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The Tampa Bay Lightning secured the last of "The Triplets" by re-signing forward Ondrej Palat to a five-year, $26.5 million contract on Friday. Palat's deal is on par annually with that of fellow Triplets Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov. Johnson recently signed a seven-year pact with $35 million while Kucherov's contract goes for an average $4.77 million -- although that pact ends after the 2018-19 season.
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Palat collected 17 goals, 35 assists and 39 penalty minutes in 75 games last season with the Lightning. The 26-year-old Czech ranked second among the team's forwards in ice time (19:07) while his five power-play goals were fourth as he finished the final season of a three-year, $10 million contract.
--The Calgary Flames signed restricted free-agent forward Curtis Lazar to a two-year, $1.9 million contract.
Lazar collected one goal, three assists and four penalty minutes over 37 games split between the Ottawa Senators and Flames last season.
The 22-year-old British Columbia native was acquired from the Senators with defenseman Michael Kostka at the trade deadline for blue-liner Jyrki Jokipakka and a 2017 second-round draft pick.
Lazar has recorded 13 goals, 26 assists and 36 penalty minutes in 180 career games with the Senators and Flames since being selected 17th overall by Ottawa in the 2013 draft.
--Los Angeles Kings forward Jonny Brodzinski signed a two-year contract extension.
Forward Michael Mersch, and defensemen Kevin Gravel and Paul LaDue also inked one-year, two-way deals.
For Brodzinski, the first year is a two-way deal while the second is strictly one way. The contract carries an average annual value of $650,000 at the NHL level.
Mersch and Gravel's pacts involve an average annual value of $650,000 at the NHL level, while LaDue's deal is worth $874,125 at the NHL level.
--The Chicago Blackhawks agreed to terms with defenseman Erik Gustafsson on a one-year contract that runs through the 2017-18 season.
Gustafsson, 25, registered a team-high 25 assists to go with five goals in 68 games with the American Hockey League's Rockford IceHogs last season. The Nynashamn, Sweden, native posted eight goals and 33 assists in 95 regular-season games with the IceHogs over the past two seasons.
Originally signed by Chicago as a free agent on April 30, 2015, Gustafsson made his NHL debut during the 2015-16 season, notching 14 assists in 41 regular-season games with the Blackhawks. He also added an assist in five playoff contests.
Gustafsson was originally drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the fourth round of the 2012 draft.
--The New York Islanders signed goaltender Christopher Gibson to a one-year, two-way deal.
Gibson, 24, made his NHL debut with the Islanders in 2015-16, appearing in four games during his first year with the organization. Last season, Gibson posted a 6-0-0 record with a 2.52 goals-against-average and .912 save percentage in seven games with Bridgeport of the American Hockey League.
Gibson has played 106 AHL games with the Sound Tigers and Toronto Marlies, going 54-34-9 with a 2.54 GAA, .915 save percentage and four shutouts. The Islanders initially acquired him on Sept. 17, 2015 in exchange for Michael Grabner from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Gibson was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round in 2011.
--The Carolina Hurricanes agreed to terms with 2017 first-round selection Martin Necas on a three-year, entry-level contract.
The deal will pay Necas $832,500 on the NHL level or $70,000 on the AHL level per season. He receives a signing bonus of $277,500.
Necas, 18, spent last season with HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga, the Czech Republic's top professional league. He notched seven goals and eight assists in 41 regular-season games. He scored four goals in 10 playoff games as Brno won the league championship.
The 6-foot-1, 178-pounder also represented the Czech Republic at the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, notching a goal and two assists in five games.
--The Washington Capitals re-signed left winger Liam O'Brien to a one-year, two-way contract.
The deal is worth $650,000 at the NHL level and $85,000 at the AHL level.
O'Brien, 22, appeared in one game with the Capitals during the 2016-17 season and has a goal and an assist in 14 career NHL games with Washington.
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound left winger had 10 goals and 20 assists in 64 games with the AHL's Hershey Bears last season. In 168 career AHL games, O'Brien has 21 goals and 33 assists.
--The New York Rangers agreed to terms with forward Filip Chytil on a three-year, entry-level contract.
Chytil, 17, skated in 38 games with PSG Zlin in the Czech Extraliga this past season, registering four goals and four assists for eight points, along with 16 penalty minutes. He was one of 21 players younger than 18 who played in the league last season.
The 6-foot-2, 192-pounder has played in Zlin's organization since the 2012-13 season. Chytil skated in 30 games with PSG Zlin's U18 team during the 2015-16 season, registering 28 goals and 22 assists along with a plus-23 rating and eight penalty minutes.
Chytil was selected by the Rangers in the first round of the 2017 draft.
--The San Jose Sharks signed goaltender Josef Korenar to a standard, entry-level contract. Per club policy, the terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Korenar, 19, appeared in 32 games with Lincoln of the USHL last season, posting a 14-11-4 record along with a 2.22 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage with two shutouts.
NHL Central Scouting ranked him 17th amongst all draft-eligible North American goaltenders in their end of season rankings.
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound native of Humpolec, Czech Republic, was also ranked as the fourth-best European goaltending prospect by NHL Central Scouting ahead of the 2016 draft.
