-The Ottawa Senators resolved their need for experienced blueline depth by signing former Philadelphia Flyer Jason Smith to a two-year contract. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

It was rumored Senators GM Bryan Murray was in the market for a trade with Anaheim for Mathieu Schneider or San Jose for Kyle McLaren. Smith’s signing negates the need for the latter and appear to indicate they’ll re-sign Andrej Meszaros which would remove the need for Schneider

Smith was believed in talks with the Buffalo Sabres but evidently he liked what the Sens had to offer. His gritty performance in this spring’s playoffs, particularly against Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, raise his stock on the UFA market, and heading into this week was the best available blueliner left on the market.

-Reports claim Pavol Demitra is either close to signing or has signed a multi-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks.

That could raise complaints of tampering from some Minnesota Wild fans given Demitra’s spring sojourn to Vancouver as the guest of former Canucks captain Markus Naslund as well as the fact Mike Gillis, the Canucks new general manager, is Demitra’s former agent.

The league already looked into that matter and found no evidence of tampering. Gillis’ previous relationship with Demitra obviously has some influence but the bottom line is the Canucks desperately need offensive depth and are willing to consider taking on an aging, injury-prone forward.

-Speaking of the Canucks, they now have seven days to decide if they’ll keep forward Steve Bernier.

The St. Louis Blues signed Bernier, who was acquired from the Sabres last week by the Canucks, to a one-year contract offer sheet worth $2.5 million.

Consider that a bit of revenge on the part of Blues president John Davidson for Gillis’ attempt last week to sign forward David Backes to a three-year, $7.5 million contract offer sheet, which the Blues matched almost immediately.

Gillis will likely match this offer but like the Blues with Backes will end up paying him more than desired.

**UPDATE** As expected the Canucks management announced they would match the Blues offer sheet for Bernier.

-Defenseman Paul Mara is returning to the NY Rangers, signing a one-year, $1.95 million contract, a significant cut in pay from the $3 million he made last season with the Blueshirts.

Given that fact it’s a good bet he wasn’t attracting much interest or offers of note from rival clubs on the UFA market.

As expected former Vancouver Canucks forward Brendan Morrison was signed on Monday, and stayed on the West Coast, joining the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

Terms have yet to be disclosed but it’s reportedly either a one or two year contract.

It’ll be interesting to see what Morrison’s new contract will be, given the Ducks are currently sitting around $54 million in cap space.

Of course the Ducks coud get some additional cap relief if as rumored they end up peddling Mathieu Schneider’s $5.75 million contract for next season.

Morrison’s performance has been hampered by injury over the past three seasons, two of which he played through nagging pain which clearly affected his play. If he can stay healthy this season however he could be good for 55-60 points this season and provide valuable offensive depth to a Ducks club lacking scoring punch last season.

The Tampa Bay Lightning meanwhile continued to add to their forward depth by signing veteran forward Mark Recchi to a one-year, $1.25 million contract.

For those wondering why the Bolts are loading up at forward at the expense of their defense, it’s believed they’re planning to shop a forward (possibly Jussi Jokinen or Michel Ouellet) for a defenseman.

Recchi had a rough start to last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, netting only 8 points in 19 games and becoming a healthy scratch, but rallied after being dealt to the Atlanta Thrashers with 40 points in 53 games.

If Recchi can manage that same pace for a full season with the Bolts he could be a good, affordable addition.

Two fading NHL power forwards have found new homes for next season.

On Sunday the Minnesota Wild signed 36-year-old right wing Owen Nolan to a two-year, $5.5 million contract (worth $2.75 million per season) and on Monday the Calgary Flames inked 33-year winger Todd Bertuzzi to a one-year, $1.95 million contract.

Not very long ago these two would’ve commanded top dollar on the open market. Bertuzzi earned $6.8 million in 2003-04 with the Vancouver Canucks after coming off a 46-goal, 97-point performance with the Canucks the previous year.

Last summer Bertuzzi signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Anaheim Ducks but cap constraints, a need to re-sign Corey Perry and Bertuzzi’s 40-point performance in 68 games forced the Ducks to buy out the remaining year of his contract last month.

Nolan made $6.5 million with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2003-04 season but injuries and a contract dispute saw him miss the 2005-06 season, and the last two seasons he played for Phoenix and Calgary earning $1.225 million and $1.75 million respectively.

His point production over the past two seasons (40 and 32) suggests the Wild, to put it kindly, overpaid for the aging Nolan and was likely based on his playoff performance (5 points in 7 games) with the Flames this spring.

