Head coach Joel Quenneville said the Blackhawks are "optimistically" targeting Oct. 18 against the Arizona Coyotes as a possible return date for the club's star netminder, according to The Athletic's Mark Lazerus. If this comes to fruition, Crawford would only miss the first five games of the season.
Crawford was limited to just 28 games last year due to a concussion. In the small sample size, though, he played some of the best hockey of his life, sporting a .929 save percentage, a 2.27 goals-against average, and two shutouts.
Quenneville added that Crawford looked "extremely good" and "sharp in all areas" during Tuesday's practice.
Anton Forsberg and offseason acquisition Cam Ward are expected to share the crease until Crawford returns.
Ottawa Senators fans may have to wait longer than expected to get their first look at Brady Tkachuk in meaningful action.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 draft is doubtful to play in the team's season opener on Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks, general manager Pierre Dorion told TSN 1200 on Tuesday.
"We're hopeful he'll be able to rejoin the team (soon)," Dorion said, according to the Ottawa Citizen's Bruce Garrioch. "It's nothing serious, it's a nagging little injury and we want to be cautious."
Meanwhile, veteran forward Marian Gaborik will begin the season on injured reserve. The oft-injured sniper underwent back surgery in April, but was originally expected to only miss eight weeks. On Sept. 12, Dorion said there's no guarantee he would play this season.
The veteran rearguard earned a spot on Edmonton's blue line after signing a professional tryout with the club back on Aug. 28.
The 33-year-old suited up in just eight games for the Vegas Golden Knights last season, spending most of his 2017-18 campaign in the AHL, where he tallied eight goals and 20 assists in 58 games.
Garrison has logged 538 games in the NHL, highlighted by a 16-goal season in 2011-12 with the Florida Panthers.
During the regular season, theScore's NHL Power Rankings will be published every two weeks. This first edition looks ahead to the 2018-19 campaign. It was compiled by editors Josh Gold-Smith, Sean O'Leary, and Josh Wegman.
1. Washington Capitals
The Stanley Cup champions return with the core intact and with largely the same supporting cast - minus their former head coach and backup goaltender. Barry Trotz's departure was stunning, but new bench boss Todd Reirden was a vital part of the championship team and gives Washington some additional continuity in his new role.
Other contenders have undoubtedly improved, but the Capitals get the benefit of the doubt as the top dog until they prove unworthy. -- Gold-Smith
2. Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights lost James Neal and David Perron in free agency after their improbable Cup Final run, but adding Max Pacioretty and Paul Stastny bolstered a Vegas club that was already well positioned to make another extended foray into the playoffs. They won't take anyone by surprise this season, but it might not matter. -- Gold-Smith
3. Tampa Bay Lightning
Steve Yzerman's exit sent shockwaves throughout the league, but new GM Julien BriseBois was the longtime heir apparent and, like Reirden, brings a similar sense of continuity to the Lightning. Tampa Bay didn't lose anyone else this summer, and this team still has an incredibly deep and balanced roster. -- Gold-Smith
4. Winnipeg Jets
The Jets remain a powerhouse, especially after GM Kevin Cheveldayoff locked up Connor Hellebuyck, Blake Wheeler, and a couple of key defensemen in the offseason. Another trip to the Western Conference Final wouldn't be a shocking development. -- Gold-Smith
5. San Jose Sharks
Ezra Shaw / Getty Images Sport / Getty
The addition of Erik Karlsson transformed the Sharks from a likely playoff squad to a team with a legitimate shot at the Stanley Cup. Doug Wilson got Logan Couture, Evander Kane, and Tomas Hertl signed to extensions while keeping Joe Thornton in the fold, too. San Jose should challenge Vegas for the division and conference crowns. -- Gold-Smith
6. Toronto Maple Leafs
John Tavares is a Toronto Maple Leaf, and that has fans dreaming of Lord Stanley's mug, but the club still has a lot to prove. Toronto's new loaded power-play unit is a nightmare for opponents, though, and this club appears ready to take the next step. The William Nylander saga hangs overhead, but both the present and future look bright in Toronto. -- Gold-Smith
7. Nashville Predators
Last season's Presidents' Trophy winners had a fine offseason, but they must be disappointed that Eeli Tolvanen will start out in the AHL. More importantly for the Predators, the spotlight is on Pekka Rinne, who's 36 next month and is entering a contract year. Will he be Vezina-worthy again? -- Gold-Smith
8. Boston Bruins
The Bruins still have an explosive top line, a keeper on defense in Charlie McAvoy, and a steady goaltender in Tuukka Rask. But they may be hard-pressed to keep up with the Lightning and the Leafs in the Atlantic Division, especially now that Torey Krug is out for at least three weeks. -- Gold-Smith
9. Pittsburgh Penguins
After finally being vanquished by the Capitals in last spring's playoffs, the Penguins had a pretty lackluster offseason in which a surprising long-term deal for Jack Johnson was their biggest move. Pittsburgh remains stacked up front, but depth might once again be a concern. -- Gold-Smith
10. St. Louis Blues
Billy Hurst / USA Today Sports
The Blues had a terrific summer. They landed versatile center Ryan O'Reilly in a trade, brought back David Perron, and added Patrick Maroon and Tyler Bozak to bolster their forward group. St. Louis is also set on the back end, so as usual, Jake Allen's play will likely determine whether they can hang with the league's truly elite teams. -- Gold-Smith
11. Los Angeles Kings
