On the Fly, theScore's NHL roundtable series, will be published every Friday throughout the season. We're kicking things off with a look at those teams and players that have surprised or disappointed us since hockey returned on Oct. 12.

Failing Freddie

Vaswani: You could make a "Groundhog Day"-style movie about the Toronto Maple Leafs' goaltending troubles. The latest to star in the leading role:Frederik Andersen.

It's early, yeah, but an .876 save percentage through three games is not what Lou Lamoriello and Co. had in mind when they traded for the Dane and signed him to a long-term, big-money extension. Among active Maple Leafs, Andersen is tied with Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk, and Morgan Rielly as the club's highest-paid player at $5 million annually.

While Toronto is the furthest thing from a defensive juggernaut and still rebuilding, what's most troublesome about Andersen's play is the fact he hasn't come up with a save - any save - when his team needs it most. Toronto blew 1-0, 3-2, and 4-3 leads against Ottawa on opening night, wasting Auston Matthews' superhuman maiden effort. On Wednesday, Toronto was up 4-0 on Winnipeg with half the game over. The Leafs outshot the Jets 13-12 in the third period and 4-1 in overtime, but were outscored 4-0. Not good enough. (There's your title, by the way, for that movie about Toronto's woes in the crease.)

The easiest way for Andersen to un-endear himself to Maple Leafs fans was by blowing a 4-1 lead in the third period. It's too soon, Freddie. It will always be too bloody soon.

Guy Boucher Hockey

Cuthbert: So, about that structure.

Guy Boucher was hired to implement a scheme to control the randomness by which the Ottawa Senators score, and are scored against, yet the team that recklessly exchanged shots throughout all of last season is as unpredictable as ever.

There have been 32 goals scored in four games involving the Sens, an average of 2.5 more than the average throughout 2015-16. The leader in shots against last season is still conceding more than 30 per game, but has averaged five pucks on net more than the opposition so far. The result: Ottawa has six points through three games, including two secured in either overtime or the shootout.

The opposition, and certainly Boucher, will make adjustments that will be reflected on their shot charts. But at least for now the Senators are playing some thrilling hockey, and aiding that spike in overall scoring.

So the question begs: Why isn't anyone in the seats?

Low-Flying Ducks

O'Leary: Sticking with the "Groundhog Day" theme, the Anaheim Ducks are facing a familiar nightmare scenario.

After going 1-7-2 last October, the Ducks have started the new Randy Carlyle era with a whimper, going 1-3-1 through their opening five games.

Strangely, Anaheim hasn't played a home game yet, and arguably its best defender is awaiting a contract, circumstances that surely aren't helping the cause.

Yet the Ducks' start under Carlyle has clearly left something to be desired, as the outdated structure he implemented in Toronto is beginning to seep into Anaheim's style of play, evidenced by being outshot in three losses thus far.

Fizzling Flames

Hagerman: The Calgary Flames seem to have successfully addressed their needs this offseason, but a 1-3-1 record suggests the club is seeing little value for doing so.

The club acquired Brian Elliott from the Blues in the hopes he would duplicate his stellar 2015-16 season, but so far things have gotten off on the wrong foot. In his first two games with his new club, Elliott gave up 10 goals while posting a save percentage of just .818. Leaving him now with a 4.72 goals-against average and a .839 as of Friday.

The team's offense hasn't been horrid, but still has question marks. The Flames' power play is firing at just 4.5 percent efficiency through five games, the worst mark in the NHL, and star Johnny Gaudreau has just one goal through five games.

The team's poor play may have even trickled over to the practice rink.

Lucky Canucks

Gold-Smith: The Vancouver Canucks' historic start has certainly been surprising. They've reeled off a four-game win streak to begin the season, including two victories in overtime and one in a shootout, leading to a slew of 82-0-0 jokes and half-sincere playoff predictions.

The Canucks' streak is shocking in part because they didn't lead for a single second in their first three games. That doesn't bode well for the rest of the season, and it's a dangerous trend for a squad that will likely be playing from behind more often than not in 2016-17.

Then again, it's such a small sample size that judgments either way are premature. Let's see where they are at the end of November.

Whenever You're Ready, Nashville

Wilkins: Many expected the Nashville Predators to be among the West’s best this year, and while that’s still very much a possibility, the team has gotten off to a slow start, posting a 1-2-0 record through three games.

