of physical engagement and slow pace of play were the two main concerns ahead of the 2019 draft.

Is the hope, then, that the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder can evolve from a one-dimensional, trigger-happy forward to a trustworthy power forward who scores, wins puck battles, and bowls over the odd opponent? McLellan answered "yes," before wondering aloud about the player archetype.

"I don't know what a power forward is anymore," he said. "Is a power forward the guy who is running over guys and commanding ice? Or is a power forward the guy that's bombing pucks by a goaltender? Is he established in the crease or does he play on the perimeter and scores? I'm not sure what the definition is anymore. We're at that stage right now."

Parting shots

Sticky business: Trevor Zegras' stick broke mid-shift Wednesday, so he decided to steal one from the Dallas Stars' Joel Kiviranta - right out of the poor guy's hands. The face of the Anaheim Ducks was quickly issued a minor penalty for using an illegal stick. Nevertheless, it was an amusing sequence in a 2-0 Ducks win. (See below.) I found Zegras' postgame remarks especially funny. "Everybody knew it was a penalty but me, I guess," he told reporters with a veiled grin. He then added, "I tried to claim that I found it on the ice, which nobody was buying."

Tracking data: Earlier this week, NHL public relations passed along some 2022 player and puck tracking data highlights. Buffalo Sabres star sniper Tage Thompson recorded the hardest shot in a regular-season game - 101.69 mph on Nov. 8 against the Arizona Coyotes. Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot traveled the longest distance in a regulation game - 24,748 feet on March 14, also against Arizona. That's 4.7 miles or 7.5 kilometers. And McDavid skated the most total distance - 1,609,734 feet (305 miles/491 km) over 72 games during the calendar year. Wow, OK, now I'm curious about No. 97's crossover numbers:

Moritz Seider: The Detroit Red Wings blue-liner's points-per-game rate has dropped from 0.61 last year to 0.36 this year. It can be tempting to slap the "sophomore slump" label on Seider, but there's nuance here. How do the Red Wings view the Calder Trophy winner's performance so far in Year 2? "Excellent," head coach Derek Lalonde told theScore last week. "I think the biggest thing with Mo is that he's continuing to play winning hockey. It's not about offense. It's not about what he creates. It's about winning. You can see, in games where he's been really good and we've won, he's been a huge part of defending against their top line and leading the breakout. If the offense comes, great, but it's him managing his game, not turning pucks over."

Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's biweekly hockey grab bag.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Alex Ovechkin was about to be mobbed by teammates with a minute remaining in regulation Friday night, and all he could muster was a half-assed shoulder shrug. He'd just scored goal No. 802 into a vacant net.

Yes, 802 was anticlimactic for a larger-than-life man known for blasting one-timers and mortifying goalies for 18 seasons. But a goal's a goal, and Ovechkin's now second on the NHL's all-time goals list, surpassing the legendary Gordie Howe with that empty-netter against the Winnipeg Jets.

"Going to a bar right now. Hot dog, nachos, you know. Why not?" the always-colorful Ovechkin told reporters following the Capitals' memorable 4-1 victory.

Ovechkin, 37, now needs only 93 goals to break Wayne Gretzky's record - a revered goal-scoring standard many in the hockey world once believed would never be broken. The native of Moscow, Russia, is on pace to score 50 goals for the 10th time in his storied career. He's under contract with Washington for three seasons beyond this one, offering ample runway to reach 895 tallies.

Below is a breakdown of the five Ws - who, what, when, where, and why, though not in that order - pertaining to Ovi's prolific goal-scoring.

Why he's scored so many goals

Some goal-scorers are volume shooters. Others are sharpshooters.

Ovechkin is both.

He's accumulated a record 6,218 shots on goal during his NHL career, which is a mind-bending 2,398 clear of Eric Staal, who's second in shots since 2005-06. The difference between Ovechkin's and Staal's totals is roughly the same as the difference between Staal's and Viktor Arvidsson's, 230th on the list.

