It doesn't appear as though the Philadelphia Flyers' late-season woes will cost John Tortorella his job.

Flyers management "absolutely" wants the outspoken head coach back for next season, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on Thursday's edition of "Insider Trading."

The club's brass believes Tortorella will have a huge impact on the development of their younger players, LeBrun added.

The feeling is mutual, as the 65-year-old bench boss is "energized" and wants to keep coaching the team beyond the current campaign, per LeBrun.

Tortorella has two years left on his contract. He's in his second season coaching the Flyers after stints with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Flyers exceeded expectations for most of 2023-24 but fell apart down the stretch. They lost eight straight games to tumble down the standings and all but out of the playoff picture before snapping the skid with a win over the Rangers on Thursday night.

Philadelphia is 3-8-3 since March 14. Five of the Flyers' last six losses were to the lowly Montreal Canadiens (twice), Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, and Blue Jackets.

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Alex Ovechkin buried his 30th goal of the season Tuesday night, reaching the benchmark for the 18th time and moving past Mike Gartner for the most 30-goal campaigns in league history.

The record-breaking tally was the 852nd of Ovechkin's career, moving him to within 42 of Wayne Gretzky's all-time mark.

Gartner congratulated Ovechkin on Tuesday's feat and wished him luck in his quest to break Gretzky's record.

The 38-year-old Capitals star has scored 22 of his 30 goals this season in the last 32 games.

Ovechkin has netted at least 30 in every 82-game campaign he's played. The only time he fell short was when he produced 24 over 45 contests in the abbreviated 2021 season.

The Russian sniper's goal Tuesday night held up as the winner in Washington's 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, a club that's also chasing an Eastern Conference playoff berth. The Capitals moved into a wild-card spot with the win.

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Landon DuPont is the first exceptional status defenseman in WHL history.

The league granted the Calgary-born blue-liner the rare designation Monday on behalf of Hockey Canada and Hockey Alberta.

DuPont is a 14-year-old who'll turn 15 on May 28. He'll be eligible for the upcoming WHL draft on May 9.

The five-foot-11, 170-pound rearguard played this season at Edge School, an under-18 prep team in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. He racked up 62 points (including 19 goals) in 30 regular-season games, finishing first at the position and third overall in scoring while leading his school to the league title.

The only other WHLer to gain exceptional status was Connor Bedard in 2020. DuPont is the ninth CHLer and third defenseman to earn the distinction, which the latter league introduced for the three leagues under its umbrella (also including the OHL and QMJHL) in 2005.

Connor McDavid (2012), Aaron Ekblad (2011), and John Tavares (2005) are among the others to have been granted exceptional status. Seven players carrying the label graduated from the CHL, and six of them were selected in the first round of the NHL draft. The four aforementioned players were all taken first overall.

Michael Misa is the most recent player to earn the honor, doing so ahead of last season. He's now a productive 17-year-old winger for the OHL's Saginaw Spirit and is projected to be a top prospect in next year's NHL draft.

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Brady Tkachuk got upset with Nico Hischier for sliding a puck into an empty net after time expired, two months after reveling in watching a teammate take a slap shot into an open cage.

The Ottawa Senators captain took issue when his New Jersey Devils counterpart guided the puck into the empty net with time having already run out in the Metropolitan Division squad's 4-3 win Saturday night.

Hischier carried the puck into the Devils' defensive zone just as the clock ran down to zero. He then skated toward the net and slid the puck in before leaving the scene. Tkachuk immediately expressed disbelief and went right after Hischier, causing a line brawl to break out.

Here's another look at what Tkachuk was upset about.

In February, Tkachuk's teammate, Ridly Greig, took a slap shot into an empty net that incensed Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly. The blue-liner cross-checked Greig in the face in retaliation, and the NHL ultimately suspended the rearguard for five games.

Tkachuk seemed to enjoy Greig's actions - before Rielly took exception to them.

"I'm not going to lie to you," Tkachuk said at the time. "I was crying laughing until the cross-check happened, and then the wires crossed a little bit. So, you know what? If you know (Greig), and I hope a lot of people get to know him, he's one of the best guys around."

Ottawa's loss on Saturday night officially eliminated the club from playoff contention.

Tkachuk's 34th goal of the season cut New Jersey's lead to 4-3 with 5:43 to go in the third period.

The Senators and Devils won't meet again until next season.

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John Tortorella expects more from his Philadelphia Flyers down the stretch and feels his players are buying into a narrative that isn't giving them enough credit.

The outspoken head coach explained Wednesday what he believes is troubling the club at this crucial juncture of the campaign but dismissed the idea that players would tune him out.

