The Ottawa Senators' coaching search will reportedly include a candidate employed by their provincial rivals.

It's the Senators' intention to interview Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach D.J. Smith for their head-coaching position within the next couple of weeks, according to The Athletic's Chris Stevenson, who adds that Marc Crawford, Troy Mann, Jacques Martin, and Nate Leaman will also be considered.

Smith, who's been a Leafs assistant since 2015, has long been viewed in hockey circles as a future NHL head coach.

Crawford took over as the Senators' interim bench boss after the club fired Guy Boucher on March 1. Mann is the current coach of the Belleville Senators, Ottawa's AHL affiliate.

Martin is an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and was Ottawa's head coach for parts of nine seasons from 1995-96 to 2003-04. Leaman is currently the bench boss at Providence College.

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Miro Heiskanen insists he isn't upset about not being included among the finalists for the NHL's rookie of the year award.

The Dallas Stars defenseman expressed as much after St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, and Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson were revealed as the three nominees for the Calder Trophy on Saturday.

"I don't care," Heiskanen told The Athletic's Sean Shapiro after his team's Game 2 victory over the Blues. "They are good players also. So I'm having fun here in playoffs."

The 19-year-old led all first-year players in average ice time during the regular season, logging 23:07 per game, while posting 33 points.

Ironically, Heiskanen scored a goal on Binnington in the first period of Game 2, shortly before the finalists were revealed during intermission.

Stars forward Tyler Seguin weighed in on the snub postgame.

The finalists are determined by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

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Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson, St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, and Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin have been named finalists for the 2019 Calder Trophy given to the league's top rookie, the NHL announced on Saturday.

Pettersson lived up to some enormous hype, netting 10 goals in his first 10 games and going on to break the Canucks' rookie scoring record that Pavel Bure previously held. The 20-year-old finished his debut campaign with 66 points in 71 games, establishing himself as the face of the franchise.

Binnington came out of nowhere and played a significant role in saving the Blues' season. From Jan. 1 onward, the 25-year-old owned a 24-5-1 record with a .930 save percentage and five shutouts. His emergence thrust St. Louis into a playoff spot, and he's maintained his form in the postseason, helping the Blues past the Winnipeg Jets in Round 1.

Dahlin, the first overall pick in 2018, was sensational for the Sabres, immediately becoming the team's top blue-liner in his first year. He appeared in all 82 games and tallied 44 points - the second-highest total for an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history.

The winner will be announced at the NHL Awards Show on June 19 in Las Vegas.

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The Cale Makar era was headed for a reality check. Despite the top-drawer talent level and cool demeanor, a letdown of some kind felt inevitable Friday.

After all, everything had been a little too rosy for Makar and the Colorado Avalanche since the smooth-skating defenseman left UMass for the pro ranks two weeks ago. Three straight wins over the Calgary Flames, highlight-reel rushes, one goal, one assist, and at least one hilarious in-arena kale sighting.

Then, the Avs met the Sharks in Game 1 of the second round, and lost 5-2. A victory seemed out of reach for Colorado around the midway point of the game, as Brent Burns and San Jose's third line of Joe Thornton, Marcus Sorensen, and Kevin Labanc dominated the scoresheet.

Makar finished the game with negative Corsi and Expected Goals ratings for the first time in his incredibly young career. While he generated offense close to his usual rate, the 5-foot-11, 187-pounder was on for his first-ever goal against. The puck actually deflected off Makar's upper-body and past Colorado goalie Philipp Grubauer to make it 4-1 San Jose.

In short, Makar wasn't at his best on Friday. That being said, he was still spectacular in certain moments. Special players find a way to affect the outcome of the game, regardless of their challenges with execution and luck.

It is such a small thing on the surface, but check out how poised Makar is with the puck when he's breaking out of the Avs zone at the end of the first period:

He dumps the puck into San Jose's end at the red line only because it was time to make a line change. When Makar isn't gassed, 99 times out of 100 that head-turning rush through the netural zone continues all the way to Martin Jones' kitchen. He loves to take control and create in transition, rarely taking his foot off the gas. As a viewer, it's difficult to take your eyes off No. 8.

