Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan understands the challenges that lie ahead for his team in the salary cap era.

The 50-year-old executive signed a six-year extension with the club Tuesday and was transparent about the Maple Leafs' cap situation as they continue their effort to end a 52-year Stanley Cup drought.

“As long as we are hopefully a Stanley Cup contender we will have cap issues, so Toronto should get used to that," Shanahan said, according to Sportsnet 590 The Fan’s Prime Time Sports.

"The better you become, the less peaceful it is, the more anxiety there is, because each decision means more and so you still have problems,” he added. “They’re just better problems."

The Maple Leafs face a challenging summer, with young blue-chipper Mitch Marner lined up for his first big-money contract, and valuable core pieces Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson also becoming restricted free agents.

Defensemen Jake Gardiner, Ron Hainsey, Martin Marincin, and forward Tyler Ennis are all coming off the books this summer as well.

When it comes to Marner, the two sides are still early in the negotiation process, but Shanahan said he had a positive meeting with the 22-year-old's agent Tuesday.

“I have a lot of respect for Darren Ferris,” Shanahan said. “Obviously, our admiration for Mitch and how he plays the game and how he evolved this year and how he developed, rounded out his game and added, not even just his offensive creativity and prowess but penalty killing and just his overall game has improved so much, so it was a positive meeting."

With John Tavares' $11-million contract and Auston Matthews $11.63-million on the books next season, the Leafs may end up rostering three players making $10-plus million.

Shanahan understands that while staying beneath the cap and remaining competitive in the long run is difficult, it's a privilege to be in a situation where you have a chance to lock up high-end talent.

“When we’re not dealing with cap issues, we’re probably rebuilding,” he said.

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Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask has saved his best for the playoffs, and after splitting time with Jaroslav Halak throughout the regular season, it's evident No. 40 has extra gas in the tank as Boston chases its seventh Cup in franchise history.

The 32-year-old played in 46 games this season - his lightest workload since the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign. When comparing his postseason numbers this year to the 2013 playoff run that saw the Bruins make the Stanley Cup Final, the similarities are difficult to deny.

Rask has had to prove himself in one of hockey's most passionate markets, often being targeted as the scapegoat for the Bruins' shortcomings. But the Finn has been extremely reliable since becoming the team's full-time starter in 2012, even capturing a Vezina Trophy in 2014.

Perhaps the real problem is just how much the Bruins have relied on him. Between the 2013-14 and 2017-18 seasons, Rask's 311 games played and 17,980 minutes logged led all NHL goaltenders. During that span, the team found little success as the 6-foot-3 backstopper's numbers continued to decline.

This season, Rask ranked outside of the top 20 in terms of both games played and minutes logged between the pipes.

Only Rask knows for sure if fatigue has been a factor over the previous several seasons, but the numbers show that the less of a load he's had to carry during the year, the better the outcome is for the Bruins.

Perhaps the most concerning part for the teams that remain between the Bruins and the Stanley Cup this postseason is the fact Rask gets stronger as the playoffs wear on - another sign the netminder may have some energy in reserve.

It's not just the volume of his incredible work, either, but the timing of it that's made this run so special.

Rask made 54 saves on a combined 57 shots through two elimination games against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 1. With the Bruins down 2-1 in their second-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets, he made 39 saves to steal Game 4. Since that victory, the Bruins have won five straight games and Rask has conceded just eight goals.

The veteran deserves a ton of credit for his play this season, but it would be remiss not to mention the team in front of him. Head coach Bruce Cassidy has implemented a defense-first mentality, stressing the importance of limiting high-danger scoring chances.

With the Bruins on the verge of making their third Stanley Cup Final appearance this decade, it looks as though the decision to lighten Rask's regular-season workload has unlocked Boston's full potential.

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Dale Hunter has been selected as Canada's head coach for the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship, Hockey Canada announced on Tuesday.

Hunter has spent 18 seasons as owner, president, and head coach of the OHL's London Knights, leading the team to five Memorial Cup appearances, including titles in 2005 and 2016. He captured OHL coach of the year honors in 2004, 2005, and 2010, and was named CHL coach of the year in 2004.

The 58-year-old has only coached on the international stage once, winning a gold medal as head coach of Canada’s under-18 team at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup.

Ottawa 67's head coach Andre Tourigny and Saskatoon Blades head coach Mitch Love will join Hunter as assistant coaches.

Canada finished sixth at the world juniors in 2019, the team's second sixth-place finish in four years. With just two gold medals at the event this decade, Canada is looking to get back on top of the national junior stage.

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Staring down a 2-0 series deficit against the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Final, the Carolina Hurricanes have opted to keep their starting netminder a secret for Game 3.

Although head coach Rod Brind'Amour confirmed Tuesday a decision had been made, he wasn't willing to share the information.

"I can't be that guy that does that, right? I know who we're starting, but I guess you'll have to wait and see. Sorry," Brind'Amour said, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen.

