NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told owners that very preliminary revenue projections suggest a salary cap rise to between $87 and $88 million for the 2024-25 campaign, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

The league's salary cap increased to $83.5 million for the upcoming 2023-24 season. It was the second straight year the cap jumped $1 million after being at a stagnant $81.5 million from 2019-2022.

A bump up to $87.5 million would be a $4-million rise in one offseason. It would be the biggest single-summer increase for the NHL's cap since it jumped up $4.5 million ahead of the 2019-20 season.

Bettman's preliminary projections are in line with the three-year estimation that sources gave Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman and Rory Boylen in September 2022.

Bettman added that the outstanding escrow debt owed by players to owners due to the pandemic is down to approximately $50 million and will be paid off this season, per Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.

William Nylander, Steven Stamkos, and Connor Hellebuyck are among the top pending unrestricted free agents that could benefit from a rising salary cap next summer.

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The top of the 2024 NHL draft class is sure to include plenty of prospects who have yet to introduce themselves to the hockey world on a big stage.

It's a notable difference from the previous two entry drafts. Both Shane Wright and Connor Bedard were known commodities at the start of their draft years as players whom Hockey Canada granted exceptional status.

Unlike last year's draft, where a generational prospect in Bedard and a plethora of forward talent were available, this year's crop lacks the star power at the top of the class and should include a slew of defensemen projected to go early after a trio of forwards.

Here are 11 prospects to keep an eye on entering the 2024 draft year.

Macklin Celebrini, C

Celebrini, a forward from Boston University, is the preseason favorite to go first overall next June.

The Vancouver native decimated the USHL last season, winning Rookie and Player of the Year as a member of the Chicago Steel, and he makes the jump to the NCAA this fall.

Expectations are high for Celebrini after Adam Fantilli's superb freshman campaign last season at Michigan. As a 17-year-old with the Steel in 2021-22, Fantilli scored 74 points in 54 games. Celebrini, at age 16, exceeded that with 86 in 50.

Celebrini followed up his excellent USHL performance by leading Team Canada in scoring at the U18s with 15 points in seven contests. He did so on a roster that featured three forwards taken in the first round of the 2023 draft.

He ticks the boxes of a future top-line center. Celebrini is well-rounded at both ends and combines high intelligence with superb puck skills. He's listed at a sturdy 6-feet and 190 pounds as well. It's a recipe that will make him difficult to bump from the top spot.

Cole Eiserman, LW

The biggest challenger for Celebrini's top spot is American sharpshooter Eiserman.

Once a teammate of Celebrini at Shattuck St. Mary's, Eiserman joined the U.S. National Team Development Program last season and immediately showcased his remarkable shooting talent. Tallying 69 goals in 62 total games, he blew past the NTDP's previous Under-17 single-season goal record of 54 set by Cole Caufield.

Eiserman will be gunning for the all-time record - 72, also set by Caufield - this season.

He scored nine goals at the U18s in the spring to match 2023 fourth overall pick Will Smith for the tournament lead.

Eiserman's tantalizing ability to put the puck in the net makes him such an intriguing talent at the top of the class. He'll have to showcase more than just his shot if he's going to surpass Celebrini to the top spot in 2024, though.

Ivan Demidov, RW

If there's a player who can disrupt the duo at the top, it's Demidov.

The Russian possesses jaw-dropping skill, which was on full display last season in the MHL. The only player to score at a higher rate before their draft year in the league's history is Philadelphia Flyers prospect Matvei Michkov, who tallied 51 points in 28 MHL games two years ago.

Demidov isn't quite at Michkov's level, but there are also fewer questions about his long-term status. Demidov's KHL contract expires after the 2024-25 season, just one year after next summer's draft. Michkov, meanwhile, will remain signed for another season after that.

Waiting just one year post-draft to bring Demidov to North America instead of the three the Flyers have to wait for Michkov is significant. Don't anticipate Demidov to slide down the board in the same way Michkov did.

Artyom Levshunov, RHD

The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim drafted Ruslan Salei ninth overall in 1996, and the rearguard has been the highest-drafted Belarussian since.

That could change in 2024. Levshunov, a 6-foot-2, right-shot blue-liner impressed last season after making the jump from Belarus to North America in the USHL. He earned All-Rookie Team honors and landed on the Third All-Star Team as well.

