Sean O'Leary

Rangers enjoying 'better vibe' during 7-game point streak

Demko: I haven't been good enough this season

Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is intrigued by the idea of adding Jonathan Toews to the club if the veteran center's comeback plan comes to fruition. "Certainly if he's progressing to that point in time, it would be a real welcome conversation to see if there's a fit both ways," Cheveldayoff told Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press. "I think it would be a great story for his career, too. Not that he needs another story to his career. But I think he’s proud of his roots and would be an interesting fit."Toews is a Winnipeg native and has connections with Cheveldayoff dating back to their time with the Chicago Blackhawks.Toews stepped away from the sport to get healthy after dealing with the effects of chronic inflammatory response syndrome and symptoms of long COVID. The illness forced him to miss the entire 2021-22 campaign and two months of the following season. He hasn't played since 2022-23.The 36-year-old recently opened up about his desire to play again, and Cheveldayoff thinks his first-place club could be attractive."There's lots of things to unfold there," Cheveldayoff said. "He's an honest player, he's not going to put himself in a situation ... he's going to want to play to win."Cheveldayoff added, "These guys don't want to just say they want to play. He knows the standard he would have to be at, and we would certainly hope to be in that mix."Toews won the Stanley Cup three times as captain of the Blackhawks and has registered 119 points in 137 career playoff games. He would need to be on a team's reserve list by March 7 to be eligible to play in the 2025 postseason.

New Jersey Devils goaltender will miss four-to-six weeks due to an MCL sprain sustained Wednesday against the Boston Bruins, the team announced.Markstrom will miss all New Jersey's games leading up to February's 4 Nations Face-Off and is likely to be replaced on Sweden's roster. More to come.

Carolina Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said Saturday the team has already held preliminary extension discussions with Mikko Rantanen's agent.The Hurricanes acquired Rantanen and Taylor Hall late Friday in a three-team trade that sent Martin Necas to the Colorado Avalanche. Rantanen is an unrestricted free agent July 1 but can put pen to paper on a new deal at any point. Tulsky doesn't believe a potential long-term agreement will happen overnight."I wouldn't expect him to sign the next eight years of his life away without knowing what he's getting into," Tulsky said, according to Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News.The Hurricanes will be the only team eligible to give Rantanen an eight-year deal. If he reaches free agency, he can only sign for a maximum of seven years.The Avalanche and Rantanen were reported to be in a stalemate in contract negotiations. Rantanen was believed to be asking for an average annual value in the neighborhood of $14 million, a significant raise from his current $9.25 million.Sebastian Aho is Carolina's highest-paid player with a $9.75-million cap hit.Tulsky revealed the Hurricanes and Avalanche first discussed a Rantanen trade over the summer and that talks picked up over the past six-to-eight weeks."He's a fantastic player, and we expect him to change our team and make us better," Tulsky said, per The Athletic's Cory Lavalette.Rantanen is sixth in league scoring with 64 points in 49 games.

Guerin: 'No excuse whatsoever' for Wild's play of late

Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes won the Norris Trophy and set a career high with 92 points last season, but he believes he's playing better lately than ever before."I think I'm playing the best I've played in my career," Hughes told NHL's Derek Van Diest. "In saying that, it's a really hard league. It's a humbling league, so for me, I'm just really trying to refocus every single day; try to keep my body healthy, be at my best, be a good leader and see where that goes."Hughes leads all defensemen with 1.23 points per game this season and ranks fourth by playing 25:23 per contest. His latest performance Saturday included two goals in a 2-1 win over the league-leading Washington Capitals."If you talk about his consistency, he does it every night," coach Rick Tocchet said. "Very rarely does he have an off night. And when he gets that puck he's going north, he's either skating it or he's making a play north. There's no indecision in his game. He takes it upon himself, and he almost wants to carry the team on his back. We have to be careful of that because he can't do it alone. He has that mentality."Hughes is the primary reason the Canucks have remained in the playoff hunt - they're three points back of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference - despite dealing with key injuries and dressing room drama throughout the season.The 25-year-old has 21 more points than his next closest teammate this season and is a lock to be in the Norris conversation - and perhaps MVP - if he keeps up his current paces.

Rantanen: I was willing to take 'significant discount' with Avalanche

Sidney Crosby has affirmed his loyalty to the Pittsburgh Penguins countless times in recent years, and did so again Tuesday after another round of trade speculation took hold over the weekend. "I know how speculation works: Everybody's looking to talk about different things, different scenarios," Crosby told Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports. "I can't control that. I don't know where that comes from. I don't think that it's something I'm going to discuss every time someone speculates something. I'm not going to answer it every time that happens."Crosby was mentioned in rumors after the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Mikko Rantanen on Friday. Baseless speculation arose that the Colorado Avalanche could be making a move to acquire Crosby to fill their need down the middle of the ice.The Penguins sitting 15th in the Eastern Conference has only fuelled rumors that Crosby may want to finish his career on a team that can compete for a Stanley Cup."It's more than just the losses," Crosby said. "It's all the stuff that comes with it. It's the trickle-down effect that comes with that. That's the way it is. But understanding that, I know that all my energy and all my focus is toward helping us and doing the best we can, and I can't control any of that other stuff."Crosby signed a two-year extension with Pittsburgh in September. The club is on track to miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season, but the 37-year-old said he wants to be part of the solution."I'm trying to do everything I possibly can for us," Crosby said. "Be at my best, to give us a chance to win every night, to be a good teammate. We all want to get through a difficult point right now. That's my mindset. All my energy is here and trying to do everything I can here."Crosby leads the Penguins with 53 points in 52 games this season. He recently moved to ninth on the NHL's all-time scoring list.

Blues, Saad mutually terminating contract