from Bob McKenzie of TSN,

The NHL has become a young man's game and we will see this week, and next, to what extent that is the case.

A whole raft of 18- and 19-year-olds throughout the NHL are in contention, if not virtual locks, for roster spots, even though most are eligible to be sent back to junior hockey or, in some cases, to the American Hockey League.

It's a foregone conclusion that a pair of 19 year olds — No. 1 overall selection in 2016, Auston Matthews, and No. 4 overall pick in 2015, Mitch Marner — will be on the Toronto Maple Leafs' opening-day roster.

Philadelphia's Ron Hextall is not a general manager who is predisposed to rush teenagers into the lineup, but the excellent preseason play of 2015 first-rounders (and 19-year-olds) Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny may leave Hextall no choice but to start the season with them. They've been that good thus far, though this next week is critical for them and so many others throughout the league.

Arizona could have 18-year-old defenceman Jakob Chychrun and 19-year-old forwards Dylan Strome and Lawson Crouse on its 23-man roster next week. If 19-year-old, 2015 second-rounder Christian Fischer isn't with Arizona, he could be in the AHL instead of back with Windsor in the OHL, where he played last season.

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