The St. Louis Blues and forward Nikita Soshnikov agreed to terms on a one-year contract, the team announced on Sunday.

The deal will pay the speedy forward $800,000 and keep him with the Blues through the 2018-19 season, according to Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic.

Soshnikov began this past season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he failed to crack the lineup and only played three games with the team before being dealt to the Blues in February for a fourth-round pick.

The 24-year-old played in just 12 games with the Blues following the trade, where he amassed one goal and one assist.

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The Detroit Red Wings placed defenseman Xavier Ouellet on unconditional waivers for the purpose of buying out his contract on Sunday, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

Ouellet has one year left on his contract with a cap hit of $1.25 million. With the buyout, the Red Wings will be able to save just under $1.1 million next season.

The 24-year-old is coming off a 2017-18 campaign that saw him go goalless with seven assists across 45 games. Since being drafted in the second round in 2011, Ouellet has just five goals and 23 points in 141 games.

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The Washington Capitals and defenseman John Carlson were unable to come to terms on a contract extension ahead of the unrestricted free agent interview period, and in turn, teams have begun calling, according to his agent.

"As of the moment we do not have a deal in place with Washington and as permitted, I am getting/taking calls from other interested teams," agent Rick Curran said, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

The UFA courting period opened on Sunday, meaning teams can now speak to pending free agents about signing a deal on July 1. Carlson will hit the open market if he goes unsigned with the Capitals before then.

Following the first round of the draft on Friday, Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said the club and Carlson's camp were close to signing a contract and that he was hopeful both sides could get something done within the next few days.

The 28-year-old is coming off a monstrous season. He lead all NHL defenseman with 68 points in the regular season, set a Capitals' playoff record for points by a blue-liner with 20 in 24 games, and won his first-ever Stanley Cup.

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The Ottawa Senators signed defenseman Chris Wideman to a one-year, $1 million contract extension on Sunday, the team announced.

"We're happy to have Chris back for next season," general manager Pierre Dorion said in a release. "We felt that last year he was trending to become the active, puck-moving defenseman that will complement our style of play. We certainly missed Chris after his injury and he has since been cleared to resume full athletic competition with no restrictions. He's having a great summer of training and we know he's excited to get to Ottawa for training camp."

The 28-year-old is coming off a two-year, $1.6-million contract and was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Wideman was limited to just 16 games last season and tallied three goals and eight points. In 156 career games over the last three seasons the former fourth-round pick has put up 14 goals and 38 points.

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Despite some brief rumblings on the draft floor Saturday, it appears Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty is staying put for now.

Reports during the final rounds of the draft suggested Pacioretty could be on his way to the San Jose Sharks. Ultimately, those reports turned out to be just smoke. When the day ended, the Canadiens had "nothing going" on the Pacioretty trade front, reported TSN's Bob McKenzie, and for the time being, Montreal apparently plans to keep him in the lineup.

McKenzie notes that things could always change.

Earlier Saturday, Pacioretty officially changed agents, leaving Pat Brisson of CAA Sports and joining Allan Walsh at Octagon.

Pacioretty is coming off his 10th season with the Canadiens, in which he posted a mediocre 17 goals and 37 points in 64 games. Still, with five 30-plus goal seasons to his resume, he remains a valuable commodity.

The 29-year-old is under contract for one more season at a cap hit of $4.5 million.

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Big news came from the NHL draft floor Saturday, as New York Islanders forward John Tavares will use next week's interview period to speak with five teams, his agent Pat Brisson confirmed to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

Tavares can begin talking with interested teams Monday - one week out from July 1, when he's set to become an unrestricted free agent. The fact Tavares has elected to speak with other teams does not rule out the possibility that he could re-sign with the Islanders, as LeBrun notes.

While nothing is confirmed, the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks, and Dallas Stars are reportedly expected to be among the teams Tavares meets with on Monday or Tuesday, according to Arthur Staple of The Athletic. Staple speculates that the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights could talk to him as well.

Tavares is coming off his ninth season with the Islanders. He tallied 37 goals and 84 points in 82 games for the second-most productive campaign of his career.

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Prior to picking 11th and 12th in the first round of Friday's draft, New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello was working the phones.

Related: Islanders select Oliver Wahlstrom 11th overall

Ahead of picking forward Oliver Wahlstrom and defenseman Noah Dobson, Lamoriello attempted to trade one of his two first-round picks for a roster player who could contribute right away, he told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Related: Islanders draft Noah Dobson 12th overall

Lamoriello would not confirm if the player in question was goaltender Philipp Grubauer, who earlier in the night was traded from the Washington Capitals to the Colorado Avalanche. It was recently reported that the Islanders were among the teams interested in acquiring Grubauer.

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The Washington Capitals traded goaltender Philipp Grubauer and defenseman Brooks Orpik to the Colorado Avalanche for the 47th overall pick in this year's draft, the team announced Friday.

"We would like to thank Brooks and Philipp for all of their contributions to our organization," general manager Brian MacLellan said in a release. "Philipp has been a consummate professional and a great teammate and we wish him all the best. Brooks was a great leader and a tremendous role model for our young players in his four years with our organization. This was a difficult move, but the one we felt we needed to make in order to give some flexibility moving forward."

Grubauer is coming off his third season as a backup to No. 1 Braden Holtby that saw him post career highs in games and wins with 35 and 15, respectively, while posting a .923 save percentage and a 2.35 goals-against average.

Orpik, meanwhile, just completed his fourth season in Washington and put up 10 assists in 81 contests. The 37-year-old has one year remaining on his contract at $5.5 million.

With the addition of the Avalanche's second-round pick, the Capitals now have seven selections in the draft.

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The Dallas Stars signed defenseman Stephen Johns to a three-year, $7.05-million contract extension Friday, the team announced.

Johns is fresh off a two-year, $1.45-million contract and would have become a restricted free agent on July 1.

"Stephen has developed into a solid contributor on our back-end," Stars general manager Jim Nill said in a release. "He plays a very fast, physical game and is just starting to hit the prime of his career. We're pleased to have him locked up for the next three seasons."

The 26-year-old is coming off his third season with the Stars and posted career highs in both goals and points with eight and 15, respectively. He also led the club with 155 blocked shots and 201 hits.

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The Carolina Hurricanes and Elias Lindholm are not seeing eye to eye.

Lindholm's camp and the club met on Friday to discuss a new contract. The meeting didn't go well and both sides remain far apart, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

LeBrun adds that now a trade "is very much possible." That comes after LeBrun also reported Lindholm is garnering interest on the trade market.

The 23-year-old has completed his entry-level contract and will become a restricted free agent on July 1. He recorded a second consecutive 40-plus-point season in 2017-18 and tied for fifth on the Hurricanes with 16 goals.

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