The Montreal Canadiens agreed to terms with center Phillip Danault on a three-year contract Sunday, the team announced. The new deal carries an annual average value of $3.083 million per season.

Danault is coming off a campaign in which he was hampered by injury. The 25-year-old's 2017-18 was derailed after he took a Zdeno Chara slap shot off the side of his head in January. Danault still suited up in 52 games, but he only managed to register eight goals and 17 assists in 16:35 of ice time per night.

Despite his lack of career productivity so far, the Victoriaville, Quebec native will still play an important role up the middle next season for a Canadiens squad that seriously lacks forward depth.

Danault was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks with their 26th overall pick in 2011. He was set for a salary arbitration hearing on July 20, but that won't happen now that the two sides have agreed to terms on a new deal.

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When he's healthy, there is no denying Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise's ability to put up points.

Related: Parise suffered broken sternum in Game 3; reportedly out 6-8 weeks

So, following a season in which the 33-year-old underwent back surgery and suffered a fractured sternum in the playoffs, Wild fans should be excited to hear that Parise expects to be ready for the start of the 2018-19 campaign.

"I don't anticipate that being a problem," Parise said Saturday, confirming that he feels 100 percent, according to Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "It feels good."

Parise missed 40 games after his back surgery in October. Following his return, he registered 15 regular-season goals - 12 of them in his last 18 contests - and nine assists, only to suffer the sternum injury in Game 3 of the first round of the postseason.

He says he's been skating for "a while" and is encouraged by his play down the stretch.

"It was nice to feel normal again on the ice. That was the biggest thing for me. ... That was relieving," Parise said. "I'm looking forward to doing that again next season."

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The Columbus Blue Jackets signed restricted free-agent forward Oliver Bjorkstrand to a three-year contract on Sunday, the club announced. His new deal carries an annual average value of $2.5 million, according to Brian Hedger of BlueJackets.com.

"Oliver is a gifted player with a tremendous shot and scoring instincts who has improved steadily during his first three seasons as a pro," Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. "He is just scratching the surface of the type of player he can be and we believe he has the potential to be a dynamic offensive player for our club."

Bjorkstrand tallied 11 goals and 29 assists in 82 regular-season games for the Blue Jackets last year, chipping in with one goal and two assists in six playoff games.

The Denmark native was a prolific scorer in lower levels, winning WHL player of the year honors in 2014-15 after racking up a ridiculous 63 goals and 55 assists in 59 games for the Portland Winterhawks. It will be very interesting to see if Bjorkstrand can continue to develop his game at the NHL level.

He was drafted by Columbus in the third round of the 2013 draft (89th overall).

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Age is just a number as far as Ilya Kovalchuk is concerned.

The newest member of the Los Angeles Kings was on hand to speak to reporters on Saturday and said he still expects to play at an elite level through the duration of his contract.

"When I was making my decision, it was all about hockey because I have three or four years left in my tank where I can really play at a high level," Kovalchuk said, according to Jon Rosen of LAKingsInsider.com. "L.A. has a great group of guys. Like I said, great goaltending, great defense, and they have one of the best centers in the league. I never had a chance to play with those kinds of guys, so it's really exciting for me."

This season will mark Kovalchuk's return to the NHL after five years spent with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL. The former 1st overall pick of the Atlanta Thrashers - who averaged over 40 goals per 82 games in the NHL - is confident he'll be able to produce thanks in large part to the talent surrounding him in L.A.

"The last few years I was still in the same caliber like I was, so I feel comfortable," Kovalchuk said. "Especially when you play with the guys like Kopitar, Doughty, Carter, Brown, those guys, they make it even easier to get the points and the goals. We just need to work really hard and be a good team. It doesn't matter really who's going to score."

Kovalchuk will be relied on heavily to produce offense after a season that saw the Kings finish 16th in the regular season in goals. The campaign concluded with a first-round sweep to the Vegas Golden Knights after the team managed a mere three goals. Adding the KHL's reigning points leader should help address that.

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Columbus Blue Jackets restricted free-agent defenseman Ryan Murray accepted his one-year qualifying offer and will be paid $2.825 million for the 2018-19 season, the team announced Saturday.

Murray, the club's second overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, has failed to live up to the hype of being such a high selection, but will get a chance to prove himself on a one-year deal. He'll be an RFA once again next summer, but will have arbitration rights.

Injuries are the main reason Murray has been labeled as a draft bust. Over the last two seasons, he's missed 64 games. In 2014-15, he only made 12 appearances in the Blue Jackets' lineup.

However, it wouldn't be surprising if Murray, who will be 25, excels next season if he can have an injury-free year. After all, defensemen tend to take longer to develop compared to forwards, and his growth has presumably been hindered by all the time he's missed.

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