• Pavel Mintyukov is a name to watch in trade • Can Oilers, Leafs turn around rocky starts? • Why Nashville’s decision-making process is tough to read

Last week, at the NHL GM meetings in Toronto, commissioner Gary Bettman jumped on the Generation Z bandwagon.

There was a video highlighting the fact Zoomers led 18 teams in goals, with 10 per cent of all goals scored coming from players aged 21 or younger — the highest since 2018-19. There were slides showing a 20-year age range among the top 10 scorers, with both teenagers and 35-plus geriatrics represented.

Seven days after that presentation, Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini put on another show. Energized by an “A” stitched onto his jersey (smooth move, Blackhawks), Bedard sealed a 5-2 win over Calgary with his second hat trick of t

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