NHL notebook: Orpik rejoins Caps on 1-year deal

The team announced the deal Tuesday, adding that Orpik -- who originally had a
$5.5 million salary for 2018-19 -- could make an extra $500,000 in performance
bonuses.

Orpik, who turns 38 in September, was bought out by the Avalanche after the
trade, which brought goaltender Philipp Grubauer to Colorado in exchange for a
second-round pick. Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan had maintained
since the trade that Washington could bring Orpik back at the right price
after he was bought out.

Orpik tallied 10 assists in 81 games last season, his fourth with the
Capitals, while leading the team in blocked shots (168) and finishing second
in hits (218). He chipped in a goal, four assists and a rating of plus-17
while playing in all 24 games of the Capitals' run to the Stanley Cup title.

--The Anaheim Ducks and restricted free agent defenseman Brandon Montour
avoided a scheduled arbitration hearing by agreeing to a two-year deal, the
team announced.

According to a Los Angeles Times report, the deal will pay Montour a total of
$6,775,000, with $3.25 million coming in 2018-19.

The 24-year-old made $925,000 last season in the final year of his entry-level
deal, his first full season in the NHL. Montour tallied nine goals and 23
assists in 80 games after entering the year with two goals and four assists in
27 NHL contests.

--The St. Louis Blues re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Joel
Edmundson to a one-year, $3 million deal.

The agreement comes a day before a scheduled arbitration hearing between the
two sides and wraps up the third of three arbitration cases the Blues faced
this summer. St. Louis re-signed winger Dmitrij Jaskin and center Oskar
Sundqvist to one-year deals in June.

Edmundson, who turned 25 in June, tallied career highs in goals (seven) and
points (17) in 2017-18.

--Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson entered a no-contest plea to a
misdemeanor domestic assault charge.

The charge involved an incident that occurred in June with Watson's
girlfriend. The prosecutor said the woman had asked for a dismissal of the
case, but prosecutors proceeded because there were witnesses.

As a result of the plea in Williamson County (Tennessee) General Sessions
court, Watson received three months of probation and is required to complete a
26-week batterer prevention course. If he violates probation, he could spend
up to one year in jail. If he abides by all stipulations, the charge will be
expunged from his record.

--Field Level Media