Seeking a "continued, sustained period of labor peace," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced on Friday that the league will not exercise its option to reopen the collective bargaining agreement that's due to expire after the 2020-21 season.

The NHL had until Sept. 1 to decide whether to reopen the CBA, potentially ending its current term in September 2020. The NHL Players' Association has until Sept. 15 to exercise its own option to reopen negotiations. There have been concerns that if either side opted out, it could lead to the third work stoppage in the league since 2004.

Veteran defenseman Ben Lovejoy is retiring from the NHL after an 11-year career, announcing his decision on NHL Network on Wednesday night.

Lovejoy, 35, was a Stanley Cup winner in 2016 during his second stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins, with whom he began his career.

Sabres defenseman Matt Hunwick is expected to miss this season due to a neck condition that bothered the 12-year veteran for much of last season.

General manager Jason Botterill based Hunwick's prognosis on offseason medical evaluations in making the announcement Wednesday, about two weeks before the Sabres report to training camp.

Goalie Cam Ward returned to the Carolina Hurricanes on a one-day contract Wednesday, and then he called it a career.

Ward, 35, retired from the NHL after a 14-year run that saw him lead the franchise to its only Stanley Cup championship in 2006. He was the first rookie goalie to accomplish that feat since Patrick Roy of the Montreal Canadiens in 1986, and he became the first rookie to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP since goalie Ron Hextall of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1987.

Mike McKenna's path through hockey looks stranger than fiction.

The journeyman goaltender announced his retirement Tuesday after stints with 15 NHL organizations and 22 professional teams in all, enough material to fill a novel.

Oilers captain Connor McDavid says he's "working towards" being ready for the start of training camp.

The 22-year-old star center injured his left knee in April when he crashed into a post during Edmonton's regular-season finale. X-rays were negative but a subsequent MRI found a small tear in the posterior cruciate ligament.

Olympic gold medalists Lindsey Vonn and P.K. Subban are trying the knot.

Former ski champion Vonn announced her engagement to the NHL star on Instagram on Friday. The pair have been dating for at least a year.

Vonn, 34, told Vogue that they don't yet have a date for the wedding.

"I just want to enjoy the moment and the engagement," Vonn told Vogue. "We're not in a big hurry to get married. It kind of depends on his playing schedule, and when we have time to sit down and go through it. I don't want to stress him out because he has a big season coming."

The International Ice Hockey Federation suspended Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov from international play for four years after he tested positive for cocaine at the 2019 IIHF World Championship on May 26.

The IIHF announced the suspension on Friday and said Kuznetsov "didn't require the analysis of his B-sample and was provisionally suspended on 13th June 2019." He will be eligible to return on June 12, 2023.

The Ottawa Senators have signed center Colin White to a six-year, $28.5 million contract, the team announced.

The 22-year-old White stepped into the top center position and had a solid season with 14 goals and 27 assists. 

White will be counted on to play a significant role next season as the team continues its rebuild.

The New York Islanders agreed to a one-year contract with veteran center Derick Brassard on Wednesday, the team announced.

Terms were not disclosed.