Johnny Gaudreau will be heading to Toronto to play hockey, and nothing more.

The restricted free agent, who will play for Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey, has not yet signed a new contract with the Calgary Flames. The winger is reportedly unwilling to keep talking while wearing the international jersey.

From Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet:

Word is the Calgary Flames were told Gaudreau does not wish to negotiate after his World Cup arrival, scheduled for Sept. 4, preferring to concentrate on the games. That moratorium would last for the duration of the event, which would be Oct. 1 if the final goes a full three games.

Flames teammate Sean Monahan is also a RFA, but there's no word on whether he's taken a similar stance.

Gaudreau, 23, finished in a tie for the fifth-highest point total among all NHL players in 2015-16.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The future is now for hockey.

The NHL held a press conference Wednesday to discuss the upcoming World Cup of Hockey, including the introduction of brand new technology.

Related: World Cup of Hockey jerseys will feature SAP as sponsor

It was unveiled that both pucks and player jerseys will feature computer chips that track player speed, distance between players, shot direction, time on ice, and more. The tracking will be used during broadcasts.

Similar technologies were tested at the 2015 All-Star Game in Columbus, but the league says adjustments and improvements have been made.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Noah Syndergaard's latest pitch didn't come from the mound.

The New York Mets pitcher took to Twitter Wednesday, trying to persuade free-agent forward Jimmy Vesey to join the New York Rangers.

The Rangers are among at least three clubs expected to meet with Vesey on Wednesday.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Noah Syndergaard's latest pitch didn't come from the mound.

The New York Mets pitcher took to Twitter Wednesday, trying to persuade free-agent forward Jimmy Vesey to join the New York Rangers.

The Rangers are among at least three clubs expected to meet with Vesey on Wednesday.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jerseys at the World Cup of Hockey will indeed include advertisements.

The NHL announced Wednesday that multinational software company SAP will be the official sponsor of each country's home and away jerseys, which will feature its logo.

Ads on jerseys was confirmed back in June by NHL chief marking officer Brian Jennings. The ads will test fan reaction, as a possible preview to including them permanently on NHL jerseys.

For fans hoping to purchase jerseys, the ads will only be featured on game-worn versions.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In the end, Dale Weise chose the better deal over the opportunity to return to the Montreal Canadiens.

Hopeful of making a return to the bleu, blanc, et rouge as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, the 28-year-old ended up signing a four-year, $9.4-million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers after not liking what he saw in Montreal's offer.

"When the negotiation period opened up, we put a call into (Montreal) because we figured they’d have some interest," Weise told Stu Cowan of Hockey Inside/Out. "We didn’t talk all week long until the morning of July 1, and then they made an offer. But it wasn’t really a substantial one and that was kind of the only one they made and we said: 'OK, that’s not going to work.' And that was kind of the extent of it.

"It was a three-year deal, but it was nowhere near what I was getting paid in Philly," added Weise. "So I said: 'You guys are going to have to come up a lot more.' I’m not going to take less money to play there."

A Canadiens fan growing up, Weise played 152 games over parts of three seasons with Montreal before being traded to Chicago prior to the 2016 trade deadline.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Islanders are hoping their star center can help them land their next star winger.

Captain John Tavares is in Boston along with the Islanders' brass, supporting the club's attempt to recruit unrestricted free agent Jimmy Vesey, according to the Globe and Mail's James Mirtle.

Related: Red Wings pitch Vesey, told he wants to be 'closer to home'

The Islanders were reportedly among the handful of teams who pitched Vesey on Tuesday, while it's believed the New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, and Boston Bruins will hold meetings with the 23-year-old on Wednesday.

Tavares is surely not the first player asked to be part of a team's pitch to Vesey, as it was reported that 2016 first-overall pick Auston Matthews was in attendance when the Toronto Maple Leafs spoke with Vesey on Tuesday.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jimmy Vesey isn't the only college player attracting attention on the free-agent market.

Notre Dame forward Thomas DiPauli, who was unable to come to terms on an entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals, is receiving interest from at least six teams, according to Mark Divver of The Providence Journal.

Drafted in the fourth round (100th overall) by the Capitals in 2012, DiPauli recorded 14 goals and 18 assists in 37 games for Notre Dame last season, and averaged 0.54 points per game over his four NCAA seasons.

DiPauli shares an agent with Vesey, meaning the representatives for both players are among the busiest people in hockey this week.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

While the world's best summer athletes continue to captivate the world in Rio, the thought of doing the very same in 2018 is already on John Tavares' mind.

Related: Tavares committed to winning Cup with Islanders

The New York Islanders' forward had the luxury of capturing gold with Team Canada at the 2014 Olympics, and while the NHL's participation in the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea remains uncertain, Tavares is adamant he would like to attend.

"For sure. I would love to go. I’d love another opportunity," Tavares told Sportsnet.ca. "I think it’s great for the game. As players, we love to represent our country. We don’t see best-on-best very much. It’s great the World Cup of Hockey is coming back, but at the same time the Olympic Games is something special.

"As a hockey player, winning the Stanley Cup is the ultimate achievement. But as an athlete, participating in the Olympics is something specially regarded. Representing your country there is something we’d love to do again. There’s hurdles that need to be overcome, but it’s a lot of fun."

Related: Bettman: NHL participation in 2018 Olympics not a current priority

While Tavares did receive a medal in 2014, a knee injury forced him to miss the final two games of the tournament, so being able to to get the full experience would mean a lot to the 25-year-old.

"I’d love a little redemption, to be part of that, to play in those games, those intense moments," said Tavares. "I missed being in the locker room between periods or even skating warmup before the game, being in the battles on the ice. Those are things that are special. You want to have an impact out there. I’m looking forward to having that opportunity this time around."

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Bobby Orr has a solution to curb injuries and increase creativity in today's NHL: bring back the two-line offside pass rule.

"I think we have to put the center red line (passing rule) back ... (to prevent) injuries and because the game is being played the same now," Orr told Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun.

"You can pass from your zone all the way to the other line, deflect it in, go get it and shoot it out. Back and forth. If you have to carry that puck out of your end and make a pass, skate with it, it makes it different."

Removed from the rule book following the lost 2004-05 NHL season with a view to creating a faster and more exciting game, the two-line pass rule forced a stoppage in play if a pass originating from inside a team's defensive zone was completed on the opposite side of the center red line, unless the puck crossed the line before the player.

In Orr's view, however, the rule change is no longer accomplishing its goal.

"I don’t think (removing the line) has increased the offence, nor has the trapezoid," he added. "It’s made it a dangerous game, guys flying out of their end, looking for that long stretch pass and bang, they’re being hit. These guys are so much bigger and faster than when I played."

The topic was broached at the 2012 NHL general managers meeting, but was put on the back burner for the time being.

Maybe the game's greatest defenseman and current player agent will be able to put the discussion back on the table.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.