Leafs sign forward Jimmy Vesey to one-year contract

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed forward Jimmy Vesey to a one-year contract on Sunday evening.

The contract is valued at $900,000 US.

Vesey, 27, scored nine goals and 20 points with the Buffalo Sabres in 64 games played in 2019-20.

Previously, the Boston, Mass., native spent three seasons with the New York Rangers.

In over 300 NHL games played between the Sabres and Rangers, Vesey has 59 goals and 110 points.

Vesey was originally a third-round draft choice by the Nashville Predators in 2012.

Winnipeg Jets sign Derek Forbort to add defensive depth

The Winnipeg Jets signed defenceman Derek Forbort on a one-year, $1,000,000 US contract on Sunday.

Forbort, 28, played 20 games for the Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings last season and recorded one assist and four penalty minutes.

He made his playoff debut this year with Calgary, playing in 10 post-season games and registering a goal and an assist.

The Duluth, Minn., native has played 275 NHL games and posted 53 points (six goals, 47 assists) and 176 penalty minutes.

Forbort was originally drafted by Los Angeles in the first round (15th overall) in the 2010 NHL Draft.

Namestnikov signs with Detroit

The Detroit Red Wings signed free agent center Vladislav Namestnikov to a $4 million, two-year contract on Sunday.

Namestnikov has eight seasons of NHL experience after splitting last year between Ottawa and Colorado. The 27-year-old is reunited with Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman, who held the same title with Tampa Bay when the Lightning selected Namestnikov with the 27th pick in the 2011 draft.

Namestnikov had four goals and five points in 12 playoff games with Colorado this summer after being acquired in a trade with Ottawa in February. He enjoyed his best season in 2017-18, when he had 22 goals and 48 points split between Tampa Bay and the New York Rangers.

Overall, he has 83 goals and 106 assists for 189 points in 425 NHL games

Faksa re-signs with Stars

The Dallas Stars re-signed centre Radek Faksa on Sunday to a $16.25 million, five-year contract.

Faksa was a restricted free agent. The annual average salary of $3.25 million represents a little over a $1 million raise per season for the versatile forward, who fills various special teams roles for the Stars.

Faksa had 20 points and finished seventh on the team with 11 goals in 66 games during the pandemic-shortened season. The 26-year-old then scored three goals — all on the power play — and finished with eight points in helping the Stars reach the Stanley Cup Final, which they lost to Tampa Bay.

"Radek has developed into an extremely detailed player and offers our team a mix of size, speed and physicality," general manager Jim Nill in a statement. "He plays big minutes on both special teams units for us, while often times playing against the opposing team's best players at even strength."

The Stars also re-signed minor-league centre Joel L'Esperance, another restricted free agent, to a two-year, two-way contract. He had a goal in three games with Dallas last season, and led the AHL Texas Stars with 25 goals.

Blues sign former Leaf Clifford to 2-year contract

The St. Louis Blues signed free agent forward Kyle Clifford to a two-year, $2 million contract.

Clifford was a two-time Stanley Cup-winner in spending his first nine-plus seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, before being traded to Toronto in February.

Selected by L.A. in the second round of the 2009 draft, Clifford is expected to fill a secondary forward role in St. Louis. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds, he had seven goals and 17 points in 69 games last season.

Overall, he has 61 goals and 71 assists for 132 points in 676 NHL games.

Knights ink trio of players

The Vegas Golden Knights signed three players, including forward Tomas Nosek, who returns for a fourth season after signing a one-year, $1.25 million contract Sunday.

The 28-year-old Nosek was an unrestricted free agent, who had eight goals and seven assists for 15 points in 67 games last year. Overall, he has 24 goals and 48 points in 219 career NHL games over five seasons.

Vegas also signed minor-league forwards Tomas Jurco and Danny O'Regan to one-year, $700,000 contracts.

Jurco had two assists in 12 games for Edmonton last season, and overall has 22 goals and 52 points in 213 NHL career games. O'Regan spent all of last season in the minors, and has a goal and five points in 25 NHL games split between San Jose and Buffalo.