Ducks sign D Hnidy
July 5th, 2007
Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - The Anaheim Ducks signed defenseman Shane Hnidy to a two-year contract Thursday. Per club policy, financial terms were not disclosed.
Hnidy, 31, played in 72 games last season with the Atlanta Thrashers, scoring five goals and tallying seven assists.
The 6-2, 210-pound defenseman has played in 336 career NHL games -- with Ottawa, Nashville and Atlanta -- and registered nine goals and 28 assists.
Islanders sign free-agent Guerin
July 5th, 2007
Uniondale, NY (Sports Network) - The New York Islanders made a big move to re-shape their roster, signing unrestricted free-agent forward Bill Guerin to a two-year contract on Thursday.
"My family and I are so happy to be coming to Long Island," Guerin said. "Garth Snow (Islanders general manager) contacted me on Sunday and was so positive, so persistent right from the outset, explaining to me why I would be ideal for his team. Ownership's commitment to winning at almost every cost and Garth making it clear to how determined he is to build a winner is why I'm an Islander today."
Guerin, 36, split last season between St. Louis and San Jose, scoring 36 goals and 56 points in 77 regular season games. He struggled in the playoffs, recording just a pair of assists in nine games.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder has tallied 364 goals, 719 points and 1,439 penalty minutes in 1,026 NHL games over 15 seasons with the Devils, Oilers, Bruins, Stars, Blues and Sharks.
The native of Wilbraham, Massachusetts is a four-time NHL All-Star (2001, 2003-04, 2007) and represented the United States in three Winter Olympic Games. He was the fifth overall pick of the New Jersey Devils in 1989, and played college hockey for two years at Boston College.
New York was dealt several blows at the start of free-agency on Sunday, learning that free-agent forward Ryan Smyth would not pursue a new contract with the Islanders, while also losing forwards Viktor Kozlov to Washington and 40-goal scorer Jason Blake to Toronto. The club also rid themselves of disappointing forward Alexei Yashin earlier in the off-season.
While the team was able to bring in journeyman forward Jon Sim on a three-year deal Sunday, Guerin represents their first bona-fide free agent addition.
Islanders sign Comrie, Jackman
July 5th, 2007
Uniondale, NY (Sports Network) - The New York Islanders continued their busy Thursday as the team signed forwards Mike Comrie and Tim Jackman to one-year deals.
Comrie, 26, had 20 goals and 25 assists in 65 games between Phoenix and Ottawa. He also played 20 postseason games in Ottawa's playoff run and tallied four goals and two assists.
"We really wanted Mike Comrie because Ted Nolan, the scouts and I were unanimous in wanting to bring his offensive production, creativity and competitiveness to our team," said Islanders general manager Garth Snow.
In 386 career NHL games with Edmonton, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Ottawa, Comrie has 123 goals and 139 assists.
Jackman last season played five games with the Kings without registering a point. In 69 games with their American Hockey League affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, he compiled 19 goals and 14 assists with 143 penalty minutes.
In 32 NHL games, with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Phoenix Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings, Jackman has a total of one goal and two assists with 47 penalty minutes.
Sabres sign Thibault, two others
July 5th, 2007
Buffalo, NY (Sports Network) - The Buffalo Sabres have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with free agent goaltender Jocelyn Thibault.
The club also signed left wing Andrew Peters to a two-year deal and forward Michael Ryan to a one-year contract.
Thibault appeared in 22 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, posting a record of 7-8-2 with a 2.83 goals-against average. The 32-year old netminder has an overall career record of 235-234-68-5 and a 2.74 GAA in 15 NHL seasons with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks and Penguins.
Peters played in a career-high 58 games for the Sabres last year, collecting two points and 125 penalty minutes. In three seasons with Buffalo, he has racked up 376 penalty minutes in 128 games.
"Andrew has been the consummate team player over the past few seasons," Sabres general manager Darcy Regier said. "He has committed himself to improving his conditioning and skills to further his development and add to his contributions to the team."
