The Montreal Canadiens drafted Jesperi Kotkaniemi with the third overall pick in the NHL draft on Friday night.

Position: Center
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 190 lbs
Age: 17
Club: Assat Pori (SM-liiga)
Nationality: Finland

Kotkaniemi is Europe's seventh-ranked skater according to NHL Central Scouting, but it wouldn't be surprising if he was drafted in the top five.

Kotkaniemi has an NHL-ready shot with a quick release and deadly accuracy. He also has world-class hands. When you factor in his high hockey IQ, it's nearly a lock that he'll be a consistent point-producer in the NHL.

Defensively, Kotkaniemi uses his great length to his advantage. He has a good stick, great drive, and will likely get a lot of takeaways at the next level.

The knock on Kotkaniemi is that he's a bit of a clunky skater, but that issue should be erased as he grows into his body. His straight-line speed isn't an issue, and he can be shifty with the puck on his stick.

With his skill, size, and smarts, Kotkaniemi has the potential to be a No. 1 center that all teams covet.

"He plays the game not like anybody else. He sees the game differently. He tries to make a play in every situation. He sees only upsides, and no downsides, and that’s why his game is sometimes a little bit risky. He’s very skilled," Finland's U18 coach Tommi Niemela said, according to The Athletic's Corey Pronman.

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Brooks Orpik was sent to the Colorado Avalanche along with Philipp Grubauer for a second-round pick in a draft-day trade, but the veteran blue-liner might not be in Denver for long.

The Avs reportedly intend to trade Orpik, and if they can't, the team will probably buy him out, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

The Avalanche are apparently trying to help send Orpik to "a preferred landing spot," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman added.

Orpik has one year left on his contract with at $5.5-million cap hit. A buyout would go as follows, according to Cap Friendly:

Orpik, 37, finished with zero goals and 10 assists in 81 games this season. The physical, stay-at-home defenseman added a goal and four assists during the Washington Capitals' run to a championship.

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Louis Domingue won't be bolting anywhere this offseason.

The Tampa Bay Lightning signed the goaltender to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $1.15 million, the team announced Friday.

Domingue was acquired midseason to back up Andrei Vasilevskiy and performed admirably, posting a .914 save percentage and a 2.89 goals-against average in 12 games.

The 26-year-old spent the previous three seasons of his career with the Arizona Coyotes. He owns a lifetime .907 save percentage and a 2.98 goals-against average in 96 NHL games.

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Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland took home the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award, given annually to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team on and off the ice during the regular season, and plays a role in his community growing the game of hockey.

Engelland set career highs in points and average time on ice in his age-35 season. Though no player on the Knights wore the "C" in the team's inaugural year, Engelland was the squad's undisputed leader. He went out to receive the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl as Western Conference champions, a job done by the team's captain.

A Vegas resident, he was a fixture in the community following the tragic Vegas shootings. He gave a passionate pregame speech prior to the team's home opener, and started a program inviting those affected by the tragedy to games throughout the season, meeting and thanking each guest after the final buzzer.

Engelland is the first non-captain to win the award since 2006-07 - the first season it was given out - when Chris Chelios took home the hardware.

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The NHL salary cap will be between $79.5 and $80 million next season, though nothing is firm yet, commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters Wednesday, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

The number still needs to be finalized with the NHLPA before it can be made official, Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reports.

If the cap winds up being on the larger end of that spectrum, it would mark a $5-million increase from last season's $75-million salary cap.

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In his first offseason as general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, Don Waddell could be quite busy.

Waddell confirmed that Jeff Skinner's name on the trade market is not a fabrication.

"It's no secret that we put his name out there and we've gotten a lot of interest," Waddell said Wednesday on Hockey Central at noon.

Earlier this month, it was reported that the Hurricanes were looking for a first-round pick and a prospect in exchange for Skinner.

"He's a big asset for us," Waddell said. "So we gotta make sure we get some kind of asset that we feel is gonna help us either today or in the future for a guy like Jeff."

Another name that has surfaced in the rumor mill is Hurricanes defenseman Noah Hanifin. Waddell said one team called him about Hanifin, but they haven't really thought about making a deal. Instead, the Canes are geared toward making the blue-liner a part of their future.

"Our goal is to get (Hanifin) signed to a long-term deal," Waddell explained.

Skinner is a year away from unrestricted free agency, so moving him would make sense, even though he's a rather consistent goal scorer and an underrated two-way player. He's one year removed from a 37-goal season, and finished second in the NHL with 93 takeaways this past season.

