Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois accomplished one major piece of offseason business Wednesday by locking down restricted free-agent defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, and he's not worried about inking two other key players even as his club sits above the salary cap.

After signing Sergachev to a three-year contract carrying a $4.8-million average annual value, the Lightning are nearly $2 million over the cap, according to CapFriendly. But forward Anthony Cirelli and blue-liner Erik Cernak remain restricted free agents in need of new deals.

"Not keeping them was never something we would seriously consider," BriseBois told The Athletic's Joe Smith regarding the Lightning's remaining RFAs. He added: "There's significant will on our end to make (new deals) happen. They're a big part of why I look at our organization and future with a lot of promise."

Cirelli is coming off a breakout campaign that saw him record 44 points in 68 regular-season games and finish fourth in Selke Trophy voting. Cernak logged more than 20 minutes of ice time per night during Tampa Bay's postseason run to the second Stanley Cup in franchise history.

BriseBois is well aware he'll need to shed some significant salary to sign the pair of 23-year-olds.

"I know I have to move players to make that happen, and I'm confident I'll be able to move the players to create cap space," he said.

BriseBois added: "There's a lot of progress being made. We're working on a bunch of different fronts, there's a lot of balls up in the air. Nothing has materialized yet."

One player the Lightning are apparently keen to move is Tyler Johnson. The team placed the 30-year-old forward and his $5-million cap hit on waivers earlier in the offseason, but he ultimately went unclaimed.

The NHL's salary cap will remain at $81.5 million for the foreseeable future due to revenue losses stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Team Canada is halting its world junior selection camp and entering a 14-day quarantine period after confirming Tuesday that two players tested positive for COVID-19, Hockey Canada announced Wednesday.

"Upon learning of the positive tests on Monday, the decision was made to suspend all camp activities and quarantine players and staff immediately," the statement read. "As per Hockey Canada’s safety protocols, all players, coaches, and staff members will go through additional testing before resuming any camp activities.

"We remain in constant communication with the appropriate health authorities, and we appreciate and thank Alberta health services for its dedication to ensuring the health and safety of our players, staff, and the community at large."

Workouts and meetings will be conducted via video call, while scrimmages scheduled for this weekend are canceled, reports TSN's Ryan Rishaug.

In addition to the players' positive results, a non-core member of Canada's staff tested positive this past weekend. Two of the squad's coaches, Michael Dyck and Jason LaBarbera, were self-isolating because they were close contacts of the individual.

Canada invited 46 players to its selection camp in Edmonton.

The World Junior Championship is set to start Christmas Day in a bubble environment without fans in attendance.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning re-signed restricted free-agent defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to a three-year deal carrying an average annual value of $4.8 million, the team announced Wednesday.

Tampa Bay is now a projected $1.9 million over the salary cap and still needs to sign center Anthony Cirelli and defenseman Erik Cernak, who are both RFAs, according to PuckPedia.

Sergachev recorded 10 goals and 24 assists in 70 games last season and added 10 points in 25 playoff contests en route to the Lightning's Stanley Cup triumph.

The 22-year-old hasn't been tasked with playing tough minutes, as those responsibilities generally fall on Victor Hedman's or Ryan McDonagh's pairing. However, the Russian has vastly outperformed his matchups, ranking in the 81st percentile in offensive play driving and 92nd percentile in defensive play driving, according to The Athletic's Dom Luszczyszyn's model.

Additionally, Sergachev has posted an expected goals share above 53% in all three of his NHL seasons, according to Natural Stat Trick. His 58.6% expected goals share was second-best among Lightning blue-liners during the postseason.

The Montreal Canadiens drafted Sergachev ninth overall in 2016, but traded him to Tampa Bay along with a second-round pick the following offseason in exchange for forward Jonathan Drouin and a sixth-round pick.

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New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk's career is over as a result of an eye injury he suffered during the 2019-20 season, the club announced Wednesday.

The injury was his second to the same eye.

A skate clipped the veteran blue-liner's face during a game in March, requiring 90 stitches to repair the cut. He missed the rest of the regular season but returned for three playoff games.

"I knew there was something going on but I didn't want to think about it because I wanted to play," he said Wednesday, according to The Athletic's Arthur Staple. "You try to play through everything, and I did."

Boychuk, who'll turn 37 in January, played parts of 13 seasons in the NHL and spent the last six with New York. He won the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011, and the Bruins traded him to the Islanders on the eve of the 2014-15 season.

Known for his ability to tee up blistering and accurate slap shots, the longtime rearguard produced 54 goals and 206 points in 725 contests.

The Colorado Avalanche selected Boychuk 61st overall in 2002.