Levshunov joins Adam Nightingale's rapidly improving Michigan State program this fall. He has NHL size and showcased exciting offensive potential in his maiden North American campaign.

If he can hold his own defensively in the NCAA while producing points in the Big Ten, he'll be a strong candidate to be the first defenseman off the board in June.

Berkly Catton, C

Catton leads the way out West following an impressive showing at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

As captain of the Canadian squad, Catton scored a tournament-high eight goals and 10 points in five games, leading his nation to the gold medal in August.

Catton's listed at a slight 5-foot-11 and 163 pounds, but the Saskatoon native makes up for his lack of weight with his immense offensive talent. He's already off to a flying start in the WHL with the Spokane Chiefs, and a 100-point campaign isn't out of the question.

Beginning the year as the No. 2 center available behind Celebrini, Catton will have a chance to solidify a place in the top five and be the first CHLer to hear his name called.

Sam Dickinson, LHD

Dickinson's the latest top prospect to come through the London Knights.

The Toronto native played his way into a top-four role on a good Knights team last season - no easy feat for a 16-year-old. He excelled in the postseason, posting eight points and a plus-12 rating in 21 contests.

With Montreal Canadiens prospect Logan Mailloux graduating to the professional ranks, Dickinson will not only see more responsibility at even strength but will also take on a much greater role on the man advantage. Expect a significant jump from the 23 points he put up a year ago.

Dickinson's tools are obvious. He's listed at 6-foot-3, skates very well, and moves the puck just as effectively. He has all the makings of a minute-munching top-four defenseman.

Konsta Helenius, C

Finland hasn't produced a top-10 pick since the New York Rangers took Kaapo Kakko second overall in 2019. That looks set to change with two candidates in 2024.

Helenius demolished the Finnish junior league last season, producing at a rate slightly better than Kakko at the same age, albeit in half the games.

His performance earned him a spot in the top Finnish men's league after returning from the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in November. Helenius finished the campaign with 33 games in Liiga, a total that hasn't been reached by a 16-year-old in the league since the 1970s.

Already featuring as a top-six center in a men's league, Helenius will challenge Catton to be the second pivot off of the board should he take another step with Jukurit.

Aron Kiviharju, LHD

Kiviharju was one of the first 2024 draft-eligible prospects to pop up on the radar. He's dominated the Finnish junior ranks, but after struggling in his first stint at the pro level, his stock has fallen behind others at the top of the class.

He's already played at two U18s and has matched Miro Heiskanen's record of 13 career points by a Finnish defenseman at the event. Kiviharju's done so in fewer games, and if he plays at a third U18s in the spring, he'll blow past that mark.

Despite his success at the junior level and internationally, he had a disappointing season overall, which led to him being cut from Finland's world junior squad. He failed to make an impact in Liiga, which resulted in him moving to a new team.

After years in the TPS system, Kiviharju moves to HIFK for his draft year - the same team that developed Heiskanen into a No. 3 pick in 2017. Kiviharju doesn't have the same physical traits as the Dallas rearguard - he's listed at just 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds - but has outproduced Heiskanen at each level so far.

If Kiviharju figures it out with HIFK, there's a good chance he can vault himself back up the board and into the conversation to be the top blue-liner in the class.

Anton Silayev, LHD

To say that Silayev has burst onto the scene as a potential top pick in the draft would be an understatement.

After scoring only eight points in the Russian junior league last season, the defenseman has already tallied six points in the KHL early in the campaign. His output would be impressive for a forward, let alone a blue-liner.

Silayev is listed at 6-foot-7 and 207 pounds, and he's mobile too. There are kinks to be worked out with his puck-handling and decision-making, but the tools are clear as day.

Considering 6-foot-6 Dmitry Simashev went sixth overall after going without a point in 18 KHL contests a year ago, it's likely we'll hear Silayev's name called very early if he maintains his spot in the KHL.

Adam Jiricek, RHD

The younger brother of Columbus Blue Jackets prospect David Jiricek, Adam ticks a lot of the same boxes.

Just like David - who was taken sixth overall in 2022 and appeared in four NHL games last season - Adam is a right-shot blue-liner with an impressive frame at 6-foot-2. He plays an aggressive style and has the makings of a two-way force.

We got a glimpse of Jiricek's potential in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold-medal game, where he logged 32:07 against Canada's best before Czechia lost in the dying seconds of the first overtime period.

