It's looking more and more likely that the Washington Capitals will have a new starting goaltender for the 2020-21 season.

"I would assume (Braden Holtby) goes to free agency and we will keep in contact with him throughout the free-agency period to see if he is getting what he wants," Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said Tuesday, according to The Washington Post's Samantha Pell.

MacLellan added that the goalie market "is probably a little unusually deep this year," according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti.

The 30-year-old - who's coming off a five-year, $30.5-million deal that he signed in 2015 - has been Washington's starting goaltender since the 2012-13 season. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2016 and helped backstop the Capitals to a Stanley Cup victory in 2018.

Holtby struggled for the majority of the 2019-20 campaign while splitting starts with Ilya Samsonov. The Canadian posted a career-worst .897 save percentage but still managed to go 25-14-6. Meanwhile, Samsonov, 23, emerged as a legitimate No. 1 goalie after posting a .913 save percentage and a 2.55 goals-against average in 26 games during his rookie season.

The free-agent goalie market is expected to be filled with talent this offseason. Robin Lehner, Jacob Markstrom, Anton Khudobin, Cam Talbot, Corey Crawford, Thomas Greiss, and Holtby are all expected to be available.

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The Washington Capitals are set to hire Peter Laviolette to be the team's next head coach, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

The deal is for three years, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

Washington recently relieved Todd Reirden of his duties after two seasons behind the bench.

More to come.

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With the conference finals in full swing, the NHL bubble continues to work.

From Sept. 6-12, the NHL administered 1,357 tests and recorded zero positive results for COVID-19, the league announced Monday. This marks the eighth straight week that the league has recorded no positives for the coronavirus.

The streak dates back to the week before players departed for the bubbles and includes six weeks of postseason action thus far.

Players and staff from the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders recently departed the bubble in Toronto at the conclusion of Round 2. They are now in the bubble in Edmonton.

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The Calgary Flames removed the interim tag Monday and named Geoff Ward the 20th head coach in franchise history. The new deal is for two years, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Named interim coach in November after previous bench boss Bill Peters stepped down, Ward guided the Flames to a 25-15-3 record over the remainder of the regular season. He also helped secure the team's spot in the postseason after eliminating the Winnipeg Jets in the qualifying round.

With just under a full season at the helm, Ward now hopes to spend this offseason improving his squad based on feedback from his players.

"One of my first jobs is going to be to talk to all the players," Ward said. "I really want to dig in with them, really get their feedback on how they felt during the season, and through the playoffs, areas where they think we're good, areas where they feel we can continue to get better.

"We want to talk about their roles, how they can continue to expand. I want some feedback from them on what they felt we can do better as a coaching staff in order to help them continue along the path we've started."

Ward first became an assistant coach in the NHL in 2007 with the Boston Bruins. He had a stint in the same role with the New Jersey Devils before landing in Calgary as an associate coach in 2018.

During his time behind the bench this season with Calgary, the Flames ranked fourth in the Western Conference in points percentage and eighth in the league. During that span, the Flames' power-play percentage of 25.7 also ranked second in the league.

Ward said he's using his team's first round elimination as an opportunity to watch the playoffs and learn from the remaining teams.

"I'm always thinking about moving ahead," Ward said. "So I've been spending an awful lot of time just watching the playoffs, taking what I feel we can use from the games that are being played, and how we can apply it with our team, and, you know, putting a plan together for some ideas to be brought up with Tre (general manager Brad Treliving) and the management team as to where do we move ahead from here with our team in order to make it better and take that next step."

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Pending unrestricted free agent Alex Pietrangelo is starting to feel the pressure when it comes to which team he'll play for next season.

"It's been a little disappointing that (the St. Louis Blues and I) haven't been able to get a deal done, obviously," Pietrangelo said, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. "But this is the situation that we're in, we're over three weeks away from Oct. 9 (the beginning of free agency). ... There hasn't been much in terms of progress."

The 30-year-old signed a seven-year deal with the Blues in 2013 and has spent his entire career with the club that drafted him fourth overall in 2008. He's served as St. Louis' captain for four seasons.

Pietrangelo will be one of the biggest names in free agency if he hits the open market. He expressed his desire to stay in St. Louis but understands it may be difficult for the team to make room for him with just over $5 million in cap space this season.

"Yeah, I mean, there's players who have been in one spot their whole career but they change cities," Pietrangelo said. "I've been in the business a long time. I've been around. I've seen a lot of different things. I think you have to be willing to accept the fact that there may be a change one day. Whether it happens or not, it certainly changes your mindset and makes things a little easier if you ever get to that point."

