Travis Dermott signs two-year deal with Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Travis Dermott won't hit restricted free agency later this month, after all. Whether or not Dermott is with the Maple Leafs when the 2021-22 season opens has yet to be determined. 

According to the NHL's website, the 24-year-old has signed a two-year contract worth $3 million with an average annual value of $1.5 million to stay with the club. 

Across 51 regular-season games in 2020-21, Dermott recorded two goals and four assists. He failed to notch a point in three playoff contests. 

While Dermott said that signing "a shorter deal is better for me now," he could be left unprotected for the upcoming Seattle Kraken expansion draft. 

"You never know what's going to happen, during a game, the trades after, anything could happen," he said about his unclear future. "It's in the back of my mind that it is a possibility I could get picked and I certainly didn't get any assurances I wasn't going anywhere, that's for sure.

"If it happens, it happens. ... I'm happy to be here, happy to be back for another couple of years. It's where I want to be, where all my family is and where the best fans in hockey are, so it's exactly where I want to be and honored to be back for another couple of years." 

Toronto fell to the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the postseason.