VANCOUVER - The Anaheim Ducks knew they were running out of time. Last in the NHL's overall standings at the end of October with a 1-7-2 record that included shutouts in five of the team's first eight games, it was clear major changes could b...

TORONTO - For the better part of the first four months of the regular season, Maple Leafs defenceman Frankie Corrado sat and then sat some more. Picked up off waivers from Vancouver on the eve of the season, Corrado didn't play his first game...

We've released initial 16-man rosters for Team Canada, Team USA, and the Team North America outfit that will fuse the best 23-and-under prospects from both countries. Now it's time to name the other 80 players who will be named to the tournament on March 2, when the rosters are due for submission.

Remember, this is the NHL's baby, and it likely wants as many players under the league's banner as it can get involved. That's not to say there won't be representation from the KHL, and other top flights, when rosters are cemented, but for now, expect partiality to those plying their trade on this side of the pond.

With perhaps one exception for Russia.

Team Europe

Mikkel Boedker, Arizona Coyotes (Denmark)
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers (Germany)
Nikolaj Ehlers, Winnipeg Jets (Denmark)
Marian Gaborik, Los Angeles Kings (Slovakia)
Marian Hossa, Chicago Blackhawks (Slovakia)
Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings (Slovenia)
Frans Nielsen, New York Islanders (Denmark)
Tomas Tatar, Detroit Red Wings (Slovakia)
Thomas Vanek, Minnesota Wild (Austria)
Mats Zuccarello, New York Rangers (Norway)

Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins (Slovakia)
Roman Josi, Nashville Predators (Switzerland)
Andrej Sekera, Edmonton Oilers (Slovakia)
Mark Streit, Philadelphia Flyers (Switzerland)

Frederik Andersen, Anaheim Ducks (Denmark)
Jaroslav Halak, New York Islanders (Slovakia)

• Europe boasts seven players in the NHL's top 100 in scoring, which is more than Finland and the Czech Republic, and just as many as the young guns.
• Jannik Hansen, Lars Eller, Nino Niederreiter, and Tobias Rieder will compete for the final three forward spots, while Germany's Dennis Seidenberg should join Chara on the blue line.

Team Russia

Artem Anisimov, Chicago Blackhawks
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals
Ilya Kovalchuk, SKA St. Petersburg*
Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
Vladislav Namestnikov, Tampa Bay Lightning
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Artemi Panarin, Chicago Blackhawks
Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues

Alexei Emelin, Montreal Canadiens
Dmitry Kulikov, Florida Panthers
Andrei Markov, Montreal Canadiens
Dmitry Orlov, Washington Capitals

Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets
Semyon Varlamov, Colorado Avalanche

• Russia's eye-popping collection up front boasts a top-six worth of top 20 NHL scorers.
• Vladislav Tretiak will have to bring over capable defenders from the KHL to augment a rather toothless rotation.
• He also does away with NHL bias with the selection of Kovalchuk, who's still scoring at a high rate since his "retirement" three years ago.
• Valeri Nichushkin, Nail Yakupov, and Alex Burmistrov are among NHLers who could still earn spots.

Team Sweden

Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals
Loui Eriksson, Boston Bruins
Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators
Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche
Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks
Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks
Alex Steen, St. Louis Blues
Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Arizona Coyotes
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Niklas Hjalmarsson, Chicago Blackhawks
Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators
John Klingberg, Dallas Stars
Hampus Lindholm, Anaheim Ducks

Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers
Robin Lehner, Buffalo Sabres

• Sweden's star-studded defensive corps immediately jumps out. Expect the versatile Anton Stralman, who pairs with Hedman in Tampa Bay, to nab the seventh spot over Niklas Kronwall and Alex Edler.
• Youth would complement an aging core up front. Gustav Nyquist, Elias Lindholm, Mika Zibanejad, Marcus Johansson, Carl Hagelin, and William Nylander are candidates who could claim a spot with a surge down the stretch, while Marcus Kruger makes sense in a checking role.

