The AHL's Lake Erie Monsters are one win away from a Calder Cup championship, and the hope is it means big things for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the not-too-distant future.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen assigned a slew of young players to the minor-league affiliate at the end of a disappointing season for the parent club, and it's played out as well as he could have hoped.

"When we sent our guys back down at the end of the season, this is what we were hoping for," Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. "What you're seeing now, is the best-case scenario. We hoped they'd go deep and have a great experience."

What's most encouraging is that it is indeed the prospects leading the way, meaning a wave of young talent - a group includes of Oliver Bjorkstrand, Zach Werenski, Sonny Milano, Kerby Rychel, and Anton Forsberg, among others - is nearing shore.

The AHL team is drawing comparisons to the 2013 Syracuse Crunch, a championship club made up of many players who contributed to the Tampa Bay Lightning's recent string of success.

"In 2013, we lost to Syracuse in the second round, and you could just tell there was something different about that team," Kekalainen said. "Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat ... those guys were a notch above everybody else and they were ready to be part of the NHL."

Success at the AHL level guarantees nothing, of course, but a monster effort from even a couple of these prospects could make a big difference.

Finding room on a roster in need of a few salary dumps may be an issue, but the GM doesn't appear to be sweating that.

"It might take a little while, but we'll make it happen. If somebody deserves to play in the NHL, they're going to make it."

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Tyler Seguin is back at it.

The Dallas Stars center, who was limited to one playoff appearance with separate Achilles and calf injuries, has resumed skating with a view towards being at the top of his game come training camp.

Seguin, who finished the regular season with 73 points in 72 games, has also been named to Canada's roster for the World Cup in September.

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The NHL still wants a piece of Dennis Wideman.

Almost three months after a third-party arbitrator reduced the Calgary Flames defenseman's suspension for cross-checking linesman Don Henderson from 20 games to 10 - and also long after Wideman returned to play - the NHL has filed a lawsuit against the NHLPA, wishing to vacate the ruling.

In its complaint the NHL writes that its ruling was supported by "substantial evidence," and that the third-party review - which it signed off on - is "limited" in its determining of supplemental discipline.

With Henderson having suffered significant injuries from the unsuspecting blow that have prevented his return to officiating, as per the complaint, the NHL's insistence is understandable. The timing, however, is not.

The lawsuit reintroduces a black mark on the season, and the NHL, on the eve of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, and a night in which the Pittsburgh Penguins can raise the Stanley Cup.

Wideman played in three games after serving his suspension before being sidelined for the remainder of the season with injury.

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Things could get quite interesting once Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine are plucked off the NHL Draft board.

TSN's Darren Dreger reported Wednesday that the Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks, who hold the third, fourth, and fifth picks, respectively, at the NHL Draft later this month, are listening, or at least willing to listen to offers for the lottery selections.

"I know that there are aggressive offers being made for the Blue Jackets' third pick overall," Dreger told TSN 1260. "I don't believe the Blue Jackets are even remotely close to considering moving that pick, but they have to listen, right?"

He qualified: "But it would take an unbelievable deal for Jarmo Kekalainen to move the third pick overall."

Dreger said that the Oilers and Canucks aren't shopping the selections, but having made it clear they want to ice a more competitive team next season, they could be more inclined to pull the trigger.

"Edmonton is more eager to move. They're not shopping the fourth pick overall, but certainly willing to listen. And obviously they would want a defenseman in return, whoever that might be," Dreger said.

"Vancouver is similar. Vancouver likes fifth overall. They know they're getting a very, very good player, but Jim Benning did not like being part of the non-playoff picture in the National Hockey League. He's going to do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn't happen again."

Jesse Puljujarvi, Matthew Tkachuk, and Pierre-Luc Dubois are the top-rated forward prospects after Matthews and Laine.

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A lawsuit involving Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos and his three adult sons has no bearing on the state of the franchise, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman maintains.

Speaking with SiriusXMNHL's Scott Laughlin and Boomer Gordon on Wednesday, Bettman said while the family dispute is unfortunate, it doesn't mean the club is in any jeopardy.

"It's led to unfortunate speculation about the Hurricanes and that speculation is really unfounded," said Bettman. "People are opining on things they don't know anything about. The fact of the matter is that franchise has been in good hands, remains in good hands, and we don't see that changing in the near future.

"And frankly, we don't see the franchise relocating anywhere, which has been part of the speculation. We like the Carolina market, we like the fan support, and they're working very hard to make sure that franchise can be successful."

Bettman's statement comes two days after a report emerged citing two NHL executives who suggested the Hurricanes could be relocated to Las Vegas, putting expansion on hold for the time being.

The commissioner concluded by saying the speculation "just isn't right."

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Kevin Shattenkirk is no stranger to the business side of hockey.

Already traded once his career, the St. Louis Blues defenseman - who's set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2017 - is fully aware that he could be on the move this offseason.

"It was a wild year with all the (trade) rumors going on," Shattenkirk told Jeremy Rutherford of the Post-Dispatch. "It might plant the seed of doubt in your head but that's not my decision. I have a year left and this is where I want to be next year, so that's out of my hands unfortunately. It's the nature of the salary-cap league and it's tough.

"You hear (trade) rumors and you wonder what's going to happen and now you get into the offseason and you wonder what's going to happen again. We'll have to see what happens the next few weeks."

Shattenkirk, along with forward Chris Stewart, was acquired by the Blues in early 2011 in a trade involving Erik Johnson. Since that time, Shattenkirk has averaged 0.59 points per game in St. Louis, and will most certainly command more than the $4.25-million cap hit he's carried since signing his current deal in 2013.

General manager Doug Armstrong is expecting Shattenkirk to be part of the team come training camp, but it's certainly not a sure thing.

"I view him as a top player, not only on our team, I view him as a top player in the game," Armstrong said. "But he falls into the jigsaw of the salary cap. Do I expect him back here in September? Sure.

"(But) it's a business decision, and Shatty's going to have to make one and we're going to have to make one. But he's a hell of a hockey player and he's a big part of our team."

Shattenkirk scored two goals and added nine assists in 20 playoff games, with a Corsi rating of 50.2 percent in all situations, according to Hockey Reference.

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The San Jose Sharks aren't panicking.

The Stanley Cup will be at the Consol Energy Center on Thursday, but only the Pittsburgh Penguins will have a chance to touch it. Staring the end of their season and their Cup dreams in the face, the Sharks are a relaxed group.

"We're going to the dance with the girl we brought to the dance," head coach Peter DeBoer said. "This is our group."

DeBoer was in fine form Wednesday, as evidenced by his quip about injured Tomas Hertl:

As for practice, the Sharks didn't stray from their routine:

"I think the results are closer than it feels right now, I really do," DeBoer said when asked about his team's deficit.

"This isn't easy. It's a really hard thing to do. It's going to be hard for them to close us out. It's going to be hard for us to show up here tomorrow and win a game in this environment," he added. "I think our guys are up for some heavy lifting. We feel we can get it done."

The lifting won't get much heavier for the Sharks.

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