He added: "My wife's family is here. We're really close to her family and my family is close with her family. But again, by the same token, it's a short period of time of your life in terms of trying to play the game. You just want to make the right choice for your family and do what's right."

Pietrangelo put up 16 goals and 52 points in 70 games during the 2019-20 regular season after helping lead the Blues to a Stanley Cup victory last year.

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Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon is the 2019-20 winner of the Lady Byng Trophy, the league announced.

The award is "given annually to the NHL player who best combines sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct, and ability." It's voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Toronto Maple Leafs sniper Auston Matthews and St. Louis Blues center Ryan O'Reilly were the other finalists.

The 25-year-old is the third Avalanche player in franchise history to take home the award, joining Joe Sakic and O'Reilly.

MacKinnon finished the season fifth in league scoring with 95 points, and collected just 12 penalty minutes. He is the third player in the last 20 years to register over 90 points with 12 or fewer penalty minutes, joining Aleksander Barkov and Martin St. Louis.

The Nova Scotia native is also a finalist for this season's Hart Trophy.

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Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point is not in the lineup for Game 3 against the New York Islanders on Friday, the team announced.

Point was hurt during the second period of Game 2 and wasn't able to finish the contest.

Tampa Bay leads the series 2-0, but will be without three of its top-six forwards on Friday. Alex Killorn will miss the game due to a suspension he received for a boarding hit in Game 2, while Steven Stamkos remains out and hasn't played yet this postseason.

Point leads Tampa Bay with 23 points over 15 playoff games.

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While a start date for the 2020-21 NHL season remains up in the air, deputy commissioner Bill Daly revealed the league continues to aim for a typical 82-game regular season.

"I think there are always ways to play. I think what you choose to do in terms of playing is really the more complicated question," Daly said, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun and Scott Burnside. "How do you put on a season? We remain certainly intent on trying to have an 82-game regular season. Whether that's possible or not is yet to be seen."

He continued, "I think we'd be foolish not to take advantage of the lead time we have to make the best decisions we can make. ... I do believe we're going to have a season, I just can't tell you what it looks like right now."

The NHL season typically begins in early October, but the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the offseason by months. The draft and free agency are now set for the beginning of October.

When operations were paused March 12, the league worked tirelessly to formulate a plan to complete the season. The bubbles were eventually created, and games have been played for over a month with nearly zero issues.

Daly believes hosting games during the summer has worked and said the NHL may do it again next year if that's what it takes to complete a full season.

"Yes, that's a possibility," Daly added. "If anything was proven this summer, it's that having three games a day in these facilities in the heart of August wasn't problematic. A lot of people thought we'd be playing on wet surfaces, but that didn't transpire. The ice held up, the ice quality is generally good. So, playing in the summer is not a problem for us."

Daly admitted that while the bubble system has worked for the postseason, it's not plausible to force teams into bubbles for an entire regular season.

While it was initially believed the NHL would resume play for the 2020-21 season around Dec. 1, Daly confirmed it may end up being a bit later.

"What I'd say to that is that it really almost entirely depends on what it is we decide to do, and how we're going to approach it," he said. "If I had to handicap it today, it's probably less likely than more that we would start on Dec. 1. But that's not set in stone by any means."

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Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki may find himself in a different jersey during the 2020-21 season for the first time in his career.

"As of right now, we feel it’s highly likely that we’ll be testing the waters of free agency for the first time in Mark’s career," his agent, Steve Bartlett, said, according to The Athletic's Hailey Salvian.

"I feel there’s a lot to Mark that makes sense for a number of teams."

Bartlett went on to confirm that it isn't a matter of the Senators undervaluing Borowiecki's place with the team, but rather that it's just about his client exploring what free agency has to offer.

The 31-year-old has quickly turned into a fan favorite in Ottawa since the Senators drafted him in 2008. He posted a career-high seven goals and 18 points in just 53 games during the 2019-20 season.

Back in February, general manager Pierre Dorion claimed that he hoped that he could make Borowiecki a Senator for life, according to TSN 1200.

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Tampa Bay Lightning forward Alex Killorn will have a hearing Thursday for boarding New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson in Game 2 on Wednesday, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced.

Killorn was assessed a five-minute major penalty and was ejected from the game for the dangerous hit.

Here's a look at the play:

Nelson left the game briefly but later returned. He revealed after the game that he went through all the concussion protocols necessary to allow him to return, according to The Athletic's Arpon Basu.

Killorn has never been suspended in his career.

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