Toronto Maple Leafs forward Joe Thornton is ready to return to the lineup for Monday's game against the Ottawa Senators, he confirmed after Sunday's practice, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton.

"I feel really good. I can't wait to play tomorrow," Thornton said.

Thornton has missed Toronto's last 10 games after suffering a rib injury on Jan. 20 in a contest versus the Edmonton Oilers.

The 41-year-old was back in his spot on the Maple Leafs' top line alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner at practice. Here's how Toronto's forward group lined up:

The Maple Leafs went 8-1-1 with Thornton sidelined and sit atop the North Division with 23 points.

Thornton has notched one goal and one assist through five games this season.

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Buffalo Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger returned to practice with his club Sunday after testing positive for COVID-19, the team announced.

Krueger tested positive on Feb. 4 as several Sabres players landed on the NHL's COVID protocol list following a weekend series with the New Jersey Devils that reportedly left Buffalo furious.

The Sabres haven't played since Jan. 31 but could return to the ice Monday versus the Devils.

Along with Krueger, star players Taylor Hall and Rasmus Dahlin returned to practice over the weekend. However, several Buffalo skaters - including Dylan Cozens and Rasmus Ristolainen - remain on the COVID list and are unable to participate in team activities.

Here's a look at the Sabres' lineup at practice Sunday:

Buffalo sits last in the East Division with a 4-4-2 record but is only five points outside a playoff position with several postponed games to play.

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Arizona Coyotes forward Johan Larsson has been suspended two games for a hit to the head of St. Louis Blues forward Zach Sanford, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Saturday.

The play occurred during the third period of Friday's contest. Larsson was assessed a two-minute penalty for the hit.

Larsson is in his first season with the Coyotes. He's notched one goal in 13 games this season.

The 28-year-old was suspended two games in 2018 for cross-checking.

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Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and is unavailable for Saturday's game against the Ottawa Senators, head coach Paul Maurice announced, according to Sportsnet's Ken Wiebe.

Dubois left Friday's practice early, but Maurice labeled him as probable for Saturday's contest at the time.

Jets forward Kristian Vesalainen will draw into the lineup with Dubois out. Winnipeg will continue to ice 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

Dubois, 22, has played two games for the Jets since they acquired him for Patrik Laine. He's gone pointless with Winnipeg thus far while averaging over 15 minutes of ice time per contest.

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The Carolina Hurricanes have traded forward Ryan Dzingel to the Ottawa Senators for forwards Alex Galchenyuk and Cedric Paquette, the Senators announced Saturday.

No salary will be retained in the deal, according to Frank Seravalli of TSN.

Ottawa drafted Dzingel in 2011, and he racked up 126 points in 247 games for the franchise from 2015-19. The 28-year-old counts for $3.375 million against the cap and is set to become a free agent after this season.

Galchenyuk, 27, joined the Senators on a one-year, $1.05-million contract this past offseason. The third overall pick of the 2012 NHL Draft has now been traded four times in his career and joins his sixth NHL team. He ends his brief stint in Canada's capital with one goal in eight games.

The Senators acquired Paquette from the Tampa Bay Lightning in December. The 27-year-old winger is known for his physical presence and has notched 86 points in 386 NHL contests.

All three players will be required to quarantine before they can suit up for their new squads due to travel restrictions between Canada and the U.S.

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The Edmonton Oilers placed forward James Neal on waivers Saturday, the team announced.

The move could be procedural to accommodate Edmonton's taxi-squad plans - a common occurrence this season due to expanded rosters - but the veteran winger is available for any team to claim over the next 24 hours.

Neal has appeared in nine games for the Oilers this season, registering two goals and one assist while averaging 13:15 of ice time per contest.

The 33-year-old's mediocre numbers and cumbersome contract may turn away any potential suitors, as Neal is owed $5.75 million in each of the next two seasons.

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Marcus Foligno, who was the first Minnesota Wild player to test positive for COVID-19, says he couldn't help but feel responsible for the team's outbreak and subsequent lengthy shutdown.

"I felt really guilty. It's kind of like (I) brought it here," Foligno told The Athletic's Michael Russo. "You never want to be the first one or just, in general, get it. It's a guilty feeling, which is weird because you shouldn't feel guilty. But that's just how it is, and when you're the first one, everyone kind of sees your name pop up first and then the domino effect throughout the team after that."

Foligno last played Jan. 30 versus the Colorado Avalanche before landing on the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list. The Wild played two more games Jan. 31 and Feb. 2 before shutting their facilities down as the virus spread throughout the roster.

Minnesota has had six games postponed due to the outbreak while 14 players remain on the league's list. However, general manager Bill Guerin expects the Wild will resume play Feb. 16 versus the Los Angeles Kings, according to Russo.

Foligno believes he got the virus while playing Los Angeles in late January as the Kings dealt with COVID-19 issues. However, the veteran winger accepted his positive test as part of the reality of playing through a pandemic.

"I think there's a lot of protocols in place that make us feel safe," Foligno said. "It's just inevitable. It's tough to say how you can actually stop this thing. The one thing to do is stop the spread. ... You've got to remove the team and quarantine them and have them start back up when everything is safe again."

Foligno is in his 10th NHL season. He had three points through nine games in 2021 before being sidelined. The Wild currently sit sixth in the West Division with 12 points, though they have games in hand on most teams ahead of them.

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The start time of Thursday's Montreal Canadiens-Edmonton Oilers clash has been pushed back from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET as the Oilers await test results after an Edmonton player entered the COVID-19 protocol, the league announced.

The player is unconfirmed at this point, but training staff pulled Jesse Puljujarvi from practice Thursday morning, according to Sportsnet's Mark Spector.

The NHL releases its official COVID-19 list around 5:00 p.m. ET daily.

The Oilers last played Tuesday versus the Ottawa Senators, while the Montreal Canadiens were in action Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

There have been several postponements tied to COVID-19 early in the 2021 season, but the North Division has yet to be affected.

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Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo will be back in the lineup Thursday versus the Anaheim Ducks, head coach Peter DeBoer announced.

Pietrangelo hasn't played since Jan. 26 and was on the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list after members of Vegas' coaching staff tested positive Jan. 28. There's been no confirmation as to whether Pietrangelo had the virus.

The Golden Knights had a series of games postponed due to COVID-19. Forward Tomas Nosek was pulled from Tuesday's contest versus Anaheim after testing positive, but the rematch is going on as scheduled.

Pietrangelo's appeared in seven games this season, notching four points while averaging over 25 minutes per contest.

While his return is a big boost for the first-place Golden Knights, Vegas won't be at full strength as blue-liner Shea Theodore is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

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The Arizona Coyotes have terminated the contract of former assistant general manager Steve Sullivan, the team announced Thursday.

No reason was provided, but the Coyotes did say they won't fill their vacant assistant GM position this season.

Sullivan served as the club's interim general manager after John Chayka abruptly left the position in July. He was the AGM at the time of Chayka's departure, and the team said his position would be re-evaluated after the playoffs.

Arizona hired former St. Louis Blues executive Bill Armstrong as its GM in September.

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