The Anaheim Ducks will welcome their captain back Saturday night, as Ryan Getzlaf returns to the lineup after missing the last five games with a groin injury.

The club has still done well without Getzlaf, jumping out to a 5-1-1 record in seven games, which leads the Pacific Division.

Getzlaf hasn't dressed since the team's 1-0 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 6. The 33-year-old has two points in the two games he's played, each coming in the form of assists in the club's 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks on opening night.

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It appears the NHL is trending toward adding women to its group of on-ice officials.

"The National Hockey League is 100 percent open to it, it's inevitable, it is going to happen," TSN's Darren Dreger said on Thursday's "Insider Trading" segment. "What we don't have is a timeline as to when it is going to happen."

Dreger notes that women have attended the league's officials combine in the past, but the league is taking the initiative to ask them to participate this year.

"I know that the NHL is putting out the invite to college players, national team women, absolutely, come to this combine, go through the experience and if you're up to pace then we'll find a way to get you in," said Dreger.

If a change is made, the NHL will join the NFL and NBA as major North American professional sports leagues to employ women as referees.

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The Anaheim Ducks and forward Nick Ritchie have ended their contract stalemate by agreeing to a three-year contract, the team announced Wednesday.

The contract will pay Ritchie $1.2 million this season and $1.4 million next season, and $2 million in 2020-21 for a total of $4.6 million, according to The Athletic's Eric Stephens.

Ritchie's contract holdout has seen him miss the club's first seven games of the 2018-19 campaign.

The 22-year-old is coming off his entry-level contract. In that time, he's tallied 26 goals and 59 points across three seasons. Last season, he put up 10 goals and 27 points in 76 contests.

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Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson is re-evaluating the way he plays as he awaits his appeal hearing for his 20-game suspension.

The 24-year-old was handed the ban for his hit to the head of St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist during the preseason and will have missed six games by the time of his appeal hearing on Thursday.

In the meantime, he's acknowledged that he needs to change the way he plays the game.

"Yeah, for sure," Wilson said, according to The Athletic's Chris Kuc. "The hitting aspect of the game is definitely changing a little bit and I have to be smart out there and I have to play within the rules."

Wilson's latest suspension is his fourth over his last 105 games, including preseason and playoff games, and will cost him $1.26 million in lost salary unless it is reduced on appeal.

Since joining the league during the 2013-14 season, Wilson has tallied 806 penalty minutes, including a career-high 187 last season.

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Florida Panthers defenseman Mike Matheson will have a hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety on Monday for interference/ unsportsmanlike conduct on Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson, the department announced Sunday.

Pettersson was forced from Saturday's game after taking a big hit from Matheson behind the Panthers' goal in the third period. The 19-year-old subsequently missed the final 16 minutes of the game.

Related: Green calls Matheson's hit, throw down of Pettersson 'dirty play'

Luckily for the club, the rookie phenom was feeling "a little better" after a night of rest.

Pettersson has gotten off to a blistering start this season, recording five goals and eight points in five games, including the Canucks' opening tally on Saturday night.

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Antoine Roussel has been activated off injured reserve and cleared to make his Vancouver Canucks debut Saturday night, the club announced.

Roussel missed the Canucks' first four games of the regular season due to a concussion, but is expected to be in the lineup Saturday when the team takes on the Florida Panthers.

He was signed as a free agent this offseason to a four-year, $12-million contract.

The 28-year-old is entering his seventh season in the NHL after spending his previous six with the Dallas Stars. Last season he put up five goals, 17 points, and 126 penalty minutes in 73 games.

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It doesn't appear Matt Murray will miss significant time after being diagnosed with a concussion Tuesday.

The Pittsburgh Penguins netminder was back on the ice Thursday, and while he won't be between the pipes for Thursday night's game against the Vegas Golden Knights, he's listed as day to day, head coach Mike Sullivan said after the morning skate.

Meanwhile, Murray appears to be in good spirits and says he still needs to get assurance from doctors before returning to game action.

"I still need to talk to the doctors, but I felt good out there," Murray said. "I wear the best helmet you can get. It's a fast game and sometimes things happen."

Following Thursday's contest, the Penguins will be in action Saturday when they clash with the Montreal Canadiens.

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Vegas Golden Knights forward Paul Stastny will miss at least the next three games due to a lower-body injury, head coach Gerard Gallant said Wednesday, according to Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press.

Stastny will be re-evaluated when the team returns to Vegas at the conclusion of its five-game road trip that wraps up Saturday in Philadelphia.

While the team didn't disclose how the injury occurred, it's expected it came during a collision in the final minutes of the club's 4-2 loss against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday.

Stastny has gone pointless in his first three games as a member of the Golden Knights.

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The New York Rangers' highest-paid defenseman is expected to take in Thursday's game against the San Jose Sharks from the press box.

After watching his team start the season with three straight losses, rookie head coach David Quinn will shake up his lineup, and it's expected defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk will be a healthy scratch, according to Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post.

The 29-year-old, who's making $8 million this season, said he understands the decision even if he isn't happy about it.

"You have to learn from it, obviously. I'm not a guy that would take that the wrong way and mope about it," Shattenkirk said. "It's the NHL; if you're not playing well, there are guys that are playing well. Tony DeAngelo played a phenomenal game the (Sunday) night (in Carolina). He's earned a spot on the roster. I think all the 'D' have earned a spot on the roster, and I'm probably the guy that needs to fight a little bit harder to get my spot back. It's on me, for sure.

"I know that it's a process, but this is probably a good little kick to get me going and get me out of this - I don't want to say slump - but just get my confidence back and start playing the game I know I have."

After playing 20:41 in the club's season opener against the Nashville Predators and then 22:23 against the Buffalo Sabres, Shattenkirk had his minutes slashed in Game 3 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, playing just 7:29. Through the first three games, Shattenkirk has gone pointless and is a minus-4.

Last season, Shattenkirk suffered a torn meniscus in training camp and was subsequently limited to just 46 games in his first year with the Rangers. It's an injury Quinn feels Shattenkirk is still dealing with.

"He and I have talked about playing with more urgency, and I think he's still a little bit hesitant because of what happened last year. He's got to get his confidence back. He's going to have every chance to get his confidence back. This is a process. This isn't a punishment."

The Rangers are one of three teams yet to record a single point on the season.

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Rick Nash remains undecided about whether he will play in the NHL again.

The 34-year-old elected to forgo the July 1 signing period and remains an unrestricted free agent due to concussion symptoms that hampered his 2017-18 campaign.

"I miss it; I love the game," Nash said, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline. "The game has been my whole life, so it's been a hard adjustment to not show up for training camp, for fitness testing ... it's been really tough.

"But my family is what's most important to me, and I have to get my health in the right spot before I figure out what my plans are, and I don't know when that will be.

"There's a chance I could get healthy, come back, and be great. But there's definitely a chance that I don't."

On Tuesday, rumors surfaced that Nash was going to submit his paperwork to retire. However, Nash's agent, Joe Resnick, gave a statement to TSN's Darren Dreger refuting the claim.

Nash has a history of concussions and suffered his latest one as a member of the Boston Bruins on March 17 against the Tampa Bay Lightning after taking a hit from forward Cedric Paquette. Nash subsequently missed the final 12 games of the regular season before returning for the playoffs.

While Nash's career remains up in the air, he admits he's happy he currently has more time to spend with his family.

"I'm in a good place," Nash said. "I'm in the city that I love. I have my kids, they're healthy, and that's No. 1 in my life. Sure I miss it, but I'm more worried about my health and getting back to 100 percent. You can't put a price on that."

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