COLUMBUS - BOOM!

The blast from the replica Civil War cannon inside Nationwide Arena is stunningly loud and, as Matt Duchene put it following his trade to the Columbus Blue Jackets, "scares the shit out of" just about everybody in attendance.

Duchene underwent a Nationwide rite of passage Saturday, flipping a loose puck into the San Jose Sharks' net to initiate the sound the former Ottawa Senator once dreaded.

BOOM!

"It sounded a lot better tonight, being on the other side of things," a cheerful Duchene said after recording a goal and an assist in his home debut, a 4-0 victory over San Jose.

Then, about an hour after the final buzzer, another boom, but without the cannon theatrics: the Blue Jackets acquired Ryan Dzingel and a seventh-round draft pick from the Senators for Anthony Duclair and two second-rounders. It was Columbus' second significant trade with Ottawa in as many days.

So, with another Nationwide initiation in the cards - this time for Dzingel - and considering the possibility general manager Jarmo Kekalainen isn't done dealing ahead of Monday's 3 p.m. ET deadline, it's worth asking: are the Blue Jackets suddenly an NHL alpha dog?

"Management's 100 percent in on winning," Kekalainen said prior to puck drop Saturday.

It didn't take long for his words to carry greater meaning. In fact, they could seem even more prophetic over the next 36 hours. Kekalainen, after all, has made central Ohio the center of the hockey universe for the time being.

The general manager injected his forward group with two top-six talents nearly overnight, and all it cost him from his NHL roster was Duclair, a 23-year-old journeyman. Columbus has won two in a row (by a combined score of 7-0), seven of 10, and the small-market, oft-forgotten Blue Jackets now boast a league-high six 20-goal scorers. For a long-suffering fan base, it doesn't get any better than this.

"You know what, it's about time we started to make some noise in that regard," captain Nick Foligno told theScore ahead of Saturday's game and the Dzingel acquisition. "I'm tired of everyone looking at Columbus like that. I know what this city is and what this team's capable of. So I hope guys use it as a little bit of a chip on their shoulders, too. I mean, I'm tired of people counting us out before we even get out on the ice."

In an odd twist, Duchene and Dzingel - both rentals as pending unrestricted free agents - arrived from one franchise bursting at the seams to another. Ottawa, on the cringe-worthy end of the spectrum, has never been so irrelevant and flailing, while Columbus has never been so prominent and daring.

The Blue Jackets, best known to casual fans as the Minnesota Wild's expansion cousins and the team that wasted Rick Nash's prime, have little to show for their 17 seasons: no division titles or playoff series victories (only five postseason wins, period). But they're banking on a lot more - the jackpot - in Season 18.

Including winger Artemi Panarin and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus now has four key players on expiring contracts. And there exists a scenario in which all four walk this summer, leaving young studs Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, and Pierre-Luc Dubois to fend for themselves.

But July 1 is months away, and sometimes in life, you have to be a little reckless. So it's tough to blame Kekalainen for taking such a bold approach, for seizing the moment. Duchene's having a career year, while Dzingel - who fittingly played his college hockey at Ohio State - is a goal away from tying his career high (23) in about 20 fewer games.

Foligno, as one of the longest-tenured members, has been around for three of the franchise's four first-round exits, and while Kekalainen added some names at previous deadlines, such as Ian Cole and Thomas Vanek last year, he's never done anything quite like this. And the veteran knows the opportunity can't be wasted.

"It's on us now," he said. "It goes hand in hand. (Kekalainen's) doing his job, we've got to do our job, and that's what's great about this next month and a half, where we get to go out and do our job with whatever we have."

The early returns are promising.

BOOM!

Duchene immediately joined the No. 1 line, finding quick chemistry with 5-foot-8 sniper Cam Atkinson and the wizardly Panarin, the latter being arguably the most talented player in franchise history. The trio has three of the team's seven goals since Duchene's arrival, while Bobrovsky quietly turned aside all 48 shots he saw Friday and Saturday.

The Duchene trade had a trickle-down effect on the lineup, most notably bumping Dubois, who's only 20 years old, into a less demanding role as the second-line center. The powerful pivot scored Saturday and is looking every bit worth the No. 3 selection of the 2016 draft.

Dzingel's impact is still to be determined, but Columbus beefed up significantly over a 48-hour period. Here's an early look at what its top nine may be Tuesday against the division-rival Pittsburgh Penguins:

Not too shabby, especially when you consider the above doesn't factor in further additions ahead of Monday's deadline.

Kekalainen, the league's first and only European GM, is still under pressure and could look to bolster his back end after adding to the offense. Despite being anchored by Jones and Werenski, it's a group unfit for a deep playoff run.