Ryan played in 19 games last season with the Sabres, picking up five points.
Bruins sign a pair
July 6th, 2007
Boston, MA (Sports Network) - The Boston Bruins on Friday agreed to terms with defensemen Bobby Allen and Byron Bitz. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.
Allen, 28, split time last season between the American Hockey League's Providence and Boston Bruins. Allen made his NHL debut last season with the Bruins in Buffalo on January 17, 2007, and went on to play in 31 games for Boston last season recording three assists and 10 penalty minutes. Prior to being called up to Boston, Allen had tallied five goals and 13 assists with 14 penalty minutes for Providence.
Bitz comes to the Bruins after completing his senior year of college hockey for Cornell University. In four years at Cornell, Bitz registered 28 goals and 60 assists with 157 penalty minutes in 124 career games. He was the Big Red's team captain last season.
He was the Bruins fourth pick, 107th overall, in the 2003 draft.
Wild bring in Hill
July 6th, 2007
St. Paul, MN (Sports Network) - The Minnesota Wild on Friday signed defenseman Sean Hill to a one-year contract.
Hill, though, will miss the first 19 games of the season due to a suspension.
Towards the end of last season, Hill became the first NHL player to be suspended for the use of a performance-enhancing substance. He maintains that he never knowingly took a performance enhancer and appealed the suspension, but the 20-game suspension was upheld by the league and he served one game in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals when he was a member of the New York Islanders.
A 14-year NHL veteran, he has also laced the skates for Montreal, Anaheim, Ottawa, Carolina, St. Louis and Florida.
In 841 games, the 37-year-old Duluth, MN native has 60 goals and 229 assists with 976 penalty minutes.
Stars sign trio
July 6th, 2007
Frisco, TX (Sports Network) - The Dallas Stars agreed to a one-year contract with left wing Brad Winchester and one-year, two-way contracts with center Toby Petersen and defenseman Trevor Byrne on Friday.
Winchester's contract was worth $475,000 while terms of the other two players' contracts were not released.
"Brad Winchester has gained some valuable NHL experience with Edmonton the last couple years and we think he adds depth to our forward group," said Dallas general manager Doug Armstrong. "Toby Petersen has shown offensive capabilities while playing for our affiliate in Des Moines as well as at the NHL level, and Trevor Byrne adds some size to our defensive corps in Iowa."
Winchester, 26, played in 59 games with Edmonton last season and scored four goals and added five assists. In 78 career games, all with Edmonton, he has four goals and six assists.
Petersen, 28, split the 2006-07 season between the Edmonton Oilers and the American Hockey League's Iowa Stars. In 64 games with the Oilers last season, Peterson recorded six goals and nine assists, while he posted two goals and six assists in seven games with Iowa.
In 155 games in the NHL, including 91 with Pittsburgh, he has 16 goals and 25 assists.
Byrne, 27, skated for the Hershey Bears and Chicago Wolves in the AHL last season and registering one goal and 13 assists.
Maple Leafs ink Clemmensen
July 6th, 2007
Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Scott Clemmensen was signed to be a backup goaltender with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday.
Clemmensen played six games for the New Jersey Devils this past season registering a 1-1-2 record and a 3.15 goals against average.
"Scott is an experienced professional goaltender, who will provide depth in the organization at that position," team general manager John Ferguson said.
Clemmensen has played in 25 career NHL games all with New Jersey, compiling a 7-6-4 record with a 2.82 goals against average.
Red Wings sign veteran F Drake
July 9th, 2007
Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - The Detroit Red Wings signed veteran forward Dallas Drake to a one-year contract Monday. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Drake was originally selected by the Red Wings in the 1989 draft and played two seasons in Detroit tallying 28 goals and 48 assists in 119 games.
In 14 NHL seasons, Drake has scored 174 goals with 297 assists and 844 penalty minutes in 944 games.
"We're very pleased to have Dallas join the Red Wings," Detroit general manager Ken Holland said. "He's a very physical player who will add grit to our lineup and make our team even more difficult to play against. He's a veteran player and you can never have enough experience and leadership on a team."
