In the beginning of the 2011–12 season, on November 3, 2011, the Predators signed goaltender Pekka Rinne to a seven-year, $49 million deal. It was the largest contract awarded in Predators' history, as well as making Rinne the highest paid goaltender in the NHL that year. On February 27, 2012, during the NHL's trade deadline, the Predators acquired Andrei Kostitsyn and Paul Gaustad from the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres, respectively. The Predators surrendered draft picks to bolster their team for the 2012 playoffs. The season also saw the return of Russian forward Alexander Radulov to the Predators after a four-year hiatus to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). For the second year in a row, and the second time in the team's history, the Predators won a first-round series in the Stanley Cup playoffs, defeating the Red Wings in a best-of-seven series 4–1. However, for the second year in a row, the Predators were ousted in the Western Conference second round, this time to the Phoenix Coyotes.