The Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday ensured a key piece of their rebuilding effort will stick around, signing forward Tage Thompson to a seven-year contract extension worth $50 million.

The contract, which begins with the 2023-24 season, rewards Thompson, 24, five months after a career season ended. He led the Sabres with 38 goals and 68 points while playing 78 games, and all of those totals were career highs.

The Minnesota Wild signed former Anaheim Ducks center Sam Steel to a one-year, $825,000 contract on Tuesday, adding depth at a vital position.

The 24-year-old Steel played in a career-most 68 games for the Ducks last season, collecting six goals, 14 assists and a career-high 27 blocked shots.

Mike Sullivan, the winningest coach in Pittsburgh Penguins history, has agreed to a new contract that runs through the 2026-27 season.

Sullivan, 54, has two years remaining on a contract that he signed in 2019. Once that deal concludes following the 2023-24 season, Sullivan's new three-year contract extension will kick in.

"Mike is one of the top coaches in the National Hockey League and it was important for us to have him signed long term," said Penguins GM Ron Hextall. "He is a great leader that finds success through communication, honesty and accountability. We know that Sully is committed to continuing a winning culture here in Pittsburgh."

The Carolina Hurricanes continued their extensive lineup makeover with the signing of veteran center Paul Stastny.

The 36-year-old gets a one-year, $1.5 million contract for what will be his 17th season in the league.

The New York Islanders have signed defensemen Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov to three-year contracts.

The Islanders also announced Monday the signing of forward Kieffer Bellows to a one-year deal. All three were restricted free agents.

Contract terms were not immediately available.

The Carolina Hurricanes have re-signed forward Martin Necas to a two-year, $6 million contract, keeping the young forward with the franchise that picked him in the first round of the 2017 draft.

The team announced the signing Tuesday, saying the deal would pay the 23-year-old $2.5 million next season and $3.5 million for the 2023-24 season.

The Seattle Kraken have added former Winnipeg Jets interim coach Dave Lowry to the coaching staff for the upcoming season, the team announced Monday.

Lowry spent most of last season as the interim head coach for the Jets, following the resignation of Paul Maurice. Lowry took over on Dec. 17 and went 26-22-6 while in charge. Lowry had joined Winnipeg as an assistant coach before the start of the 2020 season.

The Arizona Coyotes have signed restricted free agent forward Lawson Crouse to a five-year contract.

Terms of the deal announced Monday were not released. 

The Boston Bruins are getting the gang back together, signing captain Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci -- two members of their 2011 Stanley Cup championship team -- to one-year deals on Monday.

Almost three months after he left the ice without any certainty that he would return, Bergeron signed a one-year deal with the Bruins. A few hours later, the team announced that Krejci, who played last season in his native Czechia, will also be back in 2022-23.

Bergeron got a $2.5 million deal with $2.5 million in incentives and Krejci gets $1 million with the potential for $2 million more. 

Mason Appleton signed a three-year, $6.5 million contract with the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. It has an average annual value of $2.167 million.

The 26-year-old forward was a restricted free agent and avoided a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for Thursday.

He had 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 68 games for the Jets and Seattle Kraken last season, including four points (two goals, two assists) in 19 games with Winnipeg after he was acquired in a trade March 20.