Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley has agreed to sign an eight-year extension with the club, a contract that features an average-annual value just below $10.6 million, sources told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan on Tuesday night.

The deal comes with a full no-movement clause past Year Nos. 1-3, and secures a key cog in the Dallas blue line as the Stars seek their first trip to the Stanley Final since 2020.

Harley, 24, a native of Syracuse, N.Y., had one goal and eight points this season, leading into Dallas’ home game against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. He skated in 79 and 78 games, respectively, for the Stars the past two seasons, and posted a career-high 50 points last year.

Harley, who was raised in Canada, received the call to join Team Canada earlier this year midway through the 4 Nations Face-Off. He was an injury replacement for Cale Makar, and was with the club when it won the championship game in Boston. In the final, a 3-2 win over Team USA, Harley finished with an assist in 31 shifts that covered 21:56 of ice time.

Former NHL center Ryan Kesler has been charged with criminal sexual conduct in Michigan, according to court records obtained by multiple outlets.

Kesler pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct Monday in Bloomfield Hills District Court, according to court records.

Kesler posted $50,000 bond and was ordered not to leave the state of Michigan without court permission. His next scheduled court appearance is set for Nov. 6.

Kesler has denied the charges, which were filed last Thursday and stem from an alleged incident on Jan. 1 in Orchard Lake, Michigan, according to court records.

“Ryan emphatically denies the allegations and is completely innocent of the charges,” his attorney Robert Morad told The Athletic on Monday. “As the legal process begins, we ask for respect for his privacy and for the integrity of the judicial system. We are confident, when all the facts and circumstances are presented, that he will be fully exonerated.”

According to the criminal complaint, which was obtained by The Athletic, both counts allege Kesler engaged in sexual contact with a 16-year-old child “through force or coercion and/or (had) reason to know the victim was physically helpless.”

Kesler, 41, has been suspended from his role as a youth hockey coach by the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA). Tom Berry, the president of MAHA, told The Athletic that Kesler also has been suspended from all USA Hockey activities. Kesler was in his third season coaching the Detroit-area Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club 15O Bantam Midget team.

Kesler played parts of 15 seasons with the Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks, appearing in 1,001 regular-season games from 2003 to 2019.

A two-time All-Star, Kesler had 258 goals and 315 assists in his career and won the Selke Award, given to the NHL’s best two-way forward, after the 2010-11 season. The Michigan native also was a member of the United States Olympic teams in 2010 and 2014.

PITTSBURGH — A fan at Monday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues was taken to a hospital after falling from the upper concourse at PPG Paints Arena.

The incident happened early in the first period after Anthony Mantha‘s goal gave the Penguins a 2-0 lead.

Emergency personnel treated the fan, a man who was not identified, before taking him to Mercy Hospital, located a few blocks from the arena.

Play was not halted while the man was being treated. Pittsburgh police told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the man was in critical condition.

“Our concerns remain with the individual and his family at this time,” the Penguins said in a statement.

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who became the ninth player in NHL history to score 1,700 points, said the team found out about the fall after the game.

“It doesn’t feel right to be talking about points when you hear something like that,” Crosby said. “Obviously, our thoughts and prayers are with that person and their family and hopefully they’re OK.”

Penguins coach Dan Muse echoed Crosby’s sentiments.

“We all come here for a sport and a game, and when you hear something like that, it kind of puts everything else aside,” Muse said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.”

The fall was the third such incident at a Pittsburgh sporting event this year.

In May, Kavan Markwood fell over the railing atop the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall and onto the field at PNC Park late in a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs. Markwood spent several days in the hospital but recovered. An acquaintance of Markwood was later charged with providing alcohol to Markwood, who was 20 at the time of the incident.

On Saturday night, a worker at Acrisure Stadium, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, suffered injuries to his legs when he fell approximately 50 feet while doing work near the stadium’s scoreboard.