The Ottawa Senators will welcome back fans to the Canadian Tire Centre on Sept. 18 for a rookie showcase against the Montreal Canadiens, the team announced Friday.

Following guidelines released by the province of Ontario, the club will only welcome back guests who are fully vaccinated.

With the Senators' first home game slated for Oct. 14, the organization's expectation is that the Canadian Tire Centre will be able to host at full capacity.

Earlier in August, the Winnipeg Jets became the first Canadian team to announce that it will host games at full capacity for fully vaccinated fans. The Calgary Flames also announced a similar policy late last month. For the Montreal Canadiens, fans will need to be fully vaccinated but the Bell Centre will be restricted to 7,500 fans.

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ilya Mikheyev asked for a trade at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season, multiple sources told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

The club made it clear they do not want to accommodate the request and have told Mikheyev they consider him a key part of the team moving forward, Friedman adds.

The 26-year-old put together an impressive rookie campaign in 2019-20, racking up eight goals and 15 assists in 39 games. However, it was cut short after he suffered a significant laceration to his wrist from a skate.

Last season, Mikheyev was largely relegated to a bottom-six role, averaging 14:13 minutes of ice time per game while contributing 17 points in 54 contests.

Entering the upcoming season, Mikheyev could find himself elevated into a top-six role with the departures of left-wingers Zach Hyman and Joe Thornton, but will likely have to compete with new arrivals Nick Ritchie and Michael Bunting for the vacant spot.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs won't have to worry about the NHL's COVID-19 protocols for unvaccinated players this upcoming season.

"It will have zero effect on our team," general manager Kyle Dubas said on the "Bob McCown Podcast" Thursday. "Between players and staff, we'll be 100% vaccinated here right now, so we're good to go. So no impact on us."

The NHL reportedly sent out a memo to the league earlier this month detailing its COVID-19 policies. One of the biggest items is vaccinated players who test positive will be treated by the NHL as having a hockey-related injury in accordance with the league's CBA.

Teams also have the power to ban players who decline to get vaccinated if they can't take part in team activities, and players will be docked pay each day they're away from the club. That ban is extended to unvaccinated players who can't travel to certain cities due to local regulations.

The NHL sent out a memo in August stating that any person whose job requires them to have personal interactions with hockey operations personnel, including players, must be fully vaccinated. Earlier in September, it was estimated that 95% of NHL players were fully vaccinated, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo.

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Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby will be sidelined for a minimum of six weeks after undergoing a wrist procedure on Wednesday, the team announced.

Crosby, 34, will miss the start of training camp and likely time during the regular season with the league's first game slated for Oct. 12 - five weeks away.

"This is not a new injury for Sid. It is something that he has played through for years," general manager Ron Hextall said. "After exhausting all minimally-invasive options and much discussion, it was decided that surgery was in his best interest."

Hextall added the procedure was done on the left wrist - the same one that Crosby had surgery on last August, according to Trib Sports' Seth Rorabaugh.

Crosby appeared in 55 games last campaign, scoring 24 goals and adding 38 assists.

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With one year left on his contract, Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron isn't thinking too far ahead in regard to his hockey career.

"For me, the way that I approach this year, is I want to concentrate on this year," Bergeron said, per Boston Sports Journal's Conor Ryan. "I have a year left on my contract and I think it would be useless to think about the future."

Bergeron, 36, is entering the final season of the eight-year pact he agreed to with the Bruins in 2013. He's spent his entire NHL career in Boston and will begin his 18th season this upcoming campaign.

Last month, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney began initial discussions with Bergeron and said it's a "completely open door" for how long he wishes to play in Boston.

Bergeron told reporters his main focus is winning a Stanley Cup this upcoming season.

He added: "I'm going to play out this year and talk about that after."

In 1,143 career games with the Bruins, Bergeron has scored 375 goals and added 542 assists. He's been one of the league's premier two-way centers over the last decade. Last season, he recorded 23 goals and 25 assists in 54 contests.

