Sabres granted permission to speak with Futa

During end-of-season media availability on Monday, Rangers veteran Chris Kreider revealed that he had to miss the final six games of the season due to an impact-based injury, lower-back issue and muscle spasms, which put a serious damper on his campaign. Kreider tried to play through it but the injuries didn’t allow him to get back on the ice. The two games he pointed at was the two-game set against the Islanders where the Blueshirt were buzzing and close to the Boston Bruins for fourth place in the East Division.

As the NHL embarks on its second full week of the 2017-18 season, a handful of teams — and one specific player — have lit up the headlines. In honor of their efforts, which will inevitably either be forgotten by season’s end or precede a descent into mediocrity the following week, here’s a