The Arizona Coyotes traded for Phil Kessel to help boost the club's ailing offense, but the enigmatic forward is hoping to provide more than just his scoring touch.

"I'm looking forward to it," Kessel said of taking on a leadership role with his new team, according to NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "I haven't really got to have that in my career. I think it's going to be great. I'm going to do whatever I can to help these guys win and help them improve. (If) the young guys have questions or anything they want to talk about, I'm there to talk about it. Try to get our team better and them better."

Even though he's just 31 years old, Kessel is already a grizzled NHL veteran who's just four games shy of 1,000 for his career. Despite that experience, he's never had a letter on his jersey for an extended period of time - even when he was a face of the Toronto Maple Leafs for six seasons.

"I'm not a rah-rah guy, to say the least," Kessel said. "I just want to be a good guy. Guys can relate to me, and I like to have fun. If they want to talk hockey, I like to talk hockey too. But all in all, just enjoy ourselves first and foremost because if you enjoy yourself you can play your best. Be loose and be prepared to play."

While Kessel is said to be popular with teammates, he's had run-ins with coaches. Former Leafs bench boss Ron Wilson called Kessel "uncoachable" and a reported rift with Pens coach Mike Sullivan was apparently what triggered the end of his tenure in Pittsburgh.

But in Arizona, Kessel will be coached by Rick Tocchet, a former Penguins assistant with whom Kessel had a strong rapport.

"He's going to accept the role of trying to help young guys, take the young guys out for dinner," Tocchet said. "It's a wider range of leadership for Phil coming here because it's a different dynamic, a different team. But I still want him to be who he is. I don't want him to come in here with a hammer and say, 'I'm going to lead these guys.' I just need him to be a calming influence. Because I think he's got some good hockey knowledge that can help the young guys."

General manager John Chayka, who surrendered forward Alex Galchenyuk and defense prospect Pierre-Olivier Joseph to land Kessel back in June, is also excited about the presence of the two-time Stanley Cup winner.

"Everyone leads in their own way, and Phil can be a leader in the sense of grabbing young players and talking to them about those situations, what he sees, how he creates offense, how he's done it over a number of years, been one of the most successful guys in the league at doing that," Chayka said. "That was a big part of it. We wanted someone that has Phil's mind for the game and can help our young players in that sense."

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It's incredibly difficult to stay consistent at the NHL level; some players experience regression, unable to carry over their success from one campaign to the next.

Regression doesn't necessarily result in a poor season or a downward trend that will last for the rest of a given player's career. It simply means not being able to reach lofty totals achieved the season prior due to multiple factors, including circumstance, age, and unsustainable statistical trends.

Here are five players that are likely to take a step back in 2019-20:

Joe Pavelski

Pavelski's point total has declined for three consecutive campaigns, and the 35-year-old isn't getting any younger.

Even though the sharpshooter hit the 30-goal mark for the fourth time in the last six campaigns and led the Sharks in tallies last season, his 2.1 shots on goal per game marked his lowest average since his rookie season. His accompanying shooting percentage of 20 suggests he had some luck.

Only 14 players all time have hit the 38-goal mark in their age-35 season or older. The last player to do it was Daniel Alfredsson in 2007-08 - the only skater on that list who's not in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Pavelski will also have to adjust to a new home for the first time in his 13-year career. The Dallas Stars - who he signed a three-year deal with in the offseason - are far less offensive-minded than the Sharks.

Robin Lehner

Lehner backstopped the New York Islanders to one of the most memorable underdog seasons in recent memory in 2018-19. The Swede's incredible play between the pipes helped lift a team that many projected to be lottery-bound to the Metropolitan Division's second seed.

However, playing in the Windy City after inking a one-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks offers Lehner an entirely different challenge. The Islanders' structurally-sound, defensive-minded game is the polar opposite of how the run-and-gun Blackhawks operate.