"It always comes down to, 'Oh, they're going to quit on him.' It follows me around. And so be it," Tortorella told reporters Wednesday. "If a player is going to quit on me, or players are going to quit on me because I'm trying to make them better people or better athletes, you've got the wrong damn coach here, and you've got the wrong damn people here."

Tortorella harshly criticized his team following Monday's overtime loss to the New York Islanders, saying only "one guy played - the goalie (newcomer Ivan Fedotov)." He also called out "certain people" who "don't have it in them to play in these types of situations" and described the Flyers' second-period performance as embarrassing.

The bench boss didn't back down from those comments Wednesday.

"I was in control the other night," he said. "What I said, I meant. And quite honestly, when I watch the tape now, I'm more concerned than just the second period. Because of, I'm so proud of the team getting here.

"I guess now the narrative out there is - because I've heard from other people - that they're young, they're not supposed to be here. Bullshit. We're here. We're here. Face it. And let's be better. And I don't think we're ready to be better, and that's my problem with us right now. And it is my job - I have not done a good enough job to get them over the hump. ... I haven't done a good enough job to make them understand we have to be different now."

The Flyers came into Wednesday's action sitting third in the Metropolitan Division but have won only two of their last 10 games. They have a 61.9% chance of making the playoffs, per MoneyPuck.

Four of Philadelphia's next five contests are against subpar teams (the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Montreal Canadiens, and New Jersey Devils).

The Flyers will also take on the division-leading New York Rangers before closing out the regular season against the Washington Capitals, who are jockeying with them for a playoff berth. The Caps entered Wednesday ahead of Philadelphia by points percentage, but the Flyers have one more point with two more games played.

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Florida Panthers star Sam Reinhart insists he's not preoccupied with the fact he could become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his 10-year career.

Of course, sitting on 52 goals in 76 games and being due a sizeable raise may have something to do with his nonchalance.

"It hasn't been an issue at all, honestly," the Florida Panthers forward told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun this week. "I think (when) you get off to a good start, it makes everything easier. You're able to just put it behind you. I think the relationship that we have, me and (general manager) Billy (Zito), me and the organization, it's all positive, all mutual.

"I'm very comfortable with it being ongoing. We've got bigger things in mind the next couple of months, hopefully. But I'm not losing sleep over it by any means."

Reinhart's three-year contract signed with the Panthers in August 2021 carries a $6.5-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly.

Both Reinhart and the Panthers have been riding high this season. The 28-year-old forward entered Wednesday tied for second in the league in goals, while the Cats occupied second place in the Atlantic Division at 47-24-5.

Florida is looking to build on last season's unexpected playoff success when the club eliminated the historically dominant Boston Bruins in the first round and ultimately reached the Stanley Cup Final. Reinhart said he believes he'll come to an agreement to stay in the Sunshine State and made it clear his top priority is to help the Panthers win it all.

"I've got all the confidence it's going to work out," he said. "I'm very comfortable with where it is. Billy respects that … he knows there's bigger things that I'm worried about, too."

Reinhart is far outpacing his previous production in his contract year. The Canadian obliterated his old career best of 33 goals notched in 2021-22, and his 87 points in 2023-24 are five more than he collected two seasons ago.

He's scored more than half of his goals (27) on the power play - a fact Florida will undoubtedly raise in contract talks - but his expected goals for and scoring chances for percentages at five-on-five are stellar at nearly 59% in both cases, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Reinhart is playing his third season with the Panthers, who acquired him in a July 2021 trade with the Buffalo Sabres. Florida shipped out young goaltender Devon Levi and a first-round pick the Sabres used to select promising forward prospect Jiri Kulich.

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Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly is on the verge of returning to the lineup Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe stopped short of saying Rielly would suit up against their Atlantic Division rivals but revealed Tuesday that the blue-liner will be an option.

"Morgan will be available for us," Keefe said.

Rielly was cautiously optimistic about his status.

"I feel good," he said. "I think it's just kind of day by day right now. So we'll see tomorrow, but I feel good."

The blue-liner has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury.

Rielly leads all Maple Leafs skaters with 23:49 of ice time per game. He averages more than two minutes of playing time over second-ranked TJ Brodie (21:48) and is a fixture on Toronto's top pairing.

The 30-year-old's defensive deficiencies are well-documented, but he's having another strong offensive season with seven goals and 44 assists in 65 games. The NHL suspended Rielly in February for five contests for cross-checking Ridly Greig in the head after the Ottawa Senators forward scored an empty-netter with a slap shot from close range.