Even with the news that Dustin Brown will be out indefinitely with a broken finger, the Kings are still one of the league's most complete teams. Keep in mind, this club recorded 98 points despite missing Jeff Carter for most of last year. Plus they added Ilya Kovalchuk this offseason for an extra scoring punch. -- Wegman
12. Minnesota Wild
The Wild are constantly pegged as a team that's good, but not good enough. Well, a 101-point season is pretty good, considering they accomplished that feat in the competitive Central Divison, which contains two of the league's best teams. They may not be anyone's Stanley Cup pick, but they're certainly an above-average squad, and a near lock to make the postseason. -- Wegman
13. Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks may be old and slightly banged up already, but they have some of the league's best center depth, a top-four defense core, and a premier goaltender - factors always conducive to success. -- Wegman
14. Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers added to their already prolific offense in the offseason by inking James van Riemsdyk to a five-year, $35-million contract. However, even with Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov patrolling the blue line, there are holes on the back end. And, as it has been for the last few decades, the goaltending is a major question mark. -- Wegman
15. Florida Panthers
Eliot J. Schechter / National Hockey League / Getty
The Panthers possess one of the league's most lethal top-six forward groups, but can it be enough to carry them to the postseason? The bottom-six is lacking, there are holes on defense, and Roberto Luongo's durability between the pipes is worrisome as he approaches the age of 40. -- Wegman
16. Calgary Flames
The Flames made some big offseason moves, acquiring Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm, and James Neal, to fill out a deep roster. Like the Panthers, though, the Flames will go as far as an aging, injury-prone netminder can take them, which is never ideal. -- Wegman
17. Dallas Stars
Can Jim Montgomery right the ship in Dallas? He'll be the Stars' sixth head coach since 2008-09. With Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and others, the talent is there, but the results haven't been in the past, with just two playoff berths and one series victory in the last decade. -- Wegman
The biggest question mark facing the Avalanche this year is scoring depth. Behind the first line of Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, and Mikko Rantanen, who's going to step up? Someone will have to if the Avs are going to return to the playoffs. -- Wegman
20. Edmonton Oilers
Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photo / National Hockey League / Getty
The Hurricanes underwent numerous changes over the summer and have once again been designated as dark horse playoff candidates. While the moniker hasn't yielded any results in years past, Carolina got better by adding Dougie Hamilton. With decent goaltending, it's not hard to see them competing in the Eastern Conference. -- O'Leary
22. New Jersey Devils
The Devils are out to prove last season wasn't a fluke, but they didn't do much over the offseason to reinforce the roster. That said, the Devils enter the season fully healthy, and do have reigning MVP Taylor Hall leading the way. Let's see if the magic can carry over into a new campaign. -- O'Leary
23. Chicago Blackhawks
It looks like goaltender Corey Crawford is getting closer to full health, and that's a great sign for the Blackhawks, who had their season torpedoed when he went down last year. Still, Chicago needs to be way better in front of him if they want a chance to return to the playoffs. -- O'Leary
24. Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres have a new starting goalie in Carter Hutton, a new offensive weapon in Jeff Skinner, and added a generational defenseman in Rasmus Dahlin. Perhaps this is the year things finally trend upward in Buffalo. -- O'Leary
25. Arizona Coyotes
Christian Petersen / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Arizona was an afterthought in the playoff picture by November last season thanks to a historically awful start, but created some optimism for the future by finishing surprisingly strong. Can their group of kids carry that over into 2018-19? -- O'Leary
26. New York Islanders
It certainly wasn't a quiet summer on Long Island. No more captain, a new coach, general manager, and plenty of new players are in-house. The Isles' roster certainly doesn't scream playoff threat, but maybe Stanley Cup winner Barry Trotz can find a way to get the most out of his guys. -- O'Leary
27. New York Rangers
Tough times all across New York these days, it seems. After tearing things down last season, the Rangers will begin to try and rebuild this year, emphasizing the development of their youngsters and selling remaining parts for future assets. Poor Henrik Ludnqvist. -- O'Leary
28. Detroit Red Wings
This is Dylan Larkin's team now, and while he's a perfectly good player, those around him don't equate to much. On the bright side, Detroit has 10 total picks for the 2019 draft. -- O'Leary
29. Montreal Canadiens
Early impressions indicate Jesperi Kotkaniemi was a great choice for the Canadiens' future, but as for the present, this is a roster with some major flaws. Hopefully, Carey Price returns to his reliable old self or else Montreal could be falling even farther down our rankings in the future. -- O'Leary
30. Vancouver Canucks
The excitement of mixing Elias Pettersson with Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser is warranted, but it doesn't negate the misguidance of the Canucks spending their summer awarding three bottom-six forwards multi-year contracts. -- O'Leary
31. Ottawa Senators
There's not much left to say about all the Senators have gone through over the past 12 months, but the countdown for decisions on pending unrestricted free agents Mark Stone and Matt Duchene is officially on. -- O'Leary
These moves come in the wake of Toronto's decision to keep 2017-18 AHL goaltender of the year Garret Sparks as the team's backup behind Frederik Andersen this season.
