The Vancouver Canucks have signed center Markus Granlund to a two-year contract extension.

The deal is believed to be worth $1.8 million.

The 23-year-old, acquired by the Canucks from Calgary in exchange for Hunter Shinkaruk back in February, recorded two goals and an assist in 16 games with Vancouver this season.

Originally drafted by the Flames in the second round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Granlund has scored 16 goals and added 15 assists in 102 career games.

He is set to represent Finland at the 2016 IIHF World Championship in May.

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Warning: This video contains NSFW language

Things got tense as Dan Boyle addressed the media for the final time this season.

The New York Rangers defenseman, who announced Tuesday he's leaning towards retirement, made it clear he wanted New York Post columnist Larry Brooks removed from the scrum before proceeding.

"I don't want him here," Boyle said.

Then, to Brooks himself, he said, "Nobody likes you. Nobody respects you. Just so you know."

More from the exchange, from Puck Daddy's Greg Wyshynski:

"At least I'm leaving here with the respect of my teammates," said Boyle. "Instead of (expletive) someone like you, who tries to bury somebody. That's all you do. It's not a critique. I'm telling you I don't want you here. I have no respect for you. I want you to get the (expletive) out."

"I don't care what you think," said Brooks.

"I can tell you to get the (expletive) out if I want to!" said Boyle, his voice now raised.

"You can, but I don't have to listen to you," said Brooks.

"Yeah, ya do!" said Boyle. "I want him out. And that other (expletive) clown, Brett, or whatever the (expletive) his name is. Where's he at? Everyone else is fine. I want him out. It's my right."

Rangers staff stepped in to calm the scene down, and suggested Boyle not speak to the media at that time.

Boyle also asked for the removal of Brett Cyrgalis, also of the Post, who was not in attendance to begin with.

Once the dust had settled, Boyle said he is indeed leaning towards calling it a career, although he believes he can still physically handle the rigors of professional hockey.

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When the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings fell behind in each of their first-round matchups, the following Tweet from user @Slaylen began generating plenty of buzz in hockey's social-media realm:

So on Tuesday - the morning after the Blackhawks were "bounced" along with the Kings - Daylen Hopkins, the New York Rangers fan behind the @Slaylen account, appeared on ESPN, and confirmed he would indeed follow through with his promise.

Hopkins said he plans to get it done in the next few weeks, but might "crowd fund it" if the people want it sooner.

Also, there's this:

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Derick Brassard will wear the maple leaf for the first time in more than a decade.

The New York Rangers announced Tuesday that Brassard will head to Russia and represent Canada at next month's World Championship.

Brassard scored a career-best 27 goals and totalled 58 points this season, also sharing the postseason scoring lead with a goal and three assists in five games.

He won a silver medal with Canada at the 2005 world junior tournament.

The Rangers also confirmed that defender Brady Skjei will head to Russia, and represent the United States.

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No one has built up more momentum than Patrik Laine before draft night.

Four days before the NHL Draft Lottery, the projected No. 2 overall selection was awarded the Jarri Kurri Trophy as the MVP of the Finnish league playoffs.

Laine, who turned 18 last week, dominated the men who play in Finland's top division, scoring 10 goals and adding five assists in 18 games to lead Tappara Tampere in winning the country's club championship.

Related: Watch - Patrik Laine still blowing the top off the Finnish playoffs

Here's Laine's goal from Tuesday's final, likely his last overseas - at least for quite some time.

He finished with 27 goals and 48 points in 64 games across the regular season and playoffs, or .015 points per game better than fellow touted draft-eligible Finn, Jesse Puljujarvi.

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The "Spacey in Space" hoodie was one of the best stories to come out of the Florida Panthers' 2015-16 season, but alas, all good things must come to an end.

With the Panthers now out of the playoffs, the team will be retiring "Spacey in Space."

Related: After 'Spacey in Space,' 5 more NHL/celebrity team-ups we want to see

Veteran winger Shawn Thornton said Tuesday that he may auction off the original hoodie, which features Kevin Spacey's face floating in space, to benefit his foundation.

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CHICAGO - No June hockey for the Chicago Blackhawks this year. Heck, even May is a blank slate.

Plenty of time for Chicago to plan for its sticky situation with the salary cap.

The Blackhawks' title defense ended Monday night when they lost 3-2 to the St. Louis Blues in Game 7 of their compelling first-round series. Six of the seven games were decided by one goal, and Brent Seabrook and Andrew Ladd each had a shot go off both goal posts during losses for Chicago.

It's the quickest exit for the Blackhawks since they also dropped their first playoff series in 2012. They won the Stanley Cup the following year, lost to the Los Angeles Kings in an epic Western Conference finals in 2014 and won the championship again last year.

