NHL Notes: Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella gets 1-year extension

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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets is getting a one-year contract extension following a season in which he was the NHL's Coach of the Year.

General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen announced the move Monday. Financial terms were not released.

Tortorella was entering the last year of a five-year, $10 million deal he signed with Vancouver in 2013.

Since joining Columbus on Oct. 21, 2015, Tortorella has led the Blue Jackets to an 84-57-16 record and .586 winning percentage.

Columbus had a 50-24-8 record and 108 points last year, the NHL's fourth-best record. This was a 32-point turnaround from 2015-16.

Sabres: Beaulieu avoids arbitration with 2-year, $4.8M deal 
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Newly acquired Buffalo Sabres defenseman Nathan Beaulieu has agreed to a two-year, $4.8 million deal in foregoing the opportunity to have his contract determined at an arbitration hearing.

The Sabres announced the agreement on Monday, five days before both sides were scheduled to present their case before an NHL arbitrator. Beaulieu was a restricted free agent.

Buffalo gave up a third-round draft pick to acquire Beaulieu in a trade with Montreal on June 17 after the Canadiens were prepared to expose the player in the expansion draft.

The 24-year-old Beaulieu had a career-best four goals and 24 points in 74 games in his third full NHL season. Overall, he has seven goals and 53 assists in 225 career games.

Beaulieu is a puck-moving defenseman who is regarded to be a good fit under newly hired head coach Phil Housley.

Wild: With long-term deal, Niederreiter can finally relax
Nino Niederreiter has been bold enough with his hobbies to ride on the outside of an airplane . On the ice, he plays a fearless game with a thick frame that's tough to knock off the puck around the net.

The last few months, though, he found himself feeling a little anxious.

Niederreiter was a restricted free agent who filed for salary arbitration, and the long-term contract he expected with the Minnesota Wild, a deal they spoke openly of desiring to complete, had not yet come together. The arbitration hearing scheduled in Toronto was coming closer and closer.

"I wouldn't say I wasn't worried. Obviously the longer the summer went, the more you start thinking," Niederreiter said, adding: "All of a sudden you have to make plans for Toronto and all that stuff. Obviously you get a little nervous. You never want to go to Toronto and make a deal there."

He didn't have to. The Wild and Niederreiter agreed to terms on a five-year contract worth $26.25 million on Sunday night, keeping him under the team's control through the 2021-22 season. His average annual salary is $5.25 million, which is what the hit will be against the Wild's cap.

"He's grown into his role as one of the offensive leaders of this group, and his shot and net-front presence will continue to play a major role in our team's success," general manager Chuck Fletcher said in announcing the deal. "Nino has a great attitude and personality, and we know our fans will be as happy as we are" (see full story).

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