Team Finland

Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
Joonas Donskoi, San Jose Sharks
Valtteri Filppula, Tampa Bay Lightning
Mikael Granlund, Minnesota Wild
Jussi Jokinen, Florida Panthers
Mikko Koivu, Minnesota Wild
Leo Komarov, Toronto Maple Leafs
Jori Lehtera, St. Louis Blues
Teemu Pulkkinen, Detroit Red Wings
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche
Teuvo Teravainen, Chicago Blackhawks

Olli Maatta, Pittsburgh Penguins
Rasmus Ristolainen, Buffalo Sabres
Sami Vatanen, Anaheim Ducks

Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators

• Barkov is the centerpiece of a rather underwhelming roster on paper, but Finland endures as a serious threat in international competition.
• Just don't expect an offensive explosion. Koivu and Jokinen are the only players in the top 75 in NHL scoring.
• There are only a few names that jump out on defense, as well, but Maatta, Ristolainen, and Vatanen are well deserving.

Team Czech Republic

Michael Frolik, Calgary Flames
Martin Hanzal, Arizona Coyotes
Jiri Hudler, Calgary Flames
Jaromir Jagr, Florida Panthers
David Krejci, Boston Bruins
Ondrej Palat, Tampa Bay Lightning
David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
Tomas Plekanec, Montreal Canadiens
Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks
Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers
Radim Vrbata, Vancouver Canucks

Zbynek Michalek, Arizona Coyotes
Andrej Sustr, Tampa Bay Lightning
Marek Zidlicky, New York Islanders

Petr Mrazek, Detroit Red Wings
Michal Neuvirth, Philadelphia Flyers

• The Czechs have a strong collection of talented playmakers up front - namely Voracek, Krejci, and Plekanec - but are short on snipers. Jagr has five more than any other Czech forward this season with 18.
• They are also beset with difficulties on the back end, but have a Vezina Trophy candidate in Mrazek to anchor the operation.

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

Blake Wheeler's fists will be the only form of retribution aimed at Anton Stralman.

The Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman will not face sanctioning from the NHL for the dangerous hit he laid on Winnipeg Jets forward Bryan Little on Thursday, Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Here's a look at the hit, which came just moments after Stralman chopped Nikolaj Ehlers down in open ice.

The principal point of contact is certainly Little's head, but the Jets center put himself in a vulnerable position when he lost his balance and staggered toward the line with his head down.

Little required X-rays on his neck after the game, but was able to travel.

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

P.A. Parenteau is having the time of his life.

Okay, that's a stretch, but he's rejuvenated his career with the last-place Toronto Maple Leafs, and he's happy about his play, writes Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

"It's the best I've felt in the last three years," Parenteau said, a day after scoring his 15th goal of the season. He's healthy, and he's got head coach Mike Babcock in his corner, something he cites as making a "huge difference."

Signed to a one-year, $1.5-million contract, Parenteau's exceeded expectations with respect to production, and should be on the move to a contender come the Feb. 29 trade deadline. But that doesn't mean his career as a Maple Leaf is over.

"Absolutely," Parenteau said after he was asked if he'd consider coming back to the club in the summer as a free agent. "That's something I would definitely consider with the way they've treated me here and the way things went."

The Maple Leafs traded forward Daniel Winnik at last year's trade deadline to the Pittsburgh Penguins, only to sign him in free agency, so this is a road Toronto's been down before. And it's no secret the club is looking to deal its expiring contracts, of which Parenteau's is probably the most sought after.

With 30 points and power-play experience, Parenteau should be able to net Toronto a second-round draft pick.

"I know (being traded) is a possibility; I'm well aware of that and so is my family. I've said it - I love it (in Toronto), I'd love to stay, but I know how it works."

After not getting along with head coach Michel Therrien in Montreal, Parenteau's had the opposite experience in Toronto.

"It's a little bit of everything," he said when talking about his bounce-back season. "You know when your coach wants you out there as a player, and that's the way I'm feeling this year. Even before we had all of those injuries, I felt like I was a big part of the team. It's fun, it's fun that way."

You see, Toronto? Rebuilds aren't all bad.

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

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