Longtime Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov signed with Russian club Ak Bars Kazan on Monday.

The team said the 38-year-old Markov signed a two-year contract to play in the Kontinental Hockey League, a week after Montreal said it would not keep the defenseman for a 17th NHL season. 

Markov will be reunited with Ak Bars coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov, who coached Markov on Russia's Olympic team in 2014.

"I'm fired up to work and hope we'll be successful," Markov said.

The Blue Jackets have signed Head Coach John Tortorella to a one-year contract extension through the 2018-19 NHL season, club GM Jarmo Kekalainen announced today. Since joining the club on Oct. 21, 2015, Tortorella has led the Blue Jackets to an 84-57-16 record and .586 points percentage.

“John Tortorella and his coaching staff have done a terrific job since his arrival nearly two years ago,” said Kekalainen. “He is one of the top coaches in our game and we are excited about what lies ahead for our club with John as our head coach.”

Tortorella won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year after leading the Blue Jackets to the best season in the club’s 17-year history last season.

“I’m very appreciative of the opportunity I have to coach this team and be part of a wonderful community that has been very welcoming to my family, so I thank the McConnell family, Mike Priest, John Davidson, Jarmo Kekalainen, our staff and the entire organization,” said Tortorella. “I’m proud of the steps we’ve taken as a team and I look forward to continuing to work with a very good group of coaches and players.”

The Minnesota Wild have agreed to terms with right wing Nino Niederreiter on a five-year, $26.25 million contract.

The Wild announced Sunday their deal with the restricted free agent, who established career highs last season with 25 goals, 32 assists and a plus-17 rating among several other categories. The 24-year-old Swiss star was one of four players to appear in every game for the Wild last season.

The Pittsburgh Penguins agreed to a three-year contract with forward Conor Sheary on Sunday to avoid arbitration.

The contract has an average annual value of $3 million, the team announced.

In two seasons with the Penguins, Sheary has 63 points in the regular season (30 goals, 33 assists). Last season in 61 games he had 23 goals and 30 assists in 61 games.

The Dallas Stars will host the 2018 NHL draft at American Airlines Center.

The NHL and the Stars announced Saturday night that the draft will be Friday-Saturday, June 22-23. The first round will be June 22, and the final six rounds will be June 23.

Dallas will host the draft for the first time. The franchise is celebrating its 25th season in Texas after leaving Minnesota.

GM David Poile has made it clear he's been looking for a top center since first hired to build the Nashville Predators 20 years ago.

He believes he has just that in Ryan Johansen, and that's why the Predators rewarded the 24-year-old center Friday with an eight-year, $64 million contract. It's the biggest deal the franchise has ever handed out.

Andrei Markov will not return next season to the Montreal Canadiens, the only team he has played for in his 16 seasons in the league.

He is scheduled to speak on a conference call Thursday afternoon.

Markov, 38, was the longest-tenured player on the team and an alternate captain last season. The two-time All-Star had six goals and 36 points and was plus-18.

The Bruins and center Ryan Spooner avoided arbitration on the day of their hearing, agreeing to a one-year, $2,825,000 deal on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old Spooner became a restricted free agent on July 1, after finishing a two-year contract that was worth $950,000 per season.

The Coyotes hired John MacLean and Scott Allen on Wednesday as assistant coaches on Rick Tocchet's staff.

MacLean played 18 NHL seasons with four teams before becoming an assistant coach in the Devils organization for seven seasons. He was an assistant with the Hurricanes from 2011 to 2014 and served as an analyst for the NHL Network from 2015 to 2017.

A former minor league player, Allen served as an assistant coach with the Rangers from 2009 to 2012 and has held numerous coaching jobs in the minors, most recently with the San Antonio Rampage.

The Stanley Cup isn't the only thing Connor McDavid wants. He also wants a shot at Olympic gold, and he's frustrated that NHL players likely won't get a chance to play in the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

In April, the NHL announced that it will not stop its season to allow players to compete at the Feb. 9-25 Olympics for the first time in 20 years.