The Washington Capitals got two key players back Monday.

Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ilya Samsonov resumed practicing for the first time since the NHL placed them on its COVID-19 protocol list along with Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin and defenseman Dmitry Orlov on Jan. 20. Ovechkin and Orlov returned to the lineup Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, respectively.

Kuznetsov isn't sure whether he'll play Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers.

"We're day-to-day, you know, and it's all about how I'm gonna feel (Tuesday)," he said after the on-ice session. "I'm just happy I'm alive today, and (to) be able to practice with the team is just a big step for me."

The star forward centered the fourth line at practice Monday, while Samsonov served as the team's third goaltender behind Vitek Vanecek and Craig Anderson, according to The Washington Post's Samantha Pell.

Samsonov contracted the virus but said he's on the mend.

Kuznetsov confirmed he experienced COVID-19 symptoms but quipped that he wasn't afraid because of his country of origin.

"No, no, I'm from Russia," he said with a laugh. "And there is not a lot that can scare me."

Kuznetsov tallied a goal and two assists in four games before being forced to miss time. Samsonov went 1-0-1 with seven goals allowed in two contests.

Samsonov began the season as the Capitals' starting netminder. Washington leaned heavily on Vanecek in Samsonov's absence and the first-year puck-stopper initially excelled, earning the NHL's Rookie of the Month honors for January. However, Vanecek has lost his last three games and was pulled from Sunday's 7-4 defeat after allowing the Philadelphia Flyers to score four goals on 14 shots.

The NHL fined the Capitals $100,000 for violating the league's COVID-19 protocol Jan. 20. Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, Samsonov, and Orlov landed on the list shortly thereafter, and the team admitted its players had failed to adhere to the rules when they interacted in a hotel room.

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"Mr. Game 7" is now "Mr. Front Office."

The Carolina Hurricanes hired Justin Williams as an advisor to general manager Don Waddell, the GM announced Friday.

Williams retired as a player in October. He spent eight of his 19 seasons with the Hurricanes, helping them win the Stanley Cup in 2006 before claiming a title with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012 and 2014. He earned the Conn Smythe Trophy in the latter campaign.

The 39-year-old served as Carolina's captain in 2018-19 during his second stint with the club. Williams first suited up for the Hurricanes from 2003-09 before rejoining them for his final three seasons. He took a break from the league to start 2019-20 but returned to suit up for 20 games.

Williams is one of only nine players in NHL history to notch 100 goals and win a championship with two different franchises.

The former winger collected 320 goals and 477 assists over 1,264 regular-season contests, adding 41 markers and 61 helpers in 162 playoff games.

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Chris Drury will not be the Pittsburgh Penguins' next general manager.

The New York Rangers assistant GM informed the Penguins on Wednesday that he doesn't want to leave the Rangers or New York City at the moment, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

Pittsburgh reportedly got permission to interview Drury recently, along with several other candidates. The former NHL forward was among 20 individuals who originally expressed an interest in the position.

Drury became the Rangers' assistant GM in 2016 and added GM duties for the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack to his responsibilities the following year. New York hired him as director of player development in 2015.

The Penguins also got the green light to interview Boston Bruins executive director of player personnel John Ferguson Jr. and Colorado Avalanche assistant GM Chris MacFarland.

Longtime Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford resigned from the post last week.

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St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong will be the architect for Team Canada in Beijing.

Hockey Canada named Armstrong GM for its 2022 men's Olympic team on Wednesday.

Armstrong will lead a group that also includes associate GM Ken Holland and assistant GMs Ron Francis, Roberto Luongo, and Don Sweeney, as well as senior vice-president of national teams Scott Salmond.

The Blues GM guided Canada to the gold medal at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, the most recent best-on-best men's hockey tournament. He was also part of Steve Yzerman's staff that helped the program claim gold at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi and the 2010 Games in Vancouver.

Armstrong will serve as GM of Canada's Olympic men's hockey team for the first time. He oversaw the Blues squad that won the Stanley Cup in 2019 and captured a title as assistant GM of the Dallas Stars in 1999. The longtime executive also helped build the Canadian teams that won the World Championships in 2007 and 2016.

Holland is the Edmonton Oilers' GM, and Sweeney serves the same role with the Boston Bruins. Francis is the GM of the expansion Seattle Kraken, while Luongo retired in 2019 as one of the league's most accomplished and beloved goaltenders.

The 2022 Olympics are still not a certainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and neither is the NHL's participation. The league and NHLPA still need to come to an agreement with the IOC and IIHF to send NHLers to the Olympics for the first time since 2014.

