Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is eager to see the Windy City serve as one of the NHL's two hub locations.

"We're very excited at the possibility and have really tried to make the case for why Chicago should be chosen," Lightfoot told The Athletic's Scott Powers. "I'm hopeful we'll be successful.

"Although I expect the playoffs to be probably fan-less, we're still very well-situated to accommodate the league and the players. We have plenty of hotel space and got a great culture life here. I think everything they would want to put on with a best-in-class playoff experience is here in Chicago."

In addition to Chicago, the league is considering nine other cities for its two locations: Columbus, Dallas, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Pittsburgh, Toronto, and Vancouver.

The NHL is expected to announce its selections on June 22, according to John Katsilometes of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Safety will be a top priority in the league's decision, and Illinois has seen a steady dip in COVID-19 cases. The state's seven-day rolling average has decreased by about 69% over the last three weeks, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

"If I didn't feel like we were on a downward trajectory both in terms of number of cases, new cases reported, and all the other public health metrics, I would not feel comfortable," Lightfoot said. "But we have worked extraordinarily hard over these last three months to put us in a position - and first and foremost, our priority is our residents - that our residents would have confidence that we have engaged in a robust public health response to this deadly virus."

The Blackhawks qualified for the league's expanded 24-team postseason as the Western Conference's 12th seed. They're slated to meet the fifth-seeded Edmonton Oilers in a best-of-five play-in series for the right to advance to the first round of the playoffs.

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Connor Brown believes he could have done more during his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but the Ottawa Senators forward says he's benefitted from his hometown club trading him last summer.

"The fact that it was my hometown team too, and the one team I've been a part of and never been traded whether it comes to junior or anything, so it was like a shock, an emotional shock to get moved," Brown said on the "Connor Carrick Podcast" earlier this week. "I felt like I was part of like the core there, so it was a shock and it was hard, but also I knew that for me and my career it was the best thing for me."

He added that “the guys and the culture that we have worked towards in Ottawa" have increased his happiness.

Brown played a big role in helping to accelerate the Leafs' rebuild during his 2016-17 rookie season. The Toronto native potted 20 goals while contributing to the team's first run to the postseason since 2013.

By 2018-19, Brown's third full campaign with the club, the Leafs had improved their wing depth, with Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson emerging as top-nine players. Brown saw his ice time decrease for a third consecutive season, and he finished with just eight goals while playing the majority of the campaign on the fourth line.

"80 percent of the game is between the ears once you’re playing. It’s just how you feel about yourself that night - wanting the puck," he said. "And it was just something that I definitely lost a little bit."

Brown says the opportunity to play a top-six role in Ottawa helped restore his confidence. The 26-year-old logged 20-plus minutes of ice time per game, racking up a career-best 43 points in 71 contests during his first year with the Senators in 2019-20.

"I don’t think I was playing bad or hurting the team or anything when I was in Toronto, but I definitely wasn’t maximizing my potential," he added. "So, it’s been nice to find that in myself and find that in my game. And I think a big part of it is just the belief in me that was given.”

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After looking back at some of the best NHL player debuts last month, it's time to give some credit to the veterans.

It's not always an easy task for experienced players to join new teams. Sometimes it takes time to adjust to new surroundings, gel with new teammates, and learn new systems. Still, there have been a number of players that have made impressive debuts with their new clubs.

Here, we're going to look back at five of the best veteran debuts with new teams over the last 30 seasons.

5. Saad nets hat trick in second stint with Blackhawks

When Brandon Saad was a restricted free agent, the Blackhawks dealt his negotiating rights to the Blue Jackets. He inked a six-year extension with Columbus, but Chicago reacquired him soon after in 2017 in exchange for talented newcomer Artemi Panarin.

Saad netted a hat trick in his first game back with the Blackhawks, which was a 10-1 beatdown against the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins. While Panarin went on to play at an MVP level elsewhere, Saad showed Chicago that he could still produce as he did in years past.

4. Fleury dazzles in inaugural Golden Knights game

Following the emergence of Matt Murray, Marc-Andre Fleury knew the writing was on the wall with the Penguins. After winning his third Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh, he willingly waived his no-movement clause, which allowed him to be selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.

The Golden Knights managed to put together a respectable roster, but nobody was prepared for the historic season they would embark on with Fleury at the helm.

Fleury, who was immediately seen as the face of the franchise, turned in an epic performance on opening night against a tough Dallas team, stopping 45 of 46 shots while leading Vegas to its first win in franchise history. Not a bad introduction for a 33-year-old goalie.

3. Lemieux makes triumphant return after retirement

Mario Lemieux technically didn't make a debut for a new team, but he did take nearly four years off before rejoining the Penguins in 2000. With a new coach and a number of new teammates since he last played in 1997, Lemieux returned to a pretty unfamiliar scene.

