EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers have signed winger Zack Kassian to a one-year contract.
The 25-year-old Kassian appeared in 36 games with the Oilers last season, posting eight points (three goals, five assists) and 114 penalty minutes.
The Oilers acquired Kassian from Montreal on Dec. 28 in exchange for goaltender Ben Scrivens, and the move resurrected a nearly lost season for the forward.
After the Canadiens acquired Kassian from Vancouver in the off-season, he was involved in a single-vehicle accident in which he broke his left foot and his nose.
He was admitted into the NHL’s substance abuse program, then waived by Montreal upon his release and told not to report to the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps.
The six-foot-three, 217-pound native of Windsor, Ont., has appeared in 234 career NHL games with Buffalo, Vancouver and Edmonton, accumulating 74 points (38 goals, 36 assists) and 421 penalty minutes.
He has also played in eight playoff games, posting six penalty minutes.
Kassian was a Memorial Cup Champion in 2010 with the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires. He was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round, 13th overall in the 2009 NHL draft.