NHL Notebook: All-Star rosters revealed

Let’s recap some of the major NHL headlines from on and off the ice over the last week.

Hey now, they’re the All-Stars

Alex Ovechkin, Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon, and Connor McDavid were named as the four captains for the NHL All-Star Game, which will be held on Feb. 5 in Las Vegas.

“Obviously, it’s a huge honor for me to get that captaincy and it shows respect from the fans,” Ovechkin – eight-time All-Star – told NHL.com. “Obviously, it’s a huge honor, a huge privilege and it’s going to be fun.”

The All-Star rosters feature 18 fresh faces, chief among them 2021 Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox of the New York Rangers. Fans still have until Monday night to vote for the “Last Men In” on each divisional squad.

Many happy returns

Evgeni Malkin (knee) made a splash in his season debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 11, notching two goals and an assist in a 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.

The Penguins have been bit by the injury bug all season, yet they’re still 12-2 over their last 14 games.

Meanwhile, Boston Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask had a successful season debut following offseason hip surgery, turning back 25 shots in a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 13.

The Bruins have won five in a row and eight of their last nine overall, yet their Stanley Cup odds remain pat at +2000 from the NHL’s Christmas break.

Schneider lights lamp in Rangers debut

Highly-touted defensive prospect Braden Schneider scored his first goal for the Rangers in his very first NHL game on Jan. 13. Schneider buried a brilliant feed from behind the net courtesy of Ryan Strome for the goal in a 3-0 triumph over the San Jose Sharks.

“The whole day I was quite jittery,” Schneider told NHL.com. “When I got on the ice for warmup, it became a little bit more real. Then I don’t think it hit me until my first shift of the game. I felt like after that I settled in and I got a little bit more confident as the game went on.”

Could Klingberg be on the move?

Earlier this month, Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg spoke about how he felt underappreciated by his current team, leading to rumors that he could be on the move before the NHL’s March 21 trade deadline. There appears to be substance to those rumors, with Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reporting that the Stars could ship out their disgruntled blueliner “soon-ish.”

Boston is among the logical destinations where Klingberg could land.