Golden Knights give Martinez 3-year extension

The Vegas Golden Knights signed defenseman Alec Martinez to a three-year contract extension with an average annual value of $5.25 million, the team announced.

Martinez was eligible for unrestricted free agency this offseason.

Vegas acquired Martinez from the Los Angeles Kings prior to the 2020 trade deadline for two second-round picks. He slotted in on the Golden Knights' blue line as a strong support piece behind stars Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore.

Martinez, 34, had 32 points in 53 games in 2020-21, a pace that would have shattered his career high of 39 over a full season. He also averaged over 22 minutes per game and led the NHL in blocked shots with 168.