Nick Bjugstad Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona Coyotes sign forward Nick Bjugstad to two-year contract

Originally posted on Daily Faceoff | By Mike Gould | Last updated 7/1/23

The Arizona Coyotes have signed forward Nick Bjugstad to a two-year contract, PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reported Saturday afternoon.

Bjugstad, 30, collected 17 goals and 29 points in 78 games split between the Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers during the 2022–23 regular season.

The 6-foot-6 center added three goals in 12 games with the Oilers during their run to the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Bjugstad’s new contract with the Coyotes carries a $2.1 million cap hit, representing a significant pay rise from the $900,000 he earned on the one-year deal he signed with the Coyotes last summer.

Hearing Nick Bjugstad is returning to the Coyotes on a two-year deal ($2.1M AAV).
Coyotes nation rejoices. So does @spetershockey.
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) July 1, 2023

The Florida Panthers originally selected Bjugstad in the first round (No. 19 overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft. The Minneapolis product made his NHL debut with the Panthers late in the 2012–13 season and established himself as an NHL regular the following year.

Bjugstad spent parts of seven seasons with the Panthers before being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019. The Penguins traded Bjugstad to his hometown Minnesota Wild in 2020.

Upon joining the Coyotes in 2022, Bjugstad seized control of the team’s No. 2 center role and occupied that spot for most of the season before being traded to the Oilers at the deadline. Bjugstad scored 13 goals and 23 points in 59 games with Arizona; the Oilers traded Michael Kesselring and a 2023 third-round pick in exchange for Bjugstad and Cam Dineen.

Through 618 career games over parts of 11 NHL seasons with the Panthers, Penguins, Coyotes and Oilers, Bjugstad has racked up 127 goals and 266 points. He’s added six goals and eight points in 27 career playoff games.

The Coyotes have been one of the busiest teams in this year’s unrestricted free-agency period, having also signed forward Jason Zucker and defenseman Troy Stecher to one-year deals.

This article first appeared on Daily Faceoff and was syndicated with permission.

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