However, during his debut on Dec. 27, he immediately showed that he hadn't missed a beat, producing a goal and two assists, including a helper on a goal in the opening seconds.

Lemieux only played in 43 games during the 2000-01 season, but he finished with 76 points and was named a Hart Trophy finalist. He helped lead Pittsburgh to the playoffs in 2001 but failed to do so in the following four seasons before retiring for good.

2. Jagr posts timeless 4-point effort in Stars debut

Expectations were slightly tempered when Jaromir Jagr signed with the Stars as a 40-year-old. The 2012-13 lockout delayed the season, but Jagr finally got the chance to make his debut with his first Western Conference team in mid-January.

He kicked off his stint with his fifth team in vintage fashion, contributing on every goal during a 4-3 win over the Coyotes. Jagr picked up two goals and two assists, proving to the hockey world that, for him, age is just a number.

1. Kontos explodes in Lightning's franchise debut

The Lightning made their NHL debut during the 1992-93 season and faced a tough task on opening night, taking on Ed Belfour and the Chicago Blackhawks on home ice.

Chris Kontos, who signed with the Lightning as a free agent, hadn't played in an NHL game in nearly three years. Prior to his stint with Tampa Bay, he appeared in just 164 career games and recorded 27 career goals. On opening night in 1992, the little-known forward turned in a heroic performance, recording four goals in a shocking 7-3 win.

Kontos helped kick off the Lightning franchise in spectacular fashion, and he went on to score 27 goals for the season, his final in the NHL.

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The defending Stanley Cup champions will have their most talented scorer available if and when play resumes.

St. Louis Blues sniper Vladimir Tarasenko is on the mend after being out of action since late October.

"He's good," Blues head coach Craig Berube told The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford on the "We Went Blues" podcast.

"Before we stopped, he was ready to come back the next week and play, so, he did a great job of getting himself back," Berube continued. "He did a great job with his rehab, along with the training staff, and he kept himself in great shape. He actually came back in better shape than he came to camp (in September) ... He's been on the ice and doing things right now, so he's ready to go."

Tarasenko was hurt during a game on Oct. 24 and had shoulder surgery performed five days later. He was given a timetable of at least five months the day before the procedure.

The 28-year-old forward collected three goals and 10 points in 10 games before the injury. He led the Blues with 33 goals in 2018-19 and played a key role in their championship run, posting 11 markers and 17 points in 26 playoff games that spring.

Tarasenko led St. Louis in goals for five consecutive campaigns before 2019-20, notching at least 30 in each one and burying 40 in 2015-16.

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Though they only spent two seasons as teammates with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Patrick Marleau has seen enough from Mitch Marner to know he's a special player.

"He amazes me," the Pittsburgh Penguins forward said Friday on Sportsnet's "Hockey Central." "I just love watching him play. The way he skates, the way he sees the ice, the way he creates space for himself - and that goes into his skating - is amazing."

Marleau spent two seasons in Toronto from 2017-19 and developed a close relationship with Marner. The seasoned veteran applauded the now-23-year-old for his hockey skills, but it's Marner's conduct off the ice that stands out to Marleau.

"He's kind of like Jumbo (Joe Thornton) in a way where he can have a great time and then flip that switch. As soon as he's on the ice it's all business," Marleau said. "He knows those different moments where he can relax and have some fun, but he's also very passionate and very focused on being one of the best players in the league and winning.

"A lot of people cannot see that part because they always look at the happy, the smiling, and that. But he's very focused and very committed."

Marner has been one of the Maple Leafs' best players since the team selected him fourth overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. He's amassed 83 goals and 208 assists in 300 career games.

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New York Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello believes the team's new arena at Belmont Park will give fans a feeling of nostalgia.

"I think what you're going to see is a Coliseum atmosphere in a new facility," Lamoriello told season-ticket holders Friday, according to Newsday.com's Andrew Gross.

"This is state of the art," he continued. "I think that when the fans see the results, they're going to be ecstatic."

In 2015, former Islanders owner Charles Wang moved the franchise's home games from Nassau Coliseum, which is known as one of the most raucous buildings in the league, to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. In 2017, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo arranged for the club to share home contests between the two buildings.

Lamoriello claims the arena at Belmont Park will replicate many of the features that made Nassau Coliseum so special for Islanders fans.

"I think the major point of it is it's going to be a hockey facility," Lamoriello added. "They've paid 100% attention to the atmosphere in the building, the way the seats are located for the hockey experience and tight to the arena. It's not like some of these new arenas. When you talk about old arenas, you talk about Boston Garden. But you go to a new arena, everybody says it doesn't have the same atmosphere."

The Islanders were given the go-ahead to resume construction of the arena at Belmont Park in May after pausing work at the site in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

New York will play all of its home contests during the 2020-21 season at the Coliseum before moving to Belmont Park the following campaign.

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