Goaltending, meanwhile, is an area in which the Blue Jackets seem set. After a subpar December and January, Bobrovsky is back in Vezina form - he has a .937 save percentage and three shutouts since the All-Star break. Despite his contract situation, changing starting goalies down the stretch is less than ideal for a team with lofty aspirations. And the 30-year-old holds the hammer, in the end, thanks to a no-move clause and an unwillingness to waive it, despite indicating his intention is to test free agency, like Panarin.

Impressively, Kekalainen's held his ground with Panarin and Bobrovsky. The team, from head coach John Tortorella to the 20-plus everyday players, has embraced the uncertainty, though it's really had no choice.

"If you're here, you're helping us win hockey games and the rest is out of our control," Foligno said. "Why even worry about it? Why waste energy on things like that in a game where you need all of it? I think our team's done an outstanding job of keeping our focus and now we're at the point where it's going to be a distant memory in a few days."

Depending on how Columbus' season concludes, Kekalainen's going to either look like a genius who loaded up at the perfect time, or a schmuck who couldn't help himself on the trade market despite his hands being tied by his star players.

"Once 3 o'clock hits, whoever's with us, we're going to be rocking and rolling until the end," Atkinson said Saturday night.

Until that cannon goes off one last time in June, the club no doubt hopes.

BOOM!

John Matisz is theScore's National Hockey Writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

COLUMBUS - BOOM!

The blast from the replica Civil War cannon inside Nationwide Arena is stunningly loud and, as Matt Duchene put it following his trade to the Columbus Blue Jackets, "scares the shit out of" just about everybody in attendance.

Duchene underwent a Nationwide rite of passage Saturday, flipping a loose puck into the San Jose Sharks' net to initiate the sound the former Ottawa Senator once dreaded.

BOOM!

"It sounded a lot better tonight, being on the other side of things," a cheerful Duchene said after recording a goal and an assist in his home debut, a 4-0 victory over San Jose.

Then, about an hour after the final buzzer, another boom, but without the cannon theatrics: the Blue Jackets acquired Ryan Dzingel and a seventh-round draft pick from the Senators for Anthony Duclair and two second-rounders. It was Columbus' second significant trade with Ottawa in as many days.

So, with another Nationwide initiation in the cards - this time for Dzingel - and considering the possibility general manager Jarmo Kekalainen isn't done dealing ahead of Monday's 3 p.m. ET deadline, it's worth asking: are the Blue Jackets suddenly an NHL alpha dog?

"Management's 100 percent in on winning," Kekalainen said prior to puck drop Saturday.

It didn't take long for his words to carry greater meaning. In fact, they could seem even more prophetic over the next 36 hours. Kekalainen, after all, has made central Ohio the center of the hockey universe for the time being.

The general manager injected his forward group with two top-six talents nearly overnight, and all it cost him from his NHL roster was Duclair, a 23-year-old journeyman. Columbus has won two in a row (by a combined score of 7-0), seven of 10, and the small-market, oft-forgotten Blue Jackets now boast a league-high six 20-goal scorers. For a long-suffering fan base, it doesn't get any better than this.

"You know what, it's about time we started to make some noise in that regard," captain Nick Foligno told theScore ahead of Saturday's game and the Dzingel acquisition. "I'm tired of everyone looking at Columbus like that. I know what this city is and what this team's capable of. So I hope guys use it as a little bit of a chip on their shoulders, too. I mean, I'm tired of people counting us out before we even get out on the ice."

In an odd twist, Duchene and Dzingel - both rentals as pending unrestricted free agents - arrived from one franchise bursting at the seams to another. Ottawa, on the cringe-worthy end of the spectrum, has never been so irrelevant and flailing, while Columbus has never been so prominent and daring.

The Blue Jackets, best known to casual fans as the Minnesota Wild's expansion cousins and the team that wasted Rick Nash's prime, have little to show for their 17 seasons: no division titles or playoff series victories (only five postseason wins, period). But they're banking on a lot more - the jackpot - in Season 18.

Including winger Artemi Panarin and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus now has four key players on expiring contracts. And there exists a scenario in which all four walk this summer, leaving young studs Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, and Pierre-Luc Dubois to fend for themselves.

But July 1 is months away, and sometimes in life, you have to be a little reckless. So it's tough to blame Kekalainen for taking such a bold approach, for seizing the moment. Duchene's having a career year, while Dzingel - who fittingly played his college hockey at Ohio State - is a goal away from tying his career high (23) in about 20 fewer games.

Foligno, as one of the longest-tenured members, has been around for three of the franchise's four first-round exits, and while Kekalainen added some names at previous deadlines, such as Ian Cole and Thomas Vanek last year, he's never done anything quite like this. And the veteran knows the opportunity can't be wasted.