The Islanders finished fourth in the league in blocked shots last season and allowed the fewest goals against with 191 - exactly 100 less than the Blackhawks. Chicago also conceded the most high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes at 13.66; the Islanders surrendered 10.79. But perhaps the most glaring indication of the Blackhawks' porous defense is the fact that all three of their netminders ranked within the top four league-wide in terms of closest average shot distance.

Lehner has proven to be a reliable No. 1 option, but it's hard to imagine him putting together another career season playing behind Chicago's vulnerable defense.

Pierre-Luc Dubois

Dubois certainly has the tools to prove us wrong, but he's also benefited by having Russian superstar Artemi Panarin on his wing early on in his career.

Here's the Blue Jackets' share of 5-on-5 offense when Dubois is on the ice with Panarin compared to without:

In addition to losing Panarin, forwards Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel also won't be back with the club, leaving a large hole offensively. The Blue Jackets brought in skilled forward Gustav Nyquist on a five-year deal and will have 41-goal man Cam Atkinson, but more of the offensive duty will fall on Dubois.

He's unquestionably capable of becoming a blue-chip center, but with less talent around to help boost his game, Dubois will have to figure out how to navigate being the guy. He may be due for a temporary step back before he takes another large leap forward.

Leon Draisaitl

Draisaitl is one of the greatest natural talents in the league, but his career-best campaign with the Edmonton Oilers last season came with some good fortune.

The big German doubled his goal total from the 2017-18 season, but also saw his 5-on-5 shooting percentage rise from 9.9, which is around league average, to an unsustainable mark of 20. When you include special teams, Draisaitl's shooting percentage of 21.6 led the league among players with a minimum of 80 shots on goal.

In addition, Draisaitl benefitted from playing heavily alongside Connor McDavidlast season. The pair logged a total of 805:37 of 5-on-5 ice time in 2018-19 compared to 498:33 in 2017-18. However, new head coach Dave Tippett has already said he's not stuck on keeping the duo together.

Splitting up the two stars - and pairing McDavid alongside proven scorer James Neal - may be more beneficial for the Oilers for the upcoming campaign, but Draisaitl likely won't be able to replicate last season's production while driving his own line on the second unit.

Jordan Binnington

Binnington should have a strong sophomore season, but it's unrealistic to think the netminder will repeat his incredible rookie totals over an entire NHL campaign. The Ontario native has never played more than 50 games in a single regular season at any level, and will likely be tasked with that kind of workload for the St. Louis Blues during the upcoming campaign.

The 25-year-old actually started to regress around the midway point of his 32-game stint last season, including the playoffs.

Binnington also faced the second-fewest high-danger shots against per 60 minutes among goalies with at least 15 starts - a testament to the Blues' strong defensive core.

That being said, with captain Alex Pietrangelo turning 30 in January, St. Louis will have four regular blue-liners over the age of 30 with a ton of extra hockey under their belt after winning Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Blues will also be tasked with competing in a much-improved Central Division.

Advanced stats courtesy of NaturalStatTrick / Hockeyviz

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The New Jersey Devils introduced star defenseman P.K. Subban at a press conference Thursday, and the 30-year-old couldn't hold back his enthusiasm in joining the club.

"I don't think I've been this excited for a training camp since my first one," Subban said, according to NHL.com's Mike Morreale. "I definitely have been in the league long enough now to know kind of what type of environment is a winning environment, and you hear it from players and hear it from coaches all the time, but I can definitely tell you this is one of the best environments I've ever been in."

Subban was welcomed to the stage with a loud applause from hundreds of season-ticket members, youth hockey players, and more.

The 2013 Norris Trophy winner was acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators the day after the club selected blue-chip prospect Jack Hughes with the first overall pick at the 2019 NHL Draft. As one of the more experienced players on a young Devils club, Subban is excited to take on a true veteran role for the first time in his career.

"Any way I can mentor and help the young players, I will," he said. "I'm going to be there for them as much as I can and I'm excited about that. This is probably one of the only times in my career where I've been in a situation where I have a lot more experience than some of the guys in the room, so I want to lean on coach (John) Hynes and some of the other veteran players to help me be that player."