Mitch Marner, another key Maple Leafs player sidelined with an injury, likely won't return as soon as Rielly. Marner has missed the last 11 games with an ankle ailment.

"I haven't had a chance to discuss with (Marner) here yet since he's come off the ice, but I think with him, we're just going to feel it out and talk to him and likely make it more of a target for the weekend," Keefe said.

The Maple Leafs have Thursday and Friday off from game action before facing the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Saturday night. Toronto has eight games remaining on its regular-season schedule and sits third in the Atlantic at 43-22-9.

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Jarmo Kekalainen believes he'd be much improved if given another opportunity to be an NHL executive.

"I'd be a lot better general manager the second time around," Kekalainen told NHL.com's Jon Lane. "I'm also realizing that I'm not ready to retire, so I'm staying active. I've (scouted) some games to make sure that I stay current with the other prospects coming into the NHL, which is a lot of NHL hockey, college hockey, major junior, (AHL), so I'm definitely full of energy and ready for the next challenge as well."

The Columbus Blue Jackets fired Kekalainen on Feb. 15, almost exactly 11 years after they hired him on Feb. 13, 2013. He became the first European GM in NHL history, and the club went 410-362-97 in 869 regular-season games during his tenure.

The Jackets made the playoffs five times in that span, including in 2019 when they swept the 62-win Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round to win a series for the first time since joining the league in 2000-01. They reached the postseason in four straight years from 2017-2020, though they were bounced in the first round in the other three.

But Columbus struggled mightily in recent years, finishing no higher than sixth in the Metropolitan Division in the last three seasons and missing the playoffs in each of them. The Blue Jackets sat last in the Eastern Conference when they fired Kekalainen, who explained this week that he tried not to fixate on his future amid all the losing.

"You try to put it aside," he said. "When things go bad for an extended period it might creep up a little bit, but you just try to concentrate on your job and do the best you can, and other people make the decisions on your tenure."

The 57-year-old started his NHL executive career as director of player personnel with the Ottawa Senators in 1999, moving on to the St. Louis Blues as assistant GM and director of amateur scouting in 2002. When the Blues hired Doug Armstrong as GM over Kekalainen, the Finn returned to his homeland to occupy that position with Jokerit. He remained there until the Blue Jackets came calling in 2013.

"I've heard a saying that in this business, it's not a matter of if (you'll get fired), it's a matter of when," Kekalainen said. "It happened for the first time to me now, getting fired, so that's obviously not something that I wanted to experience.

"Now that I've gone through it, it's part of the business and I'm very appreciative of all the opportunities that I got here. The ownership is unbelievable and supportive and let you do your job. I've worked with John Davidson in two different organizations, with the Blues and then the Blue Jackets. He's a great man and I've enjoyed working with him."

Davidson was part of the Blue Jackets front office staff that hired Kekalainen 11 years ago. After returning to the club in 2021, he was also part of the group that let Kekalainen go in February.

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Don't expect Dougie Hamilton to suit up for the New Jersey Devils before the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

Devils interim head coach Travis Green said Saturday they "probably won't" see Hamilton return this season, according to team reporter Amanda Stein.

The 30-year-old defenseman had his campaign cut short on Nov. 28 when he suffered a torn pectoral muscle in a win over the New York Islanders. Hamilton underwent surgery a few days later, was deemed to be out indefinitely, and hasn't played since.

The Canadian blue-liner racked up 16 points, including five goals, in 20 games before getting hurt. He's coming off a campaign in which he established career highs in goals (22), assists (52), and points while playing all 82 contests.

Hamilton is in his third season with the Devils, who signed him to a seven-year, $63-million contract in July 2021. He's also played three campaigns apiece with the Carolina Hurricanes, Calgary Flames, and Boston Bruins.

The Devils have underachieved in 2023-24, but Hamilton's absence has clearly contributed to their struggles. New Jersey has had to rely on rookies Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec to quarterback its power play, a circumstance that ex-head coach Lindy Ruff lamented in late February before the club fired him in early March.

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Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle was suspended one game for slashing Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny from the bench during Thursday's game, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Friday.

Guhle wasn't penalized for the incident. Konecny was able to stay in and finish the game, which the Canadiens won 4-1.

The league found that this wasn't an example of a player getting hit into the bench or a scrum occurring near the bench, adding that there was "no reason" for Konecny to expect Guhle's reaction.

Konecny leads the Flyers in goals (31), assists (33), and points this season.

This is Guhle's first suspension in his two NHL seasons. The Habs' 16th overall pick in 2020 has been one of the team's best blue-liners in 2023-24. He has six goals and 15 assists while ranking third on the team in average ice time with 21:08 across 68 games.

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