"It's on us now," he said. "It goes hand in hand. (Kekalainen's) doing his job, we've got to do our job, and that's what's great about this next month and a half, where we get to go out and do our job with whatever we have."

The early returns are promising.

BOOM!

Duchene immediately joined the No. 1 line, finding quick chemistry with 5-foot-8 sniper Cam Atkinson and the wizardly Panarin, the latter being arguably the most talented player in franchise history. The trio has three of the team's seven goals since Duchene's arrival, while Bobrovsky quietly turned aside all 48 shots he saw Friday and Saturday.

The Duchene trade had a trickle-down effect on the lineup, most notably bumping Dubois, who's only 20 years old, into a less demanding role as the second-line center. The powerful pivot scored Saturday and is looking every bit worth the No. 3 selection of the 2016 draft.

Dzingel's impact is still to be determined, but Columbus beefed up significantly over a 48-hour period. Here's an early look at what its top nine may be Tuesday against the division-rival Pittsburgh Penguins:

Not too shabby, especially when you consider the above doesn't factor in further additions ahead of Monday's deadline.

Kekalainen, the league's first and only European GM, is still under pressure and could look to bolster his back end after adding to the offense. Despite being anchored by Jones and Werenski, it's a group unfit for a deep playoff run.

Goaltending, meanwhile, is an area in which the Blue Jackets seem set. After a subpar December and January, Bobrovsky is back in Vezina form - he has a .937 save percentage and three shutouts since the All-Star break. Despite his contract situation, changing starting goalies down the stretch is less than ideal for a team with lofty aspirations. And the 30-year-old holds the hammer, in the end, thanks to a no-move clause and an unwillingness to waive it, despite indicating his intention is to test free agency, like Panarin.

Impressively, Kekalainen's held his ground with Panarin and Bobrovsky. The team, from head coach John Tortorella to the 20-plus everyday players, has embraced the uncertainty, though it's really had no choice.

"If you're here, you're helping us win hockey games and the rest is out of our control," Foligno said. "Why even worry about it? Why waste energy on things like that in a game where you need all of it? I think our team's done an outstanding job of keeping our focus and now we're at the point where it's going to be a distant memory in a few days."

Depending on how Columbus' season concludes, Kekalainen's going to either look like a genius who loaded up at the perfect time, or a schmuck who couldn't help himself on the trade market despite his hands being tied by his star players.

"Once 3 o'clock hits, whoever's with us, we're going to be rocking and rolling until the end," Atkinson said Saturday night.

Until that cannon goes off one last time in June, the club no doubt hopes.

BOOM!

John Matisz is theScore's National Hockey Writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The first shoe dropped.

After weeks of buildup, the NHL's trade market is officially in motion; center Matt Duchene changed dressing rooms ahead of Friday's tilt between the Senators and Blue Jackets in Ottawa.

(Ottawa receives 2020 first-rounder only if Duchene re-signs with Columbus)

Let's unpack the blockbuster.

Columbus Blue Jackets

We now know general manager Jarmo Kekalainen's intentions.

By bringing in Duchene, a bonafide top-six pivot who's having a career year offensively, Kekalainen sent a message to the hockey world. Columbus, for the first time in its lackluster, 18-year history, is acting like a true, knock-the-door-down deadline buyer.

The cost of doing business is somewhere between negligible and steep for the Blue Jackets. You have to pay for premium rentals like Duchene, and that's what Kekalainen did after sending a first-round pick (possibly two) and a pair of decent prospects to Canada's capital. The payoff could be large, with the potential short- and long-term benefits - winning the franchise's first playoff series and then re-signing Duchene to an extension - fairly attainable.

Acting like a contender and being a contender are two different things, mind you. Seeing as the Jackets aren't in a playoff spot as of Friday afternoon (one point back of the Carolina Hurricanes with two games in hand), there's no question the spotlight will shine brighter on the small-market organization as Monday's trade deadline nears.

If the Jackets happen to miss the postseason and are unable to re-sign Duchene, this deal is a misfire. But, as the saying goes, you have to shoot your shot. And, considering the club's sad history, this is a shot worth taking - one must reward a loyal fan base at some point, right?

Of course, the Duchene acquisition won't have the same shine if the Artemi Panarin drama ends with the Russian star draped in different colors following the deadline. Shortly after the Duchene trade, Kekalainen told The Athletic "nothing has changed" in the club's approach to the Panarin situation, which means he'll still pull the trigger in a trade for the pending unrestricted free agent, but only if the offer is substantial. "It would have to be a deal that we can't refuse," he said.

