HE’S A GUY WHO, ONCE HE TOUCHES THE PUCK, SOMETHING’S GOING TO HAPPEN.

“He’s not a heavy guy. He’s very tall, but he’s very lean. I don’t even know if he’s 180 pounds. He’s a terrific skater, it gets him out of trouble.”

I’ve got him behind Hedman and Doughty, but Columbus’ Seth Jones will win at least one Norris Trophy before his career is complete. Jones, who has three gamewinners in his last three games, has 14 goals, is ranked in the top10 at his position in scoring and is averaging close to 25 minutes per night. According to an NHLPA poll released last week, Washington’s

As we inch closer to next month’s NHL Draft Lottery, is there any way that wingers Andrei Svechnikov or Filip Zidina could overtake Swedish defenceman Rasmus Dahlin as the No. 1 pick? “Zero chance,” predicts North American Central Scouting’s Mark Seidel. “There’s always somebody who will try to put a spin on it and try to create drama, but there’s no way he doesn’t go first. In the scouting community, he’s at the (Connor) McDavid and (Auston) Matthews level. I haven’t talked to a guy who wouldn’t pick him at No. 1.”

I asked Seidel whether the Senators, who owe the Avalanche a first-round pick in either 2018 or 2019 as part of the Matt Duchene trade, should give up their selection if they fall outside the top three. “That’s a risky play,” said Seidel. “You don’t want to miss out on a guy like Jack Hughes (who is the projected No. 1 pick in 2019). But this year’s draft is much stronger than next year’s. The guys in the four-to-eight (range) are difference-makers. They could be all-stars.”