With the opening of NHL training camps drawing ever nearer business is certainly starting to pick up around the league. 

In recent days we’ve seen several trades (see my most recent posts since August 29th) and now we’re starting to see some movement in the free agent market.

The big news today comes out of Los Angeles, where the Kings announced the signing of forward Jarret Stoll to a four-year, $14 million contract.

Stoll was acquired by the Kings from the Edmonton Oilers earlier this summer in exchange for defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky.

His new contract breaks down as $3.5 million per season against the Kings salary cap, a significant raise over the $2.2 million per season he earned over the last two years with the Oilers.

Stoll got that contract thanks to a 22-goal, 68-point performance in 2005-06, but a concussion the following season and the lingering after-effects hampered his performance since then, with 39 points (in 51 games) in 2006-07 and 36 points in 81 games last year.

The Kings may be taking a chance on Stoll regaining that 68-point form as it appears he hasn’t been the same since the concussion, but if he can round back into form he’ll be worth that kind of coin.

At least cap-wise the Kings are now a little closer (now less than $10 million closer) to the NHL’s minimum cap of $40.7 million.

In Detroit meanwhile comes a signing that surprises no one, that of Chris Chelios returning for another season at a very affordable $850K.

The ageless Chelios is obviously not the great defenseman he once was but is still capable of playing 14-16 solid minutes per game and has proven to be a valuable member of Detroit’s defense corps.

However, that move will likely come at the expense of another Red Wings d-man, as GM Ken Holland recently suggested he’ll likely need to pare down between $100K-$300K from his payroll and could look at shipping out a defenseman to do it.

It certainly won’t be the 46-year-old Chelios.

And finally, after some speculation that Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray was perhaps interested in bringing in a veteran free agent winger, comes the announcement the Sens have signed Brad Isbister to a one-year, two-way contract.

For those Senators fans hoping that Murray was looking at Brendan Shanahan, Glen Murray or Mark Parrish, please try to contain your disappointment.

Fact is, Murray doesn’t have a lot of cap space to play with, and with this signing combined with his recent acquisition of winger Ryan Shannon from Vancouver, it’s clear at this point he’s going for affordable depth rather than squandering precious cap signing an aging veteran to a one-way contract.  

The Los Angeles Kings last night dealt defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for center Jarret Stoll and defenseman Matt Greene.

As per the LA Times this move clears over $10 million in cap space for the Kings although it’s uncertain if they’ll be making any significant moves in the UFA market. It’s been rumored they might re-sign Brad Stuart, whom they deal to the Detroit Red Wings at the February trade deadline.

For the Oilers it’s a more intriguing move, setting up the possibility that Joni Pitkanen may have played his final season in Edmonton and could either be dealt or signed away via offer sheet. Visnovsky is a puck-moving defenseman but the Oilers were also believed in the market for a scoring forward, which Pitkanen might land them in a deal.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have gotten a jump on the UFA market in a big way over the weekend, acquiring the rights of forwards Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts from the Pittsburgh Penguins and forward Brian Rolston from the Minnesota Wild.

Malone re-signed a seven year, $31.5 million contract with the Lightning on Sunday, which breaks down as $4.5 million per season against their cap but is front-loaded to pay him between $7-$8 million per season in the first two seasons, while Roberts is believed close to signing  has signed a one-year, incentive-laden contract with the Bolts paying him a base of $1.25 million that could rise to $2.07 million if he achieves his bonuses.

It remains to be seen if they’ll get Rolston signed as it could cost them around $5 million per season but evidently the Lightning’s new ownership aren’t concerned about it otherwise they wouldn’t have wasted their time.

If the Bolts should get all three under contract it’ll have only cost them a third round pick in 2009 to the Penguins and a conditional pick in 2009 or 2010 to the Wild.

While these moves should excite the Lightning fanbase it is troubling to see them loading up at forward whilst doing nothing so far to address their weaknesses in goal and on the blueline.

This summer’s UFA market is now short two defensemen as the Colorado Avalanche announced Sunday the re-signing of Adam Foote and John-Michael Liles.

Foote’s contract is for two-years, $6 million, which will count as $3 million per season against the Avalanche’s cap, while Liles’ new deal is reportedly four years at over $4 million per season.

It wasn’t unexpected to hear of Foote’s re-signing but Liles was long rumored to be on his way out of Colorado, and he might’ve received over $5 million on the UFA market. His agent however last week expressed a hope that his client would be retained. Retaining both should provide stability to the Avs defense corps.

Edmonton Oilers GM Kevin Lowe is wasting little time in the off-season getting his restricted free agents under contract before July 1st.

Last Friday Lowe re-signed defenseman Tom Gilbert and forward Robert Nilsson to contract extensions, and on Monday he struck again, re-signing defenseman Denis Grebeshkov to a one-year extension believed worth around $1.5 million.

Grebeshkov reportedly wanted to sign a one-year contract to see how things work out next season before committing to a longer deal.

The Oilers are his third NHL team, having had short tenures with the LA Kings and NY Islanders, but this was his first full NHL season, which proved to be a good one for the 24-year-old, seeing action in 71 games and posting 18 points, respectable totals for a defenseman.

Lowe has said that the speed in which he’s re-signed some of his RFAs isn’t tied to the possibility of a rival team signing one of them away with an offer sheet, as he successfully did with Dustin Penner last summer.

Perhaps, but I’m willing to hazard a guess that it’s very much on Lowe’s mind, as he incurred the wrath of rival GMs last summer for signing Penner to an offer sheet and attempting to do the same with Buffalo’s Thomas Vanek, even though he was within his right to do so under the CBA.

It’s been suggested by some pundits that the Oilers best RFA players could be targets for offer sheets this summer, which would certainly explain why Lowe appears in a hurry to get those players under contract before this summer.

With Grebeshkov, Gilbert and Nilsson now re-signed, Lowe is expected to turn his attention to getting Joni Pitkanen and Jarret Stoll under contract.