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The NHL postponed Tuesday's game between the Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders due to COVID-19 protocol.

The Sabres delayed flying to New York City from Buffalo until Tuesday because of weather conditions Monday. That change affected COVID-19 contact tracing and testing procedures, forcing the league to reschedule the game.

Buffalo split a back-to-back against the New Jersey Devils on home ice Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, the NHL postponed the Devils' games through at least next Saturday following an outbreak within the club that caused 10 players to land on the league's COVID-19 protocol list.

Several other teams, including the Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, and Vegas Golden Knights, have postponed games this season.

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Riga, Latvia, will be the sole host of the 2021 IIHF World Championship.

The IIHF Council has voted to confirm the decision, hockey's governing body announced Tuesday.

The IIHF selected Minsk, Belarus, as one of the event's two host cities alongside Riga in 2017. But the body determined in January that Minsk would no longer serve as co-host due to "safety and security issues that are beyond the IIHF's control."

Widespread protests against the Belarusian government and its authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, have been raging in the country since his re-election in 2020.

Several sponsors threatened to withdraw from the tournament if it remained in Minsk.

IIHF president Rene Fasel previously said awarding the event solely to Riga wasn't an option.

Last year's worlds were canceled due to COVID-19.

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The NHL has changed the dates of six games involving the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, and Vegas Golden Knights.

They are as follows:

The Golden Knights' games originally scheduled for Jan. 28, Feb. 1, and Feb. 3 (which also involve the Blues and Sharks) were postponed after Vegas experienced a COVID-19 outbreak. Three coaches were forced to isolate and star defenseman Alex Pietrangelo landed on the league's COVID-19 protocol list as a result.

The other three contests were presumably moved to accommodate the new dates for the first three.

Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said Monday the team had four days of exclusively negative tests. Those who tested positive are now doing well, and he expects the team will be able resume playing as planned against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday and Sunday.

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The Montreal Canadiens removed forward Josh Anderson from Saturday's loss to the Calgary Flames due to flu-like symptoms, head coach Claude Julien said postgame.

"They chose to send him home," Julien said. "Obviously, we don't want that spreading, but he's tested negative for (COVID-19 and) he'll be tested again (Sunday). But with everything that's going on right now, it was cautionary measures by our medical staff."

Anderson played seven shifts in the first period of his team's 2-0 loss, but he logged only one in the second frame and one more in the third. The Canadiens then announced he wouldn't return.

The 26-year-old has collected four goals and an assist in his first eight games with Montreal. The club signed him to a seven-year, $38.5-million contract in October after acquiring him in a trade sending forward Max Domi to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

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Calgary Flames forward Sam Bennett wants out.

Bennett's agent confirmed as much to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

"There was a rumor going around (Saturday) morning that Bennett might want a change of scenery, and I did call his agent, Darren Ferris, who said, 'Yes, that's true, he would like it to be considered,'" Friedman reported on the latest edition of "Saturday Headlines."

The Flames have not commented on the situation, according to Friedman.

"One thing I've gleaned in just calling around is that they're not in any hurry to do it," he added.

Bennett is in his sixth full season with the Flames, who drafted him fourth overall in 2014.

The 24-year-old has failed to live up to the lofty expectations that accompany his draft position. He entered Saturday's game against the Montreal Canadiens with no goals and one assist in six contests.

Bennett posted a career-high 18 markers and 18 helpers as a rookie in 2015-16, but he hasn't matched that output since then. He did produce five points in as many games during the 2018-19 playoffs, though, adding five goals and three assists in 10 postseason contests in 2020.

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Travis Konecny is out of the lineup against the New York Islanders on Saturday night, Philadelphia Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault confirmed pregame, according to The Athletic's Charlie O'Connor.

Konecny is tied as the team's leading scorer with five goals and is second in points with eight through eight games. However, he's taken just one shot on goal and collected only one point - an assist - over his last three contests.

Vigneault acknowledged Konecny is one of the club's best three forwards and is doing some good things, but the bench boss cited both the team's lackluster five-on-five play as well as the 24-year-old forward's struggles in those situations. Vigneault said he spoke to Konecny about it Saturday morning.

"I've been talking to the players about it for some time, areas we need to be better at, areas that we have been good at in the past," the head coach said. "TK is the one tonight who is not going to play. His five-on-five game needs to be better in the areas that he's aware of."

Vigneault added he's asked the club to play better at five-on-five "basically after every game."

Konecny led the Flyers with 24 goals and 61 points in 2019-20.

Sam Morin, a former defenseman who the Flyers converted to forward before the start of the season, will make his 2021 debut with Konecny out.

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