Colby Cave, a forward in the Edmonton Oilers organization, died Saturday after suffering a brain bleed earlier this week, the club confirmed.

"It is with great sadness to share the news that our Colby Cave passed away early this morning," his family said in a statement. "I (his wife, Emily) and both our families are in shock but know our Colby was loved dearly by us, his family and friends, the entire hockey community, and many more. We thank everyone for their prayers during this difficult time."

Cave underwent emergency surgery Tuesday to remove a colloid cyst that was causing pressure on his brain.

The 25-year-old had been in a medically induced coma at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto.

Cave played 11 games for the Oilers this season but spent the majority of the campaign with their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. He was in his second campaign with the organization after playing parts of five years with the Boston Bruins and their farm team in Providence to begin his career.

The Oilers claimed him off waivers from the Bruins in January 2019.

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San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson could have returned to the ice in March despite being ruled out for the remainder of the season following mid-February thumb surgery.

"If the season would have been on, I probably could have played a couple weeks ago if I had to," Karlsson told NBC Sports Bay Area on Thursday, according to NHL.com.

The Sharks sat last in the Western Conference when the season was suspended March 12, making them a near lock to miss the playoffs for only the third time in the last two decades.

Despite the disappointing season, Karlsson explained he's developed a fresh outlook on life while stuck at home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"I think something like this makes you realize that there's a lot of things out there that are more important, even though hockey is one of the biggest parts of my life and something that I enjoy to do," Karlsson said.

He added, "It puts a lot of things in perspective and you get to discover a lot of other things outside the hockey world which you otherwise might not have been able to. This is something we all have to go through."

Before suffering the injury, the 29-year-old rearguard tallied six goals and 40 points through 56 contests in his second season with San Jose.

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Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter is hoping for hockey to return regardless of which format the league chooses to go with.

"We're willing to do whatever," Suter said, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "We want to play. Our team was really playing well down the stretch here, and we want to see if we can continue that."

The Wild were one of the league's hottest teams in the month before the pause, winning eight of their last 11 games while clawing their way back into the playoff hunt. They currently sit just one point behind the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

"This year has been such an emotional roller coaster," Suter said. "We started out terrible. ... We battled back and went through ups and downs, and to finally be in a position to have an opportunity to make the playoffs says a lot about our group."

The veteran defenseman also pointed to his age, 35, as another reason he hopes to get a shot at the Stanley Cup this season.

"Guys only get to do this for so long," Suter added. "I've been fortunate. I've been able to do it for longer than the average. So, yeah, at any age I think you want to play, and you don't want to lose these opportunities."

Suter added that it would be "disappointing" if the season ends without a proper conclusion due to "where we were at the start of the year to where we are now."

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Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour hinted he's starting to focus on next year with this season's status up in the air.

"We're kind of looking at it a little differently, I think our management and owners kind of right away told us this was going to be something a little more long term so we kind of looked at it as our offseason," Brind'Amour said in a video conference call Friday, according to NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "So we're kind of preparing actually for the draft a little bit, looking at stuff like that."

At the time of the pause on March 12, the Hurricanes occupied the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Brind'Amour understands his team will need to ramp-up fast if play were to resume.

"Make sure our guys are staying safe first and then if we get any inkling that maybe we’re coming back on the horizon soon, I think we’ll change gears," Brind'Amour added. "Right now, we’re kind of preparing for next year in a lot of ways."

Brind'Amour also took time to thank the frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 crisis and hopes fans continue to do their part.

"I think No. 1, it shouldn't take a crisis like this to kind of realize how important certain people are in the world - our medical staff, just a real shoutout to them and all they're doing," Brind'Amour added. "Hopefully we'll get this behind us soon but we've all got to do our part, that's the key. So stay safe to everyone and let's get hockey back soon and safe."

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Cities and venues across North America have started pitching themselves as potential hosts for neutral-site NHL playoff games, deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski and Emily Kaplan on Friday.

