Jason Payne has been hired by the ECHL's Cincinnati Cyclones, making him the only Black head coach in North American professional hockey next season.

Payne, 45, was promoted from assistant coach after Cyclones head coach Matt Thomas was hired by the Providence Bruins of the AHL. Payne, who grew up in Toronto, had a 14-year pro career as a player, making it as far as the AHL.

Payne said "there weren't many Black coaches as I was coming up, but when there were, you took notice." Payne hopes his hiring will help inspire others.

The Nashville Predators have signed forward Eeli Tolvanen to a three-year, $4.35 million deal.

General manager David Poile announced the deal Monday.

The Ottawa Senators signed backup goalie Filip Gustavsson to a two-year contract on Sunday.

The Senators said the first year is a two-way deal worth $750,000 in the NHL and the second is one-way with a value of $825,000.

The Minnesota Wild signed defenseman Jordie Benn to a one-year, $900,000 contract on Friday, adding another veteran option after an offseason of change on the blue line.

Benn, 34, had one goal, nine assists and a plus-7 rating over 39 games with the Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets last season.

The Philadelphia Flyers signed No. 1 center Sean Couturier to an eight-year contract extension worth $62 million.

Couturier counts $7.75 million against the salary cap with his contract that begins after next season and runs through 2029-30. It's the same value as the contract Andrei Svechnikov agreed to with the Carolina Hurricanes earlier Thursday.

Derick Brassard signed a one-year, $825,000 contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old center, who was an unrestricted free agent, scored 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 53 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season. He was first on the team in face-off percentage (52.6, minimum 15 face-offs taken).

The Philadelphia Flyers avoided their final arbitration case on Saturday, re-signing defenseman Travis Sanheim to a two-year contract.

The deal carries an average annual value of $4.675 million, general manager Chuck Fletcher announced in a news release, and all but locks up Philadelphia's roster for training camp.

The Minnesota Wild have signed Kevin Fiala to a one-year, $5.1 million contract.

The team announced the deal with the 25-year-old Swiss forward on Monday.

The Nashville Predators have signed goaltender Juuse Saros to a four-year, $20 million contract.

General manager David Poile announced the deal Monday.

Jason Dickinson signed a three-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. It has an average annual value of $2.65 million.

The 26-year-old forward, who was a restricted free agent, avoided a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for Aug. 20.