Matthew Tkachuk has an eye for talent; he chose to play out his draft season with the London Knights, after all.
So when the top prospect for the upcoming NHL draft - who shared a line with the most dominant offensive force in Major Junior last season and has been rocketing up draft boards himself - offers an evaluation on a particular player, well, it carries some weight.
But his evaluation of Connor McDavid will have fans dreaming up scenarios, too.
"McDavid is going to be the best player in the NHL, if he's not already," Tkachuk said at the NHL Draft Combine in Buffalo on Friday.
Unlike with his decision to sign with London, Tkachuk won't have the luxury of picking his spot when he enters the pro ranks. But with the Edmonton Oilers currently holding the No. 4 selection, the club's expected to have the opportunity to pluck Tkachuk off the board.
With that, the Oilers could one day skate Tkachuk on a line with the player they hope he pegged accurately.
The former Nashville Predators forward is eyeing a return to the NHL after four seasons in the KHL, but his contract demands reportedly far exceed what at least one team is willing to pay.
"A number of teams are interested in Alex Radulov, no question about that, including Detroit," TSN's Darren Dreger reported on Friday's edition of "Insider Trading."
MLive's Ansar Khan reported Thursday that the Red Wings were reluctant to give Radulov more than one year and more than $5 million.
"The belief is the Red Wings are comfortable (with) a one-year deal at around four million, but a couple of NHL sources have indicated he wants two years at $7.5 million per (season)," Dreger reported Friday.
Radulov notched 65 points in 53 regular-season games for CSKA Moscow this season, adding 16 points in 20 playoff contests. He led the team to the Gagarin Cup Final, which it lost in seven games to Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
The 29-year-old winger registered 47 goals and 102 points in 154 games over two stints with the Predators, the first coming between 2006 and 2008, followed by his return for the 2011-12 campaign.
There could be a brand new cast of characters on Broadway next season.
TSN's Bob McKenzie reported Friday on "Insider Trading" that the New York Rangers are "wide open for business" and willing to consider a trade involving virtually any player on the roster.
McKenzie notes that netminder Henrik Lundqvist and likely Ryan McDonagh are safe from consideration, but the rest of the team's high-paid stars - namely Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, and Derick Brassard - could be moved to "shuffle the deck" and help recoup picks, prospects, and cap space.
That said, he cautions this isn't the jump point for a full-fledged rebuild for general manager Jeff Gorton, rather discussions and perhaps transactions aimed to introduce a new competitive dynamic.
Only the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings have won more playoff games than the Rangers over the past five seasons. But in their ultimately unsuccessful title chase, they've pillaged their prospect pool and spoiled their depth.
The Detroit Red Wings are reportedly keen on taking a run at Steven Stamkos this summer, and general manager Ken Holland is apparently already trying to clear cap space to do it.
"(They're) most definitely looking at Steven Stamkos as an unrestricted free agent option, but in order for the Red Wings to get into that game, obviously they're going to have to move out the money of Pavel Datsyuk," TSN's Darren Dreger reported on Friday's edition of "Insider Trading."
Datsyuk, who has one more year remaining at a cap hit of $7.5 million, has received an offer to play in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg, but won't decide on his future before meeting with the Red Wings later this month.
"Ken Holland ... is actively trying to move that one year, the remaining year on his contract," Dreger said Friday. "Maybe there's a team out there that needs that $7.5 million to get to the (salary cap) floor, but the Red Wings know in order to move it, they're going to have to sweeten it."
Dreger cites young forwards Tomas Jurco and Teemu Pulkkinen as players who could potentially be packaged with the hefty sum to entice a trade partner, adding that Holland is "hard at it" in his attempt to get a deal done.
ESPN's Pierre LeBrun reported Friday on "Insider Trading" that he believes the pending unrestricted free agent would be "warm" to receiving an offer from the Edmonton Oilers, should he be unable to iron out a deal to return to the Los Angeles Kings.
The hulking winger has long stated his desire to return to Los Angeles after an enjoyable debut season with the club, but there would be some familiarity and comfort in Edmonton, as well. Lucic was drafted by and negotiated multiple contracts with Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli during their long tenure together with the Boston Bruins.
LeBrun reiterated his belief that the power forward's overriding preference is to remain a King, but mentioned: "There are worse things than riding shotgun for Connor McDavid."