Nevertheless, Duchene is a significant boost for a team in need of a game-breaker. Prior to the deal, Panarin, winger Cam Atkinson, and center Pierre-Luc Dubois were the only dangerous forwards in a Blue Jackets uniform. Adding a fourth weapon shifts the whole dynamic of Columbus' attack, especially since he's a veteran center.

Dubois and Duchene should form an impressive one-two punch down the middle. Already a 27-goal man in his 10th NHL season, Duchene is on pace for career highs in goals (39) and points (84) in just 72 projected games. The 20-year-old Dubois, meanwhile, is enjoying a breakout sophomore campaign, tallying 22 goals and 29 assists.

The club's other centers - Boone Jenner, Alex Wennberg, and Riley Nash - now slot in at a more appropriate part of the depth chart. The Duchene addition also takes a little heat off support guys like Josh Anderson, Nick Foligno, and Oliver Bjorkstrand. All of a sudden, the Jackets' top nine looks fine.

This year, the Jackets evidently have an opportunity to seize the moment. On Friday, Kekalainen managed to take a step forward without jeopardizing their future in a major way. The question now is, are they done?

GRADE: A-

Ottawa Senators

There are two ways to look at this trade from a Senators perspective.

The uglier, big-picture view surrounds the franchise altering its outlook. Over the past 15 months, Ottawa drastically shifted from a contending to a rebuilding mindset, and as a result, the timeline to compete for a playoff spot, let alone a championship, is further down the road than it should be.

In late 2017, GM Pierre Dorion snagged Duchene from the Colorado Avalanche in a three-team trade to pursue a Stanley Cup. The package leaving Ottawa that day: goalie Andrew Hammond, forward Kyle Turris, prospect Shane Bowers, and two picks in the 2019 NHL Draft, one in the first round and another in the third. The first-rounder could ultimately turn into franchise cornerstones Jack Hughes or Kappo Kakko.

If you happen to win the Cup, sure, that’s a trade you can live with. Banners fly forever, etc. In the current context of the Sens, though, the organization was not only delusional to think they were 2017-18 Cup contenders, but also unstable after ditching their blueprint to contend not long after the Duchene pickup.

Remember, the overachieving 2016-17 Sens squad that made it to the Eastern Conference Final had some big-time NHL contributors, including Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, Turris, and Derick Brassard. Aside from Stone, who may be gone in the coming days, all of them have been moved to new teams.

The haul back for these players has been underwhelming, to say the least. Even though there have been several draft picks involved - some of which haven’t been used and others that are conditional - it’s safe to say Dorion didn't fleece anybody. Aside from goaltending prospect Filip Gustavsson, you can't point to a single piece that could be categorized as a sure thing.

Now, the second way to view the Duchene-to-Columbus trade is by looking at it in a vacuum.

Given negotiations between the Senators and Duchene’s camp had dried up and the 28-year-old was set to test the open market following this season, Dorion fared OK. Two prospects, a first-rounder, and potentially an additional first-rounder is a solid package for a pending unrestricted free agent of Duchene’s quality.

The prospects could be of higher caliber, but Abramov, 20, and Davidsson, 21, both project to make the NHL at some point, with the former having a higher ceiling as a 5-foot-9 skilled winger. The guaranteed pick, Columbus’ 2019 first-rounder, should be around the 15-20 range, seeing as the Blue Jackets will likely squeak into the playoffs.

It’s not an ideal return, but the Sens have done worse.

What else does Dorion have up his sleeve? Pending UFAs Stone and Ryan Dzingel, both believed to be on their way out of Ottawa, sat for the second straight game on Friday. The teardown is just beginning.

GRADE: B-

John Matisz is theScore's National Hockey Writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's National Hockey Writer.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Play, and Spotify.

In this episode, John's joined by former NHL forward Mike 'Suitcase' Sillinger, who was traded a record nine times over his 17-year career. Topics include:

• Pros and cons of being on the move
• How family members deal with trades
• The post-trade locker-room routine
• Favorite, most talented teammates
• Oilers job, future plans in hockey

... and more!

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It didn't take long for coach Greg Powers to realize Arizona State was playing out of its depth.

The men’s hockey team was getting outclassed on a mid-October night in 2015 by the home side from Quinnipiac University, a Division I powerhouse in Connecticut that ultimately reached the national championship final that season.

"It was 1-0 after the first period and it felt like it was 15-0," Powers told theScore. "We were nowhere close. We couldn’t even get the puck out of our zone. We literally couldn’t even ice it. It was like, 'Holy shit, hoo!' Like, it was bad."

Back then, the Sun Devils - one of only two Sun Belt programs in DI hockey and bereft of conference affiliation, a la Notre Dame football - were just getting their feet wet against the country's best after a run of success in the lower tiers of college hockey.

