NHL general managers discussed the league's emergency backup goalie procedure Monday and aren't looking to make a change.

Concerns arose about the legitimacy of the protocol after 42-year-old David Ayres made headlines when he starred for the Carolina Hurricanes in a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 22.

However, NHL director of hockey operations Colin Campbell doesn't think there's a problem with the procedure.

"It's a good human interest story," Campbell said at the GM meetings in Boca Raton on Monday, according to ESPN's Emily Kaplan. "I think the process works ... our general managers are fine with where it's at right now."

Ayres works for the Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate and has practiced with the club in the past. He also became known for his responsibility as a Zamboni driver.

Prior to the Hurricanes-Maple Leafs extravaganza, the last emergency netminder to play in a game was Scott Foster, a 36-year-old accountant who suited up during a Chicago Blackhawks' win in March 2018.

Ayres and Foster are the only two emergency goalies to ever play in the more than 6,000 games one has been available, according to NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika.

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Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury, the team announced Sunday.

Stone didn't play Friday against the Buffalo Sabres but head coach Pete DeBoer is hopeful to have the winger back prior to the playoffs.

The 27-year-old is tied for the team lead in points (63) and ranks third in goals (21) through 65 games this season. He also sits first among Golden Knights forwards in blocked shots.

Stone leads all NHL forwards with 78 takeaways this season and owns a Corsi For rating of 57.74%. The Golden Knights' team-high 61.47% share of expected goals at five-on-five comes with Stone on the ice.

Vegas has won eight consecutive games and sits atop the Pacific Division entering Sunday's action.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets activated defenseman Ryan Murray off the injured reserve on Saturday, the team announced.

Murray has missed the past 34 games after suffering a lower-body injury on Dec. 14 against the Ottawa Senators.

The 6-foot-1 blue-liner is a pivotal part of the Blue Jackets' defense corps. Columbus owns a 53.66% share of expected goals and a 57.58% share of high-danger scoring chances at five-on-five with Murray on the ice this season, according to Natural Stat Trick.

The 28-year-old's return comes at a critical point in Columbus' season with the team struggling defensively without blue-chip rearguard Seth Jones. The club has recorded just one win in its last 11 outings while conceding 3.72 goals per game during that stretch.

The Blue Jackets occupy the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot entering Saturday's action.

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Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin is staying patient with one of the club's most promising prospects.

Bergevin will recommend that forward Cole Caufield continue his development with the NCAA's Wisconsin Badgers next season.

"Cole Caufield is having a good year [in the NCAA]," Bergevin said, according to La Presse's Mathias Brunet. "But, in our eyes, he is not ready. We will make a decision at the end of the year. If he really wants to leave college, we won't force him, but we'll recommend that he stay [in Wisconsin]. That doesn't mean it's a disappointment."

Montreal selected Caufield with the 15th overall pick at the 2019 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old freshman is enjoying a terrific season with the Badgers, leading the club in both goals (19) and points (35) across 33 games.

Bergevin says there's a chance Caufield could play with the Canadiens' AHL affiliate in Laval next season, but the 54-year-old executive would rather not rush the 5-foot-7 winger along in a high-pressure market like Montreal.

"We aim best for its long-term development," Bergevin said. "We are still having discussions internally. It is also possible that we will see him in Laval next year. But Laval too, it will be difficult. It is a league of men.

“What scares Montreal is the expectations. And we, as much as possible, try to reduce expectations. It is not to be negative, but it is reality. It's difficult for Jack Hughes this year; that doesn't mean he's a bad player."

Caufield is part of a crop of bright young talents for the Canadiens, which includes 20-year-old forward Nick Suzuki, who's enjoyed a strong rookie campaign in 2019-20 so far.

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Chicago Blackhawks forwards Andrew Shaw and Zack Smith will miss the remainder of the 2019-20 season, the team announced Saturday.

Shaw, 28, has been sidelined with a concussion since Nov. 30. The 5-foot-11 winger tallied three goals and seven points through 28 games this campaign. The Blackhawks re-acquired Shaw from the Montreal Canadiens in June 2019 after trading him in 2016.

Smith will undergo back surgery on March 6. The 31-year-old contributed four goals and 11 points across 50 games this season, his first with the Blackhawks.

Chicago sits eight points out of the second Western Conference wild-card spot entering Saturday's action and will likely miss the playoffs for the third consecutive campaign.

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David Ayres has been enshrined in hockey history forever.

The 42-year-old netminder, who became the first emergency backup goaltender in NHL history to record a win, had his game stick placed into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Friday.

