Alexander Ovechkin likely still has many years ahead of him in the NHL, but the jersey from his first game is already a hot commodity.

The Washington Capitals sniper's sweater from his first game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 5, 2005 recently sold at an auction for $14,340, according to Allan Muir of Sports Illustrated.

Ovechkin didn't even wear the jersey during the game, removing it for a different one following warmup.

The jersey was initially auctioned off for nearly $8,000 by the NHL in 2005, so that's not a bad return on your investment.

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Jimmy Vesey appears destined to become a free agent on Aug. 15, but that doesn't mean he's ruled out the team that currently holds his negotiating rights.

Vesey's agent Peter Fish told Josh Cooper of Puck Daddy that the Buffalo Sabres are still in the mix to sign the 2016 Hobey Baker Award winner.

"I think there’s a lot of things out there that either aren’t true or people are just searching to say things," Fish said. "We’re still talking with Buffalo, who will be part of this process once free agency happens, if it happens, which I assume is going to happen. Jimmy wanted to go to free agency all along. He wanted to see it through and, so Buffalo has always been a team that has interested him, but he wants to compare with a few other teams once it happens on the 15th."

Fish also said Vesey hasn't talked too much about where he wants to go and instead is going to wait to hear all his options.

"Jimmy’s, he really is an interesting kid. He has been very quiet about it. He hasn’t talked much about it," Fish said. "He and I and my other colleague Pete Donatelli, we talk to him maybe every week or so and kind of bounce things off. We’ve had some good discussions with the Sabres, but it’s not something that’s talked about every day. I think Jimmy just can’t wait to see all the options, hear everybody out and make his decision and then move on."

The Sabres have been working to sign Vesey ever since they acquired his rights from the Nashville Predators in the offseason. Vesey was a third round pick of Nashville's in the 2012 draft before he went on to star at Harvard.

A recent report stated that Vesey had cut his list down to six teams, and Fish confirmed the Chicago Blackhawks are one of the teams the 23-year-old wants to speak to.

Vesey's father is a scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins aren't far from his hometown in Massachusetts, so one would think those two teams would be in the mix as well.

That being said, Fish noted his client isn't someone who craves the spotlight of a big hockey market.

"I think he would prefer to be under the radar," Fish said. "He’s not the type of kid who enjoys necessarily being talked about all the time. He’s a good teammate, he’s a good kid. He’s pretty quiet and quietly goes about his business as a hockey player. He’s not afraid of the spotlight or anything like that. He’s a kid that probably prefers to fly under the radar a bit."

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The market for Antoine Vermette appears to be hot.

Vermette currently has offers from five teams and will be making a decision on his new destination sometime on Monday, according to his agent Allan Walsh.

The 34-year-old was bought out by the Arizona Coyotes earlier this month in somewhat of a surprising move. Vermette posted 17 goals and 21 assists in 76 games last season, but it's clear the Coyotes want to disperse ice time to younger players.

A strong faceoff man, Vermette is the type of veteran that could add some solid depth to a contender. Just ask the Chicago Blackhawks, who picked up Vermette for their 2014-15 Stanley Cup run, and watched him post seven points in the postseason while recording a sparkling 58.7 percent mark in the faceoff circle.

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Erik Gudbranson's no longer a member of the team, but he's still mindful of how the Florida Panthers do business.

Traded to the Vancouver Canucks for Jared McCann in late May, Gudbranson's still in South Florida working out in preparation for the season, and made a point to take off his hat when he met with the Miami Herald's George Richards.

"(Team president) Dale (Tallon) would kill me if I wore a backward hat on camera," Gudbranson said.

The 24-year-old was drafted by the Panthers in 2010, third overall. Florida's the only club he's ever known. A lot of emotions come with a trade, especially to a city about as far away as one can get from Miami, and especially after the Panthers had their best-ever season.

"There's a buzz around hockey here now and I'd like to think that, as part of the Panthers the past few years, we created it," Gudbranson said. "It's sort of sad to leave, but hopefully this thing continues to grow and hockey becomes the prominent sport down here."

But, hey, to new beginnings: Gudbranson's from Ottawa, Ontario, and he's looking forward to playing in a market that breathes hockey.

"I was surprised about the trade, but Vancouver is a huge hockey market and I'm excited to be going there," he said. "It was a shock to be traded, I didn't see it coming. But it's a business. I'll keep going."

Gudbranson's under contract for one year at $3.5 million, a deal he signed as a Panther before being traded. He'll play an integral role on Vancouver's blue line this coming season and will be a restricted free agent on July 1, 2017.

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In life, it's important to have dreams. To dream big, in fact.