Quinnipiac delivered a wake-up call. Powers heard it loud and clear.

"We just knew, 'OK, this is where we need to get to and it’s going to take a while," said Powers, who's now in his ninth season as the team's bench boss. "It was definitely an enlightening experience."

Getting there took just three-and-a-half years, as ASU's become a formidable DI program that's quickly gaining respect from the college hockey community. With just two regular-season games remaining this season, the 21-10-1 Sun Devils rank 10th on USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine's most recent national poll.

Quinnipiac, as a barometer, is 22-6-2 and ranks sixth.

ASU is also a virtual lock to reach the 16-team spring playoff tournament featuring six conference champions and 10 at-large bids selected by a mathematical formula. The last independent to make the tournament was Alaska-Anchorage in 1992.

The Sun Devils' rapid rise to prominence has been remarkable, especially considering their non-traditional desert backdrop. What's more, the program now boasts a handful of pro prospects and is being credited by rival coaches as a trendsetter that's helping expand elite college hockey to the southwestern edges of the country.

Best of both worlds

The vast majority of college hockey's 60 DI programs are in locations prone to subfreezing temperatures and heaps of snow in the winter months. Only ASU and unranked Alabama-Huntsville reside in sunny climates.

"We wake up and work out at the football stadium, which is pretty cool. It’s an incredible facility," said goalie Joey Daccord, an Ottawa Senators prospect. "Drive over for practice at the rink, which is a couple of minutes off campus. Usually done around noon. And then we walk to class in the afternoon in a T-shirt.

"In the wintertime, it’s a little chillier, like 60 degrees, so I have to wear joggers and a light hoodie. It's a tough life."

When snowstorms strike the East Coast, Daccord will fire off a Snapchat of the balmy Arizona weather to his buddies back home in North Andover, Mass.

"They don’t like that," he said.

Defenseman Brinson Pasichnuk does homework poolside, while forward Tyler Busch might squeeze in a round of golf on a day off or take in the sights of his residential complex from a hot tub. And Jordan Sandhu, a freshman forward from Richmond, British Columbia, who "fell in love" with the area through online searches before committing to ASU, enjoys hitting the beach to work on his tan. The Canadian boys are far from home but don't sound like they miss winter.

How's that for a competitive advantage on the recruiting trail, where ASU jockeys for talent with programs based in frosty Durham, N.H., Potsdam, N.Y., and Sault Ste. Marie, Mich?

Still, ASU's players and coaches are quick to offer a sales pitch that stretches far beyond wins and losses, the weather, and a top-rate party scene.

"You get to be a pioneer, a trailblazer - whatever you want to call it - and that’s the opportunity you have here that you do not have anywhere else," said Powers, 42, an ASU goaltender himself in the late '90s. "You couple that with a degree from the largest, most powerful institution in North America with the largest alumni base in the world, and it’s a pretty good deal.

"The cherry on top is that you get to wear flip flops and shorts to the rink every day."

Said Daccord: "One of my biggest reservations with Arizona State was that I didn't want people to think all I wanted to do was party. It has that reputation. I think any school or any college is what you want to make it. If you want to go to ASU and party, you can do that. If you want to go to ASU and play hockey, you can do that, too."

There might be plenty of opportunities for distraction, but Powers clearly has his players focused on developing something bigger than themselves.

That winning swagger

Inside every ASU player's locker-room stall hangs a pyramid that explains the identity their coach has cultivated for the program.

"It's what we call the 'Sun Devil hockey process,'" said Powers, who drew inspiration for the concept from a book about legendary football coach Pete Carroll’s success at USC.

The four layers of the pyramid are Belief System, Central Theme, Environment, and Performance.

Two slogans - "Be The Tradition" and "Everything Translates" - line the bottom, while the ultimate goal, "That Winning Swagger," marks the top.

"You can't just snap your fingers and have a good culture," Powers said. "You have to put all the right people in place within an organization to truly share a vision and do anything to make that vision a reality."

"Everything Translates" refers to a mindset of acting and living the right way, every day. It's a process that, if all goes according to plan, breeds swagger.

"What I mean by that is, how do you act in the community?" Powers continued. "How do you treat people? How do you treat your classmates? What do you do when nobody's watching? That's what character is defined by - how you act and what you do when nobody is watching you."

"Be The Tradition," meanwhile, is a call to action. In essence, ASU players should embrace the newness of their program and leave a lasting impact on its rituals, day-to-day habits, and on-ice brand. Cases in point: a fiery pregame player introduction speech from sophomore forward Dom Garcia, the giant steel pitchfork reserved for the player of the game, and a rendition of the ASU fight song that's belted out by the entire team following victories.