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Veteran free-agent forward Zach Parise confirmed that he agreed to terms on a contract with the New York Islanders earlier this summer, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo.

The contract's details aren't known. Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello hasn't registered the deal with the NHL, Russo adds.

The Minnesota Wild bought out the final four years of Parise's contract earlier in the offseason. Despite producing decent numbers, the 37-year-old seemed to have fallen out of favor in Minnesota and was a healthy scratch multiple times over the last year.

Parise recorded seven goals and added 11 assists across 45 games last season. He scored 25 goals and contributed 21 helpers over 69 contests during the 2019-20 campaign.

The Islanders announced a slew of signings Wednesday, including multi-year extensions for Kyle Palmieri, Ilya Sorokin, Casey Cizikas, and Anthony Beauvillier.

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The Colorado Avalanche signed defenseman Jack Johnson to a professional tryout contract, according to The Denver Post's Mike Chambers.

The 34-year-old appeared in 13 games with the New York Rangers last season but missed most of the campaign after undergoing core muscle repair surgery. The Pittsburgh Penguins bought out the remainder of Johnson's contract following the 2019-20 season before he inked a one-year pact with the Rangers.

Johnson, a third overall pick in the 2005 Draft, has played 950 career NHL games. He's accumulated 71 goals and 232 assists while playing with the Los Angeles Kings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Penguins, and Rangers.

Colorado has a number of left-shooting defensemen signed for the upcoming campaign, including Devon Toews, Samuel Girard, Bowen Byram, and Ryan Murray. Johnson could provide the team solid depth at the position, but he's likely a long shot at making the roster right out of training camp.

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The St. Louis Blues signed defenseman Colton Parayko to an eight-year contract extension with an average annual value of $6.5 million, the team announced Wednesday.

The contract will kick in after the upcoming season has concluded and will run through the 2029-30 campaign.

"I can't wait to wear the Blue Note for another nine years," Parayko said. "St. Louis has been my home now for six seasons, and this is where I want to be. All the relationships I've gained, the teammates I've had, and the organization have all had a big impact on me. Winning here in 2019 was special, and I want the chance to stay here and do that again."

The 28-year-old had two goals and 10 assists in 32 games last season while averaging 21:20 minutes of ice time.

Parayko has spent his entire career with the Blues, suiting up in 418 career games and totaling 171 points.

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Canada defeated the United States 3-2 in overtime to win the gold medal at the Women's World Hockey Championship in Calgary on Tuesday night.

Marie-Philip Poulin scored the game-winning goal in the extra frame. The goal was initially not called, with play resuming for moments before the buzzer sounded. This marks Canada's first gold at the tournament since 2012.

The Americans got off to an early lead after two goals from Alex Carpenter in the opening period. Canada battled back, with Brianne Jenner and Jamie Lee Rattray each scoring a goal in the second frame to tie things up.

The U.S. had won the past five tournaments, beating Canada in four of them. Last year, Canada settled for the bronze medal while the Americans beat Finland in the final.

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Canada will take on the United States in the gold-medal game at the Women's World Hockey Championship after defeating Switzerland 4-0 in Monday night's semifinal.

Renata Fast put Canada on the board minutes into the contest. Melodie Daoust scored shortly after and added another goal in the second period to extend her team's lead. Rebecca Johnston capped the game off with a goal in the final minutes.

Canada outshot Switzerland 65-10, with Swiss goaltender Andrea Braendli making an incredible 61 saves.

The Americans are the defending champions in the tournament after defeating Finland in the 2019 final. Canada and the U.S. previously met in the gold-medal game of the tournament 18 straight times beginning in 1990. Canada's last victory came in 2012, while the Americans have won five straight golds.

The gold-medal clash is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday night. Switzerland will take on Finland in the bronze-medal match at 3:30 p.m. ET.

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