Hanifin, however, is only 21 years old and has shown gradual improvements each season. Trading the former fifth overall pick would seem foolish at this point in his career, unless a substantial haul were to come back in return.

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If the Buffalo Sabres decide to trade premier center Ryan O'Reilly, they have at at least three potential suitors.

The center-needy Montreal Canadiens, Carolina Hurricanes, and St. Louis Blues have all shown interest in O'Reilly, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. The Habs and Canes have both "had talks," while the Blues have "at least inquired" about O'Reilly's services, LeBrun notes.

O'Reilly is one of the best two-way centers in the game. He finished this past season with 24 goals and 61 points in 81 games, but was also one of three players in the NHL with at least 65 takeaways, but less than 40 giveaways. He also set an NHL record for faceoff wins in a single season, and is a nominee for the Lady Byng Trophy, as he collected just two penalty minutes all season.

O'Reilly has a cap hit of $7.5 million through 2022-23. However, he is due a $7.5-million bonus on July 1, LeBrun adds. His base salary is only $1 million through the remainder of his deal, but he is due a $5-million bonus for the last four years of his deal, per Cap Friendly.

A team with deep pockets, such as the the Canadiens, could look to make a push before July 1, because once that bonus is paid, Buffalo's asking price may go up. A team like the Hurricanes may want to wait until after July 1.

Marc Bergevin has been searching for a legitimate No. 1 center during his entire tenure as the Habs' GM. The Hurricanes haven't had a top-notch center since Eric Staal departed, while the Blues are likely looking to replace Paul Stastny, whom they dealt to the Winnipeg Jets at the trade deadline.

Both the Hurricanes and Blues have several blue-chip prospects they could offer. The same can't be said for the Canadiens, but they do have nine picks in the first four rounds of the NHL draft they could dangle as trade bait.

It's possible a fresh start could bring new life to O'Reilly's game, as he said after another losing season with the Sabres this year that he "lost the love of the game multiple times."

Since O'Reilly is under contract, the Sabres are fine keeping him if they don't get an offer to their liking, LeBrun says.

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The Ottawa Senators were instructed not to trade forward Mike Hoffman within the Atlantic Division, an NHL source told The Athletic's Craig Custance.

It's uncertain who exactly was making these demands to general manager Pierre Dorion, but based on the team's organizational hierarchy, it becomes quite clear that it was owner Eugene Melnyk.

Many teams have a president above the general manager, but the Sens' staff directory doesn't list such position. And, after former CEO Tom Anselmi departed the team, Melnyk took over those duties.

Well, the instructions made to Dorion clearly backfired, as once Hoffman was dealt to the San Jose Sharks, he was then flipped back into the Atlantic Division to the Florida Panthers.

The Senators apparently wanted players in return for Hoffman, not draft picks, so it's unclear whether a deal between Ottawa and Florida would've worked out. Also, it remains unclear whether wanting players instead of picks was Melnyk's or Dorion's call.

Regardless, the Sens probably would've received a better return for Hoffman had they not ruled out a quarter of the league as a possible trade partner.

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The Edmonton Oilers signed pending restricted free-agent defenseman Matt Benning to a two-year contract extension, the team announced Tuesday.

The contract reportedly comes with an average annual value of $1.9 million, according to TSN's Ryan Rishaug.

In two years with the Oilers, Benning has totaled 36 points in 135 games played. The 24-year-old managed a plus-5 rating, despite the team's poor season in 2017-18.

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Artemi Panarin has reportedly told the Columbus Blue Jackets that he is not ready to consider a contract extension "at this time," according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Panarin is set to become an unrestricted free agent after next season, so Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen is testing the market for him as a result, Friedman adds.

The Blue Jackets do have the cap room to keep Panarin - barring an otherworldly contract request - but if he isn't interested in a contract extension, then trading him now in exchange for assets would be better than losing him to free agency for nothing.

Panarin, 26, enjoyed a stellar season with the Blue Jackets, totaling 27 goals and 82 points in 81 games. He was acquired by Columbus from the Chicago Blackhawks roughly a year ago in exchange for forward Brandon Saad.

The Blue Jackets unquestionably got the the better player in the deal, but the Blackhawks likely feared they wouldn't be able to sign Panarin long term, which is why they re-acquired Saad, who is under contract through 2020-21 at $6 million - the same cap hit as Panarin.

The Blackhawks' fears are now becoming a reality for the Blue Jackets. However, there'll certainly be no shortage of teams willing to give up a big haul in order to acquire the dynamic forward.

For now, Kekalainen remains intent on getting Panarin signed.

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