If the Blackhawks are hoping to find help at center on the free agent market, their options just shrunk by one.
Just over 12 hours until free agency officially begins at 11 a.m. Sunday, the Nashville Predators agreed to a four-year, 13 million deal with Paul Gaustad. This marks a sifnificant raise for the 6-foot-4 center, who just concluded a four-year, 9.2 million deal.
Gaustad, 30, scored seven goals and had 14 assists with 114 hits and 76 penalty minutes in 70 games between the Buffalo Sabres and Predators last season.
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Nashville acquired Gaustad at the trade deadline, along with a fourth-round pick in the 2013 draft, in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2012 draft.