While the big-ticket offseason addition of P.K. Subban has delivered as promised - scoring in his Music City debut and grabbing a pair of points thus far - many of his new teammates have underwhelmed.

The Preds have been rebranded as a high-octane offensive team, but a number of their scoring threats have struggled early. Of particular note is Filip Forsberg, who scored 33 goals last year, but has failed to find the back of the net this season.

With just two points, Nashville currently sits last in the Central. The good news is that there is still plenty of time for coach Peter Laviolette and the Predators to turn this around.

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On the Fly, theScore's NHL roundtable series, will be published every Friday throughout the season. We're kicking things off with a look at those teams and players that have surprised or disappointed us since hockey returned on Oct. 12.

Failing Freddie

Vaswani: You could make a "Groundhog Day"-style movie about the Toronto Maple Leafs' goaltending troubles. The latest to star in the leading role: Frederik Andersen.

It's early, yeah, but an .876 save percentage through three games is not what Lou Lamoriello and Co. had in mind when they traded for the Dane and signed him to a long-term, big-money extension. Among active Maple Leafs, Andersen is tied with Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk, and Morgan Rielly as the club's highest-paid player at $5 million annually.

While Toronto is the furthest thing from a defensive juggernaut and still rebuilding, what's most troublesome about Andersen's play is the fact he hasn't come up with a save - any save - when his team needs it most. Toronto blew 1-0, 3-2, and 4-3 leads against Ottawa on opening night, wasting Auston Matthews' superhuman maiden effort. On Wednesday, Toronto was up 4-0 on Winnipeg with half the game over. The Leafs outshot the Jets 13-12 in the third period and 4-1 in overtime, but were outscored 4-0. Not good enough. (There's your title, by the way, for that movie about Toronto's woes in the crease.)

The easiest way for Andersen to un-endear himself to Maple Leafs fans was by blowing a 4-1 lead in the third period. It's too soon, Freddie. It will always be too bloody soon.

Guy Boucher Hockey

Cuthbert: So, about that structure.

Guy Boucher was hired to implement a scheme to control the randomness by which the Ottawa Senators score, and are scored against, yet the team that recklessly exchanged shots throughout all of last season is as unpredictable as ever.

There have been 32 goals scored in four games involving the Sens, an average of 2.5 more than the average throughout 2015-16. The leader in shots against last season is still conceding more than 30 per game, but has averaged five pucks on net more than the opposition so far. The result: Ottawa has six points through three games, including two secured in either overtime or the shootout.

The opposition, and certainly Boucher, will make adjustments that will be reflected on their shot charts. But at least for now the Senators are playing some thrilling hockey, and aiding that spike in overall scoring.

So the question begs: Why isn't anyone in the seats?

Low-Flying Ducks

O'Leary: Sticking with the "Groundhog Day" theme, the Anaheim Ducks are facing a familiar nightmare scenario.

After going 1-7-2 last October, the Ducks have started the new Randy Carlyle era with a whimper, going 1-3-1 through their opening five games.

Strangely, Anaheim hasn't played a home game yet, and arguably its best defender is awaiting a contract, circumstances that surely aren't helping the cause.

Yet the Ducks' start under Carlyle has clearly left something to be desired, as the outdated structure he implemented in Toronto is beginning to seep into Anaheim's style of play, evidenced by being outshot in three losses thus far.

Fizzling Flames

Hagerman: The Calgary Flames seem to have successfully addressed their needs this offseason, but a 1-3-1 record suggests the club is seeing little value for doing so.

The club acquired Brian Elliott from the Blues in the hopes he would duplicate his stellar 2015-16 season, but so far things have gotten off on the wrong foot. In his first two games with his new club, Elliott gave up 10 goals while posting a save percentage of just .818. Leaving him now with a 4.72 goals-against average and a .839 as of Friday.

The team's offense hasn't been horrid, but still has question marks. The Flames' power play is firing at just 4.5 percent efficiency through five games, the worst mark in the NHL, and star Johnny Gaudreau has just one goal through five games.

The team's poor play may have even trickled over to the practice rink.

Lucky Canucks

Gold-Smith: The Vancouver Canucks' start has certainly been surprising. They've reeled off a four-game win streak to begin the season, including two victories in overtime and one in a shootout, leading to a slew of 82-0-0 jokes and half-sincere playoff predictions.

The Canucks' streak is especially shocking because the Canucks didn't lead for a single second in their first three games. That doesn't bode well for the rest of the season, and it's a dangerous trend for a squad that will likely be playing from behind more often than not in 2016-17.