Known as one of the more fashionable players in the NHL, Subban was gifted a Ric Flair-style red and white gown with his signature No. 76 on the back from Devils mascot NJ Devil.

Subban ranks sixth among defenseman with 406 points this decade, but the three-time All-Star still believes his finest days are ahead of him.

"I still don't believe that I've played my best shift yet, or had my best period, my best game, or my best season," Subban said, according to NHL.com's Amanda Stein. "So, I try to inspire myself. Everybody has to work on themselves, no one is perfect. No one wakes up every morning and, you know, you have to love yourself but you also have to drive yourself from within."

Subban has laced up for 645 career games over 10 seasons between the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators.

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The Buffalo Sabres have locked up forward Evan Rodrigues on a one-year contract worth $2 million, the team announced Thursday.

The terms of Rodrigues' contract were based on an independent arbitrator's ruling following the forward's salary arbitration hearing Tuesday.

Rodrigues, 25, enjoyed his best NHL season in 2018-19, recording career highs with nine goals and 29 points over 74 games. The 5-foot-10 winger has tallied 21 goals and 62 points in 154 contests since signing with Buffalo out of Boston University in 2015.

The Sabres now have a projected $3.1 million in available cap space, with restricted free agents Linus Ullmark and Jake McCabe in need of new contracts, according to CapFriendly.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired defenseman Jordan Schmaltz from the St. Louis Blues on Thursday in exchange for blue-liner Andreas Borgman, the club announced.

Schmaltz, 25, recorded two assists in 20 regular-season contests with the Blues last season. He contributed nine points in 36 games at the AHL level with the San Antonio Rampage.

The 24-year-old Borgman made 45 appearances with the AHL's Toronto Marlies, tallying four goals and 17 points. The 6-foot rearguard has 48 games of NHL experience, recording three goals and 11 points with the Maple Leafs during the 2017-18 season.

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Nearly every general manager in the NHL has a contract they'd like to get rid of.

Not including LTIR-eligible players or players signed this summer, here are the current 10 worst deals in the league based on cap hit, term, and expected value over the duration of the contract:

10. Jonathan Quick

Team: Kings
Age: 33
Cap hit: $5.8M
Years left: 4
Signing GM: Dean Lombardi

The 10-year deal Quick signed in 2012 was 100 percent worth it for the Kings. He was coming off his best season and ended up winning a second Stanley Cup two years after.

However, Quick not only just had the worst campaign of his career, but it was a year in which he was one of the worst goalies in the league.

Quick posted an .888 save percentage in 46 games, and while it may seem easy to blame a poor team in front of him, fellow netminders Jack Campbell (.928 in 31 games) and Calvin Petersen (.924 in 11 games) had no issues. As a 33-year-old with lots of mileage who relied on outstanding athleticism, Quick's days as a No. 1 goalie appear to be behind him, but he's being paid as such for four more years.

9. Johnny Boychuk

Team: Islanders
Age: 35
Cap hit: $6M
Years left: 3
Signing GM: Garth Snow

Boychuk's first season with the Islanders in 2014-15 was stellar, but he's fallen off a cliff since then. He doesn't drive play offensively anymore, and last season, he was the worst Isles blue-liner at preventing shot attempts and expected goals. He's a third-pairing defenseman at best right now, and it's only going to get worse from here.

8. Bobby Ryan

Team: Senators
Age: 32
Cap hit: $7.25M
Years left: 3
Signing GM: Bryan Murray

Ryan's contract isn't an issue for the Sens, who need it to get the cap floor, but it'd be a major problem for just about any other team. He can still put up 40 points, so he isn't totally useless, but he's a disaster defensively. He had so much promise with the Anaheim Ducks but has never lived up to the hype in Ottawa.

