New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk announced his retirement Wednesday due to an eye injury suffered during the 2019-20 NHL season.

"I don't even think it was a decision. When you play with it and realize there's something wrong, and then you go and get tests, it really wasn't a decision; it was a life choice, I guess," Boychuk said in a news conference. "If I was to go and play again and not able to see somebody coming and get hit, I could be a lot worse than what I was."

The Columbus Blue Jackets said Tuesday that several players recently tested positive for COVID-19 while preparing for the new season and went into quarantine.

The club has closed off-ice facilities at its training center as a precaution and will keep them off-limits through the Thanksgiving holiday.

Four Vegas Golden Knights players have tested positive for COVID-19, the team confirmed on Monday night.

"Those individual players have been self-isolating and are all recovering well," the team said in a statement, without identifying which players tested positive. "As a precautionary measure, the Golden Knights off-ice player areas -- locker room, lounge, gym, training room and video room -- will be closed to all players and team staff through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend."

The news was first reported by TSN.

The Boston Bruins have signed forward Jake DeBrusk to a two-year extension worth $3.675 annually, the team announced Monday.

DeBrusk, who was a restricted free agent, has been a big part of the Bruins' secondary scoring on a team that boasts David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron at the top.

The Chicago Blackhawks hired U.S. women's national team captain Kendall Coyne Schofield as a player development coach and promoted Meghan Hunter, previously general manager Stan Bowman's executive assistant, to director of hockey administration and amateur scout, the team announced on Monday.

The NHL and NHL Players' Association are still hoping to begin the 2020-21 season on Jan. 1, but talks between the two sides hit a significant snag this week as players felt "blindsided" when owners asked to change the terms of their new collective bargaining agreement, just four months after it was agreed upon, according to a player rep.

Said the rep: "This is a headache we weren't expecting."

The ECHL's entire North Division has elected to voluntarily suspend operations for the 2020-21 season due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, sources confirm to ESPN.

The six teams impacted are the Adirondack Thunder, an affiliate of the NHL's New Jersey Devils; the Brampton Beast (Ottawa Senators); the Maine Mariners (New York Rangers); the Newfoundland Growlers, (Toronto Maple Leafs); the Reading Royals (Philadelphia Flyers); and the Worcester Railers (New York Islanders).

Brett Peterson has been hired by the Florida Panthers, who believe that he is the first Black assistant general manager in NHL history.

"If it means that we're expanding opportunities for people in hockey, then I'm humbled. But this was a hockey hire," Panthers general manager Bill Zito told ESPN on Tuesday. "Hockey is such a great game. We need to make it accessible. I'm hopeful that maybe someone else can get a chance."

Just months after winning the Stanley Cup, officials with the Tampa Bay Lightning said Monday they are eliminating 30 positions in a sign that even winning a championship does not spare a team from the effects of the coronavirus.

The positions were across the company and cut effective immediately, team officials said. The layoffs represent less than 10% of the team's workforce.

The Buffalo Sabres signed their first-round draft pick, forward Jack Quinn, to a three-year, entry-level contract Monday.

Quinn was selected with the No. 8 pick in the NHL draft last month.