The race for Rasmus Dahlin, the presumptive No. 1 pick in June’s entry draft, is in full swing at the bottom of the standings, with teams like the Coyotes, Sabres and Senators hoping for the opportunity to select the generational Swedish defenseman as a salve for their pitiful seasons. The “All in for Dahlin” movement hasn’t gained as many supporters as its tanking predecessors, though. And recent history suggests most anyone with a lottery pick — from the Canucks and Canadiens to the Red Wings or (gasp) Blackhawks — could swoop in and disrupt the order....

For social media platforms and fan message boards, business has been booming when it comes to draft talk, which for most fan bases started picked up in late April when the announcement of the draft order for non-playoff teams coincided with eight teams being eliminated in the postseason’s first round. Now, only a few days remain until the league kicks off the 2018 NHL Draft in Dallas on Friday night, when the first 31 picks will be announced....

The 34-year-old Nash suffered a concussion after being traded by the Rangers to the Bruins late last season, and had multiple concussions in his career. At the team’s break up day after being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Lightning, Nash spoke about the possibility of retiring. On Thursday, Nash’s agent, Joe Resnick, told various news outlets that Nash will evaluate his future and not solicit offers from teams when the signing period begins on Sunday....

Last season, the former 2003 fifth-round pick of the St. Louis Blues skated in only two games with the Boston Bruins and four with Providence (AHL) after signing a deal in late February. He played his final game on March 10 in Pittsburgh. Stempniak wraps up his career with 911 games, 203 goals and 266 assists. While his numbers will never garner his entry into the Hockey Hall of Fame, he’s definitely had an interesting career....

Do we know anything more now than we did a week ago? Yes, yes we do. We know that Barry Trotz covered his own mistake by putting Braden Holtby in net midway through Game 2 (which he should’ve done to start the series), and now the Capitals are on the verge of eliminating the Blue Jackets despite falling behind 0-2 in the series. We know that the Predators are dangerous even when they don’t have their best stuff....

Odds listed are are current as of Monday evening. Check our odds page for updated Las Vegas betting lines. MORE: Canadiens now Cup co-favorites | Sharks, McLellan part ways Lightning at Red Wings (series tied 1-1)Best Tampa Bay line: -120 (Vegas consensus)Best Detroit line: +110 (Westgate, CG Technology)Total: 5.5 (under -125) Analysis: Despite finishing fifth in the NHL in points and second in goal differential, the Lightning were pretty shaky on the road....

It may come down to the wire with the last few spots being decided when the regular season wraps up April 6. As of now, one thing is certain, the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs belong to the Tampa Bay Lightning — but as of now who they’ll play in first round is still to be determined. AccuScore will update its 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs forecast by simulating the remainder of the NHL season 10,000 times to predict probabilities of reaching the playoffs....

The Washington captain batted the tiebreaking goal past Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray with 1:07 remaining in regulation, giving Washington a 4-3 victory and a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series. WILSON CONTROVERSY: Caps forward’s hit breaks Aston-Reese’s jaw The goal was Ovechkin’s eighth in as many playoff games this year, and it increased his point total to 13. This is his most productive postseason since his 2008-09 MVP season, when he recorded 11 goals and 10 assists in 14 games....

Less than eight minutes into Game 1, Jets defenseman Ben Chariot played a spinning backhand pass towards Joel Armia, who cut in front of Ryan Carpenter to redirect the puck past Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury with his skate, bumping into Fleury in the process. The referees initially waved off the goal, not for a potential kick, but because Armia was ruled to interfere with Fleury as he lunged through the crease....

Not long after a prolonged shift in their defensive zone, the Blue Jackets finally generated a rush of their own, with Panarin doing the heavy lifting. In one-on-one fashion, Panarin burst through the neutral zone on left wing before driving toward the net with a step on defenseman Dmitry Orlov. Panarin then went backhand-forehand-backhand-forehand, roofing the game-winner over the glove of Caps goalie Phillip Grubauer at 6:02 of overtime....

That is about to change. The league is working to develop a smart puck, which will track movement on the ice roughly 200 times per second, according to a report by SportTechie. The technology, alongside a camera-based player-tracking system that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in December the league was committed to developing (with the help of technology companies), will revolutionize the way the sport is quantified. In simple terms, hockey may soon have a statistical equivalent to baseball’s exit velocity or basketball’s player usage rate....

As the calendar flips to August, the 2018 NHL offseason has entered its dog days. Notable free-agent signings are a thing of the past and there’s little activity in the trade market. As a result, media-driven conjecture has slowed to a crawl. That wasn’t the case in early July, when trade speculation was rampant regarding Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson. After Karlsson reportedly rejected an eight-year contract extension offer, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion was said to be entertaining trade offers for the 28-year-old superstar....

With the NHL’s Feb. 26 trade deadline less than six weeks away, the Blue Jackets could be parting ways with their most experienced defenseman. On Saturday, The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reported Jack Johnson requested a trade. Once the Jacket’s top blueliner, the 31-year-old Johnson’s playing time has declined over the course of this season. He’s an unrestricted free agent in July, but there haven’t been substantive contract discussions between the two sides since August....

Are Bruins and Blues Discussing Schenn Trade? The struggling St. Louis Blues have been featured regularly in this season’s NHL rumor mill. Currently mired near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, their playoff hopes are fading fast and they’re likely to become sellers leading up to the Feb. 25 trade deadline. In recent weeks, Alex Pietrangelo and Vladimir Tarasenko surfaced as possible trade candidates. Assuming they’re available, however, acquiring either guy would be an expensive undertaking....

Shipachyov, 30, has decided to leave the Vegas Golden Knights — and the NHL all together — to head back home to Russia, according to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels. The Golden Knights signed Shipachyov to a two-year contract on May 4. When the deal was finalized, Golden Knights general manager George McPhee had high hopes for the Russian goal-scorer who was among scoring leaders on SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League a season ago....

That is a bit lower than the previously anticipated $74-ish million, and the falling Canadian dollar is to blame for that. Bettman also said that while non-Winter Classic outdoor games are expected, six, a la the Stadium Series, are unlikely. As for that Washington-area Classic ... Expect another East Coast team — potentially the Flyers. He also gave an update on Charles Wang's efforts to sell the Islanders.

Every season, whether it’s out of financial necessity or roster limitations, you can always count on several dozen neophytes on ELCs to make opening night rosters out of training camp, or soon thereafter. This season, 15 of the 19 teenagers who played at least one NHL game are eligible for a contract slide and remain on their respective rosters. The question is for how much longer? NHL Mixed Bag: Slow-starting Panthers burdened by unmet expectations...

The NHL’s youth movement is in full swing. More than ever, the league’s youngest players double as its most vibrant, marketable stars — and there are plenty. Such an embarrassment of riches is on full display in Sporting News’ NHL 25 under 25 series, a comprehensive ranking of the best NHL players under the age of 25 heading into the 2018-19 season. Between Aug. 20-24, we’ll reveal our picks in increments of five, counting down from No....

They were among several players considered to be prime trade bait leading up to deadline day. However, a handful of notables who frequently surfaced in this season’s rumor mill stayed put when the 3 p.m. ET deadline rolled around on Monday. TRADE GRADES: Athanasiou | Pageau Chris Kreider, New York Rangers One of them was Kreider, considered the top player in the trade market. Reports indicated the New York Rangers would move the 28-year-old left winger if unable to re-sign him; however, hours before the deadline, the two sides agreed to a seven-year....