Nick Bonino had a dream. The Pittsburgh Penguins forward told his mom about it.

"Nick would say, 'If we ever win the Stanley Cup, we're eating pasta out of it,'" his mother Joanne told the Hartford Courant's Jeff Jacobs.

Well, Bonino's dream came true Thursday. He and his grandparents, who are both in their 90s, ate pasta out of the Cup. Tuna fish with angel hair, if you were wondering. Secret family recipe.

Jacobs chronicled Bonino's day with the Cup, and the quote Bonino's mother remembered - "If we ever win ..." - provides a window into the character of the 28-year-old. Bonino didn't win the Cup - his entire family did. His hometown did. His boarding school, Avon Old Farms, did.

An estimated 5,000 people showed up at Avon Old Farms to celebrate the Cup with Bonino, an experience he called "very humbling." Yet after a miracle playoff run - in which Bonino had four goals and 18 points in 24 games and became an internet sensation thanks to Hockey Night Punjabi's "Bonino! Bonino! Bonino!" calls of his goals - it's watching his grandparents enjoy the Cup that will stay with him forever.

"I think that's the one memory I will cherish the most," he said. "My nana and poppa kissing the Cup and eating pasta out of it is something I will never forget."

How could he?

Family and big dreams. That's what Bonino's all about.

"I dreamt of it. It's tough to think of it as reality."

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Martin St. Louis, NHL insider. At least, he is to Derick Brassard.

Brassard, traded from the New York Rangers to the Ottawa Senators in July for Mika Zibanejad, learned of the deal in a text message from St. Louis, writes NHL.com's Chris Stevenson.

"I think Ottawa is an up-and-coming team," St. Louis told Brassard. "I think it's going to be good for you."

Brassard was confused. "I was like, 'What is he talking about?' After that, my phone started blowing up."

Brassard met with the Ottawa media for the first time Friday, wearing his new jersey, which bears No. 19. He's excited to be a Senator, and likes the mix of skill, size, and toughness on the Senators roster.

Turning 29 in late September, Brassard was born in Hull, Quebec, across the river from Ottawa. He's essentially playing at home.

"Playing in front of my friends and family is going to give me another edge to my game," Brassard said.

A former first-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Brassard has been a productive NHLer throughout his career. And he's come into his own - his last two seasons were his best. He had 60 points in 2014-15 and scored a career-high 27 goals last season on Broadway, finishing with 58 points.

Brassard heads to Ottawa with playoff experience, something general manager Pierre Dorion wanted. And much like in New York, Brassard's projected to be the team's No. 2 center.

"I want to show everyone (the Senators) made a good choice," Brassard said.

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Only three months removed from the Stanley Cup Finals, Joe Thornton will shoot for gold with Team Canada at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

The 37-year-old is one of just six players from Canada's 2004 World Cup roster still active in the NHL. That group also includes Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla, Patrick Marleau, Jay Bouwmeester, and Roberto Luongo.

Thornton is the lone player who will get a chance at a repeat championship as part of this year's Canadian squad. He was added to the final roster on May 27.

Thornton has donned the red and white on six occasions, winning three gold medals.

In 41 games with Team Canada, "Jumbo Joe" has tallied 12 goals and 21 assists, representing the Great White North at the World Juniors (1997), World Championships (2001, 2005), World Cup (2004), and the Winter Olympics (2006, 2010).

At the 2004 World Cup, Thornton's six points ranked second among all Canadian skaters, and only two points back of tournament leader Fredrik Modin.

"(Thornton's) still one of the best power-play players and in my opinion he's one of the top three passers - if not the best - in the world," Doug Armstrong, general manager of Team Canada, said in June.

The World Cup returns to the hockey stage for the first time since 2004, with the first game set for Sept. 17 in Toronto.

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The Las Vegas Nighthawks may be a safe bet after all.

Amid reports that the NHL's newest franchise had ruled out Thursday's leak of three potential team names, owner Bill Foley confirmed to the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Steve Carp that the Nighthawks nickname is still under consideration.

"Nighthawks is still a name we're considering," Foley told Carp, "though we are probably not going to go with the others (Red Hawks and Desert Hawks).

"Nighthawks honors a bird that is in Las Vegas and a fighter aircraft from an air force base in Las Vegas (Nellis AFB). I think Nighthawks is a beautiful name."

According to Foley, the team has also filed trademark applications for two other potential names.

The Las Vegas franchise has had a busy summer since officially joining the NHL on June 22, hiring general manager George McPhee, assistant general manager Kelly McCrimmon, and several other executives.

The team name and logo appears to be next on the docket, with Foley expecting a formal announcement in late September or early October.

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