"We do have people putting together the comprehensive laundry list of what we would need from facilities and evaluating some facilities on some level," Daly said. "But I can't tell you we've even finished creating a list (of potential sites), much less narrowed it down."

Locations that have been reported so far include Grand Forks, North Dakota; Manchester, New Hampshire; and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

It's unclear what a potential return of hockey would look like for 2019-20. Among the options being discussed are playing out the regular season, jumping into the playoffs immediately, or even modifying the playoff format to include more teams or make series shorter.

"I've always had the caveat that everything is on the table and nothing is out of the question," Daly said. "I would say there would be a strong opposition to ever creating a playoff where it was a single elimination. I think best-of-three is more possible, not preferred, but more possible than a best-of-one scenario."

Daly added that he's aware of several concerns that could arise if the league does resume its season during the coronavirus pandemic.

"My sense of the players is that they're very anxious to return. Obviously, they want to be healthy and safe," Daly said. "If a particular player had a particular concern, we've had similar situations in the past and we as a league have been sensitive and receptive to that situation. Obviously, if it becomes too widespread, then it becomes more problematic in terms of our ability to get back. But that will be handled up front."

While a return to the ice is the goal, Daly also indicated that the top priority for the league is "what is safe and is going to protect the health and well-being of our players and obviously the general public."

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Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.

Cities and venues across North America have started pitching themselves as potential hosts for neutral-site NHL playoff games, deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski and Emily Kaplan on Friday.

"We do have people putting together the comprehensive laundry list of what we would need from facilities and evaluating some facilities on some level," Daly said. "But I can't tell you we've even finished creating a list (of potential sites), much less narrowed it down."

Locations that have been reported so far include Grand Forks, North Dakota; Manchester, New Hampshire; and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

It's unclear what a potential return of hockey would look like for 2019-20. Among the options being discussed are playing out the regular season, jumping into the playoffs immediately, or even modifying the playoff format to include more teams or make series shorter.

"I've always had the caveat that everything is on the table and nothing is out of the question," Daly said. "I would say there would be a strong opposition to ever creating a playoff where it was a single elimination. I think best-of-three is more possible, not preferred, but more possible than a best-of-one scenario."

Daly added that he's aware of several concerns that could arise if the league does resume its season during the coronavirus pandemic.

"My sense of the players is that they're very anxious to return. Obviously, they want to be healthy and safe," Daly said. "If a particular player had a particular concern, we've had similar situations in the past and we as a league have been sensitive and receptive to that situation. Obviously, if it becomes too widespread, then it becomes more problematic in terms of our ability to get back. But that will be handled up front."

While a return to the ice is the goal, Daly also indicated that the top priority for the league is "what is safe and is going to protect the health and well-being of our players and obviously the general public."

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New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal isn't in a rush to discuss his contract with the current season still in limbo.

"I don't think there's been too much communication (with Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello), and not because there's anything negative or anything, it's just Lou's getting ready for a playoff run right now, and I'm still worried about this season as well," Barzal said, according to NHL.com's Brian Compton. "I'm not too too worried about it, just because I don't think the season is over yet. I think we're still going to be playing."

Barzal is set to be a restricted free agent this offseason. Lamoriello said in March that the Islanders are prepared to match any offer sheet given to the dynamic forward.

With the Islanders in the playoff picture, he is still anticipating having a chance to return to the ice this season. However, he does admit the ball is also in Lamoriello's court to get things rolling on working out an extension.

"There's bigger things we've got to worry about right now in terms of heading to the playoffs this year. But at the same time, whenever we're ready to sit down and get it done, I'd love for that to happen," Barzal added. "At the same time, I'm not a person that's just going to rush this thing or get nervous about it or whatever. I'm just going about my day, and it'll happen when it happens."

The 22-year-old, who was taken 16th overall in 2015, is in the final year of his entry-level contract. He's amassed 59 goals and 207 points in 234 games with the Islanders and took home the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie in 2017-18.

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