While Chicago should be able to contend for another title next season - most of its talented core is signed to long-term deals - it's also going to have to say goodbye to several players because of its ongoing wrestling match with the salary cap. Ladd, Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann - each of them acquired in deadline trades - likely will leave in free agency, and Andrew Shaw, Richard Panik and Brandon Mashinter also could be headed out the door.

The 24-year-old Shaw, who has spent his entire career in Chicago, is eligible for restricted free agency. He had 14 goals and 20 assists in the regular season, and then led the Blackhawks with four playoff goals despite being suspended for Game 5 for using a gay slur.

Coach Joel Quenneville loves Shaw's grit and presence in front of the net, but it's going to be difficult for general manager Stan Bowman to keep the pesky forward. Bowman faced a similar situation last summer with Brandon Saad, a younger, more talented player than Shaw, but also eligible for restricted free agency, and the Blackhawks traded him to Columbus on June 30.

Panik also can become a restricted free agent, and Mashinter is eligible for unrestricted free agency. Panik was acquired in a January trade with Toronto and showed promise in the playoffs against the Blues. Mashinter had four goals and an assist in 41 games this season after beginning the year with no points in 23 career NHL games.

Shedding Bryan Bickell's salary could provide some much needed cap relief, but the Blackhawks have been unable to trade the underperforming winger. Bowman likely would have to pair Bickell with one of Chicago's prospects to pull off such a deal, and the team might be inclined to ride out the last year of the forward's $16 million, four-year contract instead.

No matter who stays or goes, the Blackhawks likely will have a very similar look next season. Patrick Kane, coming off his first career scoring title, and captain Jonathan Toews lead one of the NHL's most potent attacks, and Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson anchor one of the league's best defenses.

The extra time off for their biggest stars will help, but any hope of any significant improvement likely rests with the development of their younger players, namely on the blue line.

Trevor van Riemsdyk played in 82 games this season and led the team with 155 blocks. Erik Gustafsson, another 24-year-old defenseman, made his NHL debut in October and finished with 14 assists in 41 games.

But van Riemsdyk had a couple of costly gaffes in the playoffs and Gustafsson played just seven minutes in each of the last two games against St. Louis. They have to provide more support for Keith, Seabrook and Hjalmarsson for Chicago to make another deep run in the postseason.

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Aaron Ekblad doesn't look like a 20-year-old, and didn't sound like one either Tuesday.

The Florida Panthers defenseman shared an introspective opinion on head injuries, and a general lack of on-ice insolence carried by certain players in the league.

From Jameson Olive of FloridaPanthers.com:

"As a player in the NHL, there are some guys you have to watch out for, and you've got to protect yourself. If that means protecting yourself and taking care of yourself in every situation and just making sure you're aware and alert, then that's what you've got to do. You can't overlook any shift in this league and you have to know who you're on the ice with. That's something you kind of have to take care of. It's not something you worry about, not something you're scared of. If you're scared, you're going to get hurt."

Like many fans and pundits, Ekblad believes in harsher punishments, but is also urging players to do their part in protecting themselves.

"Obviously you want to see guys getting punished for things they shouldn't be doing. I'm not a dirty player. I don't think I've hit anyone from behind or hit somebody in the head in my two years (in the NHL). I feel there should be stiffer punishments for guys that don't respect other players' health in the league. It's a dangerous game and we all know that. We all signed up for it, but guys definitely have to take care of themselves better, and that's me included.

"The other guys have to have more respect, and I think the league should obviously come down harder on repeat offenders and guys that don't respect other players."

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After a disappointing first-round exit against the Pittsburgh Penguins, head coach Alain Vigneault told reporters Tuesday that every player on the New York Rangers will be evaluated as the team shifts its focus to next season.

"There are definitely going to be some changes as an organization," Vigneault said, as quoted by The Record's Andrew Gross. The bench boss added that the club needs to look at changes to its core group, and that its defense was a problem throughout the season.

"There's no denying that inconsistency this year was a big part of our season, especially from our back end," he said, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen.

The Rangers coach also said the team will wait 7-10 days before it begins assessing its personnel to avoid making any "drastic" decisions.

One player Vigneault openly endorsed is forward Kevin Hayes, who recorded 36 points in his second NHL season, but was scratched for the Rangers' final two games versus the Penguins.

"He's been given the guidelines, given the direction, now it's up to him to do it," the coach replied when asked if Hayes is part of the team's future.

Vigneault led New York to the conference finals last year and reached the finals the season before in his first campaign with the franchise.

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