For evidence, look no further than Makar's first shift of the game, when he entered the zone with possession and fired a backhand over the Sharks net. On his way back to the point, the 20-year-old gathered a loose puck and threw it at Jones, hoping for a deflection. The Avs opened the scoring two seconds later, with Makar picking up his second primary assist of the playoffs:

But the roller-coaster ride continued a few minutes later, when Makar gave the puck away in his own end, gifting the Sharks a prime scoring opportunity a few feet from Grubauer. Not ideal. And then, late in the third period, he turned the puck over again, this time on the halfwall in his own end while under pressure. Luckily for Makar, Samuel Girard bailed him out with a shot block:

Makar was chosen fourth overall in the 2017 NHL Draft and, in flashes, he looks every bit as good as Miro Heiskanen, who was picked two spots ahead. Hockey fans were already spoiled with four elite 22-and-under blueliners - Heiskanen, Rasmus Dahlin, Quinn Hughes, and Thomas Chabot - and now there appears to be a fifth member of that tier. Makar is as advertised.

Avs coach Jared Bednar is certainly on board, giving Makar second-unit power play time already and 18 minutes a night overall. Ever-confident with the puck on his stick, the Calgary native has three total points to his name, and, according to NaturalStatTrick.com, is helping Colorado to a 59% Corsi rating when he's on the ice at 5-on-5.

Bumps along the way noted, Makar's fitting in just fine. Must see TV, too.

Mrazek over Lehner, barely

The New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes grinding Game 1 into a pile of dust was the least surprising development from Friday's double billing.

For the vast majority of the ‘Canes 1-0 overtime win, the neutral zone was a death trap. Offensive players had no choice but to chip and chase as they approached the attacking blue line. Even when an opponent watched from the penalty box, there was no shot barrage. Both power plays were abysmal.

Yet, strangely, the series opener had its fair share of edge-of-your-seat moments. Scoring chances, as rare as they were, seemed to exclusively come on breakaways, or partial breaks. And the netminders, Carolina's Petr Mrazek and New York's Robin Lehner, were most definitely up to the task, both making a handful of stops requiring extreme flexibility and/or quick reflexes.

The Isles typically generate the bulk of their offense from between the dots, rarely shooting from the perimeter. Friday was no exception. Here's a sample:

The margin of error was minuscule over the game's 64 minutes. Lehner faced one extra shot on goal than Mrazek, and that shot was the difference. Carolina center Jordan Staal buried a loose puck that popped out from behind the Isles' net. Lehner called it a "shit bounce" in his postgame media availability.

If Game 1 is any indication, this series could easily stretch to six or seven games. The style of play will not only be strongly tied to effective team defense but also to the battle in goal. Is Sunday's Game 2 for Lehner?

John Matisz is theScore's National Hockey Writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.

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St. Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube, Tampa Bay Lightning bench boss Jon Cooper, and Barry Trotz of the New York Islanders are the three finalists for the Jack Adams Award, the NHL announced Friday.

Berube took over for the fired Mike Yeo in November, guiding the Blues to a significant turnaround and a 38-19-6 record over their final 63 games. St. Louis finished third in the Central Division, qualifying for the postseason after winning only seven of its first 19 contests.

Under Cooper, the Lightning captured the Presidents' Trophy with a mark of 62-16-4, posting one of the best regular-season records in NHL history.

Trotz helped the Islanders finish second in the Metropolitan Division in his first season with the club, completely transforming them into a defensive juggernaut.

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Welcome to Art of the Mask, a new video series in which theScore sits down with some of the world's top netminders to talk about goalie mask art.

In Episode 3, NHL prospect and North Bay Battalion goalie Christian Purboo walks us through his mask's pop culture-inspired elements. From Tupac to "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" to Winnie-the-Pooh, there's a lot of character to Purboo's mask art.

Previously in this series:

• Philipp Grubauer of the Colorado Avalanche
• Filip Gustavsson of the Belleville Senators

Don't forget to subscribe to theScore's YouTube channel. Be sure to rate the video and leave a comment, too!

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