Geoff Molson doesn't plan to add another layer of oversight to the Montreal Canadiens' front office.

The team's owner told reporters Wednesday that he doesn't intend to hire a president of hockey operations, and he praised general manager Marc Bergevin, calling him one of the most experienced and respected GMs in the NHL, according to The Athletic's Arpon Basu.

Multiple NHL teams currently employ a hockey ops department president who typically ranks above the club's general manager and distances the GM from ownership.

Molson has repeatedly praised Bergevin despite the Canadiens' relative mediocrity in recent years.

Since hiring the former NHL defenseman to make the team's player personnel decisions in May 2012, Montreal has made four playoff appearances (the club has yet to qualify in 2019-20 because the play-in round isn't considered the true playoffs).

However, the Canadiens have advanced as far as the Eastern Conference Final only once in that span, losing to the New York Rangers in 2014.

The Molson family bought the team from George Gillett in 2009. Geoff Molson is currently listed as the team's owner, president, and CEO.

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Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel affirmed that he and management are on the same page when it comes to their feelings about the club's lack of progress in recent seasons.

"I spoke with both Ralph (Krueger) and Jason (Botterill) about it and they understand the frustration and they're frustrated too," Eichel told TSN's Darren Dreger. "I'm not the only guy that's doing it, I might have expressed my opinion a little more bluntly but that's just how it is."

Eichel voiced his disappointment in May when speaking about missing the playoffs for a fifth straight season: "I'm fed up with the losing and I'm frustrated," he said. "It's been a tough past couple of months and a tough past five years."

The 23-year-old pivot believes the open line of communication is a positive thing and that everyone needs to be held accountable.

"I mean, I think if they don't hear that from guys then that's when you start to worry. If guys are OK with the fact that we're not winning, that we're not putting ourselves in the postseason season after season, that's where you get to find an issue."

Eichel led the Sabres in scoring for the fourth straight campaign, racking up 78 points and a career-high 36 goals in 68 games.

Buffalo owns the longest playoff drought in the NHL at nine seasons.

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With the NHL preparing for a 24-team playoff, theScore has been counting down the top 50 players that will be taking part in this unique event, as voted on by our hockey editors.

50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1

10. Evgeni Malkin, Penguins

It's hard to believe Malkin is already 33 years old, but that's a credit to how dominant he can still be when healthy. The Pittsburgh Penguins superstar remains one of the most talented scorers in the league and has long been a game-changer who overwhelms defenders.

9. Patrice Bergeron, Bruins

Bergeron has aged like fine wine. The sublime two-way center will turn 35 years old in July and seems to get better each season. Playing in the middle of one of the league's most feared lines, Bergeron is no stranger to playoff hockey. He'll look to lead another long playoff run as a veteran of 136 postseason games, including three trips to the finals and one Stanley Cup triumph.

8. Patrick Kane, Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks are no longer a legitimate threat for the Stanley Cup, but Kane still impacts the game every time he steps over the boards. "Showtime" finished eighth in the league in scoring this year and boasts one of the most illustrious playoff resumes of his generation. His team's next run may be short, but you can bet he's going to make the most of it.

7. David Pastrnak, Bruins

Pastrnak's confidence is matched by an elite skill set that few players possess. The Boston Bruins sniper has increased his goal and point totals over four straight campaigns, and he captured his first career "Rocket" Richard Trophy in 2019-20. Pastrnak was on pace this season to become just the fourth player in franchise history to record 50-plus goals and 100-plus points in a single campaign.

6. Nikita Kucherov, Lightning

There may be no player in the game more dangerous on offense than Kucherov. He has a lethal shot, but it's his vision, passing, and hands that separate him from the rest of the pack. He got off to a bit of a slow start this season but had 44 points in 31 games from January on. Let's not forget that Kucherov is just one year removed from a historic 128-point campaign.

5. Alex Ovechkin, Capitals

The abbreviated regular season deprived Ovechkin of a ninth 50-goal campaign, but the Russian sniper deserves at least a share of the hardware after tying Pastrnak atop the leaderboard in two fewer games. Ovi continues to light the lamp at will into his mid-30s, further bolstering his case to eventually be considered the greatest pure scorer of all time.

4. Leon Draisaitl, Oilers

Draisaitl proved the last two seasons that the Edmonton Oilers aren't a one-man show. Whether he's playing alongside Connor McDavid or anchoring his own line, Draisaitl produces at an astonishing level, amassing 93 goals and 225 points over his last 153 games.

He led the Oilers' league-best power play - 29.5% conversion - with 44 points on the man-advantage this year. Draisaitl is nearly impossible to contain when he's on the ice and will surely continue to be a headache for his opponents in the postseason.

3. Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche

MacKinnon's case as one of the most elite stars in the league was aided by another season with incredible numbers despite the fact his supporting cast was ravaged by injuries.

He has a tremendous chance to be a Hart Trophy finalist, and with a healthy Colorado Avalanche squad ready to follow him into the playoffs, the regular-season MVP may not be the only piece of hardware he gets his hands on.

2. Sidney Crosby, Penguins

Crosby may be in the latter stages of his career, but there's no denying his status as one of the world's best. No. 87 can still fly around the ice, and his ability to read the game won't dissipate with age.

