The Ottawa Senators inked Vladimir Tarasenko to a one-year, $5-million contract, the club announced Thursday.

Tarasenko was an unrestricted free agent. His new pact includes a full no-trade clause.

The 31-year-old collected eight goals and 13 assists in 31 games with the New York Rangers this past season after the St. Louis Blues traded him there in February. He produced 10 tallies and 19 helpers over 38 contests with the Blues in 2022-23.

Tarasenko spent his first 10 full seasons with St. Louis, notching at least 30 goals in six seasons, including five straight from 2014-15 through 2018-19. That included a career-best 40 in 2015-16. However, he was then slowed by three shoulder surgeries in a span of 28 months.

The Blues drafted Tarasenko 16th overall in 2010.

Ottawa is down to just $32,620 in cap space as a result of the signing, according to CapFriendly. The Senators have two of their own young forwards left to sign in restricted free agent Egor Sokolov and Shane Pinto, who's a 10.2(c) player - essentially an RFA but ineligible for arbitration or an offer sheet.

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An arbitrator awarded Chicago Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev a two-year deal worth $2.25 million annually, the club announced Sunday.

Kurashev, whose hearing took place Thursday, was a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.

The Swiss forward of Russian descent collected nine goals and 16 assists over 70 games in 2022-23, his third season with the Blackhawks. His average ice time rose by over four minutes this past campaign, from 12:51 in 2021-22 to 17:25.

Chicago drafted Kurashev, who'll turn 24 around the time the new season begins on Oct. 12, with the 120th overall pick in 2018. He's represented Switzerland eight times on the international stage, taking part in three World Championships and two World Junior Championships.

The Blackhawks still have plenty of cap space even after acquiring Taylor Hall ($6-million cap hit) and Nick Foligno ($4 million) in a trade with the Boston Bruins on June 27 and signing Corey Perry for one season ($4 million) three days later. Unlike Foligno and Perry, Hall is on the books through 2024-25.

Chicago added the veterans after winning the draft lottery and selecting Connor Bedard first overall.

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The Arizona Coyotes secured Matias Maccelli's services for three more seasons at an average annual value of $3.425 million, according to Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports.

Maccelli was a restricted free agent coming off the three-year, entry-level contract he signed with the club in April 2020.

He finished fourth in Calder Trophy voting this past season after leading all rookies with 38 assists and ranking second in the class with 49 points despite playing only 64 games and averaging just 15:41 of ice time for the lackluster Coyotes.

The Finnish-American winger, who'll turn 23 in October, also placed second among his rookie peers in even-strength points with 36.

Maccelli debuted with the Coyotes in 2021-22, posting one goal and five assists over 23 contests. He excelled with their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, notching 14 tallies and 43 helpers across 47 games during that campaign.

Arizona drafted Maccelli 98th overall in 2019.

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Ryan O'Reilly doesn't see his Nashville Predators taking another step backward next season.

"I think, as a group, we have great leadership," O'Reilly told reporters Thursday. "We have great young pieces. Why can't we contend? Why can't we? It's a long year, but it's (about) preparing in the summer and doing things the right way. Then, we get into camp and we start to build a foundation and keep adding to it."

The Predators signed the veteran center - who was an unrestricted free agent - to a four-year contract carrying an average annual value of $4.5 million on July 1. O'Reilly looks forward to joining a club he found difficult to match up with throughout his career.

"This team, over the years of playing against them, it is a tough team to play against," he said. "That's something I want to add on top of. I want to be difficult for whoever we're playing against and build it from there."

O'Reilly served as the Blues' captain for the last three campaigns - until they traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of a three-team swap in February. The Ontario-born pivot produced four goals and seven assists in 13 regular-season games with the Leafs before adding three tallies and six helpers in 11 playoff contests.

The 32-year-old spent four-plus campaigns with the Blues, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2019 as he led St. Louis to its first Stanley Cup championship. He also won the Selke Trophy that season as the NHL's top defensive forward.

O'Reilly, who's long been one of the game's most reliable two-way players, joins a franchise that's at a crossroads. The Predators still boast the likes of superstar blue-liner Roman Josi, all-world goaltender Juuse Saros, and potent playmaker Filip Forsberg. But they missed the playoffs last season, haven't advanced to the second round since 2017-18, and haven't gotten beyond that stage since reaching the Cup Final one campaign prior.

Barry Trotz is now Nashville's general manager, taking over for the retired David Poile. The Preds also have a new man behind the bench, as Trotz hired ex-Florida Panthers head coach Andrew Brunette to replace John Hynes.

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St. Louis Blues dodged the arbitration process with forward Alexey Toropchenko, agreeing to a two-year deal worth $1.25 million per season, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Toropchenko was a restricted free agent and had an arbitration hearing scheduled for Thursday.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Russian collected 10 goals and nine assists over 69 games in a bottom-six role with the Blues this past season. He added one tally and two helpers in five contests with their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.

Toropchenko has played parts of two campaigns with St. Louis, the club that drafted him 113th overall in 2017.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning are bringing Tanner Jeannot back on a two-year contract with an average annual value of $2.665 million, the club announced Saturday.

Jeannot was a restricted free agent with arbitration rights and had a hearing scheduled for July 24. He's coming off a two-year pact with an $800,000 cap hit.

The Lightning acquired the winger in a controversial trade with the Nashville Predators five days before this past season's deadline. Tampa Bay gave up five draft picks, including a top-10 protected 2025 first-rounder, and defenseman Cal Foote, receiving only Jeannot in return.