In signing Bertuzzi to replace Nolan the Flames get him at a reasonable price, although that combined with what he got in his buyout (approximately $2.6 million) means he’ll actually earn more next season than he would made had the Ducks not bought him out.

For both players, this could be their last opportunities to prove themselves still worthwhile NHL forwards.

At 36 Nolan’s NHL career appears to be rapidly winding down as he’s now more of a checking forward than the high-scoring power forward he was at the turn of this century, while Bertuzzi still toils under the shadow of his infamous attack on Steve Moore over four years ago and a recent injury history that limited him to 83 games over the last two seasons.

Boston Bruins
Dennis Wideman

Carolina Hurricanes
Chad LaRose

Colorado Avalanche
Marek Svatos
Detroit Red Wings
Valtteri Filppula

Florida Panthers
Jay Bouwmeester

Minnesota Wild
Pierre-Marc Bouchard
Stephane Veilleux

Nashville Predators
Ville Koistinen

New York Islanders
Sean Bergenheim

New York Rangers
Dan Fritsche

Ottawa Senators
Antoine Vermette

St. Louis Blues
Jay McClement

San Jose Sharks
Marcel Goc

Washington Capitals
Brooks Laich
Shaone Morrisonn

More significant is the fact that these players are now ineligible to receive offer sheets from rival teams.

After two weeks of speculation originally dismissed by the new owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning the club has traded defenseman Dan Boyle.

Only four days after his new contract with a no-trade clause came into effect, Boyle agreed to waive the clause to be dealt to the San Jose Sharks.

Going to the Sharks with Boyle is veteran defenseman Brad Lukowich in exchange for defenseman Matt Carle, blueline prospect Ty Wishart, a first round pick in 2009 and a fourth round pick in 2010.

After signing an aging Rob Blake from the LA Kings the Sharks have now given themselves what they hope to be the final missing piece of the puzzle in Boyle to put them over the top as a Stanley Cup contender.

Boyle turns 32 in July and despite missing considerable playing time last season to a freak dressing room injury (a skate blade severed tendons in his wrist) he’s still in his prime and was capable of posting up 25 points in 37 games last season.

His -29 plus/minus rating ranked among the worst in the NHL but that is partially due to a Lightning team that was in disarray late in the season and in freefall in the standings.

On a better team like the Sharks Boyle should be a strong factor in their offensive game, particularly on the power-play, and with his experience as part of the Lightning’s 2004 Stanley Cup playoff run makes an upgrade over the departed Brian Campbell.

It’s difficult to understand the mindset of the Lightning’s new ownership. They were considered the driving force in the Bolts re-signing Boyle last season to a five-year, $6.67 million per season contract before they’d officially taken over ownership of the team.

Then came the Lightning’s recent acquisitions of forwards, such as Ryan Malone ($4.5 million per season), Vaclav Prospal ($3.5 million per season), Radim Vrbata ($3 million per season) and Gary Roberts ($1.25 million), and suddenly the Lighting were pushing perilously close to the salary cap, and that meant something had to give.

Moving Boyle frees up considerable cap space and the additions of Carle and Wishart will replace the gaps on the blueline left by the departures of Boyle and Lukowich, although they won’t replace the experience of the two and Carle will face the pressure of being one of the Lightning’s top two defensemen.

Freeing up cap space and getting younger is one thing, but then why did they even both re-signing Boyle in the first place if the plan was to load on offense?

Carle and Wishart also won’t address the fact that the Lighting blueline was thin before they dealt away Boyle and Lukowich.

Carle and Ranger will probably be the top two pairing, leaving Filip Kuba, Shane O’Brien, Alexandre Picard, Doug Janik and Wishart as the remainder of the defense corps.

The Lightning now look like a team with strong forward depth, decent goaltending in promising Mike Smith and recent acquisition Olaf Kolzig, and a defense corps that could be the club’s Achilles heel.

It’s been an exciting off-season thus far for the Lightning with all their recent moves, as well as the re-signing of franchise player Vincent Lecavalier and the selection of future star Steve Stamkos in the entry draft.

It’ll be interesting to see how well this team, with a suspect defense and a new head coach who hasn’t been behind an NHL bench in 13 years, looks on the ice next season.  

One of the greatest careers in NHL history has come to an end.

Jaromir Jagr, former captain of the New York Rangers, has announced he’s decided to accept a two-year contract from Avangard Omsk of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.

