With the Toronto Maple Leafs' forward group being the healthiest it's ever been this season, head coach Sheldon Keefe is looking to spread around his team's star power.

Here's how the Leafs - who currently sit in third place in the Atlantic Division - lined up at practice Monday:

Franchise cornerstone Auston Matthews remained as the top-line center, but hardworking forward Ondrej Kase replaced Mitch Marner on his right wing. Captain John Tavares found himself between the red-hot Ilya Mikheyev and Marner, while William Nylander and Alex Kerfoot joined the defensively sound David Kampf on the third line.

"For me, it's about Matthews, Marner, and Nylander on three separate lines and getting a look at what that looks like, for both our team and how the opposition might look to contend with that," Keefe explained, according to the Toronto Star's Kevin McGran.

The third-year coach added that he's wanted to experiment with this look since training camp, but the team was never healthy enough to give it a go.

Despite the shuffle, Keefe emphasized that his star players' ice time won't change.

"I just like the ability to have lots of options," he said. "It's on me to manage the minutes, and that was my message, not just to Will, but to Mitch and Auston and John."

"There's no demotion here for anyone," Keefe added, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox.

Nylander, who ranks second on the Leafs in points, has high hopes for the team's creative new look.

"I think it's a good way to spread out the guys on the team," he said, per McGran. "Me and Kerfoot had chemistry before and Kampf is a smart player and solid defensively, so I think that could be really good."

Meanwhile, Tavares is looking forward to reuniting with Marner, who played on his wing when he scored a career-high 88 points in his first season with the Leafs in 2018-19.

"(Marner's) ability to read the play and manipulate the opponent is as good as any winger in the game," Tavares said, per TSN.

He added: "As a linemate, you're just always trying to get open knowing that he's got eyes everywhere and he's gonna find you if you're open."

Toronto will practice with the same alignment Tuesday before Keefe makes a decision on Wednesday's lineup against the Anaheim Ducks.

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Veteran defenseman P.K. Subban didn't speak about his New Jersey Devils' 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday night.

Instead, he spoke candidly about racism just one day after his younger brother, Jordan, tweeted out that an opposing player, Jacob Panetta, directed a racist gesture toward him during an ECHL game.

That incident occurred just one day after the AHL suspended Krystof Hrabik for 30 games for directing a racist gesture at Boko Imama, who is Black.

"It keeps happening. So we can look at one incident and talk about it all we want, but tomorrow there may be another one. The next day, there may be another one," Subban said to the media.

He added, "I've lived it, so I can sit here and answer questions all you want. I've lived it, I still live it."

The 32-year-old said Jordan was doing fine and noted that moving on from troubling experiences is the status quo for his family. As part of a Black hockey family, P.K. wants to do his part to eradicate racism in the sport.

"This is life for people that look like me that have gone through the game of hockey. And that's a part of the history, whether we like it or not. We're trying to change that. I'm an advocate to change that. To do that, we gotta bring people together, and hopefully, this is another step in doing that."

He added, "We have the support of the players in the league who want to make a difference. We have to call this stuff out. ... What allows me to get up every day and come to the rink with excitement is knowing that I have the support of this organization ... and the league since I've been here."

Subban also weighed in on why using his platform for change is important to him.

"If (Jordan's) name isn't 'Subban' on the back, am I here talking about it? Probably not," he said. "But this goes to show you that racism, it doesn't matter what you do or how much money you make or how popular you are, racism is just racism. It's just hateful. It's just not right. ... We can't glaze over this and think that this is just a misunderstanding. It's not."

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Bruce Boudreau became the 29th bench boss in NHL history to coach 1,000 games Sunday night versus the St. Louis Blues.

For the Vancouver Canucks head coach, it's a dream come true.

"It's all I ever wanted to do, was be involved in hockey," Boudreau said prior to the milestone, according to TSN. "It's taken a lot of winding roads. I still pinch myself about where it's at, at this stage.

"I'm in awe with the fact that it's my 1,000th game here."

The Canucks honored him with a video tribute prior to the contest.

The 67-year-old currently holds a 577-305-117 record across 14 seasons with the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild, and the Canucks, who appointed Boudreau as Travis Green's successor earlier this campaign.

Prior to his stint in Vancouver, Boudreau hadn't coached an NHL game since the 2019-20 season after being fired by the Minnesota Wild.

"I can only thank the Aquilinis (the team owners) for giving me the opportunity to do it," Boudreau said. "I didn't know if it would ever happen again, but it's a pretty special night for my family and myself."

