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The class-action concussion lawsuit former NHL players filed in 2016 is close to being settled for $18.9 million, according to Forbes' Mike Ozanian. The players would get $6.9 million as a group, which is $22,000 per player.

The case is about NHL players who say they suffered concussions during their playing careers, whether the league and its teams did enough to ensure player safety at the time, and what responsibility the league has today.

In an email obtained by Forbes, the law firm representing the former players recommends that its clients accept the league's settlement offer.

Dan Carcillo, who played in 429 NHL games, is one of more than 100 former players involved in the lawsuit. Carcillo led the league in penalty minutes twice and suffered numerous concussions during his career.

In March, he talked about his reasons for joining the lawsuit.

"I'm not a bitter guy looking to hurt the NHL," Carcillo said. "I'm not out for money. I'll donate anything I get to research. I just want to put pressure on the NHL and educate and advocate for guys."

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The aftermath of the Ottawa Senators' Uber scandal has taken another turn.

The Ottawa Citizen - the newspaper that posted the video of seven Sens players trash talking assistant coach Marty Raymond while they were unknowingly being recorded during an Uber ride in Arizona - said on Friday that the club banned longtime reporter Ken Warren from the team's charter, according to the Canadian Press.

This comes after the Citizen rejected the team's request to remove the video from its website on Wednesday.

Warren had been given his usual travel itinerary, but upon arriving at the airport was told he couldn't board the team's flight to Tampa Bay.

"I can confirm it happened this morning," said the paper's editor-in-chief Michelle Richardson. "For us, it doesn’t really change our fundamentals. We’re still committed to covering the Senators, both the good and the bad. Our coverage is important to our readers and to their fans and that’s not going to change."

This isn't the first time the Senators have banned a reporter from the team's charter, according to Postmedia's Michael Traikos.

TSN's Brent Wallace also lost his seat on the plane last year after asking owner Eugene Melnyk about a report that suggested he had been withholding bonus money from his employees. Melnyk denied the allegation, but once the cameras were turned off, bystanders saw him turn to Wallace and say, "I’m going to bury you," according to Traikos.

Traikos adds that the Senators are the lone remaining NHL club to allow reporters to travel with the team, but Sylvain St-Laurent of Le Droit is one of the few who still has a seat.

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Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg will be out a little longer than initially expected.

The 26-year-old underwent hand surgery Friday and will be out a minimum of four weeks, head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters. He was originally expected to miss three weeks.

Klingberg suffered the injury during his club's 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, though it's not clear when it occurred.

The blue-liner sits second on the team in scoring with 13 points and paces the club with six power-play points in 16 games.

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James Sparklin, the Uber driver who posted a video of seven Ottawa Senators players criticizing their special teams coach, has spoken for the first time since the incident went viral.

"I was not in the right state of mind," Sparklin said, mentioning he wrestled with the decision and ultimately posted part of the video on YouTube while intoxicated, according to Kelly Egan of the Ottawa Citizen.

Sparklin said he was aggravated about an unspecified incident that happened early in the trip regarding the number of passengers he had to transport, saying he was concerned he wouldn't be covered by his insurance in the event of an accident.

"What really upset me the most was, if I were to get in an accident, I don't believe the insurance would cover it. The million-dollar policy would go very fast," he said.

Uber fired Sparklin for violating its terms of service, and he showed remorse for the incident.

"I didn't think about my actions at all," Sparklin said. "I wasn't trying to get money or anything like that. I got contacted and took it down right away.

"I'm worried about my name getting out, my life being ruined, and my children."

The Senators players involved in the video have since apologized, and the team has gone 1-1 since it was thrust into the spotlight.

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A concussion is at the root of Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy's absence, general manager Don Sweeney announced Friday.

The 20-year-old has missed the Bruins' last eight games, having not suited up since Oct. 18 against the Edmonton Oilers when he suffered the head injury.

"He’s been in protocol since (the Edmonton game) and is progressing - no timeline (on a return) but making progress," Sweeney said.

Sweeney noted that the Bruins aren't sure when exactly the hit that gave McAvoy the concussion occurred, but the blue-liner did skate in the last few days, according to Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston.

Injuries have limited the sophomore to just seven games this season, but he's been productive when healthy, contributing one goal and six points.

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Could Gritty have a future in politics? Some people in New Jersey apparently think so.

The Philadelphia Flyers' mascot earned 14 write-in votes from residents in Camden, N.J. in the midterm elections, according to Michael Blinn of the New York Post. There was a pair of votes for Gritty to be county sheriff and another two for the U.S. House in N.J. District 1.

A graphic shown on the video board at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night claimed that Gritty received write-in votes in 46 states, though there has been no confirmation of that yet.

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The Boston Bruins have granted goaltender Tuukka Rask a leave of absence relating to a personal matter, the team announced Friday.

The reason for his absence or its potential length is unknown, but general manager Don Sweeney said the matter isn't health related.

Rask has yet to find his groove in the 2018-19 season, owning a 4-4 record with a .901 save percentage.

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Thanks to the generosity of one Washington Capitals fan, the entirety of Thursday night's 50/50 jackpot at Capital One Arena will be donated to the victims of the recent Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.

The Capitals announced ahead of their game against the Penguins that they would donate half the jackpot to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh to benefit the victims and families of the Tree of Life Synagogue, where an Oct. 27 shooting left 11 people dead and six injured.

A Capitals season-ticket holder won the raffle but chose to donate their portion of the winnings to the victims too. The jackpot donation from the Capitals and the winning fan totaled $38,570.

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Tomas Plekanec announced his retirement from the NHL on Friday after the Montreal Canadiens placed him on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract.

However, while Plekanec's playing days in the NHL are now in the rearview mirror, he admits he's not quite ready to hang up the skates for good.

Plekanec remarked on his time with the Habs and his now-former teammates during his announcement.

"I'm happy with what I've done here with the Canadiens," Plekanec said, per the team. "I can leave happy.

"I'm going to miss the guys. It's another family, coming here every morning. Now, it's gone. It's something I'm going to miss, for sure. I'm going to watch them and cheer for them."

The 36-year-old concludes his NHL career with 233 goals and 608 points in 1,001 games, with all but 17 of those contests coming as a member of the Canadiens.

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