McElhinney, 35, is coming off the best season of his career, posting a .934 save percentage and a 2.14 goals-against average in 18 games with the Leafs a year ago. He'll likely split duties with Petr Mrazek in the Hurricanes' crease while Scott Darling recovers from a lower-body injury.
Pickard, 26, spent the bulk of the 2017-18 campaign with the AHL's Toronto Marlies, registering a .918 save percentage and a 2.31 goals-against average in 33 games. The former Colorado Avalanche netminder will likely serve as Brian Elliott's backup in Philadelphia until Michal Neuvirth regains full health.
Any team can beat any opponent on any given night because of the parity in today's NHL. The league is wide open, but sometimes a tough schedule can trip up a squad.
Lengthy road trips are one of the main disadvantages for a team over the course of a season. Coaches don't have as much control over matchups while trying to manage player fatigue, and multiple long flights across the continent take a toll.
With the season upon us, here are three of the most difficult stretches teams will face away from home in 2018-19.
Washington Captials: Feb. 12th-21st
Opponents: Blue Jackets, Sharks, Ducks, Kings, Maple Leafs, Sabres Back-to-Backs: 1
The reigning Stanley Cup champs should win a healthy amount of games again this season, but the Capitals will be in tough during a grueling five-game stretch in mid-February.
The 10-day period kicks off in Columbus one night after Washington hosts the Kings, with the Caps traveling west for the always daunting California gauntlet. After taking on the Sharks, the Capitals play the Ducks and Kings on back-to-back nights, then head east to face the loaded Maple Leafs and a Sabres team that could surprise this season.
No one's expecting much from the rebuilding Canucks in 2018-19, and a demanding six-game road trip during the first month of the season could derail things early on. Vancouver doesn't have to deal with a back-to-back over that stretch, but the team will take on six top-tier opponents.
After dueling the Flames, the Canucks have a long flight to the east coast, where the Hurricanes will be waiting on a full day of rest. The star-studded Lightning and up-and-coming Panthers each present significant tests before mismatches against the Penguins and Jets, two Stanley Cup contenders.
Boston Bruins: Feb 15th-23rd
Opponents: Ducks, Kings, Sharks, Golden Knights, Blues Back-to-Backs: 1
The Bruins have the talent to match up well against any opponent, but stiff competition comes their way in five consecutive late-February road games.
Four of those five opponents qualified for the playoffs in 2017-18, and the Blues, a team that only missed the postseason by a single point, added several significant pieces over the offseason. Boston will take on the Ducks and Kings on consecutive nights to start off this daunting road trip, then play three games in six nights against three of the Western Conference's top teams.
Darling suffered the injury during Sunday's preseason meeting with the Nashville Predators. After the game, Brind'Amour mentioned it was a hamstring ailment.
The towering 6-foot-6 netminder signed a four-year, $16.6-million contract with the Hurricanes last offseason after he was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks. He struggled in his first year in Raleigh, going 13-21-7 with an .888 save percentage and a 3.18 goals-against average.
Backup goaltender Petr Mrazek, who was signed to a one-year deal as a free agent this summer, will likely split starting duties with the recently acquired Curtis McElhinney until Darling returns.
