The Vegas Golden Knights acquired center Marcus Kruger from the Chicago Blackhawks for future considerations, the club announced.

Kruger immediately provides the Knights with depth up the middle, a spot on the roster that Vegas general manager George McPhee has been looking to upgrade.

The 27-year-old veteran spent his entire seven-year career in a Blackhawks uniform, racking up 33 goals and 105 points in 398 regular-season games.

Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman had this to say about the parting centerman: "We thank Marcus for his many contributions to our team - most notably, two Stanley Cup Championships. His work ethic, reliability and strength as a two-way player made him a valuable member of the organization. We wish him the best with Vegas.”

Kruger has two years remaining on his current contract and will become an unrestricted free agent in 2019.

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The Montreal Canadiens signed Carey Price to an eight-year contract extension that will begin in 2018-19 and run through to the end of 2025-26, the club announced Sunday.

The value of the new contract was not immediately disclosed, but is reported to be worth $10.5 million per season, according to TSN's Darren Dreger. Additionally, $70 million of that total comes in the form of signing bonuses, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN.

The next highest-paid goalie is New York's Henrik Lundqvist, who signed a seven-year, $59.5-million extension with the Rangers in 2013.

The $10.5 million cap hit will also put him on par with Chicago duo Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane for highest among all players, pending the signing of Connor McDavid in Edmonton.

The 29-year-old is coming off his tenth season with the club. In that time, he's posted a career regular-season record of 270-175-55 with a .920 save percentage and has won the Hart, Vezina, and Ted Lindsay trophies.

Price also won gold for Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Clearly the current face of the most storied franchise in hockey history, this new deal ensures Price will spend the majority of his career - if not all of it - playing for the team that drafted him fifth overall in 2005.

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The Ilya Kovalchuk situation appears to be coming to a head sooner than later.

The Russian winger is believed to be mulling a return to the NHL following a four-year KHL hiatus, and would have to do so via a deal with the New Jersey Devils, who could then trade him to a more preferred destination.

Devils general manager Ray Shero said there's no update as of Sunday, but added, "I don't think this stretches on for real long," according to Andrew Gross of The Record.

Three of the teams on Kovalchuk's wish list are believed to be the New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Kovalchuk's potential availability slots him as one of the most intriguing remaining free-agent options.

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With the initial wave of free-agent signings having now passed, attention turns to the NHL trade market, where Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Duchene remains the focal point.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators were reported to have offers on the table, but the latter may have bowed out after signing center Nick Bonino on Saturday.

Talks between Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and Avs GM Joe Sakic drifted well into Saturday evening, though, reports Aaron Portzline of The Dispatch.

The Avs apparently have eyes on one or two of Columbus' young defensemen.

Portzline adds the Boston Bruins are believed to have entered the conversation, with 20-year-old defenseman and Colorado Springs native Brandon Carlo serving as a key piece in the return.

Carlo's name has been liked to the Avalanche in trade reports dating back to January, but Bruins GM Don Sweeney said the young blue-liner would not be included in any deals at that point in time.

Duchene has two years left on his current contract, and carries a yearly cap hit of $6 million.

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Karl Alzner is off to hockey's mecca.

The defenseman signed a five-year, $23.1-million deal with the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, and is more than ready to step into the NHL's most storied hockey market.

"(Montreal) is the franchise in the league; it's hockey. I don't think it really gets much better than that," he said Saturday, per Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic.

"It's competitive and (there's) management and ownership that's willing to do absolutely anything to win. That's kind of the dream, for a player that especially hasn't won a Cup yet. So I'm pretty excited about that."

Alzner was drafted fifth overall by the Washington Capitals in 2007, a team for whom he played his entire career up to this point, and with whom he was unable to win the Stanley Cup. The Canadiens, on the other hand, have 24 Cups to their credit, but none since 1993.

The steady defenseman hasn't missed a regular-season game in seven seasons, and will be counted upon to help keep the puck away from Carey Price.

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Over a decade after winning his first Stanley Cup in Carolina, Justin Williams believes the Hurricanes are gaining strength once again.

"Carolina hasn't been to the playoffs since 2009, so that's a long time," he said after signing a two-year, $9-million contract with the club on Saturday, per Chip Alexander of the News and Observer.

"We're done losing. It's time to climb the ladder and get relevant. I really like this team and like where it's going."

