National Hockey

Guy Boucher didn't want to leave anything to chance when he was hired as head coach of the Ottawa Senators.

Guy Boucher didn't want to leave anything to chance when he was hired as head coach of the Ottawa Senators.

The 101st NHL season opens Wednesday night and there are endless story lines to follow. The Associated Press asked a handful of its writers to suggest some of the top things to watch as play gets underway: ___ TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Motivated to be better, Buffalo Sabres centre Jack Eichel called his first two NHL seasons as being "mediocre" upon arriving at training camp last month.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Blue Jackets re-signed Josh Anderson to a $5.55 million, three-year deal after the forward missed training camp and the preseason because he didn't have a contract.

ARLINGTON, Va. — After four seasons of playing on the edge without incurring a suspension, Tom Wilson has now been disciplined twice in less than two weeks and is on notice.

BROSSARD, Que. — Coach Claude Julien likes to use four balanced lines, and that is good news for the Montreal Canadiens' young players.

TORONTO — The battle for the last remaining spot on the Toronto Maple Leafs' roster came down to two Swedish defenceman, and in the end Andreas Borgman outmuscled countryman Calle Rosen for the honour.

NASHVILLE — The Nashville Predators have set their roster for Thursday night's season opener at Boston by assigning Frederick Gaudreau and Vladislav Kamenev to their AHL affiliate and designating centre Nick Bonino and defenceman Ryan Ellis as non-ro

DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche reinforced their defence by claiming Patrik Nemeth on waivers from Dallas. The 25-year-old defenceman was a second-round pick by the Stars in 2010. He's appeared in 108 career NHL games and has 14 assists.