The NHL didn't start counting shot attempts until 2007-08. Unsurprisingly, nobody's even in the same universe as Ovechkin's 10,846. (No. 2 Brent Burns is at 7,406 attempts, or 3,440 behind Ovechkin, while No. 10 Evgeni Malkin trails by 5,443.) This unprecedented volume is attributable to his proactive approach. Ovechkin doesn't wait for an ideal shooting lane or angle. He funnels an average of nine pucks to the net a game and sees what happens.

Efficiency is the other separator. Ovechkin isn't the most efficient shooter in league history. Still, he's bagged 397 more goals than Phil Kessel - who's fourth in attempts since 2007-08 - partly because he converts on a higher percentage of his shots on goal. Ovechkin is a 12.9% shooter for his career, while Kessel, an elite sniper with 405 career goals, is a 10.8% shooter.

Ovechkin's generational shot is deceptive and quick off the stick and heavy and accurate in flight. He can outhustle, outsmart, or overpower the goalie or plainly pick a corner with some combination of hustle, smarts, and power.

For all of his gifts, Ovechkin doesn't surpass Howe or earn a career goals-per-game rate of 0.61 without help from playmakers. A total of 106 players have registered an assist on an Ovechkin goal, with longtime Capital teammates Nicklas Backstrom (278 assists), John Carlson (142), Evgeny Kuznetsov (104), Mike Green (70), and Marcus Johansson (57) leading the charge.

The best ability, as they say, is availability, and Ovechkin has a near-flawless attendance record in the NHL. Counting 2022-23, he's played every game in six different seasons and missed five or fewer contests in 10 of the other 12. All told, the self-proclaimed "Russian machine" who "never breaks" has missed 47 games in 18 years - including 27 due to injury and seven due to supplemental discipline for illegal hits, according to CapitalsOutsider.com.

On its own, Ovechkin's durability is commendable. After factoring in his involvement in on-ice collisions, it's nothing short of freakish. Ovechkin has delivered 3,379 hits in his career, and he's surely been on the receiving end of at least half as many. His ironman-like career can be partially chalked up to good injury luck. (How has he managed never to suffer a freak injury?) Yet, in another way, Ovechkin's had crappy luck thanks to two lockouts and a pandemic, which together removed 155 games he could have played in.

One last nugget on the logic-defying longevity: Ovechkin hasn't been on cruise control lately. It took him just 162 contests to jump from 700 to 800 goals, whereas Gretzky and Howe needed 231 and 256 games to do the same.

What types of goals he's scored

Ovechkin has never been a subtle hockey player. He's an assertive skater and body checker who turns on attack mode every time the puck enters his orbit.

Early-career Ovechkin was a heat-seeking missile who'd force his way into prime scoring areas, leaving lunging defenders in his wake. With his patented physicality toned down in recent years, late-career Ovechkin has devoted more energy to bombing pucks from his "office" inside the left faceoff circle.

In both scenarios, Ovechkin's an intimidating sniper relying largely on three types of shots - wrist, slap, and snap. Here's his shot selection since the NHL started tabulating shot types in 2009-10:

• 4,427 total shots (1st in the NHL by more than 1,000 over runner-up Patrick Kane)
• 2,026 wrist shots on goal (2nd)
• 1,104 slap shots (4th)
• 898 snap shots (1st)
• 245 backhand shots (23rd)
• 111 tipped shots (tied for 76th)
• 34 deflected shots (tied for 86th)
• 8 wraparound shots (tied for 378th)

(The breakdown doesn't cover Ovechkin's entire time in the NHL, but it's a sufficient sample capturing 986 of 1,310 regular-season games, or 75% of his career.)

And here's how many goals Ovechkin has scored with each shot type:

• 241 goals off wrist shots (2nd in NHL)
• 161 off slap shots (1st)
• 115 off snap shots (1st)
• 34 off backhands (tied for 21st)
• 24 off tips (tied for 55th)
• 8 off deflections (tied for 64th)
• 0 off wraparounds (tied for 401st)

The main takeaway here is goalies can probably be assured that No. 8 won't attempt a wraparound or crash the net for a tip or deflection, but he's perfected the standard shooting techniques. Ovechkin isn't a pure specialist like slap shot-obsessed Shea Weber or wrist shot-loving Vladimir Tarasenko, but he loves to grip it and rip it. And having not one or two but three deadly options is why he's been such a potent goal-scorer for nearly two decades.