The 26-year-old impressed with the Preds as a rookie in 2021-22. He produced 24 goals and 17 assists (collecting all but three tallies and one helper at even strength) while amassing 318 hits (second-most in the NHL) and 64 blocked shots. And he did it while averaging just under 16 minutes of ice time over 81 contests.

Jeannot led all rookies in goals and hits but finished seventh in Calder Trophy voting.

However, his 19.4% shooting rate in that campaign signalled looming offensive regression - and it arrived in 2022-23. Jeannot registered only five goals and nine assists across 56 games with Nashville before the trade, and just one tally and three helpers over 20 games with the Bolts. His shooting rate plummeted to 5.6% on the season.

Jeannot did continue to offer his usual contributions at the other end of the ice, racking up a combined 290 hits (sixth-most in the league) and 62 blocked shots in 76 contests with the two squads. But he did so while his average ice time dwindled by around one minute with Nashville and then by three more minutes to a mere 11:55 with Tampa.

The Predators signed Jeannot to a three-year, entry-level contract as an undrafted free agent in April 2018.

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Mitch Marner used rather vivid imagery to describe what the Toronto Maple Leafs' new forward additions - Ryan Reaves, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Max Domi - will bring to the lineup.

"All three of those guys can play with snot, piss, and vinegar," Marner said Thursday, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox, before praising new general manager Brad Treliving for the signings.

"So, I think he's done a good job of what he said that he wants to bring in - and he's done it ... (They're) three guys that aren't afraid to get in people's faces and down and dirty, and at the same time bring a lot of pace to our game, can do a lot of things around the net, (and) add a lot of different qualities to your team.

"And they all have that grittiness. Obviously, what Ryan does, it's going to make people not really want to get down and dirty too much with our team."

Treliving inked Reaves to a three-year deal worth $1.35 million annually on July 1, in addition to signing veteran defenseman John Klingberg to a one-year, $4.15-million pact. The next day, the Toronto GM landed Bertuzzi and Domi on one-year contracts worth $5.5 million and $3 million, respectively.

The Maple Leafs also added some depth up front by bringing in Dylan Gambrell on a one-year agreement for the league minimum ($775,000) on July 3.

Toronto ranked 23rd in hits this past season. However, that was partly because the club ranked ninth in goals per game, 12th in shots per contest, boasted the NHL's second-best power play, and sat seventh in expected goals for percentage at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Bertuzzi had a history of contributing offensively before a wrist injury limited him to 50 games with the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins in 2022-23. He racked up 30 goals and 32 assists over only 68 contests with the Wings in 2021-22 and produced consecutive 21-goal seasons earlier in his career.

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The Vegas Golden Knights added a former NHL bench boss and an ex-player in the league to head coach Bruce Cassidy's staff.

Dominique Ducharme and Joel Ward joined Vegas as assistant coaches, the club announced Wednesday.

Ducharme guided the Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021 after taking over for the fired Claude Julien that February.

However, the Habs stumbled out of the gate the following season, going 8-30-7 before Ducharme was replaced by Martin St. Louis. Ducharme had been an assistant with Montreal since 2018. He led the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads to a Memorial Cup championship five years earlier and also helmed Canada's national junior team in 2017 and 2018, winning silver and gold, respectively.

Ward spent the last three seasons as an assistant with the Golden Knights' AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. The former winger played parts of 11 NHL seasons with the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals, and San Jose Sharks. He helped the latter squad get to the Cup Final in 2016, collecting seven goals and six assists over 24 playoff games.

Cassidy led Vegas to its first championship in what was the team's sixth season.

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The Boston Bruins signed forward Jesper Boqvist to a one-year, $775,000 contract, the club announced Wednesday.

Boqvist was originally a restricted free agent but became a UFA when the New Jersey Devils chose not to issue him a qualifying offer in late June.

The Swede, who'll turn 25 in late October, collected 10 goals and 11 assists over 70 games for New Jersey this past season. He also took only one penalty in that span, earning three votes for the Lady Byng Trophy as a result.

Boqvist produced 10 goals and 13 assists across only 56 games in 2021-22. He played four campaigns with the Devils, who drafted him 36th overall in 2017.

The Bruins have had a busy offseason after flaming out in the first round of the playoffs following their historic 82-game efforts. Boston signed veteran forwards James van Riemsdyk and Milan Lucic on July 1, along with center Morgan Geekie and experienced defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.

Boston also traded winger Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno to the Chicago Blackhawks for blue-liners Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula in late June. The Bruins signed Mitchell to a one-year, $775,000 pact Monday.

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The Detroit Red Wings secured Alex DeBrincat in a trade with the Ottawa Senators and then signed him to a four-year pact carrying an average annual value of $7.875 million, the acquiring club announced Sunday.

Ottawa sent DeBrincat to Detroit for forward Dominik Kubalik, defenseman Donovan Sebrango, a conditional first-round pick in next year's draft, and a fourth-rounder in the same event.

DeBrincat was arguably the top remaining restricted free agent and would've been eligible to become a UFA next summer.

Last week, DeBrincat's agent Jeff Jackson denied a report that his client's contract demands were holding up a trade.

The 25-year-old winger is a two-time 41-goal scorer who produced 27 tallies and a career-high 39 assists in 2022-23, his first season with the Senators. Ottawa had reportedly been gauging the trade market for DeBrincat since early June. The Sens took him to arbitration shortly thereafter, and he required a $9-million qualifying offer.

Ottawa acquired the Michigan-born forward from the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2022 draft in exchange for three picks, including the seventh overall selection, which the Blackhawks used to select defenseman Kevin Korchinski.

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