Then again, it's such a small sample size that judgments either way are premature. Let's see where they are at the end of November.

Whenever You're Ready, Nashville

Wilkins: Many expected the Nashville Predators to be among the West’s best this year, and while that’s still very much a possibility, the team has gotten off to a slow start, posting a 1-2-0 record through three games.

While the big-ticket offseason addition of P.K. Subban has delivered as promised - scoring in his Music City debut and grabbing a pair of points thus far - many of his new teammates have underwhelmed.

The Preds have been rebranded as a high-octane offensive team, but a number of their scoring threats have struggled early. Of particular note is Filip Forsberg, who scored 33 goals last year, but has failed to find the back of the net this season.

With just two points, Nashville currently sits last in the Central. The good news is that there is still plenty of time for coach Peter Laviolette and the Predators to turn this around.

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It would appear Erik Karlsson has established a standard for costumes that NHLers will wear at Halloween parties over the next few weeks.

There was not a single shortcut taken in the planning and audacious execution of Karlsson's getup, which is making the rounds on Instagram.

(Image courtesy @melindacurrey)

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Every Tuesday, theScore's editors will examine the fortunes of the north's seven NHL franchises. Welcome to "O Canada."

Calgary Flames

Plus: Chad Johnson's .968 save percentage. Sure, he's only played one game, but it's the only one in which the Calgary Flames earned a point.

Minus: Brian Elliott's .818 save percentage and 5.07 goals-against average. The good news is that those numbers are so awful, they can only improve.

The Take: The Flames' 14 goals against lead the league - no bueno. Elliott's going to get better and Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan will get going, but October isn't easy, and is a pivotal month. Up next for Calgary: Buffalo, Carolina, St. Louis, Chicago, St. Louis, Ottawa, and Washington. November's first seven games - the first four on the road - are all against 2016 playoff teams: Chicago, San Jose, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Dallas, the Rangers, and Minnesota. The Flames risk blowing up their season with a slow start.

Edmonton Oilers

Plus: The Oilers boast the NHL's first star of the week in Connor McDavid, and are tied for the league lead in scoring (14 goals in three games) thanks to No. 97 and Co. Edmonton's best players have been just that: McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Jordan Eberle, and Milan Lucic have a combined 18 points already.

Minus: Cam Talbot's .869 save percentage, and Benoit Pouliot's penalty box parade.

The Take: Talbot began last season poorly too, but the difference this time around is that the Oilers have the skill and depth up front to outscore their defensive and goaltending issues. That's not a recipe for long-term success, though, so practicing Monday on what was supposed to be a CBA-mandated day off was the right call. It's too early in the season to not be putting in the work.

Montreal Canadiens

Plus: Points in two games without Carey Price thanks to two solid efforts from Al Montoya, who has a .942 save percentage. In front of Montoya, Shea Weber is averaging 26:46 in ice time and has two assists.

Minus: Alex Radulov is the only Canadiens forward without a point. Terrible free-agent signing, clearly.

The Take: Marc Bergevin deserves credit in shoring up the backup goaltender position. Montoya has had a save percentage of .919 and .920 in two of his last three seasons, and he made over 20 starts in both those campaigns.

Ottawa Senators

Plus: Kyle Turris' two goals in three games. The Senators need him healthy if they want to make the playoffs. As for Erik Karlsson, he's already doing Karlsson-like things. And Ryan Dzingel's three points are a pleasant surprise.

Minus: Dion Phaneuf - he's bad - and the play of Craig Anderson (.887) and Andrew Hammond (.800). Ottawa's allowed the most goals in the East (12) and you know that's driving Guy Boucher insane, even though the season's only three games old.

The Take: Boucher is yet to put his stamp on the team. It's difficult to judge what exactly the Senators are until that happens.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Plus: Six of the Maple Leafs' eight goals through two games have been scored by rookies, and lord knows there's not much else to say about Auston Matthews' phenomenal debut. He's a dream. While Nikita Zaitsev hasn't scored a goal, his contributions on the back end are arguably more important for a team desperately in need of another top-four defenseman.

Minus: Have you seen or heard from Nazem Kadri? And while Frederik Andersen bounced back Saturday, he's off to a rough start. It's so important he has a strong opening month, because he's the guy, for better or worse - probably worse - in Toronto.

