Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini took to Twitter to assure the jobs of general manager Jim Benning and head coach Travis Green are safe.

The Canucks entered Saturday sitting second last in the North Division at 6-11-0. Their minus-15 goal differential is the third worst in the league.

Expectations were high entering the season after Vancouver's budding, young core led the team into the second round of the 2020 playoffs. However, the Canucks appear to have taken a step back after losing Jacob Markstrom, Chris Tanev, and Tyler Toffoli in free agency this past offseason.

It has led many fans to point the finger at Benning, who was unable to retain any of the three key veterans due to cap constraints he created. Loui Eriksson ($6-million AAV), Tyler Myers ($6 million), Brandon Sutter ($4.375 million), Antoine Roussel ($3 million), Jay Beagle ($3 million) were all signed under Benning.

He's overseen two playoff berths since his hiring in 2014. Green, meanwhile, has served as head coach since 2017 and has compiled a 108-114-28 record. He's made the playoffs once.

Aquilini felt the need to "speak up" because he believes the media has created negativity around the team.

Aquilini purchased 50% of the Canucks in 2004 and the remaining 50% two years later.

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Tampa Bay Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli is week-to-week due to an upper-body injury, the club announced Saturday.

Cirelli was hurt midway through the third period of a loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday night. He left the 5-2 defeat at that point and didn't return.

The 23-year-old was tied for fourth on the Lightning with four goals and ranked fourth with 10 points in 12 games prior to Tampa Bay's rematch with Florida on Saturday.

Cirelli is a key member of his team, normally occupying the second-line center role. He finished fourth in Selke Trophy voting last season.

The defending Stanley Cup champions are already without captain and top-line pivot Steven Stamkos, who remains on the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list. Tampa Bay has also played 2021 without star forward Nikita Kucherov, who's not expected to return from his injury during the regular season.

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Tony DeAngelo spoke for the first time since the New York Rangers announced he had played his last game with the club.

DeAngelo got into an altercation with goaltender Alexandar Georgiev following a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 30. The team placed him on waivers the next day, and he went unclaimed.

"I’m obviously disappointed about the way things ended in New York and how things have unfolded, but I’m not going to sit here and play the victim card at all," DeAngelo told the New York Post's Larry Brooks.

General manager Jeff Gorton announced two days after the altercation that the team was looking to trade the defenseman. TSN's Darren Dreger reported DeAngelo was generating "tons of interest" on the trade market, but nothing has materialized over the 11 days since the report.

DeAngelo was sour about being a healthy scratch earlier in the season, and Gorton told him if his name came up in anything at all, he would be on waivers. The executive stayed true to his word.

"Hockey-wise, there are mistakes that I have made," DeAngelo said. "I’ve gotten hot-headed at times. I’m the first one to admit that, and I take responsibility for it.

"I’ve tried to learn and get better and better at it, but there are still times where things have happened, and emotionally I’ve gone over the line a little bit, and I accept responsibility for that. The thing with Alex, exactly like he said, emotions got away."

DeAngelo has a history of off-ice issues. During his junior career with the Sarnia Sting, he was suspended twice for violating the OHL's harassment, abuse, and diversity policy. In one instance, he was accused of directing an offensive slur toward a teammate.

The 25-year-old had been criticized for his outspoken nature on Twitter, where he was vocal about COVID-19 denials and the American election being rigged.

DeAngelo finished fourth in scoring among defensemen last season with 53 points before signing a two-year, $9.6-million contract with the Rangers in the offseason. The New Jersey native tallied just one assist and a minus-6 rating in six games this year.

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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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