As for which game situations Ovechkin tends to find success, well, he's first all-time in several categories, including power-play goals (292), game-opening goals (137), game-tying goals (140), go-ahead goals (271), and overtime goals (25). He also ranks second in game-winning goals (124), empty-net goals (54), and multi-goal games (163) and sits fourth in even-strength goals (505).

Ovechkin hasn't owned every possible game situation. He's been credited with only five shorthanded goals (though he's skated for just 193 total shorthanded minutes) and two penalty-shot goals (in a dozen opportunities).

Where he's scored his goals

When the Capitals erect a statue of Ovechkin (of course they will), he'll probably be frozen in celebration. As an exuberant celebrator and Stanley Cup champion, there are plenty of applicable moments to depict.

That said, a more appropriate (yet far less exciting) statue might portray Ovechkin waiting for a one-time pass on the power play, standing either straight-legged, like he often does, or mid-windup, like the photo below. This is what most fans see when they close their eyes and think of the Great Eight:

With the man advantage, Ovechkin has dined out from the left circle, his aforementioned "office." The opposition's inability over the years to minimize his one-timer is a testament to Ovechkin's shot. It also opens shooting threats elsewhere - for instance, Carlson from the point or T.J. Oshie in front - every time a penalty killer overcommits to covering Ovechkin.

Not unlike his peers, Ovechkin scores the bulk of his even-strength goals by firing pucks from the slot and crease areas. Heat maps and charts indicate his shot locations skew to the left side of the offensive zone, a byproduct of Ovechkin, a right-handed shot, lining up at left wing throughout his career.

Naturally, Washington tops the list of cities where Ovechkin has scored the most goals. Here's the rest of the top 10:

Who he's scored against, and when

Did you know Ovechkin's scored a record 409 goals on the road (but "only" 393 at home)?

Did you know the franchise Ovechkin scored his 801st and 802nd goals against - the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets - has allowed the most Ovechkin goals of all NHL franchises, with 52? The rest of the top five is filled with Eastern Conference teams - the Tampa Bay Lightning (50), Carolina Hurricanes (47), Philadelphia Flyers (45), and Florida Panthers (43).

Marc-Andre Fleury hasn't appeared in a single game for any of those clubs, but did you know he's allowed 25 Ovechkin goals, the most among the 166 netminders who've surrendered at least one? Others who have given up at least 15 are Henrik Lundqvist (24), Carey Price (22), Kari Lehtonen (22), Cam Ward (19), Ryan Miller (19), Ondrej Pavelec (18), and Sergei Bobrovsky (15).

Finally, did you know Ovechkin has scored 135 goals in the month of March, seven more than he's potted in November, the second-busiest month of the year? Or that Saturday (171 goals), Tuesday (141), and Thursday (135) are the days of the week in which Ovechkin has obliterated the competition?

One more: The Capitals rarely play Sunday, yet he has 80 Sunday goals.

Only 1,446 players in the 105-year history of the NHL have scored 80 goals. It's ultimately a random and trivial stat, but think about it for a moment - even Ovechkin's slowest, least-productive day of the week is prolific. Remarkable.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Los Angeles Kings opted for a roster reset a few years ago, adding speedy youngsters to replace plodding veterans and generally turning the page on the Stanley Cup triumphs of last decade. But management made it clear Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, and Jonathan Quick weren't going anywhere.

The plan was for those aging stars, with their lengthy and pricey contracts in tow, to be a part of the next era in L.A. Doughty's situation was the most complex because his deal was the longest (expires in 2027) and most expensive ($11-million cap hit).

It still stands out, actually. Doughty, now 33 years old, isn't quite as dynamic offensively as he was at 23. However, he remains highly effective in all three zones of the ice and is the unquestioned leader of a blue line featuring several under-25 defensemen: defense partner Mikey Anderson, plus Sean Durzi, Jordan Spence, and Brandt Clarke, who all shoot right-handed like Doughty.

Doughty's veteran-savvy play and hands-on leadership give him staying power as an organizational pillar. From afar, there doesn't appear to be a single person in the L.A. market criticizing Doughty's overall contributions. No one's calling him overpaid or underwhelming or lobbying for his departure.