He’d hoped to re-sign with the Rangers but apparently no real contract talks took place between himself and Rangers management.

Jagr has at times been a considered a moody, petulant self-centered prima donna by his critics, but there is no denying he ranks among the greatest forwards in NHL history.

He won the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 1999, the Art Ross as the leading point scorer five times, won the Pearson award three times, was a seven time first team all star, played on two Stanley Cup championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins and won an Olympic gold medal as part of the 1998 Czech Republic Men’s hockey team.

Jagr also holds 12 NHL records, including most assists by a rookie in the Stanley Cup finals (5), most regular season assists (87) and points (149) by a right wing, and 8 Rangers team records, all set in 2005-06, including most regular season goals (54), points (123), power play goals (24), shots (368) and tied with Mark Messier and Don Murdoch for most game winning goals with 9.

He finishes his NHL career with 646 goals, 953 assists and 1599 points in the regular season, and 77 goal and 181 points in 169 playoff games.

His was a Hall of Fame career and he should be a first ballot selection.

Some might feel cheated that Jagr will finish his playing career in Russia rather than the NHL, but NHL fans got to see him at his very best for most of his 17 NHL seasons, and that’s what he should be remembered for.  

It may be the start of the Independence Day long weekend in the United States but  Buffalo Sabres general manager Darcy Regier had a busy Fourth of July.

Regier first dealt forward Steve Bernier to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a draft pick next season and in 2010, then acquired defenseman Craig Rivet from the San Jose Sharks. It’s believed those picks were the ones acquired from the Canucks.

Bernier’s now on this third team in a year, having been shipped to the Sabres from the San Jose Sharks last February. He made a sensation debut in his first game with the Sabres, scoring twice and defending Derek Roy late in the game, endearing himself to the Sabres faithful, but his production tailed off in the final games of the season.

The Canucks will be hoping he can provide some much-needed scoring depth in the wake of the departures of Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison to free agency.

Regier was seeking a veteran defenseman with Dmitri Kalinin signed by the Rangers and Teppo Numminen not expected to return. It had been rumored Maxim Afinogenov might be dangled but his poor performance last season may have scared off suitors.

Rivet had one of his best season of his career in 2007-08 with the Sharks, with a career-best 35 point performance, and having played most of his career with the Montreal Canadiens he’s no stranger to the Eastern Conference and the Northeast Division.

He’s signed through to 2010-11 at $3.5 million per season and with his experience could be a good addition to the Sabres defense corps.

San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson recently suggested he wouldn’t get into the UFA market to find a replacement for Brian Campbell, but changed his mind to sign former LA Kings defenseman Rob Blake to a one-year, $5 million contract

Blake had been oft-lined to the Sharks in trade rumors over the past two years but with Campbell gone and the depth in quality blueliners in the UFA market fast shrinking Wilson went with an established veteran on the downside of his career.

The length of the deal is one Sharks fans won’t have a problem with but $5 million is quite steep for a former Norris contending defenseman whose been a shadow of his former greatness in recent years.

Part of that is attributable to playing for a Kings team struggling to rebuild and perhaps on a more stable roster Blake might be capable of a bounce-back season.

It’s a gamble on Wilson’s part but one he had to make in the short term.

New York Rangers GM Glen Sather continues to add veteran depth to his roster via this summer’s UFA market, adding forward Markus Naslund and defenseman Dmitri Kalinin.

Details are still pending on the Kalinin signing but Naslund has been signed to a one-year, $4.5 two-year, $8 million contract.

Naslund’s been considered a fading force in his final years with the Vancouver Canucks but it’s possible he could bounce back if he weren’t facing pressure to carry the offensive load.

This move might also be seen as possible enticement for Mats Sundin to sign with the Rangers although these signings likely means less room for the kind of money he’s been attracting in the UFA market.

Kalinin struggled at times in his final two seasons in Buffalo occasionally earning a place in head coach Lindy Ruff’s doghouse. It was rumored earlier this spring he might sign with a Russian team .

If Kalinin can rebound with a fresh start in New York he could be a solid addition to the Rangers blueline, but if not he could replace the departed Marek Malik as the favorite target of the MSG boo-birds.

**UPDATE** GM Glen Sather stated during a media conference call announcing this trade that Jaromir Jagr won't be back with the Rangers.

Kalinin's contract is a one-year deal, financial terms are still unavailable.