Lucic, who will enter his 10th season this fall, recorded 20 goals and 55 points in 81 games with L.A. He was highly successful within the club's top six, finishing with a 61.4 percent Goals For rate at even strength.
LeBrun also noted that Lucic's hometown club, the Vancouver Canucks, would be interested in investing in his services.
BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Sabres are in talks with the NHL to have Buffalo continue hosting the league's annual pre-draft rookie combine.
NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr said negotiations are ongoing and supports the Sabres' bid because of B...
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The status of San Jose Sharks winger Tomas Hertl is in question for Saturday's Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final.
The 22-year did not practise Friday morning. Head coach Pete DeBoer said Hertl's absence was for "maintenance."...
This time, instead of calling Sidney Crosby out for cheating and getting special treatment from the officials, the San Jose Sharks center is pointing the finger at all players who line up to take the draw, including himself.
"Everyone cheats on faceoffs," Couture told reporters Friday. "I cheat, Jumbo (Joe Thornton) cheats. That’s how you try and win draws. (Crosby's) one of the best at it.
Couture, asked about last FO in G2: “That was a clean faceoff. I never said anything about that. It was clean. They made a nice play off"
Beginning Game 3 on Saturday, the San Jose Sharks are going to attempt to accomplish what only five of 49 NHL teams have done before them: come back from a 2-0 hole in the Stanley Cup Final.
Here's a quick look at those who blazed the trail of hope.
1942 Toronto Maple Leafs
This Toronto Maple Leafs squad is set apart from the rest for erasing a 3-0 series hole against the Detroit Red Wings, who finished 15 points behind them in the standings that season.
Toronto, of course, won four straight games after losing the first three, recording a shutout win over Detroit in Game 7 to win the Cup.
Only the 1975 New York Islanders, 2010 Philadelphia Flyers and 2014 Los Angeles Kings have repeated that feat in any playoff series, giving the Sharks a slim measure of hope should they lose Game 3.
1966 Montreal Canadiens
The Red Wings were victimized here again, this time at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens.
Montreal won four in a row over the Red Wings, becoming the only team in NHL history to win the Cup in six games after dropping the first two of the series.
1971 Montreal Canadiens
The year of Ken Dryden was capped by another comeback series win for the Canadiens in the Final.
Like San Jose this year, Montreal lost the first two games on the road at the hands of the Blackhawks, including one in overtime. They held court on home ice, however, and won Game 6 at home after losing Game 5 back in Chicago.
Montreal actually fell into a 2-0 hole in Game 7, but prevailed in the series-deciding game after scoring three goals in less than nine minutes.
2009 Pittsburgh Penguins
The Sharks need only to look across the ice to know that a comeback is indeed possible, as the Penguins did it themselves against the Red Wings in 2009.
Pittsburgh lost the first two contests on the road, but won the next two at home to even the series. The first four games were played with Detroit star center Pavel Datsyuk on the sidelines with an injury, and with two of three to be played at their rink. It appeared as though the Red Wings were poised to have the upper hand against the Penguins in the Final for the second year in a row.
After splitting the next two games, the clubs convened for a Game 7 in Detroit, which was won by the Penguins despite the fact Sidney Crosby missed the third period with a knee injury suffered earlier that night.
Max Talbot scored two goals and Marc-Andre Fleury made a legendary save off Nicklas Lidstrom in the dying seconds to preserve the win.
2011 Boston Bruins
The most recent squad to pull off the comeback was the 2011 Boston Bruins, who knocked off the Presidents' Trophy winning Vancouver Canucks and literally sparked a riot as a result.
Like this year's Final, the first two games were won by the home team by a margin of one goal in each, with the second being won in overtime.
The tide shifted mightily following dominant wins by the Bruins back in Boston, and while Roberto Luongo became only the second goalie to pitch two 1-0 shutouts in a single Final, it was Tim Thomas who stole the show with a 4-0 win in Game 7 in Vancouver.
Thomas, then 37, set an NHL record for most saves in a Final (238) and became the first goalie to post a shutout on the road in Game 7 of the championship series.
That Martin Jones has been excellent in defeat for the Sharks should be a great source of encouragement for the Sharks, who are by no means out of this series just yet.
