BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres’ overhaul has begun, with the spiraling team trading veteran center Eric Staal to the Montreal Canadiens on Friday.

Buffalo acquired the Canadiens’ third and fifth-round selections in the 2021 draft. The Sabres also agreed to retain $1.625 million of the final year of Staal’s salary. Staal is a 17-year veteran who can provide the Canadiens a late-season boost to their playoff hopes. Staal won’t be able to join the team immediately because he will have to first go into self-quarantine under Canadian health regulations for those traveling from outside the country.

Montreal is 2-2-2 in its past six and 14-8-9 overall. With 37 points, the Canadiens sit fourth in the North Division, two ahead of Vancouver and four up on Calgary.

The Sabres, by comparison, are in sell-off mode. The move comes a day after the Sabres extended their franchise-worst winless skid to 16 games with a 4-0 loss at Pittsburgh. Buffalo, which plays at Boston on Saturday, is 0-14-2 in its past 16, which marks the NHL’s longest streak since the Penguins went 0-17-1 during the 2003-04 season.

The Sabres have a league-low six wins and been shut out seven times this season, while all but mathematically in position to extend their playoff drought to a NHL record-matching 10th season.

Staal is expected to be but the first of several Sabres on the move before the NHL’s trade deadline on April 12. Forward Taylor Hall, signed in October to a one-year, $8 million contract, acknowledged following the loss at Pittsburgh that he would be open to waiving his no-trade clause. Others on the trade block include defensemen Brandon Montour and Colin Miller.

A MEDICAL EXAMINER in St. Louis said Blues defenseman Bob Plager likely died of a “cardiac event,” not injuries from a highway accident.

Plager, 78, an original member of the Blues whose long association with the team continued until his death, was alone in his car when the accident happened Wednesday afternoon on Interstate 64 near downtown St. Louis. Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Graham performed an autopsy and said Plager didn’t sustain any injuries that would have been life-threatening. Graham is awaiting further tests and routine toxicology results.

Plager came to the Blues from the New York Rangers when the NHL expanded in 1967-68. He played 11 seasons for St. Louis – teaming for a stretch with brothers Barclay and Bill – and later worked for the organization in a variety of roles. He coached the Blues for 11 games in 1992.

The Ontario native scored 20 goals with 126 assists and 802 penalty minutes in 644 regular-season NHL games, and added two goals, 17 assists and 195 penalty minutes in 74 playoff games.

THE CANADIAN government waived its mandatory 14-day quarantine period for players acquired by Canadian NHL teams from U.S. clubs “under national interest grounds” ahead of the league’s April 12 trade deadline.

Players will now observe a seven-day quarantine upon arrival in the country and be subject to daily testing for COVID-19. Players will then be eligible to suit up for their new teams while continuing to undergo daily testing the following week.

FRIDAY’S GAMES

CAPITALS 4, DEVILS 0: Alex Ovechkin scored twice, Ilya Samsonov made 24 saves and Washington completed a two-game sweep against visiting New Jersey.

DUCKS 4, BLUES 1: John Gibson stopped 33 shots in his first game back after missing five because of a lower-body injury, leading Anaheim to a win in St. Louis.