The Canadian government is poised to approve a seven-day quarantine period with extra testing for NHL players who are traded from American to Canadian clubs prior to the April 12 deadline, a source told CBC News.

All provinces with NHL teams have approved the measures, according to CBC.

Those crossing the U.S.-Canada border are required to quarantine for 14 days once they enter Canada.

The current two-week quarantine requirement makes it difficult for the seven Canadian teams to trade for players on U.S. clubs.

The Winnipeg Jets acquired forward Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 23, but the 22-year-old wasn't able to play his first game for the club until Feb. 9.

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Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin doesn't anticipate his team will be very active on the trade market ahead of the April 12 deadline.

Bergevin said it's difficult to make a trade due to the team's tight salary-cap situation, and any possible move has to be a pure hockey deal.

"We have no cap space, so I mean it's money in, money out," Bergevin told reporters Thursday. "Expectation to do something at the deadline is probably very unlikely."

Montreal has just over $1 million in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly.

The Habs, along with the six other Canadian teams, face another significant hurdle when it comes to making a trade. Players must complete the mandated 14-day quarantine period upon crossing the U.S.-Canada border.

Bergevin said the quarantine rule won't impact the timing of a potential deal and circled back to the club's cap crunch being the main issue.

"We do have conversations daily, but at the end of the day you go back to always the cap," he said. "Once you become a team against the cap, it's money in money out unless you start giving up assets."

He added: "Honestly, I'm not worried about it. I like our team, we'll make the best of the situation of the condensed schedule for the rest of the year, but I still like our team a lot."

The Canadiens won't play until at least March 30 after having four games postponed due to COVID-19 protocol. Montreal sits fourth in the North Division entering Thursday's action.

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Igor Shesterkin is ready to return to the crease.

The New York Rangers netminder will start against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday after missing the club's previous 10 games with a mild groin strain, the team announced Wednesday.

Shesterkin, 25, suffered the injury on March 4 against the New Jersey Devils when he slid across the net to make a save. He remained down for several moments and needed to be helped off the ice.

The Russian puck-stopper has collected six wins and owns a .921 save percentage and a 2.31 goals-against average over 15 appearances this season.

New York went 5-4-1 with Shesterkin out of the lineup, with backups Alexandar Georgiev and Keith Kinkaid combining for a subpar .890 save percentage over that span.

The Rangers own a 14-13-4 record and sit sixth in the East Division entering Wednesday's action.

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Warning: Story contains coarse language

Matt Duchene said former NHL referee Tim Peel was speaking to Nashville Predators winger Filip Forsberg when he admitted to targeting the club for a penalty during Tuesday's 2-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

"The crazy part is, he was talking to Filip Forsberg in that clip," Duchene said Wednesday on ESPN 102.5 The Game. "He told our bench that, so I mean (it was) really bizarre and I just think that can't happen."

"Imagine the scenario where they score on that power play, we lose the game, and we miss the playoffs by one point," Duchene added.

The incident occurred during the second period of Tuesday's clash when Peel whistled Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson for tripping.

"It wasn't much, but I wanted to get a fucking penalty against Nashville early in the ... " Peel said before a TV timeout.

The league fired Peel - who was set to retire after this season - on Wednesday morning.

Duchene expressed his frustration with the possibility that some officials target clubs for penalties to keep the calls balanced throughout the game.

"I don't think there's a place in hockey for that," he said. "You have to call the game. ... I've always been frustrated when I've seen even-up calls or stuff like that. If one team is earning power plays, you can't punish them because the other team is not."

Peel was an on-ice official since 1999. He refereed over 1,300 NHL regular-season contests and 90 playoff games.

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Warning: Story and video contain coarse language

Referee Tim Peel will no longer work NHL games now or in the future following his comments during Tuesday's game between the Detroit Red Wings and Nashville Predators, the league announced Wednesday.

Peel could be heard on a hot mic admitting to targeting the Predators for a penalty after whistling forward Viktor Arvidsson for tripping in the second period.

"Nothing is more important than ensuring the integrity of our game," Vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell said in a statement. "Tim Peel's conduct is in direct contradiction to the adherence to that cornerstone principle that we demand of our officials and that our fans, players, coaches, and all those associated with our game expect to deserve. There is no justification for his comments, no matter the context or his intention, and the NHL will take any and all steps necessary to protect the integrity of our game."

