NHL notebook: Orpik rejoins Caps on 1-year deal

[July 25, 2018]  The Washington Capitals signed defenseman Brooks Orpik to a one-year, $1 million deal on Tuesday, a month after trading him to the Colorado Avalanche to clear salary.

The team announced the deal Tuesday, adding that Orpik -- who originally had a $5.5 million salary for 2018-19 -- could make an extra $500,000 in performance bonuses.

Orpik, who turns 38 in September, was bought out by the Avalanche after the trade, which brought goaltender Philipp Grubauer to Colorado in exchange for a second-round pick. Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan had maintained since the trade that Washington could bring Orpik back at the right price after he was bought out.

Orpik tallied 10 assists in 81 games last season, his fourth with the Capitals, while leading the team in blocked shots (168) and finishing second in hits (218). He chipped in a goal, four assists and a rating of plus-17 while playing in all 24 games of the Capitals' run to the Stanley Cup title.

--The Anaheim Ducks and restricted free agent defenseman Brandon Montour avoided a scheduled arbitration hearing by agreeing to a two-year deal, the team announced.

According to a Los Angeles Times report, the deal will pay Montour a total of $6,775,000, with $3.25 million coming in 2018-19.

The 24-year-old made $925,000 last season in the final year of his entry-level deal, his first full season in the NHL. Montour tallied nine goals and 23 assists in 80 games after entering the year with two goals and four assists in 27 NHL contests.

--The St. Louis Blues re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Joel Edmundson to a one-year, $3 million deal.

U.S. men's hockey team player Brooks Orpik enters the ice during a practice session at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, February 14, 2014. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh

The agreement comes a day before a scheduled arbitration hearing between the two sides and wraps up the third of three arbitration cases the Blues faced this summer. St. Louis re-signed winger Dmitrij Jaskin and center Oskar Sundqvist to one-year deals in June.

Edmundson, who turned 25 in June, tallied career highs in goals (seven) and points (17) in 2017-18.

--Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson entered a no-contest plea to a misdemeanor domestic assault charge.

The charge involved an incident that occurred in June with Watson's girlfriend. The prosecutor said the woman had asked for a dismissal of the case, but prosecutors proceeded because there were witnesses.

As a result of the plea in Williamson County (Tennessee) General Sessions court, Watson received three months of probation and is required to complete a 26-week batterer prevention course. If he violates probation, he could spend up to one year in jail. If he abides by all stipulations, the charge will be expunged from his record.

--Field Level Media

[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.