Patrik Laine agrees to a four-year extension with the Blue Jackets.

The NHL continues to heat up in the offseason with players being acquired and resigned. One of the most notable re-signings over the weekend was Patrik Laine of the Blue Jackets.

Columbus has brought Laine back on a four-year $34.8m contract, one that carries an $8.7m salary cap hit through 2026. This also allows them to keep the high-scoring winger after adding g top free agent Johnny Gaudreau.

General Manager Jarmo Kekäläinen said: “One of our priorities this summer was signing Patrik Laine to a contract extension. He is a special player, one of the truly elite goal scorers in the National Hockey League, and he has fit in extremely well with our group since his arrival. He is an integral part of the team we are building in Columbus.”

The Blue Jackets made room for Laine by trading forward Oliver Bjorkstrand to the Seattle Kraken.

In regard to the trade, Kekäläinen commented: “It was a difficult decision to trade Oliver, who has given so much to our organization over the past seven years.”

He continued: “However, a move like this needed to be made in order for us to be salary cap compliant after the Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine signings.”

Speaking of trades, Matthew Tkachuk is thrilled to join Florida Panthers. The Panthers forward stated that he’s already building relationships with his teammates and coaches.

In an interview with Sportsnet's Ryan Leslie, Tkachuk said: “It was just kind of putting myself in a position to reevaluate everything -- life, on-ice, off-ice, the future and I came to the decision that I was going to look elsewhere and have a change.”

The Panthers will formally introduce the 24-year-old Tkachuk on Monday at their arena.