While the regular seasons in both Europe and North America are at least a month away from starting, there are plenty of notable draft eligibles who have done enough in the previous year or two to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Headlining that short but growing list is Rimouski Oceanic winger Alexis Lafreniere. The reigning Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year is a good bet to become the first French-Canadian skater to go No....

On Wednesday, the NHL held its draft lottery to determine which club would snag the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. As the cards were flipped by deputy commissioner Bill Daly, everything was following the odds — until No. 3 was turned over. The Ducks, who had the second-best odds for the top spot, were bumped down, leaving the Sabres and the NHL’s newest franchise, the Kraken, left....

According to TSN, the Sharks’ captain met with the Stars on Wednesday. And according to another report from The Athletic, he will meet with the Lightning next. The 13-year veteran has played his entire career with the Sharks, however, because the team gave defenseman Erik Karlsson an eight-year, $92 million deal, San Jose may simply be unable to re-sign Pavelski who is coming off one of the best years of his career....

The Capitals, after years of being the best team in the regular season before collapsing come playoff time, flipped the script in June. After 40 years of waiting, the Capitals finally climbed the mountain, and won four playoff series, capturing their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. But practically speaking, even in the midst of an offseason that has seen general manager Brian MacLellan maneuver into keeping the club’s most important pieces, Washington isn’t the best team....

They rallied to defeat the Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series. They’ll face the Predators in the conference finals beginning Friday in Anaheim, Calif. MORE: Conference finals schedules, TV times Ducks forward Nicholas Ritchie scored the game-winning goal 3:21 into the third period. Andrew Cogliano scored Anaheim’s first goal in the second period. Ducks goalie John Gibson made 23 saves to earn the win....

The Penguins, coming off a dominant series win agains the Columbus Blue Jackets, hold a 1-0 series lead over the Washington Capitals in the second-round matchup/ The Penguins have 7-2 odds to advance through the NHL playoff bracket and capture their fifth Stanley Cup. The Capitals have the second-best odds at 15/4, followed by the Edmonton Oilers at 17/4. MORE: NHL playoffs second-round scores, schedule Below are the future odds to win the 2017 Stanley Cup, as well as the Eastern and Western Conference championships, via Vegas Insider....

Following last year’s disappointing Game 7 against Pittsburgh, an offseason of change in which they lost Nate Schmidt, Karl Alzner, Kevin Shattenkirk, Justin Williams, Marcus Johansson and Daniel Winnik due to salary cap restrictions and the Golden Knights’ expansion draft radically altered the Washington lineup. Some pundits before the season predicted the two-time Presidents’ Trophy winners wouldn’t even qualify for the playoffs in 2017-18, even after three consecutive second-round exits, and few thought the team could still be a serious Stanley Cup contender....

A team that knows a thing or two about winning championships awaits in the first round. Under first-year coach John Stevens, the Kings have regained some of the swagger that helped them capture a pair of Cups not so long ago. This is just Los Angeles’ second playoff appearance since its last title in 2014, but many of the names engraved on that Cup remain on the roster. At the very least, they’re a formidable opponent led by legitimate MVP and Norris candidates and a defense/goalie battery that can stifle a high-flying attack such as the one Vegas deploys....

After 51 goals, Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin netted Washington’s third and final goal of the first period Thursday, staking the defending Stanley Cup champions to a comfortable early lead. The power-play goal came as Ovechkin corraled a loose puck, evaded his own teammate Tom Wilson and went five-hole on Hurricanes goaltender Petr Mrazek. The goal was Ovechkin’s 62nd career playoff score, tying him for 27th all-time with Hall of Famer Bobby Hull, per NHL Public Relations....

With the Stars trailing and trying to capitalize on the power play in the second period, Lindell took two shots from fellow defenseman Robert Bortuzzo. Lindell flopped to the ice on both occasions before a visibly agitated Bortuzzo cross-checked him for the third time — a visual that resembled WWE more than NHL. Lindell’s antics did not sway the referees and he was penalized for embellishment while Bortuzzo also hit the sin bin for the cross-check....