The Montreal Canadiens have signed an impact forward, albeit one who provides a different kind of impact, inking noted enforcer Georges Laraque to a three-year contract believed worth $1.5 million per season, a modest raise over the $1.3 million per season he earned last season.

Laraque, a native of Montreal, has spent most of his career with the Edmonton Oilers and after spending the last two season split between Phoenix and Pittsburgh was believed considering heading back to Edmonton.

Considering Laraque’s comments earlier in his career against playing in Montreal due to the intense pressure French-Canadiens face with the Habs it’s a little surprising that he’s changed his mind, although the length of the deal likely had something to do with it.

Laraque’s presence will be a welcome one for a Canadiens team deep in talent but thin on grit, and will take much of the load off shut-down defenseman Mike Komisarek who’s had to do more than his fair share of the Habs enforcement duties.  

It’s been a busy week for Penguins GM Ray Shero.

Having filled the gaps at wing via free agency and re-signed young superstar Evegni Malkin Shero today locked up young goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to a seven-year, $35 million contract.

Fleury will now be making $5 million per season over that period, a considerable raise from the $1.6 million he earned last season.

His tremendous performance in the Penguins run to the Stanley Cup finals this spring was undoubtedly the contributing factor in his new contract, and if he continues to play as well over the next five years as he did in this spring’s playoffs this will be money well-spent for the Pens.

Shero’s will likely next turn his focus upon center Jordan Staal, who’ll be eligible for RFA status next July. It’s been speculated Staal could be a tougher nut to crack as it’s believed he’s not happy centering the third line and would prefer more offensive roles.

The Pittsburgh Penguins took action to fill the gaps on the wing left by the departures of Ryan Malone and Marian Hossa on Thursday, signing right winger Miroslav Satan and winger Ruslan Fedotenko to one year contracts.

Satan, who had 41 points in 80 games with the NY Islanders last season, will earn $3.5 million, while Fedotenko, another ex-Islander, had 33 points in 67 games and will make $2.5 million.

Neither will fully replace what Malone and Hossa contributed to the Penguins last season and will be seen as stopgap replacements, but at least GM Ray Shero has addressed the lack of depth on the wing in the wake of Hossa and Malone’s departures with a pair or decent free agents

This probably means we can scratch those speculations of Jaromir Jagr and Markus Naslund signing with the Penguins.

A rare occurrence took place on Thursday as the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs, hockey’s long time arch-rivals, swung a trade.

The Canadiens shipped young center Mikhail Grabovski to the Leafs in exchange for prospect defenseman Greg Pateryn and a second round pick in 2010.

Grabovski showed promise In his limited time with the Canadiens but was unable to crack the roster full time last season, and at one point left the team in the midst of a US west coast road trip to fly to Los Angeles and confer with his agent, who advised him to return to the Habs.

The Canadiens have $10 million in available cap space but have several young free agents to re-sign and are expected to land a veteran forward from the UFA market, making Grabovski expendable.

For a rebuilding Maple Leafs team thin at center Grabovski could be a good fit and should get much more playing time in Toronto than he got in Montreal.

The Columbus Blue Jackets wasted little time in replacing winger Nikolai Zherdev, whom they deal t to the NY Rangers earlier today.

It was reported Wednesday evening the Jackets had signed former Calgary Flames winger Kristian Huselius to a four-year contract worth $4.75 million per season.

Jackets GM Scott Howson needed to bring in a more experienced winger for his first line and Huselius certainly has that, posting up 77 and 66 points respectively in the last two seasons.

While Huselius has scored more than the departed Zherdev over the last two years he no less an enigma who seems to score more in the first half of the season than in the second, disappears in the playoffs, doesn’t like the rough going nor being leaned on by a demanding coach.

Huselius twice wilted under Mike Keenan’s iron hand in Florida and Calgary and he won’t face any less pressure in the demanding Ken Hitchcock.

Howson is also taking a heck of a risk committing $4.75 million per season to Huselius, considering he only made $1.4 million last season, but in this summer’s wild spending on free agents that’s what it took to get him to Columbus.

The New York Islanders were looking for affordable depth at center in this summer’s UFA market and believe to have found it in veteran Doug Weight, signing him to a one-year, $1.75 million contract.

Weight has had a long and productive career as a first and second line center but it was apparent last season that age was finally catching up to the 38-year-old, who managed only 24 points in 67 game in 2007-08 split between the Anaheim Ducks and St. Louis Blues.

It’s doubtful Weight will post up more than 40 points next season but the Isles are counting on his experience and leadership more than anything else.