Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson recently tested positive for COVID-19, head coach Jared Bednar revealed Wednesday, according to The Athletic's Peter Baugh.

Johnson is nearing the end of his quarantine, Bednar added.

The veteran rearguard will be able to join the team Saturday if all goes well, the bench boss said, according to The Associated Press' Patrick Graham.

Johnson missed most of training camp and was deemed "unfit to play."

The 32-year-old ranked third on the Avalanche in average ice time last season, though he was limited to 59 games due to injury. He played nine playoff contests in 2019-20, but appeared in only one of Colorado's seven games against the Dallas Stars in the second round.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The St. Louis Blues moved star forward Vladimir Tarasenko to long-term injured reserve, the club announced Wednesday.

Tarasenko underwent a third shoulder surgery in late August, and St. Louis planned to re-evaluate him in late January. He had been on the standard injured reserve until Wednesday.

The Blues were expected to place the Russian sniper on LTIR in order to get cap compliant before the start of the regular season. His entire $7.5-million cap hit is now off the books until he returns.

Tarasenko had his second shoulder surgery after playing only 10 regular-season games in 2019-20. He did not return before the pause and played only four contests in August before leaving the bubble for another evaluation that led to his most recent procedure.

The 29-year-old underwent his first shoulder surgery in April 2018.

St. Louis also recalled forwards Jordan Kyrou and Mackenzie MacEachern from its taxi squad Wednesday.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk quickly backtracked Tuesday after sharing his plan to have thousands of fans attend games at the team's arena.

Melnyk tweeted out his vision Tuesday at around noon ET but deleted it less than two hours later.

Shortly before Melnyk deleted the tweet, Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said, "Those aren't the conversations we're having at this time," when asked if his team hoped to have fans in attendance at Scotiabank Arena, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

Melnyk's plan, which he first publicized in an interview last week, is still featured on his personal website.

Ontario continues to experience a surge in COVID-19 cases amid a lockdown that will extend until at least Jan. 23. It declared a second provincial emergency - including a stay-at-home order and enhanced enforcement measures - on Tuesday.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Chicago Blackhawks inked head coach Jeremy Colliton to a two-year extension through 2022-23, the club announced Tuesday.

Colliton is entering the final year of his original contract.

The former New York Islanders forward, who turns 36 on Wednesday, is the NHL's youngest bench boss. He guided Chicago to an unexpected series victory over the Edmonton Oilers in August's qualifying round. The Blackhawks hired him to replace Joel Quenneville - who led the club to three championships - in November 2018.

Chicago missed the playoffs during Colliton's first campaign behind the bench in 2018-19. The team went 30-28-9 after he took over midseason, then it posted a 32-30-8 record to reach the qualifying stage in 2019-20.

The Blackhawks won their best-of-five matchup with the Oilers in four games before the Vegas Golden Knights ended their best-of-seven first-round series against Chicago in five.

Chicago committed to a rebuild in October, issuing a letter to fans to explain the departures of popular franchise fixtures Corey Crawford and Brandon Saad.

The Blackhawks enter this season without captain Jonathan Toews (out indefinitely due to an illness), up-and-coming center Kirby Dach (out four-to-five months with a broken wrist), and 22-year-old forward Alex Nylander, who was ruled out four-to-six months following knee surgery in late December.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jay Bouwmeester is calling it a career, he confirmed to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun on Monday.

The defenseman played 17 NHL seasons and won the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019.

Bouwmeester collapsed on the Blues bench and suffered a cardiac episode during a contest last February. It proved to be his final game.

“Oh yeah," he said when LeBrun asked him whether he'd retired this offseason. "I knew I was done essentially when it happened, to be quite honest."

Bouwmeester added he's feeling "OK" now, nearly a year after the episode. "I wouldn’t say it’s been totally smooth sailing but generally, I’ve been pretty good," he said. "I've generally been able to do whatever I want to do and I’ve stayed pretty active."

The 37-year-old played seven-plus seasons with the Blues, parts of four with the Calgary Flames, and his first six with the Florida Panthers, who drafted him third overall in 2002.

He collected 424 points in 1,240 career games.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Loui Eriksson and Corey Perry are among a long list of waived players Monday.

The Vancouver Canucks designated Eriksson for assignment along with five other players.

The Montreal Canadiens placed Perry and fellow veteran forward Michael Frolik on waivers.

Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning waived six players, including Tyler Johnson and Luke Schenn. The club also placed three additional players on waivers in order to send them to the AHL's Syracuse Crunch and assigned 10 others to the affiliate.

The Calgary Flames waived defenseman Oliver Kylington, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

The Winnipeg Jets placed forward Mathieu Perreault and defenseman Luca Sbisa on waivers, per Sportsnet's Sean Reynolds.

Elsewhere, the Edmonton Oilers waived five players, including forward Jujhar Khaira.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Pavel Francouz may have just laid claim to the best mask in the NHL.

The Colorado Avalanche goaltender has some beautiful new headgear - presumably in conjunction with the league's Reverse Retro jerseys - that designer Bohumil Koral shared Sunday on Instagram.

It features Quebec Nordiques icons Anton, Marian, and Peter Stastny, as well as Avalanche legends Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg. The mask is also accented by the Nordiques logo and a fleur-de-lis on both sides.

Here it is in all its glory. Swipe right to view a gallery that shows Sakic and Forsberg depicted on the right side.

The Avalanche revealed arguably the best Reverse Retro jersey in November when the league unveiled all 31 teams' nostalgic duds.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vancouver Canucks canceled practice and workouts Sunday due to a potential COVID-19 exposure, the club announced Sunday.

Three other NHL teams - the Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, and Pittsburgh Penguins - have postponed practices this week for the same reason.

On Friday, the Stars revealed six players and two staff members recently tested positive, forcing the postponement of their first two regular-season games and a likely delay to the start of their 2021 campaign until at least Jan. 19.

That same day, the Blue Jackets held 19 players out of practice in accordance with COVID-19 protocols, though it was unclear if any had tested positive. Columbus practiced Saturday.

The Penguins scrapped their Saturday sessions due to a potential exposure, but returned to the ice for a morning skate Sunday and will proceed with their scheduled scrimmage later in the day.

The NHL season is scheduled to begin Wednesday evening.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild prospect Marco Rossi is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, the club announced Sunday.

Rossi was in quarantine in order to join Wild training camp after playing for Austria at the World Junior Championship, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo.

Minnesota selected the forward with the ninth overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.

He racked up 39 goals and 81 assists in 56 games with the OHL's Ottawa 67s last season.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Columbus Blue Jackets signed defenseman Michael Del Zotto to a one-year, two-way contract, the club announced Sunday.

Columbus brought Del Zotto in on a professional tryout agreement in late December.

The 30-year-old became an unrestricted free agent after collecting 15 points in 49 games with the Anaheim Ducks last season.

He's suited up for six teams over 11 campaigns. The veteran blue-liner began his career with the New York Rangers under current Blue Jackets bench boss John Tortorella.

Del Zotto has produced 236 points in 657 career games.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.