Aaron Ekblad didn't hold back Friday when asked about Max Domi's punch on Wednesday night that earned the Montreal Canadiens forward a suspension for the rest of the preseason.

When asked about the suspension, Ekblad told reporters, including Jameson Olive of the Florida Panthers' official website, "It's kind of a gift ... I don't want to comment too much on the league's decision, but I think it's wrong. That's life, though."

Ekblad, who has a history of concussions, added Friday that he wasn't concerned about having one as a result of Wednesday's incident. The Panthers blue-liner was pulled from the game by the NHL as part of the concussion protocol, but it was determined he didn't suffer a concussion or a broken nose.

Domi's suspension amounts to five exhibition contests and will not cost him any salary. He was assessed a match penalty following the incident, which can be seen below:

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Montreal Canadiens forward Max Domi has been suspended for the remainder of the preseason for roughing Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad in Wednesday night's preseason game, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Thursday.

Domi was assessed a match penalty for punching Ekblad in the face early in the third period.

The Canadiens have five preseason games remaining, including Thursday night's contest against the Washington Capitals.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

If Erik Karlsson wants to ink a max deal with his new team, he'll have to wait a while.

The superstar defenseman cannot sign an eight-year contract extension with the San Jose Sharks until after the 2018-19 trade deadline on Feb 25, according to a CBA rule unearthed by The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

LeBrun cited page 285 of the NHL-NHLPA agreement, and specifically Rule 50.8, subsection (b) (iv), which states:

An SPC with a term of greater than seven (7) years, provided, however, that a club may sign a player to an SPC with a term of up to eight (8) years if that player was on such club's reserve list as of and since the most recent trade deadline. With respect to potential unrestricted free agents only, the ability to re-sign a player to an SPC of eight (8) years expires when the player becomes an unrestricted free agent. With respect to a player who becomes a Group 2 restricted free agent, a club may sign such player to an SPC with a term of up to eight (8) years provided such player was on such club's reserve list and/or restricted free agent list as of and since the most recent trade deadline.

In other words, if Karlsson - a pending unrestricted free agent - wants to sign a pact for seven years or fewer with San Jose, he can do so at any time, but if he wants the maximum eight years, he has to wait until the clock strikes 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 25.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly sent a memo on the subject to all 31 teams in July as a reminder, sources told LeBrun, who added that the Sharks were very much aware of the rule as they negotiated the recent trade that landed Karlsson from the Ottawa Senators.

After acquiring the all-world blue-liner last week, Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said, "It's a long-term approach, and we think Erik fits for now and for a long time."

Wilson added in an interview with Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News that he'd have no reservations about offering Karlsson an eight-year contract.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Hockey Twitter was abuzz Tuesday upon learning Jagermeister will be the new "official shot" of the NHL.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vegas Golden Knights continue to break the mold, even as they prepare for their second season in the NHL.

William Hill U.S. announced Tuesday it will form the first-ever partnership between a sports book and an NHL team by collaborating with the Golden Knights.

It is a multi-year partnership that will involve engaging with fans of legal betting age through various promotional platforms, including a TV-visible dasherboard, in-arena signage, league-wide odds displayed on the T-Mobile Arena video board during intermissions, and mentions of the sports book on Golden Knights line changes.

William Hill was founded in the United Kingdom, where it still generates most of its revenue, in 1934. It operates over 100 race and sports books in Nevada and is the state's leading mobile sports betting app.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nearly a year after the Vadim Shipachyov situation played out, George McPhee says there was a silver lining to the whole fiasco.

The Vegas Golden Knights general manager told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun that as difficult as it was to lose a key free-agent signing, the situation sent a strong message to the team.

"That there’s no entitlement," McPhee said. “We had a coach from another team who mentioned that he thought that that was one of the best moves we made initially. That we committed to that player, he came here, wasn’t committed to us, wasn’t ready to play, and ownership supported a hard decision to send a $9-million contract to the minors. But the message was clear to everyone that it doesn’t matter what your status is, if you’re to check the ego at the door and compete hard, and be a team guy, then there’s a great opportunity here. If not, we don’t have time for it."

Shipachyov retired from the NHL and signed with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL last November after the Golden Knights suspended the forward for leaving their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, following his demotion in late October.

The 31-year-old, who was 30 at the time, had signed a two-year, $9-million contract with the Golden Knights in May 2017.

Vegas went on to become the most successful expansion team in NHL history, going all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Scottie Upshall is apparently a fast healer.

The veteran forward was cleared to skate with the full group at Edmonton Oilers training camp, head coach Todd McLellan told reporters Monday.

"He's worked hard to recover and deserves an opportunity to make this team," McLellan said.

On Thursday, Sportsnet's Mark Spector reported that Upshall failed his physical with the club and he would be unable to participate "for a few weeks," rendering his opportunity with Edmonton "expired" for all intents and purposes.

The 34-year-old, who will turn 35 on Oct. 7, was invited to Oilers camp on a professional tryout after spending the last three seasons with the St. Louis Blues.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Edmonton Oilers have reached an agreement with restricted free-agent defenseman Darnell Nurse on a two-year contract worth $3.2 million per season, reports Sportsnet's John Shannon.

Nurse hadn't been taking part in training camp during his negotiations.

He played all 82 games last season for the first time since he entered the NHL on a regular basis in 2015-16. He posted 26 points in 2017-18 while ranking second on the club behind only Oscar Klefbom in average time on ice at 22:15.

The Oilers now have just under $800,000 in cap space, according to CapFriendly.

Nurse's reported pact comes a day after the Winnipeg Jets signed blue-liner Josh Morrissey to a two-year, $6.3-million contract.

Five RFAs remain across the league: Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander, Sam Reinhart of the Buffalo Sabres, Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore, Anaheim Ducks winger Nick Ritchie, and Miles Wood of the New Jersey Devils.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Ottawa Senators have found Randy Lee's replacement.

Peter MacTavish has been named the Senators' new assistant general manager, effective Oct. 1, the club announced Monday.

MacTavish has been involved in player representation for the past 15 years, most recently with CAA Hockey, and his focus with Ottawa will include contracts, salary arbitration, and managerial support of the franchise's hockey operations at both the NHL and AHL levels.

He takes over the job previously occupied by Lee, who resigned from the organization after being arrested on a harassment charge stemming from an incident at the NHL draft combine.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Aleksander Barkov is the new captain of the Florida Panthers.

The 23-year-old center will be the 10th player to wear the "C" in franchise history, the club announced Monday.

Barkov established career highs with 51 assists and 78 points last season, and was named a Lady Byng Trophy finalist for the second time.

He also finished fourth in the voting for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, awarded to the NHL's best defensive forward, and is generally regarded as one of the league's best two-way centers.

Barkov takes over the captaincy from Derek MacKenzie, who occupied the role for the previous two campaigns.

In statements issued by the team Monday, Panthers general manager Dale Tallon expressed confidence that Barkov is ready to be captain, and head coach Bob Boughner called him "the complete package."

Barkov said he was fortunate to learn from MacKenzie and fellow former Panthers captains Willie Mitchell and Ed Jovanovski earlier in his career.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.