Set to turn 36 before the start of next season, Williams becomes the oldest member of the Hurricanes, and general manager Ron Francis is hoping the man they call "Mr. Game 7" can not only continue to put the puck in the back of the net, but also teach the team's younger players what it takes to become a winner.

"He's shown he can score goals, so we expect him to score some goals for us," Francis said Saturday. "He's won three Stanley Cups in his career. He's shown in the big games he rises to that level he needs to get to to be successful.

"On a team with a lot of young players we think he's going to have huge influence in our locker room, getting those guys to understand what it takes to be successful. It's great he believes in what we're building and what we're doing."

Williams won a Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006, and went on to win two more with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012 and 2014. Whether he can add another during his second tour of duty with the Hurricanes remains to be seen, but he certainly believes he can help the team move forward.

"I can produce offensively. I mean, that's no secret. That's what I'm here to do among other things, but I think more importantly being there and hopefully being a presence and helping this young talented team kind of take the next step."

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For the Chicago Blackhawks, what's old is new again ... again.

On the heels of a four-game sweep at the hands of the Nashville Predators in the first round of last season's playoffs, general manager Stan Bowman promised significant change, but ironically, he's employed a familiar strategy by bringing back old members of the Blackhawks' dynastic success.

He's previously tried the method at the 2016 trade deadline, going all in by acquiring Andrew Ladd. Bowman did it again by signing Brian Campbell to a team-friendly deal last offseason, and again by orchestrating a reunion with Johnny Oduya before the 2017 playoff push.

Now, after altering the makeup of the Blackhawks' roster via trades and free agency, Bowman has brought in more familiar faces, welcoming Brandon Saad and Patrick Sharp - two key cogs in the club's championship years - back to the team.

Although previous trips down memory lane haven't yielded much success for Bowman and the Blackhawks, there's reason to believe this summer's key moves warrant a different result.

The signings of Sharp and acquisition of Saad - although the latter came at the price of shipping off dynamic winger Artemi Panarin - address one of Chicago's biggest issues from a season ago: forward depth. The recent additions should solidify an offense that went stagnant when it mattered most.

With Sharp in the fold, Chicago can expand its attack, instead of relying so heavily on Patrick Kane to create the majority of the club's offense. Sharp endured an arduous season with the Dallas Stars in 2016-17, limited to just 48 games because of two concussions and hip surgery. In spite of this, the veteran forward showed glimpses of promise.

Sharp generated just over three shots on goal per game last season, but owned a career-low shooting percentage of 5.5 percent. Based on his career numbers, it's hard to believe that trend will continue should he stay healthy.

Now 35, Sharp is just one season removed from a 55-point campaign, and with a career production rate of 0.68 points per game, Chicago should benefit from his offensive flair, which comes at a cost of just $800,000 (plus another $200,000 in bonuses). His presence should also help fill the void left behind by Marian Hossa at both ends of the ice.

In Saad, the Blackhawks get a player back who they never wanted to get rid of in the first place. Feeling the pressure of an impending offer sheet, Bowman sacrificed Saad to the Blue Jackets after he emerged as one of the most important pieces to Chicago's Stanley Cup win in 2015.

He might not be the offensive catalyst Panarin was for the last two seasons, but Saad is definitely a quality producer in his own right, coming off a 53-point campaign in Columbus. Perhaps most importantly, though, Saad's return gives Jonathan Toews a consistent winger again.

Toews has been dealt a revolving door of wingers since Saad's departure, and his offensive numbers have predictably dipped. Saad's greatest asset is his speed, but is skilled in shot-suppression as well. Paired with Toews, head coach Joel Quenneville has a trustworthy combo to throw against opponent's top lines, as opposed to pairing his captain with younger, less experienced players, which was often the case a season ago.

The Blackhawks, collectively, can now roll the formerly formidable duo of Toews and Saad together, with a second line featuring Kane and Artem Anisimov, while Sharp occupies the wing on the third unit. Suddenly, Chicago's attack appears much more balanced.

After marching to the top of the Western Conference standings in the regular season, Chicago managed just three goals in four disappointing playoff games. Its offense became too predictable for Nashville's fortuitous defensive corps, and it showed. But now, months into an offseason where maintaining the status quo wouldn't be good enough, and committing to deliver change, Bowman appears to have bettered his club without altering his approach at all.

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