Amidst the frenzy of UFA signings, arbitration news and the Edmonton Oilers attempts to sign Thomas Vanek and Dustin Penner, several unrestricted free agents have found themselves unable to land contracts as the summer’s progresses and available cap space shrinks.

That’s spurred what appears to be a growing number of fading and marginal NHL’ers to sign contracts with European clubs next season.

Forwards Alexei Yashin and Petr Nedved were the most notable players to sign with European teams, but they’re not the only ones.

Goaltender Jussi Markkanen, who starred for the Edmonton Oilers during the 2006 Stanley Cup finals in relief of injured starter Dwayne Roloson, signed with the Finnish club Jokerit on July 30th.

Despite his Finals heroics, Markkanen was never going to displace Roloson as the Oilers starter, but it’s surprising that he was unable to land with another NHL team as a backup.

Forward Oleg Saprykin, who played on two Stanley Cup finalists in Calgary and Ottawa, wound up rejecting the Senators qualifying offer to sign with CSKA Moscow of the Russian Super League.

Saprykin had a decent 2006-07 season with the Phoenix Coyotes (14 goals, 34 points, +8 in 59 games) and after being dealt to the Senators earned some praise for his strong play on Ottawa’s fourth line during their playoff run.

Former Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers forward Dmitry Afanasenkov signed on August 1st with Moscow Dynamo of the Russian Super League.

Afanasenkov, a member of the Lightning’s 2004 Stanley Cup championship team, was once believed to have a bright future in the NHL as a checking line winger but failed to play up to expectations and attracted little interest as an unrestricted free agent.

Not all of those heading overseas are European.

Forward Jamie Lundmark will be joining Afanasenkov on the Dynamo.  Once a highly touted first round pick of the New York Rangers, Lundmark never played up to expectations.

Since the 2005-06 season he bounced from the Rangers to Phoenix to Calgary to Los Angeles. He’s only 26 but unless he can significantly improve his game in the Russian Super League, his NHL career could be over.

Former Calgary Flames backup goaltender Jamie “Noodles” McLennan signed with Mettalurg Magnitogorsk of the Russian Super League.  

McLennan is a 12-year NHL veteran who has played on six NHL teams and won the Masterton Trophy in 1998. Most recently, he incurred the wrath of Detroit Red Wings fans everywhere with a vicious and uncharacteristic slash to the stomach of Wings forward Johan Franzen during a Wings-Calgary Flames playoff game in 2007.

Well-traveled defenseman Ric Jackman signed with Red Bulls Salzburg of the Austrian League. Jackman played on six NHL teams since 1999-2000 in a career that saw him bounced between the NHL and the minors.

He earned a Stanley Cup ring as a member of the defending champion Anaheim Ducks and looked good in his limited post-season performances with the team, but that apparently wasn’t good enough to entice the Ducks to re-sign him or other NHL teams to snap him up.

Most of these players might also have “out clauses” in their new contracts, which would allow them to sign an NHL contract for next season if an NHL team comes calling.

However, if those players get signed after the start of the 2007-08 NHL season they’d have to pass through waivers, where they could be plucked away by a rival NHL team.

Don’t expect to see Yashin back, as he one of the few who apparently doesn’t have an escape clause in his contract to return to the NHL this season.