Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand insists there was no ill intent behind his viral tweet commenting on Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner's future contract.

After Marner hit the 80-point plateau Monday night in Calgary, Marchand tweeted this:

Marchand was later asked about what prompted the post.

"Some people really took that the wrong way," Marchand told reporters Tuesday, according to CLNS Media. "You gotta give the kid credit. He's a great player, that's all I was trying to get at. He's having a great year. It's a big milestone for him. Just giving some credit where credit's due, that's all."

Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas also commented on the matter Wednesday.

Marner's agent is adamant that negotiations on a new deal for the 21-year-old won't take place until the offseason.

With forwards Auston Matthews and William Nylander already locked in for the future, the Leafs will hope to sign Marner at an affordable number - something less than Marchand's estimate - to maximize their window as Stanley Cup contenders.

Whether Marchand was trolling or not, a first-round playoff meeting between Toronto and Boston is likely on the horizon.

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Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk isn't happy about the way his team is losing valuable points.

The Wild have lost back-to-back contests to the Nashville Predators by way of the shootout, and Dubnyk doesn't feel the competition is being officiated properly.

"It's a mockery," Dubnyk said after Tuesday's game, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo. "We're trying to make the playoffs. Obviously, I'm frustrated because we're on the wrong side of it but you got a guy standing at the top of the crease not moving, stickhandling back and forth."

Predators forward Ryan Johansen scored the shootout winner in each game, but Dubnyk is not convinced that his tactics are within the rules.

"To me, he's completely stopped ... he shoves (Alex Stalock's) pad in the net," Dubnyk said, reflecting on Sunday's loss. "If he's stopped, he's stopped, but I don't understand how you come in and stop at the top of the crease and stand there and stickhandle and wait."

It was Dubnyk between the pipes Tuesday, with the game yielding the same results.

"And then I'm down and out and he stands there and looks at me while I'm trying to lift my pad up. Still waits, shoots the puck in the net. I don't know what that is."

Here's a look at tonight's winner. We'll let you be the judge.

With the loss, Minnesota drops to 1-4 in the shootout this season. After Tuesday night's action, the Wild hold a two-point lead on the Colorado Avalanche for the final wild-card berth in the Western Conference.

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Boston Bruins trade deadline acquisition Marcus Johansson was taken to hospital after suffering an upper-body injury against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said.

Johansson took a massive shoulder-to-shoulder check from Micheal Ferland and had to be helped off the ice.

David Backes took exception to the hit, dropping the mitts with Ferland shortly thereafter.

Despite getting the better of Backes, Ferland was pronounced done for the game with an upper-body injury following the bout.

The Bruins sent the New Jersey Devils a 2019 second-round pick and a 2020 fourth-rounder for Johansson on Feb. 25. The winger entered the evening with 28 points in 51 games.

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Dallas Stars forward Alexander Radulov arrived late to Tuesday's morning skate and will be a healthy scratch against the New York Rangers as punishment, head coach Jim Montgomery told NHL.com's Mark Stepneski.

Radulov did not speak with the media when he came off the ice.

The Stars will dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

This isn't the first time in Radulov's career that he's been disciplined by his own team. While playing for the Nashville Predators in 2012, he and teammate Andrei Kostitsyn were scratched for Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Arizona Coyotes for violating curfew. The duo were reportedly out until 4 a.m. the night before Game 2 of the series.

The Stars currently hold the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 71 points, but the Minnesota Wild (71 points), Coyotes (69 points), and Colorado Avalanche (68 points) are hot on their heels.

Radulov is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career with 51 points in 54 games.

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Potential rule changes were a focal point at the annual GM meetings in Boca Raton, Fla. on Tuesday, where a few proposals were drafted by team executives.

General managers drafted a provision in which players who lose their helmet during play must immediately go to the bench or face a penalty, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen. The league will also look at making helmets mandatory during warmup.

Additionally, the GMs proposed a rule that would allow teams awarded a power play to decide on which side of the ice the first faceoff will take place, Rosen adds. The current faceoff location is dependant on where the puck was located at the previous stoppage of play.

The American Hockey League has already adopted both of these changes.

These proposals need to go through the NHL's competition committee prior to being presented to the board of governors, according to Joshua Clipperton of The Canadian Press.

Team execs were also in favor of installing game clocks in the corner boards to help players, Clipperton said. He added that this rule does not need NHLPA approval. Clocks were used in both outdoor games this season.

GMs also discussed implementing one-minute penalties in overtime but it did not gain enough traction due to the concern the change would increase the number of shootouts, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

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Nearly a year after a bus crash that left 16 people dead and 13 others injured, the last Humboldt Broncos player has been released from the hospital.

Morgan Gobeil's family announced on Monday in a statement that, following a 333-day hospital stay, he'll begin the next stage of his recovery as an outpatient with a therapy team at Saskatoon City Hospital.

Gobeil suffered a traumatic brain injury, multiple fractures to his skull, three facial fractures, broken ribs, and lacerations to his liver and spleen, according to The Canadian Press.

"During his time at the hospital, Morgan has celebrated his high school graduation, his brother's wedding, his 19th birthday, several holidays, and he has witnessed the change of all four seasons," the statement reads. "While Morgan has not regained his speech or his ability to walk yet, we remain hopeful that those will be the kind of milestones we will someday be able to celebrate."

Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, the transport truck driver involved in the crash, pleaded guilty to all charges against him in January.

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Despite contract negotiations between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Mitch Marner being put on hold until the season ends, Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand decided to reignite the topic.

While responding to a tweet from the NHL's PR account that put Marner's 80-point season into context, Marchand provided his opinion on what the Leafs should pay the pending restricted free agent.

"I can't wait to see this kids new deal," he tweeted. "12m AAV?? It better be #Marnerwatch."

With the Bruins and Leafs likely meeting in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Marchand appears to already be playing the pest role he's mastered.

For Toronto, the star 21-year-old's contract extension has been a touchy subject lately. Marner's agent put talks on hold in January to prevent distractions, and reports of teams preparing offer sheets surfaced in February.

This season, the Maple Leafs locked up Auston Matthews to a five-year extension worth $11.6-million annually, and the team gave William Nylander a six-year deal worth $6.96 million per season.

Marner leads Toronto with 81 points through 66 games, placing him ninth overall in the NHL.

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