"For those kids to have Dewey, it's hugely important," forward Alex Iafallo told theScore. "It's a mentorship, really, especially with defensive responsibilities."

Head coach Todd McLellan praised Doughty's dedication to the craft, rattling off habits younger Kings can absorb by studying No. 8's shifts. "The competitiveness, the precise passing, the ability to defend," McLellan said.

"Pride in defending is a big thing that isn't always found in young players anymore. Everybody's coming in, and they think they need (scoring) stats to stay. … Drew takes as much pride, or sometimes more, in the defending part. It's really good for our younger players, in particular, to see that."

The 2016 Norris Trophy winner and the runner-up in 2015 and 2018, Doughty's always been a first-pair guy. He's skating for 26:28 a night this season, the league's second-highest average but right around his career rate.

"He's very efficient," Durzi said. "If you watch him out there, he's not moving much. But he's always in a good spot. He puts himself in situations where he doesn't have to exert that much energy. That allows him to play that many minutes. One day, hopefully, I'll be able to incorporate that into my game."

Plenty of legit Vezina options

At the holiday break, roughly 40% through the season, one Russian, one Swede, and one American have emerged as Vezina Trophy front-runners.

If I were casting a vote right now, I'd have difficulty deciding between Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders, Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins, or Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets. All of them have fantastic numbers while shouldering substantial workloads. There's truly no wrong answer.

Gun to my head, though ... I'd go with Sorokin.

The Isles' transition from airtight defensive-zone play under Barry Trotz to leaky defense under new bench boss Lane Lambert hasn't affected the 27-year-old Russian. Ahead of Thursday night's games, Sorokin owned a league-leading goals saved above expected rate (0.49 per 60 minutes), according to Sportlogiq. This ability to rise to the occasion also shows in Sorokin's performance in high-leverage situations (.813 inner-slot save percentage, fourth among NHL starters) and night-to-night consistency (66.7% quality starts, tied for first among starters).

The case for Ullmark, meanwhile, revolves around his 18 wins and .937 save percentage, both tops in the league. The case against: One, wins are a team statistic, so take that data point with a grain of salt; Two, Boston is arguably the NHL's friendliest goalie environment, so his save rate is inflated.

The case for Hellebuyck, a native of Commerce, Michigan, revolves around dependability. He boasts similar basic and advanced stats to Sorokin and Ullmark while starting 25 of 32 games behind Winnipeg's league-average defensive environment. Hellebuyck's case is legit but missing any oomph.

A few Vezina dark horses to keep an eye on: Nashville's Juuse Saros (Finnish), the Rangers' Igor Shesterkin (Russian), and Colorado's Alexandar Georgiev (Bulgarian). I point out each goalie's nationality to highlight the diversity among the league's top stoppers. At the same time, it sure shines a light on the lack of standout netminders from Canada.

Hot backup goalie market

Young backup goalies Dan Vladar, Pyotr Kochetkov, and Stuart Skinner have all inked multi-year contract extensions over the past two months.

Is this a coincidence? A trend? A combination of both?

All three are between the ages of 23 and 25. All three were drafted outside the first round. All three are earning less than $1 million this season and had 33 games or fewer of NHL experience before inking the new deal. All three were scheduled to become restricted free agents this summer.

Most crucially to their respective clubs, Vladar, Kochetkov, and Skinner have all shown flashes of starter potential amid chaotic situations. Vladar re-upped with the Calgary Flames for two years at a $2.2-million cap hit as No. 1 Jacob Markstrom struggled. The Carolina Hurricanes secured Kochetkov for four years at a $ 2-million hit as regulars Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta battled injuries. Skinner and the Edmonton Oilers agreed on a three-year deal at a $2.6-miilion hit Monday as starter Jack Campbell, under contract through 2026-27, tried to find his groove after a horrendous first two months.

Is this a matter of teams trying to find value by investing in these backups before they take over the crease full time? Or does this mini-trend say more about the goalies seeing an opportunity while their value is high?

"It's a give and take," is how an assistant general manager working for another NHL team put it to me earlier this week.

"From the team's perspective, you understand the risk when you do these deals. They are unproven guys. But you're also really focused on the upside."

