Suspended defenseman Nate Schmidt and the Vegas Golden Knights agreed to a $35.7 million, six-year contract extension that runs through the 2024-25 season.
The team announced the deal late Wednesday night.
"He is the kind of defenseman that every team in this league is looking for now," Golden Knights General Manager George McPhee said. "He is unique, excellent defensively and has become a shutdown defenseman for us playing against the other clubs' top players."
The 27-year-old Schmidt, a former Gopher, was suspended 20 games last month for violating the NHL's performance-enhancing drug policy. He can return to the club Nov. 18.
Arizona 4, Vancouver 1: Former Wild goalie Darcy Kuemper stopped 27 shots in place of Coyotes starter Antti Raanta, who sat out a second straight game due to illness, as Arizona beat the visiting Canucks. Clayton Keller's goal at 3:55 of the third period broke a 1-1 tie. Ex-Gophers defenseman Alex Goligoski also scored for the Coyotes.
Chicago 4, N.Y. Rangers 1: Nick Schmaltz set up Alexandre Fortin's tiebreaking goal in the second period in the Blackhawks' victory over the visiting Rangers. Corey Crawford made 18 saves for Chicago, Henrik Lundqvist 33 for New York.
Nashville 4, New Jersey 3 (OT): Kyle Turris made a length of the ice rush and snapped a shot past Keith Kinkaid 3:35 into overtime to finish the Predators' road rally. Viktor Arvidsson, Filip Forsberg and Yannick Weber also scored for Nashville, and Jusse Saros made 33 saves.
Buffalo 4, Montreal 3: Former Gophers forward Kyle Okposo scored on a power play with 1:01 left in the third period as the host Sabres rallied to beat the Canadiens. Jason Pominville scored twice for Buffalo.
