Cole Caufield admits he hasn't fully blocked out his contract negotiations.

"You try not to (think about it), but you really can't really get away from it," the Montreal Canadiens star told the media, including TSN, on Friday. "It's everywhere, you hear it a lot. But for me, (I'm) just trying to stay away from it. It's going to happen when it happens."

On Tuesday, it was reported the Canadiens and Caufield's agent, Pat Brisson, opened preliminary contract talks roughly a month ago. The 22-year-old winger confirmed as much Friday and acknowledged he's given it some thought.

"Obviously, I love being here. I love this team and this group of guys, so (I'll) just take it one step at a time, but for sure it's in the back of my mind," he said.

When asked whether the dollar amount or terms are sticking points in talks, Caufield downplayed the notion of either one being a reason there's no deal yet.

"Honestly, I don't really see it like that," he said. "It's probably just (about) the best fit for me. (Brisson) and the guys behind the scenes take care of those things, but I'm not too worried."

Caufield also said he's in no rush to finalize anything at the moment. The young sniper is a pending restricted free agent who's in the final year of his entry-level pact. He's due for a hefty raise from his current average annual value of approximately $881,000.

The American has racked up 26 goals and 10 assists over 46 games in 2022-23. He produced 23 tallies and 20 helpers over 67 contests last season, including 22 of those goals in the 37 games he played after the Canadiens replaced head coach Dominique Ducharme with Martin St. Louis.

Caufield is in his third season and second full campaign with the Habs, who drafted him 15th overall in 2019. He won the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's top men's hockey player in 2021.

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Max Pacioretty tore his Achilles tendon late in Thursday's win over the Minnesota Wild, the Carolina Hurricanes announced.

Pacioretty sustained the same injury in August, which delayed his Hurricanes debut until January.

Carolina acquired Pacioretty in a July trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. The 34-year-old scored three goals in the five contests in which he suited up with the Canes.

Pacioretty also departed Carolina's victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 12 with an injury that was unrelated to his first Achilles tear. He missed the next two contests with that ailment before returning Thursday.

The veteran forward has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, and especially recently. He was limited to 39 games last season and missed eight in 2021. Pacioretty was able to play all 71 tilts for Vegas in the abbreviated 2019-20 campaign, but he suited up for only 66 and 64 in the two prior seasons, respectively.

Pacioretty played his first 10 campaigns with the Montreal Canadiens, who drafted him 22nd overall in 2007. The Connecticut-born winger spent his next four with the Golden Knights before they shipped him to the Hurricanes.

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Bruce Boudreau acknowledged the widespread speculation that the clock is winding down on his tenure as Vancouver Canucks head coach in an emotional media availability Friday.

"I mean, I'd be a fool to say that I don't know what's going on," the veteran bench boss said. "Like I said before, you come to work and you realize how great the game is."

A choked-up Boudreau said he'd "talk later" when asked what it means to him to be a head coach in the NHL and politely ended his scrum.

The Canucks take on the Colorado Avalanche on Friday and the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Both contests will take place at home.

Former NHL head coach and current TNT analyst Rick Tocchet has been linked to the Canucks as Boudreau's successor. During a wide-ranging press conference Monday, president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford confirmed that he had spoken to external coaching candidates but said the job still belonged to Boudreau.

"It's tough not to feel (the pressure)," Boudreau said. "Look, if you love it, you want to go do it. That's the way I shut it out, basically just realizing how much you care about the game and the players."

The 68-year-old raised some eyebrows across the league - and within his own household - when he wasn't on the ice for Friday's morning skate.

"I mean, I've got my wife phoning me, saying, 'You're not on the ice, is everything OK?' So (reporters) are getting it out all over the country."

He added, "I said (to my wife), 'I'm still here! I just don't go on the ice all the time.'"

Boudreau won 617 of his 1,085 games as a coach, tying Jacques Lemaire for the 20th most in NHL history. He's three victories short of catching up to Bryan Murray in 19th.

The Canucks are currently in sixth place of the Pacific Division with a record of 18-23-3.

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Though Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson reiterated that he and his family are happy in San Jose, he acknowledged that the potential of being moved to a contending team at the March 3 trade deadline is appealing.

"I will never sway from that: I want to win," he said during a recent appearance on the "Got Yer Back" podcast with Pierre LeBrun and Ryan Rishaug. "I think as you get older and you've been around for a longer time, you realize it's not as easy as it looks and you gotta hit it at the right time. Obviously if it does happen, then I hope that I do."

Karlsson, 32, is enjoying a resurgent campaign: He paces all skaters with 45 even-strength points and he tops all defensemen with 15 goals and 47 assists in 46 games while averaging over 25 minutes of ice time a night. If he keeps it up, the veteran can become the first rearguard to crack the 100-point mark since Brian Leetch in 1991-92.

His flashy numbers will garner interest from some teams bound for the postseason, but Karlsson carries a cap hit of $11.5 million through 2026-27, which is a hefty price tag. The ball is also firmly in Karlsson's court thanks to his no-movement clause, so he might not end up being traded at all.

If he stays put, Karlsson hopes the Sharks' road back to relevancy and competitiveness is a short one.

"We'll see where we're at, but I like the way it's going, I know that much," he said. "I know that the hires that they've made and the people that they've put in charge are doing a great job in moving in the right direction. ... I know that the future here is going to be really bright.

"I just hope that it's within my timeline. If it's not, that’s a different discussion and that's where we haven't really gotten yet, I don't think. It's also a tricky part because you never know; it could work out really fast or it could be a little bit of a longer thing. Sometimes that's a gamble you have to take."

The Swede isn't a stranger to being traded. After spending the first nine seasons of his career in Ottawa, the Senators sent him to the Sharks in 2018. Karlsson said he thinks he's more prepared for another potential move because of his experience.

"As long as you are somewhere where you believe in what they're doing and you're fully invested, I think that’s all you can ask for, is to have a legitimate chance and hope that it works out," Karlsson said. "So we'll see what happens for me.”

In November, Karlsson said he was "fully invested" in the Sharks as the rumor mill began to churn.

San Jose currently sits seventh in the Pacific Division with a record of 14-23-9.

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The NHL is throwing it back to the mid-90s for the 2023 All-Star Game uniforms. The league unveiled its Reverse Retro All-Star Game threads Thursday.

The jerseys include the 1994 "big star" design and colors indicative of South Florida. They're inspired by the All-Star Game played at Madison Square Garden in New York during the Panthers' inaugural season of 1993-94.

For the first time since 2009, every All-Star sweater will identify the player's conference.

The colors provide a hint of "Miami Vice" with the game being held in Florida, but the design is a clear nod to the classics worn from 1994-97.

The NHL All-Star Game will take place Feb. 4, with the skills competition going down Feb. 3. The league announced its initial rosters earlier this month.

Every NHL team introduced a Reverse Retro alternate jersey in each of the past two seasons.

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The NHL announced the 12 fan-voted players heading to the 2023 All-Star Game on Thursday.

Two skaters and one goaltender have been added to each division's roster. The fan-driven selection process ran through Jan. 17, which included a Twitter component for the first time.

The eight-man initial rosters were unveiled on Jan. 6 and included one representative from each team.

Here are the newest group of players named to the All-Star Game.

Atlantic

Metropolitan

Central

Pacific

The festivities in Florida begin with the skills competition on Feb. 3 and wrap up with the All-Star Game on Feb. 4.

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