Legwand, the first draft pick in the history of Predators

Video: David Legwand hits the balls.

The entire homecoming experience was obviously discombobulating for the American-born veteran center, and when he took a tripping penalty in the second period, his familiarity with his old stomping grounds showed through as he attempted to enter the home team’s sin bin and had to be corrected by the official.

It’s one thing to rank players by skill, scoring, Stanley Cups or individual awards, it’s quite another to determine their importance to the NHL—and the game—as a whole. Here we’ve done exactly that.

It’s not a precise science, but a decade after “Sid the Kid” and Ovie became shining lights for a league coming out of its darkest hour, we set ourselves the task of determining who will carry that torch this season and beyond. We’ve taken into account their abilities and achievements, but also the markets they play in and franchises they play for, on- and off-ice earnings, celebrity status, legacies carved out or those still being created and more.

Through this week, we’ll release the top 50 most important players, ranked by Sportsnet Magazine. Today, we reveal players 10-1.

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Robin Lehner was placed on injured reserve Saturday and will miss at least one week of action, according to head coach Dan Bylsma.

Lehner made a premature exit from the club’s season opener against the Ottawa Senators Thursday, after suffering a lower-body injury. The team is still awaiting the results of Lehner’s MRI that was scheduled for Saturday.

The Sabres also announced they have recalled goaltender Nathan Lieuwen from the AHL’s Rochester Americans.

http://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/600463