- The St. Louis Blues this past week signed former Dallas Stars defenseman Darryl Sydor to a one-year, $1 million contract. 

Sydor, 37, attended Blues training camp on a tryout basis and is seen as an affordable replacement for Jay McKee, whom the Blues bought out of his contract this summer. 

His considerable playoff experience (he played in five Stanley Cup finals, winning the Cup with Dallas and Tampa Bay) and leadership should make him a good addition to this young Blues team.

- The New Jersey Devils brought in some much-needed veteran depth at center last week, signing former Anaheim Duck Rob Niedermayer to a one-year contract worth $1 million. 

Niedermayer, 34, has considerable NHL experience especially in the post-season (playing on Cup finalists in Florida and

Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi hoped to land a quality veteran forward via this summer's unrestricted free agent market but when he came up short opted to go the trade route. 

Having missed out on signing Marian Hossa and Mike Knuble, Lombardi on Friday dealt defensemen Tom Preissing and Kyle Quincey plus a fifth round pick in 2010 to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for forward Ryan Smyth. 

It's a surprising move by Lombardi considering what he was trying to land via free agency and an interesting one. 

Smyth, 33, is coming off a 26-goal, 59 point performance in 77 games with the woeful Avalanche last season. The fourteen year veteran is respected for his gritty two-way play and his leadership, which should make him a good addition to a young Kings