The NHL's central registry department has rejected the Columbus Blue Jackets' signing of Mikhail Grigorenko because of a misunderstanding regarding the filing window, the team confirmed Monday night.

However, the club has been in contact with Grigorenko's agent, Dan Milstein, and the NHL, and the contract will be filed on July 1.

The pact reportedly went against section 50.8 of the league's CBA, according to TVA's Renaud Lavoie. That section states:

"No club or player may enter into a (standard player contract) that does not cover at least the then-current league year. The foregoing does not apply to an SPC entered into pursuant to Section 50.5(f) above, or to unsigned draft choices or draft-related unrestricted free agents, who shall be permitted to sign an SPC during the period from March 1 through June 1 immediately preceding the league year in which such SPC is to take effect."

The Blue Jackets inked Grigorenko - a former NHL forward who's spent the last three seasons in the KHL - to a one-year deal for the 2020-21 campaign Monday morning.

The NHL paused the 2019-20 season on March 12 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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After losing in the 2006 Western Conference Final, the Anaheim Ducks added Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger to their star-studded lineup in an all-in effort to capture the franchise's first Stanley Cup.

Facing off against Daniel Alfredsson and the Ottawa Senators in the 2007 final, the Ducks carried a 3-1 series lead to Anaheim for Game 5. With the Stanley Cup in the building, could Anaheim seal the deal, or would the Senators rise to the occasion and push the series back to Canada's capital for Game 6?

Watch the livestream below:

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Colby Cave and his wife, Emily, were working toward adding a third member to their family before he died earlier this month.

The couple had planned a trip to Haiti to pursue the adoption of a child, Emily told The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman.

"Instead of celebrating our first anniversary, we thought, 'Let's go back and see if we find a kid that we'd love to be a part of our family,'" she said. "Unfortunately, we won’t be doing that."

Emily booked a trip to the Caribbean country in November but had to cancel when the Oilers demoted Colby to their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, after which she said he felt terrible.

They were looking into a solution early in 2020 but had to postpone again when the Canadian and American governments both cautioned against traveling to Haiti due to protests there.

The adoption process can take years to complete, so they were trying to get the ball rolling, according to Nugent-Bowman. Emily wanted to give birth first, then adopt one of the opposite gender, before having a third. She wanted a child from Haiti because her father had worked at an orphanage and missionary facility there.

"I know Colby would want me to go back," she said. "When the time is right, I wanna go back for sure - just not necessarily to adopt anymore. That was a big plan in our future, kids and adopting."

Colby died at the age of 25 in a Toronto hospital on April 11, several days after undergoing emergency surgery to remove a colloid cyst causing pressure on his brain. He'd been hospitalized following a brain bleed and was placed in a medically induced coma following the procedure.

Emily, who turns 27 on Sunday, and Colby got married last July.

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Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen thinks it's only fair that the NHL broaden its playoff bracket if the league jumps right into the postseason upon its pending return.

"If you go directly into the playoffs, I think it has to be expanded from 16 teams," Kekalainen said, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "Otherwise, you'd have to cut it right off, and how do you cut it off when teams had different schedules, different strength of schedules, more home games or less homes games? ... All these differences, where you've arrived at a certain amount of points in a different amount of games."

With the season on pause, the Blue Jackets occupy the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference based on total points. However, the club has played two more games than the New York Islanders and would fail to qualify if the league awarded playoff positions based on points percentage.

Kekalainen is well aware of his team's situation and has made his proposition known to the league office.

"I'm lobbying for getting into the playoffs," Kekalainen said. "Obviously, we want to be a part of it. When the play paused, by points percentage, we were not in (the playoffs), but by points, we were in. What's the fair way to do it, if you continue to go right into the playoffs?

"It's hard to say. Points percentage is one thing, but you still have to earn those points, and we already did. We're above the line."

The Blue Jackets, who've made the playoffs in each of the last three campaigns, have been one of the most surprising stories this season after watching several core players walk in free agency last summer.

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With sports events around the globe currently on pause, many fans are turning to sports movies to get their fix. But just how much have you retained from those flicks? Take our quiz below to see if you can win a sports Oscar.

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Longtime NHL executive Anthony LeBlanc has joined Senators Sports and Entertainment as its president of business operations, Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk announced Monday.

"I am thrilled to be appointed to the position of president of business operations with the Senators," LeBlanc said. "Having been a diehard Senators fan since the Sens rejoined the league, this opportunity is truly an honor. I look forward to working closely with the entire staff as we prepare for an exciting chapter in the history of the Senators.

"I am confident that my experience in the NHL, as well as my sales and marketing background in the technology sector, will be put to good use here in the National Capital Region."

LeBlanc's hiring comes about six weeks after former CEO Jim Little was reportedly fired over abuse allegations his ex-wife made toward him. Little spent just 54 days on the job.

LeBlanc previously served as president, chief executive officer, co-owner, and alternate governor of the Arizona Coyotes franchise from 2013-17. He also worked in several roles at BlackBerry from 2000-08, including as the vice president of global sales.

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Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren got a taste of the NHL this season and is hoping to earn a permanent stay at the top level next year.

"That's my goal, to be with the team all year," Liljegren told TSN's Mark Masters in an interview April 16. "Once you get those games in, you just want to be out there every day, so that's where I'm focusing now, to work hard and to eventually be out there (for) a full year."

The 20-year-old played 11 games in the NHL this season. He averaged 10:18 minutes of ice time per contest and recorded one assist.

Liljegren spent the majority of his time in the minors during 2019-20. He played top minutes with the AHL's Toronto Marlies and recorded five goals and 25 assists in 40 games.

"I think I was pretty consistent," Liljegren said of his AHL season. "I think I started off pretty good and then I just kind of kept it on the same level and just got better every week, every game. Eventually, I got that NHL debut against Chicago and it was a dream come true. ... Once you get that first game, you just want to play more games. Once I came (back) down to the Marlies after that first game, I just tried to work harder so I could go up there again."

Liljegren was slotted behind Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci on the right side of the Leafs' defense while up at the NHL level. However, both veteran defensemen are impending free agents.

With a potential opening on the blue line up for grabs next season, the Swedish defenseman understands that his game still has room to grow.

"Just keep working on everything, basically," Liljegren added. "Just get stronger to be able to hold onto guys in the defensive zone. Just try to work on playing the same type of game I play with the Marlies, (but) up in the NHL, to get that confidence to be able to do that."

Liljegren was selected 17th overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2017 NHL Draft.

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Consider Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie on board with neutral-site games if the NHL deems that a viable solution to its hiatus.

"I want to play. It doesn't necessarily matter too much to me where it is," Oshie said Monday, according to The Athletic's Tarik El-Bashir. "Obviously, North Dakota is probably the No. 1 place I'd want to play in the world, so that would be amazing.

"But with our team and with just how much effort, not only us and myself personally but everyone in the league puts forth during the regular season, all the blocked shots, all the injuries, all that stuff, that all is geared toward getting in the playoffs and having a chance to raise the Cup, and to not have that possibility is a hard pill to swallow. So if it's a neutral site, if that's what you have to do to have a chance to win a Cup, I'm all for it."

Multiple cities have contacted the NHL about hosting games since the league shut down March 12. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; Manchester, New Hampshire; and Grand Forks, North Dakota - where Oshie played for the University of North Dakota from 2005-08 - are all reportedly interested.

At the time of the shutdown, the Capitals occupied first place in the Metropolitan Division with 90 points through 69 games. Oshie had recorded 26 goals and 23 assists.

He put up 21 points in 24 playoff games to help the Capitals win the Stanley Cup in 2018.

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