"To think of all the hard work and time that some of the greatest players have put in and to have their accomplishments here, for me to have a small little piece of something I've done in here is unbelievable to me," Ayres said, according to NHL.com's Dave McCarthy.

On Feb. 22, Ayres starred for the Carolina Hurricanes in a 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Ontario native entered the game in the second period after both Hurricanes netminders went down with injuries. He stopped eight of 10 shots he faced to earn the monumental victory.

"The reception from everybody on just how positive a story this has become is fantastic," Ayres said. "I had four or five people stop me in the mall when I was in Carolina and just tell me how amazing they thought the story was. That was a highlight for me, where it's clear it's reached people and everyone is happy about it and it's a positive story for them."

Ayres regularly fills in at Maple Leafs practices when the team's in need of an extra goalie, and he also drives the Zamboni for the Toronto Marlies as well as at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (formerly Maple Leafs Gardens).

The city of Raleigh proclaimed Feb. 25 as "David Ayres Day" in honor of his heroics. Ayres was also recognized by Upper Deck with his own hockey trading card.

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The New York Islanders reassigned forward Josh Ho-Sang from their AHL affiliate to the San Antonio Rampage, the St. Louis Blues' AHL affiliate, the team announced Friday.

Ho-Sang, 24, asked for a trade after failing to crack the Islanders' opening day roster. The 6-foot winger missed the first 10 weeks of the AHL season after being told not to report while New York general manager Lou Lamoriello attempted to meet his request.

The Ontario native has contributed three goals and 10 points in 16 AHL contests this season.

The Islanders drafted Ho-Sang 28th overall in 2014, and he's failed to carve out a permanent role with the club. He's recorded seven goals and 17 assists over 53 career games.

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Feb. 28, 2010, is a date many Canadians will never forget.

With Olympic gold up for grabs on home soil against the United States, a 22-year-old Sidney Crosby stepped up in overtime to deliver one of the biggest goals in Canadian hockey history.

“I remember the stories I was told,” Crosby said, according to The Athletic's Josh Yohe. “In terms of goals that I’ve scored or moments that I’ve had, yeah, it was the biggest one. The reaction around Vancouver and around Canada, it’s something I’ll never forget.

Crosby's tally sealed Canada's first Olympic gold medal in men's hockey on home turf, and just its second gold in the event since the 1952 Olympics in Norway.

"What I remember most is all these stories from buddies of mine, friends of mine, people in the community ... so many people have told me where they were when they were watching and when the goal went in. It was so cool at the moment it happened, to be a part of it, and to experience it."

Crosby took a pass from winger Jarome Iginla and slid the puck past American netminder Ryan Miller at the 7:40 mark of the first overtime period:

In reflecting on his golden goal, Crosby admitted that shooting immediately wasn't his original plan, but he credited his split-second decision to keep things simple.

“For a second, I actually thought about taking the puck to the net and going to the backhand, Crosby said, per Yohe. "That was my first thought.”

“At that point, I had to tell myself that it was overtime,” Crosby said. “In that situation, you really don’t want to pass up an opportunity. And I figured that, since I didn’t really have a great angle there, my best chance was probably to get the puck away as quickly as I could. Honestly, it was pretty much a reaction."

Crosby captained Canada to its second consecutive Olympic gold in men's hockey four years later at the 2014 Games in Sochi.

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The Vegas Golden Knights signed forward William Carrier to a four-year contract extension with an average annual value of $1.4 million, the team announced Thursday.

Carrier, 25, is on the final year of his current deal and was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1.

The 6-foot-2 winger has recorded seven goals and a career-best 18 points through 65 games this season, his third with the Golden Knights. He also ranks second on the club and sixth in the league with 199 hits.

Vegas selected Carrier during the 2017 expansion draft.

With Carrier signed, forwards Chandler Stephenson, Nick Cousins, and Nicolas Roy, along with defenseman Zach Whitecloud, are the team's remaining restricted free agents heading into this summer.

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Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano will be a game-time decision for Thursday's pivotal contest against the Nashville Predators, the team announced.

The Flames captain has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since Feb. 4, missing the club's last 10 games.

Giordano is Calgary's defensive backbone. He's logged a team-high 23:57 of ice time per game this season and leads the club with 136 blocked shots while contributing 27 points through 54 contests.

The Flames have gone 6-4-0 in Giordano's absence and will enter Thursday's action with a two-point lead over Nashville for the first Western Conference wild-card spot.

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