NHL notebook: Avalanche sign former No. 1 overall pick Yakupov

The Colorado Avalanche signed former top overall pick Nail Yakupov to a one-year contract, the team announced Tuesday.

Yakupov, a forward, collected just nine points (three goals, six assists) in 40 games with the St. Louis Blues last season. The 23-year-old Russian, who is coming off a two-year, $5 million contract, was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer until the Blues opted against sending him a qualifying offer.

“Nail is a young, skilled winger who will add depth to our lineup,” Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic said. “We look forward to seeing him at training camp.”

Yakupov has yet to live up to expectations since being selected by the Edmonton Oilers with the first overall pick of the 2012 draft. He spent four seasons in Edmonton before being traded to St. Louis in October for forward Zach Pochiro and a conditional third-round pick of the 2017 draft. Yakupov has recorded 53 goals and 67 assists in 292 career contests with the Oilers and Blues.

–The San Jose Sharks signed forward Brandon Bollig to a one-year contract, the team announced.

Financial terms were not disclosed for Bollig, who recorded 11 goals, 11 assists and 136 penalty minutes in 60 games last season with the Stockton Heat of the American Hockey League.

The 30-year-old Bollig spent his previous two campaigns with the Calgary Flames, collecting three goals and six assists in 116 games.

A Stanley Cup champion with Chicago, Bollig notched 10 goals, 13 assists and 392 penalty minutes in 241 career contests with the Blackhawks and Flames.

–The Carolina Hurricanes acquired center Marcus Kruger from the Vegas Golden Knights for a fifth-round pick in the 2018 NHL draft.

Kruger recorded five goals, 12 assists and a plus-7 rating in 70 games last season with the Chicago Blackhawks. The 27-year-old is set to enter the second campaign of a three-year deal worth $9.25 million with a cap hit of $3.083 million.

Kruger also represented his home country of Sweden for the 2017 IIHF World Championship, where he won the gold medal along with fellow Hurricanes Elias Lindholm, Victor Rask and Joakim Nordstrom.

A two-time Stanley Cup winner, Kruger has collected 33 goals, 72 assists and 176 penalty minutes in 398 career games with the Blackhawks.

–The Arizona Coyotes signed forward Michael Latta to a one-year, two-way contract.

Terms of the contract were not disclosed for Latta, who notched four goals and 17 points in 113 games over three seasons with the Washington Capitals from 2013-2016.

Latta, a former third-round pick of the Nashville Predators in the 2009 draft, split last season with the Ontario Reign and Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League.