The Nashville Predators signed forward Denis Gurianov to a one-year deal, the team announced Tuesday.
Gurianov, who plays predominately on the right wing, signed a contract worth $850,000.
The 2015 first round pick of the Dallas Stars could add some scoring and size (at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds) to the Predators’ third or fourth line as the team continues a remake of the forward group. He has 51 goals and 60 assists in 280 career NHL games between six years in Dallas and 23 games last season in Montreal after being traded. The Canadiens did not tender Gurianov, 26, this offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Gurianov’s best season was in 2019-20, scoring 20 goals and 9 assists in the COVID-shortened regular season before scoring 9 goals with 8 assists in 27 playoff games inside the bubble while helping Dallas to a Stanley Cup Final appearance. He had double-digit goal totals in the next two seasons before a down year in 2022-23. His ice time dropped from 15:51 per game in 2021 to 12:08 in 43 games with Dallas last season, scoring two goals with seven assists.
Gurianov was traded by Dallas in February to Montreal for forward Evgenii Dadonov and was a bit better, with five goals and three assists in 23 games. The Russian-born forward made $2.9 million last season and was arbitration-eligible, but Montreal announced on June 30 that Gurianov did not receive a tender.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Predators sign winger Denis Gurianov to 1-year deal