He's expected to make the full-time jump to the Czech pro league this season with HC Plzen and should feature in a prominent role at the world juniors.

Cole Hutson, LHD

Jiricek isn't the only top-ranked defense prospect in the 2024 class with a familiar surname.

Cole Hutson - the younger brother of Canadiens prospect and Boston University phenom Lane - bears a resemblance to his older sibling as well.

Listed at 5-foot-10, Cole was more productive than Lane at the same age with the NTDP and possesses similar exhilarating skating and puck skills that have made the elder Hutson a hot topic in the prospect sphere over the past year.

Despite the high-octane offensive game Lane played at the NTDP, he still dropped to the end of the second round in the 2022 draft. It's highly unlikely teams make the same mistake with the third Hutson brother, especially if he exceeds Lane's totals from the 2021-22 campaign.

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The Anaheim Ducks claimed defenseman Lassi Thomson off waivers Sunday.

Thomson, 23, was selected 19th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2019 draft. The right-shot blue-liner recorded five assists in 18 games over two seasons in Ottawa.

Last year, Thomson tallied seven goals and 33 points in 56 contests with the AHL's Belleville Senators.

The Finnish rearguard joins a Ducks back end that already features new additions on the right side in Radko Gudas and Ilya Lyubushkin. Right-shot defender Jamie Drysdale remains without a contract as a restricted free agent.

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Forward Shane Pinto and the Ottawa Senators aren't close to a new contract more than a week into the preseason, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports.

The Senators recently offered Pinto a contract in the one-year, $1-million range, sources told Friedman. The player is reportedly looking for a deal around $2.5 million.

General manager Pierre Dorion indicated the team hoped to sign Pinto prior to the start of training camp earlier in September.

Ottawa has significant leverage in negotiations with Pinto. The 22-year-old is a restricted free agent without arbitration rights. He's also not eligible for an offer sheet due to a lack of pro seasons.

Pinto tallied 20 goals and 35 points in 82 games last season with the Senators. He was named Rookie of the Month for October after a hot start to the campaign, scoring six goals in eight contests.

A shoulder injury limited Pinto to five games in the 2021-22 season.

Ottawa has $120,953 in projected cap space with a 21-man roster, according to CapFriendly.

The Senators drafted Pinto with the first pick of the second round in 2019.

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Anaheim Ducks forward Alex Killorn is expected to miss four-to-six weeks after sustaining a fractured finger in preseason action against the San Jose Sharks, the team announced Saturday.

The Ducks signed Killorn to a four-year, $25-million contract on the opening day of free agency in July.

The 34-year-old scored a career-high 27 goals and 64 points last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Killorn hasn't missed a game since the 2019-20 campaign.

Killorn's lined up alongside 2023 second overall pick Leo Carlsson throughout Ducks training camp.

Anaheim's already without Isac Lundestrom to start the season, and the team has yet to sign restricted free agents Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale.

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The Minnesota Wild signed forward Mats Zuccarello to a two-year contract extension with an average annual value of $4.125 million, the team announced Friday.

Zuccarello, 36, had one year left on a contract signed in 2019 that carries a $6-million cap hit. He'll be 38 years old at the expiration of his new deal.

The contract has a no-move clause in both years, according to the Star Tribune's Sarah McLellan.

The Norwegian tallied 22 goals and 67 points in 78 games last season to rank second on the Wild in scoring. Zuccarello's 20:12 average time on ice was the highest mark of his 13-year career.

Since joining the Wild in 2019, Zuccarello has accumulated 72 goals and 218 points in 255 contests with Minnesota. He leads the team in assists with 146 over this span.

Zuccarello has had a career resurgence since the arrival of Kirill Kaprizov in 2020-21. After scoring just 37 points in 65 games the previous season, Zuccarello has recorded 181 points in 190 contests since Kaprizov joined the Wild.

The duo has played over 2,200 minutes at five-on-five in three seasons, in which Minnesota's outscored the opposition 119-86 with Kaprizov and Zuccarello on the ice, per Natural Stat Trick.

The Wild have $67 million in cap commitments for the 2024-25 season after the signing, according to CapFriendly.

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The Ottawa Senators hired Steve Staios as president of hockey operations, the team announced Friday.

Staios resigned from his position as a special assistant to the general manager with the Edmonton Oilers in order to join Ottawa.