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Divisions: Central | Metropolitan | Pacific (Nov. 26) | Atlantic (Nov. 27)

While there are still plenty of available unrestricted free agents, several unsigned restricted free agents, and a handful of players who could potentially be dealt, theScore is handing out offseason grades for each NHL team.

Wednesday's edition focuses on the Metropolitan Division, which was uncharacteristically quiet.

Some contract figures are reported. Most players on two-way deals have been omitted.

Carolina Hurricanes

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

The Hurricanes were rather quiet this offseason. Fast is a strong play-driver and should be a nice fit for Rod Brind'Amour's group, but when he's a team's most notable addition, you know not much has changed.

On the blue line, Edmundson and van Riemsdyk won't be missed considering how much depth the club has. However, general manager Don Waddell might be regretting his trade for Brady Skjei ($5.25 million in average annual value for four more seasons) at the 2020 deadline and signing Jake Gardiner ($4.05 million in AAV for three more seasons) last offseason.

Those contracts could make it difficult to re-sign Dougie Hamilton, who's set to hit unrestricted free agency next offseason when Andrei Svechnikov's entry-level deal expires. Waddell loses marks for not getting out ahead of his 2021 cap dilemma.

This is still a solid team that should improve as young players continue to develop, but the goaltending duo of James Reimer and Petr Mrazek remains suspect.

Grade: C

Columbus Blue Jackets

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Unsigned RFAs

Rookies who could crack the lineup

Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen addressed his biggest need this offseason: depth down the middle. The additions of Domi, Koivu, and Grigorenko will allow Boone Jenner and Nick Foligno to play on the wing where they're most valuable. However, all these players have question marks.

Is Columbus getting the 72-point Domi from 2018-19 or the 44-point Domi from 2019-20? He'll almost certainly be more valuable than Anderson, who produced just four points over 26 games during an injury-riddled campaign last season. However, Anderson is the better player when healthy.

Grigorenko is a high-upside, low-risk addition. The former first-round pick has plenty of skill but was never able to put it all together in the NHL. Can he be a key contributor after three years in the KHL? Additionally, what does the 37-year-old Koivu have left in the tank?

The blue line's top six remains solid, but the depth took a hit with the losses of Murray and Nutivaara. That could be problematic in a condensed schedule.

It's difficult to give the Blue Jackets a high grade considering their No. 1 objective coming into the offseason had to be getting Dubois locked up, and they've yet to do that despite having over $9 million in cap space.

Grade: C+

New Jersey Devils

Key arrivals

Key departures

Unsigned RFAs

Rookies who could crack the lineup

As one of the few clubs with cap flexibility, the Devils were able to make some savvy trades with teams looking to clear cap space. They acquired a solid middle-six winger in Johnsson and a legitimate top-four defenseman (when healthy) in Murray while only giving up Anderson and a fifth-round pick. That's some nice work by new GM Tom Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald also solidified his goaltending by adding Crawford on a fair deal. The veteran netminder proved in the playoffs he can still perform at a high level.

While New Jersey has two RFAs to sign, the team has over $17 million in cap space to use. The Devils get docked for not being even more aggressive considering their cap space and the remaining UFAs that could help fill the holes on this roster, specifically up front.

The hiring of Lindy Ruff as New Jersey's head coach was a questionable move, but all and all it was a stellar offseason for the Devils.

Grade: B

New York Islanders

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Unsigned RFAs

Rookies who could crack the lineup

Lou Lamoriello has put the Islanders in quite a pickle. Thanks to some contracts he's signed since arriving in Long Island two years ago (most notably Jordan Eberle, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Leo Komarov), New York is up against the cap. Signing Barzal looked like a near-impossible task, but getting $6 million in relief by placing Boychuk on LTIR will likely help the team ink the franchise center.

However, the Islanders still had to move Toews, 26, who was their second-best defenseman last year, and they only received a pair of second-round picks in return. That's a massive loss.

With no improvements up front or on defense, this offseason can only be considered a disaster - especially while Barzal remains unsigned. The only thing saving this grade from an F was convincing Sorokin to leave the KHL six years after the Isles drafted him.

Grade: D

New York Rangers

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

One year after being one of the busiest teams in free agency, the Rangers were rather quiet in 2020. Aside from buying out a franchise icon in Lundqvist, the team made no significant moves.

After making an addition by subtraction by shipping Staal to the Red Wings, GM Jeff Gorton replaced him with one of the few defensemen worse than Staal: Jack Johnson. The former third overall pick is a below-replacement-level blue-liner. His $1.15-million cap hit won't kill New York, but it all but guarantees Johnson a spot on the team's bottom pair. Better options could've been had for under $1 million.