After undergoing core muscle surgery in November, Crosby didn't miss a beat when he returned two months later, racking up 11 goals and 30 points in 24 games.

1. Connor McDavid, Oilers

The early end to the campaign prevented McDavid from authoring a fourth straight 100-point season, but he managed to record a career-best 1.52 points per game. It was an incredibly impressive performance following the major knee injury he suffered to end 2018-19, and the extensive rehab that followed.

McDavid needs a Stanley Cup to be considered in the same class as Crosby, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Bobby Orr, and there's no time like the present. The 23-year-old has nothing but time on his side to join the conversation for the greatest hockey player of all time.

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Brandon Bochenski was elected the mayor of Grand Forks, North Dakota, on Tuesday, according to the Grand Forks Herald.

If that name sounds familiar, its because Bochenski spent parts of five seasons in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Anaheim Ducks, Nashville Predators, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Bochenski is from Blaine, Minnesota, but he spent three years playing for the University of North Dakota, where he tallied 154 points in 120 games. A seventh-round pick of the Senators in 2001, he received significant hype after recording 70 points in 75 games in his first AHL season before leading the NHL in goals the following preseason while skating on a line with Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley.

He was traded to Chicago after just 20 games with the Sens. He ended up playing 156 NHL contests, registering 28 goals and 40 assists. He eventually found a home in the KHL, spending eight seasons with Astana Barys before shifting his focus to real estate development and politics.

Bochenski received 49.62% of the vote, defeating Mike Brown (31.81%), who had spent 20 years in office.

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Hart Trophy candidate Nathan MacKinnon believes the honor should go to New York Rangers superstar Artemi Panarin.

MacKinnon said Tuesday said on TSN 1050's "Overdrive" that he tried to recruit Panarin to the Colorado Avalanche last summer before he eventually chose to go to the Big Apple. MacKinnon tried to sell him on the idea he wouldn't have to be "the man" every night, and he even offered Panarin his spot on the power play.

"I knew he was a free agent so I was kind of watching him with Columbus. What an amazing player," MacKinnon said. "And then I watched him all season - just from talking to him, really nice guy, so maybe I'm a little biased with that - but that's why I think he should win the Hart this year."

Panarin, who signed a seven-year, $81.5-million contract with the Rangers, finished tied for third in the NHL with 95 points this year, trailing only Leon Draisaitl (110), and Connor McDavid (97). He led the league with 59 points at five-on-five.

The 28-year-old led a rebuilding Rangers team to an 11th place finish in the Eastern Conference (by points percentage), which was good enough for a berth in the NHL's expanded playoff format.

Meanwhile, the Avalanche were decimated by injuries this season, but MacKinnon still posted 93 points, 43 more than anyone else on his team. Colorado finished the season with the second-best record in the Western Conference.

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Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning remains adamant about getting pending UFA goaltender Jacob Markstrom signed to a contract extension.

"I've said all along that he's an important guy for us," Benning told The Province's Ben Kuzma. "My intent is to figure out something that works for him and us. I'm hoping to get him signed, but that's part of the business - we'll have to wait and see."

Benning previously said he hoped to re-sign Markstrom before the trade deadline in February, but a deal never materialized.

Markstrom posted career highs this season in save percentage (.918) and goals saved above average (11.4) in 43 starts despite facing personal adversity. In October, he took a leave of absence to return to Sweden after his father was diagnosed with cancer, and he left the team again in December after his father died.

"To know behind the scenes of everything he was going through - and coming back from Sweden to play that game against the Rangers (38 saves in a 3-2 win on Oct. 20) - and to just show consistency and a high standard was something," Benning said.

Markstrom said in April that he wants to stay in Vancouver, but getting him re-signed could prove difficult. If the cap ceiling stays at $81.5 million for the 2020-21 campaign, the Canucks will have a projected $17 million to work with, according to CapFriendly. Tyler Toffoli and Chris Tanev are also pending UFAs. More importantly, franchise cornerstones Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes will become RFAs after next season.

The Canucks also have to take the 2021 Seattle expansion draft into consideration. With rules only allowing each team to protect one goalie, Vancouver would risk losing either Markstrom or Thatcher Demko - a highly touted 24-year-old coming off his first full season as the team's backup.

Markstrom, 30, missed the last three weeks of the regular season with a knee injury but has been cleared to return when the NHL resumes play. The Canucks are scheduled to take on the Minnesota Wild in the best-of-five qualifying round.

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The New Jersey Devils have put their head coaching search on hold, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reports.

New Jersey is down to four final candidates - including interim bench boss Alain Nasreddine - after speaking with at least eight coaches, LeBrun added.

Nasreddine took over for John Hynes following a 9-13-4 start and led the Devils to a 19-16-8 record. Despite selling at the deadline, New Jersey just narrowly missed making the playoffs in the expanded format - the Montreal Canadiens grabbed the final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference with a .500 points percentage, just ahead of New Jersey's .493 mark.

It's unknown who the other three final candidates are, but Gerard Gallant, John Stevens, and Peter Laviolette were all reportedly interviewed for the vacancy.

The organization's search for a general manager, however, remains ongoing, LeBrun added.

Former assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald was promoted to the interim role after Ray Shero was fired in January. Fitzgerald has been conducting the coaching interviews despite the interim tag and remains a candidate for the permanent position. The team also reportedly interviewed former Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis.

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