The New York Islanders have suffered a major loss on their blue line, as head coach Jack Capuano announced Friday that defenseman Travis Hamonic has been ruled out for the remainder of the regular season with a lower-body injury.

Hamonic left Thursday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets after what appeared to be a knee-on-knee collision with forward Scott Hartnell.

Capuano says the blue-liner will be re-evaluated at the end of the season, according to Newsday's Laura Albanese.

The 25-year-old leads his team in ice time, averaging just under 24 minutes per game. He has recorded five goals and 16 assists in 72 games.

The Islanders have yet to clinch a playoff spot, but have won three consecutive games to build a six-point cushion over the top non-playoff team, the Detroit Red Wings, with six games remaining.

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While Senators general manager Bryan Murray says one of his team's most pressing offseason needs is adding a top-six forward, talks seem to have stalled with Ottawa's current leading scorer.

Contract negotiations with pending restricted free agent Mike Hoffman are "on hold," Murray told media Friday, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.

Murray says still deciding what kind of offer they will make to rfa Mike Hoffman.

— Dean Brown (@PxPOttawa) April 1, 2016

Hoffman leads the Senators with 27 goals this season and ranks fourth on the team with 54 points, but his production has slowed significantly in 2016. After scoring eight goals and 13 points in the month of December, he has just nine goals and 20 points in the three months since.

Murray's other priority for the offseason is landing a bottom-pairing defenseman, as he "really likes" his top four of Erik Karlsson, Marc Methot, Dion Phaneuf and Cody Ceci.

The GM added that all members of the organization are being evaluated, including himself and the coaching staff. Murray said he'd make a decision about his role with the club for next season "soon."

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NEW YORK, N.Y. - Edmonton Oilers centre Connor McDavid was named NHL rookie of the month on Friday after leading all first-year players with 16 points in March. McDavid, the first overall pick in last year's draft, had five goals and 11 assis...

The Philadelphia Flyers signed goaltender Ray Emery to a contract for the rest of the season, the club announced Friday.

Emery will not be eligible to play in the postseason, should the Flyers qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He's been placed on waivers due to the fact he played overseas this season.

With Michal Neuvirth done for the regular season, Emery is insurance in goal for the Flyers over the last two weeks of the season. Steve Mason has been incredible since Neuvirth went down, but backup Anthony Stolarz has never played a game in the NHL.

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Shocker.

Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid was named the NHL's rookie of the month for March, the league announced Friday.

McDavid had five goals and 11 assists in 15 games, and went on a career-high tying seven-game point streak March 14-16. He had a goal and nine assists during the run.

The 19-year-old has 15 goals and 30 assists in 42 games, his 1.07 points-per-game average ranking third in the NHL.

The league named Buffalo Sabres rookies Sam Reinhart (12 points) and Jack Eichel (10 points), Arizona Coyotes forward Anthony Duclair (10 points), and St. Louis Blues forward Robby Fabbri (nine points) as honorable mentions.

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Brendan Gallagher confirmed Friday that he will be back in the lineup after a near month-long absence Saturday, when his Montreal Canadiens take on the Florida Panthers.

The 23-year-old has been out since suffering a lower-body injury during a March 5 game against the Winnipeg Jets.

The forward, who has recorded 18 goals and 17 assists this season, practiced Friday on a new top line besideAlex Galchenyuk and Max Pacioretty.

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The NHL may be heading further south as Mexico City sports and government officials are looking to host a pair of NHL games next preseason, Mexican news agency NOTIMEX reports.

Mexican Ice Hockey Federation president Joaquin de la Garma has reportedly met with the NHL twice to discuss the proposal. The games would "most likely" be played at Mexico City arena, Palacio de los Deportes, where an ice rink would need to be installed.

De la Garma said "it would be the NHL who decides which teams would play," but added the most popular teams in the country are the San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

His hope is to have one game on a Friday night and another on a Sunday at noon.

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The Ottawa Senators signed free-agent defenseman Macoy Erkamps of the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Friday.

"We are happy to have Macoy join the Senators organization," said general manager Bryan Murray. "He is a player we've had an eye on over the course of his junior career and we've watched him develop into one of the WHL's top defensemen this season. He's a talented, competitive guy whose game took a big jump this season."

Erkamps, who is serving as captain of the Wheat Kings, led all WHL defensemen with 58 assists this season and ranked second among blue-liners with 71 points, trailing only teammate Ivan Provorov - a Philadelphia Flyers first-round pick.

The 21-year-old was an invitee to the Senators' summer development camp in 2013, and attended the St. Louis Blues' Rookie Camp as a free agent last September.

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