The Take: Yeah, Matthews potted four in two periods, but there's an argument to be made that Mitch Marner has been Toronto's most impressive rookie through two games. His offensive talents are so far above average that he may already be among Toronto's top three skilled players. Marner will hit a wall at some point, but he's not going anywhere.

Vancouver Canucks

Plus: The Canucks trailed after 40 minutes in each of their two games, yet sit 2-0. Even more impressive: A combined 47 shots against through six periods and a couple of overtimes.

Minus: The top line's been quiet, and Henrik Sedin and Loui Eriksson have a combined one shot (it's Loui's, if you're wondering). The power play is also 0-for-6.

The Take: Vancouver was awful when playing from behind last season, which made erasing Sunday's 3-0 deficit all the more impressive. The Canucks don't have an identity yet, and their lineup is full of question marks due to youth being served, so let's enjoy the good times while they're here, yeah?

Winnipeg Jets

Plus: The big boys - Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Dustin Byfuglien, and Mathieu Perreault - are doing their jobs early, combining for 12 points. That Patrik Laine's on the board already is big, too. The teenager looks every bit the NHLer.

Minus: Bryan Little is out indefinitely with what appears to be a knee injury. Life isn't fair. And after the Jets waived Ondrej Pavelec, Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson have to do better than allow 11 goals in three games.

The Take: Goals against was an issue last year because the Jets don't have the firepower up front to make up for their issues in their own zone. That can't be the case again this season - it's as simple as that.

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Every Monday, theScore's NHL editors will shine a light on three teams and three players that made headlines - for good or bad reasons - over the past seven days. Welcome to "The Power 3."

Teams

1. St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues reeled off three straight wins in four days to open the season, and the victories weren't against pushovers.

St. Louis beat three teams that made the postseason last year: Chicago (away), Minnesota, and the Rangers. After allowing only 40 shots over their first two games, the Blues looked tired Saturday against New York, but backup goalie Carter Hutton made one hell of a first impression, stopping 33 of 35 shots in his debut with his new team.

Even more encouraging is the play of Paul Stastny so far. After scoring only 10 goals last season, and failing to hit the 50-point mark for the second straight season with St. Louis, he now has two goals and four assists in three games.

If this is Ken Hitchcock's final season, it appears the Blues are hell-bent on making it count.

2. Edmonton Oilers

If the playoffs began Monday, the Edmonton Oilers would be taking part. And that's something, yeah.

In all seriousness, while the club played a stinker Sunday against Buffalo, the fact remains: Edmonton has the league's highest-octane offense, with 14 goals through three games.

Having that Connor McDavid guy certainly helps, and joining him in the top 10 in league scoring are Leon Draisaitl (five points) and Jordan Eberle (four points). Sure, it's early, but when you're the Oilers, you take any and all positives you can get your hands on.

Cam Talbot hasn't been good yet, but the silver lining is that he can't be much worse than he was Sunday against the Sabres. The Oilers remain one of the more fascinating teams to watch. They even canceled their day off!

3. Pittsburgh Penguins

No Sidney Crosby, no problem. Not yet, at least.

The Pittsburgh Penguins picked up where they left off last season, winning back-to-back games to open their quest to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Like the Blues, the Pens beat a couple of very good teams in their archrival Capitals and Ducks.

While all signs point to Crosby's latest concussion not being too serious, any head injury to No. 87 is enough to give anyone involved in hockey - whether professionally or as a fan - pause. And that means questions about the captain's health won't subside until he's back playing in games that matter.

Let's face it: Whether the Penguins are winning or not, Sid is missed.

Players

1. Auston Matthews

Obviously.

Four is the magic number. Four goals in Auston Matthews' first two periods of NHL action, and now, none in his last four.

How the kid responds to adversity will be one of the more interesting storylines to watch, because make no mistake, they're the Toronto Maple Leafs, and adversity is in their blood.

2. Richard Panik

If you had Richard Panik being tied for the league lead in goals through the first five nights of the season, you're lying.

Panik has always teased with his speed and skill, and after stints in Tampa Bay and Toronto, it would be very Chicago for Panik - only 25 - to find a permanent and productive home with the Blackhawks. He's making only $875,000 and is a restricted free agent in July.

3. Marc-Andre Fleury

Whatever, Matt Murray.

Marc-Andre Fleury is back in the Penguins' net to start the season, and he looks like the Stanley Cup-winning goaltender that he is.