For instance, if Skinner becomes the unquestioned No. 1 guy for the Oilers and the club wins a playoff round or two, his extension, which doesn't kick in until next season, will look team-friendly. For that reason, the AGM was a "little surprised" Skinner and his camp opted to sign this early in the season.

"I guess the give and take there was that the team was going to walk Skinner right into (unrestricted) free agency with that four-year extension, right?" the AGM said. "He'll be a UFA when this new deal expires, so there'll be money waiting for him if he continues to make progress and becomes a true starter."

On the other hand, all three goalies likely salivated at the prospect of gaining security in the form of a one-way, multi-year NHL contract that included a hefty raise. In total, the extensions will pay Vladar, who's 25, $4.4 million; Skinner, 24, $7.8 million; and Kochetkov, 23, $8 million.

Regardless of trajectory, it's hard to walk away from guaranteed money, the AGM said. "That's a lot of money for guys not making much right now."

Ducks in worst-of-era territory

Technically, the Chicago Blackhawks are the NHL's worst team with a league-low .290 points percentage from 18 points in 31 games.

Peel back the layers of futility, and the Anaheim Ducks emerge as not just the worst squad in 2022-23 but potentially of the entire salary-cap era.

Anaheim has earned 21 points through 34 games for a .309 points percentage - still a depressingly bad rate. But the shock value can be found in two places: goal differential (minus-62) and regulation wins (three). The Ducks are on pace for seven regulation wins over the full 82-game season, which would be the fewest among the 548 teams to compete in the NHL since 2005-06. (The 2013-14 Buffalo Sabres collected only 11 regulation wins in 82 games.)

What's more, the defense-deprived Ducks are surrendering the most shots per game (37.9) and goals per game (4.2) of the cap era, while their special teams rank 31st and 28th this season. If you prefer advanced statistics, how about this doozy: Anaheim currently has the lowest five-on-five expected goals share of the analytics era (2007-08 onward) at an unfathomable 38.9%.

All of this losing increases the likelihood of the Ducks landing the first overall pick and drafting Connor Bedard. But losing this way certainly isn't helping the psyche of young, long-term core players like Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras.

Parting shots

Steven Stamkos: An early salute to Stamkos, who enters the holiday break with 497 goals in 954 regular-season games. The hockey world has been enthralled by 800-goal man Alex Ovechkin, and for good reason, so Stamkos' milestone chase has flown under the radar. With 46 players in the 500-goal club, the accomplishment isn't as prestigious as it once was. Yet Stamkos reaching 500 in his early 30s (he turns 33 in February) suggests 700 is possible, and there are only eight 700-goal guys. He's also a likable star and has always been a tremendous ambassador for the sport. He sniped 60 goals in 2011-12, a season in which just three others hit 40, and he authored an all-time playoff moment in Game 3 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. Remember when Stamkos scored on his lone shot of the postseason?

NHL officials: Weird week for on-ice officials. First, we watched referee Brandon Blandina let Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar talk him out of a tripping penalty. Then, linesman Dan Kelly was caught roughhousing Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting at the end of a period. Both sequences went viral. And hey, I applaud Makar's sportsmanship, and I'm all for getting calls right, but there's something supremely odd about a referee taking cues from a player. Bit of a slippery slope, no? As for Kelly, he didn't injure Bunting, so it's ultimately no big deal. The shoving was over the top, though. Sure, Bunting's a pest, but there's no need for hero behavior.

Rasmus Ristolainen: Almost everything is going sideways for the 11-16-7 Philadelphia Flyers. Forward Kevin Hayes, the club's leading scorer, was a healthy scratch last weekend. On Monday, the Flyers announced Cam Atkinson, another key forward, would undergo neck surgery and be shelved for the campaign. Meanwhile, defenseman Ristolainen, who's being paid $5.1 million a season to contribute at least some offense, has failed to record a single point through 27 games, despite skating for 18:29 a night. For context, 519 skaters have played 300 minutes or more this year, and Ristolainen and teammate Justin Braun are the only ones without a point. Heck, 14 goalies have recorded a point, and a couple of them even have two.

Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's biweekly hockey grab bag.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The milestones can come fast and furious for young NHL forwards.

First contract. First training camp. First game. First goal. First full season.

Ottawa Senators forward Drake Batherson hit two in succession earlier this year. First, he played in his 100th game. Then, with the blessing of a veteran leader, he skated helmetless in a pregame warmup for the first time.

"I had only gone to two NHL games in my life before I played in one. From watching on TV, guys going helmet off, I thought it was the coolest thing ever," Batherson told theScore Tuesday afternoon during a phone interview.

"It kind of gives the fans a close-up look of you in warmup," he added. "I don't know, it wakes me up a bit too, I find. Fresh air on the face, right?"

Practically speaking, taking warmup without a helmet is nothing more than a fun little perk to Batherson. But, from afar, it signals something significant for a late bloomer chosen 121st overall in the 2017 draft. It means he's no longer a newcomer and won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

Batherson, who turns 24 on April 27, is enjoying a breakout season, although health-related issues have stalled his momentum three times.

The Nova Scotia product missed five games in the fall for COVID-19 protocol, another 28 contests midseason after suffering a high-ankle sprain thanks to goalie Aaron Dell, and three more over the past week due to a non-COVID illness.

"Cold sweats, pounding headache, couldn't eat for four or five days, lost almost 10 pounds. It was pretty rough," Batherson said prior to scoring his 15th goal of the season in Ottawa's 4-1 road win over the Detroit Red Wings.

Despite the stops and starts, Batherson has recorded a career-high 39 points in 37 games. We picked Batherson's brain about his breakout, his rise through the ranks, teammates Tim Stutzle and Josh Norris, the Sens' future, and more.

Breaking through

Batherson, a right-handed playmaker, admits he's not the type to burst onto the scene. There's always been a "feeling-out process" every time he's graduated to a higher league - from Junior A to major junior, major junior to the AHL.

"Same in the NHL," he said. "First full year, some growing pains, still produced pretty solidly. And then, coming into this year, I knew what I could do because I did the best I could all summer to prepare. I wanted to be an impact player every night. I think I was doing a pretty good job of that (before the injury and illness), and that's the level I want to get back to down the stretch here."

Fresh off signing a six-year contract extension, Batherson arrived at camp feeling "really lean." He credits Andy O'Brien, the Halifax-based trainer of Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon, for getting him down to 198 pounds.

"We did a lot of mobility stuff, which I think I needed," Batherson said. "I had a huge growth spurt when I was 17, so I feel like I'm just kind of maturing into my body. I was even still growing as a second-year pro. I grew half an inch."

The 6-foot-3 winger dazzled in the opening stretch of 2021-22, recording a team-high 13 goals and 21 assists in the first 31 games. He was named an All-Star, but the ankle injury kept him from attending the Las Vegas event.

Batherson notes that Crosby, who battled through a high-ankle sprain early in his career, offered perspective and encouragement during his recovery.

"You can't get too frustrated, or else you'll drive yourself a little crazy," Batherson said of a roller-coaster season headlined by three four-point performances. "You've got to go with the flow and have a positive mindset."

Batherson is a hockey geek, that guy on the Sens who'll watch multiple games from his couch on a day off. He'll study playmaking wingers like Mitch Marner, Artemi Panarin, Patrick Kane, and, particularly of late, Filip Forsberg.

"He's really explosive," Batherson said of Nashville's Forsberg. "He can pass. He can score. He's competitive. I like every aspect of his game, and I feel like every time he has the puck in the (offensive) zone, he's making something happen. I've played against him a few times now, and I don't know, he's just a dangerous player, a big guy who protects the puck. And I've also seen him score some great goals in the playoffs. He's able to do it in the postseason.

"I'd love to be like him one day," he added. "For sure."

Hockey over golf

At 16, while his future NHL buddies plied their trades 12 months a year, Batherson had a decision to make: Hockey or golf. He probably could have landed a Division I scholarship as a better-than-scratch golfer back then.

His passion for hockey - he obsessed over it as a teen, too - was too strong.

"I realized I can spend hours on the ice practicing, whereas golf I just wanted to go to the course and play and then go home. I didn't like going to the range," he said. "Right then and there, I knew I should stick with hockey."

