In the wake of the Edmonton Oilers successfully signing away Dustin Penner from the Anaheim Ducks, there’s been precious little in actual free agent signings to report.

Several decent UFAs are still available, including Mike Peca, Ed Belfour, Danny Markov, Andy Sutton and Ossi Vaananen, and of course endless speculation on the respective futures of Peter Forsberg and Teemu Selanne, but there’s been little real news on their status of late.

As the month of August progresses and the start of training camp nears perhaps some of these players will be signed. In the meantime, here’s the latest signings:

The Ottawa Senators signed defenseman Luke Richardson to a one-year, $500K contract.

Bit of a surprise there as it was expected Richardson’s 20-year NHL playing career was over after seeing action in only 27 games last season for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Don’t expect to see too much of him in a Senators uniform. He’s mainly a depth signing and his contract is a two-way deal, meaning he’ll get substantially less cash if he’s demoted to the minors which, given the depth of the Sens defense corps, is a strong possibility.

Speaking of depth defensemen, the Pittsburgh Penguins signed former Los Angeles Kings blueliner Mike Weaver to a two-way contract. Weaver played in 39 games with the Kings last season.

He’s not very big (5’9, 180 lbs) but does play a decent physical game, which could make him a valuable pickup should injuries strike the Pens blueline corps in the upcoming season.

Another defenceman signed this week was former Maple Leafs blueliner Karel Pilar, inked by the Atlanta Thrashers.

Pilar was once considered a promising d-man for the Leafs but a heart ailment sidelined him throughout the 2005-06 season and he only saw ten games with their farm club in 2006-07.

If Pilar has made a full recovery from his heart ailment this could turn into a steal of a signing for the Thrashers.

The Columbus Blue Jackets signed former Washington Capitals center Kris Beech to a one-year contract.

It’s hard to believe now that Beech was considered the centerpiece of the package that brought Jaromir Jagr from Pittsburgh to Washington back in 2001. Despite his strong skating and playmaking ability Beech has yet to blossom into a star player as he was once projected to become.

Columbus could end up being the last stop of his NHL career unless he can step up his offensive production.

The New Jersey Devils signed former NY Islanders forward Arron Asham to a one-year, $700K contract.

I’ve always like Asham’s aggressive defensive style since his days as a Montreal Canadien. “The Little Buzzsaw” is one of those high-energy players who’ll never become a star but is always a fan favorite for their style of play. I think he’ll fit in well with the Devils defense-first system.