The 31-year-old, whose days in Pittsburgh appear numbered due to financial reasons and the coming expansion draft, is the No. 1 until Murray returns from a broken hand, and, well, who knows what happens then.

Fleury's stopped 73 of 77 shots he's faced so far. It's a busy week for Pittsburgh, with four games in six nights, beginning Monday against Colorado, which means it's a busy - and important - week for Fleury.

Honorable Mentions

• The Panthers and Lightning are a combined 4-0, and Florida's allowed only two goals.
• Jonathan Marchessault is loving life on the Panthers' top line - he has two goals and two assists in two games.
• The Calgary Flames have allowed the most goals in the league. The more things change ...
• The Anaheim Ducks are allergic to October.
• Jonathan Quick's absence makes the Los Angeles Kings a very interesting team to watch over the next two months.
• We see you, David Pastrnak. You too, Alexander Wennberg.

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Finally.

After the World Cup of Hockey and a preseason slate, the curtain on the 2016-17 NHL season rises Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET in Ottawa, where the Senators host the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Catch up on all the details from a busy offseason and have a look at projected lineups and previews for each team, below.

Depth Charts

Eastern Conference

BOS | BUF | CAR | CBJ
DET | FLA | MON | NJ
NYI | NYR | OTT | PHI
PIT | TAM | TOR | WAS

Western Conference

ANA | ARI | CAL | CHI | COL
DAL | EDM | LA | MIN | NAS
SJ | STL | VAN | WPG

Team Previews

East

BOS | BUF | CAR | CBJ
DET | FLA | MON | NJ
NYI | NYR | OTT | PHI
PIT | TAM | TOR | WAS

West

ANA | ARI | CAL | CHI | COL
DAL | EDM | LA | MIN | NAS
SJ | STL | VAN | WPG

Offseason roundup

• 3 worst signings of the offseason
• 5 big-name unrestricted free agents in 2017
• 2016-17 bad contracts team
• 3 best signings of the offseason
• Top 5 goalie tandems heading into 2016-17
• 3 players likely to regress in sophomore season
• 3 college free agents who didn't live up to the hype
• 5 players looking to rebound in 2016-17
• 5 free agents who may not receive contracts

Predictions

• 3 teams that will make the playoffs after missing out last season
• Major award winners
• Forecasting the final standings
• Stanley Cup winner
• Top 10 point producers

Divisional storylines

• 3 players who will significantly impact the Atlantic
• Why goaltending will decide the Pacific
• Ranking the top 3 teams in the Metropolitan
• 3 Central Division storylines to follow
• 4 teams likely to take a step back this season

Looking ahead

• 3 coaches on the hot seat in October
• Who fills the void left by Huberdeau, Bjugstad?
• 3 rule changes we'd like to see
• 7 top candidates for NHL's vacant captaincies
• 5 rookies who can challenge Matthews, Laine for Calder Trophy
• 5 teams at highest risk of losing an invaluable asset in expansion

Interviews

• Q&A: Cory Schneider weighs in on Hall-Larsson swap
• Q&A: Shayne Gostisbehere on last year's expectations
• Q&A: Matt Duchene on summers at the cottage, Hockey Canada
• Q&A: Blake Wheeler on captaincy, leadership influences
• For Brent Burns, World Cup another fascinating experience
• George McPhee confident he'll bring winner to Las Vegas
• McPhee discusses expansion draft, type of coach he covets

On the Fly, NHL Roundtable

• 4 lines we can't wait to watch
• 5 most exciting players at the World Cup

Betting odds

Stanley Cup

Hart Trophy

(Odds courtesy: Bodog)

Organizational Rankings

Over the summer, we evaluated each franchise and ranked them on a number of factors.

• Ranking the 30 farm systems
• Ranking the 30 head coaches
• Ranking the 31 general managers
• Ranking the 31 owners
• Final organizational rankings for 31 franchises

Jersey Rankings

Which NHL team has the best jersey? We decided.

• 30-25
• 24-19
• 18-13
• 12-7
• 6-1

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On the Fly, theScore's NHL roundtable series, returns, and we're making our Stanley Cup predictions this week.

Tampa's Time

Sean O'Leary: After stumbling out of the gate last season, Tampa Bay overcame adversity time and time again to ultimately fall one win shy of its second Stanley Cup Final appearance in as many years.

