The Atlanta Thrashers signed veteran defenseman Ken Klee to a multi-year contract. The Thrashers needed blueline depth this summer having lost Andy Sutton and Greg de Vries to free agency, so Klee should fill one of those spots nicely. At 35 he put up decent defensive stats with a rebuilding Colorado Avalanche team (19 points, +18 in 81 games).  

Speaking of de Vries, he along with former Montreal Canadiens forward Radek Bonk signed two-year contracts each with the Nashville Predators.

de Vries will fill the gap on the Predators blueline left by Kimmo Timonen, who was traded last month to Philadelphia. He won’t replace Timonen’s skill but the 34-year-old de Vries had a decent 2006-07 season with the Thrashers, with 24 points in 82 games and a plus-minus of –3.

Bonk is no longer the scoring center he once was in his heyday with the Ottawa Senators but developed into a solid checking line forward with the Montreal Canadiens, and could see either second-or-third line duty in Nashville.

The New York Rangers announced Monday the re-signing of unrestricted free agent defenseman Jason Strudwick, who’s likely to see more playing time next season after the Rangers opted not to qualify Karel Rachunek and making him a UFA.

The Toronto Maple Leafs re-signed UFA winger Bates Battaglia to a two-year, $1.3 million contract. Battaglia will continue to see services on the Leafs checking lines.