Coyotes sign York to one-year deal
July 9th, 2007
Glendale, AZ (Sports Network) - The Phoenix Coyotes signed left wing Mike York to a one-year contract on Monday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 29-year-old York registered 10 goals and 11 assists in 66 games with the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders last season.
For his career, York has posted 121 goals and 187 assists in 515 games with the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, Islanders, and Philadelphia.
Canucks sign defenseman Miller
July 9th, 2007
Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - The Vancouver Canucks signed free agent defenseman Aaron Miller to a contract on Monday. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 35-year-old Miller comes over to the Canucks from the Los Angeles Kings, where he played 82 games last season and recorded eight points with 60 penalty minutes.
The 11-year NHL veteran has a career total of 110 points, with 24 goals and 86 assists, through 620 games played.
Stars ink Fedoruk
July 9th, 2007
Frisco, TX (Sports Network) - The Dallas Stars signed left wing Todd Fedoruk to a one-year, $875,000 deal for the 2007-08 season.
"Todd adds the elements of size and toughness to our hockey club," said Stars general manager Doug Armstrong. "We expect our fans to enjoy his style of play and we look forward to his contributions to the Dallas Stars in 2007-08."
Fedoruk, 28, played in 58 total games last season with the Anaheim Ducks and the Philadelphia Flyers, tallying three goals and 11 assists for 14 points with 120 penalty minutes. He was acquired by Philadelphia in exchange for a fourth round pick on Nov. 13, 2006.
The 6-2, 241-pound left wing was originally drafted by the Flyers in the seventh round of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. Over parts of six NHL seasons, Fedoruk has collected 17 goals and 48 assists for 65 points with 785 penalty minutes.
Devils bring in Vishnevski
July 10th, 2007
Newark, NJ (Sports Network) - The Devils have signed free agent defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski on Tuesday.
Vishnevski, 27, recorded three goals and 10 assists in 67 games split between Nashville and Atlanta last season. He finished the 2006-07 campaign with the Predators after being acquired in a February deal that sent forward Eric Belanger to the Thrashers.
"Vitaly Vishnevski is a defenseman who brings a physical presence to our hockey team," said Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello. "He has both size and experience, and we feel he can play our type of hockey."
Drafted fifth overall by Anaheim in the 1998 draft, Vishnevski spent the first six seasons of his seven-year NHL career with the Ducks.
Vishnevski has recorded 14 goals and 47 assists for 61 points in 483 career NHL games.
Lundqvist agrees to terms with Rangers
July 11th, 2007
New York, NY (Sports Network) - The New York Rangers announced Wednesday that restricted free agent goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has agreed to terms on a new contract.
The 25-year-old Lundqvist went 37-22-8 in 70 games last season for the Rangers, posting a 2.34 goals-against average and .917 save percentage. He also registered five shutouts in his second season with the Blueshirts.
Lundqvist played particularly well down the stretch last season, guiding the Rangers into the playoffs by compiling a 1.85 GAA and .931 save percentage over the last 44 games of the regular season.
In 123 career games with the Rangers, the native of Sweden is 67-34-17 with a 2.29 GAA and .919 save percentage. In 13 career playoff contests, Lundqvist is 6-7 with a 2.58 GAA and .905 save percentage.
New York originally selected Lundqvist with the 205th pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.
Isles ink Aaron Johnson
July 12th, 2007
Uniondale, NY (Sports Network) - The New York Islanders signed defenseman Aaron Johnson to a one-year contract Thursday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 24-year-old Johnson had three goals and 10 assists in 61 games last season for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
"Aaron is an important addition for the Islanders," said Ken Morrow, the team's director of pro scouting. "He is a talented, dedicated player and, at 24-years-old, he's just coming into his own as a defenseman. His acquisition gives us some depth on the blue line at the NHL level."
In 116 career NHL games, Johnson has registered seven goals and 19 assists.