Nikita Kucherov's contract situation is a major concern at this point, but looking back at Jonathan Drouin's holdout, Steven Stamkos' health and free agency rumors, along with an injury to Ben Bishop in the Eastern Conference Final, you have to believe Steve Yzerman and Co. will find a way to make it work.

Victor Hedman was retained early. Stamkos stayed put. The Lightning remain incredibly tight-knit and equally as talented, and should be poised for another deep run come April and beyond.

Craig Hagerman: As Sean pointed out, the Lightning came within a single win of making their second straight Stanley Cup Final appearance last season, and the club remains stockpiled with elite young talent. That's why 2017 will be Tampa Bay's year.

The club's roster looks similar to last year's, but Kucherov - granted he signs - Tyler Johnson, Drouin, and others all have another year under their belt.

The team will - for the meantime - boast a tandem of Bishop and Andrei Vasilevskiy, who can both get the job done. Drouin is set to build on his emergence after his trade request saga last season.

However, what should make the club a more lethal threat is that - barring unforeseen circumstances - it should have captain Stamkos for more than just one postseason game.

The Lightning won each of their first two playoff series by 4-1 margins and took the Stanley Cup champs to seven games, with Stamkos suiting up just once. The Pittsburgh Penguins may not have visited the White House this week had Stamkos been healthy in the spring.

Ovie's Time

Justin Cuthbert: Oh, how quickly we forget.

The Washington Capitals are bringing back a refined version of the team that won 56 games, racked up 120 points, and were the class of the NHL, wire to wire, in the regular season. And inciting what should be considered the exemplar will be the realization that their current configuration is finite.

Washington will soon have sizable imbalance on its payroll with Evgeny Kuznetsov approaching restricted free agency, meaning that soon there will be no room for luxury assets like Justin Williams and T.J. Oshie, who are unrestricted at season’s end. This awareness, plus the fact that Braden Holtby can do incredible things with career-average numbers, make the Capitals favorites in 2016-17.

Josh Gold-Smith: This is the season the Capitals finally exorcise their playoff demons and hoist Lord Stanley's mug.

Alex Ovechkin knows his window is closing, and that sense of urgency - along with last season's ouster by arch-rival Pittsburgh - will push him to new heights. Kuznetsov broke out in 2015-16, and his ascent should only continue playing alongside Ovechkin and the dynamic Oshie.

Holtby won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie last season, and there's no reason to believe he won't build on that accomplishment. Washington's top-six has always been deep, but its bottom-six is better with Lars Eller now centering the third line.

Washington's only weakness is its defense, and the club has less than $1 million in cap space, but if general manager Brian MacLellan can get creative prior to the trade deadline and bolster the back end while staying under the max, the Capitals will finally be unstoppable.

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On the Fly, theScore's roundtable series, is shifting its focus from the now-ended World Cup to the coming NHL season. Here are four lines we're looking forward to watching come Oct. 12.

Laine-Little-Stafford

Vaswani: Patrik Laine's ready for showtime, and the Winnipeg Jets are going to give the people what they want.

The No. 2 pick is slated to start on the second line centered by Bryan Little, with Drew Stafford at right wing. Little, much like teammate Blake Wheeler, is one of the NHL's more underrated forwards. He's totaled 45 points or more in four of the past six full seasons, and would've hit the mark last season if healthy (he finished with a respectable 42 points in 57 games).

I have no doubt Laine and Little will have success. The line will feature an abundance of speed, and Stafford shouldn't have trouble hitting the 20-goal mark again.

There's also the possibility of Laine jumping up to the first unit if he impresses and Nikolaj Ehlers struggles. Laine, Mark Scheifele, and Wheeler - that'd be something.

Lucic-McDavid-Eberle

Cuthbert: Just a few days after dealing one of the NHL's most efficient left wingers, the Edmonton Oilers devoted $42 million to Milan Lucic, signing him to fill the void on the depth chart left by Taylor Hall. So on Tuesday, the first time skating on a line, apparent disconnect between Lucic and linemates Connor McDavid and Jordan Eberle caught the attention of fans, and of course the media.

Except McDavid's impression was very much the opposite. The Oilers soon-to-be captain, whose opinion, mind you, is really the only one that matters, mentioned afterwards he thinks Lucic is "almost a perfect winger" to complement his game, as the bruiser possesses the size, strength, and offensive instincts to create space and force defenses into mistakes.

