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 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).

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 Colorado Avalanche will wear a Nordiques logo on their jerseys for the first time since relocating from Quebec City in 1995.

The jerseys are part of a "Reverse Retro" collection from Adidas Hockey, where classic sweaters are given a modern twist. In the case of the Avalanche, the Nordiques' igloo logo is recreated in Colorado's burgundy and blue, and the fleurs-de-lis that run around the torso of the white jersey are in burgundy.

Dougie Hamilton and the Carolina Hurricanes have yet to begin negotiations on a contract extension, but general manager Don Waddell said he hopes the defenseman will sign before the start of this season.

The 27-year-old is entering the final season of a six-year contract he signed June 30, 2015 and will be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent when it expires.

Brandon Saad could see himself being with the Colorado Avalanche for a long time even though he hasn't yet played a game for them.

Saad was traded to the Avalanche from the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 10. The 28-year-old forward who won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015, is in the final season of a six-year contract he signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets on July 3, 2015. He can become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Saad scored 33 points (21 goals, 12 assists) in 58 games last season.

The NHL is considering a temporary realignment of its teams for the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, according to commissioner Gary Bettman.

Bettman said Tuesday that restrictions on travel across the Canadian border, as well as "limitations in terms of quarantining when you go from certain states to other states" within the United States, could mean the NHL creates a more regionalized alignment for its upcoming season.