Contenders re-sign key players at start of NHL free agency
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By STEPHEN WHYNO and WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writers
The Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche have brought back defenseman Josh Manson with a four-year deal worth $18 million. The team they beat in the Cup Final also locked up three top contributors: The Tampa Bay Lightning signed center Anthony Cirelli and defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak to eight-year extensions. The 2019 champion St. Louis Blues re-signed defenseman Nick Leddy after he fit in so well as a trade deadline acquisition. They also locked up forward Robert Thomas to a big deal.