Powers insists he isn't just spouting platitudes; he knows what a prudent process can do. ASU was nearly unstoppable by the end of its club-level years, posting a 164-27-9 record under Powers and winning the 2014 national title. Now, the challenge is replicating that sustained success at the top ranks.

"How do we create that winning culture again, where when you got off that bus you had that winning swagger?" Powers asked rhetorically. "You knew you were going to win (in the lower levels), and the team you were playing knew they were going to lose."

To facilitate ASU's transfer from the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) to Division I in late 2014 - a jump Powers equated with moving from the semi-pro Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) to the NHL - the team received $32 million in funding from the father of a former Sun Devils player and an anonymous donor.

In the aforementioned 2015-16 campaign, its first as a ratified NCAA Division I squad, ASU faced a mix of DI, DII, DIII, Canadian university, and club-level opponents. This season represents the team's third full year of playing against DI programs exclusively. The roster has been transformed, too, especially as players from the club-level days have aged out.

And the Sun Devils have the results to show for it, with more wins in 2018-19 than in their previous three seasons combined.

The old barn

ASU's not yet affiliated with an NCAA conference, but Powers said it will likely join one by the 2021-22 season. More pressing is the state of Oceanside Ice Arena, the team's 45-year-old rink that's ill-suited to develop the future pros Powers covets.

The self-proclaimed "CEO" of ASU hockey concedes the 747-capacity arena, with startlingly low ceilings and an amateurish feel, has scared away the odd recruit, but added that for now, "We don't care."

"At this point in time, if a kid doesn't want to come here because he's not playing in a 4,500-seat arena, then I don’t want the kid. He's not the right kid for us," Powers said. "We give our guys every resource to be successful. We have NHL pedigree on our staff, we have a full-time strength and conditioning coach, we have a full-time academic support coordinator. We travel better than anybody, we charter on some trips, we eat like kings, we stay in nice hotels. We're working out in a multimillion-dollar facility off the ice.

"And, at the end of the day, we know our arena is coming. We want kids who want to be here for the right reason. And the right reason is to build a program."

ASU head of athletics Ray Anderson said his personal goal is to break ground in late 2019 on a permanent, state-of-the-art venue for the program on campus. He hopes the proposed $80-million, 5,000-seat arena will open in 2020, but acknowledged sometime in 2021 is probably a safer timeline.

Until then, ASU players and staff will continue to take pride in Oceanside, an embodiment of the program’s humble beginnings.

"Some kids want to go to North Dakota because Jonathan Toews went there. That's great. It's a great reason to want to go there," Sun Devils associate head coach Mike Field said. "But other kids want to go to ASU because they want to be Jonathan Toews. They want to be the guy who is on the wall - the guy who everyone 20 years from now comes to ASU because of."

'Important for college hockey'

Powers' pyramid may suggest a hands-on approach from each and every angle, but the Sun Devils' coaching staff generally stays out of the way once the puck is dropped.

"Good structure but not robotic. We let the kids play," said assistant coach Alex Hicks, a former NHLer, when asked to describe ASU's coaching philosophy. "If they make a mistake, we don’t bench them. We live with the mistakes and we try to give them the freedom to make plays. Ultimately, it comes down to outworking the other teams and wanting it more."

Observed Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold: "Sometimes, in the game of hockey - whether it’s college or AHL or NHL - I think we're all victims of overcoaching. Sometimes, it comes down to competing. Greg and their staff have that going for them."

Not only are the Sun Devils sporting an impressive plus-31 goal differential, but they also rank fifth in save percentage and seventh in penalty killing among all NCAA teams while featuring the country's leading goal-scorer in winger Johnny Walker. The Phoenix native, cut from the same cloth as Boston Bruins sniper-agitator Brad Marchand, has posted 23 goals and 153 shots in 31 games.

"He's been incredible this year," Daccord said of Walker, who wasn't selected in the NHL draft but is now turning heads as a 22-year-old sophomore. "Kid can’t stop scoring. It’s been really great for him, especially being in his hometown."

Daccord himself has shined this season with a sterling .930 save percentage and a DI-leading seven shutouts in 32 games. He's Senators property for now, but could become an unrestricted free agent this summer if Ottawa doesn’t ink him to an entry-level deal. And then there's Pasichnuk, a 21-year-old blue-liner with a magnetic personality who ranks eighth at his position with 28 points in 32 games. Like Walker, he's a tantalizing free-agent prospect for NHL clubs.

Arizona State's mixture of star veterans and quality freshmen has already produced wins over a number of highly ranked and historic programs - including Michigan State, Harvard, Boston College, and Boston University - leading opposing coaches to heap praise on the team's quick acclimation to DI.