McDavid's already the most exciting, most dynamic player this league has to offer; who doesn't want to him operate in more space, and more often?

D. Sedin-H. Sedin-Eriksson

Hagerman: Vancouver Canucks fans were lucky enough to get a sneak peak at their future top line at the World Cup.

The trio of Daniel and Henrik Sedin with Loui Eriksson largely played as Team Sweden's top trio, and boy did they look good.

The three went off for a combined six points in four games during the tournament, along with another eight points in three pre-tournament contests. The triumvirate have an average age of over 34 years old, but you'd never know it based on how they played for Sweden.

Immediately, the three appear in sync - of course the Sedins always have and always will be - as Eriksson has seemed to fit seamlessly with the twins' high-tempo, passing-play style.

Unlike Radim Vrbata - whose experiment with the Sedins thrived during the 2014-15 season, but failed last year - Eriksson is a much more well rounded player able to also help out in the corners, perfect for the Sedins.

The Canucks will have a lot going against them this season, but their No. 1 line should be no worry.

Vesey-Zibanejad-Nash

Wilkins: The New York Rangers' second line offers a little bit of everything, from highly touted recruit Jimmy Vesey, to new pivot Mika Zibanejad, and streaky winger Rick Nash.

Vesey and Zibanejad are both new faces to New York, with Vesey joining as an unsigned college recruit, while Zibanejad brings his talents from the Ottawa Senators. The 2016 Hobey Baker winner, Vesey was pursued by many teams after tallying 46 points in 33 games with Harvard.

Acquired for veteran center Derick Brassard, Zibanejad brings young legs and up-and-coming skill to Manhattan. The 23-year-old playmaker is showing signs of a breakout - he scored a career-best 51 points in 81 games last season - and he'll have a chance to build on that partnered with two shooters.

A new season offers a clean slate for Nash, who plummeted to 15 goals last year after finishing with 42 in the previous campaign. Still, he was limited to 60 games in 2015-16, and a full season surrounded by fresh linemates could be just the trick to help the former Rocket Richard winner find the back of the net more often.

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On the Fly, theScore's wildly successful NHL roundtable series, continues with another - and perhaps final! - World Cup installment. With its end in sight, we're reflecting on what we loved and hated about the tourney.

Love: Select teams

Craig Hagerman: What began as a gimmick appears to have been an overwhelming success.

Many pegged Team North America and Team Europe to be the weaker clubs entering the tournament, but that was quickly put to rest. North America proved it was arguably the most skilled team outside of Canada, and left fans in awe and wanting more while showing off the future of the game.

Europe, meanwhile, proved two underwhelming exhibition games meant nothing, as they rose from underdogs to finalists and served to remind the hockey world there's far more talent across the pond than only what's found in Russia and the Nordic nations.

Canada's likely to finish things up Thursday, but there's no doubt the select teams made the tournament more exciting.

Hate: No North America-Canada matchup

Navin Vaswani: How. How do you put this tournament together and not guarantee a Canada vs. North America matchup. Why. How!

The kids were always going to be the tournament's most intriguing team, and Canada the best, and a matchup between the two was one we deserved. Connor McDavid against Sidney Crosby! It could've happened in the semifinal, but Finland decided to sleepwalk through the tourney and ruined everything.

But the point is: it shouldn't have been up to the Finns to make it happen. North America did what it could, playing three entertaining games and winning two, but if this format doesn't return, if the select teams are one-and-done, the World Cup will be remembered more for what could have been: Canada versus The Kids.

We saw - and were delighted - by North America versus Sweden. Now imagine 3-on-3 overtime against the Canadians.

In the end, even a pre-tournament game would've done.

Hate: Haters

Sean O'Leary: The World Cup was nitpicked and criticized consistently leading up to its return, and the negativity didn't stop once the tournament began.

The format, uniforms, and even the participating teams caught flak, but above all else, the first best-on-best competition in more than two years was criticized as being a "cash grab."

Well, in case you're just learning, the entire premise of pro sports is to generate revenue, so bashing a league for experimenting with a refurbished idea is hardly a worthwhile argument.

A Canada-Europe final is a little anticlimactic, sure, and omitting the quarterfinal round can be called a mistake, but this tournament captivated all of us at some point, one way or another. So unless you'd rather tune into a preseason game, quit complaining.

Love: Sid the God

Justin Cuthbert: It doesn't matter where you stand on Sid; the NHL is far better off when the best player on the planet is performing like it.

