Martinez signs three-year contract to remain with Golden Knights

Alec Martinez signed a three-year, $15.75 million contract on Wednesday to stay with the Vegas Golden Knights. It has an average annual value of $5.25 million.

The 34-year-old defenseman scored 32 points (nine goals, 23 assists) in 53 regular-season games and six points (four goals, two assists) in 19 Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Golden Knights last season. Vegas was eliminated in the best-of-7 Stanley Cup Semifinals by the Montreal Canadiens in six games.
"It was a long process, but obviously really happy to get things done and be back," Martinez said. "I've touched on it a lot before about the special group that we have there. It's going to sound a lot like I do in season, but there are a lot of good guys in that locker room, on and off the ice.
"The three years, that was important to me. Fortunately, I was able to get it. As for the squad, the past couple of years we've been really close (to winning the Stanley Cup). Though we came up short this year, I think we took a lot of really big steps, not just in product on the ice but how we've handled adversity in the playoffs and how guys handled it. I was proud of the way the guys played. I was proud of the way they handled everything the last year. I'm excited to get going again and take a crack at this thing."
Martinez led the playoffs with 72 blocked shots, 20 more than the next-closest player, teammate Alex Pietrangelo, and was third on the Golden Knights in ice time per game (22:32) behind Shea Theodore (23:07) and Pietrangelo (25:07). Martinez led the NHL during the regular season with 168 blocked shots, 40 more than Adam Larsson, who was second with the Edmonton Oilers.
Martinez broke his foot during the regular season and played the entire playoffs with the injury.
"It's going well," he said. "I've been training for a few weeks now. We have a really good staff, and they're adapting my workouts and things like that to incorporate a little rehab and do things the right way so that I am ready for camp. But I don't see any issue with that."
Selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the fourth round (No. 95) of the 2007 NHL Draft, Martinez has scored 238 points (73 goals, 165 assists) in 660 regular-season games with the Golden Knights and Kings, and 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) in 103 NHL playoff games.
A two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Kings (2012, 2014), he scored the Cup-winning goal in the second overtime of Game 5 of the Final against the New York Rangers in 2014.
"I think the market would've paid him quite a bit more than the $5.25 million AAV]," Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. "He was one of our best players. All I can really add to that is what he means to the leadership of our team.
"I remember the day we traded for him, referencing the fact that he's a two-time Stanley Cup champion, you see that in his preparation. You see that in his courage and commitment. You see that in his leadership and mentorship to younger players on our team. As our team gets a little bit younger, which we have through this stretch, it magnifies the value of the older guys in our dressing room. I really feel like he's one of the most respected players on our team."
Also on Wednesday, the Golden Knights kept forward
[Mattias Janmark
with a one-year, $2 million contract; signed goalie
Laurent Brossoit
to a two-year contract ($2.325 million AAV); and traded defenseman Nick Holden and a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft to the Ottawa Senators for forward Evgenii Dadonov.
Janmark scored 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 56 games last season, including five (one goal, four assists) in 15 games with Vegas after being acquired April 12 in a three-team trade involving the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks. The 28-year-old scored eight points (four goals, four assists) in 16 playoff games for the Golden Knights.
Selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the third round (No. 79) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Janmark has scored 133 points (57 goals, 76 assists) in 353 regular-season games with the Dallas Stars, Chicago and Vegas, and 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) in 61 NHL playoff games.
Brossoit was 6-6-0 with a 2.42 goals-against average, a .918 save percentage and one shutout in 14 games (11 starts) with the Winnipeg Jets last season. The 28-year-old did not play during the postseason.
Selected by the Calgary Flames in the sixth round (No. 164) of the 2011 NHL Draft, Brossoit is 32-32-5 with a 2.83 GAA, a .908 save percentage and two shutouts in 82 regular-season games (65 starts) with the Jets and Edmonton Oilers, and has appeared in one playoff game.
Brossoit is expected to back up goalie Robin Lehner, who is the starter after Marc-Andre Fleury was traded to the Blackhawks on Tuesday.
"Just really like what he's done in Winnipeg," McCrimmon said. "He's played behind (Jets goalie) Connor Hellebuyck, who is a real workhorse. He was looking for a little more opportunity and he's a really good fit for our team behind Robin."
Dadonov scored 20 points (13 goals, seven assists) in 55 games with the Senators last season. The 32-year-old has two seasons remaining on the three-year, $15 million contract ($5 million AAV) he signed with Ottawa on Oct. 15.
NHL.com independent correspondent Danny Webster contributed to this report