"This is really important for college hockey," Penn State bench boss Guy Gadowsky said of the Sun Devils' success. "The better Arizona State does, the better college hockey is off. I think there's a lot of us that have been in the game for a long time who would love to see the west open up."

On Feb. 15, ASU secured its first 20-win season in DI with a 4-1 victory over American International. The next day, it downed American again, 5-4 in overtime, on Senior Night.

"At the start of the year, nobody really thought we'd be in this position," Sandhu said. "After a couple of games, we realized we could do something special. On any team that you're on, a championship should be your goal - otherwise, you're selling yourself short. Right now, making the tournament would be a huge step."

Powers likes to joke that ASU hockey was once an "urban legend."

But now, it's "real and coming," he proudly notes of the upstart program barely resembling the in-over-its-head crew who endured that "enlightening experience" at the hands of Quinnipiac back in 2015.

"A lot of people underestimate us because we're Arizona, we're independent, we're the so-called party school - but we're proving everyone wrong," said Pasichnuk, a co-captain.

"Yeah, we're in Arizona, we have the sun year-round, get to go to the rink in shorts, but we also are working our butts off every single day to prove to the hockey world that we're legit. I think that it's starting to show."

John Matisz is theScore's National Hockey Writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's National Hockey Writer.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Play, and Spotify.

In this episode, Jeremy Roenick, an NBC Sports analyst and former NHL star, joins John. Steve Dangle, a professional YouTuber and Sportsnet blogger, is also featured. Topics include:

• Panarin, Bobrovsky situations in Columbus
• Stone, Duchene, Dzingel situations in Ottawa
• How to turn a harmless hobby into a career
• Why you should never take yourself too seriously

... and more!

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's National Hockey Writer.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Play, and Spotify.

In this episode, John's joined by Scott Cullen and Ian Tulloch, both of The Athletic, to discuss a variety of topics:

• Timing/fallout of Ducks firing Randy Carlyle
• The Elias Pettersson effect in Vancouver
• How Edmonton should approach the trade deadline
• What's gone right, wrong in Coyotes' rebuild

... and more!

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's National Hockey Writer.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Play, and Spotify.

In this episode, John's joined by Eric Engels of Sportsnet and the Boston Globe's Matt Porter to discuss a variety of Atlantic Division topics:

• Marc Bergevin's revival in Montreal
• Bounce-backs galore: Domi, Drouin, Price
• Kotkaniemi tracking towards 1C status
• Should Boston break up their top line?
• Covering Zdeno Chara day to day

... and more!

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

TORONTO - Leave it to the hockey player from the desert - the kid who blazed a trail by spending his NHL draft year schooling seasoned pros in Switzerland - to drift ever so slightly off the beaten path.

By signing a five-year, bonus-heavy $58.2-million extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, Auston Matthews expanded the scope for star players exiting their entry-level contracts. You can have your cake and eat it too, apparently. The guy who’s scoring goals at a remarkable pace through 182 NHL games, challenging the traditional profile of a No. 1 center, managed to find the sweet spot between his best interests and needs of his salary cap-strapped team.

Matthews is far from the first franchise player in pro sports to concede a little bit of cash for the greater good, and he'll be paid handsomely starting next year and through the 2023-24 season at an average annual value of $11.6 million. But the new Matthews contract format - medium term and a big but not record-breaking chunk of the cap - is his own cozy space for now. The dream of an inflated Connor McDavid special (eight years, $100 million) is officially dead, and that's OK.

“We understand the cap restraints we have,” Matthews said at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday, with general manager Kyle Dubas within earshot. “We went through everything from three to eight (years) and settled on five. I think both sides are obviously happy and happy to get this over with and move on.”

“In the end," added the potential future captain, sticking with the team-friendly theme, "you’re measured on championships.”

Consider this: There will be 30 NHLers with cap hits of $8 million or greater during the 2019-20 season, including Matthews and teammate John Tavares. From that group, only Matthews and Blake Wheeler (five years, $8.3 million per season) signed deals shorter than seven years. And Wheeler’s contract is the winger's fourth deal, making Matthews unique in the current landscape. Second contracts simply aren't structured this way in the salary-cap era.

"We’re very thankful that they were willing to move from their desired term," Dubas said of Matthews and his representatives. "Obviously everyone wants to be here for as long as possible, and we were able to find an AAV that works for everybody."

Matthews will occupy 14 percent of the Leafs' 2019-20 expected cap space and trails just McDavid for the highest cap hit. He's now slated to become an unrestricted free agent at 26 years old, only a year behind schedule. The 2017 Calder Trophy winner is tracking toward another significant pay raise in his prime, as his third deal could easily hit triple digits.