Batherson was never a can't-miss prospect. He was hardly a superstar in minor hockey, a sixth-round pick in the QMJHL draft, and a fourth-rounder in the NHL. So, when did he know he was going to make a career out of his passion?

"The world juniors," Batherson said of the 2018 U20 tournament, putting up seven points in seven games to help Canada win gold. "My team was full of first-round picks, second-round picks. I felt like I had a good tournament there, so I said, 'I think I can do this.' A year later, I played 20 games in the NHL."

Batherson, trying to avoid injury ahead of contract negotiations, declined an invite to last year's world championships. However, with the Sens missing the playoffs again, he'd be thrilled to pull on the Canadian jersey in May at the 2022 worlds.

"If I get the opportunity, I'd absolutely love to go," he said.

As for the state of his golf game ... "I only play once or twice a week," he said with a short laugh. "I'm probably around a four-handicap." Huh, not bad.

Supporting Stutzle

The 27-40-6 Sens aren't just one player away from being a threat in the NHL. It's clear the rebuild isn't over. What's also clear is that the young core is tight.

With that in mind, what did Batherson think about Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher accusing Stutzle - the third overall pick in the 2020 draft and one of Batherson's linemates - of diving not only during last week's Habs-Sens game but in previous meetings between the two clubs?

"I feel like guys are always saying stuff to the media to get in other teams' heads or individuals' heads," Batherson said. "Talking to Timmy, he kind of laughed and shook it off. It didn't bother him at all. That's just Timmy."

He added, "I love Timmy as a guy, I love him as a player, so if (Gallagher) wants to try to get into Timmy's head, go ahead. But I know that's not going to stop Timmy from doing his thing out there. Timmy's a feisty player."

In his rant, Gallagher went as far as saying, "If I was a teammate of (Stutzle's), I'd tell him to smarten up. It's just not a good look. Very talented player, very good player. He needs to stop laying on the ice. It's embarrassing."

It's safe to say Batherson and his teammates aren't taking Gallagher's advice.

"There's refs in the league who've been around 20, 30 years. They've seen it all," he said. "If they see that he's flopping, they'll call him on it. That's not the case, so we'll just let it go, and he'll just keep doing his thing out there. He's not afraid to get his nose dirty, so I've got all the respect in the world for him."

Batherson, Stutzle, Norris, Brady Tkachuk, and Alex Formenton are all 23 or younger. They're the present and future of Ottawa's top-six up front.

Norris, who has potted 32 goals over 57 games in 2021-22, and Tkachuk, the highly-skilled, heart-and-soul captain, are also amid career seasons.

Batherson on Norris: "He's a full 200-foot player with great hockey IQ and an unbelievable shot. He's shown it this year. Anytime he gets a second, he can absolutely rip it. For me, when I play on his line, I just have to find an opening and hit him with a pass, whether it's in the slot or coming down on the rush."

Batherson on Tkachuk: "Sometimes I forget he's a year younger than me. Great leadership qualities. When we're (bonding as a group) off the ice, he wants everyone on the team to be involved. He brings a ton of energy, and you feed off guys like that. He really leads the way, coming to play every night."

Senators' future

Batherson has become a fan favorite. Sens supporters love his congeniality, sense of humor, on-ice production, and commitment to the franchise.

Yet, even if Batherson continues his upward trajectory, the fan base will judge him and the rest of the core solely by wins and losses at some point.

"Next year we're looking forward to everyone coming in healthy, getting through preseason healthy, and coming out the gates better," he said. "There's going to be no excuses to not do (well). We're going to have a ton of young guys, and a ton of guys like myself, who have been around for two or three years. There's no reason why we can't play for a playoff spot next year."

The 2022-23 season will be the first full campaign since the passing of Eugene Melnyk, who owned the team for nearly two decades. Melnyk died in March at the age of 62. Batherson attended his funeral in Toronto last week.

Batherson, who didn't know Melnyk well, called his passing "terrible news."

"He gave me my new contract," he said. "He changed everything for me and my family, so I couldn't thank him enough for all he did for me.

"Hopefully," he later added, "we can bring the Stanley Cup here one day."

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.