Contenders re-sign key players at start of NHL free agency
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.