Recent Signings (Prospects and the like)

-The Phoenix Coyotes have signed Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D, to a three-year entry level contract. Larsson, 18, was Phoenix's first choice, 6th overall, in the 2009 draft. Last season, he tallied 9 goals and 27 points for Leksand in Sweden. Recently, at the World Hockey Championships, Ekman-Larsson had 3 points in 9 games with Sweden playing against some of the best players in the world. His annual cap hit will be $1.75 milion per season.

-The NY Rangers have signed Mats Zuccarello-Aasen, LW, to a 2-year deal. The deal is worth a reported $900,000 per season. Zuccarello-Aasen, listed generously at 5'7" and 161 lbs, first garnered attention with a eyebrow-raising performance for Norway at the 2010 Olympics. Last season in the Swedish Elite League, he had 23 goals and 64 points 55 games with Modo.

-The Ranger also acquired Jyri Niemi, D, from the NY Islanders for a 6th round pick. Niemi, 19, as a 3rd choice, 72nd overall, by the NY Islanders in 2008. With the window on signing him closing rapidly (Teams have until June 1st to sign 2008 draft picks taken from the CHL), the Islanders decided against signing him and shipped him to the Rangers, who immediately inked him to a three-year entry-level contract. Niemi had 8 goals and 29 points in 50 games with Saskatoon of the WHL. The trade was the first between the two NHL rivals in nearly 4 decades.

-Colorado signed defenceman Jonas Holos to a two-year deal worth $613k annually. Holos, 22, was a 6th round choice, 108th overall of Colorado in 2008. The Norwegian-born defender had 1 goal and 14 points in 51 games with Farjestad of the Swedish Elite League. Like Zuccarello-Aasen, Holos also played for the upstart Norway squad in the 2010 Olympics.

-The Vancouver Canucks have signed defenceman Yann Sauve to a 3-year entry level contract worth $671k per season. Sauve, 20, was the Canucks' second pick, 41st overall, in the 2008 entry draft. Last season, with Saint John of the QMJHL, Sauve put up 7 goals and 36 points in 61 games.

-The Nashville Predators have signed goaltender Anders Lindback to a two-year contract. Lindback, who stands an imposing 6'6", played for Timra of the Swedish Elite League last season, where he had a G.A.A. of 2.46 and a Save PCT of .913 in 42 games. He was a 7th round choice, 207th overall, of Nashville and will earn $900,000 per season in the NHL.

Los Angeles re-signs Parse

The LA Kings have re-signed Scott Parse, LW, to a two-year contract worth $900,000 annually. Parse, 25, had 11 goals and 24 points in 59 games with Los Angeles last season. A 6th round choice in 2004, he was scheduled to become an UFA this summer.


http://lakingsinsider.com/2010/05/26/parses-contract/

Recent NHL Re-signings (May 26th, 2010)

-The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed Adam Foote to a one-year deal. According to capgeek, his cap hit is $1,00,000 which is a pretty nice number for a veteran defenceman who can provide stability while Colorado's young team matures. Foote had 0 goals and 9 assists in 67 games with Colorado last season, while posting a +8 and 64 penalty minutes. He'll turn 39 this summer, and his contract includes a No-Trade clause.

-Buffalo re-signed veteran Mike Grier. Grier, 35, put up 10 goals and 22 points in 73 regular season games with the Sabres. He also added 2 goals in 6 playoff games for the disappointing Sabres. Grier brings a incomparable work ethic on the penalty kill, and at just $1.5 million for next season, comes cheaply for the Sabres.

-The Ottawa Senators have re-signed Mike Brodeur to a one-year, two-way deal worth $600,000 in the NHL. Brodeur, a 27-year-old former draft pick of Chicago, looked stellar in three games with Ottawa last season, with a G.A.A. of 1.00 and a Save PCT of .966. He even posted a shutout against the New York Rangers, stopping all 32 shots he faced. Personally, I'm a little surprised he didn't test the open market. A team with a #1 goalie who likes to play a lot of games could have done worse than take a flyer on Brodeur; someone like New Jersey, Buffalo, or Calgary. That said, with Pascal Leclaire's injury woes, maybe he feels that he'll stand a good chance of getting into games with Ottawa again this season.

-Ottawa also re-signed RW Ryan Keller. Keller, 26, got into 6 games with the Senators this past season with no points or penalty minutes and a -1 rating. Keller had 68 points with Binghamton of the AHL last season. He will likely be a depth player for the Senators, with a two-way deal that makes him easier to pay to play in the AHL.

-Pittsburgh re-signed defenceman Deryk Engelland. The 28-year-old saw his first taste of NHL action this past season, getting into 9 games and tallying two assists to go with a -2 rating and 17 penalty minutes. There is some speculation among Penguins fans that Engelland has the inside track on being the Penguins #7 defenceman going into next season, based on his play with Pittsburgh. At just $500,000 for next season, he would certainly be an affordable player for the Pens, who have just under $11 million in cap space for next season, but with only three other defenceman with NHL experience under contract (Kris Letang, Brooks Orpik, and Alex Goligoski).

-Detroit re-signed prospect Mattia Ritola, LW, to a three-year deal worth $517k per season. Ritola, 23, played 5 games with Detroit during the regular season, and got into one playoff game. He was held pointless in all 6. Early speculation is he could find himself full-time on the Red Wings roster as early as next season.

-St. Louis re-signed prospect Adam Cracknell to a one-year deal worth $500,000. Cracknell, 25, had a professional-high 38 points with Peoria of the AHL last season. He's a former 9th round draft choice of the Calgary Flames.