Marian Gaborik's availability for the Ottawa Senators this season is up in the air, as the 36-year-old winger still hasn't been medically cleared after undergoing back surgery in April.

"Gaborik has not been fully cleared health-wise," general manager Pierre Dorion told the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch. "He's still in L.A. seeing a back specialist. Once he gets here, we'll have more information. Right now, I can't tell you more than that."

Garrioch adds there's no guarantee Gaborik will play this season, and at this point, Dorion couldn't answer when he could return to Ottawa. He was initially given an eight-week timeline to recover from his procedure.

Gaborik was acquired in the four-player trade that sent defenseman Dion Phaneuf to the Kings in February. He chipped in four goals and three assists in 16 games for the Senators last season and has amassed 815 points in 1,035 career contests.

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The NHL has suspended Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson for the entire preseason and the first 27 games of the regular season, the league announced Wednesday.

Watson pleaded no contest to a domestic assault charge in late July after being arrested in June.

"I have determined that Nashville player Austin Watson engaged in a physical confrontation with his domestic partner," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "(Wednesday's) ruling, while tailored to the specific facts of this case and the individuals involved, is necessary and consistent with the NHL's strongly held view that it cannot and will not tolerate this and similar types of conduct."

The NHLPA will file an appeal on behalf of Watson. It could be submitted as early as next week, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reports.

An investigation by the NHL and an in-person hearing last Friday preceded Wednesday's ruling.

Watson is eligible to return Dec. 3 against the Buffalo Sabres.

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The St. Louis Blues will be without starting netminder Jake Allen for the beginning of training camp, as he's set to miss 10-to-14 days due to back spasms, the team announced Wednesday.

Allen is coming off a poor showing in 2017-18, during which he managed a .906 save percentage in 56 starts. His performance this season will be pivotal for the Blues, who raised expectations this summer by trading for Ryan O'Reilly and signing both Tyler Bozak and David Perron, among other moves.

Blues camp is set to open Friday.

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Max Pacioretty and the Montreal Canadiens were on the same page about parting ways.

"This is a new chapter in my life that I feel mutually, myself and the (Canadiens) organization, were ready for," the Vegas Golden Knights forward told reporters, including NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika, at his introductory press conference Wednesday. "I think they're going in a direction of a little bit of a rebuild or a reset, and I'm ready to move on."

The Canadiens traded Pacioretty to the Golden Knights early Monday morning for forward Tomas Tatar, prospect Nick Suzuki, and a 2019 second-round pick. It ended a year-long saga in which he was frequently in the rumor mill and reportedly nearly dealt to other teams multiple times.

After the trade, Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin said Pacioretty asked for a trade on more than one occasion last season, but as he and his agent, Allan Walsh, have done before, the 29-year-old winger attempted to clarify that Wednesday.

Pacioretty said he was grateful for the honor of serving as Canadiens captain but he thinks the deal sending him to the Golden Knights could help his play.

The 10-year veteran had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2017-18, managing only 17 goals and 37 points after five straight non-lockout campaigns of at least 30 goals and 60 points.

He was Montreal's captain for three seasons beginning in 2015-16.

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The St. Louis Blues agreed to a two-year contract with defenseman Jordan Schmaltz on Wednesday, the team announced.

The contract is a two-way deal that will pay him $700,000 at the NHL level and $150,000 in the American Hockey League in year one. In the second year, it becomes a one-way contract that will once again earn him $700,000.

Schmaltz was originally drafted in the first round, 25th overall, back in 2012 by the Blues. Since then, he has played just 22 games with the team over the past two seasons, tallying three assists.

However, he has put up solid numbers while playing in the AHL, including last season when he mustered five goals and 23 points in 31 games with the San Antonio Rampage.

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Lou Lamoriello is ready to turn the page.

The New York Islanders president of hockey operations spoke candidly Tuesday about the departure of John Tavares.

"There's no aftermath. Players come and go," Lamoriello told Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post.

"It's different if they had won championships. It's different if they had had a lot of success. They haven't done much - and I don't say that with any disrespect. Haven't been to the playoffs the last couple years. Things haven't worked out the way everybody would have liked them to, from what my understanding is."

Since drafting Tavares No. 1 overall in 2009, the Islanders have qualified for the postseason three times, winning one playoff series against the Florida Panthers in 2016.

"So, an aftermath? There's no such thing in my mind," Lamoriello, who joined the club's front office in May, continued. "What the players we have here should be thinking about is not making the playoffs last year, and that's what the goal should be. Teams win, not players. Individual players win some games, but teams win championships. And that's what we have to create."

In addition to Tavares leaving to join his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1, the club lost one of its top blue-liners, Calvin de Haan, to the Carolina Hurricanes via free agency and its starting goaltender, Jaroslav Halak, signed with the Boston Bruins this summer to be Tuukka Rask's backup.

Like Lamoriello, new head coach Barry Trotz is looking ahead to the future.

"I don't think with us we mentioned John once, other than when we get asked," Trotz, who signed on to be the Isles' bench boss in June for a reported five years at $4 million per season, told Cyrgalis. "We move on. We're not looking back, we're looking forward."

The Islanders brought in veteran free agents Valtteri Filppula, Leo Komarov, and Tom Kuhnhackl, and traded for a familiar face in Matt Martin this offseason.

"The people that were brought in, they all have an element of one of two things," Trotz said. "They've either won, or they bring a high-character value to the group."

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The Columbus Blue Jackets signed head coach John Tortorella to a two-year contract extension on Wednesday, the team announced.

More to come.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets signed head coach John Tortorella to a two-year contract extension on Wednesday, the team announced.

More to come.

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