Returning from a season where he went from lost to reliving championship glory, Sidney Crosby has sustained his momentum, displaying the unmatched quality from last season's title run at the NHL's curtain-raising international competition.

From the pre-tournament to the best-of-three final, he's been spectacular, and largely responsible for bringing Canada to within a win of another major title - and another trophy exchange with Gary Bettman.

Crosby has three goals and a World Cup-leading nine points, centering easily the tournament's most dominant line, a unit that's accounted for 45 percent of Canada's total offense.

We all took the time to revel in the future at this World Cup. Just don't forget to enjoy the present.

Hate: September pain

Josh Gold-Smith: We hated seeing the many injuries sustained at the tournament, particularly the ones suffered by impact players.

Tyler Seguin broke his foot; Aaron Ekblad got either a concussion or a stiff neck, depending who you ask; Matt Murray broke his hand; Marian Gaborik is going to need two months to recover from a foot injury.

Calgary Flames forward Mikael Backlund was also diagnosed with a concussion, while three of the four Dallas Stars players selected to World Cup rosters sustained some sort of ailment.

Injuries are inevitable, and there's really no better time to hold the tourney, but NHL clubs have to be thrilled it's nearing an end.

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On the Fly, theScore's NHL roundtable series, continues with another World Cup installment. Below are the five players that have impressed us the most.

Razor

Josh Gold-Smith: Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Johnny Gaudreau have garnered most of the attention for Team North America, but Nathan MacKinnon has unquestionably been one of the World Cup's most exciting players.

The 21-year-old forward scored a sublime overtime winner to stun Sweden on Wednesday, showing off his remarkable hands with a series of moves before roofing a backhand past Henrik Lundqvist.

Only Canada's Patrice Bergeron had more shots on goal than MacKinnon in round-robin play. The Colorado Avalanche star notched a pair of goals and an assist in three games, and he's proving he belongs among the game's elite playmakers.

Johnny Hockey

Justin Cuthbert: Everything the United States lacked at the World Cup, 23-year-old New Jersey native Gaudreau provided North America.

His outrageous skill, speed, and shiftiness pairing perfectly with MacKinnon's power brand, Gaudreau was the No. 1 option behind the McDavid unit, and responded with maximum impact.

The Calgary Flames most certainly wish they'd signed the superstar to a long-term contract before putting him on a flight to Toronto after Gaudreau scored twice in three games and tied for the team lead in points. What's more, he was responsible for so many spectacular moments, including his complete undressing of Lundqvist and the backcheck in 3-on-3 overtime that set MacKinnon up for a goal that was enough to validate the hybrid experiment by itself.

USA Hockey's in a rough spot, but there are splendid days ahead with Gaudreau on the come-up.

Auston 416

Navin Vaswani: Take a minute Friday to remember that Matthews deked the hell out of Victor Hedman from his knees. Victor Hedman! From his knees!

In his first competition against the NHL's best, Matthews finished his tournament with two goals and an assist in three games. Only five players had more points through round-robin play, and none had more than four. So, yes, Matthews did finish tied for second in tournament scoring.

Playing in Toronto for the first time and on the first line with McDavid, Matthews proved he's got no time for pressure - and that he has some hands on him. The Toronto Maple Leafs have something here. The only question is whether they screw it up.

Sid

Craig Hagerman: Sidney Crosby is doing something he hasn't done in almost six years: producing in a best-on-best tournament.

Not since he scored his iconic Golden Goal at the 2010 Olympics have we seen the best player in the world wreak havoc in best-on-best play. Crosby was limited to three points in six games in Sochi, a total he's already surpassed through three contests, and his four points are tied for most in the tournament.

Crosby has developed impeccable chemistry with his Boston Bruins linemates Bergeron and Brad Marchand, and together the trio has proven to be one of the more lethal lines in the tournament, combining for nine points.

The King

Sean O'Leary: Goalies need some love too.

New York Rangers fans ought to be excited about the way Lundqvist has started his season, as he's been the difference-maker in two starts for Sweden.

He kicked his tournament off with a 36-save shutout versus archrival Finland and, one day later, made 45 saves in an overtime loss to North America that guaranteed Sweden top spot in Group B.

The King, now 34, is in vintage form, and looks to have shaken off the rust from an uncharacteristic playoff performance. He's definitely not the flashiest player in the tournament, but he's simply getting it done - the way he always has.

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