The incident occurred during Saturday's game against the Ottawa Senators, according to TSN's John Lu. Team doctors didn't clear de la Rose to travel so he will remain in Montreal for further evaluation.
The 23-year-old Swede tallied 12 points in 55 games with the Habs a year ago. He inked a two-year, $1.8-million contract with the club this past summer.
Leading up to the start of the 2018-19 season, theScore will be counting down the top 100 players in the game today, as voted on by four of our NHL editors. We'll reveal 10 players every weekday until the top 10 is unveiled on Oct. 3.
Since 2015-16, Burns has the 19th-most points in the NHL, ahead of premier forwards such as Mark Scheifele, Vladimir Tarasenko, Taylor Hall, and Nathan MacKinnon. In that span, only Alex Ovechkin has more shots. Giveaways are his Achilles heel, but when a rugged, 6-foot-5 blue-liner is annually posting forward-like numbers, the turnovers are tolerable. -- Wegman
19. Steven Stamkos, Lightning
Wegman
O'Leary
Gold-Smith
Hagerman
21
19
20
22
After being limited to just 17 games in 2017, Stamkos returned to his elite self in 2018. He tallied 86 points, forming one of the top duos playing alongside Nikita Kucherov. Now healthy, his shot from the half wall is as good as ever and his speed remains a killer. -- Hagerman
18. Tyler Seguin, Stars
Tom Pennington / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Wegman
O'Leary
Gold-Smith
Hagerman
29
16
17
20
Since joining the Stars in 2013-14, Seguin has recorded 384 points in 387 games, while his 173 goals over that span trail only Alex Ovechkin. His production gets somewhat overlooked, but there's no denying that the 26-year-old is one of the best centers in the league and is worth every penny of the $78.8-million extension he signed in September. -- O'Leary
17. Brad Marchand, Bruins
Wegman
O'Leary
Gold-Smith
Hagerman
18
26
16
17
When he's not licking or elbowing opponents, Marchand is one of the NHL's best left-wingers. The talented pest trailed only Connor McDavid, MacKinnon, and Evgeni Malkin among qualified players in points per game last season, pouring in 85 over 68 contests. He plays on the edge at times, but there's no denying his offensive skills. -- Gold-Smith
16. Mark Scheifele, Jets
Hannah Foslien / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Wegman
O'Leary
Gold-Smith
Hagerman
23
13
18
19
Scheifele has been a point-per-game player over the past two seasons and showed he has the ability to elevate his game when it matters most by burying 14 goals in 17 playoff contests over the spring. The 25-year-old has entered his prime as a player, and he's cemented his name as one of the league's best players. -- O'Leary
15. John Tavares, Maple Leafs
Wegman
O'Leary
Gold-Smith
Hagerman
16
17
15
13
Tavares is already firing on all cylinders with his new team, and he has Toronto Maple Leafs fans salivating thinking about what he'll accomplish when the games count. The superstar forward averaged 34 goals and 76 points over his final four seasons with the New York Islanders, and he could top that playing on a loaded Leafs power-play unit. -- Gold-Smith
14. Patrick Kane, Blackhawks
Bill Smith / National Hockey League / Getty
Wegman
O'Leary
Gold-Smith
Hagerman
26
12
14
10
His numbers might have dropped last season, but there is no getting around the fact that few NHLers possess the skill set of Kane. He can stick handle in a phone booth, appears at times to have eyes in the back of his head, and has a wicked release to boot. He's still a wizard with the puck. -- Hagerman
13. Drew Doughty, Kings
Wegman
O'Leary
Gold-Smith
Hagerman
7
15
13
15
Doughty's natural offensive abilities are well documented, but what he has that some of the league's other top defensemen lack is a mean streak. He'll hack, whack, dish out physical punishment, and play with a chip on his shoulder. This drives opponents up a wall and makes him very unpleasant to play against. -- Wegman
12. Patrice Bergeron, Bruins
Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Wegman
O'Leary
Gold-Smith
Hagerman
12
11
12
8
There isn't a thing Bergeron can't do. He centers what is arguably the best line in the NHL, alongside Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, he's a wizard in the faceoff dot, and last season put up 63 points in 64 games, good enough for the best points-per-game mark of his career. He's everything you could want in a centerman. -- Hagerman
11. Victor Hedman, Lightning
Wegman
O'Leary
Gold-Smith
Hagerman
10
10
10
11
Hedman's mobility, high-end skill, and instincts are just simply unfair when you remember he's 6-foot-6, 223 lbs. He has the ability to take control of a game the same way some of the best blue-liners of all time have. Despite Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, and Andrei Vasilevskiy's importance, Hedman is the Lightning's most valuable player. -- Wegman