For the players under Boudreau's charge, their mission Sunday is simple.

"Obviously, you want to win (this) one," Canucks forward Tanner Pearson said. "It's a special day for him. Hopefully, we get the win."

Boudreau's return to the bench has revitalized the previously struggling Canucks. Entering Sunday's game, the team is 10-3-2 under his guidance, including a seven-game win streak to start his tenure.

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Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun is one of several intriguing blue-liners on the market, and contending teams are reportedly doing their due diligence with the trade deadline just two months away.

The New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, and Florida Panthers are among the clubs interested in acquiring the 23-year-old's services, Sportsnet's Jeff Marek reported on Saturday's edition of "32 Thoughts."

The Coyotes are reportedly looking for a young player, a prospect, and a first-round pick to pry Chychrun from the desert. Arizona has "at least one offer" that fits the bill, Marek added.

The Rangers have discussed including 2018 first-round pick Vitali Kravtsov in a potential deal, but it's unclear if the 22-year-old forward would significantly pique the Coyotes' interests, per Marek.

Kravtsov didn't make New York's opening night roster this season, and the team reportedly granted him permission to seek a trade in October. The club loaned him to the KHL's Traktor Chelyabinsk in November.

However, the Panthers may be the "team to watch," according to Marek.

The Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, and Columbus Blue Jackets are also reportedly interested in Chychrun.

The sixth-year defenseman has struggled this season, recording two goals and six assists over 28 games with the basement-dwelling Coyotes. Chychrun broke through offensively during the 2020-21 campaign, registering 41 points in 56 contests.

He's currently in the third season of a six-year deal with an annual cap hit of $4.6 million.

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The Boston Bruins have taken exception to the hit that forced star winger Brad Marchand to exit Thursday's contest against the Washington Capitals.

Capitals forward Garnet Hathaway hit Marchand into the boards during the second period. Hathaway received a two-minute penalty for interference and Marchand went down the tunnel immediately afterward but temporarily returned to the bench.

The Bruins veteran was seen putting ice on his shoulder and was in visible discomfort. Marchand was seemingly unable to raise his right arm to celebrate a goal later in the period.

Prior to the third period, the Bruins announced Marchand wouldn't return due to an upper-body injury.

"You hate to see March go down on a cheap hit," Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said after the team's 4-3 victory, according to Boston Sports Journal's Conor Ryan.

He added, "I didn't like at all. ... Seen that from that player in the past."

Cassidy didn't provide much of an update on Marchand's status, just confirming the upper-body ailment.

Bruins forward David Pastrnak also expressed his displeasure with the incident.

"I didn't like it, obviously. ... I think it was a little dirty," he said.

Marchand wasn't the only Bruins player who was forced to leave the contest. Forward Anton Blidh exited with an upper-body injury after taking a thunderous hit from Capitals pest Tom Wilson in the opening frame.

Marchand leads all Bruins skaters with 43 points in 32 games.

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Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers is week-to-week with an MCL sprain after taking a knee-on-knee hit from Washington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov during Tuesday's contest, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

The Jets placed the 25-year-old on injured reserve earlier Thursday.

The incident occurred in the third period of the Jets' 4-3 overtime loss. Ehlers was slow to get up and had to be helped off the ice.

There was no penalty called on the play, but Orlov was suspended for two games Wednesday.

Ehlers was initially expected to miss Winnipeg's next three games, according to the Winnipeg Free Press' Mike McIntyre.

The native of Denmark has 25 points in 34 games this season.

The Jets are set for a busy weekend with back-to-back matchups against the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins.

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What advice do you give to a player who just scored five goals in two periods?

For the San Jose Sharks, the message to winger Timo Meier during Monday's contest against the Los Angeles Kings was pretty simple.

"Tonight, if you wear No. 28, shoot the puck," defenseman Erik Karlsson said, according to San Jose Hockey Now's Sheng Peng.

It's safe to say Meier followed through on that advice during his team's 6-2 victory. The 25-year-old led the team with six shots on veteran netminder Jonathan Quick en route to becoming the first player in Sharks history to ever score five goals in one game.

Meier accomplished the feat on home ice as "Timo" chants rained down from the enamored crowd.

"It's very special, almost can't describe it," he said, according to NBC Sports. "Very special goosebump feeling. Our fans have been great. It's just a really, really cool feeling."

His reign of terror over Quick and the Kings started almost immediately, with his first goal coming after just three minutes.

Meier didn't let up, logging his second career hat trick in the first period.

