VLADIMIR TARASENKO

Training camps got under way around the NHL on Thursday with several big-name stars nowhere to be found. With more than two weeks until the regular season, there's also no reason to rush. “I don’t think it’s any different than guys getting hurt, not being there for lineup,” Sharks defenseman Brent Burns said. I'm here to work, I'm healthy, I'm happy to play hockey again.”The distraction of unsigned players is not affecting most teams. ___Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno___More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

Some of the NHL's stars are not on the ice for the start of training camps.

Stanley Cup Hockey Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (31) plays the puck during the first period in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Wednesday, July 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan Ebenhack) (Phelan Ebenhack)After backstopping the Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final, Carey Price has been left unprotected for the Seattle Kraken expansion draft. The 2015 MVP and Vezina Trophy winner is the biggest star left unprotected for the Kraken to select, but there's plenty of other talent available. St. Louis winger Vladimir Tarasenko is an option two years removed from hoisting the Stanley Cup after asking the Blues for a trade. The league released the protected lists of all 30 teams eligible for the expansion draft Sunday morning. ___Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno___More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

Goaltender Carey Price has been exposed to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft after backstopping the Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final.

Expect a fast and furious NHL offseason to unfold in the coming days and weeks.

Philipp Grubauer made 18 saves and Gabriel Landeskog scored the go-ahead goal in the second period to lift Colorado to a series sweep of the St. Louis Blues with a 5-2 win in Game 4 of the West Division series.

Nathan MacKinnon finished his first career playoff hat trick with an empty-net goal to help the Colorado Avalanche pull away late for a 6-3 win over St. Louis in Game 2 after the Blues avoided a pregame virus scare that nearly sidelined several players.

The NHL has cleared the St. Louis Blues and Vegas Golden Knights after virus testing errors.

FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2019, file photo, St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko, right, is congratulated as he passes the team box after scoring a goal against the Colorado Avalanche during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Denver. Tarasenko makes his return after early season shoulder surgery that limited him to three goals in 10 games. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Ditto for St. Louis, the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Blues and Avalanche were navigating through some key injuries before the season was halted in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The hiatus allowed time to heal and now the top two teams in the Western Conference return as Cup favorites. The two teams get things rolling Sunday in Edmonton by facing each other to kick off a round-robin tournament to determine seeding in the West. It should be a fun ride.Back on the ice for the Blues is forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who underwent shoulder surgery in late October.