The 50-year-old spent seven seasons with new Senators owner Michael Andlauer with the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs from 2015-22. As the team's president and general manager, Staios won two OHL titles and was named the league's best GM in his final season with the Bulldogs.

"I'm so excited that Steve is joining me in Ottawa to lead our hockey operations," Andlauer said in a statement. "I have worked with Steve for many years and know first-hand that he will strengthen our team with his hockey acumen, attention to detail, commitment to excellence, and enthusiasm for the game and its players."

Staios joins GM Pierre Dorion to oversee the Senators' hockey operations department.

"In hockey, you can never accumulate too much talent," Andlauer said. "Having Steve and Pierre leading our hockey department gives us a formidable team."

Staios is Andlauer's first major hire after he completed his purchase of the Senators earlier in September.

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Washington Capitals defenseman Joel Edmundson is expected to miss four-to-six weeks after undergoing a procedure to stabilize a fractured hand, the team announced Wednesday.

Edmundson sustained the injury during a scrimmage on Sunday.

The 30-year-old was acquired by the Capitals this summer from the Montreal Canadiens with 50% salary retention in exchange for a third-round and seventh-round draft pick.

"It's tough," Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery told TNT's Tarik El-Bashir on Tuesday. "He's battled some stuff over the last couple of years. This was a little bit of a fresh start for him. I felt like he was in a really good place."

Edmundson missed 79 games over the past two seasons due to various ailments. Last year, he suited up in 61 games with the Canadiens, registering two goals and 13 points to go with a team-worst minus-29 rating.

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The only thing worse in fantasy sports than missing out on a breakout talent one year is to overcorrect the following season and end up with a bust.

Here are five candidates to be wary of in your fantasy draft who could be in store for regression after posting great 2022-23 campaigns.

Jamie Benn, LW, Dallas Stars

Benn turned back the clock last season with 33 goals and 78 points to finish second on the Stars in scoring. It was the first time he eclipsed the 30-goal, 70-point mark in five campaigns.

As a result of the 34-year-old's return to form, he's naturally a player to be hesitant to take early in fantasy drafts. Benn's average draft position in Yahoo leagues is 75.7 - ahead of Kevin Fiala, Johnny Gaudreau, and teammate Joe Pavelski.

Benn's 13.1% five-on-five on-ice shooting percentage was the highest in the league among those who played more than 50 games. However, Benn averaged 7.7% in this statistic from 2018-22.

In addition to Benn's five-on-five luck likely to regress, the Stars added more offensive depth this summer in the form of Matt Duchene. That means more competition for offensive opportunities at five-on-five and on the man advantage.

Benn can still be a useful asset in fantasy this season, but he's being drafted too early when other higher-end forwards are still on the table. After an unexpected bounce-back campaign, Benn's ceiling is what he accomplished last year. Pass on the veteran in his current slot and opt for a player with a clearcut shot to operate in their team's most advantageous situations.

Andrei Kuzmenko, LW, Vancouver Canucks

Kuzmenko burst onto the scene last year, making his awaited North American debut following a superb career in the KHL. The Russian exceeded expectations with the Canucks, racking up 39 goals and 74 points to set team records as a first-year NHLer.

While Kuzmenko remains in an excellent spot on Elias Pettersson's wing, there's a significant warning sign that he could be in for regression as a sophomore.

Kuzmenko's 39-goal campaign came off the back of a sky-high 27.3% shooting percentage. It's the highest single-season shooting percentage by a player since 2004 and the top mark by a 30-goal scorer since Sergei Makarov in 1990-91.

It's doubtful Kuzmenko will operate at such a clip again this campaign. Looking at the 10 highest single-season shooting percentages from 2018-22, no player increased their goal output the following year. Even Leon Draisaitl's and Brayden Point's goal productions dipped after scoring at 20-plus percent rates during this span.

Kuzmenko's average draft position in Yahoo leagues is 110.9, putting him ahead of other left-wingers like Jonathan Huberdeau, Cole Caufield, and Filip Forsberg.

Readjust your hopes if you expect Kuzmenko to build on his previous season and crack the 40-goal plateau.

Josh Morrissey, D, Winnipeg Jets

It's an understatement to say Morrissey exploded on offense in 2022-23. He recorded 16 goals and 76 points from the Jets' backend, more than doubling his previous career high.

Morrissey never received Norris Trophy votes in his six previous full-time campaigns before vaulting into second in scoring among defenders last season.