If the two sides had agreed on an eight-year deal - the chosen route for many of Matthews’ peers, including McDavid and Jack Eichel, and a path the forward and his team discussed - he would have hit the open market at 29 and, at least theoretically, missed out on a boatload of money while under team control.

"These things are complicated," Dubas said of contract negotiations, referencing the lengthy negotiation period with Matthews' camp. "They’re not as simple as people want them to be at times."

Overall, at the time of the deal, Matthews looks like the victor, if a winner needs to be declared. Dubas and the Leafs gained short-term flexibility, assuming the team uses the extra cap space to its advantage, while Matthews gained long-term flexibility if he stays on his current career trajectory. There's inherent reward and risk for both parties, with Matthews taking on less of the latter, but it'll be smiles all around in Toronto for the foreseeable future.

From a league-wide perspective, who's to say Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets, Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes, or Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche can't replicate Matthews' contract structure (albeit on a smaller scale) and satisfy both player and team? The possibility of a fat third contract should make those youngsters drool.

The hockey world loves comparables, and the Matthews deal provides another. Have at it, restricted free agent class of 2019.

What about Marner and the rest of the Leafs?

With William Nylander inking an extension in December following a long standoff, and Matthews now locked in, everyone's attention immediately turns to Mitch Marner, the club's final big-ticket RFA.

Conventional wisdom suggests Marner, the play-driving winger who has recorded 63 points in 52 games this season, is due to earn $9-11M annually on his next contract. Since salary is always linked to length, the Leafs probably want to stagger the deals. Matthews has provided a nice template, making six years at $10M per season a logical fit in the Marner negotiations.

Marner, who leads Toronto forwards while averaging 19:39 of ice time per game in 2018-19, is on a 99-point pace. An all-situations player who's found hot chemistry with Tavares, he's arguably been the team's MVP through 52 games. If he cracks 100 points, good luck convincing the Markham, Ont., product to take a hometown discount.

Marner's representatives, led by outspoken agent Darren Ferris and fiery father Paul Marner, have stated publicly they'd prefer to postpone talks until the offseason. The Leafs have no issue honoring that timeline, Dubas says.

Despite the possibility of a July offer sheet hanging over his head, the GM is confident the two sides will eventually find common ground. “He’s going to be a Toronto Maple Leaf for a long time," Dubas said, "regardless of how we have to come to that."

As for the rest of the team, the 2019-20 Leafs have roughly $72 million of the projected $83 million salary cap committed to eight forwards, five defensemen, and one goalie, according to CapFriendly.com. Placing Nathan Horton’s contract on long-term injured reserve after training camp could give the club up to $5.3 million in additional cap space, and $16.3 million total to work with.

Translation: There isn't much of the pie left for Marner, three other forwards, one defensemen, and a goalie.

Budding wingers Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson, 22 and 24 years old, respectively, are among those looking to get paid. “We’ll continue to let the season play out and let the sample size grow," Dubas said of the lower-profile RFAs. "We’ll begin having discussions with their people probably after the trade deadline.”

Impressively, Dubas continues to project confidence when he speaks about his team's long-term core. It's a group featuring a handful of bargains - Travis Dermott, Morgan Rielly, Nazem Kadri, and Frederik Andersen. And it may also include recent acquisition Jake Muzzin, $2.3M winger Zach Hyman, and $2.1M winger Connor Brown.

The core likely won't include Jake Gardiner, whose potential earnings on the open market don't align with the Leafs' cap situation. If Dubas can make Nikita Zaitsev's contract disappear, however, there's a fighting chance.

At the very least, following Tuesday's development, the smiling GM has secured Matthews, Tavares, and Nylander for the next five seasons beyond this one. Two cornerstone centers forming a Crosby-Malkin combo of sorts, and a highly skilled winger. Marner will be along for the entirety of that six-year Stanley Cup window, too, right? Maybe, but maybe not. The money is tight.

The Leafs want to be the next Chicago Blackhawks or Pittsburgh Penguins or Los Angeles Kings - a dynasty, or at worst a pseudo-dynasty. Not a one-off.

“We’re trying to build a team that can have sustained success, not just contend once," Dubas said, giving a vague nod to pro sports dynasties.

"I think a lot of that is luck related and luck based," he continued, "and I think we want to give ourselves the maximum number of chances we can to make a real good go at it."

John Matisz is theScore's National Hockey Writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's National Hockey Writer.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Play, and Spotify.

In this episode, John's joined by Sami Hoffren, NHL correspondent for Finnish publications Ilta-Sanomat and Urheilulehti, to discuss the rise of Finnish hockey.

Topics include:

• Why, how Finland is peaking in 2019
• Rantanen vs. Aho: who's better?
• Teemu Selanne still in tier of his own
• National team's changing mentality

... and more!

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.