Red Wings re-sign Patrick Kane to 1-year deal

"Showtime" is sticking around in Detroit.

The Red Wings signed pending unrestricted free-agent forward Patrick Kane to a one-year deal on Sunday night.

His deal is worth $4 million plus an additional $2.5 million in bonuses, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. Kane will earn another $1.5 million after hitting the 10-game benchmark, $250,000 if he plays in 60 games, $500,000 if the Red Wings make the playoffs, and an additional $250,000 if he reaches 60 points and Detroit appears in the postseason.

The Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, and Buffalo Sabres were reported to have interest in making a run at the veteran.

The Red Wings also won the Kane sweepstakes this past season, signing him to a one-year, $2.75-million deal in late November.

Kane couldn't make his 2023-24 season debut until Dec. 7 while recovering from hip resurfacing surgery, but he was a key fixture of Detroit's attempted playoff push upon his return. He totaled 47 points (20 goals, 27 assists) in 50 games, good for second most on the team behind only Lucas Raymond over that span.

The Red Wings finished the season with the same number of points (91) as Washington, but the Capitals had five more regulation wins and took the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in its last eight campaigns.

After Detroit's season ended, Kane was complimentary of his time with the Red Wings.

"I think they're in a great spot," he said. "(Dylan) Larkin, his competitiveness, young players stepping up at the right times and playing so well in the important games - (Moritz) Seider, (Lucas) Raymond, (Alex) DeBrincat, (Simon) Edvinsson. ... I think the future's really bright for the team."

Kane has amassed 471 goals and 1,284 points in 1,230 regular-season games, split between the Blackhawks, New York Rangers, and Red Wings. A three-time Stanley Cup champion with Chicago, he owns 138 points in 143 playoff contests.

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Canadiens trade Kovacevic to Devils for 4th-round pick

The Montreal Canadiens traded defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic to the New Jersey Devils for a 2026 fourth-round pick, the teams announced Sunday.

Kovacevic shoots right and stands at 6-foot-5, 223 pounds. The 26-year-old is in the final year of his contract with a sub-league-minimum cap hit of $766,000.

Kovacevic will compete for a permanent spot on New Jersey's blue line following the departures of Kevin Bahl and John Marino. Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, Luke Hughes, and Simon Nemec will take up four spots. The Devils are expected to make further additions on the back end, too.

The trade helps alleviate a logjam among Montreal's defense corps. The Habs still have Mike Matheson, David Savard, Jordan Harris, Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, David Reinbacher, Logan Mailloux, and Justin Barron in the fold.

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Utah inks pending RFA Durzi to 4-year deal with reported $6M AAV

Utah signed pending restricted free-agent defenseman Sean Durzi to a four-year extension, the club announced Sunday.

Durzi's new deal carries a cap hit of $6 million, reports TSN's Chris Johnston. His pact includes a 10-team no-trade clause starting in July 2026, per Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.

The 25-year-old posted nine goals and a career-high 41 points in 76 games this past season while leading the Arizona Coyotes in average ice time (22:43).

Though the Coyotes' defensive numbers last season - a minus-18 goal differential and 274 goals against - were less than impressive, Durzi's underlying stats were admirable. Arizona controlled around 51% of the shot attempts and scoring chances and was narrowly outscored 56-59 with Durzi on the ice at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick. He also led all Coyotes defensemen in offensive goals above replacement (7.5), per Evolving-Hockey.

Durzi spent the bulk of the campaign on a pairing with J.J. Moser. However, Utah traded Moser to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday as part of the package that brought Mikhail Sergachev to the league's newly relocated club.

Utah further bolstered its back end that same day by acquiring John Marino from the New Jersey Devils. The club also signed 25-year-old pending restricted free agent Juuso Valimaki to a two-year pact.

As a result of the new deals and signings, Utah's top four could look something like this next season, barring further moves:

LD RD
Mikhail Sergachev Sean Durzi
Juuso Valimaki John Marino

The Los Angeles Kings traded Durzi to the Coyotes last June in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick. Initially selected by Toronto in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft, the Maple Leafs sent Durzi to L.A. in January 2019 to land rearguard Jake Muzzin.

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Maple Leafs re-sign Liljegren to 2-year, $6M contract

The Toronto Maple Leafs re-signed defenseman Timothy Liljegren to a two-year contract carrying an annual cap hit of $3 million, the team announced Sunday.

Liljegren was set to become a restricted free agent. The new contract walks him to unrestricted free agency in 2026.

The 25-year-old tied a personal best with 23 points in 55 games for the Leafs last season, averaging a career-high 19:40 per game.

However, Liljegren's ice time dropped to 17:52 per game in the playoffs and he was a healthy scratch in one contest.

The Maple Leafs drafted Liljegren 17th overall in 2017.

Liljegren's place on the right side of Toronto's blue line will depend on what the club does in free agency. The Leafs already acquired the rights to Chris Tanev, though they still have to sign him. They've also reportedly shown interest in Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Nikita Zadorov, and Matt Roy, though the latter two appear to be long shots.

Toronto already rosters Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe, and Simon Benoit on defense.

Up front, the Maple Leafs re-signed UFA forward Max Domi on Sunday.

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