The 28-year-old will remain a workhorse on Winnipeg's blue line with minimal competition for prime minutes on the power play. However, it isn't realistic to expect Morrissey to continue scoring at such a drastically different rate than he did before last season.

With Morrissey going around No. 70 in Yahoo drafts, opt for the higher-end upside of Evan Bouchard or safer options in Brent Burns or John Carlson.

The Calgary native will be a useful asset in fantasy this season, but he likely won't hit the massive highs of the previous campaign to be worthwhile as the No. 11 defenseman off the board.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C/LW, Edmonton Oilers

Nobody predicted a 100-point season from Nugent-Hopkins coming into the 2022-23 campaign. Thanks largely to a historic Oilers power play, the former No. 1 draft pick set career highs with 37 goals and 104 points.

Since the 2007-08 season, no 100-point player scored a higher percentage of their points on the man advantage than Nugent-Hopkins last campaign. A whopping 62.5% of his points a year ago came on the power play.

Of course, Nugent-Hopkins isn't just a power-play scorer. His 39 points at five-on-five were in line with the likes of Gaudreau and Mark Scheifele. But neither of those two is sniffing the top 30 in Yahoo drafts like Nugent-Hopkins.

Nugent-Hopkins will need the Oilers' power play to be at the level it was last season for him to be a worthwhile pick at his average draft position of 32.5 - a higher slot than Steven Stamkos and Artemi Panarin.

Yes, Edmonton's man advantage is outrageous and will likely lead the league again, but we're talking about the highest success rate for a power play in NHL history. It's unrealistic to expect the Oilers to repeat that, making Nugent-Hopkins an unnecessary risk at that stage in drafts.

Linus Ullmark, G, Boston Bruins

There isn't enough to say about Ullmark's remarkable 2022-23 campaign - just look at his eye-watering .938 save percentage and 40 wins in 49 appearances.

That earned him the Vezina Trophy last season and slots him as the No. 6 goaltender off the board in Yahoo leagues. Despite how well Ullmark performed a year ago, that isn't a risk worth taking.

The odds of the Bruins replicating their historic 135-point regular season from 2022-23 are incredibly low. Boston lost its top centers, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, to retirement and deadline additions Tyler Bertuzzi and Dmitry Orlov to free agency.

The Bruins need to be one of the top teams in the league to justify taking Ullmark as a top-30 player, and that isn't likely with the immense competition in the Atlantic Division.

Boston has split starts between Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman for the most part, and that projects to continue this season.

After Ullmark at an average draft position of 29.7, the top tandem goaltenders being taken in Yahoo drafts are Swayman (52.3), Filip Gustavsson (66.2), and Frederik Andersen (79.2). It's incredibly low that the Bruins will be good enough to justify a 30-slot difference between Ullmark and the next highest drafted non-Bruins tandem goaltender.

With Ullmark going in drafts ahead of workhorse netminders like Connor Hellebuyck and Juuse Saros, let others pick Ullmark too high and either take a workhorse starter in this range or wait until later to snag a tandem netminder.

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The Vegas Golden Knights are channeling the same mentality as last year as the team looks to defend its Stanley Cup triumph.

"You look at the players we have, it's pretty ironic that people were writing us off," Golden Knights captain Mark Stone told Las Vegas Sun's Danny Webster. "I almost hope the same thing this year. I hope people write us off. I hope it gives us motivation.

"We want to have that same chip on our shoulder. A lot of people say we can't do it again. We have to use that as fuel to try and get back to where we want to be."

After missing the playoffs in 2022, Vegas stormed its way to the team's first-ever Stanley Cup this spring. The Golden Knights demolished the Florida Panthers in five games to win the Cup and never faced elimination en route to the finals.

"Everyone loves their preseason picks," star forward Jack Eichel said. "Were we anyone's preseason picks last year? No.

"You go out there and prove yourself on the ice every night, and the ultimate goal of our season is a long, long way away, and I think we learned that last year."

Head coach Bruce Cassidy enters his second season behind the bench in Vegas with the task of replicating last year's immense success.

"We're here to win the Cup," Cassidy said. "So are 31 other teams. We feel like we're returning a lot of players that give us that opportunity. We're in that age frame right now where it's not just this year, but next year. All those things bode well for us."

The Golden Knights commence their preseason schedule Sunday against the San Jose Sharks and open their regular season on Oct. 10 against the Seattle Kraken.

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