• William Nylander and the Toronto Maple Leafs are close to agreeing on a new contract, but there’s only one week to go before they can sign a deal. (Sportsnet)
• Mike Babcock believes that his team is getting Auston Matthews and Nylander in their lineup next week. (TSN)
• The chances of the Ottawa Senators moving to a downtown arena are slim to none now. (Silver Seven Sens)
• What can the issues be between Eugene Melnyk and his partner John Ruddy? (Ottawa Citizen)
• The Sabres have found a way to win a lot of late games during their current nine-game winning streak. (Buffalo Hockey Beat)
• Carl Hagelin, who was acquired from Pittsburgh last week, is already on the shelf. (NHL.com/Kings)
• Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak have given the Bruins a solid one-two punch in goal this season. (Bruins Daily)
• It’s time for the Hurricanes to give up on Scott Darling as a starting netminder. (Canes Country)
• The Washington Capitals will give Barry Trotz his Stanley Cup ring prior to their upcoming game against the Islanders on Monday night. (Russian Machine Never Breaks)
• The Florida Panthers have had a hard time executing this season, and that’s why they’ve had some so-so results in 2018-19. (Panther Parkway)
• How far are the Flyers from hitting rock bottom in GM Ron Hextall’s mind? Here’s a weekly observation on what’s going on in Philly. (NBC Sports Philly)
• Jaromir Jagr will be a key ambassador for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. “Jaromir Jagr will be the face of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022, and will help in the preparation and development of Chinese hockey.” (ESPN)
• Matthew Tkachuk continues to get better and better as he gains in experience. (Flames Nation)
• The next wave of young Finnish defensemen are going to be special. Just take a look at Dallas’ Miro Heiskanen, Chicago’s Henri Jokiharju and Calgary’s Juuso Valimaki. (EP Rinkside)
• The Winnipeg Jets have claimed Marko Dano off waivers. This is his second tour of duty with the team. (Jets Nation)
• Randy Carlyle hasn’t been fired by Anaheim yet, but some Ducks fans are ready to name his replacement. (Pucks of a Feather)
• The Vancouver Canucks are hiring big head mascots to skate on the ice during games. That’s just what they needed to break out of their funk. (Daily Hive)
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Joey Alfieri is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @joeyalfieri.