7. Justin Abdelkader

Team: Red Wings
Age: 32
Cap hit: $4.25M
Years left: 4
Signing GM: Ken Holland

Abdelkader parlayed his first good offensive season - at 27 years old - into a seven-year deal the following year. Good for him, but what was Ken Holland thinking? He hasn't come close to replicating his 20-goal form and has resorted back to being a fourth-line-caliber player, which he was the first five seasons of his career before the breakout campaign.

6. Karl Alzner

Team: Canadiens
Age: 30
Cap hit: $4.625M
Years left: 3
Signing GM: Marc Bergevin

Woof. Alzner was a turnover machine in his first season with the Habs in 2017-18, tallying a career-high 90 giveaways. He was so bad last year he ended up playing more games in the AHL (34) than in the NHL (9). The former fifth overall pick is a seventh defenseman at best but is paid like a top four.

5. Loui Eriksson

Team: Canucks
Age: 34
Cap hit: $6M
Years left: 3
Signing GM: Jim Benning

Eriksson begins the run of regrettable signings inked on July 1, 2016 - the day GMs went mad. Benning likely imagined Eriksson would slot in alongside fellow Swedes Henrik and Daniel Sedin and enjoy success - as several other wingers had. It did not pan out.

Eriksson has barely scored more goals in three years with the Canucks (32) than he did in his final season with the Boston Bruins (30). Vancouver is tight against the cap, so it wouldn't be surprising if the club buried Eriksson's contract in the minors. He's basically a fourth-liner at this point.

4. Kyle Okposo

Team: Sabres
Age: 31
Cap hit: $6M
Years left: 4
Signing GM: Tim Murray

Of the four July 1, 2016 deals to crack the list, Okposo's seemed like it came with the least amount of risk. However, his points per game have been declining every year since 2013-14, and it took a sizable dip last season, as he registered just 29 points in 78 games. The problem with Okposo is that he hasn't been able to produce enough to play a top-six role, but his game doesn't translate well in the bottom six without skilled players around him.

3. Andrew Ladd

Team: Islanders
Age: 33
Cap hit: $5.5M
Years left: 4
Signing GM: Garth Snow

If you're ever wondering why Snow is no longer an NHL GM, this article should provide some clarity. He's the only executive to have multiple signings on this list.

Ladd was already on the decline when Snow signed him to a seven-year deal in 2016, and his physical style of play never projected well into his mid-30s. The drop-off in production has come much sooner than expected. In an injury-riddled 2018-19 campaign, the former Winnipeg Jets captain netted just three goals and eight assists in 26 games.

2. Milan Lucic

Team: Flames
Age: 31
Cap hit: $6M ($5.25M after retention)
Years left: 4
Signing GM: Peter Chiarelli

The worst of the worst during the infamous 2016 free-agent frenzy, Lucic's steep drop-off was rather easy to predict - for everyone except Peter Chiarelli. Once one of the game's premier power forwards, Lucic's skating ability was never his strong suit, and when he lost that extra half step, the 31-year-old could no longer keep up. Lucic also seemed to lose his soft hands around the net, as he has just seven goals over his last 125 games.

He still brings some intangibles, and his possession metrics have remained positive, but he's arguably the most overpaid fourth-liner in the NHL, and it's only going to get worse from here.

1. Brent Seabrook

Team: Blackhawks
Age: 34
Cap hit: $6.875M
Years left: 5
Signing GM: Stan Bowman

Bowman is one of three GMs on this list still employed by the same team. It's amazing the cushion three Stanley Cups provide.

Seabrook was still in his prime at the time of his eight-year, $55-million extension, but he's gotten drastically worse over the last three seasons, hitting rock bottom in 2018-19. Among defensemen who played at least 500 minutes at five-on-five last year, Seabrook was on the ice for the most scoring chances against, the second-most high-danger scoring chances against, and the third-most expected goals against on a per 60-minute basis. This, all while providing little offense.

The former Olympian is already a bottom-pairing blue-liner at best. Three Stanley Cups softens the blow a bit for Blackhawks fans, but forecasting Seabrook's play over the next five years is not a pretty sight.

(Advanced stats courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)

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