"When pucks are going in - I think at that time every shot went in for me - so you definitely feel good and you hope to keep going like that," he said. "Just one of these nights."

Sharks head coach Bob Boughner gave Meier all the credit.

"I can't remember seeing a guy that hot. It was nice to see. We've talked about how great a season he's had," Boughner said, according to team beat writer Ross McKeon. "Being named our All-Star, which was well deserved and all that hard work. ... Timo got paid back, and our team got paid back."

Meier is just the fifth NHL player to score five goals in a game since 2000 and the latest since New York Rangers star Mika Zibanejad in 2020. The Swiss is also the first to pull off the feat in the first two periods of a game since Peter Bondra in 1994.

Meier leads the Sharks with 45 points in 35 games this season.

It was also a milestone game for Karlsson, who registered his 500th career assist on Meier's fifth goal.

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It's been 99 games since Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner's last power-play goal, which seems almost unbelievable given his penchant to light up the scoresheet.

The last time Marner scored on the power play was in February 2020. He somehow still led the Leafs with 14 power-play points in 55 games in the 2020-21 season despite never lighting the lamp on the man advantage.

For Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe, Marner's lack of power-play goals is eyebrow-raising, but he isn't pushing the panic button.

"I find it odd and we're aware of it ... we're trying to do different things to help something to fall for him," Keefe said Saturday, according to the Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan. "This season, our PP has been as good as anyone in the league. I'm not too concerned about it."

The Leafs' power-play percentage is 29.6%, tied for second in the league with the St. Louis Blues - their opponents Saturday night.

Toronto's production is far better than it was last year. Its power play was firmly in the middle of the pack with a 20% success rate.

Heading into this campaign, the Leafs brought in Spencer Carbery to take over power-play coaching duties from Manny Malhotra, who remains on the coaching staff.

Marner has seven power-play points in 26 games so far this season.

The Markham, Ontario, native missed Toronto's last three games due to COVID-19 protocol and said Friday that he's ready for Saturday's contest, according to The Hockey News' David Alter.

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The Edmonton Oilers placed goaltender Alex Stalock on waivers, the team announced Friday.

The move marks the next step in the 34-year-old's journey back to the NHL. Stalock was initially expected to miss the entirety of the 2021-22 season due to a heart condition.

If he passes through waivers, the Oilers intend to have Stalock play in the AHL if his health permits, according to The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman.

The Athletic's Michael Russo reported earlier this week that Stalock had been cleared by his doctor and was headed to Bakersfield, California - the site of the Oilers' AHL affiliate - to take a physical. Russo added that Stalock would be placed on waivers if he cleared his physical.

When addressing Stalock's condition at the beginning of training camp in September, Oilers general manager Ken Holland said the goaltender's heart issue was flagged after he underwent more tests following the team's physical exam at the end of the 2020-21 campaign.

Stalock started the 2020-21 season as a member of the Minnesota Wild and was waived by the team in late February. The Oilers picked him up, but Stalock spent the majority of the season on the taxi squad and didn't end up playing in a single game.

He logged a .910 save percentage across 38 appearances in 2019-20 - his last taste of NHL action.

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Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand isn't fazed after being snubbed from the 2022 All-Star Game.

"I'm not bothered at all," the 33-year-old said to the media Friday.

"It's a nice event to go to some years. Depends on where it is, but Vegas is obviously a good spot."

The two-time All-Star erupted for 41 points in 29 games to start the season and looked poised to get in on the fun once more. However, he will ultimately be left off the Atlantic Division roster after teammate Charlie McAvoy was chosen for the "Last Men In" ballot.

For now, captain Patrice Bergeron is Boston's sole representative in Las Vegas, and Marchand wouldn't have it any other way.

"Bergy's been our best player for 18 years now. He's the best two-way player in the league. He's the backbone to our team," Marchand said. "I'm not surprised at all that he's there. He deserves to be and he's earned that right. I'm very happy for him."

Marchand still called out the NHL's process for selecting the All-Star lineups. Every team must have at least one player compete at the event, including players from struggling squads like the Arizona Coyotes and Montreal Canadiens.

"That's how it goes when the league format is the way it is. There's guys that probably deserve or could be there," he said.

Marchand identified Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri as an egregious snub. With 48 points in 30 contests, Kadri is fourth in league scoring behind only Alex Ovechkin, Connor McDavid, and Leon Draisaitl.

Though Kadri was left off of the Central Division's initial roster, he still has a chance to make the team thanks to the "Last Men In" voting.

The All-Star Weekend will take place from Feb. 4-5 in Las Vegas.

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