Dallas needed overtime and an unlikely hero against the Avalanche to make its first conference final appearance since 2008. That team, by the way, had Hall of Famers Mike Modano and Sergei Zubov in its ranks. Game 7 belonged to rookie Joel Kiviranta — a 24-year-old who had only played 11 NHL regular season games and two bubble games — and his hat trick. “We had a secret Finnish weapon over here,” said Stars captain Jamie Benn regarding Kiviranta next to him during a video news conference with reporters....

Long-term injuries to key players will be a factor. A team enjoying an unsustainable run of luck will be a factor. Common sense, in the form of “hey, this team is probably better/worse than its record indicates” might even come into play. It’s early in the season, but as it progresses, what has happened in the past three or four games is probably not going to be more important than the past 30 or 40....

This renowned emphasis on youth, skill and speed was long overdue, especially considering we’re only a few years removed from 2015-16, a season in which the average NHL team scored 2.71 goals per game — the lowest total since the Dead Puck Era of 2003-04. The good news is that offense is trending upwards; the league-wide 3.01 goals-per-game average from this past season not only was the highest since power-play happy 2005-06 but was just the second season since 1996 that teams averaged three or more tallies a contest....

Professional tryouts, or PTOs as they are commonly referred to, are handed out to those that a club deems have not earned a standard NHL contract yet, but could potentially get one with a strong training camp. It’s an opportunity for a player to earn their next deal by showcasing their talents in the preseason. In some cases, a PTO may be handed out as a way to navigate the cap....

“The Islanders are a storied franchise, a lot of winning past” Eberle told reporters on a conference call, just a couple hours after the big trade was announced. “You want to bring that love of the game back to the fans.” Trade rumors swirled around Eberle for the better part of two seasons, mainly due to his large contract — he has two years and $12 million remaining on the deal — and the Oilers need to lock up several of their young stars, including Leon Draisaitl, a restricted free agent this summer, and Connor McDavid, a RFA next year who is coming off winning the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s top player this past season....

A total of 18 trades were brokered, but they were almost entirely depth moves. Teams swapped veterans for prospects and draft picks, after most of the juicy stuff went down in the weeks and months leading up to Feb. 29. MORE: Worst injuries of 2015-16 season What it means for the Stanley Cup playoffs and some of its expected contenders remains to be seen, but unusual parity in the 2015-16 season left more general managers thinking a title run could be in the cards, hence the widespread inactivity....

Vegas has traded winger Erik Haula to the Hurricanes for prospect Nicolas Roy and a conditional 2021 fifth-round pick, the Golden Knights announced Wednesday. Haula, 28, scored just two goals in 15 games for Vegas last year, but two years ago he scored 29 in 76 games as the Golden Knights went to the Stanley Cup Final in the first year in franchise history. It has long been asked whether the Hurricanes would start to improve their scoring up front while moving some men off the blue line, as well, and that has happened over the last few days....

In one fell swoop, Matt Duchene and Kyle Turris, this year’s two most highly coveted trade chips, changed teams. The Senators and Predators, their new respective destinations, came away as big winners of the sweepstakes that had other NHL teams in a holding pattern for the better part of the last year. And suddenly, the teams in need of a top-tier center help (they are many) saw their options for a this-season fix decrease dramatically....

Here’s a complete list of when each team hits the ice and where each camp takes place this fall. Arizona Coyotes Date: Sept. 15 Location: Gila River Arena City: Glendale, Ariz. Boston Bruins Date: Sept. 14 Location: Warrior Ice Facility City: Boston, Mass. Buffalo Sabres Date: Sept. 14 Location: HarborCenter City: Buffalo, N.Y. Calgary Flames Date: Sept. 14 Location: Saddledome City: Calgary, AB Carolina Hurricanes Date: Sept. 15 Location: PNC Arena...