It seems the Ottawa Senators and restricted free-agent forward Brady Tkachuk are progressing in the right direction regarding a new contract.

The Senators hope to agree on a long-term deal with Tkachuk before training camp begins on Sept. 22, according to the Ottawa Suns' Bruce Garrioch.

Tkachuk's camp and Ottawa reportedly discussed a new contract as late as last Friday and will likely continue negotiating this week. There hasn't been any animosity between the two sides throughout the talks, adds Garrioch.

General manager Pierre Dorion said Friday the sides have held "productive discussions," per The Athletics' Ian Mendes.

The Senators drafted Tkachuk fourth overall in 2018. The 21-year-old winger posted 36 points across 56 contests last season, which translates to 53 points over an 82-game campaign.

Ottawa is looking to name a captain for the 2021-22 season. Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot are among the leading candidates for the honor.

Tkachuk isn't the only restricted free agent left on the Senators' roster, as the club will also have to decide on Logan Brown. The 23-year-old reportedly hasn't signed his qualifying offer, and both sides agree the forward could use a change of scenery.

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No Montreal Canadiens player will wear the "C" for the 2021-22 campaign, general manager Marc Bergevin announced Monday.

Weber won't play this season due to ankle, foot, knee, and thumb injuries. His playing career is likely over.

The 36-year-old served as captain for three seasons, taking over following Max Pacioretty's departure in 2018.

The Habs last went without a captain during the 2014-15 campaign after Brian Gionta left as a free agent.

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The Montreal Canadiens might've thought harder about matching the Jesperi Kotkaniemi offer sheet if Christian Dvorak wasn't available to them on the trade block, general manager Marc Bergevin said Monday.

Bergevin added that the lucrative one-year deal Kotkanemi signed with the Carolina Hurricanes also played a role.

"Would we have loved to have kept (Kotkaniemi)? Of course," Bergevin said, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels. "But not at $6.1 million and not with Christian Dvorak available to us."

Bergevin added that matching the offer sheet would've affected the team's future cap management with "players we wanted to keep" moving forward, TSN's John Lu reports. Kotkanemi's qualifying offer for next season will be $6.1 million.

The Canadiens received a first-round pick and third-rounder from the Canes for not matching the one-year, $6.1-million offer sheet for Kotkaniemi. Montreal then flipped a first- and second-rounder to the Arizona Coyotes for Dvorak.

Dvorak, 25, has four years remaining on his contract carrying a $4.45-million cap hit. He recorded 17 goals and 14 assists in 56 contests last season while averaging 18:24 of ice time per game.

Bergevin is excited to see how Dvorak's reliable, two-way game translates to the Canadiens.

"He won't wow you but he's detailed, plays an honest game," Bergevin said. "He'll have 'different wingers' (that is, more skilled) than he did in Arizona."

Bergevin also said the club was proposing a two-year bridge deal to Kotkaniemi at a price lower than the offer sheet.

Kotkaniemi, 21, tallied just five goals and 15 assists in 56 games this past season. He's failed to meet expectations since being taken third overall in the 2018 draft.

Bergevin added that, in hindsight, it would've been beneficial to let Kotkaniemi play another year in Finland instead of bringing him to the NHL as an 18-year-old in 2018-19.

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Those wondering how the Carolina Hurricanes planned to fit newcomer Jesperi Kotkaniemi under the salary cap now have an answer.

The Hurricanes will place defenseman Jake Gardiner on long-term injured reserve when he undergoes multiple procedures, thereby clearing space for Kotkaniemi's $6,100,015 cap hit before the season begins.

"We won't be in a (tight) cap situation," Carolina general manager Don Waddell said Sunday. "Gardiner, who's going to have back and hip surgery here, is not going to be ready to go this year. So we had cap space available knowing that he'll go on (LTIR)."

Gardiner was limited to 26 games and averaged a career-low 16:03 of ice time last season due to his injuries. He's played for the Hurricanes for the last two campaigns after spending his first eight with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 31-year-old is under contract through 2022-23 at a $4.05-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly.

Carolina officially acquired Kotkaniemi on Saturday when the Montreal Canadiens elected not to match the Hurricanes' offer sheet. That move temporarily put them over the cap, a position they're allowed to be in until opening night.

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Despite the Carolina Hurricanes' numerous references suggesting otherwise, general manager Don Waddell insists the Jesperi Kotkaniemi offer sheet wasn't about getting back at the Montreal Canadiens for doing the same to Sebastian Aho two years ago.

"It certainly was not revenge," Waddell said Sunday. "We talked about this player, we know this player."

"(We used) the CBA as other teams have in the past to try to acquire a 21-year-old player," he added. "So to us, it was all about the player. We looked around the league and thought this made the most sense from where we are as a team.

"We have a couple of other good Finnish players on our team and thought this would be a great fit."

On Saturday, Montreal chose not to match an offer sheet for $6,100,015 that Carolina tendered to Kotkaniemi one week earlier, making the forward a member of the Hurricanes. Carolina was also forced to surrender a first- and third-round pick to Montreal as compensation.

Last Saturday, in the immediate aftermath of the move, the Hurricanes' press release included a quote from Waddell that was nearly identical to what Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin said after issuing an offer sheet to Aho in 2019. Carolina also included a $20 signing bonus in Kotkaniemi's deal (Aho wears No. 20), and the Hurricanes' social media team repeatedly poked fun at Montreal with callbacks to the earlier ordeal.

The club even posted a screenshot of the signing bonus on Twitter with a caption reading, "People don't forget."

"The (press) release, that's a marketing thing," Waddell said. "We're trying to continue to build our franchise here in Raleigh (and) trying to keep our fans engaged. Our social team gets huge marks from the NHL, and they had some fun with it."

The Canadiens signed Aho to a five-year offer sheet with a $8.454-million cap hit on July 1, 2019. The Hurricanes matched it several days later.

Kotkaniemi's deal is the first unmatched offer sheet since the Edmonton Oilers plucked Dustin Penner from the Anaheim Ducks in 2007.

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