More to come.

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The NHL's board of governors formally approved the league's requested changes to the draft lottery, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reports.

Key alterations include:

• The number of lottery draws is reduced from three to two, so the last-place team can't draft lower than third overall (starting 2021)
• Clubs can move up a maximum of 10 spots, so only 11 teams can win the No. 1 pick instead of 16 (starting 2022)
• No team can win the draft lottery more than twice over a five-year period (starting 2022)

NHL general managers reportedly requested in October that the league give teams lower in the standings higher odds to win the draft lottery.

Because the third change won't come into effect until 2022, previous lottery victories won't count toward a team's total.

The New York Rangers, who finished 18th in the league standings and participated in the 24-team playoff, ended up winning the 2020 draft lottery and landing No. 1 prospect Alexis Lafreniere. Meanwhile, the last-place Detroit Red Wings, who finished 40 points back of the Rangers, fell all the way to fourth. The first and second alterations will prevent this scenario from reoccurring.

Detroit isn't alone in its misfortune, as the last-place team has landed the top pick just twice since 2011. Three of the last four top selections have been won by a club with the 14th- (2020), third- (2019), and fifth- (2017) best odds.

The Edmonton Oilers drew the ire of opposing fan bases after picking first overall three years in a row (2010-12). They then won the lottery again in 2015 but finished last in the league in only two of those seasons.

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The Vancouver Canucks claimed forward Travis Boyd off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team announced Monday.

Boyd, 27, signed a one-year, $700,000 deal with the Maple Leafs in October, and he'll become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

The 6-foot pivot tallied three goals and eight points over 20 games while playing a depth role for Toronto.

Boyd has amassed 11 goals and 39 points over 105 career contests after the Washington Capitals selected him during the sixth round in 2011.

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The Los Angeles Kings inked defenseman Matt Roy to a three-year extension with an average annual value of $3.15-million, the team announced Sunday.

Roy, 26, was set to become a restricted free agent at the end of this season.

The 6-foot-1 defenseman has contributed seven assists while averaging a career-high 19:16 of ice time over 24 games this season.

Roy isn't the flashiest blue-liner, but he makes a strong impact at both ends. He's improved at limiting his opponents defensively since his rookie season, and Roy also helps the Kings drive offense at five-on-five, according to HockeyViz's isolated impact tool.

Red (positive) is good in the offensive zone while blue (negative) is good in the defensive zone.

Los Angeles selected Roy during the seventh round in 2015. The Detroit native has amassed six goals and 31 points over 119 career contests.

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The Washington Capitals signed defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk to a two-year, $1.9-million extension, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Sunday.

Van Riemsdyk, 29, inked a one-year deal worth $800,000 with the Capitals in October, and he was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.

The 6-foot-2 blue-liner has appeared in just nine games this season, contributing one goal while averaging 15:07 of ice time.

Van Riemsdyk has recorded 16 goals and 70 points over 373 career contests. He was on the Chicago Blackhawks team that captured the Stanley Cup during his rookie campaign in 2015.

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Drew Doughty has done his best to let his game do the talking this season.

The Los Angeles Kings defenseman, who's one of this generation's most outspoken players, admitted he's not proud of his past outbursts and has made an effort to limit them.

"I worked on it," Doughty said Saturday, according to The Athletic's Lisa Dillman. "I knew I needed to stop doing it. I knew it was going to hurt me in the long run, made me look bad. It wasn't something that I want young kids to look up to. I was embarrassed by it. It's definitely something I've been fixing."

It's been a rough stretch for Doughty and the Kings since winning two Stanley Cups (2012, 2014) last decade. They've missed the playoffs in three of the past four seasons, and Doughty hasn't been shy in venting his frustrations along the way.

Doughty's newfound demeanor has paid off so far this season. He ranks fifth among blue-liners in goals (seven), sixth in points (25), and second among all players in average ice time (26:21) through 29 games.

The 31-year-old says his reserved approach hasn't made him any less motivated, which is something he's struggled with in previous years.

"I haven't lost my competitive spirit," Doughty added. "There were times in the last couple of seasons where I was like, 'Man, I'm not mentally passionate enough.'"

Doughty has helped keep the Kings in the postseason mix just past the midway mark of the campaign. Los Angeles sits fifth in the West Division and five points back of a playoff spot entering Saturday's action.

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