Polak, 32, spent the 2017-18 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, posting 12 points (2-10=12) and 46 penalty minutes in 54 contests. Among team leaders, he ranked third with 131 hits, tied for fourth with 84 blocked shots and finished sixth with 17:39 time on ice per game. His 2:30 shorthanded TOI/G was the second-best among Leafs defensemen and sixth overall on the team. During the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he skated in seven games and logged one assist (0-1=1). The defenseman led all Toronto players during the postseason with 17 blocked shots and ranked second with 24 hits.
In 12 NHL seasons, he has accumulated 127 points (25-102=127) in 688 regular-season games with St. Louis, San Jose and Toronto. Polak has appeared 58 Stanley Cup Playoff games and has registered three assists (0-3=3).
"Roman is a tested, veteran defenseman who brings a physical element to our back-end," said Nill. "He is a respected competitor and will help round out our defensive group."
The 6-foot-2, 235-pound native of Ostrava, Czechoslovakia was originally drafted by St. Louis in the sixth round (180th overall) of the 2004 NHL Draft.
