Pierre-Luc Dubois declined to confirm his apparent desire to be traded when asked about it Sunday, but the Columbus Blue Jackets forward said he hopes the situation doesn't linger in the dressing room.

"I'm going to be the best player I can be, the best teammate I can be, (and) the best person I can be," Dubois told reporters. "I don't want it to be a distraction, so I think that's the only way.

"I think if I go out there and I work hard in practices, have a good attitude, work hard in games, (and) play well, I think it's not a distraction. It's if I don't do those things that it could become (one), but I know the attitude I'm going to have. I know that I'm going to work hard, and I know I'm going to have a good attitude and be a good teammate. So I hope it's not a distraction."

The 22-year-old, who was a restricted free agent, signed a two-year, $10-million extension with Columbus on Thursday. Soon afterward, it was reported his camp preferred a short-term deal to give general manager Jarmo Kekalainen time to trade him and that the relationship between Dubois and the team soured during the recently concluded talks.

Dubois didn't directly respond when asked to elaborate on the report, instead repeatedly stating the negotiations "will remain private."

Meanwhile, Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella revealed Sunday that he hasn't spoken to Dubois, but they plan to deal with the situation as a team.

"I think it's important that it belongs in the room where everybody's involved with it and understanding what's going on," Tortorella said. " ... Not only this situation but others as the year goes on, we talk about it as men, and we talk about it in a group setting."

Tortorella added that he's focusing on the players who are committed to remaining with the club.

"I'm not disappointed. I am going to ... put time into the people that want to be here. This isn't new for us .... We're not going to overthink this. We're going to have a conversation, everybody's going to understand where everybody stands ... and then we're going to get about our business and get ready to play."

The Blue Jackets have previously been in similar situations, as both Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky indicated they weren't interested in re-signing before leaving for other clubs in free agency in 2019. However, those two stars were pending UFAs.

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New York Islanders unsigned restricted free agent Mathew Barzal was not present on the first day of training camp, head coach Barry Trotz told The Athletic's Arthur Staple.

The Isles currently have just $3.9 million in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly, but the club can create an additional $6 million in flexibility once Johnny Boychuk is placed on long-term injured reserve. The veteran blue-liner recently ended his playing career due to an eye injury.

Trotz is preparing to begin the season without his No. 1 center.

"You have to make sure you're adaptable," he said. "We're going to worry about who we can put on the ice."

Trotz did say Barzal is currently on Long Island. If the two sides can come to an agreement, he should be able to join the team almost immediately.

Islanders captain Anders Lee is confident Barzal will sign soon, according to NHL.com's Brian Compton.

Barzal is the heartbeat of the Islanders' attack. New York finished with the league's 23rd-ranked offense last season, but Barzal racked up a team-leading 60 points in 68 games.

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The Chicago Blackhawks re-signed restricted free-agent center Dylan Strome to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $3 million, the team announced Sunday.

Strome is expected to serve as the Blackhawks' top center to begin the season, with Kirby Dach expected to miss the entire campaign with a fractured wrist and Jonathan Toews out indefinitely with an illness.

"We believe Dylan is ready to take the next step in his career and build off the strides he has made in his first two years in Chicago," said Blackhawks president of hockey operations and general manager Stan Bowman. "He has great offensive instincts and brings creativity and skill to our team. We are thrilled he is now signed and able to join us tomorrow for the start of training camp."

The 23-year-old's career has taken off ever since the Arizona Coyotes traded him to Chicago in November 2018, along with Brendan Perlini, in exchange for Nick Schmaltz. Strome has tallied 29 goals and 60 assists in 116 career games with the Blackhawks.

Strome was selected third overall by the Coyotes at the 2015 draft.

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British Columbia joined Alberta as the lone Canadian provinces to approve NHL games for the upcoming season.

B.C. Premier John Horgan made the announcement Sunday.

Alberta green-lit NHL games Thursday. Canada's federal government gave the go-ahead for training camps north of the border that same day.

Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec haven't consented to teams in those provinces hosting games. On Thursday, a Manitoba government spokesperson told The Canadian Press that negotiations were ongoing.

The seven Canadian NHL clubs will play in the same division as part of the NHL's 2020-21 realignment.

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The Vancouver Canucks signed veteran defenseman Travis Hamonic to a professional tryout contract, the team announced Sunday.

Hamonic is traveling to Vancouver from Winnipeg and will have to partake in a seven-day quarantine before he can join training camp.

The 30-year-old entered the offseason as an unrestricted free agent after spending the last three seasons with the Calgary Flames. He was traded there from the New York Islanders before the 2017-18 campaign.

Hamonic has 637 games of NHL experience, racking up 188 points. If he secures a contract with Vancouver, he'd add some quality depth to the right side of its blue line.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins locked up defenseman John Marino with a six-year contract extension that carries an average annual value of $4.4 million, the team announced Sunday.

Marino, 23, has one season remaining on his entry-level contract, so the deal will kick in for the 2021-22 campaign.

"We are very fortunate to have a young, skilled defenseman like John in our organization," general manager Jim Rutherford said. "His rookie season proved he is a top-four defenseman with great hockey sense. We were impressed with his strong defensive play and look forward to watching him develop offensively."

The Edmonton Oilers drafted Marino in 2015. He then spent three seasons at Harvard before Edmonton dealt his rights to the Pens for a sixth-round pick prior to his rookie campaign in 2019-20.

Marino showed plenty of promise as an NHL freshman, registering 26 points in 56 games while averaging over 20 minutes per night.

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