NHL notebook: Sharks re-sign Thornton, Hertl

Financial terms for each deal were not disclosed, though multiple reports have
Thornton earning $5 million next season. Hertl will earn roughly $5.63 million
annually, according to The Athletic.

Thornton, who celebrated his 39th birthday Monday, returns to the Sharks for
his 21st season in the NHL. He has been with San Jose since arriving via trade
from the Boston Bruins in 2005 and scored 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists) in
47 games last season. His campaign was cut short by full tears of the anterior
cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee.

Hertl, 24, had 22 goals and 24 assists in 79 games last season. The forward
has 81 goals and 89 assists in five seasons with the Sharks since being
selected in the first round of the 2012 draft.

--Though the Ottawa Senators have offered a long-term contract extension to
defenseman Erik Karlsson, it seems the two-time Norris Trophy winner might
wind up cashing in elsewhere.

According to a New York Post report, the Senators have given interested teams
permission to discuss an extension with Karlsson, who appears to be seeking a
contract on par with the eight-year, $88 million extension Drew Doughty just
signed with the Los Angeles Kings.

The news could clear the way for the Senators to trade Karlsson, who has one
year left on the seven-year, $45 million deal he signed in June of 2012.
Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion said Sunday that the team had offered
Karlsson an extension, but declined to go into detail on the terms.

--Former Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov, who has not played since
the 2014-15 season, has a possible path to return to the NHL now that a
domestic violence conviction from 2015 has been dismissed.

Voynov pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of corporal injury to a
spouse following an altercation at his home in Redondo Beach, Calif., in
October 2014. Before deciding on the dismissal, the judge heard a doctor's
account that Voynov had completed 28 domestic violence counseling sessions.
The doctor added, however, that the couple lacked "emotional awareness" and
struggled to "communicate effectively," court documents said.

In 2015, the Kings terminated Voynov's six-year, $25 million contract, and he
was suspended indefinitely by the league. The Kings retain his rights, as he
is technically under contract through the 2018-19 season.

--Veteran winger James Neal has agreed to a five-year contract with the
Calgary Flames that averages $5.75 million annually, according to multiple
reports.

Neal, 30, was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights from the Nashville
Predators in the expansion draft and scored 44 points during the 2017-18
regular-season. He was an instrumental piece in Vegas' run to the Stanley Cup
Finals, scoring six goals and contributing five assists in 20 playoff games,
but became a free agent after finishing a five-year, $30 million contract.

In Calgary, Neal joins fellow newcomer forward Derek Ryan, who signed a
three-year deal that averages $3.125 million annually. The Flames also signed
forward Austin Czarnik on Sunday and re-signed defenseman Dalton Prout.

--The New York Islanders added depth at the center position by agreeing to
terms on a one-year contract with veteran Valtteri Filppula.

The deal is reportedly worth $2.75 million and comes a day after star center
John Tavares departed the organization to sign a seven-year deal with the
Toronto Maple Leafs worth $11 million annually.

Filppula saw his numbers dip last season. The 34-year-old totaled 11 goals and
22 assists in 81 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season after scoring
42 points between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Flyers in 2016-17. Filppula's
best year was with the Detroit Red Wings in 2011-12, when he had 66 points (23
goals, 43 assists).

--The Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals signed centers Jayson Megna and
Michael Sgarbossa to one-year, two-way contracts. The deals will carry an
average annual value of $650,000 and $315,000 in the AHL, the club announced.

Both have some NHL experience but are reportedly expected to spend plenty of
time in the minors next season, giving the team depth and roster flexibility.

--The Nashville Predators signed forward Zac Rinaldo to a two-way contract.
According to the club, Rinaldo's contract is worth $650,000 at the NHL level
and $300,000 in the American Hockey League.

Rinaldo, 28, had five goals and two assists in 53 games for the Arizona
Coyotes last season.

--The Anaheim Ducks agreed to a three-year contract with winger Carter Rowney
and gave center Brian Gibbons a one-year pact.

Rowney, 29, will reportedly earn $3.4 million over the life of his deal. He
scored two goals and three assists in 44 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins
last season. Gibbons, 30, had 12 goals and 14 assists for the New Jersey
Devils in 2017-18 and will reportedly make $1 million next season.

--Field Level Media