The goaltending tandem of Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney have been at the core of the Hurricanes' success all year, and with Mrazek allowing 10 goals on 52 shots through the opening two games of the series, it's possible McElhinney gets a shot between the pipes.

McElhinney made 17 saves after replacing Mrazek in Game 2 against the New York Islanders to capture the victory. The 35-year-old followed up the strong relief performance by allowing just four goals on 58 combined shots through Game 3 and 4, helping the Hurricanes complete the four-game sweep.

"We're 100 percent on board with anybody that goes in the hockey nets," Hurricanes forward and captain Justin Williams said Monday. "I have zero qualms about anybody going in. Whoever is going to go in is going to do a great job and we're going to have a great game."

The Hurricanes faced a 2-0 series deficit in their opening-round matchup against the Washington Capitals. The team ultimately stuck with Mrazek and were able to complete the comeback and take the series in seven games.

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Love them or hate them, Brad Marchand's antics have proven to be effective over his career, and the Boston Bruins' ultimate agitator was at it again in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final.

With the Bruins holding a 3-0 lead in the second period, Marchand roped Carolina Hurricanes captain Justin Williams into a holding penalty after appearing to get away with a high stick. The Bruins All-Star proceeded to make a "C" with his fingers, holding it to his chest and appearing to taunt Williams for poor leadership.

Matt Grzelcyk scored the Bruins' second power-play goal of the game - and fourth of the series - with Williams in the box to extend the lead to 4-0.

Following the contest, Williams took full responsibility for his role in the incident.

"I've got to know better," the 37-year-old said, according to Fox Sports Carolina. "I'm old enough and I should be able to know better. I'm disappointed in general, absolutely."

The Hurricanes lost 6-2 and now face a 2-0 series deficit heading back to Carolina for Game 3 on Tuesday night.

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The San Jose Sharks defeated the St. Louis Blues 6-3 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final on Saturday.

More to come.

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It sounds likely that St. Louis Blues interim head coach Craig Berube will be assuming his duties on a permanent basis next season.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said Friday that his search for a future head coach is down to “a list of one.”

"When we asked Craig to take over the team, we were in flux at that point," Armstrong said, according to the St.Louis Post-Dispatch's Jim Thomas. "I said to Craig: 'You take over on the interim basis and we'll go from there.'

"And as I started to work with Craig, whatever name was on the (candidate) list started to get crossed off and crossed off ... then I found the synergy that Craig and I have had. Now we're at a list of one."

Berube was nominated for the 2019 Jack Adams Award after orchestrating one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in NHL history. Under Berube, the Blues became the first team in the NHL expansion era (since 1967-68) to win a playoff series after ranking last at any point after New Year's Day (minimum 20 games played), per NHL Public Relations.

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Unrestricted free agent Sergei Bobrovsky put his downtown Columbus condo up for sale, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.

The Columbus Blue Jackets were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Boston Bruins earlier this week, and speculation regarding Bobrovsky's future has been a major talking point all season.

The 30-year-old will be one of the top free agents on the market come July 1, with his $29.7-million contract set to expire.

Bobrovsky won the Vezina Trophy in 2013 and 2017 with the Blue Jackets and owns nearly every franchise record among goaltenders including games played, wins, and shutouts.

Along with Bobrovsky, forwards Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene, and Ryan Dzingel all become UFAs on July 1.

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Slovakia defeated USA in front of a raucous home crowd by a score of 4-1 in their opening contest at the 2019 IIHF World Championship.

Matus Sukel led the way for Slovakia with one goal and one assist, while Alex DeBrincat scored the lone marker for the Americans.

More to come.

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It was a tough night at the office for Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton against the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Hamilton was called for two penalties in the third period, that in his eyes, did not warrant a trip to the box.

“I just watched both of them and I didn’t agree with either," Hamilton said, according to The Athletic's Joe McDonald. "Not much else to say. The game is over now and nothing you can do about it now.”

The first of which - a minor for roughing - resulted in Patrice Bergeron wiring home the Bruins' second power-play goal in 28 seconds that would also stand as the game-winner.

Shortly after Bergeron's go-ahead marker, Hamilton was assessed a minor for interference while trying to check Bruins forward David Backes off a loose puck.

The second Hamilton penalty did not prove costly for the Hurricanes, but the Bruins' power play did finish 2-for-5 on the night. Head coach Rod Brind'Amour wasn't happy about the calls, but did not lean on the officiating as an excuse for his team.

"I was frustrated as everybody on some of the calls, but again I think we've got to kill them," Brind'Amour said postgame, per Fox Sports Carolina. "Take a penalty and you gotta kill them and we didn't do that."

The Hurricanes' penalty kill has been their weakness all postseason, operating at 73.2 percent.

The two sides will get an extra day of rest before playing Game 2 on Sunday at TD Garden in Boston.

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