The Rangers have ample firepower up front, one of the league's best, young, cost-efficient goaltending duos, and a strong right side of the blue line. However, the left side of the blue line (Ryan Lindgren, Libor Hajek, Brendan Smith, Johnson, and Bitetto) is one of the NHL's worst. If New York misses the playoffs, it will likely be because of Gorton's failure to address this issue.

Lafreniere could be an immediate impact player, but the Rangers shouldn't get credit because a ping pong ball bounced their way.

Grade: D

Philadelphia Flyers

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Unsigned RFAs

Rookies who could crack the lineup

It cannot be understated how big the loss of Niskanen is. The veteran was the perfect partner for Ivan Provorov on the team's top pairing, and he flourished against tough matchups.

The signing of Gustafsson was curious. It seemed to spell the end of Shayne Gostisbehere's time in the City of Brotherly Love - given the prior rumors - but he remains in Philadelphia. Gustafsson and Gostisbehere have high offensive ceilings, but both are defensive liabilities and aren't suited to play alongside Provorov. In hindsight, Gustafsson at $3 million seems like a slight overpay, depending on what UFA D-men Travis Hamonic and Sami Vatanen sign for.

The Flyers have a deep crop of forwards and arguably the best young goaltender in the game, but if Myers can't step into the top-pairing role with Provorov, GM Chuck Fletcher is going to wish he did a better job replacing Niskanen. Thankfully, Philadelphia has a bit of wiggle room, so a defenseman could potentially be acquired during the season if things go south.

Grade: C-

Pittsburgh Penguins

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

The Penguins were easily the busiest team in their division this offseason, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're the most improved.

GM Jim Rutherford drafted Kapanen and his father, Sami, but a first-round pick and a solid prospect in Filip Hallander was a steep price to pay for a player who's yet to prove he can flourish as a top-six forward.

Kapanen will essentially replace Hornqvist - a gritty, heart-and-soul player - in the top six. Hornqvist's contract ($5.3 million in AAV for three more years) wasn't great, but swapping it for Matheson's deal could be problematic. Matheson is a turnover machine who's posted a sub-50% expected goals share in four straight seasons. He's a third-pairing blue-liner at best.

In what seemed like an attempt to make Pittsburgh's defense even worse, Rutherford signed Ceci, one of the league's worst blue-liners. His possession numbers were better this past season in Toronto after six years in Ottawa, but he's still a liability. He won't be counted on to play top-four minutes in Pittsburgh, but it's still a questionable signing.

On the bright side, Jankowski and Sceviour are solid bottom-six additions and offer good value.

Grade: D+

Washington Capitals

Key arrivals

Key departures

Re-signed

Rookies who could crack the lineup

GM Brian MacLellan had very little cap room to work with this offseason, and it was a foregone conclusion that the forward group was going to go mostly untouched.

However, the Capitals had some flexibility with regards to their defense and goaltending. Schultz was an interesting addition. Washington had the league's second-best offense but the 15th-ranked defense. Targeting more of a defensive defenseman would've made sense, but Schultz doesn't exactly fit that description. He's more of a high-variance offensive blue-liner.

Washington's best move of the offseason, though, was re-signing Dillon. The rugged defenseman has posted strong possession numbers in his career and performed well with the Caps - specifically alongside John Carlson - after being acquired at the trade deadline. The value is reasonable, too.

In goal, Lundqvist was a decent value signing (he probably won't be worse than Holtby was at $6.1 million last year). "King Henrik" will be playing in front of a better team he had in New York, and he should be an excellent mentor for Ilya Samsonov.

Lastly, MacLellan deserves credit for firing head coach Todd Reirden after just two years and replacing him with Peter Laviolette, who has a strong track record of immediate success.

Grade: B

(Cap source: CapFriendly)
(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick)

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The National Women's Hockey League will hold its upcoming season in a controlled environment at an American landmark.

The NWHL will conduct the 2020-21 campaign without fans in attendance at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York, the league announced Wednesday.

Each of the league's six teams will play a five-game regular-season schedule comprising of one game against every other team. A playoff round will then determine which teams qualify for the Isobel Cup semifinals, which will be decided in a single-game format. The final will take place on Feb. 5.

The clubs will arrive in a staggered manner on Jan. 21 and 22, with the regular season beginning Jan. 23.

Everyone in the bubble will undergo regular COVID-19 testing and is expected to follow the appropriate health and safety protocols.

The league will pay the players their full salaries despite the abbreviated schedule.

Herb Brooks Arena played host to the "Miracle on Ice," the U.S. Olympic hockey team's improbable triumph in 1980. Herb Brooks, who died in 2003, was the head coach of that team, and the rink was renamed in his honor in 2005.

The facility was built for the 1980 Olympics and has been used for college hockey championships and occasional ECHL games since.

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