Lubomir Visnovsky was a pending unrestricted free agent, but will not hit the open market this summer.
There was initially a report that the defenseman could re-sign with the New York Islanders in the next few days, according to Arthur Staple of Long Island Newsday.
Not long after posting that story on Twitter, Staple followed up with this:
Hearing Lubo Visnovsky's new contract with #Isles is done. 2 years, $9.5 million.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) March 30, 2013
The Islanders made it official on their website later Friday evening.
It is a two-year deal, although terms of the deal were not disclosed by the Islanders.
Visnovsky was in the final year of a five-year, $28 million contract. He’s currently a cap hit of $5.6 million.
Visnovsky, who turns 37 years of age in August, has three goals and nine points in 22 games this season, his first with the Islanders.
The Islanders, meanwhile, continue to battle for a post-season spot. They sit ninth right now.
They have won three games in a row, and are tied in points at 35 with their rivals, the eighth-place New York Rangers.
The Rangers do hold the current tiebreaker, with fewer games played.