The Carolina Hurricanes signed executive vice president and general manager Ron Francis to a contract extension through the 2018-19 season.

Francis, 53, is entering his 11th season in management with the Hurricanes and third as GM and executive vice president. 

"It was actually pretty simple," Francis said of getting the contract done. "I worked on the extension for [coach] Bill Peters and got that done and a little bit after that when [Hurricanes owner] Mr. Peter Karmanos Jr. was in town and walked into the office and said alright now I want to take care of you. We sat down and he told me what he would like to do and I said 'Pete, that's fair and that's how quickly it went.' It was a matter of getting things signed. I was out of town so we got to announce it today.

"I'm really excited about it. Appreciate the fact he was willing to give me the extension. I think as a management team and coaching staff we're going in the right direction so it's exciting to have the opportunity to continue that and see it get better and better as we move forward."

The Rangers have agreed to terms with forward Brandon Pirri on a $1.1 million, one-year deal.

Pirri, 25, spent last season with the Panthers and Ducks, recording 14 goals and 15 assists in 61 games. His 29 points were a career high.

Colorado has hired Jared Bednar, former coach of the AHL champion Lake Erie Monsters, to replace Patrick Roy as coach of the Avalanche, the team announced Thursday.

Roy, the Hall of Fame goaltender, abruptly quit as Avalanche coach and vice president of hockey operations two weeks ago, sending the team on a late-summer quest to fill the vacancy.

Roy cited a disconnect between himself and management over his roles.

Avalanche GM Joe Sakic called Bednar "one of the top up-and-coming coaches in our business" and said he fit the profile he wanted after going through the interview process.

The Panthers have cleared up salary-cap space by sending injured center Dave Bolland and prospect Lawson Crouse to the Coyotes in exchange for a conditional second-round pick and a third-round pick, according to an NHL source.

Bolland has three years remaining on a contract that pays him $5.5 million per season and likely will be placed on long-term injured reserve by the Coyotes.

Crouse, one of the Panthers' top prospects, was the 11th overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft.

Arizona Coyotes General Manager John Chayka announced today that the Coyotes have added Mike Van Ryn, Steve Potvin and Dawn Braid to the team's coaching staff. Van Ryn will serve as the Coyotes' Development Coach while Potvin was named the team's Skills Coach. Braid is now the organization's full-time Skating Coach, and the first-ever NHL female coach..

The Dallas Stars have signed free-agent forward Jiri Hudler to a one-year deal that will pay him $2 million for the upcoming season.

Hudler, 32, had 16 goals last season with Calgary and Florida but is just two seasons removed from a 31-goal, 76-point campaign with Calgary.

Canada will have to do without the second-leading NHL point producer from last season when the World Cup of Hockey tournament begins Sept. 17, as Stars captain Jamie Benn is out of the tournament recovering from offseason surgery.

But Canada's depth of talent is so great that it has replaced Benn with the leading point producer in the playoffs: Sharks winger Logan Couture.

The process of reducing the size of equipment worn by NHL goaltenders has once again been delayed. The question now is whether it will take another full calendar year to complete the downsizing.

At the annual meeting of NHL GM's in Florida last March there was optimism from both the league and the NHLPA that tapered or streamlined goaltending equipment would be ready for introduction this fall in an effort to level the playing field for goaltenders and by extension drive up scoring.

The plan was for the new equipment, contoured to more snugly fit goaltenders based on their individual body size, to be produced by four designated manufacturers and be ready for the start of the World Cup of Hockey training camps on Labor Day weekend and for the balance of NHL goaltenders when their respective team training camps begin the third week of September.

"It is a little frustrating because it's not like we started this six months ago," Devils goalie Cory Schneider said in an interview.

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Monday that the hockey club has signed free agent goaltender Jhonas Enroth to a one-year contract worth $750,000.

Enroth, 28, appeared in 16 regular season games with the Los Angeles Kings, posting a record of 7-5-1 with a .922 save percentage and a 2.17 goals against average.

The Stockholm, Sweden native was originally drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round (46th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

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The Maple Leafs announced today the club has named Mark Hunter as Assistant General Manager. Hunter, who first joined the Leafs as Director of Player Personnel in October 2014, will share the role along with current Assistant General Manager Kyle Dubas.

“Mark's new title is essentially a formality as these are duties he’s already been performing,” said Maple Leafs General Manager Lou Lamoriello. “Brendan and I have been discussing this change of title since last season – as it’s a more appropriate recognition of Mark's role with the organization since joining the Maple Leafs. There are no changes to Mark or Kyle’s duties, or to that of Brandon Pridham, Assistant to the General Manager.”

Hunter will continue to oversee the Maple Leafs’ pro scouting, amateur scouting and player evaluation departments while Dubas will continue as General Manager of the Toronto Marlies, overseeing all prospects within the club’s system, while also leading the Maple Leafs’ player development and hockey research & development departments.